Hi y'all!! I'm baaa~aack, and guess what? I'M ON TIME AGAIN!! This is a moment that shall go down in history forever!! Because seriously, I think we all know that something like this never EVER happens.

NinthFeather:... x.x *passes out*

Me: Feather-chan, are you alright?! *shakes Feather-chan repeatedly until she wakes up*

NinthFeather: Baka! I'm fine, I'm fine! Stop shaking me already!

Me: Sorry. I was just trying to help.

NinthFeather: If that was your way of helping someone after they pass out, do the world a favor and never become a doctor.

Me:...You honestly think they'd let me into medical school? Where I'd have access to sharp metal objects and corrosive chemicals on a daily basis?

NinthFeather: Good point.

Me: By the way, why did you pass out in the first place?

NinthFeather: Because you actually updated...on time...twice in a row...I just can't process it. My brain keeps trying to tell me it's not possible. I think it actually goes against the laws of nature

Me: Yeah, well, we all know how much respect I have for laws.

NinthFeather: Again, good point.

Me: Oh, and by the way everyone, this chapter is dedicated to Sky'sShadow, for her amazingly awesome reviews; Meme12, for her awesome OC interactions that never cease to make me laugh; and SagaMoon, for the awesome conversation that kept me very entertained and motivated me to get this chapter out! Thank you all!

Now, on with the fic!

Warning: Well, not a whole lot to warn about in this chapter. A little inuendo at times, but that's about it.

Disclaimer: Don't own the bishies, so if you haven't done so already, please send your lawyers home.

Rei hated waiting. He really, truly did. Sure, he was always lecturing Gai about the smaller angel's lack of patience, but really, what annoyed Rei was not the cat-like angel's impatience, but his inability to conceal it. In reality, Rei was just as impatient, if not more so, than Gai.

So the fact that he was unable to do anything but wait for Ruka and the others to return irritated Rei to no end. Every time he thought about Ruka fighting a whole pack of demons...or Gai in the clutches of some demon twice his size...or Shin bloodied and battered with a demon closing in on him...it was enough to make the violet-haired angel insane!

Thus, after the others had been gone for little more than a day, he decided that, in order to keep his sanity—and most of Heaven—intact, Rei began finding ways to keep himself busy in any way his mind could think up.

First, he did a two hour solitary training session in the woods behind Heaven's Palace. Under normal circumstances, he would have gone to the valley, but ever since the accident, Rei couldn't go near the place without feeling extremely claustrophobic.

Next, he helped train the adolescent angels who were due to become adults on the next Day of Benediction. It was a long standing tradition that, before young angels could become adults, they had to pass a rigorous test. In preparation for said test, the young ones could use all the training they could get.

Then, for lack of any other ideas, Rei decided to clean. While he was not too fond of the activity itself (being one who preferred working in the kitchen to working elsewhere in the house), it at least provided a means of distracting him from his thoughts.

Unfortunately, it was only a temporary means because, as large as Heaven's Palace was, Rei still managed to have the cleaning finished within five hours of starting. Well, Kira had always said he'd make a good housewife, and, after finishing his task, Rei was forced to begrudgingly agree.

Not that he'd ever tell Kira that. Ever.

Fortunately, however, it was close to eleven thirty at night by the time Rei was done cleaning and, with all the activity the delicate angel had put himself through that day, he was more than happy to fall into his bed and succumb to a dreamless, exhaustion-fueled sleep, where all his thoughts and worries would just disappear.

At least for the night.

"Rei! Rei, wake up!"

Rei moaned and turned over in his bed. Much as he loved Ruka, he was not ready to leave the comforting arms of sleep just yet.

A firm hand shook his slim shoulder. "Rei! Come on, Rei. Get up!"

"Let me sleep a while longer, Ruka. I'm still tired," Rei muttered blearily, attempting to move away from the hand that was shaking him.

"Oh, for the love of God, Rei. GET THE HELL UP!"

Rei, who by this time realized that whoever was shouting at him could not possibly be Ruka, immediately sat up and, clutching the sheet against his bare chest, turned to face whoever had broken into his room, ready to attack at first sign of danger.

There was no danger, but there was certainly a great deal of shock.

"K-Kira?" Rei stuttered in shock, staring at the blonde angel who was currently seated next to his bed. Rei could honestly say that Kira was the last person the violet-haired angel ever expected to see in his bedroom. "What in Heaven are you doing here? Why aren't you still on Earth? And where's Maya?"

At the mention of his little brother's name, Kira's face took on a somewhat pained expression, but none the less, his response was as sarcastic and condescending as ever. "Do you want the answers to those questions in that specific order?"

Rei frowned. "I don't care what order they're in, but I would definitely appreciate some explanation as to why you are currently in my bedroom in the middle of the night."

Kira snorted. "Well, it's certainly not for the company, I'll tell you that much. Although..." Kira trailed off suggestively, raking his gaze up and down Rei's slender form.

Rei blushed with a combination of anger and embarrassment and hugged the sheet tighter against his body. After spending several nights with Ruka, he had gotten into the habit of not wearing any clothing to bed and, while he knew Kira was only saying those things to embarrass him, he still wished he had something more than a sheet with which to cover himself.

Apparently satisfied that he had adequately embarrassed Rei for the time being, Kira's face grew serious. "Rei...Maya's missing."

"W-What? Maya is...how do you know? What happened?!" Rei asked frantically. Yes, Rei absolutely loathed Kira, but Maya was a different story. The small half angel had always been sweet and energetic, and his smile always seemed to bring smiles to the faces of everyone around him.

