Madam Hydra's That Which Lingers
Part Twenty-One: Hidden Aspects [A]
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. It takes place after the end of the Kyoto story arc. After that, all bets are off. Other stories in this alternate reality are: "Night Visitor;" "All in the Family;" and "Romancing the Wolf."
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
[ Kyoto, mid-August, 1878 (11th year of the Meiji period) ]
Misao felt cool stone beneath her cheek as she struggled back to consciousness. As somebody uttered a familiar, contemptuous snort behind her back, she dazedly thought, (Sounds just like the psycho cop. Hmmm... why on earth am I thinking about him... ohhh, my head....)
She abruptly remembered dashing wildly through the woods with Junichi's pet monsters hard on her heels... the sudden drop... crashing into a stone wall... then the monsters running away in terror....
(Because... because they saw....)
She sat bolt upright, her eyes wide with astonishment.
"That huge wolf!" Misao blurted out, then caught the faint flicker of blue out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head just in time to see the translucent, shimmering form of the wolf disappear around the corner of a building.
Misao staggered to her feet and took a look at her surroundings. She was standing in the courtyard in front of a modest shrine. When she saw the old, barely legible sign propped against a tree, she realized that she had somehow landed smack in the middle of the very place that she and Aoshi had been looking for.
The shrine building was very old, but it was obvious that someone had been taking regular care of the place. Misao jumped as she caught another glimpse of the ghostly wolf. It sat near the corner of the shrine, its yellow eyes narrowed and its tail swishing impatiently. As soon as she saw it, the spirit beast turned and disappeared around the building.
She stared at it blankly and thought, (Those eyes... they look just like....) She shook her head sharply. (No, that's crazy. I'm just imagining things... but on the other hand....)
Misao stumbled after the beast, hoping to get a better look at it. She rounded the corner just in time to see it trot up a path behind the shrine. Some impulse urged her to follow. After passing through a short, forested stretch, she emerged along an open walkway roughly paved with slate. Along each side of the walkway were large tablets of stone, inscribed with writing. Off in the distance, at the far end of the ascending path, was a small flat area and the entrance to a cave. The cave obviously also served as a shrine, but it was much, much older than the manmade structure behind her. She watched as the flickering form of the wolf-spirit slipped into the cave entrance and vanished from sight.
Hiko made his way along the shadowy forest path, then stopped suddenly and spoke.
"I just want to tell you that your daughter Risako is hell's own bitch."
Sitting atop a pile of stones just a few feet away from Hiko, the ghostly form of the great wolf grinned toothily, its shoulders shaking as if in silent laughter. It then cocked its head slightly in an inquisitive gesture, its amber eyes gleaming with a dark, inner fire.
Hiko glared at the beast with an odd mixture of respect and exasperation.
"And no, I wouldn't touch her with a ten foot pole. Do you think I'm crazy?"
The wolf-spirit narrowed its eyes in sly amusement, then vanished, leaving Hiko alone once more.
When she reached the mouth of the cave, Misao warily peeked inside before entering. The interior was lit by crude stone firepots that burned with a cool, almost bluish flame. And by the flickering light of those fires, she could see that entire back wall of the cave was covered with the carving of a great wolf in profile -- its body lean but powerful, its jaws agape with long fangs plainly visible. The sight sent chills down Misao's spine.
"No wonder they call this spirit the Hunter-Killer...," she whispered, awestruck by the eerie magnificence of the stone carving and the primal spirit it represented.
Suddenly, the surface of the cave wall rippled like water. Before Misao's incredulous eyes, the great stone carving of the wolf came to life. It turned its head out of the wall and stared at her with those piercing amber eyes that seemed to lay bare every inch of her soul.
She was being judged. And if the wolf-spirit was displeased with what it found, Misao knew she would die on the spot.
Somehow, she managed to force her limbs into motion. Misao slowly began to back away. When she reached the cave entrance, she turned to flee, but ended up crashing headlong into something quite immovable. With a panicked screech, she whipped out her tanto and slashed blindly at the unexpected obstacle in her way.
A large, warm hand effortlessly caught her wrist, then hauled her into the air. The tanto slipped from her numb fingers.
"Yare yare, is that any way to greet someone? If you're not pleased to see me, just say so."
Her jaw nearly hit the ground as she stared at her captor.
"H-H-Hiko Seijuro!!!"
He gave her a typically arrogant smile and said, "None other. And what are you doing here?"
Misao was too stunned to answer.
Hiko frowned slightly and released his grip on her wrist. Misao's legs refused to support her. Her knees buckled and she sagged to the ground in a graceless heap.
Peering down at her, Hiko said, "Hello? What's wrong with you, girl?"
