The sun was beginning to rise. And she awoke with a start.

Ayako gasped for air, as she clasped her chest with her hand, painfully. She blinked and looked down slowly. Her eyes narrowed with slight confusion, because she saw a cape, which had been covering her. She slowly relaxed, seeing that she was still in the clearing. The dark still surrounded the forest, but it was cowering under the dim light of the dawn.

She let out a long sigh, and then brushed her hand against her forehead, to wipe away her cold sweat. She frowned, because no matter how much she tried to remember what she had dreamt, she could not. It still pounded deep in her mind, surely a nightmare. It had to be, given that she had awoken so sharply. She still could feel fear, deep inside, for something.

But what?

She sat there, looking around her.

No matter how she tried, she would not remember, she knew. So she decided to get up and take the cape with her. After a deep breath, she began to step towards the cave, hesitantly.

Had he…?

She had not expected him to be awake. Alexis was sitting on the edge of his bed, in the shadows of his nest. His eyes were narrowed, with a serious and worried expression. Ayako halted at the mouth of the cave, somewhat nervously. She watched how he held Abiel: one of his hands kept him still, while the other petted him carefully. The animal was growling strongly, his little claws were scratching Alexis’ lap while he struggled in his hold, his fur was as puffed as possible, and his ears were leaned back; he looked scared. The blond did not seem to want to acknowledge the bites and pushes that the rabbit was giving him.

“Alexis?”

The angel blinked when she called, because he had been entirely focused on the small ball of fur. He looked sideways slowly, and saw her there, peeking in between the drapes. She was holding the leafs with a hand, while the other…

He saw the cape.

“Good morning, Ayako.”

His voice sounded tired, with a slight sad tone, which she did not catch.

Ayako stepped in slowly, something that Alexis did not seem to mind. He let her near, and both stared down at the rabbit. Abiel did not like to see her so close; he let out a loud growled whimper and cowered into Alexis’ hold.

“What’s wrong with him?”

“I would like to know. I haven’t seen him like this before.”

Ayako took a deep breath, as worried as he was. She looked over her shoulder, with a thoughtful and serious expression.

She felt wrong. She could not avoid feeling like if she was not alone, and not in a good way. Of course, Alexis was not the one that caused that feeling, but something else; something she could not see.

Alexis gasped silently when he felt something brush him. He looked up nervously, and stared at her caring eyes. He did not move an inch while she let go of the cape with a smile, to let it cover his shoulders and lap.

“Thank you.”

The angel sat there, baffled, with no clue of what to think. He would have stayed frozen, were not for the fact that he saw her walk out the cave, dagger in hand. He reacted before she could get out of sight.

“Where are you going?”

She did not halt, she did not even look back, but she did reply with a playful tone.

“I think that a bear might have been roaming near the river! I don’t like that it scares little Abby!”

“But-!”

Alexis sat up slightly from the bed, because he saw her go straight for the dense woods around the clearing. He fidgeted there, screaming internally, not knowing if to follow her or not.

It was not a bear… That, he knew.

Should I say something? Can I? Should I? Will Uriel let her see the armor? Will she be able to spot it? Can she be stopped from roaming at all?

He sighed and covered his eyes with his free hand. He buried his face on it, feeling utterly useless. He had no way to prevent Ayako from noticing that he felt watched. She felt it herself, somehow. No words that he could say would make her let it go.

Not too far, in the dark around the clearing, Ayako stepped forward. The trees soon blocked her sight of their camp. She felt that sensation, pressure, the same one she felt when she was near a possible predator. It did not matter if it was an angel, wolf, or a bear, she always felt it.

She sneaked near the flow of the river, carefully, trying to see footprints or a trace of what was roaming. If an animal had been stalking them, lured by their food and the rabbit, it had to be near the water.

She did not venture too far. And yet… she felt the sensation increase, too much. Something deep inside her was warning her, but she did not pay much mind to it; she felt confident, still near that clearing.

She halted her steps after a few minutes, because she saw something in the shadows. Her mouth opened a little; her curiosity turned into disbelief while she approached. Her hand moved up slowly, and then caressed the trunk of the tree in front of her. The tree was withering; its wood was falling apart, it was torn.

She looked down, dreadfully. Cold sweat fell from her forehead, she gulped. Her eyes stared at the white roots of the tree, where some peeked more than the rest; ones of a darker tone, and much sharper. Her blue eyes widened, she whipped away her hand and got ready to run. She did it too late; she took too much time to notice that those dark things were not roots.

