Chapter EIGHT: The Mix between Species
Soujiro smiled weakly when Misao screamed with what seemed more like joy than sorrow. The shape shifter was jumping all over the place, happily hugging most of the creatures around her.
"Misao," said Megumi as she shook her head.
"I knew that he was going to choose a mate soon! Lord Aoshi is finally going to admit his love to me," said Misao as she clasped her hands together and seemed to zone out into a whole other world.
Tae and Tsubame only sweat dropped as they saw the love and excitement in her eyes. They didn't have the heart to tell her that what she thought was wrong, it would probably hurt her enough that she'd never love again.
"Misao…. Aoshi is mating with a half werewolf and half vampire," said Soujiro in a dead serious voice that caused the girl to stare at him confused.
"What?" asked Misao, her voice suddenly quiet and perplexed.
"He's chosen a mate that…." began Soujiro again, but was cut off when Misao's voice lifted to his ears. It was so soft, but it seemed as if she was yelling it directly in his ear.
"You mean he chose a half breed? But I thought that vampires and lycans weren't allowed to breed together," said Misao incredulously.
"They aren't," answered Megumi bitterly.
"Then why is there a half vampire and lycan in Kyoto about to wed the Leader of a werewolf colony?" asked Misao as she turned to face Soujiro confused. She still couldn't understand why the person that she loved since as long as she could remember was marrying a half breed that his kindred had labeled as a disgusting creature that should have never taken her first breath.
"Lycans, or werewolves as most call them, are odd when it comes to choosing a mate. I don't know why he's chosen such a creature as his mate, but I highly doubt that the Elders or Lord Battousai will ignore the fact that he's chosen such a woman to bare his children. I know for sure that Lord Battousai will be going to Kyoto for another reason, and even though he's a vampire, he is not going to take the intertwining of species lightly," comforted Soujiro as he looked at Misao's eyes that began to fill with unshed tears, which were dangerously threatening to fall.
Misao only turned away, unable to understand why her lord was going to marry a half breed. She had always loved Aoshi, had always dreamed that one day he would choose her as a mate even though she was a shape-shifter. The sudden news threatened to shatter her fragile heart, which refused to believe what she had just been told.
Lord Aoshi was always akin to following the old ways, and by marrying a half breed of vampire and lycan heritage, he was going to destroy his reputation. He was going to break the number one rule of the Old Code: "Thy shall never intertwine thy blood with thy enemy's."
Following the Old Code was a passage that proclaimed that all half breeds of vampire and lycan heritage would be killed, along with the couple that created the creature. However, this specific Old Code only applied to the vampires and lycans, there were no rules against the two species marrying other species. The two just couldn't marry each other.
For as long as anyone could remember, vampires and werewolves have been against each other, each one fighting to be the dominant specie, for their chance of gaining complete power of the world. It was no wonder that the thought of a half breed of vampire and werewolf was so unimaginable, since the two species had such a large grudge that they couldn't even remain in the same place without going at each other's throats. Which was why the Akabeko, the place where all species ate together, was just as hated as it was loved.
The situation of Aoshi marrying a hybrid wasn't going to be put off lightly. There was no doubt that the Elders were going to make sure that the half breed was killed in public so that none of the others would dare think of getting together with one another.
"He does knows that the Elders are going to kill her, doesn't he?" asked Misao suddenly as she faced Soujiro and the others that suddenly fell silent from shock at what she was probably thinking.
"Aoshi knows the Old Code and lives by it, or use to," said Soujiro bitterly. He knew that one of his best friends was hurting and he felt bad that he couldn't help her.
Misao suddenly stood up with what looked more like a fake smile and walked out of the restaurant, followed by the bewildered Megumi.
Soujiro only sighed as he stood up as well. He had a feeling that his brother was going to want to talk to him. His brother had a tendency to find out things just as quickly as he did, maybe quicker.
"Put the bill on my tab, Tae. Have a good day you two," said Soujiro as he smiled at Tae and Tsubame and left just as quickly as the shape-shifters.
"Do you think Misao will be alright?" asked Tsubame as she watched Lord Soujiro leave.
