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Locked Part 6: Chapter 11

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Chapter Eleven: Blood Bonds

Once the twins finished their meal, Antauri and Tamashi returned to his room and managed to put the babies to sleep. Unwilling to leave them unattended with Miki's mood swings, they dropped the twins off with Nova and Sparx. Then, Antauri grabbed the silver powder and the purified water, and he and Tamashi met Fang and Mazden waiting in the basement.

Tamashi looked around, keeping her gaze on anything but Mazden. Then, she looked at Antauri. "Are you sure you have everything?" she asked in concern, her tail flicking in worry.

He paused for a moment, running through a mental check-list. "Silver powder, purified water, medicinal herbs, and sunlight." he murmured. "I believe that's everything. Mazden has a place where we can put Setsu outside where he'll be in direct sunlight all day, and has agreed to use the upstairs bath for the herbal soak. Nova is looking after the twins while I have Otto and Sparx making food for afterwards. I don't think we've forgotten anything."

"The only thing you forgot was the last part, but I guess that was kind of obvious." She glanced around. "So, I guess we just have to get through stage one without too many bite marks." Her hand twitched, ready to become a scythe if need be. Hang in there for us Makoto. We will never forgive you if you die.

Within the shield, Setsu prowled back and forth in the small space like a caged lion. He could sense something was about to happen, and he didn't like it. But he plastered a smirk on his face anyway, just because whatever they tried, it was going to turn into hell for them. That much he would make certain of.

He leaned against the shield, grinning at Tamashi. "Hey babe," he greeted, "Ya' gonna show me that pretty neck of yours this time? I bet you taste like chocolate." He licked his lips as drool started to drip from his chin, staring hungrily at her.

"You can...tomorrow night, unless you would rather have a scythe plunge down your throat." She glared at him with her onyx eyes, which could appear like voids of death when she was angry.

"Make that spicy chocolate." he replied.

"Enough," said Antauri, and turned to the others. "Fang get ready, Mazden, lower the shield."

"You bit my mate you bastard," the black and red male snarled, "You're in for a world of hell." Fang let the Change wash over him, his body twisting and morphing into the wolf. He snarled, drawing his lips back to display his teeth. The Alchemist waved his hand, and the force field vanished. The two immediately went at each other. They crashed together, werewolf against half-demon.

Setsu attempted to sink his teeth into the wolf's neck, but Fang batted him away like an annoying fly, trapping his under his paw. The wolf pressed down hard, taking delight in the way the half-demon struggled to breathe.

One hand morphed quickly into a scythe, if anything happened, Tamashi would be ready to help. Her tail flicked as she watched the fight, being wary of each fighter's movements. Soon, there would be an opening, and then, they could use it, finishing the first stage of what would likely be a long day.

"Let's move in now-before Fang tries to kill him!" Antauri grabbed the bottle filled with cloudy water, and ran over to the half-demon. "Keep him down Fang!" He knelt down by Setsu's head, and forced the opening of the bottle into the half-demon's mouth.

Setsu's eyes went wide in shock and pain. The silver was burning him alive from the inside out, while the purified water froze his very bones. When the bottle was finally pulled out of his throat, he shrieked, clawing wildly at Fang's paw, trying to escape the agony within him.

Tamashi came forward, her blade ready to take him down if he managed to escape. She pitied him, feeling so sorry for the pain he was going through, and hoped that it was only Setsu that felt this, and not Makoto.

Setsu screeched loudly, the noise echoing through the valley. His body spasm uncontrollably beneath Fang's foot. Flecks of foam gathered at the corners of his mouth, his eyes rolled back into his head as he made a loud choking sound.

Tamashi grimace, but kept her eyes on the unwelcoming display. Makoto...you can pull through this. Her fur bristled slightly as she watched.

The spasms lessened in strength, but never fully stopped. Antauri's hand clenched around the bottle, holding it tightly. This was sickening to watch, and yet he couldn't look away. If this didn't work, he'd kill Tsubaki for making him suffer.

"Fang, pick him up. We need to take him outside." he said, "Mazden, lead us to the spot."

The man nodded, and started up the stair. "Follow me, quickly now." he coaxed. They ran through the mansion, exiting through the back door. Mazden lead them to the very edge of the valley. A large, flat stone sat in the middle of a wide clearing. The sun would touch Setsu throughout the day, of that there was no doubt. "Put him on the stone, I'll make certain he can't get away."

