The Shotgun Approach

Chapter 21: Betrayer

A/N: Back to Ettie's POV.

I revealed this on my Tumblr, but this story is a POLY-SHIP! That means there will be an eventual relationship between the three main characters (Yusuke/Ettie/Hiei). I did not put in any warnings because I didn't want to give away a huge part of the subplot. So if this makes you uncomfortable, don't read it! I WILL NOT TOLERATE HOMOPHOBIC OR BIGOTED COMMENTS! If you don't like my writing, etc, that's cool, you're entitled to your opinion. But I do not condone or tolerate HATRED. Get that shit outta here. And to the person who left that anon review so full of homophobic nonsense, you should be ashamed of yourself. I didn't trick or lead on anyone. If you can't read between the lines, that is your problem, not mine. This story is rated M FOR A REASON!

Sorry for the long author's note. Now onto the story!

. . .

The cold was always my constant companion—a sense of comfort, of reassurance, the numbness I so craved. I was never given a reason to fear it, to resent it. The cold was a facet of me, a side of a roughly hewn weapon whose edges were dull instead of sharp. A part of me, just as the air and the earth and the fire.

But it was the part I loved the most.

Now, the cold did not bring me the comfort I desperately needed. Instead, it brought chills and sickness and suffering.

I lay curled up in a dingy bed in some den of sin and drugs and alcohol. I was surrounded by humans and demons alike, all with their vices, all suffering just as I was in one way or another. I was offered something for the pain—I refused it, turning the horned demon away and retching at even the thought.

No. I had not come here for more of the same chaos.

I only came here to hide. To do this on my own.

What Tadao gave me was not a cure for my pain. It was a poison and it filtered through my veins in currents of bliss that quickly turned to hellish nightmare. I was no stranger to addiction and even the single taste he gave me was enough to make me seek it out on my own. I needed it. Needed it with desperate, grasping anguish.

It made me feel nothing. See nothing. Think of nothing.

Never before was that a possibility.

And it was so easy. Just slip a needle beneath my skin. One little push. Then I was gone. No longer the shell of a once great warrior who allowed a human man to ruin her. No longer the mother who was never given a chance to raise the son she loved before she even met him.

The drug had an allure so dangerous, I knew that nothing good would become of it.

That day at Shou's solidified this belief.

How dare Hiei confine me here, like some mere criminal. How dare he try and stop me from returning to where I belonged.

My people...I did not hate my people.

I should hate them. I should want to see them ruined. But they were not the cause of my pain—I was. I brought all of it on myself. I brought it on Artair and the unborn child I grew to love as well.

If only I never revealed myself that day in the woods. If only I allowed him to leave...and never saw him again.

A fresh wave of agony washed over me and I curled in on myself tighter, as if I could disappear. Sweat coated my skin and soaked through my clothes and bile made the back of my throat taste acidic. I felt like I was on fire...all while being so goddamned cold. I could not stop the shivering or the wracking pain that flamed across all my muscles and sinew and flesh.

The only thing keeping me somewhat sane were the pills. I could not give up the pills.

I clutched the tiny container in my hands, my fingers wrapped around it protectively in fear they would be stolen in my time of weakness.

I must rid myself of the poison in my veins.

And I must do it alone, without the eyes of Hiei or Yusuke or Shou, no matter how well meaning. I was an embarrassment. And I would not allow them to see me in such a state ever again.

My father's words, the night I decimated half our city in my rage, rang clearly through my mind: You are a disgrace to the Gods and to our people. You do not deserve the blessing of the Goddess Freya...or to be called my heir. May you never enter the halls of Valhalla.

I was a forsaken. I deserved this—this anguish; this degrading appearance.

I was no longer Etternia of the Ice, daughter of Freya.

I was only Ettie—the addict, the forsaken, the broken. An utter failure.

Even without Hiei's commands, I would not return to my people as I am now. And I could not face my crew after the incident at Shou's. Surely they would all be aware of my habit by now.

