Fan Fiction ❯ Advent Of The Goddess: Book 1-The Awakening ❯ Taigo's Vow ( Chapter 6 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Taigo's brows furrowed, his mind clouded over with a dark haze, Pandora's voice disorted and distent to him as he pondered her next move...their connection was failing somehow..not only from the removal of the dark crystal, but also due to something else...something more powerful than he could even begin to comprehend.
A sigh escaped his pouting lips, brows knitted in bewilderment.
Perhaps this is a good thing.. he thought to himself, folding his arms over his tunic clad chest, glancing sideways at the fushia-haired girl lying on the futon beside him; ...maybe the Dark Lady has been defeated...
It was a long shot, but just maybe, maybe his hopes would be realized..that just maybe, the source of all his turmoil had been banished to the cold recesses of death..

"Taigo-san..?"

A small voice, laced with fatique, cut through the hazy mist of the man-beast's thoughts, pulling him from his semi-trance. Cocking his head to one side, he watched with sapphire eyes as the young girl he was ment to kill emerged from beneath the tie-dyed comfort of her bedsheets, hair ruffled and unkempt in her sleep-deprived state but eyes very much alert.

"Go back to sleep, woman. It's late and you've had a long night." Taigo replied, failing to enforce the arrogence in his voice. If anything, he sounded almost thankful, not quick to forget her kindness earlier that evening when she'd rid him of Pandora's curse and cleansed his wounds without a shred of fear towards a beast that would no sooner kill her than look at her.

"I can't sleep..." Shasta noticably whinced, sitting upright against her pile of squishy cushions, smiling weakly at him from across the mattress. In the dim light of the moon, Taigo could make out the shreds of fabic barely concealing her thin stomach, matted to the soft olive skin with clotted blood, three perfect claw marks forever etched upon her tiny body.

Taigo frowned, adverting his gaze to his hands, the palms bruised and red-raw from running relentlessly through the forrests, long, thin fingers tipped with razor-sharp nails about two inches longer than a normal man's and stained a grubby beige.
Clenching his hands into fists, he groaned softly at the sudden twinge of pain across his raw palms and moved across the futon, the long tunic robes that now concealed his thin frame swaying as he moved. Seating himself at the foot of Shasta's bed, he leaned over her, his eyes drinking in her young form, yet to grow into what he knew would be a figure of beauty..just like her mother...

Yes.. Taigo knew she was'nt of this world...he knew it the moment he first set eyes upon her, staring at her through the smooth muslin hangings of the window all those hours ago..she was the child of Lady Arailani, he knew all too well. There was no mistaking that striking resemblence and those haunting emerald eyes.
His heart lurched uncomfortably at the thought of the woman he once knew, but he pushed it aside for the time being, focusing only on the young girl before him as he moved towards her stomach.

"Whu-what are you doing?" she whispered, a note of fear in her young voice. Taigo said nothing, extending one long, spindly finger to trace the glaring red marks on the olive flesh. She sucked in a breath through her teeth and grimaced, but bravely chose not to scream.

"Hold very still...it'll only hurt for a moment.." he replied softly, mimicking her kind words to him earlier that faithful night. All at once, a soft green light emitted from the end of his finger, casting an invitingly warm glow on the young girl's skin. In the blink of an eye, the red-raw scrapes healed over, leaving only three prominent silver scars, glinting softly in the dim light.
He knew those wounds would never fully heal, that for the rest of her life she would bare the scars of the Overfiend...

"How did you-" Shasta whispered, only to be silenced as Taigo moved his finger towards her lips, shaking his head.

"I already told you..." he smiled in spite of himself; "..I am the Overfiend, the god of all animals...this is nothing compared to my full power. Perhaps I might show you someday....maybe..when I am stronger..."

"Tell me about your blood-line, Taigo." Shasta said suddenly as he removed his fingers from her lips, her emerald eyes full of curiousity and wonder. The silver haired man-beast frowned, eyes darkening at the question set before him. He wondered how much he should devulge...how far he should pull her down the rabbit hole.
No doubt she was oblivious to her own divine origin..how could he even begin to tell her of the things he'd seen? The lives he'd ruined? The blood he'd shed?

