Title: Blood Wedding - Persist
Author: Tiian
Summary: She swore she would find him. But as she turned it was not he she was looking at. In a battle against a beast it is hard to stay human.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters/plot taken from Rurouni Kenshin, but OC and the story came from me.
Warning!
In this fic the pairing will be Misao/OC. It is not a permanent pairing, but in this fic it is present. (As you can see, this will be like Dome of Heaven. If I ever write the second part.)
Other: The chapters will be rated separately. So while PG-13 is the chosen rating each chapter is also rated according to its content.
Chapter 01: Swallowed whole
Rating: PG-PG13
A single grain can tip the scale
Amidst the burden the scale will prevail
Showing whats worth being here
Storyteller by a hearth of stone
Nightwish – Once – Live to tell the Tale
She knew it.
She knew that finding Aoshi was hard. Near impossible. He was after all one of the best ninja in history. Smart, strong and quiet, all qualities very much appreciated in a person. He had earned the trust of men twice his age easily and shown what he was capable of to those who followed him and those he followed.
Misao had seen it. She had been young, but she could never forget him. Or stop loving him, missing him. After many years of considering, she had finally started her search. He had left her behind, but she refused to let things remain that way. She would find him.
At the age of 11 she had left for the first time. The journey had been short-lived as she had been captured by other Oniwabanshu members. They had been angry at her for leaving like that. For the next year she had been watched very carefully and her every chance at leaving was quickly erased. She had hated it and had made her opinion clear. When she turned 12, everyone seemed to think that she had grown up and forgot her search. No such thing had happened and she had run away again. This time she managed not to be caught, learning from her past experience.
She had been gone for a month before finally returning, defeated. She had been unable to find him. She had not given up though, no matter how much she was preached at the time. Okina seemed to understand this and so he made it clear that she could leave as long as she prepared herself and took necessarily precautions. After that, she always informed them when she left. It was dangerous for a young woman like herself to be alone, but she was strong enough to defeat common bandits and men. She had learned to use that as a way to earn money when she was running low. She never stole from honest men to keep herself at least partially clean.
At the moment, she was once again on one of her journeys. She had been doing this for years now and so she knew how and where she could get information. Still it was incredibly hard. They were ninja and ninja never revealed more than they had to. She had been tracing their steps only to find out that they were faked. Again.
She had yelled out her frustration then, startling many people around her. She had learned more, she had grown older and a little bit wiser. But her temper remained the same. She was 14, nearing her 15th birthday. She should have been able to avoid attracting attention by now, but no. It was a skill she had yet to learn.
She pulled her hair from her face and looked around. The sun was setting and she knew that soon it was time to go to sleep. She wanted to wake up early well rested. The problem was that she didn't have much money, hardly enough for food, definitely not enough for an inn. Forest it is then. She sighed and headed towards the exit of the small village. The village had been the place where she had finally understood that she had been following fake traces. "Damn it!" She yelled and again many faces turned to her. She ignored them all and headed towards the forest with stubborn steps.
Then she heard laugher. Swiftly she turned her head to her left and saw a short man sitting on a bench near one of the houses. His eyes were on her and he was laughing. Misao felt her anger rise and stomped over to the man.
"What the heck are you laughing at?!" She yelled before she had even reached him. The man was laughing harder now.
Now that she was closer to him, she saw that he wasn't Japanese. His features were close to pure Japanese, but something in his face didn't fit. Perhaps it was his pure blue eyes that stood out too much. She couldn't really tell, but in her angered state, she didn't spare it another thought.
The man was now smiling at her and she had to admit that he was cute. Not handsome like her Aoshi-sama, but his young features were without a doubt attractive.
"You." He said. "It has been a long time since someone has been able to amuse me this much." He was smiling brightly at her and she felt her fist clench. With a cry she tried to hit him, but he was too quick. In a flash he had dodged it, laughing again. "My, my. What a temper you possess." He held his arms up.
