Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Four

Unamused eyes of sharp, wolf yellow stared down the smirking idiot standing before him. A pole axe was balanced across the shoulders of the royal guard, and he had just finished bragging about how he had killed the Sagara Sōzō for being a traitor. Apparently, such a feat was supposed to make the buffoon sound formidable. All Saitō Hajime heard was how a coward had cut the head off a kneeling man after he had already surrendered.

"We're not to be trifled with, ya see? Just do as you're told, and hand over those traitors you got back there. They're breaking the Emperor's curfew, and I have full authority to pass sentence on them."

Crossing his arms, Saitō lifted his chin, but did not move.

"What traitors?"

The smile on the royal guard's mouth twitched. "The one's behind you."

Looking over his shoulder in one slow, calculated turn of his head, Saitō stared into the eyes of a frightened teenager kneeling next to an old woman. "I see nothing but my men." Hard yellow irises averted back to the royal military commander. "Now piss off."

The smile fully disappeared, and the commander dropped one arm from the pole axe to slam the butt of the handle into the ground. "Watch what you say, wolf, or I'll have your head next."

Every available member of Saitō's squad drew their weapon, causing the men under the royal commander to answer in kind. Those of the royal squadron were easily identifiable by their garb, but also by the way they openly sneered. An estimated three to four squads of state military were standing in formation behind the royal military. They had not moved. No doubt they were a newer company that had fallen prey to the braggart's claim that the Emperor was now in control of both the state and imperial armies. Despite following him, though, they were clearly uncomfortable by their body language. It was clear to Saitō that the state military had no desire to follow the royal military's command, but without any clear leadership, specifically with the Prime Minister locked away, the chain of command was in shambles. The Emperor had taken advantage of that confusion and chaos by asserting himself over the state military, when in truth he had no authority in order to avoid this very blatant abuse of power.

Finally, Saitō's nose twitched in a hint of his true disgust and anger. When he spoke, he purposefully projected his voice. "Everyone knows that okami speak only truth. I have killed no traitors, because I have seen no traitors. I see only citizens of a nation I have sworn to protect." Saitō took one step closer, placing himself in a position of open rebellion, but also clear leadership. Though of similar height, the royal military leader was bulkier. Saitō stared him down in defiance. "You, on the other hand, are toeing the line of domestic terrorism. Tell me, royal commander, how many heads did you say you have claimed today? How many innocent citizens have you killed in the name of your Sky Dragon Emperor?"

A buzz of unrest went through the men at the commander's back. His words had stirred the state military, just as he had planned. Those at Saitō's back readied themselves for the fight that was about to commence.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down guys!" Cho's cheeky voice cut through the tension as he loped his way between the standoff. Both turned irritated glares upon him, but the grass demon grinned. A wink was aimed at Saitō who, while annoyed with his mannerisms, understood the message. "There's no need for all this hostility."

"Who the fuck are you?"

Messages began to transmit over the radios, claiming the attention of those tasked with listening for orders, and the royal commander was distracted from the confrontation by one of his own whispering in his ear. Cho's hands crossed behind his head.

"Oh, I'm just the messenger."

From behind Cho, Prime Minister Aritomo appeared, his heat-cracked hand offering the radio he had just finished using to another of Saitō's men walking beside him. Seconds later, the squads of state military that were lined up behind the imperial troops drew their weapons, or made ready their powers, against the royal military. The company of royal guards immediately turned their backs to Saitō to face their new opponent, and Saitō used the brief confusion to cleanly place the blade of his katana against the commander's neck.

"Make a move, and I will gladly behead my first traitor of the day."

Outnumbered, but surly, the company of royal military guards surrendered themselves for later judgment, through the proper means.

"I will need a full debriefing, Sergeant." Saitō bowed his head to the Prime Minister. The earth elemental's voice was deep with authority and experience. Exactly the voice they needed to end the madness taking over. "A quick one. We must take back our city with all haste."

X

Everything felt empty. The air. The streets. The city. For blocks, Kaoru had walked the roads completely alone. It was eerie, and much too quiet for a metropolis that was home to millions. Something about the ward she had walked into had either scared off the inhabitants, or a worse scenario had happened that Kaoru did not want to dwell on. The deeper she traveled into the ward, though, the more she believed it to be fear that had driven everyone away. The very air was tainted with it, and even her overheated body had begun to twitch and tremble in reaction. Without a doubt, she knew who was responsible, and allowed it to be her guide.

