Angel's Visit

By DragonMage

Treize Khushrenada made his way through the darkness as he found the path to the river. He was dressed warmly in a white sweater and blue jeans with his hiking boots. He hadn't been able to sleep again and figured a good walk through the woods at the back of his house would be good for him. He had no idea why he couldn't sleep these past few nights but something kept him awake.

As he picked his way through with the moonlight as his only guide he heard water rushing as he got closer and closer to the river. He brushed errant strands of ginger-gold from his face and stepped through the trees, his boots crunching the twigs and dried leaves. He broke through from the bushes and walked over to the bank of the river.

He loved the river and the sparkling water that flowed from it. There was just something utterly tranquil and wonderfully peaceful about it that always managed to calm his nerves. That was one of the reasons why he chose to move to this place to begin with. He wanted to be near the river.

He sat down on the dry grassy bank and lay down on his back, not caring that his white sweater was going to be dirty now. He folded his hands underneath his head and stared up at the night sky. There was something very nice about the night. The whole world is still as it sleeps from a day of living. The night was a time for someone to just sit back and relax as they let go of all their worries. And, the moon didn't hurt your eyes very much when you looked at it, unlike the burning sun.

As he lay there, staring idle at nothing, Treize dreamed. He dreamed of angels, of fairy creatures from the books he read as a child. He dreamed of beautiful sirens who lured men to their death on the rocky shores of their islands...He dreamed of love.

<Will I never learn of love?> he wondered quietly to himself. He was barely twenty years old and he was already alone in life. He had lost his parents at a young age and ended up living on his own. He was rich enough to go to any school he wished so that had not been a problem, and getting a job was far too simple. And he had his best friend Milliardo Peacecraft. But even being lucky to have all of those things after the death of his parents, he still wasn't satisfied. There was something still missing in his life and he knew what it was. But he just didn't know how to fill it up! Who could help him learn love?

Sitting up in frustration, Treize was startled to find something floating in his river. He scrambled to his feet and stared at the apparition and blinked in surprise. There, floating in the dark waters, was a young Asian boy with his hands bound in front of him. He was clearly unconscious and would drown if Treize didn't do anything!

Treize kicked off his shoes and rushed into the water. He caught the boy before he could get any further and walked back to the shore. He fell to his knees and gently laid the boy down on the bank. He reached out and pushed away wet silky strands of hair and pressed his ear to the boy's chest. He was breathing and his heartbeat sounded fine. Now the question was how did this boy end up in the water? And tied up of all things?

Reaching out, Treize undid the ropes that bound the boy's hands. He was half way through with them when the boy woke up. Treize stopped tugging at the ropes and stared into dark sloe eyes. He swore he stopped breathing as he sat there on his knees, just staring at the boy.

"What...happened?" The voice was barely a breeze of warm air as the boy looked at him, his lips parted slightly.

"I--I don't know. I just...found you in the river," Treize managed as he tried to focus. He had not make sure this boy was all right and wasn't suffering from any injuries. He finished up with the ropes and threw them away. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," came the quiet response. The boy sat up slowly and looked around the place with wide-eyed wonder. "Where am I? The river? But...I..." Breath left him as he sat there, looking dumbfounded.

Treize had no idea what to say as he watched. The boy was dressed in loose white clothing consisting of a thin white shirt and loose white pants that clung wetly to his long legs. His dark hair was loose and a few strands blew back as the wind rushed at them. The boy shivered.

"How did you...end up in the river?" Treize asked quietly.

The boy turned and looked at Treize with innocent eyes. "I was...I was cast away."

"Cast away?"

"From the Heavens. Where am I?" The boy frowned and stood up shakily. Treize stood up with him, unable to believe what the boy had just said. Maybe he had hit his head a bit too hard.

"Excuse me?" he asked, trying to make some sense of the situation. "You were cast away from the heavens?"

"Where am I?"

"Earth."

"Earth..." The boy wrapped his arms around himself. "Why is it so...cold?"

"Because you're wet. Here, come back with me and I can help you get warm," Treize offered.

The boy looked up at Treize and gave him the most beautiful smile. "Thank you. That would be wonderful."

<An angel...> was all Treize could come up with as an explanation for this ethereal creature before him. He nodded and took the boy's hand and began to lead him back towards his home.

