Thanks to: DebyMU (Glad you enjoyed the emotions. I always felt bad for Saisei and I want her to find peace. Kyo really loves his wife to want to protect his children from picking up too many of his bad habits. Ryu is eventually going to grow up to be a mix between both of his parents but that's not until the sequel. Thank you as always for reading, reviewing, and encouraging me.), Rinfantasy (Lol, Kyo is so shy when it comes to expressing the deeper emotions but that's what kids do to their parents, force them to come out of their comfort zone. I wanted Saisei to at least be able to do something for Shinrei since her death was so unavoidable and she loved him so much.), topezhazelwolf (I'm really looking forward to writing what happens when Kyo sees Shinrei with his daughter but don't worry, he won't kill him. ^_^), lmamc (Saiei is so tragic. T_T), general zargon (Thank you and I agree that, even though Saisei was made to be a transitory character, she is truly pitiable. Saishi is such a horrid person that the thought of her ordering around such a famous female warrior is just insulting.), Azure (Touching but tragic was the goal for Saisei in the last chapter. She is truly a casualty of the Mibu and their presumptuous and callous treatment of people.), Animallover (I'm super happy you enjoyed the last chapter. Writing about Kyo's interactions and how he's slowly easing into the role of a father is a lot of fun. I just hope he's not too OOC about it. Of course, he's going to be pretty mad once Shinrei shows up with his daughter but it'll just add to the fun. ;-) The funny thing about kids is that they really do say what they think and they often have no clue that some things are meant to be private. It'll be nice to write about Ryu when he's older because he'll be a blend between both of his parents, though slightly more like Kyo. And don't worry, Muramasa will see him eventually.), kyoandyuya (Lol, I can't expect everything I write to click with everyone. In fact, I think I scared off one of my readers because I didn't finagle a way for Saisei to keep living even though I can't really see a way around her death. I really, really, really, can't wait to write Kyo meeting Aiko at last and how he'll react to Shinrei running around with his baby girl.), magicalnana (There will definitely be more family moments before too long. Glad you enjoyed the chapter.), J Luc Pitard (I'm with you. Being stuck with Saishi for eternity would really suck. It's a bit hard to get more info on Tomoe Gozen and I'm not sure if her master sent her off to save her life or because it was dishonorable to die with a woman after their last battle but I'm a romantic, so I opted for the former over the latter. Hope you enjoy the battle and I'm glad you liked Kyo's interactions with Ryu.)
Authors note: I know this chapter is a bit rough. I think I caught most of the typos when I went over it but I kept having to rework part of it in my head and the kids have been feasting on the lion's share of my brainwaves this week. Mmm, braaaiiins. (っ˘ڡ˘ς) Oh, and I make no apologies for the title of this chapter, you can't tell me it doesn't fit. ;-)
Kurenai Kioku
Chapter Thirty-Three
The Lady and The Tramp
For four more years Akira had trained himself. Always pushing himself further and further because he did not want to disappoint Kyo when they finally met again. Rather he wanted to take that extra step to accomplish his goal of someday being Kyo's equal. To show him that he had not chosen poorly when he assigned a teenage boy, with no noble blood to speak of, to guard his back. Combined with the previous four years after Kyo first left the Shiseiten behind, he knew that he had improved greatly.
His ability to see with his heart's eye had increased greatly, to the point that he had to enhance every part of his body to handle the sensory overload that came with it. Smell, taste, touch, hearing...all of them were tuned to a level that was much higher than other humans and he could "see" things that ordinary people couldn't. Ki's, battle auras, things like that which were invisible to the naked eye were as vivid to him as if he could still open his eyes and look at them. Most would assume that he couldn't even make out the details around him but that was untrue. The more he trained and the stronger he became, the more he "saw" the people and things around him. Thus, he could see Saisei clearly when she transformed.
She was a beautiful sight. The sort of woman that men wrote poems about and that Bon would have made a fool of himself over back in the day. As the cherry blossoms that heralded her transformation scattered, he "saw" that she was wearing armor that was equally lovely. He could not see the flowers decorating it per se but they were embossed on the surface and he could "see" the way the air around her molded and flowed over her form. Details were apparent to him even in something that stood out a mere millimeter or less from the surface like the blossoms adorning her clothes.
Her garb flattered her shapely form although it was also revealing to the point that he wondered if he were being made fun of. Even her hair was longer, a cascade that fell well past her hips and was tied off at the end. But the part that interested him most was the weapon clutched in her right hand.
