Stepping out into the arena was blinding. Kazuto hadn't seen or felt the full might of the sun in so long that it almost caused him to stagger for the first few steps. Slowly his body adjusted and brought everything back into focus. While not full the stands of the coliseum were buzzing with activity as people foreign to Kazuto shouted, ate, and made merry at their day of entertainment. His gaze shifted toward his executioner as the announcer began speaking again.
"It seems our mighty Emperor has found fit to end today's matches with a quick one! This newcomer certainly doesn't look ready for the terrifying general who held even Aincrad's elite soldiers are bay!" The words didn't help draw a more comforting picture than Kazuto was already seeing. Opposite him in the arena was a tall, tanned man whose scarred body spoke of hardships. Athletic wasn't the right word. Even with only his very basic grasp of martial skills, Kazuto could tell he was looking at a real warrior.
"Boy," barked the imposing figure of Eugene as the announcer began to rally the crowd for the start of the match, "I am sorry for what is to come. I will do my best to make it quick." At that, the former general reached for the sword at his hip. The blade shone crimson as it was leveled at Kazuto in warning with a two-handed grip.
"It seems that our Unmatched General is ready to go at it! Sorry newbie, but in this arena, there are only two ways out. Say it with me now," there was a pause as the announcer let everyone draw a collective breath, "triumph or die!" The three words roared from the people as Eugene began running at Kazuto. The boy's eyes went wide as he scrambled to get a grip on his still-sheathed weapon in time for a defense.
The impact of Eugene's opening slash against Kazuto's defense shook the boy's weakened arms to the bone. It had been meant to deliver a quick kill; a slash that more than likely would have taken Kazuto's head if he hadn't managed to knock his attacker's blade off-course. Eugene even seemed surprised, and the crowd surged as Kazuto stumbled back a few steps to put distance between them. The sheathed sword he had used to defend himself was raised unsteadily in the boy's trembling arms.
"I don't want to die," he muttered through clenched teeth as he readied himself. "Not like this. Not for some crazy emperor's sport."
"I can respect that sentiment young man. If that is the case, then fight me with all you are worth." Eugene once again readied himself. This time he appeared more poised and prepared as if dealing with an actual opponent rather than an inexperienced child. Despite the warrior's caution, Kazuto wasn't confident that he could put up much of a fight. His father had taught him the very basics of defending himself when he was barely ten years old. Not only was his non-existent experience in combat a problem, but he was also stuck with a sword he couldn't draw. All of it pointed to Kazuto's death in the next few minutes.
In spite of it all, he swung at Eugene first. A two-handed slash at the man's left hip was easily blocked by a slight adjustment of the man's blade. This was followed by Eugene stepping back and thrusting his weapon forward to dissuade Kazuto from pursuing. In an instant the retreating motion became an offensive one; Eugene's longer blade was used to pressure Kazuto's defense without much fear of retaliation. Kazuto managed to keep Eugene's blade from doing too much damage. It was clear that the younger swordsman wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer, however. Small cuts became gashes along his arms or legs. Whatever defiant strength had kept Kazuto going despite his weakened state faded fast once he started losing blood. When he spotted an opening, Eugene concluded his assault with a heavy slash across the young man's stomach.
A soft cry and two thuds were all that denoted the end of the engagement. Kazuto had dropped his black-handled sword upon receiving the grievous wound shortly before falling to his knees. His vision was a slurred mess and even his ears rang as his very life escaped from the opening in his stomach. Soon the heat of the sun melted away into a cold that almost brought with it a sense of peace. The slamming rhythm of his heart slowed and his breath slipped from between his lips. As the edges of Kazuto's vision darkened he couldn't find it in himself to fight it.
But the darkness started to give way. Flashes of memory began to play in his mind from his early childhood. His father's warm embrace on the day he left for the war, his mother's sobs as she was given the news of his death on the front lines, and Kazuto's weeping when his mother passed not a year later from sickness. His aunt and uncle's faces as they smiled at him the first day he arrived at their home. His little cousin Suguha comforting him after his various nightmares on those early nights.
At the image of his cousin, Kazuto's mind began to speed up again. The void in his head screamed as Suguha's memory forced it to reveal the secrets it held. His eyes opened again as the memories returned.
It had been a rather quaint harvest season in the village Kazuto lived in. Despite the war going on, they were far enough away from the front that the worries of being raided by the Aincradian armies were low. As such the people were left to tend to their crops in peace and live their lives as they saw fit. Kazuto's family did just this on the day things had gone so wrong.
Kazuto himself had finished helping his uncle with the last of the harvest before the yearly festival later that week. Per the request of his aunt, he had taken Suguha down to the river to help her carry water back home for the family. He had gone with her but had decided to cool off while he was there. He had opted to stand in the shallows in his underwear while using the bucket they had brought to pour water over himself.
"You shouldn't play in the village river," Suguha chided him while Kazuto shook his hair out.
