Chapter 8: Urges to Kill

'I am going to kill Anubis', was my first thought.

I wasn't sure what he did to me. Whatever it was, I had a feeling it involved either LSD, heroine, or crack because I felt entirely insane. I was having an out-of-body experience. My new body was made of bright light and was very bulky. My arms were much bigger than they felt and I couldn't find my legs under my belly. From somewhere faraway I knew I was still breathing and I had a heart that was still beating. It wasn't in this body. It was in the body I had left and the only proof I had that it still existed was the part of my mind that told me it was still alive.

The hallucination had brought me to the duat. I was underneath the tall, black scale in the large parlor. I couldn't get up from the ground. My strange body just wobbled as I struggled. There were other gods around, but they were too absorbed in their own business to notice me. I was panicked, flapping my arms as my instincts told me to do. Everything was much larger than I had remembered. I was small, weak, and vulnerable to the larger creatures wandering around here. I felt alone and frightened, and being in this alien body only reminded me of the last time I had been in a body that wasn't mine, diseased, dying. Fear tugged hard on me.

Then an enormous hand came down on me. In my fright to get away, I squawked. The hand froze. I squawked again, but from surprise that I was squawking. The large hand came again. Instead of grabbing me as I had thought, it petted me gently on the head. Then a voice I knew said, "Calm down. You're alright."

I looked up at the owner of the hand. Anubis had turned into a giant who was crouched down on the floor but still towering over me. He was hesitant but trying to be gentle. I started squawking angrily remembering how I had landed here. Emotion left him, but he continued to watch me as he tucked his hands between his knees. "Unless you want to stay a bird, you should calm down."

A bird? I looked down again at the light that made my body. The arms I thought were bulky were actually covered in feathers. When I bent down I could see thin chicken feet under my belly. I wanted to complain more at Anubis for making me a bird, but I didn't want to stay this way. I tucked in my wings and stood still while managing to glare hatefully at him. Undeterred, he said, "Okay, now close your eyes. Think about what your old body felt like and will yourself into that form."

Will myself into the form? I didn't know how on earth I would manage that. Either way, I wasn't getting anywhere like this. I closed my eyes as he instructed. I thought about my body, but I couldn't remember how it felt in that body while I had chicken feet. I decided to start small. I began at the toes and thought of the feeling of wiggling them in sand. Then I thought about how I would wiggle my foot to get them into my boots. I remembered the ache my legs would get after a long run. I went up to my stomach that I could feel in another place was still full of mangos. I thought of how easy it was to pick things up with my human hands. I went all the way to my head and when I opened my eyes, the world became smaller and I was in a human body again. I was sitting on my knees with Anubis eye level with me.

Whatever calm I had achieved to change back was gone. I raised my hand to hit Anubis. When I swung, it went straight through him. I blinked and tried to hit him again. And again. No matter how many times I tried my hand went through him. All the while Anubis stared at me puzzled. He gave me a look like you would give a crazy person, which was probably how I looked right now. At the end I was panting, not because I had lungs – I didn't at the moment – but from my frustration. I blurted out, "Why can't I hit you?"

"You're not trying hard enough," he had the nerve to reply.

"Yes I am!"

"Why are you trying to hit me?"

"For coming into my room and doing… doing whatever you did to me!"

"I released you ba."

"I'm not a sheep!"

"Huh?" He cocked his head and looked completely lost. I stared back equally lost not knowing what we were talking about anymore. It took a moment to realize I said something really stupid while shouting the first thing that popped in my head. Embarrassed I said, "Forget it. You said you need help with something?"

"It's Thoth who needs you, actually," he said as he stood up. "Come with me." He offered his hand. I took it and stood up with him.

We walked in silence. Everything here looked entirely the same as the first time I came yet this visit felt so different. For one, instead of following timidly behind Anubis, I walked beside him feeling completely at ease even around all these gods. Perhaps it was because I had already met several gods already or because I was more at ease with Anubis that I felt comfortable here.

Also, though I was in a human form, I still didn't feel completely human. I had no need to breathe and felt no heart pounding in me. As I looked at my hands I noticed that, although they were the same as they usually were, the light wasn't casting shadows or highlights on me as they should. It was as though my body was being illuminated by something that was only affecting me but not the space around me.

We came to the door to Thoth's office. The same as before, Anubis walked in without a single knock. As he opened the door I heard a child's voice say, "But I checked them and they're working fine. Ra even filled them up yesterday. You're the only one that's having problems."

The inside of his office was as disorderly as ever. Thoth was sitting at his desk, his glasses glowing blue from the light of his computer monitor. Beside his desk standing on a tall stack of books was a young boy. He looked like he could be seven or eight. He was dressed in long robes of pure white. He had untidy black hair and striking silver eyes the color of the moon. He looked over when we came in and a boyish grin broke into his face. He started to bounce as he pointed at us and exclaimed, "Look! Look, Thoth! They're here!"

