Hi to all! I'm back with another chapter, and I would like to add that this one is for you, FangedBandit19, happy 15th birthday!! . #throws confetti and party hats up in the air for readers to wear.# Congratulations!!
Amber watched in amazement as Selene appeared before her, a smile working its way onto the blonde's soot-covered face.
"Solei's alright."
"That's nice…" Amber's mind was drifting and it took a moment for Selene's words to register. "Wait a minute…SHE WASN'T ALRIGHT AT SOME POINT?!?"
Selene waved off her concern with an impatient hand. "She's fine now. No worries. Nakago professed his love, she died, she is being brought back as we speak… the norm."
"Nakago finally told her?" Amber asked incredulously.
"Finally." Selene confirmed with a grin.
"All that leaves is…well…" Amber struggled to come up with a person without a partner. None came to mind. "No one."
"Ladies." A dark god bowed before them and they curtseyed back awkwardly.
"Hades." Selene greeted formally.
"Solei is well, but her task is still unfinished."
"Caelestis is not dead?" Selene asked.
"No, he is very dead, however, Keirimijag has taken over his place as an evil lord."
"Still bent on world domination?" Amber questioned.
Hades shook his head affirmatively. "Indeed. His plan must be disrupted."
"What can we do?"
"Summon the Queen and the Knight, Guide. Then we may discuss the Demon God."
Selene nodded and turned down the hallway. "NICOLE!!!!!! RYNDACKO!!!!!!" A loud clang resounded through the corridor and Selene winced, watching as Amber clapped her palms over her sensitive fluffy ears.
"You yelled?" Ryndacko asked.
"Yes."
Nicole placed a hand on Ryndacko's forearm and held him back slightly, responding to Hades. "What do you require, Lord of the Underworld?" Her tone was different, changed. Her voice could command the world.
"The Demon God has destroyed Caelestis, he will not return for all eternity. However, no he has control of the Rod and also the armies of the demons are under his control. There is naught that we gods may do to stop him, as we must follow the mandate set down for us by the Creator that keeps us from intervening in affairs not our own."
"So we must fight him." Selene finished.
Hades shook his head. "No, Guide. You must lead the three to the war ground, then you must leave. It is their battle to fight, their role in the prophecy."
"But this was not foreseen, Solei and I were supposed to kill Caelestis with their assistance and then we would all be able to live our lives as they should have been."
"It was foreseen." Raya walked into the enclosure, her head bowed and her hands clasped behind her back. "I saw."
Selene understood. "The prophecy was a sham, something that was never supposed to occur, something to give us false hope.'
"Correct, Guide."
"What must I do?" she asked.
"Lead them there, take them there, leave them there. Their fates must be written anew."
"I live to obey."
Nakago starred at the charred ground. Nothing was there. Nothing. Barren, blank, totally and completely devoid of any life other than him. And he was not even truly living, for she had been taken away. A shadow shifted further into the fog and Nakago stood easily, his expressionless mask hiding the grief that could not be removed.
"Do you understand agony now, Nakago?"
That voice was familiar, but from where? It had not been that long since he had heard it… Nakago remained silent, waiting for the speaker to reveal more.
"She was taken from me too. I was tricked into breaking up with her, tricked by her worst enemy Christine. I tired to apologize twice, but twice she found refuge away from me, someone else to comfort her." Jaime. This boy was Jaime. Both times she went running to another, and now, when I might have gotten her back you take her from me again, for a third time."
"Do not praise yourself, boy." Nakago's voice was colder than normal. "You pushed her away. What reason had she to go to you for comfort?"
Jaime's response came swiftly, his voice condescending. "I was the only person who knew the truth about her mother, who understood what had happened to her, how she had grown up. I feel her pain."
Nakago gave a slight smirk that put a glimmer of fear and apprehension into Jaime's eyes. "You think you know her past, boy?" Jaime nodded. "Presume nothing, words are lies."
Enraged, Jaime let out a feral cry and leapt towards Nakago with a sword. Amused, Nakago sidestepped the foolish attack and knocked Jaime senseless with a smooth strike to the nape of his neck.
"Fool."
Des studied the pale lavender crystal. She needed to put it back into Solei, but how was she supposed to do that? Selene had left almost immediately, and Hades had followed not long after. So it was just her and Solei in the middle of the underworld. Great. Now what?
"Place it over her chest and open you palms, it should hang in the air above her for a few seconds, then be absorbed back into her heart, bringing her back to some semblance of life." Des did not question the strangely calming voice and obeyed the orders, raising her cupped pales a few inches above her and slowly opening them, watching to see if the crystal would fall. It remained hovering in the air as the voice had predicted. At an agonizingly gradual pace, the crystal lowered into her chest, flaring silver as it disappeared. Solei's eyes fluttered open and white eyes found Des' own.
"Where is he?"
"Still at the battlefield."
"I must go to him."
"I do not know how to send you."
"Just focus on your energy. I'll do the work and send you back to the palace. I must go to him." Des nodded, a tight smile on her face as she slipped into the depths of her mind and soul to find the power she had brushed earlier to arrive in the underworld.
"Thank you." she heard Solei whisper, and then the lavender flare obscured all else.
Nakago watched as two identical lavender portals opened on the battle field, one of them wavering as though from exhaustion. He waited. The stronger portal opened first, revealing four people, one of them with two fluffy white ears on top of her head. Three of them remained, one left, the lavender portal closing smoothly. He turned to the other vortex. A stumbling figure fell out of it, long black wings nearly catching as the portal swirled closed.
