[The Beginning of Change: II]
"I-"
*Wsssh!*
The trees shook with the wind as a piercing noise, one so high a human couldn't pick up such a sound, resounded throughout the area. However, it disappeared in an instant only to be replaced by...
"I-"
*SHHHHKK!*
...To replaced by that almost meaningless noise. Gabriel's face changed after she realized... What she could've done, what she should've prevented.
Issei stood obvious to the pain, since his body hasn't registered the pain by ultra-pain-killers. Such a powerful mechanism, the human body was. "Gabriel?" He took in her horrified look. It looked... really misplaced, and... It made him sad to see it on her face.
It reminded him too much of his last day with Irina, and her face.
"Gah..." He suddenly spat out blood, but only saw such things on TV. "Gah!" It happened again. He still didn't know why.
"I-Issei-kun, y-your..." Her façade disappeared and her older yet more elegant features were starting to replace, minus her wings and halo.
He followed her eyes down her body. "Guh!" He felt the blood wanting to rush out his throat. The painkillers be damned. The slight throbbing he felt vanished once he saw the gaping slash in his body. It made him feel faint and lightheaded. He barely recognized that he was just mindlessly watching his... red fluid... he was beginning to forget the name of the fluid? Or was it red water?
Gabriel watched him fall to his small knees, his adorable face soiled. It caused a sudden growth of blood to pour out. She began to move closer, her hands shaking as she raised them.
*Spat*
\..: Boosted Gear :../
Issei couldn't see anymore. "H-Hello?" Where was he? Where was Gabriel?
[You're dying, Child. I moved you here. A child shouldn't feel such a pain, after all.]
Issei heard the voice coming from... everywhere? Even though, tears threatened to fall from his face, he spoke with an innocent voice with a hint of worry, "Is G-Gabriel o-okay?" If he was dying, did he, at least, somehow, save his new, yet nonetheless, precious friend?
Even the almighty Ddraig found it hard to speak to the child. He lied... in a good way. He could smell the energy that radiated off the girl before the senses of the boy vanished. She would be safe no matter what happened. [She is safe, no need to worry, Child.]
He let his tears fall as he fell to his knees. "That's a relief..." He moved his lower arm to his face and began to wipe away at his non-stop flow of tears. "B-b-but... I w-want to s-see O-Okaa a-a-and O-Otou."
"I w-want t-them to p-please be h-h-happy... a-and d-don't b-be s-sad... I-I w-w-want to say g-g-goodbye a-a-and t-thank you! Uuuuuu!"
Ddraig grunted quietly within the shadows. He wondered when was the last time he saw such a death or the death of a child? Ddraig only regretted being awoken. He didn't need to see all that. He didn't need to hear all that
He definitely didn't need to lose a tear that drip down his metaphysical face.
He was a heavenly dragon, dammit.
He certainly didn't feel like one...
\..: With Raynare :../
"...What?!" Wasn't the small girl, a small girl?! ...Whatever it didn't matter, she would kill her too. She was just a normal human... though she faintly reminded her of a certain someone... a lot.
Still, it didn't matter who she was...
That made her smirk, rather evilly. No, she didn't have to kill her. She could let the sadness push the "girl" to depression. Let her die a sad woman. After all, it was morally wrong for her such a woman to fall in love with a child. Hah! And he was totally oblivious to the fact that she was a totally grown woman!
The spear, she made to stab the child, was infused with anti-healing-magic properties. She only used that spear for assassinations. After all, what was the point if the person, usually human, could heal somehow? It could only be countered by the only species to revive, Devils. Not even a vampire's bite could save an individual. It was too slow.
She had to hand it to Kokabiel. His lessons were paying off! It would only be a matter of time until she reached Azazel and her fourth wing!
"Whatever." She teleported off, hoping she could wait for that oblivious child of a devil, she didn't really care for his name, to get that nun... What was her name again? Raynare forgot. Either way, that nun, who the older-then-he-let-on devil had his sights on for whatever reason, was going to help her. His contract with her be damned.
