Chapter 9: Grace, soko ni arimasu. Part IV.

-"Nadzieja...long time no see..." Said a figure approaching her, but she felt no threat. She bowed in response and the figure motioned her to seat in a nearby bench.

-"Sorry to bother you, but I am in need of your guidance, or advise..." she said looking around the room, mentally planning a possible escape if attacked.

-"What worries you?"

-"Whatever Charles Daniel is hiding from me..." the figure chuckled a little.

-"You come to me yet again for the same ordeal...(At this Nessa could not help to look confused, the figure chuckled in amusement) you came to me years ago, looking for answers to questions even yourself could not grasp"

-"I...do not remember..." Nessa said looking away slightly embarrassed.

-"I see the healer did a terrible job on your memory..."

-"Do not rub that in..." Nessa said with a serious tone.

-"Have you regained some of it?"

-"Not really, but I try my best to act accordingly...if you can say that..."

-"I must say I admire you, you forgave him. Either you are incredibly naive or you know a truth hidden in the shadows, but my intention is not to dwell on the past, I sense you are in a great disturbance.

-"I know that I do not need your permission to dwell in your realm, but I must ask something of you..." Nessa said slowly as if thinking her words carefully, the figure arched an eyebrow questionably.



-"She is not home..." Aleksandr said to Witold as he got up to the floor in which Nessa's apartment was located. Witold jumped in surprise.

-"Where can she be? Do you know?" Witold said rather surprised but breathing easier now.

-"Something tells me I have to wait though..."

-"The problem is for what exactly..." Witold said as he sat beside Aleksandr.

-"We are in deep shit..." A voice was heard beside them.

-"Charles?" Witold said suddenly, Aleksandr waved as if he could see the spirit. Charles waved back and looked around.

-"What are you guys doing here??" Charles asked rather confused.

-"Waiting for Nessa" Witold answered simply.

-"Do you know where she is?" Aleksandr asked as if he could listen or see Charles Daniel.

-"She is at Hikawa and that is why I came, you guys must go to Hikawa ASAP!"

-"Hikawa? what is she doing there?"

-"Hikawa?...oh no!" Aleksandr stood up quickly.

-"Wait, wait! what do you know??" both Witold and Charlie said in unison.

-"I had hoped it was just a bad dream!" said Aleksandr as he ran away. Witold stood up but stayed dumbfounded. Charles Daniel nudged him.

-"What are you waiting for, a photograph!? GOO!!"



-"What you asked for, is...incredibly courageous of you..." The figure said taking a breath.

-"I know it comes with a price..." Nessa said her voice audibly shaken.

-"I wouldn't worry about that now...you are a friend of my realm after all"

-"So you agree?"

-"It will bear consequences on your end, are you sure you are ready to proceed?"

-"It is something I must do..."

-"I will give you time to prepare, and to let you say what you need to say to the people you want. I am Death, the keeper of my realm, but I'm not insensitive nor insensible..."

-"I thank you" She said as she stood up and bowed slightly.

-"No need...Although I foresee that they won't like it at all" said the figure standing up as well.

-"They will have to understand eventually..." Nessa said with a sad smile.

-"I will bear you farewell for now, and good luck" The figure said as it left the temple.

-"Farewell..." Nessa said with a wave and a sad smile.

Chapter 9: Grace, soko ni arimasu. Part III.

Alexei waited for his cue hidden in the rooftop of a house beside Hikawa Temple. Weapons in hand he stood in view of all the perimeter, hidden in darkness by a spell, not even the owners of the house he was on knew of his prescense.

-"Dudes, I've been here all freaking night, when are we going in?" Alexei spoke in his mind and in his mind he heard.

-"Patience, she hasn't given the 'go ahead' yet..." Yevgeny answered a tad annoyed.

-"I wonder what is she trying to do, this is going without protocol...or a plan for that matter" Joe Armand said into the conversation.

-"This is not exactly a church we are staking out..." Alexei said as a matter of factly.

-"It is a place of worship nonetheless..." Yevgeny said still a tad annoyed.

-"Why would it ask to meet here? and I had a date mind you..." Joe Armand said sighing in frustration.

-"If this was an actual stake out involving demons we would be discovered and killed...you guys talk too much" Nessa intervened suddenly in a mock serious tone, everyone went silent and replied in unison.

-"Sorry Nessa"

-"It won't be much longer, it should be here any minute now so be ready..." She said smiling a little by herself as she waited inside the temple. She chuckled slightly at their ramblings within their mind link so to speak, it was their way of talking when they could not speak.

-"Roger!" they replied again in unison.




Witold stood in the rooftop of the Kobayashi Building, deep in thought as if trying to decipher a puzzle in his head.

The wind blew furiously near him as he closed his eyes.

-"Charles Daniel..." Witold whispered slightly smiling and turning around to find his friend.

-"Witek" Charles smiled broadly.

-"I'm sorry to get you out of the confinements of the cemetery, I know you hate moving from there"

-"Not at all my friend, what do you need?"

-"Tell me what she is up to..." at this Charles laughed

-"You know I can't break confidence, nor rat her out, but I'll tell you she is in no danger..."

