Saga Five: Final Fight: Kiya! Defeat the Demon Within!
Sano's POV
My visit at Doctor Gensai's was interrupted that day. Megumi was thoroughly surprised when Kito Saito came running in, knocking over the small footstool Megumi sometimes sat upon in his rush to get inside the room.
"Is Doctor Gensai in?" He panted and then I realized the reason for his worry was the small (and unconscious) female teen in his arms with a thin pink scar over her left eye…
"Kiya!" I jumped to my feet and lunged forward to grab the front of Kito's outer haori, wrenching him closer only inches away from my nose. "What did you do to her!?" I shouted and watched with slight glee as those narrow amber eyes widen in surprise.
"Nothing!" He shouted back, before Megumi had taken hold of my arm and tugged me back. I let go of Kito, letting Megumi pull me away from him.
"I won't allow any fights in here Sanosuke!" She said firmly and seated me down upon the floor once more, shooting a sharp glare my way before turning to Kito. "Follow me young man, why- gasp!"
Megumi covered her mouth in horror as a large gash appeared on Kiya's right shoulder staining her outfit a dark crimson as well as the floor in small droplets. Drip, drip, drip… It looked as though someone had shoved a blade through the limb and then yanked it out. Megumi shook herself out of her shock and quickly motioned for Kito to follow her as she swept out of the room and down the hall. I followed quickly behind.
By the time I had arrived at the right room, Megumi had already set Kiya down upon one of those operating tables she had used when one of my friends had gotten hit with a wooden cannonball a few years back. Kito hovered around nearby, his right hand clenched tightly around the hem of his outer haori. I stuck myself right inside the doorway and watched as Megumi quickly tied her hair back with a white kerchief. Just then Doctor Gensai arrived, ready and primed for surgery.
He hissed a sympathetic sigh as his eyes roved over Kiya's injury. "This is quite serious," He muttered as Megumi gently removed the top half of Kiya's tunic and slid her pale arm out of the sleeve of her shirt underneath. With her clothing half off both Doctor and Lady Doctor could see the wound on Kiya's shoulder clearly enough to do a clean job.
I hmphed loudly and grabbed a staring Kito; dragging him roughly out of the room. Once outside I shut the sliding door to prevent any peeking from that dumbhead's son. It's not like he would, but I as much as I like to gamble, I don't like to take chances with a woman's privacy especially my sister's.
"I didn't do anything to her, Sano." Kito suddenly said quietly. I turned to look at him. His head was bowed and I could see his fists clench and unclench at his sides.
I let out a heavy sigh. "Then how do you explain those cuts on her arms? And why she's unconscious?" I said coldly.
Kito was silent for a moment, before mumbling something that didn't quite reach my ears. I grabbed his shoulder and shoved him back against the wall outside the operating room.
"What was that?" I snarled, feeling my teeth grind against one another in my impatience.
"I inflicted those wounds-"
"What?! Why you-"
"But…I could've sworn that it was a different woman I was attacking…taller…and the weirdest thing was… that she had…." Kito trailed off.
I shook him a little. "What? She had what? K-"
"Claws….she even raked me…..twice…"
It was then I noticed the long scratch marks across Kito's left cheek and the five tiny gouges encircling where his heart should be. He placed one hand over the scratch marks on his chest and lifted his head to speak. "It wasn't Kiya was it?" He asked. "I know she's a bit cold, but I don't think she would, would she?"
I let go of his shoulder and stuck my hand into my pocket. "How can I explain this to you in way you could understand?"
Kito blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Kiya's a Berserker," I said flatly. Kiya was gonna kill me for telling him this later; I just knew she would…
"A what?"
Kiya's POV
"See child, you cannot defeat me,"
No…
"You and I will be one forever!"
No!
I whirled around and charged her thrusting my blade toward her stomach. Berserk leapt to the side and dealt a bow to the back of my head. I fell and quickly rolled to the right, just as Berserk's own blade sunk deeply into the ground inches away from my neck. I quickly got to my feet just as she had tugged her blade free and lunged forward with a horizontal slash at her chest. She blocked, our blades ringing as they met and roughly pushed toward me. I shoved back, determined not to let her break the stalemate in her favor.
"You will not, win!" She snarled, fangs showing through clenched teeth.
