To say Tatsuki and the others were shocked would've been an understatement. The dark-haired girl stared in utter disbelief at Michael, who sat calmly at the other side of the table.
"Th-that can't be right," she said, her eyes flooded with despair. "You're lying…"
"Angels do not lie, child," Michael said rather coldly. "I am sorry that the truth disturbs you so much, but that cannot be helped. You must come to terms with the fact that you are the daughter of Satan."
"You must've made a mistake!" Orihime said in her friend's defense. "Tatsuki can't be related to a monster! You have the wrong person!"
The angel sighed, as if he regretted telling Tatsuki of her heritage. "Say what you will, but it does not alter the truth. I believe it was Madeleine L'Engle who once said 'Knowledge is changeable. Truth is eternal. It is disastrous to confuse the two.' Like it or not, Tatsuki Arisawa is the Antichrist. The ultimate living weapon. Until recently, Lucifer did not bother to acquire her, thinking that he could corrupt her by her eighteenth birthday; the day Armageddon begins."
Tatsuki just sat silently, a look of fear plastered on her face. Could it really be true? No, of course not! It was impossible! Unthinkable! And yet… it made sense. Why else would the Sins have come after her? She slowly stood up and began walking toward the door.
Orihime was about to follow, but a hand fell on her shoulder. She turned to see David, who shook his head. "I know that look she had. What she needs right now is to be alone with her thoughts. Trust me."
Orihime looked at him with a pleading stare, but his expression remained solid. She couldn't change his mind. She sighed sadly and said, "I… I guess you're right."
Michael eyed the girl. She clearly cared for her friend, even knowing what the Dark-haired girl really was. It was a trait that he unfortunately rarely saw in humans anymore. He quickly found himself admiring this girl. Clearly, she was stronger than she let on. "I had best leave," he said. "My duties still require my presence. And with Armageddon barely two days away, things have become quite hectic iin Paradise."
David nodded in understanding. "Next time, try to bring good news, okay?"
The angel laughed a little. "The next time we meet, I would be willing to bet that we will not have time for good news. We will likely be too busy fighting for our lives." And with that, he was gone in a flash of light.
-o-
Tatsuki leaned against the railing, her brain working at a million miles an hour. She was still processing the fact that she was adopted. And now she learns that she's the daughter of Satan? And not only that, but apparently, her birthday is when Doomsday was scheduled. Talk about a bad present.
She looked up at the sky, trying to find some sort of sign that told her what to do about all this. Apparently, from what that Pavor guy said, the fate of the whole world depended on her decision, and the dad from Hell would try to corrupt her so that she chose his side. She pressed her hands together, as if praying.
Someone, she thought. Anyone. Please. Help me. I need to know what I should do. She received no answer but the sound of birds chirping in a nearby tree. She sighed. Of course nobody would answer. Nothing ever came easy, regardless of one's situation. She gave up on asking for help and gazed at the setting sun. It was such a calming, peaceful sight. It always put her at ease.
"A beautiful sight, isn't it?" a man's voice suddenly asked. Tatsuki turned on her heel and looked in the direction of the voice. Leaning against the wall, right next to the door to Orihime's apartment, was a man dressed in a black biker outfit. His hair looked greasy and hastily combed, like he was in a hurry to get ready. He had a cocky grin on his face.
"Just who are you?" Tatsuki asked immediately. She had quickly learned not to trust anyone who snuck up on people.
The biker guy chuckled. "Honestly, I've gone by a few names. But nowadays, I'm called Wrath the Furious. Well, I'm the new one at least. The last got himself killed off by the boss when he went postal when someone forgot his birthday or something like that. Anyway, I was told to bring you back to Hell with me, with or without your consent."
"Do you really think I'd go with you?" Tatsuki asked rhetorically. "I don't care what you do. I'm not going with you."
"Clearly you misheard me," Wrath replied with a scowl. Apparently, he didn't like being argued with. "I said 'with or without your consent.' You really don't have any choice in the matter."
Tatsuki was about to reply, but suddenly, a fist slammed into her gut. She immediately passed out. Wrath held her limp and tossed her up onto his shoulder. "Time to go."
Before he could vanish in a burst of hellfire, however, the door swung open, and a man in black robes brandishing a scythe leaped through the threshold. Wrath barely reacted in time. He jumped away, dropping Tatsuki and standing in the air a good distance away. His eyes narrowed at the Grim Reaper who walked out on the air, his scythe at the ready.
"You're not going anywhere, pal," David Marshall stated with a serious look on his face. "Not without a couple of scrapes at least."
It was at this time that Orihime and Raven came out and knelt over the unconscious Tatsuki. The redhead looked up at Wrath. Her eyes suddenly went wide with recognition.
"Hey!" Wrath said with a maniacal grin on his face. "Now there's a familiar face! You were Athena's little pet for a while, weren't you?"
"It's you," Orihime stammered. She remembered this man from her trip to Olympus, where she trained under Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and Battle. She easily recognized this evil person who had been stripped of his powers two years ago. "You're Ares! The first God of War!"
"Damn straight!" Ares/Wrath replied with a smug look. "Though I go by Wrath now. That was the deal anyway." He muttered this last part too quietly for anyone but himself to hear.
"Why are you here?" David demanded.
"I'm here for the girl." Wrath held out his hand. "Now hand her over, and no one gets hurt."
"Not a chance, greasy!" Raven spat the Sin, who sneered contemptuously.
"Watch what you say, brat. I can kill you in an instant." As if on cue, a blade appeared at Wrath's throat. The Sin turned and saw David with his scythe ready to sever his head.
"If you dare lay a hand on my sister," the Grim Reaper said with a dangerous look, "I'll cut off your head and use your neck as a piss trough."
Wrath chuckled. "Well, you at least look like you could be fun. I guess I'll kill you first." He then vanished in a flicker of movement and reappeared behind David, turned just in time to block a bone-shattering with his scythe's shaft.
Orihime's eye widened. She turned to Raven and said, "Shouldn't we help him?"
Raven grinned. "Nah. He'll be fine. After all…" She looked over at her big brother with a proud smile. "He's not the second strongest Grim Reaper by chance."
"Second strongest?" Orihime asked in amazement. Raven nodded.
"The only person that I can think who's stronger than David would be the Grand General. And it's rumored that the Grand General is so powerful, just his footsteps can be enough to cause earthquakes."
David pulled away from Wrath, spinning his scythe expertly. "I'm giving you a chance. I'll start with this." He stopped spinning his scythe and held it over his head. Suddenly, the wind began to pick up, ruffling David's cloak. "Rip through the air…" The wind suddenly grew much stronger. "Ventus!" A tornado enveloped him.
Wrath shielded his eyes from the hurricane-force winds. Soon, the wind died down enough for him to lower his arms. His eyes narrowed at what he saw.
David Marshall now stood with dual-edged long sword rather than a scythe. The hilt was elegantly designed and was colored sky blue. The blade was surrounded by a miniature typhoon.
"Now then," David said as he held up his blade. "Let's begin."
-o-
Translation for the curious:
Ventus: Latin for "wind"
