Quicksilver's Quill Offers 
Pawns 
mbsilvana@yahoo.com
Standard disclaimers 
AN: Again, for Elysia.   I honestly can�t say what a
valuable friend she�s become.  I treasure you.
My Mailing List, should you be interested:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Quicksilver/
Warning: Fin gets philosophical on us� a lot of this
is modified from Christian legend, but in no means
should be taken as an accurate depiction.  No offense
is meant�

Part Ten:

	The night air suddenly seemed to become a dozen
degrees colder, and Jeanne�s stomach twisted
painfully-at least she wanted to claim it was her
stomach.  She refused to believe that Sinbad-Chiaki-
whoever the hell he was-had captured her heart.  He
was someone she couldn�t trust, and he�d just proven
it.

	�You� you�� She stared up at him, feeling her blood
pound through her veins as she became lightheaded.  
This couldn�t be happening, not now�

	�Maron,� he said softly, glancing away from her so he
didn�t have to meet her accusing eyes.   �We need to
talk.�

	Her real name sounded strange coming from Sinbad�s
lips� her head hurt from the identity confusion, and
she wondered when the world had gone nuts.  �No� no�
no�� she muttered, shaking her head in denial.   �This
is some nightmare� I�m going to be waking up,
anytime,� she whimpered, trying to deny the reality of
the situation.

	�Maron� we need to talk!� he declared again more
firmly.  

	It was too late to try to deny her identity.   So she
did the only thing she could; she lashed out, striking
his cheek soundly.   The resounding �smack� echoed
over the rooftops, and Jeanne wondered if she, in her
magically enhanced state, had hit him too hard.   He
clutched his cheek, which was rapidly swelling, and
looked at her with grim determination.   �I deserved
that, but one smack is all you�ll get,� he informed
her.  �Now that you�ve had your moment of hysterics, I
suggest that you calm down and be a little more
rational.�

	�Rational� rational?!� she demanded, repeating his
last word with amazed scorn.  She stepped towards him
threateningly.  �Why should I be rational?   I just
learned that one of my closest friends is my rival,
the agent of the devil himself, and I figure it out
when he kisses me!   Tell me exactly why I should be
calm?� she asked, emphasizing the last two words with
jabs to his chest hard enough to bruise.

	He caught her hand and held it firmly to keep her
from damaging him any further.  �Because you need to
listen to me.   Neither of us can make that Checkmate
on our own-we�re going to have to do it together.  
And for us to succeed, you�re going to have to trust
me.�

	�Never!� she snapped furiously.  His blue eyes seemed
wrong to her as she stared at him still trying to
integrate his two identities.  He had to have known
who she was-he had said her name before, he had
brought her back to her apartment when she had drained
herself, he had moved in next door to her, which
couldn�t have been by chance� �Why did you do it?� she
asked softly.  �Why did you pretend to be my friend?  
Why did you pretend to care about me?�

	He shut his eyes, taking a deep breath.  �Maron,
let�s go back to our apartment building and discuss
this sitting down.   It will take some time to
explain.�

	�I don�t want your excuses, you-you bastard!   You�ll
just lie!�  She turned to leave, but he stopped her. 

	�Ask Fin Fish about a Named Demon.   Ask her how to
Seal it.  She�ll tell you you�re not strong enough to
take one on.   And when you two have talked about it,
you can come and see me.   I�ll be in my apartment
waiting.�

	�When Hell freezes over,� Jeanne said icily, and then
jumped off the edge of the building.

*

Miyako paced around the foot of the tower, seeking the
item Jeanne had dropped.   It was the second time
Jeanne had left something behind, and it might be the
item she needed to find out who the golden-haired
kaitou truly was.   She wanted Jeanne to be captured,
and right now she could almost taste the triumph of
victory-it was that close.   Jeanne was becoming
sloppy, and if Sinbad hadn�t helped her tonight, then
it would have happened.

	A surge of irritation welled at the thought of the
male thief.  He was becoming erratic, and while that
increased the possibility he�d make a fatal mistake,
it also annoyed the hell out of her. 

	She frowned as one of the searchlights reflected off
something on the ground.   Dashing forward, she
reached the item, carefully putting a pair of gloves
on before picking it up.   Holding it up, she stared
at it thoughtfully.

	It was a bottle of holy water.

