Hello all, Author here. There's been some... crazy set of circumstances that have kept me away from here. Haha. Crazy isn't necessarily bad, though.
As always, thank you so much for your reviews.
Mai-hime and related belong to Sunrise
Twilight
If Shizuru could put words to what she was feeling at this very moment, she would have failed miserably. There was already a pounding headache growing behind her eyes and she shut them in some attempt to keep it at bay. But the smell of blood invaded her nostrils and she snorted briefly to rid herself of the gurgling sensation at the back of her throat. She was not going to retch. She was not going to retch. She was not going to... Shizuru clamped a hand over her mouth and willed herself to calm down. There was a short hack of a cough to her left, followed closely by several more coughs. She barely registered Reito as he leaned the claymore on his shoulder and wiped his lips with the edge of his shirt sleeve. He took another short breath and looked around him.
"... Where are we?"
She decided that she had accommodated enough to this weird environment and took in a deep breath through her mouth. The air tasted coppery, but this wasn't as bad as having the scent overpower her nostrils. Shizuru looked down and saw her reflection in the murky red liquid. Her bare legs were submerged in this pool, and even Reito's black slacks picked up the oily sheen of burgundy from standing beside her. She knelt slightly and dipped her fingers into the liquid, letting a trail of droplets fly out into an arc as she brought her hand to her eyes and rubbed her fingers together to get a better feel for the substance. She knew what this was, and so did he, but they failed to voice their thoughts as she flicked her fingers down to rid themselves of excess blood. The white shirt tied around her middle was slowly starting to show spots, almost in response to the pool they were currently standing in. Reito lifted a foot through the sludge and took a slow step forward, pushing himself through the sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. She shouldered her naginata and followed him quietly through this seemingly endless calf-deep pool of blood.
Where did all this blood come from?
In the back of her mind she knew the answer to that question. Reito offered no comment, deciding instead to focus solely on getting out of this mire. Her mind buzzed numbly from the tortured screams of girls, girls not much younger than her. They were the outwardly brave and inwardly scared maidens who fought in gloriously skewed battles in the past, trying to secure some grace for themselves in exchange for protecting those dearest to them. This was the garden of the defeated, drenched permanently in generations of blood and pitiful screams of anguish. Reito shouldered his claymore and pushed through with a disturbed expression on his face that spoke volumes of the discomfort they both felt. However, he could not hear these screams like Shizuru clearly could. It took nearly everything she had to keep herself from sinking into this pool and screaming out her own pain, but then she reminded herself that her voice had already begun to lose itself in light of the current situation.
What would you have done, Natsuki?
With a glum look on her face she paused briefly and turned to where they had begun their slow march through the blood pool. Reito paused as well, but his feet brushed up against what felt like rocks. He narrowed his eyes and picked up his pace, suddenly scrambling up to what looked to be a definitive border of dry land. Shizuru gingerly stepped over the rocks and accepted his outstretched hand as her bare feet felt the strange tickle of grass. She looked down at the bloodied stalks before focusing her gaze forward. There was a gate before them, a monstrous thing that reached almost as far up as their eyes could go. The center of this seemingly impenetrable wall merely contained an imposing set of doors made from what looked to be planks of obsidian wood inlaid with bars crafted from dark gold. Reito pressed his fingers against the wood and frowned.
Was this their Valhalla?
It was nothing more than a pit of sorrow containing dead Valkyries.
A great gust of wind blew towards their backs, bringing up the smell of blood that they had carefully tried to avoid moments before. Shizuru turned and threw up an arm to steady herself as Reito stabbed the claymore down and set both of his hands on the pommel of the sword. A flurry of white and green assaulted their vision until they realized that Kagutsuchi was leering at the gate behind them. The dragon made no move to blast the gate down, however, and they eased their stances as Kagutsuchi slowly dropped down onto hard ground. The grass beneath his feet sizzled when he reared up on two legs and crossed his arms across his chest.
