Ch. 17: The Awakening
Sarah sat, holding his clothing. Her memories of him flashed through her mind. A doorbell rang, a voice called out her name. She didn't respond. She couldn't. She lost the one person who meant anything to her. The door burst open, and footsteps approached her. Kenji and Uriko, but she still didn't acknowledge them. Not until his name came up.
"Sarah, what's wrong?" Uriko asked, "Where's Kane."
"Kane..." Sarah said, his name catching in her throat, "is gone..." she managed before breaking down.
"What happened?" she asked, carrying Sarah to the kitchen table. She sat her down and made her a hot cup of coffee. Kenji stood nearby, as Sarah tried to gather herself. Her sobs subsided, as she began her story.
"Scott came back yesterday, as he said he would. He was alone, there was no fight, and Scott only talked. He told Kane that I was hired by him and Busuzima to watch Kane, and monitor him for them."
Uriko looked on in shock. "That's not true, is it?" she asked.
"Unfortunately, it is." She began crying again. Kenji moved to her in a hostile manner, but Uriko put out her arm to stop him.
"Tell me everything," she told Sarah.
"It happened three months before I met you. My sister took ill, and was on death's door. A man approached my mother and I, saying he could cure her. We accepted her offer, and in exchange I was to monitor a man by the name of Kane Darkholm, and report back to him."
"Just like Kane's mother..."
"But the more I got to know him, I realized that I couldn't follow through with my assignment. At first I was pretending to care about him, but I realized that I had fallen in love with him. I purposefully sent false information to him."
"What were you supposed to monitor?"
"Scott told me what to look for, and Kane himself later told me. According to them, Kane was born with two beast forms.
"The Tabula? The hyper beast, right?"
"No, Kane has no mark, at least in that sense. Kane's mother was Japanese, but he obviously inherited most of his father's features. His mother was descended from a long line of Shinto priests. Their ancestor was a warrior, who fought against a powerful samurai named Sezaku. But Sezaku was also a demon, a powerful one at that. Kane's ancestor was equipped to seal him, but the seal was broken during the fight. As a last resort, Kane's ancestor sealed the demon within herself. Ever since then, each of her bloodline has had two zoanthrope forms. One is their natural one, the other is an extension of Sezaku."
"And Scott wants to awaken Sezaku?"
"No. Sezaku is incomplete with this generation, since there are two Darkholm brothers. Scott wants the power to be near the surface, so he can siphon it. That only happens in moments of extreme negative emotion."
"Why didn't you tell us this before?" Uriko asked.
"Kane asked me not to. He didn't want to concern you."
"I see." Kenji said headed towards the door, "I will find Kane. C'mon."
"No." Sarah said. "I've caused him enough pain, seeing me will only make things worse."
Kenji grunted, and left. He grabbed his ninja armor and sword, as a precaution. Kane's trail was warm, and it didn't take long for Kenji to find him in a run down bar on the outskirts of the city. Kenji walked in, and sat next to Kane.
"I guess you know," Kane said.
"Yeah, and more. But that's not important."
"She betrayed me." Kane said dryly.
"And you did us once. True that you admitted it, but she had a lot more to lose than you. She loves you Kane, we found her sitting among a pile of your clothes crying."
Kane said nothing for a second. "Don't be so stubborn Kane. I know you better than that."
"Do you?" a familiar voice said. The pair turned to see Scott holding a vial in his hand. "This is the menagerie agent. It has a neat little property we learned about, it could duplicate another's beast for, you heard about that legend surrounding our mother, didn't you Kane? I think you can guess what I'm thinking about."
Kane's eyes grew red. "You...I've taken enough of your interference!"
"Kenji looked at Kane in horror. "Those eyes," he thought, "they're not human!" Kenji grabbed Kane's arm "Kane, fight it!" he yelled as electricity ran down the man's body. As he finished his thought, a pair of ebon wings sprouted from his back. Scott threw his vial at the creature, only to watch it shatter in mid air.
"I must thank you, Scott Darkholm, for giving me life once more."
Scott ran at the creature, but found his body frozen and stiff. He grunted, trying to escape, but in vain.
"For your reward, a quick death."
Scott looked on in horror as Kane drew his arm across his body. It grinned s he flung his arm, letting three feathers fly from his wing towards Scott. They impacted his chest, nailing him to the wall. Scott looked up in horror, then his head dropped, blood running from his mouth.
"Kane?" Kenji asked in shock.
"Yes, and no." the demon smiled at him, and flung the ninja through a wall. Kenji groaned, and rose to his feet.
"Would you really raise a blade to your friend?" The creature hissed.
"You may have Kane's body, but you're not him." Kenji said in defiance. He lunged, rushing past the demon as he did the same. They stood still for a moment, and a cut burst open from the demons arm, and a smaller one opened across Kenji's face. Kenji turned back around, only to find himself airborne. His back crashed against the bar, sending splinters all over the place. The demon approached, ready to deliver the killing blow. Kenji could barely move. He was helpless. But something stopped the creature, and for a moment the monster's darkened eyes turned human once more.
"Kane," Kenji thought as it flew away, "you're still in there?" With that thought the ninja blacked out.
It had been three hours before Kenji made it home. He looked at the concerned Uriko and Sarah.
"We saw that disturbance on the news. Honey, are you okay?" Uriko asked flinging herself in Kenji's arms.
"I'm fine," he said, "but Kane..."
"I figured as much" Sarah said heading to the bedroom. She walked over to Kane's Masamune blade and removed the diamond cover. "Kane warned me that this could happen, and left me instructions on what to do if it did. Scott's awakened something he cannot comprehend. There's only one way to end this."
"You don't mean.?" Uriko began.
Her words were cut off by the swoosh of the blade. "I have no choice," Sarah said in as cold a manner as she could.
