Chapter 52

Forgive But Never Forget

Temeraire was silent for a long moment, watching as Penitence shivered in agony, the spider web of cracks continuing to spread across her skin.

"Please?" the Empty whispered, dropping her multitude of voices, as tears streamed down her face. "Please help me..."

"Well?" Kamikaze asked, watching her Mistress carefully. Temeraire scowled for a long moment, before she finally reached a decision.

"Gracious Penitence, you have done a lot of evil to this world... and the others besides. By all rights I should simply let you die. However... BECAUSE of all the blood that has been spilt, I will not allow any more to do so". And with that, she turned to Kamikaze. "Ok, we'll do what we can to save her". The angel nodded sagely and turned back to inspect the Empty.

"Ok... what we have to do is isolate Penitence's core from all of the other power sources that she might have within her. If we can seal them all in time, then she might JUST be able to survive without exploding".

"Wait... EXPLODING!?" Persephone squeaked nervously.

"Yes" the angel said with a grim nod. "If my estimates are correct then Penitence has enough power in her body to scour a planet clear of life and if she loses control..."

"She'll destroy the world?" Yukio asked.

"Not quite... just whatever hemisphere she happens to be on at that moment".

"Oh..."

"Then we'd better hurry" Temeraire said, stepping forward and kneeling just before the Empty. "Kamikaze, I don't know what I'm doing here; I need your help".

"Ok... close your eyes and I will guide your hand". She nodded and shut her eyes and was startled by what she saw; the shining gold and silver network of lights which she could see if she focused her were now filling her sights... but much more intensely. The lights were brighter and there were more of them, as she sensed the flow of power right down at the microscopic level. And right in the centre of her sights... was Penitence. The Empty was glowing red against the silver and gold, lines of dark blue rippling across her while deep inside her, she could make out the shape of both the golden chain that made up her nervous system but also something else. Tiny orbs of silver were dotted throughout Penitence's body, each surrounded by a network of golden links that pulsed gently as she watched. "Angel eggs" Kamikaze said simply. "We have to remove them all before she goes nova".

"My god..." Temeraire whispered. "There must be hundreds of them!"

"Then we had better get a move on". And with that, Kamikaze turned back to Penitence. "We're going to remove all of the angel eggs which you have consumed over the last few years... and I have to warn you that this WILL hurt... A LOT".

"Ok, fine!" Penitence squealed, clutching desperately at her sides. "Just please HURRY!" Kamikaze nodded and took hold of Temeraire's one good hand. Temeraire let her guide her hand and felt a warm tingling as it passed through Penitence's skin, so that she could wrap her fingers around one of the glowing orbs. "Good... now pull hard". She did... and Penitence shrieked.

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Deep inside the Empty's mind, there was a darkness. Not the darkness of night but the pure, unadulterated darkness that can only be found in the heart of the most damned souls. It was in the centre of this darkness that Temeraire and Kamikaze struggled together, black lightning flickering off of their skins.

"IT'S NO GOOD!" the angel screamed. "I CAN'T GET A PROPER SEAL ON HER POWERS! SHE'S JUST TOO STRONG!"

"THERE'S SOMETHING FIGHTING BACK!" Temeraire called back, almost dropping to one knee under the force of the malignant energy that was pancaking down on them. "I-I CAN'T HOLD IT!"

"MISTRESS!" It was then that they felt it; the vast, malign presence that was fighting to quash them. It felt like an angel or possibly a devil but far more powerful and a lot more predatory.

"WHAT ARE YOU!?" Temeraire demanded, unable to pierce the darkness. "SHOW YOURSELF!"

"Please... help me!" came the sound of Penitence's disembodied voice, drifting through the black, even as they struggled against the might of the dark being that was trying to crush them.

"WE CAN'T!" Kamikaze shrieked and took hold of Temeraire, preparing to pull out. "I'M SORRY... WE CAN'T SEAL THE EGGS; WE HAVE TO GO!"

"WE CAN'T LEAVE HER!" the goddess called back but she knew it was hopeless. Against whatever it was in here, they were powerless. It was then that they heard the new voice.

"Hold on! I'm coming!" There was a sound of running footsteps and something swept past them in the dark, too fast for either of them to make out. Whatever it was however, it seemed to work and there was a roar from the dark and the pressure that had been threatening to grind them into oblivion suddenly lifted.

"Thank the goddess!" Temeraire whispered, before glancing at Kamikaze. "Any idea who or what that was?"

"Some" the angel admitted. "I'll explain soon enough... first though, we need to get back out of here".

"But what about the eggs? I thought we-"

"They'll be sealed by the time we're ready to remove them. Trust me; now let's go!"

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"And... that's... the... last of them!" Kamikaze grunted, as they tugged the last of the eggs from beneath Penitence's skin. "She should be ok..."

"Then why does she still look so horrible?" Persephone asked, watching as they tossed the last few eggs into a pile. "I mean... she isn't supposed to look so grey anymore right?"

"Be silent girl!" Penitence hissed, still gripping her sides. "I may have been saved but I will still not be talked to like that by a mere slip of a-"

"Shut it!" Kamikaze snarled and with a snap of her fingers, she sent a silencing spell towards her. "Think yourself lucky to still be alive!" But then she paused and peered closer to the Empty. "Right then... time to set things straight!" And with a shout, she forced her hand back into her chest, causing Penitence to scream.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Temeraire cried, watching her angel with wide-eyed astonishment. "I THOUGHT WE GOT ALL OF THE EGGS!"

"We did" Kamikaze grunted back. "But I think it's time that we made sure that something like this can never happen again". She paused for a second, biting her lip as she rooted around inside of Penitence's torso, until she finally gave a satisfied gasp. "Got you! Now if I... could... just- OWWW! YOU BITEY LITTLE BASTARD!" She grimaced and clamped down on whatever it was that was biting her, giving a loud roar and with a final tug, she pulled the creature from deep inside Penitence... and they all watched with disgust as it flailed at them all. The creature was a horrifying hybrid of a lizard and a centipede, with a tooth-filled mouth at both ends and tentacles for eyes..

"What the fuck is that thing!?" Persephone demanded, her eyes wide with terror. "I looks like something out of a B-grad horror movie!"

"Not quite" Kamikaze said, holding it out at arm's length. "This my friends... is the Angel Eater. Or at least a very tiny version of it... say... about one one-thousandth of the original".

"T-that thing was inside of me!?" Penitence said, slowly pushing herself to her feet as realization dawned on her. "And it was... controlling me? Is that right?"

"Yes" Kamikaze said, still holding the monster as it gibbered in her grip. "As I understand it, back when you first became an angel, this thing was implanted in you and while it gave you the strength to become nearly unstoppable, you probably didn't realize that it was in fact using you... to harvest angels to feed its own hunger". Penitence watched the creature for a few seconds and slowly sank to her knees again.

"I... I'm sorry" she whispered. "I never thought... I never believed..." She started weeping, hot, fat tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'm was a monster!"

"No" Kamikaze said, shaking her head and then shooting the still snarling Angel Eater a look. "THIS is the only monster here!" And with that, she threw the creature to the floor. It hissed and tried to scurry away, only for Persephone to intercept it.

"Going somewhere?" she asked darkly and brought an armoured foot down on it, squishing it into paste, with a rather satisfying splat. "Horrid creature..." she grumbled. "Got guts all over my foot..." The others ignored her however, instead keeping their attention focused on Penitence.

