FSE

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Chapter 7

Alone in the darkness again Ridley sat on a rock just thinking things over as he watched the wind blow the sand of the dark desert about in swilling patterns. It was some time before he stood up and sighed. Stretching his wings behind him he looked to the blood moon and frowned. He hated this place and the isolated feeling it left him with. He knew there were dangers here as well but every time he slept he ended up here without fail. It was sort of his dream world.

Taking a few steps he felt arms wrap around him from behind and the warmth of a body pressed against his own. Looking down he saw black hands with the same markings as his own and it clicked in his head who this was. Turning slowly in the arms he was face to face with the image of himself, only this one was female.

Smiling empathetically Reiko put a paw on Ridley's cheek softly and started to rub her thumb into his fur as she spoke and this time he could hear her, "I'm so sorry for what happened to you Ridley. I know life has been unkind but I promise I will make everything better soon. You need to find the Phoenix's flame and the sword the ancients used. You will find one of them in Kyoto. You're so strong inside Ridley I know you can do this without my help."

Ridley reached up slowly taking her paw into his own as he closed his eyes and nodded, "What happened in those two years? Why didn't it work?"

"Are you sure you want to remember that time? It was spent in the Deadlands dearest heart. I was searching for something important. Something that will end the cycle," Replied the woman as she rubbed her cheek against Ridley's own.

The male looked down for a few moments thinking things over. It was then that a better question came to his mind, "What is in the darkness at the edge of the nightmare?"

Reiko looked up and nodded slowly, "Our damnation... I'm afraid you hold within you something so very dark that it must remain contained. Your heart holds it there knowing that should it be unleashed this world will be doomed."

"Then we are not alone? Who has this kind of power?"

The female looked to the horizon and frowned deeper than before, "She is an ancient being of incredible power. The creator of the beasts you know as Yamitsu. Her hatred and power know no limits as well as the depth of her cruelty. It was by her hand that our kind were nearly wiped out completely. Her name is Gwenari... and she is one of the Originators."

Ridley looked confused as he held Reiko close to him. The outsider might have seen them as almost intimate with the way their bodies connected. They embrace and the kindness in their eyes, it was almost a kind of deep affection. As if they were to be torn from one another the other would die of a broken heart.

"Reiko I..."

The female nodded slowly putting a finger to his lips and smiled, "I know. I like him. You should keep him around. You never know what might happen. I'm sorry if you feel I have used you in any way. I know your grandfather had it difficult with my brother but I promise I am not the same. I want to stop the cycle instead of preventing it from one come around."

"I don't understand," Replied Ridley softly as he nuzzled into her neck and closed his eyes taking in the smell.

Reiko softly put a hand on the back of his head as she whispered into his ear, "There are powers at play older than you can imagine Ridley. I don't expect you to understand."

Ridley nodded staying close to the woman. In her arms he felt safe, he knew she understood him more than anyone else even though he barely knew her. He felt her hand softly running through his long hair and smiled in the comfort.

"Who was it that decided to name you Ridley," Asked Reiko curiously.

The male opened his eyes before speaking a little muffled into her neck, "Rukan... Why?"

Reiko smiled and nodded slowly as she held him a little tighter than before, "It was kind of her."

"Why," Replied Ridley a bit confused.

Reiko smiled a little more and rubbed her thumb against her twin's cheek as she spoke, "Raiden... He was born under than name. Purest white with the prettiest teal eyes..."

Ridley nodded as he pulled away and walked to the nearby rock to sit down with the woman version of himself as he spoke, "I never really heard much about the family's past. I know I'm somehow related to Rukan in a way but I never really made the connection."

"That's only part true. You would have to understand how kitsune work before you will completely understand how we are all related," replied Reiko as she sat down next to him looking out over the dark horizon with a frown.

The male looked into the dust of the spiritual plane and frowned, "Spirit creatures... this place should be full of them."

"Yes... It should have been. But Gwenari in her crusade created the monsters you know as yamitsu. Spirit creatures forced into undead flesh. Bound to it by bone and sinew. The greatest insult one can imbue on one that used to be as free as a whisp of wind. A terrible fate," Replied Reiko as she kicked up some of the dust.

Ridley nodded as he leaned forward and rested his chin on his paws, "What happened that made them so angry? Why did Raiden want to kill everything... start over?"

Reiko frowned as she spoke, "He lost someone important to him, someone that meant the world to him. He was a broken and sad creature a monster that became twisted with hatred and self-loathing."

"Who did he lose?"

"Me..."

