I didn't really have a plan. I guess I intended to just wing it—don't laugh…I didn't mean to say 'wing'. I clasped Yukio's key tightly in my hand, Cho still on my shoulder, as I approached the corner of the building. I'd made it back to the town after I'd left the forest. I rounded the corner and saw the perfect door. I slid the key into the hole and turned it. Luckily, I'd taken the right key. When I opened up the door, I glimpsed the inside and saw something amazing.

I'd never been to the Order's Headquarters before, so I'd never had the chance to see it. It was amazing. Arching ceilings with elaborate molding towered above me. I slipped inside and shut the door behind me. My footsteps echoed on the shiny floor. A long hallway stretched as far as I could see, guards lining the walls. Doors lined the walls, no doubt each one leading to an extremely important room that was just as beautiful as the center of the headquarters.

"Who are you?" said a voice. I looked down from the mural of angels on the ceiling, (which I thought was pretty comical considering my position), and stared at the person in front of me. It was a guard and his spear was pointed directly between my eyes.

"Uh…sorry, I can't focus on anything with your spear in my face," I replied.

"How did you get here?" he demanded, not removing his spear.

"With this," I replied, raising the key.

He eyed the key and deemed it authentic. He eased back a bit but didn't lower his weapon, "We have no orders about a young girl. Why are you here?" He asked.

"Ando, who is that?" called another guard.

"That's what I'm trying to find out!" he yelled over his shoulder, not taking his eyes off of me.

"Look, I have important news for the Grigori," I said calmly.

"What news?" he asked.

I sighed, "I don't know if I can trust you. Let me see the Grigori."

"I don't know if I can trust you," he replied, "I won't let you pass unless you show me some identification."

"I'm not an exorcist," I said, hoping that wouldn't convince him that I was unreliable.

"Then I can't let y—" he started, but was interrupted by another, louder voice.

"News for the Grigori, you say?" he said. I narrowed my eyes, "Who are you?"

"My name is Arthur August Angel. I am the current Paladin," he replied. I was about to crack up at the sheer irony of his last name, but held it in.

"I need to warn the Grigori of something. I want to speak with them," I said.

"Not just anyone gets to see the Grigori, Miss," he said, taking a step towards me.

"You want the True Cross Order to be destroyed?" I asked, "Most likely along with the entire Vatican."

"I can't say that I do," he said, eyeing me.

"Then let me see them," I growled.

"Sir, I don't think we should tru—" started the guard.

"Shush. I sense something good in this girl. I will her see the Grigori." With that he turned to leave, his golden hair swaying behind him, "Are you coming?"

I nodded and strode as quickly as I could to catch up with him, my irksomely short legs working hard to keep up.

"I've chosen to put my faith in you, but I can't promise that the Grigori will. They may not believe you. Have you an idea of how to convince them?" he asked as we walked.

"Not at all," I replied confidently.

"I guess all I can say is good luck," he said, nodding as he pushed a tall, heavy door open. I stepped inside with him. It shut behind us with a loud thud that echoed throughout the giant room. Sitting on the opposite side, elevated above the rest of the room, were the Grigori. They sat side by side in their tent-like garments.

"Paladin, who have you brought?" asked the woman. Angel shoved me forward and I stumbled. I walked quickly to the center of the room.

"My name is Grace Sato. I've come to warn you about an attack on the Vatican," I said, trying to sound as confident as possible.

"An attack, you say?" said one of the men. He leaned forward in his tent.

"Yes," I replied firmly. I stood tall and did my best not to look like I was nervous…which I definitely was.

"By whom?" asked the woman.

"His name is Daiki," I replied.

"We've never heard of this Daiki," said another man.

"That's because he's not from this world," I said. Crap, that sounded dumb.

"You mean to say that he is a demon? Perhaps he is a demon king?" asked the woman.

"I-I…no," I said.

"Then what? Where is this man from? This man that supposedly is going to attack us," said the first man.

"F-from Caelum," I said meekly. I saw Angel face palm and shake his head out of the corner of my eye.

"Caelum?" asked the woman, most likely questioning my sanity. How could I have thought that this was a good idea?

"Yes, Caelum," I repeated.

"You expect us to believe that there is a third world that we have not discovered? After all the years that we've been battling demons from Gehenna, you mean to tell us that there is another threat? One that we have never even heard subtle mention of?" demanded the man.

I winced, "Y-Yes?"

"Get her out of here. Punish whoever brought her in!" ordered the woman.

Guards stepped forward and seized me. I struggled against them and an idea hit me. It was now or never.

"Wait, Honorable Grigori. You must reconsid—" Angel started. That was when the doors swung open, slamming against the walls.

"Grace!" shouted a voice. Oh no.

"Grace, why didn't you tell us?" asked a voice. Oh crap, everyone is here.

Rin caught sight of the guards who were still holding me. His eyes narrowed and he stepped forward. I can't do this in front of Rin and the others!

"Wait, Rin, don't!" I shouted. I didn't doubt that he intended to knock the guards senseless for touching me.

"The Son of Satan!" said Arthur. Clearly that hate that Rin had told me about was coming from Arthur. I couldn't stand it anymore. Time seemed to slow down. This was the moment of truth: I had to make a decision. Option one: I could choose the path that would lead to the savior of the exorcists and every single human in the world. Option two: I could follow my father's orders. I smiled to myself. It was as good an excuse as any.

I mentally prepared myself, a little nervous for their reactions. I closed my eyes and released my angelic energy. My body started to glow brightly, most likely blinding those around me.

"What is that?" yelled Angel.

"Grace!" I heard Rin shout. When the light faded down I had released my concealment. My wings were outstretched behind me. I'd knocked the two guards away with a flick of my wrist. I stretched my wings high above my head and rose to my full height. Whenever I was in my angelic form, my entire body glowed slightly, a heavenly aura surrounding me.

