Destiny (Ronin/Witchblade
Crossover)
By: Yin-Yang & JanimeLee
~Chapter Eight~
Sekhmet used his telepathic link to find the room Naomi was locked in. He pushed the large bar up from the hooks, grunting from the weight, and tossed it off to the side. Quickly, he grabbed the handle and pulled the door open. "Naomi."
"Dad!" his daughter jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly.
"Let's go." Sekhmet grabbed her hand and the two sprinted down the hallway and up a flight of stairs. They stopped.
"What is it?" Naomi asked.
"I don't know this part of the palace," her father answered.
Naomi swallowed hard, then an idea popped into her mind. "Wait a minute," she said and closed her eyes, focusing her thoughts on her three best friends.
The other girls felt something 'touch' their minds and closing their eyes concentrated. That did it and excitement and relief filled each of them as they realized they found each other. "I know where they are. Let's go!" She smiled and together ran down a hallway.
"Naomi found uncle Sekhmet!" Zenida said with relief.
"And I think I know where we can run into them so let's move!" Lupia said and together they began running, focusing on the link that bonded the four of them even closer.
All six almost collided when they reached the corner. The four girls cried happily and hugged each other, being united again. Sekhmet and Ineisha hugged briefly.
"Where's Reficul?" Ineisha asked.
"He locked himself in the room where he showed me what happened to the Nagashin," her son answered.
"Can we go now?" Dini pleaded.
"Yes," Sekhmet nodded and turned back to Ineisha. "I want you to come with us."
His mother blinked at his words. "I can't leave here."
"Yes, you can."
"But only for a short time."
"I'll help you break the blood bond to here. The other Warlords helped me."
"And we'll help, too," said Naomi. "You can live with us."
Ineisha closed her eyes momentarily. "It will be difficult," she said. "I'll go with you."
Sekhmet smiled and Naomi hugged her grandmother.
The girls just smiled and were happy for the family. But they had to get out now. No telling how soon Reficul would be coming after them.
Said man was trying very hard not to go to the happy family and start attacking but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He still loved Ineisha so much to cause her this pain. The evil spirit growled and tried once again to gain control but it was a struggle. With a cry he gripped his head and yelled, "Leave me be!!!"
~You and I made a deal! I will not be forsaken so submit to my power!!~ it roared and attacked once again.
"NO!" Reficul fought as hard as he could to push the netherworld emperor away, trying to bury him deep inside so that the demon king could not take over his body. In the end, Reficul fell to the ground.
"Naomi… Sekhmet… Ineisha…"
~Damn you, impudent fool!~ Talpa cursed at him. ~You made certain that you created too many blood demons so that your power would drain. It may take time for me to possess your body, but be aware, Reficul, I will. And I will make your little family suffer!~
"All set?" asked Sekhmet.
"I think so," said Lupia.
"I can't wait to get home," Dini said relieved.
"But what about Reficul?" Zenida asked.
"We'll come back and take care of him," said Sekhmet. He looked at his mother, who was staring at the palace with a distant look on her face. "Are you ready?"
Ineisha jumped a little and turned to her son. "Yes," she nodded, taking his hand. "Are you sure about this? You remember when you left the Dynasty the first time."
"I know; but you have us now." Ineisha smiled.
"All righty," said Naomi. "Let's go home."
The girls silently moved into a circle and concentrated. As before their bracelets glowed and a tall red gate outlined in gold appeared before them from thin air. The girls were all glad in seeing that as it opened they made their way towards it. Naomi reached out and held both Sekhmet's and Ineisha's hands tightly.
"Let's go. Together," she said with a soft smile.
The door opening in the wall made everyone jump--especially the four women. But when four girls, a man, and a woman with strange markings walked through, happiness flooded the room.
After tears and 'I love you' were exhausted, everyone sat down and the exciting tale was told. Shock was inevitable when Sekhmet told them about his relation to Reficul.
"He's your father?" Abigail asked with wide eyes.
"The man I loved," Ineisha spoke, "was his father. I do not know who this man is now."
"He's not the same... not anymore," Sekhmet said silently. The other warlord motioned that they should keep the subject of Reficul off topic for now and were just happy to be together. They continued to talk some more before the girls began to show signs of fatigue. Dini was curled up on the sofa, using Dais' lap as a pillow; Lupia was blinking owlishly as she sat between her parents; Zenida was resting her head on her knees, on the verge of sleeping; and Naomi was sleeping as well with her head resting on the arm hair and arms hanging out.
"We better put the girls to sleep. Excuse us lady." Anubis carefully picked his daughter up and took her to the room as the other did the same. The waives talked with Ineisha, welcoming her to the family and got to know each other better on a higher level. They were on the verge of becoming a very large and tight family.
"Why don't we get some rest," Anubis suggested.
"What about the bracelets?" Lupia asked with a yawn.
"We'll take care of them in the morning," said Cale.
Sekhmet looked at his mother. "Why don't you take the bed with Naomi and Abigail," he said. "I'll sleep on the couch."
"Are you certain?" Ineisha asked. "To be honest, I never sleep on a bed in my life."
