Post #2458786 in Somewhere Between the Fallen and the Damned, a roleplay on RPG

Asmodeus forced a laugh out of his mouth. "Thanks, Tsuki. I bet I look just peachy." He winced as his flesh stitched itself back together, and was going to thank her, when she was suddenly just gone. He stared at the spot where she had been, at first, too shocked to understand what was going on. He felt something wet run down his face, and he automatically licked it. It's blood... He thought.

There was a dazed expression on his face as he slowly took in what had happened. Suddenly something clicked, and he snarled. The demon was about to hit Tsukiyo, and the blow would have killed her. But As got there first. He moved with a grace that belied his speed, scooping the girl into his arms and moving her out of the way of the blow, the demon's tail leaving a small crater where the girl had been. The beast roared, and then charged after As. He didn't even turn to face it as he held up his hand.

The beast rammed his head against As's hand, but it did nothing. As didn't even move. The beast froze, a dazed expression on his face as Asmodeus' fingers suddenly clamped down, and he finally faced the creature, sticking his other hand in its mouth. He used his hands to physically rip open the beasts' jaws, killing it, the body turning to dust.

Asmodeus had had enough of this. He noted that Tsukiyo was still gasping behind him. With a wave of his hand, a small shadow turned into a small dragon, which then curled up onto Tsukiyo's chest. The creature specialized in healing, an odd concept for demons, but it could help her. She woud need more help later, of course, but this would at least keep her from dying.

Asmodeus closed his eyes, focusing. A tremendous wave of black energy surged from him, gaining the attention of every demon in the room, Asaroth included. The demons ceased their fighting, some of them even bowing to As. He opened his red eyes.

"You're up, Momo."

Asaroth smirked. "Morgan is gone, my friend! What is it you intend for him to do? He can do nothing, I destroyed his very soul!"

It was Asmodeus' turn to smirk. "See, this is where you're wrong. Souls are something that can never be destroyed, they can only be sacrificed by themselves. That is Morgan's decision. By binding himself to you, he'll be trapping you back down in Hell, and this time, you won't be getting out." There was a vehemence in Asmodeus' voice as he spoke.

With each word, a symbol appeared on the ground, and soon, the floor was covered in a large pentegram, stars and circles and demonic shapes and symbols everywhere. Asaroth looked down, realizing what most of them meant. His eye widened, his face contorting into a twisted snarl. The ground arouns him cracked and split, chains shooting out of them, wrapping around Asaroth.

"I told you once that you are no brother of mine. I meant it. You killed one of my brothers. I'm not letting you get away with it."

Asaroth snarled at him as a huge doorway shimmered into view, a hooded skeleton standing before it. The demon glared at Asmodeus, before suddenly grinning. "I'll admit, you've caught me. But what exactly did it cost you, old friend? This kind of ritual takes a lot out a Demon, even one as powerful as you." The reaper in front of the door lifted a bony hand, and the chains began dragging Asaroth towards the opening door.

Asmodeus's eyes hardened. "I've surrendered what little divinity I'd obtained. Not that it really is any of your business. But I'd surrender my soul if it meant keeping you off of this earth." Asaroth laughed like a maniac, shouting something at Asmodeus, but the door was now closed. It shimmered back out of view, but the reaper remained. The creature glided over to Asmodeus, staring silently at him. Asmodeus gave a nod.

The skeleton swung the scythe at his side, the blade passing through Asmodeus, leaving no trace that it had even been swung. However, a small orb of shining white light came away with it. Asmodeus felt oddly...empty. Still, it was the price to be paid. The reaper then caught the orb, and vanished into a wisp of smoke.

Raphiel had watched the entire scene with little more than disinterest on his face. So, in the end, they had managed to stop Asaroth. Still, Asmodeus was a Demon Prince. Raphiel had no intention of letting him walk away, no matter what his part in it was. He glanced back at the woman astride the feline. She was still in his way. His face hardened, blocking the blow she made with his spear, parrying it and making a swing of his own.

