[KFFDisc] That Which Lingers - Part 19 (revised draft)

Oh dear.  I've just realized that I'm an evil, EVIL person.

You guys are probably going to kill me for what I've done....

^_^;;;;

In this revision, I've moved some of the scenes in Part 20 into this
part in order to simplify the time line the best I can.

---------------
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!   ^_^

======================================================================
    THAT WHICH LINGERS:  A Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic by MadamHydra
======================================================================
        Part 19: TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART
======================================================================

---------------
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.

---------------
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) ]

-----------------------------------

    The storm clouds that hovered over Kyoto blocked all hint of
sunlight, plunging the beleaguered city and the surrounding area into
a perpetual sort of dusk.

    The ghosts continued to walk the streets, no longer mere misty
apparitions, but tangible beings which could touch... and kill.
Buildings destroyed long ago during the Bakamatsu suddenly reappeared.
 The number of inexplicable, but ominous events steadily grew as
family altars collapsed, shrines burst into flames, temple bells
cracked, holy trees withered....

    Kyoto was slowly drowning in an unholy darkness.

-----------------------------------

    As Misao rejoined him after her private talk with Takagi Asuko,
Aoshi noticed the slightly dazed look in Misao's eyes and the short,
sheathed blade in her hand.  She didn't say anything immediately, but
soon after leaving the Takagi compound, she mumbled, "I had the
weirdest conversation...."  She glanced at Aoshi and suddenly asked,
"Is my throwing form sloppy?"

    Aoshi raised an eyebrow at the odd question.  "Why do you ask?"
 
    "It had to do with something Asuko said....  Well, what do you
think?"
 
    He was silent for a moment, then answered indirectly.  "There's
some room for improvement."
 
    She scowled and muttered, "That bad, huh?"
 
    "I didn't say that."
 
    "No, but that's what you meant, right?"
 
    "You know how to use your kunai competently, but...."
 
    "....but I could do better."
 
    "Yes."
 
    She exhaled heavily and said, "Oh hell.  That's exactly what the
old woman said, although she wasn't nearly so nice about it.  She told
me that I needed a lot more training with my throwing knives."
 
    Aoshi mentally filed away this interesting tidbit of information
for future reference.  Glancing at the short, sheathed tanto
carelessly shoved in Misao's sash, he asked calmly, "It seems you had
an interesting conversation with Takagi Asuko."

    "You have no idea."  Misao held up the blade and said, "And she
gave me this."  She handed it to Aoshi, who examined the long, silvery
tanto carefully before returning it to her.

    "It's an exceptionally fine weapon.  Do you know why she gave it
to you?"
 
    "She said that throwing knives are fine and all that, but that I
needed to have a more serious weapon for hand-to-hand fighting.  Just
in case."  Misao gave the blade an uncertain look.

    They continued walking in silence for a few minutes, then Aoshi
said quietly, "She has a point, in view of what's been happening
recently."

    "I know but...."

    "If this was the Bakamatsu, there would be no question of you
carrying such a weapon," he added.  He didn't bother asking Misao if
she knew how to use it.   Both he and Hanya had taught her the basics
of using a blade and Aoshi doubted that Misao had forgotten any of her
lessons.   She might not be an expert like some of the other female
Oniwabanshuu, but he knew she had the ability to use the tanto if
necessary.

    Misao was also recalling those lessons of long ago... she could
just picture Hanya patiently teaching her how to hold a blade as Aoshi
quietly sat in the background, watching her.  Thoughts of Hanya
reminded her that there was something that she had wanted to ask
Aoshi, but it took her some time to gather up her courage.

    They were well outside the city before she finally said, "Aoshi?"

 
    "Yes?"
 
    "That clearing outside of Tokyo, where I nearly killed... where we
fought... the place with the four headstones... is that where...?"
 
    "Yes.  The resting place of Hanya and the others."
 
    "Um...."  Several minutes passed before she continued.  "I've been
meaning to ask you for a while but... back in Tokyo, when Saitoh asked
you how you knew about Kinslayer and its ability to possess people.
You said 'Han...', then suddenly changed your mind."

    Aoshi glanced at her.  Was she imagining things or was he looking
uneasy?
 
    She tried to figure out a way to avoid sounding like an idiot or a
lunatic, but finally gave up.  Misao took a deep breath and said, "Did
you mean to say... Hanya?  That it was Hanya who told you?"
 
    At first she thought he wasn't going to answer, then he halted and
stared at the surrounding forest.

    Misao gently touched his arm.  She could feel the tenseness of his
muscles as she whispered, "It was, wasn't it?  Somehow... Hanya told
you what was going on, didn't he?"
 
