by JK Ensley
She sniffed. “The very first time I saw them touch.”
He chuckled softly. “You are a wicked Angel, Kagi Naga. But I know you speak true. Now, tell me. Would you want to put Vittorio through that same kind of torment?”
She didn’t answer.
He kissed her forehead. “I will not let him have you without a fight. He and I are on an equal playing field. If he wants you, he will have to win you away. I know it is possible. I am no fool. Yet, he will have to earn you, Naga.” He caressed her trembling back. “You were manacled to Tenshi’s father when I was first created. You were so again to your beloved Varick when breath was given to my new form. When you lost Varick… I gave you room to grieve, room I knew you needed. I even relinquished you to the care of your first love, your Alastyn. And on my honor, I would not have interfered with your long awaited romance. Yet that Elf witch stole you away from me, away from yourself.” He kissed her closed eyelids. “When next I found my beloved Naga, the reason for my very existence, you had given your beautiful heart to a different mortal.”
Her soft sobs started then in earnest.
Daichi scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the balcony. “Oh Naga, I was so hurt—crushed by what I took as your betrayal. Alas, I determined to wait for you. We have eternity before us, dear one. And you were so happy and carefree with your rare Finnean. I dared not interfere. Yet you were never far from my sight.” He smiled softly. “I love you too much. And I love to see your smile. When you were on the arm of that brave young man, never has your smile been more radiant.”
Jenevier wiped her eyes but remained resting against Daichi’s broad chest. “I loved him true,” she whispered.
“Yes, you did. And when that valiant man was stolen from you, taken all too soon… I let you grieve yet again. In your own time, in your own way. I know what your soul needs, little Dragon. No one knows as I do what best will keep you whole.” He tenderly stroked her curls. “But no longer will I wait, Kagi Naga. Not this time. No longer will I step aside. Vittorio is a different opponent altogether. He can offer you nearly everything I can, save the healing part. And that mighty Guardian has always managed to find a way to heal you. Minus any divine appointment, that skirted warrior has managed to piece you back together so many times, it has become second nature between you. Without intention… it just naturally happens.”
She drew in a ragged breath, shuddering from the strain of it.
Daichi sighed. “And… you have already loved him for a lifetime. Vittorio is my greatest adversary. He will always be the one I must overcome. I cannot lose your heart, Naga. I cannot live without it. I will no longer restrain our bond. Tenshi once asked me how I first revealed our divine connection, how I had convinced you of my role in your life. When I told him I had but kissed you, he asked me why I did not do thus daily.” He felt her smile against his chest. “No longer will I withhold my deep, soul-stirring need for you, little one. As I said before, Kagi Naga… if Vittorio wants you, he will have to earn you.” He lifted her chin, placing a tender kiss upon her quivering lips. “And I will do everything within my power to win you over completely.”
*****
Tenshi sat staring at the dainty pot holding the cooling tea his wife had lovingly made for his mother. Lala’s happy giggles pulled his gaze to where she and Vittorio were playing near him on their balcony. Still, his attention remained fixed upon the fascinating developments playing out in an entirely different part of the palace. A slight smile curved up his perfect lips.
“Tell me, wee lamb. Where’d ye get such a lovely name?”
Lala tried to catch her breath. “Obaasan gave it to me when I was born.”
“Aye, did she now? An’ do ye know where she came by it? Did yer lovely Gran tell ye where she heard it?”
“I know where she heard it,” Tenshi said. “I know the story well. She learned it from you, Guardian. She said you whispered that word in her ear when you tricked her into buying that rare red dress you gifted her after her first mission. She said she loved the way it sounded when you said it. It has been her favorite word ever since. If I had been a girl, that’s what she planned on naming me.”
Vittorio’s vision drifted as his mind raced back through the precious memory. “Aye, Lad. I love yer mama with all there is tae me. I have since that very day.”
“Gratitude for bringing her back to us,” Tenshi whispered. “We were sick with worry. And all those injuries…”
“Aye, she refused the waters.”
“Ah, but your sacred pool can no longer cleanse that tiny, hardheaded little woman. Only Daichi can see to such now.”
A sad silence hung in the air around them then.
When Lala could no longer get Vittorio’s attention, she pounced on him. Then the giggles started again.