"Knowing Misao, she's going to do everything in her power to stop that wedding. I just hope that she knows that she's doing," said Tae as she wiped Soujiro's table and went to fill the order of other customers.
xXoXx
Kaoru sat on the other side of the room from the dark diamond made weapons, her hands wrapped around her knees as she stared at the weapons. There was something about them that made her cringe, yet there was something else that drew her to them and them to her. It seemed that they were connected in a different way apart from the logical one, with them being created to kill her all. However, she didn't know a possible answer as to how else they were connected, she doubted that she would ever find out. She was going to destroy them after all or they her.
"Is staring at the weapons that are going to kill you entertaining?" said a dark mocking voice to her right.
She didn't have to look up to know that Battousai had returned from his breakfast. A shiver went down her spine as she realized that someone had died just a few minutes ago.
"Stand up, we're going to be leaving to Kyoto and then to my Black Castle," ordered Battousai as he walked over to the weapons and picked them up, placing the weapons away.
Kaoru did as she was told and before she knew it the diamond chains were back on her wrists. She turned toward Battousai with narrowed eyes, but said and thought nothing. She knew that he would just read her thoughts and she wasn't going to allow him to use them against her any more than he already has.
"I don't see why you don't just summon the weapons to you," said Kaoru suddenly as she looked at the floor.
"What do you mean?" questioned Battousai, appearing right before the sorceress.
"You can just summon the Seven Dark Diamond Weapons of Hell to you," said Kaoru as she stared right into his eyes grimly.
Battousai only looked at her, trying to determine if she were lying or not, and from what he saw, she obviously knew what she was talking about. Being an enemy of the weapons, it was only reasonable that the sorceress would know more about the weapons than anyone else.
Before he could question her further, the door slid open and in walked Soujiro with a stern expression upon his face.
"What is it?" asked Battousai as he turned toward his brother. He knew something was up when Soujiro didn't knock before he entered. Soujiro was always polite when he wasn't serious about something, but even then he was always smiling, but this time the smile had vanished.
"Shinomori has chosen a mate," said Soujiro as he slid the door close behind him as he stepped in.
"I already know that and I'm leaving for Kyoto right now," said Battousai, moving to leave, but stopping when his brother remained in the doorway.
"His mate is half lycan and half vampire," said Soujiro gravely as he stared into his sibling's face, but didn't meet his eyes.
"That's the Elders' business, not mine. I'm only going there to get what rightfully belongs to me," said Battousai, he had no interest in the Old Code, despite the fact that he followed it. The Old Code didn't really apply to him, nothing ever did.
"Battousai, you are part of the Elders," stated Soujiro through narrowed eyes. He didn't understand why his brother seemed to ignore the fact that the intertwining of lycan and vampire was a bad thing.
"I'm not a part of anything, Soujiro, I'm my own species," said Battousai as his amber eyes bored into Soujiro's.
The Tenken only fell silent, he knew that his brother was right, he was indeed his own species.
"Lycans and vampires have been at war from as far as anyone can remember and the mix of their species is against the Old Code because you're not suppose to breed with your enemies, but you aren't enemies if you can love and get together, are you?" asked Kaoru from her position, the two older vampires staring at her with raised eyebrows
"She's right, you know. The couple that created this half breed were obviously not enemies because they were in love, and enemies don't love each other," said Soujiro as he looked at his brother with a smile back on his face.
"So are you saying that this one code is just there to take up space? I doubt that Akuma wanted the species to get together, which is why he placed that in the Old Codes in the first place. We all know that Akuma didn't write this code in hopes that someone would figure it out and realize that he wanted the species to get along and be able to get together. If that were the case, he wouldn't have created the Seven Dark Diamond Weapons of Hell to kill off a certain magical species," said Battousai, his eyes never leaving Kaoru's.
Soujiro couldn't find a response to what his Lord had just said, for Akuma had written half of the Old Codes himself and was known to be just as evil, if not more, than the real Devil himself. The quote was probably indeed made so that none of the lycans and vampires would ever get together and taint the pure bloodlines as most would say.
"But they are the Weapons of Hell, not of Akuma," stated Kaoru defiantly as she returned Battousai's gaze.
"It was Akuma that traded his soul for those weapons, the weapons that were made to destroy you," said Battousai maliciously through narrowed eyes.
Soujiro suddenly understood why his brother was so protective over Kaoru, she was a sorceress.
