Disclaimer: Read the first few disclaimers
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Chapter 5- Revelations
Location- Heaven
"Hey, have you heard?"
"What?"
"The Archangel of Fire actually went down to Assiah!"
"Yeah, big deal. So?"
"He actually fried some humans down there!"
"What??"
"Yeah! And the rest of the Archangels are actually mad! Last I heard from that chick that serves Gabriel- sama, they are planning a very cruel punishment-"
"Shouldn't you guys be at work instead of gossiping here?" Both men turned their heads and saw Barbiel standing there, a stern look on her face. They quickly scampered off to their own duties, and Barbiel sighed silently. It had been a few hours after she had received a report that several humans had been done in by Michael.
And she had to tell the Archangels.
What the hell was she thinking!?
The Archangels were in a rage, currently planning a, as Raphael described, torturous and cruel punishment. She shuddered to think of what the punishment was. The way they had said it, meant total hell for Michael. Question was, would they be able to restraint him long enough before they were half scorched to death?
It struck her.
If Michael was the Archangel of Fire…
Water was used to combat against fire…
-Dear gods! They wouldn't be thinking of using Gabriel- sama!? Right? Right?-
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Heaven
Meanwhile, as Barbiel conflicted with her thought, the Archangels had gathered in Raphael's "castle" and were busy hatching a very, repeat, VERY cruel plan.
"Settled then?"
"Agreed."
"Prepare for some major damage though…"
"What are you talking about, Gabs?"
"I told you to stop calling me that!"
"Quit it, will the two of you? I want hell for Michael! So just get on with the plan already!"
"Look, Uriel, if you wanna give him Hell, go get it from his brother then!"
Silence.
"R-A-P-H-A-E-L…" The two much more matured Archangels were hissing.
Raphael immediately panicked. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It was just a joke!"
"THOSE KIND OF JOKES ARE TO BE SAVED FOR LATER, YOU DAMNED FLIRT!"
"QUIT ACTING LIKE A MORON AND GET BACK TO WORK, 'CAUSE IT WON'T BE MICHAEL FRYING YOU, I'LL BURY YOU ALIVE AND GABRIEL CAN DROWN YOU FOR ALL I CARE!!"
The two Archangels were indeed steaming.
Both turned back to continue their discussion, while poor Raphael, who had been cornered earlier as Uriel and Gabriel screeched at him, was thinking…
-What's wrong with just a tiny, harmless joke…?-
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Hell
"That brother of mine DID WHAT?" Lucifer roared.
The Seven Satans quailed visibly, even though they should have been used to his raging. But then, like any other siblings, he had a "brother complex". But then again…the Archangel of Fire should have been quite matured… he certainly wasn't called the Archangel of Fire for nothing, mostly because of his infamous temper.
"My Lord, this one suggests you calm down first…"
"I'm going to see the Archangels! So much of their big talk of how to rein in that idiot! If he ever destroys Assiah, I'll murder him MYSELF!"
-If he destroys Alexiel's beloved Assiah, I'll murder him! For sure!-
Even in his anger, it didn't escape his notice the fleeting look of ecstasy that had come across Barbelo's face. So she thought it was payback time?
He would start to watch her very carefully. If she tried anything that harmed Michael or Alexiel's beloved Assiah…
He would grant her a punishment crueler than death.
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Assiah
-Setsuna sold me out!?-
-He told the Archangels?-
She had to do something fast. If Michael were to see Aerial…
It would not bode well…
"Erm, Aerial, could you accompany me somewhere first? There's a bookshop up around that area that I had wanted to visit for a very long time…"
Aerial smiled. "Sure, why not?"
Sara forced a smile back and she walked quickly, but not too fast that Aerial would get suspicious. Thankfully, a bus had stopped around the area where she was, so she and Aerial would not be seen for the meantime. Moving through the crowd as quickly as she could, she headed to a safe place where Michael could not see Aerial.
Her only concern was…
-If Michael is here…what of the other Archangels?-
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Assiah
Setsuna chewed his lips nervously.
Earlier on, he had received a "call" from Uriel that Michael was on Assiah. It didn't sound so bad, until…
Flashback
"We're coming to Assiah."
Setsuna choked on his drink. "What???"
"We have to, to prevent any more damage."
"No, I don't mean that, Gabriel! I mean…I can get him back to Heaven!"
"Thanks for the offer, Setsuna, but it isn't necessary, you see, you remember Lucifer right? He literally stormed up to Heaven to demand what the heck we were doing, not keeping an eye on him and all…"
"But that wasn't our fault in the first place!" Raphael yelled.
