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A soft grunt escaped from a pair of sleepy lips, hands crumpling the fabric below and arms surrounding more securely the body still asleep. The sun rays slowly travelled across the black curtains, little creaks allowing the growing warmth to spread around the room and involve it in a relaxing environment.
"Baby..." Called Annie, nose running little circles around the back of Mikasa's neck, subtle kisses being pressed against smooth skin. Her breath tickled the hairs in that area and a chill took place across the upper part of her girlfriend's body. Her delicate fingers pressed unevenly across Mikasa's stomach, a slow massage flowing rather flawlessly and making her even more sleepy, short content sighs being heard in the quiet of their room.
"Hmmm" The dark-haired girl protested, still too out of it to even form something as close as a phrase, her girlfriend's warm hands not doing anything good to help in her getting up. The bed started shifting, Annie soon creating space between the two bodies and allowing air to pass through the soft masses right into her lover's back. One or two annoyed whines could be heard as the shorter girl chuckled on her way to the bathroom. Cold water started flowing from the faucet making a sudden shiver attack roll through Annie's calm and collected aura.
Today was an important day for the Demon's Department since the Purgatory would be holding human promotions and Annie's division would get more help solving cases and essential affairs. On the contrary belief, everyone would deem her as an angel and Mikasa as a demon, it has been like that all her life ever since getting acquainted with the infamous Mikasa Ackerman.
You see, the appearance of demons and angels can derive from two different circumstances: either you die as an earthling (human) and transform in the afterlife, or you are born into this other realm and come from a demonic or angelic family tree. The perception that humans have of heaven or hell couldn’t be more incorrect and further from the real truth. Demons weren't bad and angels weren't good in their roots, the difference comes from traits of the psyche attributed to each individual at birth. Some say it's a combination made by the Gods running space, time and all in between.
Annie was born here while Mikasa inhabited the so pure Earth. They met as little children in the preparatory school for natives and earthlings, a bright future for these two talented individuals way ahead of them.
Her eyes dropped to her calm hands resting on the counter, slow orbs observing the way her skin changed to its original colour in a blink of an eye, a deep ash-grey coming into view and taking for itself all of her short body. Her horns stood almost timidly against the gentle breeze coming from the window and her tail swayed softly to the rhythm of her favourite song. Annie played it all the time in her headspace and Mikasa would constantly complain saying that she couldn't concentrate on her work because of it. Their case was odd, to say the least. They could use telepathy, hear each other's thoughts, hear the blood pumping through each other's veins, feel emotions the other was feeling, everything. It's like every fibre of their being was connected to the bone like those puzzles you aren't supposed to solve.
Of course, it's only natural for demons and angels to connect and forge bonds and it goes stronger than human relations. But this was completely odd and different from the norm and what happened all the time. It went against the Purgatory's beliefs and knowledge and when everyone knew about them the community's enthusiasm skyrocketed. It was officially part of the Life After Guide, an immensely respected book among the community, the piece of paper that answered all the existing questions and doubts about life as a whole. They became some kind of everlasting piece of history and different experts would reach out to them to try and make sense of the existence of such behaviour.
Slender arms surrounded her, soft lips coming in contact with her shoulder, hands drawing imaginary patterns across her hip bone and gaze meeting hers in their reflexion by the mirror. "Hello, beautiful" She smiled, the glow around her a strong icy silver and teeth as white as a polished pearl.
Annie backed into Mikasa, letting the warmth hug her and eyes closing for a split second in bliss, "You're so bright right now". The black-haired girl laughed slightly at her remark, nose running around her neck softly "I can't help it when I'm with you like this, love."
"I find it charming how you still shine this bright after all these years being with me." She turned around in her grasp, fingers gently placed upon the curves of her lover's face and soon smoothing the skin where it touched, "Do you recall when we first saw each other? You were like a blazing sun in that boring classroom." Mikasa grimaced, a deep blush covering her cheeks and head ducking low to find a hiding spot in Annie's chest.
