Destiny (Ronin/Witchblade Crossover)
By: Yin-Yang & JanimeLee

~Chapter Seven~

            Of all the thoughts running through the girls' heads at that moment one seemed to stand out the most.  The fact that their enemy, the same one their fathers went against so many years ago in this place called the Dynasty was in fact related to one of them. Naomi didn't want to believe it but all things were pointing to him. How? Why? Ineisha continued to glare at him hatefully, thinking back to the fateful day when she was forced to leave her only child and the armor that had been in her family since Kami knew when in hopes that Reficul wouldn't find either one.

            "Are you sure about this?" a woman with midnight hair and dark blue eyes asks as she and two other women were standing on the bounder line that separated their village from the rest of the world. Her kimono beautiful done in dark colors with snowflakes and clouds.

            "It is the only way to keep them safe," Ineisha answered softly, her kimono elegantly done to resemble snake scales in neutral colors of dark greens and reds with hint of yellow.

            "We know but... please reconsider," another woman spoke up, her dark red braid handing down her back that complimented her own kimono covered with pictures of ogres and flowers in bloom. She reached over and took her hands in her own, green eyes dark with concern. "What should we tell your son when he asks about you? We can't tell him the truth..."

            "Tell him only that I loved him," Ineisha looked at her child asleep in her arms then turned her eyes to the three women. "That is the truth. He will be safe with your sons."

            "And he will be loved," the third woman with light hair promised, her dark wine-colored kimono had a strange weaving pattern on it;  it almost looked like a spider web. She took the sleeping boy from Ineisha. "His name?"

            The Nagashin paused for a moment. "Sekhmet," she said quietly. "My son's name is Sekhmet…" Ineisha reached out and stroked his hair, the same dark green as hers. Goodbye, little one, she thought. Ineisha stepped back, unable to take her eyes from her son, and returned to the Dynasty.

            Reficul was waiting for her. "Where are they?"

            "Where are what?" Ineisha looked at him with feigned innocence.

            "The armor," he said, walking towards her threateningly. "And my son."

            "He is my son," Ineisha hissed, "not yours."

            Reficul slapped her across her face so hard she stumbled a bit. He grabbed the front of her robe and shook her. "Where are they?" he bellowed in her ear.

            "Safe from you!" she yelled back.

            He threw her to the ground and summoned a shadow beast. "Take her away!" Reficul ordered and went to the throne room. His master would not be pleased with this sudden little insurrection incident.

            The demon was none to gentle as it practically dragged her to a large room bare except for a pile of hay in one corner and cold, stonewalls. He grunted as he threw her in and slammed the heavy door shut, bringing the bolt into place and stood guard. Inside Ineisha pulled herself up and tried to get the door to open but it proved futile, so she went to the corner and knelt there in the straw, thinking about her son and closed her eyes tightly against the tears.

            It's for the best... she thought to herself sadly but it still broke her heart. She bowed her head some and softly cried, letting the tears fall and clutched at the soft fabric tightly in both hands. Sekhmet… I will always love you. Nothing will ever change that.

            "Leaving him in the mortal realm was the last thing I wanted to do," Ineisha said, her eyes catching a quick glance of her son before returning her angry glare at Reficul. "I never had the chance to watch him grow up into the man he is now. It was a small sacrifice to pay to keep him from you."

            "And I bet it just tortured you when he returned and served my master," said Reficul. He looked at Sekhmet. "A little too painful when you left, Sekhmet? I'm sure that you wouldn't have survived without the other Warlords help breaking your blood bond to the Dynasty."

            Blood bond? That caused the gears in Naomi's mind to start turning. Then that meant maybe they was a way to get her grandmother out of here as well.

            "Wait a minute Master?" Lupia looked puzzled. "I thought you were behind all of this."

            Zenida suddenly felt a cold chill go up her spine and looked around the room. She suddenly felt this blackness seep into the room, making the temperature seem to drop but was making her sick. Could this be the Master he was talking about? But who could possess such a black soul/aura such as this?

            "No…" Ineisha whispered, terrified.

            Sekhmet paled. "Oh gods…" he swallowed hard, "it can't be…"

            A dark sinister laughter echoed throughout the room. Reficul smiled. "Master," he said and dropped to his knees. "My lord, Emperor Talpa."

            "Reficul," a deep echoing voice said, "My benevolent servant, still loyal after all this time. Ah, I see that you've brought your son back to his rightful home."

            "This is not my home!" Sekhmet yelled, raising his head up. "It never was!"

            "Hey wait a minute! What the heck is going on??" she was getting confused fast.

            "He's suppose to be dead..." the young girl of spring said in a hush tone.

            Reficul just laughed at the looks on their faces and for a moment his eyes glowed. "You can never stop evil. It will always exist in another form one way or another."

            "But that doesn't mean we can't kill you." Without another word Naomi charged at the man, fully indenting on breaking his neck as she cocked her fist back.

            Reficul sidestepped her attack and grabbed Naomi by the neck with both hands, choking his granddaughter as he raised her up, her feet dangling off the floor.

