Insert usual disclaimer here
Part 12
The next time they saw Nicholai was in Japan. The group had straggled to Roger's jet and talked well past dawn about what to do, where to go. Yuri had lay down and fallen almost immediately to sleep. Karin sat nearby, watching as the young man breathed, noting the slight hitch that indicated injury and pain. He hadn't refused healing, but he had not admitted being hurt and Karin wondered if it was the curse moving in him again.
When they had gone to the Goreme Valley in Turkey, Yuri had, with her help, gotten fusion Amon back. The Yadorigi curse had prevented his using the big demon, but now that had changed. Thank goodness, she thought. Without that brute, we wouldn't have been able to defeat Rasputin or... or Nicholai. She settled back in her seat, stretching long legs to ease them and unclipped her sword and sheath from her belt with a sigh. So much pain and sorrow, she thought, released by one man's greed and arrogance – and the power of a demon. But even with Rasputin gone, is Sapientes Gladio finished? What about Nicholai? Is he really related to Anastasia? She looked up the aisle to the cockpit where young Ana stood, looking over Roger's boney shoulder. She seemed surprised at Kato's revelation, that Nicholai was her bastard brother. And what about Nicholai? He was hurt, not dead. Should we pursue him? Would it do any good?She looked again at the sleeping fusionist and sighed, closing her eyes. If only… she thought. If only I could have done something to prevent all this, or to stop Nicholai… what could I have done though…
She slept and so missed Yuri awakening and demanding of Roger, in dark tones, to fly them to Japan. She awoke only as the plane was suddenly descending, and found chaos as Anastasia was crashing the ship. She concentrated then on survival, even when Roger managed to yank the controls away from the mad princess and bring the ship to a skidding halt, damaged but not destroyed; she concentrated on learning as they took a ship to Yokohama from Hokkaido, picking up as many words and phrases as she could; and she learned to watch and listen as Yuri recovered and lead them all on a mad chase to find Nicholai Conrad. But when they did finally find him, Karin wished they hadn't, for he hung as a prisoner in the laboratory of Doctor Hojo, a horrible place with machines and, as far as Karin could discern, torture devices.
Nicholai was strapped to a machine like a cross, his arms pinioned to the cross bar and two pulsing lights were being sent into his body. He was weak, physically barely able to stand, and he cried out in agony as Hojo tortured him. Karin could not stand it, turning away from the horrid sight and when Nicholai was finally consumed by the demon Astaroth, she was glad she had not seen it. Gepetto had asked what the loudspeakers were saying, but Yuri had not understood the words.
Ultimately, when Astaroth possessed Nicholai, he fled the lab, and Yuri and company retreated to the residence of a new friend, Naniwa Kawashima. He had a small home in the city with a fenced garden and a koi pond. Inside, Kurando, their newest companion, was speaking to Kawashima while the others had gone sight seeing, but Karin and Yuri had remained, Karin sitting on the veranda while Yuri paced along the grass, his movements angry.
"Where could he have gone?" Yuri growled. "That bastard." Yuri continued to pace in front of the veranda, his boots digging into the neatly trimmed lawn and gouging holes into it. Karin thought the landscapers would not be pleased at the additions.
"Yuri," she said to his pacing form, "you've got to take it easy. Worrying won't help us find Nicholai."
Yuri stopped mid-stride, his hands jammed into the loops of his belts and a scowl on his brow.
"You think I don't know that?" he exclaimed, his voice angry. "Don't talk to my like my mother."
Karin gasped, her fingers reaching up to her throat, feeling her pulse beating hard and fast at the rebuff. I don't sound like his mother, she thought. Do I? But finally, he came back to the veranda and sat down with a heavy sigh.
"The thing is, Karin, this isn't the Nicholai we fought in Apoina Tower. He's a million times more dangerous."
Karin was biting her lower lip, and she turned cloudy grey eyes onto Yuri. He was leaning, elbows on his knees, and his ruby eyes were boring holes in the lawn next to the gouges of his boot heels.