"Please, don't. They even called the school's doctor because they thought I was sick or having some kind of seizure." The angel laughed softly, memories flooding her mind as if she was living it all once more.
Annie observed her closely, how her hair looked so perfect-like in the morning hours and how her heart pumped loudly across the closed space, the rhythm passing onto her own soul, making her skin vibrate in a constant lovely beat. There were no records of an angel shining so brightly ever, it happened all the time of course, it was one of the many characteristics of being an angel. The body would differ in the intensity of the spark according to the individual's mood and status, often sporting a mix of two different hues.
But it was never like this. There was something truly rare that connected the both of them in a way that no creature could think of or wonder about.
"I was watching you from bed. You look like a puppy with your big tail flailing around." The ends of Annie's mouth raised, teeth peeking over and the two pointy ones ruling over the others. "Also, you will never grow tired of that damn song, will you?". Her eyes rolled at the question, arms dropping to Mikasa's waist, letting her own body collide with the counter behind her.
"First of all, you know why I love that song. And second, I don't know what a puppy looks like, they only exist in your realm." She made some sort of a sad face, lips tugging down and eyes just like a puppy's. Mikasa sighed, the glow around her intensifying even more and involving the both of them in an uncomfortable heat.
Her head dropped, hands timidly hanging on to the ends of Annie's red sweater and breath quicker than before. "How do I still hold my past-life memories with me? Every now and then i get them travelling through my dreams, clumsily walking on my headspace and I don't got a clue of what to do with them." Annie tightened the grip on her, lips pressing ever so softly on her lover's right cheek. "Haven't you talked about that with Levi?"
She nodded her head slowly, gaze lifting to meet Annie's, "That's not what's concerning me if I'm being honest here." She saw the other girl give her a questioning look, eyebrow raised and still holding her close, mentally encouraging Mikasa to talk and pass some of her burdens to her girlfriend, they were a team after all.
A sigh left her quiet lips, mind trying to form the correct way to phrase what she was about to tell Annie. "In my memories...", a deep breath was taken to slow her train of thought, "in my other life, I was deeply in love with you."
Silence filled the space, the blonde's grip not so strong anymore, the black scales across her body gently vibrating onto her skin and her void filled eyes finally alive again after long seconds just staring at the floor. Mikasa was waiting for the explosion, something to ruin them so strongly that nothing more than mere broken pieces scattered along the space, because Annie dreamed of having been born on Earth. Her demonic family and background something she truly despised and felt so far away from, she was nothing like them. Demons exploiting other creatures for their own benefit, hands dirty from all the backstabbing her family members were so known for. She wished she was a human once, and she had told that to Mikasa so many times, over and over again, an imaginary happiness drawn on her features every time the angel would picture her scenarios she once lived.
There was beauty to the human race, something demons and angels can't phantom to have a taste of. On Earth, people aren't timeless, feelings don't get carved onto the skin and life is nothing but tasteful. Humans weren't despised in the afterlife nor were they idolized but admiration and respect for the bravery humans carried throughtout their already lost years was undeniably a fact.
"How?" Mikasa opened her eyes, the softness on Annie's voice a surprise to her current mood, little sparks on her deep black eyes a reminder to the start of a waterfall. Was she going to cry?
Her gaze covered all of her features at once, trying to desperately find a reason for her reaction but there was nothing else other than expectancy shown. "Levi told me about parallel universes and that must've been your other self stuck in my reality." Mikasa gently grabbed her face, mouth pressing slightly on Annie's forehead, right between her delicate horns. She sighed, "She was like you, all of you. Except, you know, the horns and everything." She chuckled, an attempt to ease her lover's mood. A second later, the sound that came from the demon's lips were like heaven to her ears. “These memories didn't come to me at first, they took a while to resurface so when we met as children I had no recollection of you. But now...” Delicate fingers interlaced with Annie's, thumb pressing slightly in a back and forth motion, gaze so deep and unquavering the demon felt taken aback. Mikasa like this looked like she was from a whole different world and the definition of beauty itself, her dark hair long enough to frame her sharp face, white eyes not breaking the contact, not for one second. "It feels like the Gods destined you to me, that we are bonded by fate somehow."
