〥application
Mun
Name: Kai
Livejournal Username: --
E-mail: --
AIM/MSN: AIM @ grin like a
Current Characters at Luceti: N/A
Character
Name: Michael
Fandom: 07-GHOST
Gender: Technically none, but possesses Teito's body, which is male.
Age: Likely older than the world itself, but in the body of a boy around 15 years of age.
Time Period: Prior to Teito's fight with Bastien
Wing Color: Ruby
History:
Once upon a time, there was a place known as Heaven, which was where both the souls of the dead and those about to be reborn passed. It was run by the Chief of Heaven, who made a deal with every soul about to be born in the world below: he would allow them to make three wishes (of the nature "I wish to die protecting someone I love," or "I wish to live a prosperous life," and such), and they would be born into the world without memory of these wishes. Then, the point of life would be to live, eventually fulfill these wishes that would lead to true happiness, and eventually die content. These souls would be collected by Verloren, and returned to the Chief of Heaven where they would be reborn and granted new wishes, based on how they lived their past life. And so went the cycle.
Now, the Chief had a daughter, whom Verloren accidentally became captivated by. The story passed around by humans goes that Verloren then killed the Chief's daughter, and her soul was lost, having been sent down to the world below. The Chief, enranged, cursed Verloren and sent him down to the world of humans to search for her soul, unable to find it himself, Chief as he may be. Verloren searched and searched, but eventually became bitter, killing humans and bringing about illness and famine to get back at the Chief.
To counter this, the Chief created the Seven Ghosts, made in Verloren's image from his body, and each carrying a unique power of his. They sealed both his body and soul away in the human world, and they all began a cycle of reincarnation. Verloren's soul forever being reincarnated as human, but without memories, and the Ghosts reincarnated in certain bloodlines, to keep watch over Verloren should he awaken again. Verloren's body was sealed away in a certain box, that became to be known to those very close to the church as Pandora's Box.
In the human world, there were two opposing powers: the Barsburg Empire, and the Raggs Kingdom. Wahrheit Tiashe Raggs, or Tiashe for short, is the young prince of the Raggs Kingdom. However, he was born of the king and a concubine, which left the queen berserk with jealousy. Though Tiashe was protected by guards and knights of the castle, there was a moment he slipped out of their view -- the one time he was lured away by the queen, disguised, who then gave in to the dark influence over her and branded Tiashe with a slave mark, while spreading the story that he had falling off a balcony and died.
But the queen immediately became fearful once the deed was done and began to fret, carelessly handing Tiashe to the pope who assured her he would take care of things if she did. The pope, corrupted by the dark influence as the queen (implied to be Verloren's doing, implying he had awakened to a certain extent at this point), began the ceremony to change Pandora's Box. By the time it was done, Tiashe was now the container of Verloren's body, and once the power of Verloren had overwhelmed the boy and devoured his soul, Verloren might be revived.
However, Tiashe was saved by his uncle at the last moment. In both Barsburg and Raggs' respective royal families, not only were there born Ghosts in the family, the Eye of Raphael and the Eye of Michael were kept. The Eyes were jewels which contain powerful archangels who have the power of gods, and aid in the sealing of Verloren: the Eye of Raphael keeps Verloren's soul dormant and his memories unawakened in his current human incarnation, and the Eye of Michael is the key to opening Pandora's Box. Tiashe's uncle, being the holder of the Eye of Michael at the time, transferred the Eye to Tiashe, because the power of Michael would be enough to keep Verloren in check and from devouring Tiashe's soul. Essentially, it was like keeping a lock and key in the same place.
Tiashe's uncle, Fia Kruez, renamed Tiashe to Teito, in order to keep him hidden. However, just as the Eye of Michael accepted its new master, war broke out. Fia was being treated as one who stole Pandora's Box, despite being the Ghost, Vertrag; and as the one who apparently murdered the Pope. This is the first time Michael himself speaks, and he does it through Teito. Teito wished to stay in the kingdom and fight, and Michael says that he wishes to fight with his master.
Despite Michael's great offensive power, Barsburg had the power of Raphael aiding them, and a powerful army of their own. After the long war, Raggs had lost. In a last-ditch effort to protect Teito, Fia erased all of Teito's memories, to prevent anyone from discovering who he really was. The army, picking up any survivors, took Teito and identified him as a slave. By chance, the chairman of the military took an interest in the boy, and took him into the military, where Teito became a combat slave; basically, a slave who killed prisoners on death row.
This is where Michael takes a very active role in Teito's life. At this point, Teito is an orphan, amnesiac, alone, and forced to kill. He was beaten for fighting back, wasn't fed well, and did nothing but train. There's no way a normal kid could deal with that.
So Michael did it all for him.
Michael, despite never directly taking over Teito's body (lest the Eye be discovered), clouded Teito's mind. Anything he didn't want to remember, anything he didn't like, anything that hurt him, even the first time he had to kill -- Michael handled that, so Teito wouldn't have to think of those things, or be afraid. If Teito was weak and afraid to die, when he was lonely -- even if Teito didn't know he was there, Michael's presence was there. Michael welcomed this responsibility, seeing himself as the sole protector for his beloved master. If his master was weak, was it not his obligation to support him?
