Unlikely Angel

Summary:  The Blood Talon finds himself in his long-awaited match against Jin, and he's not too sure if it's a good idea.  Jin claims Devil has left him alone for good, but Hwoarang isn't so sure.  He must beat Jin to keep the other fighter from reaching the final stage and the great evil, but how far will the redhead go to stop him?

Special Thanks:  Kat, you know I'm thankful for all your lovely help, but I'll keep saying it; THANK YOU. It's because of you that I try to mention thighs in these things as much as possible.

Notes:  This was one of those chapters where I was bugging Kat for videos with certain moves in them, and looking at pictures of stages from T5 because I wanted to describe moves, rather than just list the name.  She's so great, have I praised her enough?  She catches all my mistakes and just likes talking to me abut these things, which I'll never stop appreciating.
Well, this chapter was pretty fun to write, and I'm very happy with how it turned out.  The fights are getting a bit easier to write (easy in the sense that they're flowing faster because I've written quite a few of them, now), though, they are still a bit emotionally draining.  Hee, and there is another fight to come as well.  Oh, things are getting pretty violent.

"Angel/Devil's words inside Hwoarang/Jin's head"
'Hwoarang/Jin's thoughts'

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Chapter 43

Hwoarang tapped his foot on the cathedral floor, the marble and tile echoing throughout that cavernous room.  It was such a strong contrast from the previous fight venue with the hoards of screaming fans.  The walls were connected and solid, the cathedral was real, feeling like a well-decorated pit match.  He tilted his head back, taking in the balconies built above the cathedral and the small, exclusive crowd that peered down at them, just like an audience in an operating theatre.  He huffed and stomped his foot, the crowd created an excited murmur above their heads, their voices hushed and urgent as if they were conditioned to respect the quiet of the cathedral.  Hwoarang had no such conditioning and loudly stomped his foot again, eyeing the cameras that whirred above their heads.  They hovered about, completely wireless and independent of each other, capturing every aspect of the fight area and projecting it back to the holographic generators in the arena they’d been in a few moments earlier, fooling the crowd into thinking they were really there.  The Zaibatsu had made a habit of putting the competitors in exciting and exotic venues, and the crowd had come to expect the scenery to change every few fights.  Holographic simulators were the obvious answer, keeping with the tradition of differing venues while incurring little expense or effort.

Hwoarang looked across to Jin who was standing still, his eyes focused on Hwoarang with confidence that left the redhead feeling uneasy.  The previous fight against his father had pushed Jin to his limits, but he was acting as if he’d just woken from a long sleep.  He was energized and excited to fight, and while, under normal circumstances Hwoarang would have loved the idea, he only felt anxious and resentful.

“You know Devil hasn’t left him because you never gave up so easily.” he could feel Angel’s mirth before it shifted back towards Jin.  “He thinks Devil has left him to return to his father,” she sighed.

‘He’s acting fucking high, is what he’s doing.’ Hwoarang thought.  ‘What the hell should I do?  I can’t fight him like this!’

“You have to fight him like this, Hwoarang.  Devil had a shot at overtaking Jin when he went up against Kazuya, but you helped him withstand that.  Now… that bastard’s got one shot left; if he can hold out for Jin to reach the last stage of the tournament, there’s no way he can lose… and you can’t let that happen.”

Hwoarang looked out at Jin who seemed so clear and light-hearted as he raised his fists, ready to fight.  He was pushing himself, ignoring the obvious fact that Devil wouldn’t back off so damn easily.  Jin didn’t want to believe things weren’t getting better.  He really believed that bastard had given up and the Korean realized that there was only one way out of this fight.  “Oh, fuck me…” he turned to his side.  He readied himself for whatever happened as strange rock-organ music began to pound through hidden speakers, echoing nicely as the signal came for the fight to start.