"Is it because he's been taken over by Astaroth?" she asked.
Yuri nodded once. "He was a damned fool; he tried to control the soul of a demon and claim its power for his own. But, the demon was stronger, and so he's the one who wound up being controlled."
And what makes you any different? she thought with bitterness tingeing her mind and then silently bit her tongue. No, no, I cannot blame Yuri. He's not like Nicholai. And Nicholai did this to gain... what? Power? Position? He is already a prince, a priest, an exorcist. What does he gain by the power of Astaroth? She didn't want to think of Nicholai being swallowed up by that demon they had fought in Apoina Tower; she didn't want to think of him as evil, stupid, or foolish. She felt again the cool taste of his lips, the mintiness of his breath in the chill, rainy air of Domremy and a shudder went up her spine in spite of the summer heat of Yokohama. A trickle of perspiration slid down her cheek and felt like a tear to her as she unthinkingly wiped it away. You love him, don't you Karin, she thought and then clamped down hard on that thought.
"So – so Nicholai and Astaroth," she said with a little shake of her head, "are sharing the same body?"
Yuri nodded, sitting up, stretching his arms over his head as if not noticing her delayed question.
"Ah, I think Nicholai in there somewhere, but it's Astaroth that has the power. Now the demon is free, I'm afraid to think about what it might do," he said and sighed deeply, his shoulders slumping as he relaxed from his stretch. From behind them came the shuffle of stocking feet and Kurando came out to join them, stopping to put on his sandals before stepping down onto the lawn. Behind him came the elder gentleman, Naniwa Kawashima, and whereas Kurando represented the youth of Japan, the sword and honor of his culture, Kawashima seemed to represent the wisdom and history of the land. Karin had liked the old man the instant she met him, and rose to move off toward the koi pond and make room for the men. She sat down on a rock next to the pond, listening to them speak and watching young Yoshiko, his daughter, playing with Blanca.
"What is wrong, young Yuri?" the elder Kawashima asked as he too stepped down onto the lawn, neglecting his shoes and merely sitting carefully onto the veranda. "You seem depressed. So, you think there's no hope, eh?"
Yuri, looking from Kurando to Kawashima, only frowned.
"What happens when you find the monster?" Kawashima asked.
Yuri stood up, walking a few paces onto the lawn before turning toward the two Japanese, his hands on his hips and his eyes blazing.
"I'll waste it," he said.
The elder looked at Yuri with eyes of wisdom and a touch of humor, then asked, "You think you can win?"
Yuri hesitated, then, "Yeah, sure."
He's not sure, she thought. He believes he can, but he's not sure. Is he afraid? Is Yuri afraid of Nicholai – or of Astaroth?
A bell sounded in the garden as a gentle breeze blew in over the fence, catching the little paper tail of the glass chime and rustling the leaves in the nearby trees. Karin felt the peace of that chime and a sense of balance washed over her for a moment. She looked down at the koi swimming in the pond, the sunlight catching the brilliant scales and scintillating like diamonds. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment and listening to the men talking and little Yoshiko's laughter, and felt at peace.
Why can't it always be like this? Why must we always be fighting each other? An image of Nicholai sidled across her memory from that first day they met. He stood tall, handsome, and so bright; he looked like a star to Karin's eyes all white, gold, and shiny. She was infatuated with him the moment she met him, but her professional pride would not let her think of him that way.
Who are you kidding, Karin? she thought. You used that professional pride of yours to keep you from... she shook her head, the tail of her long hair brushing along her shoulder and she felt again the soft leather fingers as they connected the clasp around her neck, the smell of male musk and leather making her toes curl in their boots.
I just want to hold you, to touch you, to kiss you... I love you... A splash from the pool drew her attention and cloudy grey eyes opened to watch the fish swim into her shadow as it lay across the pool. Who do I love, she thought. Who do I really love?
The little bell chimed again and Karin heard Yuri's exclamation.
"Katsuragi!"
"Yes," Kawashima was saying. "Katsuragi, the Forest of the Wind. I think you should go there. There is someone waiting to meet you."
