!! Kissed by an Angel - Polo - Mature Content

((-Snorts- fine. But im not capable of channeling complete evilness. O.o so you are going to have to play Greg in that case. So you can kill Bruce as youd like. Lol))

((this make you happy and bring some muse back))

((It makes me very happy. XD And I have some ideas... But I'm still too tired. :/ This art project was a biatch. ))

((Let me just finish off my reflective essay, and see how I feel. ))

((-Sighs- okay...))

When Bruce heard Ria's muffled shout, he wheeled away from his trashed house, and sprinted back toward the bike.
His eyes fixed on Greg, and like a charging bull - he ran at him.
Greg noticed Bruce at the last moment, and turned - eyes widening in shock - just in time to protect himself with his arms as Bruce's shoulder slammed hard into his chest. The force of the tackle knocked him to the ground, and before he could even get his breath - Bruce's fist was smashing into his already ruined face. Greg choked on blood, spitting out a mouthful, and trying to throw Bruce off - but too distracted by the hail of blows.
Finally, with a flash of fury, he tossed the slender boy off like a ragdoll.
Bruce's shoulder hit the ground, but he moved with the agility of a wet cat - and was on his feet again in moments, just as Greg's lumbering movements had allowed him to climb to his feet. The pair circled each other like a pair of fighting dogs - the Greg struck. His fist darted out like a snake, catching Bruce by surprise, and dealing him a hefty blow on the jaw. He grunted, and staggered backwards - letting his mouth open to issue out a mouthful of blood. It dripped sickeningly from each corner - lines of crimson spreading like war paint from his mouth, down his neck, and eventually staining his shirt. The salty, stinging taste of hot blood in his mouth sickened Bruce, and he found himself moving his tongue about incessantly, trying to escape the taste... But it was difficult not to taste something that was flowing freely from one's own tongue.
With a savage fury, Bruce flung himself back into the fight, and the pair sparred a while longer. Greg's blows were hefty and harsh - but they were slow, and his footwork was sloppy. Bruce, on the other hand, delivered sharp, light blows in quick succession, and with skillful accuracy. The longer the fight drew on, the more clear it became that Greg's gorilla-like fighting style was no match for Bruce's speed and agility. So, with one last powerful swipe at Bruce's face - which missed - Greg reached into his belt. Bruce lunged at him, intending to grab him by the throat - but even as his hand reached out, his fingers suddenly went limp. A gurgling, spluttering sound escaped his lips, and he could be heard choking on the sudden expanse of blood that welled up in his mouth - nearly drowning him. He seemed to be trying to speak - but groaning, bubbly grunts were all he could muster.
His breaths became short, sharp and strained as he glanced down toward his stomach, and saw the thick black handle of a knife protruding from his gut. The very same knife that he had considered taking to his wrist not long ago...
Greg had released the handle now, staggering backwards in shock. Cruel as he was, he was still just a boy... The idea of stabbing Bruce had appealed to him at the time - the violence, and cruelty of it... The drama and excitement! But he had not been prepared for the reality of it. There was so much blood, he could smell it - and it reeked. Bruce smelled like death. Like the freshly-killed animals you see at the side of the road...
Only he was a person. A living, breathing person, who had spoken to him - fought with him - mere moments ago. He was alive. And if he died, that would make Greg a murderer.
The enormity of it struck him hard, and he staggered back another step in shock, as though dealt a physical blow. Suddenly, his expression showed him for what he was. With limp cheeks, and a weak, quivering lower lip - he looked like a scared little boy. The colour was draining rapidly from his face - leaving ugly red blotches on the otherwise paper-white skin. He looked like a little school bully, caught by the teacher for the first time... He had never meant to go this far. He had wanted to get his way - to teach Bruce a lesson - but not to potentially kill another human being...
So, with eyes wide like a frightened doe's, Greg turned and fled the scene.

