Michael gazed skyward, eyes and hands glowing with lavender Spirit, his expression calm, almost detached. Beside him, growing impatient, Sheena's own glowed with a subtle mix of lavender Spirit and silvery white Air, but while he looked upward, she was examining the trees, her eyes slightly narrowed as if searching for something. After several moments, her glow faded, and she turned to Michael, one hand on her hip.
"Forget it," she said, "They're not here, yet. I can't even sense their presence."
Michael sighed. "Sheena, I can sense them. You can't because your power is not fully developed."
"Oh, that," she snapped, "And the fact that I'm not fully an angel yet, either, right?" When he responded with a frown, her hand dropped. "I'm sorry. I've never done this sort of mission, before, so I'm a little nervous."
"It's alright." His own glow faded. "They're here." He turned to her, his gaze loving and patient. "Would you like to remain here, or go with me to greet them, as Rokujo Miyuki is likely to do?"
She shook her head. "Nah. If anything, we still need to find out more about the source of dark power within Spica. I'll go check it out while you meet with them."
"Will you be alright by yourself?"
Sheena smiled. "I might not have all of my angelic power, yet, but I'm still a ninja, remember?" And without another word, she disappeared in a puff of smoke.
'Nagisa? Is something wrong?' The thought entered her mind easily, jerking her out of her reverie.
Nagisa had noticed, earlier in the morning when she awoke, that the soul crystal on Shizuma's neck had changed. It was no longer cobalt blue: it was now a midnight blue, with the faintest hint of violet. Before they had left, she checked her own appearance in the mirror, and saw that her crystal had also changed: it's color was now dark red, tinted with magenta.
She had also noticed that her bra seemed somewhat tighter than before. This time, she did not pass it off as her mind playing tricks on her: she was sure it had something to do with the soulbond.
In fact, she was so focused on the new development that her gaze slacked while she traveled back to Astraea Hill.
And she had been staring at Shizuma's crystal.
'No,' she responded, 'I was just thinking about our soulbond.' With an effort, she locked eyes with Shizuma.
'You noticed it, too, haven't you?' Shizuma touched her crystal, and the crystal began to sparkle with faint light. 'It seems to me that with every new thread we make, the more they take on each other's color.'
'Yeah...' Nagisa looked outside, wondering how she was going to say what else she had been pondering. Finally, she thought, 'During the Student Council meeting two days ago, not all of the students there were glaring at me.'
Shizuma frowned. 'What do you mean?'
She hesitated. 'Sayashiki Momomi and Kenjou Kaname. They were sneering at me...well, both of us.' Her next thought came out before she could censor it: 'I think they might be behind the school's chaos.'
The shocked look on Shizuma's face made her blush, but before she could elaborate, Shizuma thought, 'The possibility can't be ignored. They've done this sort of thing, before. But what would they have to gain from it, this time...?'
Nagisa looked outside again, perplexed, but smiled when she saw two blue-haired figures, one slightly shorter than the other, waiting for them at the gates.
The moment the car halted in front of the pair, Nagisa leapt out of the car and hugged her best friend. "Tamao-chan!"
"Welcome back, Nagisa-chan," Tamao replied, smiling. Gently extricating herself, she pulled out a white envelope and handed it to Nagisa. "I was told to give you this."
Nagisa checked the front of the envelope, but it was blank. "Tamao-chan, who is it from?"
Rokujo, arms folded, said cooly, "It came from that boy you talked to last Friday."
Nagisa started. "What do you-?"
"Don't pretend, Nagisa." The cold statement cut easily through Nagisa's question. She saw Rokujo's eyes narrow, her mouth curved in a frown, anger emanating from her entire appearance. "What business is there between you and that boy? What is going on, Aoi Nagisa?"
"Miyuki, that's enough." Nagisa suddenly realized that the emanating anger she felt was coming from behind her, from Shizuma. Shizuma placed a hand on Nagisa's shoulder, frowning at her old friend. She whispered in Nagisa's mind, 'Don't speak. Let me explain.' But before she could more than open her mouth, a male voice declared:
"Man, Rokujo Miyuki, you sure are determined to screw things up, aren't you?"
