Chapter Thirteen: History
Nakago cursed quietly after reading Solei's note, his hand clenching around the paper. Glancing down, he saw the wrinkles and smoothed it out carefully, setting it back on the desk. He went back to the shrine and slipped through a secret door into a hidden library. He walked down one row, pausing once or twice to check a title. He pulled the last book on the shelf into his hands. He started flipping through the pages, searching. He found what he was looking for and read it swiftly.
"The Dance of the Angel of Death does not summon the Angel, but instead releases the Angel from within. Only two hold this inner Angel of Death. The sun and the moon both have the power of apocalypse, and have used it before. When danced half and half, the second half, then the first, it enables the dancer to have the ruthless slaughter power of the Angel before gaining the form and mindset of the Angel. To contain the destructive power, the holder of the Angel must spill a circle of blood around the area she wants destroyed. Once released, the Angel cannot send her power outside of this circle and it will rebound and kill her.
"It is said that the Angel is reborn as a test for mortals and gods alike to see if they can withstand the temptation, or accept the responsibility." Nakago shut the book with a snap. The "sun" was Solei, she could dance it, and it would work. The "moon" was probably a relative, but that was of no consequence. He walked back to the main shrine after replacing the book on its shelf. A dark glitter caught his eye, and he walked over to it. He found the symbol of the god of evil, Caelestis, and as he looked at it closer, it reminded him more and more of the god he had seen with Solei. A loop and three trailing lines, a single vertical line intersecting the three. The one who had called her his daughter. Nakago cracked the symbol in half, and walked away. Once back in his room he found something else within his own bookshelf. It was a slim book, but looked as though it contained much more than its binding could hold. He pulled it out and read the title.
"Angel" He opened it and was surprised to find a photograph of two young women laughing together.
"Solei." he whispered, tracing his finger over one of the faces. He turned the page and found perfect, spidery script identifying the two identical girls in the previous picture.
"Solei and Selene, age 15" it read. He looked at the next page. The script continued, but it told the story of two girls, starting at birth, who were forever doomed to kill their father to save the world, time after time. The book seemed to lengthen as he read, and each new part of the book was a new lifetime for the sun and moon, as they were called. He came to the last part, knowing what would be there. It cut off just before it told which of the two girls killed the god this time, but instead of just ending there, it had one more page. Written in the centre of that page were a few words.
"May you teach them to live."
Solei rushed up to Selene, ignoring the pain shooting up her back as she crushed her sister in a hug. Her sister, however was quick to notice the blood that seeped through the cloak.
"Solei, what have you done now?" she asked, moving Solei into the adjoining room so she had some privacy before Selene stripped her of her cloak. Solei just grimaced as her sister's hands played over her back, healing the wounds from Nakago's whip. Selene shook her head. "Tell me everything. From the moment they arrived in that AWFUL place you were confined to till now. EVERY detail. NOW." Solei complied quickly, blushing slightly as she described the sword fight with Nakago. She began to describe the dance, and Selene's eyes grew wild.
"They had you do WHAT!" she asked.
"The dance." Selene growled and motioned for her twin to continue. A few moments later Solei finished the argument with Seiryu and she chocked back tears as she explained the wounds on her back.
Selene's eyes narrowed. "Was it him, or Seiryu?"
Solei paused. "I'm not sure. They're so similar, I don't know. There was no hesitation, no pause, no fight. Just strike after strike."
Selene nodded. "What did your note say exactly?"
Solei closed her eyes and began to recite. "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."
Selene stared at her, mouth hanging open in amazement. "You IDIOT!"
Solei looked sharply at her sister. "What do you mean, Selene?"
Selene sighed. "You're in LOVE WITH HIM! It's OBVIOUS! The way you blush when you speak about him, and the true extent of pain that's in your eyes."
"I always have pain in my eyes. It is my curse."
Selene rolled her eyes. "So do I, Solei. I can see the betrayal in your eyes. The flicks of his wrist to send the whip into your back means more than you believe."
