Madam Hydra's That Which Lingers
Part Twenty-Two: The Shedding of Masks [C]
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
The intensity of emotion between Misao and Aoshi got to the point where it was embarrassing to watch. Yahiko and Sano looked at each other and grinned wearily.
The fighter turned to Tokio and said a bit uncertainly, "Uh... how are you feeling?"
She shrugged calmly as she dabbed delicately at the blood slowly trickling from her nose.
"It's nothing serious or permanent, Sano. Thank you for asking."
Although she looked suitably relieved when Aoshi had finally snapped out of whatever dark trance he had been in, Tokio had not relaxed her guard either.
The demon was not about to give up so easily. It had clearly intended to set Kenshin against her husband, but by this point, the demon had probably figured out that its initial plan was not working. Junichi had indeed roused the Battousai, but the Hitokiri Battousai was not the blood-crazed murderer that the demon had apparently assumed him to be.
Himura Kenshin was a cold, rational killer -- a trait passed down from grandfather to mother to child. He killed to suit his own purpose and no one else's. Kenshin certainly wouldn't dance to a demon's whims.
Oh, he might have fought Hajime for threatening Kaoru, Yahiko, and Sano, but that was an issue of territory. It was a natural reaction. After all, Hajime had invaded the Kamiya Dojo with the deliberate intention of provoking Kenshin.
But here in Kyoto, matters were different. Kenshin and her husband were working toward the same goal. Both of them wanted to stop the chaos and the evil that threatened to consume the city.
For the moment, the demon needed a host capable of surviving a battle with Hajime. Even with the power and skill that Kinslayer was capable of providing, Kaoru would not do. Hiko was even more intractable and stubborn than Kenshin. That left only one other person....
He could sense its arrival... he could feel its cold, malignant presence as it seeped through him like some insidious poison and took control of his body. But Aoshi couldn't think about what was happening to himself at the moment.
(Misao! She's too close...!)
He ruthlessly pried her arms away from him. As he desperately clung to the last remnants of control over his body, he flung the girl in Tokio's direction before sagging to his hands and knees.
Even though she was drowning in happiness and relief, Misao instantly knew that something had gone terribly wrong. She jerked her gaze upward, frantic to find out what was wrong now. Her eyes widened as she caught the sudden desperation in Aoshi's eyes.
The next thing she knew, she was sprawling at Tokio's feet. Saitoh's wife swiftly helped her up, but kept a firm grasp on the girl's shoulder.
Sano raced to Tokio's side and shouted, "What the hell...!?"
At the moment, Aoshi gracefully rose to his feet, kodachi in hand. He turned to face Tokio and Misao, then smiled faintly as he spoke.
"I should have known that the Miburo's bitch would have fangs of her own."
Misao stiffened. The voice was Aoshi's, but the cool, malicious words certainly were not. However, it didn't sound much like Minobe Junichi, either. Junichi's speech tended to be smug and arrogant. What was coming from Shinomori Aoshi's mouth was something else altogether. Misao was deathly afraid that she knew exactly who -- or what -- the true speaker was.
Yahiko stared at Aoshi and yelled, "What the matter with you, Aoshi!?"
Misao's flat, angry voice cut through the boy's questions like a hot knife.
"That's not Aoshi talking. It's the same thing that's happened with Kaoru, only this time it's not Junichi in control. It's the demon inside of Kinslayer. 'Aijoh wo hametsu shi tsukusu gaki.'"
Yahiko and Sano stared blankly at Misao.
Tokio murmured calmly, "It means 'The Love-Eater.'"
Sano growled, "What the hell sort of name is THAT!?"
"An appropriate enough name for a demon that feeds on the misery and suffering caused by the destruction of a person's loved ones," Tokio replied.
"Misao helped Aoshi break free of that mind trap of yours! How can you just pop up and steal his body, damn it!? That's not fair!" growled Yahiko.
"Fair? You surely don't think I would give up a killer like Shinomori Aoshi for the interest of fairness." Seeing any sort of smile on Aoshi's face would have been unnerving enough, but the pure malevolence in the man's current facial expression was truly frightening to behold.
Turning its attention back to Tokio, the demon murmured, "Clever, clever bitch...."
Sano glanced quickly at Saitoh's wife, then back at Aoshi. "What are you talking about?"
"For finding a way to flush me out into the open."
Tokio glanced at Sano. "As long as Aoshi was trapped in that mental prison the demon created, he could not contest its control of his body. But now that he's awake and aware of what's going on, the demon has to take direct possession in order to retain control. Aoshi's too valuable a tool to lose."
Sano glanced at Tokio in surprise.
(Forget not being harmless! She might be even more ruthless than Saitoh!)
More than a little shaken by that abrupt realization, the fighter muttered, "Then all this stuff helping Misao... it was all just a plan to make this Love-Eater demon to show himself? She could have gotten herself killed!" Sano sounded outraged.
Tokio shook her head. "I had no particular desire for this to occur, but it was probably inevitable."
"Inevitable? Why is it inevitable?" Sano demanded angrily.
"Are you certain you want to discuss this matter, here and now?" Tokio murmured to Sano as she pointed toward the possessed Aoshi.
"Uh... no."
Aoshi chuckled coldly. "As you can see, the bitch is cunning and as ruthless as her mate."
Tokio said quietly, "I'll take that as a compliment." She turned back to Sano. "There's nothing we can do about the demon's control of his body, but with Misao's help, we managed to save Aoshi's sanity."