Thoth came around the desk to us, followed by the boy hopping off the books after him. He smiled politely and said, "It's good to see you, Nakia." He turned to Anubis. "Thanks for bringing her."

"Sure," he replied looking bored.

"If you could come over here," Thoth waved to me. I immediately obeyed. My memory had betrayed me. I thought I would be prepared this time to not be lulled by his silky voice, but it was as if his voice had grown more alluring.

Following Thoth, the young boy kept looking back at me with great curiosity. I had never seen a boy with such a sweet face before. He made children chosen for covers of parenting magazines look painfully average. He looked like he was holding back something he wanted to say. Until we weaved around the paper stacks to Thoth's desk did the boy finally blurt out, "Are you really still alive?"

"Um… I should be…" I stammered.

He gave me an angelic smile I couldn't help to smile back. "Wow! You're the first living human I've seen in seven millennia! I wish I could have seen you when you came with your body."

"My lord, if you could," Thoth said to the boy.

"Sorry," he pouted.

I came to the front of his desk but Thoth waved for me to come around to him. "What do you need me for," I asked apprehensively but curious.

"This," he said gesturing to his computer.

My eyelids dropped and I froze from how nostalgic this felt. If there is one thing I have learned it is this: when a person knows someone who is good with computers, whether it be a relative, friend, or neighbor, they will always seek them first when something goes wrong. It can be both wonderful and annoying. I have made good money helping people out. I even made fifty dollars from an old lady down the street when it turned out the power cord came unplugged from her wheelchair running over it. She was so relieved she gave me the money and refused to let me leave without it.

But sometimes it really got annoying. Not all problems I could fix. If I couldn't, I would often receive the frustrated ranting of my neighbors who had no choice but pay good cash somewhere else. Molly, however, was undeterred when I couldn't fix her laptop. For the hell of it, we followed an obscure rumor for fixing it by sticking the motherboard into the oven. To our great surprise, it had worked. Molly gained two months time to buy a new one before it gave out again.

It seems that even the gods were no exception to this rule. I have had my ba or whatever dragged into the duat all to fix a computer. I sighed, resigning myself to my fate. "What are you having problems with?" I asked in a flat tone.

"It won't start, and when it does I get this." He brought the monitor from sleep mode and everything on the desk glowed blue.

"The blue screen of doom…" I whispered.

"Doom?" the little boy explained.

"I'm sure it's not the type of doom you're thinking of." I was in my brainiac mode now taking a seat in Thoth's chair.

"Can you fix it?" Anubis asked from across the desk.

"This may be beyond me. I don't have the equipment to look into where the error is occurring. Umm," I rubbed my forehead in thought. "Let's turn this off and look under the hood. Anyone got some screwdrivers?"

The boy suddenly bounced in one place. "Oh! Me! Me! I'll get them!" He leapt off his book pile and ran to the door.

Thoth shouted out, "Please be careful while you run!" A small voice called, "Okay!" from outside the door. Several seconds later we heard shrieks of surprise and a voice saying, "Sorry!" Thoth shook his head.

"Who gave him caffeine?" I asked amused.

"Him? He is just glad to have something useful to do. I should have never informed him of my situation. He gets so wound up when there's a problem he can't sort out."

"He would have found out anyway," Anubis said while sitting on a small pile of old books. "I promised him he could meet Nakia the next time I brought her here."

"When was that?" I asked trying to think of a time Anubis had been gone long enough to go to the duat.

"Not long after I brought you here. I may be traveling the world, but that doesn't mean I can drop all my responsibilities."

"Anubis is always using his ba to get here. I hardly see him in his body anymore," Thoth added.

"What is a ba?" I asked but as I did a cry came from the door.

"I got it!" The young boy came running holding up his robes to not trip over them. His head was all that was visible as he strained his arm to hand me the box of screwdrivers. "Here you go~!"

"Thank you," I replied and he smiled. As I removed the power cord, the boy climbed up his books, pushed away some paper piles, sat on the desk, and watched me unwaveringly. Thoth looked like he wanted to tell the boy off for sitting on his desk but held his tongue. Anubis was out of my sight but I could hear a clinking that sounded like paperclips.

"What were you guys talking about?" the boy asked.

Thoth pushed his glasses up his nose and replied, "Nakia asked what a ba is."

"Oh, then Anubis would be the expert on that."

"I also know a lot on the subject!" Thoth said sternly seeming offended at the suggestion of someone knowing more than him.

"You know everything – well, almost everything…" The boy's eyes drifted to the computer.

"I would like to see other gods try and keep up –" Thoth and the boy continued to bicker with each other. Another voice joined the fray and I had to strain myself to here Anubis explain, "A ba is one of our souls. Although it usually stays with the body, it can leave when the body loses consciousness."

"It's only one of our souls? How many souls can you have?"

