Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

As (Y/N) remembers, her guardian angel was always chaos.

While other people received calm and peaceful solutions to their conflicts, her companion was always violent.

When (Y/N) was five, she had the naive idea to play in the forest behind her house.

Climbing different trees and hiding in the bushes, she stumbled upon a beehive, hidden high up. In her innocence, the little girl wanted to investigate, quickly provoking the honeycomb's owners. The insects proceeded to attack her, but before one of them could even sting her, the tree fell to the ground, severed from its trunk in a perfect slash, crushing them all in the process. (Y/N) landed without any trouble on her two legs, as if someone had picked her up and placed her gently on the ground. At her age, she did not understand what saved her from such a brutal attack and fall, and it was the perfect opportunity for her parents took to explain the spiritual presence that would be with her for life.

At the age of 12, a group of three girls decided to pick on her at school.

They would taunt her purely out of envy, wanting to make her feel less, despised, and ugly. They would say horrible things to her, bully her in the corridors, and abuse her, destroying her self-esteem. One time, the leader of the group decided to physically attack (Y/N). Before the girl's hand could connect with her face, she went flying backward, slamming into a wall and falling to the ground in an explosion of crying. There was a mark on her chest as if someone had kicked her before she could get close. They never intimidated or messed with her again, knowing something powerful surrounded and protected (Y/N).

At 15, she met the first repulsive man of her life.

One of her classmates, hopelessly in love with her, had no better idea than to try to win her over with teasing and harassment. He would insist again and again on his love, pestering and chasing her wherever she went. He didn't understand how repellent and unattractive his attitude was, leading a group of annoying young men who were only dedicated to disturbing girls. One particular afternoon after school, the group of idiots followed her on her way out, berating her in mid-stride. They surrounded her with more than 6 boys, with the main idiot standing in the middle of the circle. Before any of them could do anything to her, they all fell to the ground in coordination. There was blood everywhere, broken arms, mangled noses, and legs contorted at unnatural angles. (Y/N) thanked aloud the angel who must have been around her, and walked out of the scene in shock.

When her first boss, at the age of eighteen, wanted to get handsy with her at work and misuse his authority, the man's house appeared all over the local news channels in flames. No one could explain the cause of the fire, but all his belongings had been destroyed in the blaze, leaving him completely homeless.

(Y/N) was aware guardian had unusual ways of acting, comparing her experiences with those of her parents and friends. No one had ever had such a fiery and violent spiritual companion, crude in his actions and ways of protecting.

Her parents, for example, lived a quiet life with their protectors. Both their angels resided between heaven and the forest behind their house, visiting them and coming when summoned, dividing their time between above and earth. What her friends related was a similar situation. Their companions were not with them all the time, coming only when needed or called by their humans.

In (Y/N)'s case, it seemed to be with her 24/7. It helped her in the mornings to gather her things for school, with books flying from one side of the room to the other and landing perfectly inside her backpack. During work, and in the summer months, the angel would generate a cold draught of air for when she wanted to go out for a break, and during winter, a warm stream of wind to keep her warm.

It was a pleasant companion, a constant presence, someone to always count on.

(Y/N) has never seen her guardian and does not know its name, has no idea if it is a man or a woman, the color of its eyes or skin, or what its hair looks like. She only knows their bond is stronger than anyone else's with their celestial beings.

In a few weeks, she will be twenty and will have to face the physical image of her partner for the first time. To know, finally, who is hidden in that cloak of invisibility constantly separating them.

On a hot summer night, (Y/N) returns from work and walks quietly on her way home, constantly thinking about what it will be like to meet her angel. She has only a few hours left, and soon will be face to face with the one who has been with her since the beginning of her life.

One of her closest friends had her birthday 3 days earlier, living the experience before and being able to tell her a little about it. The girl recounted how she met her spiritual companion, a female angel named Sakura, with pink hair and green eyes. The heavenly entity waited for her sitting at the table, and when the clock struck 12:00, she was finally able to see her. They talked about everything that had happened to the young woman during their years of invisible separation, and at the end of the night, the angel retired to heaven, letting her know she could call her whenever she wished.

The experience sounded calm and serene, friendly, but for some reason, (Y/N) sensed hers would not go the same way.

She arrived at her lonely flat at about 10:30 and decided to take a bath, be in the most presentable condition. When she got out of the shower, she did a short video call with her parents, who were miles away since she moved to study in another city.

When looking at the clock again, it was 11:30.

She ordered some food and it arrived 10 minutes before 12:00. (Y/N) rushed to eat, as if she had to be still and silent as her twenties loomed over her head. She finished her plate in less than five minutes, at the sensation of the last french fry getting stuck in her throat.

