Chapter Sixteen:
Oreta tsubasa o habatakase
Subete o keshite mise you
Itsu no hi ka owari o kukaeru
Saigo no kane ga nari yamu made
Yashii dake no kotoba nara
Ima no boku wa iyase nai
Hateshi naku tsuzuku tatakai ni
Nono mi o subete sasageru dake
Redemption
Redemption
His eyes opened, and he blocked the blade's downward plunge with his knife.
The sword was thrown from my hands, and the spell was broken.
Michael tackled me to the ground, holding my hands above my head.
"Ariel?" His eyes stared deep into mine, begging me that this was a dream.
I heard Lucifer's howl of fury from outside, and my eyes widened.
"Oh, God," I whispered, realizing what I had been about to do. What I had already done . . .with him . . .
I pulled my hands out of Michael's and put his face between them. "Oh, Michael, I'm so sorry!" I whispered, hugging him, crying.
He pulled me close, kissing my cheek. "Ariel, what has he done to you?" he asked softly, pulling away to look into my eyes.
"He . . . I . . . I don't know." I was really crying now, uncontrollably. "He brainwashed me or something!"
Lucifer suddenly stormed into the tent, grabbing Michael and heaving him up. His eyes were shooting sparks—literally.
Michael wrapped his big hands around Lucifer's throat, and they wrestled on the ground.
Michael straddled Lucifer, a foot on his chest, his wings spread out above him, punching him in the face. Lucifer had transformed, and now clawed at Michael with long black fingernails, trying to bite him with long, sharp fangs.
Despite the description, he looked more demon than vampire.
Lucifer flipped Michael onto his back, and I swear I heard one of his wings break. The look of anguish on Michael's face confirmed it, and I tried to go over and help him, but I was frozen in place—another spell of Lucifer's, perhaps.
The others came running—in Gabriel's case, flying—at the sound of the fight.
"Michael!" Jeep yelled, running in.
Naoya, being uncharacteristically brave, tried to run at Lucifer and attack him, but Lucifer simply flicked his wrist, and the young Japanese man suddenly burst into flames.
Kiriko screamed, tears jumping to her eyes, and she, too, tried to run, but Gabriel pulled her back, pulling her into his bandaged chest.
Lucifer slammed Michael onto the ground, his features becoming more and more demonic by the second.
Gabriel suddenly looked as though an idea had formed in his mind. "Michael!" he shouted, tossing his mace. "Use this!"
Michael caught the handle, looking at the buttons and switches at the bottom. "How am I supposed to do that, exactly?" he shouted back.
"Twist the handle!"
Michasel did as he was told, just as Lucifer tried to cut his throat with his claws.
A long blade slid out of the end of the mace, but Michael was too late. Lucifer smacked the mace out of his hand, and it landed at my feet.
Lucifer stood, smiling, and waved his hand. A long, evil-looking sword appeared out of thin air.
"Come on, Michael," he laughed. "Just like old times."
Michael staggered up, reaching for his sword. He was bleeding out of several face wounds.
Lucifer cackled.
I clenched my fists, then realized something—I had moved. He was no longer holding the spell on me. He had forgotten I was there.
I reached down for the mace, then, as Lucifer was distracted with Michael, ran at him, plunging the blade at the end into his heart.
His eyes widened, staring into mine. "You . . . you've killed me," he said, more shock than fury.
"You brainwashing, motherfucking, asshole son of a bitch!" I yelled at him. I didn't know so many swear words could come out of my mouth at one time. It didn't even make sense, but it got my point across: I hated him.
Lucifer reached up to my face, then watched with horror as his beautiful, pale skin turned black and crumbled away.
"What have you done?" he shouted, looking at me. "What have you done?" He watched as black bones replaced his hand and most of his arm, and ash and glowing cinders fell away to reveal even more bone. His eyes glowed like fire, then I realized that they were on fire. He howled with pain and rage as his eyes became flames, and more fire came out of his mouth.
Finally, Lucifer fell away into a pile of ashes and blackened, burned bones, leaving only Gabriel's mace behind.
He picked it up, twisted the handle in the opposite direction, then replaced it in its holster by his side.
"What have you done?" Michael asked. "He's dead!"
