Time was on their side. As the fighting died down, more and more temporal portals were disappearing into the white and blue skies, the Retrogrades losing in number and strength. Of the aftermath of this fierce battle, they did not know what would happen, but in this place and this hour, the pursuit of the renegade remained their one and only objective. Behind them, a squadron of members of the History Retrograding Force were after them, trying to catch up with them as they were finally managing to reach their target, the latter having stopped in his flight to observe them, a distorted smile twisting the features of his face corrupted by darkness.
Getting tired of this game of cat and mouse in which they involuntarily participated, Kagura suddenly stopped in her track and, turning swiftly, raised a firm hand above her, her palm facing the clouds as sparks of static electricity flickered between her fingers, her voice echoing powerfully on the roofs of the Citadel of Time.
"Answer the call of your master, you who took an oath before the gods: Ame no Nuhoko! " (*)
A bolt of violent cyan lightning suddenly struck the ground, its intense light dazzling all around it for a moment before slowly fading to reveal instead a Nagitana with a long garnet shaft and a blade decorated with shimmering-coloured magatama under the cheeky smile of the little girl. The ground seemed to pulsate as it emerged, and in an unearthly golden gleam, a swirl of peach blossom imploding in the air, a new being arrived, the magnificent spear now resting in his hand.
The Sage let out a gasp of amazement upon seeing the latter, his short purple hair fluttering lightly in the wind as he instantly charged his adversaries, his turquoise green eyes shining with anticipation and something vaguely similar to excitement. Strengthening his grip on his weapon, he made it flit above his head with a fluid movement of his broad shoulders before delivering a single precise and brutal blow that decimated a whole part of the troop without effort.
"What a bunch of sly little foxes the two of you are… summoning Touken Danshi without authorisation and whose the Government of Time did not know even about the find. " Asahi expressed, in high spirits.
His sardonic laughter caught again the attention of the Saniwa and the white-haired girl, who looked at him with frowns and darkened faces. Behind them, Nuhoko tirelessly continued to fight the Retrogrades who presented themselves to him without ever getting tired.
"Look at you…" the boy whispered, distressed. "What cause deserves that you sacrifice your own humanity for it…? "
"The choices that are mine rest with me and are perfectly legitimate. I have accomplished the mission given to me and I am perfectly satisfied with it. " Tsuji declared mockingly, glancing briefly towards the castle courtyard where dozens of Saniwas' dead bodies were piled up.
"Do you hear yourself talking?! It's your own people that you've slaughtered today! " Ōhara exclaimed angrily, her fists clenched.
The young man burst out laughing once again at these words, tears welling up in his eyes which he wiped with the tips of his fingernails that looked like sharp claws. Grasping the hilt of his sabre hanging at his waist with his free hand, he tilted his head slightly to the side and asked in a falsely plaintive voice:
"And I should be loyal to them because…? I don't know any of these individuals, I ignore even their names, and you would like me to be sorry for their fate? Clearly, you are too naive to survive this war... "
"And you, too narrow-minded to see that you're just a pawn that will get crushed when became useless. " Kagura retorted, impassive. "You're just a kid afraid of blood, you never was worthy of the gifts of the Saniwas! "
"You little insolent, I'll make you eat your words! " the renegade yelled, rushing against the little girl with force, his katana out.
The two blades clashed with a shrill noise that echoed long after he was violently pushed away under the fierce cry of his opponent. Sliding on several metres against the ceramic tiles, he finally stabilised himself as he was about to cross the edge of the roof and glared up at the Naginata standing his back turned to his master protectively, still on his guard.
"Goshujin-sama, you're not hurt? " asked the Toudan in a surprisingly soft voice.
"No, Nuhoko. Thank you. "
The Sage smiled amusedly as he watched the sword glancing nonetheless over his shoulder to ascertain her condition for himself. Then, sighing in despair, he took a few steps forward to face Asahi as the latter was rising to his feet, dusting his clothes disinterestedly.
