Original Stories Fan Fiction / Angels Fan Fiction ❯ Angel and Demon Wars ❯ Chapter Three - Unicorn's Horn ( Chapter 3 )

Author's note: See, I'm weird. I can type two chapters in one night. And then go for months without writing anything. So here you go. Again, I apologize if it seems that I've portrayed you negatively. Seems the only one who is actually portrayed entirely positively so far is Ichigo, haha.

 

Angel and Demon Wars

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Chapter Three

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© 2007 Ohne Sie

 

 

“What, exactly, do you want us to do for you?” Maeko asked, narrowing her eyes.

 

Miya shrugged. “Well, you don't have to. I mean…unless you want someplace to stay tonight. All I'm asking is for one tiny favor. I need that missing ingredient.”

 

“Well, what is it?” Sadako asked. “We don't have time to be messing around on stupid little quests for people.”

 

“But if we don't help her, it sounds like that man will die,” Ami said.

 

“Yeah, and we really do need someplace to stay tonight, right?” Ichigo added.

 

Maeko and Sadako sighed simultaneously, glaring at each other when they realized that they were behaving similarly.

 

“So you'll do it?” Miya said happily.

 

“Yeah,” Maeko said reluctantly.

 

“I guess.” Sadako shook her head.

 

“Okay! Hold on, I'm going to teleport us back to my house—“

 

“Wait!” the girls all called out. Miya cocked her head to the side.

 

“What?” she asked.

 

“I think we'd rather walk to your house,” Ichigo said, trying not to hurt the young witch's feelings. “You know…to…uh…prepare us for our upcoming journey.” The others nodded emphatically. “Because we'll be walking a lot.”

 

“Okay, fine. I guess it's not that far away anyway.” She turned and started walking. “Follow me.”

 

Within an hour the group arrived at Miya's house. It was actually relatively large, which surprised the angels and demons, because they expected to see a tiny cottage. Miya's house, however, had three bedrooms, a large kitchen, two bathrooms, a living room, a basement, and an attic.

 

“How did you afford this?” Sadako asked, looking around the house in awe.

 

“I inherited it,” Miya said simply. “My parents died and left me this house, as well as a mansion I don't use and a small fortune. I'll never have to work and I can spend all of my time perfecting my spells.” She said all this with a hint of pride in her voice.

 

Ami rolled her eyes. It sounded like Miya was just a spoiled brat. She suddenly had second thoughts about helping her, but she decided that the risk of someone dying was probably more important than her personal feelings about Miya. “So,” she said, “As Sadako asked you before, what is the missing ingredient?”

 

“A unicorn's horn.”

 

“That shouldn't be too hard,” Maeko mused. “We just find a unicorn and ask for its horn, right?”

 

“Yeah, except unicorns are rare. And I think the unicorn has to be dead for you to use its horn,” Sadako said, looking to Miya for confirmation.

 

Miya nodded. “Yes. A unicorn's horn can only be obtained by killing the unicorn. Well, that, or having the unicorn die of natural causes, but that requires a bit of luck very few possess.”

 

“I'm not killing a unicorn for you,” Ami said. “Forget that.”

 

“I know it's a long shot, but…” Miya's face darkened. “I can't leave this forest, because I need to keep an eye on the man I accidentally cursed. You, however…you're all going on some kind of journey, so maybe you could look for a unicorn for me. If you find a horn, you could bring it to me. Right?” She looked at them desperately. “Please, I'm begging you.”

 

“We should try,” Ichigo said. “We might get lucky.”

 

“I'll agree under one condition,” Sadako said. “Miya, I want to see the man you cursed.”

 

Miya nodded, sighing. “Come with me, then.” She opened the basement door and walked down the stairs. The others paused for a moment, looked at each other in bewilderment, and followed her. Then they saw something that made them gasp.

 

What stood before them was not a man, but it was a statue of a man. “This must be a joke,” Maeko said angrily.

 

“No, see, the spell…I accidentally made him a statue. Well, not exactly. He's still alive, but…he's becoming more statue-like each day. Soon he will be a complete statue and I won't be able to reverse it. So you can see why I need your help.”

