Bisect Book One by Jin

Her

Every brutal and distasteful aspect of war and slaughter is what I embodied. As the God of war, it was my birthright. The blood sprays, and the sound of bones crushing under the feet of their enemies. Metal swords clashing together on the battlefield, as they struggled to stay alive. Even the smell of their rotting corpses on the battlefields. It was exhilarating. I lived for this carnage. Until one day I did not. I had become bored of the sounds that once excited me. Humans and their screams of pain as they slay one another. Heads rolled. Limbs were severed; swords were driven through bodies. It was always the same. The same wars. The same greedy rulers. It was never anything new, and I had grown tired of it all. This pointless Theban-Spartan war had finally come to an end, and I say pointless because there would always be another. Fighting over the same useless territory that would be reclaimed by another in a hundred years or so. Though I must admit. The destruction of this city was some of the greatest I had ever seen. Dare I say my best work? No doubt due to the countless trips I had made to Thebes. I had a hand in many wars before this one, but my boredom had gotten the best of me. I tried my hardest to make this one something amazing. Personally going down there, and pitting those human idiots against one another by spreading falsities. It worked but only to a certain extent. The excitement did not last for that long. It was not enough to sate my insatiable thirst for violence. I found them much more entertaining before my father took it upon himself to split them in half. Tormenting two is better entertainment than one.

Now, they just wandered hopelessly like lost fools. One half of one whole. Aimlessly and unknowingly looking for their other half. It was a cruel thing for him to do. Even by my standards. I sipped the wine from my cup watching them through the mirror. As they dealt with the aftermath of war. Carting off their dead. Men, women, and children. Nothing but casualties of war that I've seen before and they would not be the last. I downed the rest of the wine, pushing myself off of the chair. I made my way over to my armor. It was once a brilliant gold that shone in the sun and was now dull and stained by the blood of countless innocents. It was a piece of garbage now. I only place it on for the sense of nostalgia that it gave me. I placed it on and grabbed my sword and shield, slipping my sword into its sheath. I made my way to my chariot. The sun beamed off its golden gilded crests. I stopped walking feeling eyes on me. Looking up I saw my father perched up there on his balcony. Looking down at me. As he did everyone. I continued, stepping onto the chariot and gripping the handle of the whip. I whipped it, and it cracked through the air. The sound rang out. I held on as the Hippoi Areioi dragged the chariot away, running through the clouds down towards the mortal realm.

We came to a halt near the cliff. I jumped off, making my way into the town. Or what was left of it? They made sure to steer clear. They were afraid of me; as they all should be. It mattered not; their favor. I was never among those Gods who were favored, loved, or prayed to. They scurried away like mice, avoiding eye contact with me. I could even hear some weeping quietly, as I passed by. As impressed as I was with the devastation, it was still not enough. This empty feeling still lingered within me. I went on like this seeing what had come of the rest of the town. Spotting a house high up on a hill. It was surrounded by lush greenery and was untouched by war. As though it had been brought from another time. It looked so out of place in the ruins. I trekked up the hill curious as to who could live there. I peered into the window, the hut was empty. I made my way around to the back. Digging through the bushes. There it was, the owner of the place. She stood there under the sun, bathing in it. I couldn't see her face, she was facing away from me. Her hair was thick, and the darkest black I had ever seen. It was draped over her shoulder. Yet, it had this luster to it. Her skin favored that of a pearl. I found myself wanting to reach out and touch it. She turned around stooping down and picking up what seemed to be herbs, placing them in her basket by her feet. Now it made sense why the other humans stayed away from here. She was what humans called a witch. Fools, humans were not capable of such magic. She smiled as she hummed to herself. As if a war had not just occurred. She seemed to be at peace, and it was catching. This was such a serene moment and somehow, I felt at peace as well. Something I had never known before. I clenched my jaw, quickly walking away from her. Part of me missed the sight of her, and that bothered me. Why would I miss the sight of a human?

Days had gone by and I found myself constantly sneaking away to watch her. Whether it was day or night. For a few minutes or a few hours. She plagued my mind. A woman; a human woman at that. Had caught my attention. She occupied my every thought. I hadn't spoken a single word to her, and she was able to have this effect on me. For the first time in a very long time. I did not wonder about where my next fix for violence would come from, or what war would I start in the next coming years. I did not care to manipulate the humans as I had done so many times before. What I wanted was her. She had become my new obsession it seemed. Had I fallen so far? Is this what I have amounted to? It was disappointing. Had I truly become my father? Lusting after a human woman like this. I gripped the arm of the chair. I told myself that it was not true. I was nothing like him, and yet I could not stay away from her; because of her, my nights were restless. I went over to the window, pushing aside the curtain. I had to go to her. I needed to see her just once. Even just to help me get through the night. I dressed quickly, and hurried onto the chariot, flying over the town, stopping at the base of the hill, on the outskirts of the town. I quickly made my way up the hill. Again the hut was empty. I made my way through the bushes as I had many times before. There she was under the moonlight. Her skin always glistened more at night than it did during the day. I sucked in a breath.

