Mirage of Beginning

by Karura

Chapter Three

Night was falling on the forest. Irobe finished stirring rice and turned to his fellow travellers. "It's ready," he announced. Naoe nodded but Kagetora didn't seem to have heard. Irobe laid down silently a bowl of rice and chopsticks before him. Since Naoe had joined them, Kagetora had seemed to be in a deep silence, from which he emerged only to tell Kagekatsu's former vassal some crushing remarks. Naoe usually only raised an eyebrow, and it seemed to infuriate even more the younger man. But since a few days, Kagetora's depression had worsened to the point he didn't even blame Naoe anymore. Irobe watched carefully his lord taking mechanically the rice bowl and the wooden chopsticks. Kagetora's eyebrows met and his hands suddenly froze, then fell slowly, almost dropping the bowl. The young man's lips let escape a soft whisper: "... not my hands."

Irobe sighed and sat on the other side of the fire. He understood what Kagetora was feeling. Because of the flight from Sado Island, they hadn't had time to realise their new state, but they had slowly been struck by a sort of melancholy when thinking about the fact they were in another body. After all, the bodies had housed another soul before them, and they were responsible for the ousting of those souls. Irobe could only pray for the former owner of his body to know the flames of purification before getting reincarnated. He didn't want to think that the soul who had once lived in his body could be wandering in the world of the living, unable to reach the afterworld and thus condemned to disappear for good. No, Kenshin wouldn't permit such a thing. And even without thinking about the fate of the souls they have ousted, there was still the strangeness of being in another body. Irobe clearly remembered his first life. His body had been strong and well trained, but there had been a pain in his joints whenever the weather was rainy, or his hip which had been hurting because of an old injury. It was incredible to find himself in a new young body, where all that pain no longer existed.

The former general cast a quick glance at Naoe, who was eating quietly. Although Naoe seemed to be the less affected, Irobe was with him when the former vassal had seen his new face for the first time. Irobe had thought Naoe had obliterated the fact he lived in a new body, but when the man had seen his reflection in a stream, he had remained frozen for a long time, then had shuddered. Since then, he had seemed deep in thought, but he was less depressed than Kagetora. Irobe's gaze returned to his lord, who had still not touched his rice. He smiled slightly. To be so much affected by a body change, Kagetora must really be a sensitive person.

Kagetora wasn't paying any attention to the world around him. His gaze was locked on his hands, these hands that didn't belong to him. He closed his eyes not to see them any longer. These hands were always reminding him it wasn't his body. He saw them all the time; it was the part of his body he saw the most often. Without meaning to, he suddenly thought of his brothers and of the Houjou clan. The seven brothers were all physically different but they had at least one thing in common: their long thin and elegant hands, despite the intensive use of sword and bow. When he was a child, Kagetora had often compared his hands to his brother Ujiteru's, desperate because his hands seemed only miniature replicas of his brother's. Ujiteru used to laugh then and to pat his head, saying he would soon grow. When he had came back after his adoption by the Takeda clan, he had been able to hold proudly his brother's hands in his own and to see the difference had diminished.

Small hands... Kagetora felt his throat tighten. His son also had the Houjou's hands. The first time he had held him in his arms, he had noticed the thin hands with perfect nails. He had never wanted to be a father before. If it had been up to him, he wouldn't have ever married someone. Sleeping with his wile had been an appalling experience which had brought back painful memories and which had left him feeling dirty. He had visited the marriage-bed only a few times, and totally stopped when she had finally been pregnant. At that time, he had only listened to his advisers who had told him to get quickly a heir. And Kenshin had also wanted grandchildren. Thus Kagetora had given in, but when he had seen his son with the hands of the Houjou clan, he had been filled with tenderness and respect for the miracle of life. He had spent more time with his son than his wife, feeling for the first time like he had a family and a home. "Was he still alive, he would have been... sixteen this year," he thought sadly. Everything had been destroyed with the Otate no Ran. Trapped in the Samegao castle, Kagetora had chosen to save his son at least, hoping against hope that Kagekatsu would let his nephew live... Fool's hope. The small troop had been ambushed and the child had been killed without mercy. When Kagetora had learned the sad news, he had lost all hope of winning. Victory would have brought him nothing. He didn't have a home and a family anymore. It was perhaps that feeling of hopelessness and loneliness that had led him to become a vengeful spirit.

From the corner of his eye, Kagetora saw Naoe leave the glade when they were camping. It was surely to relieve himself. Kagetora shivered as the body he possessed was urging him to do the same. No, he would never get used to this. It wasn't his body, his hands and his... penis. Urinating was extremely difficult because he had to hold this thing. It didn't help him to shake off his melancholic state, quite the contrary. He decided to rather concentrate on the mission. "When will we arrive at the village of Yude?" He asked Irobe.

