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ship_manifestoTitle: Made in Heaven
Author: Moria Polonius
Pairing: Alexiel/Lucifer
Fandom: Angel Sanctuary
Spoilers: For the entire “Angel Sanctuary” manga. And I mean, huge spoilers.
Warnings: Manga can be very offensive for religious people. It contains incest, rape, child abuse, drug use, violence, murder, blood, suicide, sadism, sexual harassment, transvestites and gender confusion, mental issues, genetic manipulation, experiments on people, scheming, manipulating and backstabbing, revenge, resurrection, reincarnation, politics, terrorism, twisted philosophies… The only thing that didn’t come up in this manga is, I believe, prostitution and out-right homosexuality (there is subtext for the latter though). Some of those issues are mentioned in the essay.
Notes: The quotations come from the Omanga translation or are based on the German translation of “Angel Sanctuary” and since I’m not as proficient with German as I would wish, they may not be consitent with the official English version. English is not my first language so this essay is not perfect. Excuse any spelling and grammar errors, any misuse of words and expressions and confusing syntax.
Angel Sanctuary: not a story for the faint of heart and weak of mind
“Angel Sanctuary” is the best-known work of a mangaka Kaori Yuki, renowned for her gorgeous artwork. It is usually classified as shoujo, although it’s a far cry from the typical representatives of the genre like “Fuushigi Yuugi”, “Penguin Brothers” or “Mars.” True, it is filled with pretty boys and centres largely on the emotional aspect of the characters’ lives. However, it can rival “Battle Royale” in terms of blood and violence and “Death Note” in terms of plot content. It is quite similar to the CLAMP’s masterpiece “X/1999” – but much more action-packed (the entire 18 volumes of X Kaori Yuki would fit in 4). Like “X”, it deals with the Apocalypse, contains the hero who is supposed to determine the future of the universe but for whom personal reasons are the motivating force, and uses ‘angels’ as one side of the conflict. Unlike “X”, “Angel Sanctuary” takes the term ‘angels’ literally and heavily employs the Judeo-Christian mythology, mixing it with Greek and Norse mythology, Buddhism and even scientology. However, Christian religion and mythology are taken great liberties with, to the point of the story being blasphemous for many people.
“Angel Sanctuary,” is basically a story about the end of the world. The destruction of Earth, death of the mankind, great battle between the forces of Heaven and Hell and so on. Setsuna, the hero, is a sixteen years old not-so-ordinary high school student. His mother hates him, his classmates bully him, his father doesn’t care and he’s in love with his own younger sister. When it seems that his life can’t suck more, strange people appear around him claiming that he is the latest reincarnation of the great angel Alexiel and the prophesied Messiah who will determine the future of the universe. However, Setsuna just doesn’t care about the end of the world, about the problems angels and demons have, hates the fact that they all only think of him as Alexiel and not his own person. It’s only when his beloved sister Sara is taken away from him that he must embark on the journey through Heaven and Hell, to save her. And the world too, while he’s at it.
Forget everything you have ever learnt in your Sunday school. You won’t see angels singing to the glory of the Lord. You won’t see fluffy clouds and harps and halos that should compose Heaven. You won’t see the Pearly Gates with Saint Peter holding the keys. You won’t see the fire and brimstone that supposedly fills Hell.
You will get a psychotically violent Archangel Michael, a debauched Archangel Uriel and a female Archangel Gabriel. You will get angels whose chief purpose is combat and who can be more cruel and insane than most of the demons. You will get the nobly patriotic demons who can love strongly and be more loyal than most of the heroes. You will get a technology-filled Heaven that is ruled by a dictator with an iron fist and an oddly free and attractive Hell. You will see a world where the lines between good and evil are completely blurred, where the affiliation to Heaven or Hell doesn’t mean anything.
Alexiel: the heroine that isn’t there
Alexiel is the driving force of the manga, everything revolves around her. However, throughout the entire story, she only appears four times – the first time is when she awakens within Setsuna to fight Rociel, the second when Setsuna, wearing Alexiel’s original body, falls into the river of Lethe. Third during the duel between Setsuna and Lucifer. The last is the moment when she regains awareness during the final confrontation with Rociel in Entemenaki. Everything else we know about her, we find out from the tales and flashbacks of other persons.
Alexiel and her brother Rociel are born as one of the God’s experimental twin couples. (Twins, bound together at birth, sharing power, is an ongoing theme in “Angel Sanctuary;” other sets of twins include Lucifer-Michael, Astaroth-Astarte and Metatron-Sandalphon). They share the power of mother and father of all angels, the six-winged Adam Kadamon – each of them has three wings. While Alexiel is given the normal, human-looking angel appearance, her twin Rociel is created as a tangle of flesh and wires. By God’s experiment, Rociel takes parts of Alexiel’s body, one by one, that she would re-grow later (or at least this is how I understood the manga) – and so he looks exactly like his sister.
Alexiel lives confined to the Garden of Eden, leaving only to perform her duties: to kill on God’s command – she is the Angel of Retribution, the War Goddess. She never sees anybody but her servants, who feed her the forbidden fruit that makes her impure, just like the blood and death make her impure. The only person who visits sometimes is her twin, Rociel, constantly seeking her approval and affection. However, Alexiel is ordered by God to never show Rociel any love – all to make Rociel believe he’s loved only by God and thus make him easier to manipulate – and Rociel always returns disappointed. In time, Rociel’s physical and mental condition starts to deteriorate and he begs Alexiel to kill him when his insanity starts to overwhelm him. (Rociel’s story is the saddest, most twisted and cruel one in the entire manga – the sheer injustice that his very existence is based upon is just unbelievable).
Alexiel rebels against God and allies herself with the demons of the Gehenna Kingdom. Wielding the most powerful weapon Heaven has ever produced, Nanatsusaya (the Seven-Bladed Sword of Souls), she starts to fight against her erstwhile brethren. She battles with her twin brother Rociel who is the ruler of Heaven and seals him away on Earth. She is captured then and brought to court where she gets convicted with one of the harshest punishments imaginable: her body and soul are separated and her soul is cursed with an endless circle of painful rebirths and violent deaths.
Character-wise, Alexiel is a bundle of contradictions. She is very powerful and can be very ruthless and merciless. She has killed many, first in a line of duty, then during her rebellion. She usually treats Nanatsusaya like a tool, even though she knows his origins. She acts cold towards Kira when they meet at the bank of Lethe, she taunts him and tries to diminish the importance of the feelings they might have for each other. On the other hand, she can be very understanding and compassionate. She is the one to support Uriel when he first gets his job as the Angel of Death, she saves little Kurai’s life and takes her under her wing. She despises the hypocrisy of angels, thinking that demons have more integrity, at least they don’t pretend morals. Most of her actions are driven by her love for Rociel – her coldness towards him as well as her attempt on his life, which she isn’t able to carry out in the end.