Wiping at her chin with the heel of her hand, Kaoru drug the same hand down her hip to remove the ash from her skin. Unbearable heat bubbled at the back of her throat, and she coughed weakly even as she forced her legs to keep her stable and upright. Behind the blindfold covering half of her face, what felt like ice picks stabbed through her retinas and into her brain. She had meant to go after the second imposter that was using her likeness to harm others, but Kenji's presence inside of her was starting to cause constant pain. It would not be long before he was ready to be born, and before that, she needed to confront Sōjirō. Someone else's life depended on it.

A migraine had started inside of her skull to warn of overuse, but as she was still new and unused to her powers, she ignored it.

The wooden sword Hiko had gifted her was solid and comforting in the palm of her right hand. She had found it abandoned on the rooftop of a building, the leftover remnants of Sōjirō's presence hinting he had been there not too long before. It did not alarm her that she could feel him. It was not in the same way she could feel Kenshin, as he was now her other half. Nor was it how she could feel the presence of those souls who no longer belonged in the living plane. His presence was different; foul. Perhaps she felt how his necromancy had warped his soul, or perhaps the reaper that had awakened within her felt the animosity Death had for the thief trying to claim what belonged to him.

"How did she break my hold over her? And why can't I gain it back?" Boldly positioned directly in the middle of the empty street, Sōjirō asked the question to Tomoe standing passively beside him. Her hands were folded at her waist, and her head was bowed. The shadow demon's form was nearly semi-sold under the overcast sky, but his profile still wavered and shifted like living darkness. His questions were thoughtful instead of annoyed, nearly amazed by the phenomenon of Kaoru's escape from his control. The thin barrier of his eyelids shielded his irises from sight.

Tomoe did not answer.

"It can't be because of that fire demon's seal, and I don't think it had anything to do with distance." His head tilted in contemplation. Around Tomoe's feet, his shadow had surrounded her own, binding her in place and affectively making her a hostage. "I did feel something strange earlier, when I lost control of her. I nearly lost control of the others, too. Is there someone else trying to interfere with me?" His hand reached out to touch Tomoe's cheek. "You wouldn't know anything about it, would you?"

By the time either of them noticed Kaoru, she was already within ten feet of them, and Tomoe gasped in surprise. The human stood still, but her blindfolded presence was slightly eerie, like an onibi waiting for her prey to notice her. Or rather, like a reaper coming early to collect an unready soul. Sōjirō did not openly react, but his stance did shift defensively.

"Kaoru-chan. I'm so pleased you came back on your own." There was little real pleasure in his voice; only a false form of joy that was obviously fake. "I was just about to come looking for you."

"Kaoru." Tomoe's soft voice was distressed, and there was something bruised about her eyes. "Sweet girl, why did you come back? You were free. You should have gone to Himura-san."

Not being able to see her vivid blue eyes was unsettling. The stoic set of her mouth was unsettling. For a girl Tomoe knew to be bright and happy, this side of her was foreign and unnerving. Almost similar to how she had been the day she had regained her memories. Slowly, Kaoru's free hand reached out, palm up, and she beckoned the coal demon to her.

"I came for you, Tomoe-nee-san." Her words were calm, without a single ounce of a tremor. "We have to go back together."

"Now, Kaoru-chan." Sōjirō's grin crinkled his nose in faux amusement. "Who says you will be going anywhere?" A piece of Sōjirō's shadow lashed out of her, attempting to trap her in his clutches, but her wooden sword parried his attack with a neat slice. Small orbs of blue flame blinked into life around Kaoru, surrounding her like dangerous fireflies. A chill that was unnatural to the winter air bit at their cheeks.

"Kenshin will be coming for me soon. You won't want me to be here when he does."

A grin, so wicked and happy, pulled Sōjirō's mouth into a sharp crescent moon across his face. It was the first genuine smile Kaoru had ever seen on the necromancer, and her stomach flopped in anxiety.

"No? That is exactly what I want, Kaoru-chan."

Multiple tendrils from his shadow stretched up around him, and for a moment Kaoru was reminded of that spider she hated. Biting her lip, she moved in for the attack instead of dodging out. His movements were quick and relentless, but not nearly as quick as Ayame. Countering, parrying, and keeping light on her feet, Kaoru fought the man responsible for her unholy rebirth head on. Strength had been pounded into her by Suzume, technique was like second nature because of her father, and control had been patiently instilled in her by Kenshin. Praise from a literal water dragon gave her confidence.

