~The Aftermath, Part 4~

   I sat on the very bench Adri had sat on the day she died. The one at the edge of the pool that spilled over into a fountain. I sat there watching the sky on this beautiful day. The sun shined bright and warm, not a single cloud tried to cover it. A cool breeze brushed against my face, keeping my temperature at the perfect balance between hot and cold. I sat there for a good fifteen minutes, just enjoying the day, the sound of the birds chirping, of nearby wind chimes singing their songs, of the water crashing. I sat and marveled at the world around me, waiting for the angel to arrive. I felt sorry for her. This realm was so amazingly beautiful, and she couldn't experience it anymore.
   But then again, I didn't feel sorry for her. Because I knew she would experience this realm once again. And soon.
   "A beautiful day, isn't it?" I hadn't realized until that moment that my eyes were closed. I opened them to take in the image of the girl who I had so suddenly become so close to. I stood and welcomed Ai into my arms, pulling her into a warm hug and letting her know that I was here to support her in her grief. Just a hug was all it took. "Thanks," she laughed, and pulled away before she could start crying. She took a deep breath and sat down on the fountain bench with me. "So, not that I'm not happy to see you or anything, but why did you call me here?"
   I smiled and returned my eyes to the sky. "I had my last vision."
   "Last?"
   "Yes, the same voice which had told me I was a protector told me last night of my final mission." I brought my gaze down to my side, looking calmly into Ai's eyes as I revealed to her the news. She watched me, waiting, fearing whatever it was that I would say next. "My mother is pregnant."
   Ai blinked. "What?"
   I smiled. "It's a boy."
   Her eyebrows creased. "Um...Congratulations?"
   "He is going to have thick brown hair and emerald green eyes. His smile, no matter how old he gets, will always keep its childish charm. His laugh will always remain light-hearted. He may not always be the most perceptive, but he will have a good head on his shoulders. He will be sweet, loving, and will cherish his love with all the care in the world. He will be loyal, strong, and will always do what he needs to do for those he cares about. And his name is going to be-"
   "Nolan," Ai whispered. As I spoke, her eyes had become watery and when she uttered his name, a tear broke out and rolled down her cheek. I nodded.
   "Nolan is going to be reborn as my baby brother."

~The Aftermath, Part 3~

   I woke in the morning to the feeling of warm sunlight shining on me through the windows. My entire being felt somehow lighter, like I wasn't always dragging my feet, weighed down by bricks on my shoulders. Weighed down by my sins. Instead, I was lifted by my good deeds. As if I was a feather, walking felt like floating, running felt like flying, everything just felt light, free, good. Better.
   I never would have known what Hell really was if I was not given Heaven to compare. Having woken up there immediately after dying, I never realized that I was dragged down by my wrongs, given extra weight to bear every minute of being there. It just seemed normal. But here in Heaven, one's sins are forgiven, dropped off, gone, and they are free to spread their wings. Here I am free.
   I still couldn't go ten minutes without remembering Kris though. I remembered the way his eyes were filled with betrayal as he died in my arms, the way his manipulative eyes had used me, the way he had become heartless upon arrival in Hell, the way that darkness was smaller but always visible in his life, the way he used to smile when he was alive, the way he was a carefree teenager living for the moment, the way he used to caress my face and smile at me like no one else existed, the way he had made me fall in love from day one, the way he had held his hand out to me that fateful day.
   I still remembered every moment clearly, could live it all out right here right now.
   Kris had happened upon a girl he had seen at school before, but never had conversed with. She was a year younger than he, a freshman at his school, who hung out with a completely different crowd. Their paths didn't really cross often. But that didn't mean he didn't see her. How could he not? When her hair so brightly resembled cotton candy.
   Most people found her hair obnoxious, told her to dye it a different color, but he liked it. He knew what it meant to her. He knew it meant she had control over her own life. She made her decisions, not her parents, not society, and most certainly not those kids at school. Her hair, her head, her mind, it all belonged to her and no one else. He understood. That's why he dyed his hair black.
   But here she was, knees scraped, long white socks from her uniform covered in dirt, long pink hair in her face, trying to pick up her books from the ground. And there he was, walking home with his best friend, merely passing by.
   He could have just passed by.
   But he didn't. He stopped while his friend, never one to notice his surroundings, continued on for a few steps. Realizing the empty space beside him, Nolan turned and asked, "Kris?"
   But Kris didn't hear him. He was kneeling down, beside the girl with the pink hair, picking up some of her books, rather uncharacteristic of him. Her see-through eyes found it difficult to see through him, getting caught in the deep sea of blue that fixed its gaze on her. With a simple smile he stood with her books in his arm and held out his hand to help her up.
   "Hey," he had said. "I'm Kris."
   "I'm Daisy," I whispered, returning to the present. Kris hadn't always been evil, at least not with me. As he reached his lowest place, he turned to manipulating me as he did everyone else, but I still had no doubt his love for me was genuine. If nothing else was real, that was.
   If nothing else, at least I could remember the goodness and purity in his love. That gave me the strength to get up and begin my new afterlife in Heaven. That gave me the will to continue.

