Disclaimer: Friends may come and go, but enemies tend to accumulate.

Eve stares blankly at the bloody puddle spreading around Sion, not registering the lingering feeling of hell in the room through her shock. "Sion?" she asks, face and voice still calm. After all, there's no need to panic yet. His chest is still moving. He's alive…right? "Sion?" she demands again, an edge of hysteria leaking into her voice this time when he doesn't respond. Her face crumbles to grief.

'Fragile.' The word echoes in Eve's mind as she staggers forward, forgetting about the fallen groceries. Soundlessly, she drops to her knees and stares at the dying form in front of her. 'Human's are so fragile.' Carefully, her hand brushes back some hair sticking to his pale cheek. 'Why did I ever want to be one again? They break so easily.'

Sion's eyelids flutter open, eyes unfocused. Air whooshes into his mouth through his pants, doing little to help. Eve doesn't hold her breath. He's a weak human, sure to just slip back into nothing in a moment. This is just a brief moment of life.

"Eve?" Sion croaks softly, eyes flicking in her general direction. The word is ripped raw from his throat, making Eve wince. She starts in surprise before pride shots through her. Of course she would never fall in love with some weakling that would die so easily. "Are you okay?"

The former angel wants to laugh at his stupidness. He lays bleeding on the floor, dying as they speak, and his first concern is her? The kindness Sion has…the world needs more of it. Too bad he's going to be gone soon.

"Do you want to save him?" questions a callous voice. You'd think he'd just asked about the weather or if you heard the latest gossip rather than offered a miracle, and all it did was full Eve's anger.

A feral growl sounds from Eve's throat. Her hair slices through the hair as she jerks her head to face the devil, a lethal expression on her face. Sion remains silent as Eve pulls him defensively towards her, nails digging into him, doing his best to stay awake.

Sion's brown eyes can only see her shape, black dots swinging in and out of his vision. He doesn't look at the speaker despite his curiosity ('Who thinks they can save me? It's impossible.'), afraid that he won't find Eve again if he looks away. The black tugs at his mind, but he keeps fighting the inevitable battle. He wants to live.

Rikiga impatiently clears his voice, annoyance written on his features. He flicks his finger in the air, making a flame spring to life and dance in his palm. "I said do you want to save him?"

Eve's eyes narrow in distrust, watching the flame. She wouldn't put it passed him to burn down the house. "What do you get out of it?" she spats with enough venom to kill an elephant.

The devil's eyes narrow at her tone. He teasingly moves the flame towards some flammable drapes, waking Eve's snarl deepen. "Such an unbecoming expression for a young woman."Eve doesn't let up, body tensed as if she's going to jump at him.

The devil shrugs lazily as the flame goes out, switching to twirling his tail with his finger. He waits a few minutes before speaking again, relishing at the tangled emotions of the fallen angel. Eve's distressed cry when Sion faints only adds to the buffet. Rikiga shivers in delight. It's all so…delicious.

"Our contract," Rikiga intones, noise twitching at delectable smell of death in the air. He gulps down a big breath, the rotten scent curling in his lungs. "Break it, and maybe the big guy up there will cut you some slack." His mouth twitches up at the thought. "Maybe? Ha! Still, better than nothing, no? At least you'll get your original body back." His eyes travel up her body. "Pity for the rest of us."

"But what about Sion?" Eve yells. "What happens to him? You're the devil! Why can't you just save him?" A sneer works its way onto her mouth. "Are you just all show? Not really as powerful as they say?"

The devil's eyebrow twitches at the insult. "I rule hell. Despair, anger, lust, and pain is my game! I've been whispering in the ear of man since I first tricked the original Eve. Healing? Pfft! And here I thought you were smart." He takes another big gulp of air. "Make your choice."

"Fine." The monotone comment catches Rikiga off-guard. He flatters for a moment before a smile that could wilt flowers blooms. "Break it." Eve cradles Sion's head in her hands, smiling sadly at the weakening heartbeat. Only a few are left. Now is the time to act. "I know what to do. I don't care about the consequence."

Rikiga smirks at his victory, almost laughing at the pitiful sight in front of him. All this because of a single human. Two angels all his for that bittersweet, two-sided sword of an emotion human's named love. If only they would learn! Ah, but then he would be out of a job.

'Of course, they're inability to learn from their mistakes is what makes humans so enjoyable,' Rikiga arrogantly thinks. 'They'll never change.'

With a snap of his fingers, the shadows around the couple spring to life, shooting up to surround them. The devil sinks away into his own shadows back to hell. The angel would be there soon enough, and the human with time. The petty drama was getting old, and the angel probably wouldn't act with him there anyway.

