Author's Note:
Well, it's Christmas Eve but I don't celebrate the festivities, so here I am writing! As you have probably noticed, this arc has quite the heavy focus on Sergio, and I hope that by the end of it, you guys will like Sergio as a character more!
Chapter 51: Duel.
A Sacred Code.
My vision wavered, blurring every few seconds, forcing me to focus harder then before just to have my sight in stable form. The sword wrapped around my fingers was drenched by the sweat pouring out of my skin, not to mention dangling slightly from my slightly trembling right hand. My eyes dart around the place as if desperate for a check on my surroundings, and I saw Kiera and the others watching with intent, worry on Johann, Aria and Hinata's face. On opposite sides, the pervert from the day before sat down on a seat as if he was a king on a throne, an almost primal look of excitement on his face as he looked on.
"Shing!"
Another slash cut through the air and rang through my ears, alerting my sense as my mind screamed out for movement. Frantic, I latched both hands tight around the katana and swung towards the source of the sound with all my might, hoping for a miracle. Or at least, it very much felt like I needed it.
"Clang!"
The impact shook my bones with great power, even when I could barely follow the end of the opposing blade, drawn across the air by the leader of the group known as the Kaijin Palm. Pushing me back, I fall to the ground on my back, as my arms throbbed from our exchange. Blood pumped themselves through my veins so loudly it felt like I was bleeding from my fingers. Not given a moment's reprieve, Rei gave another monstrous slash towards me as I laid on the ground disoriented, snapping me back with just enough time for me to roll away from the slash, only inches before my shoulders.
"Hah... Hah... Hah..." All the while, fire burned my lungs, the feeling rising in intensity the more I pushed my body. I can't believe I'm not able to keep up with the guy, his movements is insane! The speed is not something believable at all!
"Uragh!" On my knees, the pain is ignored, and I screamed out and threw my arms once more, the blade flying out in an arc before me, seeking to cut my opponent. I have no idea why I screamed, perhaps it was to get my mind off of the painful truth that I might very well lose this duel, or just my body's way of ignoring the wrecking sensation going across my systems.
The situation has basically been the same for the past hour, with the silence of the night in the industrial district broken by the clash of our swords. When the fight first started, I couldn't see the path of his sword at all as the blade flew towards me, and thus, suffered a few grazes and cuts by dodging with sheer luck. When those men said that the group my opponent leads are known as the left hand of the Yakuza, seeing Rei's moves only had me all but convinced they weren't lying.
Darn it, if only I can make use of an opening, anything to successfully land my attacks on him! At the thought, another slash hissed as it sliced the very air itself, forcing me to jumped a step to the sides. In his swing, my sword homes in on him as I force all my strength into my swing once more, my blade looking to pierce into his shoulders, making use of his actions as opening itself. Since he's in the middle of an action, he shouldn't be able to make it in time to block this attack!
"Eyargh!" My attack came with a feral roar, my own voice helping my mind to retain the focus needed. Suddenly, his blade, which was supposed to be pointing downwards from his swing, is pushed into my sight, intercepting my blade. The thin blade of the eastern sword was like a wall of stone and steel, stopping my attack immediately and utterly stopping my attack. In that slight moment when metal hit against metal, the feeling rose up inside of me once more, a strange feeling of familiarity.
It's as if... I've experienced this before.
Then, the weight of my own strength was redirected downwards, pulling the whole of my body with it as it sunk, pushed by my opponent's swordplay. As his blade tapped the floor slightly, my blade crashed at the side, my body thrown off balance by the sheer momentum of the redirection. When my eyes turned to Rei once more, his blade was already raised, never even stopping for a second. In a flick of a wrist, his katana blade sliced across my chest, a clean slash from my abdomen to my right shoulder. The cold steel mowed through my flesh, rupturing my skin. I could even feel the blade as it forced itself across my bones, the impact nearly breaking my ribs apart.
The feeling of my body cut up by a sword was something so stranger to me my body could not help but fall into a state of shock and fear, my actions desperate to get away from whatever was harming me by instincts alone. It took most of my remaining strength to just keep myself from running away. This feels completely different from any fight I've been in before, even those involved with the Famiglia.
