Soul of a Sinner

Chapter 6 - Judgement Day

By Redrum

Squall yawned, snuggling closer to his warm pillow. He frowned when his movement was met with a deep groan. Opening his eyes a slit, he looked down and smirked when he found the cause for the cry of pleasure. His thigh was resting against the other's groin, and really, it wasn't his fault that he had no control over the muscle and it twitched against the man's hard penis. Really, it wasn't.

Squall tried not to laugh as he tilted his face up to meet Seifer's down turned face. "Morning," he stroked the organ underneath his thigh, causing another groan to come out of the parted lips. Shifting so he was a bit higher up, Squall pressed his lips to Seifer's, but he broke it off before anything too... serious started up, leaving with a swipe of his tongue across the -now-pouting bottom lip.

Smiling mischievously, Squall stood up and stretched, pausing in mid motion to dodge the hands that tried to wrap around his waist to bring him back to the bed. Moving over to the closet, he pulled on the first thing he could reach, black leather pants and a short white t-short. Looking over at his roommate, he started in surprise. "What the hell are you doing?!" He yelped. Why was Seifer... touching himself like that? Was that what they called... masturbation? From what he had done to the other man last night, he could see how it could be appealing... obviously the blonde had done it before, hell, he had been living for a longer period of time on this Earth then Squall had. So he'd obviously had to find his own... release.

Blushing, Squall turned his back to the strangely provocative image of Seifer with the slit of his silk green boxers open, and his thick penis jutting out. Shivering, and not in any way cold, Squall took a step to go to the bathroom to complete his morning routine, but a loud groan and his name being spoken from those parted lips made him look back.

Seifer came fairly quickly with all the images of Squall and he that his vivid imagination could come up with. With a small sigh, he plucked a washcloth that just happened to be hanging around his nightstand and cleaned off.

After tossing said washcloth in the hamper, Seifer look up to find Squall looking at him oddly from the shower door. Smirking, he closed the distance between them and tugged Squall in for a brief kiss. “Have a good shower... Sweetheart,” he murmured before starting to gather some things for his own shower (he’d use the showers in the gym); pretending to be totally oblivious to the incredulous look Squall was giving him.

Seifer made his way through the halls, encountering little hostile traffic. Thanks to that girl Selphie, who was apparently not on speed, few people really bothered him and Squall anymore. She wasn’t so bad once you got to know her. A little like Santa Clause on Prozac, at Disney world, getting laid, yes, but not a bad person.

Stepping under the shower, Seifer set it to a phenomenally scalding temperature and simply stood under the stinging spray for a while, letting the hot water relax his muscles. He didn’t dally to long though; he didn’t want Squall to wait too long for him.

After he was completely dressed in black kakis and a storm gray sweater, Seifer bent down to tighten his boots, when that foreboding feeling came over him again. It was so strange… after all; nothing was going to happen to him and Squall.

Rinoa sighed, "now's a good time as any," she mumbled to herself, before sweeping her hand. The human fell to the floor with a 'thud.' 'It should be easier to transport that way,' she thought, before using her powers once again and made the man disappear with a quiet 'poof.' Dusting off invisible specks of dirt on her white dress, shuddering at being in a place that held a bunch of naked animals, and with a flap of her wings, she transported herself to the abandoned church. Hovering/sitting (she didn't want to sit in their filth) on the stone steps with the human at her feet as she waited for her mistress.

Squall didn't like this one bit, he was having the strangest feeling... like something was going to go wrong. He thought humans called it 'intuition' or 'gut instincts.' But his wings were also itching him. So much that they felt like they were starting to burn... fuck... what the hell was going on? And where was Seifer? Surely it doesn't take this long to take a shower? Or even to... do whatever he just did again in there? He ignored the warmth spreading through his cheeks as the image came back to him while combing his hair.

Ultimecia appeared with a small pop, a wicked smile set in place. "Awake," she commanded the human at Rinoa's feet, paying no mind whatsoever to her servant for the moment. Seifer woke with a start and looked quickly from Rinoa to Ultimecia in shock.

