Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ 'Do You Want to Live Forever?' ❯ Playing A Part ( Chapter 11 )

Reveiw Response at the end of the Chapter.

For everyone who thought they got left out of the last review response, you have my deepest apology. I had uploaded the new chapter to Media Miner with all of the current Responses including the ones for AFF on it. When I uploaded the chapter to AFF it was an older version with only the responses to the readers on FF.net. I recently re-uploaded the chapter with the newer version so that the updated review responses are there. Once more, I apologize to everyone who thought I missed them or left them out. It was my error caused from posting on so many different sites. KnT

Chapter Eleven

Playing A Part

New York City: 56th and Wilshire

Monday Morning, 10:22 a.m.

April, 2004

Characters:

Kenshin Himura: Captain, Homicide Detective

Sanosuke Sagara: Sargent, Homicide Detective

Megumi Takani, Coroner, New York County

"EEEWWWW! Yuck!" Sano turned and spit on the rocky pavement as he and Kenshin approached the bloody crime scene that had been cordoned off by yellow police tape. "What a mess."

"No kidding." Kenshin glared at his partner over the top of his glasses as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out pad and paper. "What were you expecting? A walk through the Queen's court?"

"Well, no... not exactly, but you coulda warned me before we got here, ya know." That earned him another scathing look that had him holding his big hands up in front of him like a shield as he tried to ward off his partners obvious anger. "Sorry, sorry... my mistake."

"No shit." Kenshin grumbled as they ducked under the tape. "You need to looked sufficiently surprised, you idiot. If I had told you what to expect, you wouldn't have been able to pull it off."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, Cap."

"No problem, Partner... what are friends for?" Sano leveled a sardonic gaze of pure 'go to hell' at his red headed friend who simply took it in stride and led the way over to the first of the four bodies which had been covered with a white sheet.

"No blood?" Sano cast a questioning gaze at Kenshin.

"Simpson... no battle wounds. His neck is broken."

"Oh." A delicate shudder quaked through the big man as his partner knelt beside the shrouded body and lifted the corner of the sheet. Tony Simpson's large brown eyes stared sightlessly into oblivion a slightly surprised and dazed look frozen in their bottomless depths. The same look of surprise was reflected on the features of his face; his mouth somewhat askew as if he had been caught completely off guard.

He had collapsed where he died and simply fell into an unnatural heap. His head lay at an awkward angle as opposed to the rest of his body giving him an unstrung marionette look to go with his crumpled arms and legs. Kenshin found his hands trembling slightly as he gazed into the face of a man he had never met, but whose life he was singularly responsible for taking. 'Cel' had murdered this man with extreme prejudice; without thought or remorse, and left him in the street for forensics to clean up. Something was wrong with this scenario. It wasn't supposed to turn out like this. The Police were not the enemy. The 'Made' were. An aching sense of guilt settled upon his shoulders and he bent slightly beneath the enormous weight.

'This must never happen again.'

"Captain Himura. How nice of you to join us on this bright spring morning."

"Only you would be this happy this time of the morning in the middle of a mess like this, Doc." Amethyst eyes peered upward over the rims of gold-framed glasses and met the mocking brown eyes of the county coroner. "What the hell are you doing out here? Did they run out of cold ones for you to slice and dice so you had to come sniffing around the fresh ones?"

"Nay, I was just getting tired of missing out on all the fun you boys were having out here without me. So I thought I would come down myself and see what all the fuss was about. This is the work of your 'Pimp Killer' isn't it?"

"Don't know." His reply was short as he dropped the sheet and stood up to face the forensic specialist. "Haven't seen any neck wounds yet."

"Oh, I got a doosey for you over here. Just one thing though..."

"What's that?"

"The neck wound..."

"Um-hum?"

"It is the neck. The head's been completely torn off."

"Jesus." Sano covered his mouth as the unmistakable sound of an 'erp' was heard from behind his fingers. "Did you have to say that, Doc. I just had a muffin for Godsake."

"Suck it up, Sargent." Kenshin shot his partner an acrid look that told him this was not the place for his bullshit. "We got a job to do out here."

"No kidding, Cap... but could she be a little bit less... informative?"

"Oh, poor Sargent Sagara. Got a little bit of a weak tummy?" Dr. Megumi Tagani offered the dark-eyed, green-gilled detective one her best smiles while he glared daggers at her. "I've got some Dramamine in my car, sweetum's if you need some."

"Kiss my..."

"Sargent!" Kenshin's short reprimand caught Sano before he could finish his unprofessional retort, and the big man immediately pinched his lips together in response, but not before he mouthed the words, 'You're gonna get it later.' Megumi just winked and turned her back on the fuming detective and led the way to the next body.

It was Charlie Fuenttez.

