Lies in Deceptive Shadows

[skyacezero]

"Yeah, we'd better get there before it gets out of had if it hasn't already," Darryl said. He got to a shady spot in the apartment and transformed. "I'll use the shadows to get there more quickly," Necrolon said and started to sink into the shadows. "I'll meet you all there," Necrolon finished and was completely sumberged.

"She's not quite as subtle as we'd hoped," a familiar voice said behind Keera. "But as long as she gets results, it makes no difference," It was Lucifer, carrying a sleeping Belphegor. "I know Lilith said she wanted to talk to you, but since it was MY idea, I don't think it would matter too much if you and I discussed the details," Lucifer said.

[Amara<3]

"See you there," they said in unison as Necrolon disappeared. They all turned to Marcelina. "We suggest you go home and try to find a safe place. This could get ugly," Kaminari said to her. Marcelina nodded as she looked, wide-eyed, out the window. One by one the girls left and Sora was left with Marcelina. "I'll take you, if you want."

"I'd like to come with you. Darryl seems vaguely familiar in another place, and I know there's something wrong with the memories I have. Somehow I want to regain them. Maybe by staying near him I'll be able to figure it out."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Marcelina," Sora said and glanced out the window at the girls going farther away from them. "I know something bad is happening, and I know that you are a human. So you should be trying to hide."

"I know that," Marcelina whispered. "It's just.. I-"

"C'mon, I'll take you. You've been warned though. I might have to leave you if I'm needed, so don't expect me to stay at your side. I can't protect AND fight."


Keera stopped mid-jump, and spun around. "This is your idea?" she asked and growled. "What is going on here?" This is ridiculous, she thought, why not just leave the stupid humans alone? They do enough damage to themselves. It's not like they need help. She looked around with a discontented expression and then her gaze landed back on Lucifer. "What details?"

Near them a dark figure lurked in the shadows, watching them from a distance.

(("See you there," they said in unison as Necrolon disappeared. They all turned to Marcelina. "We suggest you go home and try to find a safe place. This could get ugly," Kaminari said to her. Marcelina nodded as she looked, wide-eyed, out the window. One by one the girls left and Sora was left with Marcelina. "I'll take you, if you want."

"I'd like to come with you. Darryl seems vaguely familiar in another place, and I know there's something wrong with the memories I have. Somehow I want to regain them. Maybe by staying near him I'll be able to figure it out."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Marcelina," Sora said and glanced out the window at the girls going farther away from them. "I know something bad is happening, and I know that you are a human. So you should be trying to hide."

"I know that," Marcelina whispered. "It's just.. I-"

"C'mon, I'll take you. You've been warned though. I might have to leave you if I'm needed, so don't expect me to stay at your side. I can't protect AND fight."


Keera stopped mid-jump, and spun around. "This is your idea?" she asked and growled. "What is going on here?" This is ridiculous, she thought, why not just leave the stupid humans alone? They do enough damage to themselves. It's not like they need help. She looked around with a discontented expression and then her gaze landed back on Lucifer. "What details?"

Near them a dark figure lurked in the shadows, watching them from a distance.

{{"See you there," they said in unison as Necrolon disappeared. They all turned to Marcelina. "We suggest you go home and try to find a safe place. This could get ugly," Kaminari said to her. Marcelina nodded as she looked, wide-eyed, out the window. One by one the girls left and Sora was left with Marcelina. "I'll take you, if you want."

"I'd like to come with you. Darryl seems vaguely familiar in another place, and I know there's something wrong with the memories I have. Somehow I want to regain them. Maybe by staying near him I'll be able to figure it out."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Marcelina," Sora said and glanced out the window at the girls going farther away from them. "I know something bad is happening, and I know that you are a human. So you should be trying to hide."

"I know that," Marcelina whispered. "It's just.. I-"

"C'mon, I'll take you. You've been warned though. I might have to leave you if I'm needed, so don't expect me to stay at your side. I can't protect AND fight."


Keera stopped mid-jump, and spun around. "This is your idea?" she asked and growled. "What is going on here?" This is ridiculous, she thought, why not just leave the stupid humans alone? They do enough damage to themselves. It's not like they need help. She looked around with a discontented expression and then her gaze landed back on Lucifer. "What details?"

Near them a dark figure lurked in the shadows, watching them from a distance.

