Disclaimer: FLCL storyline with my own, Yuri Hyuga does not belong to me, he belongs to Shadow Hearts, and Yevonites belong to Squaresoft's FFX! Sonic the Hedgehog characters belong to Sega!

Prologue

BGM: FLCL – Instant Music

"We really shouldn't be playing here... "I swallowed nervously, watching Flonne run into a tree.

She fell down, rolling and giggling in the grass, until she stopped to look up at me, her eyes sparkling with playful happiness.

"This is a forest...Flonne...I read from a book at school that bad things happen here..." I crossed my arms, a feeling told me that I needed to protect her. Sigh...anyway, she's too childish to understand anything...

But then again...since when have I been serious? What happened to me? I remember vaguely of the time when I was as carefree as my little sister, if not, then even more so...but now...

"I'm starting to sound more like my father..."

Episode Three: Black Feathers

Florina dropped her heavy messenger bag, letting the ridiculously large Bible hit the soft grass under her feet, as she herself, plopped onto a stump.

She started her devotion, nodding her head in a prayer, a faint smile forming.

Tilting his head to lower it down at hers, Aria raised a curious eyebrow, not noticing her action that was purposely used to change the subject. "What...what are you doing?"

She continued as if she hadn't heard him, then with a heavy nod, she raised her glassy eyes, one blue and the other golden with a black dot in the center, staring up at his, brilliant yellow. Florina opened her mouth to speak, but covered it, stifling a giggle. And she hopped up to her feet, ran to the river and danced in its waters, splashing the liquid onto the dumbfounded boy.

"How...how come you never answer my questions, Flonne?"

She noted his irritation before performing the next action and raised a hand to her throat, pressing it lightly. Aria felt like a ton of brinks hit him, as he realized his stupidity and groaned.

"Ugh...I forgot again didn't I?" He turned away from her, rubbing the back of his head.

"You can't speak any other language other than Hebrew...that's why you don't answer my questions..."

But Florina gave him a patient smile, then started speaking, "I saw an angel the other day...he was tall and enjoys the hymns...he sings really good too..."

Her older brother simply watched her lips move and was curious at her actions, as she continued to speak what seemed like nonsense to him, she placed her fingers to her mouth, a blush shyly gracing her cheeks.

"Urm..." Aria felt himself tighten and his breathing became shallow, "can't talk right now...I-I've got homework to do!"

The surprised girl watched him grab his backpack and run away, leaving her confused and feeling a bit hurt. "........................."

BGM: FLCL – Hybrid Rainbow

Aria flipped through the pages of the day's newspaper, still feeling guilty for leaving in such a hurry, but quickly dismissed the idea as he searched for a topic to his History class.

"Not another headline about Eggman..." The boy was sick of hearing the same old story again. He'd often wondered why they couldn't just put the mechanic in jail and leave him there with nothing, well, except food and a bed...and toilet.

"......?" Another article did catch eye though, since he felt as if he could relate to it. "School burned down? Happened late at night, no one was hurt...Maesters are still trying their best to find the source, but it was so heavily burned that there are only ashes left of it...?"

He placed the paper down and crossed his arms, frowning. "Strange...that's not the first time it happened huh? In fact...so far...there were at least two other schools burned this passing month...my teacher told me how relieved she was that there was never anyone hurt..."

Pulling out a pencil from an overused school box he began to write how he felt of the event. "Let's see...I think the person is burning them down on purpose...making sure no one is getting hurt...urm...but then what's the point of that? ...I wonder what the arsonist wants......huh?"

The phone had begun ringing, practically the only electronic machine in the house other than the stove and refrigerator. They didn't even have a TV, more less a microwave.

"Hello?"

"A-kun..." Florina whispered in that ghost-like voice of hers, clutching a cat that was bandaged, tightly in her free arm. "I'm by the bridge...won't you come play with me? "

"...Guessing it's a clear day...you want me to come play with you..." Aria brushed his old curtains aside, glaring at the sun. "I'm sorry, Flonne. I...I've got homework to do...good-bye..."