Desperate and alone, she began to choke, no less than three minutes before the special moment. She tried to stick her fingers down her throat, running to the bathroom in panic, trying to free her airway. No longer keeping track of time, her only priority was to stay alive and not be killed by a potato. Her vision started to blur, with less and less air in her lungs, while she collapsed to the floor in front of the toilet.

Just when she thought there was no hope, she felt two hands grab her under her arms, lifting her up and pressing into her stomach.

After several pushes, the rest of the unchewed fry flew out of her mouth, as (Y/N) coughed and tried to catch her breath. She fainted before she could see the identity of the one who had saved her, further postponing meeting her angel.

Chapter Text

Izuna had to step back and think, evaluate the situation calmly, and decide what to do about it. Carefully pondering things was never his forte, always making impulsive decisions on the spot without analyzing a single thing, guided by his instincts and bodily sensations.

Madara has been trying for too many years to get him to use his head in times of pressure, but he always preferred his muscles and intuition.

In this case, his physical system screamed one thing and his mind demanded another.

He knows what his mission is, he knows what he must do and how he must do it, when and why, but something inside prevents him from doing so. This human is unlike any other with whom he has had to carry out a contract, and she is making his duty impossible to fulfill.

Izuna has seen too many people grow up in his lifetime, with too many deals on his back to even count. He remembers the first mission he was entrusted with, and his flawless execution of it as if it were yesterday.

His older brother had been proud of him, and his Leader even gave him a smile of approval. Everything had gone perfectly and since then, the demon fell into a familiar and simple routine.

Go to the human realm, fulfill his contract, return with the reward, and repeat the process.

He could never remember the faces of any of the humans with whom he worked, ignoring their existence once those tedious twenty years were up. He couldn't recall their expressions upon meeting for the first time, nor how they screamed and begged for mercy upon being transformed.

However, this human was different. From her first moments of life, Izuna felt a strange and powerful connection between the two of them, something different. He could not calculate how many people he had to deal with, but he never felt any respect for them.

With (Y/N) it was different.

He caught himself grinning at the girl's accomplishments, an unfamiliar warmth invading his chest and making him feel uncomfortable. He shared her negative feelings when things didn't go her way, and radiated hatred if anyone dared to look at her with heated intentions.

Izuna always did the bare minimum to keep his human alive until the time was right, acting like a trustworthy angel and earning the person's trust, lulling them into a false sense of security that would explode the moment they met face to face.

With her, he could not help but impart brutality to anyone who had bad intentions.

Leader's orders were always extremely clear to everyone, and no one ever dared to disobey them for fear of the consequences. His clan would go out into the human world with an objective, a mission to accomplish, and once the task was performed, they would return home with the reward. It was a simple system, devised to be flawless and work perfectly, ideas that shaped him from his first moment of existence.

Yet, here he was, running away from his human and creating distance between them in order to think. The time had finally come to follow Madara's advice and evaluate the situation, although he knew his brother would be shooting flames out of his eyes if he could see him right now.

Let's not even talk about the Leader...

Izuna leaps from branch to branch at full speed, forgetting for a moment the large pair of wings decorating his back. He has no way to control his breathing, completely agitated and out of his mind to understand things clearly.

The time had come to see (Y/N) and execute the mission he has been waiting to complete for twenty years, but the girl had a mishap that almost put her out of the game. Izuna solved it without problems, triggering the issue when finally able to touch her, skin to skin, with no barrier of protection in between.

After years of being her invisible guardian, Izuna had never had the chance to feel her physically or be in direct contact with her. He got used to becoming her shadow, always close but separated by a wall only to be breached on her twentieth birthday.

As 12:00 came and the girl was almost suffocating from nerves and food, Izuna dared to touch her for the first time. The effect was immediate and he could only resist long enough to save her, make sure she was breathing smoothly, and leave her lying on the floor, having to escape on the spot.

As he wrapped his hands around her stomach and helped her push to free her airway, Izuna felt his entire body catch fire. His fangs throbbed with the need to bite, his claws with the urge to dig into something urgently, and his wings quivered with pure satisfaction.

He'd never felt subdued like that before, let alone by a human under contract. His reaction was something entirely new to him, a side of himself he was unaware of, fleeing the scene before doing something he would regret.

An instinctive, animalistic part roars with need within him as he turns away from (Y/N), demanding he go back to her. The girl had fainted but was safe, and Izuna would not be able to make it back until he discovered what was going on with him.

After what felt like hours of jumping through the shadows of the night, the demon stopped dead in his tracks, feeling a strange sensation in his chest. It was the same he had experienced when he touched her, and the physical distance he imposed between them did not help to dispel the sensation. Unable to account for his body's reactions, Izuna unloads his fists against the logs around him, screaming in rhythm with a savage beating to nature.

