Complete Synopsis

~ Jeanne Johnson

There are several interweaving plot lines in the first part of this volume. The action switches back and forth between Tokyo, Metatron's palace, and Zaphikel's mansion. To avoid confusion, I've synopsized the plot lines separately until the moment they come together.

Setsuna's soul has been revived in its original (female) body of Alexiel. Setsuna learns that the only one who can revive his human (male) body is the angel Raphael. Along with the demon Boys, Setsuna returns to a Tokyo stopped in time to look for Raphael.

TOKYO

What they encounter there instead is the redhaired pugnacious angel Michael, spoiling for a fight. The hooded Setsuna gets the drop on Michael with a knife to his throat and reveals his face, causing a strong reaction in Michael. It isn't that he recognizes this is Alexiel. No, he thinks Setsuna is some kind of okama (drag queen.) Taken aback, Setsuna flaunts his female body--'Look at these provocative curves, these stupidly big eyes, these red lips- can't you see I'm a woman?!' 'No,' says Michael, 'you have a man's soul. Your body and soul don't match. First I'll kill you and then get that perverted doctor Raphael to dissect you.' Hearing Rapheal's name, Setsuna checks-- and Michael attacks.

Setsuna's sword flares in response, and Michael realizes at last who he's fighting. 'Fine,' says Setsuna, 'since we've no reason to go on fighting, let's call a truce. Why spill blood for no reason?' Michael calls him several varieties of idiot. 'Spilling blood for no reason is what war's all about' and he runs Setsuna through. He's about to finish Setsuna off, but Boys comes between them- 'If Setsuna's killed Princess Kurai will be sad'- and Michael cuts his hand off at the forearm. 'And now I'll do you in,' Michael says to S. 'Your little demon's sacrifice will for nothing.' Boys raises his head to say he didn't sacrifice himself for Setsuna but for Kurai-- 'And as for this so-called saviour, I've never seen him use his full power yet. He ought to be able to get rid of the likes of you with no trouble.' Michael turns on Boys.

In guilt at not having protected Boys, Setsuna comes between them and stops Michael's sword with his arm. He reveals himself in his full glory as the three-winged angel Alexiel. A wall of wind appears protecting Michael, and Raphael within it, who mentions a few details, such as the fact that the six wings which Alexiel and Roshiel divide between them give them power over the four elements of creation, and that with three wings Alexiel can destroy the physical world. Michael could care less who Alexiel is and what she can do. He's all ready to fight again. Setsuna flares in his full power, evidently quite ready to destroy the physical world: and is stopped by Sara who appears before him. Raphael grabs the chance to get Michael away while Setsuna reaches out to Sara, who vanishes.

METATRON and ZAPHIKEL

An agent from the rebel angels penetrates Metatron's palace and finds the little toddler surrounded by his stuffed toys. The toys appear animated and attack the agent, and the noise brings the Prime Minister Sebothtarte to Metatron's room. The agent is transported -apparently by the spells which the toys seem to be chanting- to thewater garden where the angel Jibrille (Gabriel) sits in a catatonic state, and he sees something in her neck. Sebothtarte follows, the agent turns on him and rips the veil from his face and is paralyzed by what he sees. Sebothtarte thrusts a needle into the angel's back which he says will paralyze his voice. If he tries to speak his body will burst apart and he'll die. Sebothtarte attempts to get the name of the leader of the revolt from the angel's mind, but he breaks free and runs to Jibrille who somehow makes him vanish. Sebothtarte has a shitfit because Jibrille, even though paralyzed by the needle he has run through the back of her neck, is still able to defy him. He shows her his face: 'You were always so pure, pretending not to see the filthiness of the world. Well, what do

you think of this? Take a good look. No, you can't stop me. I will never forgive the filthy human race. I won't stop until that failed creation is utterly destroyed by flames and the book of Genesis can be written anew on better lines.' No hints are given as to what Sebothtarte looks like or why he hates human beings so much.