Solei collapsed into quiet tears. "Maybe I do love him, and maybe it does mean more than I want it to, but you didn't see the look of pure venom and hatred he had in HIS eyes. I've been played for a fool." she choked out. Selene reached through her shadow and pulled a pair of black pants and a simple white blouse out of the shadow pocket, handing them wordlessly to her sister. Solei took them with a grateful smile and quickly exchanged them with the scraps of silk that had once been a dress.
"GET BACK HERE YOU!" Solei and Selene were instantly out of the side room, glaives in hand. They found Amber chasing after Tasuki, the tips of her hair slightly singed. They relaxed, leaning on their staffs as Amber got more and more pissed at the object of her affection and, currently, fury. Selene felt Amber's chi level rise, and she and Solei cringed as they heard a VERY loud SMASH. When they looked over at Amber and Tasuki, they found a very confused Amber with a giant mallet in hand, one end flaming happily, and a flattened Tasuki who looked more than slightly burnt.
Amber looked at the mallet in her hand, stunned. "How did I do that?" she asked.
Solei motioned for Selene to explain. "You got angry. Your chi flared up and created the weapon. If you poke the button on the end it shrinks into a ballpoint pen."
Solei nodded then added her own explanation. "So every time that you get angry, it will appear. Unless you already have it."
"Is he alright?" Selene asked with a smile.
Amber's eyes went wide. "Shit! I forgot about that!"
Selene laughed. "Never mind, Amber. He's fine. I healed him as I came in." Solei cast a critical eye over the wincing flame seishi and started to comment, but a warning bell went off in her mind, and she shut her mouth before she said anything. Amber, noticing the pause began to hound her friend to find out what she might have said. Solei remained firm in her decision, and folded her legs under her. Amber, however, was merciless and Solei gave in, finally muttering the phrase in Spanish. Selene stared at what she said, then collapsed in laughter. Amber turned eight very distinct shades of red before her face settled to the colour of a sun-dried tomato. She was sputtering curses, and that only made Selene and Solei laugh harder. Tasuki stood up, brushing ashes off of his shoulders.
"Wa's so funny?" he asked, glaring at Amber.
Selene held her hands up and shook her head. "I'm not saying." Solei finally managed to stop laughing. Quickly she walked over to her sister and reached into Selene's shadow, rummaging around for a moment before giving a triumphant cry. Something white flew towards Tasuki and landed on his head. He pulled it off his head and stared at it for a moment.
Selene sighed. "It's a shirt, Tasuki. She was suggesting that you put some clothes on before you burn down the house. Or before we all drown in Amber's drool." Amber lifted her head up defiantly and looked away from Tasuki, a faint blush colouring her cheeks. He did not comment and pulled on the shirt that Solei had tossed at him.
"Right. Thanks."
"May you teach them to live." The words rang clear in his mind as he returned the book to the shelf. Carefully fingering the white-bladed knife that Solei had left behind, Nakago thought about her. When they had first met, her eyes had caught his attention. As she spoke to Amiboshi, her eyes were a smoky lavender, but when her gaze had shifted to him, they had flashed silver for just a moment. Now he knew what the silver meant, but the reason still confused him. Why would her dark half react to him? Her uncle's words flashed through his mind.
"Do not play games with her heart, General." Nakago wondered where the game had ended and true feeling had begun.
'She'll never trust you.' His inner self said quietly. 'Not after you whipped her like that.'
'I wasn't the one whipping her. That was Seiryu.' he responded, knowing it was a feeble defense at best.
'You could have fought against him. You could have refused. You could have helped her.' Nakago did not answer.
He heard a quiet rapping on his door. "Yes?" the door opened and Suboshi's youthful face popped through.
