AN: Hi! waves. I'm back!!! After my fun-filled vacation with my cousins, I'm back in my writing business. First of, I want to thank Mewiness and Shinomu for reviewing, again . I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter!!! And I promise you, I'm getting closer to the end… oh, and uhm, I'm not sure if I will have Lantis transform into a human being like Nova could, but I'll give a happy ending, I promise. Isn't that your request, Shinomu? You better read until the end, because I really will give a happy ending. PROMISE!!!

DISCLAIMER: Magic Knight Rayearth's not mine. But I wish it was mine. Heck, I can't even draw, so it really is impossible to own a masterpiece like MKR, you know? sigh

Chapter 6: SHOW ME LOVE

"Hey Fuu-chan! Over here!" Hikaru called out, waving her arms in the air.

Fuu saw them and smiled, making her way towards them. When she reached them, she smiled once more and bowed down, "Konbanwa Hikaru-san, Umi-san. How long have you been here?"

Hikaru giggled as Umi rolled her eyes, "You're impossible, Fuu. It's a good thing that Ferio stands you're excessive politeness," Umi commented good-naturedly.

Fuu blushed a little, and she smiled sheepishly at her friends, "I can't help it, you know," she said defensively.

"Oh, you should not be so formal on us, Fuu-chan! If you want you can call us with the –chan suffix! After all, Umi-chan's getting accustomed to it!" Hikaru continued to giggle.

It was now Umi's turn to blush. "Shut up, Hikaru. I wish you should have stayed on your house instead, you know. You did nothing but tease me all night," she scowled.

Hikaru continued to giggle as Fuu smiled. "I just like the way your eyes turn into angry slits, Umi-chan. It's really cute," she teased some more, and she giggled hysterically, clutching Fuu who was giggling as well.

Umi scowled some more, and slapped Hikaru hard on the neck. "Stop that!" then she chased Hikaru across the lawn. She bumped into someone and she fell back on the grass with a loud THUMP.

"Ohhh…" she breathed. She blinked as she saw stars, and she heard Hikaru's anxious voice from behind.

"Umi-chan…are you okay? That land was pretty hard for me…"

"Why you!" she screeched, but a perfectly tanned hand appeared in front of her, offering help. When she looked up, she found herself looking deep into a pair of crystal clear emerald eyes. The guy, in turn, blushed, but still held out his hand.

"Anou…Miss, are you okay?" the guy asked, his voice rich and manly in her ears. Umi felt herself blush, and she nodded at the guy then stood up with the guy's help.

"Hai. Uhh…domo arigatou gozaimasou, Mister…" she answered, her eyes still locked with the guy's.

Even the guy didn't broke their eye contact, even though the blush on their faces were very much obvious, "Ascot. My name's Asakawa Ascot. And you are?"

"Umi. Ryuuzaki Umi," she answered. She was tall for her age, as she stands nearly six feet at the age of twenty, and especially because she's a woman, but the guy in front of her…she estimated that the guy must be 6"2', or more. Really tall, her mind whispered.

She heard a few rustles from behind, and when she turned around she saw Hikaru, Ferio and Fuu standing there. She saw as Fuu's eyes widened, and her brunette friend quickly walked past her and to Ascot.

"Ascot-kun! What a nice surprise! When did you arrive?" Fuu asked in an excited voice.

A smile broke on Ascot's face, "Just this morning, Fuu-chan. It's good to see you again after three years," he answered.

Fuu nodded then hugged the guy, much to Umi, Hikaru and Ferio's surprise. "Yes, it's good to see you too again, Ascot-kun," she murmured. When she turned back to her friends, she was met by their surprised gazes and Ferio's frown. Then she giggled lightly and touched Ascot's arm.

"Guys, this is Asakawa Ascot, my favorite cousin in the whole wide world. Three years ago his father petitioned him to France to study there, but now he decided that he wanted to study here instead and well, here he is!" she introduced. Then she went beside Ferio and introduced her friends to her cousin.

