By Kochan
Chapter 4: Secunda Mensa
Hayate was losing the fight against fatigue; the lactic acid burned in his muscles, combined with the lethal level of carbon dioxide lowering the limits to which he could push his body. Ryu was faring better, but he could tell just by looking that his friend was labouring just as hard to breathe as they both gave chase.
Kasumi had risen from behind the rock when the beast had discovered her. Hayate watched her lithe form vault back upon the wall then upwards out of harm's way as the creature pounced. A flip and a half-twist before her feet bounded off the demon's muzzle, landing her on a ledge above. The demon let out an angered roar at this mockery, turning to swing it's mace-like tail upwards and into the rock platform, reducing it to sand and falling debris in a loud crack. The Kunoichi was already on a neighbouring ledge, sprinting and leaping towards the next along the wall.
'Gods...Keep calm, Kasumi.' He begged of her in mind, gaining ground on the demon as it pursued his sister. But this time the creature slammed itself sideways into the wall beneath the fragile ledges, shattering every one. The impact brought them all down in an explosion of jagged rock and a cloud of suffocating dust.
Hayate feared the worst as he dive rolled from under several loosened rocks spawned from the ceiling, fragments spraying into his back as they crashed down behind him. Exhaustion was racking every one of his nerves, slowing his body, blurring his vision. His eyes came wide as Kasumi slipped on her landing, her cry striking deep in his heart as she fell upon the bed of unforgiving rock. "Ryu! Stall him!" he cried, as the dust cloud expanded, sweeping over his sister. He primed his last flare and threw it into the corner for lighting.
His lungs spasmed in pain with the onset of coughs as he ran through the cloud, his mask clogging in only a few breaths. Hayate tore it away, calling for his sister with what breath he could spare, sleeve held to his face. The dust only served to take away what little sight he had and he closed his eyes, finding Kasumi by instinct and the sound of her coughing. He knelt beside her curled, panting body to cradle it in his arms. Some distance away he heard Ryu clashing with the demon, steel striking armour once more.
"So...so dizzy." Kasumi covered her mouth to stifle a dry wretch. "Feel so ill. Can't breathe. I'm sorry...so sor..." she murmured before he hushed her with a small kerchief over her nose and mouth. They crawled from the smothering cloud, lungs on fire, struggling to find relief in the oxygen starved air.
"Inhale slow, deep." Hayate breathed, squeezing a hand at her arm in reassurance as they made their way to the cover of the large rocks in the centre. He grit his teeth, his vision speckled with stars; they had to finish this, fast. The Shinobi turned as the dust cloud begin to clear, seeing the silhouette of the beast facing them in the distance, its scorpion tail held high.
"Hayate! Cover!" he heard Ryu's voice echo from across the room. Instinct screamed at him to get low and he pushed Kasumi down upon the ground, shielding her with his own body. A series of cracks sounded at the rock just above his head and he looked up to see several arrow-sized needles embedded in it.
Spikes! With all his remaining strength, Hayate dragged his sister up and pushed her behind the cover of the rocks. He turned, seeing Ryu just manage to avoid the swipe of the barbed tail with a back-flip, the Hayabusa Shinobi being forced into a defensive position. With unexpected speed the tail angled in Hayate's direction as though the creature had a third eye there. He heard the projectiles this time, punctuating a series of gas like sounds as they streaked from the creature. Quick as he could, he rolled to the side, avoiding all...but one; he felt the tight kick in his thigh, grunting with the quick onset of pain and then numbness taking over a few seconds after.
He cursed in mind as he crawled towards cover, 'poison'.
Kasumi let out a gasp, her voice shaking. "Onii-san!! Onii-san is hurt!!" she called out between pants, dragging him against one of the rocks to lie on his back.
