AUTHORESS NOTE: Well, I don't like to whine, but…

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST! I TRIED TO START THIS CHAPTER OF "IMPY" AND IT WOULDN'T LET ME TYPE FOR BEANS! B E A N S! BECAUSE I DIDN'T ACTIVATE THE STUPID PROGRAM! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE GRAVITY OF THE SITUATION? I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE! DIE, I TELL YOU!

Fume, fume

Jesus: I don't understand what I have to do with that, but do calm down. Have a muffin.

Grumbles

Improper Guardian

Chapter Twenty Three

By: Brenli

Michael ignored the murmuring all around him as he walked, stiff and straight down a long hall, which eventually came to an empty throne. "So where is she?" Michael threw on his best sneer and acted like he was here just for kicks. The truth was he felt a little nervous. None of these whispers were at all friendly, and didn't particularly like the idea of being outnumbered by as many people as he was. Geez, there were this many I-Children around? You had to wonder where they all came from…! They weren't ALL just products of Rabbits with Rabbits, were they?

A male I-Child stumbled from the doorway to the left of the throne. His abnormally dark hair threw Michael off, but he didn't show it. "If you know what's good for you, you'll leave." He said simply.

Michael's blue-green eyes narrowed. "I'm not leaving till I see what I came here to see!"

"The Queen is unwell." Rujiel reasoned.

"I don't care."

Rujiel looked over his shoulder as he heard the loud thumping of boots against the ground. "You will when you see her. She is angry."

"What makes you think I fucking CARE if she's angry?" Michael watched this male Rabbit move off to the side. He peered into this long hallway and could hear what sounded like curtains being torn away, and finally the last one was torn back. This Queen of theirs still had some distance to go, but she was walking fast and beginning to quicken her pace.

Michael should have known. Even with her face covered and her name never spoken, he should have known. There she was in that peculiar dress of hers… with the most angry set of red eyes Michael had yet to see. If her mini-crown wasn't enough, she decided to take off her ninja shirt, under which was a black tank top.

… Oh God. It was… Nema…!

… And she was angry.

And she had her gaze locked right on HIM.

He didn't know how to respond at this moment, but Nema seemed to have rehearsed for it. To his surprise, she slipped her Angel Crystal earring out of her earlobe and held it before her, and it turned into a sleek, Angel Crystal SWORD, styled curiously with a samurai blade. And she charged at him.

"W-WAIT!" The Fire Angel quickly parried her blow with his Fire Sword, and all the spectators crowded against the walls.

"I'M NOT WAITING! YOU DIDN'T WAIT FOR ME!" Nema finally screamed, slashing like a mad woman. She didn't have a certain area on his body that she wanted to hit. She just wanted to hit him in general. "I read that list your kind have. That fucking Rabbit Hunter list! I read what you said! 'I don't give a shit what you do to them? Kill them ALL, for all I care?'" Nema growled and continued swinging her indestructible blade at him. "I AM THEM! YOU CONDEMNED ME TO DIE!"

Michael forced Nema's sword off of his and assumed a defensive stance. This was happening WAY too fast. He was still at block one. Nema was alive. Alive! He'd been lied to! He still had to get over this hurdle, but Nema was already several steps ahead, calling him on every wrongdoing the Fire Angel had commited against her. "NEMA, WAIT –"

"I TOLD YOU I AM NOT FUCKING WAITING! I WANT YOU DEAD!"

"CALM DOWN, DAMMIT!"

"I'M NOT CALMING DOWN!" Her voice echoed off walls and beat into him. "I've got NO REASON to calm down! YOU submitted an opinion in FAVOR of this GENOCIDE, condemning ME and my people to be EXTERMINATED. YOU were assigned as my GUARDIAN ANGEL and you did NOTHING to protect me until GOD sent you down to Assiah. YOU neglected me when I needed you. Any time I was ASSAULTED, I called for you, and YOU were not there. I was RAPED, and I CRIED for you, and YOU WERE NOT THERE TO SAVE ME." Nema swallowed the momentary lump in her throat.

"BUT –"

"BUT NOTHING! YOU TOLD ME THAT YOU LOVED ME AND NOW YOU'RE KILLING MY PEOPLE! SOME LOVER YOU ARE...!"

"B… but…" Michael watched her blink aside two tears and take a breath before she screamed charged at him again. This time he just plain ran. It was cowardly of him, he knew. But Nema was in a rage and Michael's mind was still bogged down.

"WHERE THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING, HUH, LOVERRR?" Nema hissed and swung her weight forward, landing a clean kick between his shoulder blades and sending him to the ground. "Do I SCARE you? I am SO sorry!"

Okay, now Nema sounded plain DEMONIC. Was she even Nema, anymore?

"Since when did you become so weak? Are you going to make this boring for me?"

Wait, what? Since WHEN did Nema cop THAT kind of attitude? She wasn't a KIND girl, but she wasn't a bitch, either! "… Okay, fuck you, bitch! I didn't come here to fight!"