"I said I wouldn't let you spread death around you without reacting and that's what I intend to do. Don't worry about others, this fight is all about you and me! "
"Gladly. " the silver-eyed man acquiesced, delighted. "I'm not very interested in amateurs. "
"All those years I preferred to pretend not to notice. All those times when you denigrated human nature, when you only learned the worst from our teachers' lessons, when you cursed the fact that you could not use your powers for purposes other than what we had been taught... " recounted the Saniwa as he bit his lower lip with rage, a thin ruddy trickle soiling the pale pinkness of it. "Those days are over! "
Clasping his hands together, he let a celestial blue flame flicker between his palms, its twinkle volubility surrounding the cherry-haired boy's wrists before disappearing just as quickly, a jufu with yellowing paper and ancient scriptures now resting between his index and middle fingers as he was extending his arm out to the side, the sleeves of his white and black hakama twirling in the blow of the wind strangely growing stronger as if to announce the imminent arrival of a storm.
Tsuji in turn frowned when he seeing the sacred characters that adorned the piece of paper: Heaven and Gods. Grasping his sword more firmly, he placed it in front of him defensively and waited for his opponent to take the first step. The Sage shook his head whilst watching him do so, looking chagrined, and announced for the last time:
"I thought stopping you would be enough. After all, your darkness has already condemned you, your time is running out, Asahi. However, the risk is too great. I won't hesitate any longer. I'm going to tie your hands… definitely! "
Xxxxxxxxxx
Cherry blossom tree standing alone in the middle of the vestiges and whose pink and white petals, their radiance tarnished by the red of the victims, twirled in the impetuous breeze as if playing the last part of a macabre dance to appease the souls of the deceased. Both opponents and allies had fallen, corpses by thousand lying in endless carmine pools, human ravages adding to the testimonies of the sacked gardens and the buildings with collapsed facades. Of the majesty of the Citadel of Time and its imperial court, there was nothing left but unspeakable chaos that would not regain its order until many years later.
Katsumi collapsed to the ground with an inaudible sigh, wiping her last opponent's blood from her cheek with a weary gesture before it evaporated into thin black particles. The movement made her wince slightly and she lowered her head, watching in surprise as the swollen member was slowly beginning to be tinged with a bothering blue-purple shade. Her mind was no more than a huge flood of hazy memories and no matter how many times she tried to recall them, she couldn't situate the moment she had sprained it.
Around her, twilight was slowly setting, enveloping the periwinkle skies in its russet and fuchsia clouds. The hours had passed without her ever being able to slacken her efforts, not flinching for a second as enemy troops continued to attack her, and now that the few remaining numbers could easily be handled by the imperial guard, she allowed herself a moment to take a close look at herself.
Covered in various scratches and cuts, her red and white hakama, blackened with dirt and dust, was nothing more than a heap of shreds revealing a large part of her legs, her arms, and of her chest. Realising this, she hastened to cover the latter with her trembling hands, her face completely flushed, and jumped abruptly when she felt a thin fabric cover her shoulders, the ropes of an obijime gently tickling the base of her neck. Igarashi raised her eyes whilst quickly tying the blue and gold haori, thanking with a simple smile the Emperor who was standing by her side before, together, they joined Seimei who was a few steps ahead of them.
"It seems that the Citadel is practically secured, there're only a few portals still open around the sanctuary near the West Gate. "
"It shouldn't be long now. "
"The order has been given to reoccupy the castle, and the administrators of the Government of Time are already searching through the rubble to count the losses. "
"I'm afraid this will not be to our advantage. "
Chiaki huffed loudly as he nodded his head. In his left hand, the Katate-Uchi remained clasped, as if the enemy could appear again at any moment. Its mauve gleam was sparkling with the same intensity as his cursed pupil, his pulse beating to the rhythm of the few time portals still pulsing in the sky, its powers of unknown expanses being strangely linked to those of the Retrogrades, and in particular those of the Revisionists.
