A Trip Down Spider Lane

Kamui tasted the bitter tint of stone as he awoke, and he promptly lifted his head off the ground. He looked down at the stone floor he was laying atop, then looked out into the distance.

A massive void of black stretched out and consumed everything around him. The very air that he was breathing felt cold and hollow. Kamui got to his feet with a groggy moan, then jumped in shock when a voice began speaking.

"So, Garon, you wish to negotiate?" A voice called out. Kamui's ears perked up, and he scanned his surroundings in an attempt to find that voice.

"Indeed, Sumeragi. Although I see you brought your child with you." The bone-chilling voice of Garon called out. Kamui pinpointed the location of the two voices, then began sprinting through the darkness.

As he ran, the stone underneath his feet shifted into a road, and the darkness was replaced by the dim glow of the moon. Buildings rose out of the ground, and soon Kamui found himself in the city of Cheve.

Two men stood at both ends of a marble bridge. One had white and black armor with a horned helmet. Kamui noted that his hair was very similar in length to Ryoma's. The other man wore a massive black suit of armor that had a gold trim, and Kamui didn't even bother looking at his other details.

"So there's Garon. And that's… Sumeragi?" Kamui felt moderately confused as to why his father was alive, and his confusion grew when he saw that Sumeragi was holding an infant with white hair. "Hang on. That's me!" Kamui stumbled and broke into a sprint, but was stopped in his tracks.

A ripple waved through the air in front of Kamui as he fell onto his back, and he felt as though he had just run into a wall. Kamui stood up and placed a hand on the barrier, and dragged his hand along the invisible wall.

"I suggest waiting to see how this goes." The voice from the temple spoke. Kamui looked towards the darkened sky and realized something. He had no idea who this Temple God was.

"Why exactly are you having me watch the death of my father, and who are you?" Kamui's eyes focused on the clouds that rolled along the night sky.

"The trials are designed so that I may record how you react to certain situations. And to answer your question as to who I am, you will have to wait and see." The Temple God boomed inside Kamui's thoughts. "For now, I suggest paying attention to the back of Sumeragi's head."

Right when Kamui could feel the Temple God leaving, he looked back to the bridge and noted that Sumeragi now had his knees bent and his sword drawn.

"What?! You lied about the parley!" Sumeragi placed the young version of Kamui behind him and stood before his son.

"You honestly thought the war between our kingdoms could be stopped?" Garon's face had grown a twisted smile, and he began stomping toward the Hoshidan king. "How foolishly naive, Sumeragi. Archers!" Garon raised his right hand and pointed toward Sumeragi. "Fire!"

Kamui could only watch as a regiment of archers emerged from the shadows of a building to Sumeragi's left; their bows were drawn and poised at the sky above Sumeragi.

"Kamui! Get down!" Sumeragi let out a yell as he stood before the rain of arrows with his arms outstretched. The infant Kamui's eyes filled with fear as an uncountable number of projectiles struck his father, and his terror was raised tenfold when Sumeragi collapsed to the floor before Garon.

"Goodbye, Sumeragi. I'll tell your family of your ignorance before I kill them." Garon bent down to his knees and lifted Sumeragi's chin off the ground. He looked directly into the king's trembling eyes.

"I'll… I'll see you in hell, Garon." Sumeragi gave one last, drawn-out breath, then shut his eyes. Garon dropped the king's head like a sack of vegetables, and his gaze focused on the terrified young child.

"Well, what have we here?" Garon smirked as he strode towards the young Kamui. "A lost lamb standing before the slaughter."

The child incarnation of Kamui began trembling as he fell onto his rear and started to backpedal away with his hands. He continued to shuffle away until he was stopped by the leg of a knight with gray hair.

"Garon. You're scaring the child." Gunter spoke in a surprisingly stern voice to his liege.

"You would do wise to refrain from back-talking me, Gunter." Garon unsheathed his massive ax and continued walking toward the boy, who clutched desperately to Gunter's leg. "Unless you wish to join your wife and child, of course."

Gunter bit his tongue, and his fist trembled as he stood defiantly against his mad king.

"Why kill the child when you can offer it protection?" Gunter offered the idea, and Garon stopped his walk.

"But then I would have to…" Before Garon finished his thought, he remembered a certain decrepit fortress to the northeast of Windmire. "Hmm. I could keep the brat in the fortress and use him as a bargaining chip. Okay, Gunter. You get to watch over the pest until he comes of age."

