"I had a tall, dark, handsome stranger,
I've had the devil in disguise.
I've been attracted to the danger,
But I was never satisfied.
And I know what I like,
And I like what I see in your eyes…
You're so beautiful."
- Tall, Dark, Handsome Stranger, Heart
If I owned Rurouni Kenshin, I'd be one rich little otaku. But I don't, and I'm not. Curses.
Jazzy: (SWEAT) I shouldn't be starting another ficcie, and I know this. But this plot bunny was attacking me, and I just couldn't kill it. Besides, I'm hoping this'll give me the inspiration I need to finish the next chappie of The Difference Between Love and Loathing. Here's hoping. Oh, and I'll take any flames for my grammar/spelling, but absolutely none for the pairings. You have been warned. This is a Saito/Misao with hints of Enishi/Kaoru. Well, here we go!
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Until the End of Never - Chapter One: Promise: Words With Power
Blue-green eyes studied the newest sacrifice intently from the concealing shadows of the forest. They silently noted the amount of controlled fear in the poor girl's stature, sorrowfully took in the way she clenched and unclenched her fists against the bonds that tied her to her fate. For it was painfully obvious to anyone who could see - the girl didn't want to die.
And die she would. No one had ever returned from the Dark Lord's castle. Once a maiden was chosen to be the next victim, she was promised certain death.
It had been this way for as long as anyone could remember. The monthly sacrifices were selected and taken up to that hideous, dark tomb of a castle without so much as a protest. The citizens knew that if they dared to speak against the monster - that disgusting, hideous vampire - he would tear them all apart without remorse. A creature such as he could not possibly know the meaning of pity.
When Misao was a child, she had been friends with many older girls. They used to braid her hair with flowers and tell her stories. Many of the stories were pure nonsense, and she hadn't believed any of them. When they told her the tale of the vampire, she hadn't believed that, either. It wasn't until her friends started disappearing one-by-one that she grew worried, and it wasn't until they were all gone that she knew what they told her had been true.
And now it was her best friend's turn. She wanted to run over to her, cut her loose from the ropes that bound her, and scream, "Please, not Kaoru! Take anyone else, just not Kaoru!", but something held her back. Her feet were glued fast to the spot despite her attempts to move. Perhaps it was terror keeping her there - perhaps it was something else.
Kaoru wore the same dress as the others, too. It was pure, untainted white, and was made of the finest fabric the village had to offer. Little beads of pearl were sewn into the neckline and gossamer veil, each one sparkling gently in the barely-visible light of dusk. The bodice of the dress was fitted, and it flared gently from Kaoru's hips in gleaming waves down to the ground. Her ebony hair was pulled up in a complicated knot, her lips had been painted a deep red, and rouge shone pink across her pale cheeks. She looked absolutely stunning.
And Misao hated it all.
Even though her feet refused to budge, her knees had no such problem. She hit the grass-covered ground with a strangled sob, unable to contain her grief any longer. She didn't want Kaoru to die, couldn't allow that revolting beast to have her - she was prepared to fight him if need be.
Kaoru's head turned abruptly, obviously startled by the sudden noise in the otherwise deathly-quiet forest. Her mouth dropped open and she gaped at her younger friend for a few seconds before she was able to speak. "M-Misao-chan? Misao-chan, you know you're not supposed to be here! The elder specifically told everyone to leave me alone until…until he came for me!" The desperation in her voice was nearly palpable as she ground out her next few words, "Go back to the village, Misao-chan! Leave, now!"
Misao shook her head wildly. "No way, Kaoru-chan! I-I can't j-just let him take you!" she angrily wiped at her tears and replaced her look of despair with one of determination. "I could untie you, and we could escape together!"
"No, Misao," Kaoru bit her lip worriedly. "I-I have to do this. If I don't, the village - "
"The village can go to Hell for all I care, Kaoru! You shouldn't have to die just so we can have another month of peace! It's just not…just not fair!" The weasel pushed herself from the ground and stomped a foot in rage. "I won't allow it!"