"No..you're not ready, woman... and I do not feel fit to exaust myself by telling you my sorid story. Go back to sleep and forgot such nosey questions." a tiny hint of arrogence returned to his voice at this, lips curling into an exasperated frown as he let out a heavy sigh.
His heart lurched in his chest once again, reminding him of his loss..

"Please?"

"I said no.." he groaned, hand reaching to clutch his heart, feeling the all-too-familiar choking sensation encase his being...

Suddenly, there was an almighty flash of crimson light followed a thunderous bang that rocked the very foundations of the quaint little beach-house. Forgetting momentarily the pain in his chest, Taigo grabbed the startled young girl around the waist, leaping from the futon a split second before the wall caved in behind him. Landing graceful as a cat attop the tall chest of drawer leaning against the opposite wall, his sapphire eyes widdened at the sight before him.

Standing in the hole that was once Shasta's futon was a dog..a Doberman.

But it was no ordinary Doberman..it was a good six feet tall and three feet wide, taunt muscles rippling beneath silky black fur that gleemed omniously in the moonlight, three enormous heads full of pointed, needle-sharp fangs snarling and slobbering over the debris at it's four paws, three forked tongues flicking huge globs of saliva across the room.

"Cerberus...!" Taigo growled, eyes flashing bright blue with fury.

"Whu-what?! What is that thing?!" Shasta gasped in alarm, eyes widdening to saucers as she started into the three sets of deep amber eyes before her, each one piercing her very soul as three forked, purple tongues licked three sets of slobbering black lips.
Before Taigo could reply, however, the mangled screen door burst open with a forceful bang, Badero and a mud-packed, fluffy bunny slipper-clad Ayumi rushing into the room with reckless abandon.

"Shasta, are you alright-AAAAAIIIIIIEEE!!" Ayumi let a shriek escape her throat as her turquoise eyes fell upon the demon before her. Backing into Badero, she almost tumbled over him in her haste to get away, eyes wildly scanning the room for her daughter.

Badero, meanwhile, tightened his grip on his metal baseball bat, eyes practically bulging from his skull as he ran towards the demon without regard for his own safety, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"GO BACK TO THE SHADOWS, YOU FOUL CREATURE!!" he shrieked, wildly swatting Cerberus's many heads with his crude weapon, to no avail. The devil dog meerly rolled three sets of eyes, yawned and wound one long, sinewy tail around the raven haired man's neck, trashing him about like a rag-doll untill, bored with the twisted game, flung him into a nearby wardrobe, causing it to explode in a shower of wood chips.

"Badero-sama!" Ayumi wailed, watching in horror as the man in question slid down the wall behind the ruined wardrobe, unconscious as he left behind an ugly smeer of crimson blood, head lolling patheticly from side to side.
Shasta gave a muffled scream, burying her head into Taigo's chest and clenching her eyes shut, wishing this was just some twisted nightmare...but her wish would not be granted tonight, for the bloodshed was so utterly, vividly real.

"You know why I'm here, Taigoshin..." Ceberus hissed, the central head smirking sadisticly as one massive paw thudded against the ruined tatami mats, eyes ablaze with hunger for the kill. Tightening his grip on Shasta, the silver haired Overfiend growled low in his throat, sending a hard gust of wind slamming into the devil dog, a warning not to come any closer.

"I want no part in this corruption, hound of Hades! Leave this place now and I might just spare your wretched life!" he spat, voice growing more and more feral with each electric second. Cerberus meerly laughed, three snarling heads cackling cruelly against the icy chill of the night air.

"Sh-Shasta, what's going on? Who is this man?" Ayumi whispered faintly, joining her daughter attop the chest of drawers, her face pale with shock as she looked upon the frightened young pink-head huddled in a silver haired stranger's arms.

"There's no time to explain! I-AKK!" Shasta let out a startled yelp as Taigo flung her towards her mother, eyes ablaze with resolve.