Young Kamui blinked his tear-stricken eyes as Gunter raised him into the air with his metal-plated hands. When he opened his eyes, Garon's imposing face was directly in front of him. "Remember, boy. You are my child now." His voice sounded like a guttural growl. Young Kamui let out a whimpering noise as Garon stared directly into his brown irises. Gunter responded by pressing the infant to his chest.

"Easy there, child," Gunter stated in a soothing voice as Young Kamui began to sob into his armor. "Everything's going to be just fine…"

Gunter had always wanted to raise a child, and given that his own had been killed by Garon, he considered Kamui to be his 'second chance' of sorts.

Kamui had watched this event unfold from outside the barrier, and continued to watch as the scene disappeared. A sea of darkness was left, and in the center of it laid Sumeragi's corpse; it was illuminated by a beam of light. Kamui had felt a twinge in his heart when he saw Gunter stand up to Garon, and he made a mental note to thank his retainer for sticking up for him.

While Kamui was thinking about this, a minuscule, violet spider emerged from Sumeragi's remains and began scurrying away.

"Chase that pest and reclaim your lost memories!" The Temple God spoke in a rather commanding voice, and Kamui hurriedly began chasing after the spider.

"What do you mean 'lost memories'?" Kamui asked while he focused on the arachnid. Its whole body looked like a collection of purple haze that waved as the spider's eight legs twitched along.

"One of your memories has been stolen by that bug. Chase it down and vanquish it!" Kamui's pace quickened as the spider continued its lead on him.

"Get back here, you little…!" Kamui's face donned a menacing glare as he outstretched his arms. The spider was close; so close, that he almost would've caught it if not for the massive portal he just ran into.

When Kamui emerged from the portal, he found himself outside a massive, ornate castle that sat against the moon. Rain pounded the top of his head, and the spider was nowhere to be found.

The more pressing matter, however, was that massive castle in the background. The entire building had a color scheme of white with red outlines, and the front entrance had a curved archway above it. "That's Castle Shirasagi!" Kamui stepped through the soaking wet grass he stood on as he walked to the castle.

A figure shrouded with a hood was a good distance in front of Kamui and was also going toward the castle. Kamui tailed behind the cloaked person, and after a good five minutes, they were in front of the castle.

The sound of someone singing broke the silence that hung in the air. It was a voice that Kamui had heard before, and it sounded rather joyful.

The cloaked figure pressed both of their hands against the front gate of the castle and heaved the doors open. A bright light shone out of the interior and illuminated the night outside, and Kamui followed the figure inside.

" 'The dragon let out a mighty roar as the king dropped his weapon. "Rawr!" The king covered his ears and looked at the dragon. "Oh, mighty dragon. There is no need for this ceaseless violence." ' " Mikoto sat in the center of the room and was encircled by four young children. She had a book placed on her lap, and the four kids had exceptionally sleepy expressions on their face.

"My queen," The figure with the cloak removed their hood and revealed themselves to be Kaze. "I have… news." Kaze had a rather grim look in his eyes, and Mikoto's gut sank when she saw his expression.

"Okay, children. Time for bed." She spoke in a soothing voice as her youngest son stood up.

"I don't wanna go to bed!" Takumi stomped his foot and crossed his arms. Mikoto got on her knees and met his eye level.

"Takumi, dear, mommy needs to talk about your birthday gifts with Mister Kaze. You wouldn't want to spoil your birthday now, would you?" Mikoto smiled as she placed her hands on his shoulders.

"...No." Takumi looked to his side, then started walking to his room with Ryoma and his sisters. "You know I want a training yumi, right?" Takumi gazed behind him at his mother.

"Yes dear." Mikoto gave her children a bright smile as they left for their rooms. Her focus then turned to Kaze. "Kaze, what happened?" Her voice shifted entirely from soothing parent to concerned wife.

"My queen, it's about Sumeragi." Kaze's tone sounded as if he were delivering awful news. "That parley he had with Garon…"

"What went wrong?" Mikoto began to stride toward Kaze.

"It was a trap," Kaze spoke with a heavy heart and his gaze was locked on the ground. "Sumeragi… was killed."

Mikoto took a sharp intake of breath and pressed her hand over her head.

"Oh… Gods…" Mikoto fell to her knees; her hands hung above the ground like pendulums. Every inch of her wanted to scream, and she had good reason to. Sumeragi had been so loving to her, and she had loved him with every ounce of her body.

She wanted to march all the way over to Nohr and make Garon pay for taking her happiness. She wanted to end this pointless war.

But she couldn't. She was a queen, and she had to maintain her composure. Hoshido was founded on the principle of non-violence, and bloodshed would not end this suffering. Solving violence with violence would only keep the conflict going, and it would teach her children nothing but hate.

