Chapter XXI: Three Love Stories
Genzo disappeared from the spot the battle had taken place, teleporting himself to his bedroom. Tired and furious to death as he was, he punched his pillow furiously, until he made it burst out in a shower of feathers. But, was it the poor pillow's fault that Tooru had died?
No; it wasn't even Schneider's fault.
The only responsible there was, was the Black Guide.
Once his fury dissipated, Wakabayashi decided to go and find Herman, but the German wasn't even in his house.
-Where can he be? –and of course, he had the hunch that Herman was about to go to Munich. He teleported to the airport immediately (I'm surprised he still had any energies) and found Herman about to buy the ticket.
-Herman, wait!
-Genzo!
-You're going to look for Marie?
-What do you think?
-Wait here. I'll go. Remember what happened.
-But…
-Don't buy the ticket. You heard me.
-Ok, then… -and both soccer players left the airport. Once they were outside, Herman asked why he couldn't go to Munich.
-I'll take care of this. I need you to go to the police station and report a disappearance.
-Why?
-Remember Tooru?
-Yeah… -but Herman understood it all when he saw the sad look on Wakabayashi's face. –Don't tell me… Don't tell me Schneider…
-Yes, Herman. That heartless creep killed Tooru.
Kaltz was as still as a statue. How could it be that Schneider had turned into a murderer? However, he remembered what Genzo had told him: Karl had sold his soul to the Devil.
And what did he gain in exchange? The strength to beat Genzo?
-And what happened with, with Tooru?
-I don't know how to say this…
-Just say it.
-When he died, he turned into energy… And entered my body. Now we're one, if you know what I mean.
-That's why you need me to report him disappeared, right?
-Bingo. Tooru was a famous architect in the city after all.
-Let alone being the still unbeaten King of Videogames.
-Yes… -and the Japanese goalkeeper remembered Tooru's last words, although the Archangel of Ice didn't manage to finish them: Take care of my family.
-C'mon, Herman. There's a lot to do. I need you to wait y and report Tooru's disappearance. I'll have to look for Marie, take her to a safe place and call Tooru's family.
Meanwhile, in Japan… Kai had just arrived home, although he had had a very painful hunch in the middle of his training. Of course, his teammates panicked when they saw him shout and writhe in pain. Even Komichi, who didn't have tennis training that day and was observing the training session, ran to see what was wrong.
Without knowing it, Kai had the premonition when Schneider murdered Tooru.
Already in his room, Kai began to do his homework, although the doorbell scared him, making the Kage no Tsukai create an energy wave accidentally. What fell this time had been one of the medals he had won because of his soccer abilities. And well… He had had an excellent teacher called Ozora Tsubasa.
-Kai, you have visitors! –he heard his mother say. The teenage ran downstairs, and was surprised of seeing Jinko there, along with a young man he didn't recognize immediately… but then noticed that he was the Archangel of Water.
-Jinko-san! What a surprise.
-We need to talk with you.
-Please, c'mon in.
Jinko and Taro went into the house, while Kai's mother observed them, thunderstruck. She knew that Kai had grown-up friends, but the guy that had come with the doctor was none other than one of Japan's best soccer players.
-Mom, could you please leave us alone a sec? –asked Kai.
-Uh, I… I'll go make some tea –and at last they were sure of not being heard, since Kai decided to use his powers to seal the room's sound.
-What's wrong, Jinko-san?
-Have you had any premonitions, Kai-kun?
-I'm afraid I have. I had them yesterday and today, and since they're painful in my case…
-Yesterday and today? –asked Misaki, surprised.
-I was in my room yesterday when I had the attack, and I got another one when I was training today. My friends were panicking. They thought I was going to die.
-You don't see what happens, right?
-No. I barely have feelings, but I never se what happens clearly.
-Well, I'm afraid we know why you had yesterday's premonition.
-What?
-Ikazuchi was killed yesterday –said Jinko gravely.
-What? Who did that?
-One of the Antiarchangels… Hino Ryoma.
-Hino Ryoma? That Uruguayan-Japanese soccer player?
-The same one.
-Wataru, Rairyuu… Who knows who else has died, since I had a premonition today. And I was wishing for my hunches to fail…
-Why?
-Although I didn't know who, I felt someone had died yesterday… And today I felt that too.
-That means one of us has been killed today –said Misaki, realizing it.
-What? –said Jinko, surprised.
-If Kai-kun can predict that, then it's no good news.
-There'd be only one way of knowing it, but I don't know how to do it –said Kai.
-We'd have to call the ones that remain. I mean Tsubasa, Sanae, Hyuga, Shinobu, Ishizaki, Tooru and Wakabayashi.
-And a big part of them live in Europe –Jinko added. –We can ask Shinobu and Ishizaki on the phone, but the phone bills have been expensive lately.
-Unless we take the risk of teleporting to where they are –said Kai. –Has any of you done that before?
