Chapter Seven

3rd POV (Kukai)

"Let go of me! Let go! Argh!!" Utau screamed, using her vocal skills to shake the 'grounds' of Heaven. Kukai, who's carrying her bridal-style, winced and dropped her promptly. He rubbed his ears. Utau shrieked. "Why'd you do that?"

"You told me to let go!" Kukai retorted. "Plus, it's better for you to be out here than in there with that lying demon." He crossed his arms and looked away. Tadase and the others had stayed by the library just in case Amu needed any help. Kukai's face was painfully flushed. The tips of his ears were red. Utau looked at him carefully with her eyebrows raised.

"Are you…blushing?" She questioned. Flustered, Kukai raised his arms and waived them in front of his face.

"N-no way! Why would I blush?" He paused, looked at his feet and tousled his hair. His shoulders slumped as he helped Utau up to her feet. "Why would I blush?" He repeated a little more gloomily than before.

Utau seemed to take no notice of this. Sourly, she dusted herself off. "This is so unfair! I wanted to show Ikuto around, but now it looks like Amu's going to steal him away from me!! Why did you have to take me away from Ikuto??"

Kukai bristled. "As if he'd actually have any interest in you! Didn't you already realize that he's only using you to get information out of you? He already went to the library to find out stuff, but you couldn't even get past his pretty face to think about what's in his head?" His face was flushed again, but this time out of anger. "Don't you see that he's already turned you against one of your best friends?"

"That's unfair how you're judging him because he's a demon!! It's already the 26th Century for crying out loud! Maybe the demons have changed! You can't judge them on what happened in the past!" Utau argued against him.

Stubbornly, Kukai shook his head. "Why do you think they went to Hell in the first place? Plus, Amu thinks something is up, and I'm beginning to believe, especially after that magic charm that he placed on you." Kukai's lips were pressed together, forming a thin white line.

"What, are you saying that…" Utau seemed to notice that Kukai was acting strange. She took a closer look at him and he blushed furiously. "Are you sick or something? Oh, snap! What if you are sick? Wait, do angels get sick? What do I do?" She panicked and started fluttering her wings nervously.

A stray feather landed in her hair, and Kukai plucked it out of her hair. He brushed the length of her face with the silver-white wispy strands from her wing. The sudden intimacy surprised Utau and she stopped, stock-still. Heart pounding madly in his ribcage, Kukai leaned closer to her face. He could feel her sweet breath on his skin and he closed his eyes.

Utau felt his eyelashes brush against her cheek. What is he about to do? Her breath was shallow and her heart was beating a mile per second. Two fingers tilted her face up towards his. Is he going to…?

Kukai pressed his lips gently against hers, and all thoughts disappeared. Utau took in a breath and held it, her mind blank. When she didn't respond, Kukai pressed harder, his tongue licked hers lips and she yielded. A sweet sensation burned in the pits of their stomachs. Utau wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers disappearing in his hair, and responded with enthusiasm to Kukai's embrace.

After a minute, Kukai broke the kiss. "Actually, I was mad that you would pay someone, who you didn't even know, that much attention. I…was kind of jealous." He admitted.

Utau, her face flaming, leaned against his chest. "You know, I liked you ever since we first met. But you never really seemed to notice me. Not really until…now." Her voice was small, and whispery.

Kukai shook his head. "That's not true! I did notice you…I just didn't know how to show it…"

Utau pressed a finger to his lips to quiet him. "It doesn't matter anymore." As they embraced each other again, a soft breeze caressed her blond hair and blew feathers around them like some sort of a fairy tale.

Back at the Library

Ikuto snorted as he peered through the silky curtains of the library. He was looking at Utau and Kukai's embrace. "Isn't it a perfect fairy tale type of ending for a place like this?" He smirked and looked at Amu. "Don't you think?" Amu looked up from a thin book of fairy tales and frowned.

"What's wrong with fairy tales?" She snapped and closed the book.

Ikuto smirked, yet again. "Well, you guys already live a fairytale, don't you? I mean this is Heaven. Nothing could get more perfect, could it?" Ikuto was planning something, yet Amu couldn't see it behind his innocent question.

"That's not true, actually. God made the world full of flaws. Even Heaven has flaws. Albeit, not as many flaws as Earth or Hell." Amu shook her head and smiled. "It doesn't seem like it at first glance though, right?

"Saint Peter, himself, is a great flaw. He even admits it." Ikuto started walking towards Amu as she was talking.

"But, I don't have any flaws, do I?" He took her face in his hands and raised it close to his face. Amu took the book that was still in her hands and using the spine, she slammed it into his ribcage. "Ow!!" He doubled over in pain. "What was that for??"

Amu flicked a strand of hair over her shoulder. "I hope you're not starting to think that I'm falling for you. Because I'm not one of those screaming fans of yours, so you're going to have to keep your distance. And don't think that I didn't know where that conversation was heading. I knew that you were trying to figure out what the flaws of Heaven are." She licked her lips and breathed out. "But, you really are going to have to get a history lesson, or else Saint Peter wouldn't be too happy. So, meet me here in the library tomorrow."