((Just to be clear, because I'm thinking of adding my own little twist, Keera gets to be herself eventually right? Like, without Lamia, or working with her on a mutual level.))

[skyacezero]

"Oh, nothing too major," Lucifer grinned. "To clarify, that wasn't my idea, it was Maltheus' idea," he added. "Anyway, this is my idea. You see, Darryl, as I'm sure you're aware, has hit pretty much every curve we've thrown at him," Lucifer started explaining while circling Keera. "But then I started thinking that maybe we weren't throwing the right curves at him," Lucifer said and a tiny voice interrupted him. "You're boring her with too many details," it was Belphegor, who rolled over in Lucifer's arms and faced Keera. He was aparently still asleep, yet talking to her. "What he's trying to get at is we want you to make Darryl fall in love with you and when it gets to the point where he couldn't possibly live without you, break his heart, or more bluntly, smash it," Belphegor said.

Necrolon had entered a shady alleyway right next to where the tornado was and slowly entered it. The sky was dark, the area of the city inside looked like it had been hit by a bombing raid. There were statue-like objects all over the streets. Necrolon lightly touched one and it blew apart like leaves in the wind and only a skeleton fell where the figure once was. "What the-?" Necrolon took a step back and a voice rang through the air. "So you must be this Fallen Demon Lord I've heard so much about," the voice taunted. Necrolon snapped his head back and forth and turned in every direction to find the source. "Who are you? Show yourself!" he demanded. "Very well, but let me see just how strong you really are...." the voice said and tendrils that resembled hair wrapped around Necrolon's arms and legs and brought him to his knees. Necrolon growled while trying to break free and a wad of hair, the source of the tendrils, approached Necrolon and the hair parted, revealing a hideous demoness' head that screeched right in Necrolon's face.

(Yes, Keera does eventually purge Lamia, but the way I had it set up was that this happens after Lamia uses Keera to release the lock on the Gates.)

[Amara<3]

((Okay, I was just wondering. I was actually going to consider Keera and Lamia becoming "one person" as in working together in unison, at least until you want Lamia to take over. Let Keera trust Lamia, and have Lamia backstab her, essentially.))

Keera listened to Lucifer talk to her, and didn't understand why he emphasized curves until Belphegor spoke. Her nose wrinkled and eyes furrowed in disgust and protest. Her eye twitched as she remembered how much her sister cared for Darryl, and knew she wouldn't be able to pull something like that off.

"I don't think so," Keera replied to them both, but it sounded more like a flat no. "As long as I have myself under control, I'm not going to follow anything you say. No one is going to tell me what to do. I do what's right, and this certainly isn't." She couldn't believe they'd thought up something like that. She wasn't going to pretend anything.

*Just agree to stop the heartache* she suddenly said to herself. She glanced around, a bit surprised that her own self had told her what to do. Who are you? *I'm you, obviously. Just go along with it, and don't comply when the time comes. You may actually fall in love again.* Keera took a deep breath. I'm sure Kaori cares for him more than I. I couldn't take something like that from her. *That's like telling yourself Kaminari feels the same way your sister does. You've seen her protect him and call for him many times. Why didn't she come in to your head?* That was a good point.


The girls got the tornado in time to see, well, nothing. It was just a stationary tornado. They didn't see Necrolon either. "Maybe he's already inside," Michi said with a shrug. Kaminari gave a glanced glare at Michi.

"Why don't you care about anything here? We are in danger too."

"Voluntarily. Keera is the only reason I'm here. Not for you, or him, or for myself. She's the only one I care about," Michi said without a single gaze toward Kaminari. "I don't know why you care so much. Do you like him or something?"

"What? No. I just care about life, and people. Especially ones like him and us. Humans are important, and so are we."

"He's not. He's a very small part of this. I don't know why Keera even keeps him around."

"He's important to her survival. Important to the destruction of these Demon Lords."

"Keera is one of them now, I don't think you realize that."

"She was tricked! None of this is her fault."

"On the contrary, it's all her fault. If she hadn't been power crazy none of this would be happening. Don't you see that?"

"Of course I don't. She was curious and so she came along. She didn't know what the ultimate plan was going to be."

"She still doesn't, Kami," Michi said annoyed. "None of us really understand that. We're all just pawns right now."

Suddenly there was a screech coming out of the tornado, and both Michi and Kaminari leaped into the swirling wind. "Necrolon! Where are you?!" Kaminari yelled out. Michi rolled her eyes.