"What the hell?!" He sputtered, scrambling to his feet only to be frozen in place with the simple wave of Ultimecia's hand.

"Poor deluded human," she chortled, hovering just within his field of vision, "you have no clue what's going on do you?" She trailed a sharp nail painfully over his face, drawing blood. "Allow me to explain. Your little boyfriend? He's actually a fallen angel. He was one of the most powerful among us until he was sent to help a human and ended up fucking him instead; in both senses of the word."

Seifer's eyes widened and he struggled against the magical bonds fruitlessly. "Silly human," Ultimecia hissed, trailing her razor-like nail over his neck and chest, cutting through clothing and drawing more blood, "let me finish. He was supposed to be banished to Hell, but because of *someone’s*" she looked pointedly at Rinoa, "little bought of conscience, he was granted mercy. Instead he was turned into a human, with a special magical aura around him to drive off all company. He can never age and never die, except by fire. The only reason you didn't feel the aura was because I lifted it for you and you only."

With another flick of her wrist the church doors flung open and Seifer levitated with her, gliding into the church. "Stand guard Rinoa," Ultimecia called over her shoulder, "let no one in but Squall." Moving slowly down the aisle, holding Seifer in a break-back grip of magic, she continued. "You see, as stubborn as the whelp was, I knew he'd fall for the bait of human affection and love." With a dramatic shove of her arm, Seifer was pushed back and magically nailed up against the
old wooden cross above the alter where he continued to struggle. "Oh don't be afraid, my pet. It's not your life I want. I
admit it'll be painful, but your love will come to your rescue and save you," her voice dropped dangerously low, "killing himself."

With a flourish, she turned about and opened a screening window that could be seen on both sides in Squall's dorm. It was big enough to show both her and Seifer. Squall stumbled over his own feet and landed on his ass in shock. "Surprised to see me darling?"

Squall's eyes widened in horror... Seifer. He stared at the blood oozing down his arms from the nails imbedded in his wrists. Oh Seifer...

When someone cleared their throat, Squall jumped and switched his gaze to meet crimson red. He surpassed the shiver of disgust as he scrambled to his feet, "Ultimecia," he hissed, eyes narrowing, his normally grey-blue eyes turning a dark grey, almost so dark they merged into his pupils. He definitely wasn't unfamiliar with this particular angel. An angel who by all rights, should be in Hell. She was certainly devious enough to be. She was one of the few that had actually chosen to switch her male body for a female one. Most angels preferred to just remain males, since they were the better proportioned body type.

In the beginning of time, before humans, they had been animals. When everything was just molecules, they had been streams of light. Squall of course, had chosen to remain with his male body (though at the time he didn't have a penis, since they preferred to remain asexual so their lust wouldn't overtake them like it did with humans).

Shaking his head to rid himself of his wondering thoughts (it had to be something he'd picked up from the humans. He's always been able to concentrate before), Squall scowled up into the screening window (a popular magical viewer into the world of humans that angels often used. He had used it enough times to check in on the humans he was forced to protect). "What have you done to Seifer?" He growled, all but baring his teeth. He wouldn't show how much it pained him to see the fear in Seifer's eyes. Of him... or of the situation... he didn't know.

"Oh, nothing *too* painful." She paused to laugh at herself before continuing, "well I suppose that would be wrong now wouldn't it? There are few things more painful to a human than crucifixion. You could heal him of course, but since he's not technically close to death yet, you might survive that."

She smirked at Squall's obvious confusion. "You see Squall; a lot of things have changed in heaven. I've got your old job; and that's not all I'm after. I'm after the entire kingdom darling. My original plan was to set you up and have you sent to Hell, but things didn't work out that way. I was just going to leave you alone, but what better way to escalate myself into the ring of elders than to stop a rampant, once-angel, from killing an innocent young human?"

