AN: Woot! Two Chapters in one day! This chapter puts us at the half-way point. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THE CLIMAX, that comes closer to the end, we're still building up to it.
12: Their Grudge, Your Suffering, Her Soul, and Our Unspoken Words
"What on earth…? That's not Sairi's barrier."
Luka watched as the detective who happened to be Kai's friend's father rounded on Takashiro. "What the hell do you mean?" he demanded. "Where is my daughter?"
"Luze" His quiet utterance of the name brought silence down on all of them. Yuki's incredulous stare was enough to tell him that his past lover was on the verge of collapsing with worry.
"Why?" the boy asked tentatively, bringing Luka's attention to the fact that his anger and frustration must be showing on his face. He replaced his neutral countenance as Yuki asked "why would he come here?"
"Could he have found out that Kai was the one the demon king attacked two years ago?" Takashiro asked seriously. "You told me he was here looking for something the sovereign lost when you met him last. I had my suspicions, but I didn't think he'd attack like this."
"I didn't think of that" Luka admitted. "However, Luze has always been extremely perceptive and his brain is among the best in Infernus, so I wouldn't be entirely surprised if that was the case."
"Then we need to help her!" Yuki cried, clutching his sleeve imploringly. "Luze is a General Class, isn't he? Kai doesn't stand a chance against him alone!"
"I wouldn't be so quick to say that" Takashiro said. "You saw how quickly she took down that Mid-Villain. Kai is definitely a force to be reckoned with, even for an Opast. She also has a good head on her shoulders, Yuki, she won't charge blindly into this battle without assessing all the probably outcomes."
"But Yuki does have a point" Luka said. "Luze may not be officially recognized as a General Class, but his skills are certainly of the same caliber. I never saw Kai fight much in the past, but even she will have difficulty against him, especially after just finishing her rehabilitation training."
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were praising him." They all turned as Sairi and Ria joined them, a frightened boy they recognized as Riki and the anxious friend of Kai following behind them. The latter ran forward, bypassing her father and gripping Takashiro's sleeves desperately.
"You have to help her!" she cried. "Kai's in huge trouble! That guy forced her into some sort of deal and then forced me and Riki out of the barrier. I could feel it, he's super strong and even though she told me it's her job to fight guys like him, I don't think Kai can handle the guy!"
"Hold on, slow down" Takashiro said quickly. "What deal did he force her into?"
"There was something about information" she explained. "If he won, he got to ask any two questions and Kai would have to answer in full details and vice versa. If there was a draw or they were interrupted, then neither of them would have their questions answered."
"He gave her his word he wouldn't kill her" Riki added. "He swore on his being an 'Opast of Infernus' –or something like that– but I don't know if we can believe him."
"He's your brother, Luka," Takashiro said. "Can we believe that he won't kill Kai after he gets what he wants."
He nodded. "Luze isn't the type to go back on his word" he said slowly. "However, just because he said he wouldn't kill her doesn't mean he'll return her to us. We have no guarantee he won't hand her over to Reiga or even the king himself after all this is over."
"We have to do something!" Yuki said. "If we interfere, then Kai doesn't have to give Luze information, right?"
"It will take time to dispel the barrier" Luka said grimly. "One of Luze's skills lies in creating strong shields and barriers. That's bad news for us."
"So it is" Takashiro agreed. "I don't have time to go to Kamakura and do it myself, either." He turned to Sairi and Ria. "I want you two to assault the barrier with everything you've got" he said, then turned back to the others. "Luka, you know Luze's magic better than anyone, so you work on a counter-spell. In the meantime, I will call Ibuki and ask her to take the helicopter and bring me The Key of Solomon. Yuki, you remain on standby."
There was a unanimous "yes, sir", then Luka took Yuki and went up to the top of the building.
"What are we doing up here?"
"This is the best place for me to try and break Luze's barrier" he explained, stretching his hand to the sky in order to begin the spell. "A hard enough hit from above should shatter it."