Bruce, meanwhile, was facing a trauma of his own. his quivering hands cupped the air around the handle of the knife - not quite daring to touch it, but desperately wanting to pull it out. It shouldn't be there... It shouldn't be inside of him. He wanted it out...
His eyes slid in and out of focus as he closed his hands around the handle, and dropped limply to his knees. Hot blood gushed out around the blade, soaking his hands as they fumbled around the handle with slick, shaking fingers. He gulped, choked and spluttered as he attempted to breathe through a mouthful of blood - panicking about the knife in his gut, and fearing the pain that wracked his entire body.
"R-Ria-" He managed to choke out, after spitting out another mouthful of blood. "Am-bu-lance." He spluttered, gurgling out the word in its syllables, interrupted by bubbling blood tricking from his lips.
He could taste it... He could smell it... He could feel it... It assaulted his senses harshly - overriding everything else, and turning his whole world into a haze of blood.
Without even realising it, he fell to his side - still shaking - and his eyes began desperately seeking Ria. They found the tips of her shoes, and his shaking lessened slightly. Calmed and comforted by the tight of her, he tightened his grip on the knife, and gave it one sharp tug.
A heartbreaking cry of pain was torn from Bruce's lips as he wrenched the knife free, and he instantly curled into the fetal position - pressing his hands over the gaping wound in his gut in a futile attempt to stem the flow of blood. He was sobbing hysterically now - overcome with pain, and fear of the darkness that clawed at the edges of his vision. The more blood he lost, the more he could feel himself being sucked into a downward spiral, as though he was circling the drain.
"R-R-Ria." He managed, letting the word stumble from his swollen tongue in between moans of agony. "Ria-" He curled tighter into himself, and whimpered from the pain - pressing harder against the cruel wound, and pleading silently with it to stop flooding hot liquid over his hands. It was making him feel faint and queasy...
"I don't want to die." He coughed feebly. "Ria..."

((What did you think of that? I was trying really hard to capture the emotion... Did it work? Was it effective? Deep? Shocking? XD Like... Anything? *Dies* Dreameh has the most amazing talent for creating these emotional posts that leave me literally stunned, it's such a huge impact. I want to write like that... ))

((that. almost. made. me. cry. And I never get emotionally attached to my roleplays))

Ria jerked up to a sitting position as she felt Greg come off of her. But, Bruce's cries of agony made her heart wrench. Yanking out of her phone she dialed 9-1-1. But, by the time the sirens even began to pierce her eardrums she was fearing it would be too late. "Bruce. Bruce. I'm right here. Don't leave me. You aren't going to die. God, don't leave me. Keep talking. Please. Keep talking." she said, talking and talking, grasping one of his blood soaked hands and squeezing it. So much blood. The rusty scent filled her nose and she held back the want to faint. she had to stay with him. Because she couldn't lose him. She would die if she lost him, didn't he know that? "Bruce. Stay with me. Stay with me..." she said, tears welling up in her eyes as she leaned in, wrapping her arms around him tightly, feeling the blood from his knife wound begin to soak into her own shirt. It was so hot and sticky and it made her want to writhe away from it. But, she didn't dare. Quickly, she stood up. "I'm right here, I promise." she said before grasping her backpack with clothes and beginning to pull them out. She placed them ontop of his wound and pressed, adding more clothes as more of them became soaked. "Don't leave me. Please. Don't leave me, Bruce. I need you..." she said, tears rolling down her cheeks and her voice shaking so hard that she was stuttering with almost every single word. "Oh. Don't leave me..." she said, the sirens getting closer and closer. The paramedics had to rip her away from his body as she screamed when she was touched. "NO! I need to stay with him. He can't die. Please. Don't make me leave him!" she called out, nothing but fear in her voice as they fought to hold her away from the working paramedics while she kicked at them, tears rolling down her face as she sobbed, fear taking over. She couldn't lose him. She just couldn't.

((How was that?))

((Woop woop! Yayyyy, go me! Success!

