Do not own SC characters, do own Setsuna. This one I think is my best chapter, but you'll just have to see for yourself. :P
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Chapter 17: The Last Step
"I thought Bastet told Sekhmet to not have the desert be too hot for us." Sophitia noted as she realized the dryness of her throat. They had been in the desert for who knows how long; it seemed like hours. Setsuna had actually been quite nice to the two of them as she escorted them to the oasis, keeping her two swords at her side just in case. The heat didn't seem to bother her, of course she was in her human form once again. The thing that caught Taki and Sophitia's attention about her the most was her amethyst eyes and how she was so much like her mother.
"Oh she's done worse, much worse, we don't have much longer to go, maybe fifty-three miles... You know you should really consider the advantages of being a cat-beast." Setsuna suddenly noted. Sophitia's head shot up, Taki noticed that her ears bend back a little.
"Don't start with me, okay? That's like a evil necromancer saying you should really consider the advantages of being a demon." Sophitia spat. Setsuna abruptly stopped and slowly turned to Sophitia with an eye that would make anyone feel small, but Sophitia stood her ground.
"Cat-beasts created by the lovely goddess Bastet were never made for a means of evil. For your information, we stop all Anubites from committing any crimes that they may do." Setsuna informed as she tried to calm her tone.
"What are Anubites exactly?" Sophitia crossed her arms over her chest.
"They are Anubis' minions." Taki suddenly spoke in a plain voice. Taki just decided to walk ahead of them; she wanted to get out of the heat so badly.
Setsuna and Sophitia just looked at each other one last time before the started walking again.
"Have you ever seen an Anubite?" Sophitia raised an eyebrow as if she didn't believe her.
"I faced an army of them once, the are easy for Anubis to spawn. Anubis isn't a horrible god really, it's just that his Anubites can get out of control at times." Setsuna's eyes were fixed on her invisible path before her as she spoke.
"I see, of course you know that you haven't exactly changed my mind." Sophitia noted. Setsuna remained silent as her gaze swept to the mountains of sand. "Do you like being a half-beast?"
"Hey, it's not like a have a choice anyway, unlike all the other cat-beasts I can change to a human form, but that's just because I'm a demigod. By the way, I didn't really mean what I said about Taki, I just wanted you to get more aggressive, I wanted to see how far you'd go." Setsuna didn't look up.
"Well I hope you learned your lesson." Sophitia smirked.
"Yes, I think so." Setsuna smiled as she rubbed her throat.
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What seemed like another six hours seemed to pass. Taki figured they'd at least see some sign of green from the oasis; the sun has already turned into an orange sunset.
"Are you sure that there even is an oasis in this desert?" Taki had to ask as she turned to Setsuna with a raised eyebrow. Setsuna squinted as she looked ahead, then relaxed her eyes as she smiled.
"Oh we are very close, we made good time. It's just over the three sand dunes. And yes of course there is such an oasis; I used to come to it when I was little."
"How old are you now?" Sophitia let her words slip out before she could catch them. Setsuna's eyes darted as if she was afraid to reveal her age. "You look about in your early thirties." Sophitia noted. Setsuna looked down.
"I'm... I'm defiantly not in my thirties." Setsuna seemed a little flushed.
"Then what are you in?" Taki started to become interested as well. Setsuna's eyes shot towards Taki briefly then lowered them again.
"I'm two-hundred and sixteen years old." Both Sophitia and Taki's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
"W-well." Taki started. "If it makes you feel any better you sure look good for your age."
Setsuna chuckled. "Well, I'm the daughter of a goddess, what can you expect. Many other demigods are unlike me." She noted as she looked back to where the oasis should be. "Well, that's enough about me. Let's keep going, I'm sure you can't wait to turn back to normal Sophitia." She didn't look back to Sophitia as she spoke, like she was nervous of what these two might think of her.
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Both Taki and Sophitia sighed with relief as they saw that Setsuna's estimation was correct. They took sight of the beautiful oasis before them, it had hundreds of palm trees with a few openings, obviously being the water of the oasis.
Sophitia wanted to run to it, it was her way to freedom from this 'gift' she was given. She smiled widely as she walked ahead of the two. Coming closer to the trees she could feel her own tail wave around excitedly behind her. She searched frantically around her for either a stream or the oasis itself. She turned to Setsuna with a look that she could clearly read.
Setsuna smiled warmly. "It's straight ahead. You'll know it when you see it." Sophitia grinned as she let out a breath before the continued.
