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How to get your body back.

It's a curious thing how all the things I have documented had happened roughly in the time lapse of a single night. The reader might say I have totally disregarded the time factor. But as Kotarou told me: "In heaven there is no time. God said so Himself." But, the night was still younger than ever, as more events unfolded.

In the emergency ward of a Tokyo hospital, an unconscious Ten laid down on gurney, kept away from the entire ruckus that created the typical atmosphere of a place of such kind. But inside Ten's head, simmering in a whirlwind of mixed thoughts and emotions, there was a bigger chaos than the activity surrounding him. The memories of his childhood with Misha and Shia flooded his conscience, returning again and again to that precise moment when the white-haired guy was about to cast him into the 7th sleep.

"Why was Shia there? Where did she go all of this time? Why is not Misha with her? Who was that guy? How did he manage to rip apart my car? How did I…" Ten thought.

Suddenly, everything went back to place his memories running away like a stray cat. The world swirled back to focus slowly, as Ten opened his eyes. The first thing he felt was pain. A searing pain that crept from his chest to his head, he looked down and saw his black skin. His chest was burnt away. A red and raw color poked through the seams of burnt flesh. They were his muscles. Ten felt more pain, and more, and more. If the respiration aid hadn't been in his mouth he would have been screaming at the top of his lungs. He started to choke with his own saliva and started to retort on his bed, panicking.

Then he saw her. Shia was standing beside his bed, with an uneasy serenity. She looked worried and sad. She was grabbing hold of a black staff with a sphere on the top of it, with bells dangling from the side. Klaus was standing beside her. "It's that guy! And Shia-san too! Why?! WHY?!!" Ten thought as he thrashed and gnawed away his breathing aid. Shia took Klaus's hand and said "I'm debt with him Ayanokouji-san, I must make it even.".

Ten choked "Shia-san! Shia-san! SHIA-SAN!" Still, Shia did not react. She raised her staff as Kotarou fixedly stared at her, still choking for air. "Gomen-asai, Ten-chan". Then she stabbed him.

thud

Ten stopped moving.

Shia lowered her staff and crossed the delicate curtain that enveloped Ten's still body. Shia crossed the ER lobby. In the midst of the constant commotion, no doctor or nurse noticed the girl in the black dress moving swiftly past them. As if she was just an unnoticeable hindrance. Shia walked to the end of a hall and entered through a door that said "Morgue". Inside, Klaus was waiting and beside him, the mangled body of Kotarou laying down over a gurney. Surronding them, the bodies whose lifes had faded away gave Shia nausea. The absence of life made the demons shudder at the idea of touching one. Klaus knew that his actions that night seriously endangered Shia's and his existence as well. He had already paid a high price bringing Shia back.

Shia grabbed a chair near her and sat down. "Can you please help me take off my cape, Shia? I can't do it on my own." Shia shook her head as tears started sprouting from her eyes. "Please, Shia".

Shia stood up and took off Klaus' cape. The light that shone over Kotarou's body also revealed the price Klaus paid. Half of his face was burnt off and one arm was completely missing. His bell and what was left of his face and body were covered in a creepy black goo. He had suffered the consequences of making a contract with a life demon. These kind always asked something in return for their services. It was well worth it, since they could do almost anything. The life demon that he had hired, Akuma, had caused everything: The storm, Shia back to life, the lightning that struck the pole… everything. The flaw in the plan was whomever had taken away kid's soul…

Shia tried to turn her head away, but she couldn't. Klaus had sacrificed himself in order for her to reappear. He had taken Shia into the human world to suck on Kotarou's blood and be fully living, Shia was just a shadow of herself, as Klaus didn't had enough to pay for her to be complete. She needed someone else's life. The obvious target was the one who came from her bloodline, Kotarou.

…

Kotarou made his final descent, his glowing blue wings spread around him. Misha was floating, watching Kotarou touch earth. She was still in awe, puzzled about how did Kotarou got wings and knew already how to fly. The oddest thing of all was the kind of wings: Shiny blue wings.

