Angelic Divinity

tori nodded inwardly. she slowly started to pull her hands out of penny's abdomen. "tristan...tristan look at me." she watched him slowly lift his gaze to meet her eyes. he was completely out of it and it reminded her of how she felt the day before. "penny's eyes are going to open. do not let him close them. he has to stay awake. or...he won't make it." tori noticed the realization of her words spread across tristan's face as he nodded slowly. her hands were soaked in blood as they resurfaced from the inside of penny's body.

kaila looked away from uriel and at the door. "to kadaj." her brown eyes were hollow. she appeared to be staring blankly, but was actually picturing the likelihood of kadaj welcoming elena with open arms. she had done something that his hunters had yet to do, successfully take out one of the humans, or so they thought.

kingsley shook his head as he opened the door. the guy was clearly an idiot. it almost pissed him off how annoyingly dumb he was. "if you don't want her to go, then don't invite her." he walked inside, leaving the dark angel to wallow in his thoughts. might as well go get my sword if i'm going to have to work so hard. kingsley took off in the direction of ren's classroom.

schuyler was pacing around tori's room anxiously. she had been gone too long and it was making the summer angel nervous. "what is taking her so long? i should go look for her. don't you think i should go look for her?" her question was directed at giselle and jean, but she wasn't really looking for their opinion. schuyler just wanted someone to agree with her. giselle seemed to shy away from her line of sight and cower by a bowl of chips. she rolled her eyes and went back to staring out the door some more.

 

As if on cue, Penny's eyes drifted open, unfocused. The wounds inside him closed and the blood drained, flowing back to it's original places and he breathed easier. "Wh-what? I don't...." He blinked once, twice and finally focused on Tori. "Heh...an angel I recognize. Good....I'd rather follow a pretty someone that I know than an ugly stranger."

A small cry of pain slipped from Uriel's lips, but she did not cry. Shutting out her emotions, Uriel turned on her heels and left the room. "We'll need the third and fourth year students to start warding their dorms and those of the firsts and seconds. Teach them to ward their doors for angels too...it's not just demons and fallen angels that are going to try to hurt us now."

Genesis dropped to his knees, his sword sliding from his hand, "I can't...I can't not invite her. Lord Kyrios...please..." A pale hand rested on his brown head and Kyrios' voice rumbled, "This is the punisment you deserve. Falling in love? Keeping them here when I told you to bring them back to the town? You've rocked the boat until it's tipped over. And now you will reap your rewards. Love her...keep her beside you...and lure her to her doom." Kyrios' words were not just words...they were a weaving spell, restricting Genesis' tongue and binding his metaphysical hands. Forcing him to do exactly what the spell decreed.

 

tori smiled sheepishly at penny. her blood soaked hands held his firmly and she gave him a squeeze. "thanks. that was a close one mister. just think how schuyler would have felt if i didn't just save you. she'd probably kill you over again for dying." she may have been joking, but some part of her could picture it. schuyler seemed to have a slight temper.

tristan was startled by penny's sudden return. he jumped slightly and then started staring at him like tori instructed. "hey, you shouldn't go doing that again man. it was bad enough a first time. this is what, your second trip to the infirmary. let's not make it a third."

kaila followed after uriel and nodded silently. "as you wish." she reached out and grabbed uriel's wrist. "uriel...you may need to start searching for a new magic teacher." she looked up at the archangel, eyes full of sadness.

 

Penny smiled and half closed his eyes. "Right..Schuyler would be...mad. Hey, Tristan....I think my womanizing days are....over."

Uriel refused to meet her gaze, "I know.... Micheal told me. We...fought and argued over you..but...I lost. I wanted to save you Kaila...for Ren's sake. I don't like our brother when he's Raphael. He isn't a kind or just person then. I will not allow him to revert to his old name and ways. You...will live." Uriel glared at her hard.

Genesis stood and wobbled for a moment. Kyrios stepped back, handing him his sword and Genesis' blue eyes glowed in a dull haze of magic. "I...I shall obey." the words came easily but the expression on his face was pained and hesitant as he set off for the door and for Tori's room.

