Fallen Angel

Author: Bittersweet Angel Chika

Summary: He's a mortal and she's one of the Fallen, who is destined to be alone for eternity and a creature of darkness. But a nighttime stroll on the beach gives Dale and Skye an encounter that is both cold and unforgettable.

---- Fallen Angel ----

Glimmers of light danced across the surface of the water. Waves lapped onto the sand with soothing, placid sighs. A footstep crunched into the snow-white sand, forming a rather small footprint. The walker let out a soft, barely audible sigh and moved on.

His crisp, sky-blue shirt wrinkled under the slight pressure of a gentle, sea breeze. The same breeze toyed with his chin-length, blonde hair and caressed the pale, delicate features of his face. The young man cast his cerulean blue eyes over the length of the deserted beach and ran long, slender fingers through his hair.

Billions of phosphorescent life forms shimmered near the surface of the water. He smiled sadly. The call of the sea was strong and tempting. He breathed in the scent of the salt air and stopped.

Standing on the rocks further away, where the water was highest, was the tall and elegant figure of a girl. He stood, rooted to the spot, not daring to interrupt whatever she was about to do. It seemed he had already intruded enough and, for now, he would settle for watching.

She looked as if praying, kneeling down and bowing her head in the same, fluid movement. The breeze grew stronger, picking up her long, black hair and spreading it out behind her like a rippling veil. The moonlight grew brighter, it surrounded her and, in a sudden, erupted out behind her. He three his hands up to shield his eyes from the blinding light, which gradually died down to an auspicious glow. Gingerly lowering his hands, the young man froze.

The moonlight had formed huge wings, protruding from between the girl's shoulder blades. The wind died and she stood, head still bowed. Suddenly, she turned around to look at him with dark eyes. He didn't know she had realised him looking. The wings spreading, illuminating her black dress, and folded them again.

"You have seen it all."

A statement. Mutely, he nodded and she sighed. Her movements were like gliding as she approached him from where she had stood. He did not move.

"To have seen the wings of one of the Fallen is to be cursed." Her voice was like the sea breeze, so cold, it made his insides freeze. "Are you afraid of me?"

"N-No."

She was only about a metre away now. He could see she was slightly shorter than him and had even paler skin, but it was her eyes that caught his attention. They were large and incredibly dark, with endless, cold depths. Every look she gave him was ice and every movement made him shiver. Her made his blood run cold, but he found he could not break away. An enchantment of some sort had been cast.

"You should be," she whispered. "You should be afraid. I am of the Fallen, destroyers of Atlantis, the Land of Gold. You are a mere mortal man. We are as different as the sky and the earth and you should not have seen."

"I'm not afraid," he repeated. "I am curious."

"About?"

"You." A pause followed. "You seem cold and uncaring, but when you were on the rocks, you looked ad. I am curious as to why."

She reached up to touch his cheek. He tensed and shifted as if to move away, but her eyes flickered slightly and he stood still. The hand rested on his cheek and he felt as if a bucket of iced water had been poured over him. His head began to throb and then grow numb with the icy feeling.

"What is your name, mortal?"

"D-Dale."

"Well, Dale, this isn't what a mortal should know," she told him. "A Fallen does not interact with a mortal. We live alone, because we are cursed to bring disaster to those around us. I've lived my whole life in the furthest corner of the world, coming out only at night. That is our punishment, as the Fallen."

When she removed her hand, Dale's mind went blank and he dropped to the ground in a dead faint. With a sigh, she turned to the moonlit sky and walked into the water. Ankle-deep now, she lifted her arms out in front of her and clasped them in front of her chest. Her wings unfurled again with a rippling sound. Several silver feathers floated onto the water and were swept away. Her voice carried over the sea.

"I am Skye, of the Fallen Ones, destroyer of the Land of Gold. From the sea and the sky, I came, and to them I shall return. This is Skye's vow."

She lifted from the water and skimmed towards the rapidly lightening horizon. As she reached it, Skye turned around and regarded Dale's still form. He was about to wake up. She smiled her features softened, and her wings wrapped around her body. The light around her grew bright and she vanished.

A single, pure white feather washed ashore.

~ End ~