A/N: Wow, the last chapter... It’s about a year ago that I first came up with the concept for this fic and now it’s finally reaching it’s conclusion.

Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed! It’s been a great 13 chapters with you guys!

Chapter 13: Saving Me

Natsuki remained still and somewhat guarded as they stood in the middle of the massive domed room. Despite some of the angels’ expressions, she was sure she was more afraid than anyone. It felt like they all towered over her, eager to pass judgement on the demon girl. Her frigid state was broken by the vibes coming off the angel beside her. Shizuru stood firmly in place with her arms crossed over her chest and a dangerous stare at all who come too close.

Just as the whispers were starting to quiet down, there came the sound of loud flapping. Natsuki’s sharp eyes only caught a glimpse of the figure diving down from the ceiling, but could not react in time. Shizuru too was only able to turn half a step before being smashed into the ground.

“Shizuru!” Natsuki yelled, rushing to her lover’s side before being held back by Reito.

The dark angel grimaced and snarled at her attacker, another angel, militant in appearance, who had her pinned to the ground. Her bright red hair was almost the same as Shizuru’s flames, long and frayed out despite being tied behind her. The two struggled briefly, but the element of surprise had proved to be a successful advantage. Crimson eyes shifted to lock with green ones as she felt her arms get clamped down onto her back, followed by her wings.

“Midori! You didn’t have to go that far!” Reito yelled, still keeping the frightened Natsuki in place.

A labrys was swiftly pulled from the angel’s back and aimed at his head.

“You better stay quiet if you don’t want to be arrested too!” she grunted as she stepped off Shizuru’s back and lifted her roughly by her constraints, “She’s the highest class of criminal! No one should even see her!” she swung her weapon around, now facing the crowd, “Hear me?! Get outta here! This is dangerous!”

“Stop it!” Natsuki cried with pleading eyes, “We came here to cooperate!”

“Natsuki!” Shizuru snapped firmly at the girl, “Don’t provoke her! Agh!” she was forcefully brought to her knees, “Go with Reito!”

“But I-!”

“She’s right Natsuki,” the dark haired angel said, quickly covering her mouth and leaning down to whisper in her ear, “This isn’t Shizuru’s strength, you know that. She’s only playing weak to throw them off. The more you say the harder it will be for her and for you as well.”

The navy-haired vampire felt her muscles go limp, staring at Shizuru so confined made her sick; and she felt even worse knowing that now there was nothing she could do. This Midori didn’t make her feel any better either; she seemed like one of the angels who were only waiting for the permission to kill Shizuru.

“Don’t worry,” Reito continued, “Midori is fiercely loyal to our laws: all of them. This includes the fact that no matter what criminals will undergo a trial before being punished. She won’t hurt Shizuru.”

“Reito-san!” the red-haired angel barked, “What’s the status of that demon?”

“Harmless,” he replied, “Not only has she been sealed by us from the beginning, but after drinking Shizuru’s blood her hostility disappeared. She also hasn’t eaten in over twelve hours.”

“Pfft, fine. She probably won’t even make it until the end of the trial...” Midori hooked her axe onto her back again between her wings, “Keep her with you until a decision is rendered.”

Once again she lifted Shizuru onto her feet and pulled her down the hallway by the chain connected to her front. The dark angel was definitely hesitant to leave Natsuki behind, but knew that there was no choice but to follow her plan. She smirked.

Forgive me Reito, but your idea doesn’t work for me... From here on out I’ll be doing this my way.

“Hey! What’s so funny?!” the guard snapped, jerking the chains as she halted.

Shizuru merely gave her a frustratingly calm look with a smile that, while innocent on the surface, revealed her new fangs. She didn’t care to speak to this person, even though she expected harsh treatment upon her return, jumping on her back was pushing her tolerance. Keeping up her composure, the dark angel confidently began walking again, stepping passed the rigid Midori and for a moment had started leading her towards the court.

“Hey!” Midori pulled on the chains again, forcing Shizuru to stop and allow her to move ahead, “Know your place!”