The blue-eyed girl looked away from her fuming friend. It took all of her self-control to keep herself from agreeing to flee with Misao. "…I'm sorry. This is something I must do, Misao-chan. Please, you have to understand - "
"NO! No, no, no! I don't want you to go, Kaoru!" she ran over to her friend, threw herself at the ropes that held her fast to the tree trunk, and began to attack them viciously. When her hands were rubbed raw and still the bonds refused to budge, she slumped againstKaoru in defeat. "…It's not fair," she choked out, hugging her tightly. "Why you? I-I never thought they'd ever dream of picking you - "
A brutal gust of wind suddenly tore through the area. It ripped across the clearing and slammed into the two girls, startling them into silence. Misao felt a rush of cold slide down her body; it stretched slowly from the crown of her head to the very tips of her toes. Dread settled in the pit of her stomach like deadweight, and fear spread like a disease down her spine. She shivered. It's him, he's here, he must be, the thought was one of pure fear. Abject terror forced her eyes to the ground. She couldn't look towards the sky, couldn't gaze upon him, the evil, tainted, monster…
But the pull was far too strong, the sudden, violent urge was too much for her to resist. Without realizing it, she had already turned to stare up at him, and a scream had already started to form in her throat. There was no other way to describe him: he was horrifying. Absolutely, completelyhorrifying.
Thick, black, bat-like wings protruded from his shoulders and seemed to blot out the stars and snuff out every light left in the forest. The thin membrane covering them was fragile-looking and nearly translucent, and Misao could see the veins throbbing with stolen blood beneath them. With every powerful flap, the appendages sent angry zephyrs hurtling along the ground, causing the ancient trees to groan in protest and the ground itself to quiver away.
The vampire himself was an imposing figure, standing at least a foot above Misao's own height and clad entirely in severe black silk. His facial features were impossible to discern through the darkness, and as he hovered a few inches from the forest floor, the inhuman wings furled back into his shoulder blades with barely a noise. With wolf-like intensity, he began to approach the two petrified girls.
Misao's heart beat painfully against her chest. For every step he took, she felt her insides turn to ice. Finally, she forced herself to glance away from the looming monster, for the last thing she wanted was to draw attention to herself. To garner his notice would lead to her demise, she was certain. As of now, an attempt to escape with Kaoru would be futile.
The sound of his footsteps stopped, and Misao's terrified gaze met two black, well-oiled boots. She swallowed with more than a little bit of difficulty and was frozen to the spot. Her lungs refused to work.
"Well, well, this is an unpleasant surprise. What are you doing here, little girl? I don't remember asking for two."
His voice is like warm honey, Misao concluded, teeth grinding together angrily at his condescension. Yeah, warm honey with a healthy dose of poison.
Her resolve decided then and there to kick in. She was there to protect Kaoru. Kaoru was her best friend, and she wasn't going to just sit back and watch her die. Her fists clenched and she fumbled along the old, dust-covered tree stump, frantically searching for something, anything she could use as a weapon. Finally, her fingers came into contact with a short, broken off branch, and she gripped it determinedly. Makimachi Misao is no quitter! I'll kill him with this measly little stick if I have to!
Meanwhile, the vampire had made his way over to the bound, struggling Kaoru, and was smirking in a way that showed far too much fang. It was quite disoncerting, to say the least. The blue-eyed girl shuddered under his feral, golden glare, but refused to show fear. She wasn't about to give him that satisfaction.
Back behind the decayed, worm-infested stump, Misao was readying herself for what she was sure was her last stand. She knew it was better to go down fighting than to die cowering like a frightened rabbit, but that didn't make it any easier. Taking a deep, shaky breath, she furiously launched herself from hiding, charged at the leering vampire, raised the stick above her head, and brought it down…
"M-Misao-chan!"