Everyone knew that sorcerers and sorceresses had a connection to the weapons, so those whom had a sorcerer or sorceress to help them would be able to find the weapons faster. It also helped that these creatures knew magic that would be able to enhance one's chances of getting all of the weapons safely without the risk of being killed for having them.
However, Soujiro didn't understand why Battousai needed Kaoru by his side, especially since Battousai was immortal and was the strongest of all species. He didn't need a sorceress to help him find the weapons, so there had to be another reason as to why his brother was keeping Kaoru alive, besides the fact that she was the last of her kind and could help him in his search for the weapons.
"Don't get any ideas, Soujiro," said Battousai as he broke off his gaze with Kaoru and turned toward his blood kin.
"I wouldn't dream of it," said Soujiro with a bow. He wouldn't dare go against his brother and he had already said he wouldn't touch, hold, or drink from the sorceress.
"Leave the room. I'll take care of Aoshi when I get to Kyoto," said Battousai as he turned his back to his brother, facing the sorceress once again.
"Ye,s milord," said Soujiro as he bowed and made to leave the room.
"Don't tell a soul about what you've just heard, not even that wench in your bed," said Battousai darkly. He felt Soujiro's ki falter before rising in understanding before the vampire left the two alone.
"He knows," said Kaoru once the door slid close.
"I know that he does, but Soujiro isn't one to disobey orders. Now explain to me how I can summon the weapons," said Battousai as he stepped toward Kaoru so that he could easily look into her eyes and through her very soul.
"You already possess more than half the weapons, so you can easily summon the other three with the four that you have now," said Kaoru calmly as she looked into his eyes, her face void of all emotion.
"Explain to me how I'm suppose to summon the others with the ones I have now," ordered Battousai, his patience wearing thin once again. He hated it when people didn't get right to the point, it was as annoying as it was pointless.
"It can only be done by those with a pure heart," said Kaoru as her gaze pierced his own as he began to search her eyes in anger and disbelief.
"Don't speak unless what you have to say is beneficial to me," said Battousai as a clawed hand went around her throat; threatening to suffocate his prisoner.
"I never said it would be," said Kaoru, her voice more deadly than his own was.
The Dark Lord stepped back a bit in surprise as he lowered his clawed hands. It seems that she wasn't as weak as he thought she was and that she indeed was growing more confident by the minute.
Narrowing his eyes, he looked directly into her eyes and shockingly didn't find a hint of fear in them, but instead defiance.
Growling at her behavior, he unsheathed his katana and moved it directly to the left of her neck, so that it stuck to the wall and entrapped her.
"Learn your place, sorceress," said Battousai viciously.
"Where is my place?" asked Kaoru defiantly as she looked into his eyes.
Anger and rage boiling within him, he slapped her hard enough to throw her lithe form to the ground. He watched through slit eyes as she sat back up and moved a hand over her painfully sore left cheek, before glaring right back at him with burning sapphire eyes filled with fury, hate, and vengeance.
"Never speak to me like that again, wench," snapped Battousai as he suddenly appeared before her and lifted her up by her hair so that her face tilted enough to see his flaming amber eyes.
Kaoru growled in the back of her throat as she picked herself up, not realizing that her actions had affected the vampire lord in more than one way.
Battousai shut his eyes as he heard her enchanting voice soar through his ears and vibrate through his body, due to their blood connection the noise seemed to echo a hundred times more than its original volume. His eyes snapped open and he looked at Kaoru closely.
The sorceress tried to slap Battousai's hand from her face, but was unable to when her diamond chains grew shorter so that she wasn't be able to effectively move them.
"Let go of me!" shouted Kaoru as she tried to move her face away from his powerful hand.
Suddenly, Battousai did as he was told and began to chuckle as he turned away from her. With a snap of his fingers, her chains grew back to its original two feet apart.
"What the hell was that for?" yelled Kaoru in irritation as she glared at her captor through narrowed eyes.
"It seems that you've stayed in the same position staring at my weapons for too long," said Battousai with a smirk as he stared at her perplexed face.
"What?" questioned Kaoru, confused by his actions and words.
"My aura was surrounding the weapons, signaling to others that they are mine and not to be touched, but when exposed to my ki energy too long, it can cause one to think like me. You're the first to do so and not go insane from the power, which only happened because your body now holds my blood. Because of this exposure, my ki from the weapons have had enough time to call forth my blood so that your heart isn't pumping your blood type anymore, but mine. You're becoming more and more like me by the second," said Battousai as his amber eyes met her wide azure ones.
