Chapter 13: ~Confusion~
The ravens' cries penetrated the silent night air as they flew by overhead. They were joined by more and louder cries, each a little closer to the ground.
Kazama jolted awake, his hand flying to the hilt of his sword.
"What's going on?"
He hurried through the door and to the backyard. The utter darkness made seeing even a few feet from the house impossible. Still, the dark shapes of the ravens gathered right above the house's rooftop.
Sara ran out of her room and held onto his hand to stop him. She knew what this was; she could feel it in her heart.
"Kondo is here." Her voice broke slightly.
Kazama spotted a figure approaching them from the darkness, coming up the stairs. His dark hair fell to frame his pale, delicate features. A face Kazama knew all too well. Fear gripped his chest; something about the young man didn't sit well with him.
"The young Yukimura boy. It is good to see you again," said Kazama.
An unreadable expression on the young man's face made the lord wrap his hands around the hilt of his sword. His eyes remind focused on Michaelis's every move.
Michaelis stepped a bit closer. He noticed the lord flinch and backtrack slightly to the backyard door. "Dear Uncle Kazama." He chuckled. "I must be lucky to be graced with your presence this fine day."
Sara remained near the railing, hand on her heart. A slight smile was threatening to spread on her face. "Have you changed your mind? Were you seeking us out?" she asked, still hopeful.
Michalies's eyes gazed upon hers. Silence fell for several seconds before he heaved a sigh and came in closer to the light of the candles placed over the railing.
Kazama cautiously drew near and chose to speak. He is Chizuru's son, after all. "What happened to your parents? We came for a visit and found them both dead."
Michalies had a slight smile on his face that barely reached his eyes. "Please, you mustn't trouble yourself with such questions." He gazed at Sara again with an unknown observation. "I came here to take you."
"What?!" Sen shouted. She almost flew out of their bedroom.
Kazama furrowed his brow. "What is that supposed to mean? Explain yourself this instant."
Sara watched in silence, shaking and unsure how to feel about this.
Michaelis crossed his arms and continued. "A wraith is following you, am I correct?" he asked her.
Sara silently nodded.
Kazama drew his sword, the metal making a shwing sound as he pulled it from its sheath. He pointed it directly at Michaelis's face. "Watch your tongue, boy. I don't take too kindly to such an attitude. Explain to me how and why?"
Michaelis smirked. "You fear me, too, dear uncle." He paused for a second, his eyes glistening a strange red. "You are awfully belligerent. Trying to compensate for your utter helplessness is a waste of time. The deep trauma that festers within your wife is difficult, so you choose hollow promises and threats to comfort her. Rather cruel, don't you think?"
Kazama's hands started to tremble and lose their confident grip on the sword. He locked his eyes on Michaelis's crimson ones. "What would you know about me?" Kazama whispered.
Michaelis shrugged. "Not a thing, I'm sure. Your pride got in the way. You have been played for a fool, and you know not what to do."
There was a noticeable shift in the air; the light of the candles danced like fireflies. Kazama's hair was bright white, and his eyes glinted golden.
"I am losing my patience, boy," he said. "Even if you are Chizuru's son, I will not tolerate disrespect."
Sen held onto her husband and urged him to stand back. No good would come from starting a fight. Taking a breath, Sen spoke.
"I'm happy to see that you did well for yourself, but you cannot expect us to be fine with you barging in here suddenly to take our daughter." Once again, she could read nothing from Michaelis's face, like the face of a statue.
"I know what's following her," Michaelis said. "I would only take her to end this, then she would return home safe, and you would not see me again."
"No!" Kazama shouted. "I do not trust you, and my daughter is not a tool for you to use."
Michaelis heaved a sigh. He had expected such a reaction. Still, it was worth a try. "Don't you know I can help free her from this wraith?" he asked. "So, what is the harm? I would help her, and she would aid me. It is a perfect situation."
Anger rose on the princess's face. Such an attitude was unacceptable even if he was Chizuru's son. "It is like you need someone to teach you manners," she replied. "I feel terrible for you. This is all because of the loss of your parents."
Kazama grabbed Sen's shoulder and pushed her behind him.
"I will go with him, Father," Sara decided. "I am sure he won't harm those of his kind." She watched Michaelis's movement closely. A poor attempt to understand his body language.
"Absolutely not," Kazama cried, followed by Sen. "You won't leave our sight. If he wishes to stay here in the village, that's fine."
Michaelis made a coughing sound to silence the chaos for a moment. He had no time for this idiocy; they must keep moving so they could end this. "It's amusing to me how you two know nothing. The first Nephalem was mentioned. She is the only one I know that has the power in her voice. Yet she is being haunted by the wraith of my father."
Father? That couldn't be right. Toshi died a decade ago.
From their expressions, Michaelis knew that he had them. Now they will listen to him no matter what.
