Alexis was looking at the water tiredly. He sighed while he brushed the flow with the point of his wing, sitting at the shore.

He kept trying to ignore Ayako’s loud screams; to no avail.

“Go away, dammit!”

Alexis could feel the headache coming while she waved her crossbow crazily. She did not stop screaming at a stubborn demon that always came back.

“When you let me retrieve him!”

The angel rubbed his forehead, exasperated. She shot blindly at the tall branches, again, surely missing the evasive demon once more. She kept missing, even if he was big and tall…

“Never! Get out of the shadows! You are not an owl!”

Her blue eyes narrowed to try to spot his shadow above her. She had another paralyzing shot ready, with his name. She raised her weapon towards his voice.

“I will always be around! Until you tire of shielding him!”

Uriel yelped silently and slammed himself against the branch he was crouching on. He barely dodged the arrow that flied his way, which almost stabbed his arm. He leaned nervously against the tall tree trunk to peek down, as she roared.

“Well, guess who is going to keep making watch day and night?! I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE!”

Stubborn human…

Uriel hid again with a growl, not risking that she managed to take good aim at him again.

He had kept his distance all these days. But he always was around the clearing and waterfall. Always watching, waiting for her to leave. To both Uriel’s and Alexis’ exasperation, Ayako always kept watch, or made Lykaios be awake for her.

The hunter huffed, annoyed. She lowered slowly her weapon, because she lost sight of the devil between the trees. She rolled her eyes when Alexis called bitterly from the small river.

“You know he will be back.”

“I know. But if he thinks he will manage to kidnap you, he can keep dreaming!”

Alexis shook his head, not knowing if her stubbornness could win against the sheer obsession the demon had.

He always felt those flaming eyes fixed on his neck. He knew he was near.

A tail was swaying side to side in the shadows of the forest. His claws were scratching a rock with anger. His eyes never closed.

He would never leave.

————————————————————

 

The night was bright, thanks to the moon above.

Lykaios snored while Ayako and Alexis ate near a fire. Both were much more silent since Uriel roamed around. Anything they spoke of, it was always the same.

Alexis looked up from his food, and then decided to try to reason, again. His voice was hardly heard between the flow of water and crackle of the fire; it was barely a whisper.

“Aya, you can’t keep like this forever. He… I don’t think he will kill me. He could have done it before.”

She did not look away from her bowl of food, but she did frown. Her icy eyes narrowed, like if she wanted to warn and shut him up.

“I don’t care.”

He looked at her sadly and let down his food. He had not been eating much this week anyway.

“I do care! You can’t stay here! They will miss you back at the village, you have to go back.”

“They won’t. Lykaios is my only family. Godric lets me have freedom. They believe I’m still searching for you. I can take all the time I need here. I have spoken!”

“But-”

She had enough. Alexis winced when she scolded him.

“Fuck, Alexis, he wants to keep you in a dungeon! A damn jail! Don’t you get it?”

Alexis shrugged and bit his lip. As much as he tried to sound sure, his dread was obvious in his wings, which were puffed.

“I would be fine.”

When he was pushed down, he feared dying; be brutally preyed by a feral demon. He still feared death, and if he could avoid it by living like that… He would welcome it. After all, it was a better fate than what he had expected.

He closed his eyes tiredly when she spoke again. He knew Ayako would never let down her stand.

“You would not be. For the last time, I’m not letting you be hurt, in any way.”

He raised an eyebrow and moved his wings to hug himself. His voice was full of worry.

“And what about you? He can get angrier. What if he hurts you? What if he-”

“He won’t.”

Alexis blinked, because she smiled calmly. Ayako took another sip of her bowl, as if nothing. Her eyes were looking at the top of the waterfall.

“He would have taken me out the way by now if he really wanted to. He won’t.”

Alexis followed her gaze slowly.

He could not avoid shivering and hide more below his wings, because he distinguished a figure between the rocks. He saw a shadow, which was not moving at all at the top of the cliff. He could have sworn it was part of the waterfall… if it were not for the sharp eyes that glinted in the dark. They were fixed on him.

——————————————————–

 

Ayako was leaning against the rocky wall outside.

Another day…

She smiled a little, because she could hear faint flaps of wings inside the small cave.

She was keeping watch again, while Alexis tried to sleep. It seemed he managed to, judging by the nervous and sleepy moves his wings were making. If he was awake, he would be tense, not daring to move an inch on his nest.

She moved her bored gaze again, to look at the moon.

She sat there calmly for a long time, without saying word. But after a while, she decided to acknowledge the other’s presence.

“If you think that by now I don’t know you are there…”

She did not even blink when a figure finally leaned forward, sitting on the branch above her. Uriel looked down at her with a smile.

