Kiseki no Hoshi
Teil Zwei: Einfahrt zur Ewigkeit

Kapitel 20: Kaputte Freundschaft
/People used to see me as a miracle/
/But I've always wanted to be alone/
/That is why I am a 'lonely miracle'/
/Such a fitting name…/

"Lonely miracle," Yumeki said to Kodoku, breaking the awkward silence.

Kodoku was not at all taken back by Yumeki's insult. "You gave me that name," he reminded the angel. "You said it was what my name would be in English."

A weak smile formed on Yumeki's face. "I did, didn't I?" he replied. He turned around, about to walk away.

"You really do hate me now, don't you?" Kodoku called out, bringing Yumeki to a halt.

There was a seemingly long silence. "I don't hate you," Yumeki corrected, his voice faint. "I just…"

"Don't trust me anymore, right?"

Yumeki did not answer that.

"Look, can you stay, even for just a little bit?" Kodoku requested. "I just want to know how you've been these last twenty years."

Another long silence. "Sure," Yumeki finally decided.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Aya stepped into his sister's hospital room. He felt Resurgere's power protecting both his sister and the room. He went over to her bed and sat down on the chair. He looked up at Resurgere, who was leaning against the wall. "Resurgere, could you heal Aya's soul?" he asked.

"Not yet," Resurgere answered. "But if it's the Last Judgment now, I don't think there's any point in me trying to save her."

"Please don't let her die," Aya pleaded. "She's the only family I have left."

Resurgere smiled. "What, you think I'll just let her die?" he asked. "I love Aya-chan. I would never let her die without a fight."

Aya said nothing in reply. He bent over his sister and lightly kissed her forehead. He then stood up and left the room in silence.

"I'm so sorry," Resurgere mumbled. "I wish I could've healed your soul sooner so that you would be able to spend your final moments with Ran."

But Resurgere-kun, what if my brother is able to save the world? Aya's sister asked.

"The day that happens is the day when Satan starts passing out candy that isn't poisoned," Resurgere commented. "Look, your brother is going to be the end. It's part of some old verse. 'The balance of good and evil, the one who will be the end.'"

The comatose girl remained silent. Although Resurgere had told her the truth about her brother many times, she still could not believe her brother was to be the one to destroy the world.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Aya gazed upward at the hospital as he exited it. His pale eyes traveled up to the story where his sister's room was. He sighed wishfully. He clutched his katana tighter as he tore his eyes from the hospital. He walked forward and accidentally bumped into someone.

"Sorry," Aya mumbled, not bothering to look at whoever he bumped into.

"Ran-kun?" asked the person in her soft voice.

"Sakura?" Aya said, making eye contact with Sakura. He dropped his katana and swept the girl into his arms, pulling her close.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

In a narrow alley, Ken leaned against the wall of a partially destroyed building. He shivered violently as he continued to slash his arms, each time deeper than before. Scars were now visible on both arms. He appeared so delicate and crazed, even the rats stayed far from him.

Ken soon stopped cutting himself and watched the blood run down his arms. He slid down to the ground, gently caressing his arms. What was he doing? What was the point of cutting himself?

He felt a warm hand touch one of his wounded arms. "You should not cut yourself so much," said a peaceful and deep voice.

Ken glanced upward, and found himself looking into the deep blue eyes of God. "What do You want?" he asked coldly.

God sat down next to Ken. "There are better ways of dealing with pain," He told Ken. "Your friends are quite willing to help you. You should accept their help."

Ken turned his face away, his eyes emotionless. "Why can't You relieve me of this pain?" he wondered.

"Because pain is proof of my faith in you," the Almighty explained. "If I did not believe you could handle it, I would not have ever allowed you to experience pain. However, I do believe you are capable of handling it."

Ken sighed. "Next time then, could you have a little less faith in me?" he requested.

"There are two reasons the Kreuze exist," God began. "One is so that humans do not get involved in the Krieg von Tränen. The other reason is so that they do not accidentally experience the peacefulness of Heaven before they are supposed to. I can see clearly that it has affected you greatly. It has even affected Aya and Yoji, but not as much as you because they are able to deal with their pain."

"But why not me?" Ken yelled, becoming frustrated. "Most of my life has been nothing but pain, so shouldn't I be used to it by now?"

"Do you really think it is possible to be used to pain?" God asked calmly.

"Do You even know what it's like to feel pain all the time?" Ken screamed angrily. "Do You know how I feel right now?"

"I do know what it is like to feel pain," God countered, His voice sharp. "Do you believe it does not hurt when a person dies? I feel pain every time someone dies, even if it is a wicked person." He drew His knees up to His chest. "It has been that way ever since Adam and Eve first walked the Earth. One would think that I, of everyone, would be used to pain and see it as merely nothing. That is not true. That is because I was once like them."

