The next morning, a blaring noise shook me awake.

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

I groggily opened my eyes. The little clock next to me was creating that horrid noise. And at 8 in the morning? Why? Suddenly, an arm reached over my body and tapped the clock, silencing the noise.

"Good morning" a sleepy voice said.

Serena made eye contact with me as I rolled over.

"Good morning", I said with a warm smile.

We laid there and just looked at each other for a bit. It was a warm moment between us.

"No work today", she said in a near whisper.

I raised my eyebrows. "Why not?", I asked curiously.

She inched closer. "Storm warning. It's supposed to rain a lot today."

I closed the distance between us. We were basically sharing each other's breath.

"So what do you wanna do?", I asked her.

She kissed my lips warmly and then sat up.

"I'm not sure." She had a genuine look of thought on her face.

I sat up on my side. "We could watch a movie", I suggested, "with popcorn?"

She turned to me. "We don't have any popcorn", she said.

I smiled. "I'll just go get some before it starts pouring then."

She had a worried look on her face. I leaned over and kissed her head.

"I'll be fine. Trust me."

She seemed to accept it and made her way to the bathroom. I hopped out of bed and put my jeans on along with a new shirt. I could hear water running in the bathroom as I searched for my jacket.

Once I found it, I set out to find some popcorn. I took the keys from the bowl and closed the door. I twisted the knob to make sure it was locked. It made a clicking noise.

"Good."

I walked down the stairs and looked at the sky. It was cloudy and the white fluffy clouds started to turn grey and angry. I quickened my pace as I walked down the sidewalk. I found a convenience store near the end of the road. This was the farthest I'd journeyed out from the apartment. A light drizzle was just beginning to fall.

As I entered the sliding doors, a electronic chime played. There was no greeting from the counter however. The cashier was busy on his phone. How easy it would be to steal the popcorn... No. I'll pay. What was happening? It was like there was a voice in my head correcting my demonic nature.

I picked up a box of extra buttery popcorn and walked to the counter. As I approached, the human put his phone down.

"Just this?", he asked.

I nodded and placed a 10 dollar bill on the counter.

It was at that moment I detected a presence. The glass of the door exploded inwards and I fell backwards. A male figure stood out in the now down-pouring rain. He held a flaming sword, and two pairs of fluffy white wings sprouted out behind him. An Angel. What was it doing here?

"Ryuji, Torturer Of Souls. You have been sentenced to death by the Almighty", the Angel called out.

Who was this guy? And what does he mean the Almighty sentenced me to death? What the fuck was this? The man behind the counter was unconscious and on the floor. The angel approached and I stood.

"I thought I was to live life in exile here?", I called out.

The Angel seemed to laugh. "That was the Fallen's choice. Not ours", he responded boldly.

Looked like the only way out was a fight. This Angel wasn't playing games today. I unveiled my true form and looked around for a weapon. One of the shelves holding chips had broken off into a sharp point. It would have to do. I picked it up and turned back to face the Angel but he was already in front of me.

I felt a kick land against my chest, throwing me into the back wall by the soda machines. I threw the nearest one at him and he sliced through it splattering soda everywhere. This wasn't looking good.

"I, Mael the Archangel, have the pleasure of this kill", he said as he walked down the aisle toward me.

I stood and slashed at him with my broken shelf. He grabbed it mid swing and threw me off to the side.

"What's wrong? Out of magical power?", he teased.

I couldn't risk casting a spell. It would be dangerous for everyone involved. I stood as the Angel stepped forward to swing and parried it with the shelf, shoving the shelf into his ribs. He barely flinched as I ran past him. I had one other idea, but it was risky.

I jumped into an aisle and closed my eyes as the Angel pulled the shelf out of his rib cage. I heard it clatter to the floor. I focused on the shadows and the darkness of the grey skies. I could hear him closing in on me. I had about half a minute before he would cleave right through me.

I could feel something forming inside. It was almost there... 15 seconds now. He was dangerously close. I could hear sirens and screams in the distance. Almost... come on... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...