"Now," she continued, almost too calmly, walking to stand beside Seifer, she loosened the magical bind around him enough for him to start moaning in agony, "I think I should remedy the fact that crucifixion could take days to kill the victim." Glancing viciously at her victim she produced a large, spear-like crystal and shoved it *hard* into Seifer's chest; electing a piercing scream from the blonde. "I'd say he's a half an hour at best if you don't hurry Squally. I'm at the abandoned New Hope cathedral, twenty miles north. Hope to see you soon," another scream from Seifer, "or at least I think he does." And with that, the screening window blinked out of existence.

With Seifer's screams still ringing in his head, Squall frantically looked around, for what, he didn't know. Throwing the brush down, which he found that he had been clutching in his hand, Squall ran out of the bathroom and looked around the room. Spotting the sword that Seifer had given to him for his 'birthday' only yesterday lying on his bed; he grabbed it and jumped out of the already open window. Landing on the ground with a bone jarring, 'thud', he shook off the mild pain (while any other human would have broken a few bones at the impact...) and started running. Thinking back to what Ultimecia had said, Squall frowned, legs still pumping under him all the while as he thought. He couldn't make it that far by just running.

But the pain... fuck! It was for Seifer! Pain didn't fucking matter! Still running, he forcefully ripped off his shirt and concentrated. The constant burn quickly turned into all consuming flames, Squall screamed and dropped to his knees. Panting and moaning in agony, his wings finally sprouted, blood squirted out from the open wound. Making his already dark ebony wings even darker in areas. Gritting his teeth from the seer agony consuming him, he extended his wings and flapped, once, twice, before he finally managed to lift himself off the ground. Biting his lip so hard it bled, Squall beat his wings frantically, until the pain had subsided and he was in the air a good fifty feet above ground. Swiping his hand across his sweaty forehead, Squall took no time in enjoying the sensations of finally being able to fly and instead took off at full speed, flying across the ground a hell of a lot quicker then the fastest automobile.

In less then four minutes, Squall was hovering in front of the church steps. Holding the sword out to his side, Squall touched down to the earth and taking a deep breath to put on his indifferent facade, the slim brunet walked through the elegantly crafted doors, large ebony wings, shimmering a dark blue in places where the sun beat down on him, folded behind him, the long feathers at the tip just touching the ground.

Seifer jerked his head up as the church doors opened. He was in so much pain he could hardly see straight, but he could still make out Squall's impressive form as he entered. Everything was a little surreal...but it did explain a lot... and damn it, he didn't care what Squall's past was or what he was; he still loved him. That was the one clear thing in all this chaos. That, and if Squall helped him, he would die. He strained to try to call out and warn him, but the pain and Ultimecia’s magical grip on him made that impossible. He could just look sadly at his lover and pray that he would see reason and leave. Then again, Squall was anything but reasonable.

"Ah Squall," Ultimecia chirped at he entered from where she lay, lounging on the altar in front of the cross with Seifer's blood dripped slowly down to join the feathers of her blood red wings. "So nice of you to come and visit me."

Squall merely blinked and continued his long legged stride towards the seated angel. He avoided looking at Seifer, knowing that if he took one more look at the blood running down his face and the fear in his eyes... well, he wouldn't be as calm as he was now.

"What is this about Ultimecia? Seifer never did anything to you. He's just a human, just a bystander. You of all people, since you took over my job, should *know* that you should never intentionally harm a human." His eyes flickered towards the helpless blonde of their own violation. Like trying *not* to think about something, and the thought kept popping up. Squall's dark grey eyes narrowed as he returned his gaze to meet the crimson eyes that brought shivers of disgust up his spine. "And that's exactly what you're doing." He fought not to attempt to slice the other angel's head off with his sword, or even twitch, less he bring attention to the deadly weapon. It couldn't do much against an angel... but he could hurt her enough that she would be unconscious for several hours. And that was all the time he needed to grab Seifer and *go.*

"Ah, my darling Squall," Ultimecia hissed softly, "all I want is to rule over the kingdom of angels. And we both know there are only two ways to achieve that; either you must have been phenomenally wronged by the council in the first place, or an act of unheard of valor."

