Disclaimer: I do not own the Kamen Rider Kabuto TV show or franchise, nor am I profiting from these materials in any way. This fic was written solely for pleasure.
Chapter Notes: 3 years before canon.
The Butler and the Worm
By fieryrondo
11. Child's Tale
"His name was Kouta. He just turned four."
The coolness of a wet towel soothed a fevered head.
"Who was he?"
"He lived in Fukuoka with his mom." Its voice faltered. "His dad died when he was real little. He—I don't remember his—my dad." A gasp. "Damn it."
"Tell me about Kouta."
Another shudder, this one more violent than the last.
"He'd—I'd gotten lost. It was winter—Kaa-chan (1) picks me up. But we live close…I wanted to surprise her."
"Why did you choose Kouta?"
"Why?" The Worm's voice edged with wonder. "I wanted to know what it was like. To be so small and helpless, yet brave the snow. I had never copied a human before, though I knew that's what the others did.
"So I did."
"What happened?"
"It cried, of course." Agitation, a stiffness that was not there before. "I was not very gentle in handling him. And obviously, so confused. His—my thoughts were so clear—'Why are there two 'me's'? Two Koutas? So much fear—it paralyzed me. Kouta ran. All in vain, of course. She was waiting."
"Spider," Jiiya gathered.
Scorpio coughed. "I was new, still inexperienced. I didn't know she had marked him already. Worms, on principle, don't interfere with each other's hunts. No sense in killing each other off when people are after us.
"She killed me quickly, snapped my neck. It happened so quickly, I couldn't scream. But…that's not right. She killed me, but I was still there—looking at me—no, the thing was looking at me—" Kamishiro Tsurugi's eyes twisted in pain. "She killed me—laughed—and said little kids weren't her type—she likes women—she went after Kaa-chan. Wearing his—my skin!"
"What did you do, Kouta?"
Short, rapid breaths. "I followed her—to stop her. She was pretending to me. I was pretending too, but she wanted to hurt Kaa-chan—the mother. I ran after—
She tricked her—Kaa-chan. Spinning her web of lies—wearing Kouta's skin, pretending to be me. I called out—my voice like a child's but just like that—"
A choke of pain. Kouta's pain? Tsurugi's pain? Or did it belong to the Worm itself?
"That bitch killed Kaa-chan. Right in front of me. Laughed in her face. Asked her how did it feel to have a monster wearing her son's face kill her." A grimace. "I fought her, but she was too strong."
Unbidden tears coursed down his cheeks.
"Why does it hurt so much, Jiiya?" The Worm reached out to grab the butler's hand. "It hurts. It hurts—"
The butler's hands, which held a towel, froze inches above the Worm's face.
Malice gleamed in the Worm's eyes.
"It's your fault—you did this to me."
Jiiya sighed.
By profession, Jiiya was not a superstitious man. A butler that allowed a belief in supernatural causality to override his practical sense was not a very good butler. But times had changed and it wasn't just a feeling he felt in his aged bones.
So when Scorpio Worm appeared before him in a background bathed in white, Jiiya took a deep breath and acknowledged the Worm's presence with a slight nod.
"This is a first," the Worm said. It had abandoned the body of Kamishiro Tsurugi in favor of its original shape. For some reason, Jiiya did not nearly feel half as afraid as he had been when he last behold the Worm in this form.
"Your first dream?" Jiiya offered.
"The first time you've shown up," Scorpio clarified. "It is…refreshing to escape his nightmares." With a jerk of its head, it nodded to the door that materialized behind him. "The kid cries a lot."
"How do you know this is not your nightmare?" Jiiya asked.
Scorpio Worm laughed, a raucous cackle that was both chilling and mirthful.
"I didn't think about that—Worms don't dream, you see." Teeth glinting, it took a step towards Jiiya. "I should kill you."
"You should," Jiiya mildly said. "I have tried to kill you. Repeatedly. My efforts, unfortunately, are in vain."
"No," Scorpio Worm corrected. "They weren't. You've done a thorough job." Another step. It breathed in Jiiya's face. "Did you know? When a Worm copies a human, aside from a few physical enhancements carried over, its physical body is virtually human. It's the reason why Worms dislike staying in human form—it weakens us considerably."
A step away. Now the Worm was circling Jiiya, like an overbearing hawk.
"The body of Kamishiro Tsurugi couldn't die from the poisons you gave him." A pause. "But I can."
Scorpio Worm's claw slashed off Jiiya's sleeve.
"I wonder if you planned everything out. Putting his thoughts into my head. Weakening me to bring his thoughts to the forefront." Scorpio retreated a few paces, pincer claws gleaming. "For such a feeble human, you're awfully dangerous."
"I should kill you."
Jiiya could feel the serrated edge of the claw tickle his throat.
"But you won't, will you, Bocchama?"
A great shudder wracked Scorpio's body. It released Jiiya, claws falling to its sides. It snarled when Jiiya approached.
"Don't call me that." It shot a look of panic towards the closed door.
"Bocchama, I'm here for you."
Scorpio cringed and shuffled away towards the advancing butler. "Stay away, old man! I'm not your precious Bocchama."
Jiiya knelt down. Scorpio whimpered.
"Bocchama, I've waited for you for so long. It's time for you to come home."
"You won't get away with this—!"
Jiiya wrapped his arms around Scorpio in a tight hug.
He closed his eyes.
"Ugh, I feel terrible." Kamishiro Tsurugi yawned as he stretched in his bed. His head pounded, which was odd considering he only had a goblet of wine. Or did he? His memories of the last week were fuzzy.
Fear gripped him as the memory of roses and blood penetrated his thoughts.
"Bocchama?"
Jiiya hovered over him, his face wrinkled with concern.
"Jiiya, what happened?" He squinted as he traced the dust particles on the wall facing him. Had his eyesight ever been so sharp before?
"You were ill for many days, Bocchama," his butler informed him. "I feared you would never wake."
"Don't be ridiculous, Jiiya." Tsurugi tested his limbs and was surprised by the lack of fatigue. "'The first wealth is health,' as Ralph Waldo Emerson said. The Discabil family will have grown impoverished indeed if I get sick."
Jiiya laughed, though it sounded more like a choke.
"It is as you say, Bocchama."
"Jiiya, are you crying? You are crying!" Tsurugi felt a pleasing concoction of amusement and bafflement bubble in his stomach. "Why are you crying? Does the sight of me offend you that much?"
"Never, Bocchama." Jiiya said, looking quite serious. "I'm just very glad to see you. Forgive this old man and his eccentricities."
Tsurugi chuckled.
"Always, Jiiya."
Next Time: Brother's Letter
(1) Kaa-chan- means "mother" (casual, less formal and more affectionate).