AN: I'm so sorry for the very long delay. I'm sorry to Shinomu, because I promised her I'd have this fic finished before school starts, but I haven't updated for…three months! I'm so sorry! But hey, one more chapter, and possibly an epilogue, will be coming in a short while that will conclude this fic. Yeah. Please forgive me for the long delay.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Magic Knight Rayearth. I never did and I never will. But I wished, many times over, that I got to meet the CLAMP team and the seiyyuus that did the anime voices for Hikaru, Umi and Fuu. Oh, and did you know that I dreamed, once, that I met the entire MKR cast?
Chapter 7: ANGEL LANTIS TO THE RESCUE!
Hikaru stirred, and slowly opened her eyes. The first thing that greeted her sight was the white ceiling, and then Umi's anxious voice reached her ears.
"Doushita, Hikaru? Does it ache? Do you want us to call the doctor?" Umi asked, attempting to smile down at her but failed miserably. Her worry was apparent on her eyes that turned dark blue whenever she's disturbed.
Hikaru smiled then closed her eyes before reaching out for Umi's hands, "Iie. I'm fine now. Arigatou, though," she answered.
"We were here the moment that we knew of your condition, exactly about three hours ago," Fuu said on her other side, her voice quavering a bit.
Hikaru turned her head on her other friend and smiled at the brunette to ease the stress that she saw on the brunette's eyes, "I'm fine now, Fuu-chan, no need to worry about me," she repeated. Fuu only nodded but her eyes were still the darkest of emeralds, showing the strain she's in.
Hikaru then looked around the hospital room. Her eyes caught Ferio's and Ascot's, but unlike her two friends, the two guys were much calmer.
"Hiya, Hikaru. How 'ya doing?" Ferio asked, winking at her.
Hikaru grinned at him and winked back, "Never better," she joked, which caused Ferio and Ascot to chuckle.
Ascot pointed at finger at the two girls and wiggled his eyebrows at Hikaru, "It's a good thing that you finally woke up, Hikaru, because it seems to me and Ferio that these girl friends of yours were on the verge of breaking down in worry of you. It was not enough that the doctors already assured us of your safety, these two wanted to see you wake up before they believe that you're truly out of danger!" he teased.
This time, Hikaru, Ferio and Ascot's laugh echoed through the room, while Umi and Fuu blushed furiously.
"Cut it out, guys! We were really worried for you, Hikaru, that's why we were so freaked out! It's not like it's an unusual reaction, you know!" Umi defended herself and Fuu. Hikaru smiled and nodded, trying to suppress her giggles.
"Yeah, I know. And arigatou again, guys, but you don't have to be so worried about me. I can take care of myself!" she boasted, trying to lighten up the situation. But Fuu shook her head, her eyes still clouded.
"No Hikaru-san, you nearly died at the OR, do you know that? And if not for Angel Lantis' powers, you wouldn't make it. Even the doctors told us that there was a slim chance for you to survive, but you did, and it's all thanks to Angel Lantis," she objected.
Hikaru fell silent. She felt the eyes of her friends on her, and she sighed deeply to relieve the darkness that loomed on her heart once again.
"Gomen guys. I honestly didn't mean to make you worried like that, and I know that it's my entire fault. Please forgive me," she mumbled, tears appearing on her eyes.
Umi reached out for her hand and squeezed it tight, "We're just happy now that you're still alive, doing well and breathing,"
"But then, what happened, Hikaru-san? Why…why were you injured?" Fuu asked gently, taking her other hand.
Hikaru sighed again and closed her eyes. "It's this Nova girl who has been…hanging out with me ever since last week. She was the one who convinced me to change my appearance and in the process, change the whole me. I don't know…but I was kind of just following everything she wanted me to do. Then one night we went to a club and then…at the upstairs room…we…we did drugs with other people there," she stopped, then looked around her friends. They were still waiting for her to continue, but there was definitely shock and understanding at their eyes.