"You have five in all. For most things I do, I only deal with two of those souls; the ba and ka. The ka is your soul that keeps you alive and leaves you when you die. But even if the ka leaves the body, the ba will stay within you."

I was on my last screw. I asked, "Is that what you do? Make sure the ba leaves the body?"

I heard a shuffle and then he said, "Yes. If the ba isn't released, both the ka and ba will suffer from the body decaying."

I got the last screw out and pulled off the cover on the modem. The bickering turned silent as they watched what I was doing.

"Wooow…," came the boy's voice. "It looks so weird on the inside."

I wasn't paying attention to him, however. The moment I pulled the cover off, the air was filled with a horrible smell. It was a combination of pennies, burnt toast, and wet dog. Then I saw the inside. What little plastic parts there were on the motherboard was melted and warped. The usual bright green of the circuit board had turned black on one side. "What the hell?" I said without thinking.

"What is it?" the boy asked anxiously. Thoth was also scuttling over to get a good look.

"This thing's completely fried…" I said as I inspected the other parts. I couldn't figure out how it had happened until I looked at the fans. My hand went straight to my forehead. "Thoth, when was the last time you've cleaned this?"

"I haven't. Was I supposed to?"

"Look at this mess!" I ripped out the fan not even caring I had snapped the latches holding it in place. The fan was barely visible underneath all the hair that was twisted inside it. It was a colorful assortment of fur that was black, gray, brown, white, short, and long with even some feathers wrapped up in the mess. Thoth took it from me and turned it in his hands. "This design is too simple. I could have invented something much more efficient than this."

"Is it supposed to have fur in it?" the boy asked.

"Of course not," I said staring sternly at Thoth. "This is what happens when you don't clean a computer with animals around. With how many animal-headed gods there are around here it's no wonder you have so much fur in this thing."

"I see…" Thoth tapped his chin thoughtfully. "And what function does the fan serve the contraption?"

"Ventilation," I replied turning immediately into computer geek mode. "The inside can get very hot with how much power it takes to keep it running. The fans make sure the temperature stays down. See those black marks. It's signs of overheating."

"Yes, a very simple concept. The Earth's atmosphere is similar if you simplify it."

The boy had been staring glossy eyed at us not understanding what we were saying. He finally asked, "Can you fix it?"

I shook my head. "Nope, this thing's fried. I might be able to salvage the data. I'll pull out the driver. You'll have to take it to a professional to see if it's still okay. Do you backup your files, Thoth?"

"Of course! I'm not completely incompetent with mortal technology!"

"Thoth is really smart!" The boy grinned up at him.

"I think you've made your opinion of me quite clear," he replied in an icy tone.

"Aw, don't be mad. I was kidding –"

"Lord Osiris!" The voice from the hall made all our heads turn. The boy suddenly panicked and scrambled to get down. "I'm not here!" he shouted as he crawled over my feet to get under the desk. A second later, a lion-headed goddess scrambled into the room. I froze from my work. I may have glance at the animal headed gods in the hall but seeing one up close was bizarre. She had gold cat eyes and bronze fur that melded into smooth skin at the neck. She was panting and I jumped when she spoke without opening her mouth. "Ah, Anubis. Have you seen your father?"

"We just had a new moon, right?" The other god nodded. "No, I haven't been staring at my feet while I walk."

"Thoth?" he asked looking desperate.

"Oh, I saw him alright." I heard the boy draw a sharp breath under me. "I sent him off to check the solar generators and he still hasn't returned. If you find him remind him that I'm still waiting for the day he decides to grace me with his presence."

The goddess trying to be respectful and leave quickly, bowed while running backwards. "Solar generators. Got it. Thanks, Thoth!" She bolted out of the room.

Thoth relaxed and glanced under the desk. "Well, that should have bought you some time."

The boy crawled out from under me. His expression was indignant as he asked, "You guys don't always talk about me like that behind my back, do you?"

"Only when you're skiving off your work," Thoth replied with a knowing smile.

The boy peeped around the desk. "Anubis?"

Anubis stood from his spot holding a strange metal mesh. "I was being honest. I really haven't been staring at my feet while I walk."

The boy blinked but then a defeated smile settled on his face. "Ma'at will be so proud of your honesty!" he said resuming the same chipper tone from before. Thoth snorted at his comment.

"Wait just a sec," I interrupted. I had been staring at the boy the whole time, my words caught in my throat. Now I couldn't keep my thoughts from tumbling out. "You're not Osiris, are you?"

That boy gave me a glowing smile. "I am Osiris."

Thoth said, "Such a formal introduction, my lord," at the same time I exclaimed, "But you're so short!"

"He ages with the moon cycle," Anubis explained while I clamped my hands over my big mouth.

"I'm still growing," Osiris said, puffing out his chest trying to look mighty but looking more like a child acting like a 'big boy'. "Come see me in a week. I'll be six centimeters taller than Thoth."