He was only about three feet away from Simpson, but the sheet covering him was stained a hideous crimson all across the center mass of his torso. Megumi leaned over and lifted it off revealing a Hispanic man in his early thirties. His face looked much the same as Tony's. Frozen, filled with surprise, and completely dazed. But unlike Tony who didn't have a mark on him, Charlie was sporting a large fist sized hole just beneath his sternum. It went straight through his flack-jacket, uniform, and body tissue. The amount of blood covering him and pavement indicated it was definitely the cause of death.

"Shit!" Sano swallowed hard as he looked at the ragged opening in the mans body. "What the fuck happened to him?"

"Well, as best as I can tell, Detective." Megumi knelt down next to the body and indicated the wound with her right index finger. "Someone... or something shoved it's fist or some other round type object through all of his protective gear as well as his body, and then tore his heart out."

"Tore his heart out? Are you shittin' me?"

"No. We found the heart right over there by the body of Officer Simpson... fully intact."

"That is... quite remarkable, Doc." Kenshin looked down at the dead Policeman and once more felt the heavy weight of responsibility. She had been fighting for her life, but again, it should not have happened this way. This man should not be dead. He was not the enemy. "What kind of force can penetrate a vest and a body at the same time?"

"Something very strong, Captain."

"I understand that, Doctor Tagani. I am asking you if you have any ideas on what it might be." Penetrating violet crystals pierced into intelligent brown orbs and for a moment the two battled for supremacy, but at last power won out over stubbornness and the woman lowered her eyes.

"No, I don't. I don't have any idea what could be strong enough to punch a hole through both body armor and the flesh of a man, tear out the strongest organ in the body, and then just walk away. Besides that," Her face grew pensive and confused.

"What?" Kenshin knelt down opposite her so he could meet her gaze on her level.

"It had to have happened very quickly."

"What makes you say that?"

"It's a clean straight through wound. Straight in, straight out... and the look on his face shows he was caught completely off. He didn't know what hit him, Captain, and whatever it was, it took him out in a matter of seconds, not moments."

"I see your point, but a skilled martial artsman can punch through a man's chest and tear out his heart in a matter of seconds. Why is this so strange?" He was pushing her and he knew it, but he wanted every detail recorded. Everything he already knew was true.

"Strange? Are you blind and deaf? The kevlar you idiot! The kevlar!" She yanked open the strap of Fuenttez's flack and showed Kenshin and Sano the ragged yellow fibers peaking out of the gory opening. "Do you know of any martial arts guy who can punch through kevlar? If you do, I want to meet him."

"I get your point, Doc." Kenshin reached out and gently pulled her hand off the vest. "And I already knew what you were getting at."

"You did? Then what the hell did you make me go through all that for?"

"To make sure you knew what you were getting at." Her mouth clamped shut and her wide brown eyes locked hard with his violet ones. "You have to get every single fact, Doctor Tagani, especially in a freaked out case like this. If you don't, the DA will eat you alive, and they will sweep everything under the carpet." He watched as the light of understanding finally dawned in her eyes, and then she nodded her head.

"I guess that's why they call you the best, eh, Captain Himura? You don't let anyone get to you or drive you crazy with questions. You already know the answers before they can ask them." She sounded subdued from her earlier pique and Kenshin snorted under his breath.

"No, I'm the best because I drive everybody else crazy." Her head snapped up and she caught him favoring her with a half smile. "Details are my thing, Doc. Ask Sargent Sagara here. I reference everything, and then cross reference it so that there are no mistakes or misconceptions before I file my report. If I can't prove it, then it isn't true. Just like the kevlar."

"What do you mean?" She looked down at the ruptured vest. "What about the kevlar?"

"You are absolutely right." He used his pencil to point out key areas to her. "The edges are not frayed as if they were sawed, or melted, pulled apart, or even torn. They were abruptly severed; snapped if you will and only something with a tremendous amount of force behind it could do damage as specific as this. It was not sharp, but it may not have been necessarily blunt either. But it was powerful and it was moving very, very fast. The force and the speed itself literally snapped the fibers, separated the muscle and tissue, and provided enough momentum to tear the heart from its moorings before the weapon was removed." The tip of the pencil thumped on his pad of paper as he pondered the wound and the information. "It is not humanly possible to those things in that successive order or in the time frame you require. Do you agree?"

Megumi was astounded. For years she had heard rumors about this man, most of them bizarre and completely unrealistic. She had met him on several occasions, worked with him on a few obscure cases, rubbed elbows with him at Police and City functions, but had never had the opportunity to do anything complicated or in depth with him before. So when word came in about the mass murder from the night before, she had circumvented her entire staff just to get the chance to see him in action. Now she wasn't so sure everything she'd heard about him was as unrealistic as she had first believed. He was a Genius. He definitely had a very strange way of looking at evidence, but he was genius.

