by Brandon Chen
He quickly found her cell and saw that her head was bowed and her arms hung weak at her side. Her body looked limp, and fear surged through Keimaro’s body. What if she was dead?
Keimaro’s hand roared with heat as he swung it sideways, slicing through metal with ease. The bars dropped loudly to the ground, and Keimaro dashed into the cell, slicing the chains that bound Lena before grabbing her. Her eyes were open, and she blinked a few times, her face pale as a ghost.
“Huh? Kei?” she murmured, clearly in a daze. “You came!”
Keimaro stared at Lena for a moment, tears beginning to form in his eyes. Her face was purple from the many bruises that she had received. The once-fair skin that she had was now covered in lacerated cuts and slashes as a part of the torture she had endured. Her body was bony and skinny due to starvation and her own dried blood was splattered all over her clothes. Nevertheless, Lena cracked a tiny smile when she saw Keimaro. “Of course I did,” Tears streamed freely down his cheeks as Lena buried her face into his shoulder, sobbing out of happiness. “It’s over. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. I should’ve come sooner.” Keimaro cried, hugging her tightly. They had hurt her so much. Her current state was much worse than he could’ve even imagined. And this was his fault.
“No, it’s okay,” Lena sniffed, her face still in Keimaro’s shoulder. “The fact that you came is enough. I always had hope while sitting in this dark cell that someone would come and save me. I dreamed about it and now that it’s happened, I can’t complain,” There was a loud rumbling as the ceiling shook, dust cascading from the ceiling. “What’s that sound?” Lena asked, her voice fading. Her eyes closed slowly and she dozed off before she even heard his answer.
Keimaro picked Lena up into his arms, watching her rest. “That’s the beginning of the end.”
The Darkest Days
The city smoldered as if hell itself had taken over. Fires flickered on the rooftops of buildings, slowly devouring the structures as it spread. Civilians left their homes with their belongings packed into bags, screaming as they ran about, unsure of what to do. Guards had left their posts and were attempting to douse the flames, but the closer that Keimaro got to Z’s mansion, the more deserted the areas were. He felt a surge of hope, but then he turned onto the last street and saw that the entire block had been lit aflame.
The building across the street from Z’s mansion had been reduced to nothing but rubble. The tiled streets were cracked from the force of supernatural combat. Keimaro slowly lowered Lena onto the ground, pressing her unconscious body against a solidified, stable stone wall. “I’ll be right back,” Keimaro said, even though he knew Lena couldn’t hear him.
He strode toward Z’s mansion and gulped when he saw that the gate had literally been torn apart. Part of the walls around the mansion had been smashed and cracked, but what shocked Keimaro the most was the building itself.
The mansion was like a torch in the night. Roaring flames ate away at the foundation of the building. The entire structure creaked loudly as Keimaro stepped onto the burnt grass, and the mansion began to fall apart. The once-mystical castle was now crumbling rubble, leaving debris everywhere with tiny flames licking at the earth. Keimaro’s widened eyes stared, and his lips quivered as he stared at the flickering fires. This is just like the same fire. Four years ago. Images of his burning home flashed into his mind. His mother. Mai. His father. Z’s mansion collapsed, sending a wave of dust flying in all directions, engulfing Keimaro in its cloud. Keimaro’s hair blew back from the force of the collapse, and he saw corpses lying on the ground—fellow assassins with pools of blood spreading around their bodies.
The Bakaara massacre….
Images of the corpses of his village people began to flash into his mind as he witnessed his comrades dead before his eyes. He even recognized one of them—a young girl lying on her back was the same one that Keimaro had seen in the arena fighting against Buu only days ago. Now she was dead. He also saw that girl, Mika, who had led him to his bath. Her eyes were fixated on the sky, her body sprawled in an unnatural position. “What happened here…?”
As the dust began to clear, Keimaro’s eyes widened, and he stared with disbelief at what he saw. Ashes blew around in the air as silence dragged out. All sound was muffled in Keimaro’s ears when he saw the dying body of his first and best friend, Yata. Blood was splattered across the ground, and his diamond form was generated around a large wound in his chest. He lay on his back, staring up at the sky, his face pale as a ghost.