Fang spat the half-demon out, letting him drop onto the stone. Using the same lightning-like spell as before, Mazden bound Setsu to the stone. Now all they could do was wait for the day to pass.

Tamashi backed away from the spot, as well as Mazden, and then watched, not planning to leave, just in case something happened, she wanted to be there to help.

Antauri stood beside Tamashi and took her hand in his. "I hope all of this won't be in vain." he murmured, and looked to the east. "The sun will rise any minute now."

She blinked, looking toward the east as well. "It won't," she said with an assuring tone. "If you have to shed blood for this, then it won't. If Tsubaki was wrong, I'll slice him apart, piece by piece, and then put all of him in a bucket to carry around."

"I get first dibs on him." said Antauri, then smirked at her. "But I'll allow you to rip his arms off still-since I promised you."

"Fine. But I get to throw the bucket off a cliff," she retorted with a similar devious smirk.

The first rays of the sun peeked out over the horizon. Setsu's eyes were still rolled back, foam dripped from his gaping mouth. Now he truly looked like a corpse. Antauri watched as a weak beam of light landed on his wing. The skin hissed, and boiled, and the light burned its way straight through the flesh. Yet Setsu seemed so out touch with reality that he couldn't even react to the pain, but he clearly felt it by the way his body jerked in an attempt to escape the light.

Tamashi winched, watching it as the sun pierced him, like a sword into a heart. She blinked in surprise when she compared it to that. Even if the tan simian was separate from Kiyowa now, she still had the knowledge of her death. A sword to a heart.

As the sun rose higher into the sky, his wings went from hissing and boiling, to actually catching on fire. Setsu finally reacted. He threw back his head with a scream, beating his wings fruitlessly to stop the pain. They were consumed by flames, the hot tongues of red and orange licked at his flesh, searing his fur. The inferno spread over his body, engulfing him entirely as he screamed his lungs bloody.

Tamashi watched as time went by. What was time anyways? She had no idea if it had been mere moments, or hours. The tan simian could only watch as the fire engulfed the poor simian, and with that, she hoped, with everything she had, that Makoto would come out of this alive.

They all watched, their horror growing. As the sun finally set, and the flames vanished, all that was left was a simian burned so badly his skin was black. They all ran to him. Was he even alive?

Tamashi had one hand out, the other still a scythe, just in case. Cautiously, the simians looked over what remained of the half-demon. "...Makoto?" Tamashi asked, her voice quiet, as she looked at the scorched simian, hoping with everything she had.

A finger twitched, but that was it. Antauri bit his lip. "Mazden, we need you to use your magic to move his. If we try to do it by hand, his skin will peel off." he said, "We have to take him to the bath upstairs."

The human nodded, and lifted the burned simian with a flick of his wrist. They ran back to the mansion, and fled up the stairs to a large bathroom. The tub was big enough to fit two humans comfortably, and it was filled with green water with leaves floating in it. Mazden carefully lowered the simian into the water, and placed a towel under his head to act as a pillow.

Tamashi lingered outside of the room, not wishing to intrude, she felt awkward being in there. The tan simian only watched slightly from the door a few times, but otherwise entertained herself with the tapestries on the hallway walls.

Antauri came out of the bathroom, and leaned against the wall with sigh. He slid down to the floor, and rested his arms on his knees. There was a fresh bandage around his tail from where he had bled himself.

Tamashi blinked, and then sat down beside him, resting a hand on his shoulder for a moment, trying to comfort him, but then frowned at her own actions, and hugged the simian. It would be all right, wouldn't it? And if it wasn't, Tsubaki had hell to pay. She hugged him tightly, wanting all those negative emotions to get squeezed out of him.

The black simian returned the embrace, holding her close. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't worried. "His heart is barely beating, Tammy." he said softly. "He may not make it till morning."

Tamashi tightened the embrace, her tail unknowingly coming around him. She wasn't sure exactly on what to say. What was she supposed to say anyways? It was far too confusing. So she was silent at first, but then, finally spoke. "He'll be all right. Makoto will pull through even if we have to drag him."

He gave a half-hearted chuckle. "What is it with you and forcing others to do as you like?" he teased. But the humor was short lived. He rested his head against hers, and simply held her. There wasn't anything else he could do. Makoto had to pull through on his own strength, but did he have the will to live on?

