Angela Leon gawked at the sight of the spiked school – it looked more like a giant, menacing castle than much anything else. A big, fat castle that she has free reign over. She was the empress! A seven-year old empress, but an empress nonetheless! There was only one thing missing.

"Tsubaki-chan, where is Mifune?" the young witch asked her escort, fuchsia eyes worried and lost.

"He's in a better place, Angela-chan. Now let's go to Shinigami-sama."

~*~*~*~

Angela, now a good ten-years old and about a half a foot taller, was now attending Shibusen like a normal student, all records of any witch-ness erased. But there was still someone missing. That someone was very important in her life, and yet he was nowhere to be found.

The girl ran towards a white-haired boy a bit older than her and tugged on his jacket.

"Hey, you!"

"Eh?" the boy lazily turned around to see the girl emblazoned with curious eyes and a pout on her face. "Who're you, and what do you want?"

"I'm Angela-chan. Where is Mifune?"

"…Busy."

~*~*~*~

A thirteen-year old, brown haired girl with bouncy wisps of hair skipped through the halls of Shibusen happily. A wide smile was on her face – she had successfully swiped some chocolate cake this morning – and her mood could not be downed; not by anyone!

In her careless bliss, she had bumped in to someone. She blinked a few times before registering blue skin on this man. And he had funky tattoos on his arms.

"Sid-sensei!" Angela said. "How are you today? That's how you say it, right? Yeah, yeah! I'm getting better!"

A smile (or, at least, what could be interpreted as a smile on his frozen face) formed on his face. "Yup, good job!"

The girl clapped her hands at the praise – Mifune had taught her to be pleased with compliments – and then realized something. He was missing from this picture.

"Oi, Sid-sensei? Where is Mifune?" she asked. She had gone a while without Mifune. But she wouldn't give up on him. Ever.

"He's grounded right now; check back in a while, kid."

~*~*~*~

It had been a while.

A slightly depressed but ever optimistic witch walked her way proudly through Death City. Last year, at the great age of fifteen, she had accidentally released her Soul Protect. She was declared a witch officially.

But it did not matter. She could not hide behind that mask anyway – she did not need it. Not anymore.

She was now heading to her godmother's (well, that was what she considered Tsubaki-chan) house. On the way, she saw Spiky – uh, Black Star – walking on the other side of the road.

She looked both ways quickly before running over to him.

"Heya, Spi- Black Star! Where are you going?" she asked.

"Heh, hey squirt. I'm heading to Shibusen for… uh… what was it again?" the blue haired man scratched his chin, thinking hard, trying to remember whatever the heck he needed to remember.

"Um, while you're thinking, can you answer a question? …Well, another one?"

"Huh? Oh, OH, sure, squirt."

She made a face before rolling her eyes and then getting a serious expression – which Kim-senpai had taught her – and looking straight in to his eyes.

"Where is Mifune?"

Black Star gave up trying to remember that other thing. His eyes seemed to dull a bit.

"He's out somewhere cloudy, worshipping the man who has surpassed God a thousand times over!"

He went to walk away, but not before Angela got a good foot in his shin.

~*~*~*~

A long time passed and Angela Leon had given up trying to get answers about Mifune out of her superiors. She still cared deeply about him, still prayed for him every day. But she knew, for the past few years, Mifune was not coming back. Because their answers added up to one thing.

He's in a better place.

…Busy.

He's grounded right now.

He's out somewhere cloudy, worshipping the man who has surpassed God a thousand times over!

Mifune was long gone. But she couldn't blame them. It was only because of his death that she was able to get where she was now.

She had graduated Shibusen with flying colors – well, not colors, more like flying around on her broomstick invisibly on graduation day.

She had grown up a lot thanks to her friends and Kim-senpai.

She had then, with her senpai, made an official treaty between Shibusen and witches that enabled witches that wish to enroll to do so. She was made famous for that.

But she did not want it. She did not need it.

Tears slipped down her cheeks, and she felt seven years old again, instead of a good twenty-three. She wanted her guardian; her father; her friend.

Her legs had collapsed beneath her half an hour ago, she was now sobbing on the ground. She sniffed as she looked upon the words on the gravestone.

Legendary Swordsman: Mifune.

Great man and greater father.

She wiped her face with a magically appearing handkerchief.

"W- where – sniff – is Mifune?" she said.

She placed the hand picked – not conjured – flowers gently on the dirt covering his coff- resting place.

"He's in Heaven."

~*~*~*~

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please review! I'd really love feedback! And I finally figured out how to work with FF about separators!