“Yata…,” Keimaro whispered, stumbling over to his friend and falling to his knees beside the body. “What happened?” he gasped, staring at the bleeding wound in his friend’s chest. “Who did this? I’m getting you out of here, okay?”
“No,” Yata groaned, closing his eyes in pain. His skin was changing rapidly between metal and flesh as if he were completely losing control over his own power. He coughed, and a white mist began to leave his lips, entering the air. “It’s fine, Kei. It’s fine….”
“No,” Keimaro growled, holding his friend’s wound in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding. “I won’t let you die on me! Not after everything that we’ve been through! We came here to Bassada to stop these guys! The journey has just begun, right? We spent four years preparing for this. You can’t leave me now!”
“Hey,” Yata said, grasping Keimaro’s wrist with a firm grip, using up the remains of his strength. He gave Keimaro the first real smile in what seemed like years. “It’s okay. I believe that you’ll finish what we started. Make sure Gavin stays out of trouble. And make sure you protect Aika, too,” he said, sniffing. “It feels a bit early for me to go, doesn’t it? There was a lot that I wanted to do. So, make sure you live on, okay? For me.”
“Yata, I can’t…,” Keimaro whimpered, tears beginning to form in his eyes. “I can’t do this. I’m so sorry. About that fight that we had. About everything. I trust you more than anyone else in the whole world, and … and you can’t just go. We’ve been together the longest, and you’re my first friend, my best friend. So please … don’t….”
Yata reached up and touched his cheek gently. “It’s okay, Kei. I know. I’ll see you on the other side. Don’t rush after me. Tell Aika that I’m sorry that I didn’t get to see her. And tell that old idiot Gavin … to get stronger and to keep pushing forward. I see potential in him.” He leaned back and fixed his eyes on the night sky. He smiled. “It reminds me of four years ago, ya know? A terrible memory. But a beautiful night.” His eyes fixed onto the gleaming stars. And they never closed.
Keimaro shook Yata a few times, trying to shake the life back into his old friend. “Oi, Yata! You can’t give up yet, you damn idiot!” he yelled, tears beginning to stream down his cheeks. “Weren’t we going to see the world together? Wasn’t that our dream? We promised….” He sobbed, burying his face into his best friend’s bloody shirt. Squeezing his friend tightly, he whimpered. “Don’t leave me here alone…,” but there was no response except for silence. And just like that, it began to rain.
Gentle drops of fresh tears descended from the night sky, blanketing the city in water and dousing the flames that ate away at the buildings. Within minutes, the fire consuming Z’s mansion fizzled out. Smoke rose into the air, and all that Keimaro could see was rubble, debris, and corpses sprawled across the grounds, surrounding the destruction of the building. A small sphere of white light left Yata’s lips and drifted off into the air.
Keimaro brought his eyes up from Yata’s shirt, the rain streaking down his face. The light reflected onto Keimaro’s face before surging forward and seeping into his skin, fusing into his chest. A burning heat surged through his body, making it feel as though his insides were literally on fire. He gasped, grasping his head as images began to form in his mind. Then memories.
Yata?
***
Yata couldn’t believe that Tobimaru had survived such a blow and walked away unscathed. In fact, he looked angrier than ever. Buu was un
conscious at the Bount’s feet, but Tobimaru didn’t even seem interested in killing him. Instead, he whirled his sword and advanced on Yata, eager to finish off the job. The boy’s arm morphed into a massive sharp blade of diamond that gleamed a bright, glittering turquoise as he pointed it at Tobimaru, his heart pounding. Never had he imagined that he would face off against Tobimaru alone. Was he truly ready for such a fight?
“Out of the way!” Aladdin’s voice boomed. He punched outward, releasing a surge of bright lightning that streaked and crackled through the air. The lightning hissed, slamming Tobimaru in the chest and sending the Bount flying onto his back, sliding across the floor. “Yata, everyone else is evacuating. Something is happening. We should get out of here, too!” Aladdin grabbed Buu and began to drag the unconscious boy towards the teleportation pad.
