"You seem happy."

She answered back with another toothy grin. "Of course I am. I got to see everyone again. I even finally got to meet Mother! She is so beautiful," Wakana gushed dreamily.

Rihan listened indulgently as she sang praises of his mother. They took a turn down a path through a garden he had never seen before. Then again, he had never known this garden even existed or there were even gardens in Hell despite spending 20 years there. Wakana, on the other hand he wondered curiously, seem to know the place like the back of her hand.

He could still remember the day she suddenly showed up at the gates of Hell. There had been a commotion at the entrance and being a naturally curious (nosy) demon, he had went to check it out. Needless to say, he had thought he had died again, seeing her there arguing passionately with a guard who was refusing to allow her entrance. He had barely gotten over his shock when she noticed him. Her loud voice beckoning him to help confirmed that he wasn't dreaming and called the attention of every other demon. Noticing the crowd and being naturally polite, Wakana had loudly and cheerfully announced her arrival. To quote, :

"Hi guys! My name is Wakana and I am human (cue, slapping his forehead). I will be staying here for three days. So, please take good care of me!" And she complete it with a bow.

It was an instant uproar.

They had surrounded her from every direction, like flies to honey, clamouring for her attention. Some wanted to know why she was here, some wanted her gone and others, more bloodthirsty ones wanted to know what she tasted like and how she would like to be cooked.

Wakana had borne all this with a smile.

He frowned. Thinking about it gave him a headache. If he had not whisked her away, she would have still been in the middle of it all with a confused smile on her face.

Once safely hidden, he had taken her by the shoulders and demanded to know why she was dead before her time.

His head pounded and his frown deepened. Three days had passed. And she had still yet to give him an answer.

"- and Yamabuki-san is so elegant, like a real princess. She is just how I imagined her to be. I wished I had her hair," Wakana pouted, missing the stiff look on his face.

"Is that what the both of you were talking about earlier?" he said lightly. "Hair?"

She giggled. "Of course not. Well, maybe a little. No, I was asking a favour. But now that I think about it, it was unnecessary."

A favor?

Suddenly she stopped. "We are here."

"Here?"

That's when he noticed their surroundings. They were at the end of the path, with a dead tree the only plant within sight. A barren land lay ahead. And further up, he could see a glimpse of another path with an eerily similar looking tree beside it. Except this one was alive and blooming.

It was the borders of Hell.

And up front was the entrance to Heaven, or more commonly known as the realm of humans.

"Why-."

"This is where we say goodbye."

He turned to her sharply. She smile back in response, a strange sad one.

"Human souls and demon souls are not meant to be together. In life, we share the same world but in death we separate."

His heart skipped a beat. "But my mother and father, they-."

Wakana shook her head. "Youhime-sama was blessed by the Gods. Her soul can survive the miasma here. I, however, am a normal human being." She gave a playful grin. "Though I have an exceptionally strong sixth sense."

"Well." She threw her arms open. "This is it, Rihan-san."

His eyes never look away from her. "Yes," he said slowly. "It really is."


"Humans die and are reborn into this world again in another body, to live another life. But demons, once dead rarely return." The old woman looked away. Her gaze landed on his wife buying flowers at another stall.

"You and her have a special bond," she continued, not taking her eyes away. "A promise, made several lifetimes ago and experiences shared between the both of you build it. But now, that bond has reached its limit."

She turned back to him, old eyes looking deep.

"This will be the last lifetime."


He jumped, shaken out of the memory as he felt her arms suddenly going around his neck, holding tightly.

"It's alright Rihan," she whispered into his ear. "It's alright."

"We knew this was going to happen didn't we."

He did not answer, not trusting himself to speak. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer, inhaling her scent and memorizing the feel of her.

Don't go, he silently begged. Don't go. But the words refused to leave his mouth.

"It was a beautiful life, wasn't it?" Something wet trickled down his neck.

"The best." There was never any doubt.

"You are happy right? Happy and well?"

She sounded so worried he quickly affirmed it. Her shoulders sagged with relief.

"Good," she breathed. "Good. And remember to always smile, ok? You never seem to smile enough."

"Hey." He drew back slightly to look at her, putting on a hurt look on his face. "I am always smiling. See ?"

He stretched his face into a monstrous grin, teeth jutting out. Her giggles rang in his ear, and his heart drummed painfully.

I will never hear it again.

"See, what did I tell you ?" he joked, forcing as much lightness into his tone as possible.

"Hmm hhm. My bad my bad." She had that coy smile again, her head habitually at a side. He forced the bile down his throat.

She stared at him, her eyes turning cloudy. She reached out, gently cupping his face.

"Did I ever tell you that you have the most beautiful smile in the world, Rihan ?"

And she placed her forehead against his. "Promise me," she whispered. "Promise me you will always be this way."

He could not resists. "Then stay."

She did not answer. And he did not pushed it. They stayed that way in silence, neither willing to let go.

But like everything else, it had to end.

Eventually, slowly, they parted. She took a step back, and then another and another. One foot behind at a time, going further and further away from his reach. They never took their eyes of each other.

"I love you Rihan," she declared suddenly. "I love you more than you could ever know."

Thump.

"My friendship. My loyalty. It had always been yours. And will always be."

Thump.

"Even if we never see each other again, you will never be unhappy. I will make sure of it. I promise." No matter what.

THUMP

"You will be the only demon with a human guardian angel."

She was getting further away, he realized. "Wait, Wakana-!"

She smiled sadly back. "Goodbye Rihan."

And she disappeared.

His heart stopped. Rihan stared at the empty spot, transfixed. Gone, she was gone.

"Goodbye Rihan."


It happen like this. One day you meet someone and for some inexplicable reason, you feel more connected to this stranger than anyone else – closer to them than your closest family.

Perhaps because this person carries an angel within them – one sent to you for some higher purpose, to teach you an important lesson or to keep you safe during a perilous time.

What you must do is trust in them – even if they come hand in hand with pain and suffering – the reason for their presence will become clear in due time.

Though here is a word of warning – you may grow to love this person but remember they are not yours to keep.

Their purpose isn't to save you but to show you how to save yourself. And once this is fulfilled, the halo lifts and the angel leaves as the person exits your life.

They will be a stranger to you once more. (*)


CRACK


A/N : First I want to say so sorry for the late update. It was my exam week and I had to take some time to write this chapter. And then rewrite it.

Secondly, its the official last one ! ^^ Woohoo ! Thank you yuzukikuran476, Skadarken-Weiz and kalmaegi for the reviews :)

I have a question for the readers though, and depending on the answer, I may post a fourth chapter. Its also important for my next story, which will sort of be a continuation of this one.

So, should I continue pairing Wakana with Rihan or should I pair her with someone else ?

Please give me an answer in 2 weeks time ! Thanks ! XD

(*) taken from Lang Leave "Angels".