A/N: This little tidbit is inspired by the Bible, Paradise Lost, and my own weird imagination.

I Miss Him Too

The battle had gone on for many days, far longer than he had expected.

In all that time he had not found a single moment to rest. The needs of his brothers and sisters were great, and his healing touch was required far more than it had ever been. He was growing weary.

"You must be still," he said, irritated, as he mended a dislocated shoulder. The sister under his hands whispered a "thank you," through her gasps of pain, and he regretted his harsh words. The stress of this battle was getting to him.

"You are welcome." He left her and moved on.

Not long after that, the trumpets began sounding the victory. Hope filled his heart, but still, he could not rest. Wounded brothers and sisters surrounded him, covered in burns and claw marks caused by the demons they had fought. Most of the wounds would heal on their own, but that was not always the case. Deep injuries, dislocated joints, and broken bones often required careful repair.

He was scanning the field for those in need when he suddenly heard a soft, familiar voice.

Raphael.

"I am here, Father," he responded, quickly.

See to Michael.

"Michael is injured? Where?"

But the voice said no more.

Raphael took flight.

"Where is Michael?" he asked of everyone he passed by. "Please, I must find him!" They all just shook their heads. No one had seen him since the battle had begun. It worried Raphael. Michael was their leader; it was not like him to separate from the ranks.

Finally, it was Samuel, one of the youngest, who was able to point him in the right direction.

"They were…they were fighting," Samuel choked out, his eyes bright with unshed tears. "They were so fast; I could not see what was happening. I do not know who won."

Raphael observed that the little one's feathers were crumpled, and there were fading scars on his cheek from freshly healed wounds. It had been his first battle.

He took a moment to smooth out some of Samuel's ruffled feathers. "Take care of those wings, little Brother," he said, kindly, before flying off again. His Father's words still rang in his ears.

See to Michael.

It didn't take long. Michael was standing alone in a distant clearing, his head back and eyes shut. He had indeed been injured; blood poured from a deep, wide wound that stretched from his left shoulder to his right hip.

"Michael!"

Michael opened his eyes.

"Raphael." He smiled, serenely. "I could use your help."

He collapsed into Raphael's arms, barely remaining in one piece.

"What creature could have done this to you?" Raphael murmured. The cut was far too big and clean to have been caused by a demon's claws. It had torn him nearly in half.

Raphael lowered Michael's broken body to the ground and whispered a prayer for strength as he placed his hands over the gaping wound, wincing at Michael's painful groan. He desperately held his brother's flesh together and continued to pray as the torrential bleeding gradually slowed to a trickle.

After several tense minutes, Raphael cautiously let go. He looked over and was surprised to see silent tears spilling from Michael's eyes.

"I am sorry, Brother. I wish I could have been more gentle. If I had known you were in such pain-" Raphael began.

"I can bear the pain. It is our brother I weep for," Michael said. He sat up, unconsciously placing a hand over the rapidly healing wound. "It was he who did this to me…And I did the same to him."

Now Raphael understood why Samuel had been so shaken, and how Michael, their strongest warrior, had been so terribly injured. It had been by their own brother's sword.

"Then you saw him. Did he even remember himself? Raphael asked, putting his arm around his brother for support.

"For a moment, he seemed to. But it only caused him pain. He was jealous, resentful, angry, but, most of all, he was sad. So he chose to forget. Now, he only remembers who he was. He no longer remembers himself," Michael answered. He bowed his head and began to weep freely.

Raphael embraced his brother and wrapped both his wings around them.

"I miss him too."

So… I wrote this little thing about a year ago on a whim, but never did anything else with it. I thought I might as well post it here.

Please let me know what you thought of it!

-Samuel