"He revels in those six centimeters," Thoth mumbled as he started to dismantle the fan I had handed him.

The gears in my head were frozen. I could only stare at Osiris till Anubis asked, "Are you finished with this thing?"

I snapped out of my trance and started fumbling for a screwdriver. "Just about…"

The room was strangely quiet while I was disconnecting parts of the computer. The only sound was the occasional murmurs of "This component is very inefficient" and "what cheap material" from Thoth. I was ten times more anxious having the boy watching me now that I knew he was Osiris. Osiris, however, was genuinely curious about what I was doing. Whenever I glanced at him, he would give me a smile that reminded me of the Anubis before I found his grief. I tried not to look over at him again.

Finally, I was done and handed Thoth the driver. "Take this to a technician and tell them the situation. They'll tell you whether the data is okay."

"Excellent. Thank you." Thoth took the driver, hungrily staring at it like he wanted to take this apart too.

"Also," I added severely, "get some compressed air cans and clean your computer from now on. In your case, I would say once every month would be best."

"It will be attended to," he replied distressed. He was now observing the dismantled modem.

"Ready to go?" Anubis asked.

"Um, sure…" I wondered how exactly I was going to go back. There was a tug on my sleeve. I turned to find Osiris' silver eyes steadily looking into mine.

"It was really great to meet you, Nakia. And thank you for worshipping me."

"Huh?" He pointed to my neck and I remembered the amulet. "Um, you're welcome, but I didn't really believe gods existed before I met Anubis."

"You still believed in my power, though. You wore my amulet believing in the connection to the duat and your parents, right?" He laughed at my stunned face. "That's enough, really."

Before I could reply, Thoth started shooing Osiris to the door. "Nakia is leaving and so should you."

Osiris whined, "Aww, but it's so much harder to work while I'm this small. Every moon cycle, as soon as I finish teething, everyone expects me to do everything – " They left the room, Osiris still complaining.

The silence in the room pressed against my ears once they were gone. I knew Anubis was standing next to me but I didn't look at him. I stared at the door to the hallway as I said, "Hey, Anubis? What did happen to my parents after they died? They're here in the duat, aren't they?"

I stole a glance at him. He was staring at me, conflicted eyes watching as he thought of what to say. His eyes turned blank, the emotion slipping instantly from him. He raised his hand to my face and said, "Return and wake in your world."

And I did.

I woke in my bed. Total darkness filled the room. I was painfully aware of my body. It felt uncomfortable and achy compared to the last form I was in. My body was very heavy and I couldn't manage to lift my arm up. Panicked, I tried my other arm and smacked my hand on the bed's backboard with my effort to lift it. That's odd, I thought. I felt around in the darkness to see why my other arm was so much heavier.

My hand found a mound of messy hair below my neck. Dumbfounded, my hand found an ear and chin before my drowsy mind could put meaning to them. A person was lying on top of me. I shouted in surprise and pulled myself away in from the intruder. In my haste, I fell off the bed taking the blankets with me. I untangled myself from the mess, my shock making all my movements very quick and awkward. My hand groped for the switch to the bedside lamp. A click and I could see the room again.

On my bed where I had been just a moment ago was Anubis lying on his stomach fast asleep. My mind was numb, and then it came back. I stood up quickly, my blood pounding hard from anger and embarrassment. It was one thing to send my ba to the duat without warning, but why couldn't he get out of my bed before sending his own ba? I grabbed his arm and leg with a great impulse to throw him off the bed. I almost did, until the memory of my attempts at hitting him cam fleeting to the forefront. I hesitated then, guiltily letting go of him. Instead, I grabbed my pillow and blanket and stormed out muttering, "You'll think again about pulling that trick after I burn your lunch tomorrow."

"Modern civilization! How I've missed you!"

After six days of twisting over barren parts of Russia we finally made a stop in Japan. We got off in a deserted rural area far outside Tokyo. We had walked to the train station and have been on route to the center of downtown Tokyo. Paws was very restless through the trip. We had to use Ma'at's amulet to trick the train workers into letting him on as animals aren't allowed onboard. To keep a low profile, we told him to stay still in his seat. My hand was permanently attached to his ears trying to soothe his cries of boredom.

The scenery that had once been neighborhoods was now filled with skyscrapers. I started bouncing in my seat in excitement making Paws yelp with the desire to stretch his legs. Anubis took over scratching his ears, his eyes staring blankly out the window as he has through the whole ride. I never knew I would miss the modern world as much as I did now. I missed seeing paved streets filled with people dressed in normal clothes, walking into stores inside buildings and not stands sitting on the side of a dirt road. And it wasn't really just seeing the city, because we have passed a fair number of cities before. It was being with the people, the normal humans I know of, that has left me longing for the modern world.