The grass was lit in a bright ring of orange in front of Kagutsuchi as his head suddenly slumped forward in what looked to be an unconscious manner. Reito and Shizuru watched on cautiously as the ring burned into the grass. A second later the flames shot up and disappeared in a twist, leaving behind what looked to be a child, a boy. His clothes clearly pegged him as coming from the distant past. This boy was floating when he first appeared, and his bare feet lightly touched against the arid earth. A heavy golden ring clanged against the surface as it slipped down to his ankle. Black, tousled hair and deep red eyes carried with them a combined sense of recklessness and wisdom as this child quietly studied the two. The sword in Reito's grasp began to vibrate angrily and the child studied the weapon impassively before turning his gaze towards Shizuru. Their eyes connected and immediately she knew who this strange boy was.
"The gate will not open until only one of us remains," Kagutsuchi announced softly.
Shizuru narrowed her eyes and swung the naginata around so that it was in front of her.
"What lies beyond this gate?" she asked quietly.
Kagutsuchi paused and cocked his head slightly.
"Everything... for those who have nothing." His lips curled into a sardonic smile. "And nothing... for those who want everything."
The boy let loose a long cloud of steam as he breathed out through his nostrils.
"However, the gate will not open until there is only one of us," he reminded.
"I suppose this means two of us will be saying goodbye today?" Reito asked as he leaned forward.
Kagutsuchi seemed to smile as he spread his arms out. Flames lazily trailed down his limbs until they centered around his wrists and ankles where they then fanned out into circles. Soon these flames materialized into golden rings with comma-like pieces of green jade separating the rings at certain intervals. He lightly touched off from the ground and floated about a foot above it as he brought one hand up in a lazy wave.
"Today... tomorrow... it is of no consequence. We will all perish in the end regardless of what we may do. We cannot escape that fact."
Everything amounts to nothing.
Shizuru paused slightly in realization. This boy—was he even a boy—was fully prepared to die in light of the situation. Kagutsuchi was not fighting for ultimate power even though he now possessed it. He could not destroy himself—the hottest flames could kill the planet but he could not turn them onto himself. She read his desires in the uneasy silence that surrounded them until she shook her head.
"You had been wanting this all along, haven't you?" she asked. "You knew something like this would have happened."
"Whoever faces the threat behind those doors will indeed break our chains over this world. Whether it was Duran's master, Fujino of Kyoto, or even Mai-hime would not have mattered, as long as that person was worthy. And you are the only one left out of the three, so my last stand begins here."
Reito cleared his throat and stepped up with the sword slung across his shoulders. Kagutsuchi stared at the young man with a raised eyebrow before smirking and crossing his arms.
"You would fight in her place?" he inquired. "But you are not a match for my abilities."
"Maybe so," Reito replied calmly. "But I have a promise I must keep. I am confident enough in my abilities."
The sword in his hand glowed in response. Kagutsuchi again became silent as he studied the glow from the sword.
"That weapon in you hand, what is its name?" the boy asked suddenly.
Reito brought the sword down in front of him and tapped its obsidian blade with a finger.
"Its name... is an old one. Loving kindness. Great Benevolence. Maitreya. But in our native tongue, this weapon is referred to as Miroku."
The blade shuddered to life and a pair of glowing red eyes suddenly snapped open at the base of the blade, focusing on the young boy staring at them. The boy closed his eyes and sighed through his lips before he smiled. Kagutsuchi turned, then, and lazily began to float up. He looked down at the two.
"Come at me, then, and break these chains."
"... Well, I suppose this settles it." Reito stretched his arms above his head and sighed as his shoulders popped. "Ah, I seem a little out of shape."
Shizuru looked over at one of her oldest friends. This was a man who never looked out of place despite how strange life could get. And now he was walking into the dragon's den with little hope for survival. At worst he would only buy her time and tire Kagutsuchi enough to make the next victory a little more swift. A cold sense of dread gripped her insides. And if Kagutsuchi died? Then what would that entail? Reito was outside of the entire debacle in terms of the old Carnival's rules, but this was not the old Carnival. Only one could open the doors to this supposed Valhalla, and there was no other exit out of this bloodied pool of defeated maidens.