"Shut up, you idiot!" Gabriel snapped.
Setsuna sweatdropped. It wasn't like Gabriel to say this kind of "dirty" words…
Unless Raphael had done something wrong again…
"So all of you are coming down?"
"Yes." Uriel answered.
"When?"
"This instant."
For the second time that day, Setsuna choked on his drink.
#Flashback ends#
He dashed to the phone, and dialed in a familiar number.
-Please get through…-
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Heaven
"Katan."
"Yes, Rosiel- sama?"
"Where has my dear sister disappeared to? Nee- san…I came back alive, hoping to see you again, but you were gone…"
Katan kept silent. Rosiel was depressed over his sister's disappearance, and Gabriel's earlier accusation had hit Rosiel hard. Rosiel now very much detested the Archangel of Water, and he could understand. How would you feel if someone had insulted a close person to you? But, he couldn't help but feel slightly jealous.
#Flashback#
Katan was tending to some matters, when a sister came up to him saying that someone was looking for him. He then went to the garden, and he started in surprise. Sitting on the large tree root that grew in the garden was none other than Alexiel herself. She seemed out of focus, her eyes looking far away. He walked forward and cleared his throat. Alexiel's eyes snapped into focus and she turned her head to face him.
"Greetings, Alexiel- sama. I believe you were looking for me?"
"Yes." Alexiel didn't move from where she was. "I need a favor from you."
"A…favor?"
"Yes. I need you to look after my ototo for me."
Katan blinked in surprise. "Ha…Hai…"
Alexiel then stood up on the uneven tree root, and smiled. The three trademark wings erupted from her back.
"Thank you…Katan…"
For a moment, Katan was sure the Organic Angel had cried.
#Flashback ends#
He had never spoken to Rosiel about this, for fear of upsetting him.
But he had certainly never found out why the Organic Angel cried.
But still…
-In the past, I used to be jealous as Rosiel- sama used to be obsessive of Alexiel- sama, even up to this day. However…-
-Why did my heart wrench in guilt and pain when she cried?-
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Gehenna
"Hime! Kurai- hime!"
Kurai turned her head to see who had called her, and she watched as a panting Noise catch up. "Yes, Noise?"
"Hime, you won't believe this! I just heard a rumor that Michael- sama caused some ruckus in Assiah, and the Archangels are going after him as well!"
"What???" Kurai gasped. "What was that idiot thinking, seriously!?"
"You're worried about him, aren't you?" Noise asked innocently, but her mind was churning with weird ideas.
"Of course I'm worried! If the rest of the Archangels are going after him that means trouble! This won't do! I'm going to Assiah too!" Kurai snapped.
-It gives me a chance to check if Michael's okay…wait, no, I mean…if Michael…nonono!! SETSUNA'S okay too…-
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Assiah
"So you still have the guts to call me!"
"No, Sara, listen, I was just…"
"Don't 'Sara' me! And I won't listen! You still sold me out in the end! I HATE YOU!"
Earlier on, after getting Aerial into the bookshop, her handphone had rung, giving her a chance to leave the shop, only to find it was from Setsuna. She was furious, and she swore she would kill him with her words.
If it was even possible.
"Huh? Sold you out? Sold you out on what?"
"You told Michael about Aerial, didn't you?" Sara was puzzled now.
"No, I didn't! I just learned from Uriel that Mika was in Assiah! I called to tell you that if you don't want Alex…err…Aerial…to be seen, you better get her home now, or anywhere else, for that matter."
"Whatever for? And Uriel contacted you? For what?"
"Long story…seems that Mika caused some trouble in Assiah and sempai…no…Lucifer…and the Archangels are furious, with Mika as well as with each other…"
"It won't be easy, you know? Aerial will get suspicious!"
"I wish I could get down there too, but I've got to stay until Uriel and the others arrive. Oh yes, if Mika is on Assiah, he'll most likely make use of the residue of your astral energies to find you. Also, you have approximately 5 minutes to get Alex…no…AERIAL, to a safe place. Okay?"
Sara felt her stomach sink. "5 minutes isn't enough! Enough to make up some story, but not enough to persuade her to go home!"
"I'll hold Uriel and the others off as long as I can, but I can only do as much as 10 minutes. After that, I can't do much…"
"I'll try…"
"Good. And be careful."
"Setsuna…"
"Yes?"