"Go! I'll handle this!" he yelled, facial features already contorting into the feral snout of a tiger, pearly white fur sprouting from under his cheekbones, covering his thin nose and erupting from the cuffs of his tunic robes untill, muscles rippling beneath the black and white striped fur, the thin fabric exploded into a pile of rags from the sheer power rocketing through his body.

"WHAT IN KAMI'S NAME-?!" Ayumi gasped, but was cut short by Shasta shoving her roughly into the corridor, watching as the other members of the household ran for dear life through the crumpled ruins of the hall door, screaming in terror. All around, the smell of burning rice paper singed her nostrils, thick black smoke clouding her vision.

"We have to get out-AAAH!" the fuschia haired young girl let out a cry of alarm as she jumped, a burning rafter missing her by a fraction of an inch.

"Wait...Badero's still trapped inside!" the elder woman gasped, turning back down the hallway towards the room that was now glowing with multicoloured energy beams, loud bangs and booms rattling the wooden framework.

"NO! MOM! COME BACK-URRK!" Shasta cried out for her mother, only to be abruptly cut short as debris from the collasped roof beaned her square on the back of the head, knocking her out cold as she fell in a dead faint against the charred tatami mats....


"Why must you live in denial, Taigoshin? You are a murderer, just as your father and granfather before you! You can run but you can never hide from that which courses through your very blood!" Cerberus hissed as the tiger roared with aggression, slashing wildly with sharp claws as the devil dog dodged every attack with finese and ease.

"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! I AM NOT YOUR PUPPET!!" Taigo screamed, digging his claws hard into Cerberus's abdomen, causing a loud roar of pain from the latter. With a feral growl, one of the devil dog's three heads grabbed the man-beast's back legs, trashing him around forcefully in a mouthful of sharp fangs before flinging him hard against one of the remaining walls.

Just as he was set to hit the hard screens, however, Taigo twisted in mid-air, landing sleek and elegantly on all fours about three feet from where Badero's lifeless body lay slumped.
"You can take my strenght... you can take my freedom, but you will never take MY PRIDE!!" he yelled, eyes narrowed to near slits as a sphere of electric blue energy began to form within his jaws.
Just as he was about to fire it, however, Cerberus let a smirk flash across his three mouths, one paw reaching out like a speeding bullet to grab a blur of lavender.

Taigo's eyes widdened in horror.

"Aaaaiiiieee! Noooo! Let me go! LET ME GO, YOU FIEND!!" Ayumi screamed in the upmost terror, kicking and flailing to no avail against the demon dog's powerful grip. The raven haired dog laughed cruelly, tightening his grip on the helpless woman, who shrieks of pure agony were just audible over the sickening crack of crunching bones.

"Cerberus! Leave the woman out of this! This is between you and me!" Taigo growled, extinguishing the energy sphere as he bounded forward, claws at the ready to slash fruitlessly at the devil dog's clenched fist.

"Fool! Your emotions blind you to the aweful truth! You are the heir to the throne of darkness! Do not fight it! Embrace your dark destiny! Kill the god-child!"
Cerberus cackled, swatting the livid man-beast aside with his other paw as the hand holding the semi-conscious Ayumi wrapped tighter around her crushed body, threathening to snap her in half..

"NO!" Taigo screamed, making one last lunge towards Ayumi, only to be rewarded with another hard swat, sending him flying through the last of the remaining walls, debris and glass showering down upon him untill, the last of his strenght well and truely spent, he landed hard against the cracked porcelean of the toilet, crushing it on impact and sending up a huge fountain of crystal clear water.
Cerberus was closing in on him, he knew...he could feel the vibrations of his footsteps thundering through the floor....he clenched his eyes shut, waiting for the final crippling blow...

...but the blow never came.

The vibrations ceased, replaced only by the faint sounds of sirens in the distence. Opening one bleary eye, Taigo saw, to his alarm, that Cerberus had vanished, no doubt scared off by the presence of the police and fire force that were now closing in on the little house..
With substantial effort, he got to his feet, reverting to his human form and staggered free from the ruins of the bathroom, vision once again blurred by blood.
Damn that Cerberus... he thought angerily to himself as he trudged through the burning building; ....Him and the Dark Lady will never let me escape this nightmare...

