Chapter 10

Italics – Thoughts

Shizuru's POV

I saw Natsuki's kantana in that split second. My hand gripping onto my naginata twitched instinctively to defend but I shut my eyes instead. I couldn't bring myself to hurt my beloved and I was crushed by her outright rejection to my touch.

The weapon made contact against my left abdomen and I found myself being thrown aside by the sheer strength of Natsuki's strike. Yes, my Natsuki was powerful; I had no doubts about that. Yet, I found myself opening my eyes, staring straight at the muddy road. My hand automatically moved to the location when I thought I would be left with a gaping wound, but there was an absence of the sticky, coppery liquid. My blue kimono was slightly ruffled from the impact, but that was all. It was ironic; I had grown to favor this as my favorite, ever since I met Natsuki. Yet now, the kimono I donned merely reminded me of everything else. I bit back a sob, picked myself up and looked at her.

She looked equally torn; in her hand was her family's katana, still kept in the beautifully lacquered sheath. She caught my gaze. I was lost in that captivating hue, like I always have been. I felt a dribble down my chin and I touched my face lightly, covering my fingers with blood. "I didn't want you know, not like this."

She twitched at my statement, the way she always does when she felt uncertain as she eyed the corpses that were strewn across the street.

"I'm sorry, I really had no intention of hurting you. I really love you, Natsuki," I tried again, but she turned her head away, refusing to look me in the eye. "Do you really hate me so much?" I asked, trembling slightly in anger. It had been awhile since I last felt unbridled emotion coursing through my veins; but I refused to show it. "Natsuki!" my voice cracked. I had finally found someone whom I could share laughs with, someone who actually took the time to know me for who I truly was. I could deal with anything the world threw at me, but not this rejection. It hurt. It hurt when she rejected my touch outright. It hurt when she was uncertain about her feelings for me and it hurt when she wouldn't even look at me.

Clenching my naginata tightly, I bowed my head and laughed. I came to a decision that night, for the sake of my love. I knew how to fix this. I knew my Natsuki had set out to destroy the First District for revenge. I knew that they were still hunting for her. But no one will hurt my Natsuki. Not while I'm around. I will protect her, even if it'll cost me my life. I will eliminate them before they ever tried anything to hurt my dearest. My Natuski would then have nothing to worry about and be happy.

"Shizuru!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with worry and her brows creased at my laughter.

"Now there are no secrets between us, Natsuki. I love you. I know everything that you hate and dislike. Do not worry. I will protect you and I will fix this." I trailed off as I turned around to leave, my mind made up.

XXX

Natsuki arrived home that night amid the pouring rain. She carelessly removed her Haori and crumpled it into a ball, tossing it aside as she slumped down against a wooden pillar. A hand went to massage her temples, feeling a headache coming on. She had contemplated chasing after the disappearing figure earlier, but she found herself in a befuddling mental altercation between her past and her present.

Natsuki had never thought that someone like her would ever have a chance at finding happiness; she had been entirely focused on her quest of revenge. However, Shizuru had taken the initiative to approach her. She, who had so defensively walled herself up after witnessing the brutality of humankind. Day after day, Shizuru had slowly opened her world up, her constancy and reliability made Natsuki finally feel safe once again. Natsuki was so close to attaining closure to her past and she hadn't divulged anything to Shizuru just to keep her safe; but why was it that when she was so close to attaining it, Fate just had to throw her a curveball? It had caught her completely off-guard, pummeling her right in the gut.

'Shizuru..' was her last thought before she succumbed to exhaustion.

XXX

Natsuki's POV

I was in panic as raced through the streets the next day, on the way to the most recent source of conflict. I could see the glow of the blazing orange inferno in the distance. I bent over to Duran and urged, "Hayaku, Duran! Hayaku!" Duran seemed to understand my distress as I felt him picking up speed, his hooves clapping against the stone pathway.

I pulled him to a halt just outside the burning pyre, the flames raw and unbridled, fed to fury by the wooden structure. I leapt off, my heels crunching onto the charred remains of the building. My heart was thumping as I scanned the horizon for a certain brunette, but she was nowhere in sight. I walked through the doors, feeling the heat of the flames on my face. I made my way further inside, narrowly avoiding a piece of crumbling debris that finally gave way to its weight. I rolled aside, cursing as I realized that the entrance was now blocked.

"Shizuru!" I bellowed. The longer we stayed in this inferno, the more dangerous it would be. There was no response, only the sharp crackling as the flames ate away at the building. The halls were strewn with corpses and I held the urge to gag at the stench of singed flesh. I wiped my brow with the sleeve of my kimono as I trudged further in, determined to find her. I coughed, inhaling a breath of smoke, the fumes stinging my eyes. I refused to let it stop me; I wasn't one to give up because of this.

Fumi had come stumbling into my room after I passed out the night before, exclaiming about the Fujino Heir disappearing from the Kyoto Castle and going on a rampage at another governmental office. She had devastated the office, setting it ablaze. Fumi mentioned that it was the prime time to overthrow them with this internal conflict.

I had stumbled out of bed in haste and left the abode. Fumi didn't know about Shizuru and I. She must have thought I left for Kyoto Castle to capitalize on the situation. Instead, I found myself heading in the opposite direction. Despite my scrambled thoughts about Shizuru and her heritage, I felt a compelling urge to find her. Part of me felt angry, another part worried, but mostly confused at my own actions. Her people contributed to the death of okaa-san. But yet, she was the one who willingly opened up my heart before I fell deeper into the trenches of self-deprecation.