As soon as Kotarou gently touched the earth, the wings faded away rapidly. Misha joined him.

"Were did ya get these wingsies-su?" Misha asked.

"Do you really expect me to know Misha-san? Besides, I don't know how to fly on those things." Kotarou replied gently.

They both had landed in front of a hospital entrance, as Kotarou's wings dissolved into the night. A sudden gust of wind suddenly came out of nowhere, forcing them to look towards it. It was gentle wind that felt strange, like the breeze that embraces the lovers on a movie. Kotarou felt a strange urge to enter, it was like somebody or something was calling him and commanding him to enter. He took Misha's hand and obeyed the strange feeling, walking towards the hospital.

"Wait a eeny minute-su!" Said Misha. "Why are we going there-su?"

"Again," Replied Kotarou "I have no idea."

The crowd that massed upon the lobby and the nearby ER area was bubbling with activity and no one seemed to notice them. In fact, some of them blatantly passed right through Kotarou's and Misha's body. Kotarou felt weird, non-existent. Misha, already used to it, said. "Okies, were at the hospital-su. Where do Kotarou-kuns wants to go-su?" Kotarou, following his impending instinct, crossed the hall towards the morgue. The sensation was almost unbearable, it was a heavy sensation. All of the time that he had been just a soul, he had been feeling lightweight, even lighter than air itself. He started to feel something that pulled him to the Earth he was gliding in. He felt as if he had a body.

"WATCHOUT-SUUU!" Misha bellowed as she pushed Kotarou to the floor. Kotarou turned his head in time. And there he was: The guy who took Shia's body. The guy who forced Shia to take his blood. And he had his gooey hand on Misha's wing. "RUUN KOTAROU-KUUUN!" Misha shrieked in pain. Kotarou ignored her. Instead, he ran towards him, his mind blinded with rage, as he curled his little hand into a fist and punched Klaus with all the might he had. Instantly, Klaus boomed away to the end of the hall, crashing into the unsuspecting people. They didn't even notice. Klaus stood up, bewildered as he saw a scorching mark where Kotarou delivered a punch which supposedly would have caused as much pain as the bite of an amoeba. Kotarou was surprised as well. Then Klaus saw in horror what was behind Kotarou. Shining blue wings. He knew what they meant. Now than ever he was more desperate to take Kotarou to his body and then capture him. The puncher was also bewildered.

Suddenly, a voice he hadn't heard in 3 years bellowed at his back "KLAAAUSS-SAAAAN!" Misha on the floor and Kotarou still with his fist on the air, they both paused a moment to process the scene before their eyes: Shia was running towards Klaus, helping him to stand up. Shia had teary eyes. Then she shouted in angst:

"WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO KLAUS-SAN! He wants the best for me! And that is you Kotarou-san! I'm back! And I need your life to continue! Do you want me to disappear! DO YOU, KOTAROU SAN!"

Kotarou looked down and saw his hand, stilled curled into an iron-clad fist. This was hard to digest. Everything that had happened since the night started was strange!

"Kotarou-kuns," Misha whispered from below "what are you going to do-su?"

Kotarou looked up to meet Shia's watery eyes. "The Shia I know wouldn't have wanted me to die. She gave her own life up for my sake. YOU ARE NOT SHIA-SAN!"

Kotarou turned ran towards the morgue as the angel and the demons chased after him. He entered and looked around. The body was lit by a little halogen lamp, but noticeable as it was the only lit body. Kotarou ran towards the gurney where his mangled body laid down. He jumped. He felt the heaviness on his feet the moment he reached and touched his body. Suddenly, the room was swirling around rapidly, as his environment moved in slow-motion as the others entered the dark room. He looked down, as his body portrayed a hole in which he was entering. Kotarou closed his eyes and hoped for the best. "Kami-sama," Kotarou whispered before he entirely blacked out. "protect me. I will need it."

A voice whispered back in the void:

"I already do."