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Note: Crude language
The Demon Child
Chapter Nine: Aftermath
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Hiko looked up as the door to his office slide open to reveal Sano.
"Chou's gone." Sano reported grimly to the others before he made his way to sit beside Megumi.
All of them except the two girls and Dr. Gensai scowled deeply at this revelation.
"Shit." Megumi muttered uncharacteristically. "Shogo must've freed him while he knocked us out."
The male vampires along with Misao and the rescued humans had gone home after the battle to find the inside of their mansion in shambles and everyone sprawling unconsciously on the floor.
They could only be relieved that nothing was taken nor that anyone else was seriously harmed or kidnapped.
Megumi was the first to regain her bearings and it was then that she had retold the story to the rest.
Much to her surprise, Shogo had appeared at the door not long after the other vampires and Kaoru and Misao had gone to the battlefield. Before Megumi could ask him anything, the green-eyed vampire had suddenly pulled his katana from his sheath and forced the butt of the weapon's hilt against the back of the female vampire's head, making her lose consciousness.
With the servants' help, they were able to piece together what had happened afterwards. However, Sano had checked Chou's cell nevertheless just to be sure.
Suzume cast her eyes on everyone in the room, scuffling nervously in her seat as she noticed the grim frowns set on their faces.
The five-year-old involuntarily pressed herself closer to her older sister, Ayame.
"Where's Kao-nee?" She whispered the question meant for Ayame alone.
Ayame glanced at her younger sibling and shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't know." She whispered back to Suzume.
Dr. Gensai saw at the corner of his eyes the vampires and Misao going stiff and the old doctor knew that they had heard the two children.
"Where's Kao-nee?" asked Suzume again, louder this time. A concerned look crossed her young features as well as Ayame's.
It was Misao who finally decided to answer. The young woman looked pale and fragile, far from the vibrant and energetic female that she truly is. Her emerald eyes looked worn out and dull.
"She was…taken from us." Her voice was soft and hoarse as she murmured the words.
Aoshi spared a glance at the young woman beside him, a rare look of worry flash in his eyes for a moment as he gazed at Misao.
The ebon-haired vampire reached out underneath the table and clasped his hand over Misao's.
Misao's eyes widen slightly at the rare gesture of emotion but she didn't voice out her question when she felt Aoshi slightly squeeze her hand, telling her not to say anything about it.
Understanding perfectly, Misao turned her eyes away from their entwined hands and gazed intently instead to the wall in front of her, not daring to meet Suzume's eyes.
The young girl was the one most closest to Kaoru. Suzume idolized the young woman and even divulged to her sister Ayame that she hopes to be as strong and brave as her 'Kao-nee' is when she grows up.
"Taken? What do you mean taken?" It was Ayame who asked this time.
Misao bit her lip, not sure if she should tell them the whole truth. She cast her eyes to the right, where Battousai lay half-hidden in the shadows.
The vampire was leaning against the wall, crossing his arms and hiding them beneath the folds of his black gi, hiding his hands that were still coated with dried blood, most of which weren't his.
Somewhere along the battle his hair-tie was cut, causing his long red blood mane to cascade down his back like a scarlet waterfall. Long unruly bangs shaded half of his face as he had bent his head down.
Feeling the look Misao and the rest of his vampiric comrades settling upon him, Battousai lifted his chin, causing his crimson hair to rustle slightly at the movement.
His long unruly bangs failed to hide the menacing bloody red color of his eyes, leaving no trace of the amber depths whatsoever.
"What?" He growled deeply.
A lesser man would've fainted at the intense, fearful look of the Hitokiri Battousai but the others merely shuddered with the exemption of Ayame and Suzume who only moved closer to each other, one seeking the other for comfort.
Battousai's eyes softened a little at this gesture but regained their intensity when he shifted his gaze to Dr. Gensai and then to his fellow vampires as well as Megumi.
He them nodding their heads as if in approval and he returned with a curt nod of his own before he turned his gaze at Misao.
Misao understood perfectly the hidden message of the vampire's look. She nodded her head at this and then took a deep breath to recollect her thoughts.
They deserved to know after all.
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"Don't touch me!" hissed Kaoru as she moved her arm away just as Shogo was about to reached out for it.
Green eyes gleamed in mirth and the brown-haired vampire held his hands up in defense.
"Alright, alright, have it your way then." He told her. "No need to get mad or anything."
If looks could kill, Shogo would've been a pile of gray ash by now courtesy of the heated glare Kaoru threw at him.
