Past Mistakes

Chapter Three:

King Yama's POV:

Nearly twenty minutes after giving my son the file, I approached a castle stronghold, grey stone, shadow-encased, and stared at the towering door blocking the entrance. As massive as I am, this door not only deterred intruders from its size, but also from the powerful aura surrounding it. And these two were just precautions that hardly were needed—the whole castle resided in a realm one needs to know of before they could even hope to enter.

I am one of the select few who know of it—the only one from the outside who can get into this realm.

"King Yama." A high squeaky voice spoke from my left—a winged creature with cat claws and a body like a cat/lizard hybrid fluttered next to me. "Master Karakas has been expecting you. Go right in." The creature turned away as the towering door opened, opening inward toward the dark interior.

On my first step into the front corridor of the castle, the torches on the walls lit up, killing the blanket of shadows that had decorated the corridor moments before. Knowing my way around, I headed toward the main room of the castle, not expecting any greeting until I got to the main hall.

"Yama." Came a voice so cold, so indifferent, but I detected a flicker of invite in the tone. "I've wondered when you would show."

"Karakas." I stopped walking as the voice's owner stepped from the part of the hall the light hadn't yet reached.

Long, white-blond hair falling past broad shoulders, pulled behind so that it only touched his back, Karakas stepped closer to me until he stopped five feet away. His fiery-red eyes studied me for a moment before closing.

"So the time's come at last."

"Yes it has."

"You remember your promise, don't you? Do you still plan on keeping it?" Karakas drawled carelessly, as though speaking trifle questions though I knew differently.

"Yes, I will not go back on my word. I promised you protection and I will give you it." I paused and looked him directly in the eye. "Now I want you to promise you will not seek him out, you will not seek him out for revenge."

"Why would I seek out someone who wants to kill me? You know as well as I, that the Slayer swore to hunt me down and quench his sword in my blood. His rage for me is uncanny; it was a miracle I escaped from him the first and only time I met him."

"You abandoned your son to escape, that wasn't a miracle."

Suddenly Karakas glared at me, indignation shining in his scarlet eyes.

"I did not abandon Seisol, the Slayer kidnapped him from me when I encountered him; I could not save my son."

"Did you even try?"

"Yes I did. Why do you think I have this scar?" Karakas pointed to a long scar on the left side of his face going from his ear to his lips. "He gave it to me when I tried to take back Seisol."

A few moments of uncomfortable silence passed between us before he spoke again.

"I never found out why the Slayer specifically targeted me—did you know he was searching for me before he met me? He described my name and appearance perfectly to those he questioned—I have yet to figure out how he could know me when we met only once."

I remained silent to this, beating down the guilt filling my gut, bursting for release. 'If he only knew…what would he think if he knew who it had really been?'

"Have you discovered anything knew about the Slayer?"

"No, but I have given a mission to my son to give to the most recent Spirit Detective he trained."

"Would this Spirit Detective be the one descendant from the demon Raizen?"

"Yes…how do you know about that? You're supposed to keep to this realm, how have you gain information about the outside?"

"I've sent out a few…spies to the outside. Plus my mate can freely go as she pleases—No one, except me and you, knows who she is or her appearance."

'There is one,' I wanted to blurt. 'And if he knew she was your mate now, he would have even more incentive to hunt you down.'

"As I said, I came here for your promise not to interfere with my plan with dealing with the Slayer. If you promise not to leave the safety of this realm, even for a second, I will leave now so you can get back to whatever business you have going." I nodded toward the entrance into the main room, trying hard not to listen to the indistinct sounds coming from behind the door.

"Heh, yes I do have something going on in there—not what you think though, not that you'll believe that." Karakas chuckled, "You'll never stop your assumptions about lust demons, will you? Anyway, you have my word that I won't leave my roost until after you deal with the Slayer—and I will leave only if you manage to capture and subdue that demon."

With that he turned and disappeared down the corridor, and I turned to walk through the gate once more. Before I left the realm I stared at the graying sky, shuddering when the image of a male with ice-blue eyes and brown hair flashed through my mind.

"Hitoru, why did you have to stray so far? And why do you have to return now?"

A/N: End Chapter, please review.