The former general seemed surprised to hear him, but he bowed his head and said: "In two days, Kagetora-dono. We shall see then if the rumours are founded or not."

When they had been at Shibata, they had heard about a village deserted because its inhabitants thought it haunted. So it was a perfect opportunity for them to test their new powers and to begin their mission. Thus they had travelled across the forest, even though they didn't really know what to expect.

Kagetora was still a little confused: he had already led men to battles, but never to exorcise spirits. However, he believed it would be nearly the same. A fight was a fight; only the weapons were different. He was still unsure about his power. Oh, of course, during their escape from Sado Island, he had been able to gain knowledge of his new power of telekinesis, but he had never fought a spirit. A part of him was looking forward to it: he wanted to know whether he shaped up. He also wanted to do something, anything to make him stop thinking about his status as a possessor.

Irobe seemed to feel his mood because he said suddenly: "I think it's time to train," he said, taking a heavy stone in his hand. Kagetora sighed mentally, but he was grateful for the diversion. Irobe looked at the stone in his hand and it suddenly rose up in the air. It levitated a moment then suddenly dashed to Kagetora. The younger man frowned slightly and the stone stopped a few inches from his face. It hovered, as if hesitating, while the two men were struggling to take control over it. Irobe suddenly breathed out and lost his control over the pebble. The stone flew back at him then, and he inhaled again to regain his focus. The stone stopped near his face.

This strange exchange went on until Naoe came back. "We will save the spiritual world by throwing pebbles," he flouted. Kagetora cast him a hateful gaze that made him lost his concentration: the rock came dangerously close to his face. However, at the last second, he won over the mental hold and sent it deliberately to Naoe. The latter raised an eyebrow and the stone stopped between them. Kagetora turned to him completely and focused his will. Worried, Irobe watched the stone vibrating between the two men. If one of them lost his concentration now, he would be badly hit. What was a mere training at the beginning was now a deadly game. But neither of the two men would stop first, and Irobe was unable to regain control of the pebble. He wasn't strong enough. Kagetora's will, enhanced with Naoe's, exceeded his own powers by far.

Although they hadn't moved for five minutes, the two men were in a sweat. Their gazes were locked on each other and neither of them seemed to want to surrender. Irobe was beginning to wonder if it would last all night, when Kagetora suddenly cried raucously. The stone flew to Naoe like an arrow. The other possessor widened his eyes and only had the time to duck, to avoid this fatal attack. Then he straightened and looked at his lord with a gaze that didn't bode well. Irobe felt it was time to intervene. "We would better go to sleep," he advised. "We will need all our strength when we reach the village."

His gaze never leaving Naoe, Kagetora nodded. Naoe looked back at him, then he turned disdainfully his back to him, to lie down. Irobe sat by the fire to keep the first watch. He saw Kagetora had also lay down, his back to the fire and Naoe. The former general chuckled. "Ah, youngsters these days!" He said. Although they were presently of the same age, Irobe could feel the difference between them and him. He had been able to live his life fully, a long life that had ended too soon -- of course -- but still he had been able to do many things he was proud of. But these two boys... Reaped in their prime, before they had even been able to achieve anything... How it might be infuriating for them to be back in the world of the living, but not really a part of it. How they might hate the cause and circumstances of their death. No wonder they both became vengeful spirits. They could not yet renounce to this world. And their actual situation was worse than anything. Anyway, they would get used to it. Irobe didn't doubt it. The only thing they had in common was their loyalty to Kenshin, and it would help them to move forward.

XxX

When the village was in sight, they all felt it. Irobe lift a hand to his nose, even though he knew it would be useless. Naoe frowned and Kagetora cried aloud: "Where does this vile smell come from?"

"It may be the marker of wandering spirits," Irobe guessed. Without conferring, they used their power to feel the spiritual activity of the place. They ascertained the rumour of the haunted village was founded.

"Look over there," Kagetora suddenly said lowly. They all turned their gaze in the direction of the village centre and could see a dark mass prowling in the streets. It was strange: on the outskirts of the village, they could clearly see isolated spirits with a human form. But closer to the village centre, the spirits seemed to lost their appearance and blend in the darkness.

"So this is our enemy," Naoe said.

"What are we going to do, Kagetora-dono?" Irobe asked.

Kagetora kept silent for a moment. This was what he feared. Of course, he had to command them, but how? He decided to act as if their enemy was physical, and not spiritual. "Let's attack the core of spirits," he said. "We will aim for this dark mass in the first place."