Although he was putting every physical effort into destroying the barrier, Luka's mind wandered to his brother. What had prompted Luze to do this? His twin was considered the calmer, the more prudent of the two of them, attacking like this simply wasn't like him. Had Takashiro been right? Had his brother guessed that Kai had been attacked by the Demon King two years ago? But, if so, how had he done so and why was he determined to bring her back to Infernus?
Was Luze somehow more deeply involved with the king that he had previously imagined? By the time Yuki had regained consciousness after first healing Kai, they had discovered that both Zweilt and God's Light had no memory of the events that had transpired during the healing session. Kai also had lost all memory of what had happened during the time she was comatose. However, she could remember vaguely that someone had been taking care of her during that time, though she couldn't remember his face.
Had that attendant been Luze?
But when had this all been planned? And why Luze? Of all things, Luka did not want his brother to have frequent contact with the king on any grounds. He alone knew what the sovereign was truly like, having been his slave for over a century, and he did not want Luze to share that experience. As wont as he was to admit it out loud, Luka cared deeply about his little brother. After all, they were twins, two halves of one whole, and it was his job to protect the younger half, the more vulnerable half.
Luze, I never thought I'd think this, but I'm actually glad you've contracted with Reiga.
As long as Luze held a contract with the necromancer, the king couldn't touch him. However, given that the king was the most powerful Opast in existence, that probably wouldn't keep his brother safe if the sovereign decided to get serious about anything.
A jolt, a small burst of energy, tore Luka away from his worrying. He had made a sizeable crack in the barrier, all it would take was just one more push and things would be over.
Muttering furiously under his breath, Luka did everything he could to speed the spell in order to finally destroy the barrier. Mentally cursing both the complexity of the spell and his brother's magical talent, he continued on until there was an almost earth-shattering crack and the blockade finally fell.
What met his eyes was not so pleasant. Even from his distance, with his Duras senses he could see the scene below quite clearly.
Kai was slumped against a tree, the scent of her blood mixing with Luze's as it hit his nose. His brother was still on his feet, but that wouldn't be the case for much longer, judging from how prominent the scent of his blood was.
"Yuki, stay here" he said shortly, leaving the bemused boy behind and rushing the scene just as Luze finally fell to his knees.
A weak laugh escaped from his brother's lips as he set eyes on him. "So it's the traitor coming to the rescue, is it?"
Luka pretended to ignore him as he inspected Kai's wounds. Most of the damage was under the surface: broken ribs, numerous bruises, a rapidly swelling right wrist with a dislocated right shoulder to match. However, the most grievous of the injuries was quite spectacularly on the outside.
Her left harm was hanging at an awkward angle, blood oozing from several large gashes and seeping into the already dark grass. The entirety of her uniform's sweater was gone and what was left of her button down was enough to preserve her modesty, but that was the extent of it.
He couldn't help himself, Kai's bloody excuse for an arm was too much. Rounding on Luze, he snarled "Using magic to scrape a quick win? That's low, especially for you, Luze."
"Y-you're wrong."
It wasn't Luze who spoke, but Kai. Her eyes were unfocused and her voice was weak from blood loss, but it had definitely been her that had spoken. With a sharp gasp of pain, she reached forward with her still-mobile right arm and touched Luka's hand gently.
"It wasn't him, Luka" she said, breathing heavily as she spoke. "It was someone else."
"Who?" he demanded, praying she would be able to answer before passing out. She need Yuki and she needed him badly. He shouldn't have left him back on the roof.
"Purists" this time Luze was talking. He was clutching at the bleeding gash in his chest, but he was certainly on firmer ground than Kai as he continued "a group of Purists, all of them Opasts, somehow slipped into the barrier. They attacked before we had much of a chance to defend ourselves."
There was something wrong with the way his brother was speaking; something off in his voice. It took him a moment to realize it, but Luka soon found that his brother was in some sort of shock.
"What happened?" he asked. "Did they say something? Luze, everyone knows they hate our clan with a passion. What could they have possibly said to throw you off like this?"
