Anubis managed to reach the castle of the once revered dog demon InuTaisho before any incident happened. He glanced around to make sure none of the guards picked up his scent. He followed the scent of Sesshomaru to the gardens and saw him with Rin. Anubis saw the scene between Sesshomaru and Rin as the two embraced oblivious to the word around them. His eyes softened for that one moment but it soon turned into a glare as he saw Kiyoko's reflection writhe in pain. He started to walk over to them but then he saw it. The third and final creature of chaos that his daughter took in a long time ago after Kiyoko's death. Its reflection had taken the place of Kiyoko's reflection though it was hard to make out its face; its eyes on the other were not. Strange multicolored eyes that never remained the same color or shape. It always seemed to always be shifting its shape from one to another never truly taking the same shape twice.
However, as soon as it appeared it disappeared and Kiyoko's pained face returned. Anubis's mind became racked with questions and fears. He feared for the fate of his granddaughter that remained in Rin's body dealing with the chaos creature. However, his main fear is the fate of his daughter once this entire mess was over with. He looked at Kiyoko's reflection again and saw her face begin to morph again and this time it was more violent causing Rin to fall into the water as she let out a cry in pain. The sound of her hitting the water forced Anubis into action, as he walked over a blur of silver cascaded onto Rin as Sesshomaru reached a shaking hand to place onto her shoulder.
"Rin!" Sesshomaru's voice was harsh and full of emotions Anubis knew well.
Fear and anguish.
Those are the emotions Anubis knew all too well especially from the time of his daughter's banishment and him not being able to find her until the next century and by then she had long sense shut her heart to him. Anguish for not being able to prevent the death of his mate and the lost communication with daughter's heart. He could only stand there as Sesshomaru slowly picked up Rin and cradled her in his arms. The two of them were soaked from the pond as the dog demon slowly got up with Rin and headed into the castle. Anubis followed but quickly took Rin from Sesshomaru when a dangerous aura surrounded her. It looked as though it was three souls clashing but it was unclear as to who was winning.
As Anubis took Rin away from Sesshomaru and was nearly knocked back by the amount of chaotic energy that was being released from her body. Anubis had to think fast and find a way to calm down the growing anger of the chaotic creature. He soon felt something tugging at his immortal soul as made his way through the forgotten corridors that led to his daughter's old bedchambers. The tugging grew more intense with each passing second as beast within Rin sensing its master's calls. He heard a feral growl and glanced behind to see Sesshomaru growling at him in anger. He could only assume that cause for such a feral growl was because of Rin's state and the sensing of danger.
Anubis could not risk the dog demon releasing any more power than necessary. So he quickly used his own power to keep the chaotic beast's power at bay. However, the more he tried to control it the more he felt the tugging at his soul. He started to fill drained as they reached the old bedchambers of Nephira and InuTaisho. Lying Rin on the bed he quickly looked for something that belonged to his daughter. The room was trashed with shattered closets, destroyed dressers and shredded clothing. He glanced around for something to calm down the raging creature inside and there in the corner he found an old kimono that belonged to his daughter. Quickly placing it over Rin the once pained expression turned into a calm death like expression.
Anubis allowed his harden gaze peek into the souls that occupied Rin's body. His sight was greeted with chaotic creature pulling what looked like Nephira's old kimono and snuggling into it along with Kiyoko. Anubis watched the two and nearly relaxed his glare, however, his eyes widened in shock as he saw a small glow within the two souls. It was faint but still there a third soul was beginning to separate from the two. Anubis allowed his mind to wonder back to his daughter and wondered how she would take the information. He had a feeling that she would most likely be more concerned about the two currently providing most of the problems and less concerned of the barely noticeable third soul.
Anubis turned his gaze to Sesshomaru, as he placed a gentle hand on Rin's cheek, and wondered if the son of the great dog general was finally ready to handle the feel called love. Anubis doubted it but he could not help but hope he would. Judging from current dog demon lord's reaction he was beginning to feel something toward the girl though he seemed unsure as what it is. Anubis snorted in amusement catching the attention of Sesshomaru. Who in turn looked emotionless as ever but his eyes betrayed the curiosity that resided in his mind.