"All that I've done... all the people I've hurt... I never even realized..."

"It's ok..." Kamikaze said, pulling the former Empty into an embrace. "It's not your fault..."

"Is she... going to be ok?" Temeraire asked timidly "I mean, is it really over?"

"Yes" Kamikaze said, as she cradled Penitence in her arms. "It's over... even after all the wrong that she has done.." And she leaned in, so that she could whisper to the angel in her arms. "I forgive you". But then they heard a harsh coughing noise. In fact, two of them. It wasn't loud but it was sharp and Penitence's eyes went wide, as she gave a pained gasp... and two red holes blossomed on her back.

"You might have forgiven her... but I haven't" Yukio growled, her smoking, silent pistol still trained on Penitence's back.

"YUKIO!" Temeraire cried and swatted her gun away but it was too late, a Penitence slumped forward, Kamikaze gripping her tightly.

"OH SHIT!" the Seraph cried. "HOLD ON PENITENCE! JUST GIVE ME A SECOND!"

"WHAT THE FUCK YUKIO!?" Temeraire demanded. "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT FOR!?"

"Because she's still a monster, no matter what anyone else might say and she needed to be punished for her sins".

"SHE'S BLEEDING OUT!" Persephone barked, kneeling beside Kamikaze as the Seraph started chanting a spell of healing. "WE NEED STOP THE BLEEDING!"

"I'M ALREADY ON IT!" Kamikaze snapped back, pausing in her spell. "BUT IT'S NO GOOD! I DON'T THINK I CAN PULL THE SPELL OFF IN TIME!" But then Penitence pulled her close once more.

"Kami... I'm sorry..." she said softly. "But... I don't want to go..."

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Penitence was dead. They had tried everything in their power to save her but it wasn't enough. She died in Kamikaze's arms and the angel had laid her on the desk with as much respect as she could. Yukio on the other hand had been handcuffed and left in the corner, silently watching the goings on around her.

"So... now what do we do?" Persephone asked softly, hardly daring to break the silence.

"She looks peaceful" Temeraire said softly as Kamikaze closed the other angel's eyes. "I never thought it would end like this..."

"Well at least it IS over" Kamikaze whispered, shaking her head. "A pity... and I don't know what to do now" she said, turning to Persephone. "After all, we're just about the only ones left..."

"Who else is there?"

"Well there's... us and... Hervar and Mara and probably the bridge bunnies... and... I think that's just about it".

"What about Deaderuss?" Persephone asked, nodding at the god's collapsed form.

"No, he's dead too".

"Oh..." It was then that Temeraire spoke up.

"It's not right" the girl hissed. "This should never have happened!"

"How do you mean?" Persephone asked, cocking her head at her. "It's not like we could've done anything to change what happened".

"Perhaps" Temeraire said. "But maybe there's still something that we CAN do!" She turned away as her eyes started to flash dangerously. "Kamikaze, we're going to change things for the better!"

"How? What are you planning Mistress?"

"It's simple; we're going to bring them all back!"

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"WHAT?! NO WAY MAN!" Death said, as he sat straight up in his deckchair. "You're a crazy woman! I'm not doing that!"

"Come on Mr D" Temeraire said, a pleading look in her eye. "I'm trying to repopulate the world here!"

"Well I don't know what you're coming to me for man!" the tiny Jamaican said. "I'm Death, not a family-planner!"

"Look, I'm not asking for much" the girl said, a little desperately. "I'm just trying to bring back the people who were killed today". At that, Death actually started laughing.

"Oh that's- oh my god!" He had to hold his sides as he tumbled back off of his chair and kicked his legs in the air as her rolled in the sand. It was several long minutes before he was finally able to speak again and he was wiping tears of mirth from his eyes as he pushed himself back up to rest his elbows on his seat. "You're got be joking me man! Do you have any idea how much work that would be for me!? All the explaining I would have to do to my boss!? Not to mention the damn paperwork!" He started laughing again, as Temeraire turned away in disgust.

"Ok Kami, this isn't working... time to go to plan B?"

"As you wish Mistress" the Seraph said from within her mind. "Just give me a second..." Temeraire nodded and turned back around as D finally managed to recover once more and it was at that moment that Kamikaze came rocketing out from behind her, her rainbow wings snapping open in a colossal blaze of glory, filling the sky with a stream of glowing fire. "LISTEN TO ME YOU DISGUSTING LITTLE MAGGOT!" the Seraph boomed as she glared down at him with a golden gaze. "I AM THE SERAPH AND I WILL NOT HAVE YOU DISRESPECT ME OR MY MISTRESS! I DEMAND THAT YOU RELEASE ALL OF THE SOULS WHICH HAVE BEEN LOST SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THIS CONFLICT! AND I DON'T MEAN JUST THOSE WHO HAVE DIED TODAY; I MEAN ALL OF THEM! EVERYONE WHO HAS DIED DURING THIS CONFLICT, SINCE RIGHT BACK TO DEADERUSS'S FAILED REBELLION MORE THAN THIRTY YEARS AGO!" She paused and took a deep breath, drawing herself up to her full height, as she glowered down at the tiny Jamaican man. "I AM THE SERAPH! AND MY WORD IS LAW! NOW DO AS I COMMAND!" There was a long silence, as Death regained his composure after laughing so much, occasionally giving a little giggle as he straightened himself and slowly returned his breathing to normal. In fact it took so long that both Kamikaze and Temeraire were starting to feel rather sheepish and foolish when he finally decided to get serious.

"You're fucking joking me right?" he said, staggering to his feet. "You can't seriously think that you can threaten me like that? Hah! You're nothing but a little girl! A little girl who doesn't even know how to-" He was cut off in mid-sentence, as Kamikaze wrapped a hand around his throat and lifted him up so that she was looking directly into his eyes.

"Don't... test... me!" she snarled, squeezing causally. "I am in no mood! No do as I command or-"

"Or you'll what?" he snapped, all signs of mirth disappearing from his taught face. "You can't kill me man; I'm Death!" And with the speed of a snake, his hand shot out, grabbing her around the throat in turn and clamping down hard. Kamikaze's eyes went wide with shock and she tried to grab his skinny arm, only to find herself grasping something... unnatural. Before their eyes, Kamikaze and Temeraire were forced to watch as Death's human form faded away, to be replaced by what appeared to be a dark slit in the world, clothed in a thick cloak of pure shadow. He towered above the both of them, almost ten feet high and from somewhere deep within his robes, a voice that like the dying crackle of an ancient star echoed out, making them feel like they were facing oblivion. "You know not what you seek to control! I am Death, the Destroyer of Worlds! I have been around since long before even the Titans came into existence and will still be here when the last star burns out! I am the Alpha and the Omega! The one and only constant! And you think that you can bend me to your will!?" Kamikaze was unable to answer, struggling and fighting to break free of the spirit's grip... but Temeraire could sense her intention and in an instant, the girl disappeared, combining herself with her angel as they worked together to bring forth their true for. Death was forced to take a step back as the Seraph's true form surged with golden flame, her rainbow wings sending out a rush of warm air which set his shadowy cloak billowing around him.

