Disclaimer: Don't own Angel Sanctuary.
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Chapter 3- Turbulence
Location- Hell
"I wonder why would he go down to Gehenna?"
"I have no idea."
"I wonder why, though…"
"It must have to do with Alexiel- sama, I heard…"
Barbelo snapped. She threw her glass on the floor, the fragile glass shattering into a thousand pieces. Hatter, Asmodeus and the servants all flinched, all having been caught up in their own conversation and forgetting that she was there in the first place. But Barbelo wasn't quite done. Using her right hand, she swept the bottle of wine and glasses to the ground. Bright red liquid flowed over the floor, pieces of glasses everywhere. All the servants ran out, virtually terrified. Meanwhile, Hatter and Asmodeus had managed to keep their calm rather quickly. "Is something bothering you, Barbelo?" Barbelo turned one angry eye on Hatter. "Alexiel, Alexiel, Alexiel! She's our enemy, not some god! Why! He doesn't even look at me nowadays! Its always Alexiel! Its as good as courting death for a demon and an angel to be together!"
Hatter and Asmodeus looked at each other. "Barbelo, if you are angry and jealous, go complain to my lord, not us. Besides, the disappearance of the Organic Angel is news, even though the Inorganic Angel was given back his life. It is utter chaos up there now, and we do not wish for any more other problems, also, our ties with Gehenna are still very much strained, as their mascot is the Organic Angel and the Messiah themselves. I hope you do not start chasing after my lord and strain the ties even further."
"And." Asmodeus added, "that you were given a chance back at life, you ought to thank Alexiel sama herself, she is very much revered by most of the higher ranking demons here, especially those who were given a second chance at life again. You are not very #coughrespectedcough# in here, and I'll advise you to tread carefully. Even the lord himself is considering of disposing you, and he is only merely refraining himself now, as he is busy with the treaty affairs."
Barbelo now looked so maddened that she as if she was going to kill someone. Hatter and Asmodeus looked back unflinchingly. Finally, Barbelo looked away.
"All I ever asked…was just for him to love me…to look at me…"
Hatter and Asmodeus wisely said nothing.
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Assiah
Saiki University
Sara followed the headmistress as she brought Sara to her class. The university was huge; and it was a wonder how the headmistress managed to find her way round. She hoped when she got to her class, she could find someone with the same courses as her…
"Well, here we are." The lecturer turned his head in surprise as the door opened. The headmistress then walked over and the two had a hush hush conversation. She then saw the lecturer smile and nod towards her, and she returned the greeting. The headmistress then smiled and walked out.
"Alright class, with effect from today onwards, Miss Mudou over here will join us in our class. So, I hope you can welcome her." The class broke into applause, and Sara found herself blushing. "Well, as per our custom, we need a guide to help Miss Mudou here. Your guide is Miss Takashi, who has just gone out to get something for me…she will be back a minute…ah, here she is!"
The door slid open, and Sara eyes widened as she saw the person at the door.
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Assiah
Setsuna and Sara's home
Setsuna looked pissed.
No, in fact, he was VERY pissed.
Having just finished cleaning the house, he was tired.
So he had no reason to be pissed.
So…
How are you supposed to arrange flowers so that the girl loves them?
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Assiah
Saiki University
"Its you?"
The woman at the door blinked in surprise.
"You two know each other?" the lecturer asked.
"No…we kind of met by accident earlier…"
"I see…very well, Miss Takashi, could you please…?"
"Huh? Okay…this way…"
Sara followed the woman up to her seat.
"Here, just leave your things there. I'm supposed to bring you around."
"But won't I interrupt your lesson?'
The woman smiled. "Its okay, my friend Heiwa over there will copy the lesson notes for me."
The said person lifted up her head and smiled.
Sara and the woman then walked out of the class. "Oh yes, thanks a lot for saving me earlier."
"You're welcome, my name's Aerial. Takashi Aerial. You can call me Aerial."
