Without giving him a chance to say or do anything, Raphael brushed his lips against the angel's in a gentle kiss. Michael was rigid for one moment more before he responded, kissing back and returning the embrace.
Encouraged by this, he coaxed the other's lips open and deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into the warm depths of Michaels' mouth. The other archangel moaned, his hands entangling themselves in his second-in-command's dark sea green hair.
'Oh, God... I -- I've wanted this...haven't I...?'
He broke the kiss long enough to allow them both to get some air and for him to gently push Michael down into the pillows. His hands traveled to the buttons of the other angel's shirt and undid them one by one, exposing the smooth, pale skin underneath. Pushing the clothing off the blonde's elegantly sloped shoulders, Raphael captured his lips once more, savoring the faint strawberry taste of them before trailing light, nipping kisses down his neck, letting his hands wander further down. Michael arched into his touch, exposing more of his soft skin to the dark-eyed angel.
Then, he felt hands pushing him back. "Raph-- Raphael..." he heard the blonde angel's voice as if from far away. "Stop, Raphael... Please..."
Reluctantly, he obeyed and pulled away, sitting up. He stifled a gasp at the sight of his superior, flushed, chest heaving with his deep breaths, curls splayed over his shoulders and across the pillows. But his eyes... They were filled with tears, hurt, with want warring with some emotion he couldn't quite identify.
"Wha--" he began. "Why--"
He took the angel's hands in his. "I'm sorry, Michael-sama. For -- everything, for the past several days, for -- for today. Especially today. I-- I didn't-- I wasn't..."
He trailed off, unable to gather his thoughts together, let alone put them into words. He wanted Michael to forgive him for what he'd done; but he knew that wasn't possible. He couldn't even forgive himself for pushing the blonde away, for hurting him like he did.
"I'm sorry..." he murmured helplessly.
Michael's tears fell freely now and he shut his eyes, taking a deep breath, as if trying to stop their flow -- a futile attempt -- before meeting his second-in-command's gaze once more. Raphael made to wipe the tears away, but the archangel chose to turn away from him at that moment.
"I don't... I... You were always holding me at arm's length, never letting me come any closer. You didn't seem to care, even when it was obvious that you did, like you didn't want to. It hurt, you know, seeing the warmth in your eyes, then hearing the cold sting of your voice denying everything... It hurt, Raphael."
"Michael..."
The angel turned to him again and silenced him with a look, eyes brimming with unshed tears. "No. Please... Don't say a thing." He got up, wrapped his arms around his dusk-eyed partner, and, with a tender kiss, whispered almost inaudibly, "Leave me, please, Raphael... I have to think about all this..."
He gazed into the blonde's crystal eyes and nodded ever so slightly. He didn't want to leave, not now, but he understood. How could Michael not feel this way, what with all he'd said, all he'd done?
"...Don't take too long," he said, just as softly. "Please, Michael-sama..."
The archangel said nothing as he stood, averting his gaze to something out the window. 'I'm sorry, Michael,' he said silently. 'Forgive me...'
"I... I don't know what to say..." Gabrielle whispered breathlessly.
Raphael shook his head. "Then don't say anything."
"Raphael, you know you can't do this."
'You think I don't?' The frustrated thought was involuntary, and he felt a twinge of guilt even if he had not said it aloud.
He stood up and walked to the window. "I do, Gabrielle. All too well, I'm afraid."
"But... Now I understand... Why the two of you were acting the way you were when I went to visit him..."
Raphael sighed and closed his eyes. Relations had been strained between himself and Michael since that night, almost three weeks past. It was like a dance now between the two of them, with words and actions both. It was amazing how they'd both been able to act normally around others, but when they were alone... That was another story. Lately, they'd even taken to working in their private Valhalla offices instead of the one they shared. Or Michael would remain on his estate, requesting all matters of importance to be forwarded to him there.
He turned back to his wife and was about to say something when there was a frantic knocking at the door. They exchanged looks before he called out that the door was unlocked. Sehri, one of the servants, entered, breathless.
"Raphael-sama, Gabrielle-sama," she bowed to the both of them. "Raphael-sama, there's a messenger for you from Valhalla. He said it was urgent. About Michael-sama."
He took a step forward just as his wife half-rose out of her chair. "Michael? Where's the messenger."
"Downstairs, Raphael-sama."
"Aa." He looked at Gabrielle once more before following the servant out.
The messenger was none other than the flame-haired Nuriel. He and Teleise had returned the week before with their mission's final reports and had been granted a short vacation before receiving new orders. The youth seemed worried, fidgeting in his seat. In his arms was a bouquet of flowers.
"Raphael-sama." He rose and bowed to the dark-eyed archangel.
