"Like it always was." Said a smiling Ken.
"Unfortunately, we can't bask in the beauty of our home planet. We need to get to our old house." Ken and Raven flew over countless houses before stopping above a large white house.
"There it is." Said Ken.
"Let's go." Raven whispered. Ken instead stayed over the house and looked down.
"Uh…Ken? What are you looking at?"
"Us." Raven looked down at the ground and saw two children playing around the house.
"Ken, give me back my bear!" Cried a young Raven.
"Nope, it's mine now!" A younger Ken yelled over his shoulder.
"Why'd you take my stuffed bear, anyway?" The older Raven asked.
"Raven," Ken said smugly, "I'm your older brother. It's my duty to harass you. Oh, look!" The younger Ken had just taken flight. Raven took off after him.
"Give it back! Grr…Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" A flock of crows made of dark energy formed around Ken and snatched the bear out of his hands.
"Hey! Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" A wolf pack formed around Raven as she hugged her bear.
"Uh-oh. Bye!" She flew to the ground, dodging the wolves. One slammed into her back and she plummeted the ground.
"Hey, that hurt!" Raven yelled from the ground. She pointed her index finger at Ken. A thin, dark energy beam shot out of it at Ken's legs.
"Yow!" Ken shouted. He pointed both of his index fingers at Raven and continued the battle.
"I know you want to watch this; so do I, but we must enter our house now." Raven frowned as she and Ken descended into their old house.
"Is that—" Raven said as she saw a man pacing around a room. "Yup, that's Trigon." Said Ken. Raven saw the yellowish-white aura around Ken immediately turn red and black as he looked at Trigon.
"Hard to believe this bastard ever looked good." He said. Raven looked over at Trigon and noticed he actually looked handsome. He had midnight blue hair with white streaks throughout it. He looked like an adult version of Ken, only with a beard and mustache.
"Baka masu." Ken said in a low voice.
"What Azarathian incantation is that?"
"It's not Azarathian, it's Japanese. Let's go." Ken and Raven phased through the floor. Ken came back up for a few seconds to flip Trigon off before going back down. They were now in a dining room. Raven felt a small pain I her head and grimaced as she looked around.
"What's wrong with you, Rae?" Said Ken.
"Nothing." Raven lied. "So where is mom supposed to be?" Ken looked around the room for a second before walking into the bottom-right corner of it.
"Ken, what are--"
"Quiet! I'm trying to concentrate." Ken phased his head through the wall and pulled it back almost immediately.
"What's wrong? What'd you see?"
"Our old rooms. Mom's two floors down."
"Two floors? But we're at the first floor!"
"Exactly. Our family isn't normal, Raven."
"It's nothing close to being normal…" Muttered Raven as she followed Ken down through the floor. They phased through a wide, neat basement and into an ancient-looking tunnel.
"Stay close to me." Said Ken as they glided down the tunnel. As they moved on, they heard a faint, sweet voice.
"Fiur reo kendu ta."
"What's that?" Whispered Raven.
"You'll see." Ken said smugly.
"Siam poparra venkri pha!"" The voice said in a stranger tone.
"Ok, Ken, cut the crap, what the hell is that? I've never heard that chant before."
"That's because you don't remember…" Ken said as they neared the end of the tunnel.
"Our mother." Raven almost shoved Ken out of the way as she rushed forward. She gasped as she gazed at the sight in front of her. Beautiful only began to describe her. She had dark purple hair that caught what little light was in the tunnel. Her hair fell down to the small of her back. Her eyes were a light shade of purple that you could get lost in. She was very petite and resembled Raven.
"A smile that could brighten up any day, the kindest woman you could ever meet, our mom, Imani." Ken said. Raven was speechless.
"A shame that you have to meet her…again…at a time like this." Imani stared into a crystal ball as her children looked on.
"My time is nigh. What shall become of my children?" She said.
'Her voice is as beautiful as she is.' Raven thought.
'Yup.' Replied Ken.
"Ah…I see. And if I…?"
"Ken, what is she talking about?"