	The small golden cross on the base of the vial looked
much like any other, but the bottom bore a small
sticker-the break she�d been looking for.   �The
Church of the Good Shepherd, Juuban, 544 Sakura
Drive,� she read aloud.  She was amazed that it hadn�t
been broken in the fall-but God was finally smiling on
her.

	�Miyako?   Do you have something?� a voice asked.

	She pivoted on her heel, meeting her father�s look
with excitement.   �I found what Jeanne dropped!  It
has an address on it!�

	The experienced detective blinked a few times.  Then
he started to do a little jig, much to his daughter�s
disgust.   �Wahoo!  We�ve got her!� he said, picking
her up and spinning her around in his enthusiasm.

	She flushed.  �Otou-san!�

	�We�ll go there first thing in the morning��

	�I have classes,� Miyako griped.  

	�I�ll write you a note to get out-you�ve worked so
hard on this case that you deserve to be there for
this break.�  He chuckled and set her down, a wide
grin on his face.  �Bag it, and go home and get some
sleep!  You�ll be up early tomorrow!�

	She nodded and went over to one of the cars to get an
evidence bag, wondering how she would ever be able to
sleep tonight.   She was so close to catching Jeanne
that she could practically taste it!
	
*
	�What am I going to do?   Chiaki is Sinbad!� Maron
declared as she burst into her apartment, startling
the waiting angel.

	Fin looked surprised, then thoughtful.  �That would
make sense� we should have figured it out a while ago.
  What gave him away?� she asked.

	�Never mind that!� Maron said, trying to ignore the
blush that was creeping up her cheeks.  �What matters
is that our enemy is living next door to us!  An agent
of the devil is sleeping less then twenty feet away!�

Fin looked slightly guilty.   �Well, technically
speaking, he�s not the devil�s appointed agent,� she
said uneasily, scratching the back of her head with
embarrassment.

	�What?!� Maron demanded, her voice only a few
decibels short of a roar.  

	The angel reeled backwards.   �Well� do you remember
why Lucifer Fell?� Fin asked.

	Maron blinked.   �He fell where?� she asked.

	The green-haired juntenshi sighed.   �It�s not part
of the bible, but there�s stories about the world
before.  Some of them are true, others aren�t. 
There�s one that says that Lucifer once was once the
most favored of God�s angels, the brightest star in
the sky.�

	Maron�s eyes widened in shock.  �The devil was once
an angel?�

	�Yes, long ago.   Before the Fall.�  Maron could hear
the capital in Fin�s pronunciation.

	��What happened?� Maron asked after a moment of
reflective silence.

	�Lucifer had an argument with God.  He wanted to give
humans knowledge they shouldn�t have.  Knowledge that
was dangerous� God disagreed.  It brought about a
great war in heaven, and in the end, Lucifer was
forced out, taking a third of all the angels-from
cherub all the way to seraphim-with him.  They were
the ones that became his demons.  He was very bitter,
and still believed he was right, which led him to
tempt Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  Some people
respect him for it-in ancient languages, Lucifer means
�light-bringer.'"  She spat the final sentence out
hurriedly, as though it tasted bitter and vile. 
�Without Lucifer, mankind would still be in the Garden
of Eden.   Some people thrive on chaos, though, and
claim he was right to give mankind the knowledge that
was denied to them.�

	�So how does Sin-Chiaki fit into all this?�

	�I�m not sure�� Fin admitted.   �When he first
started with his Checkmates, I was positive he was the
devil�s agent, but now�� She played with the tips of
her feather nervously, straightening a few quills
carefully.  

	�Did Access Time Fall with Lucifer?�

	�No� but other angels have Fallen since.   I thought
Access might have�� Her green eyes filled with tears
at the very thought.

	Maron cupped her hands so Fin could sit in them as
they continued their conversation.   Fin gratefully
accepted the support, too emotionally drained to
continue hovering.  �So the demons I Checkmate are the
angels that Fell?�  The thought made her uneasy� the
fact that she was imprisoning beings that had once
been angelic was not pleasant, no matter what they
were.

	Fin shook her head, the long tendrils of hair
bouncing against her cheeks.   �Most aren�t.  �Demon�
and �devil� are used interchangeably, but they�re
really two different things. You actually Seal devils,
which are lesser forms of evil.   They never knew God,
so they never denied him.   Denying God� is simply the
worst thing that can be done.�  She shivered at the
thought.   �Devils are created from pools of negative
emotions.  They lack much thought aside from the
desire to harm people.  That�s why they have to be
Sealed-when you Seal them, you negate the negative
feeling and leave only the power behind.  The pawn is
the physical form.   With proper training, you�ll be
unable to unlock the power and use it for other
things.�

	�What have you been doing with the pawns I�ve
collected?� she asked.

