Where Lies Your Sin?
Adapted From Utawarerumono Episode 22
(MATURE CONTENT. Some events that occur in the following story may not be appropriate for children under 16 years of age)
"I know what I'm doing, Hien!" Hauenkua felt a sneer tug at the corners of his lips, despite the fact that he had led his men into a booby trap of hundreds of soldiers, shooting arrows and toppling them over. Not that he cared. What were a few deaths compared to the adrenaline rush of war? Hauenkua shook his head knowingly, although his companion couldn't see it. For the small but powerful army of Kunnekamun were all incased in the impenetrable shells of the Avu-Kamuu—massive bio-mechanical weapons that far exceeded this kindergarten game of cowboys and Indians!
Hauenkua staggered forward, and sent the massive clawed hand of his armored suit crashing down on the heads of a few soldiers. Trying to hold back a laugh, Hauenkua sent them splattering into the wall.
His right-hand man, Hien, sighed, and dragged his gigantic sword through the roof of a hut, sending it toppling to the ground. "This is stupid, Hauenkua!" he snapped, wheeling around and assisting his comrade. "We should be finding Emperor Hakuoro; not wasting our time instigating them like this!"
Hauenkua groaned. There was Hien… Hien-ing off in that absolutely irritable manner he possessed. "We're not wasting our time!" he cackled, sending up great clouds of dust as he massacred the little toys below him. "The more people we kill, the more likely Hakuoro will come out to get us!"
Hien winced. Hauenkua's disrespectful tone sent the soldiers all into more fury, and he bit his lip. "Hauenkua!" he scolded, but there was no stopping him. Once Hau was on a roll, he couldn't be caught.
"I know what I'm doing!" he repeated, far too calmly for his unstable personality.
"But…" Hien placed his hand on his shoulder, to show he was serious, but Hauenkua merely shrugged it off.
"I said I know what I'm doing!"
Which, in Hauenkua-speak, meant he didn't. It was Hauenkua's fault they were all risking life and limb like this, anyway. It was his fault for this global war—it was his fault he had led his men into a losing battle against Tusukuru, the most powerful nation on the face of the planet. And of course, Hien had no choice but to go along. As he always did.
Hauenkua laughed again, for Tusukuru's own emperor had ridden straight up to him, brandishing that silly metal fan he used as a sword. Hien watched in quiet submission as they exchanged some witty banter, and suddenly Hakuoro was off, Hauenkua hot on his trail.
"That fool!" growled Hien, stepping forward and waving his arms about. Two Avu-Kamuu pilots stopped amidst the carnage, and followed in Hauenkua's direction. It was hard to keep their loose-cannon leader on a tight leash. Hien gritted his teeth and punched his fist against the wall of a house, which of course sent it shattering. "That idiot allowed himself to be provoked! After him!"
Hien made as though to follow, but was stopped by two warrioresses, flashing swords in his general direction.
"We might be disobeying orders," a lilac-haired woman of the Evinkuruga race growled.
"…But you'll never get past us," finished the second, flicking her tail menacingly and taking a swig out of a bottle she twirled in her hand.
"Out of my way!" snarled Hien, pushing past them. The Evinkuruga wheeled around and gave a giant leap, landing on the back of his Avu-Kamuu. Hien merely bucked back, and she was thrown to the ground.
"Karura!" she cried, and her companion stopped drinking sake, rushing up to meet their opponent.
"Shakukopulu bastards!" cried a tough-looking man in his mid-forties.
"Let us handle this, Kurou," snapped the Evinkuruga, pushing him from Hien's range.
Hien cussed like a sailor; not ALL of what Hauenkua taught him was useless—and sliced an animal mount called a Woptar clean in half. Hauenkua may be foolish, but he's not stupid, Hien reminded himself, there's no way Hakuoro can beat him…
The Evinkuruga gave a battle screech, and circled once more. This time, Hien didn't hold back. He brought his sword straight down, catching her cleanly in the gut. It was a glancing scratch, but the sword was heavy and blood began to seep out of her exposed gut. The Evinkuruga bit her lip, trying her best, anything, not to scream in the face of Kunnekamun's victory.
"Touka!" screeched the cat-woman they called Karura, fighting off pilots to get to her injured friend.
"I'll be fine," grimaced Touka, halfway swinging herself into a sitting position.
The battle just stopped there. With their commander, Hauenkua, gone, it was up to Hien to give orders to the Kunnekamun Royal Military. "Touka?" Hien asked, eyes growing large. Was it really… Touka? Touka, whom he had grown up with in Evinkuruga because his grandfather would waste nothing in protecting his boy against lynch mobs? Touka, whom he had actually kissed before packing up and leaving for Kunnekamun? Yes… it was her. Violet hair, dark eyes… her face was stern, but she was still young, childlike Touka.
"Stand still!" commanded Hien at last, placing his sword on the ground. "We have no reason to raid Tusukuru!"
"But Lord Hien…" started one of his men.
"Put your swords down!"
"But Lord Hauenkua said…"
"Since when has Hauenkua given a bitch about obeying orders? Put your weapons down, now! Play friendly! We shouldn't even be here in the first place!"
The army grudgingly obeyed, and a passive sort of grey-haired man clutching a halberd gave a hand signal for the Tusukuru samurai to stop firing.
"Are you all right?" asked Hien, bending down to Touka's level. Touka jumped and rolled away from the massive armored hand.
"And of course Hien stops in the presence of a woman!" cried a pilot heartily, "my, my… Lord Hien? What are you doing?"
Hien slowly slid out of his Avu-Kamuu, put his hands up in a friendly gesture, and bent over Touka.