Jin moved first, rushing towards Hwoarang with a light step and eager fist that just barely missed his face.  Hwoarang backed away from the attack and dropped down, swinging out with his leg to catch Jin off balance.  They started off slowly, almost like lovers feeing each other out for the first time.  However, the honeymoon didn’t last and their bodies began to move with more force, remembering what they had been trained to do.  Rock-hard muscles powered driving blows against either man and the music hastened their steps.

The stained glass rattled in its frames as the two men continued their violent dance within the cathedral.  Blue flames licked up the walls from the torches and the cameras buzzed around, capturing every move.  The Blood Talon fired out with powerful machinegun kicks; each one driving to end the fight in a flurry of overpowering blows, each one blocked and countered by his dark-haired opponent.  The moment was an intoxicating mixture of adrenaline and blood as Jin avoided being hit and swung around, his fist tearing the skin around Hwoarang’s eye. 

He saw the blow coming, Jin’s gloved hand driving for his face and he didn’t seem to move out of the way.  It passed his cheek, catching his face and he could feel the tearing skin.  His eye watered from the damage, tears stinging the wound and mixing with blood that trickled from the ripped flesh.  After that, when the pain began to tint the edges of Hwoarang’s consciousness, everything seemed to fade away and his drive to win took over.  He side-stepped a driving jab and hooked Jin square in the ribs, dropping the other man to his knees.

He pressed his advantage, booting his opponent halfway across the cathedral and slamming him into a stone wall.  Jin’s movement seemed to pause as he slid down the wall, his feet catching the floor before he grunted and fell forward.  He landed on his hands and knees and spitting on the ground; bloody evidence that Hwoarang had won that round.

The music faded back and the announcer piped up, declaring Hwoarang the victor of the first around.  The Korean eyed the balcony where shadowy faces peered down at them in a creepy voyeuristic nightmare.  He looked back to Jin who had picked himself up off the ground.  “Are you alright, Kazama?”

“You’re supposed to be defeating him, not coddling him!”  Angel hissed in his mind.  “What the hell was that round?  I’ve swatted at flies with more venom!  Step it up, otherwise this will turn out very badly, Hwoarang.   Defeat Jin for his own good.  Hell, he’s not even in his right mind right now!”

He ignored her and stepped over to his lover, “Kazama?”  The blue fire flickered from the torches against the wall, casting an ethereal glow around the dark-haired fighter as he climbed to his feet.  Hwoarang eyed the cameras that flittered about, following a set pattern of rotation as they orbited the room.  He looked back to Jin just in time to see the fist driving right for his face.

His entire body shot backwards, his feet scraping along the floor and kicking up dust.  He could taste blood.  “Damnit!” 

Jin’s eyes were wide and unseeing as he gaped at Hwoarang and he tossed his head back, trying to stop his feet from moving forward.  “…it’s happening again…”

“Shit…” Hwoarang stepped forward and cracked his neck.

“Hwoarang… he deceived me…” he staggered to the side, Devil’s hold wavering for a moment.  “I don’t think I can do this anymore…”

“Jin!” He took a step forward, damning the cameras and anyone else who was watching.  Fuck, the whole world was watching, but all he could think of was Jin.  He drew close, only a few steps away from him, a short distance for him to reach out and place a hand on Jin’s shoulder, never once averting his gaze from his lover’s eyes.  “Jin…”

“Please…” he rasped, “defeat me.”  Those dark eyes were wide; brimming with fear and desperation.  “…make it so my body is too damaged to use!”  His teeth ground down, his neck craning at a painful angle and then his fear broke.  Just like that.  That emotion suddenly shattered through his dark orbs, leaving light eyes brimming with electricity and hatred.  Anger and hostility focused solely on Hwoarang. 

