Author's notes: No, this isn't Chapter 4- although that is nearly complete as well- it's a sidestory, focused on Yuuto. I'll be writing them for each of the surviving Seals and Angels and releasing them between the chapters where appropriate- this one does happen to take place between Chapters 3 and 4, but not all of them will be along the present timeline. They exist to give more backstory to the characters that will get less attention in the main plot, and add more flavour and depth to the characters as I see them in general.

The usual notes apply: this is not the present day world, but nor is it necessarily AU- it simply takes place post-Promised Day, and reading the first three chapters is highly recommended.

Thanks go out to my editor, C, who assists in my bizarre flights of fancy however she can, and for which I'm eternally grateful. To Cocoa, the site designer of Yuuzai, where all this is lovingly posted as well as here, and to Audrey, our webmistress, who makes that possible. To Leareth, for picking apart my writing and characterization... also out of love, I'm sure... and for being my inspiration to write in this fandom. And thanks to all of those who read this, and indulge my vision of the characters we all hold so dear.




Anarchy: Transient

By Ari




The battle for the fate of the world lasted a year in 1999. The two factions, the Dragons of Heaven and Earth, fought for opposing purpose- the sake of either the earth itself or the humans that dwelled in it. The earth was, and is, being slowly but surely destroyed by the human race. The Seals fought in the hopes that mankind would change its ways and both could live in harmony. The Angels fought to wipe them out and, in so doing, save the earth.

Well… more or less. Some fought for different reasons, and others did not fight at all. The overall goals of the two sides were of paramount concern to some, of no concern to others. Although it must be said that more of the Seals truly cared about their purpose than the Angels- the reason being that both the Angels and Seals were human themselves.

It requires a certain level of detachment from the human race that few ever attain to sit idly by while it was destroyed, and an even greater level of detachment to actively seek to destroy it. And all of the Angels realized, of course, that this would mean destroying themselves as well.

Not that this level of detachment is impossible for a human to have. Many people are suicidal, and many more have little to no regard for the human race- but it usually requires a certain kind of influence, a reason, to feel nothing for one’s own life and the lives of any others. Or even just to see the purpose of saving the earth beyond the otherwise blind acceptance of a human’s right to live.

All of the Dragons of Earth, save one, had clear reasons to be detached from the rest of humanity. Things that set them irrevocably apart from human society, things that would be incomprehensible to the status quo. A kinship with things other than their own kind that gave them a level of understanding normal humans could not share: machines and nature, Fate and creation, dark magic and dreams. Their detachment represented forces that were inhuman- extreme and cruel, or lacking in any emotion at all. Some sought to overcome this difference. Some were indifferent. Others reveled in it.

Kigai Yuuto was the exception.

As usual, business had kept Yuuto late at the office. Night had long since fallen over Tokyo, and all the men and women with families had gone home. He had his own matters to attend to, but none of them required the daylight.

There was no spirit that bound him to a life of murder, no bond to the conceptions of human need, nor the lives they took for granted- no circumstances of his own creation that set him apart from humanity. He had always been free to fight his own destiny as some of the Angels did. Yet he did not.

After he hit the lights and left his office, he noticed another still on at the end of the hall, in the direction of the floor secretary’s desk. As he approached, he heard the faint hum of the photocopier. There was a long pause when it finished, and when he turned the corner he saw one of the new staff- he couldn’t quite recall her name- staring into space beside it with a downcast expression, twisting a tissue in her hands.

There was no cruel beauty to his handsome appearance; no sign of malevolence in his smile that some of the other Angels possessed. He was everything anyone would want a man to be: well dressed, well mannered, and charming... but not enough to threaten them. All about him was an air of pleasant mildness; he spoke softly and warmly, and with sincerity.

He checked his watch. He still had a few minutes.

“Is something wrong?” He asked softly.

He had watched thousands slaughtered by the other Angels, crushed by the earthquakes, with much the same expression.

She flinched, startled, but her expression brightened when she saw who it was. “Kigai-san?” She quickly grabbed the papers from the machine and filed them away, tossing the tissue away to hide it. “Oh, it’s nothing.”

Yuuto watched her as she returned to her desk, noting the dark silk blouse she wore under her blazer. She’d expected to go out tonight as well. “Are you sure? Or has someone been thoughtless enough to leave you so much work to do?” He asked concernedly. He already knew the answer. “Maybe I can help.”

He was not the cold unknown of steel and wires; he was not the stalker in the night that killed the innocent. He was not the hand of vengeance for past crimes; he was not misguided loyalty to the evils that walked the earth; he was not conscience; he was not helplessness.

“No, that’s not it. It’s…” She trailed off, pretending to dig through her drawer for something while a hint of moisture returned to her eyes. “It’s nothing you’d want to concern yourself with. Just a woman’s troubles.”