[skyacezero]

Lucifer sighed. "Why do you insist on doing this the hard way?" he asked in a bored tone and whistled. Almost immediately, a Darkhunter climbed over the side of the roof and dropped a scared man next to Lucifer. Lucifer pulled a small red orb out of his shirt and held it between his fingers. "You see, there's something we forgot to mention, we didn't give you Kaori back with no strings attatched," he started and held the orb up. "This orb was planted in your sister before we released her. Think of it as....insurance," he finished and shattered the orb by squeezing it.

Almost immediately, the man started chocking and making pained gagging sounds while clutching his throat and writhing on the ground. His eyes melted out of their sockets and his body started to shrivel-up until only mummified remains were left. "End of demo," Lucifer said and kicked the corpse off the roof. "The same thing will happen to Kaori, albiet much more slowly if you don't cooperate," Lucifer finished.


"Over here!" Necrolon strained against the tendrils. The thing screeched in his face again and he slammed his head against it. The tendrils loosened enough for Necrolon to garb the head and smashed it repeatedly against the ground until it was dead. He tore the tendrils off and stood up looking left to right. "Come out here right now and face me!" he shouted. An echoing chuckle was heard. "Very well, then I'll show you my full splendor..." the voice said and a black vortex appeared in the middle of the street and two massive skeletal hands grabbed the edge and pulled itself up. A massive skeletal monster rose from the vortex and there was a rotting figure stationed on top of it. "I.....am Izanami...." it proclamied.

(I think there's a way we could work our two ideas for Keera/Lamia into each other.)

[Amara<3]

Now Keera wished she would taught Kaori how to make a copy of herself and switch bodies. That would have settled the problem. She sighed, not sure what else to do. *Do you see why I said that now?* Yes, I suppose I do. She sighed and raised her hands in defeat. "Fine. Whatever you say. Actually no," she said, quickly changing her game. "I will, but on one condition." Her expression became very serious, and there was a groan in the back of her mind. This Keera that was speaking to her was not her.

"We're coming!" Kaminari yelled back into the tornado.

"Oh no we're not. He's not our- Kami!" Michi yelled as Kaminari jumped into the tornado, disappearing. Sora stood with wide eyes beside Marcelina, who was doing the same. It seemed the two had bonded quickly. Michi growled and jumped in after her. Both of them spotted Darryl and the creature that had made this awesome tornado, and the aweful screech.

"Get away from him!" Kaminari yelled. "Don't touch him!" Lightning shot from her hands at the skeletal monster. The crack that came after it was nearly deafening, and caught even Keera's attention.

[skyacezero]

"All right, but within reason. If it's something that obviously won't happen, don't bother bringing it up," Lucifer said, followed shortly by the crack from Kaminari's lightning attack. "Well that didn't take very long at all," Belphegor mused.

Kaminari's lightning reached it's target, but it only seemed to make it angry rather than actually doing any damage. "So you dare strike me?!" the rotting figure on top screeched. The monster that it was on top of flexed it's hands and raised them in the air. "Perish, you insolent rabble!" the rotting figure cried and the monster opened it's palms and amplified lighting bolts rained down on Michi, Kaminari, and Necrolon. A spear came down from the sky and struck the ground. The raining lightning started striking the spear like it was a lightningrod. The pole of the spear was golden and adorned with many jewels. After the lighting stopped, a figure landed next to the spear and pulled it out of the ground. This new person to appear was an old man with a long, white beard, and was dressed in gray armor. "How did you get out of Yomi?" he asked the figure on top of the monster. "That's it?" the figure spat. "You abandoned me in that cesspool and that's all you have to say to me?!"

Necrolon was bit confused at the sudden turn of events. "Do those two know each other?" he asked out loud. "Indeed they do," a voice behind Necrolon said. He quickly turned around the source was the bounty hunter from before. "They are Izanagi and Izanami, the oldest of the gods," she said.

[Amara<3]

Kaminari stopped as she readied another attack. All intereferance was bluntly shortened, and the two girls paused. Kaminari's heart sank. She had just attacked a god? In her defense she hadn't known, but that was no good excuse. Doing something like that was obtuse, no one dared, or even dreamed of it. She looked at the new arrived god, Izanagi, and then to Necrolon. She looked as awkward and helpless as she felt, defeated at what to do. Beg for her life?