Annie stared at her with intent, eyes subtly fleeting to the wall behind her girlfriend's head, clock ticking the time away. She had to get to the Purgatory Central in time but she just couldn't stop Mikasa, not right now.
"You mean like soulmates?" Right as she finished uttering that sacred word, a chill ran under both their skins, hands slightly trembling and eyes slowly changing shape. It was no longer a deep black void nor the brightest hallow white, its own composition shifting in color and space, tainted little pieces spreading through and gaining life.
They stared deeply at each other, each observing the way the other's gaze was gradually changing, eyes finding a new meaning and molding into an ancient belief. Time seemed to stop right there and then, small bright particules floating in between them, their minds overflowing with a sequence of inumerous images.
"T-This..." Annie stuttered, completely perplexed at the movie being shown on her headspace. It was beautiful, really. The meeting of two soulmates, as stated by the Guide, was something so pure and so true in its nature that it rarely ever happened. An occuring that only happened to the ones who have been human and that have bonded on Earth, hearts only beating for one another and no one else.
The demon observed with her mouth agape, her other self entering some kind of bakery and going for the employee working at the register, a jumble of words slipping out of her lips. Annie could not catch a single thing. The language barrier between earthlings and after-life individuals existed, so it would only be natural for both of them to not understand anything. However, the longer she tried to listen, the clearer words would get and the tones underlying each spoken phrase.
Mikasa felt her cheeks warm up, gaze watching Annie's human form interact with her own, hands coming in contact with the counter and gaze secured on the beauty in front of her. Soft silky black hair trapped neatly in a ponytail and a white polar gently tucked in the uniform pants, body busy counting the money from the previous client and hands cleaning up the place soomthly like she'd been working there forever. Her eyes finally lifted to the screen, words coming out on automatic when she sensed someone was waiting.
"Hello, what can I get for- oh, wow." She stopped herself, orbs watching each other thoroughly and lips going dry for a split second.
"Morning, beautiful. You sure are a looker, Ackerman." Annie chuckled, amused at the reaction of the girl presented before her. "You know, no one's behind me so if you please to keep watching me I'm more than happy about letting you do it."
"That's n-not...I wasn't..."
"Sure, whatever you say." Annie let out a small smirk, eyes sparkling at the warm tint coloring Mikasa's cheeks. "I've never seen you at work before, I'm glad I came here today." They attended the same university and the smaller one had noticed the raven beauty around the outside grounds of campus and also because it was hard to miss the uni's prodigy who everyone seemed to talk about. Annie stilled in her place, eyes going around the shop and stopping on the board right under the ceiling with all the menus and products. "I'm down for something sugary, you got any recommendations?"
Mikasa did not linger on the thought, words coming out like it was programmed on her brain, "We got some flavored cupcakes and a really nice set of milkshakes." She stopped for a second, deciding wether to go along with Annie's demeanor or to just let it go. "I didn't beg you for someone with a sweet tooth, though." Mikasa attempted a soft smile, lips slightly going up and head tilting to the side in a sign of playful mockery.
The shorter girl sighed, hands quickly covering her face in reaction to what the other just said, "Please, don't do that again."
"Do what?"
"Don't act all cute on me, it's kinda hard to keep it to myself." Annie admitted, face as red as a tomato and hands hiding in the pocket of her baggy hoodie, head turned to the side in an attempt to hide her blush. Mikasa chuckled, heart beating more than before and gaze observing the girl in front of her.
"There's no one waiting in line besides you but if you want to eat anytime soon I'd sugest for you to order, cutie." That was a seriously foul play, Annie looked like she wanted to bury herself in a hole and never come out, mumbling a series of omg's every two seconds and I can't believe you called me cute, I'm so gonna die.
