Bond of Blood

"Angelique!" shrieked the girl, "I'm so happy to see you again!" She rushed to her sister; making sure to keep the blanket tied around her since there were men around. For the first time in fifteen years, the twins were able to embrace one another. And a rare occurrence was seen; Prier was actually crying.

"Don't worry. I'll watch over you just like I did when we were kids. Just like when Mother was still alive. But one thing…please call me Prier. To make a long story short, my adoptive parents gave me that name and it's what I'm used to. That and the fact that my daughter's name is Angelique and I don't need either her, me, or my fiancé to come down with splitting headaches every day," Prier informed her.

Dominique replied, "Whatever you say sis! I don't wish to use the name those Demons gave me; you can use my true one. So then, why did you come out to this lake anyway? All the Demons' leader told me was that you were here and I was to create an ambush. I know you don't live around here."

Prier smiled. "I was looking for you. Something told me that if I came to the lake I would at least find a clue to where my sister had gotten to. Mother's spirit still resides in our lost home; she wants to see the two of us again. I…admit that I didn't remember anything about my past until recently; I though the family that adopted me was my birth parents. But all I was doing was running from my painful memories."

"Like I said years earlier, Amnesia must be going around or something. Everyone with some connection to the story seems to have either died or lost their memories prior to the final battle. Man, and I though I was only joking about that," Croix added. Prier rolled her eyes; he had a strange sense of humor at times. However, despite the oddities, she found that he was the one she couldn't live without.

Dominique smiled and said, "You seem to have found a really nice man An…I mean Prier. I'm happy for you. Well, if Mother is waiting for us, I suggest we head out to see her. Hopefully…I can find some decent clothing left over in town; something not destroyed in the fire. Unless anyone has an extra set." She was immediately tossed a pants set that Prier kept in case of a chilly night; being twins they were the exact same size. Once she'd changed in the privacy of a tent, they took down camp and left.

S...S

When they arrived at the village, Prier once more felt the sorrowful spirits rising up. However, this time they weren't planning to torture Croix; Soeur's threats were fresh in their minds. The team headed back to the little house where Prier had spent the first five physical years of her life. On the way, Dominique was told the entire story of what their mother had done to protect them. She also learned of Soeur's past and the destiny that Prier was given.

Dominique was amazed. "Even with your Holy powers sealed away, you still managed to defeat a Demon Lord of his caliber. Not only that, but you rescued your beloved from the clutches of his own Darkness…I wish I was that strong. If I had been, those Demons never would have taken me. They had appeared as a pair of travelers and offered to adopt me. I said I needed to find my sister and make sure I really was an orphan before leaving. However, they immobilized me with Darkness and took me to the Dark World against my will. Feeding me Dark Energy began to transform my body into that of a Demon."

"Not fully," Prier told her, "There's always a different aura between one possessed by Darkness and a real Demon or even a half Demon. If one tried to sense for it, they could tell you weren't a real Demon. That was why my Angie didn't use her full force when she attacked; not wanting to kill a human."

At that moment, they arrived at the house. Just like before, the group headed for the twins' bedroom. Soeur waited inside; looking out the window in a dream world. But when she sensed the arrival of her two daughters, relief washed over her body. Neither of them had been hurt and now they were together again. Perhaps now would be a good time to share with them the rest of her prophecy.

"Thank the Goddess! You two are ok. Dommie, I was so worried about you when I heard from your sister about your disappearance," she stated. Croix backed out of the room with the others; thinking it would be nice for the three to be alone together. However, Soeur called him back; telling him that she must give an important message to the whole team. Time was of the essence; they were in real trouble.

Soeur continued, "As I said last time, Angelique's, no Prier's, destiny was to meet Croix; thus saving him from the Darkness. Truth be told, I always thought she'd use her Holy powers; not her emotions. But perhaps this is even better for them; now Croix can be happy instead of wallowing in despair over the losses of his past. However, it was not written completely in the stars. I might have predicted it; however the truth is that nothing is an act of Fate. Things such as upbringing and reluctance might have ruined things; the vision only took into account the Croix I once knew returning and Prier being the same girl despite someone else raising her. But anyway…she followed her heart in the end and it has brought us to this point. Demons are after their child because of her powers, Croix since they believe him to be a Demon living like a human, and Prier to kill her for vengeance. The only way to win is to utilize both Light and Darkness. That is where my beloved daughters come in…their powers."

Prier sensed where this was going. She knew that she and her sister had great strength. If they didn't do something…that only left little Angie. "We need to do something together to fight against the Demons…right? Does it involve a duel attack of some sorts? Or is this a little more technical in nature?"

"Both," Soeur replied, "You do need to combine your powers into an attack; such duel nature techniques yield great power. However, you also need to show the potential that arises from Light and Dark natures working as one. Each side thinks that the other is their enemy, but if the two sides were to work together…well you could see the relationship potential. That was why you were born with different powers despite being twins. And also why little Angelique was born to harness the two in one body."

"I get it. If there was a greater understanding of the balance between the two, then there would be less tragedies like Fatima," Croix added. He thought back to those days and sighed. What the analysis conducted by Father Salade had shown was that the Fatiman Dynasty was probably suffering from imbalance. However, their imbalance was not Darkness but Light. Research he'd conducted showed that too much Light could cause one to believe that they were chosen to rid the world of all that was evil. Of course, their personal perception of "evil" was what caused tragedies. And when one side became imbalanced, the other tried to compensate; as Prier had said, if it hadn't been Croix it would have eventually been somebody else who became the Dark Prince. But if people understood the truth…

Soeur said, "You're right Croix. Balance is what keeps the world at peace. Both humans and Demons need to see that both sides can coexist in peace. Some Demons are driven by what humans did to them and their kin, while some humans are driven by what Demons did to them and their kin. You all are the only hope for an understanding to be reached. Without it, times of great despair will return again."

Teefa's Last Words...

This is getting back to "Slayers" again; the great power that exists when Light and Darkness combine. But I took it one step further and added in peace and understanding; some Slayers fans try to write about this subject but I never could put it into that context. Of course, I never elaborate on it; Soeur loves making speaches and feeling important (a remnant of her childhood, which is shown in a fic I wrote about Croix's past, back then she was a bossy know it all who took charge for their group, but the lose of her beloved changed her to becoming more solemn and respectful).

Forgive my lack of updates; I was lazy over the holiday break and even now am not fully wanting to do things.