Twins' Secrets AngelofFire & Sarah Annabelleh Prologue

"Run, Kaori, Kaoru!" The girls were frozen in their spots as they stared blankly at their brother. He growled as he unsheathed Ryukotsu and began to slash oni dead.

"I told you two: RUN!"

They got out of their hiding place and ran like the wind past the seemingly unending destruction the oni were provoking. Kaoru tripped with a dead body and fell to the ground before turning around and gasping. The youkai were catching up with her. Kaoru looked up at her twin, who was way ahead, and cried out, "Kaoriiii! Help!"

This last one turned around and sent a blast of elven energy to the youkai, who died instantaneously.

"Thanks, Kaori."

The twins looked at each other and started to run into the forest. Their brother would take care of the youkai and would join them later on. The most important thing right now was to get away safely from the village.

Nighttime came around and there was no sign of Ryuhoshi. Kaori sighed once again before turning her gaze toward her elder sister, who sat still staring into the fire. It seemed Kaoru was also worried for their brother.

Ryuhoshi was a whole taiyoukai, unlike them. Their father had been Aminamaru, the great elf taiyoukai of the South, but he had been murdered about forty-two years ago in an unfair battle. The three of them had always admired their father, especially Ryuhoshi and Kaori for his strength and awesome powers.

Their mother had been Yuki, a human. Kaoru missed her dearly, since she had been her mother's greatest admirer. Nobody could really understand what was the reason, since Yuki was weak and defenseless without any of them. The only logic reason was that Kaoru looked past her mother's weakness and into the real Yuki. Her death twenty-two years ago had caused a great impact on Kaoru, but it has been awhile since then.

Kaori got up on her feet and started to walk back to the village, when she heard Kaoru's voice saying softly, "We'll go tomorrow. Ryuhoshi is gone." She turned on her heels and stared blankly at her twin.

"You believe," she started, "he-he's d-dead?" Kaoru simply nodded in silence.

Kaori exploded. "How can you believe that? Don't you have faith he'll come back to us? Isn't he stronger than us, anyway? You're always so negative about everything, Kaoru!"

Kaoru stood up to face her sister. They both had the same face, the same skin color, the same ears. But there were many differences between them. For once, Kaori had blackish-red hair and golden eyes, while Kaoru had silvery-black tresses and sky blue eyes. Kaori was an expert in magic when Kaoru was the total opposite, yet she was awesome with weaponry. And another one of those differences was the fact that Kaori's temper was explosive and Kaoru was more of the quiet peacemaker.

"I'm not being negative. I'm just stating the truth. If Ryuhoshi hasn't come yet is because he died in that battle."

"But he's a whole youkai, and not only a simple youkai, but a TAIYOUKAI! The most powerful of all youkai? I'd accept it if he were a hanyou, like one of us, but he isn't!"

Kaoru shook her head and looked at the ground in thought. "I can't believe it myself either, but if a day wen t by an he hasn't come to us, then... he must be gone... forever..."

"KAORU! I WON'T BE STILL UNTIL WE FIND OUT THE TRUTH!"

She smiled weakly at her younger sister and shrugged. "Sure, Kaori. Anyway, we need to give the people there a proper burial."

This seemed to be alliviating to Kaori, who simply sighed and retreated to a nearby tree to rest. A soft breeze blew, tossing her hair in it. 'How about,' she thought, 'if Kaoru's right? If Ryuhoshi's dead?' She bit her lip. 'Well, all I can do is wait until tomorrow and find out... with my own eyes.'

Kaoru bent down and removed the scabbard from his obi as carefully as she could and secured it in her waist. She then pulled the mighty sword out of the ground and, after testing its weight for awhile, sheathed it and looked down. She had been more than right. Ryuhoshi had been killed during the battle, and from the amount of destruction and her brother's wounds, it must've been a very powerful hanyou. Even then, Ryuhoshi had also seriously wounded the attacker, for its blood and chunks of its body were sprawled everywhere.

"Thanks for the second chance you've given us, Ryuhoshi," Kaori prayed fervently.

"And thanks for the sword too." This caused Kaori to glare at her sister, who was simply staring down at Ryuhoshi's dead body in silence and reverence. When she bent down once again to look for something, Kaori lunged for her yelling, "Ah, no! Enough with the sword! Don't disrespect the dead's sleep!"

Kaoru firmly replied with a smirk, "It's not like he's going to use such valuable things now that he's dead, right? We need it more than he does. And anyway, you're the one who's going to wake him up with your screaming."

Kaori pouted before trying to find out what she was searching for. Kaoru harrumphed in disgust as she jumped up. "The attacker took it away."

"What?"

She looked at Kaori through her eye's corner. "The family's symbol. The molten gold sun. Kaori?"

"Yeah?" was her sister's reply.

"Father was buried with his weapons, am I not right?"

Kaori nodded innocently, but when she saw her sister turn in her parents' tombs' direction, she jumped up and ran to her.

"Aren't you thinking of—"

"Of digging in father's grave and taking away his sword? Sure, why not?"

"I didn't give you that idea, did I?"

