Repossession
By Tesuka- chan
Chapter One
The Storm
He was in the mausoleum again.
Light drizzle gently fell down from the night sky accompanied by a soft breeze. The white marble walls gleamed and shone while the water reflected the blackness of the sky. A thin mist covered the place, creating a surreal and magical ambiance. In the middle of the courtyard was the pond, and in the middle of the pond was a small island. On the island, a magnificent white tomb sat quietly, coldly.
The burial tomb of one that was called Kamiya Kaoru.
Kenshin Himura stood in front of the empty tomb. His face revealed nothing, no emotion, no thought. His amber eyes flashed.
The breeze played with a stray lock of blood red hair. He stared at what was gone, perhaps longing, perhaps despairing. Always, always hurting.
As graceful as a cat, he swung around, his coat swirling around him, and left, his steps echoing throughout the lonely grounds.
The clouds parted and the ominous amber moon shone bright among the darkness.
The Mibu Wolf narrowed his golden eyes as the door in his shabby office opened and closed quietly. He had been expecting him for a long time.
"Saitou." A low voice acknowledged him.
He nodded towards his colleague, "Battousai."
He knew that Battousai visited that blasted place again. Today was the 13th after all… the day she died. Battousai doesn't know he knows that he goes there every month – hell, it's his business to know everything anyway. It's his job. It's not that he's complaining about it. It's just bad for the kid. Emotional shit and stuff. He shook his head and grunted, inhaling that hazy nicotine high that relaxes his nerves. Now that's a cigarette.
"Is there a new job?" The red- haired man asked while taking off his gloves and his coat. Saitou saw his amber flecked eyes turn completely amethyst. It was something that he always observed whenever the kid comes back from that place. He knew he was controlling something, and that "something" is still an enigma to him. But it won't be for long.
He assumed a brooding expression as these thoughts ran around his head. At the same time, he flicked a folder towards to the air and Battousai deftly caught it. He quickly scanned over its contents and nodded. "I shall attend to this immediately." He went to his adjacent office and closed the door behind him.
The inspector stared into space, lost in a smoke of his own making. The kid works hard, and he had to admit, he's very powerful. Almost as powerful as himself. He shook his head, remembering the past. It was that girl who ruined him. Her death pained him. Her vanishing act devastated him and drove him to the edge. Not knowing what else to do, he buried himself in his work, here in the justice section of The Hidden Organization of Rights and Nations of the Supernatural – or simply put, T.H.O.R.N.S. The kid became a goddamned work-a-holic. Good for the organization, but he sometimes wondered if it was good for him.
Saitou shook his head, smirked, and finished the cigarette. Women. They're the downfall of every good man.
He lit another cigarette, the glowing embers the only source of illumination in that dark room.
He saw Enishi bite Kaoru's neck.
He saw the beautiful too-pale face of Kaoru.
He saw the blood on her.
The pain, the anger, the sorrow… his emotions had mixed up rather crazily… He had to release it. His eyes turned dark amethyst, his arm pointed to Enishi. Release it. And he did.
"Kaoru… please don't die on me… please…"
I vow to you… I will never kill again.
~amber~
Kenshin woke up with a start, panting and sweating. Every night, these dreams would come. Every night they haunt him. When will he learn to welcome them? When will he learn to accept the fact that they will never go away? He shoved a trembling hand through his tangled hair, frustrated and disoriented. He had to live with it and atone for his sins. Live up to his promise. He sighed loudly and heavily.
Outside his window, it was darker than usual. Lightning flashed, followed by the low rumble of thunder. There was a storm coming, according to the news flash on television. Good, he thought. Even mother nature knows what I'm going through. He glanced at the electronic watch on his bedside table. The neon green light flashed 11:46 pm. Kenshin shook the last remains of sleep out of his head and headed for the shower.
He turned the knob and welcomed the rush of the cold water on his heated body. He had felt it trying to rise up again, just after the dream and right before he fully woke up. It hadn't stirred for such a long time inside him until now. A feeling of dread came over him. Although he was called Battousai, the people who called him that never really knew the real reason for that name.
They never really knew the real Battousai.
He switched off the shower and toweled himself dry. This is no time to reminisce about past lives. He has a job to do… Shishio is active again. Yes, concentrate on the job, always on the job.
