From the sound of it, most of the reviewers were surprised by their 'first' meeting. Some hate it, some love it, meh I didn't want to make it 'love at first sight' cliché.

Achromatic Colors

IV. Intrigue

Being the granddaughter of a council official and daughter of a marquis had its perks. Her grandmother, Ryuuzaki Sumire, one of the five councils, had asked her to find Ryoma-kun to deliver a message. Normally this kind of duty will never get into her hands as council letters are delivered by special messenger angels. But her grandma probably gave it to her because she had offered if there were anything she can do to help.

Sakuno was delighted. Maybe she could catch Ryoma practicing in the training ground if she was lucky. It didn't matter which type of combat Ryoma-kun trained on, his form looks always so perfect and so beautiful. Unlike those power swings brawly macho fighters, Ryoma-kun's sword dances are not only perfect; his moves have the confidence, the boldness, and the elegance of a swan absorbed in its dances. Sakuno giggled and wondered what kind of reaction Ryoma-kun will make once he heard her description.

She doesn't mind finding Ryoma-kun asleep either. Those are the only time he brings down his guard and looks peaceful. Though she dare not stay and simply stare at him as she would like too. She suspected he would sense her even in his sleep – it would be funny if the mighty archangels could be caught vulnerable in their slumber.

But there is a slight problem.

Ryuuzaki Sakuno looked around her in a panicky state. She was lost – again. She slumped. She wasn't surprised that she was lost. Her sense of direction is horrible. She had yet to manage direct people to their correct destination. She could easily mix up the next road she needed to take and would be lost in a millisecond in a foreign area she has never been to.

Luck was not on her side. Not only Ryoma-kun was nowhere to be found in any of the usual places, she was lost on the way back.

However at the present moment she was more worried for the whereabouts of Ryoma-kun than of herself. Where is Ryoma-kun? Why wasn't he found in those usual places? Sakuno wondered if Ryoma-kun really did find a girlfriend like Momoshiro-sempai had said.

She knows she likes Ryoma-kun - a lot. She had first met him several centuries ago when he had saved her from a few of bullies – Sakuno had found that angels are not all virtuous. She had started liking Ryoma-kun when they were both old enough to attend angelic academy with Tomoka-chan and the other boys. Though he no longer had the same classes together after only a year, she still liked him.

But she knows he would never like her. She had to be realistic. Why would he like her in the first place? Though he is antisocial and hard to talk with, he is smart, strong, and attractive. What could Ryoma-kun like about her? Her title isn't as great as Duchess Saori. She isn't a beauty like Lady Kotoha – who unfortunately has shown interest in him. She's dreadfully shy and that would be a problem for trying to gain the attention of a person like Ryoma-kun who is oblivious to anything he is not interested in. Her personal rank is horrible –that is how immortals are judged. Sakuno suspected that she would be sent to Earth if it weren't for her family titles. Her academics are average. She can only perform a few basic spells. She was more likely to cut herself with a sword or with any other weaponry than hit a target.

The only thing she can be proud of herself is her Healing Gift, an ability passed down from her mother. Her ability allows her to cure most ailments and wounds. Sumire, her grandmother has always told her that with the proper training she can become a first ranked healer.

Some angels are lucky enough to have Gifts. And few were lucky enough to possess several. Rare Gifts are treasured by all and are the key to gaining ranks in the angelic world. Out of all the abilities she can possess, she has the Healing… how feminine. The Healing is a very common Gift – but not many have it as intense as Sakuno's. It's not a bad thing. It's just that Ryoma-kun will never be attracted by ability like the Healing.

She sighed dejectedly. How can she ever hope to pair herself with Ryoma-kun?

In the immortal world, angels have two sets of ranks. Family titles, if one has such things, and personal titles. Family titles are nothing more than indicators that say you are related to so and so who has a high personal profile, and that you have more privileges than an average angel because of your connections. They only become truly admirable when they are yours.

Individual profiles are more important. They exhibit an angel's worth. Titles can indicate job, ability, intelligence, and combat skills of an individual. The title of Archangel, one of the seven stars of heaven, is an ultimate sign that indicates the finest achievement and became the personal servant to God.

Alas, usually the one to achieve high personal titles are only the ones with strong family background due to genetic heredity of superior qualities, resources, and increased opportunities. The chances for a commoner to climb the ladder are pretty slim.

Echizen Ryoma is no exception. The youngest archangel of all time had a member of the council for a mother and an archangel for a father. He is the heir to a dukedom with vast number of lands, with riches and powers beyond imagination. What baffles others is the fact that the boy refuses to accept them after his parents had passed away and still rejects it after recently achieving the ultimate title. His cousin Nanako had agreed to take it under management until Ryoma accepts his responsibility.