The memories kept going with no pause button, images running like a cinematic production and showing every single interaction between them on Earth. Each word, each smile, each thought. Their minds revolved around each other like gigantic magnets, hands softly carressing each other's faces when they agreed to meet by the golden fountain in a secluded corner of campus. It was all so intense, so raw and so true, like no other truth would rule but them, together.
Everything seemed ethereal, even for earthlings and mere humans, Annie found it so astonishing. Earth had a subtle aura of life itself, it radiated all thoughout the different scenarios displayed before her and Mikasa. It was all so incredibly beautiful, almost like it never existed and if they looked closely, there were almost invisible particles surrounding the pair at all times.
"I've always dreamed of being human but this...I feel it flowing through me." The demon centered her vision on her girlfriend and flinched at her expression, eyes as big as a Ligulalepis and mouth agape. "What's the problem, love?" She worried, trying to understand what could cause such reaction.
"It's n-nothing. Look behind you, Annie."
She mentally tried to prepare herself for what was about to come, was it a bad thing? Maybe a summoning circle because she was already late for the gathering? Or perhaps a passerby note of the higher-ups telling her to hurry? She couldn't come to a guess even if she tried her hardest and when her gaze finally met the mirror, it was like reality seemed to disrupt. An illuminated path flowed from her back, threads and thin lines wrapping around each other and slowly coming together to make a whole. Dark tinted parts finding its place under one another, gradual sets of strong surfaces envolving her body, the tips forming an unending space for creation.
There was a smoke trail following the rise of each strong pedal, gracefully sitting upon her back as it delicately covered each inch with ease and grace. Annie grimaced, the sensation felt like a slow burn across her soul, the feel of long claws dragging senselessly across the wide surface and tearing the skin to welcome a new form.
"Oh my god, this hurts like shit." Mikasa half chuckled, lips pulled tight and the demon quickly adverted her gaze to her girlfriend in front of her, mouth going agape as she watched the same process happening to the angel, phantom and sharp wings slowly etching themselves on top of her delicate bones. There was a special glint in her eyes, something close to sincere amusement and happiness. "There was a time when we were laying in my bed, side by side, and we talked for hours about the most random subjects." The dark-haired girl smiled, both wings fluttering, "We mentioned how silly it was to think that angels and demons were born without wings, because that's what made them different. To be able to fly up there, or here if you prefer."
Mikasa let out a silly laugh, gaze softening when she locked her gaze with Annie's, her right hand reaching to hover her chest, palm emanating a comfortable heat. "Only once did we see a demon and an angel with wings."
Annie tried to collect her memories to search for the moment where they had come in contact with that idea for the first time, "In Miss Hange's class, that one biogical book where all creatures were displayed." She took a shallow breath, thoughts travelling at light speed, a mental sequence being slowly mapped out before her eyes. "She went over that part so quickly but I remember taking a closer look to the caption below the image." The sound of Mikasa's voice echoed along the room, deliberatingly knocking on the strong walls and trying to bring it all closer to hear the words clearly.
"It read: the sighting of two lost soulmates, unbelievable beings who once forged an undestructable fate upon their stay on Earth, a special pair of soft wings sitting on their backs, something so unthinkably true."
They observed each other closely, eyes no longer the same as before, bodies rooted to the spot and heartstrings bouncing to the melody of their souls. The angel rolled her eyes, leaning to etch her forehead into Annie's and a content sigh leaving her delicate lips, "There you go with that song again." The shorter girl smiled, hands grabbing onto her girlfriend's waist and lips going for Mikasa's. This, them together, felt different now. Like nothing could ever break them apart or fade away their love for each other.
It was new but not really. They hadn't thought of the word soulmates before, but their oddly strong connection didn't go unnoticed for even a second. Not by them or anyone around the pair across their lifetime. What they had was beautifully drawn and presented both on Earth and on the afterlife, hearts crazier than anyone else's. The Gods sure loved to see them together, just like those puzzles you aren't meant to solve.