Chapter 1: Renovations (Pt.2)

Michael approached the door leading out of the City of Guardians. He caught sight of Tracy chatting amiably with a female Heart Angel. The pair saw Michael - Tracy beckoned him over. Michael obliged, smiling as he drew near.

"Michael, I want you to meet my friend here. Her name is Sarah." She blushed. The girl had straight, blond hair that covered the small of her back. She was adorned with a dress straight out of the 1950's - a white and red polka dotted full shirt dress. She wore shoes from the present day; a pair of white, red bow-tied flats. She seemed to be around seventeen. "I'm going to have to ask you to spend a little time with her." Tracy chuckled.

Michael grinned sheepishly. "I was, uh, on my way to see Taylor," he said.

Sarah and Tracy exchanged glances. They burst out into laughter. "If you thought I was trying to 'hook you up,' as the teens say, you are mistaken. Sarah is an expert in the manipulation of energy - the energy that flows through every being of our kind. You will need to learn a few tricks from her when... or, rather, 'if' trouble comes." Sarah said.

"It won't take long hun," She giggled. "As long as you can keep up. Shall we?" She held her hand out to Michael, palm facing down. Michael seized her hand gently and brought it up to his lips, kissing her hand. Sarah laughed. "I was just going to lead the way, sweetie."

"Oh." Michael blushed. Tracy chuckled, then waved the two goodbye as he walked towards the inner confines of the city. Sarah took Michael's hand and began to walk away from the door. The two passed by the small, original buildings that inhabited the outer areas of the City of Guardians. They were small and gave a homely feeling. The pair broke free of the row of homes, stumbling onto an open space. No one was around and the area was massive.

"This should work well. Alright, hun. I want you to stand right here." She released her grip and took a spot a few yards away from Michael, facing him. "Okay darlin'; hit me."

Michael hesitated. "Wait, what? I thought you were going to teach me about... other stuff," he said.

Sarah smiled. "You're a bit slow, hun. Hit me!" Michael sighed. He curled his hand into a fist and spread his wings. Michael rushed forward, closing the distance, then lashed out with his fist.

Michael connected with the blow - but he didn't hit her. His fist glanced right off of the air around her. Michael took a few steps back, breathing heavily. "How...?"

"Simple, hun. The raw power in the very core of our beings is what protected me from your attack." She spun a strand of her on her finger. "All of us angels have this in common. We can all exploit the power - which I like to call 'honey'. The reason why I call it that, sweetie, isn't complex. If you can harvest it right, then the results are sweet. If you can't get past the queen and her bees, then you'll only end up hurting yourself." She giggled.

"I see," Michael muttered. "How long did it take to master your skills?"

"I would not call myself a master yet, darlin'. That's so cute - I thank you for the compliment." She curtsied. "I am but a simple instructor. My methods are, as the elder angels say, one of the best. It won't take long for one of your caliber to surpass me. Now... where to begin?" She closed her eyes and hummed. Michael waited patiently. A few minutes passed. She giggled and clapped to herself.

"Uh, Sarah? I don't want to rush you, but I really want to go see my friend. Will this take any longe-" Before he could finish his sentence, he felt a mighty blow hit the side of his face. He fell to the ground and wheezed.

"Here is lesson one, pumpkin. Attacks! The manipulation of your energy in its most simplest form. Of course, I will have to teach you how to control your honey first, right? Alright then - lesson zero!" Michael groaned. "Don't ache over my instructing, hun. I'm the best around!"

"That's what I'm afraid of," Michael mumbled. An invisible force picked him up off of the ground, suspending him in air momentarily before slamming him down.

"Lesson zero. Control." She knelt down next to him. "Tell me, pumpkin; what do you care most about?"

Michael blushed. "Who do I care most about? Well, uh, I, uhm," Sarah flicked him on the nose.

"I said 'what do you care most about,' sweetie. Don't tell me you've fallen for me!""Back to the question, though. What do you care most about? Strength, happiness, your well-being? The list is endless. The choice isn't, though." Michael sat up.

"Well, I am not sure at the moment. When I first became an angel, I couldn't think of anything more than life. All I wanted was to experience life once more, to live it and cherish every moment. When I realized I had some semblance of a destiny - to bring peace - I couldn't think of anything but helping. Helping others, or even just having the option to help others. But now, well... the choice is tough. I believe what I value most, right now at this very moment, is strength. I need strength to live. I need strength to help. Everything links back to how strong I am; how can I stop what's to come if I can't raise a fist to it? How can I stop what's to come if I can't stand up to it?" He sighed. "Strength. It all breaks down to that."

Sarah nodded slowly. "You should know, hun, that strength won't be enough to stop everything. Having faith in raw strength will wear out sometime. In time you will understand what you should care about the most, pumpkin." She placed her hand on his leg. "Now, answer me another question. Who do you care about the most? Yourself, a friend, me?" She giggled.

Michael laughed weakly. "That is a little personal. I'm not feeling up to answer that question." Sarah dug her nails into Michael's leg. He winced. "Alright, alright! To be completely honest, I am deeply devoted to a friend. I don't know what I'd do without her, really," Michael said nervously.

"That's so sweet," Sarah ran a hand through Michael's scruffy hair. "You value strength. You love your friend. Now tell me this; which one would you give up to keep the other?" Michael gulped.

"That... that is just nerve wracking," he hissed. "I'll need a few minutes to think on that." Sarah nodded. She kept playing with Michael's hair - Michael didn't seem to mind. He was lost in thought. The two sat there for awhile, neither of them speaking.

"You have lovely hair," Sarah whispered. Michael came back to reality and faced her.

"I would give up my strength, Sarah. I saw all consequences of that action, though. I would lose the strength to sustain my life. I would lose all of my power to protect and defend. I care that much for her. Do you get it? It means I would give up every fiber of my body for her. If she was gone - then I would be too. It is better that one is lost instead of both, right?" Sarah withdrew her hand from his head. They remained silent.

"B-beautiful," she whispered. "This other angel is truly blessed to have such a caring boyfriend." She smiled. Michael blushed.

"She's an angel, alright," he said weakly. "Can we skip the relationship updates and complete the lesson?"

Sarah began playing with Michael's hair again. "I just isolated what you focus on the most. I felt the traces of your emotions flare at every mention of your friend and your ambition. This is your drive; this feeling you exhaust at the mere thought of her name opens up your energy." She closed her eyes and pressed her hand against his forehead. "From what I can tell, you have already learned to harness your power. It was when you brought an end to Daniel's existence." She pressed against his forehead harder. "Your thoughts went out to your girl, didn't they? You probably didn't notice, but when you kept thinking about her, every blow you inflicted was even more powerful than the last. The barrage of punches that killed Daniel were enhanced by your energy. Make no mistake that Daniel was weakened at the time - but keep in mind that he was the most powerful of us all aside from Peter, hun."

"So I already completed the lesson?" Michael said. "Great, thanks! I'll be back tomorrow for the rest of the training, okay? Thanks oh so very much, Sarah - I owe you a ton! I'll be here early in the morning for some serious kick ass training. See ya tomorrow!" Before she could speak, Michael was already flying toward the doorway. She laughed quietly to herself and smiled.

"Don't worry, hun. Taylor will realize what she's missing out on soon enough," Sarah curtsied before him. She giggled. She opened her eyes and smiled at him.