Atziluth

[Angel Rosiel]

A roleplay concerning the characters of Angel Sanctuary. Though this roleplay will not follow the manga completely, there are several things which one must keep in mind:

- If you choose a character, please do stay in general character. You do not have to make each character act EXACTLY as they would in the manga, but don't try to push it too far. For example - Rosiel and Setsuna ARE NOT friends. At least, not instantly... you catch my drift?

- I would prefer if those participating would post in what is called "Paragraph format". This means that you don't write just 2 or 3 sentences. I want moderately detailed responses. Nothing like telling me about every dust-spec, but there should be an environment.

- Obviously, no God-modding. Unless you're God. xD

- Until this message is removed, this is a private roleplay between Grigori Katan, Dilly-chan, and myself.

- If I think of anything else to make myself sound more bossy, I'll add it here.  

[Angel Rosiel]

The Angel Lord sat waiting at his desk. He had sent for two reports regarding activities during his absence. One was from the Archangel Kirie, and the other was from the Cherubim Katan. He wondered which one would get to him the fastest.

Kirie was eager to prove herself, but he knew that his own son would right on the mark as well. He leaned back in his chair, a smirk on his face, watching the door. Maps and papers littered his normally tidy desk, but Rosiel didn't bother to clean them up. Sevothart's activities slightly worried Rosiel, and he was so busy running around and checking to see what the Prime Minister had been up to that he was too tired to care about either Kirie or Katan seeing the mess on his desk.

A knock on the door tore the Angel Lord from his thoughts.

"The door is open," he said, sitting up straight. "You may enter."  

[St Alexiel]

The report had not taken long to compile. Katan was grateful he had contacts among the higher Angelic ranks, their input had made the task much easier.

Not much had changed during Katan's brief absence, his time in Assiah. Sevy still ruled Heaven with the same callous tyranny as before, and the hierarchical structure of Heaven was crumbling... as was Katans initial certainty that returning Lord Rosiel to his rightful position of power would be the answer to all of Heavens problems.

During his time of imprisonment, Lord Rosiel had become so... different. Yet, regardless of this, Katan held fast to his faith in Lord Rosiel. For, before the great war, Lord Rosiel had been the greatest, wisest, most fair and just ruler Heaven had ever seen. And holiness such as this could, surely, never be lost... could it?

Shaking those almost irreverent thoughts from his mind, Katan picked up the report off his desk. He flicked through it one last time before making his way to Lord Rosiels office.

At the office door, Katan had raised a gloved hand to knock when he heard footsteps in the hall behind him. He knocked -once, twice- and glanced over his shoulder to find Kirie, a report in her hands, glaring at him.
At Rosiels consent, Katan gripped the door-handle, pushed open the door, and gestured for the girl to enter before him.  

[Dilly-chan]

Much to her dismay, the report she'd been working on for Lord Rosiel had taken far longer than expected. Hours more.

It wasn't her fault that so many things had happened during the Inorganic one's absence; it wasn't her fault that every bit of research done had been by her own prying eyes and open ears. And it certainly wasn't her fault that she wasn't particularly sure what Lord Rosiel was seeking in asking for this report. Or was it? ... Well, either way, the point was, the damn thing had finally been completed, one-hunded percent, to the best of her abilities plus ten.

That was just the way she functioned, anyway; doing everything in her power to prove herself through hard work and determination. That was how she'd wound up blessed to be her beloved Lord Rosiel's newer aid.

Unlike Katan, she held no memories of the old Rosiel--and therefore was oblivious to the changes befalling their master. No, her head remained constantly filled with glee for having been assigned to this long-desired task, and the childish hopes of love and pleasure from granting his every command. A trait that would surely be frowned upon by the higher-ranked angels.

The skip in Kirie's step vanished as she drew closer to Lord Rosiel's office. So it seemed her delay in completing the assignment had cost her something important--the personal encounter with the man behind the door. The folder in her grip was clutched tighter against her chest, while above pink lips curved into a deep, disappointed--and even slightly annoyed frown.