The shadows all rush at Eve, encasing her in a moment. Sion drops out of her arms to the floor, stirring again. He tries to open his eyes, but they just won't obey him. His limbs as well. His throat works to call out to Eve, but his mouth won't open. Where is she?

Light suddenly shines out of the shadows, slicing them apart with its brilliance and letting the wingless angel go. Nezumi looks down at the struggling Sion, face determined. He will do this. He has too.

Sion cracks his eyes open in time to be blinded by the light. Pain sears his retina, and his brain screams at him to close his eyes. A careful hand slips under his head, gently applying pressure to lift him slightly up. Warmth spreads through his body, and mobility returns to his limbs.

Sion's eyes fly open as he's set down. He jerks up, feeling his chest as he looks for the wound that should've killed him. 'It's gone! How...Eve!' He looks up, expecting to see her, and smiles, but it quickly turns to a frown. Her face lost their soft edges, and her hair is short than he remembers. And her clothes. With that jacket and pants, she looks like...

"Light…," Sion mutters, his brain refusing to accept the truth right in front of him. "Why are you surrounded by light?" A bad feeling rises in his gut. Something's not right. Are they still in danger?

Nezumi sighs fondly, sadness underlining his voice. "Wipe that look off your face." The angel grabs a hair tie close by and fixes his hair into the style he used to have it in, smirking when Sion gasps as he finally puts two and two together. "You know you're really dumb for someone that's supposed to be so smart."

Leaning forward, Nezumi touches Sion's cheek and brushes his lips against his. Sion's shocked when he doesn't feel any pressure. "Try not to die without me," Nezumi mutters with a smirk, but the comment lacks any real fire.

Sion's eyes widen. "No!" he cries.

Light embraces everything, swallowing all chance Sion has of seeing. He keeps screaming for Nezumi, reaching forward blindly for him. 'Where?' he thinks desperately. 'Where?'

His hand closes around something solid. "Nezumi!"he cries in relief.

The light vanishes, revealing the black feather clenched in Sion's hand.

The joyous smile that had been on Sion's face disappears. He stares uncomprehendingly at the feather and staggers to his feet. He takes one long look at the blood staining the ground, the proof it wasn't a dream, before looking around the empty house for Nezumi.

Sion's eyes sweep the room, eyes widening as he catches sight of a stranger in a mirror. He spins around, searching for them. No one's there. Frowning, he looks back to see them copying his expression.

He gasps and rushes towards it, the stranger reflecting his actions. Sion leans closer, pinching himself to see if he's dreaming. No such luck. His red eyes widen in surprise. His fingers gently touch his shining white hair before moving to the red mark on his cheek, tracing it down to his neck where it disappears down his shirt. 'Oh no…'

The boy flies into his room, stripping his shirt off as he locates the larger mirror he had bought Eve. Sure enough, the red thing is coiled around his body like a large snake, entwining him.

'This is real.' The weight of the situation hits the boy hard. Sion looks at the black feather in his hand, trembling. Eve- no, Nezumi. He's gone. The person Sion loves is gone, leaving behind a feather. 'I'm sorry. I should've known! There was no real difference between the two but gender! Why...Why am I so stupid! I lost it all!'

Rikiga laughs from the shadows as Sion drops to his knees in anguish, clutching the feather like a lifeline. His body shakes with his sobs, a beautiful chorus of a broken soul. 'Interesting appearance. The red snake around his body is just like the form I had when I tempted Eve.' The irony of the situation isn't lost on him. In fact, he musses, it makes the tragedy all the sweeter.

The devil leaves the house, tugging the once shining soul of a certain angel with mercury eyes with him. It casts one more lingering glance on the house before being dragged down to hell.

+…+

Sion died a few months later. He was buried with a black feather clenched in his hand and pain clear as crystal on his face. They had tried to remove the feather, but his grip wouldn't loosen. No one wanted to break the boy's hand just to remove it. They had tried to relax his face into at least a neutral expression, but it refused to bend. So it all stayed with him, just like the marks on his body.

Rumors spread around, claiming that his beautiful wife had run off with another man so Sion died of a broken heart. Others said Sion killed her in a fit of madness then finished himself off later. Some spoke of black magic, but they were quickly dismissed. Of course there was a logical explanation. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence for a wife to get her separate way or kill because of another lover, especially one that beautiful.

That's what they told themselves, anyway, to ease the fact no one ever saw Eve again, alive or dead.

+…+

Rikiga lounges on his throne, bored. The same screams of the damned echo around him, same fire burning the skin off the new arrivals, and the same demons hobbling around with pitchforks. He's grown tired of the dull, every-day things of hell. Even his playthings hold no real entertainment anymore, long since lost their appeal eras ago when their light faded. Even the one with eyes of mercury is nearly soulless now.

