Madam Hydra's That Which Lingers

Part Nineteen: Total Eclipse of the Heart [B]

This story is set in my own ALTERNATE REALITY Rurouni Kenshin universe, which I've called "The Nightwitch Tales" -- think of it as Rurouni Kenshin mixed with various supernatural and paranormal elements. Other stories in this alternate reality are: "Night Visitor"; "All in the Family"; and "Romancing the Wolf".
It takes place after the end of the Kyoto story arc. After that, all bets are off. Elements of the Revenge story arc may show up in the story.

WARNING: This story is "semi-dark" -- it has dark elements (violence, profanity, etc.) but it's not a darkfic! Actually, there's quite a bit of romance in it.... ^_-
As always, C&C is greatly appreciated! ^_^

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Disclaimer: All rights and privileges to Rurouni Kenshin belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shuiesha, Sony Music Entertainment, and associated parties. The characters of these series are used WITHOUT permission for the purpose of entertainment only. This work of fiction is not meant for sale or profit. Original portion of the fiction included here is considered to be the sole property and copyrighted to the author.

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Text Conventions:
( ) are character thoughts
/ / and // // represent various sorts of mental dialogue
* ----- * ----- * marks the start/end of dreams or flashbacks
[ ] denote visual or time notes

As Kaoru watched Saitoh's wife from a second-story room of the Minobe house, she felt her lips curve into a malevolent smile. Inwardly, she shivered as she heard herself whisper, "The Battousai's already lost his true love. And soon it'll be your turn, Saitoh."
The young woman slipped out of the house undetected and headed for the forested mountains just east of Kyoto.

   For the last hour, Aoshi and Misao had been travelling ever deeper into the forest. During that time, they didn't say a word, but even as they kept a wary eye on their surroundings, both of them couldn't help thinking about that brief, but wondrous moment of intimacy that now lay between them... that single touch that communicated so much more than mere words could. And every so often, Misao would catch Aoshi looking at her with a strangely gentle look in his green-grey eyes.
   Then it happened in an instant, without warning.
   One minute, they had been walking side by side along the shadowy forest path... the next instant, a thick, cold mist rolled across the pathway, obscuring everything.
   As the mist gradually thinned, Aoshi swiftly surveyed his surroundings, his hands ready on his sheathed kodachi. His face went cold and still as he realized that Misao was nowhere in sight. When a flicker of motion caught his eye, he whirled to see a slim shadowy figure approaching. As the person came closer, he had no trouble recognizing her or the sword slung over her shoulder.
   "Kaoru," he said flatly. "Or should I say, Minobe Junichi."
   She gave him a spine-chilling smile.
   "Shinomori Aoshi, I've been waiting for you." It was Kaoru's own voice, but Aoshi had no problem remember who was really speaking. He could also see the quiet anguish lurking in her eyes, the only outward trace of the young woman he knew. Aoshi didn't bother to respond to her words, but remained silent, poised and waiting.
   "Despite that cold, unfeeling facade of yours, you're worried about Misao, aren't you?" She cocked her head slightly.
   Aoshi's eye narrowed, but that was his only reaction to Kaoru's taunts. She uttered a bored sigh, then snapped her fingers.
   Several tall, spindly shapes arose from the foul mist clinging to the ground. Although they stood on two feet, they were clearly not human, but rather twisted travesties of dogs. Stiff black hair sparsely covered their stringy muscled bodies and their abnormally long limbs ended with vicious, filthy-looking claws. The obvious leader of the pack stood nearly a full foot taller than the others.
   Aoshi silently unsheathed his kodachi and watched warily, assessing the creatures' strengths and weaknesses.
   "I'll let my pets occupy your attention while I hunt down dear little Misao. But just so you won't have things TOO easy...." She swiftly reached over her shoulder and drew Kinslayer from its scabbard.
   Aoshi tensed. He remembered too well what had happened the last time he had confronted the cursed sword. He immediately started to retreat, but it was too late.
   Kaoru held up Kinslayer's black blade before her, one hand grasping the hilt, the other lightly supporting the tip... then suddenly tilted the sword ever so slightly.
   A brief flare of darkness obscured his vision for an instant... then the agony hit him. Aoshi barely managed to keep his grip on his weapons as his knees buckled and he crumpled to the ground.

