Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Bloody Angel ❯ Closer ( Chapter 1 )

Bloody Angel

Chapter One: Closer (Part One)

**

You know, the Afterlife really isn't what I thought it would be. I had been expecting dark gates, fiery brimstone and the like, but as I watched the beautiful angel watch me, I realized hey...Being dead isn't really so bad.

I've never had much of a sexual preference. I just went with what was aesthetically pleasing. I dated a girl for a while, Relena, until she broke up with me for the football star. Bitch. After that, I found interest in her brother, Zechs, who was an outcast like me. We lasted longer than his sister and I did, but eventually we drifted apart and lost touch even as friends. Last I heard, he'd moved to New York to start a career as a photographer. Oh well. They come and they go.

My point is that this creature was absolutely spectacular. Then he smiled and I knew I'd really died and gone to heaven. "The Afterlife isn't so bad," he commented, getting closer to me. "You're basically a gofer. That's what people who commit suicide usually are."

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You know, you run errands and stuff. God has a lot of things that need to be done." He laughed, probably at my expression. "I know it sounds weird, but this is the Afterlife, buddy. You'll never see heaven, and you'll never go to hell."

"You're not an angel?"

"Of course I am. I was never human."

Ah. That explained the violet eyes. "So you're an angel?"

"Yup. Now come on, you already have a job." He took my arm and we went through the ceiling like it was nothing. I felt a strange rippling sensation along my skin, but that was it.

"How can you already have a job lined up?" I asked, passing a few birds on our quick ascent into the air. Funny, I couldn't feel the change in air pressure...Come to think of it, I couldn't feel anything at all. Wind ruffled my hair and his loose clothing, but I didn't feel it. Strange.

"God knew what you were going to do, of course," he said, as if it was obvious.

"So God was planning on me to kill myself?" I demanded. He laughed again, a rich, bubbling sound that made me shiver.

"No, not exactly...Once you bled too much, though, He told me to go get you when you died. He knew that you wouldn't make it.

"Now, let's hurry it up. We have to get to the headquarters here on Earth. You can't go to heaven."

"You've said that. Why can't I?" For some reason, that was really pretty damn disappointing.

"No. You killed yourself. But you won't go to hell either, because your heart is pure. So basically, you're a ghost."

If I could've, I would've stopped dead. I know that my jaw had fallen open. "I'm a what?!"

"A ghost. Your spirit is still very much alive and vibrant, but your physical body is dead. You don't need to breathe, you know. And you'll notice that your heart isn't beating."

This just plain shocked me, and when he saw it, his smile grew wider. If I had a heart, it would've been pounding. Yours would be too if you saw this angel. "I thought ghosts had unfinished business."

"Exactly" He was solemn again, eyes lowered slightly. "You left your family behind to mourn you. That is your unfinished business. Tell me something, Heero Yuy." He stopped now and I sort of floated in front of him. I think he might have been a bit taller than me, but it was hard to tell in the air. "How old is your sister?"

"Fifteen."

"Will you see her get her driver's license?"

I felt a pang in my heart, my figurative heart. "No."

"Will you see her graduate?"

My eyes widened. "...No..."

"Will you see her marry?"

"No, I won't..."

"That is your unfinished business. Any more questions as to why you're a ghost?"

I shook my head and fell silent, pondering his words, wondering why I hadn't stopped at the first cut. Why had I done that? Rodney had only hit me once. When I thought about it logically, I realized that he'd only been looking out for my well-being. He just overreacted. And so did I.

And now I was a ghost, running erands for the Almighty Lord. What a rip off.

"Have you ever been to New York?" he asked, changing the subject.

"No. I rather liked the South, thanks."

"Well, that's where we're going. And you'd better watch out--they can't see me, but you're fair game."

"You can't see ghosts!"

He gave me a look. "Yes you can. Don't be stupid."

"Then why couldn't my parents see me?" I questioned, thinking 'Ha, I got him!', but then no, he just smirked.

"Selective sight. Those who have the Sight can see you."

"Wow. The Sight. I'm impressed now."

He scowled. "I don't need any attitude from you." He took my hand in his and this time, I felt the contact. It was electric. "Let's go down there. We'll be in New York City in less than ten minutes."

"We what?!" I really needed to get some things straight. Everything was too damn confusing.

He looked amused again. Damn him. "Technically, you're not really human anymore, so--"

"You keep contradicting yourself," I said flatly. He sighed and before I realized it, we were out in the New York countryside. It was green, warm and peaceful, and the crickets chirping were soothing to my fragile nerves. Did I even have nerves anymore?

