====================================================================== THAT WHICH LINGERS: A Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic by MadamHydra ====================================================================== assorted teaser snippets for Part 25: FOREIGN RELATIONS ====================================================================== --------------- Short Disclaimer: (Full Disclaimers at the end) Rurouni Kenshin is copyrighted by its creators and all distributors of their work and used without permission. --------------- Text Conventions ( ) are character thoughts < > represent various sorts of mental dialogue [ ] denote visual or time notes ********************************************************************** [ Kyoto, mid-August, 1878 (11th year of the Meiji period) ] ----------------------------------- ----------------------------------- As she lunged toward Kenshin's exposed back, she mentally screamed, (Junichi, you bastard!!!) Tears of rage and frustration trickled from Kaoru's eyes. She had her voice and head back. That was about it. Junichi still had control over most of her body and was forcing her to attack Kenshin. All she could do was cry out a warning even as she charged toward him, tanto in hand. In her mind, she heard Junichi yelling, (You stupid bitch! Get out of here!) (Get out of here!? This is MY body, not yours, you filthy undead parasite!) (I'm going to kill him. Kill him!) ranted Junichi. Kaoru caught a glimpse of Kenshin's golden eyes as they widened for an instant before narrowing ominously. She knew that he had seen her... recognized her... but even so, his blow didn't seem to falter in the least. Kaoru now had an idea exactly how Kenshin's opponents must have felt when they faced the feared Hitokiri Battousai... she would never forget the sight of that razor-sharp blade arching toward her flesh, knowing that there was absolutely nothing she could do to stop it.... For a brief, heart-rending instant, she wondered if the Battousai truly intended to kill her. Isn't that exactly what Kenshin stated that he was prepared to do? After all, that would be simplest and most efficient solution to the problem that was Kamiya Kaoru.... ....but he had also said that he loved her.... (No, I have to trust him. He was prepared to kill... has killed... but even as the Battousai, he didn't do it out of sheer pleasure or just because it was the easy thing to do. He only killed because he truly believed it was necessary. I have to trust that Kenshin will find another way to stop me....) But despite all her resolve, Kaoru found herself mentally bracing for the cold bite of steel... just in case. A near imperceptible twist of his wrist and the flat of Kenshin's blade slammed into Kaoru's stomach with stunning force. The breath exploded from her lungs as the impact sent her flying just as the largest monster's mouth gaped open and a low gurgling sound could be heard. Kenshin dove aside just as a mass of black slime spewed forth from the beast's jaws. The sticky liquid splattered onto the paving stones and immediately began to eat its way through the rock with a loud hiss. The demonic creature whipped its head around to follow Kenshin and unleashed another spray of slime. Kenshin leapt over the hissing liquid with such speed that he seemed to momentarily vanish. The beast stared about wildly in an attempt to locate its prey. It glanced upward an instant too late as Kenshin dropped down from the sky like a falling meteor. There was a flash, almost like a minature stroke of lightning. Kenshin landed on the ground and jumped away as the monster stood still, frozen and quivering. Then, without warning, greenish black liquid squirted out from a vertical slash that ran from the monster's head to crotch. The beast's body slowly peeled apart and fell into two neat halves on the acid-seared stones. Killing the acid spewing monster had taking only an instant, but Kenshin did not waste time staring at its corpse. Almost before the bisected halves of the monster had hit the ground, Kenshin whirled and pounced on Kaoru, who was still lying on the ground, curled up in a gasping and wheezing ball. One knee pinned her clawing left hand to the gritty cobblestones while his left hand captured her wildly flailing right hand, still clutching the tanto, as it viciously tried to slash at his face. As Kenshin used his other knee and most of his body weight to restrain Kaoru's struggling body, he almost casually sliced the last remaining monster in half with a backhanded stroke as it attempted to sneak up behind him. The shock of Kenshin's blow left Kaoru gasping for air and weight of him kneeling across her stomach made it almost impossible for her to catch her breath. She had been struck before, either during practice or by various opponents, but she had never experienced anything like