"Oh yeah?" Yuri asked, his tone sounding belligerent to Karin, then she watched as he shrugged ad she knew he had been caught off guard by Kawashima's words. "Someone waiting to meet me, huh? Who – who is it?"
Kawashima laughed silently, his face a sudden wrinkled cloth.
"You'll know when you get there. But believe me, that person will be able to help you on your search."
"What kind of people are you, anyway?" Roger Bacon howled at the party, crawling around on all fours in Nihonbashi Park. He was making a spectacle of himself and Karin did her best not to laugh, but the old man really was funny. Finally, she tapped Yuri's shoulder and the two of them went to help Roger to his feet, weathering his protests about their abandoning him on Hokkaido, alone. He had managed to repair the airship and, after Karin made Yuri buy him a bowl of soba, and a large bottle of sake, Roger agreed to fly them to Katsuragi.
With a sigh, she took the seat next to Lucia and strapped in. In the cockpit, Roger was making ready for takeoff and fending off the less than helpful assistance of Anastasia. Joachim had decided discretion was needed, and took a back seat next to Yuri, while Kurando and Blanca took the middle seats, leaving Lucia and Karin in the front.
After take-off, Karin turned toward Lucia but was surprised to see the dancer frowning, looking out the porthole, her brows beetled and her white teeth nibbling on one long fingernail.
"You'll hate yourself for that later on," Karin said and Lucia jumped slightly.
"Oh, oh, yeah, I suppose I will," she said with her usual dreamy drawl. She reached into her pouch and pulled out her tarot cards, running her fingers over the smooth surfaces, not turning the cards, just feeling them. Karin watched her in silence for a while then gently touched the girl's elbow.
"Lucia, is there something wrong?" she asked.
Lucia shook her head, the feathers of her snood brushing the seat back.
"But you're so quiet," Karin pursued. "Come on, Lucia. I thought we'd become friends. We girls have to stick together," she said with a gentle smile and her eyes crinkled in laughter. Lucia grinned but her eyes remained unfocused and Karin felt a tingle move up her spine. "You've seen something," she whispered.
Lucia shook her head. "No. No."
Karin touched her hands, holding the fingers in her own warm hands, the cards trapped between them. Lucia's eyes suddenly grew as big as saucers and Karin gasped. She didn't have a vision – she's having one now. "Lucia, dear. What are you seeing?"
Lucia's lips moved silently, and her fingers still stroked the cards in her hands. Her eyes moved, following the visions, and Karin looked up, turning slightly in her seat to find Yuri and Kurando. The fusionist was stretched out in the back, sleeping, while Kurando was gently talking to Blanca, and the wolf actually seemed to understand him. Karin was about to call to the young samurai when Lucia spoke.
"I don't want to see this," she whispered, and Karin turned back to see Lucia's large brown eyes close slowly. "I don't want to know this."
Karin squeezed the dancer's fingers and Lucia opened deep brown eyes, surprised to see her.
"Are you all right?" Karin asked.
Lucia's smile was idiotic. "Oh sure," she drawled. "We're all going to die."
Startled, Karin released Lucia's hands, her own heart racing at the sudden deadly prognostication. She took a breath, then another before daring to speak again.
"Why must you always say that, Lucia? You've done that before. With Yuri and even with Roger. Why? Do you like frightening us?"
Lucia turned earthy eyes toward the Fire in the next seat and shook her head slowly. Karin could feel the steadiness in Lucia that she always associated with the dancer, but a frisson still threatened and she wondered what Lucia was covering up.
"No, I don't like frightening anyone," Lucia said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I – I sometimes don't know what else to say, and because I see things I don't want to, and because they're sometimes so horribly bad, I say bad things to make the really, really bad things not seem so horrible. To chase them away maybe." She sounded like a little child and Karin wondered what horrible thing Lucia was seeing and covering up with her prognostications of doom.
"Would it help to talk about it?" she asked, not really wanting to know what visions swam in the Italian beauty's eyes, but wanting to help her friend.