Even long after Teito left behind the life of a combat slave to become a soldier, Michael continued to see it as his duty to watch over Teito. Of course, as Teito became more independent (to a certain extent) and began to experience friendship, Michael took a much more passive role, but he was still there.
After certain events, Teito goes from being one of the top students in his class to being wanted and on the run for attempting to kill Ayanami, the Chief of Staff and, incidentally, current incarnation of Verloren. As he flees the military, he ends up being taken in by three bishops of the Barsburg Church -- Castor, Labrador, and Frau, three of the Seven Ghosts, unbeknownst to him.
Ayanami, however, is persistent. In order to retrieve Teito, he forces Teito's only friend, Mikage, to make a choice -- capture his friend, or have his family killed and being executed as an accomplice. He sends Mikage on his way, but not without a little more leverage; Ayanami takes half of Mikage's soul, which essentially gives Ayanami the ability to possess and control Mikage, should he betray.
But Mikage doesn't betray Teito, and he doesn't want his family to die. Even when he finds Teito, he isn't able to make that decision; so, Ayanami makes it for him via possession. He catches Teito by surprise and puts a slave collar on him, to ensure he doesn't fight back.
This is when Teito realizes how powerless he is, and, desperate to save his friend, he frantically calls for help -- any help -- that would make him able to do something. This reawakens Michael, who possesses Teito's body again for the first time in many years. Michael is, understandably, enraged, especially since the slave collar was acting as a restraint for his powers. But before he can eradicate Ayanami (and Mikage, by extension), Frau in his Ghost form appears; a shock that snaps Teito back to reality, and puts Michael in the back seat.
Unfortunately, Mikage's death was inevitable. And though Teito was consoled by the fact that his friend was reincarnated as a creature who could stay close to him (a baby dragon), he still wished for revenge on the military. However, just as he was going to leave, he mentions to Castor that he has met one of the Ghosts before (Frau, during the confrontation with Ayanami), and suspects Castor to be one as well. Castor shuts off Teito's consciousness then, intending to wipe his memory, before Frau steps in. The Seven Ghosts' true form are to be a secret, but Frau didn't erase Teito's memory of the incident because he would have forgotten what Mikage had done and said for Teito in his last few moments of life. But before a real decision can be made, Verloren's Scythe (in the possession of Frau) went out of control, and went after Teito's unconscious body.
Having been called upon not too long ago, Michael took the initiative, blocking the scythe and sending it back to where it was being held. He is very noticeably annoyed by the fact that someone had dared set a weapon on his master, and notes that he would kill both Frau and Castor without even blinking an eye, but his master doesn't wish it so.
Castor tentatively prods Michael, checking whether or not they were dealing with the real thing. Michael quickly goes on to say how much he adores his master, and how splendid and beautiful a vessel he is -- but quickly changes his tune when Castor implies that he thinks this Michael might be a fake (as there have been plenty of fake stones in the past). At the drop of a hat, Michael creates such an incredibly powerful illusion that strips both Frau of Castor of their skin, their Ghost forms, and everything around them for even daring to question his legitimacy -- it suddenly stops, however, as Michael is amused that these two are apparently part of the Seven Ghosts. He's the exact opposite of apologetic, and goes as far as to say that most people would have died from seeing such a thing, or at least pass out.
Then, as if they should be more than obliged to listen to what he says (which they technically are, him being much higher on the pecking order, more powerful, and the ghosts being able to reincarnate), he demands that they take the slave collar off, since it further restrains his powers. Castor, seeing his chance to get things momentarily under control, tells Frau (the current master of the slave collar due to an accident) to tell the collar to force Michael into a slumber, which he does.
Now the bishops are aware of Teito's secret; a secret even Teito isn't fully aware of. Since the Eye of Michael is no laughing matter, they decide that they need to keep Teito in the church, lest the military or another misguided power get their hands on him. In order to do that, they convince Teito to take the Bishop Exam happening in two weeks. After all, if Teito wanted to have revenge, he needed to have a means of getting there -- and a bishop had free access to all places in the Empire, and was never searched at military check points. A convenient deal, for someone who probably wouldn't be able to take two steps outside of the Church without being caught.
But as for Michael, he knows little after what occurs after Teito meets his roommate, Hakuren, since he's being taken before that point.
Personality:
Whenever Michael shows up, there always tends to be one person unhappy. And who wouldn't be? Michael has the ego of a god and the power to back it up. If he wants something, he'll order the closest person to do it for him, expecting them to fulfill his request graciously because he is, after all, a higher, heavenly being. He doesn't particularly care if his request inconveniences anyone else, either. He's fickle and demanding, and will never be persuaded to change his mind or slow down, unless he's convinced it will hurt his master somehow.
Otherwise, if he has to smite a few people to get a snack or drink around here, why not? They're just humans, after all. Michael, seeing himself as a higher being, has no sympathy for humans or any other creature, since they're all below him in his eyes. The pain and suffering of others doesn't effect him, nor does he care to appease them. So, for even the most trivial of offenses, such as displeasing him in even the slightest matter, he wouldn't think twice about killing you. And the worse the offense, the worse he can make their death. People who don't know their place and don't understand his might deserve it, after all. Even those one would assume to be faithful to the religion he originates from, such as Castor and Frau, are no exception. Michael's priorities, whatever they may be, always come first.