"Ascot-kun, these are my very good friends, Shidou Hikaru and Ryuuzaki Umi, and this is my boyfriend Fujuiwara Ferio,"

Ascot nodded at Hikaru and Ferio then smiled shyly at Umi, "Umi-san and I already met. I bumped into her. Likewise, it was nice meeting you, Hikaru-san, Ferio-san." then he raised an eyebrow at Fuu and Ferio and asked in a teasing voice, "You're boyfriend? That's a good thing, Fuu. By the way, how did you court him?"

Hikaru and Umi giggled as Ferio laughed and Fuu scowled at her cousin. "Cut it out, Ascot-kun, or I'll kill you," she answered, and that earned a laugh across the small group.

It was the start of a wonderful evening, especially between Asakawa Ascot and Ryuuzaki Umi.

"Isn't he so cute?" Umi asked dreamily. She rolled on her belly to look at Hikaru and Fuu who were on the computer, researching something about diethylene glycol.

She saw Hikaru roll her eyes while Fuu stifled a giggle as they continued with their work. "Well, Umi-san, I would be totally subjective if I tell you that Ascot-kun's the cutest guy in the world for me--"

"You mean he's cuter than Ferio?" Umi cut off, her eyes widening a little bit. This time, Hikaru made it obvious that she was really thinking that Umi's gotten weird all of a sudden.

"Ferio's gorgeous. Ascot-kun's cute. That's all I wanted to point out, Umi-san," Fuu explained, her cheeks coloring a little bit.

Umi nodded then the dreamy expression on her eyes returned once again. "Yeah, he's so cute. And a real hunk too, and gentleman, and very kind and accommodating, and--"

This time Hikaru was unable to stop herself from interrupting Umi. "Would you stop enumerating Ascot-san's traits, Umi?! That's about the fifth time you told us about his traits this afternoon! Onegai give Fuu and me a little quiet space here, okay? Had I known you'd be this noisy I wouldn't have invited you over here!" she exclaimed, widening her eyes.

Umi pouted, but she kept her mouth shut. After twenty minutes, Fuu finally straightened up from her position in front of the PC and clicked on the Print button. "Well! That sums it all up! We're finally finished with our project, Hikaru-san! We can actually pass this tomorrow, along with our experiments," Fuu grinned, looking excitedly at Hikaru.

Hikaru's eyes twinkled as she slumped down on the beanbag at the corner of her room, close to where her bed was located, "Finally! Don't take this against you, Fuu-chan, but I think I've had enough of that experiments we did. It was fun, really, but after staying inside a laboratory for more than a month, I think I'm going to take a break from all that stuff and just enjoy life outside the lab," she said dryly.

Fuu laughed, "Quite unlikely, Hikaru-san, because you know, when we become Medical Technologists, we'll be spending the rest of our day locked up in a laboratory to find out the diseases of our patients,"

Hikaru groaned in protest, "Urgh! Then I'll continue my studies to medicine!" which earned a laugh from both her friends.

Then Fuu turned to Umi and winked at the blue-haired girl, "So, Umi-san, you really find my cousin cute?" she asked.

Umi blushed, but she nodded at Fuu, "Yeah. Plus he's so kind, and--"

Hikaru cut her off with a loud groan. She answered by throwing a pillow at Hikaru. "You know, Umi-san, I've never seen Ascot looking like what he looked like when he's with you," Fuu continued.

Umi stopped and turned at Fuu, "What do you mean by that?" she asked cautiously.

"I meant, that he's probably attracted to you the same way that you're attracted to him,"

"Really?! Someone would be attracted to ugly-Umi here?!" Hikaru screeched playfully. She earned a death glare from Umi as Fuu giggled.

"For your information, shrimp, I'm pretty. And yes, I'm proud to say that someone is attracted to me! And don't you forget that I already had a boyfriend whereas you," she looked smugly at the redhead, "Hasn't had a suitor or a male acquaintance. So who's the ugly one between us? Even Fuu here has a boyfriend, so that means that among us three, you're the ugliest!"

Umi had only one blink when Hikaru lunged at her. She did not have much time to dodge Hikaru's assault or grab a pillow as a protection, as Hikaru brought down on her the pillow that she used on the redhead a few moments ago. Umi only heard Fuu's laugh as she struggled under Hikaru's weight.