Ayako let out a choked scream when that claw shot out of between the withering roots and earth, with extreme force. It latched onto her ankle and dragged her onto the ground in just a second.

The hunter growled, because she heard the ground rumble and the tree break down even more. She outstretched her arm and tried to reach her crossbow, which had fallen down to the ground with her. Sadly, she did not manage; she let out a pained hiss when the claw pulled again. She was hauled backwards and prevented of grasping the weapon, now out of her reach. Her icy eyes filled with horror, because the demon stood upright and lifted her up along. She was being held by her leg, upside down. The beast shook the dust and mud off, and then grinned down at her.

“We both know well how to ensnare our foes, don’t we?”

Ayako’s shocked expression disappeared; instead, she clenched her teeth and became enraged. Aeronwen did not even blink as she received punches; she only kept smiling while the human struggled and dangled from her claw.

“That is a vain try, dear.”

Ayako’s eyes widened, because she saw the demon begin to swing her arm. Before she could scream, she was hauled away like a simple ragdoll, like if she weighted nothing.

Gwen leaned her head as she heard Ayako’s pained huffs; she hid her satisfaction as she saw her roll fiercely along the ground. As much as she enjoyed it, she looked away from the human and glanced down at her clawed feet. The crossbow was there, abandoned. The weapon was stepped on, slowly and without hurry; it was shattered and crushed, almost with a vicious joy to it. Those gaping red eyes narrowed, loving to see the weapon that wounded her like this, useless.

Not too far, an angel gasped, because the rabbit he held went into a panic. Alexis hissed when Abiel bit hit fingers furiously and kicked to jump away from him. Abiel bolted off his lap and ran out the cave without looking back at his hurt amber eyes.

Before Alexis could understand, he heard.

Ayako screamed when she stopped rolling and thrashing with the strong haul. She collided against some bushes, strongly. She only opened one eye, because she had a bruise on her left one. She panted and tried to back away onto a sitting position, because she saw red, nearing slowly. She crawled with her hands and feet, with more urgency when the roots and vines rose around her.

Alexis bolted out of his cave, just in time to see Ayako slump backwards into the clearing with a huffed breath. His amber eyes widened with terror, because he saw something that resembled white thorny vines, which loomed up darkly over the hunter, from the bushes.

The angel panicked; he ran forward and towards her, because he knew well that those things had to be brought by a devil. However, he knew as well that he wouldn’t do much barehanded. So he halted for a moment and whipped his head to look for something near him.

Meanwhile, Ayako clenched her teeth and stared in a trance at the branches and vines that were approaching her like snakes. She winced when one lunged down at her; her only reaction was to lift her arm up, in a vain try to muffle the slash.

“Aya!”

She huffed, because something grabbed her cowl and neckline, and then dragged her backwards strongly. Alexis groaned as he pulled her back and away from the bushes. The thorns of the vine did not pierce her, but the ground where she had been sitting.

Ayako sat there baffled, even when Alexis let her go and stepped in front of her, axe in hand. That small axe, the one he always used to cut lumber. She finally stood and got out of her surprise, seeing that he had begun to swing it, somewhat clumsily, against the plants. His nervous flailing allowed him to slash in half some vines that neared them.

Alexis yelled, without stopping looking at the vines, clearly scared.

“Are you ok?!”

She nodded quickly, but she spoke when she realized he was not looking back at her, too busy shielding her.

“Y-yeah!”

Alexis yelped and bounced; he dodged the root of a bush that had tried to slash at his feet. He swung the axe down and sunk its edge into the wood. The blade got stuck, because the plants were robust, even if they looked withered.

“What are these things?!”

“It’s a long story!”

“It was a rhetorical question! Are you saying that you know-?!”

He could not finish. He had been pushing his foot against the root, to try to unlatch the axe from it. He did not manage in time. He let out a sharp pained huff when the branch of a tree leaned and slammed against his side. He was sent rolling along the ground of the clearing, axe included.

“Alexis!”

Ayako had already grabbed her daggers, surrounded by more vines. She wanted to run to him and see if he was hurt, but she could only slash with her weapons and curse, having no space to get to him.

Some meters away, Alexis groaned and leaned onto his arms and elbows. He looked up from the ground, somewhat dizzy. And by god, how he regretted doing it. He shivered instantly, because he saw a claw emerge and outstretch from the shadows. A huge claw, swayed with boredom, caressing the vines that tangled like snakes on its arm. He saw red eyes, inhuman; eyes that were fixed on both.