So I ran.

I am good at running. At hiding.

At lying.

I should never have grown so close.

I only wanted Yusuke so I could further my plans. I never expected him to dredge up such old memories...to make me feel so damn much again.

And I certainly never even dreamed Hiei would manage to do the same.

But he was not wrong—I owed him several life debts.

Repaying them would not be possible, however. So I must flee; break another oath. He could consider me a traitor if he wanted. He could have me placed on a chopping block for all I cared. But I could not grow any closer to them than I already had.

It would destroy everything I worked towards all these years.

I pushed myself up in the bed, arms straining from lifting even my own weight. I watched droplets of sweat stain the already disgusting mattress beneath me and clenched my fists. I gritted my teeth and rose to my feet, standing as straight as my wrecked body would allow.

I would not give up here. I would not allow what I sought to escape my grasp again.

And I sure as hell would not allow another man to divert the path my life was meant to take.

I moved on from that house, from the faces I would not remember, from the people living such hellish lives. I could not become one of them, not until I found him.

The second I'd heard rumors of his whereabouts, was the beginning of a new life.

And I would use any means necessary to find him—whether alive or dead. Even if I must betray those who extended their hands to me when I needed them most.

I never gave up that hope, that someday I would receive word of my son. And that word had come on the wings of a great raven, from a source unknown, the night of Hiei's EMT grad party.

At first...I did not believe it. But as time went on the thought festered and grew until it threatened to eat me alive. I kept the letter in my box where I housed all things important to me, the things from my past and from the investigation I conducted in secret behind Yusuke's back. Out of all the things I left behind, the letter could not be one of them. It stayed folded up in my pocket, worn at the edges, nearly coming apart from unfolding it to read it so many times.

Then there was that damned book. The book was the final straw. And a massive piece of the puzzle I sought to put together. I should have refused to translate even a minuscule part of it. Even with the missing parts, they would still put it together someday, with or without my help.

Another player entered the game the day I received the raven. Another piece on the board I should have considered much sooner—and they knew exactly what became of my son.

Hiei would not let me leave the human realm, he would be notified the second I tried, I was not foolish enough to think he did not have spies. So I would not leave. I would fight my father's war right here, in the shadows.

I would join the Aesir and his group of terrorists.

Because he was the one who held the information I sought...and he was the one who was currently destroying my father's lands.

Two days ago I sent a Makai raven to Ingvar.

And he replied just that morning with a single line: The clan is under attack from a man calling himself The Aesir.

This group encompassed not only the human realm, but the Northern realm of demon world. He was threatening my people. And I now knew he was the connection to my son—the person who sent that very first raven all those months ago. The raven that turned my world on its axis once again.

What he asked for in exchange...

At first I considered it impossible. But my plan was always to use him to further my goals. I just never considered having to outright betray him.

Forgive me, Yusuke...

But I must save my son.

I could not fail him again.

. . .

Outside the station, I waited with my energy suppressed, hiding amongst the shadows. I could not sense Hiei inside but I would not risk entering. And I knew any minute now Shou would come out to sneak a cigarette.

I was not disappointed when the boy stepped into the alley from the backdoor, a lighter flaring to life in his hand.

I grabbed him from behind, wrapping my palm around his mouth so he would not scream. He struggled, elbowing me in the stomach, but I didn't so much as feel it. I pulled him deeper into the darkness and whispered in his ear, "If you promise not to scream, I will let you go."

He nodded and I released him. Shou whirled on me, his face accusing and clearly upset. "What the hell, Ettie? Why did you scare me like that?! I thought I was going to get raped!"

I patted his cheek and smiled. "You are an attractive man Shou, but I would never touch you like that without your consent."

"Th—that isn't the point! What are you doing here, hiding in the dark like this?"

"I'm leaving," I stated, blunt and to the point. "I want you to let the others know. I want Eric to take my position."