~The Aftermath, Part 2~

   Ai. A voice appeared out of nowhere as I slept. Like a whisper in my ear, except it wasn't in my ear, it was in my head. Ai! I groaned and rolled over in bed, not wanting to deal with whatever it was. I outstretched my hand, feeling around for Nolan laying beside me.
   Then I opened my eyes.
   And immediately closed them again, tears welling up as the brick landed on my chest again. He isn't here.
   AI!
   "What!?" I yelled, clenching my eyes shut, trying to push all the bad feelings away.
   That was when the whisper in my head became a recognizable voice.
   I need to talk to you, come see me.
   Liliana. The only one left alive. The only one left unharmed in all of this.
   Well, I suppose that's not true. Her two best friends are both dead, both returned to their spots on the metaphorical thrones in Heaven. Even if she knows their souls are safely back in Heaven, she's probably mourning the loss of their human lives along with everyone else they knew on Earth. She's been left alone there, without friends to survive the rest of high school with.
   Wow, I had never really thought about how this might affect her. And now she needs to talk to me. Could it possibly be just that she needs someone to talk to? No, I feel she would have asked Adri if that were the case. Why me? What's going on?

~The Aftermath, Part 1~

   'Your job has been fulfilled, protector. You did well.'
   But I didn't do anything. I allowed her to be killed, I didn't protect her at all. Even seeing it coming, I couldn't stop it. I couldn't do anything. These abilities you gave me went to waste. I failed.
   'No. You take the title of protector too literally. You never could have protected her human life, that was destined to end. But you protected her heart, protected her from breaking under pressure. You were given your abilities so that you might become involved in the situation, so that everything was not kept from you. You were able to be there as a confidant to Adriana, trusted adviser and trusted friend. You were there to protect her sanity, her well-being, and her heart. You did well.'
   What happens now?
   'Now you must fulfill one last mission.'
   What is it?

   My wake was sudden, but calm. My head didn't pop off the pillow and I wasn't in a cold sweat. My heart beat slightly faster than normal, but my breathing came fine and my body didn't shake at all. This vision didn't scare me. No, this brought a smile to my face.

~Chapter 42~

   "Whoa, there are way too many crying people in here." Ladies and gentlemen, Miranda has arrived. Yes, yes, I know, no one really knows much of me. Here's my little bio: I'm sarcastic, rude, and not afraid to tell you the truth, but I do it all in a cute, lovable way. Like a dog or something. I died when I was 76 years old, but when our soul is reborn in Heaven we're reborn in our optimum age, soooooooo I get to be 19 again! Whoo! Anyway, back to the seriousness. I'm sure you're dying to hear what happens next. Haha, dying. Get it? Ha...okay, I get it, I'm not funny. Gosh, tough crowd.

   The dirty look I got from Adriana in that moment mirrored the dirty look I was getting from Caleb beside me in the door way. Ai and Bubblegum Head, though, were too busy crying. Oh jeez, that's a lot of blood. Oh jeez...that's Nolan.

   I sighed and softly placed my hand on Ai's shoulder. She jumped from the human contact- or angel contact?- obviously having forgotten that the world was still going on around her. Her head snapped up at me, eyes wide in distraught, rivers rushing down her face. She looked at me for only a second, and then her attention returned to her dead boyfriend. Or undead? He was already dead right? So now that he died as a dead guy, what does that make him?

