A Devil's Halo: Part Seventeen
Epilogue
~*~
A blinding flash was seen throughout the premises of hell as one holy angel appeared, barely touching the flame licked floors. He half glided half walked towards the two human figures lying down on the ground. One suffered from burns along the front starting from the chest, while the other, also suffering from severe burns, suffered deep wounds.
He shook his head at the bloody sight around him, then gently placed both his hands over the two bodies. With that, another blinding flash took place, this time with the angel and the two humans disappearing along with it. Oni's minions stared for a second longer before scurrying across the grounds to their master.
Curiosity got the best of them, and they began poking at the lifeless body of who was once their everlasting tormentor and leader. When they figured out that their leader was completely destroyed now, they looked at each other hungrily...
There were smacking of the lips and ripping of a body somewhere near the heart of hell. The shadows showed an action so horrendous and sickening as tortured soul after tortured soul took a piece for themselves, for the hunger that they had to live with for nearly an eternity without Oni feeding them was tremendous.
The fires reflected the dancing shadows against hells walls, as they laughed and cleansed their fingers with their tongues in joyous celebration.
~*~
The angel placed the two bodies down on their respected bed at the inn and sat silently and patiently as he waited for even the slightest stirring of life from any of the two. He had cleansed their wounds with his powers and bandaged them up as well as he could. He wasn't powerful enough to heal them completely yet.
Just then, the body of the young woman began to move as she felt around for another source of warmth. When she couldn't find it, she opened her eyes wide with fright as she scrambled off the bed in a frenzied search. She relaxed a bit when she finally found what she had been looking for.
The boy with wild brown hair lay stock still as gentle fingers slid along the frame of his face, down to every bandaged scratch and burn on him. The sight was so overwhelmingly melancholy as tears streaked the grief-stricken face of the lovely girl with crimson orbs. Her feelings were completely pressured on grief, regret, and anger. Grief because someone who she truly loves was injured this badly. Regret because she could not dodge the fire ball attack and continue to help the boy of topic with the defeat. Anger at the demon who had done this to him.
"I-Is... Is he going to be..." the fiery-eyed girl looked up at the guardian angel with question in her eyes.
"He had dealt with quiet a few blows from Oni there Sora, but in time he will heal. Just give him this everyday for the next two weeks, or until he awakens." With that, the angel, Matt, handed Sora a vile containing a bright yellow... liquid? Or was that just light?
"What is it?" she asked confused for a moment.
"It is a purification light. Tai will not be able to heal completely if traces of Oni's evil power still reside inside of him. You however have nothing to worry about since your own purification system inside your body is doing it for you. Consider yourself lucky." Sora nodded with gratification at the never-aging angel before her. "I...Is it... Over?" she asked slowly.
"Tai killed Oni. He was only supposed to defeat him, but his will power to live had risen to it's peak when he realized that his human body could not take anymore of Oni's fire balls. Before he could reach even an arm's length of Oni, he struck with as much power through the sphere as he was feeling. Since Oni went into that machine to gain even more power, he should have never died with just that blow. He would have been defeated but not killed, but just recently, I found out that we had a little demon/ angel along with us.
"He had first sided with Oni, being the faithful, *two thousand year-old servant he was, but in the end, when Oni had all his plans straightened out, he did not need the minion anymore. Instead, he tried to dispose of him. He thought that he had gotten rid of him, but he had not.
"When the minion returned to Oni once again, Oni was surprised, but happy because he needed a faithful servant to help him power the machine, and control it. By now the minion had been angry at Oni, and hated him for wanting to get rid of him, so instead of completely raising Oni's power by one hundred percent, he had decreased it. Oni thought that the reason he could contact humans on earth was because of the fact that he had gotten stronger, but the real reason was because he had gotten weaker. He became so weak that the power that he used to conceal his voice from humans was not present in his body anymore."
Sora just stood there surprised to hear all this. 'I guess not even the most powerful being in the universe can keep track of every little detail of the world. Maybe that's why some good people die when they still have a brighter future ahead of them. They are all accidents, and their soul could just be an addition to the 'Guardian Angel' list.' she thought.
"Just give me a shout when Tai wakes up. We need to confirm everything that he has earned."
"Wait Matt-" Sora began, as Matt turned back to face her with his clear, azure eyes.
"Yes?" he asked, arching one eyebrow up for an exaggerated questioning look.
The action made Sora smile gently at her heavenly friend (no pun intended). "You never really answered me..." she began.
"With what?"
"When I asked you if it was over. Is it over Matt? What happened to Oni?" She was deliberately trying to peel answers off of him like a banana.
"They will be looking for a new leader now. They are smart enough to understand that they cannot rule hell by themselves. As for Oni's fate... I had already explained that he had died. His body is buried within the stomaches of his tortured, starved minions. They never really liked the guy... But hey... he had been there for about two thousand years right?" Matt answered. "You need more rest Sora. Go back and sleep some more. Just don't forget to call..."
Another blindingly white light was shown as Matt snapped and was returned to his ever-lasting home.
