Silence.
It's deafening.
The room was dead still as I sat down on the floor by the queen's chair with my head down. No one talked, tension filled the air.
I could tell I had stepped on a land mine by the way I had out rightly pleaded the Queen with the impossible.
Angels shouldn't plead or beg. Ever. It was unbecoming; then again angels should never break into sanctuaries or enter restricted areas or ever be brought into the higher ups palace for judgment. If anything, I know from this experience that I'm not cut out to be an angel.
Maybe I'll try for the death angel position. It's got to be easier.
Someone say something. If anything this situation was getting awkward for me.
I was about to look up and start begging again if only to break the silence but then I heard a laugh.
It was so clear and bright. Like the sound of bells. You could tell that this is what children hear in their dreams or what makes babies laugh. I looked up to see the youngest higher up laughing.
There was a sense of shock in the room. Someone gasped while everyone else gaped at the little boy who continued to laugh so hard that tears sprung into his wide eyes.
Was it that weird to see a child laugh? Clearly these people have been away from earth for a very long time.
The young boy ran from his high seat in the throne room. He ran towards me and stopped mere inches from me. He smiled and put his tiny hands to the sides of my face.
He wiped my tears and put his forehead on mine. Up close his eyes look blue, almost like the sea when it reflects the sun's rays. Cute could not even start to define this boy, he was beyond dazzling.
"Don't cry pretty lady." The boy whispered to me as more tears came out of my eyes for some unknown reason. He wiped them away with the sleeve of his gown.
"Ash." The queen called the child in a voice filled with surprise and astonishment. He looked up at her and said loud enough for the whole room to hear.
"Mother, I have decided. I will send this celestial woman to earth where she will stay for exactly one hundred days." He said in a commanding tone.
The other higher up that was left stood up and walked towards the Queen to face us and stared directly at the little boy with his silver eyes. "Ash you-"
"Father, Mother, this is my decision. I wish for Mikan to go down to earth and I give her permission to do anything within her power to prevent the death of Natsume Hyuga so long as it does not defy any law of heaven." Ash said to the higher ups who only grew more shocked with his every word.
The way he talked and the way everyone in the room seemed to bow down made me wonder if maybe he was the strongest and commanding of the higher ups and not the Queen.
"Ash, think about this, you would be changing hundreds of fates, dear." The Queen told her son.
"I'm aware mother." He said, but then he turned to me and his eyes seemed to sparkle as he said, "But maybe this in itself is fate. Maybe this is what was meant to be. We'll never know. If those fates get changed then they were never meant to be from the beginning."
"Ash, a human changing another human's destiny is normal. Humans can shape their fate but an angel cannot temper with human destiny and you know that." Ash's father said.
Ash never looked away from me as he said, "I do know father, but did you ever wonder why we don't save humans from disaster when we have the power to. Why we don't change their destiny for the better?"
Everyone grew quiet.
Ash looked at me and asked, "Mikan, do you know?"
I thought about it for a minute.
"Because you've given us that power as well. We can choose between right and wrong. We can change our own fates by the choices we make." I answered unsurely.
Ash smiled hugely. "That's correct. Humans have that power but do they realize? No, many just blame us. What Mikan wants to do is what I have wanted to do countless times. If she can save her loved one and give him hope so much that his destiny will change for the better then who are we to stand in her way?"
No one said anything. I think I've had enough random silences to last me an eternity, so I broke it this time.
"Then, can I go?" I asked Ash.
"Yes, you may. But you must come back within the next one hundred days." He reminded me.
"Yes, of course. I won't stay a second longer." I can go. I can go! I can see Natsume, I can save him. My heart suddenly filled with such longing for him. Today is probably the happiest I have been since I have come to heaven. Yes, not even the delicious heavenly food has made me this happy.
"Your majesty please wait. If I may, this girl is not yet an angel, and even though she is in training she does not have wings. She cannot face the dangers of earth in her current condition." The bald angel stopped Ash.
Ok, I've had enough of baldy getting in my way.
"I don't know if it occurred to you, but I have been on earth before. I died and came here, remember?" I glared at the angel's bald head willing him to grow hair so that I can rip it out. That would probably hurt. Yes, that would hurt.
Ash seemed to think of this as he stopped all of a sudden. "He's right. You can't go if you're not a full fledged angel."
"Please, I'll be fine. I promise I'll come back." I pleaded, besides is it possible for someone to die twice? Do angels die as well?
Ash sighed. "I'm afraid I can't let you go alone."
Okay, time to go find a hair growth formula for baldy.
