Chapter 10
Day 6 Confessions and Gifts (Dais)

5:00 in the morning and Dais could not sleep, he knew today was day 6 of the 7 Days; tomorrow would be their last day. On sunrise of day 8 they would never see Anubis again. Dais' mind began to wander; his mind began to wander to the first time they had met Anubis. He remembered how gentle Anubis was, helping the healer treat his wound. He remembered how great they had hit it off after he had gotten better. Then he remembered all of Anubis' friends he had brutally murdered when they came too close to discovering the truth about the three Warlords. He remembered when Anubis realized he was the bearer of the Ogre Armor and that he had the blood of the Ancient One flowing through him. He remembered all of the people he had massacred who had tried to protect Anubis from him and Talpa. Then he remembered pinning Anubis to the ground, injecting him with a liquid that would make him completely docile, completely open to Talpa's evil, and open to the false memory that Anubis had come of his own free will to Talpa and the other Warlords. Dais had believed that if he could manipulate Anubis' memories, he would never leave them. But when he did leave them, Dais' heart was clearly broken, despite the clam outward appearance. What amazed Dais was the fact that Anubis was willing to go back to the Demon realm to save all three them. When Anubis died, he freed all of them, not just Kayura. In the end, though, it was entirely his fault. Now, because of his sins, Sekhmet and Cale had to suffer. The Ronins suffered too, they cared about him, they showed him acceptance, and they looked to him like he was a big brother. In their "family" Anubis was like a little brother to him, and as the oldest of the four Seasons, he had the responsibility to take care of them. But he had failed, and Anubis' death was the price of his failure.
Looking at the ceiling, Dais remembered how happy he was when Anubis found his armor. Then he remembered the look of pain, anger, and sorrow when he saw that his captors and hunters were his best friends. He remembered being in his ceremonial kimono, pinning down a struggling Anubis, injecting him with the liquid that would make his memory a blank slate so that Talpa could manipulate him. After Anubis had been made a Warlord, he remembered the evil laughter all four of them laughed. Dais shook his head, he should get to sleep, but knew that he wouldn't sleep until nightfall. Getting up, Dais took a shower, and started to make some coffee. He looked at the others sleeping; he was the one who enticed them to become Warlords, and now he had to deal with the consequences of his actions. Looking at the sleeping Anubis, Dais wanted to cry. 'You had no say in this,' Dais thought sadly, 'I just wanted us to be together, like a family. I always wanted a family of my own, but I used evil means. Now my punishment is to live without the whole "family" until I die.' As the coffee began to percolate, Dais saw that it was 9:00, enough time to order breakfast and start on plans for the day. Around 9:30, Anubis began to stir. Dais offered him a cup of coffee and began to watch the others get up.
After breakfast, Dais said, "Today is day 6, I was wondering if all four of us could do something special together."
"Well," Anubis said, "We can go to see one of the waterfalls in Honaunau Bay."
After they checked the lobby, Dais drove to the bay in the Kona district. After walking to the location, the ex-Warlords saw a wonderful waterfall coming from a mountain. As they watched in wonder, Anubis asked Cale and Sekhmet to leave him and Dais alone. When they were alone Anubis asked him, "You look you have the world on your shoulders, what's wrong?"
"I was just remembering all the things I did to make you a Warlord," Dais said, avoiding Anubis' eyes, "I wish I had known better."
"Were you ever afraid of losing me?" Anubis asked
"Yes! I hated that blasted monk for taking you from me, and six moths later, I still do. When you betrayed us, I was in so much pain. And I was in more pain when you became the monk. When the Ronins tried to protect you from me, I was ready to kill all five of them. When you died, I sometimes entertained the thought of committing ritual suicide," Dais admitted, "I wanted us to be together, I wanted us to be a "family," but I used dishonorable means. Your death was my punishment for all the crimes I committed. And tomorrow I will walk with you to Mauna Kea and lose you all over again."
Dais looked at Anubis' blue-green eyes, trying not to cry. This whole mess was his fault. He had always tried to keep his feelings under control, but Dais had caused so much pain. As a coping mechanism, he had tried to put push the pain away, but now Dais' pain was coming back and he couldn't stop the memories from coming back.
"Have you ever thought of writing your feelings down?" Anubis asked comfortingly.
"No," Dais said, surprised.
With that, Anubis produced a large bound book and a black pen. "I bought this book at the same store I got Cale's art supplies. You should write down what you feel."
"Okay," Dais said, and soon he began to write. As he wrote, he realized how much better he felt after putting his thoughts down on paper.
"Dais," Anubis said, "I want you to know that when I died, I didn't hate you for what you did to me. I forgave you and all the other Warlords, so don't let the past haunt you."
"Thank you," Dais said. Then he hugged Anubis and sobbed on his shoulder. "You were a good friend, I will miss you."
"Cale and Sehkmet are coming, you probably should let me go." Anubis teased, looking at the two ex-Warlords walking up the path.
When Dais did let Anubis go, Cale and Sekhmet walked up to them.
"That was so beautiful," Cale said, "who knew the Mortal realm held so much beauty."
"Yes," Sekhmet replied, "And to think six months ago we wanted to destroy this. Life has many strange ironies."
After leaving, all four of them stopped for dinner, and then drove to the hotel. Seeing no Ronins or Hina in the lobby, they went to their room and got ready for bed.