A/N: Wow, this update came sooner than I expected :P . I hope you enjoy it as this story is coming to an end. Thank you to all of those who read my stories, and especially those who review. It really does make me happy to read reviews :D
This chapter is dedicated to FiferRose who is my bestest friend in the world wide life lol :P And if you're into twilight stories or supernatural, then check her stories out. They're like the bestest :D like her! Is bestest even a word? Well, either way, this goes for you Chelsea :D
Disclaimer: I do not own Mai-HiME or the characters here. Sunrise Does. I do own this story.
Apocalypse Angels
8
"Shizuru, are you crying?"
The wind blew softly against the grassy plain and the speaker's cobalt tresses tried flying away with it but failed again and again.
"Perhaps a little."
The response, although being meant to be comical, was taken seriously by the cobalt haired angel who straightened up from her lying position against her lover.
"Is it because it's almost time to go again?" She asked, to which she received a sad smile, "I would lie if I told you that didn't have anything to do with it."
"Oh Shizuru," The angel began as she lifted her hand to gently caress her lover's porcelain cheek, "You always get emotional when we have to go back. But you know we will see each other again."
The angel whose head was adorned with chestnut locks of hair that rested against her shoulders buried her face inside her lover's mane. Inhaling the sweet odor she sighed, "But oh so long we must wait. Why must the wait be so unbearable?"
Natsuki laughed softly, her laughter like a melody in the heavenly ground. "The years for mortals are mere minutes for us. In no time we shall be together again."
"Ookini Natsuki. You always know the right thing to say." Shizuru said as she pulled back and faced her lover, "but there is something else bothering me. I have sadness within my heart that I am unable to explain."
The cobalt haired angel frowned upon seeing her lover's worry. "What is it Shizuru? Try to explain and perhaps I can help."
"I have a feeling of worry I am unable to get rid of. I don't know why, but I feel like I must hold you and not let you go, for this could be the last time." Shizuru's words were filled with angst and worry as she looked deep within the emerald orbs that stood before her.
"You're silly Shizuru." Natsuki responded, once again taking her place in the brunette's hold as she laid her body against the angel's own. Shizuru sighed and leaned back onto the cherry tree which they were sitting under. "Does Natsuki think so?" She asked as she ran her hand up and down the girl's arm lovingly.
"I do. You know there is nothing that can keep us apart. We are part of one, and will always find each other no matter what. In any life, we will always be together."
A tear streamed down from Shizuru's eye again upon hearing her lover's words.
"You're right Natsuki. Nothing can keep us apart."
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Natsuki felt a throbbing pain in her head as she attempted to open her eyes, but the heaviness of her eyelids did not allow her. She groaned and tried to move to her side but found her body to remain non-responsive to her commands. A couple of seconds passed before sleep overtook Natsuki once more.
But before the powerful force of sleep took over her, Natsuki heard a faraway voice calling her name.
"Natsuki." It repeated over and over, but she did not answer.
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"Come on Nat-chan, we need to hurry." Saeko's voice reached Natsuki who came running down the stairs as quickly as her short legs could take her.
"Coming mama." The seven year old bluenette answered as she came down the stairs with a plush wolf safely grasped in her hand.
"I'm sorry Nat-chan, but you can't bring Duran with you. This event is really important for mama and you need to behave okay?" Saeko said to her daughter as she took the stuffed animal from the girl's grasp, after a few seconds of the younger girl's struggle, and laid it beside on a table.
Natsuki frowned and ran outside to the car. Saeko sighed and turned towards her younger daughter who was holding onto her pant leg. "Let's go Alyssa-chan."
"Don't touch me!" Natsuki screamed for the tenth time as she pushed her sister's hand away. Saeko looked up to the rearview mirror and saw her three year old daughter smiling as she once again stretched out her hand to grab her older sister's cobalt locks. "Alyssa-chan. Don't bother your sister." She reprimanded lightly with a smile to her young daughter who returned the smile as she grabbed the lock of hair.
"Alyssa-chan! DON'T TOUCH ME!" The bluenette screamed as she took hand and forcefully shoved it away once more. Saeko laughed softly, "Nat-chan should learn to be more patient. If you go on in life like this, nobody will want to marry you Nat-chan!"
Natsuki grunted, "Not like I want a man to marry me. They're so stinky." Saeko laughed as she flickered her gaze to see her daughter's scrunched up face. "Fine. Then not even a girl will want you either. So just stop being mean okay?" Saeko said and laughed as she saw her daughter's face become red in embarrassment.