He was already there, with his report in hand. Katan. And he was looking at her from over his shoulder. Why did it burn her so? ... Only one explanation came to mind, the same explanation that plagued her poor mind every time she saw him. He was trying to best her for Lord Rosiel. That had to be it. There was no other explanation--

...Because as smart as she were, and as perceptive as she could be, the obvious answer of bad timing was refused for acknowledgement. She was still a child, after all. To avoid causing any grief for their master, she didn't dare say any of the things that perhaps had come to mind for the other. T'was better to behave this time around. With those blue eyes of her narrowed in a glare, she swallowed her pride to obey Katan's simple gesture, and proceeded to enter the office in front of him. Only Lord Rosiel's beautiful, eternally glorious face could turn the day back into the sunshine and rainbows she'd previously been basking in before seeing that man's face.  

[Angel Rosiel]

Katan opened the door, and the Angel Lord wondered why he wouldn't come inside. He could see the Cherub motioning to someone else, and a moment later, Kirie came into his view, staring daggers at Katan. Both of them had their reports, and they both looked tired and haggard, although Kirie looked more worn out than Katan.

They entered his office, and bowed to him, then stood, side by side, waiting for him to grant them permission to speak. A thoughtful look crossed his face. An almost pained look. But he concealed it quickly. His previous smirk returned, the Angel Lord wanting to make it seem like he was planning something for the two before him, instead wanting some time to think.

He looked at the two Angels before him. Katan's serious and polite manner, and Kirie's eager and lusting face. He already knew how he felt toward the Cherub - and thinking about it caused his heart to skip a beat, but he also concealed this. However, Kirie was a different story. The Angel Lord was indeed using the girl, but he did not wish to be completely unkind to her.

She was young and slightly immature, though if given time, it would change. He thought that she could be a valuable soldier, and pitied her. He pitied her for being a woman, as dumb as it sounded. Being as old as he was, Rosiel saw the difficulties that women faced, and as much as he disagreed with it, there wasn't anything he could do about it. Her love to him wasn't completely true, he was sure. Of course, he had done nothing short of seducing her, but he was more than certain that it was lust that drove her to him, rather than true love.

True love took time.

He didn't know if Kirie could ever love him. He didn't know if anyone could ever love him. Even Katan, his son, didn't know what kind of a monster he truly was, and he longed to tell him that he loved him. He had tried several times before, but his throat closed itself at each attempt, and he was unable to squeeze out any words. Again, thinking about this gave his heart a mighty sting.

And yet, he was afraid. Alexiel had abandoned him, hadn't she? Who was to say that Katan wouldn't do the same once he saw what Rosiel really was? No one.

He couldn't trust anyone.

He was alone.

And that filled him with the same despair that he'd felt all along, and concealed for most of his life. His smirk faded; it was replaced by a hard look.

"Present your reports. The both of you. Now!" he barked.  

[St Alexiel]

He looked from Lord Rosiel's divine golden eyes, across the scattered mess of the desk, to the white folder in his own hand -pages of hand-printed Enochian script, meant for Rosiels eyes only.

The perturbed, distracted expression that had passed through Rosiel's eyes when his servants entered had not gone unnoticed by Katan, and it caused him to doubt whether this was really the right time to be presenting the issues raised by his report.

This moment of internal conflict had caused a slight hestiation on Katans part. And Lord Rosiel appeared anything but patient in his current state. So, while he loathed to be the one to burden his master with knowledge of Heavens sorded affairs, Katan stepped confidently to where Lord Rosiel was seated. His silver hair spilled softly across one eye as he leaned to place his report into Rosiel's outstretched hand. Yes, it was best Lord Rosiel be armed with as much knowledge as possible.  

[Dilly-chan]

In hindsight, was it really such a good idea to feed Lord Rosiel every detail of change that occurred during his absence? Lord Metatron had taken over, but it was not the child that held control due to his youth; it was the white-haired Prime Minister Sevotharte, with his cold, unforgiving eyes carefully watching the inhabitants of Heaven's layers, ready to strike down any who failed to fit the mold of 'perfection'. Granted, the true gravity of that masked man's plans had yet to unfold, but the dawning of a new age was clearly upon them.

Personally, her loyalties continued to stay with the man before them, just as she knew(or hoped, anyway, with the way he behaved) Katan's did. To serve under someone required something more than blind obedience; to survive, it needed love and devotion. A sense of pride for the one whom servitude was given. Sevy could never command these things from the two aides. Kirie may have disliked Katan, but... she couldn't deny him that. And if her assumptions be false, well, she didn't want to think about that, now did she?

