Chapter One Hundred Thirteen
"Daitengu, we found the outpost." The tengu guard saluted even as he spoke, and Akira nodded quickly to hurry his report.
"Where?" Behind him, Enishi spoke up in his deep voice.
"On a small, artificial island, five miles off the coast." The guard pointed in the appropriate direction. "Just where the Princess said it would be. As we suspected, it's not on any map, and the ocean hides it well."
"I only found it visible from the highest tower of the Sky Palace. My sister showed it to me once." A small bow from the guard was aimed at Yuna for her input.
"According to the message I received from Princess Misao this morning, that island is where the Emperor has been conducting some kind of research meant to harm Himura-san." Akira's softer voice was contemplative. While being the leader of the Tengu Clan had demanded a change from his usual anxious and shy demeanor, his tone still conveyed his gentle nature and concern for his friends. His next words were almost sad. "That being said, I'm not sure looking into this facility right now is as pressing an issue as the current state of the city. We're already stretched thin trying to intervene in the fighting and evacuate the citizens not affected by this cursed atmosphere. We just don't have the resources to spare."
Yuna nodded calmly. "I agree with your assessment, Lord Akira. The Tengu are very well equipped for search and rescue. You are wise to use them to their fullest potential. I, however, will be of little help in that endeavor, and will likely only get in the way. Therefore, I will go to the outpost."
"Alone?" Akira protested, but while Yuna smiled softly, Enishi frowned and grunted.
"Not alone."
Honey-brown irises blinked at the stone golem, and her clasped hands tightened to contain her happiness. "You'd come with me?"
"If he was so concerned about the place being secure that he put it out in the ocean, you can be certain there will be other security measures to keep unwanted visitors out. I may not be that great at infiltration, but I can be a hammer if we need to smash our way through."
For some reason, Enishi's declaration of intended force made the princess blush rather dreamily, and Akira interrupted with a nervous laugh.
"Y-your sister would pluck my wings and roast me alive if I sent you off without assistance, Princess. I can spare two of my personal guard. They'll accompany you both to the outpost."
"The help would be appreciated." Yuna's cultured way of speaking and graceful mannerisms never failed to remind anyone near to her that she was royalty. It was not her speech or grace that had earned her the respect of the Tengu Clan, though. "I will be sure not to place them in harm's way."
An inadvertent grin tugged at one corner of Enishi's mouth, and he glanced at Akira to see how he had taken Yuna's serious attempt at reassurance. It was not Akira that reacted, however, but the guard who had delivered the message about the island. Dropping to one knee, the battle-hardened tengu fisted a hand over his heart and bowed his head sharply.
"I would gladly volunteer my service to the Princess." The grin on Enishi's face instantly disappeared. "It will be faster as I already know the way." Behind the guard, a second tengu dropped to her knee and echoed the sentiment of her flight partner. Her willingness to go, while genuine, sounded less eager than her counterpart. Without noticing Enishi's shift in attitude, Akira agreed with their request.
"Very well. Take care of the Princess and Yukishiro-san."
X
Worrying reports had spread among the streets, and had found their way into the ears of Yūtarō, and in turn, Kenshin. After their departure from the train, Kenshin had made it clear to Yūtarō that he would only travel with them so far. He had told no one what his ultimate destination was, not because he did not trust anyone, but because Kenji's conception and birth was much too precious and fragile to share. Not even the current state of the city would deter him from his current goal, or so he had thought. Unfortunately, the newest information trickling in from the other groups had been just the right kind of troubling.
"What do you mean they spotted Kaoru in one of the Northern wards? She's been with us since Neo-Kyoto." Yahiko sounded confused by what Yūtarō had relayed. Kaoru tilted her head to look at him, but remained eerily quiet.
"It gets weirder than that." There was an equal amount of bewilderment in Yūtarō's usually haughty voice. "They also say she's been spotted in one of the Western wards just South of where we are. At the same time." Pausing to let that piece of information sink in, the koi demon glanced at Kaoru's strangely stoic expression. "Worse… the reports say she's killed several people."
"Does that mean there are others posing as Kaoru to smear her reputation? Why?" Tsubame's sweet voice piped up quietly next to Yahiko. They were currently hurrying down a back alley to avoid as much of the rampant destruction as they could. Kenshin's hand tightened around Kaoru's as he made sure not to lose her. His voice was angry when he finally spoke up.
"The man who made Kaoru's body made two extra for spare parts. If I had to guess, those spare bodies are more than likely now host to two other revived souls. Whatever the intention, it is obviously not good."
"O-oh."
"Shit." Yahiko sounded disgusted by the declaration.
"That's… disturbing news." Thinking ahead, Yūtarō continued quickly. "We'll need to make sure the others are aware, so that they don't think the real Kaoru had anything to do with what's going on. They'll be more willing to believe she's innocent if she's there in person."
