Author: Not very experienced with very young kids talking, so this chapter might be a bit awkward cause they sound much alder then they're supposed to be. Or maybe I can make up an excuse such as they're half-demon or something…? Meh…

Chapter 4- Fallen Angel

The little red haired boy brought the lonely girl with him to meet his friends. There was another girl there, with green hair.

"Prince," the green haired girl called. "Who is this?"
"I don't know," the young boy replied. "It's more fun with more friends right?"
The shy girl stayed quiet as the other kids seem to stare at her.
"Hey," one of them started. "What's your name?"
"S-S-S-Setsuna…" she stuttered.
"Setsuna," the red haired boy walked closer to her, she began to feel very nervous. "TAG! You're it!"

With that all the other kids ran away from her, at first she was startled as she didn't know what to do. Then she remembered watching other kids play tag and ran off to chase them. She smiled, for the first time ever, she smiled as she had fun with the other kids. They all raced around the park playing many different games with their new friend. Because the playground was so close to the forest border of town, it was also a great place for hide and seek.

The sun began to set in the horizon and several adults came by to get their children. All that was left is Setsuna, the red haired boy and the green haired girl.

"He's late," the girl said out loud.
"Where is he?" the boy asked.
"I don't know," the girl told back.
"Who?" Setsuna asked.
"Gale's father, Gaia," the boy answered. "He always brings us here and picks us up after. He works for my father."
"Your name is Gale?"
"Yep! I got a nice name, better then him."
"Hey!"
"W-what's your name?" Setsuna asked the red haired boy.
Gale quickly interrupted before he could answer, "His name is Prince."
"Ooh, why does everybody keep calling me that?" the boy slouched down. "Why can't I tell them my name? All the grown-ups know it anyway right? Sorry, Setsuna."

A deep voice from nowhere answers his question, "That's because, prince, the name's of the royal family must not be spoken out loud," it came from a big, muscular man with a dark beard. "They are sacred."
"No matter how plain and stupid it is," the girl teased, she pulled an eye down and stuck out her tongue. "NYAH!"
"Cut it out," the boy told her.
"Come on prince, Gale, we have to go home."
"Yes father."
"Coming! We'll be here tomorrow okay Setsuna?"
"O-okay…"

Setsuna and Gaia watch as Gale and Prince walk away from them, Setsuna is shaking in the big man's presence. The man turned to him and began to speak, "Setsuna, right? Don't cause any trouble for our prince. He has a lot of friends already just because of his status, but the royal family and I don't want to see anything happen to him." With that he left her on the playground, alone again.

Setsuna made her way home, by herself. Her parents never seem to want to bother with her for some reason. Whenever they look at her, she doesn't look at their faces but she can feel something dark coming from them. The little girl went directly to her room and pulled the covers up to her face.

Setsuna was thinking about her day, how much fun she had with all those other kids. She put her head under the covers and giggled at the thought of even more fun tomorrow. But the words of the big, scary man crept into her mind, "Don't cause any trouble fore our prince." What could that mean…?

By morning she had forgotten and went to the playground almost as soon as she finished her meal. As usual, her family acted like she wasn't there as she went around gathering her meal, often using a chair to get to some of the higher level items. She waited patiently on the swing where they first met. Smiling away, she swings where she sits, realizing for the first time that feeling the wind blow through her face felt great.

Gaia came by with both Gale and the prince. Setsuna jumped off the swing and all three ran to meet each other. Gaia stopped to look for a second and decided that his duties at the castle need to be taken care of. Gale, the prince and Setsuna race to the slides and other parts of the playground while waiting for everyone else so that they can really start the games.

"Prince?" Setsuna called to him.
"Yeah Set-chan?" he replied.
"Chan?" Gale interrupted.
"She's nicer then you! AH!" the price ran off with Gale in pursuit. But being naturally wind elemental, she was faster and managed to jump on top of him, making him fall. "Ow! Get off of me."
"Haha! I'm faster then you."
"I said get off," he pushes her off of him and gets up to turn to Setsuna, with a smile on his face. "Well?"
"C-can I call you nii-sama?" she asked nervously.
"Nii-sama?" the boy looked at her confused.
The other girl got her words in first, "I told you his name is prince."
"I don't like to be called that," the boy told back. "Sure, it's better then prince."
"T-thank you nii-sama!" Setsuna exclaimed.

