SINIESTRO

Chapter Five

I looked around and panicked as the two angels tied me to a cross in the center of a large crowd.
"N..No wait this is a misunderstanding!"
I struggled and whimpered in fear. One of the angels grabbed two gallons of holy water.
"You'll drink one and bathe in the other, understand?"
I whimpered and nodded as the crowd started to throw things at me.
"That evil witch should be cleansed!"
I looked around and hung my head low.
"Then we will punish you and cleanse you again."
I shivered as the second angel pushed a tray near me with plyers, a power saw, iron, and other items.
"Don't worry it'll be over soon."
The angel's cut off my clothes and poured the holy water over my body, they forced me to drink the second gallon of holy water. It tasted awful, I threw up half of it only to be beaten and to drink two times the amount I threw up. They decided to beat me with an iron whip. It seared my skin and made me shed blood. The agonizing pain was too much, but I knew if I cried out in pain my punishment would become worse. They then picked up the cross where I hung and flew into the air with it. They came to a pit full of boiling iron.
"N..NO NO PLEASE DON'T!"
"It's necessary, if you were touched by a demon you must cleanse your skin, by burning every layer the demon touched."
I shivered and started to cry. They lowered the cross into the iron, The burning sensation in my body slowly making its way up to my head. I couldn't help but scream in pain. Once I was fully submerged I started to choke and I felt the last bit of air withdraw from my lungs. They tugged the cross out of the iron and stood it up upon the crowd to see. I coughed up the iron as it burned my throat and took a deep breath.
"B....Burn in hell... ALL OF YOU BURN IN HELL!"
One of the angels slapped me across the face and I yelped.
"My, my, the poor angel has lost her mind, she speaks such terrible things to her brothers and sisters, yet she's too weak to even fight us."
Once they unchained me from the cross I dropped to the ground and wheezed for air. My wings sprouted from my back and flapped as I tried to make a break for it. One of the angels stomped on one of my wings and I cried out.
"S...Stop it! P...Please!"
They lifted their foot and I scrambled away from them falling into the crowd of people. They all looked down at me and started to stomp on me, kick me, punch me, rip my limbs off. I screamed and cried as my blood rained down on the people in the crowd, they cheered with joy as I took my last breath. Then my world went black, and I died...
.................................................................................
My eyes fluttered open and I looked around, I was in the same place..but the crowd was gone. My arms and legs were reconnected to my body like nothing ever happened. The only things left to prove that it did happen where the scars coating my flesh, the bruises and the broken bones. One of the angels picked me up and I whimpered, they walked me over to a bathtub and set me in it, scrubbing off the blood on my body.
"We're not done cleansing you."
I nodded and started to drink the holy water the angel handed me. After I drank all the water the angel let me soak in the bath. I sat there in silence as I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my wings around my frail body. Once the angel left I got out of the tub and flew back down to my home, I tumbled onto the street and got up weakly walking inside my apartment and falling to the ground.
"Naoko?!"
Damian picked me up and examined my body, he saw the scars and whip marks and his eyes darkened.
"WHO DID THIS?!"
Ravenna shrugged and Armmaryllis looked at me worried.
"A...Armmaryllis can you heal her or something?!"
"Y...Yes give me a second."
Her astral form vanished and she soon reappeared and rushed over to me.
"Armmaryllis you're not allowed to leave your astral form!"
"Ravenna, she needs our help!"
Armmaryllis put her hands on my scars and started to heal them. She watched as my body tensed up and she waited for my scars to heal. Damian looked down at my face and brushed his thumb against my cheek and whispered.
"I'm sorry..."
Once Armmaryllis finished healing me she turned to Damian.
"Get her in bed and do not leave her side."
He nodded and walked upstairs with me cradled in his arms and he laid me down in bed gently.
"You'll be ok..."
He laid down beside me and watched as I curled up in his chest and whimpered. He stroked my hair and stared down at me worried. Armmaryllis started to cook us dinner and sighed softly.
"Armmaryllis that was unacceptable you can't just go around helping everyone you meet!"
"She needed my help and I gave it, I'm one of their guardian angels, they need me."
"There you go, acting all calm and cool! You care about them don't you?!"
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't."
She stirred some vegetables in a pan and put some steak in the pan.
"Now, let me finish dinner, and if you want to help get out of my hair."
Ravenna glared at her and vanished. I started to gain consciousness and looked up at Damian with a tear stained face.
"Oh Naoko you're awake!"
He hugged me tightly and sighed softly, relieved almost.