At last a female voice announced that we were arriving at our station. Some of the passengers, mostly the ones around my age, started to gather around the doors. I started when Anubis tapped my shoulder.

"Jeez, you scared me!"

Undeterred he said, "Follow me out the station with Paws. I'll keep ahead so no one will notice him."

"Yes, sir. Hear that Paws? Don't go running away just because you want off the train." Paws gave me a disdainful look as though it was an insult to suggest he would do such a thing.

Outside the station we walked into the crowd. After so many quiet days it sounded very noisy in the city. The square was full of younger people hanging out or waiting by themselves. Some business men were making their way out the station, briefcases swinging by their sides. Paws was drawing a lot of attention as he trotted happily next to me. Weaving through the people, I saw many stores; fast food, clothing, and music shops. I was itching to spend my 'allowance'.

We passed by a statue that made me stop. It was a large statue of a sitting dog facing the station. Many people were gathered under it all of them seeming to be waiting by themselves. I said to Paws, "That's what we need. Giant statues of you like this one."

He barked at me and ran at the statue. With his front paws resting on the statue's mantel, he started to bark at the dog as though he were talking to it. The bystanders all started to laugh at him. By the pleased way he looked at them, I knew he had done it just for this reaction. I gently tugged on his tail to get his attention. "Alright. Enough joking around. We need to catch up to Anubis."

But it was very hard to find him in this crowd. Every time I saw copper colored hair amongst all those with black hair, my heart would leap for it to only be someone with bleached hair. I started to panic as images of Anubis dead on his knees before a waterfall raced in my mind. I called out his name as I searched. Many heads turned to look at me but I didn't care. Paws' nose on the ground, he barreled past me from a scent he caught. I ran after him. As I caught up, I heard him.

"Let go."

I broke through a group of people and saw him. He was bent forward, his head locked in a pin by a taller person who was knuckling his head vigorously. His back was to me so all I could see was his blonde hair shining brightly against his tan skin. The other boy was laughing excitedly.

"Where have you been, man? I haven't seen you in decades!"

Paws joined the fray, growling at the boy holding Anubis in a head lock. The boy stopped taking notice of Paws.

"Think I smell tasty, pup? Try to take a bite and you'll regret it."

"Let me go now or I'll tell him to," Anubis replied. Despite his words, he had no trace of anger at all in his voice. As feeble as his threat sounded, the boy complied and let him go, taking a step back and turning towards me. His eyes caught mine. If Osiris' eyes had been bizarre, it was nothing to this boy's. His left eye was the same silver color of Osiris'. However, his right eye was golden yellow, making his appearance very off balance. He held his gaze with me for only a second before swiftly turning his back on me.

I made my way to them. As I got closer I heard the boy whispering to Anubis, "Don't look now but I think a human is watching us." Rubbing his neck, Anubis glanced at me. His face was blank, but at the sight of me some relief showed through.

"It's okay. She's with me."

The boy looked stunned. His eyes spun back to me, appraising me with speculation. Up close, this boy looked like a super model. Besides his handsome face that seemed to be a common trait with gods, he was dressed in tight fitting clothes that showed off his muscle. His hair was a bit long, but was cut with many choppy layers that looked very stylish. Unlike Anubis and I, who keep our amulets under our shirt, the chain around this boy's neck showed off his amulets. He had three. Two were the same as mine; the amulets of Thoth and Osiris. The other was the eye of Horus. Eye of Horus…

"You're not Horus, are you?" I asked.

The boy shared the same look of surprise with me as he had given to Anubis before. "Have we… met?" he asked.

I shook my head as Anubis said, "Nakia, this is my little brother, Horus."

"Who you calling little?" he snapped quickly at Anubis. Without waiting for a response, he turned to me, all anger and speculation gone from his face. Instead, he smiled at me as though I was someone he had been excited to see. "Nice to meet ya! Nakia, is it?" He held out his hand for a hand shake, but it was more like clenching hands than shaking. Before I could reply, he was back to badgering Anubis. Horus had his arm around his should in a strong grip as he spoke.

"Never thought I would run into you here. What've you been up to? I see you still look like a total zombie."

He did, in fact, look like a zombie. Whatever emotion he would be expressing now was entirely absent. Anubis was half-heartedly trying to get out of Horus' hold but gave up when he made a stronger grip. Anubis monotonously said, "I'm still looking for my heart, as usual. Why are you here?"

"I just got done meeting Wadjet at Hachiko. She left to follow a lead on Set. I've got some free time before she gets back to me. We should hang out!"

"That's fine. Nakia's here to do some shopping."

"Really?" Horus replied turning to me. "Whatcha buying?"

"Umm, a portable handheld…" I said unsure if he shared the same ignorance to electronics as the other gods I've met. He did seem to stop to think this over, but surprised me with his response.

"Ever thought of how you'll charge it?"

"….. Aw crap…" I had not thought about it, but now it seemed obvious. The boat had no outlets at all.