But, the blade was stopped. Raphiel's eyes widened when he saw just who -and what- it was that stopped his swing. The blade had been coated in ice. Morgan, pale and oddly shimmering, stood between Kazehana and Raphiel, one finger against the edge of Raphiel's blade. "That's enough, Raphiel. It's over." He turned and offered Kaz one of his goofy trade-mark smiles. "I'm sorry for what I've put you through, Kaz. I'd say you can hit me, but, uh...you can't actually touch me like this."

As soon as Morgan regained control of his body, Cass was at Tsuki’s side, his own healing taking over where As’s dragon creature was no longer able to help. His free hand stroked through her hair, keeping it back from her face, as he murmured things mostly unintelligible to her in a rumbling bass. The chorus of it sounded suspiciously like “Don’t leave me, my love, don’t leave me…”

Kazehana blinked at Morgan, the valkyrie’s own scowl on her face softening as she looked at him. Her lower lip trembled, but she would not cry. Not anymore. She wouldn’t dishonor his sacrifice like that. It was the choice he’d made, and he’d made it to save them all. Her smile was tremulous, but it was real. “Idiot. It’s fine.” She swallowed, shaking her head as her grip tightened reflexively into the cat’s fur. “I just… you could have said goodbye, you know?” Her voice cracked on the last words, and she blinked furiously. No tears. No more. She took a steadying breath.

“It was you, for the record,” she told him shakily, chewing her lower lip. “You were the reason I decided to give all of this a chance. Why I decided to train my powers, find out who I could be. I…” she had to pause for a moment to steady her shaking limbs, and when she looked back up at him, her eyes were clear, her carriage proud. “I’ll never forget that. I’ll never forget you. And one day, I’ll tell my children about you—and I’ll make sure they never forget, either.” A tentative hand reached out as though to rest her palm on the side of his face, but he was right—she just passed right through.

“I hate you, for leaving me,” she said with a rueful smile. “But I’ll get over it. Do what you have to do Morgan… my brother.”

Tsukiyo's vision had blurred by the time Asmodeus showed up and killed the demon that had attacked her. For a moment, she almost thought it was Caspar, but their essence was completely different, and she offered a cracked smile. She could feel a warmth on her chest, something small, keeping her grounded to the living. The demon's tail had punctured her chest, barely inches from missing her heart, however; it was still grave including the one on her shoulder which almost appeared to be dislocated. She couldn't feel anything though, her mind focusing on the warmth. Then, he came, and she smiled through the hazy visage. She reached a hand up, brushing his cheek with the back of her index finger.

"I'm...I'm not going...anywhere," she stated through shallow breaths. She was vaguely unaware of what was going on, but she could feel something. "I...told you...it doesn't matter. Momo will always... be Momo," she managed to get out, closing her eyes to take a deep breath. She had spoken those words to Raphiel when he had stated that Morgan would no longer be himself the first time he was taken, but Tsukiyo, for once, believed in Morgan. She had believed in him, in Asmodeus, in Caspar. And that was enough for her to know that they would be fine.

Morgan smiled kindly at her. "And if I'd said goodbye before now, we both know you would have tried to stop me. But I'm saying goodbye now." He touched her cheek softly. He turned to Asmodeus, who looked more sullen than normal.

"That was stupid. And I thank you for it, Brother." Morgan nodded at him, and moved on to Caspar and Tsukiyo. Morgan knelt down next to them, a hand on the angel's shoulder. "She's going to be alright, Caspar. Tell her bye for me, okay?"

He stood up then, smiling at them. "I can't stay any longer, and you're not going to see me again. But, it looks like you have another visitor." At this, Morgan turned around, raising his hand as a form of goodbye. "Take care of them, Pops. And try not to be too cryptic, yeah?"

Raphiel's eyes widened, and he immediately fell to his knees. A golden light radiated from the center of the room, a small form taking shape in the form of a lamb. Asmodeus slid to his knees as well. This was so not happening.

Caspar smiled down at her, closing up the last of her wounds in enough time to take her into his arms and stand to say goodbye to his brother. He nodded solemnly at Morgan’s words, promising without his own to do just that, but the second statement caused his eyes to go wide, and then he could feel it, the change in the air, and it could only mean one thing. As the others did, he knelt, looking at a fixed point on the floor, still holding Tsuki to him. His grip tightened, just a bit, and he just avoided the urge to shake his head in wonderment. If He was here, then things were more momentous than even Caspar had guessed they would be.