~*~
After so many months to heal from the damage that Oni afflicted onto Tai and Sora's bodies, the two came out of the inn looking just like new. Unfortunately for them, they had forgotten about that little 'Missing' poster that was stapled onto an electric wire pole before their training to fight Oni had started.
As the pair walked around the sidewalks of Odaiba, they were shot accusing glances, which were directed towards Tai, and confused glances toward Sora. The looks they were being given made Sora curious, all the while causing Tai to become angrier and angrier. Finally, Tai's last nerve was popped and he grabbed the nearest 'starers' shirt collar and yelled, "What the hell do you think you're staring at? All of you? What the hell is your problem?!"
Sora grabbed his arm and tried to pry his fingers off the man's shirt, but his grip was too firm. "Tai... Let the man go..." she kept her voice low, but it harbored a warning tone inside of it.
"Who the hell does he think he is? What's up with the whole damn town?!" he snapped glaring at the passers by.
Just when he yelled to practically the whole world, sirens were heard as the two froze on spot, looking nervously towards one another. What was this all about now? Was it just because Tai was causing such a scene?
Then it dawned on her, "Tai... Ta- Tai!!! We have to go. Now," Sora said, grabbing the brown-haired, mop head, causing him to let go of his embarrassed 'victim'.
The two ran as fast as they could towards an isolated, narrow alley where they stopped to catch their breath. "What's going on Sora?" Tai asked as he gulped in some oxygen to fill his lungs.
"The poster! The Missing poster Tai! Don't you remember it?" she asked, glaring up at him.
"Oh holy-" Tai began, as his eyes became wider.
"Yes! I know! How do we get out of this one now huh?" she asked him with worry.
"We... We have to surrender," Tai whispered back to her.
She began staring at him as if he were the most unusual thing in the whole world. "What?! What are you thinking?!"
"Look Sora. After how hard we fought against Oni, there's no way that I'm going back to hell for this. We have to turn ourselves in. If we don't then we're just as bad as the guilty, run away murderers. Besides, since we won, Heaven gave me a new profile. A new life. Let's test it out, and prove everyone wrong," he said a little too calmly, but Sora knew that he only sounded like this because he did not want to worry her with doubt.
"Tai... But I ran away. Don't I get a punishment for that?" she asked.
Tai smirked. "You read too much American law novels Sor," he said.
Sora sighed at this. "Fi... Fine..." she answered eventually.
"Good. Now we shouldn't make any sudden movements, 'cause they might think that we have weapons for no particular reason," Tai said, as he took her hand and lead her towards the flashing lights.
~*~
"Sora! Sora! My baby! You've found my baby!" Mrs. Takenouchi practically ran out of her home when the police light shown through her curtains. Sora's friends were also accompanying her, worried as hell for their friend... Some also for Tai.
Sora stood outside a cop car, staring at her mother coldly. As the older woman wrapped her arms around her daughter, Sora just stood stock-still, not even gesturing any moves to return her hugs.
"Sora... What's wrong dear?" her mother asked.
"Mom. They put him in jail! He doesn't deserve it! He didn't kidnap me! I ran after him," the young, distressed girl said, silently scolding her mother.
"Sora dear, he does deserve it... I mean- He...? I-it..." Mrs. Takenouchi stammered, she was at a loss for words.
"No mom. He. The files that you found were wrong! Do you really believe that he's back from the undead?" she asked her mother, staring up at her eyes, with her very own crimson ones. She knew better than to lie, but telling the truth wouldn't solve the problem. Instead it might just bring scientists from all over the world to dissect Tai. Yes, lying would be a better way out of this. Besides, she wasn't completely lying when she said that the files were wrong. Heaven made new files for Tai, claiming him to be 'Taichi Yagami'.
"B-But... Who else can have that face? That same name?" Sora's mother was becoming all the more confused.
"Mom... Look. If you still don't believe me, well Tai's parents got him a representative so this would all be solved in court. Besides, he was the one who told me that we should stop running away," she said plainly.
"O... Okay then..." her mother was still lost.
Sora just smiled as the police lights slowly faded away from the neighborhood streets, and she and her best friend, Mimi Tachikawa, talked all night long, filling in their time spent apart with their stories from the past weeks.
~*~
It had been weeks since that whole ordeal with jail, lawyers and court houses. All the hassle had finally diminished. Tai looked through his files and found out that he lived with a mother, a father, and a little sister. Kind of like the family that he once had, but not quite. (This is if you read about his past). It took him a little getting used to, in order for him to be comfortable in that family and feel at home, but along the way he finally realized that this was all part of what he fought Oni for: a new life, and a new life needed a family.
Of course, to the Yagami's they always thought that Tai had been with them for his whole life. They were just confused as to why he was acting a little distant from them up until a week ago. They were just happy that he was 'back to normal'.
Heaven finally decided that they should give Tai 'memories' of his 'past' with the Yagami's, so he wouldn't feel so left out whenever they had family stories. This of course turned out to be a good thing, and only brought him closer to his new family.
(*A/N: Oh the concept is so confusing!!!)
~*~
A light breeze blew on a usual summer night as two figures laid lazily on a hammock. The moon had already risen to the tops of the trees, and scattered chirping could be heard all around, thanks to the crickets.