He grabbed a black shirt from his closet and put on his hakama. A little on the old- fashion side, but it is already tradition for him to wear his black hakama during missions. A certain trademark, one can say. He tied the strings tightly, reverently. Then he went over to a wooden chest, opened it, and took out his wooden sword. He slashed it in the dark, its smooth blackness reflecting the lightning outside. Nodding, he put it back in its sheath and secured it on his side.
And lastly, he took a midnight blue ribbon, well- worn yet still usable, and tied his hair up in a high ponytail.
Now, he was ready.
He took a trench coat, went out the door and entered the dark world where he belonged.
There was a storm coming.
She was almost hit by a car when she crossed the street, the driver shouting expletives at her. She ignored it. She walked slowly now, on this street, on this side of the city where danger lurked at every corner and people weren't people at all, they were actually animals disguised as humans. She really didn't care. She was already part of this whole darkness, living in it, reveling in it. She was dangerous herself. She shivered and huddled closely inside her tattered coat as a strong wind blew against her.
She was walking, just walking aimlessly. For the past few months, she lived like one of them, like one of those despicable human hoboes who had no jobs, no shelter, no lives. The only difference was food. They had none; she had plenty. Never ran out of supply. She smiled bitterly at that. Oh, there were certainly lots for her.
She stopped, contemplating on what to do next. Her stomach rumbled. Talk about food. She looked around, the street was pretty empty at this time of the night. Then she saw one, a small boy. She shrugged. He'll do.
She walked over to him.
"Hello there, boy, what are you up to?" She smiled at him, deceptively kind. She never really approached a boy before, only annoying adult humans. But she was getting hungrier every second, that too familiar craving overcoming her senses. He probably have less blood, but I don't care at this point. Her hunger was approaching its peak.
The little boy did not look at her, did not answer her. He just continued fixing something at his lap with his small, dirty hands.
"Where's your parents?" Good one. If he's one of those runaway orphans, he won't be missed much.
The boy continued to tinker.
Getting a little more annoyed and desperate by now, she knelt down and cupped the little boy's chin. "Hey, why don't you – "
She stopped and almost fell back in shock.
The boy was filthy, having short, cropped black hair. He was also scrawny, obviously he had not eaten for a time. But it was not his physique that caught her attention; it was his eyes. They were a deep, dark blue, full of sorrow and soul- deep sadness. Like mine… she thought fleetingly. And then she looked down and saw what he was tinkering with – a rag doll.
"My sister died." He finally spoke up, his voice small and scared. "I'm alone now." He looked up at her with those soulful eyes.
Her heart lurched and reached out to him, her hunger set aside. She felt genuine compassion right now, the false strength that she had built up were shattered to pieces. She couldn't kill him… even if he is human, he's still a child. She made a decision.
She smiled gently and held out a hand towards the child, who started to sob. "Hey, it's dangerous out here. Let's find you a place to sleep in, ne?"
The child gave her a tentative smile. Then his expression completely transformed to that of pure terror. He was staring at something behind her.
"Well, well, here you are little brother. Thanks miss, for finding him." A rough voice was heard.
She stood up and turned around. In front of her were a couple of huge men, muscular and rowdy. Two of them had missing teeth, and they were all reeking worse than rotting corpses. She vaguely registered someone hiding behind a building not far from where they are, but ignored it, thinking of the matter at hand. Then she felt something clutch at her coat. Hard. She looked down at the frightened boy, the doll hugged tightly against his chest. She smiled at him once, then faced the men.
"You're welcome."
The leader of the group stepped forward and grabbed at the boy. "C'mon you little prick, you still have to do some chores," he snarled. The boy is gonna get it later from him.
A pale hand stopped his arm. It was the woman. Why is she still here? It's none of her business!
"What do you want?"
"I don't think the boy wants to go with you." Her cold voice sent shivers up and down his spine. There was something not right about her… he shrugged it off. No woman scares him. Oh, he was going to beat up that boy so bad later for hiding behind her, just like what he did to his slutty sister.
"Well, if you want to play a little, miss," his goons laughed and snickered behind him, "go ahead." He grinned lecherously at her.
She smiled. An eerie smile that made him thought of ghost stories and vampires, the monsters that he was afraid of while he was just a kid. Cold. Heartless. Predatory.
Evil.
