Original Stories Fan Fiction / Angels Fan Fiction ❯ Angel and Demon Wars ❯ Chapter Thirteen - Different Directions ( Chapter 13 )

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

Angel and Demon Wars

Chapter Thirteen

Ami hadn't realized how exhausted nearly dying had left her until she woke up the next morning, having slept a full twelve hours. She sat up in her bed, looking around the room. Nobody was there. She frowned and grabbed some clothes to wear for the day. She had just put them on when she heard voices from outside the door.

“Is she awake yet?” Ichigo asked worriedly. “We need to take this back to Miya as soon as possible.”

“I'll go check,” Sadako said. The door opened just as Ami approached it. “Oh! Good morning, Ami,” Sadako said cheerily. “Glad you're finally awake. Now we can go.”

Ami frowned. “To find the Chalice,” she said slowly.

Sadako looked at her quizzically. “No…to take the horn back to Miya so she can save that man. Remember?”

Ami shook her head. “Yes, but…this is more important.”

Ichigo gaped at her. “What is more important than saving someone's life? We still have plenty of time to get the Chalice.”

“No, we don't.” Ami turned away and looked at the ground. “We need to find it first. Then we can go help Miya.”

Maeko frowned. “You're wrong,” she said simply. The others nodded. “When we elected you leader, we thought you'd look out for the best interests of everyone. That's not what you're doing. Nobody is going to die if we backtrack for a day.”

“I am looking out for our best interests,” Ami said.

“I'm taking over,” Maeko said. “Unless you can explain exactly what about the Chalice is so important that it can't wait a day.”

Ami was silent. Keisuke, where are you when I actually need you?

“I guess that settles it,” Maeko said. “Come on, you guys. Let's go back to Miya's and give her the Chalice.”

Ami looked up at her. “No.”

“Fine, stay here, or go off on your own, or whatever. But we're going.” Maeko grabbed her bag and headed down the stairs. Ichigo and Sadako each glanced at Ami before finally following Maeko.

Ami sighed and, grabbing her own bag, walked down the stairs alone. When she got outside, the person she'd wanted to see a moment before was standing there. “Where were you?” she demanded angrily. “They went back to help Miya. I'm all alone now.”

Keisuke sighed. “Look in your bag,” he said. Ami took it off and looked inside.

“What am I looking for?” she asked.

“The map I gave you,” he said. “Notice anything unusual?”

“A red dot in this town?” Ami asked. “Strange. That wasn't there before.”

“Do you remember what red dots mean?”

“Important people?” Ami asked.

“Yes, exactly.”

“Who is it?”

“Someone you've been looking for.”

Ami frowned. Keisuke shook his head.

“Just go find him, okay?” He laughed. “Believe me, he'll make things a lot easier.”

Ami sighed and nodded. She walked forward, studying the map, and followed it, nearly running into a man at her destination.

“Watch it!” he said, jumping back. Ami looked up at him.

“Ryu?” She couldn't believe her eyes. “You came back?”

“Yeah.” He appeared to be confused. “I kind of live here,” he said. “Why?”

“Because we've been looking for you!” Ami rolled her eyes. “I have a message for you.”

Ryu cocked his head to the right. “What is it?”

“Emiko, the unicorn you enchanted, wants to see you.”

Ryu stared blankly at her. “What?”

“Aren't you the one who enchanted her..?” Ami asked.

“Yes, but…” Ryu shook his head. “She shouldn't want to talk to me. I didn't mean to do it. It was a mistake. I was young, and I messed up.”

“But she likes it. She thinks it's useful. Now she can talk to humans and to unicorns.”

Ryu frowned. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” Ami sighed. “Would you please go see her?”

“Will you go with me?”

Ami paused. She looked behind her, toward the inn where Keisuke had already disappeared. “I wish he wouldn't do that,” she mumbled. Then she looked in the direction the others had already gone. “I…guess I could go,” she said.

“Great!” Ryu smiled. “Then let's go.”