Michael walked out from behind a nearby tree, his eyes on Nagisa and Shizuma though his next statement was still pointed to Rokujo, "I told you before and I'll tell you again: Unless they desire otherwise, the business I have with Nagisa-chan and Shizuma-san is unrelated to you."
He grinned at Rokujo's surprise, then turned to Nagisa, his smile now bright and friendly. "I saw last night that you and Shizuma successfully forged the first thread of your soulbond. Congratulations!"
Nagisa smiled shyly back. "Thank you, Michael-san."
Michael nodded. "I trust Tamao-san gave you my letter?"
Nagisa looked back at the envelope clutched in her hand. "You sent this?"
He nodded again. "I forgot to tell you a few things the last time we spoke. You and Shizuma need to read that as soon as possible." He hesitated briefly before adding, "Please make sure you are alone when you read it."
Shizuma nodded. "Thank you very much, Michael-san."
"Wait!" Tamao stepped forward, her eyes narrowed. "Before you leave, could you please prove your claim that you are an angel?"
His eyes closed. "If you wish..." His head drooped, his face a stone mask of aloof calm. Suddenly, his wings appeared on his back, sky blue and translucent as before, and a halo, shining brightly, hovered above his head. His skin began to glow with silvery luminesence, and when he opened his eyes again, all four girls gasped: His eyes had completely lost both the whites and pupils. They were vast, deep pools of brown, swirling kaleidascopes of color, sparkling with light and glowing with restrained power.
His gaze swept over them. All four girls heard him speak in their mind, his voice powerful and echoing: 'I am the steel no enemy can shatter. I am the magic no dark power can defeat. I am the rock upon which evil breaks like waves. I am Michael, warrior of the gods, champion of light and mercy, and angel of the heavens.'
He released his hold on them, leaving them speechless with fright. The first to find her voice was Rokujo, who immediately stammered, "I'm sorry. I meant no insult-"
"I understand." As quickly as before, his form reverted back, his eyes returned to normal, a smile sitting on his face. "I must apologize, myself. I did not mean to frighten you; sealed within myself is a devastating force. I keep a strong grip on it, but sometimes it overwhelms me."
"And it's difficult to control when that happens," a voice rang out. Nagisa and the others turned to the source: A beautiful, attractive woman clad in purple clothing, a pink ribbon tied around her waist, was striding towards them, concern on her face. She addressed Michael again, "I have some news, and you won't like it. We need to get going."
His smile faded. "Okay." He turned to Nagisa and Shizuma. "Should you ever need to talk to me again, just send me a prayer." Without another word, he grasped the girl's hand, and both disappeared in a bright flash of light.
"I wonder what sort of power he was talking about?" Yaya asked. She, Nagisa, Tamao, Chiyo, Hikari, and Tsubomi were having another midnight tea party, and all were curious about Michael's powers, along with the girl who showed up.
"Maybe he has a demon sealed in his soul?" Hikari said.
"A demon?" echoed Chiyo, "But he's an angel, right? Why would he have a demon in his soul?"
Hikari blushed slightly.
"I don't think it's a demon," Nagisa said thoughtfully, "When he spoke in our minds, I caught a glimpse of something in my mind's eye. I dunno if I imagined it, but I thought I saw a giant cat with wings."
"I saw that, too," Tamao agreed, "Bat wings, right?" Nagisa nodded. "I bet the thing sealed inside him is a magical cat."
Everybody laughed at the idea. When they calmed down, Nagisa said, "But who was that girl who picked him up?"
"Maybe she's his soulmate?" Tsubomi suggested wryly. Now resigned to the fact that Michael was an angel, she shared the same, if not slightly skeptical, curiosity as the others.
Yaya frowned. "But you said she didn't have a crystal on her neck, right?"
"Yeah."
Tamao coughed quietly, giving Nagisa a pointed glance and playful smile. "If you ask me, she has features more filling than Etoile-sama."
"She does not!" Nagisa exclaimed.
"Shhh!" But the indignant look on Nagisa's face, replaced quickly with an embarrassed flush, made them all laugh again.