"Then I met this really cute guy there, his name's Kitoshi and well…he flirted with me, I flirted with him and…we kissed. Then, the next night, Nova took me out on Kawasaki and we…robbed this little store at the middle of the night. She said she just wanted me to teach those things that the others were unable to teach me. And then…"
She took a deep breath before slowly let out air, "And then this afternoon…she urged me to rob a guy that was much more bigger than you, Ferio. Nova gave me a knife; she said it was fake, to kind of scare the guy. If the guy resists, I point the knife at his throat and that will surely scare the guy. But then…"
--FLASHBACK--
The guy just smirked at her, "You wanna rob me? What are you, stupid? Can't you see that I'm a robber as well?" the guy sneered, revealing a set of yellow teeth.
Hikaru cringed inwardly and felt afraid. Then she heard Nova's voice in her head, "Go on Hikaru, and use the knife. Mere taunting won't scare that man. You have to show him you're tough, and you mean business,"
She hesitantly fingered the knife behind her, but was unable to bring it out.
The man laughed menacingly at her, "What are you gonna do kid? Cold feet? Or do you want me to rob you instead, and then kill you here on the street?" the man threatened, pulling out from behind a pocketknife that glistened on the moonlight.
Hikaru trembled a bit, and then she heard Nova's voice again, "Come on Hikaru. If you don't bring that knife out you'll be killed! Come on! Fight him! You know you can!" and with that, Hikaru pulled out a longer knife, and pointed it at the man.
The man looked impressed, "Ohhh…so missy here has a weapon, huh?" he said, then attacked Hikaru. It was already too late for Hikaru to move away from the man's line of attack. She was hit squarely at her shoulder, slicing her clavicle deeply.
She was unable to keep the scream from escaping her lips, as she stumbled down to clutch her aching shoulder. The man only laughed at her.
"Get up. I want a decent fight first before I tear you to pieces," the man said, kicking her at the shin. Fire raged inside her, and she surprised the man when she quickly thrust her finger and aimed for the stomach. It was now the man's turn to stumble down and moan in pain.
She tried to get up, and still clutching her bleeding shoulder, she walked towards the man and pointed the knife on him. But before she could follow her attack, the man let go of his knife and stabbed her at the chest.
"That does it. With that, I'm sure you'll only have a few hours to live. You'll be lucky if someone passed by this part of the town. Ja ne," the man said, smiling down at her one more time before disappearing at the shadows.
--END FLASHBACK--
"And that's it. He left me out cold there. I really thought I was gonna die, because the pain on my chest was stronger than the pain in my shoulder. I tried to get up, but I felt that the knife on my chest only dug deeper that I groaned in more pain. I attempted to pull the knife from my chest, but a hand stopped me,"
"When I looked up, I saw a pair of deep violet eyes looking sympathetically down at me. When I opened my mouth to at least speak to him and ask for help, he covered my mouth with a finger and said in a soothing voice that 'I know what you need, and yes, I'll help you' that certainly shut my mouth up. After that, he placed both hands over my body and I saw bright light surround his hands before I felt okay again,"
"Then he looked at me again and gave me a smile before saying that, 'that is only temporary. I only willed the pain away, but not the injuries and cuts. We still have to get you to a hospital to cure you, and I think that by now, your condition has gotten much worse', then he hailed for a person to call the hospital for an ambulance,"
"After that, maybe after twenty minutes, an ambulance pulled up beside me. It's a good thing that I got injured at one of the quietest towns in Tokyo or else I would be surrounded by so many people. When the paramedics finally came to me, they instantly shot about three injections to me, and I instantly felt dizzy. Just when they were about to load me at the back of the ambulance, I reached out for the man who helped me and asked him his name. He said he's 'Angel Lantis', and before I could speak another word, he smiled at me once again and nodded, saying that, 'Okay, I'll fetch your friends for you, so don't give up' then he went away,"
"That's all that I can recall from this afternoon's ordeal," Hikaru narrated, looking at her friends.
"So Angel Lantis helped you out as well? To ease the pain?" Ascot asked.
Hikaru nodded then touched her bandaged shoulder and aching chest, "Hai. Now, I feel only slight pain on my chest, almost as if someone punched me right at the middle,"
"But I'm all right now," she added, seeing that Umi and Fuu's alarm at what she said.
