Original Stories Fan Fiction / Angels Fan Fiction ❯ Angel and Demon Wars ❯ Chapter Ten - Cure ( Chapter 10 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Author's note: Hey. So I meant to write this a couple of days ago, but stuff happened (namely, when I was writing it, it was 4:40 PM on January 22, and I was surfing the internet and saw that Heath Ledger died. So I spent about twenty minutes informing everyone I knew because it was so shocking. Then I searched the news websites to find out what happened, but it was still too early to find out anything at that point. And then, after that, I had to go to my mom's for dinner and my brother came back to the house with me after that. And the next day I had a job interview and went to see Cloverfield. And earlier, well…I don't have an excuse for earlier. And wow, that was long). Anyway, I apologize, even though nobody probably cared anyway. I'm mostly apologizing to the characters, who have been unconscious for much longer than I intended.

Angel and Demon Wars

Chapter Ten

“What am I going to do?” Keisuke wondered aloud, walking away from the Council building. He frowned, staring at the ground as he walked, paying no attention to where he was going. “There must be a cure. It's a magical virus. There's always a cure.” He didn't even notice that he was being followed.

Keisuke rounded a corner, walking aimlessly along the road. This road was one of the very few in the Domain of the Gods. Mostly, the gods magically teleported themselves wherever they needed to go. The roads were only there as a means of organization, in order to find places that one did not necessarily know how to reach. They were also use, of course, in the manner Keisuke was now using them: to walk, in order to solve a problem or to run away, literally or figuratively, from a troubling situation. Keisuke was doing both.

Rounding another corner, Keisuke heard someone behind him clearing his throat. Keisuke turned to face him.

“I couldn't help hearing about your plight back there.” The man was a god, fourth-ranked if Keisuke remembered correctly. He had been in the meeting hall with the other gods and had remained silent while Hitomi had spoken.

“What about it?” Keisuke asked. “And please tell me quickly, because I have a disease to cure and a limited time frame in which to cure it.”

“That's exactly it, Keisuke,” the god said. “I have the cure.”

Keisuke frowned. “You have it?”

“I made it,” the god said. “I made the disease, and therefore, I made the cure.”

“Are you going to give it to me?” Keisuke asked.

“I'm considering it,” the god said. “But I'd really like to know how you intend to solve the problem with the angels and demons without taking away their free will or killing them.” Keisuke was silent. The other god continued. “We would all like to know. But if you tell me, I can assure you that I will not tell anyone else.”

“Can I trust you?” Keisuke asked.

“Do you have a choice?” the god said. “Look, I'm pretty open-minded. All I want is to know what you're planning to do. I probably won't even try to stop you.”

“Probably?”

“Probably. I make no promises. And like I said, what choice do you have?”

Keisuke sighed. “Fine, then. But I need to know your name first.”

“Kazuki,” the god said.

“Kazuki,” Keisuke repeated, “I have a group of two angels and two demons who are currently attempting to find and obtain the golden chalice.”

“So…you do want to remove their free will?”

“No,” Keisuke said. “I want to prove to everyone—angels, demons, and even gods—that angels and demons can work together, despite their differences.”

“But that's only four. All of Heaven and Hell are constantly at war.”

“Because they don't understand each other.” Keisuke sighed, realizing that Kazuki didn't understand him, either. “Already, they're starting to care about each other. You saw that on the screen. You can't deny it. And these girls were at the tops of their classes. So they're practically soldiers.”

Kazuki shook his head. “We wondered what you were trying to do with those girls. This is ridiculous, Keisuke. When we told you to solve the problem, we didn't expect—“

“What did you expect?” Keisuke asked. “Did you expect me to find the Chalice myself and use it to take away the free will of our brothers and sisters?”

“They're not—“

“They were,” Keisuke said. “Before we were gods. You remember, I know it. Before you were a god, you were one of the two. Which were you? An angel or a demon?”

“It was a long time ago, Keisuke,” Kazuki said. “I don't remember.”

“That's the problem, then, isn't it?” Keisuke said. “No one remembers. It's so easy to pass judgment when we can't remember being exactly the same way. We need to teach them how to get along. And these girls can help.”

Kazuki sighed. “All right.” He pulled a vial out of his pocket. “We haven't actually given the virus to anyone in Heaven or Hell yet. We only gave it to those four. This is the antidote.” He handed it to Keisuke, along with four syringes. “You have to inject it. Make sure you do it carefully. There's exactly enough for the four of them.”

Keisuke nodded, taking the vial from the other god.

“And you only have a week. I prepared this, expecting to give it to you, but it's not a true antidote. If they don't find the Chalice within a week, they'll die. This is only going to stave the virus off for a while. And if they come into any angels or demons, by some odd chance, by that time, they won't be contagious, either.”

“A week?” Keisuke asked. “But how can they possibly—“

“It doesn't really concern me,” Kazuki said. “I'm going to be in enough trouble already, if anyone on the Council finds out.”

Keisuke nodded reluctantly. “I'll be going now. Um…thank you,” he said.

“No problem,” Kazuki said. “For the record, I have vague memories of being a demon.”

Keisuke smiled and watched as the other god walked off. Then Keisuke vanished, as he often did, and reappeared in the hotel room of the angels and demons.

He pulled the vial out of his pocket and carefully removed the lid, sitting both on a nearby stand. He pulled a vial out and cautiously dipped it into the liquid, drawing out exactly five milliliters of the antidote. He walked over to Ichigo and knelt beside her, injecting the needle. He did the same with the other three girls, ending with Ami. Then he sat down on a chair and waited for the girls to awaken.

Ami was first. She opened her eyes and looked around the room without turning her head. She saw Keisuke sitting in the chair and eyed him suspiciously. She sat up. “What happened?” she asked.

“A virus,” Keisuke said. “You're fine, now.”

Ami frowned. “How did we get the virus?”

Keisuke shrugged.

Ami stared at him. “Why do you do that?”

“Do what?” he asked.

“You never tell us anything. You keep all these secrets and treat us like children. Why don't you tell me the truth, for once?”

Keisuke raised an eyebrow. “Okay. If you want the truth, I'll tell you. But you won't like it. And I'm not telling you in here, because your friends will wake up soon.” He pointed toward Maeko, who was already starting to stir.

“Fine, then where can we talk?” Ami asked.

Keisuke said nothing. He rose from his chair and walked toward her. Ami took a step back, frightened. But Keisuke held out his arms and hugged her toward him. There was a flash of light and suddenly they were outside, on a beach.

“There was no beach outside before,” Ami said. She looked at Keisuke, who pulled away from her. “Where are we?”

“Someplace we can talk,” he said. “There's a lot you should know, and time stands still here.” He pointed to the ocean. “The waves aren't even moving, as you can see.”

Ami turned and realized that he was right. “You can stop time?” she asked.

“No, but some other gods can.” He sighed and looked into her eyes. “Before I tell you anything, you have to promise me you won't tell the others. And you have to trust that I will do everything that I can do to help you. Trust that I'll do nothing to hurt you.”

“I promise. And I trust you,” Ami said.

Keisuke sighed. “I was afraid you would.”