"You'll pay for that big time, Umi!!!" Hikaru screamed then she tickled Umi on the waist. Umi laughed very hard as she tipped her head to let out a squeal of both protest and fun.

"Stop that, Hikaru!"

"Hahaha! This is so much fun, Hikaru-san! I'm sure that once you and Ascot-kun started dating, Umi-san, you two will never have a dull moment and will enjoy every bit of your date!" Fuu exclaimed.

This certainly caught Hikaru and Umi's attention, and they immediately stopped and faced the brunette. "Say that again, Fuu-chan? Do you mean that Ascot-kun is actually thinking of asking Umi-chan here for a date? After only meeting once?" Hikaru asked incredulously.

Fuu nodded happily, "Ascot-kun actually bombarded me with thousands of questions about you, Umi-san, ranging from your favorite color to your favorite food, and asked me if you would appreciate a candlelit dinner beside the sea. He is clearly attracted to you, and I can sense that this time, it's for real,"

Umi looked hard at Fuu then broke into a sweet smile, "Oh, I can't wait to talk to him! I wonder when he is going to ask me out?" she asked dreamily again.

Hikaru and Fuu both laughed, before lunging at her.

"You're hopeless, Umi-chan!!!"

Hikaru woke up in the middle of the night. She blinked as darkness welcomed her. She waited as her eyes get accustomed to the blackness surrounding her, then she turned her head to her side and found Umi and Fuu fast asleep. She sighed and silently crawled out of the bed.

Hikaru then turned her attention on her room. Nothing was unusual; her things were still in their places and her computer was still turned off, just as the light on her side table was also off. But then, she woke up because she felt a mysterious presence inside her room. Once again she swept her eyes inside the room, and surely she spotted a black figure beside the door.

Stifling a gasp, Hikaru took three tentative steps towards the door to see the stranger more closely. The moon chose that exact moment to go out of the clouds were it was hiding, and illuminated the face of a young woman, maybe a few years older than she, with pink hair that flowed smoothly on the girl's back. She took in the elfin ears and the red, clear eyes. Hikaru cleared her throat and forced herself to speak to the stranger.

"What are you doing here inside my room?"

The stranger straightened up, and went out the shadows. "I wanted to talk to you, Hikaru,"

That's the same with the voice I heard in my head, that tempting voice that opposed the soothing voice, she thought. Her eyes must have registered shock, because the girl in front of her giggled softly.

"Hai, Hikaru, that was me. I was the same voice inside your head. And now I wanted to talk to you," the girl answered, and she raised her hands up and in an instant they were in the park a few kilometers away from Hikaru's home.

Hikaru looked around the place, unsure of whether to fear the girl or stay and wait for what the girl has to say.

The girl slumped down on the grass, and then patted the space beside her. "Come here Hikaru, have a sit beside me. I won't harm you," the girl invited.

It was as if Hikaru was drawn into a vortex that she couldn't find the urge to resist the offer, so she closed the gap between the two of them and sat down beside the girl, her eyes never leaving the eyes of the stranger.

Get a grip, Hikaru! Snap out of it! Look somewhere else! On the pond, on the benches, on the tress, anywhere but on the eyes of that stranger! Come on! Her mind screamed, but she was totally lost in the depths of the girl's eyes. They were very clear, red eyes, and they were inviting her temptingly to enjoy once again in the sweet presence of sin. She desperately tried to tear her eyes away from the red eyes, but she was powerless. She knew she already sunk under the girl's penetrating gaze.

The girl, in turn, smiled knowingly, and without warning the girl threw her arms around her and hugged her tight. "Oh Hikaru! I just knew that we would be perfect for each other! Can't you see the attraction between us? Can't you feel it?" the girl giggled openly.

And before Hikaru could react on the possessive hug that the girl was giving her, she found herself drawn into another dimension as the girl pressed her red, silky lips into hers. Her mind seemed to be paralyzed with shock and surprise. She felt as the lips pressed on hers hardened, and she groaned not in pleasure but because she was getting suffocated.

The girl, sensing this, let go of Hikaru albeit reluctantly. "Okay. That's it for now. But next time…" the girl trailed off maliciously, licking her still wet lips. "That was really sweet, my dear Hikaru. Although I expected it, the sweetness of your lips still took my by surprise and glee, at the same time," she said, trailing her gloved hand on Hikaru's smooth cheeks.

