The Eternal Maiden II: Calling all Angels

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: You know what? Let's just get this straight right away: I don't own DN Angel! Sheesh…

Lumi's POV

It had been six months. Six months since Gray's death, six months since my strange dream. Gray hadn't visited any of us since. I wore her necklace every day; it was the only reminder I had of her. I missed her. She was more like a sister to me than a friend, and I could tell that the Niwa's, Dark, and Satoshi all missed her as well.

I will start this part of our story during school.

At the moment, I'm trying to remember the passage of a French book I was supposed to have memorized by today. As I stand in front of the class looking like an idiot, I try my hardest to remember the few sentences that I was told to learn three weeks ago, but my mind is absolutely blank.

"Miss Orvokki," the teacher says after several minutes, "Please sit down." I hung my head, embarrassed, and walked to my seat.

"Sorry sensei," I said quietly as I walked past her desk. She only sighed.

"Mr. Hikari, would you please come up and say your piece?" Satoshi walked up to the front of the room, said something that I didn't understand (I assumed it was French) and then sat down again. He had changed his name back to Hikari with Emiko's help just before school started up again. She was really warming up to him.

I wasn't really paying attention. I was thinking about the letter Gray had written to me on Daisuke's computer. The one that was supposed to give me some sort of clue as to how to bring her back, or help her, or something. I ruffled my wings very gently underneath the thick white scarf Emiko had given me this morning before I left the house, grateful for the small disguise. I had only told the Harada twins about my wings, and that had only been when Risa had asked me about my necklace. Apparently she had recognized it from some time when she had met Gray…

"Lumi," Riku hissed, "Wake up!" I jumped a bit, and she looked at me strangely. "Are you okay? You don't look well." I sighed and shook my head.

"It's nothing," I said, "Just… you know…" Riku nodded, understanding my few words. She hadn't known Gray particularly well, in fact, I think she had only seen her in passing, but there was still a genuine sorrow in her voice when I spoke of Gray.

The bell rang then, interrupting out conversation. It was time for lunch. Since I didn't actually have to eat, I'd normally go hang out with Satoshi on the roof, and Daisuke and Riku would join us later. The school year was almost over, thankfully, and then I'd have two months to try and figure out how to bring Gray back to life. I stood and followed Satoshi up to the roof, just like I did every day. The scarf I wore was choking me, and I couldn't wait until I could take it off and stretch my wings out. I never flew, though I was tempted, but it felt good to sit in the middle of the roof, where no one but Satoshi and Daisuke and Riku could see me, and spread my wings and let the wind whistle and flutter through the black and purple feathers.

"Hey, Satoshi! Orvokki-san!" I froze. That could only be-

"Hello Takeshi," Satoshi said, not stopping for a second.

"Hey, I'm going to chill with you guys today!" Takeshi said, "Daisuke told me he'd be eating up on the roof, so I thought I'd stop in for a visit." I sighed. Satoshi, as was normal, showed no emotion.

"If you want," he said, "But it looks windy out." I groaned. Of all the days-

"Oh, are you guys eating on the roof? I've heard the view is like, totally fabulous!" Oh, did I not mention Mio is here? I don't actually know why, or how, but she's been at school all year. She said she got really sick of America and came back. Again. "Can I come with you?" Takeshi grinned and invited her before I could blink. "Oh my gosh, thank you!" She trilled, "You are like, so amazing!" I winced as her voice slipped into an octave that hurt my eardrums, but mounted the stairs that led to the roof all the same, following Satoshi.

"Good afternoon Hio-san," I said, "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm perfectly a-maz-ing!" she cried, "How are you?" I blinked.

"Me?" Oh, let's see. My best friend's dead, I'm choking on a scarf, my wings hurt… "I'm fine."

"That's fab-u-lous!" She cheered. I tuned her out. As soon as I stepped outside, I knew I was in trouble. The wind was racing across the roof, blowing paper and fresh buds from trees around. There were no clouds in sight, but I had a feeling they'd be coming soon. My scarf instantly began whipping around, and I knew I was sunk. I took a fast step to the side of the door and straightened my scarf out as best I could before Mio and Takeshi's eyes could adjust to the light.

"You're right," I told Satoshi, "It is windy out here." I chill shot up my spine, which was unusual in the near summer heat. My vision went fuzzy for a second. Takeshi and Mio walked through the door, blinking in the bright light.