"Sorry…about just now…"
"It's okay, I understand…I was being an idiot, thinking like this…but putting myself in your shoes and Aerial's too…it'll be hard to accept that you're some angel that went missing for…years? Yeah, around there I guess…anyway, be careful and be quick. I sense their presence already."
"Right. You be careful too."
"Roger that."
Sara bit her thumb, thinking hard. She hated lying to Aerial…but if she just did that…
Quickly, she went back to the shop.
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Assiah
Setsuna hung up the phone, relieved that Sara had at least listened to him. He was hurt when she had said that she had hated him, but thankfully, everything had worked out. The presence was growing stronger, and he tried to act calm. He grabbed a magazine and started to read it, and soon, three angels stepped out of a vortex created earlier. "Yo." He replied offhandedly, even though his heart was hammering.
"Messiah." Uriel greeted. Setsuna raised an eyebrow.
"When are you going to stop calling me that, Uriel? I'm no longer the Messiah. I'm just…Setsuna."
Raphael dusted himself, while Gabriel gently bowed her head to him. "It's been ages, Set- chan." Setsuna smiled as he nodded his head.
"So…you're gonna bring us round, right? Setsuna." Raphael spoke.
"Yeah, but gimme a few minutes alright? I'm waiting for Sara to call…"
"Shouldn't be a problem, but for how long?"
"Erm…10 minutes?"
Uriel tapped his chin thoughtfully. Finally, he shrugged. "Shouldn't be a problem, I guess…"
Gabriel frowned. "Isn't 10 minutes a little too long? Michael could have gone anywhere by then…"
Setsuna stared at Gabriel carefully. It was not like Gabriel to be so concerned about time or finding Michael. Unless…
Gabriel felt someone staring at her, and turned her head. "Something wrong? Setsuna."
"You have another reason for being down here right? Gabriel?"
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Hell
"Is this one's lord alright?" Hatter couldn't help but ask.
Lucifer said not a word, but inclined his head to show that he heard her (A/N: I have, until now, no idea what is Hatter's sex, so in my story, Hatter is a female…).
"Any changes while I was away?"
"None so far, my lord, although there were reported rebellions, but they have been stamped down successfully."
"Rebellions, huh? Well, if it's settled then it shouldn't be a problem. However, keep a closer eye on the regions that rebelled. I don't want anything to happen while Heaven and Hell are finalizing their ties, clear?"
"Yes, my lord. And with regards to the Archangel of Fire…?"
"The other three Archangels are seeing into the matter. They'll drag him back if necessary, and afterwards, he'll be having a private trial. Then, they'll decide his punishment."
"This one understands."
"Wrath…?"
"No movement, my lord."
"Keep an eye on her; I want nothing to happen during this period, clear?"
"This one will see to it."
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Assiah
Passing through the barriers linked to Assiah, Kurai sighed and continued to fly up high in the sky. Noise had advised against using a dragon to travel to Assiah, although it was easier. Thankfully, she hadn't put up much of a fight.
-If not, I can roughly imagine the panic on the humans' faces as they see a dragon in the air and start screaming "Ah, it's a bird! Ah, it's an aeroplane, no, it's the end of the world!" Yeah, that was what they would be thinking alright. I can't believe that idiot would actually do this…ah…he's unpredictable…-
Assiah had changed greatly. Gone was the damaged buildings after the previous war, and new ones had been build to them. At least, it looked better than it had previously been. She remembered in Setsuna's last letter, he had mentioned that Assiah had changed in many ways and had told her to be mentally prepared, or she would be shocked to death. He was joking, but she had not found it funny. She let out a sigh.
Her eyes snapped open all of a sudden.
-This…this power…astral energies? Why are there more than two? I recognize Sara's and Michael…but…-
-Don't tell me…-
-The Archangels are involved as well ?!-
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Assiah
Sara looked at Aerial, wide- eyed.
"You said your boyfriend was going to pick you up?" She asked faintly.
Aerial nodded.
"I see…well, it so happened that I have something up too…my boyfriend caused the stove to blow up… ahaha…"
A mental image of Setsuna blowing up the stove came to Sara's mind, and she resisted the urge to laugh. Aerial raised her eyebrows in amusement, the mental image also having come to her mind.
"Well, you can go off first, he'll be here in a matter of minutes."
"Eh, do take care!"
Sara immediately dashed out of the shop, and punched in the numbers into her cellphone as she made her way back.
Aerial looked at her friend as she ran away.
