Takabi tightened his hold on his luggage, the rusty wheels squeaking loudly behind him.
Despite that, the loud and crowded airport drowned out most of his existence. People bustling to and fro, trying to catch their flights or squeeze through others to the bars or restaurants amazed him.
Nana looked back at him, chuckling to herself.
"You look like a little kid when you make that face." Her hair was tied back into a high ponytail. Her dress was a little frilly on its ends. Spaghetti straps, black in color, and reached down to just above her knees. The torso hugged her chest perfectly, something Takabi noticed immediately when they left his home that morning.
All she had was a blue bag on her back.
Takabi straightened himself, brushing his dark purple shirt and walked closer to her.
"Well I can't exactly help that. This is the first time I've ever been in an airport. It's so busy… So loud. And… Surprisingly hot in here."
"Hot?" She repeated. "It feels fine to me. Maybe you should've picked a better pair of jeans." She said, glancing at his black denim. "Are those the only colors you ever wear? Don't get me wrong, you look good, it's just kind of odd." She locked eyes with him again.
There was a slight pain in his orbs, but it was masked amazingly well by a blank gaze. Nana would know this though. He's always been that way since they were little.
"We're going to take a private flight. I have a special passport to let us through." She pulled her bag around, unzipping it and reaching inside. When she did, a man in a black silt suit pushed past her, knocking her into Takabi's arms. He looked at the man walking by, then said, "Hey! You gonna apologize?!"
The man stopped and looked back at the two, shrugging and laughing.
"Sorry, Mi Amigo, some kid raised his voice at me. I'll call you right back." He hung up, and began to stroll towards the two again. He was wealthy, that was sure. Dominican from the looks of it, with a dragon tattoo across the back of his neck. His grin was wide, brown eyes and hair slicked back with oil. "Listen, kid, I'm a very busy man. I don't have time to be wasting on two high school sweethearts who want to run from home."
Takabi narrowed his eyes, speaking low, "Apologize to her. Right now."
Nana touched his shoulder. "It's fine. Don't worry about it, sir. I'm sorry for my friend. He's in a bad mood."
The man scoffed as Nana lowered her head to bow apologetically, something Takabi didn't like very much.
"Whatever. Just make sure to check this mutt next to. I wouldn't want you to owe me with that pretty face of yours." He touched his chin. "Then again.. You fill out nicely for a kid. How old are you anyway? Eighteen?"
A hand gripped his collar. Takabi's hair was covering his eyes, but his expression was filled with a calm, burning anger.
"Hey. Watch the suit, punk! It's more expensive… Than… HEY! PUT ME DOWN!" Takabi raised him in the air, his violet eyes glowing faintly.
Nana raised her head, snapping it around to all the eyes falling on the two. A couple murmurs could be heard, and Nana took action. She grabbed Takabi's arm, to which his response was to drop the man, and pulled him away.
When they disappeared from the crowd's view, everyone blinked and returned to their normal business. All except the man. His eyes were wide, and Takabi's face burned into his brain. "That was… Wasn't it?" He pulled out his phone, dialing a number quickly with shaking fingers.
"You can't do things like that in public," She said as they reached a vacant terminal. The woman sitting there checked Nana's passport, surprised at the seal on the cover, and looked between her and Takabi.
Nodding for them to board, they walked through the passing gate directly onto a jet. The air was cool and fresh with the scent of cinnamon.
Nana walked towards one of the seats in the center of the plane, sitting down and placing her bag across from her on the second set of seats. Stepping in, Takabi drunk in just how expensive the jet may have actually been. Aside from the seats to the left by the windows, it looked like a hotel suite. A comfortable beige bed, a bar across from the bed and massage chairs to the right. The scent of oil and grease was coming from the hallway behind him, and further upfront was the closed door of the cockpit.
The boarding gate was pulled away and the jet door shut. The engines outside began to start as Takabi walked and took a seat next to Nana, leaving his bag next to the bed.
Slowly, the jet began to adjust its direction, and move forward.
"Sorry. I have no clue why I just… Got so angry.."
"Look, don't stress over it. What's done is done. You just have to hope you didn't mess with someone serious, because then you'd be in major trouble." She leaned back in her seat, crossing her right leg over her left and folding her hands in her lap. She had an extremely professional look in her eyes, which made Takabi shift a bit in his seat.
"We have to talk about your power. We have to establish something before we arrive in a few hours." She said sternly. "That is, of course, if you want to talk about it."
"I do." He said. "Anything that can jog my memories, right?"
"I agree. The thing is… You may not like what I'm about to tell you. Are you sure you can handle this?" Her look was stern and calm, but her eyes gave away her genuine worry for him.
Takabi gripped his knees tightly, exhaling and saying, "No matter what, I have to know. Wherever you're taking me, it's going to show me everything anyway, isn't it?"
Nana smiled weakly, "You're right. So, I guess I'll start with a question then. Do you think you're a human?"
The question could have meant anything in all honesty though Takabi knew what she meant from how she phrased it.
If he answered yes, he would be wrong. His expression turned serious, and eyes hardened. His lips parted slightly, but no sound came from his throat. His mind couldn't find the words until he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Overthinking would get him nowhere.
