Chapter 34 - Pity

Iris

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He'd wanted to say things. Wanted to try and reason with him, to try and explain. To make him understand, to be able to understand himself.
Valkyre had thought himself immune to others' pain, to others' suffering, seeing it all the time all around him, leaving him with an empty core, jaded.
But he found that he did care. He didn't want to fight, didn't want to have to kill again. Corryn and him, they were both after the same thing, the same goal... weren't they? Why couldn't it be done in peace, for once...?
But, of course, nothing ever happened that way.
Corryn lunged forward, bared teeth flashing white through the dirt-smeared face and the tangled hair. The angel shoved Iris back against the wall, keeping himself between the two as he blocked the boy from the first blow.
Corryn's rough fingernails dug straight through Valkyre's arm, small smears of black blood leaking out around the edges. The angel pushed himself away from the wall, immediately jerking his head back to avoid the fingers of the free hand that sought to tear at his face, seizing the moment afterwards to send the other crashing to the ground with a kick in the torso.
Valkyre tore off his seal, in the same movement crouching down and and pulling out the blade strapped to his boot. Corryn was fast, he knew that now, and he couldn't just fight him bare-handed, unfair though it may seem.
The angel looked up, but saw nothing except the black tunnel stretching away in front of him, gaping. He darted to his feet, whirling around, only to face nothingness again.
The crumble of dirt was the only thing that saved him as Corryn suddenly dropped onto him from above, snarling, teeth snapping in front of the angel's face. Valkyre struck out with the blade, feeling it bite through skin and flesh even as he tumbled to the ground, something painful ripping at his side, small grainy pebbles turned to sharp corners of flint as they dug into his back and bare skin.
The angel jerked to the side, flaring wide his wings, just managing to throw the other off of him. He darted to his feet, drawing his wings in around himself, a hand running over his left side coming away slicked with dark blood. The smell of it burned his mouth and tongue, burned red into his vision.
Valkyre struck with the blade as Corryn lunged forward again, but the other twisted away, a blow meant for the neck only grazing off of the shoulder. The angel flared out a wing in counter, the full weight of it catching the other straight in the chest and sending him to the ground again, dark feathers rustling quietly as they pinned the other down for a moment, then backed away.
Valkyre took the chance to catch a breath, free hand clutching at the torn wound in his side, mentally trying to push away the pain. Corryn remained still, lying sprawled out on the ground.
Slowly, cautiously, the angel stepped closer, frowning. He doubted that he could've defeated him so easily, even if the other had suffered a broken rib or two; it still didn't seem enough to stop him, seeing the power he'd possessed earlier.
He was right. Almost directly over Corryn's still form, the golden-black eyes snapped open as he twisted to life, striking low at the angel's legs so the other had to jump backwards, set off guard.
Corryn darted to his feet, leaping forwards. Valkyre was already prepared for it though, crouched low on the ground, and the blade flashed in the darkness.
There was the sickeningly wet sound of organs ripping, of blood splattering on the ground. Corryn's eyes went blank, body still.
The angel stared up the bare hilt of the blade, seeing the flat steel end split apart the flesh of the other's stomach, the tapered, sharp tip blackened with blood peeking out from the other end of the body.
Valkyre breathed out a slow, shuddering breath. Above him, Corryn choked in a likewise attempt, blood splattering and leaking between his lips. His head drooped, gaze coming down to stare into the dark violet, his own fading, dulled.
"...I'm sorry..."
Valkyre's voice cracked as he spoke it, so breathy it almost couldn't be heard, drowned out by the silence and the muffled dripping of blood.
The other rasped for breath again, flecks of blood and spit dripping from his chin. "...Valky..."
The angel looked up, fingers still clenched too tightly over the handle of the blade, his amethyst eyes searching for through the golden, black-flecked eyes.
"Valkyre... ...you..."
Quick, broken breaths shuddering from his form. "...Huh... ah..."
In utter shock, he watched as the cracked and bloodied lips split, curling back into a grimacing smile, showing red-stained teeth.