She stretched absentmindedly, her magic turning the crystal lodged in Seifer's chest and evoking more cries of pain. "Now a human has been harmed, and the elders will know it eventually, but what happens after that determines on who is alive and the story they tell. If you are in Hell, I can simply say you were responsible and you planed to summon up the devil through these horrible acts on holy ground and try to conquer the kingdom of heaven. Of course, you could always run away and turn me in. Even if you are human now, angels can still see and talk to you. But..." she gestured to the blonde and gave a few more agonizing twists of the crystal, "he's beyond all human help now."

Smirking, she sat up and spread her wings, Seifer's blood dripping from the feather tips, "it's in your control now," she said, before flapping her wings and coming to rest on the Church ceiling beams. "Take him now if you wish, I swear I won't stop you."

Still clutching the sword, Squall hesitated briefly, not totally trusting the angel's word. But another cry of pain forced him to move. Running towards the bleeding man, Squall dropped the sword and touched the nails embedded into Seifer's wrists... shit... what was he supposed to do?

Biting his lip, Squall took a deep breath, whispering, "I'm sorry," before he grabbed the head of the nail and yanked. Seifer screamed and passed out. 'Well at least he can't feel it anymore.’ Squall tried to rationalize, as he pulled out the other nail. The brunet caught him before he could collapse onto the hard floor. Lifting him up into his arms, he tried to push down the melancholy feelings that provoked when he remembered all the times Seifer had done the same thing to him, Squall took one last look at the smirking angel and flew out the Church as fast as he could. He didn't know exactly where he was going until he found himself setting Seifer down on the roof of the orphanage.

Running his fingers through the blonde strands, Squall whispered urgently, "wake up Seifer, please, wake up." Ebony feathers ruffled in nervousness and worry, creating a soft breeze as they quivered without Squall really knowing.

Seifer had never been a big fan of death, but it was beginning to look awfully tempting when he started becoming conscious. Then he felt the breeze and heard the ruffling feathers.

Slowly, painfully, he opened his eyes to meet Squall's watered down blue/gray ones. "Squall..." he rasped at a near whisper offering a weak smile, trying not to grimace or wince at the white hot pain lacing through his body. He tried to move his hand so he could touch him, but winced and realized very quickly that was a very bad idea.

Meeting Squall's gaze again, he tried once more to smile. It hurt like hell, but he was glad Squall was there. "Ho-how -a-are you a-angel?" he whispered. Each word was painful, but Squall was there, had risked probably a lot more than Seifer could understand to get him back and they were safe for now at least. Seifer bit back a whimper as another spike of pain went through him. Well... mostly safe. As long as Squall didn't give that other angel what she wanted and... die. No god, he couldn't do that.

Seeing Seifer in so much pain, Squall bit back the sob that was building up in his chest. Placing a finger over the man's parted lips, Squall whispered, "don't talk." Running his thumb along the other's face, he cleared most of the blood from the man's face. Fuck... he didn't know what to do.

Squall leaned down and pressed his lips to Seifer's. Only a light pressure, just trying to comfort the man in some way that *wouldn't* hurt every bone in his body. Looking down at his wrists, a single tear escaped to run down his cheeks. God Seifer...

Frowning, the brunet yanked off one of his longer feathers, the ones near the ground, and wrapped it around the man's wrist. Maybe it would be enough to stop the bleeding. Yanking out another long feather, he tied it around the other wrist. He didn't know what to do about the crystal though. He could sense the dark magic in it. If he removed it... well, he had a strong feeling that Seifer wouldn't live to even cry out with pain.

"I don't know what to do," he whimpered, totally out of control now. Fuck... if he wanted Seifer to live... he could try to heal him. But would he get the chance to heal him before he was yanked down to Hell? Would Seifer truly live? Or would Ultimecia just come back to kill him? He hated feeling so helpless!

