Chapter 3
Sentaro set at his terminal, typing away at the keyboard, but he looked lost. At least that's what it looked like to Celes. She walked up behind him and stared over his shoulder for a moment.
"Hey, Sentaro." She said softly.
"Hmmm?" was his reply.
"Are you feeling alright?"
"Yeah." He replied, "Why do you ask?"
She pointed at the screen. "What are you doing?"
"Tracing a hacker that tried to get into the Japoness mainframe."
"Because it looks like you just shifted a bunch of pictures of Barney the Dinosaur onto a porn site."
Sentaro blinked and looked at his screen.
"Oh." He muttered, "Well damn."
Celes smiled. "Now let's try this again. Are you alright?"
Sentaro sighed.
"No."
"Trouble in paradise already?"
"You know how I was late yesterday?" He saw her nod. "Arael had made a nice dinner for two. Had the table set and everything."
Celes winced. "Ouch."
"I found her in bed," Sentaro continued, "I think she cried herself to sleep. In the morning, I apologized and I thought she accepted it."
"So if she accepted it what's wrong?"
Sentaro shook his head. "I don't know. She just….. she wasn't herself when I left. She was far too quiet."
"Sentaro," Celes said, "This is Arael we're talking about. She's always been quiet."
"Not near me." Sentaro sighed, "She was acting like a completely different person."
Celes patted him on the shoulder.
"Welcome to the real world." She said, "Things don't always make sense, nor are they easy."
Sentaro turned and looked at the Vampire.
"Have I fucked things up that bad?"
"No." Celes replied, "She needs time. Remember this is all new to her. She just needs to sort out what she's feeling." Celes smiled. "She's probably in Heaven right now talking to Asuka or Yui."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Now isn't a good time."
Arael stared wide-eyed at Yui.
"But I need your help!" the Angel pleaded, "Sentaro will come home from work and I don't understand anything!"
Yui bit her lip and glanced back inside.
"It isn't that I don't want to help you," Yui said, "It's just……"
"Please Yui!" Arael begged.
Yui let out a sigh, then opened the door.
"Don't say I didn't warn you though." The young Guardian said.
Arael entered the house and almost immediately froze. There, sitting in the living room across from Asuka, was Misato Ryoji. While Asuka greeted Arael with a smile, Misato's face was anything but friendly.
"I told you." Yui whispered from Arael's side.
"Hello Arael." Asuka said, "What brings you here?"
Arael glanced at Misato a moment before replying.
"I'm having difficulty understanding something." She said.
"What?" Asuka asked. He face then darkened. "Sentaro hasn't done anything to you has he?"
"Not exactly……."
Asuka's face darkened more, as did Yui's.
"What did he do?"
Arael shifted slightly.
"I made a dinner for him." She said, "And then he didn't arrive until late, well after I had gone to sleep." Arael glanced back at Misato through the corner of her eye.
"Go on." Asuka urged.
Arael shifted again. "I awoke in the early morning to find him there. I had been upset….. but then I embraced him and felt better, enough to fall back asleep. When we awoke, he apologized."
"He say why he was late?" Yui asked.
"He said he lost tracked of time." Arael replied. She then looked at the floor. "He apologized for making me cry."
Asuka and Yui stared at Arael.
"You cried yourself to sleep?" Asuka asked. Arael nodded.
"That's what you don't understand isn't it." Yui asked. Another nod.
"Oh Arael," Asuka said, patting the angel on the shoulder. "You were just upset. You put all that effort into making a nice dinner, and then he didn't arrive on time. Shinji's done that to me several times. It's nothing to get upset about."
"Are you stupid?"
Asuka and Yui snapped their heads to Misato in shock. Arael turned her head slightly while Misato glared at her.
"It was more then upset." Misato said, "It was afraid."
The other three blinked.
"What do you mean?" Asuka asked, deciding to ignore Misato referring to Arael as 'it'.
Misato looked at Asuka.
"Of those times Shinji was late, how many of those did you cry yourself asleep, and then grab him in the middle of the night when he did arrive, happy to see him?"
Asuka blinked.
"Well…. None." She replied.
"Yet you have when he was injured, or away for a long time?"
"Well…. yes."
Misato looked at Arael.
"You were afraid." Misato growled, "Afraid that Sentaro would see the monster you are and leave you."
Arael visibly shrank from Misato, her legs shaking. Yui quickly snapped from her shock.