And unfortunately for everyone else, those priorities tend to include two things: his own interests, and the well-being of his current master. His own interests are entirely selfish, as mentioned above. He will constantly impose on other people and do whatever he wants, just because he can and will get away with it. Dolls? Food? Entertainment? He knows he'll get it. Those who don't indulge him feel his wrath, and those who do only feed his ego and fuel his bad behavior. Michael could be aware that his behavior is childish and annoying, but he doesn't care. Why should he conform to human beliefs and standards, when he clearly isn't one? He doesn't believe himself to have any reason to make life easier for anyone else.
He doesn't go around killing people left and right (he'll run out of people to bother and order around, at that rate), but he makes it very clear that he wouldn't hesitate to do so. Whether people listen to him because they respect him or because they fear him, he doesn't particularly care as long as they do as he says and don't say anything that would displease him. After all, he is probably aware, to a certain extent, that neither Castor nor Labrador are honestly gung-ho about catering to his every whim, but the fact that they do do as he says and act gracious is the important part. For all his haughty behavior and demands, Michael is generally very easy to please.
But still, he is somewhat childish. His moods can change at the drop of a hat, and it rarely needs to be anything significant to trigger it. This might be fine if one is trying to appease him, but can be more than a little troublesome if you send him into a rage. Mind, Michael rarely gets truly angry -- you have to commit a major offense against him or his master for that -- but even his peeved mood is a handful. There's the whole aforementioned violence, as well as an increase in demands. And really, it's better not to have a guy who wouldn't mind hurting you (comedically or otherwise) constantly riding you about wanting this or doing that.
And sometimes, however, Michael gets on the nerves of others on purpose. He knows he can make life harder for everyone and get away with it, so why not abuse that privilege? But more often than not, it's something he can't really help. From regular conversations to the few people he ought to be grateful to, Michael can't help but slip in an antagonistic or passive aggressive remark, because belligerence is just part of his nature. And because he's so prideful, it makes it much more difficult for him to admit his wrongdoings, or even realize them. Even when asking for help with protecting his beloved master, Michael is only able to phrase it as an order. He's not desperate; the turn of events has simply required that things must be done this way. It doesn't reflect on him being incapable or anything, and he won't hear of it.
With that pride comes with a mild competitive streak, if only because he would see it as cowardly not to accept anything he sees as a challenge. Not just any challenge, however; he knows he's much better than pretty much everyone else. But if he sees something worthwhile? There's a chance he'll take it, to sate both his pride and for some entertainment. Saying he's fairly confident in himself is probably the biggest understatement of the century.
Michael's other priority is, naturally, his master; Teito, in this case. It hasn't actually been confirmed that Michael is so deeply invested in all his masters as he is Teito (though he's not likely to have had too many), but from the way he acts, when he does get attached to a master, he lavishes them with love and affection. Or, Michael's version of those things, at least.
Currently, Michael's top priority is to ensure Teito's survival. Happiness is only second because, if his master were killed, there's no way he could be happy with that. Teito's survival comes at any cost, and often that cost is killing whatever the source of the problem is. If Teito can't handle something or his life is in danger? Michael won't hesitate to take control, provided he's able to. Even when the danger is more on the emotional side, Michael is unforgiving. Anyone or anything that hurts him deserves to die in the worst way possible.
Unfortunately, death is one of the only ways Michael knows how to protect his master. Like mentioned before, he doesn't completely understand human emotions and relations, and even has trouble comprehending Teito's somewhat sacrificial attitude, such as the incident with Bastien.
Should Teito not require death or violence as a means of protection, Michael is at a bit of a loss -- since, for Teito's entire life, Michael alone has been protecting him, and it's been through his own power. But he knows more about Teito than even Teito may know (or remember) about himself, and insists that his way is right. He'll honestly do anything for him, as long as it won't interfere with his well-being. Michael loved Teito when Teito didn't know how to love himself, and was there with him when he was lonely. When Teito couldn't handle the darkness inside him, Michael also shouldered that, so that the strain wouldn't crush him. He thinks Teito is beautiful, inside and out, and wants to preserve that; and in a sense, that's a little selfish of him, too, since he wants to be the only one who can support and protect Teito. In a sense, he also contributed to hindering Teito's growth as a person; if Michael had carried on the way he did, he would have encouraged Teito's unconscious dependency on him, if only to remain the only one who would and could protect him.
Despite that, Michael did make a decision that could arguably be very selfless; when the wars were infecting the Eye, he knew that they would eventually hurt Teito, too. Instead of believing that he would be able to withstand it and protect Teito at the same time, he decided that it would be for the best to leave him then. He still was eager to protect him, but he also believed in his master's ability to stand on his own two legs. Albeit slowly and somewhat stubbornly (he had to be pushed to that extreme before leaving Teito, after all), Michael is able to acknowledge Teito's growth, and that he may not always be needed to protect him. Not that that will stop him from doting on him and trying.
