The curious case of Sherlocks Heart (closed)

[such_a_bad_man]

Sherlock doesn't look away from the wall to answer Mrs. Hudson's question. "No, my brother was just leaving." He reports, giving Mycroft an answer to his other question. "I'd advise Lestrade to look for commonalities amongst the known associates of our existing victims. If he can't find one then we will have to look deeper."

Sherlock said as he got up and looked at the police reports on all the dead criminals. "Good day, Mycroft," Sherlock added. He wasn't about to have a lengthy discussion about this; he had to get him out of the house before he stumbled across Iara downstairs.

 

[Asa]

Ms Hudson smiled her sweetest sarcastic smile as Mycroft left.

I am just on my way to the shops. Iara and I will be having her favorite fish tonight if you two care to join us or we could bring it here as long as you promise no case talk Sherlock.

John simply nodded feeling certain after what he saw having dinner with Iara would be perfectly fine with Sherlock.

With John's nod Ms. Hudson left.

You are in love with Iara... or whatever it is you do that equates to falling in love to the rest of us.

He chuckled.

A female criminal bests you and you fall in love with them. She is far more capable than Adler and alot closer as she has clearly been staying here before without our knowing it.

 

[such_a_bad_man]

Sherlock sighed as he looked at the wall. It didn't help that John was right. It was so rarely that anyone or anything challenged Sherlock mentally. Any woman that could was very... desirable. First was Irene, now it was Iara. They were alluring for different reasons, but no less sexy in Sherlock's mind. Swallowing, he got up and went to the kitchen to fetch some water.

"Forgive me for not thinking that the stray cats Mrs. Hudson feeds from time to time might have been a shapeshifted assassin, John. I must be slipping if I hadn't considered that possibility," Sherlock snapped at John before drinking his water to help cool down. He was still feeling red-faced after the dance downstairs and needed to clear his head badly.

Perhaps a less stressful conversation over dinner might do everyone some good tonight. He set himself to preparing for Mrs. Hudson's return and dinner with her and Iara tonight.

 

[Asa]

John almost jumped when he heard her voice.

Thank you Sherlock. You are right John. I have stayed 3 times as a human undetected by even the great Sherlock Holmes.

She smiled.

Now the question is to mark only Sherlock or both of... you.

She turned sharp with a snarl and began to bolt from the flat. By the time she reached the front door the same little housecat that had been trapped under the blanket before bolted from the open door her dress on the stairs.

 

[such_a_bad_man]

Sherlock sighed. He promised to keep Iara safe for Mrs. Hudson. He couldn't do that with her running around. Running after his ward, he got to the street, trying to spy the feeling cat. With the flash of a tail disappearing around a corner, he was off again, trying to track her down before she got into trouble again.

 

[Asa]

Several alleyways and a couple of rooftops later the little housecat was now stalking the shadows in her full clouded leopard form. The area an abandoned old relic of a building. Ruins that predated the great war. Deeper in the ruins a voice sounding panicked and one that seemed eerily calm and deep.

She turned sharp catching the scent of someone behind her only to see Sherlock and snort as if saying stay back. She turned her attention back to the voices the one rambling on about all the deaths and the other one saying they wouldn't have to worry any more the demon Hunter had probably bleed to death by now.

 

[such_a_bad_man]

Rounding a corner, Sherlock skidded to a halt. It wasn't every day that an apex predator wandered the streets of London so seeing one took him aback. It was a moment before he realized he'd caught up with Iara. The dismissive snort from her nose told him to wait. He heard the voices ahead and it was clear that another hunt was on. Biting his lips, Sherlock sidled along the walls, tucking into a side room in this shell of a once great building. He could still watch Iara from there, but had another way out at his disposal if he needed it. Sinking down, he tried to stay quiet and unseen as he watched Iara ply her trade.

 

[Asa]

She slowly stalked.closer watching one of them.leave she grinned and shifted to what was an almost half and half upright walking clouded leopard a sword seeming to form in her hand as she closed in unseen by her prey.

You think the hunter dead...

A cold voice finally spoke as she stepped from a shadow.

I thi k it is you that are dead Zorthan...

HUNTER!!!!
The man roared as he seemed to grow claws growling in agony... no that was the sound of the host body as the demon never could fully take over possession.

You make this too easy... he was not open to the ceremony was he... too bad.

She snarled as she attacked. The blade found its mark as the man grabbed at her head.

The human will never love a murdering creature like you feline... ever....