~*~

"What is your name?" Treize asked when the boy was warm in a change of clothing too big for him and had a hot cup of tea in his hands. His hair was still wet but there was nothing Treize could do for him. He didn't have a hair dryer.

"...name?" The boy repeated, looking confused. "I don't have a name."

"You don't have a name? Or you can't remember your name?" Treize asked, honest to god confused. Who was this boy? Why did he seem so...lost? And why did he act so strangely?

"I don't have one," came the sincere answer.

"What am I to call you?" Treize wondered out loud. "I can't call you 'boy'."

"What's wrong with that?" the boy asked, looking a bit intrigued.

Treize blinked. What answer could he give to that question? "Why don't I call you Angel? Since it seems you are one."

"Angel?" The boy suddenly smiled again, looking amused. "That's what you call...them."

"Them?" Treize repeated, hoping to get a clear answer instead of all these half-answers that made no sense.

"Them. Angels. I am no longer one. Or at least not for the moment. It seems that the Lord is angry with me right now," Angel sighed, looking a bit upset.

"What did you do?" Treize asked. He had no idea what else to ask. It was clear he wasn't going to get a straight answer from this boy at all. Maybe if he played along a bit, he'd get something.

"I got too curious about humans. It was all right in the beginning but then I began to question Him and I started arguing with Him about humans and if they had a soul. It's a bad habit of mine, unfortunately. I question and argue almost everything. He got angry with me and has punished me by leaving me alone on Earth. For how long I do not know," Angel said with a small frown on his golden face. "I hope He forgives me soon. I cannot live without His light."

Treize remained silent. What could he say? Nothing. This boy was very very strange and Treize was simply dumbfounded. Was this boy daft or was he serious?

"Do you have anymore of this...tea?" Angel suddenly asked, holding out the empty cup. "It's helping me get warm."

Treize nodded and poured some more tea for the angel. "So, you're one of His Lord's angels?"

The boy nodded and sipped gingerly at the hot tea. "I should really be more careful in the future. But, ah, my curiosity gets the best of me."

"I suppose that's a fault that should be forgiven," Treize said, tilting his head to the side a bit.

"Yes...You're right. But He is the Lord and I cannot defy Him," Angel said with utmost seriousness on his young face. He seemed just a boy, yet he claimed to be one of His Lord's angels, one of His creatures created at the beginning of time and has lasted till now.

"That's true," Treize agreed.

"What is your name?" Angel suddenly asked.

"My name? I'm Treize Khushrenada."

"That's a very long name, Treize Khushrenada," Angel remarked as he sipped more of his tea. A small-amused smile played along his pink lips.

"No, just call me Treize."

"Treize."

"Yes."

"Thank you. I don't know how I could have made it on my own down here. I am not exactly adept to living as a human." The boy flushed at bit in guilty embarrassment. "No matter how much I've tried to learn about humans, there are many things that still elude me."

<Have I gone crazy?> Treize wondered as he stared at the thoughtful looking angel. <This can't be possible. I cannot be sitting in my living room talking with an angel. It's crazy!> Yet, part of him couldn't deny the truth. He probably really was talking to an angel. It was the only way to explain why the boy was as beautiful and ethereal as he was. He simply was too wonderful to describe with mere words. He seemed to carry an inner shine that won't die.

"Do you live out here all on your own?" Angel suddenly asked.

"Yes, I do."

"Aren't you lonely?"

"No. I servants and friends who come over and visit sometimes," Treize said, waving his hand slightly. He looked at Angel. "Do you have friends?"

"I don't know," Angel admitted. "I know of the concept...and I know of love. But I have never experienced it. Angels don't experience these things."

"Why not?"

"Because we might not be able to handle it," came the honest answer. "The Lord once told me that we're very sensitive creatures and we're not human. We're not made to handle human emotions."

"What about angel emotions?" Treize asked.

"Yes. Angels do have a whole different set of emotions very similar to human emotions."

"What is the difference?"

"Angels feel them." The boy looked around the warm room with a soft expression of thought on his delicate features. "It's hard to explain. You must be like us in order to realize what I'm speaking of."

"I bet," Treize murmured. And he did know. This boy seemed to live, think and see on another plane of consciousness. They were worlds away from each other yet both earthbound. There was a strange irony to it all.

"How do humans feel?" the boy suddenly asked.

"Excuse me?"

"What do you feel?"

