Chapter Twelve: Reluctance
She picked herself up off of the floor, limbs screaming. Letting herself flop back to the ground, she crawled painfully over to Wyvern's body and pulled the knife out of his skull, watching with a grim smile as his body disintegrated into ash. She continued crawling to the doorframe and used the stiff wall to haul herself back onto her feet.
'Glaive. Need glaive.' she thought, weaving through the halls. Occasionally she heard voices, but they always passed by her shadowed hideaway. Her glaive stood in a far corner and she grasped it gratefully, using it to hold herself up. A piece of clean paper and an ink-brush sat on the table to her left and she sat down, Nakago's face running through her mind. She shuddered at the image and began to write.
"I'm sorry that I was such an imbecile back at the temple. I thought at first something might be there, but I was wrong. I apologize for my stupidity regarding my actions, and wish only to inform you that you will no longer see me, since it is evident you do not want to. Once more want to apologize and I will not take up anymore of your time. I will do my duty as I must.
Sincerely,
Kyoueino Solei
Goddess Protector." She let it dry and folded it neatly, smoothing the crease with her thumbnail. She printed his name on the outside and left it sitting there. After a moment's hesitation she left the lily and a sky-blue pouch emblazoned with a sun next to it.
"Nothing goes with me but memories." she whispered. "Nothing but memories."
When Nakago woke up he found himself alone in the temple. Wyvern's body had disappeared leaving only a blood stain and the white-bladed knife that Solei had thrown during her dance. He cursed himself for falling asleep and not awakening when the girl had, but such could not be changed.
A voice came from the shadows, mocking him. "Regret, General? Lack of perception, allowing her to wake before you? You must be losing your touch." The figure stepped out of the shadows and Nakago failed to recognize him, hiding his lack of knowledge.
"No regret, only a sense of failure to my god." he said.
The god laughed. "Liar."
"If you say so."
The god threw back his cloak. "I am Hades, Lord of the Underworld." Nakago bowed his head respectfully. "Do not toy with her, General." The god cautioned him. Nakago raised an eyebrow in question. "Last time someone destroyed her heart, she destroyed the world and the gods with a single glance. The evil within her is kept at bay only through a tight reign that the Goddess Protector places on her feelings. She can only hold it like that for a few centuries by herself before all hell breaks loose. Literally. Do not play games with her heart, General." With that Hades disappeared and left Nakago to figure out the god's relationship to Solei.
After a moment it struck him. "Her mystery uncle." he said softly.
"Whose uncle, Nakago?" A sultry female voice asked from the shadows.
"No one's, Soi." he responded, suppressing the urge to groan in annoyance. She stood behind his shoulder, massaging his back by slipping her fingers under his armor.
"Let me relieve your tension." she purred. He slipped out of her grasp and began walking down the hallway.
"I have other things to be doing, Soi. Play with someone else." He smirked at the amazed look he knew was on her face and prepared himself to be attacked from behind by his former lover. None came. He pushed it out of his mind and walked back to his room. Once there he found three things sitting on his desk: a card, a pouch, and the lily that had been in Solei's hair. He picked up the card.
"Nakago." the front read in old, spidery script. He opened it and found more of the same script. He read it aloud to no one, and could hear her saying the words under his own voice.
"I'm sorry that I was such an imbecile back at the temple. I thought at first something might be there, but I was wrong. I apologize for my stupidity regarding my actions, and wish only to inform you that you will no longer see me, since it is evident you do not want to. Once more want to apologize and I will not take up anymore of your time. I will do my duty as I must.
Sincerely,
Kyoueino Solei
Goddess Protector."
Nuriko set Tasuki down as they found an abandoned cabin just as darkness fell.
"In here," he called Amber as he stepped into the space. She was quick to follow, becoming serious as she entered.
"Nuriko, is he going to be alright?"
"He's come back from worse."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"Really?"
"Truly."
"Honestly?"
"Yes."
"So he'll be alright."
"There is no reason for him not to be."
"But-"
A glimmering rip appeared in the air beside him, and Kamai stepped out, clutching the remains of a silver silk dress around her form. "Amber, kindly shut up. Tasuki will recover." She gave a weak grin at the astonishment on Amber's face. "Hi. Good to see you." She held up a hand to stop the questioning that she knew was coming. "I'll explain everything once I've found some more substantial clothing." Nuriko found a cloak hanging on a peg in a corner and quickly tossed it over her shoulders. She glanced up weakly. "Thanks."
He smiled. "Something you forgot to tell us earlier?" he asked.