He could have bet Naoe would object. "Given that we have yet to test our new powers of exorcism, wouldn't it be better for us to first attack isolated spirits?" He suggested.

For a brief moment, Kagetora thought about his son fleeing away from Samegao Castle while Naoe's troops pursued him. "They are a coward's methods!" He accused sharply. "We won't act this way." Naoe didn't reply.

The three Yashashuu (1) entered the village. Except the numerous spirits, they could not feel any human presence in the vicinity. It was convenient to them because they didn't want to attract any attention. Curiously, the spirits didn't seem to pay heed to them. In the narrow alleys, the possessors could see them fly close to them without any reaction.

"They might believe we are spirits too," Irobe whispered. "We don't look like humans for them."

"So they don't suspect us," Naoe concluded.

Kagetora didn't say a word and simply walked straight toward his goal. His two protectors followed him in silence. They arrived at the heart of the village, where the concentration of spirits was the strongest. A black filament spread out to them without touching them and without any visible threat. It rather seemed asking. Kagetora closed his eyes and let his instincts take over. He had never performed an exorcism, but he felt that the knowledge was in him, near the constant warm core bearing Bishamonten's mark. He crossed his hands in an intricate symbol. Behind him, Naoe and Irobe did the same. "Bai!" Kagetora shouted. They felt a protective sphere growing around them... and around the village. The spirits eventually realised that something was wrong. Yet none of them attacked the newcomers. Instead, they tried to cross the barrier. Some of them eventually understood where the barrier came from and they wade into the three possessors.

Naoe saw a spirit heading straight toward him and he instinctively raised his hands before him. A barrier appeared around him, a smaller barrier which disappeared as soon as the spirit recoiled without being able to hurt the man. "A protective wall," he whispered in awe. It would take some time before he knew the full extent of his powers and, more importantly, their limits. He resumed his first stance and waited for Kagetora to start the exorcism, which happened quickly.

"Ari nari tonari anaro kunabi nabi." Sanskrit words flowed naturally from the young man's mouth, as if he had done it all his life. There was not the slightest hesitation nor the slightest stuttering. Each word was pronounced with conviction and strength... and the effects were quite rapid. Blue flames appeared around the young man, but he didn't seem to suffer. Now he was thinking about it, Naoe himself was surrounded by orange flames, but he didn't feel any burning sensation. "It seems it's another manifestation of our powers," he thought, but for the moment, he had to fight the spirits.

A vortex of light had opened in the sky and was pulling in spirits, who were struggling in vain. However, the process wasn't fast enough and the ghosts finally realised they were attacked. Naoe could feel them converge towards them, ready to strike back. He turned to face a wave of assailants, and he burst into the exorcism song. He saw Irobe do the same from the corner of his eye, but would it be enough?

Kagetora's power seemed to expand suddenly and Naoe marvelled a moment at the young man's power. He tried to intensify his own energy but he felt he wasn't at the same level as his lord. A brief moment, he felt a pang of self-despite, but he had to focus again on the ongoing exorcism. Kagetora had weakened the largest mass of spirits, but Irobe and Naoe had still a lot of ghosts to fight. Naoe suddenly heard his lord's voice conclude: "Bai!" And the telling sensation almost disappeared. Naoe gritted his teeth and eventually complete the sending of spirits in the other world. Then he turned to Irobe who seemed to had got by, even though it took a little longer.

At last, the village was quiet again. But this time, the quietness was natural. All the spirits had vanished, banned in the other world where they could eventually be purified. Kagetora caught his breath, and a bit of pride skimmed through him: they had completed their first exorcism. He now was more confident he could quickly fulfill the mission entrusted to him by his father. Hopefully, he wouldn't even need to possess another body; this one would be enough. He turned to his two aids and praised them: "You have fought well. This village is now free of spirits."

"I didn't think it would be so easy," Irobe mused. "I would have expected more difficulties."

"The spirits didn't know who we were at the beginning," Naoe intervened. "It may not be so easy next time."

Kagetora shrugged. What mattered to him now was this victory.

XxX

They spent the night in the deserted village and, the day after, they took the road again to the neighbour village. They thought that the deserted village's inhabitants may have found refuge there and that they would be surely relieved to learn they could return home.

"However," Irobe insisted, "we mustn't tell them what we did. We will simply tell that we didn't see any spirits when we were at their village. Don't forget we had to act secretly." Kagetora nodded, but Naoe regretted that he wouldn't receive the villagers' gratitude.

The second village was the exact opposite of the first: it was a lively place and people seemed happy with their lot. There was even a market at the centre. "I can see some spirits," Kagetora said while looking for an inn.

Irobe and Naoe nodded. "Maybe spirits that come from the other village," Irobe suggested. "However, they don't seem dangerous, unlike the other ones."