"Candra," Satoshi said, "You look like you're about to faint. Sit down." I didn't feel my best, so I decided to listen to him. I slid down the wall and sat down. Mio looked at me curiously, but didn't say anything. I suddenly felt like my stomach was going to turn inside out, and I quickly fixed my gaze on one thing that remained stationary: the bricks that lined the top of the roof and created a wall about two feet tall. I stared at the bricks until I began to feel better, and then after. One of the bricks had a small hole in it, almost like it had been drilled there. Funny… it hadn't been there a second ago…

The hole was getting bigger. So was the wall. And where had the others gone? It wasn't like they could have left, could they? They'd just… disappeared. Mura, I called out to my familiar, Murasaki, help me! But the rabbit didn't answer.

The hole in the brick wall was huge now, big enough for me to walk through. I didn't want to though. There was no way I was going to… the roof around me started crumbling. I jumped to my feet, my head spinning, and tried to spread my wings, tried to fly off, but my wings were gone. There was no time to think, no time to do anything but keep myself safe. I jumped for a bit of the roof that was still intact, and it held just long enough for me to get my bearings and leap to another chunk of mortar and brick. It did the same as the last, and after two more leaps, I realized that I was approaching the giant, black, forbidding tunnel. I quailed inside, but there was no way around it. If I had to go in there to keep safe, then I'd do it. I made one more leap, then scrambled into the tunnel.

Instantly, everything turned white. I blinked, confused. Hadn't the tunnel been black? "Yes," someone said, "It is a confusing world, isn't it?" I whirled around in all directions, but I could see no one. Yet that voice…

"Gray?" I called, "Where are you?"

"Nowhere," Gray replied, "And everywhere. I am everything in this world, and yet I am absolutely nothing. Just look in front of you." I did as she asked, and in beautiful gold script, I saw something being spelled out on the whiteness in front of me.

Once there were four.

Now there are three.

How long have I been gone?

How much longer will he be?

Did I die without a cause?

Did the Black Wings truly break?

Or has this all just been a terrible dream?

A huge mistake?

"Does it make sense to you now?" Gray whispered, "Go now, Satoshi's getting ready to call an ambulance."

"What do you mean?" I yelled, "Gray, I have no idea what you meant for me to do! I can't help you anymore! I don't know what I'm doing!" But already the white walls were dissolving into the sky and the rooftop, which was once again intact, and I was sitting back on the rooftop, Satoshi and Mio and Takeshi staring at me.

"What just happened?" Takeshi asked. Satoshi shook his head.

"Are you okay?" He asked me. I shrugged, then nodded.

"I… think so," I said, surprised at how weak my voice sounded, "Maybe." I was shaking so hard I was having trouble seeing straight, and I forced myself to shut my eyes and get a hold of myself. "Yes. I'll be fine in a moment." Takeshi and Mio walked off, giving the two of us some space. "Satoshi," I whispered, "We should tell them."

"No," he said, "Mio Hio's already helped my… father tried to imprison Daisuke to gain control of the Black Wings."

"Your father's dead," I said, and instantly regretted it as shock flashed in his eyes. "I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that… But… the thing is… Satoshi, maybe you… oh forget it. Let's see what Daisuke says." He sighed, and I knew I had him cornered. He did listen to Daisuke, if not anyone else. I could almost call it friendship… in the way Gray and I had been friends. One had to know when to keep their distance.

Light footsteps tapped up the steps. "Here's Daisuke," Takeshi said, "Hey Dai- Harada-san?" Riku stood in the doorway, gasping, tears in her eyes.

"Daisuke's been kidnapped," she choked, and then collapsed. Satoshi and I stared at each other for about three seconds.

"Give them an excuse for me," I said, then spread my wings and jumped. I didn't need Satoshi's brain to figure out who'd kidnapped the redhead. And at the moment, I really didn't care if anyone found out my secret. I needed to find Dark. He'd help.

No POV

People stared at the blonde gentleman as he strode down the street, wondering where he was going. He certainly wasn't from around here, what with how he was dressed. But for being in the middle of the middle of Nowhere (whoever painted the sign that was to say "now here" had forgotten the space between 'now' and 'here') in the middle of the Russian planes, he didn't seem cold.

He walked up to one of the houses, and knocked. He waited politely for an answer, and after several minutes, an old, stooped man opened the door, his whole body bent and covered in sagging skin. His head was bald and his eyes, almost lost in the folds of the skin of his face, had so many cataracts he must have been nearly blind, if not completely. "So," he said, "You've come for me at last?"

"Yes," the young man replied in perfect Russian, "I thought you might choose somewhere in the country your last work was created." His strange golden eyes glittered in fury. "Quite foolish of you, really."