"God?" Ken said quietly, looked up at the Almighty. God's eyes appeared clouded and nostalgic, but it was difficult to tell because His dark purple bangs interfered with His eyes.

"Yes, I was once like you," God continued on, seemingly forgetting where He was. "But when humans began worshipping me, I had to change to reflect their image of me…" He clenched His knees tighter. "Sometimes I wish I had remained the way I was. If I had, then…" He shook His head and stood up. "Ken, do you want me to send you to Limbo now?"

"What?" Ken replied, very surprised at the sudden change in subject.

"I asked, do you want me to send you to Limbo now?" God repeated patiently. His handsome face held a solemn expression.

"No…" Ken refused softly, shaking his head. "Not yet."

"Very well," God said. "I shall see you again then. Please take care and do stop cutting yourself." With that, he turned around and left the narrow alley.

"Once like me?" Ken repeated, studying the cuts on his arms. They had stopped bleeding, but the blood was still fresh. A weak smile came upon his lips. "Maybe that's way He seems to understand me so well."

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"Want a cigarette?" Kodoku asked Yumeki as he pulled out a cigarette from its beaten and worn package.

Yumeki just shook his head in response.

Kodoku shrugged his small shoulders. He lit the cigarette with a snap of his fingers and stuck it in his mouth. He lightly leaned against Yumeki's back. The demon and the angel were sitting back-to-back on an old, wooden bench.

Kodoku was growing uncomfortable with Yumeki's attitude. While Yumeki never did talk much, he was never this withdrawn either. Kodoku wondered if it had anything to do with that ugly rash on his left arm.

"Do you remember how we first met?" Yumeki suddenly asked, breaking Kodoku's train of thought.

"Of course," Kodoku answered, removing the cigarette from his mouth. "I was about…" He was actually quite uncomfortable with talking about how he and Yumeki first met. "I was about to commit suicide, but then-"

"I stopped you," Yumeki finished vaguely. "You were only eighteen, but you had completely shut yourself out from the world. I wanted to know why you were so withdrawn."

Kodoku grew tense. Their conversation was bringing on painful memories. "Yumeki, could we talk about something else?" he requested.

Yumeki didn't answer Kodoku. But he didn't push the subject further, either.

Kodoku wondered why Yumeki had wanted to talk about the past. Yumeki never wanted to reminisce any other time. So why start now?

Kodoku blew out a puff of smoke. He hated reminiscing. His past wasn't something he liked to be reminded of. He had been abandoned at the hospital as a baby. He had received the surname "Kiseki" at the orphanage he was sent too. Because of his cold nature, he had grown up alone. Sometime during his teen years, he had given himself the first name "Kodoku."

When he turned eighteen, he joined the military because he had nowhere else to go. However, despite hating people, he really didn't want to kill anyone. He tried several times to kill himself, but was never successful. During one of his suicide attempts, he met Yumeki. They became close friends, even though the colonel was much older. But when Yumeki was killed in combat exactly one year later, Kodoku was devastated. He wanted nothing more than the deaths of those who killed his closest friend. As he slowly became general, he became crueler, but nothing like he was now.

Kodoku's thoughts shifted to Yumeki. Yumeki had been the one to give him the nickname "Lonely Miracle." The demon had grown quite fond of the nickname, and used it often himself. He sighed heavily. He was really worried about Yumeki. But Kodoku had no right to try to help the powerful angel, not after betraying and then hurting him.

"What's it like being in Hell?" Yumeki wondered of Kodoku, again breaking the silence.

"Miserable," Kodoku answered. For some reason, talking about being in Hell was a lot easier than talking about his past. "It's cruel and harsh. To survive, you have to bury your emotions and kindness. But it's supposed to be that why, I think. And then there's more."

"Go on," Yumeki urged.

A weak smile formed on Kodoku's face. "Satan owns my soul, so I have no free will of my own," he went on. "But there is one good thing that has come of that. At times I can see what Satan is thinking, sometimes vaguely, and sometimes clearly. I've long since learned why He was so interested in the Weiß Kreuz and Fujimiya. The other demons have no idea why He's so interested in that guy, but I do. I even know Satan's greatest weakness."

"His greatest weakness?"

"Yes. She is probably also Fujimiya's greatest weakness. I will kill her just to see Fujimiya suffer." A cruel gleam shone in Kodoku's brown eyes.

"She?" Yumeki repeated. He abruptly stood up and faced Kodoku, disgust in his dark brown eyes. "You plan on killing this girl, just for the sole reason of hurting Fujimiya?"

"Yes, I plan on killing her," Kodoku confirmed, some impatience in his voice. "It's nothing that concerns you. Just stay out of my way."

"Do you have any idea what it's like to lose someone close to you?" Yumeki asked harshly.

"I do," Kodoku answered, getting on his feet. "But that's not the point. I told you before, I only want to see Fujimiya suffer. See you around." He started flapping his large demonic wings and took off to the sky, leaving Yumeki alone.

