From: Jade One Hi there minna-san, A quick note: Could we please stop hassling people as to where their fic has come from? Does it really matter as long as everyone is happy with it, and that includes the authors? I mean, strictly speaking, most of Kokoro comes from other peoples fics and there is one scene coming up which is almost a direct rip off from someone else's but I couldn't think of any other way to do it even though I spent a lot of time trying. I eventually fell back on one of my favorite quotes about plagerism: Quoting one is plagerism, quoting many is research. But really, since there is no money at stake here, if we are all having fun (I am assuming we are, when hassles are not getting to us) then does it matter? Enough from me, enjoy the ficcy! Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin (C) characters belong to Watsuki Nobuhiro (All Hail), Shueisha, Sony Entertainment and perhaps some others but most definitely not to me. Mokona belongs to CLAMP and any others I don't know about. I am borrowing characters without asking permission and I am not making any money out of this. Also I am not worth suing as I am a broke student. However this story and any characters I create do belong to me. I hope anyone who takes the time to read this will enjoy it. Thanks to Cecille-san, Tatsuko-san, Lily-san and Ashfae-san for prereading it. %% Speech in Kousaten's native tongue <> Thought ** Empasis Rurouni Knight Hazard - The Council's Pride Chapter 4 By Jade One "Hai, your majesty," Chomei nodded briefly, his face grim. "As I said before, he would not accept the refusal to let him enter the Priesthood. He didn't even accept the other offers of employment. That's something we don't usually do either. Instead he swore revenge in the High Temple, then turned and left. We didn't take any action then because he hadn't actually done anything. In reality we believed, wrongly it seems, that his out burst at the temple would be the end of it. We thought he would return to his village and that would be that." The High Priest paused, shaking his head sadly. "Instead he formed a plan for revenge and carried it out." "That's the information we need to know. What exactly did he do?" Chomei nodded, eyes half closed. His body drooping slightly before he roused himself, sweeping his robes back and clasping his hands behind his back. "Aa, your majesty. That is why we have called you. I showed you before the book written by Hiko Seijuro the First. It is what we refer to as a Book of Power." "A book? And this is related to our current situation how?" Sano interrupted. He did not seem happy. "Please bear with me, Heirs Companion. It will..." "My name is Sagara Sanosuke, *not* Heir's Companion." "Sagara-san then," Chomei replied curtly, ignoring the threat in Sanouke's voice. "This will make sense if I can explain fully. Otherwise you will not understand the full danger of the situation. As I said it's a Book of Power," he continued, nodding towards the volume held in Kenshin's hands. "There are several of these, but there are three greater than the others, and these are known as the Books of World. While they are nothing more than mere books, it is the knowledge they contain which makes them so powerful. They are unique; there is one copy, and one copy only, of each of them." "Why only one?" The question came, unsurprisingly, from Aoshi. "The knowledge was too dangerous to be written elsewhere, Shinomori-san," Chomei responded with a slight smile. "Some even say that they cannot be copied, that there is only one Book of World and that the other two are the result of trying to copy the original. Others say there are as many books as there have been Kings. I do not know the truth." Aoshi nodded briefly. Apparently his attitude of disbelief had changed since yesterday when Hiko-san cautioned him. "The knowledge is not meant to be used by anyone other than the King. In fact, each King has reconfirmed the prohibition of these Books, that they should remain locked away. This order is still in effect but," he sighed before continuing, "the Priesthood does not hold all the Books. We have only ever held two. The third is considered pure evil and has its own guardian. We will not touch it. Unfortunately the second was lost during the Malform Wars and although we have searched for it since the time of the Second King, we have been unable to find it. "And the third was left here, in this city. It was held in the High Temple and guarded day and night by magi and by warriors." "But they weren't good enough, were they?" The voice was a sneer. "Chomei-dono!" Kenshin cried out as he barreled into the priest, knocking him from the place he had been standing, as a quick silver glitter traced through the air. Around the throne, the others exploded into action. Megumi ducked down behind the throne as best as she could. Hiko-san uncoiled swiftly, coming to his feet and standing ready, but made no move to draw his sword. Misao flicked her wrists, her hands filling with daggers, while both Aoshi and Sanosuke moved forward, kodachi and fists bared. Kenshin dragged Chomei to his feet, pulling him to the side of the room as his would-be attacker appeared. Reality warped and split apart. It looked almost like heat haze except it was localized in one area. Inside the tear was nothing but swirling color. Blue, yellow, green, red... every color, all mixing together at once. In a flash, the haze contracted