Kaeda couldn't believe her ears. After hearing the tragic story of love, death, and pain Kaeda couldn't hold back her tears. But as a swordsman she had to be strong. She wiped her tears off her face, looked back into the obscene white eyes of the ghostly Shik, and she cleared her throat.
" My mother may've not been a saint, but she's not that callous to kill people. Whatever happened to you back then it was not entirely her fault."
" No, it's all her fault. Her and your wretched family deserve to be burned into the ground. I will not rest until I know you are all dead."
" It doesn't have to be like this. Can't you just find it in your heart to forgive. How can I tell him these things when even I don't believe them. I can never forgive my mother. I want nothing more than to see her dead."
" My heart. Do you know what happened to my heart during that day. It was shattered. Torn bit by bit until nothing remains. I have no heart. I just don't want others to feel this pain, and that's impossible with you two demons."
" We're not demons. And your no saint. Your naïve, angry, and worse of all I'm better than you."
" Ha. You really think your petty swordsmanship is better than mine. Your blade couldn't even cut butter. How can you defeat me, a master of the blades?"
" With one sword." Kaeda dropped the katana in her left hand, and then grabbed the hilt of her katana using both her swords. Kaeda slide her right foot back and raised her left foot up.
" Interesting. One sword. I heart your mother only uses one sword. So if I'm going to beat you I will also use one sword." Shik dropped the katana in both his hands letting it fall on the ground. He held his sword using both his hands.
" Let this be our final duel. To see who is the better swordsman."
Kaeda started the battle by running towards Shik while her sword was pointed downwards. Kaeda saw through Shik's strategy. When she saw the tint of his blade she jumped to the right. Using her speed she attacked while he was off-guard.
Kaeda was behind Shik as she sheathed her katana. The moment her katana clanged against the metal of her scabbard his striped sleeves fell off and the tip of his sword was cut off. Other than that there was not even a scratch on Shik.
" While you were talking I started thinking how you were able to attack me out of thin air. Than I started thinking maybe it was really those stripes that helped you when fighting. They give the illusion that your arms are shorter. All I had to do was cut them off and that strategy wouldn't work."
" Hmph. Pretty clever for a petty swordsman. Yes, after I practiced swordsmanship for years I finally realized the best way to attack without my opponent seeing my sword. You may've chipped off the tip of my sword making it impossible to stab through your chest, but I can still use this technique of mine I learned."
Shik took out a small drinking bottle and sprayed a transparent liquid that almost looked like water except it was yellow all over his sword. He then sheathed his sword back into the scabbard, pulled it out, with the blade coming out covered in flames. The flames were fluorescent, bright, and blinded Kaeda. While she was blind Shik charged at her.
" Oh no!"
Kaeda raised her sword up just in time to block Shik's sword. The intensity of the heat however made it hard for her to see. If she breathed the fumes of the flames would kill her. And slowly, very slowly her blade started to melt.
" No...not my swords. Stop!"
Kaeda backed away from Shik before her sword was melted into a puddle of goo. The half of her blade was melted away. The sharpness of the blade was turned to goo, and couldn't even cut through butter.
" That technique. What is it?"
" It's my Hell Fire No Mi Tachi. My body, even though it was burned so long ago, still produces heat. All I need to do is spray it with a little oil and it will light up without ever burning. Don't even try that wind technique. If you do we'll both be blown to death. Why don't you just get that other katana of yours and we'll settle this once and for all. Of course even if you manage to reach it I'll just melt it again."
" I see it now."
" See what, wench?"
" Why you're so angry. I can't believe I've never seen it before. There's an evil spirit lurking inside of you."
" Evil spirit. What are you blabbering about? There is no evil spirit inside me."
" Yes there is. And I'm going to take it out with my Zanmaken Ni No Tachi!"
Kaeda kept her hands on her katana. Even though the blade was melted she raised the sword above her head. She then thrusted it out and placed three of her fingers on it.
" What are you doing? Stop!"
" I'm not going to stop. Not until I make you see the truth. Be gone, evil spirit!"
The colour of Kaeda's sword turned bright orange. The recollected shape of the blade also changed. Kaeda pulled her sword back and slashed the air as orange blade scythes went towards Shik.
" Ha. Your wind-cutting technique isn't going to work. Fire No Mi Tachi!"
Shik placed his oil filled blade back into the scabbard, pulled it out, and slashed down as flames surrounded the sword. But when Shik's sword made contact against the sword...nothing happened.
" What? This isn't the wind-cutting technique. This technique is too high for some petty swordsman to use. It can't be...she truly is the daughter of Matoko."
Shik felt his spirit being crushed. His heard turned pure. All the anger, pain, and suffering inside him slowly started to vanish until nothing remained but happiness and serenity. In the light of his happiness he saw them-Ai and all the orphans smiling at him. Their faces brought tears to his eyes."
" Ai, Ti, Sasko, Uwa, Kagora."
" Why are you crying, Shik?" Ai smiled. " That's not like you. Smile and be happy."
" Your here..."
" Of course we are," Ti smiled. " We'll always be with you, Shik. Just keep your chin up and smile.
" Shik."
" Shik."
" Shik."
" Shik."
" Shik, I'll always love you. So keep me in your heart."
When Shik returned to his battle against Kaeda he saw something strange happening to him. His skin, once burned, returned to normal. Skin covered his hands again.
" What? What is this? What have you done to me?"
" I removed the evil from your soul. It was that evil that made you want to kill my mother. How do you feel know?"
" I feel...that's strange. I don't feel like I want to kill anyone anymore. In fact...I feel so happy and clean." Shik looked back at Kaeda, looked at him in the eyes, smiled. " Thank you. I guess this means now neither or us need to go after the same woman."
" No."
" No what?"
" No, I can never forget about that day. I still want her to pay."
###
Daisuke had just defeated ten men with armed guns protecting a room left confidential. In the room he found a computer. Daisuke typed codes into the computer while his fingers were covered in blood.
Behind him Kimza appeared. Kimza walked behind Daisuke reached her arms around his waist, and hugged him. Kimza loved to feel Daisuke's heart beat. It was always so gentle.
" These yakuza's need to get better security passwords. Even a child can hack their system. What's this?" Daisuke pressed on one file on the top screen. When he opened the filed he scrolled down, and then stopped at one file PROJCT APRA. " It may be to early to say, Kimza, but I think I've got it."
###
Meanwhile, Ian was running through the halls without all the other girls. Ian kept seeing the wide smiles on the girls' faces when he left them-Foxy, Sankarea, and Chazona.
" I'm such an idiot. An even bigger idiot than my father. Once I met their boss I'll beg him to stay away from our house and hopefully everything works out."
Ian finally reached a room when he walked inside he found an old man sitting on a chair-Foxy and Sankarea's father. The father was handsome despite his old age, had short white hair, a black suit, and a lighting shaped scar across his eyes. The man had his hands on his chin and smiled smugly.
" I've been waiting for you. Would you like some champagne?"