"Gee, I wonder why? Well, let's see… You only betrayed us and then blackmailed me to go with you in exchange for my friends' safety, which leads me to my current walk in a jungle that seemed to have no exit so why should I be mad then?" Every word that came out of Kaoru's mouth was dripped, smudged and lathered in sarcasm, her sapphire-silver eyes flashing dangerously at the same time.
Shogo merely gave the female demon a smirk.
"It's such a shame that you gave yourself up so soon, I would've loved to kill the Battousai right before all of your eyes but I guess I'll have to wait until another time." He said menacingly.
A deep growl emitted from Kaoru's throat and the demon made a lunge at the tall vampire, her hands itching to wrap themselves around Shogo's neck and strangle him.
Shogo dodged out of way just at the nick of time and smirked as the metal handcuffs on Kaoru's wrists glow a sickening yellowish green and suddenly the cuffs grew smaller, tightening the space between them and her flesh.
The silver-blue haired female tried to wretch her hands further away from each other but it only made the cuffs grow tighter, cutting off the circulation to and from her hands even more.
Kaoru bit her lower lip to the point that it drew out blood. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of hearing her cry out due to the pain.
Defeated, Kaoru let her arms go limp and remained silent as Shogo finally lessened the cuffs' hold on her, causing them to return to their normal size just as the last trace of the same sickening yellow-green color faded.
Seeing the slight surprise on Kaoru's face, Shogo explained.
"Using a tap of my telekinetic powers, I can easily will these cuffs to tighten their hold on the wearer's wrists and cut off their circulation completely if I wished. You're lucky that I find you so attractive."
The long brown-haired vampire trailed a single finger along Kaoru's jaw line. It took almost all of her resistance not to bite his finger off completely.
Shogo was quick to notice the deadly look in Kaoru's eyes but merely laughed as he let his hand go limp and fall to his side.
"Don't think that you could run away from me." He warned her, his green eyes flash menacingly as he said so.
"Even without the cuffs, you can't escape now that you're in Shishio's territory." Shogo added as a final note. "At least not alive..."
After last night's battle, Shogo had teleported himself and Kaoru to the safe spot where he was supposed to meet up with Chou. From there, the three had traveled by foot towards their destination to Shishio's castle, being extremely careful as to not get noticed by lowering their ki. Kaoru was forced to wear a long cloak to hide her identity, the magic cast upon on the fabric of the clock masking her ki as well.
Tired and hungry, Kaoru was forced to endure all of this and non-stop walking even now when the late morning sun had set upon them. Chou, being a not-so-high-ranked werewolf and thus sensitive to the sun, had walked in front of the two, hiding from the sun's heat in the tree's shadows as he did so.
Kaoru tossed Shogo another glare in reply.
"Fuck you." She growled out with the deepest hatred building up inside of her.
A truly evil smile etched on Shogo's lips as he replied.
"Oh there'll be time for that, my little demon. Just you wait."
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"Damn it!"
Everyone present cringed as Battousai lost his cool and pounded his fist on the table with such force that it actually left a large crack.
Earlier, Misao had taken Suzume and Ayame to their room after she related to them the whole story including Kaoru's true identity. Tsubame accompanied the three other female humans along with Yahiko, the youngest vampire out of them all.
So now it was only him, Hiko, Soujiro, Sano, Aoshi, Megumi and Dr. Gensai sitting around the table in Hiko's office.
Battousai glared at Hiko intently, his eyes continued to be a bloody red. They won't change color for a long time, not until they have Kaoru back safe and sound.
"Why can't we attack them now?" Battousai growled to his master.
Hiko retaliated with a glare of his own. The hazel-eyed Vampire Lord and 13th Master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu Style replied.
"Baka deshi," He addressed the crimson haired vampire. "You know as well as I do that tonight's the Silver Moon. It would be suicide to launch a full-head attack on Shishio's territory."
Sano spoke up. "Hiko's right Battousai, as much as I like Jou-chan, I don't think charging at them right on when we're at a disadvantage is such a good idea."
Battousai snapped his head towards Sano and glared down at the other vampire with accusing blood red eyes.
"Shut it Sano." He growled. "I know that you would come to Megumi's aid in a heartbeat if the circumstances were different."
Sano held back his tongue. It was true. He loved Megumi too much not to try at least to rescue her as soon as possible, regardless of the situation.