Jin’s fist shot out with godlike speed, grabbing Hwoarang by the throat and lifting him into the air.  The bell for the second round sounded and his body seemed to flare with electric current.  He drew the Korean in close, sneering maliciously as the redhead struggled to breathe.  “Now…” he breathed with a throaty laugh.  “I will show you the meaning of fear…”

“You’ve gotta fight him…”

“Shit!”  Hwoarang kicked out, hitting Jin squarely in the ribs, but that only caused him to sneer in irritation and tighten his grip around his throat.

“Hwoarang, if you don’t win this match…”

Jin hauled back with his free hand, punching him in the chest.

“… then Jin really will lose to Devil and you’ll never see him again!”

Hwoarang felt his eyes rolling back as he struggled for breath.  He bit his lip until he tasted blood, unable to hold back the feral growl and he stepped onto Jin’s knee, gaining some purchase to raise his other leg and kick him across the face.  The action bought him a chance – Jin’s fist loosening around his throat - and he stepped even higher, lifting his leg over Jin’s shoulder and kicking the back of his head.

Jin stumbled behind him, the force of the blow knocking off his sense of balance.  Hwoarang landed gracefully, holding his throat and gasping to catch his breath.  Jin had been serious about strangling him, too serious.  He spat on the ground and spun around to face his lover; this wasn’t the Jin he knew.  Devil dirtied him whenever he took over, and now that he’d come to know Jin as fully as he could, that thought pissed him off even more.  “Don’t think I’ll go down so easily, asshole!”

Jin brushed himself off and turned.  He said nothing, though his white eyes shifted, as if contemplating how he’d devour Hwoarang before he charged forward again.  The move was clumsy and easy to read; their eyes locked, just as his punch missed its mark, and Hwoarang stared into the white depths as he grabbed Jin’s fist and used it as leverage to kick him in the chest.

The dark-haired fighter crashed into the ground, rolling as he did and springing to his feet in one fluid movement.  Hwoarang was on him again and kept pummeling, never letting up.  He switched from left-stance to right, kicking out in a chain of attacks while throwing a few punches in for good measure.  He couldn’t afford to be fancy or show off, not if what Angel said was true.  Jin’s moves were erratic, leaving plenty of openings one moment, and then switching to a vicious assault that Hwoarang could barely block the next.  If he timed it right, he could take him out… the interim, however, would be the most dangerous.  He tightened his posture, flexing his back and arms, feeling the trickle of sweat that moved across his skin, dripping off his brow. 

Jin was close, very close, and changing very quickly.  His hair crackled with electric charge, his body burning with the tribal tattoos, which were the first outward display of Devil’s presence.  He narrowed his eyes and rushed forward, electricity and lightning flaring out over his skin, burning the sweat right off his flesh.  His eyes flashed as he stepped heavily, his foot breaking the ground and his fist cracking through Hwoarang’s defenses and into his ribs.  The Blood Talon didn’t even have time to move before Jin snapped his hips, shifting his entire frame to build power and backhand him with brutal, inhuman strength.

Hwoarang flew back, bouncing along the ground and rolling awkwardly before hitting the wall with a sickening crack.  Everything was hazy and he was vaguely aware of the buzzer sounding, indicating that round two had finished.  His mind buzzed with Angel’s voice and his own dizzying pain.  Buzzing and hazy, he smelled something funny in his nose, but it could have just been his mind.  He coughed, tasting blood and looked up, he blinked as bits of stone and cement fell into his face – the wall had cracked from the force of hitting it – and he turned his head to brush the dust away.  Jin’s strength was inhuman, meaning that Hwoarang was running out of time.  One for one, they were evenly tied.  He groaned as he shifted on the ground, his ribs complaining and the music shifted into a high pitch as the third round started.  He had one chance left to end this. 

The Korean rolled over and climbed to one knee, looking back at his opponent who faltered in his steps once more.  “Jin…”  Amber eyes took in the form of his lover as he pressed a hand to his dark locks, as if to quell the pain inside his head.  The Blood Talon had no idea what was going on in there, or how much longer they had until the black wings and vicious horns sprang from the other man’s body.  He guessed the battle with Kazuya had zapped most of Jin’s strength, and the way the tournament had been organized left little resting time between some of the fights.  Devil had used that fact to his advantage and deceived Jin.  Letting him believe the dark beast wouldn’t have a chance in hell to break free, or any opportunity to kill Hwoarang.