Seifer looked up at Squall; oddly calm considering the fact that he was fairly certain there was no way he could survive this. He didn't care really, as long as Squall was okay. He only wished he didn't have to leave Squall. Said angel's hand happened to be resting over his at the moment and, with a small wince, Seifer interlocked their fingers loosely; trying to comfort Squall in some way. He doubted he could even speak much anymore, considering how hard it had been in the first place, but he wished he could tell his boyfriend that he loved him. It was starting to look like the last time he'd ever be able to.

With an elegant flutter of crimson and brown wings, Ultimecia and her servant settled themselves onto the orphanage roof. "Well, well, well Squall," Ultimecia hissed with a smirk. "It seems you have a bit of a dilemma on your hands don't you?" She sneered down at the slowly dieing blond; tapping her long nails against her hip pointedly.

Squall growled and leaned over Seifer' protectively, "you said you would allow me to take him without a fight!" Ultimecia just laughed.

Scowling, the fallen angel looked down on the wounded human. His anger quickly evaporated after seeing how much pain he was in. And all this because Seifer had gotten to know Squall... it was his entire fault, it was only fair he would fix it. Even if it cost him his life here on Earth...

Sighing sadly, Squall leaned over, all but ignoring Ultimecia and her servant, and cupped the man's face in his hand, the pale flesh standing out in stark relief against the tanned skin of the other. Leaning down further, he pressed his lips to Seifer's, who weakly opened his mouth, almost like he was trying to recuperate. Taking one last taste of the blonde's mouth, Squall moved back and rested his forehead against Seifer's, the blood on the other man transferring to his own forehead. "I love you," he whispered, lips just brushing Seifer's, before moving completely away.

His face a mask of indifference, Squall spoke to the angel, who by all rights should really be a demon. "If you promise on your wings, that Seifer will *not* be harmed, in *any* way for as long as he lives and after, I will heal him and I will go without a fight. If you can not agree to this... then you're in for the fight of your life Demon," he hissed the last part, getting a sick enjoyment from seeing even her wince at the insult.

If Ultimecia swore on her wings, the most sacred part of angels and God, even Demons, then she would have to keep her word, or her wings would burn off and never return and she would be sent down to Earth to live out a mortal life.

Ultimecia quickly recovered from the insult and resumed her usual poise. To swear on ones wings was very risky, but she cared not for this human, and if it would get Squall to cooperate...so be it. Fanning out her wings, they glowed red softly and she said with a piercing hiss, "I swear on my wings he will never be harmed again." The glow slowly dissipated and Ultimecia folded her wings behind her, looking pointedly at Squall. She'd fulfilled her part, now it was his turn.

Seifer looked up at Squall with fear, love, and tears in his eyes. He tried to work his voice several times during the conversation, but there was just nothing left. That bitch must have damaged his vocal cords or something similar to that when she'd clawed him. He met Squall's eyes and through all the haze of his injuries that made it hard to hear or see straight, he knew Squall was going to heal him and send himself to Hell. 'Squall you idiot,' he thought keeping his gaze locked with his, squeezing his hand regardless of the pain, 'don't send yourself to Hell! This isn't right! I love you...'

Squall gave the angel one more scowl before returning his gaze to Seifer. He bit his lip at the emotions pouring out of his wounded face. Oh Seifer...

Gently untangling his hand from the other man's, Squall hooked one leg over the man's waist, to put his hands into a better position (well, that and he just wanted to be closer to him). He extended his wings, partially to cover Seifer from view from Ultimecia and to lock into his powers more. Resting his hands on Seifer's chest, Squall closed his eyes and began chanting (it was more like a tune then actual words. But it was the song of the angels, and every one chant had a different pitch and tone, making it into incredibly beautiful notes. Even humans, with their limited hearing, could appreciate the song).