“Too tired to shoot at me?”

“Don’t tempt me, you brash fiend.”

She was not even looking at him. But her crossbow was still at hand. Uriel frowned and leaned his head, in what could be an offended and tired stare.

“You know, there is no need to refer to me with such insults. I have not insulted you once, even if you are standing in my way, protecting my possible murderer.”

She raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

“Oh, how rude of me… To distrust someone who wants to keep a friend locked away forever! Can I even know he would survive? Can I somehow know if he will starve? Can I know if he will be mistreated for your stupid hatred?”

“…I would not do such things.”

“You say so. I can’t know, sharpy.”

“Uriel.”

She blinked and finally looked up. He was looking away; his violet eyes were narrowed tiredly.

“What?”

“I would appreciate if you stopped calling me names already. I have not done anything against you. Not once. My name is Uriel.”

He kept himself sat, nervously, because her blue eyes just stared at him; for a whole awkward minute.

Ayako snorted sharply and broke the tense silence.

“I will call you what I want.”

Uriel growled, offended. His tail swayed side to side, reflecting his annoyance. He showed his fangs when he leaned his head to a side, with resignation.

“Very well, do as you please! And later demons are considered the ones uncivilized or-”

“I will call you Uri!”

She grinned, because she heard him blurt nervously, plus some scratching noises above her.

Uriel quickly regained his balance; he stabbed his claws on the branch, almost having fallen off. Ayako was amused by him, because his voice was now barely a whisper, full of bafflement and nervousness.

“W-what?”

Uriel leaned a little away when she laughed again.

“Uri! It’s shorter! Or is it still not good enough for you, dainty boy?”

What the…?

She chuckled and hid her face on her long cowl, because she saw him flee hurriedly. And she could only close her eyes and contain her laughter when she heard a loud thud, some distance away. A demon had seemed to fall off a tree in his panic.

While Ayako tried to not make noise, to not wake up an angel… said angel stared at the bracelets on his wrists, calmly. He was awake, having been listening all this time. He heard everything.

Uriel…

He closed his eyes again, and then kept on moving his wings faintly, to keep her from worrying.

————————————————–

 

Lykaios growled angrily. He moved his tails to hug her, to give her warmth. Alexis scratched his hair in frustration, because Ayako was not stopping sneezing while she rested against Lykaios’ fur.

The angel was as worried as the lynx.

“I knew that you should have not stayed. All these nights sleeping here, out in the woods! See, now you are sick!”

Humans were not meant to live out in the wild, not for long. He had wings; he was not human, he was able to live here like this without trouble. But she couldn’t. She was more susceptible to the wind and cold.

Ayako groaned, and then tucked her coat and those tails closer against her chest. She glared at them both, stubbornly.

“I’m fine!” Lykaios rolled his eyes when she sneezed, yet again. “I am not leaving!”

Alexis crouched in front of her and held his hands together. He tried to reason, make her understand.

“It may not be too bad now… But if you don’t go, you will get worse! Go back home and rest!”

“You rest! You have not been sleeping for days!”

He was taken aback for a moment, surprised by her stretched arm and point of finger. But soon, he shook his head with a nervous look. His eyebrows trembled.

“T-that I did not sleep?! I d-did! I was in my-”

“Oh please, I have ripped enough wings to know how they work! Those were not sleepy flaps! I ended up noticing, you idiot!”

Alexis growled, both for her scolding, the knowledge that she indeed cut off wings, and the fact that it was all true.

“Well, how do you want me to rest if he roams around?! I can’t, alright?!” He changed the subject, shifting the blame back to her. “But you know what really bothers me and keeps me awake? That you willfully tire yourself for me!”

“And I will keep on doing it!”

She crossed her arms stubbornly to prove how determined she was. It made Alexis lose his patience; he pulled at his hair in exasperation.

“I swear, Aya! I still don’t get you!”

Lykaios did not intervene when Alexis stood. He walked away, mumbling complaints that they did not understand. The angel got into his cave, and seconds after, a thud echoed, like if something had thrown itself onto a bed.

Silence fell, because the blond refused to keep on arguing for nothing. He was not giving any signs that he would come out again for the rest of the day.

Ayako sighed and leaned more against her old friend, who was not letting go. She listened while he spoke, tiredly.

“As much as I hate to agree with an angel… He is right.”

“Maybe. But it would be wrong to leave.”

“You are still a stubborn child.”

“You are a grumpy old cat.”

“I have lived six centuries and forty-eight years…”

“And still, you behave like a bear cub sometimes!”

