Lies in Deceptive Shadows

[Amara<3]

"You'll have to come with me if that's where I go. You won't kill him before I make my plea," Keera growled, standing her ground. Kaminari moved behind Keera to shake Darryl into consciousness.

[skyacezero]

"Uhhh, what?" Darryl said after being shaken awake. "What's going-" he stopped in mid sentence when he saw the bounty hunter with a scythe in her hand. "Okay, did I miss something?" he asked. the bounty hunter pushed Keera aside and swung her scythe down. Darryl just barely rolled out of the way onto the floor. "Jeez! What was that for?!" he said.

[Amara<3]

"Really, is this necessary?" Michi asked, but stayed out of the way. Keera never spoke as she was pushed out of the way, and didn't as she threw a gigantic ball of energy and glass-like ice at the bounty hunter.

"I don't want to fight you," Keera said and stepped infront of Darryl again. "However it's not his fault, so I won't let you kill him." Her voice was low, and her eyes narrow on the hunter. "I know the gods sent you and I respect that, but even so, they must have also known I'd get in your way when you found him."

"Keera just give him up," Michi said, starting to get annoyed. "I know better than anyone how you feel, but is it worth turning your back on the gods?"

"What's going on out here?" Sora asked, coming in from the bedroom. "Oh," she said, eyes wide. She stood at the door, unsure of where her position is in this particular scene. She swallowed.

[skyacezero]

The bounty hunter slashed the attack Keera threw at her and growled in annoyance. "They didn't expect him to meet you before I got to him," she said. "Why does it matter if I'm alive again? Didn't Keera die once before? These gods brought her back to life do how am I any different?" Darryl asked getting to his feet. "I don't have to answer to the likes of you, human," the bounty hunter said.

[Amara<3]

"Darryl," Keera said, almost annoyed herself. "They don't just send everyone back who dies. They only send them back if they have a purpose to fulfill. I have one, that's why I'm still here. You, on the other hand, they want dead. If you die, you will stay that way. Forever." Sora bit her lip, and Michi smiled.

"She's actually died more than once," Michi interrupted, and Keera's eyes narrowed. "Don't worry, you'll be just fine. In hell. You might even see Keera there with Lamia."

"Michi shut up and butt out," Kaminari said. "You aren't helping the situation here."

[skyacezero]

"Wait, I do have a purpose, I have to stop Maltheus from getting these, gate things," Darryl said, to try and argue his case, but the bounty hunter would hear none of it. "The bottom line is that you're dead, and unless exceptions are made, the dead, stay dead!" she prepared to attack when Keera's police radio went off. 'All officers not on patrol are to report to the breifing room at eleven o'clock, over,' the bounty hunter had stopped to see what the source was. "What was that?" she said out of surprise. "No matter-," she turned around, to resume, but Darryl wasnt behind Keera. "What? Where'd he-" before she could finish her sentence, Necrolon dove from the shadow she cast and she dropped her scythe as Necrolon tackled her to the ground in a shady spot and held her there with his claw. "If you won't answer to Darryl, then answer to me! Why do the gods want Darryl dead?!" he demanded. "Go to hell!" the bounty hunter said through cleched teeth. "Already been there," Necrolon said.

[Amara<3]

Keera hesitated as her radio went off, but was thankful for the slight disruption. She looked behind her to find Darryl was gone, and Kaminari shrugged. Just as soon as the bounty hunter turned back, Keera glanced at her and Necrolon shot up from seemingly nothing but her shadow. She raised her eyebrows in approval and kicked the scythe away. Sora was up near the roof, just floating and watching from another angle. It was interesting, that was true. "Me too," Keera said in addition to the bounty hunter's curse. "Not too long ago."

So Lamia, what does your precious Lilith want to talk to me about? Keera thought. I'm in the middle of a couple things, so she's going to have to wait anyway.

