Chapter 3

Yoshiki sat in his lavish white bed with his laptop in his lap typing when Kaoru walked in and paused a foot from the bed. "I lost Toshiya." He announced, keeping his eyes on the floor.

"I know you did." Yoshiki said casually, not looking up from the screen. "Because he’s not at your house and he’s not with you."

"I thought he might have come here."

"I believe he thinks I’m too busy looking for Mana."

"Is he all right?"

"As far as I know."

Fed up Kaoru spoke out. "Look. Contrary to what you may believe I don’t need someone around to keep an eye on me. I’m not going to do something stupid so you can send Toshiya home."

Yoshiki let out a dry chuckle and closed his laptop. "You self centered bastard. You didn’t listen to a word I said before we picked up Toshiya did you? Did it ever occur to you that Toshiya needs you more than you need him? Mana had him locked in that crypt, feeding him house pets. He doesn’t know the extent of the power and poison he’s been given. I told you take him out and feed him because he doesn’t know how. I told you to take him shopping because Mana never gave him decent clothes to wear. I told you to look after him because to us he’s like an abused child and what a wonderful foster father you’ve been." Yoshiki let that sink in. "He’s at J and Ino’s bar. I suggest you go and apologize."

Kaoru nodded dumbly and quickly left the room, only now realizing how extensive his mistake had been, how much he must have hurt Toshiya.

Yoshiki sighed and put his laptop on the bedside table as his partner emerged from under the sheets.

"This is all my fault isn’t it?" he asked, resting his head in Yoshiki’s lap.

"Of course not. It’s all my fault so stop worrying." Yoshiki replied sternly, playing with his companions’ short orange hair. "Once we figure out what Mana thinks he’s up too we’ll find a way to stop him." Yoshiki stared at the door unhappily. He hadn’t turned Toshiya out of love, so what was his plan?

"How did you get Toshiya to J and Ino’s?" was the question that interrupted Yoshiki’s musings.

"I phoned Kyo and asked him to pick Toshiya up."

His partner perked and looked at him strangely. "The demon?" Yoshiki nodded. "Is that such a good idea?"

Again Yoshiki nodded. "Toshiya doesn’t need sympathy, but he doesn’t need someone telling him he’s being a wimp either, so that leaves out J and Ino. Die and Shinya would be of no use because I think Toshiya needs a new face. I could send Chisato and Hakuei but Chisato’s terrible at giving advice and Hakuei can’t be serious about anything."

"What about Pata?"

Yoshiki half smiled. "Pata only looks deep and philosophical!"

*

Dark notes, a simple bar in a slightly nice part of town. It was pouring when Kaoru pulled into the parking lot. Hoping his hair dye wouldn’t turn green he darted down the stairs and inside. He waved to J, the lanky blond behind the bar, and nodded to Ino, the short brunette serving drinks. The inside of the bar was semi-lit with brown furniture all around. The only thing that looked out of place was a stuffed animal proudly situated above the bar.

Ino negotiated his way to Kaoru and pointed at one of the booths along the wall before punching him in the arm. "Shame on you." Ino hissed before moving to the bar. Rubbing his arm and frowning Kaoru approached the indicated table.

Toshiya sat with Kyo to one side and some red head whose face was hidden in his arms on the other. Groaning at the thought of associating with the short little demon he had a seat any ways.

"Well look who’s here!" Toshiya slurred, half-heartedly tossing a sugar packet at Kaoru. "Tell him I’m spending the night at your house and him and his pigeon can go to hell!" he slid up against Kyo who pushed him back upright.

"What happened to him?" Kaoru looked accusingly at Kyo. "He’s drunk! We can’t get drunk! How did he get drunk?"

"Don’t blame me!" Kyo held up his hands in innocence. "Levin let him feed off him!"

"He was hungry!" was the redhead’s muffled reply.

"How did he get drunk off pip squeak?"

Levin sat up and glared. "Back off blood-sucker before I go wrath of the all-mighty on your ass!"

Kaoru was at an absolute loss, his mouth hanging open so Kyo decided to explain. "He’s an angel." Kyo grinned. Toshiya had burst out laughing and gave Levin a high five, then Kyo.

Shaking his head Kaoru fought to regain Toshiya’s attention. "Toshiya, look. I wanted to apologize, I had no idea…"

"That I was Mana’s bitch?" Toshiya snarled, mood pulling a one-eighty. "That’s the way your boyfriend put it so don’t lie to me! You didn’t know, yeah right!" Kyo had to grab Toshiya’s arm to stop him from crawling up onto the table to yell at Kaoru. "If you didn’t know how did Ryutaro?"

"I don’t understand." Kaoru tried to restrain from strangling Toshiya for talking about Ryutaro as if he was still alive. He had to remind himself that the younger man was drunk. "Ryutaro is dead. He can’t tell you things."

"He can! He can! Through that stupid bird!" Kyo grabbed Toshiya a second time and sat him down.

