Chapter 13: The Choice of a Life and for Life

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NOTE: This fic is based on the anime of Recca no Honou.

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Recca drags his feet as he looks for the Hokage team. Blood continuously flows out from his burned skin.

"Darn it." Recca thought. "At least take me to Mom,"

Recca budges to take another step but his cold feet failed him. He fell on the ground.

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Recca slowly opens his eyes. The sudden bright light pierced to his eyes. He slowly stands up and groans, touching his wounded side. He looked around. Tokiya is there, staring at him with a serious look on his face.

"Mikagami," Recca said.

Tokiya walks towards him and hits his face with the back of his fist. Recca, partially recovered, was thrown away. Tokiya grabs Recca's collar and glares at him. Recca stared back.

Tokiya laughed through his nose. "What kind of 'man' are you? You have done nothing to save anyone!" he said and threw Recca to the ground. Recca groaned in pain as he hit the ground with his wounded side.

Recca didn't respond to Tokiya's harsh comment. He just gathered himself together and stood up. He walks away.

"Where are you going, you worthless weed," Tokiya called.

Recca didn't listen. He keeps walking towards the door.

"We are the ones left. The whole Hokage team has been abducted. Even Yanagi." a woman said.

Recca ceased and turned. It was Shadow, his mother. Tokiya stared at Recca.

"You can't beat everyone alone," she said.

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"Everyone was ambushed last night." Shadow said. "It was worse for Yanagi for she was alone yesterday, tending to her garden."

"I'm glad you were able to save yourself, Mom." Recca said.

Shadow's face fell. She looks away. "Actually," she said. "I was with Mikagami last night. He saved me,"

Recca is disheartened.

Shadow pats Recca's shoulder. "This is no time for drama anymore. I know you're upset but we have no time. We have to get everyone back." Shadow said.

Recca nods.

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"So this is his son, I suppose." Kurei said, staring at Riiya who is glaring at him without a wink.

"His eyes are the same as Recca's. Angry and furious when I'm around." Kurei laughs. "I didn't think he would have a kid with you. So you have that secret admiration to Recca, huh." Kurei said to Fuuko.

Fuuko blushes. "Shut up! Leave him alone!"

"I didn't think you won't have reason to be here anymore," Kurei said to Yanagi clearly mocking her. Yanagi flustered. She looked away.

"Leave her alone! You freaking toast-face!" Fuuko yelled.

Kurei turned to Fuuko.

"Don't misinterpret me. You've no reason to be here as well, you know. The most valuable here would be this boy," Kurei said clutching Riiya's face. Riiya flinches and looks away.

"Don't touch him," Fuuko yelled. "Ah!" Fuuko felt extreme heat passing through her side to the point some of her hair strands melted. It turns out Scarlet went by her side. She grins as she looks at Fuuko.

"Tsk, tsk, such a waste. To think you've put effort in maintaining this long hair," Kurei said. Fuuko is glaring at him. "But you know, we can't do anything anymore, right? It's funnier seeing you with this uneven length of hair." Scarlet attacks Fuuko.

"Fuuko!" Domon and the others claimed.

Fuuko sits silently in her seat with her hands still tied down. A part of her clothes are burned and some her skin is suffering in burns.

Riiya is flustered over the scene that his mother is getting by. Fuuko breathes heavily.

"I don't care what you do to me. Suit yourself, but try laying a finger on the boy. I swear I'll kill you even if it costs me my life," Fuuko said.

Kurei stared at her. "I'm looking forward to that," he said. He turns his back on her and leaves.

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"I found a letter in the lawn. It's from Kurei's group. It's about Yanagi and the others," Tokiya claimed.

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"What a petty place to meet. You sure have no taste in places, which makes you weak in over-all impression," Recca mocked.

"I have to tell you. I'm letting all the captives go, but that is...if you cooperate with my game,"

"Game?"

"One of you stands in for your team and answers a question – personal question, even with a disruption on the side, for every member has equivalent one question, and one question should be answered within fifteen seconds. If you get the correct answer, I'll set one free; if you don't, then that person dies in front of you. You'll keep fighting the first member from our team for as long as you haven't knocked him down. Of course, if that happens, you'll have to fight the next one. If you lose or can't take any longer, you may be replaced by your other team members, but the question has to be answered once asked. If you leave the question hanging, the captive will be killed. How's that?" Kurei said.

"While in disruption?" Tokiya repeated.

"So you want a fight while you ask questions, huh? Fine. You're so predictable, Kurei," Recca said standing in.

Tokiya blocks his way. "I'll fight instead."

