Chapter Nine – Shift

When Hotohori didn't return right away, Nuriko went to find him. When he wasn't in Boushin's chambers, the guards were sent to find him. By the end of the day, the palace was in a panic. Hotohori was not panicked, but he was certainly confused. It occurred to him as he blacked out the first time that they probably thought he was Boushin.

The former emperor woke up a bit later in a dungeon, but he had no idea where the dungeon was. He tried to sit up and found himself bound and chained to the floor.

"Just my luck," he said sourly to himself.

"I wouldn't try to move, if I were you, your highness," a low voice sneered from somewhere nearby. "Those chains are pretty tight around your neck."

"I noticed," he replied, giving up and staying on the floor. There was not a lot of point to struggling into unconsciousness, and that was about all he could do in the awkward position. "Who are you? Why am I here?"

"Who I am is unimportant. Why you're here is a different matter," the voice replied, stepping closer. The person before him was a man unlike any he had seen before. His body was slim and lean, his appearance fairly average, but his eyes were icy and distant, like somebody was speaking through him, almost. But not... somehow, it was just wrong. Hotohori summoned his chi. It felt odd to have that power flowing through him again, but he reached out to touch the man. There was nothing.

It wasn't evil, and it wasn't dark, it was just nothing. It was like the man before him was a living, breathing puppet. "What are you?"

"I wouldn't try to sense, if I were you. You could reach for an eternity and never touch your chi to mine. Mine is a wellspring; a great consciousness."

"You've possessed that man," he realized.

"No, no, no, how simple you creatures are. No, I devoured him, or rather we. But we refer to ourselves in the singular because it is so confusing to you simple minded mortals. We are Evil. Not a being, but a force. We're tired of being contained in the hells, so we have decided to break free."

"Why can I not feel your chi?" he asked.

"Because this," the odd man touched his body emphatically. "This is just a shell, almost like a drawing on a wall. It's flat, nothing here. I control this body from the hells. I know what you're thinking, I said we've decided to break free. Well, we're not free just yet."

"I don't understand what you are," Hotohori tried not to look into the being's eyes, but he was drawn like a moth to a lantern. It caused him to chill. When the man, neigh, the creature touched him, he jumped like he'd been shocked. It untied his hands and allowed him to sit up.

The being knelt beside him, stroking his hair. "Poor mortal. You think in such one dimensional terms. A human, a mortal, has a soul. It is individual, and though it may pass through one life into another, the soul remains intact. Think of it," It said, taking the man's hand and kissing his finger tip. "Like a fingerprint. Completely unique and layered deep into the skin. What we are is what you refer to as the yin. Evil. The dark forces. We are one and we are many. Always connected, always separate."

"You killed the soul?" he asked shakily, looking around for an escape. He didn't see a door.

"No, silly human," the thing tossed Its head back and laughed. It was a terrible sound, almost like a shriek. Laughter was a sound of joy, and evil held no joy, so it was unnatural. The only way to describe it was wretchedly backwards. "No, to die is to release the soul from the body, to send it on its merry way into its next life, or into the afterlife, if its time is done. No, what I have done is devoured it. The soul does not exist in any capacity now, as if it had never existed at all."

Hotohori shuddered as a chill ran up his spine. This thing, things, whatever it/they was/were. They didn't kill, they obliterated. "Why have you brought me here?"

"We need to gain access to the treasuries of this city. You are our ransom, highness."

Hotohori looked puzzled. It had to be obvious to this creature that was nothing more than a spirit that he was not who they were looking for. But perhaps this creature couldn't sense his power of Suzaku, only his energy. That could be an advantage. "What are you looking for?"

"If I told you that, I'd have to kill you," It laughed that hideous shrieking wail again. "Or rather, devour you. Can't have your soul reporting to Taiitsukun, or that troublesome priest."

Hotohori fell silent until It touched him. He shook violently, trying with futile effort to escape the twisted touch. It was like being touched by death. It made his flesh crawl and brought tears to his eyes. It was so utterly wrong that it made his soul hurt. "Please don't touch me," he said softly, trying to move away from that hideous sensation.

