A/N: I have a very long end note which I hope is informative...
Acknowledgments:
I really couldn't thank you guys enough for the wonderful reviews and support you give this fic.
Malora-chan: I hope this is informative and helps you on your fic. Good job on guessing the real role of Fuuko's savior. I'm sending you a few more references. Hope you don't get swamped because I know I did when I did research for this.
thepinkmartini: wonder no more. Enjoy...
Suryasree: You flatter me too much... I just made a few connections here and there and really am just as surprised as you guys how the facts for this fic fit well with Mi-chan and Fuuko and FoR and everything else. Hope you like this chappie.
Aki-chan: I truly hope this update is soon enough and I hope you like this. I was poring over this for weeks already and well results for the NLE won't come out 'til next week. The wait kills me. ahaha... I pray that you don't get too stressed with work.
Satomika-chan: got whiff that you're feeling angst-y at the moment. I hope this helps get you out of the feeling. Happy reading.
This chapter is and always will be for you.
Standard Disclaimers still apply.
Other God by Anne Raven
Chapter 11: Of Allies and Foes
13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
John 15:13-15
People enter our lives whether we want them to or not. Some of them come in passing. Some of them stay and make an indelible mark. Some of them leave and take away bits and pieces of us. While a fair share of them return, others never come back.
-Superbia and the Lord of All Demons-
Funny… how love can turn into hate with the slightest provocation; how the smallest of lies can blow things out of proportion; and how secrets can tear people apart.
Sad isn't it? But I live, I thrive, I revel in these perversions and I take credit as the catalyst of a number of them.
Yes, I like this, the human Samael has become; consumed as he is by his anger, his insatiable thirst for revenge, his overwhelming grief; easy prey for the wolves of the mind. And on top of that, he has chosen his sin well. Pride, my Pride. It blinds him.
As he watched Lilith enter the school gates with their other 'choice friends', the mix of emotions eating at him were palpable or, at least, palpable to me.
But it is his Pride that calls to me. It prevents him from associating with them. He shuns them despite the fact that he craves their company. It is this same Pride that I will use for his undoing.
-Thine Enemies Come-
Unbeknownst to Tokiya, an otherworldly being had been watching him the moment he entered the classroom. Little did he know that this same malicious entity had something planned for him. He stood by the classroom window and watched the rest of Team Hokage enter the school premises. Hanabishi occasionally ran ahead while Fuuko ran after him with her kunais to boot but he would eventually backtrack to walk alongside Yanagi. A voice in the remote recesses of his mind told him it should have been him in the ninja's position.
He had never really been close to the team and the only person who was genuinely persistent in dragging him along was Fuuko but now that their working relationship was strained…
When the rest of his classmates started entering the previously empty room, he opted to sit instead of getting caught watching the rowdy group of lower classmen they had seldom seen him accompany already. It really wasn't a good idea to partner his name with theirs. He thought.
Right on cue as the bell rang signaling the start of classes, the homeroom teacher entered with powerful strides towards the front and center of the room. For the rest of the class, nothing seemed to be amiss but for Tokiya who was a trained fighter, a person's stance tells so much about him. And this person's gait told him that this was definitely not his teacher. Despite that knowledge, he could not pinpoint any other clue that would tell him that this person was an impostor.
"Before we start, I'd like to introduce you to your new classmate." Kazuya-sensei started after the customary greetings.
His other classmates appeared excited. New students weren't actually rare in Nashikiri even in the middle of the school year but it was rather rare for new students to get into his class. They were, after all, the cream of the Nashikiri crop and all of his classmates had been the same faces he encountered the previous year. So, this student must be exceptional, not that Tokiya cared.
The classroom door opened and he heard his female classmates gasp audibly; the noise interrupting him from reading their supposed lesson. Finally, curiosity won over and he ventured to look at the new student. Tokiya almost dropped his textbook or rather hurled it forward the moment his eyes strayed at front. The unmistakable long red hair and emerald eyes belonged to Fuuko's savior the other day.
