From Up Here

"Let go of her! Aesoo!"

"Back off, kid, this thing is a traitor!  She's nothing but a lying, wingless creature whose sole ambition is to destroy our society!" The man shouted back, his grip on the girl's arm tightening.  Suho watched in horror as her face contorted into a look of pure agony as the man and his partner held her.  Blood boiling, Suho fought against every fighter instinct he had to drown them right there--it would do no good, if anything, it would hurt her more.  One of the men controlled nature and the other, fire.  Even if he tried to obliterate the fire bender, the one who controlled nature would only be strengthened by water, hence the vine shackles that bound her hands and neck would only squeeze tighter.

He did not want that.

But Aesoo was harmless.  She may have been born in enemy territory, but she and him were destined to be together.  She kept her identity as an angel clandestine--only he knew of her true nature.  The society in which he lived was like any other--power driven.  Every person had a power of some sort and his was water.  Fighting, strategizing, and cheating were what the human race was known for and his society was the epitome of it.  It was only natural, then, that the human race have constant tension with their intellect appreciating neighbors in the sky, the angels.  Suho understood why small wars and battles broke out between the two, and he was raised in society, he knew that they were the "bad guys," but he never believed that the feuds would affect him personally.

That was until Aesoo fell.

What originally started as her being sent as a messenger from the highest court of angels to the ruler of human society became secret meetings, whispered promises and stolen kisses.  He worked as the King's right hand man, so all messages went through him.  Locking eyes with her for the first time had his heart racing.  

She was his other half.

In society, each person is destined to have a soul mate.  Said person could be in any country across the world, and as there was no way of knowing where one's soul mate may be, many people just lived alone.  Dating someone who was not your soul mate was futile as there was no chance of a spark and the pang of guilt for betraying one's one-and-only whenever physical contact got too intimate.  So many people lived alone.

Suho had been one of them.

But when she walked through the palace doors, he knew his destiny was her.  

She knew it, too.

It was unstoppable, their attraction for each other, and neither one could be blamed.  If their star crossed love was anyone's fault, it was that of the Goddess of Love that ruled the hearts of all beings--the city's oracle even said so.  The oracle's word was taken as law, as she was but a nexus to the gods.  Suho felt bad for her--having such a power robbed her of an individual identity, for all she was known as was "the oracle."  

No one knew her name.

Her soul mate did not exist.

The oracle's prophecies became transcribed into laws and because her word is trusted, very few people break them.  Most of them are basic--do not have an affair, do not use your power against someone outside of a planned battle, do not speak ill of the human race.  However, if there was one rule that kept people in line, it was this one:

Act not against the government, for the Goddess of Love and the God of Order have agreed that if One does not raise a hand against an official, One and His or Her soul mate will be reunited in the Heavens and promised eternity.

It was the promise of a lifetime and the promise of an after-lifetime.

Upon death, souls usually wander the Earth, only allowed into the Heavens if both the person and the person's soul mate act accordingly. The people who never meet their soul mates are chained to the Earth, screwed for never meeting their destined.  In a way, it was the Goddess of Love's passion for adventure and travel that separated soul mates--she believed that there needs to be effort in love.  Some people may have it easier, but the feeling of relief and admiration upon working to find a soul mate is an unmatched feeling.

Forbidden to enter the skies as a human, Aesoo was forced to be the one to visit Suho.  They tried to keep it on the down low at first, but their need for each other only grew.  Consumed by emptiness and despair that consumed him when she was back in the skies for even one day ate away at him.  There's no physical punishment for not finding a soul mate (except being stuck on Earth after death), but the pain that is unleashed on someone who knows his soul mate and is separated from her is unbearable.  He hated it.

He needed her.

But the highest court of angels caught on to Aesoo's frequent leaves and eventually, they banished her for betraying their kind and spending time with the "brute, ignorant humans" instead of focusing on her studies.  

That never really upset her, for as she once told him, "the skies ceased to be my home the moment my eyes found yours."

Once she was kicked out, the highest court stopped paying attention to her, figuring that the humans would punish her properly once they found out she was from enemy land.  Barbaric and unforgiving was the human race and there was little chance that she would come alive if they found out she was a fallen angel.

It was not hard to disguise her, for clothes could be easily changed.  With her wings erased, she looked like an average human and many people just assumed that her power was something dainty like light (which his friend, Baekhyun, would argue is actually very deadly).  Regardless, they were cautious, staying out of crowds.  They would only venture outside if it was pouring rain, for Suho was always strongest when surrounded by his element.  

Only when the skies cried did the two of them go out on dates--in fact, their best memories were made under the tears of the Heavens (maybe it was the Goddess of Love's way of giving them a chance).  Singing, dancing, kissing--everything was better under the rain.  It was also only then that their tears could be disguised.

Their relationship was not easy.

Sneaking around and staying inside left them both feeling as though they were missing out on so much.  He could not wow her with his job at the palace, for the King would know she was an angel the moment her presence graced his court.  They were so careful, yet the government found out.

And that left there in the present.

"Listen, kid, arguing with us could be seen as going against the government." The fire bender remarked.  

Suho halted.

He never imagined he would rebel in any form against the government--the reward for stayin