That was excellent. I could totally feel her pain at being torn away... *Nods dramatically* ))

"Don't... Worry. I'm fine." Bruce lied in between ragged breaths - the blood dripping from his mouth becoming less and less as it all flooded through the gaping wound in his gut.
A soft moan of pained contentment escaped him when she wrapped her arms around him. He felt safe and warm... For a while. Then she moved away - but soon returned with an armful of clothes, which she pressed against his wound. "Ria, your clothes-" Bruce objected weakly. It was such a stupidly selfless thought, that it was almost amusing. Bruce might have laughed at himself if he hadn't felt half dead...
When the paramedics arrived, he was relieved - but not pleased at being taken away from Ria.
He lost consciousness of the way to the hospital, and went into cardiac arrest once - forcing the paramedics to bring him back with CPR.
When he reached the hospital, he was rushed straight to emergency surgery.
It went well, but Bruce was already too far gone. When he came out of the surgery, they hooked him up to several different life support machines. The MD took one look at him when he came out of post-op, and wrote him off for dead. The machines were keeping his body functioning, that was it. Bruce, it seemed, was already gone.
All they had to do now was speak to the girl who had brought him in...
So the doctor hurried off to find her.
He approached a familiar-looking girl in the waiting room, and walked up to her with a solemn expession. "Ria?" He asked, "We need to talk to you about Bruce. I believe you're his girlfriend?"

((Off to bed. Nighty night ))

Ria sat wringing her hands in the waiting room before she stood up as the doctor called her name. "Yea..." she said, her eyes still wet with tears. "How - how is he? He's going to make it... right?" she choked out, wrapping one arm around her tightly as she stood next to the doctor. "He... he has to make it..." she whispered obviously torn because she understood just how horrible the situation actually was and something in her doubted that this situation was good. Biting her lip she paused and awaited the answer.

((Night))

The doctor sighed and shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry..." He murmured resting his hand comfortingly on Ria's shoulder. "He's alive, but barely there. We've got him on life support, but the truth is, he's brain-dead. For all points and purposes involved, he's already gone." He sighed, then squeezed Ria's shoulder gently. "You can say goodbye, but then we'll have to discuss pulling the plug. We can't keep him alive like this... It's just cruel." He glanced toward Bruce's room. "And, though I hate to ask a child to make an adult's decision, I must ask you for your permission to use Bruce's organs. We understand from his medical records that he did intend to donate them, and I know many good, honest people whose lives could be saved..." He glanced up at Ria, "I just need the go-ahead from you, Ria."

((oh god. I'm actually crying right now. -has become too attatched-))

Rias heart dropped and her hand flew upto her mouth as she choked on the sobs, stepping back and holding onto the nearest chair before sitting down. He was... gone. She sat like that emotions taking over as she sat there. His organs? What about his mother? She shuddered. Other peoples lives. "you... If he... If he so wanted then I won't stop you...just. Can I see him before you do anyhthing. Even if he can't hear me.." she said her voice strained as she spoke, her vision completely blurred from the tears. The doctor let her into his room to see him completely hooked up to ventilators. She felt her gut wrench with grief and she slid onto the bed beside his lifeless sbody. She grasped his hand hoping he might just squeeze it back before leaning in and kissif him on the cheek her tears sliding onto his face. No doctors, no neses in the room. Just her and Brice. Alone. And the angels. The angels that were supposed to save him. "Bruce. I guess there really is no such things as Angels if they took you away from me..." she choked out, sobs taking over when he didn't respond. "I don't feel safe. And you were my safety net. Bruce. I needed you. You were supposed to fight. God. This isn't fair." She said before she reted her head against his chest, t was moving but only because the machines were pumping air into and out of his body she closed her eyes and wished it all to be a dream, sobs racking her body as she pulled his hand up so it rested on her face. "I can't lose you. I've already lost enough. Please let this be a dream" she said before the doctor came back in. "we need to start getting these organs. I'm really sorry hunn," he said before gently pulling her away from Bruce. Ria looked at him one last time. "it's not going to be the same without Bruce. Goodbye..." she said her body wrackin with sobs as they placed her in her own waiting room where she cried her eyes out. And. As she left the hallway she heard the flatlining of the monitors and she felt a part of her die with him.
((I can't see the screen I'm crying so hard))

