"A Pair of Angels"

She found herself in the arid desert city..the same one she had seen in her dreams for the past three days. Just like before, she was walking to the center of town, a small crowd following her.

"Oh, miss! Can you please sing today for us?" one young man asked.

"Sure...any requests?" she was replying.

"Yeah...that song you sang at the bar yesterday!" A young woman answered with a grin.

Oh...our song, she thought and said, "All right then...though I wish you would also pick some others. That song is very special to me, you know."

"We will, but we like that one a lot! Can't you also sing that one verse?" a little girl asked.

"No. Not unless I see the one involved in it," she replied firmly.

She stood there in the center of town, singing. Eventually a crowd gathered, a large one this time.

When she was midway into the song that was so important to her, that was when she saw...him.

Finally, I found you! she thought as she looked at him...recognized him.

"I knew! I knew you would come," she said out loud as she walked towards him...and it appeared that a young man had come with him. One with long brown hair.

Just as she reached out to grasp his hands, she woke up.

A middle aged man with dark brown hair looked up as he heard her come in, then said, "Good morning, angel. You're up bright and early."

"Good morning to you too, father," she replied with a little smile, although she knew that what she had to say next would not come easy.

"So...what are you going to do with the Angel Squad today?" he asked.

"Actually, father, we need to talk."

He put down his coffee and said, "O-kay...what's wrong?"

"Father...it's time for me to go," she said plainly, hoping he knew what she meant.

"You mean to see the Kaiser, right?"

"No...I had the dream again last night."

He sighed at this, saying, "I should have known...the one of him?"

"Yes. This is the fourth time, so it is not just a dream. Father, please understand. I have to go, and this time I know where to go."

"I do understand, more than you realize, Aireel. Where is it at?"

She looked suprised for a second, then replied, "Dazil."

"That's in enemy territory. Are you certain it's Dazil?"

"Positive."

"And how soon do you have to go?"

"Now."

The man nodded and switched on a monitor.

"This is the Hangar dock," a strangely accented man spoke, "What is it, General?"

"You have a mission today that will take you over Aveh, right?"

"Yes, sir. You don't need to tell us to be careful...again, sir."

"That's not why I'm calling, Banderman. I want you to take on a passenger and take her to the city of Dazil in Aveh."

"You want to deliver someone to the enemy? With all due respect, General, have you gone out of your mind?"

"The passenger is my daughter. Now, those that don't know who she really is should be told that she is on...a spying mission."

"I understand, sir. And those that do know?"

"She goes to meet her destiny," was the solemn reply.

"All right, sir, I'll inform the captain. We will be taking off in 1 hour, so she should hurry."

"She'll be there in plenty of time. And Banderman...thank you."

"Anything to help our Angel, sir. Banderman out."

She got up, hugged her father and said, "I'll hurry and pack, though that will take a minute. And I better take one of the more standard Gears with me."

"It's already in the ship, so you go pack. And angel...I'd love to meet him, and do me a favor...first chance you get...marry him, will you?"

"All right, father, if I can, I will. And father...thank you."

As her father had told Banderman, she was there in thirty minutes, with plenty of time to spare.

"Miss, what are you doing here? You're not assigned to this mission," a young man, about twenty from the looks of him, said.

"Yes she is," a stern voice behind him spoke, "She's a special passenger we're taking on. Commander, it is an honor."

"Thank you, Captain," she said with a smile.

"You're here in plenty of time, like your father said you'd be. Which Gear will you be taking with you? Artemis?"

"Not this time. I'll take the more standard gear, Striker," she replied, "How many on here...know?"

"Just myself and the bridge crew. I must say that when I received the message from the general, I thought at first that he was crazy...until I learned the passenger was you and why. Come this way, please," the captain said and they walked into a different direction, towards the ship.

"Who is that woman?" the twenty-year old man asked.

"That, private, is Aireel Belsanas, the general's daughter. You might have heard of her, the famous leader of the 4th batallion, also known as--" a guard said to him.

"The Angel Squad," the private said, turning white, "Nobody told me the Squad was on a mission with us!"

"She's on a special assignment, not the Squad. We drop her off at Dazil, I hear," the guard continued.

A few hours later, Aireel stood on the bridge with the crew, watching as a desert approached them.

"Approaching Aveh territory. ETA to Dazil is 30 minutes," someone at navigation reported.

"Thank you, navigator. Commander, I have to be honest. 20 years is a long time. He may not remember you. What if you don't recognize him or something?" the captain replied and turned to her.

She shook her head, though that motion knocked off turban-like hat from her head. She was now dressed as a common travelling singer, rather than the Kislev uniform that most were used to seeing her wear.

"I'll be able to recognize him, no matter what he looks like or mask used. You know that, Captain," she said as she picked up the hat and put it back on.