I handed Shou a packet of papers, all the proper forms for my resignation and Eric's promotion. A letter with an explanation full of lies and half-truths. It was the best I was able to offer them which such little notice.

"You can't be serious? Is this because of—" he lowered his voice till it was barely a breath, "—because of the heroin? The drugs? Listen, it's okay, we can help you—"

I cut him off abruptly with a wave of my hand. "I do not want or need help. This is something I should have done a long time ago."

"So you're really gonna do it, huh? Go back to your home?"

It was with only slight guilt that I lied straight to his face. "Yes. It has been too long since I returned there...and my father must be worried sick."

Shou's eyes turned downcast but he nodded. "Family is important. I get it. But...you'll be missed, Ettie. And I mean that for real, not as something people just say. We're all gonna miss you."

I patted Shou on the shoulder, letting my hand fall away after the brief contact, and hefted the strap of my messenger bag higher, clutching it tightly. "I will miss you too, my friend."

And this time...it was not a lie.

A crack of thunder rent the sky, lightning streaking on its heels. A storm on the horizon. I left Shou in the alley just as it began to pour, the heavens tearing asunder and weeping angry rage filled tears.

I gathered the water around me, using the rainfall to create a spherical watery prison.

When it fell back to the Earth I was gone, leaving behind the station and everyone inside it. It took me a long time to find the place I needed to go, a month or better since I detoxed off the heroin. But once I discovered where it was, getting there was not an issue.

And I knew I would be let inside without a fuss.

To someone with an untrained eye...it merely looked like any other tree out in the forest. Large, old, covered in moss and lichen. But if you looked closely...you could see the tiny carving of Yggdrasil hidden within its bark.

I reached into a tiny pocket on the front of my bag and pulled out an item I swore to myself I would never wear again.

They were given to all those chosen by a God or Goddess—forged in the flames of Surtr and handed down through the generations. The ring was older than my clan and part of a set of other jewelry. Once I wore it with pride.

Now, when I slipped it over my finger, it only made me feel ill.

It lit up, flaming across my skin, lighting all the tattoos across my arm in its wake. They came alive, shifting and writhing, forming into chronological order. The history of my people.

The palm of my hand burned, a new mark forming there—the mark of the Goddess Freya.

I stared at it in reverence, shocked that it would appear after so long. Even more surprised that it would still be granted to me even after being forsaken.

My father must have had the ring properly blessed before sending it back to me.

I pressed my hand against the bark of the tree, above the carving of Yggdrasil, and watched as it too came to life. The cracks in the bark burned bright, the colors shifting and changing as a portal was rent open between its great roots.

There was no hesitation in my steps as I walked into it.

Unlike the portal leading into the demon realm, this one was not nearly as long. It felt like I merely stepped through it and out to the other side, seeing nothing but a faint red pulsing glow, like the heavy beat of the Earth's heart.

When I stepped from the portal, it was as if I only phased through the tree, and perhaps I would have thought so, if it wasn't for the massive war camp a short distance in front of me. It certainly hadn't been there a few minutes before.

The camp was built like a small town, a giant wooden wall erected around it, made from whole tree trunks and spiked to wicked tips at their tops. It was impossible to see over, but it spanned a great distance. The only way in was a single gargantuan wooden draw bridge, which when open would fall over the veritable river they'd dug around the compound.

It was a primitive styled set up...but the energies coming from within were anything but. It was enough to make trepidation stir in my chest. How was it possible so many high class demons managed to gather here without anyone noticing? The barrier around the compound could not be enough to hide all those energies—so many A and S class among them.

It would take someone truly skilled in defense to pull something like that off.

Someone much like me.

A horn sounded in the distance, loud an insistent, a warning that someone unknown had arrived.

The noise sent chills down my spine. It had been so long since I'd heard the the call of a war horn. And even longer still since I'd been among people so lacking in technology. It was like stepping back in time.

What I expected to see when the gate dropped was blown to oblivion the moment it did.