It was her job to make sure that nun, her name not needed, made it to the city she was currently resided, Kouh. However, it wasn't part of the contract that she take the [Sacred Gear], but that didn't matter to her or her group of Fallen Angels. Even though it was very recent, that she unleashed her [Sacred Gear], it had endless possibilities to what kind of injuries it could heal.
With such possibilities, she couldn't let such a [Sacred Gear] fall into the hands of the enemy if she could help it. And if she could help it, she would take it all for herself, allowing her to get stronger, allowing her to capture the eyes of her most beloved, the Governor himself, Azazel.
Raynare thought herself to be a patient woman. She would let the devil take as long as he wanted only if he held his side of the contract.
After all, a patient woman got what they wanted...
Even if it had to take 13 years.
\..: Forest :../
It was pouring everywhere. Blood was just... everywhere. Gabriel could only stared with wide eyes. She, one of the top four angels in Heaven, was unable to save a single child. It hurt to know she could've prevent such fact, such pain. She herself never felt such a pain, or had such a wound.
Something about that light spear made her unable to heal the wound. She knew the magic of almost everything. It made her frustrated that she could do nothing but have a seal close the wound. She even doubted that it would heal all on its own.
However, a young child, only but a small, teensy fraction of her age, was feeling such pain, was inflicted such a wound.
It wasn't right. It went against everything she and her brethren worked for.
There was no way to revive the boy. If only her great Father was still around, he would surely turn this boy into one of her brethren. He had angelic innocence that was every fiber within him. She grown attached to the boy, it was just something about him.
The only sin she could think of that the boy had was that he wasn't born as an angel in the first place.
At first she thought, it was the smile on his face when she first saw him in a church, watching from up above. However, it wasn't quite that, rather something else she couldn't put her tongue on. She didn't know what it was that cause her to be a "Guardian Angel" for almost three years, observing his every move.
Maybe it was the fact that it was her Father's will for her to meet the boy. After all, she was her Father's messenger to certain people.
"...Would I be able separate a child from their parents?" The answer for her was no. She couldn't face them. She couldn't let the parents of such a lovely child be sad. The child wouldn't want that. He only wanted to strive to be what his parents wanted him to be and make them happy. In turn, he would be happy.
After all, that's how she felt to her Father. Thus, she became the famous messenger of God, one of the four Archangels of Heaven.
She even once sent... cards...
Cards!
The Cards!
"...That's it!"
"The [Brave Saint] Cards!"
The day before, Michael held a meeting, the reason why Gabriel had to leave the day before, about finishing a prototype of the new revival system for new Angels. However, they had yet to test such a thing. After all, they were no scientists, and kept closely to themselves after the death of her and her brethren's dear Father. Thus, having very little if any knowledge of new technology that may or may not help them. The fall of the fifth level, the Grigori, didn't help in the least either.
With her resolve steeled, she picked up the bloodied child and released her wings, signifying her readying to go to Heaven.
"I will save you!"
\..: Heaven :../
"Welcome back... Gabriel?" Michael stood before the glowing light that only Gabriel could create. Each angel had their own shade of holy light that only their could create, and Gabriel's was a light that reminded Michael of their Father, a level of yellow holiness not even Michael, the strongest of Angels, could produced if he tried.
However, he wasn't expecting the bloodied child in her arms.
"M-Michael," Her voice cracked slightly, "Can we t-test the card on this child?"
"I-"
"Please?" Her voice was weak and so unlike her usual bubbly self.
For one thing, the tests from before the first real prototype... ended with a much different outcome then it should have gotten. It gave the church the power to brand Excalibur wielders. Michael regretted misplacing his trust... It ended terribly. And with a certain blond boy falling into the hands of the devils.
"Do you think-believe this will work?" Michael didn't want to doubt his sister but the trial that took place many years ago, made him think so.
"I have to." The amount of resolve in her voice took him aback a bit. So did the tears he just noticed. Just how did the child that was barely a meager fraction of their age affect his dear sister so much?