 

tristan let out a strained laugh. "heh. that's good. would rather not go through all that drama again. don't screw it up." he gave penny a reassuring smile.

tori let go of penny's hand and stood up. "are you feeling better?" she glanced down at her drying hands and pursed her lips. they were going to be stained for awhile due to how much blood was on them.

kaila shook her head in dismay. if only uriel understood. "even if i do live, i'll be human. he doesn't remember that he loves me and i don't want him to have to repeat what he went through before. it would be selfish and cruel of me. in all honesty uriel, he's probably better off not remembering." her gaze wandered down the hall. "i should just tell kryios i've changed my mind." she heaved a heavy sigh.

 

Penny shivered but nodded slightly. Yves' presense had not returned. Instead the air grew cold around them. The nurse stood, taking stitching Penny's wound back together with her own magic. "Something's not right..."

Uriel snatched Kaila's hand between her own. "I promised not to keep secrets from you anymore Kaila....I didn't realize this was a secret I needed to tell you before... What Ren knows about Yuukki....isn't the whole story. It's true...he spent every waking minute with her while she was alive....and human. After her heart stopped beating, Ren was forced to leave her body. Kyrios...has disturbed the dead enough to know more than he should about necromancy. Yuukki is dead...but she is not dead anymore...she is no longer human. Kyrios has forced her spirit back into her body...after that...I don't know. She left the Dark Court hotel filled with the magic and energy of a poltergeist." Uriel's breath caught in her throat. "I didn't know what to do....Ren was young...so I kept it to myself. I never told him she walked with the living again. I couldn't see him taking the news well....not when she suffered like this. Loving a human that was once an angel is better than remaining in love with a dead girl!"

Genesis reached Tori's room in seconds. He kept a cautious eye out for Summer angels. He took a moment and chose to lightly rap on the door rather than pound with his fist.

 

tori looked around anxiously. "you're right." she watched the door as she shivered from the sudden cold. penny was alive, but something was definitely off."penny, who attacked you?" yves where are you? he hadn't returned to her yet and it was making her rather nervous.

kaila's eyes widened at uriel's story. she was horrified that kryios would actually go to that extent. she looked like she might vomit again, but shook it off. "that's awful. well...then we best find a way to stop kadaj, or i won't live long enough for it to matter." she forced a smile. uriel was being honest with her and that was all she ever asked of her friend, nothing more. losing her wings and power would be unbelievably depressing and it would shorten her time left on earth, but if ren was there beside her it wouldn't matter. hopefully he could manage once she was no longer around.

schuyler swung the door open with so much force that it looked like it might fly off the hinges. she frowned at the sight of genesis and scanned the hallway some more. "sorry. i thought you might be tori. although, now that i think about it, she probably wouldn't knock on her own door. did you see her on your way up here by chance?" she walked into the hallway and tried to see around the corners some.

giselle was sitting on the chair in the corner. she had been anxiously snacking on some chips the whole time. schuyler's nervousness had her on edge. she stopped eating abruptly at the sight of genesis and stood quickly, fixing her hair.

 

Penny flicked his eyes up to the ceiling and back to her. "I don't know what her name was but she was dressed all in green. I'm pretty sure it was a professor. Hey, Tristan, did you catch a name?"

Uriel sighed, "I'll head into the forest to look for Kadaj. I want you to make sure Penny lives. Keep an eye on Tori. She seems to be invoking Yves when she's alone doing something important. Grab Gabriel and Sanya. I want to finish this before the full moon tonight."

Genesis shook his head at Schuyler and met Giselle's gaze. He watched Jean try and stop her from touching her hair too much. Walking past Schuyler, he knelt in front of Giselle and Jean, "Forgive my actions earlier. I did not mean to cause you any grief." He took hold of her hand and brushed a kiss across her knuckles.

