Adult-FanFiction.org : Anime

Enchanted	By : fuukonomiko Category: +. to F > Flame of Recca Views: 3227 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Flame of Recca, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
ENCHANTED
Chapter 2
Of Spells and Spirits
May 17, 2000
by Fuuko no Miko
CONTINUATION...
"How could you do this to me,
Kanjiro? How?" she cried, clutching the madogus to her chest. The
strong winds blew violently against her face. Her hair blew like
wildfire against a backdrop of the dark horizon. The tears streaming
down her face glistened as the air currents wiped them away.

"Midoriiii!"

The young woman turned about at
the bearer of the voice. Seeing him, she took a step back, clutching
the psychic devices even tighter to her. The sorrow on her face was
replaced by one of anger.

"Stay away from me!" she
screamed at him. "Leave me alone! You will not have them!"

A worried look was registered
on the young man's handsome features. The girl, Midori was standing at
the edge of a cliff, a very high one. The winds blew angrily as storm
clouds gathered above, the deafening thunder and blinding lightning
signalling the oncoming turbulence. At the bottom of the hundred feet
height was a ravaging sea. The waves crashed loudly, angrily at the
huge rocks below, as if echoing the anger now brewing in between the
two beings then standing by the cliffside.

"Midori, get away from there!
You might fall!" he called out to her, echoing his fears. He took a
step forward while she took one back.

"What do you care?" she
accused, "That I might destroy these precious devices of yours?"

"I care about you!" he yelled.
"I don't want those devices anymore! It's you that I want...all my
life!"

"Don't lie to me..." she broke
down, weeping. "I'm sick of hearing lies from you. No more!"

"Midori I love you!" he cried
out in desperation. "Don't do this!"

A smirk appeared on her lips,
"Tell that to your master, the Oni." She smiled bitterly, "And say
hello to Ayami for me." she took one more step back, coming closer to
the cliff's edge.

"Goodbye, Officer Akamatsu."
she declared at last, stressing the last two words. And at that moment,
a loud thunderclap exploded, followed a streak of lightning, hitting
the edge of the cliff and causing the earth beneath Midori's feet to
crumble.

"Miiidoooorriiiii!" Kanjiro ran
with all his might to reach the girl. But the once solid ground beneath
her feet had given way and she fell, almost dramatically, like a rag
doll towards the violent sea. Her long red hair was like a flame on a
falling torch. Kanjiro watched helplessly as the woman he loved plunged
to her premature death in the rumbling ocean floor.
"Noooo...Midori...noooo..."

Joker jolted awake, breathing
hard as he did. He felt a certain heaviness in his chest as he
hyperventilated. What the hell was that about, he thought as he
tried to gain control of his breathing. He noted he was covered in
sweat despite the cool breeze coming from the open window. He took a
breath and managed to slow down his ragged breath and palpitating
heart. What a ridiculous nightmare, he said to himself. Like
a scene from one of those crummy, mushy movies Neon and Mikoto
frequented. His hair stood on end. Yikes. Staying too long
in a weird place like this was beginning to get to him.

He looked around and saw Neon
sleeping soundly. He stood up and walked over to her bed. He sat next
to her sleeping figure and took note of the face illuminated by the
moonbeams coming from outside. Strangely, she had a striking similarity
to the woman in his dreams. What was her name? Midori? Only that Midori
was younger...and more domesticated-looking, he added, laughing
inwardly. Neon-han, even if she had served as a maid in Kurei-sama's
household looked anything but domesticated. She was a classy-looking
member of the female species. If he didn't know better, she'd be more
lady of the manor rather than a handmaid-in-waiting. He brushed a
couple of strands of hair that fell on her face. He found himself
looking at her, taking note of her beautiful face. The eyes that may
now be closed, but when opened revealed an icy blue depth that often
stared darts at him whenever he gave one of his smart-aleck remarks.
The perky nose, the naturally-reddish lips. The rosy white skin that
looked velvety to the touch. His gaze swept her being, and took in the
gentle curves of her body. He admitted that Neon-han, his fellow Uruha
is quite a woman. Physically gifted and even if she hardly showed it,
emotionally warm and caring as well. She had a hard, icy cold surface,
but beneath it was a soft-hearted, tender person. The person she was
whenever it concerned Kurei-sama. One would have to blind, deaf and
dumb not to realize how she had felt about their Master. She doted him
like a mother. And yet the bitter head of the Uruha did not see her for
that. He was still basking in his hatred for the outside world. As for
him, Joker, he'd be greatly appreciative if a lady like that cared for
him as Neon would for Kurei. He'd probably fall for her in an instant.
He lied to her a while ago saying she wasn't his type. He didn't have a
particular type for women if it comes right down to it. But he knew a
good one if he saw one. And Neon-han was...