"..............." Florina stared down at the cell phone, which was beeping in request to be turned off. "It's okay A-kun...I'm not mad..."

Her voice was dulled, and the cat glanced up at her emotionless face, that is until rain started to pour down upon her, it scurried away, not wanting to get wet.

She walked under the rain, despite its downpour and into the long mix of grass and weeds. The grass was so tall, they hid her tiny form, but she was able to see something sticking out from them, a halo...

It was Joshua, bending down in that area as if he found something. Holding it up high, he notes to himself that it is a piece of his Malice that had broken off after the assault with Yuri. He turned at the sound of crows, ignoring the presence he felt of the watching girl.

The graceful teen leapt up onto the top of an old and abandoned schoolhouse, lifting his arms into the air, and Heaven seemed to cast a glorious light down upon him, scaring off the crows, black feathers fluttering around the two.

It was a beautiful sight, as Joshua opened his white wings and flew up towards the light, hands clasped in a praying position and Florina gazing in awe, a light shining upon her as well; he cocked his head and opened a hand to her, as if to offer her a chance to fly with him, a kind smile with a blush gracing his face.

And Florina opened her arms to him, feeling a blush on her own visage, and joy pouring into her heart. Joshua pulled her into his arms, his blush deepening when he noticed those clouded eyes looking into his with inmost affection.

It has been a long time indeed since Florina felt comforted and she placed her head gently onto his chest, falling into a siren slumber.

BGM: FLCL – Come Down

"It's a good thing Joshua brought you home. Or else, you would've caught pneumonia, Flo." Yuri grinned, playing a gothic song upon his electric guitar.

"What were you thinking?! Why didn't you go under the bridge and wait for the rain to stop?!?" Aria balled up a fist, he wasn't sure why, but he felt suddenly angry after seeing Joshua come home with her cradled in his arms. "I want you to stay away from my grandpa okay?! He's like a bad omen..."

"Sounds like someone's jealous..." Yuri said in a singsong way, "Aria-kun's jealous."

The little boy glared at the adult, "No... it just creeps me out when he hacks fresh, live lambs in our living room...while wearing a pink apron, and then he decides to serve us food when he's still bloody!? Joshua's crazy! And it especially annoying when the lamb up and runs all over the place baaing bloody murder, while he chases it around like some kind of psycho killer from one of those horror films!!!"

"It's called a sacrifice Aria...nothing out of the norm. But with you hollering, "Why's grandpa offering sacrifices in the living room?! Why's he wearing a pink apron?! Why's he got wings with a halo tied to his forehead?!? Why should I be caring about all this??!!??" is when the neighbors start to notice things..."

"......Grr...anyway, Flonne. I just don't want you around him, all right?"

Florina didn't respond, but continued playing a videogame she'd been holding the entire time. Strangely, she was smiling, which was not usual at all. "Polly-sama!!"

Joshua landed, closing his wings, grocery bags in his hands. He glanced at the tender looking girl with a blush before turning to Hyuga's door. After knocking on it Hyuga opened it taking the groceries and projected a glare at the now frowning girl.

"What is this?! I told you to get tomato soup, not vegetable soup!!!" Hyuga hollered bitterly at Joshua, throwing a can that hit him over the head. "Don't mess up next time!!!"

And the mistaken person simply scratched the back of his head, letting Hyuga slam the door in his face. But Florina wasn't very happy about the situation and she trotted herself over, clasping her tiny body around a jean wearing leg, giving a comforting hug.

"It's okay Polly-sama." She smiled, eyes sparkling with delight.

"Useless, good for nothing..." Yuri commented calmly at Joshua, who was now staring down at her.

"Grr...hey! Grandpa, don't you have dinner to make?!?" Aria complained, "I'm sure we're all hungry right now!!!"

Yuri let out a chuckle, "I'm not."

"You don't count free-loafer..." His Malice slowly turned yellow.