"What?"

"You won't be able to handle this. I can't let any one of them die," Tokiya said.

"Wha- Get away!" Recca fumed. "Just because you're able to save my mother doesn't mean you're always a cut above me."

"What? Hesitating?" Kurei smiled.

Recca walks in. "Bring it on!"

Spotlights went on revealing the captured Hokage team members. All of them are looking restless, especially Fuuko and her hair is obviously burnt.

"The hell did you to Fuuko?" Recca said.

"Nothing. Scarlet just gave her a hug," Kurei said.

"You burned her," Recca said.

"Perfect mood," Kurei said. "Let's immediately get to first person, Ganko!"

"Wha-" Recca sweatdropped.

Ganko gasps.

Kurei built a new set of team. The Uruha Kinzoku. The first member to face Recca is named Jin.

"Let's go," Jin said.

"Be careful, Recca, that person holds the Swap Device, the device that can change all sorts of elements and things into metal. He can absorb your powers to replace it into anything that may counterattack you," Shadow said.

"He can replace my flames, but never my dragons," Recca said.

"What's your question, huh?" Recca said to Kurei. Kurei just grinned. Recca frowned.

Jin already starts for the first attack. He picks up crumbles of dirt from the floor and holds them intact.

"That's gross. You're using even that?" Recca said. "Make sure you won't place your hands in me."

"Sorry. Can't do," Jin said and clasped his hand. The dust froze into a metal glove. "Cause you're so irresistible."

Jin rushes and hits Recca. Recca, then, is able to call for Saiha to resist his punch and try to counterattack and slice the metal. Recca is successful in splitting the glove into two but then it turned back into dust and switched into bits of metal. Jin throws the small bits of metal into Recca's face and badly hit his eye.

Recca tried focusing back. "You-" Recca summons Nadare and throws them to Jin. Jin switches his ball of flames into a whip and whips Recca.

Recca's ankle is caught and he is thrown to the ground.

"First question...how old is Ganko as of today?" Kurei said.

"What?" Recca claimed. "How- Ganko never celebrated her birthday on her own." he thought.

Jin catches Recca's foot with the whip and the whip switches into an electric whip. Recca screamed in pain.

"Seven," Kurei is counting down in the side.

"Sixteen!!!" Recca screamed even while electrocuted.

Kurei smiled. "Release her," Kurei said.

Ganko falls down to the ground. She strokes her wrists trying to comfort the pain.

"Ganko, come here!" Tokiya claimed.

Ganko went up immediately and ran to Tokiya and Shadow. "Fuuko- Fuuko-san, she was burned! And Kurei...Kurei plans to keep Riiya-kun with him as bait for Recca-san." Ganko huffed.

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Recca catches his breath feeling his whole body undergoing aftershock. He slaps his cheek to grip on himself.

Spotlight reveals Koganei.

Recca looks at Koganei. Koganei is having a worried expression on himself, but then when Recca looked at him, Koganei smirked and nodded at him showing him his trust to Recca.

Recca looks at Jin seriously and ignites his flame. His own, shapeless flame. Recca initiates the second battle by running towards him. Jin, on the other hand, grabs the kerchief around his neck and turns it into a long sword.

"What is Koganei's level in education?" Kurei claimed.

Recca jumps up and blasts his flame onto Jin frantically. Jin, as expected, was able to dodge his reckless attack by whipping about his long sword. It turns out to be Recca's strategy to disturb Jin's attention and attack him through with his Saiha. Recca is able to strike through the long sword.

Jin falls to the ground and the device in his ring shattered into pieces revealing Recca's unanimous triumph.

"Second year, senior high," Recca said.

Kurei laughs through his nose. "Release him," he ordered.

Koganei falls to the ground when the chains ceasing him released him. He ran immediately to the Hokage's side.

The next fighter to face Recca was a woman named Maika.

"The device attached in her bracelet is the Thunder Device. It is able to summon lightning whenever the user creates thunder by snapping his fingers and pointing to the target," Shadow explained.

Next person to be released was Domon. He was asked about how many times Domon works out. Recca is able to answer before 5 seconds pressure. Next was Fuuko. He was asked...

"Have you gone mad?!" Recca claimed blushing tremendously.

"Fourteen," Kurei said grinning.

"You perverted freak!" Recca yelled as he dodged Maika's lightning attack.

"Twelve," Kurei said.

The men of the Hokage team had red faces themselves. "People will figure now how perverted you are," Tokiya said. "This can be considered my revenge,"

"Eh?" Ganko blinked.