"Come on, grandma," said Naomi, taking her hand.
Later that night, Sekhmet woke from a dreamless sleep. He sat up and rubbed his bare shoulders. Gentle hands soon moved into place, and he knew that touch all too well. "Thank you," he said.
"Anytime," said Abigail, kneading the muscles along his spine. "You're tense."
"A lot has happened within the last twenty-four hours." Sekhmet stood up and walked over to the window.
Silently she went to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her cheek against his back and sighed deeply. "But you came back with our daughter and your mother. In a way we had our victory tonight." She turned him so she could look up at him and reached up with a hand to cup his face, looking deeply into his eyes. "Sekhmet... I still love you so much. I was wondering if maybe... we could have another chance at this with all our secrets out in the open."
He rested his forehead lightly against hers. "Do you really think so?"
Abigail reached her fight hand to her neck and pulled out a silver chain with a gold ring around it. Sekhmet realized that it was her wedding band. He watched as she took hold of his ring and twisted the two chains together.
"I know so," Abigail whispered releasing the chains and they fell away.
Sekhmet leaned forward, lightly brushing his lips against hers. The kiss intensified and Sekhmet leaned back against the wall. "Wait," he said breathlessly. "There are eleven other people here."
"You certainly forgot our high school days," Abigail grinned.
"No, I haven't but-"
"Sekhmet, my parents were the lightest sleepers in the world."
He grinned back at her. "Thank heaven they sleep deeper."
She softly laughed, shaking her head but it was warm as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and brought their faces closer together. She had never forgotten how handsome he was and how lucky she was to have him and their daughter in her life. What problems they had bee in the past but the future was wide open before them. This was just a first step in having a life together again. Leaning forward their lips meet in a tender kiss before it deepen and held him as tight as she could. Tonight was their night.
Naomi stirred awake. Ineisha was still sleeping--obviously tonight was probably the best night's sleep she ever had in the last four hundred years. But Naomi's mother wasn't in the bed with them. Rising up to a sitting position, Naomi saw the light from the kitchen shining under the closed door.
Probably making herself some tea, Naomi thought as she settled down again. I wish that she and dad would make up.
The sun peaked through the small opening between the curtains. Sekhmet turned his head away and slowly opened his eyes. He looked down at Abigail, fast asleep in his arms. Both were lying on the floor under the blanket. They even pulled a couple cushions from the couch off with them.
After all these years... he thought to himself, smiling some he carefully leaned down and softly kissed her cheek, holding her closer. "I love you," he whispered to her, gently brushing the strands away from her face. He could think of nothing better then this moment. He had his family back and he would do everything he could to protect them.
Abigail moved a little, hugging Sekhmet a little tighter. "And I love you," she whispered back, "you big hunk of man." They both laughed quietly.
"So," Abigail moved on top of him.
"So," Sekhmet repeated. "Will you be my wife, again?"
"Yes, again." Abigail leaned forward and kissed him. "First things first, let me make breakfast." She stood up, putting her nightgown and robe on, which somehow manage to land on the end table by the hallway.
Sekhmet grabbed his boxers hanging on the lamp and his pants from the armchair. "What are you going to make?" he asked as he dressed.
"French Toast."
"What? No pancakes?"
"I don't see how you should complain," she smiled at him as she took the ingredients out. "You end up putting too much syrup.
"So I like my pancakes to be sweet." he moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzled her neck some. "Just like you."
"Sweet talker." But she happily leaned against him. This moment was too perfect she just wanted to stay like this all day.
The door to the bathroom opened and Anubis stepped out wearing his drawstring pants and sleeveless shirt. He came into the kitchen, surprised to see the two of them but just smiled and nodded a good morning to them. "Have a good night?"
"Yeah we did," was all he said, hugging Abigail tightly before reluctantly letting her go to get breakfast started.
It seemed as if nothing terrible had happened the day before, as if they had always been regular people of normal families. Even Ineisha seemed at ease being with them, laughing at the jokes and engaging in conversation as much as she could.
"Okay," Dini said once the dishes had been cleared from the table. She held out her left arm to her father. "Do it to it, Daddy-o."
"Please," Lupia begged as the other three girls held out their arms.
Anubis touched the ogre bracelet on Zenida's wrist. Instead of the eyes glowing and the jump change to his wrist, the bracelet stayed where it was. "What the…"
"Why isn't it coming off?" Naomi asked nervously as her father touched the bracelet but received the same result as Anubis.
"This isn't right," said Cale; he looked at the other Warlords.
"Daddy…" Zenida's eyes widened as her bracelet began to glow a dark yellowish color. The other three bracelets started glowing as well. The four lights shot up from the bracelets to the center of the room, each talking form of the creature the bracelet represented.
"What the-" Naomi stood up so abruptly she knocked her chair over.
The snake seemed to hiss and raised itself up. ~You have nothing to fear from us,~ a voice hissed into their minds.
"We have a lot to fear from a wolf, a spider, a snake, and an ogre as big as us and that... can... talk...?" Lupia was upset but the words were slowly dying as he eyes widen. "Oh my god..."
