While we walk along the path, I know I have to prepare myself for what I need to do. Surprisingly, I'm more concerned of putting one foot in front of the other and the two blades that rattle against my hip.
But, what good luck! They practically told me to kill them. They're total morons! I can almost believe that they didn't realize what they've done! My face hurts from trying not to smile at the pleasure of killing him ...
Apparently, the village is the home of the escapee that fled my village. Hmm, I could team up with her. As much as I despise murder, it might be nice for a partner to have my back. And with this pretty little item smacking my hip, their heads would be rolling on the ground in no time. Trust me: If someone thought that was explicit, they should see what I have in store for Bankotsu.
" Hey, Bankotsu, is that the village up there?" Jakotsu asks, pointing to the horizon.
" Yeah!" He recites, grinning from the thought of a fresh kill. And I almost grin from the thought of the bloody death of Bankotsu.
They let Ginkotsu and Renkotsu take the lead, with Kyokotsu and Mukotsu almost directly behind them. Suikotsu, Jakotsu, Bankotsu, and myself take up the back. I could kill him now, but then I'd have Suikotsu and Jakotsu to worru about. Since the encounter with the Jakotsuto, I'd rather not go up against that sword again.
I wince as I recognize the terrified screams as Ginkotsu and Renkotsu start the attack. While I wince at the memories, which bring tears to my eyes, the rest of the Band of Seven is gleaming with pride at their trapped prey.
A few villagers cry out as they see the other members of the Band of Seven creeping up the hill. One of them cries, "It's the Band of Seven!" and tries to usher his wife and children away.
" But who's the girl?" a teenage boy with dark, messy hair asks to himself.
" Kill everyone that's in the village area. Just stay back here as back-up, got it? If it looks like we need help, show up," Bankotsu orders to me as he runs after Jakotsu, taking the head off the teenage boy that looks no older than myself. The body falls stiff and sprawled, the head rolling down the hill and landing by my sandled feet.
The unblinking eyes and the warm, sticky blood that starts to sprout around my feet nearly makes me sick. I run behind a thick tree, slapping a hand over my mouth to make sure I don't vomit. I clutch the tree for support. The screams echo in my ears and I shut my eyes, hoping that if I can't see anything it'll all just go away. I lean my forehead against the trunk of the tree. I can't believe how much anticipation I felt for this ... and now tears are leaking out of my eyes.
" Well, well! What do we have here?" another boy around my age taunts, coming from behind another a couple meters away from the tree I'm leaning against. Ironically, he looks a lot like Bankotsu, except his hair is cropped short and he doesn't have the star on his forehead. " What's a pretty petite thing like you doing around here? The Band of Seven is up there."
" That ... That's none of your business," I manage to get out with a glare.
" Oh, I see ... you're apart of the Band of Seven," he says with an evil gleam in his eyes.
" I am-" I start to say, before cutting myself off as his blade slices the air between us and aims for my throat. I make a slight scream, ducking and rolling onto the ground. I barely have time to look up and see him about to plunge the blade into my shoulder. His blade gets stuck in the cracked dirt and he wrenches it out with a grunt.
I roll to the side and scramble to my feet. Before I can get up and run, his slams his foot onto my calf sending a sick vibration through my body. I grab my weapon flies from my hand, landing an arms reach away. I scream from the pain and fear. He plants himself on my stomach, glaring as he brings his blade down to my chest.
Time seems to slow down so I can look at it frame by frame. The blade moves as slow as molasses. I reach for my blade, by the hilt only brushes my fingertips.
" GET AWAY FROM ME!" I scream. I reach my blade a swing it in an arc across me.
I don't realize what I've done until his blood splatters across my cheeks.
He clutches his wound and falls off of me, onto his side. He gasps and convulses, and his dying glance is of me, crouched beside him, trying to stop the bleeding. Then, his eyes close. I gasp.
I killed someone.
As the battle continues uphill, I sob. I sob for the boy I just killed. I sob for the innocence of the people they're killing. I sob because more people have to die for me to get my revenge.
But as I sob it's like ... the tears numb me, draining everything in me, except my order. I must look like a total wreck. But in a way, I feel almost better. Like, taking his life gave me power and control. It made me take out all my frustrations. It felt good ... My plot of revenge, my hatred of killing, it's all washed away by my tears.
" Just stay here as back-up, got it? If it looks like we need help, show up."
I stop the loud sobbing, picking up my weapon that's surrounded in a pool of blood. The tears still fall, but it has a calming effect on my body. Why don't I stop here? I clasp it in my hands, twirling one blade slowly in the air while the other sits coiled in my hand. Why shouldn't I stop here?
