The Angel that Fought Back

[Zero]

Every time that damn bastard opens his ugly mouth, Zero closed his eyes tight and wished he's wearing Hunter's earpieces. His knuckles are turning white where his fists are kept clenched, he might have even pierced his skin with his fingernails in there.

'This is Miki's battle..' He needed to remind himself continuously, he chanted that every time his body almost moved and jumped and get his guns and shoot this mongrel to death. Kouji's words really hurts, but Miki's standing in front of him, shielding him, and when the moment comes, she attacks, with her brother's initial strike.

Zero wanted to yell something, anything, but he needed to keep his ground, allowing the earth to hold his feet firm. He cannot intercept, he cannot do anything here other than believing in both Miki and Jake. He will only allow himself to move when the battle has ended.

It was intense, mostly because Zero has no ideas angels can even fight like this. What startled him the most though was Miki's protective streak, he has no idea she was able to show such deep-rooted defense like that, especially of him.

The sound of gunshot awaken him. It echoed in his whole entire being and nullifies the other noises that followed right after. In front of him, he can see Kouji with Miki's bounty hunting gun.

"Miki. I won't allow you to face such dangers..." That was what he said when Miki first explained her wish to be a bounty hunter because she missed him. "Not when you can get hurt. Not in the dark."

His words echoed in his head as he then recalled what Hunter told him that very same night of what the man had said to Jean. "If Miki got hurt, Zero would OBVIOUSLY loose his focus, and we all know that when Zero loose his focus, he will snap. And when he snaps, he will rage beyond the heavens for the idiot who harms his angel. Hell could break loose, chief, just by sending her out there."

Something heavy dropped inside him. Something began clouding his vision, numbing his body, pulling away his voice. "Even if she proves to be a humongous asset for our team, the possibility for her for even getting HURT will erupt a situation we all can't ever control.."[/i]

'No no no no no...' Just as he's at the very brink of loosing his sanity, Miki stood back up on her feet. There is blood oozing out from her, yet she stands like it's not bothering her.

And then she cried. Not by the obviously disturbing physical pain, but by her emotional pain rather. Still, she spoke up, fighting her father verbally, and...actually apologizes to her this horrible man that is her father. In the end, Jake made the final move and behead the man.

The sight of blood releases the tenses of Zero's muscle, actually it relaxes him, and he can finally move from where he stood. There was light shining from above, but Zero ignored it. His focus now is the bleeding Miki.

He went in front of her with a zip of the wind and launched himself towards her into a hug. "Don't do that to me.. Don't ever do that to me...." He whispered with his breaking voice. Then, Kouji's body was buried and Miki presented flowers to the grave.

No matter how much of an asshole that jerk is, he is still a father to her. After that, Miki went off to have a moment with her brother, and Zero stayed back. They need their time, and he respects it.

Zero takes that time to look at the angel now, and his eyes widened to see who's with him; Mitsuko's mother. “As you know I was murdered by Kouji so my spirit isn’t really at peace or free. I feel once they face Kouji since he is the one that is binding my soul in a way, because he killed me.." Zero's eyes widened once he remembers what she said exactly with his strong memory.

"Mrs. Hi-- ....Naomi.." He whispered under his breath, remembering how she ushered him to call by her first name. They will set me free once the final battle is over, and my soul will be able to rest, and possibly reunite me with Jake’s father. He truly is the man of my heart while you are the man in Mitsuko’s heart.”[/i]

Zero gave her a wide smile, happy to see that she's finally set free and was reunited with the man she genuinely loves. Respectfully, he lowered his head towards her and the angel she's with, "I'm happy for you."

Finally... Finally. It ended.

Zero made his way towards Mitsuko and Jake, and gently places a hand over Miki's shoulder, indicating support. While she hugged her brother, Zero glanced over at Jake. "...I'm sorry. ..And thank you."

[Deleted]

When her dear Zero hugged her after the battle was over, Mitsuko hugged him back tightly. For a good few minutes the angel could not even talk. It was as if the signals in her brain had shut off her ability to speak, because of how she was in a shock that this nightmare was now over. The man that abused her was dead, and was no longer able to torment her or pose a threat to her son. The angel had kept her promise to her son. She put her son and Zero first. Matthew was going to be safe and he is safe to be born in this world.

When Zero spoke to her with his cracked voice, she knew what his words meant. He didn’t want her to leave him, to be killed, to not put herself in danger anymore. His worst fear had come true and she did get shot. With her own gun. “Listen to me honey, it was my decision to join you in this line of work, and Jean gave me a chance to do it. I knew what it meant when I asked for the chance. I knew the dangers. I never want you to get hurt either.”

The angel paused and she gave Zero a very gentle kiss, and then she spoke again. “Guardian angels are there with you from the moment you are born, and I was with you. As a little girl I was with you. I know I was only a child, and we didn’t meet yet but I did feel like this warmth. I was bonded with someone. I didn’t know who he was.. Until I met you. When we met everything felt natural to us, there was no awkwardness. All we did was enjoy our child hood. Then when we met as adults we saw each other in a different light.”

