Title: Turning Point [part 2/7]

Author: Enigma

Series: Earthian

Written: May, 2002

Rating: NC-17

Pairings: (Kagetsuya x Chihaya) (Messiah x Chihaya) (Kagetsuya x Chihaya x Messiah)

Category: Yaoi Angst Romance Action Violence Language Threesome Lemon. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net [author: "E-sama the Llama"] ; also at Yanagi-sen's page: http://willownymph.1accesshost.com/www.1accesshost.com/home%20page.htm

Warnings: yaoi, angst, romance, action, graphic violence, excessive bloodshed, rough language, Chihaya-torture, science fiction touches, three-way lemon, friend insertion, AU-OOC. Giftfic for Yanagi-sen.

Spoilers: Contains spoilers for the entire 4 episode OVA series. Note the timeline diverges from that of the anime after Chihaya and Kagetsuya encounter Messiah in the bar in "Final Battle" and is set four months after that point. Also, please note that the author is completely ignorant of the manga series and if he has made errors based on that lack of knowledge, he is deeply apologetic and hopes the reader can still enjoy the story in spite of them.

Disclaimer: "Earthian" is the property of Yun Kouga. All original characters featured herein (including: Willow, Rhino, Hyena, and Gorilla) are © Enigma, 2002, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized and unpaid work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Can a violent turning point in the lives of Kagetsuya, Chihaya, and Messiah help them find a way to blend two couples into a trio while they still have the chance?

*****

Chihaya's ill-considered flight from those that he loved led him to descend from the air into the sacred and calming environs of a rarely visited Shinto-Buddhist temple.

Face wet with tears and eyes reddened from crying while in midair, the dark-haired angel retracted his lustrous ebon wings carefully and felt the familiar sensation of feathers forming back into flesh even as his long tresses shortened to their usual length. After dashing away some of the dampness on his cheeks with the back of a slender hand, he pulled his shirt back on only moderately aware that he had spared himself no end of trouble by avoiding ripping holes in it for his wings.

Once he was fully dressed again, Chihaya allowed himself the luxury of collapsing onto a small bench which rested on a bed of moss beneath a large evergreen tree and staying there for a few minutes. Sitting with his head in his hands and eyes closed, he never heard the soft almost soundless approach of an elderly monk.

"Are you lost, young one?" The bespectacled old man asked gently hoping not to frighten the visitor who was clearly distraught.

Startled, Chihaya glanced up instantly afraid he'd committed a grievous transgression and he jumped to his feet, bowing deeply before the man who wore simple black robes and began apologizing profusely, "Oh, I am so very sorry, sir! I didn't mean to come here if it was forbidden! I'm terribly sorry!"

The man chuckled quietly and placed a wrinkled hand onto the youth's bowed head as if in benediction and reassured him, saying, "No, no, my son, there is no need to apologize. You have broken no taboos here, it is simply rare that anyone takes the time to visit our small shrine. There are so many others that are much larger and more popular with visitors such as yourself. You are quite welcome here."

Innocent amethyst eyes peered around at the serene greenery that concealed some very old wooden buildings and in a softly concerned voice, Chihaya responded, "I'm so glad that it's all right for me to be here. But this is lovely shrine, sir. Why wouldn't people come here?" With a soft smile as he saw a little brown-furred creature peeking out at him from beneath a bush, he added, "I think it's nice that it's so peaceful, though. It gives the animals a place to escape some of the noise of the city, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does," the man smiled and nodded, his aged face a mask of peaceful tranquility as he beckoned to the tiny creature inviting it to come out. As the small mammal Chihaya couldn't quite identify came forth nervously, the monk pulled a small handful of sunflower seeds from a pocket and pressed them into the raven-haired youth's hand carefully so as not to frighten either the boy or the tiny visitor. With a warm smile on his wizened face, he encouraged quietly, "Go, and make a new friend, young one. You look as if you could use one."

The violet-eyed angel glanced quizzically at the monk then a shy smile grew on his face and he nodded slowly before turning towards the tiny brown-furred animal.

Gracefully kneeling down so that he might not seem so large and threatening to the creature, Chihaya placed both hands together cradling the seeds within them and he urged softly, "It's okay, little friend. Would you like to have some seeds?" His feelings of despondency that had eased when the monk interrupted his train of thoughts were now washed away entirely as the small chipmunk-like animal approached cautiously.