"I... I would have to, yes."

"Very good. What's next?" He jotted several things down in his note pad and then looked up into her astonished face expectantly. "There are two more bodies, yes?"

"Yes. This way."

They spent the rest of the morning and into the early afternoon examining the four bodies in the ally, cataloguing mountains and bags of evidence, and drinking gallons of coffee. By 1:30 pm Megumi was exhausted and wondering how the red-head kept up such a vicious pace without collapsing. One bewildered look at his stoic, handsome partner told her there was no use trying to figure it out, that was just the way it was. Get used to it.

"He's been like that ever since we were kids. He'll never change."

"You've known him since you were children?" She was incredulous. "You are kidding me, right?"

"Nope. Since we were little guys. I've always kept his back. It just stayed that way even after we got out of the Academy. We made a good team. Always have, probably always will. Nobody else can put up with his shit, and nobody knows him better than me. So, why screw with something that works, you know?"

"Well, he is strange, I'll agree with you there." 'And getting stranger by the minute.' "I don't think I've ever met anyone so intense when it comes to his job... or facts and evidence. He's almost creepy the way he pieces through every little thing... and those glasses. They make him look like a little bug with big eyes."

Sano laughed and handed her a sandwich he had bought from the deli down the street. "Creepy isn't half of it, doc. You should see him with crime scene photo's and files... that's creepy. Sometimes he sets and stares and them for hours and doesn't even move. The guys in the office think he's part zombie or something. Whatever it is, they just don't think its natural for anybody to act that way."

Megumi smiled around her sandwich and wondered for the thousandth time if this guy was ever going to get off his ass and ask her out. He was always coming to the morgue to pick-up or drop off information, and she had been giving him signals for months. She had just about decided he was the densest man God had put on the Earth, and if he didn't do something soon, she was.

"Have to respect him though. He is good at what he does. I don't think I've ever seen anyone better. God knows it would be hard to miss anything with him around sniffing in every single crack and crevice."

"Yes, Ma'am. He's damn good." Sano let his brown gaze shift from the lovely features of his current romantic interest and let them fall onto the blazing red-head of his partner and best friend. There isn't anyone better than Kenshin. If there is an answer to be found for this shit, he'll be the one to find it." 'Too bad we already know what the answer is, huh Bud? God, how are we going to get through this thing knowing what we know?' He sighed inwardly and wished deep within himself that this current dilemma didn't push Kenshin over the edge. Poor Sano, he didn't know how close to the truth he really was.

#

'I did this... my hands did this. God help me! I'm a murderer. How do I... Can I live with this? Kaoru? Kaoru I need you. Where are you, my lubit? Come cradle my soul, help me... help me understand why I did this. How could I do this? These men are not our enemy! They are not our enemy... THEY ARE NOT OUR ENEMY!'

As he leaned over the hood of his car, the raging agony of Kenshin/Cel's soul screamed upward into the cosmos of the elemental world leaving behind a trail of flaming pain and guilt that rocked the slumbering spirits of both the 'Pure Blood's' and the 'Made's' as it slashed through their dreams like a bloody sword. Over and over his mind flashed with the images of the four dead officers and their innocent blood that was pooled all over the ground. 'Perhaps they are not completely innocent.' He thought as pain squeezed around his heart. 'But they are not the enemy of my people... our war is not with 'them'. Our war is with Uriel and his abominations. This cannot happen again! THIS CAN NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN!'

Amber-gold eyes turned to gaze skyward as the weight of his responsibility grew heavier and the breath hitched in his throat bordering on a growl. A shifting of molecules and chemical bonds rippled through his system, and Kenshin knew that the change was upon him. He would not be able to stay here with the investigation team any longer than he already had and he was risking discovery the longer he waited. Already the claws were tingling at the tips of his fingers and his fangs tickled the surface of his tongue. He was out of time, and so with a single pleading glance sent in Sano's general direction he allowed the growing strength of his powerful legs to silently blur him into the air surrounding him.

Just like that, Kenshin Himura disappeared without so much as a shift in the breeze.

#

The next thing Sano knew, Kenshin was gone. One minute he was leaning over the hood of their car examining plastic bags filled with physical evidence, and the next he was just... gone.

"What the hell?" The tall Sargent stood up and quickly walked over to the car and proceeded to look around. "Where did you go, Bud?" He muttered under his breath as he scanned the road and the ally-way not coming up with any answers. Planting his hands on his hips in frustration, he looked down at the plastic bags littered across the hood of the car wondering if the red-head had decided to follow-up on something; although he couldn't imagine what considering they had all the facts.

