Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters. I've gathered Vampire facts around the web so therefore I take no credit on that part, but I do own the plot.
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Chapter Five
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"The Castle--named by the followers of Vampire Lord Battousai–-is a dark and looming figure that seems to reach even beyond the ebony clouds hovering over the citadel. Not a single ray of light from the sun is able to leak through the barrier in which Nature itself has created around the Castle. It is just too cold and too gloomy to penetrate and too damned to deserve the warmth of Amaterasu's power."
"What are you reading, Misao?" asked the soft voice of Omasu as she looked over her friend's shoulder and at the book in the other girl's hands.
Startled at the sudden interruption of her reading, the younger Vampire snapped her novel shut instinctively. It had become a bad habit: to remain as secretive as possible around others.
"Just a story, or more like an informative guide on where we're all about to work at," said the Vampire, her pale fingers throwing her long, ebony braid behind her when it swayed onto her shoulders again.
Adjusting her placed up bun, Omasu smiled, "Did you find anything interesting?"
The moment that Misao had mentioned she was reading about where they were all heading, the three other pairs of eyes in the carriage were upon her.
The four other passengers in the carriage, who were all heading toward the Castle to serve Lord Battousai, were now looking at her expectantly to continue.
"Well," started Misao nervously as she raced a finger down the spine of her red book, "the novel says that the area around the Castle has not seen daylight ever since Lord Battousai came into power in 2225. It's rumored that there's a natural barrier around the palace, but Vampires who have come into contact with Lord Battousai say that it is his own power that prevents the sun from becoming visible on his haven. Still, others say that Amaterasu herself is too afraid to go up against him, and thus leaves him alone."
"Isn't that a good thing?" asked the larger of the two boys in the horse-drawn carriage.
"We're Vampires, Kuro. Of course that's a good thing! Now we don't have to worry about staying up during the hours in which the sun is supposed to be out," smiled the skinnier male, his fangs becoming visible.
"Honestly, Shiro, do you always think about how things will benefit you when you do something?" snapped the last female of the group, her silky hair flowing over her shoulders.
"Ah, chill out, Okon, you act like going to work for Lord Battousai has any flaws," said Shiro, rolling his eyes when he received a glare from the other Vampire.
Misao shifted slightly in her seat as the two across from each other began to argue and continued her reading.
"It means you imbecile, that if we mess up, Lord Battousai could destroy us faster than we can blink! If he can have a goddess fear him, then what do you think will happen to you when you say something so stupid before him? Lord Battousai will only accept perfection, and I'm sure the gossip about what happens to impudent servants in his presence more than verifies my theory," stated Okon seriously, her truthful words making the other occupants cringe slightly at the cruelty they had heard so much about.
"Is there anything else we should know about?" asked Shiro after a long silence, his eyes lingering on the worn book in Misao's lap.
"The rest is basically the same things we've all already heard," said Misao as she returned the novel back into the backpack she had taken with her.
Leaning back in her seat, Misao looked out the window of the carriage and stared at the tips of the towers of their destination. She could feel the others' eyes on the slowly growing castle and knew that they too were growing anxious.
After a couple of minutes, the silent atmosphere was broken when Kuro spoke again, "You're usually never this quiet, Misao. We've all known you long enough to know when you're more than unsettled about something. Is there something that you've wanted to tell us?"
"Like why you seem so nervous the closer we get to the Castle? Don't try and deny it, everyone knows something's definitely wrong if Makimachi Misao is studying ahead," finished Shiro as he looked over the tense female Vampire before him.
A kick in the leg by Okon made him regret his previous sentence.
"Is my nervousness really that obvious?" asked Misao dejectedly with a sigh.
Her four classmates' nods confirmed it.
"Your aura is so thick with tension that you can cut it with a knife," teased Okon, trying to cheer her sister-figure up.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Omasu asked gently when Misao didn't respond to Okon's joke.
The looks Misao received from those around her reassured her that they didn't mind her not tell them and would not force her to speak about anything that made her uncomfortable.
Summoning all of her courage, Misao whispered as she gripped the soft fabric of her black robes, "L-Lord Battousai killed my parents."
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After walking for what seemed like miles, Kaoru finally stopped in her tracks stubbornly and closed her eyes. Her legs were becoming weak, and ever since she had walked out of the Ceremonial Room and met up with the General and Captain of the Crimson Guard again, she had been feeling a bit light headed. She could tell from the way her body was strangely warm that she was flushed in the face and felt as though she were dehydrating. For some reason, she had a feeling it had to do with what she had done in the room she had just left.