Soujiro, who had been silent up during the whole argument, rose to his seat to meet Battousai at eye level.
Blue-grey clashed with blood red as the two vampires stared into each other's eyes. It was Soujiro who finally opened his mouth and said.
"Battousai, I care for Kaoru deeply perhaps just as much as you. She is the sister I never had and as much as I want to agree with you, I can't. It's just too dangerous."
All hell broke lose as Battousai lost a touch of his control and yelled.
"Well what do you expect me to do then? Lay around and wait while Kaoru's possibly tortured right now? You know I can't do that Tenken! I love her damn it! I can't let her suffer for all of our sakes!"
Soujiro's eyes blazed a stormy blue-grey as the usually composed vampire replied in an equally high tone.
"And that's why we should wait until tomorrow night to attack! Do you really think that Kaoru would be pleased if she found out that you're risking your life for her? She loves you too much as well to ever let you get hurt. She'd rather sacrifice herself which is what she did just last night! Don't let the honor in her martyrdom lessen with your incompetence."
Silence reigned as soon as Soujiro had finished saying his piece. The brown-haired vampire gazed intently at his red-eyed companion, hoping that he had finally got through to the redhead's thick head.
Realization finally drawn into Battousai and his eyes soften from a bloody dark red to a bright red.
"Fine," It was all that Battousai said before he sat down again.
Soujiro smiled faintly at the other vampire before he took his seat as well.
Hiko coughed to get their attention and looked at his fellow vampires with serious hazel eyes.
"Well, as I was mentioning before…."
Sano took a moment lean closer to Soujiro and whispered in a voice so low that the other vampire was even having trouble catching his words.
"Man, I thought for sure that he was going to tear you apart literally."
Soujiro chuckled before he whispered back to Sano.
"I was thinking the same thing."
'You know, I really don't appreciate being talked about behind my back.'
Both vampires glanced at Battousai who had crossed his arms, a smirk on his face. Obviously he had heard their conversation.
Seeing the unvoiced question in their eyes, Battousai explained.
'You forgot to close your telepathic link to the rest of us. Even Aoshi, Megumi and Hiko can pick up on your conversation and hear you.'
The half-amused, half-annoyed looks the mentioned three cast at them gave truth to Battousai's words.
Sano grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head while Soujiro merely gave his usual masked smile.
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"Halt! Who goes there?" cried out the two guards stationed before the pillars that lead up to Shishio's estate.
Beneath the hood of her black cloak, Kaoru rolled her eyes at the two humans standing before them with their spears high in the air, ready to attack if necessary.
Chou stepped forward. The trees near Shishio's lair were so thick that sunlight cannot penetrate through them, which enables the blonde werewolf to move freely again.
"Inform Shishio that Chou and Shogo have successfully captured the Demon Child." Chou said; the blonde puffed up his chest even more to signify the enlarging of his ego.
The eyes of the human guards grew two times their size as they heard Chou. They turned their gaze to the cloaked-figure standing besides Shogo. You can't see anything about the captive except the wristbands holding two pale arms together by the wrists.
Then the figure snapped its' head up to reveal a face with two orbs of ice cold sapphire tinged with metallic silver glaring at them, mockingly them.
The men quivered in their feet. One of the guards had enough sense to reply, although he was stammering out the words.
"I…will..i-inform…Shish-sio…i-immediately."
Faster than you can say 'Demon Child', the guard turned around and practically sprang up the stairs as if the hounds of hell were chasing him.
Sweat prickled down the remaining guard's temples as he saw the cloaked figure turned it's gaze upon his person.
The figure's lips twisted up to form a fanged smile.
It was all the poor human could take. Black enveloped his vision and he could hear the slight 'thump' sound of something falling before…nothing.
The demon, vampire, and werewolf glanced at the fainted human. With his boot, Chou nudged the guard by his ribs.
"Oh yeah, he's down for the count."
Kaoru merely gave a triumphant smirk.
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Misao gave a soft smile as she tucked in the covers of the bed. Suzume and Ayame snuggled into the soft mattress and both sighed wistfully before they finally fell asleep.
Misao bent down to place a gentle kiss atop each of their foreheads before she stood up and walked out of the bedroom. She turned around one last time and smiled at the scene before her, then stepped outside and closed the door behind her.
"Hey,"
Surprised, Misao turned around and when she saw that it was Aoshi, she calmed down and clasped a hand over to her heart.
"Aoshi," She hissed, though there was a mirth gleam in her emerald eyes. "Don't scare me like that!"
