*Prologue* 
 
I flew swiftly through Heaven, only pausing to say hi to some of my fellow angels. I had been called to the throne room and didn't want to be too late. 

I flapped my snow white wings, quickly ascending to the throne room. I paused at the doors to have a short conversation with the guard angels, who let me in. I flew slowly into the room. It was huge, with high stained glass windows and pillars.
In the middle of the room was the throne, where God sat. 

I flew to His feet and knelt. "My lord." 

I could feel His gaze on the back of my head. "Rin. Please stand." 

I stood up, making sure to keep my eyes slightly averted from Him. 

He looked at me kindly. "Rin, you have a different fate from your other angel friends. You will not stay in heaven." 

"What?!" I exclaimed in shock. "Do you mean I'll go down to-" Then I realized who I was interrupting and hastily shut my mouth. 

He gave a low chuckle. "No, not all the way down there. You must go to Earth, Rin. Where the humans are." 

Humans. God's creation. We angels watched over them as well as we could. 

"And you must take this advice with you. Follow your heart, Rin. No matter what happens, do what you think is right. And before you go, you must take this with you." He snapped His fingers and an angel came forward to hand me a box. There was nothing extraordinary about it. It was just a wooden box. 

I looked from the box, to Him, and back to the box. "My lord...?" 

He smiled gently. "Rin, I'm sure you've heard of Pandora?" 

"Yes. Pandora was a woman in possession of a specific box that held all the world's terrors. She was not to open it or they would be unleashed into the world. However, she was too curious and opened the box. Then-" 

He held up a hand. "Enough. That is all you need to remember. Think of it as Pandora's box. Try not to-no, do not open it. Do you understand?" 

"Yes." I nodded. "But if I'm not to open it then why give it to me?" 

"Because it will be an important factor in your destiny. One last thing before you go." He leaned down from his throne to whisper a few words into my ear. My eyes widened as he leaned back up. "But, Lord, why would I want to-" 

"I cannot answer that now. You must find out why by yourself. Now go, Rin. Remember to follow your heart. Goodbye, and I will be watching you." 

I flew out of the throne room in a daze. Going to Earth...Pandora's box... 

I flew to the gates of Heaven, my escorts being my angelic friends. They yelled things like, "Good luck, Rin! We'll be cheering for you!" 

I grinned, waved to them, then folded my wings in and dived down to Earth. I couldn't help but think, What a strange destiny I'll have... 

 
*Part One: Fallen Angel* 
 
I plummeted toward Earth at hundreds of miles per hour. Along the way, I managed to lose the box and it disappeared from sight. Damn it, I thought. Too fast, too fast... 

I wish I could have just used the convenient method of traveling called teleporting, but even angels couldn't teleport all the way down to Earth. 

As I dived, I searched for the human building where an old friend of mine lived. He had been sent to Earth years ago to help out humans and hadn't returned to Heaven since. I planned to surprise him, but at this rate a surprise would mean making a huge hole in his roof. 

Finally, I got close enough to see his house. Not wanting to go through the roof, I aimed for the second story window. I'm still going way too fast! I yelled at myself. Soon I'm going to- 

I had no time to think at this point. All I could do was keep my wings folded and aim myself at his window. A moment before impact, I saw a flash of dark blue inside and thought, oh, no- 

CRASH. I'd flown straight through his window, shattering the glass. Fortunately, there had been something to break my fall. Looking down, I realized it was a someone. The flash of blue had been his hair. 

"...oh no! I'm so sorry!" I gasped, immediately getting off him and standing up. Extending a hand to him, I helped him up. 

"Rin...is that you...?" He asked with disbelief. 

"In the flesh," I grinned sheepishly. "I'm sorry for crushing you, Kaito, are you alright?" 

Kaito smiled. "I'm fine! I just wasn't expecting you like this," he said with a laugh. "By the way, Rin, did you come down here with a box?" 

"Yeah! Do you have it?" 

He pointed to a corner of the room, which I could now see was his attic. "There it is. It, um, made a little hole in my roof..." he pointed above it. 

"Oops...heheh..." I laughed nervously. "Are you mad?" 