"Nice to meet you, Aerial- san…I'm Sara, Mudou Sara."
Aerial abruptly stopped in her tracks.
A distant memory of a rushing water, a brown- yellowed hair boy, a blue haired woman sitting in the stone chair, a young boy always gazing at her, a man who always wore a mask…
"Aerial? Aerial- san?"
Aerial snapped out of her daze. "Oh sorry, I must have kind of blacked out…sorry…this way…"
What was that about?
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Gehenna
Lucifer and Kurai stood in front of the Shinryuu. One wore a grim face, the other an expressionless face. The Shinryuu as usual, wore serene looks on their faces. "Is there something your highness would like to know?" Jade asked.
"Yes. Can you see where Alexiel is?"
"These blind eyes of my mine reveal that she is on Assiah. Why, I do not know. However, the Alexiel you see will not be the Alexiel you know."
Kurai's eyes narrowed. "Meaning?"
"You not meet her before the rightful time will come, but she is not the Alexiel that your highness knows. The time will come, on the eve of the first snowfall."
Lucifer asked, "Anymore? Eve of first snowfall? Rightful time? When will all these take place?"
The Shinryuu never answered.
A long silence passed.
Finally, Kurai backed down.
"Fine. If we have to wait, we'll wait."
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Heaven
Ruins of Eden
Uriel walked through what was once called Eden, a paradise for both animals and plants alike. The place had been plentiful, but it was because the Tree of Life ate away at Alexiel's astral powers. But Alexiel didn't seem to mind, and it also seemed that the Tree of Life was restraining itself from taking away her energies. Plants flourished and animals lived freely, but only within four walls. Walls that had barriers and that kept Alexiel from escaping. Walls that served as her "home". It was nothing more than a prison, a prison specially for Alexiel. For being a woman, for being someone who did not truly love God. It was her sin. Odd, wasn't it? All the experiments…
Alexiel and Rosiel.
Lucifer and Michael.
Metatron and Sandalphon.
All of them born because of the creator's attempt to spilt the powers of the Seraphita.
And among all of them,
Alexiel was the only woman.
And God hated her for it.
And Adam Kadamon loved her for it.
Ironic, wasn't it?
Still, Uriel couldn't help but feel a little jealous. After all, he was somewhat a son to Adam right? But he understood why Adam favored Alexiel over all other angels; whereas all other angels lead good lives, she was the only to suffer, and the only to come in close contact with Adam. Adam Kadamon loved his daughter not only for this reason, but also because he was forced to feed on her energies, and she forced to feed on his "flesh". It was no wonder both loved each other dearly, and no wonder that Adam Kadamon was extremely distressed about his daughter's disappearance. As he continued to walk, his hand brushed a wilting rose bush, and as he touched the dying rose, flashbacks of how he first met her went through his mind…
#flashback#
The rose drooped more so ever slightly since the last time he saw it. Damn. He should have tended to it earlier. Hopefully, using his status as the Archangel of Earth; he could at least coax it to live a little longer…
Few hours later…
Uriel wiped his forehead, the sweat plentiful. He didn't mind taking care of that many plants, but now he HAD to take care of that rose, it was wilting away. He bent over it and gave it some of his power and watched in contentment as the rose slowly regained its health. Satisfied that the rose was now well, Uriel then stood up.
"Why did you heal that rose?"
Uriel turned his head and faced a person who looked a lot like Rosiel. Except that this person was much more female, and carried an air of authority around her.
"Because I'm the Archangel of Earth, Rosiel."
The person wore a startled look, then cleared and changed into one of a grimace. "I'm his twin, the Organic Angel Alexiel."
Uriel started. "I'm sorry! I didn't know…"
Alexiel shook her head as she walked forward. "That's okay; I do look like him after all…" She bent to see the rose that he had just tended to, "If you weren't…"
Uriel gave her a puzzled expression.