	�The petit clare has them.   I�ve been saving them
for you, should you need them� and if you don�t, then
I�m going to give them to Gabriel-sama or
Michael-sama.�

	�Gabriel-sama?   Michael-sama?� Maron echoed.  Surely
Fin wasn�t talking about�

	The little angel nodded solemnly.    �Two of the four
Archangels.   I don�t see Uriel-sama or Raphael-sama
much.�

	Maron felt a little dizzy.   She�d known,
intellectually, that Fin was an angel, but for the
first time, her friend�s true nature was penetrating. 
She dealt with Archangels from the Bible� she
remembered a time before humans had been thrown out of
the Garden of Eden� It scared Maron.  Why would Fin
want to be her friend?

	�Fin, Chiaki said that I should ask you about a Named
demon, and how to Seal it.�

	Fin blanched.  �Oh, God protect us�� she whispered. 
�That makes sense��

	�Huh?�

	Fin took a couple of deep breaths, obviously
struggling to avoid hyperventilating.   �A Named
demon� that would be what�s in possession of Tokyo
Tower��

	�Explain,� Maron commanded.   She was sick of all the
evasions and half-truths. 

	�A pool of evil can attract a true demon-that�s one
of the former angels that Fell-to take possession of
it.  These are more powerful since they have a greater
intelligence, are bitterer, and� well, they�re more
evil.   Each of them has a Name-the one they used
before the Fall-that is why they�re called Named
Demons.   They�re the highest level of demon power
present on Earth.  And� as for Sealing it� you�re not
powerful enough to.�

	�What?� Maron demanded.

	�A Named is able to resist you, and it can fight
back.   That�s why you�re having such an impossible
time with this-and why the lights exploded on your
first attempt.�

	�Chiaki said we had to work together� there�s a way?�
Maron demanded.

	�Theoretically you could combine your powers, and
that might work� especially if-"  Fin broke off,
shaking her head.   

	�If what?�

	�I�d rather not think about it.   It�s a last-ditch
resort.�

	�Fin�� Maron said irately, �I want the truth.�

	�Please� it�s better not to think about it.   Don�t
make me tell you until I�ve exhausted all other
options,� she said.   The angel was practically
begging.

	�Fine.   But I want the complete details on whatever
plan you devise.�

	Fin nodded solemnly.  �Agreed.�

	�I�m not happy with you.�  Maron gazed at the wall
thoughtfully before heading to the kitchen to make a
cup of tea; chamomile, to soothe.  �Would you like
some tea?� she offered her friend.

	�I�d better not,� Fin said reluctantly.  �I have some
work to do� maybe I was wrong about Access Time��

	�What did Chiaki have to do with all this?�  Maron
asked.  �How did he get involved?  WHY is he doing
this?�

	�I�m not sure� but he�s working with Access� Access
belongs to a faction of angels that disagrees with one
of the policies God has been working on.   It hasn�t
reached out-right rebellion, but� we�re worried.�

	�What policy?� Maron asked.

	�I-I�d rather not say.   We should talk to them.�

	�Fine�� Maron headed for the door.

	�Not tonight, Maron!� Fin said, starting to hover
again.  �I need to go find some things out.�

	�Huh-but I won�t go to sleep!�

	�Skip school!� Fin declared.

	�I can�t!   I just got well enough to go back!�

	�Say you had a relapse!� Fin snapped back
temperamentally, on the verge of losing her control.

	Maron tried one more time.   �You�re the one who�s
always on me to be on time!�

	Fin saw Maron�s genuine distress and forced herself
to calm down.   �Maron, this is more important.   This
may very well be the most important thing you�ve ever
done.   A Named is something that comes along rarely,
and when it does� well, the last time there was a
Named, Jeanne D'Arc died Sealing it.�

END PART TEN
C&C is a good thing!!

=====
"No matter what the bible says, the battle always goes to
the strong. And I am strong. I don't need to prove that to
anyone anymore."
-Excerpt from Sainan no Kekka- Act Seven, Scene VII

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Quicksilver/
http://www.midnightrevolution.org/gundam

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