Shaking his head to arrange his hair so that it would fall on a part of his face and hides his so special eye, the blade between his fingers disappeared in a wisp of purple smoke and he indicated in his voice of a king with a safe presence:
"We need to join the Council and make a list of all the damage. "
"Before that. " Shiraishi interrupted, turning to the tree still intact despite the violence of the fighting it had witnessed. "Where are the others? I haven't seen them anywhere. "
"Still chasing Asahi, I guess. " replied the young woman, her gaze lost in the distance. "Only the two of them could succeed in stopping him. "
"His fate seems uncertain, said like that. " the sovereign whispered with a frown, the turn that this conversation was taking hardly pleasing to him.
"I don't care about his fate! Whether they kill him or not, it will be the same! " the saturnine lost his temper as he stepped through the bodies, gripping the scabbard of his Ootachi resting at his waist with suppressed rage.
"Seimei-sama! " exclaimed the hawthorn-eyed woman indignantly before suddenly closing her mouth about to continue her tirade as the dark-haired man had abruptly turned toward her, his amaranthine pupils filled with hatred reflecting the dozen bloody corpses littering the ground around them.
"Let's go. " the Emperor simply said in Katsumi's ear, silently telling her not to say anything more as he was gently grabbing her arm to force her forward.
Xxxxxxxxxx
In the dimness of the evening, the darkness of the corridor was invading every corner, not letting the slightest ray of light illuminate the walls. At its threshold, shared by luminous obscurity, he lay, his eyelids closed, his soul at peace. Covering his mouth with the sleeve of his kimono in a vain attempt to stifle his sobs, he fell to his knees, his slender fingers caressing the features of his face with infinite gentleness.
The distant days were resurfacing in his mind, a tender smile blooming on his lips at their memories. Happy days when neither the many battles nor the wounds they suffered could make them wish to be anywhere other than within this Citadel, besides this man they cherished so much.
Gripping his frozen hands to put them against his chest, he noticed with surprise that they were firmly holding an object emitting a familiar crystalline sound. So, struggling for a few minutes with his palms refusing to open, he finally freed the precious treasure from its prison of flesh and gasped in horror as he realised what it was. His sobs intensified as he sagged in pain, grabbing the small silver bell held by a blue cord and adorned with an emblem in the shape of four plum petals, which resonated in a clear melody as he pressed it against his heart with a moan.
"You still had it…! "
The echo of different voices reached him from the great doors over time and he stood up slowly, quickly wiping his tears before regaining an impassive air whilst shifting to the side to make room for the procession of people arriving, mechanically hiding the bell between the sides of his clothes.
A young man in a cinnamon kariginu smiled gently when he saw him, and was about to call out to him when the sight of the dead person at his feet made him abruptly stop in his tracks, the administrators in white and green hakama behind him expressing in shock:
"Ren-dono! This is… "
"Fujiwara-san. " the so-called Ren completed as he crouched down to examine the single wound that had fatally injured the veteran. "I had no idea he was among the victims. "
"Who could have...? " huffed one of the members of the Government, dismayed. "He was one of the most powerful Saniwa that is. "
"He had been. A long time ago. " the man in kariginu corrected as he straightened up, turning toward the one who had found the body. "Okadagiri? "
"Yes, Shukun. His powers had weakened considerably since... since... "
"Indeed. " the councillor nodded, running a hand between the off-white strands of his Touken Danshi affectionately. "Will you be all right? "
"He hasn't been my master for so many years… " Okadagiri whispered in a torn voice.
"He will always be your master… despite your personal mistakes to each, you genuinely cared about each other. " Ren declared sympathetically. "And it always will be the case. "
Offering one last glance to the former member of the council, the sword bade him his silent farewell and left the premises with a haphazard step, his master staying a moment behind to give the procedure before at last taking the direction of his private apartments to rejoin him.
Xxxxxxxxxx
"Dead! That fool is dead! "
The porcelain shattered with a deafening impact, the tea set scattering in a hundred shards under the overturned small round table. Fragment after fragment, the servant was busy picking up behind her master whilst the latter was pacing the room, unable to stand still. The new bump echoed in a piercing noise that made her twitch, and, raising her head, she noticed in astonishment as the crystal vase previously occupying the chest of drawers was now in pieces on the soaked and flower-strewn tatami mat.
