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Travelling Through the Ghosts of Time
Arc One: Prologue
Kapitel Zero: Going Back


DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN 07-GHOST IN ANY SUCH MANNER OR WAY

Summary: Pandora's box is breaking apart, Mikhail is damaged and Verloren's soul is coming closer as each second passes by. Fearing for their Masters' future, Raphael, with the help of Mikhail help send Kal (Ea), Teito, Ouka, Wolfram and Millea back two months. However, things don't go exactly as planned. Now, with only two months left to complete their task, will Ouka and Teito be able to stop Verloren's revival or will they succumb to the growing darkness inside their hearts?


"..." - Speaking

Italics - Thoughts

Bold italics - Mikhail/Raphael talking in Teito/Ouka's minds

Bold - Mikhail/Raphael talking when they take over their masters' bodies.


"Back through the years we reached for you
Alas t'was not meant to be."
(Vic Mignogna, "Brothers")


*1 Week Ago, Hohburg Laboratory*

All was quiet in the lab. The research department had all left to go on a rare four day holiday Cheif Nanase had made official as a reward for their hard work. General Nanase had to admit, it was quite peaceful being there in the lab surrounded by technology and silence. It was quite bad the peace would be broken the next day, when the other lackeys return.

Then Nanase heard the sound of the main doors to the laboratory opening. "Nanase," a voice called out from behind. Nanase turned, wondering who could be the one to interrupt his peace. "Ah, General Ayanami-sama. What brings you hear at this time of night?"

"I brought the boy. I want you to place the 'trap' on him." Ayanami said. Nanase looked behind Ayanami and saw Katsuragi at the door with Teito Klein hung from over his shoulder.

Nanase blinked. "Now? You want to put the band on him now? I thought you wanted to do it after Princess Ouka's coronation party."

"There has been a change of plans. Apparently, Miroku wants me to go attend to some diplomatic meeting about the take-over of Antwort in Atlanta. A few foreign countries had made a security pact with Antwort and have expressed some- dismay- at our handling of Antwort."

Nanase chuckled I bet they were absolutely terrified about how easily we were able to tear the country apart.
Sure, we can place the band on him now. Please wait outside the Laboratory. It takes a lot of concentration to place the 'band' on a human body and I doubt any one of us wants to make a mistake in this delicate. business."

The "trap." It was a nasty little trick...

If only they knew, they might have let the story continue on as it should have gone...

"Say, Ayanami-sama?" Katsuragi asked as he watch Nanase hook Teito Klein's unconscious form to the machine. "What is this 'trap?' 'Band?'"

"To put it simply, its a marker," Ayanami said. "I don't trust the Eye of Mikhail to keep its head down for long."

"Eh?"

"A powerful deity who lived to protect the Raggs Kingdom for 1000 years. It seems foolhardy to think that a simply brainwashing machine of human creation would be able to keep it under control for long. Somehow, in some way, it will come back, and when it does, what do you think it'll do first?"

"Help regain Teito-kun's memories?" Katsuragi guessed.

"And after that? What do you think they'll do? Go back to the church? No, Mikhail will tell Klein of the brainwashing machine and of Raphael. Klein is a soft-hearted fool. If he knew the princess was being slowly killed and weakened, he would most likely try to contact the princess. If Mikhail were to free Raphael from its tower, they could probably try to escape Hohburg Fortress and we could lose the power of the eyes."

"So how is this 'trap' going to stop them? Will it act as a suppressor?"

Ayanami smirked "I guess you could call it that. If Mikhail and Raphael were to use their powers to escape or leave Hohburg Fortress without the lab's permission, Mikhail would be forced to expel a large amount of condensed energy so we could pin point their location. Klein's consciousness would recede into the depths of his memories and he will remain in a vegetative state for two days. After two days, he will wake up, but will still be under the effect of power illusions that will distort his sense of reality. If the password to reverese the effects is not embedded in his skin in 2 months time, he will die."

"I'm guessing you're the only one who knows this password?" Katsuragi inquired. All he got was a "hn" which he took as a yes. "What about the princess? Did you do the same to her?"

"No," Ayanami said. "The same would have been done to the princess but Raphael would most likely have died due to the stress of the 'trap.' Though the princess is expendable, our nation would be left too vulnerable and weak if the eye of Raphael were to extinguished and return to heaven. However, the 'trap' will form a permanent connection between Raphael and Mikhail. As long as we have one of the eyes, we will be able to determine the location of the other."

"So then, did you do to something to her other than that?"

The Labratory doors opened. "Gentlemen," Nanase said. He was standing in behind the doors, hands in pockets. "The operation is done. You may take the boy back to his quarters." After flashing a grin at them, Nanase walked back to his chair and sat down.

"Nanase is the only one who knows," Ayanami replied as he walked into the lab. Katsuragi followed him.


*0 Months ago, Millea's Room*

"Kal... please change everyone's soul number here besides mine. From now on, I'll meet up with Frau and the others and get out of this fortress," Teito said as he let go of his mother's hand and rose to his feet.

"...So you plan to be as bait," Kal concluded.

"Rather than not knowing when he'll appear, it's much easier to move knowing he'll only appear before me." Teito confirmed. That guy will definitely appear in front of me once more...

"Teito, your wings still haven't recovered." Ouka pointed out. "Are you okay?"

"Eh? They're still out?" Teito turned to see that his wings were indeed still damaged and had not yet returned to his body. "The restoration hasn't finished yet?" Come to think of it, there's no feeling...

"Blink." The eye of Raphael lit up once and Ouka shouted out "Ayanami's closing in!"