The entire pause leading to Rosiel's barked command, her eyes were kept to the floor; so she'd missed the very flash of emotion that Katan had caught wind of. Now that she was standing in Lord Rosiel's presence, uncertainty and nervousness crept into her smaller form, washing away any hints of her usual attitude.

Today was different from all the others. This meeting, period, was different. Because today, in this moment, Lord Rosiel was going to be reunited with the affairs that until now he'd been somewhat fortunate enough to miss. What would he say? What would he think...? Would he be angry, relieved, what? Would he simply dismiss them until later and be done with it? It was killing her, the wait--

The shaking in her hand was quickly steadied before she followed Katan's example in placing the report carefully in their master's expectant palm. Once that had been done, she seemed to retreat back behind Katan, arms swaying to clasp behind her back.  

[Angel Rosiel]

The Angel Lord looked blankly at the two offering their reports before him. He had wanted them read to him, not given to him. He closed his eyes and shook his head, holding back his shouting; it wasn't their fault that he wasn't clear enough. Rosiel accepted the reports and placed them both on his desk. Kirie's report was a bit thicker than Katan's. He briefly skimmed through both of them while his aids stood where they were, both looking a bit uncomfortable, although the Angel Lord noticed Kirie's retreat.

He didn't like what he read in the reports.

"So, my prime minister thought I'd never return?" he thought. Everything was different. New, more harsh rules had been set into place. The students were given a much different regime than the one he'd approved of; Kirie was evidence of that. Different requirements for the ranks now. Different posts. Everything, in short, was ******** up.

Anger surged through him, and he slammed his fist on the table. It sent a small spike of pain up his arm, but he ignored it. The two aids before him stared. He even thought he heard Kirie give a whimper.

"It's not their fault, it's not their fault..." a weak voice said in his head.

He bit his lip, again trying to control his anger.

"What is wrong with me?" he whispered to himself. He was staring at Katan, who had risen a brow. His expression must have violently changed. Rosiel gave the hard look again, then stood from his chair. He felt like hitting something, ripping it to pieces. So many things to correct!

"Thank you for your reports, both of you," he started. "Apparently, a lot has changed in my absence. But, most importantly... something that both of you mentioned but gave very little detail to... Alexiel. Her body is being kept somewhere? In a crystal? I want to see her."  

[St Alexiel]

That Katan had known it was coming did not make Lord Rosiel's request any easier to bear. The sound of the name 'Alexiel', from Lord Rosiel's lips, slid across Katans heart like the touch of razor wire.

Too many times, Alexiel had shattered her brothers heart, and too many times, Rosiel had cried his heart out over her. As long as Katan had been in Lord Rosiel's court, it had been he to whom Rosiel had turned for comfort. But Katan's best efforts had never been adequate. No matter how much love Katan offered -for to him Lord Rosiel was, and always had been, the most precious, most beautiful person in the world- it was not even close to enough to fill the void that Alexiel's rejection had left in Rosiel.

Rosiel loved his sister more than anyone and anything, Katan understood this, but what he didn't understand was how she could possibly not love him in return. How could anyone not love Rosiel? This question stirred in Katan's mind, though the only visible signs of this lay in his sad, blue-gray eyes, which he closed as he began to speak;

"The final ruling of Alexiel's trial, was that her body and spirit be seperated. As you know, her soul is currently incarnated on Earth. Her body," Katan open his eyes, looking straight at Rosiel, "Her body is frozen in Angel Crystal, and is being held in The Empty Corridor, in Mathey. Under heavy guard."  

[Dilly-chan]

??? What was the big fuss about Lady Alexiel? No, Kirie wasn't clueless as to who the rebellious female angel was, and she wasn't clueless about the fate she'd suffered. That'd be why she'd bothered to mention the woman in her report. What she didn't know, was the true relationship between Rosiel and the woman. The only things she knew were what they'd taught her in the academy about the Great Wars and Lady Alexiel's downfall.

A shiver crept up her spine from the concept of Lord Rosiel's desire to see the afforementioned angel, and again with Katan's response ringing in her ears. 'Her body is frozen in Angel Crystal, and is being held in The Empty Corridor, in Mathey. Under heavy guard.' Such an answer did not bode well for the two. What Lord Rosiel sought, he usually got, didn't he? To be told that he could not see this angel...

...The consequences might just prove dire.