"That is an immense Naginata you have there," Akira said with a slight smile, "Are you sure you can wield it with enough speed to take me on?"
Saisei did not respond verbally, instead she allowed her skills to do the talking and he had to dodge to the side quickly to avoid an attack that would have cleaved him in half. It was such a powerful swing that he actually felt the air being displaced as it passed and the sheer force of it rustled his hair wildly before it slammed into the ground with an audible crack. The vibrations it sent out hummed through his entire body and he knew that the cut from the naginata extended far out from the tip of the polearm, carving it's way through solid rock.
'So, she has the power to back that weapon up but...' he thought to himself before speaking out loud once more.
"Your strength is impressive, but I'm afraid your weapon is too heavy and slow to keep up with my blades. For example...," he swung his left sword, intending to catch her in the side, and she surprised him completely by rotating ever so slightly and stopping the blade before it could reach her with the tip of her fingers.
"Too slow," she said, with a long-suffering sigh that rankled.
The Akira of four years ago would have been forced to stop his attack there but the current Akira's lips twitched and he countered by twisting his blade just enough to force her to let go lest he sever her fingers and he brought it's twin around.
Gathering his ki swiftly and easily, he called out, "Muhyou Getten!"
The young warrior "saw" her eyes widen in shock as she leapt back to avoid the ice that followed in the path of his attack. Following it up with another attack would have been easy enough but he refrained. He could tell that Saisei was powerful but he was confident that, when it came to a fight in which Kyo had stepped back to allow him to show off his skills, he would prevail. Akira was not oblivious to the honor and trust Kyo had bestowed up him by allowing him to face the twin guardians of the third gate even though his former teacher was healthy enough to fight himself.
As mystified as he was by their relationship, he knew that Kyo ached to avenge himself on the women who had hurt both his wife and his pride. The Thousand Killer was just that sort of person. It wasn't that he was incapable of forgiving and forgetting, it was that such mercies were to be extended only on his terms.
However, bringing Yuya into the equation tended to alter things. Akira had once thought that the young woman was only a weakness. But, having seen what Kyo was capable of when her life was on the line and having personally felt the crushing power of Kyo's killing intent when anyone threatened her, he had altered his opinion.
Love, romance, tenderness...these were things he understood in a textbook sort of way but did not feel were useful to him. And yet, he could see where his needs differed from Kyo's. Kyo by himself was incredibly strong but Kyo with someone to fight for was terrifying. There was no doubt in his mind that there were still even deeper waters in his former teacher that were as yet untouched.
It was both frightening and thrilling to think that he would one day test himself against that raw power. He had already waited quite some time to have the battle he so longed for and he could wait a bit longer, use the opportunity to fight the stronger opponents provided by the Mibu clan to hone himself as both a warrior and a person.
Now, he was facing his first stepping stone and she was strong but he knew that he was stronger because he would not allow anyone else's determination to overcome his. He would win because he had to and because Kyo trusted in his abilities.
"Your companion said that I am the weakest of the Shiseiten, Saisei" he said calmly as he collected his ki, "However, I am afraid that she is quite mistaken. I may not have a noble warrior's blood but my spirit is a match for any lord who would sit in his castle and rely on his lineage for power."
"I can see it etched in your form. You are the sort of man who pushes himself constantly to improve," the woman replied, readying her naginata as she sensed his impending attack.
"However, at the end of the day, spirit and blood do not matter. No matter how much you practice and train, strength is the most important thing."
The moment her words came to an end, she swung her naginata again and Akira dodged nimbly out of the way, grinning slightly as he replied, "I concur. Strength is of the utmost importance and so I will show you mine."
So saying, he let go of his ki and listened with satisfaction as she gasped and stared at the pillars of ice that rose up around them with incredible speed, forming a crystalline wall that enclosed the and separated the two of them from the rest of the people observing their battle. The familiar, aching chill of his frozen fortress settled into his bones, painful, penetrating, and exhilarating as the cold helped him to sharpen his focus.
"There are few opponents who have seen my Hyoukenseisou and none who have ever lived to tell the tale. Please accept this, both as my apology for underestimating you because I so rarely meet women who are capable fighters and as an acknowledgement of my desire to fight you seriously."
"I should be so honored," Saisei replied, with a hint of sarcasm in her tone as she swung her naginata at the place where she thought he was.
Unfortunately, all she connected with was ice and he almost pitied her as it shattered and rained sharp crystals at her that cut across her beautiful face and clothes.