"Mad...? How could I be mad?! I haven't seen you for years, a little hole in the ceiling is nothing!" Kaito crushed me in a hug. 

"Kaito...can't breathe..." I gasped. 

"Sorry." He let go of me. "Consider it revenge for not seeing me all this time. Now I'll get your room ready, alright? Feel free to explore the house," he said kindly. 

"Thanks! I look forward to living with you!" I smiled up at him. 

Just then, I may have imagined it, but I think he blushed when I said that. I waved that thought away though. Kaito could never like me that way, he was like my brother. 

He went to prepare my room, and I walked around his house. It was pretty spacious, and I couldn't help but wonder how lonely it had been for him. Living alone in a large house must have made it feel quite empty, right? 

All the rooms were large and full of antique everything, from chairs to music boxes. The furniture was arranged in interesting ways, and I liked how there were two armchairs in front of the fireplace. Had he been expecting me to join him, and set up the second one just for me? 

I was walking around his kitchen when Kaito called to me from upstairs. I went up to my new room and looked around. 
Nearly everything in there was my favorite color, orange. I nodded in approval and wandered around my room. 

"So?" Kaito asked anxiously when I said nothing. "Is it okay?" 

"Is it okay?! It's wonderful! I love it," I beamed, flopping onto my canopy bed with light orange covers. 

He smiled in relief. "Great! Well," he said, joining me on the bed, "do you want to know what I was sent down here to do?" 

I listened intently as he told me his story. Apparently, Kaito was sent to Earth to be a doctor, which explained his fine house and clothes. All angels wore white, and he had on a full white suit. I myself was wearing a vest-like shirt and shorts with a chain link belt. 

He also showed me his secret weapon: a silver handgun. 

"Why does a doctor need a gun?" I asked. 

"I don't know. It was given to me and I was told to use it when the time was right. Rin," he suddenly added, "I think you should spend some time exploring this place. I mean Earth, not the house. You can only learn certain things through experience, you know, and you won't get any staying here." 

"Okay!" I agreed. "I'll head out for a while. I'll make sure to remember where this house is so I don't get lost." 

Kaito nodded. "That's the spirit! Off you go then, and be in time for dinner!" He winked. As a child, I had often explored Heaven and been so late to return that I'd return at dawn. 

"Kaito!" I complained."I'm not five years old anymore!" 

He laughed. "Even so, return in a few hours. Okay?" 

"Fine. See you!" And before he could say something else, I dashed out the front door to begin exploring. 

 
*Part Two: Forbidden* 
 
Kaito's house was isolated on a grassy hill, so I ran down it and came out into the street. It was late afternoon, in the time between summer and fall, so it was warm with some breezes. I walked around, observing all the humans I passed. 

Some of them were shopping at various stores littered along the street, and others, the younger ones, were playing. Older humans went by in what I recognized as cars. We didn't have cars in Heaven, I reflected. We could get practically everywhere with our wings or teleporting, but here I wouldn't be able to use them. Keeping them folded up and out of sight felt strange, but I got used to it. 

I wandered around the town, and along the way I spotted a bridal shop. I stared through the window curiously. Back in Heaven, when two angels wanted to be married, they presented themselves in front of God so he could approve it. Then their friends held a huge party for them to celebrate. There was no need to buy fancy clothes, unless you wanted your after party to be a dressy occasion. As I looked inside, I saw an all-black dress standing alone in a corner. What bride would want to wear black on her wedding day? I wondered to myself. After all, in the human weddings I'd seen all brides had worn white. What a strange bride she must be... I thought, walking away. 

I happily explored the town until I figured it was time to return to the house. However, I realized that I'd gone too far into town. Great! I'm lost. Wonderful, I thought. Well, Kaito's house is on a hill, shouldn't be too hard to find. 

By now, the sun was starting to set and it was getting darker. It was getting hard for me to see much in front of me, and I kept stumbling. Eventually I tripped over something and fell to my knees. "Ouch..." I muttered. 

"Are you okay? Do you need help?" came a kind voice in front of me. I looked up. 

