Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Walking on Hell ❯ Interlude - Counterpoint 3 ( Chapter 14 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Walking on Hell
Scribblemoose

Never forget:
We walk on hell
Gazing at flowers

Issa

Interlude - Counterpoint 3

He slipped out of bed, and reached for the green silk robe that waited for him, folded neatly on the back of the chair nearby. He slid his arms into the sleeves, slow and silent. He carefully opened the drawer in the nightstand, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He took them out onto the balcony, taking care to close the big windows behind him.

He lit his first cigarette of the day, pulled smoke deep into his lungs, then let it out with a deep sigh.

She knew he smoked, of course. She'd told him, when he woke, he had the lungs of a smoker. It had shown in the x-rays, apparently. A heavy drinker, too, she'd said, reproachfully, and even drugs. There were still tiny marks in the crook of his left arm. He needed help.

That was one of the things she liked about him, he supposed. Asuka loved to care for things. Wounded animals, kids, and of course her patients. She collected strays. And he, he supposed, was one of them.

She knew he smoked. She hated it. So they played this little game, where he did it when she wasn't looking, and she pretended not to know.

It didn't stop her worrying, though.

He hated to make her worry. She'd been pleased to see the sword go. He had a suspicion she'd half expected him to fall on it some day. Because she knew he found it hard. She saw the sadness in his eyes, the loss, and she worried.

It was getting easier. Every day, a little easier. When the first glow had worn off some, they had settled into a comfortable, companionable life together. Warm.

It felt alien, at first. But it got better. He needed love and comfort, and she needed someone to care for.

There were worst things to base a marriage on, after all.

He missed the sword. It had given their little apartment a sense of danger, an exotic link to a different, dangerous world. The place seemed tame without it.

It would be time to go to work soon. To put on the suit and put his charm to good use. Selling things. He was good at selling things.

The sun was up, a morning breeze puffed his cigarette smoke away into the distance, leaving the air clean and fresh.

He tossed his cigarette stub over the balcony, and took a deep breath.

A new day.