Ridley nodded slowly as he put his paws on his knees and looked to the sky. "Yeah... I think I knew the answer to that already actually," Said the male with a heavy sigh. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose a twin. He thought perhaps it would be like going through life missing a limb or perhaps a brain without a heart to tell it how to feel.

Reiko put her paws on Ridley's cheeks and held them so they could look into each other's eyes again before she spoke softly, "Find the sword Ridley... If there is one thing you must find it's that single thing. You will know which one it is once you see it. Only with it can the illusion be broken."

"Ridley wake up you have to see this!" shouted Que as he looked out the window of the sub orbital shuttlecraft. The stars shone bright against the black of space while the moon could be seen in the far distance bigger than the fennec had ever seen before.

The black fennec began to open his eyes as he felt groggy, and disconnected from his own senses. It was almost like there was some sort of strange delay in when he touched something and he actually felt it. The red eyes opened slowly which required some real effort and willpower as it seemed something was fighting his awakening.

"Hush Que that sedative should keep him out a little while longer." Said a familiar feminine voice but in his state Ridley couldn't understand who it was. The word sedative struck a chord in him giving him the answer to the question his mind was trying to grip. His world was a wash of colors and swirling moving shapes while sound was muffled and muted.

Lifting an arm the black fennec felt resistance when he reached a certain length. He tried a few more times only to find he was fastened to the seat he was in as the odd feeling of weightlessness made him feel sick. The mind was not fully awake and aware enough to register these feelings and sensations leaving him in a completely dazed state.

Lifting his head lethargically Ridley saw the yellow color of Que's fur and saw the window he was looking out. The wash of black with white pin pricks wasn't clear enough for him to see the beauty in the pure simplicity. He hadn't the depth perception to recognize how amazingly expansive the space was.

Muffled voices on a speaker could be heard as he saw the yellow fur move through the air weightlessly. Feeling a paw on his own Ridley felt the sleep start to take hold again only as he heard a whisper in his ear as clear as a bell, "I'm so glad we could do this together."

The words stirred something inside the fennec making him open his eyes again and this time he saw clear. Rukan sat across from him looking a little amused as Que sat next to him resting his cheek on Ridley's shoulder. It was slow to recover and Ridley didn't dare try to speak and make himself look like a fool at this point.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way Ridley. Getting you out of the region is difficult even for the chief of the Black Knights. The Sedative was supposed to hold you over until Kyoto but it's no matter. I suppose with her inside you there is bound to be some resistance," Said Rukan as she nodded to the waking fennec.

Ridley took a few deep breaths before looking up to Rukan with a slight frown, "You never told me you named me after your son..."

"You can hear her now? Yes... I named you after the son we lost when Reiko drown in the Kohaku. He wasn't Ridley anymore after that happened. He was just Lord Raiden," Replied Rukan without showing much emotion.

The black fennec would have shot back a smart remark but Que held his paw tight making Ridley look down and see his arms were handcuffed to the chair. "What the hell is all this then?" Said Ridley not the slightest bit amused at the situation.

Que gripped Ridley's paw to get his attention before answering, "Rukan came to the dorm this morning and sedated you before you woke up. She then had you brought here in handcuffs to make sure the guards didn't get suspicious. Everyone is on the lookout for your grandfather after what happened in New Los Vegas."

"So I'm a security risk... great. I shoulda just stayed back at the campus," Said Ridley rather coldly in reply.

Rukan frowned slightly and shook her head with a sigh, "Look I know what you are going through sucks but Ridley you don't really mean that. I know your father and you didn't part ways on good terms but at least give him some respect in death."

Ridley shook his head with a sigh as he look down at the plating feeling Que rubbing his back. He remained quiet for the rest of the ride which was short. Thanks to the sub orbital vehicle just about anywhere in the world was only a half hour away.

The landing was as normal as ever leaving them to get their things. Rukan fastened Ridley to her with the handcuffs as they all stood up and went through customs. They had no trouble on the japan side as Masatoshi was there to greet them. He was still one of the most respected men in the free world for his valor and wisdom throughout the cataclysm wars and the birth of the familiaris nation.

A short taxi ride left the four at their hotel. Rukan unclasped Ridley in the back of the cab and offered an apologetic look before they made their way to their rooms. Que was tired and it was already dark in Japan when they arrived. The time difference was substantial after all. He decided to get some sleep leaving Ridley to his thoughts.

It wasn't long before his thoughts weren't enough to keep him company however. The black fennec left the room quietly and went to the hotel lobby bar where he sat down next to a familiar desert fox of the same color and ordered some hot sake before saying anything, "They thought I was you I guess."

