Legal waffle: Angel Sanctuary, it's characters, indices and related designs are property of Kaori Yuki, Hana to Yume comics, Hakusensha, whatever company released the OAVs, whoever it is owns the Chinese rights and the American rights and the French rights and the TV rights and all the other rights you could rightly expect to need to be owned. I know I'm treading on people's toes, but it's just for fun!

Author's notes: I'm feeling inspired right now. This is a short little fic that I bashed out for the fun of it when I should have been asleep in bed; a retelling of the opening scenes of Chapter 13 of the Angel Sanctuary manga from Kurai's point of view, because along with Mad Hatter/Belial she's my favorite female character in the series, even if she isn't Rociel. I apologize for any misapprehensions about content and dialogue, but I can only read the pictures and I did my best. C&C welcome as long as it's essentially supportive…

It doesn't fit.

That's the first thing I think about it, it doesn't fit properly. It's too big for my finger and I can't wear the stupid thing. If I tried I'd lose it within ten minutes of putting it on; if it didn't fall off that'd be because I took it off and put it somewhere and forgot about it. The second thing I feel is mildly annoyed; I'm not the 'jewelry' type. Well, not that kind of jewelry anyway. I don't do pretty rings. Sure it's nice-looking, but it's just not me. Thirdly, most importantly, it's not mine.

She's showboating, I think as she walks away from me, the good girl following her mom to the car. This thing with the ring, it's a gesture. I don't know quite what she expects me to think of it all, or what I'm meant to do with this. Am I just meant to grin at her like an idiot and say fine, you have a nice life now? I yell her name but she doesn't turn, just ducks into the car with her mother. It's like I don't even exist any more now she's done her duty to her brother. Well thank you oh so much I think, then try to force my irritation down; that just won't help anyone. Figure it's not her fault she's got a sense of obligation, but it's not my fault either. I didn't ask for this, did I?

I wonder what I'm doing here. Did I think I could talk her into seeing sense and staying? What could I say to convince someone who's determined to throw the best thing they've ever known away for the sake of loyalty to a selfish woman who almost definitely hasn't got her interests at heart anyway even if she says she has? Sure loyalty is a great thing. Sometimes. Loyalty can also be the worst thing in the whole world and that's what it is now. She didn't listen to a word I was saying, just gave me that gentle, sweetly reasonable but still totally stupid smile and tried to pretend she was happy to be going. Come on. Grant me the intelligence to spot a blatant lie when I see one.

Hell, I think, why would anyone want to be so self-sacrificing? What about what she wants? Or is all she wants is to make this grand stupid gesture of weak-willed selflessness? Get selfish for once, girl, get mean! Why not do something 'cause you really want to for a change and who cares who you walk on to get it? Would it kill you to stop being so unthinkingly nice all the time?

Why would anyone want to spend their whole life watching out for mommy?

That's all it takes and the irritation's back as I stand and watch the taxi pull away from the kerb and I stare at where I know the back of her head is, at that great soft tangle of hair she has pinned up on it. She looked quite the little lady right now. Just as I expected, the bloody ring falls off and I try very hard not to curse. Great, now what am I expected to do? I look back at the road then down at the ring. I suppose I'd better pick it up. Since I've been entrusted with it - guess that's the word I'm looking for, right? - losing it within the first few seconds would be stupid. I stoop, pick it up, and look at it again, turning it over and over between my fingers.

Sara, you idiot. What are you doing? What the hell do you think you've done? And I'm just supposed to nod and smile and wish you a safe trip, then go hand your brother this little ring and tell him that you'll never be coming back? Because that's what giving me this ring means isn't it Sara? It's your ring! He gave it to you!

No.

No, I'm not going to play to her mother's agenda. I'm not just her bloody messenger boy. This isn't right. She shouldn't be doing this just because it's what her mom wants her to do. Okay so she might be miserable with him, but I'm double damn sure that no matter what happens next she won't be anywhere near as miserable with him as she will be if she gets on that plane and leaves him alone. Whether her mom likes it or not they need each other. And I'm not going to be the one who stands back and lets her make the most stupid mistake she's ever made in her entire stupid life. Little coward couldn't even give him the message herself. Can't say I know Sara Mudou backward but I'd guess that means she don't want him to try and talk her out of it, 'cause she knows he'll manage.

He'll be at school now, I think. At least I know where to find him.

By the time I reach his school I'm so furious I want to hit someone. My temper is kind of short I guess but I think this would try anyone's patience. But I'm doing what I've been asked, I'm taking that message to him just like she wanted, aren't I?

Only thing is I'm doing it a bit earlier than she thought I would. Next time you want a message passed on, Sara, deliver it your-bloody-self if you want it done properly.