Strengths:
- Incredibly powerful, even with a slave collar on and in a human host (he was still able to take on a warsfeil and create an illusion powerful enough to kill someone; implied to still be powerful enough to be a threat to the Ghosts)
- Is very flexible and agile, by the virtue of having Teito's body
- Stubborn, refuses to lose or give in (when fighting Bastien, he struggled with Teito over killing Bastien, despite Teito telling him not to)
- Incredibly faithful to his master, would do whatever it takes to ensure his health and happiness (see: entire relationship with Teito, proven throughout his various interactions with him/regarding him)
Weaknesses:
- Doesn't understand human relationships and emotions, not even when they are directly relevant to his beloved master (such as in the fight with Bastien; didn't understand why Teito would let someone live when they were hurting him both emotionally and physically)
- Fickle and belligerant; intentionally antagonizes people (such as Frau and Hakuren, when he pops up in their rooms in the omake/drama CDs and starts making demands)
- Can be faithful to a fault, where his desire to protect Teito can end up hurting and hindering him instead (Teito's "darkness" that he had to face was a mixture of Michael and his own insecurities)
- Because of his irritating attitude, he doesn't really get along with people, and instead relies on the fact that they'll obey him instead of argue with him (how he treats Castor/Labrador/Frau); not likely to be socially adept
- Has a tendency to smite people for displeasing him in even the slightest way (was about to do so with Castor and Frau when they first met; constantly does so to Frau in the omake)
- Though he may be knowledgeable in heavenly matters (coming from heaven, knowing Heaven's Tongue), his interest for for human affairs is nil (had no interest in the Raggs War until Teito expressed interest in joining, doesn't care if he is infringing on Frau/Castor/Labrador/Hakuren's personal time with his orders)
Samples
First Person: Q&A, please!
Third Person:
There were a good number of things Michael was dissatisfied with in the world. It wasn't that the world was bad, really, it was simply that it often did not meet his expectations. And it wasn't that it was the world or the humans in it that he was dissatisfied with, since they had all been created with nothing short of flaws, and even an archangel such as himself would tire of such constant and miniscule annoyances after a time. And Michael, a heavenly being of great power and a beautiful master, had found it in his heart to be patient with such beings, even Zehel, who had more defiance in him than any creature really ought, and whose injury was vital to the betterment of his being. According to Michael, of course; and Michael was never mistaken.
So Michael considered it to be of note when he found himself not only dissatisfied, but annoyed and also somewhat offended. Scratch that, saying he thought it was "of note" could compete for being an even bigger offense than his current situation. There were times where he would fade from Teito's consciousness when his master chose to take control, but never had he woken up to a location so unfamiliar.
The land, the trees, the grass; none of it was familiar to his eyes. It was no district he had seen, and though he did not typically care for the countries outside of the ones his current master presided in, there was a feeling of such unfamiliarity that he didn't find it likely that they were in any of those other countries. His senses, of course, were never his own, so there was the likelihood that perhaps the grass he clutched beneath his hands as he sat up was more familiar than he thought, and that there had been a forest like this, perhaps, but he had seen it through different eyes. But he was confident in his assumption, and wouldn't allow it to be questioned.
Which begged the question, where was this exactly? He had scanned the area with his eyes first as he felt the numbness of his master's body reside; the numbness he didn't mind for now, at least, for it was a constant reminder of how badly he needed to kill who humiliated his master so. He stood up, considering these thoughts of how to go about finding whoever had done this and when, and how badly he needed to kill them, for not only the offense of kidnapping his master to a foreign land he, as Teito's protector, could not identify, but especially for bringing his master into such a state of undress. While Michael would easily be the first to admit that his master had been gifted both on the inside and outside, this beauty wasn't simply for the eyes of anyone, and anyone who should dare lay a hand on his master--
Well, that was definitely, definitely a priority. Such insolence could not be forgiven, and he would personally take to dealing with that. But this did involve finding the one to blame, which was somewhat hindered by how unusually slow he was coming into touch with his master's senses. It had never taken this long before; after all, it wasn't as if he were getting used to an entirely new body or anything. Oh, if his master's kidnappers had even dared think to slip anything to his master prior; a drug, a drink, he would-- His temper was boiling up again, and he had nothing to vent his frustrations on. He would even take Zehel, annoyance and all, to be surrounded by absolutely nothing but annoyances and obstacles he could do nothing about. Agitated, he stretched and flexed Teito's thin body, hoping to find the flow between each limb that was always present in this body, his wings stretching far back--
--Wings?
He jerked his head around, finding familiar yet unfamiliar shapes on his back. Michael had wings of his own, but they were nothing like this; nothing so... small and weak, nothing so red, like the jewel he originated from. He flexed them once again, confirming that they were, in fact his -- or, at least, attached to this body. This body which, now that the numbness was gone, was suddenly very unfamiliar.
Sure, there had been plenty of times when he had been forcibly taken from his master before, but never so easily, and never like this, which was beyond anything he could have expected to happen. This body, though insultingly identical to his master's, was just a replica, marred by the wings on its back (of a preferably color, but it hardly made the situation any better). It was so much weaker, and he felt his powers being restricted again, much like the slave collar had done back at the church. His master's consciousness, he had found after a bit of searching, was also nowhere to be found.
Oh, yes. Even Heaven's fullest divine punishment would not be enough for his captors.