"...Okay, place him over there," He pointed to a bed that was similar to one at a doctor's room, "I'll get the card. Do you have any card in mind specifically?" He waited silently by the door of the room.
"Just... grab them all..." Gabriel was barely functioning at that point of time. She was trying her best to at least slow his bleeding and whatever else she could manage.
"Got it..." For his sister and the child's sake, he hoped the cards worked.
Once Michael turned his back and closed the door, a green light swallowed the room. Once it watered down, Gabriel noticed it came from a gem on Issei's hand. "Wha...?"
[Do you want to help this child, Angel?] This voice... It was...
"D-Ddraig?"
[Answer the question, Angel. There are only moments before even my power isn't enough.]
"Y-Yes, of course." She did bring him to Heaven after all. However, she was quite puzzled. Since when was the infamous [Boosted Gear] just but a small jewel?
[Place the backside of your hands on my gem.]
"W-Why?" Even though she was hesitant, she still moved her hands towards the radiating gem.
He ignored her question and continued his instructions, [For the sake of the child's life, I want you to-]
[Transfer!]
A glowing object the shape of yang or yin appeared over her hands, floating. It felt... for the lack of a fitting word, nice, or "yang." [Place the stone, which is half of the child's soul]
"-His soul?!" Gabriel was flabbergasted; a soul was the literal personality of an individual. No wonder she felt such a similar aura to Issei's own aura. However, unlike the usually aura from the boy, it felt purer, like Ddraig took the...
Again, he ignored her. Time waited for no one after all, [Onto the card, then onto the gem. Easy as that, I'll do the rest.] It would be easier for soul to bond to the card then rearranging the soul than having to rearrange the soul and shove a foreign object to where it didn't belong. After all, he did have a host who once was reincarnated into a devil, allowing him to fairly study [Evil Pieces].
"Gabriel, I've retrieved them." Michael strived into the room, oblivious to the new presence.
[Which one is the strongest?] Michael stood shocked. It was Red Dragon Emperor, Ddraig, awakened so early. Much earlier than ever before by his prior knowledge.
"I think it's the [Joker]." She hoped she wasn't wrong...
He dared people to call him a [Joker]. Ddraig only hoped he wouldn't have to deal with such madness... Being a Joke. Hah, he, one of most strongest beings, a joke? Madness!
Following the dragon's directions, Gabriel cautiously place the curved-droplet-shaped object onto the card. Michael and Gabriel watched in awe as it slowly melted and cover the card in green liquid. Then Gabriel moved it over the slightly glowing gem.
In a flash of green radiance, the blindly glowing card vanished.
[Gabriel, I need you to focus some of your power through the gem, you are the [King] after all.] As much as it pained him to say such, he would only allow for Gabriel, the one Angel his host liked (and only one he knew exactly from his host's memories), to "command" his host.
"I- I got it." She focused her angelic powers through her hands with all her faith. She just had to let this boy live! She couldn't let him down!
[Release!] Gabriel found that she couldn't send magic into the boy anymore, causing her to blink in mild confusion. D-Did it work?
[You might want to start healing his wounds, "King."]
"Yes-Yes, of course!"
With tears beginning to stream down her face, she began healing her [Joker].
Her "radiance" actually allowed for her to heal his wounds.
It made her smile, brightly.
"I'm glad."
Vorpal: Do you see why I chose Ddraig now? I just used the idea when Issei got Ascalon. It was kind of half assed...
Did you know that the [Joker] card is the [Brave Saint]'s version of mutation pieces?
I actually like Raynare... But, she will be evil in this cause she isn't in the harem... lol
So for the next scene, I got a plan. The only thing I'm saying is that Rias isn't wrong. lol
I was tempted to replace "I'm glad" with "Yokatta" (as an injection, in Japanese).
Any mistakes? Not good enough or not long enough? Sorry, my writing was all over the place when I wrote this.
I had a question but I forgot it... So...
'Til next time, ne?
"Have a Nice Day."
[Words: 2,581]
-Vorpal
This story was originally inspired by WarriorMan199456, "Fallen Desire."
Dunno how...