"What manner of land is this unto which I have come?
It hath not water, it hath not air;
it is depth unfathomable,
it is black as the blackest night, and men wander helplessly therein."
- The Book of the Dead

-
7
Despise the Sun
-

The further the four traveled, the dimmer the light in Harakhte's hand grew. It was as if the darkness was swallowing it up, until at one point the falcon stopped and, shivering, cried out, "I cannot!" And immediately his light vanished, leaving them in darkness.

"Be calm." And Thoth's voice was calm, the personification of calm, and as they blinked they realized they could see a little bit and that a light was growing. It was Thoth, his own hands cupped together, glowing softly with moonlight. "Here, in this place, considering its master, sunlight is abhorrent." His lambent eyes met Harakhte's. "Do not be alarmed if you feel weak. Apep's hatred will sap your strength."

Harakhte shivered. He did not like this place. It was dark, and oppressive, and it was slowly crushing him… "Hey." A hand touched Hara's shoulder and he looked up at Kyou. "You all right?"

Hara nodded, but, thinking better of it, paused and shook his head. "No. No, I'm not at all." He shivered again, shutting his eyes as the darkness bore down on him. He felt as if his wings were being torn off and he was being sealed away in a place too small and too cold. He longed for the sky, the openness, the heat of the sun…

Warmth filled him, unexpectedly, and he opened his eyes. Kyou was standing over him, his hands firmly on Harakhte's shoulders, his eyes, golden orange, looking through Hara piercingly. Hara inhaled deeply, and he could almost taste the sunshine, the vastness of the open sky. "Harsiesis?" he asked, hopefully, wonderingly. Was that this warmth- his soul, their souls, joined again together?

Kyou frowned and said, "No," accompanied by a shake of his head. He released Harakhte, dropping his hands to his sides uncomfortably. "I dunno," he amended. "I just… It felt like the thing to do." He rubbed his chest. "I could feel you losing it, and I knew, somehow, that I could help." He turned away abruptly and started off again, moving down the passage, and Harakhte couldn't repress the grin of absolute joy that broke out on his face.

Apep still lay before them, but Harakhte's dread was suddenly replaced with hope. Kyou felt Harsiesis; he would give in to the god before long and then Horus would be born. Harakhte shivered with joy. To be joined… to be whole… It was not only what he longed for, but what generations before him had worked toward; bled and died for. To know the future would be better filled him with a feeling of acceptance. As if, whatever happened, it was worth it.

He followed Thoth, the moon god's light clear in the oppressive darkness, and he could feel his brother- himself- close behind him.

-

They stepped into an enormous cavern and Hara felt his skin prickle with apprehension. As if in answer to his premonition, the light in Thoth's hand winked out. It only made sense, Hara thought, making sure to breathe deeply so to keep himself calm. Apep worshiped darkness. Any light was an abomination to him… And strangely enough there was light in this horrid place. Harakhte could not have said where it came from, but a soft glow permeated the air. It was almost as if the darkness was so absolute, that it itself gave off light. It was easier to see the cavern now, and Hara noticed the river winding through one side, across the path and to the other side.

Something was out there, watching them. Isis stood close beside Thoth, holding his hand tightly as her eyes darted around the vast dark room. Kyou stepped out from behind Hara and stood beside him. Hara glanced over at him. Is this not how it should be? We are together. Nothing will go wrong. He turned his attention back to the room with confidence and stepped forward, around Thoth and in front of him.

Almost instantly a wave of intense hatred slammed into Harakhte. He stumbled and fell to him knees. He heard Kyou call his name and start to run to his side, only to be struck by the same wave.

Kneeling on the floor of the cave, Hara gasped for breath, tears springing to his eyes as the intensity of the emotion flowed over him. It was like smelling the rotting carcass of a camel in the heat of the afternoon and being drowned in tar both at the same time; all while burning from the inside with an intense desire to destroy himself. His body heaved, rejecting everything it held, desperate to expel the noxious feeling that was winding its way into his nose and mouth. He hated himself, the feeling was so strong, and he didn't deserve to live or exist at all…

Someone touched him on the shoulder and a calm, cool feeling fell over him, pushing away everything else. He could think again, he could move without feeling nauseous. He turned his head to see Thoth standing beside him, hand on his shoulder and other hand on Kyou's shoulder, the cat kneeling glassy eyed on Thoth's other side.

Thoth did not look at them. His eyes were fixed on something, someone, standing on a ledge of rock not far away. It was a man, wearing a long kilt that hugged his body, falling to his ankles, slit up the sides to allow for movement. It was bound about the waist with a golden cord, and the serpents of Seth twined golden around his upper arms while the pectoral on his chest flashed blue in the non-light with inlaid lapis. His hair was tousled, the black locks falling about his face. Narrowed, piercing eyes burned through them to observe the group that stood before him. He did not speak, merely looked at them.