"Gruargh! Gah! Augh!" My screams of pain replaced the clashing of metal that filled the entire warehouse as my steps stumbled back a few feet. My mind was numb, and every movement after feeling the cold steel and the fiery pain that burst out after was driven by my body's pure instinct alone. From the wound, my warm blood slowly flowed out, dyeing my shirt dark red and dripping onto the floor of the warehouse.
Throb. Ba-dump.
"Sergio! Idiot! You've got to stand!" When the heavy sound of my heart and my wounds, the loud throbbing ceased, the many voices of Kiera and the others filled my ears. They yelled and screamed for me to keep myself safe, to survive the fight. The pervert of a boss only laughed hysterically at his side, glued to that throne of his, the very sight gave me a sense of disgust. When my focus returned to the fight, Rei's eyes were as sharp as ever, and his attack continued without a single word, the blade swinging down on me again. With trembling hands, I raised my blade to block the incoming attack.
"Uragh!" My throat stung every time I gave a scream, but I still found myself screaming as the fight went on. My blade, raised horizontally, clashes with Rei's, forming a cross as my arms pushed against his strength. shock-waves running across every part of my body, and unimaginable pain burst from my hands, from the grip around the hilt of my blade, pain roars out like ferocious dragons, climbing up my arms. Before the pain made me gave way, I struggled and pushed his blade off of mine by overpowering him just ever so slightly.
In my distorted vision and muzzled hearing, a certain memory flashed into my mind amidst the pain, the desire and the adrenaline.
It was one of the few days when I skipped school, having taken tutoring from Kiera. But of course, it wasn't any normal tutoring, it was all training. I had to condition my body to reach the proper muscle mass, to study rules and techniques which seemed almost ridiculous, impossible even and most importantly, to achieve the level of skill I need to protect my best friend. That doesn't mean it was all smooth when it comes to the real thing, after all, no one could adapt so easily to a complete change of lifestyle without a few hiccups here or there. And the memory was one of the first.
"Get up." Kiera commanded, as I laid on the ground, stricken with bated breath and fire in my veins. The wounds all over my body swelled from the beating I got after my first spar with Kiera, who wiped me out in one minute flat. She stood before me, her eyes glaring with the ferocity of a lion, unarmed and barely worked up to a sweat. Forcing my trembling body up, I was met with an onslaught of attacks from Kiera and the many instruments she brought with her. Slowly, my body started dodging her strikes based on timing and feel, it was surprising.
"That's right, never assume you know what's going to happen in a fight, and always anticipate and adapt!" Kiera's instructions were drilled into my tired mind as she threw three gigantic rocks my way, forcing me to jump to the sides, before a dining fork zipped past my eyes, barely missing my head by inches. The fork itself struck the rocky cliff behind me, and a good portion cracked and fell.
"Fighting is never just strength, nor technique!"
All those things Kiera had been teaching me the last few months were drawn out from the painful situation I was in, reminding me the points of utmost importance.
"Take this!" I surprised myself by still able to form words with my voice, and threw a downward slash into Rei's shoulders, taking advantage of the fact he himself came to me. As expected, he easily dodges my slash by moving to the side, but at the same time, his steps bring him even closer towards me once more. That's right, whenever he conquers my attack, he always goes for a counter!
"It's the ability to learn, to force change onto your body to survive!" Kiera's yelling only grew louder in the memories, as if driving me to come to of my fight on top.
"Got'cha!" Driven by a sudden surge of adrenaline, my voice was full of excitement. Leaving my sword in my right hand, I grabbed on to his left wrist with my free arm, locking him in place.
"What?" The surprise sounded genuine, but Rei never stopped his counter, the blade slashing across my right arm after he left the sword into his free hand as well. The cold metal touched and froze my skin once more, chewing into my flesh, drops of blood splashing on my shirt. Still following my plan, I tossed away my sword and used all the strength I could muster to pull him close.