Though reluctant, Kenshin agreed with a stiff nod. Kaoru's uncharacteristic silence continued, but her eyes of flat blue flitted between each of them as they spoke.
Twenty minutes later, they entered an old warehouse that smelled of wet rust and thick dirt. Outside, clouds had begun to gather to darken the already heavy atmosphere, and thick, icy rain began to beat down on the metal roof once they were inside. Kenshin's hot breath frosted the air each time he exhaled, but Kaoru's created no disturbance as her chest rose and fell in a slow, even cadence. In a large open portion of the main section of the warehouse, everyone had begun to gather to formulate a plan.
"Hey!" Misao's loud voice carried despite her tiny stature. She marched towards them, her features more pouty than angry. Balanced on one shoulder was the wooden sword she had returned to Kaoru just that morning. "I went through the trouble of hanging onto this thing, and then you just leave it on the train?! Jeez." Huffing, she shoved the wooden sword into Kaoru's hands, looking aloof and bashful at the same time.
"Thank you. That was careless of me." Kaoru smiled that same fake smile, and accepted the sword. A light frown furrowed Misao's brow, and she glanced at Kaoru as if unsure of what to make of her blasé response.
"Just… don't let it happen again." Crossing her arms, Misao tried to strike up a short conversation with Kaoru, but Kenshin's attention turned to Tsubame when the young floral demon stepped in closer to him.
"Um, Himura-san… I don't want to sound rude, but… is there something wrong with Kaoru-san? She hasn't been herself."
"I thought the same." Yahiko stuffed his hands in his pockets, his voice cast low. "She was a little weird this morning, but ever since we got to the city, she's been… I don't know… off."
Air slowly pushed through Kenshin's nostrils, and his red lashes briefly lowered. "I'm aware." The words rumbled low in his chest and were tinged with smoldering anger, but when his lashes parted, he tried to smile. "Don't worry. I will take care of it." Looking past them at the back of Kaoru's head, his eyes immediately widened, and the pit in his stomach dropped through the floor of his pelvis. Pushing his way to her side, he touched her dark ponytail.
"Kaoru, where's your hair charm?"
Blue eyes that looked nearly vacant blinked at him in apathetic indifference, but her expression at least attempted to appear surprised. Her free hand lifted to also touch her naked ponytail. "Oh." Another smile, this one slightly sinister, followed by a maddening shrug. "It must be in my luggage."
A large man with a booming voice suddenly demanded the attention of the warehouse as he addressed everyone there. His face was adorned with the thick whiskers of a catfish, and his rotund frame appeared more sturdy than plush.
"There's been troubling reports spreading among the merchant channels. Am I correct to assume your kijin and Oniwabanshu have intercepted similar reports?" Okina and Aoshi nodded, and the man Kenshin was not acquainted with nodded gravely with them. As each elaborated on the content of the intercepted reports, the dire state of the city and the grotesque actions of the fake Kaorus became clearer. The media was awash with videos and reports of someone that resembled Kaoru causing unchecked mayhem. Some described her directing the burning of buildings, while others claimed she was attacking military patrols or ambushing fleeing civilians. Some reports even claimed Kaoru to have instigated the riots, thereby holding her responsible for all the destruction and chaos. Each accusation only tightened Kenshin's stomach with anxiety, for the worse the light she was painted in, the harsher others would look upon her. This city had not been a safe place for her before they had arrived, but now it was becoming a death sentence.
The most alarming report, however, came from Okina after hearing out one of his ninja.
"I just received confirmation that the Sky Emperor has deployed his royal guard. Their orders are to capture and kill the revived human, and to bring her body back to the Emperor." Turning to Kenshin, Okina spoke clearly. "All of us here can witness that these claimed actions were not committed by the real human known as Kaoru. She is standing among us, and has caused no harm. Agreed?"
A chorus of agreements hummed in the air of the enclosed space, and then the discussion turned towards immediate plans to take action: quell the rioting; submit the military; and ultimately subvert the Emperor. Among the voices, Kenshin thought he heard something about a prison break at the palace, but his interest in the plans being made was now null what with Kaoru's name being cleared with those they were temporarily allied with. Already planning their departure, Kenshin pressed a hand into the small of Kaoru's back to urge her towards the door, and sparked the link between him and the salamander at the same time. The sharp turn of Kaoru's chin seemed to indicate she had felt him activate the link, but she seemed more confused by the sensation than familiar. Irritated, but forced to ignore her reactions for now, Kenshin felt the link reluctantly open.
"Where are you?" Even in his mind, the demanding question was short. What felt like a yawn tightened the link, followed by immediate shock.
"Where's Kaoru?! I can't sense her."
Dammit! Briefly removing his hand from Kaoru's back, he slammed his bent fingers together to manually activate the charm. "Tell me what you see."
"I'm still on the train?" Out of the corner of his eye, Kaoru turned to her left, as if something had captured her attention.
"Find a way off and get here now… and refrain from using the link."