"Class, meet Hatanaka Ash, your new classmate. I expect all of you would get along well." The teacher said. And with a mischievous smile Kazuya-sensei added, "And Mikagami-san, as our top student, I think it wise if you would tour Hatanaka-san around on his first day."
There it was again; the subtle hints that told him this person was not who he appeared to be and the matching smile Hatanka flashed disturbed him. As Hatanaka sat, Tokiya saw his teacher nod at the new student and a momentary flash of grey eyes that replaced the light browns and a black mark that ran across the left eye which in a blink vanished.
Time flew by fast and it was lunch time. As much as Tokiya wished it weren't, he really had no choice but to follow his sensei's wishes and allow the new student to tag along.
"Mikagami-san…" Hatanaka called.
If there was one similar thing between Fuuko and her savior, it was that they were both annoying.
"What is it, Hatanaka-san?"
"Those classrooms, what year uses those classrooms?" Hatanaka stopped and jerked his head towards the classrooms one floor lower which were visible from the hallway they were walking on.
Tokiya knew exactly the answer to his questions. He had in fact been watching a certain room on this part of the hallway for a couple of months already. He chanced to look at that said classroom and what he saw alarmed him.
Standing near the classroom of Sakoshita Yanagi was a tall young man with short dirty blonde hair, his sharp red-brown eyes intent on the room as though he could see through the thick wall. His face, Tokiya can only remember but once in his entire memory, and a sharp memory he had. It was in a war, a grand war between angels and demons. What worries him is that this man is one of the latter and was known as the Demon of Wrath, Amon.
"Is there anything wrong?" Hatanak politely asked.
As he faced the red-head, he was glad that nothing betrayed the anxiety he was feeling. When Tokiya looked back at Yanagi's classroom, the demon was no longer there.
"Let's go." Tokiya hissed as he turned and started walking again.
"Are you always this… ill-tempered, for lack of a better word, Mikagami-san?"
"The less you talk to me, the better we'll get along." Tokiya retorted.
Amon walked briskly towards an awning where a man had been waiting for him. If Tokiya bothered to look back, he would have recognized that man as his homeroom teacher.
"Report, Amon."
"Lilith is still unaware that I'm following her." The blonde demon said.
"I'm getting tired of this body. It's ugly!"
"But effective, my Lord. Did you see what Ash did?" An evil grin spread across his face. Seeing Kazuya-sensei motion for him to explain further, he continued, "The cunning kitsune convinced Samael to look my way when I was standing in front of Sakoshita Yanagi's classroom and I'm sure he did not see Lilith enter it." Amon added, his smile turning wider.
The answering smile was just as evil and just as wide if not more.
"Wonderful! I never thought we could use the innocent and good little Yanagi for our purposes. She is no fighter; command the lesser demons to watch over her. As for Ash, I have to commend him, and you, on a job well done. Carry on."
The demon bowed and left. While watching his servant walk away, Lucifer vacated the body of the teacher he possessed and left it lying on the cold floor, the panicked screams of various students getting louder as they gathered around the unconscious teacher.
Cafeteria atmosphere didn't do anything to lighten Mikagami's mood. It was hot, crowded and suffocating. No wonder he never really liked it here. But since the Hokage would be in the rooftop, Fuuko included, he wouldn't be able to hide out there.
Hatanaka was good-naturedly nodding and waving at the shy greetings some female students were throwing his way. If there was one thing Tokiya liked about the new guy, it would be his capability to distract his fanclub.
"Your friends are waving at you." He noted.
"I don't have friends." Tokiya retorted.
"But I remember you were with her the other day, Mikagami-san."
Tokiya instantly knew who he was talking about. Surely enough, the rest of the Hokages were on one side of the cafeteria; Hanabishi and Ishijima were frantically waving at him, Yanagi was smiling and Fuuko was poignantly ignoring him.
