hey guys! thanx for all the reviews! i love it when i get them! and thanx for waiting! sorry this chapter took me a bit long to type up cuz this past week was my offisle (i killed it but whatev'!) week of school and it was cool! high school different teachers and lunch peirod however it was in the same building cuz my school goes from preschool- 12th grade so i've going there for 11 years! well anyway here's what you've been waitin' for:

Chapter 21: Fear In Your Eyes

Tres, Leon, Abel, and Esther walked through the wrecked city of Madrid. The ruined buildings and darkness surrounded them.

Esther looked around wondering what happened here. "Abel, what on earth happened here?" She asked.

"I don't know." He replied as he sadly looked around.

Leon answered for them, "Probably a famine or an earthquake."

"Negative." Tres spoke up as they came to a stop. "Sensors detect no source of tectonic activity. Sensors do indicate there is plenty of sources for food."

Esther and Abel looked at Tres sadly. Leon just looked frustrated and annoyed; then he stomped pass Tres as he said, "Come on, let's hurry up." They followed him.

But suddenly, a big, long rat scurried pass Esther's feet and when she saw it, she squeaked at it as she moved closer to Abel.

"Esther, are you all right?" Abel asked as he noticed her behavior.

She relaxed a bit and answered, "Oh, yes. I'm all right."

"Okay, well just stick close to me, so that you don't get lost." He said as they followed Tres and Leon, however, Esther had stopped walking and looked into a dark house that was falling apart. There she walked inside, as if it was calling to her.

Abel looked back as he smiled with his eyes closed as he said, "I wouldn't you to get lost, Esther." He opened his eyes and saw that she had disappeared. "Esther?" He whispered as he turned around.

Esther had walked into the house. Darkness filled it except for the small rays of light that shinned in through the little wholes in the roof. Cobwebs hung onto the ceiling and on what was left of the rotting furniture. She slowly made her way toward the couch. She ducked under the fallen beam of the ceiling and saw on the other side of the couch was an old, stuffed doll with long black hair and a worn, tattered, red dress. She picked it up to take a better look at it as tears nipped the corners of her eyes.

Children had been living there. She realized that. The family that had been living there was probably dead. A tear rolled down her cheek as she thought more about the family.

Abel stepped inside a house in ruins. There he saw, with relief, Esther, who stood next to a fallen beam and a rotting couch, as she held a doll. He smiled slightly that he had found her. He walked over to her. As he ducked under the beam and stepped on a stick, causing it to crack, she looked up at him with tears rolling down her cheeks. His goofy, relaxed smile faded at the sight of her sad face. "Esther," he began, but she stopped him from continuing.

"Abel," she sniffled, "innocent people died here. Children," her voice grew louder from her whisper, "children died!" She tenderly clutched the doll in her hands.

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know. Many of innocent people died here. Men and women, even their children have perished. That's why we are here to stop this madness."

She held the doll near her heart. "But Abel, how could… could someone be so cruel? Destroying others to raise one up?" She asked as he wiped away her tears.

"That's the sin nature of mankind. Methuselah and Terran, and Crusnik." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders as he let her head rest on his chest and he rested his head on the top of her head. He continued, "Our sin nature has made us corrupt. Even the most righteous man has sin one time in his life. All people have sinned. Only God and His Son, Jesus Christ, have never sinned, because He is holy and pure." He stopped hugging her. "Come on, Father Leon and Father Tres are waiting." She nodded and began to follow him out the door.

But poor Abel! He didn't see the round, clay pot and had tripped over it with a loud crash and crack! The crows, which perched on the beams above them, cawed loudly and flapped their wings as Esther rushed over to help Abel up. However, the crows swooped down and began to attack Esther. She screamed lightly at the sudden attack and backed away from Abel. Abel stood up to shield Esther from the birds and the crows began to attack him more.

"Abel!" Esther gasped when she saw this. "Are you all right?"

"Yes–ouch–I'm okay–ouch! Just get–ow–get out of–ow, watch my glasses-out of here!" He said, as the three crows hopelessly attacked him.

"Target locked." Father Tres robotically said as he walked into the doorway and made a clicking noise as he drew his guns. He fired at all three birds; on each fire, one bird was hit and was thrown across the room from the force of the bullet. Tres let his hands (and guns) fall to his side.

