For the Sake of Maron 2/10
By Elysia [ely_chan@yahoo.com]
Rated PG
AN: if you haven't seen past ep. 30 or read the manga, then there's 
some spoiler kinda stuff in here...
Disclaimer: all hail Tanemura Arina!




Maron slowly stepped away from Chiaki. "What about Fin? What do you know about her?"

"I know more than you'll ever care to. That's the real reason I'm here. Not just to protect you 
from the demons, but also from Fin."

She shook her head wildly. "Please Chiaki, no more lies!"

"It isn't a lie!"

"I don't want to hear it!" Maron exclaimed. "You can't even begin to understand. Fin has been 
my only friend for as long as I can remember. When I began to doubt myself, Fin gave me the 
strength to do what I needed to do as Jeanne. When everyone else went away, she stayed 
by my side."

"Then why isn't she here now? Why hasn't she at least contacted you?" Chiaki quipped. 

Maron fell silent. "That's what's so strange about it. It's not like Fin to stay away so long. 
She promised she would be back in a week." Her eyes filled with tears. "Why hasn't she come 
back, Chiaki? Why didn't Fin keep her promise?" 

Chiaki caught her in his arms as she fell. "Are you ready to listen now?" he whispered into her 
hair. Her sob was his only answer. With a deep sigh, he slunk down to the ground, keeping 
Maron in his arms. "Access," he muttered under his breath, "I'm going to need your help on 
this." Explaining everything was going to be a lot harder than he thought.

To his surprise, the black-winged angel suddenly popped up from behind. "I thought you'd 
need me," he said with a fanged grin. "You're not brave enough to do this by yourself."

Chiaki swatted at Access. "This is no time to joke around! Can't you see Maron's hurt? You're 
the only one who can tell her the truth about Fin." 

Access sighed deeply. "You're asking for a lot, you know. I don't like remembering all of it."

"Hey, you're the one who said Maron had to know everything before going into this. Don't 
be blaming me for bringing you here."

"Chiaki..." Maron mumbled, still encased in his strong arms, "quit talking about me as if I'm 
not here." She sat against him, rubbing at her tear-stained face. Then she finally took 
notice of Access. "Another one? But why are your wings black?"

Access looked away. "I'm on a different level than Fin." 

"Tell me. Please."

The black-winged angel couldn't resist Maron's pleading face, so he began his story, fiddling 
with his hair as he did so. He told her of the days when he and Fin still lived in Heaven among 
the Presence of God, and how he always tried to catch the unresistable green haired angel. 
But time after time, she eluded him, up until the day 'It' happened.

"'It?'" Maron questioned. She desperately wanted to know what had happened to her best 
friend. She needed to know.

Access sighed. "The day Fin fell from Heaven."

Maron gasped. No... not the angel she so dearly loved.

The tiny angel sadly pulled on his long hair before going on. "I don't like having to tell you all 
of this, but you have to know. Even Chiaki doesn't know everything about Fin." Access 
continued to tell Fin's fateful story, stumbling through the parts where betrayed all of her 
former friends and took the Devil's hand so she could live.

Maron's eyes began to fill with tears again. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Would you have listened?" Chiaki replied. 

She managed a smile. "Probably not." Then she focused her thoughts on Fin again. "But it 
wasn't really her fault, was it? I don't think she meant to do it on purpose."

"I wish I knew, Jeanne," Access replied. "I've been trying to figure that out all along."

Maron stared at the black winged angel in sudden realization. "You're in love with her, 
aren't you, Access?" 

"Wha...what if I am? That isn't the point of all this! We need to find a way to get Fin back." 
Access hung his head. "But I don't know how."

The chestnut haired girl took the tiny angel into her hands. "Don't worry too much, Access. 
You've got me. I'll do everything I can to get Fin back."

"Hey, what about me?" Chiaki complained. 

Maron grinned playfully. "I don't think you'll be much of a help. You always get in the way." 

Access laughed. "You know him so well already."

"Look who's talking, Access!" Chiaki protested, lunging for the chuckling angel. "You're the 
one who gets me into all that trouble!"

The angel stuck out his tongue. "Yeah, but who got you to climb over here in the first 
place?" Chiaki reached for Access again, but he toppled over onto Maron. They both 
blushed bright red. 

"Chiaki!" Maron tried pushing him away, but he was too heavy. "Get off me!"

He smiled his usual quirky smile. "Hmm, I rather like where I am. Warm, comfortable, can't 
beat the view..."

Access coughed deliberately. "Should I leave you two alone?"

"Yes."

"No!" 

His eyes flickered back and forth from Maron to Chiaki, and back again. "In that case..." 
Access started, knowing full well he'd stick around to keep an eye on these two. But 
then he caught Chiaki glaring at him and Access gulped. He knew that look. "I... uhh... I 
think I smell pancakes. See ya!" and he zoomed out the window.

Maron pouted silently and Chiaki grinned triumphantly over his victory. She started to 
wiggle again. "Chiaki... you can get off me now."

"What would you do if I said I didn't want to?"

She punched him in the shoulder. "There's a lot more where that came from, so MOVE!" 
Using all of her strength, Maron pushed Chiaki off just enough that she could sit up again. 
She tried to move farther away, but he caught her arm. 

"Why do you hate me so much, Maron?"

Her expression softened. "I don't hate you, Chiaki... but you did lie to me."

Chiaki planted his hands firmly on both sides of Maron's body, pinning her in place. "Why 
can't you look past that? I keep telling you over and over that I was only trying to 
help you. Look at Access! He wants to help Fin just as much as I want to help you. 
Why can't you believe me?"

Maron bit her quivering lip. "I... I have a very hard time trusting people. I'm... I'm afraid."

"Of what?"

"I'm afraid of being alone. I don't want to be left behind again," she whispered softly.

Chiaki nodded, knowing that her fear was directly linked to losing her parents, and 
now Fin. He took her hand in his, slowly brought it up to his lips and kissed it. "Maron... 
I told you, you're not alone. You just have to trust me." His other hand reached up 
to her face to wipe away a solitary tear. "I'll do everything in my power to help you 
get Fin back."