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OOC:
Name: Rowan
Are you over 16?: yes
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Email: heart_of_rowan[at]yahho[dot]com
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Other contact: AIM: foundthepenguin; rorofightdapowa
IC:
Character name: Kagetsuya
Fandom: Earthian
Timeline: manga chapter "The Sign"
Age: 20
~*Magical*~ abilities and strengths: As an angel, Kagetsuya has some unique talents. His strengths lie in healing; to be specific, his healing powers lie in the tip of his tongue. Kagetsuya merely has to lick the wounded area and it will heal. Kagetsuya also has the power to call birds to him. No matter where he is, if he calls them, birds will come to his aid. It's a useful skill for spying or for finding lost little angels.
Besides his angelic gifts, Kagetsuya is skilled at cooking. It's his greatest hobby and one of his chief prides.
How would they use their abilities?: Kagetsuya would only use his powers for good, or at the very least selfishly innocent, reasons. He's not exactly inclined to do good for everyone regardless, but nor is he the type to willfully use his talents for ill. For the most part he'd just do what is good for himself and the few people he cares about without getting in the way of others.
Appearance: Kagetsuya is tall, though his exact height is never given. He has bright blond hair that can be quite long, reaching down to his waist. Sometimes his hair is shoulder length, but when he's on Earth he makes sure to keep it short. When his hair is its proper length, it is wavy and soft; Kagetsuya tends to wear his hair out, with a decorative braid on one side sometimes. He has deep blue eyes and a serious face, and is considered to be a beautiful-looking person by most everyone. Kagetsuya's attire varies on his location: while on Earth he sticks to the pants and sweaters, clothing typical of the time period. On Eden, he tends toward their fashion of colorful and elaborate robes. He also has large white feathered wings which, for most of the time, are concealed (in which state his wings seem to disappear entirely). Sometimes he can be seen wearing glasses when he's working on a report, as well.
see profile for reference
Background/Personality: Let us begin with Kagestuya's origin, though he himself does not know this part of his tale. It began with two angels, a boy and a girl; a brother and a sister; twins. One was Michael, the female above him was Lucifel, though he called her Lue. Only he called her Lue, and he called that name even as they did something they shouldn't do. Just once, she only asked to do it once and he didn't even have to do anything (though he could not help it in the end) and then she was gone. He never saw her again.
She lived for another nine months, hidden. Then, one day, she bore a child, a boy, the son of her beloved brother, and she left the baby at the noble house of the Marquis Sakura, before leaving this world forever.
Kagetsuya never knew he was abandoned, as he was raised by the Marquis as though he were his own son (for the Marquis never did have any other children, save the one who appeared on his doorstep that fateful night). The boy grew up smart and beautiful, the head of his class and the envy and admiration of his fellow classmates.
Before getting too involved in Kagetsuya's personal adventures, let's first introduce in greater detail the world Kagetsuya called home. He was born on a planet known as Eden, home to the race of "angels". Every angel on Eden is born with snow-white wings and blond hair (though the shades of blond vary from person to person). They are a very old race, much older than the Earth itself, and yet, in recent times, the angel population has dwindled significantly. There are two main causes for the dramatic population decline: one is an incurable new form of cancer, and the other is an increased change of sexual and reproductive habits.
Though the angels are technically aliens, they resemble humans in many ways, including their manner of reproduction. It takes a male and a female to produce a life, and that system has fallen into danger as, generation by generation, more angels are born with homosexual desires. Unlike humanity's sexual reproductive system, angels go through a mating season, which, depending on their marital status, can come as frequently as once a year, or as seldom as once every ten. Mating season increases an angel's sexual drive and desire to become one with another; coupled angels find that their mating season usually coincides with their chosen mate, the better to perpetuate the species, and having a mate often means more frequent mating seasons. Singleton angels will find their mating season less frequent, as they do not have someone with whom they want to mate.
The current generations of angels find that their mating season pushes them to greatly desire a body like their own; this feeling is heightened if they already have another of the same sex for whom they feel strongly. Because most of the population leans towards this, the birth rate has nosedived; it has also been observed that heterosexual couples are having more trouble reproducing as well, but because the homosexuality dominating sexual urges is at a much greater rate than the inconsistency in heterosexual births, its impact on the newer generations is more prominent. In response to this dilemma, the angels made homosexual interactions a capital crime, though only the physical act is punishable. Feelings are allowed, as long as they are not acted upon. The law was mandated in the hope that it would discourage birth-less couplings, and encourage angels to focus on their child-making duties.
The problem of homosexuality amongst angels is the well-known reason for the population decline. The other factor, that was kept hidden for quite some time, is the sickness known as the "black cancer".
Little is known of its origin or the way in which it works, and there is yet no cure. All that is known are the symptoms that give the cancer its name: an angel's hair and wings will gradually turn black as night, and once they are fully black, the angel dies. The illness is new, only showing up in the past generation or two, and for the most part is unknown to most citizens of Eden.
As is discovered later on by Kagetsuya and his partner Chihaya, the answer to Eden's future may lie with Earth. The angels of Eden have been aware of the planet for quite some time, and claim to have observed it for a good 5 billion years now. They take especial interest in humankind, whom they call "Earthian", and ever since humans walked the Earth, the angels have judged them. In fact, a good part of the military is devoted to Earth surveillance, and many angels will choose to enter this field. The military sends many teams of two to Earth's surface to gather points for humanity: one person of the pair is the plus checker, and the other checks the minus. They observe the Earthian's actions and tally it as a positive or negative. They work in pairs to ensure the points are gathered fairly, and that the points go to the proper side. It is rumored that if the minus side collects 10,000 points first, the angels will destroy the Earthian, and if the plus side should reach that number first, the Earth will be left as it is. Because Eden is so far away from the Earth, the angels have a base on the moon, called Valhalla, and one on Earth, called Isana. Most pairs will report to either Valhalla or Isana, as a trip to Eden would take too much time and energy.
Much of what was mentioned above did not affect Kagetsuya as he grew up. The most of it that touched him was his interaction with nobles such as Lord Michael, the chief commander of Eden's military, and his assistant Lord Raphael. When he was in his final year of schooling, Lord Michael, who had no wife and therefore no child either, was rumored to be seeking to adopt a son, and it was believed by many that Kagetsuya would be his selection (it didn't matter that he already belonged to another family, as Lord Michael was of a much higher station and could select any child he wished). Kagetsuya was well-known to be the brightest young man of his generation, and his upbringing and beauty only made him a more perfect candidate.
But Lord Michael did not choose to adopt Kagetsuya, who resembled too closely his long-dead twin sister. Instead, he chose an orphan by the name of Chihaya, an unusual pick and one that came with much surprise, for Chihaya was the only known angel to possess black hair and black wings. He was born that way, though as there were few who knew of the black cancer at the time, Chihaya was not looked upon as a diseased member of society, merely an abnormality. However, he had the highest score for his higher education examination, passing with astounding scores to rival Kagetsuya's own.
They met on Chihaya's first day of school, a meeting that later seemed destined by fate. Kagetsuya, as head of his class and considered a responsible and trust-worthy individual, was given the job of overseeing orientation. While the first-years waited for the program to start, Kagetsuya witnessed Chihaya being bullied by another student, and stepped in to help him (though also chiding Chihaya for not having enough backbone to stand up for himself). Kagetsuya's cousin, Aya, who loved him fiercely, saw his defense of the "ugly duckling" of an angel and formed an instant dislike and suspicion for Chihaya, for her cousin was not the type who easily had an interest in other individuals. She got her friend Miyagi to approach Chihaya later and tell him to stay away from Kagetsuya, but Kagetsuya found them and put a stop to the confrontation. Again he reprimanded Chihaya for letting others walk all over him, and instructed the young man to hence speak for himself, and do as he liked. Kagetsuya told Chihaya that if he wanted to like him, then it was his prerogative to do so; in response, Chihaya grabbed on to his sleeve as he turned to leave, and declared that he liked him.