"No, you just guessed what were my intentions." With that, she used her inhuman speed to arrive at the tombs and started to dig. Behind, in the village, Kaori had her mouth hanging open in unbelief. 'And I thought she was more respectful than THAT."

She returned to her brother's corpse and looked him over for a while. "It seems like he was poisoned or something by the style. He had serious wounds, but none of them are deep enough as to cause him death. Strange." Kaori lifted up her brother's arm and shrieked before letting it fall down to the ground. She lifted it up again and covered her nose. Just what she had thought. His side was melted, and there was also coagulated blood. His wound was so deep that his ribs and some organs could be seen. Kaori put down his arm and turned her head away in disgust. "I'm going to have nightmares for a long while."

She stood up quietly and sighed before turning around and—

"KAORUUUU!"

She looked up from her digging and to the cry's direction. It came from the village, where Kaori must be, since she didn't follow her to the graves. A shiver ran down her spine. It was an evil presence. Not like the youkai who had attacked the village the last day, but much more evil.

"Kaori's in danger. But... and the sword?" She knelt quietly in the ground, thinking which would be a much better option, when she heard a "KAORU! WHERE ARE YOU?"

'Hold on, Kaori. I'll get the sword! Just hold on a bit more!"

'Is she deaf or did--' "Did you kill my sister? Answer me!"

The powerful youkai standing before her smirked. "No, but I did kill that taiyoukai right there," he replied pointing at Ryuhoshi's corpse.

"You killed MY brother! How'd you dare, you- you beast!"

The youkai laughed mockingly at her and attacked her. She managed to dodge him in time, and so she did every time he attacked her. She was freaked out to the marrow, but she knew she had to avenge her brother's death from this youkai.

'Where's that Kaoru?' Kaori thought as she dodged another attack and sent a blast of elven energy to the enemy. 'If she doesn't appear soon, I'll follow Ryuhoshi, and she'll be on her way as well!' "MOOVE IT, KAORUUU!"

"I'm. Going. Just—hold—on..." Kaoru started to dig faster in search for her father's sword, but there was no trace of it. "If mother nor Ryuhoshi had been there when father had been buried, I would've stolen Tenken from his corpse. Now, where is it?"

"MOOVE IT, KAORUUU!"

"Hold on! I just can seem to find it—"Kaoru began to sense a strong presence coming from about a feet or two deeper into the ground. She then began to dig faster than the last time, but when she heard her sister's cry of pain, Kaoru jumped up on her feet and whispered, "Forgive me, Father, but it's for Kaori's life."

She unsheathed Ryukotsu and swung it once with enough force, causing a huge path to open before her. There it was before her, the legendary Tenken, her father's sword and pride. Kaoru strode over and took it, with scabbard and all. It was just as the day her father had been buried. It was new, shiny with—

"—blood. Ryuhoshi wasn't capable of cleaning the sword? What a shame. It could be rusty, or worse even, stinky."

"HEEEEEELP!"

Kaoru rolled her eyes before rushing to her sister's aid.

"Take this!" She shot an arrow at the youkai, who caught it and broke it in two easily. He then grabbed Kaori with one of his tentacles, which coiled around her. He then began to tighten his tentacle, trying to suffocate her.

"And what about now? Isn't this fair enough for you?"

Kaori started to turn red by now with the scarcity of oxygen. She felt how she drifted away, just to come back to her body whenever the youkai tightened more and more his grip. She was going to die, certainly. She wouldn't survive to see the next day. It was all over. But...

Kaori felt as she fell to the ground, but was caught in time. She fluttered her eyes open and absent-mindedly asked, "Okaa-san?"

"Nah. But good guess. Stay here until you feel better, Kaori."

She sat up carefully and watched at her savior. 'Ah? Kaoru?' "Kaoru, where were—"

"Shut up and let me fight!"

Kaori saw as her sister fought in her favorite style: hand-to-hand. Not like she was winning or anything, but at least she kept the guy away from her. She still felt light-headed from earlier on, but at least she could determine how things were turning out.

Kaoru jumped back and drove forth Ryukotsu. "What's your name?"she asked the youkai, who attacked once more, but she cut the tentacle with her sword (a/n: or should say, Ryuhoshi's sword). "Why should you bother knowing, if you'll be soon a part of me?" Kaoru shuddered at his words.

"That means you're no more than many oni combined into one. How do you dare call yourself a youkai?"

"And how do you dare call yourselves Aminamaru's daughters?"

She bit her lip and replied, "At least we're genuine, not a 'youkai' that's actually equal to nothing."

He laughed in delight. "Well, well. Just like your mother, am I not right?"

Kaoru blew on a strand of hair that was falling over her left eye. This youkai was getting on her nerves. 'Gladly, I can keep myself calmed down.' "And if so, what?"

"Nothing, just reminiscing."

Kaoru firmly said as she prepared to defend herself with Ryukotsu, "I demand of you, what is your name?"

"Naraku." And with that, he attacked her uncessantly. Kaoru managed to keep him off, even if she really didn't harm him. She leaped over to where her twin, who by the way felt much better, was standing, ready to fight. "Our own styles, sister." Kaori nodded. "NOW!"