The Fallen Angel
by Yolande

Jin flew from cloud to cloud, looking for something to interest himself. The weather was fine and the Earth was peaceful. He, as the Angel of Joy, had done all he could by sprinkling some of his Tanzanite Dust below to help. Now, he was taking a break. He swooped high and low for fun and joy. Yet, most of the angels are at work. All except Rukawa of course. Angel of Silence never had to work much. So he slept.

He spotted two little angels on a small fluffy cloud, both shoulder length black hair wearing a above-knee white dress. One with a large gold ribbon behind and another with a large silver one. Both were barefooted. He smiled. The Chibi twins. Of course. All they do was linger around doing nothing. He flew down to the cloud, a smile plastered on his face. “Yolande, Shiro. Hey.”

The twins looked up. Yolande, the Twin Chibi Angel of Flowers and Rain, with her bright purple eyes grinned. “Jin!” It was followed by a flying hug. Literally. The flowers she was playing with were thrown down and she hung on Jin’s neck. Shiro, the blue-eyed Twin Chibi Angel of Love and War, merely looked up with a “Hi…” and looked back down into the big old leather book.

“We are learning spells.” Yolande grinned, sticking a sunflower into his hair. Jin frowned. “Spells? Weren’t those kept in Yev’s chamber?”

“We stole it.” Shiro looked up, grinning, the bunch of thin bangles dangling on her right wrist and left leg. “It took hard work though.”

Yolande nodded, hopping down from Jin’s neck, fingering the thin gold ribbons tied around the whole of her arm in criss-cross. “We learnt how to zap things off like…this…” She pointed her lightning bolt at Jin and zapped off his left wing. Then she started shrieking.

Jin sighed. Not again. They were always doing things they weren’t supposed to do. He then smiled.
“Don’t worry, I’ll go over to Yev and ask for help.” Yolande nodded nervously, chewing on her nails nervously.

Shiro sighed. “Twinnie, you just zapped Jin’s left wing off. Let me repair it.” She then flipped through the large spell book, looking for an undo spell. She then pointed at Jin and…zap…
Jin’s right wing was gone too.
Yolande shrieked again.
The cloud parted and Jin felt himself fall. Too fast to even stop. He then crashed.
Up above, the chibi angels shrieked and peered down.
“What happened to him?” Yolande wailed.
Shiro only sighed. “He fell.”

Jin never expected himself to be on the hard ground of somebody’s backyard on Earth. It was not a nice feeling. He could not go back up without his wings. He sighed, but shake his head with a smile. So typical of the twins.

He stood up and brushed the imaginary dust off his white pants. Dressed in white, he blends in with the freshly fallen white snow. He smiled. It must be the works of that angel. Sitting down once again, he glanced around, then, slowly, he fell asleep in the cold snow.

A while later, the shutting of gates woke him up. He stood up immediately and turned around, glancing at the owner of the backyard and the house. It was a shoulder-length hair young man, a strong-built one. He bit his lip and pondered on what to do. Finally, stepping forward, he bowed and said apologetically, “I’m sorry, but I landed on you backyard while…” He then bit his lips again. Most people do not believe in angels. “…While my friends well…did something…”

The young man glanced at him and yelled. “In my backyard? They fooled around in my backyard?”
Jin flinched. “Well…not really…more like…above your backyard…high up above…”
The young man stared. “Who are you?”
Jin bit his lips yet again, then smiled. “I spread joy.” Then, paused at the young man’s disbelieving face. “I’m sorry…I’ll leave now…”
“Where to?”

Jin stopped. The hint of loneliness and fright were raising. Softly, he replied. “I don’t know…” Then flashed another smile. “It doesn’t matter…I’ll be fine…”
The young men walked towards the doorstep of his house then paused. “What’s your name?”
Jin smiled. “Jin.”
“Just Jin?”
Jin hesitated. “Jin…Soichiro…”
“Soichiro Jin, you mean…” The young man smiled a little.
Jin nodded, then smiled again and turned to leave.
“Wait!” The young man called out. “Are you homeless?”
Jin chuckled in respond. “In a matter of saying, I guess so.”

The young man then walked towards the homeless angel. “Want to stay here for a day or two…Jin?”
Jin felt his eyes grew wider. “Can I?” The young man shrugged. “I’m not heartless to leave a guy lying outside in the snow alone. Plus, you look harmless, and my house had more than enough rooms and food…say…ain’t you cold just wearing that thin cotton white top and that white pants?” His eyes roamed the angel’s clothes. Jin shook his head and grinned. “No, not at all. Can I really…live here for a night or two?”

The young man smiled again, looking friendlier than before. “Yeah. I’m Kiyota, by the way, Nobunaga Kiyota.”