"I have to answer that," Keera said absent-mindedly. Michi rolled her eyes as Keera moved slowly toward her radio, keeping an eye on the scene. She picked it up and pressed the button to talk back. "Anyway I can be briefed now? I'm not exactly available."

[skyacezero]

'Officer Kaze? Glad to hear you're feeling better,' the voice on the radio said. 'It's concerning the homicide case that's been under investigation for months, you would have to go to briefing for the details, sorry,' the voice finished.

]I don't know what it was the Lilith wanted, she didn't give me any details. She just said she wanted you to meet with her Lamia's voice said.

"I said answer me!" Necrolon demanded to the bounty hunter. "Why the gods singling me out?!" he repeated. "As I said, I don't have to answer to the likes of you!" the bounty hunter spat. "In that case.." Necrolon Shoved his knee onto her stomach and moved his claw to her throat. "You might as well..." he prepared to crush her throat. Necrolon! Don't kill her! Darryl's voice rang through Nerolon's thoughts. 'What?! Why?!' Necrolon said, confused. If you kill her, you won't exactly be helping our case, and these gods probably won't be happy

[Amara<3]

Keera sighed into the radio. "Physically better, mentally I'm not sure," she said and held the button absent-mindedly as Necrolon and the Bounty Hunter argued. "I will try to be there, but I might have be late. My um, friends, are in an arguement of sorts," she said and let go of the button. "Guys, no blood shed in here please, I would have to report what happened and it's not good on my lease of this place."

Well I would appreciate it if you tell her I will, eventually. but I have other important things I need to do here first. I need to keep my prescence in the city, I can't just disappear.

Michi gave Keera a look that probably wouldn't be understood by anyone else, and the two stared at each other for a span of moments. Then Michi looked away and walked out onto the balcony again. Keera gave everyone in the room a look that said 'behave' and followed Michi out.

"What are you doing?" Michi asked quietly. "Why did you even here and get mixed up in all this?"

"I like this era better than ours," Keera said and Michi snorted. "What?"

"As if you can say that," Michi said and shook her head. "Of course you would, there's no demons here- oh wait, yeah there is. Not to mension bombs and guns and poisons we've never heard of and who knows what else is here that even you haven't heard of!"

"We're different though Michi, we can survive this stuff that humans can't. They kill each other just like they did back then, they're just a bit sneakier now than they were then. By the way, the only demons I've come across are the ones we're dealing with now. I haven't met any others, not even part demons- believe me. I've met fair share of people who claim to have demons in them. They're idiots."

"But why would you get involved with those demons? What was so appealing about it? Was it the power? You're already stronger than every living thing on the planet right now. They don't count, exactly, because they reside in Hell, and that's not here."

"Why don't you two just talk this out a bit," Sora suggested to the two on the floor. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but maybe you two will come to some sort of understanding. Necrolon will know why they're after him and you'll know why he's fighting it."

[skyacezero]

(Sorry for the long wait, my connection was on the fritz for a while.)

The bounty hunter was silent for a long time and finally sighed in defeat. "Alright, but you'll have to take this up with the gods themselves, she said. Necrolon got off her and reverted back to Darryl. "Just know that it's out of sheer, morbid curiosity that I'm even going to try to arrange a meeting," she said. She walked over, picked up her scythe and tapped the baootom of the handle on the floor twice. Everyone in the room and even Keera and Michi on the balcony found themselves being engulfed in a white light.

(BTW, think we could start posting in the Death and Rebirth thread, it's been neglected for a while)

[Amara<3]

((Yeah, sorry, that's my fault. I've sort of had a break down over college and personal stuff, so I took some time off of the site. Only coming to post once in a while, sometimes not even posting. So this post is going to be... well... short, because I'm not sure if you want to have everyone go, or her to just disappear, or whatever.))

Keera looked over the city and persed her lips, then sighed. "I'm not sure what I was thinking. I wasn't aware of a couple things, to begin with. I didn't know my body was almost ready to be returned back to me, which is one reason, the second is that I was curious about them. I wanted-"

"Whoa, Lady Keera, the noble, furocious, infuriating, and calm Queen, was curious?" Michi said mockingly. However she was shocked that Keera even admitted to such a thing.