The Purists were a group of somewhat radical Duras who were inherently devoted to serving the king and upholding the laws of Infernus. They regarded the Crosszeria with particular hatred because of the crime their ancestor had committed so long ago. Unsurprisingly, they had been among the first and most abundant supporters of the Brand Zess punishment.
"Idiot, they didn't say anything that I couldn't ignore" Luze snapped. "I couldn't care less about Purists and their damn convoluted ideals." He paused, and when he spoke again, his voice was much quieter. "No, it's that damn Zweilt over there. She –I don't get it –she leapt in front of me, tried to protect me. There were five of them on me at once, yet she thought she could throw off three. Her shield shattered and now look at her."
It was Kai's turn to laugh weakly. "My body sort of moved on it's own" she said. "All I knew was that I couldn't let you go down like that. Even an enemy doesn't deserve such a pathetic death by such an underhanded strategy. I… didn't want it to end like that…"
Luka watched warily as Kai's head fell back against the tree. She was still conscious, but just barely, but that didn't affect the steady flow of images that entered his head.
Luze and Kai were standing apart, uninjured.
"Care to remind me of your name?" Kai asked.
"Luze" his brother replied. "And it would be polite for you to do the same."
"Kaida" she said. "I just have one question before we begin."
"And what would that be?" Luze asked.
"Why me?"
His twin smirked. "Well now, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until the end of this battle to find that out."
"That hardly seems fare." Now Kai was smirking. "After all, you're forcing me into this fight. The least you could do is answer that small question before we begin."
"You have a way with words" Luze said smoothly. Kai had aimed at his sense of chivalry and struck home. "I have and interest in you. Your presence has confounded me for quite some time now and I want get to the bottom of the mystery you have put upon me."
"So you want personal information" Kai said. "Sorry, but I'm not about to give that to you." She took her stance. "Show me what you've got, Opast. I'm no pushover."
They had gone at it for no more than two minutes before a blast of magical energy forced them apart.
"What the hell was that?" Kai demanded, skidding to a halt and looking at Luze.
Luze was just as confused as she was. "It wasn't me" he said. "I don't know what's going on, though. No one should have been able to get through my barrier so quickly. Oh, hell…"
The group of Purists had just emerged from the trees, grinning maliciously as Luze glared at them. They're leader, a blond man with a fetish for piercings, stepped forward, glancing at Kai for a moment before speaking to his twin.
"Luze Crosszeria, for the safety of Infernus and of our sovereign, the great Demon King, we have come to execute you. Cast aside your weapon and surrender, you're outnumbered and I doubt even the famous Blade King can stand against seven of his brethren."
"Executions cannot be carried out without due cause" Luze said, keeping a firm grip on his sword. "On what grounds have you come for my life?"
"Your Brand Zess is more than enough grounds" the leader replied coolly. "Not only that, you are the twin brother of Luka Crosszeria, the infamous Bloody Cross who abandoned the king for the Giou Clan, our enemies, and thereby becoming a traitor to Infernus. Killing you is a necessary precaution against a repeat of such treachery."
Luze's eyes widened in fury. "Are you saying that I'm going to commit the same crime as Luka?" he demanded.
"Twins tend to act in accordance to one another" the leader said. "You have already contracted with Reiga, a rogue Giou, and who's to say you won't take it a step further and join your brother?"
"Shut up." Kai had stepped forward now. She was glaring at the Purist with the same fire she had had when she had punched Luze all those weeks ago.
However, her voice was surprisingly even as she continued "you cannot judge a person by their siblings, even twins. Though they may be born together and may even look alike, they can develop in drastically different ways. Twins may be considered to halves of one whole, but that does make them the same person."
The leader laughed. "Look at you, Luze!" he roared. "You're being defended by a Zweilt! This is all too perfect! It's all too fitting for you right now."
"Stay out of this" Luze said to Kai. "I have nothing to do with you."
"You think I'll let you fight alone?" Kai demanded. "It's seven on one!"
"Regardless, this is none of your business!"
"If you're just going to argue, we'll be happy to end both of your lives in one go."