"That's enough!" Yui shouted, "You leave her alone! She hasn't hurt anyone!"
"It and others of it's kind killed my Father and his colleagues!" Misato shouted back, "They killed hundreds in Tokyo-3 and nearly killed your parents and your Aunts and Uncle several times! This one even raped the memories of your Mother and Sayoko!"
Tears were now streaming down Arael's cheeks. It was true she had done horrible things in the past. But could Sentaro see her as a monster?
Would he stay with her if she was?
Suddenly Misato was right in her face.
"What will you do," Misato asked snidely, "when he realizes just what kind of a monster he's fallen for? Hmm? Cry? Nothing will ever…."
"Misato." Asuka said softly, but full of anger, "That is enough."
Misato turned her head slightly at Asuka.
"I don't think it is." She replied.
"I don't doubt you do." Asuka growled, "But this is MY home and I say that's enough."
"Fine." Misato turned from Arael and grabbed her jacket. She headed towards the front door, pausing after she had opened it. "Tell Shinji 'Hi' and I'll see you and Yui later." She then closed the door with a bang.
Upon the door closing Arael collapsed to her knees, sobbing. Yui fell beside her friend and held her tightly in her arms.
"Damn Misato." Asuka grumbled as she knelt down beside the Angel, "Don't pay any attention to her Arael. You know she's never given you a chance. She doesn't know you like we do."
Arael only replied was a sob.
Yui looked up at her mother while she rubbed her friend's back.
"I think it's what Belldandy and Peorth were telling us. She's becoming more and more emotional."
"Yeah but even Rei didn't go through this." Asuka grumbled.
"Auntie Rei was also reborn completely human." Yui pointed out, "Arael is still an Angel."
Asuka rubbed her face.
"Ok," she said, "Take her back down to her Apartment and stay with her till Sentaro comes home." She paused a moment. "Actually if you call Celes maybe she'll send him home early, that would be even better."
"Right." Yui gently lifted Arael to her feet, keeping an arm around the Angel's shoulder. A second later the two vanished in a flash. Asuka then turned and left her house, seeking Shinji so that the two could have a nice long talk about Misato.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Arael!" Sentaro called out as he entered the apartment. He'd left work as quickly as he could after Yui had called Celes. The Vampire didn't say much of what had happened, only that Sentaro needed to go.
"Arael!" he called out again.
"Shh! She's asleep!"
Sentaro turned to see Yui sitting on his couch. He glanced towards the bedrooms, before sitting in a chair across from Yui.
"What happened?" Sentaro asked.
"She came up looking for advice." Yui replied, "About last night."
Sentaro paled.
"I knew something was wrong." He muttered, "She was just too quiet."
"Don't go blaming yourself." Yui said, "From what she told us, other then being out late, you didn't do anything wrong. She just….. overreacted."
"Overreacting to the point you're here?" Sentaro asked.
"This isn't your fault." Yui replied, "I'm here because of what Misato did."
Sentaro frowned. "What did Misato do?"
"You know she hates the Angels." Yui saw Sentaro nod. "Then you know she's never been civil to Arael." Another nod. "Arael came up to discuss last night, Misato was there. Arael didn't know, and I couldn't send her away, so I brought her in." Yui sighed. "So if you want to blame someone for her current state, blame me."
"What did Misato say?" Sentaro asked softly.
"Basically, called her a monster, blamed her for the deaths caused by the Angels." Yui replied, her voice equally as quiet. "The thing that did it was when she said Arael was afraid of you leaving her, afraid that you'd see her as a monster."
"I've never thought that." Sentaro stated.
"I know that." Yui replied, "Mom knows that. Your mom knows that. Hell, most of our family and yours knows that. But in her current state, Arael heard that and lost it."
Sentaro turned and looked back at the bedrooms.
"Oh man…" he muttered.
"Exactly." Yui said.
Sentaro looked back at Yui.
"Would you be interested in staying a few days?" he asked, "I think it would help her to have a friend around, besides me."
Yui smiled. "Sure."
Sentaro nodded, then stood up.
"I'm going to go see her." He said, "If you hear any screaming or feel an AT-Field go off, come running."
Yui chuckled, "Somehow I don't think she'll hit you with an AT-Field. As to the screaming, how will I know it isn't something else?"
Sentaro rolled his eyes.
"Because I'm not about to do that with her in her current state. That would just open an even worse can of worms."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sentaro entered the bedroom. Closing the door behind him, he approached the sleeping Arael. Much like the night before, she was facing away from the door and had tear tracks running down her cheeks.