-Wow…she sure can run…-
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Assiah
Uriel and Raphael looked at Gabriel, then looked at Setsuna.
"What motive could Gabriel have?" Uriel asked.
"Assiah…Gabriel, don't tell me you were here to check if Alexiel was here?"
For once, Raphael had been thinking seriously.
Gabriel didn't refute the comment, but she did not agree either.
Thankfully, after hearing what Raphael had said, Setsuna managed to get his bearings back as quickly as he had lost it.The air, in a way, was getting too much thicker, meaning the atmosphere was getting tense.
"What are you talking about, Gabriel? Its impossible for Alexiel to be down here, much as though she loves Assiah…" The words felt like bile in his throat.
Gabriel looked at him. "It is not impossible, Setsuna. I found-"
She was cut off abruptly by the sound of the phone ringing.
Setsuna's hand literally flew over as he grabbed the receiver. "Hello?"
"Her boyfriend will be picking her up."
"Where are you now?"
"Currently being squashed in the lift."
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Gehenna
Voice was literally screaming at his twin.
"HOW COULD YOU LET HER GO TO ASSIAH?"
"She wanted to go; it has nothing to do with me!"
"WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO HER?"
"The princess is more than capable of taking care of herself."
"EVEN SO, SHE'S A GIRL!"
Slap
"Who do you think you are, controlling her like that? During your absence, the hime grew up so well, without a single interference! She is like this today because of what Alexiel- sama, Messiah and many others taught her! She is Kurai hime, last of the royalty of the Evils! No matter what you do, you'll never win her heart! And I suggest, if you don't stop what you are doing now, don't even dream of her loving you, let alone stay by her side!"
Noise then spun on her heels and walked out of the room.
"On an after note, don't bother to think it's the Messiah's fault. The princess has found another to love."
Leaving a shocked Voice behind, Noise walked out of the room, for once truly proud of what she had grown to be.
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Heaven
Barbiel was very much tired.
With the Archangels descent to Assiah, it meant that she had plenty of work to help them complete. Thankfully, Gabriel and Uriel had done nearly all of it, leaving little for her to settle. Michael, amazingly, had also done most of his work, albeit sloppily. That left Raphael.
His present to her-
Piles of paperwork waiting to be filled in at the desk.
She gave a sigh. She should have known better than to leave him alone and attend to other matters, such as the security of the barriers to Assiah. But then again, having to settle those were necessary. If the barriers suddenly weakened…she shuddered as she taught of the consequences.
A knock on the door jolted her out of her thoughts.
One of Raphael's elite guards entered.
"Barbiel- sama? There's a…envoy from Hell wanting to see the Archangels…but since they are not around, I referred her to you…"
-An envoy from Hell? What is the Lord of Chaos thinking now?-
"Send her in, please." The guard nodded and shut the door.
In the next few seconds, the door opened again. Barbiel opened her mouth to chide the 'envoy' for not knocking, but gasped as she saw the person standing in front of her.
"You!"
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Hell
"My lord!"
Lucifer glanced up lazily from the reports spread on his table to acknowledge the Mad Hatter.
"What is it, Hatter? It's not like you to be this flustered."
"My lord, this one bears bad news! The lady Barbelo went to Heaven on the claim that she was an envoy sent by you!"
Lucifer stood up abruptly, onyx eyes cold and flashing dangerously.
"Repeat that, Hatter."
"The Lady Barbelo claimed that she was send by you to pass on a message!"
Lucifer strode pass Hatter, grabbing his gloves as he did that.
"I'm leaving for Heaven. Take care of matter here, Hatter."
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Assiah
Setsuna and Sara shifted, uncomfortable at the thick air of tension that hung around in the room. Although they were lucky not to be the attention of the 3 Archangels, it didn't help that one particular Archangel was glaring back at the other 3.
# Flashback #
Setsuna chocked on his drink the third time in a day.
"Squashed in the lift?"
"Quit laughing, moron!"
"So…sorry…!" Setsuna was laughing so hard, that the other 3 Archangels looked alarmed, thinking that he had an attack or something.
"Setsuna! Quit that-" the line was abruptly cut off.
"Sara? Sara??"
Meanwhile…
Sara gaped at the person in front of her.
"You? YOU?"
"Me what?" was the Archangel of Fire's retort.
"You were following me all this while?"
"Not really…I followed your astral residue."
'Oh…that…WHY ARE YOU IN ASSIAH!?"
Michael clamped his ears over Sara's sudden shriek.