"What the hell are you doing
here?" Neon asked drowsily. Joker had not realized she had awakened. He
then noticed that he was sitting just a little too close for comfort.
He moved away a little when she got up.

"What is it?" Neon asked,
sensing that there was something troubling him.

"Nothing, Neon-han." he smiled,
showing his fangs, "I just had a silly little nightmare, that's all."
he got up and faced the window, looking at the backyard gardens.

"You and your wild
imagination." she snapped, getting back to bed. "It's three in the
morning, for crying out loud. Go back to sleep." she turned her back to
him and returned to the dreamworld.

Joker spent a few more minutes
looking out the back gardens, wondering why it looked a little misty
out there. He shrugged, blaming his strange nightmare for seeing
things. He returned to this mattress and went back to sleep.

Neon opened her eyes. She had
not been deep in sleep as Joker had thought. In fact, she had been
awake for nearly an hour when he came to her bed. A dream had come to
her, rousing her from her slumbery depths and she was unable to fully
sleep after that. She had dreamt that she was falling, falling fast
from a hundred foot cliff and plunging to her oceanic death. There was
a man, and he was running after her, while she was clutching a couple
of madougus in her arm. She couldn't recall what they were saying to
each other, except that she had been crying. Strange. Very strange
indeed. Whats even stranger is that the man looked just like...

She looked over to the Uruha
asssassin who slept across the room from her.

Very, very strange.

KA-BLAAAM!

Neon jerked upon hearing the
loud explosion from outside. She got up and rushed to the window to see
what it was. She saw black smoke coming from afar, and she heard loud
noises, like clanging metal and the sound of men. Fighting as though it
seems. She immediately took a robe and put it around her. She grabbed
her flute and ran over to the mattress where Joker had been resting.

He wasn't there.

But the Taishaku Kaiten was.

Anxious on how Joker could
leave without taking his elemental weapon with him, Neon grabbed the
heavy object and pushed the door open. She ran towards the hallway and
nearly bumped into a young woman she didn't recognize.

"Midori-san." the thin young
girl clutched her arms. "You must not go out, the village is under
attack."

"What?" Neon asked
incredulously. She shoved the protesting girl aside and went to the
front door. Outside there was a village that was never there before.
Neon's eyes almost fell out of their sockets. The house she was in was
surrounded by a village with several smaller houses. At the plaza
square there were a few dead men sprawled on the ground, with katanas
and kodachis buried in their abdomens. There were a handful more duking
it out while women and children ran everywhere in the melee. A few
houses were on fire and there was confusion and panic all over.

Neon, puzzled at the scene
before her stood frozen by the door. A firm hand pulled her back to the
house and closed the door.

"What the hell was that for?"
she snarled, finding herself face to face with an old man she did not
recognize at all. He was decked out in an old brown monk outfit. He did
not seem to be pertrubed at all with the war scene before them.

"Midori-san, it is time to use
your madugou." he said in a calm but commanding voice. He indicated the
flute Neon was holding, "The village will be destroyed. Start the
requiem now."

Neon pulled her hand away, "I
am not Midori and I am not going to use my madugou. Where in blazes am
I anyway? And who are you? Where's Yukiko-sama?"

"Please Midori-san." the young
girl pleaded. "You are our only hope against the Oni."

"Oni?" Neon's eyebrows met.
This was beginning to become more confusing by the minute. But seeing
the pleading look in the yong girl and the old man's eyes, she was
convinced. Whoever this oni was, he was destroying the village outside.
And they just might attack the house. Neon opened the door at the front
of the house and put the flute to her lips. She began playing the notes
to her most destructive mode of power.

The soldiers ceased fighting
upon hearing the beautiful music played by this equally beautiful
creature. They stopped and stared at her, looking bewildered,
mesmerized. In less than a minute the earth began to vibrate and in a
matter of seconds, everything exploded, sending the enemy troops into
oblivion. The clock counted a mere few minutes to end the battle that
had begun hours ago.

Neon felt a little dizzy after
playing full blast and she fell backward into the old man's hefty arms.
He and the girl assisted her into the living room, laying her on the
cot. Neon closed her eyes and took a breath. The young girl gave her
something to drink while the old man fanned her.

"Excellent, Midori-san." the
old monk congratulated her. "The oni will now think twice before
raiding our village."