"You shouldn't keep them waiting. It's rude to do so."
Tokiya felt Hatanka push him roughly towards his 'friends'.
"It's so nice for you to join us, Mikagami-sempai." Yanagi greeted.
"I don't think nice is the right word, Hime." Recca mused.
He let out a loud yelp because apparently, Yanagi kicked his shin under the table. Domon guffawed but Fuuko remained focused on her… book? Alright, she was really ignoring him.
"You must be the new kid. Ishijima Domon, man." Domon grinned.
"Hanabishi Recca." Recca managed to squeak out still clutching his hurting leg.
"I'm Yanagi Sakoshita. I hope you're enjoying your stay here in Nashikiri." She smiled sweetly.
"Ah yes, I'm Hatanaka Ash. Pleased to meet all of you." He smiled at them once then dismissed them, focusing his whole attention to Fuuko. "I believe we've met." He told her.
Tokiya raised an eyebrow and even Recca seemed a little offended that Yanagi's greeting was totally snubbed. Realizing she was spoken to, Fuuko decided to look up from her book and her famous grin immediately lightened her face.
"I think we have but I haven't given you my name yet. I'm Kirisawa Fuuko, Hatanaka-sempai."
Hatanaka finally left Tokiya's side and took an empty chair from a nearby table and sat beside Fuuko.
"Please call me Ash."
"Then I'd love it if you'd call me Fuuko." She offered.
"Where'd you get this bozo, Mikagami?" Recca whispered.
The teens were positioned in such a manner that Yanagi was seated beside Fuuko on the other side of the table, Recca sat beside her and Domon was supposedly seated beside Fuuko until Ash wedged a chair between them. Domon took another empty chair and placed it in between his and Recca's chairs. Surprisingly, Tokiya took the offered seat.
"Believe me Hanabishi; I never wanted to bring him here." He said.
"I don't like him." Domon mused.
The three Hokage men continued this hushed conversation until the end of lunch time, completely agreeing on their mutual dislike of the new student.
-Luxuria and the Demon in Disguise-
"No wonder you love it here so much. It brings you closer to your element."
Fuuko turned to look at the owner of the unexpected yet familiar voice. They were in the school's rooftop watching the rest of the student populace leave the campus soon after dismissal.
"What are you thinking about?" Ash asked as he moved closer towards her.
"A while ago I was thinking how humans can go on with their lives totally unwitting of the forces that could change them forever." She started. She turned to look at his emerald eyes and said, "But now, I'm wondering who you really are."
Ash covered his mouth with a hand as he chuckled briefly.
"You seriously have not figured it out yet? You were the one who gave me the name, you know." He said in between chuckles.
His beautiful eyes bore into hers and Fuuko knew she had to look away, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks.
"Beautiful…" Ash whispered as he suddenly ran a finger across her left cheek and the familiarity of his touch shocked her.
"You flatter me too much." She joshed trying her best not to appear like a smitten maiden.
"Ah, but you're used to it." He replied.
Fuuko placed a finger on her chin as she seriously contemplated on the mysteries of his identity. Her eyes widened when realization hit her.
"Ash!" She voiced, whipping her head towards the young man. "I never thought I'd ever see you again Ashmedai, specially not like this. The Asmodeus I know has silver hair, cute kitty ears and striking topaz eyes. Not that you don't look absolutely gorgeous at the moment."
Realizing how straightforward her statement sounded, Fuuko immediately bit her bottom lip and looked away while Asmodeus laughed louder than a while ago, his eyes lightening and brimming with mirth.
"I love it that you're as frank as I remember you. Believe me, Lilith. It's me."
Fuuko jolted at the mention of her former name. No one had called her that directly to her face in this lifetime.
"To what honor do I owe you this visit, Ash?" She decided to look at a throng of students exiting the school gates at that moment.