Hikaru swallowed hard. She still didn't know what to say or what to do. All she did was stare at the girl as she licked her own lips. She felt nothing while the girl was kissing her, almost as if it was her mother giving her a light peck on the cheeks. Other than that, she felt nothing. So she can't quite comprehend that 'sweetness' thing that the girl was talking about.

The girl giggled again upon seeing the confusion in Hikaru's eyes. Once again she hugged Hikaru tight and whispered in her ear. "You'll get used to it, Hikaru-chan, you'll see,"

Hikaru sighed in relief. At least this time, the girl did not kissed her, although the girl's breath on her ears sent shiver on her spine and tingled her senses.

"What--what's your name?" she finally found her voice. Once again she sighed in relief, and she felt her self-control flowing back again in her veins.

The girl giggled again before releasing her. "You can call me Nova. That simple," she said, and giggled once again. Hikaru couldn't help but smile at Nova.

"You seem very spirited and cheerful, Nova,"

"That's because I really am spirited!"

Hikaru shook her head, "But I still cannot understand any of these things. I mean, why me? And what did you do that for? The kiss, I mean,"

Nova let out a laugh this time that echoed in the night. "Because I like you, that's why!"

Hikaru looked curiously at Nova, "You mean, you kiss every person that you like just like that?" she asked stupidly. She can't help it!

Nova's laugh only increased in the night air. Birds took off on the tress where they were staying, and Hikaru looked around warily at the park. They were totally alone now there, at this time of the night.

"You really are still very innocent, my dear sweet Hikaru! No, I don't kiss everybody I like the way I kissed you, because believe it or not, it's only you I ever wanted all my life. No one else," Nova answered, looking gravely at Hikaru.

Hikaru felt her heart race, and she couldn't tell whether she was excited that this good-looking woman could actually like her very much. Why, she is ugly! And she couldn't brag about her physical attributes because there was nothing she could brag, not her small breasts and ultra slim waist. No, it seemed impossible to have this girl, this beautiful girl, to like her. Not even the boys her same age could be attracted to her, much more this older girl.

Nova seemed to read Hikaru's mind, so she went up to Hikaru, enveloped the redhead inside her arms, and planted another kiss on the redhead's lips. "You're beautiful Hikaru, do not doubt that. You're really beautiful," she murmured against Hikaru's lips.

Hikaru could only nod. She was drowning in the sweet feeling of this Nova chick's arms around her, and she found it in her heart that she believed this stranger on whatever she told her. And the confession of this pink-haired woman that she likes her was a big relief for her.

It's about time that somebody professes to me that he likes me! She thought.

She didn't realize the certain red aura surrounding her, nor she felt a cloud of smoke enter her mind and heart. From that moment on, all she could hear in her mind was Nova's voice, and nothing more.

"Now, hear me Hikaru. Nobody must know of this. You have to keep it a secret between the two of us. Every night I'll be fetching you, and we'll go someplace where we can have fun. Is that understood?" Nova asked soothingly. She was sure what Hikaru would answer, as she noticed that the redhead's eyes turned on a little glassy now.

Hikaru nodded, "Whatever you say, Nova. Your wish is my command," she answered automatically.

Nova squealed happily and hugged Hikaru again. This time, Hikaru returned the affection, and even initiated the kiss. After a few minutes, though, Nova broke off, as she felt herself getting out of air.

"Okay, that's it for tonight. I think you should head back to your room now and sleep. I know how tired you are from your schooling," Nova ushered Hikaru back at the house and quietly slipped her back to the bed, between the sleeping Umi and Fuu. After one last kiss, Nova took off, as Hikaru closed her eyes.

"This is just the beginning…tomorrow, Hikaru will be totally mine…"

Something is definitely weird with Hikaru, and it was hard for Umi to ignore it when she knew that Fuu and Ferio felt the same way too.

It all started that morning, when she woke up in Hikaru's bed. When she turned to her side to greet Hikaru a good morning, she faced only a cold space, and then Fuu was still fast sleeping on her side of the bed. Umi frowned: this was already a strange occurrence. She knew Hikaru as a marathon sleeper, and for the redhead to wake up hours before she do was already amazing. But then she heard the door opened, and in came her bubbly best friend.