Would they have to fight?
Reito smiled slightly and twisted his upper body around a few times to work out the kinks in his back when he was satisfied he looked over towards Shizuru who was still deep in thought.
"... You're in no condition to exert yourself too much, Shizuru-san," he said quietly. "No matter what, you have to return alive."
No "we." She narrowed her eyes.
"Dying here won't change anything," she said. "She is still alive, in our world."
"That may be so, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it." He turned and looked towards the waiting Kagutsuchi. "It is no use to agonize over the details when the picture is not even drawn. But I mustn't keep him waiting too long. Will you give me a hand, Shizuru-san? I am afraid I cannot grow wings in this strange world to fly up to him. He is rather high up."
He smiled one last reassuring grin before shouldering Miroku and walking a little ways away from her. She took in a deep breath and steadied herself before grabbing onto her naginata with both hands.
"This will be decided in one blow," he announced.
One blow? Shizuru almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the statement. This boy, monster, spirit, whatever... He took away her Natsuki. Granted, Reito was a seasoned sword fighter, but would he last long against this seemingly impossible-to-beat spirit? Maybe, maybe not. But he had that look in his eyes again, the look of someone who was about to destroy something that could never be replaced. In a way Shizuru understood the feeling, but she had never seen this sense of sad acceptance that seemed to permeate Reito's golden eyes. He was preparing himself to be an executioner, and now Shizuru was certain she knew why.
Reito sighed.
"Here I go."
Reito broke out into a sprint, slinging the sword onto his back and keeping it steady with his hands. His feet pounded against the ground and brought up the dying stalks of grass that flew behind him in his wake. Shizuru turned and brought the naginata around, twisting so that she looked as if she was about to smash something into another universe. Reito hopped a little in his run, skipped once, and finally launched himself up high enough to executive a twisting flip. Right before the flip Shizuru dug her toes into the ground and swung the naginata around like one would a golf club. When the weapon was parallel to the ground, Reito's feet connected to the rod and he immediately knelt into a crouching position before launching himself into the air once more. She put her entire body into the swing, flinging Reito up into an impossible height. A miniature shock wave knocked Shizuru's hair back and nearly caused her to fling her naginata away. Even Kagutsuchi seemed a little lost as he saw the young man zooming towards him, but he brought his hands up just as Miroku flashed towards his head. Reito's eyes were unreadable during this strange moment of floating in mid-air. Kagutsuchi felt the incredible weight of the sword against his rings and he grit his teeth even as Miroku began to glow a hazy red that spread all across the length of the blade.
"... Not bad," the boy said through his clenched jaw. "But gravity will not work in your favor soon enough."
"Perhaps," Reito replied simply. "But you will not fly on forever, son."
The boy's eyes widened at this statement and his lips grew slack.
Izanagi.
Reito closed his eyes and Miroku came alive. Kagutsuchi felt the blade enter his ribcage with little resistance. It simply slid in between the bones and lodged itself through his lungs. This would not be a very pretty death. Soon the blood would fill his lungs and he would drown. Kagutsuchi felt his mind grow curiously blank but he stiffened as he felt a hand roughly grab onto the back of his head, pulling him into a muscled chest that smelled of cedars and brought out memories of tears. The boy sank into this one-handed embrace. The heavy rings around his wrists and ankles kept the two afloat as they leaned onto one another. Kagutsuchi's eyes began to grow dim while the blood dripped down from Miroku's blade and onto Reito's hand. For a moment he imagined Mai also embracing him and he slowly closed his eyes. He could almost feel those slender fingers running through his hair and touching his cheek.
Mai-hime...
I'm so sorry... Mother.
I caused you a lot of pain, didn't I?
Again.
I'm sorry.
"You can sleep now, son."
Thank you...
... Father.