Tenshi smiled and went back to eavesdropping on the two Angels upstairs.
“Do you believe in necessary evil?” he asked, casually.
Vittorio cast him a sideways glance as he tickled little Lala once more. “Nae, Brother. That’s only a myth. One brought on by the whisperings of demons. Anything good that came tae ye because of darkness, would’ve come tae ye easier if there was naethin’ but light.”
“And yet… Fate is a demented mistress, is she not?” Tenshi’s smile was heavenly, yet wry.
“Aye, that she is. A more heartless creature doesnae exist.”
“Truer words could not be spoken.”
He looked to the kilted Guardian he counted as his dearest friend. Sadness washed over him.
“Aye, wee Tenshi. Spill it, Brother. Tell me what those damnable Angel powers have shown ye. Dunnae hide the truth from me. I cannae abide secrets where yer blessed mother is concerned.”
Tenshi closed his eyes then. Leaning his head back against the chair, he let the glorious power of the sun warm his ethereal face.
“My mind was toying with destiny. Sorting out mysteries… explaining the truth in magic.” He glanced back over at Vittorio. “Were it not for a demented madman, you would be holding my precious mother as we speak… drinking in the beauty of her angelic face. Beauty made all the more glorious by the gentle glow your now freed love would leave upon her fair cheeks.”
Vittorio stood. Walking away from the laughing little girl, he held tight to the banister—staring, unseeing—as the flowing lavender danced like a purple sea beneath them. He had no words.
“A sick mind upon a distant layer was bent upon slaughter,” Tenshi continued. “Your noble heart is tethered to the Angel of Death, Brother. She answered her summons—left to do what it is she was created to do.”
Vittorio snorted out a solemn laugh. “Nae would I have thought my immortal heart would be bested by a simpering wee knife wielder… especially one who claimed the fair likeness of her unnaturally beautiful Hand. Aye, Yui’s enchanted face has brought me low.”
“Not so,” Yui said as he entered. “I would never bring harm of any kind to the man who treasures my mistress above all others. What demon would whisper such lies as this?”
“It wasnae a demon, wee ninja. It was but a man.” Vittorio spoke, but he couldn’t turn to face them. He was too numb to move. “A human man with a black soul. My fair Angel couldnae kill him, for he wore yer lovely face, Master Hand.”
Vittorio’s words caught in his throat. He felt the burn of coming tears.
Yui looked at Tenshi, waiting for the Guardian’s tale to continue, minus the accented warrior’s words.
Tenshi met his sensei’s lavender gaze. “Mama was summonsed to layer eight. A man was slaughtering young maids, sprinkling their blood beneath the sakura and posing their lifeless bodies for his own twisted pleasures.”
Yui held up his hand, silencing the sapphire son of his beloved Empress.
“Mika? Come, little sister. Take Lala to play amongst the lavender. Words must now be spoken that I pray this child may never have to hear.”
Mika scooped up the giggling little girl and kissed Tenshi on the for
ehead as she left.
“Gratitude, Master Yui.” Tenshi sighed. “I fear I may never get used to my duties as a husband and father.”
“You are lacking in nothing, Milord,” Yui said.
Tenshi smiled. “You love me too much, good Yui. You love us all too much.”
Yui blushed when the Angel cast him a knowing smile.
“Alas,” Tenshi continued. “Mama cannot change who she is. When she saw the likeness of her beloved Jinnites strewn about on the cold ground, lifeless… she removed her mask. She wished the vermin to see her hatred before she rended his condemned soul—sent him to his deserved afterlife with Apollyon.”
“Aye, but bloody Fate reared her ruthless head,” Vittorio added. “She cannae abide happy endings.”
Tenshi nodded his head in agreement. “When Mama looked into the eyes of the one she thought was the killer, she looked upon the unforgettable face of your long dead Emperor. The only man she ever hated.”
Yui sucked in a sharp breath. His heart raced with worry. Yet, he held his tongue and waited.
“Uriel had accompanied her for that very reason. She knew not the truth of it at the time,” Tenshi said. “When she beheld the very image of Musashi standing as living flesh before her, all sanity fled. The Arch stayed her claws, yes. But the worst was far from over.”
