Chapter 9: Demons
-Enishi's Household. Morning-
The shriek cut through the air and ran for miles into empty fields and water. It's blood curdling sound penetrated through any crack or crevice of the house. Kiyoko's sleeping body jolted to awareness. Her spine was tense and straight, every muscle strained under the creamy skin. Another scream sliced through the air like a knife. It made Kiyoko wince and pull the covers over her head. Then that sickening, sinful sound...the sound of folded and sharpened metal forged to take the lives sliced through the softness of fleshy skin. Another scream. What in God's name were they doing downstairs? The curiosity got the best of Kiyoko. Very carefully she slipped out of bed, tip-toeing towards the door. The door was slightly cracked open, allowing only a slit image of the business at hand downstairs. A painful lump developed in her throat, choking her of air. Her heartbeat was so rapid, so loud she feared even they would hear it. What she saw was not men anymore.
Enishi crouched near the bloodied and beaten man. The man's face was nearly beyond any recognition. The kimono he wore had been ripped to ribbons. Once Tomoya had done away with the coarse kimono, he started to do away with the man's skin and muscles. Tattered remnants of the clothes and some of the poor man's skin laid across the floor. Three of Enishi's servants stayed cowered in the corner, their kimono sleeves over their mouths and nose. The two men laugh and circled the man, both wielding such powerful swords.
" I told you not to mess with me, Shang. You screwed over many people that were in the Chinese Mafia, even me! And then you have the gull to come here and try to tell ME that the man wants to talk to me on accusations of me STEALING from them! I covered for you long enough, and I even covered up your little theft. Then you get the most wicked idea of pinning it on me! I've gone through so many circles of hell that I do not to be included in yours. Now, you'll suffer for ever crossing me."
Enishi took his sword in both hands, raising it up with such strength fueled by anger. The blade shined within the morning sun, the light refracting off the strings of wet, thick blood. Then every strand of muscle flexing in his arm, the sword swung down with immense strength. The man had no way to dodge it, but only to put his hand up and scream in retaliation. Then...CLANK! Enishi was surprised to see a smaller yet stronger sword tainted in blood below his own. It blocked death's scythe. Shang had stared death in the face, and in such close premises, his face had turned cold and white as snow. Enishi glared at Tomoya with fiery anger. Tomoya remained unphased. His back had been to the staircase the whole time but somehow he knew...Tomoya nodded twice towards the stairs. Enishi looked up, trying to figure out what it was Tomoya was indicating to. Then he saw it...The door to Kiyoko's room was cracked and a figure stood in front of it. The door quickly shut and the creaking floor let known the figure's quick dash into the room.
"Ah, I see...Tomoya, take care of him."
"Of course, Enishi. Into the sea or into the ground?"
" Ground...and deep. Cover up after you're done."
Enishi headed for the stairs and climbed up them, bloody sword in hand. The old boards groaned as weight was put onto them. Inside the room, Kiyoko hid under the bed. She had opened the window to hopefully trick him into thinking she jumped out and ran. The door was kicked open. A pair of feet crossed the room towards the window. Kiyoko retreated further under the bed, curling into herself and hoping he wouldn't look. Maybe if I close my eyes, he won't see me...I'm invisible, I'm invisible...One eyelid slid open and revealed a grinning face. Her breath got caught in her throat as Enishi reached under the bed and grabbed her wrist, wrenching her out from under it in a swift move. Kiyoko spun across the floor from his exert of strength. She flailed, trying to stand up. This demon before her approached and grabbed her by the collar of the kimono, jerking her body up in one easy movement. The warm breathing of the demon's hot breath scorched her skin as she came face to face with him.
" Trying to fool me into you escaping, hm? I'm far smarter than that, Kiyoko."
The girl shook and tears welled up. Enishi cocked his head back in disgust, seeing how easily she crumpled into a mess. What kind of girl was she? The feistiness he saw last night had once again sunk back into her and taken residence in its hiding spot.