Kagutsuchi slumped forward and burst into millions of green particles that shimmered in front of Reito, offering him one last look of fascination before he felt something wrap around him. He registered this as the extending blade of Shizuru's weapon that was bringing him back to earth. Reito shut his eyes and dropped Miroku numbly into the grass. The sword jumped once before falling back. The obsidian blade was relatively silent as Shizuru whipped her naginata behind her and walked towards the slumped man in front of her. Reito drew his knees up and rested his elbows on them as he hunched over a lone golden ankle ring that had been left behind. He grabbed this ring and quietly fitted it over his hand, pushing it through and resting it against his wrist. Shizuru watched him wordlessly before he looked up ant her.
"You are him, aren't you? In this sordid tale, your role has finally emerged."
He nodded numbly.
"... How long have you known that you would embody Izanagi?" Shizuru asked.
"Since Kagutsuchi made himself known through Mai-san," Reito replied quietly. "It fit with your explanation over your dampening capabilities. Somewhere, deep down inside, I knew that I would kill Kagutsuchi."
... Again.
The unspoken word still resonated between the two of them.
"... What will we do now?" she asked.
"What can we do now?" Reito inquired. "I am afraid that is entirely up to you. We have yet to see this Valhalla we are supposedly fighting for, if you can call it that."
"... You are referring to what John Smith was alluding to."
Reito looked up at the gates in front of them.
"It's a strange feeling, like dipping one's hands in dirty water in order to find what was dropped in it. Everything feels the same, but you can't help but wonder if whatever it is you are grazing up against is what you want to pull out."
Shizuru took his explanation silently as Reito finally sighed and rubbed his fingertips against his scalp. This managed to displace several locks of black hair that tumbled down to his eyes, shielding them from Shizuru's sight. When he spoke again his message was measured and firm despite his contemplative tone of voice.
"For all we know, this final enemy of ours could be one of us standing here, and I am afraid there would be only one way to find that out."
Shizuru turned away and bit her lip in a rare show of anxiety.
"... You need to rest a little bit, Reito-han. You seem somewhat out of breath."
Reito nodded wordlessly and fell back against the grass. Shizuru placed a hand against her stomach and felt the dull pain in response to her touch. This was an odd wound that was still attempting to close—maybe those claws of Kagutsuchi contained something that caused wounds to heal more slowly. She grimaced and looked down at Reito's prone body. Maybe he was right. Maybe the only way that gate was going to open was if they fought against one another. But that carried with it a hefty consequence—if these previous struggles were of any indication, these forces that played with them only accepted a fight to the death. So one of them would be standing at the end of that scenario, then the gates would open. Would Natsuki be waiting there for her? Her heart thumped painfully and her fingers curled around the naginata. It would be incredibly easy. Reito even looked as if he was expecting it as he laid there on his back. It would be quick, and painless. Then she would be able to see Natsuki again. Wasn't that what Kagutsuchi had meant with that cryptic message?
Everything... for those who have nothing.
Shizuru's hand shook and she clenched her jaw before swinging the weapon around and stabbing its blade into the ground. She shook her head and absently rubbed her hands up and down her arms in an attempt to fight off another round of anxious shivers. Her lips parted slightly and her tongue again took in the coppery tang that permeated the air around them. She finally sat down beside Reito's sleeping form and drew her knees close to her, wrapping her arms around them and resting her chin on her knees. No. There had to be another way. There had to be. She refused to go any further down this maddening slope. She turned and studied Reito's complacent face for a quiet moment while panic and disgust over said panic battled for dominance in her mind.
Only one of them would be able to make it through that gate.
If it came to that.
If it came to that...
What would you do, Natsuki?
Natsuki stiffened and stopped her walk through endless snow plains. Duran noticed her pause and craned his head over so that he looked down at her.
What is the matter?
I'm not sure. I feel as if someone had just asked me a question.
Natsuki rubbed the back of her neck and frowned.
What would I do?
Duran narrowed his eyes and sat down on his haunches as he pointed his nose forward.
Look there.
She squinted and began to make out what looked to be something large and black in the distance. It was the first time she had seen something other than dazzling white in this strange world of in-between, but for some reason this did not elate her in any manner. Instead she found herself frowning even more deeply at this imposing structure.
What lies beyond there?
Freedom... is what we would like to think. This is the Gate.
