Shadows & Chaos - 5

    "What are you doing?" Amefuri accused, “I can take care of myself!”

    Kouhei slowly pulled Amefuri to his side as she yelled angrily. He wasn’t sure who this blue-haired stranger was but one thing was certain. This man appears to have taken a personal interest in Amefuri’s well being. The question was, what did he want with her, and how does Amefuri know this person?

    “I’m sorry, I’ve been incredibly rude. I didn’t realize that Amefuri was meeting someone today and must have kept her longer than I should have.” Kouhei smiled sheepishly at Shinigami and bowed. “My name is Keisotsu Kouhei and I am a old companion of Ame. May I ask who you are, sir?”

    Shinigami vaulted over the railing on the roof to land on the street between the pair. It was fortunate that night had settled quite comfortably over the city; the air had the faint but distinct scent of crispness that always accompanied the rain. If the moon had been visible, it would have revealed the grimace of disgust on Shinigami's face.

     “I am Death’s messenger, come to pay you--” His eyes flickered over the pair and noted, with considerable irritation,  how Amefuri’s hands strayed to Kouhei’s. “A visit that has been long overdue."

    Kouhei paused while he processed the information. 'Well THAT was a rather cryptic answer,' he thought sourly. This is one that he would have to avoid crossing later on. 'His love of the dramatic and apparent dislike of me will certainly make exchanges in the future far more... interesting.'

    “Ah... Shinigami is it then? A pleasure to meet you.” Kouhei hid a playful smile behind a poorly timed cough. “But isn’t that a rather... morbid name to call oneself?”

    “It suits the work that I have to do.” A smirk crept across Shinigami’s face as Kouhei frowned.

    “I see.” Oh yes, Kouhei thought, talking with him would certainly make his head hurt.

    Amefuri gave Kouhei a meaningful look before carefully moving to stand before him. “Nothing can be gained from fighting with him. This boy won’t tell you anything useful, and even if he did, it would be of no use to us.”

    Kouhei gently ruffled up her hair and pushed her behind him with a smile. “Don’t worry Ame, I won’t underestimate him. I know what he is capable of.”

    Shinigami scowled at familiarity Kouhei showed towards her. It was clear that the pair had some sort of history that he was not informed of prior to his meeting with Amefuri. This complicated things a great deal. To make matters worse, she seemed to accept the attention that deceitful man was offering. Even if they DID have a connection, there was no reason for Amefuri to be so trusting! There was one thing very clear in his mind.

    “Amefuri will not be leaving with you.”

    “Really.” A harsh edge crept into Kouhei’s posture as he continued smiling at Shinigami.

    Amefuri knew better than to attempt to talk him out of the confrontation with Shinigami. There wasn’t a lot that she could do to stop him when he was in the mood to stubbornly defy reason and protect her from the world. It was behaviour that some could consider sweet, in a creepy overprotective boyfriend kind-of-way. Nevertheless, she knew that he was acting mainly out of concern for her; one has to wonder about the motives being Shinigami’s sudden interruption.

    “Shouldn’t Ame will decide that for herself?”

    Shinigami was careful not to show how much effort it took to keep a civil tone. “Her judgement cannot be trusted while you still have influence over her.”

     “Her judgement was always sound in my past experiences with her. Why should she be distrusted, when there is nothing to indicate that she is not of sound mind?”

    “The illusions you weave are quite well done, I have to admit that. You are truly a master of your art."

    Kouhei waited. He detected the obvious, though unspoken, “but” at the end of the line. He knew full well that it was petty to be stubborn and wait him out but Kouhei could be like that some times. Especially when the other person had an unusual interest in Ame.

    “You do not have the time to cast layer after layer of cunningly wrought lies over me the way you have with her.” Shinigami surrendered but was careful to avoid Kouhei’s suddenly attentive gaze. “You appear to be an intelligent man, but not a very wise one.”

    “Watch your tongue, dog!” Amefuri snarled. “What you accuse him of doing has not happened! Kouhei is a honourable man and has far more credibility than you can ever imagine having! If you believe something so obviously false could be true then you’re an even bigger idiot than whoever gave you this faulty information!”

    Shinigami gave her a deadly look. “You have no right to accuse me.”