Horus grinned at my crestfallen expression and patted my shoulder. "There, there. It's a good thing I found ya. I can help you get whatcha need."

We set out into the city. Horus ended up being a lot of help. Not only did he find a solar panel for me, but he seemed to know which store to buy them, as well as every electronic store in the area. I soon found myself with a touch tablet that thankfully had an English setting.

The rest of the afternoon we spent browsing other stores. Horus was an easy person to get along with. Although he was a bit arrogant and overly charismatic, he was very kind and always courteous. I also noticed that he had a sort of admiration toward Anubis. He hung on to his every word and if Anubis told him to do something, even to shut up, he did so without question. Horus was enthusiastically determined to cheer up Anubis, which seemed fruitless with how unemotional he had been since coming to Tokyo. Slowly, however, Horus managed to draw out Anubis' old smile. This surprised Horus more so than me. He froze the first time Anubis smiled. A few moments later, though, he looked very proud of himself.

As the sky changed with the approaching night, Horus led us to a place to eat. As we walked, Horus was excitedly talking to Anubis about the last time he 'pounded' Set. " –and I thought I was gonna lose to him this time, so I just threw caution out the window and used my last bit of power to –" Anubis was rubbing his neck again listening quietly. Horus had nearly choked Anubis earlier with a gold necktie he had to try on for 'old-time's sake'. Paws had stuck by my side the whole day. He didn't seem to approve of Horus.

"By the way," Horus said after finishing his tale, "why is Nakia keeping you company if you don't mind me asking?"

"She has been helping me find my canopic jars. She can sense them," Anubis replied.

"You don't say…" Horus scrutinized me. "You're pretty brave to be hanging around us gods."

I shrugged. "Not really brave, just stubborn."

He barked a laugh. In an instant his attention was back to Anubis as though I had just disintegrated. "So how many you got back now?"

"Five."

"Awesome! So you've had interest and confusion. What new ones ya got?"

Anubis stared into the sky as he used his fingers to count the jars. "There was those two. Then several years ago I got my sadness. A month ago Bitou led me to Nakia and another jar with my happiness. And just last week she found my guilt."

At the last remark Horus busted into a laughing fit. I glared incredulously at him surprised by his rude reaction. Anubis also seemed taken aback by him. After some time, Horus finally composed himself enough to speak.

"You finally got your guilt back… ha ha… I guess your eatin' your heart both ways now, huh?" At this Anubis' hastily avoided looking at Horus.

"What do you mean 'eating his heart in both ways'?" I asked.

Anubis started to say, "It's an expression from Egypt that means –" but was cut off by Horus exclaiming, "Oh! You haven't told her the story about the first jar you found, did ya?"

Anubis, who had been walking between Horus and me, was yanked away. Horus took over his position throwing an arm around me. I stiffened. I felt very uncomfortable being so close to someone I had just met. Horus was very unaware of my discomfort, looking at me eagerly with his silver and gold eyes.

"I can't believe he hasn't told you. It's hilarious! So where should I start?"

"Why are you telling her? You weren't even there."

"Okay, so it was during sometime in the 1940's," Horus started, completely ignoring Anubis. "Back then he hadn't even bothered to look for his heart. If ya could believe it, he was more of a zombie than he is now. But one day he got lucky and stumbled on one. Problem was he had no idea what to do with it.

"Now, back in the old days in Egypt, we would say a person who was overcome with guilt was eating their own heart. So our genius Anubis here," he gave him a grin that was struggling to hold back a laugh. Anubis just stared blankly ahead. "–he thinks, 'Well, if I eat my heart then I'll feel guilt.' So he ate the piece of his heart."

Horus couldn't hold it in anymore and went into another fit of laughter. It didn't strike me as being so funny. The term 'eating you heart' was new and very strange. Nonetheless, hearing this bit of Anubis' history was interesting so I gave an appreciative smile to Horus.

Horus, still half laughing, went on saying, "But that's not all. After that, he of course didn't feel any guilt, just curiosity to why he wasn't feeling guilty. And when you have a question you ask Thoth, right? So he goes to the duat, okay, and after never speaking to him for almost half a century he says, 'I ate my heart, but why don't I feel any guilt?'"

At this, Horus was too overcome with roars of laughter. I looked over his bent forward back at Anubis and asked, "How did Thoth react?"

Without a trace of emotion in his face or voice he replied, "Much the same as Horus. It took almost five years for him to stop laughing at the sight of me. Speaking of Thoth," he said as he pulled a still laughing Horus upright, "I have a message from him."

Whipping the tears from his eyes, Horus said, "Really? What about?"

"He says the next time he sees you, you will endure his wrath."

"His wrath? For what?" he asked looking puzzled.

"For blowing up a library or something."

"Oh yeah," Horus exclaimed. "I guess he would be mad about that, but I couldn't stop myself once the idea popped into my head. He has no way of knowing I had thought it up, though. I made sure—"

"I told him it was probably you," Anubis said blankly.