Lucifer/Nanatsusaya/Kira: an enigma within a secret wrapped in a mystery
Lucifer is one of the most glorious angels ever created, with four wings as a mark of his incredible power. He was born together with a twin brother Michael. At their birth there is a prophesy that one of the brothers will serve Light, while the other will serve Darkness. Lucifer’s brilliance and superiority in every field earns him universal respect and admiration which skyrocket as God bestows the position of the Great Seraphim (the ruler of Heaven) on him. Everything hints that Lucifer is the one destined for the Light, which leaves Michael as the one destined for Darkness. And yet, for all his radiant presence, Lucifer is always cool, detached, and joyless. He never shows any affection to Michael who hero-worships him, always rejecting Michael’s attempts at making ties. There is nobody Lucifer cares for, nobody close to him. Nobody nearly equal to him.
One day Lucifer is summoned to face God – and God tells Lucifer that all the brilliance, all the power, all the detachedness of Lucifer’s were planned at his creation. They are all necessary for Lucifer to become God’s adversary. In one word, God ,planned for Lucifer to become the servant of Darkness, it is Lucifer’s destiny to oppose Heaven. Why? Because God needs an adversary to show his power, to better control his creation. Lucifer, having realised that God wants to have him as nothing more than a puppet, gets angry. He storms into the Garden of Eden, wanting to defile and destroy God’s precious daughter Alexiel, the hand of God’s justice. However, confronting Alexiel makes him realise that she is a prisoner of God’s will just like him. He promises he would come back and free her and he goes away, deciding to bide his time and play along the God’s plans.
As Lucifer rebels against God, a great war starts. Many angels, not liking God’s rules for various reasons, choose to follow him. Blood is spilled, chaos ensues. Michael, by that time the leader of the army of Heaven, engages in battle with Lucifer, but is unable to win (this is a direct violation of the Christian mythology, which has Michael defeat Lucifer). Lucifer departs, taunting Michael that he would never be able to defeat him.
Lucifer, followed by one third of angelic hosts, goes to Hell. The land of Hell is barren and the air is poisonous – it cannot support any life. To make it habitable, Lucifer joins his body with the land of Hell, so that he can infuse it with his power and support life. It works and Hell starts to function. That little detail taken care of, Lucifer decides to start working on thwarting God’s plans and fulfilling his promise to Alexiel. He creates a fake body for himself which he transfers his soul into – and leaves Hell heading for Eden (this is what I understood from the manga, it’s not very clear). He manages to sneak into Eden and help Alexiel escape… but he gets captured (presumably because he was weak in his fake body, manga doesn’t say how it happened).
The chapter of Nanatsusaya begins. Lucifer’s soul is sealed within Nanatsusaya, the Seven-Bladed Sword of Souls. Nanatsusaya becomes insanely powerful, so powerful that no angel can control him, anybody who tries, goes crazy. Nanatsusaya has most of Lucifer’s power, his awareness – but not his memories. Nanatsusaya has no idea that he was Lucifer once, has no idea where his soul comes from. But he wants to know.
The only angel able to wield Nanatsusaya without going insane turns out to be Alexiel. She knows the secret of Nanatsusaya’s origin and uses it to make him co-operate. Together, they fight against the heavenly hosts. Finally the battle with Rociel comes, and as Alexiel defeats Rociel, some of Rociel’s blood is spilled and falls onto Nanatsusaya. Alexiel is captured and sentenced for a circle of reincarnations, but thanks to the life-giving properties of Rociel’s blood, Nanatsusaya is able to follow her through all the reincarnations. Nanatsusaya doesn’t get to have his own body, but he can make pacts with dying humans: they let him use their bodies and in turn he finishes their unfinished affairs. Each time Alexiel is reborn, Nanatsusaya finds a human near her and possesses him/her. Over and over again, for countless centuries.
When Alexiel is reborn as Setsuna Mudou, Nanatsusaya finds Sakuya Kira, a little boy bleeding his life out after a car accident. They make a pact, and Nanatsusaya promises to read a lot, learn and make Sakuya’s father hate him, so that it would be easier for the man when it’s time for Sakuya to die again. Sakuya Kira becomes Setsuna’s best friend – once again close to the soul of Alexiel, accompanying him through his journey to Hell and Heaven – until the memories of Lucifer are awakened and together with them Lucifer’s old personality and his goals.
Love? Hate? Obsession?
(I will often use names Kira and Nanatsusaya interchangeably: Kira is Nanatsusaya throughout all the events of the manga.)
The big question is: what does exactly Kira/Nanatsusaya/Lucifer feel for Alexiel? Judging from Lucifer’s original personality, it is questionable whether he was capable of such thing as love at all. Manga flashbacks indicate that Lucifer was all intellect and no emotion. He feels no pity, no compassion, no sadness, not even amusement or curiosity. The first true emotion he expresses is anger at the prospect of being God’s puppet. Then he immediately goes off to attack Alexiel, acting on that anger. It’s true that his confrontation with Alexiel has a tremendous impact on him, but I don’t think he jumped from anger to love at the first sight (well, he didn’t look lovey-dovey when he put his sword to her throat or even when he was leaving). He didn’t find love but he found something much more important: somebody he considered equal. He tells Alexiel that she’s just like him, a kindred spirit. He leaves with words: “Remember that you’re my woman now!” I don’t think it is love, but it’s a bond, something Lucifer has never formed with anyone.
Now, how come Lucifer can be considered a true rebel, making his own rules, when, by opposing God, he follows God’s plan? The thing is that he does it only until his second visit in Eden, the one when he helps Alexiel escape. His earlier actions all fall into the parameters of being God’s adversary, but freeing Alexiel is something he is doing for Alexiel and for himself, not for God. Out of the second meeting we are only shown Alexiel accepting Lucifer’s outstretched hand. The details of their meeting, escape and Lucifer’s capture are never given.
The next time they meet is when Alexiel finds Nanatsusaya in a cave in a block of crystal. Why is Alexiel the only one able to tame Nanatsusaya? Because she’s powerful? No. It’s not the question of power and not a question of taming. Nanatsusaya agrees to serve her. Partly because he knows that Alexiel knows the secret of his origin. However, I don’t think it’s all, there were probably others knowing the secret. Another reason is that Nanatsusaya wants to be with Alexiel, feels drawn to her, feels the connection between them. They spend years (centuries?) fighting together. They are each other’s most trusted companions. Nanatsusaya’s memories of that time include blood and death and war and piles of corpses they created together – but they also include moments of Alexiel’s weakness, the way Alexiel talked to him, the way her hair moved with a wind blow. “When we make it into the world of light, what would you wish for, Nanatsusaya?” asks Alexiel and Nanatsusaya’s internal response is: “For arms to hold you, eyes to see you, hands to touch your hair.” Is it love? I don’t know, but it isn’t just the desire to know the secret of his origins.