"Die, damn it!" I snarled back and kicked at her stomach, connecting solidly. Berserk gasped and jumped back; retreating from the stalemate. She stood there for a second, one arm wrapped around her stomach as she looked up to shoot a glare at me.
"Damn you!" She cursed and spat off to the side, red liquid spattering the purple ground in tiny droplets. Her next kick connected with my cheek and I felt myself reeling completely around and before I could defend myself she'd slashed my back. I yelled in fury and swung around to deliver a wild slash as her chest. It was clean hit, but only leaving a shallow cut just below her collar bone. Berserk had unfortunately seen the attack coming and had taken a step back just in time. I spat off to the side, wiping my mouth with that back of my sleeve as she took a few steps back, keeping her eyes locked upon me. And without warning Berserk attacked, her single blade preparing to tear me to pieces…
Sano's POV
"A what?" Kito repeated his face blank with confusion.
"A berserker: someone who carries a demon of rage within." I said slowly, even I had trouble believing it, even now. "Kiya has a demon living inside of her, one who enjoys killing."
Kito blinked twice before both of his hands came up to rub his eyes roughly and then slapping his cheeks once before he looked back up at me. "You're not kidding, aren't you? Such a thing exists?" His eyes were now those of his father's, narrow and viscous. I nodded solemnly. He gave a vigorous shake of his head, his eyes traveling back to the closed door of the operating room, staring for a few moments. I followed his gaze. Little Sister, I thought, you can beat her, and I know you can.
I know you can…
Kiya's POV
She was loosing confidence with every slash she threw at me and at the same time I was losing the hope that maybe I could beat her. Our blades were both identical but our intentions were not. She wanted a bloodbath and I wanted… what did I want? To continue to be Tokyo's sweeper until some other city called me? Is that what I really wanted or was it something else? I shook my head and cursed as the action almost cost me an eye as I jumped out of the way of a thrust at my head. Berserk was insanely angry, furious that she couldn't dispose of me quickly like her other targets. But wasn't she expecting me to be this much trouble? No, she was as ignorant and as arrogant as anyone could be.
Hmph, she was even more arrogant than that Shishio guy. I didn't even get to fight him when he was alive. Even though Japan's new police force knew and respected my skills, they considered me too young at fourteen to take the man on. Besides, they had told me, the Battousai would defeat Shishio and there was no need for me to be there. I'd gone anyway, of course. Saito had been furious when I appeared within the giant labyrinth. He'd just killed the Eye of the Heart, Usui, when I'd walked in. He was my immediate superior next to the police chief and he could order me gone in heartbeat, but he didn't. I ended up watching his defeat along with Sano's, whom I'd known as Zanza at the time, and staring in shock at Himura's prone form. I'd been scared out of my wits at the sight of this inhuman man, it seemed unreal that he'd defeated the greatest fighters Japan had to offer. And yet I'd offered to stall Shishio in Aoshi Shinimori's place so that Himura could regain consciousness using his swordsman's spirit or something along those lines, I didn't really understand it at the time. He'd refused and gone on to fight. I'd left as soon as I saw Shishio fall in burning flames. I didn't need to be there any longer.
I blocked another slash to the stomach and pushed back with my own weapon to free the blade and perform a hacking slash at her chest. Berserk hurriedly blocked it with her blade, my own blade sliding off the tip and slicing into her shoulder. Berserk screamed in fury and swept at my head with a round-a-house kick that slammed into my ear; knocking me off my feet. I slowly stood up, watching her as she clutched at her wound, hissing furiously through clenched teeth stained a faint red. Silly to get so worked up over such a petty injury.
I ran at her, preparing to thrust my blade through her stomach. Berserk let the blade's tip slice through the palm of her hand as she sidestepped the attack; her knee ramming into my stomach. I gasped, my fingers letting go the handle of my weapon as I fell to the ground. Berserk's growl of anger rang within my ears as I got up upon my hands and knees. Her shoe slammed into my stomach again, kicking me onto my back with a painful thump. I gasped again, squeezing my eyes shut in pain and when I opened them I found Berserk somewhere I didn't want to see her, on top of me.
"Get off me you bitch!!" I shouted and reached up to punch her in the face. She smirked through a nose streaming blood as she grabbed both of my wrists and held them captive against the ground beneath me.