For the next few weeks, all Setsuna did was have fun. Setsuna's family seemed to take notice of her smile every now and then, confusing them greatly. She was finally living.

One day, Gaia just stayed with Gale and the prince, watching over them for some reason. But that didn't bother any one at all. By midday, a mysterious man came and spoke into his ear about something and left. Hours later, some strange men appeared. Gaia led them to where all the kids were playing, everyone stopped to see what is happening.

"Now?" the boy prince asked.
"I'm sorry, my prince," Gaia apologized. "But the doctors were somewhat lazy this year-"
"We weren't lazy, we were waiting for our rightful payment!"

Gaia turns back to give them a scary look, the one that spoke shivered a little. The big man turns back to turn to the young prince and his friends, "Good news is, your father had talked to them. Now they're going to give your medication, if your friends want any they can too."

"What?" one of the kids asked.
"They put some weird water into my wings, it's supposed to make them stronger," the prince told them.
Gaia began explaining, "Because he's the prince of our tribe, he must have strong wings. For today however, these… gentlemen have agreed to make up for their… tardiness by treating your friends as well."
"Come on prince!" Gale seemed happy as her swings opened, they were as green as her hair.

The prince opened his wings, showing off a shiny crimson red color.

"Aww, how come they get different colors?" one of the other children asked. "We all have black."
"Because they are special," Gaia told them. "They come from very important families, and it means that they also have very special powers that no one else in the tribe has."
(Special powers?) Setsuna thought to herself.
"Special powers? Let's see them prince!" the children cried out.
"He cannot," Gaia told them. "He still has to develop them first, we don't even know what it is yet."
"Aww…"
"Come children," Gaia motioned with his hand. "Do you want to get as strong as the prince?"
"Yeah!" the children rushed to where the older men were.

Setsuna stayed behind and sat on top of the slide, watching as everyone else got their treatment. Gaia took notice of her and waved his hand for her to come down. Nervous at first, she slid down to join the other kids. One of the doctors started to walk towards her.

"Now, open your wings," the stranger requested, she became nervous. "Don't worry it won't hurt."

Setsuna nodded slowly and did as he asked. She spread her wings out, allowing everyone to see their great white color. The doctor fell backwards as he skitters away from her in fear. The other children just looks in awe as her wings shone.

"Wow Setsuna! You have different colored wings too!"
"That means you have special powers!"

Gaia holds back Gale from getting closer to her. Looking for the prince he finds him in front of Setsuna, admiring her wings. He doesn't want to cause a panic so he said nothing.

One of the doctors blurted out, "Get away from her! She's bad luck!"
The children turned to the talking doctor in confusion.
"White wings are a symbol of bad luck, you better not touch her or else you might get bad luck too!"
"Bad luck?" the little children asked.

Setsuna looked down and closed her eyes, she didn't want to see their faces. Now she knew, why she was alone, it was her wings, they were a curse. Tears started to form at the edge of her eyes.

"Don't cry," she heard the prince say to her.

Opening her eyes, she sees a napkin being held out to her from the red haired boy. She looks up to see the boy smiling at her. The doctors held all the other children back.

"Prince don't!"
"Here," the boy wiped off her tears.
"Get away from the prince!"

One of the doctors knocked Setsuna down and put a hand out in from of the Prince to stop his movement.

"Why'd you hurt her?" the boy asked. He held onto the doctors arm, strangely enough a fiery red aura appears around his hand. The doctors arm began to burn, he quickly withdrew his arm to wave it into the air and blow on it so that it may cool off, while the boy prince went over to Setsuna.

(Prince, have your powers just…?)
"Are you alright?" he asked, she gave back a confusing look.
"No prince!" the doctors called out.
"Do you need help getting up?" he held out his arm to her.

Setsuna slowly took his hand. The prince smiled and helped her up.

"Prince, we should leave now," Gaia called out. "Everyone, return to your homes. Doctors, I'll have a word with you once we get back."
"See you tomorrow Set-chan!" he smiled before leaving with everyone else.

Setsuna closed her wings and made them disappear. She watched as everyone walked away, eventually seeing the prince turn and wave back. Thinking heavily about what happened today, she went back to the swings and just, sat there.

