Chapter Text
Check out Ayakashi!Kenshin by the amazing Cailann!!
~☆~
Sleep found Kenshin on rare occasions. Visions of her usually followed so it wasn't all bad, he supposed…
Sometimes her strawberry curls danced in the wind by the river and eyes of warm, molten amber glistened happily when she gazed down at him as the water did in the sunlight. Oh, how his Isehime loved summer day picnics… and how he wished he had taken her out on them more. Even if just for her to brush her hands through his hair while resting his head in her lap or to watch her breathing as she napped under the shade of a tree. Other times, he was chasing her through the forest like a children's game-- that he usually let her win-- as her laughter and favorite haori flowed behind her. The dark of the woods acted like a maze as he rounded each corner on her heels, the fragrance of strawberries and lilies drawing him along like a puppet on a string until he caught her in his arms to carry her through the doors of their private cabin hidden away into the forest.
Sometimes, though, it was a completely different woman that raced through the forest of his sleeping mind's eye with hair black as night and eyes gold as sunshine. Her skin matched the pale, golden light of the moon and her dusky pink lips could never settle between a smirk or a grin as she paced up the stairs of the same cabin herself. She wasn't his Isehime but gods damn him if she didn't invoke the same sense of protection and belonging. And when she stopped and opened her arms for his embrace, she felt like… home . Not the homes he grew up in that were full of cunning plans, political ambition, and disdain for anything or anyone considered too different. No, she was unconditional acceptance and unending love. Festive evenings and lazy mornings. Plums and sake. Parchment and daffodils. She was home. And she was his even if he couldn't touch her during waking hours.
Even if he didn't know her name...
~*~
Finally!
After weeks of preparation and a thoughtful approach of presenting her own family's tree, Haruka was one step closer to turning her 'hobby' into an enjoyable career. Her wardrobe may appear a little questionable to the common eye with the generations-old cloak still draping her shoulders, but it was a great finishing touch alongside her collection of old photographs. In fact, the fur-collared cape could be found in the background of a mid-nineteenth century photograph of her earliest known ancestors-- the Akechis-- when they visited Europe. Even the jade pendant that called her neck home since her seventeenth birthday was featured in the presentation's centerpiece and had miraculously survived the generations. It was that photo that pushed her to seek a genealogy certification. Her spare time and casual research had proved rewarding with the discovery of a complete missing branch of cousins from a runaway great-granduncle during the Depression, but all roads ended with the Akechis as no further trace of a paternal line could be found preceding them.
She needed resources that would only come with a career change.
Sure, her time as a historian had been fruitful, but as a certified genealogist, she'd now be able to help fill missing gaps in historical family trees-- as well as her own. Fingers-crossed that her presentation was enough… Either way, a drink was in order!
Then again, maybe not. She should have known all the local watering holes would be filled to capacity on a Friday night. There hadn’t been a problem working around the certifier’s schedule to fit her in but now she regretted accepting the late-night time slot. Well, there’s always tomorrow...
The city grew quiet behind her with each block she passed toward home, her feet carrying her down the familiar path on their own. It was only by chance that a stray cat screamed and darted across her trail, startling her enough to drop her bag... and surprising a follower to stumble in their own path. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end while she watched the figure from her peripheral sight double-track as if they had taken a wrong turn, every fiber within her screeching in warning. Oh, boy… something's not right.
Rising back to her feet with the strap resecured over her head like a messenger pack, Haruka took a right turn where she would have normally taken a left. The figure continued after her, matching pace in an effort to conceal the tick of their steps within hers. Yup, definitely not right… but I can't just start running now. I'm too far from home for that and I'd just be showing them where I live for later!
She increased her speed in minuscule increments as she turned another corner that had now formed a backward S from her original destination; her new shadow still tailing her all the while. They're going to realize I'm onto them soon… Come on, girl, think! Oh, the creepy woods!
Despite the economic and industrial growth over the decades, there was one patch of dark thicket nearby that remained untouched. A gray mist wisped through the trees every dawn and, since the erection of a small memorial temple in the eighteen-hundreds, no one dared to cross beyond the now decaying wooden fence.
Until her.
Haruka’s knuckles turned white around her bag strap as she inhaled a deep breath to steady her nerves before sprinting down a tight alley, knocking trash cans to the ground to impede her pursuer. She heard a curse as they tripped through the debris and the raspy depth told her it was a man… and somehow familiar?