Tamashi buried her face into his fur, so his reply was muffled. "Because. It's just better for everyone when they do as I like," she said, trying to keep what little humor there was. Makoto, pull through, or I swear I'll kill you and leave you in the hands of Kiyowa, and all of her ribbons! You have your family waiting for you. Mazden, Otto, Nova, Gibson, Sparx, and your younger brother, Antauri. You have to live!

They waited outside all night. Sleep claimed them both before dawn. A gentle hand rested on Tamashi's head, drawing her back to the waking world. Mazden's sleeves were soaked with the herbal water, blood and smears of blue salve.

She mumbled in complaint, opening her bleary eyes, her tail coming around her. Tamashi looked up in concern, knowing that he was here to say something. "How's Makoto?" she asked, forcing herself to look at him.

"Resting for now." he replied softly, "Much like the two of you should be. There's nothing else we can do at the moment. Why don't you go get some sleep in your bed? I'll let you know if anything happens."

Finding her first excuse to look away, she turned her gaze to Antauri, and gently nudged him awake. "Makoto is fine for now. We should get back to our own room," she suggested, standing up, and offering a hand, knowing he was still recovering from Setsu's attack

The black simian took her hand and pulled himself up onto his feet. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and felt the man pet his head. "Makoto was always strong willed, if any could survive this, it would be him." he said, "Go get some sleep, my son."

She took Antauri's hand, and then half yanked, half dragged him away, glad to leave, even if she did want to be there for Makoto, she feared she might blow her anger out on someone, when no one needed it. Within a few minutes, she had yanked the poor tired, and worried simian back into his room and onto his bed.

They slept for several hours. Antauri clung to Tamashi in his sleep, holding her close. When he finally awoke it was late afternoon. He sat up slowly, so he wouldn't disturb the slumbering female beside him, and slipped out of the room. He had to check on Makoto, and make sure he was still alive.

The tan simian stirred slightly in her sleep, feeling something let go, but remained in her dreams, too worn out from the pass few days to get up for the time being.

Antauri quietly entered the room where the Alchemist was keeping his brother. Mazden sat beside the bed, keeping watch over his son. He raised his head as the black simian entered the room. "Come to see him?" asked the man softly, "He hasn't awakened yet, but you are welcomed to stay."

The black simian cautiously came forward, concerned that if he didn't, something would go wrong. He finally made his way over beside the simian, looking down with worry. The good news was that he was alive, and at the moment, he was stabilized, the bad news was, after all he's been through, they couldn't be sure.

Makoto was wrapped from neck to tail in linen. His face was coated in blue salve that smelled strongly of aloe. What little skin that was visible was bright red. Mazden had had to remove all the charred flesh in order to allow the new skin to grow back.

Antauri blinked slowly, his poison yellow eyes showing worry. I'm sorry, Brother. I could only do so much, and I hope what I did was enough for you.

"He's yet to show any improvement, but he hasn't gotten any worse either." said Mazden. "I'm afraid there's nothing we can do for him until he wakes, and that could be days. I wish there had been another way to restore him. Sometimes, the cure seems worse than the sickness."

Antauri blinked, and looked back up at the human. "If Makoto could survive everything that happened to him yesterday, then he must have a good chance of getting through the rest of it."

"Not exactly. Now we are in the most dangerous part of the cure. The trauma is what may bring him down now." he said, "We must be very cautious from now on. The slightest thing could set him over the edge."

Antauri took half a step back, just in case. He truly wished Mazden would stop that. This wasn't a time to say that the odds were against them, the black simian didn't need to hear it, right now, he needed reassurance, and if Mazden wasn't showing much hope, it looked pretty bleak to him as well.

The Alchemist petted his head. "Do not worry, my son. Things always seem bleak, but we must keep our faith. That is all we can do, aside from being here for him." Mazden reached out, and gingerly touch the side of Makoto's neck. "And there is our first sign. His pulse is stronger."

Antauri felt relieved at that. At least Makoto was fighting for it. He wondered how much Makoto remembered, were his last memories be the accident? Or, even when Setsu was in control, there was still a bit of him there? It didn't matter, one way or another, he wanted his elder brother back, even if he couldn't bring up a single memory of Makoto.