Cutting the connection off, Kenshin reached blindly for Kaoru's hand, but found nothing in his immediate proximity. The rain had turned to hail against the metal roofing, the sound a cacophony of harsh and overpowering noise. Strangely unbalanced by the sound, Kenshin blinked to clear his wavering vision, and found Kaoru caught at the elbow by Yahiko only five steps to his left. Two seconds later, the roof caved inward like an avalanche of rusted metal and fragile glass.
Debris and large chunks of metal dropped and ricocheted through the air to eventually blanket the floor. A cloud of dust bellowed upwards from the initial impact, and then the rain mixed with pellets of hail poured into the warehouse through the hole in the ceiling. Most everyone there was well-trained and had reacted just in time to avoid being crushed. No one, though, expected the rain to burn like acid. Surprised shouts warned others to back away from the corrosive liquid, but they were allowed little time to regroup as not a moment later the floor level entrances were flooded with the royal guard.
"Hand over the human or die!"
Fighting broke out immediately, and Kenshin lunged forward to place himself between Kaoru and the line of fully geared-up royal guard. Tsubame squeaked when he pushed her behind him as well, and Yahiko was just able to balance the floral demon with his one free hand while hiding Kaoru with his body.
"It's the fire demon! Capture him alive!"
Scowling, Kenshin lit up the interior of the warehouse with enough flame to pause the rushing line of enemy. Behind that line of fire, one of the royal guards shouted.
"There she is! The human!" His hand pointed, but not towards where Yahiko stood. Instead, the royal guard was pointing upwards to the hole in the ceiling. Following the line of his finger with the jerk of his chin, Kenshin found easily what it was that the man had seen. Standing along the lip with an umbrella in hand, a doll that looked almost exactly like Kaoru stared down upon them with a grin of wickedness and sick joy. Her eyes were milky and white like someone possessed.
A hand abruptly pawed at his elbow, and he jerked to find Yahiko bent over next to him. The young sky demon was holding his head and grimacing, and he cursed as he exclaimed.
"Ugly took off! I looked away for a second and she hit me in the back of the fucking head with that sword she's got!"
Immediately, violet eyes darted up over the boy's shoulder, but he did not need sight to tell him that his wife was gone. A scowl darkened his features, and he trained his gaze back upwards onto the fake Kaoru calmly watching the turmoil unfold. She smiled at him when their eyes connected, and blew him a kiss before disappearing as well. Through their marriage seal, he could feel Kaoru's presence grow further and further away from him at a pace she could not have achieved alone. Anger burned in his chest as the fighting fully surrounded them, and he cupped a hand under Yahiko's armpit to lift him upright. What frightened him, was he could not tell if she had been captured by the royal guard, or by Sōjirō.
"One thing at a time, Yahiko-kun. We will deal with this fight first, and then I will retrieve my wife."
"But, is that alright to just leave her?!"
Flames sparked in the air, melting the leftover hail and evaporating the acid rain.
"Don't worry. My temper will make this fight short."
X
"It's a little quiet in here, isn't it?"
Cho's loud whisper echoed in the tunnels that were carved deep into the floating rock that acted as a foundation for the Sky Palace. He received many annoyed glances for this, but Okita merely smiled at him.
"It appears the Sky Emperor is busy with something else, at the moment. Whatever it is has drawn his attention away from his own backyard. Lucky for us, right?"
Cho frowned at first, but then agreed sarcastically with a cocked grin.
"Yeah, sure. Lucky for us. Smooth sailing, and all that."
Still smiling jovially, Okita nodded but disagreed at the same time.
"Oh, no. We'll still have to deal with the warden. Since you're the most eager, can we count on you to take him out? His seal will be keeping the Prime Minister contained." The other's snickered as Okita put Cho on the spot, as if in on a joke he was not privy to.
"What are we talking, a good knock on the head and we're on our way?"
"If that's what you want to do, sure."
The next curve in the tunnel opened them up into a large cavern. There was only one way to go forward, and it was blocked by a giant gashadokuro. The massive, bi-pedal skeleton creature clambered to his feet with a grunting growl, and towered over them at seventy-five feet tall. His glowing green eyes were eerie in the muted light of the tunnels, and his bones were yellowed by time.
"What the fu…" The stomp of the skeleton's foot quite literally walked over Cho's exclamation, but it was Okita's hand on his shoulder that made him jump.
"Don't worry. That's just Fuji. He's practically harmless now that there aren't any humans left for him to eat." A roar blasted them in the face, flattening Cho's spiked hair completely down onto his skull. "See? He's just scared of us."
"You're out of your damn mind if you actually believe that! And what do you mean 'just'? That's not the warden?"
"No." A pointed finger directed Cho to Fuji's shoulder where he could just see the peeking leer of an imp clinging to the giant's back. "Rōjin is the warden."
One of the other lucky bastards with them slapped Cho on the opposite shoulder. "Ready to climb a mountain of bones, ya dried up stalk of grass?"