AN: Expect another chapter either tonight or tomorrow. Imma edit this later.

Wanted to release this a few days ago, but i kind of re-wrote it during the middle. No, well, I re-wrote everything from the middle onwards. so, that kinda too some time. for me to decide what to put there instead. im trying to do more POVs.

Comment on anything that you wish. Ah, and remember to rate and review.

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"hah....hah....ha...alright, next is-"

"I think we should find someplace to take a rest. Maybe grab a bite to eat too? Let's go take a break, little one. I could use it, this father of yours isn't as young as he used to be, you know." He spoke jokingly with a smile

Roland grabbed onto his daughter's hand as she panted and tried to rush off towards whatever ride or attraction that she had in mind. The fox, which usually sat upon the girl's head or shoulders, had now sped towards them with slightly heavy breathing. It, too, was tired of running about.

It layed on it's stomach as it saw them stopping, seeming relieved.

They had already been runnning about for quite some time, riding various contraptions or looking at some interesting thing that Grace dragged them to. They had already visited an arcade and watched a movie, the two causing them to walk a fair distance. They had done other things as well, which made Grace a bit tired.

Basically she had done her best to enjoy this time together and had resulted in her overexerting herself to some degree.

Hearing his words, she stubbornly shook her head. " Daddy, we can't! We have to...have to go and have even more fun together!" She tried to catch her breath in the middle of the sentence. " Come on, there is still so many things we have yet to do together! Mommy, tell him!"

She turned to her mother with a pleading gaze.

Morrigan was unwavering. "My dear girl, I think it would be prudent to listen to your father on this. I, too, have grown a bit fatigued."

This was a lie, of course. Roland and Morrigan had energy to spare but Grace seemed just about ready to collapse. The little girl seemed to be carrying on through sheer force of will.

She had wasted a lot of energy due to her excitement.

The little girl looked betrayed. "But mommy, we have to make the best of our time. Daddy's here, he's finally with us. So we have to enjoy every second, we can't waste it! Who knows when--" She stopped herself abruptly.

Morrigan and Roland looked at the young girl.

Roland smiled bitterly.

How could he not know the trouble that even still plagued her? It appears he would have to reassure her once again.

He kneeled down, looking towards her at eye-level. " I thought I had already addressed this, but Grace....I'm not going anywhere." He emphasised the words. "It's alright to slow down. I'm going to be here for you, and your mother, from now on. I know that secretly you might not entirely believe it, that's the truth. You don't have to try so hard, because we'll all have plenty of time to spend with one another in the days ahead. Aright?"

Grace's clear eyes, so like his own, stared back at him. He wasn't able to tell exactly what she felt in that moment, but she nodded her head shyly and stayed quiet.

He wasn't sure whether she truly understood, but at least she shouldn't be so worried now. He felt bad, though. He will have to leave them whether he wanted to or not.

But at the very least he would make it so that he would be able to return to them.

After some time they maneuvered through the streets and found a rather high-end restaurant that Roland had visited the time he was last here. It was a large, multi-storied building that attracted many wealthy customers with it's ambient atmosphere and diverse menu.

As they approached, Roland, a bit to his surprise, saw a pretty, smartly-dressed woman near the entrance sitting with a look of boredom behind a small desk. The woman instantly recognized Roland and then smiled beamingly at him from afar which froze as she caught sight of Morrigan and Grace.

She was a tall, lithe woman with dark hair and bright eyes.

Roland regretted coming here instantly but it was too late to turn back.

Before the woman could speak, he smiled politely. "A table for three, please." Then he remembered something. " Ah, wait, I believe I should have a booth on reservation."

He knew he had one, since he paid handsomely for the ability to come and immediately have a seat whenever he showed up again. He may not have ever come back, but he did so anyway.

The woman nodded easily. "Your name and number?" She asked.

"Roland, number 374"

"Ah, yes, please follow me." She smiled at him before leading them inside.

As they followed behind, Morrigan talked into Roland's ear with a trace of displeasure.