I can't believe she'd do this! That stupid girl, that bloody stupid girl! What about what you want, Sara? I want to grab her by the shoulders and scream it at her, but I can't. She's probably at the airport by now, standing around and waiting to be swept away and taken to a totally different country to begin a totally new life, a life that you don't have to be a genius to know she's going to absolutely hate what with that religious fanatic mom of hers, now there's someone who never met an angel in her life. For Hell's sake Sara, get a backbone! If she don't start sticking up to her mom sometime soon she's never going to do it at all, she's going to live her whole life worrying about what mom wants and never living for herself. What kind of a way is that to live your life, when people only get such a short time to do it?

I'm running now. I'm almost expecting a shout of don't run in the hallways! Or, Where's your uniform? Or anything. I'm not meant to be here after all. Like I care about that. I've got something to say to Setsuna Mudou and it's urgent. It can't wait until school's over, by then it'll be much, much too late and she'll be long gone. I can't let her do that. If she won't stand up for herself and refuses to wise up then I guess I'll just have to help her along and hope she gets the hint.

He's in the hallways too and I stop short. He's got two guys talking to him and he looks worried, the guys look severe and couldn't be more obviously authority figures if they'd both had the word 'Cop' tattooed on their faces. I'm past caring who he's talking to though, no time to worry about that even if I was the type in the first place so I yell his name loud enough to get his attention, so what if I got theirs too? I'm not going to stop yelling at him until he goes after her. One of them has to wise up some, stop being so bloody noble and willing to just lie down and let Life walk all over the both of them. And since Sara's a lost cause it might as well be Setsuna.

I realize I disturbed those cop guys in the middle of trying to arrest him, and I'm glad. I don't know what the hell they're trying to do never mind why - maybe they found that junkie kid - but it can wait.

He still hasn't spoken; maybe I haven't got through. I don't stop talking, well, shouting more than talking I suppose, but I won't get it through his thick head if I'm not urgent enough. The ring is in my hand and I thrust it toward him. Maybe he'll listen once he's got the proof of my words right under his nose.

Finally Setsuna comes to life, takes him long enough. He says my name and - moving too slowly for my liking, why didn't he grab the bloody thing? - he takes the ring from my hand. Finally, I think, he's understood, and he has. He thanks me and gives me an odd little smile (that smile worries me I think but I don't have the faintest idea why, didn't Lady Alexiel ever smile like that?) then he pulls away from those cop guys and runs. I want to cheer him on, but can't see the point. There's better things to be doing. Like stopping those cop guys from getting him the minute he finally starts to do something about this stupid situation for a start. I'd have done it myself but she wouldn't have listened. Maybe she'll listen to him, though.

I wanted to lash out, so I do.

It's done. I sit on the roof and watch them hurrying to their car; I slowed them down but I guess I couldn't stop them. Couldn't have done more without giving them an excuse to jump me I guess. I've been operating on adrenaline and blind fury and now the high's practically over I feel weird. Like… I dunno if I should have done that and I sigh. I hate feeling unsure. What's going to happen now? Should I stay here and just hope things come out okay or go to the airport just to make sure that he actually finds her or what? What about the cops? Even if he does find her, how's he going to get her away from the airport without getting arrested for… well, whatever it was he was getting arrested for?

I was acting for the best. I think. I hope.

Arakune is stood behind me, talking to me. I stare at my trainers; scuffed, dirty, not like little lady Sara's pretty little shoes. She's so delicate, so fragile, so nice to everyone. So trusting. So everything that I'm not. Did I do the right thing, or not? Should I not have intervened? I hate this, this uncertainty, and even now I don't know if it worked. Maybe he was too late, maybe the plane left already, maybe the police got him before he could reach her. Maybe lots of things. Maybe I should have let her go so she'd be safe and it would be better for all of us if he fails? Setsuna isn't safe here any more so the people he cares for are in danger too. They're quite capable of hurting her just because they want to get at him. I wonder what exactly I've done.

She's too delicate and fragile and nice for this, whatever this is. Things're already getting serious round here, far more serious than I hoped they would. It's not just us who're after Lady Alexiel now and it's not just us who know Setsuna is Lady Alexiel no matter how hard he tries to deny it. Whatever's coming up, she won't be prepared for it, she's just too delicate to cope with things even as they stand and I got a horrible feeling that this is just the start. And having her round makes him vulnerable too. She's his weakness and even if they don't know that now, they will soon enough. They're not stupid. No matter how much I'd like them to be they're far from stupid.

I don't realize I'm crying until Arakune puts his arms around me and hugs me. I've done all I can do and I hope it was good enough. Done all I can do and I hope it was right to do it. Maybe everything will be okay after this, but I don't honestly know. It's not my business any more, nothing I can do about it right now. Maybe if I'd stopped to think I wouldn't have done it, but I didn't. All I've done was what I had to do.

It's up to you now, Setsuna. Don't blow it. Please.

~fin~

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