He wants to set everything on fire, destroy the place, run back to her and take her in his arms, finally look her in the eyes, rip his heart out of his chest, and stop the strange thing inside him, all at the same time.

His mind is a mess and his body calls for violence, death, and blood. It's a familiar mix, but he had never been triggered by such a situation before.

"What would Madara do... Fuck!"

He was supposed to complete his mission when the clock struck 12:00, just as he has been doing for millennia. Wait for the human to be expectant and happy to finally meet their "angel", and strike brutally when the invisibility barrier disappeared between the two.

An easy, simple routine, always straightforward to perform, but one he would not be able to carry out with this girl. He had the perfect opportunity to convert her just as (Y/N) lost consciousness, but his body demanded an unplanned escape and the postponement of his task.

He sits on the forest floor, surrounded by a terrain reduced to dust and ruins. Nearby humans would hear the commotion, and soon there would be several angels searching the area for the origin of such a disaster.

With his head in his hands and elbows on his knees, he tries to dwell, reflect, and decide. He has to act now, with the clock ticking in all directions. If he doesn't go back home with his target served soon, they'll be out looking for him, and things could get ugly.

Izuna knows the consequences of a failed mission, he's seen what happens to those demons who can't comply, and he doesn't want to be the focus of the Leader's wrath any time soon.

With his thoughts tangled and that nagging feeling in his chest, he lifts his face and begins to flap his wings from the ground, slowly peeling himself off the surface and setting out back to the scene he fled from.

He may not be able to create flawless strategies like his older brother, but the demon knows exactly what his body and gut instinct tells him to do. For the first time in his long existence, he will ignore every known routine and break the rules, making an exception for that human.

(Y/N) cannot be converted, and he will go to great lengths to avoid it.

......

The girl regains consciousness little by little and sits up on the bathroom floor, remembering what happened. Her throat hurts as if she had swallowed a razor blade, and her stomach seems to have taken quite a beating.

She becomes aware of her surroundings and notices her angel is not at the scene.

A little disappointed and saddened by all that has happened, she realizes perhaps the celestial being could not wait to see her wake up, having other matters to attend to. They probably have a very busy schedule and many responsibilities, so it was comprehensible.

She sat up slowly, still dizzy and somewhat groggy. As best she could, she made it to bed, her body needing rest after the situation, and decided she would clean up the mess tomorrow. The night had been chaotic, and she calculated by the clock about two hours without consciousness. Estimating that the blackout time was a mixture of her misfortune and the exhaustion of her workday, she decided to get a good night's restful sleep.

There was a hollowness in her chest at the absence of her guardian, having had them by her side since the very beginning of her life. It was the first time (Y/N) could not detect them in the atmosphere, and their absence felt as if a part of her body was missing.

All her mental preparation went down the drain, with the introduction being put off until the moment her companion returned. Part of her was disappointed, and the other was dying of anxiety. This only meant further delaying the whole thing until the being could return from wherever it had gone, and they could finally see each other. She didn't know anyone who had almost died in the nick of time, so there was no reference to comfort her in this scenario.

Either way, her angel would return and they would be able to introduce themselves accordingly, despite her nerves.

She quickly changed into comfortable clothes for bed, and while opening the covers, an explosion of objects was heard in her living room. She kept that window always open at night because of the heat, letting in the pleasant night breeze to cool the place down a bit.

Startled and surprised, she froze, debating whether to panic or not. Her body was shaken by the experience, and her mind was a mess of simultaneous thoughts. She could not decide if being alarmed by the noise was simply an exaggeration of her current state, or if she should genuinely consider it a threat. The night had already been too eventful for any other occurrence.

It might have been the wind, knocking objects around the room if a fair amount of it suddenly began to circulate, but there were footsteps following the clatter and those weren’t caused by the weather. Someone was approaching quickly, moving with determination and haste toward her. She felt like a deer in front of a giant truck, about to be slammed into a fender and helpless to do anything about it.

Still holding the sheets of her half-opened bed, (Y/N) watches as a tall, burly man crosses the doorway, red eyes glowing in the darkness. She can make out one folded wing behind his back but fails to see the other. The image is odd and terrifying considering the time of the night, and the fact she’s home alone and spontaneously confronted by an unfamiliar man appearing in her room.

A sense of edgy relaxation partially washes over her body as she realizes her angel came back to finally introduce himself, regaining the initial anxiety of what was about to happen. They would finally meet face to face, and her sense of trepidation at the event was automatically restored. She almost managed to give him a shaky smile, trying to pretend the situation didn't affect her at all, that is, of course, until she paid attention.