--0--

Meanwhile back in the lobby, Natsuki and Reito had once again become surrounded by curious nobles. Most of them were only there to look, but some threw sneers her way. As soon as their eyes met, Natsuki would always look at the floor. They were reacting just as she would if she were in that position. She remained understanding no matter what they did.

“Reito, shouldn’t we get going?” she asked quietly, trying to avoid eye contact with the other angels.

“Wait... Ah, there she is,” he said as he scanned the crowd the brunette he had been waiting for.

“Huh? Who?” the demon girl raised an eyebrow but was quickly gestured to be quiet once more.

Invisible to all except Reito, Yukino approached swiftly by passing through the crowd like a ghost. Without a word, she handed him two feathers that were discreetly slid up his sleeve. He gave her a thankful smile and she returned it then vanished into the crowd again, this time walking down the hallway which Shizuru was taken.

“Now we can go,” he said, taking Natsuki by the hand and turning to leave the area.

Given his status in Heaven, the surrounding angels cleared a path for him to leave as he pleased, but were still watching the blunette carefully. A few even started to follow them, but a firm glance from the noble sent them back.

Soon enough they reached what appeared to be just any other wall, but after Reito placed one of the feathers given to him on its surface the opening showed itself. Natsuki gasped in awe but was quickly pulled inside to avoid suspicion, after which the portal closed up again. The girl found herself in the same room that the trio of angels had spent their days trying to find out how to get Shizuru back, though her trance was broken by being spoken to.

“We’ll be safe in here. No one knows about this room, please sit,” Reito said, motioning to the sofa.

“Ah... uh... okay...” she was hesitant to move, she was still quite nervous about being in this other world, but did as she was told, “Now what?”

“Now we wait for the elders to decide what to do. Haruka and Yukino are in place to fight on Shizuru’s behalf... she has a fair chance. And if anything goes wrong we can evacuate her back to your realm... Granted we’ll be back where we started but it’s better than the alternative of her losing the trial.”

Natsuki grit her teeth and looked away for a second before turning back to Reito, who was now standing in front of her holding out one of the feathers.

“What is it?” she asked, taking hold of it.

“It’s one of Yukino’s feathers. It’s going to act as our eyes and ears of the trial; just concentrate and you’ll be able to connect with her.”

“Oh...” the girl gave the feather an odd stare but then closed her eyes and concentrated on it just like she was told to. It was a bit blurry at first, but once she got the hang of it she was starting to see again. It was like she was inside Yukino’s body that was walking alongside Haruka towards the courtroom where Shizuru would meet them.

--0--

“She finally came back...” Yukino said aloud, somewhat sadly, as they walked towards their destination.

“Yeah...” Haruka replied, looking ahead in her usual steadfast manner. In truth she was scared. There was only so much that they could say to try saving Shizuru, the rest was up to the elders whose sole purpose was to make sure the laws were followed. It was going to be difficult, especially since blaming Natsuki would be the best defence and they couldn’t resort to that, “You gave Reito your feathers?”

“Mm, they’ll be able to follow along... Haruka-chan?” the brunette wove her fingers with those of the blonde’s, “Are you alright?”

“...” Haruka couldn’t reply. She tried, but the words wouldn’t come out. She couldn’t say that she was worried, especially not in front of Yukino... but she couldn’t bring herself to say the very real possibility that they could fail.

Their silence was broken by the sound of the massive double doors in front of them creaking open. The girls turned their attention to the gateway leading into a large room filled with floating platforms. Different classes of angels were perched on the outer levels, and the place for these two was on one of the medium level platforms, opposite the one Midori was on. They both shared a glace with Shizuru, who was forced to remain kneeling on the floor, and then flew upwards.

As soon as everyone was in place, the elders commenced the trial.

--0--

“You don’t have to force yourself to listen,” Reito said, “They won’t be done for a while so it would be best if you saved your energy.”

With a sigh the blunette calmly accepted his advice. She hadn’t noticed it earlier, but now that she finally took some time to think about her own wellbeing the girl felt the weakness in her body. She took a heavy breath and leaned back on the couch, although she only started to heave more. Her mouth hung open now with her large fangs shining with the glow of all the light. Natsuki then tried to open her eyes again, but the burning in them was too great and she quickly shut them.