"I don't have the time to waste on you," he said, "there are so many things we need to accomplish and you are only slowing us down," he pitched his voice so that it sounded as if he were right behind her.
The woman turned and attacked again, only to hit his ice and get sliced up by the resulting shards.
"Wherever are you aiming? I'm right here," he said and she turned to aim her naginata to the right, with the same painful results as her previous attacks.
For the first time, he could "see" panic on her face as her legs gave out and she turned her head from side to side, trying to figure out which of his reflections was the real one.
"Do you finally understand that you are going to die in here?" he asked calmly and could hear the slight squeak of flesh against metal as her hand tightened on the shaft of her naginata.
Her realization that she was trapped was almost palpable and he debated whether her spirit was crushed enough for him to end things or if he should let her stew a bit longer.
"Do not feel too bad. Your speed and strength are admirable but my determination to reach my goals cannot be defeated anyone. We will crush your beloved Mibu clan and I will continue to get stronger until the day that I can face Kyo for real."
"You think I fight for the clan?" his opponent asked harshly and he did not like the feeling that followed her words. He sensed that he was missing something as she slowly climbed to her feet.
"No, Akira of the Shiseiten, I do not fight for the clan. I have never fought for the clan," she continued with genuine heat on her voice.
"But that is something that a cold man like you could not possibly understand and your overconfidence will be your downfall."
To him, her words sounded like the last whimpers of a wounded animal but he had forgotten something quite important. True, he was stronger than her - they both knew it - but there was none so desperate as an injured beast who was cornered. He had a sense of foreboding as the energy around her changed and she plunged her left hand into her stomach. Akira remembered enough of their first encounter to know that she was using her Spiritual Operation technique but he could discern no visible changes once she took her hand away.
"You should have killed me quickly, Akira," she said, stiffening her spine as she stared at him, "Now I predict that you will fall by your own sword."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Akira should be just about done, Yuya-Chan," Bon said as he scratched his stomach and turned his gaze to Saishi, "Maybe I should do her partner while we're at it to save time."
"Do?" Saishi echoed Bon's words as she looked the big man over and turned away with a blush as she said, "I'm sorry Bontenmaru-San. I'm sure you're wealthy and come from a fine family but I'll only accept a hot guy as my husband."
Her condescending tone clearly ruffled the big man's feathers because he replied heatedly, "As if I'd ever sink so low! I already have a woman who's ten times sexier than you and has a nicer rack, at that."
"Oh my. I'm so flattered," Okuni's voice interjected and Bon stiffened, realizing that he'd been caught and his mortification only increased as his pretend wife took his words and ran with it.
"I'm so very pleased to know that my bosom is to your liking. That wasn't so hard to admit now, was it, darling?" she purred the endearment and the giant looked like a caught animal as he tried to decide if he wanted to throw himself into the pit behind them or sink into the ground.
The spy sent his thoughts off into a third direction by deliberately folding her arms beneath and lifting her bust until her cleavage was on magnificent display. Bon, like the red-blooded man that he was, stared at them with a dreamy expression.
Saishi frowned down at her own impressive, though not Okuni-level breasts and muttered, "That just isn't fair."
Yuya rolled her eyes heavenward, wondering why giant boobs were so fascinating to men and how in the world they had gone from watching a life and death battle to comparing one vixen's "assets" to another. A loud crack broke her out of her mildly envious musings though, and she looked towards Akira's ice fortress, staring wide-eyes as the top of it shattered and a very bloody Akira stepped out followed by Saisei.
"Akira!" she and Bon shouted his name at the same time.
Akira grimace as he staggered a bit before catching himself and taking his stance once more as he faced Saisei.
"Didn't I already tell you, Akira, you are destined to fall by your own sword. I have already connected our bodies. The harder you try to kill me the faster your own end will come," Saisei said, assuming her own stance, "and once I am done with you, I will continue on fighting your companions until no one is left. By my own crest, I swear that not a single one of you will pass through this gate."
The female warrior made an impressive sight as she stood at the ready with her massive naginata even though she was badly scratched from whatever had occurred when she was locked inside of Akira's icy cocoon. Next to her, Bon made a startled sound and she turned to see him staring wide-eyed at the woman as he muttered, "It can't be. But then… it makes too much sense."
Before she could ask him what he meant, the battle resumed although this time Akira was at a distinct disadvantage. Sasei had him completely on the defensive and, while he did not appear to be having a hard time dodging her attacks, he couldn't retaliate either as long as his own attacks would only hurt him in the process.