I don't understand my actions, but I just want ...
" What is she doing?" Jakotsu hisses as his sword retracts. I walk up the hill, with a dead gleam in my eyes, focused on what I need to do.
My purpose. My need.
A circle of fighters from the village surround me. They start to move in ...
But with a flick of my wrist, they move no more.
" Asuka!" Bankotsu calls in surprise, but is called back in to fight as soon as he barely manages to block a blow.
" If it looks like we need help, show up."It looks like he needs help.
" What the-? Who the hell are you?" A man yells at me. He looks no older than Suikotsu, but doesn't even look as dangerous. I walk towards him, slowly, like a monster on the hunt. I slit the air before me, thrusting the weapon across his chest, shredding the thin fabric of his haori. His blood splatters upon me like the sprinkling sea water when it hits the shore. Somehow, just as refreshing.
" Asuka?" Bankotsu says, clearly startled at what I've done. Yet, I'm not.
" Kill everyone that's in the village area." He's someone in the village area.
He smirks. " This is getting interesting. The rest of you, finish off the village. I want to have a little one-on-one with Asuka," he orders, circling me like a predator. Oddly enough, I don't feel the hatred I did feel seconds before arriving to the village. All that's left is my order. My want. My kill.
But, before I can swing my weapon down to meet his cloth-covered shoulder, a woman bursts out of the house.
"Kill everyone that's in the village area." I left another one left alive. Make that eight more to kill.
She seems to recognize who I am. " Asuka? Asuka? Is that really you?" she asks, giddy with surprise. Her smile falls from her face as I ignore Bankotsu and walk towards her with my blade raised. I step on a few fingers and toes of those fallen around me, their flesh rubbing against my sandles.
" Asuka? Don't y-you recognize m-me?" she asks, her voice quivering.
" Wait, how do you know her?" Bankotsu askes her, obviously confused about the entire situation. I've gone from innocent and murderous to outright sadistic in a matter of hours. Let alone that I'm following orders. But, following orders just seems so normal and easy, like it had been drilled into me years ago.
Too bad she doesn't get to say anything.
She screams as I swing right and left. She backs up and is able to grab a rake leaning against her house. As I swing, she defends herself with the weak wood.
" Asuka, you jackass! Do you seriously not recognize me?" She asks angrily, swinging at me with the rake. " Idiot! It's me!" My reply is swinging my leg around to greet her face. She grunts from pain, hitting the ground with a thud. I jump on her and plant myself on her hips so she doesn't run away.
" Get off of me you bitch!" she yells, punching me in the gut. I briefly take in the pain, which is minimal but enough for me to grip my gut. For a girl, she's got a good arm. She shoves me off, grabbing her rake again, but she barely has time to defend herself before I come at her.
" Um, Big Brother, are you not going to do something about this?" Jakotsu whispers to him, pointing in the direction of the fight between the girl and I.
" You know I like girl on girl action," he whispers back with a wink. The remark nearly makes me go after him. But no, first finish off the girl then get him. It's my order, right?
" Asuka, I said," she says punching me across the face," KNOCK IT OFF!"
I hit the ground with a thud, my weapons skidding across the baren ground towards Renkotsu. I prop myself up on my elbows in time to see her run towards me. I brace myself to take a hit but instead, the girl does something totally unexpected.
She hugs me.
" Please tell me you remember me, Asuka," she says in a gentle voice, hugging me tighter. I know my purpose is to kill her but, I can't seem to bring my hands to wring her neck. Like my mind wants to, but my body refuses. Her touch is almost comforting like it could be my mothers' touch. I don't like this touch. It makes me feel vunerable. But oh, how I miss that touch ... She pulls me away so her bright brown eyes meet with my icy blue ones. " Don't you remember Tukiyo?" she smiles.
Tukiyo ... Tukiyo ...
It's Tukiyo!
I throw my arms around her, my resolve completley broken. How can I kill someone who means so much to me? My orders are so potent ... but Tukiyo's smile, her bright eyes shiny with tears of relief. How could I kill that?
" Tukiyo!" I nearly scream through my sobs of joy. Just when I thought there was no one else for me after Keitaro and Momoka, she comes back into my life. I thought my best friend had left me years ago, but now she's back with me! I hold her tighter, not willing to ever let her go again.
Tukiyo cries with me - relief, sorrow, pain, happiness. These are all feelings mixed into a tears. Relieved that we're back together. Sorrow from being away for so long. Pain from the memories of wanting her to be back with us. Happiness from being able to see each other happy and well.
