Dare the Angel’s Flight

By Fala


The past night had been a gruesome one for two of the six hunters. The one had woken the other up late during the night because of a certain...problem...

“Milphey...” a boy shaking his teammate awake, “Milphey, wake up.”

“Nnnnnng...” The elder of the two grumbling as he stirs, “Mwah-?”

“I think something’s wrong with my back. Could you please take a look?”

“Marron? Wha-?”

“Sssshh...” The younger boy silenced him by putting a finger to his lips, “Follow me.”

Their are whispering noises of foliage being crushed underfoot as the two stalk away from the clearing that the team had chosen as its campsite. After a minute of walking, the pair comes upon a smaller clearing, a short distance away from the first.

“Okay, so what’s the problem?”

“I’m really not sure...” The second answers. The first can see a pensive look etching the moonlit face before him, “but everytime I lay on my back there’s this dull pain in my shoulders...it’s feels like there’s something there that wasn’t before...” the boy unbuttoning the first three clasps on the front of his kimono. The pure white fabric falls serenely from his shoulders, baring his ivory skin, allowing it to absorb the silver milk of moonbeams. He turns he back to his teammate, who moves in for a closer look. The slender boy twitching slightly as his companion carefully feels his shoulders. The face of the elder pales...

“Marron, stay right here, don’t move. I’m going to get your brother’s sword.”

The last sounds that can be heard are his feet as he sprints back to the team’s campsite in a quiet panic, leaving his younger comerade in a sea of anxiety...

~

“Chocolate, must you?” Carrot said in an annoyed voice as his redhead teammate clung to his arm. She smiled craftily, “Oh, I’m sorry, Darling, would you prefer the garrotte?” That made Carrot shut up. He heaved a defeated sigh as they continued down the path. The black-haired boy with his unrully cowlicks strode in front with his rather parasitic wannabe girlfriend hanging all over him. The younger Tira watched with silent irration from behind her enormous sunglasses and wavy pink bangs as she followed. The purple-haired tranvestite Mille Feulle trotted beside her, his blue-green eyed gaze darting discreetly over his shoulder from time to time at the couple behind him. The blond haired bisexual Gateau, who got full marks for tallest and “buff-est” of the six, walked with his small “boyfriend”, Marron. There was something different about him that had roused Gateau’s concern and drove him to remain constantly at the boy’s side. Raven-tressed Marron was naturally an introvert and a quiet presence among his peers, but today, more so than usual. He hadn’t said a word to anyone this morning, responding only by nodding or shaking his head no when questioned, and his eyes of limpid gold seemed dull, and full of some fear that even Carrot, his own niisan could not identify. Only Mille knew what the sixteen year old mage was plagued with, but Marron, through a flood of tears of pain and despair had made him swear to tell no one of his predicament. The knight pretended to toss his long wavy hair over his shoulder while sneaking a brief glance at Marron. He’d always known that Marron was a somewhat “delicate” individual, but his magical ability had convinced everyone that he could take care of himself. Yet now, everything about Marron, from his deadpan expression, down to his bound underdeveloped ankles left the haz knight, the only one who knew the shocking truth, to fear for his fragile comerade and friend.

~

The six stepped gingerly up to the wrought iron gate.

“Are sure this is the right place, Milphey?” Tira asked, eyeing the run-down-looking mansion on the other side of the bars, “It looks a little dumpy for a sorcerer.”

“Of course I’m sure,” Mille Feulle waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, “and anyways, have I ever steered you wrong?”

When no one answered, the Haz Knight sweatdropped. Changing the subject, he proceeded to remind his teammates of what his employer, the goddess Big Momma, had told him.

“Now remember, Eppi Centre is a master of the elemental magics. That means a lot of this will depend on Marron, so it’s our job to protect him. Her specialty is Earth magic, but she can use a few Water attacks, and those are devestating to Marron’s powers,” Milphey nodded toward the Fire Mage, who’d managed to steel himself a little in preparation for this mission, “so everyone keep a sharp lookout and scrutinize her every move. Be prepared.”

The team gave a salutive nod.

“Alright then,” Mille Feulle turned to the Misu sisters, “Ready, girls?”

Tira and Chocolate nodded and then whipped off their modest top clothing...

