Yashakiden: The Demon Princess, Volume 2 (16 page)

On a clear summer night, in a corner of a small park, they saw the endless, auburn steppes. They heard the songs sung by soldiers under starry skies. Lights came on in the windows of the houses adjacent to the park. Front doors opened. Young and old faces alike crossed the street to the park and formed a ring around the bench.

The thunder of horses galloping across the land. The swords of the royal army clanging against the spears of the Hun. The fighting began at daybreak and ended with the sunset. Over and over again.

On days when the rain turned the desert to a sea of mud. On days when the winds carved the dunes surrounding the encampments into the ruins of a strange land. Thousands of soldiers ate snow as they froze to death. Tens of thousands hallucinated about their humble hometowns while dying of thirst in the scorching heat.

Nobody knew when the battle had started. Nobody knew when it would end. Not the men who fought and not the men who sent them to fight. Fighting was the only proof left of being alive. And soon not even that was sufficient.

One day, wounded, he waited in the middle of the desert for death to arrive. Dozens of cavalry faced armies of five hundred and more. Having repulsed them once, he ordered his still-living subordinates to retreat, leaving himself alone to hold this ground.

Dozens of arrows protruded from his body. Blood spurted from the breastplate of his armor. His officers barricaded in the fortress wept for him. He was the highest ranked of Emperor Zheng's generals. Yet while praising his wisdom and bravery to the heavens, he'd been exiled to these distant lands. And yet he'd fought all the more valiantly.

Then the clouds of dust ahead of him took on the appearance—not of the Hun—but of a small group of men and women. He believed that his destiny was finally at hand.

The sound of the koto ceased. His audience stood transfixed. The lyrics and the melody burrowed into their souls. They each felt as if they had come to the end of a long journey.

They were about to applaud when they realized the musician wasn't there anymore. The bench was empty except for a few grains of sand blown by the wind and glittering beneath the moon.

They all could believe he'd returned for good to the scene of that battle.

Setsura Aki stood at the entranceway to the park. The night wind rippled the sleeves of his slicker. His clear black eyes beheld the kind of moon that must have shone over the western Chinese steppes.

A shadow emerged from the darkness of the park and the light of the moon. He stood in front of Setsura.

“That was a nice song.”

“At least nobody covered their ears.”

“General Ryuuki. The first among equals of Emperor Zheng's generals. I never imagined we would meet.”

“That is such an old name. I would be rid of it but Princess insists.”

They strolled down the night-lit street. Setsura said, “It's not much, but I can offer you
senbei
and tea.”

Ryuuki flashed a relaxed smile. “You are the first outsider to make such an offer since Princess rescued me. I am grateful.”

“More importantly, a guest of mine incurred your Princess's anger and is in the hospital as a result. I'd like to meet her and ask that she at least cover the bill.”

“That would be the end of us. Not that I would necessarily object, but it would be impossible for me to utter the words if I so chose.”

“Indeed.” Setsura added in a sad voice, “I guess all I can do is ask.”

“It is impossible. It must be against God's will. Incidentally, how did you sustain that wound to your hand?”

“Ah, yes.” Setsura grinned sheepishly. “I grabbed hold of something I shouldn't have. But I concluded one task in the process. And there is one more—”

The most beautiful melody in the world rang out. “It is called
Silent Night
. That night we met, this is the instrument that put you and the Doctor to sleep.” Ryuuki continued as Setsura backed quickly away from him, “It looks like you and I are doomed to fight in any case. One note from
Silent Night
will send you into a sound sleep. It is already too late for you to escape.”

The wind ceased. A black cat observing them from a nearby hedge fell like a loaf of bread onto the ground and began to snore. In all the houses within earshot of the koto, human activity ceased.

The frightening power of the ghost koto. The moon grew forgetful of its own light, slipping into a thick haze. The eyelids grew heavy. This koto could even cause a nuclear reactor to slumber. It was only natural that Setsura would fall to the ground on one knee.

“Princess said not to make you one of our own.”

Ryuuki couldn't hide the fatigue in his voice. He hung the koto from his shoulder and slowly reached out his hand. “I do not understand Princess's feelings toward you, but I do not question her word. You should be thankful to conclude a life that will not go on forever.”

He released his
qi
. But in the moment it left his hand, the energy reversed direction and struck the upper half of his body. His hand and wrist pointed at himself. The unseen pain was the handiwork of an unforeseen power. The cold, debilitating shock knocked the breath from his lungs and threw him to the ground.

A black-clad shadow stood unsteadily before him. “That night, while Mephisto and I slept, the patient moved freely. Don't I look like one of you?”

Ryuuki's eyes colored with excruciating pain and cast out a beam of fierce light. “You've been bitten?”

Setsura opened the collar of his slicker, revealing the two marks on the left side of his neck. “Sorry to say so, but this is the work of a vampire doll in a curious little bar. Luckily, just the tips of its fangs. Is that puppet master someone you are close to?”

“What happened to Shuuran?” Ryuuki frantically raised his head.

“Oh, she's not dead. I checked her into Mephisto Hospital. That's why I was late getting home. You really should join her. A
qi
powerful enough to kill me has got to smart, even for a vampire.”