"You cannot avoid me forever, Akira," his opponent said as she swung her weapon, "and I cannot lose because winning is the only way to prove my own existence! To feel alive!"
So saying, she twirled her naginata with blinding speed and shouted, "Zetsu-Hyakka Ouran!"
Cherry blossoms appeared to fill the air and, even from her vantage point, Yuya could feel the wind coming off of that spinning blade and the sound of steel on steel range out as Akira countered it as best he could while being pushed back.
Yuya had to stifle a cry as Akira lurched at the end of the attack and blood blossomed in a new spot on his chest but he quickly pressed a hand to it and ice formed beneath, sealing the wound.
"So tell me Akira, do you finally understand that you are going to die here?" Saisei asked as swung her huge weapon again and repeated her Zetsu-Hyakka Ouran a second time, forcing Akira closer and closer to the edge of the pit and sending a fine spray of blood into the air.
Yuya clapped her hands to her mouth and Akari yelled with a note of worry in his voice, "Come on Akira! Don't tell me big sis Akari-Sama has to step in and save your blue butt."
The blind man scowled and raised his swords, deflecting the last blow from his enemy's attack and smoothly stepping out of her way as he held his swords at the ready and yelled back, "I don't need help form a pervert like you, only Kyo's confidence in my abilities! And stop telling everyone that by behind is blue!"
"I'll make you eat those words, Akira," the shaman said in a cold tone but the underlying worry was gone as quickly as it had come and the bounty huntress wondered why until Bon spoke.
"I think he's probably picked up on how he has to defeat her by now."
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"Yeah. If it was still the Akira of a few years ago, I'd probably have had to step in by now and save him from falling victim to his overconfidence. The old Akira would have attacked her again the moment her technique hurt him the first time out of sheer childish fury at getting injured while he's trying to show off in front of Kyo. But I've been working on him the past few years and he's far stronger than he was when we last came here. That woman is no slouch but...at this point he's just waiting for his chance."
"Hmm," Yuya made a non-committal sound but silently prayed that he was right as Akira continued to dodge Saisei's attacks.
The longer she watched, the more she realized that he really did appear to be waiting. He was getting hurt but they were minor scratches in the grand scheme of things. Instead, his brow was furrowed with concentration and she knew that the moment of truth had come when Saisei used her ultimate attack yet again and he called out, "Muhyou Getten!"
Raising his swords, two spikes of ice followed his movements and halted her attack, freezing the blossoms that followed in its wake as he closed in on her from below with his weapons stretched out to run her through.
The woman didn't even bother to dodge, only stood tall and said, "Didn't I already tell you it was useless?!"
What happened next was so fast the young woman could barely process it when it was over. One moment, Akira was attacking Saisei and, in the next, he had reversed his swords and thrust them into his own belly.
Fear swam up into her throat and she felt faint until a large hand clapped her on the shoulder and Bon said gently, "The fight is over."
She was about to ask him what he meant when a whimper sounded and she stared at Saisei who was staring at Akira with a pained expression as she coughed and a dribble of blood appeared at the corner of her mouth. Shifting her gaze downwards, she saw the ends of two blades sticking out of the woman's back and quickly put two and two together.
"If she connected her body to Akira's, it stands to reason that if she hurts him then she would get hurt as well unless she is able to open and close their connection at will. All Akira had to do was wait for his chance and have balls of steel to take advantage of that opening."
It wasn't just nerve, she knew enough about fighting to know that the blind man's skills had to be an a level that was far higher than other humans to pull off such split-second timing. As her companion jerked his swords free and Saisei crumpled to the ground, she wondered just how strong he and everyone else had gotten during the past few years. It was both scary and exciting to know that she had such powerful friends helping her and Kyo out.
As Saisei lay on the ground and glared at Akira, the young man said, "Please do not feel that you lost because of any weakness on your part. My desire to become strong enough to fight Kyo and to never allow anyone to hinder that goal was simply stronger. Your power and skill were beautiful to behold."
There was no malice in his words but her eyes glinted anyways and Yuya watched in horror as she dragged herself to her feet slowly and held her naginata at the ready. Her limbs were trembling but her gaze was steady and Yuya mused out loud, "Do you think she can heal herself like Saishi?"
"No. She can't," Bon said sadly and she looked at him as he elaborated.
