The Witch Hunter (part 14)

Title: The witch Hunter
Author: KrystalKatz
Genre: Au, Action Adventure
Rating: R
Length: Chaptered
Pairings: Matsumoto Jun/Ninomiya Kazunari, Ohno Satoshi/Ninomiya Kazunari, Sakurai Sho/Aiba Masaki
Disclaimer: I only own the plot... L
 
“You know exactly when we’re going to die” Matsu said looking at death; it was about an hour after Nino had told them they were leaving in the morning. Matthew stared at him at him and then nodded
“You want to know when you will die.”
“No... Nino, do I really have to kill him?”
“Yes” Matthew nodded again; though Matsu was convinced there was sadness in his eyes, “You have to kill him and I have to take him...”
“Why? Why can’t you stop it?”
“Do you know how many candles go out every day? Nino’s is just one more” Matthew said his voice was cold and Matsu almost believed that’s what he really felt until he saw the faintest tremble in his eyes.
“You don’t really feel like that”
“I have to believe that, when his candle goes out... A few more of these, will be able to become those in the hall” Death said waving a hand at the small candles on his desk. Matsu looked at them and then back at death “You understand? This isn’t about him and how much I would like to be able to save him...”Matsu sagged and Matthew sighed motioning for him to sit down “He asks way to much of people, mostly the ones that care for him the most”
“Why do I have to be the one to do it?”
“You are the only one that can...” Matthew answered “I’ve known Nino for longer than I want to remember, I knew him before he met Ohno... What you saw was just a shadow of the true unholy king, everyday it becomes harder to resist, the pendent burns more... Don’t think of it as killing him; think of it as saving him... And helping him save the things he treasures most”
Matsu nodded and smiled sadly “Thank-you”
“What for?”
“Saying that you wanted to save him”
“I never said that” Matthew said innocently, before turning away “You shouldn’t be here with me... Nino needs you more than you know... He’s not as strong as he likes to pretend”
“I know” Matsu said “How long before...”
“You should enjoy the moments you have” Matthew murmured shaking his head “Excuse me, I have to work now”
The night passed with the four of them spending time as they pleased, Matsu laid claim to every part of Nino’s body, marking him with deep red marks. The only place he left was around his pendent, he just gently stroked the bruised area. After he’d covered him in kisses he just held him tightly breathing in the warm scent of his hair.
“So romantic...” Nino smiled kissing the nape of his neck lightly.
Sakurai and Aibas last night in deaths house was a little more adventurous leaving them both sweaty and breathless in a coiled heap on the bed.
“Where did that come from?” Aiba panted a bright grin on his face, Sakurai looked a little shamefaced and it clicked “Nino was right? You asked for tips?”
“Y-yeah” He nodded “I just thought I made a mess of things our first night...”
“You were great our night... And this was fun, but what Nino and Matsu like, maybe it’s not suited to us, ne? You don’t have force yourself to do things...”
“I just want to make you happy...”
“And I am, but I think our love makings the best” Aiba said kissing his cheek, “I love you my naughty monk” He giggled again. Sakurai smiled and then kissed his lips lightly, wondering if Aiba was just ignoring their impending departure tomorrow or if he was just forcing himself to be normal to be cheerful. They cuddled tightly falling to sleep. Matthew watched them leave silently from the doorway but when Matsu turned back the door was closed. The passage out of death’s keep wasn’t as eventful as their journey there, nothing attacked them and eventually the sun seemed to be warming them again. Birds started singing and the fields became greener and the air less stale. “Let’s hope that’s hope that’s the closest any of you get the after world for a long while” Nino said softly with a smile as they sat beside a stream resting.
“That was the after world?” Aiba asked with a shudder
“A small part of it... Just a piece Matthew brought here”
“Matthew said you’d been friends for a long time, even before you knew Ohno”
“He’s right... I caused a lot of deaths then, Matthew saw me quite a lot...” Nino answered “He doesn’t take sides, he doesn’t get involved... At least he’s not meant to, but after watching you for thousands of years, he was affected, just as the three kings were, just as I was”
“Why aren’t more demons affected?”
“It takes a lot of control to go against your nature; most demons don’t have the willpower to do it, most just don’t bother... The drive of the kill... There is no feeling that gives a demon more power, well except one thing” Nino smiled and touched his lips, remembering the first kiss he had with Ohno and the rush of power he had felt. Matsu watched his face feeling none of the sadness he used too when Nino thought about Ohno, he was sure that the demon did love him too.
“Have you ever been to the halls?” He asked Aiba and Sakurai,
“I never left the monastery” Sakurai answered “Until I followed you and Nino”
“Nino wouldn’t let me anywhere near them” Aiba told him “My magic was always unpredictable I nearly blew up Niji once”
Sakurai looked at the horse Nino was riding “I bet he didn’t like that” Aiba laughed shaking his head
“He chased me around the garden trying to stomp on my head...” Sakurai frowned wondering why he was saying it like it was one of his happiest memories.
“It took me months to get him to trust you again” Nino grinned with a fond smile patting Niji’s neck, the horse snorted and flashed a small glare at Aiba stating quite clearly that all was not forgotten even if it was forgiven. Aiba laughed again
“I said I was sorry, Niji...” The horse just gave a snort not looking at him again “Come on, Nino’s said hundreds of times that he’s going to kill you...”
“I’ve never actually tried it though” Nino pointed out
“I only sneezed... It’s not my fault I was unstable” Aiba pouted “I had a cold”
Nino laughed and then nodded “At least we don’t have to worry about that anymore, you’re human, well as close as possible, and you’re able to grow old... I would say have babies but... Unless there’s something seriously wrong with you or the monk, I’m never going to be a grandfather...”
