Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ This Is Forever ❯ Destined To Hurt and Destined To Become Closer ( Chapter 5 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: laichi16 
Anime/Manga: Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Comedy / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 12.01.2008 | Pages: 8 | Words: 8.7K | Visits: 432 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Comedy / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 12.01.2008 | Pages: 8 | Words: 8.7K | Visits: 432 | Status: Work In Progress
This Is Forever
Chapter 9: "Destined To Hurt"
Kaoru sat in her room polishing her sword’s blade for the ninth time that day. She was beyond nervous for the events that would happen.
Soujiro made her a promise to deliver Battousai to her so she could… decapitate him. Kaoru made sure that her blade was extra sharp so she could have a clean cut instead of having to hack his head off, which would be more painful.
An image of Battousai’s head coming off came into her mind. She stilled on rubbing the blade with her polishing rag. Tears built up in Kaoru’s blue eyes, and drops dripped from them and splashed on her blade.
Surely someone like Battousai, who had never known anything else except for what his demon father taught him, would have no choice but to act the way he does.
"It’s not fair," Kaoru whispered to herself as she sniffed. She rubbed a bitter hand across her eyes to rid herself of her tears. "It’s not fair that he should have to die for a nature he can’t help possessing."
Kaoru sniffed again, and started back to polishing her blade again. A few minutes into her polishing chore, a knock came on her souji door.
"Nani?" Kaoru called through the rice paper door.
"It’s Soujiro; I was wondering if you have a few moments."
"Hai, you can come in."
The souji door opened, and Soujiro came into Kaoru’s room, baring a forced smile. He sat down in front of his princess as she continued to polish her sword.
"You know, Kaoru-sama," Soujiro began, watching her vigorously rub the rag on her blade. "If you continue to polish your sword in the manner and how long you are right
now, you might not have much of a sword left."
As an answer, Kaoru continued to polish her sword’s blade with a more frantic vigorous pace. She apparently was not watching what she was doing, for she accidentally sliced her hand on the very sharp edge.
Crying out in pain, Kaoru dropped her sword so suddenly it was like fire that bit her. She hissed through her clinched teeth, and squeezed her eyes shut.
Soujiro quickly took Kaoru’s hand gently in his hand, and he examined her wound. It was healable, not too deep but enough to make her bleed. The young god placed two fingers at the beginning of the wound, and traced them along the bleeding impression. As his finger’s passed over, the wound closed up, leaving no trace of cut skin anywhere.
"Arigatou, Soujiro." Kaoru said gratefully, her eyes looking at her clean, unwounded hand. "Oh, gomen nasai, you have blood on your fingers."
The fallen goddess handed her friend the polishing rag she was polishing with, but Soujiro shook his head slowly. He placed his fingers in his mouth, sucking the blood off of them, and Kaoru’s face blushed as her mouth fell open in shock.
"Soujiro…"
"Your blood tastes sweet, even as a mortal." Soujiro said, and there was a look in his eyes that Kaoru just could not place. "It still tastes like you."
"Soujiro, that’s a bit embarrassing for me." Kaoru exclaimed, her blush deepening.
"Gomen nasai, my princess, for causing you that embarrassment." Soujiro apologized with a deep bow of his head.
"It’s forgiven." Kaoru exclaimed, giving her friend a small smile. Slowly, that smile began to fade, leaving her with a frown. "It’s all gone to hell."
"Many times a lot of things go to hell." Soujiro said with a laugh, but stopped when he realized Kaoru was not joining in on the joke.
"What am I going to do, Soujiro?" Kaoru asked, her body threatened to hiccup if she started crying again. "What would you do if the world was destined for war, and you can’t
stop it no matter how hard you try?"
"Kaoru-sama—"
"What would you do if the world is destined to come crashing down around you and plunge itself into chaos?"
Soujiro allowed himself to smile at his best friend in a knowing sort of way. "My answer would be to help as much as I can, and give my aid. To stand for what I believe is right, even if death does take me."
"Soujiro, I’m loosing myself. More and more I’m starting to become mortal. I can feel myself ageing… growing old. I’ve never feared death but now I do." Kaoru place an index finger in her mouth and bit down on it to keep herself from crying. It did not help, and the tears dripped down her face.
Soujiro stared helplessly at his princess, for he was not too good at dealing with mortal cries and emotions.
"I feel that if I sin, I will never again be a goddess," Kaoru continued, not bothering to hold back her tears anymore. "For a goddess has never known the quality and burden of sin. I will fall even more if I commit one sin, Soujiro, and I’m scared of that."
"It’ll be alright, Kaoru-sama, because tomorrow you will once again be a goddess."
Kaoru pretended that her friend’s words comforted her, and she offered him a smile after drying her tears.
"There’s my real princess." Soujiro exclaimed with a returned smile. "She never really left."
OOOOOO
Enishi sat on a park bench, watching loathsomely at the innocent children playing on the playground. His aqua-marine eyes narrowed in envy to hear the tiny laughter of joy emerging from their small mouths.
"I have some news for you." A voice behind Enishi spoke, and the second demon prince did not bother to turn to see who it was, for he already knew.
"It’s been a while." Enishi exclaimed, still keeping his head and gaze forward at the children. "What news do you have?"
"I don’t think Battousai will be willing to kill Kaoru."
"I figured that; do you think he has feelings for her?"
"It’s hard to say, Enishi-sama, but if I had to answer, I would say he does."
Enishi grew a very cruel smile on his face.
"Is that so?" he replied with a deep, throaty laughter.
"Hai, and unfortunately I can’t get back to heaven without Tengoku’s approval."
"What a shame," Enishi sarcastically said with the same cruel smile still plastered on his face. "You will be even further down if they ever find out you’ve been spying in heaven all this time, so why don’t you get used to it."
The voice was silent for a moment, and then continued. "You can find the princess yourself if you want."
"Okay then, where is she?"
"She’s with us and some mortals at a very popular restaurant called the Aoiya."
"Aoiya?" Enishi replied. "How do I know which one is her?"
"She has short black hair, and blue eyes."
"Very good; I’ll call on you if I need more information."
OOOO
Misao grumbled as she folded the towels; a chore she got stuck doing. Okon and Omasu were helping with the restaurant, along with Yahiko and Kaoru.
Kaoru put up a good front, pretending that being a mortal, who can die at anytime just like the rest of them, did not bother her a bit. Misao was good at seeing though masks, for she lived a good while with Aoshi.
Speaking of that Noh mask man, where was he? She and Aoshi had an appointment to bless the grounds they lived on so that it had an anti-demon shield around it. The Aoiya residents had just about enough of the trouble Battousai brought with him.
Another wave of dizziness came over her, and Misao gasped. Ever since yesterday, she had not been feeling too well; all she wanted to do was sleep. To stave off the dizzy state her mind was in, Misao placed her head on the small stack of towels she created.
Trying to breathe normally, Misao tried to calm her body down by allowing herself to drift off into a light sleep. She vaguely heard soft footsteps in the room through her dream-like state.
A strong hand shook her shoulder gently to wake her up, and Misao did so with a groan and a mumbled, "Go away."
"Misao, are you feeling ill?"
Misao nodded her head, not bothering to open her eyes to see who it was; she would know that voice and yield to it until the day she dies.
"Did you take your heart medication?"
This time, Misao opened her eyes and looked up at the person who dared to invade her sleep. The priestess was silent for a moment, and then she shook her head after remembering she had not taken her medication for the past few days.
"You should remember it, Misao."
"Hai, Aoshi-sama." Misao replied tiredly.
"You haven’t forgotten to take your medication since you were a child." Aoshi commented as he opened the cupboard where the medications were kept. He automatically found them and he took the bottle in his hands, opened it up, took out one pill, and closed it back up. "It’s not like you to forget your medication."
"Gomen nasai, Aoshi-sama," Misao said, forcing herself to sit up as the priest handed her the pill and a glass of water. "Things have been very stressful lately."
"Hai, they have."
Misao smiled tiredly at Aoshi, and then she placed the pill in her mouth and gulped down the glass of water.
"Arigatou."
Aoshi simply nodded as he looked at the pile of unfolded towels. He grabbed one and started folding them.
"Aoshi-sama, I can fold the towels!"
"Not until your medication starts taking effect and that won’t be for another hour."
Misao grumbled defeat and she started folding towels as well.
"When are we going to start blessing the grounds, Aoshi-sama?" Misao asked, as she placed the last towel on the stack of towels.
"As soon as we’re finished with our chore of folding these towels."
"I was afraid of that…" Misao winced, wanting nothing more than to be done with the task she did not like.
After a few more minutes of folding and torture, Misao sighed in relief, gathered the dreaded towels up and put them away in the towel closet.
When she came back, Aoshi was already changed into his priest clothes, waiting for Misao to also change.
"Misao," Aoshi started, causing the priestess to pause as she went up the stairs. "Never forget your medicine again."
"Hai, Aoshi-sama." Misao replied, her eyes downcast because it sounded like her idol, her love, was scolding her. He probably was, for she was childish to forget the very medication that helped keep her alive. "I won’t forget again."
OOOOOOOO
"You’ve come back to me headless, big brother." Enishi commented. He had a change of clothes; they looked Chinese. The gi was blue, and his hakama was black.