Then come all the centuries of Nanatsusaya’s following Alexiel in all her incarnations. Always being close, always watching over her. He can’t expect the incarnations to tell him anything about the secret of his origins so why does he always enter her life? It’s the same reason as when he agrees to serve her as a sword, just wanting to be close. When Alexiel is reincarnated as a courtesan, he takes the body of her dying lover, goes back to her and they make love. The courtesan realises that her lover is different now, and some of Alexiel’s awareness leaks out as she recognises Nanatsusaya as the one who has been with her through all her past lives. Some strange feelings awaken within Nanatsusaya – he takes them for the feelings of his host, but I think they are his own feelings crystallising into love. He fulfils the courtesan’s request and kills her, thus breaking the cursed circle of reincarnations and allowing Setsuna to be born as his own person, not bound by any destiny.
When Kira talks to Setsuna about his feelings for Alexiel after Setsuna’s return from Hades, he claims he hated Alexiel. Referring to their last life, he says that he had raped and killed the courtesan. Well, I think it’s a big fat lie on Kira’s part. I firmly believe he only said it because there was Madhatter’s spy listening in (that little fish-like thing in the wall). The courtesan certainly didn’t look as though she was being raped in those flashbacks of Kira’s. Kira might believe that he hates Alexiel, but that’s plain old denial. He just doesn’t want to acknowledge that he might love a person who was using him for years. There might some resentment for Alexiel’s withholding his secret from him, but the predominant feeling is the desire to be with her. As a sword, as another person in another life, as anything.
There are scenes where Kira stands in front of the crystal block containing Alexiel’s soulless body. He is alone, contemplating. His face may not convey much, but we can imagine that he’s in turmoil, wondering what it is that he feels for Alexiel, wanting her to open her eyes, to smile, to move, to allow him to touch her hair. When Setsuna awakens in Alexiel’s body and wants to cut his hair, Kira is frozen. He grabs Setsuna’s hand and stops him – he can see only Alexiel, Setsuna is momentarily forgotten. There is only Alexiel and him, finally having hands, and Alexiel’s hair.
Kira – the blend of Nanatsusaya and what remained of little Sakuya – is able to feel love. Kira loves his father, despite doing his best to make the man hate him. He feels affection for Katou. I think he also develops affection for Sara, Kurai and Arachne. And he definitely loves Setsuna. He confesses that Setsuna is the only one to make him distinguish between the current reincarnation and Alexiel. Even though it’s said that Setsuna is the height of evolution of Alexiel’s soul, I think it’s not Setsuna that is different from all other incarnations. Kira is different – he has become more human, more emotional (thanks to the little Sakuya) and is able to see people for who they really are. Or rather is able to care for people as they really are.
When Kira is killed and resurrected by Rociel as Lucifer, Lucifer’s suppressed memories resurface. Together with the memories comes Lucifer’s agenda: to thwart God’s plans and… to free Alexiel. Without the humanizing aspect of Sakuya Kira, it seems that Lucifer’s personality regresses to the one from before being sealed in Nanatsusaya. He’s an emotionless machine, absolutely ruthless, cold and weaving his own tangled web. He cares nothing for the people he has befriended during his life as Sakuya Kira. But… can it only be appearance?
As the story unfolds, it turns out that Sakuya’s soul hasn’t completely vanished from Lucifer. However, it had to be suppressed for Lucifer to be able to reach his goals. There was is room for the friendship with Katou or for love for Setsuna. Lucifer’s agenda is dominant – and that agenda is Alexiel. However, years spent with Alexiel as a sword, centuries of possessing humans just to be close to her, blending with Sakuya couldn’t have gone without an impact. When we see the picture of Lucifer with Alexiel in his arms after the resolution of the final battle, it’s not the same Lucifer who shouted: “Remember, you’re my woman now!” It’s the face more resembling that of Kira watching Alexiel enclosed in a crystal block. There is gentleness in his eyes, there is love. Despite all the people who comment either to the ‘new’ Lucifer or Kira: “You haven’t changed at all,” Lucifer changes. A lot. He changes into a person capable of love. At the very end of the manga we get the glimpse of Lucifer watching the spectre of little Sakuya with his father – is it the final separation of Sakuya and Lucifer or is it the reverse? The final acknowledgement that Sakuya Kira is a part of Lucifer now and that feelings for his father are a part of Lucifer now? Many people may not agree, but I like to think the latter.
Indifference? Pragmatism? Longing?
While the manga makes it perfectly clear that Alexiel’s the most important person in Lucifer’s entire existence, the reverse probably isn’t true. The most important person in Alexiel’s life is Rociel; it’s largely for his sake that she rebels against God. Her feelings for him don’t let her kill him and somehow, at the end of the manga, I got the impression that the most important thing for her is to be able to tell Rociel: “brother, I did love you.” However, unlike Rociel’s possessive and jealous love of her (with definitely incestuous undertones), Alexiel’s love is pure, she wants to ease Rociel’s torment and see him happy.
Alexiel is generally presented as an emotionally cold person. We are given only two people whom she treats with affection: Uriel and Kurai. We know that, although she never shows it before the end, she loves Rociel very much. So what about Lucifer?
Their first meeting affects both of them, although the impact on Lucifer is probably much greater. In the flashbacks, when we get to see Lucifer coming back for her, she comments that she felt compelled to accept his hand even though she had accepted her imprisonment. It seems that it is Lucifer’s influence that causes her to shake off her apathy and try to make her life her own. When Lucifer gets captured and sealed within Nanatsusaya, she immediately goes to look for him. Why? Only because of his power that would make an excellent tool for her? We are never given the reason, but we can speculate that it is the same compulsion that makes her escape with Lucifer. She might have assumed then that she was joining him in the fight against God and after he gets sealed away, she only makes that assumption true by taking Nanatsusaya as her weapon.
During her rebellion, Nanatsusaya becomes her confidant. She doesn’t treat him only as a tool – she talks to him, asks him about his opinions and future plans, even though he can’t answer. She hints that ‘when everything is over’ there is something else waiting for them, some sort of life each of them could have.
Little can be said about Alexiel’s perspective on the time of her reincarnations, because although each reincarnation had her soul, they weren’t exactly her. However, when the courtesan recognises Nanatsusaya as the one following her through all her lives, she isn’t spooked or appalled. She is glad they can finally meet. She says he is the one she was waiting for and she gladly accepts death from his hands, recognising the act as severing the God’s wheel. In her last words she expresses a wish to meet again in the future. Setsuna, when realising the same, is devastated that he would soon forget what Kira really means for him, he clearly wishes to know the bond between his and Kira’s souls. The two of them are compared to the pair of lovers from the fairy tale about the princess enchanted into a hawk: they always seek each other out but can never meet, always missing each other. Neither the courtesan nor Setsuna are Alexiel, but they both have the moments when they touch the core of their soul – and one of the things lying at the core of their soul are the feelings for Nanatsusaya.