“Natsuki?” Reito looked at her more closely, “Oh no... It’s Heaven isn’t it? Your body can’t handle this place, especially not without food.”

“Y-yeah,” she replied between coughs, but just then she felt a cloth cover her eyes, “What’s that?”

“Just something to help ease the pain,” he said while tying it behind the back of her head, “It’s not getting in your eyes anymore at least right?”

“Yeah...” she muttered, it was still hurting the rest of her body, but it was kind of him to try and at least she knew he meant well for her, “It’s a shame...”

“Eh?”

“I really wanted to see Shizuru’s home... and now I can’t.”

Reito smiled sadly, this girl really cared about her; he was at the very least happy that they got to be together this long. He had watched the many transformations of character they had gone through, even those unrelated to their supernatural forms. He gave a mirthless chuckle at the memory of the first time the pure and happy Shizuru told him about her crush on the human girl. He couldn’t have imagined it ever turning out like this.

“By the way... Why are you helping me?” Natsuki asked seriously.

“What?”

“We’re alone now. We don’t have to play games. You could easily turn on me.”

“And yet I haven’t,” he retorted, “Because... it is Shizuru’s wish.”

“Ah?” she turned to face him despite being blindfolded.

“You’ve made her happier than I thought possible. She was always the oddball of the bunch, and the last in everything... but as soon as you came along she stopped caring about what other people thought. She became more confident... She was able to stay with you like she wanted despite the pressure from everyone else,” he sighed, “That is why... I’m helping you in hope of seeing her be like that again...”

“Reito, you...?”

“My love has been unrequited for a long time... but that doesn’t lessen it,” he said strongly, “I will do everything in my power to make sure Shizuru is safe and happy, and that means keeping you safe,” Natsuki was still stunned by the sudden confession, “So I will protect you with my life, because you two have joined as one being in your hearts... Protecting you is the same as protecting her.”

“Reito I...”

“You don’t ha-” he was cut off by being embraced suddenly by the girl, “Natsuki?”

“I’m sorry!” she cried, grinding her teeth, “You probably don’t even want me close to you knowing what I’ve done to her... You saw didn’t you? That night when the demon in me woke up again... I didn’t mean to do that to her, I had no control over myself!”

“I know...” he said softly while holding her close, “But I’ve also seen the amount of good you’ve done for her, and if she can forgive you then so can I.”

--0--

Almost an hour had passed, and there was still no news. Natsuki had been forced to rest, only being able to recover temporarily due to her demonic healing abilities; but even that drained her energy to the point where she couldn’t ever improve her state, only slow the decay. Her teeth were in even more pain now as she started to hear the heartbeats of all those nearby, even on the other side of the false wall and then spread to the rest of the palace. She clenched her fist tightly and winced, drawing Reito’s attention to her.

“Natsuki! Are you-”

“Stay back!” she hissed and swiped at him, “Don’t come too close... I’m fighting as hard as I can just to make sure I don’t hurt you... But I don’t know how much longer I can last... Just... watch Shizuru...”

The angel stepped back and looked at the girl sadly. She was in so much pain, both inside and out, and he couldn’t do anything. In fact he had to do something which would hurt her more, although it was the honest thing to do. He moved closer only for a second to place one of the feathers in her palm.

“Natsuki... there is something you should know... But it isn’t my place to tell you.”

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry... but this is the only time that you will hear it... I know this is probably the time you’d least like to know but it’s now or never... Please just... listen...”

Confused by his words, Natsuki slowly wrapped her fingers around the feather.

--0--

“You can’t punish her!” Haruka yelled, “It may have been a mistake, and it may have caused a lot of trouble but Shizuru only acted out of love!”

“At this point her intentions are meaningless,” came the voice of one of the elders, “That is reason enough to forgive her for interfering with the mortal realm ifwe were to bend the rules... But it certainly isn’t enough to make up for the sins she has committed. Shizuru is no ordinary Angel of Death!”

“Maybe so! But even then she should be permitted to join their ranks, to still live in Heaven.”