All he'd done was call her a bitch. He had done worse to her before, but for some reason, at that moment it made Nema stop and scowl down at him. "… You… have come here for nothing less than a fight. Fucking liar, traitor… and murderer."

Oh, fuck. What the Hell did he say NOW? It was true that he didn't come here to fight. Well, he wasn't even entirely sure just what he came here for, but…

"Ah, shit!" Nema delivered a sharp kick to his side.

"… Get him out of our grounds. If we ever see him again… kill him. That's an order." Nema commanded the I-Children in the room with her. And with that she turned and began to leave.

So that was it, then…? She was going to drop everything between them? After he spent three long fucking months like a WEAK man, mourning a girl who was ALIVE all along? This was his God damn present? "… SO YOU'RE FUCKING ABANDONING ME, THEN?"

"I'M NOT THE ONE ABANDONING ANYTHING! YOU LEFT ME, FIRST!" Nema cried. No, literally, she damn near sobbed it out.

Michael struggled against the pulling of two I-Children, already beginning to remove him from their territory. "YOU THINK SO?"

"I KNOW SO!" Nema's Angel Crystal sword became an earring once again, and Nema slipped it back into her earlobe. "WE'RE FUCKING THROUGH!"

And Michael laughed. It was a stupid reaction, but you know what? All of this was stupid. This war, and this God damn predicament, and Nema, and himself. It was all so fucking stupid, it almost seemed fitting to laugh, then. A stupid reaction to an equally stupid mess. "Why don't you fucking PROVE it, bitch!"

The inhabitants in the room watched their Queen freeze up. The truth of it all was, they were surprised that she hadn't made the Fire Angel's head explode just yet. There had never been a White Wing that had gotten away with this much before, but at the same time, no one was really brave enough to call her on it. Not even Rujiel.

Nema wasted no time in convincing Michael that she was through with him. It was purely an instinctual move, fueled by anger and heartbreak. She sent a particularly fiery glance at Michael, and sprinted toward Rujiel.

He was taller than Michael was, as were most Angels, Rabbit or not. That was fine. Nema only needed to hop, then, and she did. And she made sure to wrap her arms around his pale shoulders, so that it would be harder to pull away.

And she kissed him.

The gasps were inaudible to her, though it did cause a larger uproar than she would have thought it would. Even the I-Children restraining Michael let him go.

Well, Nema wasn't going to pay attention to him just yet. Instead she focused on this body she was latching onto… stiff in shock, though it was starting to melt. When she pulled away, a strange sort of gasp left Rujiel. She couldn't look him in the eye. She couldn't look at anyone, right now.

What the fuck did she just do…?

"… NOW JUST A FUCKING MINUTE HERE…!" Michael said after a particularly long moment of silence.

"… So there's your proof." She whispered. And this time, she left for good.

"YOU FUCKING WAIT, NEMA! YOU BITCH, TURN THE FUCK AROUND!" Michael screamed at her, but the cursing only made her speed up. He fought against his escorts for a second time. "COME BACK AND FUCKING LISTEN TO ME! DON'T YOU WANNA KNOW WHY I'M FIGHTING AGAINST YOU? AREN'T YOU FUCKING CURIOUS?" She was running. Now, she had turned a corner. Now, he heard a door slam. Fine, then he'd scream it to everyone else. "HE TOLD ME YOU WERE DEAD, NEMA! GOD, YOU THINK I'M THAT EVIL? FUCK YOU! HE TOLD ME YOU WERE DEAD!" He screamed and screamed. What the fuck was all this? What did he do to deserve this… complete and utter BULLSHIT? Giving in to… something like… LOVE, and this was what he got for it! Oh God, may he never fall prey to something like love ever again!

He was at the doorway, now, about to enter another long hallway, and, finally, outside. So he glared daggers at Rujiel and snarled. "I will fucking KILL you if you touch her, you hear me? I will KILL YOU!" He watched this man… this, this THREAT, standing there looking as dumbfounded as ever. He hardly seemed like the type Nema would even go for…! He wasn't right for her.

Well, who was right for Nema, then? Him? "… I FUCKING LOVED YOU, NEMA!" He cried. He meant every damn word of that, too.

Not that it ever seemed to amount to much.

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"… I think…"

"Yes, Barbiel-sama?" Doll said as she tugged on one of her dark curls.

"… I think I need more olives on this ice cream."

A decently sized sweatdrop formed on the little maid's brow as she took the bowl of strawberry ice cream and sprinkled more black olives on it. "Isn't it supposed to be pickles and ice cream, for pregnant women?"

"Oh… I tried that yesterday, though. It wasn't that great."

Doll blinked.

"… What?" Barbiel asked innocently.

"… So what is it like to be pregnant, then? I'll never know. My body wasn't made for it." Doll pointed at her belly and gave the bowl back to Barbiel.

"It's… different. A pain, sometimes. But I think it'll be worth it. Especially if Nema wins."

Doll sighed. "That girl… She's really scary, now, isn't she?"