Several hours later, there was the first sign of life. It was brief, and had nearly been missed. But Makoto's finger twitched.

After that moment, Antauri was watching Makoto like a hawk, desperate to see another sign of life. He was relieved to at least see a little movement, but satisfied...no, not until Makoto woke up, only then would he feel that his brother was at long last safe.


Tamashi awoke with a jerk, opening dark onyx eyes, her tail moving in search of a lost source of warmth. Yet, when she couldn't find it, she sat up in confusion, looking around, realizing she was the only one here. Though she was still a bit groggy, she got up. The nightmare jolted her from her sleep. Relax…the spirits can’t hurt you anymore.


Mazden applied another coat of salve to the simian's face. As he carefully smeared it over his cheek, Makoto grunted. "Ow....." he breathed softly.

His eyes widened as he came close. "Makoto..." Antauri looked down at the battered simian. He had said something! Sure it wasn't exactly a word, but it was better than nothing.

Orange eyes just barely peeked open before sliding shut once more. His slightly parted lips moved slight, like he was trying to speak.

Antauri found himself with a similar problem, for a few moments, he was speechless. "Makoto, just rest. You'll be fine," he reassured. The black simian didn't want his elder brother to harm himself, struggling to say something.

"Relax, my son." said Mazden softly, "You're safe now. Try not to move or speak yet. Your body needs time to recover."

Antauri looked down at his brother, watching carefully, praying that he took Mazden's advice, though he still wanted to talk to him so much at the moment. Every movement at all was quickly noticed by the black simian, he wasn't going to let his brother slip by without him knowing, and if he had to, he'd go into the spirit realm and drag back his wandering soul...if it did go there, which he was pretty sure it won't.

Mazden smiled softly, and watched as the injured simian slowly relaxed, and drifted into unconsciousness. "I believe we are past the worse of things." he said, "It's still a long road ahead, but he'll be able to make the journey."

The black simian seemed relieved, knowing that his brother will be fine. Soon enough, he would be back.


Tamashi stumbled along the hallways as she tried to wake up. There was only one place he could have gone. Makoto.

Antauri sat down, waiting and watching. How long would it be before he could speak to his brother? A few days? Sooner? It lifted his heart just thinking of it, and he couldn't wait to tell Tamashi.

There was a soft knock on the door, and it opened just enough to see a dark onyx eye peer in. "How's Makoto?" It was Tamashi, sounding a little sleepy still.

The black simian smiled slightly. "He regain consciousness for a moment." he said, "He's going to make it, Tammy. Makoto's coming back to us."

Forget just peeking in. Forget that Mazden was there. She nearly tackled the black simian down to the floor, and only at the last moment did she remember to keep her voice down. "I knew there was a way to get him back, and I knew he would pull through." That whole time, she had hope for the simian she had never met, and in the end, he had indeed pulled through.

Antauri crushed her to him, smiling into her shoulder. "It truly is a miracle." he replied, then smirked. "You know, now he gets to bite your neck tonight, since you promised him." He playfully pinched the side of her neck with his teeth.

A hand somewhat sternly came down on his helmet. "Yeah, yeah. He gets to. You keep your own fangs to yourself. After all of that, I won't argue if he does." Her tail flicked gently, she was glad to be by Antauri, and was relieved that his brother would be all right.

Mazden chuckled softly at the two. "Why don't the two of you go find something to eat?" he suggested, "After you finish, you could take over if you wish."

Tamashi didn't look at the human, or respond verbally. Instead, she just grabbed Antauri's hand and yanked him out of the room. She had barely eaten anything over the past few days, so breakfast was a wonderful thought.

Antauri noticed her lack of response. He waited until they were alone in the kitchen, and then asked, "Are you still upset with Mazden?"

She was quiet for a moment, lost in thought. "A bit..." Tamashi breathed out, collecting her thoughts. "I was thinking of either talking to him today, or after Makoto recovered so I could fix it up....."

"I can understand, I was rather upset with him myself. But I can also see the logic behind his actions at the time." he replied, opening the fridge. "At least everything is working out for the best."

"It's not how he treated Makoto when he was a demon, I understood all of those actions, but whenever we tried to comfort him, he still kept acting like there was nothing we could do, even when we waved the solution right in front of him." She was just as glad that Makoto was recovering, but she was still trying to sort out what she had to say to Mazden.