The ebon-haired vampire shrugged his shoulders in reply. He left Misao moved before he stepped in place besides her as they walked down the hallway.
"So what's the stat?" asked Misao after a few moments of comfortable silence passed.
"We will attack Shishio's headquarters tomorrow night, when the moon is a quarter from the center of the sky." Aoshi answered.
Misao frowned. "Why can't we just attack tonight?"
Aoshi shook his head, the ebon bangs of his hair swayed slightly with each move.
"No, tonight's the Silver Moon. It would be dangerous for us if we would attack tonight."
Misao raised an eyebrow in interest. "The Silver Moon?"
Aoshi nodded his head this time. "Yes, the Silver Moon is a time when werewolves are at their fullest capability. Much like the Crimson Moon is for us vampires, the Silver Moon doubles up the wolves' preternatural powers. In cases that the wolves mate at this night, both of their powers tripled and even quadrupled depending on the strength of the mate."
"That is why we can't attack now. The higher risk is on us if we should do so. We will be at a great disadvantage."
"But won't the wolves attack us tonight?" Misao asked.
Aoshi shook his head once more. "The Silver Moon comes only once in a few hundred years and the process takes a whole night. Only a fool could pass up that chance to fight against an army of high-ranked vampires."
Misao nodded her head. "I see, and what about the Red Moon? Does it have the same effect as the Silver Moon only on your species that is?"
"Yes but the process doesn't take overnight unlike the wolves'. Aside from that, it's somehow the same."
"Hmm…and does Battousai know about this particular event tonight?" Misao asked.
Aoshi smirked. "He does, although that wouldn't have stopped him."
Misao smiled. "I can only imagine what went on inside the office then."
"…."
They had walked so much that they were nearing the end where the stairways are located.
"This is where we part," said Aoshi. "The last of your training will start tonight. Meet me in the living room after dinner."
The tall ebon-haired vampire turned his back to Misao and made a move to walk away when a hand on his arm stopped him. He craned his neck to see Misao clutching his said arm.
The young woman gave a warm smile and something fluttered in Aoshi's chest. "Thanks Aoshi." She told him.
Aoshi raised an eyebrow. "For what?" He was curious to know.
Misao smiled wider, her emerald eyes gleaming. "For what you had told me before, I would've disappointed Dr. Gensai and the girls by becoming who I am not if it wasn't for you."
She paused. "So from the bottom of my heart, I thank you Aoshi."
A glimmer of surprise flashed momentarily in ice blue eyes as Aoshi replied.
"No need to thank me."
(AN: Aww…isn't that sweet? I think I'm getting a toothache from all this sugary stuff…Hohoho! (winks))
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Kaoru glared darkly at the being sitting on his throne before her.
He was the cause of Misao's suffering, he was the reason why Kaoru let herself be captured. The reason why she is standing here right now, far from her friends and in enemy territory.
Shishio Makoto looked at the young demon (Shogo had discarded her cloak when they were inside) with gleaming red eyes. The blue-violet robe that was wrapped around him failed to hide the body-cast bandages that covered his burnt skin, a result Kaoru heard by hearsay, caused by him being left burnt alive in painful agony by his traitorous comrades even before the Bakamatsu.
(AN: I know that Shishio was actually burnt and left for dead during the Bakamatsu in the series.)
"Kamiya Kaoru, the infamous hybrid born from a forbidden union."
He paused and closed his eyes for a few moments before he snapped them open once again. "The Demon Child."
He gazed at Kaoru intently with his burning eyes. Kaoru felt that the werewolf leader was looking right through her very being.
"Do you know why I sent you here?" Shishio asked her.
Kaoru scoffed and huffed her chest. "Pardon me for saying so but I wasn't sent here, I was forced to come."
Shishio smirked. "Nevertheless, I presume you want to know why we had searched so far and wide for you."
Kaoru rolled her eyes. "It's no secret. You planned to use me as a 'weapon' in your war. Frankly I don't see how you can do that since I'm not going to change my mind and side with you no matter."
Shishio laughed darkly. "Who said anything about you being willingly?"
To say that she was surprised was an understatement. Kaoru looked at the werewolf queerly.
"What the hell do you mean by that?"
Shishio smirked. "Oh you'll find out soon enough."
Kaoru suddenly felt a blow in her head and knew then that she was struck and is going to lose consciousness.
"Damn you…Shishio." She muttered softly before darkness enveloped her sight.