It is difficult to admire details in the darkness of the night and with the lights off, but she notices something particularly awful.

His wings are not white, but black.

Chapter Text

Madara notices how time flies, and realizes something is wrong. Waiting in the usual location, the demon sits on top of the barn roof, staring into the distance and hoping to catch a glimpse of his brother's wings. His red and black yukata rests on his shoulders, tied loosely around his waist to maintain his privacy, while his long black hair flutters in the wind.

Their meeting point is remote, the one they all use when their mission comes to an end and it's time to go back. An abandoned building in the middle of the countryside, miles away from any city, far from any angel who might detect them, near the portal leading them home.

The building is in ruins, a piece of junk in the middle of nowhere that has been forgotten by civilization. Demons were always ordered to use it as a meeting point, reuniting with their respective brother after twenty years. Izuna and Madara had never had a problem, following the tight schedule provided by the Leader when departing in search of a new human and arriving extremely punctual at the meeting place.

Leaving at the same time, both demons would always go through the twenty years of the mission simultaneously, for then return together. They keep an inside challenge between the two, always betting on who would convert their human sooner to get to the barn first.

Izuna would usually win, being ruthless with the conversions he performs and not waiting for his human to even begin transmuting. Madara preferred to take things slow, and not rush. Flying with a semi-transformed person is genuinely tedious, as they move and try to stop the terrible event they are subjected to. He has dealt with people fighting and kicking with all their might, trying to free themselves from his clutches and begging for mercy.

Some take longer to become a monster, others less.

He didn't understand how his brother would prefer to go through that just to win their stupid challenge, but he always came up with funny stories about how the human would slip out of his claws and hinder his flight.

This time, things are different. Always desperate and punctual, Izuna is nowhere to be seen.

Madara estimates about two hours since his own arrival, and his half-transformed human is already almost completely monstrophied. He is missing his claws and fully losing consciousness, which will take approximately a few minutes. There is not much time.

The Leader demands tight schedules and efficiency when it comes to getting the job done, he does not admit mistakes or tardiness. Everyone has been trained for millennia to function mechanically and perfectly, no one can get out of line, no one can fail. The consequences are terrifying.

His human screams in pain from inside the barn, trying to beg for mercy, but forgetting how to utter words. His eyes turned totally black, hair grew all over his body, and he has two bat wings sprouting from his back. The transformation is always disgusting, but that's exactly how the Leader wants them, and Madara refuses to have an opinion on it.

The sun sets quickly, and the demon knows he can wait no longer.

If neither of them returns soon, the Leader will notice something is wrong, and that's where trouble begins.

Madara descends from the barn roof with a leap and hears the dry grass crunching under his sandals. He has an empty sensation in his chest, a bad foreboding, as he makes his way to where the newly transformed monster is. His head wrestles with terrible possibilities, and he doesn't know how he will explain his brother's absence upon returning.

He enters through the destroyed building door and goes to the place where he chained the human boy. He was a good guy, and never caused a problem. He still remembers how excited the boy was to finally meet his angel, and how he screamed and cried when he finally saw him face to face. He fought with all his might, but there was no way to defeat the demon.

Madara couldn't feel a bit of empathy for him. In truth, he couldn't feel anything.

He looks down at him from his massive height, the boy lying on the ground and reduced to his new aspect. Transformation is complete. Where once there was a young human, there now remains only a beast with no consciousness or thoughts, full of black hair and grotesque wings beating against the walls. Izuna always described them as "little bats," with black eyes and sharp claws.

The Leader seeks to create an army of mindless creatures, weapons to use in his war, beasts loyal to his cause and aid his wrath. For years, the demons were instructed to hunt humans, infiltrate the angelic system to destroy people, and turn them into... this.

The creature slams itself against the floor and walls, desperate to go out and kill, without a glimmer of sanity on its head and unfocused eyes. The boy Madara watched grow up had vanished completely, and he wondered how long it would take for his family to notice his absence. There is a chain around his neck restraining him like a rabid animal, the only thing preventing his escape, and saliva oozing from between his new fangs.

Madara unhooks the end connected to the wall and forces the beast to move as if it were a dog being walked by its owner. It is always difficult to fly with a newly converted creature, but the journey is not long. The Leader chose a location near the abandoned building to open a portal and connect the two realms, far away from all humans, hidden from any snooping angels.

As he leaves the barn, he gazes into the distance of the starry sky, still holding out a small hope for his brother to appear. Izuna's absence only signals trouble, and a part of him can't help but wonder what's going on. Did he cross paths with an angel, got detected, and taken captive? No, there was no way such a thing could happen, not with the Leader's magic acting to hide the presence of his demons.

