Chapter XXX: Epilogue
-But, what in the world am I doing in Barcelona? –Santana said, when everyone was already in the right minds and in the Ozora's house.
-What can you remember? –Natsuko asked, while she and Sanae carried some trays with glassed of iced tea.
-I only remember that someone called Preto asked me if I wanted to beat my greatest rival… And from that point my memories are completely blurred.
-Preto? –Pierre asked, puzzled.
-It's 'black' in Portuguese –Santana explained.
-Like Noir in French –Misaki said.
-Or Schwarz in German.
-Or Negro in Spanish –Sanae said.
-Now I remember! –Karl said. –I was asleep when someone calling itself Schwarz appeared in my dreams.
-It was Noir in my case –Pierre replied.
-And that person called itself El Guía Oscuro in my dreams! –Ryoma said too.
-Well, sadly that being, which name was Kuro, which is black in Japanese, was the cause of all this trouble.
And so between all of them the explained what had happened in the past months.
In the end, when they had finished narrating the long, sad story…
-I can't believe I sold my soul to none other than the Devil –Karl said, furious with himself. –I think I took my rivalry with Genzo too far.
-You don't say. Marie's really afraid of you, Schneider –Wakabayashi said, before sipping a little tea.
-Well… I never got along with Hyuga. I have to admit it. But, I'd never wish for someone to die, although it seems I'm a murderer now according to your story –Ryoma said, feeling sorry. –Isn't there a way of reviving the people we killed?
That made a big question mark appear over the others' heads Oo
-We'd have to investigate –Sanae said.
-Well, on my part, I can't consider Misaki-kun my enemy –Pierre said. –Sure, we have the same dream, but he's my friend too. I just can't believe I made so much damage.
-If we talk about damage, my doing was much worse, Pierre –Santana said.
-What?
-I almost killed a pregnant woman; I almost turned Ishiki, Ishizu…
-Ishizaki –Ryou corrected, knowing what Santana was trying to say.
-That. I almost turned Ishizaki's girlfriend into a widow even before she could get married, and what's worse… I killed someone very important for the people who have just saved us.
-Well, to be honest, Jinko was everything for Misaki-kun –Ishizaki said. –After her death, we almost lost him too. His pain was making him go crazy.
Misaki nodded, his pale face a bit darkened.
-However, if you're able of making miracles come true, as I could see, why can't you make the people that died come back to life? –Koudai asked, as he now understood what happened.
-We don't know that, and I think there's no way of knowing it –Tsubasa said, disheartened.
-And if someone told you it's possible? –Daichi said, entering the living room with Shiro on his shoulder. (Author's Note: The raven chick Shiro reincarnated to is male)
-And that white bird? –Koudai asked.
-You remember the raven I was taking care of, Dad? It seems that a miracle happened. Look at him! He's already grown up!
-In fact, I am the one who was before the guide of the Kami no Tsukai and the Archangels. My name is Shiro –said the white raven, leaving everyone in a shock OO
-A white talking raven? Oh… I think I'm going nuts –Ryoma said, breaking the tense silence in the place ad making everyone laugh, including Santana.
But as usual, Shiro didn't even budge.
-Well, I only want to tell you one thing, minding the Black Archangels' disappearance.
-What? –everybody asked.
-There's a way of making them come back to life.
-Is it too risky? –Santana asked, wary.
-Not really. But it'll take lots of energy, and it'll be a bit complicated since you lot reported them as disappeared…
-And if Santana, the others, and the Black Archangels appear as if nothing had happened, it'd be something very strange –Natsuko added.
-That makes sense –Schneider said. –However, our main concern is to revive the others, if we can say that.
-Yeah… Shiro, please, tell us what to do –Sanae pleaded.
-The magatama are the answer.
Tsubasa looked at his allies, and each of them, with their jewels in their hands, nodded.
-Place them on the floor, and focus all your energy. You can only think about ONE THING; you mustn't doubt it.
-What do we have to think? –Ishizaki asked.
-Are you stupid or what? We must focus on making them return –Hyuga said, hitting Ishizaki on the head.
-And can we do anything? –Natsuko asked.
-You could concentrate too; the more people helping, the better. Think about it; we're all involved in this –Wakabayashi said.
-And that if we don't include our other allies –Daichi said.
-Let's do it –Tsubasa said finally. Leaving his magatama on the floor, he closed his eyes, his head low, and only thought that Kai, had to come back since he had too much to live and learn.