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Battousai turned a full circle in mid-air before he swung his sword at the right, the blade scourged with red-amber electric currents as it met with the wooden dummy.
The vampire somersaulted behind the dummy with one knee and his free hand clasped against the butt of his katana.
A small explosion emitted and lighted the room momentarily with red and amber sparks. A satisfied smirk made it's way across his lips as Battousai got to his feet and turned to see nothing left of the dummy except a slight scorch mark left in the dojo's floor.
Damn! Shishou's going to kill him for damaging the floor.
A smile replaced the smirk as Battousai tried to imagine the thought. However, it wasn't long before his thoughts drifted and a worried frown etched on his face instead.
"Kaoru…" He whispered softly into the air, knowing full well that she couldn't hear him.
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"Kaoru…"
The silver-blue-haired demon opened her eyes slowly. She blinked as a bright light blinded her vision.
"She's awake Shishio-sama." pointed out a soft, feminine voice.
"Thank you Yumi," Kaoru heard Shishio's reply and open her eyes again to see that the blinding light was gone.
"Where am I?" Kaoru murmured weakly. She tried to move her arms to find that her wrists were bound over her head.
An icy coldness seethed through her and Kaoru looked down to see that she was tied to a metal plank and facing the ceiling.
The sight of being in another unfamiliar environment caused Kaoru to panic and the demon tried to move her arms frantically.
"Now, now." Shishio hushed as if he was trying to calm down a small child instead of a dangerous and highly-capable young warrior.
"You wouldn't want one of these to miss, now would you? I can assure you that they hurt a lot."
Shishio waved at a large machine behind him, a wicked gleam in his eyes.
"Let's start then, shall we?" His gaze turned to the lovely young female beside him.
"Yumi, could you be a dear and strap the wires to our guest?"
The young female smiled, revealing her sharp werewolf fangs.
"I'll be delighted to, Shishio-sama." She crooned.
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"Argh!" Kaoru yelled in pain as the electric shocks surged throughout her body once more.
Her back arched just as the last wave of electricity coursed through her, leaving small static spats wiggling in her skin.
"I ask you again, Demon Child. Join us or suffer even more pain."
Kaoru spat out the blood that collected in her mouth, she turned her furious sapphire-silver eyes on Shishio and the others.
"Never! I will never join you." she growled.
"So be it." Shishio murmured and snapped his fingers.
Hoshi, Shishio's adviser, pulled the lever, again sending bolts of watts coursing in Kaoru's body.
Kaoru closed her eyes and bit her lip to the point that she drew out blood, not wanting to give them the satisfaction of hearing her cry out in agony.
After a few grueling hours of torture, Kaoru finally surrendered herself to the sweet darkness of the unconscious mind.
"This won't do Shishio," droned out Usui, the blind swordsman.
"She won't give in even if we have to electrify her all night." Kamatari voiced out his opinion.
Shishio rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
Suddenly he gave a wicked smile and he said.
"There's more than one way to skin a cat."
He gave a wicked laugh.
"If we can't make her join us, we'll make her beast become our comrade instead."
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Suzume jolted upwards in the bed, tears trailing down her wide brown eyes.
Ayame who was awoken by her sister's movements, glanced at Suzume with a worried look on her face.
"What's wrong Suzume?" She asked.
Suzume ignored her sister and instead clasped a hand over to her heart.
She whispered to no one in particular, a blank look on her face.
"Kao-nee…She's in pain. I can feel it."
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Battousai snapped his eyes open to face the ceiling of his room. Pale amber colored his eyes for a moment before it returned once more to their fiery red blaze.
Kaoru's hurting.
The vampire clasped a hand over to where his heart should be.
He knows because he can feel her pain as well.
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In the pitch blackness and starless sky, as the Silver Moon came to view in its' full glory, a high-pitched howl disturbed the peacefulness of the night.
All who hear it shivered in their sleep for, deep in their subconscious mind, they know that tomorrow is the final night.
The night of the final battle that will put the Blood of Three War to its' ending point.
To be continued
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AN: I know, I know. I promised that this chapter's going to be the last but it was too long already so I have to cut it off. Also, I'm not sure whether to make it a happy ending or not so I'm still having doubts.
Truth be told, I don't like this chapter much since I am in a real hurry to finish this. I got only an hour to prepare before my next class starts. (panics)
Well I got to go now, until next time.
Review! Review! Your comments make my writing all the more worthwhile.