Misao interrupted sharply, "Of course I knew it was dangerous, Sano, but I was willing to take the risk! I'm NOT a child!"
Aoshi murmured, "Such spirit. It's a pity you didn't accept Junichi's offer. It's your refusal that caused all of Aoshi's recent suffering," said the demon with a vicious smile.
Yahiko glanced at Misao, who had gone frighteningly pale, and asked, "Offer? What offer?"
Misao growled, "Junichi wanted me to voluntarily wound myself with Kinslayer in exchange for Aoshi's life. I would have ended up being possessed like Aoshi and Kaoru, but much, much worse."
Sano looked stunned. "And you didn't accept!? But I thought...."
She whipped around and glared at the fighter. In a fierce voice, she bit out, "Aoshi risked his life to free me from Kinslayer's power once before. He made a choice between his life and my freedom. I chose to honor that decision the only way I knew how. If I am at fault, that is a matter between Aoshi and me ALONE."
With those words, she turned away to warily watch the man she loved. In doing so, she missed Yahiko's stunned and nearly awestruck stare.
Sano gave her a long look. He saw the pain in her eyes, but also the strength of will that was more formidable than any blade. From that point on, no matter what he might say or do, Sagara Sanosuke knew that he would never view Makimachi Misao as a child again.
There was another person who would never view Misao as a child. Aoshi's body might be serving the demon's whims, but not his mind. He could clearly hear the exchange between Misao and Sano.
(Oh, Misao....)
If he had not loved her before, he probably have fallen in love with her at that moment.
(At fault? Never. Seeing you now... I regret nothing. NOTHING. Whatever I have suffered, I would gladly endure a hundred times over to give you your freedom....)
(Hannya, Beshimi, Hyottoko, Shikijo.... Can you see her now? Her strength? See what we've raised and nurtured.... Our Misao....)
(MY Misao....)
Tokio's expression did not change, but inwardly she was smiling.
(You do have the fire, little one. And for that, I and my family will do our utmost to bring your Aoshi back to you.)
The demon drawled, "How very moving, Misao. It's a pity that you'll never have the opportunity to test your resolve."
Without warning, there were sounds of movement throughout the buildings surrounding the potters' market. Doors began to slide open and people began to shuffle outside, their faces blank and lifeless. Men and women, young and old... even children.
Tokio, Misao, Sano, and Yahiko were instantly surrounded, but once they were encircled, the people stumbled to a halt about thirty feet away.
"Shit!" growled Sano clenching his fists. He was about to step forward to the attack when Tokio spoke.
"I wouldn't recommend doing that."
"Why not!?"
"Looks are deceptive. They are not human, living or dead. They're not flesh and blood of any sort."
"Then what the hell are they!?"
Tokio raised an eyebrow as she brushed her long black hair back from her face.
"This is an area full of pottery shops. And where you have pottery...."
Yahiko muttered as he tightened his grip on his shinai. "Where you have pottery, you have clay. Are you saying that all these things are made of clay!?"
"Probably. If you physically attack these things, there's no way of knowing how they will react. They could fall apart at the slightest touch." Tokio cocked her head slightly. "Or they could swallow you whole."
By this time, more of the same gangly monsters that had tried to attack Misao had appeared. Fading in and out of sight, they clustered behind Aoshi and waited, their huge clawed hands flexing in anticipation.
As Sano, Misao, and Yahiko tensely awaited an attack, an eerie hush seemed to settle over the entire area.
"Oh shit! Not again!" By this time, Sano was starting to dread those strange moments of quiet because bad and unnatural things usually ended up happening. The last time something like this had happened, Kenshin's sakabatou had transformed into a normal sword and the Hitokiri Battousai had returned with a vengeance. There was no telling what would occur this time.
A cold, biting wind started to blow and what little light there was began to fade. Only Tokio kept her composure as the demon's creatures suddenly turned and stared down the street.
Sano, Yahiko, and Misao also turned to look. At first they could see nothing except a few dim house lamps burning in the distance, then those few sources of light started to disappear. Soon they all faded from view, except for two amber orbs glimmering in the darkness....
Then they saw it... a thick mass of dark mist that steadily flowed down the street toward them. As it came ever closer, Sano thought he could see things in the fog... lean, four-footed shapes prowling forward on misty paws....
He shook himself sharply.
(Hell, I'm imagining things. I've got to be!)
The smaller forms seem to coalesce, merging to form a single large form that threatened to dwarf the houses around them. And were those amber lights he had seen really distant street lamps... or were they something else?
Something like... eyes?
Yahiko gasped as a ripple passed through the cloud of mist, pulling it into fine, long streamers that were strangely reminiscent of feathers... or fur.
Although the possessed Aoshi merely turned to watch the shadowy mass so rapidly approaching, the monsters behind him began to shuffle their feet nervously. Sano could understand the feeling perfectly. Something was coming... something powerful and terrible.
Misao choked out, "Oh no... it... it can't be!"
Sano was about to demand that Misao explain what 'it' was, but his questions abruptly became irrelevant.
IT appeared... the misty, yet unmistakable form of a giant wolf, its amber eyes glowing in the gathering darkness.
And out of the dark mist, directly under the great beast's grinning jaws, stepped Saitoh Hajime, his lips curling with the exact same predatory grin as his amber eyes gleamed with cold anticipation.
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