I am deeply sorry for the long wait of this chapter... Especially since the previous chapter was left on a cliffhanger. A big thank you to Shinata-ryoko who is always there at odd hours of the night editing my documents and making them legible! You are the best.

Disclaimer : I own nothing.

Thoughts

Memories

When Setsuna opened her eyes the first thing she saw was darkness. It stretched out, painting everything in its grim colour, leaving Setsuna with a deep sense of loneliness, a loneliness she hadn't felt since she was young. Her body dangled in the air, spinning abruptly as a result of any movement. "This isn't right," the girl muttered, "whenever I meditate I always bring myself to the open garden in Kyoto. It's like -"

"This is someone else's mind?" A voice completed, seemingly magnified, a contrast to the silence before. The half demon spun wildly, seeking out the source of the voice, but was greeted only with the familiar growing darkness. "Who's there?" Setsuna growled out, fists clenching as she tried to stay calm, her mind running various scenarios of how to counter the unknown enemy. "You should know who I am Setsuna Sakurazaki," the voice had an almost teasing quality to it, "after all –"

"I'm you." Setsuna stumbled back, her head jerking violently as a body appeared in front of her, seemingly appearing out of thin air. Long canines gleamed through an amused grin, crimson eyes darkening as they took in the disoriented dark-haired girl. Setsuna shook her head as she took in the white hair, crimson eyes and sharp talons. "No," she whispered, her eyes now outright staring at the wings of the other girl, unfurling almost mockingly.

"You can't escape the truth any longer, it's time to sink or swim Setsuna."

Dwelling in the past

"No!" Setsuna howled, charging at her demon half, only to find her face smashed against a dirt road, with her arm twisted painfully behind her. "I'll never be you," she thrashed about, trying to pull free from the tight grasp, but buckled as a knee jabbed into the middle of her back, forcing her face further into the ground, "sometimes we don't get to make our own decisions, you of all people should know that." The demon ground her knee deeper into Setsuna's back, emphasizing her point, relishing in the feeble attempts to dislodge her weight. "We aren't all given the privilege of free choice, sometimes that choice is stripped away." Setsuna felt a sharp pain as her head jerked upwards, her lips pursed tightly in an effort not to give the demon the pleasure of hearing her scream. "And now I'm going to take yours away," Setsuna bit her tongue as talons slowly entered her scalp, drawing blood, "I'll force you to face your inner demons; the past that you have so desperately tried to forget. " With that said the demon released Setsuna, jumping back to avoid the back kick unleashed by the dark-haired girl, before disappearing, but not without a triumphant laugh.

Setsuna slammed her fists against the ground, her body shaking and features darkening as she came to terms with the situation. Everything was blurring together, the lines of reality and subconscious non-existent as the pain became all too real. "No wonder you wanted me to meditate Evangeline," she chuckled bitterly, slumping to the ground, her eyes finally dragging themselves from the dirt to realize that the darkness had been replaced with a forest and dirt road. The forest loomed ominously above her, trees twisted and bowed, bark darkened by a harsh winter and the foliage dampened, debris of leaves and branches scattered around. The dirt road carried on for what seemed like eternity, disappearing as the forest became denser. It was strange, everything held an eerie feeling, yet it was almost familiar, the patches of sky and chatter of small creatures part of a distant dream. Or past. Begrudgingly, Setsuna stood up, wincing as her back protested at the action. There was no use in lying around and feeling sorry for herself, the only way she was getting out of this nightmare was through facing her demons, those who dwelled in her body and in her past.

How long have I been walking for? Setsuna wondered; odd strands of hair plastered against her neck and forehead, the running perspiration acting as glue. It couldn't have been more than an hour since the dark-haired girl had set foot on her journey down the dirt road but it felt like much longer. The road opened up into a wider path and the trees parted to let the sun beat down mercilessly on Setsuna's form, slowly draining the girl of her energy. Using the sleeve of her gi, she wiped the sweat away from her eyes, squinting in an effort to see further into the distance. There was a faint outline of a wall coming into view, hopefully a sign of a village. Setsuna, encouraged by the new sight, pushed her movements into a slow jog, closing the distance steadily.