"Nuriel," he nodded and smiled as they both sat. "No need for formalities. I'm not working right now. You have a message from Michael-sama?"
"No, Raphael -- sir." He blinked nervously, unused to saying his superior's name without the honorary suffix to it. "It's about Michael-sama. He's -- well -- he's..."
The archangel gave an inward frown at the hesitation. "He's...?"
"Ano... Michael-sama, well--" A stricken expression crossed Nuriel's features for a brief moment, unbefitting for he's noble countenance. "He's gone, sir."
He stared at the young angel for a while until the information clicked in his mind. "What?"
"Y-yes. He is. Teleise and I went to see him in his office for our appointment, but he wasn't there. We went to the one where the both of you work, since maybe he went back there"--there was a faint, almost unnoticeable, question in his tone here--"but..." A helpless shrug. "Teleise went to inform Azriel-sama¹ of this and I left the academy and came straight here to tell you." At his superior's questioning look, he added, "We were told you were off for a few days and that you were spending the time here.
"There was a search started before I left. No one saw him leave, ever, but we couldn't find him. But... There was -- ah -- this..." He stood and gave Raphael the bouquet he'd been holding and an envelope before sitting again. "It was in the office, sitting on your desk."
It was simple, composed of white violets and red carnations. In the middle was a full-blown red rose placed over two rose buds of the same color.
'Let's take a chance on happiness. My heart aches for you.' He frowned slightly at the last part of the message, trying to recall his memory of the language of flowers. 'A rose with placed over two buds... Secrecy...?'
"Thank you, Nuriel. Sehri?" He glanced at the servant, standing unobtrusively in a corner, waiting for her next order. "Inform Gabrielle I'll be leaving with Nuriel and send her my apologies for cutting my visit so short."
"Yes, sir!" A sweeping bow and she was gone.
"Raphael -- ah -- sir?" the young investigative angel asked tentatively. "You know what happened to Michael-sama?"
He did not answer right away. He suspected that Michael's disappearance was not linked to foul play. For one thing, there was no one anybody was aware of who had something against Michael. For another, if anyone had taken the archangel against his will, they would have to be brilliant to bypass the security systems in Valhalla or his estate. Searches would have been started in both places and if anything suspicious was found, there would be some mention of it. They could even have contacted him here.
He shook his head in reply to Nuriel's question. "No, I'm afraid not. I'll have to be taking over his duties now and personally heading the search for him."
'...What are you doing now...'
"Raphael?" Gabrielle came down the stairs, Sehri in her wake. "What happened?"
"Michael's gone. I have to leave now."
The woman gasped. "A-all right," she murmured, shaking her head at the apology in his dusk-dark eyes. Then, hugging him and giving him a kiss on the cheek, she whispered, "I won't tell. Go find him."
At his stunned expression, she just smiled.
"The car's ready, Raphael-sama," Sehri supplied from her corner.
He murmured his thanks to his wife and kissed her once more before nodding to Nuriel to come with him. The young angel bowed to Gabrielle before hurrying to his side, silent, but curiosity and worry radiating off him as they got into the car.
Michael -- disappeared? And with a bouquet left as a message. Raphael didn't have any idea where the blonde would go. Perhaps back to Eden, but he doubted that no one had contacted their home world yet about the Valhalla commander's disappearance. He looked at the yet unopened envelope in his hand, his name across the front in Michael's flowing script.
"This was with the flowers."
Nuriel jumped at his voice and glanced at him. "Um-- Yes. It was."
"Ah."
With barely a blink, he opened the envelope. The letter was also in Michael's beautiful handwriting, without a single blemish or mistake.
Raphael,
I know you're worried about me. I can
picture that frown you'll have as you read
this. Don't do that. It's not very becoming.
The beginnings of a frown turned instead into a slight smirk. Michael knew him far too well.
I'm fine. Really. Please tell everyoneelse not to worry, either. I'll be back soon.
I don't know when exactly, but it won't be
for long. And I'm sorry for all the ruckus I
know my disappearance must cause. The
opportunity just presented itself to me
and I had no time to do anything but
decide to take it or not.
I'm sure you must want to know where
I am. However, I'm more sure of the fact that
you'll probably come here and drag me
back.
Please trust me, Raphael. I'll be back
when I'm ready.
Michael
The lower right corner of the paper was marked with tiny writing. 'Three, four, "r," seven, "h." Hm?'²
He didn't understand their meaning, yet he knew Michael must have put it there for a reason. He slipped the letter back into the envelope so he could decipher that particular mystery later.
---------------------------
1: Just needed another authoritative figure at the academy.
2: L33T speak. For 'Earth.'