Twitching its nose as if to determine if Chihaya really was as safe as he seemed, the creature came closer then stopped in front of him and tilted its head from side-to-side, gazing at him with shimmering brown eyes that seemed to see far more than humans ever did. After a moment or two of consideration, the animal made up its mind and boldly closed the distance before climbing into the angel's cupped hands without fear. Gingerly selecting a plump kernel then munching on it calmly, the animal continued to peer at the angel seemingly unnoticing of the bright gentle smile that spread across the youth's expressive face.

Minutes passed in tranquility as the tiny mammal ate its full while the alien visitor simply beamed delightedly at it and enjoyed the way its tiny claws tickled his palms whenever it moved to select a new treat to nibble on. Eventually, the small ball of fur had eaten its fill and after one last deeply insightful period of gazing at the angel, it hopped off Chihaya's hands and returned to the safety of its nest beneath the bush.

Carefully placing the rest of the seeds close to where the animal had disappeared so that it might have another snack later, Chihaya continued to smile as he said softly, "Did you see that? He sat in my hands and ate as if he and I were old friends. That was wonderful, wasn't it, sir?" When he received no answer, he turned his head to where the elderly monk had been standing and asked in confusion, "Sir? Did you see--?"

Purple eyes blinked rapidly as Chihaya realized that he was quite alone.

"Where did he go?" The angel wondered aloud and then noticed that the only footprints in the moss were his own. With a small frown on his face, he gazed around the area and saw no evidence that the monk had even been there in the first place other than the small pile of sunflower seeds by the bush.

Shaking his head slightly in total confusion, Chihaya sighed and commented to seemingly no one, "What an unusual place this is. I'd like to learn more about this shrine someday." With a small puff of breath that was less than a sigh, he added quietly, "I'll have to get Kagetsuya and Messiah to come here with me sometime. I think this much peace and quiet might do them both some good."

Careful not to disturb the tranquility anymore than he already had, the raven-haired youth made his way through the admittedly small shrine's grounds and found himself once more in the hustle and bustle of Shinjuku many kilometers from his home. He smiled as he usually did when surrounded by the populace of this at times strange planet that his kind referred to as "earthians" and blended easily into them before wandering aimlessly as he enjoyed their smiles and greetings to one another.

Even as Chihaya followed the unknown path that fate had set him on, another smiling face reflected on things for a moment.

In the branches above the moss-covered clearing where a small pile of sunflower seeds rested sat a man who looked almost entirely unlike the elderly monk the black-winged angel had encountered. Despite having one eye missing from a truly regrettable accident of his youth, the young man in the tree was still handsome and somehow radiated peace. Pushing his cone-shaped straw hat back so that it dangled from his neck, he smiled at the tiny animal who came back out and peered up at him as he called down, "Thanks so much for that, friend! I think we cheered him up, no da!" [1]

The brown-eyed creature seemed to nod and if one was prone to flights of fancy, it might even have been seen to smile slightly.

Then, without further explanation, both the mysterious one-eyed man and the small furry animal simply vanished entirely leaving behind no traces that either had ever been present in the first place.

*****

By ten in the morning, Chihaya found himself embarrassed beyond words when his stomach growled loudly and informed him in no uncertain terms that it was hungry.

After clasping a hand to his abdomen as if to silence it as his cheeks burned a light red, the violet-eyed youth soon realized he actually had two problems instead of one. Reaching into first one pocket of his pants, then another, Chihaya felt a touch of panic as he realized he didn't have any cash to use to buy something for a snack.

Relieved when he recalled that Kagetsuya always made him carry a blank check hidden in a fold of his belt for emergencies, Chihaya smiled once more and glanced around at his current location searching for a branch of the bank they used. It had seemed odd at first worrying about money since on Eden it wasn't an issue, but after spending a long time on Earth, the angels were almost as accustomed to it as humans were, a familiarity Messiah had yet to develop.

Taking note of the fairly quiet neighborhood he'd wandered into without paying attention, the raven-haired angel became nervous that he might not find a place to cash a check after all. Then his stomach made noises again right on cue to tell him he either had to find a bank or convince some kind stranger to let him use their phone to call one of his two lovers to come and get him.

Scowling as he recalled the way they had argued over him and spoken as if his preferences didn't matter, Chihaya firmed his expression and silently resolved not to call for Kagetsuya or Messiah to help him. Refocusing on the task at hand, he studiously ignored the ache in his heart that he felt as soon as he realized that he'd never before hesitated for so much as an instant to reach out to the handsome blond who had always been there for him in the past.