With a rumbling roar, the entire mansion began to shake furiously. It felt as if the structure were going to collapse entirely. Yata grunted, falling onto his knees while trying to maintain balance. “What is this? An earthquake?”
“That…,” Tobimaru chuckled, slowly pushing himself to his feet, “was a dragon, tin-man. The end of this world and its pitiful humans has finally come. Junko was able to get his hands on the key after all. Looks like your friend Keimaro had it all along. I figured he wouldn’t leave it in such an obvious place as his room, but to be so cocky that he believed he could defend the key alone … now, that is stupid enough to get the world destroyed. Kuro has awakened, and you are all doomed!”
“Not yet!” Gavin yelled, sprinting straight past Aladdin and Yata. In his hands was the gleaming Bloodthirster, which he gripped tightly. He was staggering, clearly being weakened the longer he held the weapon. He swung the blade with both hands at Tobimaru, who raised his own blade in defense.
“Gavin, you idiot!” Yata boomed while Aladdin dragged Buu onto the teleportation pad.
Gavin’s eyes widened as Bloodthirster met the metal of Tobimaru’s blade, shattering it into a million glittering pieces in a single swing. The soldier had the satisfaction of seeing Tobimaru stare incredulously at his shattered blade. He stood there powerlessly, watching as Gavin’s blade slashed across his shoulder. Hayashi blood was spilled as the Bloodthirster cut deep, splattering crimson droplets onto the floor.
The soldier took several steps back, satisfied with his attack. “We’re getting out of here!” he declared to Yata and Aladdin. “There’s nothing else we can do if Kuro has awakened. We’re all going to get killed if we stay.” The soldier turned to run.
“You’re not going anywhere!” a familiar voice snapped, and Hidan appeared behind Gavin, appearing out of thin air as he reached out, trying to grab the soldier’s collar. Yata’s fist cracked the Bount’s face, sending the man sliding away.
“Go,” Yata said, sucking in a deep breath as the mansion began to collapse from the fighting. Parts of the top floor fell and smashed heavily into the ground beside him, cracking the ground. “I’ll hold them off.”
“No, we’re all going together,” Gavin snapped, turning to face Yata. “When I first met you, I understand, you didn’t like me. But I’ve grown to respect you, Yata. You’re extremely brave and, I dare say, an honorable man. There’s no reason to throw everything away! We can fight them and kill them all together. There’s three of us and two of—”
“That won’t be enough to defeat them both,” Yata said with a sigh. “Keimaro isn’t here. We can’t beat them!”
“Then let me stay!”
“Don’t try and be the hero! It has to be me!” Yata yelled, his hands shaking at his side. “These guys were the ones who broke into my village four years ago and killed everyone I’d ever known. I have to stay back and fight them. I don’t care if I die. At least you’ll live to fight another day. Just promise me you won’t be wimpy in the future,” he said, walking toward Hidan and Tobimaru. “Aladdin, take him!”
Aladdin grabbed Gavin and began to yank him away from the scene, pulling the soldier toward the teleporter across the room. Gavin glanced back reluctantly and watched as his new friend began to encounter the two dangerous terrorists. He called out to Yata as tears glistened in the corners of his eyes. Yata was going to sacrifice himself. And, as Gavin was whisked away, he knew that he was powerless to stop Yata from his duty.
***
Yata was on the ground, his ears ringing from the blows that he had taken for what seemed like hours. His metallic skin was beginning to vanish as his body weakened, and the pain was no longer numb as it always had been. Now he felt excruciating pain from the Bounts’ blows. And it was agonizing. He was on his knees in front of the mansion, weakened, hardly able to keep his eyes open. He saw that other assassins who hadn’t been able to escape were lined up beside him as well. His heart was beating rapidly as Tobimaru and Hidan stood before the group of young assassins, their weapons bared. Yata was forced to kneel along with the other captured assassins.
Blood dripped from his lips, gathering at his chin before it fell to the ground. He looked past Tobimaru and saw Hidan walking to a young girl. Mai. His eyes met with the young girl’s, and he gave her a small smile, despite his situation. Her dark eyes stared back at him as if in a daze.