The redhead climbed to his feet, spitting on the ground.  Damnit, he wouldn’t let that happen.  The burden of being a murderer didn’t sit right with him, he knew it would destroy Jin.

The dark-haired fighter straightened his back and flexed his muscles, his eyes glowing with an inhuman flash of white and purple.  “I promised him I’d destroy you,” he chuckled in a maniacal tenor.  “He actually thought he’d beat me.  He actually believed that you gave him strength!”  His voice pitched into spastic laugher and he tossed his head back, cackling as his body flared with fatal lightning.

Hwoarang narrowed his eyes, his vision shifted and things seemed to kick into slow motion.  He wouldn’t miss this opening Devil was giving him and he propelled himself across the cathedral floor.  His steps fell in time with the throbbing music, keeping that driving rhythm as he assaulted Jin with a vicious barrage of switch-kicks that sent him flying against the wall.  The Blood Talon didn’t relent and was on him again.  He dropped low as he kicked Jin into the air, rolling backwards as he kicked again, the momentum firing Jin against the floor like a missile. 

Hwoarang landed gracefully and turned to watch Jin slam into the stone ground at the centre of the cathedral.  He narrowed his eyes again, watching Jin sputter as he climbed to his feet.  The azure torchlight seemed to reflect upon him, casting a strange blue light and Hwoarang looked up to the wall.  The wall he’d been thrown into before.  The wall he knew was damaged… weak enough to break through.  The cameras flittered about, locked in the aerial track and ready to capture Jin’s inevitable transformation and agony unless Hwoarang did something. 

He took a deep breath and watched Jin sputter, wiping blood from his mouth.  He was there for Jin; every tournament he’d ever participated in had been for that infuriating man.  He had trained with Angel’s power to help him, and now he’d have to use that power to defeat him.  His entire reason for getting stronger was to be with the quiet and avoidant man, to make him open up and acknowledge his existence.  This entire journey had been so much more than was promised by either Jun or Angel.  He’d never dreamed he’d feel more for Jin than he did right then, or that Jin could ever look at him with more than a nod or roll of his eyes and quick excuse to not fight.  Damnit, before Jun had approached him, he was just surviving.  Everything he ever did was for Jin.

Everything.

He closed his eyes and reached within his mind, searching for the familiar white energy that contrasted so pure and holy against his inner red turmoil.  Angel’s power; the energy he’d ignored for the entire tournament was strong and eager to bend to his will.  He felt her divine light surging through his body and he cracked his neck, tightening his fists and focusing everything on Jin.

The other man was behaving arrogantly and so unlike himself.  He waited with a cavalier manner, confident in his victory that he had not yet achieved.

It wasn’t Jin.  Not his Jin.

Hwoarang growled as he launched himself forward, his first two punches were anticipated and blocked, but even Devil wasn’t prepared for the unending and devastating barrage of kicks that Hwoarang followed with.  He pushed his body to its limits, drawing on Angel’s strength when his human reserves went into exhaustion.  Kick after kick after kick; each burning with the intensity and desire to destroy.  Devil grunted in pain and Hwoarang threw even more force into the onslaught. 

His foot burned with the force of his power as it connected with Jin’s body, sending him flying into the cracked wall.  The dark-haired man grunted as he landed, sending more dust and cement flying, though he didn’t break through.  He coughed and slouched against the stonework bracing his hands on his knees, the dust and crumbling mortar falling around him.