Alexiel’s awareness takes over Setsuna for a short time when he falls into the river of Lethe in Hades. There, at the bank of Lethe, Nanatsusaya and Alexiel meet for the first time in centuries. Alexiel tries to kill him to prevent him from becoming Lucifer and rising as Setsuna’s most powerful enemy. (I believe this scene contains a huge inconsistency on Kaori Yuki’s part: Alexiel says that she must fight God to free herself and Rociel from the destiny God had made for them. She knows perfectly well that Lucifer also hates God and would do anything to bring Him down. So why does she assume that Lucifer would be Setsuna’s enemy?) Now, that looks like an argument that Alexiel doesn’t feel anything for Lucifer. Her priority here is fight against God and her duty towards Rociel. She mentions Lucifer’s love for her, but doesn’t say anything about her own feelings. But she does look sad when they talk, and kisses Nanatsusaya like she would want to be free to love him.
Then she again regains consciousness for a short time, in Entemenaki, she once again fights Lucifer and accuses him of being cold as ever and never helping the ones he loves. Here she seems bitter and disappointed, like she expected Lucifer to learn something from all those thousands of years.
After the final battle, when Setsuna and Lucifer manage to kill God, we get to see the spectre of Alexiel, standing over the battered Lucifer, saying, “You foolish man,” and throwing herself in his arms. Apparently she wasn’t as cold towards Lucifer as she acted. It looks as if she is overwhelmed with the strength of his feelings for her, and thankful that he has managed to get her free. It seemes that now that everything is finished, that this whole business with Rociel and God is done and over with, she can finally start to think of herself and her own feelings.
Why the two of them?
Let me be shallow first: they are the two most gorgeous characters I’ve ever seen in any comic book. Alexiel is beautiful: the hair, the eyes, the figure. Any woman would go green with envy. Lucifer is hot. The eyes, the smirk, the leather outfit. Shag him once and die happy. Alexiel and Lucifer look so damn good together that it would be shame for them not to come together, combine their genes of hotness and produce more eye-candy (not that that’s ever going to happen, fanfiction or not, somehow domestic bliss doesn’t seem their style).
Both Lucifer and Alexiel have other people pursuing them. Barbello has loved Lucifer ever since she was in charge of taking care of him as a child. This love is never reciprocated. Another person to love him, much more important and interesting, is Madhatter. Madhatter’s love and devotion is absolute but also twisted since it is based on the lack of reciprocation. Both Madhatter and Lucifer emerge changed from the whole war with God and – since they both head to Hell together afterwards – the thought of them getting together seems like a good idea. Alexiel, on her part, cannot fully return Rociel’s love, she also rejects the honest love of Uriel. It is Uriel, who takes Alexiel’s body to take care of after the battle of Entemenaki. Alexiel and Uriel – not such a bad combination either.
They both reject all other people who love them. Nobody touches Lucifer’s heart like Alexiel, she’s the first and the last, the one who changes him. Nobody can measure up, not Madhatter and not Barbello. There is no room in his heart for anybody else, at least not in the romantic sense. The same with Alexiel: Lucifer seems to be the first person she feels, well, attracted to. During their first meeting, we get to see the looks of fascination on Alexiel’s face. When Lucifer kisses her, her reaction of pushing him away seems somewhat delayed. When they talk by the river of Lethe, their intimacy seems natural. There is resentment, bitterness and disappointment in that scene, but also attraction, chemistry either of them don’t have with anybody else.
Like Lucifer says, they are a lot alike. They are both forced by God onto the paths that are not their choice and both are struggling to escape their destiny. They both have problem with feelings, although it seems that Alexiel’s way to fight her destiny is to acknowledge her feelings. Lucifer doesn’t even know what it is that he feels most of the time. They are both insanely powerful and determined. The trait that they have in common that is most perceptible, is that they never allow their own feelings get in the way of what they have planned. Alexiel never reveals her feeling for Rociel and she tries to kill Nanatsusaya even though I doubt she really wants to. Lucifer suppresses everything that might stop him from getting to God, he kills Katou and almost kills Setsuna and thinks it’s necessary to kill the remnants of Sakuya Kira within him.
Alexiel and Lucifer are both so much larger than life that it’s hard to picture anybody else with either of them, they are several levels above everybody else. There is nobody who could really tame that emotionally retarded bundle of power that is Lucifer but Alexiel. She’s the only one with enough power, determination and feelings to teach Lucifer about feelings. Alexiel, on the other hand, has no other match but Lucifer. There is nobody else who would really understand what it means to be a God’s puppet, who would shrug at all the things she has done to get free. And there is no one else who has done as much for her as Lucifer.
They are simply meant to be. From the moment Alexiel takes Lucifer’s hand and escapes from Eden, they are practically always together. First as Alexiel and Nanatsusaya, fighting God together, when Alexiel is the one with the knowledge of what binds them. Then as Alexiel’s reincarnations and Nanatsusaya following her, with Nanatsusaya being the one with most of the knowledge of what binds them. Like in the fairy tale, their real selves always miss each other. But after God’s curse is lifted, there is nothing to stop them from being together. Damn, after several thousands of years od chasing, Lucifer deserves to get his girl. And Alexiel, after several thousands of years of misery, deserves some happiness with the only guy who can really match her.
Most of the pairings in manga are defined by the characters’ gender roles. Most of heroines of shoujo are those delicate, feminine, compassionate girls who are paired up with strong, brave, protective men. It gets interesting when the submissive-woman/protective-man dynamics is broken – this is why I like pairings like Roy/Riza from “Full Metal Alchemist,” Alucard/Integral from “Hellsing” or Shin/Kumiko from “Gokusen.” In “Angel Sanctuary” Lucifer, after he becomes Nanatsusaya, is defined by his love for Alexiel – and being defined by feelings for another is usually the romantic heroine’s role. Alexiel, on the other hand, has other things to do than taking care of her love life – she takes the part of the hero who goes off to fight and sacrifices his own happiness for the greater good. Yet, the traditional male/female dynamics is not entirely subverted. When you go through the manga, you notice that every time Lucifer and Alexiel meet, Lucifer is the dominant one. He’s almost always on the top, he kisses Alexiel aggressively, threatens her, surprises her all the time. And although Alexiel usually quickly recoils, the element of feminine vulnerability lingers. This is, oddly enough, what is so appealing about them. Alexiel has so much control over Lucifer that you want him to have some control over her. You keep thinking: c’mon, woman, you’ve got to be flattered by that thousands-years-old obsession he has about you! You’re not immune to that forceful personality of his! Stop being a bitch and give in, you know you want to!
Alexiel and Lucifer are both very strong characters and they certainly, unromantically, can live without each other. But, wouldn’t it be more fun for them to live together?
Fandom
I am ashamed to say that I know next to nothing about the “Angel Sanctuary” fandom; manga was perfectly enough for me. There are several general sites, but none devoted to the Alexiel/Lucifer pairing specifically. The “Angel Sanctuary” fanfiction is extremely hard to find and the most ficced pairings are Rociel/Katan, Kira/Katou and Sara/Setsuna. There can be found some Alexiel/Lucifer stories on ff.net and some vignettes in the archives of the 30_kisses livejournal group.
If any of the readers can point me to some good Alexiel/Lucifer (or Alexiel/Kira or Alexiel/Nanatsusaya) fics or fanart, I will be very grateful.
