A Sickened Soul // OPEN to FRIENDS

NOTE: Aislinn has been poisoned by Raptus. Anyone who is involved with Aislinn on either a protection or friendly basis is welcomed to this thread.

It has been two days since she was pulled out of the pit, but nothing had prepared her for this feeling of dread and fatigue. When she had first gotten back from that demonic place, Castiel had left her to go and take care of some... business. Most likely revenge, she thought, frowning at that idea. She would never understand why he was so angry. An angel was meant to protect, not get revenge, so why was he doing it? Of course, while he was away, Adriel was left to protect her, so that was a comforting thought to know she was not left alone again. After the kidnapping, they had sent another angel to help when Castiel could not.

Today had been most dreadful though. The poison that Raptus had fed her was now slowly taking over her body, shutting it down so slowly, that it just sent sharp pains throughout her body, let out in bloody, choking coughs. She had gone pale, her eyes had lost color, and it was literally sucking her soul right out of her body... and that was literally what it was meant to do. It was going to retract her grace, and when the poison had finally taken its toll, the grace would be left inside a hollow body, just waiting to be snatched up. That was Raptus's intentions, and he had been waiting patiently for it to finally eradicate her.

Back at her loft, one room apartment, she was laying on the couch, friends surrounded as they attempted to think of something. Where were those angels? That's what they kept muttering, and Aislinn knew it, even if they were trying to keep quiet. The Winchester brothers made their appearances every so often, just to make sure she was okay, but mostly, her other hunter friends were around, guarding the area, salting the doors and windows and putting a seal over the vents so that nothing could escape or attack.

Knocking on the door and being let in, there was a sense of dread that came over Adriel that he had never felt in such a room. It was so full of hopelessness, and Adriel wasn't exactly sure how to handle it. His ability to communicate and understand humans was still very new, although he was getting better at it with each moment he spent with Aislinn in Castiel's stead.

As he had entered though, there were tears, wandering thoughts, and the most uncomfortable silence that he had ever seen. Not even a hospital had this much grief, and every prayer that these poor souls were sending out... every little voice that was begging for Aislinn's recovery was echoing in his voice, and he was surprised that even he, an angel, was able to keep his composure in such a melancholy environment.

Kneeling down in front of Aislinn's weakened body, worry washed over his face as he shook his head. "Oh, Aislinn, I'm so sorry..." he frowned. He only wished that he could save her, but his feelings for her were only of a duty's sense. He had no actual feelings of fondness for the poor girl, although her state of exhaustion was enough to make his heart sink. "I know I'm not the angel you were expecting... but I have some information for you that might prove useful... if he makes it on time, I know you will survive."

Placing a hand on her forehead, feeling the fever that was surging through her body, he closed his eyes, focusing on bringing it down so that the poison would not kill her as quickly. "Poisons made by a demon are not so easily cured... I know that. But there is one thing I know will destroy it, and that is the kiss of an angel. Have you ever heard the legends of it?"

Hearing the silence convert to whispers, Aislinn wasn't quite sure what to make of who had arrived, until she felt a sense of grace enter the area. Her body quickly shooting up, she gasped lightly, turning her head to get a view of the stranger, but jumping ahead in her conclusions. "Castiel--" she stopped herself as she had seen who it really was. Her look of hope faded for a moment and she sunk back into her sheets.

It wasn't that she didn't think Adriel could help her... but she was only hoping it would be the man who she had grown so fond of over their time spent together. She did appreciate Adriel's help, but she couldn't help but feel disappointed that it was not Cas. Her angel. Her guardian who promised in the first place. Her Castiel.

When he spoke to her though, of this legend, her eyes looked over to him in weak curiosity. "I've never heard it," she mumbled weakly in a hoarse, quiet voice. She let out a violent cough after as she sunk back into her pillow, the hand on her forehead sending waves of relief into her body as the pain weakened a bit. She listened to what Adriel had to say as she closed her eyes.

Seeing Aislinn jump up in assumption and excitement, and then her smile faltering as she had sunk back down in her seat sent needles through Adriel's very being. He couldn't explain it. He felt so much sorrow for this girl, and he couldn't blame her for wanting to see the angel she had spent so much time with. As much as she wanted to deny it, he knew how she felt. She was absolutely in love with Castiel, and there was no getting around it. What boggled him even more was the fact that Castiel somehow, in some awkward way felt the same.