Everyone focused on that, and obviously felt tired, but it was that or losing the Black Archangels forever. Santana and the others concentrated too, since they wanted to do something right to fix the wrongs they had done.
Even Shiro was focusing. The white raven, standing on the floor, closed his eyes, ignoring the itch on his head, wishing for the Black Archangels to come back…
Until the six comma-shaped jewels began to shine intensely, flooding the apartment with light. Even the next-door neighbors were surprised of seeing the dance of lights under their Asian neighbors' door.
And when they thought they couldn't stand it any longer…
-Where am I? –they heard six familiar and beloved voices say.
Taro was the first one who opened his eyes, and when he saw Jinko there, with her black velvet dress on, he ran to her, his eyes brimming with tears, and embraced her.
-Taro, I thought I had died –said the young woman, returning the hug to her man. –I thought that Santana's attack had killed me…
-That's history, Jinko. Now you're back in the world you should've never left.
-Misaki-kun? –Wataru said, surprised of seeing his buddy talking like that to the Archangel of Darkness. –I know I was dead for a long time, but since when you and her…?
-Welcome back, Wataru –was the only reply he received, out of a friendly bear hug from his friend. –I know someone who'll be overjoyed of seeing you.
-Are you talking about Azumi?
-Not only her… I was talking about Hester.
-My cat –and the Archangel of Hatred burst into friendly laughter.
-Well, I guess I can't do anything but forget her… -Rairyuu told himself, as he saw that the woman he had always loved was happy with another person. –Oi, Jinko, I hope ya're happy with him. I know I asked him and Hyuga-kun to take care of ya, but it seems someone took that too seriously.
-Don't be dumb –Hyuga said. –It's not that they took it too seriously. Things happen, Rairyuu.
-Besides, as people say, there's a time and a place for everything –Tooru said to the Archangel of Thunder. –You'll find the woman of your dreams someday.
-Yeah, I guess.
-Believe it –Genzo said, after greeting his buddy the Archangel of Ice with a pat on the back. –No one is an island in this world. Even I, being a workaholic grouch, know I'll find someone sooner or later.
-As long as you keep your hopes up –Shinobu said, as he had nothing to ask about, since he had died and revived the very same day, just like Kai. However, the latter two were happy of not needing to reappear.
Nonetheless, when the Black Archangels saw Santana and the others, they couldn't help but take a fighting stance.
-Calm down –Daichi said. –They're not the bad guys anymore.
-Are you saying it for real, Daichi? –Kai asked.
-As true as the fact that I am the Messenger of the Gods' little brother.
-And Kurai? –Jinko asked, worried.
-She's where she's supposed to be –Sanae said. –In me. She was my dark side, but now she won't be out of my control ever again.
-Er… -Pierre, the most talkative of the foursome without being snooty or rude began to say. –We want to apologize. To be honest we never thought, nor wanted to cause all the misery we did. Our rival issues went out of control…We did terrible things without really wanting to.
-However, now we understand that the rivalries we sustain with Genzo and the others are strictly in the soccer world, and not from eternities ago, as Kuro made us think –Schneider added.
-Could you… forgive us? –asked Santana finally.
The Black Archangels looked at each other, and it seemed they agreed.
-I'm talking for us all when I say that thank God it all ended, and since everything's back to how it should be, you have nothing to apologize about. But there's something you have to give in exchange –Wataru said, using his skill at wordplay.
-What?
-Your friendship.
And that was one thing the soccer players didn't hesitate in agreeing.
Months passed, and out of Kai and Shinobu, who weren't reported as disappeared since they died and revived the same day, the others appeared one by one. Once everything was calm again, things went back to how they were before… Oh, who am I kidding! They never were the same.
When Wataru appeared in Paris, Azumi burst into tears when she saw that he was back. She was so thrilled of seeing her buddy, born again from his ashes, she accidentally kissed him… but actually that kiss wasn't as one-sided as anyone can think ;).
-How is it that… that you're alive again?
-Azumi-chan, I thought you understood that miracles exist.
-That means…
-Yeah. The nightmare's over at last… And I was thinking about something.
-What?
-There's a little someone who told me an interesting bit of information.
-What?
-Well, that someone told me that what I feel isn't one-sided.
Azumi blushed deeply. Misaki-kun had told him!