"By the way, what about 'Kaasan? Where is she? Does she know of my condition?" Hikaru asked.
It was Ferio who nodded, "Yeah. Before we went here, we called your mother. Shortly after, she came here, but she left twenty minutes ago to get you some clothes,"
"I personally think that Hajime-san was extremely worried of your condition that's why she went home to cry her heart out there alone," Ascot said, which earned him a glare from Umi and Fuu.
Hikaru nodded slowly, "Yeah, 'Kaasan's just like that. She…how can I put this, she's not exactly very thrilled to show the public her emotion, you know? Her type of mourning is something like locking herself up inside her room and weep silently. That's what she did during 'Tousan and Oniichan-tachi's interment. She didn't shed a single tear during the interment but when we came home, she immediately went straight to the greenhouse at the side of the house and cried while she was fingering the rose petals there and calling out my father's name every now and then. She's really private, and never really talks about her feelings, even to me," she supplied, her eyes loosing the glow of happiness upon the mention of her deceased father and brothers.
The group fell silent. And then there came a knock on the door and in came a nurse, a tray on her hands. The nurse instantly smiled at Hikaru upon seeing that the redhead was already awake.
"Konbanwa, Hikaru-san. I see that you're up and talking now, huh," the nurse greeted her, smiling at her while setting the tray down at the table.
Hikaru smiled back and eagerly faced the nurse, "Nurse-san, when will I be released here?"
The nurse prepared the injection before turning to her "Well, looking at your condition now," the nurse injected her the vitamin, "I say you'll be staying here for four days, and that's the most," the nurse finished, smiling at her enthusiasm.
Hikaru looked happy, as she clapped her hands in glee and looked around her friends, "Hear that guys? In four days, I will be with you again! Hahaha!"
The nurse shook her head and adjusted the flow of the dextrose on the redhead's arm, "Now, Hikaru-san, before thinking of hanging out with your friends, you must think first of how you can speed up your recovery, don't you think?"
"Huumm…I guess so, Nurse-san," Hikaru answered dejectedly.
"Call me Minako, Hikaru-san"
Hikaru nodded then she yawned, "Okay, Minako-san, nice meeting you," Hikaru answered. Then her eyelids droop, and she yawned once again, "Oh my, I've been awake only for a few minutes and I'm feeling sleepy again," Hikaru complained, but she didn't resisted when Minako arranged her blanket and fluffed her pillow for an even comfortable sleep.
"That's because the vitamins I gave you makes you dizzy and sleepy, so you can rest. Tomorrow you can chat again with your friends but for now, you will have to sleep and get back the energy that you wasted tonight," Minako explained.
Hikaru nodded slowly and smiled at her friends, "Ja ne, guys! Come back tomorrow, will 'ya?" she asked sleepily.
The group nodded, "You bet!" Umi answered, then together with the nurse they went out of the room. Hikaru mercifully closed her eyes and fell into a sweet sleep that night, the only comforting sleep she had ever since Nova messed up with her life again.
-------------
Angel Lantis sat down at the foot of Hikaru's bed. He stared hard at the dozing redhead and let his eyes travel the length of Hikaru's body. His eyes lingered at her injured shoulder and chest and he couldn't help the sudden rush of pain and anger that burned his veins and made his blood boil.
He stood up and transferred on the redhead's side. He pictured in his mind's eye the events for that afternoon, and he felt tense and worried all over again. If he was a tiny bit late in coming to Hikaru's aid… Hikaru might be in hell right now, in the hands of Lucifer and Nova…and then he'd be sent back to heaven, unable to succeed in his mission and…
Lose the woman that he loves…
He gripped the edge of Hikaru's hospital bed tightly as he closed his eyes. His feelings for the redhead were really getting in the way of his mission. For almost two weeks, he distanced himself to the redhead to sort out his thoughts and contemplate on his feelings without any interventions of seeing and being with the redhead. But those two weeks had been crucial for him and for Hikaru as well, because while he was away, Devil Nova stepped in and messed up Hikaru's life again. And because he was away, he wasn't able to stop Devil Nova on her assault and look what happened to Hikaru.