The angel slowly found the eyes again, tearing his gaze away from the silently mocking, rasping mouth.
Corryn's eyes were startling, suddenly flooded black on black, showing absolutely nothing, reflecting no light, boring down into him.
The smile split wider, and drops of blood fell onto Valkyre's face, hot and salty as they dripped down his cheeks. His voice came out raspy and hoarse, but impossibly clear and strong.
"...My turn, archangel."
He hissed with surprise as cold, clammy hands grasped his own, blackened fingernails digging into his skin. The blade bit deeper through flesh and tissue as the other pulled himself closer, fresh blood splashing to the crumbling ground, steel length humming as it passed the body and met the faint light outside again, stained in new black blood.
Corryn snarled, shoving himself closer, fingers grabbing and digging into the angel's neck and shoulders, slashing suddenly at his face, at the exposed skin.
Valkyre twisted himself away, flaring his wings as he managed to work a leg up, kicking the other away. The blade ripped out of the body, falling with a muted clang to the ground, forgotten. Corryn stumbled to his feet, still baring his twisted, grimacing smile, unminding of the leaking blood spilling from his torso.
The angel drew a smaller blade as the other, unbelievingly, darted forward again, black eyes burning into him, never leaving his face. His movements were still quick, showing no sign of the wound he'd just gained. The shorter blade bit deeply across the other's collarbone, but Corryn didn't even seem to feel it, batting aside the dagger and colliding into the angel, sending the two crashing to the ground.
Valkyre tried to push him off, but the other latched on to him tightly, fingers curling in around his neck, teeth snapping milimeters in front of the angel's face, blood splattering everywhere. Valkyre gritted his teeth, then worked up his hand to the other's body, fumbling around to find the weeping, ripped wound. His fingers slipped through the blood and fluid, but he found the tear in the flesh and his nails dug into the soft interior, prying apart the fresh, sensitive skin.
Pain. He needed to get Corryn to wake to the pain, to break out of his pure fury and rage.
In response, the other smiled at him, chuckling wheezily.
And then he leaned down, ignoring the fingers now crushed between his own body and the one beneath him, and he sank his teeth into Valkyre's shoulder.
The angel screamed, the blows he struck onto the other to no avail, unphasing the gleaming lifeless black eyes and the claw-like hands still scratching, tearing at his skin, the crushing jaws twisting at the fibers in his shoulder, setting his body afire, destroying all other thought.
And then, suddenly, the weight over his body was pulled off, and his failing scream was drowned out by another, much worse shrieking, fingers dug into his body twitching, breaking their grasps.
Valkyre dragged his body back, pulling his bloodied hand free, tearing the scrabbling fingers away from himself. He blinked the blood from his eyes, staring.
Corryn was writhing, howling senselessly, eyes staring upwards at nothingness, face contorted in pain. Pale, thin arms clutched each other across his chest, Iris' pale face showing just over the other's shoulder, eyes squeezed shut, small, frail body holding tightly to the other's form, as if a frail branch could hold back a flood.
Valkyre breathed out raggedly, only barely aware of himself trying to stumble to his feet, bloodied hand fumbling inside his jacket for another blade.
Corryn's shriek turned to a weak, hoarse cry, his body slumping. He shuddered, hands closing around the wound over his torso, as if just realizing its existence for the first time.
Pain. He'd felt it again. Iris had brought it back to him.
Corryn whirled around, ripping the boy's frail grip away from him, shoving him onto the ground below himself, his fingers leaving merciless red crescents in the white flesh.
"Why?!?"
His voice was a snarl, blood staining the boy's white skin and dirty-white shirt, eyes flashing in the dark, enraged. They were as before again, golden with retreating, fading black.
"Stop it."
Corryn jerked his head around to face Valkyre, but he was too slow, dragged down by the wounds and the sudden weakness that had overtaken him.
The long, tapered blade split through between his ribs, just barely grazing his spine, pinning him down into the ground, the blade tip embedded in the crumbling earth less than an inch from Iris' muddied, blood-stained shirt.
