Chapter 11: Ancestry in the Blood

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Two Years Ago…

The banquet was running smoothly. Guests of high esteem and class cluttered the floor as they mixed and mingled among the crowd. Rukku had just finished shaking hands with the head of one of IPC's smaller business partners and his wife. Really, he couldn't care less, but he knew that alliances made for stronger business connections, and were part of working his way up the career ladder. Not like being Vice President of the largest electronics company in Japan wasn't big enough already, but it had been given to him with just the snap of a finger. He wanted something he could work for, sit back, look at, and awe at.

As he stood there, his hands folded behind his back, waiting for the next bout of high-strung business people to greet him, his eye was caught by a yellow blur of grace—and it was headed right his way. A man was approaching him, followed by what was presumably his daughter.

"Ijuuin Rukku-san, it's an honor. I haven't had the chance to meet with you in person, but your father's told me all about you. I'm sorry to hear about your brother."

"Well it's a pleasure, Tsumejima-san." Rukku shook the hand respectfully, "and it's a shame, I never knew my brother much, so quite honestly, I'm not sure how to feel about his death." He paused, "but you as well. I'm sorry to hear about your wife."

At the mention, the brown haired girl behind the man looked away, wringing her hands in anxiety. Rukku looked at her, and her father followed his gaze.

"Oh, my apologies. Rukku-san, this is my daughter, Kana."

"A pleasure to meet you." Rukku held his hand toward the girl, who shook it lightly and daintily.

"You as well." She replied quietly.

"Oh, Rukku, Kana, will you excuse me a minute? I need to talk to someone real quick, and I see an opportunity right now." The father smiled, then walked away to talk to a man with a wispy grey beard. Kana watched him walk away, then sighed.

Rukku unconsciously began to study the girl. At this time, her brown hair reached to the middle of her back, which was showing ever so slightly through the strands of hair. The golden yellow dress she wore was a halter top and curved over her figure, down to just above her knees, and she wore matching gold strapped high heels. A gold necklace wrapped itself daintily around her neck and rippled over her collar bones. She had light brown eyes, almost yellow, which glowed like amber, still beautiful even in their sadness.

She didn't say much, and having not known her, he didn't know what to say either. So they sat in an awkward silence, watching others chat and mingle, until he finally spoke up. "How have you been?"

"Pardon me?" Kana asked, waking up from her trance.

"How have you been?"

"I've been doing alright…it's been a month since my mother passed away, so I'm still healing, but I'm doing better now." She put on a smile and replied, "How have you been?"

"I'm sure better than you…Enzan-san and I weren't close or anything…truth be told, I only ever met him once. He was only my half brother, so we weren't really related either." He responded. He wasn't about to tell this stranger that he knew his half brother was still alive.

"Well at least your father still has a son. I couldn't imagine having to bury my own child." She looked off, a small tear beginning to escape out of her eyes. Little did Rukku know, every person she had talked to that night had brought up her mother's death, and she couldn't take it anymore.

Seeing her pain, he quickly changed the subject, "I saw that Yellow Tech's stocks went up, you guys seem to be doing quite well."

"We are, actually. This booster would really help us and the general public bolster security and navi defenses against viruses. It's so gracious that IPC is donating so much of the money raised to charity."

Just then, Shuuseki made his way over to Rukku. "Ah, I see you've finally met the vice president of Yellow Tech." He smiled, warmly, but so fake. "Kana-san, I just met one of your scientists, Tamika-san. I did not know you had a scientist come as a representative as well." He pointed over to a girl with black hair in a purple dress.

Kana shifted her said to the side, "I didn't know either. She must be from the division of human studies. We tend to not talk much with them, and they sometimes do things off on their own."

Rukku looked at the black haired female, who was now mingling with some other strangers.She seems familiar...

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Rukku took up his PET after his brief conversation with his father. Promise me you will get revenge. He sighed, laying his back down on the bed with his PET drawn close to his heart. He never wanted to hurt Irae… it was just…his father. He loved his dad, and when Shuuseki had told him to punish her, truthfully, he was shocked. All his life he had gone along with the blind ignorance of childhood that led him to believe that father knew best. But…hurt his own navi? He had supposed that maybe his father wanted him to put Irae in her place, make her remember where she belonged, but perhaps it was a bit harsh.