“Are you ignorant?!” he yelled back, “She has taken powers from not one but two demons!”

“What? Two?” Natsuki questioned.

“After which she used those powers to unleash terror on mortals!”

“Not only were those mortals criminals who would probably have become demons in the afterlife, but you just stated yourself that she killed a demon! That is the task assigned to the Angels of Death, which is why I see no reason to deny her sanctuary amongst them,” the blonde countered.

“Who is he talking about?”

“You still don’t understand do you Haruka?” the elder sighed, “All Angels of Death before her are still partly pure. They are not reckless and will follow our orders. But Shizuru’s rage extends even into killing the family of the girl she claims to love! If that’s the same love that started this whole mess then it’s clearly warped! A love that only brings sadness to everyone involved is not something we’re inclined to protect!”

--0--

Natsuki’s eyes widened as she dropped the feather on the floor. All she could feel was a sharp coldness spreading from her heart into all her nerves and muscles. She couldn’t bring herself to move, or even to understand what she had just heard.

“She... she killed them?” she asked, her voice full of emptiness.

Reito only shut his eyes and quickly knelt beside her, placing the feather back into her hand.

“You have to listen to her reasons. She couldn’t help it...” he closed her fingers over it, “Please...”

--0--

“I had to kill them,” Shizuru snarled, “They were the ones responsible for my death! They were monsters who would kill a child! How am I any worse than them!?”

“And even all Angels of Death are allowed one kill to be for their revenge,” Yukino added.

“She killed me...” crimson eyes glared up at the judges, “Why am I being punished for Nao’s crimes!”

“Shizuru!” Haruka called down, “Don’t say anymore!”

Against her better judgement she chose to heed her friend’s advice, forcing her mouth shut by clenching her teeth.

--0--

“Natsuki...”

“... What the hell?” the girl muttered, now leaning forward with her arms rested on her knees and looking ahead even with her eyes covered, “What the hell was going on when I wasn’t around?” she choked on sadness, “I CAN’T TAKE THIS!”

With a roar the demon girl stood up and grabbed hold of the table nearby, crushing it with her grip before flipping it over. Reito raced to her side in an attempt to calm her but was swatted away by her strength.

“Natsuki! You have to be quiet!”

“Quiet!? You want me to stay quiet!?” with another scream she lifted the piece of furniture over her head and hurled it at the wall Reito had been thrown into. Luckily he was able to teleport himself once more out of harm’s way and now behind the girl. Though her thrashing may have frightened anyone else, he could tell that it was born from sadness, and that all she really wanted to do was understand. He wrapped his arms around her, correct in his prediction that she would not harm him a second time, instead she broke down onto her knees, “What am I supposed to do?!”

“You shouldn’t have to try comprehending this all at once... it isn’t fair...”

“Shizuru killed my parents... she killed my sister...” she covered her face with her palm, “But... But...” she clenched her fist, “... The only one I hate is Nao because she killed the one I love! What the hell is wrong with me!?”

“Natsuki you’re distraught, there’s nothing wrong... Your mind is faced with an extremely difficult decision...” he turned her around to face him, “But if you stop thinking, and start feeling...”

“... My heart’s already made the decision...”

“Mm...”

“I love her so much... I feel sadder over the fact that she had to go through that... Because the Shizuru I fell in love with was-”

“An angel?”

“...Yeah...” Natsuki’s sobbing had slowed, “I knew it all while she was changing, that deep inside she was still there... it must have hurt her so much to kill them because behind her wish to avenge herself she knew how I would feel... I trust that... I trust her... So much that I want to protect her even more...”

--0--

“Our decision is clear,” one of the elders stated, “Shizuru is guilty of all the crimes she’s been charged with and as such cannot remain an angel.”

“No!” Haruka barked, but she was quickly silenced by a leer from her superior.

“That’s not fair!” Yukino cried, “She’s not at fault!”

“Yukino be quiet!” Shizuru snapped, making sure that no one would compromise Natsuki’s safety.

“There are only two possibilities, and since you both insisted so firmly that the demon is of no harm then it proves that Shizuru chose her own path. If she is not responsible then it is the demon’s fault.”