Unconsciously, she placed a hand on her new teardrop-shaped pendant around her neck and recited her favorite verse out of an old song she had known for as long as she could remember in her mind:
"Through the darkness there's a light so bright that it'll shine through the shadows and hold me tight, it'll remain with me forever as long as I hold onto hope and fight for what's right."
She didn't bother to move from her position as she heard Battousai's footsteps stop echoing off the stone walls of the hallway.
The teenager slowly opened her eyes when she didn't hear her husband admonish her for stopping their trek to his chambers. It was then that she noticed the soft blue glow of her gift and the red aura of Battousai's pendant, which he was currently looking at.
"Where did you learn those words?" asked Battousai softly when he moved his right hand out to reach for her sapphire crystal.
"I don't know," answered Kaoru, her voice just as light.
Kaoru's eyes followed Battousai's right hand as it came closer to her necklace and knew better than to try and stop him.
The moment that Akuma's and Amaterasu's pendants touched, the two gems sent violet sparks crackling around the area that their ornaments connected. Kaoru could only stare at it, oblivious to the fact that her headache was slowly leaving her.
The power emitted from the direct contact was overwhelming and Kaoru knew that it was much stronger than the force they had created when only they themselves were actually touching. It might have looked insignificant to the twister they had created earlier, but the waves of energy this combination gave off made the difference quite obvious.
Disappointment was etched clearly on her face when Battousai pulled his hand away, making the glow of the pendants cease.
"You said a prayer to keep your mind focused. Your pendant reacted to your words by replenishing your energy," explained Battousai as he grabbed her right hand in his left and began leading her to his chambers again.
"Why?" questioned Kaoru, picking up her pace to catch up with the auburn-haired Vampire. It scared her knowing that Battousai was right, she felt completely refreshed and ready for almost anything.
The farther they walked, the more understanding Kaoru became. She finally realized that by using her blood to write her oath of Eternal Loyalty to Battousai, she had lost quite a bit of her liquids. It was the reason why she felt so dry and weak after they left the Ceremonial Room. Her thoughts were interrupted when Battousai answered her simple question.
"You said a prayer, a personal prayer for Amaterasu to lend you her light. She heard you clearly, because you spoke through her pendant and it sent your words to her. Your plea echoed into my own pendant, which is why I, and Akuma, heard what you said. The power she gave you was also sent to me," clarified Battousai as they walked.
"You mean that our pendants keep us linked together? Whatever happens to your pendant happens to mine?" inquired Kaoru, slowly comprehending how her gift worked.
A curt nod was her only answer as Kaoru felt herself being pulled faster and faster by the King of Earth. It seemed as if he were desperate and had to get somewhere quickly before something else happened.
Unlike her spouse, Kaoru had no real intention on reaching his sleeping chambers any time soon. Her body shivered at the mere thought of what would happen when they were finally alone again.
"If you don't decrease your speed, you're going to detach my right arm from the rest of my body," snapped Kaoru when she felt the strain of her muscles.
The mortal flinched slightly when Battousai turned flaming amber orbs in her direction.
"You felt the current of our power, did you not?" questioned Battousai instead, not bothering to slow down his pace as he looked head on again.
"Yes, but what does that have to do with your sudden increase in speed? You know I'm not as fast as you," stated Kaoru as her eyes fell to her kimono, trying to remind her husband that if she went any faster, she was going to rip her dress. She cringed as she once again remembered that the Vampire before her was now her partner in life.
"If a mere human can feel the whisper of strength in the pendants, then what do you think a Vampire with keen senses felt?" asked Battousai, ignoring her previous comment as he led his confused mate toward his room.
"Every creature on Earth knows you're powerful, what will make this burst of energy any different from your other ones?" scowled Kaoru as the stories of Battousai's entertainment activities came to mind. It hadn't really occurred to her before that she had made a commitment to the monster in the stories used to scare children into bed early.
Still ignoring her, the Vampire kept walking.
Clearly irritated at his behavior, Kaoru stopped walking, or more like running, and placed her feet firmly on the ground obstinately. Her eyes met Battousai's when he paused and faced her again, his eyes just as angry and dangerous as her own.