Keera narrowed her eyes at Michi before returning her eyes outward, "I wanted to get to know what they were about before agreeing to anything, but was sort of, well, stuck once I met with Lilith on the dock. Then I had no choice in the matter, because they had Kaori before I even knew what was going on." Michi didn't appear to be anything at that moment, understanding finally setting in and sympathy rising that she dared not show her leader.

Keera never much liked or appreciated people feeling for her. Many years of people, everyone in Japan at the time, hating and cursing her family's name. Even the fact that she existed was laughed at after her father's easy defeat on the Western shores. She grew accustomed to being alone and hating every living thing, which spawned her second self - an identical copy that in the beginning wasn't controllable by any means.

They both turned at the first tap, and on the second they were moving in to the apartment, only to be surrounded by a while light. Keera wasn't at all perplexed, but rather she was wary about this situation. She was tired. She spent a hundred years destorying Japan, and spent the next five hundred saving and rebuilding it. The next ten defending the future of smaller crimes, or what appeared to be smaller, but turned out to be so much more. She should have never asked to come back, she was beginning to wonder if it was worth it, even though the gods had seen something in her then that would shine in the world, whichever she chose to inhabit. She wasn't ready to do evil again, but she was ready to withdraw and disappear, something the gods weren't ready for her to do yet.

[skyacezero]

(I'm sorry about your break down. BTW everyone goes with the bounty hunter.)

Darryl's eyes slowly focused to the white surroundings. He, along with everyone else who was in the apartment at the time, were in a hall of some sort. Looked like it was all made of ivory or pearl, maybe. "Where are we?" Darryl asked. "This is where the gods reside," the bounty hunter said and approached what looked like a veil. "Wait here," she instructed and disappeared behind it. Darryl turned towards Keera and her entourage. "Keera, if these gods do agree to hear me out..." he started. "Well, you know more about them than I do, so is there a list of do's and don'ts I should know about beforehand?"

[Amara<3]

"Well, I did spend a lot of time with them," Keera said and hummed and hawed for a moment. "No one after me was granted special privilages, or a second chance at living," she said slowly. "The best I can tell you is that you need to be genuine in your plea and unique about why you feel you need to stay. I'm not sure if mentioning that I wish you to stay would change anything if you go in alone. If I or all of us can come in, I could explain the reason you need to stay, though I'm sure they know what I'm going to say." She also doubted that they wouldn't scold and be very upset with her for everything she's done to destroy to her new life. It was just inevitable that they would be angered. However, she wouldn't ask for help for the Bounty Hunter said it couldn't be done. She silently wondered if it was more of that it simply wouldn't be.

[skyacezero]

"Okay, thanks for the heads up, Keera," Darryl said and the bounty hunter returned. "The gods will see you now, but know that they aren't happy about it," she said. "The rest of you may follow if you like," she added and passed through the veil and Darryl followed. He squinted his eyes against the searing light. "Does everything have to be so bright around here?" he said aloud. His eyes adjusted to where he could see several silhouettes circled around him. "Darryl Dandridge," a voice said. "Step forward, please,"

[Amara<3]

Everyone watched as Darryl stepped through the veil, and no one moved. "Well we weren't exactly asked to go," Sora said, uncertain. They all started turning to Keera, one by one.

"You should go in there," Michi said. "They might be able to help you out, anyway. We don't have any reason to go, we'd just say something stupid and get ourselves a one way ticket to hell."

"Or we'll end up giving Darryl one," Sora said and everyone glared at her. "What? It's true and you know it!"

"Fine," Keera said and walked past them. She walked through the veil in time for them to say his last name and to move forward. She waited, not having been asked to come forward, but made sure Darryl was at least in her line of vision. She didn't speak either, and she wouldn't- not until she had an objection or was asked why she came in after him.