"No…. You're lying! I'm not going to become like you! I refuse to believe that I'll become a creature like you," hissed Kaoru as she shook her head and took a step back, her hands clenched together as her body shook in disbelief and horror. The thought of becoming one of the creatures that had killed most of her kind was mind boggling.
"No, I'm not. You can deny it as you wish, but you'll just get darker and darker as time goes by. You won't be able to stop it, not even with your magic," said Battousai as he snapped his fingers and allowed her hands their freedom again.
Kaoru glared at the man, her own blue magic swirling about her so that it seemed as if a blue web was trapping her in its strings. Suddenly, as if something snapped within her, her magic turned black and began to flicker red as her ki began to soar through the room, shaking the walls as her anger grew. Finally realizing what was happening, she stopped and dropped to her knees, shaking her head frantically, unable to comprehend what it was that she had just done. It was impossible for her take in that she was becoming like the Dark Lord himself--she refused to take it in.
"Why?" questioned Kaoru, tears pooling around her eyes.
"It wouldn't matter how far away you are from me anymore, I can always summon you by summoning my blood. You're basically a part of me, but don't get any wrong ideas, I'm not a part of you. You won't be fully like me and my kind until you're transformed, but it's not likely that you'll be changed into a vampire," said Battousai with a grin. He knew that it was close to impossible for her to be able to bite him, at least if he didn't allow it.
The sorceress fell silent as her mind registered what he was saying. She was his prisoner for life and there was no escape, even if she did manage to destroy the weapons, she was still going to be under his control. Her mind began to swirl with dark images of what might happen to her and what might happen with her forced to Battousai's side for the rest of her life. The mere thought sent shivers down her spine.
"You're going to have to live with it. We're leaving tonight once you manage to get yourself figured out and have learned your proper position," said Battousai calmly as he sat down against the wall, a smirk tugging at his lips as his eyes closed.
The vampire knew that if they left now, she was surely going to slow them down, and he'd rather get their faster with a later start than getting their slower with an early start. The vampire lord really didn't want to bother with the sorceress's issues and hear her complaints go through her mind as he traveled, it was best to get it over with than prolonging the inevitable.
xXoXx
Soujiro closed his eyes as he heard the whole conversation, his heart beating faster than ever as he slowly made his away to his chambers with his own barrier about him. He had to clear his mind and process the information that he had just overheard, but he still couldn't believe his ears.
He had felt the power from Kaoru, the same power that his brother had created long ago when he was angry. Soujiro shuddered to think what Battousai's ki was like now after so many years when he became infuriated.
Soujiro knew that his brother was compressing his ki, but he never thought that Battousai's ki would be so powerful. Kaoru's ki that he had just witnessed was just an inkling of Battousai's, how he knew that, he didn't even know himself. He just knew that someway and somehow he needed to get as much information as possible about the transfer of blood from a vampire to a sorceress, and why it was that Kaoru was now a part of Battousai, but he not her.
Clutching his swirling head, he opened his bedroom door and closed it behind him as he sat down at a small table where jasmine tea was already set for him.
Taking a cup into his hand, he realized that it was trembling for some reason.
Placing the round cup back down, he began to rub his temples with his hands. His brain began to pulse with all of the troubles and questions on his mind. He had to sort it out before he went insane.
"Is something wrong, dear?" asked Shura as she entered the room and saw Soujiro's paler than usual face.
Soujiro only looked up at his wife and smiled, hoping that she would understand and leave him be to think about everything that has happened in so short a time, a time that was considered short even to humans.
"I know that you don't like me around you," said Shura as she sat down in front of the vampire lord, averting her eyes from his.
"What are you talking about, koishii?" asked Soujiro a bit confused as he cocked his head toward her in confusion.
"You don't have to lie to me, Soujiro," said Shura seriously as her own chocolate eyes met his piercing azure ones that she had fallen for the day that she had met him so long ago.
"Who told you that I was lying to you?" questioned Soujiro as his eyes narrowed dangerously as his thoughts focused on her instead of the problems at hand.
"No one did, I just know that you're not only lying to me, you're lying to yourself," said Shura as her eyes fell on the table as she wiped invisible dust from the table before her with her right hand.
