Haneul could feel the blood squelching between her fingers as she pressed it firmly to the back of her head, the digits interwoven with the strands saturated in the thick red substance. Her scalp pulsed beneath her hand, mirroring the painful drumming of the headache that bloomed across the lacerations caused by the rough contact with the jagged rock of the cliffs. She had lost quite a bit of blood, evident from the small puddle staining the purplish-gray surface behind her, and this made her mind swim and her vision unfocused. Through lidded eyes and blurry vision, she watched as her beloved strode confidently toward the angry angel, whirling his obsidian sword. In her mild delirium, she though the way the sunlight sparkled across its sleek surface was oddly beautiful, like the stars themselves were contained in the black edges.

I leave everything to you, Baro.

She blinked, and the two had sprung at each other with unsurprising ferocity. The air rang with the sound of the swords clashing together, not the metallic, high-pitched ring of tempered steel, but the glassy crash of obsidian against diamond. The two men were bearing down upon the other with godlike strength, their muscular arms trembling with the force; their faces were inches apart, hovering between the gap in the blades. Their expressions were visages of pure hatred, ugly scowls that brought dark shadows into the hard lines of their faces. Then, suddenly, they were feet apart again, throwing up dust as they ran in a circular pattern. Baro mimicked Dong-woo's movements, dissolved in deep concentration.

In truth, Haneul did not know if he could win. Baro had rage and the desire to protect her on his side, but there was no denying the level of the angel's skill. He had decades, if not centuries, of experience on the young demon. She could see it in the way he moved; the way his feet slid seamlessly across the rock, his posture as he flowed from offense to defense and back, the way his hand gripped the leather hilt of the diamond sword, his stony expression that was the pure essence of the calm concentration of a warrior. Baro's movements, on the other hand, were choppy and unpolished, and his emotions were bubbling right on the surface. He jumped about and landed roughly against the rock, only barely managed to parry Dong-woo's attacks before furiously slashing and hacking at his opponent; his face was always contorted into the harsh scowl of unbridled anger. Compared to Dong-woo, he looked like he had barely held a sword in his life.

As Haneul gradually felt the pain in her head fading and her awareness returning, this fact became painfully evident. She could already tell that Baro was having trouble keeping up with the angel, as he was panting heavily and a thin sheen of sweat shone on his face in the pale sunlight. Baro…

“What a pathetic show. I expected more out of you, with all your big talk,” the angel sneered suddenly as he pranced around Baro's angry slash. His glittering diamond sword ripped through the night air, glancing Baro's side, and the fabric of his hoodie bloomed a brilliant red. Baro grunted and leaped back, flapping his wings frantically in an effort to push himself father away from the angel, while he tenderly held his side. The blood seeped through his fingers, and when he pulled his hand away, she could see through the ripped fabric to the laceration in his skin. It wasn't too deep, but no doubt painful.

“I’m just warming up!” Baro shouted at him, flicking his hand to discard the excess blood before wrapping it back around the sword's thin hilt. She could see his demeanor change; he dropped his posture lower, easing his feet apart and carefully examining his opponent’s posture to see how he would react. He’s calming down.

“Oh? You look more serious,” Dong-woo mused. He expertly whirled the diamond sword around in his hand, lazily swirling it in a circular pattern before gripping it tightly, the blade pointing directly at the demon boy. “Let's see what you've got.” As bid, Baro charged at him, closing the distance between them in a matter of moments. Light flashed across the surfaces of the ethereal swords, playing across their bodies like falling stars. The crashes of their blades were tremendous now, like rolling thunder, as the force behind the blows had dramatically increased. They were like a writhing storm. Wind swirled about them as their swords swirled, and lightning danced across the edges of their blades before the resounding thunder echoed across the cliff top once more. The maelstrom of angel and demon danced across the landscape, their bodies as fluid as shifting water as they carried them through the deadly river of combat. It was clearer now, more than ever, that this was a battle between beings that were far above the level of human. Haneul was in awe.

Dong-woo was feeling the pressure. He grunted as Baro’s sword glanced off of his and ripped through his shoulders, and the red puddle that began to form over his pristine white clothes seemed even brighter under the intense sunlight. His handsome face distorted in ire; infuriated that a demon had landed a blow on him, he cursed loudly and angrily lashed out at the boy. Baro side-stepped the rather clumsy counterattack and delivered a more crippling slice to the demon's side, which the angel only just barely managed to avoid being hacked clean in two. He did not escape the slash entirely, however, and blood splattered across the rocky ground as it exploded from the gash in his abdomen. It ran down his side, flooding through his white coat and pants, and the wound would have surely downed a human. Dong-woo remained firm, the only sign of his pain contained in the heaviness of his breath. Baro flicked his sword with a smirk, splashing more blood droplets onto the dull rock.