As he turned away, something strange caught his eye and he leaned over to give it a closer look. It was a long thin scratch in the dark green paint. "Hey... where did that come from?" He reached out and ran his index finger along the scratch and then looked at whatever residue he might have picked up. Fine green paint shavings clung to the pad of his finger showing that the scratch was very new and that whatever had made was very sharp. "What the..." Sano wrinkled his brows trying to figure out how the scratch could have gotten on the hood when suddenly something very bizarre and frightening occurred to him.

'Claws? Those claws he was sporting this morning... they looked sharp as hell.' Once more Sano looked down at the strange scratch and took notice of its placement. Then he shifted his perspective and watched as the smear of a hand print showed up beneath the glare of the afternoon sun. 'Holy shit!' The scratch lined up perfect with the index finger. A shiver ran down his spine as he realized why he couldn't find Kenshin, and his brown eyes filled with anxiety. 'You better not be flipping out on me, Buddy. You better be Ok wherever it is you went, and you fucking better be coming back. Dammit!'

Sano looked up at the dull afternoon sky and offered a little prayer inside his heart. 'Take care of him God. He's important to all of us... I know he sort of fucked up last night killing that guy and all, but there were extenuating circumstances. He could really use a break about now; he's a good guy, trust me, and he could use your help too. So could I. What do ya say?'

#

Ellis Island/Manhattan Bay

6:10 pm, same day

He spent the day perched in a tree on top of one of the non-traditional skyscrapers that kept its own private garden on the roof. It was above the level of the smog and he could see clear to Brooklyn, Queens, and practically New Jersey. Up here the birds sang and played tag in the clear blue of the sky while butterflies flitted from one flower to the next; their colorful powdery wings catching the sunlight like beautiful hand painted Japanese screens. Fluffy white clouds lazily sailed across the endless blue ocean like monstrous sails on invisible ships, and he found himself wondering where they were going and if he might be able to catch a ride there.

'Anywhere but here.' Golden eyes narrowed beneath fiery brows as painful memories and unwanted emotions assailed his heart and soul. A mind that refused to rest or be quieted continued to brood and contemplate the crime scene he had investigated that morning, and every bloody detail remained perfectly imprinted upon his memory.

'I cannot do this.' Clawed hands rose to rake vicious ly through flaming hair that hung in silken ropes around his body. 'I cannot shoulder this responsibility. I cannot bear up beneath the weight of the guilt and the pressure of my destiny... it is too much. I cannot... I am not ready. They are not ready. None of them understand the value of a human life, and they will not accept me. I should have seen this before... I should have thought of this before. I am half-human. Kaoru said it herself, I saw it in her eyes when she looked at me the first time she knew it. I was something...weak, unacceptable, unwanted. The clans will see me as the same thing only more so because I am supposed to be 'First Leader'.' An angry growl rumbled deep inside of his chest and his eyes flared wildly.

'Who are they to judge me? Who are they to judge anyone? Who are they to decide who or what is pure enough or strong enough to be valuable? They are prideful and arrogant. They are callous and too full of themselves.' He leapt from the tree and snarled malevolently as a yet before unknown fury rose within him and began to burn inside his heart. 'If I must prove myself capable of leading... prove myself strong enough to lead, then so be it... but the line will be drawn now... it will be drawn tonight. Life is sacred; all life, and they will be made to see that, or I will die trying... then let them face the Holy War alone.'

And then he was throwing himself off the edge of the building and streaking through the air like a blazing comet. In moments he was back on the balcony of his apartment and walking through the glassdoor. Amber eyes glowed in the dimness of the room as he moved to the large shuttered bookcase, the light glinting of the glass panels. He opened the latches, reached inside and removed several items, closes the doors, and retreated to his bedroom.

A few silent moments later the arcadia doors opened once more and what sounded like the wings of a great bird filled the quiet, then it was gone. The curtain flapped gently in the evening breeze. He had forgotten to shut the door.

#

New York Time: 5:56 pm

The righteous anger of his grieving soul surged upward from Cel's core snarling and snapping its challenge to every 'Pure Blooded' mind it ripped across as it tore through the body collective of the clans. Children woke clawing their way free from their beds screaming their parent's names in terror. Families huddled together in corners and inside closets crying and wailing in confusion their eyes wild and unseeing. Seasoned Slayers and soldiers leapt from their bunks and posts weapons instantly ready for battle, and each leader in every colony was flooded with the knowledge that the time of waiting was finished and the time of blood had been born. Fear was born and all eyes turned to the American Coast.

Hiko Seijuro raced through his howling terrified colony with Aoshi and Kaoru hot on his heels. There were two things on his anxious frightened mind and he was going to need their help in both matters. One was trying to restore some semblance of peace and order to the rising panic and chaos. Second, attempt to explain why every terrified soul was seeing and hearing the same thing, and what it meant to them. Because inside of every mind's eye there was imprinted the same ferocious image of a man with blazing red hair and riveting golden eyes, and in each of their ears they all clearly heard the same words and the same voice.

