Madam Hydra's That Which Lingers
Part Twenty: Transformations [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
Kenshin, Sano, and Yahiko ended up spending the next several hours searching the Minobe house from top to bottom, looking for any clues that could help them to defeat and destroy Kinslayer. It was a particularly infuriating experience because of the old woman's presence. Not trusting Emi out of their sight, they were forced to drag the uncooperative woman along as they examined every single room in the house.
After the first ten minutes, Sano was convinced that the old crone was stark raving mad. One moment, she'd be cringing at the slightest sound or harsh word, but the next moment, she'd be screaming epithets and obscenities at Kenshin.
The repeated outbursts certainly didn't help Kenshin's mood at all. But when she finally switched to recounting stories of the Hitokiri Battousai's murders, real or imaginary, that's when Sano really started to get worried as he watched the redhead's expression become colder and colder.
For the first few stories, Yahiko had tried arguing with Emi, but Kenshin had put his hand on the outraged boy's shoulder and gently said, "Don't waste your energy, Yahiko. Nothing will convince her that she's wrong. Let's concentrate on finding something that might help Kaoru."
That brief flash of the Kenshin they knew was enough to bring a faint smile to Yahiko's worried face and gave the boy the determination to ignore Emi's ramblings. However, he couldn't keep himself from glaring at the old woman when she started on an incoherent story about some massacre that was too outlandish to be believed.
The boy stared nastily at Emi and thought, (The Battousai may have killed hundreds of people... maybe even more. But I damn well know that he didn't kill for the sheer fun of it, you ugly old bitch!).
However, when she started mumbling about a tragic incident involving a young couple and a bloody disaster of a wedding ceremony, Kenshin's patience finally snapped. The swordsman turned to Sano and said very evenly, "Sano, I don't care how you do it, but keep her quiet."
Before the fighter could object, Kenshin added, "If you don't, then I'll shut her up myself." Despite the apparent lack of emotion of his friend's voice, Sano was pretty sure he detected a faint, pleading tone.
Sano thought, (That last story really touched a nerve, didn't it? In his current state of mind, I've got no idea what Kenshin might do... and I think he's not entirely sure himself, either.)
Unwilling to test his friend's tenuous self-control, the fighter hastily said, "Don't worry, Kenshin. I'll handle it. Why don't you go ahead to the next room, okay?" As Kenshin silently exited the chamber, Sano turned around and nearly bumped into Yahiko. The boy silently held up several torn strips of cloth.
"Thanks, Yahiko."
"No problem."
Sano took the cloth strips and advanced on Emi, who gave him a contemptuous stare.
"You wouldn't!" she screeched in fury.
The fighter smiled grimly. "Listen, you damn bitch. Normally I don't beat up on people weaker than myself. And normally, I would be the very LAST person to agree with Saitoh Hajime. However, in this case, I think I'm going to make an exception."
That morning, he had been both shocked and infuriated to realize that Saitoh was perfectly willing to threaten and possibly torture an old woman for information. He had been equally upset that Kenshin had been perfectly willing to let Saitoh proceed without interference. But after listening to Emi boast about using Kinslayer to get her revenge for nearly three straight hours, he had lost all sympathy for the old woman.
(You damn bitch. No remorse. Not a single scrap of remorse. You bloody well KNEW what would happen if the demon in that cursed sword woke up. And you didn't give a damn, did you? You planted a bomb and you didn't care how many people would get hurt when it finally went off!)
Sano growled, "Your brother, husband, your sons... they knew what they were doing! Anyone who fought in the Douran knew the risks involved! You really think that getting revenge this way would fix anything? All you're doing is dishonoring their memory!"
Emi spat out, "How can you possibly understand what it's like to lose everyone that matters to you...!"
"You're not the only person who's lost their entire family, you stupid old hag!!!" shouted Yahiko in the old woman's face. "You don't see me sitting around and moaning about it! It hurts like hell but you don't see me taking it out on the whole world! I managed to find a new home... a new family... people to care about! And now because of your crazy scheme for revenge, I could lose all of that!"
For a brief instant, Sano was afraid that Yahiko was about to kick the old woman, but the boy barely managed to restrain himself. The boy took a few deep breaths, then muttered, "I'm going to help Kenshin," before stalking out of the room.
Staring after Yahiko, Sano thought, (Sometimes I think you're way smarter than me, kid. You pretty much figured all this out on your own. Kenshin had to pound ME into the ground before I realized that I wasn't doing anybody any good by sitting around brooding about past injustices and loved ones lost.)