"Oi, chill! I came to look for you!"
Sara calmed down abruptly.
"Looking for me?"
"Yeah, there's something I wanted to ask."
"In that case, let's go to my house first…"
# Flashback ends #
In an instant, all the questions came out.
"WHY IN THE HOLY LIGHT DID YOU COME DOWN TO ASSIAH FOR?"
"Were you thinking, Mika- chan?"
"WE WERE NEARLY KILLED BY YOUR BRO, NO THANKS TO YOU!"
Michael retorted in an equally loud voice.
"WELL, I CAME TO ASK SARA SOMETHING!"
A rap on the window snapped everyone's attention.
An old lady was looking annoyed.
"Keep your volume down, or I shall call the police! Did you think you owned this place?"
Big mistake for the lady to interfere.
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH, NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, AND GET LOST, OLD HAG!!!"
The old lady squeaked and scuttled away.
Setsuna and Sara sweatdropped as the Archangels resumed their glaring match.
-We just hope they don't burn, bury, drown and sweep away the house…-
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Heaven
Barbiel snarled at the woman in front of her. "What are you doing here, Barbelo?"
"What, I can't come to see my precious little sister?"
"I don't remember being related to you!"
"How rude! I took all the effort to come and see you, and this is what I get?"
"I'll be glad if you just get out right now."
"Never mind that, how's Mika dear?"
"He's Michael- sama to you, Barbelo!"
"What? I served Mika before, I'm sure that he would be glad to see me again! After all, he liked me once right?"
"He doesn't now; he's got others to love. Get out, Barbelo." Barbiel said brusquely.
"Oh? And who would that be? The little, worthless bitch of a princess in Gehenna?"
"Compared to you, she's way better!"
"In what way? Looks? Figure?"
"She may not be better in those, but she has something that you'll never have, Barbelo. If you think you seducing Michael- sama will work, it'll never. He's shielded against your dirty tricks."
"How dare you-" A wave of oppressiveness swept into the room, causing both women to look up.
Barbiel cringed inwardly. "Lu…Lucifer- sama"
Lucifer acknowledged her bow with a nod, and turned to Barbelo.
"We're going back. This instant."
"What if I said I wanted to chat with my sister a bit longer?"
"I'll have you tortured so hard that you wished that you died instead of being alive."
Barbelo cringed under his icy gaze.
Lucifer spun around and walked out of the room. Barbelo followed, not looking back.
As soon as the door shut, Barbiel let out a breathe she didn't know she had been holding all this while.
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Assiah
It was near midnight.
And Sara was tired and restless.
Setsuna was shifting around.
And the Archangels were still glaring at each other.
That was when Sara had enough.
"Quit it already! Whatever that wants to be settled, settle it went you guys come down to celebrate Christmas with us! If not, get out now!"
"Christmas?" All 5 asked.
"Christmas is coming right? We'll be having a party; invite Lucifer and the other too." Sara explained.
Setsuna and the 4 Archangels looked at each other.
"Till Christmas then."
"Excellent…Now…GET OUT!"
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A/N: Yay! Chappie 5! Whew…it has a hassle to write this chapter…too many plots to handle in one go…but seriously, I enjoyed writing this chapter, especially when the focus seems to be on Sara…anyway, I'll like to thank the following people…
CharismaHarmony: I ain't giving any spoilers on whose boyfriend is Aerial's... so happy guessing till the next chapter... I happened to visit a shrine to Kurai and Mika and I found them well- matched for each other, so there you are…and also, Boyz and Noyz are also known as Voice and Noise, although its up to you how you want to pronounce or to spell it. Hope you enjoy this chapter!
greytoblack: That's okay; I'm glad you still took time to review…I can't really guarantee much RosielKatan, but I'll try, and that's a promise!
UrukiWindDemon: I'm hopeful to find someone for Voice soon…just kidding, and here's chapter 5 for ya…
Sweety8587: I had actually wanted to make Sara a little more violent, but then again, she and Setsuna are the main couple in AS right? So I couldn't cause any more conflict between them… #ducks under table to avoid rotten tomatoes and eggs thrown by Setusara fans #
LucifaelsBride: I live in a tiny dot on the map in a country known as Singapore. In another few more days, I have to go back to school…which means more breaking down after exams…TT…glad you liked the chapter, hope you liked this one too!
Thanks to all those who reviewed…and as a gift…Aerial's boyfriend is appearing in the next chapter, again, no spoilers, happy guessing!
Do review though, thanks a lot.