"Quit upsetting him Kaoru." Kyo hissed. "Talk about something else, distract him. Apologize when he’s sober."

Kaoru nodded swallowing his anger. "Where were you Toshiya? I looked everywhere."

"I went home. My home! The land lady yelled at me and I was a few days from digging my things out of the garbage!" Kaoru suddenly took notice that Toshiya was no longer in his baggy T-shirt. Toshiya was now in a tight black T-shirt with a silver playboy emblem on it.

"You can move back in with me Toshiya. We’ll get a moving van for your things and I swear I won’t ignore you anymore."

"Well aren’t you an angel now that Yoshiki yelled at you!" was Toshiya’s bratty reply. "I will not! Nothing will change. You’ll hate being around me and that damn bird will keep terrorizing me!"

"No Toshiya, I promise. And I’ll even talk to Taro’s raven."

"No! I’ll move in with Kyo before I live with you again Kaoru!" Toshiya wrapped himself around a startled Kyo.

"No, no, no, Toshiya. You can stay with Kaoru. Yoshiki wanted it that way but we can get together and do things when you get lonely." Kyo tried to console one while not angering the other. Kaoru didn’t seem mad so Kyo patted Toshiya on the head.

"You promise?" Toshiya whined childishly, still holding on to the demon.

"I promise. I’ll leave you my cell phone number, call me any time."

"Hey Toshiya," Levin patted the drunk’s shoulder. "Come here, I want to tell you something." Toshiya quickly transferred from around Kyo to around Levin. "Toshiya, whatever Mana did to you, whatever Mana made you do it’s all over now. Yoshiki and Kaoru and even Kyo and I will do everything we can to stop Mana from getting to you." Toshiya looked at Levin and Levin smiled for the first time in days. "Now sleep." He passed a hand over Toshiya’s face and his eyes closed. Leaning him back against the booth Levin turned back to Kaoru and Kyo who regarded him oddly. "He’ll wake up after my blood stops effecting him his system and he’s gotten a good night’s sleep." He told them matter-of-factly.

"Wait a minute." Kaoru raised an eyebrow. "If you’re an angel aren’t we the enemy? Why should you help Toshiya?"

Levin looked at the table, searching for the right words. "The lines have started to blur." Was his cryptic reply before he looked back at Toshiya. "Besides, Toshiya never asked to loose his soul. It was taken from him."

Kaoru couldn’t argue with that so he simply nodded. "So I suppose he told you the full story."

"Yeah. You were an asshole." Kyo replied with a smirk.

"I honestly had no idea what happened to him." Kaoru replied in his own defense.

"I don’t understand the part about the raven though." Levin announced, picking up Toshiya’s rabbit off the chair and placing it on the table. "Maybe there’s more to your guys’ familiars then we’re aware of." He rubbed the bunny behind the ears.

"Yoshiki always hides things if he thinks it’s in the best interests of his Children." Kyo leaned back in the booth.

"I was just told it was special and to take care of it." Kaoru shrugged.

"So what are you going to do about Toshiya?" Kyo changed the subject as Levin arranged Toshiya so his head was pillowed in his arms on the table.

"I’ll take him home and when he gets up I’ll see about getting a moving van for his things." Kaoru replied simply.

"I could steal a van from my friend Sheena." Kyo offered. "Call some of your friends and we’ll make a moving party out of it. Toshiya could meet some of your kind beyond you and Yoshiki."

"Who is Yoshiki?" Levin abruptly asked.

"Where have you been? Yoshiki is the Father of all the vampires in Japan." Kyo replied, incredulous. "The Maker chose him specifically."

"Well I never had to deal with your kind before now." Levin announced defensively. "I’m sheltered, you have to teach me these things."

"The Maker went to Yoshiki and offered him immortality if he would keep an eye on Japan. Yoshiki traveled Japan and found being alone for eternity could drive someone mad so he started creating Children. At first he made only pairs he felt certain would stand the test of time. Then he began choosing people he felt could use eternity to find their match. So far Yoshiki has only made one mistake and that was to allow Mana to be made into a vampire. No one knows why Mana turned against his sire and the rest of us by turning Toshiya and abandoning him but we’re trying to find out before anything else happens." Kaoru explained to the angel who listened intently.

"So this Yoshiki has met the Maker?" Levin’s eyes lit up.

Kaoru opened his mouth to reply but Kyo interrupted him. "Hey Kaoru. Has anyone asked Toshiya if he knows anything? He did spend all that time down in Mana’s crypt."

Kaoru looked at the peacefully sleeping man in thought. "You know, I don’t think anyone has."

*

"Goodnight Ryuichi!" called the slim little waitress as she darted out the coffee house door.

