Being computer-less sucks

Notes: Being computer-less sucks. Period. Sorry for the delay, people.

Dedications: To Armith-Greenleaf, my darling. To Ronin-nii-chan, who went to Japan! To Stahlut, Ck90, SapphireEyes16, autumnsprite, Shikuki, Lady of Confusion, yayawhynot89, Mayu-San-Sakura, chibi houkou, sousie, KiraLove, lostlette and Crying-Without-Tears. You guys have been avesome! -hands out cyber cookies-

Chapter 22

"Got you!"

The little boy laughed hysterically as his friend, a girl with pigtails, stood back up and brushed the snow off her face. Her expression was pouty as she bent down and scooped snow up into her mitten clad little hands and made it into a snowball."I'll get you too!" she shouted and ran after her little friend. She threw the snowball with hardly any precision at all. She stopped running and simply looked confused as her snowball broke apart in mid air without having hit anything.

Of course, she could not know that she had just hit the 2nd Prince of Hell at the back of his head with a lump of snow.

Asmodeus shuddered and removed the remains with his stiff fingers. Mentally he could not feel the snow or the cold, but it affected him physically after being outside for four hours. He had come to the conclusion that there was a missing connection within his brain that allowed his body to feel symptoms of cold, fear, heat, but not actually feel them. He trod through the deep snow in the park with the same difficulty a human would have, but paid it no mind. His thoughts were restless when they should be focused on the task Lucious had given him, and he could not force himself to concentrate properly. The battle was taking place tomorrow, and the defensive measures had to be put up- for the safety of humans. For the safety of all. He could care less about demons and angels, but humans were too fascinating to be slaughtered because of a dispute. And if humans were harmed it might throw the human realm into a chaotic state since they were so blissfully unaware of the existence of the other two realms.

He came to a stop in front of a large oak tree. Its branches were heavy from time and harsh weather, and the bark was furrowed by deep lines and cuts from human hands. And yet, this tree seemed to hold itself with an air of pride and wisdom. It was respectable. When he came closer and put his hand on the great trunk he felt distrust and hostility be directed at him. This old tree was still very much alive. And it did not give its trust easily. Perhaps it could sense that he was of demon blood. He pressed both of his palms against the bark and closed his eyes.

'I carry no ill intention. I simply wish to make you the last strong hold'.

His own words echoed with the wind that whispered through the branches of the oak, then faded to nothing. The hostility slowly vanished until all he could hear from the tree was silence. Satisfied he stood back and spoke the spell.

It was time to return. He walked further away from the majestic oak before he teleported so not to disturb the tree's winter sleep more than necessary.

The apartment was warm, as expected, and he felt the cold numbness slip from his limbs as they regained their flexibility. The low murmur of voices could be heard from the kitchen, and he recognized them as the voices of his mate and Sacrael. Lillith's mind and thoughts melted into his own, and he could hear the fragmented, broken off thoughts with clarity, although they hardly made any sense to him, as it often happened. Her brain waves were almost stable, and his eyes were half lidded as he listened to the steady beat of her heart pumping blood. She was almost herself today.

He walked into the kitchen, greeting them with silent nods. Lillith smiled at him, but never stopped talking. Her eyes were soon on Sacrael's face again, her eyebrows furrowed in a frown.

"You need to see an eye specialist about your sight, Sacrael."

The fallen angel sighed and rested his chin on his hand. The look on his face was a mix of hopeless and mellow, a combination that seemed to fit him to the point of the absurd.

"I know. But he might identify me as something other than human. The eyes of an angel are special," Sacrael murmured.

Ah. So they were discussing that. Asmodeus had picked up those thoughts from the fallen angel's mind some time ago, a distinct worry over going blind. And there was genuine reason to be concerned. Even Asmodeus could tell that the good eye was working too hard to compensate for its lost partner. Sacrael was likely to go blind within a year if he didn't get himself a pair of those things, those humans called glasses. He had seen Ana use them while she was reading, and even tried them on himself. They had only blurred his sight, which in turn had lead him to ask what good they did."They help me see. And they won't work for you, because your eye sight is probably perfect," she had replied with a smile.