Teito and Kal sharply turned to face Ouka. "What is his exact position?!" Teito demanded.

"On the other side of the door 100 meters ahead!" Without turning, she told teito, "Teito, this mission, I... I'll fulfill the mission of resealing Verloren's Soul!"

"OUKA! Ayanami, I will..." Teito began as he ran to stand besides his friend. However, he stopped midway when he realized Mikhail wasn't responding. Come to think of it, even though Ouka realized Ayanami's approach, I didn't sense it at all...

"Master...!"Mikhail cried out to Teito. "The restoration of the fracture won't start. Because of the damage caused by Raphael, errors are occurring on all circuits."

Teito's eyes' widened in shock as he "It can't be...Mikhail... is Broken...?"

"Teito! Leave this place to me." Ouka shouted as she took on a defensive stance. "Hurry and go!"

"No! We can't leave you behind!"

"Mistress," Raphael called out to Ouka, "Please allow me to take over for a few minutes. It just might be the difference between winning and losing."

"As you wish Raphael. I'll trust your judgment." Ouka closed her eyes and then opened them to reveal blue irises.

"Humans, listen carefully to what I am about to say, as it may be the only chance we have now that Mikhail has been damaged."

"What do you have in store, Raphael?" Kal asked.

"And it better be good! You're the one who put me in this mess in the first place! Mikhail snapped inside Teito's head, knowing perfectly well Raphael could hear it.

"As you all know, I, the Angel Raphael, and the Archangel Michael were chosen by the chief of heaven himself to guard Verloren's body and soul. Therefore, we have been given numerous powers by the Chief, time travel being one of them."

"But if that's so," Teito said, as realization dawned on him, "then you can send us back in time, right?! To prevent this mess from coming around in the first place?!"

"That is correct. However," Raphael continued, "there are many restrictions on using this power."

"Restrictions?" Kal asked.

"Yes. For one, this power can only be used once and it requires both the willing consent of the eyes and the vessels in which the eyes reside in. Before now, Mikhail and myself had never needed to use this gift as Verloren's seal was never at harm's risk. However, due to the brainwashing I had been subjected to for the past decade and the brainwashing Mikhail has been under for the past few days, the seal on both Verloren's body and soul have weakened tremendously. In fact, there is only one seal left in place on Pandora's box, and now with Mikhail damaged, that seal too is rapidly falling to pieces. Now is the time to use this power given to us by the Chief."

"Raphael, are there any other restrictions on using time travel?" Teito questioned.

"Yes. Since by using this gift we will be playing with the sands of time, only a select number of people can accompany the vessels of the eyes of Raphael and Mikhail. Not only this, to prevent a time paradox, only your souls and your memories can go back in time, thus meaning that you will wake up in the bodies you had during the time we end up in. The time we can actually go back is also limited, to only 6 months. Also... those humans who have already died in the time period we are going to jump back to will remain dead to prevent those who return to the past from accidentally or incidentally saving thoselives."

"Is that all the restrictions?" Teito asked, sadly. So even if I go back in time I can't save you Mikage..."...What about the reincarnations of those souls who have died?What about the cursed tickets? Will I have to visit the god houses again? And the Wars and the Kor? Will they also not exist when we go back?"

"There is not enough time left to answer your questions. When we go back, you may ask Mikhail-sama."

"Alright then." Teito sighed before turning towards the emperor, Kal and his mother. "What about you, Kal, mom, your majesty? Do you want to come to the past along with us?"

"OF COURSE I WILL!" Emperor Wolfram declared. "I've already wasted so much time neglecting my daughter! And I won't go back to doing so if I can help it!"

"I better as well, seeing how troublesome things are going to get," Kal replied.

"I...will...trust your...judgment...Tiashe..." Millea said, smiling weakly.

"Can you and Mikhail send every person who is currently in this room back to two months ago, around the time I deserted the military the first time (1)?"

"Of course."

"Alright then, what do we have to do, Raphael?"

"All you need to do is hold my hand. I'll try to connect myself to Mikhail's deep psych. You and Ouka-sama are willing to go through with it? Then it should only take a few seconds..."

*Bang! Bang! Bang*

Teito could just see Ayanami appear at the door. Ayanami's eyes widened, as if he knew what they were planning to do. Quickly, Ayanami sent a hurl of dark red zaiphon- right at Ouka, who had't noticed Ayanami's attack. Without thinking, Teito pulled Ouka to the ground. Unfortunately, Teito wasn't fast enough and soon felt a deep searing pain on his back. Ouka and Millea looked on in fear and shock as she watched the zaiphon rip apart the skin on Teito's back.

"Operation Tempore Peregrinationes is ready, standby for launch," Raphael intoned. Before Ouka could check Teito and before Ayanami could step into the room, a blinding light appeared around the five inhabitants and swept them away though the ghosts of time.


Somewhere, in the snow-capped mountains of a distant country, a lone figure smirked as it watched the whole of existence get swallowed up by the amber-colored light.

"So, they finally decided to use that, I see," it whispered, as it too dissolved in the molten light. "Too bad it won't do much good other than buy them a little more time, and just two months at that~! Oh, how truly sad humanity is, to think it can ever conquer the Heart of darkness..." (2)


(1) Technically, Teito deserted the military twice. The first when he tried to kill Ayanami back at the military academy, the second when he regained his memories after his battle with Frau.

(2)1000 years ago, Verloren was the God of Death. After Verloren killed the person he loved, Eve, he sort of fell into a pit of darkness. Thus, "Heart of Darkness."

(Please note, I said Verloren, not Ayanami. No matter how much he tries to deny it, Ayanami proper is just a human trying to play god)