"I was worried....who did that to you?"
I looked up at him and tried to speak but was too terrified to talk, all I could say was his name.
"...D...Dam..Damian..."
I whimpered and started to cry. He panicked and hugged me gently.
"Shh it's ok..."
I hugged him tightly and whimpered in his chest.
"Here wait I know what will calm you down."
He got out of bed and walked off to the bathroom. I started to sob and I reached out to him.
"D..Damian ....n..no lea..leave..."
He turned back to me and gently picked me up then walked me to the bathroom and started to light candles and draw a warm bath. I hugged his arm and looked in the tub shivering.
"N...No... no bath...."
"I'll be with you the whole time, you don't have to be scared."
He gently ruffled my hair and set me in the warm water. I panicked and started to hyperventilate. He saw me panicked, then took off his clothes and got in the tub across from me.
"I'm right here don't worry."
I cried and hugged him, I felt his body temperature rise as he started to wash my hair.
"T..They hurt me..."
"Who did? I'll kill them for you and banish them to hell."
"A...Angels...."
He frowned as he rinsed my hair, making sure the soapy water didn't get in my eyes.
"Can you please give me a name of some sort?"
I shook my head and leaned into his chest.
"Why'd they hurt you?"
"T....They said it was b....because a demon t...touched me...that I h...had to be cleansed..."
He stopped and looked down at me.
"It was my fault you got hurt...."
"N...No it's their fault...they're too strict....d...don't blame y...yourself."
He nodded and had a distant look in his eye as he washed my body.
"D...Damian I'm sorry...."
"About what? You did nothing wrong..."
"I'm sorry I worried you...."
"You don't need to apologize for that."
He rinsed off my body and helped me out of the tub. He dried me off then handed me one of his shirts and gave me a small smile. I got dressed in his shirt and some pajama pants.
Armmaryllis came in with dinner on two trays and smiled sadly.
"How are you Naoko?"
"I feel a lot better thanks to you..."
I walked over to her and hugged her.
"Thank you...."
She smiled and gently wrapped her arms around me.
"Anytime, that's why I'm here."
I nodded and sat down in bed, Damian handed me a tray of food and took one for himself. I ate silently and Armmaryllis handed Damian a small cup with meds in it.
"Make sure she takes those ok?"
He nodded and looked over at me and handed them to me. I sighed and took them quickly. Damian turned to his food and inhaled it, then licked his plate clean.
"That was delicious, thank you Armmaryllis."
She nodded and took his tray and walked downstairs. I stared at my food and hugged myself as I started to scratch at my arms.
"Hey eat, you need it."
I looked up at Damian and sighed. He gently wiped the tears from my face and picked up my fork, trying to feed me a bite of steak. I turned my head away and he pressed the fork against my cheek.
"Common you gotta eat, and you don't wanna eat cold steak do you?"
I shook my head and turned to him and opened my mouth. He put the fork in my mouth and I chewed up the food and winced.
"Did they hurt your jaw?"
I nodded and put a hand on my jaw and tried to heal it. After most of the pain went away I took the fork from his hand and ate quietly. He gazed at me and kissed my temple, a small smile appeared on my face, which was odd. But his cold lips were comforting, I leaned on his shoulder and sighed.
"What else does the world have in store for us?"
"I'm not sure, but hopefully it's nice and calm."
"I doubt that but sure lets hope."
He took my empty tray and set it aside and pulled me into his strong yet gentle arms. I pressed my warm face onto his cold chest and relaxed.
"Get some sleep ok?"
"I don't think I can sleep after that..."
Armmaryllis took my tray and looked over at me sadly and whispered to Damian.
"Please keep a close eye on her, she's gonna be traumatized after that..."
He nodded and held me close. I gripped his shirt and nuzzed in his neck as I tried to calm down. He kissed my head and hummed softly. I relaxed in his arms and dozed off to sleep.
.................................................................................
I awoke in a cold sweat and looked around, panicked and started to cry. Damian sat up and hugged me tightly.
"Shhhh I'm right here..."
I whimpered and sobbed in his chest as he ran his hands through my hair.
"Why don't we go to the park?"
I shook my head.
"Ok what about the dock? It has a wonderful view this time in the morning."
I gave a small nod and he smiled.
"Alright let's get going."
I got out of bed and followed him downstairs.
"W...Wait...I have to go to work..."
He sighed and looked down.
"Fine...but when you get back we have to watch the sun set ok?"
I nodded and walked back upstairs to get dressed for the day. I put on another baggy shirt and a pair of jeans. I grabbed my purse and walked downstairs.