Abel, who had his hands on the top of his head, had shut his eyes and he timidly opened his left eye to look round. Once he realized that he was no longer in danger, he opened his other eye and slowly got up. He laughed nervously. "Thank you, Tres. If it wasn't for you I would have been pecked to death!" He joked.

Tres, who had already put his guns away, looked at Abel with his expressionless face as he asked, "Damage report, Father Nightroad?"

He chuckled as he brushed off the dirt on his black clothes. "Oh, yes! I'm just dandy! Now let's get going, shall we?" He said as he smiled, with his eyes closed, at Esther. He opened his eyes and saw Esther. "Esther, are you all right?" He asked in a worried tone.

She sat on the cold cement floor with her legs pointed to the left and right as she clutched dearly to her chest the doll. Her eyes wide open in shock. She shook her head to awake herself out from her gaze; then said, "Yes, I'm fine." She stood up and fixed her habit as Leon came into the ruined house with a rather annoyed look. He looked at Esther; then at Tres; then finally, at Abel (and if this was an anime he would have sweat-dropped).

Esther rolled her eyes at Leon and walked pass the couch and fallen, wooden beam. She gracefully walked over to the fireplace and mantle on the wall. She carefully placed the doll on the mantle as she smiled sadly at it. Then she kneeled down, folded her hands, and began to pray silently, "Dear Lord, please save these innocent souls…."

Abel came up behind her and kneeled down next to her. He began to pray silently as well, "My Heavenly Father, I beg you to please spare these innocent souls. Children have died here and I beg you to especially save their souls. And also, please give us the strength to defeat Cain. I know that revenge is wrong and so is killing, however, Cain has become evil, and so, to save Your Children from the darkness, I need to kill him and expose them to Your light. My Wonderful Savior, I also thank and praise you for my life and for Esther, without her, I probably would have fallen prey to the devil's darkness. Amen" He opened his eyes and unfolded his hands. He looked and saw Esther as she still continued to pray. He smiled at her lovingly.

"…Amen." She whispered and she opened her eyes as she turned and smiled at Abel.

He stood up and said, "Let's go."

She nodded and stood up as well. Together they joined Tres and Leon at the doorway; then all four of them continued their journey to Cain.

Esther looked up at a tall, black-iron gate, then at its lock. "How on earth are we supposed to get passed this?" She asked as she turned to look back at Abel, Tres, and Leon.

Abel smiled weakly as he said, "Um, I guess we could climb it?" Tres walked pass them and up to the gate. "Wait. What are you doing, Tres?" Abel asked as panic rose in his voice.

Tres ignored Abel's question and withdrew his guns. "Target locked." He robotically spoke. He fired at the lock multiple times. After a few shots the lock fell onto the ground with a clang. "Obstacle demolished." He reported and put his guns away. "Proceeding mission." He said as he walked through the now opened gates and toward the dark castle behind it.

Abel had watched Tres, flabbergasted. He pulled himself back together as he said, "Tres! You-you can't just blow right through the gates! You could give away our cover!"

Leon pushed Abel slightly toward the gates and began to follow Tres as he said, "Who cares?! Look, we got through right?"

Abel watched them as they walked down the cobblestone entrance with his mouth wide open.

Esther walked over to him. "He's right," she shyly began, "we better hurry too." Then she too began to follow Tres.

Now Abel stood alone outside the gate. After a second, he leaped after them. "Hey! Wait for me!" He cried as he helplessly followed them.

Stella approached Cain as he sat in his throne with a glass of wine in his left hand. "Stella," he greeted slyly, "have you arranged our warm welcome for our guests?"

She bowed before him. "Yes, Master Cain." I have. Your foolish brother and those damned Terrans wouldn't be getting here till tomorrow morning." She said as she took a seat next to him. He took a sip of his wine and said,

"Excellent."

Leon violently opened the castle's big doors with a great bang and Abel flinched at it. "Could- could you be a little more gentle, Leon?" He asked.