Anubis signaled for Sesshomaru to follow him outside the room. Sesshomaru gave Rin one last glance before following Anubis out the door. Anubis waited for the door to be completely closed before speaking.
"Where is Kai?" His gravelly voice was harsh and cold
"I do not know. He left last night and has not come back." Sesshomaru tried to sound indifferent but Anubis could hear the ever subtle crack in his voice as the last part was spoken.
"That old fool is going to get himself killed. Then that would be another reason for my daughter to go on a rampage."
Sesshomaru could only nod in response to Anubis comment. Anubis sighed and began to walk away leaving Sesshomaru alone with his thoughts. He turned to corner to see Tira standing there in her form and looking extremely worried. He gave her a kind smile and began to walk to the court yard. As he reached the center of it he was two humans and two demons standing there appearing to be waiting for him. He immediately recognized the two tailed cat as Kiara but the other tree he could not place. That is until the man spoke.
"Hello. I am Miroku and this woman beside is my wife Sango and the little fox demon is Shippo." The one called Miroku spoke clearly and with confidence but that soon changed once Anubis announced himself.
"I am Anubis, Egyptian go of the dead and father of Nephira." His gravelly voice sent shivers down Shippo's spin.
"Anubis?" Miroku was astounded but soon regained his composure. "We would like to know what's going on and how we may help."
Anubis sighed and began walking over to them. He gave them credit for not backing away but all the same thought they were fools for getting involved in such a mess. He stared them down then began to speak.
"I will tell you everything but I most warn you things are getting more dangerous and deadlier by the second. So if you really want to know follow to the meadow not far from here and I will explain everything."
Anubis soon walked away and to long after he heard their footsteps and he smiled a sad smile. His gaze turned to the sky and prayed to his dead mate that she would be able to watch over their daughter until he got back to her.
…
Kai was running through the forest looking for any hint of InuTaisho and the one called Apophis. He has been searching for the past 12 hours and still nothing. He stopped by a stream to get a sip of water when he saw the reflection of the dog he was looking for. He quickly turned around and jumped back preparing himself for a fight. Kai watched as InuTaisho prepared himself as well. The two growled as they charged each other. Their fangs bared and claws ready to strike. InuTaisho landed to first hit and left a gash in Kai's side. Kai hissed in pain and quickly counter attacked. He slashed at InuTaisho and was barely able to damage his armor while he was trying his best to keep his eyes open. He attacked again and was able to slice through his armor. He smirked as a giant gash appeared on his chest.
Kai charged again and this time his claws were covered in acid as he attempted to cut off his head but the dog dodged in time. Kai growled in frustration and followed InuTaisho into the forest. Their claws clashed leaving behind trails as acid and poison. The ground started to turn black and charred from their attacks. Soon the forest was turning into a barren wastes land from this attacks and misses. Kai was growing more frustrated with each passing second and soon he pulled out one of his swords. The blade gleamed in the moonlight leaving an ominous promise of death.
"This is getting annoying." Kai's hard voice filled the silent night air.
"I agree." came InuTaisho's cold reply as he cracked his knuckles.
The two collided again and each nearly took the others head off. The battle raged on for the next hour until the sun started to rise, soon InuTaisho began to disappear. The dog general left with a silent promise while Kai ran trying to land a finishing blow but it didn't work for he was gone. Kai snorted and turned around to walk toward the stream that he was just at to clean his wound. He ripped off a piece of his sleeve and dipped it into the stream.
Gently, placing it to his wound he released a hiss in pain. His eyes were slowly leaking red from the pain. He hoped that the wound would heal within the next hour. He lay down against the nearest tree. He soon let sleep take over as his eyes began to slowly close and as his mind began to turn black as his last thought was about Nephira the female he loved and is willing to die for.
….
Nephira was pacing back and for the in her mother's tomb. Her tails were swishing back and forth as she tried to make since of what was going on and how she was going to deal with the fact of her daughter no longer being able to be revived. Her anger started to build again as she lashed out destroying another vase dedicated to her mother. Nephira stopped and looked around the tomb and saw images of her mother. She believed they were images of her mother for she could not remember her at all except for her voice which was rather soothing to her. She kept walking around and saw a gold necklace with a crown. She stared at and nearly jumped back in shock. It was the crown of Nut and the necklace of Shu, the goddess and god of the sky and the earth. She reached out to touch the items but pulled her hand back. She wondered why these items would be in the tomb of her mother but decided to ignore it.