Raine turned his gaze slowly as he tipped his fedora and smiled. He was wearing a long black duster this time over just a set of ratty old black jeans. The undying one chuckled a little shaking his head as he spoke, "Did they? How quaint. Rukan told me she sedated you I figured I wouldn't be seeing you till the morning."

"Arigato," Said Ridley as the sake arrived and he turned back to Raine, "Can't sleep well these days. Since the markings and the wings, and now dad... World's not as peaceful a place I'd like to believe it is."

Raine nodded slowly as he stole a sip of the sake. "You're tellin me kiddo. I'm sorry you got dragged into all this."

"Yeah whatever... I needed to come to Japan anyway," Replied Ridley as he took a deep drink of sake directly from the jar.

"Oh? Why do you need to come to the homeland then," Asked Raine curiously.

"Lookin for a sword. Reiko said I needed to find the blade used by the ancients and something called the Phoenix's flame. That it would stop some sort of cycle from happening," Said Ridley with a sigh.

Raine quirked a brow and turned back to the bar put into a cautious position at this news. The sword he knew of and was very worried about the power that specific blade held. Running a paw over his belly he felt a familiar scar with a frown before he spoke, "Eh... I don't know if you should trust her. Could be using you."

"I do trust her. She's the closest thing to a family I've ever had... she's the one person that really understands me Raine," Replied Ridley as he finished the drink and leaned forward on the counter, "She said I would know the blade when I saw it."

"Aye I bet you would. It's a unique blade. It was used to end the last war though I don't know why we would need it again. She's speaking of the Sword of Souls. It's an artifact from a time when the world was young," replied Raine as he felt along the scar and frowned, "It lies in the Inari shrine here in Kyoto. Though there are plenty of traps that protect it. Some say it's impossible to get by them," replied Raine as he turned to face his grandson.

"What's so special about it then? What does it do," Asked Ridley as the empty sake jar was taken away.

Raine nodded slowly as he stood up and nodded to the front doors of the hotel, "follow me. The shrine isn't far from here. I suppose it's time you got a history lesson."

The two black fennec's left the building and walked a few blocks before they came upon the huge red archway. Stepping in they made their way to the center of the Shrine where sure enough the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. Sitting on a bench Raine motioned for Ridley to join him as he spoke, "Millions of years ago life began on this world. How it happened it up to debate but what we do know is that some life was more gifted than others. Evolution favored a few I should say."

"That's not possible Grandpa," replied Ridley as he sat down and looked at the large statue of a vixen with many tails.

Raine chuckled and nodded, "That's right you're tryin to be a scientist. Well whether or not it's possible it happened. These few gifted with extraordinary ability became known as the Originators. The origins of almost all life you see on the planet now. They were like the adams and eves of all the species."

"But... Reiko said Gwenari was an Originator," Replied Ridley with a deep frown as he didn't like where this was going.

Raine quirked a brow and tilted his head to the side, "Who is Gwenari?"

"it doesn't matter. Finish your story," Said Ridley as he leaned back against the bench with a sigh. He wasn't really interested in all of this as he had too much on his mind other than all this save the world nonsense.

Raine looked a little curious as to why this question was brushed aside but he let it slide for now. "Well one of these Originators was Inari. She was kind hearted and as such lived with her children in their own hidden home called kitsumantra. Rukan and Masatoshi were a part of this society actually. You should ask them about it some time. I've only been gifted with glimpses of the forgotten capitol. Think of it as something like Atlantis. A city lost and forgotten."

Ridley nodded of handedly as he looked up to the cherry trees with a frown, "So what happened?"

"Was getting to that," snapped Raine for a moment before he continued, "Two vixens lived in this city, one a captain of the royal guard and general of the regular army. The other was something of a feudal bounty hunter. She took pay to hunt down those that had wronged others. Their names respectively were Realina Yoshikawa and Rukan Hisashi. Yes, the same Rukan you know today. She is very very old but don't ever let her catch you..."

"I just did... What are you two doing out here?" Said the female voice stepping out of the trees with a slight frown.

Raine quirked a brow and chuckled softly, "Giving the boy a history lesson."

"I don't see how drudging up bad times could be of any help. Skip over it," Said Rukan as she leaned against a tree nearby and took a bite out of an apple she had been holding.

Ridley watched her curiously for some time before he noticed the other black form near her, the ever present and quiet form of Masatoshi Oginawa, the legend himself.