Was she wrong to be mad at him? Or was he wrong for not hoping?

"You 'll have to look through his eyes to understand it." he said grabbing a piece of fruit. "When you spend several years trying to fix something, and it doesn't work, you feel lost and it's difficult to allow yourself to have hope again, because your heart has been broken so many time before."

"But you're supposed to always hope, and you can't just give up on someone, especially if that one is someone you considered a son." She had her own defenses to her side. Wasn't she always told to have hope, or that there was always hope? So, to be told that there may not be...it was frustrating! Especially when it came from Mazden, who seemed hopeful in so many other areas.

He was hopeful about them, about Chiro, about the future of Shuggazoom, even he was hopeful that Kiyowa would come back, and he never even met her. He was hopeful about all of that, and more.

So, why, of all of the beings, of all the situations, did he find himself hopeless? If they could save him from Skeleton King, shouldn't he have had just a bit of hope left for Makoto? She understood slightly...but how could you allow yourself to lose hope?

"I know, but I believe he lost faith in himself more than in Makoto. He blames himself every day for that accident, which would make it rather easy to lose any hope." Antauri picked the pit out of the fruit, and set it on the counter. He would plant it later. "But we have to forgive him for his mistakes and faults. Even I lost faith in Chiro once when Mandarin captured him. It's just something that happens to us ever so often."

Tamashi pouted. It was too hard to explain, and it was mushy, so she rather just say her things once to the person it was directed to. She had been fully confident of saving Makoto the moment she first heard of him, but...each time Mazden didn't believe they could help, Tamashi lost some of that confidence.

Once they had satisfied their hunger, the two headed back up to Makoto's room. Mazden briefly petted their heads as he walked past them, and told them to simply watch him, and to rub more salve on his face once the last coat dried.

Tamashi fidgeted as she watched the human leave. She really hated apologizing, as she learned to watch out for the reaction of the other, and she hated, hated being wrong. She breathed out sharply in annoyance at herself, and then looked back from Antauri, to the door.

Antauri smiled at her. He knew he would probably get hit for it, but he just had to say something. "Are you going to go after him?" he asked, "Or do I have to push you out there after him?"

She came over to him, noticing that he had stiffened, expecting to get hit. Instead, she hugged him, not saying a word, and after a few moments, he relaxed. Then, she stood, and tail whipped him against the helmet before leaving with a few grumbles.

He rubbed the side of his head, smirking. "That's Tammy alright." he murmured, then looked to Makoto. "You'll have to watch your back around her once you've healed."

Tamashi looked around as she travelled around, searching for the human, oddly, now that she wanted to see him, she couldn't find him. She did however; he was in his work area, writing something. The tan simian entered quietly, and climbed up onto an empty table behind him, watching him, her spot making herself at his eye-level.

"Have you finally come to give me a piece of your mind, my sweet?" he asked without pausing. "I understand that you are very upset with me. Say as you wish, I'm listening."

For some reason, that didn't surprise her at all. She took a deep breath, lost in her thoughts for a moment. "Do you know why I’m mad at you?"

"I have a few ideas," he replied, "But why don't you tell me?"

Tamashi grumbled slightly, gathering her thoughts. "You gave up, and even though you could justify it, it just wasn't something I could agree on."

"When you first told us about Makoto, we all had hope that we could get him back, and I wanted to get him back, despite that I never knew him. Yet, each time we tried to reassure you, you only continued acting as if there was no chance, and no hope. Each time that happened, I think a majority of us did start to lose hope for Makoto. I was beginning to doubt my first thoughts.

"We had all wished to help. Even Otto, who's still trying to recover from Kiyowa's forced departure, was eager to help, but after a bit, he kind of gave up."

Her fur fluffed a bit in irritation. She hated getting caught in these situations, and she wished to understand why she had this sliver of knowledge. Was it from Kiyowa? "The Hyper Force considers you a father, as much as you consider them your children. They look up to you. If you have hope, so do they. Yet, if you don't have any, it reflects back." She trembled, her hands clenching a bit. "If you're their father, then you can't show any doubts around them, out of all of us, you're the last one that can ever give up, because if you do, so will they. The whole reason they kept fighting Skeleton King, despite losing others in the battle, was because you believed they could do it!"

Her eyes stung, but she did her best to ignore it. "You're a father, and you gave up on your own son's survival. That's why I'm angry..."