The fighter stared down at the sullen old woman and said quietly, "I can understand the desire for revenge... how the hatred eats at your guts. And unlike the kid, I let the whole world know it."
A sly look appeared on Emi's face. "Then you of all people...."
Sano stared at the old woman and gritted his teeth. "But unlike you, I don't expect -- or want -- innocent people to suffer just because I'm unhappy. That's what I think Kenshin finds really unforgivable. If you went after him alone, I don't think he would've minded. But both you and your nephew Junichi had to involve totally innocent people in this feud. Not just Kaoru, but all those murdered people in Tokyo and now everyone in this entire city."
"You don't understand...," she whined, strangely unnerved by the scathing contempt she saw in Sano's eyes.
"No, I don't understand how you feel... and I really don't want to."
With those words, Sano briskly stuffed a wadded up strip of cloth into Emi's mouth, then proceeded to tie her arms and legs.
After nearly four hours of painstaking work, Kenshin and his companions had precious little to show for all their efforts. Emi had reluctantly pointed out her sources of information -- a pitiful handful of tattered, ancient scrolls which were all written in some odd dialect or code. Hopefully, Tokio or her grand-aunt Asuko would be able to make sense of the documents.
As Sano untied Emi and removed her gag, the first thing the infuriated old woman said was, "Don't worry about that precious whore of yours, she's already here in Kyoto...." Emi suddenly went quiet as she remembered that her nephew had explicitly warned her not to reveal his -- or Kaoru's -- presence in the city.
Kenshin reacted instantly by grabbing Emi's kimono and hauling her off the ground.
"Where is she?" he said softly.
Emi nervously stared into Kenshin's pale eyes which seemed to flicker between an icy purple and a pale gold. If she didn't tell him, who knew what the Battousai might do to her. And despite her consuming desire for revenge, she still wanted to live very badly. But if she did tell the Battousai what he wanted to know, Junichi would make her pay for her loose tongue. The stress was too much for the old woman and she fainted.
o; "Kenshin, is she...?"
The red-haired swordsman casually dropped her to the floor with a thud. "No, Sano. She's just passed out for the moment." He turned to Yahiko and said, "Get some cold water...."
The house servant peered into the room and said in a shaky voice, "Please, that's not necessary! The young woman the mistress spoke of... she was here, but she left hours ago."
Kenshin snapped, "Where did she go?"
"I... I don't know! All I know is that she slipped out of the house just after the police inspector left! I have no idea where she went!"
Kenshin simply stared at the trembling, mid-aged woman. She collapsed on the floor and wailed, "Truly I don't! She muttered something about it being Saitoh's turn. That's all! Please don't kill me! Please!!!"
Sano saw his friend inhale sharply and asked, "What's wrong, Kenshin?"
"Of course... Saitoh's turn," the redhead murmured softly.
Yahiko yelped, "What about Saitoh!?"
"Junichi took Kaoru away from me. Now it's Saitoh's turn... to lose the woman he loves," said Kenshin in a bleak voice.
"Oh no. Tokio...," a horrified Sano whispered.
"Exactly. Come on."
Kenshin, Sano, and Yahiko ran out of the Minobe house, leaving behind an unconscious old woman and a terrified house servant.
The encounter was probably inevitable. As Kenshin, Sano, and Yahiko
raced around a street corner, they abruptly confronted by a group of Shinsengumi swordsmen. Kenshin put his hand on the hilt of his sakabatou and sharply said to Sano and Yahiko, "Stay back. I'll deal with this."
Before the fighter and the boy could protest, one of the Shinsengumi bawled, "The Battousai!" As one, the squad of swordsmen charged.
Kenshin drew his sakabatou and lunged to met their attack. He effortlessly swept the first attacker aside. The second swordsman was better. It took two strokes to take him down. And so it went....
Sano thought, (They can't be real! Except for Saitoh, the Shinsengumi don't exist anymore!) He jumped aside as one of Kenshin's opponents skidded past the red-haired swordsman and practically landed at Sano's and Yahiko's feet. As the dazed Shinsengumi tried to stand up, Yahiko whacked him on the head with his shinai.
After watching the man collapse to the ground, the boy then turned to Sano and said nervously, "They're supposed to be ghosts, aren't they? I mean... all the Shinsengumi are dead, right? They're not real...."