-"You will have to do better than that"

-"You haven't regained her complete trust...you need to move your behind on that..." he said chuckling slightly.

-"It is quite...difficult if she keeps treating me as if nothing is wrong and being all...whatever she is being right now..." Witold said sighing in frustration, Charles laughed a little.

-"Things have changed my friend, she grew up, she moved on...a lot has happened in these 3 years"

-"I'm not sure if I'm satisfied with the direction she is taking..." Witold said passing a hand through his hair.

-"You are worried about Aleksandr I take it?"

-"No...yes...maybe...I don't know..." He said blushing a little as he answered the question with Charles laughing a little in each word he said.

-"You never change...I'm glad actually about that"

-"Why?"

-"A degree of normalcy maybe, who knows? it is quite amusing for me to know now that you are still the same Witold I knew..." Witold smiled at this looking away toward the sky.

-"I'm not sure if that is a good thing..."

-"For now, it is" Charles Daniel waved 'bye' to his friend and left the rooftop carried by the wind back to his resting place.

Chapter 9: Grace, soko ni arimasu. Part II.

Messenger's note:
Poem in colors are thanks to my friend Naleyger, you can find all of her creations at http://naleyger.blogspot.com/ I just did some translating, but the original version is better. Now onto the show xD.



"Triste la mañana en que los amantes despiertan, esperando la muerte de sus almas en lenta agonía..." "Sad is the morning in which lovers awaken waiting for the death of their souls in slow agony..."

Aleksandr exited Kenji Kobayashi's office somewhat thoughtful and saddened, he had been informed that he would be traveling again to attend some matters regarding the so called by the media 'Kobayashi empire'. He got into his office and sat on his chair and stared into the view of the city before him.

He had known always since he was hired or 'adopted' by Kobayashi that it was one of his duties, but lately it had been getting harder, for reasons that can be dealt with, but nonetheless it was tugging at his heart.

-"Good morning..." a voice got him out of his reverie and made him look toward the door of his office.

He blushed slightly as he saw Nessa at the door with a smile on her face, he smiled and returned the greeting.

-"Early meeting I see..." she said as she came into the office and sat on the nearby chair.

-"Reviewing some papers...you know the usual..." somehow he didn't say anything about the assignment he got a few minutes ago. He looked away slightly as if looking for something. She looked at him intendly as if going through a puzzle but smiled as she got up from the chair and waved him as 'goodbye', still with a smile on her face.

He couldn't help but feel bad as he put his head on his desk in frustration.


"...pero esperando la dulce eternidad en que vuelvan a nacer y encontradas sus almas, amarse con pasión desenfrenada, sin que el tiempo o el espacio las separe..." "...but waiting for the sweet eternity in which they are reborn and souls found, love each other with frenzy, without time or space that can separate them..."


The day came in which he had to leave. It had been hard to tell her, she had been sad but understood, it was his duty, and it wasn't going to be for long. And there she was, at his door, helping him with his luggage, smiling sadly. They rode together toward the airport, laughing a little and enjoying each other's company.

"...Mañana triste y fúnebre, las nubes visten de negro el brillante sol, que ilumina los corazones de los amantes enamorados..." "...sad and gloomy morning, the clouds dress in black the shining sun, that illuminates the hearts of lovers..."


It seemed that time passed, Aleksandr stood before a grave, he cried silently. The grave read 'Nadzieja 'Nessa' Karev Kobayashi.


Aleksandr woke up sweating and gasping for breath, his mobile phone was ringing, he picked it up and answered.

-"Maldievich..." he said breathing almost normally.


"...Felíz mañana que vendrá en el reencuentro del amor y la pasión interrumpida en un instante eterno y un espacio escondido en la multitud..." "...happy morning that will come in the encounter between the love and passion interrupted in an eternal instant and in a space hidden in the crowd..."


Yevgeny and Alexei ran toward Aleksandr's car that was waiting for them on the street. They took off in a hurry, Aleksandr driving as fast as he could.


"...Amores eternos en un segundo instantáneo, donde se fuga el amor a un lugar lejano en un tiempo remoto, en el que alma y alma eran una..." "...eternal love in an instant second, where love flees to a faraway place in a distant time in which soul and soul were one..."

Nessa stood fighting with several demons around her, each stroke of her blade killed a demon, but another replaced it, after a while she was overwhelmed, lost in darkness, feeling the weight of the demons around her on her body. She gave in.

"...Su alma triste reflejada en lágrimas, su amante escondido en un abrazo furtivo que sera eterno." "...her sad soul reflected in tears, her lover hidden in a quick embrace that will become eternal..."

-"What do you want?" Nessa asked angrily.

-"What do you think?" A low voice answered.

-"Even demons are so basic..." she said looking away, toward Aleksandr who stood in another side of the room, not being able to go toward her, she could see him pound into the walls, clear walls.

-"So...you coming or not?"

-"Leave them out of this, your beef is with me, not with them..." She said and then casted a spell and she dissapeared into thin air.



Aleksandr awoke suddenly, gasping for air and screaming. His mobile phone ringing beside him. He looked at it in fear almost, but picked it up nonetheless.

-"This is Maldievich" He said trying to gain composure.

-"We have a problem..." Richard said at the other end.