"Explain it to you later. No time now."
"I shall need to do it immediately, then." She got up and turned around. She walked right between Ken and raven. Raven saw her look back and smile at them as she walked out of the tunnel.
"Did she just…?"
"Back up to the first floor." Ken said as he ascended. Raven followed him up to the first floor where Trigon was pacing around the room.
"I must…do it today…" He said. His head quickly turned to the left as he heard footsteps coming from the dining room. He straightened himself up as he saw his wife walking toward him, yawning.
"Hey, honey, where have you been?"
"Just taking a nap." Imani gave him a quick kiss and walked out the front door. Ken and Raven followed.
"KEN! RAVEN!" Imani yelled out. The young Ken and Raven ceased their 'gunfight' and ran over to their mother.
"I have something to tell you two." She said with a sad look on her face.
"What is it?" Said a young Raven.
"Your mommy's going to be going away for a while."
"Where you going? Can we come?" Ken said.
"No…you wouldn't want to come. Just remember something. In case I don't ever see you two again, just remember. I'll always be watching over you."
"Mom, what's going on?" Ken said seriously.
"You'll understand one day. Now give your mom a kiss." Ken and Raven walked forward and hugged and kissed their mother. A tear fell from Imani's eye as she kissed them on their foreheads.
"Goodbye, you two. Somnie." She said softly. Her hands glowed a light purple as she quickly tapped Ken and Raven on their forehead.
"I'll miss you two." She said as she teleported them away.
'King Zahra, this is Special Guard Imani, requesting immediate transportation of my children. Spare no expense on the two space pods. Destination: The planet Earth in the Milky Way galaxy. All questions will be answered shortly.' She said telepathically.
'Request granted.' A majestic voice replied. 'Is there some kind of emergency, Imani?'
'Nothing too urgent.' She lied.
'Transports are being prepared. Why aren't you going with them?'
'You know I'm too busy. If possible, have them land near my mother.'
'So she is still alive? They are being boarded now. They shall leave in about fifteen minutes.'
'Thank you, your majesty…'
'It's the least I could do after all that you've done for me.'
"Ok, now I just have to keep him busy…" Ken giggled.
"What's so funny?" Said Raven.
"Read her mind."
'So here are my options…' Imani thought to herself. 'I could A. Go in there and screw him and then have him kill me after he finds out I've stalled him…or B. Lay some thwack down on him…'
"Wait 'till you see which one she does." Ken said, struggling to keep a straight face. Imani stepped unto the porch of her house and began chanting in a quiet voice. As she canted, a large, transparent shield appeared and got steadily more opaque. It disappeared as it touched the house.
"That should hold him for a few minutes. Yoshenin!" She almost shouted. An elegant armor formed around her body. The armor fit so tightly, yet it allowed her free movement. It was white and had an elegant blue trimming. There were two lines running down her sides. A naginata was strapped to her back.
"This is one of those rare moments when your parents are badass. Pay attention." Said Ken. After casting another spell to make the armor invisible, she walked into her house.
"Oh, hi honey." Trigon said quickly. "I was just looking for you. Where are the kids?"
"I just sent them to live with my mother. I also know of your plan, demon. Trigon quickly turned from sweet to demonic.
"YOU BITCH!" He attempted to slap her, but she caught his hand and swiftly bent it back. A sickening snap rung thought the room.
"Gah, didn't think I'd need to use my true form on the likes of you." Trigon tapped his temple with his good hand and his skin started melting away. His blue hair faded away, as if he was rapidly aging. His eyes glowed an evil yellow as he grew another pair. His teeth lengthened and sharpened.
"I thought your name sounded familiar. Trigon. Ancient Tamaranian for 'Devil incarnation.'"
"So you've done your homework," The white haired demon spoke, "Too bad that won't help you, woman!" Trigon dove at Imani, his claws aiming at her heart.
"That's right. That won't help." She said calmly, "But my extensive arsenal of defensive techniques will." Imani quickly formed a thin, light shield in front of her. Trigon stopped himself in midair and shot a dark beam at her. The beam fizzled out as soon at it traveled one inch and Imani smiled.