 

tori grimaced. she hadn't seen all of the teachers today so she had no idea who was wearing green. her eyes moved to tristan whom penny asked the question to.

tristan shook his head. he had no clue as to who that woman that had attacked them was.
"sorry. i have no idea who she was, other than a woman. i think that magic teacher said...elena...i'm not sure. it was all happening so fast."
he saw the look on tori's face and frowned. apparently she wasn't thrilled about the news he gave her.

kaila nodded and turned in the direction of the infirmary. "all right. i'll go check on them and then gather the others." she disappeared from the hallway, only to reappear again in the infirmary.

giselle looked down at genesis confused. her face flushed dark red as he kissed her knuckles. "i...i don't know what you're talking about. there's no grief." she twirled her finger within the tips of her hair anxiously. she bit her lip thinking about how much worked schuyler went through for nothing. it wasn't like genesis was going to notice.

 

Penny jumped, though still restrained on the cot by the nurse's hands. "Don't DO that!"

Genesis lifted his face from her hand and smiled, "I had hoped you would hold no ill will towards me. You look radiant. But perhaps something in burgundy or navy blue would suit you best?" Jean snorted somehow delicately but rudely. "You mean, dress in the Dark Courts colors." Genesis stood, tugging Giselle to him until she stood secured to his body with his arm around her waist. "Yes...she is the chosen human of the Dark Court after all. She will wear the colors of the court she stands in as your human will wear the colors of the High Court. Jean thought of the bright light blues and pale golds of the High Court and frowned slightly.

 

kaila rolled her eyes at the human, arms crossed and shaking her head. "i see you're feeling better. That's good. You'll need to heal up quickly." her eyes shifted to tori who was now standing and staring at her bloody hands. "miss harnest, may I have a word with you out in the hall." she gestured to the door and walked out of the room.

tori followed after her teacher nervously. "yes professor?" she watched her teacher pace back and forth anxiously. "normally, I would be laying into you and the others about how you were too involved im yourselves to do your job, but we don't have time now. We know you have been in contact with ammitai and we need to know what you've been discussing." she gulped nervously and pulled at the collar of her shirt with her bloody hand. "oh that...well...it's nothing really. He's just been helping guide me. Like a little bit ago. He helped me heal penny, but now...he's not responding." she was afraid. Something was clearly wrong and she feared it had to do with the reaper. Apparently she wasn't the only perdon bothered because kaila looked on edge as well.

schuyler chimed in, almost defensively. She put her hands on giselle's shoulders and slightly glared at genesis. "well i think she looks lovely just the way she is. I put all this work ibn her. Don't tell me it was for nothing." she walked away to inspect some of the directions, but it was clear through her motions that she was bothered.

giselle stood pressed firmly next to genesis, quietly. Everyone was arguing about how she looked. It wasn't something she was used to and it made her feel awkward. She thought she looked nice and schuyler did put a lot of work into her, but she had no clue what would look best on her.

 

Yves cursed and slammed his hands on the ground where he sat. Heaven was starting to feel like a prison to him and the Reapers were keeping him in. "It cannot be futile. I will not give up!" His head bowed over the pool of magic he'd collected to send bits of his power and his spirit through to Tori to help her. "Having troubles, brother?" Yves looked up and smiled slightly, "Koyru...I have not seen you in ages, little brother. I am...but only slightly. A Reaper bars my way." Koyru held his perfect face down towards his brother before crouching beside him. "Would you like me to right this wrong, brother?" Yves' smile grew as he looked at the perfect man beside him. Koyru was a Dominion, a heavenly governor that regulated duties of lower angels and that included the angels of Death. "It would be most helpful, little brother. Most helpful indeed." Koyru was master of the second sphere of the hierarchy in Heaven but he had some pull in the threads of fate.

Penny shivered, "Is it always this cold in here?" The nurse shook her head, when she ceased, before them stood a faintly outlined man wearing a black suit and holding a book with an old quill pen tucked in it's pages. "Mr. Grimm...your soul belongs to me now." Penny shook and tears leaked out from the corners of his eyes. "No..." he whispered in a cracked voice.