But as Sano reached down and prodded the Shinsengumi that Yahiko had knocked unconscious, the fighter wasn't so sure. The guy certainly FELT real enough. His flesh was warm and he was breathing.
"Like hell if I know, Yahiko."
Sano watched as one of the swordsmen missed Kenshin's head and cut a
great gash into a wooden fence. The man paid dearly for the mistake when Kenshin smashed him across the throat with his sakabatou, sending his opponent crashing to the ground, choking and gagging.
(He isn't holding back at all! Damn, if it wasn't for the fact he was using a reversed blade, Kenshin would be slaughtering them....)
Almost as if Sano's thought had been the trigger, it happened.
In a single frozen instant of time, the entire world seemed to dim, then something seemed to... shift.
....change....
....twist....
....flip....
To Sano, it was if reality itself took a sudden step sideways.
Then the strangeness was gone and everything began to move normally again. As he tried to figure out what the hell had just happened, the fighter watched Kenshin finish his swordstroke. The redhead's opponent collapsed to the ground in a spray of blood....
(WHAT THE HELL!?)
Sano could only stare in total stupefaction as a puddle of blood steadily oozed from under the fallen Shinsengumi. Something warm and wet ran down the fighter's cheek. Sano reached up and wiped at the dampness, then stared in horror at the smear of blood on his fingertips.
Jerking his gaze back to the fight, he numbly watched as Kenshin sliced open an opponent's belly and in the same downward stroke, severed another opponent's leg. Bright red blood filled the air and stained the nearby walls.
In a choked voice, he heard Yahiko's horrified whisper.
"Kenshin's sakabatou...."
Sano's gaze flew to his friend's sword... and he couldn't believe his eyes.
(No. It's impossible!)
Arai Shakku's final masterpiece, the Sakabatou Shinuchi, was a sakabatou no more.
Somehow, in mid-battle, between one second and another, Kenshin's sword had become a katana....
"KENSHIN!!!" Sano screamed.
Kenshin noted the shouting in the background, but ignored it for the moment. He recognized the swordsmen facing him. They had fallen once before under his blade.
They would do so again.
There were three more Shinsengumi charging toward him... then there were two... and then there were none.
The last of the Shinsengumi fell before Sano or Yahiko could overcome their paralysis. They could only mutely watch as Kenshin... no, the Battousai coldly surveyed the surrounding carnage.
After a long moment, Kenshin abruptly blinked, then his eyes widened in shock as he lifted the katana in his hand and watched as the blood ran down the blade. As he stared aghast at the dark red droplets staining the once pristine blue ribbon wrapped on his wrist, a familiar female voice suddenly spoke.
"So, now that you have a proper sword again, tell me. How does it feel to be slicing through flesh for the first time in over a decade, hm?"
Sano and Yahiko yelped, "Kaoru!?"
Kenshin slowly lifted his head and glared, his pale eyes glittering with barely suppressed rage.
"No. Not Kaoru. Minobe Junichi."
Kaoru and Kenshin stared at each other across a blood-soaked street.
....a woman imprisoned inside her own body....
....a man ensnared within his own mind and memories....
Inside her body, Kaoru quietly wept.
(Kenshin. Oh my god. Kenshin....)
She suddenly gave herself a mental smack in the face.
(Stupid girl! I can't just curl up and die. I have to be strong. Whether he's the Hitokiri Battousai or Himura Kenshin, it doesn't make a difference. He's still the man I love, damn it! I won't let him go!)
Somewhere, deeply buried beneath the icy persona of the Battousai, Kenshin breathed a silent sigh of relief. Junichi might be in control of Kaoru's body, but he could see the silent desperation in her eyes... and the fierce determination. Although trapped, Kaoru was still herself. Junichi hadn't managed to touch her mind and soul... at least, not yet.
Using Kaoru's body, Junichi pouted. "You don't seem that surprised to see me."
The Battousai flicked his sword, casting off the last remaining drops of blood, and said coldly, "Your aunt told us of your arrival in Kyoto."
Junichi snarled, "That stupid old bitch! I warned her to keep her mouth shut! How dare she cross me in such a manner!?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I just had to see my old enemy the Battousai finally reemerge. How did you like that last little touch with the sword?" Junichi made an evil smile appear on Kaoru's face. "That's only a small sample of what I can do now."
"Then why go through this farce with the ghosts and dreams? Destroy me if you can," the Battousai demanded.
