AKATSUKI

Akatsuki could hardly believe his eyes. It seemed like moments before, the Kains and Aidous had been at the verge of defeat, and now the tides had turned. Ichijou and Shirabuki forces together had driven back the Toumas, giving Kain and Aidou troops a chance to regroup against the Hios. Finally, Akatsuki was able to catch his breath.

Currently, the redhead had delegated leadership of the main troop to Yagari, while Akatsuki himself led a smaller group of men to follow the Ichijou and Shirabuki cavalry. Although he didn't have many soldiers with him, they were sufficient to finish off any Touma troops that managed to escape the stampede of yellow and black horsemen. In a wide swath across the field, his troop moved purposefully through the carnage, driving blades through the few Toumas left who yet breathed and administering aid to surviving fallen allies.

Noting this, Akatsuki called, "Rally to me!" His men were too widely spread across the field and needed to regroup. Scattered like this, they might be picked off one by one if the Toumas recovered from the recent assault.

His shout attracted the attention of three richly-clad figures atop a nearby hill. That would be Lord Touma, his son Rei, and one of their Bloodguards. The Touma personal guard still ringed that particular hilltop thickly, and it seemed as though the Ichijous and Shirabukis were giving them a wide berth, decimating the rest of their forces instead. Perhaps the Touma family had been left alone because of the strength of their personal guard, or perhaps for some political reason. Whatever the motivation, Lord Touma and the Bloodguard picked up their weapons and began to advance from the hill. Even across the distance, Akatsuki could see the rage seething in their faces.

Of course they were angry. They had been utterly defeated after engaging in what appeared to be a surefire victory, and they were entirely unable to exact revenge on the persons responsible. Therefore, they would engage the closest opponent, and that just happened to be himself. Quickly, Akatsuki glanced around for his troops. Although his men were attempting to regroup with him as he´d commanded, the Touma guard around the hill now advanced to interfere, drawing them into combat and preventing them from reaching him.

Akatsuki took stock of the situation. He was alone, wounded, and his sword felt heavy in his hand. How long had he been fighting now? Too long, he knew. Too long… Lord Touma and his Bloodguard were still fresh, they had not yet participated in the battle and would not suffer from the fatigue of long hours lifting a blade. Moreover, their weapons were formidable and their armor of high quality. The Bloodguard carried a claymore, while Lord Touma himself held a short, armor-piercing lance. The odds of two men against one were already low, but considering the other details, as well..? Akatsuki knew he was a dead man. He could only hope to wound one or both of his opponents before he was killed.

The pair of enemies approached wordlessly. Lord Touma's face was all but invisible beneath his helmet, yet his eyes glittered with malice. Beside him, his Bloodguard was stoic, already lifting the claymore in anticipation. Akatsuki shifted his grip on his own pitifully chipped blade. It did not have the range of either of their weapons, nor the durability. In fact, he wasn't sure if his sword could hold up to parrying the claymore; it could very well shatter from the impact.

If Akatsuki expected some comment, insult, or even a wrathful shout from the two men, there was none. Lord Touma and his guard merely struck in unison, reading one another's movements without speaking. After years together, they probably understood each other perfectly. Such a relationship put the redhead at a further disadvantage. His only scant hope of survival was to dodge the attacks until some of his men could reinforce him. And that was a small hope indeed, considering the dying screams he heard echoing to either side of him.

Summoning all his remaining strength, Akatsuki leapt aside, watching their armor closely as they moved for any potential weak spots. At a glance, he did not see any. In any case, he wasn't sure if he could get close enough to take advantage of them. Most likely he would be impaled on the lance, instead.

Dodging another simultaneous attack, Akatsuki rolled away from his opponents. The ground was wet and soft beneath him, muddy from the hooves of so many horses. As he rose to his feet, he noticed a silvery gleam to his right. There, in the hand of the nearest corpse, was a second blade that he might use. Two swords for two enemies. It seemed fitting. With a grunt, he raced over to the fallen man, a Touma judging by the color of his tunic, and hefted the sword in his other hand. His muscles instantly protested the additional weight, but with his life so precariously in the balance, he drowned out the pain and fatigue as best he could with pure determination.