And so the battle had begun. Kai engaged two of the Opasts while Luze was assaulted by the other five. They both fought valiantly for several long minutes before Kai finally destroyed her opponents. Luze, however, let out a sharp cry of pain as the leading Purist slashed across his chest with a Kama. The pain of the blow brought Luka's brother to his knees, leaving him open to the final blow that was sure to come his way.
But then Kai was there, just in time to block the attack with the force of her double shield. The twin arm guards sparkled in the sunlight as the translucent silver barrier engulfed both Zweilt and Duras.
"Are you alright?" she asked, looking down at Luze.
"Why did you…?"
"I think the phrase 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' applies here" she replied. "And, come on, do you honestly think I'm going to let you die in such an unfair and unjustified fight?"
"But that shield won't protect you from the rear!" Luze just barely managed to beat down the two assailants who sprung at them from behind. After a few moments of struggling, they were gone in a whirl of dust.
"You're both skilled" the leader said. "and you seem to work well together." He smirked. "However, you have yet to beat the three of us and I will tell you know that we are significantly stronger than the others you defeated. It will be a pleasure killing you both."
The blast was brought on by the simultaneous spells of all three Purists. As Luze had told him earlier, Luka saw Kai's shield shattered. Fortunately, she had fought it off long enough for the spell to reduce considerably in power, but, as he had seen, the damage was still quite severe.
Kai had been thrown back against a tree, her breathing shallow and raspy as her blood began to stain the grass. Luka watched as Luze got shakily to his feet, glaring furiously at the Opasts as he snarled "that was a low blow, even for Purist dogs like you."
"How dare you call us dogs!" the leader cried. "It was your clan that-!"
He never finished his sentence, choking on his words as well as his blood as Luze plunged his blade into his stomach. One of the other Purists made a desperate attack to avenge his leader, but was cut down in less than an instant.
The final member of the party stepped back, panic contorting his face. "W-why would you go so far for a Zweilt?" he asked, struggling to steady his grip on his sword.
"Zweilt?" Luze cocked his head to one side. "I didn't kill your comrades to protect any Zweilt. I was merely punishing them for damaging the property of his royal highness. You, my friend, are just as guilty."
With a high pitched scream, the final Purist disappeared and Luka found himself back in present. Kai was looking at him from half-closed eyes. She was too weak to speak, but he could still hear the question she was unable to ask.
"What did you mean by 'property of his royal highness'?" Luka asked.
Luze blinked in surprise, then looked at Kai. "So that's part of her ability" he said quietly. To Luka, he said "I was surprised myself. That girl is so different from the one the king told me to take care of, yet I could tell during that battle that they are one and the same. Their souls are a perfect match."
He was about to ask what his brother meant when he heard Yuki's voice. The boy, along with Takashiro, Sairi, Ria, Kai's friend, Riki, and the detectives, ran toward them. Without stopping, Yuki went straight to Kai, who had finally slipped out of consciousness, and began tending to her injuries.
"What happened?" Takashiro demanded. "Did Kai lose?"
"No" Luka replied. Turning to Luze, he asked "I suppose it was a draw of some sort?"
Luze nodded, getting shakily to his feet. "So where do we stand?" he asked. "I'm in no condition to complete my mission for the king, but I can't let it go unfinished forever. What will you do? Will you kill your twin?"
Luka looked at him for a moment without saying anything. Finally, he sighed. "I'll let you go, today, Luze" he said. "However, you can expect the Giou Clan to put forth every effort into protecting its members, even if it means incurring the wrath of the Demon King." He paused, then continued "as you for you, Luze, I just want to warn you about something."
"And what would that be?" Luze asked, looking at him skeptically.
"Don't get too involved with the king" he said. "You don't know what he's capable of, what he can do if he decides he wants more from you. I say this for your sake: avoid the king as much as you possibly can."
There was a long pause, during which Luze simply looked at Luka, his gaze a mixture of anger and what very well looked like pity. They stood there, brother to brother, absolutely silent, until finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the younger twin spoke.
"You don't have to tell me what I already know."