"As expected of Azarath's top guard. Tell me something. How did you know of my plan?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Imani said with a smug smile on her face.
"Dirth Yee Neop." Imani said as she tapped the space a half an inch above the middle of her eyebrows with her index fingers.
"Gah, a seer!"
"Yep."
"So tell me, how much of my plan have you Seen?"
"Only that you were going to drink their blood and use their power to rule Azarath."
"Don't you want to know why I wanted their blood? Why I just didn't use yours or the king's blood?"
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious." Trigon let out a dark chuckle. Imani secretly began powering up a massive spell, but only visibly tightened her grip on her naginata.
"The reason why I needed, why they would make me so powerful…is because of their spirits."
"What do you mean their spirits? They haven't been…" Imani's eyes suddenly got wide.
"You son of a…"
"That's right. I fused their spirits."
"What did you fuse them with and why?"
"Well, as Azarathians, there powers are already great, plus they are half demon, so that enhances them even more. However, with normal souls, their potential would not be realized, so I made them part demon in more way than one." A sick, evil smile crept onto Trigon's face.
"What are they fused with?" Imani said furiously.
"With Raven, I bonded Kraken, an ancient sea demon. With Ken, however, I took a bit of a risk."
"What did you do to my son!"
"Nothing," Trigon said casually, "Except bond him with a shadow demon."
"What!" Imani's face showed a mixture of rage and worry and her voice began sounding evil.
"You could have killed him, you bastard!"
"That was a risk I was willing to take." Trigon said sadistically. Imani closed her eyes as her power began growing.
"I'm going to kill you." She said softly. She opened her eyes and Trigon jumped back in fear. Dark, yet angelic energy shot out of her mouth and eyes. It slowly consumed her body, giving her a look of a goddess. Her body gave off a deadly aura, one that showed she had intent to murder.
"Blessed be the weapon that I use to combat this demon." Imani said as her naginata glowed a soft white.
"What! You can't cast that spell unless you…"
"My nickname isn't Angel for nothing."
"That will make this all the more interesting."
"Bring it." Trigon lunged at his wife, claws aimed at her heart. Imani simply dropped to the ground at the last second. Lifting her leg up, she drove her foot into his pelvis while forcing her weapon through his ribs. Trigon flipped over and landed on his back, further pushing the naginata through him. Black blood trickled out of his mouth as he gave a small groan. Imani sighed as she heard him pull the naginata out of him.
"You know it takes more than a holy weapon to kill me."
"I figured as much." Imani sprung up and attempted to stomp Trigon's head. Trigon grabbed her foot as it came down and twisted it around, causing Imani to spin in midair and allowing him to get up. Instead of falling to the ground, Imani stayed in the air and kicked her husband in his face as he got up. She landed neatly and smiled a familiar smug smile as she struck a martial arts pose.
"Go mom!" Raven and Ken cheered. Ken's smile quickly turned into a frown as he remember what was coming.
"Oh…damn…"
"Ken, what's wrong?"
"Watch."
"Don't…tell me…this bitch is stronger than me?" Trigon panted as he held his jaw.
"And this so called 'bitch' is going to kill you." Imani spat.
"NOOOO! I won't be defeated by the likes of you! I'll destroy you and this whole planet!" Trigon's devilish aura began to gradually enlarge and become opaque. It rose slowly as he brought his clawed hands up to his chest.
"Demons of hell…lend me your power…" Trigon's speech became very rapid and inaudible.
"You're not going to use…" Imani's aura slowly dimmed as she prepared a spell. She brought her hands together in front of her face, bowed her head and closed her eyes. A small, golden circle began fading in over her head as did large feathery, wings began fading in on her back
"Is that a…" Raven said, gazing upon her mother.
"Yup, that's a halo and a set of wings." Ken said calmly. Imani's voice became softer and slower as she chanted.
"If I'm going to die, then this whole planet will go with me!" Imani opened her eyes and looked calmly at the huge crimson energy ball that Trigon had formed.