Ikuto raised his eyebrows. "Why so agreeable all of a sudden?"

Amu smirked, one to rival Ikuto's cat-like grin. "Because History is one of my best subjects."

The Next Day

Amu slammed down heavy books on the desk that Ikuto had his head resting on. He looked up, a sideways glance [one to make lots of girls swoon—but it seemed to have no effect on Amu]. "Start reading." She told him. He picked up a book and looked incredulously at her.

"Do you really expect me to read?" Ikuto asked her. Amu simply nodded and picked up a book of her own; it was a fairy tale. Ikuto seemed to notice this. "You really like fairytales, don't you?" At this Amu blushed; a rosy color filling her face. For unknown reasons, Ikuto's heart skipped a beat.

"Yeah…I don't know why, but I just like them." Amu bit her lip, hesitant. "Saint Peter told me that it might have something to do with my past on Earth." She glanced up to see Ikuto with his eyebrows raised in a funny way. "You don't have to look like that! Anyways, start reading!"

Ikuto grumbled, flipped to a random page of random book and began reading out loud. "God, the father of Jesus, and the brother of Satan built Heaven out of the souls of humans that had died. Eventually, the souls took the forms of clouds and stars." He paused and looked at Amu. "Your God and my Lord are brothers??"

Amu nodded as if nothing were wrong. "Yup. It seems kind of weird, but that's the way it is. Their mother was human and when she had them, she knew that they were no ordinary babies. So she decided to put them through a test. She fed them each poison. Whoever survived would be her only son.

"They both survived; however Satan, who was born with a slightly weaker body than his brother, his heart was muddled and so he became evil." Amu sighed. "God and Satan grew quickly, and outlasted the humans around them. When their mother died, God promised her that he would put her in the sky. And so he did. But Satan only watched his brother do his good deeds; his heart grew dark with jealousy and hatred.

Ikuto sneaked peeks at Amu while she talked. "God decided to make a beautiful place in the sky to hold the souls of humans that died, like his mother. But he didn't realize that his brother was doing almost the same thing—except that Satan knew that people had good and bad in their hearts; he used that to his advantage. He realized that human souls had power and the more human souls he had, the more power he had. This meant that he could ultimately defeat his brother." She paused. "This is why I'm wary of you." She looked at him straight in the eyes. "I don't trust you or your intentions one bit. I think that you and your 'master' are trying to overtake Heaven." Amu leaned closer to Ikuto, and suddenly his breathing grew shallower.

Ikuto held his composure and looked her back in the eye. "I—no, we are doing no such thing." Amu snorted as if she was saying "Like I'm going to believe you".

"So, does 'God' live here in Heaven?" Ikuto asked her, continuing as if nothing had happened.

Yet again, Amu snorted. "You never know. He likes to pretend that he's human and he lives down on Earth. Usually, he grants wishes of a kindred soul. He's fallen in love before, too. Once he was foolish enough to tell a girl that he was God. She thought that he was crazy and tried to register him in the mental hospital." Amu nodded and counted off several other things that God had done.

"He…sounds a lot like…my Lord." Ikuto wondered why he didn't realize earlier that Satan and God were brothers. They were way too alike. "I know for sure that my Lord had a love affair with a human. I'm not quite sure if he had a child, but I know that the woman was really beautiful. Although, she was a kindred soul; she didn't come to Hell like the Lord had hoped she would."

"Hmm…" Amu thought out loud. "So the evil Satan is capable of love."

Later

Amu and Ikuto were floating on a cloud to Sapphire Winds. "You know, it feels kind of weird to be sitting on a cloud." Ikuto commented.

"Why?"

"Because this cloud is actually a soul of a human…we could use this kind of transportation in Hell." Ikuto wasn't saying this for the benefit of Amu, but he actually did think this way. Amu looked at him, with her eyebrows raised. She seemed to be able to notice this, too. "Except…I don't think that my Lord would like fluffy clouds floating around in his personal space." At this Amu laughed, and eventually Ikuto joined in.

Suddenly, she stopped. "Did you just laugh?" Her eyes were wide in amazement.

"Yeah…so?"

Amu shook her head, and giggled. "Nothing, you should laugh more often. It's better than that annoying smirk of yours."

They hopped off the cloud and walked towards the deep blue building. Amu opened the door and walked in, Ikuto close behind her. Again, she closed her eyes and concentrated. This time, Ikuto shut his, too. He didn't want to become lightheaded again. A door opened with a swish and granted their permission inside. Amu led the way and Ikuto followed her.

The door shuts behind them quietly. Ikuto closed the blinds in his room. "Why did you do that?" Amu asked him.

"Because I prefer the dark. It's better to take walks in the nighttime."

He took Amu's elbow and led her to the door. "And now, you should be going." A little bump in the carpet caused Amu to trip over it. It took all of Ikuto's grace to keep them from falling, but Amu recoiled and sent them tumbling. The result was an awkward position, in which Amu was lying on her back with her arms on Ikuto's chest [which kept him from crushing her], and Ikuto had a hand on either side of her head. His legs were pinning hers down, which kept either of them from trying to stand up.