Soujiro only searched her face for some kind of clue, mentally cursing that he didn't have his brother's ability to read other's minds.
Sighing, he looked at his mate for over five centuries and could only smile at her weakly like he always did when he couldn't find words to say.
"I only wish to ask you one question before I leave you be, milord," said Shura as she looked back into his eyes with what seemed like hurt and sadness.
Lost for words at what he just saw in her eyes, he only returned her gaze gravely and nodded.
"Why did you choose me as your mate over 500 years ago?" asked Shura as she searched his eyes for an answer.
Soujiro only stared at her, her question catching him off guard as he tried to match up words and give her a straight answer without hurting her feelings more than he already had. He looked at her confused when she only sighed.
"You don't have to answer, I already know what you're going to say. I just wanted to know what you truly thought. I'm sorry for bothering you, milord," said the female vampire as she bowed to her husband and quickly left the room before he could say anything, her face emotionless.
"Why me?" asked Soujiro to no one in particular as he rubbed his temples and bent his head as his brain began to torment him once again.
xXoXx
"Misao, what are you doing?" asked Megumi once the two left the Akabeko.
"Be quiet, I'm trying to think," said Misao as she rubbed her hands together to make friction, causing an emerald glow to come from her hands.
"Are you using magic?" asked Megumi in shock as she watched her sister focus on her hands and head toward the woods at the same time, afraid that Misao might end up heading right into a tree.
"Not exactly, it's something that I learned from a friend when I was little. It takes a lot of ki to work it, but it's worth it," said Misao as she looked up at Megumi and grinned.
"What's it used for?" questioned Megumi curiously as she looked at the growing sphere in awe.
"It's used to find someone. You just have to think about the person and the energy that you create will spread out and act like lightning to find the person. Then it'll show us the person through our minds from the ki we gave to it," said Misao with a smile as she refocused her body in transferring energy into the green orb.
"Why would you want to…? Misao…. You're not planning to do what I think you're planning to do, are you?" asked Megumi as she shook her head at her smirking sister.
"Look, if Aoshi's going to take this girl as his mate, then she must be really pretty or very serious and all I want to do is see if she fits into any of those categories," said Misao innocently as her jade eyes fell back onto the circle of power.
"Uh huh. You only want to compare yourself to her and find out what she has that you don't to have Aoshi choose her as his wife and not you," said Megumi as she crossed her arms over her chest and stopped once they entered the edge of the forest.
"Shut up!" shouted Misao as she glared Megumi, who only rolled her eyes in response.
"You need to learn that not all things will go your way, weasel girl," said Megumi as she sighed and walked ahead as her sister narrowed her eyes at her in annoyance.
"I know that! But it still doesn't mean that I can't at least try and gain back Aoshi's love," said Misao.
"Oh please! You act like the icy lycan lord actually ever loved you in the first place. You know that the guy never looked at you that way," said Megumi as she threw up her hands in irritation.
"For your information, I happen to know that Lord Aoshi does like me, if not loves me! He's probably being forced to marry this half breed!"
"Stop exaggerating. By doing this you're merely wasting your energy. Why don't you just go to Kyoto and look at her in person instead of through a green ball of wasted ki? And you do realize that if you do get with that icicle, your offspring are going to be half breeds too, right?" asked Megumi sarcastically as she turned and faced her sister.
"Yes, I know, but the Old Code is only against half breeds as in half vampire and half werewolf," protested Misao as she moved her hands away so that the glowing sphere vanished from sight.
Shaking her head, Megumi only walked on toward their home, muttering about ignorant weasel girls.
"You know what, I think that I will go to Kyoto and see this half breed in person," said Misao as she stopped and placed her index finger to her chin as she thought about it for a bit.
"I just…. Never mind," said Megumi as she sighed, deciding to ignore her exasperating sister instead of putting some sense into her thick head.
"Well, come on, let's go to Kyoto!" yelled Misao as she grabbed Megumi's arm and made a race for the road.
"Can't we just get there by flying?" asked Megumi as she began to stumble upon the unpaved road.
"Oh yeah! We'd get there faster," said Misao as she let go of her sister and transformed into a sea green bird and flapped her wings energetically and flew south toward Kyoto.
Sighing, Megumi transformed and quickly followed Misao so she could stop Misao from making a fool of herself when she met Aoshi's mysterious chosen mate at the Aoiya.