Genesis rested his chin on the top of her head and purred in a smooth voice, "Of course. I said she looked radiant didn't I? I would not lie...not about her. Giselle...won't you come with me? I want to show you something." he pulled away enough to see her face.

 

tristan jumped at the sight of the reaper. He didn't understand. Penny wasn't dead anymore, how could he take him. "you can't take him! He's alive! Why would you take someone who isn't dead?" hw moved in front of penny defensively and drew the sword from class. It wasn't as cool as the one gabriel gave him, but it would have to do until he went back to his room.

when kaila finished speaking, tori walked back into the infirmary. Her hand moved to cover her mouth as she saw tristan trying to defend penny. Her professor was right, they were doimg a bad job at guarding the humans. "tristan, out the sword away. Let me handle this please." she tapped the reaper on the shoulder to get his attention. "i believe we have a bit of a misunderstanding. He's here, alive."

giselle looked disappointed. She looked down, not meeting genesis's gaze, and mumbled. "b-but...what about the party?" it was already going poorly. She never had parties for a reason, nobody would show up and they'd get ruined.

 

The Reaper turned on his heel to face Tori, his ironed black suit and polished black shoes made no noise as he moved and a black hat sat on his head. To Tori, his form was clear, but to Penny, Tristan and the nurse, he was but a hazy image. "Mr. Grimm entered the spirit realm for three minutes. Legally, he is mine to take. And I would have taken him without a fuss if you and the old Seraph of the High Court hadn't interrupted. Mr. Penniphalicious Grimm is dead and has been marked so in my book. I must take him...despite his current state. It is my job, Miss Harnest." He exhaled on her name and a wave of cold air washed over her face. Nothing about Reapers was warm. "If I do not take him...I must take someone else in his place."

The corner of Genesis' mouth lifted and he tugged her towards the door, "We'll go to a better party. Someplace without bad memories."

 

tori shivered from the cold air he breathed on her. "you have to make an exception. he's already returned to life and he has a duty here. he can't help if he's dead." she wouldn't let the reaper take penny, but she didn't know how to stop him. she had only been a seraphim for a day. none of this was supposed to be happening. if she had someone else to offer him, she still most likely wouldn't do it. To just give someone's life away so someone else could live...it was wrong. yves where are you? i don't know what to do to keep him from taking penny. your stall didn't work.

kaila appeared outside of gabriel's classroom. she had no idea if he was in there or not, but it was as good a guess as any. she knocked on the door quickly as she opened it. "gabriel. are you in here?"

giselle pulled away from genesis uncomfortably. "but everyone worked so hard already...and... and i thought you said not to? you told me not to go with you. why are you doing this?" she glanced up at him sheepishly, only to be shoved aside by schuyler.

schuyler grabbed genesis's arm harshly and opened the door. "a word please? in private." she walked out into the hallway, arms crossed and glaring.

 

Frowning the Reaper turned tot he side a bit and knelt, "I shouldn't be having this discussion.... There are so many more names being written in that I'm falling behind." Opening the book on the floor, he flipped pages and skimmed down the series of lines of names until he came to Penny's. "If not Mr. Grimm...then who?" He looked back up to her, his ivy green eyes cold and emotionless. The word who echoed in the small room and Penny passed out. In that instant, a lithe, and far too near the word perfect of a man slipped through the wall, waving casually to Tori. "Hello~ Miss Harnest. I'm Koyru, Ammittai asked me to right something. Ah...Rozenwyn, yes I feared it would be you. Always strict to a schedule. Anywho...here's your new name to put in place of Mr. Grimm's." he handed the Reaper a slip of paper and watched as he opened it and glanced up at the perfect man sprouting fluffy white wings. "Carin Inba? She was going to commit suicide only a few months ago...has she changed her mind again?" Koyru seemed to find his questions enjoyable as he smiled and tapped the side of his jaw, "No, she's about to be murdered by her husband. Something about...he can't afford another divorce." Rozenwyn blinked solomly and Penny's name disappeared and Carin's took it's place.

