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Our Lady of Angels
Chapter 1
Nimara
"Hail Mary, full of grace, The Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."
Shizuru walked to the front of the Church with a bronze pail in hand. The early morning mist had gone and the skies had cleared for the first time in days. The white stone Church took on a lively feel as it bathed in the full sun. The flowers that lined the gravel pathway up to the Church slowly began to open their buds to dry off in the warm rays. On the Church's wall, next to the elaborate wooden double doors was an angel stoup. Every morning a Sister of the Church filled the stone angel's basin with holy water so pious visitors could bless themselves before entering the Church. Shizuru hoisted her pail up and began to slowly fill the basin. Her ears listened to the warble of the songbirds but at the same time picked up the stern voice of her Mother Superior. A low feminine chuckle tickled her ear and she found it to be more beautiful sounding than the songbirds.
Intrigued by the sound, she glanced over her shoulder to see the Church's Mother Superior Maria Graceburt walk down the rain soaked gravel towards her. Walking alongside the graceful abbess was the most captivating woman Shizuru had ever seen. Dressed in a fitting tan and black pantsuit, the woman walked briskly besides the older woman. Midnight blue tresses, richer in color than the nearby hydrangeas, were gathered loosely at the nape of the woman's neck. A kind smile never left her face and the woman leaned in so very slightly to Mother Maria in a show of attentiveness. Her eyes were hidden behind sporty sunglasses. Shizuru's breath caught in her throat and her hand almost slipped from the pail as a soft voice cut through her thoughts.
"Sister Shizuru, you're about to overflow the stoup."
Dressed in a full habit, Sister Yukariko placed her hands over Shizuru's and tilted the pail up to prevent it from pouring any more. A jolt of embarrassment struck Shizuru as Mother Maria drew closer to them and held out her hand to inquire.
"Is something the matter, Sisters?"
Yukariko was quicker to reply, "Sister Shizuru was just distracted for a mere moment as she was filling the stoup. The beautiful weather probably caught her full attention."
Mother Maria looked stoically over Shizuru and nodded. Her face flushed as she looked over at the guest who was now within arm's reach. A ghost of a smirk tugged at the guest's rosy lips. Shizuru could only imagine how beautiful her eyes must be to go with such a flawless visage. Mother Maria held her arms open to gesture towards the Church.
"And this, Kruger-san, is Our Lady of Angels Church. We've been serving God, the faithful, and the faithless alike for over eight decades. I am sure I do not need to tell you how much we value our beliefs, propriety, modest."
"You have my word that I will do everything in my will to keep to the standards you have set for your Church," the guest replied with a tone of extravagant sincerity.
Thin-lipped, Mother Maria nodded towards Shizuru and Yukariko. "Very well. Before you is Sister Sanada and Sister Viola. They will help you become accommodated to the Church during your stay."
Both of the young Sisters had looks of confusion on their faces as they bowed to their guest. No mention of an extended visit by a guest had been made prior to that morning. Shizuru swallowed her gasp as the suited woman bowed and removed her glasses with a smile. Deep sea green eyes sparkled with delight as she introduced herself.
"My name is Natsuki Kruger. Good day, Sisters."
There was something fierce and untamed about the woman in front of Shizuru. She was unlike any other guests that she had seen come to Our Lady of Angels. Despite her kind smiles and flowery and formal statements, there was something not quite as pure reflected in her eyes. Shizuru knew Natsuki Kruger was not the type of person to belong at their Church even behind the display of careful formalities.
"Good day, Kruger-san," Shizuru replied and took a step back. The mere presence of the woman overwhelmed her. Under the watchful eye of Mother Superior she remained calm and unperturbed though. Natsuki Kruger's eyes were not as sincere as her words as they looked intensely at Shizuru. Each moment her gaze was kept on her was a moment too long for Shizuru. As if to mock Shizuru's silent first impression, Natsuki Kruger stepped towards the stoup and dipped two fingers into the holy water. Closing her eyes she crossed herself before the Church. Shizuru watched in open curiosity as the woman muttered a well known prayer beneath her breath. She quickly dropped her vision when a sea green eye opened slightly and peered over at her roguishly.
Mother Maria was pleased with Natsuki Kruger's auctions and folded her hands in front of her. "I thank God for promptly sending us such a faithful young individual."
"Such is God's will, Mother," Natsuki said as she stood up straight and smiled. Crimson and sea green pierced each other again for a moment. Shizuru, who was once enthralled by the woman, now found herself wanting to flee from her sight. Her wits were lost about her. In such a few short moments, the blunette had managed to invade Shizuru's defenses and knock them down. Never had she felt so uncomfortable or insecure her entire life. Shizuru wondered what this daring game was that she had begun to play. It was a game where the stranger knew the rules and objective while Shizuru played blindly. She bit back the urge to reach for the holy water to try and purify her complicated thoughts.
"Come, Kruger-san. I will show you the rest of the compound as the Sisters finish their chores."
Natsuki nodded and, to Shizuru's relief, turned her back to her without a second glance. As she watched the guest's lean back retreat into the Church, Shizuru felt a cold shudder run through her body. Yukariko turned to her with motherly concern etched on her face.
"Sister Shizuru, are you not well? Perhaps you have caught an illness with the fluctuating weather."
Shizuru shook her head, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I'll be fine. Thank you for your concern."
Yukariko's soft hand reached up and touched Shizuru's forehead but quickly pulled away. "You're burning up! Really, Sister, you should go see the medic and get some rest."
Shizuru knew no amount of medicine could cure her of the sickness that had come upon her. That devilish woman had unleashed something within her that no medic could treat.
"Pray for me, Sister, for I may be gravely ill," she muttered sarcastically and turned to enter the Church.
A/N: I've been dreadfully busy but I managed to squeeze this out. It's the introduction for Our Lady of Angels. All the chapters will be relatively short but because they are so, they will be out faster than usual. For those of you who are wondering what happened to my other stories I want to reassure you that I have not abdonned them. They are not hiatus either. It's just been slow going with work and summer semester. Chapters for TWOY and TGG are both almost finished so it should not be too much longer if you're waiting on them.
I won't give anything away for this story as of yet. I hope you enjoyed the opening and would love to hear your scandalous predictions. Big hugs to be BETA who I skipped over once again in excitement. I'm expecting an angry message from her xD.
Till next time,
-Nimara