Author: Moria Polonius
Pairing: Alexiel/Lucifer
Fandom: Angel Sanctuary
Spoilers: For the entire “Angel Sanctuary” manga. And I mean, huge spoilers.
Warnings: Manga can be very offensive for religious people. It contains incest, rape, child abuse, drug use, violence, murder, blood, suicide, sadism, sexual harassment, transvestites and gender confusion, mental issues, genetic manipulation, experiments on people, scheming, manipulating and backstabbing, revenge, resurrection, reincarnation, politics, terrorism, twisted philosophies… The only thing that didn’t come up in this manga is, I believe, prostitution and out-right homosexuality (there is subtext for the latter though). Some of those issues are mentioned in the essay.
Notes: The quotations come from the Omanga translation or are based on the German translation of “Angel Sanctuary” and since I’m not as proficient with German as I would wish, they may not be consitent with the official English version. English is not my first language so this essay is not perfect. Excuse any spelling and grammar errors, any misuse of words and expressions and confusing syntax.
Angel Sanctuary: not a story for the faint of heart and weak of mind
“Angel Sanctuary” is the best-known work of a mangaka Kaori Yuki, renowned for her gorgeous artwork. It is usually classified as shoujo, although it’s a far cry from the typical representatives of the genre like “Fuushigi Yuugi”, “Penguin Brothers” or “Mars.” True, it is filled with pretty boys and centres largely on the emotional aspect of the characters’ lives. However, it can rival “Battle Royale” in terms of blood and violence and “Death Note” in terms of plot content. It is quite similar to the CLAMP’s masterpiece “X/1999” – but much more action-packed (the entire 18 volumes of X Kaori Yuki would fit in 4). Like “X”, it deals with the Apocalypse, contains the hero who is supposed to determine the future of the universe but for whom personal reasons are the motivating force, and uses ‘angels’ as one side of the conflict. Unlike “X”, “Angel Sanctuary” takes the term ‘angels’ literally and heavily employs the Judeo-Christian mythology, mixing it with Greek and Norse mythology, Buddhism and even scientology. However, Christian religion and mythology are taken great liberties with, to the point of the story being blasphemous for many people.
“Angel Sanctuary,” is basically a story about the end of the world. The destruction of Earth, death of the mankind, great battle between the forces of Heaven and Hell and so on. Setsuna, the hero, is a sixteen years old not-so-ordinary high school student. His mother hates him, his classmates bully him, his father doesn’t care and he’s in love with his own younger sister. When it seems that his life can’t suck more, strange people appear around him claiming that he is the latest reincarnation of the great angel Alexiel and the prophesied Messiah who will determine the future of the universe. However, Setsuna just doesn’t care about the end of the world, about the problems angels and demons have, hates the fact that they all only think of him as Alexiel and not his own person. It’s only when his beloved sister Sara is taken away from him that he must embark on the journey through Heaven and Hell, to save her. And the world too, while he’s at it.
Forget everything you have ever learnt in your Sunday school. You won’t see angels singing to the glory of the Lord. You won’t see fluffy clouds and harps and halos that should compose Heaven. You won’t see the Pearly Gates with Saint Peter holding the keys. You won’t see the fire and brimstone that supposedly fills Hell.
You will get a psychotically violent Archangel Michael, a debauched Archangel Uriel and a female Archangel Gabriel. You will get angels whose chief purpose is combat and who can be more cruel and insane than most of the demons. You will get the nobly patriotic demons who can love strongly and be more loyal than most of the heroes. You will get a technology-filled Heaven that is ruled by a dictator with an iron fist and an oddly free and attractive Hell. You will see a world where the lines between good and evil are completely blurred, where the affiliation to Heaven or Hell doesn’t mean anything.
Alexiel: the heroine that isn’t there
Alexiel is the driving force of the manga, everything revolves around her. However, throughout the entire story, she only appears four times – the first time is when she awakens within Setsuna to fight Rociel, the second when Setsuna, wearing Alexiel’s original body, falls into the river of Lethe. Third during the duel between Setsuna and Lucifer. The last is the moment when she regains awareness during the final confrontation with Rociel in Entemenaki. Everything else we know about her, we find out from the tales and flashbacks of other persons.
Alexiel and her brother Rociel are born as one of the God’s experimental twin couples. (Twins, bound together at birth, sharing power, is an ongoing theme in “Angel Sanctuary;” other sets of twins include Lucifer-Michael, Astaroth-Astarte and Metatron-Sandalphon). They share the power of mother and father of all angels, the six-winged Adam Kadamon – each of them has three wings. While Alexiel is given the normal, human-looking angel appearance, her twin Rociel is created as a tangle of flesh and wires. By God’s experiment, Rociel takes parts of Alexiel’s body, one by one, that she would re-grow later (or at least this is how I understood the manga) – and so he looks exactly like his sister.
Alexiel lives confined to the Garden of Eden, leaving only to perform her duties: to kill on God’s command – she is the Angel of Retribution, the War Goddess. She never sees anybody but her servants, who feed her the forbidden fruit that makes her impure, just like the blood and death make her impure. The only person who visits sometimes is her twin, Rociel, constantly seeking her approval and affection. However, Alexiel is ordered by God to never show Rociel any love – all to make Rociel believe he’s loved only by God and thus make him easier to manipulate – and Rociel always returns disappointed. In time, Rociel’s physical and mental condition starts to deteriorate and he begs Alexiel to kill him when his insanity starts to overwhelm him. (Rociel’s story is the saddest, most twisted and cruel one in the entire manga – the sheer injustice that his very existence is based upon is just unbelievable).
Alexiel rebels against God and allies herself with the demons of the Gehenna Kingdom. Wielding the most powerful weapon Heaven has ever produced, Nanatsusaya (the Seven-Bladed Sword of Souls), she starts to fight against her erstwhile brethren. She battles with her twin brother Rociel who is the ruler of Heaven and seals him away on Earth. She is captured then and brought to court where she gets convicted with one of the harshest punishments imaginable: her body and soul are separated and her soul is cursed with an endless circle of painful rebirths and violent deaths.
Character-wise, Alexiel is a bundle of contradictions. She is very powerful and can be very ruthless and merciless. She has killed many, first in a line of duty, then during her rebellion. She usually treats Nanatsusaya like a tool, even though she knows his origins. She acts cold towards Kira when they meet at the bank of Lethe, she taunts him and tries to diminish the importance of the feelings they might have for each other. On the other hand, she can be very understanding and compassionate. She is the one to support Uriel when he first gets his job as the Angel of Death, she saves little Kurai’s life and takes her under her wing. She despises the hypocrisy of angels, thinking that demons have more integrity, at least they don’t pretend morals. Most of her actions are driven by her love for Rociel – her coldness towards him as well as her attempt on his life, which she isn’t able to carry out in the end.