“Oho ho ho ho ho ho ho!!!” Laughing malevolently, the two appeared in their dominatrix garb, both in black leather boots and gloves,Tira wearing a very revealing black leather string bustier, holding a long whip. Her older sister was clad in baggy black pants tucked into her boots, a Gestapo hat, and her upper body was bare save for suspender straps that seemed to magically keep their rightful place over her busty front. She gripped a barbed garrotte in her gloved hands, the end of which was held in her clenched teeth as she and Tira stared vengefully up at the mansion before them. As the troupe strode up the brick path toward the shabby establishment, Mille Feulle let himself fall behind the others to where Marron was tagging along at the rear of the group.

“Are you going to be alright, Marron-Chan? I mean, after last night-”

“I’ll be fine, Milphey. I’m ready.”

Then, the six were standing at the door, which warrior-like Gateau promptly kicked down. The group crept into the house, inspecting every dusty nook and cranny of its shabby interior. Marron reached into the sleeve of his kimono and fished out an ofuda card. Summoning his powers with a whispered incantation, he lifted the ward above his head and it began to glow with a silvery white flourescence. As he cast the Search spell, The others looked about for the shadow of a woman. The Search spell was used to reveal a hidden enemy, producing a light so bright that even an invisible object or person would cast a shadow. Upon seeing nothing of significance, the glow faded and Marron tossed the spent ward aside.

“She’s nearby...I can sense it...”

Everyone turned as the words escaped the mage’s lips. Sure enough, the Hunters were thrown off their feet as an enourmous lightning bolt came crashing through the cieling of the old mansion, releasing a powerful shock wave as it the floor. When the blinding light cleared, a short, slender woman clad in a dark brown leather dress stood where the lightning bolt had hit. The electric shock had caused a few things to catch on fire and flames licked at random bits of rotting wood scattered here and there. As everyone got to their feet, Marron tapped his brother on the shoulder,

“Carrot, I’m going to absorb the energy from the fire, but I need to form my seal and recite a chant.”

“I’ll cover for you.” Carrot replied and gave his little brother a thumbs up. He stood to face the newcomer while Marron began making lightning-fast hand motions and muttering a string of indistinct words. As he was converting the energy that the flames around him produced to a power-booster, his comerades had begun fighting Eppi Centre. Tira and Chocolate came at the blond witch from either side and struck at her with their weapons. The whip wrapped itself around her right hand and the garrotte trapped her left. The girls held on tight as Gateau drew back his fist and charged at her.

“Stay back, blondie,” she said in a husky voice as her eyes glowed a marmalade orange color. The earth beneath his feet shifted magically and Gateau was knocked to the ground. Using her elemental stregnth, Eppi shattered Chocolate’s garrotte. Tira yanked her whip back in time to save it and leapt to the side as Millefeulle and Carrot unsheathed their swords and bolted at the witch. Again, she manipulated the ground, this time, willing rocks to rise out of the earth and hurled them at the two. Both of them were felled and lay in pain-wracked heaps on the floor.

“Where the hell is my brother?!” Carrot shouted. As if on cue, a deep bishounen voice sounded from the back of the room,

“SPIRIT OF THE PHEONIX, LEND ME YOUR POWER!!!” immediately a plume of fire in the shape of a giant bird flew past the Hunters and engulfed the witch. The shooter stood tall behind them, glowing with the enormous energy content he’d partaken of.

“Way to go, Marron!” Carrot cheered. The flames dissappated. Eppi, though obviously weakened, still stood, singed, and looking quite pissed.

“So you wanna play dirty, huh?” The blond witch’s deep voice threatened, “Then try THIS!” Making a series of fluid hand motions, she conjured up a tornado of water and made it surge toward the mage. Gateau, Milphey, and Carrot leapt up and used their bodies to block the attack, shielding Marron. But Eppi had just made a huge mistake. She’d realeased a magical spell on three Sorcerer Hunters,one of which had a very special “talent”...

Carrot’s proportions were now obsolete as his body grew until his head crashed through the cieling. His face took a different shape, his teeth slenderized into fangs, horns curved out from either side of his head and thick black hair sprouted out all over his shaking, zoanthropy-racked frame. As the metamorphosized boy released a thunderous roar, Eppi fell to her knees in fear,

“What IS it?!”

“It’s the end of you, bitch!” Gateau yelled as he landed his fist square between her shoulder blades. Eppi crumpled into a broken heap. As the life drained from her body, she uttered a weak but evil laugh and the ground began to shake.

“Fools...” she rasped, “My magic is all that holds this property together! If you kill me, this mansion and the land around it will be destroyed by earthquakes and you puny Hunters will die with me! Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!” Her laughter trailed off and then the body of Eppi Center dissolved on the spot. The rumbling and shaking around the team grew more violent and the walls started to crumble around them.