“What do you mean by Jin fell down?” The serene Queen Angel asked, drinking some wine from her glass. “Can’t he fly up even if he fell?”
The twins looked at each other. Then Shiro sighed. “We zapped off his wings.”
The glass of wine fell through the clouds down to the Earth as the Queen Angel got serenely pissed.

“Seriously, how did you get here?” Kiyota asked, slamming the microwave oven door shut and placed the two mugs of hot milk on the table.
“I fell.” Jin replied, zipping the milk calmly.
“From where?”
“Above.”
Kiyota stared at Jin. “Above where?”
“Through the clouds.”

Kiyota chuckled. “And next you are going to tell me you are an angel who fell from an airplane.”
Jin looked up from his mug of hot milk. “Close. I didn’t fall from the airplane. My friends zapped my wings off my back as they practiced new spells.”
Kiyota choked while gulping down the milk. “I don’t believe this…”
Jin smiled. “Why not, Kiyota-san?”
Kiyota spluttered. “I don’t know…angels don’t exist…”
Jin’s smile grew wider. “One is sitting right before you.”
Kiyota glared at the figure before him. “Prove it.”

Laughing, Jin set down the mug of milk and walked towards the window. “I won’t Kiyota-san. If you believe me, believe. If you don’t believe in what I say, I have nothing to say. Nothing can change your mind…but…” Jin turned around and flashed Kiyota another lovely beam. “…You do believe, don’t you?” Kiyota shook his head frantically. “No…I…”
Walking off to rinse the mug, he whispered a soft, “Thank you.”

“Three months of mopping the grounds of heaven. Cleaning of toilets and extra work. More rain, more love, more war…” The Queen Angel rattled off.
“More flowers, Yev?” Yolande grinned cheekily.
“More bees.”
Yolande’s face fell.

Shiro stared hard at the Queen Angel, fingering the ends of her dress. “Why do we angels need toilets, Yev?”
Yev stared hard at Shiro. “Don’t your relief yourself?”
Yolande piped in. “We pee down to the Earth as acid rain.”

Jin was standing by his room’s window staring out at the falling snow as Kiyota walked in without knocking. “Hey…” Jin smiled. Kiyota glanced at him and blurted out. “Are you really an angel?”
Jin nodded. “Aye…”
Kiyota stared hard. “What kind of angel?”
“Angel of Joy.” Jin smiled, walking towards Kiyota and placing a warm hand on Kiyota’s left cheek. “I can make people happy.”

Kiyota blushed and pulled Jin’s hand away. “Oyasumi!” He then rushed off, shutting the door.
Jin stared after him then smiled softly. “Shiro is playing with her arrows ne? What a sweet boy…”
Outside, Kiyota glanced at the shut door. He breathed a sigh of relief. With no reason, he was getting uncomfortable and heated. Maybe its that room, he hardly ever entered it. Then he smiled. What a nice boy…angel…

He had never met an angel. He believed that almost nobody did. He knew it’s impossible, but somehow, he felt drawn to Jin. Felt that he should believe him. As, in a way, maybe it was his smile, or his actions, or the lovely way he looked standing next to the window watching the snow. But he’s irresistible.
He’s an angel.

Jin sat in the middle of the backyard where he landed the day before when the sun just rose the next day. It’s almost a miracle to be down on Earth, meeting such a lovely boy. He glanced up at the sun and almost saw the glare of the Queen Angel as she controlled it. He smiled as it was nice to be down on Earth when he could see almost everything happening up above. Once or twice he saw a few angels looking down at him. He even thought he saw a mop poking through the clouds.

It was another lovely day with the snow still falling. The snow was getting thicker but he was not at all cold. He held out his hand and watched the snowflakes fall on his outreached palm. Soft and white. He heard the front door slammed and turned around, grinning at the yawning Kiyota. “Ohayo.”

Kiyota glanced at him. “You sure is up early.”
Jin chuckled. “I didn’t sleep a wink.”
Kiyota sat down beside Jin. “Why? Bed not comfortable?”
Jin shook his head. “Angels don’t sleep.” Then he chuckled, thinking of Rukawa. “Angels do sleep, just that they don’t need them.”
Kiyota gave Jin another I-don’t-believe-all-this stare and asked. “Are you as young as you looked?”
Jin could only reply, “I may be older than I look.”

Kiyota sighed. “You don’t answer to the point.” Before Jin could answer, Kiyota stood up and lifted his head. “The snow is too heavy to play basketball today.”
Jin chuckled. “Then find a place with no snow to play.”
Kiyota raised his eyebrows and laughed. “You humor me.”
“That wasn’t meant to be a joke…” Jin smiled. “After all, I am the Angel of Joy.”

