A/N:
I am tired :)
Chapter 1 : Thus The Threads Cross
Aoshi-sama, you will need to give this to her. Lord Finvarra does not appreciate us entering the mortal realm.
Kelcee's words echoed in his mind, and a brief vision of the three girls hovered before him, all remarkably solemn. The mirage dissipated soon enough, but not before Del sneaked in a cheeky wave.
He frowned inwardly; why was he doing this? Kelcee had not mentioned any dire consequences should he decide against giving the child, this Takani Megumi, the pendant. And what did it matter to him whether or not the Saugh* would plague her? He was Death. Why should the Reaper care about the safety of the Harvest?
Well, it didn't matter now. He had given his word and regardless that it had been given to minions, he would keep it.
All he had to do now was locate her, give her the jewel and be done with it.
A deep breath. Even after decades of being the embodiment of Death, his human mind still struggled to rationalize the technique; horrified that the method used no tangible senses nor consisted of set steps to carry out in order, terrified at the uncertainty it boded. Meanwhile, the Fae in him watched on, partially fascinated by this inner conflict but mostly disgusted at his desiccation of chaos.
Calm breaths. Darkness. Surrender himself completely and wholly to the darkness. Completely. Wholly.
Darkness.
Turbulence. Turning, turning, turning… A roar of the senses; words flying past him in a deafening roar, emotions bright and passionate as flames flickered through him, flashes of colour blinding him, and still he searched. He needed to trust his instincts, his intuition. His Eye.
Focus... focus. Focus!
There.
He found it. He felt the beating of a heart pulsating against his skin, heard it echoing in his mind. A tiny heart that was no bigger than half his fist, and yet the soft lub-dub as it beat was admirably strong and consistent. Here was a soul that was determined to live.
Ice-blue eyes glittered as he readied his journey. Now that he knew the beat of her heart, her life, he could track her down and find her regardless of where she was. Regardless of when she was.
The icy blast hit him the moment he stepped out from the shadows, chilling already pale skin, but he paid it no heed. Instead he was glancing around to take in his surroundings.
Here there were hardly any trees. The only ones he saw were miserable spindly specimens, a tiny radius allocated for their growth cleared in the hard concrete ground where they jutted out pathetically. Around him tall buildings towered, menacingly gloomy in this dark night. And just across him yawned a wide expanse of road, with the occasional horseless chariot – a car, he reminded himself – zooming past.
It was also snowing.
Right in front of him was a large building, looming high above and utterly intimidating with its dark grey concrete walls, dark windows and narrow roads. Hands indifferently tucked into the pockets of his coat; he strode into the compound, mindless of the angry rocks of ice rushing at him. With a small twist of his mind the wind diverted around him, carrying with it all debris of the storm.
His cream coat whipped behind him as he casually pulled up to the porch of said building. With a mere thought and without pause, he glided through the door, solid oak as it was.
Someday even structures will die, rust and crumble, but he would still be there. Only him. He was the only reality. All others were temporary and as such could easily be dismissed as non-existent.
The hallway was dark, but he made his way easily enough. All he had to do was follow his senses, including those not normally found in the human repertoire. If he concentrated hard enough, he could see lines emanating from the structures around him. All matter vibrates at a certain frequency, and with his added Fae abilities he could pick this up.
As it was, his mind was occupied and he merely sensed these lines as he moved around in absolute darkness. It was only when he found the door he was looking for did he remember that avoiding objects was a human trait.
Human traits be damned, he thought with mild annoyance, and opened the door.
The feeling of an expansive room engulfed him. He blinked but once, and concentrated.
Then he saw it. Silvery lines lying gently on each surface, shimmering lightly and wriggling slightly as the object it was on moved.
Now he listened.
Dozens of hearts beat here. He could feel them, washing over his sensitized skin and flooding his senses, clamouring against one another in a rising crescendo. Carefully he picked out the one he was looking for, ever so carefully, and as he did so one by one each beat fell silent, blocked by sheer concentration.
And he found her.
Her cot was not far from where he stood, and laid right next to a small barred window. Not wanting to waste time he headed over to her, pendant shimmering in his hand.
And there she was. Casting away the Fae sight, his first impression was of a young, small figure dappled by pale silver moonlight. Long black hair was dishevelled and splayed around her shivering form, the thin excuse of a blanket lending precious little warmth. The cot itself appeared uncomfortable; a fearsome contraption of metal bars, a thin cotton mattress and a rock hard pillow.
Aoshi frowned, his eyes narrowing into small slits. Obviously this orphanage was more concerned about budgeting rather than the children themselves. Meanwhile, the girl was curled up in bed, mumbling something incoherent and trying to pull the blanket over her head. Outside, the wind howled in sympathy.
Who is he, the Reaper to care for the Harvest?
He carefully shifted her around so it would be easier to put the necklace on her. He noted with unease how light she was, how slight. Shoving those thoughts out of his mind he slipped the pendant around her neck and watched as it flashed once, twice, and slowly transformed into a simple flat pebble with a hole borne through the top. The intricate rings of gold chain changed into rough leather.