"I don't know about lately," He began, "But from what I remember, I've always lived a human life. School, work, dating.. I've just been… Me. I stressed over last minute assignments, over how I would be late for work because I overslept, or how I could keep Jewel happy." His voice faded a little with those last words. He opened his eyes, Nana watching him with a strong glare, but she kept quiet.
"You okay? You look mad."
"I'm fine. Just thought of something that pissed me off earlier. Continue." A hint of jealousy touched her tone. Takabi couldn't help but find a tiny bit adorable, even though she looked as if she was ready to go toe to toe with a grizzly bear blindfolded. And actually win.
"Alright then, I guess. Anyway, I kept myself as average as possible, at least until the camping trip…" Takabi lowered his head, sighing. "No… Even before that actually… It's faint but… I think I remember one other thing… A bank… and getting held hostage. It's fuzzy, but… I remember something… Someone, talking to me in my head just before I blacked out."
"Bank?" She repeated. "There have been a few robberies lately.. The only one that was strange…" Her eyes widened, and the realization kicked in. She eyed Takabi up and down, the boy clutching his head and staring into his lap. "Takabi.. Do you remember anything from that voice that talked to you?"
"It just told me to defend myself… That's the last thing I remember."
She gasped. Feeling a couple tears well up in her eyes, she moved from her seat and knelt in front of him, hugging him tightly. ".... I'm sorry… I'm so… So sorry…"
"For what? Nana, you're scaring me." He muttered. "What are you talking about?"
She stood from him, walking towards the bed and placing her hand on it. She didn't speak for a couple minutes, which made Takabi nervous about what she was going to say.
"You did it… You killed them all." She faced him. "You lost control of yourself, and killed all of those people."
His eyes went wide. The sound of the plane's engine drowned itself out. It was just him and her, in an empty void, where their words wouldn't reach anywhere else but their ears.
"You.. You're joking… You have to be, there's no way I would…" He couldn't finish his sentence. His heart was heavy.
"It's not your fault though. Don't ever think that."
"How would it not be my fault…" He stood, almost hitting his head against the cabinet for their luggage. "What could possibly justify me taking another person's life and not remembering it?!"
"That's what happens with Fallen Angels, Takabi!"
His look of shock and confusion was no surprise to Nana. She sat on the bed, crossing her legs and avoiding eye contact with him. "You're not human… You never were to begin with."
Silence gripped them. Slowly, his footsteps filled her eardrums until she felt him sit next to her on the bed. "You're…. I mean I don't know what exactly to say. Being human was never exactly an option for you, ever. At least, not a normal human."
"Fallen… Is that true? Am I really?"
"Yes. You're special though…"
"... Tell me what those are."
"You don't know?!"
He shook his head. "I've heard of Angels and Demons. Fallen Angels have always been… I don't know, I guess I just never gave them any thoughts."
"They're the borders of light and darkness. Creatures of immense powers and abilities. They're capable of things others would deem impossible." She bit her lip. "They exist from two methods. The first and most obvious are Angels that were cast from Heaven. There's an entire list but none of the names are important right now. The next is Fallen Angels that are born. That's the type you are. Completely natural."
Nana took a moment to think back. Her following words were sweet. The sorrow in her tone was replaced by a casual, faint happiness.
"I remember when we were kids, and you told me what you were. I didn't know about it much back then, but in simple terms, you said it meant you were really strong, and you were.. But there was a problem."
"Which was?"
"Mental instability." She clutched her knees. "It's common in most of your kind. There's a constant struggle between which your heart wants to be. Reaching for the light or embracing the darkness."
"How does that affect my mental health?"
"It causes you to have a short temper. You'll catch yourself thinking sick things you never would otherwise. Desensitization to the deaths of those close to you. Your switch can flip in an instant, simply put. You'll be kind and loving one minute, then be a cold hearted bastard the next."
"That explains a lot…" His eyes held a distant mist. His thoughts fled elsewhere, somewhere deep in his brain.
"Enough with that. It wasn't you. It was the darkness in your heart."
"What if it happens again though? I don't want to hurt anyone else. Least of all you."
She blinked, feeling her cheeks redden a little. "W-why me? We just met. I'm a stranger for all you know."
"Maybe. That doesn't really change anything though." He glanced back at her. "There's something you're not telling me about our relationship."
"What's there to tell? I was just closer to you than your brother and sister, that's all." She muttered. "We just… clicked. Nothing much has changed though, so that's a relief."
He nodded. "Yeah, I guess so." He yawned. "Is it okay if I lie down. I'm feeling kind of exhausted…"
She wiped the dried tears from her cheeks. "Yeah, go ahead. I have a couple things I have to do anyway."
Takabi stood, removing his shirt. Nana looked away quickly before he slipped under the covers and faced away from her.
She watched him closely, wondering what may have been going through his mind, but decided to leave him be and stood, walking towards the cockpit to check in on the pilots. Before she opened the door, she looked back at Takabi.
He had quickly fallen asleep, but he looked at peace. Complete and utter peace. Once they arrived at their destination, that peace would have to be left behind, and Nana knew that. Tragedy followed Fallen Angels, and not one was ever able to avoid that.