Ryuuki grunted and reached out his hand. The burst of invisible, odorless energy faded away almost at once. At the same time, another blow rattled him down to his bones. Ryuuki threw in the towel.

Looking down at the twitching body, Setsura said, “I've caught two so far, and all I've got to show for it is two big pains in the neck.”

There wasn't a hint of victory in his voice. Instead, a rather surprised look of dismay on his face.

The director of Mephisto Hospital wasn't one to brood. Illnesses were diagnosed and treated with the same precision and the same warm, relaxed smile. And the patients certainly voiced no complaints about the services delivered.

Things went on as they always did.

However, when the hospital director grew so distant that he seemed beyond the pain and suffering of his patients, even the children said aloud, “He's scary.”

The adults agreed. “Something's on the good Doctor's mind today,” they gossiped under their breaths.

In fact, Mephisto found himself in a state of mind that simply should not exist. He was
concerned
. Standing in front of the big desk in his office, he shut his long, narrow eyes and drew together his arched eyebrows as he worked toward a decision.

The face of the receptionist floated into view. By the time Setsura and the other man appeared next to her, Doctor Mephisto had made up his mind. A few minutes later, the three of them were sitting on the sofa in his office reserved for guests. The sound of running water could be heard in the background.

“Two in one night?” Mephisto pointed out with no little irony, “You aren't so lucky as you are possessed.”

“Got that right,” Setsura said shortly. “It's all straight downhill after this. Share and share alike, I thought.”

Mephisto looked at Ryuuki, sitting rigidly in the chair. “It was the same with that girl. Is there anything those filaments of yours can't do?”

“Well, turn the screws too tightly and they'll just croak. Then it'd be old school all the way. A stake through the heart. Cremation. Submerged in running water. But there's no telling how effective any of these methods would be. Beheading is the simplest. Still, it'd be better to find some straightforward way to make them sing. Say, employing Doctor Mephisto's charms and powers.”

Setsura steeled himself for a comeback. Mephisto turned to Ryuuki instead. “This one looks like he's ready to talk.”

Setsura shot a look at Mephisto. Mephisto's face appeared underlain with mother-of-pearl. “Well, I'll leave it up to you then. By the way, how is Miss Kanan doing?”

“You didn't ask earlier, so I thought perhaps you'd come bearing gifts, prepared to make amends. She's not here. She's in an undisclosed location being cared for by Yakou. A number of his tougher underlings are manning the checkpoints.”

Setsura said pointedly, “Whether it's the vampire who sniffs out the victim, or the victim who draws in the vampire, there isn't much point in hiding her.”

He was still miffed about Mephisto bringing Yakou and company on as guards, knowing they would be powerless against a frontal assault.

Unfazed, Mephisto retorted, “A doctor has the responsibility to take every step possible to insure the safety of his patients. I allow myself no exception to that rule.”

“Where is she?”

Mephisto directed his attention back to Ryuuki. “I don't suppose it'd hurt to ask. Leave a note with the secretary.”

“Fine. I get it. What about her mom?”

“
Mom
. A word that conveys more intimacy than simple filial attachment. But it suggests no qualities that could help such a person in such a condition. She possesses superficial learning she mistakes for intelligence, like the hog that boasts a knowledge of agronomy because of the farmer's tag in its ear. Anybody other than a relative would have assumed the girl had been misplaced from the morgue. But if you insist, I will lead the way and hand over the key.”

Setsura jabbed a pale finger at the tip of Mephisto's nose. “You know, I half agree with that sentiment. But let's give it an honest shot and see what happens. You want to draw lines in the sand, well, there's one right here. I'll happily shred the place to microscopic dust for the trouble.”

Mephisto looked hard at that finger and then pulled away. “Such hotheadedness is a side of you I haven't seen before. Could I inquire as to the reason for this burst of stubborn passion?”

“A mother came searching for her daughter. In this city, anybody looking for somebody is my client.”

“So we're all brothers and sisters under the skin, eh? Spare me the sanctimony. Reserve it for that
you
that isn't you.”

“For the time being, you'll have to settle for the
me
that is me,” Setsura said, his voice and face as impassive as always. Then with a wink he headed for the door, and left the room without so much as a backward glance.

Mephisto stood in front of Ryuuki and rubbed the back of his neck. Then he brought his glistening lips close to Ryuuki's ear. “Turning your own
qi
back on you—that was a dirty trick. That man—however handsome he appears on the outside—is the very personification of Demon City. His single failing is that he is a lousy judge of character.”

Ryuuki wasn't any more “out of it” than before. Setsura had employed his devil wires simply in order to transport him here. They were still entwined around him. Though his entire body was a limp mass, his head jerked around quite quickly. His eyes bored into Mephisto's, burning with naked animosity.

Affecting a cool manner as he eyed the profile of this wrought-iron man, Mephisto asked blandly, “Can you stand up? If so, I'll remove these filaments. Your hair and the rest of you is a bit unkempt. You may use the washroom back there. I'll put out a change of clothes.”

Ryuuki glowered. “Whatever you are scheming, I am pledged to fight until you are destroyed.”