"You can kiss your village goodbye if you dare to defy me now. I will not hesitate to burn it to the ground, along with everyone and everything in it," threatened Battousai darkly, the pendant hanging around his right wrist visibly glowing crimson.
Biting her lower lip as she caught the venom in his voice, Kaoru forced herself not to argue. There was no point in getting those she cared about killed because of her stubborn pride.
Kaoru looked at the ground when she saw the corners of Battousai's mouth quirk upward.
"I'm glad you see things my way again. Let's go," said the Vampire as he released Kaoru's right hand and once again led the way.
Clenching her fists to her sides, Kaoru reluctantly followed, making sure not to stray too far behind just in case she got lost. She wasn't about to trust the other Vampires in the Castle to give her directions without trying to suck her dry first. Her thoughts were interrupted when Battousai's cold voice resonated off the walls and bounced off her body in ripples.
"Get inside and don't come out no matter what," ordered Battousai the moment they came upon a set of black doors, a dragon circling around a blazing fire carved into the center of the ebony wood.
Kaoru didn't get a chance to admire the design, because one blink later, she was being forcibly pushed forward.
Instinctively, she placed her palms out toward the doors to brace herself from falling and nearly stumbled to the ground when she found herself going through the seemingly solid doors.
Steadying herself before she could land face first onto the black carpet, Kaoru turned around and glared at the door, knowing that behind it stood the being that shoved her inside none too gently.
Walking back over toward the doors, the teenager moved a hand to touch the ink colored-wood, and instead of her hands going through it again, her eyes widened when she saw the wood turn into rock-hard crystal. She moved a hand over the stone and realized that she was locked inside. There was no way she could defy Battousai, not even if she wanted to. What puzzled her, however, was the urgency she had heard in his voice when he told her not to exit the chamber.
Not knowing what else to do, Kaoru did the only thing she could, she looked over the interior designs of the large room.
The moment her eyes fell on the ornaments adorning the walls in her new bedroom, Kaoru took an unconscious step back. She shivered as the feeling of being swallowed alive came to mind and knew that she'd be completely swathed in darkness when the dying flames of the hanging candles went out.
A flash of blue light crossed her eyes, illuminating the entire room and revealing to her the gigantic bed in the back-center of the room, the proudly hanging weapons on the walls, the shelf of books and scrolls in one of the corners, a few doors, and the dragon-surrounding-a-flame statue in the center.
Kaoru took another step back when her extra source of light vanished, the feeling of being alone coming back again to try and swallow her.
She didn't bother to keep from screaming out when she felt a pair of iron-like arms wrap around her waist.
Only when the sound of amused chuckling reached her ears did she stop struggling. The warm laughter was so unexpected that she couldn't help but question her hearing.
"You'll scare yourself to death if you become so tense," warned Battousai almost teasingly as he removed his hands on her hips and strolled over to the general area of the bed.
Seeing Battousai's form slowly vanishing into the shadows, Kaoru almost ran as she moved to walk by his side.
"Afraid to be left alone?" mocked Battousai as he paused to look at his wife.
Sticking her chin in the air, Kaoru replied calmly, "I was merely following you as you told me to. Leaving your side is not an option, remember? What made you make me break it earlier?"
Battousai narrowed his eyes and continued toward the bed as soon as she began to question his previous actions.
"You used your pendant, didn't you?" asked Kaoru when she didn't receive an answer.
It was her statement that made the Vampire Lord stop once more to face her.
"How did I know?" asked Kaoru knowingly. "Well, while you were gone, I saw a flash of blue coming from my pendant, and you yourself had said our pendants are connected in some way or another. I hadn't done anything, so it can only mean that you did something that made my pendant react," said Kaoru matter-of-fact-ly when she finally was able to lead the way toward their next destination. It would have felt much better if it weren't for the reason why they were going to the silk-covered bed in the first place.
"I was covering your trail of power with my own. To allow others to know that you can control Amaterasu's pendant would be an open invitation for them to try and eliminate you. Suspicions would have been aroused had my servants not been taught that I wield Amaterasu's gift as well," answered Battousai truthfully as he stood beside the bed while Kaoru sat on it.
"That's why you married me, so that if I do use my pendant in public, it'll seem as if you are because I'll always be with you," whispered Kaoru carefully, processing the information as the words left her mouth.