It was a human girl, with long teal hair and a black dress. But those weren't the first things I noticed. The first things I noticed were her eyes. They were a clear, bright green that made me want to stare into them forever. 

She smiled down at me, obviously not noticing my infatuation with her eyes, and extended a hand to me. "Here, take my hand. I'll help you up." 

I took it and stood, still staring at her. She was very beautiful for a human, even prettier than my female angel friends, if possible. I wanted to talk to her, but I ended up blurting, "Umm...what's your name?" oh so eloquently. 

She giggled a little. "My name's Miku. Yours?" 

"I'm Rin. Uh, you're very pretty, for a human," I blurted again. 

She tilted her head in confusion. "For a human? What do you mean?" 

I groaned inwardly. Man, I really have to stop blurting out my thoughts, I thought irritably. "What I mean is..." I originally thought to deceive her, but looking into her honest eyes, I decided she could be trusted. "I'm not human," I smiled a little. "I'm an angel." 

Naturally, Miku was skeptical. "An angel? Really?" 

"Yes. Let me show you..." I unfolded my wings as proof. Judging by her gasp, I knew she believed me now. I calmly refolded them. 

She whispered, "So it's true...there are angels in the world..." 

I smiled and spread my arms. "Living proof." Then I lowered my arms and murmured, "This might be just a little bad, though..." 

"What might be bad?" 

I bit my lip. "N-nothing. Anyway, can you tell me how to get back to Kaito's house?" 

"Ah, Kaito-san? The doctor?" 

"That's the one. You know him?" 

"Of course! He's my doctor, the very best there is." She pointed down the road. "Head down there, take a left, then a right, and you should come out on the road by his hill." 

I sighed with relief. "Thank you so much! Well, it was nice meeting you, Miku." 

"You too, Rin! I hope I see you again!" She waved, then started walking down the other way. 

I hope so too, I thought before heading back to Kaito's house. 

 
*Part Three: Pandora's Box* 
 
When I returned home, I got a long lecture from Kaito about the importance of returning home at the agreed time, most of which I ignored. He also teased me a little about the returning-home-late-as-a-child thing, but I knew that meant he had been worried about me. 

After eating my late dinner, I headed up to my room and shut the door. Lying down on top of the covers, I put my hands behind my head, staring up at the ceiling. 

The only thing-or person-on my mind was Miku. I couldn't get her out of my mind, and knew I'd never be able to. I also knew I was falling for her, fast. It should have been something wonderful, falling in love. 
It was horrible. The worst feeling in the world. 

A romantic relationship between angels and humans were forbidden. We could not mix that way. Sure, we could be friends and coexist in harmony and all that. We could even love each other. Just not the way I felt for Miku. 

This wasn't right. I wanted to embrace Miku, be with her. I wanted to live with her and laugh with her. 

But most of all, I wanted to return to Heaven. 

Maybe by going back up there, I could fall in love with some nice angel guy and get married. 

But if I did, I'd forever be comparing him to Miku. I'd never get her out of my mind. 

I removed my hands from behind my head, covering my face with them. Dear God, I thought, is this to be my destiny? Forever pining for something I cannot have? It just seems so cruel... 

Then I remembered the box, nicknamed Pandora's Box, and what God had whispered into my ear upon giving it to me. I got up and walked to the corner of my room. There stood a small nightstand, acting as a pedestal for the box. 

I stared down at it. It was such a plain, wooden box, it didn't seem harmful. 

It certainly didn't seem capable of what God told me it could do. 

With trembling hands, I reached forward and touched it lightly. I didn't feel any hidden power emanating from it or anything. I went to open it...but ended up snatching my hands away as if burned. The box hadn't hurt me or done anything unusual. It was just a box. But whatever was inside it scared me, and...I couldn't do it. I couldn't open the thing. As least, not yet. 

I walked back to my bed and got under the covers. I decided to try sleeping, to no avail. Sleep refused to come and I ended up staring at the ceiling again. That box, I decided, will probably haunt me until the day I open it. However, I told my myself firmly, that day will not be today. Go to sleep, Rin, everything will be clearer in the morning. I hope, I added, finally letting sleep overcome me. 

