Chapter 2 - The Storm of Darkness

Full Moon

Part 2: The Storm of Darkness

Disclaimer: Many of the characters and their backgrounds in this story come from the TV show Rurouni Kenshin, and are not original characters.



“Megumi! Megumi!”

Megumi sleepily blinked her eyes as she rolled over on her sleeping mat. Who on Earth could be here at this time of night? She wondered to herself.

“MEGUMI!”

“Alright, alright I'm coming!” Megumi called back to the unknown voice. She yawned and stretched as she rose to her feet. The life of a doctor wasn't an easy one, and Megumi knew that. She had to be ready to take care of a patient at any moment. But why do people have to get sick when I'm trying to sleep?

Megumi sighed deeply and walked to the door to begin the search for her visitor. She didn't have to look far. As soon as she slid the door open she was met by a rather disheveled man. He panted as he tried to catch his breath, and in his arms was a large white dog. The creature's thick coat was matted with blood and it seemed to be unconscious.

“Sanosuke! What happened!?” Megumi could sense that something was very wrong.

“H-h-help it…p-p-please!” Sano managed to gasp between breaths.

Megumi quickly shook off her shock and led Sanosuke into the neighboring room. “Quickly, put it there!” she urged, pointing to a table near the back wall.

The dog was wheezing terribly, and it was important that Megumi began the examination right away. Any fatigue she may have felt was forgotten as her mind filled with questions. But she pushed them aside and focused on the task at hand. She didn't know how much time she had. Sanosuke stared worriedly at the dog. He clenched his fists and his eyes gleamed with anger.

“Dog's aren't exactly my specialty, but I'll do whatever I can.” Megumi said, noticing his distress. Sanosuke nodded in approval, never taking his eyes off the dog.



There was a forest, a mighty forest, with tall trees in every direction. Sano knew this place. It wasn't far from Tokyo. In fact, it was just outside the city. But something was wrong. He could sense it. He looked around nervously, and was blinded by a sudden flash of light.

Fire. It started out as just a flicker, but it began to grow. It consumed the once proud trees and surrounded Sano. It didn't seem like there was any hope of escape. He began to panic. He spun around to find an exit but was disappointed to find a fiery wall everywhere he turned.

Then he saw it. There was a large gap in the fire. He wasted no time. He quickly dashed through opening but was alarmed to find that there was even more fire than before. But there was one difference. A path.

He followed the path, never leaving its trail. And all the while he felt like he was being watched. He could see a dark shape moving in the flames. It began to growl and snap as it swiftly advanced upon Sanosuke.

Sano continued to run. The heat was almost unbearable, and the suspense nearly killed him, but still he ran. Suddenly, a large tree began to fall in the way of the path. Not seeing the danger, Sano ran right under the tree and it collapsed onto him.

He struggled to get free, but it seemed hopeless. And to make matters worse, everything had begun to shake violently. The creature in the fire came closer and Sano could sense that it was right behind him. Fire closed in on all sides till the flames were almost licking his face. Sano shut his eyes and waited for the end.

“Sanosuke…Sanosuke…” A voiced began to call from the distance. Sano wanted to go to the voice. It seemed to welcome him in his current state of despair.

“Sanosuke…Sanosuke…” It seemed familiar, but distant. He had to get to the voice! He just had to! The creature was almost upon him now, and he began to yell in his distress.

“Sanosuke…Sanosuke…”



“SANOSUKE! WAKE UP!”

Sano's eyes snapped open. His body, which was leaning against the wall, shot up and nearly hit Yahiko, who was sitting in front of him. Sano was covered in a cold sweat, and his heart was pounding. “Whoa. What a dream,” he muttered as he put his hand to his forehead. It was the middle of the day and the sun was shinning brightly. He closed his eyes in protest.

“What the heck were you dreaming about Sanosuke!? You were screaming like a little girl,” Yahiko laughed. But Sano didn't think it was funny. He hit Yahiko in the head, leaving a big red lump as punishment.

“If you had that dream you wouldn't be laughing Yahiko. But don't worry about it. It was just a dream anyway.” Sano took a deep breath and leaned back against the wall. I guess I fell asleep out here after we finished working on the dog.

“We heard about what happened last night.” Sano looked up and noticed that both Kenshin and Kaoru were there as well. “You didn't get hurt did you?” Kenshin asked.