"Now!", I yelled out and raised my hand up to block his strike.

The sound of metal clashing forced my eyes open. In my hand I held a dark black blade. Engraved with demonic runes, and forged from darkness, Lightcleaver was mine.

The Angel sidestepped and went for a stab. I rolled forward and slashed, hearing a grunt and an infuriated yell. I had ripped through his cloak and drawn blood. He pursued me, enraged, hacking and slashing through any obstacle in his path. If I hadn't had adrenaline coursing through me, I would've died already.

He swung and his sword stuck into the wall. This was it! I surged forward and slashed through his wings and then through his neck. The Angel disintegrated into dust before me. The blade followed suit, disintegrating into the shadows from my hand. I saw something flash behind me and turned to find the cashier with his phone. I walked over to him and held my hand out.

"No witnesses", I said menacingly.

He handed me his phone and I crushed it in my hand.

"As for the popcorn", I continued and he handed me the box.

"F-free of charge of course", he said, obviously frightened.

I thanked him and recasted my glamour.

I could hear more people and sirens closing in as I walked away down the sidewalk. This would for sure be on the news tonight. I chuckled to myself as I walked. I couldn't help but wonder why the Almighty was trying to kill me.

Usually, though the Almighty and the Fallen are archenemies, they don't interfere with each other unless war is at hand. Maybe the Archangel was acting rogue? Who knew?

I was halfway home when the thunder and lightning started. I had to hurry. This storm was giving me flood vibes. I sprinted the rest of the way, almost falling one time, but I made it. When I cracked the door I heard a little yelp.

"Who is it?", a small voice peeped.

I smirked. "Let me in", I demanded with a voice too deep to be mine.

A little shriek.

I tried to contain my laughter but couldn't.

Serena peeked out the door. "You ass!", she yelled as she slapped my arm.

I couldn't stop laughing.

"You're such a jerk", she continued with a half smile.

I looked at her in her t-shirt. "Sorry, but it was priceless", I told her.

She eyed me carefully as she opened the door. I walked in and dropped the keys in the bowl and the popcorn on the table. I felt her hand run along my back.

"What's this?", she asked.

I could feel the cut as she ran her fingers over it.

"Just a little trouble at the store", I responded casually.

She looked at me. "What do you mean some trouble? What happened?"

I couldn't very well tell her I was a demonic being and a God was trying to kill me, now could I? I lied and explained that the store was being robbed and I got slashed. She had a steely expression on her face. She turned and walked down the hall only to return a couple seconds later with a red and white box.

"What's that?", I asked inquisitively.

She opened it and pulled out a roll of gauze and some medical tape.

"It's for your back", Serena answered as her eyes focused in on my back.

"Oh. That's not really necessary, it's really just a scrape", I said as I tried to turn around.

She rotated with me.

"Just let me bandage it", she said and I heard the tape stretch out, "and please don't try to be a hero next time."

I whirled around as she fumbled with the tape and placed my hands on her arms. She shuddered.

"I will protect you with my life if that's what it takes", I said, feelings that I had no explanation for exploding forward.

Her eyes watered and she placed her head against my chest.

"I don't want you to die", she mumbled into my chest.

"And I won't. Like I said, just a scrape", I said as I lifted her face up to mine.

She smiled as I wiped her tears.

"So what movie are we watching?", I asked her.

She squinted her eyes. "Nothing until you change clothes. You're soaked."

I remembered I had been sprinting through the storm that was now raging outside. I retreated to the bathroom with a change of clothes. A sweater and some sweatpants. They were warm and, my favorite part, fluffy.

I returned to the couch and found my seat. I discovered there was no lack of pillows and blankets on the couch. Serena walked over with a large bowl of popcorn.

"I thought I'd make the area nice and warm for us", she said quietly.

She was nervous, I could tell.

I smiled and pulled her down next to me. "It's perfect", I whispered into her ear as she blushed.