:XIV:
Approaching the fortification proved easier than Aomine had thought. Weaving through the Russian wilderness snuggling the outpost, he abandoned his horse and crept to the edge of the forest. Petulant thunderclouds loomed across the noontime sky and a fleeting energy kept him alerted to nearby movement as he neared the southwest wall of the structure. Many like it remained along the Sino-Russian borderline, built centuries ago when the Ice had been more hostile after the Fire's aggression successfully caged them into a more confined space. Built from nearby stones, it resembled a towering trapezoid, wide at the bottom and narrow on top, with carved windows protected by steel shutters. Completely impenetrable from outside attack and provided with a supple view of the valley below.
Patrol units were stationed at tight intervals and he surveyed their pattern to determine the most effective entry point. Sneaking through the thicket, he found an attractive bullseye window whose shutter remained ajar. He waited for the appointed security to drift out of earshot before he trotted to the portal and climbed through.
Darkness cloaked the hallway and he recalled his destination was on the top floor. He skulked through the silent stretch following a carpet runner to the mouth of the stairwell seventy-five feet away. Strangely enough, he hadn't heard voices and wondered if the men had been dismissed from the premises. If so, he couldn't fathom why. But he didn't over think it and climbed the steps two at a time.
No movement reached him from the second floor either and he continued up to the fourth floor. The lack of attendants was starting to bother him. To soothe his restlessness, he hunkered behind a stack of crates and listened. Moments passed before he assured himself that the fort must have been emptied, the men readying for battle. He rose and skated the network of corridors, drawing ever closer to the Kaizer's chamber. He turned left and spotted the doublewide doors.
—
Kagami walked the carpet runners of the fort, arriving in record time. He regretted pressuring his elk so hard and reminded himself to treat the creature to an extra serving of grain later. The head of the guard told him upon arrival that most of the officers in the fort had been dismissed to prepare for the signal to strike. In less than four hours, the Apparition world would pay witness to yet another international conflict. He lamented forfeiting his position but assured himself that securing the Kaizer was much more important.
The occasional attendant passed between rooms as he ascended to the fourth level. Threading the linear passageway knotted a thick ball of tension in his stomach. He hadn't been daft enough to ignore the enormous responsibility this detail required. With its success, he would prove once and for all to his brother that he was completely competent outside of the man's omnipresent watch.
—
One of the doors was cracked and Aomine heard faint voices.
His heart panged but he edged closer to intercept the discourse.
"You really think this will solve everything?" Kaizer Hyuuga said in English.
Aomine gripped his knife and scooted further. The voice was strained as if the man had been afflicted. From what, he could only hazard to guess. Despite the language barrier, he committed his ears to hear all.
"You leaked classified information." A new voice, tight and nasally. "And once you're gone, we'll find the leak that informed you. Then the truth will die with both of you."
"So that's what this is really about?" The words were squeezed through gritted teeth. "More than this bullshit war?"
"This is how it must be." A pause. Then a muttered German phrase.
The guttural scream of the Kaizer charged Aomine's body. He rammed the doors open and froze. Hyuuga's body, suspended inches above a scarlet stain blossoming on the rug, was impaled with a thick black skewer through the chest. Vines slithered from the neck and arms and the man's body crumpled in a boneless heap. A figure loomed over the Kaizer's form and the familiar shadows shrunk out of sight. The owner of the second voice he'd identified.
His gaze darted between the attacker and Hyuuga. He stiffened when the stranger turned to him. Short dark hair topped a head with a blunt nose and muted eyes. A tight leather uniform hugged a lofty body. The menacing aura suppressed his movement and all he could do was speak.
"What did you do?"
"Simply tip the tide in your favor." And the man retracted into the darkness.
—
A distant scream resonated along the walls and Kagami recoiled. Heart hammering, he unsheathed the kodachi and sucked a breath. Gearing his legs forward, he hustled around two corners. As he approached the threshold of the approaching hallway he slowed and listened.
Nothing.
He stepped onto the runner and spotted the awkwardly cracked doors of the Kaizer's chamber. A figure crossed the room. Forgetting caution, he advanced.
—
A surge of panic swept over Aomine and he rushed to the body, hopeful to see the faint flicker of life. Dropping the knife, he grabbed the man's shoulders and jostled feverishly. His pretty words were met with ghostly silence and the pained yellow-green eyes that stared lifelessly back at him speared him deep. He raked shaky hands through his hair and searched for the knife. He couldn't look away.
He couldn't even close those scornful eyes that condemned him. He rolled to his feet and for the first time in his life, he was petrified. Not even responsible for the man's murder and suddenly he felt like the wrongly accused being paraded before the firing squad. Lungs fervently spent air and he whipped to the door.
Kagami Taiga stopped his retreat.
—
Kagami locked eyes with Aomine. Whatever emotion those obscure depths were trying to communicate were deflected as he looked past the Neutral to the body lying disgracefully over a patch of blood. He didn't need to get close to know who it was. The striking blonde hair and rimless glasses were unmistakable.
"Kagami, no." Aomine's voice wobbled. "I didn't do this. Just listen to me for a minute."
"So this is what you are, huh?"
Flames licked his arms and fingers. Defensive hands came up as he stepped forward.
"Kagami, stop. Believe me, this wasn't me."
"Your blade, Aomine," he yelled.
Betrayal fueled the heat to consume his shoulders and neck, his limbs bathed in fire. Aomine lobbed the weapon aside and retreated another step. The distress in the man's eyes translated more to his benefit.
"I never should have trusted you."