"It doesn't matter! You can't let yourself go blind just because of that!" Lillith protested. Sacrael looked uncomfortable, his eyes on the table instead of her.

"Even if your eyes are such a special colour, a doctor should not be able to find any traces of a celestial being in them. There is nothing much to find," Asmodeus said thoughtfully. He thought it might be cruel to add "anymore" at the end. Sacrael's eyes were a little wider than normal when he raised his head. Asmodeus met his strangely coloured eyes without hesitation.

"You mean...?" Sacrael began slowly, but couldn't finish the question.

There was no need to. He nodded and watched the angel sigh.

"I should have known that I'm more human than angel now."

Lillith looked at them both, eyes filled with questions.

'Later, Lillith', he said clearly in her mind, and she nodded, satisfied.

There was a knock on the door, and none of them were surprised when Ana came waltzing inside with her arms full of paper bags that contained food, from the smell of it. She kicked off her shoes and somehow managed to slide off her jacket. She was smiling when she came into the kitchen and placed the bags on the table."Okay, coffee and croissants for Sacrael, cocoa, apple pie and brownies for Lilly. Aaand, blueberry pie, cocoa and chocolate muffin for me! Dig in people." She fished her own food out of the bag and took a bite of the pie.

"Hi, doll. You want a bite?" she asked Asmodeus.

"No. But thank you for asking," he declined politely. Ana chuckled and yanked a lock of his long, white blonde hair playfully. Lillith quirked an eyebrow at him.

'Why so polite?'

He smirked.

'I thought it was normal?'

She snorted.

'Yeah, cause you're the most normal bloke around.'

He felt a bit triumphant that he had managed to humour her. Perhaps the trauma from being confined was slipping from her mind now. Ana chit chatted with her two friends, making them both smile. Sacrael did not laugh, but the energetic girl's presence clearly cheered him up. Ana had a way of doing that, Asmodeus thought quietly and wondered if she had been born with the ability. Seeing that she came from a family of mediums and exorsists it was not entirely impossible. But despite the smile on her face, he could feel the worry residing within her mind. He supposed worry was what he too had felt since they got Lillith back from the angels.

The thought of those despicable creatures angered him. And when he felt angry for something that shouldn't matter now it made him feel unease too. He had a difficult time explaining the feeling of territory that welled up in him. Aeron had told him it was normal to be that way about things that were yours. But then again, his brother had that strange, knowing look in his eyes as he said it. No, he could not trust Aeron's words. Something felt amiss.

"Asmodeus! I totally forgot, but Lucious said he wanted to see you about something. He didn't tell me what, just said it was about 'that'," Ana blurted out and turned her head to him. As did Lillith, and both girls were eyeing him with silent curiosity.

"I see. I shall find him then," he replied and gave a nod of appreciation. His eyes met Sacrael's, and he warned him with a stern look not to tell the girls what was going on. There was no need to involve them. Sacrael looked away, but nodded, understanding his message. As he teleported himself from the place, he heard the whispers of a thought in his mind.

'Don't hide things from me'.

-

Finding Lucious was a simple matter. The sense of power he emitted was strong enough to lead any creature of Hell straight to him, whether he was located in Hell or the human realm. If they wished to, even the angels could locate the First Prince. Of course, that would be equal to suicide since Lucious despised angels and didn't mind tearing them apart for fun.

Surprisingly he found Lucious by the old oak tree he wad visited earlier. The older Prince was standing alone on the hill, keeping a distance between himself and the newly enchanted tree. Asmodeus materialized about two feet away from his brother. Lucious didn't bother to look at him, or even speak. The silence between them was accompanied by the howling wind that was throwing the snow about. Neither the snow nor the wind touched them, and their appearance was unchanged even in the harsh weather.