"Prepare yourselves. I am coming."

#

Hundreds of thousands of 'Made' writhed and screamed on the floors of their crypts, dens, and rooms; each held their head in trembling hands as they tried to hold the vision at bay. The vision of blood, of fangs, of impending death. The vision of golden eyes and hair the color of volcano's flame, claws dripping with blood and the booming voice that echoed inside of their searing brains.

"You are the enemy! You are the cause of all our woes! You are the reason innocent blood runs red upon the ground, and for this each of you will die with your heads upon the altar of my truth. I will crush your skulls in my hands and watch your bones turn to ashes in the sun. Your days are numbered and dwindling with the sands in the hourglass of doom. Justice is upon you... the day when darkness bleeds into light has awoken from the graves of the slain, and you are known to me. I see you. I am coming. War is upon you and you will perish."

#

"What the hell is happening, Kaoru?"

"It's 'him', Papa. It's Kenshin."

"I figured that out for myself, Slayer." Glittering emerald eyes raked her pale concerned face as they raced through the compound. "What the hell is he trying to do? Kill us?"

"I... I don't know." The uncertainty in her voice brought Hiko up short and Aoshi nearly collided into the back of the big man. "YOU DON"T KNOW?"

"Nu, I don't know." Her face was a mask of worry and that hit the colony leader hard. "I can't 'reach' his mind through his emotions at the moment. It is as if he's lost touch with some part of himself, and... and he's slipped over the edge into a type of fury. I can't explain any better than that."

"What could have caused it, Kaoru?" Aoshi reached out to the confused girl and gripped her shoulder. "Why would he do that?"

"I'm not sure. The only thing I can think of is he had to go to work this morning."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Aoshi exchanged a bewildered look with his superior officer. "Why would his going to his job result in a deterioration such as this?"

"He... he's the Captain of Homicide, Major. He... he would have had to head up the investigation into the killings of the four policemen we dispatched last night." Her blue eyes grew round with grief and concern. "He killed one of them himself. He was protecting me, but the man died by his hands for no other reason. He has to investigate a killing he committed himself, and find another explanation for it, as well as the three I killed. I... he's a very honorable man, I think it may have proved more difficult that he thought it would be... even though it was Vampire business and self-defense, I don't think he is going to be able to look at it that way."

"That could be a problem."

"Is he nothing but a damn weakling to be losing control of himself over something like this?" Hiko muttered as he turned to walk away. "They were armed policemen, not bloody sacrifices. If he cannot control his emotions and powers better than this when faced with a crisis, he may be too weak to lead." Suddenly the irritated General found himself being thrown against the wall with considerable force and he gasped as much in surprise as he did in pain.

"How dare you!" Kaoru snarled, fangs snapping and eyes flashing liquid silver. "How dare you think you can judge what you do not know. How dare you speak of weakness when you have never seen his strengths. Tell me Papa, why does he look weak to you? He is the Almighty Fang sent to lead us into the fucking future. How can The Fang be 'weak'? Is he weak because he has no taste for the spilling of innocent blood, because he has a conscience, because he has 'human' qualities that make him one of them, or because he's a half-breed and not a full pureblood?" Hiko paled and watched in fascination as her fangs grew far beyond any length he had ever seen and a shiver of unexpected apprehension traveled up his spine.

"He's coming, Papa. He's coming here, and from what I can tell, he's pissed beyond reason. Obviously he doesn't like killing when there is no particular reason involved. Killing the humans was an event that should have never happened as a result of a fight that should have never taken place. As I recall, our fight is with the 'Made', not those pitiful mice, and that fact alone could have something to do with the level of his anger." Kaoru's eyes had gone almost translucent their shifting silver depths resembling the raging seas more than objects of vision, and as she leaned into her fathers position, he held his breath. "But if I were you, Papa, I think I'd re-evaluate my opinion of weakness before he gets here; otherwise, you could have a real problem on your hands."

"Are you threatening me... daughter?" Hiko cocked his head to one side and stared hard into Kaoru's face trying to ascertain what was all of a sudden going on inside of her head that would cause such a behavior change as well as the transformation in her appearance. 'It's his blood...' He realized with a start. 'It's the blood inside of her that is doing this. Dear God, is she going to turn on me because I have questioned her mate's ability to lead? Has his blood so completely claimed the whole of her that it has changed her like some sort of mutated infection? Am I looking into the face of the future or the mask of our demise? Prince Crede? What is happening to us? Help us, My Lord... The Fang is out of control.'