When Aislinn had mentioned to her that she did not know of the legend, he nodded as he then took her hand, squeezing it gently with a sigh. "It is the most powerful force of healing in the world. It requires the permission of an angel to kiss a being, but it will only work if the angel feels love or remorse for that being. It can heal anything, although it cannot bring back the dead."

Staying silent for a moment as he nodded at his words, he frowned. He could not perform such a task for Aislinn if she were to ask because he did not feel love for her. Despite the sorrow and sadness he felt in his gut, it was not of a deep affection for her. It was simply in guilt. "It must be of the truest of affection from an angel, which is a rare occasion for an Angel. Angels showing emotion is incredibly rare and powerful. This is why the kiss is only heard as a rumor."

Castiel felt hesitant to enter the room. He knew she'd be in there. His charge. The woman he'd failed. Taking a nervous breath, he ran a hand through his hair. Since when did he start doing that? The more time he spent with humans, the more he acted like them, it seemed. Especially Aislinn. She had a talent of bringing out the human part of him, if that was even possible. Pushing those thoughts aside, he pushed open the doors, standing still as he felt the point of a blade press against the base of his throat. Holding his hands up, he waited for the hunter who was holding the knife to realize it was him. With a nod to the others, his eyes zeroed on Adriel's back, trying to see past him.

He felt a a definite tug, pulling him towards the bed. The sadness in the room was getting to him, and he felt a weight in his heart that he couldn't bare. He put one foot in front of the other, slowly walking towards the place where she rested. He stopped when he was behind Adriel. He wanted to get closer, but the sight froze him into place. Aislinn was not looking well, at all. Worse than how she'd looked when he'd left. He couldn't breathe. Falling to his knees next to Adriel, closing his eyes and bowing his head. "Aislinn..." he could not keep his emotions from leaking into his voice. How had he failed her so completely?

Hearing the story of the kiss, Aislinn let out a nod as she then gave a violent cough, choking slightly as she leaned back in the bed. Breathing heavily for a few moments, she closed her eyes. Her consciousness was continuing to slip in and out and she was having a hard time focus on what she wanted to say... or what she was even saying.

The moment that Castiel had made his presence known though, she knew. She felt him enter the place and she immediately shot her head forward and caught his sorrowful gaze, her heart racing in her feeble body. She had no words to say as her hand weakly reached for him. She turned to Adriel and nodded. "Please, leave me with him."

Suddenly though, her head was becoming light and she felt her body cringe in pain as her eyes were flooded with tears and slowly tunneling. She was rendering again. No, not now... she tried to fight it. She was so incredibly happy to see Castiel, she had the brightest smile she could put on her face though. "I knew you'd come."

Seeing the smile on her face twisted the knife in his heart. Not good. He wasn't accustomed to this feeling. A pain he couldn't heal. Though he was still in denial, he knew there was only one person who could heal it, and she was dying. The pain she was feeling, however, he could fix for a while. Taking her hand, he sent enough healing energy to subdue her pain for a few hours.

Her smile was suddenly making him feel even worse. He did not deserve it. "Why are you smiling as if I light up your world? I don't merit your attention," he muttered miserably, looking down at their hands. Was it bad that he enjoyed holding hers more than he should? Yes, absolutely.

When he held her hands, a sense of security came over her as she continued to watch him. When he had asked her why she was smiling though, she couldn't bring herself to speak properly. She was so dizzy, she could barely comprehend her words evenly. "Because it's you..." she spoke in a hush tone, letting out sharp breath.

The pain was so heavy now, she found it hard to speak... or think. Her sober thoughts were coming out, and this was not what she wanted. "Ugh..." she knew that he was trying his hardest to make the pain go away, and she appreciated it so heavily. "I love you so much..." she suddenly stopped. She didn't she mean to say that. She realized what had been said quickly, her eyes popping open once more as she went silent.

It hurt, a lot. How did humans deal with this kind of thing? Looking back up at her, he tried to find the words to reply. How could he say the feelings are mutual when he couldn't admit it to himself? "I..." he mumbled, blinking quickly to get rid of the annoying blur in his vision. What was this? Ugh, human bodies... he thought to himself, even though he knew the feelings were his.

When he looked back into her eyes, he knew he couldn't really avoid it any longer. Especially not when she was so near death. Taking a deep breath, and noticing how it seemed to shudder itself, he murmured softly, "I love you too, Aislinn."

He said it back. That wasn't what she was expecting to hear, but she couldn't help but feel a slight tug on her heartstrings when he said it. She smiled again, squeezing his hand weakly as she let out a silent laugh, as though she couldn't believe it. She was dying, but she was so incredibly happy... and then she remembered.