"Uryargh!" Perhaps the pain was driving me nuts, but my scream just kept getting louder, more ferocious, more desperate each time I forced my throat to yell. When his face was but inches away, I pulled back my right arm, bleeding and dying out, with all my strength. With the sound of my own scream as my focus, my fist punched into his stomach, digging into his bones so much my fingers felt as though they would break right there.
"It's the ability to control the situation, to have your senses comfortable enough to overcome whatever the opponents throw at you!" At that point, my eyes felt clearer, my movements faster.
"Guh! Cough!" The leader of the Kaijin Palm finally showed the expression of pain as he was struck, as the impact of my punch shook his whole body. Well, I'm not as strong as Amato when he's Awakened, so I only stopped his movements, stunning him right where he stood. On reflex, Rei swung his blade in another gigantic arc, this time at a speed much faster than before. Even as the air cried, I could somehow feel the power of the slash. With my movements dulled by my injuries, the sword sliced my knees up, cutting through the skin and nearly slicing through my tendons.
The convulsions and outburst from my knees made it difficult to move, but I ignored the pain and stood up, pushing my way forth towards the opposing duelist. It was one of the very rare moments where Rei was struck with pain, stunned and disoriented, so of course, I had to take advantage of that. Noticing my sword no longer in my hands, I placed them on Rei's shoulders, pulling him close. That's okay, I'm not so good at swordsmanship anyways!
"I'm not teaching you how to fight!" Kiera roars out in her command, all while still assaulting me with her attacks. "I'm teaching you how to survive, how to stand as a beacon of hope for your comrades, how to shield them from enemy blows!"
"I'm teaching you how to become worthy of the Zanna Famiglia!"
"Hrah!" I screamed out, pushing my head towards him to land the most painful headbutt I ever launched. Bone to bone, my skull collided with his, and it really felt as though a crack emerged across the surface of mine, sharp pain pulsing every time the crack kept splitting bigger. Letting go of his shoulders, my opponent was caught surprise by the sudden continuous assault, and he, himself, fell down to his back, bringing his right hand to his forehead.
"Kuh! Impossible, how are you still able to stand?" He roared out in confusion and anger. Perhaps he underestimated me, and never expected me to land a hit. Indeed, the pain spilling forth from my knees burned like hell, and the stinging was worse, but I decided to ignore the pain until I won this fight! Motivation could only go so far, as right after my steps took me to my sword and I picked it up, a wave of pain washed over the whole of my body, much worse than what I was feeling before. Every wound felt as though they were getting worse, and even those I sustained before the duel were coming back to haunt me.
Throb.
My arms, my chest, my knees, all the wounds throbbed and pulsed like an earthquake running through my body. My steps wobbled as I returned to face the leader of the Kaijin Palm, my sense of worry slowly building up. I truly had no idea if I could even hold out long enough to win the duel.
"Rei..." The girl held in check by Kiera, with her bright pink hair, cried out a whisper as she dodged into the chest of her comrade, whose serious eyes showed worry behind the strands of her purple hair. No doubt they don't wish to see their own friend hurt, and their reactions were dissuading me from putting down my opponent. That's right, the whole reason for this duel happening can be traced to me, it's all my fault. Suddenly, the guilt comes crashing back into my mind, weighing me down like an anvil.
"Darn it... This is what I deserve." I spoke out as I stood before my opponent, who was got on his knees. Instead of bringing down my sword on him, I ignored all pain from my right arm and raised my fingers. With trembling fingers, my sword was brought to my right pinkie finger instead, shocking and driving the crowds watching us into confusion. Rei looked up to me with a surprised face, the light of disbelief in his eyes.
"Sergio, what are you doing?" Kiera cried out from her side, her voice frantic and worried. Johann and the others looked the same, even Dante was struck with slight confusion on his face. Only Vito remained deadly serious, his smile vanished, as if he knew exactly what was happening.
"Yubitsume..." Rei looked as though he couldn't help speaking out the term for what I was doing, that he couldn't believe what was happening.
Yes, the term for cutting off one's pinkie finger in penance for a mistake. My father told me this is a ritual commonly executed by the Yakuzas, but the origins stemmed back to the age of the samurai. Because the last three fingers maintains the grip on a sword and determined the strength of your swing, losing parts of the pinkie could severely hinder and weaken one's attack, taken as a form of permanent payment for a something did wrong. To pay for it, the man gives up his skill and power, losing it for the rest of his life.