It was all his fault, and although he smacked himself on the head several times already, it still wasn't enough. He needed to drive Devil Nova out of Hikaru's life permanently and quickly.
Now, he didn't know if his decision of finally showing himself to Hikaru and her friends had been a good decision, but he was getting desperate and he really needed help in reviving Hikaru back from the dead. He sighed and looked down again at Hikaru's serene face. The ordeal that the redhead encountered the week before and the strain it caused was already out of the redhead's face and body. She was peaceful once again, knowing that her friends were still there beside her and were still supporting her. That indeed relieved the redhead beyond words.
But still, Angel Lantis knew that he has one more mission to do.
The eradication of Devil Nova from Hikaru's life completely and totally, and give the redhead peace of mind once again and have her live her life on her own.
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Devil Nova watched from afar as Hikaru and her mother stepped out of the car and went inside the house. Even in her distance, she could still smell the sweet scent of Hikaru that she missed so much. She was unable to come visit her at the hospital because of that fuddy-duddy Angel Lantis who has been guarding the redhead like a hawk. His presence was so strong that it actually kept her out of the hospital forcefully. So she has no choice but to confront Hikaru at her house when she returns home from the hospital. And now's the perfect time to make Hikaru choose: a lifetime with her and all the pleasures in the world unimaginable, or be trapped in this hellhole Earth and continue living like a good kid that everyone expects her to live.
She waited several more minutes before she made her way inside the house and into Hikaru's room. She quietly slipped through walls and closed doors and was finally able to land in her redhead's room. She sat down at the bed and crossed her legs. When a few minutes had passed and still no sign of Hikaru, impatience already crossed her robust features and she pouted a little.
"What is it that's keeping Hikaru?" she asked to no one in particular. She laid down on the bed and decided to relax a little until Hikaru came to the room, but in no second at all did the door to the bedroom opened, followed by a loud gasp and a raspy voice,
"Nova…?"
Without moving her head, Nova already knew whom it was who called her. She stood up from the bed and smiled at Hikaru, "Hello Hikaru!" she greeted.
The shock that was on Hikaru's eyes immediately vanished, replaced by anger, "What the hell are you doing here?!" Hikaru asked rather harshly. She quickly closed the door and went inside, stopping only when she was already at the foot of her bed.
Although Nova wasn't expecting a grand welcome, she was rather surprised to see Hikaru angry with her. "What do you mean by that, Hikaru? Of course I would be here the moment that you were out of the hospital to check on you!" she said. She was even more surprised to sense the defensive tone on her voice!
Hikaru, not noticing these, just went on glaring at her. "Well, to tell you frankly, Nova, I wasn't expecting your presence here today. In fact, I don't expect in seeing you again after what you made me do just a couple of days ago, and risked my life," she answered.
Nova was already growing worried with the way Hikaru was talking with her but she smiled and moved out the bed, "I'm sorry about that, Hikaru. I didn't know that that man we were planning to rob is also a robber. Surely you don't hold me accountable for that, right?" she explained, slipping her arms around Hikaru's neck.
Hikaru stiffened, and Nova felt it. Nova smiled knowingly. The fire that she woke up inside Hikaru was still burning, and at this time, to her advantage. "Cut it out, Nova. I hold you accountable for it," Hikaru denied, but her words lack conviction.
Nova smiled up at her seductively. She inched her face closer to Hikaru's, their foreheads touching. She stood on her toes and kissed the tip of Hikaru's nose, and she saw how Hikaru's eyes go wild and her lips quivered. Nova's smile widened. She still has an effect on Hikaru, and that would be her tool in making Hikaru hers. "Feel that? Our connection was too strong to be ignored. Please, Hikaru, forgive me for what I made you do. After all, I only did it to keep you together with me for the rest of our lives,"
Hikaru looked strangely at Nova, "What the heck are you talking about?" she asked. Her voice sounded as if she went from a trance, and she was only waking up just now.