“Natsuki is not at fault either!” Yukino begged, “All of this was an unfortunate mistake! They should both be forgiven and we can move forward from there!”

“Tch... What kind of angels would we be if we forgave every crime?” asked an elder, filling the room with silence, “Our role is to be a force of justice. How could you both become officials without realizing that truth?”

“Angels are supposed to be merciful in their judgements!” Haruka yelled.

“Very well then,” the elder smirked, “We’ll let the criminal decide...”

Natsuki took hold of the feather.

“It’s your choice Shizuru: renounce your wings... or kill the demon like you should have from the very beginning!”

“Shizuru!”

The dark angel looked firmly into the eyes of the elders above her. Rage was burning in her heart and she made it clear, though they were rather unaffected. Finally she stood up, ignoring the ethic of a criminal having to kneel. The room filled with quiet gasps at her disobedience and then at the soft silver glowing from her back. Aside from the gentle hiss of the smoke around her body, the audience was taken by the surprise of the girl’s laughter.

“...Go ahead...” she chuckled.

“Shizuru...?”

“...TAKE THEM!” Shizuru roared as she extended her wings with full power, slicing through the binds with her razor sharp feathers. She was still on the floor, growling viciously with anger as her flames grew to surround her, “...If you can that is!”

“Shizuru!!”

In the blink of an eye the dark angel soared into the sky, showing exactly how much they had underestimated her. The elders were quickly covered by a series of guard angels while another group dove down onto the criminal. Grinning maniacally, Shizuru darted around the room, toying with them as she dodged their attempts to capture her. For the time being they were five against one, but that wasn’t going to last for long. The girl’s entire body was covered in the fires that manipulated, providing a formidable defence against physical attacks.

After tiring them by avoiding contact, it was time to go on the offensive. Shizuru hovered briefly to open her wings fully and then showered the room with a wave of fire. While effective, this still wouldn’t render the guards completely disabled. The team flew up through the red, but weren’t prepared to be met with another attack so quickly. As soon as they were able to see though the smoke, their last vision was that of Shizuru diving into them with her claws extended; she slashed them to pieces.

Her next targets were, of course, the elders. She hummed confidently as she hovered over them, watching them be so indecisive. None of the guards lacked the sense to try attacking, but Shizuru could see the fear of her in their eyes. In spite of her superiority in close range fighting, there was still an efficiency factor in her next choice of attack. The angel began pumping her wings at a slower pace but with more force, building up a bundle of flames in front of her.

“Shizuru!” Haruka cried from the floor where she and Yukino had fallen to, the latter of whom was unconscious, “What are you doing!?”

The dark angel didn’t stop her magic, although her gaze did move towards her old friends. Her empty stare only lingered a few seconds though before she refocused and increased the speed of her flaps. What was once simply a mass of fire was beginning to take the shape of a mammoth fire snake. Haruka could tell that there was nothing she could do to stop her, and she wasn’t about to abandon Yukino for the sake of protecting the elders.

With all her might, the blonde angel stood up with her wings spread out wide and glowing. Soon that glow extended to her whole body and she extended her arms in front of her. It was a race between the two, to make her strongest barrier to defend against Shizuru’s attack. Then suddenly, to Haruka’s surprise, she met with Shizuru’s eyes again. Although they were still emotionless, she could also see that the massive snake had halted its growth temporarily. The blonde grinned and let out a strong cry that enabled her to reach her peak defensive ability; after which, the serpent of flame hissed with pride and charged with an open mouth.

--0--

At that moment the entire palace shook. Both Natsuki and Reito fell to the floor and dusted away the small stones falling from the ceiling. The girl rubbed her head and got to her feet, standing beside her angel ally.

“What’s going on?” “Shizuru’s lost it completely!” “Run for it!” came various voices from outside. The invisible wall that guarded the hidden room had now faded and Reito could see all of the panicked angels trying to escape.

Natsuki clenched her fist and took a deep breath before reaching up and pulling the cloth away from her eyes. She winced at the holy light hitting them, but forced herself through the pain in order to see; and what she did see surprised her. Reito was standing in the doorway looking back at her with his arm outstretched.