Behind it was not the primitive town I imagined in my mind—with its wooden houses and their turf covered roofs. Horses would walk the dirt streets and carts would leave ruts in the ground. Vendors would sell armor and weaponry and furs and seasonal vegetables and meats. The people would be dressed in clothing made from the hides of the animals they hunted; dirty children would be caught playing with wooden swords in the streets.

What was within the compound did not coincide with what was outside it. And for a long moment it left me dumbstruck.

None of what I imagined was present.

Instead, behind those old wooden walls, were buildings made of metal and glass. The glass, in all its multicolored glory, refracted off the shining lamps strung throughout the compound, casting the entire town in a golden glow.

It sparkled, bright and compelling, and like a child seeing a shiny new toy for the first time—I took a step forward...and was met with a sword pointed at my throat.

I did not recognize the man holding the blade in his loose fist, as if unconcerned that I could knock it easily from his hand. It was arrogant and stupid. It made me sneer at him, casting a long gaze up the flat of the blade until my eyes reached his. I stared, unconcerned with the weapon held just beneath my chin.

I leaned forward, until the sharp tip cut just slightly into my throat, and blew across the surface of the sword. It froze, ice gathering quickly, and with a loud crack, it shattered to pieces.

The man was left stunned, holding just the hilt in his hand now.

"They don't call you Etternia of the Ice without reason, do they?"

My eyes narrowed and I allowed a tendril of power to flow from me, the air brushing against his clothes like a caress. A flash of fear crossed his eyes.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The man was Japanese, his appearance unobtrusive and plain. But there was something familiar about him...

"I figured you would recognize me. I've been keeping an eye on you for awhile."

I eyed him up and down, noting the rather unusual clothing—a loose fitting deep red shirt, black pants that were loose around the legs but tight at the ankles, barefoot—but it was the gun at his hip that clued me in. The cop. The one that had ties with the terrorist group—Atarashi Yoake—A New Dawn. The same cop Hiei had caught the tendril of thought from the days before the bombing of the festival.

He must have been at most of the bombing sights then...and I was so caught up in the drugs and Hiei and Yusuke and the others that I did not realize. How embarrassing. How blind.

But it mattered not now.

I kept my face carefully neutral. I would not give anything away. They would know nothing and see nothing. But I would make them believe they held all the knowledge in the world.

"Take me to see the Aesir."

"He knew you would come. But I believe the deal he offered you was in exchange for the king." He looked behind me, mockingly searching for someone who was not there. "I do not see the king."

"Did you think I would bring my only bargaining chip before negotiations were even started? I am no fool."

The man smiled and nodded, conceding. "Fine. He has been expecting you anyway, we shouldn't keep him waiting."

He held out a hand, gesturing that I should walk in front of him. For anyone else it would have been a smart move...but for someone like me, it did not matter where I stood.

I would not let them get the drop on me again. I would not be blinded by pretty lights and sophisticated architecture. And he deserved everything he got.

A cage of stone sprung from the ground, surrounding him, the power flowing forth from the soles of my feet. I did not need my hands to use my abilities. My only regret was not having the control over my fire to turn the iron in the ground to steal bars instead of ones made of rock. The man had spirit energy, I could sense that now, and he would break free given enough time.

He barked a command that I did not heed...and so I proceeded into the citadel on my own.

I was surrounded within moments, but each person who came forth to stop me, I created a barrier of stone or ice to halt them in their tracks. The ground rose beneath their feet, knocking them off balance, creating maze like walls that prevented them from reaching me. I froze their legs and arms, making it impossible for them to take a step. I used wind to buffet against them so they were blown backwards, battling against it was futile, though they tried valiantly all the same.

A shield made of ice around my forearm, I blocked incoming attacks and weaponry, using defensive strategies to force my way further into the compound, until I was just outside the main building.