   "Alive," I whispered as it dawned on me. Caleb, who was now helping up Adriana on the other side of the room, looked up at me in confusion. Adriana on the other hand, was already nodding. "Nolan is alive now." Ai sniffed and wiped her eyes, though more tears only appeared soon after. "You'll see him again." Ai looked up at me and tried to give me a smile, but it was only a crumpled mockery of one. She wasn't ready to smile again yet. And how could she be? Her love just undied.

   "Daisy on the other hand..." Adriana whispered. Daisy! Right! That's her name! The girl was still crying on the devil, new white wings folded down behind her.

   "It's okay," she whispered. She picked her head up to face Adriana, and despite the tears still escaping her eyes, she kept a strong composure as she spoke. "I loved Kris, and that made me blind. He played me the same way he played Caleb, with carefully woven lies and misleading information. But when he pushed you off that fountain, Queen Adriana, it was like putting on a brand new pair of glasses. The man I loved long ago died, and the tyrant of Hell replaced him." Daisy took a deep breath to prepare herself for the next statement, but it wasn't enough. Her voice still cracked when she said it. "Kris needed to die." She looked down at him again as a fresh wave of tears crashed on shore.

   Using Caleb's shoulder, Adriana made her way to Daisy and knelt in front of her. She placed her hand on Daisy's shoulder and looked her square in the eye. "Daisy, I can not thank you enough for this sacrifice you have made. You have not only saved my life, but the lives of a million angels as well. Truly, thank you." Adriana respectfully bowed her head and Daisy nodded in return, though the small smile on her lips came no where near her eyes.

   "I hate to ruin the beautiful moment and all," I interjected, "but Adriana, you're kind of dying."

   Adriana, who had been gripping her side this entire time, replied with, "This? Oh please, I've survived worse."

   "Yeah, yeah," Caleb said. He swept her legs up in an effortless motion and began to make his way toward the door. "You still need to get fixed up." As Caleb walked out of the awakening room, he turned to me and said, "we should leave them alone for a while. Let them mourn."
   So we walked away. Away from the room of bloodshed, death, and awakening. Away from the place where the final blood was spilled, ending this long-fought war with one short-fought battle.

~Chapter 41~

   The moment must have only lasted a few seconds, but it felt like hours. With my eyes closed I waited. And waited. And waited. But nothing came.
   Then I opened my eyes just in time to see Kris fall.
   There was a dagger in his heart and the arms which had been used to plunge it there were still wrapped around his shoulders. In his last few moments of life he collapsed back into her arms and she cradled him as he laid down on her lap. Tears were falling from her eyes and a look of pure confusion was in his.
   "Dai...sy...?" He whispered.
   "I'm sorry, Kris," she whimpered in a trembling voice. She brushed the hair off his forehead with a shaking hand. "I couldn't let you... It's not right." Her black wings were still folded down behind her from her journey here, but I saw a shimmer in the roots stemming from her back.
   Kris opened his mouth as though he were going to say something else, but his breath was taken first. Daisy hugged his head as she cried, rocking back and forth, and she kissed the top of his black hair. "I love you, Kris... I'm so sorry..."
   It was then that the shimmering I saw spread slowly from her roots. A white glow stemmed from feather to feather, eventually changing her demon wings into those of an angel.

~Chapter 40~

   Yes, this is most definitely the infamous Kris. His fighting skills are impeccable. He moves swiftly and cunningly, hitting exactly where he wants. Exactly where I would break down- if, that is, if I was any other.

   But every strike I counter, every hit I block. And in his anger, his technique isn't at it's best. He's rash and he's throwing too much of his strength in. If I can just hold out, he'll wear down. If.

   As Kris lunged at me again and again I continued to dodge and block. That is, until the earth shattering scream interrupted everything.

   Her voice was completely uncontrolled, ripping through the air in one long agonizing breath as it screamed, "NOLAN!!!!!!!" I quickly spun around to see Ai enter the awakening room, oblivious to everything around her except the now lifeless Nolan on the ground in a pool of blood. Tears streaked her face as she fell on her knees beside him, shaking him, screaming for him to come back.

   Kris chose that moment to strike. Having been distracted, I wasn't able to block him in time and he landed a rather deep slice in my side. I doubled over in pain and he easily knocked the sword out of my hand.

   "Now, Queen Adriana, it's time for you to leave." I tried to move myself back away from him, but with a simple step the gap between us was closed again. Kris raised his sword and I closed my eyes, waiting for the blade to come.