-Oh, that blabbermouth… He'll pay for this.
-Why? I actually thanked him. When I died, which by the way isn't at all nice, I asked him to tell you that I never stopped loving you.
-And he did that…
-Well… Would you like to go back to what we were for just two days many years ago and I wish to continue?
And it's not necessary to tell you what Azumi said.
Tooru reappeared in Munich, Germany, where there was a rumor that he had had an accident, but he appeared with no visible problems. Herman and Marie were surprised of seeing that Genzo's buddy and Karl (yes, Karl) were safe and sound… And Schneider was again a normal man. Some time later, the Archangel of Ice made a trip to Osaka, along with Wakabayashi, and gave a wonderful surprise to his parents and little sister, who secretly thanked Genzo for saving her brother and the world.
Rairyuu, back in Tokyo, sacred his buddies out of their wits when he appeared one day in class, claiming that he had gone to his birth place, since he had been homesick. After that, his buddies celebrated the return of the guy with the blond streaks in his hair (which by the way, are natural for some unknown reason) in a nearby bar, where they saw Hino Ryoma having a drink like any other customer.
Jinko appeared in Shizuoka, after 'a gang of burglars" had barged in Shinobu's marriage and kidnapped her, but thanks to Taro's insistence they had freed her ;). Doctor Shibazaki was very glad of seeing his best assistant. So glad he was that he decided to invite the couple to dine in an expensive restaurant, after declaring that Misaki-kun was completely cured.
Jinko and Taro had also decided to live together, so Jinko sold the small apartment where she had lived ever since she graduated from High School and moved to her 'Guardian Angel's' apartment, who by the way had been accepted in the Jubilo Iwata team in less than a wink.
Months passed, and Sanae gave birth to Hayate, who gave out his first cry of victory in a warm and sunny September day. Tired of the exertion, the young woman asked if she could see her baby, but the doctors were observing something in the newborn baby.
Hayate had some strange growths on his scapulas, like some kind of undeveloped, primitive wings.
The doctors told Sanae about it, and she pretended to be worried, but deep inside she knew why that had happened; Hayate was the Messenger of the Gods' first child. She obviously said nothing, but she asked if the growths would affect Hayate's life.
-Not really. However, we'll have to make various checking on that while he grows up.
-I can assure you that my kid's going to be all right –Tsubasa said, entering the room.
-How can you be so sure of that?
-Because he's part of a generation of soccer players. That's why –and Tsubasa and Sanae burst into laughter.
Many years later…
-Daibu, hurry up! –said a kid with black hair, running down the stairs of his grandparents' house. –We're going to get late!
-But Hayate! Stop hurrying so much! –answered Daibu, who was very alike the kid that ran downstairs. –You sure seem crazy about this!
-If we get there late, you'll pay for it! –Hayate replied, as he was now at the door. He and his little brother were going to the birthday of one of his parents' friend's daughters… Where their 'cousins' would probably be.
-Hayate, Daibu, are you ready? –asked both boys' dad, already in the car. He had luckily learned to drive.
-Yes, Dad! –and both Hayate and Daibu got into the car, where Tsubasa, Sanae and uncle Daichi were waiting for them.
Hayate had had a completely normal childhood, since the 'wings' he had ever since he was born didn't bother him at all, and he had learned to make them disappear when he was a little kid, since he and his brother had been born with powers. Daibu was born with 'wings' too, but less developed than Hayate's; they were merely a tiny pair of bumps on his back. The older Ozora-Nakasawa brother had inherited his mother's patience and calmness (yeah right), while Daibu was identical to Tsubasa: energetic and active, but had also quite a temper.
For some reason Hayate could remember some things when he was in his mother's womb, and he had them quite in mind. On the other hand, Daibu was born in a peaceful time, so he didn't have any memories of when he was inside Sanae.
Daichi was already a Junior High School student, since he wasn't much older than his nephews. He had already won several National Soccer Tournaments, proving that the Ozoras were born to be soccer champions. Identical to Tsubasa in almost everything, except for his nose and their age difference, the teenager was also owner of a very clean soccer technique.
-Why did you take such a long time? –asked the teen to his nephews.
-Ask Daibu –Hayate said, looking reproachfully at his little brother.
-I couldn't find my tennis shoes.
If you're asking yourselves why Tsubasa and his family were in Shizuoka, I'll tell you they were in summer vacations.