Something is wrong, and this will be a problem for them both.

The demon decides to take flight after a few seconds of waiting, abandoning any chance of meeting his brother. His black wings, mixed with some blood-red feathers, continue folded against his back, kept so as not to rise prematurely. Their end is dragging on the ground, counting with such an enormous length it is impossible to keep his last feathers away from the dirt.

Madara was one of the Leader's finest works, one of the two first demons he ever created, and was a work to be admired.

He decided to run for momentum, pulling the creature's chain and forcing it to move at the same overwhelming speed as he did. He found it was a good way to teach the beast to use its legs, learning that came after transforming so many humans in his long time of life. The monster does what it can on his back, using paws and feet to keep moving, its wings beginning to move awkwardly.

The demon knows it takes them a while to adjust to their new body, but instinct guides them through most of the process. He looks behind him and relaxes when noticing the creature figure out how to move properly, deciding it's time to take altitude.

His wings, with a wonderful mix of dark shades and crimson reds, spread gracefully and with an intimidating length, taking up about two meters each. The shadow they cast on the ground beneath his feet could be matched if two cars were placed one behind the other, a terrifying size.

Madara takes off from the earth smoothly, with familiar and internalized movements he executes even with his eyes closed. Behind him, the creature mimics his actions, rising awkwardly into the air and following in his wake. One flap of the experienced demon's wings was equivalent to ten of the newly converted monster.

After minutes of flying at an impossible speed, he managed to spot the portal, and making a hand seal, he passed through the small opening hidden in the middle of the sky. No one could see it, undetectable to those who did not have those red eyes the Leader bestowed upon them at birth. Safe from prying angels, and idiot humans.

The demon glides gracefully down the entrance leading to his home, with the creature following behind.

He still does not know how to explain his brother's absence, what he can say to justify him and buy time, to go find him. He begs for the Leader not to be near, confined to his palace and not waiting for their arrival. Whatever is happening with Izuna is something he will also have to deal with, refusing to abandon his brother in the human realm.

He finally visualizes his home in the distance, houses of the village built by the Leader appearing on the horizon, and after three flaps of his wings, Madara calculates his landing with precision. There is a demon awaiting his arrival, ready to greet him.

Descending gracefully, he connects his feet with the ground in a relaxed manner. Behind him, the monster collides with the earth awkwardly, trying to stay on its paws and failing in the attempt.

"Where is your brother?" The first thing the other demon asks him. He’s much younger, and has a puzzled frown on his face. Beautiful black wings with glimpses of violet feathers lie folded against his back, smaller and less intimidating than Madara's.

"Sasuke… always warm welcomes from you. Where's yours?" He brushes past him, ignoring the younger one’s question, and walks towards the enclosure where the creatures are stored. He drags the creature by the chain around its neck, and making a previous hand seal, opens one of the largest buildings in the compound.

It simulates a huge storage unit, extremely deep, where Madara releases the monster from the chain and coldly throws it to join the millions of others at the bottom. Hungry and unconscious, they produce guttural and grotesque sounds, locked in confinement until the Leader decides he needs them.

"Finishing up details with the Leader, we're next." Sasuke follows close behind, casually looking at the bottom of the pit and all the horrible enclosed monsters in there. They both exit the building, as Madara closes the door using a specific hand seal.

"I assume Shisui and Obito aren't here yet?" The older demon wipes his hands and walks to the residence belonging to him and his brother, their private home. His companion follows close behind, "No, they still have about three months left. Where's Izuna, Madara?"

Sasuke has always been one of the most perceptive, able to detect lies and evasions as easily as if he were trying to kill a human. He knows something odd is going on, with all demons leaving and returning in pairs of two. Izuna not being back means trouble, and trouble is not to the Leader's liking.

"That's what I intend to find out."

Chapter Text

"What about that one?" Obito tersely asks, lying on the roof of the tallest building in the city, black wings camouflaging themselves in night's darkness despite their blue feathers, these acting as a cushion for his body. He scans the streets with disinterested eyes, fed up with the situation and eager to return home.

Hunting humans is much easier than hunting angels.

"No, poor physical ability, he won't even withstand a hit," Shisui answers, observing the same celestial being his companion pointed out. Their goal is clear, to find a divine protector of excellent conditions and skills, though they have been on the task for about a month and the aforementioned does not seem to exist.

"Why can't it be either of us two, again?"

"You didn't hear a word the leader said, did you?"

"I mean, can you blame me? I get chills just listening to his voice, creeps me out so much I'd rather act as if I don't exist when he's talking to us."

"You're a child."

"I'm not a child, I value my life, it's different. I don't wanna be subject to the leader's wrath."