"He's not dead," Gabriel and I said in unison.
"That looks pretty damn dead to me," Eli said, gesturing at the pile of ashes.
"He's moved on," I said, smirking. "He died and was reincarnated in Hell. Only your blade can truly kill him, Michael. Gabriel's mace can hurt him and leave him trapped in his kingdom forever."
Gabriel and I smiled at each other, sharing our realization. I felt strong arms wrap around my waist, and Michael turned me around to face him, tilting my chin up. His lips touched mine, and it felt good to finally actually know who and what I was kissing, and be truly in love with them instead of being brainwashed.
I felt something push against the skin of my shoulder blades—from the inside—and pulled away, startled. Michael looked even more surprised, looking above me in wonder.
"Ariel," Jeep said, his voice shocked. "Your wings . . ."
My eyes widened, and I looked around. I had wings.
I. Had. Wings.
What happens next?
The Apocalypse ended a few weeks later. Gabriel, Michael, and I had to go back to Heaven to be briefed, to put it in simple terms. When Gabriel asked if he could be a guardian angel for Kiriko, God accepted. Michael and I asked if we could be general guardians, who live among humans and can make their wings disappear at times, and this, too, was accepted.
Two weeks later, Gabriel and Kiriko were married. Two weeks later, Kiriko called me with news that she and Gabriel were going to have a child.
Another week, and Michael and I got married.
Demitri ended up writing a book about our adventure, dedicating it to me.
We took Naoya's remains and put them in an urn, shipping them off to what family he had left in Japan. It surprised me to find out that his family was made up of ninjas that had survived the Apocalypse.
Eli became President of the United States, and Jeep was his advisor. He named his son Michael Hanson, despite Michael's protests.
Kiriko became the world's most prestiged doctor, and when asked where she got her skills, she replied: "My mother was a nurse for a small-town hospital in Nevada when this happened. She had me, then taught me how to help people. I spent my entire life in the Apocalypse bandaging people up, giving them stitches, and not once has a patient died on me. Shows you what eighteen years in the Apocalypse does compared to medical school."
Michael and I had twins, and I named our sons Gabriel and—Jeep cried when he heard—Robert Hanson, a.k.a Bobby.
And Lucifer?
No idea.
All we know is that he was gone for good, and would never bother the earth again.
Meanwhile...
I shook the bars of the cage furiously, to no avail.
"Damn you, Ariel!" I shouted. I was trapped here, permanently.
"You seem to be locked in the same cage you locked Gabriel in, my lord," Asmodeus said, stepping forth out of the shadows. He raised a cruelly arched eyebrow, smirking.
"Oh, shut your mouth and get me the fuck out of here," I ordered, gripping the bars.
He tilted his head to the side, seemingly pondering his options. "You know, being an archdemon, I am one of the few who actually have the ability to disobey you."
"No, the hell you don't," I growled. "Unlock the damn door, Asmodeus!"
"How about no, Lucy?" he taunted.
"What did you just call me?" I asked.
"Lucy, the Princess of Darkness." He laughed evilly, steping back into the shadows.
I howled with animalistic fury, clawing at the bars of the cage, even chewing on them, trying to escape. I was a wild animal trapped in here, and I was determined to get the hell out.
It was no use. I wasn't getting out of here without the key.
"Damn you, Asmodeus!" I shouted.
"Funny, I already am," he called back, and then, I was left alone, with only my shadow for company.
I cried.
NOTE: That's all, folks! Well, doesn't Lucy get what he deserves?
Songs: (In order by chapter)
"Redemption" by Gackt
"Papa Mama" by Miyavi
"Papa Mama" by Miyavi
"Redemption" by Gackt
"Papa Mama" by Miyavi (a bit repetitive , non?)
"Redemption" by Gackt
"Still Doll" by Kanon Wakeshima
"Redemption" by Gackt
"Redemption" by Gackt
"Jesus" by Gackt
"Dear My Friend" by Miyavi
"Mizerable" by Gackt
"Futatsu No Kodou To Akai Tsumi" by ON/OFF
"Rondo" by ON/OFF
"The Prophet" by Moi Dix Mois
And . . . "Redemption" by Gackt.
Now you see who my favorite musician is. ^_^
Review?