From Earth, Eden was only a star in the sky, no different from all the others that sprinkled the black expanse of space; the same could be said for Earth from a vantage point on Eden. Both planets, however, were easily seen from the Valhalla moon base.
It was Eden Raphael gazed at in the nights after Michael's disappearance. There were thorough searches on both the moon world he was now in command of and his home planet. A few days after he had been temporarily instated into the position, he -- reluctantly -- had to give up heading those searches in favor of business with the academy. After a week and a half, there was still nothing, not even a hint of where the archangel had gone. Those searches were still going on, but they didn't quite expect to find anything. Except for the note and flower message he had left for his second-in-command, there was no trace of the blonde archangel.
"I thought I might find you here." Raphael chuckled as the angel looked up from the book he was engrossed in, causing a few golden locks to fall over his right eye. "You're not very good at hiding."
With a smirk, Michael brushed his hair away from his face and replied, "If I really wanted to hide, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now, Raphael."
The archangel sighed, eyes a stormy gray as he turned away from the window and strode to his desk; he still had work to do. 'Guess you were right, Michael-sama. You really can disappear when you don't want to be found.'
"Raphael-sama?"
The door opened and Nuriel appeared, busy in an awkward attempt to tie his fire-orange hair back. Teleise was behind him, sapphire eyes full of amusement at her partner. Raphael smiled and beckoned them both in.
"You called for us, sir?" the flame-haired angel inquired, finally settling for putting his tresses in a braid.
The archangel nodded "I did. The two of you are going back to Earth."
The two angels blinked, exchanged looks, then nodded in understanding. Nuriel began to ask something, but closed his mouth and settled back down, gaze roaming around the office.
"Michael and I had reviewed your request before he left. Teleise."
"Yes, sir."
"You will remain as Nuriel's partner." He held up his hand to keep either of them from speaking. "Your next assignment will last only about three weeks. Think of it as -- ah -- an observation period, if you will. The two of you will be sent to Germany, where you will make reports on that country and the surrounding areas. In addition to your checking in periodically -- both of you -- there is another pair of investigators who will visit from time to time, as well as random inquiries made by archangel Uriel-sama." He met the sapphire-eyed angel's troubled gaze. "A report that an angel is getting too close to the Earthians while on investigation is a serious matter. Although we aren't quite worried about you, this is still a necessary procedure. You understand, Teleise."
She nodded, twisting a lock of sunset purple hair around her finger. "Yes, Raphael-sama."
"The two of may go. You leave in three days."
"Sir," they both replied, rising and heading for the door.
"Oh, Nuriel."
"Raphael-sama?" His expression was a confused one as the archangel beckoned him back to the desk. "Is there something else?"
"I only need a moment, Nuriel. Here." He pushed his memo pad across his desk. "What do you make of this?"
"Sir?" Eyes as fiery as the angel's hair flashed confusion as he looked at the set of characters his superior had written down. "Earthian, letters of the Roman alphabet. Three, four, 'r,' seven, 'h...' I don't-- It's some sort of code, as far as I can guess, sir, but I haven't seen anything like it."
"My sentiments exactly."
"Sir -- if I may... Um... Where did you...?"
"Michael's letter. The one you delivered to me the day of his disappearance." He sighed, dark eyes as troubled as Teleise's had been moments before. "I didn't really think about it until today."
"Oh. Um... I'm sorry I can't be of much help, Raphael-sama. I can see how much finding Michael-sama is important for you." If he noticed the alarmed expression that flashed across his superior's face for a split-second, he wisely kept it to himself. "It's important for the rest of us, too. Michael-sama was -- is like a father to all of us here in Valhalla." He flushed and kept his gaze concentrated on the dark world beyond the office window. "You both are."
The archangel smiled softly at that. "And you are as children to us. Michael has expressed that countless times." A pause. "Thank you, Nuriel, you may go now. I've taken up too much of your time already."
The angel bowed with an obedient murmur and left the room. With another sigh, Raphael sat back in his chair, took the memo, and stared at it. The letters and numbers had a meaning to them; it totally escaped him, but he was absolutely sure of their significance to Michael's disappearance.
'This isn't like him,' he thought idly, turning the pad around in his hands. 'Left where only I could notice-- What?'
He'd seen it. Just for a moment, but he'd seen it. His eyes had become unfocused and the answer presented itself to him. He felt like laughing until he tried looking at the word again.