'My pretty babies.' She thought as she continued to drive towards the gala where she would receive an award for her research on a field that until then, had remained undiscovered and hidden away from those seeking knowledge.
The study of supernatural beings.
The flash of thunder that roared in the sky caused Alyssa to become scared and to cry. To try to appease her sister's crying, Natsuki took a lock of her own hair and moved her head towards her sister where she laid the lock in her small hand. "Just don't pull hard Alyssa-chan."
Alyssa smiled and stopped her crying as she played with her sister's silky hair. But her crying resumed as her mother spun out of control in the road and crashed under the thunderous night.
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"Natsuki! Please answer me darling. Answer me." Shizuru pleaded as she tried to awaken her girlfriend who had tears streaming freely down from her closed eyes. She saw hopelessly as Natsuki whimpered and thrashed around in her sleep as she tried to fight the demons from her past.
"There is nothing we can do Shizuru-sama. We must wait until she awakens." Nina said from the doorway as she saw the Archangel kneeling beside her lover. Shizuru looked up to the priestess and nodded, "I guess there is no other way."
Shizuru exited the room and slid the door shut behind her. She glanced around the short bluenette who stood before her and noticed the second priestess was missing. "Where is Arika?"
"She went to get the altar ready for when Natsuki-sama awakens. The sooner we do the ritual to release your swords, the better." Nina responded as she led Shizuru toward the garden. Shizuru nodded with understanding.
Shizuru was now aware of who she was. Her memories had come flooding back to her as she fell in a deep slumber similar to Natsuki's, but she had awakened much earlier than the bluenette. Her memories of past lives, and of her duties as an Archangel had been restored in her mind when they had stepped through the gates of Gabriel's Shrine. Natsuki had entrusted her life to Shizuru, and that was the last element that was needed for their souls to be liberated from the chains that kept them under the darkness of being blind to their real identities. During past lives, like most other Archangels, they had come to the same state of knowledge through the act of lovemaking, which signified their complete trust on each other, but this life time had not given them the chance to do the same. This time their trust on each other was shown through a deeper level of understanding and love that needed nothing more than each other.
"Shizuru-sama. The altar is ready." The blue-eyed priestess announced with a smile as she walked over to the Archangel and Nina who were nearing her with quick strides. "Thank you Arika." Shizuru said before walking up to the altar and leaving the two priestesses behind.
Arika inched closer to Nina and took the girl's hand in between her own. Nina reacted with a single glance before focusing her gaze on the Archangel once more. "Has Natsuki-sama awaken yet?" Arika asked as she leaned her head on Nina's stiff shoulder. "No." Nina stated before Arika pulled her into the shrine again to give the Archangel some space.
"Why did you pull me?" Nina asked in an annoyed manner as the blue-eyed priestess rolled her eyes, "To give Shizuru-sama some space you dummy. It's obvious she is sad about Natsuki-sama not waking up yet." Nina grunted but did not say anything else. She knew Arika was right after all. It had been a stressful day for them from the moment the two woman stepped through the gates of the shrine she and Arika served at.
She had been cleaning inside the house peacefully until she heard Arika's scream coming from outside. She rushed outside and had found Arika kneeling beside the bodies of two women who had been completely knocked out and were unconscious. The pair had taken the two women inside and had laid them side-by-side as they waited for them to wake up. The moment Nina had set eyes on Shizuru she had known it was the one called Gabriel.
"Are you okay?" Arika asked worriedly as she came to sit beside the bluenette who was sitting on a bench. "I'm confused." Nina responded and waited a few seconds before continuing, "We were able to see Shizuru-sama was an Archangel, but why couldn't we see Natsuki-sama? Could it be that even though Shizuru-sama's soul has awaken, hers hasn't?"
Arika pondered on the issue, for it was true. She and Nina were not normal priestesses, but Cherubims. They were a type of angels that were created in pairs to serve the highest class of angels: The Seraphim. While Natsuki and Shizuru served duties of Archangels, they had actually been created as Seraphim. The highest and closest divinities to the super power were Seraphim who were divine creatures that were composed of two souls enveloped in a single divine being with ultimate power. During the rebellion of the angels, two of the original archangels had gone with Mashiro, to be later killed by the one they followed, and had left two spots empty. The high order decided that it would be best to have Shizuru and Natsuki act as Archangels for when the apocalypse came, they would be able to save humankind.
Before Arika could come up with an answer to her lover's question, there was a loud crashing sound in the room Natsuki occupied. Shizuru appeared before the door in a flash and almost tore the door as she hurried to open it, and found the room's walls burn and ash floating around the room.
"Natsuki." She whispered as she took in the scene that showed no signs of Natsuki.