I beat my wings a few times and rose into the air. Within a few powerful strokes, I was at eye level with the Grigori. I landed on their long table, my combat boots thumping onto the wood, "Listen to me." One of the Grigori stumbled backwards and tumbled out of his chair, his tent cushioning his fall. He rolled around a few times, trying to get up in his strange clothing.

"A-Angel…" muttered the woman. I knelt down in front of her and raised my wings. They towered high above me, they're blindingly white feathers shining.

"You must prepare for an attack. They are part-angel. Angelic blood flows in their veins. You must be ready or you will die," I said to the woman. She nodded quickly and took in a huge breath.

"A-Attack! Prepare for battle!" she yelled to Angel. He nodded and smiled at me as if to say: I knew there was something special about you. I stood up and dove off of the table, falling to the floor. I caught myself with my wings and soared towards my new human friends. I landed gracefully, beating my wings a few times to slow down. I stared at the ground. Fear had taken hold of me. I didn't want to see their faces.

"G-Grace?" stuttered a voice. I kept staring at the ground. "Rin…I…" I squeaked, but I couldn't finish. I took in a deep breath and started again, "Rin, this is my secret. I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you until now." I felt like curling up in a hole and dying. That is, until I felt something I didn't expect. I felt a warm hand touch my face, lifting it up. A tear slid down my cheek. When I looked up I saw Rin smiling down at me. He stood close to me and our faces were inches apart.

"I'm glad I know now," was all he whispered.

"You…you're not disgusted, or…or surprised?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised, but I could never be disgusted by you," he whispered. With that he leaned down and kissed me. I closed my wings around us, hiding us from the others who were staring at us in awe. His lips were warm, just like his flames. Our lips moved together. I felt his heart beating under my fingers and his warmth surround me. When he pulled away he smiled at me. "I meant to tell you when you left me gagged and tied to a tree…" he whispered gently to me, "I love you, too." I smiled and kissed him again, "I had a feeling you were going to say that."

"Do you think we should talk to the others?" he asked, wrapping his arms around me.

"Do we have to?" I asked, resting my head on his chest. "Probably," he replied. He reached up and touched my feathers gently. I shivered. I'd never let anyone touch my wings before. It felt nice and strangely tickly. He turned to me and kissed my cheek. I took a deep breath and lowered my wings. Everyone was staring at me.

Shima was the first to speak, "I always knew you were an angel." He smiled and crossed his arms, nodding.

"Don't lie, Shima," scolded Konekomaru.

"I'm not lying. She's always been an angel in my eyes…even before she sprouted wings," he said, smiling widely. I laughed a little.

"They're so pretty!" breathed Shiemi, clasping her hands together.

"Thanks?" I replied.

"I did not see that one coming," said Izumo, inexplicably calm. Actually, she looked a little bored.

"Does that mean you're her?" asked Bon, staring at me. I turned to him, "Her who?"

"My father…a long time ago he told me about an angel who saved his life. I thought he was crazy, but…"

"He told you about me?" I asked, smiling, "That's flattering."

"An angel?" breathed someone, clearly recovering from the shock a little slower than the rest.

"Yeah…wings and all," I said, spreading my wings out to their fullest.

Yukio kept staring, "I've been living with an angel?"

I was about to repeat the facts that I was, in fact, an angel, but before I could Shima yelled, "You've been living with her?"

I facepalmed, "Yukio, what have you done?"

"Ew, you were living with the Okumura brothers?" Izumo added.

"That's wrong on so many levels," said Bon, always the helper…not.

"They're not that bad," said Shiemi quietly. She was like a shy little kitten.

"Yeah, she's been living with us," said Rin, slinging his arm over my shoulders.

"Ah, shut it. It's not that normal for people of opposite genders to live together. But, seriously, that really does explain your whole radioactive glow-fest episode that you had last night," Ms. Kirigakure un-helpfully pointed out. I nodded and pulled my hair to the side, "Uh-huh."

"Are you two together?" asked Konekomaru.

"Yep," said Rin proudly.

I elbowed him in the rib cage. "Ow, what was that for? It's true isn't it?"

"An angel and a demon…" said Yukio, "Quite the pair, you two. But still, I'm proud of my big brother for finally getting himself a girlfriend."

Rin stepped forward angrily, raising his fist in protest, "Like you're one to talk!"

Yukio laughed, "You're right."

"B-B-But, I-I…" said Shima, stumbling over his words. He looked sad and dejected. I suddenly felt nervous. I guess that was because I sort of knew why he was getting depressed.

"You what?" asked Rin.

"Nothing," said Shima, shrugging off his sadness. Wow, you're really dedicated, aren't you, Shima?

Somehow, I hadn't thought that I'd be accepted like this. I guess I should have known better. These were my friends. They would accept me no matter what I was. Being me…wasn't a bad thing.

Suddenly, Cho, (who had flown off of my shoulder when the guards had grabbed me), fluttered down next to me. To my surprise, she started transforming. I guess I shouldn't call her a she, though. Standing in front of me was a man. He had auburn hair just like Cho's feathers. He had a fierce look in his hazel eyes and a strong build. He was wearing a normal T-shirt and cargo pants that were tucked into his tall boots. He looked just like your average guy.

"Ch-Cho?" I gasped.

"My name isn't Cho," he said. His voice was deep and manly, matching the stubble that was on his chin, contrasting against his tanned skin.

"Wh-who are you?" I asked.

"Your father."


A/N: Wow. That was a bad cliffy. Sorry, guys! Next chapter'll be coming soon. Thanks for reading! If you liked the chapter, please leave a review. :)