“I feel bad leaving her behind,” Sadako said, running to catch up to Maeko.

“Why? She's the one who has everything we need. If it wasn't for me and my excellent sense of direction, we'd be lost right now.”

Ichigo nodded absently. “Do you think she'll be okay?” she asked quietly.

“She can handle herself,” Sadako said. “Besides, Keisuke will help her. He always does.”

“I guess,” Ichigo said. She sighed. “I hope we're not too late to help Miya.”

“We shouldn't be,” Sadako said. “It hasn't been that long.” A squirrel scurried by her feet. “Hey, that thing's cute,” she said.

The squirrel stopped and stared at her quizzically before running up the trunk of a tree.

“Isn't that a squirrel?” Ichigo asked.

“I don't know,” Sadako replied. “I've never seen one.”

“It is,” Maeko said.

“They walked in silence for a few moments. Then Maeko stopped.

“What's wrong?” Ichigo asked.

“That house up there. Isn't that Miya's?”

“Yeah, so?” Sadako asked. “Isn't that a good thing?”

“Yeah, but…we've been walking a few hours. It took us an entire day before.”

Ichigo reached into her pocket, making sure the horn was still there. She took it out. It still glowed as intensely as it had when they cut it off of the dead unicorn. “Maybe it moved.”

“Houses don't move,” Maeko said.

“Miya is a witch,” Sadako reminded her. “Maybe she finally got a spell right.”

“Or wrong, and it just benefited us somehow.” Maeko laughed. “Okay. Let's check it out. We'll see if it's Miya's house or not.”

They approached the building cautiously. None of the three girls said a word. They reached the front porch and Maeko knocked on the door. It opened, and the girl standing there smiled at them, relieved.

“You're back!” It was, in fact, Miya.

“Your house moved,” Maeko informed her.

“It did?” Miya looked around outside. “Well, that sucks.” She sighed. “I should have warned you that that happens sometimes. Well, come in.”

She led the three clearly confused girls inside the house and into the basement, where the petrified man stood. “You brought the horn, right?”

Ichigo showed it to her. Miya took it carefully, studying it. “This is exactly what I needed. Excuse me.” She ran upstairs.

The girls remained in the basement, staring at the man. “Is he going to make it?” Ichigo asked.

Sadako frowned. “I think so,” she said. “I was never as good at the telepathic thing.”

“Not all angels have the same abilities?” Maeko asked.

“Well, we do. But some are better than others. Ami's better at the telepathy and telekinesis, but I'm better at the…fighting…stuff.”

“Oh. I guess it's that way with demons, too,” Maeko said.

Ichigo nodded. “Maeko's much better than me at fighting.”

“And you're better than me at…um…everything else.” Maeko laughed.

Miya ran down the stairs and into the basement, carrying a vial. “This should work,” she said. She stood on her toes, leaning toward the stone man's mouth. She gingerly poured the mixture into his partially-opened mouth and waited.

At first it seemed as though nothing would happen. Then a finger moved. And an arm. Then both arms. Within ten minutes, the man was completely mobile.

Miya beamed. “I did it!”

The man frowned. “What happened to me?”

Miya stopped rejoicing and stared at him. “I…I…” She sighed. “It was a spell gone wrong. I sort of wanted you to fall in love with me, but instead you turned to stone.”

The man stared back at her. “Um, Miya?”

“Yes?” she asked, wincing.

“Promise me you won't do that again.”

“I promise,” she said softly. “I'm so sorry. I just loved you so much…”

He sighed. “That you couldn't bother to ask if I loved you, too?” Miya had begun to cry. He stepped toward her, embracing her.

“Yukio?”

“I've always loved you.”

“Um, let's get out of here,” Maeko whispered. The other two nodded. They quietly walked up the stairs, across the foyer, and out of Miya's house.

“That didn't take long,” Sadako said once they were out of the house.

“No, it didn't.” Maeko smiled. “Maybe we can catch up to Ami now and rub it in her face that she was wrong.”