~Rin~

The best way to describe how I was feeling would be…numb…and angry…well, more like blindingly furious.

"No, she was taken to Gehenna! By him of all people!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. I could feel my anger well up and resisted the growing urge I had to punch something…or someone.

"We don't doubt that she was taken to Gehenna, but it's not like we can just ring the doorbell and Satan will let us in," Mikael replied, his voice calm.

"I don't care! We have to help her! I'm not just going to leave her!" I shouted, slamming my fist down on the table.

"You need to calm down, son," said Grace's father.

I whirled on him, outraged, "You want me to calm down!? How are you so calm when it's your daughter that was kidnapped?" I pointed an accusing finger at him and his expression didn't so much as twitch. "Maybe it's because you don't love her…you never loved her. Isn't that why you never spoke to her until the attack on Headquarters?"

His only reply was a swift and relentless slap across my cheek, knocking me to the ground. I looked up at him, angry. That anger, however, soon vanished when I took in his expression. "Don't ever say that again! I'm not calm! You don't know how much I want to storm into Gehenna and take back my baby by force, but I can't!" he bellowed. He stared at me, "You can't understand how much I loved her mother and how much I love her…" He turned away from me and leaned against the table for support. Mikael walked up and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Father, we'll get her back. I'm sorry. I was careless. I should have stayed with her. I just…I know how important to you she is. I swear I'll get her back," Mikael said, his voice dropping to a pained whisper. I watched them as I got to my feet again, gently touching my tender cheek.

"No, you can't go. You'll die within a few hours," he replied, looking at Mikael.

"But, I can't just—" Mikael started.

"I'd like to avoid losing another one of my children if I can. I won't let you go."

"Why don't you just go?" I asked, careful to keep accusation out of my voice. Somehow when he'd shown me how much he really loved Grace, all of my anger just faded away.

"If I went it would be like openly declaring war on Gehenna. I don't doubt that Assiah would be destroyed if we were to truly battle," he replied. I nodded. That made a lot of sense. I'd seen how much destructive power Satan had—which may have only been a fraction of his power—and I couldn't imagine what it would be like for he and God to collide. It was an intimidatingly terrifying concept to wrap my head around.

"Then…I'll go," I said. I stared at the two of them, completely serious. They stared back confusedly, trying to figure out if I was joking or not. "I'm serious," I said so as to clear up their confusion.

Mikael shook his head, "You're not well-trained. I can see you dying within seconds. Easily."

"Hey! I'm not that weak! I bet I'd beat you in a fight!" I said, clenching my fists.

"No need to fight it out." I hesitated and glanced over to him. He was smiling at me, "You're really something aren't you. You just go around destroying things and picking fights with every moving thing you see…"

"So what?" I said, crossing my arms over my chest and tipping my chin up.

"And yet…you're very devoted to my daughter. I suppose that's why I like you so much. It may also have something to do with the fact that Grace loves you in return."

With that statement my face grew hot. "It's also why I think you're the perfect person to save her," he said, nodding. I saw a kindness in his eyes and my nerves eased.

"You'll be immune to the toxins that linger in the air which would be fatal to a holy being such as Mikael. I don't doubt you," he said.

I grinned, "That's what I like to hear! Alright!"

"You can't let him go and keep me here. I have to be there to save her…otherwise I won't forgive myself for what I let happen," Mikael said, his eyes growing dark.

God's brow furrowed. It suddenly occurred to me that I had no idea what his name was. My own brow furrowed. "There may be a solution," he said, "But you're not going to like it."

"Anything. I'll do anything," Mikael said, hope flashing in his eyes. I raised a curious eyebrow.

"There a…not exactly legend, more like lesser known fact that if one were to drink the blood of a demon, they'd be immune to Gehenna's toxins."

"You want me to drink the blood of a demon?" Mikael asked, looking dumbfounded.

"Not just any demon," God said, hesitating, "It had to be the blood of an upper class demon." There was a moment of silence before Mikael burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked, staring at him. He just looked up at me and then started laughing harder.

"I really don't get it," I mumbled.

"If he wants to accompany you to Gehenna he has to drink the blood of an upper class demon…which would mean your blood." Mikael pushed pass his laughter and tried to calm himself down. I felt dread creep up and surround me.

"My blood!?" I practically shouted.

"This is going to be so weird. Man, when Grace hears about this," Mikael said, turning to me. He drew his knife and creepily smiled. It still didn't make him any less annoyingly handsome. Considering how beautiful Grace was, it occurred to me that maybe all angels were aesthetically perfect. The thought of Grace sent a pang into my heart and I felt a little anger rise again. Unfortunately, that anger was greatly overshadowed by my fear. I backed up, holding my hands out in front of me, "Whoa, now. Let's not be hasty."

"Sorry, but I'm coming with you…and if I want to do that I have to drink your blood," Mikael said.