"No – Fate would hear me and make it so. I see it in the cards sometimes," she said and riffled through the deck, picking out one card and turning it slowly to see its face. It was the Lovers and Lucia smiled slowly.
"Have you told him yet?" she asked and Karin blinked startled grey eyes.
"Told who, what?"
"Yuri," she said softly. "Have you told him you love him?"
Karin turned back suddenly, checking the seats behind her, but no one seemed to have heard.
"No," she said slowly.
"You should," Lucia said, her voice still baby soft and she giggled, "I should too, but," she looked up at the clouds passing by in the porthole glass and sighed. "But I think I've found someone better."
"Lucia?" Karin asked.
"I should tell Lawrence, but I don't really know if the one I'm thinking of is the right one."
Karin sighed. This was getting stranger by the minute. "Lucia, is there someone you love?" she asked. Lucia caught her giggles with her long fingered hand and smiled warmly at Karin.
"Yes," she said and would not speak more. Karin turned to stare at the front of the plane, her thoughts a jumble now of Lucia's remarks and her own feverish thoughts. For Karin had not dared to speak to Yuri about how she felt. In fact, she wasn't sure herself. A little war was waging inside her, ever since Apoina Tower, and afterwards. She knew she should tell him, but for now, it must wait. But soon, she thought, very soon. I don't want him facing Nicholai and not knowing how I feel.
Katsuragi, the Holy Mountain, and the Forest of the Winds. Karin thought it was beautiful. A soft breeze was flowing down from the high ridges and, in the distance, she could hear wind-bells, like at Kawashima's in Yokohama. She had been wearing an idiotic smile on her face since they arrived and she was wishing the peace she was feeling would never stop. Ahead, on the forest path, Kurando, the young samurai, was leading the way, with Anastasia dogging his footsteps. Karin laughed quietly to herself; the young princess was smitten. Walking next to Karin was Yuri, the squeak of his leather and the clink of his belts a familiar sound to her. She glanced over at him, catching his eyes and he smiled, a little curl at the corners of his mouth, and Karin thought he likes it here. Katsuragi – wasn't that the place in his heart?
They were just clearing a glade when the winds suddenly died and Kurando held Anastasia back. Blanca, their wolf companion, started howling and they all suddenly vanished, swallowed up by the earth. If Karin were to describe what happened over the next couple of hours, her response would be one of humor with a twist. They were transported to some strange and repulsive 'underworld' and they fought some ugly little dwarf of a creature that called himself King Gama. Karin was repulsed by his ugliness, but Yuri and the other men thought it amusing. Yuri kept referring to the little warlock as "Baby Head" and it stuck. Even Lucia joined in the humor and, after they fought the wizened little creature, they were returned to the forest and Karin sighed heavily.
It's as if they lay in wait for us, she thought. Why can we not have just one peaceful day alone? She followed Yuri and Kurando to the crest of the next hill and, as the vista opened up before her, she felt a strange mix of elation and anticipation.
"Okay, everyone, we're here," Kurando informed them. "That's Inugami Village."
"Yes," Yuri whispered and proceeded into the small community, his steps faltering slightly when they reached the center of town. On either side of the road were fields with summer gold and green showing in the waving stalks. Drying racks were set up against a storage barn and an old woman was tending to them while two others carried baskets into a barn. Yuri inhaled deeply and turned toward Karin as she approached.
"I vaguely remember this place," he said to her, his voice weighted with memories.
"Did your family come from here?" she asked.
Yuri nodded. "Yes. I think so. I was really young, but I remembered the forest, and looking at this place," he paused, a smile worming its way onto lips and into eyes. "My dad loved to farm – I can see why."
Kurando passed them up and spoke to an old woman by the roadside. After a moment, he turned to them.
"We need to go to the Fountain of Sukune. She's in there."
Who? Karin wondered then found herself trotting to catch up as Yuri and Kurando moved ahead.
AN: for all of your chomping at the bit, and screaming "LEMONNNNN!", next chapter will be Hot! Bring your oven mitts for some Lemon Souffle!