After that, Hikaru proceeded on waking up Fuu too, and then the three of them ate breakfast that Hikaru prepared herself, which was another amazing fact because Hikaru does not know how to cook.

Third, Hikaru dressed up completely different. Instead of the usual jeans and shirt, Hikaru opted for a gray skirt, white blouse and a red midriff jacket. By this time she and Fuu couldn't hold back a retort that Hikaru looked like a high school student, or a junior high student, for that matter, but the redhead only laughed at them. When they entered the gates of Tokyo U, several guys whistled as Hikaru passed by. Instead of feeling embarrassed, Hikaru just smiled at those guys and winked flirtatiously. She and Fuu did nothing but just to stare back at the redhead.

They have to admit that Hikaru's cuteness and curves showed off on her outfit, and she really looked amazing, but it was all too new for them. Hikaru never ever wore a thing like that, much more now that they were already in college. Sure, way back in junior high they wore uniforms, but that uniform was worn by the whole batch! And now, Hikaru walks in the corridors on Tokyo U wearing a uniform all alone! They did not know whether to laugh or be irritated.

Now, at lunchtime, Umi, Fuu, Ferio and Ascot were staring at Hikaru as she ate her pasta with so much gentleness that for a moment, the group thought that Fuu's spirits were suddenly transferred to the redhead. When Hikaru noticed that she was being watched, she looked up from her lunch and met the unblinking eyes of Umi.

She swallowed first and took a sip from her orange juice before turning her attention to Umi, "Doushita Umi-chan? Aren't you very angry?" then she looked at the group, "Aren't you all hungry? You still haven't touched your lunches," she pointed out at the wrapped sandwiches and steaming pasta at the table.

It was Ascot who gathered the courage to answer Hikaru, "Anou, Hikaru. Uhurm. We just--wanted to ask if--you're feeling all right today…"

Hikaru cocked her eyebrows and looked curiously at her friends, "Hai, I'm fine. Don't I look fine today?"

"No. You look absolutely different today, Hikaru, if you must know! Fuu and I had been racking our brains since early this morning as to what could have happened to you, that you're acting so different from your usual self, but we can't find a single thing that could give justice to your weird behavior today!" Umi burst out, unable to contain her irritation.

Ascot reached out and squeezed her hands to calm her down, and she squeezed his hands back, but still her eyes were looking irritated at Hikaru.

Hikaru raised her eyebrows this time and a glint of laughter appeared on her eyes, "Well, I don't think my change of appearance is really a big issue here, Umi-chan, I mean I'm entitled to change, am I not?" she reasoned out.

Fuu chose to break her silence now, her fingers intertwined with Ferio's, "You're just very weird today, Hikaru-san, and not just the clothes, but also the attitude and the way you…handle yourself. It was like…overnight, you were corrupted by some unseen force that caused you to change, that's all," she said, choosing her words carefully.

Hikaru looked hard at her four friends before she stood up, "Well, I'm sorry that you don't like my new look. But last night, somebody just opened my eyes that I shouldn't hide myself behind loose shirts and baggy jeans. After all, I have a figure I could boast in the world. Maybe it's high time that I act like a lady and not a baby," she said, and with that she stomped off the cafeteria where many eyes followed her every move.

The four could only look at each other in amazement and wonder.

"What could have happened to her?" Ascot asked worriedly.

Ferio shrug, "That was really a surprise, to see her on a new outfit. I mean, Hikaru's as constant as the North Star, and it's…kind of a wonder to see her…change…"

Umi and Fuu nodded, "Yeah. Something's definitely up with her, and I suspect that it's not just a simple makeover. Hikaru's not exactly the one to take a bold step, you know," Umi said.

Fuu looked around the cafeteria where many men were still gazing at the locked cafeteria doors. "Didn't you noticed the drooling glances that these men were casting Hikaru-san the moment she stepped her foot inside the cafeteria? And before, these men were just ignoring her, but now…look at them. They were like puppy dogs," she commented.

"Yeah. This is getting bad," Umi commented once more.