"Oh c'mon, dearie, don't tell me you didn't enjoy what I did to you a few days ago hm?"
I didn't want to remember and I sure as hell didn't enjoy it. She'd ugh…. I began to struggle wildly even as she kissed me. I growled against her mouth as she squeezed my wrists harder within her grip. Finally she pulled away from me, her tongue running over her top lip as she grinned at me.
"Aw, little Kiya didn't enjoy that?" She crooned. I dug my fingernails into the skin of her hands and she winced visibly.
"No," I snarled as I dug even harder into her hands. "Get the fuck off me!!"
Berserk gave a howl of fury as my fingernails broke through her skin and let go of my wrists and jumping off me with a snarl joining the angry noise she'd made before. I got to my feet looking around quickly for my kodachi. Those precious few moments cost me a slap to the face with the flat of Berserk's kodachi. I reeled, stars exploding in my vision as I fell heavily onto my hands and knees. Shaking my head vigorously I looked up only to find the tip of Berserk's blade at my nose. She smiled through heavy breathing, fangs gleaming in the dim light.
"Game over girlie," She snickered. "And guess what? I win!" She chuckled at this announcement and I felt my cheeks burn with humiliation as she spoke. Berserk threw her head back laughing wildly and I bowed my head in shame, closing my eyes and then opening them, blurred with tears. Hey…waitaminute! I blinked twice as I saw the impossible, my kodachi laying in full view right beneath my chest, the hilt pointed toward the demon. I looked up quickly, she was still laughing to herself, both eyes closed. I smirked, stupid ditz, you'll die now! I grabbed the kodachi and ran toward her, ignoring her blade point slicing down my left arm, I didn't think to avoid it, not when my goal was within reach. I swung my blade at her neck. Berserk didn't notice I was upon my feet until it was too late.
My blade sliced into her wrist instead. I squinted slightly and spat a little as her blood sprayed onto my face, I must've hit one of the main veins in the limb. I pulled away, not wasting time to think as I thrust my blade into her stomach. Berserk gasped, blood flowing over her lips as she tugged herself off my blade her mouth formed into a small "o" of surprise as she staggered backwards. I could see her amber eyes begin to dull as she stood there upon unsteady feet, glaring at me with all her might. I glared back, panting slightly.
"This isn't over!!" She screeched, staggering forward few steps. I stood, ready for her, she wouldn't be that hard to take down now that I'd run her through the stomach. Berserk took another step forward before letting a long loud scream, she was furious.
"It's over," I said quietly. "You're dying and soon I will have full control over my body, the way it was supposed to be before you came along…" I let my arms drop to my sides, still holding my kodachi loosely in one hand as I watched her cough up more of her life. Die, I thought, just lay down and die, it's done!
Suddenly out of nowhere her kodachi blade buried its point in my side, narrowly missing my stomach, but this fact didn't lessen the pain. I gasped, reaching a shaking hand down to grip the handle. I could feel my vision blurring as my fingers closed over the tightly wound leather, finger-tips tracing the worn edges as if contemplating whether to pull it our or not. Cackling laughter reached my ears and my head tilted upwards to see the source, Berserk, fall laughing to her knees. Blood ran down her chin rivers as she continued to laugh and what she shrieked at that moment will haunt me for as long as I am alive.
"I'm the winner! I'm the winner! You'll never beat me, I'm the winner!!" And those final words she toppled over onto her face, the purple colored ground shutting off her laughter with a soft thump as her body hit. I gave a sigh of relief and coughed, realizing that, in fact, I could possibly die also. I tugged the blade out of my side with a yell, tears mixing with the blood dripping to the ground as I dropped the weapon and fell heavily onto my back. I smiled, she was gone and the nightmare was over…she was gone… and…the nightmare is over…the night…mare…is over…She ….was gone…The…nightmare is…the nightmare….is over…it's…
…over…
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Next time on Rurouni Kenshin…
The demon is defeated, but with the fatal injuries Kiya has received she might not live to see another day! Can the medical expertise of Doctor Gensai and the Lady Doctor save her? Or will Sano loose his little sister? Find out on…
Rurouni Kenshin!!!
The Longest Night: Wake up Kiya!