Ash spread her wings and leapt back into the air. She back-flipped in the air and dived after her teacher, an angel of the second line named Twilla. She was the younger sister to the king, Shadow. Twilla leapt into the air herself and aimed an arrow at her young pupil. As the arrow reached Ash's chest she suddenly disappeared in a blast of flame. Hovering fifty feet off the ground Twilla looked around until she felt a blast of heat behind her and she turned around only to get kicked in the stomach by Ash. Twilla landed hard on the ground and Ash landed on top of her with her sword at Twilla's throat. "You've become quite the fighter, Ash." Twilla panted. "I'm proud of you."

Ash straightened up and held out a hand to her teacher to help her up and she beamed. "Do you think I could be a part of the guard soon?"

"You're only fifteen, kiddo, don't be in a hurry to throw your life away."

Ash started chatting away about how she only wanted to be one of the guard. One of those noble angels who selflessly protected the hidden city from outsiders who wanted the angels dead, like the Lord Adamar from the north. Twilla sort of tuned out as she watched her student. She looked so much like her mother. Her hair was fiery red along with her eyes. She was small and short. But she was strong. It was easy to believe that she was Ember's daughter. Once she was believed to be the last angel of the first line. She was the true mate of the Lord Sesshoumaru. Was going to be the mother of his children. Until she lost the child during birth. Between then and now the years have blurred out. Twilla only knew three things.

One, Ember hated Sesshoumaru with as much heat as the fire she can manipulate. Two, somehow, the curse they all thought that forced Ember and her family to continue the line came back. They thought it had broken when Ember's powers returned to her. But almost two hundred years without any other children must have brought the curse back. Thus Ash was born. And third, Twilla knew that Ember wanted nothing to do with her daughter. She didn't even have the heart to name her when she was born. She didn't ask anyone to take care of her or anything. The second she could she simply walked away and disappeared for five years before coming back by order of the queen.

Suddenly Ash stopped, looking up at the wall guarding the city. Only angels could get over the wall which was why it wasn't guarded. Twilla followed her gaze and felt something like a rock fall into her stomach. It was Ember. She looked terrible. Her wings, once glistening and bright red, almost sparkling in the sun most days, were now black as night. Feathers falling out and many of them broken at the shafts. Her eyes were just as black and her skin was sickly green. She looked like she hadn't eaten in days. And yet, despite the injuries she managed to fly down and collapse in the middle of the training area. Twilla and Ash rushed forward and they saw chains on her wrists, ankles and the base of her wings. As Twilla reached her Ember reached out and grabbed her shoulder in a vise like grip. "Next time I decide to go to north, remind me not to take the scenic route."

"What happened."

"Some half-breed named Naraku decided he wanted to use me as bait for something. I guess he forgot that wooden huts don't last long against fire."

"What do you need?" Ash asked.

Ember ignored her. She didn't even look at her. She stood up and started limping towards the palace where the king and queen lived. "I'd love to hear what your brother has to say about this, Twilla." She snapped. "If he starts spewing about what the bloody stars say I'm gonna kill him."

Twilla sighed. "And to think, she used to be such a well spoken little girl."

"She hates me, doesn't she?" Ash whispered.

"You won't really know until you confront her."

They both sighed and followed Ember up to the palace. Ember tried to lift her wings but she had no energy left. She felt like she could barely walk anymore. She got to the top of the stairs and sat down. An angel of the third line ran up to her. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Just go get the queen!" she snapped.

"No need to be cranky." Twilla glowered as the other angel ran inside.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Twilla," Ember said in an overly sarcastic tone. "I'll be sure to remember to be nice to the idiots the next time I've been captured, tortured and starved. 'Are you ok?' Do I bloody look ok? My feathers are falling out as I speak and I can barely walk!"

"The poor boy didn't know that. He doesn't know who you are. You could pass off as a second line angel like that."

"Yeah, you're right, except for the chains, exposed ribs and torn clothes."

Before Twilla could reply the Queen Arailia and King Shadow ran up. Ember blocked everything out and began grooming her wings. She didn't actually need the king or queen. She just went there because she knew the two would distract Twilla from her endless nagging. By the end of the argument Ember's wings were properly groomed. They were still black and sore, and after pulling out the broken shafts they were damn near bare, but they were in a state where she could pull them back into her body without doing any more damage.

She stood up and glanced at her friend Twilla. She was a true warrior. But more than that. She would always make a good mother. Which was why Ember wanted to get out as soon as she possibly could. Twilla was getting ready to yell at her and she didn't want to hear it. She began descending the stairs again praying that no one would take notice. One did. The last person Ember actually wanted to talk to. "Hey, wait!" Ash called.