"Are you sure that you sure that you don't want to wait until at least tomorrow so that you can say goodbye to your 'gift'?" Taki smiled as she walked to Sophitia and rubbed her knuckle against the back of Sophitia's long ear. Sophitia let out a fake laugh as she let Taki pet her.
"I'm pretty sure, thank you." Sophitia's eyes slowly closed as she felt Taki pet her even harder and leaned into it.
Taki began to hear a dim purr become louder and louder; she couldn't help but smile as Sophitia rubbed her head slightly against her knuckle, then her eyes suddenly snapped open.
"Is that me?" Sophitia asked bewildered. Taki laughed at this.
"You couldn't even tell that it was you?" Taki chuckled.
"All I was doing was breathing!" Sophitia let a smile come out. She purred more as Taki rubbed her forehead against her own and Sophitia rubbed back, then felt Taki move down and nuzzle her neck. Taki did this only because she loved hearing her purr, not only did she love the sound but also knowing that Sophitia was enjoying this.
Taki felt Sophitia's canines pinch her shoulder lightly. Taki pulled away a bit. "What'd you do that for?" Taki wondered what the purpose of doing that was, not that she really minded.
"I had an urge, I'm sorry." Sophitia actually smirked at what she did.
"Yes well, before you have any more urges maybe you should find that stream of yours." Taki grinned. Sophitia narrowed her eyes and grinned as she turned to go look for the stream.
"You had to do that huh? Making her purr more." Setsuna smirked.
"Do you ever do that?" Taki asked trying to hold in a smile but failed miserably.
"Sometimes I catch myself." Setsuna said plainly but had a small smile as she looked forward.
"Can I ask you something?" Taki asked Setsuna as she watched Sophitia walked ahead of them, way ahead of them.
"Sure, what is it?" Setsuna held a small smile.
"Why did Bastet give us this thing?" She lifted up the scarab necklace that she kept in her pocket. "What harm would we come across in a place as remote as this?"
"Well, this place is known to quite a few mythical creatures and some can be quite hostile-"Setsuna stopped as she heard Sophitia yell her name.
The two raced to Sophitia weaving their way through the mass of trees to find her standing in front of a stream that seemed to have a white glow. They could see the stone wall trickling the divine waters quite heavily.
"Is... is this it?" Sophitia spoke in a low, weak voice.
"I believe so..." Setsuna smiled, partially knowing Sophitia's reaction. Setsuna thought that she would literally jump in, but Sophitia just calmly dipped her foot in to see if it would work. She watched in awe as the fur on her foot began to erase away.
"It really is the river of renewal." Taki stated as she watched Sophitia lift her foot from the stream. Sophitia dipped both feet in and walked to the waters that fell gently over and down the stone wall. She let the warm water trickle down her face and the rest of her body. She opened her eyes and watched as the fur slowly erased away as the water fell upon her skin. Letting the water pour in her mouth, her long nails, of course her tail bone, watching her tail that she will surely miss shrink back within her, and even her eyes, hoping that her pupils will become round again. The strangest thing about this was that she couldn't feel if there were any changes.
When she felt that she had turned every part of her back to normal, even making sure that her canines would shrink down all the way, she stepped out of the waters and looked at the two that watched her.
"Well?" Sophitia asked nervously.
"I think you got everything." Taki noted as she circled her.
"Really?" Sophitia tried to hold in her overpowering excitement.
"Um, ladies..." Setsuna spoke up, the two looked at her to find her face flooding with concern as she looked into the mass of woods behind her.
"What's the problem?" Sophitia asked a bit worried because of the look on her face.
"You might want to draw your weapons." Setsuna unsheathed her two swords and when into the same posture that she was in before she fought Sophitia.
"Why-" Taki's question was answered when a dog-like creature with a human-beast like body and a hooked sword in each hand jumped at Setsuna. She grunted as she was brought to the ground but pushed the creature off with all her strength.
"What in Hades is that!?" Sophitia shouted as she drew her sword.
"It's an Anubite!" Setsuna shouted back as she turned into her cat-beast form with a growl. Sophitia watched as Setsuna was enveloped in hazy clouds of white as she changed. She growled with a more animal-like sound to it as she swung her blades wildly at it.
"How did it get here!?" Sophitia questioned with surprise.
"How am I supposed to know!?" Setsuna shouted back as she attempted another strike but failed and gave herself an open spot that the Anubite took. It swung the point of its hooked end and cleaved it into Setsuna's shoulder. Setsuna roared from the pain but gave the Anubite the chance to strike her in the stomach. Setsuna merely grunted as she felt the blade pierce through her stomach. Slowly falling to the ground, she tried to gather her strength to pierce her blade through its face just so that the wicked grin on its face would turn into one of shock, but couldn't.