What...? Fast. Misao thought and looked at the boy more carefully now. He was around 17 if she judged correctly. He wore a common Japanese clothing, black hakama and white gi. He had no weapons on him even though he was wearing clothes she mostly saw on fighters at a dojo. Once she had heard that in the past many men had walked along the streets in those cloths. Now new fashion was spreading from the west.
But nothing she saw was enough to discourage her. "Ha! So you know something." She laughed. "I underestimated you. The next attack---" She raised her fists. "—you won't dodge so easily."
The man blinked and waved his hands. "No, no. I have no intentions of fighting you. I was just admiring your spirit, that's all." He said and Misao frowned.
No one had ever said anything like that to her. No stranger at least. She had no idea how to react at being praised by someone she didn't know. Without really realizing it, her stance loosened. Was he serious?
"Oh... Well, you are in luck! I will spare you this time!" She said trying to get the confusion out of her voice. The man merely nodded with a smile and Misao frowned.
Giving him one more look, she turned and resumed her journey towards the woods. Outside no one would notice the difference, but inside Misao was confused. No one had ever admired her. Of course others at the Aoiya had praised her, but no one had ever admired anything in her. It felt good.
A small smile rose to her lips, soon spearing into a wide one. "Alright!" She yelled and started to jog feeling a lot more energized. The bag she had with her kept hitting her back in the same rhythm as her steps hit the ground.
The sun had set and the forest was dark, but her eyes got used to it soon enough. She jumped over the roots and leafs crumbled under her feet. Her eyes searched for a suitable place to sleep. She hated sleeping on the ground but she had no other choice.
Finally she stopped under a large tree. The roots were sticking from the ground and soon she found a nice place between two large roots. She pulled her hood from her back and spread it there. Another she used as coverage. She lay on her back, hands behind her head and stared at the sky. Or the little she could see from behind the leaves. She smiled a little.
She would find Aoshi-sama. This track may have been a wrong one, but the next one would certainly lead her to him. She would see him again. Nothing could stop her!
Yawning she closed her eyes. Little by little her hearing got better and better. The trees were silent, no creature made any voices. It was so silent that it bothered her. She was used to sounds. The lack of all made her uneasy. I miss the Aoiya. There was never a silent moment. The sounds of the city were always present.
She was almost asleep already when her ears moved at a sudden sound and her eyes shot open. It was far. Just a little sound. Probably some animal. She moved a little and closed her eyes.
It didn't take long before she heard something again. Even a smallest sound was clear because everything was so quiet. Too quiet and the sound was louder now. Her heart thumped in her chest, partially clouding her hearing. She cursed herself for being so tense. She was a ninja after all. No matter what came at her, she could deal with it. So why was she so uneasy? Why was her heart racing so? Why did her senses yell at her to run? It was just sound every animal could make.
She stayed still. The sounds were now multiplied and they were closer. Soon she realized that they were steps. Many steps. People were getting close to her. No animal could make such sounds. And who walked in a forest at this hour?
Her hand sneaked behind her back and grasped a kunai. Her fist clenched around it. They were closer now, much too close. And even now she had not heard anything but their steps. Not a word had escaped their lips and that worried Misao much more. They were too quiet.
Her muscles were clenching and her eyes darted in the darkness. She couldn't see anyone, but the sounds were close now. Her ears twitched at every sound, trying to move like animals. Her eyes widened as she to her horror realized that she was hearing sounds from both left and right.
Slowly, trying not to make a sound she stood up and reached for another kunai. Her breathing had grown faster and she could feel a little panicky. This was unreal. Why didn't they make a sound? Why didn't they speak?
She leaned against the tree knowing that this way she didn't have to worry about having eyes on her back. The sounds were clear now and she knew that it wouldn't take long for them to arrive. Her hand clenched and she focused on seeing them before they could see her. Some sweat run down the side of her face tickling her skin as it went, but she didn't have the luxury of time to wipe it away. They were here.
