In February 2004, Mikael was called off on one of his modelling jobs. Modelling had always been a part-time job for him, and it had helped pay a lot of their bills. This job meant he had to leave home for some time, but he could not deny that they needed the money it would bring. Zafkiel sent him off with a brave faced smile, but as the time passed by, without phone call or even letter from Mikael, he started to get worried, and lonely.
In March, there was distraction -- in the form of Raziel's birthday. Apparently, at some point when Gavrael was drunk, Raziel made him promise that they would do anything Raziel wanted for his birthday. Unfortunately for Gavrael, this involved him more than he wanted, and both Raziel and he himself ended up with entirely new hairstyles. However, somehow the experience brought the two of them closer together, and reminded Gavrael once again just how devoted Raziel was to him. And somehow, this devotion seemed to give him confidence.

In April 2004, Mikael returned from his modelling job at last, and Zafkiel and Mikael had their first real fight. Mikael picked on Zafkiel the moment he returned, and Zafkiel stood up for himself for a change. They had disagreed on things before, but this was the first time they out and out yelled at each other and then refused to speak to each other for days on end.
The tension in the apartment was almost unbearable; Mikael stalked about scowling, and Zafkiel did nothing but mope, either on his own, or to Raziel. Eventually Raziel and Gavrael concocted a plan, and Gavrael used the ever-present underlying tension between himself and Mikael to prod Mikael into apologising. Somehow, it worked, and Zafkiel and Mikael made up, reaffirming the devotion between them. And subtly changing it at the same time, for Zafkiel had finally put his foot down about something in their relationship for a change.

In July 2004, Raziel caused a brief commotion by posing nude for a series of photos for Gavrael's birthday. Unlike Zafkiel, Raziel is completely unshy when it comes to his naked body, and he was more than happy to take it all off for the camera -- provided happily by next-door neighbour Malakhim.
Things didn't quite work out as planned when Gavrael walked in on the photo-shoot, but the end result was a birthday thoroughly enjoyed, and as far as Raziel was concerned, that was all that mattered.

Not too long after Zafkiel and Mikael patched things up, Zafkiel received a scholarship from his University that allowed him to go on exchange to study in Japan for the Autumn semester. Excited, he ran around making preparations, buying his plane ticket, organising accommodation, and choosing subjects to study there, and somehow the realisation that he was leaving Mikael for five months did not occur to him until almost everything was prepared.
By then, there was little left to say except 'good-bye' and 'wait for me'. Mikael did not have the money to follow him there, and so there was nothing for it except that they be parted for that time. And the closer it drew, the more dependant Mikael seemed to become; as if their imminent parting had finally made him realise just how much he'd relied on always having Zafkiel around. And in return, Zafkiel briefly became the strong one.

In September 2004, Zafkiel said goodbye to Mikael and hopped on the plane to Japan, off to study and live by himself in a foreign country. But things never quite go as planned, as Zafkiel found out when he went to unpack his luggage and found, in place of his things, a rather squashed-looking Raziel.
Raziel was determined not to be left out of all the fun; even if Mikael couldn't come up with a plan to join Zafkiel, Raziel could! And so Zafkiel found that he was not really alone for his trip, and despite the frustration of buying new possessions to replace what Raziel had left behind, he couldn't really feel too badly about things. Everything is more fun if you have a friend by your side, after all.

Zafkiel and Raziel made the most of being in Japan. Despite not having a lot of money, and being somewhat tied down by Zafkiel's classes, they still saw as much of Tokyo as they could, and also made a few roadtrips when they were able to. They made visits to Nagoya, to meet some friends that Zafkiel knew over the internet, and travelled with them down to Tenshi no Sato in Kyoto, which was the place where Zafkiel was born. He barely remembered it, having moved to another country when he was very young, but when he arrived there, he felt as if he had come home at last.
They made lots of new friends, and enjoyed every moment they spent in this unfamiliar and yet fascinating country, and it seemed as though their trip was truly going to be nothing but a series of wonderful memories. But Zafkiel had forgotten that nothing ever goes quite as planned.

On Christmas Day, 2005, a familiar and very unwelcome figure from Zafkiel's past walked through his front door -- Tzadkael, Zafkiel's younger brother, also known as Kael. Zafkiel had spoken so little of his family to anyone that no-one even knew he had a brother; especially a younger brother so much taller, suaver, and more sure of himself, a complete opposite to Zafkiel in almost every respect.
Although Kael tried to convince Zafkiel to put their past behind them -- whatever that might be -- Zafkiel was not interested, and showed some of the backbone that he'd been gaining during his time with Mikael, enough to startle Kael. But Kael, it appeared, was not interested in giving up so easily. For whatever reason, he was apparently determined to walk back into Zafkiel's life again, and he became an almost constant fixture in their apartment, inviting himself over at every moment.

New Year found another unexpected addition to the family, this time in the form of a small, feisty kitten that Raziel found out on the streets who followed him home. Dubbed 'Newt' by Raziel, his cute face (and Raziel's well-practiced pout) convinced Zafkiel to let him stay permanently. And to Zafkiel, he was a heck of a lot more welcome than Kael.
Yet Kael, undeterred by Zafkiel's aloofness, continued to drop by. And somehow, Raziel found himself making friends with Kael, despite the upsets he knew that Kael caused to Zafkiel. Unapologetic, manipulative, and brash though Kael might be, he was also a charmer, with a sharp sense of humour that Raziel appreciated. And in return, Kael was also comfortable with Raziel. Once Raziel had made it clear that he couldn't be seduced into Kael's bed, Kael seemed happy to talk to him just as a friend, and Raziel was happy to talk back. Yet he never took sides, determined to stay friends with them both, and both Zafkiel and Kael seemed to understand and accept this.