this before. It wasn't just the sheer force of the blow, which was overwhelming enough, but it was the combination of strength and control in Kenshin's movements that she found almost terrifying. Even as she tried to force her lungs to work, she dimly realized that Kenshin had known exactly what he was doing. His strike had been calculated with exquisite precision to incapacitate, but not seriously injure her. Oh, she was going to be badly bruised and maybe even have a cracked rib or two, but if he had really wanted to, he could have just as easily killed her with the flat of his katana as with the edge. (Control... always the control,) Kaoru thought dazedly. She looked up at Kenshin, only to find the cold gold eyes staring dispassionately down at her. His gazed narrowed abruptly and within her mind, Kaoru felt the raving and ranting Junichi suddenly freeze in mid-tantrum, like a mouse pinned by a serpent's predatory stare. "I see you clearly now, Junichi," Kenshin said in an icy voice. Junichi started to panic and started to struggle, but no matter how desperately Kaoru's body thrashed about, he could not free her of Kenshin's unshakable grasp. "Be *still*," Kenshin continued in that same cold, grim voice. Junichi shivered in her head and Kaoru could not blame him at all. Neither she nor Junichi could deny the underlying menace lurking behind those soft words. This was no bluff. Something in Kenshin had changed. Somehow he could now truly sense Junichi's presence. But perhaps more frightening was the unspoken implication that Kenshin might now be able to do something harmful to Junichi if sufficiently provoked. For the briefest of instants, she sensed.... The only way Kaoru could find to describe it was as something profound and powerful brushing past the edges of her soul. Like watching a mighty storm wind from a snug shelter, she could feel its power, yet remain safe and unharmed. For Kaoru, the experience was strangely awe-inspiring, but not frightening. The same could not be said for Junichi who recoiled in terror. (Help me....) the spirit whimpered as it cowered within her head. Outrage flooded Kaoru. (You want me to do what!? Help you!? After everything you've done to me and my friends, you have the sheer nerve to demand that I help you!? You try to steal my body, help your demonic master to torment my friends, nearly drive both Kenshin and Aoshi insane with your cruel schemes, and you want ME to protect you!?) she shouted back in outrage. Before she could utter anything more than a startled gasp, Kenshin briskly flipped her over onto her stomach, shook the tanto out of her weakened grasp, and tied her hands securely behind her back with what felt like a piece of silky fabric. With that accomplished, he then grabbed her legs and bound them with a cord. Only after she had been firmly tied both hand and foot like a pig for market did Kenshin release his hold on her. Behind her, she heard a soft sigh and the sound of a sword being sheathed. Kaoru coughed, then whispered uncertainly. "Kenshin...?" There was no response, then with unexpected gentleness, Kenshin turned her over. She blinked in surprise to see Kenshin's long red hair flowing freely down around his shoulders, then realized that he must have used his hair tie to secure her ankles. And without another word, he pulled her into his arms and simply held her close. For a disbelieving moment, Kaoru could do nothing. After everything that had happened to the both of them, she had been afraid to even dream of being held once again in Kenshin's arms. (And I was so worried about him being cold and unfeeling.... Why, he's not cold at all...,) she thought bemusedly. It didn't matter that she was tied up like some common felon. She was in the arms of the man she loved and that was all that mattered. And in his warm embrace, Kaoru couldn't resist the urge to nuzzle at Kenshin's neck and rub her cheek against his long soft hair, just as she had dreamed of doing for so long. (And I thought he would stink of blood... hatred... fear....) But she had been very wrong. She caught the scent of a healthy male body, mixed with the honest smell of sweat... But those familiar smells were mixed with something elemental... fresh wind and rain, tinged with the subtle sharpness that lingered in the air after a lightning strike.... "Kaoru...." The softness of his words did nothing to hide the wealth of feeling in Kenshin's voice. Kaoru felt her throat tighten with emotion, then she suddenly burst into tears. "Kenshin! I'm so sorry!" she sobbed into his shoulder with a mixture of overwhelming relief and frustration. She felt a hand gently stroke the back of her neck as he said, "There's nothing to be sorry about. It's not your fault," Kenshin said firmly as he continued to hold her close against him. "But...," she mumbled incoherently. "There was nothing