So they all went inside the room.
They gathered around the light of the candle as Sara closed the door. The room was dimly lit by one candle in a glass lamp, its glow illuminating their features. The silence was deafening. No one wanted to talk, and her mother and father kept a distance between them and Chizuru's son. Her father watched his every breath. His fingers were close to the hilt of his sword.
Michaelis's smile never wavered. He crossed his arms and continued. "My father has turned into a wraith, at least what I believe now. I have heard of an incident that occurred in my home. How the humans who sought shelter there saw a cloaked man wandering around the house, and then they would end up dead a day later."
Kazama pushed his hair back and looked around their room, afraid something might be listening to their conversation. He never liked to mention such a subject; it just brought an ominous cold feeling to the pit of his stomach.
"I have heard of this before," he said. "When a demon dies under extreme anger, stress, and pain, his soul remains, and he becomes a dark creature of the night that would kill anyone that crosses his path. The question is, though, why my daughter?"
Michaelis's face softened slightly, the first emotion they could read from him since he arrived. However, the expression was fleeting. "I haven't a clue," he said. "All I know for sure is that so many demons are speaking of her - the Nephalem. She would not be safe here. That's why I have come to take her with me. No one would dare to stand in my way, and you two would get your answers about her."
His logic was sound the more Sen thought about it. Still, she didn't feel right about entrusting her child to him. He had been gone for years, and they knew nothing about him or his powers. He was the reason their lives were changed for the worst. In the corner of her eye, she could see Sara watching them, a horrified expression written all over her face. What Sara just heard was a subject they hadn't talked about with her, and now it was exposed in such a strange manner.
"I'm a Nephalem?" Sara said, her eyes darting to her father.
Kazama's eyes were on the ground, unable to look at her.
"Why have you never told me about this? I'm not your daughter?" Tears of frustration flowed freely down her face. The revelation made sense; she had never met any other demon who could heal the way she could.
"Listen," Kazama spoke. "You are our precious child, but we don't know why you have the power of an angel. This all goes back to the time before I married your mother. Twas a messy situation."
Sara wiped the tears away. There was no point in any of this. She must be tough in this dark world. She stood tall and declared, "I'm leaving with him. You cannot force me to stay here." She turned her back to them and left the room.
In a state of panic, Kazama raced after her; Sen followed behind a second later, hand on mouth. "Don't do this to me. I cannot bear to part with you."
Sara stopped at the backyard door and gazed back at him. His face was rosy red. He wasn't sure when the tears began to fall, but they did as he stared at his grown child. She never saw the lord of the village look like this before.
"I need to face this," she said, wrapping her arms around her trembling father. After a moment, she let go of him and embraced her mother. "I will be okay, Mother. I promise I will come back. Please, you need to let me go for now," she whispered.
Michaelis stood outside with his hand open, waiting for her. No more goodbyes; she must leave now, or she might change her mind. Sara let out a breath and took his hand at last. Immediately, she felt a shift in the air, and her stomach jumped with her as if it was an ocean pressure on her joints before her legs finally felt solid ground. He let her go, and she fell on her knees from the sudden motions. Breathing, she looked at her new environment. It was utterly dark. The air had a stale, coppery tang - the smell of blood. The sound of a crashing waterfall nearby seemed loud. She knew where they were.
Once her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see the ghastly figure of the house in the distance. The waterfall was to her left, and it seemed like it was made of ink. This is his home.
"Why did you bring me here?" she asked.
Still, he didn't answer her. He was searching their surroundings for something. Soon after, she felt a cold chill in the air rising ever so slowly. Afraid, she stood and waited for him to appear again. Sara heard his voice before she could see him.
"So, you bring her to me?" the voice hissed.
Sara felt her body freezing. No matter how often she heard it, she could never take its voice. From the inky darkness, the cloaked figure appeared, its eyes gleaming menacing red, watching her like a predator waiting for its prey.
"What does she have to do with anything?" Michaelis asked. "I need a clear answer."
The wraith laughed, a sound that made Sara tremble. She wanted to run to the house, but her legs wouldn't obey her commands.
"Do you really think I would help you?" the wraith continued. "It is an absolute pleasure to see you squirm and wonder."
This wraith sounded different from the Hijikata she had heard about years ago. It just couldn't be the same one.
"Don't I get to say anything?" she screamed.
The wraith removed its hood and stared at her with so much dark delight in his eyes as if her misery amused him.
"Why am I in the middle of this feud?" she asked, glancing at Michaelis.
His frosty gaze watched her in a stone-faced expression she could understand nothing from. Until he faced the wraith again; then anger threatened to leak out. Michaelis was sick of this creature never letting him go for who knew how long.
"I am a demon. My father tried to restrict me to human standards and sided with the humans over me. Why am I being punished?" asked Michaelis.
