Darkening
MysticShadowWanderer
Disclaimer: I just learned that my local grocery store sells pocky! Happy dance time!
Chapter Three: Yukikureru
I woke gasping, sweat dripping from my face. This never happened to me. I never had dreams like these. They were like memories, vivid memories. Usually when I dreamed, if indeed I dreamed at all, I saw visions of blood and corpses, flashes of gory scenes that had either happened in the past or were possible in the future. There was never anything solid, nothing like the things I dreamed last night.
What did all of this mean? I hoped it was nothing more than stress from my daily life creeping into my dreams to torment me. But somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that wasn't the excuse, that this was more important, more all-consuming than anything that had happened to me in my life thus far.
In the time of one night, I felt older, centuries older. Though I never counted myself very wise or very naive before, I suddenly felt the heavy weight of memories and knowledge pressing itself on my heart. The feeling was extremely complicated and I wasn't sure what to do. One thing was certain, though: This morning I wouldn't be having breakfast.
I had to find Kaoru.
"Kamiya-san?" The woman gave me a long, curious look. "She's likely still sleeping, sir. Would you like for me to wake her?"
"Yes, please," I answered. "The matter is most urgent."
Nodding and bowing politely, the woman went off down the hall, presumably to find Kaoru. Outwardly, the older lady had looked completely polite, accommodating even. But I could read her annoyance and disgust that was just behind her eyes. Did she think I was here for less than reputable reasons? It wouldn't be unlikely, I decided with a sigh, this was a less than reputable place of business, as it was. If anyone knew who I was, it was probable that I could be ruined for this. I was beginning to hate Kamiya Kaoru, if only for all the trouble she was putting me through.
Hearing soft footsteps, I turned my head to see Kaoru walking somewhat sleepily toward me. Upon seeing me, her eyes flew open completely and her step quickened. When she reached my side, she grabbed me by the arm and dragged me out into the courtyard, through the gate, and down the dusty road. At first, I was too shocked to notice, but when she began to tug me into the tree line, I stopped, yanking her to a halt beside me.
"What are you thinking?!" she exclaimed suddenly. "Coming to see me like that! Do you know how stupid that was?!"
My jaw was slightly agape as I listened to her shout. Glancing at her, I realized suddenly that she was dressed in nothing more than a yukata, her hair falling out of a loose braid. She took advantage of my temporarily stunned state and led me a few feet further into the forest, hiding us from anyone who might pass, as unlikely as that was.
"It is dawn," she said tersely, "dawn! And you come to get me at a damned whorehouse! How do you think that's going to make you look? Did you stop to think about that? You still have to command respect, you know. Just because you had to go through the rebirth process doesn't mean that you aren't being watched! Gods!"
I stared at her, my mind completely blank. Usually when someone raised their voice at me, I ignored their words and glared at them until they scampered away, fearing for their life, but I had done nothing more than stand there moronically. The actual content of her ranting was just now registering with my mind.
"Rebirth process... Why are you at a whorehouse?" was the first thing that I said. "You are mine." My eyes burned hotly into hers. "I will not have you at a place like that, selling your body."
Before she could respond, I drew her roughly into my arms and crushed her body into mine, capturing her mouth in a fierce kiss. She sank against me in submission, and I made sure she would remember promises that she made in the past.
"You are mine," I growled before I sank my teeth into her neck.
Her hands pushed at my chest, and I let her go. She promptly fell to the ground without the support of my arms, and I smirked in satisfaction. Glaring at me, she stood and brushed the dirt off her, straightening her yukata. All the vehement scowls in the world couldn't hide the look in her eyes. She liked being dominated, and she'd liked that kiss.
"Listen, I'm glad you're remembering, but please try to think things through before you send for me at dawn." Her cool words did nothing to mask the fire that burned through both of us. "Just... how much did you remember?"
"Not all," I murmured. "Not enough."
"Do you know who you are now?"
"No. Not yet. I can't seem to grasp it."
"Patience, darling," she whispered, her lips suddenly tracing the skin at the opening of my gi. "Let it come to you. For now, you cannot have me." Her tone was almost wistful as she pulled away. "It will all be clear soon."
Before I knew it, she was gone, leaving me in a haze of desire and confusion. Typically, I was in possession of the utmost patience, but the situation was proving difficult. It was difficult not to want to rush all the memories back into my head.
When I was once more sitting in my room, I realized that I was accepting all of this so easily. A change of this magnitude should have been hard to stomach, but I was at ease with it. Maybe that was because this was who I was. I couldn't be sure.
Sleep seemed to bring on more of the memories that I was so desperately craving, so I decided to take a quick, mid-morning nap.
"Oh God, the world must be coming to an end," Iizuka's voice interrupted my attempt to get to sleep. "Are you sick? Dying?"
"No," was all I said, my voice low and menacing. "And if you value your life, you will leave."
His eyes were wide when I glared up at him through the shroud of my bangs. Backing up quickly, if rather clumsily, he seemed as if he couldn't tear his gaze away from me. I rose, both frightfully aware and unaware of what I was doing, stalking him slowly like a great dragon would its prey. His glance darted about, but apparently he couldn't find a means of escape, as he had unwittingly backed himself into a corner. If he thought that it was accidental that I had him trapped, then he really was a fool. The corners of my lips twitched upward as I watched him, cowering and shaking. It was pathetic.
"Himura, what are you doing? Have you gone mad? Himura, snap out of it. Battousai! What-"
The words hung in the air as his head hit the ground with a gratifying thump. I'd never really liked the man, anyhow. Raising my katana, I stared, nearly transfixed, as his blood dripped down the blade. I didn't deny the urge to taste it, running my tongue skillfully over the dangerously sharp edge. When the first drop of blood touched my lips, I froze.