Hwoarang’s feet moved him forward, his fists tightening and his body leapt into the air.  He never looked away from Jin as he moved, drawing his knee in tight before kicking out.  Those white eyes locked with his, both unbelieving and welcoming as the Blood Talon drove his heel into Jin’s chest.  The dark-haired fighter slammed back against the weakened stone, breaking through the crumbling barrier as the momentum from Hwoarang’s attack carried them both through.

Devil fell to the ground with Hwoarang on top of him, snarling and cursing as they rolled about in the red flowers just outside the cathedral.  Hwoarang kicked himself away, rolling a couple times before hopping back to his feet.  He looked back to the hole they had fallen through, noting the section of wall had collapsed, blocking it off and leaving them alone in the secret garden.

Hwoarang scuffed his boot on the forgotten pathway, still seemingly manicured, despite the overgrown weeds that surrounded the outside path.  The centre still brimmed with red flowers, their crimson petals flashing brightly against the dull, green surroundings.  He smirked and closed his eyes.  He could feel Angel, her power so easy to identify amid his own familiar thoughts.  Her white energy throbbed and churned within him and he pushed it outward, surrounding himself with light and bringing Angel’s true influence out.  He could feel her change painlessly affecting him, the pressure on his back pressing outwards, the ticklish energy ghosting across his body and affecting his clothes, transforming them into protective white-leather armour.

He released his breath and opened his eyes.  Jin’s change was affecting him as well, though it wracked his body to do so.  “Fuck!”  Hwoarang rushed forward as Jin writhed about on the ground, his cries cutting through to the Blood Talon’s heart.  He glanced over to the wall one more time, satisfied that nobody could follow that way and it would take a while to find another way around.  With any luck, he could finish everything before that happened.

His wings instinctively flared out as he surveyed his lover, his white leather gauntlet creaking as he tightened his fist.  He felt sick to his stomach seeing what was happening to Jin.  He should have made his move then, knocked Jin out and disabled him as a suitable host for Devil, but he couldn’t bring himself to move. 

The darker man was gripping his head, bowing backwards as the fatal lightening wracked his frame, burning its markings across his chest.  “N-no!” Jin coughed as a terrible cracking sound rang out through the forgotten garden.  His hands fell away as those terrible horns sprang from his head and he rolled to his side, coughing amid his rasping breath as his wings also pierced his back.  Inky black feathers splayed from the avian limbs, caught up in the breeze that stirred around them as the pain subsided and Devil rose in his true form, ready to stand off against Hwoarang.

“Jin?” the red angel asked, though he already knew the truth.  He just couldn’t stop saying the name, knowing that his lover was trapped.  Locked inside his own body, a mute witness to everything that happened.  “I’ll take care of this, Kazama.  Don’t worry about it.”  He angled his body to the side and raised his fist to guard, light on the balls of his feet as he showed he was ready to go.

Devil sneered, tilting his head back and looking down his nose at the Blood Talon’s form.  His black lip curled up into a sneer and he arched forward like a bull, ready to charge.

Hwoarang eyed those sharp horns, as he flexed his wings.  The white appendages flared out and he leapt into the air, flying right at Devil while keeping those awful horns at the forefront of his mind.

The two fighters battled, trading punches and kicks to the gut.  Devil fought with cold venom.  Hwoarang’s anger drove him beyond his limits; punching and hitting even though he felt several fingers break.  When he couldn’t take the pain anymore he head butted the creature, anything to make him feel pain.  Make him feel the pain that he felt at seeing Jin like that.  Anything to take him out so that he couldn’t bother Jin again. 

Devil reeled from the assault, stumbling back a few feet and holding his bloody nose.  His eyes danced wide with glee and his manic laughter rang out through the garden.  The sound was grating, like nails on a chalkboard and Hwoarang couldn’t stand to let the creature enjoy anything.  He sprang into the air again, diving towards his opponent, ready to knock him out in one kick.

Devil arched forward, ready for the Korean as he dove in and caught his arm mid-air, using it to throw him about, bouncing him off the ground.  He kicked Hwoarang in the gut for good measure before the jewel at the centre of his head began to glow brightly.