Corryn cryed out hoarsely in pain again, ignored as the angel dragged the boy away from him, holding the frail form closely to himself.
Iris seemed not to feel it, small hand grasping Corryn's twitching, tanned wrist. The boy's face was still expressionless, a small exhale from his pale lips as if he wanted to say something.
The other stared back blankly through clouded golden eyes, mouth opening and closing listlessly, gaping, breathing raspy, uneven.
The hands fell apart. Valkyre drew the boy closer to himself, own hands trembling as he touched Iris' arms and shoulders, checking to make sure that he wasn't hurt.
"Are you... all right?"
The boy nodded faintly in response, closing his eyes.
"Val... kyre..."
The angel stared beyond Iris at the limp, still form. Corryn's eyes stared back at him blankly, blearily. "...What did you... do to... him...?"
Valkyre's eyes fell with the other's on the boy's arm, where the black coils of the snake showed darkly against the pale skin. The angel opened his mouth, but he didn't know what to say.
"...Helping."
Iris' voice was soft, soothing in the rasping, burning silence. He had a calm, content look on his face, gentle smile touching his lips. "He's helping me," he murmured quietly.
Corryn's eyes wend wide for a moment, ringed in white. "...What...?"
Valkyre exhaled slowly, then rose slowly to his feet, pulling Iris up with him. He didn't kow what to say, too numbed by what'd just happened, unable to think clearly. But Corryn was immobile now, and he, they, needed to escape. Now.
"No..."
The other's form trembled, shuddering. He seemed to curl up onto himself, still run through by the blade, eyes frantic, pained, begging.
"Don't tell me... ...you, you..."
Corryn's voice was cracking, weakening into whispers, senseless mutterings to himself.
"...Do everything... did everything just to... ...no..."
Valkyre tried to force his feet to move, tried to step away. Iris leaned over, reaching out his hand as if to touch the other, but his own fingers were trembling, shaking.
"...Don't... no help... ...don't pity me, I don't want it..."
Corryn wasn't seeing them anymore, wasn't even able to focus on Iris, gray-white figure before him, small thin fingers extended as if to help, to pull him to his feet, though he couldn't possibly stand.
"Don't tell me it was all because of pity... ...I don't want it..."
His eyes were unfocused, blood leaking unnoticed from his lips, staining his face and the sticky ground beneath.
The small hand reached for him again, and he saw them. He snarled, spitting, lashing out, unable to truly move, still impaled to the ground.
"No! Don't touch me!" It ended in a feral snarl, the golden-black eyes flashing in the dark, clawing at nothingness, soil crumbling between his fingertips.
He hissed and spat, eyes wild, desperate. Hurt and crushed inside, broken.
Valkyre drew Iris back to himself, holding the boy close, feeling the shuddering, scared breaths, feeling the pain inside. Something ruined, snapped.
Wordlessly, the angel pulled himself and Iris away, stumbling down the tunnel, leaving behind the senseless mumblings, and, eventually, the soft, muffled crying.
Alone and together, the two stepped into the silent, cold moonlight.

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AN: Man, I suck. ^^; Fav charries are bashed about quite frequently, I'm sorry to say, and I seem to end up doing it a lot. Eheh.
I also have that thing for non-pity, though I love pitying charries, I'm guessing they don't like it. And I don't really like chars that just BEG for pity, y'know?
But lemme tell ya- it hurts like hell to be hit by a wing, of any bird. O_O I got hit by a goose's wing once, I had a bruise on meh leg for a week. ;_; So never underestimate wings. Yupyup. ::nods solemnly::
Well, another chappie up. If I can keep this up [as this is spring break and my CHANCE to finally get in some more work] I'll finally be able to get on [decently] with the plot! XD
Thanks for all of teh help, and the comments! New commenters are also always welcome too, but just please comment so I know you're there!! :3
We're finally moving on. :) An' don't worry, Corryn ain't gone. He can't be that cool [by my standards] and only last one [long] scene! ^____^-
And now I bow and apologize profusely for my over-use of the brackets. X)
Thanks for reading, and see you next time!

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