The Witch Hunter (part 7)
Aug. 17th, 2011 11:05 amTitle: The Witch Hunter
Author: Krystalkatz
Genre: Action, Adventure, Romance, AU
Rating: R for some violence
Pairings: Matsumoto Jun/Ninomiya Kazunari, Ohno Satoshi/Ninomiya Kazunari,
Length: Chaptered
Disclaimer: I only own the plot... Unfortunately...
Matsu nodded forcing himself not to shiver at the thought of the banshee; they drew on fear and played with your emotions, their method of attack was getting inside your head using your own thoughts against you. His body was still trembling from his earlier experience and he looked at Nino, blushing when he saw the demon staring at him his eyes dancing in the fire light. Matsu felt a shiver run up his spine but it was no longer from fear, he could still feel every touch Nino had made on his body he wasn’t sure that was a good thing or a bad thing right now. The sky cracked with lightning and the earth seemed to shake, announcing the arrival of the banshee. The world seemed to be drained of all warmth as it came closer, its grey ragged robes dragging on the ground, it opened its mouth letting out a painful scream that had them groaning as they fell to the floor covering their ears. It laughed, as Aiba sent out a green protective fire that circled them,
“Witch that powers only work when its daddy is close...” It said turning blindfolded eyes to Aiba; Aiba stared at it unable to pull his gaze away “Frightened of what it is he hides behind a stupid grin...”
“I’m... Not... Afraid...” Aiba stammered trying to focus as the banshee pushed its way into his head, reading his memories like an open book.
“Doesn’t want to be a bad witch so pretends to be nice... Dreams of killing everything...Even his monk”
“Shut up!” Aiba snapped only numbly aware that the others were trying to attack it,
“Masa’...” Nino murmured coming to his side sending out a wave of fire towards the banshee, that let a howl like laugh,
“Witch... Wants to be cast down, ashamed of what it is of what his daddy is... Wanted to be normal wanted to play with other children... A half breed monster... Mummy never loved him, afraid of him wanted him dead...”
“Masa you know this isn’t true...” Nino told him surprised when Sakurai sent a wave of water at the banshee, his eyes fixed on the pale witch, which had tears rolling down his face. The banshee laughed feeding on Aiba’s emotions as the witch sobbed,
“Wants to kill wants to hurt... But wants his mummy and daddy to love him... A monster that should never have been born the accident of a one nightstand...”
“Shut-up...” Aiba pleaded his voice fading slightly, his protection fire failing
“Masaki...” Nino tried again but the banshee let out another wail and Aiba fell to the floor. Sakurai hit it with other wave of water and the Banshee turned on him,
“Ah the monk... So easy to give up his vow, to fall for a monster so like the one that killed his parents... You were a coward then hiding in a cupboard while your family screamed for help...”
Matsu hit with and enchanted tree stump before it could take a strong hold on Sakurai and the banshee turned to face the hunter
“Ah the pretty hunter, making love to those he swore to kill... He will never love you... You will always be second place to some long forgotten king, even amongst the hunters you were un-liked, too sure of yourself, you always had to be perfect... And now look how far you’ve sank... Falling in love with the heartless demon...” Matsu blinked as the banshee tried to force its way in, only to be blocked by Nino. The banshee roared with rage trying harder to break through to reach Matsu’s secrets. Nino pulled his staff out of the ground and aimed it at the banshee firing a bolt of lightning at it, the banshee let out a scream, as thunder ripped through the air.
“And the lonely demon that likes to play with mortals... You could have ruled...”
“Oh is it my turn now? This should be fun” Nino grinned looking at the banshee, his eyes hardening slightly. The banshee let out its wail like laughter, turning its sightless eyes on to him
“So confident.... But we both know that’s just for show...” The banshee said its high pitched tone cutting into his mind
“Do we?” Nino raised an eyebrow “I can give you list of all my bad points... I know them all better than you... And sorry I don’t lose any sleep over them”
“That used to be true... But not anymore... You worry about the feelings you have for the hunter and everybody knows you miss ‘Oh-chan’” Nino continued to grin but his hands clenched tightly as his side, “Why did he leave you? Why did he make you live without him? You ask yourself the same questions every night...”