"I see," he said, "What you say is true, and I take responsibility for my actions. I never truly gave up, I knew Makoto would always live inside Setsu, but I knew that there was nothing I could do to free him of the half-demon. And even now, Setsu is still inside of him, waiting to be let out. You have every right to be angry with me, and I thank you for saying how you feel."

She breathed out sharply, but it wasn't the usual one for amusement. Though she had been mad at Mazden for his actions...she saw she was at fault as well. "But I didn't have the right to blow my anger out on you like that...nor did I have the right to call you an idiot." She fidgeted a bit. She really hated those words sometimes. "So...I'm sorry."

Mazden finally set his work down and turned with a smile. He carefully lifted her off the table, and hugged her gently. "You did wonderfully, my sweet, I'm very proud of you." he said, and rubbed her cheek softly with his knuckles.

She blinked her onyx eyes in confusion. She did wonderfully? He was proud of her? What for? With a little hesitance, she returned the hug. "You're confusing," was her only reply, but it was no insult. It was just her confusion.

"Not the first time I've heard that." he chortled, "And it shan't be the last." He kissed her forehead and gently set her down, petting her head.

"You're right. You're confusing, confusing, confusing," she insisted with a teasing smirk. For some reason, it seemed so...odd for a human to show affections to her...probably another thing she got from Kiyowa. "I better get back to Antauri and Makoto..." Her tail flicked a bit. "Just, can you promise not to give up again? On anything?"

"I promise to do my best." he replied, "I'll be certain to bring up some lunch for the three of you. Hopefully, we'll be able to get something down his throat."

"Thanks..." She went over to the door. "...for everything." Before she could hear a response, she darted out, her face going red. Too much mush! The tan simian quickly made her way through the halls, and made her way back to Makoto's room, opening the door quickly but quietly.

Antauri had just opened the jar of salve when Tamashi entered. "Ah, there you are." he said, "How did it go?"

She smiled and came over. "Well, no one lost any limbs, or got any wounds, so I guess my apologies are improving."

"Good to hear," he replied, and carefully began spreading the salve over Makoto's face. "His fur is completely gone, and his skin is still peeling off. He's going to be extremely sensitive for the next few weeks."

"Which means I shouldn't be the one putting that stuff on him. His fur will grow back though, right?" she asked, her tail flicking slightly in concern.

"If his skin heals properly." he replied, "Hopefully he'll heal enough for us to speak with him in a few days."

"I'm sure he will. I mean, he did regain consciousness for a moment earlier, didn't he? That's pretty good for someone who nearly got burned to death."

The two talked quietly for a few hours, watching over Makoto as he slept. Mazden brought them lunch just as he promised. "How has he been?" he asked.

"The same," replied Antauri."

"I'll run another herbal bath for him tonight, then let his skin air out." said the Alchemist, "Perhaps a little cool water will relieve some of his discomfort."

Tamashi nodded. "That's good," she said, speaking, and for once, looking at Mazden as she did so, something she hadn't done for the past few days. "And thanks..." It looked like they had good news for everyone at dinnertime, but then she remembered a few things. "When will Makoto be able to eat?" And then there was also Otto.

"I'm not certain. It's entirely up to Makoto." he replied, gently petting the injured simian's helmet. "Whenever he decides to regain consciousness, then we'll try to get something in him. I pray that it'll be soon."

"Makoto can, and will, wake up soon, or else he'll be sorry," she pouted. Tamashi was as impatient as ever. She wanted him up, and she wanted him up now.

"If you keep talking....." said a soft, raspy voice, "Then I'll never sleep."

Tamashi froze for a moment, and then stood up, looking at the simian suspiciously, along with two others. "Hey...you are up," she complained, a little oblivious that it was her he had been referring to, but even if she did know, she wouldn't care too much.

Mazden chuckled in surprise. "I should have now." he said, "It's good to hear your voice again, my son. But try not to speak for now, you're injuries are rather extensive."

"It's best to listen to him, Makoto. Now make a full recovery so that I don't have to kill you." Her voice was a bit more quiet, and then she stepped back, respecting his wishes, and became silent.

Antauri smirked at her. "Must everything come back to violence with you?"

