It was today.

One year ago today, everything had changed. Aza had been thinking about this day for quite a while now. He sat alone in his room, staring off into space as he silently and methodically polished a gleaming silver knife. One year ago today, his world had been turned upside down by a demon with impossible eyes.

He remembered it with painful clarity, the feeling that had swept over him in that moment when he had first looked into Zei's eyes. It had been ecstatic. It had been ecstatic and all-consuming and it had completely and utterly taken his breath away.

And later, much later, after the pain and blood and tears had ended, he had lain in Zei's arms and slept in beautiful, perfect, trusting peace for the first time in three centuries. He had, once and for all, truly belonged.

Such beauty, he thought bitterly, that he would never touch again.

It was time to end this.

-----

Inomi walked down the hall, humming quietly to herself. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she nearly didn't see Aza until she was standing right in front of him.

"Oh, hi," she said, smiling, taking a step back. "Whatcha up to?"

He didn't respond, or indeed, even look at her for a moment, so she said questioningly, "Aza?"

He looked at her and smiled softly. "Can you come in for a minute?" he asked, gesturing toward the door to his room. "I need to talk to you."

There was such pain in his eyes, even now, she realized suddenly. "Sure, what's wrong?" She followed him into his room. He closed the door behind him and didn't answer.

"Aza?" she repeated, watching him with concern.

He turned and walked away, putting his hand on his bedside table, where unbeknownst to her, the silver knife lay innocently amoung the clutter. She was so trusting, he thought.

Deep within Inomi, something akin to fear stirred, warning her, 'something's very wrong here,' but she brushed it aside, walking over to him. "Hey, Aza, are you okay?"

His hand tightened on the unseen knife. He hadn't thought he'd really do it. Could he do it? You don't have the strength, a part of him whispered, even as another part of him begged him to stop, to wait a little longer, just a little longer, just a few hours. . . .

He brushed it away. He'd never get another chance like this, where she was alone with him and the halls were quiet. It was now or never.

Inomi took another step closer, put a hand on his arm. "Aza?"

He whirled then, quick as lightening, and the knife cut deep into her arm. She staggered back, shocked, too shocked to even feel the pain as blood ran down into the crook of her elbow and pooled there, staining her shirt crimson. "Aza. . . ?" she whispered, and her eyes were wide with fear and disbelief. He knew that expression well- the look of someone betrayed.

He stalked towards her and grabbed her before she could move, throwing her to the floor. Inomi continued to stare at him, she wasn't even struggling. He dropped with liquid grace to his knees next to her, watching, as if in a dream, as his hand raised the bloody knife and brought it down, mechanically, into her shoulder.

Inomi felt the pain, then. It blossomed in her shoulder and raced through her like a wildfire, and it was possible that she screamed, but she couldn't be sure. She saw Aza's eyes flash at the blood, saw something in those eyes shatter.

And then he was upon her, clawing, biting, slashing, and the pain seemed to explode from every angle. She was struggling at first, calling for help, and the knife was knocked out of his hand and skittered across the floor, unnoticed. His claws bit deep into her face and then he hit her in the stomach, and her cries turned to wheezing gasps.

He was only vaguely aware of when she fell silent, her attempts to struggle slackening off into nothing. Her wings were outspread in the sticky pool of her blood, the crimson feathers made even darker with it. He took ahold of them roughly, shook her until she cried out again. The wings taunted him, mocked his rage, and he couldn't understand why.

Then, for a moment, he saw them in deep, shining black.

Inomi shrieked, "No, don't--!" and the bones shattered sickeningly under his fingers, and then everything went dark.

Back to Writings