“Ye see, wee Shinobi. The man she called Musashi wasnae the killer.” Vittorio turned to face them then. “Nae the one she was sent tae collect. His face landed a far mightier blow tae her terrified heart. The real killer’s fair face was her undoing.”
Yui’s brows drew together as he waited for the words he did not truly wish to hear.
“Aye, his lovely face is deemed rare amongst men an’ women alike,” Vittorio continued. “When she turned tae face the black soul she was sent tae sheave, she looked upon the rare beauty of her beloved Hand.”
Yui closed his eyes, sorrowfully, regretfully. “Did he lay hands on her? Did my likeness still her claws in the presence of this beast?”
“Aye, wee raven-hair, ye know it did.”
“Ease your heart, good Yui,” Tenshi said. “You brought no harm to Naga. Things played out the only way they could… the way they were intended.”
“She ran tae ye, wee ninja.” Vittorio sighed. “Nae… she ran from Musashi.”
Tenshi nodded his head in agreement.
“An’ the ravenous soul roaming aboot layer eight seeking whom he may devour… that exquisitely lethal man wrapped his lying arms around mine Angel. She dinnae recall her lessons, Yui. She dinnae look past the wrapper. She was so terrified of yer Emperor an’ the scars he left her with… she lost herself—trusted her deceitful eyes.”
“Is she well?” Yui asked anxiously. “I was told she returned from this mission minus harm. I will go see to her.”
The worried Shinobi turned to leave, but Tenshi quickly grabbed his arm.
“She is well, Master Yui. We speak not of today. You already saw Mama after she returned from the summons we now speak of. A golden Dragon winged you to her side, if I’m not very much mistaken.” He winked at the shocked Shinobi. “Now she is home from yet another mission to that strange place… minus harm.”
“Minus harm, perhaps,” Vittorio said. “But nae minus a few more scars. The kind ye cannae see with the eye.”
Tenshi tried to reassure the distraught man who helped raise him. “She is with Daichi, Master Yui. She will be fine now. Her Blessing heals her as we speak.”
Vittorio snorted and turned back to the endless lavender. Tenshi cast sad eyes upon the Guardian’s massive back. The action didn’t go unnoticed by the raven-haired young Hand.
“So, tell me,” Yui whispered. “What happened next? In your story—when she saw the man who shares my face, what did he do to her?”
“He drove a knife into Mama’s back, through her lung, and out her chest.”
“Aye, while he kissed her, nae less,” Vittorio added.
Yui swayed.
Tenshi held fast his arm. “Fear not, good Yui. The one Mama mistook for Musashi, he slew your wicked lookalike. Then, he lovingly tended her wound. He carried her to safety and bathed away her fever for days.” Tenshi smiled softly. “It was amazing, actually. The man who had once beaten her so savagely, now went without food or rest… just to see her healed.” He sighed. “Well, that’s how Mama’s fragile mind dealt with it, anyway. Strangely enough… it was probably the best thing that could have happened in that regard. That tender, unlikely scene did more to erase the deep seated fears left from that accursed night than all the waters of Vanahirdem could ever manage. Fate can be funny sometimes.”
“Aye, hysterical,” Vittorio mumbled.
Tenshi only smiled at the crumbling warrior—his wings now hidden, his heart laid bare.
“Oh, dunnae forget tae tell him best part.” Vittorio looked back over his shoulder. “Dunnae leave oot the bit aboot her savior being the Crown Prince of that wee kingdom.”
“A Prince?”
“Aye, Yui, a Prince. An’ madly in love with her he was. Smitten at first sight, but wholly enchanted by the time my wee lass again opened those magical eyes of hers.”
Yui looked to Tenshi. He only nodded.
“But she knew it nae. An’ I knew it nae when I took her on our long awaited dream date.” Vittorio laughed sardonically. “I bound her eyes an’ led her intae the middle of a fairytale. There in the midst of a magical garden, completely surrounded by the most exquisite blooming cherry trees upon any layer. She opened her eyes… an’ smiled.” He sighed heavily. “Ahh, nae had her smile been so lovely. Nae had her eyes sparkled with such joy. Bathed in the constant rain of soft pink petals, she was an enchanting vision I wulnae forget. I fell in love with her… all over again.” His shoulders trembled as he turned to face them. “I was lost. The lass owns me, she does. I fell upon my knees an’ offered her my only forever.” His burning tears now made their desperate escape. “I had dreamed that very thing so many times before. Nae had I dared hope it would become reality.”