Exquisite.

"You can come out now. Haven't you hidden for long enough?" she'd said.

I made my way out of the bushes, and she turned around. She looked at me however she did not shrink away in fear.

"I wondered how long you were going to hide from me. Besides, you didn't think that you were going to be able to hide armor like that behind a few bushes now did you?"

I looked down at myself. I removed the top half of my armor and sword, setting it aside not wanting to scare her. She went back to the spot where she stood, sitting on the ground.

"You can come to sit if you would like. I promise not to bite." she joked.

I sat next to her. "A lady should not speak as you do. It is inappropriate."

She laughed and it was melodious.

"I am no 'lady'. Just a person. It is funny that you of all people would deem something like that inappropriate, considering…" she trailed off.

"Hn."

"So," she said, looking at me. "Would you be as kind as to tell me why the God of war has decided to grace me with his presence?"

"Do you not find me frightening, woman?"

"Kagome. Is my name. Not, woman," she said sternly. "No, I am not afraid. If you wanted to hurt me, you would have done so the many other times you have visited me."

No woman had ever spoken to me like that. Human or not.

"I find you intriguing," I said honestly, answering her question.

Her eyes narrowed at me, as she sat up scooting away from me. "The same way that your father finds mortals intriguing? If so, I do not just plan to hand myself over to you because you are a God."

"You are mistaken. I do not wish to take you by force in that way. I wish... to know you… to spend time with you."

What I had said seemed to surprise her.

"To know me? Why would you ever want to do such a thing?" she asked.

"Do you not hate me?" I asked, completely ignoring her question.

"Why would I hate you, Ares?"

I shook my head. "Please do not say that name."

I hated the name my father had given me.

She cocked her head to the side. "Would you prefer that I give you a different name?

I raised a brow. "What name would that be?"

She tapped her finger against her chin. "Ahh, what about Sesshomaru?"

"The killing perfection? Such a name would fit me?"

She nodded. "Of course, it would. While you have killed and shed blood, you do not look as though you are a barbarian. You are still one of the most beautiful beings I have ever seen, and to answer your question. No, I do not hate you. Yes, you have committed countless sins but is it really your fault? Was it not what you were born to do? Your sole purpose. What else is one supposed to do if not what they were born for?"

I turned away from her looking off into the clearing. "You do not think I am a monster?"

I felt her hand settle on top of mine. It was soft and warm.

"No. You are not a monster, just unlucky." She said with a sad smile.

"Now, could you tell me why you wish to… know me?" she asked.

"When I am near you, it becomes quiet," I told her

She looked at me strangely. "Quiet? What do you mean by that?"

"I am the God of war. Slaughter, and violence, are all I think about; normally. When I am near you, it is quiet. I do not know why."

She turned away trying to hide the smile on her lips.

"That must be why. The people here think I am some sort of witch. They are not completely wrong. I am a priestess. I am sure that you know what we are and how valuable we are to you Gods."

"Hn. Your people are a dying breed. The few that still exist, are stolen away by the Gods and forced to use their powers, for the Gods own personal gain."

She nodded. "I am well aware. They can feel free to call me a witch. They will stay away from me and I can hide here in this ruin of a town. I'd rather die than become one of their possessions. I've come to learn to love my life as a recluse. I never expected any God to come here. Then, suddenly there was you. So, have you come to take me away too? To use me to quiet the raging thoughts that plague you?" she asked, looking at me out of the corner of her eye.

I assumed she took my silence as me, confirming her suspicions.

"I will not go without a fight," she said proudly.

For the first time in a very long time, I did something I never thought I would have done ever again. I smiled. It was small but it was there, and it surprised her. I found her to be amusing.

What a brave woman.

"I will do no such thing. I do not wish to own you Kagome." I enjoyed the way her name sounded leaving my lips. "I simply wish that you continue to let me visit you."

She visibly relaxed.

She smiled. "Oh, is that all? Well, if that is all, I suppose I could use the company."

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THE HIPPOI AREIOI : (Horses of Ares) were four immortal horses.