With that she snapped his neck and roared. She suspected he was right but what did it matter.

She turned as the sulfur smell left the body and she sank to the ground for a moment over the body.

 

[such_a_bad_man]

Sherlock watched, dread creeping over him as he saw the ferocity with with Iara dispatched the demon. It was clear to him now that her story was completely true. There was too much happening too fast for this to be a hallucination or special effects. It was eye-opening to say the least. Not since the Hound of Baskerville case did he come close to this amount of supernatural evidence. The big difference was the Hound being an actual dog; this defied his expectations and his comprehension.

As Iara stood over the fallen man with the twisted neck, Sherlock approached carefully. He was still a few meters off before he spoke. "They'll never stop looking for you, you know. So long as the bodies keep showing up with a similar cause of death and the same wounds, the detectives will know that you are out there still." Sherlock warned.

 

[Asa]

Once that last one that left is dead... the crown will get their visit and the police will all get paid handsomely to forget as the final body will be found apparent suicide and therefore the guilty party and all is forgotten. Have you not noticed cases like that all over the world. Ones that wrap themselves up in the end. Never that many of them but...

She looked to him shifting back to a more normal human form then down to the little housecat since she had no clothes. Leaping into his arms she nuzzled a little and winced at the mental attack she was still feeling.

 

[such_a_bad_man]

"It all feels a bit too convenient." Sherlock muttered as he turned and started his way back to Baker Street. While he knew that the cat in his arms was Iara in disguise, it did feel nice to have a cat nuzzling into his chest as she got comfortable in his arms. Keeping an eye out for any potential people that might identify him later, Sherlock did his best to blend into the street as he hurried back to his flat. Hopefully he could get back there before someone called him to investigate the murder he'd just seen.

 

[Asa]

She nestled purring. Sherlock holding her seemed to help with the residual pressure from the demon grabbing her head and trying mental assaulting her mind.

Once they arrived back at the flat Mrs. Hudson took her and headed to Iara's room with her so she could get cleaned up and dressed for dinner.

Well?

John studied the clearly overthinking expression on Sherlocks face.

Is everything alright Sherlock?

 

[such_a_bad_man]

Sherlock stood in the middle of the flat, looking at the door where Mrs. Hudson left then at the wall of victims. He was thinking back over the attack he saw as well as how the man's body changed when Iara attacked. It was clear that the victims weren't human, or at least not entirely human. If that were true, no court in the land would convict on the basis of Iara's story. The men she killed were going to continue to hurt people and remain above the law. It still didn't reconcile in his mind yet. Iara was still killing without any check to her cause. Who was to say she'd stay on humanity's side? This needed more discussion.

Snapping out of it, he looked at John. "Well, she wasn't lying. Her victims aren't random but targeted for a reason. It seems like a good one on the surface, but I still don't like the idea of a lone person being judge, jury, and executioner, no matter how vile the victim might be. We are a nation of laws and all people are equal under it. There has to be some order to all this... though I'm not sure how it might be enacted..." Sherlock said, frowning as he chewed his thoughts over what he had seen today.

 

[Asa]

That's just it Sherlock. What she is dealing with is not the world of man... human but something entirely different. Her ability to change her forms already tossed a big wrench in any ability to take her to a normal hospital or jail or anything. Are you sure that human laws and rules are even a part of whatever this is? Its like... giving human characteristics to a car or a statue. It's only that way to the person saying not the reality of it.

John went about getting some headache meds for both of them figuring they both needed some. What she is has shed some light on what a young man I met in the service might have been. He took every night guard duty and mission. Could see better at night even without night vision goggles. We are called him a bullet sponge because no matter how many time he got shot he never stayed down for long... ever.

Mrs Hudson walked in.

She has only caused more questions hasn't she? Normally he visits aren't like this poor dear. Before it was always only one or two people this time she really has found a full kettle of them hasn't she? I hope this is almost over for her. I hate to see her vanish again but it's just what she does when it's all over.

 

[such_a_bad_man]

Sherlock paced as he waited for the headache pills to kick in. Morally, this was still a difficult matter for him, but he didn't see an alternative at present for what was going on. He eventually gave up and sank down in his chair. "Perhaps she will let us know how long she intends to stay if she could tell us how many are left." He said, gesturing to the rather sizable number of victims already on the wall from their case file.

"I'll shed no tears for those she's removed from the world, but she can only stay ahead of them for so long." He cautioned. "Sooner or later, someone is going to piece together her connection with you, Mrs. Hudson. These don't seem like the sort to go easy on associates. You should be prepared for that."