The smile vanished from the wraith's face as if it was stunned by his words. The creature glided closer to the raven-haired man and looked at him for what felt like hours before it finally spoke.
"You do not get it, do you?" The wraith chuckled. "All Toshi wanted was for you to be safe, to grieve and come to terms with what happened to your mother. But you turned your back on him. I was born from your father's pain and suffering. Pain and suffering that you caused him."
Michaelis bared his teeth; he was losing his patience over this. Still, this could be the first clue he needed. "So you admit that you are not my father? I knew it."
The wraith lowered its face and remained still for a second before it gazed at them both. "I am Toshizo Hijikata. You, dear son, damned me into hollow existence, and for that, you would never, ever be at peace. I would make sure of it." His eyes focused on the girl again, and a smile broke across his face at how lost and confused she was. "You poor, naive girl…."
That was the last he said before he vanished into the darkness.
Sara stared blankly at Michaelis, waiting for him to explain what she had just heard. But that was something he couldn't do. He wanted to open up and speak of all his trouble to her, but that would be improper for a powerful demon like him - to be so weak and cry out his emotions. So he had to find a way to bury the past once and for all so he could move on with his life. But he couldn't do that until he got rid of the wraith and figured out why this girl was targeted simply for knowing him.
Michaelis knew she watched him, but he did not care.
"The house is over there, girl." He pointed behind him. "Just go and do whatever you want - on the one condition that you do not leave the valley."
She was utterly shocked by his words; he continued to treat her as if she was some lowly girl.
She bared her teeth and replied, " Do not speak to me in such a manner. I'm not some servant girl."
A smirk spread across Michaelis's face, and he crossed his arms, amused. "I spoke of no such thing. You are the one who mentioned servitude." He hummed, which earned him a nasty look from her. "I wonder, would servitude make you want to give your body to me?"
Sara let out a soft gasp before her anger returned. "Did someone ever tell you that you have a nasty personality?"
Michaelis ran his fingers through his hair, the smile never leaving his face. Now, this was a game he could enjoy until he got rid of her. He placed a hand on his chest and replied, "That is the best compliment anyone has ever given me." He chuckled and bowed his head slightly. "You have my thanks, girl. Now kindly get out of my sight."
Anger roiled through Sara, and she shook with rage. She balled her hands into fists. At that moment, she wanted to give him a few jabs. She still couldn't believe this was the same Kondo she had yearned to find for years. She had vowed never to give up on him, but now doubt entered her heart for how much she could take such treatment from him.
"I have dreamed of what our reunion would have been like," said Sara. "Now that I found you, I'm not so sure."
Michaelis's eyes twinkled for a second, and the smile vanished from his face. "Because you were holding onto false hope. The Kondo you knew is no more. Nothing is ever gained from affection. It is such a poisonous feeling it would eat you away until nothing but a shell of your former self remained."
Sara's face softened after she allowed his words to sink in. Such words were not spoken from nothing. This could be a clue. "Is this what happened to you?" she asked. "Your love for your parents has pushed you into sorrow. If it weren't for affection, you wouldn't exist."
Michaelis flinched and shook his head. What was he doing? It was not right to engage in such a talk with her. He didn't need this. "I bring nothing but sorrow to everyone who meets me. It is because I am a demon. This is the rule for the demons: either you assert your authority, or you will be tossed aside like you are nothing but a useless, dirty piece of clothing. The sooner you realize this, girl, the happier you will be. You would be right not to trust me." His tone was cold and unflinching, and he looked her dead in the eyes. It was something he was confident about.
She took a breath and started walking away from him. After what that wraith said, she still wanted to know what happened to his parents. It could help give her an answer about what she is and why she was being targeted.
And his words struck a nerve. Bring nothing but sorrow? Assert your authority? If it weren't for love, she would have never been born. This was going to be a tough few days. Who knew if she would survive? Still, she had made a promise to her parents, and she had to try to keep it.
She opened the front door and entered the dusty old house that had seen so many things and held so many secrets. The dust was everywhere, and cobwebs were in every corner. A few feet from the entrance, she saw a dark brown spot that formed a silhouette of a body.
She stepped inside, and the floor groaned as if telling her to turn back and leave. The floor was broken at the back door, and the wooden boards scattered in several pieces as if something had sprung from underneath.
"What happened here?" she wondered to herself before she went to the left door and entered the room.
Judging by the wide, dusty futon left there, this was his parents' bed chamber. The closet was open, and several clothing items were scattered in front of it. Next to the candle in the corner, she saw several worn pieces of parchment. The writing had faded over time, so there was no way she could read it. Her heart felt heavy at the unknown tragedy that must have befallen this place.
Chizuru and Toshi. What in the world happened to them?
Sara went over to the futon and attempted to clean it up enough for her to sleep on.