“Mai!” Yata called out to the young girl, his throat filled with his own blood from a broken ribcage. “Tell Keimaro when you see him that I’m sorry, will you?”
“Keimaro?” Mai said with a tilt of her head. “Who’s that?”
Yata’s face paled when he heard the young girl’s response. She doesn’t remember her own brother? What is going on? He looked up and saw Tobimaru swing his sword across the bodies of Yata’s defenseless comrades. Blood splattered across the ground, soaking into the earth as screams of agony echoed out. Yata closed his eyes, trying to drown out the sound of the assassins being killed, but their cries filled his head.
“My, my, what is going on here?” a familiar voice said. Yata’s eyes opened to see Junko walking through a hole in the destroyed walls around them. The boy’s eyes followed the Bount as he sauntered over to where Yata was kneeling, his hands behind his back in a gentleman-like fashion. The man smiled. “Ah, yes, I remember you. You were the boy in the Bakaara massacre. To think that you’ve lived four years without a home. Without a family. That’s quite a feat, you know. Ah, you look like you’re in pain,” he said, tapping Yata on the chest. “Let me help you with that.”
Pain bloomed in Yata’s chest before he grew numb. Blood splattered onto his neck, and his eyes stared blankly at Junko, gasping. He looked down and saw that Junko had driven a dagger into his heart. Tears filled his eyes as he fell onto his back, metal beginning to solidify around his wound. He felt cold, as if he were being left alone underneath layers of snow. He smiled at the very thought of snow as the tears streaked his face.
The sounds of Tobimaru cutting down the rest of Yata’s comrades were drowned out by his memories of enjoying winters in Bakaara. All of the children would come together and have giant snowball fights, tackling each other in the snow. He always won, of course. He felt a jolt as he remembered how Keimaro always watched them from a distance, knowing that if he had joined, he would have been targeted. Oh, how he wished that they could’ve been friends before all of this. That was something he would forever regret, that he had never had a chance to enjoy a normal friendship with his best friend.
***
After seeing Yata’s memory, Keimaro’s eyes opened to find that the rain had stopped. There was nothing but silence as he stared at Yata’s unmoving body. The last time that they’d talked, they had fought. And all his friend had for him was pure intentions. He clenched his teeth, water mixed with tears still running down his cheeks. I wish we could’ve had a normal friendship, too, Yata. His hands were shaking at his sides, and he heard shuffling behind him but didn’t bother to look.
Yuri had been thrown to the ground at the gate of Z’s mansion. In his human form, the corners of his mouth were heavily bruised and blood splotched his cheek. He gritted his teeth, gl
aring up at Tobimaru, Hidan, and Junko. The three Bounts had ganged up on him and defeated him soundlessly. The werewolf glanced over his shoulder to see Keimaro kneeling at Yata’s corpse. Yuri stared at his fallen comrade in shock, incapable of believing what had happened to the mansion and to Yata. He wasn’t given much time to mourn because he was hauled to his feet and thrown to the ground beside Keimaro. The Bounts dragged Aika along and shoved her down beside Yuri.
“Oi, Hayashi boy,” Junko said, tapping Keimaro on the shoulder and holding his bloodied dagger in his hand. “Stop crying. He’s gone, all right? What you should be thinking about is how you will get him back. You see, if you help Kuro—”
“You’re still trying to get me to join you?” Keimaro said, his voice deep and shaky. “You killed my best friend. My first friend. He was always there for me. He always gave me hope that we would be successful in avenging my family. He was more than just a friend; he was a brother to me. And you killed him….” The boy sprang to his feet and swung around, slamming his fist into Junko’s face with such speed that the other Bounts weren’t able to react.
A crack sounded, and Junko spiraled through the air, landing several meters away with blood streaming from his broken nose. The Bount grunted as he twirled his dagger, chuckling nervously. “You’ve got guts, Kei. You always have, even back then in Bakaara. But you’re foolish!”
“Am I?” Keimaro said, turning to face the Bounts. His eyes were glowing an ominous red, but they weren’t filled with hatred. They were apathetic. “I’ve made up my mind, Junko. I’m going to tear you apart … and you’re going to know what it’s like to feel true pain.” He began to make his way toward his opponents.
