Shaman King Fan Fiction ❯ Ivy, Shaman Runaway ❯ Ticket To Heaven ( Chapter 61 )

 

Ticket To Heaven

I relaxed a bit and stopped screaming as the bright light began to fade. A strange sensation ran up my spine. `This isn't too different from fire teleportation like Hao uses…' I thought as I absent-mindedly tightened my grip on the oddly dressed stranger, Raphael.

 

“You could say that, yes. My method of transportation is very similar to Hao's.” I jumped slightly as he answered my thoughts.

 

“You! You?! You…” I couldn't quite voice my question.

 

“Yes, I can hear you thoughts.” Raphael smirked at me again as he set me down. Again, he reminded me so much of Hao.

 

We had arrived at our destination, and it hurt my eyes looking at it. Everything was a very bright, fluorescent, glowing, white color. We were in an old courtyard made of bright white stones, and there was a bright white iron gate on the other side. The gate was enormous—maybe sixteen or so feet tall. A light breeze was blowing, and orange leaves blew about the courtyard. The orange stood out brightly against the blinding white.

 

“Where the hell are we?!” I blinked several times, trying to get my eyes to adjust to the light.

 

Raphael rolled his eyes playfully, “Not Hell. Heaven.”

 

“What?!” I looked suspiciously at him.

 

“The others are waiting, come along Ivy.” Raphael ignored me, and dragged me toward the gate.

 

“Raphael!!” A new voice boomed out of nowhere.

 

“Damn…” Raphael mumbled under his breath. “Yes, Gabriel?”

 

A tall man wearing white dress pants and a neatly pressed white dress shirt stepped into view. He had short brown hair and piercing blue eyes. As far as I could tell, this man was twice as old as the 21 looking Raphael. “What is that?!” The new man pointed disgustedly toward me, wincing at the grossness of what stood before him.

 

“That is a girl!” I stepped forward and barked at him. “My name is Ivy Kyôyama, and I demand you show a little respect when talking to me!”

 

Gabriel growled softly in disgust. “Why you little…”

 

Raphael pulled us apart while chuckling softly to himself. “Easy Gabe, she's right. You should respect her a little more. She is after all Hao's X-fiancée.”

 

“SHE is Hao's fiancée!?!?! Michael is not going to be happy about this at all!” Gabe screeched, giving me a once over glance.

 

“X-fiancée.” I corrected. “It's over between us. I was just about to marry Yoh when I died.”

 

“So you'd never consider marrying Hao if you were still alive.?” Gabriel's eyebrow rose.

 

“Never. I love him, but he's a selfish, lying, perverted, jerk. I could never marry someone like that.” I gave a small indignant snort and turned away from the eldest man.

 

“Very well…this bodes illy for us. Get her cleaned up, Raphael, and bring her to Michael.” Gabe turned his back to us and disappeared in a bright burst of light.

 

“What is it with you people and disappearing in that blinding light? And is this really Heaven? How did I get to Heaven? And if this really is Heaven, wouldn't that make you an…”

 

“An angel? Yes, I am; Raphael the Arc Angel. Not what you expected, is it?” He shrugged apologetically.

 

“Don't you have wings and a halo? And you said that I sort of looked like your little sister; how can an angel have a little sister?” I raised an eyebrow at the gothic-looking angel.

 

“I never use mine, so what's the point, and about Façade, my little sis, a few years ago I was assigned to assume a human form, and look over her. She is unfortunate enough to have really powerful psychic powers, but pretty weak shaman ones. A lot of people were after her.”

 

There was a long silence before the redheaded angel lead me through the blinding white gates. On the other side of the gate were winged human looking angels, and all sorts of other strange creatures rushing about. There were streets, and buildings, and tons of houses off in the distance. It was like a city, only bathed in that same bright white color. “So this is Heaven?”