Raine saw the two and nodded before speaking, "Something terrible happened, an event that would change the face of the world forever. The Kitsune know it as the Separation Anxiety. An attack force from the then young Yamitsu race infiltrated Kitsumantra and in a single night razed the city. Many heroes were born from the event. Rukan obviously being one of them."

"I was stabbed in the back by my own son and left for dead Raine. I'm no hero. I couldn't even save a single life. You want a real hero talk about Narwith and Tiarna Nightwind. They took on over one thousand of the creatures. A pair of their generals saw the resolve of the two and took care of them personally. Masatoshi was there as well protecting the palace himself. Many claim he personally dispatched at least five generals," Said Rukan rather curtly.

Ridley rubbed the back of his head and sighed, "Raiden was there then?"

Raine nodded slowly with a sigh, "He led the army in. His tactics were derived to counter each and every one of Realina's. She was his mother after all. He had years to study and take them apart systematically before he struck."

The winged fennec stood up a bit confused, "Mother? I thought Rukan was... What?"

Rukan chuckled softly and stood herself up away from the tree before nodding, "Yeah. Reiko and Raiden were born of a pair of females. Kitsune can bond their spirits and produce an offspring regardless of sex. Post SA Kitsune lost this gift when the Goddess left."

Masatoshi stepped out of the shadows and kneeled down tipping his hat in a deep and respectful bow to the statue before speaking, "After Kitsumantra fell the Originators met to decide the fate of the world. With that sort of power being freely used unchecked they decided it best for their creations that they leave this world to them. One mortal had been gifted the power of creation and had used it for destruction. That woman was known as Gwenari, The darkest newest and youngest of the Originators."

Ridley frowned at that name while he listened to the story. He folded his arms across his chest keeping the secret of the monster he held inside just that, a secret.

The white fennec vixen stepped up to the shrine and frowned a bit looking up at the statue, "Gwenari wouldn't leave and the other Originators didn't want to get involved. Inari was left with only one option. She had to go to war herself. Crying tears of pain over how many of her children had been killed and cutting one of her own tails she forged a blade with the power of the ancients. It was dubbed the spirit blade of the goddess... or the sword of souls. It had the power to trap those with the power of the Originators within for thousands of years. Taking up arms she went after Gwenari with a vengeful heart and eventually cornered the creature. Cutting into the flesh of the monster she sealed it away in the spirit world."

Raine nodded as he continued the story, "It remained dormant for thousands of years then until the Cataclysm. Rukan had to retrieve the blade and use it against me to tear Raiden from my soul and seal him away as well so that the seven could meet. We hadn't planned on me being so weak during the time though. I fell into blackness in Death Valley and only the flame of the Phoenix could save me. She gave her essence up to save me... Hikari... the Seventh Sign."

Ridley rubbed his temples and shook his head, "So the god people all left? Why does all this matter now?"

"Because of you boy. You are sign number eight. You shouldn't exist and if Reiko is within you then something is wrong. The Originators met with Raine in the end times and he was able to negotiate the continuation of this world. He saved every man woman and child from the apocalypse. Something is amiss," Replied Masatoshi as he stood.

"Reiko told him he needed the sword. You don't believe she's taking him back to the deadlands do you? To ground zero," Asked Raine.

Ridley spread his wings and his markings glowed slightly as he interrupted, "Don't talk about me like I'm not here! If anyone is trying to use me it's you people! I just want a normal fucking life but now I can't even have that. Just tell me where the sword is and I'll be on my merry way to finish the job you obviously couldn't."

The three other kitsune present looked shocked at the outburst. Rukan looked away as she knew he was right in a fashion and on a level deeper than he even knew. Masatoshi nodded slowly as he crossed his arms, "Little respect for your elders, you remind me of someone... The first to wield the blade after the goddess... You will find the blade hidden deep below this shrine in a place where only the most wise and brave hearted can reach it. All others will die."

Raine stood himself up and shook his head as he put a paw on Ridley's shoulder, "Son... I know you're upset and you never wanted any of this. Trust me I didn't either but the path I was forced to take made me a better person. Know though that by touching that blade you damn yourself."

"What," Asked Ridley as he turned shaking the hand off her shoulder.

Rukan spoke softly, "he's right... All who touch the blade are damned to live until the Goddess returned to retake the sword and bring back paradise. Your soul will never be turned in the wheel of karma just as those the blade has consumed. All of the original seven have touched the blade. We all live regardless of what you have heard."

"let me to the surface Ridley... I need to speak with them... I will not hold you back. You can see," Whispered a female voice in his ear as he looked into a puddle and saw Reiko smiling back at him. He nodded slowly as the markings began to glow and he felt himself being pulled gently away from the surface as Reiko too his place the body itself changing female in front of the three.