"So, how do you two know each other?"

"We don't." He looked at her with a questioning glance. "Why do you think we do?"

"She seemed awfully glad to see you. That smile of her's seemed pretty "friendly", you know" Her voice was flat.

"I'm sure she smiles like that to all the customers. It's common in places like this to be courteous."

"Really? Is it common to do that as well?" She pointed towards the woman, who was walking with an obvious sway to her hips that garnered the attention of all the men she passed.

"I don't know what you mean. That's merely the way she walks. Is there something wrong with it?"

"It's vulgar."

"It isn't good to pass judgement on others. Besides, what would that have to do with anything?"

"...."

They were led upstairs to a quiet corner a bit aways from everyone else. The booth was large enough for several people and the table equally so.

The woman then turned towards them and smiled at Roland and Grace in turn, completely ignoring Morrigan. Which wasn't odd, since Morrigan had changed their hair color so she wouldn't be recognised. Her's was now, to the eye of others, a golden blonde. Grace's, though, was the same pitch black as Roland's own.

Still, whether it was intended or not, Roland saw through the illusion and could see their true appearances.

"Here you are. Enjoy your stay. Oh. " She looked at Roland. " And if you need anything then just come find me."

Some of the more sharp-eared customers who were listening in felt a surge of injustice rise within them. The woman, who was partly to blame for the restaurant's fame, had never spoken so friendly to any of them.

The only reason they had paid attention to the ones who entered was because the woman led the way, which was something uncharacteristic of her. When had she ever done the same for those of them who come here on a regular basis?

And yet she did so for these people here? Also, what was with the way she seemed so familiar with the young man there? When had she ever smiled like that towards any of them?

And that other woman, the blonde, she was a stunning beauty too. Plus that little girl, who must obviously be the man's daughter. He already had a flower in each arm and now even had the attention of the woman they had all had eyes on for some time?

They felt this difference in treatment was too unfair!

"I don't think that will be necessary, thank you." Roland told her.

" Well, if you change your mind..."

" I'll be sure to let you know."

"Great." She said. Before she left she patted Grace on the head unexpectedly and told her to come to her if the girl needed anything as well.

Morrigan was, once again, left out of the woman's attention.

In response to this Morrigan felt her hand twitch, wanting to beat the woman into submission. She, very reluctantly, held it in.

Her good mood had taken a plunge.

She looked unhappily at her husband, who had already taken his seat. "Why did we have to come here, of all places?"

He shrugged. " It caught my eye."

"Yes, I'm sure she did." She replied drily.

He sighed inwardly. Roland knew that the continuation of the topic only led to him getting in trouble. He truly hoped that the woman didn't show up again.

Of course, despite his words and actions to the contrary, it was obvious that Roland knew the woman. Although not to any substantial degree. Neither of them really focused on getting to know one another. Well, that wasn't strictly true: They simply got to know each other in....different ways.

He knew without a doubt that Morrigan had picked up on this. But how could he admit something like that to his wife, and in front of his own daughter?

Still, he couldn't deny that seeing her again did bring back some rather pleasant memories....

After another short minute or two, much to Roland's dismay, the woman was back.

"Here are your menus. I'll be close by, so just give me a signal when you're ready...." She looked at the white fox. "...We don't forbid beasts inside, but we don't exactly have anything to give it either. If you want to order him---her?--anything then we can do that but you will, of course, have to pay. Also, if it starts causing trouble, then..."

Roland nodded easily. " Don't worry, that won't happen. But you don't have to wait for us, one of the waiters or waitresses can--"

He was cut off with a laugh."No, no, it's fine. I'm not busy anyway. I'm happy to help in any way I can, rest assured. It would be my pleasure."

Morrgian, slightly low, spoke. " Of course it is...."

She was ignored.

Roland patted her on the thigh under the table, hoping to calm her a bit. Which it did, but only a little.

Grace, not quite understanding the subtleties of the situation, tilted her head at the three adults. There seemed to be something strange going on, but she didn't know what....