That was their first meeting, and by the time Kagetsuya graduated, Chihaya was graduating with him, and as valedictorian, no less, proving to be not only as smart as him, but even moreso. They both chose to enter the Earth surveillance division of the military, and due to their matching intelligence, were paired: Chihaya, who loved the Earthian, as the plus checker, and Kagetsuya as the minus. They left Eden and descended to Earth.
Their first stop was Tokyo, Japan. In Tokyo, Chihaya met a young man by the name of Taki, and as the man was looking lost, brought him back to the apartment he and Kagetsuya shared. Kagetsuya, who had little patience for the Earthian, was not pleased that his partner had brought a stranger back with him, and as for Taki, the angel was suspicious of him. There was something strange about the man...and when the apartment building caught on fire the next day, they found out why. Being on one of the higher floors, and being that the interior stairwell was blocked, the two angels, Taki, and a lost little girl braved the unsteady fire escape. The child went first, as, if worst came to worst, the angels could easily fly to safety. When the stairwell nearly fell before the girl had reached the bottom, Taki grabbed hold of the railing and with super-human strength held the entire fire escape up until the child had reached safety. It was too late for the angels and the super human Taki (who told them that he was a biohumanoid, a created organism, built like humans, and yet nothing like them either). Taki was the first one to see Chihaya's wings. Angels are permitted three opportunities to show their wings to an Earthian, though to use all three would be severely frowned upon.
Chihaya's second was a young woman named Daina, when he and Kagetsuya went to Hong Kong. She was a priestess to the Waki family, a powerful underground organization, and when she ran into the angels on the street, they found themselves involved in her troubles. They took her back to their place, though, of course, Kagetsuya was against it, especially when she refused to eat his food. Daina would speak with Chihaya, though, and as he felt a certain connection with her he showed her his wings. While Chihaya and Daina bonded, Kagetsuya was interrupted from his work by a small group from the Waki family, who had come for the priestess. Kagetsuya was more than willing for them to take her off his hands, but when Chihaya used his power to try to prevent her capture, they kidnapped him as well. Kagetsuya tried to stop them from taking his partner, and got knocked out for his troubles. With the help of some birds, Kagetsuya easily found Chihaya. His partner was returned to him without too much of a struggle, though Chihaya did come back to him with a nasty burn on his chest when the Waki tried to brand him. That, too, was easily remedied with a touch of Kagetsuya's tongue.
Chihaya's third person was, unfortunately for him, an accident. For Christmas that year, the military higher-ups scheduled a meeting in Hawaii, where they could meet on one of the less populated islands and enjoy the pleasant equator weather. Chihaya found himself stuck in a tree when Kagetsuya pretended to chuck a locket of his out the window. Stuck, Kagetsuya encouraged him to fly out of the tree, reassuring him that no Earthian was watching. Chihaya did as we was told, only to find a dumb-founded human staring up at him in awe. Shocked, Chihaya literally fell out of the sky, and was kidnapped by the human, who happened to be a reporter. The man hand-cuffed Chihaya to a bed and tried to get Chihaya to show him his wings again; this was the scene Kagetsuya barged in on. He rescued his partner, and headed straight for the meeting (the detour made them fashionably late). At the meeting, presided over by Lords Michael and Raphael, Chihaya's many mishaps came under scrutiny, especially his two reveals, updated that day to three. Chihaya might have been in more trouble, but Kagetsuya defended him, claiming that he shared equal blame in all of Chihaya's mistakes, as they were partners and should thus both be put to shame. He also requested to give Chihaya his three chances, claiming that he had no desire to ever use them. Moved by Kagetsuya's defense of his friend (though, unbeknownst to the pair, Michael and Raphael had both predicted beforehand that he would be Chihaya's "lifeboat"), Chihaya would be let off the hook if he could make it snow. Storms being Chihaya's specialty, that was an easy feat for him to accomplish, though when Kagetsuya asked how his partner had managed the phenomena, he was told that he had manipulated a strong wind to carry snow from a nearby mountain to the location.
A few other note-worthy and memorable adventures of the pair include their stay in California, and in London. In California, Chihaya befriended an astronaut named Janice, who was scheduled to go into space to repair a satellite that measured weather patterns. Chihaya was moved by the strength of her dreams, and that of all the Earthian; Kagetsuya was less impressed, however, especially when he learned that the satellite Janice was to repair was actually a military weapon capable of pinpointing a target from high in space and attack them from space. In the end, the mission went wrong, and Janice died.
In London, Chihaya befriended a young man named Henry, an aspiring opera composer and current manager for a chorus girl named Mary. Lord Uriel, a famous opera performer on Eden and a particular admirer of Chihaya, also dropped by unannounced, much to Kagetsuya's annoyance: he could not stand the way Uriel was so familiar with Chihaya. The same day Uriel dropped in, Chihaya brought his friend Henry home for supper, and Kagetsuya immediately could smell the scent of death around his partner's new friend. Uriel could as well, and acted quite rudely toward Henry, ensuring that the young man would have no desire to visit again; upset by Uriel's behavior, Chihaya left the apartment, though not before Kagetsuya asked his partner to not get involved in Henry's life, which only upset the black angel more. But not even a few days later, Henry passed away; Chihaya and Kagetsuya found him in his final moments, inside the theater following a performance.
Sometime not long after the trip to Hawaii, Kagetsuya and Chihaya were in the country, presumably somewhere in Europe, when they received the urgent assignment of tracking down an angel named Seraphim. He was one of the six archangels, the others being Lords Michael, Raphael, and Uriel, and Ladies Gabriel (Raphael's wife) and Lucifel. Lord Seraphim was the head of the plus checkers, and a great lover of Earth; he loved Earth so much that he had chosen to live there. Angels who choose Earth as their home, who defect from their home planet, are called "Fallen Angels" and are thus excommunicated from their birthplace, so it struck Kagetsuya as odd that they were to find him.
Unfortunately for Kagetsuya, he got a bit of a nasty shock from Raphael when he contacted them to give them the Seraphim assignment; earlier that week, Chihaya had burned his tongue on soup Kagetsyua had made. Kagetsuya's healing gift allows him to literally lick a hurt better, and he insisted upon ridding Chihaya of his burn; when Raphael surprised him with a call a few days later, he couldn't help tease Kagetsuya about it, noting that it was an odd way to french kiss someone. Of course Kagetsuya adamantly denied that the action was even remotely suggestive of a deeper love than the friendship he and Chihaya shared which Raphael, with a smirk, acknowledged.
Not a few hours following the communication with Lord Raphael did Chihaya return with a little girl named Elvira, who had been asking for him around town. When asked why she had been looking for Chihaya, the girl broke into tears and begged Chihaya to tell her how he had survived the cancer. Neither angel understood what she meant, even when she mentioned Chihaya's black wings. Kagetsuya grew impatient with Elvira's seeming nonsense, when suddenly an angel entered the cottage they were calling home: it was Seraphim, the Fallen Angel, and he had turned all black. Elvira, apparently, was his daughter, the child he had with an Earthian woman whom he had loved. She had heard of Chihaya and thought that he would know the cure for her father, but Seraphim explained to her that Chihaya had been born that way (just as she had been, for her hair was pitch black too) and could not help him. The two left, Seraphim asking the pair not to search for him, also telling them that he would be nearly impossible to find.