Later Sebothtarte scolds Metatron for using the power which Sebothtarte has forbidden him to (animating his toys? Making the agent disappear?) and threatens to get rid of all the stuffed animals. Metatron has a tantrum. 'You never play with me, you're always so busy, these are the only friends I have, I'm always a good boy and I take my medicine like you tell me to but you're always mad at me and I hate you and I want to see Jibrille!!' Sebothtarte

takes one of the dolls and rips its head off: 'What makes you think Jibrille can see you, the way she is now?" He leaves Metatron in tears. Sara's spirit body has been taken to the Highest Heaven and is currently being stored in the house of the blind angel Zaphikel.

His aide Rajiel hears her voice calling him and goes to inform his master. On the way he passes a squadron of heavenly gestapo come looking for information on the terrorist who appeared at Metatron's. At that point the angel himself falls into the room.

Zaphikel tells Rajiel to leave. As he turns to go the angel tries to tell Zaphikel that it's Sebothtarte's needle that's caused Jibrille's present state, but as promised, his body explodes.

Rajiel is appalled, but Zaphikel only says 'We're going to that young girl's room.'

In the middle of the night Metatron's stuffed rabbit wakes him saying 'Let's go somewhere nice.' He takes him to the entrance to 'the Magic Kingdom' and pushes him through. Then he appears to change into a gentle-faced young man who points the way, and Metatron happily finds himself running to where Jibrille is sitting in her water garden.

Sebothtarte comes to find all Metatron's nurses asleep. In the water garden the young man tells Metatron to take the needle from Jibrille's neck, saying only he can do it.

At the moment Metatron takes the needle out, Sebothtarte appears; Jibrille's eyes open; Sara's body disappears from before Zaphikel's eyes: and Sara appears to Setsuna. In the water garden Jibrille opens her eyes. Sebi asks her name, and she says 'Mudo-Sara.'

[Following is done scene by scene]

In Tokyo Setsuna comes to himself and realizes Sara has stopped his murderous fury. He realizes also that, as the doctor Raphael has said, the wounded Boys has to be taken back to his own world and given a transfusion or he'll die.

Metatron tell Sebi that it wasn't his fault Jibrille woke, it was the rabbit made him do it. Sebi tears the toy to pieces.

In the demon world Kira Senpai can feel Setsuna returning. Arachne says his sensitivity comes from having been so close to Alexiel's body for so long. Setsuna returns to find the gates locked against him and Boys. He gets on hands and knees to beg the demons to look after their comrade. 'I don't care what you do to me after, but you have to look after him.' At that point one of the guardian dragons manifests herself and tells the demons what idiots they are and to open the gates at once.

Michael's pissed off at having been grabbed from danger by Raphael. Raphael tells him he can't possibly win against Setsuna and that the danger is greater than he knows. Alexiel and Roshiel are of the blood of Adam Cadamon and have inherited his ability to control time. But the fight Michael & Setsuna were having in Tokyo was causing time to move again even though it was supposedly stopped, and the effect was to break up the physical world. Michael leaves in a snit.

Boys is being operated on but there's not enough blood. His twin Noys says she can't give any because her blood is tainted form the mark which Lucifer's messenger, the Mad Hatter, left on her.

A demon beast appears from the mark to tell Kurai she must abandon the weak, untrustworthy ex-angel Alexiel and come join with the all-powerful Lucifer. Boys insists on getting up to say that the beast is lying. Boys has seen the power of Alexiel for himself and now believes in her, even though he'd doubted before.

The other demons slaughter the beast, who says 'This is a revolt against lord Lucifer', and Setsuna finishes it off. Noys is cured and can give her blood to save her brother. Kira and Arachne, watching the scene, wonder at the change in Boys. Kurai remembers the Mad Hatter's promise to take her away. The Hatter muses that the show has barely begun. And in Metatron's palace his nurses find the rabbit laid by the gate and wonder how it came to be there.