The woman lunged at him.
Before he knew what was happening, he suddenly felt pure, intense pain on his neck. It felt like someone was sucking the life out of him.
And in a way, that was exactly what was happening.
She hid around the corner, behind the building.
Her master had sent her out to look for that so- called renegade vampire terrorizing this area. There were lots of dead bodies found here in a span of two and a half months and T.H.O.R.N.S. was getting suspicious. It was definitely not from her master's group, or they would've known who did it. So she was sent here to recruit the renegade vamp, before the T.H.O.R.N.S. agents get to him or her.
It was easy, actually. She found this group of goons, who had some kids with them. Deliciously frightened little children. She saw the men beat the girl up and kill her in the process. The boy was terrified. He wouldn't have ran away if it were not for her… just a little mind control. She knew that in a deserted night like this with an impending storm, no one will really go out and the renegade vamp won't be able to find easy prey. Except for this little boy. It was just a bonus for her that the goons went out to look for the child. She smiled.
A woman approached the child.
She wore a cap and an old, tattered coat about her. Her blue- black hair was fixed up in a ponytail and jutted out of the hole of the cap. She looked like one of those social service workers, a bit on the thin and pale side. She had to admit though, under all that grime on her face, the girl had looks. There was something odd about that social worker, though. For one thing, why would she go out in the middle of the night with a storm coming? Another was that there wasn't a social worker office for blocks. Interesting.
She watched as the social worker extended her hand to help the child. She smirked. A social worker all right. Then the goons came. Well, her plan was ruined. Nothing here. She'll just have to try next time. But before she could turn away, she saw the most peculiar thing.
The social worker lunged at the brawny leader.
Well, that caught her attention. What intrigued her more was that she was biting his neck. Well. Well, well, well. It's her after all. She heard the other goons cry out.
"He- hey, lady! What the fuck are you doing to him?"
"Get away! W-we don't want to hurt ya!"
And then they attacked her all at once.
Stupid humans.
Social worker vamp was done with goon #1 and had discarded him. Dead, obviously. Then, with one look from silvery blue eyes, she attacked the others, hitting them one by one. But there were too many of them. Oh well, women should stand up for themselves. She had better help the future recruit.
She moved towards the fight and tapped the shoulder of the one nearest her. He turned around, and she bit. Mmmm… nothing like fresh, hot blood. There was this comical look on the vermin's face, a mixture of anger, surprise, and pure terror. Delicious. Fright always adds spice.
She heard a scream.
She discarded the dead, comical man and saw what was happening.
Social worker vamp hadn't noticed her at all. How ungrateful. She had to give her credit, the woman had killed all the others by herself, and then the boy had screamed. Probably couldn't scream before out of sheer shock and terror. Imagine, thinking that your savior was an angel but she was actually the devil. She almost pitied the little vermin. Almost.
The renegade vamp was kneeling before the child, shushing him, trying to comfort him. How can you comfort a child when you have blood all over your mouth? You could at least have the decency to wipe it off. No wonder the boy kept screaming like mad. Good thing they were in a deserted alley. But sooner or later, someone's going to investigate… she had to do something about it.
She walked over to the screaming child and knelt before him. Social worker vamp was surprised and stared at her. She ignored her and looked at the child. She was planning to use mind influence on him, but he kept screaming, for crying out loud! So she did the alternative.
She snapped his neck and killed the boy in an instant.
She stood up and brushed her hands together. Well, she had to do it. The child was practically calling the T.H.O.R.N.S agents. Besides, he was only vermin. One less of their species will help a lot. It was all for the master.
The job done, she turned to look at social worker vamp.
She was horrified.
It was probably the understatement of the year. She couldn't believe it. He was just a boy… he wasn't one of the goons! He was still a child! Her eyes were wide, its silvery shade gone, leaving only the dark blue hue in its depths. They were filled with complete shock as she stared at the woman in front of her who was brushing her hands as if a job was well done. She couldn't speak. She just stared.
The woman was beautiful, her short hair was of reddish hue, leaning on the purple side. She had high cheekbones, and clear, almost transparent skin. She wore a velvet trench coat that reached only down to her knees, and her black boots were high- heeled, its leather hugging her calves. She looked like she was going clubbing instead of snapping the necks of little boys.