((*Pats back* If I didn't have a stone heart, I would be crying, too. :3 ))

An OBE. That was what they called them, right? Out of Body Experiences... Yes, that just about summed up what Bruce was experiencing at that very moment. He felt as though he was drifting mindlessly - watching himself from above. He saw Ria enter the hospital room, sobbing into his lifeless body.
Get up. He instructed his body silently, Can't you see she's upset? Get up - stop making her worry...
But nothing happened. And the more Bruce struggled to move his body, the more he realised that it was no longer in any way connected to him.
The realisation was frightening, and Bruce soon reached the conclusion that he didn't like OBEs much. In fact, he did not like this dream... It was time to wake up.
He closed his eyes, and imagined pinching himself - but when he opened his eyes again, nothing had changed.

When Ria left the room, Bruce stayed behind a moment. With a sickening, sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he watched himself die.
It's not a dream... He thought, in a state of dull, horrified shock.
I just died. I'm dead. I'm gone... So how am I here?

Feeling suddenly frightened, he rushed after Ria- Wait... Could angels rush? What was he doing? Flying? Floating? Running? Drifting? Gliding?
It was impossible to tell when he had no physical body to accompany his movement, nor any senses to feel it. All he knew was that he was following Ria, somehow. He could see her no, all alone - save for him - sitting on a bed, and bawling. He drifted (if that was the correct term) down to her, and extended a tentative thread of thought - trying to comfort her.
Ria... I'm not gone. I'm right here...

((Its so saddddd. WE SHOULDNT HAVE LET BRUCE DIEEE -whines-))

Ria curled up tighter into herself, now back in her bolted room so Greg couldnt get to her. Her mother was taking her down to the police station tomorrow to report it, but until then she couldnt escape him. She saw Bruces old hoodie and wrapped it around her tightly. She could still smell him on it and it was comforting to her. Looking up she saw her shelf of angel figurines and she reached over to the shelf. "You stupid angels you were supposed to keep him alive!" she growled before beginning to chuck them across the room allowing them to shatter upon impact. She was alone now. Completely and totally alone. Tears filled her gaze as she continued to throw the shelf full until every single one was broken.

Lacey appeared beside him, sitting down ontop of the dresser and kicking her feet back and forth, her body sliding into the dresser in the process. "Yo. Buddy-Boy. She cant hear you. And she most definately cant feel your presence if she is shattering those angels. She can only tell we are near her if she still believes in us." she said, flipping her purple hair around her fingers. Sighing, she slid to the other side of the room and made her.hand touchable just long enough to keep the water angel from shattering. "Im Lacey, and you are offically an angel, stuck here for a purpose. Find the purpose, accomplish it. Amd then you can continue on to Heaven." she said with a snide smirk, scaring the dog to entertain herself.

((*Evil cakle* Hey, I enjoyed it. ))

Bruce jumped as another 'angel' suddenly appeared beside him. Wait... Could angels jump? Oh, nevermind - the technicalities were too confusing.
He was scared of this angel - 'Lacey', as she called herself. He could see her, and yet she wasn't there... Hear her, yet she didn't exist - and he knew that he was the same.
Still - he listened to what she said - and felt his heart (If he still had one) begin to sink.
"No... No, she has to hear me!" Bruce exclaimed, clearly distressed. "She thinks I'm dead! I have to tell her-" He broke off, his words suddenly drifting into silence, as he realised his crucial error.
I am dead.
He swallowed thickly, then reworded his statement. "I have to let her know I'm still here for her..."
He glanced toward Ria - reaching pointlessly for her hand.
"Lacey, is it?" He turned back to the angel, "How can we make her believe? I need to talk to her again..." He turned back to Ria, watching her as though he was separated from her by a sheet of glass.

Lacey let out a snide laugh, her left part of her lips curling up into a nasty grin. "Oh. Hunny. You fail. Its quite simply actually. Her little brother still believes in em. Bet if you go down to him - though je still cant hear you - he will at least know you are there," she said with a smirk, stopping the last angel from shattering once more.