Name: Kai
Livejournal Username: --
E-mail: --
AIM/MSN: AIM @ grin like a
Current Characters at Luceti: N/A
Character
Name: Michael
Fandom: 07-GHOST
Gender: Technically none, but possesses Teito's body, which is male.
Age: Likely older than the world itself, but in the body of a boy around 15 years of age.
Time Period: Prior to Teito's fight with Bastien
Wing Color: Ruby
History:
Once upon a time, there was a place known as Heaven, which was where both the souls of the dead and those about to be reborn passed. It was run by the Chief of Heaven, who made a deal with every soul about to be born in the world below: he would allow them to make three wishes (of the nature "I wish to die protecting someone I love," or "I wish to live a prosperous life," and such), and they would be born into the world without memory of these wishes. Then, the point of life would be to live, eventually fulfill these wishes that would lead to true happiness, and eventually die content. These souls would be collected by Verloren, and returned to the Chief of Heaven where they would be reborn and granted new wishes, based on how they lived their past life. And so went the cycle.
Now, the Chief had a daughter, whom Verloren accidentally became captivated by. The story passed around by humans goes that Verloren then killed the Chief's daughter, and her soul was lost, having been sent down to the world below. The Chief, enranged, cursed Verloren and sent him down to the world of humans to search for her soul, unable to find it himself, Chief as he may be. Verloren searched and searched, but eventually became bitter, killing humans and bringing about illness and famine to get back at the Chief.
To counter this, the Chief created the Seven Ghosts, made in Verloren's image from his body, and each carrying a unique power of his. They sealed both his body and soul away in the human world, and they all began a cycle of reincarnation. Verloren's soul forever being reincarnated as human, but without memories, and the Ghosts reincarnated in certain bloodlines, to keep watch over Verloren should he awaken again. Verloren's body was sealed away in a certain box, that became to be known to those very close to the church as Pandora's Box.
In the human world, there were two opposing powers: the Barsburg Empire, and the Raggs Kingdom. Wahrheit Tiashe Raggs, or Tiashe for short, is the young prince of the Raggs Kingdom. However, he was born of the king and a concubine, which left the queen berserk with jealousy. Though Tiashe was protected by guards and knights of the castle, there was a moment he slipped out of their view -- the one time he was lured away by the queen, disguised, who then gave in to the dark influence over her and branded Tiashe with a slave mark, while spreading the story that he had falling off a balcony and died.
But the queen immediately became fearful once the deed was done and began to fret, carelessly handing Tiashe to the pope who assured her he would take care of things if she did. The pope, corrupted by the dark influence as the queen (implied to be Verloren's doing, implying he had awakened to a certain extent at this point), began the ceremony to change Pandora's Box. By the time it was done, Tiashe was now the container of Verloren's body, and once the power of Verloren had overwhelmed the boy and devoured his soul, Verloren might be revived.
However, Tiashe was saved by his uncle at the last moment. In both Barsburg and Raggs' respective royal families, not only were there born Ghosts in the family, the Eye of Raphael and the Eye of Michael were kept. The Eyes were jewels which contain powerful archangels who have the power of gods, and aid in the sealing of Verloren: the Eye of Raphael keeps Verloren's soul dormant and his memories unawakened in his current human incarnation, and the Eye of Michael is the key to opening Pandora's Box. Tiashe's uncle, being the holder of the Eye of Michael at the time, transferred the Eye to Tiashe, because the power of Michael would be enough to keep Verloren in check and from devouring Tiashe's soul. Essentially, it was like keeping a lock and key in the same place.
Tiashe's uncle, Fia Kruez, renamed Tiashe to Teito, in order to keep him hidden. However, just as the Eye of Michael accepted its new master, war broke out. Fia was being treated as one who stole Pandora's Box, despite being the Ghost, Vertrag; and as the one who apparently murdered the Pope. This is the first time Michael himself speaks, and he does it through Teito. Teito wished to stay in the kingdom and fight, and Michael says that he wishes to fight with his master.
Despite Michael's great offensive power, Barsburg had the power of Raphael aiding them, and a powerful army of their own. After the long war, Raggs had lost. In a last-ditch effort to protect Teito, Fia erased all of Teito's memories, to prevent anyone from discovering who he really was. The army, picking up any survivors, took Teito and identified him as a slave. By chance, the chairman of the military took an interest in the boy, and took him into the military, where Teito became a combat slave; basically, a slave who killed prisoners on death row.
This is where Michael takes a very active role in Teito's life. At this point, Teito is an orphan, amnesiac, alone, and forced to kill. He was beaten for fighting back, wasn't fed well, and did nothing but train. There's no way a normal kid could deal with that.
So Michael did it all for him.
Michael, despite never directly taking over Teito's body (lest the Eye be discovered), clouded Teito's mind. Anything he didn't want to remember, anything he didn't like, anything that hurt him, even the first time he had to kill -- Michael handled that, so Teito wouldn't have to think of those things, or be afraid. If Teito was weak and afraid to die, when he was lonely -- even if Teito didn't know he was there, Michael's presence was there. Michael welcomed this responsibility, seeing himself as the sole protector for his beloved master. If his master was weak, was it not his obligation to support him?