-I haven't –admitted the Archangel of Darkness.
-I have. When I lived in France, I had to come to Japan often, I've gone to Germany too and I've even gone to Paris now that I live here, in Shizuoka. If you wish, I can take care of that –said Misaki, strangely sure of himself.
-But Taro… Don't you think it'd be too dangerous?
If you want to hear a secret, Kai was surprised of seeing and hearing the once serious and formal Imawano Jinko calling someone by his or her name.
-The only collateral effect is that I get a bit dizzy, but it's nothing. Our friends are first
-Changing subjects, haven't you heard a rumor? –asked Kai, remembering something he heard in his school.
-I don't like gossip –said Misaki.
-Me neither –added Imawano. -Why?
-I've heard that someone famous is going to get married.
-A wedding?
-Oh, right! Shinobu-san just asked his girlfriend to marry him. And since he's the manager and owner of Shizuoka's most popular disco…
-You already knew that, Imawano-san?
-Well, you know that I consider Shinobu-san as the older brother I never had, and that's why I knew he had bought the wedding ring some days before.
-Ah… I see. Who do you think will be invited to the wedding? At last I ask myself that.
-I guess the Archangels that are still alive –said Misaki. –But we'll know it when the time is right. Well, excuse us, Kai-kun; we have to go to Vitalis.
-Why's that?
-Shinobu-san doesn't know that Rairyuu's dead –said Jinko, helping her patient and now… (This is gonna hurt…) boyfriend to get up.
-OK –and Kai went with them to the door. –Take care and be happy.
-What...?
-You think I'm blind? I already noticed you're just more than friends –and while the couple went to the disco, somewhat confused, Kai burst into laughter.
-So Shinobu gets married. Why didn't you tell me before? –asked Misaki.
-I didn't think it was important, Taro.
-Well, I'm glad there's till some space for happiness in the middle of this struggle. Tsubasa and Sanae are waiting for their first child, and now Shinobu decides to join the Happily Ever After Club.
-Now that I think of it… You're right –and at least they arrived to Vitalis. Jinko asked the guard to call Shinobu, and moments later…
-Boss told me to ask you to go to his office.
-OK.
Taro and Jinko went up the stairs towards Shinobu's office, and he was busy organizing his wedding in that moment.
-Hi, Shinobu-san –said Jinko, snapping the ex-DJ back to reality.
-Ah, Jinko-san… Misaki-kun.
-Congratulations –said the Archangel of Water, smiling as usual.
-Thanks. Take a seat –and the disco's manager made them get comfortable. –Why did you come here in such a rush?
-Shinobu-san, I'm afraid we've lost another Archangel.
-What?
-Hino killed Ikazuchi Rairyuu yesterday –said Misaki.
-No, I, I can't believe it.
-And Kai said he had the feeling today that someone had been killed, but we don't know who.
-If it's so, then we'll have to take drastic measures. We can't the Antiarchangels destroy us one by one.
-You're right on that one. We came to tell you that, Shinobu-san, besides from congratulating you.
-Although Jinko-chan already knew it –said Taro. –She didn't tell me before, though.
-Misaki-kun, when did you begin to call her like that? –asked Shinobu, confused.
-You're as blind as a bat or what? –said Jinko, crossing her arms. –Your glasses don't let you see the truth?
-Oh, now I see… So, it figures you fell in love with each other.
-Well, it's no secret.
-OK. I think I have the marriage godparents.
-What?
-Well, I didn't know who I could ask to be the marriage's godfather or godmother.
-Don't exaggerate.
-Anyway, don't even think I will let you out of here without telling me the whole story.
-Blabbermouth –said Jinko, pretending to be miffed.
-And can't I know how my 'little sister' found the man of her life?
-Er…
-C'mon, Jinko-chan… There's nothing wrong with telling him. Besides, you said it yourself: It's not a secret.
-You see? Even Misaki-kun agrees.
-OK then. As you know, Taro's my patient, since he still has to finish his rehabilitation.
-That I know.
-And well, you remember when I arrived here, feeling sorry because I slapped him?
-That was because of Wataru's death, or am I wrong?
-Yes, and I have to admit that Jinko has a heavy hand –said Misaki, rubbing the place where the Archangel of Darkness had hit him.
-Hey… Whatever; after I fainted and you went to ask your girlfriend to marry you, I went to Taro's apartment to apologize. We took a long time to talk, and in that moment… In that moment we felt that Rairyuu had been attacked.
-You went to fight, I guess.
-Yeah, and unfortunately, Hino killed Ikazuchi-san. With his last words, he asked both Kojiro and me to take care of Jinko, since Ikazuchi-san always thought much of her.
-Although she didn't care a bit about him –said Shinobu, laughing.
-Stop that, Shinobu-san.
-After that battle, we returned to where we had been in the first place, and since it was very late, I told Jinko to stay at my house. She slept in the futon, and I slept in my room.