Already she could feel a sickness rising in the pit of her stomach. There'd been no way around it, right? Katan couldn't very well lie about something so large... Not with the evidence tucked deep within the Empty Corridor. Even if he'd convinced Rosiel that Alexiel were perfectly fine somewhere else, how could they possibly hope to persuade him into a lie that he couldn't see her? Either way they slammed into the same damned roadblock.

There was another cause for her concealed nausea, too. A deeper source, stemming from a personal terror she couldn't quite explain. The mention of The Empty Corridor. Obviously, she'd never been to Mathey. She'd never seen the prison first-hand, and likely never would, unless some unfortunate chain of events that honestly shouldn't happen--...did, bluntly. But that didn't mean that the thought of it didn't frighten her.

The Empty Corridor, where the worst crimes were punished. There was no escape, no chance of freedom. No chance of seeing the outside world, once you arrived there. It was also home to those whose wings had been ... cut. (Oh, the very idea was unbearably painful! Enough to weaken her knees.) The ghouls that the defiled angels became were locked away in the depths of that Hellish prison, to be tortured with their own insanity and overwhelming constant hunger. It was a nightmare! That's what she'd heard, anyway. The academy, for good reason, had touched only briefly on the matter...

Those who wound up in Mathey must have committed unspeakable acts against those in higher power, if not God himself. That was the case with Lady Alexiel, wasn't it? Yes...

She had rebelled against God. Kirie couldn't pretend to know why. Honestly. That was another absence in the teachings; then again, they probably didn't care for the 'why' of the matter, and felt that no one else should, either. Only that the deed was done. Part of her felt cheated, while the other didn't care, since it didn't involve her.

...Well, didn't involve her until a few moments ago. Funny how that worked....

Her eyes moved upwards, to Katan's profiled face. One thing remained true, no matter how great her sense of competition were towards the silver-haired angel. They were in this together; their undying loyalty to Lord Rosiel forced a bond between them, whether they knew it or not, and whether they chose to accept it. Perhaps in the distant future, if time allowed it... Kirie would find that her love for their master was not as she'd thought it to be. It might have been the love of a student, or a daughter. It might have been nothing at all. Or, she might discover that her love for him were true, and not the childish assumption that most probably thought it to be, including probably Rosiel himself.

One thing was certain, and it was a shame that she would never know it. There would forever remain a rift between her affections for Rosiel and the ones that Katan held for him. Because there was no competing with a love of their degree; the love of a true father and son. Even if Katan told her, would she believe him? No, not likely. Why would she? Why would she accept that the closest person to Lord Rosiel, now and always, would be the very man that he'd created years ago? It would be too painful...

...It would be too painful to admit that she didn't stand a chance. That she never had.

Indeed, there had been a whimper elicited from Rosiel's sudden burst of anger directed towards his desktop, one that she'd hoped neither male had heard. Another rose from the depths of her throat now. A quicker, quieter one.

She was young. That was the trouble with youth... Not only the concept of naivete, but the inability to admit that yes, they were young, and with youth brought mistakes. Her love could very well have been no more than a 'schoolgirl crush'. It wouldn't have been uncommon, either, ignoring the obvious law that angels were not allowed to love--or act upon it, anyway.

A blush threatened to rise in those cheeks of hers, which she warded off with a shake of her head, sending strands of a slate coloring into a moment of disarray. This was not the time for foolishness like this!

Another thought did strike her, and it struck her harder than she'd let on. Not knowing the relationship between Lord Rosiel and Lady Alexiel... her mind was let to wander, and indeed it did, right into areas that it should not have wandered. What if...? What if... he... and she...

It felt like a knife to the heart. The idea that Rosiel was madly in love with the angel who'd tried to go against God so long ago. No, no, no... She couldn't think about these things, not now. And if she were smart, not ever. It hurt too much. In her delusions caused by Rosiel's seduction, her heart still believed firmly that he loved her. He wouldn't lie about a thing like that. He wasn't that type of person. It wasn't possible, was it? Could she... could she really be so sadly mistaken? Only his melodious voice could shatter the hope she still clung so desperately on to.