As his hands started to emit a soft white glow, a burst of pain shot through him, making him gasp and breaking off the chant. Determined not to stop, despite the horrible agony coursing through him and making him shiver, Squall continued chanting.

Finally reaching the peak of his powers (he wouldn't stand to use anything less on Seifer), his ebony wings flashed to a bright gold, before returning to their original dark color, but leaving highlights of shimmering gold amongst the long feathers.

Opening his eyes, wanting to stare into Seifer's eyes for as long as he could, Squall focused on the power inside him and sent it through his body, down to his arms, and through his hands until it seeped into Seifer. His eyes glowed ice blue as he changed the words and tone of the chant and started on a healing one. To fix every single wound. But, since he was using his full power, the human would have a few side affects from the amount of energy and magic being poured into him. *all* of his injuries, be it past or future, would heal quickly, becoming non-existent. He would be resistant to illness. He would age one year for every three years. Making his aging process incredibly slow and long. He probably wouldn't look old until he was in his late 80's. And even then, he wouldn't feel the effects of age, with thin, brittle bones and poor eyesight. Squall knew this was illegal, hell, just using his powers to save another human without asking God was against the rules, but to actually use *all* his powers and focus them on one human.. Well, it was beyond illegal.

Seifer's eyes locked with Squall's, memorized by the bitter sweet image before him. As much as he didn't want Squall to do this, it was an exhilarating feeling. His whole body tingled with Squall's energy and he could almost *feel* his presence inside him.

Seifer's wrists closed first, rebuilding seamlessly, and then the wound on his face; it didn't even leave a scar. Then, as the magic started to work on the crystal in his chest, which slowly started to dissolve, he started to feel the extent of Squall's power and it was almost frightening. It wasn't working on only his present injuries, but every little ache and pain that had come with various injuries he'd received from his life. And with every wound that healed, he saw Squall's pain worsen and his body weaken. Squall...

When the last bit of light seeped from Squall's fingertips, all the light around him faded and he collapsed, unnervingly cold against Seifer's chest. "Squall, Squall you idiot! Why did you do that?!" Seifer cried out, clutching the limp form to him and gently rocking Squall; tears spilling freely from his eyes in anguish with only Ultimecia's evil laughter ringing in his ears.

His whole body ached, even down to the very tips of his wings. All he wanted to do was fall into blissful darkness, become numb from the pain, but Seifer's voice was calling out to him. He should be with him as long as he could before Hell dragged him under.

Curling his hands into fists to try to focus his energy and clear his head, Squall winced when Ultimecia’s voice finally registered to his ears. Pushing up from Seifer, he stood shakily. The other man, now completely healed and spryer then he ever had been, surged up with him and wrapped an arm around his waist, supporting him as he faced the other angel.

"You've got your wish Demon," he hissed, "now leave and go join the high council." He spared her servant a scornful glance, "you and your little slave." Although he was still shaking from exhaustion, Squall's voice was detached and cold. Laced with venom that only those who knew him would detect. Though his eyes were just as hateful.

"So quick to get rid of me are you?" She pouted, but there was an evil gleam in her eye. The damned angel was right though, no sense in sticking around to watch Hell come for him. He was a goner anyway. "Well if you insist. See you in Hell flyboy," with that, Ultimecia spun around and opened a portal. "Come Rinoa; our work here is done."

"Yes mistress." As soon as the last feather disappeared into the portal, it closed behind them.

Squall's knees buckled under him shortly afterwards and Seifer sunk down beside him; cradling him close. He was relieved Squall hadn't died instantly, as he had expected, but he had the sinking feeling that he was dying now, slowly, as he had been. "Squall," he whispered softly in his boyfriend's ear, cradling him gently, "what's going to happen to you now?"

Squall sighed and rested his head against the other man's chest. He knew he should tell Seifer to go away, to go back to their room and forget about him. He didn't want him to be around when the Shadows came... but no... He was too selfish at the moment to push the blonde away when he needed him most.