"I wasn’t aware that I was supposed to be headless." Battousai replied lamely, yet coldly.
Enishi smirked cruelly, and he changed his sentence. "I meant that you don’t have the princess’ head."
Battousai stared at his hated brother, knowing that what he was about to say will make him hated, as well as hunted. No doubt their father would put a bounty on his own son’s head, but the hatred of the great Hiko ran deep.
"I am not going to bring you her head." Battousai stated clearly. Was he right when doing this? "In fact, I don’t want any part of this any longer." Defiant, crystal-blue eyes came into the demon’s mind. Yes; he was right by defying his father. Her eyes told him the
truth, and saved him from what he was about to become.
"You don’t want to participate any longer?" Enishi repeated coldly, his smile no longer on his face. "Then you will be killed."
Enishi drew out his sword. It looked like a cross between a Japanese katana and a Chinese sword. The steel blade was so sharp that one little touch would make that person’s skin cut open and start bleeding.
Battousai also drew out his sword. The Blade of Hell still strong in his hands even though he defied the original master. People in the park saw the sword brawl about to happen, and they screamed, rushing about, grabbing their children and belongings.
Only within a few minutes, the park was completely vacant.
"This will draw too much attention, Enishi."
"Good; I want the mortals to know that demons are here."
Battousai had no choice; he will stand and fight, just like he told the princess to fight. The
demon prince lifted his head up in defiance, and held his blade out towards his brother.
"Let’s begin." He said, awaiting his white-haired opponent to attack.
Enishi did so, and he attacked with god-like speed, traveling towards his brother in a blur of white, black, and blue.
When their two blades struck, the Apocalypse began.
OOOOOOO
"There!" Misao exclaimed as she wiped her perspiring forehead with the back of her hand. "We’re finished, and the place is secure!"
Aoshi did not reply; he kept staring at the same direction as the city park. After finishing with the shield, he stared off in that direction, not uttering a word.
"Aoshi-sama, what—" Misao cut herself off when she felt an enormous, angry, and very powerful aura blast. "Aoshi-sama… that’s not human."
Aoshi nodded once to confirm his apprentice’s suspicions. "Hai, Misao, that aura is indeed not human."
"What was that? Even Battousai did not have such an aura!"
"I think…" Aoshi trailed off when he saw Kaoru and the others coming out of the Aoiya, and also staring at the same direction as himself and Misao.
The aura felt like the electricity of a thunderstorm, or a very strong wave of the ocean when it passes over oneself when they are swimming in the salt water.
"Kaoru-sama," Misao began, looking worriedly at the fallen goddess as she continued to stare, awed, in the park’s direction. "Have you felt this sort of aura before?"
"One of them I have." Kaoru replied, not taking her eyes off of the direction of west. "We all have felt one of the auras. The second one… I’m not sure about."
"You don’t know who the second one is?" Yahiko asked, also feeling the aura that felt similar to aftershocks from an earthquake.
"No, I don’t know who that is."
"What about the first one?" Akira asked, wanting to confirm his suspicions to the identity of the first aura.
"I know for sure," Kaoru replied, trying to keep herself from shaking. "The first one is
Battousai."
Murmurs broke out among the Oniwanban as well as the current residents of the Aoiya.
Yahiko gulped hard, trying his best to also put up a good front. The two auras were so powerful and full of rage, he was sure that they could never be stopped, no matter how powerful the god or goddess is.
Another aura explosion passed through the city within miles, and Misao shuttered as she shifted to get closer to Aoshi.
Kaoru rushed back into the Aoiya. The residents wondered what she was doing when the fallen goddess came back down with her Sword of Shinjitsu in her hands.
"Soujiro," Kaoru exclaimed in a commanding voice. "You said that you would deliver
Battousai to me; now fulfill your promise."
Soujiro nodded, and followed, Akira in tow, after their princess as she ran towards the powerful auras battling in the park.
OOOOO
"Come on! I’m not even tired yet!" Enishi yelled, pointing his weapon at his only brother.
Battousai already had a split wound on the side of his head, and blood was running down his face, mingling with the horizontal scar.
"You think you’re disappointed?" Battousai stated with a dry laugh. "You’re not even a challenge to me!"
Battousai and Enishi rushed each other again, their blades making steel-on-steel clanging noises, and sparks flew from the force of their blades.
Both demon princes were breathing hard, perspiration ran down their bodies like small rivers. Battousai swung his sword at a horizontal angle, which Enishi avoided within just millimeters.
Aqua-marine eyes flashed in a violent rage, squaring his eyes evenly with intense amber eyes for only a few seconds.
Enishi slashed his sword in a forward motion, barely missing his brother’s neck;
Battousai avoided the attack and saw his younger brother was in a defenseless position.
The fallen prince swung his leg at his brother’s ribs, and hit them with full god-like force.
Enishi heard the crack, and felt the pain, but it was soon ebbed away by the new rage that flooded his blood like snake venom.
Battousai saw Enishi jump away from him as he felt blood trickle down his neck; his brother’s attack must have been closer than he originally thought.
Both demons stood for a moment, Enishi not fully standing because of his broken rib, breathing harshly from their endless fighting.
"Enishi," Battousai breathed, gulping even though his mouth was dry. "You have a choice in your life! Do not turn into what I, nor father, have become."
"Father," Enishi spat, and then spit out blood from his mouth. "Always favored you above all else! You were the perfect son in his eyes; merciless, cunning… blood thirsty. How would he react, I wonder, when he finds out his golden boy has fallen for the very goddess we’re sworn to destroy?!"
"I am not in love with that bitch!"
It was at that moment, after the words left his mouth and the damage was done, that Battousai felt her presence. He turned towards the shrubbery behind Enishi, and like a plague, she was there.
Her eyes were just as he remembered them, only now, they were truly blue; a cold, merciless blue that bit like ice-fire. Mixed in them was an emotion Battousai did not want to recognize, but he knew, instinctively, that she heard his hurtful, hated words.
Damn, stupid girl! Battousai thought in his mind, drawing his sword towards his
brother’s shoulder as if pointing it at her. Enishi had never seen her face before, and here she was going to make her presence know to the whole fucking demon world!
Battousai rushed Enishi, and the second demon prince was at the ready; his sword ready in defense mode. The red-headed demon prince made a sudden, unreadable move; he jumped with his god-like speed, hit Enishi on the back of his head while simultaneously
using it as a stool to jump off and disappear into the shrubbery, but not after purposely letting the princess know where he was going to land.
Battousai landed on his feet, like a graceful cat, a few feet away from his original battle field. Breathing so hard his lungs ached and felt like they were on fire, the prince sheathed his sword.
After sheathing his sword, Battousai felt a smack on the back of his neck where his neck cord and spinal cord met, joined together by a large movable bone.
Battousai fell to the ground, landing on his back, as he cursed himself for letting his guard down and letting the princess attack him so easily.
When the prince looked up, he saw that his attacker was not the goddess; rather, it was a god. He looked young, but possibly a few hundred years older than the princess. His dark brown hair was cut short, and he had beautiful blue eyes, almost like the goddess’ eyes.
"Stay where you are, Battousai." The god stated in a cold, calculating voice as he lowered the wooden sheath in his hand.
"How can I go anywhere when you pulled a paralyzing attack on me?" Battousai snapped back, rolling his eyes for effect. His arms and legs were numb, but he could slowly, ever so slowly feel the blood rushing though the limbs and awakening the nerves once more.
"Kaoru-sama will be here in a few minutes," Soujiro stated, ignoring the comment, and not taking his eyes off the demon laying on the ground, nor letting his guard down. "She will be the one to finish you off."
"Naze?" Battousai inquired, trying to shake off the feeling of doom running down his spine.
"So then she can once again return to being a goddess."
Battousai laughed at himself for the image that crept into his mind; beautiful Kaoru slicing off his head in order to return to being a goddess when she claims to be so different than the rest of his kind.
Ironically, the demon prince did not mind much about being killed by Kaoru; as long as she killed him, and no other. At least he would be her first in something, if not the bed. It was those thoughts that Battousai laughed at himself for.
"What’s the matter?" Battousai taunted, wanting nothing more than to beat the snot out of the kid standing before him. "Is being with a mortal considered below you?"
Soujiro’s eye twitched, and the muscles in his mouth tightened. "No, I lo-like Kaoru-sama as she is, and nothing less. At least she’s still above you."
"…You love her, don’t you?" Battousai stated more than questioned. It was so clearly obvious that the boy-god was smitten by the beauty; and even the demon did not want to admit that the young god and he were practically in the same situation.
When Soujiro did not answer, Battousai took that as a submission. The prince wanted to throw his head back and laugh at the pathetic young god had he, himself, not felt the same way for the blue-eyed wonder. He would never admit it though, not even to himself.
Kaoru came out of the shrubbery then, breathing hard with perspiration running down her forehead.
"Soujiro," Kaoru exclaimed, placing a hand on her chest in attempt to still her pounding heart. "Akira has gone to deal with the other demon, whatever his name is. You should go help him."
Soujiro nodded once to his princess and obeyed her command even though she was a mortal. Kaoru turned towards Battousai, lying so still and helplessly on the ground. She wanted to laugh at him for such a pathetic display of demonic power, had she not told herself that if Soujiro had not paralyzed him, she would never get her hands on him.