"Ana told me you wished to speak."

Lucious closed his eyes, hiding their electric blue colour from view. His lips parted, and white mist of cold rose from his lips. A ritual to obtain the calm feeling he needed, Asmodeus realised. Things must be bad if Lucious needed to force the chaos inside him to grow quiet. The blue eyes were ever sharp as they opened again and found his own red ones.

"So the girl remembered after all. Yes, I need to speak with you."

Asmodeus did not make any comments, but it had him puzzled that Lucious chose to use human tongue to communicate. He, who disliked humans and angels alike.

"I assume you put up all the barriers yet?"

Asmodeus nodded. Lucious was acting strangely docile today. Maybe the upcoming battle was the reason for his behavior. He could imagine that his brother was having a hard time keeping himself under control. It might be even harder on the battle field.

"I wish to take part in the battle as well."

Normally it would have been risky even to mention a selfish request, but he thought it should be alright now. Lucious frowned, looking thoughtful.

"I would rather have you stay with the humans. The angel is coming with us."

Now Asmodeus was the one to frown. So they were taking Sacrael, but not him? The angel was weak and would hardly do any good in a battle. It made him feel angry, and his jaw was set with determination when she spoke again.

"I refuse. Sacrael will likely get himself killed, and that I cannot allow. You do however decline my presence, when I can fight?"

He was pushing it, something that was confirmed the moment Lucious' eyes narrowed and he bared his teeth in a snarl. The long canines were white as snow and sharp enough to pierce just about anything. Lucious did not touch him, but he could feel the electric sparks come to life beneath his brother's black robes. The Prince's hands were shaking, he could tell without seeing, wanting to release the strength the Lucious so strived to keep under his control. A couple of stray sparks touched him, and he felt the jolts go through his body without pain or a change of expression.

“It is not for you to decide whom fights! Understand your place!” Lucious hissed, so dangerously close to mangling his own brother.

There was no room for defiance.

Asmodeus bowed his head, despite the anger bubbling inside himself.

"Very well, my Prince. But do not hesitate to call me if I am needed," he said politely to please Lucious. It worked, for the sparks died and were once again under complete control. Lucious' nostrils were flaring slightly when their eyes met again."Was there anything else?"

"No. You can leave."

Asmodeus turned his back to the older Prince and walked away. To teleport within Lucious' presence when he was unstable was a bad idea. Who knew where he might end up? When there was a safe distance between them he let his eyes slide shut and teleported himself home.

There was still a barrier to put up.

-

Ana and I are snuggled up on the couch watching a movie. Well, Ana is sleeping and I am not really watching the movie, so I suppose that's wrong. Her mouth is open, and she is snoring softly with half her face pressed against my stomach. I smile fondly and stroke her hair, running my fingers through it. She has been here for me lately, and I can't even begin to express in words how grateful I am for her presence. When I was on the verge of falling apart constantly she held me together- my glue. She made me food, talked to me as if everything was normal, treated me as always. Of course, I can tell she has been very worried over me. But I'm better now. Much better, with hers and Sacrael's help.

And Asmodeus...Where do I begin?

The buzzing inside my skulls returns, low and soft at first, then steadily growing stronger. I don't get startled when Asmodeus appears in front of me, like I used to, because I can predict it now thanks to the buzzing. For a short moment he looks angry, then his face melts into a neutral look as he notices me. Lucious probably angered him. That demon can make anyone pissed off with his attitude.

"Going to sit down?"

He nods and moved to take the spot next to me. Ana goes on snoring peacefully. Asmodeus gives her a stare, as if wondering what the sound is.

"She is snoring. A lot of people do when they sleep," I tell him.

"I see."

He grows quiet again, staring at the television without really watching, just like me. We sit like that until I can't take it anymore. My eyes scan his profile, taking in how utterly handsome he is. His lightly coloured hair looks like a little waterfall of white blonde, slightly curly at the tips. It has grown out since it first became long, and now it reaches a little past his shoulders. My fingers itch to braid it, or at least put it in a pony tail. His nose has a bit of a feminine shape, pretty but fitting for a face like his.