Neon could not voice out her
innumerable questions. Why the heck was he calling her Midori? And who
was he anyway? And the girl? Where was Yukiko-sama? And Hiroshi? What
was that attack all about? And where in blazes did Joker go, leaving
his madugou behind?

"Your mission is to get me
those madougu, Officer Akamatsu." the tall bearded man in his samurai
armour instructed to the younger man before him. "Those weapons, if I
am not mistaken, are the properties of the Hokage Clan. The one which
we had wiped off the face of the planet a few years ago." He stood up
and walked over to the window, looking over the courtyard, "The weapons
of the Hokage are very, very powerful. We were not able to retrieve
them during the attack in the village. It's been said that Ohka, the
clan leader had them hidden in several parts of Japan so that we will
not be able to get them." He turned to a map of Japan on his table and
pointed to one of the few scattered, isolated islands on the coasts of
Okinawa. "Our informants tell me that there are three weapons spotted
in this area. I don't know what they are yet or what they can do. They
are in the keeping of one monk and his ward, Sakimoto Midori. I want to
you to bring them back to me."
A fanged smile appeared on the
lips of Officer Akamatsu. "You can trust me, sir. The madugous will be
yours in no time." An eyebrow raised behind the bangs that covered his
eyes. "However, I wonder what's in it for me if I do get your precious
madugou?"

The higher-ranking official
laughed, shaking his head. "You are a sly one, Akamatsu. I like that."
he spoke in a more serious note, "A promotion is very likely, my boy.
Does becoming second-in-command to me, appeal to you?" The young
officer nodded. "And of course, I may allow you and my precious Ayami
to finally take your wedding vows." he eyed the youg man skeptically,
"If that is alright."

"It would be more than alright,
Oni-sama." Officer Akamatsu looked pleased. "I will do as I promise.
The madugous will be yours as soon as possible." With that, the young
man bowed and left his commanding officer.

Kanjiro Akamatsu packed his
belongings and set sail to one of the uncharted islands of Japan to
search for the Hokage's lost psychic devices. The island was small and
he was sure to find a monk and his ward easily. He formed a plan while
on the boat that was taking him to the island. It was at that moment
when a storm cloud had appeared from the horizon and closed in. The
waves violently rocked their wooden vessel. The wind blew angrily and
the rain came in large shards, almost painfully on his skin. His
boatman panicked and jumped ship. Kanjiro held on to the boat and rode
the wave that brought him crashing upon the white sandy beaches of the
desolate island. It was all he remembered before his consciousness
lapsed.

Joker opened his eyes, seeing
the ceiling of the house he stayed in. For some reason, his body hurt
and his head throbbed. He could barely move. He was lying in the center
of the bedroom he had shared with Neon, but the latter was nowhere to
be found. He looked around. He was still dressed in the black kimono he
had been given by Hiroshi but there was something different here.
Something he just can't put his finger on. What was wrong?

"You're awake."

Neon stood at the doorway,
dressed in a lovely blue kimono different from what she earlier wore.
She was carrying a tray of tea and some noodles in a steaming bowl. She
smiled shyly at him, bowed her head and entered, putting the tray down
beside him.

Joker was open-mouthed, not
knowing quite what to say. "Eeerrr...very thoughtful of you Neon-han.
What's gotten into you today?"

She shot him a puzzled look,
"Gomen? I do not know what you speak of, sir." she bowed her head
again. "My name is Sakimoto Midori. And welcome to my humble abode."

It was his turn to cast a
confused look at her. He couldn't get any words out of his mouth,
couldn't shoot the questions he wanted to ask. He all of a sudden
seemed tongue-tied.

"You must be tired from your
ordeal." the girl who introduced herself as Midori spoke. "Have some
warm tea...and some soup. It'll help you regain from your strength."
she handed him the tea cup which he gratefully emptied. While Joker
remembered he had eaten half a feast last night, he all of a sudden
felt very hungry. He took the bowl she had offered him and emptied it
in a number of minutes.

Neon laughed. "Do you want some
more?" When he nodded, she stood up and turned about to get more food.

This was becoming very
confusing.

"Is the spell working
Grandmother?" Hiroshi asked, looking at the cauldron her grandmother
was stirring. She could see through the water in the cauldron
everything that was happening to Neon and Joker.

"So far, so good." Yukiko added
a few more herbs to the mixture in the cauldron. "Joker-san is seeing
Midori while Neon is seeing Kanjiro. Their personalities slightly
overlap at present. But it will be over soon, once the spell is
complete." she whispered a few incantations over the cauldron. She lit
a number of incense and candles and put them around the cauldron.