Unsatisfied, the lady above her started circling again to keep complaining, but stepping on one of the wet slabs, she winced in disgust and turned quickly to the still-on-the-floor maid to yell at her, acerbic:
"What are you waiting for to clean this up?! "
"Right away, Denka. " the terrified young girl whispered, bowing slightly in apology, and the Emperor's sister let out a cry of rage as she dropped into her chair.
"All my plans… crushed… that old fool… without him… I cannot accomplish anything. "
Seiren ran a tired hand through her platinum blonde hair. It seemed to her now that all the odds were against her, preventing her from achieving what she had been working on for so many years. Mercilessly, fate was setting itself against her with so much obsession that she wondered if somebody had not cast a curse on her. But it was useless to blame anyone else except her father for her misfortune... to refuse her the throne, to her the eldest, on the pretext that a son would be better able to assume this position… Why had she been brought up as a future empress then?
The chancellor closed her eyelids, slouching a little more in her seat. The silence only interrupted by the bits of glass that were gathered on the ground was suddenly interrupted by a plaintive lament which made her turn slowly away. Raising her eyebrows in annoyance at the sight of her servant holding her finger with a trembling hand, blood flowing profusely out of it, and unsympathetic, she shouted scathingly:
"Be careful! You will soil the ground! "
"Forgive me, Denka… "
The maid pressed the cut against her mouth to suck up the ruddy liquid and was about to resume her task unflinchingly when she was abruptly put back to her feet, nodding as she was ordered to remain silent whilst a handkerchief was gently tied around her still bloody wound.
"Those poor orchids… They didn't deserve such a tragic end. "
The princess straightened up all of sudden at the sound of that voice, surprise freezing her on the spot. But without caring about the latter, the unannounced guest smiled fondly at the young girl, absent-mindedly stroking her cheek whilst leaning slightly to whisper a few words in her ear before finally walking up to the lady as the servant hastened to leave the room, her face flushed with embarrassment after this intimate contact.
"Chiaki… "
"Why, dear sister, aren't you happy to know me safe? "
"I... no... well... "
"Yes? "
Biting her tongue forcefully to regain some composure, the Emperor's sister quickly knelt in front of her brother and captured one of his hands between hers as she forced a delighted smile on her golden lips to declare, more affirmative:
"Of course I am! How could I not be? "
"You used to be a much better liar in our childhood. " related the sovereign as he withdrew his hand with a sharp gesture, tired of this little game between them.
"How do you mean? " Seiren exclaimed falsely.
"Enough… pretences drive me mad me now. " the young king hissed, a strange glint hovering inside his gaze. "It's time to stop your shenanigans of all kinds because I won't protect you anymore. "
"Protect me?! " the chancellor suddenly exclaimed as she got to her feet, furious.
"You don't realise that I covered your tracks every time you plotted, whether it was behind our father's back or behind mine. You never knew how to show finesse. "
"Oh, please! You played with me as much as I did with you! "
"Precisely. And as long as it remained empty threats, I couldn't care less. But you've gone too far this time, Seiren! "
"What a capricious child you are! You know nothing— "
"Accept your fate once and for all! "
The exclamation had echoed in the room, cutting her off and leaving her speechless in front of him. Impassive, Chiaki straightened up and approached his sister cautiously, placing a lock of her hair behind her ear before kissing chastely her forehead.
"Don't you dare start your misdeeds again, Seiren… or not even the gods will be able to prevent me from relieving your shoulders of a weight. "
"You wouldn't dare... " the lady gasped, stepping back in fear.
"Try me... " the Emperor said defiantly as he left the place.
Xxxxxxxxxx
Asahi slowly lowered his guard, amused. These words represented a challenge he was eager to face. The more the boy was letting go of the past and decided to confront him seriously, the better he unknowingly served his plans. So, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly, he smirked and retorted:
"Tie my hands definitely? But are you even capable of it, old friend? "
"Don't you dare underestimate me. " the Saniwa uttered, tightening his grip on the jufu he still held in his hand.