Trapped inside her body, Kaoru could only scream silently in protest as she watched him collapse with a choked cry of pain.
(NO! Damn you, NO! Stop it!)

   As Aoshi struggled back to his feet, his pain-fogged vision could barely make out the shapes of the approaching monsters. He dimly heard Kaoru call out in a mocking voice.
   "Don't worry, I'll be back for you soon enough. Misao won't be much of a challenge, but I'll take my enjoyment where I can."
   As she disappeared back into the murky forest, Aoshi gritted his teeth in suppressed fury and prepared to deal with his unnatural attackers.

   Saitoh surveyed the devastated farm in disgust. In the still, heavy air, flies buzzed and crawled over the cold, stiff bodies of the massacred farmers. As the other policemen retched and struggled to control their stomachs, he took a close look at the corpses.
   No normal human could leave marks like those on the bodies. Oh, with the right weapons, there were individual fighters who were capable of doing so much damage -- himself, Aoshi, and the Battousai, just to name a few. But something told him that there was something definitely unnatural at work here.
   He had had this feeling once before... this sense of 'wrongness'. It had been eight years ago and strangely enough, it had occurred in this same general area.
   Eight years ago.... At that time, he had been framed by corrupt officials, men who were desperately afraid of what he would find during his investigations. In his efforts to locate the documents that would both clear him and identify the true enemies, he had basically abducted Tokio from her Tokyo home. Not that she had actually objected. Ever practical, she had calmly packed a small travelling bag and allowed him to drag her all the way to Kyoto without a single word of complaint.
   Saitoh smiled faintly. How strange it was to think that the woman he had intended to use as bait to lure his pursuers out into the open had ended up saving his life more than once on that little adventure. Tokio had turned out to be a woman of numerous and unexpected talents.
   He gazed thoughtfully at the surrounding mountains. That affair eight years ago had started out simply enough, but when they arrived in this area east of Kyoto, things had rapidly become... strange. He shook his head and shoved the memories of the past aside. Something was out there. Something that didn't belong in this area... or in this world.
   He turned to one of his subordinates and said, "Clean up the area. Are there any witnesses?"
   "Yes, Inspector. We have them in custody."
   "Keep them isolated for now. People are panicky enough without learning about these massacres." He gave the officer a stern look. "That goes for the police as well. There had better not be any loose tongues."
   The young policeman gulped nervously. "Yes SIR!"
   "I have some matters to investigate before returning to Kyoto." And with those words, Saitoh turned and disappeared into the surrounding forest.
   As he silently made his way through the woods, he felt oddly comfortable amid the great trees. It was like he had been here many times before.... Saitoh shook off that odd fancy, then suddenly scowled as he sensed the presence of creatures that had no rightful place in this world.
   He had a duty to destroy such trespassers.
   And duty was something Saitoh Hajime understood very, very well.
   He paused to listen... then leapt aside just as a tall, gangling creature dropped from a nearby tree and attempted to smash him into the ground. His katana flashed and the monster howled in agony as both arms were neatly severed and went flying into the undergrowth. He sensed a presence behind him and dove to his left as the oversized claws of another monster barely missed him.
   A quick glance around the clearing told him that he was facing at least five and easily more of the creatures. They looked like unnaturally gaunt alley dogs that walked on their back feet. Saliva and darkish foam dripped from their snarling muzzles as they circled cautiously, looking for an opportunity to pounce.
   Saitoh answered with a soft snarl of his own. He was certain that he had found the monsters who had slaughtered the farming families in the area. An icy rage slowly seeped through his mind. These beasts would pay for intruding into his territory.
   One of the bolder dog creatures lunged towards him. With a cold, vicious smile, he brought his sword parallel to the ground, slid his right hand forward along the blade,... then charged with a battle cry whose sheer ferocity made even these unnatural creatures cringe.
   The Gatotsu strike nearly tore the lead attacker in half. Saitoh immediately followed up with a lethal cross-slash which left another beast thrashing on the ground, its bowels pouring from its ruptured belly.
   The surviving beasts frantically scrambled away from the flashing blade. They had thought they had cornered a lone, puny human... easy prey. Two more members of their pack fell as it gradually penetrated their dim minds that they had bitten off much more than they could chew.
   Another beast died. Then another.
   The pack leader lashed out in rage, mixed with a hefty dose of panic, and managed to connect more by sheer luck than anything else. The wild blow sent Saitoh hurtling against an unyielding tree trunk. The survivors in the pack burst into triumphant howls as they watched the man sag to the ground, apparently knocked unconscious from the collision. They quickly converged, eager to drink the blood of this impudent human who had cut down so many of their fellow pack members. But even as they prepared to tear him to pieces, Saitoh abruptly lifted his head and stared at them with burning amber eyes.
   He gave them a savage smile and bared his fangs.
   The would-be predators had now become the prey.
   And an ancient hunter once again prowled the great forests outside of Kyoto.