Well, maybe momentarily. We both seem to forget that we're surrounded by dead bodies, most of them I helped kill. But all that seems to disapear as we embrace.
But suddenly she pulls away and looks me dead in the eyes. "Where's Keitaro, Asuka?"
" W-what?" I say, still slightly dazed. She's gone from soft and emotional, to demanding and scared. She wants to know where Keitaro is ... I can barely stiffle a sob.
" Where's Keitaro?" she cries, gripping my shoulders tight with a note of hysteria in her voice. The worry and fear in her eyes is enough to move me to tears. I cling to her again, letting sobs of sorrow just flow out of me. I momentarily forget everyone here, I just want to let it out ...
" Did you kill him?" she yells.
" What?" I say, my voice cracking from the accusation," Why would I kill him?"
" Did you kill him?" she yells again. I realize she isn't talking to me. She's adressing Bankotsu and the rest of his crew.
Bankotsu chuckles, running his fingers through his bangs. " Maybe. Maybe not. We fight so much it's hard to remember who we kill!" he laughs. How can he act so casual? " But if you had to ask someone, ask Suikotsu. As I remember, he was the one who stabbed him!" he smirks.
That's right, it was Suikotsu. Keitaro dodged Jakotsu's blade and then Suikotsu ... The memory is still so vivid that I have to tear my eyes away from Bankotsu, closing them tight as if the tighter I close them, that it could have just been a bad dream.
Tukiyo roughly shoves me off of her, then pulls me off the ground. " Oi, Asuka," she smiles. " I have an idea." And suddenly I'm angry with her. She was Keitaro's friend! How can she not react to his death? But behind her smile, I can see all the emotions she has built up inside her. Maybe killing will be a way to emotionally release Tukiyo. Both of us.
I smile back and wipe the tears from my face. " Assuming you're not as stupid as you once were, you got what you need?"
She nods, then becomes puzzled. Then her face becomes clear as she remembers the stupid incident I was referring to. " Geez, it wasn't that bad!"
" You made us fall from a cliff and into a current!" I chuckle.
She takes a weapon from a fallen man. " Oh whatever. You didn't die," she mumbles sliding the sword out of the scabbard.
" Pretty darn close as I remember," I whistle, my voice turning menacing as I look at Bankotsu. With her help, I can actually take these men on, and survive. I can start over, and mourn with Tukiyo over Keitaro. But first things first. " Do whatever. I just want Bankotsu." And I can also get revenge for him raping me.
She nods and runs at the beside me, her weapon extended and an almost cruel smirk on her face. We can do this. We can kill them and start over! I smile. I can see my future now, the rolling hills, a large plantation, maybe even new friends. A family will be impossible though, I don't even think I can even get over Keitaro. But we'll find out as soon as Bankotsu is dead.
Our weapons just about grave their skin, before someone throws something at Tukiyo. It wraps around her feet, trapping her in the blink of an eye. Before she can even fall, soldiers break from the side and it takes a couple of them to drag her away.
" Nice work, Bankotsu," that general from the castle says, throwing a small bag of money into his hands. " There's more in it for you once the girl confesses."
Girl? What girl? Certainly not me. But then, it'd have to be Tukiyo ... And then it all clicks. They think Tukiyo is her! The girl! The girl whose parents were supposedly worse than the Band of Seven. Confess? Confess what? Tukiyo couldn't possibly be the girl! In order to confess they'd have to torture her! My eyes go wide as Tukiyo's screaming finally reaches my ears. She's screaming my name, Asuka over and over her eyes full of fear.
" Tukiyo!" I scream in near agony, running to her. I just nearly reach her when someone roughly grabs my waist, yanking me backwards. The white and blue haori suggests this is Bankotsu. I scream her name over and over and as loud as she's screaming mine. We're both able to reach each others' hands and clasp on for just a moment.
Then, we're torn appart again.
My hopes of starting a new life fade as quickly as I see Tukiyo being dragged off.
IMPORTANT: I HAVE AN ACCOUNT ON DEVIANTART CALLED BANFAN45 AND IT HAS A PICTURE OF ASUKA. GO LOOK IT UP!
I'm actually making an effort to update more! :D Okay, so? How'd ya like it? Too sadistic in cruel? Perfect? Got any suggest?
I MEAN IT WHEN I SAY I TAKE IDEAS!
And this is where I normally say things will get better for Asuka ... But I love making you people wait! XD
READ AND REVIEW!
