White Wing

Angel's Voice

I had a dream; a dream where I was dying. But I was an angel, I was immortal. I couldn't die. Not after two thousand years of serving my lord, not after two thousand years of watching humans live and die. I couldn't join them where Death watched from the shadows, snatching them away into the realm of darkness. Death was never biased. He came for the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the healthy and the sick. If given a chance, he would even come for an angel. If given a chance, I daresay he would come for God.

I found myself walking to the kitchen even before I was fully awake. Why, you ask? Because even my half-awake self knew there was only one way to confirm I was still immortal.

I grabbed the knife-the sharp edge digging into my fingers-and pointed it to my chest. Pain is a temporary emotion; it will always fade. And this will heal, I thought, almost driving the knife through my heart, for an angel cannot die by suicide.

A hand grabbed mine, wrenching the knife out of my grasp. The knife flew across the length of the kitchen, falling to the floor with a clatter.

I turned my head to look into a pair of angry lime green eyes.

"Are you mad?" Shun asked, staring at my fingers that bled gold. His glare woke me up entirely.

Ah, so I still had an angel's blood after all, I thought, watching with passive interest as my fingers stung and the ichor fell to the floor.

"Shun, you're up early," said Kai, walking by. He looked at Shun, who still had a hand wrapped around my wrist. Then his eyes went to the golden blood falling gently onto the kitchen.

"Estelle, what... how?" he asked.

"I am an angel, with fire in my bones, and ichor in my veins," I said half-heartedly, staring emotionlessly at the mess I was creating.

"That doesn't mean you're immortal anymore, little angel," said Shun. He looked over to Kai. "Bandages."

Kai nodded and left, as Shun pulled my hand over to the sink. I left my hand in the running water, as ichor, so much ichor, started flowing. How strange, that it did not heal immediately.

"No matter how much you deny it, you're turning human," said Shun, watching with pity in his eyes.

Kai came back with the bandages and wrapped them for me. "Are you a demon like Shun?"

"How dare you accuse me of being one his kind?" I asked, rage filling my bones. "I am... I was..." I sighed, the anger leaving me just as fast.

"I don't know why you've got it out for Shun, but he's not that bad. He's just lazy."

"Kai, that's cruel!"

Kai laughed, and I found myself smiling. Kai looked back to Shun, "You go back to sleep." He then turned to me. "You have singing lessons in the morning, so you should stay awake."

He then stared at the floor, where ichor glimmered on the ground. "And I'll get this cleaned up before Yoru comes in," he sighed.

"I'll take care of that," I said. "Were you perhaps going somewhere, good Sir Kai?" The human bandaged my injury, he deserves at least that much respect.

He blinked for a second. "I was going out for a walk. Call me Kai. Hearing 'sir' before my name makes me feel old."

Well, to each his own. I nodded, as Kai left, waving a goodbye to Shun.

Shun headed to the couch, as I cleaned up the spilled ichor; every sting in my hand a reminder of the fact that I no longer healed like an angel, I was no longer one of them.

"Little angel," Shun called as I walked over.

"Yes, demon?" I asked as Yoru walked in, looked between us, and headed straight to the kitchen.

"Did you perhaps have a nightmare?"

"I don't see why-"

"-it's any of my concern," Shun finished, smirking. "I'm still asking though."

I sighed. "Yes, yes I did."

"If I may ask what it was about?"

"If I may ask you to mind your own business?"

Yoru watched our banter with amusement, before handing me a cup of coffee.

"Thank you," I said, politeness again overriding because of surprise.

Yoru smiled and handed Shun a cup of tea.

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A human named Tsukishiro, who I came to understand was the manager of Six Gravity, drove me to the studio. I met with someone who claimed to be a teacher in the art of music, who told me they would teach me how to put that voice of mine into good use. She claimed to be named Ayano.

And we started with vocal exercises, with tongue twisters and then with songs. She taught me music along the way, pulling me over to a piano, very similar to the one Lady Haruka had played the other day.

And I loved it.

There was a relief when one sang, the vibrating of the throat, the feeling of the words; there was something in music that could give relief to everyone.

"I don't know exactly what he expects me to teach you."

"What do you mean?"

"'The girl has raw talent, we just need to polish it' is what he said. But you pick up things so fast, I don't even know what I'm supposed to teach you after this." She threw her hands into the air in an expression which I assumed was distress.

Ayano sighed, pointing to the piano. "Think you could play for me? Most singers also know how to play an instrument."

She ran me through the piano, and in two thousand years, I have never faced such a challenge. This ordeal gave me a surging respect for Lady Haruka.

"Not exactly talented in this field, huh?" she asked. "Although, I must say, you're making good progress for a beginner." She looked at her watch. "Estelle, shall we stop here? It's already late."

I nodded and got up. "I appreciate the kindness you have shown me today."

Ayano blinked. "You're... welcome?"

I nodded and left the room, the sun's position telling me it was late afternoon.

I wondered if I should be heading to the dorm again, but decided against it, heading instead to sightsee in the city. And not because I wanted to, because I wanted to gather information. The billboards hanging from the buildings showed me that the 12 people I had met were famous. Procellarum and Six Gravity, I read off the buildings.

I wonder if there was a way to inconspicuously gather information on them.

"Kakeru is just amazing! He's my prince!" a girl squealed. I blinked, instantly regretting my decision to ask other mortals about them. "They released a new album the other day-"

"Setsuna, it's time to go," her mother said, pulling her along.

"-and it's just amazing!" Setsuna continued. "Make sure you check it out!" she said as she waved a goodbye and her mother huffed indignantly.

Well, that was enlightening. I rolled my eyes, deciding I would never ask anyone on the streets again.

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