note: I included a flash back (bold italics) in this chapter, and wrote it in first person to give it more of a drastic feel. I consider this my favorite chapter. enjoy!
Chapter 10: NO
The man shouted loudly as he went for Mugen, swinging his katana futilely several times. Each strike missed Mugen by inches. And the satisfied smile plastered on Mugen's face infuriated him even more.
"What? Can't get a good hit in?" Mugen taunted.
"Son of a bitch!" The man snarled at him. Mugen ducked another strike against him, planting the palms of his hands firmly below him. He kicked off of the ground, his legs flying upward bringing both of his feet crashing up into the man's chin. He went falling backwards, thudding into the hard ground, his face bloody.
"That takes care o' you." Mugen stated and then swirled around to defend himself once more from a sneak attack. He clashed swords with his second attacker, both dawning equally determined looks, each dashing to the other's side, awaiting that chance for the golden opening in which to bring down their opponent. He went directly for Mugen's throat with his weapon and Mugen swiftly avoided the deadly blow, bringing his clenched fist up to crash into the man's face. Several of his teeth fell from his mouth before he became acquainted with the ground below him.
Jin too had been consumed within the scuffle, four men simultaneously descended upon him as he eyed all of them dangerously. Four against one was far from a fair fight, but in this case, it was only unfair to the four men. Jin swirled, near effortlessly bring down two men at once as they attacked from behind. He ceased movement immediately after the fatal swoop and the two attackers behind him stood still, then dropped to their knees in sync, followed finally by them falling to their sides in opposite directions. Jin narrowed his eyes to the two men left in front of him, and they were not about to back down. They both advanced on Jin, bringing down their swords forcefully only to meet with nothing but air. The two men, visibly agitated by this, spun around and started for Jin again, who flew in between them slicing both enemies shoulder to chest cavity. His blood drenched katana knew no rest as yet another opponent challenged him and Jin's few seconds of attention on Mai had been ripped from him.
Mai peered down sadly at the badly wounded man beneath her and she bowed her head in shame and regret,
"I'm so sorry for this, Owen. This is all my fault." And she gasped as she felt the weight of his hand on her's. Mai's tear drenched eyes looked to his now closed ones.
"You see now all of the pain you're causing from being so reckless?" Hiratoshi casually interrupted. And Mai slowly brought her gaze past the old man, watching Jin and Mugen struggle against the army of men. It was all happening as if in slow motion, flashes of weapons and bodies everywhere. There was so much blood. "You can stop it now by coming peacefully. Either way, your fate is undeniable, you will come with me. But I can call them off now if you agree to come willingly." Mai watched with blurred, tear soaked vision at the men who so valiantly continued fighting and then back to the man in pain below.
"You're right..." Mai's voice cracked. "I can stop it now." Hiratoshi wore an expression of triumph, of gratification, and knowledge that in the end he would have his way. Fuu watched fearfully as Mai began to stand,
"She can't possibly be surrendering to him! Not after all she's been through!" Mai gripped the hilt of the sword and it was then that the triumphant expression began to melt from her oppressors features.
"What do you think you are doing?" Hiratoshi growled.
"What I should have done long ago, back when I gave you that scar."
"I see. I too shall finish what I started when I returned it." He smiled creepily.
This is it. Mai's mind echoed to her. End this.
Mai sped toward him, the tears fleeing from her eyes. The katana plunged forcefully, faithfully and straight but missed it's target. Mai felt his heavy hand come down on her back and she faltered in her quick steps, near tripping. She spun around, eyeing him whilst cursing herself. And then came rushing over Mai her tormented memories.
There he stood menacing, strange and overbearing, his lips wearing the cruelest of grins I had ever been misfortunate to look upon. I felt the rain begin to beat my skin.
No. This wasn't happening.
FATHER! They were taking me from him.
And he was letting them.
NO. LET GO.
I struggled. I fought.
Had my years of fencing meant nothing?
No.
I stole away one of the men's swords, crashing it's hilt into his side. They hadn't expected this from some weak foreign woman, now did they? And with one quick strike I had slashed Hiratoshi clean on his left eye as he came for me, and I ran. I ran faster than I ever had in my entire life. My body ached. My mind ached. My heart ached. This was some nightmare I'd wake up from.
Wasn't it?
No.
The ground came crashing toward me.
They beat me.
All of me.
Until there was nothing left to beat.
Wind?
Mai was wrenched from her trance as she felt him advancing on her, his rush of air hitting her and waking her eyes from their dazed like state. She quickly dropped, side rolling out of the way, finally regaining use of her feet.
Fool! Get it together. Push away the fear. Here stands the man who truly took your life from you. He doesn't deserve to stand there looking smug. Make him pay.