and disappeared, revealing the thing which was attacking them. "It's one of his," Chomei said with a sickening finality. "Indeed I am," it responded, its voice rough and harsh. "But unlike the others, I was sent to observe, to see, to understand. But you'd make such a fine meal," it added, running its black tongue over pointed fangs. "And I got hungry." It turned back to the group before the throne, flaring its bat-like wings. "So you're the King." Slitted red eyes focused on Hiko. "A more substantial meal than the High Priest and his lies," it gestured with its claws at the pillar Chomei was now hiding behind. "But these others are not part of the plan. Still," its eyes narrowed cunningly. "If I eat you all, no one can stand in his way." On its words, it leapt hard, hind claws striking sparks from the floor, jaws open, lips curled back in a snarl, bearing all its fangs. Its arms were opened in a pose which was all-encompassing, claws extended. Now that it was revealed, it could only be called a chimera; a mish-mash of creatures - bat, lizard, lion - given life. Megumi screamed, and the others began moving out of its way. Misao threw her blades at it's exposed chest. "Sano!" The others except for Sano made to dodge its attack, although Hiko was in a position to cover Megumi. Sano stepped forward. There was a slight smirk on his face. It landed in front of him, drawing itself up to its full height. "So you'll face me, little man?" "Yeah. I'll face ya. And I won't be using a weapon." "Oh, you mean these?" It picked at one of the kunai embedded in its chest. "I should hope not. They're not even a hindrance." It pulled the blade out and flicked it back towards Misao. Aoshi flinched in her direction but she deflected it with another, sending it into a tapestry on the wall. "Shall we begin?" Sano asked. "Let's," it growled with a grin, revealing once again its rows of pointed teeth. They leapt at each other, Sano with his fist drawn back and his body turned to add weight to the blow. The creature simply jumped, mouth gaping, feet and hand claws extended; its wings, which were swept back and ready for use, would compensate. They met at the apex of their leap and it looked for an instant as if Sano had been swallowed by the creature's claws. And then they fell to the ground. The creature used its wings to backpedal before it landed, its hands clutching at its belly. A small pool of red liquid gathered beneath it. Sano landed and shook his right hand. Blood splattered on the floor but he was unharmed. The creature's eyes were opened wide, not with pain but with surprise. "It's not possible. No human can be that strong." Sano cocked his head. "Oh yeah? Come on! Or was that too much for you?" "Grrr... Shineee!" It pulled its hands away from its stomach and lunged at Sano, coming at him horizontally, claws leading. Sanosuke smirked and skipped aside, bringing his fist down through the creature's spiky hair on the back of its head. The creature slammed into the ground and its wings caught Sano's shins. He didn't fall with the hit but he did dance to maintain his balance. It was not the picture he wanted to leave. The creature rolled over. It didn't bother trying to regain its footing. It would be useless with a sword held under its throat. Cold blue eyes looked down unmercifully. It breathed in but broke off as a racking cough brought blood to its mouth. "It didn't go as planned, did it monster?" Chomei questioned, coming up to the creature. He was careful though to stay out of reach. "Just as your plans will not," it retorted. "Your Master will be defeated by the King." "My Master had nothing but respect for the King and Kousaten, until you and your priesthood took that all away, until you twisted the Kings words." The creature gasped, coughing up blood again. "But consider this, priest," it began again in a faltering voice tinged with malice. "If the King truly is what you say, won't he see through *your* lies as well?" It laughed, but it was more a bubbly gurgle. Aoshi backed off slightly. "The King serves Kousaten," Chomei replied. "As do I. I do not fear the truth." "You should," it whispered, eyes closing. "What is your name?" Hiko finally spoke. "Irratan..." he sighed, blood bubbling from his mouth as his eyes closed fully. The clawed hands which had been clutching at his wound slipped off, bloody claws scratching the floor on impact. "These are the types of intruders I warned you about," Chomei told Hiko, dismissing the corpse with a flick of his eyes. "It's nothing to be concerned about. It occurs almost every day. The results are always the same. Congratulations Sagara-san, you've helped defend Kousaten, and if you don't mind me saying so, you are a lot stronger than you appear." Chomei smiled at Sano, who was staring at the body with dull eyes. "Oh, don't look like that. It was seeking the deaths of all us, indeed everyone in Kousaten. I'll call the guards and have them dispose of the body, and after that I can continue telling you why this has occurred." Chomei reached for a bell pull and tugged it. "Disposed of? What happens to them?" Hiko asked, settling back into the throne as Megumi gently took Sano's arm, leading him back to the place he had been sitting, talking to him in a quiet voice. She ignored Misao's look of amazement and Kenshin's questioning glance. "The bodies?" Chomei seemed surprised. "The bodies are dumped. They are the enemy." Hiko shook his