"Love...pain...anger...all sorts of emotions. There's too many to list tonight," Treize said, tilting his head slightly and continued to stare at the ethereal creature. "You might not understand them, anyway. You said so yourself; we're different when it comes to feeling things and seeing the world."

"That is very true," the boy agreed. He wasn't offended at all. There was a sweet innocence in him that warmed Treize's heart. Ah, were all angels like this? Or was this particular one very special?

"When will you leave?" Treize asked, suddenly worried that the boy was going to leave too soon. He wanted to keep him here forever, but he knew that was impossible but at least the boy stayed for a few days...

"When the Lord decides it so. I have no idea how long I will stay. He won't tell me." The boy looked just a bit put out by that little fact but it quickly vanished from his expression as he softened once again.

"Can angels hold grudges?" Treize suddenly asked, utterly curious and fascinated by the creature before him.

"No...not really," the boy said with a radiant smile. "We can't hold grudges for very long. We're too...I don't know the word to describe it."

"You're not human," Treize said simply, understanding what the boy was trying to say. He was rewarded with a more beautiful smile than he thought possible. Gods, this boy was utterly unreal. No one on this Earth or realm could smile that beautifully. No one! And yet...here was an angel seated only a few feet away from him. It was amazing, without a doubt. There were no other words to describe how it felt as he sat there and watched the boy drink his tea and look around the room with a child-like curiosity.

There was a comfortable silence as the two sat, deep in their own thoughts. Treize was wondering if he could keep this angel. The Lord probably had thousands of them locked up in the Heavens. What was wrong with having one down on Earth with him?

It was crazy, really. He had only just met the boy and now he was utterly fascinated and falling quickly for the angel. It wasn't hard, really. He was too much to be real and too beautiful to not love. This was something Treize had always dreamed of. He had always asked for the stars, and now he was receiving one. Now, if only he could keep him...

~Ah, but Treize, you can't steal one of God's angels from him! You'll end up in hell if you do,~ a voice inside his head told him. The voice of reason always sucked.

<But he's so beautiful! I don't want to let him go!> Treize argued. <Look at him. How can we NOT keep him?>

~How will you chain down an angel of God?~ the voice retorted.

<I don't know. But I'll find away! Gods above, I do want to keep him here with me. I don't want him to go!> Already Treize's heart ached at the thought of letting this angel slip from him. He had found someone to love but so unearthly he couldn't keep him. It was unfair!

~Life is not fair. You should already realize that.~

<Denial is a very fun game.>

~Treize...~

<*sigh* I know, I know.>

As Treize fought with himself the angel turned his gaze at the tall, ginger-haired man and smiled softly. He really did like this man. He was so nice and almost as beautiful as any angel he knew in the Heavens. It was amazing the Lord didn't have Treize among his ranks. The man was certainly worthy of it.

When he realized where his thoughts had strayed, he blushed and tried to find something to stare at. He found his teacup. He played with the cup in his hands, wondering what he was going to do. He had no idea when the Lord was going to accept him back to Heaven. He knew Treize would let him stay without any argument but he really needed to go back to Heaven. He was afraid that if he stayed any longer he would do something stupid. Like fall in love.

Oh, he had seen humans fall in love before. Sometimes it was sweet and sometimes it was bitter, but he knew of love. And he was afraid of feeling it. Angels weren't supposed to feel love for humans. They were only supposed to love the Lord and fellow angels. To love a human would be wrong.

Without any warning, Angel suddenly felt the light of the Lord brush against his mind. He was letting him come back!

Smiling happily, Angel leapt to his feet and placed the teacup down on the table.

"You're leaving?"

Angel turned and nodded at Treize who had stood from his chair with a small smile. "Yes, I am. I've been forgiven!" He paused and smiled even wider. "Thank you, Treize, for taking care of me."

"You're welcome. I wanted to do it," Treize answered honestly. He wanted to hug the boy at least but he knew that was impossible.

The angel smiled and nodded before turning and disappearing in a glimmer of golden light.

Treize sighed and sat back down. Now that he knew what it was like to know an angel, how could any other man or woman compare?

<I've been spoiled,> Treize thought wryly. But he wasn't upset the least by that fact.

He had been visited by an angel.

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*smiles nervously* So? What do you think? This is my first 13+5! Soon, I'll get more into the yaoi stuff. Right now...I wanna give this a shot. Comments, please!!

Finished: March 27, 2001; 6:56pm