She wondered deeper into the tomb and saw more images of her mother. Her mother from what she could tell was beautiful and a demoness, which explained a lot considering she never truly looked like a god nor did she look like any other creature of beauty that didn't border the line of demonic. Nephira stare at the image of her mother in order to remember everything about her.
Her soft silver eyes, ankle length royal purple hair; her pointed elf ears, her slightly rounded face with a soft touch to it making her look more feminine than she already was. Her skin was as pale as the moonlight. Nephira placed her hand on the image and traced the outlines of her face, remembering every angle and every color of her mother. She glanced to the image next to her mother, it was her father. He looked slightly nicer and less demonic looking which in her eyes made it ironic considering he was a god and he looked more demonic that his demon wife who looked more of a goddess than anything else. Her eyes soon began to follow the next image of her mother and father together in what seemed to be in worm embrace and her hand was on her stomach. She could only assume it was when she was pregnant with her. The next image is of her mother holding an infant and looking at the child with a loving smile.
Nephira in turn smiled at the image for she knew the feeling of pride and love being a new mother. She saw her father's face and began to smile as her looked even more proud than her mother. Nephira soon went to the next image and it was one she was glad she didn't remember and that was her mother's death. She let the tears fall freely as she saw her father's face filled with pain and anguish as he began to bury his wife. All the while next him was Nephira too young to remember her mother and still too young to understand the real meaning of death among demons and gods. The next image was one she truly remembered and forever tried to forget. It was the image of her being banished and her father being sealed in the realm of gods until recently. Her claws soon raked against the image leaving behind deep claw marks. She quickly walked away from the images and headed back to the sealed doors and leaned into them. Her heart was heavy with different emotions and soon felt like that scared little girl that were left to fend for herself in a cruel world full of humans that understood nothing and demons that understood everything and everything in between.
The images of fending for herself for the next 100 to 300 years reappeared and she nearly let her desire to cry take over but she held back the tears. Many things began to make a run for her mind and each reverting back to that scared child, the frightened child with no hope of being loved or ever being cared for. Nephira began to create a cocoon with her tails around herself to protect herself from the outside world as she did as a child. She didn't notice a shimmering image of a woman nor did she see that woman begin to frown and disappear again.
For the next several hours Nephira remained in that form letting her tears be released in silence. However, she was interrupted by a gentle hand being placed on one of her tails. She opened a crack to see the face of her father looking at her with concerned eyes. She nearly jumped into his arms but she kept her body still. She slowly uncurled herself from the ball and looked into her father's eyes and began let loose a wail and clung to him for dear life. Her voice came out in sobs and soon words were able to be formed.
"I'm scared. I don't know what to do anymore everything was…" Her voice cracked as she went back to sobbing and letting go of all of her emotions as her father pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back as a sign of comfort.
"It's okay that you don't know what to do."
"No it's not!" Her grip on her father tightens and she nearly cracked a rib but he remained stoned face.
"Nephira, it is for it means it gives you a chance to come up with something better than what you originally planned." Anubis spoke with a comforting but dominant tone.
Nephira's sobbing ended and she soon pushed back from him and she quickly pulled back and soon saw silver eyes looking at her. Not the eyes of her father but the eyes of her deceased mother. Her eyes widen in shock but before she could speak her mother disappeared again leaving Nephira alone with her thoughts.
Nephira soon wiped her eyes and quickly stood up and walked toward the doors her father sealed and soon shattered them. She glanced behind herself to see only an empty tomb but she smiled a small smile and quickly walked away from the realm of the gods and into the realm of mortals.
Though unbeknownst to Nephira her mother's soul reappeared and smiled then disappeared again to return to the realm of the dead.
….
Anubis lead the four to the meadow and sat down rubbing his temples as he thought of a way to keep it simple and less complicated. He glanced at them and sighed.