The woman stopped brushing of her hands and looked at her own, kneeled form. She smiled at her kindly and gave her a handkerchief. "Here, wipe your mouth."
Snapping out of her stupor, she received the handkerchief and wiped the blood off her mouth. Not being able to take it any longer, she asked quietly, "why did you kill the child?"
The woman looked surprised, to say the least. "Well, he was causing such noise. He might call attention on us. What will happen to us then?" She smiled again.
"But you didn't have to kill him." Her fists clenched on the handkerchief.
"Oh… now I see. You're a new vamp." For a moment, the woman looked at her with understanding. "Well, that's the way things are, honey. It's either kill, or be killed. It's the law of the jungle. Survival of the fittest." Her features suddenly changed as if she heard something. "We'll have to go. Some people are coming."
She looked at the little boy's face. He was deceptively peaceful. She gently brushed his dark hair away from his face. She felt empty inside. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't. She was dead, after all. But she still mourned for the child… the child who didn't deserve to die. She closed his empty, dead eyes and put his hands on his lap. That was the least she could do for him.
The woman behind her looked on with pity. Then gently, she asked, "What's your name, honey?"
She stood up, the walls up again. Everyone dies, you should know. You shouldn't mourn for them. Her blue eyes were cold as she looked at the woman. "Kaoru."
"Kaoru?"
"Just… Kaoru." She said quietly, handing over the bloodied handkerchief to the woman. "Thank you."
"Oh, no, it's yours. I have lots at home." She smiled at Kaoru. "I'm Kamatari. As you know by now, I'm also a vampire. I came here to help."
Kaoru looked at her in askance.
Kamatari just smiled. "Come on, let's talk somewhere… there's a storm coming. You wouldn't want to get caught when the storm hits, hm?"
She shook her head. She wondered who will catch them… the storm, or something else. Then she smiled. Cold and bitter. She didn't care. Didn't care anymore. This woman will help her, that she was sure of.
She looked one last look at the dead body of the little boy, and she walked away.
The rain began to fall.
A/n: I know, I know… I said this was on hiatus. But I felt like writing a chapter! Just don't expect something sooner though. I don't really have a decent plot yet. *grins evilly* Hmm… well, hope this chapter's pretty interesting. ^_^
Thanks to the following people:
NatsuNoAme: Thanks much for your support! No, I'm not stopping M:F! because it's my priority right now. ^_^ They will all appear, eventually. Well… hopefully. I think… (minnie me: She doesn't know yet herself) Ehehehe…
Anuradha: Arigatou! I'm so glad you like TVA! Hope you're liking this one too! ^_^
Innocent Dreamer: Kenshin bopping? Well… *thinks about it* Possible, but this is more on the angsty side. I'll try to put some humor but it might not be much, if none at all. Gomen!
Chibi Mai: Thanks! Glad you liked TVA! Well, let's see… it's more ore less six to five months. Two and a half months after the first chapter. ^_^ And she's in Tokyo… or somewhere there. Bah, I'm not really good with the places in Japan. ;p Anyway, Let's just see what will happen, ne?
Chris37: She sort of forgot her past because she didn't change right away… Enishi didn't get to give her enough blood. Remember, they had time to build her a mausoleum and bury her! Her change was sort of an unnatural change. ^_^
Baka-Ryu: Believe you me, it will get darker! MWAHAHAHA!
Darkfairy: Gomen, this took a long time! Didn't really had much inspiration. ;p
Moonblossom: Glad you like it! I shall continue this… eventually. (minnie me: bad, bad author!) Hey…!
Cat, Avatar for the DCG: No, I really appreciate the constructive criticism! And the grammar thing is really my weakness. ;p Well, I'm glad you liked it! ^_^
Queen of Shadows: Kenshin sort of knew her body vanished… but he's not sure if she's dead or alaive. It will definitely be one heck of a shock! *grins maniacally*
Dragowolf: Miyu? *question marks floating around her head* What's that? *blink* Anyway, do not fret! Aoshi and Misao will still be on this one… though not much, but still here! Of course I can't leave my fave pair behind!
En Satsu Koku Ryuu Ha: Arigatou for reading TVA! Thanks bunch! ^_^
Gah, Now I feel guilty for not updating. *mournful look* I'll try my best, really! Reading and reviewing will help… *hint hint*