The Night Life – Round 20
So the band of eight, headed on their way in the pouring rain with two (that being Sano and Megumi) flying above to keep watch of any enemy up ahead. They would be heading to the place of ruins, to the gravestones of four long gone companions in the forest of the dead. It appeared just getting closer and closer to the sight as they quietly headed fourth that Aoshi was becoming tenser. He'd not been to these four pillar-like gravestones (even though they were large rocks with no names attached to them) in a long time. Of course they were the stones for his fallen men.
With Megumi and Sano flying about the air, Misao looked over to see Saitou as usual smoking a cigarette even though it sagged because of the rain and he walked with Tokio to his right. On her right was Aoshi and then herself. Next to Misao was Kaoru and then Kenshin. She wasn't sure but a bit of unease ran over her when Kenshin turned to glance her way. She smiled awkwardly at him, trying to suppress the eerie chill running down her spine and watched as he smiled back.
As Saitou eyed the lot of them, his golden gaze continued to glance up and down Misao, his extra senses knowing she was as nervous as hell. Even though her hand was in Aoshi's, it didn't seem to comfort her all that well. Stopping instantly as he dumped his cigarette to the puddle before him the others stopped to eye the wolf quietly.
"The Weasel needs rest." Misao blinked owlishly at him not sure what the hell he was on about and then turned her eyes to Aoshi's watching as water cascaded down that finely chiseled face of his.
"You are restless. We cannot head into battle with your thoughts clouded."
"I'm sorry…" Misao mumbled, her head bowed as thick bangs blocked her eyes from view. She shivered out of habit rather then out of coldness and snapped her head up when Kenshin began to walk off.
"I'll begin to patrol the area while Misao-san rests."
"Aa…" Aoshi murmured back, Misao eyeing him to see whether he found anything strange about Kenshin at all or if it was just her. When she noticed nothing out of the ordinary in his gaze Misao sighed and smacked her head thinking she was loosing her mind.
"Are you sure you are ready for this Misao?" Aoshi quietly questioned Misao, not wanting too sound too worried. He still had a reputation to up hold after all.
"Of course I am. There is no other time but now right?" At the slight nods of everyone's heads, Megumi and Sano having landed to the ground, wings perched slightly out from their bodies, Misao sighed and placed on a light smile. "I'm just…nervous that's all." Trying to reassure them was harder then Misao thought. She'd never had so much pressure then this in her entire life…or so she thought. She instantly didn't like the fact that it was all coming down to her to kick Tomoe's ass back to nothingness.
"Aoshi-kun, you really shouldn't worry so much, Misao is quite capable of taking care of herself remember?" All eyes roamed to Tokio who was in fact doodling quietly on the wet forest flooring. She held a twig in her hand and was randomly placing symbols here and there, but Misao and even Saitou could understand what they were. Making a silent 'che' noise at Tokio's riddled words the ex-cop bent slightly, hand going to grab his woman's shoulder when his narrowed gaze flickered to Aoshi's eyes as his arm was caught in Aoshi's firm grip.
"Do not touch her. She's in a trance at the moment." Taking the Vampire Lord's words as honesty Saitou refrained from beckoning Tokio back as they all eyed the hazy eyed bar owner as she hummed and chanted creepily, her voice echoing through the trees. It merely took minutes as Tokio sighed aloud, before standing up straight and stretching.
"Tokio-san, what was that about?" Misao questioned aloud, slightly freaked out, but instantly knew why her and Saitou got on so well. His creepiness matched hers instantly.
"I used to delve in the black arts quite frequently a long time ago with Aoshi at my side."
"Eh?"
"What she means is the blood that flows through her is connected to my own. She is a Lady Vampire of the highest ranking and I a Lord of the highest ranking. Think of it like we are related in a way."
"So that is why you bowed to her?" Misao pondered aloud and Aoshi nodded his head in return.
"We should continue on our way, that bitch is real close by." Tokio voiced and they all picked up there pace.
"WAIT!" Misao yelled, that creepy feeling that they were being watched made her spin around to observe Kaoru and Kenshin come out from a section of trees.
"There is nothing around here, we can continue when Misao-san is ready." Kenshin voiced and Kaoru nodded her head in agreement. Moving out of ear shot and straight to Tokio Misao pulled the woman aside.
"Tokio-san, you know those black arts you spoke of, can you summon a paralyzing spell on a vampire?"
"Of course I can. Why do you ask?"
"Could you…um…place one on Himura?"
"Misao…?" Aoshi was confused but Tokio did as Misao wished and within seconds Kenshin yelled, stunned at what was happening to him.
"KENSHIN!" Kaoru yelled, trying to help him but was jolted away from the barrier and landed in a heap and was very much unconscious.
"Megumi-san make sure she is alright." Tokio voiced and placed her hand on Misao's shoulder.
"What is the matter little one?"