Joker, still dazed from the
sudden change of events, went to the backyard to contemplate what has
been happening. He wondered why the place had suddenly turned all foggy
and why Neon had a sudden change of personality. Yukiko and Hiroshi
were nowhere to be found either. He was pondering on the possibilities
when he heard footsteps behind him. He quickly turned around, assuming
a fighting stance against the shadow that appeared behind him. When his
features came into a clear view, Joker's jaw dropped.

He was looking at his own face.

"Who the hell are you?" he
demanded in a cold voice. He straightened up, eyes squinting, as if
making sure that the person before him is not merely an illusion.

The other man who bore Joker's
face bowed, "Konnichi-wa, Joker-san. I am Akamatsu Kanjiro, high
officer of the Japanese Imperial Army."

A smile lifted the corner of
Joker's lips, "I knew that face would be nothing less than
aristocratic. You work for a government official?" he inquired,
relaxing a little but keeping his guard up.

The other man nodded. When he
spoke no further, Joker asked. "What are you doing here anyway?"

It was Kanjiro's time to smirk,
"I have come to take possession of your body, Joker-san."

"What the..." And before Joker
could do or say anything further, the image before him disappeared,
absorbing himself into the latter's body. Joker felt as though his
heart was being crushed, he couldn't breathe! He fell on his knees,
gasping for air. Everything was becoming dark then, and he tried
fighting a force he could not see nor understand. He fell, unconscious,
with the soft earth cushioning his fall.

Joker opened his eyes, only to
find himself in a dark place. A very dark place. He felt as though he
was floating on air, and was not that surprised to find his feet off
the ground. He could barely move a muscle, as though he was tangled in
some kind of web. And as he struggled to free himself, he saw the same
figure approaching him. Joker was enraged, but something was holding
him back, and he couldn't fight back.

Kanjiro took a bow before
speaking, "Gomen nasai, Joker-san. It is not my intention to harm you
in any way."

Joker seethed, "We'll see who
gets bodily harmed."

"Please, forgive me." Kanjiro
apologized sincerely, "I need your help. Very badly."

"What for?"

A distant look was cast in
Kanjiro's eyes. "Help me, Joker-san, to get the curse lifted off my
soul." He looked straight at Joker's eyes, even if they had been hidden
behind his bangs. Joker felt goosebumps staring into the other man's
face. His eyes were clear and serious. There was somethng awfully
unearthly about him.

"If you recall, the dream you
had." Kanjiro began explaining, "The dream you had the first night you
were here. The girl, the cliff." Joker nodded but said nothing. "She is
Sakimoto Midori, owner of this house and the niece of the monk Issei.
She is a well respected member of this community." he took a deep
breath. "She's intelligent, charming, sweet, beautiful...and I love her
very much. Too much."

"If you love her, why did you
let her die?" Joker asked sarcastically.

A flash of anger appeared on
Kanjiro's face, "Do you think I had wanted that?" the expression then
changed to one of sorrow, "If I could turn back the hands of time, I
would have stopped then and there. But that had been impossible...until
now." his gaze shifted to Joker, "And so I ask for your help."

"As I've told you earlier, I am
an officer of the Japanese Imperial Forces." he related, "At the age of
22 I had risen to the ranks faster than any other officer there was. I
work hard and am very ambitious. Right now I hold the third highest
position in the army of my Commander, known as the Oni. I am engaged to
be married to a lovely young woman, my commander's daughter, Ayami.
Then he sent me on this mission." Kanjiro sighed, recalling the events.
"I was sent here to gather three madogus, psychic devices if you will,
owned by the now extinct Hokage Clan. There are three of them in Midori
and her uncle's keeping. I am tasked to retrieve them for my Master in
exchange for the second position and Ayami's hand in marriage. I set
out to carry this task without delay nor dilemma...that was until I met
Midori."

Midori was not the plain,
insipid girl Kanjiro had concived her to be. She was smart, beautiful
and a wonderful companion to be with. A striking contrast to the woman
he was to marry, Ayami, who was spoiled, proud and dull. He had been
engaged to her only because he had had his way with her one night he
had too much sake flooding his better judgment. Not that his commander
had known, otherwise he would have had his head served on a platter. He
had fallen for the enchanting Midori, and she had returned his love in
full. But there had been a job he was to complete, and falling for the
red-haired beauty was a big obstacle to overcome. By then he had to
choose between his love for Issei's niece and his loyalty to his
commanding officer.

He had chosen the former.