It couldn't be denied that Ryoma-kun is a prime catch. His pending title to the dukedom is enough for social climbers to be hooked on him. Although he is young, Ryoma is also very good looking. Some even thinks his antisocial personality is very attractive. To make things worse, his newest title has multiplied the number of his hopefuls exponentially.

Unfortunately unlike Earth, though it's an uncommon practice, in the immortal realms age and gender has no account in partnership - which makes the competition for the youngest archangel worse than it already is. Sakuno had once overheard some men saying how Ryoma-kun is cute. That would make sense if he was one of those rare androgynous angels.

She paled at the thought. Ryoma-kun's 'girlfriend' could be anybody. The future looks grim…

Yet somewhere inside her there is hope; a small light that burns away the darkness surrounding her heart.

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"Did you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"Syuusuke-sama disappeared off somewhere again!"

"Again?"

"When?"

"Just now!" The first woman exclaimed. "I overheard from a clerk whispering to manservant that he vanished again when he tried to find His Highness to discuss some matters!"

"Have you heard anything about it Luna? You're his maidservant after all!"

"How should I know?" Luna said in a scornful tone. "If I was his prison guard I still wouldn't be able to find him if he's determined to hide!"

"That's true." One of them admitted. "I wonder where he is disappearing off to."

"I hope it's not some woman's place." One of them muttered with a disgruntled voice. And the servants broke into a giggling fit.

The voices faded down the corridors. Few moments passed by and silence once again wrapped around the halls. A door opened with a slow creak, shooing the silence away once more. Out walks the prince himself clad in casual black with none of the usual finery of royalty.

He looked left and right and paused to listen. When he determined that he was alone, he quickly strode down the halls. He frowned. Fuji didn't expect that he would be discovered so soon. It's not like many people know where he went to on these occasions but security will be on the lookout for him none of the less. Usually people won't even find out that he's gone and back. Yet today he's been discovered before he even sneaked out of the castle. How unlucky.

But now he has the joyful opportunity to prove to himself how incompetent the castle and the border's security are. He brightened. This should be interesting.

And those giggling gits… Fuji shook his head. Don't they have anything else to think about?

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Meow…

Ryoma slowly stroked her soft fur. His smiled softly at the cat playing with his clothes on his lap.

The sun made him feel warm. He felt drowsy. He closed his eyes and leaned back on the tree. And he probably would have fallen asleep again if he had not felt a ripple in the air.

He immediately stood up and chased his sleepiness away. He can sense someone coming through. "Here Karupin," Ryoma called her over and held her in his arms. Typically it is dangerous to get both of your hands occupied in an unknown situation where there could be possible dangers but Ryoma wasn't worried. He warily stared at the forming portal in the air several feet away from him.

Two hands came through first, than a mop of brown hair. The man slowly came out from the other side - a teenager. He was clad in simple black turtleneck and pants that are not Roman attire. Rather than sandals, he wore boots.

A devil.

Oh. So that's what they look like.

His presence was sloppily covered. It may be able to fool an Earth angel but certainly not an angel from heaven. But since he appeared from a portal, not even an Earth angel could be fooled unless he or she was incredibly dense.

The devil looked up to meet his eyes for a second. He seems surprised that he found Ryoma standing there in front of him.

"Hello, nice day isn't it?" The man gave him a disarming smile.

Ryoma decided he was not a major threat. Rather than answer him he just sent a glare at him over his shoulder. He didn't care who he was, he just didn't want to be bothered.

Wrong move. It was the worst move Ryoma ever made in his entire life – he just didn't know it yet.

If Ryoma had smiled and made some cute or pious comment on the weather like any angel on Earth would have done – though that sort of deed is almost impossible for the young archangel in the first place - he would have sent Fuji on his way, never bothering to cross his paths again. As of now, Fuji was intrigued. He was surprised that the young angel was reacting differently than what he anticipated.

That move unfortunately decided his fate for the rest of his eternity. Those that know how Fuji behaves when he is intrigued would involuntarily shudder at the reminder. For those who didn't, well the young archangel was about to find out.

I don't know why, I keep using minor characters to describe the setting and provide background information. (I suppose it's easier to use them?) I swear, Ryoma will not like Sakuno, and Fuji will not like Luna.

I find that my description style disappears when there's person to person interaction. That was mostly the case with chapter 3. Well, most reviewers seem to be fine with it.

I found that some people complained to me that I shouldn't be demanding reviews. I thought about it, but I don't find anything wrong with asking for them. I'm not holding my fic as hostage (when it's mine in the first place), I simply think it's nice to have that many. In any case, Authors spend lot of time writing them so readers should show some appreciation right? XD

Published: 29/01/08