Shattered Mirrors
Chapter 3



Mist and clouds cover the floor and walls the quiet and serene view was enough to make the angriest of men calm down. This place could not though calm down Anubis who sat in a meditating position. He channeled his rage has he had channeled his emotions during his purification. Memories flooded his soul bloody terrifying memories of war and of ambition. He had planned the assassination of Lord Ryodo with his betroved Lady Fukua. He wanted all the power that the old cowardly lecher had. In the end his damn brother stopped him.
Nefear always stopped him.
In the end when he went with Talpa it was Nefear who saved the village. Why did Nefear not come back when he returned to the mortal world? Why did he wait so long to put in an appearance . . . or was he there the whole time watching him?
"DAMN YOU, NEFEAR!" Anubis screamed and his cry echoed throughout the mist.
"Anubis, at last you come to terms with your rage."
Anubis jumped up and looked around. There was no one there. "Who are you? Show yourself!"
"You cannot order me around, Anubis, I have been here much longer than you."
"Show yourself or I'll . . ."
"You'll what? Your threats are empty here, warrior."
"Why have you come?"
"To send you back, of course. I am the last person that wants to see you back on the earth plane but I have been selected to be the messenger."
"Finally," Anubis said, "I can reclaim my rights and my identity."
"Hai, that is if you can stop your brother."
"I won't only stop him I will kill him."
The voice laughed, "He has gotten stronger since the last time you fought him, which was a stalemate I believe. He has become attached to the woman in question."
"Mia?" he whispered.
"Hai, the lady if very unlike Lady Fukua. Prefect for your brother totally wrong for you."
"Wha. . ."
"Anubis, give up on Mia and wed Kayura. End of problem."
"If you think I'll just let my brother . . ."
"You know Nefear you may not have a choice."

"What a morning," Anubis said as he stretched out on the couch.
Mia collapsed in the chair next to him, "You can say that again. I can't believe how drunk they got. I left them for a few moments and I come back and they're drunk."
"Remember, love, Cale brought the heavy stuff. I've never heard anyone getting drunk or wine and beer. . ."
"And how would you know that?" Mia laughed.
He gave her a side glance and shrugged, "I came back a few times from the Dynasty. If we didn't come back a few times the modern world would've throw us off guard. Talpa had many minions in this world."
"All demons have minions," Mia said, "that's how they get back here in the first place."
"Humans are born innocent but can be turned to the darkness very easily. Greed, lust, anger and jealousy are what the demons live off of."
"I agree."
They sat quiet for a few moments and Mia looked over at him. "You've really given it a lot of thought, haven't you?"
"I've seen many people seduced by demons over the centuries. I've also seen people who thought they were religious and doing their God's work do horrifying things to others in order to ‘save their souls'."
Mia got out of the chair and knelt down beside Anubis, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I was thinking about Fukua."
"Fukua?"
"My betroved."
"Oh," Mia said as she bowed her head.
He lifted her chin and looked her straight in the eyes. "Fukua was a cold hearted bitch. I hated her. She sold her soul to a demon and took me with her. She came to me one night in tears that my Lord and master Ryodo had raped her. I decided then and there to kill him."
"What happened?"
"I've never told anyone what happened that night and I won't start now. Better off to forget it."
"The demon killed Fukua?"
He refused to answer her as he got up and left the room. Mia decided not to follow him but go and take a walk. Cale was sober enough call for her if anyone got sick again and Anubis would be here. She needed to get out and think a little while. She got up and grabbed her cell phone from her purse. "Where in the hell are you going?" Cale asked from the doorway.
"I need to get some fresh air, Cale."
"Yeah, I can understand that," he said rubbing his forehead, "you don't know much about Anubis and he can be a headache some times . . . okay most of the time. I've dealt with him a few times and let me give you a suggestion: keep the past in the past and don't mention Fukua again."
"I figured that on out for myself, Cale," Mia sighed, "do you think you can handle things while I'm out. I won't be gone long."
"Sure and if Anubis asks for you?"
"Tell him I went for a walk."
"He won't like it but it's your head."
"Thanks, Cale."

Mia returned to a quiet house and found the mail laying on the coffee table. She sat down and looked through it. It was all bills and magazine that her Grandfather subscribed to. "There you are," Anubis said as he leaned against the wall.
"Yes, here I am," she sighed.
"Where were you? You were gone for two hours."
"I went walking."
"That's what Cale told me."
"Thanks for getting the mail."
"You're welcome," he said as he walked over and sat next to her and put his arms around her.
"I need a shower," she said as she tried to get up.
"Oh no you don't," he said as he pulled her back down, "you are very upset with me and I don't blame you."
"Anubis . . ."
Anubis shot up, his eyes wide as if he were in shock, "Ohmigod, no it cannot be!"
"Anubis?" Mia asked.

"I know you are out there, baby brother," the true Anubis yelled donning his monk clothes again, "come out Nefear and fight me. You really thought that death would stop me."
The door opened to reveal the other Anubis. "I never counted on seeing you again," he said.
"Nefear, I swear that I will kill you for this."
"First of all you can stop calling me that at anytime."
"What Nefear? It's your name isn't it?"
"No, it is not."
"I'm looking forward to ripping you to pieces," the Monk said.
"Why am I not surprised," he sighed.
"First you take Fukua now Mia."
"You shut up about Mia."
"I loved Fukua. . ."
"And that proves you're an ass."
"Nefear, I'll give you whatever you want just leave!"
"I want Mia."
"I can't give you a person."
"She's not yours to give," he sighed, "you are a delusional fool."