“Shit,” Hwoarang barely had time to realize what was happening as the laser blast fired out.  It hit him; scorching a mark in his white vest as it spun him around and slammed him face-first into the wall of the cathedral.  Jin was on him in an instant, his wings carrying him through the air in a powerful beat, giving him added momentum to drive his foot into Hwoarang’s back.  “F-fuck…” Devil continued to drive his foot down, stomping his back. 

White agony spread out through Hwoarang’s consciousness when he felt something crack, the pain overwhelming his senses.  Everything felt fuzzy, as if the pain was too dreamy to be real and he thought he heard Devil snarling above him.  The demon’s voice grated on a mocking laugh and caught in his throat, changed from Devil’s high tenor to Jin’s lower, more desperate pitch.  The dark-haired man hovered above him, gasping and despondent as he said things Hwoarang couldn’t quite hear.  He only knew Jin was trying to fight it.  This was his opportunity and… he couldn’t even pull himself up off the ground!

He rolled over, trying to pull himself up.  His blood was roaring past his ears, and he heard Jin telling Devil to stop.  Ordering him to fucking die as the beast’s heavy boot came down on his face.  The roaring blood seemed to fade from his ears and there was the sickening sound of his nose breaking.  His vision went black; he could hear the argument above him, slowly shifting away as Jin tried to put some distance between them.  Jin’s voice was commanding and strong before cutting off and Devil’s laughter replacing its desperate cry.  That repulsive voice sounded like it was underwater and Hwoarang felt as if he were falling into darkness.

His body was shutting down, the pain just too great, but… he shook his head.  This wasn’t a fight he could just lose.  He blinked, unable to see but still fighting to stay conscious.  This wasn’t like his fight with Chin, where anger fueled his desire to win.  He didn’t have the luxury of losing consciousness this time.  He just didn’t.  He couldn’t simply roll over and hope that Jin got things under control on his own.  If he lost this round, then Jin would win and go on to the final round.

The final round that would be his undoing, corruption and his destruction.

Hwoarang would never see Jin again.  Not as he knew him.  Everything would have been for nothing.  His promise to Jun, Angel’s power, Jin’s friendship and affection.  The thought of losing to Devil made him mad, but what really pissed him off was the thought of the Jin he knew and cared about being destroyed.

He covered his eyes with his hand, numbly trying to rub some sight back into them.  He felt around for Angel’s power, hoping he could last, praying she was strong enough to help him stand and finish this.  He felt a shiver course through him and he forced himself to move, trying to climb to his feet, but only making it to his hands and knees.  He braced his forehead on the ground, fighting a wave of nausea that washed over him as the blood rushed out his broken nose.  Jin was standing a few feet away – he could sense him – and the Blood Talon crawled over to him.  He looked through bleary and swollen eyes at the other man, watching him struggle against that black beast.  It was as if he had tunnel vision and the one thing at the end was Jin.  Nothing else mattered.

The other man was muttering under his breath, mumbling in argument with his darker half before vehemently shaking his head ‘no’.

Hwoarang crawled forward, on his hands and knees at Jin’s feet and he sat up, grabbing Jin’s thigh with more strength than he’d anticipated.  “Jin?”  He was trembling.

Jin fell to his knees the moment the Blood Talon grabbed him.  He rocked forward, his voice cracking.  “Hwoarang?  Are you… alright?” he asked, faltering but still reaching out for his lover.

“Well, none of the important bones are broken, if that’s what you mean,” Hwoarang reached back for Jin, feeling a wave of elation to simply touch him again.  “Just my ribs and… ah, a few fingers.  How are you?”

“I won’t kill you, Hwoarang,” he said through grit teeth.  “I won’t let him make me…” he was struggling, staring blankly into space.