Kagetsuya's strong presence had always been a balm to his soul and a shield against the frightening reality of their lives after coming to Earth. The dangers they had faced together seemed countless and memories of confrontations with the greedy and insane threatened to rise up and overwhelm the young angel's mind. So often when all seemed lost for the violet-eyed angel, out of the shadows Kagetsuya would appear, sea-green eyes sparkling with rage and determination as his feet and fists made short work of any and all who would dare to threaten his beloved partner.

Martial arts weren't the only area of expertise the powerful white-winged angel could offer and more often than Chihaya would've liked to admit, without the supportive blonde's presence in his bed before Messiah had joined them, he would have awakened screaming in fear on a regular basis. He had relied on Kagetsuya's warmth to help drive away the dreams that were his worst memories as modified by a guilty conscience. The image of poor Takako being stabbed to death as she protected him was a common one except that in his dreams, she would then turn her head towards him and proclaim Chihaya unworthy of her sacrifice damning him for being a coward and a weakling.

Now, of course, he also had Messiah beside him during the night but the synthetic angel's presence had changed things radically.

After begging his first lover to give his consent to him becoming more than friends with the amber-eyed being by way of asking Kagetsuya to teach Messiah about sex, Chihaya soon discovered the developing rivalry between the two taller beings. Both were possessive of him and individually demanding dominant sexual partners who came to see their frequent love making sessions as their field of competition. The rigors of trying to satisfy them both often left the amethyst-eyed youth far too tired to dream during what few hours he was allowed to lay in peace in their large bed in the first place.

Happily, it wasn't unusual for Chihaya to awaken at odd hours to find one or the other of his lovers quietly plying his body with soft kisses or lightly stroking fingers that sought to offer the kind of gentle caring passion that the black-winged angel truly preferred. Since such tender intimacy was what he needed for his own peace of mind, the raven-haired youth always responded warmly to the attentions even if it meant he would spend the following day in a tired haze. The reason he was only offered the kind of treatment he truly wanted under such odd conditions was that neither of his lovers considered it the best way to prove to his rival that he was the better lover.

The foolishness of men can be boundless at times and, sadly, this particular folly had only added to the growing tension in the air surrounding the three angelic beings.

Forcing aside the dark thoughts about how twisted and dysfunctional the relationships with and between his two beloved partners had become, Chihaya glanced up and saw that he was across the street from a small branch office of the bank they used. Smiling brightly and feeling relieved since the pain in his empty stomach was increasing, he practically trotted over to the building and rushed inside without pausing to note the suspicious lack of friendly greeting he was accustomed to receiving at most places of business in Japan.

After stepping several paces into the bank, the violet-eyed angel froze in place and realized that the situation he now found himself in was terribly wrong.

A group of customers and a teller--all with duct tape across their mouths to keep them silent--were huddled together on the floor in a corner as a large swarthy man with a gun in his hand stood guard over them. Across the room, a wiry looking man held a petite, green-eyed woman in front of him, his strong hands keeping her still by cruelly crushing her arms between them. An enraged man with a long jagged scar on his left cheek stood in front of the black-haired woman whose nametag read "Willow" and identified her as the bank manager. [2]

Before Chihaya could say or do anything, the man with the scar viciously backhanded the woman across the face, drawing blood from a newly torn lip and growling, "I don't give a *damn* about those people over there, bitch! Open the safe or I'll have Gorilla shoot one of them!" [3]

"Like I told you before," she growled, refusing to be afraid of the men who held her fate in their tainted hands, "when you so clumsily disabled the security alarm, you also tripped the timer setting on the lock! The only person who can open it before tomorrow morning is the district manager, idiot! Do you want me to *call* him and ask him to come do that for you?"

Snarling in fury since he hated being reminded that he and his cohorts had fouled up their own robbery attempt from the very beginning, the scarred man backhanded her yet again, opening the cut on her lip further so that a nearly constant stream of bright red blood poured forth. As the sticky crimson fluid dripped from her chin onto her rumpled blouse, he growled, "Shut the fuck up, bitch! I don't believe you anyway!"

The ringleader was about to command the swarthy man to kill one of the captives when a dark-haired blur attacked him.