" Kiyoko, if you do anything else again to make me mistrust you, I will tie you up so tight to that bed you won't be able to even move a centimeter. This is your last warning. And what you just saw, well mind your own business and stay up here. When you're able to, I'LL come get you. You're not to leave this room."
Enishi pushed he to the ground with a hefty shove before walking out and going downstairs to see how Tomoya was handling digging the hole to bury the man in. The door slammed shut and Kiyoko was left, yet again, in complete solitude without anyone's care or concern. A tear fell from her cheek and onto the wood. She looked to the small droplet of sadness, concentrating hard on the miniature reflection of her sad face in it. these men were not men by her definition. They were demons who thirsted for bloodshed. Even if the man had done Enishi wrong, was it really worth it to torture him and make him beg for his life just to kill him in the long run? Wouldn't it make more sense to torture one then let them go knowing how badly you have scarred their mind, conscience and pride? Why install the fear in them just to kill the carrier in the end? Kiyoko covered her mouth quickly, squeezing her eyes shut as those morbid, unwomanly thoughts swam through her head. Never had she thought in such a dark perspective before. This Enishi...he was bringing out the worst in her, sides to her personality that Kiyoko never thought she had...
"...I tried to escape, I tried arguing with him, I...am becoming so much unlike a traditional Japanese woman that I should be...he installs evil thoughts, evil poison into my heart. That wretched man...That wretched, wretched man!"
-Along the Steam. Morning-
A kick in the ribs made Kenshin rouse from his pleasant dream. There stood Sanosuke over him with folded arms and a smirk. Kenshin sat up to see all the men already packed up and simply straightening up the campfire and retrieving any items that didn't get packed. Kenshin blinked and continued to stay where he was on the lush, warm grass.
" Did I...I overslept!"
" Yeah, you did but hey, no harm done. Everything's packed and ready to go. Akira and Diru are already on their horses and 'bout to go. Come on! Get yourself together and let's head out!"
Kenshin scrambled to his feet, tugging on his top, struggling at first from being in a dazed state. Kenshin wasn't really mad, just a bit upset Sanosuke didn't wake him up in time. As Kenshin got himself together and mounted his horse, he looked up to the beautiful, blue sky. A few flat clouds were present. Besides that, the sky was disappointingly empty. The sun shone its warm light proudly on the men. This kind of sky could be called pretty and even peaceful. Kenshin delighted in the good omen the sky presented and gave the horse a kick to go.
Ahead, Diru and Akira rode side by side. Both were still sullen, having not shared a word since last night's discussion. Diru was the only one Akira had ever told about how he achieved the spot in the Meiji Government he had. The other ones who did know how, had either died on that bloodstained battlefield or died of insanity from surviving that war. No war, no matter how small it had been, was ever good. It could have been a simple battle...an ambush by three or four men who may have got a lucky shot and gave you a nick in the arm only to have you slaughter them and have their rivers of blood erupt into the air. That simple moment alone, was enough to horrify any man's heart and scar his mind. To feel that flesh cut through human life, to feel exactly how that sinful blade exterminated a life with such ease was the most provocative if not the most scared moment in any man's life. Like Kenshin, Akira didn't want to kill another person again...but unlike Kenshin, Akira never vowed to it. A maniac had his fiancee and Akira would gladly and with the fever and ache for bloodshed take the man's life for even laying hands upon her.
Diru watched Akira from the corner of his eye. The man was silent, stone-faced and collected. What was a man like him thinking at this time of the morning? Was Kiyoko on his mind? Or the lavish ideal of severing the man's head who had taken poor Kiyoko? Diru didn't know who this man was but wished to show him the anger and the consequences there were for taking one of his family members. The constant nagging of his restless conscience kept wanting to believe Kiyoko was safe but as the human flaws go, he couldn't help but worry the man did something utterly horrible to her. This thought only made him want to hurry and get there faster. Diru dug his heels into the horse's flanks kicking the poor animal repeatedly as it shot off down the road. Akira followed in league, running after Diru. Soon after, the rest started running down the road and North.