"Nakago, Solei left this in the adjoining room. I thought you might know what it is." Suboshi handed him the blue velvet pouch with a gold sunburst on the front. Suboshi left the room, sliding the door shut behind him. Nakago gently lifted the tiny mirror out if it's pouch. He had heard of the Mirror of Ray, and knew of its ability to find anything. He ran a thumb over its fogged surface, willing Solei to appear. An image came swiftly to the mirror, signifying that she was nearby. As he watched through the mirror Nuriko put his arm around her and she relaxed into his embrace. Nakago replace the mirror in its pouch. It had all been a game.
Solei had explored the small hut, and was surprised to find a large number of cots stacked in the back corner of a closet. She set some of them out and was lounging on one of them when another knock at the door jolted her out of her peaceful relaxation.
"Now who?" Nuriko wondered.
Tasuki turned to Amber, whose face had returned to its normal colour. "Do ya have a twin sista as well?" She shook her head in response. The door opened.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" a gruff voice asked.
Nuriko recognized the voice immediately. "MITSUKAKE!" he cried brightly. Solei and Selene got slightly frantic and very guilty looks on their faces and tried to escape into the shadows before Mitsukake saw them.
"I know you two."
They froze. "Hello Mitsukake-sensei." they chorused.
"Well…?"
They exchanged glances and stared at the ground. "We're REALLY sorry about…yeah…" Solei muttered softly.
"We didn't mean to…it just happened." Selene finished. Mitsukake sighed and waited. Solei and Selene grinned and tackled him. Nuriko and Tasuki stared in amazement as the three began to train, blows flying faster than the eye could see. Nuriko grabbed the nearest person, who was one of the twins, he did not know which, and tried to pull apart the fight. Next thing he knew he was flying through the air over her shoulder, heading towards the ground at a very rapid rate. A tree caught him, and he landed with a slight thump. The fight stopped as suddenly as it had begun, and Mitsukake was giving the girls pointers on their grips for throws. Solei, or Selene, he still could not tell the difference, laughed brightly at Nuriko and Tasuki's confusion.
Solei walked over and helped Nuriko stand, still laughing. "We needed that. Thank you Mitsukake-sensei."
He nodded and led them back inside. "Why are you here?" he asked, casting a questioning glance at Amber.
"We left…unfinished business here." Selene whispered.
"It cries to be finished." Solei added.
"It is time?" Mitsukake asked.
"There will be-"
A smash cut her off, and she turned to see Amber signing v for victory as she stood over her smashed victim. "YEAH!" Amber cried. They all started laughing at the sight of Tasuki smashed into the floor. Tasuki picked himself up, grumbling something about pesky demons. Unfortunately for him, Amber heard and took the opportunity to make him into a pancake again. Solei knew that the sequence would continue for awhile, so she sat down with Mitsukake on a cot and began pressing him about what had happened, cringing every once and a while as a sudden smash interrupted the flow of conversation.
Caelestis smiled as he sat on his throne, listening to every word his younger daughter said.
"So she plans to kill me. Her own father. I'll just have to kill her and her pesky sister once and for all." He glanced into the shadows, silver eyes flashing. "Zephyr." A tall, lanky demon stepped out of the shadows. "Tell your master the Demon God I require your services."
The god appeared before him. "Just tell me." he said.
Caelestis nodded in consent. "My daughters plot against me."
The Demon God raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Really. I seek to destroy them once and for all."
Now the Demon God nodded. "I will assist you. Just make sure that Shunhi'a Chi is not hurt. I crave a new mate, and she has my blood running through her veins." Caelestis gave him a questioning look. "It makes them sweeter." the demon explained. Caelestis slit a line down his palm, blood dripping on the white marble below. The demon god did the same.
Pressing their palms together they spoke in unison. "To partnership."
Here's where I leave you for this sequence. Please tell me what you think. Comments of any kind are appreciated. (Even if they only pertain to the three-headed llama that lives underwater in the Gulf of Mexico whose sole occupation is to annoy me into cursing it in non-existent languages). Basically, please review.
Thanx
MS