A/N: *sees Shenhe's past*

Nope! Not having that! Nope, nope, nope! Not today!

As ever, the Embers rule still persists. If folks don't like this story? Poof! Gone!

Awaaaaay to the void it goes. Gone once and for all. Forever. Completely. That's no joke. So by all means, speak up! Raise your voice! Make yourself heard! Your reviews matter! Really, they do! I'm literally working every day now, so I have less and less time to write. Daily updates might...slow down for a bit, but I know that would upset a lot of people. Its just hard with two jobs.

Alright, I've kept you waiting long enough. Lets get the gears moving!

As ever, I own no references, memes, or themes.

Get ready to grin.

You made your daughter cry. Her only crime was loving you and yet, you tried to feed her to this...THING.

...alright. Okay. I get it. I know what needs to be done.

Shenhe, sweetie? Close your eyes."

~?

Gods and Curses

"Papa, slow down! You're hurting me!"

Shenhe struggled against the arm gripping her wrist, no avail. Father's grip proved ironclad as ever. He didn't listen to her plea; seldom did these days. If anything her desperate protests only made him tug her toward the cave even faster. She couldn't see his face from this angle, but she could feel his anger. He was pulling her wrist so hard; it felt like her arm was about to fall off.

And yet, he dragged her deeper into the dark.

All the while, she wondered why. Why? Why do this? Why had he brought her here...?

She didn't like it. This place was dark. Scary!

"Daddy, please! I want to go home!"

"..."

"Please!"

He whriled struck her suddenly; his hand catching her face to hurl her away. The back of her head struck a rock wall. Stars flashed before her vision.

And yet for all that, still, she could not understand. "Why...?

No, she didn't understand. She dimply didn't want to accept it. He'd left her to die. Shenhe didn't want to die. She wanted to live. Now more than ever.

"You are a cursed child!" Father's voice rose with scorn, the facade cast aside at last. "Your life brings nothing but disaster to us all." he ripped a scroll from his pouch, eyes wild. "At least if you die I can bring your mother back. In this way your sacrifice will have some merit at least.

The little girl shrank back eyes wide. Sacrifice...?!

Someone echoed it. "Sacrifice, you say?"

Father froze.

Little Shenhe spun in place, startled. The voice had not come from the depths of the cave, but rather, behind them, where the light of day was rapidly fading.

"Sacrifice?" the words were low. Harsh. Angry. "Surely you didn't just say that...?"

Another voice answered. "I believe he did, husband of mine...

Father bridled. "Who goes there?! Show yourself!"

They came from the entrance.

Soft footfalls approached as someone stepped out of the cave's mouth, a figure silhouetted against the waning light of day. A blond in a purple robe, eyes burning with holy light. His presence was a storm itself; bright, yet dark. His gaze burned from within, lit by anger. He wasn't alone. There was a woman with him clad in a dress colored like so much fresh salt and silver, her eyes red glittering lime gemstones, hair pale as the season's first snowfall. Shenhe was just a child. She couldn't hope to describe the beings before her any further, so she didn't even try.

She just stared.

"Last I checked," the blond hummed, "We weren't bringing people back from the dead these days. Morax and I had an agreement. Didn't we, Harvia?"

...we did." the woman -his wife?- nodded once. Her eyes never left Father. "Someone's meddling in something they shouldn't...

Father saw them next. A crazed grin stretched his face. "It worked! I summoned you! You can bring her ba-

"No." The blond man smiled at him.

It was not a nice smile.

Father blinked, half mad, half taken aback. "No...?"

"As in negative." the woman stepped forth, heels clicking against the rocky soil. "You didn't summon us. We just happened to be passing by on the way to visit an old friend. But you...

"You were going to take your child, your own flesh and blood, and sacrifice her." the man moved beside her, his brow gone stormy. Thunder echoed outside the cavern. "I don't know what kind of fallen god you meant to summon with this ritual of yours, but we take issue to these kinds of things."

Father sputtered, puffing himself up furiously. "She is my daughter! I'll do with her as I please!"

He made a grab for her, to which Shenhe flinched and covered her face.

Splat.

Little Shenhe heart a noise, then.

When she looked back, Father was screaming, clutching at his ruined wrist. Even as she began to comprehend what transpire the woman stepped past, blocked the grisly sight with her body and steered her away. Father tried another blind grab and lost the other hand for it.

All the while, Shenhe stared.

...no, I don't think so." A hand flitted out, ripping the scroll from his grasp. "Here, beloved."

Even then, Father didn't relent. He couldn't. His madness wouldn't allow it-

"If you won't grant my request, then I'll become god!"

"Bold words." The blond stepped up behind him.

"To hell with her! She's a cursed child! The world is well rid of-aargh!" A cry pierced the air as the blond bloodied his nose. "Damn you!"

"Havria," the blond called, "Look after the kid, will you? I'll be riiiiight back."

The scary woman looked at her and smiled. "Sweetie, face the wall.

It didn't sound like a request. Shenhe obeyed.

"Good girl." the woman steered her away further, cooing to her as Mother once had. "Now I'm going to cover your eyes." she did so. "I want you to cover your ears." she felt the woman press her forehead against the back of her skull, even as her arms held her close. Don't open them until I tap your shoulder.

Shenhe did so.

As such she didn't see Naruto move. She didn't notice the initial punch that felled Father, didn't see him fumble to the floor, nor did she hear the tortured cry that followed, but she surely felt it all the same. The earth shook. Distantly, she heard a muffled noise.

She peeked through the woman's fingers.

Naruto stepped over his quivering form. "You don't seem to understand. This!

His fist blurred. Teeth flew through the air.

"Is not how!"

Blood spattered.

"Gods act!"

Havria tutted once and tightened her grip, blotting the scene out. "Don't look."

Father might have begged for mercy. Then again, he might not have. Shenhe wasn't sure. She tried her best to ignore the tremors in the rock. Eventually they stopped. A hand touched her shoulder and she found herself swept up into warm arms...but not before she noticed the blood on the blond's hands. Distantly, she wondered if she should feel sad. She didn't. Everything felt...muted somehow.

Havria pulled her upright and tucked her into his chest.

She sniffled a little. "Where are we going?"

...to meet your new sisters."

Shenhe warbled once.

"That sounds nice...

A/N: To clarify, yes, Havria is very much Ningguang's ancestor in this tale.

Aaaand just like that, Ei and Makoto have a new sister.

My work here is done! Away I go~!

As ever, the Embers rule still persists. If folks don't like thi? Poof! Gone!

Awaaaaay to the void it goes. Gone once and for all. Forever. Completely. That's no joke.

So by all means, speak up! Raise your voice! Make yourself heard! Your reviews matter! Really, they do! I'm literally working every day now, so I have less and less time to write. Daily updates might...slow down for a bit, but I know that would upset a lot of people. Its just hard with two jobs.

So In The Immortal Words of Atlas...

...Review, Would You Kindly? It keeps us all alive.

Without reviews, we wither and die. Sorry, but that's the truth.

No previews this time. No one seems to like 'em, and this story clearly isn't half as popular as "Archon" or "Eternity" these days. T_T

R&R~!