[Fic] "The Transient and the Eternal: Surprise" -- Angel Sanctuary
I'm doing thirtyforthree for Kira Sakuya/Mudo Setsuna/Mudo Sara from Kaori Yuki's Angel Sanctuary. There will be spoilers in nearly every theme -- given the characters, it's nearly impossible to avoid them! -- and a lot of potentially objectionable content. This is because the source manga has a lot of potentially objectionable content. If incest squicks you, or you know you'll be bothered by some strange and/or negative interpretations of Judeo-Christian theology, you're probably better off not reading these stories.
With that said...
Theme: #4 - Surprise
Warnings: spoilers!
Note: This is set post-manga. Therefore it spoils the entire series (explicitly or implicitly) and is fairly speculative as well. Setsuna and Sara's false IDs were chosen to make valles_uf's soul bleed, as per this comment -- the Love Hina reference is oblique and I couldn't work Gundam SEED in, but the intent is there. *smiles angelically*
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Surprise
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Setsuna knew just enough about the wrong side of the law -- Kira and Kato's dubious legacy -- to finesse fake IDs, medical records, and other papers out of their stolen funds. The forger had a cockeyed sense of humor and a good sense of how badly they needed her help: she delivered a ready-made life for Morisato Sara... and one for Meioh Setsuna.
Sara picked up their mail that day. When Setsuna came home from another under-the-table dishwashing job, he found her collapsed on the bed, giggling.
"...You okay?" he asked, warily.
"Sailor Pluto!" Sara panted though her laughter, waving the sheaf of documents by way of explanation. After a minute, Setsuna managed to still them enough to figure out what had set his sister off.
He was not amused.
Eventually, though, he agreed that it would pass as an unfortunate coincidence, just the sort of thing to catch the eye and keep people from looking too closely at the details of their new identities, like their altered ages. With papers, he and Sara could get real jobs, not just the hand-to-mouth stuff that usually fell to illegal immigrants. Eventually, maybe one of them could go to college.
For nearly six months, things worked more or less according to plan. Setsuna held his breath, waiting for the universe to wise up and kick him in the teeth again.
He wasn't particularly surprised when Kurai knocked on their apartment door one evening. "I can barely use any of Alexiel's powers anymore, and I'm not going to put myself through hell trying to wake them again," he said as a preface. "How've you been?"
Kurai folded her arms and glared; Setsuna could practically see irritated cat ears superimposed on her silvery hair. "I can't come visit a friend without you thinking it's the end of the world? Jerk." She craned her neck to look past him into the apartment. "Hi, Sara. Is this idiot making you happy?"
"Yes," said Sara, sending Setsuna a private smile. He tried not to melt too visibly.
"That's good," Kurai said, shoving Setsuna into the apartment and shutting the door behind her. "I told Noyz we were coming to Tokyo to check the ley lines -- they're in weirdly good shape considering what happened last summer -- and then I snuck away. I can't stay long or she'll think I got kidnapped or something." Kurai sniffed. "Like anyone in Assiah could kidnap me."
"I could give it a try," Setsuna suggested, ruffling Kurai's hair.
The Evil princess ducked out from under his hand, cheeks glowing red. "I'm not a kid anymore -- don't do that! Anyway, I wanted to see how you and Sara are doing, and... um..." Kurai scuffed her shoes against the floor and trailed off into awkward silence.
Here was the kick in the teeth; Setsuna could feel it hovering in Kurai's unspoken words.
"And?" Sara prompted, coming over to lean against him. He tried to relax into her touch, but his muscles refused to untense.
"And I wanted to warn you that angels and demons might start showing up in Assiah, now that there aren't any laws and barriers," Kurai said reluctantly. "When hell smashed into heaven it shook a lot of stuff loose, and neither the Great Angels nor the Satans are putting things back the old way. There's a lot of fighting -- nothing organized, but it might spill over down here."
Setsuna let his breath out. "Shit."
"Why isn't anything organized?" Sara asked, sounding genuinely puzzled. "Didn't anyone take over in heaven? I thought Uriel, Michael, and Raphael might pull things together. And how can the demons be disorganized now that Luci-- now that their king is back?"