"So the asshole’s name is Soujiro." Battousai murmured, placing his name mentally at the first spot of his "to kill" list.
"It’s none of your business," Kaoru snapped, unsheathing her sword; the weight of it so heavy in her hands. "You’re not bound for this world much anyway; not even hell."
Battousai did not reply; he just stared unemotionally up at the blue-eyed goddess with her sword in her hands. Kaoru stood over the demon prince, her sword raised, and ready to
slice his head off.
Still, Battousai just stared with his amber eyes, blankly looking at her.
Kaoru looked like a model for celestial beings; her black hair, though short, fell around her face elegantly like a shawl, her blue eyes beautiful, though fierce and determined.
Battousai stared deep into Kaoru’s blue eyes, and the fallen goddess could feel her soul being dissected by his gaze. He was calm, almost ready to welcome the end of his existence with opened arms, had he not wanted to hold the goddess that stood over him in his arms first.
"Is it possible… that I can save you as well?"
Letting out a war-like, broken cry, Kaoru brought her Sword of Shinjitsu blade down with all the force her mortal arms would allow.
To Be Continued…
This Is Forever
Chapter 10: "Destined To Become Closer"
Battousai stared deep into Kaoru’s blue eyes and the fallen goddess could feel her soul being dissected by his gaze. He was calm, almost ready to welcome the end of his existence with opened arms, had he not wanted to hold the goddess that stood over him in his arms first.
"Is it possible… that I can save you as well?"
Letting out a war-like, broken cry, Kaoru brought her Sword of Shinjitsu blade down with all the force her mortal arms would allow.
OOOOOOO
"It’s late." Misao announced, more to herself than to her tall companion standing beside her.
"It is indeed." He replied; his ice-blue eyes staring up at the sky as the sun sank into the western horizon.
"Do you think Kaoru-sama and the others are alright, Aoshi-sama?"
Aoshi was silent as he watched the golden, hot orb sink further down, and then he finally answered, "Soujiro-sama and Akira-sama are alright, I suspect, but Kaoru-sama…"
Misao looked at her love, knowing he did not want to finish his statement. The priestess folded her arms across herself as the sun sank completely down, disappearing from view, and the cold winds started to arise.
"Should be get our shinobi on and help them?" Misao asked, wanting once again to fight like in the old days, using the old ways; her Japanese blood yearned for it.
"Not until we hear word from either Soujiro-sama or Akira-sama. Until then, we should be on our guard with our shinobi clothes on."
"Yatta!" Misao cried out in delight, and she stripped herself of her priestess clothes right in front of Aoshi’s bewildered eyes, however, she revealed little; for she already had her
shinobi outfit on under her previous clothes.
"Misao, that really wasn’t a proper thing to do." Aoshi scolded with a scowl, not wanting to admit that the little girl he had known for most of his life was now a very desirable young woman.
Misao smiled through her perplex mood. "You never minded it when I was younger."
"That’s because you were younger, and not… filled out."
Misao raised an eyebrow and shook her head; she really wished Aoshi would make up her mind. There were a lot of things she did back when she was a child that her companion would not permit now.
"I’m ready for anything, Aoshi-sama." Misao exclaimed with a grin that expressed thrill as her Japanese blood sang in her veins.
"Let’s hope you’re right."
OOOOOOOO
Kaoru opened her eyes and stared at Battousai staring right back at her; her sword was imbedded in the ground, but not through his neck.
Battousai calmly turned his head to look at the blade in the ground, not but a few millimeters away from his neck. He then looked back at the princess who owned the
sword that almost had his name written on it.
Kaoru took her hands off her sword’s handle as a sob escaped her throat. By now, the temporary paralyzing attack on him was now diminished, and Battousai sat up as the girl fell to her knees beside him.
"I can’t do it," Kaoru said with sobs rising from her throat. "I can’t kill you."
Battousai breathed in deep and then steadily released it from his lungs. To say he was scared shitless when Kaoru brought her sword down would be the biggest understatement in demon, mortal, and gods’ history. However, he would rather go back to hell and have his father slowly lop his head off than to admit it; especially to her.
"Why can’t I do it?" Kaoru asked herself aloud while shaking her head in dismay at herself. "Why can’t I kill you?"
"Perhaps you weren’t destined to." Battousai offered with a shrug of his shoulders. Hell if he knew about this whole destiny crap!
Kaoru finally forced herself to breathe more steadily, and then forced herself to look up at her foe.
"Maybe you’re right." Kaoru agreed with a whisper. "Destiny controls even the gods, so it’s more than likely that it controls me, and what happened."
"In case you didn’t know, I don’t believe in Destiny."
Kaoru’s right eye twitched with annoyance. He is such an infuriating man, er, demon… thing! Here things were finally starting to make sense with the whole Destiny theory, and Battousai had to go and throw it back at her!
"You never know," Kaoru defended her belief. "Maybe it is that we’re destined to do everything we’re doing. Every action we ever took… us meeting, and finally to this result that we’re playing out right now. My question is, since I can’t kill you, what do we do now?"
A hundred thoughts went though Battousai’s head at that moment as he stared at Kaoru, and none of them were pure.
"What’re you smirking at?" Kaoru demanded, and instantly, Battousai’s smirk faded.
"Well, we could always go and celebrate with sake." Battousai announced, and then drew his hand away from his side, revealing the hand with blood coated on it. He suspected that he got it from his fight with Enishi. "However, I think I should get this little problem fixed."
"I’ll take you to Shin-Kawabata Hospital; it’s closest." Kaoru announced, wrapping her arms around his waist, and tried to help him up, but with no avail; demon weight was heavier than even the gods’ weight.
Battousai hissed in pain as the princess’ arms tightened around his wounded side. "That hurts, bitch!"
For his rude comment, Kaoru slapped his wounded side, making Battousai hiss out in pain again.
"You’re now under my guard," Kaoru announced. "I will not tolerate you calling me such names while in my company. Come on, let’s go to the hospital."
"I’m not going to a stupid mortal hospital." Battousai protested, trying not to lean on Kaoru too much in case they stumble and fall.
"Then where do you want to go?!"
"To a bar and get drunk would be my first choice," Battousai said with a smirk as he
looked up at the rapidly darkening sky. "However, I suspect you won’t like that idea, so I
think the place I’m staying at would suffice."
"And where would that be?" Kaoru asked as they both walked very carefully.
OOOOOO
"Damn, he got away!" Akira exclaimed, watching Enishi run off.
"Cursing like that is not like you, Akira." Soujiro exclaimed, casting an accusing look at his friend. "What has you so worked up that you would spit out a nasty demon and mortal word?"
Akira hung his head in shame and said, "I apologize for my weak hold on my tongue, Soujiro-kun."
"Well, that doesn’t matter now," Soujiro said with a nod. "All that matters now is looking after the Princess."
Akira gave his companion a side-ways glance and, with a smirk, dared to ask, "Are you sweet on Kaoru-sama?"
Soujiro blushed on his cheeks and shook his head. "I merely admire Kaoru-sama for her marvelous work over the centuries. She is very kind and considerate of everyone; god and mortal alike."
"Maybe even… to demons as well." Akira muttered, to which Soujiro gave him a fierce glare, and that made Akira nervous. He almost forgot that this was the same Soujiro that fought in the first Apocalypse thousands of years ago.
"How dare you cast accusations at Kaoru-sama like that? Honestly, Akira-kun, I sometimes don’t know which side you’re on!"
"I’m on your side, Soujiro-kun; I just have a horrible habit of making my thoughts known aloud. Yet some secrets, I keep only in my thoughts."
Soujiro looked at Akira and then side, shrugging his shoulders as well. "Let’s see how Kaoru-sama is faring with Battousai."
A few moments later, the two gods were at the place where Kaoru-sama and Battousai used to be.
Soujiro stared at the blank spot where he temporarily paralyzed Battousai; but not a single drop of blood could be found, save for a few drops on the ground. Yet if Kaoru-sama decapitated the demon prince, there would have been a lot more blood than a few drops, which the ones that were there, hissed and burned the ground.
"Still don’t think Kaoru-sama wouldn’t show mercy to a demon?" Akira asked venomously, looking at the ground in anger. "I think she’s sweet on him!"
Soujiro suddenly drew a blade out and held it to Akira’s throat. "Kaoru-sama sweet on a filthy demon?! Never!"
Akira held up his hands in submission, and when Soujiro eased his sword’s blade off his companion’s neck, he said in a tone less venomous, "Then where, my friend, did our sweet, darling goddess, and princess, take our demon friend?"
Soujiro shook his head, thoughts he did not want to acknowledge came into his mind.
"She has her reasons, Akira-kun; but she’s not sweet on a worthless demon prince."
OOOOOOOO
"You’ve been living here?!" Kaoru asked, her mouth hung open as she looked at the slum building in slum town. "It suits you."
Battousai growled in his throat as the princess entered the building, pressed the button for the elevator, and then they waited.
The doors opened, and they went inside. Kaoru looked at the rows of buttons, each with a number on them, before asking, "Which one?"
"Fourth floor."
Kaoru pressed the button, and the elevator lurched, and they went up to the third floor. When they got off, there was a row of doors, and Kaoru once again asked, "Which one?"
"Fourth apartment."