About a week later, Kagetsuya and Chihaya made a trip up to the Valhalla moon base for their annual check: a series of tests both physical and mental, to determine the appropriateness of the pairs. There, they were reunited with Aya and Miyagi, who had been made a pair of checkers as well. While the checkers underwent their various tests, Lords Michael and Raphael learned of Seraphim's passing; as he was one of the masters, and head of the plus checkers, it was imperative that his position be filled. And of all the plus checkers, Chihaya's scores were by far the most impressive, making him the obvious choice for the position. Michael was reluctant to force such a responsibility on his adoptive son so soon, for the angel was barely 18 years old. Raphael convinced him otherwise, however, and so Chihaya and Kagetsuya's partnership was dissolved. When he found out he would no longer have Chihaya as a partner, Kagetsuya was visibly upset by this, only moreso when Chihaya seemed not to care at all.
Kagetsuya, with his new partner, the rookie Sayaka, who claimed he only chose to be a plus checker for the opportunity to work with Kagetsuya, were sent down to Earth to find Elvira and, more importantly, a disc she had in her possession. The disc supposedly had all of Seraphim's research into the black cancer, and Eden was desperate to have it. Elvira, who had magically aged about ten years since he first met her, refused to hand it over to Kagetsuya and Sayaka, saying that she would gladly see the angels who had banished her beloved to die as painfully as he had. Kagetsuya managed to bargain with the young woman, though, by promising to find a way for her to visit Eden in exchange for the disc. With her agreement, the three returned to Valhalla.
Back at the moon base, Kagetsuya and Sayaka were without a mission for a time, and as a new pair, spend much of their time in the library and with the other checkers still undergoing their testing. One remarkable memory was a lunch with Aya and Miyagi, where Aya declared that Sayaka as Kagetsuya's partner was just wrong, that Chihaya was the only one suitable to be his partner. Kagetsuya agreed with her, of course, but what could he do if Chihaya didn't care?
One day soon after their return to Valhalla, Kagetsuya was in the library with Sayaka, researching angel capabilities when mixed with Earthian blood (for beyond her incredible aging, Elvira boasted other talents that no angel could claim) when Chihaya approached them and requested to speak with Sayaka. The other angel replied that he would not give Kagetsuya up, guessing what he had come to ask after. The "discussion" quickly became an agreement to "take it outside", where Chihaya pleaded with Sayaka to allow him to be Kagetsuya's partner, and with Sayaka loudly refusing. Kagetsuya stood to one side, watching the unexpected fight over himself, when Sayaka brought him into the conversation, demanding to know which one he wanted to work with; that was an easy answer, and Kagetsuya immediately replied, "Chihaya." Sayaka grew infuriated by his response and, in a brief tussle, Kagetsuya ended up knocking a glove from Sayaka's hand. The gauntlet had been thrown, a duel declared.
Because duels are against Eden law, the three offenders were thrown into isolation for a few days to think over and work out their problems. They didn't get far, at first, as Sayaka refused to speak to Chihaya. Then (after a bout of snoozing on Kagetsuya's part) they all went through taking the blame entirely on their own selves, but soon enough they agreed that they all shared equal blame. Sayaka also admitted defeat to Chihaya, in effect giving his permission for the two to work as partners again. Once Sayaka fell asleep, Chihaya and Kagetsuya were left to fill the time together. They took that opportunity to talk, and though they didn't say much worth remembering, Kagetsuya did think of it as a good conversation. In retrospect, he'd been feeling as though he and Chihaya had been drifting of late, and the two days spent in isolation helped re-cement their friendship.
Despite his renewed confidence in his friendship with Chihaya, the two were forced to take a "c-holiday", a communication vacation for pairs that are having problems in understanding each other. Timing couldn't have been more perfect (in an ironic, sadistic sense), for it was during their holiday that Kagetsuya entered his first mating season.
Nothing happened, though, and soon enough they returned to Valhalla, where they quickly learned that the black cancer had spread rapidly throughout the angels. There wasn't one who hadn't heard of it by then, and many were falling ill. According to Aya, there were two strains, one of which was contagious, though by what means was unknown. Aya insisted that Kagetsuya be checked, for even if he wasn't turning black, he could still be a carrier of the virus. While he was stuck in the health center for a week, Chihaya fulfilled his promise to Elvira and brought her to Eden.
Once he was released from the health clinic, testing negative for both strains of the cancer, he and Chihaya returned to Earth. Something had happened to his partner, though, and Kagetsuya was worried, so much so that he contacted the Lords Michael and Raphael for any information they might have on Chihaya's sudden melancholy. His partner insisted he was fine, but Kagetsuya knew better. Likely upset by Chihaya's lack of trust in him, Kagetsuya went out and came back drunk. Still in the full swing of his mating season, and released by the alcohol from his inhibitions, he confessed his true feelings to Chihaya, telling him that although he was in mating season, he couldn't make a baby, because the only one he wanted was him. Chihaya might have resisted, and tried to at first, but he loved Kagetsuya too, and so they allowed themselves to become one.
Sadly for them, as they consummated their love, the Valhalla base was attacked by a mysterious group calling themselves the "Black Angels". Michael sent out an emergency signal to all checker pairs, but as Kagetsuya and Chihaya were otherwise occupied, the signal did not reach them. A nearby checker pair was asked to look in on them and be sure that everything was all right, and in this way, the lovers were discovered.
The pair was arrested and brought to trial back at Valhalla. Kagetsuya entered the court room determined to defend his right to love. When he was questioned about the act, he was defiant and declared that to love was not a crime. Though the law dictated that the physical act of loving each other was a crime punishable by death, Kagetsuya tried to debate against such a law.
Chihaya, however, seemed to think differently. When he was asked whether he and Kagetsuya had sex, he denied it. He was stunned, but not as much as he was heart-broken when he heard Chihaya declare that he did not love Kagetsuya. Aya, who was present in the court room despite her own broken heart, spoke out when she heard Chihaya's lie, crying and yelling at him that Kagetsuya really did love him. Kagetsuya himself was more calm than his cousin, though only barely, as he begged for Chihaya to forget the consequences of their actions, but only say that what happened between them was real, that Chihaya loved him. But Chihaya stuck to his story, and Kagetsuya left that room believing he had lost everything in the world.
Because their stories did not match, no punishment was doled out, but the lovers were kept in separate holding cells. Kagetsuya was kept locked up for a few days, when he was, surprisingly, freed. He was welcomed by Aya, who tried to keep him from learning what had happened while he was in jail; Miyagi, however, felt his friend deserved to hear the truth. While Kagetsuya was in his cell, Chihaya had escaped, and Lord Michael, who could have prevented the escape, was now in prison, making Lord Raphael commander of the military. He had declared that 10,000 minuses had been tallied and was thus preparing an attack on the Earthian, while Chihaya had descended to Earth to help the opposition. Before he left, however, he had torn off one of his wings; the medical center had possession of the wing, but it had been meant for Kagetsuya. When he heard that, he knew: Chihaya still loved him, always had loved him. And he decided then that he would join Chihaya on Earth.