She started for him again and this time made contact. Both swords crashed against the other. It took all of her to not drop to her knees in pain as both her muscles and bones screamed against the weight. Mai felt as though her hands might brake from the unmerciful pressure. Then, as if in one great force, she felt her back crash painfully against a nearby oak. But Mai refused to cry out in pain, biting her lip so hard it shed blood. His fowl sphere of features lingered just inches from her face and she squinted as he began near choking her with the pressure of his katana pinning her's.
"Give up." His voice purred antagonistically. "This is a fight you cannot win." Mai let out a gasp as she felt his full weight on her. She felt the raw bark digging into the skin of her back. She clenched her teeth, her eyes straining closed.
Jin did his best amongst his fighting to search for her, finally noticing Hiratoshi's large form hovering over a tree. He realized Mai was just behind him.
Then Hiratoshi did something that caused Mai's eyes to fly open. His tongue lapped the blood from her lips and Mai immediately grunted in protest as she thrashed her head as far away from his as she could. A disgusted expression engulfed her features.
Jin seethed at this sight, starting for them to put a stop to it but was deterred by a blade to his fore arm which he only barely avoided. He was interrupted by yet another fight.
Hiratoshi only grinned at the reaction. "Give up." He repeated, his lips growing grossly close to her own. Mai could feel his hand slithering up her right thigh. She screamed,
"NO." And with all the strength Mai could bare to muster, she brought up her leg to kick and heaved the heavy brute off of her.
"Wench!" He snapped, startled as he staggered backward, clearly thrown off by her unexpected defiance and strength. Mai pried her back from the ruthless bark and tightened her hold on the hilt. She spit, then brought her torn sleeve to her lips to wipe them.
"You'll never lay another hand on me again..."
"How do you fancy a blade then?" He threatened. "You will NOT deny me!" And he advanced on her, only to lodge his katana deeply within the tree, missing Mai as she swooped well out of harms way. She stumbled back away from him. Hiratoshi shouted in frustration as he tried pulling his sword from the bark's firm hold. His broad back was perfectly exposed and Mai slowly turned to Mugen and Jin, still enthralled in their personal battles and then looking back toward Hiratoshi. She began to hold up her sword only to hear a female's familiar cry.
"Stop right there!" Fuu demanded, rising from where Owen laid, his gun in both her hands. She gripped the weapon awkwardly, pointing it straight toward Hiratoshi as he continued his struggle in freeing his sword. He frowned at her, puzzled and then seemingly amused at how she handled the gun.
"Stupid girl. You haven't the faintest clue on how to operate such a danger-" And a bullet went whizzing past his head, entering one of Hiratoshi's men square in the shoulder and bringing him down. Mugen, who had been fighting him at the time, stood confused and then agitated.
"Dammit." He moaned. Fuu half smirked as she bit her bottom lip. A look of uneasiness still hung about her features.
Focus! Fuu's mind scolded her. My aim stinks but at least this jerk knows I mean business.
Mai stood awe struck, unable to grasp the fact the quirky teen was able to take such action. Hiratoshi froze. It pleased Mai to see the smug look had been wiped off of his face.
"Get away from Mai!" Fuu demanded nervously. Hiratoshi only stared at her, his expression void of any emotion. Even when staring down the barrel of a gun, the man was overly assured of himself.
"Go ahead and shoot me." And Fuu flinched, thrown off by his blunt antagonism.
"Don't think I won't!" She managed to shout back. It was then, Mai realized the bizarre smile found its way once again back on his lips. Hiratoshi raised both his hands, but remained where he stood.
"Shoot me." He repeated. Fuu furrowed her brow, it's fine hairs drenched in sweat. Her shoulders to her arms to her hands and fingers trembled. Abruptly, as if in some strange fast forward of time, Hiratoshi spun to his weapon. With one immense pull, he freed the sword from it's prison of bark. Pieces of tree flew in every direction. Fuu felt her finger squeeze the trigger once more but where a shock of noise and tremor should have been, came a simple click. Out of anxiety and fright, her finger repeated the motion and still all that came was the deafening click.
No bullets.
Mai blocked his attack and swung back the katana returning only few of the strikes against her. But he had the undeniable physical advantage on her. He was taller, bigger and stronger. And Hiratoshi was just as relentless as he continually forced Mai backwards with his greatly forceful blows. She realized soon enough she wasn't fighting him anymore, but simply defending herself against him.
Is this all life can mean to me? Defending but never fighting for myself? She felt the force of his blade against her own again.
Running away? Again he struck Mai's sword.
Frightened? The muscles in her arms strained and ached behind the intense pressure of his attacks.
Beaten? The deafening sound of yet another strike shrieked in her ears.
Stomped down upon?