"Something is inside him. I'm not sure what, but Kenshin…isn't exactly all Kenshin you know? You see…look!" Misao yelled and all eyes turned to watch Kenshin's eyes change to an eerie golden colour, shrinking in size and becoming a murderous look.
"I felt it, not too long ago that he wasn't right."
How dare you paralyze my possession! An echo boomed through the forest, every single vampire, shinigami and werewolf besides Kenshin (for obvious reasons) and Kaoru (for she was unconscious) were now on guard.
"Tomoe let him go!" Misao yelled throughout the trees, her aura burning a bright jade colouring, Aoshi even shocked at the power behind his little companion. "I won't let you take anyone else that I care about away from me anymore!." Misao yelled, the flash of her aura sparking outwards around herself and the others and sending it straight through the forest, night creatures scurrying away in fear at her intensity.
"Misao!" Aoshi yelled as he caught her in his embrace, she a little exhausted just like Tokio was as she too was caught in another's embrace, it being Saitou of course.
"Are you hurt?" The two tall males questioned their partners quietly.
"We joined together as one, to rid Kenshin of her spirit. She was feeding off of him and we'd be next, but Kenshin is quite stubborn that he wouldn't allow the 'Battousai' in him to be unleashed. He cared too much about us to do it…or should I say Kaoru-chan." Misao mumbled, her eyes flickering over to Kenshin as he sat on the ground looking around at everyone.
"Oro, what just happened?"
"Way to go Himura, you suppressed her and went back to that damn 'oro-ing'." Tokio chuckled before rising from Saitou's arms to stand up, a trickle of blood coming from a wound on her head much the same as Misao's. Misao froze in slight wonder as Aoshi licked it away before he did the same to Tokio.
"Eeeeeeeeeeh?" Misao cried aloud, her hands on her hips as three pairs of eyes turned to gaze at her.
"She's his sibling weasel, chill out. It's not like they are mating or anything." Saitou voiced, as though watching Aoshi lick Tokio's blood was the most common thing on the planet, before he lit another cigarette as the rain had ceased.
"Ah, gross Saitou!" Misao moaned trying to get that image out of her head. Sano too was trying to do the exact same thing and instead escaped to the skies once more when Megumi did the same as Kaoru has awoken.
"Back to the plan at hand, she had control over Himura, so how do we know she can't control any of us?" Misao spoke as they continued on walking.
"We don't, but you'd know if she did." Aoshi remarked plainly.
"I suppose…."
"Misao, you have more power within you then you give yourself credit for. The ki channeling Himura helped you with has probably begun to open that power up." Tokio reasoned with the short girl and nudged her through the gap for her large eyes to see four grey stones dug vertically into the ground.
"We must protect these souls here, for Aoshi's sake." Tokio voiced and headed forth, sitting promptly in the wet grass not at all caring about her dark clothing. There was no time for that.
"Tomoe's spirit is growing, we need to act fast." Saitou voiced as he sat on a random log and began to place bullets into his guns and checked to make sure how many clips he brought with him. Misao's eyes widened when she watched Aoshi bring forth his wings and pulled a pair of kodachi from nowhere in particular.
"Wow…" She muttered before her eyes moved about to see everyone else gathering their weapons of choice.
"How come I don't have a weapon?" Misao bellowed like a child.
"You do, but your ki is more value to us. The one 'born of a man' must defeat our foe, but we shall back you up all the way. Tomoe will not come alone after all." Aoshi remarked once more and Misao began to chew on her lip, thoughts clouding her mind of what to ask next.
"Um…one more question?"
"Weasel will you stop the twenty questions already." Grumbling at Saitou she 'hmphed' lightly and sulked as she sat on the ground away from the others.
"Hajime behave and allow Misao these questions while we have the time to prepare. Do you still have concerns, perhaps about your past?"
"Its just that, well when we discussed that whole rebirth thing earlier it got me thinking. If I've had a rebirth because of a man and I'm guessing its because of Aoshi-sama, but to me there still seems to be more to this 'one born of a man' thing that I'm a little confused about." All eyes turned to Aoshi who was in fact staring quietly at Misao as she was heading further into her past, reverting herself back to calling him her 'lord' as well. "I feel…weird in a way. Like because of this rebirth all of a sudden I'm not comfortable in this body, like it's not natural for me to be in it. Why is that?"
"One such as you wasn't brought up to be a male or a female. In fact as you grew up you chose what you wished to be when you were created, maybe even before you were created you would decide to be both."
"Meaning…?"
"You are both male and female Misao, in this time and the past." Aoshi spoke carefully, not sure how Misao was going to handle this other surprise. However it surprised him when at such dark times she burst into fits of laughter.
"Um, Misao-chan, what's so funny?" Kaoru voiced while Kenshin fused over her to make sure she was alright after being knocked unconscious earlier.