"Leave her *alone*, you bastard!" Chihaya screamed in righteous anger, flinging himself against him bodily and succeeding in making the much larger man take a step backwards as he battered him ineffectually with his fists.

"Rhino! Look out!" The wiry man shouted to his comrade in belated warning. He considered releasing his prisoner so as to assist the embattled man, but it was almost immediately clear that Chihaya was hopelessly outmatched.

"Who the fuck are *you*, kid?!" Rhino pulled the furious little angel off of him and held him aloft, his powerful hands digging painfully into Chihaya's arms and preventing him from causing any more trouble.

"Put me down!" Amethyst eyes blazing, the raven-haired youth demanded his release. Glaring at the three criminals he added angrily, "Stop hurting these people!"

"'Stop hurting them'?!" The man mocked cruelly, then laughed and twisted his hands so that Chihaya's arms felt as if they were being torn off causing him to scream in agony, then he asked rhetorically, "Why should I?! They're *my* prisoners now and I'll do anything I damned well want to with them, won't I, Hyena?"

The wiry man laughed and nodded even as the woman in his arms glared angrily at them both and wondered if there was anything she could do to aid her would-be savior who was clearly in a lot of pain, then answered, "Sure you can, boss! In fact, why not show the little punk what ya mean?" With a harsh laugh he shoved the bank manager towards the people huddled on the floor and she sprawled at Gorilla's feet in an ungainly heap as he motioned to the larger man saying, "Here, give him to me and I'll see to it that he understands!"

"NO!!" The woman screamed fearing that the men might take out their anger on the small black-haired youth but she was silenced effectively by a swift kick from the swarthy man that knocked the air from her lungs and left her curled into a ball barely able to breathe.

Continuing to laugh, Hyena gladly accepted the captive angel into his own cruel hands. He held Chihaya in the same position as he had the woman, only this time he leaned forward and placed a long, sickening lick up the pale column of the youth's neck before mock-whispering, "I like pretty boys like you. Maybe Rhino will let me keep you to play with after we blow the door off the safe. Would ya like that, sweetie?"

Chihaya squirmed violently trying to get away from the sadistic beast who ended his question by biting his right earlobe hard enough to cause it to bleed, marking him in a small yet noticeable manner. Realizing he was in terrible danger as the man with the jagged scar on his face pulled out a set of brass knuckles and put them onto the fingers of his right hand, the raven-haired youth tilted his head back and shouted in horror, "No!! Leave me alone!!" As Rhino slammed into him for the first of numerous punches which would leave him with broken ribs and other far worse injuries, the now crying violet-eyed angel screamed in terror, "*Kagetsuya*!! *Messiah*!! HELP!!!"

Outside the bank, a pair of doves startled by the cries from within, took wing and flew away leaving behind a flurry of white feathers. [4]

"Shut up, brat!" Rhino growled and slapped him open-palmed deliberately allowing the rough underside of the brass knuckles tear Chihaya's previously flawless face wide open. Then as he watched the sea of red pouring forth across the pale angel's cheek and chin he added cruelly, "There ain't *nobody* on this Earth that can save you now, *boy*!" Smiling as he saw his wiry underling grinning as he licked a bit of blood off with a dark smile, he added, "Oh yeah, Hyena, I think we *will* take this one with us when we leave. He'll be a helluva lot more fun to play with than that bitch over there would've been." He jerked his head towards the bank manager who watched with a horrified expression on her face as she realized that things were actually worse than they had seemed at first.

Sobbing and in almost unbearable pain, Chihaya hung limply in the wiry man's cruel grasp, repeating his two lovers' names over and over in a litany of regret as he wondered if he'd ever see either of them again. Then it occurred to the black-winged angel that if these twisted, evil men intended to rape him, then perhaps he wouldn't even want to reencounter the two regal beings he'd last seen arguing over his affections. He'd rather be dead than to have Kagetsuya and Messiah find him after being defiled by these monsters.

Chuckling delightedly and feeling extremely pleased with his handiwork, the ringleader grabbed a fistful of shining ebon hair and wrenched Chihaya's head up cruelly before he snarled in low, threatening tones, "You belong to *us* now, boy! Cry all you want, but no *one* is going to help you now!" Gesturing with his head, he instructed, "Hyena, give him to Gorilla so we can get back to work on the safe. If that bitch can't open it for us, the dynamite we brought ought to and then we can get the hell out of here and go enjoy our new fuck-toy here!"