"No," Michi said. "You were defending life. The other gods willed him life, this one can not take it away. You were simply obeying the granted wish that he lives. There can be no argument against that."

"He would have died if we didn't step in. What could the other gods have done against this one?" Kaminari asked.

"I don't know, but it counts for something." Michi looked to the bounty hunter. "Am I not right? Or does this god not have that type of reigning power to condemn? Izanagi mentioned something about escaping Yomi. My guess is that Izanami was imprisoned there for something."


Keera smiled. "Oh, this can be done. Once I fool Darryl and Necrolon to loving me, and I kill him, you must release my sister from any holds you have on her. This one, and any others that may be placed without my knowing. I'll do whatever you want in her freedom. If you need me to release Hell, as that's what I've gathered... I'll do it. Only if you will have nothing to do with her again."


The figure in the shadows moved swiftly past Keera and the Demon Lords, only appearing for barely a second before leaving into the tornado. She appeared to be Keera, with longer hair nearly to the floor, and barely looked a year older. Her eyes were electric blue, the only difference between her and the Keera everyone else knew. She was also in all black, a feature that didn't look so bad.

((Okay, so now that I've brought a future Keera into this mess, you should PM me what is absolutely going to happen in the story so I can help push it along, and I will consult you when I want to add something. I was thinking to maybe have what happened to the future Keera be changed by her to go with what you want/need to happen. Like, the same things happen in a different way or we say something worse happened than what you plan to really happen. EX: she did open the gates of hell vs. that you don't her to.))

[skyacezero]

(I sent a PM with three major events listed. Again, I hope it helped.)

"Hm, interesting proposal," Lucifer thought for a second. "Agreed. Once you fulfill your end, we'll fulfill ours and Kaori will be free as a bird, no strings attatched," he said.

"On the contrary, Izanagi tried to retreive her from Yomi," the bounty hunter said. "You see-," before the bounty hunter could continue, she was interrupted by Izanami. "ENOUGH!" she screeched at Izanagi. "I'VE HEARD ENOUGH OF YOUR EXCUSES!" she bellowed and several shikome crawled out of the ground Izanami emerged from. "Kill them!" she instructed.

The shikome took several steps toward the group, but they stopped and hissed at something behind them. Necrolon turned around only to see that what the shikome wher hissing at was Keera. "Keera? How long have you been here?" he asked. "And what;s with the new look?" he asked, noticing the differences in clothing and hair length.

[Amara<3]

"Consider it done," Keera said to Lucifer, knowing only one thing. Kaori needed to be freed. Keera would destroy her own heart if she could see Kaori safe from these Demon Lords. She didn't like what she needed to do, but it had to be done for her to see what she desperately needed.

The dark clothed Keera stood staring past Necrolon to the shikome. Her eyes looked strained, as if she was desperately trying not to look at him, or the other two girls. "You won't be killing anyone, shikome," she said, Her voice was much the same but her tone unlike any seriousness present Keera had ever taken. "And neither will you, Izanami. You're anger and agression are at niave thoughts." Her eyes finally landed on Necrolon, lingering a little too long on his face with hurt before turning back on the shikome.

Michi looked at this Keera and noticed something wrong immediately. The intricate details like her eyes and hair length being much too noticable to her. Both her and Kaminari noticed the clothes, another alarm sounding. "You aren't Keera," Michi said, but Kaminari shook her head. "Yes it is," she opposed. "She has the same aura. You can't fake an aura like Keera's." Michi eyed Keera, but Keera paid no attention.


((Just to make it fun, I'm going to add a recent development and a little extra into this Keera. Keera recently became a fox demon, and so this Keera is going to be a five tailed one, as well as in right with the gods, in line to become one eventually, so given a few powers. Of course it happens in the future, so the Keera with Lucifer won't be the same, and isn't a fox yet. If you don't mind. Also the info was great. Thanks.))

[skyacezero]

((I don't mind. In fact, it's an interesting development. Can't wait to see how it plays out.))

"Glad to hear it," Lucifer said and turned around. "But don't think Darryl's gonna fall for you just like that. Odds are he's still brooding over Carrie, Carol or whatever the f*** her name was," he finished and started walking towards a dark gateway. Belphegor peeked his head around Lucifer's arm. "Have fun," was all Belphegor said before the gateway closed behind them.