With the wall in full view the dark-haired girl slowed until she was standing motionless in front of the intimidating wooden structure. The wall loomed as high as the trees surrounding it, the tops of each separate pillar -making up the wall- sharpened into spiked tips. Subconsciously Setsuna hugged her body, her knuckles whitening as she fisted the fabric of her gi. Every fibre in her body was screaming at her to listen to her instincts – which said that this place was dangerous and she should get away now. But another part of her was moving her feet forward, pulling her closer to the wall. Close enough that she soon found her hand resting against the structure, her fingers tracing the rough bark. Absorbed in her exploration, Setsuna missed the jutting shard of broken wood, her finger spilling blood as she snagged the tip across the splintered shard. "Shit!" The half demon hissed out, drawing her finger back, glaring at the offensive shard.

Setsuna's glare slowly slackened as her eyes dilated and became distant, her expression turning blank as she stared intently at the blood on the wall. Small beads of crimson crawling into the wood's cracks, staining the tawny colour a dark burgundy. All she could see and smell was the blood. Blood staining the wall, like before…

Harsh gasps rang out in the night as a tiny body -a girl- hurled itself through a village, tripping and stumbling over roots and bumpy soil in her haste to escape. Her body, a scattered mess of cuts and bruises, pushed desperately to run faster. Blinded by the combination of exhaustion and the night's darkness, the girl found her body crashing towards the ground. Her face slid painfully across the rough soil and small rocks, small incisions created on her face. With shaky arms she pushed her body upright, but crashed back down, her body still shaking from exertion.

"She couldn't have gotten far!"

"Don't let her get away!"

The girl pushed again, with renewed vigour, her body scrambling up. A dozen larger bodies broke into the path, their faces hidden by the shadows. The flame torches shone menacingly, casting light only over the mob's sweeping black wings and the girl's retreating back and white hair. Jeers and taunts followed her as she ran, her body ducking and weaving as she turned abruptly into the foliage. The roots snapped under her feet and her breath came out faster, more ragged.

Suddenly the foliage ended and there was nowhere to go. The land was cleared of any vegetation and levelled to support the wooden wall the girl found in front of her shaking form. Driven by desperation the girl threw her body at the wall, using her hands to claw at the wood, trying to find a hold. The skin at her nails were ripped and blood stained the wood as she continued her fruitless climb, her hands slipping, causing her to crash back down as soon as she created any distance between her form and the floor. Tears and blood began to mix as the girl choked out a sob, her body unable to get up as she fell once again.

"This is the end of the line Hanyo," a deep voice boomed, their words met with a loud roar of approval. "You have caused enough trouble in this village, it's time you accepted your fate," the girl closed her eyes, curling her body into a tight ball as if to block out what was happening. The mob closed in on the girl, circling around her, trapping her.

"Mother"

"Mother," Setsuna whimpered unintentionally, her eyes slowly returning to their clear-eyed gaze, the fallen tears drying on her cheeks. Drawing back her hand, noting that it was trembling, Setsuna focused on the blood. Wondering just what exactly she saw and why she called out for a woman she had no memories of. Was the little girl supposed to be me? If so, why don't I have any memories of this place? Setsuna asked herself, her eyes moving over the wall, trying to will the answers to her questions from the structure. In any case I won't get any answers from just standing here. Decision made, Setsuna unfurled her wings – albeit hesitantly – and clenched her hands into fists to still the trembling. Then the dark-haired girl found her body crossing over the wall, her wings snapping downwards powerfully, carrying her body easily over the spikes and into the overgrown foliage.