"Yeah, and for that very reason you keep asking what the fuck we have to do since we arrived!" Shisui ends up pseudo-yelling in frustration, shoving him and getting a punch in reply. "You wouldn't have a fucking clue about what to do if-"

"LOOK AT HIM!" A blue claw points at a new angel, and following the direction Obito guides, Shisui agrees with him for the first time. Down the street, an angel with a powerful aura and a bowl-cut walks beside an old woman, probably the human to whom he must be bound.

His wings are large, thick, and his body looks in good condition. Not so young, not so old, he's the perfect description provided to them by the leader before leaving. "Do you think he'll be strong enough?"

"I sure hope so." Both demons stand up in unison, launching themselves into the heights and taking advantage of the darkness to camouflage themselves without any problems. They fly higher than any angel would, out of the radar and shielded, following their target at a safe distance, waiting for the right moment to act.

When the angel they are tailing seems to stop in front of a building, they quickly descend, taking up position on another rooftop and observing again. "You have the leader's blood, don't you?" Obito asks, biting his lip at the sudden anxiety for action. They've spent what felt like an eternity searching for the perfect vessel, and now that they have it in front of their eyes, they can't fail.

"Ha, and here I thought you hadn't heard anything of what he'd told us."

"It's hard to ignore when the strongest man in the entire fucking world gives you a vial of his blood, you idiot."

Shisui produces a small container filled with red liquid, carefully feeling it in the palm of his hand as if afraid of losing it. The cold glass on his skin generates a sense of comfort, securing the most important part of the entire sequence in his grip, ready to proceed.

They listen as the old woman and her angel exchange a few words, presumably having arrived at the lady's home. "Thank you very much, Guy, again, no need to take care of this poor old thing if you have business to take care of up there you know."

"Please, Akira! In heavens I'm bored, it's much more fun to spend time with you and feel the blessings of youth blossom! Did you enjoy your Shogi game? Your opponent was humbled by your skills!"

His aura is sweet, pleasant, powerful, the kind of energy any human would want to have around.

The being's gestures, the bizarre movements of his body, the awkward way of speaking and expressing himself, everything is strange about him, but the strength he carries within is undeniable, just as the leader described he needed.

"You are exaggerating, my dear angel, I could only win once, but it was more than enough. How are your friends? I haven't seen the gray-haired boy for a long time."

"Kakashi? He's too busy to pay attention to me, I'd rather devote myself solely to you!" The angel flashes a perfect white smile and gives a thumbs up when he hears his human snorting.

"Ayay, come back soon so I can cut your hair, it's getting too long."

"Will do!"

As the woman closes her front door, the angel is left alone on the street, spreading his wings, and setting out to take flight. Analyzing him closely, both demons confirm he is the perfect vessel, the best body for the leader to possess and execute his purpose, they can't miss the opportunity.

Once they see him flying, the two decide to follow at a moderate distance to avoid suspicion, waiting until a reasonable altitude for no one to see them intercept him. At this hour, most humans are eating dinner, watching TV, getting ready for bed, and the flow of angels diminishes due to lack of demand.

It is the perfect moment.

At the right moment, both demons increase speed in sync, sandwiching him one from above and the other from below. Obito takes it upon himself to land on his back, shrinking his unsuspecting wings and embracing him in a constricting grab. “WO-A-AH”. Shisui, on the other hand, approaches from below, the vial of the leader's blood open, and grabbing him by the neck.

"WHA-AT!"

When Obito has him successfully imprisoned, being the one to keep the angel from plummeting to the ground due to the inability to move his wings, he spins in midair, letting the celestial being rest on his chest while still managing to keep them moving.

"WHAT'S GOING ON? WHO ARE YOU-"

Shisui, now staying on top of him, doesn't waste a moment or give him time to understand the situation, squeezing his cheeks and forcibly opening his mouth. The blood from the vial enters smoothly and slides down his tongue like honey, until the last drop is secured inside.

The change is immediate, and when the angel stops struggling in the demon's arms to try to free himself, Obito sets off for the landing, choosing a particularly desolate alley without prying eyes. Followed closely by his partner, they both hit the floor of the cramped passageway kicking up a cloud of dust, and deposit the angel carefully on top of a dumpster.

"And now?" the blue-feathered demon asks, uniquely sure of how they were to execute the plan but having no idea how it all follows.

"Just wait." Shisui kneels on the ground, bows his head, and prepares for his commander's triumphant entrance.

The angel's body, stiff and paralyzed as if dead, suddenly convulses. His limbs tremble uncontrollably, his ridiculous haircut moving with the uncontrolled shaking of his bones, his mouth producing incomprehensible and agonizing noises.