A young man dangled one leg out from a thin blanket covering he and a young woman lying on his chest, in order to swing the hammock slightly.
"Tai...?" the young woman called lightly to her companion.
"Mmm..."
"You awake?" she whispered softly. She wanted to know, so she wouldn't be disturbing his sleep when she moved.
"Mmm... Don't move," he said, wrapping his arms around her to keep her still.
"I can't. My arm's asleep..." she smirked, as she lifted herself just slightly, then heavily dropped herself back on him.
"Oof! What was that for?!" he exclaimed, instantly sitting up.
The red head shook her head and laughed. "Okay, okay... I'm sorry!"
"Yeah yeah," he said, swatting away that conversation. "Okay. Now. Just lay still, and don't try to knock the breath outta me again!" the boy said, resting back down.
"I can't promise you anything," she replied with a smirk.
"Then I'll just have to make you, won't I?" Tai said, raising his hands up to tickle Sora's most sensitive areas.
"Hey! Haha! No! Haha! Sto~op!!!" she yelled, all-the-while breaking down into fits of laughter.
He then halted his actions, and somehow was now looming over her form. The two gazed at each other from what little light the moon overhead casted, before he slowly bent over to give her a gentle, chaste kiss.
As soon as they pulled away, Sora playfully swatted his arm. "You little devil!" she glared, jokingly at him.
When things began to settle down once more, pure silence spread through the air, silencing the crickets too.
"Sora?" Tai asked, therefore, breaking the content silence.
"Hmm...?"
"So what is this? The end?" he asked.
"Of course not. It's too happy to be the end," Sora stated.
"What do you mean? Haven't you ever heard of the phrase 'Happily ever after'?"
"Yes I have, and I think it's a load of bull. How about... 'Normally ever after'?" she suggested.
"Nah, too... ehh... Well... It's not catchy enough," he said, taking his forefinger, and twirling a strand of red hair atop Sora's head.
"Besides, it's not the end. It's only the end when you die, and even then the world still turns."
"What about... 'The way two normal human beings live until their ripe old age-' Err... 'Ever After''."
Sora smirked. "You've got to be kidding me!" she exclaimed, holding in her laughter, but seeing Tai's serious, confused face made her lose all control. She threw her head back and just laughed.
"What?" he asked, seriously oblivious.
"Tai. You are such an idiot!" she said, laughing until her aching sides couldn't take anymore abuse. As she was being lulled to sleep by Tai's rocking, she snuck in a few giggles, before she fell asleep, with a grin plastered on her face.
Tai looked towards the moon questioningly. "I don't get it..." he said, scratching his head with annoyance before following Sora's actions, and slept.
~*~
Showers of sparks and hammering could be heard throughout an empty, white hallway in heaven. A curious bystander decided to investigate on what all the ruckus was about, so he began to follow the noises.
He finally stopped in front of a usual, unmarked door. Since Heaven held no secrets, no soul had to knock, so the curious figure let himself in.
"What are you making there?" a familiar, blonde angel asked, as he looked over the shoulder of the archangel.
"A halo Matt, a halo," the archangel stated simply.
"A halo?" Matt repeated, questionly.
"Yes."
"For who? May I ask?" the angel asked his superior.
"Taichi Yagami," was the archangel's reply.
"I see... But his soul's not about to get rid of his body until many years from now sir," the younger angel explained, confused.
"I know that. This will be on him when I am finished making it, which will be just about today."
"What's it's use sir?"
"A mark, so that every supernatural creature will know him as the one who killed Oni."
Matt nodded his head in response.
"Besides. It's about time we give that devil of a boy his halo," the archangel smirked, as he lifted his finished work up into the light.
~*~
Author's Notes: *I can't say that Oni had been alive for millions of years although I did at the start of writing this chapter. I just remembered that in the Catholic/ Christian religion, Jesus was alive only two thousand and three years ago, and practically everything in heaven and hell had reached it's climax. Some arch angel wanted more power than God, so he decided to rebel, therefore, hell was created. I don't know every detail of the bible, so let's just say that hell was created during at time two thousand years ago okay? Haha... sorry about the lecture. I hope that you truly enjoyed this story... and yeah... I'll take out my venting chapter. Sorry about the people who had to suffer reading it. Haha... Anyways...
Also, I know that Sora also helped in fighting Oni, but Tai did the killing, and in history books, even with help, the person who inflicted the most damage (for better or for worse), always tend to receive the recognition. Now, don't get me wrong, Sora get's to be an angel, and what's better than to live an after-life eternity of bliss?
Check out the new/ kinda old story 'A New Kind of Fairy Tale'. I haven't updated in a long while because of the fact that I wanted to finish this story, but now that I'm finished with it, I'll go on that wild hunt to find my notebook where I wrote down the rough outline of the story and continue writing. Until then... Bye bye!!
Oh my gosh! I can't believe it's finished!!! After 17 real chapters... Wow. ^_^ Soooo happy right now!!! I'll probably give out a 'Special Thanks' page as a bonus to the people who review this chapter.
Please review!