the seduction of fire
by eve
prologue
echoes etched in silence
It's a fire,
These dreams they pass me by,
The salvation I desire,
Keeps getting me down.
Portishead
Whispers crept out of the blanket of the night's sky and danced through the forest. Taunting, they kept speaking to her, trying to force her to listen. Her eyes closed, her mind briefly traveling back to a time where her mother still lived and she knew how to understand her surroundings. Blood, the whispers sang gleefully like children and their rhymes. Blood spill, blood spill. Blood's going to spill soon. Her eyes snapped open and what resembled a cry escaped her lips. Her breath became heavy.
"Kaoru-chan?"
Her eyes snapped open and she turned slightly to be greeted by a pair of worried jade eyes. A warm hand reached out and placed itself on her shoulder.
"You should be resting, Kaoru-chan. Enishi will have my hide if you don't."
A soft chuckle left the tip of her lips as she burrowed herself further into the warmth of her blankets. She pushed a few strands of hair away from her face. "I'm fine," she murmured.
Makimachi Misao leaned forward, chin resting on her hands. Kaoru could sense her friend's concern. She sighed softly. Kaoru's eyes shifted to the window again, watching the branches of the trees dance with the wind. How long had she been here? Weeks, months maybe? She bit her lip. She was becoming restless. She needed to get of this place.
"Tomorrow morning," Misao answered for her. "They said that your vitals were fine, but you need to take it easy for a bit. The doctors say that you'll be confined to a wheelchair for a bit."
She snorted. "Wonderful."
Misao laughed. "You're acting like a little girl. And everyone knows that you never stay confined to anything. That's what makes you, Kaoru."
Kaoru reached over and ruffled the younger girl's hair with a small smile. She leaned back with a soft sigh. "You know me so well sometimes…"
"Hai, I do. So are you going to tell me what's going on?"
Kaoru's expression darkened. The whispers began to invade her mind again. Children dancing in circles. Round and round, dancing over bodies and singing. The whispers became louder. Blood spill. Blood spill. Every'ere a blood spill. Laughter was faint. The whispers began to fade.
"It's over," she finally spoke.
Misao jumped. "What do you mean?"
She turned back to the window, eyes closing. Sleep began to stake his claim on her. Comfort. She leaned back into her pillows, speaking quietly.
"The first has passed. There's going to be more to come."
We dance in the wind. We dance in the stars. Make due to the promise and I shall find you…
Spirit taunting. Seemed to be happening a lot lately. He bent over and grabbed the burnt music box, balancing it in his hands. Child. Four even. They had let them get away with murder…
Too easy.
"It seemed way too fuckin' easy."
His companion said nothing, amber eyes still glittering with fierce intensity that he had used in taking the lives in the battle that had occurred upon the eve. He watched as the other man ran a long finger against the blade of his sword, fresh blood clinging to his sweat-matted skin. He watched in fascination as the man brought his finger to his lips and slowly licked the blood off.
"It isn't over yet."
The man motioned for him to follow.
"We still have to find the girl."
Yuikishiro Enishi watched the sleeping girl in front of him. She laid burrowed beneath the covers, oblivious to what was going on in the world outside her room. Or was she, he mused. He stepped into the room and sat in the empty chair where Misao had occupied only moments ago. He had urged the younger girl to take a break, the dark circle under her eyes evidence of how tired she was. Kaoru meant this much to all of them. The accident was still fresh in his mind.
Blood. So much. Blood.
Strong Kaoru, brave Kaoru, stepping in the lines of fire to protect those she had come to call her family… whom he came to call his own family. Doomed to carry a burden that could only be her own… She had nearly lost her own life in protecting them and for that alone, he didn't think he could ever forgive himself.
"You need to stop." Firm. Sure. Warm and understanding.
He looked down to see the most beautiful pair of cerulean blue eyes looking up at him. He leaned back into his chair, his hand creeping into hers. A soft smile curved onto her lips as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. Silk ebony strands fell into a pool around her and as a habit, he reached over and pushed them out of he face. She gave him a gentle, but scolding smile.
"I'm not a child, Enishi. Nor am I an invalid."
He sighed, gently taking her small hand in his own. A flicker of emotion in her eyes caused him to jump and withdrawal. I can't help but be afraid of her… She reached out and gently brushed his hair out of his face, like a mother to her own child.
"I'm worried about you," he confessed. "You were in here for so long, Kaoru. I can't help but wonder what it's going to be like for you out there… especially with those people who are after you."
He got no response for her. He tried again. "Kaoru, there are men… men whose powers go beyond controlling the undead. They search for the priestess. I fear for your life!"
She looked at him, eyes burning with a passionate anger he had never seen before. "You should fear for nothing but your own," she responded quietly. "You are my family, but let me be the one to worry about my own burden."
Kaoru took his hand into her own.
"Let them come for me."
Author's Notes:
This is a strange idea that I've had in my head for awhile now. So I've finally ended the need to put it on paper. In terms of posting, WKUA will still hold priority but both stories will maintain a sort of rotating schedule.
Plot-wise, there are of a lot of X1999 themes within the story. Obviously this is an AU, but I will still try to keep some of the RK series themes in the story. Kaoru is the main focus of the story and her paring with Battousai will be the main relationship in the story. Misao and Aoshi flow in line next. There will be other appearances in the story, so stay tuned on the that front.
With content, I urge you to pay attention to the R rating. Staying true to my reputation of a dark writer in the Gundam world, I figured I might give it a whirl in the RK universe. So all and all, review please!