Kagetsuya is in many ways an enigma. He often seems harsh and uncaring, cold and without compassion, and yet there are moments where he is full of warm emotion. Growing up in the Marquis Sakura's house, Kagetsuya had no siblings and few friends, the closest being his cousin Aya. While Aya was deeply affectionate toward him, Kagetsuya never returned that love, though he would, at least, accept her company. As a young man, he early on found a source of secret emotion in the kind and lovely wife of Lord Raphael, the Lady Gabriel. Kagetsuya would always hold a strong affection for the woman, and before he met Chihaya, he wished with all his heart that he might steal her away from her husband, though he knew it to be an impossible wish. It's ironic, in a way, that Kagetsuya should have such love for Gabriel, for his mother Lucifel had been the lady's longtime love and lover. Though Lucifel did not love Gabriel the same way, the two had been best friends, and Lucifel did what she could to make her friend happy; that Lucifel's child should be able to return Gabriel's love was truly odd, though neither of them were aware of the irony.
Other than Lady Gabriel, however, Kagetsuya showed little interest in other people, choosing to be alone rather than surrounded by "friends". He has very high standards when it comes to people he likes, and he is often heard expressing what type of people he does not like: he loathes cowards, people who seek pity, people who can't stand up for themselves, and any other manner of weakling. Usually he's heard saying these things to Chihaya whenever his partner acts weak around him. Kagetsuya often puts Chihaya down with harsh remarks, chiding him for his love of the Earthian, for his idealism, for his lack of professionalism, etc and so forth. There is always something about which Kagetsuya can find to chastise Chihaya, though his partner does protest against his words. Though Kagetsuya is ever-critical of Chihaya, the fact that he takes the time at all to notice his faults suggests Chihaya's importance to him.
It is usually around Chihaya that Kagetsuya loses his cool; most of the times he seems a mature, self-contained individual. He is very smart and takes his studies very seriously. In fact, Kagetsuya seems to go through life in that manner: "very seriously". He is not the type to make or laugh at jokes, nor does he seek what he considers frivolous companionship. He only has a few people he knows and interacts with often; anyone else is mostly due to Chihaya's bringing them home. He has no interest or regard for the Earthian as a whole, though he will acknowledge that its individuals can have good points from time to time. Oddly enough, for such an anti-social person, Kagetsuya is quite popular amongst his peers, and is greatly admired by them. Perhaps it is his disinterest that makes him seem cool, calm, and collected, but that really isn't the case with him. He's not always like that, and in fact, one might say that his aloof persona merely hides the true Kagetsuya.
For those who know him well (mainly Chihaya and to a lesser extent Aya), Kagetsuya's true self shines through. He often loses his composure when it comes to Chihaya, either with anger, or worry, or grief. Chihaya brings out the best and the worst of him. Kagetsuya is a jealous type, and is consciously cold and somewhat rude to anyone he views as a threat (for instance, when Kagetsuya found Chihaya handcuffed to the reporter's bed in Hawaii, he was so upset by the scene that he broke the cuff's chain with his own grip). And though he nitpicks at Chihaya's faults, he's also sensitive to his partner's feelings, though he doesn't always do the best job showing it: when he tried to warn Chihaya away from Henry, he only did it so he wouldn't have to see Chihaya's sorrow when his friend died, but he did a poor job of expressing his concern.
All his worry and fuss over Chihaya does not go unnoticed, as Lord Raphael has teased Kagetsuya about being the "wife" of the pair, for it's Kagetsuya who does the worrying, who picks up after Chihaya, who makes sure they're both fed and well. Whenever Raphael teases Kagetsuya in this manner (and he does it nearly every time they speak), Kagetsuya becomes flustered and embarrassed, and tries to deny having any care for the black angel, only showing the moreso how much he does care. He is often embarrassed by anything that is more-than-friendly between them, in part because he wishes to deny the feelings, and in part because he knows he must. Kagetsuya is conservative in his actions, liking to adhere to the rules most of the time.
Even so, he's a very passionate person, given the chance to be so. Once he was able to break past the final barrier that had held him back from loving Chihaya completely (that barrier being the fear of discovery and execution), Kagetsuya decided that he would defend his right to love Chihaya even if it killed him. It's a trait he got from his mother, who too defended her right to love her brother; Kagetsuya, uncaring of the consequence, lost his calm composure in court in order to fight for what he believed in. Though one might have thought Chihaya the more emotional of the two, it's really Kagetsuya who, at his core, is led by his feelings.
Besides Chihaya, Kagetsuya is passionate about cooking. He's very good at cooking, and loves trying new dishes. It's the one thing about the Earthian that he admits liking: their variety in the culinary arts. Wherever he and Chihaya are staying, Kagetsuya will try to stick to the dishes and diet of that particular culture. He's also quite vain about his cooking, and is insulted if the person he cooks for doesn't like his food (this is the main reason he took such a disliking to Daina when she stayed with them: she refused to eat the food he had prepared). As a result of his hobby, Kagetsuya hates picky eaters (this is one plus about Chihaya that he's willing to praise him on, for his partner loves all food and has an excellent appetite).
1st person sample: [text sample]
"Don't panic", it says.
I am led to wonder how many do panic in this situation. After all, the destruction of a planet is on a much grander scale than the destruction of, say, one's house, and even in those types of situations most would give way to distress. Panic, however? Perhaps later, yes, but I imagine the feeling now is more like a numbness of emotion. I don't believe one could be quite thawed enough to panic just yet.
That would come later. I'm certain a simple sign instructing one not to do so would hardly prevent one from succumbing to that sort of hysteria.
I wonder if I will panic, later on.
Perhaps, if I don't find him first. If he is nowhere to be found.
I want to believe he's here. But with only one wing, how likely is that?
No, I have to believe he's here. Surely Elvira would have taken care of him.
God? Please let him be here. It wasn't We weren't wrong.
3rd person sample: It happened just as Miyagi revealed the truth to Kagetsuya, though at the time he thought for certain the violent shaking of the base was in his own mind and his own heart, for he felt his whole body tremble with the realization that Chihaya truly loved him. It was only seeing the looks on the other angels' faces that he knew it had not simply been his heart breaking with happiness and renewed sorrow at his lover's separation but something more. Before anything could be said, before Aya could latch onto him for safety, Kagetsuya ran from the room and into the hallway.
Angels dashed past him, not seeing him, and the hall was filled with their agitated voices. Catching a snippet of conversation between a pair as they moved past him, he learned that the inter-galactic elevator connecting Eden and Earth had fallen apart. Moving along with the main flow of traffic, headed toward the main military communications area, he furthered learned that reports were coming in from the home planet. Something was happening up there, and none of it sounded good.
But it was more than that; as Kagetsuya passed a window looking down on Earth, he saw a terrible sight. Impossible to describe, hardly possible to understand even as he watched, all he knew was that the Earth need no longer fear an invasion from the angels. There was nothing to invade. Kagetsuya's heart stopped beating then, his breath sharp and shallow. Was Chihaya down there?
But he had no time to linger, for whatever had happened to the Earth was headed for the angels' moon base and fast. He had to get out of there. If Chihaya had somehow miraculously survived, then he had to as well. He would not lose him again.
What happened next was a blur of noise and lights; Kagetsuya vaguely recalled the report that Eden was gone, obliterated, that the Valhalla angels were likely all that was left and not for long at that. Somehow he managed to escape. Somehow he managed to survive.
When Kagetsuya later came to his senses, he was on a ship; he could tell by the movement below him, subtle though it was. He was alive. He only prayed he had something left for which to live.