"She's been resurrected, just like those other minions we fought and those two warriors Akira defeated before her. It took me a while to place the crest but, considering the fact that she raised up Ushiwakamaru and Benkei to fight for her, it makes sense that she could also do the same for their contemporary. That woman isn't really named Saisei. Rather that speed, power, and beauty could only belong to one of the greatest onna musha who ever lived. Tomoe Gozen."
There was a collective gasp from their companions and Saishi sighed as she said, "Oh boo, looks like the cat's out of the bag. Ah well, I guess it's alright to tell you. I actually did create her and I'm the only one who's a real member of the Goyosei. That's not to say Saisei isn't special. She bleeds because she's the masterpiece I created to fight in my place. I absolutely hate the thought of putting myself in harms way and risking damage to my gorgeous skin. So, I thought to myself one day, why not create a gorgeous doll to fight in my place? Really, raising the dead for my personal use is wonderful! They last forever, are totally loyal, and fight super hard so I don't have to. Really, there are no downsides!"
Saishi laughed cheerfully but Yuya could feel nothing but disgust at the thought of someone who desecrated people who had already gone to rest for her own personal gain and said as much.
"Who do you think you are to fool with the dead like that?!" she exclaimed, appalled at her presumption.
"Yuck, ugly girls like you look even worse when whining," the other woman replied.
Yuya's hand twitched with the urge to put a bullet in the horrible woman but Bon stopped her with a firm grip on her wrist.
"Don't bother. She's Mibu," he said and Yuya knew he was right. She'd figured out a long time ago that there wasn't a speck of kindness or decency in Saishi.
"I'm disappointed to think that such a proud warrior would submit herself to the Mibu. Was winning only necessary to you because you were ordered to fight?" Akira said and there was real disappointment in his tone.
Saisei surprised all of them by shaking her head vehemently and exclaiming, "No! Saishi might own my body but my heart belongs to only one person. I..." she hesitated and her eyes took on a soft hue that Yuya knew well.
It was the look Mahiro wore when she looked at Benitora, the way Okuni gazed at Bon, and she knew it was reflected in her own eyes whenever she was with Kyo. She could guess Saisei's reason's for fighting as hard as she did. It was the same reason many men and women fought.
However, she listened in silence as Saisei continued quietly, "I am nothing to the Mibu clan. A doll, a puppet, call me what you wish but...," she closed her eyes and the bounty huntress knew that her mind was somewhere else at that moment.
"…Hewas different," she continued, "He didn't see me as a decoration or a tool. He saw me as a comrade and he was the only person to make me feel human again."
Yuya wondered who this mysterious man was and the other woman filled in the blanks with her next words, "I don't fight because I am ordered to. I fight because he makes me feel alive whenever he looks at me or takes the time to talk to a corpse like me. I am alive and I exist because I fight for him and his hope for the clan. And that is why I can't allow you to pass this gate because I won't allow anyone to lay one hand on Shinrei!"
It was heart-wrenching to listen to her, to see her. The woman was barely able to stand upright but Yuya could see it, the strength that was given to her by her impossible love and she felt like weeping. It was, all of it, incredibly unfair. To love someone was one of the greatest gifts anyone could have and yet there was nothing Saisei could do about her feelings.
She didn't believe for one second that Saishi would allow any creation of hers to look above herself or have something that she couldn't and, at the end of the day, the rapidly weakening woman was not even supposed to exist. After five-hundred years of sleep, what would it be like to wake up and find that your sole purpose was to look pretty and fight for a people who didn't appreciate you?
While the young woman stewed over the tragedy of the situation, Saisei swung her weapon with painful slowness at Akira as she said, "Shinrei is proof that I am alive, and I won't stand by and let you hurt him!"
Yuya thought that even Akira could not remain untouched by the sad plight of his opponent but, if she expected him to simply dodge, she was sorely mistaken.
Instead, he raised his swords and, stepping forward, called out, "Muhyou Getten!"
His swords connected with and sliced through her naginata while spires of ice rose up from below and impaled her, destroying her pretty armor and raising her body into the air, holding it suspended for long seconds before shattering and dropping her back towards ground.
"Akira!" Yuya exclaimed, feeling a bit sick that he wouldn't even show mercy to a woman who was in no shape to fight him.
However, the rest of her words were lost as the blind man reached out and caught Saisei's body with uncharacteristic gentleness before she could hit the ground. A rattling cough sounded and more blood bubbled from between the woman's lips as she stared at Akira with eyes that were rapidly losing their focus.