"There are a lot of complications in life you'll realize later in your life, Ganko," Domon said.

Recca began sweating hard. Fuuko shuts her eyes tight. There's no way he'd get the answer correct this time. "Bastard Kurei, what kind of question was that?!" she thought.

"Eight," Kurei said.

Recca and Maika began chasing after one another. Recca is dodging and counterattacking with his flame. Maika is dodging and counterattacking with his thunder.

"Four," Kurei said.

"Recca, damn you, do something about the answer!" Fuuko yelled.

Recca gulps. "She started to develop her breasts at age 11 and size was 31 inches,
C-cup!" he yelled.

Silence. Fuuko is dumbfounded. Tokiya broke a nerve in annoyance. The rest of the Hokage team had their jaws dropped.

Kurei laughs. "Release her," he ordered.

Recca held his head for a while having a terrible confession in his life.

Fuuko is still dumbstruck at the information. It's true. "But how the hell did he know about that?!" she screamed in her head.

Next was Yanagi.

"I decided to change rules because this is starting to bore me," Kurei claimed.

"What?" Recca blinked.

"For tomorrow's finale battle," Kurei said.

"What finale battle, you jerk!" Recca yelled.

"Well, because, I forgot the most interesting part in this battle," Kurei said.

The spotlight reveals Riiya. Riiya is standing with a round of guards with him. Fuuko gasps. Kurei summons Scarlet and she encircles around Riiya.

"No, don't!" Fuuko screamed.

"What are you doing to him, you bastard?!" Recca yelled.

"It's not serious, honestly. Only, I will keep one as captive, but you are free to point which is which. Choose your princess, or your son? But warn you, the one you will not choose today will have his soul inside a sand clock."

"What?" Recca claimed.

"That's right, Recca. I'll take a share of their soul and trap them inside a stone. The Soul Trap Device."

"Oh. my," Shadow claimed.

"What is it, Shadow-san?" Koganei claimed.

"The Soul Trap device is the stone that can bind a person's soul inside it. Within a battle, once the opponent has been caught off-guard by the user, the user casts over his soul onto the Soul Trap Device and, when the victim feels wearing out or tired, his soul will be bit by bit absorbed into the device. Once the device has absorbed his soul completely, the device will be destroyed in its own and release the trapped soul..."

"Which means death to the victim," Tokiya said.

"But time limit is more unpredictable if the victim is not within battle. It may be within 24 hours or less," Shadow said.

"How can the trapped soul be saved before it will absorb the victim's soul completely?" Ganko asked.

"That's not important in the meantime. Recca has to choose wisely first," Tokiya said.

Fuuko runs up to the stage. Koganei catches her. Fuuko struggles against his arms. "Let me go!" she yelled. When Koganei slipped his hands on her, Fuuko runs as fast as she could to get to Riiya. Kurei looked at her. He points at Fuuko. Scarlet switches to Fuuko in Kurei's command and ceases her with her suffocating smoke.

"Fuuko!" Tokiya screams.

Fuuko coughs up for her breath.

Recca steps out to rescue her but Scarlet has sensed him and so she sends flame across his feet.

"Change rules, Recca. Since the loving mother of your kid would rather die than see your son suffer, I'm giving her the honor of sacrificing her own life for his," Kurei said. "Let's switch to your women as choices. They are your choices. You choose only one to take home,"

Recca blinks.

"Choose one, choose wisely, Recca," Kurei said.

Recca is silenced. He looks at Yanagi and Fuuko alternately.

"Who are you going to choose now, Recca?" Kurei asked.

Recca looks at Scarlet. She is on her steady pace; she is ready to attack the other if he chooses one. He looks at Fuuko who is dizzy with suffocation. He looks at Yanagi who is pale and weary.

"You can't cheat, Recca. You may have your dragons, but I have a part of their life," Kurei said. "And Scarlet is ready to give it to me anytime soon after you choose one,"

Recca glares at him and then he disappears in swift air.

Fuuko screams.

"I told you that you can't cheat," Kurei said.

Fuuko faints. Recca is dumbfounded. In his arms, Yanagi lies unconscious and safe. Kurei shows a hand to him. Red smoke encircles in his palm and forms a crystal.

"Come to me when you still want your other woman," Kurei said.

Recca's eyes widened. He had failed Fuuko.

Kurei nods to Raiha. Raiha approaches Fuuko and holds on her collar. He picks her up and hangs her on his shoulder.

"Get away from her!" Recca yells and sends out Homura to attack Raiha.

Raiha didn't mind Recca at all. He continued walking out.

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