Kurai shrugged. "Uriel, Michael, and Raziel control the Dominions, Powers, and Anima Mundi -- we call them the Triumvirate. Raphael's in stasis-healing, but his lieutenant is keeping the Virtues allied with the Triumvirate. The Thrones refused to accept Raziel as Zaphkiel's successor, so they split off on their own, and the Principalities and Seraphim followed. The Cherubim are trying to stay neutral until their leader returns," -- she gave Sara a pointed look -- "but heaven's turning on itself."
Setsuna winced. Heaven hadn't been that great to start with. He didn't want to imagine how bad it must be for the ordinary angels now.
"And hell?" he asked, knowing he ought to face this, too.
Kurai scuffed her shoes again. "Hell is... weird. You know, all my life I heard about Lucifer, the demon lord, but he was just a name -- he never did anything. Now he's here, and he's strong enough to make us all do whatever he wants. But he doesn't want us to do anything! He opened the lower levels of hell to refugees and made us swear fealty, and then he said we could do whatever we wanted. If he didn't like it, he'd give us a warning, and if we didn't stop or couldn't convince him to change his mind, he'd kill us. That's all.
"So a bunch of demons kept on fighting angels and invading heaven, and unless they get too close to Triumvirate territory, Lucifer just lets them." Kurai shook her head. "I had to swear fealty as dragon master of the Evils, and he told me I didn't have to kneel. He said he trusted me not to do anything stupid unless it would only affect me, and he hoped Noyz would have better luck keeping me out of trouble the next time. He said he was sure there'd be a next time, and I'd have to tell him all about it afterwards.
"He sounded like Sakuya," Kurai concluded in a confused tone. "Setsuna, do you think it would be okay if I keep on thinking of him as Sakuya? I know he isn't, not exactly, but sometimes it's hard to tell the difference."
Setsuna swallowed, not trusting his voice.
"Yes," Sara said firmly. "Being human -- being Kira Sakuya changed him. I know it did. Maybe he doesn't realize that, and maybe he'd rather pretend he's still the same as when he fell from heaven, but you can't open yourself to people without changing. He cared about us -- he let us all in -- and he can't make us go away unless we give up on our own."
She was talking as much to him as to Kurai, Setsuna realized, and he squeezed her hand in silent thanks. "Yeah, what Sara said," he added.
"I guess you're right," Kurai said, sounding more cheerful now that she had support in her opinion. "Thanks! And, um, I should go now. Sorry I've been a bad guest, but I'll come back officially in a couple months and visit you for real. You don't mind, right?"
"Of course not," Setsuna said gamely, wondering what, precisely, constituted an official visit from the dragon master of the Evils, and whether all of Kurai's likely escorts would fit into their tiny apartment. "Drop by anytime -- only not during the day, because we'll be at work." A thought struck him, then. "Hey, how did you find us? We shouldn't stand out as former angels, and we're using fake names, so it's not like you could look through a directory for people named Mudo..."
"Oh, that." Kurai grinned. "I asked Sakuya. Well, actually he called me over and said that when I went looking for you, I should start by talking to some sleazy people and dropping his name, and tossing fireballs if that didn't work. The woman who makes fake papers kept laughing when she told me your new name -- what's so funny about 'Meioh Setsuna' anyway?"
Setsuna tried to fit the idea of Lucifer, king of hell, telling Kurai how to deal with yakuza, into any coherent image of the universe. It refused to make sense. He could see Kira doing that just fine, though. So maybe there was more of him left in the demon lord than either of them had wanted to admit.
Then he realized that Kurai would tell Kira his fake name.
There was no question about it. The universe liked to kick him in the teeth.
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End
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Cross-posted here on thirtyforthree.
---------------------------------------------
In other news, "Ashes," an original story that I'd set aside a while ago (because I'd reworked the idea so often that the characters and plot had given up in disgust and run away from me) seems to have come alive again. And this time I know several dozen things not to do, which gives me a much clearer stab at getting the blasted thing right.
("Ashes" is my post-apocalyptic fantasy quest story with human sacrifice and quasi-incestual subtext. There is a reason I was not able to write it properly when the idea first hit me back when I was twelve, or for at least a decade thereafter.)
Anyway, I think I've learned how to write a good and honest man, and how to write tragedy and bleak pasts without descending into gratuitous angst/gore/rape/abuse/torture/whatever, so with any luck I'll be able to finish the story this time around.