“Yeah... Well this is fun, but if you can’t do better...”
“Your son... Your ‘Pretty hunter’ do you think they care about you?”
“Even if they don’t I’ll still look after them,” Nino said aiming the staff, and hitting it with another bolt of lightning, the banshee screamed forcing its grip more tightly in Nino’s mind.
“Look after them, you? You’ve never cared about anyone but yourself...”
“I admit my priorities have always been myself...”
“You treat everyone as if they’re playing cards for your amusement... So afraid of being hurt again, your precious Ohno how much must he have loved you to leave you all alone...They’ll leave you... Just as he left you, does anyone know how much you cried when he left?”
“Well they do now....And if they’re going to leave I’ll have fun with them until then, okay? But you’re really boring me so... Hunter any time you feel ready...” Nino shouted, Matsu gave a nod biting his lip before screaming out the binding spell. The banshee turned but it was too late, Matsu trapped it tightly, covering its mouth before it could let out another scream, and then saying the rites of the three he burnt it. Just as Nino sank to his knees on the ground, groaning
“Nino...”
“I’m fine...Remind me never to allow a banshee in so deep a again... It felt so gross...” Nino gave a small smile and then looked at Matsu “You did well... Your first banshee”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine” He repeated waving away his hand, staring at Aiba who was still on the ground “Masa... Is he okay?”
“He fainted but he should be” Sakurai said from his position at Aiba’s side, Nino nodded closing his eyes with relief,
“Are you okay, Jun?” He said taking his hand and giving it a small squeeze Matsu nodded, sitting beside him; Nino gave a sad smile and rested his head against his shoulder trying to forget what had just been said but it was impossible as was the way of the banshee, they made you live what you rather forget. He looked at Aiba’s face stabs of guilt working their way into his heart, he never realized Aiba had felt so much hatred at being born a witch, but in hindsight he should have known, his son was one of the most loving people he knew, and was always having to do battle with his own nature. Aiba was always so cheerful he hadn’t realized. Matsu read the look in the demons face, and saw how much it was tearing him apart. The banshee had been wrong, Nino loved Aiba, more than even the demon realized and even if he said that his son was an ‘accident’ he was one that he would make over and over if he had the chance. Sakurai was soothing Aiba gently with a cloth when the witch opened his and looked up at him.
“Did I faint?” He asked numbly as he sat up, Sakurai nodded to choked to actually speak “Wow I really am useless”
“Masa...” Nino breathed almost crawling over to him
“Please don’t start, I didn’t mean to...Huh?” Aiba froze as Nino hugged him tightly,
“Don’t scare me like that!” Nino whispered “I thought it had completely drained you...”
“I guess mum would have been upset...”
“I would have been too” Nino told him truthfully, “You were an accident, but you were the best one, I’ve ever made...”
“Nino?”
“You’re not just my son; you’re my best friend... You’re the only reason I care about these mortals Masaki... And your mum; she loved you more than anything, there was never a day when you scared her... Even when hunters were sniffing around she was so proud of you...”
Aiba hugged him tightly tears rolling down his cheeks, “I know...“ He said
The hunter and the monk watched the exchange in silence for a few minutes and then decided to leave them in their moment.
“He really is a strange demon...” Sakurai said “I read all about demons and witches in the monastery but they never covered ones like those two”
“They have a heart” Matsu nodded with a half smile, “Nino just hides his better than Aiba...I’m sorry about your family... But you were only five; there was no shame in hiding...”
“I know...Everybody said I would forget the screams, but I still hear them everyday...I thought I’d given up on the guilt but...” Sakurai whispered with a shudder “That thing it was horrible, it was like it was reading all my memories like a book... You didn’t let it bother you much...”
“Nino” Matsu said with a shrug “I could feel it in my mind but Nino was there to shielding me from most of it...”
“I guess a lot of what’s been discovered won’t be easily forgotten... Are you really in love with Nino?”