The angel whimpered without thinking, because he remembered what the last devil he saw did to him. He remembered the claws sinking into his flesh, the fangs tearing his neck, and the force he could not counter.

Those memories could have rendered him into a frozen terror; they almost did, were not for the fact that the demon did something unexpected. He frowned and got out slightly of his trance, because it gave him a smile, with a tone of sweetness on that inhuman expression… and then it glanced at Ayako with hate instead, with a much more maniac grin.

The hunter took a few steps back and tightened her hold on her daggers. The sweetness in Gwen’s voice almost hid her bloodlust perfectly.

“You are never alone… Aren’t you, Ayako?”

Alexis gasped when he saw the demon wave a claw forward, softly. His fear was appropriate; because that soft wave caused the vines around her arm to lunge sharply. He struggled to stand a little onto one foot, seeing Ayako be engulfed under white thorns. Her arms were outstretched down and tied forcefully, all the vines were holding her and keeping her still. Once the hunter was subdued, Aeronwen laughed and waved her claw back; she pulled Ayako closer to her like a puppet.

“Ayako…!”

Ayako grimaced with disgust, hating to be inches away from the devil. She was unable to move, tied all over. She huffed angrily when that claw moved again, to lay under her chin and cheeks. Gwen made her meet her gaping eyes, forcefully, to give her a mocking stare.

“You always seek others, always with a sense of lonesome pity. But I do wonder something. Why would a hunter ever be with one of his kind?”

Alexis’ eyes filled with horror when he heard that; he froze when the demon glanced at him with derision. Gwen chuckled when Ayako yelled at her with more anger; she began to struggle even more, to be able to free herself and stab her.

“Kind…?!” Ayako growled fiercely, because she remembered how this thing loved to deride other beings, less pure ones. “Don’t you dare insult him! We humans are not as weak as you think! I will not let you-!”

Aeronwen blinked and looked down at her with surprise, suddenly. Ayako shut up, because the demon burst into laughter.

Alexis had stood up… And now he was backing slowly away, looking in a trance at those bloody and spiteful eyes. He had a hollow expression; he shivered when the demon asked Ayako with a lean of head.

“You don’t know?”

It was funny to her; the hunter did not know what she had before her eyes. It all made her blood boil; it angered her to think that this human, who had dared to confront her, now was blind to her prey.

Ayako’s blue eyes filled with confusion when the claw forced her to look sideways, to look at Alexis.

“I expected much more from the first human that managed to hurt me. I thought you were stalking prey, like I was stalking you. But I see now, that you were only wasting the time you stole from me. You were not able to notice my presence… and you ignore something far more important.”

Alexis shook his head, he begged silently. He could say nothing; he could not stop those maws from parting and whispering.

Please, don’t…

He should not expect mercy from a devil.

“Look at his eyes… See the fear?” Ayako shivered, seeing it clear, in those amber eyes. “It is for you, my dear.”

“Shut up!”

Ayako saw Alexis scream and lunge to grab his axe again, suddenly enraged. Because he could not let her say it; he would not endure that pain again.

Alexis was shouting and running towards them both with the axe raised over his head. He swung it towards the demon, without hesitation. He wanted to stab her, wanted to slice that face so it couldn’t say a word, but the one who was left breathless was him; as soon as the axe was going to touch her, some vines whipped, tangled on the handle of the axe, and halted his attack sharply on the air.

He cried out and began to pull down at the handle, to try to retrieve the weapon, to stop her from saying what he most feared in the world. He did not manage in time. The devil whispered his secret for Ayako to hear, with a smile.

“One would think a hunter would recognize an angel…”

Alexis’ eyes lost their focus. His fingers trembled around the axe’s handle.

Ayako’s expression was one of pure skepticism; she was frozen under the vines and Gwen’s claw. The demon let out a silent chuckle and licked her lips, to speak with a more suggestive and sardonic tone.

“Right in front of your eyes.”

Ayako’s eyes had a mix of shock, fear and dawning realization; all in a slowed moment. Her heart felt a sudden sting when she saw Alexis let go of the axe, its blade sinking into the earth by his feet. She saw him take a shaky step back, almost trip by doing so. He raised his hands in front of him and began to cower. Shock was the only thing that defined his expression; his amber eyes were empty of light, full of fright, while the tears fell freely.

Alexis did not see the troubled stare she gave him. He slammed his hands onto his shoulders and whipped his head down, to let out a loud anguished yell of impotence and anger, while he clawed at his own scars.

It finally dawned on her why he had called her butcher once, why he tried to keep her away so desperately when she saw those scars. She realized what he was.