    She gaped in disbelief. He had the nerve to doubt HER truthfulness when HE refused to admit he was wrong? Who was the one who knew Kouhei the longest? Certainly not some arrogant pretty-boy trying to play hero! The contempt he showed towards her judgement when he was clearly misled was beyond comprehension. Amefuri was so far beyond rage that she simply would not begin to understand his motivation.

    “Is it a fight that you wish?” She snarled. “Because if it is, I would be pleased to grant your request.” 

    Shinigami frowned. “What do you think you are doing, meeting with someone you know is untrustworthy?”

    “MY friends are none of YOUR concern!”

    “On the contrary, it concerns me quite a bit.”

    She stared at him.

    “HE is my friend, YOU are not. While Kouhei has proven his loyalty and trustworthiness countless times over the years, I have yet to see you show me any sign that I can believe anything you say. Kouhei’s intelligence can be trusted, while YOU, Shinigami, clearly have none.”

    “Then you are more incompetent than I was led to believe!” Shinigami retorted hotly. “You’re the one attacking me without justification, without knowing anything about my motives!”

    “I don’t need to know what your motives are! All I need to know is that you are a lying, opportunistic, MORON, who dares to insult me and my friends to my face!”

    Kouhei watched the exchange with growing amusement. It was hard to tell who was more stubborn. Actually, ‘who was being more vocal about their disgust with the other’ would be more appropriate. This stranger seemed to have no problem with throwing Amefuri’s words back in her face; therefore he must not be a very wise man.  If meeting with him meant the opportunity to watch the pair attempt to out insult each other, then perhaps it would be worth the effort of tolerating his presence.

    “You are in no position to judge my decisions!”

    “You are in no position to make decisions!”

    Kouhei frowned slightly. 'I really should stop them before this gets out of hand.'

    “At least I have had experience in the battlefield!”

    “Running from conflict like a coward!” Shinigami sneered in disgust.

    “What is THAT supposed to mean?!” She raised a fist and stepped towards him.

    “What it sounds like!"

    Kouhei inserted himself between the quarrelling pair before they could come to blows. Amefuri had a dangerous gleam in her eyes as she tried to push past him to reach the fuming Shinigami. A quick glance in his direction made it clear that Shinigami was not used to arguing with Amefuri when honour was at stake.  Kouhei quickly quashed the impulse to comment on Shinigami’s intelligence with reminder of how stupid that would be.

    “As much as this exchange of ideas fascinates me,” Kouhei cleared his throat loudly, “I really must move things along. Shinigami, Why don’t you answer her questions?”

    “I have.” Shinigami scowled fiercely as Amefuri returned his glare ten-fold.

    “I... see.”  Kouhei faltered as Amefuri struggled free, “But I believe that Ame does not think that you have answered her very satisfactory.”

    “Kouhei! You’re not being fair!”

    “Shh, you know that hurting him won’t solve anything.” Kouhei gently smoothed her hair back into place. “Please calm down.”

    “But he deserves it!”

    “AME!” Kouhei snapped. “You do not choose who will or will not be punished!”

    At Amefuri’s momentary look of hurt, he felt guilty for the need to act so harshly with her. There was very little comfort in the realization that he had such control over her. Not for the first time that evening, he found himself wishing that there were some way that he could spare her from her future.

    “I don’t have to listen to you anymore! You don’t have the right to tell me how to act, I can make decisions on my own, without consulting you!”

    Kouhei shook his head regretfully. “You have made too many mistakes in the last couple years, I can’t let you keep on messing up like this.”

    “Then I’ll prove that I don’t need you anymore.” She snapped and turned to leave.

    “Please don’t leave, Ame.”

    Something in his voice confused her to the point where she was willing to hear what he had to say. If she didn’t know better, it sounded almost as if he were afraid. The question was, of what? Before she could gather the courage to speak, Shinigami shoved her to the ground and leapt for Kouhei like some of bird-of-prey. 

    Amefuri cried out as Kouhei carefully pressed his arm against a deep red stain spreading across his shirt with a grimace of pain. He had seen Shinigami move with the blade in his hand but missed the dagger concealed in his palm. He misjudged Shinigami’s intention and reacted with fatal slowness. What vexed him most was not that he was injured but that Shinigami had the most infuriatingly smug look upon his face.

