Ashlandil

"Where are we going?" I mumbled groggily, Andy forcing me to follow him through the cold streets. I was still drunk, and I was pretty sure I had a hickey on my throat, but I couldn't remember from where.
Had I killed the girl? I could smell some blood on my clothes.
Oops.
I snorted, some of my stupor wearing off as I saw the cathedral rising in front of me, my skin crawling as its essence grew stronger, even from this distance.
I dug my heels into the pavement
"What the fuck?"
"You need to come!" Andy insisted, and I turned my bloodshot eyes to his, seeing the glaze; an angel had been manipulating him.
"Why the fuck would I go there?" I couldn't enter places where Gods presence was strong, it choked me down; some churches didn't have as strong a connection, but this one I could feel all the way down the street.
I didn't wanna go in there.
"Kennas sick! She needs you!" Andy pulled fruitlessly on me again, and I narrowed my gaze at him.
She hated me.
I hated me.
"I can't go in, Andy, you don't understand," I huffed, pulling from his grasp.
"She's dying!"
Yeah right.
This was some kind of trick, I didn't believe him.
I glanced derisively at the cathedral; nice try, big man.
"She's probably fine," I scoffed at Andy as he drug me down the street, struggling with each step.
I sighed, refusing to go any closer to the doors then the end of the block.
And then I smelt it.
My eyes went to the doors.
Kenalis blood.
I zoomed forward immediately, ignoring the choking feeling that immediately came over me as I slammed the doors open, seeing a form kneeling over my red head as she coughed sizzling blood onto the floor.
"Kenali!"
I was kneeling beside her a second later, pulling her into my arms, frightened as I saw the black veins racing over her body.
That shouldn't be happening!
"No," I growled, sweat beading on my skin as the air smothered me down.
I bit deeply into my wrist and forced it against her mouth, my breathing shallow as I started to wilt under the pressure; this place was too Godly, I could barely stand it.
Pain spasmed through my arm as she drank my blood, her fangs sinking into my skin as she started to waken, some of the black fading from her veins.
I collapsed to the side, my lungs shriveling, aching for air.
I pulled my wrist from her lips, and she gasped, her chest heaving as she sucked in air.
How could she breathe in here?
I could feel myself going down, and I gagged, my throat closing off completely.
Kenali! I thought, everything starting to go black.
And then suddenly I could breathe, air filling my lungs painfully, making me cough.
I glanced back as Andy made it to the doors.
"Ashlan?"
"Kenali," I reached for her, clasping her hand as I forced myself to my knees, body aching.
I finally looked at the man kneeling beside her, and stiffened.
Iriel.
He was gazing at the two of us curiously.
"What are you doing here?" I wheezed at him, curling Kenalis limp form into my arms; I had stopped the spread of black for now, but it wouldn't last forever.
"I Fell just as you all did," Iriel said after a moment. "But I did not Fall for selfish reasons. I Fell for the humans, to keep their faith strong. I am a priest."
Yeah, I'd noticed.
I frowned at him, cradling Kenali against my chest.
"What was she doing here? How can we breathe?"
"Andrew brought her here for me to help her," he motioned at where Andy sat on a pew, face blank. "He's drawn to this place, understandably. As for your breathing here, God has granted it for now." he shrugged.
I scowled at him.
"What's wrong with her?"
"You gave her the black death," Iriel stared at me, trying to shame me.
"That's not possible," I shook my head. "I've been here millenias, Iriel. I've already gone through it and its been out of my system."
"Then another angel must have given it to her for it to be spreading so rapidly. I know her sin is promiscuity. Who else has she been with?"
I glanced at Andy; but he couldn't give her this.
I frowned. "No one."
"There has to be another, Ashlandil."
Iriel was still a pushy fuck, even after all this time.
I felt my throat tighten at the thought, and I stiffened, seeing a mutinous look upward.
Fine.
"Kenali," I murmured, shuffling her so she would wake up. "Baby, have you been with anyone else?"
Her eyes flickered open, and I saw the guilt in them.
Shit she had been.
"Who have you been with? I won't be mad," I said quickly, and she looked away from me.
"Cronus, once," she mumbled.
That big fucker, I'd rip his head off!
I growled, and abruptly fell smothered again. I hissed angrily, and forced myself to calm down, the darkness receding as Kenali clung to me.
Darkness wasn't allowed, apparently.
"Cronus is here?" Iriel shook his head. "It must not have been from his system yet then."
I clenched my jaw.
He was dead when I got out of here.
"But why is it spreading so quickly?" I muttered. "She should have decades to work this out."
"I questioned Andrew about this, of course," Iriel sighed. "He thinks she has a broken heart over you, but that isn't true, as she is in love with him." he pondered a moment, and I felt my empty chest ache.
Why couldn't she love me?
I held her closer, caressing her face as I gazed down at her.
Why couldn't she love me? I wanted her to so badly.
"Perhaps it is your broken heart then."
"What?" I glanced up at him. Was he insane? I'd always thought he was a little eccentric.
"Yes, it would make sense," Iriel sighed. "You've given her your broken heart. All the pain you felt when you angrily murdered your first mortal love Kenali is feeling, in her own way. They're always incredibly receptive when the black death first shows up."
That didn't even make sense. "How the fuck could she feel that?"