An angel.

She had been at his side all this time, without knowing. She was unaware of what he was so afraid of. Her.

“Indeed… You are useless, Ayako.”

Ayako stood there as Alexis met her eyes; both felt their hearts beat dreadfully. Each one did for their own reasons.

He expected to see flaming violet glints; he expected that some of her shattered memories would be released from their prison. But there was nothing; there was no recollection in her unresponsive expression.

Another fear sunk into the angel’s heart. He cried, because he saw the demon sway side to side while it belittled him.

“I do wonder why he is still alive! No wings, no flight! No angel has ever stood such shame in their lives! Maybe I should let you go, dear, to let you end his misery! I can see it in his eyes!” Ayako grimaced when Gwen leaned to grin at her face. “You thrive with their deaths. We are not as different in that sense, angel hunter. Now you know; he is for you to kill, as you are for me to end.”

Her hands tightened around her daggers; her blue eyes narrowed. Each of the demon’s words only made her feel more outrage and ire. And that rueful expression only made the angel shudder. Ire was something he never had wanted to see from her; it hurt him to see it again.

Alexis bowed his head to not look at her. The same fear that he had when he was hunted returned. He felt a phantom pain run subtly on his skin, where his wings had been, and where he felt her touch. He could hear the words she had given him, again. He remembered how she had accused him of lying and faking… something he had really done by now.

I’ve lied to her. That hateful look, it will come. This time she won’t-

“I don’t care what he is.” His amber eyes opened again, when he heard her scream furiously. “But who he is!”

Gwen hissed, because Ayako slashed her claw with a dagger, furiously. Once that claw moved away, she had more room to cut some vines around her. She yelled angrily and struggled, while Aeronwen glared down at her.

“He’s not that different from me! You are! I would never wish to hurt him, had he wings or not! He has not shown any of the vile you have, devil! All the opposite!”

Alexis stood there, frozen and shaken, unable to understand that those blue eyes were fixed on him. The ire he had seen was not for him. Ayako was giving him the most repentant look she could; the most caring and curious glance. Her next call was still frantic and infuriated, but only loving towards him.

“Alexis, I’m sorry! I had no idea! Again, I’m stupid!” She snarled, pulling at the vines again to free herself and reach him. “I would never-!”

She could not affirm it, the words died in her. The hunter let out a silent cry and hissed, because she felt a strong sudden headache. And due to that pain, she cried and stopped struggling under the vines, suddenly faint. That only helped the vines pressure her more; they only seemed to grow and claw at her with their thorns.

The devil laughed, glad that she had caused the human some kind of pain: guilt. She had expected anger or shame due to her failure of not seeing her prey. But this was entertaining all the same. She loved to see the emotional weakness that dwelled in human beings.

She stepped forward, in order to claw at Ayako’s side and begin having fun… However, she stopped with a subtle shake, because she heard and felt a sudden hit. She slowly looked down and sideways.

She did not expect an angel to have those emotions as well.

Alexis let out a deep growled exhale, with a firm and serious glare. His eyes were full of ire while he held the axe strongly. He did not show doubt, he did not let go for a second; he only pressured more, to let the edge of the axe sink even more into the demon’s shoulder. Those gaping eyes narrowed on him, those eyebrows made of leafs moved up, with wonder. She almost seemed entertained, more than angered by the cut. She barely had reacted when he had pierced her. She stared for a second at him, but then she leaned her head and asked, with a monotone tone.

“…How?”

It was a curious question.

The angel did not look away from those red eyes, knowing perfectly well what she was asking. She was not questioning how he had managed to hit her, nor the fact that he had dared to. That, any angel would do. She was confused by his angry tears, by the emotion she could see in him, for the human.

He did consider her question, but he refused to explain himself. He just glared at her, and snarled sadly.

“You would not understand.”

Alexis growled and pulled out the axe from her shoulder with a strong pull. He raised it once more, ready to let it fall down again, and again; all the times he could. Something snapped inside him.

The demon stood calm, she did not move while the angel slashed at her. She limited herself to frown down at him with annoyed disapproval, barely phased by his stabs. The axe was not piercing her scorched skin much; it only left blisters where it hit. No matter how hopeless it was, the angel kept swinging the weapon, even if he was scared out of his mind.

Ayako had recovered slightly from her daze, and was now fighting to move and stir. She saw Alexis get in between again, for her; she could see him attack with the axe, even if he knew that it was only winning time. So she awoke in realization, clarity returning to her mind. She needed to slash her bonds away and get free, to help him, fast. And so, that was what she began to do, even if with troubled breaths.