The wolf yawned largely, revealing sharp fangs and shook it's head. ~We can talk, yes. We have always been able to talk.~
"Um what--are you?" Delia asked softly, feeling unnerved but also felt a need to be polite to them at the very least.
~We are the spirits of the armors,~ the ogre spoke up, looking at them with glowing eyes.
~At the time when the world was young, ~ the spider picked up, ~it was the four of us who forged the armors and used them to protect the early days of humans.~
"You were the original wearers," said Ineisha. "Is it true about the last battle?"
"Last battle?" Sekhmet looked at his mother.
~Indeed, ~ the large snake nodded. ~We used all of our strength to seal off the Netherworld. In the end, it cost us our lives. ~
~Our bodies died, ~ said the ogre, ~but our souls remained within our armors. ~
"That explains the double sensation we always felt when we wore them," Dais said quietly and squeezed Dini's shoulder. She looked so scared.
~We were powerless inside the bracelets so we trusted our clans to keep us safe,~ the wolf spoke up.
"Clans? You mean..." the words trailed off as Zenida looked at the bracelet.
~You four are the last decedents of the original Clans that were watched over the Four guardians of the Seasons.~ That earned them a bit of silence as the families let it sink in but not everyone seemed happy with this.
"Then why are you staying with our daughters?" Liana asked, holding Lupia tightly as if afraid she was going to lose her all over again. "They shouldn't have to fight they're too young!"
~That is the reason, ~ said the wolf, glowing eyes staring straight into Liana's. ~Their fathers' were the same age as they are now when they wore the Armors. It is innocence that keeps us with them. ~
"So the reason why you're staying with us is because we're virgins?" Zenida asked.
~Precisely, ~ the ogre nodded.
"I'm impressed," said Dini, "Lupia still has her virginity."
"Hey!" Lupia glared at her. "And just what is THAT supposed to mean?"
"Don't take this personally," Dini raised her hands in defense, "but I always thought that out of the four of us, you'd be a mom first."
"You said that she'd have a kid before we graduated school," said Naomi.
The blue haired girl was turning red in the face that Liana held onto her tightly, not letting go until she had calmed down. "I'm going to kill you two."
Delia looked at her young daughter, noting the troubled look on her face and growing concerned reached out to brush her lavender hair from her face. "Honey? Are you alright?"
"... I don't want to fight."
"What?"
She looked up at them with bright teal colored eyes, trying very hard to keep the tears from falling. "I don't want to fight! I don't want to become what dad was! I-I can't hurt anyone even if they deserved it!"
Anubis' eyes widen as realization hit him. Somehow she had seen what he was like what he and the others were under the influence of Talpa. All they cared about was power and immortality and right now he was at a loss for words. "Zendia-"
"No!" She lifted her hands up, brushing them away and stepped away from them as tears continued falling. "I never wanted this I just wanted to live my life like a normal teenager... but it'll never be the same. I won't fight and there's nothing you can make me do to change my mind!" Without another word she ran away from everyone, going out the front door and ran wherever her feet took her. She couldn't fight, she couldn't even imagine herself hurting anyone, even if that person deserved it. ~It's not fair!~ she cried to herself, pushing herself harder as if trying to outrun her destiny.
~Who said that is was fair? ~
Zenida skidded to a halt. Standing right in front of her was the ogre spirit. "Just leave me and my family alone," Zenida said quietly, hoping that the few people walking on the street wouldn't think that she was crazy.
~Zenida, if I could spare you the pain from this, I would. But I can't. Your father didn't have a choice in what happened to him. Nor did I have a choice. I was denied to watch my own children grow up and be apart of their lives. You have no idea what it was like for me to know those I loved grow and pass on to the afterlife, while I and the other three Guardians spent millennia trapped inside the bracelets. ~
~So you all had it worse. At least... we had a chance at life...~ she thought to herself silently, looking away at the passing people but no one gave her another look. Looking back at the spirit she sighed deeply. "But I can't hurt anyone. I can petrified at the sight of my own blood," she said softly, rubbing her arm as she remembered the last time she had to get a blood test. She had literally fainted before the needle touched her and felt sick a few days afterwards. "I don't think I can do this... I don't want to put my family or my friends at risk."
~Everything you do, you take a risk. Being out here alone is taking a risk. The four Warlords took a risk when they returned here to the mortal realm to start over again. Your mothers took a risk when they married your fathers and had you. ~
"But I don't want to repeat what my father did back then."
~You won't, ~ said the ancient spirit. ~That wasn't your father--that was Talpa who had them under control. You see, your fathers lost everything and everyone when they were your age. They had nothing, and that's how Talpa was able to control them. You and your friends know the difference and know how to seek out the truth. You will not fall under the shadow of darkness. ~
"Will this ever be over?" Zenida asked. "Will this battle keep on going till there's nothing left?"
~That, I'm afraid, is something I do not have an answer for, ~ the ogre shook his head sadly. He turned into a ball of light and entered the bracelet. "Let's go home, ~ he said. ~Your family is very worried about you. ~
~End of Chapter Eight~