Lord Touma was attempting to circle around behind him. If the man was able to successfully maneuver, Akatsuki would be trapped. And he could not risk moving any closer to either of his opponents. What, then? Desperately, he jumped to the side. As he did so, Lord Touma and his Bloodguard lunged forward. The Kain knight stumbled back, the lance missing him as he parried feebly with the blade in his left hand. The claymore, however, sliced downward, cutting from head to toe. He felt the drag of the metal through the side of his face as he jumped back again, taking him just beyond the range of the wide and heavy blade.

Still, the attack had cut deep. Blood poured down his face, his heart pounded, and the peripherals of his vision drew inward. His only focus was on the two men before him. At the very least, his body had avoided injury; he'd reacted before the Bloodguard had cut down to his chest. If Akatsuki lost the ability of either of his arms or legs, he was dead. If he could not stay out of reach of his opponents' weapons, he was dead. And if he made another misstep, he was probably dead, as well.

Sensing his weakness, or perhaps like sharks at the scent of blood, his opponents pressed their attack. It was all Akatsuki could do to remain out of range, or to parry the few blows that reached him. He was growing more and more tired. His body was on the verge of exhaustion, his reactions slowing. There was no way for him to escape or retreat. It wouldn't be long now until his body joined those of his comrades.

Once again, the lance shot forward, driving him back. Or maybe herding him back, into the reach of the claymore, which now swept towards him. It was too late to dodge. His arm rose to block the attack, seemingly in slow motion. He saw the blade coming and was helpless to stop it. Felt the slash of metal through his flesh. Saw something fleshy and bloody fly through the air. His blade dropped to the ground, agony and numbness flooding up his wrist and all the way to his shoulder. In the shock of blood, he could not even tell how much damage the blow had wrought. He almost wanted to laugh. So this was how it ended. At least it would be an honorable death.

As he thought this, a flash of color blurred past him. Something metallic winked at him as it arced to the sky, and before Akatsuki had time to process what had happened, Lord Touma's head rolled away from him through the mud. A moment later, and the lord's body went still and dropped to the ground. Galloping away and across the battlefield, Sara Shirabuki's wild laugh drove a chill down Akatsuki's spine.

Another horse appeared to the redhead's right, and Akatsuki watched as Takuma Ichijou engaged the Bloodguard, slicing both the man's hands off as he raised the claymore to strike. A moment later, and a blade through the eye ended the guard's pain. Then Takuma was racing away after Sara, resplendent in his golden-hued armor, their combined forces sweeping in the opposite direction now to truly finish off the Touma forces. In the far distance, Akatsuki heard the sound of a horn signalling the arrival of the final Kain and Aidou reinforcements from behind the lines.

From up on the hill, Rei Touma shrieked a call to retreat. His personal guard quickly gathered to protect him, a swarm of brown and black insects through Akatsuki's blurring vision. Some of the Ichijou men splintered apart from their formation to attack, but the redhead could hardly focus anymore. His knees gave out and he sank to the ground. A moment later, and his cheek was pressed into the mud, although he had no recollection of lying down. His face felt pinched and numb. The lack of pain scared him more than blinding agony would have-he had been cut deeply, then…

His vision was coated red, his hand twitching and trembling against the dirt. A few feet away, he thought he saw something that resembled one of his fingers, still bearing the crested ring of his house, lying motionless a foot or two away…

Somewhere in the city, a bell was tolling. He recognized the rhythm: surrender. Was it over? Had Lady Shizuka given up, or been struck down? Turning his head, he saw the city gates slowly lurch open across the field, revealing a mounted horseman carrying a pure white flag which streamed over his shoulder.

All about him, the fighting gradually stopped. Hio and Touma men threw down their weapons. Out of the corner of his eye, Akatsuki saw Ruka gallop past, a flash of fire across the bloody field.

His body was immobile, chained to the earth. How long until he was pulled 6 feet under? Gaze wandering up to the sky, he felt oddly at peace, because losing his own life was infinitely preferable to losing Ruka.

Lips paralyzed, his last conscious thought echoed emptily through his skull: We won...


AN: I'm so sorry for the late upload. As you can imagine, teaching this year has been a challenge. This past month and a half has been really stressful, but things seem to have calmed down a bit-enough to publish a new chapter! I'll try not to keep you waiting too long for the next one!