Yui’s sad tears matched those of the Guardian’s. He could tell things didn’t end like the dream he now mentioned.
“What did she say?” The mighty ninja’s voice was likened unto a child.
Tenshi clapped his angelic hand on Yui’s trembling shoulder. “She said yes, Master Yui. Can you believe that? Mama finally gave in to the oldest secret buried deep within her heart. She told Vittorio she would accept his manacle. She said the words, Yui.” Tenshi laughed joyously.
Yui’s wide eyes narrowed as he watched the ethereal warrior Vanir sink wearily down onto the padded lounge.
“So… What happened? What went wrong?”
Vittorio rested his angelic face in his massive hands. He couldn’t speak.
Tenshi’s laughter died away. “That same saving Prince.”
“The Prince? The one who tended her fever? The one who looks like Emperor Musashi?” Yui asked. “What does he have to do with the enchantments of Angels?”
“Aye, what indeed,” Vittorio grumbled.
“It was his garden,” Tenshi whispered.
Yui gasped, amazed. “What?”
“Aye, bloody hell,” Vittorio said. “Can ye imagine it? Across all ten layers of this vast universe, I winged her tae the only cherry trees owned by that chivalrous Prince. The very one who had lovingly wiped the sweat from my beloved’s brow… only the day before.”
Yui stood silent, dumbfounded.
“Yes,” Tenshi continued. “Good Vittorio, here, he loves Jenevier as you love Naga, Master Yui.”
Yui blushed.
Tenshi only smiled. “And as you know, Jenevier, Naga, and even Gealach can be seen by the eyes of man. Only Vashti can be hidden from them.”
“Aye, my damnable luck,” Vittorio grumbled.
Tenshi continued, “There Mama stood in that fair kimono you gifted her, dear Yui. The special one—the one she saved for only rare occasions.”
Yui smiled. “It sui
ts her so well… all those tiny flowers sprinkled about on a sea of black. I love the look of her in that one—sweet and innocent, yet fierce and breathtaking.”
Tenshi nodded his head, smiling softly. “Yes, Master Yui. You outdid yourself with that one. Can you imagine her wearing that kimono… twirling around as soft pink sakura petals wafted about her tiny angelic form? Lighting upon her hair… falling within her curls.”
“Aye, an’ a smile on her glowing face that shamed the very heavens,” Vittorio added.
“A living, breathing goddess from antiquity.” Yui sighed and lowered his head. “Is that how the Prince next saw her? Was that the vision his noble heart was blessed to look upon?” The look in the mighty Shinobi’s eyes was pained. “Tell me. How did he ever manage to restrain himself?”
It wasn’t just a hollow question. Tenshi knew all too well… Yui sought advice, not simply answers. He patted the raven-crowned man on the shoulder knowingly.
“You tell me, old friend,” Tenshi whispered. “How did he ever manage?”
“He dinnae,” Vittorio snapped.
“Could not,” Yui muttered quietly.
“Aye couldnae,” Vittorio agreed. “That be the truth of it, wee ninja.”
Tenshi drew in a deep breath. “Daichi and I could both sense what was happening in Mama’s heart.” He smiled. “The joy and delight she felt at Vittorio’s proposal was almost immeasurable. We couldn’t stop our wings. We raced to her side. Albeit, for very different reasons. I went to share in their amazing joy. Daichi went to rend Vittorio’s limbs.”
The Guardian snorted out a laugh.
“Alas, by the time our feet touched down… the likeness of the man who had torturously beaten and raped my tiny mother, held her within his arms. He was touching her, Yui, laughing and talking like they were new lovers.”
“Aye, ye should’ve seen wee Tenshi then, Yui. Nae have I seen the like. I cannae recall even feeling such power as what burst forth from that blue Angel, there. Knocked us off our feet, it did. Daichi an’ me alike.”
Yui raised his eyebrows as he turned toward his former docile pupil.