Lucifer/Nanatsusaya/Kira: an enigma within a secret wrapped in a mystery
Lucifer is one of the most glorious angels ever created, with four wings as a mark of his incredible power. He was born together with a twin brother Michael. At their birth there is a prophesy that one of the brothers will serve Light, while the other will serve Darkness. Lucifer’s brilliance and superiority in every field earns him universal respect and admiration which skyrocket as God bestows the position of the Great Seraphim (the ruler of Heaven) on him. Everything hints that Lucifer is the one destined for the Light, which leaves Michael as the one destined for Darkness. And yet, for all his radiant presence, Lucifer is always cool, detached, and joyless. He never shows any affection to Michael who hero-worships him, always rejecting Michael’s attempts at making ties. There is nobody Lucifer cares for, nobody close to him. Nobody nearly equal to him.
One day Lucifer is summoned to face God – and God tells Lucifer that all the brilliance, all the power, all the detachedness of Lucifer’s were planned at his creation. They are all necessary for Lucifer to become God’s adversary. In one word, God ,planned for Lucifer to become the servant of Darkness, it is Lucifer’s destiny to oppose Heaven. Why? Because God needs an adversary to show his power, to better control his creation. Lucifer, having realised that God wants to have him as nothing more than a puppet, gets angry. He storms into the Garden of Eden, wanting to defile and destroy God’s precious daughter Alexiel, the hand of God’s justice. However, confronting Alexiel makes him realise that she is a prisoner of God’s will just like him. He promises he would come back and free her and he goes away, deciding to bide his time and play along the God’s plans.
As Lucifer rebels against God, a great war starts. Many angels, not liking God’s rules for various reasons, choose to follow him. Blood is spilled, chaos ensues. Michael, by that time the leader of the army of Heaven, engages in battle with Lucifer, but is unable to win (this is a direct violation of the Christian mythology, which has Michael defeat Lucifer). Lucifer departs, taunting Michael that he would never be able to defeat him.
Lucifer, followed by one third of angelic hosts, goes to Hell. The land of Hell is barren and the air is poisonous – it cannot support any life. To make it habitable, Lucifer joins his body with the land of Hell, so that he can infuse it with his power and support life. It works and Hell starts to function. That little detail taken care of, Lucifer decides to start working on thwarting God’s plans and fulfilling his promise to Alexiel. He creates a fake body for himself which he transfers his soul into – and leaves Hell heading for Eden (this is what I understood from the manga, it’s not very clear). He manages to sneak into Eden and help Alexiel escape… but he gets captured (presumably because he was weak in his fake body, manga doesn’t say how it happened).
The chapter of Nanatsusaya begins. Lucifer’s soul is sealed within Nanatsusaya, the Seven-Bladed Sword of Souls. Nanatsusaya becomes insanely powerful, so powerful that no angel can control him, anybody who tries, goes crazy. Nanatsusaya has most of Lucifer’s power, his awareness – but not his memories. Nanatsusaya has no idea that he was Lucifer once, has no idea where his soul comes from. But he wants to know.
The only angel able to wield Nanatsusaya without going insane turns out to be Alexiel. She knows the secret of Nanatsusaya’s origin and uses it to make him co-operate. Together, they fight against the heavenly hosts. Finally the battle with Rociel comes, and as Alexiel defeats Rociel, some of Rociel’s blood is spilled and falls onto Nanatsusaya. Alexiel is captured and sentenced for a circle of reincarnations, but thanks to the life-giving properties of Rociel’s blood, Nanatsusaya is able to follow her through all the reincarnations. Nanatsusaya doesn’t get to have his own body, but he can make pacts with dying humans: they let him use their bodies and in turn he finishes their unfinished affairs. Each time Alexiel is reborn, Nanatsusaya finds a human near her and possesses him/her. Over and over again, for countless centuries.
When Alexiel is reborn as Setsuna Mudou, Nanatsusaya finds Sakuya Kira, a little boy bleeding his life out after a car accident. They make a pact, and Nanatsusaya promises to read a lot, learn and make Sakuya’s father hate him, so that it would be easier for the man when it’s time for Sakuya to die again. Sakuya Kira becomes Setsuna’s best friend – once again close to the soul of Alexiel, accompanying him through his journey to Hell and Heaven – until the memories of Lucifer are awakened and together with them Lucifer’s old personality and his goals.
Love? Hate? Obsession?
(I will often use names Kira and Nanatsusaya interchangeably: Kira is Nanatsusaya throughout all the events of the manga.)
The big question is: what does exactly Kira/Nanatsusaya/Lucifer feel for Alexiel? Judging from Lucifer’s original personality, it is questionable whether he was capable of such thing as love at all. Manga flashbacks indicate that Lucifer was all intellect and no emotion. He feels no pity, no compassion, no sadness, not even amusement or curiosity. The first true emotion he expresses is anger at the prospect of being God’s puppet. Then he immediately goes off to attack Alexiel, acting on that anger. It’s true that his confrontation with Alexiel has a tremendous impact on him, but I don’t think he jumped from anger to love at the first sight (well, he didn’t look lovey-dovey when he put his sword to her throat or even when he was leaving). He didn’t find love but he found something much more important: somebody he considered equal. He tells Alexiel that she’s just like him, a kindred spirit. He leaves with words: “Remember that you’re my woman now!” I don’t think it is love, but it’s a bond, something Lucifer has never formed with anyone.
Now, how come Lucifer can be considered a true rebel, making his own rules, when, by opposing God, he follows God’s plan? The thing is that he does it only until his second visit in Eden, the one when he helps Alexiel escape. His earlier actions all fall into the parameters of being God’s adversary, but freeing Alexiel is something he is doing for Alexiel and for himself, not for God. Out of the second meeting we are only shown Alexiel accepting Lucifer’s outstretched hand. The details of their meeting, escape and Lucifer’s capture are never given.
The next time they meet is when Alexiel finds Nanatsusaya in a cave in a block of crystal. Why is Alexiel the only one able to tame Nanatsusaya? Because she’s powerful? No. It’s not the question of power and not a question of taming. Nanatsusaya agrees to serve her. Partly because he knows that Alexiel knows the secret of his origin. However, I don’t think it’s all, there were probably others knowing the secret. Another reason is that Nanatsusaya wants to be with Alexiel, feels drawn to her, feels the connection between them. They spend years (centuries?) fighting together. They are each other’s most trusted companions. Nanatsusaya’s memories of that time include blood and death and war and piles of corpses they created together – but they also include moments of Alexiel’s weakness, the way Alexiel talked to him, the way her hair moved with a wind blow. “When we make it into the world of light, what would you wish for, Nanatsusaya?” asks Alexiel and Nanatsusaya’s internal response is: “For arms to hold you, eyes to see you, hands to touch your hair.” Is it love? I don’t know, but it isn’t just the desire to know the secret of his origins.