"Goodnight!" replied the man behind the counter with full-bodied black hair and eyebrows that made him look angry unless he smiled. Picking up a pot of coffee he made his way to the shop’s only customer at this late hour. She had long blond hair and wore a long, frilly blue dress. A matching blue umbrella hung from one of the empty chairs at her table. She’d been seated there alone for a couple hours now nursing a black coffee. "Refill?" he asked cheerfully and she moved her cup towards him without a word or looking up. "Just so you know we’re closing a half hour early today."

"Just tell me when you’re closing." Was the quiet reply and Ryuichi wondered if she had a cold. Her voice seemed just a touch too low to him.

*

Kyo rolled his shopping cart towards the check out as Levin piled boxes of cookies on top of the groceries. "Levin! You’re going to be the fattest angel in heaven!" Kyo sped up to escape before Levin had time to pick out any candy.

"Well it’s not like I can fly." Levin replied with a bratty smile at Kyo’s sour face. It was still a touchy subject between them.

Kyo began putting all of the food onto the conveyer belt. "Seriously Levin. Eighty percent of this is sugar!" he looked at the angel.

"Well you get a little sick of fruit after a while upstairs." Levin shrugged.

"So what’s with the apples?" Kyo lifted a bag out of the cart. Levin just gave a sheepish smile and Kyo rolled his eyes.

"They didn’t let you out much did they?" Kyo asked as they walked back to his apartment, bags in each of their hands.

"I moved up from cherub to angel relatively fast." Levin explained, in a good enough mood to humor the demon. "Like all new angels I started out chasing ambulances, running errands, that sort of thing. Problem was I never moved on from that. After a while you’re supposed to get a major task to prove your promotion was worth giving. My task never came around till now. Kamijo knew I’d been passed over too many times and gave me the task I’m on now." Levin didn’t ask why Kyo shivered at Kamijo, the arc angel’s name. "Since I’d never really proven myself a lot of others believe this task is too much and too important to have been given to me. In the eyes of many I’m still a cherub." Levin's eyes narrowed. "That's why those two attacked me. They're jealous and they feel they can do better."

Kyo nodded, watching the angel out of the corner of his eye. This was the most Levin had ever told him of his mission here on earth.

When an arm wrapped around Kyo's neck and pulled him back into an alleyway he dropped the groceries. Levin called his name and went to follow when a hand grabbed his hair and an arm wrapped around his arms and chest.

"Taking in strays Levin?" growled Kyo's captor moving a dull knife to the demon's throat. "You've got a job to do."

Levin stilled as the blade flashed in the moonlight. He knew these two, the same ones as before here to finish the job. Levin glared at the blade, fearing it to be angel-made. If it was one slice to Kyo's jugular would strike the immortal soul as well as his physical form. But did they know Kyo was a demon? Or did they simply assume he was human. They wouldn't expect Levin to be hanging around with a demon, would they?

"You know what's really funny?" Kyo announced, the blade making a thin cut to silence him but he continued to speak. "You have no idea who you're dealing with."

What Levin had forgotten was while angels forged their own ethereal weapons demons has theirs build in. Kyo's talons extended much like a cat's would and lid into the angel's arm. The angel screamed at the sudden puncture wounds in his immortal soul. The grip around Levin loosened at the scream and Levin elbowed his attacker and ran his heel down his shin. Both free the two twisted almost simultaneously and punched their attackers in the jaw. The two smaller fighters pummeled the two angels until it was apparent they weren't getting up very soon. Levin had to grab Kyo by the shoulders to end his attack. "Stop Kyo."

"Why?" Kyo asked, incredulous. "They tore off your wing!"

"They're still angels. Now come, your still bleeding." Levin pulled the demon away to collect their groceries.

The two figures on the roof of the building making up half the alleyway watched the odd pair disappear down the street in silence. One man was seated on the edge, bright orange hair a fluffy mess. The other stood just beside him with a bright blue top-knot.

"Chirolyn." The orange-head spoke up. "They were going to kill our Kyo."

"And the angel." Chirolyn nodded. "Not very angelic if you ask me Kiyoshi."

Kiyoshi nodded. "Should we do something?"

Chirolyn pursed his lips in thought. "I don't know." He admitted. "Has Kyo done enough?"

"It wasn't enough the first time." Kiyoshi reminded him.

"Kyo didn't beat the crap out of them the first time."

"Maybe we should make sure they got the point." Kiyoshi gave an evil grin.

"Well, Kyo is our brother, and Levin doesn't seem like a bad guy."

"Wouldn't want to loose either of them." Kiyoshi agreed.

"But they're angels. We'd have to get permission from the Maker first."

Kiyoshi nodded. "We don't want to get in trouble."

"But the Maker knows where we are."

"And what we're doing."

"So if He wanted to stop us…"

"All He'd need to do is call."

"He knows exactly what we're thinking."

"He's the Maker."

The two men grew silent awaiting their cell phones to ring the familiar death march. They didn’t move for a full minute before turning to smile at each other. Kiyoshi got to his feet and the two released their double sets of wings. The four-winged demons glided lazily downward landing just beside their unknowing prey.