Chapter 19

Anelace dropped to her knees. "But…my dad's been dealt with already what…."

"Insolent wench, that training wasn't to defeat your pitiful father. It was so you could slaughter your poverty stricken family before Shadow's eyes!" Naraku spoke.

Shadow glared "I've been suspecting it for a while, but now I know for certain. You are not my father!"

"That no longer matters! My plan is so close to fruition!"

"What plan?" Shadow asked , struggling to move as energy swirled from the watch around his wrist Keeping him rooted in place.

"Since you won't be alive much longer, I'll tell you." Naraku spoke again. "Once the energy surrounding you has weakened you, and your mind shatters from the loss of all you hold dear, I intend to do to you, what I did to your father," the ditto's body seemed to change slipping out of the singular eye of the violet darkrai, leaving the husk of his body behind. "And steal your body!"

Shadow fell to his knees clutching his arm, trying in vain to tear the device from his wrist. The energy had practically paralyzed him. His body refused to move.

The music blaring throughout the manor only seemed to grow louder. And Anelace slowly stood to her feet, a dead look in her eyes as she stared down her siblings and her mother.

"Do it Anelace. Kill them!"

The sneasel rushed forward her claws extended as she lashed out first at Blade. Blade stumbled back, but seemed to avoid each swipe of his sisters claws.

"Anelace!" Nagi tackled her to the ground. The weavile struggled to hold her still, but Anelace managed to kick the larger dark type off her before springing back to her feet.

"Stop Anelace! Don't let him control you!" Blade called out grabbing her by the arms. Anelace simply headbutted him, sending him stifling back.

And in that moment struck again, slashing her claws at Blade's throat. When she made contact it was as if everything fell silent. Blade fell upon his butt staring up in shock, at the darkrai standing between him and his sister. Despite the struggle Shadow had managed to block Anelace's attack with his own body.

"Hahaha, you make this too easy Shadow!" The ditto chuckled.

Anelace pulled her claw out of Shadow's back, quickly circling around him to lunge at Blade. The weaker of the two sneasel's caught Anelace mid lunge and kicked her over himself.

As she hit the ground she rolled back to her feet. In that moment Nagi tried to shove her against a wall, but the sneasel was quick to grab the weavile and use her momentum against her to toss her into a wall, breaking both a vase and a painting.

Blade rushed in, trying to sweep Anelace's legs from under her, but it didn't work, she simply jumped over his attack and in the same motion drop kicked him into Nagi.

The two lay weakly on the ground. "Yes, do it! Kill them Anelace!" Naraku commanded.

Anelace stepped closer raising her claws for the finishing blow. Shadow struggled to move again, his body not responding. As Anelace brought her claws down she suddenly stopped. This time, Gladius stood before her, blocking her path.

"Ann…this isn't you!" He held out his arms as if offering a hug.

"Kill him Anelace!" The ditto called out.

Anelace struggled, fighting every urge in her body not to strike her brother. The one she failed to protect. The one she nearly lost. The blaring music around them seemed to drown out.

"You're better than this Ann!" Gladius stepped forward.

"I said kill him!"

Anelace's arms dropped as Gladius took one more step and hugged her. "You could've left me to die…you could've left like dad did…but you tried to save me! You did save me."

"Glad…" Anelace hugged him back.

"You dare defy me Anelace?" Naraku spoke up again, "Shockwave, finish the job."

"As you command." The genesect entered from Mare's study, the large Canon on its back charging with energy, aimed directly at the four siblings.

Just as the massive cannon fired Shard lept in the way to shield her children, but she did not have to. Shadow had once again forced himself in the way, this time holding his arm up, using the watch as a shield for the blast.

It had the desired effect, the watch shattered in a bright explosion, but it also shot Shadow back collapsing the wall as he flew threw. The darkrai slowly sat up, looking down at his wrist, the watch was gone, but his strength hadn't returned.

"Shockwave, deatroy them!"

"Sir, the cannon needs to rechar…" the genesect was cut off. Blade and Anelace had both reacted in an instant guided by a single desire. To protect Shadow. The pair of sneasel slammed their claws onto the cannon, letting ice flow from them coating and covering the barrel.

"Blade!" Shadow called out struggling to move forward.

"You're gonna pay for that!" Blade shouted as he struck the ice coated cannon.

"Nobody hurts my family! Nobody hurts Shadow!" Anelace did the same.

Suddenly, both Gladius and Nagi joined them, spewing ice over the genesect.

At the same time the ditto began to slide and slither toward Shadow. The darkrai struggled to move, simply firing off a shadow ball at the gooey creature. "Hahaha, you poor fool. Trying to fight me off. Your body is even stronger than your father's it will serve me well!" The ditto began to grow and expand.

"By all means, if you plan to take my body, good luck!" Shadow taunted. The ditto began to descend upon the darkrai.

"Luck won't change your fate Shadow."

"Yet it seems it's changed yours, Naraku." A familiar voice came as an aura of darkness surrounded the ditto. "To be honest, I'm not certain how luck has had this, a contrived twist of fate it seems."

"You?! But…but…"

"It would seem, I wasn't as dead as you believed." Shadow glanced passed the ditto, and standing there was a violet darkrai. "Hit him Shadow."

Shadow took the words and did his best, forming another shadow ball in his palm and launching it forward. The ball slammed into Naraku sending the ditto splattering across floor.

"Damn you! I'll be back, and next time I'll kill you both!" The ditto seemed to dissolve and vanish.

*Elsewhere*

The ditto slowly reformed its mass, hidden from prying eyes. Most anyway. What looked like shattered glass appeared before him.

"We offered salvation."

"I know, and I can still do as you ask!"

"But salvation comes at a cost." The discordant voices spoke from their realm of shapes.

"What cost?"

"Finality. Salvation. For your salvation, bring about the finality of this world." Through the shattered glass like view, stood what appeared to be a human of all things, draped in black, with a billowing smokey head like that of a darkrai.

"So you seek the destruction of this world? And offer my salvation?" Naraku peered into the shards. "Then so be it!"