A tail gave her a soft swat, making her laugh a little. The fur barely brushed her nose. They both rested there silently. Lykaios could not act against her wishes, so he let her stay.

In the far distance, Uriel snarled when he heard yet another cough.

He had been laying on a rock, trying to take a break from his unending supervision. But she had begun to sneeze yesterday… and now she coughed loudly. She was sick. And he could not sleep while hearing her, not only because of the noise.

His eyes narrowed, he began to ponder. He made his mind: he took a decision he could regret later.

Lykaios’s ears rose, his red eyes opened; he moved his snout to look quickly to a side. Ayako sighed and ignored his sudden growls. She could see as well the shadow between the bushes. Uriel neared slowly, walking into the dim light of the clearing. He halted near them, keeping a distance, but daring to show himself clearly again under the moonlight.

His voice was kind, with no trace of his impatience.

“You are sick.”

Lykaios’ claws were beginning to come out; she could feel how his fur was puffing… So she caressed Lykaios’s back, to ask him silently to stop growling. She knew well that the wolf did not like Uriel so close to her.

Once her lion calmed down slightly, she addressed the demon that looked at her.

“I am. What about it?”

Uriel did not like the uncaring demeanor she was putting up. Yet he did not show it in his firm expression.

“You should not be in these woods. Both I and the angel agree in that, even if it may sound strange. Can’t you see you will only end up worse?”

“As long as you intend to-”

“I won’t take him away, if you leave.”

She blinked, taken aback by his words. She frowned, thinking she heard wrong, probably because of her fever.

“Sorry, I think I did not hear you well…”

Uriel rolled his eyes and crossed his arms smugly. He then took a step closer, with a lean of head. He spoke slower.

“I said, that I will not take him hostage. You can go home.”

She stared at him, her hand over her forehead, for a full minute. She was not processing his words. Lykaios finally let go of her and stood.

“Young demon, if you think you can fool her while she has a fever… I won’t allow you to lie to her, you-”

“Lykaios, leave.”

His red eyes widened when her voice reached his ears. The lynx turned to face her, and was surprised when he saw her behind him, standing. He growled angrily, showing weariness and annoyance.

“He is just trying to fool you!”

“Away. Now. I know better than to be played like that.”

Uriel fidgeted, because Lykaios leaned to glare at him. Only with that, he made clear how much he distrusted him.

Demons knew well enough how they could be. And Lykaios did not trust anyone but Ayako. He only cared about her.

Uriel relaxed a little when Lykaios huffed and began to walk away. Not without a last warning glare, with his fangs showing. Sharp fangs, which would tear him to pieces, if he dared to do anything in his absence.

Lykaios disappeared between the trees, he obeyed her. He knew she would be fine deep inside. She was not stupid.

Once Ayako was sure Lykaios was roaming in the woods and far enough, she faced Uriel, with a serious look on her face.

“Go home? What would you win? Why would you care that I went home? Are you lying to me, to make him be alone? So you can kill, or take him away?”

Uriel shook his head and groaned, fully of resigned.

“How can I make you understand… that I am not the bad guy in this situation?” He raised his claws in a sign of honesty, to then step closer to her. She stood weary, still unsure. “I tell you to leave; because I don’t want our quarry to harm you!”

“Harm me? Why would I be hurt?”

“Oh please…!” She leaned a little backwards when Uriel did forward. He dared to near fully. “You are only going to get worse. You will never leave if you think I will take the chance. I may want to ensure he is at bay, but not if it means hurting another person!”

She looked at his violet eyes with wonder; she did not understand, but she wanted to.

“You…”

“If you go home, I promise I won’t touch a single hair of his. However, I will still keep watch here, I won’t go away. That, I can’t refuse.”

Uriel waited, hoping she would trust in his words. She only questioned him further; but her blue eyes were now lacking apprehension. They held the same wonder that they held when she found the strange angel.

“How can I know you are not lying?”

He had not killed Alexis. He had many chances to do so before she rescued him. He had not attacked all these days, even if he could have done so, easily. He could now simply claw at her. They were alone. However, he was just looking at her with a hurt look.

Uriel held his claws together over his chest, and then averted his gaze to the ground.

“You can’t know.” He laughed; his tail began to move slowly behind him. “You trust in that lynx. That’s why I thought you could understand that not all of us are beasts. Or is it that he is an exception for you? I admit, you have no way of knowing if I’m trying to deceive you. But I will ask you anyway. I swear, I only try to keep my life safe. I hold no evil will.”

She smiled subtly, because she saw no hatred in his eyes, but the insecurity that was making him fear. She was going to speak, but Uriel quickly took her chance, speaking nervously again.