However, just before he could finish his mental berating, his eyes fell upon the blurred outline of a figure trapped under a heavy wooden cross-bar, unconscious and bleeding heavily from a wound hidden by a tangled mass of marron-streaked crimson.

"Shasta!" he gasped, eyes widdening behind the blood oozing from his hairline.

Wasting no time, he hastily dragged the young girl out from under the debris and slung her over his back in a fireman's lift, willing his legs to obey as he hurried through the burning building, looking for an exit.
Turning back into what was once the young girl's bedroom, he quickly grabbed Ayumi and Badero and raced through the hole left by Cerberus, running into the harsh cold of the night, sirens blaring all around.

"FREEZE! Put the child down and place your hands on your head!" a police officer yelled through a megaphone, a harsh floodlight causing the silvery-haired man-beast to squint. Knees giving out beneath him, he slumped to the ground and placed his hands behind his head, grimacing from a mixture of pain and what awaited him when the young girl would awaken...




Emerald Isle's local police station was eerily calm and quiet, the sirens of distent hours dying away to leave behind only deafening silence. Taigo sighed heavily, his heart pounding dangerously fast against his ribcage as he sat in an uncomfortable plastic chair in the lobby, eternally watchful over the young pink haired girl lying next to him.

He had been poked and prodded from all angles by all manner of strange people, all baffled by his remarkable recovery from such serious injuries. After a long night of questioning, he now sat quietly in the deserted lobby, wondering what he was going to do in the wake of all this carnage.
A low growl escaped his throat as he clenched a fist around his chest through the heavy blanket a police officer had drapped across his shoulders, the pain flaring up to full power as he thought back to the night's devestating events.

He knew now what he'd denied to himself all along...Cerberus's words ringing loudly in his ears..
"You are the heir to the throne of darkness! Do not fight it! Embrace your dark destiny!"

"Mr...Shigeta, was it?" came the voice of Police Cheif Matsumoto, snapping Taigo from his near-heart attack. Gulping in several breathes of stale, coffee-scented air, the silver haired man-beast looked up with a blank expression, blinking against the harsh lights of the lobby.

"Huzzah..Yeah...yeah...that's me.." he mumbled faintly, feeling as though he'd rather just let the sweet tempation of eternal slumber embrace him, pulling him down into the eternal, forgiving shadows of death..

"Can you please awaken the girl? We need you both in the morgue.." Matsumoto uttered quietly, grey eyes heavy with regret. The part of the job he hated....informing people of their loved one's demise..

Nodding curtly, Taigo turned to the young girl sleeping soundly, layed out on two seats to his left. It felt cruel to wake her from what must be a pleasent dream, all lines of worry erased from her youthful features, tangles of rich fushia pink laced with dull marroon clumps of dried blood falling wildly around her soft face, her small hands curled around the blanket drapped across her lithe frame.......but it must be done.

Reaching one spindly finger out to lightly prod her cheek, Taigo moved to trace abstract patterns upon the light olive flesh, brows furrowing as she mumbled incoherently, swatting his hand away and rolling on her side.

"Shasta...awaken." he hissed curtly, prodding her a tad rougher and causing her long lashes to flutter open, revealing the two bewildered orbs of rich emerald within.

"Nuh... whaaah?" she yawned loudly, small hands moving to rub her sore, cracked eyes. Taigo flushed an indignent pink but said nothing more, inclining his head towards Matsumoto, who forced a weak smile. Abruptly, Shasta sat upright, realizing at once where she was.

"Wh-what's going on?! What happened?!" she gasped, only to be silenced by a disapproving shake of a silvery head. Pulling her upright to her feet, Taigo escorted her towards the omnious, blacked out doors of the morgue, head bowed in remorse as the doors swung open with an eery, phantom breeze, a gust of icy wind causing his hair to billow out behind him.

The morgue was quiet and still, the only noise coming from the low hum of several flurescent light tubes attached to the tiled ceiling, casting a harsh white light down upon two large metal tables, upon both lay a human-shaped mass covered by a pristine white cloth.