you could have done, Kaoru." Kenshin took a deep breath, then leaned back and held her at arms' length. For an moment, all he did was gaze at her with those uncanny golden eyes. Finally, he uttered a quiet sigh. "If there is anyone who needs to ask forgiveness, it's me," he murmured as the faint afternoon's breeze swept long red strands of his hair across his face and obscured his expression as he gazed stoically over her shoulder. Kaoru shook her head frantically and said, "No! Kenshin... don't... don't turn away from me!" He glanced up at her and said, "Kaoru, don't you understand? I was prepared to kill you, even though...." "Even though you... love me?" Even now, Kaoru remained a bit stunned about Kenshin's stark declaration. He nodded curtly, then added gently, "I wasn't bluffing, Kaoru." She closed her eyes and whispered, "I know. You see... if I was in your place... knowing the possible consequences... I think... I think I would have made the same decision, too." She took a deep breath. "I... I'd like to think that I would have been strong enough to do it." She gave him a guilty look and said with almost brutal honesty, "All this time I've been pretending that the killer known as the Hitokiri Battousai was someone else... a cold, ruthless stranger whom I looked down on and wanted nothing to do with. But I was wrong. It was really you, Himura Kenshin, making terribly hard decisions and carrying them out the best you knew how. Nothing more, nothing less." "Kaoru...?" he said in an almost disbelieving voice. She cleared her throat and whispered, "When you were arguing with Junichi, I couldn't help thinking.... Here I've been talking about and teaching how wrong it is to kill under any circumstances, but... but I suddenly realized that I had never *truly* been in a situation where I alone had to choose between taking a person's life or watch innocent people be destroyed...." Kaoru's words clogged in her throat. "So how could I have the nerve to feel disgusted and horrified by what you've done in your past, when I could have easily decided to do the very same thing, given the circumstances?" As Kenshin continued to stare at her, she stifled a sob. "I'm *so* sorry! I know I told you before that I understood why you did what you did during the Douran and all that, but... but I was lying to you, even if I didn't know it myself. Even though I knew you had reasons for killing, I really still didn't understand those reasons. I feel so stupid and naive! I never conceived of a situation where *I* would actually take another person's life! Not even at the Aoiya, when I faced Kamatari and the other Jupon Gatana!" "Until now?" She nodded jerkily. Kenshin shook his head slowly. As he gently brushed the gritty street dirt from her face with infinite care, he murmured, "No, Kaoru. You're wrong." "But...," Kaoru muttered in a despairing voice. "That's not stupidity, Kaoru. Just... inexperience." Kenshin briefly turned his golden-eyed gaze toward the canal, then added, "And I find your feelings toward the Battousai side of me quite understandable." Kaoru said stubbornly, "I should have known better. You see, before this, I had only caught glimpses... the briefest flashes of the Battousai... and always in the middle of a fight. I was so upset at when you were fighting Saitoh at the dojo, I really didn't pay attention to what I was really seeing. And with all those stories people kept telling me, especially in Kyoto, about the fearsome and deadly Battousai... somehow I built up this horribly wrong impression of some murderous, heartless killer...." "What changed your mind?" "Watching you talk with Junichi. It's the first chance I've had to really take a good look at the Battousai... to see and hear that side of you.... And... and I realized that... that the Kenshin that I...." Kaoru stared up at him, her eyes filling with tears. "That under all that fierce determination and relentless purpose, you were still the man... I love," she blurted out in a rush. "It's still Kenshin, only just a different side... facet... whatever. Like a mask you wear, not because you want to, but because you *have* to in order to do what you feel is right. But underneath it all, it's still you! But I feel like such an idiot because it took me so long to figure it out! All this wasted time and who knows...." A faint smile curved Kenshin's lips as he put a hand on her cheek. "Kaoru, if it took me over ten years to figure out basically the same thing, you're certainly no idiot." As she blinked in confusion, Kenshin said quietly, "I've spent so much time and energy trying to separate myself from the feared Hitokiri Battousai of Kyoto. And in a way, it worked... until now. Because now, everything's changed. I can't fight myself and the demon at the same time... and we can't afford to let the Love-Eater win. Even a stalemate is