Philip Simpson - Tribulation

Aimi put one delicate finger on his lips to silence him. “Hush. There are things that need to be said and little time to say them. As usual.” She paused for breath, her eyes locked to his. He finally realized what was different with her eyes. They had silver flecks in them, flecks that he’d never noticed before.

She smiled in a disarming fashion. “This should be fairly obvious to you — well, to anyone really — but I’m no longer what you might call human. Sam. My Sunshine. I’m an angel.”

Sam knew it. Of course she was. How could she not be? The questions swirling around his head were not what but how.

She nodded as if hearing his thoughts, which apparently she could. “I was chosen,” she said. “Few are. In fact, none have been for thousands of years. Gabriel said that the war on Hell has taken its toll on the Angelic ranks though. They needed more.”

“Why you?” Sam managed to ask.

“Because, apparently, I’m pure.” She rolled her eyes theatrically. “A pure soul. Uncontaminated by greed, hatred and other undesirable human traits. I tried to argue but they said that’s what someone who was pure would do. There was no reasoning with them. They were adamant, and what am I in the face of angelic determination? I relented, of course — with one condition.”

“What was that?” Sam asked, knowing in his heart what the answer would be.

She smiled at him, the movement sending streaking arcs of lightning through his cerebral cortex, directly wired to the pleasure centers in his brain. “That I’d get to visit you from time to time, of course. Silly.”

Sam didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. From time to time? What on Heaven and Earth did that mean? Would he only get to see her occasionally, when the hierarchy that existed in Heaven determined her every movement? He suppressed his frustration, feeling suddenly ungrateful and unworthy. What was he complaining about? He had her here and now, with him. How shallow and selfish must he appear? As Aimi seemed to have the same basic mind reading skill that he had, he tried desperately to shield his mind, like he would from another demon.

And at that moment, he determined that he would change, make Aimi proud of him. No longer would he be subject to his baser temperament. He could control it. He would control it. He shouldn’t have to shield his mind from her. She was part of who he was. She had made him the man he was today.

He let go of the shield around his mind and relaxed, letting Aimi see the confusion and frustration ebb away. He could see that she sensed it, too, smiling at him again.

“How often?” he asked, seeking to keep the desperation out of his voice.

She tilted her head, a delicate gesture he remembered fondly. “When my duties allow.”

“What duties?” He was intrigued.

“All angels have duties. Some are assigned to watch over certain individuals. Guardian angels, if you will.”

“Are you one of those?” he asked eagerly. “If you are, you could get assigned to me. Then…”

Aimi held up a hand to stop the torrent of excited words pouring from his mouth. “No, Sam. I know. It’s what I wanted too. What I asked for, in fact. I was refused. Guardian angels are often much more senior than I. I’m far too junior and inexperienced for such a responsibility. Besides, you already have a Guardian Angel. Of sorts.”

Sam breathed out heavily, determined to keep his promise and control his frustration. “You’re talking about Gabriel.”

“Yes. I’ve been told that Gabriel is much too busy to act as a Guardian angel for anyone, but she made an exception for you. She likes to keep an eye on you.” She paused again and met his eye once more. Sam could detect no emotion from her at all. Was she jealous? Of him and Gabriel? Impossible! Not Aimi. Not his Aimi who was the nicest person he’d ever met in his life. No wonder she’d been chosen as an angel. If she wasn’t worthy, then no human was!

“It’s not like I see her very often. In fact, I haven’t seen her for years.”

It was true. The last time they’d had any contact with her was just before he ventured into Hell to rescue Grace. She wasn’t envious, though. As she listened, Aimi’s mind opened to him like a flower in the sun. The only emotion Sam could perceive was love. Love for him.

“So what is your role, then?” he asked.

“I act as a messenger. Sometimes, I have to pass on messages between the Grigori and Heaven; occasionally between Heaven and Hell but that doesn’t happen very often. I’m also assigned to report on certain events. There’s more — lots more — going on than you can possibly imagine.”

Sam smiled crookedly at her, feeling a little smug. “Oh, I don’t know. I think I’m fairly well informed at the moment. I know for instance that the Antichrist and his forces are planning an invasion of the U.S.”

“Yes.” Aimi nodded slowly. “We were hoping that this information had filtered through. But there’s more that I can’t tell you.”

“Rules?” asked Sam.

“Rules,” she agreed, smiling wryly at him.

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment. “So, when did you actually become all angelic and everything?” he said, trying to keep the conversation light. He really wanted to kiss her again.

“I don’t really know. Time doesn’t really seem to well, pass in Heaven. There just doesn’t seem to be any concept of it.”

“Then how do you keep track of what’s going on in the real world?”

“I must admit, it’s difficult. Heaven is such a blissful place that you really don’t want to be reminded on what your life was back on Earth.” She stopped when she saw his face fall, and squeezed his hand tightly in reassurance. “No, I don’t mean that I don’t miss you. It’s just that it’s hard to look at all the pain and suffering going on in the world right now when you’re surrounded by perfection. Besides, even if I wanted to see what was going on, it’s really difficult.”

This was what Sam really wanted to know. In the time since he’d been left alone, had she been watching him? With him in some way? He’d always had this thought in the back of his mind as his comfort blanket. No matter how hard things got, it always made him feel slightly better knowing that Aimi might be watching him.

“Difficult?” he asked. “Difficult how?”

She frowned. “It’s hard to explain. It’s like there is a heavy mist between Heaven and Earth. And it’s not just with your eyes. It’s in your head, too. It’s hard to focus on the Earth. You only catch glimpses from time to time, and that’s only when you really focus.”

“Have you seen me?” he asked.

“Of course,” she said, smiling. “Only you. There’s no one else that I wanted to see. But it was hard. I tried to find you sometimes but I couldn’t. It was as if you’d disappeared or something.”

Sam had wondered whether his glamor concealed him from angels as well as demons. Although Aimi hadn’t been an angel at the time, it was clear that spirits in Heaven had limits.

“I can conceal myself from demons,” he said. “That might explain it.”

Aimi said, “I saw Gabriel on a few occasions. Once she even asked if I could find you, almost as if she couldn’t. Or maybe it was a test to see if I was fit to be an angel. Who knows?”

“And what about Hikari?” he asked. He felt guilty not asking about his Sensei and father figure sooner, but there were just so many questions he needed answered.

“He’s so happy.” Aimi smiled brightly. “At peace, like everyone in Heaven. I see him but not as often as I’d like now that I have duties. He watches over you, too, when he can. I know he misses you.”

Sam’s heart surged with pleasure. He felt like crying again. This moment would be even more perfect if Hikari had been there to share it with them. “And what did you see, when you did find me?” he said eventually.