“LET’S GO!!!” Mille Feulle yelled and the others didn’t need to be told twice. Just as they had all gotten out of the door, the house caved completely.

“HELP!!!”

Or, they thought they’d all gotten out. They turned and saw Tira, trapped under the heavy fallen doorframe, her leg twisted at an odd angle beneath her, about fifty meters away. Marron was at the rear of the group, and by far the most reflexive of them all. He was first to turn and run toward his felled team mate.

“Tira, I’m coming!”

Marron got down on one knee and hooked his hands beneath the doorframe. Unfortunately, the strength he lacked greatly was the physical kind. He struggled to lift the heavy thing, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Marron, hurry!” Tira’s panicked voice with a definite edge of pain embedded in it made Marron pull even harder still, and slowly the door frame lifted a little. Tira hauled her slender body out from under it, wincing as she dragged her wounded leg behind her. Seeing she was free, Marron released the heavy structure, falling into an exhausted kneel at her side.

“Are you okay?” Marron panted at Tira, who looked down at her leg,

“I-I th-think i-it’s broken,” she managed to stammer between pained gasps. Taking a deep breath, Marron mustered up his leftover stregnth and gathered the girl up in his arms. He then began to rush back toward the group. The shaking had grown even more intense and it took every ounce of Marron’s equilibrium not to fall as he ran awkwardly back to his teammates. Ominously dark clouds were gathering in the sky and brutal winds were picking up. Then the earth gave tremendous heave and the ground between the boy and his wounded cargo, and the other four hunters split. Marron was thrown off his feet and fell, sending Tira hurling into the new abyss.

“TIRA!!!” The five shouted simultaneously as she dissappeared from view. Marron quickly scrambled to the edge and looked down, searching for a hint of pink hair. Temporary relief flooded him as he saw that Tira had latched onto a random tree root someways down and was hanging onto it for dear life. Without giving it a second thought, the mage hurriedly began to undo the three clasps down the front of his kimono.

“Marron, what the hell are you doing???” Carrot yelled as his brother shed the long white garment. Carrot, Gateau and Chocolate stood staring, wondering why Marron’s shoulders were bound with a generous amount of bloodstained gauze and bandages. But Mille Feulle understood immediately.

“Marron, not yet! You haven’t fully healed!” He yelled. Marron, now stripped to the waist, looked up at the Haz Knight, just as Tira lost her grip on the root.

Hearing her scream, he yelled back, “I have no choice!” before diving after Tira into the depths of the canyon. As he plunged headfirst, arms locked at his sides. Marron let out an agonized wail and the bandages on his back burst open. A blindingly bright light filled the dark depths of the abyss. In a blur of silver and white, two feathered appendages grew out of the two deep cuts on his shoulders...

As the rest of the team watched from above, Carrot drew in a racked breath... “Marron...”

Marron’s new wings beat the air fiercely and blood streamed from his shoulders as he put on a burst of speed toward Tira and reached for her. As he caught the girl, her arms instinctively laced themselves around him and she clung to Marron for dear life. Spreading his enormous wings, Marron switched courses and now headed upward. As he emerged from the canyon, a powerful gust of wind caught him, throwing him violently to the right. Marron struggled to free himself from it, but the wind came again, blowing him in the opposite direction he had intended. Marron was inexperienced and couldn’t bring himself to land, so he let the wind carry him, hoping for the best, leaving Carrot, Chocolate, Gateau and Mille Feulle to watch helplessly as their newly winged comrade and his wounded charge were swept out of sight.

~

The world was blurry and dark when Tira opened her eyes.
Where was she?
When had she blacked out?
Her leg hurt like a bitch
And Marron...
Tira blinked as her surroundings slowly came into focus. Night had spread is star-studded cloak over the world and a full moon shone serenely above. The surrounding trees made it clear to Tira that she was in a vast clearing in a wooded area. She heard a splash somewhere to her left and guessed that there must be a lake in the clearing. She turned her head in that direction and was proven right.

Near the lake’s edge, spread out on the grass was a familliar pair of black britches, a set of fuschia ankle wrappings and two white slipper-shoes. The owner of the garments was kneeling in the shallow water, bathing and preening, fluttering his wings like a bird as he washed the blood out of his white feathers. Tira knew she should’n’t watch, but she found herself unable to look away. Moonbeams painted Marron’s wet ebony hair, framing it with silver, and washed over his wings, almost making the pure white feathers emit a sultry glow... Captivating... Tira forced her eyes closed as Marron stood and stepped out of the water. She heard the rustle of feathers as he shook himself off. Seeing as he had no towel, Marron beat his wings softly to dry himself. Satisfied, he pulled on his britches and carried his footwear over to where the supposedly sleeping Tira lay on the bed of leaves he’d made for her. She faked a moan and pretended to be just waking up. She opened her eyes and saw the winged bishounen leaning over her, the moon lighting up his pale, concerned face.