"You stupid angel! Just break already. Why cant you just let me die to you idiot angels. Supposed to save him. Well you fail at your job!" Ria screamed between sobs before trying to step on it and break, but no scratches came to it, not one.

"Oh sush up you whinning brat. Ruining a moment here," Lacey growled to ria actually making it so her voice was heard and then laughing as Ria jumped, rotating in a circle to find the noise before she gave up - lost, confused, and tired - and curled up in his hoodie before closing her eyes and trying to sleep, his smell calming her down and relaxing her still convusling body that wouldnt stop heaving with the sobs.

((Running out of muse :/ ))

Bruce couldn't stand around and watch Ria's distress. He blocked it out, shaking his head desperately - and rushed off to find Phillip, silently praying - if angels could pray - that the little boy could somehow forge a bridge between him and Ria.
He entered Phillip's room, inching hesitantly toward the boy - his breathing heavy with nerves.
Unsure of what to do, he bit his lip, and simply waited to see the boy's reaction to his presence.

((xD want lacey to teach him something?))

Phillip stirred awake, looking around his room for what was providing the eery feeling. He blinked, and held his gaze directly where Bruce was. "Bruce? Whyd you leave my sis..." he said, standing up and ebbing towards the form. "She doesnt believe me. I told her you couldnt ever leave her. But... She keeps telling me you guys dont exist anymore...." he said, pain obvious in his eyes. "Bruce?" he said once more, his expression dropping.

Lacey appeared again at Bruces side. "Phillip. Bruce cant speak right now. Its Lacey. You gotta make Ria believe or Bruce here is going to drive me insane..." she said before grasping a sheet and dropping over Bruces frame. It held for a second showing him, then fell through his body. "Wanna help me?' she asked aphillip who obediantly nodded his head.

((... Sure... O.o Will you do it now, because I've got nothing. :/ Can't even think of a post. ))

((Okie dokie))

Lacey sighed, turning to Bruce. "These are the simpliest i can teach you. Reach your hand out and imagine what the thing you want to touch feels like and imagine yourself actually touching it. Your hand will become a hand again, only as long as you can hold that image. Try it with Phillips hair. Dont worry if you cant get it at first." Lacey said explaining. Then, she continued. "With speaking push your voice out of your body. Not loudly at all, that isnt need. But imagine your voice traveling to the ears of who you want to hear you." she paused. "But. Dont overuse it. If you do, younare prone to blackouts and those can last days at a to month. Your angel body needs time to recooperate, and they usually happen at the worst times." she said rolling her eyes.

Bruce nodded mutely, and tried to reach out to Phillip. He could remember, back when he'd been alive, ruffling the boy's hair... Laughing and smiling... He let his hand drop back to his side, feeling suddenly despondent. Why did this have to happen?! Everything had been great... Well, maybe not great, but now that he had some perspective, it sure seemed that way. He just wanted to be back with Ria...
Ria. He squeezed his eyes shut, and sent the single thought wining to her - praying that, somehow, she'd hear it. His insubstantial fists shook at his side as emotion shuddered through him, and he felt the dull grip of despondency wrap around him.
Angrily, he shoved it off, and tried to touch Phillip's hair a second time.
This time, felt felt a dull tingling in his hand, and sensed it become solid for a moment. He felt Phillip's hair, warm and soft beneath his fingers - and a thrill of delight darted through him with this connection to the living world. "Phillip, can you hear me?" He tried to ask - imagining sending his words directly to Phillip's mind - remembering what it felt like to form each letter with his tongue.
He felt his energy draining already, and knew that what Lacey said about the blackouts was probably true. Still...
"Phillip," he tried again, "Can you help me contact Ria?"