A surge of all her hate, rage, fear and sadness swelled and exploded forth from her in an offensive attack on the man who had been the one giving all of them. Mai cried, a guttural cry, not unlike that of a battle cry. It sprang forth, spawned from one's own celebration of intense emotion. Her cry echoed, causing all men to abruptly stop and witness her great blow on the enemy before her. Hiratoshi screamed. A blood curdling scream. The garnet liquid spewed forth from his face as he continued screaming and flailing, bringing up both hands to his right eye. Mai stood her ground, watching him writhe in agony and it became near unbearable for her to even look upon. And yet, even this, could never measure up to the years of suffering he had put her through. She had caused him to fall upon his knees, one hand gripping the dirt below him, the other packed against his gruesome wound. The thick blood ran down his face and knuckles like a stream out of one's nightmare. Mai slowly approached him, stopping a mere four feet from the hunched over man.
"It's over."
"It will never be OVER." His voice rang out venomous but muffled and Mai stepped backward as a cloud of dust exploded up and into her face. He had taken a fistful of the dirt from the ground with intention to blind her. Mai struggled for air, coughing heavily and squinting to see through the dirtied haze. It was then, she felt the searing pain in her right thigh and immediately fell to the ground, losing her grip on the katana. Disoriented and shocked, the stinging in her eyes and lungs refused to leave her, but stronger still was the immense amount of sheer pain in her leg. Her hand shot out to grab it and felt blood. Through the soiled clouds above her, appeared an immense shadow. Hiratoshi came into view, his large form towering over her. He was grinning insanely. The bloody river still spouted forth from the great gash in his right eye socket. In great drops, the red tears flowed off his face, hands and onto the blade of his katana . Mai could only stare up at him in pain and horror as she gripped her leg. Much as she tried, she was unable to summon the strength to stand. "May your torment live on in the fiery depths of hell!" He screamed, raising the sword high above his head. Mai willed her body to roll over, shutting out the intense pain in her leg. He angrily met soil with his blade, and groaned furiously as he wretched it forth from the earth. Taking merely three steps to attack Mai again, he planted one foot on either side of her. She gasped, outstretching her hand toward her fallen sword. Grabbing it's hilt, Mai dragged it toward her, gripping it with both hands she twisted back around and blocked Hiratoshi's second attack on her. Growling, he brought up his katana, slashing her own weapon away. Mai's eyes widened up at him, and she clutched the dirty ground beneath her in futile effort to back away. She closed her eyes.
This is it...isn't it?
Then nothing.
Mai gasped, her lungs expanding brutally with oxygen.
Still nothing.
Am I still alive?
Both her eyes slowly fluttered open. Hiratoshi remained standing high over her but the katana slid swiftly from his hands, crashing onto the ground beside her. She quickly glanced to it, then to Hiratoshi, catching site of the red blade sprouting forth from his torso; Jin was standing behind him.
"Jin..." She breathed. The blade disappeared from the man's great belly and Mai watched as his limp body crashed into the ground, feeling the vibrations under her. Bringing the katana directly to his side, Jin approached Mai, eyeing the wound in her leg then swiftly kneeling down beside her.
"Are you alright?" His voice embraced her ears. It was calm, smooth and reassuring like it always was. Mai nodded and swallowed hard. She felt his hand take her's and remove it from the deep wound in her thigh. She hissed slightly at the action and watched as he tore the cloth from his sleeve, then gently wrapped it around her leg. Mai bit her bottom lip as his eyes flowed from the attention on her injury to her face and the tears poured from her as she enveloped his neck with her arms. He tensed, feeling her chest against his; his arms hanging awkwardly at his sides. Jin felt Mai's entire body shiver in deep sorrow against him, as she sobbed quietly into his shoulder. Still, Jin knelt oddly, his arms hanging awkwardly.
"Thank you." He trembled as he felt her whisper against his ear. Jin flinched and brought his arms in, encasing Mai within them. She gripped the back of his kimono tightly, feeling him so close against her was the only thing that had ever felt so right to her.
This is what it's like to feel safe. This is home.
Opening her eyes, she heaved deeper breaths and Jin felt her grip on him grow stronger. Something was wrong. Mai tensed and in a flurry of moments, he felt her shove him away from her warmth. A bloodied blade pierced the air where both their bodies once occupied. Mai grabbed his sword and Jin could only stare on at her in bewilderment. He watched her suddenly go down, back flat against the ground. Hiratoshi's hand was clenched firmly around her ankle. His other blood soaked fingers gripped tightly around his sword. He pulled Mai toward him, set on finishing what he intended and in an instant Mai sat up. She took the katana and plunged it straight into Hiratoshi's heart. He slowly, finally, fell backward. Mai let the sword fall from her own hand, allowing her spent body to collapse onto the ground beneath her. Her blurred vision of Jin's face above quickly faded.