Another shake of her head brought her a step closer to her usual self. There were far more important matters at hand than her own emotions, like how the heck they were going to deal with an incredibly enraged Lord Rosiel! Personally, she'd never seen him angry before, at least... not terribly so. However, she wasn't stupid enough to actually think that they'd be able to skid by unscathed from refusing him, whether it could be helped or not. He had already--clearly--been unhappy with the reports on Heaven's current status, and of Lord Sevotharte's new reign. As if things weren't chaotic enough...

And somehow, with the jumbled memories of her report combined with Rosiel's slightly amusing addressing of the Prime Minister, she couldn't decide who was to cause more concern. Lord Sevotharte, or Lady Alexiel?

Mentally she prepared herself for the angered yelling that she was positive was fixing to commence, and at the same time her body too tensed up--just in case any physical blows be dealt.  

[Angel Rosiel]

Rosiel listened to Katan's answer, and when the Cherub was finished speaking, he stood, looking at him expectantly. That couldn't be all that he had to say. There was something more, wasn't there? His mouth was slightly ajar, but he didn't realize. Slowly, he sat back down, staring blankly at his desk.

Heavily Guarded.

Guards. Would they be the same ones that were in Eden? The ones who had taken him from his sister whenever he drew near? They had those special sticks - the one which released electricity when touching him. His weakness; the wires within his body reacted poorly to them, and the pain was incredible. It made him scream.

He remembered screaming, too. For her to help him. But he couldn't see her even move. Her form just stayed there. And the terrible loneliness filled him again. He turned away from his two aids; he could fear a tear slide down his cheek. Hastily, he wiped it away. He stood up again, trying to remain calm yet again.

"I want to go see her," he said firmly, keeping his head down. He realized that Katan probably figured out that something was wrong, and wondered if Kirie did as well. Now, he was also filled with a sense of shame. All of these feelings were threatening to overwhelm him, and they were so sudden. He hated it. He'd felt all of these so many times before, and he was always alone.

In a way, that had made him feel even more miserable, but in a way, it was also a blessing. The last thing he wanted for the two before him to witness him breaking down... but....

But...

Katan had seen. Suddenly, Rosiel was reminded of the time when little Katan had come to him. He was alone, feeling this horrible feeling, on his terrace, and he heard small, shuffling footsteps behind him. He turned. Katan was there. His little Katan.

"Ah... I thought I felt as though Lord Rosiel were crying!"

His heart had felt warmed by that. He had even allowed himself to smile slightly, and the pain did go away for a minute. It returned, of course. Rosiel couldn't hold it in after that. He had fallen to his knees, sobbing. His little boy had rushed up to him... and comforted him. That feeling felt so strange and alien to him. Rosiel had never had anyone hold him.

But there he was, being held. And he wanted it again. He wanted Katan's touch again. To be held and told he was loved. He didn't want that feeling to be alien, and he didn't want to be held and told he was loved by just anyone. He wanted it to be real, and only the two Angels before him... only with them could it possibly be real.

Kirie lusted after him, yes... but there was some love, and it was genuine. She did try her hardest for him, and his soft words to her weren't always just to seduce her. He did feel some sort of minor affection for the small Angel. And Katan... he knew the Cherub was truly devoted to him... in his moments of panic, he doubted. But that's why it was panic.

He stood, silently before the two, and became rather aware of this. He didn't even want to wait for their answer. He didn't need to. He knew they would come with him. His heart fluttered at the thought of seeing Alexiel. He'd never been able to properly look at her until she tried to...

No.

"I don't want to think about that," he thought, shutting his eyes tightly. Now, they would definitely notice something. It probably looked like he was in pain. His eyes were closed tightly, and he was probably biting his lip. He knew he might even be trembling. He opened his eyes again.

"We're going to see.... but first..."

Oh, but first I want...

"... Kirie, I need a private word with Katan. Could you please..."

I don't want you to see... it'll hurt, and I still don't trust you completely. You could tell them.. and they'd kill us... who cares about me, they'll hurt him!

"... leave? We'll be out in a moment. I'd like to have him review a certain map for me."

Kirie gave him a questioning look, but it was nothing compared to the look Katan gave him. Both looked confused. But, luckily, Kirie consented to it. She gave a smart little salute, and bowed before him.

"Yes, Lord Rosiel..."

She did look slightly disappointed, but all the same, she didn't want to disobey him. Kirie opened the door with a faint click, stepped outside, and closed it. Katan stood before Rosiel's desk, staring at it, looking for whatever map Rosiel had mentioned, likely. The Angel Lord moved away from his desk and stepped up to his son. Katan looked up, and backed away a few paces - he was not expecting his master to have come up to him, and suddenly thought that maybe he was going to be punished for something.