Amu struggled from under him which caused Ikuto to collide with Amu. Their lips met for about a quarter of a millisecond, but neither of their hearts would stop thumping from this incident. Finally, Ikuto winced and got out from over Amu and rubbed his mouth. Their teeth had also seen some in that 'kiss'. Amu jumped up, the back of her hand on her lips and scurried away.

She slammed the door behind her. Her heart was racing. Damn, that was my first kiss. She blushed and hoped that nobody was around. Unfortunately, this wish was not granted.

"Amu, are you okay?" Tadase had seen her coming out of Ikuto's room, with her face as red as a tomato.

Of all people, why does it have to be Tadase? Amu tried to smile, but it came out more as a grimace. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine." Tadase didn't seem to believe her, but he didn't say anything.

"This might not be the time…" Tadase started. "But, I need to tell you something." Amu, wiped the 'kiss' off of her lips and smiled genuinely.

"What is it, Tadase?" Her head tilted to the side.

"I…like you!" Tadase hung his head and waited for her answer. Amu blinked, shocked. This thought had never gone through her head. Tadase liked her? Tadase liked her? Tadase liked her? Tadase liked her?? She kept blinking with the smile still on her face. Tadase looked up to see his crush blinking and smiling like a maniac.

"Excuse me? Could you repeat that?" Amu pushed the hair behind her ear as if it affected her hearing. "I didn't quite catch it."

"I like you." Tadase repeated slowly. "I…like…you." [This time, it sounded like he was talking to a kindergartener.]

Amu blinked her way out of shock. "I'm sorry Tadase; I don't think that I can return your feelings." Her voice was sympathetic, and a little bit guilty.

Bitter, Tadase pressed his lips together. "Is it because of that demon?" He asked her. [By this time, they were already out of Sapphire Winds and on the doorsteps.]

Amu was taken-aback. "No! Why would you think that? Didn't I already tell you that I don't trust him? You should know me well enough to know that I would never like anybody that I didn't trust."

"Trust can grow."

"I know that…but I don't have enough trust for him to make it grow." Her voice was careful, trying not to hurt Tadase anymore that possible.

He paused. "Well, I will give up on you if you promise me one thing." Amu nodded and he continued. "Promise me that you will never fall in love with Ikuto."

He took out his hand and held out his pinky finger. Amu linked her own pinky with his. "I promise. Plus it's not like I was planning to fall in love with him, anyways. In fact, not falling in love with Ikuto is my goal." Amu commented. Tadase smiled and then took off, his wings fluttering. Feathers surrounded Amu and she took one randomly. She brushed it against her lips, remembering the kiss. I'm not gonna fall in love with him! It's impossible.

3rd POV (Devil)

Satan watched from a dark window in his dark throne room. An army filled with demons were marching and training. A minion stepped out of the shadow.

"My Lord, our army is almost prepared. They will be ready to fight soon." He was assured of his position. Satan's red eyes were emotionless.

"Good, now we only need Ikuto's signal to fight." The Devil smirked. His eyes were now fiery.

3rd POV (Ikuto)

Ikuto placed a recording disk in front of him. He looked uncertain. Then he pressed the 'record' button on the disk.

"My Lord, something has come up. I wish to postpone the mission for a while. Please understand. There are…circumstances that are unavoidable." Ikuto cut off the device. He seemed to remember something.

(Flashback)

Ikuto walked out of the Golden Gates to the small booth. Saint Peter was waiting for souls to be transferred to him. "Saint Peter." Ikuto called out.

"Yes?" He responded.

"I…need your help." Ikuto paused.

Saint Peter looked up from his clipboard. "Go on."

"What…does it mean when…Oh forget it!" Ikuto turned around to leave but Saint Peter stopped him.

"No, tell me. This must be something important since you came to me instead of somebody else." He rested his clipboard and pen on the booth.

"It's not like anyone would have believed me if I told them." Ikuto mumbled, but obliged. "Okay…well, what does it mean when you're around a person, and your heart starts beating faster and faster? What does it mean when all you can seem to do is stare at that person? What does it mean when you always remember what they say? What does it mean…?"

Saint Peter blew out a breath. "Well, it sounds a lot like love, doesn't it?"

Ikuto looked at him, startled. "Love? But that's not possible, is it?"

"Well, I guess it too early to say that it's love." Saint Peter admitted. "But, it's probably the 'prelude to love'." He nodded, as if he had found a great answer to an incredibly hard riddle. Stunned, Ikuto returned to his room and began preparing his message to Satan.

(End Flashback)

Ikuto ran a hand through his thick hair. "My Lord is going to kill me if he finds out that I've fallen in love with an Angel." He paused. What the hell am I doing, anyways? I'm not supposed to fall in love! Especially not in important missions like this one! He sighed, fell back on his bed, and rubbed his lips. This is not good at all.

***End Chapter Seven***