 
*Part Four: Foreshadowing* 
 
I woke up the next morning with a start, certain that I'd been shot. 

I looked around frantically. Where am I?! I thought, then calmed down. I'm in my room in Kaito's house. I should stop freaking out now. 

But I couldn't shake the feeling of dread I had at that moment. I touched my chest, right near my heart. It had been a dream, I suppose. I'd dreamed that I had been shot in the chest by someone I thought I could trust. 

And that someone had dark blue hair... 

My eyes widened in shock. Kaito?! Kaito would shoot me? Then I pushed that thought out of my head. Kaito would never hurt me. I knew I could trust him with anything. He'd never shoot me. 

So that just left one possibility. 

I'd been dreaming from someone else's point of view. 

So Kaito would shoot someone else? But who? I tried to think back to the dream, figure out whose eyes I'd been looking through, but it was fuzzy in my memory. 

I laid back, thinking. For all I know, Kaito would shoot Miku... 

But that was totally out of the question. Miku had said he was her doctor. They must have gotten along with each other just fine. He wouldn't shoot his own patient. 

Staring out the window, I could tell what time it was just by looking at the sun. It's a handy angel skill. It was the afternoon, around one or two o' clock. Kaito would be at work now. 

I stared up at the ceiling in frustration. Even after all I'd thought about yesterday, I couldn't get a human out of my mind! When learning that a romantic relationship between angels and humans was forbidden, I'd heard an interesting analogy. Apparently, this relationship was "forbidden fruit," just like the fruit from Adam and Eve. We weren't allowed to touch it. It was off limits, and biting into it had severe consequences. 

The thing was, I didn't care at this point. All I cared about was Miku. 

I remembered God's words, whispered in my ear the day I left Heaven, and I knew what I had to do. To be with Miku, I had to start by opening Pandora's box. 

I walked to the corner of my room and stared down at the box. With determination, I lifted the lid, and gasped. 

It wasn't a magical item. It wasn't even something from Heaven. It was a black handgun, a human item. 

I backed away from the box, horrified, as I finally understood God's whispered words to me. 

"When you want to become human, you must lose your wings by dying. It will mean selling your soul to the devil. The box will help you." 

I shook my head, unwilling to believe it. To become human, to be with Miku, I had to make a deal with the devil and shoot myself? 

I wandered down the stairs and out of the house. I needed to take a walk, clear my head. 

As I got to the bottom of the hill, I spotted Miku. Her back was to me; she was looking inside a store window. Suddenly overcome with desire for her, I snuck up behind her, then grabbed her from behind and spun her around to kiss her, whispering, "I love you..." I had my eyes closed at my attempt to kiss her, so I didn't see her next move coming. She gasped, "Rin?!" then forcefully pushed me away. 

I blinked. "Miku...?" 

She looked at me, eyes wide, then looked away. "I-I'm sorry, Rin. I can't. I just..." 

I said nothing for a few moments, then, "No, it's okay. Don't worry about it." Such a flat, dull voice...was that really me who said it? 

"Rin..." I could see pain in her eyes. 

"Look, Miku, it's okay. I shouldn't have tried." As I spoke, I backed away from her. 

"Rin-" She reached out to touch me. 

The next thing she saw was a single white feather, drifting slowly to the ground. 

"Rin!" She cried. "Where are you? Rin!" 

I had just teleported myself around the corner, but she wasn't to know that. I heard her footsteps grow fainter as she ran to try to find me. I lowered my head in shame and sadness, squeezing my eyes shut. 

Why had she rejected me? Was it because I wasn't human? Or did she just not feel the way I did? 

Those thoughts stabbed me like little knives, and I found myself crying. I wiped at the tears furiously, trying to stop. They just kept coming. 

Then I had a sudden, horrible thought. I had grabbed Miku's hand. On her hand had been...a ring. And it hadn't looked like some ornamental ring. It was an engagement ring. 

No...no way... I thought to myself. She's engaged? 

I heard some voices down the street. I peeked around the corner. There were a few people at the bridal shop. And one of
them, of course, just had to be Miku. 

