Castlevania: Aria of the Ascending Soul
Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
Beta By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
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"Please forgive me. I have to get through... Please..." Kazu was struggling to squeeze through a crowd of curious onlookers. While police uniforms finally, thankfully, began to mix with the sea of colorful civilian clothes. The conversations around him were a sea of words that he really didn't want to believe... 'Well I would love to believe it, but this is a bad place...'
Trevor was hunkered down in his carry case, with only a view of arms, purses, and torsos. It wasn't exciting, but he 'did' know enough Japanese now to recognize the startled conversations.
"A lion! Look at how docile it is with the miko!" was the most comment comment Trevor could hear and it left him incredibly curious. A miko with a lion made him think of Mina with Leon, but... why 'lion' and not 'toy lion'?
The sea of onlookers was proof that whatever was going on wasn't dangerous. Everyone had enough common sense to run 'from' danger, not actively hang around and observe it. Sure people could be considering it 'not dangerous enough to run from' but a lion? The sight of a docile lion obeying a miko clearly had spiritual connotations to the crowd. As Kazu worked to get closer he realized the police weren't shielding the crowd from this 'miko and lion'. Rather they were holding the crowd back 'from' the miko and lion!
Kazu stumbled through the crowd and found himself caught on the arm of an officer. Trevor hazarded leaning over to look through the window of his carrier and his toy body betrayed his dignity as his mouth fell open.
There was Mina, though she wasn't dressed in her normal priestess robes. Clearly the locals recognized her as a priestess from the Hakuba shrine, though. While she stood there alarmed with her arms protectively wrapped around the most dignified lion Trevor had ever seen. Said lion was seated, quietly working to drape part of his mane over his eye, while acting as though this was perfectly normal.
"And that is why everyone is still here..." Trevor realized as he openly stared. No one was going to notice him moving, Leon had him beat!
It was Leon, there was no reason for a lion to be with Mina, and be that absolutely calm. She had no powers or abilities, and the way that the lion was just... looking over at them... Over the years Kazu had read stories and myths to Trevor to help him with his Japanese. The mythology tales helped out at the moment as Trevor was able to recall the belief of protection a lion presented. 'These people probably see Leon and are hoping the Kami will bless them through him...'
"Leon I'd ask what happened, only I fear everyone would hear you speak..." Trevor called out, for which despite the noise, Leon seemed to hear. His ear flickered and he looked down at a few ripped pieces of cloth that rested about him. Patterned fabric that hinted strongly that when he turned into a real lion, his kimono was ripped apart.
It had been swept up into a small pile at Mina's feet and Mina was clearly shaken when her eyes fell upon Kazu.
"They're going to want to put him in a zoo or have him sedated..." Kazu muttered in English for Trevor as he looked at the cop. "Excuse me officer, what will happen to the two of them?"
"Leon is um I think he's coming over..." Trevor warned, "He 'is' a trained knight after all..."
If there was any other way to show oneself as harmless, it was moving in a calm harmless manner after all... right? Leon stood up and began walking towards Kazu and Trevor, his pace an easy stately walk. Trevor had seen lions in the wild on tv, the powerful territorial strides that marked their walk. Leon had the casual stride of a noble, it was strong, direct and the calm expression on his face just didn't carry a threat.
But he was a lion and everyone was pushing forward for a chance to pet him!
"Mr. Leon!" Mina called out in a panic as she rushed over, "I haven't explained how we see lions..." She blurted out.
Leon turned around, his head cocked to the side as he tried to return to Mina.
The crowd began to murmur among themselves as Mina began pulling Leon back, speculation rising as they realized the lion understood language.
"Leons' going to be thought of as a kami isn't he," Trevor lightheartedly mused aloud to Kazu while they watched.
Amenably Leon turned and returned to where the pair had been staying, to Mina's visible relief and the growing disbelief of the crowd.
"The lion understands human speech? Clearly it is a Kami!" An old woman called out in awe.
"Please young lady, let us receive the Kami's blessing too!" Another voice of an even older man could be heard further to the side.
"And so it begins..." Kazu bemoaned to himself.
'I should leave, yet I know not how to return to my toy form,' Leon mused to himself. Running along would just have him hunted down. There was the concern of startling some poor person into running straight into traffic. But maybe they would run just to get to him? This crowd seemed strangely enamored by his lion form. He could just...
