Among the Wolves [Hakuouki]

Chapter 20

Previously:  Souji bolted up in his futon, eyebrows furrowed. "But if it was a dream then....How does she know-"

"Tatsuo. I'll kill you."

Then suddenly, there was a shift in the atmosphere, and a bright piercing light radiated from her shoulder.

Rin ran through a forest, her breath hitching.

"Come. Break the seal Rin. Free me..." the cruel voice from her dreams whispered, the sound resonating in her head, luring her in deeper.

A cold feeling seeped through Rin; one thing she knew from the voice itself was that it was something that she should never free, for the voice was dangerously familiar to her.

It had been there long before, when she was younger. Long before her memories.

It had always been there with her. Sometimes it was silent. Sometimes it would whisper things.

She didn't know what it was, and she was sure it was a foreign voice...yet it seemed to be a part of her. "How does that work?" Rin hissed through her teeth as she started running away from the voice, back from where she came from.

But the path had changed.

The path she ran through was completely different to the one she faced. "Where the hell am I?" she asked the voice, her own voice laced with a firm and commanding tone.

A cold laughter echoed through her head. "You're where I want you to be~"

Then suddenly, a strong gale of wind made the girl stumble as she tried to gain a firm footing to the ground, but to no avail. The wind was too strong. A thick layer of leaves circled Rin and blew into her face, making her shield her face with her hands.

She closed her eyes as the leaves circled her, then suddenly, everything was quiet. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see a clearing among the trees. Rin tried to even her breathing and reached out for her katana, only to grab the air. A small sound of confusion escaped her lips as she glanced down to where the katana usually hung.

Nothing.

Rin cursed.

A small movement caught her eye and caused her eyes to snap up. Cautiously, she walked towards the clearing.

"A...well...?" The girl took small steps towards the clearing to get a better view of the stone structure; it looked familiar.

Immediately, she froze. The light disappeared from her eyes as rage, cold and pure, filled her.

"Tatsuo..." she gasped. He stood with his head lowered in front of the well, his jade hair dancing with the wind.

But when he looked up, Rin's anger faded and confusion filled it instead.

Tatsuo was crying.

An expression of terror and helplessness was on his face, his blue eyes calling out for help.

"Tat...suo...?" Rin took a step towards him. Tatsuo. This was Tatsuo. She knew his aura. His presence. It was that protective aura that had surrounded her when she was younger. It wasn't the aura of that stranger who had killed that man in the woods all those years ago. It wasn't the aura of the man who killed her father. It wasn't the aura of the person who stood before her.

"Tatsuo..." Rin took another step towards him, her eyes wide as she lifted a hand to reach out for him.

"STAY AWAY!" Tatsuo's eye's widened with fear as his voice was hysterical. "STAY AWAY RIN. PLEASE. I DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU." His sky blue eyes were pleading.