Unlike the night before, this time he decided to wake her.
He knelt down facing her, then raised his hand and slowly ran it through her hair. Arael inhaled and let out a soft sigh, before opening her eyes. She blinked for a moment, then suddenly realized who was beside her. Her eyes went wide in surprise, allowing Sentaro to see that they were definitely redder from crying.
"Hey." He said softly, his hand still running through her hair.
"Hey." She replied.
"I heard you had an awful day." He said softly.
Arael closed her eyes and tears began to leak from them. Sentaro moved his free hand up and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"Don't cry." He said softly, "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."
Arael's eyes snapped open and stared at him.
"It doesn't matter to me about your past." Sentaro continued, "The Arael I know, the one I love, has always been a sweet and kind person."
"But we're the same." Arael whispered, "The Arael you know and the one that is a monster are the same."
"That may be." Sentaro said, "But the monster part of you is long gone" He placed his hand on Arael's. "I know I may upset you, without intending to. But if I do, please, tell me. I want to know what you're thinking, and help you, so these misunderstandings don't happen ever again." He squeezed her hand. "Ok?"
Arael was silent for a moment, then squeezed back.
"Ok." She replied.
"Good." Sentaro wrapped his arms around Arael and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Don't listen to Misato." He said, "She doesn't know you and shouldn't be one to judge you."
Arael felt tears in her eyes again, only these were tears of happiness. Her arms found their way around Sentaro and she embraced him with equal strength as he embraced her. They stayed that way for almost ten minutes. When they released, Arael let out a sniff and wiped her eyes before smiling at Sentaro.
"You know," Sentaro said, holding her hand, "Yui is probably wondering what exactly we're up to in here."
Arael's eyes widened.
"Yui's still here?"
"Yep." Sentaro replied, "Waiting out in the living room. I asked and she's willing to stay a few days too."
"She is?" Arael asked.
"Yep. She is." He then smiled. "So why don't you freshen up and come on out. I'll even make dinner."
Arael sat up straight and stared at Sentaro.
"I'm sorry," she said, "I think I heard you wrong. Did you just say that you will make dinner?"
Sentaro frowned slightly. "Well, yes. Why?"
Arael stood up and pointed at him.
"You will stay out of MY kitchen." Arael stated.
"What!"
"You heard me."
"Why!"
"Sentaro, I love you. But you have absolutely no cooking skills."
Sentaro let out a sigh.
"You'd think being the grandson and son of the two best cooks in Heaven would mean I had some skill……." He grumbled.
Arael smiled.
"I may not be the best cook," she said, "But I did learn from the best."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sentaro bustled about the kitchen the next morning, throwing together his lunch, when Yui walked in.
"Coffee." She mumbled.
Sentaro quickly handed Yui a cup. Yui took a big mouthful and immediately spat it back out.
"What the hell is this!" she shouted.
"Coffee." Sentaro replied.
"You call this coffee!" Yui replied, "I think it burned layers out of my mouth!"
Sentaro shrugged as he looked at the coffee maker.
"I think some people I know used it as a paint remover."
"Ugh." Yui stuck her tongue out. She then looked around. "Where's Arael?"
"Asleep." Sentaro replied. "She kept waking up last night."
"Aren't you worried that she might panic when she wakes up and you're not there?"
"Sort of." Sentaro admitted, "But even she admitted she has to get over that feeling." Sentaro took a sip of his coffee. "So what are your plans for today?"
"I'm taking Arael back up to Heaven." Yui replied, "We're going to go to the meditation chamber."
Sentaro nodded. "She mentioned she finds that place soothing."
"Then I figured we'd hit the hot springs or the Goddess Mall."
"I don't picture Arael enjoying the mall that much."
"Hot springs then." Yui said, "Don't worry, we'll be home in time for dinner."
"You'd better." Sentaro replied, "I've been told that I can't cook.
"Far be it for me to deny your stomach food."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yui floated over the lake of water in the meditation chamber. Her arms were crossed, eyes closed, and her foot was barely in contact with the surface of the lake. The chamber had been around for ages, though few actually used it. Yui knew of it, though she herself had never really used it. In fact, the only people she knew of that did use the chamber were Belldandy, Sayoko, and Arael.
Yui opened and eye and glanced over at the Angel. Arael was standing much as she was, but her face was anything but peaceful. Several times, Arael's forehead scrunched up in either intense concentration, or frustration.