"Others seem to listen to me better when I have a scythe at their throat. So yes." She stuck her tongue out at him for a brief moment. She was such a child at times, which was fine by Antauri in any case, as she never did get a childhood.


Several days passed before Makoto was conscious again. He was finally able to sit up against a mound of soft pillows and was eating a little soup here and there. He was still impossibly skinny, and too weak to even feed himself.

Tamashi was sound asleep, dreaming once more. Once her soul became completely hers, there had been no sign of the spirits, or Kiyowa. Each night had been pleasant, and soon, she welcomed sleep once more. Her dreams were different all the time, and some faded when she woke up, but certain ones did remain.

Antauri teased a finger under the sleeping female's jaw. She twitched and giggled. He smirked and started tickling her side.

She jolted awake, laughing, and then lashed out with her tail while attempting to roll away from her attacker. "N-no fair!" she called out. "You cheater," she managed through her laughter. "I was still asleep!" she complained, as she reached for safety.

He chuckled as he kept her pinned to his side. "That's the exact point, you were still asleep."

"What does that have to do with anything?" she pouted, still poised to defend herself. "I'm the one who lost nearly three nights of sleep because of the spirits and the half demon."

"Yes, and it's been nearly a week since then. You've regained your sleep." he replied, "Now, we should go check on Makoto."

"Who says I regained sleep," she mumbled. Tamashi tired easily, she may be able to use a lot of energy, but she was easily comatose afterwards. However, she did get off the bed, and seemed ready. "Do you think we'll tell Otto about you-know-who later on?" Being Kiyowa's clone, relaying her message was something top priority, even if it was small.

"Tonight would be the best, now that things with Makoto are settling." he replied as he got up. "Now, my brother is waiting for us to visit."

"Then let's go," she said, yanking off before he could get both feet on the ground. She was always eager to check on Makoto, and she hoped he was feeling even better today. Perhaps, since she was pretty sure they would have to go to Kiyowa's garden to talk to Otto, they could bring him back some nectar, or fruit.

Makoto was resting peacefully when they entered the room. As the door opened, so did his eyes. With his lips still burned, he could only manage a slight smile. "Hey, Spicy Chocolate." he teased, "Hey little Bro. Come to see me?"

"Duh, why else do we come in here several times?" Tamashi asked as she came over. Smirking slightly. "Hmph. Never thought I'd hear anyone calling Antauri a Little Bro," she mused. She actually liked when Makoto referred to Antauri as that, not as though she would admit it, but she thought it was cute. "Anyways, how are you feeling? Ready to go running around yet?" She asked those questions every day. Despite the second one always got the same exact response...so far.

"Not today," he replied. Same as yesterday. Same as the day before that. "I still can't lift my arms very far. But check this out." At the foot of the bed, the injured simian's tail swayed slowly back and forth once, then remained still. "Finally got some feeling back down there."

"Ha, now you have some type of defense if the twins come running in," she said with a smirk, though, it was approving, showing she was pleased.

Antauri smiled, coming forward. "It's good to see an improvement."

"Speaking of the twins, where's the Snack?" he asked, then chuckled. The nickname sounded ridiculous, but he just couldn't stop. "She use to come looking for me before this happened. Now I never see her."

"Well, because she hasn't been able to take her medicine, and she's a wild one in the first place, it was safer for you not to have her jumping and biting you. Though, she can be pretty sweet when she's not all haywire like that."

"Wait, you mean she doesn't always act that way?" he asked in surprise, concern in his voice. "She takes medication? Why? Is she alright? It's nothing serious, is it?"

"She's bipolar, and without her medication, she can switch rapidly from a meek, depressed child, to a rather furious, biting thing. She had another surgery the day before we met you, so she hasn't been able to have it. When she has her medication, she's just a wilder version of her sister, but in a good way."

Bipolar, he thought, Poor thing, and she seemed like she'd be such a sweet thing. "I hope I get to meet her again when she's feeling better." he murmured.

"That'll be soon...I think. I'll have the ask Gibson when, and hopefully, he won't speak another language when he does tell me." She hated how that scientist just had to use big and confusing words.

"Hopefully." he agreed. His eyes suddenly slid shut, and his breathing became deep and even. He had fallen asleep, just like that.

"Showoff," she mumbled in amusement. Next time she saw him, she could let him know when Miki could visit without breaking every single bone in his body.

"He's just tired, Tammy." chuckled Antauri.

