Yay, there should be more Juvenile Orion fics in the world. There are just so many wonderful pairings in it, I find it hard to decide. One that I am particularly drawn to is the relationship between Tomonori and Tsukasa. (hence, this fic) I took a scene from the manga (volume 3, I believe) and altered the story from there. If you haven't read Juvenile Orion (why are you reading this fic then?) I highly recommend the manga.
Edit: I realized Gabriel doesn't have wings in the manga during this scene. So I changed that part. Next chapter coming soon, hopefully.
Chapter 1: In the Rain
"But I love you."
His angel's voice called out to him, pleading. Tomonori could not bring himself to look into those shattered, hurt eyes. He could not take advantage of such an innocent being, no matter how much he or Tsukasa wanted it. It was wrong, and he would have no part of it.
"Tomonori-san!"
The priest ignored the young boy's cries as he walked out of the room.
Amou's eyes shimmered over with tears as Tomonori's back disappeared and the door shut. Why was this happening? It was so unfair. They both loved each other yet Tomonori kept preaching that it was wrong. How could such a pure thing like love be wrong? Every time they got close, Tomonori would just push him away and leave. The rejection. It hurt.
Amou pressed his hand against his chest in a hopeless effort to ease the ache. They had kissed, once. Just lightly on the lips, nothing intense. Yet Tomonori pushed away then and wouldn't look at Amou for days. When Amou had pressed the issue, Tomonori told him that it had been wrong, and that it was to never be allowed to happen again. Even now, when Tomonori had been so close, and Amou had been so sure that he would finally get to express his love for the WIZ-DOM, Tomonori had once again pushed him away and denied the love that Tsukasa so desperately needed. He wanted to feel loved; he had felt isolated and alone for so long.
Amou ran his fingers through his hair as he looked at himself critically in the mirror. Tomonori-san didn't find him unattractive, did he? No, Amou could see the same longing reflected in the priest's eyes, he just held back those emotions. Tsukasa didn't know how he could; his own feelings seemed to overwhelm him and overflow, but with nowhere to go. Was he destined to be an outcast forever?
As days went by, things started to turn back to normal. The uneasiness faded around Tomonori and Tsukasa, as it always had, and life went on as usual. It was a never-ending cycle. They would be like this, and then find themselves drawn to each other, before pushing away and going back to pretending nothing had happened. Each time it killed Amou just a little.
The young ERASER stood at the church doors, watching Tomonori kneeling at the alter and praying. He had been praying a lot recently.
"Tomonori-san?" he said softly.
The priest stiffened but did not turn around right away.
Amou looked down and walked away as the first droplets of rain began to fall. The heavens didn't have to cry on his behalf, but they were. Tsukasa let his own tears mingle with them. He didn't know how long he had been walking, but by the time the rain had stopped, he had become thoroughly soaked.
Suddenly, he sensed that he was not alone. Tsukasa looked up to see a beautiful figure standing before him. He was familiar, but Amou could not put his finger on where he recognized that elegant face. Long golden hair flowed down to the person's waist, falling over the trench-coat that hung over his delicate frame. Clear blue eyes looked over the wet boy calmly.
"Israfel." The voice was soft and melodious, yet carried a sense of strength behind it.
"E-excuse me?" Who was this person that stood before him? Why did he feel like he knew him from before?
"Art thou my enemy?" the voice questioned.
Amou shook his head, trying to remember something that was just out of his reach. "I-I don't know. Who are you?"
The figure just watched him calmly before turning away and looking up at the cloudy sky. "Has it really been so long that you have forgotten me?"
"I'm sorry, I...I'm having trouble remembering my past." All except for bits and snatches. Bright flashes of light. Screams. Bloody wings. A searing pain. And then calm blue eyes watching over him with a broken sorrow. "Gabriel." Amou found his mouth forming the word before he even knew what it meant.
The angel turned back to look at him. "We have all become lost along the way, Israfel."
Amou nodded. He wasn't sure what the man was talking about, but he certainly knew what it felt like to be lost.
"Come with me."
Amou felt himself being drawn to the soft whispery voice, and his feet moved on their own accord, following the familiar stride of his forgotten acquaintance. Memories were starting to come back, seeing the golden-haired angel in front of him. They were still broken and fuzzy, and not enough for Amou to make sense of. But he did feel safe with this Gabriel, for some reason or another, and his memory did not warn him to be afraid. Instead, he felt a warm sort of comfort. Gabriel would not do him harm.
"How much do you remember?" the figure asked as he walked, not turning around.
Amou looked down, thinking. "Not much...but it's starting to come back, bit by bit. It's like a puzzle coming together in pieces, and I still don't know what the entire picture is."
"Are you afraid?" Gabriel paused and looked back at the boy behind him.
"I don't know enough yet to be afraid," admitted Amou. "But what I do remember...is not pleasant."
"Such is the Aquarian Age," stated Gabriel, continuing on.
"Where are you taking me?" asked Amou, walking faster to keep up.
"To my master."
"Your master? Gabriel, were you min--"
The blonde nodded once before continuing on. "You have no reason to fear. My master desires nothing."
Amou followed in silence, trying to make sense of what was happening. He had never been in this area of the city before, and wondered how he would make it back to the church later. Tomonori-san would worry if he was not back before nightfall.
"Have you a master?" inquired Gabriel, distracting Amou from his worried thoughts.
The boy smiled and nodded.
Gabriel looked slightly surprised. "So you will fight? But you hated fighting. You never were one to want to listen to orders if they involved hurting someone else. Have you changed?" The angel looked deep in thought.
Amou shook his head. "I still do not wish to do others harm, but..." He looked off into the grey sky. "I fight to protect those I care about. I do it to keep them from getting harmed. I do not want anything bad to happen to them." Tsukasa thought of Tomonori, and Mana, and all his other friends who did not judge him, but rather accepted him, even without clear memories. "Though I dislike it, I will fight to protect them."
Gabriel smiled. "Maybe you are not so different after all, Israfel. It is simply that now you have found your sense of purpose. I'm sorry I misjudged you."
"Why do you call me that?" asked Tsukasa.
Gabriel stared at him. "That is who you are."
Tsukasa furrowed his brow, trying to remember, but his memories were slipping out of his grasp like water running through fingers. "Aren't I...Tsukasa Amou?"
Gabriel smiled. "You will always remain Israfel to me."
"I...Gabriel...I wish I could remember." Tsukasa clutched his head, trying desperately to snatch at
anything in his mind, but the more he tried, the more distant and obscure his memories became.
A warm hand rested on his shoulder. "Do not force yourself. Your recollections will come to you when you are ready."
Tsukasa shut his eyes and nodded. "I just wish I was ready now."
"In time. Now come. We are not far."
Amou nodded and followed Gabriel farther into the silver mist.
If there are any blatant errors, I'll go back and fix them. I wrote this on my lunch-break at work and didn't have my manga handy. Oh well, hope you like the first chapter.