Rosiel placed his hands on the Cherub's face without saying anything. Katan had closed his eyes - he definitely thought he was going to be punished. Instead what he got was the Angel Lord pressing his lips against the Cherub's, gently. Not like before, where it was rough and forced. Rosiel hadn't felt so frightened for a long time. He wanted the Cherub to kiss him back. He wanted to feel that warmths spread through his body. Longed for it.  

[St Alexiel]

At the touch of Rosiel's lips, the whole world seemed to stop, all else ceased to be. Katan felt himself lean into that kiss, kissing him back as more of a compulsion than a conscious choice. His head was swimming in that immense sweetness. His love for Rosiel. The only thing he had ever been sure of.

He felt a very strong urge to hold his master. To gather this delicate angel into his arms and hold him close to his heart. But reality had already begun to seep back in. He forced his arms to remain at his sides. There were too many reasons not to act on that urge.

The most immediate and pressing of which was the girl who had just left the room. She truly believed Lord Rosiel loved only her, and Katan wanted no part in the breaking of that young girls heart.

So, when Rosiel pulled back, breaking their kiss, Katan was strangely relieved.

He had witnessed Rosiel kissing Kirie... He had seen Rosiel kiss a lot of people. The thought of this made him feel foolish. His heart sank. Why had he thought, when Rosiel kissed him, that it had meant something?

For beneath this body, this suit of bone and blood that Rosiel had given him, was he not the same Grigor he had always been? Insignificant, worthless, with no right to anything? Created only to serve or amuse the high-level angels? While his rational mind told him this wasn't so --he had come come a long way since those days-- this had been his first impression of the world and his place in it, and it still drastically filtered his thinking.

...But that kiss had meant something to him.

A small frown graced Rosiel's face. --How can anyone be so beautiful all the time?

Katan forced his attention away from his Lord, well aware that this was likely to anger him, and resumed his search for a map of Mathey.

Rosiel was clearly in no fit state, mentally or emotionally, to be seeing his sister...'s body, but since that kiss had caught Katan completely off-guard, Katan was now in no state to try to stop him.  

[Angel Rosiel]

Rosiel didn't quite get what he was longing for. He wanted the Cherub to wrap his arms around him, and then maybe...

He shook his head.

He felt disappointed. Not only that, but... had Katan rejected him, too? He looked into the Cherub's eyes, frowning deeply, but Katan was already looking at his desk, likely for the map of Mathey. Rosiel had one, but he didn't know where it was in the piles of papers on his desk. A tinge of anger made its' way through him. Why was a map more important than he?

"Katan," he said very softly. "I don't need a map of Mathey. I know the place by heart. Including how one would escape," he added, his eyes glinting.

He was excited at the thought of seeing his sister... and he full intended to allow her to escape. He knew that wouldn't be allowed... and he would, of course, try to avoid killing his own. But if they left him with no choice...

Alexiel...

But wait!

Rosiel suddenly turned pale. All of the times he wanted to go see his sister, he had always been attacked, and rather violently. He could never see those attacking, however, but one time... one time he was certain that he saw Adam Kadamon. He had, of course, asked why. He remembered it rather clearly.

"Why did you hurt me?"

He'd be crying then, too, but this time it was more out of physical pain than grief. He'd been shocked by those evil, stupid sticks more than usual, and one of them even wacked him in the head a few times.

"What do you speak of, boy? I wasn't there, and I wouldn't hurt you. I love you.

I love you.

'Do you really love me...?' he thought. But this was something he didn't want to think of. Thinking of Adam Kadamon had always brought him confusion... and he just didn't want to think about it.

But, Adam was back now. Setsuna had somehow summoned him. Or perhaps he was never really gone. But... Adam might know that he'd want to see Alexiel. Would go to see her. And he was afraid that Adam, try as he might to hide it, knew about Katan. And would kill him. Adam was strict. Did he really want to lose his son for his sister?

He didn't know. He couldn't know. It was giving him a headache, and he didn't want to think of anything anymore. He walked around to his desk, almost slipping once, then sat down, lying his head on it, not caring at how odd it seemed.

"But I'm still going," he whispered. "Got to see her."  