He stilled her hand before she was able to touch the spike. "No! It's poisoned!" he said, drawing a concerned whimper from her. He looked over behind them, watching Ryu fly back into the fray with explosive fury. The Hayabusa Shinobi leapt up at the curled tail, slashing once, twice, drawing new blood and hisses each time. He flipped back on landing, drawing his palm flat against his sword. A halo of ethereal flame came to sheathe the blade as Ryu slid a finger upward from hilt to tip. The Demon took the opportunity to slam its tail into the ground, blasting a cluster of rocks at Ryu, but all they found were a whirlwind of leaves. Hayate held Kasumi close, sucking in a deep breath as they watched Ryu reappear thirty feet above the beast, sword held high.
"Kouryuu no Kaen!" echoed Ryu's voice through the cave as he brought the sword down and across his body in a diagonal slash. The flames leapt from his blade, forming a burning sphere three feet across, tripling in size as it hurtled towards the demon. Hayate felt a rush of triumph as Ryu's Dragon Fire Sphere struck the demon square in the head, engulfing it in flames, its screeches deafening. An end to all of this, at last.
But it wasn't to be. Magical as it was, the fire still hungered for the oxygen it was starved of; the only explanation as Hayate watched it flare out only after a few seconds. He could feel the creature's pain becoming rage through its hisses. A chill crept down his back as Ryu stumbled on his landing with a grunt. His friend's body slumped in exhaustion, a hand to his head, evidence of the spell having drained him beyond capacity, the oxygen in the immediate area all but consumed by the fire. Hayate found his own body beginning to shake, able to still the tremors for now as he fought the poison. But he knew it was only a matter of time.
"Ryu! In front of you!" Hayate cried, as the demon wound its barbed tail about. He watched the other Shinobi's blade glow blue, certain his warning had been received. But Ryu didn't move, perhaps he couldn't and Hayate could only look on in horror as the spiked mace end of the Demon's tail slammed into his friend with the force of a construction wrecking ball. Ryu's limp body was flung clear across the room, tumbling several times over before coming to rest face down on a pile of broken rock. His sword clattered against the wall close by, the blue glow fading from it.
"Hayabusa-san!!" screamed Kasumi, echoing Hayate's shock, her voice broken by the choked sobs and coughs that caught in her throat. Ryu remained unmoving, unconscious, beyond hearing. But not so the beast, turning its head to growl at them in the sparse lighting. Its battle with Ryu had cost it both front paws and half its face, yet still it came, treading towards the siblings with menacing stomps. Hayate could only attribute its survival to the undead power that resided within.
The Mugen Tenshin Leader pushed himself off the ground to take up a defensive position. But the world spun, gravity seeming to pull him in different directions all at once before he collapsed onto his back again with a grunt. Kasumi caught him, cradling his head as she wept, "Iya! Don't move...you'll only make it worse!"
Hayate closed his eyes, the poison raging like acid through his system. His legs were already nonexistent, perspiration pouring from every pore in his body with the fever burning within. The Mugen Tenshin Leader made his decision, cutting his losses, locking the emotion far from his mind. The situation was desperate: If the Demon didn't take them, the cave would with its poisoned air...but not all of them.
"Kasumi." he panted, taking her hand and tensing his grip. His eyes were intent on hers though he struggled to focus, nausea beginning to overcome him.
His sister looked at him with a doomed expression, shaking her head in slow motion, already knowing the words before they left his lips. "Don't..."
"You have to get to the surface." he managed, swallowing in silence. "You have...agh.." All his concentration wasn't enough, he was unable to fight the poison any longer. Hayate retched, turning over onto his side as the contents of his stomach surged forth. Gastric juices and undigested food burnt his throat, splattering upon the rocks as he vomited.
Kasumi sobbed, taking hold of his shoulders as his stomach emptied. "Onii-Chan! Oh God...!" he felt the soft silken fold of her gi smoothing over his lips, her shaking fingers wiping away the spilt vomit. "Don't ask that of me..." she whispered.
Hayate swallowed hard, his stomach tightening again, this time with fear for her. "You have to go! Now!" he said with insistence, emphasis on the last word as he pushed her hand away.