The poorly painted fence came into view once bursting out of the alley. A single post seemed sturdy enough to plant her palm on for an assisted vault over and she was on the other side streaking into the woods without breaking stride. Only when the moon and city lights darkened did she stop to brace her shoulders against a tree trunk and listen for signs of her pursuer while scrambling for the keychain pepper spray now that her brain could function enough to remember its presence.
Several twigs snipped and snapped under the unexpected weight of the new visitor. Harsh huffs of exertion she recognized seconds before his voice filled the distance between them. "Haruka? Come on, it's me!"
Bad idea, bad idea... "Teruto? Why are you chasing me?"
"Well, I meant to surprise you… thought you might like to get a drink after your big presentation tonight."
Very bad idea!
Teruto had been a college friend of a friend that had joined them occasionally for their morning jog and was often found among the group she currently socialized with. However, other than the odd night out, Teruto wasn't much of a permanent fixture in her life… and she absolutely did not tell him about the presentation.
Her finger hovered over the mini-spray can trigger in preparation when the thought crossed her mind to save the spray. Silently, she slipped down the trunk of the tree into a crouch as his crunching steps neared. Once the twig beside her cracked under his boot, she struck the sturdy branch across his eyes. Both momentum and surprise knocked him to his knees, giving her the perfect window to keep running… and running… and running…
Damn, there’s a lot more land hidden back here than I thought… Am I even near the city anymore?
Only when her lungs were on the edge of implosion did she stop again to listen for signs of Teruto. Yet all was quiet, the local wildlife no doubt startled into silence by her intrusion. Haruka continued forward, pulling the sweep of her cloak closed as an eerie chill swept through the trees and a band of opaque fog descended over the land. She'd only taken a few steps when the silence was shattered by various shouting and an indistinguishable noise she couldn't quite place.
Is that… growling? Is someone watching a Godzilla or Jurassic Park movie? Whatever they're watching, being with a group sounds better than trekking through the woods alone.
Before she could finish her next step, a snarl from her left sent a cold sweat of dread down her back. Wh-why would someone put surround speakers this far into the trees? A snap of jowls and the crunch of leaves under a hurried gait confirmed it was definitely not a fictional creature that now had its eyes on her as she sprinted through the forest once more. She spotted the light of morning shining through the trees as the woods opened up into a valley ahead. Haruka pushed through the burn in her legs and lungs as she scampered out of the thicket from one danger and into another.
The valley formed a picture reminiscent of her imaginings when reading battle scenes in fantasy novels as a teen. Snarling, animalistic creatures the shape of panthers, wolves, and bears-- a select few appearing to form a combination of all three-- bounded from the mountains, many without tails or eyes while others had up to six of each. None appeared to be the same as another and the first rays of dawn showed their mix of fur and scales varied wildly across the color spectrum. But every one of them boasted snapping jaws as they viciously attacked a band of shining armored men wielding spears and katanas.
There was no doubt of what her pursuer was now-- even if she didn’t know exactly what that was-- but at least she knew where to run for a measure of security. She sent a prayer to the heavens as she cleared the first frontline of warriors with the schink of steel against gnashing teeth only inches from her ponytail. Dear Dad, thank you for forcing me on five-kilometer runs every morning. The stamina really came in handy today!
Until the second wind she caught in the forest was knocked from her lungs when she was thrown to the ground. The earth tumbled twice before she stabilized on her knees and spotted the one that side-tackled her. A brunet with an eyepatch in well-fitted black and blue armor and a helmet adorned with a massive crescent moon arced a gleaming katana over his head aimed straight at her.
"Hey, wait!" She fell to her back, crossing her arms over her in panic now that the cloak caught beneath her knees kept her immobilized.
"Dammit, Lass!" The man growled as he snatched her arm to set her back to her feet. "I thought you were one of those things! My orders were for medical teams to wait until after the frontline clears the hostiles, then they can gather wounded."
"What?! I'm not--" A snapping snarl interrupted her. The man whirled at the sound, pulling a second blade seemingly from thin air to slice the creature into thirds before rounding back to her.
"Go! Tell the others to fall back!" He turned again as another fiend bounded after him, shouting the same order he'd just given her to those around him.
For the third time that day, she sprinted as if her life depended on it-- which was very likely at this moment-- remembering to pull the hem of the cloak into her arms with her bag this time. She’d just spotted the outline of tents at the edge of the field when the earth turned sideways once more and her head slammed into the ground, scrambling her speech as she fought against gravity to stand again. "Bock… fob black…"
"A woman?" Her vision still swam but she could make out the figure of another man in the early light of day with obsidian hair and, even through the blur of recovering sight, found his bright carnelian eyes as his fingers gripped her chin and… was he really wearing a feather boa out in this mess? "You're not one of ours, who are you?"
