Improper Guardian

Chapter Thirty Four

By: Brenli

Michael had probably the very best dream he'd ever had last night. 'Course, it hardly started out like a good dream, and he had been more than sure it was a real nightmare, but it had ended on probably the best note, ever. Because Nema was his, finally. Seriously, it took him long enough, didn't it? He got her back! She… WANTED to be back!

Seriously… the best fucking dream EVER. He'd never forget it.

He had kissed her twice, then several times more. She had kissed him back. It became extremely obvious that Nema had no intention of leaving for the whole night. And that was FINE. COMPLETELY FINE. She had stayed. She untied her mini-crown and kicked off her boots and she curled up under his several sheets, one of which he had torn. And that was ENTIRELY FINE, too, really!

He slept with her. Not in any sexual sense. Though it had been so long, and they were having trouble not kissing each other, he had been fine with letting Nema sleep all pressed against him. In this dream many of her fighters had died, and one little girl, on top of that. He wasn't gonna get pushy and selfish about it…even if he DID really want to.

Well…

Near the end of the dream… well, she started it. No, really, she did! She mumbled something about being too warm and slipped off her petticoat. And then… other things started coming off. Always because she was "too warm." Well it's just no good teasing a man like that, you know.

So it had happened, sure. It had been different than the first time they had been together, mostly because they were both much too tired and had gone through too much stress to be interested in… you know… being rough. But it was still good, it was true and pure like all lovemaking should be. And when they had finished he had stared down at her, smiled, and whispered, "… So then we're finally together."

And she had traced the line of his tattoo with one pale finger and laughed quietly. "I dare God to try and stop us, now."

Thus had ended the best dream ever.

Now, the light of the next day had begun to filter in and shine on the Fire Angel's face. At first, his face wrinkled in annoyance and he began to turn onto his side. His arm brushed against something, and he opened his blue-green eyes. They widened a little, then narrowed in the way a tired yet content man would. He was oblivious to the fact that his eyes suddenly looked much more blue. "… Hey."

Nema allowed a smile to curl her lips. "… Is it time to wake up?"

"Mmmmmmph…" Was all that left his mouth as he pressed kiss after kiss on her forehead, nose, and finally her soft lips, shifting his weight over her pale body.

Nema laughed. "I guess not…"

There was a knock on the door.

"… Busy…" Michael called lazily, his kisses muffling childish giggles that were escaping his Queen.

But the knocking persisted after a while.

"I'm busy!" Michael snapped while nibbling on the curve of her neck.

And still someone made it a point to make a dark spot in Michael's sunny morning. Again, someone knocked on his door.

And this time, Michael threw open his top drawer, took out a dagger, and flung it at his door. The blade landed deeply in the wood and whoever dared to disturb him could be heard stumbling backwards. "I SAID I'M FUCKING BUSY!" The Fire Angel snarled. "… What's so funny?" He asked Nema.

"That's not supposed to be funny to me?" She asked. He merely shrugged and kissed her deeply.

This time, whoever it was practically punched Michael's door.

"That's it." Michael grumbled and pulled several more daggers from this same drawer, throwing him at the door with each word he yelled. "I. AM. FUCKING. BUSY. ASSHOLE!"

"… How many more daggers do you have in there?" Nema asked him.

"I think like 20…" He pursed his lips in deep thought.

Her pale brows arched up at the War Angel. "You have a drawer full of nothing but random daggers?"

"No!" Michael cried. "There's a gun in there, too!"

"MICHAEL!" The intruder snapped, still pounding on his door. It was Raphael. "I AM SO DAMN SORRY TO RUIN YOUR MINIATURE HONEYMOON, BUT COME ON OUT! BRING NEMA WITH YOU!"

Nema began squirming out from under her fiery Angel. She laughed at Michael's mumbled curses toward his friend and quickly dressed with him, and then she faltered when handling the black, man-tailored shirt that she had been in possession of for so long. She saw that Michael was now as fully dressed as he needed to be, though he lacked a shirt. She held it out to him.

He took it from her, but only so that he could throw it around her shoulders. Silently admiring the smile this drew from her, he went to the stabbed door and finally opened it. "I hate you." He greeted.

"… Good morning to you, too…" Raphael responded unsurely, watching as little white fingers curled around the edge of Michael's door and pulled it open even further.