"You mean if I'm female now and I was male before that means Aoshi-sama was…was…GAY?!?" A twitch at Aoshi's eyebrow was missed by Misao.
"Well at least she has a sense of humour at such a crucial time." Saitou voiced as he cocked the barrel of one gun back before placing it in its holster.
"Misao your Lord is not pleased about that." Misao made an 'eh' noise and instantly felt the darkening aura of Aoshi wash over her. Here they were in such a dire time and she was blatantly calling the vampire she loved gay!
"Ah…um…"
"It doesn't matter what your sex was Misao, either way you were still Misao to me...and something very special…to all of us. You are the key to our survival Misao. Now begin to act like it." Misao's eyes widened at the deadly voice Aoshi used with her, his icy eyes locking her wide gaze in place. "The fate of everyone, including us here and everyone at the kingdom and all those that are dead who wish to rise again lay within that grasp of yours to do what you will with. It's time to be serious about what's to occur."
"Aoshi…I…" Misao gasped as a rush of air moved about her, Tokio once more chanting about the place, murmuring this and that that no one understood before the fierce wind broke away and Misao looked about the place. One thing was for sure, the vampires with wings, she, Aoshi, Kenshin and Kaoru were casually hovering above the ground, but Aoshi's sickening dead grey look was still holding her frightened gaze.
"It has begun…" He murmured and that's when Misao noticed something very different about herself indeed. Her hidden power had awoken from Tokio's black arts, she now having spawned double black wings she never knew she had from her back and her hands were not the delicate ones she was used to.
Misao was now…a man.
She/He was ready to battle and the spine chilling effect that greeted all of them made Misao snapblue orbs over to a set of trees where Tomoe was sitting all to casually on a tree branch, the skull of her dead brother resting in her lap as she caressed it lightly.
"First you reject me from the vampire world and then you make me eat Enishi for power so I can live again to take my place with you."
"You will never be granted a place with us!" Tokio yelled from her seated position in front of the four headstones while Kenshin looked on with mixed feelings. He had loved this woman, nearly betrayed his own kind for it and then allowed her to 'die' not once helping her. He remained guilt ridden for a long time before he could smile again because of the woman that held his hand right now.
"You wished us death and distruction and that we do not accept." Aoshi growled out, hands clenching around his kodachi handles as packs of worthless zombies and ghouls began to emerge.
"I only wished to be with the one I loved for all eternity, was that so hard to understand." Ironically her eyes moved from Kenshin to Aoshi and then they narrowed deathly at Kaoru and then more at Misao.
"You nearly killed Aoshi-sama that I won't forgive!" Misao growled out, memories coming back full as to why she hated this woman so much. Aoshi was future King of the vampire world and without order it would crumble. He had planned to make her his bride, a formal meeting and celebration happening, but Tomoe had unsuspectingly showed up, her attacks on Aoshi's comrades and friends were fierce and proved deadly as his four main guards fell before him, he horrified as they sacrificed themselves for his well being. If that hadn't been emotional torment enough, the Lord was about to be struck down by a deadly poisoned weapon, but Misao had leapt in front of it, taking the blow for him. Misao spasmed in Aoshi's arms, her body turning to ash as Tomoe was killed off by approaching guards, but no one knew her spirit had not died that day. They had been too worried about their lord and his vanishing lady.
Come find me…take me as yours again...
Was what Misao had voiced before dying in front of him and Aoshi had yelled silently to the darkened ceiling, that moment placing doom on the entire kingdom for a long time.
"How interesting…" Tomoe murmured at finally realising the Misao that was Aoshi's partner was in fact very much a male. The blackening aura around Misao, full of hatred for Tomoe was darkening by the second, Aoshi not sure what to make of it. He'd never seen this side of Misao before. The memories that Tomoe was bringing forth was polluting her/his already fragile mind as Misao couldn't fully process them all.
Tomoe's lips parted in a creepy smile as she hopped from the branch to land soundly on the grass covered ground, Enishi's skull being crushed in her bare hands.
"Now you die!" She yelled and dashed forward as did her minions, they out numbering the eight that were here, but that didn't matter. Survival was all that mattered as Aoshi and the others dashed forward, slicing limb from limb, ghouls and zombies moaning and groaning in pain at the attacks they received. Misao had instantly clashed with Tomoe, her aura at boiling point in a blood curdling rage.
# To be finalized #
Authors Notes: I know it's confusing, hell I'm even confused, but hey one gets that and well I was kind of at a blank of what to write. Anyway this is all I got, I skimmed over the chapters from before and when Kenshin bit Kaoru he murmured Tomoe's name and so I thought maybe he could have been possessed by her in some way by her spirit since she wasn't fully "healed" or something. So yeah, anyway, sorry about the lameness, I'll be going now.
Xxxx Silver Miko - Please end it for the love of Aoshi-sama! xxxX