"I do indeed" the Seraph said simply. "For though I shall fly through the valley of Death, I shall dear no evil!" Death let out a hiss and attempted to drive back her golden flames with his dark magic but Kami-Temmy snapped her arm hard, shaking off the shadowy power with ease. "And stop resisting me! I HAVE DOMINION OVER ALL THINGS, INCLUDING THE DEAD!" She snarled and cast him down with ease, his shadowy form disappearing in an instant as she glared down at him.

"W-what are you!?"

"Weren't you listening?" she asked with an exasperated sigh. "I'm the mother-fucking Seraph! And now... I believe that you have something to do for me..."

"Ah crap... I'm gonna be in so much trouble".

"You think you've got problems?" the Seraph said, as she became a they once more. "Try losing a hand in a fist-fight with your aunt..." With that Temeraire frowned, her brow wrinkled with thoughtful concern.

"That reminds me... where is Penitence anyway?"

"She has passed on man..." Death said as he gave the pair a nervous look.

"Passed on? Where to?"

"To the Hell beyond Hell... she's gone to Oblivion".

"And... what exactly is that?"

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There was nothing but darkness around her, as she struggled to break free from whatever it was that was holding her. She screamed as something that might have been blades or might have been teeth lashed against her skin and she struggled harder, only to be blasted by what must have been flames. She shrieked as she felt her skin char and crisp, only to reform once more and for the blades to return, tearing her into pieces, only to fly back together once more. It was agony. It was infinite. It seemed to go on forever. But then she felt a hand; a warm, soothing touch that came from above and took her by her own hand, pulling her upward. And with the hand, there came a voice. It said "Come with me..."

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There was a flash of green light and Penitence shot bolt-upright on the desk, almost causing Persephone and Yukio to leap out of their skins.

"WHOWHATWHEREWHEN!?" the angel squealed, shaking herself and looking around in shocked surprise. "WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED!? WHERE AM I?!"

"You're back" Temeraire said, as she stepped though the Gate which popped into existence in the centre of the room.

"Back? From where?"
"From the grave" the girl said. "I used my power and influence to bring you back to life".

"YOU DID WHAT!?" Yukio screamed, struggling against her bonds. "AFTER I-"
"You killed me!" Penitence growled, pointing an accusing finger at her. "What the Hell!?"

"NO FIGHTING!" Temeraire snapped, putting herself between the pair. "I've had just about enough of this, so the next person who starts trying to pick a fight will get their ass handed to them in ten seconds flat!"

"But why did you bring her back?" Persephone asked. "She... well she's a monster!"

"She WAS a monster. Now though, she's going right back into her egg". And before Penitence could give so much as a squeak, the angel was sealed away into her egg, dropping to the table with a tiny clatter.

"Well... I guess that solves the problem of what to do with her for the time being" Persephone said doubtfully. "But... why did you bring her back? Wasn't she the cause of all of our problems? And besides, if you could bring anyone back, then why did you choose her?"

"I didn't bring back JUST Penitence you know" Temeraire said with a shake of her head, stooping to pick up Penitence's egg and stowing it carefully in her pocket. "I've brought EVERYONE back!"

"Everyone? You mean... EVERYONE!?"

"Pretty much... everyone who has died over the last thirty years, because of this damn war... which reminds me, I need to find someone who knows how to make a public broadcast".

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"OW! OW! OW! QUIT KICKING ME!" Jago cried, as Peorth delivered another blow to his ribs with her foot.

"THAT WAS FOR KILLING ME!" she snarled, punctuating each line with another blow, while he pulled his hat down over his head. "AND THAT WAS FOR BLOWING ME TO BITS! AND THAT WAS FOR TAKING SO LONG TO GET HERE! AND THAT WAS-"

"I'm worried about Peorth" Belldandy whispered, as she and Urd watched the rose goddess keep pounding away at him. "I never expected her to be this vindictive".

"To be honest, I'm not totally surprised" Urd said with a shrug. "He does deserve a good kicking..."

"Urd!"

"Ok, ok..." The dark skinned goddess sighed and watched as Peorth finally had enough of pummelling the unfortunate man and turned away, grumbling to herself.

"Stupid Jago... taking too long to get shit done... blowing me to little bits!"

"Well at least you're back, right?" Belldandy said, trying to be soothing but then paused. "Come to think of it... how did we manage to come back?" It was at that moment that the screen on Penitence's desk came to life, glowing as it fired into life.

"Is it on?" a voice said from inside and Jago jerked his head up in surprise.

"Temmy?"

"Is it on?" Temeraire said again, speaking into the camera. There were a few moments of muffled conversation and she frowned, glancing at the bottom of the screen. "What? Yeah, the little light's blinking... ok so we're good to go? Ok! Let's roll!"

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"Attention everyone!" The call went out across the entire world; to every screen and monitor, through every radio and speaker, as Hervar tapped Temeraire's broadcast into the world's communications systems.

"Knock'em dead Temmy!" he whispered, as his sister started speaking into the camera again.

"Most of you probably don't know me... my name is Temeraire Lind-daughter, daughter of former Paladin Jago Finch and former Almighty One Lind Valmeyar-daughter. I'm also the one who has just saved all of your lives". She paused and held up Penitence's egg so that it could be seen. "This is Gracious Penitence or at least what's left of her... I defeated her in combat and with a little help, I was able to seal her back into her egg. That's right people; I defeated Gracious Penitence!" She paused for a moment to let that sink in, before continuing. "However, I could not have done it alone... ladies and gentlemen, I would like you all to meet my dead friend Kamikaze!"

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There was a collective gasp from the four of them still in Penitence's former office.

"Is that...?"

"She looks just like my mother's angel!" Belldandy said, raising a hand to her mouth in surprise. "They even have the same wings!"

"She's beautiful!" Peorth whispered softly. "Although... the name...?"

"Don't look at me" Jago said, watching as his daughter took her angel by the hand. "She never really did explain it to me".

"She did to me" said a new voice and they all turned to see Lind as she strode into the room.

"LIND! YOU'RE BACK!" Jago said and ran towards her... only to get a smack around the side of his head. "Owwww... is it just me or does this appear to be "punch Jago in the face day?"

"You stabbed me through the chest" the Valkyrie said sourly, as her husband gave her a sheepish look. "Not only did that hurt like buggery but you actually KILLED me!"

"This is true" he said, holding up one finger to buy some time. "Although in my defence, you did have an unholy nightmare beat inside of you... and in return, Peorth kicked me so hard in the spine that I should've been crippled for life". At the mention of that particular moment, the rose-scented goddess decided it would be best to sidle out of the picture, so as to not draw any attention to that particular detail, especially after the beating she had just give him.

"Well... let's let bygones be bygones and let's see just what out little girl's angel actually looks like".

"But you didn't actually tell us why she named her angel something so controversial" Belldandy said, tapping her lip with a finger. "Is it because she's suicidaly brave?"

"Well that... and because of her name's meaning" Lind said, taking Jago's hand as the pair headed back over to the screen. "Kamikaze means "Divine Wind" and that's exactly what she was meant to be; a divine wind which would sweep the world clear of evil".

"Well that's kind of preachy" Urd said with a frown.

"Shush!" Jago said sharply and nodded to the screen. "Temmy's talking!"

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Skuld paused in her work, deactivating the breaching drill that she was attached to the arms of her colossally powerful mech suit. There was an icon flashing in the corner of her helmet and she sighed as she paused to answer the message.