*crosses fingers*
Then I need to do some serious research on the practicalities of sending a manned space flight to Mars, and the composition of the Martian atmosphere, so I can write my science fiction paranoia story without sounding like a complete idiot. Because that story, unlike most of what I do, is actually marketable.
With that said...
Theme: #4 - Surprise
Warnings: spoilers!
Note: This is set post-manga. Therefore it spoils the entire series (explicitly or implicitly) and is fairly speculative as well. Setsuna and Sara's false IDs were chosen to make valles_uf's soul bleed, as per this comment -- the Love Hina reference is oblique and I couldn't work Gundam SEED in, but the intent is there. *smiles angelically*
---------------------------------------------
Surprise
---------------------------------------------
Setsuna knew just enough about the wrong side of the law -- Kira and Kato's dubious legacy -- to finesse fake IDs, medical records, and other papers out of their stolen funds. The forger had a cockeyed sense of humor and a good sense of how badly they needed her help: she delivered a ready-made life for Morisato Sara... and one for Meioh Setsuna.
Sara picked up their mail that day. When Setsuna came home from another under-the-table dishwashing job, he found her collapsed on the bed, giggling.
"...You okay?" he asked, warily.
"Sailor Pluto!" Sara panted though her laughter, waving the sheaf of documents by way of explanation. After a minute, Setsuna managed to still them enough to figure out what had set his sister off.
He was not amused.
Eventually, though, he agreed that it would pass as an unfortunate coincidence, just the sort of thing to catch the eye and keep people from looking too closely at the details of their new identities, like their altered ages. With papers, he and Sara could get real jobs, not just the hand-to-mouth stuff that usually fell to illegal immigrants. Eventually, maybe one of them could go to college.
For nearly six months, things worked more or less according to plan. Setsuna held his breath, waiting for the universe to wise up and kick him in the teeth again.
He wasn't particularly surprised when Kurai knocked on their apartment door one evening. "I can barely use any of Alexiel's powers anymore, and I'm not going to put myself through hell trying to wake them again," he said as a preface. "How've you been?"
Kurai folded her arms and glared; Setsuna could practically see irritated cat ears superimposed on her silvery hair. "I can't come visit a friend without you thinking it's the end of the world? Jerk." She craned her neck to look past him into the apartment. "Hi, Sara. Is this idiot making you happy?"
"Yes," said Sara, sending Setsuna a private smile. He tried not to melt too visibly.
"That's good," Kurai said, shoving Setsuna into the apartment and shutting the door behind her. "I told Noyz we were coming to Tokyo to check the ley lines -- they're in weirdly good shape considering what happened last summer -- and then I snuck away. I can't stay long or she'll think I got kidnapped or something." Kurai sniffed. "Like anyone in Assiah could kidnap me."
"I could give it a try," Setsuna suggested, ruffling Kurai's hair.
The Evil princess ducked out from under his hand, cheeks glowing red. "I'm not a kid anymore -- don't do that! Anyway, I wanted to see how you and Sara are doing, and... um..." Kurai scuffed her shoes against the floor and trailed off into awkward silence.
Here was the kick in the teeth; Setsuna could feel it hovering in Kurai's unspoken words.
"And?" Sara prompted, coming over to lean against him. He tried to relax into her touch, but his muscles refused to untense.
"And I wanted to warn you that angels and demons might start showing up in Assiah, now that there aren't any laws and barriers," Kurai said reluctantly. "When hell smashed into heaven it shook a lot of stuff loose, and neither the Great Angels nor the Satans are putting things back the old way. There's a lot of fighting -- nothing organized, but it might spill over down here."
Setsuna let his breath out. "Shit."
"Why isn't anything organized?" Sara asked, sounding genuinely puzzled. "Didn't anyone take over in heaven? I thought Uriel, Michael, and Raphael might pull things together. And how can the demons be disorganized now that Luci-- now that their king is back?"
Kurai shrugged. "Uriel, Michael, and Raziel control the Dominions, Powers, and Anima Mundi -- we call them the Triumvirate. Raphael's in stasis-healing, but his lieutenant is keeping the Virtues allied with the Triumvirate. The Thrones refused to accept Raziel as Zaphkiel's successor, so they split off on their own, and the Principalities and Seraphim followed. The Cherubim are trying to stay neutral until their leader returns," -- she gave Sara a pointed look -- "but heaven's turning on itself."