"The size of a large comet. It shall be the last thing you see before you…" Trigon brought his hands above his head, guiding the ball above him also. The roof of their house was blown off by the sheer power of the attack.
"Die!" He yelled maniacally as he brought the energy ball down at Imani. Imani smirked as she made a triangle with her hands. A shield formed around Trigon, sealing the attack in with him.
"You…you bitch! Let me out of this!"
"It's useless anyway." Imani said with a small smile on her face.
" I can't stop your attack forever. It will eventually break through my shield. However," She said, sliding her hands together so the triangle got smaller. The shield contracted.
"I can ensure you die before it does!" She began slowly moving her hands closer together. It seemed like she was struggling to push them together.
"Hey Ken?"
"You want to know why she is struggling to push her hands together, right?"
"Stay put of my head."
"Didn't have to read your mind this time. That is a very powerful spell she is casting. It can contract to the size of the pea depending on what is inside of it. Since she's trying to push back a very powerful infernal attack, it's quite hard to do it. She's putting all of her strength and energy into it."
"But she's using too much energy. Even if she does kill Trigon, she'll die because there wont be enough energy to support her life."
"Right, there won't even be enough time to get killed by the attack. This is the only thing she can do and she knew she would have to do this."
"You…grr….stop…it!" Imani's fingers slowly touched. Trigon screamed in agony as he was pushed into his own attack.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAH! Noooo! I won't…hrgh…be killed…by you!" Trigon let out an ear-splitting scream as he called up more power from hell and pushed the shield back.
"I can't! I WON'T!" Trigon furiously fought back, using his own hellish power to repel the shield. Imani, Raven and Ken could visibly see him pushing out his power all around his body.
"LET ME OOOOOUUUUUTTT!" Trigon screamed. Unbeknownst to Imani, a dark circle was appearing around Trigon's feet.
"Isn't that a…"
"Yep, beginner's teleportation method. Seems he took a couple hundred years to master teleportation." Trigon began slowly sinking into his portal.
" Read mom's mind." Ken said.
'God, he's getting…I could stop him, but if I siphon any energy out of my shield, his attack could break through. Maybe…I could…' Raven and Ken watched as her broken naginata repaired itself and slid over to Imani. By the time it had reached her, Trigon's entire lower body had sunk into the portal.
'1...' Ken and Raven heard her think.
'2...' Trigon's chest became submerged in the portal.
'3!' Imani quickly changed her triangle hand signal to a cross in front of her chest. The shield she made covered her and gave her an angelic glow. Trigon's attack came at her. With great difficulty she seized the energy ball and deflected it into the sky.
"And she didn't do that before because…?" Raven asked.
"She was trying to make Trigon take the full damage of his attack…she still used a lot of her energy, though. She barely has enough to stay alive. Look, her aura has faded away."
Imani struggled to keep breathing as she picked up her naginata and pointed it at Trigon.
"Ah…so that deflection has used up most of you power." Trigon said as he reappeared behind Imani.
"Too bad. As long as there is still a Hell, I shall have an infinite source of power. Which leaves you at my…tender mercy." Trigon chuckled evilly. Imani struck him in his ribs with the end of her naginata pole. Trigon groaned and attempted to stab her once again with his claws, but his attack hit nothing but air as she jumped up and slashed him across his face.
Imani knocked him to the ground with a kick and landed ungracefully, gasping for breath. She leaned on her weapon as she held her heart.
"Aww, poor little angel girl. Does your heart ache? Don't worry, I shall eat it after I kill you."
"The heart…of a pure woman." Imani said. "Wouldn't that kill you?" Trigon's smirk slid off of his face.
"True, so how to deal with you…hmm…" Trigon said in mock thinking voice.
"Ah yes, I know…" Trigon looked up into the sky and extended his hand toward it. His hand moved as if it was holding something and quickly jerked it back down.