-This morning, in the middle of the rehabilitation, after Ishizaki-san was gone…
-Ishizaki-san?
-Yes, the Archangel of the Earth. He took us to the hospital in his car.
-Great.
-You don't say… And after he left, we talked for a while, but Jinko-chan was on the moon for a moment, and I scared her, although I simply tried to make her come back to reality.
-And you know what happens when one of us gets scared –said Jinko. –I'm guilty of that. I was thinking about something, and the scare made Taro fall because of the energy wave.
-And then what happened?
-I'm on it. I tried to help him getup out of mere decency, but my heart was beating at the speed of light in that moment for some unknown reason, and it wasn't the first time.
-And of course, we hadn't been swept out by the moment; the moment swept us by force.
-Aha… Gotcha –said Shinobu mockingly, making Jinko blush a deep scarlet and Taro smile.
-Of course, at first I excused myself and everything, but then it all clicked. It wasn't that I liked Jinko; I love her with all my heart. It's almost as if that part of Rairyuu had gone into me and not into Hyuga, but it's no the Archangel of Thunder, God bless his soul, the one speaking for me.
-What?
-What I mean is that I admit this is the first time I've ever fallen in love with someone.
And you know that Misaki-kun is dead serious in those matters.
-And that's all.
-What a story. Now it wouldn't be a surprise if the paparazzi chase you. After all, Misaki-kun is a famous soccer player.
-I have nothing to hide –Taro explained. –I love Jinko, and if they want to say something about it or not, it's not my business. Besides, it's not a sin to love someone.
-You're being quite cool about it –said Jinko, admiringly, as she took Taro's hand softly.
-I'm not really that affected by what the others say. And now that I think of it… Shinobu-san, when's the big day?
-You'll know it pretty soon. By now, I'm just fixing details. A marriage is no easy task to fix. The good thing is that I'll take care of everything.
-I hope it's a beautiful wedding.
-Yes, I still remember Tsubasa-kun's wedding.
Although almost no one knew it, the Black Archangels had been in Tsubasa and Sanae's wedding. It was just fair, wasn't it? After all, they were the bride and bridegroom's friends.
-And by the way, I'll be expecting to see you about to 'cut the cake.'
-It's still too soon, Shinobu-san. We've just been a couple for a day.
-Ah, but you'll think about it pretty soon, I guess.
-Don't count the chickens before they hatch –said Misaki, quoting the late Tooru, although he didn't know that. –It's still too early to think about even engaging.
-You never know, Misaki-kun. You never know.
Days passed, and in the college where Rairyuu had studied, rumor said he had disappeared. His friends, scared of him being probably dead reported his disappearance, and though the police made a careful search, Rairyuu didn't appear, neither dead, nor alive.
On the other hand, the Hamburg Police department also began the search for Akuji Tooru, a well-known architect, but they got the same result as Wataru and Rairyuu's searches: Nothing.
Genzo was the one in charge of telling Moroha, Kusuke and Suma about Tooru's loss, but when she talked with Genzo, Suma knew something was wrong.
-Wakabayashi-san, are you sure my brother disappeared?
-Why do you doubt it?
-Couldn't it be that someone killed him?
-if that had happened, they would've at least found his corpse. Don't you think it so, Suma-san?
Of course, Suma was alone in the living room, since Moroha, completely disheartened because of her son's disappearance had run to her bedroom, crying bitterly, while Kusuke tried to calm her down.
-I think someone killed him because of what he really was.
-Because he was an architect?
-No; because he was an Archangel.
How did Suma know it? OO
-How, how do you know it, Suma?
-A couple of years ago, when Too-chan already lived in Germany and talked to me about you, he confessed me what he really was ever since he was born. Sure, I couldn't believe it, but I swore I'd keep his secret. And some months ago, he told me he was once again the Archangel of Ice. He told me his secret because he knew I'd keep it safe.
-So you really knew that Tooru was…
-I knew that Too-chan… That Too-chan would do anything to save this world –and the girl's voice broke down. –Wakabayashi-san, I want to ask you a big favor.
-What?
-Please, don't let the bad guys win. Do what Tooru couldn't, and be very careful.
-I'll do it, and please, don't tell your mother about this.
-Promise –and Suma hung up. She couldn't help crying now that she knew the truth, and she had been incredibly calm when her mother said that Tooru had disappeared.
"So Wakabayashi-san is one of the Archangels too. I hope that he and the others stop the Black Guide. I may not be able to do something big or noble for them, but I'll keep my faith high on them and pray for their victory. It's the only thing I can do."
Azumi, Natsuko, Herman, Daichi… And Suma; out of the Archangels and Antiarchangels, they were the only ones that knew what happened, and had swore to keep the secret.
A secret that sooner or later would be revealed not to the whole world but to those who really wished to live.