Setsuna winced. Heaven hadn't been that great to start with. He didn't want to imagine how bad it must be for the ordinary angels now.
"And hell?" he asked, knowing he ought to face this, too.
Kurai scuffed her shoes again. "Hell is... weird. You know, all my life I heard about Lucifer, the demon lord, but he was just a name -- he never did anything. Now he's here, and he's strong enough to make us all do whatever he wants. But he doesn't want us to do anything! He opened the lower levels of hell to refugees and made us swear fealty, and then he said we could do whatever we wanted. If he didn't like it, he'd give us a warning, and if we didn't stop or couldn't convince him to change his mind, he'd kill us. That's all.
"So a bunch of demons kept on fighting angels and invading heaven, and unless they get too close to Triumvirate territory, Lucifer just lets them." Kurai shook her head. "I had to swear fealty as dragon master of the Evils, and he told me I didn't have to kneel. He said he trusted me not to do anything stupid unless it would only affect me, and he hoped Noyz would have better luck keeping me out of trouble the next time. He said he was sure there'd be a next time, and I'd have to tell him all about it afterwards.
"He sounded like Sakuya," Kurai concluded in a confused tone. "Setsuna, do you think it would be okay if I keep on thinking of him as Sakuya? I know he isn't, not exactly, but sometimes it's hard to tell the difference."
Setsuna swallowed, not trusting his voice.
"Yes," Sara said firmly. "Being human -- being Kira Sakuya changed him. I know it did. Maybe he doesn't realize that, and maybe he'd rather pretend he's still the same as when he fell from heaven, but you can't open yourself to people without changing. He cared about us -- he let us all in -- and he can't make us go away unless we give up on our own."
She was talking as much to him as to Kurai, Setsuna realized, and he squeezed her hand in silent thanks. "Yeah, what Sara said," he added.
"I guess you're right," Kurai said, sounding more cheerful now that she had support in her opinion. "Thanks! And, um, I should go now. Sorry I've been a bad guest, but I'll come back officially in a couple months and visit you for real. You don't mind, right?"
"Of course not," Setsuna said gamely, wondering what, precisely, constituted an official visit from the dragon master of the Evils, and whether all of Kurai's likely escorts would fit into their tiny apartment. "Drop by anytime -- only not during the day, because we'll be at work." A thought struck him, then. "Hey, how did you find us? We shouldn't stand out as former angels, and we're using fake names, so it's not like you could look through a directory for people named Mudo..."
"Oh, that." Kurai grinned. "I asked Sakuya. Well, actually he called me over and said that when I went looking for you, I should start by talking to some sleazy people and dropping his name, and tossing fireballs if that didn't work. The woman who makes fake papers kept laughing when she told me your new name -- what's so funny about 'Meioh Setsuna' anyway?"
Setsuna tried to fit the idea of Lucifer, king of hell, telling Kurai how to deal with yakuza, into any coherent image of the universe. It refused to make sense. He could see Kira doing that just fine, though. So maybe there was more of him left in the demon lord than either of them had wanted to admit.
Then he realized that Kurai would tell Kira his fake name.
There was no question about it. The universe liked to kick him in the teeth.
---------------------------------------------
End
---------------------------------------------
Cross-posted here on thirtyforthree.
---------------------------------------------
In other news, "Ashes," an original story that I'd set aside a while ago (because I'd reworked the idea so often that the characters and plot had given up in disgust and run away from me) seems to have come alive again. And this time I know several dozen things not to do, which gives me a much clearer stab at getting the blasted thing right.
("Ashes" is my post-apocalyptic fantasy quest story with human sacrifice and quasi-incestual subtext. There is a reason I was not able to write it properly when the idea first hit me back when I was twelve, or for at least a decade thereafter.)
Anyway, I think I've learned how to write a good and honest man, and how to write tragedy and bleak pasts without descending into gratuitous angst/gore/rape/abuse/torture/whatever, so with any luck I'll be able to finish the story this time around.
*crosses fingers*
Then I need to do some serious research on the practicalities of sending a manned space flight to Mars, and the composition of the Martian atmosphere, so I can write my science fiction paranoia story without sounding like a complete idiot. Because that story, unlike most of what I do, is actually marketable.