“Nah, but my dog friend did.”

“Dog friend? Since when do you have a dog friend Sano?” Kaoru asked putting her hands on her hips.

“Since last night!” Sano answered rather gruffly. “Look, to make a long story short, I was walking home, and then I saw the Onanwabi group. They had that girl's ring I was talking about, so I challenged to a fight to get the ring back. It was really easy at first, but then they surrounded me with guns. I thought I was a goner, but then this big dog saved me and we managed to beat the group. Unfortunately, the dog got shot during the fight,” Sanosuke said sadly. “We were trying to save it last night, but Megumi's still not sure if it's going to make it.”

“Did you at least get the ring back?” Yahiko asked with interest.

“Yah, I got it.” Sano pulled the ring out of his pocket. Strangely, there wasn't a drop of blood on it. Weird, you would think there would be blood on it after being on a severed hand. Sano pondered on this for a moment but his thoughts were interrupted. Megumi walked out of the house to greet her visitors. She seemed to be just as tired as Sanosuke, and her dreams had been just as fitful. She had dreamed about the days when she worked for an evil man that made her make opium so he could sell it for money. Those were miserable times for Megumi, but she was later rescued by Kenshin and the others.

“Well, is the dog going to be okay?” Kaoru asked with concern.

Megumi flicked back her long black hair and sighed deeply. “Well, at first I didn't think there was any chance of it making it through the night, but I was proven wrong. I'm not positive, but I actually think it's going to pull through.” Megumi announced cheerfully. Sanosuke and the others smiled broadly at this news.

“Thank you Megumi,” Sanosuke yawned. He stretched his arms and slumped back against the wall again. So tired.

“Don't mention it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other patients to attend to.” Megumi nodded slightly and returned to her work.

“So, what happened to the Onanwabi?” Kenshin asked as his gaze fixed on Sanosuke. Sano, who was dozing off, shook himself awake and managed to stammer out an answer.

“The police took em'. They'll be in jail for a good long time.” Sanosuke smiled, but his expression went from amused to concerned as he remembered something the Onanwabi had said. “There's something weird about what they told me. They said that they found the ring by a dead dog, and later, they claimed that the dog that saved me was the same dog they found the ring by.”

Yahiko looked dumfounded. “How can that be the same dog if they said it was dead? That doesn't make any sense!”

Kenshin furrowed his brow in concentration. “You're right, it doesn't make any sense. Sano, maybe you should go to the police station and ask the Onanwabi a few questions, that you should.”

“I will. Tomorrow though,” Sano replied sleepily. Forgetting all his troubles, he closed his eyes and drifted into a dreamless sleep.



It wasn't until the next morning that Sanosuke finally awoke. The day was just as beautiful as it had been for the past two days. The sky was a pale blue and there wasn't a cloud in sight. The sun rose slowly over the horizon as birds chirped cheerfully in the distance.

Sano blinked a few times and rose to his feet. He stretched and yawned in an attempt to better wake himself up. How long was I asleep? he wondered.

“Sanosuke, I have great news!”

Startled, Sanosuke spun around to see Megumi smiling at him. “What? What is it?” he asked hopefully.

“I don't know how, but your dog friend is going to be okay! It's still sleeping right now, but it should wake up eventually.”

Sanosuke was thrilled at this news. “That's great!” A broad smile spread across his face.

“But what's really strange is that the bullet wound isn't the only injury it has. There's also a deep gash on its leg that's not completely healed yet.” Megumi looked pensive.

A gash on its leg? Why does that seem so familiar? Sanosuke thought about it, but couldn't quite figure it out. “Well, anyway, I have to go. Thanks for everything Megumi.”

She nodded and walked back into the clinic. Sano watched her go and then turned to go to the police station. It was about ten o'clock by the time Sanosuke reached the station. I really hope they can answer some of my questions.After entering the building he saw a man sitting at a desk about twenty feet away. Sanosuke approached the man and cleared his throat. The man, who had been studying some papers, looked up from his work to see Sanosuke waiting impatiently.

“Hello. How can I help you?” The officer smiled warmly at Sano. His teeth gleamed in the light of the sun and his long black hair blew in the breeze from the open window.