A comfortable silence continued as they watched the snow fell around them. Nothing to say, nothing to get uncomfortable about, just enjoying each other’s presence.
“You play basketball, Kiyota-san?” Jin suddenly asked, hugging his legs to his chest. “Do you play good?”
Kiyota glanced at him from the corner of his eye and hugged his legs to his chest too without noticing his action. “I play good. I’m a great player.”
Jin smiled. “That’s good. I love it too.”

That caught Kiyota’s attention. Damn, everything Jin said caught his attention. But that remark was something that made him curious. “They actually have basketball up there?”
Jin shook his head. “No, I watch it from above.”
Kiyota nodded. “Oh, that makes sense.”
Jin looked at him with his soft brown eyes. “Do anything I say make sense to you?”

Kiyota stared straight ahead, then, softly, said. “In a way, I do believe, as I think you will not lie to me. I don’t know why either…but…just felt so. It’s a strange feeling, thinking that an angel lives in your house in the next room, almost as though I was dreaming. No, I never dreamt so either. Yet, I had the feeling that I was not dreaming, and I was lucky to have met you.” He stopped and turned to meet Jin’s eyes. “The truth and nothing but the truth.”

Jin cocked his head. “Maybe its fate.” Then he glanced back up and mumbled something like, “Those two might have done me good, I might never know.”
Kiyota then stood up. “If you want breakfast, then come with me.” With that, he disappeared behind the door.
Jin gave a wide smile and whispered, “Thank you.”

Yolande sat at the end of a fluffy white cloud, dangling a mop about four times her size in the air. Her wings fluttered a little then turned to her twin, who was sitting on another cloud nearby, buried in yet another spell book.
“Twinnie, that Jin!”

Shiro looked up and fluttered to Yolande’s cloud, holding the book tight. “Ne…it is…” Then, she opened her book and buried herself in it again.
Yolande stared thoughtfully. “Twinnie, have you been playing with your love arrows?”
That caught Shiro’s attention. She sat up straight, cleared her throat and spoke. “What makes you think so, Twinnie?”
Yolande gave a cheeky smile. “I know…after all, we are twins…”

The duo peered down and turned to look at each other then broke into a song. “You’re my special angel, show me the way…”
They then grinned.

Jin stared at the back of Kiyota as he hurried around to make breakfast. Clumsily. Chuckling, Jin asked. “Have you ever made breakfast before, Kiyota-san?”
Kiyota stopped and turned around. Beet red. “No…you can see it?”
Jin chuckled. “A blind man would know.”
Kiyota blushed even redder.

Jin walked over to Kiyota and gently pulled the pots and pans away from Kiyota. “I’ll do it. You go take a rest.” Then, he smiled. “Don’t look so down, its normal that a man can’t cook. You’re not abnormal.”
Kiyota nodded and walked into his room.

Jin grinned. “Cute.” And proceeded to whip up four nicely cooked eggs, four healthy sausages and everything one needs for a breakfast. Very healthy. He was just setting two tall glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice when Kiyota walked out of his room, his hair pulled up into a neat ponytail. He smiled at Jin. “Thank you.”
Jin held out the utensils to Kiyota and grinned. “I’m just doing my part.”

They sat down and began eating quietly when Kiyota suddenly asked. “Why can’t you fly back up if you fell down?”
Jin beamed. “You want me to go back?”
Kiyota stopped. “No, that was not what I meant. Its just…”
Jin cut him off. “Have some more bacon…”
Kiyota stared. “Thank you. But…”
“Why would I want to live down here when I could be enjoying up there?” Jin continued for him, chewing on a piece of fresh tomato.
Kiyota nodded. “Exactly.”

Jin sighed. “My friends zapped my wings off.”
Kiyota chuckled. “Purposely?”
“Accidentally.”

Kiyota roared with laughter. “How dumb.”
Above, the twins were sneezing away.

Jin smiled. “They are mischievous things.”


Kiyota grinned. “Cute. If you are the Angel of Joy, What are they?” Jin chuckled, drinking down his juice, then paused. “One of them is Yolande. She’s a Twin Chibi Angel of Flowers and Rain.”
“Chibi?” Kiyota frowned.
“Super deformed. Something like a kid. Very small. The other is Shiro. She’s a Twin Chibi Angel of Love and War.”
Kiyota blushed bright red. “Love?”
Jin nodded. “She likes playing with her arrows. She might have shot us for all we know.”
Kiyota blushed redder. “Oh…”

A long silence continued as they tried to hide their embarrassment, in Kiyota’s case, and studied the cute blush on the others’ cheek, in Jin’s case.
“Do you think…” Jin asked.