Meanwhile Mia ran out the door followed closely behind Cale. Both glanced back and forth between the Monk Anubis and the Anubis that borrowed Rowen's clothes. "What in the hell is going on here?" Cale asked.
"I . . . Cale I'm not sure."
"Shit, I knew something like this was going to happen!"
"Next time tell me," Mia hissed.
"Okay, Mia, got any bright ideas on how to tell the real Anubis from the fake?"
"You are the one that said you dealt with him more than anyone. . ."
"You slept with him."
"Yeah and that makes me the expert," she said as she hit Cale on the back of the head.
"Watch the head, I'm still hung over . . ."
"That's your own damn fault!"
"Dammit woman . . ."
"Oh Cale shut up and let me think," she said to him then turned toward the twin Anubis's and screamed, "Hello, Mia Koji over here, you know the woman in question. I demand to know what in hades is going on here."
"That was smooth," Cale whispered.
"Oh Cale can't you shut up for one second? I'm doing the best I can here!"
"Mia," the Monk called to her, "this man here is my twin brother, Nefear. I'm the true Anubis and I can prove it."
"No," the other cried, "I am the true Anubis and you are the imposter. She knows the man who loves her."
"You just admitted to being. . ."
"I did not you dolt! You asked what it would take to get me to leave. I am not proud to have the name Anubis. In the past it brought nothing but suffering and death. The name is attached to demons other inner and outer."
"And the name Nefear is not? Was it not Nefear that killed Lady Fukua?"
"You and I were both there we both tried to stop Lady Fukua from summoning Airtis, Demon King of Limbo. We both know who did the killing."
"So you admit it?"
"I, Anubis, admit to killing Fukua."
"You aren't Anubis you are Nefear," he cried out in frustration, "Why are you doing this?"
"Why are you doing this?" the normally clothed Anubis asked, "If you mean to torture me then fine but you will leave Mia out of it."

"That's it," Mia whispered to Cale.
"You figured out which is which?" Cale whispered back.
"No, I remembered where I heard the names Lady Fukua and Lord Ryodo before."
"That does us a lot of good, sweetheart."
"No, you don't understand. Talpa is the Demon King of the Nether Realm, Airtis is the Demon King of Limbo, Hades is the Demon King of well Hades and Shotz rules them all from the demon world."
"And this has to do with . . ."
"Lady Fukua desired power more than anything. She used her looks to get whatever she wanted and had many people killed; those who opposed her. She then learned from Lord Ryodo, who was a minion of Talpa about the ultimate power. . ."
"Shotz, right?"
"Yes, so she went to work to prepare herself," Mia said then she paused.
"For . . ."
"Marriage to Shotz."
"No shit."
"According to legend two brother, I presume Nefear and Anubis, found out Fukua's plot and tried to stop her. She had already killed Lord Ryodo as a sacrifice to Airtis and sold Anubis to Talpa. With two of the three Demon Kings on her side she thought she couldn't fail."
"She did."
"Yes, she did. One of the brothers killed her before she could cross over."
"Ok," Cale nodded, "I'm more confused then ever."
"Both of the brothers loved Fukua. Hades, who had also been in love with a mortal like Fukua, was angry and wanted to help the brothers. Unlike Talpa and Airtis, Hades isn't pure evil."
"Okay, so Hades sent one of the brothers something to defeat Fukua?"
"Yes," Mia whispered, "the true demon sword."
"Anubis didn't have any sword with him . . ."
"That means it was Nefear that killed Fukua."
"So this is getting us no where, right?"
"It gives us a better understanding of the past," Mia said as she turned toward Cale.
"Gee and I always wondered why Anubis was so quiet about this past. He's more screwed up than I am. One question though: what about Shotz?"
"Shotz?"
"He was deprived of a bride. Wasn't he pissed?"
"No, it is recorded that Shotz thanked Hades for saving him the burden of getting rid of her himself."
"Ok, now I think I understand. Do either Shotz, Airtis or Hades come in anywhere else?"
"What?"
"Do you think that they will come here, you know, the mortal world."
"After Talpa's defeat? I highly doubt it. To lose Talpa was one thing but to lose the whole Dynasty is another."

"Nefear, can there be any chance of us forgetting the past?" the Monk asked.
"I am Anubis, call me not Nefear again."
"Can we move on with our lives, brother? Can we try to patch things up between is?"
"I love Mia."
"Mia loves Anubis."
"Point?"
"Brother, please, can we end this?"
"Wait," Mia said as she ran into this argument, "hang on a moment right there."
"Mia?" the monk asked.
"Stay out of this, my love," the other said.
"Both of you claim to love me, right?"
Both nodded. "Ok, then, if the pair of you truly love me then please stop this. Nefear come forward, please," Mia said as she started to cry but none came forward, "fine if he will not come forward then we'll have to figure out who is whom. Between the Ronins, Lady Kayura and the reformed Warlords I think we can piece this puzzle together."