"I would never. I am fully aware of your capabilities. Even though everyone else doubts you, you and I know, we know who you truly are. " declared the young man mysteriously. "Still, I'm afraid you cannot do anything against me personally. Your feelings blind you too much. This is your one and only weakness. "
"That's what you think! " exclaimed the Sage as a pearl white halo was taking hold of the sacred paper, spreading around the two opponents until it completely dazzled them.
"Go ahead! Show me what you've got! "
"You who dare to desecrate the way of the Gods of the Rising Sun, be washed of your sins with the sword of the Transcendent Heavens. With its blade, it slays the Land of Mortals, and from its guard, it protects the Aether Eternal: Ame no Murakumo! " (*.*)
Tsuji staggered back when hearing the name that his rival had just pronounced, stumbling against the edge of the roof and nearly tumbling into the void. Under his scared and hesitant gaze, the radiance faded slightly and imploded into a vortex of cherry petals which got carried away in the surging breeze, haphazardly flying over the castle whilst the features of a long anthracite Tsurugi unveiled themselves between the boy's fingers.
"It's impossible… " Kagura suddenly murmured as she was glimpsing at the weapon too, dumbfounded.
Grabbing it firmly, the Saniwa rushed all of sudden towards the renegade at breakneck speed, raising the Tsurugi to deliver a single attack that the man with one silver eye had no time to counter, being thrown several metres away before crashing violently against the ramparts of the Citadel. The shock was such that he choked as he felt his ribs break one by one, a spurt of blood escaping from between his lips as the Sage was already striking again, having quickly joined him to carry a second assault which this time pushed him even more brutally through the wall, the stone debris subsiding all around them as they exchanged sepulchral offensives.
Behind them, the little girl and the celestial spear remained motionless in the middle of the rooftops, the Retrogrades having all been exterminated to the last, and only remaining as the only enemy the traitor who seemed to revel in this fight between him and his childhood friend. Ōhara abruptly regained consciousness with reality whilst the two fighters were facing each other with a force that ravaged everything in their path. There was no longer any possible doubt, the sword that the boy was wielding was indeed the gods' scourge, the most sharpness of divine armaments: Ame no Murakumo, also known as Kusanagi no Tsurugi...
"I had not seen him for hundreds of centuries… " Nuhuko revealed in a whisper, still surprised.
"It doesn't make sense… He shouldn't be able to handle it." the white-haired girl gasped, unable to hide her fear.
"Goshujin-sama? " called the Touken Danshi as he turned his head towards his master, curious.
"Kusanagi is not just any blade, Nuhoko. " Kagura then explained, her brow furrowed. "This is one of the three imperial regalias, the one said to be able to bring life and death to everything from nature to the deities themselves. The deadliest sword in all of history... "
"It's a celestial blade, just like me. "
"Not only. This weapon brings virtue and bravery to whoever wields it, but what it requires in return is only suffering and desolation... Of all its wielders, there isn't one who survived it. It sucks such energy out of its masters that every time they wield it they are killing themselves little by little. This is why only the gods can wield it. That is why only the Emperor is allowed to touch it. "
"In that case, how…? " asked the Toudan without being able to finish his sentence, offering a puzzled look to the little girl.
"I do not know. I do not understand. " stated the latter, unsettled. Then she added more to herself: "I just hope he knows what he's doing… "
In a setting plunged between nocturnal darkness and twilight, beyond the protective walls of the Citadel of Time, the two fighters were clashing relentlessly. Having reached the narrow and congested streets of the town, they were launching strike after strike on each other without ever worrying about the disproportionate damage they caused around them, each focusing only on his opponent so as never to lose the advantage. But in this unprecedented battle where he had shown a power unmatched until now, not even Asahi could keep up with the ever-growing powers of the Sage and his legendary Tsurugi.
Narrowly dodging the double-edged blade which then barely brushed of a few inches his carotid artery, he quickly leapt back and wobbly stabilised himself atop a wooden pylon, ensuring a safe distance between him and his opponent to catch his breath.