Mid-overhead swing, fire as red as blood spewed violently and without warning from her mouth. The vomit splattered onto the ground and over two of the shadow tendrils. Smoke and the stench of burning flesh filled the air, and Sōjirō recoiled as if the fire had burned him. Blinding pain blurred her black and white vision, and her chest felt ready to burst open. It nearly brought her to her knees, but she caught herself with the tip of her wooden sword. Rough coughing followed as her throat worked to expel any leftover irritants from her trachea, and ash and soot covered her front in the process.

"What's this?" Blatant interest colored the necromancer's voice. "Are we getting close to the end, then?" He was advancing on her. She could feel his presence draw closer. Fighting the weakness in her legs, Kaoru tried to stand. When it became clear she needed more time, her hand went immediately to the scarf covering her eyes.

Directly overhead, a protective roar announced that her salamander had finally found her.

He landed like a rock, the strength in his taloned feet tearing into the asphalt, and precise flames breathed from his mouth as a barrier between Kaoru and the shadow demon. Within moments, his solid body was next to her, offering her his scaled shoulder to lean on. Knowing this needed to end now, Kaoru yanked clear her scarf to bare her eyes, but Sōjirō had already opened his own in anticipation.

The clash of his power against hers felt like a thousand tiny needles through her retinas. Whatever power her reaper abilities had birthed, however it had morphed the ability tied to her gaze, Kaoru was still unused to it. This time did not feel like the other times. This time was not easy and natural. Sōjirō was not undead, nor was he as susceptible to her control. She could tell that something else was wrong. Time did not slow or stop as it had before, and when she narrowed her eyes to force it, her brain swam with vertigo. Another river of vomit tickled the back of her tongue, but she swallowed it down. Unnoticed, her inner tear ducks began to bleed, and Tomoe was yelling for her to stop.

What happened next tore apart Kaoru's resolve like thin rice paper. The salamander, so brave and fierce, was cut in two by flames of deep cherry black. The disappearance of his support unbalanced her weight, and her eyes averted from their fight with Sōjirō to stare in disbelief at the severed red braid lying pitifully next to her. Instinct tickled her spine, alerting her to the appearance of a third party at her back, and she pivoted quickly with an upward swipe of her sword. The wooden weapon was caught easily by the man behind her, and the grieved rage contorting her features dropped like a fumbled bucket of water.

"Mister?"

Vermillion irises remained fixed forward, blank and unaffected by the hurt in her voice. One swift yank a moment later removed the wooden sword from her grip. Kaoru stumbled from the intensity, and was caught by both of his strong hands at her shoulders. His fingers were hard and unforgiving as he forced her upright.

"Detain her only." Sōjirō's sigh from behind her rebirthed every ounce of her rage. "I had everything under control. You were supposed to wait until the fire demon showed up before revealing yourself. You really are much too protective."

"What the fuck have you done?!" Coming back to herself, Kaoru jerked futilely against the iron grip of the fire dragon doll. "How could you?!"

"Really, Kaoru-chan? How could I not?" Sōjirō's hand touched her hair, but she was struggling in earnest now.

"Mister! Mister, please look at me! Please!"

"That's pointless, Kaoru-chan. Unlike you, he has none of his original memories or personality. He is merely a doll full of dragon power." Tomoe's coal black eyes darted a look at Sōjirō, but she kept quiet. "Now be good, or I will kill sweet little docile Tomoe-san."

The fight instantly died inside of her, and Kaoru cursed herself for how everything had gone so terribly wrong. This… this would kill Kenshin when he found out.

"Good girl." The scarf was repositioned over her eyes, and the pain ebbed from her skull. The nausea she had been fighting, however, won now that her muscles had relaxed. More lava-like-fire was puked onto the ground between her feet and the feet of the doll that mimicked Kenshin's dead father. When it blessedly ended, she wiped at her lips weakly. Tired eyes again lifted to look up into the face of the tall man she had once met, but she did not feel happy to have finally found him.

"Bring her along now. I have a surprise for her."

Unexpectedly, vermillion eyes lowered, but they still did not meet her gaze. He instead appeared to be focused upon something at the center of her chest. Slowly, one of his hands unclenched around her arm, then spread wide over her chest without touching her. The pain she was battling eased, and she blacked out before her brain could recognize what he had done.