"No. I...," she began weakly, "I can't lose. Not yet."
Akira's face was unreadable as he stared at the woman cradled in his arms and replied firmly, "No, Saisei, you've already lost. That's why you're dying. Because the two of us fought with everything we had, our hearts and our souls. Whether you are alive or dead, our fight was proof of that."
It took Yuya a moment to understand his meaning but she realized that he wasn't wrong. Saisei had fought as if she were alive and no one could deny that she was now dying as if she had been alive. Akira's expression softened and he smiled at the woman he was holding with a tenderness that she had never seen on his face before.
Saisei's eyes gleamed in understanding and her lips slowly curved into an answering smile as she turned her head to the side to look at Ryu who was sticking close to his mother and watching all of this with a sad look.
"Little boy...Ryu...you'll protect Shinrei for me the way he always watched over you, won't you? You'll let your father know about his goodness?"
She made her request slowly and laboriously and Yuya ached inside because, even in the end, she was thinking only of the man she loved.
Her son nodded slowly and Yuya could have sworn that the woman was starting to crumble a little as she stared up at Akira once more and whispered, "Akira of the Shiseiten...thank you."
Then she closed her eyes and Yuya knew she was gone. As the fallen warrior's body started to collapse, dissolving into a heap of dust and sweetly scented cherry blossoms that wafted up and away into the darkness, she had to blink back tears. Saisei, formerly know as Tomoe Gozen, was finally at rest but it was a bittersweet ending.
A somber silence fell over the group and the bounty huntress held her hand out for Ryu to hold as she said, "I'm sorry. I should have held back with you so that you wouldn't have to see that. I don't like the thought of someone so young seeing death."
"It's not the first time," he said softly and she wondered what else his young eyes had seen before his time.
"She...was in love with Shinrei-Sama, wasn't she?" he asked after a moment.
"Yes," Yuya replied.
"Do you think that's why she saved him when Hishigi almost killed him?"
"Definitely."
Ryu furrowed his brow and looked over towards Kyo, as if the pieces of a particular puzzle were falling in place but she didn't have time to question him further because Saishi growled in a most unladylike way and whined, "What a waste! I can't believe Saisei was so worthless in the end! Now I have to finish you all off myself!"
It was such a selfish and unfeeling statement to make about someone who had fought so hard. Yuya glared at the woman, wondering where she got off saying such things about a someone who - even dead - had more honor and depth of character than the person who brought her back to life.
Even though she knew it was unwise, she opened her mouth to berate the other woman for her lack of respect but Akari beat her to it as he held his shakujo up and replied, "I've had just about enough of you! I think it's time for the great Akari-Sama to show you what happens to skanks who can't cut it when they get shown up by a real woman."
The shaman took one step forward, his violet eyes flashing and his aura turning ominous. The feel of danger was strong in the air and she could tell he was spoiling for a fight.
However, Akira spoke up and said cooly, "This is still my battle. Don't interfere."
"But...," Akari began but paused and shivered, taking a step back as realization dawned.
Yuya was just starting to feel the intense cold as well when Bon's hand fell on her shoulder again and she heard Kyo say from behind, "Woman, brat...get back."
Hurrying their child away so that Akira would have space, she listened in fascination as the he said, "I am hardly a warrior of justice. I don't have the time to take offense at the Mibu for everything they do, whether it's the manipulation of the dead or the slaughter of innocents. However, one thing I cannot stand is someone who tramples on the spirit of those who are strong and noble."
He didn't even give her a chance to reply as he closed in on the smiling woman and slashed her across the torso, almost bisecting her completely except for a point down by her hip. She staggered a bit before her halves began to knit back together almost immediately.
"Really, for such a cutie, you sure don't learn. No matter how mad you get or how much you say you want to kill me, there isn't a single one of you who can actually do it. You're so serious over a walking corpse who was of no account! Aren't you embarrassed?"
She spoke the last words as her face came together and her clothes fell to the ground.
"Oh my," she clapped her arms and hands over the important bits in a show of pretend modesty and exclaimed in a sing-song voice, "Now you've gone and destroyed all my clothes Akira-San, you're soooooo naughty!"
Yuya was disgusted by her display and tugged Ryu around so that he wasn't getting quite as much of an eyeful although he cranned his head a little because he didn't want to miss what was happening.
"Ryu!" she chided him softly.
"But I want to see how strong Akira-San is," he replied and there was something so Kyo-like about his expression that it gave her pause.
