Damaged Soul
a Soujiro-centric fic
by Lucathia
part 3
"Chirp, chirp! Tweeeeeeeeeet!"
I stirred from my deep slumber and tiredly opened my eyes to welcome in the warm sunlight. Grimacing at the loud bird sharing the tree I was taking cover under, I got up and stretched. The bird kept on chirping and chirping while I straightened my bloody and tattered clothes. It flew down from its perch in the tree to circle down upon me. I smiled when it landed on my shoulder and chirped in my ear. It seems like even nature and animals want to help me succeed. Gently, I pulled out my sword and raised it up into the air. The sunlight shone down upon the blade. The blade gleamed...scaring the bird away.
I kept on smiling. Such an innocent little life cannot be left in this world without any bad experiences. Everyone will always go through some bad events. As will this bird. Too bad it'll be my breakfast.
I jumped up until I was at the same height as the bird and thrust out, impaling the bird's soft body. Falling down back to the earth, I slowly sat down and held my sword in front of me. Ruby red blood glittered down my sword. I smiled as my gaze fell upon the dead bird. Such a beautiful little life ended by my sword. I gently picked at its feathers and stuck a few that were not bloody in my sleeves. I built a fire and proceeded to roast my prey.
Mother Nature fills me with so many questions. She lets animals live such weak, peaceful lives. She created them so that they could be killed. Why would she want to create life so that they can die? Weak, that's what they all are. And that's what I am not.
A voice ran out, loud and clear. What gives him the privilege to destroy my peace?
"Seta Soujiro, you don't have time to be enjoying the mornings." A black figure silhouetted by the glistening sunlight stood before me. Even though I cannot see him, I know very well who he is. I smiled. This really is funny. Why, my prey wants to die faster than I planned. Stupid.
I opened my mouth, wanting to bid him a good day. But to my surprise, no sound came out.
I shrugged. I never knew my voice was lost. It's not like I talk to myself. I guess it doesn't really matter though. I can still kill without a voice. I just have a little disability, that's all.
I stood up to look at Hajime-san in the eye. Good day, Hajime-san. But of course he can't hear me since I'm just thinking all this stuff. I held my hand out to him and smiled.
He looked me in the eye and...sat down. Now that's a surprising move for him to make. Doesn't he want to capture me for all the crimes I've committed? Running away from the police after Shishio-san's death, killing so many people from the villages, and now injuring Tsubame...those are all very enormous crimes. Doesn't he want to fulfill his responsibility? Well, I guess he's not a normal policeman.
"And now what have you been up to?" He whipped out a cigarette and lighted it. Then he leaned back against the tree trunk and let the smoke drift away towards the sun.
I shrugged again and coughed. Rubbing the smoke from my eyes, I moved away from the trail of smoke and backed away into the shade of another tree. Slowly I put my hand on my sword, ready to pull it out. Hajime-san stood up and threw his cigarette down and smothered it.
"It's a beautiful day isn't it?" Hajime-san snickered and raised his sword with his left hand. "Too bad things don't stay beautiful." He narrowed his eyes and gazed at me. He only saw a pair of glowing eyes hidden in the shade.
Without saying a word, I dashed out from the shade to arrive by Hajime-san's side. I would have said some parting words to him, but unfortunately I couldn't.
I slid to stop my momentum. I swung out my sword. He jumped back and parried, bringing his sword up to clang against mine. I stopped abruptly right in front of him and jumped up to swing downwards. Hajime-san grinned and swung upwards with deadly accuracy. He nearly pierced my skin, just nearly.
I landed behind him, holding my sword out to my side. A tiny pool of blood formed beneath the tip of my sword. Hajime-san's blood. I've scored.
I turned around slowly and kept smiling. Hajime-san panted a bit, putting pressure to his right chest with his free arm to try to stop the bleeding. He grimaced. "You've gotten better. Just a few more inches to the left and I'd be no more." I just smiled some more and inspected my sword.
Such beauty, such redness. I traced the side of my sword down, clearing a little blood away from my sword.
"Here I come, you fool!" Hajime-san flashed by me and thrust towards me.
I jumped away quickly and held my sword up straight. I pointed to the blood on my blade and smiled again. Oh, what a joy to see his expression.
He slowed down and glanced up, narrowing his eyes. He read the word I drew in his blood. "Death..."
I nodded and pointed my sword at him and grinned wildly. He's about to receive death from this crazed hunter...a crazed hunter hunting an extinct wolf.
Hajime-san snickered at me and dashed towards me again, sword ready in his famous position. "Death is for you!"
I shrugged apologetically and smiled. I bet Himura-san would be furious and full of regret when I throw Hajime-san's corpse down into that little dojo.
A slit appeared in my right sleeve because of my mind's wanderings. One of the bird's feathers I had kept drifted down. Hajime-san glanced at the blood red feather for the briefest moment, probably wondering why I have a feather in my sleeves. I smiled. This was just the moment of distraction I needed.
I struck out and stabbed him near his left chest. Funny that I'd be stabbing him and not slashing him. What a way to kill an opponent. I gave him the final blow with a technique similar to his own. I yanked my sword out with no mercy, causing more blood to gush out.
Hajime-san's blood shot eyes widened, and he gasped in pain. He fell to the ground, face down. His left hand never released the deathly grip on his sword as his right hand grasped the silky grass.
What a beautiful way to die. He gets to die with Nature.
I smiled.
I've won again.
I'm another step closer to my ultimate revenge.
And...just to say...
It really is a beautiful day.
I walked away with the ghost of a blood red bird hovering by my side.
to be continued
This was written on 1/27/01.