"If you weren't the Archangel of Earth, would you still care for this flower?"
"Yes."
"I see. But what if I do this…?" Alexiel picked up a fresh bud of rose and a soft glow emitted from her hand. The next thing he knew, the rose wasn't on her hand anymore.
"What…? Alexiel- sama, you…!"
"That's right. Organic. I have the power to give back life, as well as take away life. Everything in this world is organic. Even one of the Earth also falls to the Organic." She looked at him, smiling bitterly. "Do you think I enjoy doing this, having the energy to remove nearly the whole of Assiah and of Heaven itself? This power…is a curse. A gift to some, a curse to some. To me, it's neither a gift nor a curse. Its both. Both a curse and a blessing." Alexiel then picked a withered leaf from the ground and another soft glow emitted from her hand. As he looked at it… "It's…!" Alexiel smiled, but the smile never reached her eyes.
"A gift for the dead. A curse for the living."
Alexiel then set down the now hale leaf, and turned to make a move. "And, you can just call me Alexiel."
Uriel the plucked a rose from the bush, and gave it to her. Alexiel looked at him in puzzlement.
"A beautiful flower for a charming lady."
Alexiel looked startled, again, then smiled, this time, the smile truly reaching her eyes. "Thank you…?"
"Uriel."
"Thank you, Uriel." Cradling the flower close to her, Alexiel left. Uriel watched her leave, and a feeling of emptiness seeped into his chest. When he had first seen her, his heart started hammering fast in his chest.
-What is this feeling that I have?-
#flashback ends#
"OI!"
Uriel snapped out of his daze and turned to face…
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Assiah
Saiki University
The bell finally rang, signaling it was lunch break.
Everyone groaned a sigh of relief as the lecturer then dismissed them. Aerial stood up and stretched her arms, as Sara let out a tired yawn. "Say, why don't we go for lunch together? Sara- chan, Aerial?" Heiwa asked. "Sounds good to me!" Aerial cheered. Sara smiled. "Sure, I don't see why not." The three of them then walked out of the room, chatting happily.
Canteen
The canteen was bustling with university students queuing up to buy food, or just hanging around and chatting. Sara, Heiwa and Aerial bought their food and sat down at a table. Meanwhile, a crowd of boys sitting on the table next to them were all looking at Aerial's direction, only which she seemed to be ignoring them. Sara whispered to Heiwa, "What's with those boys?" Heiwa let out a grin. "Those boys have been itching to ask Aerial out on a date, but having seen her reject our University's most popular bachelor, they all think they don't stand a chance. In fact, they don't. So they have to just resort to sending her flowers, gifts, love letters or such. Better yet, they just keep drooling at her."
Sara couldn't help but laugh slightly. A naughty thought then slipped into her mind. "Hey, Aerial?"
Aerial turned her head. "Yes?"
Sara grinned devilishly. "Do you happen to have a boyfriend?"
Heiwa and Sara burst out laughing as they watched Aerial choke on her food.
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Heaven- Eden
"Something the problem, Mika- chan?"
Uriel and Michael turned to face the ever cool Raphael and the recently awoken Gabriel, who was smiling rather serenely. Michael pointed his middle finger (yes, yes, rude I know, but that IS Mika- chan's style, no?) at Uriel, and snapped. "Uriel here, asked him a hell lot of questions and all he did was TO SIMPLY STARE AT THE FRIGGIN FLOWER OVER THERE AND COMPLETELY FORGET ABOUT OUR EXISTENCE! AND I HAD TO SHOUT AT HIM TO WAKE HIS SLEEPING MIND-"
Raphael held up a hand, "Yeah, yeah, I know. I could tell by the way you were shouting just now. Anyway, Mika, I think you may find this interesting." He passed a rather long sword in his hands to Michael. Michael then took it and looked at it. His eyes widened in realization. "This is…!" Raphael shrugged. "That proves it! That baka nii- san of mine did come here after all!" Michael yelled out triumphantly. A rather strong wind suddenly blew. All four archangels were silent. Gabriel looked at Raphael. "Your work, I presume?" Raphael threw up his hands. "Not me!" All four of them fell silent again.