He was irritating me.
"I just said she was more receptive to others emotions now!" he huffed, annoyed with me like he had always been. "You two had your argument, and when you felt all that pain disappear afterwards, Kenali recieved it; I do believe that is the issue here."
Right.
He had definitely cracked over the centuries.
"Well how do we fix it?" I huffed.
"You've gotta make her feel something else, as Andy did. It's how he broke her from the stupor in the beginning."
"Well how did he do it?" I blinked, looking at Andy over my shoulder.
"Andrew. How did you force Kenali from her pain to bring her here?" Iriel called, Andys head turning in our direction.
"I kissed her."
Motherfucker.
I glared at him, smothering again.
"You keep up the awful thoughts you'll be forced to leave," Iriel sighed at me. "What did you feel when you kissed her, Andy?"
"I felt sad, and I wanted her to be happy. She kissed me to scare me off, and I felt all her pain," Andy sighed. "So I showed her how much I loved her."
We stared at him.
"What?" I croaked.
"I love her," Andy shrugged. "I have for a while. It won't go away, and I've tried to ignore it." He looked guilty. "But I can't. I can only forget about it sometimes, but whenever I see her I remember."
Well I was going to blast that right out of his chest the next chance I got.
"She doesn't want to love me," Andy suddenly said. "She hates that she does. I don't understand why. Why doesn't she want to love me?"
I'd wondered that so many times myself.
I sighed, looking down at my girl. Her face was pale, and she wasn't looking good.
"So just show her how much you love her," I muttered thoughtfully. "How do we make that go away permanently?"
"I'm assuming it will wear off when the black death has run its full course through her body," Iriel shrugged.
Well he was useless.
"That could take years! She'll be an emotional wreck to anyone she's near!"
"Only the ones she touches," Iriel corrected me. "So you better be feeling happy from now on."
This wasn't going to end well.
"So why is she so sick?"
"The black death sensed her weakening when she walked in here, and it saw an opening. God made it possible for you two to enter and be able to breathe; you must be in his good graces."
She was, maybe.
I looked down at her, and sighed, pulling her head up against my shoulder.
I love you, Kenali, I thought, knowing it showed in my gaze as I looked at her. I want you to be happy, and carefree, like you were in the beginning. I never wanted any of this to go so far.
Her eyes flickered open slightly, focusing on me.
I tried to think of something happy, but all that came to mind were memories of her, running through the field, making love in my apartment, giggling at something stupid CC had done.
"Ashlan," she murmured, raising her hand to my face. I pressed my cheek into it, covering it with my hand.
I loved her so much more then I had ever thought possible.
"You need to get better already," I murmured, pressing my forehead against hers. "You can't hate me if you're sick."
"I don't want to hate you. You just... You made me feel so bad about myself," she whimpered, closing her eyes. "And then my chest ached with such unhappiness I couldn't stand it."
Goddammit.
I gasped as something suddenly squeezed my throat painfully, and I started to fall back in pain, feeling like someone had knocked the breath out of me.
I landed hard on my back, breathless.
"Ashlan!"
Iriel sighed. "What did I tell you?"
I writhed on the floor, my lungs burning for air that I wasn't allowed anymore. Kenali appeared over me, frightened, my vision starting to go black.
Fuck!
He was such an asshole.
I cringed in pain as my skin started to burn.
I felt her soft lips abruptly cover mine, breathing air down into my dying lungs.
I felt the awful sensation lessen, and I curled my fingers through her red curls, inhaling deeply as everything suddenly cleared.
Kenali pulled away from me, gasping.
"You two are just bound for hell, aren't you?" I heard Iriel grumble as I rose to my elbows, Kenali cradling my face in her hands.
"I'm okay," I assured her, panting for breath; I still felt smothered, but it seemed more of a warning now.
He really didn't like me, did He?
I sighed.
"Kenali ---."
"I know," she whispered. "I know you're sorry. Is that what I did to you? How I made you feel?"
I hesitated.
"I never knew how it felt... I'm so sorry," she stroked my face. "I'm so sorry, Ashlan. I never knew it hurt so much."
I smiled slightly; it didn't matter in the long run.
She might know how I felt, but she couldn't force herself to love me.
No one could love a demon.
"Ashlan, no," she suddenly looked stricken. "Don't think like that!"
I blinked at her.
Oh, right, she could feel what I felt.
That would take some getting used too.
"Kenali ----."
"Shh!" she ordered, shaking her head, black circles under her eyes. "I don't want to hear another word. Let's just get out of here."
"I'd like to see you again, Kenali," Iriel said as Andy stepped to where we knelt together, helping both of us to our feet. "You Fell for pure reasons, you can be redeemed."
Kenali gazed at him a moment, looking uncertain. "I'm not so sure about that, Iriel."
"All of us can be redeemed, even heathens like Ashlandil," he nodded at me, and I sent him a bird in response.
He merely rolled his eyes at me.
"Thank you for your help, Father Samuel," Andy said, completely oblivious to everything that was happening around him.
"Of course, Andrew. You are always welcome here."
Of-fucking-course he was.
I wheezed suddenly, Kenali sending me a worried look as she pulled my arm over her shoulder, Andy catching my other. Together, the three of us walked out of the cathedral before God smothered me to death.
He really didn't like me.

Notes