Joker thought it was rather
silly for a smart, goal-oriented, levelheaded person such as Kanjiro
Akamatsu to have his heart rule his head. If he had been in the young
officer's shoes, he'd be sure to choose his military rank in favor of a
pretty girl who came by the dozen.

"But you do not know Midori,
not as much as I do anyway," Kanjiro spoke, reading Joker's thoughts.
"Tell me, Joker-san, have you ever been in love? As in true, unselfish,
unconditional love?"

Joker was about to open his
mouth to answer when the other man spoke for him.

"It is apparent that you have
not." he said, "So I understand that you do not, cannot comprehend the
extent of my feelings for my Midori-chan. But someday you will," he
smiled, "There will come a day when you meet a woman who will
complement you, heart and soul. Someone who you feel you belong with,
and whom you will want to spend the rest of your days with,
regardless." he cast a meaningful look at the Uruha assassin, "Or do
you think perhaps you have found her?"

"Neon-han and I are merely
friends." he defensively replied. Kanjiro laughed.

"You're being defensive
already, and I haven't even mentioned a word." he then continued with
his story.

He had already chosen his path,
to leave his army, his shogunate and live a simple life with the fair
maiden. The day he had come to terms with this fact had become the day
of reckoning. He was going to tell her everything and confess his
undying affection. But then fate had taken a cruel twist.

His cover had been blown.

Midori had refused to listen to
his explanations. She had been betrayed, and she had been hurt more
than she was angry. That was the scene that had played in Joker's
dreams, Midori escaping with the madugous and accusing Kanjiro of
decieving her. Then Midori falls to her death, bringing with her the
psychic devices that had been the subject of all the conflict. The
madugous had never been found and they had speculated they had either
been swept to sea or had been destroyed during the fall. A storm had
followed that tragic scene, and Kanjiro was left weeping in the cold,
his spirit crushed beyond repair at the loss of the woman he had truly
loved. There had been nothing left for him to live for. He had wanted
to die at that very moment too, so that he may join his beloved
Midori...but then, she had perished not being able to forgive him. It
had been that which kept his soul alive. He had waited for Midori's
soul to come back and beg for her forgiveness.

Kanjiro was eventually forgiven
by Issei and the rest of the community. He had not returned to his post
at the Oni's army and he had been reported as killed in action. He
spent the rest of his life serving the people of the island as their
leader. He had not married, saying his heart had belonged only to
Midori and that it would not be fair to the woman he would marry to be
second fiddle. He spent his life longing for the day that Midori would
come back whether in spirit form or in a reincarnated human form and
plead for her to forgive him. He had died at the old age of a hundred
not attaining this goal.

"Yukiko is my descendant." he
explained. "Apparently, my tryst with Ayami had produced a child. A
child who had never seen his traitorous father. Eventually, the Oni had
died in battle, not attaining a single Hokage psychic device. Ayami
abandoned our child and he was raised by monks. Later on he went in
search of me and my whereabouts. By the time, I had been dying and I
confessed my sins at my deathbed. My son, Toshiro, was a virtuous man,
and he promised to carry on this mission of bridging the gap between
Midori and I. So far, none of the attempts had been successful. Until
now..."

"Where do I figure out in all
of this?" Joker querried.

"Yukiko had cast a spell on you
and your companion." Kanjiro said, "It takes you both back in time, to
our time, when Midori and I meet. The death of Midori must be
prevented."

"Why don't we prevent
everything altogether?" Joker suggested, "Why don't you just refure to
go to this island so you dont have to meet Midori and you can stay at
the Army, get married to the big shot's duaghter and live happily ever
after?"

"The spell may be powerful, but
we cannot reverse everything. History cannot be severely altered." the
other man replied, "Besides, I would never have wanted to not meet my
Midori-chan. I would risk it all over and over again, just to be with
her. She is worth all the pain and suffering." he added, starry-eyed.
Joker shook his head. No woman could be worth that much...could it?

"You must help me, Joker-san."
requested Kanjiro. Midori and I need human bodies to carry out this
event. So we had taken you and your girlfriend's body."

"Neon-han is not my
girlfriend." Joker stated flatly, "Although I do suppose she wouldn't
deny her feelings for me if you asked her." he smiled showing his
fanged teeth. He could almost hear Neon protesting vehemently to his
remark.

"Nevertheless," interrupted the
spirit, "The only part we can reverse is the event prior to her death.
This event will come very soon. You have to help me."

Joker's eyebrow rose, "And if I
choose not to cooperate with this charade of yours?"

A dangerous glint appeared in
Kanjiro's eye. "Then you will never have your body back until you do."

TO BE CONTINUED
- 1
- 2
- 3
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Enchanted