"No! Not without you!" she took his hand again in attempt to lift him to his feet.
He found his patience drained, frustration filling him. Couldn't she see all that was at risk? How important her survival was? With a hard push he shoved her away, causing her to fall back with a soft cry. His eyes shut tight, he couldn't meet the hurt look on her face. "We spoke about this Kasumi! I made it quite clear!" he shouted, voice tense with anger, every breath rasping.
Kasumi wiped her tears away with her Gi, "Please, Onii-Chan! I can't..."
"Damn it! Don't argue with me now, Kunoichi!" he retorted, "I trusted this duty to you! Now follow the order and leave!" Hayate shouted, directing a shaking hand at the exit.
"I'm no longer Mugen Tenshin, I am not sworn to obey that." she whispered as he fell into silence, panting hard, lacking any more breath to shout. He felt her trembling arms about his own, "I lost you once before and I swore to myself never to let it happen ever again." she wept at his shoulder.
Hayate knew the Carbon Dioxide coupled with the demon's poison was affecting his mind, his short temper prime evidence. He took another deep breath, forcing himself to relax, though still unable to stop the shaking. A second to force the fire from his voice. "There's a lot more at stake than just our emotions. The whole of the Tengu and mortal worlds." he shook his head, feeling at a loss, "Our friends, their families. I don't even have to..." he paused, gasping for air once more.
"You're all the family I have left, all that matters. Without you, everything is worthless." Kasumi's voice was final, spoken from the heart, he knew that now, "Please, don't ask me to refuse death with you. I deserve that much, at least."
The Shinobi forced his eyelids apart, turning to find the beast almost upon them. In the distance, the exit from the cave had been reduced to rubble from the tremors during the battle. His best friend lay unconscious, perhaps dying, maybe even dead. He himself was useless in this state, unable to move, let alone fight. Even if Kasumi were somehow able to flee the beast, she couldn't leave this cave alone...not in her state. She'd known it, just as he knew it now.
The cave was now their tomb.
The Demon stopped several feet away, the odour of charred flesh pungent. Its hideous maw opened before them, fangs and sharpened teeth amidst the black of melted bone and scale, beckoning. The roar that followed was overwhelming, the stench of death and decay spilling over the pair.
His hand reached for the sword, but Kasumi's squeezed at his arm. "No."she whispered, "That won't help, Onii-Chan. She lowered her head, her voice just audible, "He wants me, just me...to carry the curse from here."
Hayate didn't know how she knew this and didn't care, his rage swelling up in side of him once more. "Like Hell!" he spat, "He's not going to get you." But he knew just as well as Kasumi that they were out of ideas, out of luck, out of time.
He reached under his scarf to wrench the one thing that would complete this; the coin pendant from his neck. The pendant that was given only to the leaders of his clan, to those of his family's blood, that was only to be used in the face of total defeat. 'Like now' he thought, thumb caressing over the raised etching of the coin, just as his mother had taught him as a child. This mission would command the highest of prices, but at least it wouldn't be a failure.
The pendant came incandescent, drawing a shaking gasp from his sister as he clutched the shimmering ornament in hand. Her eyes were glazed from exhaustion, but he saw the fear beneath as she came to realise what he held, its immense power, its blind wrath; Shinobi, Kunoichi and Demon alike would all be consumed. Kasumi knew the incantation as well as he, whispering with him:
"The mist swirls with the wind."
"The cold fire leaves but ice."
"The coin turns in the darkness."
"Upon the light shalt thou know the price."
A light breeze blew through the cave with no discernible source, a fog sweeping about the walls, closing in as the demon grew tense. Hayate stared it down with eyes of defiance, contempt as it prepared to lunge at them, the pendant growing brighter with every heartbeat.
"I'm so scared..." his sister whispered, face buried in his neck, body shaking like his own.
Hayate kissed her hair, accepting his fate, their fate. "Soon, there won't be anything to be scared of." he replied, voice hoarse.