head as several guards entered the room. "Not this time and not anymore." His voice was like steel. "I want Irratan buried under the tree in the garden from last night. And in the future I want all intruders captured alive." "Sire!" Chomei sounded outraged. "This is the enemy." Hiko shook his head. "This is a body. Enemy, friend, good, bad, it does not matter when you are dead. A body is just a body. You *will* obey me." He turned slightly looking up at the guards. "I expect you to relay my orders throughout the garrison, Garhow," he instructed as several of the lizard guards carried the body out. Several other creatures who scampered and chittered amongst themselves followed with cloths and water, cleaning the floors. One of them broke off to retrieve Misao's kunai. It chittered very seriously at her when it handed them back after carefully cleaning them. It chittered especially loudly over the one it had pulled from the tapestry. Misao smiled briefly and quietly promised to miss the tapestry in the future. The sleek otter-like creature nodded once and the skittered back to join its companions. It was all very efficient and bespoke lots of practice. Hiko looked up again after everyone had left, leaving them alone with the High Priest. "Why don't you continue, so we can at last get to the bottom of this," he said with a wave of his hand. Now that it had been so forcibly pointed out, there was something not right about the High Priest's story. "Hai, your Majesty. But first let me thank your Heir," Chomei spoke, his voice a little more subdued. "If he had not been so quick to act, Irratan may have been successful in his attempt to kill me." He bowed formally to Kenshin. "You have my thanks and my life, Prince of Kousaten." Kenshin nodded back politely, slightly embarrassed. "Now, where was I?... Oh yes. The Priesthood held one Book of World and it was guarded. However, he managed to steal it. "At first we weren't worried. We didn't think he'd be able to use the knowledge. But then he opened what we call The Gate." "Gate?" "The term is misleading but serves well enough. When his Majesty brought you all to Kousaten he opened a small gate but it was a small gate and was closed immediately. Judging from its effects, this one is neither small nor has it been closed. The gate you passed through was special. It allowed one way travel. To get back you open another from this side and pass through. This one allows travel in both directions, and that is what is happening..." He looked up at his audience but despite his years dealing with people, he could read nothing from their faces. "At the moment, we believe creatures like the one you just saw are coming through from their realm." Chomei smiled, looking for an instant like a saintly man. "I'm sorry, your Majesty. The evidence from this points to there being more than three worlds, but how many more, I cannot say." He shook his head, bemused. "But that is a speculation for another day. "Creatures are coming through, but parts of Kousaten are also passing through the gate. Eventually Kousaten will either be consumed or overrun. And that is the problem I present your Majesty with," Chomei finished, going down on one knee. "Get up, Chomei, you look ridiculous." Chomei shot up but still stood somewhat at attention. He'd made his petition, now the King had to decide. "If Kousaten will either be consumed or overrun, isn't he destroying himself as well?" Misao questioned, gesturing vaguely around her, before she frowned. "Does this guy have a name?" "He won't destroy himself," Chomei shook his head. "At least, not initially," he added thoughtfully. "The Gate was opened with a purpose, exactly what that is we cannot be sure because it was based on his thoughts and feelings. But since it has a purpose it is only after it has fulfilled it, only after he wins will it be able to destroy him." "That doesn't sound like the plan of a intelligent man, no matter how upset he was," Megumi said, her eyes narrowed in thought. "Wouldn't he want to control Kousaten since he was denied the chance of ruling?" "I cannot say what he wants." "It still does not make sense. There is something you are not telling us. I can feel it," Hiko broke in. Both Aoshi and Kenshin nodded in agreement. They also felt the High Priest was hiding something. "Your Majesty!" He sounded outraged once again. "It is as I told you. He could not accept that he had failed the initiation tests of the Priesthood," Chomei finished in his most reasonable tone. "Yes. It is based around that," Aoshi said quietly, speculatively. "But..." "There is something else. Something with the test," Kenshin finished, looking down at Chomei in askance. Hiko nodded. His baka deshi and his friends weren't that stupid after all. "The test was outlined by the Second King, then elaborated on by the Council as Kousaten changed." Chomei did not seem comfortable. "And that is the point. What sort of elaborations did the Council make? Why did he fail the test?" Hiko watched him, brown eyes hard. This was the real core of the matter, something the High Priest knew he wouldn't approve of. "He's a Maird!" Chomei almost shouted, snapping, breathing heavily. "A Maird?" It was Sano's turn to question for the confused group. "The Ruling Council is human. Always human," Chomei muttered to himself, incensed that someone would question him. "The King is human so only humans have the right to rule Kousaten. It's only