Vinginti
By Timberwolf220
-Wine is drunk, but never swallowed-
—Toa's 31st descendant Genjo Sanzo "Saiyuki
-XX-
Kudou Himiko was familiar with all poisons. As 'Lady Poison' she had to top of everything and never let down guard, not even once. Efficiency and proficiency is what kept her alive for so long. And personal experience, courtesy of Midou Ban.
When she found him, she had considered stalking the man and perhaps killing him quietly in his sleep. She found herself disagreeing with herself. One; it was low, even for her to carry out and she refused to stoop to his level. Two; Amano Ginji. She admired and almost longed for a man like that. He loved life, believed in it so trustingly and naively that even now Himiko finds herself unable to snuff out that particular candle of life. The world needed people like Amano Ginji and she didn't want to deprive the world of an innocent caring person.
The third reason was the easiest; she wanted him to suffer and dying in bed is a privilege in this world.
She followed him, trying to associate the places he visits and tries to find the points at which he is weakest. What scares her the most is that in the time when he was away, he hadn't changed and seeing him the way he was even when her brother was still alive made her question her motives.
But in the back of her mind, she recalled her brother's body lying propped against the wall, a gaping black hold in his chest and similar blue-green eyes darkened to near violet, and it was hard not to kill Midou Ban on the spot.
Revenge destroys you, people say. But this isn't as simple as 'revenge'. This was a vendetta and one she will carry out to her last breath. Resolve nothing, peace nothing.
There was only Midou Ban's dead body to rid her of her thirst.
Has she been too, infected with the bloodlust? The bloodlust that gives Kuroudo Akabane (1) no peace at nights, always trying to close onto an imaginary neck, squeezing out the life from the victim? Sometimes, she feels sympathy for the man, but on rare occasions.
But she found Midou Ban at his weakest when she saw him in the bar. The bar was typical of any bar, nothing particularly distinguishable and not even sociable notable. It was a tiny bar where men came to drink in their sorrow.
She remembered a conversation she had with her brother once.
"Vinginti," His voice rolled like waves on the ocean, soothing and calm, "Is latin for wine. Wine can erode away your senses and leave you naked. It is the most disarming poison and the most effective."
"And people take it willingly!" She remembered answering in disbelief.
"Pain and to forget the pain makes people do stupid things. Sometimes," And his voice seemed so far away and she couldn't reach, "the pain is too much."
No! She shook her head and narrowed her eyes. She would not believe that Midou Ban had pain. He gave pain to others, he cursed their existences with that hand of his. If he has pain of his own, she thought clenching her fist tightly, then he deserves it!
Amano Ginji was with him, his brown eyes soft with worry. Never will she understand his deep rooted loyalty of him, the snake. But whenever Amano Ginji looks at Midou Ban, she finds herself unable to question it. And sometimes (and she will never say this out loud) jealous of it.
"Ban-chan, you've had enough," Ginji coaxed the Jagan master, "Let's go back to the car and rest."
"Just a minute," And he downs another glass like it was water. Himiko curled her lip in disgust. Ban pushes back the stool and walks out calmly and Ginji immediately follows. Himiko notices that Ginji had not taken any vinginti that night and decides to follow them.
Midou Ban, Himiko heard herself say, you will die when you are weak.
She remained in the shadows as they approached their car. Ban seemed unsteady on his feet and Ginji helped him walk the way without him even asking. They had that deep bond that doesn't require words. Once again, Himiko found herself grappling with their odd relationship.
"Ban-chan, do you want to stay outside?" Ginji says as he removes the blankets from the back.
"…Yeah," Ban says slowly as if talking took out precious energy.
Ginji nods and goes inside the car. Ban looks around as he lights his cigarette. Himiko prepares her perfumes, knowing that he is unaware and drunk and hopeless and—
"Yamato…"
—she freezes instantly at the mention of her brother on his lips. Ban stares at the sky, his eyes unfocused and mournfully, deeply sorrowful like the pain that never goes away.
"Why Yamato? Why did you tell me to do it? I didn't want to…" Ban trailed off and stared into the sky as if his answer might be imprinted there, "Gods, I never wanted to. I'm haunted and she hates me and how Yamato? How can I do this!"
The last statement came with a hoarse cry and Himiko found herself recoiling into a deep abyss of her mind.
"Ban-chan?"
Ban immediately stops and looks at Ginji. Slowly he buries his head into Ginji's shoulder. Himiko was struck by how uncharacteristic it was for Ban to show weakness, but Ginji wasn't fazed in the least as he rested his hand on Ban's back and rub soothingly on it.
"…I didn't mean to," The words were a whisper and Himiko nearly lost them.
"I know Ban-chan."
"He told me to."
"I know Ban-chan."
"…Why did he tell me to?"
And for that Ginji had no answer, just murmured something into Ban's ear as he led him into the Ladybug.
As they drove away, Himiko moved out of the shadows and into the moonlight. Her eyes were ragged and she wanted to cry and sob and yell. Anything to get the frustration off her chest.
Now she realizes how potent the Vinginti poison is. It reduced a man like Midou Ban into a lost deprived man and her into the person she was before.
Vendetta she had called it, but she realizes that she never even knew what that word meant.
-XX-
A/N: I needed to write that for ages. Himiko's hatred always struck me as sort of weak and I wanted to use the word 'Vinginti' which I recently learnt about.