"You need to stop thinking in terms of physical rules," he explained carefully, still kind despite my frequent questions. "Just because the apple falls from the tree and hits the ground in the physical world does not mean it does the same here. We live in a supernatural plane...a different dimension, if you like to think of it like that. The apples here fall, bounce, and go right back up into the tree. They fall sideways, they fall up, and they might not fall at all. There are rules, but there are half a dozen exceptions for each rule." He reached out and laid a pale, slender hand on my shoulder. "You'll begin to understand soon, Heero Yuy."

"Don't use my last name. Just call me Heero. The last name thing isn't necessary, you know."

He nodded. "All right. Heero."

"What's your name?"

He shrugged. "Don't really have one. Whatever you want to call me, I suppose. I'm your Teacher."

"I have a teacher?"

"No. You have a Teacher. You need to learn a lot of things about the Afterlife before we can let you go by yourself. Ever heard of seraphim?"

"Of course. Don't they have six wings or something?"

"No. Forget what you've heard about seraphim."

I blinked. "Um...okay, then."

"Seraphim are sort of guardian angels, I guess you'd say. They walk around on Earth with invisible wings. They're beautiful creatures, I hope you get to meet one. Beautiful and utterly kindhearted. They watch over their Charges very carefully, and their job is a serious one."

"Did I have a seraphim?"

He nodded. "Yes. He feels guilty that he betrayed you."

"How did he betray me?"

"By letting you take your life."

I fell quiet and let him talking, sitting up on a low stone wall I'd suddenly noticed. It was then that I realized we weren't in the same place as before. How in the hell did he do it? Must be an angel thing.

"The nephilim are sort of the opposite of seraphim."

"Nephilim? They don't exist." He gave me a reprimanding look and I sighed. "Right. Don't think in physical terms. But nephilim were created for the Madeleine L'Engle story, Many Waters. I had to do it for a book report once, in fourth grade or something."

He smiled. "Madeleine is a big fan of ours. She knows the truth. Nephilim are real, Heero. And they are the embodiment of pleasure and sex. If you ever meet one, know that you might never survive. They have a sexual appetite that is astounding."

I wondered if Zechs was a nephilim. He sure liked having sex a lot.

"So basically nephilim are perverts?"

He tilted his head, studying me. "I guess you could say that. Sounds about right. Nephilim are just...Watch it, okay?"

"Okay."

"You know about angels, seraphim and nephilim...Now demons. Demons are a bit trickier than nephilim in that they don't know right from wrong. Nephilim know, they just choose to ignore it. If you meet a demon, don't ever trust them. They're liars and they love to cause pain. Lots of it."

"So what's a demon look like?"

"They can look like normal humans. Or they can look like normal angels, or seraphim, or nephilim...That's the hardest part, telling the good from the bad."

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. "How do I know you're not a demon?"

He smiled softly and held up the golden cross around his neck. "If I was a demon, it would burn me."

"Like a vampire?"

"Yes. And speaking of vampires..."

*

For nearly an hour, I was coached on the creatures of the Afterlife. Demons, angels, vampires, ghosts, seraphim nephilim, dopplegangers, sprites, faeries, elves. It was like some goddamn fantasy amusement park. If you exit to your left, you reach hell where the demons, nephilim and dopplegangers reside. On your right is the realm of magic, watch out for the faeries! They can be twisted little creatures!

I didn't believe half of it, but I couldn't deny that I was real and that he was real, this beautiful, succulent angel with no name. He said I could call him whatever I wanted...Would 'lover' be too presumptuous?

We reached New York City in no time, and while I marveled and doubted the way we'd traveled, I tried to think outside my own limitations, my own physical boundaries. I didn't have a need to breathe or a reason for a heart to beat, so I guess a little super-speed travel without the travel isn't too impossible. If you don't really think about it, that is. Most of this world was based on belief. Proof was damn hard to find.

Too bad I was such a logical idiot, or maybe I might have had a decently good time that first day.

The angel and I talked a lot, but not about each other, really. He never asked personal questions, besides that one about my sister, and I didn't want to prod. Who knew what an angel might be sensitive to? And I couldn't really curse in front of him--he was a servant of God, for Christ's sake! He might...I don't know, bean me between the eyes with a scythe or something. Oh wait...that's for Death. Never mind, then.

As we were in the middle of a discussion, I suddenly felt very cold. I looked at him curiously, but he was quiet, watching the people go by. Since his hand was touching me, we were both invisible. I prayed that his warm, inviting hand would not move away. It was too addictive and I craved his touch, though I didn't dare reach out myself. Too beautiful. Untouchable.