Genesis opened his mouth to respond to her when Schuyler moved her away from him. He followed her with his eyes and glowered at the Summer angel. "I have nothing to say to you, Schuyler. You are not the one I'm interested in." He turned his eyes back to Giselle and smiled reassuringly, "They aren't holding any parties right now. We won't be there for long. It'll be a fun place just for the two of us for a while. We'll be back in time for the rest of your party here."

 

tori was greatful this new person had come along when he did. Another momeny longer and penny would have been a goner. She looked up at him appreciatively. "thank you. I don't know what I could have done to help penny if you hadn't come along when you did." she bowed her head out of respect and then her eyes flashed back to the reaper. "i believe your quota has been.briefly replenished." acting out in front of beings of greater authority and power probably wasn't the wisest choice, but she was still a teenager.

schuyler's heart started pounding as she glared at genesis furiously. She wasn't going to tolerate his behavior. She got her fill of guys being stupid for one day. "don't make me repeat myself again. A word, please." schuyler spoke through gritted teeth and being polite while angry put strain on the word please. "or leave. Your choice. I'm not going to stand here and watch you be this irresponsible." her harsh gaze moved to giselle. "please go wait by jean." she watched her hesitate briefly and then move back to jean's side. "now genesis." schuyler kept her eyes focused on his, not blinking.

 

Rozenwyn stood and glared at Tori but said nothing and disappeared, taking with him the chill in the air. Koyru sighed as if he'd been holding his breath. "Wow that was scary. I've never seen him so upset. I suppose he doesn't like the new chain of command, eh? Yves may have tried to stop him but without his proper power as Seraph no one from the lower worlds are going to listen to him anymore. Now...so you're the new Seraph to take my brother's place, huh? Pretty little thing...haven't yet grown into your other two pairs of wings yet....but you'll get there. My apologies for the intrusion...I'm Koyru, like I said, Dominion in rank, one of the leaders of the Second Sphere and since....oh about the hundreds, friend of Yves. I shall be your friend too. I like Yves and usually those he trys to help are good people like him."


Genesis watched Giselle leave his side and turned to Schuyler, "You're making things difficult. I suppose you're also in agreeance with your brother....saying she belongs to him....a child's promise means nothing in the adult world."

 

tori smiled appreciatively. "Well it's nice to meet you. and thank you for your help." she pointed back to penny behind her. "if you and yves were such great friends, then i look forward to getting to know you better. there isn't really anyone to take me seriously at the moment, but i'm trying."

schuyler was still glaring at genesis, but then her looked turned to that of confusion. "i have no idea what you're talking about. this has nothing to do with my brother. this has to do with you being an idiot. are you trying to get giselle hurt? do you want her to suffer and possibly die, because that's what'll happen. i heard you early out on the field. if you just told her like an hour ago not to go with you, why would you ask her? you're being stupid." she shoved him in the shoulder. "if you really like her...you wont be this stupid. just stay here and enjoy the party we made for her. or leave. by yourself, 'cause she's not going."

 

Koyru turned when she pointed to Penny and his eyes widened. He brushed blonde hair back from his forehead and tugged Tristan away from Penny's side, poking and proding him. "My, my...so you're the humans that are to save us. Yes I can see what Yves was talking about....the air shimmers around you....like waves of heat. You have bonded with a Summer Girl...and yet you place loyalty to the High Court. Ah but your friend here is all Summer...yes I can see the difference. The light around you....is quite different than his." his hands hovered around Tristan until he jumped back as if shocked, "Oh my...not a very polite thing, your power is. May I?" he held his hands out like an eager child waiting for him to take his hands.

Genesis sunk within himself for a moment and suddered, "I promised I wouldn't take her to the hotel....I'm not taking her there. We're going somewhere different. Someplace special." Kyrios' orders reverberated in his mind and he exhaled a bit too sharply.