"No, Papa. I would never be so disrespectful as to threaten you. You are 'Leader', but," She stepped back and took up a position next to Aoshi, who had remained perfectly quiet and still throughout the exchange. "If you challenge him, 'Cel' will kill you. Kenshin wouldn't... but 'Cel' will. He is 'First Leader' and I have a feeling if this is a taste of what we can expect from him... he won't take to lightly to your inferring that he is 'a weakling'."

A shiver of coldness crept through Hiko's body as he considered his daughters words. A Vampire with Human emotions and values... A Vampire with a Code of Honor that included the sanctity of human life as well as Pure Bloods... A Vampire with a conscience. 'God help us...'

"Do you think His Wrath would be the end of me?" The voice was low and thoughtful as it exited the big man's chest. "Do you think he would... challenge me for a set of values over a reasonably insignificant species?"

"Insignificant, Papa? Since when did the human's become insignificant to you?"

"They really aren't, Kaoru, but if this mate of yours is going to turn out to be some left-wing fanatic instead of the leader we need him to be, then they become insignificant to our cause. They will prove to be an unwanted obstacle that has only gotten in the way... again."

"Again?" Kaoru's gaze shifted to the side and she looked at Aoshi who was offering no allegiance one way or the other. He was simply standing watch to make sure this altercation didn't escalate into something more violent. "What do you mean again?"

"It is the human race who are the fundamental source, or breeding ground for the 'Made', or had you forgotten?"

"That is not their doing, Papa. It never was. They are the victims. You taught me that yourself." Silver pools of angry suspicion locked and held the glittering angry emeralds of the older man. "Have you turned into a hypocrite, General?" Her lips pealed back and revealed milky white daggers as she hissed a challenge in his direction. "I thought we were supposed to try and protect them?"

"Don't you presume to lecture me, Slayer..." Hiko reared up off the wall and roared in his daughters face, but she did not so much as flinch. "I am still Leader here, and my words are still law... ASSUME YOUR POST!" Her face hardened mutinously and she opened her mouth to say something in response, but Aoshi's hand on her forearm prevented her making the rift between her and her father larger.

"Yes, sir." She gritted out snapping her fangs in fury. "The South gate. Roger."

"Move out!"

"Aye, Sir." She whirled in a cloud of ebony silk and then was gone racing down the corridor heading for her designated post. The aura of furious power she left behind was causing both men to feel extraordinarily sick.

"Why didn't her fucking mate's shield come out and slam me into the next universe?" Hiko muttered as he leaned over and spit on the floor. "Don't you think I ought to be dead, Major? Especially after that little 'quarrel'?"

"I have no idea, Sir." Aoshi followed suit and spit on the floor as his stomach roiled and surged beneath the onslaught of the power. "I am becoming more confused by this whole 'Cel' thing the farther in to it we go."

"No kidding. How long do you think we have?"

"I wouldn't know, sir. I suppose it depends where he is, and how he plans on getting here. It's daylight yet although just barely, but he may not wait, not the way he is feeling. He risks transforming in front of other humans."

"Bloody hell." Hiko raised a worried look to his Major as he rubbed a trembling hand along the edge of his jaw. "Do you think we are in danger, Major? Do you think this maniac is going to kill us?"

"I..." Aoshi dropped his gaze for a moment as he considered what he knew of 'Cel' from his brief experiences with the power that surrounded he Slayer, and now this incredible surgence of fury that had attacked the whole colony. "My gut tells me 'no', General."

"That's your gut, Aoshi. What does your head tell you? What does logic tell you?"

"That we need to lock the gates down as soon as we can."

"Now you're saying something I can agree with." Hiko turned and started quickly making his way toward the control center. "Let's make it so. Gather your Slayers, we may need them."

"General Seijuro?" Aoshi reached out and touched the large mans shoulder causing him to turn around. "Why don't you believe enough to wait and see what happens? He is 'Cel', Sir."

"Why?" Hiko's emerald gaze glinted hard and filled with a soldiers battle wariness. "Because, Major, everything we have encountered to do with this man had ended up in violence toward OUR people in one aspect or another. He does not seem to be in control of his own power, and he is obviously careless. I don't trust him."

"Is that the only reasons, Sir? Or is it something more?"

"What are you getting at, Major?"

"He's not a true Pure Blood... that did not seem to set well with you despite your reassurances to your daughter about trying to prepare the people for his arrival. Am I correct?"

The large Vampire stood still for a long moment and stared his subordinate in the eyes as he had done on many occasions, and he knew that Aoshi's gift of intuitiveness had been able to sniff him out even though he thought he had buried his feelings to deep for anyone to find. He could not hide them from the icy blue gaze that looked into his soul.

"Yes. You are correct." Hiko turned and started to walk once more toward the control room. "I don't trust him because he's nothing but a half-breed."