"You alright?" Yui asked softly.
"I am having difficultly finding my 'center.'" Arael murmured, her eyes still closed. "It has been awhile since I was last here. I believe I am out of practice."
"It's been awhile for me too." Yui replied, "But I found my center easy."
Arael let out a soft growl. "I have never had difficulty before."
"When was the last time you meditated?"
"Almost….." Arael paused and opened her eyes. "Before Draco and Loki attacked. Back before your mother and I went to Terra 2."
"That was almost a year ago." Yui said.
"I know."
Yui frowned. "What changed since….." The Guardian suddenly looked up, her eyes wide. "Sentaro."
Arael's head snapped to the side.
"What about him?" she asked.
"You started dating Sentaro." Yui stated, "Actually, you fell in love with him shortly after you arrived on Terra 2 this past time. I think that's your problem."
Arael frown and looked off into the distance.
"How could loving Sentaro cause me problems meditating?" she asked.
"I don't know." Yui said, "Maybe you're thinking about him subconsciously. Maybe these last couple of days has disturbed you more then we thought. Any of these things could be disrupting your center."
Arael thought about that for a moment.
"It is possible." The Angel finally said, "My thoughts have been drifting to him more and more as of late."
"Oh?" A smirk appeared on Yui's face. "What kind of thoughts?"
Arael blushed.
"Oh, THOSE kinds of thoughts." Yui's smirk grew bigger. "So, in these thoughts of yours, is he wearing clothes?"
Arael's blush grew deeper.
"Oh come on!" Yui said, "We're adults here! You can tell me!" She leaned in close to Arael, whose face now rivaled a tomato in color. "So what's his best feature? His eyes? His chest? His butt? His c…."
Before Yui could finish her sentence, Arael suddenly dropped into the lake with a splash. Yui stared slack jawed as the ripples from Arael slowly leveled out, and the lake became smooth again. A minute later, Arael popped back up to the surface and floated there.
"What did you do that for?" Yui asked, staring at her friend treading water.
"It was becoming a bit warm." Arael replied, "I needed to cool off."
"Right. Warm." Yui shook her head. "You seriously need to get laid Arael."
Arael's eyes narrowed.
"Excuse me? I need to get laid? Who's the one who hasn't had a boyfriend in almost thirty years?"
"Hey I can get anyone I want!" Yui snapped back, "YOU have a boyfriend and still haven't gotten to second base with him!"
Arael glared at Yui.
"I mean come on! You're living with each other! Even sleeping with each other! I bet you've never even…"
SPLASH!
Arael smiled, very pleased with herself. A minute later, Yui's head slowly emerged from the water, followed by her shoulders. The Guardian glared at her friend.
"Why did you do that?" Yui asked softly.
"You were becoming very annoying." Arael replied.
"Was not."
"Was too."
"Was not!"
"Was too."
"I WASN'T DAMMIT!"
"You….."
"Ah hem."
Arael and Yui both turned to see Belldandy floating just on the surface of the lake. The Goddess looked at the two swimming deities with a curious look.
"What exactly are you doing?" Belldandy asked.
"Umm well…uhhh…" Yui stuttered.
"Treading water." Arael stated matter of factly.
"Why?" Belldandy asked.
"Because we didn't want to drown."
Belldandy closed her eyes and took in a deep breathe, before exhaling it slowly. When she reopened her eyes, both Yui and Arael could see the Goddess was trying very hard to remain calm.
"I may have accepted that answer a few centuries ago." Belldandy said softly, "Goddess knows how naïve I was. But that will simply not do now." The Goddess glared at Yui and Arael. "Now exactly, why are you in the lake?"
Yui pointed at Arael.
"She did it!"
Arael stared at Yui in surprise, while Belldandy blinked.
"She did what?" the Goddess asked.
"This!"
SPLASH!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cayla was sitting at her desk working on the next day's agenda when a sound reached her ears. She paused at her terminal and listened for a moment.
"Hmm." She mumbled, "Thought I heard Sempai……"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arael and Yui sat before the TV in the Angel's apartment in Japoness. Both wore t-shirts and shorts (Yui barrowed them from Arael) and towels wrapped around their heads.
"I can't believe you did that." Arael murmured.
Yui shrugged.
"It was nothing."
"Nothing!" Arael shrieked, "You dunked Belldandy in the lake! Belldandy, Goddess Class 0! Member of the Council Belldandy! Sayoko's mother and Sentaro's Grandmother Belldandy!"