"Of all the secret swords you could secretly hide... This treasure you hold in your hands will be your downfall. " he emitted in a jeering tone before gritting his teeth when noticing that the Saniwa hardly suffered from his intensive use of the divine weapon.
"I wouldn't be so sure of myself if I were you. " the latter simply replied whilst straightening up, his face darkened.
"Even you don't have that much power! " exclaimed the young man, panting.
"No, indeed. But never underestimate the will of a tsukumogami. If they wish, they can turn their own power against themselves to protect their masters. " the Sage indicated, lifting the icy blade against his pale lips to kiss it. "Kusanagi chose to be mine, and in that sense, he is completely dedicated to me. " (*)
"Such a force... killing you will only be more enjoyable! "
"Reckless idiot... "
The offensive lasted only a minute, Tsuji suddenly rushing towards his opponent, his katana with an orange aura assailing him with a succession of repeated attacks that the latter parried all without the slightest difficulty before countering in his turn. Counterbalancing his blade which reached his target's chest with a deft movement from left to right, slashing his skin through his clothes, he finally threw him away with a forceful kick in the stomach that made him cough up another spurt of blood as he was collapsing against some shopfront.
The boy collapsed abruptly to the ground when feeling his own chest burn from the inside, the pain paralysing his limbs and sweat pouring profusely from his forehead. Quaking, he lifted his head with difficulty at the renegade and watched him slowly rise to his feet, staring at him for a moment before he fled through the dwellings' roofs to the last temporal portal pulsing with its ruddy shimmer in the black sky.
Waving, as if trying to provoke him, he smirked once again, baring his sharp Retrograde teeth and, as a bluish bolt of lightning was striking him and that he was disappearing in fine golden particles, he expressed in a thunderous voice:
"To our next encounter! "
Endnote:
Ame no Nuhoko(*): ("heavenly jewelled spear").
When Shinto's gods Izanagi and Izanami were given the responsibility of creating the first land, they were given a spear decorated with jewels (Magatama), named Ame-no-Nuhoko, by the Primitives Gods. The two deities then went to the bridge between heaven and earth, Ame-no-Ukihashi ("floating bridge of heaven"), and churned the sea below with the Naginata. When drops of salty water fell from the tip, they formed the first island of Japan, Onogoro-Shima. Izanagi and Izanami then descended from the heavenly bridge and made their home on the island.
Magatama: are curved, comma-shaped beads that are divine jewels characteristic of Japan. They are usually made of amber, stone, jade or even glass.
Goshujin-sama [御主人様]: Master; Your Lordship/Ladyship · Shukun [主君]: Lord; Sir; Master - other from for Aruji [主人]: Master (of a servant); Owner; Chief
Jufu: Slips of enchanted paper. If you have ever watch Cardcaptor Sakura, it's the paper that Syaoran use to invoke elemental forces such as thunder. ;)
Obijime: is a thin rope tied around the obi to attach it, or more exactly to tighten it.
Ame no Murakumo(*.*): full name Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi ("Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds"), is a legendary Japanese sword and one of three sacred regalias of the legitimacy of the imperial throne of feudal Japan and the Japanese Empire.
Popularly called Kusanagi ("Grass-Cutting"), it looks like a double-edged sword, short and straight, which sets it apart from the style of Japanese swords that have curved blades and a single sharp edge. It can be handled with one or two hands.
It is said that when the Storm God, Susanō finally managed to kill the eight-headed serpent, Yamata-no-Orochi, he found inside the tail of the latter the legendary sword endowed with unspeakable power. Returning to Heavens, he offered it to his sister Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun with who he was on bad terms, as a present of reconciliation.
Tsurugi: a Japanese sword that was once common in Japan but is nowadays mostly associated with very distant historical times, as well as mythology. It's a sword, which means that this weapon has two cutting edges, one on each side of its blade, unlike Katana in general, which are sabre because they have only one cutting-edge, located on one of the two sides of the blade.
Kissing the sword(*): No! That's absolutely not weird at all! :D. In fact, it was pretty common in ancient times, kissing a sword was the highest form of affirmation of a loyalty oath.