This Is Forever
Chapter 21: "Destined To Go To Hell"
Shishio exited the building with Kaoru and Saitou. The police chief was about to leave when Death motioned for him to stop.
"I think it's wise," Shishio began. "to accompany us, Hajime."
Saitou looked from his father, to Kaoru, and back again. Grudgingly, the chief stayed with them. Shishio turned to the street and clapped once. Almost immediately, a car, which looked more like a skeleton, drove up the road and parked perfectly next to them.
Kaoru looked the car over. It was more like a limousine than a car, and looked like it was made out of skeleton bones. At the very front of the car was tiny skull in place of where a car's model symbol usually resides.
Kaoru also noted there was no driver.
"A limo made out of bones." Kaoru said. "How unoriginal."
Shishio smirked at the snippy goddess and simply answered, "Skulls and bones have been the symbol of Death since the beginning of time."
Death opened the door and motioned to Kaoru, "After you, my dear."
Kaoru quickly went inside and took a seat at the furthest side of the velvet-red seats. She looked around the limo. Inside, there were red, velvet seats. One long seat, more like a couch, and another seat, same size facing her.
It was the typical design of a typical limousine.
Saitou was seated next to her, and after he closed the door, Shishio sat in the seat across from the pair with his arms eagle-spread. The limo, without a driver, started off.
"What about the other two?" Kaoru inquired.
"Oh, you mean Okita and Yumi?" Shishio answered. "They're moving to another location."
"Isn't this limo a bit…inconspicuous to be riding in, in the middle of the day?" Kaoru inquired again.
"Most heavy metal rock stars drive in similar limos," Shishio stated. "The power of the human imagination is a powerful one."
Saitou snorted as he looked out the window. The buildings were going by as if they were out for a casual drive around Kyoto city.
"What's wrong, Hajime?" Shishio asked in a dark voice.
Saitou did not answer, but simply kept looking out the window. Kaoru glanced curiously at the officer, but retained her silence.
"Hajime doesn't like to go home." Shishio stated to Kaoru.
"Hell isn't his home." Kaoru noted.
"He is my son," Shishio disagreed. "Hell is the only home for demons, even if they are half."
Kaoru did not dispute that fact, but only retained silence once more. Shishio rested his head against the seat, his arms still eagle-spread.
"When we get there," Shishio began to inquire. "What're you going to say to the Demon King, Hiko?"
Kaoru silently gulped and did not answer. What was she, a fallen goddess, with no power, no authority, going to say to Hiko, the Demon King?
Shishio silently chuckled in his throat before he brought his head back up to peer at Kaoru through his bandages.
"At a loss for words, Princess?" Shishio jeered.
"I'll think of something." Kaoru stated with brave determination despite her rapidly pounding heart.
The stress of the situation, the movement of the car, it was all too much for Kaoru's pregnant stomach to take, and it lurched. Kaoru quickly put a hand to her mouth, and tried to find a button to roll down the window.
Shishio watched her calmly, albeit with great amusement, as Kaoru had no choice but to dry heave on the floor. The goddess was very grateful that there were no contents in her stomach to vomit, but she still continued to dry heave until her stomach settled down a moment later.
Kaoru closed her eyes and took deep breaths to calm down. When her stomach was finally still, she relaxed back into the seat and opened her eyes. Shishio was still staring at her, and while he did not have a smile, his eyes were still amused.
"So how did you know?" Kaoru asked.
"Know what?" Shishio responded.
"How did you know to say 'he'?"
"Even though I'm Death," Shishio answered. "I still know everyone who is living; because I know when they're number is up, so to speak. Of course, I will know their genders, too."
"Please don't say anything when we get there." Kaoru said.
"Well, you never know, princess," Shishio said with a smile. "Informing the Demon King of the whelp inside you just might save your life."
"Why?"
Shishio never answered the question, even when the limousine came to a halt in front of a building. It looked as if they were in downtown Kyoto. Kaoru looked at the building, saw people in suits coming and going, in and out of the structure.
Shishio was the first to get out, and he held the door opened for his two guests. Kaoru was hesitant as she looked up at the sky. The sun was high; her father's eye was everywhere.
"You don't have to worry about Tengoku." Shishio assured, as if he knew the goddess' fear. "I'm Death; I can come and go as I please, and if I don't want him to see me, then he won't."
Reassured, Kaoru got out of the limousine and stood outside as she waited for Saitou and Shishio. She read the name on the building aloud.
"Attorneys at law?" Kaoru cried. "What is this?"
"It's the backdoor to hell." Shishio said.
"I thought there was only one gateway." Kaoru said, astonished.
"Your father lied to you." Shishio stated. "He's been trying to find this gateway since Hiko secretly made it."
