Hi everybody!! EEEEP!!! *dodges various projectiles* Ok ok, I get it. I'm late. *dodges more thrown objects* Ok, so I'm REALLY late!! Jeez, I'm sorry, no need to get all homicidal on me.
NinthFeather: This coming from the Yakuza who has repeatedly threatened people with katanas when they don't update.
Me: That's different...
NinthFeather: Really? How so?
Me: Well...it just is, alright?!
NinthFeather: *smirks* You can't think of anything, can you?
Me: -.-' Shut up. I've had a rough week...
NinthFeather: What? No one ordered any Mafia hits this week?
Me: Exactly!!! Do you have any idea how bored I've been??? I haven't been able to use my katanas for 7 straight days!!! It's torture, torture, I tell you!!!! TT_TT
NinthFeather: You are an incredibly sad and strange individual.
Me: Aww, thanks, Feather-chan!! ^-^
NinthFeather: That wasn't a...oh, to heck with it. Just get on with your fic!
Me: Ok!!
Warning: Again, not a whole lot to warn about in this chapter...except for a bit of foul language on Ruka's part.
NinthFeather: Which, considering how bad your chapters usually are, is not a big deal.
Me: Exactly! ^-^
Disclaimer:...I still don't own the bishies...T_T
NinthFeather: Oh, get over it. You still get to torture them, regardless.
Me: True! XD
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"No," Ruka said flatly before any of the others had a chance to respond to Pandora's announcement.
Pandora's smile seemed to falter a moment, but he quickly recovered. "Ruka-dono, I don't think you quite understood me. This is a direct order from Zeus-sama himself. You cannot simply refuse."
The look Ruka gave Pandora was enough to make even Yuda take a cautious step back. "One of Rei's wings was seriously injured in the cliff side collapse. He is, as of right now, in no condition to be leaving his chamber, let alone descending to Earth."
Though Pandora looked visibly shaken by the icy tone of Ruka's words, he quickly regained his composure and retorted, "W-Well, be that as it may, it does not have any bearing on the situation at present. Zeus-sama has given the Saint Beasts a mission. It would not do for the angels closest to Zeus-sama himself to make a habit of disobeying him."
It took every ounce of self-restraint Ruka had not to punch the smaller angel right then and there. Much as he was loathe to admit it, Pandora was right. No matter how much he wished to, Ruka and the other Saint Beasts could not refuse a direct order from their God.
Yuda, seeing the conflict warring inside his friend, decided to intervene. "Of course, Pandora, we would not think to disobey Zeus-sama's order. The five of us here will descend to Earth, but Rei will remain here in Heaven."
Ruka might have missed the looks of surprise and, if he wasn't mistaken, panic that flitted across Pandora's face had he not been watching the Heavenly messenger closely. The small angel looked about to protest, but one more heated glare from Ruka made the words evaporate on his tongue.
"Very well," Pandora conceded through gritted teeth, "I shall go inform Zeus-sama of this slight...modification. Excuse me." Without so much as another glance at the other Saint Beasts, Pandora turned and left the courtyard.
Yuda was the next person to find himself on the receiving end of Ruka's glare. "Leaving Rei in Heaven...alone?! What the hell were you thinking, Yuda?! Rei is injured and vulnerable, we can't just leave him unprotected! Or have you forgotten that that bastard Stheno is still out there?!"
Ruka's entire body burned with the force of his rage. How could Yuda even have suggested this, let alone put it into action? There was no way Rei could be left in Heaven alone! Even the obvious dangers aside, after last night, after experiencing for himself how truly terrified Rei still was...to say Ruka was reluctant to leave his fragile angel for any amount of time would be an understatement.
"I have forgotten nothing, Ruka," Yuda said in a serious tone, "But to completely, and willingly, disobey a direct order from Zeus-sama would have dire, possibly even fatal, consequences for us all. At least this way, Rei will not be forced to descend to Earth with us, which would result in further aggravating his injury."
Ruka didn't want to admit it, he wanted to give in to the burning, irrational emotions that always arose in matters concerning Rei, but he knew Yuda was right. Sighing, he looked down at the ground. "You're right, Yuda. I was being impractical. Please excuse my outburst."
Yuda smiled at his friend, clasping him warmly on the shoulder. "Don't think on it, Ruka. Any of us would have reacted in the same manner, were someone we loved in the position as Rei."