Obito can only watch in horror as the celestial being that seconds ago he had trapped in his arms now seems to transmute in front of him, its sickly sweet energy changing into a dark and terrifying one, the same one that gives him goosebumps when he has to face it at home.

The leader's own power takes possession of the angel's body, invading the entire cramped alley with spikes of fear and panic, the air becoming thick and heavy. Imitating his companion, he quickly collapses to his knees upon realizing what is about to happen, and ducks his head nervously to avoid looking his commander in the eyes.

None of them dares to watch the transformation, but after a few seconds of screams of agony and convulsions, all goes silent. Unable to check what's going on, they listen as the angel's body sits on top of the dumpster, and lands on the alley floor a few seconds later.

"Took you long enough." It is the guardian of heaven's voice, but both demons know it is not him speaking.

"I'm sorry... we... we weren't finding anyone bu-" Shisui tries to explain without daring to look up, only to be stopped in his tracks by that terrible presence. "Not interested in your excuses, where is he?"

"We have no idea." Obito bluntly confesses, preparing his body for the most brutal beating he will ever receive. The Leader is ferocious, a beast with no restraints, to be subject to his rage is a straight ticket to death.

"You're telling me you've been here for a month, yet you couldn't find who I asked you to find? A month, a whole entire month, and you have no trace of him?" The possessed angel walks up to them, and with their heads down, they can both see the sandals of the being they just abducted inches away.

"Sorry, my lord, but-" before he can explain anything further, Shisui gets kicked straight in the mouth, fangs flying and blood in the air. His head slams against the opposite wall of the alley, and the demon slumps to the ground. The Leader walks over to him, stepping on his black and emerald green wings on the way, grabbing him by the neck, and lifting him into the air.

"A month, a whole month, one where both of you strolled around whilst I still haven't regained my powers." The demon struggles for breath, holding the wrist of the possessed angel, desperate for release. "A whole month, where I remained wingless and you flew free as birds." Obito feels a shiver of terror run through his body at his words, finding himself paralyzed on the ground, unable to move his body out of fear of suffering the same as his companion.

"A whole month, where my brother wanders free through life and I continued to suffer his injustices." He has to move, he knows he has to say something to save Shisui's life, but the panic is stronger than his will, reduced to a bundle of tremors and cold sweat.

He hears his brother's body hit the ground again, a desperate cough as he tries to regain the air he lost for more minutes than would be prudent, and the dirt on the alley floor rattles again under the angel's sandals.

"Come on, I feel him." Is all he says before taking off, white wings unbecoming of any demon fluttering rapidly in ascent, and when Obito feels him far enough away, runs to Shisui, assisting him to stand and draping one of his arms over his shoulder. "I'm fine... I'm fine." The previously attacked demon manages to regain stability, able to launch himself into flight on his own and following the pace of them both amidst labored breaths.

Together they mimic the Leader, flying off and following the direction of his dark, unmistakable aura. If any angel in the city was paying attention, it would not be at all difficult for them to identify him, pure and materialized darkness in his whole person.

It is overwhelming to keep up with him, and it is bizarre to observe how the celestial being they captured, cheerful and calm, funny, now wears a long and angry face, serious and unpleasant countenance.

Obito never saw him in action, never able to witness the unrestrained power of his commander, so to be faced with his presence, not literally but energetically, about to go into action, is both wonderful and terrifying. He could stand and watch the perfect movement he executes with his borrowed wings, so different from what demons themselves do, but the fear the man inspires in him is stronger than anything else.

From birth, both demons were trained by their elder brothers, Izuna and Madara, without ever having had the privilege of seeing the leader use his might. They have grown up under Izuna's tales, the stories he always told about him, about his strength and power, about how he is the most powerful being of all time. The leader always confined himself to his private quarters, where only invited guests could enter, always wearing a long black cloak covering him from the shoulders down.

The only things he knows about him are myths, but he has no doubts about those either.

The man himself is a legend, a figure of respect and fear, someone not to be contradicted, and the only thing the blue-feathered demon is sure of is that the Leader has no wings. No one knows what happened to him, not even Madara himself can explain the story for he has no idea, and the only certainty is that they were taken away from him at some point.

Nobody knows why or how, who did it.

Engrossed in his fear and overwhelmed by his thoughts, Obito concentrates on keeping up, his companion a few meters behind him, and descends quickly when he notices the leader goes first. He seems to be heading for a rural area, few houses scattered around a small neighborhood on the outskirts of the city, desolate.

The possessed angel lands hard and without fear of attracting attention in the middle of the street, while the other two prefer to remain unnoticed, not sure if their help will be needed for the moment, hiding together at the top of a tree.