    Aoshi said quietly, "Yes, it was."  He slowly turned to face her.
But instead of disbelief or sorrow on her face, Misao was smiling.
Wistfully, perhaps, but she was definitely smiling.  Her next words
gave him quite a shock.

    "He's still looking out for us.  Like he's always done."
 
    "What do you mean by... 'us'?"
 
    She blinked quickly to keep her tears from flowing and said, "You
see, I've seen him too."
 
    As he stared blankly at her, Misao turned to look up through the
leafy canopy at the dark, cloud-choked sky.

    "It was during the battle at the Aoiya, when Kamatari, Henya, and
that really fat guy attacked us.  Kamatari got in a really good hit
and knocked me onto the roof over the front door."
 
    Aoshi's thoughts flashed back to that night after his return from
Shishio's stronghold.  He had been so wrapped up in his own thoughts
at that time -- trying to deal with the pain of having his private
world of lies and self-deception so utterly shattered by Himura --
that he had not paid much attention to anything else.  But now he
remembered....

    (She was really hurt.  The stiffness in her movements... the times
when she could barely catch her breath....  How could I've been so
selfish not to notice her pain?)

    "I was nearly unconscious when I heard someone calling my name."
She hesitated, then whispered, "I couldn't believe it.  It was Hanya.
He told me....  He told me...."  She turned to him, her beautiful blue
eyes suspiciously bright with unshed tears.
 
    "He told me that you were coming back.  That Himura had kept his
promise and that you were coming back to us... to me!  And when I
heard that, I knew I couldn't simply lie there and give up.  I
couldn't let Shishio and his band of hoodlums win.  How could I let
Kaoru die when Himura had kept his promise to me?"

    Her corners of her mouth turned down and her eyes darkened.  "I
owe him so much and now... now because of me, Kenshin could lose
everything he's fought and suffered for... Kaoru, his life, his very
soul!"  She grabbed at Aoshi's trenchcoat.

    "It's just not FAIR!!!" she wailed and buried her face against his
chest.
 
    As Misao quietly sobbed into his shirt, Aoshi mutely stared down
at her fine black hair.  Almost involuntarily, he lifted a hand and
stroked her head ever so gently.  It was the briefest of gestures, one
that the emotionally overwrought girl probably did not even notice.

    He silently gazed down at the hand he had brushed against her
head.  As he stared at a long silky strand of hair clinging delicately
to his black fingerless glove, he came to an uncomfortable and
terrifying realization.

    He loved her.

    It wasn't an entirely new emotion.  The feeling had been around
for some time, ignored and unnoticed, rather like a dormant seed lying
in cold, dry barren earth.  But Misao... Misao had somehow brought
that seed... that feeling... to life.

    Perhaps it was the fact that she was crying, not for her own
suffering and pain, but rather for her friends.  Perhaps it was simply
her personality -- the warmth, the openness, the playfulness, the
sheer joy in living -- that was so different from his own.

    Aoshi had never considered himself as a poetic or romantic person,
but in that moment, he couldn't help thinking of Misao as the warm,
gentle rain which nourished his barren soul... then he ruefully
remembered all the mischief and trouble she managed to get herself
into.

    She was unpredictable, yet loyal... gentle, yet fierce...
impulsive, yet determined... she was impossible to categorize.

    (She's just... Misao.)
 
    Looking down at her, he thought, (This is what I fought for, back
in that clearing.  Not so much for her life, but for what... for
everything she is.  Now I truly understand what Hanya was talking
about.  If I had failed... if I had permitted Misao to kill me, it
would have destroyed her.  Her body might have survived, but the real
Misao would have been gone... forever.)

    And he found THAT possibility unbearable.
 
-----------------------------------

    While Aoshi was absorbed with his own thoughts, Misao's sobs were
gradually fading into sniffles.  She eventually realized that she had
thoroughly soaked Aoshi's shirt with her tears.  Misao hastily blew
her nose on the sash of her Oniwabanshuu outfit, then tilted her head
up to sneak a quick peek at him.  She found him watching her with a
slight frown on his face.  Misao felt her cheeks heat up with
embarrassment.

    (Oh god, what must he be thinking...?)

    With a final sniffle, she muttered, "I'm sorry.  I don't know
what's wrong with me.  I never used to be such a crybaby."

    She groped again for her sash as she felt her nose starting to
run.  Aoshi somehow produced a handkerchief, which she accepted
gratefully.  When she was through blowing her nose, he quietly said,
"It's quite understandable.  You've been through some very traumatic
experiences these last few days, Misao.  And it's never easy to
confront the darkness within oneself.  I know that from personal
experience."