 
*Part Five: Of Love, Devils, and Contracts* 
 
I stood there at the street corner, staring down the road at the bridal shop. Where Miku was standing with some man and another woman. 

Well, I thought bitterly, it's safe to assume that that man is Miku's fiancee, right? 

The woman must have been the owner of the bridal shop, because she smiled at the pair and gestured from them to follow her inside. 

Once they were inside, I snuck up to the shop window and peeked inside. I could see Miku standing in front of that black bridal dress with her fiancee. 

So that's who the black dress is for, I thought sadly. 

Miku reached up and touched the fabric lightly with a small smile on her face. Her smile looked a bit sad, but that was probably just my imagination. 

I stared through the glass, wishing that I could take Miku away from there. But of course I couldn't. Miku would be better off with a human, I told myself...but I quickly shoved that thought out of my mind. That was too painful to even consider. 

I swiftly unfurled my wings and flew back to Kaito's house, glad for the lack of humans around to see it. I flew straight into to my room to stand in front of the box. 

I moved to open it, but hesitated. I still had my doubts about the becoming human thing. 

But then I thought about Miku. The way she had smiled at me when we met, the feelings I'd had for her from the start. I knew what I had to do. 

I slowly lifted the gun out of its wooden box, and aimed the nozzle straight at my heart. I began to sing. 

"I'll abandon my pure heart 
If I'm allowed to live and love you, 
I won't hesitate to cut off these wings 
Let me surrender myself to the devil..." 
My fingers started to pull at the trigger. 

Suddenly, I felt a force preventing me from pulling it all the way. 

"What...?" I asked aloud. 

Then I heard a voice in my head. A man's voice, that I couldn't really put a face to, but whose identity I could guess. 
The Devil. 

He whispered, "Well, well, what have we here? An angel trying to commit suicide? I don't see that every day. So, God
actually told you to make a contract with me?" 

Unable to speak, I nodded silently. 

"How surprising. God must be upset to lose one of his angels to me like that, knowing he couldn't do anything about it. Well, what do you need?" 

Finding my voice, I said, "I need to become human." 

"Become human? Interesting wish, angel. Well then, you already know what you have to do, right? Shooting yourself with that gun will remove your wings and make you into a suitable human for your...human love. Note that if the human dies, the contract will be terminated and you will return to your original angel form. 

"Go ahead, the deal will be done when the trigger is pulled." 

I said nothing, giving myself a few moments to soak in this information. Then I pulled the trigger. 
 
*** 
 
Miku, after Rin's disappearance, was confronted by her fiancee. 

"Miku, there you are!" called the man. "I want you to see your bridal dress." 

"Yes, honey," replied Miku in a docile manner. She wasn't even supposed to call her fiancee by name, apparently, until they were married. She didn't even want to marry this guy. It was an arranged marriage, and she hated it. Miku wished Rin would come whisk her away. 

She followed the man to the shop, had a brief conversation with the owner, and went to see her dress. It was an elegant black version of traditional bridal dresses. She touched the fabric, a sad smile on her face. 

Her fiancee didn't seem to notice the sadness in her expression. "So? What do you think?" 

I think it's a dress fit for a funeral, certainly not a wedding, was what she wanted to say. 

Instead she said, "Oh, it's lovely!" 

He smiled. "I knew you'd like it." 

Miku plastered a fake smile on her face. She really wanted to just run out of there, find Rin, and apologize for pushing her away, tell her that she really did love her back, and run away with her. Anywhere would be fine, as long as it was with her. 
But it was much too late for that. 

 
*Part Six: A Different Kind of Forbidden* 
 
Miku ran out of the church where she was to get married. It was her wedding day, supposed to be a joyous occasion. 
But then why was she struggling to hold back tears? 

She knew why. Miku didn't want to marry into this horrible arranged marriage. She knew that she would never be truly happy. 

Miku had run out of the church an hour before her wedding. Her soon-to-be husband had insisted on her seeing the church at that time. Luckily, that meant she was alone in the church. No one was around to yell at her for leaving. 

