- TOH SHIN DEN: To Challenge Fate -

a Battle Arena Toshinden fanfiction by Athena Asamiya and Kasumi Todoh


CHAPTER TEN: Rivals



Translations:
niisan - informal version of oniisan; elder brother
iie - no
doshite - why
daijobu - are you all right
ganbatte - good luck
konban wa - good evening


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"I don't believe it. I can't believe it," Eiji repeated to himself, over and over again. "My niisan would never do such a thing, never..."
Eiji was kneeling on the floor, shaking his head and muttering to himself in disbelief at Gaia's parting statement.
"Your brother works for us now. If you know what's wise, you will leave now. We are getting angry. And soon your time will run out. Even you, Eiji Shinjo, cannot defeat your brother. The end is coming. Only destruction awaits."
"Doshite...?"
"Then maybe we didn't know him as well as we thought," Kayin snapped, a hint of anger showing in his voice. "Your brother always looked like he was capable of anything."
"But he wouldn't turn against me!!" Eiji yelled back in frustration. "He would never turn evil!! And I know it!" He bit his lower lip. "Maybe Gaia is wrong. Maybe niisan is just tricking them, or something..."
"Eiji-kun..." Ellis started softly. She moved towards him, but Kayin got in front of her, nearly knocking her small frame over in the process.
"So he's now a bloody turncoat. What good is denying the truth going to do?" Kayin's eyes narrowed into cold aqua-coloured slits. "Gaia said we were looking for the same person. That means that Sho was the one who--"
That was too much for Eiji to handle at the moment.
He stood up and got right in Kayin's face, red eyes flaming angrily. "What the hell are you saying?? That my niisan killed your father?? That my niisan is a murderer??"
"That's what Gaia said, isn't it?" Kayin snarled back in frustration. "Eiji, you can be so goddamn thick! Open your eyes, you daft fool! Your brother's no saint, and he's not the same guy we USED to know!!"
Eiji's eyes were burning, before he answered back quietly, in a low voice, "Kayin, how dare you. How dare you actually think that my niisan murdered your father. After everything he did for us..."
"Do think this is easy for me? Huh?? Do you???" Kayin was raging now. "To find that now, after all these years of biding my time and waiting for the right time to take vengeance, that my father's killer is an old friend?"
"...And how do you think this is for me, to find that after taking a part of my life to search for my brother, that he isn't the same anymore...?" Eiji yelled back.
The two just glared at each other for a minute, both seething at each other and themselves. This staredown would have continued if Sofia hadn't parted them.
"All right, you two, that is enough," she said firmly, trading glances between both Eiji and Kayin.
"Yep, there's more important things to worry about now," Tracy added, stepping up to them. Ellis nodded in agreement.
Eiji and Kayin looked at the three girls, one at a time, expressions never changing nor faltering. The silence was broken when Kayin turned away from Eiji, and said his answer to that in a low, gutteral tone:
"Not to me there isn't. The end, indeed. I'm going to find that murdering bastard. And when I do, it's not going to be a pretty sight."
Kayin started to walk off, leaving the others staring after him in surprise. It took Eiji a moment to regain his senses, but when he did, he ran up to Kayin, blood boiling, spun him around, and grabbed the collar of his jacket. Even though Eiji was indeed shorter, a year younger and less built than Kayin, he nearly managed to lift him right off the ground. "You aren't going anywhere, damn you," Eiji growled, "if you intend to hurt my brother."
Kayin twisted out of the hold, and, in the process, threw Eiji to the ground. Hard. The wind was knocked out of him for a split-second, but before Eiji could even move, there was the tip of a broadsword-blade at his throat. Kayin was staring down at him, icy blue-green eyes glittering coldly.
"Go to hell."
Kayin turned again, resheathed Excalibur, and continued to disappear into the dense forest surrounding the battle arena. Eiji struggled to his feet, glaring after Kayin. He started to yell a nasty parting obscenity at Kayin, but stopped at the last minute. There would be no answer. Ellis ran up to Eiji, who stood stiffened at the edge of the arena in anger.
"Eiji-kun, are you...daijobu?"
Eiji was silent, before answering, "Not for long. I'm going after him."
Ellis gave him her best dark look. "How do you know where Kayin went? And, for that matter, our two best fighters being maimed by each other is not a good thing."
"El's right," said Tracy. "Believe me, you two looked like you were going to rip each other's throats out back there."
"It is sundown," Sofia added quietly. "and it is the Himitsu's next move. I do not think they are going to take the loss of one of their best fighters well. You and Kayin will be obvious targets."
Eiji did not respond to any of these comments, nor did he look at any of them. "Kayin can be an overconfident stubborn jackass who won't take no for an answer, but..." Eiji lowered his gaze. "He's no match for my niisan. And Kayin's not invincible. None of us are. Someone needs to show him that before he gets himself killed. I'm going."
And with that, Eiji took off in the direction that Kayin went, with Ellis, Sofia, and Tracy doing nothing but watching. Tracy started after him, but Sofia placed a firm hand on her shoulder.
"This is between them. Leave them be...for now."
Tracy looked at Sofia, then nodded. "That boy is either very brave or very foolish." Yet she grinned approvingly. "But that's the true sign of a hero."
Ellis' sparkling blue eyes glazed over with tears, and she clasped her hands in front of her. "Eiji-kun...ganbatte. Come back to me...to us...alive."

