Note1: I wrote most of this part listening to War of the Last Wolves from the Rurouni Kenshin OAV soundtrack. If you
haven't heard it, it's a great piece of music!
Chapter 12: Mission's End
The metal door burst open with a clang, and Youji saw a blur of red and white before a shoulder barreled into his stomach, sending him flying. His head bounced off the ground, and stars of pain burst in front of his eyes. The staccato noise of bullets hitting concrete echoed in his ears.
"Shit." Schuldich's voice was right next to his ear. "What the hell did you get yourselves into, Weiss?"
Youji could only mumble incoherently as he struggled to sit up, gingerly touching the back of his head. There was a lump there the size of Mt. Fuji. "Can't you mind blast them or something?"
Schuldich dusted his coat off. "Not unless I want to ruin your minds as well, Balinese. You kittens don't have shields."
Youji scrubbed his face. "What are we going to do then?"
Schuldich pulled a katana out of a sheath on his back. "I'll distract him. You go try to wake up sleeping beauty over there."
"Are you crazy? He'll kill you in seconds!" Youji swayed on his feet, but at least he was standing.
Schuldich grinned and tapped his head. "You forget, I'm a telepath." He disappeared behind the wall that was affording them cover.
Youji gave a short bark of laughter. "Right."
~*~*~*~
He was standing on a hill. It was twilight, everything tinged blue-black. A breeze blew his coat away from his legs and ruffled his hair. He blinked as he saw a dark smudge across the sky. "Who are you?" he asked, reaching for his katana. It wasn't there.
"Battousai."
It was him. That voice, that other being who invaded his mind. "What do you want from me?"
The figure moved closer. The moon, just rising, glinted off his high ponytail. "Nothing. I can save you."
"I can't be saved." He lifted his face upward. "I am a murderer."
They were standing face to face now. The Battousai's yellow eyes gleamed in the darkness. He shied away from that piercing, intelligent gaze.
"Do you want to die?" The ghost's voice was all around him, caging him in.
"I have nothing left to live for. The only one I loved is gone."
The night exploded before his eyes. He raised a hand to his throbbing cheek in bewilderment.
"You are too afraid to die!" The Battousai's otherworldly eyes flashed.
"I'm . . . afraid to die?"
A hand cupped his face gently. "You've killed so many people that you don't value your own life. Live your life, Aya. Don't be afraid to die. Don't be afraid to live." The Battousai's voice was almost wistful.
Faces from his past flashed in front of his eyes. His parents, his friends, his sister. Omi. Ken. Youji. The night wavered as his eyes overflowed with tears. "Help me to live," he pleaded.
"I will help you defeat Makoto. After that, you will be alone." The Battousai's strong arms lifted him up and embraced him.
Aya felt a chill as the shorter man melted into him. He closed his eyes.
~*~*~*~
Youji's eyes widened as a furious wind swept across the roof, nearly knocking him off his feet. His mouth dropped open as Aya stood up. His eyes were still closed.
"Schuldich!" Youji shouted, frantically gesturing at his teammate.
Both Schuldich and Makoto stood transfixed as Aya's eyes snapped open. They gleamed yellow. He sheathed his katana.
"Your time is over, Makoto Keisuke." His voice was cold and distant.
Makoto laughed as he strode forward. "Fool," he spat, "It will never be over as long as I wield my sword!"
Schuldich grinned. "Welcome back," he murmured. "Let's hope you're strong enough to finish the job."
Aya's eyes flickered toward him, then focused on Makoto again. He poised his hand over the hilt of his katana. "Here I come."
He sprang forward at the same instant Makoto did. Omi, Ken, Youji. I will not fail you now. A foreign name sprang from his lips, even as his body moved in a dance that was strange to him. "Ama kakeru ryu no hirameki!"
His sword was a blur, but Makoto's was just as fast. "Is that all you have? I win!" Makoto grinned. He lifted his blade to attack Aya's unprotected back as he followed through on his swing. Suddenly Makoto's feet slipped. "What is this?" Makoto struggled against the current of air.
A battle cry he had only heard once before was torn from Aya's throat as he completed his turn. His katana sliced cleanly through Makoto's neck. His face was splattered with the rain of blood as he dropped to one knee, using his blade to support him.
He stared at the ground. "Even if one evades the fangs of the dragon by soaring high, they get drawn in by the furious wind, then are shredded by the claws." His body shuddered as the Battousai's presence left him.