Sara is dreaming of being in a lovely place, but feels that the earth is crying in pain. She thinks she has to wake up soon. Alexiel/Setsuna and Kurai have an interview with the three dragon sisters which requires a ritual wash, much to Setsuna's disgust.

The dragons thank him for saving Boys' life and say that he'll be able to get his hand back. The oldest sister mentions the apparition that stopped Setsuna: being a water dragon she recognizes those of the same element, and Sara has the divine protection of water. Thus recalled, Setsuna says he has to go save Sara. For that he must return to heaven and find Raphael and persuade him to revive his human body. Kurai gets annoyed listening to S talking about his sister, and he tells her she's too young to understand anything. She retorts that she's not: in fact there's someone who wants to marry her. Setsuna asks, 'Why didn't you tell me before? You're like a little sister to me. Uhh well-- in this case, maybe more like my little brother.' Kurai stamps on his foot and runs off, leaving Setsuna flabbergasted.

Kira says that Setsuna never was very good at this. Setsuna is unsure how to respond to Kira, who once said that he hated Alexiel. But at that moment a little blond demon comes looking for Kurai, and they tell where she's gone. The little blond is in fact the Mad Hatter, who surprises Kurai by actually being female. The MH tells a little of her story. Back when she was an angel she used to while away the time by seducing other angels in secret. Fearful of being exposed, one of her lovers killed the other and then himself. Lucifer came upon the scene and cursed the MH. Since that time she's been madly in love with him: she adores the way he despises her. Kurai wonders how someone who loves Lucifer can bear to be the one who arranges his marriage.

The MH gives Kurai Pandora's box, which will revive Setsuna when he opens it- but at that moment Kurai will be carried off to Hell to become the bride of Lucifer. When Alexiel calls up to them, the MH reverts to her form of blond demon and kisses Kurai good-bye.

Back in Sebothtarte's palace, Sara/Jibrille is still asleep. Sebi approaches her, but the vase full of water near her breaks and drives him back. Sara wakes from confused memories of looking for Setsuna and seeing him fight with Michael. Sebi in his room goes to his mirror and wonders why he can't cleanse his hideous face.

The door opens and Sara walks in, asking 'Is someone there?' Sebi is about to stab her with one of his pins but halts when he realizes Sara can't see. The mirror cracks and Sara remembers suddenly that she's dead.

In the demon world Setsuna is planning to go back to heaven and Kurai is trying to stop him. Kira won't help her: 'Why not let Alexiel be killed by the angels?' The skeleton of the beast that Alexiel killed before rises from its grave and attacks Kira, wounding him, but he kills it a second time. Boys says he'll go with Setsuna and finish his fight with Michael. Setsuna is reluctant, but Boys demonstrates that Setsuna needs him. Kurai takes the beast's skull, saying she'll burn it to ashes as should have been done before, but instead she puts it in a cage and broods about Setsuna. The MH comes to tempt her, telling her that as Lucifer's bride she can have anything she wants. To prove it she ages Kurai a few years, puts her in a stunning little frock and sends her off to Setsuna's bedroom: 'See if he doesn't choose you over Sara.' Kurai approaches the sleeping Setsuna, who dreams of a lovely perfume coming from the woman he loves. He reaches up and grabs her, murmuring 'Sara'- and wakes to find he's holding Kurai. While outside Kira leans against a wall looking at the moon, while his wound still continues to bleed.

Raphael has been summoned to Sebi's to advise on why Jibrille is insisting she's not Jibrille. Meanwhile the maids find she's vanished from her room. Raphael ponders on her amnesia and odd behaviour. Running away isn't like the cool reserved Jibrille he knows. And as he thinks this, Jibrille/Sara herself falls out of the sky and lands on him, wondering in unladylike language just what's going on with this uncomfortable cushion she's sitting on.

End Vol. 8