“What would I even accomplish by locking him once you left? I mean, I can’t hurt you to get you out the way; I have no hatred for you. Once you got well, you would only try to free him again! It would be useless to confine him!”

“Uriel-”

“It’s not because I hate him! I’m not evil! How do you think it feels?! To wake up one day, and feel that your heart is pounding painfully?! Then come to realize someone out there wants you dead! An angel! You know well how they all are, you are a hunter! None has ever let go of their pledge, all have tried to fight, to kill! Most are unstoppable and relentless! I did nothing to deserve it! My life is forfeit for no reason! Only because of their beliefs! How do you want me to-?!”

“Uriel!”

Ayako grabbed his arms and made him shut up with a gentle shake. There was worry in her eyes, because she saw him break down, speak in a fit.

Uriel did shut up, but he seemed even more nervous. He felt her hands on his arms, and she did not miss how his claws and tails moved away from her, subtly. He was uncomfortable, because she was too near. As well, he was ashamed that she had seen him speak in an uncontrolled manner.

She tried to talk clearly, slowly and kindly.

“I understand.” Uriel’s eyes filled with hope when he heard those two words. But that hope faded, because Ayako kept speaking. “But can’t you see he is feeling just like you?”

Uriel growled, and then moved her away, carefully and gently.

“Like me? No, you don’t understand at all. He can be sure I won’t kill him, but I can’t know if he won’t murder me! He is an angel! He can be lying and feigning, for none has ever-”

“Well, he thought he was going to die! He thought any demon would kill him! But neither of the two he saw did that! His demon ended up being different from what he was told. Are you not, Uriel? You are not what angels say you are. Why would he be what you believe?”

Uriel remained silent. He listened to her words reluctantly, and noted their lack of doubt.

“I assure you… Alexis is not plotting anything. He fears you. In fact, he fears everything, to be honest.” She glanced towards the opening at the feet of the cliff, unable to see the angel hiding inside. “Don’t you wonder why I would spare an angel myself? He did not try to stop me when I found him.”

Her icy eyes met his violet bright ones. She hoped he would let go of his crusade.

The human felt disappointment and looked away, because she saw how the demon’s eyes glinted with blind distrust again.

“You may believe. I don’t, as much as I want to.”

“Then-”

Uriel gave her his back and began to walk away with his last word.

“I will not harm, detain or kill the angel. You can go without worry. The only way in which I would act against him is if I found out his true intentions. You can’t keep me away from him. I will keep on watching him, day and night. I will ensure my safety, for he wants to go home.”

And the only way in which he could, was by killing him.

Ayako hugged herself sadly. Uriel left once again, with assurance of not being a menace, but still unwilling to bend his convictions.

“I will never understand you guys.”

Angels and demons could think themselves different. But they shared the same blindness.

——————————————-

 

Alexis almost choked when he heard her, the apple he held fell from his hand. Ayako quickly patted his back when he coughed. Neither stopped the apple from rolling down the edge of the table, onto the ground.

Alexis looked up at her, once he managed to breathe.

“W-what?”

“I said… That he is not going to try to kidnap you. I spoke with him yesterday and-”

She was not surprised when Alexis stood sharply from his chair. He glanced at her all over, with the deepest frown he could make. His wings were giving small sharp bats, which reflected his thoughts.

“He has not thrown any spell on you, has he? He better not have dared to lay a claw on you! I knew I should have left with him; he is now targeting you! What did he do to you?”

He huffed, because she gave him a smack to his forehead with her palm, to shut him up before he had a breakdown.

“He did nothing, you airhead. I’m trying to say we came to an agreement!”

Alexis looked at her with disbelief, while leaning a little away, ready to dodge any possible smack.

“Agreement?”

Ayako nodded and looked sideways to the cave’s entrance, towards Lykaios, who already knew everything. Both wondered how Alexis would react.

“Your demon will not try anything when I go home. But he will keep on watching you.”

Alexis’ amber eyes filled with both confusion and dread.

“That means-”

“I’m leaving. But Lykaios will stay, just in case.”

The lynx huffed, because he saw Alexis smile nervously.

“So, you are going home?” She nodded again, more slowly. Alexis moved his hands while he rambled. “T-that’s great! You w-will rest at last, you n-need to, after all! You a-are sick, you must leave! A-and I won’t- I will b-be with Lykaios! N- no- N-no… p-pro- Pro…”

Alexis’ legs wobbled. Ayako blinked when the angel crumbled backwards to the ground, unable to cope with the idea of being alone with two demons.

Lykaios yawned, without care. Ayako shook her head and let out a long sigh. She wondered if she could leave at all with a fainted blond on the floor.