As soon as her feet touched the floor Setsuna retracted her wings, not wanting them exposed any longer than she could get away with. Her new surroundings were once again strange, yet familiar. The upturned thick roots of the trees and overrun footpath reminded her of the pursuit she saw just moments ago. Gazing at the wall Setsuna thought, this must have been the path the girl – I – took. She then turned back to stare into the forest, which means through this forest is the village. The village where I grew up yet have no memories of. With a renewed sense of purpose, Setsuna pushed forward.

"It seems like Setsuna won't be coming to spend the day with us after all," Asuna murmured as she stared out the window of her dorm room, observing the sunset and all the students making their way back to their rooms. She was worried; the sword-wielding girl had never broken a promise to Konoka before. Even when she was exhausted from training with Evangeline, she would drag her body to Konoka and their room just to keep her promise of having dinner with them; which normally resulted in Konoka gently reprimanding her for pushing herself. Turning away from the window, Asuna turned her attention to said brunette, who Setsuna could never say no to. The girl was doing a good job of acting like she was unaffected by her protector's absence, cheerfully dishing up dinner for Negi and laughing.

However, now and again Asuna would see her eyes drifting away from Negi and towards the door, as if expecting the door to open at any moment. When the door remained closed the light in her eyes would dim faintly. Then her mask would be up again and she would look at the young boy with her usual sunny disposition. Asuna released the sigh she was holding; frustrated that she couldn't help her friend any other way, but to pretend that everything was fine. There was no need to add unnecessary sorrow; Setsuna's absence was most likely because Evangeline was just having fun torturing the girl. With that decided Asuna put on her own cheery expression and joined her friends for dinner, making sure to fill the night with small chatter and good natured teasing.

The forest opened up into a large clearing, small houses scattered around the open space with fenced off areas where the cattle must have been housed. The houses were simple in design, much like everything else in the village. Tree stumps were placed in a circle around a rock formation, the ash inside suggesting that it was where the fire was lit each night. As Setsuna walked further into the village she saw a blacksmith stall, curved swords and clubs hanging on display behind the stall and other weapons resting on the counter. The food vendors were obvious with their stock also on show, with the produce on the counters or strung up for full display. The dark-haired girl avoided eye contact with the freshly gutted rabbit.

With her concentration on avoiding the rabbit's lifeless eyes, Setsuna failed to take notice of the doll on the floor. This led to the girl kicking the doll, sending the ragged form skirting across the ground, creating a small dust cloud in its wake. Bending down to investigate, what she had hit the girl took in the faded appearance of what must have been a young girl's doll. An eye was missing from the dirtied face and her straw hair was tangled into knots, the red dress of the doll torn as well. Setsuna stroked the stitch work that made up the doll's smile, her eyes glazing as she tried to place why the doll seemed so familiar.

"Momma, why can't I play outside with the other kids?" Large red eyes peered up innocently in question, white locks -pure like snow- framing the girl's face. The mother looked down at her daughter with a pained smile, lips trembling as she forced them to stay upwards. "You are momma's little helper. If I didn't have you here, how would I get all these chores done before your father gets home?" The little girl pouted, her feet dragging patterns on the floor as she thought over what her mother said. She was torn between her duty of making her mom happy and wanting to go out and have fun like all the other children.

"But it's lonely with just you and me. Father hardly ever plays with me like you do."

A small whimper escaped her mother's lips, but she quickly covered it up with a strong hug, bringing her daughter close to her chest. "You are never alone when you have me baby girl, always remember that." The little girl wasn't really sure what her mother meant but she nodded, because that made her momma happy, and she liked it when her momma hugged her. She always felt warm and smelt like those flowers she found outside in their garden, the ones her mother added in their food to make it taste extra good.

A few days later the girl awoke to a surprise. Her mother came to wake her up like she normally did every morning; they washed up together before going out to the garden; however this time she came in holding a small doll in her hands. "I spent the last few days sewing you this, Setsuna. Now you don't have to feel lonely, because she will be your friend when I'm not around." The white-haired girl took the doll carefully out of her mother's hands, her smaller hand caressing the soft fabric of the doll's red dress and black button eyes.