"Lonely miracle…" Yumeki hissed once Kodoku was out of sight.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Sakura lay against a ruined fountain as Aya rested his head on her shoulder. She had buried her face in his soft hair and had her arms wrapped securely around his slim shoulders. He had his arms laid across his stomach.

Neither of them was in the mood to talk, not after seeing Yoji's dead body. He had been strangled to death with his own garrote wire, but it was obvious that he didn't kill himself. Aya told Sakura to look away while he buried Yoji and made a cross for the Yoji's grave, just as he had done with Omi's.

As Aya was burying Yoji, he sensed faint traces of an angel's energy. After a while he came to the conclusion it belonged to Yumeki. He then believed Yumeki had been the one to strangle Yoji, but Aya couldn't figure out why he would do that. Aya mentioned none of this to Sakura.

"Ran-kun, do you remember who Sekai Kage was?" Sakura wondered, running her fingers lovingly through Aya's hair.

"Sekai…" Aya repeated. "Wasn't he that man who kidnapped us for Lucifer?" His voice grew sharp and more serious than usual. "Did he try to kidnap you again?"

"No, he didn't," Sakura corrected. "He was ordered to kidnap me, but he decided to protect me from Lucifer. He wasn't a bad person, really. It's just that the life of a crime boss is all he knew. He was really nice, and he became a close friend." Her voice started to crack, and sadness leaked through.

"Sakura, you're speaking of him in the past tense," Aya noticed, his voice softer. "Did something happen to him?"

Sakura paused for a few seconds to recollect herself. "I didn't know how much of a friend Kage was until he was gone," she continued. "All he wanted from me was my trust. I told him I did trust him, but I did start to feel a bit doubtful when he told me about his past." Her eyes began to water. "Still, I wasn't lying when I said I trusted him. He was happy. He wasn't an evil person anymore. But then…" She trailed off sorrowfully.

"Then what?" Aya pressed on gently. "Sakura, was he killed?"

Sakura nodded grimly. "Yes," she answered, almost whispering. "Lucifer killed him. Right in front of me. He was growing jealous of Kage. He thought Kage had stronger feelings for me." Tears crawled down her cheeks. "But Kage didn't feel that way towards me! If he loved me at all, it would be as a friend. But Lucifer couldn't see that…"

Aya narrowed his orchid eyes. "Why would Satan be jealous of Sekai?" he asked coolly.

Sakura hesitated. "Well, um, He's-" she shuddered, but she was interrupted by a sudden male voice.

"You two look cute together," interrupted the male voice, which belonged to Yumeki. "But it does seem out of character for Fujimiya." His face held a peaceful, yet sorrowful look.

Aya looked up at Yumeki, and his eyes became cold with malice. "Mayu," he said hoarsely.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"Colonel Mayu! Oh God, you're bleeding heavily…"

"Hey, lonely miracle. It doesn't look like I'm gonna survive…"

"Don't talk like that! I'll go get help."

"Don't waste your time. Even if you can find help, it won't get to me in time."

"But I can't just let you die! I don't wanna be alone again…"

"Stop crying. A man like you shouldn't cry, even if you do have a feminine figure. Ugh…I can't talk for much longer. Kodoku, don't call me 'Colonel Mayu' anymore. We're on first name basis, aren't we?"

"Colonel Mayu…"

"I said stop calling me that. Heh, I think I'm actually afraid of dying. Well, you're a good friend, and don't kill yourself over this…"

"No, don't die! Colonel Mayu, please open your eyes… YUMEKI!"

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Why do I have to think about that now? Kodoku told himself as he was flying towards wherever Aya and Sakura were. It's making me soft. Yumeki's words had affected him somehow, and they were invoking a sense of guilt.

Soon he landed on the ground. He saw Aya and Sakura some distance in front of him. He was about to advance closer, but halted when he saw Yumeki.

What is he doing here? Kodoku wondered angrily. He softly cursed under his breath and he began running towards the small group. "Yumeki, I told you to stay out of my way!" he screamed. "So why are you here?"

Yumeki placed himself in front of Aya and Sakura. "You said yourself you knew how it felt to lose someone close to you," he remembered. "And I have forced myself to feel that pain."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Kodoku asked furiously.

"Being in Hell changed you, didn't it?" Yumeki assumed, his face expressionless.

Kodoku clenched his teeth together. "Shut up!" he commanded harshly. He raised his hands and began collecting dark energy.

I'm nothing but a lonely miracle. It's been that way as long as I can remember. People shunned and ignored me, and thus I grew up isolated. I never minded, but all the pain I felt was kept inside me because I had no one to share it with. Yumeki, you were such a great friend to me, as well as the only one. Your friendship meant a lot to me. I never meant to betray and hurt you. I'm truly sorry, and I hope you can someday forgive me and then trust me once more.