"Oh come on... they don't have time to help me tunnel out from the bottom of a collapsed missile silo but they still manage to send me irritating videos?" She blinked one eye to open it, letting the clip buffer as she fired up her drills and started work again. "It'd better not be another cat video!" It wasn't...

"She is the Seraph; the only one existence" Temeraire said, as the angel smiled into the camera. "She's the most powerful being in all of existence; the very medium through which all of the power of Yggdrasil is filtered and flows into the world. She is, for want of a better term, the Alpha and Omega".

"So... that's Temmy's girl?" Skuld said in a stunned voice, pausing again in her work. "She... looks amazing..."

"And if it weren't for her, Penitence would now be in control of the entire world!" Temeraire went on. "Not only that but as some of you might have realized that something amazing has been achieved; through her, I have brought back the dead! Not all of them mind; my Seraph is powerful but she has her limits. She cannot bring back anyone who has passed on to Paradise or Oblivion, at least for very long... with just one exception and that's going to cause us no end of headaches in the long term". She paused and gave a long, deep sigh. "So what we have done, is bring back as many of the dead as we can; all of those who have passed on since the beginning of this whole damn war, which started thirty years ago! Every single person, regardless of creed or loyalties, be they human or deity, demon or Jotun. Anyone who was we could bring back, we have". And Skuld's eyes went wide with surprise.

"She's done WHAT!?" she gasped. "Could that mean that... mother has returned?"

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Temeraire paused mid-speech and suddenly her face became as hard and grim as a block of granite.

"And now, I have an ultimatum for the world; I am sick and fucking tired of all the violence that has been caused by the prejudices of this world, particularly by those of the Humanist faction and the remnants of Lord Deaderuss's forces... the Forgotten Army that is. And so, I am going to issue you all with this one warning; you can keep your petty jealousies to yourselves and I honestly don't care if you want to go on hating each other. However I will warn you that ANYONE who tries to start another war will have to answer to me". She paused and took a deep breath. "I WILL find you and I WILL kill you; ANYONE who tries to start another war WILL pay the price!" She gave a small smile and cleared her throat. "You have been warned... this Seraph host Temeraire Lind-daughter, signing off". With that, the camera cut out and she gave a sigh. "Well... how was it?"
"Perhaps a little preachy" Persephone said with a shrug. "But overall, not bad..." It was then that the door swung open and they both turned to see Lind and Jago enter.

"Mum! Dad!" Temeraire cried and hugged them both, earning herself a pair of smiles.

"Hi Temmy" Lind said.

"Looks like you pulled it off" her father said, ruffling Temeraire's hair.

"How did you beat her?" her mother asked. "I mean... how the Hell did you manage to take out Gracious Penitence?"

"Kamikaze" the girl said and her angel appeared behind her once more, bowing her head at the pair.

"Greetings to you... Lady Lind, Lord Jago; it is good to finally meet my Mistress's parents in person".

"You don't need to bow your head to us" Lind said, giving the redheaded angel a small smile. "It's just as much a pleasure to finally meet my daughter's angel in person".

"But how did you manage to actually beat that crazy bitch?" Jago asked. "I mean... Penitence was RIDICULOUSLY powerful!" He paused and gave a polite cough. "I'm sorry but I honestly can't see how you managed it".

"We combined out strength" the angel said. "I used Temeraire to bring forth our true form... and as powerful as Penitence was, she could not face us when we fought her in our truly unlimited form... that and we eventually managed to force her to self-destruct".

"And that drove her back into an egg?" Jago asked, cocking his head at her.

"No" Temeraire said. "We sealed her for her own protection; she might've been searching for redemption but I can be fairly certain that she's on the hit-list of just about every major race and faction in existence".

"Then why not let them kill her?" Lind asked darkly. "She's caused more destruction and chaos than anyone else in existence. It's not like she would be missed".

"Simple" Temeraire said, giving her mother a scathing look. "She wanted to be redeemed, once we removed the Angel-Eater from within her. And so that's my plan; I'm going to find a way for her to truly redeem herself... plus there is... another reason".

"Another reason?" Jago asked with a frown. "Dare I ask?"

"Yes" the girl said simply. "Anzus".

"Anzus?" her parents said together, now deeply confused.

"I'll explain later... right now, we have work to do". She turned and pointed towards the pile of angel eggs that was still lying where they had left them. "First things first; we give everyone back their angels. Anyone care to give me a hand?"

"This is gonna take a while..."

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Bob grunted as he pushed himself up and out of the mud, blinking uncertainly.

"What the Hell just happened?" he said, shaking his head to clear away the cobwebs. "Wait... was I just dead?"

"You were" said a calm voice and he jerked his head, looking up into a serene face.

"OH MY- CHRONO!?" he choked and the former Valkyrie nodded. "HOW-WHA-"

"I've come to see you once more" she said, taking him by his hand and helping him to his feet. "After all, I never even got chance to say goodbye".

"But-"

"Shush" she said, putting a finger to his lips. "I don't have long until I have to go back".

"Go back? What do you mean go back?"

"I've passed on to the other side my love... I'm in Paradise now and only have a few minutes before I have to go back. I've only been given enough time to say goodbye to you".
"B-but... Chrono!" he said with tears in his eyes. "I... don't want you to go!"
"I don't want to go either" she said sadly, "but I have to... so I just wanted to say that I'm proud of you. You've done a good job taking care of our son and I'm sure that he's going to grow up to be as good a man as his father". She smiled and pulled him close, laying her chin on his shoulder. "You should be proud..."

"I guess..." he said, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her as tightly as he could. "I miss you so much Chrono..."

"I know, I know..." she said sadly. "I've been missing you too... but you have to move on. I know that you've been seeing a new woman and that has made me more happy than you could possibly imagine. So please, don't cry for me. I'll be seeing you again soon enough". With that, the Valkyrie began to lift into the air, as if she were being summoned by a divine light. "It's time for me to go..." she whispered softly.

"But wait! Chrono! Will I ever see you again?"

"Maybe one day" she said with a smile. "But one last thing before I go; forgive Temeraire. What happened to me was not her fault... so please, find it in your heart to forgive her".

"I'll try..." he said, watching as his beloved slowly disappeared, returning to the realm from which she came. For a moment, Bob's head hung low, as he wiped away the tears from his eyes... but then he felt a pair of warm arms around his shoulders and he gave a weak smile.

"Sith..."

"So that was Chrono?" the Guardian whispered, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek.

"Yes..."
"What did she say?"

"She wanted to give us her blessing... on the condition that I forgive my niece for what happened to her".

"I see..." The woman was silent for a moment, as they stood there, holding each other, but then she sighed and looked up into his eyes. "You miss her, don't you?"

"More than you could ever believe..." he whispered back... but then leaned in and kissed her. "But I have to keep moving forward... she's in the past and you are my future". Sith gave him a smile and kissed him back and together, they started heading back towards the wreckage of the Albion base. After all, they had work to do.

8888

There was a loud splash as Kitara landed in the ocean, jolting her back into consciousness.

"What the fuck just happened?" she said, shivering as the cold water soaked through her leathers.

"Hello again" a voice said and she swivelled to see the male Lorelei who had saved her earlier that day.

"Oh... it's you" she said with a smile.

