F A L L E N

Over a week ago, a young man walked into the middle of the road, his identity a mystery, his memories in blank. No one knew where he'd come from, or of his reasons to have appeared in such a small town as Chance Harbor, Washington. Being helped by a kind, Veterinarian named Susan Pierce, the young man, called jokingly John Doe was re-adjusting to a life he never recalled having. After a while he seemed to pick up on things fast, and just to test his reasoning and using logics skill, Susan reluctantly decided to "test" the young man. He seemed capable enough to perform a task to its completion without failing. So she gave him a simple order: Go to the pet shop. Purchase some dog food. Return straight home. It shouldn't take more than an hour at most, she was sure the young man could fend for himself enough and complete this task well -but as a "mother" to him, over the short time she'd grown to know him, she still worried. But become independant was an absolute must, he needed to in order to survive in the world.

So off he went, one afternoon to complete her request. With a twenty in a pocket and his senses alert for anything, Aciel walked down the street, to get food for Icarus the little 2-year old tan and white, adorable Shorkie Susan owned. Normal as it should be, but for him things were never normal. And today wouldn't be any different.

As it was, just as he'd retrieved the goods and was only a block away from the pet shop he happened to walk right into trouble.

A young woman was pushed into the brick wall of the building, her arm twisted behind her by a towering man in a dingy, old, tattered coat and jeans. The two were in the alley and the masked man whispered to her fiercely in her ear. He was most likely demanding her to give him something or he would inflict even more pain toward her. Although she wasn't screaming, she did whimper slightly, her cheeks reddening as if embarrassed. This was the tiniest sound the angel heard.

After watching countless procedural cop shows, and other pointless crap on television he somehow knew this wasn't going to end well for her, unless he intercepted. Yet a memory of warning that the kind lady had taught him, as if he were a child and not a twenty-something with amnesia clouded his mind, making him hesitate:

"Whatever you do, don't force yourself into any dangerous situations, and always watch where you're going, I don't want you jumping into the streets anymore, you can get hurt."

But in seeing the girl's face, her amber eyes crying out to him for help, (though he felt that the right thing to do would be to walk away and go home to Miss Pierce,) there was an urge much stronger, insistent within. He couldn't give his back to this girl. Just as Miss Pierce had stopped to help him when noone else would, he had to help her, even if he got hurt. Placing the bag of pet food on the ground, just at the corner of the entrance to the alley, he straightened and ran in, reaching out with strong hands he gripped at the masked man and pulled hard. Yanking him away from the girl.

"Hey-" The masked man roared, both shocked and pissed, no one had ever stopped him before and this he didn't like. Though by the time this happened, he'd ripped the messenger bag she'd carried on her shoulder away from her, what was left for him to do now was shake this shmoe off his ass and run with the goods.

The other shoved the man onto the wall forcefully, then instinctively, brought a fist back and connected it into the man's face. Bone crunched and the familiar spurt of blood echoed in the empty alley.

The mugger stumbled, then remembering he still had a gun, he aimed it at the stranger and shot him on the shoulder. He was trying to shoot at his heart but missed.

The impact of the single bullet shocked him, surprisingly with pain -a new sensation he had yet to fully experience. This didn't agree well with him and it only made the dark feeling in him rise more. Pissed, he swiftly snapped a hand out with blinding rage toward the assault's gun hand, gripped at his wrist and twisted that arm, more bones snapped like a twig -literally, the white of it like a knife slicing out of his skin, even ripping through the fabric of the thin coat sleeve, along with a spurt of crimson. Shock had choked the man, the pain registered in his drug induced brain, he screamed but that didn't faze Aciel. He held onto the man's wrist, forcing it even more, little by little, pushing that bone out further to get the idiots' attention.

"Drop the bag." The words hissed through his clenched teeth as he applied more pressure, his azure eyes lit up barely unleashing the resentment burning him inside. More emotions he couldn't quite put a finger on --why was he feeling this way? And why did it hurt so damned much?

"You..sonuva-- Ahhh...!"

The mugger's body reeled against the terrible agony shooting up his body like volts of electricity, his dirty fingers twitched and the strap of the messenger bag slipped from his grasp, hitting the black top with a thud.

Aciel blinked at seeing the eyes of that man stare at him in absolute horror. He let go just as quickly as he'd grabbed him and he stepped back as though shocked himself at the damage he'd done. He felt a tightness in his throat and the fierce pounding of his heart as he watched the masked stranger stumbling to get away, hugging his broken arm to his chest, panicking like a terrified rat to flee. As soon as he was out of the other's reach, the mugger ran. Scat.