"Yes," the man said, "I know. Come in Krad." The golden angel blinked and followed the man inside. "You wanted me to find you," he said as he entered the small, three room house. The man nodded.

"Yes," he said, "I have been hoping for the past four hundred years that either you or Dark would end this eternal existence." He shakily grabbed a chair and pushed it to the small table in the center of the room, where another already sat. Krad made no move to help him, just watched and observed. The walls held no pictures, no paintings, only three shelves. One held books, one held a small vase filled with dried flowers, and the third was empty.

"I suppose you regret giving us life," he said, "After all, instead of creating a perfect being, you got a killer and a thief." The old man laughed.

"Syerdtsye never did fix you, did she?" He coughed. "Please, sit." Krad sat.

"Syerdtsye is destroyed," he said, "She killed a young woman, whose friend killed her." The old man didn't seem surprised.

"Well Krad," he said, "You seem…" he trailed off as another coughing fit took him. Krad stared at him impassively. "You seem troubled by this death. Of the girl, anyway."

"Yes," Krad replied, "I have a deal for you." He waited a moment as the old man coughed. "The Devil has treated you well," he said sarcastically. The old man stared at him. "Tell me what I want to know. Tell me how you brought the dead to life, and I'll do you any favor you ask."

"Krad," the old man said calmly, "I'll help you only if you promise to end my existence. I think that living in this body is worse than Hell." Krad nodded.

"Humans sin," he said, "They call me an angel of Lucifer, sometimes an angel of judgment. Dark and I… we are not human, yet we sin as well. Why should I not keep you alive and let you receive all of your punishment?"

"I won't tell you a thing I know," the old man wheezed, then another coughing fit overtook him and he doubled over hacking. Krad thought he saw him cough up blood.

"I have ways to make people speak," Krad hissed, curling his hand around the small sword charm that he had stolen from the Niwa's. Pheo had made it and given it to him. It wasn't a Hikari work, and the Niwa's had no right taking it. It glowed and grew to three feet long. The old man stared at it for a long moment, his eyes trying to take it in.

"If you kill me," he said, "I'll only take it as a blessing." Krad's eyes flashed like gold coins. "Come now Krad, even torture would be good. I would know death is coming, at the least." Krad snapped his fingers and a fire leapt to life in the small fireplace behind them. The old man didn't even look at it.

"Tell me how you brought the dead Niwa back to life," he said, honest curiosity in his voice. "Tell me about that, at least."

"He wasn't dead," the old man replied, "Only badly stunned." Krad sighed through his teeth. "Oh Krad," he whispered, "Thou who art insane, insane thou art, but who would dare call you that is but a fool. Ah, yes, you. Krad, the Hikari's demon, curse, plague! Why do you not leave me? Why have you chosen me as a vessel!" He smiled sadly.

"I have chosen you as a vessel because you were the one who was to be cursed for your meddling with life," Krad replied, speaking the words he had spoken so many centuries ago. "I shall plague you until you give birth to a son who reaches the age of fourteen. This shall be the Hikari's curse. Every male in the line shall be my vessel until they give me a new vessel… and such shall be until the end of time."

"Thou who art insane, I gave you a heart. Why do you still plague me?" Krad blinked.

"Sir," he said, showing the man the first respect he had all day, "You are insane. Tell me what I want to know, and I'll kill you." The old man sighed.

"You do not even remember my name, do you?" He asked. "Oh well. I suppose four hundred years is ample time to forget. Go to Japan," he told Krad, "Speak to a young healer by the name of 'Hateshiganai'. You will recognize her, I think."

"Where can I find her?" Krad asked.

"Find her where you were created," the old man replied. "Now, it is your part of the deal." Krad drew the sword.

"You are sure about this?" He asked. The old man nodded.

"Yes. I am over four-hundred years old. I am ready to die." There was a hiss and a flash, and the old man lay on the floor, stabbed a half inch below his heart. "Thank you…" he whispered, his foggy eyes clouding over with death.

"You're welcome," Krad replied, already halfway out of the house, his white wings now sprouting from his back. "May the Devil have mercy on your soul, Hikari." With that, he leapt through the door and took off, ignoring the gasps from the people around him. He had a good feeling they'd know what they'd find in the house. He turned himself back towards Japan.

Time to go home, he thought. My real home.

AN: Yes! I finally finished! Well, actually, this is just the first chapter, but I'm so happy it's finally done… Please R&R!