"You're so sheltered, you creature of the light. You've never seen true evil. You've seen the petty wrong doings of mortals, the wars, the murders, the rapes, the thefts. Those things are nothing. They mean nothing to us."

"Murder is not insignificant, not to those left behind. Rape is not insignificant, not to the victim," he spat angrily, his golden eyes narrowed. "War is not a small matter!"

"Don't you see?!" he laughed, grabbing the man's face. "You are so blinded by your mortality. We are the subtle force that causes those insignificant crimes. We influence the soft of mind, we bring out that ambition. We are the force that tells a mother to drown her child. We are the force that tells a man to rape a girl. Those things you see in your world, they are only the evidence of our vague presence in the world. Such things wound a soul, but it is reborn again. A murdered soul may forget its previous life, but it is still there, it still exists. In the grand scheme such things matter not. Our presence in your world is barely felt. You cannot fathom what we truly are. Feel this," he grinned terribly, bringing his face to the man's. He struggled, a sudden self-preservation kicking in, but the animated shell's lips touched Hotohori's. It pulled his breath from his mouth, and breathed something so dark and awful into him that he screamed. It was a thousand deaths, ten thousand heinous acts, a million rapes of body and soul. It was pain, it was rage, it was everything evil in the world that he had never fathomed, and somehow, it was more. Hotohori shrieked and thrashed, and then he fell into darkness as his mind broke.

Nakago and Nikki stepped through the gate. Nakago looked around at the surroundings. It vaguely remembered fields in Kutou, but he couldn't tell for sure.

"Is this where you wanted to be?" the woman asked, looking around.

"I am unsure," he replied. "I need to look around. You should go back."

"A lady without escort in the woods? I think not," she smirked and he could see how infuriating his smirk must be to Miaka.

"Fine, but we'll only go as far as the nearest town. That should determine exactly when and where we are," he began to walk.

His mother followed closely, looking around in wonder. She didn't know where they were either, but it was intriguing. The land was flat with rice fields and men and women worked in them.

"This looks like Japan," he said to himself.

"Is this your country in your world?" she questioned, excited.

"It may be the country, but this is not my time. We should head back to the gate. We need to get to Konan's capital, not my world."

"Is this your past or future?" she asked.

"I would say the past," he told her. "My country is highly technologically advanced. We do very little farming, mostly relying on trade. Judging by the recent battle scars and the apparel, I would say that we are sometime during the early Meiji Restoration."

They turned and headed back toward the gate. "Meiji Restoration?"

"The Meiji Restoration was a revolution by the Imperialists to return rule to the emperor of Japan after a take-over by a man named Tokugawa. It was a time of rebuilding and welcoming of influences from overseas. An interesting time, but not mine."

"You!" a man called from behind. Nakago stopped. "What are you doing with that sword, gaijin?"

"Also, there was a ban on swords during the Meiji era," he sighed to himself.

"We weren't causing any trouble," the woman turned.

"You gaijin speak Japanese?" the man looked puzzled. "Are you lovers or something?"

"No, this is my..."

"Sister," she finished. "We were on our way home. Please, sir, if we give you the sword will you leave us?"

The man seemed to consider, and then another man joined them. They spoke quietly for a moment and then closed in on Nakago. He thought it unwise to draw his sword. Most likely they would simply confiscate it, which wouldn't be the worst thing to happen.

"Where did you get this sword?" the newcomer demanded. "Sale of swords is strictly prohibited."

"It was in my family," he responded. "My father was a Shogun."

"What kind of gaijin liar are you? You can't possibly be Japanese," the man accused. "You need to come with us for questioning."

He nodded. He would talk to them, let them take his sword, and leave once they were done. "Go back to the gate... sister," he said to her, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not going to leave you here, what would Miaka say about this?" she said. "I'm coming with."

"Don't be foolish."

"Watch how you speak to your... sister," she frowned.

The men shrugged and grabbed Nakago's arms. He didn't really want to start another battle, especially with his mother unable to defend herself like Miaka usually could. If swords started waving she could get caught in the crossfire. Plus there were more soldiers just ahead.

They were led into the city. "Nikki," Nakago said to his mother again, looking around. They were in a somewhat shady part of town. "Why don't you wait for me near the gate?"