Hikaru tossed and turned on her bed. Nova promised her that she would come earlier that night, so they can hang out in all the special places Nova knew. But after an hour, Nova was still nowhere in sight. Just as Hikaru was about get up from the bed, a pair of slender arms pinned her down on the soft mattress and seconds after a pair of lips were locked tightly with her own.

"I missed you, Hikaru-chan," Nova breathed on her ear. Hikaru smiled. That made up for her irritation. She hugged Nova tight and whispered, "Me too," before she released Nova.

"You ready?" Nova asked, a glint of mischief on her luscious eyes.

Hikaru nodded. Nova took her hand and seconds later they were transported to a nightclub filled with smoke.

"This is the first time since I met Fuu that I entered a nightclub again, Nova," Hikaru admitted, glancing around the club with keenness and fear in her eyes.

Nova chuckled before pulling the redhead with her to enter the club. "Oh, don't mind it! You'll get used to it again! And you know, I also brought a few friends here who…you know…" Nova hinted.

Hikaru immediately understood. She swallowed hard as they entered one of the private rooms upstairs. "Drugs?" Hikaru whispered in the dark, clutching Nova's hands painfully, but the girl did not mind. In fact, she was savoring the closeness she shares with Hikaru.

Nova nodded. Then on one corner of the room, Hikaru saw five people clustered at the floor, the smell of marijuana stung heavily at the air.

"Guys, I want you to meet Hikaru, a very special acquaintance of mine," Nova introduced. The cutest guy in the group stood up, and walked towards them.

"My pleasure to meet such a beautiful lady. My name's Kitoshi." The guy said, kissing her hand. Nova glared at the guy, but Kitoshi doesn't seem to be affected or the least bit scared. In fact, he pulled Hikaru towards the group and let her sit beside him. One by one, the other members of the group introduced themselves, and they started on with the fun.

Nova, on the other hand, growled, but then she shrugged and sat beside Hikaru. Kitoshi handed Hikaru and Nova their dope, and the two reached out for a lighter. As Hikaru passed the foil paper atop the fire, Kitoshi leaned on her and kissed her on her nape. She giggled and nearly dumped her foil paper on the ground.

"Hey! Don't disturb me!" she scolded Kitoshi, but there was laughter in her eyes. Kitoshi only smiled enigmatically at her before he captured her lips for a long kiss.

She didn't protested. Instead she leaned forward to kiss Kitoshi more closely, and their lips remained locked together as if they were each other's source of breath. Finally, after what seemed like an hour, they broke apart and laughed.

"You're a good kisser," Hikaru commented, smiling dazzlingly at him.

Kitoshi smacked his lips in return, and leaned on Hikaru very closely, "You're not bad either," he said, and then stole a quick kiss on her lips again before turning on his dope. Hikaru shook her head and in one motion inhaled on her dope slowly.

She slowly felt herself rising in a bubble, and before long she was already 'high' up in the air. After that, she snatched the cigarette that Nova handed to her and lighted it up. She tipped her head and blew the smoke on the air, producing circles of fog and hazy objects.

"This is real fun!!!" she exclaimed, her eyes glazing over. Although she only took in one dope, she was already 'too high' because of the strong effect of the drug. She laughed and turned to Kitoshi. She grabbed his head towards her and initiated a long French kiss that even Nova was amazed at how quickly she was able to corrupt Hikaru's mind.

After two hours, Nova finally called it a day and insisted on Hikaru that they should head home. After she managed to get the redhead out of the room, she snapped her fingers and the people inside the room quickly vanished. She smiled smugly and carried the dozing redhead on her shoulders before she willed them to be transported back to the redhead's room.

Nova took notice that the room was still in the same order when she and Hikaru left it, and she was glad. It would be a real problem if the redhead's mother came in here and found that Hikaru was missing.

She gently laid Hikaru's form at the bed, and then gazed intently at her precious redhead. What she liked most about her was her eyes, because they spoke volumes of love and affection for her friends and her family. Hikaru's eyes were always smiling, even if her life was not something to be happy with. Hikaru's eyes always conveyed passion and once you look in them, you'd get lost in the depths of her red orbs and sink deeper on her soul.

