A/N Chapter 1!

The Mansion, 15 years later, Karin

The mansion lay in ruins, burnt to the ground; left in shambles by the after effects of Ryūjin Jakka's flame. Everything was ruined, but no tears were shed upon the grounds, for they knew justice was on their side. Everyone huddled together in a circle to get their jobs for rebuilding the mansion, except Karin and Toshiro. Karin's face was red and puffy, as if she had recently been crying...and she had been.

She had had to say goodbye to her children, Akinori and Annika. Her beautiful, wonderful children who she loved so dearly. She didn't want them to leave her just like she hadn't wanted them to leave her 15 years ago when Aruf spoke to her of the prophecy involving her children and Jezebeth, who had destroyed her family and her home. She wanted them to be safe with her and Toshiro and the others.

Toshiro just held her as she blankly stared in the direction her children had gone. "Come on. Let's go join the others." he said and she nimbly nodded and followed him, tears threatening to spill again.

Flashback

The ground shook everyone awake and the day Karin dreaded the most was here. "What's going on here?" "What's happening to the Mansion?" Akinori and Annika asked as they ran from their rooms down the hall to Karin and Toshiro's room. "Go outside. RUN!" Karin yelled at them. They were scared, but so were Karin and Toshiro.

Karin began to cry. She knew what was happening. Today was the day. She hadn't told them anything about the prophecy, or Jezebeth. She didn't want to scare them. She wanted them to be happy for as long as they could. "Let's go. We need to leave." Toshiro whispered in her ear and she nodded as they quickly ran outside.

It was thundering outside and the wind was wildly blowing the trees back and forth, as if it wanted to pull them out of the ground. They finally knew what was causing that earthquake. On the roof of the mansion was Jezebeth, the demon who had been haunting Karin's dreams for years.

"Why are you here, you demon?! You don't belong here!" Karin yelled. Jezebeth laughed. "You're the one that doesn't belong in this world, or the next. You don't deserve to exist at all. You stole my sister from me!" Karin was confused. "What are you talking about? What do you mean I stole her?"

Jezebeth sighed in frustration. "In our world, whenever someone from your world is ready to have a Spirit Animal, we send one of our own to your world so they can fulfill their purpose; to protect whoever they are partnered with. In our world, my sister and I are considered royals and as such, we are forbidden from becoming a Spirit Animal." She took a shaky breath before continuing on with her story.

"She was taken from me and given to you. I lost my older sister because of you. It's not fair! I want her back! Our mother and father want her back as well, though they won't say so out loud. Give her back!" Jezebeth was on the verge of tears but that doesn't mean she wouldn't attack without warning.

The Head Head Vampire had been listening and watching the whole time. He knew what would happen sooner or later. He didn't want to see anyone else hurt.

"You must leave this place at once. I will not have you harm one of my own. If you must relinquish your anger on someone, it shall be me. No one else." Jezebeth had this devilish smile on her face. "If you want to die first, be my guest." she said before she disappeared only to reappear in front of the Head Head Vampire. No one moved to help him, not even Toshiro, his own flesh & blood.

They were confident in him but none of them knew what Jezebeth was capable of. Karin wanted to warn him, try and help but found that she was frozen in that spot. Seeing Jezebeth again had scared her. It had reminded her that she was weak compared to her and that she couldn't protect anyone with such a weakness.

The Head Head Vampire didn't move. In fact, he was protected by a giant horse made of fire and ash, Ryūjin Jakka. "The eternal horse, Ryūjin Jakka...my Spirit Animal." Jezebeth was shocked and got as far away from Ryūjin Jakka as she could. "Teacher? I thought I'd never see you again." At that moment, Aruf decided to come out and see Ryūjin Jakka as well.

Bad move.

"Sister?" Jezebeth was looking right at her as Aruf was looking right at Ryūjin Jakka. "I had no idea you were in this world." She ran to Ryūjin Jakka and jumped on his back and rubbed her head against his mane of fire. Jezebeth gasped. "Are you two...mated?" The air hung still and quiet as the silence pressed on. "Get ready. I don't know what she might do." Aruf said through their link. Karin had no way to be prepared. She was frozen with fear and shock.

"Stop this madness, Jezebeth. You were taught better. I should know." Ryūjin Jakka tried to lighten the mood with his humor, but it didn't work.