“Come on! What are you waiting for? They’re going to kill her!” he called back just as there was another rumble.

“But... You’re an angel... aren’t you against what she’s doing?”

“Hmph,” he smirked, “I could ask you a similar question, but before you are a demon who would kill me you are a girl who would risk your life for her correct?” Natsuki looked at him with gentle awe, “I’m not going to put my status above the life of someone I love!”

The midnight-haired vampire, inspired by the truth in his words, rushed to his side; and the two began racing through the chaotic hallways. The weakness in Natsuki’s body no longer hindered her, she was too determined to stop for anything, and she needed that strength. While the majority of the angels were heading towards the fight or away from it, there were those who blamed Natsuki for the cause of this destruction.

As the girl was running, one angel swooped down from above, carrying a heavy spear that nearly pierced through Natsuki’s body. She took a lightning fast step ahead and kept on running. Not only did she not have the time to get into many small fights on the way, she also just didn’t want to. She wanted to end the bloodshed, and would try to avoid it as much as she could. That being said however, there was a war going on right now, and she was part of the much outnumbered enemy.

“Natsuki! Go on ahead!” Reito said as he jumped up and took flight above the girl, “The courtroom is at the end of this hall and to the right.”

“But how do I get there in one piece?! Ugh!” she just dodged another angel trying to tackle her, “They’re coming in from everywhere!”

“Like any vampire would. Run and jump! There’s no point in holding back anymore Natsuki! This is the final fight and you need to give it all of your strength if you want to stand a chance!”

“But what about you?”

“I’ll be right behind you, just go!”

The girl heaved in another breath and nodded to Reito firmly. Without any more hesitation Natsuki stepped forward at full speed, becoming invisible as long as she moved. It was like an obstacle course in front of her: stones falling from above, angels appearing out of nowhere, beams and poles all around; and she intended to use all of it to her advantage.

Stepping up on some fallen rocks gave Natsuki the height she needed to leap onto an overhanging chandelier, allowing her to not only dodge an incoming attacker but swing to the other side of the hallway. From there she ran along the way as long as she could before crossing onto a wooden beam. To make this run she realized she would have to do a lot of change ups; and since right now her enemies had caught onto her being above Natsuki hopped down to the floor again.

I have to keep going!

--0--

By now the fight between the angels had taken to the skies outside of the palace. Shizuru’s large-scale attack had blown apart the entire wall of the room, and as soon as it had she moved to get out from there. Shizuru was always more confident flying than not, and with good reason. No one could match her on either speed or skill. Just when it seemed like she was going to be caught Shizuru could lean ninety degrees upward and fly back around. She could even escape from the Pegasi, Heaven’s cavalry, with flawless execution.

However, no matter how elite she was, Shizuru was facing an entire army all on her own. There was still only so much that she could do, even when using her opponents’ attacks against each other; but she managed to hold her own long enough for them to retreat. The dark angel soared back around and started to fly away from them, trying to increase the gap with what she knew was coming next. Hovering in the air, Shizuru was able to hear nothing but silence for a brief moment. She even got a chance to close her eyes and enjoy it before hearing the incoming source of conflict.

While they certainly were fewer in number, these angels with striped black wings were the ultimate killers. After all, that was the sole purpose of existence for the Angels of Death. They were to use all of their strength simply to kill anyone Heaven targeted; succeeding at all costs; the only ones who could match Shizuru in power.

“... Come...” she whispered.

A split second later her eyes were opened and focused. First she would start with a wide range attack, summoning many balls of fire to her sides and then hurling them at the approaching forces. Shizuru kept this up as long as realistically possible, knowing that it wouldn’t kill any of them, only damage the surface. Most of them also shared her ability to heal quickly, making it even more difficult. However, the Shizuru that faced them was too proud, and too mad, to stop trying. She wanted all of Heaven to burn for what it had put her through, and for what it asked of her; and the more she killed, the more her demon half wanted to continue.