"It seems like we keep running into each other, right after you've been blown up" he said with a toothy grin. "Nice work with that missile by the way".

"Thanks" she said with a blush and leaned in to kiss him... only for a hand to clamp down over her lips.

"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO KISSING ON THE FIRST DATE!" Mere Wolf snapped, pulling her Mistress away from him by her hair. "Honestly! Keep this up and people are gonna start thinking we're sluts!"

"Oh come on Mere Wolf!" Kitara whined. "No fair!"

"No! We're going back to the battleship!"

"You suck..."
"I know..." And they both giggled.

8888

It had been several weeks since the end of the war and things were starting to recover. The sudden influx of thousands of lost humans had been a surprise to everyone involved and apart from anything else, had virtually caused the end of the Humanist faction, although the arrival of many long-dead demons and deities had been rather more difficult adjustment, especially considering some of the bad blood that still existed between the loyalists and those had sided with Deaderuss and Angrboda. However, with Temeraire taking the temporary position of Almighty One and with her promise of swift retribution on anyone who threatened to start another war, things were finally starting to obtain some semblance of normality. Evens so, it was with some trepidation that she entered the waiting room of the temporary High Council Headquarters, located in the Earth spirit realm of Alfheim.

"Please take a seat" the elven secretary said with a smile, nodding to a chair further up the room. "The Council will see you shortly". Temeraire nodded and took a seat with a sigh, resting her hands on her knees.

"Oh my goddess, I'm so damn nervous".

"Why?" Kamikaze asked from inside of her. "You've faced the Council before, haven't you?"

"Well yeah" she said, "but last time, my parents were with me, so I at least had some back-up. Now, I'm all on my own".

"Well you've got me" her angel said. "If you need my help, just let me know and I'll do what I can".

"Thanks Kami" she said and took a deep breath, as she tried to calm herself. She glanced over at the table beside her and picked up a magazine, giving a small smile when she saw the picture on the cover. "That's a good pic of you Kami" she said with a grin, but then she gave a momentary pause. "Is it just me or have they made your bust bigger in this pic?" Kamikaze appeared behind her and frowned as she inspected the cover of the magazine.

"The bastards!" she growled softly. "I wouldn't be caught dead in a dress like that either!" Temeraire chuckled as her angel started muttering something along the lines of "sue their pants off", but then both of them glanced up as someone called out to them.

"Umm... excuse me?" said a nervous looking man, an Earth spirit in fact, who was sitting across from them. "Are you the High Lady Temeraire?"

"Yes, that's me" she said with a smile.

"And so that's...?" he said, nodding towards her angel.

"Kamikaze? Yes". Kamikaze smiled and gave him a little wave. He gave her a nervous smile and waved back.

"It's... it's nice to meet you" he said. "I just.. I wanted to say.. oh dear, this is terribly awkward..."

"Yes?" Temeraire said patiently, while Kamikaze gave him an encouraging smile.

"Would you mind if I shook you by the hand?" Temeraire nodded and held out her left hand.

"Sorry but it has to be this one" she said with a sheepish smile, waving the stump of her right hand in his direction. "My right isn't so good..." He nodded and shook it nervously, then smiled.

"It's an absolute pleasure to meet you" he said. "I mean, I owe you a lot!"

"Don't worry, it was all part of the service".

"No, I mean it" he said. "Because of you, my sister was saved... she was at the Albion base when it was attacked". At that, Temeraire gave a wince.

"Yeah, err... about that-" But she was cut off in mid-sentence, as he went on.

"Not only that but my brother was one of those who died during the Battle for Heaven... and you brought him back!" He then surprised her, by pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm sorry but... thank you!"

"Err... ok... oh what the heck" she said and gave him a smile, while Kamikaze patted him on the head. "You're very welcome". He pulled back and then nervously rubbed the back of his head.

"Thanks... err... so..."

"Yes?" she said again.

"Well... I was... err... I was just wondering... would you be up for like a date or... something next week?"

"I'm sorry but I'm already seeing someone" she said, as his face fell.

"Oh..." he said sadly. "May I ask with who?"

"With me". Both turned and Temeraire's face lit up as Beregond approached from further down the corridor. "Hi Temmy!"

"Beregond? What're you doing here?"

"I was told to meet the Council this afternoon... I'm guessing for the same meeting that you're going to".

"Oh... well at least I'll have someone in there to lend me a hand". Beregond nodded and then gave Kamikaze a short bow.

"You big silly" the angel said and ruffled his hair. "You don't need to bow to me..." Beregond chuckled and took a seat next to her, while the Earth spirit went back to his own chair, flicking nervously through some of his papers.

"So how's it been going?"

"Not too bad" he said with a sigh. "It's a pain that we can't spend more time together though..."

"I know, I know..." she said with a sigh of her own. It was then that she felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up to see his angel, Bloody Thorn, smiling down from above him. "Hello you" she said, smiling back. "I haven't seen you for a while".

"I just thought that I would introduce myself to Kamikaze" the red-eyed angel said, bobbing her head to her, before turning to the rainbow-winged girl. "It's nice to meet you... they call me-"

"Bloody Thorn; I know".

"Actually... I've been renamed" the angel said, turning to give her Master a grouchy look. "They call me Brilliant Thorn now... and I wanted to meet my... well..." Kamikaze giggled at her, as the other angel turned bright red.

"You're adorable" she said and pecked her on the cheek, just as the door to the main chamber swung open.

"Well..." Temeraire coughed awkwardly, blushing as both angels disappeared. "At least they get along just fine..."

"Yeah..." Beregond said and coughed as well. "Right... we'd better get going..."

"You're probably right..." They both stood and hand-in-hand, they headed into the Council chamber, the door snapping shut behind them.

"Damn tease" the Earth spirit said, his eyes barely leaving his paperwork. "Ah well... at least she's not a bad person in person... hmm... should've thought that one through before I said it".

8888

The Council was all there and in fact, there were several new faces which Temeraire hadn't expected to see.

"Is that Miss Sayoko Mishima? Beregond whispered to her, as they inspected the pair of human Councillors who were sat before them.

"I think so" Temeraire murmured back, nodding to the former ruler of the free territories. "But I don't know the other one".

"I do" he said. "That's Chihiro Fujjimi; head of the Whirlwind Conglomerate and the world's leading industrialist".

"How do you know that?" she asked curiously.

"Of come on! Her company's name is on just about every piece of machinery made in the last thirty years!" Temeraire sighed and waited for the Councillors to finally turn their attention to them.

"It's good to see you both finally" said Lord Buda from his seat. "However, before we call this meeting to order, I would like to welcome our newest Councillors to the table; please allow me to introduce Lady Chihiro Fujimi and Lady Sayoko Mishima, of Earth and Lord Surtr of the Jotuns... although as of the moment, he has yet to select a second Councillor. On top of that, I would like to welcome Lady Hild back for the time being, as for the time being, she will be acting as the Regent for Hell, until such a time as Lord Jarrett Sukaru is ready to assume the throne". From beside him, Jeiko gave a small half smile but said nothing as he tried to consider his son as ruler of the demon realm. Buda chuckled at him, without looking directly at him, while Hild took a stand, bowing to them all.

"To my fellow Councillors, I thank you for this honour. However, I would like to extent a special thanks to our invited guests: the Lady Temeraire and... her friend".