... Mommy doesn't appear to like that woman there, but she seemed nice enough to me so I don't to get why mommy seems so irritated by the woman....And strangely, even daddy is acting a bit off. Like, maybe a bit stiffer? Or something....

Things progressed in this fashion all throughout.

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An hour or so later Roland was having his arm held by Morrigan in a strangely possessive way. She seemed to be having some rather dark thoughts he believed were best left unknown.

Grace, to his right, said, "That lady was really nice, don't you think?"

"She was insufferable." Morrigan said, with a touch of disdain.

" What?"

"Nothing, dear."

Her tone made a dramatic change.

"Ah, daddy, what was on that piece of paper she gave you?"

Morrigan peered up at him, slightly narrowing her eyes. "What paper?"

Roland shrugged. "The bill."

Grace looked at him. " Oh, so that's what it was. Daddy, but I meant what was that written on the back of--"

"Little one, you love daddy, yes? You want mommy and daddy to be happy, right?"

"Of course!" She replied instantly, with great vigor.

"Then please stop."

"Huh?" She looked up at him with her big eyes, not understanding

"...."

He didn't elaborate, simply leaving her in confusion. Needless to say he had already thrown the thing away. A building's name and a room number. But he obviously hadn't bothered to remember either.

Grace looked towards the white fox which was perched once more on top of her shoulder, almost as if it would have the answer. It merely stared back at her.

She suddenly thought of something. " Daddy, why isn't sister Reina here too?"

" Why would she be?" He asked. He did invite her to spend time with them but that was for tomorrow. Today belonged to the three of them.

"But daddy, she's your daughter too, right? I feel so comfortable around her, this must be our sisterly bond, no? I can tell. "

Roland paused.

Daughter? Reina?

The very idea brought him significant distress.

"No, she's not...." He began.

"But daddy, her eyes..." Grace insisted. " They're just like ours, and she smells like you, how can she not be.....?" Her sense of smell was pretty good. Maybe not as good as sister Fenris', but she was still confident in it. And Grace liked the idea of having a sister, a real sister. She was giddy just thinking about it! So not having her here right now made her a bit sad.

"That's...."

"Dear, now that she mentions it, I was going to ask you for an explanation as well." Morrigan said.

"...Things happened. Don't worry about it for now. But Grace, Reina's not my...."He couldn't even say the words. " No, remember that tall, dark-haired girl she left with? Plus Charlotte and her parents? Those girls are Reina's sister, and that couple were her parents." Charlotte and her parents were adoptive family, but he wouldn't get into that.

"Sisters? Parents? But, daddy...." Grace hesitated. No, that can't be, right?

"It's a bit complicated, little one. But I assure you that Reina's not your sister. " He hurried to tell her.

He felt a bit discontent with how he handled it once he saw Grace's crestfallen expression. It seemed like she really liked the thought of having an older sister, huh....

But it couldn't be helped, such a thing simple wasn't the case. He had to correct the misunderstanding.

Morrigan shot him a look as he let out a small sigh. He knew he would have to explain more later but for now he didn't want have this conversation. Grace nodded, though she didn't really understand. Her heart didn't want to accept it but she knew her father wouldn't lie to her like that. She felt a small knot in her chest.

She really did like Reina, and she felt a connection with the older girl that she hadn't felt with anyone but her mother and father. It was an intrinsic liking that wasn't restrained by reason. Troubled, she idly put a hand to her chest.

Roland noticed something then. "Grace...what is that?"

"Hm?" She tilted her head. " What, daddy?"

"That thing around your neck." He pointed.

"Ah, this? It's my ring." She told him.

And indeed it was a ring. A ring that was black with a deep blue gemstone, hanging around the young girl's slender neck by a white-silver chain.

"Ring?" Morrigan saw the exchange and frowned. It felt like she was forgetting something....

"How strange..." Roland hadn't until that moment, ever noticed the thing. Morrigan, too, looked a bit surprised. " Where did you get it?" He asked the girl.