They say that one's eyes are the mirrors of the soul; Nova guessed that that's quite true. Because looking at Hikaru's eyes, Nova saw the loneliness and the yearning deep within Hikaru's heart, that's why she appealed to those emotions the moment she came face to face with the redhead. That deep yearning to be admired or be given an attention by anybody that's not her friend. Inside, Hikaru's quite a lonely soul and kind of love-thirsty, and Nova used it to her advantage. Now, she only have to get Hikaru to commit the greatest crime that she wanted the redhead to commit and she'll find a way to eventually kill the redhead and present her soul to Lucifer.

She only needed for Hikaru to kill someone before she can truly call Hikaru her very own possession.

And then they'd be able to live in Hell for eternity together. She can vouch for Hikaru's soul to belong to her and make Hikaru as one of Lucifer's special 'task force' on Earth. Convincing Lucifer might not be too hard, considering that she succeeded in her battle with that good-for-nothing Angel Lantis.

Nova's laughed echoed through the room as she disappeared into the air.

"Victory is mine, Angel Lantis, and you couldn't do anything now to stop me from possessing Hikaru! Nobody will be able to stand in my way!"

"Gomen nasai, minna-chan, I got caught up in the house. Mommy wanted me to try her newly baked chiffon cake, and wouldn't let me out without tasting it," Umi explained, catching her breath as she spoke.

Ascot smiled gently at her and ushered her down on a bench, "It's all right, ma cherie, we weren't waiting for you that long. You're only a few minutes late. But first, you have to catch your breath and relax, then we'd start with the meeting,"

Umi smiled gratefully at her boyfriend and followed as she was told. She took several deep breaths before releasing them slowly, filling her lungs with much needed oxygen. After a good fifteen minutes, she was already calm enough to listen as Fuu started enumerating Hikaru's changes.

"First thing was her clothing style. She was very far from the simple redhead that I know to the now stylish and flamboyant one that I see everyday in my Organic Chemistry classes."

"Second, the traits. Hikaru-san's extremely friendly to everybody now, especially to guys, to the extent that her friendliness appears insincere and flirty already,"

"Third, her whole demeanor and way of thinking. That…that at least is the worst of all the changes I've observed on her," Fuu said.

Umi sighed and rubbed her temples lightly. It was already getting dark, but she knew that they have so many things to discuss first before they can call it a day, "So, what do you think are we supposed to do?" she asked.

But before any of her friends could answer, a shadow materialized behind them, and when they turned they saw a tall man dressed in white standing behind the bushes.

It was Ascot who asked the man, "Do you want something, Mister?"

The man smiled a little, and his raven hair flew as a gentle wind passed by. "Hai. I want you all to go to the hospital and see if Hikaru's all right now,"

Umi's eyes widened, and she saw Fuu cover her mouth out on the corner of her eye, "What happened to her? Is she in some kind of danger?" she asked hoarsely.

The man nodded rather stiffly, "Hai. That's why I asked you four her close friends, to come to the hospital, to give her support and encouragement to continue on with the battle for her life. Or else…" the man trailed off.

"Or else…?" Ferio asked.

"She'll be dead, and her soul will be in the hands of the devil,"

There was a round of gasping. It seemed as if the four friends were on the verge of disbelieving such far fetch story, but the man was quick to dismiss the doubt in their minds, "Often times, doubting is a good thing, especially if you think and feel that you're in danger. But in such emergencies like this, it is better to just trust rather than look for a way to pin the man as a liar. Search within your hearts: do you really think I would lie to you especially about Hikaru's condition?" the man said, looking them in the eye.

Ferio opened his mouth, but after a few moments closed it again. Fuu looked around her friends and when she saw that there was a tiny bit of trust in their faces for the man, she nodded at him, "Will you take us there?"

The man nodded, "Hai. I just wanted the invitation to come from you," and with that, he spread his arms on front of them.

"Before anything else, what are we gonna call you?" Umi asked curiously.

The man looked at her briefly before he closed his eyes, "Angel Lantis," and then bright light engulfed them.

AN: 'ma cherie' is I think a French word for 'my dear'. That's what my friend told me. R/R please!!!

Peace, men!!!

(.)-(.)