"I'll wait out here," she smiled as he was pushed into the police building. She sat down on the step.

Nakago watched her sit as he was pushed away. This was the second time somebody had tried to incarcerate him because of his sword. He should have fought them off, but he was loathe to create more of a disturbance and get his mother involved. He would blow the joint if it took too long. They needed to get back. They had other gates to explore.

Meanwhile, outside, Nikki was approached by a young looking man. "Good afternoon," he said to her, smiling broadly.

"Hello," she replied, smiling back. "How are you, brother?"

He was taken aback momentarily, having thought she was a foreigner. "I'm swell," he replied, regaining his equilibrium. "What's a pretty foreigner like you doing sitting here all alone?"

"I'm waiting for my brother," she told him.

"The police usually take a while. Can I get you some oden?" he offered, holding his hand out.

The woman looked around and shrugged. Nakago would be a while and he would surely be able to sense her chi to find her. "Only if it's quick."

"Come on, I'll show you to a place I know," he took her hand and pulled her up, surprised again by her height. She smiled and he shrugged leading her down the street. She didn't notice his dark grin.

Miaka and Ayuru entered the little hut and looked around. No sign of his mother.

"Maybe she went out for something, or went to look for you. We should wait here for her to come back," Miaka advised.

He looked dolefully at the little pile of broken pieces that had been swept neatly into the corner and then sat down.

"I like your home," she said. "It's very cozy. It reminds me of the place I used to live. Where do you sleep?"

Ayuru got up and went over to a little pile of soft bedding in the corner near the stove. It would be warm there, Miaka imagined. It didn't look very comfortable, but he didn't seem to mind at all.

"Where do you live?" the boy asked.

"We have an apartment," she said without thinking. At his puzzled look she explained. "It's a building that has a lot of houses inside it. They're usually small and stacked on top of each other as well as side by side."

"Is yours small?" he asked. "Ours is smaller than Taria's and mostly everybody's..."

"It was small when I lived with my brother, but Ayuru, my husband, he has a good job, so we live in a large one."

"With your daughter?"

"Yes... how did you know...?"

"I heard the elders talking," he shrugged his slim shoulders, standing up. "They say you can't find her, that she was taken. Some people are saying you're not from this world, and that you're from the future."

"People will talk," she laughed nervously. "Our daughter was taken. We're trying to find her. That's why we're here. We're just looking everywhere."

"What does she look like?" he asked, coming up to her and looking at her almost at eye level as she sat on the bench.

"A lot like you," she smiled sadly. "Blue eyes and this pretty blonde hair. But her face looks a little more like mine than her daddy's. Her name is Kaena. She's very beautiful."

"Like Taria?" he asked and then blushed brightly.

She smiled again, this time unable to help the tears.

"I'm sorry!" he said suddenly, taking a step toward her. "I didn't mean to make you sad about your daughter. I'm sure you'll find Kaena." He took another step toward the woman and then hugged her tightly. Miaka laughed softly between sobs and let her husband to be comfort her in the way only a child can.

Ayuru didn't know what was going on here, but he knew this nice lady was sad, so he wanted her to feel better. "Mother will be able to find me if we go somewhere else. Why don't we go see Taria? She's good at cheering me up when I'm sad. Maybe we can borrow a pot from somebody who had an extra," he suggested. "We can probably even get lunch at Taria's."

Miaka smiled and agreed. It would be good to take her mind off of things, and his as well. She allowed him to take her hand and lead her down the village street to Taria's modest hut.

The hut was larger than Ayuru's, but still a humble place. Ayuru came in, obviously accustomed to doing such a thing, and sat by Taria as her mother cooked the midday meal. Miaka poked her head inside. "Is it all right to come in?" she asked nervously.

"Come in," Ayuru said. "It's okay, right?" he asked Taria as an afterthought.

She nodded and motioned her inside. "Isn't your mother around?" the girl questioned.

"No, she went somewhere. Is it okay if we eat here? Her husband went out into the woods this morning and also isn't back yet."