The Evinkuruga warrior had many a shock in her life before… giant armored suits, armies larger than countries, governments corrupt enough to kill their own people. But nothing in her street-smart book of experiences could prepare her for seeing her old childhood friend, fully grown and kneeling over her, eyebrows raised just slightly to conceal his expression. Yes, that was Hien, though. His blank face made that clear.
"It's me, Hien!" he whispered.
"I know!" answered Touka.
Everyone was watching—this was just too juicy to waste over with a little fighting. Karura, now fully tanked, sauntered up to Hien and kicked him in the gut; Hien doubled over.
"Karura!" snapped Touka.
"Hey, hey, easy!" exclaimed Karura, almost surprised. "What's with you and the… Shakukopulu?" Karura's words slurred contemptuously as she said the last word; she didn't approve of the rabbit-eared race. After all, they were the people who had killed off HER people, replacing her shining theocracy with a puppet leader… But still. This Hien kid didn't seem TOO bad—the one in the red suit who had gone chasing Emperor Hakuoro seemed much worse.
Hien shook away the pain and bore Touka on his shoulders. Touka grumbled, but was too weak to protest. "Pull back," he commanded his men. "Touka, please. I think we've lost the battle. Do you want to just… talk?"
"I can't believe you… no!"
Hien clenched his jaw. "We're talking," he said at last. "Besides, you're injured. You need help." Hien touched her gorgeous long hair, and not caring if Hauenkua came back at any second, took her behind the fort.
"I've never walked out of a battle before," she growled.
Hien shrugged, and placed her on a soft pile of hay. "How are your wounds?"
"Fine. Hien, you're a cad! You should have finished the battle! Do you know how you'll be the laughing stock of Tusukuru?"
"How could I kill my friend? Especially one that I kissed?"
Touka's gaze softened. He was right.
Hien sat down beside her, chewing a blade of hay thoughtfully. How could he act like this? Touka mused. She challenged his look; his expression was still impossible to read, but suddenly, she felt feelings of sadness radiate off of him. "I never wanted a war," he said at last. "I dunno… I just can't speak up. I really just wish… we could make up with the world and start again." Hien finished chewing and began another stem, staring blankly into the distance. "I hope your Emperor isn't dead."
A cloud covered the sun, and at once, Hien looked years older—tired. Finally, his rigid expression gave way to one that was pained, broken. "Why do we have to kill?"
Touka shuddered and touched his hand. "Just as wise as I remember you, Hien. I don't know, Hien, I really don't know." She unsheathed her fine katana, and threw it to the ground. "Hien, the art of war is not for you. But… you have so much honor. You should have been born an Evinkuruga."
Hien never smiled at her compliment; she stared into his bitterly handsome face. It was plain and serious, reflecting years of pain and loneliness etched into it. Chocolaty brown hair danced in the breeze, sweeping across his innocent aqua eyes. "Why must there be pain?" he muttered, and Touka noticed a fine line of tears trickle down his cheeks.
"Hien?"
But he was somewhere else. Hien lay back and rolled down his sleeve, holding his arm high in the air and squinting at. Touka gasped. It was covered in—fleshy, swollen scars, making dizzying tattoo patterns spiraling down the limb. "Did you know a new one appears each day?" he whispered. "One for each sin… I commit one every day. This one…" he pointed to an older one, covered in infected blisters. "… For me keeping quiet amidst the stupidity. This one… I took for Hauenkua. This one… for the blood on my hands. Sin lies within each of these scars, Touka. See my own pathetic death."
Hien got up, and placed his arm against a jagged, worn down chunk of the fort's stone wall. "And this one is for disappointing you."
The air whooshed out of Touka's lungs… there was a ripping sound… blood began spilling all over him… but what was worst of all was that he never cried out. "Hien!" she cried, pulling him away from the wall and pinning him to the hay pile. "Oh, Hien, my Hien… I've never told you this, but I've always loved you, Hien!" Touka pressed her lips against his, folding her arms around his slender waist. "Don't do this!" she cried, and kissed him again. It felt so strange… so out of place, her kissing someone who had tried to kill her only ten minutes before. Hien was the enemy… and yet, he wasn't.
"You have no sin!" she choked, and suddenly tears were spilling from her, too. Blue eyes melded into black, two pale cheeks became rosy as they nuzzled against each other. Hien threw his arms around her, and lay on top of her. This poor being, starved of affection for years, couldn't get enough of it now as he kissed her madly, running his bloodsoaked fingers through her hair. Touka panted; suddenly, she didn't care about the war. She didn't want to win. All she wanted at this very moment was Hien.
Now their kissing was frenzied; they couldn't show enough passion for one another as they rolled about, removing each others' clothing piece by piece. The skin down Hien's back still showed the horrific pattern of scars, but his body was soft and beautiful. Hien started crying even harder as they tossed about in that hay pile… this feeling they felt had clouded their judgment and taken their voices. And they were one… it didn't matter now. Their bodies were together.
Touka ignored her smarting wounds. Their blood mixed and sweat ran down their impassioned faces—Touka was Hien's and Hien was Touka's.
"I love you," they whispered in unison, and Hien rolled away from her, panting.
"Hien," she whispered as he laid her in his lap. "End this war, and you'll have no more sin."
Hien rubbed her back and smiled—a real smile. "I love you, Touka. When this war is over, be mine. I don't care about our differences… marry me, beautiful woman, stay with me."
"Yes," she replied in return, folding her hands across her stomach.
"Yes, Touka, I'll never hurt again, once I'm with you. I'll return to you soon, and I'll love you forever…"