not acceptable. Every moment that monstrosity exists, it grows in strength." She looked down at her lap and murmured, "So you've accepted the past...." "I have to use all the weapons I possess in this battle, Kaoru." "No... I didn't mean it like that. I understand why you chosen to revert back to the mindset of the Battousai. It's just that...." She tried to smile, but it quickly faded. "I know it's selfish of me, but I can't help wondering... why *you*?" Keshin's reply was simple and stark. "Because I can. Because I have both strength and the skill. And because except perhaps for Saitoh, no one else can. I've chosen to act to protect you and others. I made that decision when I was thirteen, when I refused to stay with Hiko and do nothing while the country was tearing itself apart. I don't regret that decision at all, although I often regret the methods I used to carry it out." Kenshin's gaze turned strangely distant. "It's odd, but I'm almost beginning to understand why Saitoh acts like he does. Sometimes, you need someone different who can do things that others cannot.... Someone who stands on the outside, but doesn't belong...." "Kenshin?" When he noticed Kaoru's worried look, Kenshin shook his head sharply and said, "Never mind. We have to figure out what to do about Junichi...." There was a moment of silence, then Kaoru blinked and yelped, "Junichi? Don't worry about *me*! Shouldn't you be going after Aoshi! He has the cursed sword now! You know he's going to use it to free the demon!" The intimacy between them broken, Kenshin said flatly, "Yes, I know. But I've been informed that it's necessary that he succeed." Kaoru stared at him as if he was stark raving mad. "You... you WANT him to succeed!?" Kenshin's only response was a grim nod. "Are you sure!? Who told you this!? How on earth can you know they can be trusted!?" Thinking of that sense of a familiar heartbeat and what his newly awakened senses had revealed to him, Kenshin said slowly, "I don't like the idea any more than you do, but my... instincts... are telling me that this is the right way... the only way to truly defeat this demon." "Instincts?" "That's right." Kenshin scooped up Kaoru and easily rose to his feet. "But the most important thing at the moment is to get you to a safe place." He carefully slung her over his left shoulder, leaving his swordarm free. As Kenshin started for the Aoiya, he paused a moment to pick up Aoshi's discarded kodachi before continuing on his way. Throughout her entire conversation, Junichi had been extremely subdued, as if he was almost afraid to remind Kenshin of his presence. Curious, Kaoru said tentatively, "Kenshin... can I ask you something?" "Yes?" "Um... what exactly did you do to Junichi?" With her head hanging down Kenshin's back, she couldn't see the slight, chilling smile that briefly appeared on his face. ----------------------------------- ----------------------------------- ----------------------------------- ----------------------------------- At the Aoiya, they found Risako Takagi calmly waiting for them. When Saitoh dumped the squirming Misao at Risako's feet, she gave the disheveled ninja girl a faintly dubious look, then said to her father, "What exactly do you want me to do with her, Saitoh?" He shrugged and pointed behind him. With an air of very mild exasperation -- mild for Saitoh, that was -- he said, "Why don't you ask HER? She's the one who wants to keep Shinomori in one piece." Risako glanced at her mother and got only a placid smile in return. With a resigned sigh that seemed to match Saitoh's mood, Risako said to Tokio, "You're a hopeless romantic." Tokio's smile widened a bit and developed a slightly mischievous quirk as she serenely fanned herself with one of her razor-edged warfans. Suddenly, the front door to the Aoiya slammed open without warning. Although Tokio, Risako and Saitoh seemed completely unsurprised, everyone else jumped as Kenshin stalked into the front hallway and gave everyone a cool, golden-eyed stare. In one hand, he carried two bare and bloodied kodachi, while with the other hand, he securely held the struggling body of a young woman -- bound hand and foot -- slung over his right shoulder. "Kenshin!" Yahiko shouted. "What the hell...!?" Sano yelled at the same time. However, Misao couldn't get any words out as she stared in horror at the two familiar kodachi held almost carelessly in Kenshin's left hand. As she was imagining the very worst, the squirming woman spoke up in a voice filled with a mixture of relief, happiness, and a definite air of embarrassment. "Hello. I'm back... sort of." "KAORU!" everyone shouted joyously. Misao was just as happy as Sano and Yahiko to see Kaoru back and alive, but she also knew what the two kodachi signified. "Is... is Aoshi...?" she stammered. Kenshin's expression softened slightly as he dropped the