Ember didn't turn. She didn't say anything. She had no desire to acknowledge the girl behind her. She made all the way back to the training arena before Ash spoke again. "Damn it, would you stop and look at me?"

Ember stopped and turned. The two girls were roughly the same height and they glowered at each other. "What do you want?" Ember hissed.

Ash bit her lip and blushed. "Well... actually I was looking more for an absolution."

"What kind of absolution?"

"Well..." she hesitated. "Why do you hate me?"

Ember smirked. "Hate you?" she whispered darkly. "I don't hate you. I just hate the idea of you. I hate thinking about that day sixteen years ago when I realised I was pregnant. I hated every second I had to deal with you inside of me. Every time you kicked only reminded me of the child I actually wanted and every second it broke my heart all over again. It's not you I hate. If you had a father I'd hate him, but you don't. It would be a lot easier to hate you, I promise you that."

"That doesn't answer my question at all!"

"Get used to it, stupid. Life never answers the most important questions."

"Like what?" Ash snapped. "What questions of yours are left unanswered you bitter, angry unsatisfied bitch!"

"Why me?" Ember snapped back. "That's my question. Why me? I've been asking that question since my eighteenth birthday. If you answer that for me I'll answer your question honestly."

With that she turned back to the wall. She lifted her hand and Ash knew she was reaching for her necklace and in a second she was gone. Ember appeared in a clear wood. This did not bode well for her mood. She knew these woods. She grew up not too far away from here. She was close to Sesshoumaru's home. What used to be her home. She couldn't sense him anywhere close by like she did when she lived with him or when she was in Naraku's clutches. It wouldn't hurt to stop by the graves for a little guidance.

The small village where her father once lived was now abandoned and run down. She supposed two hundred years without a lord and his staff to keep the village prosperous she should have expected as much. Surprisingly the little cemetery was still well kept. Perhaps someone did still live around here just to care for the dead. Her father and grandfather's tombs, though very old and worn away so badly she could barely read it. But she was still able to make out the words. Here lies Satoru. Husband to Flame. Father to Ember. Loyal Friend

So these were the remains of her mother's husband. For a short time he was the closest thing she had to a father. Before Adamar and his bitch sister killed him. next to him was her grandfather. Had she known she was going to end up in the castle village she would have brought flowers to lay at their graves. She sighed and said a quick prayer to her father before standing up and heading towards the castle. She doubted any of her old friends would still be there. When Sesshoumaru left he probably told them all to leave. More likely he probably wouldn't have said anything. But after a while servants knew when to give up.

And, as expected, when she stepped into the grounds the grass was overgrown and there were vines crawling up the walls of the once glorious castle. There was no one training in the fields and the barracks where she used to sleep were nothing but the frame that supported the roof and walls. She walked over to it and stepped next to the remains of what used to be her own bed. She remembered she didn't have anything left here. When she moved into Sesshoumaru's apartment's she took everything with her. But still, she spent a great deal of her time there.

She headed towards the cemetery where her mother and grandmother and all her ancestors were buried. Her mother's tomb was still highly polished. She had been held in such high esteem when she was alive. Everyone had loved her. She sat down. "Mom," she whispered. "I don't really know what I'm doing anymore. I don't know how I got here. The whole country is locked in civil war and nothing's the same. This is even worse than when Adamar was courting me. I have a daughter, but I want nothing to do with her. Sesshoumaru and I..." she stopped. She hated thinking about him. "I just wish you were still alive. I wish you were here to guide me through this." She laughed a little, then. "I remember how you used to speak to the Lords when I was a child. It always seemed that you were the demon and they were the human slaves. It doesn't seem fair that you could be taken away by a mere fever." She sighed again and scratched the back of her head. "I hope I can come back here during a happier time to see you. Maybe another two hundred years with change everything again."

With that she stood up and headed into the castle. If the grounds were bad the castle was awful. Dust clouded around her feet after every step. The old portraits couldn't even be seen behind all of the dust. The grand chandelier was covered in cobwebs and the staircase was looked like it had a gray carpet. To her left were the doors leading down to the kitchen. She didn't need to go down there. But ascending the stairs was no better. How many times had she used these stairs when she lived in this great castle? Like the time, just before she knew she was an angel, she broke her ankle and Sesshoumaru helped her get to the infirmary.