"BRUCE!" Phillip said, almost bouncing with happiness. "I knew you were still here. I did. I did!" he said happily before bobbing his head. "Yea. I can try. But, I'm not sure she'll listen. You're gunna have to talk to her also..." he said with a sad sigh before heading towards Ria's room and gently rapping on the door. "Ria. It's Phillie.. Please. I wanna talk..." he said and soon the door opened, Ria's face still covered in tears but the sobs having had stopped. What he saw shocked him, all the angels except one destroyed. "Ria. Bruce is still here... I just talked to him. I promise. He might be dead, but he's not gone. He's worried. But. He's here. I promise." Ria shook her head. "Phillip. I know you want to believe that. Because, I do too. But..." she choked up and bit her lip having to pause as she pulled Phillip into a tight hug. "God. Phillip. He's gone... And angels don't exist. Okay... if they did hey wouldn't have let him die..." she whispered quietly, holding him tightly as a few more tears slid out of her eyes. "He. Is. Here." Phillip said, crossing his arms in defiance and hoping that Bruce would talk to her now, that he would try and get through with her.

Bruce let a gentle smile curve his lips as Phillip's response. It cheered him greatly to see the little boy so happy... Ever since the wedding, Bruce had thought of Phillip as a younger brother, and treated him thus. He couldn't have loved the boy more if he was his own family - so naturally, Phillip's faith meant the world to him.
He let himself drift along after Phillip as the boy led him to Ria's room - and he felt another dull twist of pain when he saw Ria's tearstained face, and her absolute insistence that angels did not exist.
I never believed in them either... Until now. Bruce realised with a dull wrench. If he had, maybe Rick- No... He couldn't start thinking about that now.
He watched for a while as Phillip tried to convince Ria - a fond smile lifting his lips at the sight of the boy's defiance.
"Hey, Ria..." He sent his voice winging to her, determinedly forcing the words toward her unwilling ears. "Have a little faith, would you?"
He floated down behind her, and focused his mind completely on the feeling of her shoulder... Of his hand touching her... Then came the tingling sensation of his hand solidifying slightly, and he could feel the warm pulse of life beneath her skin - the soft cotton touch of her shirt.
He wished desperately that he could be alive again... And just be with her. Forever...

Ria bit her lip, "Bruce..." she whispered, shuddering as she heard his voice. She needed to know he was here. But, at the same time he was dead. "No... it can't be... he's dead." she choked out, turning around. She could feel his touch against her shoulder and her eyes widened. That comforting touch. "Bruce..." she whispered one last time before breaking down in tears again. She turned back to Phillip squeezing him again, "God. Phillip. I can't live without him..." she choked out her little brother shaking his head. "Ria. That's him!" he said insistently. "That. Is. Bruce. That voice was Bruce." he said, but let her hold him tighter as she tried to stay like herself.

"Ria, Phillip is right." Bruce murmured quietly, trying hard to imagine his voice into being - and speaking more strongly this time.
"I know it doesn't seem possible... I don't even understand it myself. But somehow, I'm here."
He reached out, forming a hand out of nothingness, and gently stroking the tears from her cheeks.
"Stop being so sad, please... I don't want you to grieve for me."

((Arrived safely, horses settled for the night. Dressage tomorrow - wish me luck! ))

((On a computer finally! -dies- Good luck! Bring in new character and time-skip now?))


Ria looked around the room confused. God, maybe Bruce really was here? But, how? Angels obviously didn't exist. Or they would have saved him. Her heart sent out a twinge of hope as she desperately tried to find him, letting go of Phillip. At that moment she felt what seemed to be the shape of a hand cradling her cheek and rubbing the tears away. "Bruce..." was all she said closing her eyes. She opened her eyes and took in a short breath. "If you're really here... kiss me..." she said, holding back the tears that were threatening to fall. He said not to grieve for him, so she would try not to. But, she was still finding it so hard to believe. Way too hard.

((Yay!! Can't now - bed time already. But I will soon... ))

At Ria's command, Bruce summoned to his mind the memory of Ria's kiss - how warm her smooth lips felt pressed against his. It was a struggle, but after a moment's trying effort, he was kissing her - and happiness stole over him, bringing with it a sense of peace and contentment that he felt for the first time since his death.
But before he had even pulled away from the kiss, Bruce felt a sort of swirling spiral dragging him down. He had over-exerted himself... Too much, too soon.
With one last fleeting thought of disappointment, Bruce blacked out.