Turning serious, Asmodeus took a step nearer her. "I'll say this straight to the point without preemptory speeches the way you always wanted them. We want you back. The Dark Lord is preparing another gathering and we want you with us." He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder, whispering near her ear, "You have no idea how much I want you. I've been dying to have you back."
Fuuko smiled as she ran a finger on the cheek of her former demon lover.
"A tempting proposition, Asmodeus. Very tempting…"
-Allies-in-Waiting-
Drumming his fingers on the teacher's table, sitting on the chair with the authority it's worth, Tokiya looked every bit like a principal berating aberrant students.
"Elaborate." He drawled.
Earlier that noon, life was trying his patience to its last letter with Hatanka's unnecessary appearance in Team Hokage's life like he had always been a staple there, especially with Fuuko. Add Amon's unwanted appearance in front of Yanagi's classroom. He had wanted to cast the said one time occurrence as a pigment of his imagination but it was a futile attempt because later that afternoon, not one but two angels appeared in his empty classroom. At the moment, he indulged in questioning them.
"As we were saying," Raphael began jumping up and sitting like an Indian on the teacher's table. "Satan is organizing the first biggest gathering in the span of many millennia and it's her that he wants this time."
Gritting his teeth, Tokiya ventured to stretch his patience a little longer. "I heard you the first time, Raph. What I want to know is why he wants her badly. What could possibly be so special about Kirisawa Fuuko that the Lord of Gehenna would want to start war for her?"
Raphael's eyes grew the size of tennis balls as he reverted into a chibi form and stared at Tokiya. Even Uriel looked at him with an expression of utter disbelief.
"You have not thought about it?" Uriel asked.
"Don't you care?" Raphael questioned in unison with Uriel's query.
"No!" He answered not clarifying which question he answered. "And stop looking at me like that, Raph." He commanded.
"Geez, Sa…" The blonde stopped midword when Tokiya pinned him with a murderous glare. Still in his chibi form, he ran for cover and ended up behind Uriel.
With an amused smile at his friend's childishness, Uriel continued where the blonde left off, "Aside from Satan absolutely adoring her, the rarity of her circumstance is intriguing. The fallen angels talk of her coming; the cherubim and seraphim, likewise. The demons even worship the very ground she walks on."
"I vaguely remember Fuuko telling me that 'they' seemed to be more aware of her." Tokiya supplied.
"You haven't heard half of it. " Raphael interjected from the safety of his makeshift hiding place. "They call her the New Trinity. It's phenomenal!"
"An angel in the Beginning turned into a demon and now in the form of a human. Do you know how rare that is? Given that our kind is rarely given the chance to assume a human form. Satan is going to use this, going to use her for whatever evil purpose which is currently in his head." Uriel explained.
"Does she know this?" Tokiya asked.
"Yes, she does," said the red headed young man who casually leaned unnoticed on the door frame of the now opened classroom. "Or at least she's going to find out." He added.
"Michael," Tokiya called in a whisper as he unconsciously stood and faced the Archangel.
Michael answered with a smirk. The ever confident Archangel stood straight displaying an aura of command he always exuded but his limp betrayed his true state when he moved forward.
"Mike!" Raphael and Uriel shouted in accordance.
"What happened to you?" The blonde asked, examining the wounds that were well concealed by his all-black ensemble.
"I'm sorry, Samael." Michael muttered as Uriel seated him on one of the numerous chairs in the room.
The intensity of Michael's gaze alerted Tokiya. Whatever the red-headed swordsman was going to say, he was not going to like it. They had never been really close but they respected each other and had always fought on the same side, among other things. So, a wounded Michael didn't bode well.
"What happened?"
"I was pre-occupied with the preparations for the war that I didn't notice the malignant entities that surrounded her. I tried rushing to her side but Amon blocked me. At first, it was an even match, and I dare say I had the upper hand but Satan appeared and so you see…" He winced as Raphael probed a deep wound.
The highschool bishounen started pacing. Demons running amuck in his school; Kirisawa pursued and a wounded Archangel, things were getting a little out of hand.