bloody blades to the floor. "He's still alive, Misao." "Then what are you doing with...?" "He didn't need them anymore. Aoshi now has Kinslayer." "What!?" Sano shouted. "How did he get his hands on that damned sword?" Kenshin said coolly. "I let him have it." "WHAT!?!?" shrieked half the people in the room in unison. Sano shouted, "Kenshin, are you CRAZY!? Do you realize what the demon's going to do with that sword!?" "Yes." "And you let him have it!?" yelled Yahiko in sheer disbelief. "It was necessary." However, it was clear that Kenshin wasn't particularly happy about the situation. "Who the hell told you that!?" An decidedly odd expression appeared on Kenshin's face. "You could say... a bird told me." While Sano looked like he was about to have a stroke, Yahiko blinked, then said slowly, "A bird.... You wouldn't be talking about a big, black raven, would you?" He then gave Saitoh a thoughtful look. Kenshin gave the boy a startled glance, then nodded sharply. Saitoh chuckled wickedly and said with a satisfied smirk on his lean face, "I see that you've finally stopped lying to yourself." Still holding Kaoru on his shoulder, Kenshin glared at Saitoh. In a terse voice, he snapped, "I didn't have a choice. It was necessary. That doesn't mean I enjoy it, Saitoh." "I don't care if you like it or not, as long as you just do what you have to. But it would have been much easier for everyone if you had just accepted your true nature at the very beginning instead of trying to pretend to be something you're not." To Sano's and Yahiko's stunned surprise, Kenshin abruptly leaned toward Saitoh and uttered a low, snarling hiss of aggravation. Saitoh instantly bared his teeth and retorted with a vicious, feral growl of his own. ----------------------------------- ----------------------------------- ----------------------------------- ----------------------------------- As the old priest Shimizu waited serenely by the sacred stone, his younger companion Kano stared worriedly at the dark swirly clouds overhead that filled the sky. The junior priest could tell that something dire was approaching. He peered around the deserted temple grounds. As a precaution, the people seeking refuge from the dark spirits haunting Kyoto had been sent to another, hopefully safer location. However, he was unsure that there existed any sanctuary from the shadows that hovered over the countryside like an unspeakable plague. He flinched as the wind began to howl, bringing with it the reek of decaying corpses. The elderly priest turned his attention at the head of the long flight of stairs which led up to the temple grounds and say softly, "It's coming." Kano shifted uneasily and asked worriedly, "What does *it* want?" "The sacred stone." The old man pointed his staff at an ordinary-looking, moss-encrusted gray boulder that protruded about waist high from a carefully raked sea of sand. "What should we do?" "For now, wait." "Then what?" "Then we must seek to frustrate its ultimate purpose any way we can. Go now." The old man's words were a gentle, but unmistakable command. "But...!" "I appreciate your concern, but you can do nothing to help me and your presence may complicate matters. Best you leave now. And do not look back." Seeing the unshakable resolve in the elderly priest's face, Kano reluctantly gave Shimazu a profound bow of respect and quickly departed. The old man sighed quietly, then turned to await his opponent. A few minutes later, he saw a very familiar figure stalking up the stairs toward him. Shimazu frowned slightly as he recognized the young man who had spent so much time mediating at this very temple recently. "Shinomori-san." Reaching the top of the steps, Aoshi Shinomori lifted the black katana he held and pointed it directly at the priest. "You know what I'm here for, " he stated in a cold, flat voice. "Yes." "I thought that I might have to dig you out of your hiding hole, old man." Shimazu calmly, "I swore an oath to protect this holy place. I will not abandon my duty so easily." Aoshi gave him a dark, soulless stare. "Your cooperation will not make your death any easier, priest." The old man calmly said, "No matter what the outward guise may be, the hand and the will that wields that sword is not Shinomori Aoshi's. Nor are the words his. So cease this useless masquerade, demon." For the first time in the encounter, Aoshi's face showed any emotion. He gave Shimazu a malevolent, soulless smile. In a cruel, purring voice, he said, "So you can tell the difference." Shimazu shrugged slightly. "No difficult task, telling the difference between a honorable man and an evil entity like you." Observing the demon's quick glance around the temple grounds, Shimazu serenely added, "I am the only one here. There is no one else to feed to that cursed blade of yours." The demon smiled hungrily and said, "A pity. The more