"Even if he is Prince Crede's grandson, and 'Cel'?"

"Even so... He is not one of US."

#

Streaking through the air like an enormous raven, Cel grinned as a feeling of complete freedom burst inside of him. He knew he could fly, he just hadn't been sure he could do it in this world, but he was streaking through the air like a missile so he supposed that answered that question. Of course, when he sprang into the air and disappeared like a ghost, he had not been thinking about whether or not he was going to be able to do it, just how fast he was going to be able to get where he wanted to go. At his current speed it wouldn't take him more than a few minutes. Being who he was had its advantages even if it was his guilt and fury that had brought him to this point.

Manhattan Bay streaked away at an alarming speed beneath him and the ruins of Ellis Island were looming closer with every second. His highly attuned senses told him that everyone in the compound was awake and that fear and chaos were raging through the living quarters and the barracks. Mentally he offered an apology for his abruptness with them, but that was as far as his sympathies went. They had all been far to accepting of whatever was told them and taught them for far too long, and it was time for their world to change. It was time to bring the clans into the world of the 'Daywalker's' even if he had to bring them kicking and screaming all the way.

His feet landed feather soft upon the sandy beach and he cast his 'awareness' about him looking for danger before he moved an inch. There was nothing. No traps, no sentries, no warning systems; nothing. Nothing but a few proximity motion detector devices and some small UHF video cameras. 'Cel' frowned in displeasure. This was completely unacceptable. It was well known, even to him, that the 'Made' employed human assistance to help them cross over the daylight barrier, and the lack of daytime security around the compound was nothing short of pure stupidity.

Slowly he walked a perimeter around the old building noting as he went where many nighttime traps were laid out; his nose sniffing the garlic and the sea salt easily. The strategically placed rose gardens met with his approval as well, but they would only go so far in protecting the clan. The defenses themselves were pathetic. He was not amused.

It was a simple task for him to locate the entrance to the underground compound. He simply followed Kaoru's unique scent to the bench, carefully examined it, and then activated the mechanism that opened the doors. The sun in the sky was just passing the mark of 6:22pm when 'Cel' disappeared into the darkness beneath Ellis Island. The agitated 'clicking' of his long, black claws echoed in his wake as he easily maneuvered his way through the darkened entry halls until he found the elevator. He pushed the button and waited.

It took several minutes for the big silver box to reach him, and once inside he gazed dispassionately at the grid of numbers he had to chose from. 'Hmmmm, where to go?' He thought with a twist of his lips. By the designation descriptions next the numbers, it appeared the living quarters were in the middle of the compound on floors 6,7, and 8. No doubt the three were interconnected and getting out on either floor would take him to the entire community. He pushed the seventh floor. 'Right in the middle... seems a good place to start.' The elevator dropped.

#

The next chapter is already in the works and hopefully won't take very long to complete. I hope this answered a few questions, although I realized it raised a few more. 'Cel' may be the Leader of Prophecy, but his place is not automatically secured just because of that. Half-breed issues within a hierarchal society is always a sticky issue especially when it comes to leadership and royalty. But give 'Cel' a chance... he has a few tricks up his sleeve yet, and allies can come from the strangest places.

God Bless, thanks to everyone who is hanging in there despite the server problems with AFF.net. This story is also being published on Fanfiction.net (edited of course), and Media Miner.org (unedited-lemons/violence/fully intact). It is posted under the penname of 'Mangestu'. That's me. :) There is also a new Aoshi/Kaoru Adult theme A/U lemon under the same penname. It's called 'The Black Hawke'. I'm getting a bit of interest in it. It's got really heavy lemon content-sort of rough. Anyway...See ya all laterz. Kanzen ne Tsuki

Grand News!!! My story 'The Bad Kid' has been nominated to the RKRC fanfiction awards for Best Drama. I am soooo excited. I can't believe it. Wooo hooo!!! I don't know when the voting starts, but I know that nominations end the end of this month. I want to thank whoever nominated me. This is an unexpected honor. Arigato. KnT

Reveiw Response:

MEDIA MINER.ORG:

Thank-you to Nguardian, Sephiress, and Catti-dono for taking the time to go over to MediaMiner and leaving me a review on this story. You are all good friends and great fans. Personally, I think I have the greatest fans in the world. Thanks you guys. God Bless. Kanzen ne Tsuki aka Mangetsu

ADULT FANFICTION.NET:

CyberEm: I'm glad to see you again, honey. Sorry if Saitou scared you... but he's supposed to. :)

Lere: God Bless you, you sweet little brazilian lady! Thank you for the new story link. I haven't had a chance to go there yet, but I will. And Gomen for not writing back any sooner... I'm just so god-awful swamped at the moment with everything that is going on. I have hardly written to anyone. I'm so bad. Did you see? Someone nominated 'bad kid' to the fanfic awards! I can't believe it! Anyway... God love you, my sweet friend. So do I.