"Yes I'm well aware of which Belldandy I dunked."
"Do you have any idea what she's going to do to us!"
Yui thought for a moment.
"Well, technically I did it. You get off scot-free "
"Still," Arael said, "You shouldn't have done that!"
"Relax." Yui replied with a wave of her hand, "Belldandy won't do anything. When she gets dried out, she'll see the humor in this."
"Somehow I doubt that." Arael said dryly.
"It's Belldandy. She never holds a grudge. Look at everything Hild and Mara did to her and Keiichi. I'm safe!"
Arael shook her head with a heavy sigh. The door to the apartment opened, admitting Sentaro. He glanced at the women sitting on the couch and narrowed his eyes.
"Why are you wet?" he asked.
"Minor incident in Heaven." Yui replied. Arael said nothing.
"Minor?" Sentaro repeated, "Somehow I doubt that." He looked at Arael.
The Angel shied under his gaze.
"Whatever do you mean?" Yui replied, sounding as innocent as she could.
"Arael." Sentaro said softly, "Can I speak with you in the bedroom?"
Arael replied by rising to her feet and walking towards the bedroom. Sentaro gave Yui a curious look, then followed. Entering the bedroom, Sentaro found Arael sitting on the bed, staring at her hands folded in her lap. He walked over and knelt in front of her. He removed her towel, allowing her damp tresses to fall on her shoulders. Gently, he combed his fingers through her hair, moving it behind her back before resting one of his hands on hers. He lifted her chin with the other and kissed her gently on the lips. Arael closed her eyes and became lost in the feeling of his lips. Then the feeling was gone.
"Why did Yui dunk Grandma?"
Arael's eyes snapped open.
"You know?" she asked.
Sentaro nodded.
"Cayla called." He said, "I could hear Aunties Skuld and Urd laughing, Grandpa and Dad struggling not to laugh, and Grandma muttering about how she's going to get back at Yui."
Arael let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank goddess." the Angel murmured, "For a moment I thought she was going to……"
"She left me to punish you."
Arael looked up in shock.
"Wh….what?"
Sentaro nodded, his face very serious.
"Yes. I'm to punish you." He said.
"But I didn't….."
"Doesn't matter." Sentaro replied gravely, "You were there. So……" He leaned back in and kissed her again. "Your punishment is to be kissed into unconsciousness, or until I decide you've been punished enough."
Arael stared at Sentaro a moment, before giving a small smile.
"Punish me." She said with a slight giggle, "I've been naughty."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yui rolled her eyes towards the bedroom as she heard Arael, then Sentaro laughing. Then it they went silent.
Even though she knew they weren't doing anything, Yui just couldn't stop from uttering the words her Mother had said over and over again in the past.
"Hentais."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Belldandy paced about the garden behind her home in Heaven. Sitting on a bench, Keiichi followed her with his eyes.
"I can't believe she did that!" Belldandy grumbled, "Of all the things she could have done, that was the last thing I ever expected!" She paused and stared at Keiichi. "Do you have any idea how long it will take my hair to dry!"
"Can't you just…. Magic it?" Keiichi asked, "You've done that before."
"I wish." Belldandy muttered, "But the water in the meditation lake is different. I have to wait for it to dry without magic."
Keiichi reached out, took his wife by the arm, and pulled her onto his lap. He immediately wrapped his arms around her.
"If you want," he said, "I'll help you dry it with towels. Maybe I can get Kristine to find a hair dryer."
Belldandy set her head on Keiichi's shoulder. He immediately felt the dampness from her hair, but he didn't care.
"I don't know how I ended up with such a caring husband." Belldandy said with a loving sigh.
Keiichi only smiled.
"Must have been a wish."
Belldandy smiled back.
"Must have been." She replied. She turned her head slightly towards the house. "Goddess knows my sisters are far from caring."
"They don't mean anything by it." Keiichi said as he began rubbing Belldandy's back, much to her enjoyment. "They just found the thought of Yui dunking you to be funny."
"I don't see how it was funny." Belldandy murmured. She'd tried to sound annoyed, but it was so hard to do when Keiichi was turning her into putty with his hands.
"Let me ask you this then." Keiichi said, "How long has it been since you've been thought of as one of the girls?"
"Huh?"
"When have you really, if you'll forgive me for saying it, let your hair down and had fun?"
Belldandy frowned and thought back.