"Fall back…" she squeaked again, oblivious to the question. "Moon Man said 'fall back'."
"Moon? Masamune?" Her vision restored in time to see the new man turn to spot the one that nearly sliced her in half. "Date?! Why are you falling back?"
It… must have been her vision still on the mend. Had to be. There was absolutely no way that man just leapt half a football field in one jump to stand beside her again. "We didn't anticipate these numbers, they just keep streaming from the mountain!”
As if waiting for their cue, a band of the howling monsters surged from the rocky base at the edge of the field. Masamune grabbed her arm--in a protective maneuver this time-- as he directed his attention toward the other man. "We have to reform the line, else we'll--"
A new blur of green and yellow fur tackled him to the ground, chomping and ripping at any part it could get its teeth into. Panic pulled a screech from her throat at the sight of the scuffle between man and beast. Instinctively, she took a lurching step to run before stopping in her tracks when her path was blocked by two more creatures. One of the eyeless variety with a coat of silver fur that seemed dependent on the commands of its companion, which possessed a third eye with a sleek coverage of gleaming scales that faded from scarlet to magenta in places. Both with foaming snouts that reminded her of starved wolves from survival flicks.
"Don't move…" the voice of the red-eyed man whispered from behind her.
"You seriously think you have to tell me that?!"
Hungry yowling abounded all around, alerting that more hostiles were swarming the area. The silver eyeless one lunged toward her but the red-scaled leader snapped at its thighs before reprimanding a golden newcomer that tried to follow suit. Her breath caught in her chest at the first movement and-- against the sound advice of every cell in her being screaming 'don't move!'-- her feet scrambled backward. The world slowed around her as the red leader finally gave up and leapt onto the offensive as mob mentality took over, claws arching toward her while she fell to the ground. The black-haired man went for his sword but fangs from a purple scaled beast at the flank caught his shoulder, leaving her open to the jaws of the alpha.
Haruka always heard of near-death experiences flashing highlights of life for those fortunate enough to survive their traumatic events. To say hers had been uneventful would be the understatement of the century. The grind of university and then work later at the museum never left much room for socializing, and even then she mostly remained on the outskirts of her small circle. In fact, her happiest moments had been with Dad on her heels pushing past her limits during morning runs. Then there were camping and rock climbing trips where they were separated completely from the city and technology for forty-eight hours. Happy times… but regret for not experiencing more when she had the chance now as she was on the brink of death.
Her breath never left her chest and she never screamed as the crimson claws came down upon her the same moment the earth met her backside. Time restored to its normal speed with the release of what she thought would be her final breath. However, instead of razors shredding into her, a gust of wind blasted from her place with enough force to knock every warrior across the field to their backside the same as she.
Her own black locks whipped wildly as the blast continued to spin over the area, stinging her eyes as she pushed to her knees in time to witness the fur and scales of every mountain fiend disintegrate into a vibrant blue haze. Only when the physical presence of the final fiend had been wisped away did the abrupt typhoon slow and dissipate, leaving the warriors untouched. The assailants were gone… but in their place remained wafting orbs of varying sizes in the same blue that swirled around the field only a moment ago, many still spinning like dreidels from the wind’s force with one whirling right towards her.
“Hold on!” Her arms reached out to catch it before it spiraled further out of control. What there was of it to catch anyway as it had no body, only a wisping aura of that rich blue that faded to turquoise in its center. Strange, also, was how the little thing looked like a ball of fire but held no heat. In fact, it seemed more attributed to wind as the orb emitted a soft whispering breeze that gently lifted the ends of her hair as it hovered in the cradle of her arms. “There, isn't that better?”
All the orbs on the field remained as still as the one in her arms until it finally bounced about happily around her. The whole field glistened with vibrancy as the others followed suit and the color reflected from the warriors' armor and still drawn weapons. Two of the nearest orbs danced their way to join the first as they now clung to her like cats demanding cuddles. The action caught the attention of the other orbs and slowly they joined her side as well. The spectacle gathered an audience of men who only moments ago were fighting against the now friendly blue beings. Through the crowd came Masamune with the black-haired commander, both glancing about the field in awe and confusion until their gaze settled on her.
“That was one hell of an Awakening, Lass!” Before the one called Masamune could reach her, her new friends formed a protective barrier that blasted him back to the ground once more.
