Of This World And Yesterday
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted- nevermore!
-'The Raven,' Edgar Allan Poe
Chapter 3- Witch
The room was dark, fluorescent bulbs in the ceiling kept dim, for the laboratory's lone occupant preferred them that way. It smelled faintly of sawdust from an overused pencil sharpener, and of cleaning solvents and chemical liquids used for storing animal matter; a pungent mix. Though at this time, the lab was still, experiments set aside for a very different kind of activity. A woman of indeterminable age sat at a wide desk, scattered papers and crates of documents settled around her, untouched for some time. She was busy, her hands holding a small paintbrush, lovingly adding details of red to the scarf of a tiny waxen doll she held in well manicured hands.
After a moment, she dipped the brush again, closed one dark eye, and carefully applied the final stroke. Smooth black hair hung on either side of her face, tendrils not daring to escape her styling. The doll was nearly complete, with only the eyes and hair left to color in with her tempera paints. Critically, she scrutinized her handiwork though a pair of small round spectacles, turning the poppet over in her hands to see if she had missed any spots. Her glasses gleamed slightly in the reflection from the lamp over her desk. She was nothing if not meticulous, and perfection in her dolls often gave her an edge over others who attempted to rival the use of puppets. She had seen a master work several centuries ago; and look how he ended up.
She sniffed in disdain over affairs of the past, pushing her glasses up onto the bridge of her nose. Centuries of patience would pay off quite well, in the end. The pieces of the game all lay out before her now. Even the unexpected appearance of the Shikon no Tama in this decade, a pleasant surprise. With everyone together, it would be like shooting fish in a barrel.
Lightly, she blew on the gashes of red on the poppet, willing them to dry a bit faster. Her next doll would use ever so much more red paint. She sighed. She'd have to run to the store again.
Standing, she set the figurine down to give it a few minutes to dry before starting the eyes. She didn't want it to smudge. The chair's wheels squealed in indignation at her movement, and she kicked it back into place for its complaint before removing a white lab coat. Underneath, a black dress was revealed, straps crisscrossing her back. Idly, she stretched, yawning. Working too long last night, now that the senshi had discovered that warping at the shrine. Idiots, all of them. It had been there for ages, though she supposed there was no reason for it to be detected if no one used it for almost five hundred years.
Taking off her glasses, she unfastened the chain that held them to her neck. Really, she must lay off these late nights. Though the darkness, she glanced outward, hearing a faint noise, the sound of wings flapping against still air. A moment later, a dark shape glided into her view, and she held up a pale hand to let the sleek black raven alight.
Silkily, she asked her familiar, "Ah, did everything go as we planned, Evermore? No interruptions?"
Her response was a harsh caw, and a ruffling of feathers as the bird shook himself, settling down. She brought him a bit closer, smoothing his wings with a hand and cooing lightly, making soothing sounds, pleased at the response. Phase 1 would be complete then, the two groups meeting and becoming aware of the other's presence. She knew that to break the senshi, it was best to separate them. Their power came from working in a unit, from joining their powers. The incidents with Queen Nehelenia of the Dead Moon proved that well enough.
Walking though her laboratory, she noticed she had failed to put away one of the bunsen burners. Shaking her head, she set it back into its cabinet, neatly storing it with the rest while Evermore shifted, scolding her for disrupting him. She moved him to her shoulder in response.
Everything was neat. A place for everything, everything in place. Rows of tissue samples labeled on the counter beside the cabinet. Snake youkai tissue beside lizard, lizard beside amphibian. She had a few samples from aquatic fishes as well, of course, but since battles were more likely to be fought on land, she doubted she'd need them much for the time being. Then of course the mammalian families, separated by species. Ape, horse, cat, dog, wolf, bat, and so on and so forth. And of course her favorite section, the avians. Samples of raven and crow, vulture, hawk, eagle...all collected samples of youkai DNA.