“Can I talk to the Onanwabi? I have some questions for them.” Sano folded his arms and examined the officer. There was something strange about his overly friendly behavior. Sano didn't like it.

“The Onanwabi? I'm sorry, but they're all dead.”

“Dead?! What do you mean dead?!” Sano was stunned. I know that one of the men was killed, but the rest of them should be alive!

“You mean you haven't heard? They were being transported here the other night, but their carriage was attacked. They and the officers were all found dead the next morning.” The officer smiled and began to study his papers again.

Sano couldn't believe what he was hearing. No! I needed to talk to them! How can they all be dead! This can't just be a coincident.

Disappointed, Sano took one last look at the officer and turned to leave. The officer looked up from his work to watch Sano go. He smiled and laughed softly to himself. Fool.



I can't believe my luck! Sano had been walking for almost ten minutes and all he could think about was his conversation with the strange officer. Frustrated, he stuffed his hands into his pockets. His fingers hit something cold and hard. The ring! He pulled it out and remembered when he had run into the girl before. “I hope she's okay. The wound on her leg looked pretty bad.” Sano stopped and thought about what he just said. Wound on her leg? The dog! That's why it seemed so familiar! But…that's impossible. There's no way that girl could be the dog! Sano chuckled at such a crazy idea. Still, it is kinda' strange…

Three days passed uneventfully. The dog was still asleep and the girl was nowhere to be found. With nothing to do, Sano spent his days thinking about all the possibilities of what was going on. He had come up with some strange ones, but none came close to the truth.

Sano was walking home after dinner on the third day something caught his eye. He couldn't believe what he saw. Trotting around the corner was the dog. It didn't seem to notice Sanosuke, so he ran to catch up. Poking his head around the wall, Sano could see the dog continue on its way through the streets. Now things are getting interesting. He had already made up his mind to follow the dog. As quietly as he could, he crept along behind it.

There were times he was certain he'd given himself away, but the dog never seemed to notice. Eventually, the dog left the city. Following the road, it began to move toward the forest. Sanosuke suddenly remembered his dream. A chill ran down his spine, but he quickly shook it off and continued on his quest.

As the dog led Sano further and further away from the city, it began to move faster. Sano was finding it hard to keep up and be stealthy a the same time. Suddenly, the dog began to run. It sprinted off the road and darted into the woods. Startled, Sano ran after it. He no longer cared if it saw him. Branches and twigs brushed against his skin and got caught on his clothes, but he didn't notice.

The dog seemed to become more and more distant. Soon, Sano couldn't see it at all, and by that time he was deep in the woods. Desperate, he ran harder, hoping to find the dog again, but everywhere he looked there were just more trees. Stupid dog! Where did you go?

Sano wasn't paying attention to where he was going and was suddenly sent sprawling forward after hitting something in his way. He gritted his teeth and crawled into a sitting position. Well, that hurt.

“You really need to stop running into people.”

Sano recognized that voice. He quickly turned and was both surprised and delighted to see the western girl. “It's you!” He gasped.

“That's okay I forgive you for running into me for a second time.” The girl smiled playfully and rose to her feet.

“Oh, I'm sorry!” Sano stammered. He began to rub the back of his head in embarrassment. “It's just that, I'm a little surprised to see you way out here in the middle of a forest.”

“I could say the same for you.”

Remembering the dog, Sano began to look around, but finally accepted that he wasn't going to find it. He walked over to the nearest tree and sat under its towering branches. “Well, this may sound crazy, but I was following a big white dog. You didn't happen to see it did you?” Sano looked hopefully at the girl, but she shook her head.

“Sorry, I haven't seen any big white dogs running around the forest.” She walked over and sat under the tree next to Sanosuke's. “I only came out here so I could take a walk by myself. I wasn't expecting to see anyone else.”

“But why would you go on a walk so late? The sun has almost completely set, and there's no moon tonight.”

“True, but I like the dark.” She smiled again and lifted her face towards the sky.

But Sanosuke's suspicion was replaced with excitement when he remembered the ring. He quickly stood up and fished it out of his pocket. “Here! I have your ring,” he said as he held it out to the girl. She jumped to her feet and grabbed it out of his hand.

“I can't believe it! Where did you find it!?”

“The Onanwabi group had it, but I got it back for you.” Sanosuke smiled proudly at his accomplishment.

“Thank you so much, uh…What did you say you name was?”