Name: Rowan
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Email: heart_of_rowan[at]yahho[dot]com
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Other contact: AIM: foundthepenguin; rorofightdapowa
IC:
Character name: Kagetsuya
Fandom: Earthian
Timeline: manga chapter "The Sign"
Age: 20
~*Magical*~ abilities and strengths: As an angel, Kagetsuya has some unique talents. His strengths lie in healing; to be specific, his healing powers lie in the tip of his tongue. Kagetsuya merely has to lick the wounded area and it will heal. Kagetsuya also has the power to call birds to him. No matter where he is, if he calls them, birds will come to his aid. It's a useful skill for spying or for finding lost little angels.
Besides his angelic gifts, Kagetsuya is skilled at cooking. It's his greatest hobby and one of his chief prides.
How would they use their abilities?: Kagetsuya would only use his powers for good, or at the very least selfishly innocent, reasons. He's not exactly inclined to do good for everyone regardless, but nor is he the type to willfully use his talents for ill. For the most part he'd just do what is good for himself and the few people he cares about without getting in the way of others.
Appearance: Kagetsuya is tall, though his exact height is never given. He has bright blond hair that can be quite long, reaching down to his waist. Sometimes his hair is shoulder length, but when he's on Earth he makes sure to keep it short. When his hair is its proper length, it is wavy and soft; Kagetsuya tends to wear his hair out, with a decorative braid on one side sometimes. He has deep blue eyes and a serious face, and is considered to be a beautiful-looking person by most everyone. Kagetsuya's attire varies on his location: while on Earth he sticks to the pants and sweaters, clothing typical of the time period. On Eden, he tends toward their fashion of colorful and elaborate robes. He also has large white feathered wings which, for most of the time, are concealed (in which state his wings seem to disappear entirely). Sometimes he can be seen wearing glasses when he's working on a report, as well.
see profile for reference
Background/Personality: Let us begin with Kagestuya's origin, though he himself does not know this part of his tale. It began with two angels, a boy and a girl; a brother and a sister; twins. One was Michael, the female above him was Lucifel, though he called her Lue. Only he called her Lue, and he called that name even as they did something they shouldn't do. Just once, she only asked to do it once and he didn't even have to do anything (though he could not help it in the end) and then she was gone. He never saw her again.
She lived for another nine months, hidden. Then, one day, she bore a child, a boy, the son of her beloved brother, and she left the baby at the noble house of the Marquis Sakura, before leaving this world forever.
Kagetsuya never knew he was abandoned, as he was raised by the Marquis as though he were his own son (for the Marquis never did have any other children, save the one who appeared on his doorstep that fateful night). The boy grew up smart and beautiful, the head of his class and the envy and admiration of his fellow classmates.
Before getting too involved in Kagetsuya's personal adventures, let's first introduce in greater detail the world Kagetsuya called home. He was born on a planet known as Eden, home to the race of "angels". Every angel on Eden is born with snow-white wings and blond hair (though the shades of blond vary from person to person). They are a very old race, much older than the Earth itself, and yet, in recent times, the angel population has dwindled significantly. There are two main causes for the dramatic population decline: one is an incurable new form of cancer, and the other is an increased change of sexual and reproductive habits.
Though the angels are technically aliens, they resemble humans in many ways, including their manner of reproduction. It takes a male and a female to produce a life, and that system has fallen into danger as, generation by generation, more angels are born with homosexual desires. Unlike humanity's sexual reproductive system, angels go through a mating season, which, depending on their marital status, can come as frequently as once a year, or as seldom as once every ten. Mating season increases an angel's sexual drive and desire to become one with another; coupled angels find that their mating season usually coincides with their chosen mate, the better to perpetuate the species, and having a mate often means more frequent mating seasons. Singleton angels will find their mating season less frequent, as they do not have someone with whom they want to mate.
The current generations of angels find that their mating season pushes them to greatly desire a body like their own; this feeling is heightened if they already have another of the same sex for whom they feel strongly. Because most of the population leans towards this, the birth rate has nosedived; it has also been observed that heterosexual couples are having more trouble reproducing as well, but because the homosexuality dominating sexual urges is at a much greater rate than the inconsistency in heterosexual births, its impact on the newer generations is more prominent. In response to this dilemma, the angels made homosexual interactions a capital crime, though only the physical act is punishable. Feelings are allowed, as long as they are not acted upon. The law was mandated in the hope that it would discourage birth-less couplings, and encourage angels to focus on their child-making duties.
The problem of homosexuality amongst angels is the well-known reason for the population decline. The other factor, that was kept hidden for quite some time, is the sickness known as the "black cancer".
Little is known of its origin or the way in which it works, and there is yet no cure. All that is known are the symptoms that give the cancer its name: an angel's hair and wings will gradually turn black as night, and once they are fully black, the angel dies. The illness is new, only showing up in the past generation or two, and for the most part is unknown to most citizens of Eden.
As is discovered later on by Kagetsuya and his partner Chihaya, the answer to Eden's future may lie with Earth. The angels of Eden have been aware of the planet for quite some time, and claim to have observed it for a good 5 billion years now. They take especial interest in humankind, whom they call "Earthian", and ever since humans walked the Earth, the angels have judged them. In fact, a good part of the military is devoted to Earth surveillance, and many angels will choose to enter this field. The military sends many teams of two to Earth's surface to gather points for humanity: one person of the pair is the plus checker, and the other checks the minus. They observe the Earthian's actions and tally it as a positive or negative. They work in pairs to ensure the points are gathered fairly, and that the points go to the proper side. It is rumored that if the minus side collects 10,000 points first, the angels will destroy the Earthian, and if the plus side should reach that number first, the Earth will be left as it is. Because Eden is so far away from the Earth, the angels have a base on the moon, called Valhalla, and one on Earth, called Isana. Most pairs will report to either Valhalla or Isana, as a trip to Eden would take too much time and energy.
Much of what was mentioned above did not affect Kagetsuya as he grew up. The most of it that touched him was his interaction with nobles such as Lord Michael, the chief commander of Eden's military, and his assistant Lord Raphael. When he was in his final year of schooling, Lord Michael, who had no wife and therefore no child either, was rumored to be seeking to adopt a son, and it was believed by many that Kagetsuya would be his selection (it didn't matter that he already belonged to another family, as Lord Michael was of a much higher station and could select any child he wished). Kagetsuya was well-known to be the brightest young man of his generation, and his upbringing and beauty only made him a more perfect candidate.
But Lord Michael did not choose to adopt Kagetsuya, who resembled too closely his long-dead twin sister. Instead, he chose an orphan by the name of Chihaya, an unusual pick and one that came with much surprise, for Chihaya was the only known angel to possess black hair and black wings. He was born that way, though as there were few who knew of the black cancer at the time, Chihaya was not looked upon as a diseased member of society, merely an abnormality. However, he had the highest score for his higher education examination, passing with astounding scores to rival Kagetsuya's own.
They met on Chihaya's first day of school, a meeting that later seemed destined by fate. Kagetsuya, as head of his class and considered a responsible and trust-worthy individual, was given the job of overseeing orientation. While the first-years waited for the program to start, Kagetsuya witnessed Chihaya being bullied by another student, and stepped in to help him (though also chiding Chihaya for not having enough backbone to stand up for himself). Kagetsuya's cousin, Aya, who loved him fiercely, saw his defense of the "ugly duckling" of an angel and formed an instant dislike and suspicion for Chihaya, for her cousin was not the type who easily had an interest in other individuals. She got her friend Miyagi to approach Chihaya later and tell him to stay away from Kagetsuya, but Kagetsuya found them and put a stop to the confrontation. Again he reprimanded Chihaya for letting others walk all over him, and instructed the young man to hence speak for himself, and do as he liked. Kagetsuya told Chihaya that if he wanted to like him, then it was his prerogative to do so; in response, Chihaya grabbed on to his sleeve as he turned to leave, and declared that he liked him.