“I don’t see what that has to do with you monk” Matsu snapped
“I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing! I mean I’m in love with his son... And from what I’ve seen besides from being a complete flirt for a demon he’s nice...”
“Thank-you for your warm opinion monk...” Nino said coming up behind them, “Masa wants to speak to you”
“Um... Right...” Sakurai nodded running back to camp. Nino and Matsu stared at each other in silence, Matsu acutely aware that Nino knew that he was in love him. Nino just smiled almost apologetically at him
“We’re going to have to move soon, I don’t if it was just a rouge banshee or the enemy has already heard about our plans but its no longer safe here...”
Matsu nodded surprised. He looked at Nino and realized he looked just as defeated as the rest of them, there was none of his bratty arrogance in his eyes just sadness. He pulled Matsu slightly away from the camp and it a small fire with his fingers. He looked up at the moon, running his fingers through his already messy hair. “I hate night time...” He muttered darkly, “The last time I saw Ohno was at night...”
“Why did he leave?” Matsu asked somehow sensing Nino would tell him tonight, Nino sighed and then looked at the hunter for a moment before saying
“There was a war, it lasted for years, and it never affected the mortal world, the kings kept it away... Some humans were caught in the cross fire but none of you knew what was really happening but it was there being fought in the shadows... Just out of the reach of human eyes...”
“Did you fight?”
Nino nodded, “I fought, I never betrayed Ohno... He sent me away just before the end...”
“I never thought you would betray him” Matsu admitted
“I hated him for a long time after... Because he had sent me away, I wanted to be with him... But instead he sent me to live an immortal life without him... I hated him so much and then I went to his house and found this...” Nino held up the pendent with a sad twisted smile “There was also a letter... The guards wouldn’t let me, a demon take it so I stole it...”
“So the kings they were killed?” Matsu asked it was always one of the parts of the story that confused him; the books always just said ‘They left’, but none of them had mentioned a war either.
“No... They were ripped from their bodies and sent as spirits to the after world” Nino answered “Death would have been kinder... But the kings couldn’t die... The enemy had to cunning...”
“So that is where we have to go?”
“We will have to go down and talk to the keeper of that world soon...” Nino nodded the far away look in his eyes again.
“You mean death?”
“I guess you could call him that, I’ll call him Matthew” Nino gave a small chuckle
“What? Why?”
“Because that’s his name” Nino grinned
“You know him?”
“We’ve met...” Nino nodded
“Please don’t tell me you slept with death...” Matsu almost begged recognizing the tone Nino was using.
“Okay I won’t” The demon smirked, his eyes flashing slightly.
“No way! Seriously?”
“You told me not to tell you” Nino laughed and then seeing his face drop, he linked their fingers tightly “I’ve been around for a long time... And I’ve enjoyed my life most of it, but I am with you... And I will be with you until we bring back the three kings...”
“But you don’t love me...”
“I’m fond of you more than I ever thought I would be...I was just using you as a tool but not anymore” Nino murmured “You honesty shouldn’t love me either, I’m going to be gone soon... Let’s just say we like each other and have fun, okay? When I’m gone...”
“Shut up...” Matsu muttered hating the fact that he could say he would be gone soon so easily, he couldn’t say he wanted to bring back the three kings anymore knowing that would have to be ripped from his life to do it; Nino smiled gently and then snuggled up against him. Matsu let out a sigh and then nodded pushing his feelings aside
“Okay... We’ll do it your way”
“Thank-you...” Nino kissed him on the lips and the settled back into his arms
“Do you think Aiba and the Monk will be okay?” Matsu asked after awhile
“You’re worried about their relationship?”
“It’s got to be weird when the banshee pretty much told the monk, Aiba dreamt about killing him...”
Nino gave a half smile but didn’t answer straight away, remembering the steady look in Sakurai’s eyes when faced by him. The monk had more courage than he gave himself credit for but Nino made a new promise in his heart that no matter what happened when finding the three kings Masa would be safe and able to keep living. “They’ll be fine” He said. They watched the night pass in silence after that and just before dawn they set out towards the after world.
A/N : Part 7, Hope you enjoy ^.^