They walked down the row of doors, and they got to the last, fourth door of the hallway.
"How do we enter?" the princess asked, and as an answer, Battousai kicked the door
opened.
"Oh." Was all Kaoru could say.
When they entered, Kaoru placed Battousai on the broken couch. The prince hissed as a sharp pain stabbed him from where his wounded side was.
"You think you can be a little gentler, Princess." Battousai complained, placing a gentle hand on his wounded side.
"Where do you keep your first aid kit, Prince?" Kaoru asked, sarcastically emphasizing the title of prince.
Battousai glared at the blue-eyed beauty with his startling amber eyes before he replied, "In the bathroom was where I found it when I explored the place."
"When you explored the place? You mean you don’t live here originally?" Kaoru asked incredulously as she looked around the place. "What did you do with the original owners? Kill them and throw them out the window?!"
Battousai smirked and he teased Kaoru by saying, "Might have."
"You’re an unimaginable bastard." Kaoru stated, gullible enough to believe the demon, and then she walked to the bathroom and got the first aid kit out.
"I was jesting, Princess." Battousai said aloud so his voice carried into the bathroom. "No wonder you stress so much; you don’t know how to play around."
"I do jest, Prince, just not with demons. It’s strictly business between demons and gods." Kaoru said when she came out of the bathroom and kneeled before the wounded demon.
"And you treating my wounds is strictly business?" Battousai asked with a raised eyebrow.
Kaoru glared at the infuriating demon prince with her blue eyes, and she commanded,
"Shut up and take your gi off."
Battousai smirked at evil thoughts swam through his head. "I wish you were demanding my taking off my clothes as a completely different reason from treating a wound."
"You keep your foul thoughts to yourself, foul demon." Kaoru commanded as she watched Battousai take off his gi and slide it down his shoulders.
Her heart rate increased as she watched a work of art come to life when the top clothing came down. This Battousai was perfectly muscular; not too muscular, but not too skinny, either. His arms bulged when he slowly got the clothing peeled off of himself, and Kaoru looked at his perfectly formed abdomen, which was accompanied by a rather nasty wound at the side.
Yet that did not take away the perfection. Kaoru was taken back when he thought of a demon as having perfection. She had to admit, however, that Battousai was deliciously sexy, and lust worthy.
"Are you going to gape at me all night?" Battousai asked, trying to keep the smirk off his face as Kaoru’s cheeks burned with innocent shame. He wished he could read what her mind was thinking as she stared at him.
"I—I’m going to need hot water." Kaoru said after looking at the wound on the demon’s side, and then got up and walked to the kitchen.
She rummaged around until she found a large, metal bowl. The princess cleaned it out, and then started filling it with hot water.
Kaoru had to grip the counter with her hands to steady herself. Thoughts went back to the very desirable demon sitting on the couch behind her, waiting to be touched and ravished by any hapless female that came along.
Shaking her head to clear her mind of such impure thoughts, Kaoru looked at the bowl and realized it was overflowing with hot water. She quickly turned the water off, poured the access out, murmured a prayer to her father in the heavens, and then slowly walked to where Battousai was still sitting; still looking so damn sexy.
Kaoru sighed to herself in frustration and then got the clean rag that was in the first aid kit out, dipped it in the hot water, and started gently cleansing the wound. Battousai resisted the urge to groan when her gentle fingers moved the rag over his wound.
The princess looked so delicious on her knees in front of him, her short hair falling perfectly over her face, her soft, blue eyes that ran over him made wonderful tremors flow through him. He had to grip the couch cushion to keep himself from pinning her on the floor and taking her innocence right there.
"So…" Kaoru began, trying to break the sexual tension between them. "How did you come to live here?"
"I came here after our first sword fight."
"Ah; and the place was empty?"
"As empty as a sad day in hell."
Kaoru looked at Battousai, his amber eyes piercing her now mortal soul, and she tried to be snappy and distant when she exclaimed, "Hell is the least you deserve." Yet it came out shaky and unsure.
"And Heaven is the least you deserve."
Kaoru looked sharply at the demon prince, trying to decipher if he was paying her a complement or insulting her.
"I was complementing you, Princess." Battousai said, as if he could read her thoughts.
Kaoru swallowed hard and put antibacterial liquid on the prince’s nasty wound. "You really should go to the hospital for this."
"No, I much prefer you treating me; it gives me time to enjoy you touching me."
Kaoru slapped Battousai’s wound again, and the demon forced a cry to hold in his throat.
"This is only a one time thing, and I’m not going to do anything else with you, so you can just keep your erotic fantasies to yourself!"
"I wouldn’t call them erotic, Princess, for they’re not exactly nasty as you would believe, but, oh gods, you’re lust worthy material."
Kaoru blinked up at Battousai, trying to decide if she should be angry or glad at his comment.
"Do you not enjoy it when people look at you with desire in their eyes, in their hearts, and in their souls, Princess? Do you not enjoy it to know that they think to ravish you?"
"How would you know all this?"
Battousai shrugged, and with an indifference tone, he replied, "I’m a demon; I know when and what mortals are lusting."
Kaoru was shocked at herself when she found that she felt highly disappointed when Battousai told her, in a way, that he did not feel those lusts towards her. Feeling abnormally bold, she asked, "And what about you? Do you lust towards me?"
At first, Battousai did not know how to answer her, so there was a pregnant silence before he replied, "I don’t know."
"How can you not know?" Kaoru asked, almost shouting and she did not know why.
"You’re a demon who knows lust, you said yourself, so how can you not know?"
"How do you want me to answer?"
Kaoru was taken back by Battousai’s question, and she wanted to tell him to tell her what she wanted to hear from him. Instead, she said, "The truth, if that is at all possible for you."
Again, there was a pregnant pause as the demon closed his eyes, trying to form the truth in words.
"I want to spend hours just holding you and nothing else. I want to lean close to you and breathe in your sweet aroma. I live in hell around you because you’re like an idol up on a pedestal, and I can’t reach you; I don’t dare touch you because I’m a demon and you’re a goddess. No matter what shell you’re in right now, that doesn’t change the fact that you were a goddess and always will be."
Kaoru swallowed hard at Battousai’s word because the demon prince had just spoken the truth. She felt the truth in his words and they pierced her sharply in the deepest chambers of her heart.
"Well, this conversation isn’t getting your wound treated." Kaoru said, and she damned herself for pulling away so suddenly when the Great Battousai, Demon Prince had just told the truth for the first time in his life.
Battousai did not reply as Kaoru put a medicated patch on the wound, and got the ace wrap out to hold it.
"I need you to sit up so I can wrap this around you." Kaoru said softly. Her heart constricted when she saw the demon’s amber eyes once again hard, cold, and unfeeling.
"Don’t bother," Battousai said, taking the wrap from the princess’ hand. "I’ll do it myself."
Kaoru looked away from him as he started to wrap the bandage around his waist. "You’re wound will reopen."
"Don’t bother."
Yes, don’t bother him and you won’t feel guilty for pushing him away. It was the right thing to do; you can’t be together. "I’m sorry for being so cold towards you." Don’t say that; keep him distant. "I didn’t mean to hurt you, Battousai." Take the words back before it’s too late!
"Battousai is not my real name; it’s a nickname given to me over the centuries for mortals to utter because, to them, saying my real name will bring my wrath upon them."
Kaoru turned her gaze back to Battousai when he finished wrapping his wound. "Then what is your real name, Prince?"
"I’m not a prince anymore, either." Battousai said, trying to seem indifferent, uncaring about the fact that he no longer has a home. "I was removed of that title by my brother,
Enishi, when I couldn’t… complete an assignment. I wouldn’t complete it."
"What is your real name?" Kaoru asked again, her voice soft like a song bird’s singing voice, and her beautiful blue eyes pleading.
"What does it matter, Princess?"
"Don’t call me Princess because I’m no longer a goddess. I can’t be a princess if I’m not a goddess."
"Then what do you want me to call you?"
"Kaoru; call me Kaoru."
Battousai opened his mouth, and whispered the one name he never uttered, "Kaoru." And all his hate and resentment towards her crumbled away from him and bled out of him like poison sucked away. "My real name is… Kenshin. You can call me Kenshin."
"Kenshin…" Kaoru whispered back and she laid her forehead on his bare chest.
"Dame," Kenshin whispered in Japanese as he tried to pull away from the beauty. "Don’t do that."
"Just shut up and hold me like you want to." Kaoru said, getting up from her knees and sitting next to him.
Kenshin hesitated before he wrapped his arms around Kaoru and brought her closer to him. He sighed into the warmth that illuminated from her body as he rested his cheek on top of her head. For hours, the fallen prince and the fallen goddess held each other long into the night.
OOOOOOOO
"Okay," Misao thoughtfully said out loud as she looked over her list of possible places her goddess could be. "Maybe she’d be here."
After Soujiro and Akira showed up without Kaoru-sama and no idea where she could be, Misao took it upon herself to write out a list of where the goddess could be, and went in search for her.
Not knowing that another life form was watching her from the foliage behind her, Misao glanced around.
Enishi watched the girl with acute interest. Akira said that the girl, Kaoru, had short hair and blue eyes. Thoughtfully, the youngest demon prince bit his lip and wondered if it could be her. If not, the mortal girl before him could easily tell him, lest she lose her beautiful little head.