Sanosuke saw how Diru shot off like a wild man, and then having the others strung along into the recklessness. The man's goodness was really decaying inside. The balance of his good side and evil side had become imbalanced, and that darker side was overtaking him. Of course, Diru wouldn't see that. The holder of evil never sees themselves as evil or dark and when the time comes they do, usually by then it's too late.
-Enishi's Backyard. Afternoon-
The hole was a good ten feet into the solid, dark ground. Both Enishi and Tomoya were lathered in sweat from digging such a deep spot into the cold earth. The man finally died from his own wounds once he was dragged outside. Enishi and Tomoya rolled the body into the cold, damp pit. The corpse hit the ground with a sick, lifeless thud. Tomoya and Enishi took shovels into their hands without words, and begin throwing the dirt into the pit and covering the man up. The unhappy sun glared madly upon the two sinners. Once the dirt at least covered the body in a film of sprinkled dirt, they sat down and rested on the heap of moist ground. Tomoya grinned and got back up, deciding not to rest.
" You know, Enishi...you should bandage that hand before it gets infected."
Enishi opened his hand and saw the cuts and splinters from the shovel handle. A moderate sized cut went across his palm and deep into his skin. how long had they been digging? Tomoya patted Enishi on the shoulder.
" Go inside and get fixed up. I'll take care of this."
Enishi heeded the advice and went inside, but before he went to patch himself up, he wanted to see how his little captive was doing. No doubt she was starving for something. He walked into the empty kitchen, eyeing the bowl of fruit on the counter. He took a peach, some grapes and apples carefully and placed them in a cloth to take to her. Tomoya was overly cheerful by Enishi's standards. It was possibly because he got to kill something. That man always got a kick out of doing so. The door remained closed as he had left it when he went outside earlier that morning. There was no noise inside. Casually, he opened the door to see her sitting in the bed, hands in lap, her head looking down. the veil of hair hid her face from him. Not wanting to disturb the air with any of his words, he went to the side of the bed and placed the fruit in front of her. She made no movement for the fruit...
"Kiyoko?"
He bent over and peered into her face, and saw she was sleeping but her lips pursed gently and moved, saying an incoherent word to herself.
"Kiyoko."
The immaculate black eyebrows furrowed and the word she kept repeating became audible.
"Brother...brother..."
Enishi stood up with an estranged look on his face. The way she kept saying that word indicated a close bond she must share with her very brother. This bond reminded him of Tomoe and soon he was plunged into his own sea of painful memories. The snow tainted red, the red haired Battaousai...the gleaming sword of his own killing her...no! She loved him, that was all a mere accident! Still, to witness his sister's death at such a tender age was the most traumatic thing to experience. That memory forever haunted him and he feared it would until his death.
"Enishi?"
Snapping from his daze, Enishi saw Kiyoko's sleepy eyes resting upon him. Enishi closed his eyes and knotted his eyebrows, trying to keep his memories locked away, not wanting Kiyoko to see the pain.
" I simply brought you some fruit to snack on until lunch. I have to go now."
"Enishi..."
"(irritated) what?"
" Your hands..."
Slowly and carefully she took his bloodied hands into her own pure ones, examining the wound he had. Enishi froze in his footsteps, not being able to believe she was touching him. A fit of nervous shivers rattled Enishi's strong frame. As she flipped his hand over and over again to examine the scratches, wounds and embedded splinters, she spoke with the gentleness of the wind.
" You remind me so much of my brother...so vengeful, so strong and protective...and possessive as well."
Enishi jerked his hand out of hers and went for the door, muttering words barely audible to Kiyoko's ears.
" Eat your fruit and I will send a servant later to fetch you for lunch..."