"Cas," she said quickly, looking into his eyes desperately, "Please... I need you to kiss me." If the rumors were true, then this would work, wouldn't it? Her body shot up slightly, but slowly in a weak manner as her gaze never left his. "Adriel told of of the kiss of an angel... please. Kiss me," she said desperately, her voice cracking.

Oaky, this was absolutely unexpected. He'd just brought himself to admit that he had feelings for someone, and now that someone was asking him to kiss her. Did all human relationships work this way? But the desperate look in her eyes told him it wasn't out of personal gain that she wanted this. Of course, when she mentioned Adriel informing her of the power of the kiss of an angel, he internally groaned.

Looking at her, he saw how much Aislinn wanted it to work. Frowning slightly, he felt the tips of his ears burn lightly. He knew if he did this, part of him would most definitely die. But how could he deny her this, when he himself wanted to do it? Swallowing with some difficulty, he let out a nervous breath. Ignoring that they had somewhat of an audience, he looked into her eyes seriously. "Aislinn," he heard his voice waver slightly, straining to stay under control, "... may I kiss you?" He knew that she'd say yes, but he still need verbal consent for it to work.

OOC: oh my god reading him say that gave me butterflies XD

He had taken some time to respond to her question, looking at her in a nervous manner. So... everyone was wrong then. Everyone was continuously telling her that he did have feelings for her. In the end, maybe it wasn't? It was just her mind playing tricks. The look of desperateness faded as her eyes hung low and she laid back in her pillow.

Suddenly though, he had spoken her name, to which she looked over and saw something new about him. There was a look of almost longing washed over it, mixed with apprehension and worry. Then he asked her if he could kiss her. Her heart was fluttering and her cheeks went red again as her hand continued to hold his tightly, her thumb rubbing over his palm. She nodded slowly, her breaths becoming staggered. She could feel her death approaching. "Y-yes, Castiel. You may kiss me."

o.c.c.: Ikr? Had butterflies while writing it xD

As her breathing because staggered, his quickened. His grip on her hand tightened, and it seemed as if time slowed down. His heart, however, picked up speed as he slowly leaned down. He stopped, his lips a few millimeters from hers, and took a breath in attempt to settle himself. He then stopped wasting time, knowing that Aislinn had to be on the brink of death, and pressed his lips against hers.

This had to be one of Castiel's favorite moments in all his existence. Never had he thought that he would enjoy this human action so much. It relieved some of the pain that had been forming in his heart. If this was the solution to his pain, he was determined to keep doing. Not that he minded it at all...

Feeling the angel's touch to her lips, there was so much that was going on, and it overwhelmed her. There was a slight glow around her body as the healing took place. She could feel the strength slowly returning to her body as her heart began to race more, being able to enjoy his kiss even more. At that point, she couldn't hold it in much longer.

Her arms moved up as her hands went to his cheeks to keep him from pulling away, her lips locking with his for a long moment as she had returned the kiss. She had been wanting this moment to happen for far too long. Her heart was fluttering and she was slowly breathing easier with each moment the kiss lingered. The most powerful healing of all.

He could feel the definite change in her instantly, but he was honestly too occupied to actually notice it. As her hands went up to his cheeks, he brought himself over closer, pressing his lips to hers with a bit more force. Now that he'd started, he didn't want to stop. Ever.

The pain in his chest diminished, almost leaving him completely. In it's place, just pure happiness. Castiel, Angel of the Lord, had never been so happy. He felt his hand go up to cup her cheek, holding their faces more securely together. He was completely oblivious to the audience they had.

When he had kissed her back, she felt a relief wash over her and so much joy. Her hands moved down around his neck, not wanting him to pull away from her. She had not felt this way about someone, so strongly. She never wanted it to end. When he had pushed himself forward and put his hands to her cheek, she couldn't help but smile.

This was everything she wanted. He was her guardian angel, and he used his ultimate protection to heal her. When the kiss had finally ended and their lips had pulled apart, she was nearly in tears, just grinning at him with her hands to his cheeks, lightly tracing them. She couldn't say anything. She was just too happy for words.

When they stopped kissing, he was totally lost in the look in her eyes for a moment. Slowly, however, he became very aware of their audience. His ears began to heat up, and he felt the same heat creeping up his neck to his cheeks. Oh, he would never hear the end of this. Yes, of course it had been worth it, but embarrassment was not an emotion he handled very well...

He swallowed hard, and managed a whisper, "I am sorry Aislinn. I should have been there."