Hwoarang pulled him in tightly, wincing as his ribs protested but the pain didn’t matter right then.  He could feel the dark aura spreading out, sense Jin’s own power surging forward to meet it, like waves warring on the sea during a storm.  He drew his wings forward, wrapping around Jin and holding him close.

“He’s… stronger than before,” Jin moaned, his white eyes staring blankly at Hwoarang.  “Even against my father he wasn’t so strong… something else is here… something powerful.”

“Yeah, I heard about that…” Hwoarang tightened his grip around him, tasting blood in the back of his throat.  In the distance, he could hear the faint banging of someone trying to break through the debris.  Their time was running out.

“It’s the same force that I could feel after the last tournament… something has awakened and wants him… me… it’s so fucking strong, b-but I won’t let him kill you!”

Hwoarang bowed his head and pressed his cheek to Jin’s, unsure of what he should do.  Could he use Angel’s powers to heal, and was she even strong enough to help him at that point?  He squeezed Jin tightly, sensing Angel’s waning strength as she tried to mend his broken ribs.  Was he strong enough to reach inside Jin and wade through Devil’s nightmares, or would the act drown them both?

“Hwoarang…” Jin coughed, tightening his grip on the redhead’s shoulders.  “Please, I need you to knock me out.  Hurt me so much that my body is too damaged for him to use!”

The Blood Talon shook his head.  H-how could he?!

“No… you have to help,” Jin sobbed and the sound cut right through Hwoarang.  “It’s the only way to keep him from really getting out this time.  From using me…”

“I’m not going to hospitalize you do to it, Jin!”  Hwoarang cradled Jin’s head even as he felt his heart sinking.  “No, there’s gotta be some other way… anything…”

“Hwoarang… it is the only way,” Jin pushed away from him, falling back on his heels and looking straight at him.  “I need you to do this, Hwoarang.  I need you… please…” his lip curled upwards as his eyes went wide and vacant and his voice died on his lips.

Hwoarang sprang to his feet with strength he didn’t know he had.  He knew what he had to do, even as it ripped him apart to do it.  He closed his eyes and bit his tongue, damning himself as he lashed out with the most vicious attacks he could conceive.  He grabbed Jin’s body, intending to break him – and himself – as he held him fast and kicked him square in the ribs.  The other man struggled somewhat, blocking one or two kicks, though Hwoarang couldn’t stop moving.  Wouldn’t stop himself from slamming Jin down, from overwhelming him with an incredible barrage of kicks that sent him flying against the outer cathedral wall. 

Jin flew backwards, smashing into the wall, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.  Hwoarang watched, bracing his hands against his knees to catch his breath.  There were bits of light dancing in the corner of his eyes, beckoning him into unconsciousness.  Still, the only thing he saw was Jin, his dark-haired lover sagging against the wall, his body torn and bleeding, arm broken and hanging at a painful angle.  The Blood Talon forced his legs to move him forward, carrying him to his lover’s side just as Jin collapsed into his arms.  Hwoarang sighed, his throat constricting around the noise as he sank to his knees while cradling the other man.  His body screamed in agony, but his heart was the worst for it and he couldn’t understand why it ached so badly.  “Jin…”

He pulled the dark-haired man against him, feeling a wash of electricity flare over his skin and the soft, black wings evaporated in the wave of crackling, purple energy.  He pressed his cheek to Jin’s bloody face, listening to his breathing and knowing that Devil was really and truly unable to use him to kill.  He wouldn’t be able to use Jin to do anything.  Hwoarang bowed his head, feeling something wet at the edges of his eyes.  He felt his own angelic power flicker across his skin, his own garments and wings fading away as his vision went grey.

He was dimly aware of a loud banging noise and then the urgent buzz of voices as people rushed in around them.  There were hands on him, trying to pry him away from Jin, but he wouldn’t let go.  He was in far too deep and the last thing he’d do was let go of Jin.

~End Chapter Forty-Three~