The smile slipped from his face. "You told him?" he asked without masking the hurt in his tone. The look of disappointment mingled with surprise told me that this was not something Anubis would normally do. Anubis, however, didn't react at all to the change in Horus' mood. "Yeah. He threw something at my head thinking it was me. I told him it was something you would think up."

Horus looked away from him now, glaring at the sidewalk. "I can't believe you told him! I thought we had a thing going about keeping each other out of trouble. I trusted you." Then he sighed and added bitterly, "But I guess you can't trust me at all anymore. Not without your heart." He kicked a rock and it flew ahead and out of sight. An awkward silence settled with our walk. I was at a loss wanting to ease Horus' temper but not wanting to intrude into their problems. The silence was finally broken by Anubis saying softly, "Sorry."

We both looked at him. The mask of indifference was gone. In its place was an expression I had grown familiar with over the past weeks. Horus seemed at a loss of what to say. His surprise changed into a sympathetic but defeated smile. For a fleeting moment I was reminded of Osiris.

"Hey, no problem. He would have found out eventually anyway, the know-it-all. Look, I see the place ahead. See?" He pointed to one of the many signs hanging from above. "It's that blue sign there. Why don't ya go ahead and get us a table? I need to pick up something."

Without a word, Anubis continued to the restaurant. I made to follow him, but Horus grabbed me by the wrist. "Why don't ya come with me?" He led me into a small convenience store. I looked over my shoulder at the door and caught sight of Paws growling resentfully and trotting after Anubis. Horus went straight to the counter where the cashier welcomed him. "Could I have 5 boxes of the Hope Super Lights, please?"

The cashier went behind a back door out of sight. I asked, "Do you smoke?"

He laughed. "From time to time, but these aren't for me. I happen to know someone who would kill for these cigarettes and I need a favor." He had several yen bills he was turning in his hand. With a twist they turned into leaves and, another twist, back into bills. Horus seemed to be quietly contemplating before he carefully said, "I didn't have to pick these up yet, but I wanted a chance to talk to you. Well, warn you really."

"Warn me of what?" I asked.

"How do I say it? You should be careful with Anubis as you get more pieces of his heart."

I crossed my arms. "I think I can handle Anubis, thanks."

"See?" he exclaimed pointing at me. "That's exactly what I mean. Ya have a bit of a temper and, don't get me wrong, I love a woman with some bite in her, but you don't know Anubis like I do. I just have this horrible feeling that Anubis is going to accidently kill you down the road."

Stunned, I stared incredulously before managing to ask, "Has he killed other people by accident before?"

"Well, no, but he's never kept humans with him before either." He glanced away from his money at me. At the sight of my expression he raised his hands apologetically. "Hey, don't think too much on it. It's not like he's a crazy murderer like Sekhmet or something. Just watch his temper when he gets it back. Here." He started rummaging in his pocket. He pulled out something small and held it out for me to see. Immediately I recognized it as the Eye of Horus. The charm was all silver except for the eye which was gold.

"I'll keep an eye on you." Without any modesty, he pulled the chain of my necklace from under my shirt. It only took him a second to add it to my chain, his hands hiding how he had attached the amulet without disconnecting the chain. He smirked as he pulled away to admire his new addition. "Now we match. Wish I had dad's amulet in silver. Ivory is so tacky."

"What does it do?" I asked as I examined the new amulet.

"That, my dear, has very powerful protective magic. If you feel it grow hot, it means that danger is near, and that includes over temperamental jackals. It can block some magic, but not all, so don't get overconfident wearing that."

"I won't. Thanks. So Anubis has a bad temper, huh?"

"Nasty temper. It's just like with dogs, though. If you provoke them, they will bite you. Treat them kindly, and they can be quite lovable. Not that you should treat him like a dog. I've been trying to teach him to roll over for a long time but he won't do it." He chuckled with a distant look.

I eyed him doubtfully. "You tell me not to provoke him, yet I highly doubt choking him with neckties and telling him to roll over wouldn't do it."

"That's different. For one, I'm immortal so I can take a bite or two. Second, he happens to be very loyal to me. Well, okay, he isn't now but he will be once his hearts whole again." He looked sadly out the window. I started to wonder why it was taking the clerk so long.

As Horus had his mind elsewhere, I thought of Horus' shock at Anubis ratting him out to Thoth. I remembered that in that moment in Thoth's office the only emotion he showed was the pain of having a stapler thrown at his head. It was strange to think that that event would have been different had he been himself. I wondered what other thing may have happened differently if Anubis had his trust. I couldn't imagine it, which only confirmed how little I knew him, as Horus had said. For all I knew, I thought gravely, nothing would have changed because Anubis had no reason to put his trust in me.