"Hatori!" Kyou cried out, and he tried to jump to his feet and run to the dragon. Hara called out to stop him, but it was Thoth's hand still firm on his shoulder that brought Kyou back down to his knees.

"He will kill you," Momiji said sadly. "Don't."

Kyou shook him off and stood, but did not move toward the dragon. "No. He can't. Hatori," he called again, his voice was thick with emotion and he stepped forward.

Apep raised a hand and, even across the cave, Kyou froze where he stood. All the muscles in his body seemed to go lax as whatever held his to the earth was cut and his body floated upward lightly. Abruptly, Apep sneered and spread his fingers. Kyou went flying backward to slam into the unforgiving rock wall behind them and collapse to lie at the foot of it.

Tohru ran to his side, calling his name, but no one else moved. She looked up from Kyou's body, tears in her eyes, as she looked over at Apep. "Hatori-san," she whispered.

Hara dropped his head and shook it mournfully. This would not work. Hatori was not there, no more than Shigure had been. The dark gods did not ask permission as those of the light were often wont to do; they possessed, fully and utterly. It was not that the dark was more powerful; just that it didn't hesitate to use the power it held, regardless of costs.

But the little Isis was walking forward. She came to the edge of the river that ran across the cavern, its water black and hard- like rocks that moved to form new shapes, still with jagged edges. Amazingly enough, something she had done had caused Apep to move as well; he had stepped down from his ledge and stood even with her, his dark eyes regarding her with hatred. Harakhte had a bad feeling; his eyes flicked back to the water. The water… of the river… "Tohru! Do not touch the water!" He dove toward her and pulled her away from the river. Apep's lip curled in a snarl as he regarded Hara, and Hara made the mistake of looking him in the eye. Idiot, he cursed himself, but it was too late.

A glance into those eyes and blackness surrounded him, closing in around him, pushing him down until he couldn't breathe... Something squeezed him, like a giant serpent tightening around his body, constricting his chest, his lungs, as he gasped for air. Alone in the dark, the cold- where was his brother? He would never find him, he would always be alone, in this ever shrinking darkness, until it smothered him…

There were hands on his face; soft, warm hands. "Poor child," a voice was saying. "Poor sweet child. So lost. Come home now, my child. Come home…" He opened his eyes. He lay with his head in Isis' lap. He looked up at her- her eyes were closed tightly and her hair seemed to float in a wind of its own making as she stroked his face. "Come home," Tohru said, and she blinked rapidly and seemed to come back to herself. She glanced down at Hara's head in her lap and blushed profusely. He smiled up at her, but in deference to her immediately removed himself.

"My thanks little Isis," he said taking her hands and kissing them, which caused her to blush more, deny that she could ever be of help to anyone, and immediately remember Kyou.

She went running back to Kyou and knelt beside him, and Hara breathed a sigh of relief when he moved, reaching a hand up to brush Tohru's cheek lightly. From the corner of his eye he saw Thoth standing by the river and in alarm he repeated his warning. "Thoth! Do not touch the water."

The rabbit nodded. "I know its properties." He peered down at the strange water, though his eyes appeared to be focused inward, and his voice was thoughtful as he murmured, "Lethe, the river that brings forgetfulness to those who drink of it." He looked up sharply at Apep, standing across the river, and seemed to come to a decision. Taking a short running start, he leapt lightly over the river and landed on the other side.

Harakhte stared, unable to speak, his heart suddenly in his mouth. The cavern around them seemed to shake as Apep narrowed his eyes at the intruder. Kyou struggled up from where he lay and, yelled furiously, "Momiji! Damnit, get back here." He broke out in a fit of coughing; as if to underscore Apep's power, and his willingness to use it, blood flecked the hand Kyou put over his mouth.

"Kyou-kun!" Tohru gasped, but he pushed her away, pushed himself to his feet, and stumbled closer to the pair standing across the river. Almost unnoticed, Hara came and supported Kyou when he almost fell over.

"This is my battle, Kyou-kun," Momiji said, not looking at them. "Save yourself for Seth." And with that he launched himself at Apep.

Apep lifted a lip in a silent snarl; even as Momiji's slight body hit him and the pair went tumbling end over end, he made no sound.

The trio on the other bank of the river watched with bated breath, but even though they saw it coming and Kyou yelled at Momiji, nothing they did could stop the pair as they rolled over and tumbled into the river.

-