~Grace~

I tapped down gently, my feet touching down on the paved walkway that led up to the dorm. I sighed and stretched my arms above my head. I concealed my wings and yawned. It had gotten late. I hadn't realized I'd been out flying with Mikael for so long. Something about being together with him was calming and…fun? Maybe it was because he was the first person I'd ever met who was just like me. He was like the brother that I never knew…wait…he was the brother that I never knew. And I had stared at his gorgeous face. Awkward.

"So…you didn't die," said a voice from above me. I looked up. "I thought you'd been hit by a plane or something," said Rin, jumping down from the tree branch that was a couple meters above my head.

"I don't die that easily," I mumbled, regretting my words as soon as I said them.

"I thought I told you not to joke about that," he said, his voice steady and serious. He walked towards me. I stared at the ground, twiddling my fingers.

"You did," I muttered.

Rin took a deep breath and leaned towards me, "How was your date with Mikael?"

My head jerked up, "It wasn't a date!"

"Really? That's what it seemed like to me," he said, looking straight at me. His eyes weren't angry; they were empty. Honestly, I would have preferred them being angry. I could deal with Rin being angry. I'd seen him angry one time too many, (or maybe a little more like one hundred times too many). Emptiness, though, I couldn't handle. It scared me seeing him like this. I shrunk back, "Rin?"

"I'm not angry," he said, his voice even, "If you like him better than me, I won't stop you."

"What are you even talking about!?" I yelled, getting a little angry that he thought I would leave him just like that. Hadn't I told him that I loved him? Hadn't I said that I wasn't going to go anywhere?

"I'm not crazy, Grace. He's closer to you than I am. I can see that," Rin said calmly.

I, on the other hand, was freaking out, "Rin, stop talking like this! I love you! I only love you! Stop scaring me! You do realize he's my brother right?!"

"I just think—" he began, but that's when I heard it. A normal person probably wouldn't have been able to hear it, but both Rin and I could. We had sharper hearing than most, so the sound was clear as day. I whirled around.

"Was that a scream?" I asked, terror in my voice.

~Mikael~

I had to get to Grace, but the burning sensation in my side wasn't helping me get there any faster. I looked down and saw a big, black scorch mark that reached from my hip to the top of my ribcage. I cringed, not wanting to look at my burnt flesh. I pushed my wings harder, biting back the pain.

I didn't want to let my father down. He'd trusted me with Grace, and I wasn't about to let her get into any danger. I knew that they'd come for her. My attackers, though I'd eliminated them, were most certainly after her. We'd tried to keep her a secret from the demons, but they'd found out. It was during the attack on The Vatican. The few demons that survived had brought the word back to Satan. Now, he was searching for her. That's why father told me that I should keep a closer watch on Grace. That's why I had to get to her immediately.

I knew that if there were several demons that had gotten to me, there would be more to follow. Goblins never travel alone. It only made the matter of reaching Grace more important. I didn't doubt that she could handle herself easily—she was even more powerful than I was—but I knew she'd need help. I doubted that the demons had come without a ringleader, so to speak.

A new shot of pain pierced my left wing. I looked up and saw that brilliant blue flames were erupting from my feathers. I let out a guttural scream as the pain shot through me. I tumbled from the sky, desperately trying to flap my wings. It didn't work.

I fell quickly, the wind rushing past my face. "Mikael!" I heard someone scream. Something slammed into my side, catching me mid-air. I looked up and saw Grace staring at me, "What happened?!"

"Grace, you're in danger…get out of here!" I yelled, using the last of my strength. The last thing I saw before I passed out was a shot of blue flame lighting up the sky above us.

~Rin~

"YOU!" I screamed, drawing my sword. Grace jumped up to catch Mikael as he fell. Blue flames shot up around me. I launched myself into the air towards the man who was riding on the back of a giant goblin.

He laughed manically, "You've done daddy a favor!" I felt rage boil up inside of me.

"You're not my father!" I bellowed. He grinned and nodded, "Are you talking about that man? The one that I killed?"

I launched towards him, but he easily smacked the blade out of my hand. I grabbed hold of me, "Would you like to come with me…back home?" He loomed close to me and I smelled rot and blood. I spat in his face, trying to break free from his grasp. He grasped my neck and lifted me up. I grasped at his hand, but his grip was firm.