"Hi" Beregond said, giving a nervous wave.

"Well let's get this meeting started" Lord Buda said, steepleing his fingers as he regarded the pair. "I know that we're not all here... Paladin Weth is still away on business as I understand it but we should still make a start... It has been several weeks since the defeat of Gracious Penitence and as such, it is probably about time that you set about selecting your new Almighty One. While it's not entirely your decision as to who is to rule, an interim leader would at least be advisable". The Council nodded in agreement and all eyes turned on Temeraire. "Well?"

"Well what?" she asked, not fully understanding but then she twigged. "Oh..."

"What did you expect?" Hild asked with a rye smile. "You ARE the Seraph host, so you effectively have the casting vote".

"Well I HAVE been thinking about" Temeraire admitted. "And in truth, I can only think of one person who would be adequately up to the task; my brother".

"Hervar?" Jeiko asked, wrinkling his brow in confusion. "I fail to see how he could-"

"He was politically savvy enough to survive Penitence's rule, without being corrupted and forced to join her side. On top of that, there aren't exactly that many other possible candidates". She paused and lifted her one hand, counting them off on her fingers. "My mother I believe took the decision not to return to politics... she was a warrior, not a politician. My father has the same problem, with the added bonus of not even being born a deity. My aunts Belldandy and Skuld have next to no experience and... in truth, I think that Belldandy in particular has suffered enough". She paused for a second and gave them all an awkward look. "Umm... how is my uncle Keiichi anyway?" There was a long, deep pause as the Councillors glanced at each other, while one or two of them gave a few awkward coughs.

"He's... recovering..." Hild said. "However, its going to take some time for him to full strength. After all, Penitence was the most powerful parasite the world. He's still immortal but... he's... well he's got a long way to go".

"If it means anything though, he'll probably be better off out of the public eye for a while" Chihiro said nervously. "He's still got some of the stig that was attached to her on him".

"I see..." Temeraire said, frowning a little but then shrugged. "Well so long as he'll be better sooner or later..."

"Anyway, if we could get back on topic" Lord Buda said grouchily. "I'm not entirely sure about your brother as the Almighty One..."
"Why not?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in his direction.

"Well he's not exactly the most powerful deity in the world" one of the other Councillors said. "Almighty One should be the most powerful of all beings in Heaven, while Hervar's power is... somewhat second rate at best".

"Well that's not exactly fair" she said, pouting a little. "He's an Arch host, not... well I can't think of anything to compare him to but calling him weak is still uncalled-for". She paused and gave a grin. "For one thing, he's more than politically savvy and certainly smart enough to think his way out of most situations. For crying out loud, he can solve THREE Rubik Cubes whilst juggling them!"

"That's quite some skill... although I can't see how that's particularly-"

"He can also keep the Yggdrasil system running on his own, with no support, no tools and minimal spare parts". There was a long, deep silence as this was considered by the Councillors, before Buda gave a nod.

"That would be useful..."

"But his power might still be a concern" the other Councillor insisted. "What if there were another war and he were the one in charge?"

"Well I think that a real leader would probably be smart enough to keep themselves away from the front line... plus, he's got me looking after him".

"On top of that, doesn't he have that pocket black hole device?" Beregond said hopefully. "I think he used it to stop that spell that should've killed Lind, didn't he?"

"Well... that's true..." the Councillor said grudgingly.

"So then it's agree" Lord Buda said, nodding to Temeraire. "I personally agree that Hervar would be an excellent choice for the next Almighty One... provided that he accepts the position that is".

"Well I can take care of that; as far as my brother goes, I can be very persuasive".

"Wait a minute" the same Councillor said again. "I'm not entirely up to speed on current events but isn't that boy dating a demon?" He grinned at them and gave a small chuckle, while Temeraire scowled at him. However, it was then that a deep growl interrupted them and all eyes turned nervously, to glance up at Surtr. The Jotun was in his most human form but even so, he was still more than ten feet tall and with more than enough muscle to unscrew the average man's head with his bare hands.

"That may be so" he growled, leaning back and planting his feet on the table, "but I believe that at least two former Almighty Ones have had partners who weren't deities themselves... including one of which who had a DEMON lover, at least until they... well I don't know the details but I understand that they aren't together anymore". He paused and grinned, flashing his tombstone teeth. "Alright Hild?" he said, flicking her a salute and making the Regent narrow her eyes back at him.

"Bastard..." she whispered but they ignored her, instead focussing their attention back on Surtr.

"Anyway, I can't see any problem with the boy and Mara being together. So long as they can work together, it shouldn't matter about their species... and besides, I'd be interested to see what the boy can do". There were a few murmurings of discontent but the Jotun growled once more and their complaints faded away completely. "Good... it would appear that we are all in agreement then". He grinned again and settled back into his chair, as Temeraire nervously cleared her throat.

"Well then... I guess that's that then..." she said. "Was there... anything else that you wanted to speak you to me about?"

"In fact there was" one of the other Councillors, a sympathetic looking goblin, called out from the far end of the table. "We needed to-" At that moment, the door creaked open and Temeraire and Beregond turned as Weth came striding in.

"Sorry I'm late" the Paladin said, bowing her head to the room at large. "It was... unavoidable I'm afraid".

"That's quite alright" Lord Buda said, as she took her seat. "We hadn't quite gotten to the main point of the conversation yet".

"That being?" Temeraire asked, feeing a little exasperated by the lack of progress so far.

"We need to know what you plan to do with Gracious Penitence". There was a long, deep silence as they watched Temeraire's face, which was twitching, as if she were struggling to keep it neutral, whilst fighting some kind of deep, emotional turmoil.

"How do you mean?" she said finally, trying to keep her voice as level as possible.

"We all saw that you reduced her back into an egg. However, we can be almost certain that you won't be keeping her like that forever. As such, we were wondering what exactly you were planning to do with her exactly?"

"I say we kill her off" Weth said darkly, earning her a series of looks... some positive, some decidedly less so. "What?!" she demanded, glaring right back at them. "She deserves it for what she's done to the world!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Temeraire growled back. "I'm not going to allow her to be executed for a crime that was beyond her control!"

"Beyond her control?" the Paladin demanded, her face turning red. "She knew EXACTLY what she was doing!"

"She was under the control of the Angel-Eater!" Temeraire insisted. "That thing was eating away at her mind for years; if it hadn't been for that thing then she would never have done the things she did!" She paused and frowned; it was time to drop the bomb. "And there's one more thing that I should probably mention about her; Gracious Penitence was pregnant when we sealed her".

"She was?" Beregond said, turning to her in surprise, while she gave a sigh.

"Yes..." she said, looking exasperated once more. "She's only a few weeks in but... well..."

"That may be so" Weth said darkly, "but I don't see how that really changes anything. While I am generally against the death of infant, I don't believe that in this case it warrants her being kept alive".

"Well I should probably mention something about the baby then" Temeraire said. "She's not just anyone... she's a reincarnated goddess". This earned her a few frowns.

"Are you sure?" a Councillor asked.

"Which one?" said another.

"I'm not certain" she admitted. "But... if I were to make an educated guess? I would say that it was Anzus".

8888

"Are you sure?" Jeiko asked, leaning across the table in his eagerness. "I mean... how can you know for sure?"