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Eiji's hurried footsteps and quiet breathing were the only sounds that could be heard in the dark forest covered with draped, overhanging branches, laden with leaves all shades of green. Eiji shivered, pulled the collar of his battle kimono tighter around his neck, and kept moving. He didn't like this place, and something just wasn't right. This forest goes on for a while, Eiji thought. Who knows where Kayin is by now? And I'm definitely not giving him the satisfaction of calling his name. Eiji realized quickly that this was where Ellis and he had been attacked a few days earlier.
That did start everything. That dream-girl was right. This is more than any of us ever expected from a "simple" tournament. And this hell isn't even over yet.
This is destiny. This is my destiny. And am I the hero now? Or just a fool who falling for an obvious trap?
Eiji looked up. The sun was lowering, the sky a blaze of bright purples and oranges, the moon already slowing rising into the darkening navy-blue atmosphere. Night's falling so fast. And the Himitsu Kessha's going to make its next move. If Kayin does find my brother, then--
A noise came from the brush. Jolting him out of his thoughts, Eiji grabbed the Byakko no Tachi from his back and started to unsheath it quickly. He stopped when he saw a bird take flight from the bush, in a rush of wings and leaves. Eiji watched it lazily spiral up, towards the patches of darkened sky above, and for a moment, turned a blind eye.
That was a bad move on his part.
There were footsteps behind him. Approaching cautiously, but carefully.
Eiji grimaced. Well, Kayin-chan, I'm not in the mood for any more arguing. We are still friends, and I don't care if you hate me until your dying day. I'm getting this through your thick skull. Here goes... And he turned around, expecting to see Kayin Amoh, in his red and black jacket, long blond hair and cold eyes.
Eiji was not facing his best friend.
And, at the same moment, his search came abruptly to an end.
He had found who was looking for.
He stood in front of Eiji, silently, not moving, save for quiet, rhythmic breathing. In the faint light of the rising moon, Eiji could see that he was wearing a battle kimono, similar to his own, only red with a purple silk shawl draped over the top, and similar pants. The tall boots that he wore, highlighted with many dark straps, seemed worn and dusty but not so that they were ineffective. At his side was a thin, rather lightweight-looking sword-sheath, no doubt that of a samurai katana. Taller, but not by much, just enough so that Eiji had to slightly look up to do so. Eiji did not even have to look at his confronter's face or into his eyes, because he knew what he would see -- mirror images of his own, dark auburn-brown hair and deep red eyes. And yet older, much older, not so much of age, but because they had seen much more than Eiji's young eyes had or ever will. A light breeze, as if on impulse, caused the trees to sway lightly, as well as ruffling the tails of Eiji's white headband and a few stray stands of the man's long hair. But even without the dim whitish light of the moon, Eiji would have known who he was. His knees suddenly felt weak, and his heartbeats increased by a rapid rate. Eiji would have said something, but he wasn't sure he trusted his speaking skills at this moment. His confronter was the first one to break the heavy silence between them.
"Konban wa, little brother. It's...been a while."

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