"Um...hey," I started lamely and he looked over at me, soft expression on his lovely face. I gulped.

"Uh, you feel that?"

"Feel what?" His hand reached out and took mine tight, and he moved over until we were touching shoulders. I got the impression that he'd suddenly grown defensive and protective. I shivered again.

"It's so cold. That's not you, is it?"

He shook his head. Fine whispers of chestnut framed his heart-shaped face. I resisted the urge to push them away. "No, that is not me. I am warm. Evil is cold."

A boy walked by then and I found myself staring at his ass as he passed. Nice ass. Very aesthetically pleasing. I was drawn to him instantly. He turned a little and looked at me, and instead of lusting after violet eyes, I found myself wanting black. Black and slanted, like shards of ebony. Electrically charged shards of ebony.

He was of Asian decent, taller than me, with shoulder-length, fine black hair. Raven's wing black. I nearly slobbered all over myself. He was pretty, in a masculine way, and he didn't have the androgynous beauty that my Teacher did.

"He can see me," I whispered, and the angel was suddenly in front of me. The boy looked at him and laughed.

"Well, well, well. Mr. High and Mighty. We meet again."

"WuFei, you aren't welcome here," my Teacher hissed, angry. His wings were so brightly white that I couldn't look at them without hurting my eyes. So instead, I focused on the boy...WuFei. He was smirking now.

"I believe your little boy toy there thinks I am." He looked past the shoulder of the angel and his eyes met mine. I was struck dumb.

"What do you think, pretty little one?" he cooed. "Would you rather come with me? I can show you things you've never seen before...I can make you feel things you've never felt before." He licked his lips. "You'll taste things you've never tasted before..."

I rose to my feet, but the angel held out his arms, angling his head towards me but keeping his eyes on WuFei. "Heero, don't you listen to him. He's a demon, a dragon demon, the worst kind. He's a liar, Heero! Don't listen to him! Resist it!"

WuFei pouted, full lips so lusciously inviting. "Heero, is it? Well, pretty one, come with me. If you don't, I'll make you come..." He laughed delightedly to himself at his own pun and I found myself stepping forward, jostling the angel. He looked at me then and I was surprised to see his eyes glowing ethereally.

"Heero Yuy, you stay right here," he commanded, voice deep and throaty. "You will not go with this demon."

"Yes he will," WuFei hissed, and suddenly a strong hand latched onto my arm. He spun me around with my arm twisted behind me, and I was facing Duo. WuFei's free hand was clamped tightly over my mouth. His strength was absoltutely astounding.

As we began to rise, I saw why this angel was sent to fetch me.

He was fucking powerful.

With a sound like a goddamn atomic bomb, WuFei was thrown backwards, me in his arms, but he righted himself easily. The people around us didn't seem to notice a damn thing. I guess it was another one of those "no physical limitations" things, because there was a giant crater right in the middle of the street...but they just walked right over it as though it were flat ground.

WuFei put his hand on my throat and squeezed enough to make me wheeze. "Back off, angel. This one's mine. You can find yourself another."

The angel brandished a gold scepter. "No, WuFei. You've taken enough lives."

WuFei laughed. "I'm not taking his life, technically. He did that himself. His spirit is fair game." We rose quickly, clothes ruffling, but once again I felt no air. The angel made another attempt to get to me, but WuFei suddenly showed his true form and in seconds, I was being held around my waist by a clawed hand with gigantic, sharp nails. I looked up and saw a long, graceful neck ending in a triangular head. WuFei was a dragon.

AND NO ONE SAW THIS.

There was a deep rumbling in the dragon's chest. "Try that again, angel. See what happens." He opened his mouth and I could see a rolling black flame start to bubble out. The angel had no choice but to back down and I started to panic.

"Don't leave me! Please, don't leave me!" I cried, terrified. Where was this dragon taking me? Hell? I didn't want to go there!

"I won't," he reassured me, his eyes flashing. "We will get you back, Heero Yuy."

"We?" the dragon demanded, then laughed. "Getting your comrades to help?"

"Take him where you will, demon," the angel snarled, sheathing his scepter. "I will meet you there." And he was gone. I nearly cried like a little baby. I was doomed. This damn dragon was going to fucking eat me alive.

What in the seven hells was I going to do now?

**

A/N: Part two coming up soon. Each chapter will have two parts, by the way, so I can make it longer and still write in a relatively short amount of time on my LJ. That's where all these are coming from. If you want to read the newer versions of anything, go to my LJ on livejournal.com. My username is panicqueen.