"We always have enough," the girl's mother chimed in, turning around. Though her hair color was similar to Nakago's mother, her eyes were a blue so deep they were almost black. They were stunning and made her tremble a little. "Come in. Join us."

Miaka sat down at the table next to the children, looking out of place. She didn't want to put them out, but she didn't want to leave Ayuru. She was having trouble leaving him to his devices and wondered if her Nakago remembered this day of having his future wife tag along. "Thank you very much for your hospitality."

"Nonsense, it is my duty and my pleasure to help a traveling stranger, especially one with such a handsome Hin husband."

"Mother!" Taria cried. "You haven't even seen him!"

"But you told me he was handsome," she laughed softly.

Taria looked embarrassed and Ayuru looked at the table, his face flushed. "You think he's handsome?" he asked timidly.

"I'm sure you'll be just as handsome," Miaka assured, hiding her silent laughter behind her hand. The boy flushed a deeper shade of crimson. The group ate and spoke merrily together that afternoon. For most of them, it would be the last merry meal they would have.

Hotohori opened his eyes. The world was misty around his body. He touched the ground and felt it give like a soft sponge beneath his fingers. He pushed himself up, confused. He had been in that dungeon, and then... there had been pain. Unimaginable, terrible. Had it killed him? The world around him was soft and filled with a gentle fog that swirled around him, wrapping him in warmth. It soothed him. He looked up and saw a slim figure come toward him. A woman. Her golden hair and eyes shined in the soft glow of the place.

"Saihitei," she said like a breath on the wind. It caressed him like soft cashmere against his skin. He shivered with pleasure.

"Who are you?" he asked, looking toward the voice. "Am I dead?"

She came before him, and he could see what she was in her face. He didn't know how, but he knew this was the woman that had birthed the child that had become Nakago. She came to him and touched his face, smiling. "Your body lives. Your soul has come here for comfort."

"What is this place?" he asked as she ran her fingers gently over his eyes, forcing them shut, her touch slowly erasing the terror and agony.

"This is the place where souls come to rest before they move on to the next life."

"This is... limbo?"

"This is heaven," she smiled. "They come to heal. Some have been harmed gravely in their deaths, and they seek refuge, they must rest before they breathe again."

He understood then. This was the place for souls to gather after death, before reincarnation. Somewhere deep inside he knew this place. He had been here once before, but the memory had faded. No soul could keep memory of this place, because in all its perfect wonder, no soul would feel joy if it remembered such a place of perfection.

He wanted to ask if a soul was reborn through eternity, forced to suffer a living life, never to rest forever in peace. He wanted to ask of God, of angels, but these were questions that were not for him to know. Instead, he breathed in the healing power of the place, the pure joy and love, and allowed the agony to disappear like morning dew in the sun.

"Why am I here?"

"You were touched by the purest evil. A soul cannot touch evil in such a way without fleeing or being destroyed. Your will was strong, so your soul fled to this place. I was sent to meet you."

"Why you?"

"Because soon we will meet another soul, a soul of my line, and we must lead her back to life," she responded, serenely, taking his hand and leading him from the mist and into a beautiful meadow.

"Why?" he responded, laying down with his head in her lap, letting the pain fade far away as the water moved gently nearby, as the soft mist cleansed him. "Why are you here? Why us?"

"Because I am a guide, and you are a friend. Because this is our destiny."

Nuriko got up to find his friend who was taking a rather long time. He was walking down the hallway in the palace when he felt the life force that had always been very close to his own clench in agony. He gasped and fell to the ground clutching his heart. He felt pain and despair like he had never imagined. Two nearby guards knelt down and tried to help but their touches were like scorpion stings. He screamed in pain and fell to his side, curling his knees against his chest and wailing. Just as suddenly as it had started, the pain receded, and the small man began to sob to himself as that life force fled suddenly, out of his reach.

"Nuriko-sama, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Hotohori... I think... he's dead." His eyes slipped shut and he fell away into a faint.

Author's Notes: Thanks, everybody, for the reviews! I'm glad to hear you all are enjoying the story. As per request, I'm trying to give you more on the plots in Konan, and in the next chapter, a lot will be revealed about what's really going on here. Let me know what you think!