Hitching up her black skirts, Miku escaped into the garden beside the church. Once outside, the sharp wind blew against her cheeks, giving them some color. She closed her eyes and turned her face to the sky. 

"Dear God," she whispered, "please send me a way to escape this marriage. Arranged marriages can be happy, but this one will never be. Please, help me, I beg you..." 

"Hello there. Are you okay?" 

Miku sighed, opening her eyes. It was probably some friend of the groom, come to take her back. Seeing him, she gasped in surprise. 

It was a man with blond hair, much like Rin's, with blue eyes like hers as well. His eyes, although kind, looked so sad. He looked so much like Rin, that she fell in love with him right there. Although it felt a little like she was cheating on the angel, she wanted this mysterious man to take her away. 

Miku stared into his eyes. "You..." 

He smiled. His smile was also like Rin's, she saw. "Yes?" 

"Please...take me away from here. Anywhere is fine. Just get me out of this horrible marriage..." 

His smile grew joyful. "Of course, dear Miku." He extended his hand to her. 

She didn't even bother to ask how he knew her name. She just put her hand in his and allowed him to pull her through the forest, away from the church. Miku knew that this man couldn't be Rin, but he seemed enough like her to make her happy. 
He took her to an abandoned apartment. It was old, even falling apart a little, but Miku knew it was fine. She could be content here, more so than in her former fiancee's mansion. 

Eventually, she learned that his name was Len. She was slightly relieved that it wasn't Rin. 

The now happy couple spent time together inside their apartment, ignoring the fact that the wedding was supposed to be taking place. 
 
*** 
 
Kaito returned home early that morning, having been on call at the hospital. He'd had to spend the night at the hospital and was looking forward to sleeping and spending more time with Rin. 

"Rin! I'm home!" he called upon opening the front door. Oh, she's probably asleep, he thought fondly. She was never much of a morning person. 

He silently walked to her room to check on her. Quietly, he opened the door. Looking inside, he saw the untouched bed covers. 

"What...?" he muttered in confusion. "Did she go out at night or something?" 

Kaito took a few steps into the room, half expecting Rin to jump out at him in an attempt to scare him. He wouldn't put it past her. 

Kaito happened to glance into the corner where that box was. The mysterious box that Rin hadn't really told him much about. He walked up to it and saw a piece of paper lying inside. It was inside an indent in the padding inside the box. An indent shaped like a handgun. 

"Oh, Rin...what have you gotten yourself into?" He picked up and unfolded the paper. It was a letter. 

"Dear Kaito," it said, "I'm sorry if this seems sudden, but I've found my calling, the reason God sent me down here. My destiny. You might not like what I'll say here, but I want you to know anyway." The letter went on to describe Rin and Miku's meeting, Rin's feelings for her, and finally the contract with the devil. By the end of the letter, the paper shook in Kaito's hands. "Rin...seduced by a human...? I can't believe this..." Then he looked it over again and said to himself, "But it says here...the devil's contract will be terminated if the human dies." He laid the letter back down in the box and walked to his room. Flopping down on the bed, he groaned. "Oh, I don't know what to do...I want Rin to be happy, but now she's no longer an angel...this is horrible..." He rolled onto his side, deciding to take a nap and think it all over later on. 

 
*Part Seven: Emotions that Bloom* 
 
Miku and I spent the night together, then woke up in the morning with hands still intertwined. Smiling at each other, we kissed, then I got up, lazily putting on a shirt. 

"Len?" Miku asked. "Where are you going?" 

"To make you breakfast," I told her cheerily. Her eyes widened for a moment, then lit up with happiness. 

"I can't let the man of the house prepare breakfast all by himself! I'll help you." By the time she finished speaking, she'd already slid into her usual black dress. 

Taking her hand, I walked down the stairs with her. It felt amazing, to be able to touch her and hold her without her moving away like she had before. We had breakfast together, then headed outside for a while. We made sure to stay away from the church and Kaito's house, not wanting to be spotted by people we knew. She lead me to a nearby park, where we sat in a small clearing. 

