Raphael stared as the battle raged. Soldiers were falling; brothers were dying. I didn't matter. All that mattered was that he killed the pest in front of him. "Please tell me this is some sort of joke, Castiel. You really aren't about to fight me, are you?"
"You think too highly of yourself."
"Even with the weapons, your power isn't close to mine. If this really is your final stand, you are going to lose."
Castiel knew what Raphael was saying was mostly true, but there wasn't another way to go about this. All he could hope for was that while Raphael focused on killing him, Ramiel was fast enough to use the sword.
"This is the most idiotic plan you've ever had!" Balthazar yelled.
The other angels looked crossed at Balthazar. They murmured to each other. If they were experiencing problems between their Colonel and their general, what hope could they have?
"It is the best option we have." Castiel assured the room.
"What about Purgatory?" Balthazar tried desperately. "You were going to get the souls of Purgatory and use them to defeat Raphael. What happened to that plan?"
Castiel lowered his head. His eyes darkened. "It wouldn't have worked."
"Yes it would have!" He protested. "You won't go through with it, because the Winchesters doesn't want you to."
The other angels turned and looked to Castiel. They knew of their leader's infatuation with the human, but taking orders from him was another thing.
"He brought up a valid point." Castiel deflected. Balthazar moved to protest again.
"Enough!" Castiel commanded slammed his hand down on the table. The angels stood straight at attention. "You trusted me as your leader. This is the plan I've set forth. Do you not trust my judgement."
"We do sir." Ramiel spoke up. He was one of the younger angels under Castiel's command.
"If your plan works, then Balthazar is to take command?" Amitiel asked.
Castiel looked to Balthazar. His brother's face was red with anger. He clenched his fists in an attempt to keep himself from grabbing Castiel and beating sense into him.
"Are you with me, Balthazar?"
Castiel attacked first, flying at Raphael from behind. He clawed at the Archangel's six wings. Raphael swung one of his razor sharp wings at Castiel. The younger angel was thrown off of him He hit the tundra hard, blood spilled from his nose onto the ground.
"While I attack Raphael, Ramiel is to be given the sword.
"He is young, Castiel." Tariel raised concern.
The young angel fidgeted. Castiel signed and nodded. "He is the fastest."
Ramiel turned his bright green eyes towards his general. "You are the fastest, sir."
"This is true." Joshua concluded. "It's one of the reasons you were chosen to raise the righteous man from perdition."
The last thing Castiel needed was to think about Dean. His charge was furious with him. He'd convinced him that going after Purgatory was wrong, but Castiel didn't have time to make apologies. The plan had to be done now before Raphael got any more powerful.
"I taught you myself, Ramiel. I trust you do to this."
"You are pathetic, Castiel." Raphael said, as he kicked his brother's useless vessel around. The holy armor Castiel wore wasn't strong enough to absorb all the damage.
"At least I'm not a coward." Castiel spat. Raphael brought his foot down across a wing.
"No." Balthazar snapped.
"Balthazar..." Castiel sympathized and reached for his brother's shoulder. Balthazar shook him off.
"He will destroy you, Cas." Balthazar tried to reason with him. "You'll die a horrible, gruesome death.
"I already have." Castiel muttered. "I'm tired. Tired of the war...of everything."
"So this is suicide then?" Balthazar snarled.
"I'm not hoping to die."
"Then don't let it take you." Balthazar grabbed his brother's arm. "We'll find a different way. You don't have to do this."
"I'm tired of hearing that phrase. I no longer care if there is another way, this is my way. This is my mess. I started a war I couldn't hope to wind, and now I have to finish it." Castiel walked and ran a hand over Michael's armor.
"Dean won't forgive you if you do this." Balthazar walked to stand beside Castiel.
"Don't bring him into this, Balthazar." Castiel snarled at him.
"Is this not what it's about. Your human. You do everything he asks of you, no matter how he treats you."
"It doesn't matter anymore." Castiel told him.
"Your history with him doesn't matter?" Balthazar challenged. "I know how you worry over him, of all of them really. They've become your makeshift little family."
Castiel spun and turned I Balthazar. "They are my family."
"I'm your damn family." Balthazar grabbed Castiel by his coat lapels and slammed him into the wall. "You are my brother, but my opinion doesn't seem to matter to you."
"You left me. You all left me! I was thrown out on my own, hunted down, and killed and no one cared. None of my family grieved my death. They celebrated it, because they were finally rid of me. They saw me as they saw Lucifer."
"I'm here now. I'm with you, I'm fighting this goddamn war for you. I love you. What more do I have to do?!" Balthazar screamed.
"Balth," Castiel called to his brother by his childhood name. "You have to let me go."
"You can't ask me-"
"I can, and I am. If you truly love me, you will let me fight Raphael and you'll let me die."
Tears collected in Balthazar's eyes. "I can't, Cassie. I can't lose you."
"You've lived without me before. You'll survive, Balthazar. You always do." Castiel caressed his brother's face.
"Maybe...maybe dad will bring you back. He's always done it before." Balthazar tried to gather some hope.
"As I believe they say, the third time's the charm." Castiel grabbed Balthazar and pulled him into a hug. Balthazar silently cried into his younger brother's shoulder.
"If I tell Dean what you're doing, he'll stop you."
"Dean does not own me. He doesn't get to chose this for me anymore than you do." Castiel told him.
"He'll hate you." Balthazar told him.
"He already hates me, Balthazar." Castiel admitted. "It won't matter to me when I'm dead."
"You won't even say goodbye to him?" Balthazar asked as Castiel turned to walk away.
Castiel hung his head. "What could I possibly say to him?"
Balthazar shook his head sadly. "You need this for you. Give yourself closure, Cas. No matter what he says to you, you need to say goodbye."
"Thank you, Balthazar." Castiel told him. "For everything."
He clapped his younger brother on the shoulder. His smile was bitter-sweet as he looked at the armor. "You might as well put it on. Michael's not coming back. Wear it as the general of Heaven. Besides, you'll want to look good when the humans draw you in their books."
"Should I go?" Ramiel asked, Balthazar. They stood at the edge of the battlefield. Both of then watched as Castiel and Raphael fought.
"Not yet." Balthazar flinched as a piece of armor flew by his head. The two armies converged. screams and blood filled the air. Balthazar couldn't bring himself to count how many of their soldiers had fallen.
A scream tore out of Castiel's throat as Raphael snapped one of his wings. Balthazar's stomach sank and a pained noise escaped Ramiel's throat.
"But he's killing him!" Ramiel cried.
Balthazar knew that Castiel had mentored the young warrior. He was as close to Castiel as Castiel had been to Ana. "His goal wasn't to survive this, Ramiel. You know that as well as I."
The young warrior of god turned his head as to not let the Colonel see him cry.
Raphael sliced his blade downward and watch as it ripped open the younger angel's thigh.
"Give up, Castiel. Your men are dying, and there won't be enough left of you to tell what you even were."
"All the more reason," Castiel gave Raphael a pained smirk, "to go out fighting."
With a flick of a wrist, Castiel went flying. He groaned as bones have way to the ground.
"When I'm through with you, I think I'll pay a visit to your human. I'll let you die knowing that I'll drag him back into hell were he belongs."
Castiel pushed himself off the ground, and flew into Raphael with his sword.