Yeah... please note that Moonlight Demon(if this is your first time reading it) take place shortly after the seventh volume begins. So there's a lot of spoilers in here.

As my tears keep overflowing one after another,
I can't see your last smile through their blur.
Please don't go, please don't go... Stay here.
- Yubiwa, Ma'aya Sakamoto/Escaflowne

Moonlight Demon
"How to Begin an Adventure" - Prologue B (Kotarou)

Kotarou Higuchi sighed softly before taking a sip of his drink. He was sitting at the front counter in the Café tricot. He was alone, waiting for Takashi to show up. Koboshi had her piano lessons to get to.

Takashi was almost an hour late now.

Shia busily made her way past customers seated at the tables, making note of what they were calling out to her as she passed by them. From what he could tell, it was a pretty busy day as the tricot.

Kotarou sighed again, his thoughts beginning to wander.

How long had it been since he last spoke to Misha? He guessed that it had been two or three weeks, though it was beginning to feel like forever. Ever since he had discovered the reason why Misha had come down from Heaven, and why it was that she "loved" him so much, he had not been able to talk to her. He could barely even look at her. Between his inner rage and the feeling that his heart was being crushed, he could not face her.

Shia worked as their medium. She went back and forth, telling them how the other was doing. She seemed to sense that keeping in touch was important for the both of them, even if it was just through someone else. The fact that she felt the need to do it was ridiculous. He and Misha were in contact every day, though only at the Tricot. He tried his hardest to hide the fact that he wanted to talk to Misha again, and she seemed to do a good job of the same. In fact, if Misha cared at all that he was there anymore, it wasn't showing.

But that made sense. Misha's only concern was…

"Yo!" Takashi called as he entered the Tricot.

Kotarou remained silent, but his eyes slowly traveled up towards the clock that hung behind the counter. His fists clenched. If Misha was going to show up today, she would have been here by now. Still, even as the minutes passed by to an hour, Kotarou had held out a faint hope that she would come by--even though he had gone out of his way to miss her earlier at the gates.

He was being stupid. What was he thinking? What was it that he wanted? He avoided Misha because he couldn't face her, then turned around and missed her when she wasn't around. Why couldn't he make up his mind? What kept him wanting to see her so badly?

"Hey, Shia-san," Takashi began before anyone could respond to his greeting, "can you afford to live at the apartment you and Misha-san live in on your own?"

Kotarou spun to face Takashi. What kind of question was that? "Could Shia pay for the apartment on her own"… The only reason that that would become an issue was if Misha was going back to Heaven. She would never just leave without saying a word to anyone else, would she?

"Ayanokoji-san…" Shia said softly. She seemed to think about her answer for a long while, but she did not seemed surprised by it. "Yes. I will be able to pay for the rent."

"Ten-chan, why're you asking such a strange question?" Kotarou asked him.

Takashi just grinned and shrugged. "I was just wondering."

"Hunh…" Kotarou didn't believe him for a moment.

"You saw Misha-san, right?" Shia spoke up. She leaned in towards him a little.

Takashi looked surprised for a moment. "Uh, yeah. She was standing at the school gates."

Kotarou was listening closely to their conversation, though he tried his hardest to make it look like he wasn't. Misha had been waiting at the school gates. Just like in the old days. He still wasn't ready to speak to her just yet, but she had been waiting for him. It figured. It was just like Misha to come back meekly after making him angry. Usually he would accept her apology, but today he didn't even give her a chance.

But was it an apology, or was it to say "goodbye"?

The way that Takashi and Shia were speaking made it sound like it was goodbye.

Shia let out a small sigh. "Misha-san went out, but never came home last night. I was a little worried about her," she explained. "I'm relieved to hear that you saw her."

"Yeah… She, uh, said that she was leaving," he continued. "Did you know about that?"

Kotarou's heart skipped a beat. Misha… was really leaving? Now? Without even saying goodbye to him?

Did she even care?

"Wh-Where is she?" he nearly yelled. He jumped from his seat. "Where is Misha-san?"

Everyone in the café seemed surprised by his outburst. Shia merely sighed softly.

"I had a feeling she would do something like this," she admitted. "But no, I didn't know that it had gotten this bad yet. I honestly thought that there was still more time…"

"I-It's not your fault, Shia-san!" Takashi burst out.

"Where did she go?" Kotarou yelled, tired of being ignored by them. "Where did Misha-san go?"

Why was she leaving? Didn't she care about anything, or anyone, other than "Kotaroh"? Didn't she care that all he wanted was for her to see him as who he really was, and not as who he used to be in a past life?

Misha-san… you idiot… he thought and he balled his hands into tight fists. Why are you leaving?

"America, dude," Takashi finally answered, snapping Kotarou out of his thoughts. "Well, she's at the airport now, I guess, but America's where Misha-san's headed."

"America?" Kotarou snapped back.

"Yeah," Takashi replied with a slight shrug. "She said that her parents wanted her to go to an American school 'cause it offered her some course that she couldn't get here."

