AN: Man, I'm so sleepy. Sorry that I haven't updated in awhile. It's just that I've got a new hobby, stitching! I'm making my friend a surprise for her birthday! I think. ^_~ if I am able to then I shall. But for now, I will stay happy with my 1 2/3 pillow and pin cushion.

(Past)

Kaya slowly walked up to the beautifully engraved wooden door that was the entrance of Tyekishi's room. She knocked rhythmically. She could hear someone stumbling inside and almost swearing. Finally, the door swung open and Tyekishi led Kaya in.

"How are you?" Tyekishi asked.

It had been about 4 months since her return yet she hadn't seen Tyekishi once until now. The nurses had been giving her check-ups and exams. They wouldn't let her out of the hospital for she might carry a disease. Finally, they had let her out and she came straight to Tyekishi so that they could tie up some loose ends.

"Okay, I guess." Kaya answered. "They just let me out of the hospital about an hour ago."

Tyekishi nodded. It seemed as if she didn't care. But she had to! Why wouldn't she? Kaya's head spun. She felt as if she didn't know Tyekishi anymore. It was as if the last year or so had changed her completely. They had grown so far apart that it took effort to remember each other's name.

An odd silence followed that was soon broken by Kaya. "Look, I'm sorry." She said.

"I don't need an apology." Tyekishi answered. "I need an explanation."

"Well, I have one." Kaya said weakly. "But it might not make much sense to you. I'm sorry if you don't understand. I didn't mean it to be like this."

"Fine." said Tyekishi. "Start explaining."

"After the battle, I blacked out again after being so hurt and torn. The exhaustion just got to me." Kaya said beginning her story. I had no hope for survival, none at all. My fate was to die. Then, there was this man, this demon. He...he saved me Tyekishi. He helped me to get better. And, as I spent more time with him, I fell deeper into love. Lost in all the emotion and pain, I forgot to contact the angels, and I'm sorry for that, especially sorry to you."

Tyekishi was looking away. She just nodded her head as if that was all she could do. You could tell that she didn't care about Kaya's explanation at all. "Is that all?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"What else is there?" Kaya asked confused.

"His name. Tell me the demon's name...."

"It's....it's Kyoto..."

Tyekishi gasped at this. She looked straight at Kaya with tense and fearful eyes. "Kyoto, the leader of all demons?"

Kaya slowly nodded. "I know that this is pretty awful, but please try to understand. I love him. He's--"

"You can't love him!" Tyekishi said jumping up from her chair. "It's against the rules."

"Who cares about the rules?! I need to; I WANT to follow my heart! I LOVE him Tyekishi!"

"It doesn't matter, he's a dangerous demon..."

"No, he isn't! He's kind and sweet and--"

"You don't even know him!"

"And you do?!"

An eerie stiffening silence swept over the room. After all the screaming, the quick silence was almost unbearable.

"Look, Kaya." Tyekishi said softly but sternly. "You're still new at being an angel, but I'm not. So, you do your job correctly, and I'll do mine. Also, don't ever dare to contradict my judgment because I know more than you think. So, heed my warning. Stop loving Kyoto or else I promise more than just heartbreak."

Kaya averted her eyes from Tyekishi's gaze. "Bye," She muttered and left the room. "I'm not new at this..." she murmured as soon as she was out the door.

(Present)

It was a moonless night as Kaya walked barefoot on the banks of the silent, still lake. She walked into the softly lit water with soulless eyes. The water was up to her waist now, and she skimmed the water top with her pale fingertips. She stopped to look around. Everything around her was dark and absent. The darkness seemed...comforting, in a way. This scared Kaya. Darkness couldn't consume her. She had to fight back. Many people's feelings had been hurt, and it was her job to make things right. So much had happened in the last few days, and the majority of the events would rather be ignored. But they couldn't be because most of those events had been her fault. Right then, she knew what she had to do. But for now, she would relax a bit. Tomorrow, she would set her plan into motion.