Taki swooped in and sliced its back open while its guard was down. The Anubite howled with pain to the sky then sharply turned and tried to strike her in the chest, but her reflexes were fast enough for her to guard it, much to Sophitia's relief.
Sophitia ran towards her and tried to swing at its side, but it could smell the scent of another coming towards it. It whipped around and tried to strike her but she was able to guard just at the right moment. The two women fought fiercely against the minion of Anubis. It was amazing how well-toned its reflexes seemed to be.
The Anubite eventually found an opening and struck Sophitia across the cheek.
"Sophitia!" Taki shouted in alarm as she heard her yelp.
"What a common weakness you humans have." The Anubite suddenly spoke in a raspy sounding menacing voice as its eye narrowed at Taki, as quick as light itself it jammed its blade into Taki's chest. Taki screamed in pain and when she finally stopped she just stood there as if she was going to faint, then slowly fell to her knees then upon her stomach before she took one last love-filled gaze at Sophitia.
"I'm sorry... I... I love you... don't think even death is going to stop me... Sophitia." Taki whispered before she hit the ground.
Sophitia just stared at the horrifying sight. She could feel her eyes slowly swelling up with tears. Her eyes darted to the Anubite, which held a menacing stare, she could swear she could see it smiling at her. To this, she could feel the rage growing within her stomach then slowly reaching to her chest. Her face portrayed all the evil things that soared through her mind about how to kill this bastard minion. She could feel the aura of her lost canines within her mouth as she began to hiss at it. Taki didn't deserve this, neither did herself, nor the death that took Setsuna. Her fist tightened, her nails dug into her skin but her anger was so powerful that she didn't notice, nor did she care.
It just stared as if it was waiting for her to attack and fail in her attempt and die like her comrades by its blade.
"You... I'm going to... going to..." Sophitia spoke in a menacing whisper being forced out. "I'm going to KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD DEMON!!" Sophitia shouted in pure rage. "You killed the only one I ever really cared for, the only one I've ever loved!! YOU'LL PAY DEARLY FOR THIS!!" Sophitia screamed as she lunged toward the Anubite laughed evilly at this woman's foolish rage.
The two fought a battle more fierce than Taki and she had ever done together. Sophitia growled fiercely with each strike, she had hit the Anubite more time than it had hit her.
The Anubite roared with frustration as it whipped its blades at her weapon so hard that they were thrown from her hand. As she watched it fly she was pushed into the stone wall. The Anubite cleaved its blade through the straps of her shield and let it fall to the ground, leaving her completely vulnerable. It seemed to smile evilly at her, she could guess what it was thinking.
"I'm alone, you made me be all alone, I'll never forgive you for that." Sophitia spat. She watched as the minion of Anubis raise its blade high in preparation for its fatal strike. It chuckled evilly as it did so until its eyes widened with shock as it felt a blade being pushed through its back. It howled as the blade was pulled back after a few seconds of being embedded within its body. The attacker then jammed its blade into its nape, making its howl cease. It slipped off the blade and turned into black dust before it even hit the ground.
Sophitia just stared at the pile of black dust as it was blown away by the wind. She looked up to take a look at her savior, but gasped in surprise as she saw Taki standing right in front of her, smiling warmly.
"Now what would make you think that you'd be alone?" Taki grinned at her.
Sophitia just stared in awe. "What in Hades?" Taki answered her question by lifting the scarab necklace that was tied around her wrist.
"I guess it really does mean it when it protects you from harm." She opened her body suit where the Anubite had struck her and her wound was gone. "I certainly did feel it, but it was strange, it was like when it pulled its blade out, it healed itself as quickly as the Anubite thrusted it in." Taki stated, then grinned with love flooding her eyes as she stared at the motionless beautiful woman before her. "Remember I said that not even death was going to stop me."
Sophitia just stared in disbelief. "I...I..." Sophitia's speaklessness was replaced by Taki's lips. Sophitia sighed as she closed her eyes in pure joy as she felt her own soft tears stream down her cheek. After a few blissful moments Taki pulled away.
"Should I say it again?" Taki asked with a smile.
"Say what again?" Sophitia tried to wipe away her tears.
"That I love you."
Sophitia paused then grinned widely as she stared straight back into those beautiful almond orbs. "Sure, but not before I kiss you back and say the same."
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I hope that wasn't too confusing, I'm going to have another chapter, of course.
Oh, and about the shoulder-biting, if that's strange to you, then I should have you know that my cat does that to me whenever I pet him enough. :P
Keep those reviews comin' :)