 

“It's true,” Ami said. She had walked over to the statue while Miya was talking. “He's alive.”

 

“How do you know?” Maeko asked.

 

“He's crying for help,” she replied.

 

“Angels are very sensitive to people's emotions. Some can even communicate telepathically,” Sadako said smugly. She laughed as Maeko glared at her. “See, right now, you want to kill me.”

 

“Yes, I imagine he is crying for help,” Miya said softly. “I'm trying, but there's only so much I can do on my own.”

 

“We'll help you,” Ichigo said.

 

Maeko turned to her sister, dumbfounded. “No. Why should we believe what this angel says?”

 

“Because they believed you when you were leading us out of the forest,” Ichigo replied. “Also, because we can't afford to not believe her.”

 

“I think we should help, too,” Ami said. Sadako shook her head.

 

“But we have to find the Chalice. We can't waste time. I mean, I feel for the guy, but…”

 

“Yeah, what she said,” Maeko pleaded. “Come on, seriously, there's no way we can find a unicorn's horn without killing it, and I know you won't want to do that,” Maeko told Ichigo.

 

“There's a chance,” Ichigo said stubbornly.

 

“Fine, whatever. Don't blame me if everyone in Heaven dies,” Sadako told Ami, crossing her arms.

 

“Fine.” Maeko sighed. “I guess we can just look for the horn while we search for the chalice.”

 

Miya's face lit up. “So you'll help me?”

 

“Yeah,” the four girls chorused unenthusiastically.

 

“Yay!” she clapped and jumped up and down. “Okay, yeah, anyway, I guess you're probably tired. There are two spare bedrooms, with two beds each, so take your pick. My bedroom is the first one you get to when you get upstairs, so you can have the other two tonight. If you need me for the next few hours, I'll be down here.”

 

“Okay,” Maeko and Sadako said, heading upstairs. They each opened the door to a different room and went inside.

 

Ami and Ichigo remained in the basement out of curiosity, and concern for Miya, respectively. “Miya?” Ichigo asked softly. The witch was staring at the statue, crying.

 

“Please leave me for now,” she responded. Ami and Ichigo quietly obeyed. As they opened the doors to their respective rooms, Ichigo turned to Ami.

 

“I want you to know that I really don't hate angels,” she said simply, closing the door behind her.

 

Ami smiled and closed her door as well.

 

“I can't believe this crap,” Sadako said as Ami sat down on her bed. Sadako was seated on her own bed, bouncing angrily. “It just had to be demons, didn't it? Why should the gods care what happens to them, anyway? I thought angels were the favored ones.”

 

Ami shrugged. “I don't think there is a `favored' one. Maybe it was just propaganda or something.”

 

“No, see, the Angel Council wouldn't lie to us like that. The demons are evil and the gods hate them and they want us to fight them.”

 

“Then why would Keisuke tell us something different?”

 

“Maybe it's a test of our resolve. To see how loyal we are to the angels.”

 

Ami shook her head. “No, he seemed genuine. He seemed troubled, but not like he was lying.”

 

“Well, maybe the other gods lied to him, then. I don't know. I just don't think the gods really want us to be friends with those creatures.”

 

“But they don't really seem that bad. I mean, you and Maeko fight a lot, but…Ichigo seems really nice.”

 

“Well, maybe there are some good demons, or something. I know there are angels I don't like. Or maybe she has some angel blood in her or something. It's just hard to believe that we're supposed to stop fighting. I mean, why wouldn't the Council just end the wars if there was no reason for them in the first place?”

 

“Maybe because they forgot the reason for the hatred,” Ami said slowly. “And the fighting is just a tradition now.”

 

Sadako frowned. “I must be tired. You're actually starting to make sense.” She shook her head, as if she were trying to make the doubt go away. “Okay, yeah, I'm going to sleep. Good night.”

 

“Night…” Ami lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. Maybe I'm right, she thought. Maybe angels and demons are the same, and both sides have forgotten the reason we fight. Maybe they're not evil. She yawned. Maybe we are in danger of having free will erased, or having our population diminished. And maybe…maybe Keisuke is actually trying to save us, from that inevitability and from ourselves. With that final troubling thought, Ami somehow managed to fall asleep.