Grinning with pure evilness, Enishi waited for the right moment to pounce and kidnap the mortal girl, thus bringing him a step closer to his goal: Kaoru.
To Be Continued…
Chapter 9: "Destined To Hurt"
Kaoru sat in her room polishing her sword’s blade for the ninth time that day. She was beyond nervous for the events that would happen.
Soujiro made her a promise to deliver Battousai to her so she could… decapitate him. Kaoru made sure that her blade was extra sharp so she could have a clean cut instead of having to hack his head off, which would be more painful.
An image of Battousai’s head coming off came into her mind. She stilled on rubbing the blade with her polishing rag. Tears built up in Kaoru’s blue eyes, and drops dripped from them and splashed on her blade.
Surely someone like Battousai, who had never known anything else except for what his demon father taught him, would have no choice but to act the way he does.
"It’s not fair," Kaoru whispered to herself as she sniffed. She rubbed a bitter hand across her eyes to rid herself of her tears. "It’s not fair that he should have to die for a nature he can’t help possessing."
Kaoru sniffed again, and started back to polishing her blade again. A few minutes into her polishing chore, a knock came on her souji door.
"Nani?" Kaoru called through the rice paper door.
"It’s Soujiro; I was wondering if you have a few moments."
"Hai, you can come in."
The souji door opened, and Soujiro came into Kaoru’s room, baring a forced smile. He sat down in front of his princess as she continued to polish her sword.
"You know, Kaoru-sama," Soujiro began, watching her vigorously rub the rag on her blade. "If you continue to polish your sword in the manner and how long you are right
now, you might not have much of a sword left."
As an answer, Kaoru continued to polish her sword’s blade with a more frantic vigorous pace. She apparently was not watching what she was doing, for she accidentally sliced her hand on the very sharp edge.
Crying out in pain, Kaoru dropped her sword so suddenly it was like fire that bit her. She hissed through her clinched teeth, and squeezed her eyes shut.
Soujiro quickly took Kaoru’s hand gently in his hand, and he examined her wound. It was healable, not too deep but enough to make her bleed. The young god placed two fingers at the beginning of the wound, and traced them along the bleeding impression. As his finger’s passed over, the wound closed up, leaving no trace of cut skin anywhere.
"Arigatou, Soujiro." Kaoru said gratefully, her eyes looking at her clean, unwounded hand. "Oh, gomen nasai, you have blood on your fingers."
The fallen goddess handed her friend the polishing rag she was polishing with, but Soujiro shook his head slowly. He placed his fingers in his mouth, sucking the blood off of them, and Kaoru’s face blushed as her mouth fell open in shock.
"Soujiro…"
"Your blood tastes sweet, even as a mortal." Soujiro said, and there was a look in his eyes that Kaoru just could not place. "It still tastes like you."
"Soujiro, that’s a bit embarrassing for me." Kaoru exclaimed, her blush deepening.
"Gomen nasai, my princess, for causing you that embarrassment." Soujiro apologized with a deep bow of his head.
"It’s forgiven." Kaoru exclaimed, giving her friend a small smile. Slowly, that smile began to fade, leaving her with a frown. "It’s all gone to hell."
"Many times a lot of things go to hell." Soujiro said with a laugh, but stopped when he realized Kaoru was not joining in on the joke.
"What am I going to do, Soujiro?" Kaoru asked, her body threatened to hiccup if she started crying again. "What would you do if the world was destined for war, and you can’t
stop it no matter how hard you try?"
"Kaoru-sama—"
"What would you do if the world is destined to come crashing down around you and plunge itself into chaos?"
Soujiro allowed himself to smile at his best friend in a knowing sort of way. "My answer would be to help as much as I can, and give my aid. To stand for what I believe is right, even if death does take me."
"Soujiro, I’m loosing myself. More and more I’m starting to become mortal. I can feel myself ageing… growing old. I’ve never feared death but now I do." Kaoru place an index finger in her mouth and bit down on it to keep herself from crying. It did not help, and the tears dripped down her face.
Soujiro stared helplessly at his princess, for he was not too good at dealing with mortal cries and emotions.
"I feel that if I sin, I will never again be a goddess," Kaoru continued, not bothering to hold back her tears anymore. "For a goddess has never known the quality and burden of sin. I will fall even more if I commit one sin, Soujiro, and I’m scared of that."
"It’ll be alright, Kaoru-sama, because tomorrow you will once again be a goddess."
Kaoru pretended that her friend’s words comforted her, and she offered him a smile after drying her tears.
"There’s my real princess." Soujiro exclaimed with a returned smile. "She never really left."
OOOOOO
Enishi sat on a park bench, watching loathsomely at the innocent children playing on the playground. His aqua-marine eyes narrowed in envy to hear the tiny laughter of joy emerging from their small mouths.
"I have some news for you." A voice behind Enishi spoke, and the second demon prince did not bother to turn to see who it was, for he already knew.
"It’s been a while." Enishi exclaimed, still keeping his head and gaze forward at the children. "What news do you have?"
"I don’t think Battousai will be willing to kill Kaoru."
"I figured that; do you think he has feelings for her?"
"It’s hard to say, Enishi-sama, but if I had to answer, I would say he does."
Enishi grew a very cruel smile on his face.
"Is that so?" he replied with a deep, throaty laughter.
"Hai, and unfortunately I can’t get back to heaven without Tengoku’s approval."
"What a shame," Enishi sarcastically said with the same cruel smile still plastered on his face. "You will be even further down if they ever find out you’ve been spying in heaven all this time, so why don’t you get used to it."
The voice was silent for a moment, and then continued. "You can find the princess yourself if you want."
"Okay then, where is she?"
"She’s with us and some mortals at a very popular restaurant called the Aoiya."
"Aoiya?" Enishi replied. "How do I know which one is her?"
"She has short black hair, and blue eyes."
"Very good; I’ll call on you if I need more information."
OOOO
Misao grumbled as she folded the towels; a chore she got stuck doing. Okon and Omasu were helping with the restaurant, along with Yahiko and Kaoru.
Kaoru put up a good front, pretending that being a mortal, who can die at anytime just like the rest of them, did not bother her a bit. Misao was good at seeing though masks, for she lived a good while with Aoshi.
Speaking of that Noh mask man, where was he? She and Aoshi had an appointment to bless the grounds they lived on so that it had an anti-demon shield around it. The Aoiya residents had just about enough of the trouble Battousai brought with him.
Another wave of dizziness came over her, and Misao gasped. Ever since yesterday, she had not been feeling too well; all she wanted to do was sleep. To stave off the dizzy state her mind was in, Misao placed her head on the small stack of towels she created.
Trying to breathe normally, Misao tried to calm her body down by allowing herself to drift off into a light sleep. She vaguely heard soft footsteps in the room through her dream-like state.
A strong hand shook her shoulder gently to wake her up, and Misao did so with a groan and a mumbled, "Go away."
"Misao, are you feeling ill?"
Misao nodded her head, not bothering to open her eyes to see who it was; she would know that voice and yield to it until the day she dies.
"Did you take your heart medication?"
This time, Misao opened her eyes and looked up at the person who dared to invade her sleep. The priestess was silent for a moment, and then she shook her head after remembering she had not taken her medication for the past few days.
"You should remember it, Misao."
"Hai, Aoshi-sama." Misao replied tiredly.
"You haven’t forgotten to take your medication since you were a child." Aoshi commented as he opened the cupboard where the medications were kept. He automatically found them and he took the bottle in his hands, opened it up, took out one pill, and closed it back up. "It’s not like you to forget your medication."
"Gomen nasai, Aoshi-sama," Misao said, forcing herself to sit up as the priest handed her the pill and a glass of water. "Things have been very stressful lately."
"Hai, they have."
Misao smiled tiredly at Aoshi, and then she placed the pill in her mouth and gulped down the glass of water.
"Arigatou."
Aoshi simply nodded as he looked at the pile of unfolded towels. He grabbed one and started folding them.
"Aoshi-sama, I can fold the towels!"
"Not until your medication starts taking effect and that won’t be for another hour."
Misao grumbled defeat and she started folding towels as well.
"When are we going to start blessing the grounds, Aoshi-sama?" Misao asked, as she placed the last towel on the stack of towels.
"As soon as we’re finished with our chore of folding these towels."
"I was afraid of that…" Misao winced, wanting nothing more than to be done with the task she did not like.
After a few more minutes of folding and torture, Misao sighed in relief, gathered the dreaded towels up and put them away in the towel closet.
When she came back, Aoshi was already changed into his priest clothes, waiting for Misao to also change.
"Misao," Aoshi started, causing the priestess to pause as she went up the stairs. "Never forget your medicine again."
"Hai, Aoshi-sama." Misao replied, her eyes downcast because it sounded like her idol, her love, was scolding her. He probably was, for she was childish to forget the very medication that helped keep her alive. "I won’t forget again."
OOOOOOOO
"You’ve come back to me headless, big brother." Enishi commented. He had a change of clothes; they looked Chinese. The gi was blue, and his hakama was black.
"I wasn’t aware that I was supposed to be headless." Battousai replied lamely, yet coldly.
Enishi smirked cruelly, and he changed his sentence. "I meant that you don’t have the princess’ head."