"What are you going to name her?"

"Tomodachi"

Setsuna hugged the doll close to her chest, a faint floral scent entering her nose as she buried her face into the ruined dress. "It's been a while Tomo," the dark-haired girl murmured, a watery smile tugging at her lips as she examined the doll as if seeing it for the first time. Looking up Setsuna searched her surroundings, if her doll was lying out here, then that meant the house she used to live in must be somewhere close by. Her grip on Tomodachi tightened as she thought about confronting her past. Everything was happening so fast, yesterday she had no memory of anything about her past, yet in a short period of time she found herself reliving her childhood in vivid detail. She was chased out, isolated from her clan, but most importantly she had a loving mother. Why would she forget about her mother? The only good thing in her entire childhood? I only knew about the isolation because when the Shinmei-ryu school took me in, they told me they found me wounded and alone in the forest, near Kyoto.

Standing up, with her doll held firmly in her hand, Setsuna started forward. Various houses passing by as she walked through the village, searching for the house that would strike a chord within her. The half demon was losing hope of ever finding her home, when she finally spotted the house. It was the only house on the outskirts of the village, the house much smaller than all the others, almost isolated from the village. There was a small flower and vegetable garden at the side, the fence overrun with weeds as they battled to reach the vegetation. The wooden door was slightly open, the breeze causing the hinges to squeak as it moved back and forth slowly. Setsuna stopped just in front of the door, peering into the dark house, anxious of what she might find inside. As her hand reached out to push the door open, a soft voice met her ears, the voice singing a sweet lullaby. Subconsciously, Setsuna moved to follow the voice, her feet taking her through the dark house, as if she had travelled the path many times before. With her hand clenched around her doll and the other on the smooth wall, Setsuna crept through the house, using the voice and walls as a guide, unaware of the sudden change in time as outside the window, stars became scattered in the sky, shining, the sky darkening to a deep blue.

The voice became louder as Setsuna saw a faint light peeking through an open doorway. The words more distinctive as she crept closer, the light splashing across her face as she peered around the corner, curious to see the source of the gentle voice. She was met with a younger version of herself, serenely tucked into her bed, her eyes drooping as her mother stroked her hair and sang softly to her. The woman was dressed in a simple dress, but it did little to hide her beauty. She had pale skin with midnight locks that fell pass her shoulders in waves, her amber eyes staring down at her daughter with pure affection. Her nose was slender and her full lips were pulled into a soft smile as she continued to sing. Setsuna moved her hand away from the wall, pale digits coming to rest over her heart as it twinged with a deep pang of loss. Her mother was so close, she was in arm's reach, but she couldn't hold her or tell her how much she wished she could remember her. Tell her that she loved her, that she missed her, even if she couldn't remember.

However, the scene and song did not last long. The light started to fade, drawing the young Setsuna and her mother into darkness. The wall Setsuna had been using as a guide just moments ago was gone and the house lost its warmth. The dark-haired girl forced her body to stay calm and used her senses to search her surroundings. There were no sounds, when suddenly a loud crash rang out. Setsuna dropped to the floor, her arms instinctively covering her head as an explosion of glass showered over her head. The darkness was suddenly expelled as flaming arrows entered through the broken window; the passage Setsuna once found herself in was replaced with the dining room. The dining room was up in flames in seconds, the smoke suffocating and dense as hungry flames devoured everything in its path. The half demon struggled to crawl across the floor, eyes watering and throat dry as she searched for an exit.

"Momma!"

Setsuna whipped her head to the side, following the direction of the young half demon's voice. The white-haired girl screamed desperately, before coughing harshly, a sign that the smoke must have reached her room. "Momma where are you? Momma I'm scared!" This is the night when I was chased out, Setsuna realized, an expression of horror painted across her face as she crawled towards her room. Except they weren't intending to just have me exiled, a knot of dread starting to form in the pit of the dark-haired girl's stomach, they were planning to kill me.

Thank you for reading, please let me hear what you think!

JN