'But... Why there? Why on Eden would you...' He blinked.
"Of course... Right in our midst and still managing to elude us. Michael..." Raphael shook his head and gave a rueful smile. "Too intelligent for your own good."
"Ch'. Earthians," Kagetsuya grumbled as he sat down beside Chihaya on the couch, nose wrinkled in distaste as he flipped through their mail. "Sending others a bunch of useless junk. Waste of time, waste of paper."
Chihaya smiled and snuggled up against his lover, not minding the quiet tirade one bit. One could say that it had become almost ritual. Over two years -- almost three -- since they'd taken permanent residence on Earth, even longer since the beginning of their investigations for Eden, and Kagetsuya still viewed their adopted people with dislike and distrust. Sure, sometimes he was not serious, but those times did not happen often. A negative checker to the end, that was Kagetsuya.
Chihaya lifted his head at the faint sound of beeping. It sounded like the console in the other room.
"Hm? What's this?" the other angel had not noticed the sound, still engrossed in the mail, pausing to take one from the bunch in his hand.
It was the console. Chihaya stood up and went to the room where they kept it. To anyone else, this was a mere computer, ordinary looking amongst Earthian machines, though it was anything but what it seemed to be. Despite their exile on Earth, Kagetsuya kept it in good repair. Not only was it faster and more efficient than anything the Earthians had now, but it was the favored mode of communication between them and Elvira. Then there was the fact that they still communicated with Eden on occasion.
The light signaling an incoming message was flashing so he sat down and typed in the code to accept the call. 'Hm. It's from here on Earth? But it's not...'
"Hello," he greeted uncertainly. "This is Chihaya,."
"Chihaya-kun! Long time, no see!"
"Ah! Uriel-sama!"
He could say nothing else past that. The archangel startled him, suddenly calling in out of the blue. Chihaya had never thought to expect him to contact them, especially after so long. And that wasn't counting the great risk he took in doing so.
"So, how are you doing?" Uriel continued smoothly.
"Eh? Uh-- erm... I'm fine, Uriel-sama," he stammered out. "B-but... why..."
He braced himself for the angel's next words for some reason. It was that expression, his mind reasoned. There was just something there that was so secretive in the brown-haired angel's demeanor and the light in his eyes was more than a little conspiratorial. Something that never boded well, he had learned long ago.
"You're coming here to Hawaii on Friday," Uriel announced.
Chihaya blinked as the news settled in. Hawaii? On Friday? Kagetsuya had said nothing about a trip, had in fact more or less expressed that he didn't want to leave Shinjuku anytime soon.
"I don't understand..."
Two objects -- plane tickets, he saw by the light of the monitor -- landed on the desk in front of him. He felt the comforting presence that was Kagetsuya behind him before the angel wrapped his arms around him.
"What is the meaning of this?" was his mate's simple query.
Uriel just grinned and shrugged. "Just thought you two might like a vacation. I'm down here on a little break, myself, so I said to myself, why don't I invite the two of you over? I know you loved it the Christmas we were all here for the gathering." Then, hopefully, "So? Gonna take me up on the offer?"
Chihaya tilted his head up to meet his lover's eyes, now azure from the glow of the computer. Kagetsuya's expression was unreadable and he seemed to be trying to keep from looking at the dark angel.
"You are risking so much even with this call," the angel said at last.
"As does Michael with his calls."
Chihaya paled, gaze snapping back to the figure on the monitor. Softly came the sharp intake of breath that was his partner's.
"No one knows but myself and Raphael," the archangel said quickly. "No one else will know."
"You cannot know that for sure, Uriel-sama. We can't let you run the risk of being caught having contact with us."
An amused smirk. "Oh, where's the fun in life without risks? Come on, Kagetsuya. I promise I'll protect you from those rabid Earthians from Hilton."ยน
Chihaya snickered at the offhand remark. Behind him, the other angel gave a small cough.
"Ah hah! You're smiling, Kagetsuya-kun!" Uriel chuckled. "Now, tell me you're coming, you two."
"Kagetsuya?" the amethyst-eyed youth queried timidly when his mate didn't answer.
He felt his partner shift in what he suspected to be a shrug of surrender. "At least you've given us a few days' warning about this."
"Excellent! Excellent!" exclaimed the archangel. "Now help me kill time, will you, and let's talk."
----------------------------------
1: Banana bread/Hilton Hawaiian Village joke. From book 1's 'Christmas Summer.'