Kiyota looked up, eyes wide, his cheeks still blushing a little. “Yes?”
Jin searched deep into his eyes. “Can I call you Nobunaga?”
Kiyota nodded quickly, bending his head, refusing to meet Jin’s eyes.

Jin smiled, leaning back on his chair. “That’ll be nice. I wonder what Shiro is playing with now?”
Up above, Shiro started sneezing hard, and her arrows dropped.

Jin smile grew wider, knowing what just happened up there.
Kiyota blushed. “Studying?”
Jin chuckled and stood up. “We don’t study.”

The proceeded to stare into each other’s eyes, then Kiyota stood up. “I have to go school now.”
“University?”
Kiyota nodded. “Hai. I’ll be back for dinner.”
Jin nodded, clearing the plates. “I’ll be waiting.”
They stared at each other again.
Then Kiyota slammed the door hurriedly.
Jin smiled.

The twins suddenly felt their ears being pulled. They were then lifted. Then they started wailing when they saw who it was. “Lizzz!”
Lizzz dropped them and plopped between them, beaming. “Ohayo!”
The twins sighed and peered down once more.
Lizzz scowled. “Don’t ignore me.”
Yolande then proceeded to clamp Lizzz’s mouth shut.
“Shhh…” Shiro placed a finger to her lips. “Don’t disturb.”
Lizzz peered down. “Oh, isn’t that Jin?”
Yolande nodded. “Ne…with a guy called Kiyota.” She pointed at Shiro. “Shiro shot her love arrow at them.”
Lizzz felt her eyes grew wide. “But Yev…”
Shiro shrugged. “She doesn’t know yet.”
“She doesn’t need to know.” Yolande piped in.
Standing up, Lizzz arranged her long metallic blue-green dress and hovered in the sky. “I’ll go distract her.”

The twins only nod, not caring.

Lizzz flew off, searching for a lazing Yev. “Where, where is she?”
Then she spotted the Queen Angel, once again with a wineglass in her left hand. “Yev!”
Yev looked up. “O, Child Angel of Ocean. Do not rush.”

Lizzz stomped. “I must, I must…the sea creatures are having a fight I can’t stop!”
Yev sighed. “That was your job, Lizzz. But since, I’m the Queen Angel with the greatest power, I must help.”
With that, the duo flew off, away from the twins and their games.

It was almost boring down here, but he felt nothing of that sort. He felt blessed. He was contented. Wondering when his wings will grow back. Maybe in a week or two, but he hoped it won’t be so soon.
Fingering, the collar of the black silk shirt Kiyota lent to him, he smiled. Once again, the same thought ran through his mind and the same image too. “Nobunaga…” He whispered, holding out his finger to draw a heart on the window’s condensation. Then he drew a pair of wings on the heart. Then he stopped.
Angels are not supposed to fall in love with mortals. He sighed. But he could not help it. How could one possibly not fall in love with such a sweet young handsome boy? At least, that was what he thinks. The sun was setting, and once again, he could almost see Yev glaring down at him again. Jin grinned apologetically and shrugged. Then mouthed, “I have to wait for my wings to grow back.”

Lightning struck.
Jin sighed. “Yolande, please. I have to go back some day.”
More lightning.

Jin turned away. Then he heard the door slam. He turned around again, a smile plastered on his face. “You’re back.”

Kiyota glanced at him and blushed. Nodding, he opened his room door and walked in, then stopped. "Jin…”
“Mmm…?”
“Do you feel the same way I do for you?” Kiyota blushed, forcing himself to meet Jin’s soft warm brown eyes.
Jin smiled. “Depends. How do you feel?”
“I…” Kiyota stammered. “I have feelings for you.”
“What kind of feelings?” Jin sat down on a nearby chair. “Hatred?”

Kiyota shook his head quickly. “No I…” Then he stopped, his face falling. “You despise me, Jin?”
Jin smiled. “That’s the exact opposite for what I felt for you.”
Kiyota blushed, mumbling something like, “I’m glad.”
Jin sighed. “I don’t like to hide my feelings. I sort of like you, Nobunaga, although the time we spent together are short.”

Kiyota smiled a little, looking away to hide his blush. “Shiro’s playing huh?”

A swarm of bees buzzed outside the window then disappear, followed by Yolande’s voice wailing, “But Yev said more bees!”
Shiro’s voice replied wisely, “Not in winter.”

“Both the twins, I’ll say.” Jin said, standing up and moving towards Kiyota. He cupped Kiyota’s chin in his warm hands and he stared hard into the latter’s eyes, searching for the tiniest hint of affection.. “I like you and lets cherish the time we have now…before…before I go back to where I belong…”

Kiyota stared deep into his eyes and nodded dumbly. He then closed his eyes and rested his head on Jin’s strong shoulder.

2001(c) Yolande .