Aya came back to himself. "Tenchuu," he whispered.
Chapter 12: Mission's End
The metal door burst open with a clang, and Youji saw a blur of red and white before a shoulder barreled into his stomach, sending him flying. His head bounced off the ground, and stars of pain burst in front of his eyes. The staccato noise of bullets hitting concrete echoed in his ears.
"Shit." Schuldich's voice was right next to his ear. "What the hell did you get yourselves into, Weiss?"
Youji could only mumble incoherently as he struggled to sit up, gingerly touching the back of his head. There was a lump there the size of Mt. Fuji. "Can't you mind blast them or something?"
Schuldich dusted his coat off. "Not unless I want to ruin your minds as well, Balinese. You kittens don't have shields."
Youji scrubbed his face. "What are we going to do then?"
Schuldich pulled a katana out of a sheath on his back. "I'll distract him. You go try to wake up sleeping beauty over there."
"Are you crazy? He'll kill you in seconds!" Youji swayed on his feet, but at least he was standing.
Schuldich grinned and tapped his head. "You forget, I'm a telepath." He disappeared behind the wall that was affording them cover.
Youji gave a short bark of laughter. "Right."
He was standing on a hill. It was twilight, everything tinged blue-black. A breeze blew his coat away from his legs and ruffled his hair. He blinked as he saw a dark smudge across the sky. "Who are you?" he asked, reaching for his katana. It wasn't there.
"Battousai."
It was him. That voice, that other being who invaded his mind. "What do you want from me?"
The figure moved closer. The moon, just rising, glinted off his high ponytail. "Nothing. I can save you."
"I can't be saved." He lifted his face upward. "I am a murderer."
They were standing face to face now. The Battousai's yellow eyes gleamed in the darkness. He shied away from that piercing, intelligent gaze.
"Do you want to die?" The ghost's voice was all around him, caging him in.
"I have nothing left to live for. The only one I loved is gone."
The night exploded before his eyes. He raised a hand to his throbbing cheek in bewilderment.
"You are too afraid to die!" The Battousai's otherworldly eyes flashed.
"I'm . . . afraid to die?"
A hand cupped his face gently. "You've killed so many people that you don't value your own life. Live your life, Aya. Don't be afraid to die. Don't be afraid to live." The Battousai's voice was almost wistful.
Faces from his past flashed in front of his eyes. His parents, his friends, his sister. Omi. Ken. Youji. The night wavered as his eyes overflowed with tears. "Help me to live," he pleaded.
"I will help you defeat Makoto. After that, you will be alone." The Battousai's strong arms lifted him up and embraced him.
Aya felt a chill as the shorter man melted into him. He closed his eyes.
Youji's eyes widened as a furious wind swept across the roof, nearly knocking him off his feet. His mouth dropped open as Aya stood up. His eyes were still closed.
"Schuldich!" Youji shouted, frantically gesturing at his teammate.
Both Schuldich and Makoto stood transfixed as Aya's eyes snapped open. They gleamed yellow. He sheathed his katana.
"Your time is over, Makoto Keisuke." His voice was cold and distant.
Makoto laughed as he strode forward. "Fool," he spat, "It will never be over as long as I wield my sword!"
Schuldich grinned. "Welcome back," he murmured. "Let's hope you're strong enough to finish the job."
Aya's eyes flickered toward him, then focused on Makoto again. He poised his hand over the hilt of his katana. "Here I come."
He sprang forward at the same instant Makoto did. Omi, Ken, Youji. I will not fail you now. A foreign name sprang from his lips, even as his body moved in a dance that was strange to him. "Ama kakeru ryu no hirameki!"
His sword was a blur, but Makoto's was just as fast. "Is that all you have? I win!" Makoto grinned. He lifted his blade to attack Aya's unprotected back as he followed through on his swing. Suddenly Makoto's feet slipped. "What is this?" Makoto struggled against the current of air.
A battle cry he had only heard once before was torn from Aya's throat as he completed his turn. His katana sliced cleanly through Makoto's neck. His face was splattered with the rain of blood as he dropped to one knee, using his blade to support him.
He stared at the ground. "Even if one evades the fangs of the dragon by soaring high, they get drawn in by the furious wind, then are shredded by the claws." His body shuddered as the Battousai's presence left him.
Aya came back to himself. "Tenchuu," he whispered.