He thought of apologizing, but put the thought aside as Irae had already gone to sleep. I should probably get some shut-eye too…

The next day, Rukku carried on with his work like nothing had happened. Irae stayed quiet, and it wasn't until the overwhelming quietness became so annoying that Rukku decided to speak up. "Irae, I'm sorry."

The pale navi looked up at her operator, green eyes much like his own shining with confusion. "p..pardon?"

Rukku looked away as he muttered the words again. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so mean to you last night. It was cruel, and you didn't deserve it."

She didn't say anything for a minute, letting the words soak into her cyber skin, then finally responded, "Arigatou."

"Mhm."

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In the Present…

It was, in simple respect, what made Kana feel so vile and jaded. It was like the waking up from a pleasant dream of a fairytale, a dream cushioned by pure white clouds and mellowed by the hum of angels into a damnable living nightmare, which was indeed, life.

But for now she was in a foreign dream. A nightmarish resemblance of her current position, but with a tinge of surrealism, which made her incapable of validating her surroundings. For now, she was lying in the grass, the dew resting on her skin, along with her dress, a soft yellow dress that had a mix of Greek goddess and Asian princess. She was looking at the sky, watching the clouds pass her by. As they moved, they carried out a scene. First, her delivering of the papers to Rukku, followed by their first practice, then the dinner and the concert, and finally their kiss. The grass made a shuffling noise as feet walked through it, and her line of vision was broken by servant looking over her.

"Princess, the prince requests confidence with you."

She stood up and followed the young man. As she walked up the hill, she was struck with a magnificent view of the palace. Before she had a chance to take it all in, however, she was standing within that very palace, as if she was fast forwarded through time to this place, looking down at a young prince who was bowing to her. When he raised, she could see his face was covered in a white mask.

"Kana…"

"Why do you wear a mask?" she mumbled, the world beginning to fade away from her

"Kana!"

"Do not …delay…tell me….mask…"

"KANA!"

"Huh?! Wha?" She sat up suddenly, waking up from her strange dream. When her vision focused, she saw Atsuka looking at her intently. "Where are we?"

"The elemental temple for lightning, by the looks of it."

Kana stood up and looked around. She had never been here before, but it just all felt so…familiar.

"Is there a problem?" Atsuka asked.

"N-No…I just…got this dejavu sensation that I can't seem to get rid of." She shook her head, "Whatever."

"It's your inner spirit."

"My what what?" she looked confused.

"Alright, I'll put this simply. A long time ago, and we're talking in the context of a hyper advanced civilization, if that gives you any idea how long ago, there were four kingdoms that ruled over the elements: fire, earth, water, and lighting. The kingdom that ruled over water all fell ill and died, leaving the rest of the three to war with each other for kingship over that land. Pretty soon they just about killed everyone off, when the great judge passed by and bestowed a curse on the four ruling families: The Kuroi, the Ayanokouji, the Ijuuin, and the Tsumejima. Your family was the ruler over lightning, and your curse was that one female from every generation would be possessed with the spirit of the vengeful princess of Perun, which is the lightning kingdom. So basically, she's in you, and she is probably connecting with this place."

"What what what?!" She shook her head. "This is...this is insanity!"

"This is the truth." Atsuka responded calmly.

Kana took a deep breath, which stung her lungs with its intensity. She slapped her check to make sure she wasn't dreaming. She poked Atsuka. Still not dreaming... she pinched Atsuka on the cheek. No, I'm definitely not dreaming...

Atsuka stood a bit annoyed. Are all Perunians this dense?

Kana finally responded when Atsuka raised her eyebrow. "So...then, what was the Ijuuin curse?"

"Division. Their family has always stood divided. Just look at Enzan and Rukku, Enzan and his father, his father and one of his other relatives, that happens to be Sarena's father."

"Sarena?"

"Tamika"

"Oh, right." Kana thought a minute, "why is the princess vengeful?"

