Sine-Noir
II Fire of Blood
Her beauty was different. Her beauty was not that of darkness, of a pale moon hanging over a starless night. No. Her beauty was of a rising sun casting the day's first rays over the earth. Her beauty was that of the sparkling of the unending ocean in the middle of the day. Her beauty was too bright to bear.
In the semi-darkness of the poorly lit street, Aoshi could barely make out the outline of her face, but already he could feel himself involuntarily cringing from the warmth that seemed to radiate from her. He had no idea why she was following him, or why she should want to follow him. He, a creature of the inexorable darkness, did not welcome such company, but she took no heed of his subtle hints.
If his mistress found him with her, the consequences would be dire. The girl would either die, or his mistress would Embrace her, bring her into the darkness that she could never escape.
"Kaoru." Her name was the first word he had spoken that night.
"Aoshi." Surprise was in her soft voice.
"Go home. Don't come with me. Leave now."
What relation did she have with him? He pondered as he watched her lip quiver slightly. One year ago they had met in a crowded restaurant, and since then, Kamiya Kaoru had struggled to enter his life, seeking to probe into his secrets, to cast her luminescent rays deep into the dark abyss that was his heart, and to melt the eternal winter in his soul into a beautiful spring.
But he was too far-gone. The ice and the darkness had already consumed him, and his heart was with another. Now he had to show Kaoru that it was impossible for him to return to her. He did not want her to sink even deeper into the bloody mire of hatred, darkness and terror.
"Aoshi…" She was pleading with him. I know I can reach you, if you just stretched out your hand, instead of drawing it away.
"I'm sorry." I don't need you. I don't want you to get hurt because of your futile quest.
"Please, Aoshi…" No, don't leave me. I love you. I need you.
"It ends tonight." One more moment of delusion may cost you your life.
"Aoshi…" I can't live without you.
"Goodbye." You can't live with me. There is only death. To melt the ice in me is to destroy me.
As Aoshi turned to go, it seemed that the cold, pale countenance of the full moon was smiling upon him.
…
People who did not know his true nature often said that his hair was beautiful. His hair, they said, was a long, silky mane the colour of a blazing sunset. The colour was of warm fire licking away at the wood in a toasty warm fireplace on a bitterly cold winter's night. Or, as some said, the colour of his hair was that of a rich and potently intoxicating wine.
But to Himura Kenshin, the only thing his hair reminded him of was blood. He hated it, but yet without it, he was nothing. And right then, creeping along the darkened streets in the middle of the night with the slight ache of hunger gnawing in the pit of his stomach, that statement could never be truer.
He cut a slim figure, silhouetted in the pale light of the moon. The worn, threadbare black gi that he was wearing hung off his gaunt frame, making him look even smaller than he actually was. His hakama pants made hardly any noise as he prowled along the pavement, amethyst eyes flecked with amber always on the lookout for any signs of danger.
Kenshin stiffened as he sensed movement in the shadows of an abandoned alleyway. He stood completely still under the cover of darkness, waiting for whomever it was who was so careless as to make such a sound. If it were a vampire from outside his clan, it would be slain. If it were a human, then he had found his meal for the day.
No exceptions, he thought bitterly to himself. As silently as lightning forking across a starless night sky, he pressed himself harder against the wall and edged closer towards the source of the sound. Very soon, he could make out two figures struggling against each other in the darkness. One, who was distinctively a woman, was on the floor and kicking futilely but defiantly at her assailant, and the other, giving out the defining aura of a vampire from the White Rose clan, was standing over her, in the process of subduing its prey.
Suddenly, there was a muffled scream, and the faint smell of blood that only vampires could detect filled the air. Kenshin looked down at his hands in the darkness and realised that they were quivering from hunger.
"This is the territory of the Blood Tears Clan." His voice was cold, but not even nearing a snarl.
The vampire turned to face Kenshin, and in the dim rays of the moonlight that seemed to cut through the darkness and fall on its face, Kenshin could make out a pale, pointed face half-obscured by the silver hair that fell into its glowing-red eyes. Its face broke into a fiendish grin the moment it set eyes on Kenshin.
"The great Battousai himself, here to squabble with me over a small meal?" The vampire chuckled amusedly. "But maybe it's because the same blood flows in our veins. How intriguing."
Kenshin stiffened at the comment. "I'd rather die than be related to any of the scum in the White Rose clan. You are indeed audacious to suggest such a notion. Who are you?"
The vampire raised a fine eyebrow at the redhead. "It surprises me that you would say such a thing, but maybe you are less informed than I thought. I am Yukishiro Enishi, of, as you guessed earlier, the White Rose clan. It is indeed… interesting to meet you, tonight of all nights."
In one fluid movement, Kenshin drew his katana from its sheathe that was positioned at his obi. "I will not waste my time bandying useless words with dirt such as yourself. Leave immediately under pain of death."
Enishi nodded knowingly. "Of course. As you wish, Battousai." As quick as the wind, he jumped up upon the low roof of one of the buildings and vanished into the enveloping darkness of the night.
Remaining in the same position for a few moments to make sure that there was nobody around besides himself and the woman, Kenshin took a few steps forward and crouched down next to her, frowning as he gazed upon her face.
The sight of the red fluid seemed to send spasms through his entire body, and Kenshin sank to his knees, clutching his head in a futile effort to stop the throbbing pain that assailed him. He could bear the Hunger no more. Slowly, he lowered his mouth to the twin wounds on the woman's neck, and sucked experimentally. The liquid flowing down his throat was like energy surging through his veins. He shuddered violently, trying to ignore the tingling sensations that zinged up and down his spine.
…
Perched like a bird of prey on the edge of a tall building, Shinomori Aoshi, his expression unreadable, looked down at Battousai far below, who was overcome completely by the Hunger.
"Goodbye, Kaoru," he whispered into the cold night air.
Author's Note:1249 words for this chapter! Not as good as the last one, but quite all right in my standards. :)
CEEGEE: Thanks for your review! And yeah, I decided to turn the tables on Aoshi in this fic; too many angsty A/M fics tore me apart and I wanted to get back on the guy. I'm evil. Very. But Misao will also be making an appearance. I think.
Jayde Katt: Thanks. I promise I'll work hard. :)
Damien: Sankyuu. :)
Lucrecia LeVrai: Sorry there was no Hiko in this chapter… Thanks so much for your support!
PsychoSushi: Umn, most of my A/U stories these days come with this crazy neo-timeline. It's kind of… like you can wear stuff that comes from the Meiji era but someone else might be wearing some Armani suit. The setting is basically that of a future-city. Yeah. Sorry; I'm a bit freaked out myself.