He was apathy.

“Men, I find,” Yuuto replied as he sat down on the desk next to her. “Are often at the heart of such troubles.” He smiled reassuringly. She looked particularly fetching from here, the silk blouse clinging to her a little too tightly- the neckline a little too low. “I might still be able to help.”

He was the blank eyes of millions as they watched the terrible suffering of others in distant lands- idly turning the channel as soon as it ceased to entertain them. He was the voice that asked why they could not solve their own problems, he was the voice that reassured them that they lived their own lives well enough, and he was the voice that whispered that it was because they were different. How could anyone with such a sweet smile be to blame?

“Well…” She sighed, her voice a little thick. The helplessness born of self-pity was something he recognized well. “It’s not something I can really talk about to anyone. It’s not something I’m proud of.”

He was avarice, petty jealousy, and deceit.

“But you must have a reason for it.” He offered. He remembered her now, vaguely. She was the one the other secretaries said was a little too flirtatious with the men at the office. Well, that wasn’t exactly the word they’d used. “My secretary is always talking about how sweet you are. I’ve seen how kind you are with the other ladies… you aren’t the kind of woman who would do something to hurt someone.”

“Well, no! I didn’t do it to hurt anyone. At all!” She seemed a bit more confident now, though she still looked away to hide the tears. “It wasn’t like that. I love him, and I know he loves me too.”

“But…?” Yuuto inquired.

“But he has someone else.”

Yuuto feigned surprise. “Then why…?”

“But she’s not good for him.” Her lip trembled. “He’s lonely. She never pays attention to him. She always calls him worthless, and won’t even cook him dinner when he gets home from work. He only stays with her because they have a son, and because of her he doesn’t spend any time with his father.”

He was the smile on the face of a beautiful young bride, with the heart of her husband in her hands, as she makes plans to take his estate and leave him with nothing.

“That sounds difficult. Especially when it’s a man you care about so deeply.” He touched her shoulder comfortingly.

“But… but I shouldn’t be doing this, should I?” Her voice was breaking. “I’ll just end up hurting everyone. It’s a terrible thing to do, isn’t it…?” She put her face in her hands. “I’m such a horrible person.”

He was the easy answer to a difficult question, the pretty lie told to conceal an ugly truth.

“I don’t think you should stop seeing him.”

She looked up through her tears, startled but hopeful. “What?”

“You say you’ll hurt everyone, but I don’t think that’s true. You care about him, and he cares about you- you make him happy. If you leave him, he’ll be lonely again. He’ll have no comfort from you. And it looks like you’ll be unhappy as well.” He told her kindly.

“But what about his wife?” She asked. “What about when she finds out? Won’t she be hurt as well?”

Yuuto shook his head. “Maybe for a little while. But she doesn’t sound very happy, either. This might be the reason she needs to find someone she truly loves. Otherwise, there’ no way out of this miserable life they have together. You would give them a chance to start over, so all of you can be happy. To leave them to it because of what others might think of you…” He paused, looking her in the eyes. “Is a little selfish, don’t you think?”

He was willful ignorance.

It took her a few moments to consider the idea. “I… I never thought of it that way.” He could see the determination growing behind them. “I- you’re right. You’re absolutely right. I’d only be making things worse for them. He- he’s probably wondering where I am right now.”

“Call him. Make sure he knows how much you care. He needs to know that at least one of the women in his life loves him.” Yuuto set the phone in her hand, and smiled. “Make him happy.”

“I will!” She smiled back, finally, and nodded. “Thank you so much, Kigai-san. You’re the only one who would be so honest.”

“Most people are too quick to judge a pretty young woman, I think.” Yuuto winked at her, and headed for the door. “Good night. Enjoy yourself.”

He’d have to find out what her name was tomorrow. His secretary would probably be more than happy to tell him who ‘he’ was as well.

He was the words everyone wanted to hear. He was the sweet nothings, the empty promises, the insincere concern that was expected in polite society.

He stepped out into the lobby just in time to see the familiar Mercedes pull up outside through the glass doors. It wasn’t followed closely by guards on motorcycles this time - this wasn’t exactly an official visit - but he had no doubt there were some patrolling the blocks nearby. It wasn’t entirely necessary to come here to pick him up, but he appreciated the gesture. She must be worried about him.

A suit-clad bodyguard met him as he strolled out the door; he towered over Yuuto - and most people, likely - and acted as if he knew it well. Yuuto was sure to look up at him at least once with some trepidation in eyes, a show of respect that he found truly laughable, but he kept his amusement to himself. It wouldn’t do to let him think Yuuto didn’t fear him- it would mean he was either dangerous or arrogant, and while the latter might have a ring of truth to it, it was mostly due to the former, which was something he took care not to convey.