   Back in Kyoto, as Tokio chatted and enjoyed a quiet cup of tea with her aunt Yuka, she suddenly paused in mid-word, then cocked her head slightly, as if listening to some distant sound.
   Yuka noticed the mysterious little smile that appeared on her niece's lips and asked, "What was that all about?"
   Tokio shrugged and calmly sipped her tea. "HE's awake," she said with a delicate emphasis on the pronoun.
   Her plump little aunt raised her eyebrows and exclaimed, "Oh my!"
   Risako suddenly appeared in the doorway. Without preamble or apologies for her interruption, she said, "Mother, Father's...."
   Tokio murmured, "Yes, dear. I know. Why don't you go take a look?"
   As Risako disappeared as abruptly as she had appeared, Yuka twittered, "That girl takes after her sire so much, it's positively frightening."

   Aoshi slowly sagged to his knees, gasping for air. The battle had been brutal and exhausting. Barely able to think or move from the pain in his body, he had fought more by instinct than by rational thought. Knowing that he couldn't possible deal with so many opponents in his present condition, he had attacked first, hoping to whittle down the number of monsters to a more manageable number. The lesser members of the monsters had fallen early in the battle, leaving him to face the much deadlier leader.
   The resulting fight had been a blur of attack and evasion, slash and counter-slash as they danced amid the great forest trees... a grim, stalking game that pitted demonic talons against the steel of his kodachi. All the while, he was desperately aware that vital seconds and minutes were slipping by....
   Blood had flowed freely on both sides, but finally the demon beast had overreached itself. With the last bits of his strength, he had used the Kaiten Kenbu Rokuren to rip the beast to pieces, with the final stroke decapitating the grotesque creature.
   As he struggled to simply stay conscious, he thought, (I have to get up. Misao can't possible handle Kaoru and Kinslayer by herself. Get up, damn you!) he swore at himself.
   "Even crippled with pain that would slay an ordinary man, you're as deadly as ever. You're a magnificent killing machine, Aoshi," a familiar female voice purred.
   (Kaoru... no, Junichi! What is she doing back here?)
   A horrible sense of dread began to grow in Aoshi's dazed mind as an inner voice started to whisper, 'Too late. Too late.' He lifted his head and gasped out, "What... have you... done to... Misao?",br>    Kaoru emerged from the shadows, her hands empty and Kinslayer innocently resting in its sheath over her shoulder. She didn't answer him immediately, but stepped delicately over the corpses until she reached the decapitated body of the monster leader.
   As she bent down and lifted something off the ground, she said with a low chuckle, "I don't think you should be worrying about what I've done."
   "What are you talking...?"
   His voice trailed off as Kaoru held up the object she had picked up off the ground. The round, melon-sized object dangled from her grasp by a thin rope or cord. Even as he watched, the ground under the object steadily darkened as blood dripped from the severed head... for that's what the round object undoubtedly was. As Kaoru steadily approached, Aoshi's gaze focused not on the head which was obscured by the gathering shadows, but on the thin, dark rope that suspended it in midair.
   ....a rope that had an unmistakable sheen even in the dim light....
   "You should be asking what YOU've done, Shinomori Aoshi."
   ....a thin rope of silk....
   ....or a braid of fine black hair.

Standing outside his lonely hut, Hiko abruptly stiffened as he heard a low, harsh roar echo through the mountains. It sounded like the howl of an enraged beast....
....or the scream of a tormented soul.

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