"Everything, all the trouble we went through today, it's all my fault! So... I'm willing to pay for it." My declaration was clear, giving it out to Kiera and the others. I hoped that with the ritual and winning the duel after that, I'll be able to earn forgiveness for what happened today.
"After this, I promise I'll come out of this duel victorious, I'll keep my best friend safe without getting the rest of the Famiglia hurt! I just hope I can still be forgiven." Closing my eyes, I spoke the words from my heart, making sure it's loud enough so that Kiera, Dante and Vito could hear me. The suddenness of the Yubitsume ritual caught everyone of guard, and silence assumed in the warehouse. The smell of my own blood was slowly filling up the area, replacing the metallic scent lingering from the metal crates and materials all around us.
"Ha ha ha ha, well said, now cut it off already!" The pervert of a boss gave out his comment while laughing at his throne. At his act, his men started chuckling as well. Dammit, I didn't say all that just to hear that toad's voice!
"No, Sergio, Amato wouldn't want you to do this!" Aria's sweet voice was changed into one of fear and horror, crying out from her side. I could see her eyes getting red, but she held her tears back the best she could. Darn, I didn't want to see anyone crying either!
"It has to be done... I can't forgive myself otherwise..." I muttered out the words, looking down to the ground in shame. Yes, I had decided to carry on with it, I doubt there's anything they can say to change my mind. The fear of the sharp blade digging into my skin welled up within me, forcing me to wince my eyes. I was surprised Rei didn't raise his blade at me as I did, all he did was lay there on his knees, watching with his sharp eyes. I couldn't make out his expression. The cold steel dug into my flesh even as I barely pressed strength onto the blade, and my blood was already trickling out, the wet crimson substance joining the other pools of blood on the floor.
Here goes.
"Wait, stop!"
The voice was familiar, but at the same time, it caught me and the others by pure surprise. Gasps were given out as we turned our eyes to the source of the voice, which instantly brought a small sense of relief to us all.
"Ngh... Please, don't do it, Sergio!" Amato cried out for my well being even when he's bound in the enemies' hands. He must have woken up from the influence of the alcohol. His pleas were so loud it instantly brought all eyes on him, as he puts every effort into his voice, struggling as his arms were tied behind him, as his collar was tugged by the other two members of the Kaijin Palm. "I've heard your reasons, and I don't agree to them! This is not your fault! We did the right thing!" My best friend kept screaming out ,desperate for me to stop. The very sight was painful, and yet, there was a shimmer of light lit within me from the sight of him waking up and able to move.
"But it's my weakness that got you into this mess, that landed you in enemy hands!" For some reason, I found myself arguing back, as if I was too stubborn to agree with Amato. His kindness was being too forgiving, my own way of thinking disagreed. "And I put you and the rest of our Famiglia in danger because of it. I got the rest of us hurt because of my own inability!" As soon as they popped into my mind, screaming out, I pushed the words out of my mouth, yelling back at the boss.
Amato only raised his brows in surprise, before closing them as if scolding himself. Turning to look at Johann and the others, his eyes grew more serious, more worried before he turned back at me.
"If you got everyone else hurt, then why is it that Kiera and the others, even those enemies we had in our hands, look fine? Why is it that the only one bleeding pools of blood before me... is you?" Again, Amato asked out his question in a saddening tone. The truth of his words pierced into me like an arrow pierced my heart. When I looked down on my own body, the wounds, the cut and the tears were horrible.
"I'm fine, Sergio. You didn't get me hurt at all." Amato's voice was like a soft stroke on my head, a welcoming feel. When I saw his smile again, it made me falter in the resolution of my own decision. When I looked to him once more, the pervert boss now stood in front of him to my surprise. Kiera and the others got restless when they caught sight of him so close to our Boss. Suddenly, he sends punches into Amato's stomach, his movements wild and feral.