" I can't remember...." Grace's voice was full of doubt.

Roland stared at the thing with a peculiar expression. Somehow, he felt like he had seen the thing somewhere before. It appeared vaguely familiar.

He suddenly had a certain scene play out in his mind. A large battlefield, countless corpses littering the ground, broken weapons everyhere that soaked up their masters' blood. Then a small, beautiful young girl nestled comfortably in his arms....Her face was an oval, delicate and almost weak. High cheekbones, a small chin, a proud nose.

He wasn't able to tell exactly the original color of her eyes but they changed almost as soon as he saw her. Their color became an enchanting violet. Her face was replaced with one that was older, more perfect, more alluring. But the exact features were indistinct Even still, he knew he had seen this face before. Who? Where? Those eyes....No, it had to have been her, right?

He was exposed to a sudden splitting headache as soon as the thought entered his mind.

What...was that? A a daydream? No, a memory?

If it was, then how rare. He would sometimes get flashes like this one, and it would become much more common once the time of his departure got closer. But he hadn't ever before now gotten one so clear, so vivid and strong....

And that young girl, her face was a bit indistinct but her aura, the way she made him feel, it was....

He wan't sure. What's more, the woman that appeared.....She was....

He noticed that he had been staring intently at the ring and tore his gaze away.

" Grace, can I have it?" He wasn't sure what the thing was but if it was able to remain hidden from him for so long then it couldn't be ordinary. And that meant it was potentially dangerous. But to cause him such a reaction, perhaps this thing was connected to one of his past selves?

All the more reason for him to have it, if that was true.

Grace quickly took the thing off and handed it over, not minding at all. " Of course. Here you go, daddy." She smiled.

He smiled back. " Know what, why don't we make a trade? Here."

Reaching out a hand, a small black void appeared and he took out a red sun hat. He then presented it to the girl. Her eyes sparkled as she saw it.

Morrigan, too, thought it was nice. That red would look good on Grace and make her eyes pop.

"Thanks, daddy!" She gushed, giving him a surprise hug. "It's so pretty, I love it!"

Truthfully it didn't matter what it was, she would have been happy with anything he gave her. But this was the first thing her father ever gave her, she would absolutely take special care of it!

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"COME BACK HERE YOU DAMN THIEVING COCKROACH, LET ME TURN YOU TO ASHES!!"

Within the third city, the one two levels above the city Roland, Grace and Morrigan currently were, a certain youth was shining with a golden radiance and hurling orange-gold balls of fire everywhere. They struck tall buildings and burned through them like they were butter. There were numerous people running for their lives, it was truly a miracle none had died yet.

"My good brother, listen to me very carefully: Calm your goddamn tits!!" Loki teleported away each time a fireball was about to his him.

That bastard, what was with this cruel treatment towards a long-time friend?!

"Seriously, what they fuck!" Loki shouted, distressed. "Is this because of the time I hit on your sister? Dammit, let it go!"

"YOU WHAT?!" The youth went into a frenzy, his eyes seemingly shooting forth light as he flew with unmatchable speed toward Loki.

His body was wrapped in a soft, silk-like cloth that was completely purple with gold designs on his hem. His body was slender, but had a trim, fit look to it. His face was a bit delicate and had fine features to it that drew the eye.

He was bathed in gold light. His hair was slightly curly, floating in the air in all it's golden splendor and looked like a halo around his head.

Heat surrounded his body, distorting the space around him. The entire city felt it, like a sudden heat wave that left their skin dry and their mouths feeeling like they had eaten hot sand.

Only one group was spared from this.

The tall, kind-looking citizens that bore golden bands aroud their arms.

"Shit, that might not have been a good thing to say. I thought he already knew. Fuck, as if Artemis hadn't punished me enough already for that. Damn girl, acting hard to get...."

He trailed off as he reminisced. That was truly one of his greatest regrets, not being able to have her. Ah, what a waste.

But he quickly recovered. That prude, hmph, who cares about her?

This brother, though....He's gonna be trouble.