He lasted the longest, but only because of that damn prick upstairs! If only he wasn't tied to that kid! Rikiga could've done so much more with Nezumi like he did the other The angel's sin had remained with him, connecting him to the other sinner, Sion. That high and mighty bastard of a god has given them a change to have their sin forgiven!

Of course, Rikiga wouldn't allow it. He in turn tied Nezumi to one of the apples that grew from the garden of knowledge, one that should never rot unless Rikiga let it. The devil's a sore loser, and was determined to make sure he never lose the angel.

Was.

Now he wants some fun. If he has to lose the angel for awhile, it's no skin off his back.

A sick smile that would scare Dracula spreads across Rikiga's face as he steps down from his throne, crossing his hall. Flames fly around him, and the damned tug at his legs, trying to pull themselves out of their fire. He kicks them away without missing a beat, never looking away from the pathetic husk hanging on his wall.

"Aren't you lucky?" Rikiga's tone makes it clear Nezumi's situation is anything but. "You'll meet with that little human again!" he mockingly cheers as he claps. Nezumi looks up, his glare weak at best. The golden apple appears between claps, brilliant even in the darkness. "All it will take it for me to rot this apple."

Gray eyes stick hungrily to the golden fruit, his stomach growling with the force of someone who hadn't been fed in years. Rikiga waves the fruit under his nose tantalizingly, letting the scent take over his senses just like it had Eve. The angel leans forward, completely entranced. Rikiga smirks as he tightens his grip, claws digging into the skin.

The fruit turns to rot right under Nezumi's nose, almost chocking him with its new rotten smell. The angel recoils in disgust. Rikiga crushes it in his hand, juice running over his skin. He heats up his palm to the temperature of the sun, then opens it to let the ashes fly away.

Nezumi starts to shine again, regaining the strength he lost. It doesn't go back to the scale it was as an angel, but is dulled to the level of a human. The former angel starts to drift away into his new life, memories slipping away.

"Do entertain me, Nezumi. I've been so bored." Rikiga says as he watches. He grabs Nezumi's neck and slams him into the wall before he's fully gone, talking softly in his ear. "See you later. I'll keep this spot nice and clean just for you. Your own special space in hell. Make sure to hurry back."

+…+

"I can't get this to work!" a boy yells somewhere close by, his frustration echoing around him. Sion hears a thump and the unmistakable sound of metal falling against the ground. A quick look around Chronos reveals the usual smiling people strolling around, but he can't see any kids, let alone an angry one. 'Where's it coming from?'

Suddenly, a gear from a machine rolls out from one of the few alleyways in town containing scraps too precious to throw away. It knocks into his shoe and falls down dead on the sidewalk, the silver color shining in the sun. Sion smiles at the color. It's his favorite.

He bends down pick up the small piece that would commonly be found in toys and looks to the alleyway. "Hello?" he calls softly, but no one answers. The wind blows his unusual white hair into his face. He pushes it away, brushing his strange red birthmark with his thumb in the process, and starts forward.

Sion moves into the alley with no hesitation as the strange feeling of being on the edge of something amazing sweeps through him. He swallows nervously, heart pounding in anticipation.

"Hello?" Sion's voice is stronger this time, and echoes slightly in the small pathway. A few bags of garbage most likely filled with more parts of toys sit a few feet to his left, but, besides that, it's deserted.

Curious, he moves farther in towards the bags. Closer up he can see a small, very life like brown toy rat lying on its side with the control panel open on the bottom. The inside seems half complete and scattered. Having nothing better to do, he sits down right there and starts to tinker with it, enjoying the exercise.

"What are you doing with my rat?"

The teen flushes red at being caught, the scar on his check nearly disappearing in the shade. Sion looks up in time to see a dark shadow hurtling at him from the pile of parts he passed earlier. His head slams hard against the ground with a crack; his teeth clack together solidly. Sion groans in pain, shocked when his attacker laughs at the sound.

A person sits on Sion's stomach with both hands holding his wrists down so he can't move. The hand clamped on his right wrist inches towards his hand that holds the rat slowly. Eyes the color of mercury peeking out from dark hair watch his face.

Gray meets red.

"Who are you?" both boys ask at the same time.

Thanks to all that reviewed!

Sorry for long wait! I was distracted by my other story.

Please tell me they were in character! I was rewatching episodes, trying to keep it believable. GAH!

I don't know, but I might do something with the last part and actually make it a story. It won't be a sequel to this, but it'll use the scene and have tiny references to this.