The Wind Angel stood there and processed the image before him. Michael was peevish and angry, but it was because Raphael had put a stopper on… well, Raphael wasn't going to think of what he might have put a stopper on. The point was that his fellow Archangel wasn't angry and sullen with heartbreak. He didn't need to be, because the one he wanted was half-hidden behind him, wearing his shirt, smiling shyly and running her fingers through her snow white hair. And Raphael smiled. "… For a while there I was thinking I'd never see you both like that. I'm glad I was wrong."

"Oh, good, then you'll let us be ALONE! See ya!" Michael made to shut the door, but Nema stepped before him, her left hand resting over his heart.

"Wait." She said, her right hand pointing down at the sword in Raphael's hands. "… That was Nyssa's sword."

Raphael looked down at the Qarnier in its freshly washed state and held it out to her. "It looked to me like she was a sort of co-leader in the last battle with you. I thought you would want to have it."

And Nema took the sword in her hands and traced over the word 'victory.' "Thank you." She said quietly.

"… So what happens from here on out? Regarding the war." Raphael asked after a moment of silence began to get too long.

It was at this moment that Michael cleared his throat. "I wanna add my men to yours."

The Qarnier slipped a little in her pale hands, and she looked over her shoulder with wide, red eyes. "… They'll have a hard time taking you in. You know that."

The War Angel shrugged. "I said I WANTED to. Not that I WAS."

"But I want you to join."

At this, Michael let a confident and haughty smirk cross his features. "Yeah? You need help that badly?"

Raphael watched as Nema prodded his chest. "Don't get cocky! I don't NEED your help, I WANT your help. There's a difference!"

Michael heaved an overdone sigh. "OKAY, FINE. You've convinced me enough. I'll aid you, so you can stop begging." And with that he left his room and marched down the hall, disheveled hair and all.

Raphael looked down at Nema and her wide red eyes and her gaping mouth. When she looked to him, he could only shrug, and then she immediately turned on her heel and rushed after her Angel, arms flailing. "STOP ACTING LIKE I NEED YOUR HELP SO BADLY, YOU CREEP! I WAS DOING JUST FINE WITHOUT YOU, YOU KNOW!"

The Wind Angel shook his head. Admittedly, this was hard to swallow. He had somehow become far too accustomed to never seeing them together that now that they were, and acting as though they had never really been apart to begin with, Raphael wanted to laugh. Thank goodness they possessed an uncanny ability to bounce back.

"What's that? I told ya you could stop begging, Nema! I'll help out!" Michael called over his shoulder and pushed open a freely swinging door.

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M WHINING ABOUT, JERK, I –" Nema immediately stopped talking and stood straight and still behind him as she watched many strong men stop eating their various breakfasts and salute their leader.

"At ease, men!" Michael commanded freely, a proud grin placed on his features. "As of today we have officially switched sides. If you haven't already burned your cloaks you will do so TODAY! We will hunt Hunters, now." Michael smiled cruelly. "But you will leave Cheriour to me. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

Michael nodded firmly. "Good. Now you will all meet the Queen of the Revolution, Mudou Nemaelle." He smoothly stepped aside motioned for her to step up. "Aside from myself, you are under her command. You will treat her as you treat me, and if I see any disobedience I will beat you so hard you will wish for a mercy killing!"

Nema stood before them all, unsure of what to do until she felt the War Angel's hand brush over her back, and she stepped forward. "… I will admit to you now that I treat my warriors a bit differently than Michael seems to. However, I expect nothing but the best from warriors trained by the War Angel, and I do not expect any of you to take advantage of the fact that I don't command you to stand, to respond in strict military fashion, and I talk in a softer voice. I think that in due time you'll realize that in spite of my modesty and my dresses I am MORE than a little deadly. Now," Nema continued, starting to feel a little more sure of herself around these white-winged fighters Michael had suddenly offered to her, "the decision to become allies is still fresh and there are still several matters to discuss between your leader and I. Regardless I believe it's safe to say that you will be spending time with my fighters both in and out of battle. You've just come out of the Revolution killing my kind. Do not expect them to welcome you with open arms for this exact reason. If any of them react violently, report this to either Michael or I immediately and I swear to you that I will deal with it as though they had lashed out against any other ally we have. Other than this…" Nema suddenly dropped the authoritarian manner and smiled. She bowed her head just slightly as a gesture of respect. "I welcome you all as my new warriors."

When she looked up, she was slightly astonished to find that each of Michael's men had decided to salute her. She decided to be openly taken aback and was relieved to see that they all began to regard her with the slightly bowed heads that she was accustomed to seeing in her territory.