Loki failed to understand why he was doing this. What was the problem? Merely ten years or so, maybe, but compared to all the time they had what was that pitiful amount worth?

This was too over the top!

Though, he may not be angry about just that....

Loki looked at the small bump Apollo had on his head.

When did he wake up, exactly? He should have been able to heal that kind of injury easily.

What was it that he had hit him with again? A grail of some sort....He remembered stealing it from that annoying upstart Jesus once, long ago. Ah, whatever happened to it anyway?

Did he give it away?

That would be a shame. That thing was such a good paperweight....

His thoughts were disturbed as he had to dodge another fireball.

"Apollo, buddy, friend, pal, don't be like that. I understand why you're so mad now." Though his next words proved he didn't. " I got a solution. Why don't you hit on my sister? I know Mecury is around here somewhere...." Of course, he wouldn't allow it to get past the first few words. Nope, anything other than a frendly greeting wasn't happening while Loki was around.

Wait, where was she anyway? With Fenris, right? Eh, if that daughter was here then she could just eat these pesky flames.

He then thought of other things in that moment. That damn Mercury, Loki saw the way she was looking at Roland. Hm, was this going to be a problem?

No, no, it shouldn't be. That guy wouldn't be attracted to a beast like her.

So, it was fine.

Plus, he was married now, with a daughter to boot. Actually, wasn't that a great thing? Now Loki didn't have to live with the constant deppression of the possibilty of the man starting something with his daughter.

Even if in the future something started to bloom between them, Morrigan and Grace were an insurmountable wall! Or, well, that girl was damn stubborn.....

Nah, nothing would happen, he was overreacting.

"Oi, watch it!" Loki once again got distracted and a beam of light came close before he got away. "Ah, my hair! My eyebrows!"

They were singed!

"Alright, fine. to hell with it!" Loki was now truly miffed. He had done nothing wrong, why was he doign this? Well, if it's a fight he wants, then... " Bring it on, matchstick!"

His hands glowed a deadly green and red.

A battle between gods was now inevitable.

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Mephisto was licking a five-scoop high ice cream cone covered in chocolate and nuts when he arrived back at the place where Roland and the rest were staying.

It had been a while already and he decided to check up on them, see how they were doing.

He heard something from the boy called James' room and snapped his fingers to open the door.

What he saw was pretty interesting.

A young man, tied by his hands and feet to the bed. Naked. And passed out. Like, not the kind of passed out that you got from a bump on the head but the type of weak-looking passed out that you would find yourself in after a session between you and a particularly playful succubus.

His skin lost it's pale golden sheen and he looked a bit gaunt. Just a bit.

"Well, fuck." Mephisto sighed to himself.

He spent the next few minuted untying the boy and slapped him a few times to wake him up.

" Hey, boy, you alive?"

"Ughhh" James groaned weakly, his eyes unfocused.

Mephisto grinned. " Have fun?"

"Who....what...." The boy's words were slurred.

"Damn, I thought those two were a bit strange. Turns out it was like this, eh? Heh, so, you have a good time?"

The boy didn't answer. Probably couldn't

Mephist smelled a faint hint of something musky, sweaty. The smell of sex. There was also something a bit fragrant. The scent of a fine woman.

He noticed a small paper on the desk to the side of the bed.

It read, Thanks for the meal.

In small, flowery cursive.

"What happened?" James muttered groggily.

"Don't worry kid, It'll come back to you. Probably by tonight. Leave your window open and we'll see if you can't get lucky again. Ah, but, maybe you should eat something first. I'm guessing your brother is in his room passed out as well. Stay there, I'll go untie him and order you guys something to get your strength back." He chuckled.

"Huh?" James didn't understand, but he felt ravenous so he didn't try to stop the man or say anthing.

He felt so relaxed, though. And a bit sore....What happened?

His memory failed him...