That was their first meeting, and by the time Kagetsuya graduated, Chihaya was graduating with him, and as valedictorian, no less, proving to be not only as smart as him, but even moreso. They both chose to enter the Earth surveillance division of the military, and due to their matching intelligence, were paired: Chihaya, who loved the Earthian, as the plus checker, and Kagetsuya as the minus. They left Eden and descended to Earth.
Their first stop was Tokyo, Japan. In Tokyo, Chihaya met a young man by the name of Taki, and as the man was looking lost, brought him back to the apartment he and Kagetsuya shared. Kagetsuya, who had little patience for the Earthian, was not pleased that his partner had brought a stranger back with him, and as for Taki, the angel was suspicious of him. There was something strange about the man...and when the apartment building caught on fire the next day, they found out why. Being on one of the higher floors, and being that the interior stairwell was blocked, the two angels, Taki, and a lost little girl braved the unsteady fire escape. The child went first, as, if worst came to worst, the angels could easily fly to safety. When the stairwell nearly fell before the girl had reached the bottom, Taki grabbed hold of the railing and with super-human strength held the entire fire escape up until the child had reached safety. It was too late for the angels and the super human Taki (who told them that he was a biohumanoid, a created organism, built like humans, and yet nothing like them either). Taki was the first one to see Chihaya's wings. Angels are permitted three opportunities to show their wings to an Earthian, though to use all three would be severely frowned upon.
Chihaya's second was a young woman named Daina, when he and Kagetsuya went to Hong Kong. She was a priestess to the Waki family, a powerful underground organization, and when she ran into the angels on the street, they found themselves involved in her troubles. They took her back to their place, though, of course, Kagetsuya was against it, especially when she refused to eat his food. Daina would speak with Chihaya, though, and as he felt a certain connection with her he showed her his wings. While Chihaya and Daina bonded, Kagetsuya was interrupted from his work by a small group from the Waki family, who had come for the priestess. Kagetsuya was more than willing for them to take her off his hands, but when Chihaya used his power to try to prevent her capture, they kidnapped him as well. Kagetsuya tried to stop them from taking his partner, and got knocked out for his troubles. With the help of some birds, Kagetsuya easily found Chihaya. His partner was returned to him without too much of a struggle, though Chihaya did come back to him with a nasty burn on his chest when the Waki tried to brand him. That, too, was easily remedied with a touch of Kagetsuya's tongue.
Chihaya's third person was, unfortunately for him, an accident. For Christmas that year, the military higher-ups scheduled a meeting in Hawaii, where they could meet on one of the less populated islands and enjoy the pleasant equator weather. Chihaya found himself stuck in a tree when Kagetsuya pretended to chuck a locket of his out the window. Stuck, Kagetsuya encouraged him to fly out of the tree, reassuring him that no Earthian was watching. Chihaya did as we was told, only to find a dumb-founded human staring up at him in awe. Shocked, Chihaya literally fell out of the sky, and was kidnapped by the human, who happened to be a reporter. The man hand-cuffed Chihaya to a bed and tried to get Chihaya to show him his wings again; this was the scene Kagetsuya barged in on. He rescued his partner, and headed straight for the meeting (the detour made them fashionably late). At the meeting, presided over by Lords Michael and Raphael, Chihaya's many mishaps came under scrutiny, especially his two reveals, updated that day to three. Chihaya might have been in more trouble, but Kagetsuya defended him, claiming that he shared equal blame in all of Chihaya's mistakes, as they were partners and should thus both be put to shame. He also requested to give Chihaya his three chances, claiming that he had no desire to ever use them. Moved by Kagetsuya's defense of his friend (though, unbeknownst to the pair, Michael and Raphael had both predicted beforehand that he would be Chihaya's "lifeboat"), Chihaya would be let off the hook if he could make it snow. Storms being Chihaya's specialty, that was an easy feat for him to accomplish, though when Kagetsuya asked how his partner had managed the phenomena, he was told that he had manipulated a strong wind to carry snow from a nearby mountain to the location.
A few other note-worthy and memorable adventures of the pair include their stay in California, and in London. In California, Chihaya befriended an astronaut named Janice, who was scheduled to go into space to repair a satellite that measured weather patterns. Chihaya was moved by the strength of her dreams, and that of all the Earthian; Kagetsuya was less impressed, however, especially when he learned that the satellite Janice was to repair was actually a military weapon capable of pinpointing a target from high in space and attack them from space. In the end, the mission went wrong, and Janice died.
In London, Chihaya befriended a young man named Henry, an aspiring opera composer and current manager for a chorus girl named Mary. Lord Uriel, a famous opera performer on Eden and a particular admirer of Chihaya, also dropped by unannounced, much to Kagetsuya's annoyance: he could not stand the way Uriel was so familiar with Chihaya. The same day Uriel dropped in, Chihaya brought his friend Henry home for supper, and Kagetsuya immediately could smell the scent of death around his partner's new friend. Uriel could as well, and acted quite rudely toward Henry, ensuring that the young man would have no desire to visit again; upset by Uriel's behavior, Chihaya left the apartment, though not before Kagetsuya asked his partner to not get involved in Henry's life, which only upset the black angel more. But not even a few days later, Henry passed away; Chihaya and Kagetsuya found him in his final moments, inside the theater following a performance.
Sometime not long after the trip to Hawaii, Kagetsuya and Chihaya were in the country, presumably somewhere in Europe, when they received the urgent assignment of tracking down an angel named Seraphim. He was one of the six archangels, the others being Lords Michael, Raphael, and Uriel, and Ladies Gabriel (Raphael's wife) and Lucifel. Lord Seraphim was the head of the plus checkers, and a great lover of Earth; he loved Earth so much that he had chosen to live there. Angels who choose Earth as their home, who defect from their home planet, are called "Fallen Angels" and are thus excommunicated from their birthplace, so it struck Kagetsuya as odd that they were to find him.
Unfortunately for Kagetsuya, he got a bit of a nasty shock from Raphael when he contacted them to give them the Seraphim assignment; earlier that week, Chihaya had burned his tongue on soup Kagetsyua had made. Kagetsuya's healing gift allows him to literally lick a hurt better, and he insisted upon ridding Chihaya of his burn; when Raphael surprised him with a call a few days later, he couldn't help tease Kagetsuya about it, noting that it was an odd way to french kiss someone. Of course Kagetsuya adamantly denied that the action was even remotely suggestive of a deeper love than the friendship he and Chihaya shared which Raphael, with a smirk, acknowledged.
Not a few hours following the communication with Lord Raphael did Chihaya return with a little girl named Elvira, who had been asking for him around town. When asked why she had been looking for Chihaya, the girl broke into tears and begged Chihaya to tell her how he had survived the cancer. Neither angel understood what she meant, even when she mentioned Chihaya's black wings. Kagetsuya grew impatient with Elvira's seeming nonsense, when suddenly an angel entered the cottage they were calling home: it was Seraphim, the Fallen Angel, and he had turned all black. Elvira, apparently, was his daughter, the child he had with an Earthian woman whom he had loved. She had heard of Chihaya and thought that he would know the cure for her father, but Seraphim explained to her that Chihaya had been born that way (just as she had been, for her hair was pitch black too) and could not help him. The two left, Seraphim asking the pair not to search for him, also telling them that he would be nearly impossible to find.