"ONE MORE THING!" Michael suddenly said firmly, and his fighters immediately dropped their salutes and stood firm and attentive. Michael smirked and slid his arm around Nema's slim waist. "She's MINE. Tough luck if you were fucking interested!"

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"Raphael, you're back!" Barbiel cried happily. "Why were you gone for so long? I was afraid you'd DIED!"

"I promised I would be safe!" Raphael retorted. "Where is everyone?"

"I wouldn't know."

The Wind Angel smiled. "That's a pity… I've brought a couple people we haven't seen for a while…" And with that he moved aside and in stepped Nema, with Michael right behind her.

At first Barbiel didn't know what to do or say. There was something about their countenance that seemed a little too unreal. While she had no part in this Revolution of Nema's, as far as she had known, the Fire Angel and the Violent Queen were driven so far apart that even if they had come together within the past night, she couldn't really imagine them being as close and at ease with each other as they so blatantly were, now. Nema had rushed forth upon sight of the Angel Nurse's son, and Michael was always two steps behind her, and when Barbiel allowed Nema to take Abel up into her arms, she watched as Nema cooed to Abel and allowed Michael to peer at the little Rabbit boy over her pale shoulder and smile a crooked smile. It was like they had never been apart, to begin with.

"Barbiel, he is ADORABLE…! I love his eyes…" Nema giggled along with Abel, "And he has the cutest laugh!"

"It's a good strong laugh. That's a good thing, for a boy."

Raphael blinked rapidly at the Angel who had just spoken. "What do you know about children, Michael?" And he laughed when his fellow Archangel promptly flipped him off.

"… Sweetheart?"

Nema looked up to see her mother standing in the doorway. "Hey, mother." She greeted her quietly, watching her mother's blue eyes shift from her to Michael and back again.

Sara, otherwise known as Jibril, came up to her daughter, and Nema handed Abel to Raphael, who gratefully took his son in his arms. And the Water Angel took Nema's hands in her own and told her, "Your father and I heard about the battle."

Nema offered her mother a weak smile to hide the sudden frown. "… There is no one left. Nyssa is gone. Lilliel got stuck in it, too." She allowed her mother to embrace her and continued. "None of them will have died in vain. When this is over, I'll have won… and that is something they all helped me with. Where is dad?"

"I'm right here."

Nema looked to see her father in the doorway, eyeing Michael. She looked over her shoulder to see that Michael wasn't taking too kindly to this suspicious and distrusting glare being sent his way. Of course, she didn't ever expect them to approve of any type of romantic relationship with Michael. He was hardly the type they had imagined her being with… on top of his betrayal.

But Setsuna had the decency to wipe away his thoughtful frown and wrap up his albino daughter in a hug. "I'm glad you're alive!"

"You thought I was dead?"

"We'd heard many died. We never heard who." Setsuna continued to embrace her. "I swear every day your mother and I are afraid we'll lose you. We thought we'd lost you once… I don't want that to happen again."

"You know…" The Fire Angel began, and scowled a little as he caught Setsuna's distrusting gaze. "Okay, what the fuck is wrong with you, huh?" He snapped.

"… I'd rather not talk about it in the same room as Abel." Setsuna said firmly.

"Fine." Michael snapped. "… So, you won't mind me telling you to have a little more faith in your daughter, then, will ya?"

"We have plenty of faith in –" Setsuna started.

"Feh! Not enough!" Michael interrupted. "She's come this far and hasn't died or gone ghoul on you. She's done this all by herself!" Michael grinned. "I already told her, but I might as well tell you. I'm fucking proud of her, myself. She's gonna be FINE. You oughta have faith in her."

Setsuna and Sara listened to this, but had nothing to say in response.

Nema cleared her throat and stepped away from her father. "… As it is… I thought up a plan to try and put an end to the war, anyway… if I can find a way to Raziel."

"Really?" Both parents exclaimed.

"It's just a daydream of sorts… it could work, but it couldn't… for this reason, Michael and I will still be fighting." She nodded to her Angel.

"But what is your plan…?" Barbiel finally spoke up, the curiosity overtaking her.

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"… So I can count on you to never misplace that key, if it's always dangling around your neck, right?" Uriel asked in the brooded tones he and suddenly adopted.

Katou tugged on the chain around his neck. "It'll never leave me, Uri!"

"Uriel."

"Eh?"

"My name is Uriel. I won't have any of this… Uri, nonsense." The Earth Angel said darkly.

Katou adjusted the red bandana tied about his head and eyed him suspiciously. "… Yeah, whatever. Hey, what's the deal with those scissors?"