Michael then looked at all three of them. "I don't know about you guys, but this place is sure creeping me out."
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Gehenna
Kurai poked at her food, eyes sifting towards Lucifer once in a while. Finally, she placed down the fork and looked at Lucifer. "Lucifer- san."
"Yes."
# "Dearest" starts playing #
"Why do you want to know of Alexiel's sama whereabouts so desperately?"
Lucifer dropped his fork. He didn't respond, only could stare at his food. Kurai looked at him in surprise, clearly not expecting this kind of reaction. Still, he didn't answer. Instead, thoughts of Alexiel filled his mind.
hontou ni taisetsu na mono igai subete sutete
shimaetara ii no ni ne
genjitsu wa tada zankoku de
Times of when he first met her in Eden flashed through his mind…
sonna toki itsu datte
me o tojireba
waratteru kimi ga iru
When he had lost his memories as a sword and she had promised to give them back…
itsuka eien no nemuri ni tsuku hi made
dou ka sono egao ga
taema naku aru you ni
When he told her of his desire to touch her hair and do whatever he wished…
hito wa minna kanashii kara
wasurete yuku ikimono dakedo
aisubeki mono no tame
ai o kureru mono no tame dekiru koto
The times when he followed her through every reincarnation…
deatta ano koro wa
subete ga bukiyou de
toomawari shita yo ne
kizutsuke atta yo ne
The times when she reincarnated into Setsuna and the times he spent…
itsuka eien no nemuri ni tsuku hi made
dou ka sono egao ga
taema naku aru you ni
The times when she told him that she could never return his feelings because she still had to fight, to protect…
deatta ano koro wa
subete ga bukiyou de
toomawari shita yo ne
tadoritsuitan da ne
And the times when she had given him a smile, and had received him warmly as he "died", her lips warm on his…
All this sweet memories he had, as Kira Sakuya and as Lucifer…
For all in all, even Kira Sakuya had found himself falling in love with the beautiful but sorrowful angel.
# "Dearest" ends #
Kurai looked at Lucifer, and immediately understood.
His love for Alexiel, was as equal to the one she still had for Setsuna.
But she knew she could never have him.
Setsuna…must be very happy now…
Because he has Sara by his side.
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Assiah
Saiki University
Aerial grabbed a tissue and cleaned her mouth, all the while glaring at her two laughing friends. Sara couldn't help but poke around a bit more, all the while gasping for air from laughing too hard. "Well? Aerial- san? Will that be a yes or no?" Aerial blushed furiously and mumbled something. "What? Aerial, speak louder, I can't hear you" Heiwa said, grinning at Sara as she spoke. Unaware to them, the boys had also overheard their conversation and were literally craning their ears to hear her. Aerial mumbled something again. "Can't hear you" Sara chanted. Aerial blushed a shade of tomato red and finally opened her mouth. "Yes." She said. All the boys collapsed on the table in disappointment, some crying, and some cursing.
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Assiah
"Ach- choo!"
"Sensei? Daijoubu?"
"Ah, daijoubu…" the said man rubbed his nose and stared out of the training room in annoyance.
-Aerial, I'm said I was sorry I missed the date, but you didn't have to keep cursing me right? But Aerial isn't one to keep grudges…some fellow admirer I guess… ah well… can't help it my girlfriend's so pretty…-
"Sensei?"
"Nothing, continue with your training."
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Assiah
Saiki University
Meanwhile, Sara and Heiwa were laughing so hard that it was attracting many people. After much threats, they finally calmed down. "So what does he do for a living?" Aerial smiled. "Oh, he teaches kendo. He's a teacher at a nearby training school, and a part time lecturer as well."