"Of course...after all, you're the Angel, Commander," Banderman replied.

"Please, don't call me 'Commander'. I'm not doing this as official business. Call me Aireel," she said to them.

"Aye, C--Aireel," they replied, a bit sheepishly.

"I'll get out here," she said, "And go the rest of the way in my Gear. That way, you won't be fired upon."

"All right. Good luck, Aireel and may your destiny free the world," the captain said.

She nodded and left the bridge quickly.

"Her destiny, Captain?" the artillery officer asked.

"That young woman has the most unusual destiny, you remember the prophecies we read about in the academy? The one about the Angels?"

"Yes, captain."

The captain turned to the viewing screen and said, "That young woman is one of them...she goes to meet her destiny...and to meet someone from her past."

Aireel stood near her Gear, looking into the sunrise that was now starting in this area. Even from the sky, it was rather beautiful. A nice sized wind was blowing, tossing her hair about.

Maybe if I called out, he could hear me... she thought. It's worth a try.

"Can you hear me? Can you hear me calling to you?" she asked out loud, "Come to me, I await you in Dazil."

There was only the sounds of the Gears preparing as a reply. She sighed and got into her Gear...and quickly took off.

He was gazing at the sunrise as he stood on the peak of the mountain. Normally, the sunrise was a wonder to see...but he took no comfort in this one, as he had been having strange dreams fot the past four nights.

Each time, he would see a strange young woman with long, almost blood red hair standing near his house, the full moon behind her and the wind blowing wildly. She seemed to be vaguely familiar, but he could not remember where he met her...and when he did see her, during the dreams, he could not see her face.

What was different this time was when he looked at her, he was hit by a wave of sorrow.

I am calling to you...can you hear me calling? Remember, you must remember! she would say to him before disappearing into the night.

Now, the dreams were starting to worry him greatly...what was it she was telling him to remember? Her? Something from long ago?

He heard a voice....and pinched himself, making sure that this was not another dream.

"Can you hear me? Can you hear me calling to you? Come to me, I await you in Dazil..." the voice said...the same voice from his dreams.

"Who are you?" he asked out loud, "Why are you calling to me?"

There was no reply.

"Who are you?" he asked again.

"Are you all right?" he head a voice behind him ask...this one being a lot more familiar.

"I do not know, Yui..." he replied.

"The dream again?"

"Yes...and I thought I heard a voice just now, telling me to go to Dazil. Why would I want to do such a thing?"

"Maybe you shouldn't work today," she said, "You need a day off once in a while, too."

"I know, but something is not quite right about today...as if something irreversible is going to happen," he replied with a small sigh.

"I don't know about you sometimes, dear. That dream's been bothering you ever since it started four days ago. Maybe you should go to Dazil and find out what's going on," Yui said to him.

"No, not today. Perhaps tomorrow if the dream doesn't cease. For right now...that Land Crab up there is calling for attention," he said and started up the path, trying to shake off the feelings that the voice, the dream and the premonition of this day combined were causing.

A few hours passed as he worked steadily on the machine that, basically, surrounded the storeroom. It was near evening when something unusual happened...that is, unusual that ranked up there with the voice and the dreams.

As he got a couple of gears on the top part of the wing-like blades, he found himself humming a strange tune...one that seemed somehow familiar, but he didn't know who had taught it to him, not really remembered, anyway.

"She could always sing better than I could," he said out loud, "an Angel's voice...wait. Who is it I was just thinking about? I cannot remember..."

Can you hear me? Can you hear me calling to you? You must remember! I await you in Dazil... he heard the voice in his mind.

He shook his head and tried to start up the Land Crab.

It made a nice, loud explosion and caused him to get a faceful of oil, soot and the like.

"Oohhh! This is no good! Why do they use such inferior parts? This is why their intervention strat--" he said loudly and kicked the machine.

"Doc! Is that where you've been at?" he heard another familiar voice.

Fei.

"Ah, Fei! Good to see you," he said as he tried to wipe his glasses.

"Are you all right, doc? What are you doing way up there?" the young man asked.

"I was just trying to restore this Land Crab. And that explosion was nothing to worry about. It happens all the time," he said, then laughed a little nervously.

"That reminds me, there is something interesting in the storeroom. Why not have a look? Can you wait a while? I am about ready to call it a day," he added.

"Okay, doc, but please hurry. It'll get dark before you know it."

After cleaning up somewhat, the doctor went after Fei into the storeroom, hearing one of the items within, a type of auditory device, playing.

"So what do you think? Not bad, huh?" he asked quietly as he walked inside.

Fei nodded and quietly said, after a minute, that the music seemed familiar somehow.

"Music is quite a mysterious thing," he replied softly, "It makes one remember things from long ago. Many thoughts, feelings, memories...things almost forgotten...whether the listener desires to remember them or not..."