"Don't worry mate, everything will be fine. But damn, usually succubi don't travel in pairs. Or in their physical forms. You two really lucked out, most of the time they would simply appear in your dreams once they target you. Who knows, they might have been twins. Or a mother-daughter pair. Hard to tell with them, really. They don't necessarily have to look alike even if they're related. Even I'm not sure about something like that. Well, whatever the case is don't think about it too much. " Mephisto clapped him on the shoulder and walked out of the room.

He still had the cone in his hand. He took a bite.

He felt good about himself, honestly. He was a damn fine chaperone, wasn't he? He could make a living off this.

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Aries left the hotel room feeling refreshed.

That girl, she looked innocent but she had a pretty wild side to her! Heh, little minx, she truly had a bit of fire inside. He might even have a few more scars now.

He stretched his arms a bit as he walked through the cluttered streets. Most people shied away from him, unconsciously or not.

Out of the corner of his eye, from far away, he spotted a tall blonde hanging on the arm of a certain black-haired young man with brilliant blue eyes.

He paused.

Roland?

Aries thought his eyes decieved him. Looking at the man being held onto by such a pretty woman, he felt a bit odd. That guy, was he....cheating? On Morrigan of all people? No, that couldn't be right.

He looked close and spotted a black-haired young girl with them, a white fox on her shoulder. Aries understood instantly

So that's what's going on!

An illusion, eh? Well, Aries was never all that great at noticing such things so it wasn't abnormal for him to be a bit confused.

Aries was a bit curious as to what they were doing and soon found himself following them from far behind. This was a bit dangerous as Rland would likely sense him, but it seemed he was a bit busy with his attention on them. Of course Aries probably wouldn't get away with this if he meant them any harm.

He saw Roland glancing at a tall resaurant that Aries felt a bit familiar. The man steered the young girl and woman towards the place. He stiffed a bit as he caught sight of something though. His steps slowed but didn't stop.

Hm? What could make him react like....Ahh

It was a bit hard to tell from this angle but Aries found that there was a pretty young woman just inside who brightened considerably at Roland's appearance.

He couldn't help grinning. So, one of Roland's old "acquaintances", huh?

Well, isn't that interesting. The "Ex" and the wife. Plus, the little girl is there too!

Roland must be feeling a bit peculiar right about now, though it seemed he concealed it well.

Aries saw a short conversation between Roland and the woman with Morrigan starting to frown ever so slightly as she picked up on the way the woman smiled and looked at her husband. The girl seemed, so far, oblivious.

As they followed the woman deeper inside she had a definite saunter to her steps that was quite visually pleasing. That woman had curves in just the right places, and it appeared like she knew how to use them.

Aries was left feeling a bit disapointed that he couldn't see how this all played out. He was sure there would be a bit of questioning to be had from Morrigan.

Oh well.

He walked away.

Hm, should he go check up on Abs? She was probably wondering where Aries ran off to.

He considered a bit.

No, first he would been a good shower.

The smell of the woman with whom he had just made pleasant memories with still lingered and Abs would probably look at him with that cold, disdainful gaze of hers if she knew about Aries'.... extracurricular activities.

He went looking for a bathhouse or someplace where he could wash off. Well, he wasn't pressed for time right now so maybe he would find some sort of spa.

Aries had to take care of himself, after all. To neglect this fine temple of a body would be a crime against women everywhere.

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There was blood everywhere.

The silence was worse than the screams from before.

But to her, it was peaceful.

She cast a glance over the mutilated bodies.

They were little more than pigs to her. Vile scum. In the past it made no difference to her whether one was innocent or not but she recently found a bit of joy in exterminating those that deserved it.

Perhaps this, too, was his influence.

Gehenna believed it must be so.

She had stumbled upon this bandit's den merely moments ago. They had seen her walking into their village, wounded and a bit pale. The cut he inflicted upon her was painful, agonizing. It had barely healed, only closing up slighty.

She wasn't sure if she wanted it to heal. It was physical evidence that the one she sought after for so long was truly here, on this planet. It was proof that she had found him.

It was his mark.