    "But it's so very ugly," she mumbled despairingly.
 
    "It always is.  Most people never have to face such unpleasant
truths about themselves.  Unfortunately, you were not so lucky.  But
it's what you do with that knowledge that's important.  You can let
the darkness and all the things that come along with it -- guilt,
rage, hatred -- consume you.  Or you can accept the fact it exists,
then gather the inner strength to forge your own path."

    Misao said quietly, "Is that what you were doing all that time at
the temple, after you came back from Shishio's stronghold?"

    "Yes.  I suspect Himura did much the same thing during his time as
a rurouni."

    "But how do you know which path to take?" she cried in
frustration.

    "There are no right or wrong answers.  Some people reject that
inner darkness like Himura has done.  Others like Saitoh have made
their own sort of peace with the darkness within and are able to use
it to their own advantage."
 
    "And what about you?"
 
    He glanced at the dimly lit forest and quietly said, "I'm not
entirely sure yet."
 
    "But if you and Himura have so much trouble handling it, how on
earth am I supposed to!?" she moaned, her shoulders sagging in a
hopeless gesture.

    But to her surprise, a warm hand gently nudged her chin upward.
As she stared up at Aoshi in astonishment, he said firmly, "Don't give
up now, Misao.  You have the strength to deal with this.  Don't let
that cursed sword win after all you've been through.  Don't allow
despair to destroy what you are."

    "What I... am?"
 
    "The girl... no, the young woman that everyone cares about --
Okina, Hanya, Himura, Kaoru, the other Oniwabanshuu... all of them."

    A tentative smile appeared on her face, but an almost desperate
question lurked in her eyes.

    (But what about you, Aoshi?)
 
    He knew what she was silently asking.  He knew what she was hoping
for.  However, an entire lifetime of training and restraint could not
be so easily overcome.  He simply couldn't bring himself to say the
words she wanted so badly to hear.

    But she got her answer anyway, as Aoshi's fingers brushed her
cheek in a fleeting, but infinitely tender caress.

    She quickly lifted her own hand and grasped his fingers before he
could pull away.  They stared at each other for a long moment as she
rested her head against his palm.

    (One simple thing....  When I saw Saitoh and Tokio, I wondered how
a mere touch could mean so much.  Now I know.  One simple thing
between you and me....)  Misao closed her eyes and uttered a long,
happy sigh.

    Aoshi felt her breath against his wrist, a faint tickle like the
touch of a butterfly.  He knew he would remember this moment forever.

    ....the scent of her hair, the softness of her skin, the steady
beat of her heart....

    They stood together for a brief, yet timeless instant in the dimly
lit forest.  But the quiet magic of the moment soon faded as they both
recalled the dangers that still lay before them and the terrible
darkness that threatened to consume their entire world.
 
    As one, they each released the other's hand and turned to head
deeper into the now silent forest.  They were Oniwabanshuu and they
had a mission to perform.

-----------------------------------

    At the Minobe house, Saitoh, Kenshin and their companions waited
with varying degrees of patience for Minobe Emi to speak to them.
Kenshin and Tokio both appeared perfectly content to wait as long as
necessary.  Saitoh merely looked bored as Sano paced impatiently and
Yahiko nervously rapped his shinai on the floor.

    Finally, a door slid open at the opposite end of the room and an
old woman entered.  According to Saitoh's information, Minobe Emi was
no more than 65 years old, but she seemed positively ancient.
Everything about her seemed to shout neglect and decay.  She was a
shocking contrast to Takagi Asuko, a woman who was well into her
nineties, but infinitely more alive and alert than this tired,
half-senile old woman who was the last living member of the Minobe
family.

    She sat down clumsily and snapped in a querulous voice, "Well,
what do you want?"

    Saitoh gave the woman a malicious little smile.  "We're here to
ask you some questions about one of your family treasures which
appears to have gone missing.  A sword called Kinslayer."

    She rudely interrupted him.  "What of it?  Why are you pestering
an old woman with these questions?" she muttered in a hostile,
defensive voice.
 
    Kenshin quietly said, "Why did you give that sword to your nephew
Junichi?"
 
    The old woman turned an alarming shade of red.  For an instant,
Sano was afraid that the woman was about to have a massive stroke and
drop dead at their feet.  Spittle flew as Emi suddenly cackled with
wild laughter.  Jabbing a bony finger directly at Kenshin, she
shrieked, "For YOU of all people to ask that question!  Why!?  You're
why!  I gave Kinslayer to that fool boy in order to get revenge
against the famed Hitokiri Battousai!"
 