sensible." He shone with righteousness. "Sou da ne?" Hiko questioned with deceptive mildness. "It will change," he ordered, the mildness vanishing from his voice, replaced by steel. "Majesty!" Chomei objected. He seemed to be doing that a lot today. "Mairds cannot rule. This was something decided by Hiko-sama the Sixth." He added the last, obviously trying to appeal to Hiko's respect for the previous Hiten Masters. "Oh, it wasn't an addition made by your arrogance?" Hiko asked sarcastically, smiling coldly. The others looked on, sensing the danger. "It was a nice try High Priest. But I am Hiko Seijuro, the Mantled King. It will change." His eyes glittered a brilliant red and seemed for an instant, slitted like a cats'. His skin was almost seemed to lighten with the force of his words. Chomei backed away. His eyes wide with fear, but he was still in awe. This was the power of the King of Kousaten, the Ultimate Ruler. He gulped then fell to the floor with a wail. "Please forgive us, your Majesty," he groveled. "We only did what we thought was best for Kousaten." "Get up." Hiko now seemed more annoyed than angry. "You look ridiculous on the floor. You're going to make up for this by ensuring that from now on, *all* citizens of Kousaten are considered equal, and that they all may hold positions and rank commensurate with their ability. But since the damage is done, it can wait until I dismiss you. For now you can tell what the man's name is and what a maird is. He has made his choice to endanger Kousaten, so I have no choice." Kenshin and the others sighed in relief. The High Priest seemed to realize that the King, especially when it was Hiko Seijuro, was not someone to cross. "The Maird," Chomei began again, although he seemed shaken as he rose to his feet. "The Maird are something of an accident. Time in Kousaten moves differently from your world. The Maird were created after the First King stabilized Kousaten but that was for us thousands of years ago. For you, it is only a handful of generations." Chomei breathed heavily, his eyes losing focus as he remembered. "The Maird were created by the oldest most elemental magic. It was an experiment by a splinter religious cult that got out of control. It altered most of them into Mairds - Man Birds. They were human but the magic changed them and the line has bred true ever since. There are also Maish and Maeptiles, created by similar experiments, although we believe these groups are fewer in number. It's hard to tell, especially with the Maish. "As a Maird, he has wings, brown hawk-like wings, and his feet are more like talons, but apart from that he looks human." Chomei paused. "His full name is Kyarashshu'mathieaynan. Very long but that is the custom of his tribe, and although I am unfamiliar with the method, apparently the name will tell you the lineage of each Maird for three or four generations. For simplicity he was known as Kyarash and only called his full name on formal occasions." Hiko nodded in understanding. "Once we got to the truth, you have given us an acceptable summation of what you believed has happened." He ignored the flush on Chomei's face and the way the High Priest uncomfortably shifted his weight. "But it fails to answer the important question of how we close the Gate. I presume that would save Kousaten. Once the Gate is closed those creatures who are here will have to find lives for themselves. If not, they will need to be dealt with to protect the other citizens. So how do we close the Gate?" To be continued... Hai - Yes Shine - Die Baka deshi - stupid pupil Sou da ne - Is that so? Kousaten - Junction, Nexus I know Hiko is sounding like a dictator in this realm but believe me, he has the power to do that and the priest knows it. Also they haven't really been good rulers and they know that too, so they are going to obey him. It's not as if he's asking them to do that much is it? If anyone is interested in pronouncing the bad guys name I would suggest you try is something like this and pronounce each of these syllables. Why you'd want to pronounce it is slightly beyond me so I won't ask, I just made the name up after all. ^_^ Key-ya-rashh-shoe-may-thee-ae-nan Long huh? Next time the method to close the gate is revealed and Kenshin and Co leave on their new adventure. I think Chpt 6 though will cut back to Kaoru, Yahiko and Saitou and the fun they are having in the land of Kousaten. Jungles and deserts are not fun. ^_- Ah, another quick note though, in case anyone is wondering. In Kousaten there are several languages spoken. In this Chapter Chomei and Irratan spoke Japanese so that everyone could understand them and the japanese language that everyone from RK would understand is a language that is spoken in Kousaten. However there are other languages. The bad guy uses one of the others by choice but does understand others and in a previous chapter when Megumi understood what was being said, that's because she understood the dialect and the others did not. The Police were using one of the other languages of Kousaten. So when %% appear, it is to signify one of the dialects in Kousaten, and not spoken Japanese (or written english, but let's not get too picky here. ^__^) Anyway, that is definitely enough from me for now. I will probably disappear back into lurking before long. ^__^ Jade One ===== __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! 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