Her eyes immediately fell to her hands in her lap as she finally acknowledged what she had gotten herself into by coming to the Castle. She highly doubted that she'd be able to defeat Battousai, even with her new pendant to assist her. It might work on the other Vampires in the Castle, but not on Battousai. Not only was he more experienced than her, he was also in control of everything and anything that she saw. Even if she did somehow manage to escape from his grasp, he'd simply kill those in her village for her incompetence or have her hunted down. The mere thought sent another shiver down her spine.
"So it seems you finally understand your position," said Battousai portentously as he sat down beside his mate and moved his right hand to rest on her left thigh.
Forcing the tears to remain in her eyes, Kaoru didn't bother to struggle as Battousai moved her onto her back. Her eyes drifted shut the same moment the curtains of the bed enclosed around them.
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"Did you feel that?" asked the General of the Crimson Guards as he stopped walking and turned to his Captain for confirmation.
Enishi furrowed his brows as he too stood still and allowed the waves of power to wash over his form. The intensity of the sudden explosion was enough to wipe a village out of subsistence. If he hadn't felt it for himself, he would have never believed that such a power existed.
"It came from over there," said Sanosuke, his dark chocolate eyes moving toward the direction in which their lord and lady had headed in.
Adjusting his cloak so that the silk flowed over his shoulders once more, Enishi pushed his glasses up his nose with his forefinger.
"There's nothing we can do about it but pray that our lord doesn't become angry with us," said Enishi when he felt the undeniable increase in the Vampire Lord's strength.
"Good thing we're not with him at the moment," said Sanosuke with a grin as he too moved his red-rimmed, dark cloak around his figure.
Turquoise eyes graced the red carpeted hall before them and narrowed as the silhouettes of five figures came into view.
"I was wondering when they would arrive. We'll just have to take care of the paperwork in the King's Working Room later, at the moment, we have to tend to our new servants," said Sano as the five new Vampires walked over and bowed accordingly when they saw their clothing.
Snorting at his general's laziness and easily distracted mind, Enishi ordered the Vampires to stand with a motion of his right hand.
"Introductions," ordered Sanosuke after Enishi allowed the group to stand.
"Misao," said the youngest.
"Omasu," answered the short-haired female.
"Okon," replied the long-haired beauty.
"You two must be Kuro and Shiro then," finished Enishi before the others could speak.
"Well, just in case you don't know who we are, I am General Sagara and this is Captain Yukishiro," informed Sano with a smile as he moved a hand in Enishi's direction when he said the other Vampire's name.
"General, Captain," repeated the five as they gave yet another bow to their waists.
"A few rules to keep in mind if you want to live: don't piss off those stronger than you, steer clear of the King unless addressed or ordered to serve him, and keep in mind that obedience is the key to survival," said Enishi emotionlessly, taking in their flinches amusingly.
He couldn't help but roll his eyes when his gaze fell on Sano's large grin after he had said his two cents to the newcomers.
"We're all on the same boat when it comes to being respectful to the Queen, so don't bother to ask the other servants on how to please her. I'm certain you all felt the sudden flare of power when you entered the Castle," stated Sanosuke. His grin grew when five heads nodded in unison at his words. "What you felt was only a glimpse of what our lord can do, and angering our lady will seal your deaths. Good luck serving them."
"What?" Enishi voiced for the five taken aback Vampires, whom were all currently gawking at the spiky-haired man.
"Honestly, why else do you think His Majesty had Shinomori of all people go to Aka Ketsueki in search for the most capable workers?" asked Sanosuke, speaking as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. His eyes wandered to the robes the five were still wearing. He nodded his head as he spoke, "You are allowed to wear that around the Castle for today while you're given the tour. I'm sure Shura won't bite hard if you behave."
Shaking his head at Sano's tactics, Enishi waved a dismissive hand toward the five.
"Shura will find you. She'll tell you all to remember something and to make sure that you understand, so I'll tell you my version of it: Don't even think about trying to go up the Tower in the West Wing, you'll die before you step a foot on the stairs leading up to the Tower. No one is allowed on that side of the Castle, and if anyone orders you to go there, don't. The King will never order such a thing from any of you, so don't try and make excuses if you're caught there," warned Enishi darkly, his eyes turning a deep shade of hunter green.
Gulping, the Vampires nodded before racing off toward the same direction they had just come from.
"You have such a way with words," said Sano sarcastically when the five vanished behind a corner.
Snorting, Enishi walked past his superior and toward their original destination: the King's Working Room. At the rate that things seemed to be going, he doubted that anything was going to remain the same once the month was through.
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