“What happened to all your big talk?” he mocked, his feline eyes narrowed as he regarded the demon. Haneul, still sitting on the rock and woozy with blood loss, smiled with relief. He can win! Dong-woo, slightly hunched as the blood leaked from his body, glared at Baro with obvious hatred. He then clenched his teeth and rushed at Baro, who met him in combat once more. The storm that was the two opponents crackled with more intensity than ever, as each attempted to overpower the other. “Give it up, will you?” Baro shouted over the clash of the swords. “Just leave me and Haneul alone! Go find someone else to pester!”

He doesn't want to kill him, Haneul realized with slightly widened eyes. As she carefully watched his actions, she could tell that now. None of Baro's blows were laced with intent to kill, only to maim; they were targeted for non-fatal areas, and with limited strength. Why? As she sat there, puzzled, she recalled the night that the demons had attacked her at the movie theater in Seoul, when she had been so hesitant to order Baro to kill her attackers. It's… Because of me… Even against Haneul's most egregious aggressor, he could not bring himself to slay the angel while she was present. It both warmed her heart, and froze her. Could he win against someone with such obvious murderous intent?

“I will not allow you to tarnish Haneul's pure soul!”

“Stop with the soul bull!” Baro snapped, and a gale that matched a hurricane’s flew across the cliffs as he swung his sword powerfully at the angel, and the thunderous crash boomed in the air as Dong-woo’s diamond blade met it. “She's a person! Not just a soul! You're a ing angel! You should know that!” Haneul was taken aback by the level of hostility in his voice. She had never seen him this angry, or heard him curse to that extent. Dong-woo's mouth curled into an amused smirk.

“That's rich, coming from a creature such as yourself,” he cackled. The tiredness was working its way into his pretty face. “I’m almost tempted to let you have her,” he breathed suddenly, and Baro backed off a little bit, suddenly unnerved by the foreboding contained in that dark voice and evil smirk.

“What the hell are you saying?”

“It would certainly be fun to watch,” Dong-woo snickered evilly, finally putting a hand against his bleeding side as he slouched. His silvery wings were folded low to the ground, his head was bowed, and to Haneul he looked like the perfect picture of a deranged, demonic being. “You think you'll just have a happily ever after, do you? You forget yourself. You are a demon, and she is human. It is against all laws of nature.”

“Screw the laws of nature! We love each other!” Baro shot back, clenching his teeth as he scowled. Whatever Dong-woo was playing at, Baro wasn't having it- but the angel wasn't done.

“How long will that last? What can you give her? You don't exist. You are nothing but a ghost to this world. You can pretend to be human all you like, but time will reveal the truth. You will remain a boy forever. Haneul will grow up,” he mused darkly. Haneul straightened up as he suddenly turned his dark eyes on her, and she was electrified by the madness and anger in those depths, but she was shocked to find a deep sadness also. “Time will march onward for Haneul, while yours will remain still. Soon you won't be good enough for her.”

“That isn't true…” Baro's voice had lost its strength. It was wavering, meek, the voice of a frightened boy- the boy that he was and always would be.

“It is.” Dong-woo looked back at Baro. “You can't provide anything for her. You two can never marry, nor have children. She will grow grey, and old, and die- and you will be alone.” The tip of Baro's obsidian sword quivered as he held it up to Dong-woo, but not offensively; it looked at if Baro was trying to build a barrier between himself and the angel, trying to protect himself from the frightening truth the angel was speaking. Haneul watched as tears began to roll down his cheeks.

“Don't listen to him, Baro!” she shrieked. “He's trying to get into your head! I love you! I would never abandon you! We'll find a way to make you human! I promise!” Baro looked at her with wide eyes, but there was no hope there, only fear, pure, bitter fear.

“Stupid girl! You cannot reverse what has been done to him. His life was forfeited the moment he let blood stain his hand.”

“Who are you to decide that?” she rounded on him angrily. As she moved quickly, she wobbled, still unsteady from the blood loss. As she placed a hand on the ground to steady herself, she glared at him. “You don't have the right to decide his fate.” Dong-woo rolled his eyes at her and looked back at the demon, who was still visibly shaken.

“You can never have her. All you will do is drag her into Hell with you. If you die at my hands, you can have the salvation you seek. Why not yield to me?” he crooned, and actually held out his hand as if he was offering Baro his aid. Blood dripped from his fingers, landing in perfect round drops in front of him. The demon boy stared hard at the angel's hand, and for a frightening moment she was scared he would take the offer.