The very instant Mikoto thought of her children, her mind could only focus on a single name.

Kamui.

"W-Where's Kamui?" Her eyes were glistening with tears as she looked at Kaze.

"We don't know where Kamui is. My squadron and I tried to recover him, but he was surrounded by archers. We had to flee without him." Kaze knelt down before his queen. "He could be captured, or he could be…" He refrained from saying the alternative.

Mikoto fell to the ground in a sobbing mess and began to pound the ground. She couldn't believe her little boy had been taken from her; taken by some madman in his lust for power and control.

"Kamui!" Her fist stung as it pounded into the castle floor. "Why were you taken from me? Why?" She wailed, and Kaze could feel her pain just by watching this. "My special little angel…"

Mikoto stood up and looked her ninja directly in the eye. "C-C-C-Can I please rest on your shoulder?"

"Yes, my queen." Kaze met her tear-stricken eyes and spoke in a solemn voice. Mikoto draped her arms over Kaze's sturdy shoulders and placed her head next to his neck.

"Thank you, Kaze." Mikoto could feel her tears staining the cloth of his clothing. Kaze did not feel any romantic feelings about this whatsoever, although he was pleased to discover that Mikoto considered him a close friend to depend on.

Reina entered the room and hurried to her liege.

"Mikoto... I heard everything." Reina looked exceptionally upset as she wrapped her arms around her charge. "This will all work out in the end. Everything's going to be just fine…" Her voice adopted a soothing tone.

Kamui had watched this all unfold from the sidelines, and continued to watch as the environment shifted into the familiar sea of black. Inside the expanse of emptiness was Mikoto, who was on her knees while a beam of light shone down on her.

Kamui walked over to his crying mother, bent down to meet her eye level, and wrapped his arms around her comforting frame. He assumed Mikoto couldn't see or feel him, considering she didn't react in the slightest, but that didn't stop him from comforting her.

"It's okay mother; I'm here now," Kamui spoke in a quiet tone as he hugged his mother. He was simply astounded at how much pain and suffering Garon had caused Mikoto and her family. Words could not describe the feeling of rage in his gut; rage built inside him, and all of it was directed at Garon. "I'll make Garon pay for what he did to you."

Unfortunately, Kamui was interrupted by a human-sized spider that emerged from behind Mikoto and began skittering along the ground. Kamui got to his feet and chased after the spider, which looked like a larger version of the arachnid from before.

The chase in the sea of darkness continued, and Kamui began to ask a question while he ran. "You're showing me my memories, right?" He looked directly up.

"Correct." The Temple God spoke.

"Then why did you show me that memory of my mother if I wasn't there?" Kamui felt a bright light envelop him, and he found himself next to a house that overlooked a river. The spider was nowhere to be seen.

"Because it was a memory about you, Kamui. It doesn't matter if you were there to see it; it matters because it revolved around you. It shows you how much your mother cared for you and your father."

"Alright, alright," Kamui observed his surroundings and noted the vast expanse of trees to his left, and the purple spider bearing down on the little girl to his right.

Upon realizing that man-eating spiders were not regular occurrences, Kamui sprinted over the girl being attacked.

"Help me! This 'pider smells really bad!" The girl shrieked, and Kamui grabbed hold of its violet body. He ripped the large spider off the girl and threw it over the cliff into the ocean below.

"Are you alright?" Kamui asked as he helped the girl to her feet. The late-day sun reflected off her red hair, and Kamui noted she looked very similar to Subaki.

"Thanks, Mister Kamui!" The girl wrapped her arms around Kamui's leg and gave him a smile. "I knew you wouldn't forget about me!"

"But who are you?" Kamui had no idea who this girl was.

"It's me, Caeldori! The girl you visited who liked you since she was sticks years old?" Caeldori tilted her head to the side and then noticed the giant shadow looming over Kamui. "Watch out! 'Pider alert!" Caeldori pointed to the space behind Kamui, and Kamui quickly turned his head to where she was pointing.

Behind him stood an absolutely massive, purple spider that was about two times taller than Caeldori's house. The spider let out a hissing noise, and its eight black eyes twitched and squirmed before it smashed one of its legs into the ground where Kamui stood.

Kamui rolled out of the way and broke into a mad dash away from the spider.

"You must slay that foul beast!" The voice from the temple spoke in a rather commanding voice.

"Oh, come on! That thing could crush me in an instant!" Kamui protested against the voice inside his head before unsheathing his blade. He watched in terror as the spider strode effortlessly along the ground and bashed Kamui with one of its legs. Kamui was sent flying and re-adjusted himself in midair as he landed on his feet. "Okay, that was a cheap shot."