Mitsuko smiled at Zero, and her cheeks turned pink. “ We love each other. The point is if I was ever killed Zero, my death wouldn’t be in vain, because I knew what I experienced with you, and the last thing I gave to you and that is our little boy. He embodies the both of us, a little of me and a little of you, and he has a grin that will make me say yes to him every time. While some people bat their eyelashes to get what they want, Matthew has to do one thing and that is to grin. One grin and he has his mama saying yes.”

Mitsuko then placed a hand on Zero’s cheek. “But I don’t want to die. I am alive for a reason, if I was meant to be killed then it would have happened already. We reunited for a reason and that is to be with each other. Our hearts are one Zero which is why I can have a telepathic communication with you when it calls for it. Everything is okay now my love. My mom is with who her heart has chosen and her soul is at peace. She’s able to rest now. Her soul was tied to my father because he murdered her. Her death was cold blooded murder. She didn’t have justice.”

Justice is something that Mitsuko values and when she looked at Zero’s eyes with a softness that existed in her soul, she reached her hand up and touched his spikey hair. She liked touching his hair so gently as it brought back memories whenever he used to fall asleep in her arms. “Justice has been done, and I am free, truly free to marry you Zero.” The angel embraced Zero again and she just cried.

Now everything was starting to pass through her. She comforted Jake, and now she had to go through the process in accepting Kouji’s death. She has seen two parents die now, her mother murdered in cold blood, and Kouji facing punishment. Punishment for everything that he has done wrong. Her innocence of being a child was taken from her too soon, but that fact only strengthened her will as a mother and she is determined to protect Matthew’s childhood. She then held onto Zero’s hand tightly, and she said to her brother: “I love you Jake, we are free now to live in peace. Peace is what everyone deserves, even angels.”

She hugged Jake tightly and then she slowly let him go. “We are here together as the siblings we are, thank you for coming back Jake. I know my son will really love you.”

The angel turned to Zero. “Zero… please walk me home.” As she and Zero made their way back to Sougen, the angel had to pause now and again because this was a lot to go through. She had a sick feeling in her stomach, and her eyes were watering indicating that she was about to be sick but she held it in until she got back to the inn, and when she got back to the inn she took Zero with her into the bathroom where she allowed the sick feeling that she felt to be released. She threw up in the toilet.

Madame May also ended up bringing her some gingerale and water so she can keep herself hydrated, and then Mitsuko and Zero just sat on the bathroom floor together. Just like how she they are whenever they cuddle and have a date.

Mitsuko leaned her back against Zero’s chest and she just said to Zero: “Babe just hold me.. Just hold me, don’t let go.” The reality and gravity of the event had begun to sink in, but there was no way that this will pass within a day. Mitsuko needed time to come to terms with it, and when she does she will be ready to talk to Zero about it. Not as her fiancé but as her husband. For now though she just needed Zero to comfort her.

As she started to cry she let her scream of anguish come out, the anguish that she was surpressing for the last 23 years, She couldn’t grieve for her mother properly, and now her heart was grieving for her dad too. This angel truly does have a heart of forgiveness, and even a heart of gold, but when people hurt her; things do get pushed down because she would never hurt the person back intentionally. But now her scream of anguish just had to be let out, and she didn’t mind who had heard her screaming like this.

She truly wasn’t okay.

She put her hands over top of Zero’s arms that were holding her tightly. “Oh god…. Oh god… OH GOD! ZERO!” Her voice was broken and in emotional pain as she called out to god and to Zero.

Her tears fell onto Zero’s sleeves, every bit of hurt she was feeling came into light. If she was too trusting then people hurt her, and if she closed herself off she won’t get to know anyone. But where was her heart now? It was indeed open which is why everything that has hurt her as a child, to what people said, to the promises that were broken, is coming out now, and what she felt she felt very strongly.

She sometimes felt that people took her for granted, and that people could do whatever they want to her, without taking her feelings into consideration. The reason why she never says anything is because she is not there to hurt others intentionally. She gives people the benefit of the doubt and allows them to be a human being. One of the things that she hopes people will learn to do is to say they’re sorry.

She was part human so she understood this quite well. And at the end of the day she still forgives. She can forgive but she cannot forget. She cannot forget her abuse but she can forgive the person that inflicted harm on her, she cannot forget how her mother was murdered, but she can forgive the person that took her mother’s life, and so on.

Was she now going to close her heart because of what just happened and what happened for the last two years?

Absolutely not.

That is not who she is. As she cried in Zero’s arms, she never let him go. Some of the bounty hunters had even followed Zero and Mitsuko to Sougen, and Jean had told his bounty hunters to use their discretion. Don’t ask questions, don’t expect Mitsuko to answer them, and forgive Zero if he’s snappy to any of them because Mitsuko was going through her grieving and letting go stage now. Jean knew that Mitsuko was Zero’s baby and if anyone tried to pressure her into anything Zero would go off on them, and defend her privacy.

Everyone has their own way to deal with their grief and pain, and this was Mitsuko’s. Sitting on the bathroom floor with Zero holding her. “ I love you Zero… I love you…. I love you… Don’t leave me alone please… I need you…”

As soon as the bounty hunters heard her screaming in anguish in the bathroom as she cried, they knew automatically that Mitsuko was hurting for a very, very long time, and now her healing can begin without anyone disrupting it.

[END THREAD]

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