There were advantages of being a scientist. Of wandering the planet for five hundred years and watching humans develop the sciences of biology, chemistry, physics. She smirked, running her hand along the edge of the fluted test tubes. The Witches had really deteriorated after she left. Kaolinite, for all her powers, was a fool. Not exploring all the possibilities, the wealth of magicks on this planet. Of course, raising oneself from a mere Witch to a full Magus of the Tau Ceti System required a battle with the current Magus. And sadly, she had lost, escaping here in disgrace.
But that was only the beginning.
Boredly, she lifted a hand to the air, and a smooth staff formed in her palm. It was white gold, the end twisted into the symbol of Infinity. Within the curves, a pitch black star, last remaining evidence of her former position working for Master Pharaoh 90. When Germatoid and Kaolinite had arrived in this dimension several months ago, she had been afraid. She was not ready, not ready to challenge the invincible Mistress 9, who they summoned with the power of that brat Sailor Chibimoon's Imperium Silver Crystal. As hard as she worked, she cheered when the senshi summoned the Holy Grail and obliterated her old 'family' from the Tau System.
Good riddance. See you later, suckers.
And the inheritance they left in their wake was priceless to one who knew to use it. Daimon. Daimon remaining, unused in the ruins of Germatoid's labs. Daimon, the failed transformation of one like her. A spirit from Tau Ceti, needing a Vessel as a Host. True, they were parasites. Leeches in a way, feeding off the body and soul of their Host shell. Daimon, an incomplete fusion of a Tau spirit and a human body.
She wondered why so many failed. Germatoid was no fool, and he was in charge of the testing then. Over ninety percent failed, in her estimation. The only truly successful fusion was Germatoid himself. Mistress 9 had met her match in the girl Sailor Saturn. Heh, obliterated by a human. How pathetic, regardless of the fact the girl was a Sailor Senshi.
Mid-thought, she caught herself. Don't underestimate them. They always managed to defeat everyone else. Pride and arrogance will be a downfall and weakness. Know your enemy. Don't underestimate your enemy. Plan ahead. Brains could compensate for power.
Though of course, when she realized why the other Death Busters failed, she howled with laughter. Luck. Pure dumb luck led her the the answer. After all, she knew daimon could fuse and work in complete synch with a creature of the Earth.
She was living proof of it.
The fools had been looking for the wrong kind of Hoste, the wrong source for Vessels. She allowed herself to laugh at their attempts to merge human and daimon. When she realized that was their plan, she also knew it was only a matter of time before the senshi found them and obliterated them.
Though on her less self-important days, she realized there was little chance of them discovering what she had, even on accident. Youkai grew more and more rare down the centuries. Too many humans, spreading too fast. They mated and produced offspring almost exponentially. Heh, the ability to take over the world was based mostly off the speed of their ability to give birth to more little brats, and the fact they seemed to think the world belonged to them. Youkai hardly produced as much. And slowly they died away. When she realized this was happening, she began to collect samples; blood, feathers, hair...using her knowledge from Tau Ceti and magic. Figuring somewhere down the years the youki in them would be useful. And with the invasion from the Tau System and their attempts to take Hosts, it gave her a brilliant idea for revenge.
Then, one day, in the evening newspaper, there was a side story about a mysterious death at a local park. The body of a respectable woman had been found. Headless. It only took Evermore a few minutes to fly out to the playground, and discover lingering traces of youki. In this era, youkai didn't make themselves that conspicuous. That meant either a stupid youkai, or a crazed one. And there was only one thing that could make a youkai either stupid enough or insane enough to risk detection like that.
Shikon no Tama.
Walking though her laboratory, there was one very not scientific thing in its center. When she chose this building as her lab, she picked it because it was in the Delta Triangle the Death Busters were attempting to invade. Though at the same time, within reach of Mugen Academy, their nucleus. Magic flowed easily around this place, and that made her attempts at scrying easier.
A shallow pool lay in the middle of an expanse of cleared floor, water on its surface very still and reflective. The lip of the water was upraised, and she was able to sit on the ledge if she balanced carefully. Looking into the water, she saw herself there, pale white skin, smooth hair black as a raven's wing. Jet black eyes, thick black lashes.
Evermore crowed, hopping off her shoulder and onto her lap, shifting his weight before flapping his wings to gain her attention. She cuffed him lightly, enough to silence him and keep him from disturbing the water.