She dived into the cool water and let it caress her as she swan into the nothingness beyond...

(Past)

"Have you given up on Kyoto yet?" Tyekishi asked, not matching eyes with Kaya, a few days after their previous argument. The two were on vacation, and they wouldn't start up their angelic duties until another two days.

Kaya shook her head. "No, never." She said quietly yet firmly.

Tyekishi nodded. "So, that's how it is."

"That's how it is." Kaya agreed.

"You know that I'm going to do whatever I can to stop you."

"I know."

"Kaya, I'm warning you for the last time, give up Kyoto. I mean this as your friend. Don't make enemies of us, Kaya. It's your decision. Our friendship or your love."

Kaya sat quietly for a few seconds just to hear the water of the fountain they were sitting on trickle. She loved the sound of water, the soft soothing noise it created. She loved the feel of it between her fingers, in her hair, wrapping around her and cleansing her essence and soul pure. She loved water, but it brought no comfort now.

"You're precious to me Tyekishi. But so is he. I value our friendship above most things. But I value love too- It's not as if I want to give you or our friendship up. But I can't let my only love go. I've never felt love before, ever in my whole life. Then he comes along and I can't, I won't let him go. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I don't want to lose anyone. I don't want to, don't need to choose, if you accept him."

A silence passed. Tyekishi never looked at Kaya once so far as she was deep in thought. She was always a logical, hard headed and equally hard hearted person. Yet now, she looked at Kaya with a different tone. She seemed worried and even compassionate. There was something else in her eyes, besides a deep knowledge. Something Kaya had never seen before. It was...fear.

"Kaya, you think that no one's ever loved you. You think that you've taken on life's hardships all on your own without the comfort of compassion. But you're wrong. Can't you see, Kaya that love's been around you all along? Can't you tell that we all care for you, and that you are the one not recognizing love's force? We've always been here, always. You just haven't realized it. Kyoto was the one to open your eyes, but from then on, you only HAD eyes for him... Now, we still care for you, nothing has changed, but you. We're worried, Karo's worried, I'm worried, because we all know what can happen if you take this too far."

This was a rude awakening for Kaya, and all she could manage to whisper out was, "I won't take it too far. I know how to handle myself."

"I trust you, Kaya, but I still warn you, stay away from him, or else. I know the kind of things he does and has done. I don't want any of it to happen to you."

"Thank you for worrying Tyekishi. But I think I know who I can trust and who I can't."

"Do you really?"

It was quiet, yet Kaya's protest could be seen in her furrowed brows. "Yes." She whispered.

Both looked away for a moment to themselves for thought. Then Tyekishi said, "Look, Kaya. If he truly loved you, then the war would end. Let us wait and see if he really calls off his forces, for good. If he does, then great. But if not, well, I hope you know your place."

Tyekishi turned and left...

(Present)

The first people she had to make amends with were Tyekishi and Karo. She searched and finally found them sulking either in the city, or in the mountains. She told them both that they had to talk, but talking altogether would just cause more tension. So Kaya decided to talk to Karo first then Tyekishi, then Karo and Tyekishi could talk...calmly. Hopefully, this could reunite the friends long enough to destroy Kyoto. Kaya decided to meet Karo outside the church in a sort of rocky garden, near a pond in the center. The moon was full and heavy that night as Karo walked silently to their meeting place. His head spun with confusion. So many people were mad at him, angry, he had hurt so many. He was deep in thought when he heard the warmth of Kaya's voice fill the cool night air.

"Hi." She said calmly.

Karo nodded his agreement. "You wanted to talk?" He asked.

Kaya sighed. "Yeah...about that...Karo. I need to tell you something." She said quavering. "I know that we are good friends, and that we have been all our lives, but, well, about the other night, I - I just--"

"Stop." Karo said softly.

"Hmm?"

"I know what you're going to say. I know how you fell about me, and I know that you are in a painful state right now. I didn't mean for you to find out that way, with me yelling. I really didn't."