They arrived at the Kurobane's apartment, since there was the party's location. Mika, Shinobu's daughter, was the birthday girl.
Hayate rang the doorbell, excited. It had been a long time ever since he last saw his parents' friends' children. A girl with dark brown hair and eyes opened the door, and she smiled when she saw the Ozoras there.
-Hayate-kun, Daibu-chan! –she said, glad of seeing them.
-Mika-chan, stop calling me Daibu-chan! –said the youngest Ozora brother, pretending to be miffed.
-As long as you're younger and smaller than me, I'll call you Daibu-chan –Mika said, making the others enter the place.
All the Archangels, Black Archangels and allies were there, along with a group of children.
-I thought you wouldn't come –Yukiko, a girl with black braids and smart looks said. –I swore I'd give you a good beating if you lot didn't come.
-But Yuki-chan… How could you even think we wouldn't come? –Hayate said.
-You see, Yukiko? I told you they'd come –Ryou said, passing one of his hands over his daughter's head. He and Yukari had married not long after everything had ended, after Ryou told her the truth about himself.
-Well, you have to admit that you have to believe Ishizaki-san –Jinko said, who was pregnant in that moment. She and Taro had married after Hayate's birth, and they were expecting their second baby.
-I know –Genzo said. He was in love with a young woman he met in Germany, but she wasn't there because of her work. –Ishizaki-kun's right in spite of it all.
-In spite of it all? –the Archangel of the Earth said, getting angry.
And while Hayate, Daibu, Mika, Yukiko, Shouji (Misaki and Jinko's son), and Keiya and Shun, Wataru and Azumi's twin sons played with Daichi, the grown-ups talked about what had happened in the past years.
Shinobu was father of a precious girl; Ryou and Yukari married and had Yukiko; Tooru made a fortune and was in love with a German woman; Wataru and Azumi married too, and surprise! They had twins, luckily sunny and completely healthy, although Keiya had blue eyes and Shun had brown eyes; Rairyuu was still searching for the woman of his dreams, although he decided to 'give it a rest' just to go to Mika's birthday; Hyuga was still the same, although he was now thriving in the Italian calcio, and as usual, his private life is still a mystery.
Kai and Komichi continued being best friends, although she was in love with a guy she met in her university and Kai played in Jubilo Iwata with Ryou and Taro, out of being in love with a girl he met in his university. As I said, Genzo was happily in love, but he wasn't in any hurry of listening to the wedding bells. And if I said that his girlfriend hadn't come with him, it was because she was in the middle of the season, since she was a soccer player too, AND NO, IT'S NOT MARIE SCHNEIDER. On the other hand, he finished writing the books; The Messenger of the Gods and The Return of the Archangels had turned very quickly into best-sellers and had made him richer than what he was, out of making him turn into a successful writer, since the books he wrote about the times when Tsubasa and the others were fifteen, and later when they were grown-up were merely the beginning of his literary career.
However, Daichi opened the window and whistled, until a white bird entered the place.
-Where were you, Shiro?
-Around the place, looking for something to eat –answered the white raven, who hadn't changed at all, not even his (remember that he's now a male raven) dreadful temper.
-And why didn't you come with Daichi? –asked Shinobu's wife, who also kept the secret of the Archangels too.
-I don't know… I didn't want to.
-Whatever –and everyone laughed because of the white raven's remark. People thought he had been tamed by Daichi, but Shiro didn't want to deny it.
The times when they had to hide their secrets and their powers were long gone. Tsubasa and the others could breathe easily now, since they knew that the happiness they lived had been made with their own hands, just like their fate, and just like Hayate and the others would do, pretty soon…
Because that was the future they wanted.
OWARI
Author's Last Note: I can't believe I finished the Messenger of the Gods saga. Two FanFics, one longer than the other, story art, GIFs, and even some beautiful Fan arts are the result of the idea I had in a January afternoon in 2005. Your constant reviews and your support made me fell happy after I finished The Messenger of the Gods, and so great was the welcome my crazy idea had here and in other places, that The Messenger of the Gods II: Tenshi no Futatabi (Return of the Archangels) was fighting its way out of my mind and into my computer.
To the ones that read this fic, no matter if they liked it or not, and to the ones who supported me during the last year, when I wrote the stories, and this year, when I finished the translation, I can only say THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
Andrea E. Ariza Acevedo (Saki Hashimoto)