"Stop!" I heard someone scream. I knew that voice. I wanted to yell at her to run. I wanted to tell her to get to safety. I wanted to tell her that everything I just said was a lie. I didn't want her to go to Mikael. I wanted her to be mine and mine alone. I wanted to tell her everything, but I couldn't. My voice wouldn't work.

"Ah, there you are," hissed Satan, turning his disgusting head towards Grace. At such a close distance I realized how ugly he was in his true form. I wasn't sure how he'd managed to come to Assiah while still maintaining his true appearance, but he had. He had long, grotesque horns curling around his disfigured face. Blue flames whirled around him, oozing off of him sinisterly. Worst of all, though, were his eyes. They were just like they had been the night he'd possessed the old man: cruel and delighted. He enjoyed this. He enjoyed others' pain.

Grace screamed out of rage. I lifted my arm, reaching for her. It was a vain attempt to try and stop her from doing what I knew she would do next. She lifted her arms and her rifle appeared in her hands, "Let Rin go!"

"Alright," Satan said, shrugging. He dropped me. I coughed, gasping for air. It took me a few seconds to realize that I was falling. I saw Grace lunge for me, desperate to catch me. I reached out for her and our fingers touched for a moment before she was ripped away. She screamed out, her eyes desperate as our hands got farther and farther apart.

~Grace~

Tears were streaming down my face. I'm not a crier. I don't like crying. I've done it too much recently. Then again, could that be because I found something that I wanted to protect. Unfortunately, that 'something' that I wanted to protect was plummeting full-speed towards the ground.

"He won't die," hissed a voice into my ear. Satan had a tight hold on me. I couldn't move. I was frozen out of fear. I'd fought plenty of demons before, but Satan was a different story. I wanted to cry, but I was too afraid. "But it will hurt," Satan whispered into my ear, laughter in his voice. How could a person let this happen to his or her own son? Oh, right. Satan isn't a person… I watched as Rin tumbled through the air. He was staring at me, his eyes wide. My tears fell faster. I let out a sigh of relief as a brown streak collided with Rin. Mikael had caught Rin as he fell.

"Pity," mumbled Satan, sounding disappointed. I scowled, my fear turning to rage. He tried to hurt Rin!

My elbow shot out and dug into Satan's gut. He doubled over and I slammed his head on my knee. He staggered backwards and then regained his balance.

"Normally, I would kill you for that…but I don't want to hurt my toy," he said, malice in his voice. His fiery eyes bore into mine.

"T-Toy?" I stuttered.

"Though I can't kill you…I can do this!"

"Grace, NO!" screamed a voice. I wasn't sure who it belonged to. Satan had reached forward and touched my chest with on finger. He traced a strange design on my collarbone and then whispered, "Pain."

My eyes went wide in realization. I tried to rub the mark of, terrified, but it didn't work. Blue flames drifted up from the design. I looked up at Satan, horrified. He smiled coldly at me, his eyes filling with visibly frightening pleasure. That when the pain hit me. I screamed out, my knees crumbling. Satan caught me and threw me over one shoulder. Every inch of my body filled with the most unbearable pain that I'd ever felt. It was more painful that when I'd broken my wing. Even worse was the fact that I wasn't passing out. I'd passed out back then. Why wouldn't I now?

"If you're wondered why you aren't slipping into the bliss that is unconsciousness, it's because I won't let you," he hissed to me. I gasped, trying not to give him the satisfaction of letting out more screams. I couldn't help it though. I cried out, tears squeezing from the corners of my eyes and sliding down my face.

"Grace!" I heard a voice yell. I vaguely saw a brown streak flying towards me, one wing dramatically darker than the other. I knew it was Mikael and that he was trying to protect me. I also knew it was no use. Satan grinned, extending one arm. A dark hole appeared in front of him, "Well, now that I have what I came here for…I'll be going." Mikael was close now. I weakly reached for him as Satan stepped through what I supposed was some sort of gateway to Gehenna. Mikael flew towards me, his arm outstretched. He looked desperate and scared. There were tears in his eyes too. Our hands narrowly missed each other, sliding past one another. Only a few inches stood between us. Still, those few inches seemed like worlds.

A/N: Thanks for reading yet another chapter, you fans, you. Hehe, I love you guys. Anyways...now that that awkward moment is over...**ahem**
Please leave a review if you liked it. Thanks!
PS
I've officially dubbed Fridays as my update-day. I'm updated today, (Thursday), only because I was struck by a lightning bolt of creativity and just had to jot it all down. Alright...that's it for my awkward announcements. Cool! Next chapter coming soon! :)