Kazehana on the other hand just looked confused. She was emotionally exhausted, and physically winded as well, and all she really registered was that Morgan was gone and this divine aura, much more powerful than even Raphiel’s, was radiating from… “A baby sheep?” Confused hardly covered it, and then the revelation hit her like a ton of bricks. “Sweet holy Jesus! Are you telling me that’s—” Her brain caught up with her mouth, and she was silent for a moment, before she proceeded a little more sheepishly herself. “Er, well… is that actually uh… sweet holy Jesus?”

Next thing you knew, it was gonna be the Devil and a herd of unicorns or something.

The lamb shook its head. "I do hate it when he calls me that." He then cocked its head at Kazehana, something akin to a smile on its face. "Is my appearance truly so surprising, young one?" He did not, however, give her time to answer, and instead turned towards Raphiel.

"Raphiel. Stand." The Angel did as he was told. "You are to return to Heaven. Immediately. Your punishment will be dealt with later."

Raphiel looked surprised. "Punishment, my Lord?"

"I do not recall giving you the order to attack on this day. Your orders were on standby. You disobeyed them. Now go." The Angel made to speak again, but the lamb stomped a hoof, and he vanished.

He then turned to Asmodeus. "My Son. Why do you weep?" Asmodeus took a shaky breath. He hadn't even realized he was crying. "I never thought to be in your presence again."

"You were always welcome. You simply need make the choice. So, what is your choice?" Asmodeus stared at him. Was he truly suggesting...? But he did not hesitate with his answer. Morgan had given everything so that he could stay with her. He wasn't about to leave her now. "I would stay."

The lamb seemed to smile. "And so you shall." He touched his nose to the Demon's forehead. Without another word, he moved on to Caspar. "And your choice?"

To go back… he had dreamed of little else since he left. He had undertaken his falling for a burden no one else should have to bear, for a task that would always be thankless and condemned, but necessary. The task was done, almost, and the burden could fall now to others. He could return whence he had always belonged. More than most, Caspar had felt a fish out of water here, in this world. It was as obvious as the divinity that still lay, sequestered but powerful, somewhere inside his soul. But… he took a breath, looking down at the young woman he still held protectively close to him. Being here had changed him, and he could not think that it was all for the worse.

He had a place here, as he’d once had a place there. But those here… they needed him still. Heaven could function without him, as it obviously had been doing for quite a long time. With the pad of his thumb, he brushed a smear of dirt off one of her cheekbones, then faced his Lord the Lamb. “I would stay,” he said. The choice was not easy—he would always feel the longing in his bones, the ache in his very soul, to return to what he once had been, those he had once known. But this… he could not leave, for to leave now would tear him asunder, surely. He was wanted, he was needed, and he was loved. “If it is not too much to ask… would you tell her that I am sorry? That I miss her? That she is my sister still?” He would know to whom Caspar referred.

The Lamb also touched his nose to Caspar's forehead. "She already knows, my Son." He stepped away, making his way over to Kazehana. "The road before you is not an easy one, for the one born of you will bear the weight of this world, and all of its sins. But do not forget that you are not alone."

He turned back to Caspar and Asmodeus. "The Seals have been opened, the Horsemen ride. The time is upon us now. The fate of this world will rest on the child's shoulders, and the path that he chooses. Guide him, but never take away his ability to choose. It is our choices that make us."

With those words, the Lamb vanished. Asmodeus blinked, and then, with all the frustration he could muster, he scowled and groaned. "Didn't Morgan tell him not to be cryptic?"

The months passed slowly. It was now April, and spring was beginning to show itself. Caspar and Asmodeus put their heads together, but they were no closer to figuring out who the child in question was. It was obvious that he meant the first horseman, Conquest, but...there had been no sign of him.

Wounds healed, turning to scars, both physically and emotionally. It wasn't easy, living without Morgan, but it was something they had to do. Besides, they weren't alone, not anymore. Sure, Asmodeus had gotten the cold shoulder for a few days, but it was nothing he didn't understand.

The Demon currently found himself at Kazehana's apartment, his nose buried in the news, searching for any sign of what might be considered the child. He sighed through his nose. "How are we supposed to help this child if we can't even find him?"