She peered inside, and it showed her the past.
***
Just Outside The Village
Sengoku Jidai
Approximately One Week Before Inuyasha is Pinned to the Goshinboku Tree
A small hand reached out, clasping the flowering herb her elder sister pointed out. The little girl tugged on it, uprooting it and revealing the tuber in the ground.
"Onee-sama? Is this the right one?" she asked, checking her own work before pulling up any more of the bitter root.
"Yes, Kaede. We'll boil it down when we get home." Kikyou smiled faintly, glad her sister was picking up on everything she told her. She'd be a fine miko someday, and someday soon. She stood, brushing leaves of grass off the folds of her loose red pants, letting it fall back to the ground. The valley was in full bloom, insects chirping and calling to each other noisily in the day's warmth. The sky was clear of clouds, and the sun shone warmly on the bright day. A grasshopper sprung up, landing on Kikyou's sleeve, and with a bemused smile, she brushed it back into the grass. "If you're nearly done, I'll collect our things."
"I hate doing this."
Her sister's words gave her pause, and she frowned, slightly puzzled. Kikyou had been under the impression Kaede enjoyed learning of the different plants. "Kaede?"
The little girl sat back on her haunches, throwing the last root into the woven basket beside her. She frowned and gave her elder sister a sharp look. "Not this. Helping him."
This, though, was a common enough complaint. "Kaede, he's just an injured man. Onigumo can't hurt you."
Her response was to turn back to the flowers before her and select another one to pull up. She yanked on it hard, and the bulb was unearthed. Kaede beat at the hairy roots of it, removing the damp soil. "An injured thief. He's not a good man, Onee-sama. I don't like him. He's creepy and bad. And I don't like the way he looks at you."
Kikyou sighed. Helping Onigumo...he was burned beyond belief, helpless on his own. She was a miko, and part of her duty as a miko was to help people when they were hurt or injured. She did this for the villagers, for people brought to her. People in need of her help physically, spiritually. She was tired. Kaede would help her someday, but...she glanced to the treeline just beyond the hill where they plucked herbs. There was nothing there but the stirring of branches in the light wind. Though of course that meant nothing. Furtively, she looked to the open sky. A bird circled high overhead, and she frowned at it for a moment.
The sound of Kaede continuing, "I don't like him. He's evil, Onee-sama," interrupted her thoughts, distracting her.
With a frown, Kikyou told her, "He's been burned, Kaede. Inhuman appearances do not necessarily mean an inhuman nature. We'll boil the roots when we get back home. I'm going to get our things. You finish here."
That earned her a 'humph' from Kaede, and another viscously yanked up root. Quietly, Kikyou walked back to the basket of roots, laid atop a basket. A few had spilled out, the straw carrier turned on its side. Carefully, she scooped the herbs back in, snapping off some excess leaves as she did so, to save work later.
Something tingled on the edge of her senses, and she had enough time to look up again in surprise as the bird in the air folded its wings and dove, shrieking, downward.
It emanated jaki, an aura of evil so pungent she could feel it pouring downward like a raincloud. But there was something alien to it, an exotic sense distinct from usual youki. Though there was no time to dwell on the power the raven youkai was giving off. Her bow and arrows were there on the blanket beside her, and Kikyou snatched them up as she heard Kaede give out a shrill scream.
What happened next was impossible to see clearly. Youkai of that size and type did not transform into a more human appearance. Though this one was making every effort to do so as it somehow latched onto Kaede. There was a brilliant brightness, and a shifting of size as the thing tried to change between one form and another. It was only partially successful. Ragged black feathers sprouted out of a half-formed humanoid shape, the face a warped cross between avian and human, a beak and half molting feathers surrounding a pair of human shaped eyes, black as pitch. Releasing the girl, it was now reaching with clawed hands for something hovering over Kaede, something glowing and crystalline.
"Die!"
The bolt was released from the bow, the string vibrating at the tension. The arrowhead glowed in the daylight, evidence of exorcising power shoved into the shot. A second before impact, the thing screeched, leaping backward and flapping stubbly wings, attempting to get airborne as a second then third arrow followed the first, each closer to the leaping, jerking target. It screamed again, this time sounded from a human throat, as it wheeled on its attacker.