"What…?"

He could barely believe what he was hearing. Even Shia looked slightly confused by what was being said. Misha's parents were up in Heaven. Why would the want her to go to America?

Of course, Kotarou thought, his head dropping. She went back to Heaven. Ten and the others don't know she's an angel… so she had to tell him that…

"Aah," Takashi sighed as he sat down on a chair.

No…

"Things are gonna be so much more boring without Misha-san around," he said softly.

"…no…"

"She's done so much for me, I wish that I could have gotten to say goodbye at least," Shia commented, sounding as if she was going to cry. "I'm going to miss her."

"Yeah, me too," Takashi agreed.

"No…" Kotarou growled. But it did not matter how many times he said it. 'No' wouldn't bring Misha back.

He could feels the backs of his eyes starting to burn. He was going to cry.

"Hey, Kotarou, are you alright, dude?" Takashi asked.

"Kotarou-san…?" Shia echoed him.

Kotarou had meant for it to be a slow, calm walk towards the door. He managed to grab his bag tightly in one hand, but the moment he took the first step, he broke out into an all-out run. He was headed for Misha's. For Misha. If he was fast enough, maybe she would still be there. Maybe she would be staring out of the windows, out at nothing, and when he entered, she would turn around and smile at him like she used to.

He didn't care what Takashi had said. If he tried hard enough, she would be there.

Because she was "Misha-san".

She was always there. She wouldn't just take off like this.

She wouldn't…

----------

Misha hadn't been at her apartment, as he had anticipated. At least, if she had been, she refused to open the door for him. With the way that things had been going between them, he would not have been surprised if she was avoiding him still.

Still…

"Oh, Kotarou-san, you're home!" Shia chirped as her head poked out of her apartment's front door. She smiled softly. "I was beginning to worry about you."

How many hours had he spent running around the area, searching for Misha? Enough that it was well past dark now, anyways. He hadn't bothered to think about the time at all. His sole concern had been Misha. If she was gone, truly gone, he was not sure that he could handle it. The thought that she could be gone for good was worse than never being able to speak to her again, but still being able to see her.

"Shia-san…" he said softly, staring blankly at her.

Shia stepped out into the hallway. She was in her cat-suit pajamas, looking all ready for bed. It must have been really late, if she was already dressed like that, he realized. After eleven o'clock, at the earliest.

She bowed slightly.

"I was waiting up for you," she told him. She smiled again when she came up. "Welcome home."

"Ah… Uh, thank you, Shia-san," he replied quietly. He wanted to ask her if Misha was home, but he was certain that Misha would have waited up for him if she was, and if she was home then she would have been right there with Shia. She would have glomped him.

"Kotarou-san, I have something that I would like to show you," she continued.

Misha-san won't be in there, he thought. Then another thought came to him, her things are probably gone, too… There won't be anything left…

He looked down at the ground.

"Kotarou-san?" Shia called him, taking a step closer. She was quiet for a moment, before she finally smiled. "You should go in and go to bed, you know. It's quite late. I can show you some other time."

"No, no, I'm fine," he tried to assure her. He also tried to smile, but couldn't hold it. "It's about time that she left, anyways…"

"You don't mean that, Kotarou-san," Shia replied.

"Y-Yes… I do… She should've gone back to Heaven sooner."

He would not let himself get upset. He would not cry. Not this time, and especially not for Misha. She had never seen him for who he really was. She had never cared to. She only cared about one person, and that was Kotaroh. He wasn't Kotaroh, so she left. If that was how Misha really was, then he refused to cry for her absence. He refused to admit that it hurt him that she left without saying anything to him. If she was really that cold hearted a person, then he could easily get over her.

Definitely.

"Kotarou-san…" Shia repeated his name for the third time, bringing him back to reality. "I don't think that Misha-san is in Heaven, Kotarou-san."

"Eh?" he gasped, staring at her with wide eyes. "Why… Why not?"

Shia gave him a tight-lipped smile and made way for him to enter in through the door. Reluctantly, Kotarou entered.

The apartment was cleaner than he had ever seen it before. No, not cleaner… emptier. It looked almost exactly the same as the last time that he had seen it, but things were missing here and there. All of Misha's belongings were missing. Everything in the apartment that could have possibly reminded anyone that Misha had once lived there was now gone, with the exception of a few photographs that Shia had begun to place out. Most of them were loose, laying on the table, awaiting her decision on where they would go.

"Shia-san," Kotarou said as he turned to face her. "Misha-san is really… She's really…"

She stood calmly, hands clasped at her front. Her head was bowed and her eyes closed. She looked like even she was about to cry.

"Kotarou-san… do you know what happens to angels and demons who fail their exams too many times…?" she asked. She sounded reluctant to continue on, but was pushing herself to do it.

"Huh?"

"I didn't think that Misha-san would tell you," Shia said. She actually smiled and laughed a little when she said that. "She wouldn't have wanted to worry you."