"I can't" she admitted. "But there's someone who's more than certain of it; Kamikaze, do your thing!" With that, her angel appeared, smiling down at the Council as they watched her with amazement.

"Greetings my children" she said with a radiant smile. "I understand that you require some assistance from me?"

"Err... that's right" Weth said. "We were wondering how we actually know that it's Anzus that Penitence is carrying".

"Well it's quite simple really" the Seraph said, bowing her head to her. "When my Mistress and I went to clear the monster out from inside of Penitence, it attacked us and in our weakened state, following our battle with the Empty herself, we were unable to stop it. In fact, we would have been destroyed, if not for the fact that somebody saved us; a powerful female presence of great wisdom and strength". She paused and gave a smile. "I sensed a kindred spirit... a fellow Seraph. It was indeed Anzus or at the very least, a hybrid of both her and her angel, Alpha and Omega".

"But... how could you tell?" one of the Councillors ask uncertainly.

"I could tell" Kamikaze insisted. "You need not doubt me, as I know these things on instinct". She paused and gave a shrug, fluttering all six of her wings and making rainbow reflections dance across the walls. "She was more powerful, more kind and more serene than just about anyone I've ever met".

"And so... if Penitence dies...?"

"Yes; if we kill Penitence, then we loose Anzus too. Or rather, we loose her again". This statement was met by a long silence, none of the Councillors able or really willing to answer for the time being. "So then... I think that that should be sufficient for the time being. I'll leave you all for now as I have work to do..." The Seraph disappeared in a flash and Temeraire sighed as the Councillors started to mutter to each other.

"Well then?" she asked finally. "Is that enough for you all?"

"Not quite..." Lord Buda said. "While you have given us reason enough not to KILL Penitence, you have yet to explain to us exactly what you plan to do with her. After all, it seems unlikely that you will keep her sealed up for all of eternity".

"You have a point" the girl conceded, unable to meet his gaze. "Despite my best efforts, I... well I've got nothing". She paused and reached into her cleavage, pulling the angel's egg out from where she was hiding it on the end of a chain. "I honestly don't know what I'm supposed to do with her... I'd rather not leave her in the egg, just as you said. Being sealed for any length of time is deeply unpleasant and... well, to be honest, I could do with her being on my side. Especially since she's no longer evil..."

"Well maybe I can be of assistance then" Hild put in, smirking at her from across the table. "Although, it would be for a cost..."

"Well?" the girl asked, raising her eyebrow in the Regent's direction. "What do you suggest?"

"It's quite simple" the demoness said with a grin. "I have a certain demon in my care... he's young and powerful but will need the support of someone just as powerful to support him. With Penitence at his side... well it would certainly be a boon to him".

"Who're you talking about?" Jeiko asked, leaning across the table, so that he could see her clearly.

"Well isn't it obvious?" Temeraire asked him. "After all, she only has one demon under her tutorage at the moment".

"She's right" the demon said with another smirk. "There IS only one demon under my wing... or to be more exact, one demon-Earth spirit hybrid". At that, the Earth spirit Lord's face fell, as realization dawned across his face.

"My son?" he whispered and Hild nodded.

"Exactly" she said with a nod. "I want to give Gracious Penitence to Jarrett... the future ruler of all of demonkind".

8888

The room was echoing with noise, as the Councillors exploded into a thousand angry arguments. Threats were made, accusations hurled and in the middle of it all, Temeraire and Beregond stood silently, letting the wall of noise wash over them.

"Is it always like this when something this dramatic is proposed?" the boy asked, as he sidled closer to her.

"I can't say" she whispered back, out of the corner of her mouth. "I've only ever been to one or two of these meetings and... well... I... I don't know to be honest". She sighed and rolled her head from side to side, across her shoulder, trying to remove the ache that was building up between her shoulders. "What do you think?"

"Me?" he asked surprised. "Well... I don't usually get to come to this kind of meeting, so..."

"That's not what I meant" she said with a weak smile. "Honestly, sometimes I think you're just so delightfully dumb... it'd be adorable if it weren't so genuine".

"Oh fuck-a-duck, thanks!" he shot back, glaring at her. "That was... unbelievably cruel!"

"Sorry Beregond" she said, wincing a little as her smile became more apologetic. "It's just that all this arguing is getting to me..."

"It's ok" he said, ducking as someone sent a chair sailing past his ear. "Although perhaps things ARE getting a little out of hand".

"Perhaps you're right" she said and silently called up Kamikaze once more. "Kami, care to do the honours?" The angel nodded and took a deep breath.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" she boomed, so hard that several of the nearby Councillors were left with bleeding ears. "I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS! THE HIGH COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY FOR ALL OF THE NINE REALMS AND YOU ACT AS IF YOU WERE A GROUP OF CHILDREN, FIGHTING OVER THE RULES OF A GAME YOU'VE MADE UP!" She sighed and took a deep breath to steady herself, swearing under her breath in Latin. "Pedicabo hocpro a venatus militum!" she muttered and growled. "Now I want you to each voice your concerns towards Hild's proposition... and anyone who tries to start a new argument? They get an unpleasant surprise..." She settled back, ruffling her feather s a little as she perched on her Mistress's shoulder, still glaring at the Council with her big, green eyes. "Well?" It was then that the first of them cleared their throat; it was Surtr.

"It's not that I'm against it per say" he grumbled, smacking his lips as he chewed his words. "But perhaps giving a potentially unstable angel to a mere child might be a little foolhardy, don't you think?"

"Perhaps if he were some normal child, then yes" Hild said, nodding towards him. "But you forget; young Jarrett is already a talented young man, son of a former Daimakaichō, as well as an Earth spirit Lord..." She paused and glanced at Jeiko, who's face was alternating between delight and pure fury, in seeming equal measure. "And you seem to forget that he's also MY grandson; I would not do anything that might possibly put him in any real danger. I truly believe that giving the boy Penitence would be the best option for both of them, at this time". The Jotun growled, temporarily mollified, even if the rest weren't yet.

"But it would mean that Hell would be gaining an incredibly powerful angel!" one of the other Councillors put in. "Well... technically, she would probably be converted into a devil... but you know what I mean!"

"I wouldn't worry about that" Hild said. "She's not been a part of Heaven's host for so long that it would be unlikely to affect your forces directly and while it will be true that Hell will be gaining a powerful Arch, I have my doubts as to whether Jarrett would be looking to start a new war". She paused for a second and glanced at the still glowering Seraph. "I doubt that he would go against his own family, especially with the threat of attack by Seraph looming over him... doubly so when you consider that said Seraph happens to be her niece". All eyes turned back to Kamikaze, as she fluttered her winglets at them.

"She's got a point" the angel said. "I to doubt that Penitence would try to challenge me, especially after the beating we gave her not so long ago".

"Are there any more questions?" Hild then asked, yawning a little as she settled back into her seat.

"Well I've got one" Jeiko growled, glaring down the table at the demoness. "And this is a big one, especially for me; why my son? Why are we even thinking of giving an angel, which we already know to be well beyond powerful, to just a little boy!? MY little boy!"