"It isn't hurting anyone," he retorted while splashing a bit of water toward her. She squealed at the sudden splash and narrowed her eyes at him.
"You're very lucky I'm in this dress or I would get you." The threat was met with deaf ears as he splashed her even harder. Instead of just grazing her this time, Kazuto had aimed poorly and hit her directly. There was a long moment of silence as Suguha's face began to darken a shade. Kazuto, on the other hand, looked about ready to burst with laughter. That ended when she suddenly dove at him and ended up sending them both underwater. Kazuto managed to push himself into a sitting position with Suguha pouting at him on his lap.
"Now you're soaked, dummy," Kazuto teased. She said nothing and sent an armful of water into his face. After a few more good hits he was left to cough and sputter while thinking about his mistakes.
"We'll have to stay for a bit while I dry out. Come on, get up." Kazuto opened his eyes to see Suguha's hand in his face; she was offering to help him up despite still looking pouty. He smiled and took her hand, allowing himself to be dragged to his feet. Once out of the water the two fell onto the river bank to dry out in the sun.
"Feel better now," Kazuto inquired after several minutes of silence. He moved his eyes away from the fluff-filled sky to look at his cousin. There was an unfamiliar frown on her face as she looked into that same sky.
"I do, yeah," she finally replied before turning to face him. "Thanks. I guess that I wasn't as good at hiding it as I thought." Kazuto gave a sympathetic smile to his cousin. He couldn't blame her for feeling stressed out. A week ago, her parents had announced that the local lord had asked for her hand. While she wasn't of age just yet, only being fourteen years old, her birthday would occur soon after the harvest festival's end. Suguha's future was currently up in the air despite her parents' attempts at reassuring her.
"I'm sure that they'll turn him down. There's plenty of other girls in the village that Lord Nagata can marry. He'll get over you." Kazuto saw his opportunity and decided it couldn't be passed up. "Besides, you wouldn't be a good noble. You get mad so easily you'd probably start scaring him. Not to mention you can't sit still. You'd probably do all the work for the servants you'd be so bored trying to sip tea all day." Suguha looked at her cousin with a mixture of surprise and barely withheld annoyance. The staring contest held for a few more seconds before they both burst into laughter.
"You suck," she replied through giggles.
"I can't help it. It's too easy sometimes." He grinned and slipped his hands behind his head. Comfortable silence set in on the two as time passed by. Kazuto closed his eyes and at some point, he heard Suguha shifting around. He cracked an eye to see her laying on her stomach with her own eyes closed. The front of her dress looked relatively dry, so he guessed that he was trying to get her back before they left. He figured that she would wake him when she wanted to start walking back.
Kazuto closed his eye and relaxed further into the soft ground beneath him. The moment was peaceful and easy. The worries that both of them faced seemed far away from this quiet evening. The air was cool as day gave way to night. Kazuto would have preferred to remain there for a while longer.
That thought was interrupted by the rumble of hoofbeats off in the distance.
The arena had gone silent. Even the announcer, who had been narrating the confrontation, was speechless at what had just happened. In one fluid motion, Kazuto had taken up the black sword again. The sheathe had fallen away with ease and the dark metal had been thrust forward with a hoarse roar. Eugene's arms fell from their raised position and he dropped his sword as he stared down at himself.
From his chest protruded the blade that Kazuto had received from Emperor Heathcliff. Crimson spilled from the wound and to the ground with each struggling pump of the general's heart. He opened his mouth to speak but only coughed forth more blood as his lungs were choked with it. The last thing the famed warrior saw as the life drained away from his body were the eyes of this nameless teenaged boy. Wide with hatred, filled with determination, and shimmering gold where they were once nearly black.
Eugene fell to his knees as he faded away, only kept from collapsing entirely by the sword that had run him through. Kazuto slowly pulled it from him and allowed the warrior to rest as he turned his eyes upward. Slowly those golden orbs scanned the crowds for who he knew was watching. When they found the Emperor they locked in place. Slowly Kazuto's body took a step forward. His frame turned to face the grey-haired man's position as he took more shambling steps toward the man. Each one caused the wound in his stomach to spill more blood onto the ground; it left a trail of gore behind him as he went.
Despite whatever force was driving him Kazuto could take no more. After the sixteenth step, the golden glow faded from his eyes and he collapsed to the ground. Alive, but barely so.
"Gather him up and take him to the healer's ward," said the Emperor to Argo as he stared down at the display. "I'm not done with him."
Two years. Two years later and I ended up writing another chapter in a moment of passion. I'll be honest, a lot of mental health issues have kept me from going after my dream of writing for a long time. But seeing something that I've left unfinished has put frustration in me and motivated me to at least make some updates. I want to finish this. While it might be infrequent, I will finish this. So for anyone who ended up liking this please give me your feedback and I'll do my best to stick to it this time.