About a week later, Kagetsuya and Chihaya made a trip up to the Valhalla moon base for their annual check: a series of tests both physical and mental, to determine the appropriateness of the pairs. There, they were reunited with Aya and Miyagi, who had been made a pair of checkers as well. While the checkers underwent their various tests, Lords Michael and Raphael learned of Seraphim's passing; as he was one of the masters, and head of the plus checkers, it was imperative that his position be filled. And of all the plus checkers, Chihaya's scores were by far the most impressive, making him the obvious choice for the position. Michael was reluctant to force such a responsibility on his adoptive son so soon, for the angel was barely 18 years old. Raphael convinced him otherwise, however, and so Chihaya and Kagetsuya's partnership was dissolved. When he found out he would no longer have Chihaya as a partner, Kagetsuya was visibly upset by this, only moreso when Chihaya seemed not to care at all.
Kagetsuya, with his new partner, the rookie Sayaka, who claimed he only chose to be a plus checker for the opportunity to work with Kagetsuya, were sent down to Earth to find Elvira and, more importantly, a disc she had in her possession. The disc supposedly had all of Seraphim's research into the black cancer, and Eden was desperate to have it. Elvira, who had magically aged about ten years since he first met her, refused to hand it over to Kagetsuya and Sayaka, saying that she would gladly see the angels who had banished her beloved to die as painfully as he had. Kagetsuya managed to bargain with the young woman, though, by promising to find a way for her to visit Eden in exchange for the disc. With her agreement, the three returned to Valhalla.
Back at the moon base, Kagetsuya and Sayaka were without a mission for a time, and as a new pair, spend much of their time in the library and with the other checkers still undergoing their testing. One remarkable memory was a lunch with Aya and Miyagi, where Aya declared that Sayaka as Kagetsuya's partner was just wrong, that Chihaya was the only one suitable to be his partner. Kagetsuya agreed with her, of course, but what could he do if Chihaya didn't care?
One day soon after their return to Valhalla, Kagetsuya was in the library with Sayaka, researching angel capabilities when mixed with Earthian blood (for beyond her incredible aging, Elvira boasted other talents that no angel could claim) when Chihaya approached them and requested to speak with Sayaka. The other angel replied that he would not give Kagetsuya up, guessing what he had come to ask after. The "discussion" quickly became an agreement to "take it outside", where Chihaya pleaded with Sayaka to allow him to be Kagetsuya's partner, and with Sayaka loudly refusing. Kagetsuya stood to one side, watching the unexpected fight over himself, when Sayaka brought him into the conversation, demanding to know which one he wanted to work with; that was an easy answer, and Kagetsuya immediately replied, "Chihaya." Sayaka grew infuriated by his response and, in a brief tussle, Kagetsuya ended up knocking a glove from Sayaka's hand. The gauntlet had been thrown, a duel declared.
Because duels are against Eden law, the three offenders were thrown into isolation for a few days to think over and work out their problems. They didn't get far, at first, as Sayaka refused to speak to Chihaya. Then (after a bout of snoozing on Kagetsuya's part) they all went through taking the blame entirely on their own selves, but soon enough they agreed that they all shared equal blame. Sayaka also admitted defeat to Chihaya, in effect giving his permission for the two to work as partners again. Once Sayaka fell asleep, Chihaya and Kagetsuya were left to fill the time together. They took that opportunity to talk, and though they didn't say much worth remembering, Kagetsuya did think of it as a good conversation. In retrospect, he'd been feeling as though he and Chihaya had been drifting of late, and the two days spent in isolation helped re-cement their friendship.
Despite his renewed confidence in his friendship with Chihaya, the two were forced to take a "c-holiday", a communication vacation for pairs that are having problems in understanding each other. Timing couldn't have been more perfect (in an ironic, sadistic sense), for it was during their holiday that Kagetsuya entered his first mating season.
Nothing happened, though, and soon enough they returned to Valhalla, where they quickly learned that the black cancer had spread rapidly throughout the angels. There wasn't one who hadn't heard of it by then, and many were falling ill. According to Aya, there were two strains, one of which was contagious, though by what means was unknown. Aya insisted that Kagetsuya be checked, for even if he wasn't turning black, he could still be a carrier of the virus. While he was stuck in the health center for a week, Chihaya fulfilled his promise to Elvira and brought her to Eden.
Once he was released from the health clinic, testing negative for both strains of the cancer, he and Chihaya returned to Earth. Something had happened to his partner, though, and Kagetsuya was worried, so much so that he contacted the Lords Michael and Raphael for any information they might have on Chihaya's sudden melancholy. His partner insisted he was fine, but Kagetsuya knew better. Likely upset by Chihaya's lack of trust in him, Kagetsuya went out and came back drunk. Still in the full swing of his mating season, and released by the alcohol from his inhibitions, he confessed his true feelings to Chihaya, telling him that although he was in mating season, he couldn't make a baby, because the only one he wanted was him. Chihaya might have resisted, and tried to at first, but he loved Kagetsuya too, and so they allowed themselves to become one.
Sadly for them, as they consummated their love, the Valhalla base was attacked by a mysterious group calling themselves the "Black Angels". Michael sent out an emergency signal to all checker pairs, but as Kagetsuya and Chihaya were otherwise occupied, the signal did not reach them. A nearby checker pair was asked to look in on them and be sure that everything was all right, and in this way, the lovers were discovered.
The pair was arrested and brought to trial back at Valhalla. Kagetsuya entered the court room determined to defend his right to love. When he was questioned about the act, he was defiant and declared that to love was not a crime. Though the law dictated that the physical act of loving each other was a crime punishable by death, Kagetsuya tried to debate against such a law.
Chihaya, however, seemed to think differently. When he was asked whether he and Kagetsuya had sex, he denied it. He was stunned, but not as much as he was heart-broken when he heard Chihaya declare that he did not love Kagetsuya. Aya, who was present in the court room despite her own broken heart, spoke out when she heard Chihaya's lie, crying and yelling at him that Kagetsuya really did love him. Kagetsuya himself was more calm than his cousin, though only barely, as he begged for Chihaya to forget the consequences of their actions, but only say that what happened between them was real, that Chihaya loved him. But Chihaya stuck to his story, and Kagetsuya left that room believing he had lost everything in the world.
Because their stories did not match, no punishment was doled out, but the lovers were kept in separate holding cells. Kagetsuya was kept locked up for a few days, when he was, surprisingly, freed. He was welcomed by Aya, who tried to keep him from learning what had happened while he was in jail; Miyagi, however, felt his friend deserved to hear the truth. While Kagetsuya was in his cell, Chihaya had escaped, and Lord Michael, who could have prevented the escape, was now in prison, making Lord Raphael commander of the military. He had declared that 10,000 minuses had been tallied and was thus preparing an attack on the Earthian, while Chihaya had descended to Earth to help the opposition. Before he left, however, he had torn off one of his wings; the medical center had possession of the wing, but it had been meant for Kagetsuya. When he heard that, he knew: Chihaya still loved him, always had loved him. And he decided then that he would join Chihaya on Earth.