“It's Sanosuke. Sanosuke Sagara. What's your name?'

“My name is Laura. You don't mind if I call you Sano for short do you?” Laura asked.

“Not at all.” Sano answered. Laura hu. That's a strange name. But she is from America after all.

There were so many questions that he was dyeing to ask. He was glad that Laura had her ring back, but he had to know the truth. “I have a question. Do you remember where you lost the ring? The Onanwabi claimed they didn't steal it. They said they found it next to a dead dog, the same dog I was chasing before.”

Laura looked like she was about to say something, but stopped. “It's a long story.”

“A long story indeed.”

Laura and Sanosuke both spun around at the sound of a deep voice from the bushes. “Who's there?!” Sanosuke demanded.

“Just an old friend.” To Sano's surprise, a large animal stepped into the clearing. It looked very similar to the dog he had been chasing, but its coat was pitch black, and its eyes looked cold and cruel. “And please, don't mistake me for a dog like you have my friend here. It's insulting. I would much rather you call us by our proper name, canus lupis, or the wolf.” The animal's lips curled back into a malicious smile. He seemed very amused.

“Wait! What are you talking about?! Laura, what is he saying?” Sano desperately turned to Laura who was staring at the wolf with great distaste.

“So you followed me all the way here hu Ryo? Well, you got what you wanted, so why don't you just go and leave me alone?!” Laura looked furious. Her bright eyes blazed with anger, and her hands were clenched into tight fists.

“So hostile. Don't you even want to say goodbye?” Ryo's smile broadened and his long fangs flashed dangerously in the remaining sunlight.

“NO! I just want you to go! I've had enough of you!”

Sano was genuinely confused. If he had questions before, he had three times as many now. How can a wolf be talking!? And what did he mean when he said I mistook Laura for a dog? Maybe she was that dog…er…wolf I was chasing!

“Very well. If that's the way you're going to be then I guess I'll just have to leave. But before I go, here's a little parting gift.” And then something astonishing happened. Ryo stood on his back legs and transformed into a man.

Sanosuke was speechless. It's the man from the Police Station! But…how?!

“You probably have many questions Sanosuke. And I'm sure Laura would be more than happy to explain them all to you, but there is one thing neither of you know. It's true that the Onanwabi are dead, and it's also true that I'm the one that killed them. But I kept one alive.”

“Ichiro,” Laura muttered under her breath. As if on cue, another man stepped out of the bushes. He had messy black hair and his right hand was completely severed.

“It is Ichiro!” Sano stared in disbelief at the man he had believed to be dead. That's impossible!

Ichiro glared coldly at Sano. He opened his mouth to say something, but was silenced by Ryo.

“Please Ichiro, why don't you give our friends the gift I promised them.” Ryo smiled calmly down at the former leader of the Onanwabi. Ichiro smiled back, but his smile was much more sinister.

“I hope you like it,” Ichiro sneered. He then pulled out a small whistle and put it to his lips. The note he produced was loud and shrill as it pierced through the tranquil forest. Startled birds burst out of the trees and a family of foxes ran into their den.

Ichiro seemed very pleased with himself. He put the whistle back in his pocket and looked to Ryo for further instruction. “Very good Ichiro,” Ryo said with pleasure. “As for you two,” He turned to face Sanosuke and Laura. “Enjoy.”

The sun had just passed from view and darkness was beginning to overtake the light. Seeing this, Ryo pulled a silver medallion out from his black cloak. It had a star shaped symbol on it and was about the size of a coaster. He held it high above his head and began to laugh maniacally as the medallion started to glow. Its radiance completely surrounded both Ryo and Ichiro.

Sanosuke was forced to shield his eyes as a bright flash of light illuminated the remaining darkness. When he could finally see again, he was surprised to see that Ryo and Ichiro were gone.

“What the heck is going on!?” Sanosuke turned to Laura and prayed she'd have an answer.

“We'll talk later. Right now we have to run!”

“Run? Why?”

But before Laura could answer, a deafening roar erupted into the night. Startled, Sanosuke looked around for the culprit.

“Come on! We have to run, NOW!” Laura pleaded. But it was too late. A monstrous creature stepped into the clearing. It stood about six feet tall from the ground up and it seemed to be a combination of a tiger and wolf. It had glowing red eyes that gleamed with desire, and its long white fangs extended well beyond its bottom jaw. Its black coat made it almost invisible in the darkness, which made the creature appear even more ominous.