Then come all the centuries of Nanatsusaya’s following Alexiel in all her incarnations. Always being close, always watching over her. He can’t expect the incarnations to tell him anything about the secret of his origins so why does he always enter her life? It’s the same reason as when he agrees to serve her as a sword, just wanting to be close. When Alexiel is reincarnated as a courtesan, he takes the body of her dying lover, goes back to her and they make love. The courtesan realises that her lover is different now, and some of Alexiel’s awareness leaks out as she recognises Nanatsusaya as the one who has been with her through all her past lives. Some strange feelings awaken within Nanatsusaya – he takes them for the feelings of his host, but I think they are his own feelings crystallising into love. He fulfils the courtesan’s request and kills her, thus breaking the cursed circle of reincarnations and allowing Setsuna to be born as his own person, not bound by any destiny.
When Kira talks to Setsuna about his feelings for Alexiel after Setsuna’s return from Hades, he claims he hated Alexiel. Referring to their last life, he says that he had raped and killed the courtesan. Well, I think it’s a big fat lie on Kira’s part. I firmly believe he only said it because there was Madhatter’s spy listening in (that little fish-like thing in the wall). The courtesan certainly didn’t look as though she was being raped in those flashbacks of Kira’s. Kira might believe that he hates Alexiel, but that’s plain old denial. He just doesn’t want to acknowledge that he might love a person who was using him for years. There might some resentment for Alexiel’s withholding his secret from him, but the predominant feeling is the desire to be with her. As a sword, as another person in another life, as anything.
There are scenes where Kira stands in front of the crystal block containing Alexiel’s soulless body. He is alone, contemplating. His face may not convey much, but we can imagine that he’s in turmoil, wondering what it is that he feels for Alexiel, wanting her to open her eyes, to smile, to move, to allow him to touch her hair. When Setsuna awakens in Alexiel’s body and wants to cut his hair, Kira is frozen. He grabs Setsuna’s hand and stops him – he can see only Alexiel, Setsuna is momentarily forgotten. There is only Alexiel and him, finally having hands, and Alexiel’s hair.
Kira – the blend of Nanatsusaya and what remained of little Sakuya – is able to feel love. Kira loves his father, despite doing his best to make the man hate him. He feels affection for Katou. I think he also develops affection for Sara, Kurai and Arachne. And he definitely loves Setsuna. He confesses that Setsuna is the only one to make him distinguish between the current reincarnation and Alexiel. Even though it’s said that Setsuna is the height of evolution of Alexiel’s soul, I think it’s not Setsuna that is different from all other incarnations. Kira is different – he has become more human, more emotional (thanks to the little Sakuya) and is able to see people for who they really are. Or rather is able to care for people as they really are.
When Kira is killed and resurrected by Rociel as Lucifer, Lucifer’s suppressed memories resurface. Together with the memories comes Lucifer’s agenda: to thwart God’s plans and… to free Alexiel. Without the humanizing aspect of Sakuya Kira, it seems that Lucifer’s personality regresses to the one from before being sealed in Nanatsusaya. He’s an emotionless machine, absolutely ruthless, cold and weaving his own tangled web. He cares nothing for the people he has befriended during his life as Sakuya Kira. But… can it only be appearance?
As the story unfolds, it turns out that Sakuya’s soul hasn’t completely vanished from Lucifer. However, it had to be suppressed for Lucifer to be able to reach his goals. There was is room for the friendship with Katou or for love for Setsuna. Lucifer’s agenda is dominant – and that agenda is Alexiel. However, years spent with Alexiel as a sword, centuries of possessing humans just to be close to her, blending with Sakuya couldn’t have gone without an impact. When we see the picture of Lucifer with Alexiel in his arms after the resolution of the final battle, it’s not the same Lucifer who shouted: “Remember, you’re my woman now!” It’s the face more resembling that of Kira watching Alexiel enclosed in a crystal block. There is gentleness in his eyes, there is love. Despite all the people who comment either to the ‘new’ Lucifer or Kira: “You haven’t changed at all,” Lucifer changes. A lot. He changes into a person capable of love. At the very end of the manga we get the glimpse of Lucifer watching the spectre of little Sakuya with his father – is it the final separation of Sakuya and Lucifer or is it the reverse? The final acknowledgement that Sakuya Kira is a part of Lucifer now and that feelings for his father are a part of Lucifer now? Many people may not agree, but I like to think the latter.
Indifference? Pragmatism? Longing?
While the manga makes it perfectly clear that Alexiel’s the most important person in Lucifer’s entire existence, the reverse probably isn’t true. The most important person in Alexiel’s life is Rociel; it’s largely for his sake that she rebels against God. Her feelings for him don’t let her kill him and somehow, at the end of the manga, I got the impression that the most important thing for her is to be able to tell Rociel: “brother, I did love you.” However, unlike Rociel’s possessive and jealous love of her (with definitely incestuous undertones), Alexiel’s love is pure, she wants to ease Rociel’s torment and see him happy.
Alexiel is generally presented as an emotionally cold person. We are given only two people whom she treats with affection: Uriel and Kurai. We know that, although she never shows it before the end, she loves Rociel very much. So what about Lucifer?
Their first meeting affects both of them, although the impact on Lucifer is probably much greater. In the flashbacks, when we get to see Lucifer coming back for her, she comments that she felt compelled to accept his hand even though she had accepted her imprisonment. It seems that it is Lucifer’s influence that causes her to shake off her apathy and try to make her life her own. When Lucifer gets captured and sealed within Nanatsusaya, she immediately goes to look for him. Why? Only because of his power that would make an excellent tool for her? We are never given the reason, but we can speculate that it is the same compulsion that makes her escape with Lucifer. She might have assumed then that she was joining him in the fight against God and after he gets sealed away, she only makes that assumption true by taking Nanatsusaya as her weapon.
During her rebellion, Nanatsusaya becomes her confidant. She doesn’t treat him only as a tool – she talks to him, asks him about his opinions and future plans, even though he can’t answer. She hints that ‘when everything is over’ there is something else waiting for them, some sort of life each of them could have.
Little can be said about Alexiel’s perspective on the time of her reincarnations, because although each reincarnation had her soul, they weren’t exactly her. However, when the courtesan recognises Nanatsusaya as the one following her through all her lives, she isn’t spooked or appalled. She is glad they can finally meet. She says he is the one she was waiting for and she gladly accepts death from his hands, recognising the act as severing the God’s wheel. In her last words she expresses a wish to meet again in the future. Setsuna, when realising the same, is devastated that he would soon forget what Kira really means for him, he clearly wishes to know the bond between his and Kira’s souls. The two of them are compared to the pair of lovers from the fairy tale about the princess enchanted into a hawk: they always seek each other out but can never meet, always missing each other. Neither the courtesan nor Setsuna are Alexiel, but they both have the moments when they touch the core of their soul – and one of the things lying at the core of their soul are the feelings for Nanatsusaya.