He took a few breaths, letting his thoughts settle. "Do you think it would be alright to talk with her before dinner, Mrs. Hudson?" he asked, figuring she was the last one to talk with her downstairs.

 

[Asa]

I think she would like that Sherlock and dont worry about me. I know a trick or two for dealing with more than human types.

She smiled a kindly smile and motioned for him to go on and see Iara. Once he was gone she turned to John.

I think those two could be quite good for each other now... be a dear and help me cook dinner for everyone.

Iara sat curled up in the overstuffed chair staring really at nothing the words about how he could never love a monster like her were on a constant loop in her mind. This was why she always hid and few even knew she existed. She was different in the realms of her own kind and a monster of nightmares and horror stories in the human world. And now this time around she had to find an entire den of demonically not just some rogue being but a whole fucking den which brought someone like Sherlock into her life... that mind... that smile... those eyes that didnt know what to make of her. She could see his confusion every time they looked at each other and now he had seen what she does. He had seen the killer the monster that she is and she didnt know what to do about it.

 

[such_a_bad_man]

Sherlock walked down the steps, still wrestling with his feelings about Iara and what she had done. While the results might be understandable, he couldn't reconsile her methods with his morality. He arrived at the basement door and knocked.

"Iara, may I come down?" He asked through the door. He didn't want to barge in or somehow treat her as "less than". She deserved her privacy and he had no right to steal it from her.

 

[Asa]

Come on in.

Her voice a little distant as she looked to the door.

What's up Sherlock?

 

[such_a_bad_man]

Sherlock walked in, still looking troubled. He stopped at the bottom of the steps and looked at Iara curled up there. She didn't seem like the proud hunter from moments ago. Instead, she seemed like a scared cat, searching for comfort and security down here in this basement. Curled in on herself, she seemed so distant and withdrawn.

"I... just wanted to check on you, to see if you were okay," he said as he stepped closer. "I don't imagine you got hurt, but that's not the only marks you can pick up from an enemy like that. I'm sure John would be a good ear to speak to. He's a soldier, not unlike you. If you like, I can go fetch him." Sherlock angled to leave, overwhelmed suddenly by the emotions that Iara was pulling out of him as he watched her.

 

[Asa]

It's nothing Sherlock... just... something it said to me in the fight is all. Nothing for you to worry about.

She looked to him and tried to smile.

You can stay if you like. Unless you were helping Mrs Hudson with dinner.

 

[such_a_bad_man]

Sherlock took another few steps forward. "One thing I have learned early on in my relationship with that woman is that she and I should never work in the same kitchen and remain friends." He confessed as he walked over and sat on the couch near Iara's seat.

"I'd like to stay down here and out of the way. I imagine you're better company at the moment at least," he said, looking over at her. It was hard not to see the half-animal beast she was for a moment earlier even now as he looked at her.

"It was what he said about finding love, wasn't it? About how you will always stand apart from other people..." he guessed, hoping he wasn't making a sore point worse.

 

[Asa]

Something like that yeah. After all I am different even among my kind and now you have seen what I am as well in all its nightmarish glory.

She looked over to him and tried to change the subject.

It is safer not being in the kitchen with here isn't it?

An attempted laugh shaking her head. The head shake more to lose the memory that wanted to dance in her mind of them dancing before John disturbed them.

 

[such_a_bad_man]

Sherlock can tell she's changing the subject. It's a defense mechanism he's used himself so it's all too familiar. Reaching out, he places a hand on her thigh.

"Don't disown that part of yourself. Being able to take that form is what keeps you a step ahead of them. It's why you continue to win when others might have failed. And they know it. That's why they resort to the words they use to lash out at you. It's typical bully on the playground stuff: they can't beat you physically so they change the battlefield and launch emotional attacks. It's proof that you are getting to them and they are afraid of you," Sherlock explained.

 

[Asa]

All of my kind have the human the feline and the combat. My own kind do not trust that I can take on more than one feline form. I dont even know how I do it just that I can. The little housecat form is not "normal".

She moved her hand to his and sighed.

On top of that now you have seen the combat and darkness I deal with as part of my life.

 

[such_a_bad_man]

Sherlock turned his hand over. "But that's just what it is: a part. It's not the sum total of who you are. You don't have to just be a weapon against the enemy. You are a thinking breathing being and you have a right to all that life has to offer. You just have to want it and pursue it." He reminded her.