blood, the better." "Yes, I know." In a much sterner voice, Shimazu said, "What have you done to Shinomori-san?" "What makes you think I've done anything to him?" the demon said in a mocking tone. "For all you know, he could have happily bargained away his soul." "Grief and pain may have briefly led him astray, but Shinomori Aoshi would never become a willing servant to an unholy creature like yourself," the priest with quiet confidence. "If you hold him, it is by force, trickery, or both." "Whatever the means, Shinomori now serves my will, my purpose. And I'm here to put him to good use." "His body may serve, but his heart and soul do not." "Perhaps, but that won't stop him from killing you as slowly and as painfully as possible, priest," the demon said with malicious satisfaction. "So it really doesn't matter, does it?" "On the contrary, it matters a great deal." Shimazu gazed deeply into Aoshi's dark, seemingly empty eyes, as if searching for something. It appeared that the old man found what he was looking for because he suddenly smiled and said gently, "Aoshi, deny your own heart no longer. Accept it and take strength from it. Remember the people who love you and do not surrender to despair. My only regret in this is that I did not have the opportunity to know you better." The priest paused, then nodded slightly as if in acknowledgement. Shimazu shifted his glance slightly. When he next spoke, it was clear that the priest was now addressing the demon. In a calm, resolute voice, "I will not permit you to despoil this holy place." "You cannot stop me, you fool. But feel free to try," taunted the demon as Aoshi, helpless to stop himself, lifted the black sword and advanced toward his intended victim. ----------------------------------- Blood.... So... much... blood.... He could see it... smell it. He could feel it against his skin and taste it on his tongue. The blood seemed to seep into his mind, staining Aoshi's every thought. The demon had taken the time to intimately acquaint its unwilling host with the atrocity that he had just committed. During the seemingly endless hour it took for the old priest to die, Aoshi had been forced to watch every agonizing moment, helpless to stop his own actions or even look away from the carnage the Love-Eater created with *his* hands. (I'm so sorry, Shimazu-san. I never had the chance to thank you for giving me sanctuary as I struggled to make peace with myself, and for your many kindnesses to Misao....) As Aoshi stood before the blood-drenched wreckage of the sacred stone and stared down at the shredded corpse of the old priest, he wondered if he would ever be clean enough to hold or even touch Misao again. Shimazu had been the demon's latest victim this night, but not the first. Nor would the priest be the last. Their screams would be certain to haunt him for the rest of his life. Escape from this living hell would be so simple. All he had to do was give up. He could allow the blood to drag him under, down into a cold, mind-numbing darkness. He could slide into oblivion, where the pain of others could not reach him... a place where honor, conscience, and guilt meant nothing. A place where love meant less than nothing.... (And that's exactly what you want me to do, isn't it? That's why you're making your victims suffer so much. You took me by surprise the first time, but not this time. Now I see through your schemes, demon. No matter what you do, I won't be broken so easily.) But no matter what torments the demon inflicted on him, better that he suffer than Misao. The narrowness of Misao's escape from the Love-Eater's trap still made him feel a chill of horror. If she hadn't been so strong.... If she hadn't understood him so well.... (Knowing Misao, she won't stand by and do nothing. She'll be right in the midst of any plan to destroy the Love-Eater....) And if possible, rescue him. The possibility of Misao saving *him* was far from ridiculous. Aoshi found the idea not only plausible, but oddly reassuring. The last few days had shown him the true measure of Misao's determination. The potential had always been there -- he had sensed it even when she was a baby learning to crawl and walk -- but now, in the last year, Misao's true strength was being revealed. Like a lump of raw metal seared in the furnace and pounded under the swordsmith's hammer, every loss, every setback, every obstacle only made her stronger. Given the choice between his life or destroying the demon threatened to transform their entire world into a hellish kingdom, Aoshi now knew he could trust Misao to make the right decision. (Duty and honor. That is the way of the Oniwabanshuu.) But if Misao had the opportunity to set him free, he owed it to her to give her something worth saving. (When you come for me, I will be waiting for you, Misao.) ----------------------------------- The