Leon ignored him and said, "Let's hurry. We have less than 24 hours to stop him." He walked through the entrance way and into the dark room before them. Esther and Tres followed him into the room, leaving Abel behind again, however, Abel soon followed them into the grand, dark room.

"Man, where the hell is this guy?" Leon asked as he made a sour face and scratched his head. Round them were many entrances and staircases leading to different room and floors.

"Father Leon, I don't feel so sure about this place. It gives me the creeps." She said as she took a step forward. But when she did, she had stepped on a secret button that had opened up the floor beneath them. Leon, Abel, Esther, and Tres began to fall into the darkness underneath them.

(a/n: haha i was going to stop it here but instead i'll but an AD for one of my stories!)

Daa! Daa! Daa!- Greatest Time Of The Year: summary- Snow. Christmas. What's Christmas without a little love and mistletoe? Join Kanata and Miyu as they sort out their feelings for one another this Christmas, as revials come into the seen to capture Kanata and Miyu's hearts! kanataXmiyu

Leon, Abel, Esther, and Tres began to fall into the darkness underneath them.

"Esther!" Abel yelled worryingly.

"A-Abel!" She screamed as she looked up at him with her right arm up toward him, while Leon had grabbed onto the top edge of the hole, and Tres had singled for the rockets in the bottom of his boots to activate and he had flown out of the hole.

Abel quickly transformed, as he fell down toward and with one mighty flap of his wings, he reached her. He securely wrapped his arms around her petite waist and held dearly onto her. Then, he started to fly back up, however, the floor began to close up above them. His glowing red eyes grew wide from the fact and he flapped him wings to fly faster. They neared the narrow opening and were only a few feet away from it, when it closed with an echoing bam.

Abel and Esther could hear the banging of Leon as he yelled, "Abel! Esther! Are you guys all right?"

"Yes!" Abel's scratchy voice replied.

"Tres," Leon started, "blow through this!"

"Command excepted." Tres robotic voice came from above them.

"No! Don't Tres!" Abel yelled.

Tres, who had already drawn out his guns, said, "Aborting command. New command excepted, Father Nightroad." He put his guns away.

"Abel!" Leon yelled down at him. "Now how the hell are you guys going to get out?'

Abel looked down into the darkness as he hovered with Esther in his arms. He looked back up and replied, "I believe there's a path down here. Esther and I will take this one down here while you and Tres take one up there. Hopefully, we'll end up together where Cain is."

Leon sighed. "All right, Abel. I'll trust you on this one. You guys go that way and we'll go this way. And Abel, " he paused and heard Abel's hoarse voice ask,

"Yes?"

"Just don't die." He said firmly.

Abel nodded, even through Leon couldn't see him.

"Good Luck!" Esther told them.

"You too." Leon said; then he and Tres walked away.

Abel looked down at Esther as he smiled lovingly down at her; then he flew downward and landed gracefully and slowly on his feet one the ground. He had let her slowly slip from his grasp and her feet too, touched the ground. They looked straight and saw a darker entrance.

"This way." Abel's scratchy told her as he looked down at her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. However, he noticed that in her eyes was fright. "Ar-Are you all right?" He asked her, as he was touched with uncertainness. "Esther?" He added. His hoarse tone startled her and she jumped slightly. "Esther?" He repeated.

She avoided his eyes. "Oh, I'm just fine." She gathered enough courage to look into the dark entrance, but still avoided his red eyes. "Let's go." She said and took a step forward, but he stopped her.

"Esther," he spoke, his normal voice coming in s he wrapped his arms around her gingerly to hold her as he transformed back and the feathers from his wings flew up and around them and then slowly disappeared, "don't lie. I could hear your heart race and I can still see the fear in your eyes. But, don't worry. I'll protect you, even if saving you could send me to heaven."

"Abel, thank you. But you're not going to die, I won't allow it." She spoke.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He said with a loving smile and he kissed her cheek.

"Abel?" A mysterious, melodious voice came from the dark entrance before them, "Is that you?" The owner of the voice came out of the entrance and closer to them. They recognized the owner of the voice.

"N-Noelle?!" They both gasped.

ohhhhh! cliffhanger!! huhuhuhuhu what the heck is noelle doing there? isnt she dead? well u have to find out in the next chapter!!! huhuhuhu