"Len...I'm really happy to be with you right now," said Miku with a sincere, sweet smile. 

"Me too," I said. Looking at her, I had a sudden thought. Flowers would suit her well, wouldn't they? Suddenly I stood up. "Wait here a moment?" I walked behind a tree, out of sight. As an angel, I could conjure up flowers easily, but it would be much harder as a human...I stared at my palm, concentrating. Moments later, a little white flower appeared. "Oh!" I whispered to myself. "So my angelic powers haven't left me completely." 

I only gave my flowers to people I really cared about, and the only other person I'd ever given one to was Kaito. 

I walked out from behind the tree and went over to Miku, hiding my hands behind my back. 

She giggled. "Len, what's that you have there?" 

I knelt down beside her and brought out the flower. She gasped. "Oh, it's so pretty!" I took her hand and gently slid the flower onto it. It looked like a ring now, symbolizing our union. 

I leaned back, looking over my work. "What do you think?" 

"I love it!" she beamed. Miku surprised me by linking her fingers with mine and whispering, "Dear God, please let us stay together forever. That would truly make me the happiest woman on Earth. Please hear my prayers..." 

Smiling warmly, I bent my head as well and said, "Please God, hear our request." Even thought I know it may not happen, I thought but didn't dare say. 
 
*** 
 
Kaito sat in his armchair by the fire, brooding. Rin won't be coming home anymore, I suppose, he sighed to himself. Now she'll never know how I feel about her... 

Then he sat up as a shocking thought came to him. Before leaving for Earth, God had told him something very important about angels changing into humans. 

"Eventually," He had said, "an angel will die if they stay human. Angels are not really meant to be human. They are not well suited to not having wings and having powers weakened. This is something the devil never tells them about when making the contract. It is better for him, after all; in the end, not only will he have made a great contract, he will get the angel's soul. So when something like this happens, will you know what you have to do, Kaito?" 

Taking a moment to glance at a single while flower in a vase by his side, Kaito leaped out of the chair to grab a small, silver item from his room. He ran back downstairs and out of the door, in search of a specific human woman. 

He knew what he had to do. Whether Rin liked it or not. 

 
*Part Eight: Tearing* 
 
Kaito walked into town with a purposeful stride, creating the illusion that he was on official business. Technically, he was, but not on the kind of business people would think. 

Some people he knew, his patients, smiled and greeted him as he walked. Nodding to them, he continued on, avoiding any conversations they may have wanted to start. 

Kaito ducked into an empty alley and concentrated on an image in his mind. The image was, of course, of that human girl who had seduced his Rin. With a pang of guilt, he realized that she was one of his own patients, but he waved his guilt away. This is to save Rin, he reminded himself. 

Using his angelic powers, Kaito realized that the girl was in the park nearby. He didn't sense Rin near her though; she must have left her for a while to run some errand. Kaito stalked into the forest, sneaking up on the human. Peeking through the trees, he saw that she had her back to him and was looking at something on her hand. On close inspection, Kaito realized that it was a little white flower...Rin's flower. He remembered the identical one he had back at home, in its vase, and grew angry. He could feel his fury tearing into him, clouding his judgment. He tried to calm himself down, knowing that he shouldn't let his emotions get the better of him, but this was too much for him to bear. To think that Rin had been seduced by this woman that much, as to give her her own flower? Unforgivable. He raised his silver handgun, pointing it at the girl's back. 
 
***

Miku was sitting in the clearing alone. Len had told her that he had something to do, so could she wait there for a few minutes? She was happy to comply.

Miku found herself unable to stop staring at the little white flower adorning her hand. "It really is beautiful," she whispered, turning her hand this way and that. The petals were pure white, appearing so vividly on the black of her gloves and dress. It symbolizes our love, thought Miku dreamily. She spaced out so much that she didn't notice the figure, clothed in white, approaching her from behind. Luckily for her, she heard footsteps and spun around.

"Ah, Kaito-sama!" she cried cheerfully. "How are you this fine day-" She stopped short with a gasp. "A gun...?" She looked up into his face fearfully. He didn't look like the cool, calm and collected doctor she knew. He looked furious...he looked murderous. "Kaito-sama...?"