"I meant this…" Nova trailed off, then pressed her lips on Hikaru's slightly open mouth. When she broke off from the kiss, Hikaru's eyes were now glassy, and she looked back at Nova with the same intensity.
"Nova…" she breathed.
Nova smiled, satisfied. Hikaru's once again under her spell. "If you would permit me to do it, I would kill you right this instant, and then the two of us will be with each other in hell and enjoy down there, for as long as we want," she encouraged.
Hikaru frowned a little, "Hell?" she asked, although her eyes were still unfocused.
Nova nodded eagerly. "Yes. Hell. You know, the kingdom of Prince Lucifer, but to me he's just Lucifer, with all the bad guys in the world, the eternal sufferings, and the likes. But because I belong to Lucifer's special group of armies, I was able to go here on Earth and claim you as one of Lucifer's possession. But because I wanted you so badly, I requested Lucifer to just have you, and when we got to Hell, I would request him to have you in the army as well, so you won't have to suffer like all the other assholes there," she explained.
Hikaru seemed to think twice, then she nodded and smiled at Nova, "I'm willing to go, Nova. Whatever you say…"
Nova squealed in delight, and pulled out her special double edge dagger from behind, "I'm sorry that this will hurt Hikaru, but the end is fruitful, I guess," she apologized, and then prepared to strike Hikaru at the chest. Just then, a bright, white light surrounded the room, blinding both Nova and Hikaru.
"What the--"
"Still not giving up, Devil Nova?" a soothing voice asked. Hikaru's head snapped up, her eyes seeming to recognize the voice, but then Nova raised her hands and the spell on Hikaru came back. Then Nova turned angry eyes at Angel Lantis, who appeared in the middle of the room.
"Fuck you, Angel Lantis. You really know when to come at the lousiest time," she growled.
Angel Lantis smiled at her, "Because I'm here to stop you and your evil plans, Devil Nova, and send you back to where you really came from," he answered smoothly.
Devil Nova only smiled at him smugly and pulled Hikaru to her arms, "Did you see this, Angel Lantis? Hikaru's under my spell now, and you can't do anything about it. Not you, nor her friends,"
Angel Lantis looked longingly at Hikaru before he turned hard eyes at Devil Nova, "Listen to this, Devil Nova," he said, then turned back at the still possessed Hikaru and went in front of her.
"Hikaru…wake up…Hikaru!" he said. That clearly jolted Hikaru out of her trance, and she looked back and forth from Devil Nova and Angel Lantis.
"Nova…? What is happening?" she asked, but she did not waited for Nova's answer. Instead, she looked at Angel Lantis with recognition filling up her eyes. "You were the man who helped me at the park, right? And you said that your name is Lantis…? Arigatou gozaimasou, Lantis, for saving me, not only for bringing me at the hospital, but also for taking out the pain that I felt when I was stabbed," she said, looking deep in Angel Lantis' eyes.
Angel Lantis was able to tear away his eyes from those glorious red eyes, and he smiled at the redhead, focusing his eyes instead on her forehead, "That was nothing. I do what I have to do," he answered.
Devil Nova angrily yanked Hikaru away from Angel Lantis, "You do what you have to do or you do what you need to do?" she asked, sneering at him.
Angel Lantis kept quiet. He knew that Lucifer's envoy all has extraordinary sixth sense, so he wasn't surprised that she knew of his feelings for the redhead. He would be surprised, instead, if Devil Nova hasn't sensed it, especially tonight. It was so hard to suppress what he feels for the redhead with her standing so close to him, and looking deep in his eyes. It was really impossible to resist the little redhead's charm…
"I do what I have and need to do, Devil Nova, and I do what I think is right and just. I will stop you, Devil Nova, and I will once again bring balance and order in Hikaru's life. I will get you out of her life once and for all," he said determinedly.
Devil Nova gritted her teeth in frustration. But then she smiled, as if she thought of something, "Well, what do you think we should ask Hikaru about all these? After all, it's her life that we're talking about, not ours," she suggested, turning to the redhead. She was almost sure that Hikaru would be going with her, and not with that good-for-nothing Angle Lantis.