"You can't shield him from everything, woman," Kyo said and she turned to see him staring at their son with a look of understanding that made her feel a bit left out.
"You heard him. Saisei isn't the first person he's seen die and he's already watched Shinrei get a beat down twice. I'll do my part but a long as he hangs with us, he's going to be seeing a lot more of this sort of thing."
"But...," she began, feeling conflicted because her natural inclination was to shield Ryu from seeing so much violence.
"Woman, he's my child too. Let me handle it," his voice was gentle and she knew enough about his blood-soaked upbringing to leave things in the hands of someone who knew how to cope with it.
"Well, now that we've established that you can't do anything to me, why don't I have a little fun," Saishi's voice interjected into their conversation and Yuya turned as smoke enveloped the other woman's form.
When it cleared, she saw that Saishi had transformed into what she could only describe as a bunny girl. There were long white ears adorning her head and her arms and legs were distinctly rabbit-shaped as well. Her naughty bits were covered by strategically grown fur that added the bare minimum of modesty and she even had a little fluffy tail adorning her rear.
She giggled as she bounced in place, causing her bust to jiggle brazenly, and struck a pose that might have been cute on anyone else who wasn't such an evil person.
"Behold, my sexy fighting form. You should feel honored to see such beauty before you die. And since I can control the power of wood and my regeneration has no limits, I don't even have to worry about defending myself. All I have to do is...," she moved so fast that she disappeared and Akira had to throw his weapons up to block an attack from his right.
"...Attack! Attack! And attack some more until you die!"
Her laughter filled the air and trailed behind her as she assaulted the blind man from multiple directions, smashing her paw-like fists into him when he didn't move fast enough to block or dodge her attacks and leaving craters in the ground when she overshot him. There was no rhythm or finesse to her moves, only brutal determination to beat her enemy into a pulp and Yuya cringed everytime she connected with Akira until, at last, he was pushed back far enough that Saishi felt the need to pause and gloat.
"What's wrong, cute stuff? Don't want to fight back because you know you can't do anything to me?"
She laughed and hopped from foot to foot as she continued, "You are all so serious over people that don't matter. You were talking so big about how horrible I am but you haven't touched me once since I got serious. There's nothing sexy about a man who doesn't know his own limits and goes against his betters."
Akira maintained his silence for a long moment before he said steadily, "I think that you should be ready to pay for your sins with your life Saishi."
As he spoke, Yuya could feel the temperature dropping and realized that she would probably have been frozen solid if she had stayed in her previous position as ice crept along the ground from beneath Akira's feet and fanned out around him.
"A tasteless woman with neither technique nor grace in her attacks is truly an ugly thing to behold."
Saishi frowned at being called anything less than "gorgeous" as the young man finished, "And you have no awareness of your situation."
Saishi made a rude sound and placed her hands on her hips as she replied, "So you made it a little colder, so what? It's not enough to stop me."
"Is that so?" Akira grinned and it wasn't at all pleasant as he said softly, "Inferno's Chill."
The ice crackled and rose, forming crystals that were so pure that they caught every speck of available light and illuminated the darkness of the cave even further. Raising his swords, he held them at the ready and intoned words beneath his breath that Yuya couldn't quite catch but she watched in wonderment as the wisps of frost collected onto his blades until they glowed so brightly that it hurt to look at them.
"You talk too much. I like my men to be the strong silent type. I guess I'll put an end to this and send you to the next world so that you can meet up with Saisei again and the two of you can lick each other's wounds."
With her mocking grin firmly in place, she rocketed towards Akira with the intent to smash his face in and he nimbly dodged beneath her fists as he raked her swords across her body and called out, "Grand Cross!"
Unlike his previous attacks, this one didn't dissect her body. It only left a cross-shaped wound across her torso which began to heal almost immediately and Yuya wondered if Akira had run out of power as he stopped his momentum and - with his back still facing his opponent - proceeded to sheath his swords.
Apparently, Saishi thought he was too weak to continue the fight because she turned and giggled as she said, "I've told you a million times already, it's useless. I won't die from attacks like that. Since it looks like you've already rolled over in preparation for death, I'll be happy to grant your wish."
The blind man said nothing and Saishi shrugged as she rushed into pummel his unprotected back. Yuya's heart lept into her throat and she closed her eyes because she couldn't handle the sight of her friend being killed right in front of her.