Lifting his wings so they folded over top of Seifer's arm, instead of underneath (it was more comfortable then having his wings bounded to his back), Squall frowned and looked up, gazing once again, out into the ocean. "The Shadows," sensing Seifer's confusion, Squall elaborated somewhat, "Hell's minions. They're a bunch of demons that haven't earned their wings yet and take people, including angels if the need arises, down to Hell." He paused, not really wanting to, but knowing that Seifer should have the chance to make up his own mind and not be forced to stay with Squall out of naivety of what was about to happen, he continued. It was his fault, thus, he would try to right it.

"Unless you want to stay and... witness it, I would advise you to go back to our rooms and forget about me. Believe me, you *don't* want to be around when they come. They won't harm you, since you will never be going to Hell,"

'not with my powers in you. Besides, you're too much of a good soul to go down to Hell,'

"but they are rather... frightening to anyone that hasn't witnessed them before..." He paused, before quietly uttering, "I've witnessed them only once... carrying away the human that I was supposed to protect. But the man killed himself... and that was a sin that led him down to Hell," more to himself then Seifer, as he tried not to think about it. Even though Squall didn't believe in a lot of the rules from God, like not lying with the same sex, or fornicating before marriage, Squall would rather be in Heaven than in Hell. *Anything* was better then Hell.

"Squall..." Seifer strained out, holding his angel closer. It was just so surreal... This could not be happening. He had *just* found someone and he was about to lose him... "Damnit Squall, you don't belong in Hell! Is that why they sent you to earth? Because the person you were supposed to protect killed himself? That was *his* fault and it was that Ultimecia bitch who was trying to set you up to begin with." Seifer held Squall tightly to him. He doubted there was much he could do against a supernatural being but... "Isn't there anything I could do?" He asked in a weak, almost defeated voice. "Isn't God supposed to be all seeing? If he can't see how good you are, he's blind!"

Seifer felt so helpless just sitting there holding Squall in his arms, waiting for death to come and snatch him away. Oh God... if they took Squall from him, there would be some serious hell to pay when he got up to heaven. "Isn't there anything I can do?" He asked again, near crying, tough guy image be damned.

Squall sighed and tiredly turned Seifer to face him. The blonde turned willingly, even in the weak hold, and Squall leaned forward to press his lips against the others', his large ebony -and now gold tinted wings- wrapped around the larger man. They kissed briefly before the brunet pulled away. "There's nothing you can do," he said sadly. Stroking a finger down Seifer's cheek, sappiness be damned. He was about to die, he could be as sappy as he wanted to.

Dark blue/grey eyes widened when he heard it. Wailing moans of agony of the tortured souls of the Shadows. Turning quickly, trying to push the fear down, he spread his wings indifferently and waited for the Shadows to creep up the side of the building.

His facade broke when Seifer wrapped his arms around his waist, resting his chin on Squall's shoulder and waiting there with him. His feathers shifted in the wind, brushing against the other's bare chest, making him shiver.

Resting his cheek against Seifer's, he took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, holding back the tears that wanted to leak free. He would be strong. Showing weakness to these minions only encouraged them.

"I love you Squall."

And suddenly, the Shadows were on them. It was a cold swirling black that tore at your skin and near crippled your mind with the agonizing wails. They tugged fiercely at Squall, but Seifer would not let him go. 'No. Way. In. Hell.' he thought. He knew it was basically useless since they were on a higher plane then him, but he was still just as stubborn as ever.

Then, just when he felt Squall slipping from his fingertips, a voice broke through the darkness, "HOLD SHADOWS!" And as suddenly as they had appeared was as slowly as they receded. So slowly Seifer wasn't sure if it was actually happening. But then the light broke through and there was...a dog.

That dog that originally stole his choker and run off with it. Naturally, after being abducted, finding out he was in love with an angel damned to hell, and sort of being in the clutches of demons and then encountering the dog again, Seifer's only coherent thought was, 'WHAT THE *HELL* IS GOING ON?!' He didn't have to wait long though. The dog began walking towards them, shifting as it went into a female angel with short brown hair, brown eyes, hunter green wings and traditional white robes.