Sarah sat, holding his clothing. Her memories of him flashed through her mind. A doorbell rang, a voice called out her name. She didn't respond. She couldn't. She lost the one person who meant anything to her. The door burst open, and footsteps approached her. Kenji and Uriko, but she still didn't acknowledge them. Not until his name came up.
"Sarah, what's wrong?" Uriko asked, "Where's Kane."
"Kane..." Sarah said, his name catching in her throat, "is gone..." she managed before breaking down.
"What happened?" she asked, carrying Sarah to the kitchen table. She sat her down and made her a hot cup of coffee. Kenji stood nearby, as Sarah tried to gather herself. Her sobs subsided, as she began her story.
"Scott came back yesterday, as he said he would. He was alone, there was no fight, and Scott only talked. He told Kane that I was hired by him and Busuzima to watch Kane, and monitor him for them."
Uriko looked on in shock. "That's not true, is it?" she asked.
"Unfortunately, it is." She began crying again. Kenji moved to her in a hostile manner, but Uriko put out her arm to stop him.
"Tell me everything," she told Sarah.
"It happened three months before I met you. My sister took ill, and was on death's door. A man approached my mother and I, saying he could cure her. We accepted her offer, and in exchange I was to monitor a man by the name of Kane Darkholm, and report back to him."
"Just like Kane's mother..."
"But the more I got to know him, I realized that I couldn't follow through with my assignment. At first I was pretending to care about him, but I realized that I had fallen in love with him. I purposefully sent false information to him."
"What were you supposed to monitor?"
"Scott told me what to look for, and Kane himself later told me. According to them, Kane was born with two beast forms.
"The Tabula? The hyper beast, right?"
"No, Kane has no mark, at least in that sense. Kane's mother was Japanese, but he obviously inherited most of his father's features. His mother was descended from a long line of Shinto priests. Their ancestor was a warrior, who fought against a powerful samurai named Sezaku. But Sezaku was also a demon, a powerful one at that. Kane's ancestor was equipped to seal him, but the seal was broken during the fight. As a last resort, Kane's ancestor sealed the demon within herself. Ever since then, each of her bloodline has had two zoanthrope forms. One is their natural one, the other is an extension of Sezaku."
"And Scott wants to awaken Sezaku?"
"No. Sezaku is incomplete with this generation, since there are two Darkholm brothers. Scott wants the power to be near the surface, so he can siphon it. That only happens in moments of extreme negative emotion."
"Why didn't you tell us this before?" Uriko asked.
"Kane asked me not to. He didn't want to concern you."
"I see." Kenji said headed towards the door, "I will find Kane. C'mon."
"No." Sarah said. "I've caused him enough pain, seeing me will only make things worse."
Kenji grunted, and left. He grabbed his ninja armor and sword, as a precaution. Kane's trail was warm, and it didn't take long for Kenji to find him in a run down bar on the outskirts of the city. Kenji walked in, and sat next to Kane.
"I guess you know," Kane said.
"Yeah, and more. But that's not important."
"She betrayed me." Kane said dryly.
"And you did us once. True that you admitted it, but she had a lot more to lose than you. She loves you Kane, we found her sitting among a pile of your clothes crying."
Kane said nothing for a second. "Don't be so stubborn Kane. I know you better than that."
"Do you?" a familiar voice said. The pair turned to see Scott holding a vial in his hand. "This is the menagerie agent. It has a neat little property we learned about, it could duplicate another's beast for, you heard about that legend surrounding our mother, didn't you Kane? I think you can guess what I'm thinking about."
Kane's eyes grew red. "You...I've taken enough of your interference!"
"Kenji looked at Kane in horror. "Those eyes," he thought, "they're not human!" Kenji grabbed Kane's arm "Kane, fight it!" he yelled as electricity ran down the man's body. As he finished his thought, a pair of ebon wings sprouted from his back. Scott threw his vial at the creature, only to watch it shatter in mid air.
"I must thank you, Scott Darkholm, for giving me life once more."
Scott ran at the creature, but found his body frozen and stiff. He grunted, trying to escape, but in vain.
"For your reward, a quick death."
Scott looked on in horror as Kane drew his arm across his body. It grinned s he flung his arm, letting three feathers fly from his wing towards Scott. They impacted his chest, nailing him to the wall. Scott looked up in horror, then his head dropped, blood running from his mouth.
"Kane?" Kenji asked in shock.
"Yes, and no." the demon smiled at him, and flung the ninja through a wall. Kenji groaned, and rose to his feet.
"Would you really raise a blade to your friend?" The creature hissed.
"You may have Kane's body, but you're not him." Kenji said in defiance. He lunged, rushing past the demon as he did the same. They stood still for a moment, and a cut burst open from the demons arm, and a smaller one opened across Kenji's face. Kenji turned back around, only to find himself airborne. His back crashed against the bar, sending splinters all over the place. The demon approached, ready to deliver the killing blow. Kenji could barely move. He was helpless. But something stopped the creature, and for a moment the monster's darkened eyes turned human once more.
"Kane," Kenji thought as it flew away, "you're still in there?" With that thought the ninja blacked out.
It had been three hours before Kenji made it home. He looked at the concerned Uriko and Sarah.
"We saw that disturbance on the news. Honey, are you okay?" Uriko asked flinging herself in Kenji's arms.
"I'm fine," he said, "but Kane..."
"I figured as much" Sarah said heading to the bedroom. She walked over to Kane's Masamune blade and removed the diamond cover. "Kane warned me that this could happen, and left me instructions on what to do if it did. Scott's awakened something he cannot comprehend. There's only one way to end this."
"You don't mean.?" Uriko began.
Her words were cut off by the swoosh of the blade. "I have no choice," Sarah said in as cold a manner as she could.