"Kamui! Go for its legs! 'Piders can't walk when they don't have legs!" Caeldori had found herself a safe position on the sidelines and cheered Kamui on.

Considering his foe did use its appendages for many of its attacks, Kamui figured that Caeldori was correct. Kamui held his sword out to his right and focused all his energy on his left hand.

"This better work!" Kamui yelled as his left hand transformed into a long, sleek pillar. In the blink of an eye, he began sprinting toward the massive spider until he had reached its upper left leg.

Kamui thrusted his transmogrified hand into the leg and shook his arm in a quick manner. Purple mist poured out of the arachnid until its leg was pulled completely off by Kamui's hand. Kamui struggled to maintain his balance, given how heavy the leg was, and began to pivot his feet in a circular fashion. The leg was still attached to his hand, and now the detached appendage was slapping the spider across its disgusting face.

"Yeah! Go get 'em, Kamui!" Caeldori cheered out and giggled as she noticed the look of sadness on the spider's face.

This continued for a bit until the spider decided it had enough of being beaten by its own leg, so it promptly batted Kamui away with one of its functioning appendages.

Or, at least, it tried to swat Kamui away, because Kamui had used his free arm to grab onto the spider's upper right leg. He began to spin around the bone-like limb until he built enough speed, then released at just the right moment so that he flew foot-first into the spider's maw.

The arachnid was sent reeling backward and stood on its hind legs as Kamui's foot smashed into its face, but Kamui was simply not done yet. He transformed his left hand again and plunged it into the spiders squirming mouth. He rose into the air along with the spider, and then pulled his left hand up.

Through some strange combination of gravity and inertia, Kamui was able to lift the spider off the ground and into the air above him. His hand hurt like hell due to how strained it felt, but Kamui knew he had won the fight.

Within a single motion, Kamui's head shifted into his dragon-like visage, and he slammed the spider onto its back. The ground quaked and the spider let out a foul screech as it squirmed. Kamui landed onto the spider's stomach sword-first and drove his blade through its misty flesh.

"Yay! Kamui's the best!" Caeldori screamed with delight as the spider exploded into a collection of purple mist, and Kamui was left panting for breath.

His pause would be short-lived, however, as the spider's defeat triggered a rush of previously hidden memories to become revealed.

Kamui had known Caeldori since she was a child, and the only reason he rejected her romantic advances was because of his view of her as a little girl.

"The trial is over, but you may linger if you wish." The Temple God spoke.

"Just get me outta here," Kamui said in an exhausted tone.

When Kamui awoke in the temple chamber, he had a burning question he needed to ask.

"Okay, so what exactly are you, Mister temple voice." Kamui got off the ground and seated himself.

"I suppose you deserve an explanation. Very well." The Temple God spoke, then began to describe his experience. "My last memories are of myself ruling a prosperous kingdom that had lasted for eons. My life was full and well-lived, but I believe I was killed by one who called himself 'Anankos'."

Kamui's ears perked up just at the mere mention of Anankos. "After I was killed, I had most of my memories stripped off of me, and I was chained to this temple. I cannot leave, and my only purpose is to conduct trials on people who seek my blessing."

"So you're stuck in this temple and your only job is to make events for people?" Kamui cocked his head to the left.

"Correct."

"Okay." Kamui got to his feet. "Do you remember anything else?"

"Yes, I do." The Temple God spoke. "Two names. Azura and Arete. I believe they were people close to me in my past life."

Kamui's eyes widened; he wasn't sure who this Arete person was, but his mind began to race as to why this temple deity knew Azura.

He would have to think about this later, as the door to the main chamber slid open to reveal Caeldori and Hisame waiting for him.

"How was it?" Caeldori asked with a curious smile as Kamui stepped out of the chamber.

"It was very strange, and I'm still mentally digesting most of it," Kamui responded.

"Sounds like fun." Hisame's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, second champion, please enter your chamber so you may be tested." Right after the Temple God finished his statement, the stone door in front of Hisame slowly creaked open.

"See you guys later," Hisame spoke as he entered the chamber, and the door shut itself behind him. Above the door was a golden archway, which depicted a tower with a clock in the center.

While Kamui and Caeldori waited, Kamui decided that he had gotten this far romantically with Caeldori, so to reject her feelings now would surely crush her heart.

Which is something he desperately wanted to avoid doing, so he wrapped his fingers around her warm hand.

Well, at least the stupidity of the pirate chapter is gone, and the Temple God got some explanation, so I'm pretty pleased with this rewrite.