“… I can't,” he whispered. He looked back at her, sorrowful and small. “I want to stay with Haneul…”

“Why? I already told you. She's a human- selfish and ugly. She will abandon you with due time.” At such blatant disrespect, Baro’s meek demeanor vanished with the oncoming flame of anger, and his head snapped back to glare at Dong-woo.

“Don't insult Haneul!” Dong-woo sighed deeply before dropping his bloody hand back to his side.

“Foolish demon. To think I thought you could be reasoned with. All you creatures know is violence,” he huffed, then narrowed his eyes. “Your love for the girl will be your undoing.”

“Shut up!” Baro barked back before angrily charging across the uneven rocky ground, the dark sword held high above his head. When he came within distance of the angel, he brought the blade down in a savage vertical arc, and even from her distance several yards away she could hear the rush of the wind around the blade. Almost lazily, Dong-woo threw up his own blade to block the oncoming attack. Baro gritted his teeth as his attack was so unceremoniously halted, and he was left in a compromising position, with his arms held above his head and his middle entirely exposed. Without wasting a second, Dong-woo delivered a savage kick to her boyfriend's middle. Baro went flying, bent nearly in half as he sailed through the air. She heard him gasp as he collided roughly with the rocky surface of the cliffside, and for a moment she was afraid he had been knocked unconscious with how still he lay. Then, a long, agonized groan slipped from him, and then his hand shifted across the sandy surface of the rock as he tried to find the strength to push himself up.

“Surely you didn't think that sloppy move would kill me,” Dong-woo sneered as he strode across the cliff top to stand over the crumpled heap that was the demon boy. Baro had rolled onto his side so that he was facing her, and she could see him tenderly holding his abdomen with his face scrunched up in pure agony. His other hand lay flat against the hard stone, his arm shaking violently as he attempted to get his muscles to respond and provide the strength needed for him to rise. Dong-woo gazed down at him for a minute with his lips pursed. He looked at Baro like a vain king would a dirty peasant. “You're almost pathetic as a human,” he huffed before stomping hard on Baro's side. The boy yelped loudly, his legs kicking wildly as he writhed under the pressure the man was placing on his ribs. Hissing like a feral cat, Baro snatched up his sword and blindly sliced at the angel, but Dong-woo caught the sword by the blade with a blank, uninterested expression. A thin trickle of blood leaked out from his palm, traveling across the sleek edge down to the hilt of the sword, where if was absorbed by the thick leather. “Pathetic,” he repeated as he wrenched the sword from the demon’s hand and threw it aside. It clattered against the rough rock a few feet from where she still sat, watching the dismal drama unfold.

“I’m not pathetic,” Baro mumbled. Though he was trying to see defiant, she could hear the strain in his voice, and see the defeat beginning to appear in his expression.

“I beg to differ.” Baro thrashed once more as the angel pressed harder into his sides throwing up clouds of sand as he disturbed the surface of the rock. A small smile formed on the angel's face, full of malice and hate. It was quite clear that he was enjoying Baro's suffering. “I tried to reason with you, but that has you wrapped around her little finger.” Baro roared at this, throwing up an arm to punch Dong-woo in the leg. The angel seemed unfazed, and Baro just recoiled in pain.

I can’t watch this! Haneul thought in agony as she watched her beloved suffer at the hands of the malicious holy being. She had to do something, anything. Her eyes drifted to the obsidian sword, lying just out of her reach. For a moment she hesitated. If Baro dies here, he can have salvation. Everything Dong-woo said is true, too. Baro and I are very different, and life together will be hard. She stared into the opaque, glassy surface of the sword, at her disheveled, bloody reflection.

She wanted Baro to get the second chance he deserved.

But she didn't want him to get it like this.

Using the last of her strength, she pushed herself up onto shaky legs and shuffled over to the sword. The world swirled around her like soap in water, but somehow she managed to stagger over to the blade and take it into her hands. It was heavier than she would have thought, and she stumbled a little to the side as she lifted the weapon up with shaking arms. Dong-woo was too busy mocking Baro to notice her.

“Love is for the weak,” he huffed as he rested the tip of the diamond blade to Baro’s throat. The demon was flat on his back now, his wings sprawled out around him and his arms splayed out like he was being crucified. Both of them were bleeding profusely from their side wounds. “Not that you could really have it, anyway. No one, not even a human, could truly love something as broken as you.” Haneul unsteadily creeped toward him, hunching down as she held the sword in her hands. I won't let you take him from me.

“It sounds to me like you're the broken one,” Baro murmured. He was staring straight up into the angel's eyes with a calm expression. Dong-woo snarled and lifted the sword, pulling it over his shoulder with the intent to stab Baro right through the heart. Haneul was right behind him now, and she silently lifted the blade over her head. Her arms wobbled with the strain of holding up the heavy weapon. Baro's eyes flickered to hers, and he smiled softly. I won't let you take him from me!