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Mikoto walked towards Mai's café as she burrowed her hands into her jacket's pockets. She looked up and frowned upon seeing the snowflakes that had begun to fall upon the city. She sighed and could see her breath before her as she quickened her steps.
-Ring-Ring-
Mikoto took her cell phone out quickly and flipped it open, but before she could say anything, the caller's voice broke in.
"Mikoto. You need to come to Gabriel's Shrine this instant. She has appeared." Yukariko informed rapidly before hanging up and leaving Mikoto with a surge of emotions within her.
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Nao smiled when a familiar presence came towards her and took a seat beside her on the granite floor of hell. Shiho turned to Nao with a soft smile, "Hey." Nao could see the pain in the girl's eyes and took the pink-haired girl's hand in her own, "Hey." Shiho looked down to their joined hands and brought her index finger to gently trace one of the many cuts that were in the girl's hand. She looked up and found Nao's lime eye watching her carefully. Her left eye was covered by a patch after Tate Yuuichi had injured her in his last attempt at revenge for being beaten by the redhead.
Their moment was interrupted when Fumi appeared in front of them. "Mashiro-sama wishes to see you Nao." She ordered in a cold voice that seemed out of place for her high-pitched voice. Nao released Shiho's hand reluctantly and followed the demon.
"Na-Natsuki?" Nao stuttered as she walked into the room and found Natsuki' shackled to the wall. Her wrist and legs were captured by metal bands that kept her secured against the wall. The girl seemed unconscious as her cobalt hair hid her face from view.
Mashiro turned to Nao, "You need to travel to the gate and impede the archangels from coming in here." Nao felt her heart beat quicken at the thought of fighting the Archangels. "But I-I won't be able to keep them back…" Nao tried to speak but Mashiro's glare caused her to stop. "Go now. Take as many demons as you need but don't let them pass. There was a miscalculation of my plan and now they have gained the upper hand." Mashiro saw as Nao retreated and went to prepare for battle. She turned her focus to the bluenette who remained unconscious.
'Wake up Natsuki. You will be my winning card in this.'
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The five Archangels stood prostrate to Shizuru as she summoned her sword Kiyohime.
"With the power that lies within me, with my soul that has been kept in the shadows until now, with the power that is given to me by the forces that are unseen to all eyes, I call forth that which shall help the divine heaven triumph over the force that has only brought sadness and pain unto the world. Kiyohime, I summon your power to resurface from my soul and aid me in every need."
Shizuru laid her hands out before her, and a flash of lightning fell to her hands and transformed into a large sword whose handle fit perfectly into Shizuru's palm. The entirety of the sword was of pure gold, just like the other Archangels' swords, but the entire blade of her sword, unlike the other ones, was completely covered by small amethyst gems. The handle was adorned with rubies and emeralds along with words in a language not known to men or angels, just to the two who had inscribed them in.
Mikoto, Yukariko, Akira, Midori, and Miyu waited as Shizuru turned her attention to them. They had all been called to the Shrine and while they were full of joy for finding her at last, their immediate issue to resolve was getting Natsuki and Alyssa back from Mashiro. Shizuru was informed of their current situation and did not hesitate to lead them into hell. Shizuru turned to the divine woman who waited for her instructions, "Call forth your swords."
She watched as they did as told, while her mind assured her she was making the right choice. 'Even if I have to bring the apocalypse sooner than planned, I will bring Natsuki back. I just got her back, I won't lose her again.'
Miyu looked on as Mikoto summon Miroku, Yukariko summoned Vlas, Akira summoned Gennai, and Midori summoned Gakutenou. Their swords adorned with beautiful gems and designs fitting for Archangels. She was unable to call forth her sword and felt like an useless weight on the rest. "It's okay Miyu. You will save Alyssa. That's all that matters." Shizuru's words surprised the cerulean-haired angel as she felt a warm hand upon her shoulder. Miyu nodded and smiled gratefully, "Thank you Shizuru-sama."
Shizuru nodded and turned to make sure the other angels were ready to leave. Upon seeing they were definitely ready to go, she focused her energy and teleported them to the center where the shrines met.
They stood at the foot of the gates of hell ready to end the apocalypse before it began.
A/N: Sorry for the short chapter guys but I just needed to get some things out of the way before the actual fight, and I put the fight in here it will be super long. I hope you liked it and get ready, next up is the fight! Will Shizuru save Natsuki or will Natsuki turn against her own kind? Who knows?! Because I definitely don't :P :P :P Oh, actually I do know :P
Please review! I love reviews a lot! They're like chocolate for me! But without the calories! :P