"Hey Naoko, eat breakfast first!"
Armmaryllis yelled. I waved at her as I left for work and sighed softly looking up at the sunrise. When I walked into the small flower shop I was greeted by Gabriel with two cups of coffee and two bagels.
"Good morning Miss Naoko."
He said with a smile.
"G..Good morning... you can just call me Naoko..."
"Ah ok Naoko, I brought you some breakfast in case you didn't eat."
"Thanks..."
I took the coffee and the bagel from him and walked off to set up the shop. I put my apron and name tag on and turned on the open light in the window. I watered some plants and took a few bites of my bagel, but I finished every last drop of my coffee."
As customers started to fill in I got right to work taking care of their needs and earned a few more bucks by selling more items from his store. All was going well until a lady stomped up to the front desk.
"Who the hell sold me this plant?!"
I raised my hand and sighed.
"I did ma'am, what seems to be the problem?"
"I dropped it and I want a refund!"
"Uh...I...I'm sorry ma'am I don't think I can do tha.."
"SHUT UP YOU VILE SNAKE I WANT TO SPEAK TO YOUR MANAGER!"
I flinched and teared up gripping my apron and walked off to Gabriel.
"S...Sir.... some Karen lady wants to speak to...y..you.."
"Tell her I'm busy with another customer."
I nodded and walked back to the lady.
"M....Ma'am...h...he's busy with a..another customer..."
"I'M SORRY WHAT?!"
"H...He's..."
I choked up on my tears as a few fell down my cheeks, I quickly wiped them and looked up at the lady.
"I DON'T CARE IF HE'S BUSY GET YOU ASS UP AND GET HIM!"
"M...Ma'am I...I can't.."
"DO IT ANYWAYS!"
"Excuse me Naoko? Can you help that young girl over there?"
I looked up at Gabriel and nodded then walked over to the small girl.
"ARE YOU THE MANAGER?!"
"Yes I am ma'am and I'm going to ask you to please leave."
"WHAT WHY?!"
"Because you yelled at my co-worker and you were terribly rude, now you can apologize and stay, or leave, either way you're an arrogant bitch."
The woman gasped and stormed out.
"T...Thank you sir...."
Gabriel nodded and smiled at me. The little girl looked up at me and wiped my tears with a small handkerchief.
"O...Oh... thank you."
The girl smiled and held my hand.
"Can you help me find sunflowers?"
I nodded and walked her over to the sunflowers.
"How many would you like?"
"Two please! Me and papa are visiting momma in the hospital today and these are her favorite flower!"
"Well that's very sweet of you."
I got her two flowers and wrapped them up for her.
"Ah wait! Can you wrap them separately."
"Oh yes my mistake sorry."
"It's ok!"
She smiled as I wrapped them again and handed them to her.
"They're on the house, you don't have to pay."
"Really?!"
I smiled and nodded. I watched as the girl held out a flower.
"What are you doing?"
"Giving you one!"
"Oh you don't have to.."
"Yes I do! You were crying today and gifts make people smile!"
I smiled and gently took the flower from her hand and chuckled.
"Thank you sweetheart..."
She hugged my leg and I knelt down to her level. She looked up at me and smiled.
"You're pretty...almost like an angel."
"You're very pretty too, and I thank you for the flower, it made my day a lot better. Be sure to water your mother's flower well ok?"
She nodded and smiled, hugging me once more. I watched the girl leave then turned to Gabriel.
"Take it out of my paycheck."
"No I won't do that, that was very kind of you, plus you had to deal with that bitchy Karen."
I gave him a small smile and nodded.
"Thank you sir."
"No problem."
He looked around the shop, it was almost empty after the busy day we had.
"You can leave early today, I'll clean up tonight."
"R...Really...?"
"Yeah go home and rest."
"T...Thank you..."
I took off my name tag and apron and kissed his cheek, I grabbed my purse and left. Damian was waiting for me outside and I handed him my purse.
"How was work?"
"Pretty shitty until this sweet little girl gave me a flower."
"Ah at least it ended on a positive note."
"Yeah I had to deal with a Karen."
"I don't know what that means but I don't like that name."
"They're horrible beings."
"They sound horrible."
"Hey I'll be right back, I have to visit someone in the hospital."
"Oh alight."