Natsuki and Duran walked closer to the black structure which now morphed into an impressive black wall that then lead to a door inlaid with gold near the center. She pressed her fingertips against the wooden grain of the Gate and stood there in contemplative silence before looking up at Duran.
How does this gate open?
Duran nudged against the door with his forehead for a moment.
When the last one survives the conflict. Then the Gates will open.
Natsuki shook her head and focused on the door. Her eyes flickered in and out of awareness as her nose began to pick up the smell of something coppery. She took a step back and looked up at Duran in alarm.
Why does it smell like that beyond these doors?
Duran offered little in response at first. Then he dislodged his forehead from the door and sighed heavily.
It is a garden of defeat, a pool of blood that never runs dry. These Gates will open to admit the winner of the final conflict, and the defeated will sink to the bottom of that pool.
... Is there no other way to get through?
Perhaps. But there is little chance. The conflict has invariably started now. Kagutsuchi has failed to respond to my calls.
Natsuki cocked her head at this information.
Then the Gates should open... so what's stopping it?
Duran narrowed his eyes.
There are still two left. Your Fujino... and him.
The Obsidian Lord.
Izanagi.
Natsuki's eyes shot wide open and she whirled around so that she was facing the gate.
We have to open this gate.
WE HAVE TO OPEN THIS GATE.
But Duran gave a surprised howl and buckled down into the snow. Natsuki turned and ran over towards the fallen beast, pressing her fingers against the fur of his neck. The wolf opened his mouth and took in a strained breath. His unseeing eyes were wide open and Natsuki found herself shutting her own eyes in some attempt to destroy the overwhelming sense of panic that had begun to build up within her.
Duran!
I will be alright, pup...
He shook his head but remained on the ground. He let loose a pained groan and craned his head up so that his nose pointed towards the doors.
I cannot remain myself... if I stay here.
Then go. I'll open the gate.
Now Duran looked positively miffed as he snapped his nose towards her face. She shook her head and managed a tight-lipped smile.
Freedom, you said that, right?
Those fierce eyes softened and Duran rested his head back onto the ground. She ran her fingers down his silken fur one last time before straightening. She closed her eyes and snapped them open after taking in a deep breath. Suddenly the bland, colorless attire she was wearing morphed into the dirty and ruined suit she had worn in the mortal world. The gloves were now on her hands and she flexed the leather experimentally before rushing towards the Gate. The world was now coming alive in color as her fist slammed into the unforgiving wood of the Gate. For the first time since stepping into this limbo, she felt a sharp pain shoot through her knuckles and she nearly hopped back with a surprised cry. Instead she clenched her jaw and managed a feral grin. Good. It was good to feel pain again. She shook her fingers slightly to rid herself of the numbing sensation before drawing her fist up to punch the door again. This time the Gate shook in response. Layers of dust cascaded around her stiff shoulders as she reared her fist back once more.
Duran watched her silently before he drew himself up to his feet. Good. His work here was finally done.
Kagutsuchi's beast corpse was still there when Shizuru opened her eyes after an uneasy rest. She stared up at the towering body and those now-soulless green eyes with an unreadable expression on her face before she drew herself up to her feet. Reito was not next to her and she paused slightly before spotting the familiar head of black hair near the edge where the dead grass and blood met. He sat there in a crouch with a contemplative look and his hands tucked in his pockets. Miroku was a little ways away from him. Despite the blade being black, there was still a strange discoloration on it due to its previous use against the boy Kagutsuchi. She turned away from the sword and refocused on Reito who had now straightened from his crouch. He faced her with a thin smile on his lips.
"No change," he announced softly.
She nodded stiffly.
This is how it will end.
Shizuru flicked her hand down and like a bolt of lightning the naginata was summoned to her hand. She swung it over her shoulders and took in a deep breath as Reito drew Miroku up from the ground.
... Such a miserable business.
"You should take advantage of this opportunity," Reito announced softly. "I am not aware of how much I can hold back in light of the circumstance."
"The circumstance?" Shizuru repeated.
"Surely you have felt this black taint surrounding us."