Leon turned to look curiously as a loud bang was heard off to his right. Men were aiming long thin rods at him and when he turned to look down his body... Well there were a few small thin things sticking out...?
"Leon you need to go back to the shrine, leave Mina behind because right now they think you're a type of God and are going to start aggressively try to reach you." Trevor called out. "She should be ok, but eventually..." He looked up at where Kazu would be on the other side of the carrier. "There's going to be questions, perhaps Alucard would be of some help, but we would have to wait."
'I suppose he has a point,' Leon mused before turning to look up at the sky. In the distance he could see the very top of what he suspected was the shrine. So he sedately stood back up to turn and began walking towards the shrine.
"Ok, try a light jog, Leon I'm serious about this..." Trevor called out even as he was forced to shake his head at the silliness.
While the police, who had been formed a wall to protect the civilians were taken aback as Leon began walking towards the crowd off to the side. People began praying as Leon walked closer, the crowd approached eager to pet him.
"The lion was shot with tranquilizers yes? And he's fine! He can't be any ordinary lion!"
"Hakuba shrine has a blessed lion?"
'Well this could get awkward, or profitable,' Kazu thought to himself as he managed to slip past the officer who was now also praying to Leon. 'Though is it strange? Leon's whole branch of the family has ties to the divine...' Kazu mused as he met up with Mina.
"Kazu!" Mina shook her head as she watched Leon's departure. "He was just listening to a small group of children singing choir songs..." She was hushed in volume and nervous in tone. "He seems ok, but what will happen at the shrine?"
"Well we don't know how he changes back so," Kazu shrugged. 'If Soma was here there would probably be something he could do. Though I doubt a distraction would be possible, given what do you do next? Just unleashing a demon feels like a terrible idea. I wish I could let Trevor out...' but while there was a crowd here... There were also spirits that he could see.
"The toy lion became a real one!" A small dead child squealed in delight now that the crowd was settled into prayers.
"I wish you could just put me down," Trevor gave a sigh of sorts. "I know I can't, the spirits and well everything is going back to normal here. But it might have helped if I could accompany Leon back to the shrine."
'Hopefully he knows the way back, he picked that direction after looking up,' Kazu thought to himself. "Do you think you should go back home?"
Mina nodded, her lips a straight line of concern. "I guess today's outing is over... I hope the crowed isn't swarming the shrine when I get there... Unless you would like to come over as well. Since Mr. Leon and Mr. Trevor are related."
"Its kind of her to think of me," Trevor admitted as he sat in his carrier. "But yes, it would be for the best if we went there."
"Trevor thinks we should so," Kazu nodded while the people began to follow Leon. "So could you explain what happened?"
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"Oh this kimono is darling!" Mina cooed as she lifted up the little samurai kimono that had been stitched together for Leon. It was a pattern of a dragon coiled up, though it was a print. If it had been a stitched design Mina wouldn't have been able to touch such a piece. Finding Leon a new kimono was all well and good. 'But I promised I wouldn't put him in anything too expensive or delicate due to the possible dangers...'
The doll shop owner was helping a customer over at the counter, and Leon had been left sitting in front of the small television in the shop. It was behind the counter and how easily he 'sat' there meant he could watch tv. Before being used to model a new outfit. In the distance of the shop she heard the sound of children singing as part of some show.
"Oh. Oh dear..."
She recognized Leon's voice so the fact that he was speaking in public made her whip around in alarm. He was sitting on the counter, his tail scrunched up with the tip wiggling. He was clearly making a valiant effort to not move. But the longer the song carried on the more he was strained to not show his suffering, so Mina rushed over but she couldn't reach him over the counter.
"Oh neat! The lion is moving on its own!" a small boy was peaking over the counter and watching Leon with bright eyed delight. He was still dressed in his school uniform, and he was reaching for Leon even as he brought more attention to the poor soul.
Literally.
"Oh a mechanical lion?" The mother was curious and Uncle Zen was baffled as he turned to look at Mina.
"No? I have never felt any mechanical parts in him save his voice box..." He noted as Leon finally gave up.
The poor lion began to rub his nose in growing frustration, with small 'ahh' sounds coming out of his voice box.
"ACHOOO!"
One minute Leon was just a suffering toy, the next there was colored smoke in the air and confetti that just sprang up out of nowhere. There was a crashing sound as something heavy fell to the ground with a note worthy crash. As the pieces of paper fell the boy laughed in excitement as Mina finally waved away enough smoke to see.