"Oh no. That would be TOO easy. I want to meet you, sword to sword. It's only fair. After all, I want the world to know who's really the best swordsman."
Sano finally found his voice. "Fair!? How can any of this possibly be considered FAIR!?" However, both Junichi and the Battousai totally ignored him.
"Then let's settle this, here and now." The Battousai slowly sheathed his sword. ,br>
An angry look flitted across Kaoru's face. "NO. I choose the time and the place. Besides, it wouldn't feel right without Saitoh's participation. He hasn't gotten my real invitation, yet."
The Battousai's eyes abruptly narrowed. "What have you done to Tokio?"
Junichi smirked and exclaimed, "Oh, now I understand your earlier question! You were wondering why I'm not chasing after Tokio!" A wild snicker erupted from Kaoru's throat. "You should be flattered! I wanted to deal with you personally, so I'm going to let my messenger do the dirty work."
"Messenger?"
"None other than the former Okashira of the Oniwabanshuu."
Yahiko hissed, "What the hell are you SAYING!?"
In a low, harsh voice, the Battousai demanded, "What have you done to Aoshi?"
Kaoru -- or rather, Junichi -- threw her head back and laughed.
"Such a passionate man, under all that ice. Oh, I simply showed him what it feels like to kill the woman he loves." Junichi chuckled. "He did the rest to himself."
Yahiko and Sano exchanged frantic looks. The boy babbled, "Does Junichi mean who and what I think he means!?"
Sano muttered, "I'm not sure. I can't imagine that cold fish in love with ANYBODY. But unless Aoshi's been keeping another woman on the side... who else could it possibly be except the Weasel Girl!?"
Junichi went on to say, "Sometimes I surprise even myself with my creativity. The idea just... popped into my head."
A low growling noise disrupted Junichi's boasting. He paused and looked a bit startled.
At first Sano couldn't locate the source of that unnerving sound, but a shiver ran down his spine as he realized it was coming from Kenshin.
The Battousai was literally quivering with rage as he glared at Junichi with golden eyes that glowed with fury. Then without another word, he lunged toward Kaoru, sword in hand.
For an instant, Junichi seemed stunned by the Battousai's infuriated reaction, then a look of crazed amusement appeared on Kaoru's face. She turned and fled with a taunting laugh, with Kenshin in hot pursuit.
Sano and Yahiko immediately ran after them, but keeping up with Kenshin turned out to be a hopeless task as they lost sight of their two friends within seconds.
As they stood in the deserted street, Sano gasped, "Damn. There's no way we can catch up. Not with the way Kaoru and Kenshin are moving."
Yahiko propped himself against a building and panted, "Oh great! Kaoru's possessed, Kenshin's turned back into the Battousai, and now the two of them are playing hide-and-seek in the streets of Kyoto! What the hell do we do now!?"
"If we can't do anything about Kenshin and Kaoru... maybe there's something else we CAN do."
"Like what?"
"We have to find and warn Tokio."
At the Aoiya, Omasu stepped out of the kitchen just in time to see Aoshi walking down the hallway away from her.
"Aoshi-sama!"
He stopped still, but didn't turn around.
"Yes?"
She then noticed the rips and dark splatters on his trenchcoat. "What happened!? Are you...?"
"It's nothing."
Omasu blinked at Aoshi's characteristically curt reply. "Oh." She glanced around. "Where's Misao?"
There was a brief pause, then with no particular emotion, he said, "You might look in her room. Where are the others?"
"Okina, Shuro, and Kuro are all out at the moment. With so many weird things going on, everyone's busy investigating and checking out various reports. Okon and I are the only ones here. Oh, except for Tokio-san."
"....Tokio?"
"Yes, she wanted to drop off some documents for Himura-san."
"Where is she?"
"She's chatting with Okon in the upstairs sitting room."
"I see." With those words, Aoshi continued on his way.
Omasu frowned slightly. Was it her imagination or was he sounding a bit... odd? She shook her head and returned to the kitchen.
(With all the strange things going on, it's no wonder that my imagination's starting to run wild. I wonder if Misao's hungry?)
Upstairs, Aoshi paused outside the door to the sitting room. He drew his two kodachi in a single, fluid motion, then proceeded to demolish the door and a large portion of the wall. As the shattered remains of the doorway fell to the floor, he saw the two women seated
inside. Ignoring Okon as she gaped blankly at him, Aoshi focused his attention on his chosen target.
Saitoh Tokio.
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