"Nothing." Uriel said, but he promptly cut into the dark waves of his hair, observing himself in the mirror. Once he was done, his hair was now much shorter, the waves flowing about his face in layers, but no longer than this. "… There."

Suddenly Katou sighed. "You're pissed at me, aren't you?"

Uriel smiled cruelly. "Have I any reason to be pissed at you?"

"Yeah, so I'm not gonna say you should be happy for me or whatever…" Katou said plainly, honestly. "… I want to be with her. I'm gonna treat her right."

"Which is something I'm incapable of doing."

"… You made her wait so long, Uriel."

Uriel shrugged. "I am attracted to her, but I do not love her. There's a difference between the two."

"So you still love Alexiel, then?"

"I love no one." Uriel said quickly. "… Leave."

Katou hesitated at first, his blue eyes attempting to analyze the tall, dark figure brooding before him. He gave up and left, his right hand idly tugging on Doll's key as it hung about his neck.

Alone. Finally alone. Though in ways, he was always alone, anyway. Uriel took off the cloak he had worn over his black clothing and stared at the image in the mirror before him. There he was, standing in his dark clothing, the cloak lying amongst the waves of dark hair he had cut away from himself, just as he cast off that thing everyone seemed so obsessed with lately… that thing, love…

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"So basically, you're planning on doing some kind of elaborate secret agent stunt to break into Raziel's building and catch him in his office?" Michael couldn't help but laugh. "Now you're REALLY dreaming big, Nema."

She pouted and prodded his chest. "So far all my dreams have eventually worked well, so why not go for this one?"

"I'll bet you the war will get the job done sooner than your covert operation!" Michael announced playfully.

"I'll take your bet! What are the stakes?" Nema met his challenge as she walked with her parents to the front doorway of Uriel's mansion.

"… I have no idea, but it's a bet!"

"No, I wanna know what the stakes are before I really do take your bet!"

"… Why don't YOU make the stakes, then?" Michael grinned confidently, watching Nema's eyes pierce through him as she thought for a moment.

"… If I win… You have to wear fancier clothing. Like… Jinho."

"I have to wear a fucking TOP HAT?"

"Is that a problem?"

"Is there a problem with the way I dress NOW?"

"No, but it would be something fun, don't you think?"

Michael sneered. "Fancy dandy goth crap… That's your thing, not mine." He shrugged. "Fine, whatever. And if I win you wear…" He switched to a whisper so that her parents wouldn't hear and endured the half-hidden smack she delivered.

"Calm down…" Sara whispered to Setsuna, as he clenched his fists.

"… Nema? Oh my goodness, is that you?" Doll rushed forth, waving. "Are you leaving already?"

"We couldn't find anyone!" Nema laughed. "And we do have to leave… I have to go back to my people and tell them the news?"

"What news?" The maid asked, and it was then that she noticed the man behind her. "… Michael, you're here, too?"

"Does it look like I am?"

"Yeah…"

"Then I am." The Fire Angel said plainly.

Doll stood for a moment, blinked, and then pouted. "I almost forgot you are such a JERK!"

"Oh, stop whining!"

Nema ignored the brewing squabble and ultimately eliminated it by taking note that Doll had dropped a box by her feet. "… Are you moving?"

This brought the smile back onto Doll's face. "I'm moving in Katou's room! Do you think you could help me out? I can tell you all about it!"

Nema was quick to join her, and just like that she was gone, leaving Michael with her parents.

"… Well so much for needing to leave, Nema!" He called after her, but the piercing gaze of her father struck him for far too long, and he couldn't help but snarl. "What the FUCK is your problem, Setsuna?"

"What do you want out of my daughter?" He responded gruffly.

"Setsuna!" Sara quickly reprimanded him, and turned to Michael. "You see we're constantly worried for her. You –"

"You hurt my daughter more than I'd ever feared!" Setsuna snapped. "On top of you being cruel in general, you left and betrayed her right when she was depending on you most! You weren't there to see what you did to her while you were a Rabbit Hunter. She couldn't speak of you, or even hear of you. We purposely stopped mentioning you all together just for her sake. Now you've switched sides and are treating her like –"

"I love her." Michael said firmly. He'd heard enough of these accusations… he had reminded HIMSELF of his wrongs several times, as it was! He didn't need this fatherly protection throwing verbal daggers at him, though he supposed this was the most natural reaction. Setsuna was always a stubborn little bastard. He wouldn't let Michael off the hook… but dammit he WISHED he would!