"I'll tell you." Keiichi said, "It was Sayoko's wedding, and they had to get you drunk."
"I've had fun since then." Belldandy grumbled.
"Not like that time." Keiichi pointed out, "And nothing like you had at the Nekomi Tech club parties."
"Ah yes," Belldandy replied, "Those parties." She then frowned. "I never did find out who got Skuld drunk when she was thirteen."
"Don't worry about it." Keiichi said, resuming his rubbing of her back. He smiled when he heard Belldandy let out a purr. "Just let this go, or figure out a way to get her back."
"Mmmmmm, where is she by the way?"
"I think she's back on Terra 2. She was staying with Sentaro and Arael." Keiichi shrugged, "Not sure why, Asuka won't say."
"Something happened." Belldandy murmured, "We'll find out."
"Yeah."
From the rooftop of the house, a figure waited for a moment longer, then vanished.
He had heard enough.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sentaro let out a yawn as he slowly woke up. After administering 'punishment' to Arael, the two had gone to sleep. Now as he woke up, he could still feel Arael in the same position as she was the night before: using his chest as a pillow.
Though the bed did feel rather cold and hard now………
He opened his eyes for a moment, then closed them, intending to got back to sleep. His eyes snapped back open a second later in shock.
There was no ceiling above him.
Only red tinted sky.
Turning his head to the side, he could see white steps leading down to a rocky red landscape.
"Uhhhh." He began to say as he turned to look at the other side.
Any words he was about to say died on his lips as he took in the object now in view.
Swallowing heavy, Sentaro nudged Arael. Grey hair swayed slightly on his chest, but the Angel didn't stir. He shook Arael a bit harder, this time getting a slight moan and a muttering regarding how comfortable she was.
Sentaro shook her even harder. Finally Arael lifted her head, stared at him, and started to open her mouth to tell him off for waking her so rudely. She stopped upon seeing the look on her boyfriend's face. She looked curiously at him for a moment, then looked around.
Her eyes locked on the object that had caused Sentaro to wake her.
"Please tell me I'm wrong." Sentaro said, "Please tell me that isn't….."
"It is." Arael whispered, a slight tremor in her voice, "The Judgment Gate."
Sentaro stared at the shattered columns, defying gravity as they sat in the same spot they had held for eons.
"Grandma told me about it." Sentaro whispered, "It….. it was used as a test, for mortal and immortal couples."
Arael nodded. "If there was any doubt in either of their hearts," she looked at the Angel shaped opening in the Gate, "They would be separated for all eternity."
"I don't suppose you could just teleport us away from this rock?" Sentaro asked.
Arael closed her eyes. Sentaro watched as the landscape vanished in darkness, only to return a second later. Arael opened her eyes and looked around. She turned back to Sentaro.
"I can't teleport us." She said nervously.
Sentaro looked at the gate, then turned to Arael.
"You know what that means." He said.
Arael swallowed and nodded.
"Our only recourse is to go through the gate."
Sentaro stood up, then help Arael to her feet. They walked before the opening of the gate and stared at the red landscape on the other side.
"We just walk through?" Arael asked, her eyes never leaving the gate.
"Yeah." Sentaro replied.
"How will we know……...?" she asked.
"Grandma never said what she and Grandpa saw." Sentaro said, "Obviously they made it through." He looked over at Arael. "We'll know."
Arael closed her eyes and bowed her head.
"I don't know what I'd do if you're not with me on the other side." She said softly, "I couldn't live without you."
Sentaro squeezed her hand tightly in his, causing her to look up at him, tears beginning to fall from her eyes.
"I'll be with you on the other side." He said softly, "I promise."
He looked back at the gate.
"I'm afraid Sentaro." He heard Arael say softly.
"I am too." Sentaro replied, "I'm afraid Mom is going to hurt me when she finds out we went through the gate."
Arael let out a laugh. Sentaro looked back at her and leaned forward to give her a kiss.
"That was a down payment." He whispered as he pulled back, "You get the rest on the other side."
Arael looked at him curiously.
"The rest?" she asked slowly.
Sentaro nodded.
"Everything?" she asked, her eyes beginning to get wider.
"Everything." He stated.
Arael's eyes were wide in shock, a slight blush on her cheeks. She looked back at the gate and mouthed the word 'everything' several times.
"Ready?" Sentaro asked as he faced the gate.
"Yes." Arael replied.
Both stepped hand and hand into the gate.