[St Alexiel]

I don't need a map of Mathey...
'Then why...?'

! There had been no capsule. Rosiel had not tried to poison him, infect him with his cell, not this time, as he had with his kiss before. Katan touched his gloved fingers to his lips. The memory of Rosiel's kisses, already indelibly etched in his heart. Had Lord Rosiel... Had Rosiel been... seeking comfort...?

Katan was sorry now. He really didn't understand. Lord Rosiel had changed so much in the time he had been imprisoned. His body appeared younger than before, which was only a mild concern compared to his fragile mental state and his violent emotional turns.

It had been Alexiel, Rosiel's own twin sister, who had executed the Earth Commandment Spell, confining Rosiel to the depths of the Earth. And he had been left there for far too long... Was this the cause of the changes in him?

This couldn't be the only reason. Something about it just didn't sit right. It may have explained the changes in his behaviour, but not why his body looked so different.

Still standing next to Lord Rosiel's desk, Katan took in the sight of him. The most beautiful angel in Heaven, his head resting on his desk. Cascades of hair, the colour and luster of spun glass, covered and curled around the maps and miscellaneous documents that littered the desk's surface.

'What happened to you?' Katan thought, but dared not say, 'I used to know you almost as well as I know myself...' He was tempted to reach out to Rosiel, to touch his hair, but he held it in. 'Back then, I thought seeing you upset and crying was the worst thing in the world... but this insanity... is far worse...'

'What can I do for you?'

Katan had never found a satisfactory answer to that question. The best he could do was to serve his Lord, to follow his masters orders. He hoped he would always be able to do that much...

"Lord Rosiel...?" He said, tenderly.  

[Angel Rosiel]

The Angel Lord raised his head at the sound of Katan's voice.

Katan was leaning over the table, almost over him completely. His little Katan wasn't so little anymore. Rosiel didn't have time to reflect on it when Katan had broken the seal on him - or more that he'd simply over looked it. His little boy was beautiful then, with his silver eyes and silvery hair. He, of course, still had them. Rosiel thought that he looked very beautiful...

No, not beautiful. That word didn't fit him. He wasn't frail and needing of protection. Katan was handsome. The Angel Lord found him rather attractive... which was of course, mostly because of the love he wouldn't admit to. He wondered what Katan would think if he knew what Rosiel wanted from him... and that it was something he desired from no one but him - perhaps his sister, if she would allow it.

Katan would probably be disgusted. Not only was Rosiel another man, but he was also his father figure. And yet it didn't stop him... and that made him think about Setsuna. He pitied the boy greatly, and in a way, loved him, too. Rosiel saw bits of himself in Setsuna. He was brave, stubborn, and pretty hot-headed. Like another twin.

But fate had twisted him cruelly around its' fingers and was seeing what it could do to make him break. Rosiel wished that he could help him... but one with the soul of Alexiel couldn't be helped. If Rosiel didn't hunt him down, someone else would, or something else would happen. He was cursed. And he, too, love his sister.

Setsuna, just like Rosiel, was an outcast for his emotions and his passions. If people found out about his relationship with his own sister, who knew what would happen? Certainly nothing good. The same applied to Rosiel, though in a way, Setsuna had it much easier. Sarah could simply get her name changed, and as long as they didn't have children, no one would know. But the Angels would always know of the twins Rosiel and Alexiel.

Even if Alexiel accepted him, they would have no where to hide... no where. And Rosiel wasn't even sure what they would do once he took Alexiel from Mathey. He'd be hunted down like a dog, as well as Katan and Kirie...

Kirie.

The Angel Lord glanced at the door. She was still trying, even for him. He was sure that she'd definitely noticed that he had feelings for Katan. There's no way he could keep hiding it if Kirie was so close. That sent a small twinge of guilt that cut through him. He'd told Kirie that she was the only one he loved, which was a lie. Rosiel hated it when he had to lie. Perhaps.. one day, he could fix it. Would she still love him?

He smiled bitterly. One day, he would likely be asking for her forgiveness, if she'd prove herself worth of his need for it. It was ironic. And how she would shatter him if he didn't receive her forgiveness. Kirie was probably standing at the door, with her ear pressed against it, unaware of how much power she had.

"Yes, Katan?" Rosiel finally said. "Are you ready to go... to Mathey?"