Black eyes glowed a viscous shade of red as the archer came into her vision. Her body was in pain, half formed, devoid of energy needed to survive. A soul, a heart, something beating, something alive, to feed on, to grow stronger with. The little girl was strong, young prey, now lying unconscious below her. The woman she faced was even stronger, in the full bloom of her powers. But something else was there, an aura only partially purified. It was a feast for her, hidden somewhere under the folds of the white robes of the miko.
There was no reaction on the face of the woman, as she drew another arrow, nocking the bolt for a final shot. With the youkai coming straight at her, it would be impossible to miss.
"Sankontetsusou!"
The youkai gave a pitched scream, so ear shatteringly high they winced as Inuyasha's claws sunk into flesh and feathers. She writhed in pain, abandoning her attack. Arrows she could attempt to dodge, but claws that kept coming again and again she could not fend off. Wildly, the youkai flapped her ragged wings, painfully moving back into the more comfortable form of a bird. Energized by fear, she flapped hard, out across the open valley, where he could not follow.
"Kuso!" A string of obscenities followed the flight of the creature, dwindling away as it flapped higher and higher, straining off into the distance.
Furious it had escaped, Inuyasha spun around, watching Kikyou rush to Kaede, her bow discarded behind her. He joined them after a moment, watching Kikyou as she tried to determine what exactly the faintly glowing crystal was.
Clearly, it was connected to Kaede and her life. It hovered over her, sparkling, glittering, the slightly reddish edges of the crystal flashing in the afternoon sunlight. Kaede was pale, eyes closed, brows furrowed in pain from having it ripped out of her chest. Lightly, Kikyou cupped it in her hands, not quite touching the hovering pinpoint of brilliance.
"What the hell is that?"
The light of her sister's soul reflected in Kikyou's face, and her lips drew thin. "A crystal. A crystal of her pure soul, Inuyasha."
That creature was attempting to feed itself off Kaede's soul, to devour it and grow stronger because of it. And now, escaped, it would try again somewhere, sometime, gathering more, to grow stronger. But right now....
Very, very gently, Kikyou prayed that as she pushed it back towards Kaede's body, it would remerge with her physical self. And, after a moment's hesitation, it did. Light floated over the girl's slack face, disappearing as the crystal sank back into her chest. Peering over her sister, Kikyou brushed back a lock of hair. "How are you, Kaede?"
A small hand tightened on Kikyou's wide sleeve. "Onee-sama..." she blinked her eyes open once, then saw the face of Inuyasha hovering behind her sister's. Her eyes went wide, slightly frightened at seeing the hanyou so close. His response was to snort.
"Feh! Baka."
She made a small sound, slightly strangled, tightening her grip on Kikyou's arm. Inuyasha snorted again, then turned and ran off wordlessly, back into the trees beyond. He left the two women sitting there, watching uncertainly. After a moment, Kaede coughed, fist tightening to white on Kikyou's sleeve as she curled up, feeling ill. And, gently, Kikyou gathered up Kaede in her arms, and began to make her way back home.
***
In the chamber of the laboratory, the water rippled, growing still after the reflection faded, ending the display of her memory. It portrayed her past, though could scry on the present. Yet as always, the future was cloudy, shifting and twisting into unknown ways.
She sat on the lip of the pool, her staff held lightly in one hand, fingers delicately running over the black star on its tip. She had found prey, eventually. Enough energy from human souls to give her back her strength. And as her power returned, she found it easier to make the transfer to human form, not the monstrosity she could only shift to just after her arrival on Earth. Humans walked the Earth far more easily than other creatures, and their Hoste was more powerful. The raven youkai she used as a Vessel was small, constricting, and though humans were not much better, they eventually became the Earth's dominant species. There were advantages in wearing their form.
Unconsciously, she ran a hand over her chest, feeling her collarbones beneath her skin, and where they connected to her shoulders. Those claws were sharp, and they cut into her ragged flesh. It took two centuries for the livid red scars to heal. When strong enough, she had returned to the village, thinking to make him pay for damaging her beauty. Though by then, she could only rage helplessly that he was already dead, pinned to a large tree in the forest. When calmed down, she managed to get the full story from a villager.