Reito clenched his jaw and appeared to struggle with himself for a moment before his lips finally moved once more.
"This... Obsidian... taint..."
Something behind them roared and Shizuru snapped her head around to witness Kagutsuchi's corpse bellowing as it attempted to spread its fire wings to become airborne. She gaped as the reanimated creature sprouted what looked to be jets of black fire from its back. Kagutsuchi snorted out a thick cloud of suffocating smoke when it turned to face the two, but its eyes were focused only on Shizuru who in turn leveled the naginata in front of her.
Well... shit.
Shizuru turned on her heel and nimbly skipped away from the first round of black flame that spewed from Kagutsuchi's gaping jaw. The dragon reared its head up and rained this obsidian death down upon her but she merely spun her weapon around to kill off the initial burst of the flame before taking cover near the impassive Gates behind her. The Gate seemingly vibrated in response to her back hitting it and her eyes widened as she felt something move behind her.
Thump.
Thump.
The Gate was shaking.
Thump.
Thump.
This was too rhythmic for it to be coincidental. Shizuru ran the options through her head before she pressed against the quivering door with her free hand. Was someone hitting the door from the other side?
Kagutsuchi had locked onto her during her distraction and unleashed another volley of flames. Shizuru inwardly cursed and swung the naginata around behind her as she ran from the Gate and avoided the initial burst of flame. She spotted what looked to be a dying tree and flicked her weapon towards it. In response the blade detached and the chain beneath lengthened, wrapping the separated blade around one of the thicker branches. The resulting tug brought Shizuru flying up, successfully evading another round of black fire. She chanced a glance behind her and noticed the uncharacteristically impassive Reito staring at the Gate before Kagutsuchi suddenly invaded her vision. She narrowly avoided its claws as it attempted to bat her out of the air but she decided not to take any chances. The naginata dislodged itself from the tree and she knocked Kagutsuchi's other hand from its intended path towards her face. She felt something whistle by and realized with another frustrated frown that the tree she had been aiming for was now past her. This turned into something of a boon for her, however, as this zombie-Kagutsuchi had been paying no attention to any obstacle other than herself. The creature let out a roar of frustration as its wings became momentarily entangled by the tree's sprawling branches, buying Shizuru some time to recover and think of a way out of this frenzied fight.
Whatever happened, she needed to be at the Gate. Fair enough. Reito was keeping mysteriously quiet and while that did unnerve Shizuru she inwardly was a bit thankful. She did not fancy a need to be double-teamed right now. This reanimated corpse was taking its sweet time in attempting to free itself from the tree when it could have simply set the entire place on fire, but Shizuru figured that there was already something weird about the place anyway. Having a lake of blood around as seemingly the only source of nourishment could conceivably lead to having trees that refused to burst into flame. She didn't know, nor did she particularly care. This tree was a strange thing, however. It seemed that the more Kagutsuchi struggled, the more likely the tree was in keeping a hold over its new prey. Shizuru watched with a somewhat mortified expression on her face as the creature finally bellowed in frustration and attempted to unearth the tree by planting its feet on the ground and wrestling with the massive trunk. The tree would have absolutely none of that, and the branches shifted as they seemingly hugged Kagutsuchi. The dragon wasn't too keen on the affectionate gesture but there was only so much a dead body could jerk itself through before it too fell into disarray. With an almighty groan the dragon finally fell to its knees and began to dissolve into green lights, but these lights did not shatter and scatter. Instead the lights glowed faintly and disappeared into the tree which then seemed to grow even larger due to the influx of energy. Shizuru studied this phenomenon with a grim frown on her face before she relaxed the death grip on her naginata.
Enough of that. Now it was time for the main event.
Reito was still staring at the Gate by the time Shizuru returned. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow before tilting his head to the side.
"As expected, you were able to triumph."
There was something decidedly strange about the man's statement. It wasn't the wording, Shizuru found. It was found in the inflection of the words, the careful pronunciation. This was not the Reito she knew. This stranger in familiar clothing seemed to pick up on her caution and he smiled a tight-lipped smile as he turned to face her fully.