She kept cutting; she slashed. She fought to get free with all her might… until she heard a pained whimper.

Alexis hissed and screamed breathlessly; the axe fell from his hands. A claw had grabbed him by his head and hair, big enough to pull him off the ground and let him dangle. He trashed in the air and kicked, while his hands latched onto the nails of the claw, to try to make it let go. He clenched his teeth in pain, because the nails were scratching his face, forehead and the back of his head. He struggled, punched and jerked, but he could do nothing while she raised her other claw. She was ready to pierce him through, without hurry.

“I maybe do not understand, angel. I have seen many of you, and you are one of a kind. I actually wonder how you kept going, how have you managed to survive without breaking. Losing your wings must have been what has caused you to change like this, to suffer such flawed emotion. Others would have jumped to their deaths, to elude this. You are… I can’t assert it; you are the first of all.”

Alas…

Gwen suddenly smiled wide and sadistically. Her eyes sharpened, while she pressured her claw and exclaimed joyfully.

“You are strange, but you still hold the same untainted blood! Nothing has changed for your kind in centuries! I can’t wait to make my new forest bloom, more than it could have ever done!”

This waterfall would be her new heart, which would grow with both their blood… and the vermin’s.

Alexis closed his eyes shut and raised his hands in front of him, to try to block the stab of that sharp claw. He expected those nails to go through him, so he was quite more than startled when he felt himself fall, suddenly. The claw that had been holding him opened, with a fierce jolt. He huffed when he fell onto a sitting position, and then blinked when he felt something fall onto his lap. His eyes widened with horror and panic, because the claw was sliced off… and was now trashing and crawling on him, like a spider.

Ayako’s eyes were full of amazement; her mouth was a little open. There was a tall figure between the angel and the demon; it had an arm outstretched sideways, while it held a golden sword. She narrowed her eyes, to see him better.

His chest was puffed out as he showed his fangs; his face had an angered but calm expression, even if his violet eyes seemed to blaze. A long tail was giving strong hits to the ground, in anger. His head was bowed down to give a dark glare, which emphasized his sharp horns.

Another demon?

Alexis whined and stuttered while he tried to make the claw on his lap hold still, because it was still trying to stab him blindly with its sharp nails. His hands trashed all around in a panic, trying to get it off of him.

Uriel let out a deep guttural growl, while the other demon backed away and grasped her bleeding wrist, where he had cut to make her let go of Alexis. Her gaping eyes were full of annoyance and disgust, but she was far from scared. She looked at him slowly, evaluating the new circumstances.

“A powerful demon, hmm?” Gwen looked at both, angel and demon, with a sneering snarl. “Figures…”

Both devils began to circle each other, carefully. Both kept a weary silence, to calculate their next move. Uriel pierced her with a glare, without moving away his sword.

He had sensed a strong scent in the forest, for days; something sweet. He did not sense this thing until he heard the screams. He almost arrived too late in his carelessness.

“Keep your hands off.”

She made a small bow, and then chuckled at his solemnity.

“Of course, you cut one off already.” Gwen let go of her wound. Ayako gasped as the demon’s wrist began to twist. In seconds, a new claw had formed, soon dashing to point at Alexis. “Suit yourself, have your angel! Keep him out of this!”

Ayako shivered, because those hollow red eyes looked at her again, this time more intent and restless.

“For it is the human who I wish to hear scream.”

Uriel glanced at Ayako sideways, with a sorrowful and remorseful look in his eyes. She was looking at him too; so he could see the pain in her eyes. He knew that her mind was aching and screaming right now. He closed his own eyes, to contain the anger that always controlled him.

Aeronwen blinked when that sword moved again, to point at her directly.

“You won’t hear a single scream. Not from my angel, not from her.”

Ayako yelped when the horned devil swung the sword; she saw a flash of gold go by near her. She blinked with surprise when the vines that had held her dropped to the ground, cut in half. He had not given her a single scratch with that swipe.

Alexis shuddered, because all the vines, trees, branches and roots trembled around them. They began to crawl closer to them, like snakes, while their master glared at them with disdain.

“…” Gwen leaned in a wild stance, her skin seemed to sharpen… and her voice sounded feral, without need to let down its sweet tone. “Then I may hear yours first, little demon.”

Uriel took a deep breath and assumed a defensive stand, sword in hands. His eyes looked ahead, fixed on a demon that could kill with ease, take away all that he loved.