It had been a long and emotionally exhausting reconciliation between herself and Asmodeus, but in the end, Kazehana had managed to forgive him, though this was not to say that she didn’t occasionally hold it over his head to manipulate him into doing things she wanted, which honestly usually were also things that he wanted, so it was working out relatively well. They’d settled into life without Morgan, and though it wasn’t easy, and they all felt keenly his missing presence, they had dealt with it by leaning heavily on one another. The four of them, plus Kazehaya, were closer than ever, as they continued to work towards finding the child, as he was called.

Kaz was rather enjoying knowing something that nobody else did, but she’d waited the usual time for confirmation all the same. She’d received it just that morning, from her father. The expression on his face had been hilarious, and then of course he’d cried and gone on about how proud he was and all that sort of thing. Really, he was hopelessly sentimental. But his knowledge of both human medicine and supernatural biology was going to be absolutely essential in the months to come. So she breezed into her apartment, observing that the other three were all present, Cass adorably wrapped around her sister as they searched through a tome of some kind together, his head propped on her shoulder as they both read the pages.

Setting her keys on the counter, she made a noncommittal noise and shrugged. “That’s the easy part, As. I know where the child is.” She smiled to herself, something secret and sly but not at all uncommon on her face. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the sofa, raising an eyebrow as she scanned what he was reading.

It took a few days for Tsukiyo to fully heal from her wounds, mainly thanks to Caspar's healing and a bit of her own when she was strong enough. It was still hard, adjusting without one of her friends, and perhaps it was just her, but she had a bit more difficulty adjusting to his disappearance. He wasn't there, he was gone. And that thought stung her for a few weeks. If it wasn't for her family, she would have slipped into depression, blaming not only herself for not being able to do anything, but her own weakness. Thankfully, that was not the case. Instead, she waited inside Kazehana's apartment, waiting for her sister to come back from wherever it was she left to.

Caspar had his head on her shoulder as they read a passage, his breath warm on her neck, causing a light pink to tint her cheeks. It was last month they...she shook the thought from her head, her face growing a little pinker due to the memory. Kazehana decided that moment to appear, stating that she knew where the child was. Tsukiyo blinked dumbfound at her sister before tilting her head to the side, reading her sisters expression. Something about it, though not uncommon for Kazehana to wear, caused a light smile to cross Tsukiyo's features. She wasn't an observant person for nothing, and she knew her sister better than most.

"Congratulations Kaz," she stated, almost appearing to be in a mocking tone, but she smiled in a way to let her sister know that she knew. Oh she knew alright. Her eyes traveled to Asmodeus, and for a brief moment, she wondered how he would take this news. It was an exciting thing for most people, however; they were not most people.

Asmodeus perked an eyebrow at Kazehana. They'd been looking for months with no success. What did she mean she knew where the child was? "Okay, and where is it, and what's the hard part?"

He also looked confused at Tsukiyo's comment. Congratulations for what? "Okay, what am I missing here?"

By this point, Cass had figured it out also, mostly thanks to Tsukiyo’s hint. He could only chuckle with good-natured amusement at As’s obvious confusion. It seemed like he was the only one who hadn’t caught on. A bit ironic, perhaps. Kazehana’s eyebrow ticked further upwards. “ Thank you, Tsu-Tsu. And well, As, I have it on good authority that the child is going to be my child,” she said loftily, winking across the room at her sister and Cass. “And since I’m not interested in having a child with anyone else, that means he’ll be ours.”

She leaned down behind Asmodeus’s chair and whispered the rest into his ear. “I’m having your son, you silly man. Around November, I should think.” The implications of that were obvious, as far as timing went. She straightened, placing a finger over her lips in contemplation. “I like Kirito for a name.” A small pause. “And Morgan.”

Asmodeus could only stare at Kazehana for something like a full minute before it finally sank in. He blinked owlishly at the woman who was his lover. "I'm having a kid?" Something must have given, because the next thing he knew, he was on the floor. When he finally managed to right himself and wrap his head around the situation, he pulled Kaz over to him, kissing her softly. "Both of those names sound perfect."

Snippet #2458786

located in New York City, New York, a part of Somewhere Between the Fallen and the Damned, one of the many universes on RPG.

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