"There are three of us and two of them. We can still catch up. We can't just let them get big sis." Raphael suggested.
"There are three of them as well, Raph. I wasn't able to pick up who the other one was and besides, this is Satan. As much as I hate to admit it, we'll be hard pressed to match him. He was already at the top of the Angelic Hierarchy before we even became Archangels."
"Isn't there anything we can do?" Uriel asked.
"We can wait." Michael deadpanned.
"We can't let them take Lilith just like that!" Raphael bellowed as he paused from healing Michael.
"I'll quote this from Amon, 'She is safe with him, more than she'll ever be with you'. Trust Lilith. I don't think they'll force themselves to her. A rebellious Lilith is someone no one wants to cross." His amethyst eyes closed while Raphael finished healing him.
"Who's this 'him'?" Uriel asked again.
"If I knew I would have told you already."
The grim set of Michael's face told Tokiya that the tenshi exhausted his patience in answering questions but there were those that he had yet to ask and would not rest until answered since the angel appeared.
"Michael," he called. He stopped his pacing and looked at the angel and continued, "Why are you watching over Fuuko?"
The Archangel flashed an amused lop-sided grin and replied, "Because, I am her Guardian as Uriel is yours, at the moment. I am sure, Samael, that you think she would be safe but you see I am not infallible, none of us are. That's why these two were sent here. We need you." He finished, shooting glares at the other two angels.
"Hey! We were getting to that part." Raphael defended. "And you're welcome, for healing you, I mean."
The three Archangels suddenly focused their entire attention on him. Slightly perturbed by the undivided attention, Tokiya looked away and managed to ask, "Why me? I am only human. What help could I possibly give you?"
"In form, you are human; in essence, you are one of us, you would always be. So what do you say?" Uriel reassured.
Tokiya observed the slanting orange rays of the sun filtering through the classroom windows, typical on a late afternoon, and noted the great separation between the light and the shadows, a very distinct difference. And the dividing line was too thin for anything to occupy it. He understood. In a war between good and evil, there was no neutral ground. He would have to choose. But really, there was no choice because for him, there was only one option.
"Don't tell me you don't know my answer?" He replied smugly.
"Gabriel will most likely make it official and bestow you your privileges with His Holiness' permission, of course, but I want to return this to you." Michael took one of two sheathed swords hanging on his belt and held it towards Tokiya. "Scorpius had always belonged to you."
In a rare display of uncertainty, Tokiya bowed his head, his eyes shielded by his bangs and whispered, "I don't think I'm ready to embrace my former self yet."
Michael arched an eyebrow and walked towards him. |The tenshi grabbed his arm and shoved the hilt of the sword to his forced to open palm.
Lowering his voice so that only Tokiya could hear, Michael began, "Samael…"
The Archangel never had the patience to call him by his human name. Why should he? Samael is still who he had always been to him.
"I never thought a day like this would come. In the Beginning you had always jumped at the chance to protect her even against me, your own brother. I had come to believe that your love for her was too strong and too pure that you were willing to give up everything and Fall for her. I had been slow to accept that, little brother. But now that I do, why are you making me doubt that? Why do you doubt that?" Michael narrowed his eyes and gripped Tokiya's shoulder a little too tight. "It's time to wake up, Samael. Nothing changed; just your impression of her and yourself. With or without your memories, this…" Moving his hand from Samael's shoulder, he pointed at the center of his blue-eyed brother's chest.
"… does not change." He finished.
With that, Michael walked towards the light and vanished along with the last rays of the sun which sank below the horizon leaving Tokiya caught in the middle of past and present obligations, former and current priorities and thoughts of a woman who was part of his past and present and a future he didn't know what held for them.