Kaoru stared at Shishio for a moment before she asked, "Is there anything else I should know about my father?"
"There's a lot to be said about Tengoku; but the question is, would you believe any of it?"
"I'll believe anything at this point." Kaoru muttered, but aloud she asked, "Why is the secret portal to hell a law firm?"
"Well, Kaoru," Shishio laughed. "Don't you know that lawyers are the worst human beings in existence? They defend murders, rapist, child molesters, even when they know their clients are guilty beyond all reasonable doubt. They rarely deliver pure justice; even if all they could do is get their client a plea agreement, it's always less than what the client deserves."
"I always thought the worst people in existence are politics." Kaoru jeered as the trio entered the law firm building.
Shishio outright laughed heartily and answered, "Yes, they are, but having a secret portal to hell at a capitol building is too inconspicuous, so lawyers are the next best thing."
The attorney office was big with shiny floors. As people walked around, their shoes made loud "clicks" each time they brought a foot down. No one paid any attention to the three as they calmly walked by towards the elevators.
The trio entered an elevator, and as soon as the doors closed, Shishio reached over and pushed a bright red button with the symbol of a fire flame in the middle.
Down and down the elevator went, and Kaoru could feel her stress growing, but she willed herself to retain calmness, for it just would not do for her to be thrown into another heaving fit.
"Don't give yourself away." Saitou muttered to Kaoru.
The goddess looked over at the half demon officer, but his sight was straight ahead; his amber eyes hard and cold at the elevator doors.
"Why did Death want you to come with us," Kaoru asked. "when you, obviously, don't want to be here."
"Extra protection for you." Shishio answered for Saitou. "You're going to need it."
Normally, that would have put Kaoru under more stress, but she closed her eyes and thought of Kenshin; and how close she was to seeing him.
"We can turn back now, if you want." Shishio offered even as the elevator made its decent.
Kaoru shook her head with hard determination, which greatly delighted Death. Saitou shook his head in disgust as he sighed.
"You really want Battousai back, don't you?" Saitou stated the obvious.
"It's all I've been able to think about since the main gateway was sealed."
"Are you ready to damn the earth for him?"
"What?"
"Now, now children." Shishio cooed, and then said, "It's her decision, Hajime."
"She obviously doesn't know the dire repercussions."
"Whether she does or not, it's on her conscience."
"What repercussions?" Kaoru asked as she looked at Saitou and Shishio.
"Do you honestly think," Saitou sneered. "That the Demon King will just simply let your whelp grow up with just you and Battousai? Do you think that he won't cause a battle between gods and demons?"
Kaoru thought for a moment about the new bit of information before Saitou continued, "And where do you think the war will take place? Are you willing to let everyone you know on earth be mixed up in all that violence and chaos?"
Kaoru suddenly thought of Aoshi, Misao, and all the members of the Aoiya; she thought of Yahiko, and her other two more recently acquired friends, Sano and Megumi.
Was she willing to let them die, just so she could have Kenshin beside her?
"It's on my conscience." Kaoru replied.
Saitou glared down at her, and the elevator stopped, and the doors opened with a "ding" sound. As soon as the doors opened, a gush of violently hot air hit the trio. Kaoru was taken aback by it, but the other two were unaffected.
Of course, Death and his son would be used to the hotness of hell, but for Kaoru, this was her first visit. They stepped out of the confinements of the box, and walked down the dry, cracked path.
Down the path, there stood an Akuma demon. His eyes glared at the duo, but when he saw Shishio, he stood up straight and all but ignored the other two.
Further down, the pathway started a steep decent down. As soon as the trio got to the bottom, and the pathway evened out, a group of five Akuma demons blocked their way.
"We have come to seek counsel with Hiko." Shishio informed.
The Akuma demons glared at Kaoru, and the goddess suddenly felt stressed and powerless. They turned their attention back to Death. One Akuma, a huge brute, shook his head in a negative way, silently informing Death that they were not to pass through the gateway.
Shishio simply smiled, closed his eyes, and said, "I can see your life drawing to a close…."
Death quickly drew into his yukata, pulled out a long katana, unsheathed it, and slashed once at the Akuma. The other demons were silent as they saw their platoon leader's head fall off his shoulders.
"Now," Shishio began as he sheathed his sword. "We have a very important council to attend to with Hiko, so we will just be on our way."
The Akuma demons did not protest, but they did not refrain from glaring at the trio as they quickly walked through the tunnel gateway, and descended deep into the bowls of hell.
To Be Continued…
AN: In my other story, This Is Forever: Last Chance, it was Kenji that was supposed to face Hiko, the Demon King. Imagine Hiko's astonishment when he comes face to face with some unknown boy who looks like Kenshin's twin. It was supposed to be funny, but simultaneously, awkward.