"Do you SWEAR to God you love her?"

"I don't because GOD fucked us over from the beginning!" The Fire Angel snapped. "I fucked up, Setsuna. I know that. I've told myself that a whole lot. I spent yesterday telling Nema that. I FUCKED UP. I know. I got it! But it's different, now…! I won't fuck up again if I can help it!"

Setsuna and Sara watched as Michael snapped angrily at them, bright green eyes burning into them as he spoke pure, honest and angry words. Those eyes of his began to take a new hue as Michael paused and took a deep breath. They were turning a bit more blue, as they often did… when he thought of her.

"I am going to make it up to her. Is that good enough for you?"

Setsuna focused on the floor, unable to say much of anything as the anger lost its target and settled in an unhappy lump, hopefully to melt away now that the one Nema loved spoke some reassuring words.

"… I will protect her. Nothing will come between us again. Nothing."

And Michael felt Sara take one of his hands in both of hers, and she smiled softly before her fellow Elemental Angel. "… Then we can ask nothing more of you."

"So there you are."

The group of three turned to see Uriel with his new hair. "You cut your hair?" Michael arched a red brow.

Uriel ignored him. "I have heard from Raphael… the good news, concerning you. You are a lucky one. Remember that."

"… Well someone's a little gloomy today…!" Michael made ready to say something more, when Nema finally made her appearance.

"That was faster than I thought. We can go, now!" Nema regarded Uriel with a slight bow that hid sad ruby eyes for a short moment. "… I like your hair, Uriel."

The Earth Angel merely nodded to her. "Be on your way, then."

He had said nothing more and retreated to his library once the fiery Angel and his violent Queen left Hades. For a long time, the pair was silent, but it was a comfortable one. "… So did my dad yell at you?"

At this Michael suddenly scowled. "I hate fathers. They're so fucking protective!"

"Hey, now!" Nema bumped him with her hip. "He will lighten up if you be good and obey me for maybe a year or so."

Michael paused. "… Fuck you, Nema! I'll die before I become a slave!"

Nema thrust out her lower lip. "Even MY slave?"

"YES, EVEN YOUR SLAVE!"

She laughed and lightly shoved him, allowing him to come back and wrap an arm around her shoulders and tug on a lock of ivory hair. "… So Doll and Katou are together, now."

"… Seriously? That anal retentive maid actually got together with someone?"

"It's not an impossible idea, you know! And they seem happy together, as weird as that is. But Doll did tell me that Uriel hasn't been taking it well…"

"Yeah, well…" Michael shrugged. "I think there was only one girl he'd ever REALLY wanted, though, and it wasn't her. Seriously, if he really had a thing for Doll? He'd probably tell them to leave. Off to Assiah for them."

"Is Uriel really that cruel?"

"It's his house!" Michael merely offered for an answer. "… Uriel does one of two things when he's angry. He either explodes or he just kinda goes inside himself and sulks."

Nema sighed "Why can't everything just be okay for once?"

"Feh! That would be too damn easy, wouldn't it?" Michael paused. "… FUCK!" He made ready to fight.

A white wave of I-Children were rushing at him, but Nema stood firm before him and ruptured a line of earth before them, the dirt flying up in clouds of dust and rock. She smiled crookedly. "… Wow. I've never tried that before. That was cool." And then she put aside her momentary amusement and called out to her warriors. "He is an ally, I promise!"

After a pause a great cry of confusion grew from the mass of fighters.

"Put aside your weapons and get all the warriors into the soapbox room! There's a great deal to discuss!" She commanded, and as the dust settled her Rabbit soldiers mumbled in confusion and disappointment and left.

"… I don't even have a fucking WEAPON and they were gonna go ahead and try to rip me apart anyway! How fucking merciless can you get?" Michael fumed.

But Nema only looked over her shoulder with a smile and shrugged. "Welcome to Rabbit Territory."

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AUTHORESS NOTE: Wooooooo! Guess what happened on the 24th of July? Mah birthday! Oh yeah! Who's 19? I'm 19! XD

Actually, it's not nearly that exciting. The 15th Angel Sanctuary book doesn't come out till August where I'm at. I'm very much DYING inside with the wait.

And furthermore…

OH MY FUCKING GOD lots of hugs for poor Uri Uri! This is completely KILLING ME! AMETRINEY! WHY? THIS FUCKING SUCKS!

Well I'm not sure if any of you really understand that last note, but that's okay. Ametriney will understand, and that's who this message is to. So there.