“Whoa, guys, wait!" She was on her feet in the next instant, rushing through the dispersing shield and helping him up again. "I don’t think he means any harm.”
“Blazes, has no one trained you?”
Like… this is supposed to be normal? "Oh, yeah… sure! Every weekend a mentor and I hike up the mountain hunting down rabid, teethy, beast things and magically turn them into cute little snuggly guys."
His brow and lips twisted into a pout as he dusted off his armor. "A simple 'no' would've been fine…"
"Trained or not, the kitsune came just in time." The red-eyed man spoke as he joined them once her guardians showed no signs of defense. "You should release them."
“First of all, how are you two still alive? I saw those things latch into both of you! Secondly... I have no idea how to do that.”
“Simple. Command them.”
"Okay… everyone may go?" A quick glance about the field showed no movement from the little blue beings.
An eye-roll from the commander. "You have to mean it."
But they’re so cute now! Haruka took a deep breath to steel her nerves as she tried to face each flame and called firmly to those gathered. “You're all free to go… wherever it is you're meant to go to."
A gentle breeze blew across the field as the blue lights slowly dimmed, fading into the day's early light. Several stole a final nuzzle into her cheeks before leaving. However, the first three remained after all the others had disappeared. Two perched on one shoulder each and the third settled back into her arms, very much like that stubborn cat she had as a kid. Something must have seemed funny to the small audience because the commander chuckled and shook his head in disbelief. "A bloodied mortal whose powers have only just awakened and she already has familiars… what are you called, kitsune?"
"Hayakawa, Haruka. So you can call me that instead of 'kitsune'... and what do you mean by ‘bloodied mortal’?"
Masamune's only visible eyebrow arched as he tilted his head. "You don't know, Lass? Where do you come from?"
"Haruka," she corrected pointedly. "I grew up in Nagaoka before moving to Kyoto to work at the museum."
The two men locked gazes a moment before Masamune turned to direct the gathered warriors to start breaking down their nearby camps, leaving the commander to speak with her alone. "There are two realms that exist side-by-side. The mortal realm, from which you hail from, and ours..."
Without another word, the feathers she thought formed a festive boa earlier turned into a massive spread of crow-like black wings as they sprang from his back. The loud flutter of feathers startled her backward and she would have fallen again if not for Masamune rejoining them at that moment to catch her. Her gaze flew to him and only now, in the full light of morning, did she notice the crescent moon she thought a simple helmet embellishment were twin twisting horns the color of the moon. His 'armor' that she had mistakenly taken to be well-tailored turned out to be scales ranging from black to the indigo of a clear night. There were even several tiny, reflective silver accents scattered about to give the illusion of twinkling stars.
The commander continued. “Only ayakashi or those with an ayakashi’s blessing can pass through the veil that separates our two worlds. It appears you came alone which means you have ayakashi blood-- kitsune, by your abilities to help the dead pass on-- making you what we call a ‘bloodied mortal’. That can be dangerous as many of our kind tend to be very territorial of their lineage-- especially ones that show great abilities-- and I assume you have no idea who you are related to?”
Shock stole her voice, rendering her only capable of shaking her head in the negative until a comment snagged her attention. “The… dead?”
“You saw for yourself those three kitsunebi that chose to stay by your side were once fierce fiends. Before that, they were once living people who met untimely ends to tragic means or war times. Such souls sometimes need assistance to pass on but malice and jealousy fill them if left too long, contorting them into the vicious beings you saw earlier. Kitsunes are the only known ayakashi capable of offering such assistance to those who remain but they’ve been on the brink of extinction for several decades. Many of those you passed today were likely once kitsunes themselves.”
“Okay...” Her eyes glanced to each of her new ‘familiars’ as all he said settled upon her. Well… that makes sense actually. Ayakashi, huh? Who knew? “Okay.” She repeated in finality.
Masamune released her shoulders when he knew she wasn’t in danger of collapsing again. “‘Okay’? Just okay?”
“What else am I supposed to say? I may not have believed my eyes at first but I felt you tackle me to the ground and I felt the fear when I thought I was about to be chow for Chompies. And compared to what I was running from , I’ll take the Chompies. Thanks.”
The commander let out a round of laughter as his wings shimmered and shifted, settling as a haori over his shoulders. "I am Oda Nobunaga. You may rest with my people until we find whose line you belong too, and even after should you choose."
She didn't even consider a contradictory response as she matched the duo’s pace, heading towards the camp that outlined the horizon. This would be the best step toward filling those gaping holes in her family history, a few hours-- or days! -- wouldn't hurt anyone.