Another sob and she drew a deep breath, her voice broken, "Onii-Chan, I...I lov..."
He closed his eyes, pressing a thumb over her soft lips before she could finish, knowing it would wrench his heart out to hear it now, "I know." he managed, his own voice almost failing him.
The creature pounced and the pendant exploded in a flash of light as though in response. Even with their closed lids, the intense light burned his eyes. He pressed Kasumi close, hearing her whimper, "Think of Me." he breathed into her ear, a final tear cascading down his cheek.
Time came to a stop as his senses faded one by one. The sweet scent of his sister's silken hair, the sound of her pants, the warmth of her smaller frame against his.
Darkness took his mind, his consciousness slipping into the void.
'So, this is death' came his final thought.
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Author's Notes
Ryu's Spell - Ryu's capable of a few Fire arts via the more mystical side of the Hayabusa arts. This one is known as the Dragon Fire Ball. If you've played the NG series you'll know it to compliment the Art of the Fire Wheel. Fire Wheel strikes at an angle upwards, the Dragon Ball angles downwards. Of course, this is a FAR more powerful version of the same spell. (But Ryu's had 6 years to perfect the thing *^^*)
"Koryuu" is a Dragon that has ascended up to Heaven if you're interested.
Replies:
Tiger Eyes: Purely for you, my dear. Here it is. I actually quite like this push. One of my longest single chapters (would've been longer had I stuck it with the previous chapter as planned) and it's out in a week. Hope you enjoyed this one as much as the last (smile). I'm sure I'll be hearing from you via email so I'll save more of the response for that.
Einhardenoff: And thanks for reading my friend. Hope this one sat just as well with you. After reading your review I decided that I'd get off my butt to check out Kasumi's ending - found it on DivX on Deathcom Multimedia. You're right - She does chuck a stun bomb of some kind into the forest. I watched it over and over again to figure out if it was actually a physical object but I think you're right - Kasumi DOES have the ability to throw some form of energy blast. But that's the DOA3 ending, this takes place between the end of DOA2 and the start of DOA3 (smile). So there - about 2500+ words for ya - happy this time? *grin*I hope you'll like it anyhows.
Crystalline Tears: Kudos! Thanks for the time. And I hope a weeks not loo long *^^* You have Tiger Eyes to thank - she gotten me to do 2700 words or so in a week - which is like breaking the speed limit for me.
AngelStarWingX: Good to see you back Guuuurl!!!! (High Five) Whoa, much as I appreciate you wanting to read the fic that much, PLEASE pass your exams and topics yeah? (Esp Hist). So there - updated. (smile) Cliff hangers? Well, they're a way to spurn a little interest no? (wink). And if you're wondering if this latest chapter's a cliff hanger? Depends on how you look at it *^^* Anyhows, good to see ya back (snuggle) hope you liked it.
SeaOfDreams: Hehe, another blast from the past. Good to see ya dude. I've gotten your thoughts on email - will reply on there too. Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter!
Doomhammer: Whoa, whoa...watch the language a little buddy *^^* (There's females present) *grin* But hey - thanks for the comments.
A few things though - I'm not THAT old: I'm still under 82 alright?
There's Always room for improvement.
Doujinshi? When I learn to draw one day *^^*
Hope you liked this latest chapter (smile)
(sigh) Well, I guess I held true to my promise - everyone give Tiger Eyes a big hand for keeping tabs on me (No we don't live together, but she's been keeping the pressure on via email). Fastest chapter yet - I'm proud of myself if you don't mind me saying. Let me mention that I don't believe I'll be able to update this quick again for quite sometime though.
Nevertheless, some of you might be wondering where it's going to go from here. All I'll say is this - Facing Side was never meant to be a 4 chapter fic. You're about a 3rd of the way through. Director has NOT run out of budget ok? Anyhows, I'll see yous all next!!
My Rant
Ko-Chan