"Naive thoughts?!" Izanami's voice quivered with rage. "You dare speak to me in such a manner?!" she said furiously. Izanagi stepped between Izanami and the group. "Izanami, please, hear me out," he pleaded. "I know, I was wrong to leave you there, but I was frightened, and impatient...." he started lamenting. "That changes nothing! Don't just stand there! Kill them!" she instructed the shikome, who resumed their attack on the group. "But Izanagi is mine!" she instructed.

"Jeez, that thing is angry," Necrolon commented. Several shikome swarmed Necrolon and were giving him a hard time. The rest of the shikome focused on Michi and Kaminari. The bounty hunter stepped in to assist Necrolon. "As much I dislike this," she said, cleaving one of the shikome in half with her scythe. "The gods have placed a lot of confidence in you, wether they admitted it or not," she finished.

[Amara<3]

Michi growled as the shikome came closer to them, and Kaminari started hitting them back with the lightning. Michi stepped in front, threw her hands to the sides and brought them together straight in the front with a clap. Nothing appeared to happen, until the front line of shikome started fighting with themselves, confused.

"Izanami, he didn't mean to just leave you there," Keera said and shook her head. While the shikome attacked all but her, she decided to get in to the action. She threw her arms up toward the sky, the tornado wavering as lightning strikes came down, burning spots in to the pavement where it hit and decimated random shikome. Clap, clap, clap, clap, strike after strike after strike. "Stop this now, or I'll drag you back where you came from!" she yelled over the thunder.

"I'll do whatever it takes," the present Keera said quietly, reassuring herself. "One way or another." Kaori please tell me you are making progress. Please.

[skyacezero]

"She speaks the truth Izanami," Izanagi took a step towards Izanami. "I know what I did hurt you and ever since then, I...." Izanagi's voice trailed off. "I've been searching for alternate ways to release you from Yomi," Izanagi finished. "Too bad for me you waited so long," Izanami hissed. "Very well...." heeding Keera's warning, Izanami waved her hand and what was left of the shikome relented.

"Amazing...." the bounty hunter said. "A diety such as Izanami relenting after a simple threat?" she said out loud. "What I'm more concerned about is how Keera suddenly got so powerful," Necrolon said as a gash on his shoulder started healing.

[Amara<3]

"Thank you," Keera replied and glanced at the bounty hunter and Necrolon. She smiled at the bounty hunter. "It might simple, but one I intended to keep."

"Keera, you can't drag someone back to Yomi, even I know that. You aren't that powerful," Michi said, once again suspicious of this Keera. "And how did you use lightning? Did the Demon Lords give this to you too, in exchange for the world?"

"Ha, no Michi. The gods gave me this and so much more. I am to become one, once I have all my wisdom together, so to speak." Keera stared at Necrolon for a moment, then looked back to Izanami. "How about we talk about this, shall we? There's no sense in fighting over a misunderstanding." Try and make things right, and fix as many things about the future as possible, like the gods told me was my mission. I'm doing my very best.

The present Keera turned, defeated, to the tornado and began walking to it. She prolonged her entry, though she was sure she was needed, by stopping at Sora and Marcelina. She didn't want to get Necrolon's attention yet, and would pocrastinate as long was plausible. "Hey, why are you both standing here?" she asked Sora and Marcelina.

"Oh! Keera!" Sora said quickly, spinning on spot. "I thought you already went in... I swore I saw you go in there... Marcelina wanted to come so she could try and remember something about her past when she knew Darryl. Weren't you in black?"

"No, Sora. The police uniform is ultramarine. Is Darryl in there?"

"As Necrolon yes. So who looks like you, and went in to the tornado looking like they had a purpose?"

"Necrolon?" Marcelina asked. "He's two people?"

[skyacezero]

"Like I have a choice at this point," Izanami growled and the monster she was on lowered itself to ground. Izanami walked off of it and while she was walking towards the group, he rotten form started to peel away, revealing her physical beauty. "I...Izanami...." Izanagi took a step towards her. "How did....but residents of Yomi cannot..." he was a loss for words at what he had just seen.

"Well, once you peel the shell away, she's pretty easy on the eyes," Necrolon commented. "That how she used to look before she died," the bounty hunter said. "It's strange, she'd eaten food from Yomi and should have kept her rotted appearance. It doesn't make any sense...." she said thoughtfully. "Wait. She died? I thought gods were immortal and couldn't die," Necrolon said. "They are, ordinarily. But only another god or if even possible something stronger kills one," the bounty hunter explained.