Ash suddenly brightened. "But it would work if someone accompanies you. Yes, then it is alright. Is there anyone who wishes to guide Mikan on earth and protect her during that time as well?"
No one spoke. Well that was expected. Now what? Do I plead again? I'm getting tired of this.
I was about to ask for time to go and find someone willing to come with me when someone from the back raised their hand and spoke.
"I'll take her." Kitsuneme said.
As if the room could get any more quiet. I'll admit that was really unexpected considering the fact that I didn't even know this guy and yet he had not only covered for me twice but also was willing to help me go to earth.
But as I looked deeply into those familiar green eyes I knew suddenly that Heaven was not the first place we met at.
"Then it is settled. Let it be known that Ashlyn Mauve Callinbar the First Prince of Heaven gives permission to Mikan Sakura, an angel in training to go to earth in the company of Sir Kitsuneme and save a human from dieing within the next 100 days. And every angel and non angel in this room is a witness to this command. Anyone who perceives my command as unjust or wrong may answer to me." And just like that the final words of the young prince marked the conclusion of my story in heaven.
"Do you have everything Mikan?" Matrimony asked anxiously as she checked my small backpack for the umpteenth time.
"Yes, Magic Spell Book, Healing Elixir, Your Charms and The Communication Sphere." I sighed. I was going on a mission not a fieldtrip.
"Remember to call me at least once everyday, I'll be watching you from my Keepsake Crystal." She sighed sadly.
"I'll be fine. A hundred days are nothing. I'll be back before you even know it." I hugged her tightly.
"Just be careful." She said hugging me back gently.
"I will." I said and ran off to join Kitsuneme at the Edge.
He was standing at the Edge. The Edge is where Heaven gets cut off and Earth starts. If we jump to the left we would fall in Hell and if we fall right than we would fall on Earth. This is why wings are important.
"Ready?" Kitsuneme asked me.
"Yeah," I said as I looked back at Matrimony and waved.
Kitsuneme took my waist gently and I buried my head into his chest as my arms circled around his neck and I held on as his giant wings soared down towards the dark abyss which I presumed to be Earth.
We flew and flew until I could feel the arms of time that surrounded earth. Unlike Heaven which was immortal, Earth had a limit, more precisely it was timed. We flew down and I could make out the familiar glow of the city lights. Tokyo. We made it.
We stopped on top of the Tokyo Tower. I looked at Kitsuneme questionably, I know we didn't plan anything but why did we stop here as opposed to the ground?
"You need a mortal body. As of right now no one can see you, you're invisible to the human eye." Kitsuneme said as his brown hair flew lightly in the night sky.
"Ok. Can I choose one we're on the ground? I can't really tell from up here." I said.
"That's alright, I can. There are a lot of vacant bodies and I'm sure that we can borrow one. Just tell me your preference." Kitsuneme said patiently.
Wow. I get to choose. I decided to take my chances and be selfish. "Ok, can I get a girl around my age? Make sure she's pretty and rich. And she has to go to Natsume's school and be in his class."
Kitsuneme closed his eyes for a moment and went completely still. "Ok, I think I've got it. Luna Koizumi, age 17 same as you. She's beautiful and lives the life of a princess. She goes to Gakuen Alice and is in the same year as Natsume Hyuga."
We then started flying again. Wow. I looked at Kitsuneme in amazement, definitely a good thing he is here. We flew towards a large hospital and I looked through the window in front of me.
A young girl lay there with her body strapped to countless machines. There was something strapped under her nose and needles were poked through her arms. Even from this distance I could see that the girl was beautiful with long blonde hair that was layered stylishly. She had ivory skin and dark lashes.
I looked at Kitsuneme and he gestured for me to go in.
I walked through the window and went to sit beside the lovely girl.
"So, how do I do this?" I asked Kitsuneme who had come to stand beside me.
"Put your hand on her forehead then you should hear her voice. Ask her permission. If she says yes, you're soul will just transfer into her." Kitsuneme told me.
I put my and on her forehead and just as Kitsuneme said, I heard a melodies and sad voice. It was strangely detached, like it held no emotion.
Who are you? What do you want? The voice asked.
Mikan Sakura, I'm an angel in training. Can I borrow your body for a while? I asked her.
Take it forever for all I care. She said.
Suddenly I felt as though something was sucking me in. It was strong and forceful, it made my head spin and I was pretty sure that it was bobbing from side to side. When the spinning and sucking stopped I opened my eyes, and saw the white ceiling of the hospital.