"Wow…so capable…if only my boyfriend was like this too…"
"Eh, Sara- chan has a boyfriend too?" Heiwa grinned. "So lucky…I haven't found my rightful partner yet…some friends you are!" she pretended to huff, and Sara and Aerial laughed. "So, Aerial, what's your boyfriend like?"
Aerial smiled again. "He's rather good- looking, and likes to study too, he is also rather well- tempered and romantic…" Aerial blushed slightly.
Sara and Heiwa started making cat calls, only making Aerial even more embarrassed. "Aerial, you said he was a lecturer right? What does he teach?" Sara asked.
"Oh, he teaches history, and astronomy too. He teaches some students who like mythology as well, especially on angels… he keeps calling me an angel though…its embarrassing…"
- Angels? Its no wonder…you were one after all…but it may simply be a coincidence…I don't know…-
"Sara?"
Sara snapped out of her daze. "Oh, sorry…"
"But, you do love him a lot, right, Aerial?" Heiwa asked. Aerial nodded her head and smiled happily. "He's the kind of man I always wanted…" Aerial said happily.
"So how long have you been with him, Aerial?" Sara asked.
"About… 3 and the half years..." Aerial tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"I see…" Sara said. –Setsuna…-
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Hell
"Welcome back, my lord." Hatter greeted Lucifer as he walked in. "Any developments while I was away, Pride?" Hatter flinched slightly. It was seldom Lucifer addressed her by her Satan name unless he was in deep thought. "Nothing, my lord. Although Barbelo has expressed her displeasure in you finding Alexiel- sama though…"
"So I see. The name Wrath does fit her well after all. How much damage did she dish out this time?"
"Very few, my lord…"
"I see. However, she is not fit to speak of Alexiel that way, and see to it she is given a slap everytime she spits out Alexiel's name like a curse."
"Isn't that too harsh…? My lord? Barbelo does love you after all…"
"Her love is one- sided. I'm not blind to it, Pride. I know she has been fooling around in my absence. Otherwise, how would she get this many brats? I'm not stupid, Pride, and I KNOW. I'm not disposing her because I'm giving that idiot brother of mine another chance."
"My lord, but there have been rumors circulating that the Archangel of Fire and the Princess of Gehenna have been very close to each other of late…"
"I can tell why. The princess has grown more beautiful, although it does not draw me. Surprising. Still, I love her way too much, so does the Archangel Uriel." Lucifer narrowed his eyes. "Yet, he was the one who cursed her, under Sevothtarte's order. Impressive."
"My lord… what is it that draws you to her?"
Lucifer said nothing. "I don't know, Hatter, and it frightens me sometimes. And only makes me love Alexiel even more. If only she could return now, she would have seen her work was not in futile…"
Hatter said nothing, only looked on and left her master to his thoughts. – Barbelo… you don't stand a chance, do you?-
Outside of the throne room, a figure stood there shaking. "So you don't love me…I should have known…I was blind to it all. I see now, Lucifer…you fool around with other women, and curse mine? I see…" Spinning on her heels, she left.
-If I cannot have him, I'll return to Michael. And about that Gehenna princess…I'll never let you have Michael. Never!-
"So she left, huh?"
"My lord? This one doesn't understand…?"
"Barbelo. She was outside all this while. Well, never mind, I see there's going to be a show soon. Hatter."
"My lord?"
"See to it that in no way Barbelo touches my brother or even try to sleep with him. I kill her if she does. Also, see to the necessary arrangements."
"Arrangements for…? My lord, surely you don't…!"
"Yes I do." Cold onyx eyes looked hard into Hatter's that she felt a chill run down her spine. "I'll end this once and for all. See to it that… the divorce is carried out proper."
"But, she is one of the Satans…!"
"She will still serve on as one of the Satans. However, I will have no relation to her other than the fact than she is still one of the servants under me. Clear, Hatter?'
"Yes my lord. This one will see to it."