Even long after Teito left behind the life of a combat slave to become a soldier, Michael continued to see it as his duty to watch over Teito. Of course, as Teito became more independent (to a certain extent) and began to experience friendship, Michael took a much more passive role, but he was still there.
After certain events, Teito goes from being one of the top students in his class to being wanted and on the run for attempting to kill Ayanami, the Chief of Staff and, incidentally, current incarnation of Verloren. As he flees the military, he ends up being taken in by three bishops of the Barsburg Church -- Castor, Labrador, and Frau, three of the Seven Ghosts, unbeknownst to him.
Ayanami, however, is persistent. In order to retrieve Teito, he forces Teito's only friend, Mikage, to make a choice -- capture his friend, or have his family killed and being executed as an accomplice. He sends Mikage on his way, but not without a little more leverage; Ayanami takes half of Mikage's soul, which essentially gives Ayanami the ability to possess and control Mikage, should he betray.
But Mikage doesn't betray Teito, and he doesn't want his family to die. Even when he finds Teito, he isn't able to make that decision; so, Ayanami makes it for him via possession. He catches Teito by surprise and puts a slave collar on him, to ensure he doesn't fight back.
This is when Teito realizes how powerless he is, and, desperate to save his friend, he frantically calls for help -- any help -- that would make him able to do something. This reawakens Michael, who possesses Teito's body again for the first time in many years. Michael is, understandably, enraged, especially since the slave collar was acting as a restraint for his powers. But before he can eradicate Ayanami (and Mikage, by extension), Frau in his Ghost form appears; a shock that snaps Teito back to reality, and puts Michael in the back seat.
Unfortunately, Mikage's death was inevitable. And though Teito was consoled by the fact that his friend was reincarnated as a creature who could stay close to him (a baby dragon), he still wished for revenge on the military. However, just as he was going to leave, he mentions to Castor that he has met one of the Ghosts before (Frau, during the confrontation with Ayanami), and suspects Castor to be one as well. Castor shuts off Teito's consciousness then, intending to wipe his memory, before Frau steps in. The Seven Ghosts' true form are to be a secret, but Frau didn't erase Teito's memory of the incident because he would have forgotten what Mikage had done and said for Teito in his last few moments of life. But before a real decision can be made, Verloren's Scythe (in the possession of Frau) went out of control, and went after Teito's unconscious body.
Having been called upon not too long ago, Michael took the initiative, blocking the scythe and sending it back to where it was being held. He is very noticeably annoyed by the fact that someone had dared set a weapon on his master, and notes that he would kill both Frau and Castor without even blinking an eye, but his master doesn't wish it so.
Castor tentatively prods Michael, checking whether or not they were dealing with the real thing. Michael quickly goes on to say how much he adores his master, and how splendid and beautiful a vessel he is -- but quickly changes his tune when Castor implies that he thinks this Michael might be a fake (as there have been plenty of fake stones in the past). At the drop of a hat, Michael creates such an incredibly powerful illusion that strips both Frau of Castor of their skin, their Ghost forms, and everything around them for even daring to question his legitimacy -- it suddenly stops, however, as Michael is amused that these two are apparently part of the Seven Ghosts. He's the exact opposite of apologetic, and goes as far as to say that most people would have died from seeing such a thing, or at least pass out.
Then, as if they should be more than obliged to listen to what he says (which they technically are, him being much higher on the pecking order, more powerful, and the ghosts being able to reincarnate), he demands that they take the slave collar off, since it further restrains his powers. Castor, seeing his chance to get things momentarily under control, tells Frau (the current master of the slave collar due to an accident) to tell the collar to force Michael into a slumber, which he does.
Now the bishops are aware of Teito's secret; a secret even Teito isn't fully aware of. Since the Eye of Michael is no laughing matter, they decide that they need to keep Teito in the church, lest the military or another misguided power get their hands on him. In order to do that, they convince Teito to take the Bishop Exam happening in two weeks. After all, if Teito wanted to have revenge, he needed to have a means of getting there -- and a bishop had free access to all places in the Empire, and was never searched at military check points. A convenient deal, for someone who probably wouldn't be able to take two steps outside of the Church without being caught.
But as for Michael, he knows little after what occurs after Teito meets his roommate, Hakuren, since he's being taken before that point.
Personality:
Whenever Michael shows up, there always tends to be one person unhappy. And who wouldn't be? Michael has the ego of a god and the power to back it up. If he wants something, he'll order the closest person to do it for him, expecting them to fulfill his request graciously because he is, after all, a higher, heavenly being. He doesn't particularly care if his request inconveniences anyone else, either. He's fickle and demanding, and will never be persuaded to change his mind or slow down, unless he's convinced it will hurt his master somehow.
Otherwise, if he has to smite a few people to get a snack or drink around here, why not? They're just humans, after all. Michael, seeing himself as a higher being, has no sympathy for humans or any other creature, since they're all below him in his eyes. The pain and suffering of others doesn't effect him, nor does he care to appease them. So, for even the most trivial of offenses, such as displeasing him in even the slightest matter, he wouldn't think twice about killing you. And the worse the offense, the worse he can make their death. People who don't know their place and don't understand his might deserve it, after all. Even those one would assume to be faithful to the religion he originates from, such as Castor and Frau, are no exception. Michael's priorities, whatever they may be, always come first.