The complete transformation was courtesy of Kelcee's glamour skills. After all, who better to deal with transformations than the Future? It would remain as inconspicuous as she wanted to be.
That would do for now. Except for one thing.
He pulled a folded cloak out of the pockets of his coat. It was supposed to be a present for Del, but at the moment it seemed this child, this Megumi, needed it more than she did. Besides, he could always send someone out to fetch it back for him come morning. He shook it out carefully, momentarily admiring the gorgeously woven cloak of spider-silk, masterfully thin and impossibly warm.
He draped it over her, almost instantly seeing her shivers calm down. After waiting a moment to ensure she needed no further aid, he started to move off but was stopped when he felt a tug on his coat.
He turned to see alert dark eyes fringed with sooty lashes watching him. "Who are you?" came the soft whisper. There was no hint of fear in her calm, young voice, only fragments of mild curiosity.
She could see him!
The answer came out unbidden and was equally quiet: "Your adversary," and melted back into the shadows.
Liot. You are summoned.
The graceful girl nodded to herself and blew out all but one candle in the room. She ensured her sisters were fast asleep and well tucked-in into their own beds before heading out.
Her small feet made close to no sound on the smooth wooden floor as she made her way to the Study.
The Study was the only room in the entire lodge that had earned itself the capital and well-respected 'S'. This was the room in which Death, Aoshi-sama in this case, resided. It was his one retreat where no one uninvited could enter.
It was perfectly normal for the Fae to have their preferred rooms in a dwelling, but there were strange tales whispered amongst the Fae about the Study. The previous Deaths had their dungeons, their graveyards and even their throne rooms. But a Study? True, that Death would always have his Place, but for him to adapt such… human… customs were unheard of.
They also wondered if it had anything to do with Lord Finvarra's decision to replace Death with a whole human. Human mind, body and soul, instead of merely using a human soul to carry on a Fae's legacy as per custom. But then, such thoughts and words were only muttered by rogue Fae and even they took care in saying it. Crossing the mighty Erlking was a deed few wished to pursue.
She paused before the door and knocked once. The door swung open at the soft command of, "Come in".
One step, two, then she was past the doorway.
The scene that met her was a familiar one. A large room, it was lit only by the fire blazing away in the marble fireplace. Large bookcases took up the majority of the walls, with maps and the like framed against the rest. One particular wall was taken up by a huge herb cabinet, all drawers neatly labelled and organized. And sitting at the desk to the far side of the room sat a quietly contemplative Aoshi.
There was an odd air about him tonight. The slight sag in his shoulders, the tilt of his head, it all hinted that there was something he was deeply worried about.
He wasted no time in his questions, "Who is this Takani Megumi?"
Liot smiled serenely, well used to his abrupt manner. "She is an orphan, Aoshi-sama. Just today you took her father's soul to apprentice with Dian Cecht".
"He was a great physician. Lord Finvarra saw it to be a fitting fate for him to learn from the Healing God". There was a goblet resting in his hands, the dark green liquid swirling as he pondered the events of the day.
"Even so. She dislikes you, Aoshi-sama". She did not bother hiding her grin at that; Kelcee had bowled over laughing when she was revising their fates.
Who would have ever suspected?
That earned her a steely gaze from his cerulean eyes. "At so young an age?" He did not dismiss her words though; she embodied the past and the past would never lie. Lies suggested change, and if there was one thing about the past it is that no one could change it.
She gave a slight nod. "She fears what you are". Then, "Aoshi-sama, you are worried that she saw you?"
At that, he sighed and raked a hand through the sable locks of his hair. The goblet was left unheeded, now alone on the large expanse of his desk. "There was something odd…" and he trailed off there, opting for a weary, "Are you girls planning anything?"
Liot shrugged, heading over to the opposite side of the room to where the herbs were kept. Deft hands picking at various roots, leaves and flowers, she answered absently, "We plan a lot, Aoshi-sama. There are a lot of things we have to manage".
"I meant about me". Here in this room, he could afford to unburden himself of his concerns. And if you shared the room with the Past, who knew everything that had happened before the Present, you really had no choice.
Violet eyes twinkled at him, "What did I just say?" A mortar and a pestle appeared suddenly in her hands and she began to ground the selected herbs. "You have no need to worry about her, Aoshi-sama. Leave everything to us".
The Past will never lie, but it can get very confusing.
"You three are beholden to me". A remark made to illustrate a point. "I will make the choice whether or not to allow you free rein".
"We do our work well. The Fates do not need Death to supervise". She scooped the paste from the mortar and dunked it into the lone goblet, taking care to stir it in well. "There you go, Aoshi-sama. That will help you sleep".
"Death does not sleep, Liot".
This time her gentle smile was motherly as she placed the goblet in his hand. "You, who have not rested for two weeks dealing with matters not meant for mortals. This", and she leaned over the desk to tap his forehead gently. "Death will need it".
She bowed briefly and left.
Saugh: Also known as the Unseelie Court, these are the 'evil' and extremely dangerous side of the Fae. Very malicious towards humans.
Other RK characters will appear in later chapters. Hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised at the roles I've picked for 'em *grins mischievously* And! Now that you've read, you can review! ;)