Angle Lantis turned to Hikaru as well, "Go on, Hikaru. Decide between the two of us. Her way or my way?" he said. Hikaru…remember your family and friends who love you and care for you, always! He said, sending her a quiet telepathic message.
Hikaru hesitated; that was clear on her eyes. She fiddled with the edge of her dress, and she looked uncomfortable being on the spotlight and having to choose between good or evil, between her newfound happiness and her old companion sin. She raised her eyes and met the inquiring eyes of Angel Lantis and Devil Nova. One wanted her to be good and change, while the other was keeping her bad and sunk in the very depths of sin. One wanted her alive, while the other wanted her dead. Which one was she going to choose??? Either way, she knew she was going to suffer a little bit before she get happy of her choice, but who will she choose?!?!?!
She cleared her throat. When she looked at Angel Lantis' eyes, she saw the sincerity, the care, the understanding and the love. She knew for an instant that if she chose the devil, Angel Lantis would accept her decision without question. Then she turned her eyes on Devil Nova, and she saw desperation and love on those pink eyes. She swallowed hard and forced herself to look more closely at Devil Nova's eyes. It was there, in the depths of Devil Nova's eyes, that if she decided to choose the angel, all hell would break loose for Devil Nova would wage war over the angels of the upper world and fight for her. And in that instant, Hikaru made up her mind.
She walked close to Devil Nova, close enough to kiss the devil on the cheek. She felt Angel Lantis' spirits sag down in defeat, and she had to smile secretly. "I wanted to thank you, Nova, because you showed me the fun in doing what is wrong, and for helping me in making an easy decision on who's side I'll be in," she started. Devil Nova smiled back at her, and she could feel the triumph behind that smile. Before Devil Nova's arms went up to her neck, she already distanced herself and walked towards Angel Lantis, and placed a hand on the angel's arm. "And I decided to follow Angel Lantis path and start a new life, and bring back the old Hikaru, the Hikaru before when she was still with her beloved father and older brothers," she finished, smiling up at Angel Lantis' astonished face.
Angel Lantis' face broke into a smile, and he hugged her before he could stop himself. "I can't believe this, Hikaru! You made me very happy! Thank you so much," he said solemnly.
On the other hand, Devil Nova was staring in disbelief on Hikaru, her face contorted in pain and shock; "You really picked a miserable life here on Earth instead of being with me in Hell?! What the hell are you thinking?"
Hikaru smiled at her, "I happen to love this 'miserable life' that you call, Nova, because here, I have the true people that loves me, and I know that they will accept me for who I am or for what I will become. And besides, Okaasan needs me here, after all, we two are the only family left here on Earth, so we have to take care of each other and look for one another," she answered.
"But--" Devil Nova sputtered, but Hikaru cut her off.
"Nova, it was really nice knowing you, but I'm staying here on earth to be with my 'kaasan and friends. That's my decision, and that's final. I think it's about time to finally change and grow up,"
Devil Nova's shoulders slumped, and before long she was surrounded by a red light. She looked up, and her eyes turned wild.
"NOOOO!!!" she shouted. A voice boomed on the air, and it sent nervous chills on Hikaru's body. Angel Lantis clutched her hands, and in a strange way, she was calmed.
"YOU FAILED ME, NOVA, AND THAT MEANS YOU'LL BE FACING PUNISHMENT DOWN HERE," the voice said, and with that Devil Nova was consumed by the flames. When that was over, Angel Lantis turned kind eyes at her.
"I think it's about time that I go back to Heaven, I guess," he said.
Hikaru nodded, but there were tears on her eyes, "I guess so too. Thank you so very much for helping me, Angel Lantis, thank you very much."
"Don't think about it. I was happy helping you out," he answered, then he started vanishing in the air and levitating.
"Will I ever be able to see you again?" she asked one more time.
Angel Lantis smiled at her, "I don't know for sure. But rest your mind that I'll always be guiding you to the light, and Devil Nova will not be able to bother you anymore," he answered.
With one last smile, Angle Lantis vanished into think air, leaving a tearing Hikaru alone at her room.
"Goodbye, Angel Lantis, and thank you very much,"