AN: This is the beginning of a story I've had on my computer for months and months. I'm hoping to add more to it and turn it into at least a oneshot; what I would really love to do is turn it into a full, chaptered story. But that could take a while, and I love this so much that I really want to share it with you, as incomplete as it is.

I hope you like it.

Warnings: D N Angel AU, child enslavement.

Standard Disclaimer: Sugarpony does not own D N Angel or X-Men: Evolution. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

Children of Heaven (Working Title)

Chapter One

The circus. A place full of bright colors, exotic smells, exciting sounds, and overall wonder and merriment. A place where lions were as tame as house cats, twenty men could fit in one tiny car, fire was a gourmet meal, and people flew.

This particular circus boasted its main attraction to be actual angels, winged humans who were as comfortable in the air as a falcon. It was for this reason that Warren Worthington III had journeyed to the slums outside of New York City on this chilly October day. He wanted-needed- to see these "angels" for himself.

Children raced past him toward the colorful tent where the show would shortly begin, kicking up empty candy wrappers, old newspapers, and elephant manure. Harassed parents brushed his shoulders in a hurry to catch their kids before they lost them in the crowds. Warren pulled his brown trench coat tighter to himself against the many bodies and the biting wind.

The ticket taker gave him a once over before letting him pass, briefly looking for any valuables the valued customer may need "taken care of" during the show. He didn't find any; Warren never brought anything of worth with him to these shady places, keeping only his I.D. and checkbook tucked safely away in a concealed pocket of his coat. He never wanted to be seen as a wealthy snob, an easy target, when in a disreputable establishment, and for good reason; he felt no less than five wandering hands dive in and out of his pockets in search of a wallet, a wad of money, or a loose credit card on the way to his seat.

It was a tight squeeze on a too small bench on which sat too many people. Stale popcorn, sticky soda, and smoking cigarette butts covered the floor, and Warren was fairly certain he was sitting in a wad of recently chewed gum. But one way or another this would all be worth it; if he was lucky there would be no good reason for him to be there, and he simply would have lost a few hours and a set of street clothes.

Before long the lights went out and the show began. The acts were mostly mediocre at best, but that didn't matter to this audience. Most of the people sitting under the big top slaved away for too many hours at jobs that payed much too little, and this was one chance of far too few to spend time with their children. They laughed at the clowns' crude attempt at humor, gasped at all the right places of the lion tamer's act, and cheered as a beautiful young woman rode a small elephant around the center ring. And then the tent grew dark once more and a spotlight was shone on the ringmaster. It was time for the main attraction.

"And now, what you have all been waiting for!" The fat, greasy man in a tight suit with two missing buttons and a frayed, graying top hat moved about in grand gestures and spoke in a booming, sensational voice. "From the far reaches of the East, a land full of mystical powers and magical wonders, we present tonight for your entertainment, the Children of Heaven!"

The center spotlight went black and two smaller lights went up, one on either of two platforms raised high above the crowd. On each platform stood a young boy, perhaps in his early teens. One had bright red hair and wore a black skintight suit with a backless top, while the other had platinum hair and wore a matching uniform in blinding white. Each wore a glimmering silver collar around his neck. The room was silent, all eyes on the two performers, everyone waiting for the show to begin.

At once both boys hunched over, and slowly a pair of wings blossomed from either of their backs, one crimson red, one the palest of blues. In unison the boys straightened from their crouches and dove from the platforms into the open air.

They fell toward the ground, and the audience watched with bated breath until, meters from the hay strewn floor, the boys stretched out their wings and soared.

The young boys, the "Children of Heaven," flew synchronized in a graceful and beautiful dance in the sky, working in tandem as two halves of a whole, yin and yang, dark and light. Not a single person dared move, hardly even dared breathe lest the magic spell be broken and the angels vanish. Not a sound could be heard but the rush of the air and the soft flutter of feathers. They flew for what seemed to those watching like hours, though it could only have been mere minutes, until they began to circle one another in a steep, spiraled climb to the peak of the tent.

And then, all at once, the white angel shuddered and began to plummet to the earth, and the spell was broken.

The crowd gasped as one, and the red angel abruptly changed directions, folding his wings tightly against his body in a sharp dive toward his fallen comrade. He grasped the arm of his partner with both hands and beat his wings frantically to slow their descent enough to gently land them on the ground.

The lights went out, and the crowd erupted in cheers.

Suddenly Warren was aware that he was standing, fists clenched in tension and fury. He vaguely realized that the ringmaster was once again in the center ring, but a loud buzzing filled his ears and blocked out any words of farewell he might be saying. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and Warren could feel a sharp pain in his palms where his fingernails were cutting into his flesh. Instead of wincing, though, the man embraced it, using the pain the center his thoughts.

This was bad. Very bad. And two Children of Heaven needed an Angel to rescue them from their fall from grace.

AN: Once again, this is only a short preview of the actual chapter, but I've had it on my computer for months, and I really really love it. I hope you all enjoyed it.

~Sugarpony