"Good."
-Barbelo…things won't be in your favor anymore… better tread carefully… but the princess…does make a good match for the Archangel of Fire…-
- After all, they are almost replicas of each other…-
- Ah, princess, don't you worry…this one will see to it that the Archangel of fire is the man for you…specially.-
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Assiah
'Well, see you tomorrow then, Sara- chan!" Aerial and Heiwa waved their goodbyes as they drove away. "See you tomorrow!" she smiled after the retreating car. She turned around and made her way into the house.
"Setsuna? I'm home!"
"Yo! Glad to see you home." Setsuna went over and embraced her. Sara gladly returned it. "So how was school?"
"Great. Setsuna…there's something you have to know…"
"What is it?"
"Its about Alexiel- sama."
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"Are you serious?"
"No, I'm not. Its true."
"Damn…" Setsuna ran a hand through his hair. "This will cause a lot more problem then I thought… should we tell Uriel and the others?"
"I'll advise against it. Knowing them, they'll act rash. Rash enough to come and try and help her regain her memories. Also… she has a lover here in Assiah."
"WHAT? Dammit, this makes matters more complicated!"
"Better yet, she loves him deeply. And I have a feeling this guy of hers loves her very much too…"
Setsuna grimaced. Here, in Assiah, of all places? Worse of all, having another identity and retaining not a shred of her memories? – Okaa- san…what the heck happened? What made you reincarnate? Why did you…? Damn, didn't you promise me we'll meet again? Why did you…!-
"Setsuna…"
"Sara…"
"Do you think…do you think we should just keep it a secret and never let anyone know?"
"Why do you think that way, Sara?"
"Because…" Sara looked at Setsuna, tears forming in her eyes. "Because…she was really happy, I've never seen her smile like that, it's the first time I've seen her so happy. Shall we let her continue to live as Aerial Takashi, instead of Alexiel, beloved daughter of Adam Kadamon? I don't want anything to happen to her…if she were to know what kind of life she let…won't she be frightened? Setsuna…"
"But sooner or later, Uriel and Lucifer are going to find out. You know the risk, don't you, Sara?"
"I know, but I want her to be happy first… Setsuna…you always wanted that for her too, right? Setsuna? Can you really bear to remove everything she has now? A happy family, a happy life, a loving boyfriend… all of these which we didn't have and had to work so hard just to attain it? Setsuna… can you…can you really bear to remove all these from her?" Sara was now crying, the tears flowing down her cheeks like twin rivers.
Setsuna let out a sad sigh. Cradling Sara close to him, he let out an anguished sigh. "I don't know, Sara. I don't know…"
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A/N: FINALLY! AN UPDATE! Sorry for the lack of updates, I was busy with exams, which is due to end next Tuesday…thank god…but as usual, when I done with the exams, its time to hit the books again…its no wonder all my friends call me a "bookworm"… haiz…anyway, CLIFFIE! And a little too depressing though…I just re- read the story and was gonna cry as I read the ending… a little to angsty for my taste…
Anyway, a thanks to the following reviewers:
Lucifael's Bride: Maybe this news will cheer you up a bit, I'm ushering in Kira soon into the story…so look out for it and hope you enjoyed this chapter!
UrukiWindDemon: Hope this chappie was longer and to your liking, it was a little too disorganized…TT… and like I said earlier, I'm pulling Kira soon into the story, and I expect him to be in for about…4- 5 chapters?
Thanks to the two nee- san above… they are my frequent reviewers…I'm so touched…haha…anyway, I'm expecting the followers to be too angsty, so better prepare a box of tissues in hand…(just kidding!) Anyway, as you saw, a very special pairing, Mika- chan and Kurai hime! Yes! I love this pairing…(weird I know)…and Barbelo's gonna interfere! Heck no, I'm the author of this story right here on so heh heh…no BarbeloMika- chan pairing!
I swear my author notes are getting way too long…