CHAPTER 13: Understanding
(AUTHOR'S NOTE: Can you tell I'm running out of chapter titles yet? Hehe, someone pointed that out last chapter... Too true, that last one DID really suck! Seeing as this is the third one and there's so far between all three stories 36 chapters... yeah, I'll go with that as my excuse!)
Ginshima skidded back across the floor on one knee, using his raised foot as a break of sorts. His sword was dripping blood, but still the Knight of Wind stood his ground. It was obvious he was injured, possibly fatally so, but still he stood. Kinshima was lying beside him, struggling to sit up. A particularly nasty wind slash had caught him across the chest, breaking through the metal armor and nearly through his skin. The brusing there would be awful, and he most likely had a cracked rib or two.
Hayate used one of his swords to keep himself from falling. His shirt was soaked in the blood spilt from several shallow cuts that ran from his face all the way down to his knees. Not once had he let them get close enough to make a death blow, but the smaller cuts were doing a good job of making him lose blood. His skill was beyond what the twins had been expecting. The Knight of Wind truly earned his reputation as one of the best in Leafenia.
Ginshima stood slowly, helping Kinshima to his feet. "Brother?" he murmured.
"I'm fine," Kinshima hissed out.
Nodding, he started the next flurry of attacks, hand sliding down the metal on his arm and taking with it some of the silver, which formed into small spikes as he flung his hand out and at the knight before him.
Hayate's hand swept in front of him, casting a shield. Two of the spikes slipped by before the shield was up, one catching in his shoulder and sticking, the other grazing by his cheek. Ginshima smiled cruelly. All he needed was that one. Using his own leafe, he made the spike explode inside the other's shoulder, a spray of blood showering out and down. This time, a scream was torn loose and Hayate fell to his knees.
"You know why you're in this mess, don't you?" Ginshima called, spreading the metal out even further, making it grow thinner and sharper. A single thin spike burst free from his arm, another from the back of his shoulder and still one more from the front. He was disappointed there wasn't more screaming. It had to be the most painful feeling ever, having the metal slowly expand inside his shoulder, breaking tissue and pulling tendons.
"B-Because... you t-took... Himeno," he choked out, back spasming as yet more metal found its way through and out his body. One was slowly moving closer to his lung. If it punctured that, there was no saving him.
"Sort of. See, the truth is, Knight of Wind, that you're here dying because of... love. You love the White Pretear, so you came here to save her. You knew it meant possible death. How is it something that's supposed to be as beautiful as love demands such a cruel price?"
"You're... wrong!"
Kinshima stood beside him, waiting for his brother to finish the game. "You're entitled to your own opinion, of course. But think about it, seriously. Men and women claim everyday they would die for the one they love. Die... for love? Pathetic! Love is a weakness for just that reason. Why anyone would crave something like that is beyond me."
Hayate struggled up to his feet, hand moving to one of the spikes. "That's not love," he gritted out, teeth clenched tightly.
Both brothers' eyes narrowed as he snapped the first thin spike clean off, hissing in pain. Ginshima stopped the progress of that one fatal spike, waiting to see how much pain the knight would inflict upon himself. "Ginshima?" his brother asked softly, golden eyes flickering a little in concern.
"Just a moment, Kinshima. Explain yourself, leafe knight!"
Another spike was snapped off, blood flowing a little faster. He wouldn't last much longer. Too much blood on the floor around him. "Dying is an easy thing to do. You don't need love to do it. The trick to love is to stay alive, to keep fighting for it. THAT is why I'm here. I'm not here to die for the one I love. I'm here to LIVE!" He broke through the finally one in his front before reaching behind his shoulder for the one there.
The trick is to stay alive, to fight for it...
Ginshima's eyes narrowed even further, hand gripping his sword tightly. "Our parents died because they loved us! You know NOTHING about love if that's what you think. How you can stand there and profess this nonsense is beyond me!"
"That's not why they died," he continued firmly. "Your parents were murdered. They fought to the bitter end to stay alive for you! The one who took them from you is the one you call Queen!"
"LIAR!" he screamed, chest heaving in anger.
"I don't lie," Hayate shouted back. "I was there. I saw it! At the last battle, when Shimura invaded Leafenia, your parents-,"
"LIAR!"
"GINSHIMA, NO!"
The warning came too late. Ginshima started to send the spike driving into Hayate's lung.
Only to see a flash of gold cross his vision followed quickly a startled cry of pain. Silver eyes wide in disbelief, he stared at the sword planted firmly in his brother's chest, just next to his heart. As Hayate had been kneeling, he'd picked up one of his lost swords and flung it at Ginshima. Except, his brother had intercepted the blow for him. His brother... "N-no... brother..."
Ginshima fell to his knees beside his brother, tears sliding down his cheeks. His silver armor was gone now, just him and the pain in his eyes. "Kinshima... don't leave me..."
Kinshima gave his brother a sad smile before his eyes closed. Ginshima held him close and screamed for the brother that lay dying in his arms. His only family, the only one he ever cared about. "DON'T LEAVE ME!"
Himeno ran shaking fingers over the still face turned away from her. No... Hayate... It couldn't be!
Jikan moved around behind her, chuckling to himself. "So sad... he died trying to save you! To be honest, that felt better than I had imagined it. Just the squish of his flesh around my knife, the warmth of blood on my hand... such rapture!"
She brushed the hair back from his face, tears falling onto the cold skin of his cheek. She turned him to face her, his eyes still open...