My thoughts were broken when I spotted movement at the end of the hallway and I immediately yelled, "Shizuru!" There was no response and I sprinted across, deftly leaping across flaming obstacles. The hallway opened up into a large room. Shizuru's back was turned to me, her naginata extended as she towered over a group of huddled women.

I was about to call out to her when she spoke, her words calm and calculated, "Do you think you're getting off the hook after doing that to Natsuki?" Her weapon moved quickly in a blur of successive short slashes as soon as the words left her mouth.

I grimaced as their lifeless bodies hit the ground. "Shizuru, stop!"

Shizuru turned her head around, "Ara, Natsuki? You shouldn't be here, it's dangerous, my love. Just wait for me, I'll be done soon."

I opened my mouth, but I was at a loss for words. Her usual sparkling crimsons were replaced by a dull red; lifeless and cold. Her hair was disheveled, her bangs plastered against her forehead. The kimono she had on was ragged and shredded at the hem. I searched for an inkling of the woman that I knew but all I got was an empty gaze. I was aghast. I had never realized that her love for me was that deep. Love was a foreign emotion. I was all too familiar with rage, hate and loneliness.

I had experienced a part of love with her, the soft, sweet side where we would lay together, her caress taming my unpredictable temper, her touches of encouragement and her not-so-subtle, snuck in kisses. What stood before me now was the foreign side of love, one that I had never encountered. I was afraid of its ferocity and astounded by its conviction.

I knew that I caused this. I needed to set this right. I needed to stop it. "I can't allow you to continue."

She tilted her head at me, "But this is the only way I can fix things." She looked up at the ceiling, as though she was thinking of something. I couldn't tell what she was thinking of, but I saw the surreal glaze that previously clouded her eyes dissipate. "So, that means you won't accept my feelings."

That was the last sentence I heard from her before she lashed out.

She whipped around, cutting a wide arc around herself with her weapon. I barely heard the shrieking scrape of metal against the ground before I found myself thrown off balance from the impact of her swing. I tumbled into a ball, rolling away to avoid further injuries. I sensed the next attack coming and immediately drew my katana to defend against it.

She came at me, swift and deadly. Her movements were precise and calculated; the placement of her feet and the execution of her swing melding perfectly. Shizuru was a force to be reckoned with. I could see how she managed to easily best everyone here, especially with the confusion caused by the fire. I recognized that the burning of the building was her way of taking it down singlehandedly. Shizuru must have known that she was unable to go head on with a large force but with the defenders in disarray, she could easily pick them off one by one.

Shizuru leapt back to avoid my next attack; it was uncanny that there was so much intensity packed into that slim frame. She didn't let up, instead, she swung the chain attached to the base of her weapon and sent it hurtling at me. I narrowed my eyes, blocking the chain with my katana and pulled out my pistol with my free hand. Immediately releasing the grip she had on my sword, she spun her weapon in front of her, deflecting the bullets as I fired.

We charged at each other again, the metallic grate of both our weapons sent reverberations through the large room.

I attacked, she parried.

She swung, I ducked.

I stabbed, she blocked.

She struck, I defended.

She sent her blade in multiple, short slices and I avoided it by propelling myself upwards, but she deftly switched her grip on its long handle, redirecting the blade into an upward slash. I felt a sharp sting on my left shoulder blade and I knew I was nicked. Drops of blood fell as I landed on the ground, but I easily ignored the pain.

Returning to her neutral position, she readied herself for the next attack. It was a frontal charge and I predicted the incoming stab, side-stepping it swiftly at a forty five degree angle. Skilled as she was, she followed up with a wide sideway slash of her naginta, knowing the exact reach of her weapon. I raised my sword to deflect it whilst our blades met in a sharp clang. Spinning around in a semi-squat to gain momentum, I sent my blade toward her back.

She spun around fast enough to deflect the last part of the attack and we broke away from each other, panting lightly. Her obi fell aside and I spotted a small flinch when she moved. The fight had been a prolonged deadlock. Though we both sported wounds, they weren't fatal. We were both fighters. Since words weren't able to do their job, we let our weapons speak.

She held my gaze as I studied her. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins and I could feel it getting hotter. I frowned. It was getting too hot. We had been so caught up in our conflict, both mental and physical, that I had forgotten about the blaze. It had spread through the hallway and I could see it eating away at the ceiling. Shizuru glanced at me after we eyed our surroundings. It was as though we could read each other's thoughts.

Before I could move, I heard an earsplitting crack that sounded too close for comfort. I widened my eyes in horror as I looked up at the ceiling.

XXX

A/N: Hello all! Thank you for the reviews! I'm quite amazed that this story actually garnered 100 reviews! It has been a great source of inspiration and it's always awesome to listen to other views that everyone has. Would like to thank all readers who have been sticking with this story thus far. Thank you for your encouragement and taking the time to read this!

On the side, it seems people like evil cliffhangers. So, yes, I did write this on the plane on a tablet to make for a quicker update due to the encouraging reviews received. Do let me know if the fight scenes are up to speed.

Right now, I'm on the fence about the next plot development, so maybe readers can give their suggestions. I mean, it's a burning building. It wouldn't be thrilling if everyone comes out unscathed, right? Question is, who do you think should be the one sacrificing a limb to put the other out of danger against the hurtling fireball of debris? Natsuki or Shizuru? *blinks