Ember passed the infirmary and Inu Taisho's old office without stopping to admire past times. She couldn't bear to think about the last time she was on this floor. She continued up and into Sesshoumaru's old apartments. Her heart started pounding and she gasped for breath. She hadn't been here in two hundred years but the memories were coming back to her clear as day. The old mark on her neck throbbed, but she ignored it. It had been throbbing since she saw Sesshoumaru at Naraku's castle. It was nothing.

She opened the wardrobe and gazed at her old dresses. She was only vaguely aware that she was in rags now. She could remember a better time when Sesshoumaru used to hold her when she was in trouble. He used to comfort her. He was there for her all through the pregnancy. Sometimes he didn't have a choice. She'd dragged him out of a few meetings for nothing more than for him to feel their child kick inside her belly. The older lords patiently allowed her to do this for their wives had done the same. Their sons were not so patient but they weren't willing to stand against a pregnant girl.

Ember reached out at ran the fabric of one of her favourite dresses across her fingers. It was the black dress she wore as much as she could before she started showing. The smart outfit would be the angel robe she still had in there, but she didn't much like the idea of wearing something so loose. The tight fabric against her skin would make her feel normal again. It was still low enough to let her wings out. The infused magic in the dresses had prevented them from becoming damaged by time and it still fit perfectly. Suddenly her knees gave out and she sunk to the floor shivering. Tears streaked down her face.

She was sure of it now, Sesshoumaru was here and getting closer. She couldn't move, though. It was like she was frozen in the memories of this place. she turned slightly so she could see when Sesshoumaru stepped though the door, but he was already there. His eyes were cold. They changed since the last time she saw him. The ocean of gold was gone. Now it was like that ocean was frozen over. She can't imagine her eyes looking any different. Even if they'd returned to their normal colour. Her hair was still black.

She wouldn't have been surprised if he pulled out his blade. He didn't say a word and neither did she. Her rage boiled inside of her like the fire she so easily commanded. As if a strong wind had suddenly blasted through the room her hair blasted straight up and her wings exploded from her back. Her wings went limp land lay across half the room. She hated losing control like that. But on the upside her power and strength had returned to her. Slowly she stood up and lifted her wings. "Just like old times, isn't it?" she said softly. "You watching me blatantly lose control of my powers and doing nothing to stop me."

"Just like old times." He replied. "You not even trying to control your powers so why should I bother trying to keep you from doing it?"

The two stood in complete silence for a few minutes. Ember was trying desperately trying to keep her tears from falling down her face. She didn't need to look so weak in front of him. Since she'd left she knew he looked on her like she was nothing but a child. Compared to him she was. He was a full three hundred years older than her.

Her tears, however, disappeared in seconds as rage filled her. She could feel flames spreading across her wings in her fury. Outside was the unmistakeable form of Ash. "I'll be going now. I have someone to kill."

With that she launched herself out of the window where she plastered her wings to her body and dove for the girl in the wild field. Ash reacted well. She spread her own wings, drew her sword and lifted into the air. Ember landed but quickly launched into the air again after Ash. She could see the look of shock on Ash's face as she rocketed after her. She's fast, Ash thought desperately. Faster than me! I have to attack... NOW!

Ash swung her blade at Ember but it seemed to go right through her. It was a second before Ash realised that second was wasted as she was struck from behind. In a flash Ember was in front of her again. Ash tried to recover but Ember had already kicked her so hard she was rocketing back up. There's nothing I can do! Ash screamed in her mind. I'm going to die right now!

She sensed Ember behind her before her mother grabbed her by her throat from behind and then dug her hand into Ash's spine. Ember spread her wings and tilted them ever so slightly so they turned slowly to be facing the ground again. She then flattened her wings, squeezed Ash's spine so hard, forcing her to fold her wings as well, and they fell at lightning speed towards the ground. Ash closed her eyes, waiting for the pain. Half a second before they reached the ground Ember released Ash and floated away while Ash slammed into the ground head first.

Ember landed softly ten feet away. She could see Sesshoumaru out of the corner of her eye still in the castle. Her daughter lying motionless in the ground. She wondered how everything had come to this. She used to be a quiet little human. A stain in the western house of the four great youkai lords. Even when she'd somehow jumped up the ranks to be the lady of the western lands she still kept to herself. Being lower class was second nature to her. But over the last two hundred years she'd grown cold, bitter and ruthless. She felt nothing when she released Ash to be smashed into the ground. She didn't need to check her vital signs. She knew that Ash was dead.

Once again Ember was the last angel of the First Line.