YUME-MI

A fanfic by Jashi

I want to say…a lot. So, thank you, yes, and read.

AND…

Everybody should go download the Rurouni Kenshin mp3 "Run to You"!

Yeah, I suddenly feel better. Time to put some brainwork in! And also time to make up for the suckiness of the last chapter. I know I can go back and erase it, but I feel it just needs to be there. Okay!

Hajimemashou! (let's begin!)

Chapter Fourteen…

(AYAKO'S POV)

Such darkness, such falling. I am falling. Now I'm glad I'm not afraid of heights, or else I'd be a nervous wreck by now. I feel kind of at ease hurtling downwards to where no one has been before, strange as that sounds. It's like I'm finally getting used to this…what is the word…pre-trial. Maybe that is not even correct, but there is no time to worry about that now. Suddenly, a blinding flash.

I am standing. Odd. Crackling, what the frick is crackling?

Shimatta.

I seem to jump out of the way and suddenly everything comes into play. I am on the seishi's ship. No way am I there for real. But somehow…I am there. As everything is happening.

A Seiryu seishi, from the look of the sign on her thigh, is zapping the seishi with lightning.

And I am not kidding when I say 'zapping'.

Lightning flows from the sky around them, and it's scary. Miaka is left alone in front of the Seiryu.

Oh shit, oh shit. Miaka is…well, no offense to her, but basically useless in a battle. So am I, as I have no combat experience, but I'm pretty good with knives. It is then I notice the sword Miaka has.

That thing is giving off a holy aura. It seems to glow, but with no flash. Odd.

I must now concentrate on the task at hand. But what is my task?

Why am I here, a spirit that no can see? A dream-seeress? A prophetess?

How am I supposed to change something when there is no way to communicate?

The voice is often taken for granted, and now when I most definitely need it, I cannot use it.

I need to do SOMETHING! But what? What must I do? What CAN I do? I try to walk over and touch Miaka, but as I said, I am a spirit here. Anger fills me. Goddammit, what am I supposed to do? My mind can't--

That's it.

She starts to move her hands to call the lightning. It begins to circle, and Miaka begins to back up in fear.

I don't know if this will work…but it's worth a try.

((Miaka…)) I try with my mind.

Her head immediately jerks up. Success.

"Nani?" she says quietly

((Miaka…it's me, Ayako. Use the sword to block her lightning when she throws it at you.))

Suddenly I am slipping, slipping back into reality, where I do not want to be.

No, I can't go back, not right now…but I am floating up. I am gone from the scene as much as I don't want to be.

I wonder, as my mind also begins to fade into unconsciousness, if she used the sword. She must have…or else I think I'd know. I think…I hope.

This is all I can do.

I open my eyes. I am drenched in cold, cold sweat. And I am shaking. I take a few deep breaths to steady myself.

I look up at Taiitsukun, who nods and says, "That was a surprising turn of events. Ayako, you are too weak to do anything more today. Please rest."

She turns and teleports somewhere. I am quite tired as I use the edge of the table to stand.. My hand is bleeding again. I don't think it will ever heal. I walk clumsily to my room, where a nightdress and some bandages await me.

I pull the bandages off my hand, red and stained. It hurts, it hurts. I wrap the bandages securely around the hand, the palm, down the wrist, and around each finger. Hmm. This is the weirdest wound I have ever seen.

At first it was simply a hole in my palm, albeit a large one. But small tendrils and scratches soon began to reach up my fingers and down my wrist. It's as though the whole was a seed, and now it is sprouting roots to grow in my hand.

Maybe it is a sign. Of what though?

God, my life is simply FILLED with mysteries. Now it is time to investigate another. As I sleep, I will dream.

And unearth yet another mystery.

I awake in the morning as the sun shines directly in my face. Yare, yare, all I wanted was to sleep in a little.

No such luck. White hairs fall into my hair, as I quickly get up and dress. In total black, of course. First comes the aoku, the tunic and trousers. They, of course, are black. Black shoes next, and then I rest my cloak on my shoulders.

(a/n: an aoku is Chinese for tunic and trousers. They have loose sleeves, and also, the trousers are loose. An aoku is sometimes finely decorated with colors and patterns, but in Ayako's case, they are plain.)

I walk out, and a Nyan-Nyan pops out of thin air.

"Ohayo, Ayako-sama!" she says cheerfully, "Taiitsukun-sama need you! Need to see you! Need to see you!"

I sweatdrop, and hold up my hand.

"Okay, okay, Nyan-Nyan. Where is she?" I ask.

"The Blue room, Blue room!" she begins to chant, and I quickly walk away with a quick, "Sayonara," to Nyan-Nyan.

I reach the Blue room about ten minutes later. It's hard to find the rooms here, because the stupid place is so big. I open the door and quickly walk in.

"Ohayo, Taiitsukun-sama." I bow.

"Ohayo." she replies.

"Catch." she states, and suddenly, an object flings out of nowhere, and hurtles towards me. I fling out my right, bandaged hand, and catch it.

The impact of the object hurts my hand and I quickly transfer whatever I just caught to my other hand.

There is a small knife in my hand.

And I mean SMALL.

I think the handle is bigger than the blade. By rough estimation, The blade is about two and a half inches long. The handle is about two inches, I guess. It is then I realize it.

I am holding the Knife Of Nightmares.

I shiver slightly. The Knife gives out an energy of purified evil. Evil that was powerful and terrible, but then purified by light. But it has kept the terrible power. I can feel it as it reverberates through me, coursing through my arms and legs, and it echoes in my mind, a soft scream. It is terrible yet awe-striking and pleasurable at the same time.

Taiitsukun seems to give me a mischievous grin.

"Your next lesson: learn how to use this." she smiles with a glint in her eye that just says, "I'm gonna be able to whack you with a mallet a billion times because of how many times you will mess up with this"

But her mouth says something different.

"When you learn to use Naifu no Akuma, a great strain will be put on your mind and body until you master him."

I take a practice swing with him. He cuts the air, like all knives do.

You are a strange one.

A voice speaks directly into my mind, dark and foreboding. I gasp slightly.

I sound familiar, no? A bit like Nijiko? No, no. I am not Nijiko. I am the Naifu no Akuma, the dreaded Knife of Nightmares. I was sleeping inside your body, until Nijiko raised me up, and tore me out.

Jiang Ayako, daughter of Kanna, grand child of Suzume--

"What?!" I yell unexpectedly, "A grandmother--who are you talking about?" I say

Your ancestors, Ayako. Your ancestors. Your grandmother was a dream-seer.

"And I suppose it was on my father's side." I say dryly.

Yes.

And now a lot of things make sense. But I just need one more answer…and I'll shut up for the rest of my life.

"Who was my father?"

%^%^%^%^%

Mwahaha. Cliffhanger. I suppose I've developed a habit of doing this, making you anxious? Hehe. Oh well. Have fun reading. We've got the "I never knew my father" thing goin' here. It's a question that lurks in the back of everyone who's only known they're mothers. If you think this is a stupid question, I want you to think again. Thank you. ~~Jashi