"I really hate to do this to someone so young....but I need you to identify these people, ma'am.." Matsumoto whispered gently, breaking the tense atomosphere as he moved between the two tables, snapping on a rubber glove.

Glancing questionably at Taigo, Shasta recieved only a dark expression as an answer to her unspoken question, the man-beast's eyes turning a duller shade of sapphire as though all drops of happiness were draining away behind his eye sockets.
He looked so emotionless, like a statue of silvery marble shimmering in the artificial light...she could'nt help but feel a cold shiver run up her spine that had nothing to do with the icy sterility of the tiled room before her..

"T-take a look and tell me if you recodnize them." Matsumoto said tenitively, pulling back the clothes that covered both bodies, just enough to reveal two porcelean faces devoid of life.
A strangled sob escaped Shasta's lips as her eyes fell upon them.

To her left lay Badero, the rich tan born of his many travels wasted away to leave only an icy grey tinge upon his skin, lips turned oppal blue in death, his shaggy hair and stubble looking more grey than black against his dead, blood-flecked face, eyes closed eternally and fixed with a peaceful expression. It was as though he was sleeping. Try as she might to fight the urge, Shasta knew that no amount of screaming, slapping or shaking could rouse him from his slumber...

"His name is Badero Elderado, officer.." Taigo spoke listlessly for the beraved young girl as she sobbed quietly into her hands.
She was almost afraid to turn around, to gaze upon the second body that she knew was her mother..but morbid curiousity and a hint of doubt compelled her do so and as she spun on her heals, face to face with the icy gaze of Ayumi Musashi, face still affixed with the agony of her death, a gutteral shriek erupted from the young girl's throat.

For what felt like an eternity, she shrieked in a mixture of pain, grief and shock, her knees giving out from under her as she slumped to the floor, her fists pounding furiously against the hard tiled floor.
"WHY?! Why did you show me this?!" she screamed, eyes streaming with hot tears as she glared fierociously at Matsumoto. Not trusting himself to speak, the lowly police officer meerly shook his head and jotted down some quick notes before scooting off to do buisness elsewhere.

Taigo could only stand and watch with a heavy heart as the young girl cried, his own stoney resolve slipping further and further with each salty tear that splashed against the grubby grey tiles. He took a deep breath, trying hard to ignore the stagnation of his own weak heart, and calmly walked towards the two tables. Covering both bodies up in respect, he crouched down to see eye to eye with the young girl as she looked upon him with agony etched in her face, silently begging him to erase all the pain.

"If only things were so simple..." he responded out-loud, placing a spindly hand on her shoulder and feeling it heave violently against his palms.

"Taigo...that thing...you have to tell me...what was it? Why did it come to my home? Kill all I held so dear?!" she hiccoughed, reaching out for him and pulling him into a needy hug. Taigo felt his face flush pink, unused to such close physical contact from a female as she flung her arms around his waist, salted tears staining the thin blanket drapped around his shoulders.

"I...I wish I could tell you...Shastania.."he whispered softly, hesitently winding his arms around her shaking form.
He knew that eventually, she had to know of her divine origins and of the fierce danger her life lay in, but for tonight, he would be content only to serve as her rock, to help her through the pain of her callous loss.......



The hours passed by like seconds and all too soon, sunlight flooded the forbodding room through cracks in the ebony blinds.
Taigo blinked against the warm sunbeams, sleepily wondering if the previous night was just a twisted nightmare born from eatting too much cheese before bedtime...alas, that was not the cause he knew, for as his mind awakened to the sounds of morning, he found himself once more inside the cold confinments of the morgue, the stench of death ripe and arrid, stinging his nostrils.

Looking down, he saw with a weak smile upon his features, that Shasta had cried herself to sleep, her head resting against his chest and small arms wound tightly around his waist. Without a word, he picked her up in his arms, cradling her close against his body as he got to his feet and walked soundlessly from the morgue, out onto the sunlit street.
Gaze adverted to the slowly rising sun on the ocean's horizon, he made a silent vow.

He would repent for his past crimes...he could attone for his sins...and most importantly, he would protect the god-child with his life...


...No...not the god-child...


...He vowed to protect her...


...Shastania...