"When were you going to tell me?" Kaya asked softly.

"When the time was right. I'd always loved you, even before you met Kyoto, and that's why I acted so cold and distant once you fell in love with him. It was because you broke my heart. Those few months, when we all thought you were dead, I kicked myself for not telling you how I really felt. I should've told you sooner, and at times I really did try. But once you met Kyoto, I couldn't ruin it. You were so happy once you started to correspond with him. I had never seen you smile like that, or even laugh the way you did when you returned to Heaven. I was waiting for the right moment. When the incident occurred, I couldn't tell you. You were so devastated, that I couldn't load even more weight onto your shoulders. I wanted to tell you, but I never really got the chance."

"So you were never going to tell me?"

"I was, maybe after we returned to heaven."

Kaya shook her head and sighed. "Karo, you know, you were my first friend, and I even thought you were pretty cute, too. But as we grew to know each other more and more, and as we became much stronger friends, I realized, that that would always be the case. We would always remain 'friends.' I thought that, maybe, if I said anything, our friendship would break. So I discarded those feelings and always kept to myself. My greatest fear was losing you. I was shocked to hear that you loved me. After all these years, too, you kept holding on, clinging to that one thought of me. But, Karo, it's too late now. We can really only be 'friends' now. And if that's not something you're going to accept, then I'm sorry, but friendship is all I have left, for you and for Tyekishi."

Karo cringed at the sound of Tyekishi's name, and Kaya could tell. "Tyekishi's not a bad person." Kaya continued. "You just have to giver her some time. Get to know her better, and her feelings toward you may change like mine did."

Karo nodded his head gloomily.

"I hope this means that we can still be friends." Kaya said hopefully.

Karo smiled. "I'll always love you." He said. "No matter what, because you're my little angel. But, I guess that if we can't be together, friendship will be a fine alternative."

He genuinely smiled at Kaya, and they laughed as they embraced each other in a loving hug that renewed both their friendship and all the good times they had shared.

(Past)

Like Tyekishi had expected, the war continued. It was an on going war that seemed endless. It wasn't inevitable, but it seemed unrelenting. If one side backed down, then the other would go in for the kill. So both sides kept fighting hard, fighting well, both equally matched, never ending, never stopping...

Kaya didn't wither, she didn't falter. Her faith in Kyoto was as strong as their forces, and a minor setback wouldn't send her crying. She had been unable to rejoin the war since her little "accident", and instead was forced to do lower class work such as cleaning the dishes. The closest she was ever allowed to the war were planning and plotting defenses.

The absence of a great war leader was felt among the forces. Not only did the forces not fight as well, but they had no spirit or hope. Kaya would always reassure them every night and keep their spirits and hopes up. It was just in her nature, her presence to bring more light into the room. Her sole entity was to lighten the mood and bring a smile onto everyone's faces. Everyone suffered. Not just the forces, not just the world, not just her friends, not just Tyekishi...

Then it dawned on her. She knew what could and probably would end the war. She would meet Kyoto with a peace treaty. They would resolve the conflict and everything would be peaceful. She knew that she would demand a place in the battlefield since the forces were getting desperate, and everything was set to go. Plan in mind and nowhere to go but up! However, there was a flaw in her plan. She had forgotten her promise to the moon maiden. Seeing Kyoto would shatter both her heart and their love, forever...

AN: We're almost done with part 4. I just finished writing part 5 and will begin part 6 shortly. We are getting pretty close to the end...I think. ^_~ Anyways, I'll have to begin typing more. I'm sure everyone's dying to know what happens next and is angry that I keep on forgetting to update. ^_~ Also, do you (the reader) want the story to be pretty long or not? A friend asked me if the story would go on loads longer but I didn't know the answer to that. I just simply replied 'if that's what you wish then yes'; maybe not in those exact words but something of that sort. Anyways, tell me what you think and another update will be coming up sometime before summer ends since I am busy reading The Da Vinci Code and others at the moment. ^_~