Rei had always been fond of Maya, and those feelings had only deepened after the incident six months ago. Ever since Rei had sacrificed his own safety to save Maya from Stheno's whip, the red-haired boy had become very attached to Rei. Kira had mocked that Rei had practically become Maya's mother, but in all honesty, that wasn't too far from the truth. Rei had become very protective of Maya as well, though not to Kira's near fanatical extent.

"How do I know? Let's see...maybe because he hasn't come home?" Kira replied sarcastically, but this time Rei could see that his callousness was hiding his true worry and terror for his younger brother. "As to what happened, well...I have a pretty good idea."

The blonde angel reached into his pocket and pulled out a single, black feather.

Rei's heart nearly stopped beating in his chest. The feather was obviously that of an angel, for angel feathers gave off a certain aura that could not be mistaken for anything else, but for it to be black...only one angel possessed wings of such a color. Or, more accurately, only one fallen angel.

Lucifer.

"B-But...but how...why..." Rei was unable to form a coherent sentence. His terror for Maya clouded all thought.

Kira sighed, seeming to have lost the energy to maintain his sarcastic dialogue, "I don't know. I mean, there is that, but he wouldn't take Maya for such a reason. No it must have been something else..."

Rei, who had absolutely no idea what the "that" was that Kira was referring to, was about to question the blonde angel when he was cut off, "Rei, there's something else you should know..." Kira paused, seeming unsure as to how to continue. Finally he looked Rei in the eye, and, in the most solemn voice Rei had ever heard him use, completely shattered what was left of Rei's world.

"He has the Saint Beasts as well."

Ruka groaned as consciousness began to break through the hazy fog of sleep, bringing with it many varieties of pain. His head was aching so fiercely, it felt as if it would split in two. Both his shoulders throbbed in pain, and his whole body tingled painfully, as if he were being stabbed all over with thousands of needles. All except his hands, which were strangely numb.

The silver-haired angel soon realized that this was because he was currently suspended above the ground by his wrists, were chained above his head the wall. This also accounted for the fierce pain in his shoulders which, if he were able to see them properly, he was sure were severely bruised, if not completely dislocated, by now.

After taking stock of his injuries and coming to the conclusion that, while they were indeed very painful, none of them were life-threatening, he tried to think back on what had happened.

Unfortunately, the only things he could remember were the seal, that awful, electrifying pain, and the vague impression of a figure with white hair standing over him. Not a whole lot to go on.

So, due to his current lack of useful information, Ruka decided it would be best to survey his surroundings and, hopefully, get some idea as to where he was.

The space was only lit by a few, small torches, but the dim light, combined with the feeling of stone on his back, was enough to let Ruka know that he was being kept in a cave. And judging by the way the light didn't reach the ceiling, it was a very large cave as well.

A soft groan to his left alerted him to the presence of others in the cave, and he quickly turned his head toward the noise. He let out a relieved sigh upon discovering the identity of his cave-mate.

"Yuda. Yuda! Are you alright?" Ruka asked, keeping his voice low in case others were listening. Yuda was hanging from the cave wall in the same manner as Ruka and, judging by his pain-filled moaning, he was feeling similar sensations as well.

The read-haired angel let out another groan in response, "Ugh, I believe I am alright. At least, it's nothing I won't heal from." Yuda turned his head to peer at Ruka through the darkness, "Ruka, what happened?"

Ruka smiled grimly, "I'm afraid you know as much as I do, my friend. I have no idea where we are, nor have I seen any clue as to who are captors may be," Ruka sighed. "I don't even know where the others are being held, or if they have been captured at all."

"Oh, don't worry, we're right here with you guys. Though unfortunately, we're also in the same situation."

Both Yuda and Ruka's heads snapped up at the sound of the comfortingly familiar, yet at the same time unwelcome, childish voice.

Chained to the cave wall directly across from them were Gai, Shin, and...

Maya.

Ruka frowned in confusion. What was Maya doing there? He hadn't been with them when they had been captured. And even if he had, he was not a Saint Beast, so the seal would not have affected him. So why...?

Ruka shook off those thoughts. He could ask about that later. Right now, they had bigger problems. "Well, while I can honestly say this is one time where I'm not happy to see you, Gai, I'm glad you're alright. But where's Gou?"

"Right next to you," responded a deep voice from his right. Turning to look, Ruka saw that indeed, Gou was chained in the same manner as himself on the area of the cave wall immediately to his right.

"Shin, are you alright?" Yuda asked worriedly, pulling at his chains in an attempt to see his beloved more clearly.

"Yes, Yuda. I'm fine," Shin's voice was weak, and a little shaky, but otherwise calm. "What about you?"

Yuda smiled, relieved to hear Shin's melodious voice, no matter how faint it may be. "I'm alright."

"Yuda-san!" Maya interupted anxiously, turning his body so he could see the larger angel.

Yuda looked up in surprise and mild horror at the sound of Maya's voice. "Maya?! What are you—,"

"That's not important right now, Yuda-san!" Maya practically shouted. "I need to tell you—,"

"Ah, good. It appears you are all finally awake," came a deep voice further back in the cave. Six heads simultaneously turned towards the source of the voice and, a few seconds later six faces simultaneously turned into masks of complete and utter horror.

Well, not much of a cliffhanger this time, since you probably all know who it is anyway, but still, I couldn't resist...

NinthFeather: Seriously, I think you're addicted to writing cliffhangers.

Me: And this is a problem because...?

NinthFeather: *sighs, places head in hands* What am I going to do with you...

Me: My parents have been asking themsleves the same question since the day I was born. If they haven't found the answer yet, I doubt you will.

Adios for now, everyone! Ja ne!

~Neko-chan~