Chapter 6: A New World

"Did you forget anything?... Take this one, and this one- oooooh, I think I forgot something! Here, have this one too!"

"Calm down! He's got everything he needs. I even gave him a black cloak as extra clothing."

Toshirou wore dark pants, a dark blue T-shirt with the words 'Epiphany' printed on it, dark brown shoes and a black wristwatch with navy blue stripes on his right hand. He held a black cloak in his arm. A pendant was on it, around the left chest area, holding together the hood with the cloak itself. A black scabbard was fastened to his waist. Another was placed behind him, across his lower back, just a few bits above his waist and a third was fastened along his back. It was somewhat longer than the rest and ran from the middle of his neck to his hips.

"But Misaki-chaaan, what if he's hungry, what if he needs to take shower, what if he's cold at night, what if-"

Clamping his hands on his mother's shoulders, he addressed her worry - in a very Toshirou-like manner.

"Yakamashi, Kaa-chan!!!"

She shut up, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. She almost looked confused, as if she wasn't the person Toshirou was talking to.

"S-sugoi!" She said, covering her mouth with the back of her palm. "Toshirou-kun's voice was so manly."

'Just what the hell is going on in that head of hers?'

"I've always wanted to see a manly Toshirou-kun." She said.

'Wait a minute.'

"So you're saying I never used to be manly?"

"Of course! Toshirou-kun has always been a mature boy, but he has never been manly."

Her words felt like knife stabs in his body and he was bent over in an awkward position.

Rising slowly, he looked at his mother with an evil expression and a bitter smile.

"You're dead."

Hitting the back of his head with her fist, Takezawa said. "Stop it, baka. Like that's any way to talk to your mother."

Toshirou clicked his tongue and went to the couch, lying on and probably sulking as well.

"Yare, yare." Takezawa sighed.

"Umu, Did I say something wrong?" Ruri asked, innocently.

'She's oblivious?'

"Seriously..." Takezawa couldn't help but wonder just how airheaded a person could be.

"But whatever." She said. "It's about time he left, isn't it, Ruri-chan?"

Ruri sighed. She trotted over to her son and sat beside him in the living room. Patting his head softly as he laid down, she closed her eyes and whispered some words to him, telling him how proud she was of him and that he should remain safe and come back to them.

"Didn't Takezawa-sensei tell you?"

Ruri cocked her head to the side. "Tell me what?"

"No, never mind," Toshirou replied.

They stayed quiet got a while before Toshirou spoke up.

"Look after Chiyo for me, will you?"

"Mm." She replied.

"She's not going to be happy you know?" Ruri said.

"Yeah."

"She'll be sad, very."

"Yeah."

"Seriously, you're too cold for your own good," Ruri mumbled to herself.

"Soda?" Toshirou smirked and stood up from the couch. He patted his mother's hair and gave a rare smile at her.

Both Ruri and Takezawa saw a bright light from the smile he showed. It was a killer smile, the type that'll throw anyone off guard.

'I-it's too bright.' Takezawa used the back of her palm to cover her eyes.

'I never knew Toshirou-kun could smile like this.'

"I promise you, I'll be back. I'll come back sooner than you expected." Toshirou said.

Ruri, still shocked by the smile, kept silent before breaking into a huge smile of her own.

"I'll hold you to that," Ruri said, happily.

She slipped a golden ring onto Toshirou's hand and placed a palm over his. Smiling warmly at him, she said. "See you later, Toshirou-kun."

His body began to glow and his legs started to fade as well.

Also giving him a smile of her own, Takezawa said to him. "Give them hell, Toshirou."

"Yeah. And in return, watch over Kaa-san for me. Same with Chiyo, Shiori and Okinawa."

"I've got it." She replied with a thumbs up.

"Kaa-chan," he said. At this point, his torso was fading away at a moderate pace. Tears gathered in Ruri's eyes as she gazed at the scene in front of her. "Yeah, I'll see you later."

"Mm," Ruri replied with a smile, wiping away her tears. "Be a good boy, Toshi-kun."

"Heh, likewise." He said before vanishing into thin air.

No one said anything. There was nothing to be said. Ruri looked at the space Toshirou had just left and let out a small sigh. Takezawa patted her head and smiled at her.

"Everything's going to be alright."

"Yeah." Ruri smiled. "I know."

...

At midnight, the darkest hour of the night, the hour where all creatures should be at rest, a figure zoomed past the land, eager to deliver a message to his charge. Reaching a large gate, made of pure gold and the size of a mountain, he inserted an equally golden key into the keyhole of the gate. Slowly the gate opened, revealing another realm, vastly different from the one he is coming from now.

With nimble and swift movements he suddenly appeared before a room. The door was designed with jasper and red rubies, pure gems never to be gotten from another place, the floor, tiled with the purest of gold and outlined with the most beautiful shade of silver.

The massive door opened up to him. With grace and dignity in his step, he walked forward a few and knelt on one knee with a bow and his right hand placed behind his back. The scene before him never ceased to amaze him. The room was bright, brighter than the sun itself and extremely large. The floor, also made of gold, sparkled with glinting lights. The room did not have a roof. It stretched on and on, almost endlessly, as far as the gaze of the mere eye could go. Within the room, layers of floors were stacked on each other, like the one you would see in a storey building. It was truly a magnificent sight.

The figure, still on his knee, shouted with a loud voice.

"My lord, I have come with an important message from the Guardian of the Earth!"

Another figure came down the steps. A being with blood-red wings stretching wildly from his back and wild scarlet hair to match, his eyes were a bright shade of Aztec gold and he had a slim, yet very well-defined build. He wore a long white gown with red and gold lines intersecting on it that reached his ankles, over it he wore an equally long and sleeveless dark red jacket with the letters 'חמש' written in gold behind it.

Wiping his bangs from his eyes, he descended the stairs and plopped on a couch in the centre of the spacious room.

"An important message huh? It better be a good one." He said.

"Yes my lord." The messenger replied. "It has just been sent, the offspring of the eighth has set foot in Sekaila."

At this, his eyes darkened and without moving, his golden irises connected with the eyes of the messenger.

Great fear gripped the messenger. The air was intense, it was suffocating him, bearing down on him, pushing him further down into the golden floor causing cracks to appear as he sunk into the ground. He felt like dying, he could not move. Paralyzed with fear he remained still, too frightened to even utter a single thought.

Casting his gaze away from the terrified creature before him, the scarlet-haired being said to him.

"Do not disturb me with trivial matters, it is not worth my time. Let the guardians handle it, and inform this to the rest of my brothers."

Astonished at the reply of the angel, he protested.

"B-but my lord-"

"Do you question my judgement?" The scarlet-haired being said, letting his eyes gaze upon the lowly creature.

That great fear recaptured his entire being.

"N-no my lord."

Letting his gaze linger just a moment longer on him, he moved his head away and leaned back on the sofa.

"You're dismissed."

Not wasting a moment longer, he quickly replied. "Yes my lord." And swiftly disappeared from the room as quickly as he came.

Still lying on the sofa, with his head faced upwards, the frightening creature broke into a terrible laugh. His wistful voice echoed throughout the entire construct, instilling a disturbing aura into the room.

Calming down from his receding high, he sat with his back bent over and a sadistic grin plastered on his face.

'Even in death, you still show your face,' — his smile became wider — 'Nathaniel.'