Why was she there? Was Squall still condemned to Hell? Was this an act of mercy? Was he going to Hell to now? Not knowing which question to pick first, he went with the obvious one. "Who are you?" Tired, he sank down to the ground, pulling Squall down with him, arms still around the other's waist.

Ellone of the High Council? What was she doing here? Surely she wasn't going to escort him down to Hell personally? Hell, if it hadn't been for Seifer, Squall would have already been down there, since he hadn't planned on resisting. He deserved to go for putting Seifer in danger like that and using his powers illegally.

"Ellone," Squall finally spoke up. Both addressing Seifer's question and the high priestess.

Ellone smiled calmly and knelt down beside the angel and man. "I have been watching you, Squall, these past two months. I did not believe you deserved to be thrown from Heaven and I wanted to see if there was foul play involved. I spoke of the doubt often to anyone who would listen; hoping that, if there was a guilty party, they'd try to finish you off. The evil were always so predictable." She stretched out her hand to caress the side of Squall's face with another small smile. A soft light grew from her palm as she wordlessly transferred some of her energy into Squall, to help recharge him after using his full power; a thing that would've knocked out most angels.

As she gave Squall energy, she continued to explain, "as we speak, Ultimecia is receiving the news that she will be cast into Hell for her sins..." Edea reached out with her telepathic powers too see how said confrontation was going, "...and she is really pissed."

When she sensed Squall was fully healed, she withdrew her hand and finished, "Squall, you were treated horrendously by several biased members of our council who swayed the vote and as the new ambassador of the high council, I would like to personally extend an invitation for you to return to Heaven and become a member of the high council yourself." She paused to glance at Seifer with a knowing smirk, "of course if you wish to stay here as a human, by all means do so. You'll be much the same as you were, except you'll be mortal and it won't hurt you to spread your wings; though I wouldn't recommend doing that in public, but I trust your judgment. The choice is yours."

Squall sighed and leaned back into Seifer's arms. Even though he was fully healed, he was still tired.

High council... well, it was definitely an honor. But Squall had never really liked being responsible for so many people... he didn't want to make decisions that would affect the entire otherworld population, or even the Earth. Staying here with Seifer sounded much better.

But if he was mortal, would he age faster then Seifer? He didn't want to die before Seifer and leave him alone... after all, it was *his* fault that Seifer was forced to live longer then everyone else. "Would I be the same as Seifer? Aging one year for every three, resistant to illnesses and other aches and pains that come with age?" Using some of his powers, now that it didn't hurt at all to use them and he was allowed to do so, he sent a thought to Ellone. 'I don't want to leave Seifer behind. It's my fault he's changed. I don't want him to be alone when the people he loves start aging and dying off.'

Seifer wrapped his arms protectively around Squall, but started a little at Squall's question. "What? I don't-"

"Those are the side effects of Squall using his full power on you, Seifer, when he healed you," Ellone explained. Then, with a little knowing smile and replied, "yes Squall. Considering the proverbial hell you've been through, I'd say we owe you big."

Squall smiled slightly, just a small upturning at the corners of his lips. "Thank you," he said simply, but he meant it completely. He knew that Seifer would probably be angry at him for taking a decision that affected his life right out of his hands.

Ellone smiled brightly and reached over to touch Squall's hand. 'I'm glad you've found someone to share your life with. Love is a powerful thing Squall, don't push it away because you think it is a weakness,' she sent to him with a smile. She had known Squall for a long time and knew his past feelings over love and other human emotions. She was glad that he had finally found it.

Standing up, the brunette smiled down at the pair, they really were beautiful together. "Take care of each other," was her final parting, before she flapped her wings once and disappeared with a quiet 'poof,' leaving Squall and Seifer alone to sit on the roof.

Squall; tense and nervous, waited for the outburst that he knew would come.

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