"Well, the reason your generation was chosen to go back and fix things, is because the way things are right now, are so similar to the past, that you all would fit in your positions much easier." Atsuka paused for a minute, "The princess of Perun was enraged because the Prince of Pele had used her and betrayed her…"

"Rukku…" she thought aloud, looking up at the thunderous clouds, which were in essence, the ceiling.

"But whatever you do, you MUST forgive him, or else you won't stop the war and nothing will be fixed. If you do stop it, however, things in the present may change, including the death of your mother."

Kana's eyes lit up, "really? Could that happen?"

"It's more than likely. Shuuseki and his wife may also still be alive, my mother may still be alive, and the Ayanokouji family wouldn't suffer from any more crippling diseases."

"I see…" Kana thought, then nodded, "so how do we go back?"

Atsuka guided her through, pointing to the podium. When Kana walked around, however, she gasped.

"Hikari-san!"

Netto was slumped over on the other side, sleeping, despite the constant roars of thunder above. Well he was, until Kana reached over and shook him until he woke up. And thus, Atsuka had to explain everything over again until they could continue.

Netto slapped his face.Not dreaming... He poked Kana still not dreaming... Then he pinched her on the cheek Nope, definitely not dreaming.

"Well you two would survive a fall off the Akihara Tower." Atsuka sighed with irritation.

"Why do you say that?" Netto asked

"Because you're so DENSE."

Kana crossed her arms, "Am not!" Netto just laughed sheepishly; he was used to being called that.

Atsuka ignored her, then pointed to the podium "Alright you two, read that text and we can get out of here."

Netto walked over to the podium and eyed the text, "I can't. I don't know…wait a minute…" he looked at it closer, "I've never seen this before, but yet I know exactly what it's saying.

Kana looked at it and gasped, "You're right! I can understand it too!"

"Then read it." Atsuka commanded.

The two did so, causing a similar reaction to what had happened in the Fire and Earth elemental temples. The brunettes ducked in fear of being hit by lightning, but Atsuka stood still, as if she was certain it would not hurt her. When the storm had cleared, Kana picked up the yellow rod that now sat in the holder.

"It's beautiful..." she whispered, running her fingertips over the rod, feeling every indentation of the symbols crafted on it. Everywhere else, the gold was smooth; it was like touching velvet. She felt a shiver run down her back, and promptly handed the rod over to Netto. "It's so strange, I keep feeling as if there was a sudden urge to just...I dunno. I feel as if I'm being lulled to sleep when I hold it."

Atsuka came over and put her hand on Kana's shoulder. "Then just hold onto his arm. Netto, read the new inscription."

As Netto began to speak, Kana felt the words begin to pour out of her mouth and over her lips uncontrollably. Sleep...just sleep my dear...sleep...that's a good girl...Kana began to close her eyes and she continued to talk, the lightning around them increasing tenfold. Clouds fell down around them until the point where they couldn't see anything. Not that it mattered; Kana had already fallen asleep.

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"You can stand cold temperatures well, right?" Miyuki asked the aqua haired soldiers.

"Of course. I live in Sharro." Laika said as he walked around the temple, his hands in his pockets. To him, this was quite a set up. Whoever had this fantasy must have put billions of dollars into making these props. A narrow strip of platform was surrounded by clear, pure, pristine water that seemed to be endlessly deep. When Laika looked, the beautiful aqua faded down into a dark black abyss.

"I can't believe you still don't believe this." Chiya crossed her arms. "How dense can you get?"

Laika glared at her, "It's irrational. It simply makes no sense."

"Don't pester him, Chiya. It's no use, his mind is simply too narrow."

"How can you say that when I support my two best friends, who happen to be gay? I'm not narrow minded, I just don't believe in magic or fairy tales."

"See? He won't believe until he sees. Come on, Miyuki. Let him finally see our "fairy tale magic" in action then." Chiya smirked. Her black boots clacked on the tiled floor as she walked past Laika confidently to the podium. Behind it, in the center of the room, was a round water fountain that reached the top of the temple. The water fell over it with fluid grace, curving over it and spilling into the base of the fountain, which glistened with clarity.