And unfortunately for everyone else, those priorities tend to include two things: his own interests, and the well-being of his current master. His own interests are entirely selfish, as mentioned above. He will constantly impose on other people and do whatever he wants, just because he can and will get away with it. Dolls? Food? Entertainment? He knows he'll get it. Those who don't indulge him feel his wrath, and those who do only feed his ego and fuel his bad behavior. Michael could be aware that his behavior is childish and annoying, but he doesn't care. Why should he conform to human beliefs and standards, when he clearly isn't one? He doesn't believe himself to have any reason to make life easier for anyone else.
He doesn't go around killing people left and right (he'll run out of people to bother and order around, at that rate), but he makes it very clear that he wouldn't hesitate to do so. Whether people listen to him because they respect him or because they fear him, he doesn't particularly care as long as they do as he says and don't say anything that would displease him. After all, he is probably aware, to a certain extent, that neither Castor nor Labrador are honestly gung-ho about catering to his every whim, but the fact that they do do as he says and act gracious is the important part. For all his haughty behavior and demands, Michael is generally very easy to please.
But still, he is somewhat childish. His moods can change at the drop of a hat, and it rarely needs to be anything significant to trigger it. This might be fine if one is trying to appease him, but can be more than a little troublesome if you send him into a rage. Mind, Michael rarely gets truly angry -- you have to commit a major offense against him or his master for that -- but even his peeved mood is a handful. There's the whole aforementioned violence, as well as an increase in demands. And really, it's better not to have a guy who wouldn't mind hurting you (comedically or otherwise) constantly riding you about wanting this or doing that.
And sometimes, however, Michael gets on the nerves of others on purpose. He knows he can make life harder for everyone and get away with it, so why not abuse that privilege? But more often than not, it's something he can't really help. From regular conversations to the few people he ought to be grateful to, Michael can't help but slip in an antagonistic or passive aggressive remark, because belligerence is just part of his nature. And because he's so prideful, it makes it much more difficult for him to admit his wrongdoings, or even realize them. Even when asking for help with protecting his beloved master, Michael is only able to phrase it as an order. He's not desperate; the turn of events has simply required that things must be done this way. It doesn't reflect on him being incapable or anything, and he won't hear of it.
With that pride comes with a mild competitive streak, if only because he would see it as cowardly not to accept anything he sees as a challenge. Not just any challenge, however; he knows he's much better than pretty much everyone else. But if he sees something worthwhile? There's a chance he'll take it, to sate both his pride and for some entertainment. Saying he's fairly confident in himself is probably the biggest understatement of the century.
Michael's other priority is, naturally, his master; Teito, in this case. It hasn't actually been confirmed that Michael is so deeply invested in all his masters as he is Teito (though he's not likely to have had too many), but from the way he acts, when he does get attached to a master, he lavishes them with love and affection. Or, Michael's version of those things, at least.
Currently, Michael's top priority is to ensure Teito's survival. Happiness is only second because, if his master were killed, there's no way he could be happy with that. Teito's survival comes at any cost, and often that cost is killing whatever the source of the problem is. If Teito can't handle something or his life is in danger? Michael won't hesitate to take control, provided he's able to. Even when the danger is more on the emotional side, Michael is unforgiving. Anyone or anything that hurts him deserves to die in the worst way possible.
Unfortunately, death is one of the only ways Michael knows how to protect his master. Like mentioned before, he doesn't completely understand human emotions and relations, and even has trouble comprehending Teito's somewhat sacrificial attitude, such as the incident with Bastien.
Should Teito not require death or violence as a means of protection, Michael is at a bit of a loss -- since, for Teito's entire life, Michael alone has been protecting him, and it's been through his own power. But he knows more about Teito than even Teito may know (or remember) about himself, and insists that his way is right. He'll honestly do anything for him, as long as it won't interfere with his well-being. Michael loved Teito when Teito didn't know how to love himself, and was there with him when he was lonely. When Teito couldn't handle the darkness inside him, Michael also shouldered that, so that the strain wouldn't crush him. He thinks Teito is beautiful, inside and out, and wants to preserve that; and in a sense, that's a little selfish of him, too, since he wants to be the only one who can support and protect Teito. In a sense, he also contributed to hindering Teito's growth as a person; if Michael had carried on the way he did, he would have encouraged Teito's unconscious dependency on him, if only to remain the only one who would and could protect him.
Despite that, Michael did make a decision that could arguably be very selfless; when the wars were infecting the Eye, he knew that they would eventually hurt Teito, too. Instead of believing that he would be able to withstand it and protect Teito at the same time, he decided that it would be for the best to leave him then. He still was eager to protect him, but he also believed in his master's ability to stand on his own two legs. Albeit slowly and somewhat stubbornly (he had to be pushed to that extreme before leaving Teito, after all), Michael is able to acknowledge Teito's growth, and that he may not always be needed to protect him. Not that that will stop him from doting on him and trying.