Solei nodded. "It's time to stop playing games."
Solei pulled the cloak closer around her shoulders and sat down, shivering a little. Nuriko put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. She smiled slightly and motioned for Amber to sit down.
Once she had, Solei began to speak, her voice trembling slightly. "I remember why we're wanted here. I remember why you two," she nodded to Amber and Nuriko, "are important, and I remember what must be done to stop him." Amber waited, then motioned for her to continue.
"I'm wanted so that I can destroy anything that hinders them in their quest for domination, and Amber is wanted to," she started to say one thing but changed it at the last minute, "appease the Demon God." Again she fell silent.
Amber shattered the quiet. "EEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWW!" She screamed, making everyone but the snoring Tasuki jump. She turned to Solei, disgusted. "APPEASE?" she yelled. Solei nodded. "HOW CAN WE STOP THIS?" she demanded.
Solei sighed. "The same way that Caelestis has always been stopped." she said.
"Which is, how?" Amber asked. Solei just held Amber's gaze with her own for a few minutes, and Amber shook her head.
"No. NO!"
Solei smiled grimly. "It's how I always have stopped him, Chi. It's the only way."
Nuriko stopped her. "How?"
"You don't want to know. And if you did know, you wouldn't let me."
Nuriko held her closer. "Now I'm even less likely to let you go."
"Fine." she whispered. "I go to his lair in the godly realm, take any one of my knives, spill my own blood in a circle of protection around the two of us, dance the second half of a dance that, if done in full, creates a being who destroys the world without a second glance, and so, having released the more ruthless half of the Angel of Death, let her kill him, or try to, weakening him enough for the next bit to work, then dance the first half and destroy everything inside the circle of my blood, which protects the rest of the world from the Angel of Death." she finished.
"After getting out of the circle yourself, right?" Nuriko asked. Kamai shook her head no. "You die? How do you know this then?"
Solei licked her lips. "My memories of the previous times that I have done this came back after I danced part of the dance I mentioned earlier."
Liz held up her hands. "Wait one minute. You danced part of the dance that destroys the world to regain your memories?"
Solei shook her head. "No, I was forced to dance it, and I almost lost-no-I did loose control during it. I forgot who I was; I forgot everything except the dance."
"How did you get out of it?"
"Amber yelled my name." she said simply. "It brought me back to reality." A sudden thud made them all jump.
Nuriko looked slowly behind the couch and sighed with relief. "It was only Tasuki falling off the bed. He'll be fine."
Tasuki's shirtless form plodded around the couch slowly. "What're ya talkin' 'bout man? That hurt." He grumbled, rubbing his head where it had hit the floor.
"Well DUH!" Solei started laughing when she saw the confused looks on Tasuki and Nuriko's faces. "Incidentally, Amber, since Liz isn't here I'm going to have to fill in for her." Amber's eyes went wide and she started gesturing frantically for Solei to stop. She only grinned wickedly. "He has nice abs, doesn't he, Amber." Already knowing that Solei was referring to Tasuki's abs, Amber winced, remembering the joke that had followed her around as she read the comics.
Tasuki shook his head to clear it then sat down next to Amber. "Where are we, Nuriko?" he asked, trying to get his bearings.
"A day's travel from the palace." Nuriko answered.
Solei was studying Tasuki intently and her words were soft. "Tasuki, are you alright?" she asked.
"Course I am!" he said. "Do I look alright?" He spread his arms wide for inspection and winced.
"No." Amber answered, and walked behind him, carefully probing his back for injuries. She prodded a rib and he hissed sharply. Amber looked to Solei.
"Amber, I don't think I can." she said softly, knowing she was too exhausted to heal Tasuki.
"Damn."
Solei's eyes flared silver. "Someone will heal him soon."
A thud on the door made them wary, and Nuriko got up to answer it. "Hello?" he asked. A small, cloaked figure walked through the door at his invitation. "Who are you?" Nuriko asked.
Solei looked at the figure and shook her head. "No. How is it-? No, it can't be…" The person reached up and removed her cowl.
She lifted her chin so they could get a good look at her. "It is. My name is Kyoueino Selene." Amber looked between the two, noticing that they were practically identical save their eyes. "I'm her twin sister."
I fear that an intro will only continue to become more repetitive, so I shall henceforth refrain. Kindly continue to read the above text and inform me of your reactions thereupon I shall seek to reply in a timely fashion with more chapters to which you may comment.
In simple speak: Read and Review and I'll give more chapters.
Thanx
MS