She had heard the steps and judged that there would be two on her left and another two on her right side. She was wrong. Three men appeared first from her left side, their eyes immediately on her. They knew she was here, they saw her. Two of them were pretty much the same height and the last was a little bit shorter. The shortest had a short hair, while the tall ones that looked identical and both had hair that reached their shoulders.
It was a small sound from her right that alerted her. She had been so focused on the first ones to appear that she had forgotten her right side. Two men appeared from the forest and they were far closer to her than the three that had appeared first. The other man was tall and the other short but both were staring at her. Both had hair that almost reached their bottoms. They too looked a lot alike, siblings she would guess.
"Just one? And so small..." The taller of the men on her right asked, obviously disappointed.
The other one of the identical brothers snorted. "That is better than nothing. He is here so we have to careful. There is no way we can attack the city like before."
The tall man snorted, but didn't say anything,
Misao had watched them silently her heart thumping so fast that it almost hurt. They were completely ignoring her even though they probably spoke of her. "Who the hell are you?" She finally managed to say, but her voice was so quiet she hardly heard it herself. Why? Why am I so afraid? Her hands clenched. The twins both had a sword on their waist. Is that why? No... I have defeated men with swords before too.
Her words had attracted their attention and now that they were all watching her, she knew why. They had cold eyes and the power of their gaze was equal to a well trained swordsman. There was also horrible hunger in their eyes and she found herself shaking. They were... too powerful!
She whimpered.
And then she blinked. Did I just... How can I sound so pathetic? She blinked. If a mere look is enough to beat me... how can I ever be of any help to Aoshi-sama?
Aoshi-sama...
Images flashed across her head. She remembered so much of him, more than of anything else. She had seen him commanding men, she had seen him giving instructions, she had seen him training. She had seen his strength. He would never make a pathetic sound like she just did. He would not!
Her hold of kunai suddenly loosened and her body naturally took the stance Hannya had taken a lot of time to teach. She was still afraid. Their stares were scary and a large part of her wanted to either run or curl up and cry. But a small part remembered all she had been taught. Small part of her, perhaps the truest piece of her soul refused to succumb. It took over and washed her fear to the background.
The tall man laughed. "Does that little girl actually think that she can defeat us?" said the shorter man on her left.
"I am not a little girl. I am Makimachi Misao." Misao said loudly. "And I will not bow before you! Never!" Her anger rose, overriding the remains of her fear. Her eyes were serious and she was prepared for an attack.
The man that had just spoken shook his head. "There is no need for you to bow." The man turned to her and walked closer. "All you need to do is to die!" The man opened his eyes wide and Misao stared in disbelief. His eyes were red. "What the heck is going on?!"
The man laughed and Misao saw something she didn't want to. Sharpened teeth. This man had purposely filed his teeth sharp.
Suddenly with a surprising speed the taller man attacked her and she jumped. It was more of a reflex than anything. High in a beautiful arc over him, she landed behind him and threw her kunai. The man dodged it skillfully snatching it from the air as it flew past him. Misao didn't have the time to see this as the other man on her right had also launched an attack. She stepped towards him which surprised the other man. While he was momentarily frozen, she flipped backwards her feet hitting the man's chin. He groaned and took a step backwards. "Bitch." He also looked at her with red eyes. What the heck is wrong with there people?! Also her kick had done a lot less damage than she had expected.
She run past the man to make sure that she could see them all and counter they attack accordingly. Her eyes darted from left to right. The twins with the swords and the man with them had not moved at all. The ones to charge at her were the ones that originally came at her from her right side.
She dodged the hit of the tall man by ducking low and she swept her feet along the ground aiming for the man's feet. Just as her hit was about to connect the man jumped and she hit mere air. Shit!
She quickly rolled out of the way, but then she felt a tug on her hair. With horror she realized that the shorter had taken a hold of her braid. Her head snapped back as he pulled and she made a small sound. Her hand sneaked inside her obi and pulled two kunais. With a scream she embedded them to the man's arm. He screamed and released her hair. She run forward away from the man, but by now the taller had already joined the action and she found herself flying in the air as his kick hit her stomach. It hurt like hell and then she hit the ground.