The prince had returned to his home. He and Gale were told to stay inside for the time being. So they ran off to do some other things. Gaia turned angrily at the doctors, he explained to them not to tell anyone about what had happened as he will tell the king himself. The doctors murmured to each other and agreed, Gaia went off to tell the king.

Setsuna slowly swayed back and forth, still thinking about the day as the sun began to hide behind the land.

"Hey," she heard a voice and found it was the Prince's.
"N-nii-sama," she stuttered. "Why are you here?"
"It gets boring at the castle pretty quick," he said energetically. "I hope you're alright."
"I'm fine."
"Great! We can play then!" he was enthusiastic.
"Just us?"
"Yeah, it'll be fun! Oh wait, here," the prince holds out something in his hand, it looks like a loop of something.
"What is it?" Setsuna asked.
"I don't know, I found this on the floor , my mother always puts it in her hair. Here, let me try."

The boy played with Setsuna's long flowing hair, somehow pushing it to one side as he places the loop around them.

"There!"
"H-how is it?" Setsuna sounded very nervous as she blushed.
"Not like my mother's, but it looks really good!" he said excitedly.
"R-really?" Setsuna brought up a smile to show him.
"Yep!" the two of them giggled a bit.

"PRINCE!" they both turned to see Gale running down to where they are.
"What are you doing here Gale?" the boy asked.
"I heard my father and your father talking to each other," she told them. "They're going to do something to Setsuna!"
"What?"
"I don't know what they said, I heard 'kill', I don't know what that is. But my father's coming to do that now."
"That sounds bad," the boy looks over at Setsuna. "I don't want them to hurt you."
"N-nii-sama?"

The boy grabs her hand and they ran as fast as they could, disappearing into the forest border as Gale stood, stunned. The boy leads the girl through the trees, several plants and branches were pushed aside as they made their way through. Setsuna was afraid, what is going to happen to her? Several more questions raced through her mind as they ran. However, they were stopped when they pushed through a bunch of bushes.

There was a canyon, with rapid flowing water below. Not sure what to do, the boy looked around. They heard Gaia's voice calling out for the prince.

The boy stands between Setsuna and where ever the voice is coming from, he spreads his arms out wide.

"Nii-sama…"
"My father told me something," he began, confusing Setsuna. "It's about my name. I don't know what he was talking about. My real name Setsuna, is William, it means 'The Desire to Protect', whatever that is."
"Nii-sama…"
Gaia emerges from the bushes, "Prince!"
"I won't let you hurt her!" his eyes showed not fear but tears. He was not afraid even as he notices Gaia holding a sword. A red aura begins to surround William.

"Prince…"
"Nii-sama… thank you…" Setsuna whispered into his ear.

Turning back, he sees Setsuna close her eyes, her wings spread out as she falls backwards. She willingly fell off the cliff as Will tried to go after her and grab her. Gaia manages to grad him before he followed her down. The little boy can only stare and cry out her name as she fell down, her wings were wide open, fluttering in the air, releasing several feathers before the water covers them. The prince continues to watch as the white feathers flutter between the canyon walls, unable to say anything other then her name…

Her eyes twitched before opening, her body hurt all over so she couldn't move. She can however, hear voices…

"So you found her while training at the river?"
"Yes, she just floated to where I was. I couldn't believe it though, I never expected the half-bird tribe to do something like that."
"You said she had white wings? Those are a sign of bad luck within the tribe. I can see why they wanted to get rid of her."
"What should we do?"
"I'm certain the girl has gone through too much just from her own people, we must keep this a secret from them."
"They'll find out eventually."
"That's right, what about the Kansai Magic Association?"
"Eishun Konoe?"
"Yes, he has a kind heart. I'm certain he'll take care of her there."
"Then we'll take her to him as soon as she's better."

That was all she could hear before falling back to sleep.

Setsuna looked up with a fierce look in her eyes. She quickly grabs her sword and dashes back towards the stadium.

"Setsuna-san! Wait!" Negi called out to her. "Take care of Konoka-san please Evangiline-san."
"Do I look like a babysitter to you?" but it was too late as Negi, Asuna, Kaede, Kotaro, Mana and Ku Fei left. "Tch, help them out Chachamaru."
"Yes, master."

"That girl is fast," Kotaro exclaimed.
"We can't catch up like this," Asuna added.
"Stay together everyone, Setsuna can take care of herself," Mana told them.

Setsuna dashes past the trees as quick as she can, tears flowing from her eyes.