"Say hello to an old friend." Trigon said as a red dot appeared in the sky. Imani looked up and saw Trigon's energy ball speeding back down to Azarath. Trigon took advantage of her lapse in concentration and plunged his claws through her torso.
"MOM!" Raven screamed.
Imani didn't scream. Her naginata slipped out of her hand and fell to the ground with a clatter. She looked up into Trigon's eyes and stared directly into them.
"Don't you have anything to say before you die?"
"Yes…" Imani said softly.
"H-Holy Seal!" Imani hit Trigon hard in his chest, causing him to pull his arm out of her and stumble back.
"You can't…use any infernal power and…you damn sure don't have enough energy to teleport off of a planet. You die with me. Goodbye…Trigon. Goodbye…Azarath." Imani's head turned to where Raven and Ken were standing.
"Goodbye…Ken and Raven." With a small smile on her face, Imani slumped to the ground and closed her eyes as she took her last breath.
"DAMN YOU, IMANI!" Trigon screamed as he looked down at her. The energy ball picked up speed.
"Raven…let's go home now." Raven nodded as she stepped into the portal. The last thing she saw before the uncomfortable compressed feeling came over her again was Trigon screaming at the sky and her mother's body laying on the floor with a subtle look of triumph on her face.
A few minutes later, Raven found herself in her seat and Ken staring into the fireplace.
"Well, if you have any questions, ask them now. I want to get some sleep so I can recover for our next training session tomorrow." Ken said in a monotone voice.
"First, did mom see us?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"She used a special ability that only the women in our family could use. Yes, you can use it and you'll be trained on how to tomorrow."
"Hm…Trigon said something about our souls being bonded with demons at birth. What exactly did he mean?"
"Just that. We're connected to demons. In case you were wondering, it's not a coincidence you sprout tentacles when you use an immense amount of power. When you reach a certain level of power, your demon side shows. If Trigon didn't have our souls bonded, then the only sign would have been multiple eyes, huge size, claws and fangs. Since we are bonded, things are a bit different. Your power increases one hundred fold and you sprout the tentacles of the ancient sea demon, Kraken."
"What happens when you transform?"
"I turn into something that strikes fear into the heart of mortal men. I…was bonded with a shadow demon."
"Can you show me what you look like transformed?"
"No. the very power I would have would be damn near uncontrollable. I could level the Tower if I wasn't careful. I only use that form in dire situations. That all the questions you have?"
"For now."
"Good, then it's off to bed you go."
"Right. Good night, Ken."
"G'night, Rae." Raven stood up and walked over to the door. Ken undid his spell and returned his wall to its original form.
"Hey Rae!" He called out as Raven opened his door.
"Hmm?"
"Don't feel bad about mom's death. Didn't you see the look on her face? She had a trick up her sleeve that was set into motion with her death. Not telling you what it is, though. Not yet, anyway. If that doesn't cheer you up, however, I got something that will."
"What is it?"
"The others are on their way home. Seems BB has been causing trouble like always. They'll be back on Sunday. Anyway, sweet dreams, Raven." Raven walked back to her room with a familiar small smile on her face.
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DR: Hello, all you beautiful peoples. I've got no excuse for why this next chapter is up so late.
Ken: He's just been a lazy bastard.
Raven: What he said.
DR: I hope the length made up for it. It sure took me a helluva long time to type.
Ken: Easy on the cussing, man! Don't you think Trigon said bitch enough in this chapter?
DR: Ken, shut the #!$ up! I don't want to hear you $#!1 today. I Still got a lot of $#!1 to do and I don't want to hear any bull$#! come out of you #!$ing mouth! You got that you, son of a--
Raven: Yeah, keep on talking dirty like that! Mama wants her fix!
DR: Why didn't I make a Naruto fanfic? Then I wouldn't have to deal with these two...WHY ME!
Ken: You're the one who made me and put me with her...WHY COULDN'T YOU HAVE MADE ME HINATA'S BOYFRIEND OR SOMETHING!
Both cry into each other's shoulders
Raven: Yeah, hold each other...don't be afraid to let the hands slip down south...
DR and Ken: O.O