Leon himself was missing from the counter, but everything on the counter sans the tv had disappeared. She got on her toes to look over the counter, even as she searched the whole of the counter space before lowering her eyes to the ground. On the ground he was curled in a terribly uncomfortable position, the full length of a lion. Gone was the soft fake fur, or even the small size, the paws weren't comically large. It was the healthy size of a full grown lion, mane and all.
"Mr. Leon are you ok?!" She asked in mounting concern, forgetting everyone as the lions paws twitched. Leon began to move as she watched, putting his large paws under him as he rolled onto his stomach and seemed to notice his front paws. As a doll he could walk on his hind legs, but now... 'does he even know how to walk on all four?' some distant part of her mind pondered even as he stretched his paws and saw those wicked long claws emerge from his toes.
He didn't answer but he began working on standing up on his feet while Mina heard the owner and the family scramble out of the shop in alarm. Outside she could hear delighted cries from the boy about a lion in the shop.
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"He managed to back up out of the shop, and when he saw the pieces of the kimono he had been wearing. Well he nudged them out when he stepped out, and well you saw the rest..." Mina explained as the last of the onlookers disappeared to follow Leon.
"Children singing? We can certainly test that out at the shrine, but we need to get there first," Trevor pointed out from his carrier.
Kazu relayed the comment as he hoisted the carrier back higher on his shoulder, "I know that Soma did something to the Stuffy Patrol. But if it affected both Trevor and Leon, I suspect the others at the Vatican have been changed."
"But we can't reach the Vatican! Not easily..." Mina pointed out as the pair turned their steps after Leon.
"We'd have to reach Alucards sanctuary to do so, and neither of you have the means to do it," Trevor explained. "Though given what happened last time at the shrine, maybe we can use the shrine to go directly to the castle. Since Alucard is there he can help us get to the Vatican."
"Must we go to the castle?" Mina asked, concern filling her voice. "The last time I went there... it seems to like to corrupt people." She recalled with a slight shudder, "even Soma and he's its master."
"The castle doesn't have a choice about how it was created, but if nothing else Trevor and Leon can go there. Its possible that the Vatican will need their help." Kazu explained, while Mina began to frown.
"What about Mr. Trevor? Isn't he here to help you deal with your ability? Once he leaves won't you be at the mercy of, well..." She gestured around at the environment. Powerless as Mina was, she didn't forget the very nature of the world around her.
"I'll admit the experience is not enjoyable. However; if the situation calls for it, then there's nothing else but for me to endure it. Its not as though they hunt me down after all..." Kazu acknowledged. "But also the other Stuffy are two dogs and two 'bears', here they see Leon and think 'kami'. Thankfully, being seen with you and your public role as a miko only reinforces that. But Christian theology holds no place for the random wild bear. They won't take any chance that the bears harmless towards the priests," Kazu warned with a small frown on his face as he thought on 'that' little issue.
"You're right... Oh and those bear styles could be quite large, after all Mr. Leon had those large paws and could walk upright. Now he's on all fours and looks, well I think that's what real lions look like..." Mina acknowledged, 'And Soma gave them this ability? Its kind of incredible, but dangerous too!'
Neither of them drove, so they got on the bus with the intention to ride back to the shrine. Only as they rode along, they encountered what was now a small parade of people...
"They're not... its not Leon is it?" Trevor asked incredulously as he looked at just how many people had joined in.
"Probably is," Kazu answered with a sigh as he leaned against the wall of the bus. "A peaceful lion walking through the city after having the power go out and that event at the shrine. It makes sense that anyone would see Leon's presence as a sign from the Kami that they are protected..."
Mina gave a faint nod and a smile crossed her face. 'He's right, Leon's presence would be a great comfort. I'd like to think that's why you did this Leon, Soma. But I hope its only because you're ok, and not that this is some horrible sign that you're not going to make it.'
"You know as a knight, even if he gave up the title. I'm starting to wonder what Leon's going to do if someone musses up his mane," Trevor noted as he laid down in his carrier. "I mean if he starts growling unhappily they might just panic and run."
"Or talk... you realize anyone can hear when he does don't you?" Kazu noted in amusement as he tried to see Leon among the crowd.
The comment caused the pair to pause and suddenly think, 'A talking lion walking down the streets of Japan... ohhhh dear...'