"Oh, Raphael and I talk enough about that situation…"

"You do?"

"Of course. To Raphael, Michael is like a little brother. Between you and me… Raphael has come to consider Nema as an unofficial little sister."

"I guess so… He goes to speak with her every day, doesn't he?"

"He helps Nema heal their wounded. He also tries to contact Michael, but he never really gets far with that. As far as Cheriour is concerned, now that this is a real war, Raphael ought to be attacked at first sight. He can't reach Michael at all."

As Barbiel spoke and happily ate her strange concoction, Doll eyed the pair of white high heels lying on the floor, kicked off her black mary janes, and joined Barbiel on the edge of her bed.

"… I tell you, if there's ever been a stickier relationship, it was between Michael and that poor girl."

"She knows about Michael, doesn't she?"

"She does… That's why she is so angry, now. What's horrible is that if they ever met, I don't think she would forgive him. Even if she found out he had been lied to. I think she'd nearly hate him… A sorry pair, aren't they?" The pregnant Angel said quietly.

"And Michael doesn't know that he's been lied to, does he?"

"No. And so far, we have no way of telling him. We can't get anywhere near him without getting attacked. Raphael, Jibril, and Setsuna have all tried."

"… Yuck." Doll's pursed into a pout.

"To say the least." It was then that Barbiel noticed Doll discreetly took out a picture and appeared to be analyzing it. "Hey, what's that?"

"NOTHING!" The little maid blushed and shoved the picture in her apron. "Hey… Barbiel?"

"Yes?" Barbiel asked while scooping up an olive.

"Can I… wear your high heels?"

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"YOU FUCKING LIED!" Michael wasted no time in running after Cheriour. He had guessed that someone had leaked the information to Cheriour before Michael had the chance to see him, but today his blood was drawn by some other Rabbit Hunter. But now, here he was, standing as calm as ever, with his blonde hair covering his eyes.

"It would appear that it was a problem with mistaken identities. You know how hard it is… they often appear so similar."

"BULLSHIT!" Michael swung and swung his sword, but Cheriour only dodged and dodged.

"You have just had your blood drawn. Over exertion is not a good idea at this time. You may pass out."

"I DON'T CARE!" The Fire Angel screamed. "I'll kill you… I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!"

"Is it worth it? I can grant your freedom, remember." Cheriour spoke calmly as he continued to dodge.

"I DON'T FUCKING CARE!" He didn't care, he didn't care. All of this Rabbit Hunting shit… he didn't even care, anymore. It was supposed to buy him freedom… what kind of freedom was this? Endless dreams and nightmares while the person he was suffering for kisses some other man? THAT'S freedom? Fuck that, then. Just fuck it.

"Please understand that it was a genuine mistake." Cheriour lied smoothly. "And it is best not to look back on our past mistakes…"

"She wasn't a mistake." Michael hissed darkly, inhaling deeply before charging again.

"But she must have been. Look at where she got you, Michael."

"FUCK YOU!" Michael screamed and took another deep breath.

"See? The over exertion is already taking its toll on you." Cheriour tsked him. "Now, please, listen…" He said placidly as he continued to step out of the Fire Angel's range. "We had an honest to goodness misidentification issue regarding Nemaelle Mudou. And we can fix that. I can ensure that you can… FIX that, yourself, if you understand."

"No." He said firmly. Oh, fuck no. No amount of hurt or anger was going to make him ENJOY that idea.

"Yes, Michael. Please understand. That girl has led you astray… The prospect of being romantically involved with her seems comforting, but it is a Sin for a reason. It is a tricky thing, a dangerous thing. It will make oneself lose sense of reality, and this simply cannot do."

"… Shut up."

"She causes you pain, doesn't she? I can tell… she makes you a weak man. Believe me… I am trying to help you when I tell you that we can get rid of her."

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" He flung himself forward and swung the heavy blade of his sword at him, and the lack of energy brought him to the ground.

"Very well." Cheriour simply said, turning to leave. "… Please consider my words. I am truly… trying to bring you back into the light."

Michael heard the door close behind him. Oh, good. Now he was alone. Now he could get away with certain things, like collapsing there, and rolling onto his back, and closing his eyes, and maybe… okay, definitely… crying. He wasn't sobbing by any means. That was never really his nature to do so, but the Fire Angel couldn't deny that tears were flowing from his closed eyes. "… Fucking… mess…" His voice came out broken and dry, like he was in need of water. It hurt him even more.

So this was it, then. Nothing like the ending he'd thought it would have been… Michael and his violent Queen. Nema and her fiery Angel… Pipedreams. In the end, their end, Michael killed her kind to keep some white feathers… and Nema… kissed another man. Probably… a better man. Would've been better if the next time they fought, one of them died. It didn't even matter which one. It could've been him, and that would've been okay. Maybe he deserved it.

So this was the end, then…

So much for fairy tales.

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For anyone who can't really realize it…

No, it's not the end.

I'm not quite so stupid, or so evil.

… I am pretty evil, though.