Love-Eater glared at the old man's broken body in frustration. It had hoped to feed off the priest's fear and and sense of betrayal, but the old man had gone serenely and unflinchingly to his death. Angrily, it tossed the mutilated corpse unto the rubble that remained of the shattered holy stone. It would have to do. The first seal had been broken, but many more remained. Some of the seals were only accessible during specific times of the year or under certain phases of the moon. It would be possible to destroy all the seals within the two days before Bon, but just barely. The Hunter had been annoyingly correct in its assessment of the demon's situation. If it didn't succeed within the next two days, it would take over another century before the circumstances were just right. Not only was it short on time, but also on energy. It had taken more effort than the demon expected to subdue Shinomori and entangle him in the dark dream of guilt and despair. In fact, it had taken so much concentration, it had allowed Junichi to slip free of its control. As a consequence, the fool had nearly allowed Kinslayer to fall into the Battousai's hands. Minobe would pay dearly for that mistake. The situation was even worse now. Shinomori was now aware of its schemes -- no thanks to the Hunter and Saitoh's bitch of a wife! -- and was now struggling to free himself. Keeping Shinomori confined was proving to be a substantial and unexpected drain on its power. The meager amount of energy it harvested from the old priest's death wasn't nearly enough to make up for the effort required to compel Shinomori's obedience. It had been certain that committing bloody atrocities would break Shinomori's will to resist, but that tactic wasn't working quickly enough. And instead of weakening Shinomori's resolve, the old priest only seemed to strengthen it with his parting words. The demon hadn't expected either the Battousai or Shinomori to be so difficult to handle. And who would have thought that a scrawny snip of a ninja girl would have the ability to see through its schemes and lies? Those three had failed to react in the predictable way, displaying an inner strength that left the demon baffled. It didn't like the feeling at all. For a brief instant, it wondered if dealing with that idiot Minobe had made it overly complacent before brushing the thought aside. Instead, the demon gritted its teeth in barely surpressed fury. While it was forced to deal with an unwilling host and a fast approaching deadline, the Hunter had no such problems and took great pleasure in rubbing the demon's nose in that fact. As much as it wanted to torment and break Aoshi Shinomori for good, it didn't have the time to waste. It needed another way, something to keep Shinomori occupied and unable to contest its control of his body, so it concentrate on more important matters. Then it smiled in malicious satisfaction. "Yes... that should take care of you nicely, Shinomori." ----------------------------------- Aoshi was very much aware of the demon's growing frustration and rage at its inability to quickly break what it considered a puny human to its will. Like scrabbling claws, he could feel the insistant probing as the Love-Eater searched his mind for weak spots to exploit. When he heard the demon's ominous whisper, Aoshi braced himself, but was unprepared for the sudden painful wretching sensation as a flare of dark, malignant power drove him from consciousness. Some time later, Aoshi slowly opened his eyes and found himself staring up at an unearthly blood red sky. (What? Where am I?) He sat up and gazed warily at his surroundings. All was still and quiet. For a brief, horrified moment, he thought that he had awoken in some bleak, hellish future -- one in which everyone he had known and cared for no longer existed. A place where only demons reigned.... Aoshi forced his racing mind to calm down and took another hard look at his surroundings. He then realized that every individual thing he saw was familiar... and yet he knew that in reality, such a place could not exist, because the things that surrounded him belonged to very different places and even different time periods. There was a tree that he used to climb as a very young child... but that tree had been destroyed in a thunderstorm many years ago. Patches of lush forest sat directly adjacent with the interior rooms of expensive homes he had visited. That little Kyoto food shop, one of Misao's favorites, stood only a few yards away, squatting uneasily between an Edo whorehouse and the front porch of a small inn that rightfully resided many miles south of Osaka. But it was just the front porch and nothing else. Perhaps that was because he had never entered the inn itself. It was as if someone had taken all his memories, shaken them together, then carelessly scattered them all over the landscape