An image suddenly appeared in his mind, although it was for only a second: a small black haired boy laughing and singing with a little girl with dark red hair. For some reason, this flash also caused a twinge of sorrow...one that he managed to hide quickly enough.

"What is this, doc?" Fei was asking.

"It was excavated in some ruins and is still under repair," he replied, "It is obviously an audio device of some sort. Long ago, people would listen to this melody as we are doing now. At times they would have been cheered up...while at other times they would have been made to cry..."

Can you hear me? The thought suddenly entered his mind.

He shook his head a little and asked, "What brings you up here today?"

"Oh, that's right! Alice asked for me to borrow some camera equipment from you," was the reply.

"Oh, yes...their wedding is tomorrow...? Understood. We should go get them ready then," he replied, trying to drive the voice from his mind, "Oh, and dinner should be ready soon. Would you like to join us?"

"Would I! I was hoping you'd ask," was the cheered answer.

"I still have some cleaning up to do out here. Would you mind giving Midori some company back at the house?"

"Sure, I'll go ahead and eat when dinner's ready."

He couldn't help but laugh and smile as he said, "Go right ahead, but I will not be held responsible if you get a stomachache from my wife Yui's cooking."

After Fei took off, he wondered out loud, "So...Alice and Timothy's wedding is tommow..? Perhaps it is better to live an ordinary life...as a son of man...anyway, I should at least adjust the gyro...it appears I will be leaving for Dazil tomorrow after the wedding."

Right as he was about to pick up the appropriate tools, he heard something rather unusual...first the machine had stopped playing the music...and now the angel turnpiece was shaking violently before it shattered.

"This cannot be...is...is this...an omen?" he asked, wondering now at all the unusual things going on...the dreams, the voice, the sudden flashbacks, now this.

"Now what is going to happen...?"

Aireel sighed as she stared out into the desert sunset, anxious and worried at the same time. A few minutes before, she heard and saw Gears going from Kislev to a section nearby...

"If I remember my geography correctly, in that area is only the Blackmoon Forest...and a small village, Lahan," she said out loud, "A village on the border of Kislev and Aveh. Gads, I hope the villagers all get out of there...alive."

"Miss, why are you concerned about that area?" a guard asked her.

"I worry about all lives," she replied, "Most don't understand this, but we all live under the same sky...we're all humans. I worry for Kislev as much as I worry for Aveh."

"Where are you from?" he asked.

"Ohh...everywhere. Nowhere. I am a travelling singer, here for a while. I may be searching for someone or just here to sing to the people," she said, inwardly wincing. She was starting to sound like him...

"Oh, I see. Would you happen to have a name?"

"You may call me....Aireel."

"Pretty unusual name for an unusual lady. So...where will you be singing at?"

"Wherever people like. It may be the tavern, maybe the center of town if they so wish."

"Hmph. Now don't you be causing trouble here, ya hear me?" the guard asked with a grunt.

"But of course, guard. Now if you'll excuse me...I'll be resting for a while."

The guard looked on as she slowly walked back to the inn/tavern.

She stood there again, with the full moon behind her and the wind blowing. This time, though, she was not at his house.

She was standing some distance away from the remains of a village.

My word...what happened here? she thought, Is this Lahan?

"Yes," the doctor said and walked to her, feeling another wave of sorrow, "Why? Why do I feel so sad lately when I see you? Why can I not see your face?"

"You will see it soon...what happened here first?" she asked.

"Some Gears attacked here...a friend went into an empty Gear and..." he said, then shook his head, "It went beserk...causing what you see before you."

"Gads, I'm sorry," she said, "No wonder...I heard some time ago about it but I didn't know you were here...if I had known, I might have come to you rather than have you come to me."

She sat down as he replied, "It does not matter...I will be leaving the area soon, headed in that direction. Maybe then...I will find out who you are."

She sighed and nodded as the moon started to cast its light on the woman's face. He could see a pair of clear blue eyes that stared into his own, piercing his very being.

A stronger wave of sadness hit him, and he knew, somehow, that if he stared into those eyes much longer, he would be crying...yet he didn't want to look away, either.

"I...I do not understand..." he said, "Why are you making me feel...like this?"

"I'm not. It's coming from a lost memory or something....but I was afraid of it...you have completely forgotten. They re-arranged you, didn't they?" she asked, sadness evident on her face, which now was completely visible, "It's almost morning. I await you in Dazil..."

"No...please! Wait!" he called out as she started to fade.

She reached up to lightly brush his cheek with a hand, he could feel that light touch, then she was gone.

Aireel sighed as she woke up...the dream she had this time was much different than the ones while she was in Kislev.

She knew exactly what he looked like now, which was a step up from before she had arrived.

"What if this dream was just that...a dream? I should check Striker either way this goes," she said out loud as she prepared for a performance in the tavern that had been requested.