"Try not to actually hurt him," interjected Grace's dad.

"Wait, wait, wai—" I began. I flinched as Mikael's dagger sliced open my arm. "God! Why did you do that?" I shouted.

"I didn't do it!" Grace's dad said, laughter in his voice.

"Shut up, old man," I hissed. He laughed. My wound started to smoke and sizzle as it closed up. This always creeped me out: the feeling of my skin repairing itself and the gruesome sound effects that came with it.

Mikael held out his hand and caught some of the blood that was dripping from my wound. He stared at it, revulsion showing obviously on his face. "Hey, you don't have to drink it if you don't want to," I said, feeling a little creeped out myself. The whole idea of drinking blood was…well, creepy.

"No, I have to," he said. He summoned his courage and then downed it in one gulp. He choked a little and coughed. I grimaced, "Enjoy it. It's on me."

"That might have been the worst experience of my life," Mikael said, closing his eyes as if he were trying to erase the memory.

"I thought it was pretty entertaining," God added.

"I feel violated in so many ways," I said, shivering.

"Let's never speak of this again," Mikael said. I nodded in consent.

"I make no promises," said Grace's dad as he walked past us. He was smiling wide, "Follow." We followed him to the other side of the room where there was a large, open area. He took a deep breath and pressed one finger against the wall. He slid his finger over the stark white wall and I stared in wonder as a golden trail remained wherever he touched. When he completed the rectangle he took a step back. He muttered a few words and then pressed his palm against the center of the rectangle. The entire rectangle started to ripple. I blinked a few times so as to confirm that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me.

The wall had transformed into a door. It was a simple door made of old wood. The white paint on it was chipping and the doorknob was scuffed. "Well that was anticlimactic," I said. Mikael nodded in agreement.

"This door will bring you anywhere you wish. In this case, that would be Gehenna," he said, ignoring my comment. He put one hand on my shoulder and the other on Mikael's. He took a deep breath and then glanced between us, meeting our eyes, "I'm trusting you two to bring her back safe. She's special. Rin, you don't know this, but she isn't just a normal angel. Mikael, you explain it to him as you travel."

Curiosity rose inside of me, worry its close companion. "Mikael, come back safely with Grace, alright?" he said, pulling Mikael into a strong embrace. Mikael patted his father's back and nodded, "I will."

He turned to me and smiled, "You too. Try not to die while you're there." To my surprise he then hugged me as well. He patted my back and then released me. I nodded, feeling that words weren't needed. "Mikael, if you start to feel exhausted or out of breath, return immediately. This will allow you to create the door as many times as you need. Be careful, you two." I watched as he pressed a small, golden key into Mikael's hand.

We both nodded in response and stepped towards the door. I pulled the door open and stared into the darkness. I couldn't see anything other than swirling, blackish mist. It was almost worse than if I saw a pit of fire. If it were fire at least I would have known what the threat was. With just endless darkness, all I knew was…nothing.

"Remember what I said. Don't forget not to die," he said. His words were followed by a quick yet forceful push to our shoulders. I found myself falling towards the black mist. The only thing I could think of as I plummeted towards whatever awaited me was Grace. What had her father meant that she wasn't like any other angel?

"Mikael," I said, adjusting to the falling sensation.

"Yeah, I know. You're going to ask me," he said. He took a deep breath, "Firstly, there's something that you need to know. An angel's purity is shown in their wings. Mine are speckled. Grace's are pure white."

"And?"

"And…that means that she's the purist of the pure. She's essentially more powerful than any one of us. That isn't just because she got lucky. Her mother wasn't a human…"

I gaped, "Wasn't human?"

"A long, long time ago, my dad fell in love with Grace's mom. Her name was Venus. She was similar to my father, possessing unnaturally strong power and was apparently very beautiful. She wasn't an angel, though. Venus was an immortal, an extinct race. They were annihilated by Satan years ago, which makes the name of their race cruelly ironic. Anyways, Grace is the daughter of an immortal and the source of all angels. Her true power only awoke on her birthday this year. That's why my father decided it was time for her to be guarded. It's also why Satan came for her. I don't doubt that he wants to corrupt her, to take away her purity. He wants to manipulate her power."

I'd been listening in silence, but at that statement I spoke up, "Manipulate her power?"

"Use it to his advantage. She'd become a pawn."

"No. Grace is strong. She wouldn't let Satan take her over so easily."

Mikael smiled and nodded, "I know."

I nodded and we traveled in silence. I took in the information Mikael had just dropped on me slowly and calmly. We were quiet for the rest of the trip, every second heightening my anticipation. I was going to see Grace soon and I was going to save her. I didn't quiet understand everything that Mikael had just told me, but that much I knew.

A/N: Hope you liked the chapter! Don't forget to leave me a review. :)