"What do all of you know?" his voice was calloused from agitation and frustration
"We know about Nephira's and InuTaisho being mated and then him leaving her. That's about it." Sango spoke calmly
Anubis nodded and began to rack his brain for a simple way of r putting things but known came. He began to become more agitated and soon he just stood up and began chanting. The two humans and two demons looked at him in confusion. The next thing they know the four of them are floating in what seemed to be a dream and soon they were faced with a demoness and a god meeting, the birth of Nephira, the death of the demoness and the banishment of the child. Soon they were thrown into the next dream of Nephira meeting Kai and InuTaisho and soon the dream of Nephira and InuTaisho getting together. After that the death of Nephira's daughter and soon they were back in reality. They quickly fell down grasping their heads. Anubis stared at them and nearly walking away but he soon sat down and waited for them to regain their composure so he could see that they understood the past so that they can be ready for the future.
The first to regain their composure was the young demon fox child. He looked more mature than what he was. His eyes were hollow and full of concern while his body remained stiff and unmoving. Soon the rest of the four got up and the woman was crying while the one called Miroku looked solemn. Anubis watched with calculating eyes as the four were finally able to sit up straight and soon his head was being rubbed by the two tailed cat demon. Anubis scratched her ear and then began to speak again.
"What I have showed you if the short version of what has happened." His voice was cold and calculating
"So this is the history of Nephira and how she ended up the way she is now." Miroku voice was barely above a whisper
"Yes and is why you need to help the two sons of InuTaisho and the dog general Kai. Kai is the only one that can protect my daughter better than I ever can."
They all nodded and soon Anubis stood up and started walking away. He glanced in their direction signaling for them to go home. They soon headed in the direction of the castle and once they were gone Anubis went in the direction of Kai because he sensed his soul trying to leave its body. Anubis released a growl and took off into a run. He reached Kai as he saw Kai's soul leaving its body. Anubis quickly began to force Kai's back into his body. Anubis growled when he sensed Yama's henchmen coming their way. However, they soon disappeared and Kai's eyes slowly began to open as her heart beat became louder. Anubis let a small smile grace his face before it disappeared again. He observed Kai's injuries and knew immediately who caused those injuries.
"InuTaisho is getting closer to his goal." Anubis spoke calmly though his mind was racing.
"Yes and how is Nephira? Is she?" Kia's voice was full of concern.
"She is fine and…" Anubis got quite as his daughter began to come out of the shadows.
"Father I would like to speak with Kai." Her voice was nearly calm and betrayed nothing.
Anubis nodded and got up. He turned and headed back to the realm of the gods. He gave them one last glance then faded into the darkness.
…..
Nephira watched her father leave and then turned her eyes to Kai. She saw all of his wounds and her eyes became saddened. She knelt down next to him and helped him up. She put his arm over her shoulder and led him deeper into the stream. There she took off his armor and the top part of his kimono.
She felt him flinch as the wounds were being cleaned. As she cleaned the wounds she saw the wounds were slowly beginning to heal. She let a small smile form as she glanced back up to Kai. His eyes startled her for a second. They were filled with love and concern causing Nephira to nearly drop the rag she tore off from his kimono that wasn't covered in blood. He leaned closer to her and soon his lips connected with hers. It was a gentle kiss though it would barely be called a kiss because it was so soft and quick but to Nephira it was kiss none the less.
He pulled back and gazed into her eyes she looked back at him and nearly pulled him back for another but she had a mission and needed to get back to the castle to check on Rin. She stepped back and walked back to side of the stream with Kai following. Nephira sensed Kai as he walked closer to her soon pulling her into his embrace. He placed his head on top of hers and began to speak
"Nephira, promise me when this is over you will remain with me and we both can start a family on our own without the limitations of the gods." His voice came out in a whisper
Nehpira's eyes widened and she hoped she could promise him that but she would only be fooling herself for she knew that once things were back to normal her life would once again be dictated by the gods just it has always been. Nephira in response walked out of his embrace and headed toward the castle. She smelled Kai's despair and his aguish but this was how it was supposed to be. She was never meant for happiness nor was she meant to have a family. Her job will now and forever will be to protect those who have a future and not deal on something she can no longer have.
Sorry for taking so long to finish this chapter I had writers block and school on top of that. I want to thank all of you for sticking with this story even though it is taking me a lot longer that I thought to update. Please review and tell me what you think and thanks again for sticking with this story. :D