"I think I can work that one out" Temeraire said, taking a step forward. "He may be Hild's grandson, as well as Urd's only child but... he's going to be dropped almost straight into one of the most dangerous political nightmares in all of existence; the court of the demon realm. He's going to need as much help as he can get, so that he doesn't end up mounted on someone's wall, as a hunting trophy". She sighed and shook her head a little. "As much as I find the thought of giving over an angel to Hell distasteful... no offence meant," she nodded to Hild and Hagall, "I would not want to wish that on the poor boy. He IS my cousin after all and simply dropping him into the that court unsupported would be like..." She paused for a second, trying to think of a suitable metaphor. "Like... dropping a mouse into a tank full of hungry piranhas". There were a series of whispered mutters from around the table; despite their collective misgivings, the Councillors weren't ALL a heartless bunch of bastards and none of them wanted to leave the boy to die.

"Very well" Jeiko growled. "If you honestly think that presenting Penitence to my son would be the best way forward, then I will allow it". Hild grinned but her growled once more and jabbed a finger in her direction. "HOWEVER, I will hold you responsible Hild, if ANYTHING happens to my son because of this!"

"That seems fair" the demon Regent said, bowing her head to him. "I guess it's an added incentive for me to look after my grandson then... as if I really needed another one".

"Then I think we have our solution as to what to do with Penitence" Lord Buda said. "We shall give him to the future Daimakaichō, so that he can grow and learn to use her powers. With luck and skill, he should be able to master and control her and with a little more good fortune, he will be able to take his place as Daimakaichō without too many issues".

"Very well" Temeraire said, stowing the egg back under her robes. "Although, until that time I will hold onto Penitence's egg... it's probably best if I didn't let her fall into the wrong hands, after all".

"That seems fair" Hild said. "I'll talk to you about it once we're through here".

"And in that case, there is just one more topic of discussion that remain for us" one of the other Councillors said. "And unfortunately, it will not be a pleasant one..."

"What's that exactly?" Beregond said. "I'm guessing that it has something to do with me... after all, I was called here for this meeting and I've haven't really had much of a part in it yet".

"Well you're right there" the Councillor said. "You and Temeraire are the main focus of the next discussion... we called you here to-" The Councillor was cut off in mid-sentence, as the doors snapped open and, much to everyone's surprise, a blue-haired Valkyrie came striding in.

"Mum? What are you doing here?"
"The Council does not recognize you at this moment, Lind Valmeyar-daughter" one of the Councillors growled.

"I do not need your approval" she shot back, her eyes blazing with golden fire. The unfortunate being was instantly cowed and sank back into his seat, as Lind took another step forward, the white wings of her leathers billowing out from under her black jacket and she paused beside Temeraire. "I'm guessing you haven't been told the main reason you were brought here" she said, all matter-of-fact-like.

"Err..."

"I thought not" the Valkyrie said and turned to glare at the Council. "You should be ashamed! Trying to pull this stunt not once, but TWICE!"

"I don't understand... what do you mean?"

"They're trying to separate you Temeraire... they want to separate you from Beregond".

8888

The room was filled with a deathly silence, as Temeraire turned to glare at the Council at large.

"They... are trying... to do... WHAT!?" the girl snarled, her own eyes starting to flash dangerously.

"It-it's for your own good!" one of them protested. "We strongly feel that-

"DON'T YOU DARE!" she shrieked and for a second, it looked as if she was about to explode. "You think that being separated from the one I love is FOR MY OWN GOOD!? YOU MONSTERS!"

"But don't you see? You're the Seraph host; you cannot be dealing with personal relationships, when-"

"I disagree" Beregond put in, stepping forward and taking Temeraire's hand in his. "There is no reason that she and I should be separated!"
"She needs to focus on her duties! She cannot be distracted by petty romance!"

"Petty romance?" Lind hissed. "That's pretty much the same excuse you gave to me and Jago, more than thirty years ago! And look at all the good it did us; if we had been together, we could have caught Penitence years ago! But because of you, I was forced to keep the position of Almighty One and because of that, I barely saw my husband for years, never mind my daughter and I was almost driven mad out of shear boredom!"

"And what exactly ARE my duties as the Seraph host?" Temeraire demanded. "As far as I can tell, I do my job simply by existing! And even if I were to become my brother's number two, I would be more of an advisor than anything..." She shook her head and snarled. "No, I will not allow this to happen! I will not allow you to do the same to my child as you did to me!" She placed a free hand on her belly for emphasis and glared at the Council. "Well you can go fuck yourselves! Goodbye!" With that, she turned and stormed out, Beregond with her, while Lind remained for a few seconds, glaring at them all.

"You all disgust me..." she hissed, then headed out too.

8888

"Oh Temmy!" Jago said, wrapping his arms around her almost as soon as she stepped out of the room. "Sorry I was late; I came as soon as I could! So what happened? Did they separate you from-"

"I'm still here" Beregond said. "They couldn't separate us..."

"Oh thank god!" he said and sighed. "I might not like you much boy but I would rather Temmy had you than some other bloody bastard..."

"Gee... thanks..." Beregond grumbled, while Temeraire gave him a smile.

"It's good to see you Dad..."

"I'm just sorry I didn't get here sooner" he said. "I only just got the message from Weth and then I heard that your mother was here, so..." It was then that Lind exited the chamber, the door snapping shut behind her.

"There you are!" she said, shaking her head at him. "I thought you said you were on the way!"

"I was" he said, grinning sheepishly. "It's just that... I got caught up with something". He paused and turned back to Temeraire, still grinning. "So what else happened that I don't know about yet?"

"Well... Hervar is to gonna be the next Almighty One".

"What? Are you sure?" Lind asked. "I mean... I'm sure he's up to the task but... he's still just a boy! I doubt that he's even... been... with a woman yet".

"I think he's seeing Mara" Jago said, earning him a venomous look from Lind.

"That DEMON!?" she snarled. "Our boy with... HER!?"

"To give her credit, she's done a pretty good job as our agent" Jago said. "I mean, she was the one who managed to keep him alive for most of Penitence's occupation or at least as far as I've been told".

"Well... fine..." Lind growled, looking away angrily. "Although I still don't like it..."

"You don't have to like it" Temeraire said. "I quite like Mara and I think she'll be good for him. Besides, I'm more worried about him being the Almighty One... who do you think's going to look after him, if I don't?"

"Well then we should probably give you fair warning..." her father said, looking guilty. "Your mother and I are leaving".

"Leaving? How do you mean?"

"It's true" Lind said and took a few steps forward, as Jago put an arm around her shoulders. "Your father and I have had enough of dealing with people like the Council and as such, we're going rouge".

"To put it simply" Jago went on, "Weth has offered us a job in her rebuilt Guardian corp... she has a new unit called "The Hunters"; in essence, they're bounty hunters, who track down anyone or anything rouge and take it out before the Guardians actually have to get involved".

"And you're going to take the offer?" the girl asked, a resigned look in her eyes.

"I'm afraid so" Lind said, nodding to her daughter. "Your father and I are leaving in the morning".

"And you'll be back... when?"

"Whenever we can".

"Well I guess that's the best I can hope for" she said with a sigh. "Ok then... you two take care".

"We will... oh and do us all a favour" Jago said with a grin. "Get yourself a motto... something fun. And in Latin".

"I'll see what I can do..." And as the pair turned away, Beregond took her hand in his.

"Well... this has been a fun day..." he said with a sheepish tone.

"You have no idea" she said with a tired sigh, before turning and giving him a gentle kiss. "Come on you... let's go home..."