Going back a bit, when she had entered this place she was instantly surrounded by hundreds of outlaws, each one leering at her perversely. Their eyes filled with lust, their tongues licking their lips in anticipation.

The first to step up had his body severed in half. The second had a bolt of black fire strike his member before another pierced his heart. The third got a decapitation, the fouth turned to ash....The slaughter continued until the last one begged for his life.

She wasn't merciful.

She gripped the large black sword tightly in her hand. Her thoughts drifted to the images Hermes has showed her.

He had given her the tablet that night, the one used to show her those things. She had stared at it for a long time. It played over and over again, the scene of the three holding onto each other tightly, the image of the woman she hated planting a small kiss upon the young man's lips....

It was never ending, kept in a loop. Her brother's eyes looked so warm then, so full of affection....

He had once looked at her with that sort of gaze, loving and protective....But that time was past.

It was taken from her.

Now the light of recognition was gone from him, he no longer seemed to see her as anything other than a stranger.

She was nothing to him now.

And all this was that woman's fault. She stole him away. Gehenna knew this must be the case.

Morrigan, you tried to be rid of me once before. With those people, coming after my life. But you failed. And now after I had found something that was precious to me, after I finally discovered someone who had seemed to accept me, you tear it away and make him your own. If you can't have my life then you steal the thing that now makes it worth living?

The thought brought a wave of injustice to her. She felt sickened by the woman's methods.

She hadn't been able to finish Gehenna off all those years ago and so she planned to do something even more underhanded and cruel. This was just like her.

In the past, Morrigan and Gehenna were both shunned from their kind. Morrigan was isolated due to Brighid's hatred of her and the same could be said for Gehenna. Though on a larger scale.

This had made the two....not quite friends, but something almost like it.

They were alone together.

Both unwanted.

But then she, too, turned against me. Called me an abomination. As if she was any different. No, it was my mistake to begin with. I should have known. Of all the people I have met, only that brother of ours had never turned his gaze away from me.

"Ours?"

She frowned.

No, that wasn't right.

Or was it?

In the end, which one were they? Did it even matter anymore? Grace, or Gehenna, was there any difference now?

She found that she didn't want to know.

Perhaps he only accepted her because she was Grace at that time. If this was the case then she would rather not know who she really was or which of them was truly in control.

Maybe she was over thinking it. Though if she had to choose, she would have chosen to be Grace.

It was too late to think of herself as Grace, but the one known as Gehenna was a person she would rather not be if she had been asked.

As Grace, everything was so much simpler. And warmer.

Ah....This isn't good. She was getting too caught up in her own thoughts. Why was this? Is it because of the wound? Was she losing too much blood for her to concentrate on the task at hand?

She had to focus.

Stay alert.

But she felt weak. Her arms and legs trembled slightly.

No, she had to....stay...awake....

But the sentiment was useless. Her body fell.

------------------------------------

It caught her just as she passed out.

It pitied her. This one was truly too sad to watch. She didn't know what, or who, she was. She was afraid to find out. It understood her distress to some degree.

Such pain, such lonliness. She carried it around her like a shroud.

Is this why he told it to watch after her?

It's name was long forgotten, but that request of his was something it could never have lost. This woman was precious to him, how could it not consider her precious in turn? She and it were alike in many ways. Both wanting what they had lost to be returned to them.

It carried her along it's length, encasing her in a protective barrrier so that she wouldn't fall.

Where to go? She had not known where it is that she wanted to go. She merely wandered, unsure of what to do or how to proceed. But it knew her heart. Knew where she wanted to be. The same place it wanted to be as well.

It expanded it's senses. That which they sought was close, it knew.

There was something large coming this way, it found. Something powerful, ancient. It hurried towards the object with unsurpassable speed. The thing felt like a small sun in the distance.

Soon it felt a familiar presence. This presence made it excited, eager.

How could this presence be that of any other?

It found what felt like a large ship-like thing floating high up into the sky at a medium pace. Neither fast nor slow.

But there was no entrance.

No, that was fine.

How could this frail material keep it out?