Kagetsuya is in many ways an enigma. He often seems harsh and uncaring, cold and without compassion, and yet there are moments where he is full of warm emotion. Growing up in the Marquis Sakura's house, Kagetsuya had no siblings and few friends, the closest being his cousin Aya. While Aya was deeply affectionate toward him, Kagetsuya never returned that love, though he would, at least, accept her company. As a young man, he early on found a source of secret emotion in the kind and lovely wife of Lord Raphael, the Lady Gabriel. Kagetsuya would always hold a strong affection for the woman, and before he met Chihaya, he wished with all his heart that he might steal her away from her husband, though he knew it to be an impossible wish. It's ironic, in a way, that Kagetsuya should have such love for Gabriel, for his mother Lucifel had been the lady's longtime love and lover. Though Lucifel did not love Gabriel the same way, the two had been best friends, and Lucifel did what she could to make her friend happy; that Lucifel's child should be able to return Gabriel's love was truly odd, though neither of them were aware of the irony.
Other than Lady Gabriel, however, Kagetsuya showed little interest in other people, choosing to be alone rather than surrounded by "friends". He has very high standards when it comes to people he likes, and he is often heard expressing what type of people he does not like: he loathes cowards, people who seek pity, people who can't stand up for themselves, and any other manner of weakling. Usually he's heard saying these things to Chihaya whenever his partner acts weak around him. Kagetsuya often puts Chihaya down with harsh remarks, chiding him for his love of the Earthian, for his idealism, for his lack of professionalism, etc and so forth. There is always something about which Kagetsuya can find to chastise Chihaya, though his partner does protest against his words. Though Kagetsuya is ever-critical of Chihaya, the fact that he takes the time at all to notice his faults suggests Chihaya's importance to him.
It is usually around Chihaya that Kagetsuya loses his cool; most of the times he seems a mature, self-contained individual. He is very smart and takes his studies very seriously. In fact, Kagetsuya seems to go through life in that manner: "very seriously". He is not the type to make or laugh at jokes, nor does he seek what he considers frivolous companionship. He only has a few people he knows and interacts with often; anyone else is mostly due to Chihaya's bringing them home. He has no interest or regard for the Earthian as a whole, though he will acknowledge that its individuals can have good points from time to time. Oddly enough, for such an anti-social person, Kagetsuya is quite popular amongst his peers, and is greatly admired by them. Perhaps it is his disinterest that makes him seem cool, calm, and collected, but that really isn't the case with him. He's not always like that, and in fact, one might say that his aloof persona merely hides the true Kagetsuya.
For those who know him well (mainly Chihaya and to a lesser extent Aya), Kagetsuya's true self shines through. He often loses his composure when it comes to Chihaya, either with anger, or worry, or grief. Chihaya brings out the best and the worst of him. Kagetsuya is a jealous type, and is consciously cold and somewhat rude to anyone he views as a threat (for instance, when Kagetsuya found Chihaya handcuffed to the reporter's bed in Hawaii, he was so upset by the scene that he broke the cuff's chain with his own grip). And though he nitpicks at Chihaya's faults, he's also sensitive to his partner's feelings, though he doesn't always do the best job showing it: when he tried to warn Chihaya away from Henry, he only did it so he wouldn't have to see Chihaya's sorrow when his friend died, but he did a poor job of expressing his concern.
All his worry and fuss over Chihaya does not go unnoticed, as Lord Raphael has teased Kagetsuya about being the "wife" of the pair, for it's Kagetsuya who does the worrying, who picks up after Chihaya, who makes sure they're both fed and well. Whenever Raphael teases Kagetsuya in this manner (and he does it nearly every time they speak), Kagetsuya becomes flustered and embarrassed, and tries to deny having any care for the black angel, only showing the moreso how much he does care. He is often embarrassed by anything that is more-than-friendly between them, in part because he wishes to deny the feelings, and in part because he knows he must. Kagetsuya is conservative in his actions, liking to adhere to the rules most of the time.
Even so, he's a very passionate person, given the chance to be so. Once he was able to break past the final barrier that had held him back from loving Chihaya completely (that barrier being the fear of discovery and execution), Kagetsuya decided that he would defend his right to love Chihaya even if it killed him. It's a trait he got from his mother, who too defended her right to love her brother; Kagetsuya, uncaring of the consequence, lost his calm composure in court in order to fight for what he believed in. Though one might have thought Chihaya the more emotional of the two, it's really Kagetsuya who, at his core, is led by his feelings.
Besides Chihaya, Kagetsuya is passionate about cooking. He's very good at cooking, and loves trying new dishes. It's the one thing about the Earthian that he admits liking: their variety in the culinary arts. Wherever he and Chihaya are staying, Kagetsuya will try to stick to the dishes and diet of that particular culture. He's also quite vain about his cooking, and is insulted if the person he cooks for doesn't like his food (this is the main reason he took such a disliking to Daina when she stayed with them: she refused to eat the food he had prepared). As a result of his hobby, Kagetsuya hates picky eaters (this is one plus about Chihaya that he's willing to praise him on, for his partner loves all food and has an excellent appetite).
1st person sample: [text sample]
"Don't panic", it says.
I am led to wonder how many do panic in this situation. After all, the destruction of a planet is on a much grander scale than the destruction of, say, one's house, and even in those types of situations most would give way to distress. Panic, however? Perhaps later, yes, but I imagine the feeling now is more like a numbness of emotion. I don't believe one could be quite thawed enough to panic just yet.
That would come later. I'm certain a simple sign instructing one not to do so would hardly prevent one from succumbing to that sort of hysteria.
I wonder if I will panic, later on.
Perhaps, if I don't find him first. If he is nowhere to be found.
I want to believe he's here. But with only one wing, how likely is that?
No, I have to believe he's here. Surely Elvira would have taken care of him.
God? Please let him be here. It wasn't We weren't wrong.
3rd person sample: It happened just as Miyagi revealed the truth to Kagetsuya, though at the time he thought for certain the violent shaking of the base was in his own mind and his own heart, for he felt his whole body tremble with the realization that Chihaya truly loved him. It was only seeing the looks on the other angels' faces that he knew it had not simply been his heart breaking with happiness and renewed sorrow at his lover's separation but something more. Before anything could be said, before Aya could latch onto him for safety, Kagetsuya ran from the room and into the hallway.
Angels dashed past him, not seeing him, and the hall was filled with their agitated voices. Catching a snippet of conversation between a pair as they moved past him, he learned that the inter-galactic elevator connecting Eden and Earth had fallen apart. Moving along with the main flow of traffic, headed toward the main military communications area, he furthered learned that reports were coming in from the home planet. Something was happening up there, and none of it sounded good.
But it was more than that; as Kagetsuya passed a window looking down on Earth, he saw a terrible sight. Impossible to describe, hardly possible to understand even as he watched, all he knew was that the Earth need no longer fear an invasion from the angels. There was nothing to invade. Kagetsuya's heart stopped beating then, his breath sharp and shallow. Was Chihaya down there?
But he had no time to linger, for whatever had happened to the Earth was headed for the angels' moon base and fast. He had to get out of there. If Chihaya had somehow miraculously survived, then he had to as well. He would not lose him again.
What happened next was a blur of noise and lights; Kagetsuya vaguely recalled the report that Eden was gone, obliterated, that the Valhalla angels were likely all that was left and not for long at that. Somehow he managed to escape. Somehow he managed to survive.
When Kagetsuya later came to his senses, he was on a ship; he could tell by the movement below him, subtle though it was. He was alive. He only prayed he had something left for which to live.