Battousai stared at his hated brother, knowing that what he was about to say will make him hated, as well as hunted. No doubt their father would put a bounty on his own son’s head, but the hatred of the great Hiko ran deep.
"I am not going to bring you her head." Battousai stated clearly. Was he right when doing this? "In fact, I don’t want any part of this any longer." Defiant, crystal-blue eyes came into the demon’s mind. Yes; he was right by defying his father. Her eyes told him the
truth, and saved him from what he was about to become.
"You don’t want to participate any longer?" Enishi repeated coldly, his smile no longer on his face. "Then you will be killed."
Enishi drew out his sword. It looked like a cross between a Japanese katana and a Chinese sword. The steel blade was so sharp that one little touch would make that person’s skin cut open and start bleeding.
Battousai also drew out his sword. The Blade of Hell still strong in his hands even though he defied the original master. People in the park saw the sword brawl about to happen, and they screamed, rushing about, grabbing their children and belongings.
Only within a few minutes, the park was completely vacant.
"This will draw too much attention, Enishi."
"Good; I want the mortals to know that demons are here."
Battousai had no choice; he will stand and fight, just like he told the princess to fight. The
demon prince lifted his head up in defiance, and held his blade out towards his brother.
"Let’s begin." He said, awaiting his white-haired opponent to attack.
Enishi did so, and he attacked with god-like speed, traveling towards his brother in a blur of white, black, and blue.
When their two blades struck, the Apocalypse began.
OOOOOOO
"There!" Misao exclaimed as she wiped her perspiring forehead with the back of her hand. "We’re finished, and the place is secure!"
Aoshi did not reply; he kept staring at the same direction as the city park. After finishing with the shield, he stared off in that direction, not uttering a word.
"Aoshi-sama, what—" Misao cut herself off when she felt an enormous, angry, and very powerful aura blast. "Aoshi-sama… that’s not human."
Aoshi nodded once to confirm his apprentice’s suspicions. "Hai, Misao, that aura is indeed not human."
"What was that? Even Battousai did not have such an aura!"
"I think…" Aoshi trailed off when he saw Kaoru and the others coming out of the Aoiya, and also staring at the same direction as himself and Misao.
The aura felt like the electricity of a thunderstorm, or a very strong wave of the ocean when it passes over oneself when they are swimming in the salt water.
"Kaoru-sama," Misao began, looking worriedly at the fallen goddess as she continued to stare, awed, in the park’s direction. "Have you felt this sort of aura before?"
"One of them I have." Kaoru replied, not taking her eyes off of the direction of west. "We all have felt one of the auras. The second one… I’m not sure about."
"You don’t know who the second one is?" Yahiko asked, also feeling the aura that felt similar to aftershocks from an earthquake.
"No, I don’t know who that is."
"What about the first one?" Akira asked, wanting to confirm his suspicions to the identity of the first aura.
"I know for sure," Kaoru replied, trying to keep herself from shaking. "The first one is
Battousai."
Murmurs broke out among the Oniwanban as well as the current residents of the Aoiya.
Yahiko gulped hard, trying his best to also put up a good front. The two auras were so powerful and full of rage, he was sure that they could never be stopped, no matter how powerful the god or goddess is.
Another aura explosion passed through the city within miles, and Misao shuttered as she shifted to get closer to Aoshi.
Kaoru rushed back into the Aoiya. The residents wondered what she was doing when the fallen goddess came back down with her Sword of Shinjitsu in her hands.
"Soujiro," Kaoru exclaimed in a commanding voice. "You said that you would deliver
Battousai to me; now fulfill your promise."
Soujiro nodded, and followed, Akira in tow, after their princess as she ran towards the powerful auras battling in the park.
OOOOO
"Come on! I’m not even tired yet!" Enishi yelled, pointing his weapon at his only brother.
Battousai already had a split wound on the side of his head, and blood was running down his face, mingling with the horizontal scar.
"You think you’re disappointed?" Battousai stated with a dry laugh. "You’re not even a challenge to me!"
Battousai and Enishi rushed each other again, their blades making steel-on-steel clanging noises, and sparks flew from the force of their blades.
Both demon princes were breathing hard, perspiration ran down their bodies like small rivers. Battousai swung his sword at a horizontal angle, which Enishi avoided within just millimeters.
Aqua-marine eyes flashed in a violent rage, squaring his eyes evenly with intense amber eyes for only a few seconds.
Enishi slashed his sword in a forward motion, barely missing his brother’s neck;
Battousai avoided the attack and saw his younger brother was in a defenseless position.
The fallen prince swung his leg at his brother’s ribs, and hit them with full god-like force.
Enishi heard the crack, and felt the pain, but it was soon ebbed away by the new rage that flooded his blood like snake venom.
Battousai saw Enishi jump away from him as he felt blood trickle down his neck; his brother’s attack must have been closer than he originally thought.
Both demons stood for a moment, Enishi not fully standing because of his broken rib, breathing harshly from their endless fighting.
"Enishi," Battousai breathed, gulping even though his mouth was dry. "You have a choice in your life! Do not turn into what I, nor father, have become."
"Father," Enishi spat, and then spit out blood from his mouth. "Always favored you above all else! You were the perfect son in his eyes; merciless, cunning… blood thirsty. How would he react, I wonder, when he finds out his golden boy has fallen for the very goddess we’re sworn to destroy?!"
"I am not in love with that bitch!"
It was at that moment, after the words left his mouth and the damage was done, that Battousai felt her presence. He turned towards the shrubbery behind Enishi, and like a plague, she was there.
Her eyes were just as he remembered them, only now, they were truly blue; a cold, merciless blue that bit like ice-fire. Mixed in them was an emotion Battousai did not want to recognize, but he knew, instinctively, that she heard his hurtful, hated words.
Damn, stupid girl! Battousai thought in his mind, drawing his sword towards his
brother’s shoulder as if pointing it at her. Enishi had never seen her face before, and here she was going to make her presence know to the whole fucking demon world!
Battousai rushed Enishi, and the second demon prince was at the ready; his sword ready in defense mode. The red-headed demon prince made a sudden, unreadable move; he jumped with his god-like speed, hit Enishi on the back of his head while simultaneously
using it as a stool to jump off and disappear into the shrubbery, but not after purposely letting the princess know where he was going to land.
Battousai landed on his feet, like a graceful cat, a few feet away from his original battle field. Breathing so hard his lungs ached and felt like they were on fire, the prince sheathed his sword.
After sheathing his sword, Battousai felt a smack on the back of his neck where his neck cord and spinal cord met, joined together by a large movable bone.
Battousai fell to the ground, landing on his back, as he cursed himself for letting his guard down and letting the princess attack him so easily.
When the prince looked up, he saw that his attacker was not the goddess; rather, it was a god. He looked young, but possibly a few hundred years older than the princess. His dark brown hair was cut short, and he had beautiful blue eyes, almost like the goddess’ eyes.
"Stay where you are, Battousai." The god stated in a cold, calculating voice as he lowered the wooden sheath in his hand.
"How can I go anywhere when you pulled a paralyzing attack on me?" Battousai snapped back, rolling his eyes for effect. His arms and legs were numb, but he could slowly, ever so slowly feel the blood rushing though the limbs and awakening the nerves once more.
"Kaoru-sama will be here in a few minutes," Soujiro stated, ignoring the comment, and not taking his eyes off the demon laying on the ground, nor letting his guard down. "She will be the one to finish you off."
"Naze?" Battousai inquired, trying to shake off the feeling of doom running down his spine.
"So then she can once again return to being a goddess."
Battousai laughed at himself for the image that crept into his mind; beautiful Kaoru slicing off his head in order to return to being a goddess when she claims to be so different than the rest of his kind.
Ironically, the demon prince did not mind much about being killed by Kaoru; as long as she killed him, and no other. At least he would be her first in something, if not the bed. It was those thoughts that Battousai laughed at himself for.
"What’s the matter?" Battousai taunted, wanting nothing more than to beat the snot out of the kid standing before him. "Is being with a mortal considered below you?"
Soujiro’s eye twitched, and the muscles in his mouth tightened. "No, I lo-like Kaoru-sama as she is, and nothing less. At least she’s still above you."
"…You love her, don’t you?" Battousai stated more than questioned. It was so clearly obvious that the boy-god was smitten by the beauty; and even the demon did not want to admit that the young god and he were practically in the same situation.
When Soujiro did not answer, Battousai took that as a submission. The prince wanted to throw his head back and laugh at the pathetic young god had he, himself, not felt the same way for the blue-eyed wonder. He would never admit it though, not even to himself.
Kaoru came out of the shrubbery then, breathing hard with perspiration running down her forehead.
"Soujiro," Kaoru exclaimed, placing a hand on her chest in attempt to still her pounding heart. "Akira has gone to deal with the other demon, whatever his name is. You should go help him."
Soujiro nodded once to his princess and obeyed her command even though she was a mortal. Kaoru turned towards Battousai, lying so still and helplessly on the ground. She wanted to laugh at him for such a pathetic display of demonic power, had she not told herself that if Soujiro had not paralyzed him, she would never get her hands on him.
"So the asshole’s name is Soujiro." Battousai murmured, placing his name mentally at the first spot of his "to kill" list.