            "NO!" Sekhmet quickly rolled, knocking Reficul off his feet, which made him release Naomi.

            In turn, Naomi scrambled away, coughing as air returned to her lungs.

            Sekhmet tried to keep Reficul pinned down with his legs, which didn't work out as he had hoped. Reficul broke free and stood up.

            "Wrong move," Reficul made a sword of pure energy appear in his hand.

            "Reficul, wait," said Talpa. "Bring him along. There's something we must show him to help him understand who he is."

            "Yes," Reficul grabbed the rope around Sekhmet's neck, hauling him up.

            "No!" Ineisha cried out. "You mustn't! He's too young!"

            "Watch us!" With that they slowly began to faded away from view but the green haired girl wasn't about to be left out. She lunged forward again but this time grabbed a tight hold of her father's arm. On contact all four disappeared and the coldness/darkness of the room vanished as if it was never there.

            "NAOMI!!!"

            "We have to get her back! Dini turned to the older woman and meet her eyes. "You know where they went! How can we get there?!"

            "I can't take you there! It's too dangerous!"

            "We promised her we would be there for her and we're not about to let up on that promise. Please tell me!"

            "LET ME THE HELL OUTTA HERE!!!!" Naomi yelled at the top of her lungs, banging on the metal door with her fists but it did nothing except make her hands sore. With a growl she kicked at it and leaned against the wall. She was in a dark room completely bare and made of solid metal all around. It was similar to the room she and the others were kept in but no opening except for a bolted door. Closing her eyes tightly she reached out to her father's mind. ~Please let this work,~ she prayed.

            Dad? Can you hear me?

            Naomi.

            She almost broke down into tears when he responded. Are you okay? Where are you?

            I'm all right, he answered. Listen to me, don't try to contact me this way for a while.

            WHAY!? Dad! What about—

            Please, Naomi. Remember that I love you. And I love your mother, too.

            The connection was broken.

            "Daddy," Naomi whispered.

            Reficul waved his hand in front of a large crystal in the center of the room. It began to glow and soon the room turned into a vast meadow. "It's not real, Sekhmet," Reficul said. "At one time it was, though."

            "A memory crystal," Sekhmet said quietly. He was about to say something else, when a child ran by. Sekhmet blinked at the younger version of his mother. "What is this for?"

            "An old memory of your mother..." He spoke in a odd tone, was it love? She looked so happy and carefree, jumping at a blade of grass and opened her hands to reveal a grasshopper. She watched as it hopped from her hands and followed it. "I loved your mother the moment I laid eyes on her. She was the most beautiful woman I had even seen, so carefree and innocent..." the image waved and it showed Ineisha older, about the same age of the girls if a bit older but there was also a man, just like Reficul only he didn't have the white streak and his eyes were a warm brown instead of red. he looked... normal.
"I loved her so much... but something happened later on."

            Sekhmet watched as strange creatures began running across the field. He recognized them as orcs. They began attacking the Nagashin unmercifully. Reficul grabbed Ineisha's hand and the two sprinted across the field, orcs closing on the couple fast. Suddenly, Reficul gathered Ineisha in his arms and jumped down off a cliff. The orcs stopped at the edge and watched them fall. The creatures turned away, not noticing that Reficul and Ineisha had survived and were now safe on another ledge.

            "we returned many hours later," said Reficul. "And what we found wasn't much."

            Sekhmet blinked at the mangled bodies of the Nagashin. The look on Ineisha's face was heartbreaking.

            The same could also be said for Reficul as they walked through the ruined village, not letting her hand go once but tighten his grip. There was nothing they could do for them except to give them a proper burial. It took well into night and some into the early morning but they were done. The man held the young woman tightly with their few belongings at their feet, promising her that he would never let anything happen to her as long as his heart still beat.

            "We left the village... there was nothing more that we could do and made a home of our own. Life was going so well afterwards and we were expecting you, a miracle in our lives but..." he trailed off for a moment and sighed deeply, closing her hand into a tight fist. The image change to show him once again but standing before a dark shadow.

            "A stranger came and offered me power and wealth to provide for your mother and protect her. I knew there was a catch but Ineisha deserved so much more... I agreed on the grounds that she and our child would never be harmed. it promised and I unknowingly sold my soul to it. Your mother saw the difference and for a while, I convinced her nothing was wrong. But when you were born the shadow came back and said it was time for me serve him. His first order, steal your mother's bracelet." the image changed and it showed Ineisha, few months pregnant with Sekhmet and wearing the snake bracelet on her left wrist. "I just thought it was just that, a bracelet and never bother to ask about it. It brought too much pain for her..."

            "Then what happened?" Sekhmet asked.

            "She ran off. Had you in secret, and when you were old enough she left you and the bracelet with the other Warlord families." Reficul walked away from the crystal as the image faded away and the room was nothing more but an empty square. "Do you understand now?" he asked, turning to his son.

            "Everything I did was for your mother and you."

            "Did that include leaving my mother inside a dungeon for more than four hundred years?" Sekhmet narrowed his eyes. "Never telling me the truth? Taking control of your granddaughter's mind to fight me?"