She began to place her hand on the podium, then stopped, and beckoned Laika over with a smirk. The Sharro soldier rolled his eyes then walked over to her. She pointed to the text written on the podium.

"What does that say?"

"Hiyoso ahta'miks aywenta rwonad-" Laika suddenly froze. "What...what is that? I understand it...perfectly..."

"It is your ancestors ancient tongue. So you are a Matsuian. Funny how you deny magic, yet it's so strong in your blood." Chiya smiled innocently yet devilishly at the same time.

Miyuki sat down on the edge of the water fountain. While cupping her hand, she scooped some of the water out of the fountain and held it up to her lips. Blowing a fine stream of air, the water began to float away as little droplets morphed into the shapes of butterflies, before landing back into the water around. Then she took another scoop of water, and drank it.

"Drink" she commanded. "This is the purest water you'll ever taste. It's Iaso's water, known to heal any disease or ailment. It will also keep you strong."

Laika walked over. It wouldn't hurt, he was kind of thirsty anyways. He took a drink of the water and found it surprisingly refreshing.

"It's good, isn't it?" Chiya asked. "Especially for us Matsuians. Now that Miyuki's taken a drink, she won't be the one to die in our generation. And if you have a daughter, neither will she."

"What do you mean?" Laika asked, sitting on the edge of the fountain.

"One female in every generation of our family will die giving birth. Drinking the water of Iaso ensures that the one who drinks the water and their children will be safe from the curse. Because we had no way of preventing the war, Duo gave our family this special little treat to even the score."

"Why did he even punish you in the first place?"

"There was one coward, or perhaps two that survived in our family, yet did nothing to stop the war." Miyuki explained, "It could have been stopped if he or she had stepped up and taken the throne. Most likely there were two, because our family line is purely Kuroi, a direct descendant of the Matsu kingdom. You however, are more of a mixed breed of different families and lines, with some Matsu in your blood."

"Can we please get going? I'm getting bored." Chiya pouted.

"Go where?"

"To the past, obviously!" Chiya retorted. Laika rolled his eyes. "Hey, if you go, you'll be able to catch up with your fiancé."

At the mention, Laika promptly stood up, "Really?"

"Really." She smiled. "Now come over here." she pointed next to her, and Laika came over, followed by Miyuki. "Put your hand on the podium, and begin to read that."

Laika did as he was instructed, and soon the other two joined in. As he read, something moved in the corner of his eye. Looking up, he noticed the geysers that began to gush out of the water around, reaching the ceiling, then spilling back down anywhere they pleased. He couldn't will his arm to take his hand off the podium, and his mouth continued to rattle off the foreign text, as if it was being pulled out of him by some unknown force. Suddenly, white light began to erupt from the podium, and a silver rod took form, followed by two prongs that held it in its place. Miyuki quickly took the rod, and shouted out the text in an even more thunderous voice than anyone had ever heard. As Laika began to speak along, he felt as if his heart was on fire, but his consciousness was being drained out of him with every breath. The once calm waters around now ripped violently around the temple, spilling onto the floor and soaking their clothes. Everything began to look dark, and black...and...

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Rukku lied in the grass, his hands behind his head. He could see her face so vividly. He could see her tears, her pain…and began to wonder if it was worth it. The way Enzan fought him so passionately…it was as if he really was fighting for what he believed in. The way Kana smiled and told him it was okay to lose…realizing they had gained so much more in the end. The way Irae curled up and cried the night he punished her, orders of his father. Was he really the one to blame?

Twirling a flower in his hand, he studied the pink petals which reminded him of the pink skirt Kana wore on their first date. The yellow middle of the flower reminded him of the ways her eyes would light up when she saw him. Overall, she was a flower, so beautiful and carefree—until he came into her life. When he last looked in her eyes, last held her hand, her radiance had dimmed, her color faded…it was all his fault. He had to make it right, but how?

"Irae, have you been able to reach any of the others?"

"No, there's no connection anywhere."

"Maybe there's a trick door out of here." He looked up at the heavy canopy covering the ceiling, then stood up. Turning to his right, Rukku spotted an altar covered with flowers and walked up to it. He stared at the text inscribed on it, but finally threw his hands up in frustration. "Irae, can you translate this?"