"The longer I am here, the more likely I am to return to who I once was. These maidens here... have this mysterious quality in that they can at least hold onto their current identities."
Reito crossed his arms and nodded to himself.
"Enough of that. This cycle will end now."
"And who are you to decide this?" Shizuru asked carefully.
Reito's smile grew.
"My, you sound as if I am the usurper here. That couldn't be farthest from the truth. I am the ruler here, and that would make you the usurper should you pass me."
"Don't play games with me," she warned in a low voice.
"I apologize. I suppose that time is running short for you."
Shizuru quietly laid a hand over her stomach. She knew that if she were to look down at her hand it would be spotted with blood. She shook her head to clear it of that deadening realization. No, there was no time to think about that.
"You are the winner of this Carnival, Fujino Shizuru. Congratulations. Generations of untold power now run through your veins and you are entitled to whatever you desire. However, the Gateway to your heaven will not open until you go through me."
"... I suppose that talking this through won't yield a favorable result," Shizuru replied in a terse voice.
"I am prepared to make a concession, seeing as this body did make its way down here willingly despite knowing the dangers involved."
The man read the conflicting emotions in Shizuru's eyes.
"Oh, of course this body knew. Perhaps that was the reason why this body decided to go along with you instead of sending his sister along even though she is the more adept user of Miroku. But that is neither here nor there. You must be wondering just who I am, Shizuru-hime."
Reito closed his eyes then snapped them open, revealing angry irises the color of molten gold.
"I am the beginning. I am the Father of this Carnival. My name... is the Obsidian Lord."
Thump.
Thump.
The door was still shaking. Shizuru threw a desperate glance at it even as her blood ran cold at the Obsidian Lord's sudden entrance.
"Of course, I can make a concession to you. You do have a choice. You may give up this Carnival, forsake it, and join me. I must admit... I am quite tired of initiating round after round in this attempt to find perfection." The Obsidian Lord clasped his hands behind his back. "Or you can take up your arms and dance one last dance with me."
"I would never join you," Shizuru said coolly.
"Oh? Right. You did have your wolf. But Shizuru-hime, my dear... your little Natsuki is dead."
Thump.
Thump.
"You would still fight me, even with that fact already cemented?"
Shizuru offered no verbal reply. Instead her foot stepped forward resolutely and the naginata snapped into a ready position. The Obsidian Lord now frowned but he snapped his fingers, summoning Miroku to his hand.
"No one else for you, then. Well, I suppose I made my offer a bit too hastily. No matter. It appears as though I will have to fight once more with a stubborn one."
Shizuru closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She wouldn't know what would wait for her on the other side of that Gate. The Gate continued to shudder from something pounding against it, but she refocused herself on the waiting Obsidian Lord.
This was it.
Natsuki leaned against the door as she panted heavily. It had been some time since her hands had stopped registering any sort of pain or any other feeling for that matter. The Gate before her was littered in miniature craters soaked in blood, but she could not stop as she reared her fist back once more and let it pummel into the Gate. The strength she wielded was now godly, and with every hit of her fist she felt this seemingly unforgiving Gate give under her will. She could hear them clearly, now. Someone was speaking through Reito's voice but it was not Reito, if that made any sense. In her head it did, for her nose picked up a scent that was older than any human could project. This was an old presence and a dangerous one. She grit her teeth and pressed her shaky fingertips against the Gate.
Shizuru...
She could take care of herself, Natsuki knew that. Shizuru's skills with the naginata were near-legendary, and if she too was endowed with these ridiculous powers of the Carnival then she would be close to unstoppable. But unstoppable did not translate well into a guaranteed victory, especially if Shizuru was already rattled by the fact that Natsuki was supposedly dead. The death of a loved one could make nearly anyone go catatonic, Natsuki figured.
But I'm not dead.
I'm not dead. Please understand that and fight.
Natsuki slammed her fist into the Gate once more.
Damn it, move!
The Gate was beginning to give way.
AN: Whew.
Please let me know what you think :)