to create a mad patchwork maze of a world. Then the truth gradually dawned on Aoshi. That was *exactly* what all these things were... his own memories given form and substance. He was still trapped within his own mind, now transformed into a confusing and ominous dreamscape. And looming above this ominous dream land stood a darkly glowing replica of Edo Castle. Staring at the fortress, Aoshi wondered, (What is your game now, demon? What sort of vicious game are you up to this time?) Almost in response, the main gates of the castle burst open, releasing a pack of black, shadowy beasts onto the dream city below. He recognized them immediately. These too came from his own mind. They were beasts, spun from his darkest emotions and most painful memories... Guilt, hatred, shame, fear, betrayal, jealousy, rage... parts of himself that he tried to deny for the sake of necessity, or in some cases, the preservation of his own sanity. And now the Love-Eater's power had set them free so they could hunt him down, consume him, and ultimately destroy him. ----------------------------------- Aoshi stealthily made his way through the alleyways of the impossible dream world. He heard the flap of approaching wings and quickly flattened himself against a building. As he listened to the cries of frustration as the shadow beast angrily seached for its prey, he knew that the grim game of hide-and-seek could not go on forever. While his pursuers seemed to have difficulty tracking him through the cluttered and random dreamscape, eventually the creatures would find him. Since everything in this strange disjointed place was created from his memory, every location and every item had the potential to trigger an overwhelming cascade of memories which could leave him dangerously vulnerable. It became a constant struggle to keep himself alert and focused. Most of the memories were harmless enough -- recollections of long forgotten meals, snatches of casual conversations, and many of the little inconsequental things of life. But other memories were strong enough to leave him gasping and barely able to stand -- the first time he felt another person's blood pouring over his hand and splattering his face as he sliced their guts open, the searing moments of pain and betrayal.... And there were the dirty memories... the unspeakable ones.... But perhaps most dangerous of all were the good memories. It was all too easy to lose himself in those moments of happiness and contentment, however brief. But he was oddly unsurprised to realize that those memories usually involved Misao in some fashion. (Even as a child, she meant so much to me. And now....) As he pressed himself back against the weathered boards of a warehouse and waited for the aerial hunter to pass, Aoshi struggled to control the memories of some nameless young woman whom he had tracked down and killed in that very building in Osaka over a decade ago. ----------------------------------- Evading yet another pursuer, Aoshi flung open a door, stepped inside, then froze as he found himself standing in a familiar ballroom of a familiar mansion. Kanryuu's mansion.... The place where Hannya and the others had sacrificed their lives to save his. Unprepared for this discovery, Aoshi immediately tried to turn away, to leave this hateful place, but it was too late. He staggered as he struggled to stop the flood of memories, but there was no escape. Again, he heard the deadly roar of the Gatling gun, the thud of bullets striking flesh... and he could do nothing to stop his men from dying all over again. .... blood splatters on marble tiles.... .... blind unseeing eyes.... .... the reek of burnt gunpowder.... .... and four men who would never move again.... As Kanyruu's maniacal laughter echoed in his ears, he choked out, "No... more!" A distant part of his mind screamed that it was a trap... and he was losing. And even as Aoshi struggled to fight his way free of those terrible memories, one of the shadowy pursuers smashed through the walls and found him. The next thing he knew was that he was on the floor, desperately trying to keep the beast's malformed head and dripping fangs away from his throat. A hard kick sent the beast flying over his shoulder, only to be replaced by two more. Crushed beneath their weight and the foul stench clinging to their slimy bodies, Aoshi found himself perilously close to unconsciousness. ----------------------------------- ----------------------------------- ******************** Author's Notes ******************** -------------------------------------------- madamhydra@aol.com /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/:E http://www.madamhydra.net/ -------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== 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. ======================================================================