“I am putting an end to this once and for all!” he cried.

“I won't let you take him from me!” she screamed as she brought the sword down, and an unearthly scream erupted from the angel's mouth as the obsidian blade ripped into the feathery mass of his silver wing, right at the joint that joined it to his back. Haneul didn't have enough strength to cleave the muscle and sinew completely, but had sufficient force to cause enough massive damage. Baro rolled onto his back and half-crawled, half-stumbled away from Dong-woo as he writhed, his wing hanging by a few strands of muscle. Haneul stumbled away as the momentum of the sword unbalanced her.

“You ! How dare you cut my wing!” Dong-woo howled as he whipped around to face her. His face was as red as the blood staining his clothes, and the effigy of the most intense fury she had ever seen. “You've gone too far! I’ll kill you both!” he shouted and marched toward her, clutching the sword so tightly that his knuckles glared white.

“Haneul!” Baro shouted and tried to stagger to his feet, but he was still weak from the assault and crumpled back down to the ground. The girl attempted to hold up the sword in some sort of measly defense as she shuffled backwards across the cliff top; however, she soon lost her balance and landed roughly on her back. Dong-woo loomed over her like a giant specter of death. She could hear Baro screaming her name. As she lay on the ground, the angel standing over her with malice rolling off him in waves, she still desperately tried to scramble away.

I want to live! I want Baro to live! Tears of frustration rolled down her bloody cheeks. She wasn't scared. She wasn't frightened. She was furious. I don't understand! She screamed silently at the sky as Dong-woo planted his foot into her back, crushing her against the ground. She heard Baro regain his footing and make to charge at him, but he threw him aside like a ragdoll. “I'll get to you.”

Why? I don't understand. All I did was love him. All I did was want the best for him. Is that a sin? To love someone who was broken, who was lonely, who just wanted to be loved? She asked the blazing blue sky out of her peripheral vision, between the gaps of her chestnut hair that had fallen over her face. The bloodied strands shifted as Dong-woo placed the sharp edge of the sword against . It seemed he wanted to slit and watch her bleed to death. Is this my punishment? She bit down on her lip as it quivered. Fine. If this is my punishment, let it be. I can die happily knowing that Baro will have his chance at Heaven, and I can meet him there someday. She cast her gaze back down to Earth. She could see Baro across the stone, on his hands and knees as he struggled to rise. He lifted his head, and their eyes met.

“I love you,” she called out to him, loudly, proudly, with all the love contained in her heart. She wanted God to know, the world to know, all of Heaven and Hell alike to know the depth of love she felt for him. He had brought her out of the darkness and shown her what the light was like, even if it was only for a fleeting moment. She heard Dong-woo snort in disdain, and the blade shift slightly in his hand as he prepared to draw it across his throat.

He froze as a pure white feather landed in front of Haneul's face. As her eyes widened, he had barely enough time to spring backward before Gongchan dropped out of the sky in a savage drop-kick, sending the angel crumpling to the ground.

“Looks like we made it just in time!” he grinned.

“Took you long enough, s,” Baro sighed and immediately flopped down onto his behind, smirking slightly.

“Urk!” Haneul cried as someone grabbed her around her middle and quickly carried her over to the exhausted demon, setting her down gently beside him. She looked up to see Jinyounng standing over her, looking as cross as ever.

“I told you to wait,” he addressed her boyfriend grumpily. Baro smiled weakly at his friend.

“You know me. I’m reckless,” he chuckled quietly, and Haneul could tell that he was truly relieved to see the two supernatural beings. “Did you get Sandeul home?” he asked, and Haneul gasped. She had quite forgotten what dire straights he had been left in. Jinyoung nodded, then stepped around her to take his place next to Gongchan, rolling his shoulders as he watched the angel stagger to his feet.

“Take a nap, both of you. This angel will be glitter by the time we're through!” he huffed. Baro sniffed with laughter, then groaned and fell backward onto the rock. Haneul leaned over him, afraid he was unconscious, but he was smiling weakly up at her. His hand rose to cup her cheek.

“You're real pretty covered in blood like that. You look like a war goddess.”

“Is now the time to flirt?” she scolded with a small chuckle, strangely relieved he sounded like himself. Tears still glimmered in her eyes as she sat beside him, while their friends rose to their defense.

She could not help but think that it was a sign from God.

I was right to protect him. She reached out and his black hair as he slipped into unconsciousness, trusting his friends to protect him and his love. Haneul placed her trust in them too, but also, the strange Lord that was watching the drama unfold at this very moment.

What plans did he have for the star-crossed couple? She felt that she would learn very soon, and the of their tale was rapidly approaching…