Chapter 11
Story by: Cessy Angel
"We only fight because we want to protect the ones we love, or for our ideals. The others who fight for the sheer pleasure of fighting are nothing but puppets, but remember that not all of them are puppets, some are also the same who are lost."
Aoshi never left Kimweri's face, his hand tightening around the kodachi while he struggled to get the words out. "Kimweri Meshika, the one who once fought alongside my brother during the war, but also the one who betrayed him, who confirmed his death, his own murderer!"
For the first time since Misao has known Kimweri, never had she seen him so angered. His eyes flared and his teeth grit while Aoshi had spoken the last words. He began to speak, so softly, and, contrary to his expression, calmly. "I never betrayed Yushiro..."
"The hell you didn't! I heard from the other soldiers! They confirmed to me that my brother disappeared one night when you were angry after him, and the next day they found him dead near the camp!" Aoshi's voice was unstable, and he barely got the words out of his mouth before his lower lip began to tremble.
"I would never hurt Yushiro-sam–" he stopped, only then noticing that he had slipped one word too many. But again his expression changed, he grasped his katana with his right hand and quickly got into stance. "Whatever you think of me, I won't care any less. All I need is my revenge!"
Stricken by the other's words, Aoshi looked confused at Kimweri, he, too, getting into stance. "Why do you talk of revenge? What have I ever done to you?"
"Plenty!" Kimweri yelled across the room, his voice full of an unknown hatred. He lunged himself after Aoshi, his katana drawn and ready to hit.
Even with his immense strength, his attack was blocked by one of Aoshi's kodachi, and the other already slicing throughout the air towards Kimweri's open rib. Miraculously, another katana emerged from Kimweri's back and blocked it. The moment only lasted a few seconds, but time seemed to be passing with hours.
Between the two, while in their single moment while they remained face-to-face, Aoshi whispered "Why?" but the other didn't acknowledge his question, instead he attacked again, his strength forcing into his katana and they both broke off at the same time, one on each side of the room.
Again, both lashed out at each other, this time Kimweri leaping over Aoshi, his body twisting as he spun around hoping to catch the other off guard, but his kodachi once again stopped the attack. In an instant, both of them were landing frenzied cuts throughout themselves, each one never coming close enough to cut deep into the other.
"WHY WON'T YOU DIE!" Kimweri's cries overwhelmed both Aoshi and Misao. He would change from one emotion to the other, and the anger and sadness behind his last scream, it was worse than even what Aoshi had every been through, what could have caused it?
Aoshi closed his eyes and clasped his hands over his ears his ears, trying to cover his ears from Kimweri's outbursts almost without success, and again, he opened his eyes and looked at Kimweri the same way he had looked at Battousai when he was trying to kill him. "WHY, Kimweri! Why!"
Kimweri stopped for a minute, his eyes returning to their original green color. He stood still for a moment, completely blank, as if he had left the room mentally. He began to whisper very slowly. "Why, why is always the question, isn't it? In your case, it is why I killed Yushiro. But for me, it's more likely why you say these things, even though I haven't. Why. Why did Yushiro..." He grasped his hands around his eyes and fell to his knees. "Why did Yushiro die...?"
"Why would you feel such remorse if it was yourself who killed him..." Aoshi's question was low, but he just didn't understand the situation. He didn't understand any of this.
"Aoshi-sama," Misao coughed lightly while she was against the wall, her voice so soft. She began to whisper to him in the gentlest manner. "Maybe it wasn't him who killed your brother... can't you listen to the sadness in his voice every time he talks about him?"
It was true, he hadn't noticed how much sadness crept into Kimweri's voice when he talked about Yushiro. He was too preoccupied with saving Misao. But... why would Kimweri attack him, as if he blamed Aoshi for his brother's death just like he blamed him?
"Why do you blame me for my own brother's death, Kimweri?" he finally whispered.
The other one looked at him and raised down his hands. "I don't blame you for Yushiro's death... but..." He stood up, his cold gaze once again resting on Aoshi. "I do blame you for taking my place next to your brother!"
He was unstable. He barely blocked it, the katana's edge cutting into his left arm. The blood began to gush over his trenchcoat and onto the floor, but it wasn't that deep of a cut, and Aoshi lashed his kodachi at Kimweri's leg, chopping a piece of his knee.
"Argh!" he bent down for a minute and stood again, backing up against the wall. His knee wasn't badly damaged, but it did cause a lot of pain to shoot throughout the body. Kimweri grimaced and began gasping heavily. "I can't... lose... I won't..."
"Surrender, Kimweri, you can't win against me." Aoshi paused, noticing that Misao was still held up only two feet from where Kimweri was leaning against the wall. "But tell me why you wish to kill me..."
Kimweri broke off into a silent insane laugh. "That word again, why," but he looked up, his demeanor changing once more from the insane mask to one of sadness. Tears began to swell up in his blood shot eyes. "I could never take your place next to your brother. Whatever I said, whatever I did, he would always compare me to you. I could never be his best man."
"What are you saying...?" But Aoshi already knew the answer, even though he wanted so much that it wouldn't be it. Anything but that. Only then did he also acknowledge that Kimweri was indeed the one who killed his brother, but didn't even remember the event, that was his handicap, his unstableness. And how much he feared for Misao, he could do anything to her. But he would save her, whatever Kimweri would try, he would never get to do anything to Misao.
"I... I loved Yushiro! But I could never be his favorite! It was all your fault!" The tears of sadness got mixed with tears of hatred, and once again Kimweri dashed towards Aoshi, but made one more step, and turned towards Misao.
"Misao!" Aoshi cried and leapt towards her.
"Now you will lose your loved one! Just as I lost mine! This is my final gift to you, before you die in grief!" He smiled and dug his katana deep into Misao's chest, twisting it and cutting deeper and deeper into her body.
"Aoshi..." Misao clenched her teeth shut and whispered his name, but would it be for the last time?
Author's note: *Sob* I feel bad for making Misao go through that, but it was my idea from the start, same as with Kimweri. Don't worry, this isn't the last part. Although even though I've tried my best with this one, I'm pretty sure this is the worst chapter I've written until now. (Gomen, I didn't have much time to write it, either...) Anyways, please review!