"It’s none of your business," Kaoru snapped, unsheathing her sword; the weight of it so heavy in her hands. "You’re not bound for this world much anyway; not even hell."
Battousai did not reply; he just stared unemotionally up at the blue-eyed goddess with her sword in her hands. Kaoru stood over the demon prince, her sword raised, and ready to
slice his head off.
Still, Battousai just stared with his amber eyes, blankly looking at her.
Kaoru looked like a model for celestial beings; her black hair, though short, fell around her face elegantly like a shawl, her blue eyes beautiful, though fierce and determined.
Battousai stared deep into Kaoru’s blue eyes, and the fallen goddess could feel her soul being dissected by his gaze. He was calm, almost ready to welcome the end of his existence with opened arms, had he not wanted to hold the goddess that stood over him in his arms first.
"Is it possible… that I can save you as well?"
Letting out a war-like, broken cry, Kaoru brought her Sword of Shinjitsu blade down with all the force her mortal arms would allow.
To Be Continued…
This Is Forever
Chapter 10: "Destined To Become Closer"
Battousai stared deep into Kaoru’s blue eyes and the fallen goddess could feel her soul being dissected by his gaze. He was calm, almost ready to welcome the end of his existence with opened arms, had he not wanted to hold the goddess that stood over him in his arms first.
"Is it possible… that I can save you as well?"
Letting out a war-like, broken cry, Kaoru brought her Sword of Shinjitsu blade down with all the force her mortal arms would allow.
OOOOOOO
"It’s late." Misao announced, more to herself than to her tall companion standing beside her.
"It is indeed." He replied; his ice-blue eyes staring up at the sky as the sun sank into the western horizon.
"Do you think Kaoru-sama and the others are alright, Aoshi-sama?"
Aoshi was silent as he watched the golden, hot orb sink further down, and then he finally answered, "Soujiro-sama and Akira-sama are alright, I suspect, but Kaoru-sama…"
Misao looked at her love, knowing he did not want to finish his statement. The priestess folded her arms across herself as the sun sank completely down, disappearing from view, and the cold winds started to arise.
"Should be get our shinobi on and help them?" Misao asked, wanting once again to fight like in the old days, using the old ways; her Japanese blood yearned for it.
"Not until we hear word from either Soujiro-sama or Akira-sama. Until then, we should be on our guard with our shinobi clothes on."
"Yatta!" Misao cried out in delight, and she stripped herself of her priestess clothes right in front of Aoshi’s bewildered eyes, however, she revealed little; for she already had her
shinobi outfit on under her previous clothes.
"Misao, that really wasn’t a proper thing to do." Aoshi scolded with a scowl, not wanting to admit that the little girl he had known for most of his life was now a very desirable young woman.
Misao smiled through her perplex mood. "You never minded it when I was younger."
"That’s because you were younger, and not… filled out."
Misao raised an eyebrow and shook her head; she really wished Aoshi would make up her mind. There were a lot of things she did back when she was a child that her companion would not permit now.
"I’m ready for anything, Aoshi-sama." Misao exclaimed with a grin that expressed thrill as her Japanese blood sang in her veins.
"Let’s hope you’re right."
OOOOOOOO
Kaoru opened her eyes and stared at Battousai staring right back at her; her sword was imbedded in the ground, but not through his neck.
Battousai calmly turned his head to look at the blade in the ground, not but a few millimeters away from his neck. He then looked back at the princess who owned the
sword that almost had his name written on it.
Kaoru took her hands off her sword’s handle as a sob escaped her throat. By now, the temporary paralyzing attack on him was now diminished, and Battousai sat up as the girl fell to her knees beside him.
"I can’t do it," Kaoru said with sobs rising from her throat. "I can’t kill you."
Battousai breathed in deep and then steadily released it from his lungs. To say he was scared shitless when Kaoru brought her sword down would be the biggest understatement in demon, mortal, and gods’ history. However, he would rather go back to hell and have his father slowly lop his head off than to admit it; especially to her.
"Why can’t I do it?" Kaoru asked herself aloud while shaking her head in dismay at herself. "Why can’t I kill you?"
"Perhaps you weren’t destined to." Battousai offered with a shrug of his shoulders. Hell if he knew about this whole destiny crap!
Kaoru finally forced herself to breathe more steadily, and then forced herself to look up at her foe.
"Maybe you’re right." Kaoru agreed with a whisper. "Destiny controls even the gods, so it’s more than likely that it controls me, and what happened."
"In case you didn’t know, I don’t believe in Destiny."
Kaoru’s right eye twitched with annoyance. He is such an infuriating man, er, demon… thing! Here things were finally starting to make sense with the whole Destiny theory, and Battousai had to go and throw it back at her!
"You never know," Kaoru defended her belief. "Maybe it is that we’re destined to do everything we’re doing. Every action we ever took… us meeting, and finally to this result that we’re playing out right now. My question is, since I can’t kill you, what do we do now?"
A hundred thoughts went though Battousai’s head at that moment as he stared at Kaoru, and none of them were pure.
"What’re you smirking at?" Kaoru demanded, and instantly, Battousai’s smirk faded.
"Well, we could always go and celebrate with sake." Battousai announced, and then drew his hand away from his side, revealing the hand with blood coated on it. He suspected that he got it from his fight with Enishi. "However, I think I should get this little problem fixed."
"I’ll take you to Shin-Kawabata Hospital; it’s closest." Kaoru announced, wrapping her arms around his waist, and tried to help him up, but with no avail; demon weight was heavier than even the gods’ weight.
Battousai hissed in pain as the princess’ arms tightened around his wounded side. "That hurts, bitch!"
For his rude comment, Kaoru slapped his wounded side, making Battousai hiss out in pain again.
"You’re now under my guard," Kaoru announced. "I will not tolerate you calling me such names while in my company. Come on, let’s go to the hospital."
"I’m not going to a stupid mortal hospital." Battousai protested, trying not to lean on Kaoru too much in case they stumble and fall.
"Then where do you want to go?!"
"To a bar and get drunk would be my first choice," Battousai said with a smirk as he
looked up at the rapidly darkening sky. "However, I suspect you won’t like that idea, so I
think the place I’m staying at would suffice."
"And where would that be?" Kaoru asked as they both walked very carefully.
OOOOOO
"Damn, he got away!" Akira exclaimed, watching Enishi run off.
"Cursing like that is not like you, Akira." Soujiro exclaimed, casting an accusing look at his friend. "What has you so worked up that you would spit out a nasty demon and mortal word?"
Akira hung his head in shame and said, "I apologize for my weak hold on my tongue, Soujiro-kun."
"Well, that doesn’t matter now," Soujiro said with a nod. "All that matters now is looking after the Princess."
Akira gave his companion a side-ways glance and, with a smirk, dared to ask, "Are you sweet on Kaoru-sama?"
Soujiro blushed on his cheeks and shook his head. "I merely admire Kaoru-sama for her marvelous work over the centuries. She is very kind and considerate of everyone; god and mortal alike."
"Maybe even… to demons as well." Akira muttered, to which Soujiro gave him a fierce glare, and that made Akira nervous. He almost forgot that this was the same Soujiro that fought in the first Apocalypse thousands of years ago.
"How dare you cast accusations at Kaoru-sama like that? Honestly, Akira-kun, I sometimes don’t know which side you’re on!"
"I’m on your side, Soujiro-kun; I just have a horrible habit of making my thoughts known aloud. Yet some secrets, I keep only in my thoughts."
Soujiro looked at Akira and then side, shrugging his shoulders as well. "Let’s see how Kaoru-sama is faring with Battousai."
A few moments later, the two gods were at the place where Kaoru-sama and Battousai used to be.
Soujiro stared at the blank spot where he temporarily paralyzed Battousai; but not a single drop of blood could be found, save for a few drops on the ground. Yet if Kaoru-sama decapitated the demon prince, there would have been a lot more blood than a few drops, which the ones that were there, hissed and burned the ground.
"Still don’t think Kaoru-sama wouldn’t show mercy to a demon?" Akira asked venomously, looking at the ground in anger. "I think she’s sweet on him!"
Soujiro suddenly drew a blade out and held it to Akira’s throat. "Kaoru-sama sweet on a filthy demon?! Never!"
Akira held up his hands in submission, and when Soujiro eased his sword’s blade off his companion’s neck, he said in a tone less venomous, "Then where, my friend, did our sweet, darling goddess, and princess, take our demon friend?"
Soujiro shook his head, thoughts he did not want to acknowledge came into his mind.
"She has her reasons, Akira-kun; but she’s not sweet on a worthless demon prince."
OOOOOOOO
"You’ve been living here?!" Kaoru asked, her mouth hung open as she looked at the slum building in slum town. "It suits you."
Battousai growled in his throat as the princess entered the building, pressed the button for the elevator, and then they waited.
The doors opened, and they went inside. Kaoru looked at the rows of buttons, each with a number on them, before asking, "Which one?"
"Fourth floor."
Kaoru pressed the button, and the elevator lurched, and they went up to the third floor. When they got off, there was a row of doors, and Kaoru once again asked, "Which one?"
"Fourth apartment."
They walked down the row of doors, and they got to the last, fourth door of the hallway.
"How do we enter?" the princess asked, and as an answer, Battousai kicked the door
opened.
"Oh." Was all Kaoru could say.