Alexiel’s awareness takes over Setsuna for a short time when he falls into the river of Lethe in Hades. There, at the bank of Lethe, Nanatsusaya and Alexiel meet for the first time in centuries. Alexiel tries to kill him to prevent him from becoming Lucifer and rising as Setsuna’s most powerful enemy. (I believe this scene contains a huge inconsistency on Kaori Yuki’s part: Alexiel says that she must fight God to free herself and Rociel from the destiny God had made for them. She knows perfectly well that Lucifer also hates God and would do anything to bring Him down. So why does she assume that Lucifer would be Setsuna’s enemy?) Now, that looks like an argument that Alexiel doesn’t feel anything for Lucifer. Her priority here is fight against God and her duty towards Rociel. She mentions Lucifer’s love for her, but doesn’t say anything about her own feelings. But she does look sad when they talk, and kisses Nanatsusaya like she would want to be free to love him.
Then she again regains consciousness for a short time, in Entemenaki, she once again fights Lucifer and accuses him of being cold as ever and never helping the ones he loves. Here she seems bitter and disappointed, like she expected Lucifer to learn something from all those thousands of years.
After the final battle, when Setsuna and Lucifer manage to kill God, we get to see the spectre of Alexiel, standing over the battered Lucifer, saying, “You foolish man,” and throwing herself in his arms. Apparently she wasn’t as cold towards Lucifer as she acted. It looks as if she is overwhelmed with the strength of his feelings for her, and thankful that he has managed to get her free. It seemes that now that everything is finished, that this whole business with Rociel and God is done and over with, she can finally start to think of herself and her own feelings.
Why the two of them?
Let me be shallow first: they are the two most gorgeous characters I’ve ever seen in any comic book. Alexiel is beautiful: the hair, the eyes, the figure. Any woman would go green with envy. Lucifer is hot. The eyes, the smirk, the leather outfit. Shag him once and die happy. Alexiel and Lucifer look so damn good together that it would be shame for them not to come together, combine their genes of hotness and produce more eye-candy (not that that’s ever going to happen, fanfiction or not, somehow domestic bliss doesn’t seem their style).
Both Lucifer and Alexiel have other people pursuing them. Barbello has loved Lucifer ever since she was in charge of taking care of him as a child. This love is never reciprocated. Another person to love him, much more important and interesting, is Madhatter. Madhatter’s love and devotion is absolute but also twisted since it is based on the lack of reciprocation. Both Madhatter and Lucifer emerge changed from the whole war with God and – since they both head to Hell together afterwards – the thought of them getting together seems like a good idea. Alexiel, on her part, cannot fully return Rociel’s love, she also rejects the honest love of Uriel. It is Uriel, who takes Alexiel’s body to take care of after the battle of Entemenaki. Alexiel and Uriel – not such a bad combination either.
They both reject all other people who love them. Nobody touches Lucifer’s heart like Alexiel, she’s the first and the last, the one who changes him. Nobody can measure up, not Madhatter and not Barbello. There is no room in his heart for anybody else, at least not in the romantic sense. The same with Alexiel: Lucifer seems to be the first person she feels, well, attracted to. During their first meeting, we get to see the looks of fascination on Alexiel’s face. When Lucifer kisses her, her reaction of pushing him away seems somewhat delayed. When they talk by the river of Lethe, their intimacy seems natural. There is resentment, bitterness and disappointment in that scene, but also attraction, chemistry either of them don’t have with anybody else.
Like Lucifer says, they are a lot alike. They are both forced by God onto the paths that are not their choice and both are struggling to escape their destiny. They both have problem with feelings, although it seems that Alexiel’s way to fight her destiny is to acknowledge her feelings. Lucifer doesn’t even know what it is that he feels most of the time. They are both insanely powerful and determined. The trait that they have in common that is most perceptible, is that they never allow their own feelings get in the way of what they have planned. Alexiel never reveals her feeling for Rociel and she tries to kill Nanatsusaya even though I doubt she really wants to. Lucifer suppresses everything that might stop him from getting to God, he kills Katou and almost kills Setsuna and thinks it’s necessary to kill the remnants of Sakuya Kira within him.
Alexiel and Lucifer are both so much larger than life that it’s hard to picture anybody else with either of them, they are several levels above everybody else. There is nobody who could really tame that emotionally retarded bundle of power that is Lucifer but Alexiel. She’s the only one with enough power, determination and feelings to teach Lucifer about feelings. Alexiel, on the other hand, has no other match but Lucifer. There is nobody else who would really understand what it means to be a God’s puppet, who would shrug at all the things she has done to get free. And there is no one else who has done as much for her as Lucifer.
They are simply meant to be. From the moment Alexiel takes Lucifer’s hand and escapes from Eden, they are practically always together. First as Alexiel and Nanatsusaya, fighting God together, when Alexiel is the one with the knowledge of what binds them. Then as Alexiel’s reincarnations and Nanatsusaya following her, with Nanatsusaya being the one with most of the knowledge of what binds them. Like in the fairy tale, their real selves always miss each other. But after God’s curse is lifted, there is nothing to stop them from being together. Damn, after several thousands of years od chasing, Lucifer deserves to get his girl. And Alexiel, after several thousands of years of misery, deserves some happiness with the only guy who can really match her.
Most of the pairings in manga are defined by the characters’ gender roles. Most of heroines of shoujo are those delicate, feminine, compassionate girls who are paired up with strong, brave, protective men. It gets interesting when the submissive-woman/protective-man dynamics is broken – this is why I like pairings like Roy/Riza from “Full Metal Alchemist,” Alucard/Integral from “Hellsing” or Shin/Kumiko from “Gokusen.” In “Angel Sanctuary” Lucifer, after he becomes Nanatsusaya, is defined by his love for Alexiel – and being defined by feelings for another is usually the romantic heroine’s role. Alexiel, on the other hand, has other things to do than taking care of her love life – she takes the part of the hero who goes off to fight and sacrifices his own happiness for the greater good. Yet, the traditional male/female dynamics is not entirely subverted. When you go through the manga, you notice that every time Lucifer and Alexiel meet, Lucifer is the dominant one. He’s almost always on the top, he kisses Alexiel aggressively, threatens her, surprises her all the time. And although Alexiel usually quickly recoils, the element of feminine vulnerability lingers. This is, oddly enough, what is so appealing about them. Alexiel has so much control over Lucifer that you want him to have some control over her. You keep thinking: c’mon, woman, you’ve got to be flattered by that thousands-years-old obsession he has about you! You’re not immune to that forceful personality of his! Stop being a bitch and give in, you know you want to!
Alexiel and Lucifer are both very strong characters and they certainly, unromantically, can live without each other. But, wouldn’t it be more fun for them to live together?
Fandom
I am ashamed to say that I know next to nothing about the “Angel Sanctuary” fandom; manga was perfectly enough for me. There are several general sites, but none devoted to the Alexiel/Lucifer pairing specifically. The “Angel Sanctuary” fanfiction is extremely hard to find and the most ficced pairings are Rociel/Katan, Kira/Katou and Sara/Setsuna. There can be found some Alexiel/Lucifer stories on ff.net and some vignettes in the archives of the 30_kisses livejournal group.
If any of the readers can point me to some good Alexiel/Lucifer (or Alexiel/Kira or Alexiel/Nanatsusaya) fics or fanart, I will be very grateful.
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