He stepped into the car as it was opened for him. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.” He bowed slightly. He knew he was early.

The prime minister of Japan sat with her legs crossed and lips pursed, a cell phone in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Quite a common sight for the company Yuuto had kept of late. He glanced at the last number on the phone- her husband’s office in Kobe. He smiled brightly, and the sight of him seemed to work years of tension out of her features. “Not at all, Yuuto-kun.”

“It was so nice of you to come here for me.” He sat a little closer to her than was really appropriate; nearly touching, but the guards and the driver took no outward notice.

She frowned, but leaned a little closer, a lock of her graying hair brushing his shoulder. “It might be better if you weren’t often alone anymore. So much of this trouble has been put on your shoulders.”

He shook his head. “It is just my duty to the Japan I love.”

He waited until the Mercedes pulled away from the curb before resting his hand on her thigh.

He was there on the faces of those that passed by the injured, sick, or homeless, and felt nothing but disgust. He was the father that scolded his pregnant, weeping daughter, concerned only for his own hurt pride. He was the teacher who ignored the bullying of children- shouldn’t they learn to stand up for themselves?

“So… it’s become that bad, has it?” Yuuto inquired quietly- a hushed tone reinforced the gravity of the situation, he’d found. It worked well in more personal situations as well as in business and matters for state.

“Very bad.” She pressed against him, a necessity to hear their near-silent conversation, yet another benefit of the tactic. “They’ve absolutely refused. And threatened subversive action if we try to take any measures towards the companies that will not pay.”

“Such as…?”

“Simply cutting off the supply of their goods to Tokyo. They’ll lose billions, but they claim it will pay off in the end in the face of our ‘outrageous’ demands. And in addition to that, forcefully removing any government official that attempts to make them comply.” She sighed wearily. “So, that leaves me with…”

He kissed her cheek. To summarize, they were threatening a blockade and a street war. “I know it’s a difficult decision, but you can’t sit by and watch the many starve for the greed of the few.”

He was the judge who blamed the victim.

“But it’s so reprehensible.” She glanced out the window, showing visible signs of disgust at what she thought she must do. “It’s so extreme. I would rather we went back to negotiations with this.”

“Ahh…” So, she was still uncertain. But there were so many ways to play this. One: democratic loyalty. “We’ve already been there for years. The people didn’t elect you to ‘talk’ to the zaibatsu, they elected you to give them back their jobs.”

‘It’s too much trouble.’ ‘It’s not my fault.’

Her brows arched, and she looked away again. “I’m certain they didn’t elect me to do this, though.”

“You might be surprised.” Two: historical nationalism. “They might take matters into their own hands if you do not- they did in your grandfather’s time.”

“But that kind of thinking led to the war, Yuuto-kun.” She said firmly, turning to face him again.

“Which is precisely why you have to act before they do and restore their faith in democracy.” Three: filial piety. “To preserve the Japan your father created- to bring it back from financial ruin and create one of the richest and most powerful nations in the world, like he did. Whenever they hear your name, rest assured they haven’t forgotten that.”

‘There is no other way.’ ‘It must be done.’

He could see the pride building behind her eyes. He was winning this. Four- since she certainly hadn’t forgotten, and knew that no one had: she was a woman. “He wouldn’t have faltered here, and you are as strong as he ever was- anyone who knows you sees that. They are the ones that doubt it.” Because you are a woman. “They’re testing your resolve.” Because you are a woman.

It was so easy to say things without saying them. Yuuto was willing to wager that was just how the majority of things were conveyed.

“Well…” She bit her lip and inhaled from the remnants of her cigarette one last time. There’s really no other way, is there?”

He’d won.

He soothed the conscience of the guilty and made them righteous. He justified the self-serving. He was the convenient excuse of those in desperate need of change. He stood for nothing; he was blind to all but himself; his opinion was whatever was acceptable at the time. He was the river that shifted around any obstacle, taking no heed, as it traveled the path of least resistance- cold, shallow, and transient.

“No.” His face was the very picture of remorse. “There isn’t. But it was their own choice to threaten the well being of the state and the lives of the people. If you act quickly, perhaps they will learn their lesson and further bloodshed can be avoided.”

He was humanity's detachment from itself.

“Call him.” She spoke with the authority of more than one hundred million others, and all the power they could imagine to give her. “See it done.”

He replied with the voice of six billion, and all them with as little interest in the situation at hand as he. Tonight, she would want comfort. Which meant that he would pleasantly entertained. There was nothing more important to it than that. “Of course.”

No one could ever see him for what he was. But that was fine- no one had any need to fear him. All he was, and all they could ever they could ever see, was their own face reflected in the water.

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