Polaris fire star: I'm glad I made you happy. :) I hope you liked this chapter too. Sorry about the cliffy, but if I had kept going the chapter would have been HUGE! The next one is in the works.

Ian: Sorry about the mistakes. I try to catch them, but I just don't get them all. I have a beta reader, but she still has the chapter reading it... I'll upload the polished version as soon as I get it... Glad you liked the chapter. Hope you like this one too. God Bless.

Sephiress: You know I didn't leave you out on purpose. I saw you go over on Media Miner... Anyway, I reposted the chapter over here so everyone I could think of was mentioned. I felt so badly that I screwed up. I love you, kid. You follow me all over the place. God Bless. I'll be looking for you in my author alerts.

Kaoru-chan: Kristin!! My sweet girl!! I love to see you here. I am the worst penpal in the world. I swear and promise I will send you a letter this week. I have been so busy with everything lately that I hardly know my own name, and I can't find my own butt. Thanks for reading, sweetie. And for being there. God Bless. Tsuki (linda)

MzAmber EyEz: Oh honey, you were mentioned... just over on Media Miner. I was so stupid! I uploaded the wrong chapter copy over on AFF. Gomen nasi my dear friend. Gomen nasi. I reposted the chapter, and you are there now. And you are here too. Thanks for reading and reviewing. You are one of my favorite fans. Love you.

Samuria: Thanks for the compliment on my fight scenes. And thanks for the review. I hope I see you again.

FANFICTION.NET:

psychotic catster: You were the first one!!! LOL. I love reading your reviews. You crack me up. You have to be one of the livest wires I've ever met. Sorry there wasn't any KK this time, but it is coming. I promise. And as for the Pythagoras Theorum in school... that's funny. Keep reading... and reviewing. You keep me going. Tuskisan

De Lazy Lime: YaY! I saved Sou!! LOLOLOL! Sorry no lime again... but it's coming. I promise... it is coming. If you want lime/lemon... go check out 'The Black Hawke' on Media Miner under my other penname. It's full of it. The penname is 'Mangetsu'. Go enjoy you little hentai. I love ya. Tsuki

BelleDayNight: Yes, dearest, Hiko's hair is white. LOL. Sorry there wasn't as much Aoshi in this chappy, but there will be in the next one. You haven't been around the last while. I hope that means you went somewhere for break. God knows you needed one.

Unknown beedee: I saw you posted your new story. I haven't had the chance to go check it out yet... but I will. Thank's for still reading and reviewing, kiddo. I love ya. Did you see? Someone nominated 'Bad Kid' for the fanfiction awards. I'm totally blown away.

Lere: Lere my love... you read everything everywhere. Where would I be without you? I don't know... and I know I say that all the time too, but it's the truth. You are one of my most precious friends. I love you. I hope you liked this chapter. It was hard to write. BTW... did you pass your finals??

Girl from ipanema: Thank you for everything you did with 'The Guilty Pleasures' business. I have a new affiliate because of you, and more traffic to my website and more readers for my story. God Bless you sweet thing. And thank you for the wonderful review. Tsuki

Yoshimi: Thank you for the compliment. WoW! I feel honored that you reviewed me, and the things you said were wonderful. Thank you so much. Thank you for taking the time to tell me what you think. It means so much to me... I'm glad I have given you something to enjoy. I hope to see you again. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too. Tsuki

Aqua-chan: Yes, I think Saitou makes a fabulous villian. He was the only one I had in mind for the part from the very beginning. Everybody gets to meet 'Cel' next chapter. So hang around. Tsuki

Parisita: I hope your depression problems are better. I know how awful that can be when you feel that way. I hope school helps. Keeping your mind occupied is always a good way to cope.

Thank you for the review, and thank you for always having something positive to say. I look forward to reading you whenever you're on my lists. God Bless always my friend. Take care. Tsuki

Lendra-chan: Alendra, Gomen nasi, my love. I have read your new stories, and I love them, but I was not able to leave you reviews. The stupid window... grrrrr. Anyway. I have read them, sweetling, and you are getting so much better. I will have free time this week, so tell your friend I will definitely be looking at her story. Apologize for me that it has taken so long. I have been so busy. Many new responsibilities, but I will keep my word. Love you. Tuski

Luraia Soul: Thank you for the compliment. I hope you liked the new chapter.

Kao-gurl: Sorry, Kenshin and Kaoru didn't get to see each other this time around, but it is coming in the next chapter. Thank you for your compliments. They mean a lot to me. I hope you liked the chapter. God Bless.