A/N: God, I've been gone too long right? Sorry, sorry, homework is EVIL. It probably doesn't help that I have honors classes either... but oh well. Sorry this took so long but guess what?! I FINALLY GOT THE THIRD DN ANGEL! Confetti falls from the heavens my brother took me up to the bookstore to get it today, I am so happy!

Crimson-eyed-angel99- Sorry to drive you mad, I am however glad that your so into this story, and trust me I am myself, I felt like hitting him upside the head!

Cindy17- here you go, sorry it's so late.

Yipster54- Thank you! I'm terribly proud of my Takeshi; he's like my own little pet, want to pet him, lol. School's getting better too!

Phantom Dark- Hmm... a fist fight between Dark and Satoshi... I like that, I like that a lot! And please don't hesitate to tell me any ideas, I could use all the help I can get. How did you do all those assignments for art? I know my brother is swamped too, it's insane!

Naudia- Here you go! Thanks for reviewing!

Redrose moon- I know, I don't like it when they fight, kinda depresses me...

Sprixer- lol, I love your science project, who thought it up? Your email is being a real, well, for the lack of a better word, whore, lol. I hope you won't throw things because I haven't updated, I'm fragile.

Part XI

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." –Martin Luther King Jr.

Aeris leaned her head on her balcony doors and closed her eyes.

Regret burned in her, and she had no one to blame but herself.

If only she hadn't opened her mouth...

But was it really better to never know what could have been, than to be hurt so badly?

She traced an unknown pattern on the glass with glistening eyes. "People only say that when the other person feels the same."

Chuu gently placed her head on Aeris's bare feet, making her smile slightly.

"Do you miss him too?"

Aeris closed her eyes again, letting all of her weight lean on the glass.

"... Me too, but there isn't a thing I can do."

"He's been holed up in there for forever." Daisuke stared up at Satoshi's apartment balcony doors.

"Satoshi wasn't Mr. Social in the first place Daisuke." Riku said slowly, even though she agreed.

Satoshi and Aeris's behavior was a touchy subject; Riku was Aeris's best friend and Daisuke was just about the only other human being Satoshi bothered to associate with.

"H started to be, when Aeris came around." Daisuke hoisted his weight onto the brick wall and moved so Riku could sit beside him. "But now he's even worse than before."

"What should we do?"

Daisuke shook his head. "I don't think there's anything we can do."

Satoshi threw the somewhat burnt rice and vegetables into the trash angrily.

She's spoiled him.

His food had tasted all right, until he had hers.

Lately his anger was getting the better of him, all because of her.

It had also cost him fifty dollars. Why would such a tiny window replacement cost fifty dollars?

Slowly, painfully, he relaxed his hand that was bandaged.

He'd gotten all the glass shards out of it, but it still hurt and he felt a pang as he realized just how bad the bandage was and how Aeris would have done it so much better.

"Stop it. You don't even miss her."

But even to him the words sounded hollow.

"Ms. Shimensoka?"

"Ms. Shimensoka!"

"Yes?" Aeris instantly snapped back to attention to find her teacher looking at her strangely.

"Are you all right? I called your name several times."

"I'm fine, I'm sorry, what was the question?" Aeris forced herself to stare straight ahead and ignore the stares from her classmates.

"I said this note was left for you in the office." He handed it to her and she didn't bother to hide the surprise on her face.

Swiftly she pulled the sheet from the envelope and felt her eyes widen.

'Meet me at the construction site four blocks from your apartment at eleven. –It's been a long time coming.'

Confused and slightly startled she slipped the note into her binder, not noticing that Satoshi's eyes were on her, and had been for quite some time.

Aeris felt the wind blow her hair to the east as she felt her heart sink.

This was not wise...

The construction site had been abandoned for a little over a year now. It was supposed to have been a law firm with several floors but the contractor fell through so it was only halfway done and the second and third story weren't even close to being done.

She shouldn't be here, but it was too late to turn back now.

Slowly she entered the main floor and carefully went up the stairs, careful not to make more noise than necessary.

Upon reaching the second floor landing she stopped and listened after slipping through a plastic sheet that acted as a door.

Not hearing anything she kept on, walking to the end of the hallway with no rooms alongside it and only a few large windows.

She reached the end of the hallway, facing only a large window and begun to turn around when she heard a soft click.

"You came."

Aeris didn't recognize the male voice, nor could she see him in the dark hallway but she knew exactly where he was.

Standing in front of the only door that led off of the second floor.

"What do you want??" Aeris voice portrayed no fear even though her hands where shaking.

"Aren't you more concerned as to whether I'm a friend of foe?" The voice gave away nothing.

"I think I know," She said dryly, why was she so foolish as to go alone?

"I think your wrong." He stepped forward. "I'm both."

Aeris, without knowing, took a step backwards. "You can't be both."

"I can and I am. I was sent here to take care of you, but something felt very wrong." He made no move to come closer after hearing Aeris step back warily. "But I can't just let you walk away."

Who was this whack job? "We can both walk away." Aeris felt panic when she heard another soft click.

"No Shimensoka, you won't walk away from this."

The phone rang and Satoshi glared at it but still answered. "Yes?"

"Satoshi?" Jin's voice crackled over the bad connection.

"Jin? What is it?" An uneasy feeling washed over him and he glanced again at Aeris's balcony, her room still had lights on.

"—Been calling—she won't—with you?" Jin's voice blurred with the static but Satoshi got the message and his feeling of dread grew.

Dark shook his head. Why did people always leave notes lying anywhere where anyone could read them?

He frowned as his eyes sped over the paper.

The construction site?

She didn't... the clock read 11:26 as Dark clung open the balcony doors and took flight.

"We can talk about this, there's no need for brutality." Aeris knew there was no way she could force herself past him to get to the door, the hallway wasn't that wide at all.

"I'm sorry." He didn't sound sorry as she turned and desperately thought quickly.

There was only one other way out.

The window.

The second story window.

She ran at it, knowing he'd hesitate, not sure as to what she was doing, and crashed through the glass and for a few seconds fell through the night air before landing hard on her side and rolling.

Aeris moaned as several large shards of glass were forced into her arms, back, and a rather large one into her stomach.

Just her luck; to avoid being shot only to be stabbed in several places.

A feeling of despair flooded her; she could not get up or even crawl away. All he had to do was take aim and shoot her body and she was as good as dead.

He took aim; sure he'd hit right in the back of the skull from such a short distance but didn't pull the trigger.

"She'll be dead before anyone finds her anyway,"

He whispered to himself, ignoring the part of himself who said he didn't want to hurt her.

Slipping the gun break into his jacket he stepped back into the shadows before letting his eyes rest on her still form, watching as a small puddle of blood formed under side.

"I am sorry."

Aeris could hear nothing else but the sound of her own heart, beating pitifully slow and weak against her rib cage.

Right before her eyes closed she could have sworn she'd seen large black wings...

Dark landed and the strong feeling of sadness overwhelmed him.

Aeris's form lay on the pavement, bloody and still and he was sure she was too far-gone.

Falling to his knees before her, Wiz's wings surrounded them both as he bowed his head and vowed he would lay her soul to rest.