This one was night and day from the others—large, cathedral like rooftops, spires that reached high into the sky. Great black stone pillars held up some of the larger towers, the pillars carved with ancient protective runes and spells. A cloying Magick hung in the air, sticking to my skin, the scent of ozone heavy and breathtaking.

A sense of danger traveled in electric currents down my spine. But still I pushed on.

I did not harm anyone who tried to stop me. I merely erected a barrier of thick ice and stone. It was too tall to climb or jump over and would buy me some time to enter the fortress.

I wanted to face the one calling themselves The Aesir alone.

With a great gust of wind, I blew the front doors from their hinges, the massive metal things collapsing and clanging to the ground. The front foyer was empty, not a soul in sight. But there was a grand staircase, lined with glowing stones and multicolored glass pieces, and at its top sat a man.

A man whose hair was as blonde as mine, long on one side and shaved on the other. A tattoo crept from the side of his skull to wrap around his face, the talon of a great raven framing his eye.

He was dressed in leathers, the hides worn soft, and boots that had seen better days. A cocky grin graced his lips, one arm folded across his bent knees, the other used as a prop to hold his chin up. He might have looked like any other man from my clan...if it wasn't for his face. He was the spitting image of my father. And it made pure rage roil in my gut.

"Hello, Etternia. It is nice to be able to meet you again."

He was the same man I met that night in the basement of my apartment building. The man who created shadows and bled darkness from every pore.

No Elementa had a power such as that

"Do you know who I am now?"

"You have my father's face."

His smile grew, bright blue eyes shining. "So it would seem. Though, I do hope I resemble a far younger version of him, considering..."

My hands clenched into fists and I felt ice crackle across them. This could not be. I could not have been so terribly blindsided...

Why now, of all times?

But I only laughed, shaking my head in disgust. "I should have known Vidar would not give up on his vendetta to birth a son."

The man—my brother—stood to his full height, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yes, though it came back to bite him in the ass in the end."

"What do you mean?"

"Surely you have realized it now? I am your little brother, Etternia. And I am currently warring against our father. Why do you think that is?"

"Father has a way of making people hate him."

He smirked, a darkness bleeding into his gaze. "I plan to overthrow him. I will take his crown...and then the crown of all the other chiefs and Jarls...and then the crown of your precious king."

"Why tell me this?"

"You already know, you did for some time. Do not play stupid."

I glanced away, picking at my nails, frowning. Of course I had. The moment I realized who he was, I knew. I knew even before that, the knowledge of him being my brother did not change anything.

"You hate him as much as I do, he betrayed you, took everything from you," he continued. "Do you not wish to enact revenge?"

I smiled viciously, flashing my chipped fang. "He is the reason for much of my suffering, for the scars that cover me. But your way of enacting revenge is a poor one."

"Why? Because I've been killing off your precious little humans? Don't be such a disgrace."

"Having compassion is not disgraceful."

"No, perhaps not for someone like you, but I am a demon to the core. And that will never change. I hold no love for humans or half-breeds or the ones who sympathize with them."

"Then why call me here?"

"Because I need you...and I have the information you've waited over thirty years to hear. Don't you want to know of your son?"

I swallowed hard, a lump getting caught in my throat. Of course I did, no matter the cost, I would give anything. He would be a grown man now...if he lived. But it changed nothing. I still loved him with all my heart—the son of Artair—my son.

"Yes," I breathed. "Yes, I wish to know of him."

My brother smiled, the look so strikingly malevolent that it made my veins run cold. But it took a mere three words for him to shatter everything I knew, to change my entire life.

There would be no going back.

"He is alive."

. . .

A/N: The Aesir has finally been revealed! This chapter has been planned for a long, long time. I'm sorry there wasn't anything about the boys, but this was a very important chapter. I am sure many of you guessed that Ettie's son was alive...but did you guess that she had siblings? HA.

Next chapter will be a Yusuke POV again. And it will be another doozy. Ya'll gonna hate my ass by the time I'm done xD