"Sire, you must be reborn."
I watched the man in white, the spike-haired man, kneel before me, head bowed in respect. With a sigh, I bid him to rise and stand tall before me.
"I know this, Skopos. But still, it's a choice that I'm loath to make."
"Understandable, sire." He was just as somber as I. "But for your own protection, and all of your followers' as well, it must be done."
"I am putting you in charge. I place my trust in you."
"Thank you, sire. This is an honor most unlooked for."
"You have earned it, Skopos. And please... take care of her. If anyone hurts her, it will be hell and earth to pay."
"Of course."
"I must ask you to leave now. I shall begin the ceremony. Not much time remains."
Bowing, he left me, and I sat for a moment before moving to kneel before a great stone altar. I removed the black cloak and coat I wore to reveal the ruffled white shirt underneath. With little flourish, I reached for the long, twisted dagger that sat almost reverently in the center of the altar. Muttering a few words in an ancient tongue, I plunged the dagger into my stomach with no hesitation. That was when she walked it. Instinctively, she'd known that it was time for her to play her role.
Carefully, she lifted me atop the altar. With a few words of her own, she held a phial to my skin, deliberately catching my blood as it flowed. When the crystal shone crimson, she delicately tapped the stopper in, then bent over my abdomen and sucked gently at the blood that still poured down my sides. Lifting her head, she kissed me softly, whispered promises that she would be forever mine, and left the room.
At first there was blackness. I couldn't feel, I couldn't think. Then, there was excruciating pain. And then there was nothing.
I blinked and gasped for air. It was as if time had stopped while I was standing there, Iizuka's blood on my lips. That was it. I remembered now. My katana dropped from my hand with a clatter, but I retrieved it quickly and left the room in haste. They would soon find the body, but they would not find me.
It was time.
I knew what all this meant, finally. The woman who introduced herself as Kamiya Kaoru had been my lover, still was my lover. I was the man fearfully referred to as the "Demon King," a powerful and terrible ruler. Because of the threat to myself and my people, I put myself through a ritual rebirth that spared us time and would redouble my strength and power. The price, however, was that I had to go through a series of trials. The wager? My life.
I was in the brothel before I even realized where my feet had taken me. The women that were scattered about the room gave me fearful looks, I imagined that I must have made a terrifying figure, standing there with my hair untamed and eyes burning with fire that could rival those of hell. I ignored their stares and, seeing that she wasn't in the room, raised my voice and called to her.
"Licentia!"
A loud crash was heard from down the hall, it sounded like she'd dropped a porcelain basin. Barely moments later, she was running down the hall, struggling to tie her obi as she came to me, responding to the controlling demand of my voice. I leaned against a nearby wall almost lazily, watching the way the top of her kimono did little to cover her. My state of comfort was interrupted when she reached me and threw herself at my feet in a hurried bow. I shifted impatiently, and she jumped up and leapt at me, wrapping her arms around me tightly and kissing my face, my neck, my chest, whatever part of me she could reach.
I couldn't help but chuckle at her exhilaration, and I took a moment to return her affections, not caring that the entire roomful of women were watching as I kissed her deeply. When we broke apart, gasping for air, she stepped back to look at me.
"Oh gods, you're beautiful," she breathed. "You're back, you're back!" She was like a child in her excitement, and she put her arms back around me to draw me close. I smirked as she buried her face in me chest, making no effort to hide the fact that she was smelling me.
"Licentia," I murmured, tucking my nose into her silky hair. "We have to go."
She nodded and pulled away. "I'll go get my things."
While she scurried off to gather her belongings, I took a seat and glanced inconspicuously around the room. The other women wore expressions that varied, some showed their disgust, but most looked wistful, if not a bit envious. I smiled to myself; I couldn't wait to extract all her promises from her, to reclaim her body and soul.
It was time.
A/N: Dark stories are always so much more addicting when they're sensual... On a different note, I FINALLY saw The Last Samurai (I was going to see it the day it came out with Rachel, Jin, and Shintaro, but who the hell knows what happened to THAT plan...), and it was extremely good. Brilliant even. Yeah, I cried... but wow was it good. And I got to confuse my family with my knowledge of Japanese history. I started explaining the laws banning swords and the reasoning behind everything, and my mom just looked at me, then hit me and said "Shut up! I wish my brain was... smart..." I don't think my dad believed me though, mostly because he hates to be wrong, I bet. They did get really pissed off when I kept saying "The subtitles aren't COMPLETELY correct, that wasn't the exact thing he said." I had fun with that one... Now, I'm off to watch Interview with the Vampire again! Yay! Summer school starts tomorrow. Not so yay.
Oh crap, I forgot to mention oh... ANYTHING about this chapter. And there was some important stuff going on :hits head: I get sidetracked too easily. Ok, because I just KNOW that someone is going to ask, I'm going to explain why they all have weird names. No, I didn't just pull them out of nowhere. I researched crap, but since I don't believe in any one religion, I didn't want to use religious names (such as Lucifer and the like). They have roots in older languages (Greek, Latin, Italian blah blah blah). These people are supposed to portray age and wisdom, along with evil (yay!). The original names from the anime just don't work quite right for what I want to get across. Plus, these names are so fun... Any other questions you can uh... email to me or... something...
Translations:
"Yukikureru" - "to be overtaken with darkness"
"Skopos" - Greek; "observer" (can't remember what this is a root of...)
"Licentia" - Latin; "freedom" (Actually, this is the root of "licentious," but what the hell, it seemed to fit. And it's my damn story. :sticks tongue out:)
By the way... I'm being mean and not telling you Kenshin's "real" name yet :grin: It's pretty damn kickass, too. Ok, I REALLY have to shut up, because this A/N is REALLY long...