    She didn't give Kenshin the chance to say anything as she burst
into a disjointed tirade.  "You destroyed my entire family during the
Bakamatsu no Douran!  My brother, my husband,... both of my sons!  All
of them, dead by your hand!  You left me with nothing except a fool of
a nephew and a brainless twit of a niece!  All my hopes and dreams,
gone in a few strokes of your bloody blade!"

    The old woman gulped frantically for air, then continued.  "But
you'll pay.  Oh, how you will pay.  Just as I have lost everything
that mattered to me, so will you!"

    As she giggled triumphantly, Kenshin said harshly, "When you gave
Kinslayer to your nephew Junichi, did you have any idea what would
happen?"

    A vicious look of malice appeared on the old woman's face.  "I
wasn't sure the exact form the revenge would take, but I knew it would
be something terrible.  Even at his best, Junichi could not hope to
defeat the Battousai.  Then I remembered the sword.  I read the old
legends about Kinslayer and its unholy powers.  After all these
centuries of being locked away, the blade was dormant, its spirit
trapped in slumber, but I knew that that hatred could bring the blade
back to life.  And while Junichi was an useless boy, he was very, very
good at hating people.  So I gave him the sword and told him that if
he wanted his revenge badly enough, the sword would eventually give
him the power to do so."

    The red-haired swordsman's voice was sharp as he said, "Your plan
worked too well.  Do you know that because of that sword, your niece
Junko destroyed the man she loved and his entire family, then she
committed suicide?  And that was just the beginning of the carnage and
misery that blade's caused.  Do you know how many people have already
died because of that cursed sword?  How much suffering it has already
caused?  All this for revenge against a single man?"

    Emi seemed totally unmoved by her niece's unfortunate fate.  "Do
you think I care?  The entire world can fall into the abyss of hell
itself, just as long as you pay for your sins against me!"

    She leaned forward and shrieked, "YOU KILLED MY FAMILY!!!"

    Kenshin's eyes abruptly narrowed.  His reply was both savage and
terrifyingly cold.

    "THEY WERE IN MY WAY."

    Yahiko's eyes widened in shock at Kenshin's blunt and brutal
response.  He glanced quickly at Sano and could see the look of dismay
on the fighter's face.  Sitting behind Kenshin, they couldn't see the
expression on their friend's face, but it was apparently intimidating
enough to frighten the half-senile old woman into some sense of
caution.
 
    The starkness of Kenshin's words seemed to startle even Saitoh,
but he quickly recovered and smiled.  Sano caught the fleeting smirk
on the policeman's face and barely managed to keep himself from
jumping up and slugging the man.

    (You bastard!  Kenshin's slowly turning back into the Battousai
and you think it's funny!?  Or is that what you really wanted all
along?)

    Saitoh stared coolly at Emi and said in a bored voice, "So we now
know your part in all this and why both you and Junichi want revenge
on the Battousai.   But tell me, why is Junichi after me?"

    The old woman looked startled.  "What are you talking about?"

    "What's his reason -- or your reason -- for targeting me?"

    With a bewildered look on her withered face, she stammered, "But I
don't have any grudge against you.  And as far as I know, Junichi has
no reason to desire revenge against you!"

    Saitoh murmured, "Now isn't that interesting?  Then again, you
haven't seen Junichi for over a decade.  There's no telling what weird
ideas might have started festering in that half-witted brain of his."

-----------------------------------

    Because of an architectural quirk of the Minobe house, Kaoru could
clearly hear the entire conversation from several rooms away.  When
she heard Kenshin's last words, she knew that the Battousai was
winning.  Kaoru wanted to weep with despair.

    But she couldn't.  Instead, she could only sit helplessly by as
she heard herself utter a soft snarl of rage at Saitoh's contemptuous
comments.

-----------------------------------

    Back in the sitting room, Saitoh shrugged and said, "This is
pointless.  Your information on Kinslayer.  Where is it?"

    The old woman sneered at him, then recoiled nervously as the
former Shinsengumi stalked toward her with a predatory stride.

    "Where is it?" he repeated in the same cool, dangerous voice.

    "Wha... how dare you threaten an old woman!" she blustered.

    Saitoh gave her a bone-chilling smile.  "You lost any claim to
protection or consideration when you decided to use Kinslayer as the
instrument of your revenge, even though you were perfectly aware of
the havoc that cursed sword was capable of creating."

    Sano knew that Saitoh was not bluffing.  If the policeman thought
that Junichi's aunt had important information, the man would do
anything necessary to get it.  The fact that she was a nearly helpless
old woman certainly wasn't going to stop the ex-Shinsengumi.  Sano
turned to his friend and said, "Kenshin...."