"I can try." She responded, then watched as the script was transferred into her PET via camera. She began to search through her numerous language programs, but even after scrolling through 432 languages, she shook her head, "There's none here. It must be really ancient."

"It's because you're of the fire kingdom."

The black haired teen turned on his heels at the sudden voice behind him. He was faced with a blonde haired lady, whose green eyes nearly matched her surroundings. She was dressed in a pink kimono, and her long hair was tied up in an intricate bun. Smiling warmly, she approached him and reached out her hand.

"I can read it for you, but you must take my hand."

"Who are you?" Rukku asked, "have you been here the whole time?"

She simply nodded, but extended her hand further.

Hesitating, Rukku took her hand, as she stepped in front of the podium. Taking a deep breath, she began to chant the words on the inscribed plaque. The canopy above began to open up, leaves flying every which way. Light shone in through the opening, spilling down onto the podium a blinding light. All around them flowers began to bloom, and those which had wilted away grew back to life. Rukku was so amazed at the beautiful foliage that had grown, that he hadn't even noticed the rose-gold rod sitting on two prongs on the podium.

"Did…did you just do that?"

"Destiny did, my child. Now hold onto this." She gave him one end of the scepter to hold, while she held the other.

Rukku did as instructed, and the woman began to chant again. Where leaves had fallen on the ground, trees began to grow; vines grew up the sides of the podium and on every uncovered wall. Light encircled the two, and in an instant, they were gone.

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"Duo!" Netto exclaimed.

"Yes, that is his name, Hikari." Enzan smirked.

"Now you two, be nice." Sarena giggled.

"You sound like a mother, ena-chan." Laika wrapped his arms around his fiancé.

"Aww, how cute! I want a boyfriend!" Chiya giggled

"Maybe if you toned yourself down a little, you wouldn't scare every guy away." Atsuka rolled her eyes.

"Atsuka, don't quarrel." Miyuki scolded.

"Kana…I'm sorry…" Rukku walked toward the brunette.

"Sure, whatever." Kana looked away.

"Can I speak now?" Duo interrupted the eight of them, getting all of their attentions, "You are all here to change the past. Your lives are being torn apart by the curses of your ancestors, and the only way to lift them is to rewrite history."

"Why can't you just lift the curse?" Netto asked.

"It is against the laws of my nature; I can do no such thing. However, this I can do." The giant floating robot hovered over the young adults, who watched him with anticipation, "Miyuki has guided you all very well. You must not fight with each other, despite your previous grievances. You not only are preventing the war for your sakes, but all of your fellow clansmen. During this trial you will face many hardships, forces that will urge you to fight. Enzan, Rukku, you two are the two princes of Pele, and Sarena, you are the princess.

"Kana, you are the princess of Perun. You must take special care not to let the spirit of the vengeful princess take over you; if she does, there will be no stopping the war. Laika, Miyuki, Atsuka and Chiya, be very cautious of those who come into your kingdom; it is a foreigner who will spread the disease. You three girls are healers, while you, Laika, are a messenger."

"Will we recognize each other?" Sarena asked, squeezing Laika's hand, as if it were the last time she would hold it.

"Most likely not at first; you are taking the places of people who have already existed once. You will recognize each other by personality, however, and your individual ranks." Duo paused, leaving the eight of them climbing over silence to hear what the over-sized robot had to say. "All of you…the day of the war is 134-19. The day you are arriving is 133-99. Be careful, and forget your past vengeances."

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Ugh, was that cheesy or what? And I honestly haven't forgotten about this story! I will finish it, I promise! I had my birthday, my mom's and my dad's the last two weeks, so those few nights I didn't do homework set me back quite a bit this month and piled me with homework. I hate the "I've been so busy" excuse, but seriously, I have been. I will try to update more frequently, but I can't make any promises.

Oh, and check out my profile. Atreyu-the-slayer and I are writing a new short fic on so if you love lemony scenes with your favorite net saviors, you might want to read ;) We'll be hosting it soon there, so head on over to my profile for more details. Tis all, thank you and goodnight! (oh and, review!)