-TBC-
A/N: As promised, The Demons:
-Lucifer, the Demon of Pride: I have mentioned before that the Lucifer here is played by Lucifer of Angel Sanctuary, the most gorgeous Lucifer I have ever seen. LOL. BTW, Superbia is the Latin for Pride. I also mentioned somewhere in the previous chapters that some cultures and religions considered Lucifer and Samael as the same entity. For this fic, I made use of facts that say they were different beings, Samael being one of the Archangels. But there were facts that came from Samael-who-was-Lucifer which I used for Tokiya/Samael's role. You'll understand this. Read on. It's here in the end notes.
-Amon, the Demon of Wrath: this demon is played by Light Yagami from Death Note. I thought he was perfect for the role and if he weren't this demon I don't know who would be.
-Leviathan, the Demon of Envy: When I disclosed the characters who played the Archangels, I mentioned that the original Oriphiel was supposedly CC but since I wanted Lelouch from Code Geass here, CC had to give way. This is where Lulu ended up as. The guy is quite similar to Light in some aspects and I could really picture the two of them as demons. (In a good way… If possible LOL)
-Mammon, the Demon of Greed: This guy is played by Hao Asakura from Shaman King. As cute as he is, he strikes me as a very avaricious person. He's power hungry for Kami's sake! So he ended up here.
-Asmodeus/Ashmedai, the Demon of Lust: This bishie is played by (Yes, a lot of you guys got it right) Kurama from YuYu Hakusho. What can I say? The guy is a natural youkai and irresistible, gorgeous, drool-worthy, (insert your adjectives here), something I want a demon of lust to be. (specially when he is in his merciless Youko form… gah… I should stop this now before I melt into puddles) The name he is using is from his stepfather in the YYH series and Ash is well from the Sumerian form of his name, Ashmedai. He was mentioned in Chapters 7 and 8 in passing and was supposedly more prolific in the war part but I edited that so that when he appears to save Fuuko, there would be bigger impact. BTW, Luxuri is the Latin for extravagance but in contemporary times, it is used to refer to the cardinal sin, Lust.
There are two more major demons in this fic and they would be introduced in the succeeding chapters. I'll introduce their characters when they appear but for now, I'll give you their names.
-Belphegor, the Demon of Sloth
-Beelzebub, the Demon of Gluttony
Another fact: I assume that some of you may be shocked to discover that Michael is actually Samael's brother. I mentioned some point in this fic that I had lots and lots and lots of mysteries and this is one of it. It kinda explains why Michael immediately had this intense dislike of Lilith in the Beginning. She was after all the reason why his brother had fallen. It's also why Lilith noted that when Michael and Samael fought in Eden, they appeared as though they had sparred before or were equally matched. As brothers, I think they should at least have similar if not the exact same fighting techniques. Besides, Ran Fujimiya who plays Michael has this uncanny resemblance to Tokiya. ( Don't you think so?) And both are wonderful swordsmen.
I got this from references that say Samael and Michael were brothers, twins actually. But the thing is, this Samael is the Samael-who-is-also-Lucifer. So technically, it's Lucifer who's Michael's brother. But since I liked the idea, I used it in the context of Tokiya's relationship with Michael.
About the name of the swords:
Nyx, the demon sword of Lilith: Nyx is actually one of many Sumerian night goddesses and well since Lilith is also connected to the night, I simply made the connection. (Nyx such a cute name)
Scorpius, the heaven sword of Samael: I mentioned in the previous chapters that Samael is the ruling Archangel of the zodiac sign Scorpio (Yay Scorpio!). He is also the ruling angel of Aries but to make him Tokiya-specific, I chose to name the sword Scorpius. (really the Mi-chan and Fuu's similarities to Lilith and Samael baffle me... too perfect at times, it's freaky)
This might not be mentioned but I'm giving the facts anyway… Michael's sword is Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo (Lucky Leos get Ran). Gabriel's sword is Carcinus, Latin name for the zodiac Cancer.
This is what the longest end note I've ever written in my 4 month old ffnet career. And well, I haven't proof read. (Again!) But I hope you like this enough to review. Please do tell me what you think about this fic.
Lovelots,
Anne Raven