And the great-grandpa simply fingered through a magazine Joshua dropped, grinning, "That Eggman is an idiot...no doubt that Sonic guy'll kick his a-- ......oh...so that cute echidna's working there now. I wonder..."

BGM: FLCL – Carnival

Aria and his friends were coming home from school, and crossing a small bridge near the river.

"Did you hear?" Song asked, slanting his glasses so that the glare of the sun hid his eyes, "people are saying that they spotted some monsters on the bridge and that the sign of the devil appeared that same evening."

"Pretty weird, don't you think?" Wish continued for her brother. "I mean the Maesters are certainly worried...all the Yevonites are in an absolute panic!"

They couldn't help but grin at that statement; anything bad for Yevonites was enough to make the two siblings happy. And this was bad for the Yevonites, especially the Maesters, if they were to continue their so- called teachings of Yevon they would have to enforce the belief that there was no devil that existed. Nothing God related, and definitely no angels, for they believed there were no such things.

"Serves them right..." Alyssa muttered; hands shoved into her white, leather skirt.

"Sheesh...you'd think this was the Puritan's time all over again or something...but even worse. They don't even give crap for children they think are born under an evil sign or something..."

Aria stopped, mid-way at the bridge, realizing what Alyssa's words meant. Why hadn't he thought of all this sooner? "It was them who destroyed the Black Mage village, wasn't it?"

The threesome glanced back at the boy, who hid his eyes in his bangs. His words were so dark and acidic; it had surprised them.

"Aria-kun..." Alyssa dropped her eyes to the ground, remembering how those black mages were like his family to him before he moved back. "That's why we're outcasts..."

"A boy offered by his mother as a sacrifice to the devil, a warlock, a witch, and the mother to Anti-Christ...we're less than normal, Alyssa." Wish smirked, seemingly proud of what she was.

"I believe with all my heart that we're not the evil ones here, Wish. But instead just misunderstood...I mean watch as the Yevonites live in the laps of luxury while we suffer, our own church barely even standing..." Song placed his hands on the bridge's ridge, staring at the water below them.

"Jesus Christ..." Aria's voice came harshly, "Why doesn't the Lord just send his angels to help us?! Those hypocritical Yevonites!!"

Song watched the youngest grip his hands so tightly, they started to bleed. "I don't think a little adolescent should be blaspheming so soon..."

"I can do what I want!"

"Hahahahaha!!!" They all circulated their gaze to the laughing witch, "Angels? Do you really think they'd really come down here?! Oh, wait they walk among us all the time...Heh, as if. Now if they were here, everything would be just dandy..."

"Look! What's that?" Song vociferated, "Who's that?"

The group of unstable Christians searched for his object, Aria became pale, thinking back to Wish's comment earlier, because standing in the water was Florina. With her red head bent, she wrenched at her wet skirt, trying to dry it.

"Oh, her..." Wish leaned closely, "she's a school drop out, and heard people were bullying her..."

"That's pretty pathetic..." Alyssa scowled, "Even at her age...where are her parents?"

"No idea...maybe they abandoned her." Song smiled lightly.

Florina shifted her position and stared up at Aria, eyes blurry, as if her mind was somewhere else other than her brain. The Dark mage swallowed nervously, feeling a grip on his heart.

-Ending Credits/Previews-

She had her father's blue eyes
He left home before she arrived
Mama named her Grace
Just getting by on her own
When Grace was 15 she ran from home
One December day
Grace is lost and alone in a world as cold as stone
God is counting on us to reach her with His love

It's all about saving grace
All about living love
Being Jesus to those He came to save
Sharing life and giving our own away
It's all about serving God
It's all about saving grace

She never darkened the door of any church
She would say, "What for...no one there would care for me"
We have to go where she lives
Simply show her who Jesus is
Watch Him set her free
For grace flows down from above and
Faith requires a selfless love
For a world that's dying to see the
Hope in you and me

There are countless millions just like Grace
Who need a merciful embrace
They won't believe our God is real
Until they feel His touch