            He was silent, looking down before looking up at him again. his eyes... they looked dark, more brown then red and wet. "I swore I would protect her and I would never kill her. I couldn't kill any of you but sometimes... I have no control over my actions." He closed his eyes tightly, a dark form appearing behind him with gleaming red eyes and seemed to smirk evilly at the bound man.

            "So... this is your son... and former Warlord of Venom..." it laughed and sent an icy chill down Sekhmet's spine.

            "Who the hell are you?" he asked quietly, not believing his eyes at this sight.

            "Just a shadow who made a deal with your father... but bound by that promise I cannot make him harm the bloodline... but I can make them suffer..." it chuckled once more before seeping back into the man. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes that were back to their blood red color. "Love... such a strong force... and yet so weak..."

            "It's stronger than you think," said Sekhmet. "It kept you from killing us."

"But not using you."

            "You could've done a lot worse."

            Reficul looked at his son. "I already have."

            "Come with us," Sekhmet walked closer.

            "To where?" Reficul moved away so that the memory crystal was between them. "The mortal world? I highly doubt that your friends there will give me a warm welcome. You're not the only one I made suffer."

            "They'll understand. Don't do this to us, to yourself."

            He slowly shook his head. "I have caused too much pain to everyone and I can't holding this back. One day I may lose control and I don't want to have any more blood staining my hands. Just forget about me and take care of your mother for me... like how I wanted to." he looked away sadly, the image of the crystal flicked for a bit to reveal Sekhmet with his family.

            "You've been watching us...?" he asked softly in disbelief, remembering that time... it was shortly after Naomi was born and they were in the park with the large fountain.

            "I had to see my granddaughter. And see how you turned your life around. I'm proud of you, Sekhmet." Suddenly, Reficul cried out and leaned against the crystal. "Get out of here!" he hissed painfully.

            "Reficul!" Sekhmet reached for him.

            "GO!"

            Sekhmet immediately drew back. He could feel the dark energy gathering in the air. Sekhmet turned and ran out the door. Naomi, he sent. I'll be right there!

            Naomi jerked up, wide-eyed and pulled herself to her feet. Dad... please be careful, she prayed softly. Closing her eyes and closing her hand tightly into a fist. "Please... come back to

us..."

            The girls silently looked around the bleak area of the castle. the place was creepy and dank and unnerving. Bu they were determined to get their friend and uncle out.

            Lupia ran a hand through the electric blue strands and jerked her head to the side. "Let's go gang."

            "Keep your guard up," said Ineisha. "Just because you may see anything doesn't mean there is not something there."

            "I believe that," Dini murmured.

            Ineisha took Zenida and Lupia's hands as the two girl's held onto Dini's. The Nagashin woman began to chant and a whirlwind encircled them. They felt as if they were falling then the wind stopped, and saw they were in some kind of metallic room.

            Zenida released Dini's and Ineisha's hands and looked around the new area. There was a large crystal on the floor near the wall over by a hallway leading off somewhere. Zenida walked over to it and touched the smooth, clear surface with her fingertips.

            The crystal began to glow making Zenida jump back. Suddenly the room vanished and they were standing on a field that they recognized. The battlefield from the nightmare they had after they had received the bracelets.

            "No... oh god no..." the young girl looked around, wishing this wasn't happening but it was. Shaking hands reached up to her face and eyes became very wide. "Not again..." it took everything she had not to begin screaming in fear.

            Zenida looked a the young girl and grew very concerned. It seemed out of it all Dini was hurt the most. "Dini don't lose it now. Hold it together alright?" she told her softly, looking around worriedly. "We need to get out of here. Fast."

            "Not until the memory is finished," Ineisha spoke quietly.

            "You mean we have to watch this?" Lupia asked with teary eyes.

            "I'm afraid so, children. I'm sorry that you have to."

            They watched it all. The entire battle raged in total chaos. Their fathers brutal in their fighting--Sekhmet seemed to be the worst, and the other girls were relieved and envious that Naomi wasn't watching what her father had done in the past.

            It seemed like forever by the time the crystal finished playing out the ancient memory, and the room returned as it was before. The three girls stood where they were, too shocked to move or speak.

            Ineisha put her hands on Dini's and Zenida's shoulders. "Remember, your fathers love you without question," she told them. "They would do anything for you. Those four men you just saw no longer exist."

            The young girl reached up, covering her hand with her own and slowly nodded. "That's why he puts so much effort in his garden. As if trying to repay for all the lives he took by planting new ones..."The older woman smiled softly and squeezed her shoulder some.

            The other girl swallowed deeply, unable to imagine her father being this cruel... this was a completely different person... not the one that would play pranks with her and knew how to make her laugh and such. "Can we go now? Please?"

            "I'm with Dini. Let's get Naomi, Uncle Sekhmet and go back home. We do have a life outside of this," she weakly joked, giving them a wolfish grin.

            "Yes," said Ineisha. "You do."

~End of Chapter Seven~