“Marron.”

“Tira,” he said softly in that sweetly rich and deep voice that never ceased to captivate the girl, “Thank goodness you’re finally awake.”

“How long was I out?”

“At least eight hours. How do you feel?”

“My leg...It hurts really bad. I think I broke it.”

Marron then took the shattered appendage gently and began to bind it with his wrappings.
The fact that Marron’s hands were on her leg brought a hot blush to Tira’s face. She hoped Marron hadn’t noticed it. When he finished, he set her leg down carefully and helped her sit up. “Just try not to move it around too much.”

Tira nodded. Marron’s wings twitched and he gave a funny look in their direction.

“What is it?” asked Tira.

Marron turned his back to Tira, “Tira am I bleeding again?”

Sure enough, thick red blood was running from either shoulder blade where feather met flesh.

“Uh huh,” Tira nodded, trying not to sound as shocked and disgusted as she felt, “but I can fix it for you, Marron-Chan. I’ll heal you with my powers.” Tira closed her eyes, mumbling a chant. Her hand began to light up. She lowered her glowing fingertips to the mage’s blood-stained skin. He drew in a sharp hiss of a breath from the pain as she touched the wounds, but relaxed as her powers took effect and closed them up.

“There you go. All better.” Tira said upon finishing.

“Thank you.”

Tira’s fingers then roved over his wings, exploring the dense layer of thick white feathers.

“How did you...? Where did...? When...?”

“Last night,” Marron answered before Tira could correctly phrase her question, “I woke up with a pain in my shoulders. I got Milphey up and I asked him to take a look at my back. When he did, he reacted very strangely, and then went to get niisan’s sword...”

~

“... And then I returned to the clearing,” Mille Feulle continued, for at this same time, he too was explaining how Marron had achieved two enormous wings, “I took your sword, Carrot, grabbed him by the back of the neck, and I said ‘Marron, hold still,’... then I freed the underlying wings.”

“You CUT my brother?” Carrot said angrily, attempting to rise at Mille Feulle, only to be held back by Chocolate and Gateau. The knight shrugged, “I had no choice, Carrot-chan. They were pushing to get out and they would’ve come through by force if left alone.’”

“Wait a second,” Gateau interrupted, “you mean Marron-chan had those big-ass things inside of him the whole time?”

“No, Gateau-san, it was merely a bone protrusion beneath his skin.” Milphey explained, “But unlike the wings that creatures such as birds are born with, these wings, that develop over time, grow large and feathered only when outside of the host’s body, he can contract them back within him and they will become mere bone nubs when underneath his skin.”

“How?” Chocolate asked as she tried to calm Carrot down.

“It all has to do with his magical ability.” Mille Feulle answered, “Only he can do it. I certainly hope he knows how. It’s different for everyone. I thought it was okay, coz you’re not supposed to use your wings until the cuts have healed, but circumstances were different today. What I’m worried about is blood loss. He seemed to be spending a lot of blood there...”

~

“...and of course I had to stop the flow, so when we landed I summoned up some of my magic into an ofuda and used it to cauterize the wounds. They opened up again while I was bathing, but thanks to you, Tira, I don’t have to worry about that anymore, although I do feel
a little dizzy. I know I lost a lot of blood.”

Tira shuddered when she thought about how painful applying fire to his wounds must’ve been.

“Well, you healed me well enough, but what about your leg?”

Tira shook her head sadly, “I can only heal broken skin, not broken bones. I’m not powerful enough for that.”

“Oh. That’s too bad,” Marron shook his head and sat down beside her, “don’t worry, I’ll watch over you until you get better.”

Tira smiled a little in spite of her pain. The two sat in silence for a moment. Tira found herself staring at Marron and his newest “additions”. He turned and his gaze met hers.

“I...I like your wings, Marron.”

Marron gave a small smile, allowing one of the feathered appendages to unfold and curl gently around Tira’s shoulders. She returned the smile and looked away as the old blush came back. She busied herself with running her fingers over the long glossy flight feathers that protruded from the tip of the wing.

“Does it hurt when they come out?”

Marron heaved a sigh, “Very much.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes more, gazing out over the moon-kissed lake. Then Marron helped lay Tira down on her bed of leaves, and they both turned in for the night.