She kept them closed right until the other woman's laughter was choked off by a horrified gasp and an audible thump sounded. Peering from beneath her eyelids, she opened them fully and stared at a single white rabbit paw that was laying on the ground. The ends of it were jagged, like an ice crystal that had been snapped apart and she watched as Akira's opponent took a step back, staring down at her body in horror as ice bled out of the places where the his swords had connected.
"N...no...my glorious body. Why am I not regenerating?"
"There comes a point at which living tissue starts to break down when faced with a low enough temperature. That attack spreads through my opponent's body and completely stops your it from healing itself. In the next life, reflect on your overconfidence and return to nothing."
As Saishi's body took on a crystalline shine and started to crumble, her last words were, "I never even got married!"
When she fell to pieces, Yuya could not find it in herself to pity to woman. To die alone and unloved was a fitting end for someone who had caused so much misery in life.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Far away from the site of Saishi's ignoble death, Shinrei paused as he was approaching the fifth gate. Glancing down at the young woman in his arms, he noted her softly slumbering features and knew that she wasn't the source of his disquiet. Now that Aiko had dozed off, he didn't have to struggle against managing both her emotions and his own. At this point, his only concern was running out of stamina because he was still healing from his encounter with Hishigi.
Golden eyes darted from one side of the pathway to the next, searching for some clue as to why he suddenly felt so sad. Well, perhaps sad wasn't quite the word. More like nostalgic...and appreciative. The way he had felt when he saw something beautiful as a child or the emotions that took him when he was admiring Saisei's emblem and speaking to her about it.
He liked her as a person. Although she was quiet and mostly kept to herself, he knew a kindred spirit when he met one. She was honorable - more so than the woman who pulled her strings - and he could not help but feel a sense of pity whenever he saw her.
She had no control over her life and yet she did what she could to help him whenever he asked and he wanted to thank her for saving his life when he saw her next, except...he couldn't explain it, he had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to fulfill that desire. A breeze came towards him from the direction of the gate and - if he concentrated hard enough - he could just make out the scent of cherry blossoms. It was a flower that he would forever associate with Saisei because it was reflected in the symbol she wore proudly and it the smell of it always lingered in the air around her.
There was no explaining it really. All he had was a feeling but his heart felt heavy because he knew that she was gone in that moment and it...hurt.
To others, she might have been nothing more than a doll made of flesh and bones but, to him, she was his comrade. Someone who was every bit as important to him as any of the other Goyosei and all the more valuable because of the history she carried with her.
Kyo's daughter stirred in his hold and he stared at her, wondering for a bleak moment if everything he was doing was actually worth it. He was now an outcast, unable to even avenge himself for the death of a comrade because the two of them were forced onto opposite sides by circumstances beyond their control. The pain he felt was real and only because Aiko furrowed her brow and murmured his name sleepily was he able to will himself to move. This despite being plagued with uncertainty about who or what would be waiting for him on the other side of the fifth gate.
He didn't want to think of who else might have been lost that day in Kyo's quest to bring the Mibu clan to justice and so he pushed on. With each step, he silently reminded himself that he hadn't truly done anything wrong and that his defense of helpless children didn't mean that he was abandoning his family or his ideals.
It would be so easy to fall into the trap he'd been in for so many years. To go with the flow and pretend that things were alright when they really weren't just to maintain the status quo and keep himself from falling apart. But - as he opened the side door next to the gate and went through - he knew that if he chose complacency, nothing would ever change and things would only continue to get worse.
Thus, like the soldier that he was, he plodded on towards his goal and looked around the courtyard, wondering if anyone had come to guard the last gate. He also prayed that, if someone was there, it wouldn't be Chinmei or Hotaru because he couldn't handle either of them in his condition.
As it turned out, he wasn't alone but the person waiting was someone that he would never have expected to see guarding a gate in a hundred years.
"My oh my, what have we here? The diligent Mibu protector and a lovely lady," a smooth, slightly flirtatious voice said and Shinrei stared at the man in shock.
"So, what brings you to my neck of the woods, Shinrei-San," Yukimura said with eyes that were alight with curiosity.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Phew, that was pretty long but I hope you all enjoyed it. I was originally going to break the fight with Saisei and Saishi up into two chapters but decided that a hateful woman like the latter didn't deserve to have that much of my brain wasted on her. ;-P Besides, the show must go on.
Thanks for reading and please let me know your thoughts.
P.S. Good lord, I re-read the fight with Saisei and Saishi in the mange and there was a ludicrous amount of side dialogue. Kamijyo-Sensei really stretched that out. -_-; Still love Saisei though.