"You're fine, huh? That's a cocky thing to say, shouldn't you only say that when you're back with your little group?" He hissed out the words, his punches never slowing down in their speed. The pervert looked as though he was savoring every bit of the moment before stopping.
"Amato!" Hinata cried out, our new friend concerned for him as well. Kiera, Vito and Dante glared towards the one hurting Amato, exuding their murderous intent once more, but stayed their hand because of my duel.
"Guh! I'm fine... Sergio... I've taken worse hits before..." Amato finally spoke out once more after gathering his strength, still putting on that smile for me even as he took more punches to his stomach and his face. "I knew you would do this sort of thing, you know? With your loyalty and honor, you weren't meant for the underworld, that's why I didn't want to involve you with issues from the Zanna Famiglia. I wanted you to live your own life, carried by your own beliefs and values." Amato admitted with a few bruises to his face, sounding regretful, as if he's blaming himself for what I was doing.
"Hngh..." The sight of my best friend pounded by that man made me grip my sword even harder, pressing more strength onto the blade. In turn, the blood came pouring forth even faster than before, the blade already cutting onto the bone. When Amato saw that, his blue eyes grew bigger, and he became frantic.
"Can't you see how selfish you're being by going through with this? Punishment or no, the Zanna Famiglia never does this sort of things to our own members!" Amato cried out in both anger and concern, worry written all over his face. Ignoring the man striking him every few minutes, he continued his worry for me, and his efforts to draw me away from doing the Yubitsume never died down.
"Well..." Vito sarcastically cuts in to the conversation, raising his finger to his cheeks as if he disagrees to what Amato said, only to get slapped by the Black Valkyrie.
"Vito!" She lectured with but one word, and it was all she needed to shut him up.
"What do you think will happen if you completed the ritual? Do you think any of us want to see you suffer the pain? To see you crippled for the rest of your life?" Amato's reasons came screaming out once more, as his struggle against his captors grew more violent, so much that they had to beat him down to stop him. "You're Gina's dear friend, and she's back in Italy, waiting for us to come home. When we do, I don't want her seeing her friend without a pinkie or any part of his body for that matter!"
"I still have a lot of experiences to share with my best friend! To laugh and smile, to fight side by side like we did in that alley back then! When we knock our elbows together, I don't want to see you missing that finger! You may not suffer from losing that one part of your body, but I'm not willing to take that chance, so don't you dare go finish that stupid ritual!" My best friends poured out his feelings into his words, so much that I had no choice but to pull down my sword.
"Sniff... Sniff..." Before I knew it, a feeling overwhelmed my body, warming up my heart as my eyes went wet. That was when my desire and guilt went away completely. Standing there, silence once again assumed the warehouse, as my tears flowed down my cheeks. Amato is the only guy I know who can say something like that without feeling the least bit embarrassed.
"I'm sorry..." Unconsciously, my apology came mumbling out, as I wiped away the tears from my eyes, it was not the time to cry.
"It's okay. C'mon Sergio, you can still win this fight, I know you can! Bring on the reversal! That's an order!" Amato calmly commanded even as he saw my injuries, placing all of his hopes on me with confidence. The word he said sparked a revelation within my mind. Reversal? Reverse? That's it, that's why this all feels so familiar! With that thought in mind, a confident smile stretched across my face.
Taking my stance once more, I raised my blade against my opponent. Rei was watching the whole thing, and after he saw the conviction in my eyes, he shut his eyes as if he completely understood our little exchange, and got to his feet with a smile as well, ready to continue the duel. A memory was slowly being dug up from my memories, the one recollection that would give me the method to pave my way to victory. Compared to the duel before up until now, I never felt so sure of winning this duel. Raising my blade to the side of my face once more, I gave out my last words before I resumed the fight.
"I'm sorry, leader of the Kaijin Palm. My Boss has given me the order. You're gonna have to lose this duel."
With the bond they had reminded by the Boss himself, Sergio tosses away all guilt and now fight with unwavering conviction! Whoo! This chapter certainly turned out better than I expected! Just what is it that Sergio remembered? How is his victory certain? Tell me how you feel about this chapter in your reviews and keep your eyes open for the next update to find out!