The woman he had protected that day out in the valley, a miko, had shot him dead. Pinned to the tree, he would stay there forever. This was the first time she learned what that energy was, pulsating from the woman, a miko named Kikyou. A jewel called Shikon no Tama, Jewel of Four Souls, able to give energy to a youkai. No wonder her new youkai body craved that power. The man, a hanyou called Inuyasha, had attacked the village, and so he had died at her hand, defending it. The tama was burned with her body, and far out of reach.
Though it did puzzle her as to why he would protect the woman one day, and then attempt to hurt her the next. Humans are bizarre creatures.
Many years later, she returned to the island nation, finding it still embroiled in feudal wars. Though then, rumor had it that Shikon no Tama had reappeared.
Idly, she scratched the feathers under Evermore's neck, and he tried to peck at her hand. She snapped her fingers at him for silence, and he subsided. There, surrounded by her bottles and potions, poppets and samples, she was ready.
The Death Busters were fools. The Sailor Senshi knew nothing. The hanyou and the girl would fit into things nicely. Everything was ready.
After a moment, she smiled.
Terms of note:
Goshinboku- the sacred tree Inuyasha was pinned to
Onee-sama- a very polite form of 'older sister.'
miko- a Shinto priestess
jaki- an evil aura
shinu- die
kuso- general swearing and pottymouthing...basically equates to 'shit.'
A big arigatou to everyone who's reviewed! I'm so happy. ^_^ You like my insanity! (Insanity is fun, ne?) Keep leaving reviews as to what you think. It's so fun (at least on my part) to see how you guys think the characters are going to interact. I hope I've got some surprises up my sleeve for you. ^.~
Hm...well, what do you think of our villainess? I was trying to blend the Inuyasha and Sailormoon storylines together as seamlessly as I could. So, our villainess is a daimon possessing the body of a youkai.
In the Inuyasha storyline, there was a crow youkai at the very beginning- the one that swallowed the Shikon no Tama- getting it high enough for the pieces to fall all over the countryside when Kagome hit it with her arrow. Crow youkai are not strong enough to transform- like the way Sesshoumaru does. They don't have a more human appearance. I'm assuming this is the same for all crow youkai, and since ravens are in the same biological family as crows, I'm also assuming they can't. Merging with an entity like a daimon altered it and allowed it to transform. I'm pushing things a bit- but really, it's no fun if your main villain is just a gigantic bird. So she gets a human-ish form. Will you let me bend the rules a bit?
As for her back story...in the SM manga, the Death Busters arrive on Earth when Sailor Saturn is young, taking over the bodies of a few people and spreading from there. Our villainess here came much, much earlier, breaking away from Tau Ceti and arriving during the sengoku jidai. Tau Ceti is apparently another dimension/solar system.
The person she refers to as 'Germatoid' took over the Host of Sailor Saturn's (Tomoe Hotaru's) father, Professor Tomoe Soichi. He was not a Witch or Magus, best I can tell. Hotaru herself was possessed by Mistress 9, who was second only to their leader, Pharaoh 90.
There's really no way of knowing what life was like on Tau Ceti. I'm relying a bit on the SM anime- the Witches 5 were incessantly infighting, so I assume if any of them powered up enough to challenge a leader, they'd fight it out for supremacy. The villainess here lost, and escaped to Earth during the sengoku jidai. Make sense? ^^;;
Well, I know, not a whole lot of the usual cast in this chapter- ie, Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Shippou or any of the senshi. But it was needed to establish the villain. You'll find out her name the next time she appears. ^.^
So, til next chapter!
Ja ne!
~Queen
Coming up next in Chapter 4: Speak-
"It's all right, Inuyasha. They won't be enemies. And if they are..." slowly, she slipped her arms around his neck. "...we'll fight our way out, don't worry. Really."
He nodded, tightening his grip on her, and then leapt across the street, across the jinja's torii, and then down into a tree lined courtyard.