Several angels appear before the rumble, some coming out of their humans' houses and others rapidly descending from the sky. The two demons watch as a circle of white wings and light robes surrounds the leader, confused and worried faces asking him if he is all right.

Neither of them knows this angel is not normal.

One, in particular, stands out in the circle, a celestial being the commander keeps staring at, and before everyone can take note of what is happening, he pounces on him with the cry of "ASHURA!". The onlookers soon try to join the conflict, attempting to attack the leader among all, and that's the moment when they realize they both must help.

Angelic bodies fly back and forth and both are convinced the Leader could handle them all alone, without an ounce of help, but he seems to be interested in one particular guardian, and if the demons don't get rid of the excess, he'll never have time to fuck him up alone.

"NOW!" they exclaim in unison urgently, coming out of hiding and bringing out their sharp claws for combat. Where ten angels simultaneously attack the leader without any success, the two demons join the fray, landing on the heads of several and mercilessly launching themselves at others.

They form the perfect distraction for the Leader to take care of his target, fighting one-on-one with no hindrance in between.

...

Ashura looks at that particular angel, who landed in the middle of the street and left a crater in the asphalt, and asks him if he is all right. It irritates him terribly to think about how he’ll have to repair the damage in the morning, but it worries him even more whether his companion is in trouble and needs help.

"Are you okay? Hello?'" He asks again, and his neighboring angels join the round of curious onlookers. They all form a circle around him, repeatedly asking if everything is okay, but something is wrong with that creature.

His aura is heavy like pure darkness itself, energy full of black and revulsion, terror, and the hairs on his back stand on end when those eyes stare at him. Serious countenance and leaving nothing to be seen, the angel is scary, plain and simply scary.

Words catch in his throat as he realizes how recognizable the intensity of that gaze is, but before he can react, two hands grab him by the neck and take him flying over the street to the cry of "ASHURA!"

It can't be. There's no way this is happening, he's supposed to be dead.

Paralyzed, he watches as the rest of the angels swoop down on his attacker, trying to cut him down, but none are successful in their attempt. White feathers and forged bodies fly this way and that, and each one that tries to touch him is hurled in the opposite direction without success.

It cannot be.

In his peripheral vision, he notices two pairs of black wings, and the paralysis ends when a nostalgically familiar force impacts his face mercilessly. Ashura flies backward again, this time impacting a tree. "'Thought you'd never hear from me again?" The possessed angel asks, and no doubt remains.

The movements of his hands, the way he stands, the coldness of his gaze and the madness of his words, all indicate it is him. "A-Aniki-i?" he tries to ask, before a foot dives into his stomach and steals all the air from his lungs.

"Did you truthfully assume I would die, how you would never have to deal with me ever again?" there is venom in his words, pure resentment in every sentence, tangible evil in the way he expresses his loathing. When a fist is about to impact against his chin, Ashura finally reacts, deflecting the blow with his own hand and using the opening to stand up again.

"HO-OW… HOW CAN YOU BE ALIVE! I-I SAW YOU FALL!" his question is abrupt, solely because of the surprise and anxiety he feels knowing his brother never disappeared, never left. "I SAW YOU FALL, I TRIED TO STOP IT BUT-"

"Try to stop it... you were the one who yearned the most for my banishment, pure greed in your dirty intentions to keep everything for yourself." The serenity with which he relates his point of view is at odds with the violence with which he wields each blow, lashing out again and again at him relentlessly. This is not his body, yet there are marks of his own in each of his movements.

Ashura can even visualize that large, flowing brown hair flying in the wind after each lunge, red eyes full of anger at him, his Aniki's soft hands, the ones he held in his own over and over again as a child.

The way he uses the wings of the body he borrowed, the short, precise flicks of the white feathers, everything is an account of how Indra used to fight, exactly as he set out to remember him after the day of his death.

He saw him fall, and could do nothing to stop it.

Memories and flashbacks mix with shock and surprise, reducing his ability to battle the brother he thought dead years ago, showing himself weak and insecure at every step. Ashura cannot find within himself the strength to put aside all that was awakened when he recognized that look, exposed in front of the most brutal and merciless angel that ever stepped on heaven.

He saw him fall, for fuck’s sake, he saw him fall!

Two wings wrap around him from each side, acting as a catapult to bring him face to face with the body his Aniki stole, earning him a direct headbutt to the forehead that leaves him dizzy enough to collapse to the ground.

No one seems to come to his aid, unable to see what happened to all his companions, but the lack of assistance indicates they were reduced and defeated by those creatures that appeared alongside his older brother.

Everything is a blur from that moment on, but his last memory is how those black-winged beings hold his arms and legs, while his Aniki steals his blood from one of his cuts, and plucks two white feathers from each of his wings.