These rough creatures soared towards her now at incredible speeds, the front row spinning towards her like a drill. Shizuru was able to dodge this first try, but afterwards was hit cleanly with a lightning bolt from an adjacent angel. The thunder shot straight through her side and made her fall for a short time while it healed. With a grimace she turned up and fought back by creating more fire serpents. However these ones were smaller, faster, and semi-solid; therefore they were able to wrap their targets. Shizuru herself then once more shrouded herself in defensive fires and charged directly into the mass of remaining angels. She managed to use her claws to skewer one of them, but when she changed course like she planned there were many more ready for her than expected. A second time she was brought down, now by a set of spears jabbed through her torso and her limbs.

However, the more damage she took, the more she wanted to deal. Even as she was falling to the ground Shizuru was laughing at them, mocking their attempt to catch her. All she needed to do was pull out the weapons inside of her and the rest her body did on its own. Rushing back up as fast as she could, she began hurling the spears back at all who flew in her way.

But that was the end of her victory.

A trap had been set, and Shizuru was right in the center of it. For the second time that day she was taken down from behind, although this time the angel that landed on her back was much more violent. Shizuru struggled as much as she could to get him off, but it only caused her to flap her wings in a confused way and flip and fall repeatedly. The farthest she could reach back with her claws were his legs, but impaling them didn’t stop this angel that was all too close to achieving his goal. With one hand firmly grasping the base of Shizuru’s wing, where it connected with her back, he was just about to tear it from her when a dark figure leaped off the edge of the sky palace, through the air, and then connected with the Angel of Death. All of Natsuki’s strength in addition to the momentum from her run was enough to tackle him off Shizuru... but from there they fell.

“Natsuki!” Shizuru cried as she watched the girl and the angel crash into the cliff side, “NO!”

Ignoring any pursuers, Shizuru folded her wings and dove down as fast as she could... however it was not enough. The other angel, while hurt had been able to fly away from the jagged rocks; but Natsuki lacked that power. She fell violently, hitting many sharp stones on her way down, unable to stop rolling. At last her suffering was to end, as the cliff had become indented and formed a sea cave. Natsuki’s limp, torn body fell freely into the ocean of holy water.

“NATSUKI!”

Shizuru wasted no time in trying to save her love, diving straight into the water after her. She swam as quickly as she could to reach Natsuki’s body, but it was too late. The demon girl’s form was already starting to disintegrate from the water’s touch.

No! NO!Shizuru’s mind continued to wail as she pulled her emerald-eyed girl to her body into a tight embrace. Her body was shivering with fear and sadness. Her fingers could feel her Natsuki start to fall apart like sand. The angel still held on, gripping tighter and tighter into a fading entity. Natsuki herself now lacked the ability to move anymore. All that was left was for her to disappear in Shizuru’s arms...

Surrounded by the deep blue of the ocean, Shizuru floated motionlessly and alone. She stared emptily at her hands, where Natsuki had been just moments ago; all of her tears being swept away by the current. So lost in her sadness, she failed to notice her changing body. What were once fangs slowly reverted to her natural teeth, and in the same way in which the demon had disappeared, so did the patterns of black feathers mixed into Shizuru’s wings. She had become a pure angel again; just as if Natsuki had been killed from the start. Though as such, Shizuru no longer felt anger or hate anymore... only sadness as she started to float to the surface lifelessly.

Meanwhile, above the water, Haruka and Yukino had regained their health and along with Reito began barring the path to the water. The brunette covered the entire area with an invisibility cloak and the blonde made a physical one. Then Reito, along with as many nobles as he could find proceeded to order all of the Angels of Death back to their secure area. They were reluctant at first, especially given the amount of damage Shizuru caused, but without the elders anymore the next in line that they would listen to were the nobles. Leaving the other officials to escort them, the three friends now flew down to the surface of the water where they could see Shizuru slowly appearing.

They hovered together for a moment but as soon as a crowd started to form on the nearby shore Haruka darted towards them.

“Get out of here!” she ordered, “Go! The fighting is over okay! Just let her be in peace!”

“What if she tries something again!?”

“Yeah! Are you on her side!?”