Ridley felt himself in a bizzare position as if he were watching everything through a television screen. He wasn't uncomfortable in any way and he did see everything that was going on, he even felt like if he wanted to he could pull himself back to the surface.

Reiko looked about a few moments before nodding, "Mother... Raine, I suppose you would be step father now Sensei Masatoshi. I would have never guessed you two would... be together. I come bearing the gravest of news. I am deeply sorry for all of your loss with Kele but at the moment we all stand to lose a great deal more. The Cataclysm is not over..."

The three other Kitsune looked to one another for some time before Rukan spoke up, "Reiko why are you here? Why did you attach yourself to Ridley?"

"Because it was required. He had the potential for the power and so I gifted it to him but... He is too afraid to tell you the truth behind his mark. It was not my doing but the doing of the darkest of the ancients the one I am truly bound to," replied Reiko as she looked to the three of them and then to the statue, "We live in a dream world of the Originators creation while the reality remains a bleak and barren place. Only two of you have seen it. Raine and Ridley. When the cataclysm was ended in death valley the power of the sword was released. Gwenari was set free and now she hides within Ridley! Her cold heart and calculated plan so many years ago all along had her defeated by Inari."

Rukan's eyes went wide as she shook her head, "Reiko how do you know this? How are you bound to that demon!?"

Reiko looked down at her paws and frowned deeper than before, "because mother... I am the first Yamitsu. I am the den mother. Gwenari became like me when she killed Raiden after he cursed her to be bound to his fate. In truth the Yamitsu are my children... Raiden and Gwenari never had any control over them I didn't allow."

Masatoshi drew his blades quickly with a deep frown as he pointed them at Reiko and hissed, "Then you are the demon that allowed the destruction of the golden era! How dare you stand on this hallowed ground!?"

"I was a child and lied to Sensei! You cannot expect a one tail to have known what she was involved in at the time. Gwenari pulled my lifeless body from the river and breathed her necromantic magic into my lungs. I had no choice in the matter," Replied Reiko with tears in her eyes as she shook her head, "Not a day has gone by without the regret hanging in my heart over what happened and what my people have been forced into. We are slaves to those with the will to control us! The Yamitsu aren't monsters they are tools used by demonic hands!"

Masatoshi slowly lowered his blades but did not sheath them. Stepping back into the shadows he remained quiet as Rukan shook her head, "We looked for you for months Reiko. I promise it is true. Realina and I were devastated..."

The black vixen nodded as she walked to the statue and spoke, "I know. I am sorry I have been hidden for so long. When Gwenari went I went with her to save my brother the same fate. It is unfortunate that he stumbled upon it all on his own... Such does not matter now as we are on the edge of extermination. Gwenari is going to return. I can only hold her off for so long and Ridley hasn't a chance against her as he is now. There is potential in the marked ones to become Originators but that is what I am trying to prevent. If you were all to realize your power then the illusion world would fade and you would see the truth on how complete Gwenari's victory is. The dark desert would be reality."

Raine's eyes went wide as he shook his head, "That's not possible that place is the spirit world. How could it..."

"It is no spirit would. The spirits do pass through there but the truth is you are seeing glimpses of the aftermath. Gwenari tainted the Originators... The one's she couldn't she killed. Raiden planned to kill everything here in an effort to start the world over because he knew this. Now I am telling you that should the illusion fall you will all be forced to take up the job of rebuilding on a dead world. A world full of twisted and powerful demonic forces that are just waiting for the return of their queen," Said the marked woman as she sat herself on a stone bench.

"That can't be I spoke with them myself at the end of things," Said Raine confused.

Reiko shook her head slowly, "they still have their power Raine. You are doing just as they want you to do. They want to take you all quietly, one at a time. They do not desire a full scale invasion as it would call too much attention."

Rukan looked to the statue of Inari and nodded, "The goddess..."

"She is fine but not for long. Some of the anchents are holding out against the taint in a land they call Eden. I have only heard whispers of the happenings on the lips of spirits but as of now the wheel of karma has been stopped by Gwenari and her tainted Originators. The spirits that leave this world are doomed to wander it forever until the wheel starts turning again," Replied Reiko with a heavy sigh.

Raine nodded slowly before standing up and folding his arms across his chest, "Then what do we do?"

Reiko looked between the three others there and nodded, "We prepare..."

The white vixen nodded slowly before speaking again, "Prepare for what?"

"For war..."