He lunged and sent a stream of flames. The shot missed as the man scrambled back, toppling over the Kaizer's body. Another missile was fired and the Neutral rolled to evade it. He closed in while Aomine recovered and tackled the man to the carpet. The use of inertia allowed Aomine to propel him off. As he rose, he found his quarry hustling through the portal and he hurried to maintain pursuit.
Suddenly the absence of people within the fort was appreciated. He couldn't afford to be disrupted. They charged down the runners. Aomine hooked corners with impressive ease and managed to gain necessary distance. But the straightaway expanses allowed him to close the gap until the next turn. He needed to corner Aomine and quickly. Which would be a problem. Neither was familiar with the fort's layout and the chances of getting lost were great. Whether that would play to Kagami's advantage was unclear.
Several times Aomine called back to him. Telling him to stop. To listen to him. To trust him. And he ignored it all. He conserved his energy for the critical task ahead.
Catching and killing Aomine Daiki.
—
Aomine's thighs ached as he raced the passageways back the way he'd came. Stupid of him to retrace his steps, he knew. But his heart ran wild with fear and his legs simply carried him along. He found the flight of stairs and threw himself down onto the landing. The impact jarred his knees but he swiftly descended to the third floor. Kagami copied the movement and kept chase.
"Kagami, just listen to me. Please."
His voice was hoarse with frustration as all his pleas were repelled without consideration. His agility worked to his favor when turning corners but Kagami's capacity to sprint surprised him. Aomine was running out of both options and energy. He had to lose the prince somehow and find his way out without arousing the patrol. He cut left.
A few bounds down the passageway and a punch of heat contacted his calf. He stumbled as pain shuddered up his leg. Kagami's footfalls grew louder and he raked his mind for a solution. Impulse guided his muscles as the prince's body came close.
He turned to face Kagami.
—
Primal energy fueled Kagami as he spent a narrow shot, hoping to make contact and impede his quarry's escape. It succeeded and he closed the distance. He readied his arm and cocked it back.
He let fly a punch as Aomine turned.
The man parried his arm and a hand glided over his face. Pushing down as one of his legs was swept out, Aomine hammered a blow to his chest. The fluid motion sent him crashing to the ground.
The air left him and he cursed his ineffective memory. How could he forget that the Neutral employed random movements in combat? The footsteps of his quarry were quickly fading and he heaved himself from the floor with effort.
Struggling to reclaim his breath, he maintained pursuit.
—
Aomine backtracked and descended the stairs to the second level. Kagami would be on his heels again soon and whatever ground he could put between them was valuable. He followed familiar passageways. Distant thumping of feet could be heard and the sustained distance eased his trepidation.
He turned left and collided hard with someone. He reeled at the impact and braced himself on the wall. A smaller man massaged an assaulted face and recovered spilled paperwork. The spewed apologies triggered his memory and he was soon looking into the timid eyes of Sakurai Ryou.
Words failed to come to him.
"Aomine-san, what're you doing here?" Eyes fell from his face to his clothes and grew wide. "You're covered in blood."
He took a moment to confirm the revelation. Hyuuga's blood splotched his pants and shirt. It was then that a thought occurred to him. There he stood, within the Lightning territory—an enemy in a guarded fort—and the little man was more concerned the he had blood on his clothes. Where was the retaliation?
He found the man's softened gaze and stepped back cautiously.
"Aomine," Kagami shouted fifty feet away.
His muscles came alive with the heat of the chase and he took off again.
—
Sheer determination propelled him onward as his lungs strained to consume enough air. As he neared the Kaizer's secretary, the little man barred his advance. He didn't regret nearly knocking the man to the floor. That Sakurai managed to withstand his force alone was astounding. He wove around the secretary and ignored the protests.
"Aomine murdered Hyuuga," he called back. "Contact Akashi."
The unfamiliar wilderness made negotiating surfaced veins of tree roots and thick vines of forest overgrowth difficult. Dispersed boulders and rubble taxed his aching calves unmercifully. Aomine was experiencing similar difficulties as Kagami resorted to using projectiles to cut off sudden avenues of escape. The blow he landed to the Neutral's leg was hampering stamina and all Kagami had to do was outlast Aomine. The man hazarded a look back and lost footing. Failing to notice the sudden drop in elevation, Aomine collapsed to the leafy bed of the forest floor.
He wouldn't fail to intercept again.
Spurring himself on, he dashed and dove for the man.
—
Aomine cried painfully as he and Kagami crashed to the ground. Strong thighs pinched his waist as the prince pinned him down. He shot his arms out to deflect a cocking arm but he reacted too slowly. Knuckles pounded his jaw once, then twice.
"You miserable son of a bitch," Kagami yelled.
A fist cuffed his burn and he screamed, withdrawing for distance. The same hand clutched his throat and his own zoomed to remove it. Kagami's fingers dug in and he fought for words.
"Fuck, Kagami. Stop."
The kodachi was brought into view, its sharpened edge brought close. Terror froze him and pain fired in all directions within. The eyes that glared back at him held no remorse and he squeezed Kagami's wrist in vain to cease. He barely recognized the faint drops of rain now kissing his face as he watched the blade adjust above his heart.
He mustered what little energy he had left to dislodging Kagami. His nails pierced slick flesh and panic consumed him. A loud roar filled his ears and his vision went white, bleaching out the image of Kagami driving his armed hand down.
—
Kagami barely registered the growling thunder overhead. Grip tight on the hilt, he drove down. Then a flash of bluish-white. A wave of pain paralyzed him.
It lasted only a moment.
Then he folded over and his world faded out.
In case there is a miscommunication or you wanted to see the move Aomine used against Kagami: watch?v=YYP_OoWtAjc Fast forward to 5:24.