My cheeks grow red before I can stop myself. I turn my head away, a tad embarrassed.

"So, what was that about Sacrael earlier?"

Asmodeus turns his head to look at me, and I meet his stare despite my flushed cheeks. He shrugs.

"There is almost none left of the angel in him. Within a couple of years more he will be completely human."

"Oh." I never knew angels could turn human. It sounds unreasonable. If you were born an angel or a demon, it shouldn't be possible to turn human, should it? Or are humans able to turn when they die? Asmodeus shakes his head.

"The concept of your thinking is correct, but you have the rest wrong," he tells me."Humans are fully capable of turning half demon or half angel during their time in this realm. However, they can't become fully this or that until the soul has left the body. If their wish or will is strong enough, they may be granted another existence as a demon or an angel. Which is why angels can turn human too."

The explanation is simple.

"So, I could turn half angel?"

He shakes his head, making me confused again.

"You cannot, simply because I have bound you to me. And only very special humans are capable of becoming angels." His gaze drifts to Ana, almost absently. I look down at her sleeping face. I can imagine her as an angel. She is almost too kind to be human sometimes. While I don't even have the possibility because I am bound to a demon. Not that it bothers me. I'm satisfied with being human. Anything else would be too complicated.

"Sacrael said he's busy tomorrow. Any idea why?" I ask. Something was definitely up with Sacrael when he left us earlier tonight. He was being shy and worried, and refused to meet our eyes when he talked to us. And that look Asmodeus gave him before he went to see Lucious was almost threatening. And Ana said Lucious had been more edgy than usual for a while.

Asmodeus breaks the stare and looks away when he answers.

"No."

'Heavenly realm-gargoyles-refuse-fight'

He is lying to me. The words and glimpses of images I catch from his mind confirms that he too is up to something. Why is everyone hiding things from me?

"Don't lie."

"I cannot tell you. I too will be going out tomorrow. You must stay here with Ana."

He doesn't look one bit sorry when he meets my eyes again. I scowl at him. It's not alright to lie. Doesn't he realise that? Especially if it's some big plot that he wants to leave me out of. And even more so if he is planning on getting hurt! No, I can't let him. If he goes, I know I will be beside myself with worry.

"You don't have to go," I say.

He quirks an eyebrow, then shakes his head."I do. Even if he doesn't want me to. I must."

He? Lucious?

Sudden panic strikes me. Is he meaning to let me sleep alone? I keep having nightmares everytime I go to sleep...They go away when he is next to me. Ana told me he has been sleeping next to me every night to keep me from trashing about.

"Don't go. Please," I plead.

Doesn't he understand I need him here too?

He smiles sadly, probably because he can read my mind without any struggle, and reaches out a hand. His fingers are gentle as he pets my head to comfort me. Unable to speak or move, I feel them slide down to my cheek, and his thumb rubs over my skin.

"I apologize. But I will stay the night with you."

He withdraws and stands up. I follow him with my eyes as he goes into my bedroom.

What just happened?

I manage to slide Ana off me. She stirs, but sighs and curls up on the couch. She is snoring again when I drape a blanket over her body so she won't get cold. My heart is pounding when I follow Asmodeus to my bedroom. He has turned on the little lamp, and is lying in my bed with his back to me, fully dressed still. I go to the bed, but hesitate to climb into it. I don't understand his behavior. It seems so human! Is he trying to confuse me so I won't get mad at him? He doesn't move at all, doesn't say anything or try to convince me. I climb over him, sliding into place next to him in my small bed. His eyes are closed, his face unreadable. I swallow when his arms come around my body and pull my back against his chest.

For some reason I can't seem to keep my eyes open. They fall shut, and I yawn, feeling my consciousness slip away from me.

Is he making me sleep...?

Don't go, Asmodeus.