I jumped when Horus suddenly spoke in the middle of my thoughts. He had turned to stare at me more seriously than I've seen him. "You have to get his heart back, Nakia. It's just not right that he has to live like this. Without you, it may take him several more centuries to get it back. Keep yourself alive, okay?"

"Of course."

He focused on me for another second, then went back to grinning, all the tension of the moment dissipated. "Good. That's all I wanted to say. He got lucky when he found ya. I bet we can expect Anubis to be back to normal within a couple of years. A decade at most."

Horus patted me on the back. He looked up at the back door half a second before the clerk emerged. "I'm sorry for the wait, sir. I managed to find the last boxes we have."

"It's no problem. Your timing is perfect, actually," he replied beaming. As he paid for the cigars, I had a feeling that Horus wasn't surprised the cashier's timing allowed him to say everything he wanted. As he pocketed his change, he said with enthusiasm, "Let's not keep Anubis waiting. Just wait till ya see where we're eating. This is gonna be hilarious."

Without further ado, he quickly left the store without a second glance. Curious, I followed at my own pace wondering what 'hilarious' thing had him so excited. I was several feet from the door when, for a second time, someone caught me by the wrist. "Why don't you stay with me a moment?" asked a boy's voice behind me. I wheeled around.

I quickly snatched my hand away at the sight of Amun. He was watching me with that same haughty smile he always wears. Angry and fearful, I covered my mouth with my hands. He laughed at me. "Did I scare you? Trust me; the last thing on my mind was kissing you. I'm not a pervert, after all."

I glared at him, but lowered my hands to retort, "I doubt that. You seemed perfectly comfortable molesting Anubis at Machu Pichu."

"Ah, but it's more amusing when they can't see you. It was quite worth it to see the look on your face."

"I'm leaving." I turned away despite not wanting my back to him. I walked straight to the automatic doors, but they didn't open to my approach. Perplexed, I tried to pull the door open, but it wouldn't budge. I rounded on Amun. "Open the door."

He chuckled. "You should ask someone who works here." He leaned against a shelf, watching me. His hair looked whiter under the florescent lighting than the times I had seen it outdoors. I was breathing heavy as though I had been running laps. With more volume than necessary I asked, "Why are you here? In the neighborhood again?"

"Not at all. I found our last encounter so amusing I've decided to follow you." He smirked at my appalled expression, and continued, "I didn't have to come here, but I wanted a chance to talk to you. Well, warn you really."

"Don't mess with me," I said through gritted teeth.

He wore a fake expression of hurt. "I'm being very serious. You need to be more careful. There are other gods other than Anubis who have nasty tempers."

"If I get on your nerves so much, you should just leave me alone."

"I was talking about Horus the Child, actually," Amun replied indifferently. He stepped towards me and I instinctively covered my mouth once again. Amun, however, quickly reached into my bag and snatched my new tablet from it. He turned it around in his hands observing it with little interest. "You're very talented at getting other gods to give you gifts. Too bad Horus' gift won't be much help to you now. He can't protect you from what he can't see."

He glanced at my amulet and annoyance flashed on his face. It was the first time I had seen Amun with any sort of unhappy expression. But as quickly as it came, it was gone. He smirked at me. "Sorry to break the news to you, but its better that you don't live under the illusion that that little trinket will make you safer." He threw the tablet to me and I quickly caught it.

"Watch it!"

"So sorry. I forgot those things are as fragile as mortals."

Annoyed, stuffing my tablet away, I asked, "Is that what you wanted to warn me about? That you're impervious to the Eye of Horus?"

"You could hardly count that as a warning. If you dropped the hostility for a second you would realize that I am only trying to be helpful."

"Helpful? You made me relive the last moments of a dying man!"

"Which was such an enlightening experience. You were under the terrible impression that the Incans were amazing. And now you're probably thinking that Horus the Child is a loving, doting brother."

"What does it matter to you what I think of Horus?" I asked contemptuously.

His grin broadened. "You don't know Horus like I do. All you see is what is on the surface, but it's crucial that you learn to look deeper than that."

"Says you."

"Precisely. If you can't do this, then you'll never understand why Anubis lost his heart." He laughed at my stunned face. "Peaked your interest, did I? You should take my advice then. I won't keep you from your dinner, though." He waved his hand and the doors behind me slid open. "There. You can go, but you would be wise to hear what I have to say."

I started backing to the door. "I'm not interested in what you have to say."

He crossed his arms and gave me a vicious smile. "You're ignorance is even worse than that stupid jackal's. At least he has his heart being ripped out as an excuse."

I walked the distance I had backed away in two long strides. Without thinking, my mind red with rage, I swung my hand at his face. It never made contact. He caught my wrist and his eyes glowed with satisfaction.

"Temper, temper," he whispered as you took my hand to his lips. The world turned black and I lost awareness of myself. The last thing I felt before the darkness lifted

is my raging desire to kill Anubis.