Strengths:
- Incredibly powerful, even with a slave collar on and in a human host (he was still able to take on a warsfeil and create an illusion powerful enough to kill someone; implied to still be powerful enough to be a threat to the Ghosts)
- Is very flexible and agile, by the virtue of having Teito's body
- Stubborn, refuses to lose or give in (when fighting Bastien, he struggled with Teito over killing Bastien, despite Teito telling him not to)
- Incredibly faithful to his master, would do whatever it takes to ensure his health and happiness (see: entire relationship with Teito, proven throughout his various interactions with him/regarding him)
Weaknesses:
- Doesn't understand human relationships and emotions, not even when they are directly relevant to his beloved master (such as in the fight with Bastien; didn't understand why Teito would let someone live when they were hurting him both emotionally and physically)
- Fickle and belligerant; intentionally antagonizes people (such as Frau and Hakuren, when he pops up in their rooms in the omake/drama CDs and starts making demands)
- Can be faithful to a fault, where his desire to protect Teito can end up hurting and hindering him instead (Teito's "darkness" that he had to face was a mixture of Michael and his own insecurities)
- Because of his irritating attitude, he doesn't really get along with people, and instead relies on the fact that they'll obey him instead of argue with him (how he treats Castor/Labrador/Frau); not likely to be socially adept
- Has a tendency to smite people for displeasing him in even the slightest way (was about to do so with Castor and Frau when they first met; constantly does so to Frau in the omake)
- Though he may be knowledgeable in heavenly matters (coming from heaven, knowing Heaven's Tongue), his interest for for human affairs is nil (had no interest in the Raggs War until Teito expressed interest in joining, doesn't care if he is infringing on Frau/Castor/Labrador/Hakuren's personal time with his orders)
Samples
First Person: Q&A, please!
Third Person:
There were a good number of things Michael was dissatisfied with in the world. It wasn't that the world was bad, really, it was simply that it often did not meet his expectations. And it wasn't that it was the world or the humans in it that he was dissatisfied with, since they had all been created with nothing short of flaws, and even an archangel such as himself would tire of such constant and miniscule annoyances after a time. And Michael, a heavenly being of great power and a beautiful master, had found it in his heart to be patient with such beings, even Zehel, who had more defiance in him than any creature really ought, and whose injury was vital to the betterment of his being. According to Michael, of course; and Michael was never mistaken.
So Michael considered it to be of note when he found himself not only dissatisfied, but annoyed and also somewhat offended. Scratch that, saying he thought it was "of note" could compete for being an even bigger offense than his current situation. There were times where he would fade from Teito's consciousness when his master chose to take control, but never had he woken up to a location so unfamiliar.
The land, the trees, the grass; none of it was familiar to his eyes. It was no district he had seen, and though he did not typically care for the countries outside of the ones his current master presided in, there was a feeling of such unfamiliarity that he didn't find it likely that they were in any of those other countries. His senses, of course, were never his own, so there was the likelihood that perhaps the grass he clutched beneath his hands as he sat up was more familiar than he thought, and that there had been a forest like this, perhaps, but he had seen it through different eyes. But he was confident in his assumption, and wouldn't allow it to be questioned.
Which begged the question, where was this exactly? He had scanned the area with his eyes first as he felt the numbness of his master's body reside; the numbness he didn't mind for now, at least, for it was a constant reminder of how badly he needed to kill who humiliated his master so. He stood up, considering these thoughts of how to go about finding whoever had done this and when, and how badly he needed to kill them, for not only the offense of kidnapping his master to a foreign land he, as Teito's protector, could not identify, but especially for bringing his master into such a state of undress. While Michael would easily be the first to admit that his master had been gifted both on the inside and outside, this beauty wasn't simply for the eyes of anyone, and anyone who should dare lay a hand on his master--
Well, that was definitely, definitely a priority. Such insolence could not be forgiven, and he would personally take to dealing with that. But this did involve finding the one to blame, which was somewhat hindered by how unusually slow he was coming into touch with his master's senses. It had never taken this long before; after all, it wasn't as if he were getting used to an entirely new body or anything. Oh, if his master's kidnappers had even dared think to slip anything to his master prior; a drug, a drink, he would-- His temper was boiling up again, and he had nothing to vent his frustrations on. He would even take Zehel, annoyance and all, to be surrounded by absolutely nothing but annoyances and obstacles he could do nothing about. Agitated, he stretched and flexed Teito's thin body, hoping to find the flow between each limb that was always present in this body, his wings stretching far back--
--Wings?
He jerked his head around, finding familiar yet unfamiliar shapes on his back. Michael had wings of his own, but they were nothing like this; nothing so... small and weak, nothing so red, like the jewel he originated from. He flexed them once again, confirming that they were, in fact his -- or, at least, attached to this body. This body which, now that the numbness was gone, was suddenly very unfamiliar.
Sure, there had been plenty of times when he had been forcibly taken from his master before, but never so easily, and never like this, which was beyond anything he could have expected to happen. This body, though insultingly identical to his master's, was just a replica, marred by the wings on its back (of a preferably color, but it hardly made the situation any better). It was so much weaker, and he felt his powers being restricted again, much like the slave collar had done back at the church. His master's consciousness, he had found after a bit of searching, was also nowhere to be found.
Oh, yes. Even Heaven's fullest divine punishment would not be enough for his captors.