    The red-haired swordsman rose to his feet and settled his
sakabatou in place.  But instead of objecting to Saitoh's actions,
Kenshin merely gave the old woman a stony stare, apparently content to
let Saitoh do what he considered necessary.

    "Kenshin...," Sano protested again.

    His friend turned slightly, and said a quiet, relentless voice,
"Over fifty people died in the streets last night, Sano.  Someone is
probably being murdered by these apparitions at this very moment.
We're running out of time.  She may have the answer to stopping the
carnage.  We need that information."

    "But she's just an old woman!" Yahiko protested.

    Without taking his eyes off the cringing old woman, Saitoh said,
"Is an old crone who kills by poison any less a murderer than a young
man who stabs someone in the street?  She is no less guilty."  He
flicked a quick glance in Kenshin's direction and apparently saw
something that satisfied him.

    The policeman watched with malicious amusement as Emi shivered in
fright, her eyes rapidly flicking back and forth between Kenshin and
Saitoh.  The policeman chuckled quietly before speaking.

    "After all that's happened to the Battousai recently, I don't
think he's in any mood to help you."

    Saitoh was quite correct.  At that moment, Kenshin had very little
mercy left in him and certainly not for his self-proclaimed enemy...
the woman whose crazed desire for vengeance threatened to destroy not
only Himura Kenshin himself, but also the woman he loved, the entire
city of Kyoto, and very possibly the entire country.

    The female house servant suddenly scurried into the room and
nervously wrung her hands.

    "Excuse me, Inspector Fujita?"

    Saitoh drawled irritably, "What is it now?"

    She hastily backed away from the doorway and allowed a young
policeman to enter.  He saluted sharply and handed Saitoh a note.

    "An urgent message, sir."
 
    Saitoh quickly scanned the contents and said, "Very well.  Wait
outside.  I'll be with you shortly."

    His gaze drifted back to Emi, his eyes even colder than before.
He said softly, "So you don't care if the whole world goes to hell as
long as you have your revenge for... what, four dead people?"  He
tapped the paper impatiently in his palm.  "Well, it seems that you
just might get your wish, you worthless old hag."

    Kenshin said sharply, "What's happened?"

    The policeman smiled sourly.  "Just what I expected.  Several
massacred families have been found in the area surrounding Kyoto.
They were torn to pieces."

    Saitoh turned again to look at Minobe Emi.  In his amber eyes, she
read her fate.  She was already a dead woman.  Perhaps not
immediately, not while she still had her uses, but she knew that
Saitoh had already marked her for execution.  He would return for her
soon enough.

    Emi's attention suddenly drawn to the unnamed woman who had
accompanied Saitoh and the Battousai.  She had initially ignored the
woman, but now Emi felt strangely chilled by the beautiful woman's
gaze.  Like a goddess sitting in judgment, the woman placidly watched
her, wholly unmoved by Emi's obvious fear and desperation.

    "Well?  Are you going to cooperate?" Saitoh said testily.

    Realizing that she was trapped, Minobe Emi lost her defiant pose.
Her shoulders sagging in defeat, the old woman slowly nodded.

    Saitoh glanced at Kenshin and said, "Well, do you think you can
handle her by yourself?"

    "Yes.  Where are you going?"
 
    Saitoh waved the message in the air.  "I need to investigate these
deaths.  It's just possible that these murders are unrelated to the
events in Kyoto."

    Sano snapped, "How likely is THAT!?"
 
    For once, the policeman seemed disinclined to tease the fighter.
He simply shrugged, then stalked out of the room.  Tokio silently
stood, gave Kenshin, Sano, and Yahiko a polite bow, then followed her
husband.

-----------------------------------

    As they left the Minobe house, Saitoh suddenly stopped, then
glanced back at the old building.

    Tokio said, "What's wrong, Hajime-san?"
 
    He scowled.  "I'm not sure.  But something about that house...."
He shook his head sharply, then glanced back at his wife.

    "If you don't need my company, I have a little more research to do
for grand-aunt Asuko," Tokio said.

    "Fine.  I'll see you this evening, then."
 
    She bowed, then watched as Saitoh collected the young policeman
who had been waiting for him.  After the two men disappeared around
the corner, Tokio headed in the opposite direction toward the Takagi
compound.

-----------------------------------

    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?"
 
    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.

-----------------------------------
(end of part 19)

**********************************************************************

Next part:   Keep repeating to yourself, "This is not a darkfic.  This
is NOT a darkfic."   =^_^=

--------------------------------------------
madamhydra@aol.com         /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/:E

http://www.oocities.org/~madamhydra/