The sound of a gunshot rang loudly in her ears, along with pain in her chest. It seemed to tear through her chest, into her very soul. Eyes going wide then closing, Miku's limp form dropped to the ground.

***

Kaito dropped the gun in horror, raising his hands to his face. "What...what have I done..." he whispered in disbelief. Then he straightened himself and told himself firmly, "This was necessary to save Rin. It had to be done. Now, Rin will know what has happened and will know to come back to my house." Managing to cheer himself up with that statement, he walked away, his step just as purposeful as when he entered the forest.


*Part Nine: A Single Feather*

I walked back through the forest, making my way to the clearing where I'd left Miku. I had left her for a few minutes to make sure that we hadn't been followed at all. Whistling a happy tune, the song died on my lips as soon as I looked into the clearing.

"M...Miku...?" I whispered. I took some trembling steps toward her still body, then sped up and fell to my knees by her side. Lifting her shoulders up with my arms, I murmured, "Miku...Miku, speak to me...please..."

There was no response. Her eyes didn't open. A little trickle of blood ran down her chin, and I realized that she had a bullet wound in her chest.

Well, this is nothing a doctor can't handle! I thought urgently to myself. I'll take her to Kaito...wait...I'd had a dream about Kaito shooting someone but I couldn't figure out who. Now I did, and it didn't make me feel better.

I knew why Kaito had killed her, though. I was now freed from the Devil's contract. I wasn't human anymore. As soon as I realized that, I felt my angelic powers rushing back into my body. I was powerful once more.

But I didn't care...all I wanted was for Miku to live. Then I had a sudden thought, about the contract. There was an extra part to it, that could probably revive her...but could it work? It was too risky, the spell could probably just kill me. But I had to try.

Even though I'd never tried this spell before, the right words came to me easily. I whispered,

"My dear, lying cold
I will spend all my life for you as I swore on that day.
My sin against God...
All my acts of treachery should be paid by my death,
so I will die for you...
I believe that's my fate."

***

Miku's eyes opened slightly. What? She thought. Aren't I dead?

She looked up, seeing Len kneeling at her side. "Len..." she barely whispered. He was murmuring something, head bowed. Then he looked down at her, sad smile on his face. His hair, usually in a tight ponytail, fanned out and became shoulderlength, and his features became more feminine. He looked like...Rin...?

"Rin?!" gasped Miku, sitting up.

She just gave her a warm smile...then with a loud sound like breaking glass, she disappeared. All that was left was a single black feather.

Miku's eyes, as wide as ever, filled with tears. She didn't understand most of what happened, but she understood enough. Rin had become Len, for her, and Rin had died, for her...

It was too much for the poor girl to take. She gently touched the feather, holding it to her, and sobbed. Mourning the loss of her angel, she vowed never to wear any other color than black and never to take off the flower Rin had given her.

All of a sudden, Miku heard a voice. It was Rin, singing. She sang,

"The wingless fallen angel
And the sinful black stained bride
Even after falling into the abyss,
The vows' wedge entwine them
Retaining their unforgivable sin.

"When the fruit of sin falls into decay
They can meet again, till then..."

*Epilogue*

God looked down upon the earth with a heavy sigh. "Kaito, Rin...I suppose it had to happen."

The Devil, a rare guest up in Heaven, decided to flit around God's head. He cackled, "Yes, yes it did! It was their destiny, after all!"

God, annoyed, said, "How do you know? How do you know that they do not deserve a second chance at their lives?"

The Devil stopped flying around and hovered thoughtfully. "Well...I suppose they do...but-"

Ignoring him, God thought over what He'd just said and got an idea. "Yes...they need another chance...but the human girl will not be a part of it. Instead, another angel who has disobeyed me will. Rin must know what it is like to always be human, and Kaito must know what it is like to be the human form of an angel. And as for Rin's human form, Len, was it?" God trailed off and muttered to himself about soul splitting, then said aloud, "We will see." He spread His arms wide. "Rin will be human and Kaito will be an angel's human form. Let it be so, in the next life!"