She groaned, her hands covering her stomach. The men were approaching her and so she tried to stand, but the pain was so great she knew that he had somehow managed to break one of her lower ribs. She knew that she wouldn't get up in time and so she pulled more kunai and threw them at the men with a defiant scream. The tall man managed to dodge them, but the shorter one got hit by two, one hit his shoulder and the other his chest. The man screamed but somehow she got the idea that it was not because he was pained, but because he was frustrated. He ripped the kunais off. "She is mine!" He said and his red eyes gleamed. His lips formed a smiled and his long teeth were revealed.
Misao tried to back away but the man was too close. He gripped her by her front and pulled her high into the air. Misao knew that she wasn't heavy, but he had to be strong to lift her without any effort. I am so screwed. Her eyes were focused on the other man's red eyes. I need to find a way out of this mess! She tried to kick the man, but as she tried her broken rib made her grimace in pain. She tried to pry his hands open, but she could not. He had an iron grip.
"Yours? Why don't we share?" The tall man asked and Misao could detect a little bit of anger.
"Because she managed to hit me. So she is mine!" The man holding her yelled at the other one. "We can find another one for you but this one is mine!"
The tall man sighed. "Fine, but we better find one quickly. I am hungry." The short one nodded and then all of his attention was on Misao again.
"After all this trouble... You better taste good!"
Misao's eyes widened. Taste? What is he talking about? She made her last attempts at freedom by overcoming the pain and kicking the man with all she had. Her kick connected and the man winced, but he didn't seem hurt. "After all that, this is all you have?" He grinned and lowered her so that her feet reached the ground. Misao breathed deeply as fresh air was finally within her reach. The hold he had had, had almost strangled her. Her relief was short lived as he grasped her clothing and pulled it to her shoulders. She didn't even have time to scream before he had bitten her.
Her mouth was open but no sound came out. The man's bite hurt like hell and she felt drained. She tried to lift her hand to push him away but no matter how hard she tried, it would not move. Power was leaving her so fast she didn't think it was possible. Her vision grew blurry, her body weak and her thoughts slow and unfocused. She was losing her touch of reality and a small part of her knew that if she lost that, she would die. But she was helpless. There was nothing she could do anymore. It was not like her to give, but she had done everything she could. Even now as she tried to move, it was impossible no matter how much she tried. She was getting too sleepy.
The pressure on her neck left and she heard sounds and screams. She hardly felt the bang as her body hit the ground. Nothing made sense anymore and all she could see was the grass she was laying on. She had heard similar sounds in a dojo, the sounds of fighting. Screams and bodies hitting the ground. But who was fighting...?
Her eyes were closing, but she fought it with everything she had. She had a mission she needed to complete. She needed to find her Aoshi-sama, she couldn't afford to fall asleep.
Someone was moving her, turning her around and pulling her close. She blinked to clear her vision, but all she saw was pair of clear blue eyes.
"Come on! Hold on for a little bit longer! You need to answer a question!" A male voice was shouting and the order in it was so strong that her half closed eyes opened. A hand was on her neck and kept her head from falling back. She no longer had the strength to keep on looking at the man.
"No matter what, no matter in what form, do you want to keep on living?" The man asked and Misao tried to make sense of it. Live... Yes, she wanted to live.
"Do you have something you need to accomplish no matter what? No matter what the cost would be for being able to live?" There was hurry in the voice and Misao pulled all her strength together to one focused moment.
"Ao-shi-sa-ma... I...need...to..." She didn't have strength for anymore words, but this seemed enough for the man. He pulled her close and she felt the same pressure on her neck as before, but it didn't last for longer than few seconds.
She fought to keep her eyes open but she simply didn't have the strength anymore and they closed. She felt that she was laid on her back and something liquid was dropped into her mouth and it moved down to her throat. She wanted to cough but she didn't have the strength. Everything was spinning and she felt cold.
Then...
Everything was...so peaceful.