“Damn it can’t you see!” she pointed to the other two hoisting the immobile body of her friend out of the water, “She can’t do a thing! She might not even remember what she’s doing here so just...!” a few tears fell down her cheeks, “So just go away!!”

Haruka had that something in her voice, luckily, that got people to obey. Though it was slowly, the surrounding angels dispersed into other groups, most of whom wanted to find out what had just gone on in the first place. As for the group of four, Yukino and Reito sat next to Shizuru on a rock, but literally had to hold her body in place.

“She’s alive,” Reito said, trying to hold back his sadness, “But... soulless...”

Now Yukino too was crying at the sight of those once vibrant eyes having turned to a dusty brown. They were all quiet for some time, waiting to see if Shizuru would move on her own, but no luck.

“... F...ain...” she managed to whisper, “...Fountain...”

Haruka blinked in shock. She wanted to go to the fountain; the place where she first met Natsuki.

“Do you think it’s a good idea?” Reito asked.

“I... I don’t-” she looked into Shizuru’s eyes once more, “... If she wants, we should let her...”

Nodding to each other, the three soaking angels began to make their way up the beach towards the grassy area. They walked slowly, to allow Shizuru to stop if she needed, but eventually made it past the crowds of people who were also trying to swarm her. Again with words from Haruka, they moved way and returned to their houses; leaving her to go back to her friend’s side.

“Shizuru, can you move?” there was no response, “Speak even?”

“Haruka-chan don’t push her...” Yukino said, holding the shell-like girl in her arms, “We just have to wait...”

And wait they did. For a long time the four of them just sat there, each taking turns holding Shizuru and crying for her. Their clothes had even dried under the sun’s rays, and the day was beginning to turn into evening. No matter how exhausted they were from the turmoil, they would not leave Shizuru’s side. The rest of Heaven could wait for now. Things would get sorted soon enough, order was already beginning to be restored, but caring for their friend could only be done now.

As Shizuru now lay on her side on the edge of the fountain, with her head on Yukino’s lap and her feet on Reito’s with Haruka still standing guard, her eyes began to move. She blinked consciously and looked at her surroundings, then from friend to friend, then to the figures in the distance. The way everyone moved was still blurry to her, and the twilight was making her sleepy, but she was focused on something: an angel in the distance.

... Natsuki...she whispered to herself, and then aloud, “Natsuki.”

“Huh? What did you say?” Haruka asked, turning to her friend, but further questions were cut short by an exclamation from the brunette.

“Oh my God...”

“What?”

Shizuru’s eyes began to water and her lips quivered.

“Natsuki!”

Sure enough, a rather lost navy-haired figure was walking along the paths of grass. She looked around, confused for a moment but turned when she heard her name. The girl’s jade eyes met with the scarlet ones she adored and began to tear as well. She was no longer lost.

Quickly getting to her feet, Shizuru ran towards her love. Her love that now stood before her with beautiful white wings and open arms. Without a word they met with a kiss, each crying tears of joy as they embraced.

“... But... how?” Shizuru asked, still refusing to let go of Natsuki.

“After I fell in the water, I started to hear voices. Well... not voices, more like thoughts...” she held a confused expression, “They said that since I proved one of their ultimate truths wrong that they would make up for it by granting me a wish.”

“A wish?”

“Because they never believed that a demon would sacrifice themself for an angel, but I did, that I had done something great for them in showing that they were wrong. When they asked if there was something they could do to thank me all I said was that I wanted to be with you,” their eyes began to tear again and Natsuki smiled, “And here I am!”

“What about the elders? The palace? Us?”

“Sorry... my head’s still a bit fuzzy... But I just know we don’t have to worry. They said, ‘A new order is being created’ and that we would be safe,” she ran her fingers through Shizuru’s hair, “Thank you.”

“But you’re the one who saved me...”

Natsuki shook her head.

“I never could have if you hadn’t had saved me. If you never came for me I probably would have become a demon permanently after being killed by that gang. But you saved me then and continued to protect me through everything... If you had never appeared to me, I never would have known the person I want to spend eternity with.”

Shizuru remained wide eyed.

“And now we have it.”

--0--

A/N: Once again thanks to everyone for reading this story!