"Anata?" The voice was soft, but he knew it. His ears yearned to hear it always.
"You are a vision. You died in my arms, Koi. You died."
The mirage of Solei gave a surprised look. "I am an Angel of Death, Anata. Lucifer would not let me die."
"Hades led you away walking."
"And Lucifer threw me back." Her voice was pleading with him and she reached out to touch him. He moved out of range with a smooth step.
"My Koibito is dead. Haunt me no more."
An animal growl drew his attention away from the specter. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" It was Amber. "SHE BRAVES THE TRIALS OF DEATH FOR YOU, TRYING TO RETURN TO THE WORLD OF THE LIVING AND WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN SHE DOES GOME BACK? YOU REJECT HER?!? NO!!!!" He arched an eyebrow at her fury and disregarded her words.
"Touch me. It's so easy to leave me, all alone with my memories, of my days in the sun. If you touch me, you'll understand what happiness is. Look, a new day has begun…." Nakago listened, entranced by Solei's voice and slowly he obeyed her words, reaching out and brushing his fingertips against her cheek. She was real. Not a vision. He folded her into his arms without a second thought, marveling at the perfect fit she was to his body. He heard someone clapping, but ignored it. Solei was alive.
Amber hopped out of the portal, her tail swinging merrily behind her. She saw Nakago standing alone on the field and cringed at the empty look in his eyes. She watched as the other portal opened and closed, leaving Solei on the field.
"Anata?" It was barely a whisper but Amber knew that everyone could hear it.
"You are a vision. You died in my arms, Koi. You died." Amber winced. Nakago was taking this harder than they though he would.
"I am an Angel of Death, Anata. Lucifer would not let me die." The devil himself.
"Hades led you away walking."
"And Lucifer threw me back." Amber shook her head. Nakago could be SO thick-headed at times.
"My Koibito is dead. Haunt me no more." So he thought that she was truly a ghost. A low growl escaped her throat. How could he be so smart and yet so completely stupid?
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" she yelled. . "SHE BRAVES THE TRIALS OF DEATH FOR YOU, TRYING TO RETURN TO THE WORLD OF THE LIVING AND WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN SHE DOES GOME BACK? YOU REJECT HER?!? NO!!!!" He shrugged off her words with a raised eyebrow and turned away.
Solei took a deep breath and started to sing, drawing on whatever talent she might have had to belt out a single verse of Memory, from Cats. "Touch me. It's so easy to leave me, all alone with my memories, of my days in the sun. If you touch me, you'll understand what happiness is. Look, a new day has begun…."
Amber nodded, trying to silently force Nakago into going over to Solei and touching her, finding out that she is real. He obeyed. Relief flooded across Solei's face as he swept her into his arm and she relaxed. Amber started clapping. Maybe this time the pair would not be split.
A light touch on her shoulder reminded her that she had a task to complete, and she followed Ryndacko and Nicole into the fog. Every once in awhile she would stumble, but Ryndacko and Nicole would help her back to her feet, ignoring her attempts to brush them off. Eventually she stopped arguing and let them help her.
The fog began to thin and they stepped out into a sunny field, covered in flowers and grass. Ryndacko sniffed the air cautiously.
"Illusioon." he announced. Nicole nodded and grabbed Amber's hand.
"Don't let go." she said softly. "The illusions can be deceptive, but as long as you feel my hand in yours, all is well." Amber understood and gave Nicole's hand a squeeze to show that she understood. Nicole smiled back, lacing her fingers through Ryndacko's. The illusion faded.
"Was that you, Ryndacko?" Nicole asked softly.
"Not me." he answered. "I don't have enough toes." Nicole nodded sadly, and the three started forward, carefully sidestepping the carcasses of demons that littered the ground like the flowers had earlier.
"We're off to see the wizard…." Amber mumbled. "The wonderful wizard of Oz."
"She's WHERE?!?"
Selene winced. "Going off to kill her father."
"YOU LETT HER GO?"
"Tasuki, calm down. Ryndacko and Nicole won't let anything happen to her. She'll be fine, honest."
"HOW CAN YOU TELL ME THAT SHE'LL BE FINE?! SHE'S GOING OFF TO KILL THE EVILEST GOD OF ALL TIME!"
"Tasuki, you need to be rational right now." Selene was barely holding on to her own nerves about her sister's recovery and Tasuki's yelling was not making her attempt any easier. "She has the ability to take care of herself, even if it is against her father."
"But what if he tries somthin' with her?"
"She'll be fine."
"Fine…"
H12 – thanks for the comments and I'll try to get those fixed. Actually, I'm going to start rewriting the entire story with all of the plot problems fixed, so things like that will not be problems there. Also, the / indicates a change of line in poetry. The basic format was being annoying.
FangedBandit19 – like I said, this one's for you, girl. Enjoy. I know I probably should have put in more Amber/Tasuki lovin' in for you, but hey, you've all been bugging me to just get on with the story itself, so I started to. Yeah. Des needed to be calm for that, image a hyper Des trying to convince Hades to let her into the underworld because she has nothing special to live for. It doesn't really work, does it?
Yes. The portal hiccupped. (ipu.) hehe… thanks for the compliments. I MIGHT have another chapter up during break. Probably not though because I'm going to be working on History Day… sry…
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
MidnightShade