When they entered, Kaoru placed Battousai on the broken couch. The prince hissed as a sharp pain stabbed him from where his wounded side was.
"You think you can be a little gentler, Princess." Battousai complained, placing a gentle hand on his wounded side.
"Where do you keep your first aid kit, Prince?" Kaoru asked, sarcastically emphasizing the title of prince.
Battousai glared at the blue-eyed beauty with his startling amber eyes before he replied, "In the bathroom was where I found it when I explored the place."
"When you explored the place? You mean you don’t live here originally?" Kaoru asked incredulously as she looked around the place. "What did you do with the original owners? Kill them and throw them out the window?!"
Battousai smirked and he teased Kaoru by saying, "Might have."
"You’re an unimaginable bastard." Kaoru stated, gullible enough to believe the demon, and then she walked to the bathroom and got the first aid kit out.
"I was jesting, Princess." Battousai said aloud so his voice carried into the bathroom. "No wonder you stress so much; you don’t know how to play around."
"I do jest, Prince, just not with demons. It’s strictly business between demons and gods." Kaoru said when she came out of the bathroom and kneeled before the wounded demon.
"And you treating my wounds is strictly business?" Battousai asked with a raised eyebrow.
Kaoru glared at the infuriating demon prince with her blue eyes, and she commanded,
"Shut up and take your gi off."
Battousai smirked at evil thoughts swam through his head. "I wish you were demanding my taking off my clothes as a completely different reason from treating a wound."
"You keep your foul thoughts to yourself, foul demon." Kaoru commanded as she watched Battousai take off his gi and slide it down his shoulders.
Her heart rate increased as she watched a work of art come to life when the top clothing came down. This Battousai was perfectly muscular; not too muscular, but not too skinny, either. His arms bulged when he slowly got the clothing peeled off of himself, and Kaoru looked at his perfectly formed abdomen, which was accompanied by a rather nasty wound at the side.
Yet that did not take away the perfection. Kaoru was taken back when he thought of a demon as having perfection. She had to admit, however, that Battousai was deliciously sexy, and lust worthy.
"Are you going to gape at me all night?" Battousai asked, trying to keep the smirk off his face as Kaoru’s cheeks burned with innocent shame. He wished he could read what her mind was thinking as she stared at him.
"I—I’m going to need hot water." Kaoru said after looking at the wound on the demon’s side, and then got up and walked to the kitchen.
She rummaged around until she found a large, metal bowl. The princess cleaned it out, and then started filling it with hot water.
Kaoru had to grip the counter with her hands to steady herself. Thoughts went back to the very desirable demon sitting on the couch behind her, waiting to be touched and ravished by any hapless female that came along.
Shaking her head to clear her mind of such impure thoughts, Kaoru looked at the bowl and realized it was overflowing with hot water. She quickly turned the water off, poured the access out, murmured a prayer to her father in the heavens, and then slowly walked to where Battousai was still sitting; still looking so damn sexy.
Kaoru sighed to herself in frustration and then got the clean rag that was in the first aid kit out, dipped it in the hot water, and started gently cleansing the wound. Battousai resisted the urge to groan when her gentle fingers moved the rag over his wound.
The princess looked so delicious on her knees in front of him, her short hair falling perfectly over her face, her soft, blue eyes that ran over him made wonderful tremors flow through him. He had to grip the couch cushion to keep himself from pinning her on the floor and taking her innocence right there.
"So…" Kaoru began, trying to break the sexual tension between them. "How did you come to live here?"
"I came here after our first sword fight."
"Ah; and the place was empty?"
"As empty as a sad day in hell."
Kaoru looked at Battousai, his amber eyes piercing her now mortal soul, and she tried to be snappy and distant when she exclaimed, "Hell is the least you deserve." Yet it came out shaky and unsure.
"And Heaven is the least you deserve."
Kaoru looked sharply at the demon prince, trying to decipher if he was paying her a complement or insulting her.
"I was complementing you, Princess." Battousai said, as if he could read her thoughts.
Kaoru swallowed hard and put antibacterial liquid on the prince’s nasty wound. "You really should go to the hospital for this."
"No, I much prefer you treating me; it gives me time to enjoy you touching me."
Kaoru slapped Battousai’s wound again, and the demon forced a cry to hold in his throat.
"This is only a one time thing, and I’m not going to do anything else with you, so you can just keep your erotic fantasies to yourself!"
"I wouldn’t call them erotic, Princess, for they’re not exactly nasty as you would believe, but, oh gods, you’re lust worthy material."
Kaoru blinked up at Battousai, trying to decide if she should be angry or glad at his comment.
"Do you not enjoy it when people look at you with desire in their eyes, in their hearts, and in their souls, Princess? Do you not enjoy it to know that they think to ravish you?"
"How would you know all this?"
Battousai shrugged, and with an indifference tone, he replied, "I’m a demon; I know when and what mortals are lusting."
Kaoru was shocked at herself when she found that she felt highly disappointed when Battousai told her, in a way, that he did not feel those lusts towards her. Feeling abnormally bold, she asked, "And what about you? Do you lust towards me?"
At first, Battousai did not know how to answer her, so there was a pregnant silence before he replied, "I don’t know."
"How can you not know?" Kaoru asked, almost shouting and she did not know why.
"You’re a demon who knows lust, you said yourself, so how can you not know?"
"How do you want me to answer?"
Kaoru was taken back by Battousai’s question, and she wanted to tell him to tell her what she wanted to hear from him. Instead, she said, "The truth, if that is at all possible for you."
Again, there was a pregnant pause as the demon closed his eyes, trying to form the truth in words.
"I want to spend hours just holding you and nothing else. I want to lean close to you and breathe in your sweet aroma. I live in hell around you because you’re like an idol up on a pedestal, and I can’t reach you; I don’t dare touch you because I’m a demon and you’re a goddess. No matter what shell you’re in right now, that doesn’t change the fact that you were a goddess and always will be."
Kaoru swallowed hard at Battousai’s word because the demon prince had just spoken the truth. She felt the truth in his words and they pierced her sharply in the deepest chambers of her heart.
"Well, this conversation isn’t getting your wound treated." Kaoru said, and she damned herself for pulling away so suddenly when the Great Battousai, Demon Prince had just told the truth for the first time in his life.
Battousai did not reply as Kaoru put a medicated patch on the wound, and got the ace wrap out to hold it.
"I need you to sit up so I can wrap this around you." Kaoru said softly. Her heart constricted when she saw the demon’s amber eyes once again hard, cold, and unfeeling.
"Don’t bother," Battousai said, taking the wrap from the princess’ hand. "I’ll do it myself."
Kaoru looked away from him as he started to wrap the bandage around his waist. "You’re wound will reopen."
"Don’t bother."
Yes, don’t bother him and you won’t feel guilty for pushing him away. It was the right thing to do; you can’t be together. "I’m sorry for being so cold towards you." Don’t say that; keep him distant. "I didn’t mean to hurt you, Battousai." Take the words back before it’s too late!
"Battousai is not my real name; it’s a nickname given to me over the centuries for mortals to utter because, to them, saying my real name will bring my wrath upon them."
Kaoru turned her gaze back to Battousai when he finished wrapping his wound. "Then what is your real name, Prince?"
"I’m not a prince anymore, either." Battousai said, trying to seem indifferent, uncaring about the fact that he no longer has a home. "I was removed of that title by my brother,
Enishi, when I couldn’t… complete an assignment. I wouldn’t complete it."
"What is your real name?" Kaoru asked again, her voice soft like a song bird’s singing voice, and her beautiful blue eyes pleading.
"What does it matter, Princess?"
"Don’t call me Princess because I’m no longer a goddess. I can’t be a princess if I’m not a goddess."
"Then what do you want me to call you?"
"Kaoru; call me Kaoru."
Battousai opened his mouth, and whispered the one name he never uttered, "Kaoru." And all his hate and resentment towards her crumbled away from him and bled out of him like poison sucked away. "My real name is… Kenshin. You can call me Kenshin."
"Kenshin…" Kaoru whispered back and she laid her forehead on his bare chest.
"Dame," Kenshin whispered in Japanese as he tried to pull away from the beauty. "Don’t do that."
"Just shut up and hold me like you want to." Kaoru said, getting up from her knees and sitting next to him.
Kenshin hesitated before he wrapped his arms around Kaoru and brought her closer to him. He sighed into the warmth that illuminated from her body as he rested his cheek on top of her head. For hours, the fallen prince and the fallen goddess held each other long into the night.
OOOOOOOO
"Okay," Misao thoughtfully said out loud as she looked over her list of possible places her goddess could be. "Maybe she’d be here."
After Soujiro and Akira showed up without Kaoru-sama and no idea where she could be, Misao took it upon herself to write out a list of where the goddess could be, and went in search for her.
Not knowing that another life form was watching her from the foliage behind her, Misao glanced around.
Enishi watched the girl with acute interest. Akira said that the girl, Kaoru, had short hair and blue eyes. Thoughtfully, the youngest demon prince bit his lip and wondered if it could be her. If not, the mortal girl before him could easily tell him, lest she lose her beautiful little head.
Grinning with pure evilness, Enishi waited for the right moment to pounce and kidnap the mortal girl, thus bringing him a step closer to his goal: Kaoru.
To Be Continued…