The monster lethargically reached up and plucked the branch from her hands before it made contact with his flesh. Misao shrieked in surprise and stumbled, managing - very inelegantly - to flop face-first into a hard, unyielding, silk-covered chest. She slowly - ever so slowly - forced her eyes up, frightened at what she would find. Blue-green met cold amber in a shocking, electrical clash.
Misao knew, then and there, that she would never experience the same sort of absolute, mind-numbing terror ever again.
"Please, oh Kami, please don't hurt her," she heard Kaoru beg softly. "Sh-she didn't mean it, really. Let her go. I'm the only one you want."
The girl couldn't bring herself to look away from him. She was trapped in his calculating, lupine gaze, unable to even twitch. Wh-what is this? What's wrong with me? Why can't I move?
"Hn," the vampire snorted derisively. "She didn't mean to try to kill me? Interesting," he smirked and brought the little female closer to him, noticing with more than a slight bit of satisfaction the racing pulse beating wildly beneath the delicate skin of her throat. "Tell me the truth, girl. You were trying to slay me, weren't you? You wanted me to die." The fiendish smirk widened, once again exposing his murderous fangs.
Misao felt light-headed at his close proximity, and the stories from her childhood concerning vampires swirled about in her brain like a hurricane. They had strange, dark powers, she knew, and he was using one on her. She immediately swallowed her fear and glared at him, determination and anger lighting her eyes like fire. "Well, if you hafta know," she hissed. "Yes, you bastard. I was."
"Heh. Just as I thought."
Misao was suddenly flung from him, and she hit the forest floor with a pained gasp.
"You are an amusing creature, little weasel. I'll allow you to live, this time. If we ever meet again, well, I may not be so generous." The vampire gathered the struggling Kaoru into his arms, and unfolded his great, bat-like wings, sending powerful gusts of wind in all directions.
Misao yelped and covered her face as a barrage of dead foliage attempted to blind her. She hurriedly scrambled to her feet, undaunted. "Get back here, dammit! Coward, freak, monster! Bring Kaoru back! Damn you, damn you!"
Twin pinpoints of amber were all that she could still see of him. They glowed like Hellish fireflies in the darkness. Cold shivers slithered down her spine.
"Until another time, weasel-girl."
The stars were once again visible through the leaves of the trees. The moon was as bright with hoary light as ever. The forest was no longer pitch as black as the underside of a gravestone.
But he was gone.
He was gone, and he had taken Kaoru with him.
Misao screamed with rage and beat the ground with her fists until she was certain they were bruised. She tore at her hair, fury now replacing the fear that had been coursing through her body just moments before. He had gotten the better of her so fast, so easily, she couldn't even remember it happening. Hell, he had even called her a weasel.
The girl soon became exhausted, and she slumped over, body shaking with fatigue. Despite her weariness, Misao knew now what she had to do.
She would save Kaoru from her unfair fate even if it killed her. Kaoru was her best friend, and she owed her that much. Irately wiping at the salty tears in the corners of her eyes, she shakily rose and leaned back against the nearest tree.
"I promise I'll get you back, Kaoru-chan. I'll destroy that monster and I'll get you back. Don't worry, Makimachi Misao can handle anything! Some nasty old vampire'll never stop me!" she spoke aloud, livid resolve coloring her voice.
A barn owl hooted forlornly, and a band of crickets started up an ethereal tune. Far away, a lone wolf bayed his sadness to the waning moon above. The wind played through the leaves of the trees, causing them to shiver.
Nothing human answered Misao's pledge, but something had certainly heard it.
Words, after all, hold much greater power than cold steel can ever hope for.
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Jazzy: There, finally finished! Well guys, I really hope you liked it. Crap? Fantastic? Want me to continue? You tell me! I do, after all, adore reviews! Until next time, loyal reviewers, this is Jasmine Reinier, signing off!
"People only have hope…because they cannot see Death standing behind them."