    Concealing the extent of his injury by fastening his jacket shut, he faced Shinigami with an air of barely contained hostility. But before he could speak, Shinigami leapt forward with a crackle of energy about his blade. Kouhei hastily summoned a barrier from shadows below as the sword descended and electric light exploded.

    “Thunder!”

    Kouhei skid to a halt several metres away from his original location with a round silver talisman balanced in his hand. He braced himself as the dark rumble of power blasted shards of rock into the air and ripped at his blood-soaked jacket. A hiss of agony escaped through clenched teeth as Kouhei struggled to stand with some degree of dignity.

    Shinigami rest his blade on his shoulder. “Give Amefuri to me and I’ll let you slink off to lick your wounds in peace.”

    “If you think this will scare me away, you are sadly mistaken.” Kouhei forced a pleasant smile. “It was interesting to meet you, we must try to avoid doing so in the future.”

    Shinigami stared as the talisman flew out of Kouhei’s open hand and into the air. He shielded his face as a swirling portal snapped into being with a roar of icy wind. When the tempest subsided, the only trace of their presence Shinigami could see was charred cement.

*  *  *  

    Kouhei gently lifted Amefuri into his arms after assuring himself that she had survived the journey without injury. The chamber they had landed in was bare of any trace of human presence. The massive bay windows looked out upon a desolate, scorched landscape that once stood as the most beautiful gardens in the land. Dirty sunlight streamed through the dusty drapes and through the tall oak doors Kouhei strode through with his unaware companion.

    He silently gazed in passing at exquisitely carved doors concealing sights that would dazzle the imagination, numberless rooms furnished with generations of memories and the layers of dust that concealed everything with a coat of tradition and honour. All that remained of the long and noble line who reigned in this once great manor was a series of faded paintings leaning uneasily against the wall.

    A warm smile came to his face as Amefuri stirred in his arms and curled her body closer to his in an attempt to escape the cold. Her soft violet hair brushed against Kouhei cheek as he stepped into an elegant office filled with the last vestiges of the gently fading light. Worn curtains of pale silk drifted from the tarnished bronze fastenings above a mahogany desk littered with papers of varying importance.

    “I hope that your injuries are not too serious.” The soft tenor of Mikata’s voice drifted into the room, acknowledging his return.

    Directing his eyes beyond the ephemeral veil, Kouhei spied the towering French doors that lay ajar.  He rest Amefuri upon a faded burgundy couch by the door and spared a moment to lightly caress her face before rising to join his friend on the balcony.

    “It is a bit painful, but nothing too serious.” Kouhei answered with a wince when Mikata turned his deep amethyst eyes upon him.  

    Mikata tucked a stray lock of purple hair behind his ear and with a slight smile. “Good. I would hate to see that expensive jacket ruined because you were too stubborn to admit that someone got the better of you.”

    Kouhei answered with a cheeky grin. “What? This little scratch?”

    “It’s stunning, isn’t it?” Mikata pushed away from the railing with a rueful shake of his head. “Even when hope in something has been lost, all it takes is the right kind of light to make the true beauty and character to shine through the layers of neglect, reminding us of how glorious it must have once been.”

    Kouhei watched him solemnly, wondering if Mikata had enough strength left in him to tell Amefuri the truth. The urgency of their situation had not allowed them the leisure of preparing her for the shock beforehand.  If she rejected their attempt to explain the situation, it wouldn’t be hard to see how easily Mikata would be broken by it. 

    Their conversation was interrupted by the sounds of Amefuri waking from her dreams. Kouhei had to repeat his suggestion that they hurry inside and explain everything several times before he received a reply. Kouhei watched as Mikata hesitated and cast his gaze back at the darkness that begun drifting over the grounds before striding to where Amefuri sat, quietly watching his approach.

    Mikata knelt before her looked up at her with a reassuring smile. She stared at him, numb with shock as he revealed the truth to her. He answered her queries with a growing confidence and relief when Amefuri began to smile and suddenly leapt forward to embrace him. He felt as if his heart would burst with joy as held her in his arms.

    “Welcome home, little sister.”
 

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