"But he did it so quickly," she complained, pouting all the same.


The simians, and the two humans, were all gathering at the dinner table later that evening. The twins chirped excitedly from their high chairs, ready for food. Laluka sat beside her mate, resting her head on his shoulder.

But three were still not there yet. Tamashi, Antauri, and Otto hadn't shown up yet. The black and tan simians had headed up to Kiyowa's garden, planning on giving the green monkey his mate's message.


Otto was hurrying up a bit, knowing dinner was almost ready, but the garden couldn't be unattended right now. It had to be perfect. He rushed about, gathering the nectar the animals had collected for either dinner, or meals for tomorrow, he also had a good amount of fruit collected, and the sprinklers operational...but he didn't want to leave.

Antauri knocked on the door. "Otto?" he called, "May we have a moment? There's something we need to speak with you about."

Otto opened the door tilted his head in confusion. "Uh...sure...what do you want to talk about?" he said, allowing them to enter.

Tamashi smiled slightly. "It's hard to explain...but uh...um..." How was she supposed to explain that she had entered the spirit realm, and saw Kiyowa? Now that she thought about it, she was at lost for an answer.

"Um what?"

"Otto, a little over a week ago, we entered the spirit realm." said Antauri, "While we were there, we saw.....Kiyowa."

The rest of the world fell away. "Kiyowa...?" Then, there was just a stampeded of questions. "How was she? Was she okay? Was she hurt? Has something happened in the spirit realm? What about her exit, has she found it? Do you know when she'll be back? Did she say anything? What happened while you were there?"

Tamashi stared. "I'm going to go back, and listen to you in slow-mo so that I can get all of that..."

Antauri held up a hand in a calming gesture. "She's alright, Otto. She hasn't found her exit yet, but she's still searching." he replied, "She said that we could expect her any time within a year to five years. And she wanted me to tell you to be happy again. She's coming back, and she doesn't want you to be miserable."

Otto blinked, looking a bit relieved. At least she was all right, that was all that mattered, if everything else didn't. Still...one year was so miserably one, five would be so unbearable. He hoped she got here sooner, rather than later. To be happy...all right, if she asked, then he would! Starting with this!

However he managed it, he got Antauri and Tamashi into a small group hug. "Thank you."

The black simian returned the embrace with a smile. "You're welcome, brother." he said, then pulled back. "Now, the others are waiting for us."

Otto nodded. "All right." Then he glanced at the other animals while he picked up the nectar. "Don't make a mess." Tamashi picked up the fruit, and then, within a few minutes, they were back in the mansion, and at the dinner table.

The family all ate their dinner together. Gibson kept glancing at his mate, waiting for something. She smiled softly, and kissed his cheek. It was time to let everyone know their secret. The scientist stood up, clearing his throat. "Everyone, Laluka and I have something very special to share with you." he said, "Laluka is expecting."

Otto stared in surprise, and then smiled slightly at the news. "Another one already? We'll just have to toddler proof the whole place, won't we?"

Mazden chuckled. "Already done. This house had to put up with seven toddlers at once. All that will have to change is baby gates on the doors." he said, then smiled softly at the couple. "Well done, both of you. I wish you nothing but happiness."

Celty moved around the table with tears in her eyes, and hugged her daughter. "Oh, baby, I'm so proud of you!" she said, "Your baby will be spoiled rotten, I swear it!"

Fang gave Gibson a hard look. "I otta kill you." he growled, "Be grateful my daughter loves you so much."

A gentle presence was in the room, right by Laluka, with a hesitant and timid touch to it, though, with all the commotion and excitement, it was unlikely if anyone did sense it. Well done. Laluka Kokoro.

"We'll have to get something nice for the baby." said Celty, and hugged Laluka close. "I can hardly wait!"

The gray simian hugged her mother back, then her father, and finally her mate. 'I'm a little nervous about this.' she signed, 'But I know I have the best people here to help me through everything.'

The presence lingered, watching the small festivities, and as the family turned in for the night, the small presence faded, as if it was never there.
Summary: Tamashi, Antauri, and Mazden attempt to save Makoto by destroying Setsu. However, the cure may be worse than the sickness, and neither of the two may survive.

Sorry it took so long to upload, my laptop is still acting up, but I'll try to post when I can.
© 2014 - 2024 Thil-Galel
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