I flew off and looked around the city and spotted a hospital, it had to be this one, it smelt like the girl. I landed on the roof and walked into the hospital following the scent of the girl. I walked into a room and saw her laying in bed asleep with a sickly looking lady. I sat on the edge of the bed and put my hand on her mother's forehead. I began to heal the woman and I watched as her skin went from a pale green to a tan. The little girl began to wake up and she looked up at me and smiled.
"Are you an angel?"
"Yes I am, you're a smart cookie."
The little girl gasped in shock.
"C...Can I touch your wings...?"
She mumbled shyly.
"Sure."
One of my wings moved closer to the girl and she smiled as she began to pet it. I looked down at her and her mom then smiled.
"Your mom should be discharged from the hospital soon."
"Really?!"
I nodded and chuckled as she hugged my wing.
"Your wings are soft and cuddly..."
"Thank you."
After I healed her mother I hugged the girl once more.
"I must go now, I hope to see you and your mother again some day."
"O..Okay b...bye!"
I waved and rolled my shoulders back and my wings shrunk into my back. I walked back out to the roof and jumped off, flying back to Damian and landing next to him at the dock.
"Hey sorry."
"You're ok."
"Ya know you're mom really loves you."
Ravenna stated.
"Don't bring her up."
I gazed off into the water and Damian looked over at me.
"Are you ok?"
"Y...Yeah sorry I kinda...zoned out..."
Ravenna stared at us both and a smirk grew on her face.
"Your mom cares about you."
She stood in front of the edge of the dock, mocking me.
"N..No she doesn't, for eighteen years she'd treated me like shit! Just like my father!"
I stood up with tears brimmed in my eyes and I tried to push Ravenna off the dock.
"I'm still in my astral form retard."
She said with a sly grin as I fell through her and into the cold water.
"I...I can't swim!"
I was submerged into the cold dark abyss. The water consumed me as it started to fill my lungs. The salt water in my eyes made them sting, almost made me go blind. I tried to focus on the surface of the water, I couldn't see anyone. Panic already welled up inside my small body was about to erupt. I shut my eyes tight and tried to hold my breath. Damian pulled me close to him under the water and traveled us to the dock. I coughed and coughed until my throat felt like it was on fire, I shivered and gripped my arms as Damian pulled his jacket around me. I shuttered as I looked at the edge of the dock but Damian turned my face to his.
"Don't look at it...you'll get even more afraid."
I gave a small nod and leaned into his chest.
"Aren't you cold?"
"I'm cold all the time."
"Ya know, you fell in love with the guy that stalked and tortured you right?"
"Stalked...?"
Ravenna nodded and Damian's face grew with worry.
"N...Naoko don't listen to her..."
It started to rain and the sky turned gray.
"Oh yeah, he stalked you just to make you feel horrible about yourself, this is my job Naoko, make you realize the mistake you're making."
"D...Damian is this true...?"
He looked at me with sad eyes.
"D...Do you not remember..."
"A..Apparently not....because I'm so blindly in love with you I forgot the horrible things you did to me..."
Tears built up in my eyes as I looked up at him.
"I...I tried to hurt you before...I...I threw you in hell's flames....B..But I've changed! I...I'll never do it again Naoko p...please..."
"Y...You..."
I took his jacket off and handed it back to him and silently walked home.
"Naoko wait!"
Damian ran up behind me, his footsteps echoing down the street, I turned to him with tears falling down my face and his eyes softened, it was now pouring outside, puddles forming in ditches, and people running inside.
"Naoko don't cry please....I love you....a lot...I can't be myself without you..."
Deep down I wanted to run away from him as far as possible. I shivered and sniffled as he touched my cheek.
"D...Damian just go!"
He stood there shocked at my statement as he slowly let his hand ease off my cheek and I watched as his face saddened, then he turned and disappeared into the fog. I started to cry, cry so much I couldn't breath, sobbing so hard I lost my voice. I did not run, or jog, I walked home, Moping in my own sorrow , my footsteps getting heavier, the fog growing thick. I couldn't see my feet attached to my body and I couldn't see Damian. Damian, the one man that learned to love an outcast always frowned upon never known by many, yet, that didn't matter to him. He was a very simple man that I loved very much. When I got home I grabbed a bottle of Jack and sat down in the kitchen. The alcohol ran down my throat as it already burned, only making the flaming sensation worse. I felt the feeling of mourning , mourning that I wasn't with the one who was the most understanding, that would actually love me for me. I heard Armmaryllis yelling at me and ignored her as I finished the whole bottle and stumbled to the fridge for a second. When I finished the second bottle I trudged upstairs to bed and sobbed. I could feel my body growing sick, but I wouldn't give in until I could see his face once more...