Truly, that last statement was a blatant lie on Yuda's part. Were Shin in the same position as Rei, Yuda doubted he would have shown nearly the restraint that Ruka had, especially when faced with someone like Pandora.
Ruka nodded, looking his friend in the eye and giving him a sad smile, "Thank you, Yuda." Then Ruka suddenly winced.
"What's wrong?" Yuda asked anxiously, worriedly examining the silver-haired angel for any sign of injury. Had Yuda missed something? Had his friend been injured in the accident earlier after all?
"It's nothing," Ruka said, still grimacing. "I'm just not particularly looking forward to telling Rei that he's going to have to stay behind while we descend to Earth."
********
Pandora hurried down one of the many halls of Zeus's temple to his own private chamber, quickly shutting and bolting the door once he was inside.
Turning away from the door, the small angel walked over to the large dresser at the foot of his bed and opening the top drawer. Feeling around the bottom of the drawer, he quickly located the hidden switch he was looking for, and flipped it to the left. As a result, the back panel of the drawer slid back, revealing a secret compartment.
From this compartment, Pandora removed a small, ornately carved hand mirror. This mirror would have appeared no different from any other one might find in Heaven, except for one minor detail. Where there would normally be coated glass for seeing one's reflection, this mirror had solid black obsidian, which reflected nothing in it's shiny darkness.
Pandora carefully set the mirror down on his desk, then slowly waved his hand above its black surface. Almost instantly, the shining surface of the obsidian began to darken and swirl, until eventually, the original blackness was gone, and in its place was the image of a cloaked man with long, black hair.
"Pandora," the man in the mirror said, "What do you have to report."
Pandora's voice shook a little bit as he spoke, "L-Lucifer-sama, I approached the Saint Beasts as per your instructions, and they will be descending to Earth, just as you predicted."
The man smiled, "Good. You did well, Pandora. Everything is going according to plan."
"W-Well, there is a slight problem, L-Lucifer-sama," Pandora continued quietly, the trewor in his voice growing stronger.
"Oh?" Lucifer asked quietly, his voice taking on a soft, casual tone that sent chills down Pandora's back. "And what, pray tell, might that be?"
"W-Well, i-it appears that Rei-dono was injured in a training accident with the other Saint Beasts earlier this morning. Both Yuda-dono and Ruka-dono insist that he is not well enough to descend to Earth, so he is remaining here, in Heaven."
"Hmm....yes, this will cause a bit of a snag in our plans. While Suzaku no Rei is by no means a note worthy threat, one of our more...volatile allies has taken a keen interest in him," Lucifer paused as if considering the situation, before he spoke again. "Well, no matter. This is a situation that is all too easily remedied. Leave this matter to me," And with that, mirror's surface clouded over, until it had returned to it's original pitch black.
********
And viola! There you have it chapter 9!! I know you all waited for this for a long time, so I hoped you liked it!
NinthFeather:...
Me: Feather-chan? You there?
NinthFeather: Yeah, I'm here *mutters* Where else would I be? You still haven't let me go yet...
Me: Aren't you going to say anything?
NinthFeather: Why should I? Obviously, all my lectures about how you shouldn't put cliffhangers at the end of every chapter are all going in one ear and out the other, so why should I bother?
Me: But I never listen to your lectures. That's never stopped you before.
NinthFeather:...If you're trying to make me feel better, please stop.
Me: Aww! Don't be like that, Feather-chan!!
NinthFeather: Shut up.
Me: *whines* But Feather-cha~an...
NinthFeather: Ugh!! Why don't you come with an off switch?!
Me: Funny, my mom asked the same thing...
NinthFeather: *rubs temples* Please just go beg for reviews...
Me: Ok!! Now, I know you all probably want to kill me for taking so long on this chapter, but I would still REALLY appreciate it if you would...REVIEW!!! ONEGAI!!!! I NEED REVIEWS!!! And remember, I'm a bored-out-of-my-skull yakuza with access to a large selection of heavy weaponry, so it would be good for all involved if you would just...REVIEW!!!
Now, I don't know when the next chapter will be out (I'm going to stop giving myself deadlines, since I never seem to stick to them...) but I will try to have it out soon!! Thanks for reading, people!!!
Until next time...
~Neko-chan~