“I suddenly feel... Creepy...” Matsu muttered causing Nino to chuckle. Matsu smiled as he watched his face, everything felt peaceful although they knew they were riding to a battle, but Nino and Aiba were so amazingly calm about everything although the thought of Nino having grandchildren. Then there was what role he played in this strange family, there was Hana the mother, Nino the father, Aiba the son so what did that make him? The step mother? His brain rebelled against that thought, there was no way he was anybodies step mother. Soon he was just going to be the guy that killed Nino. He shivered slightly, and Nino grabbed his hand, Matsu wondered sometimes if Nino could read his mind or if his face was just easy to read.  Whatever it was Nino seemed to know if he was upset. They didn’t rest long, Nino insisting that they had to be at the halls as soon as possible.
“How are you so sure that they are going to be attacked?”
“You never spent enough time in the hall of candles... If you had you would have heard the voices of the living, Matthew taught me once to tell them apart...” Nino shrugged; causing the other three to be even more thankful they hadn’t spent more time in the hall of candles they had been creepy enough without hearing voices. A few days later they passed through an empty village that’s houses were still smoking, a chill ran up Matsu’s spine and he looked at Nino who nodded, getting off Niji, while Matsu climbed down from Arashi. Aiba sniffed the air, his face going white “Demons” He whispered to Sakurai. Nino motioned for them to be quiet as he pulled his staff out of the ground, moving towards a house that seemed to be in better condition than the rest. A bolt of lightning knocked open the door, and a gust of wind, knocked him backwards. Matsu countered with a normal fire attack, but it was met with another. The powers of the three kings were still difficult to use without a lot of focus and seeing Nino slammed into a brick wall didn’t help. Nino swore as he blew up what was left of the house revealing three demons, one woman and two men, it was the woman that seemed to control the wind. The demons stared at Nino, their blood red eyes wide with surprise and hatred “You betrayed us... You should have ruled us and now you travel with humans?”
“You are bound to a human like a pet”
“I’m, no one’s pet”
“Wait!” The female demon hissed looking at the mark on Matsu’s neck
“The hunter without a king...” The other two gave short hisses of their own glaring at Nino, who just smirked, his eyes flashing happily.
“You found him... You’re helping him?” She hissed glaring at Nino, “You are our kind! You were the first to break free, and yet you would send us back there...”
“You killed children” Nino said looking at the toys scattered around in the dirt, blood spotted around
“So? They are just cattle”
 “A mistake” Nino snapped twisting his staff around in his hands, sparks were already firing out the end “Jun, get ready” Matsu nodded summoning the water, harnessing it around them, “You’ve gotten really good at that”
“Thanks” Matsu smiled enjoying the tremble of fear that passed in the demons eyes,
“The power of the first” The female gasped her eyes darting around as she wondered if there was a way of getting out of this “Wait! We... We could join you... You will need all the allies... You are the true unholy king...”
“Save it, you were too late when you said children were just cattle...” Matsu snapped over riding whatever Nino was about to say. From the look on Nino’s face it was pretty much the same thing “Nino is not your unholy king...”
“He will betray you... He is a betrayer”
“He’s my Nino” Matsu spat sending a wave crashing at the female demon, who gave an ear piercing shriek, as she was knocked backwards, Nino sent out a lightning bolt while Sakurai and Aiba summoned a protection fire, the earth trembled at the sky flashed as the battle raged, Nino and Matsu were an almost perfect combination with a mix of water and lightning attacks, the demons were ill matched their attacks scattered, but they were driven by anger and fear. Nino and the hunter showed no mercy both still seething about the cattle comment. What had been left of the houses were just piles of rubble when at last Matsu had them bound. They sat on their knees looking up at Nino their eyes begging with him.
“Please, King... We serve you... We are driven by only the need to serve you... When you left us... It broke us...” The woman said and by this time it was clear that she was the one in control of the others. Nino raised an eye brow “But we always serve our king”
“As the hunter said I am not your king...” Nino said and the grinned “I’m his Nino”
“Not so long ago you claimed otherwise, your majesty, you preformed the rite of the unholy, you declared what you were and we felt you, for over 2000 years we thought you had died, we celebrated we were no longer bound to you, and then you did the rite and we were once again your slaves... Salves to a king that would rather serve those he should rule...” One of the guys said
“I am not a slave... I’m more a servant...“ Nino shrugged “I chose to be bound, I chose to bring back the three...”
“You’ll never do it...” The woman grinned licking her lips trying to be seductive, more aware than the other two of the position they were in “Not without help, I could help... I heard you like sex...”
“You’re right I do,” Nino grinned, his eyes flashing “You want to have sex with me?”
“It would be an honour, you majesty... I would give you a child an heir... I would do anything to please you...”
“Tempting, tell me why we won’t do it?” Nino said leaning against her ear, ignoring the look Matsu was giving him
“There is another... A pretender, but pretender or not he has power” She answered quickly “He has raised an army...”
“Does he have a name?” Nino asked thinking of the demon that had killed the hunter the first time he had met Matsu. He had suspected back then but he hadn’t wanted to admit it to himself.
“You have always known it...”
“And what is it?” Nino asked his heart thumping and he was almost saying the answer before it was given
“Akanishi jin”
 
 
A/N: Part 14, hope you enjoy ^.^