"Isn't our task to purify every spirit?" Kagetora asked sharply. "We can make no exception."

"We shouldn't attract attention either," Naoe intervened.

Kagetora looked daggers at him. He would have liked to make a sharp comment, but they had already arrived at the inn. Kagetora came in first, followed by Irobe and Naoe, then took place at a table. A waitress came quickly to take their order. When she returned with a carafe of sake, Kagetora said casually: "What happened to the neighbour village?"

The waitress started and nearly dropped her trail. Then she leaned in and said in a low voice: "The village is said to be haunted, sirs. All the inhabitants have left because they could no longer live there."

"Isn't it curious," Irobe said. "We have spent last night there and we didn't notice anything strange."

All the conversations suddenly stopped in the room. Every gaze was on them. The waitress seemed dubious. "You didn't see any ghost? Nothing plagued you while you were sleeping? My sister used to live in that village and she told me she couldn't even sleep because spirits were tugging her futon in the middle of the night. The spirits happened also to appear in daylight!"

"We didn't see anything like that," Kagetora said, taking a sip of sake. "It seemed to be a place like any others, except it was deserted."

Conversations suddenly resumed with animation. Kagetora smiled slightly when he heard people talking about sending an expedition to the village, to make sure it was free of spirits. No doubt that village would soon get back its inhabitants.

They left the inn a hour later, after having booked a room. The innkeeper hadn't seemed very happy to rent them a room, and Kagetora had realised their aspect wasn't very engaging. Oh, of course they had washed themselves but they had not shaved, and their clothes indicated a hectic life. When they walked by a stand, Kagetora noticed that Naoe was looking closely at the displayed hakamas. He smiled softly and pick up a ligature(2) from his belt. "Naoe!" He called. The young man turned his head towards him, surprised by the call and especially because Kagetora's voice didn't carry its usual venom. Kagetora threw him the coins and Naoe grabbed them without thinking, then he got puzzled. "I'm counting on you to by us some new clothes. Irobe and I are going to investigate about these spirits." Naoe nodded and entered the shop. Kagetora motioned to Irobe to follow him.

They walked to the outskirts of the village, on a hill from where they could see it wholly. They made sure nobody had followed them. "I think these spirits are different from the ones we fought yesterday," Irobe said. "You can see they don't harm the living. The two parties seem to coexist while ignoring each other."

"It's not because they have never attacked that they will never do it," Kagetora countered.

"True, but don't we have legends about protective spirits that we should revere?"

Kagetora chewed his lower lips. Irobe had a point here, but yet... "In this case, how to tell the difference?" He asked aloud.

"How do we know if a man is a friend or a foe?" Irobe said with a smile. "For this, you have to watch his actions."

Kagetora sat in the grass, sighing deeply. "We will never see the end of this if we have to wait for days to determine if a spirit is good or bad."

Irobe smiled, bemused. "I think there must be a quicker way, but we don't know yet. It will come with experience."

Kagetora suddenly turned to him, his eyes very serious. "How long do you think it will take us?" He asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"Our mission."

"Ah..." Irobe looked up at the spring sky. "I don't really know, but I'm ready to devote the necessary time to it."

"So am I!" Kagetora replied, as if Irobe had hinted he could give up. "I was just wondering... If we would have to... possess another body."

Irobe kept silent. It was a difficult question. None of them could accept the idea of stealing bodies, but it was the only way for them to accomplish their mission. "For the moment, our bodies are still young and strong," Irobe said. "The issue won't arise before several years. We will be more experienced then, and we will have a better overview of our mission. You may ask me the same question then."

Kagetora looked away, as if moping. Irobe felt suddenly very young. He had a vast knowledge of life, but not of this life. Like his lord, he was discovering their new condition. Yet Kagetora seemed to rely on him and on his experience. Irobe didn't want to disappoint him, but he didn't want to lie either.

"For now, only our mission matters," Kagetora suddenly said. "We will only deal with hostile spirits. We mustn't disperse our efforts to the four winds."

Irobe nodded. With each day passing, Kagetora seemed to be really the man of the situation, and Kenshin's choice was more and more justified.

To be continued...

Why the stones? I think that even though Bishamonten had awoken their powers, they couldn't learn how to master it in one day. At first, they used their telekinesis instinctively -- Kagetora with the keys, and Naoe with the bushi -- but they must have needed some training to master it. And the pebble duel is a nod towards the first episode, when Naoe shells Takaya with gravels, to force him to use his powers.

Notes:

(1)It's the name of the five possessor. Yasha stands for Bishamonten's warriors.

(2)At that time, coins were round and pierced with a hole. To carry them, you threaded them on a string.