Aciel stood there, stunned, frozen for a good few minutes, he then dropped his eyes to the black and red messenger bag, bending over to reach for it, he picked it up before turning to the girl and handing it over to her. Meanwhile, his shoulder was throbbing in deep pain, and he somehow was able to keep it off his face. In a rough, almost whisper he asked, "Are you okay?"

The brisk cold gust of air swept through the alley, sending sharp pains into his injury, his thin coat provided no warmth against the chilling December breeze. He stiffened against the cold, trying to focus on this lady's face. She was younger, that was obvious, her youthfulness was quite appealing to him versus Miss Pierce's who was also pretty, but much older in his eyes. And though she was different, there was something about her face that hurt him. It wasn't physical, a pain he could bare, it was running deeper than that, something he couldn't understand or ignore and this too he tried not to think about. Maybe he didn't want to remember his past, and awaken bad memories, maybe he figured it'd be best if he never remembered at all if that meant it'd bring back painful feelings.

In short, he liked how things were now, even if he was lost.

She was alright? So I hadn't harmed her?

Relief flooded me like ocean waves, making the fear in me virtually vanish. Was this
what fear felt like? I thought so, I couldn't recall ever experiencing such a powerful
\emotion, now I understood what the little people inside the rectangle box were talking
about when they said they were afraid of something, for someone. Was I afraid for her?
Why? Also, why did I want to stick around here? I could sense the souls of others release
from their physical beings as death flowed by, I didn't know how I could recognize this
sensation, much less even determine what it meant. Perhaps my mind was slowly grasping
at lost memories.

But most importantly, why would she want to stay in such a sad environment as this
hospital for any longer than need be...? She did say she was well now.

"You wish for me to stay?"

I edged closer to her.

The footsteps outside became louder, more urgent as they rushed right to the door
leading into this room, I could smell Miss Pierce's floral perfume and the sweat that
permeated from one of the doctors that had treated this girl with the gold eyes. The door
opened.

"John there you are!" came Miss Pierce's alarmed voice, her eyes wide like saucers as
she rushed in, I noticed the color drained from her face, and could slightly detect the
pounding of her heart. She too was afraid, but I had yet to discover what caused her
affliction. Her hand snatched my wrist, gripping me strongly, she lead me out of the room,
and I reluctantly allowed her to.

I glanced back at the lady, and offered her a smile, I could feel it on my lips, though
I never felt it in my heart. I wanted to be with her, even if we were in a place where t
he sick and wounded died all around us.

"I can't believe you did this to me John, pulling a disappearing act on me with all that's
happening." Miss Pierce was saying as she walked briskly with me down the corridor that
was a buzz with other people, rushing to and fro, some anxious, others I couldn't recognize
what emotion they had on their faces, but there eyes told me it wasn't any good.

"I wanted to see if she was okay." I answered her quietly, sensing her disappointment
and unhappiness. "I apologize for my disappearing on you ma'am, but I just had to know
if she was alive..."

"Next time I would really like for you to tell me."

"I will." I told her with permanence.



That night I was awake while Miss Pierce and her dog were dreaming. I didn't know why,
but I couldn't do what she did, just lay there for hours without doing anything at all, she
had told me it was important, and I believed her. She seemed to look better after she
would do this sleeping thing, even the little Icarus awoke just as perky. I couldn't
understand what causes this mystery, though she had explained it before, a sensation that
there was no more energy within, like your body slows and then your eyes feel heavy, and
they just close by themselves. Why couldn't I sleep? Escape this world into another
of dreams? Were they pleasant? Would they be for me? Whenever I was asked if I had
slept and when I'd tell her I hadn't she would make a strange face, her brows would
wrinkle in the space between her eyes and her lips would press to form a slight line.

She would always tell me that wasn't a good thing, and then she would smile easily, holding
that expression longer as if the other one brought in unwanted feelings. It was like her
face and feelings were the same? If she was mad, I'd see it there, if she was happy she
would smile.

Tonight, I was standing on the roof of this place she called our home, I wasn't wearing any
night clothing, just pants and a blue shirt that matched this beautiful sky. My gaze was up at
the moon, it shined full and bright, hemorhaging its soft light into the deep, velvet indigo
horizon. I found peace here, watching the sky, even when the sun would rise casting its
water color oranges, pinks and violets into the sky, like a painting Susan owned on the
wall. Though nothing could compare to the real thing.

And somehow, I felt it tugging at my very being, like I belonged up there somewhere in
the endless blue.

"I wonder how the golded eyed girl is doing... I hope that she is well." I heard myself say
with a sigh, I wanted to be with her, I wanted to know about her. She's been on my
mind all day and even now, making it even more harder to try and sleep. If I ever could.