"Worry… me…?" Kotarou repeated her. What would I have to worry about…

"The truth is…" Shia began, then stopped. She turned away from him, as if struggling with the decision of telling him whatever it was that she wanted to say.

"Misha-san gave up on being an angel the day the two of you stopped talking."

Kotarou felt something in his chest tighten. Misha had given up on being an angel? That was the one thing in the world that she never would have done. No matter how many times she was beaten down, or what got in her way, she still gave it her best effort.

"You're lying!"

"No. I'm not."

"You… have to be…"

"Misha-san told me herself," she explained. "She said, 'If I can't even make him happy, then I don't deserve to be an angel'. Her sister visited a few days later, and I'm sure that Misha said told her then."

"Misha-san would never give up trying to be an angel!" Kotarou protested.

She sighed softly.

" When an apprentice angel fails too many exams they disappear," Shia finished, her tone firm. "Angels and demons aren't human, we are not alive in the same sense as you are, so we can't 'die'… but it's very similar."

Similar to death…

The tightness in his chest suddenly felt like it was crushing him, slowly, to death, as if it wanted him to suffer as mush as possible before everything ended. The thought of Misha dying was at least ten times worse than her going to Heaven. And for his sake, as well… What was Shia trying to accomplish by telling him this? Did she have to? Or was it just her demon nature beginning to show, and she was telling him so that she could enjoy his pain.

"And here I thought you had no sense of being a demon," a very familiar voice came in, like a whisper on the wind. "I guess there are a few traces still left."

Kotarou spun around to face the owner of the voice. It was "Nyaa".

"You…" Kotarou breathed.

"I thought that you would not be coming back," Shia said softly, faintly smiling. She shook her head. "But, you are wrong, Klaus. I did not tell him to hurt him."

"Still, it's better off that that useless angel dropped out," he said as he entered into the apartment from the veranda.

Shia's smile grew a touch.

"Indeed," she agreed.

Kotarou turned back to Shia. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel, hearing her say those things about Misha, but he was certain that he growing rage was justifiable. That was a horrible thing to say. Misha was a bit of a screw up, but she also had so many good qualities. If she had tried, she could have become a great angel.

He almost laughed at himself for a moment. He, himself, had just been bad-mouthing her, and now he was, albeit silently, coming to her defense.

"Will you come back now?" 'Klaus' demanded.

Shia shook her head. "I am sorry, but no."

"You know what will happen to you if you don't," he said, his voice low enough to be a growl.

She nodded again. "Yes."

"Shia-san?"

Kotarou examined Shia closely. He suddenly became aware of how pale she had been looking lately. And she had been more tired that usual in the past few days. While she used to handle a busy shift at the tricot, lately she had been out of breath and nearly falling asleep.

Maybe she's supposed to be in Hell to stay healthy… he thought curiously. But then… that would mean that she's leaving, too. And I… I can't lose her, too!

"Shia-san!"

"Don't worry, Kotarou-san," she said calmly, coming to his sides. She placed her hands on his shoulders and smiled sweetly at him. "Nothing will happen to me."

"Something will," the blond demon spoke up.

Shia ignored him and continued, "Misha-san had Ayanokoji-san give me a present before she left."

She reached into her shirt and began to tug on a chain. She pulled it out, and showed him the small charm that was on it.

The charm was small, but very beautiful. Kotarou had never seen anything like it before. It was a rose made of gems: rubies for the petals, and emeralds for the stem and two leaves. There was a strange glow surrounding it that was neither light nor dark.

"Wh-What it is?" he asked curiously.

Shia just smiled.

"What are you doing, Shia!" Klaus bellowed.

"It will make sure that I am always healthy," she responded. "And that Misha-san will return one day."

"Huh?" Kotarou blinked at her. "Return…?"

"Yes."

"Take that off!"

Again, Shia just smiled at him.

"No."

"Shia!"

He lunged for her.

A soft gasp tore itself from Shia's lips as the charm began to glow brightly. She made a few sounds of pain, then collapsed to the ground, hugging herself.

"Shia-san!" Kotarou gasped, kneeling down at her side. "Shia-san! What's wrong?"

"Shia! Take it off!" Klaus yelled.

To start, I decided to go back to my "original" form. The first nine chapters of Moonlight Demon originally had the same "how to" titles that the chapters/episodes in the series had. I also am trying to find lyrics that are suitable for each chapter. It's harder than I thought it would be. I changed a lot in this chapter, too,because now that I've read the manga fully,I thought about some things. Like, say, how Klaus left Shia at the train station. But I figured when word reached that Misha left(I figured that somehow it would), he'd try to come back for her. Things like that. I also wanted to make everything go much more smoothly. There's a lot to reconsider in the story. I want to fill in the holes.

Moonlight Demon's sequel story, I know, is anticipated by the fans of this story, who have already completed it. So! To everyone who got this far for reading, please submit your review to me with an answer to the following question: would you like to begin reading the sequel?