With a slightly glazed look in her eyes, Misao mutely pointed behind her toward the back wall of the cave and the unmoving stone carving of the wolf.
"Oh ho. I see...," he murmured in a rather cryptic manner.
"It came to life... and it looked right at me... and I thought it was going to eat me...," she incoherently babbled.
They both distinctly heard a scornful, "Hmph."
Misao jerked her head up. "What was THAT!?"
Hiko shrugged and picked up her tanto. Before handing it back to Misao, he gave it a thoughtful examination. He had recognized the weapon instantly and asked himself, (Why would old Asuko give the girl this tanto, hm?)
Aloud, he said, "What are you doing out here alone in this stretch of the woods?"
Misao finally snapped out of her daze. She scrambled unsteadily to her feet and whispered, "What am I...? I've got to find Aoshi and stop whatever Junichi's doing to him!"
In a bored voice, Hiko said, "Shinomori? He's not in the area."
She whirled around and yelled, "How would YOU know!?"
Hiko merely raised an eyebrow and drawled, "Trust me. He's not anywhere in the general vicinity. However...."
"Yes?" Misao snapped impatiently.
He gave her a severe look. "You youngsters have no patience. As I was about to say, I came across a bunch of dead monsters not too long ago. They had been killed by someone using a two-handed kodachi technique. From what you've told me, I presume that it's Shinomori's handiwork, but I haven't seen him."
Misao heaved a sigh of relief, then frowned in confusion. "But you said that he's not around here anymore?"
"That's right."
"Then... where is he?"
"Who knows?" Hiko gave her another one of his callous shrugs.
Misao glared at him, then stalked out of the cave. As they headed down the tablet-lined walkway, Hiko said, "And you still haven't told me what you're doing at this shrine. This place isn't exactly a spot for casual visitors."
She snapped, "Aoshi and I were coming here to find the name of...." Her voice abruptly trailed off.
"Of what?"
"Of a demon," Misao finished quietly as she slowed to a halt.
She thought to herself, (I can't just go blindly chasing after Aoshi! I need to locate the information that Asuko's looking for... not just for HIS sake, but for Himura and Kaoru... for everyone! People are depending on me... I can't let all of them down, damn it!)
Hiko watched Misao as she stood in the middle of the walkway, her head hanging low. Finally, she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and shook her newly shortened hair from her face. With a grim, determined expression on her face, she pulled up a handful of long grass and started to scrub the dirt and moss from one of the large stone tablets. She glanced over the text carved into the tablet, then started on the next stone.
"Well, don't just stand there! Help me!" she snapped at Hiko.
"You expect ME to...."
She leaned her head against the tablet she was working on, then spun around and said, "Please, damn it! I can't do this alone. I need your help. Himura needs your help! Everybody in Kyoto needs your help!"
He grumbled, "Don't tell me that my idiot pupil's in trouble again."
"You have NO idea how bad it is."
Hiko paused just long enough to put Misao on edge, then flicked his cape back and reached for a tuft of grass.
"I suppose if I don't help you, I'll never get any peace and quiet with all those bothersome monsters roving around in the woods."
As they both cleaned off the inscribed stone tablets lining the walkway, Misao told Hiko all about Minobe Junichi, the cursed sword Kinslayer, and how the vengeful spirit was seeking revenge against Himura Kenshin. She was about halfway through the story when she suddenly stopped in mid-scrub. She turned and stared suspiciously at Hiko who was thoughtfully reading a freshly cleaned tablet.
With her hands on her hips, she snapped, "Just wait a second here! You didn't bat an eyelash when I told you about looking for a demon's name here. And you didn't even act the least bit surprised at running across a bunch of dead monsters in the forest!"
Misao stamped her foot and glared at Hiko. "What's going on here!? You and Saitoh both act like encounters with demons, cursed swords, monsters, ghosts, and all this weird crap are perfectly normal! Do you guys know something that I don't!?"
"You're asking me?" Hiko responded in the most unhelpful way imaginable.
"You... you...."
He turned his back on her and said, "Are you going to stand there and scowl at me or are you going to continue with your story?"
Misao uttered a growl of frustration, then resumed her work on the tablet as she finished telling Hiko all about the events involving Kenshin, herself, and the others.
When Aoshi demolished the door to the upstairs sitting room of the Aoiya, Okon jumped to her feet and exclaimed, "Aoshi-sama!?"
He didn't answer.
Frozen in shock, Okon could only stare blankly as Aoshi lifted his kodachi, then lunged toward her and Tokio. Someone suddenly grabbed the back of Okon's kimono and yanked her out of the way with surprising strength, tossing her into a nearby wall. Just before Okon blacked out, she saw Tokio diving out of the way of Aoshi's lethal double slash.
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