And stopped, staring into solid metallic blue, no white to them at all. Those eyes... those belonged to those creatures, the ones that had impersonated Goh and Sasame... and her mom! Then this wasn't real. The understanding that none of it had ever been real suddenly clicked with her. Shimura had used her own fears, things she'd never admit to anyone, and turned them into a weakness. All of this had been because of her own guilt! As she stared at the body, it slowly transformed back into one of those dead-looking creatures. With the spell broken, she could see now what it was. She understood now. Hayate was still alive and Jikan was...
Jikan's laughter stopped abruptly when Himeno turned and kicked him in the groin. Hard. A little groan issued from his throat before her fist slammed into his jaw, knocking him into the water. He rose, spitting blood from his cracked lip. "H-How did you...?"
"Please! I know my boyfriend, and that's not him," she sneered, taking on a defensive pose. "I'm not entirely stupid, you know."
With a strangled cry, he lunged at her. So sloppy! It was easy enough to bring her knee into his chest, elbow down across his neck and then shove him back. Himeno waited for him to get back up. For what he'd done to her, she was gonna kick his ass at LEAST six different ways!
Jikan pushed to his feet again, clutching his chest, face contorted in rage. He rushed forward with unimaginable speed.
And this time, Himeno was ready for it. She was NOT going to lose to him!
"FALL BACK! FALL BACK!" Kataru roared above the sounds of battle, brown eyes scanning over the carnage with a sick feeling in his gut. Bloody, bloody HELL! This was NOT how it was supposed to happen! It wasn't the army that was the problem. If it was just his knights against all of them bastards, they would have won by now.
The problem was the bitch with the dragons flyin' 'round over head.
Everywhere Shimura went, knights fell like flies, screaming as if in mortal fear. And, most likely, they were. Shimura was growing more and more powerful the longer the battle lasted. The leafe was fading quickly from the area, fueling her power. Kataru's lips twisted into a sneer as he watched her throw a spear, desceptively delicate arms containing loads of strength. "Like HELL I'm gonna lose this fight to some heinous twig o' a girl," he snarled. He pulled what leafe he could from the earth and sent it all into shaping itself like a spear, heading not at the Queen of Nightmares herself but at her dragons. The trick worked before...
And worked again. The dragons screamed, flames licking the sky as they plummeted to the ground, landing on anyone, friend or foe, int their wake.
"Saeko, Caias, gather the Red Guard and follow me! KEI! GET OF YER BLOODY FAT ARSE AND GET THEM BLOODY SHADOW DEMONS!"
"I'M NOT THE ONE TOO FAT FOR HIS ARMOR," Kei shouted back before wheeling midair, Sete following close behind. Kataru had no clue what the wench was doing there, but he usually found it better (and safer for his sensitive spot) to not argue with the Knight of Healing. And he was NOT too fat for his armor! It just... was smaller than he remembered.
The Red Guard assembled around and behind him. Kataru ran across the ground with them on his heels, making for the chariot wreck. Knights from both sides were scrambling from the wreckage, dragging comrades both dead and alive with them. Kataru skidded to a halt with the guards as a terrifically loud shriek broke through the air and Shimura emerged from the chariot ruins, blood spattering her white dress and pale eyes seething with unimaginable rage. Jolly good, he liked a fiesty woman!
"'Allo, Shimura, darlin'. Look pretty good for someone yer age," Kataru taunted.
Shimura's eyes turned even deadlier. He hadn't thought it possible. "YOU!" That was all she screamed before she slammed her power into them, bowling the guards over in a sudden burst of leafe energy. Kataru had guessed the move and thrown a shield up just in time.
"Yer gonna have ta do better than that, darlin'," he shouted spear twirling over his wrist expertly, waiting. "I beat ya before, an' I don't intend to lose round two!"
She laughed. The bitch actually LAUGHED! "The Knight of Flowers... is the Topaz Prince? I should have guessed, I should have guessed! It was too obvious! The plant leafe falls under the domain of earth... I should have guessed!" She continued to laugh, the eeriely beautiful sound sending shivers down his spine, and NOT the good kind of shivers either!
"Oi... I fail ta see what so funny 'bout me kickin' yer ruddy arse from here back to that hole ya call a palace," he commented, confused by her sudden glee. Couldn't be good if she found it so damn amusing!
"You beat me... before because... you had nothing... to fear!" she said between giggles. "You have fear now, Topaz Prince!"
"Eh? Yer bloody mad. Usually, I like crazy people. They tell bloody good stories. But you... yer just too damn crazy even fer me!"
Shimura finally controlled her giggles. "I thought she was important from the start. I'm glad to realize why now." Her gaze slid over and Kataru couldn't help but follow it.
His eyes widened as a nightmage came forward, appearing out of nowhere and holding a knife to a pale throat. Aw... shit! "That's not Mawata," he said firmly. Mawata screamed as the knife sunk in a little, pulling a thin line of blood. The battle raged around them, all of it ignored as he focused his attention on this. It couldn't be Mawata... he sent a trickle of leafe out to see. Nightmages gave off no leafe, even when working a spell. If it was a nightmage taking on her shape...
His stomach sank into his boots as the understanding slammed into him harder than food poisoning. She had leafe... leafe that could potentially become Pretear. That really WAS Mawata! "Aw, double shit!"
Shimura's laughter rang in his ears. Kataru knew what would be required to save Mawata... he just wished he'd understood sooner what falling in love NOW would mean. He'd beaten Shimura before because he had nothing to fear or lose. Now he did, and she was standing before him with a knife to her throat and looking more scared than he'd ever seen her. "DOUBLE SHIT!"