Sanosuke instantly recognized it, and he backed away in fear. “That's the thing from my dream!” he shouted.

“That was in your dream?” Laura asked. But Sano never got a chance to answer. The creature had begun to glow and eerie red. A deep growl rumbled in its throat and the light from its eyes intensified.

“What's it doing?” Sano asked fearfully.

“I was just about to ask the same question.” Laura said backing away.

Suddenly, the creature let out a roar even louder than the first. The red light that had formed around its body was thrust into the sky. Like a giant firework, it exploded and spread out in every direction. Dark clouds formed everywhere the light touched, and thunder could be heard echoing in the distance. The creature took a step closer, its hackles raised.

“Run…” Laura spoke in almost a whisper and Sano had to strain to hear her.

“RUN!” She grabbed Sano by the arm and took off in the opposite direction of the creature. Sano stumbled along for a moment but found his footing and managed to catch up. The wind had quickened drastically and lighting lit the moonless sky. Sano could feel the creature catching up with them and he began to panic. Since they were in a clearing, it was much easier for him to run. He sprinted ahead of Laura who seemed to be having some troubles.

Suddenly, lightning struck a nearby tree and fire lit its branches. But, this wasn't the only tree that got hit. Dozens of other trees were also on fire and the blaze was spreading quickly. Soon they were almost completely surrounded by hungry flames. The creature used this to its advantage and dove into the flames.

“Great, now it's fire proof!” Sano screamed. Laura had fallen behind and was limping pretty badly. She clutched her side and grimaced in pain. “Are you okay?!” Sano yelled over his shoulder.

“I'm fine!” Laura called back. But as soon as she said it, she tripped over a tree root and fell to the ground. Sano didn't notice and continued to run.

Seeing that one of its victims had fallen, the creature jumped out of the fire and landed on top of Laura. Warm saliva drip onto her face as the creature's fangs drew closer to her throat.

Sanosuke finally realized that Laura wasn't following him anymore. He stopped running and turned to look for her. His eyes widened in fear when he saw the position she was in. “LAURA!”

“I…won't die…not here! Not now!” With one swift motion, Laura slashed at the creature with hidden claws. It reared up in pain and Laura managed to squeeze out from under it. Sanosuke ran up to her and helped her to her feet.

Where did that attack come from? Sanosuke wondered. But this was no time to ask questions. The creature had refocused and was burning with rage. It began to chase them again, but this time it was serious.

There was nowhere to hide. Sanosuke desperately searched for a way out, but they were completely surrounded. “Quick, follow me!” Laura grabbed Sano's wrist and pulled him directly into the flames. Sanosuke expected to be burned alive, but was pleased to see that they were both protected by a red barrier.

“Amazing,” he breathed. The fire helped to shield them from the creature's fangs but they couldn't run forever. Laura was still limping and her breathing was getting worse.

Then, it happened. They were so desperate that they didn't notice the tree as it fell. Though Laura's barrier could protect them from the fire, it was too weak to reflect the burning tree. It hit hard, completely shattering the barrier and landing on top of Sanosuke. He yelled out in pain from the impact. The creature heard his scream and was almost upon them. The fire began to close in around Sanosuke and he started to cough from the smoke.

The fire didn't seem to bother Laura at all, but she knew Sanosuke was in trouble, and she wasn't sure if she had enough strength to lift the tree. I have to try. She took a deep breath and bent over to grasp the tree. She gritted her teeth with effort, but managed to lift the tree enough off the ground to let Sano escape.

But the creature got there first. Its claw caught on Sano's pant leg and dragged him out from under the tree. Laura dropped the tree and stared in horror as the creature lifted Sano closer to its jaws. I have to do something! She began to back up but hit something behind her. It's a rock wall! We've ran all the way to the mountain! Thinking fast, she kicked the wall as hard as she could. The earth began to shake as rocks fell from the mountain.

The creature dropped Sanosuke in terror as huge boulders crashed all around it. Sano hit the ground and was showered with rocks. Is this the end? A few larger rocks managed to hit him in the head and his vision began to blur. He could feel something grab him as the rest of his sight left him and everything became dark.

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