"You got it, boss!" The wiry man gladly turned the injured youth towards himself and lapped at the crimson flow that now covered the entire side of Chihaya's face and stained much of his shirt and pants. With a slight purr in his voice, he commented, "Your juice tastes good, sweetie! Salty and scared, just the way I like it!" Laughing at the look of utter horror on his prisoner's face, he laughed mirthlessly and tossed him towards the swarthy man.

Falling to the floor midway between the two groups, Chihaya lay bleeding and in agony as he moaned piteously, calling for the one who had never failed him in the past, "Kagetsuya! Save me!"

Reaching out a meaty hand and grabbing the tortured youth by the back of the neck and dragging him over to where the bank manager still gasped for breath, Gorilla growled, "It's too late, brat. Just shut your mouth, I'm tired of your noise!"

As the swarthy man reached for the duct tape intending to see to it that Chihaya's silence was assured, the raven-haired youth moaned and pleaded with someone else who couldn't hear him, "Messiah! Please! Help me!"

Snarling under his breath, Gorilla shoved his gun into the waistband of his pants then quickly slapped a piece of shining silver tape across the bleeding angel's mouth silencing him effectively despite the continued flow of tears down his previously beautiful face. He then took a moment to bind the injured youth's wrists together with more of the duct tape, intending to render Chihaya even more helpless now that his two companions had announced their intention to take him with them when they left.

After shoving the restrained angel towards the other captives who were now petrified with fear, the swarthy man pulled out a duffel bag loaded with highly illegal explosives and began to assemble the tools needed to complete their crime.

Choosing to risk being shot for daring to try to help the boy who had so selflessly tried to come to her aid, Willow reached out and gently pulled Chihaya into her arms, cradling his badly injured body to her own comfortingly. She smoothed some of the now blood-drenched black hair back from his tear-filled eyes and she whispered quietly, "Hang in there, honey. We're going to get through this all right, okay?"

Agonized amethyst eyes peered up at the woman and through his tears Chihaya silently asked her how that could possibly happen.

Smiling at him as she reached for the crucifix she had tucked beneath her blouse which was now stained with blood from both of them, she answered in a soft yet confident voice, "Because the Lord's angels are always watching over us. You'll see, everything will be fine."

Chihaya's eyes widened as he heard her words hopeful for a split second and then they clenched tightly shut as a wave of pain that was purely emotional swept through him and he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the woman's faith, though well intentioned, was misplaced. The pair of angels who had watched over him in the past were many kilometers away, in an apartment he would never see again, unaware of his sorrow, and most likely they would never even know why he failed to return home that day.

As a river of salty tears ran down his face and added a flame of agony to the gaping wound in his cheek, Chihaya silently said good-bye to those he loved whom he had left behind when he rashly flew away that morning. With a shudder of revulsion as he saw Hyena leering suggestively at him, the black-winged angel resigned himself to a fate worse than death.

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] Heheh! If you know who this is, you get a gold star! He's here to make Yanagi-sen smile for her birthday and if the Llama could've brought in Nuriko instead, he would've! It's hard to find the perfect place to put a simply wonderful cross-dressing bishounen, though.

[2] As mentioned in the detailed list of warnings, there *is* a Friend Insertion in this fic and here it is! "Willow" is based very loosely on Yanagi-sen, the lovely lady for whom this story was created! The physical description is based on characteristics she selected but everything else about the bank manager is the product of Melpomene and Erato's plotting. The angst muse included the rather severe treatment she suffers here and the romance muse insisted that the plucky heroine be allowed to cuddle a wounded Chihaya. Furthermore, it should be noted that "Willow's" religion-oriented references aren't a reflection of either Yanagi-sen's beliefs or my own, they are merely a plot device that allows the character not to panic in a truly dire situation.

[3] Regarding the villains invented for this story, I can only plead temporary lack of inspiration. The physical characteristics are based on assorted cliché bad guys from Speed Racer whose names I couldn't recall, so I just imagined what kinds of fairly threatening wild animals they reminded me of and used those for names. Um, just to make this at least halfway logical, we can assume these were nicknames the fools picked for themselves after drinking cheap sake and watching too much of the Japanese version of Animal Planet.

[4] Have you ever seen any John Woo action movies? You've just gotta love those birds, ne?

Please be advised: Parts 1 & 2 will be posted together.

Posted 12 May 2002 ~4:45am EDT