 

“Yep. You're new home.” He smiled gently at me as he dragged me off to some office building. “Michael needs to talk to you, so we'll be stopping by his office. This is the building where a lot of the important influential angels work. See that office right there?” He pointed out a brightly decorated room full of odd knick-knacks and posters papering every inch of the walls. “That is where yours truly works. Feel free to bask in my greatness.”

 

“I thought that angels weren't conceded or proud.” I smirked lightly at the redhead.

 

He snorted back at me, “Wives' tales, I tell you. It's not true.”

 

Soon we arrived in front of a huge set of white double doors that looked like it would take ten or so men to open. `What's up with all the white?'

 

“I don't know. Everyone seems to like white. After so many thousands of years I just got sick of it, and started wearing black.” Raphael automatically answered my mental question.

 

“Stop reading my mind!” I snapped.

 

“Sorry.” My companion smiled sheepishly at me as he snapped his fingers.

 

The double doors swung open and I gazed into the huge white room. It was pretty much empty space except the columns and pillars supporting the massive room. I felt so small as I stood next to the 60-foot pillars. I noticed that a small wooden desk was situated on the other side of the room and behind the desk, the whole other wall was made of a series of windows. The blinds were down, though, so I couldn't see out of them. At the desk sat an older angel that looked about 77 or so years old. He had pale blond hair and glowing green eyes. He looked up at me and smiled.

 

“Ah, Raphael! You've brought our dearest Ivy! Well, now…she's even prettier in person. Good job Raphael—have you told her why she has been brought here?”

 

Raphael looked down at his feet, not daring to look the other angel in the eyes. “No, Sir. I have not, Sir.” This angel was clearly someone whom you should show great respect to. Raphael didn't act goofy around this angel, as what seemed to be his normal behavior.

 

The new angel smiled softly and shook his head. “Typical, Raphael. You are such a slacker.”

 

“I am, Sir. Sorry, Sir.” Raphael stood at attention still not looking at the older angel.

 

“You should be sorry! How many times do we have to tell you not to slack off?!” Gabe entered the office and glared disapprovingly at the youngest angel. “I'm sorry for his behavior, Michael, Sir. He'll never learn.”

 

“Now, now Gabriel. Raphael has done a fine job. You should not be so harsh on him. Ivy, could you please be seated?”

 

The old angel motioned to a nearby chair, and I did as he asked. “I am Michael, The Arc Angel. This is Gabriel, The Arc Angel. And your tour guide there is Raphael, The Arc Angel. Gabe has informed me that you said that if you had lived you would have not married Hao. Is this true?”

 

“Yes. I couldn't marry him. It just wouldn't work. That's why I was going to marry Hao—I mean Yoh!!” I slipped, but tried to cover my fall.

 

“It sounds to me that you are indecisive about it. We can't let you into Heaven until you are sure about whom you really wanted to marry, I'm afraid.” Michael sighed. “Regrets and all, you know.”

 

“Then, why am I here?” I tilted my head to the side.

 

“Ivy my dear, you are here because of divine intervention. We must make sure you have no regrets about your love life. We can't let souls that have regrets into Heaven, for they shall not be happy that way. They will always be thinking about those regrets, and then it will eventually drive them mad. We have three days before your funeral, so in those three days we shall help you to decide which Asakura twin you would have married. Then we shall send you on your way.” Michael pulled up a seat to the left of me, and Raphael sat to my right. Gabriel sat to the left of Michael. We sat sort of catty-corner so that we were kind of facing each other, but for the most part we faced the wall with all the windows.

 

“Ivy, I want you to watch closely and judge carefully these next three days. Only then will you come to the correct decision. Try to understand why each person does what they do. You, dear are a lucky one, not everyone gets to see life pass by like this.” Michael stated professionally.

 

“See life like what?” I was utterly confused.

 

“Like a movie.” Gabriel snapped his fingers and the blinds on the windows began to rise reveling a huge TV screen that covered the entire wall. “This is how we know what's going on down there. Watch and you'll see.”

 

I didn't have time to argue as a picture flashed on the screen. “Hao…”