"I asked if you two were mated. ANSWER ME!" She charged straight for Ryūjin Jakka. Of course, she missed, but it was still a close call. "We are. We have been for a year. Mother and Father didn't tell you because they knew how you felt. The same goes for me. I didn't want to see you hurt before I left."

A dark air hung over Jezebeth. "You betrayed me, both of you. You need to die for your betrayal."

She charged once more toward them, her eyes filled with hurt, pain, sorrow, and something else. Aruf clung onto Ryūjin Jakka as he jumped out of the way just as Jezebeth came running toward him. "Jezebeth, you are out of control! You need to stop this now or I will be forced to send you back and make you face the ultimate punishment."

She didn't stop. She didn't even stop to consider the consequences of her actions. She threw everything she had at him, missing each time. Soon enough, everything was either burnt to a crisp or turned to ash. The mansion was hit a few times as well but it was still standing. Jezebeth and Ryūjin Jakka were out of breath.

It was then that Karin realized Akinori and Annika were with Toshiro, hugging him to death from all of this madness going on around them. She walked toward them and Jezebeth watched her out of the corner of her eyes. She was in front of her in a flash, her hands wrapped tight around Karin's neck.

"You're the real reason I'm here. You need to die." She lifted Karin up into the air. Karin clawed her way out of Jezebeth's grasp but it was pointless. Jezebeth had a grip of steel.

Everyone rushed toward them but Jezebeth held up a hand, telling them to stop. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Her grip tightened around Karin's throat. "MOM!" the twins yelled for her.

Jezebeth paused. She looked at them for a split second then looked back at Karin, who was looking at her children with a sad expression. Suddenly, Jezebeth had a devilish look on her face. "Oh, are those your children?" Karin's eyes grew wide. "Don't you dare touch them, you bitch!" Karin, with all her might, landed an uppercut on Jezebeth, forcing her to let her go.

Karin ran toward her children and Jezebeth couldn't stop her. She'd let her go…for now. Once Karin was within arms reach of her children, she hugged them tightly to her, afraid of being apart from them again.

Jezebeth chuckled at the family reunion and Karin glared at her. "What's so funny, devil? Do you enjoy destroying our home and splitting apart our family!?" A sour look crossed her face at Karin's choice of words. "I split your family apart? I destroyed your home? You have done the same to me and my family! I am just reaping what you sow!"

The ground shook once again and a strong, evil energy was surrounding Jezebeth. "I'll make you regret those words one day." And then she disappeared into thin air. And when the air had cleared, Karin stood in the middle and began to cry. Toshiro held her in her arms as she cried and their children stood behind them, confused onto why that demon (Jezebeth) had targeted the Mansion and most importantly, their mother.

"Mom? What was all that just now?" Karin choked back her tears and turned around to face them. She gave them a weak smile and said, "Its a long story." And thus, she began her tale of how she had met Toshiro, Jezebeth, Aruf and everyone in the Mansion. When her story was done, they're mouths hung open in shock. She also told them about the prophecy about themselves, which she was very reluctant to do but with the help of Toshiro, she had the courage to say it.

"WHAT?! We have to destroy that demon or everyone will die?!" They stared at their parents with shocked and scared faces. This was too much to take all at once.

"You must go. Your mother and I can't defeat her. We don't have the power to stop her. But you two do. You have to go, to save us all. If you don't, she will live up to her promise and kill everyone."

The kids were scared and afraid, but deep down, they knew they had to do this. For the sake of everyone, they would go, sacrificing everything and the fact that they may never see everyone ever again.

They would go on this journey. They knew it would be long and hard, but everyone believed in them, Karin and Toshiro most of all. They believed in them but the only way they could complete this journey was to believe in themselves and each other. Could they do it?

It was the witching hour. The twins had to leave. Karin and Toshiro held their children in a group hug. They didn't want to say goodbye but they knew they had to. They pulled out of the group hug and Karin said, "Take Aruf with you. She will guide you on your journey and train you." The flame dog took offense to being taken away from her Master but she said nothing against her Master's word to her children.

Then they began their journey, with Aruf walking away with them, following slowly and unsurely.

Flashback Ends

"Its okay, Karin. They'll be back, safe and sound. We just have to believe in them. After all, Aruf is with them." Toshiro tried to cheer up Karin and it slowly started to work. Karin kissed his cheek and nodded. "You're right." And then they began to help with the repairs to The Mansion.

A/N So sorry for such a long wait. I've been avoiding this story for no reason at all but I'm back now. Please don't hate me and review :) ~Bloody Ruby~