Kazama looked at his pommel without blade, unfazed, and then at the giant furious beast in front of him.
« Am I supposed to be afraid ? » he asked in his arrogant voice, his face expressing nothing but boredom.
« You'd be stupid not to be. » answered Koan harshly.
The enormous fox's fur was swelling in warning behind the precipice, his flews rolled up, showing his powerful fangs. His ears were flat on his head and his eight tails high like the feathers of a peacock.
« Yasha-san. » I asked « allow me to help. »
The fox didn't turn into my direction nor acknowledged what I said, keeping his focus on Kazama. The demon took a step forward towards the abyss and a wall appeared in front of him, stopping its movement. He put his palm on the wall, thinking.
« Impressive. » he said even if nothing in his voice gave a hint that he was indeed finding it impressive « I know it's nothing more than a fox's trick and yet, I can feel the wall under my fingertips. »
« Turn away, Kazama-oujisama. » warned Koan « I do not have the permission to hurt you but I will if you try to hurt me first. »
« You'd let me turn away ? » asked Kazama with a grin « after I killed your daughter ? »
« I'll have others. » replied the fox.
« No you won't. » grinned the demon « except if you give me back my property. She's there, isn't she ? » he asked, looking around « You're hiding her but she's there... Just like my sword is still there as well. I'm not fooled, old man. »
« Yasha-san. » I asked again.
Arrows fled out of nowhere and pierced Kazama in multiple places, making him grunt in pain and fall to his knees, eyes wide. His gaze got down to the arrows and he put his fingers on one.
« It's not there... I'm not hurt... Still, I'm in pain... » he muttered more for himself than for the fox. He turned his gaze forward, towards Koan, and laughed « It's not there ! There's not even a point in taking them off ! I can stand up, because it's not there. I can pass your wall, because it's not there. I can cross your gap, because it's not there and I can slit your throat with my sword because it IS THERE. »
He ran forward in his demon form and did exactly as he said, he ran through the wall, the arrows still planted in him and stepped on the air of the gap, his pommel in hand and a mischievous grin on his face. His invisible blade entered the flesh of the fox but not in the throat, deflected by my own katana. Koan backed off in pain, his mouth and cheek opened and bloody. He fell, prostrating himself in his suffering. The arrows in Kazama's body vanished, like the gap and the wall, and his blade was visible again against mine.
« You ? » whispered Kazama in surprise.
I didn't answer and counterattacked immediately, using the element of surprise to get the upper hand. Kazama defended himself with chaotic movements until he regained his composure. His movements became more precise, more rapid, more powerful and less predictable. Fighting in my human form, I couldn't keep the upper hand long, and I felt his katana slide across my cheek as I retreated to evade a blow on my throat.
« Hajime ! »
« Otousan ! »
Gauging each other, Kazama and I weren't moving.
« You're worse than a cockroach. » he said in his deep arrogant voice « I kill you and you keep coming back for more. »
I stayed silent and kept a defensive stance, focused. Nothing in my posture or gaze could show the intense hatred and desire to kill inhabiting me. I would kill Kazama to get revenge for everything he did. To me, to Chizuru, to Mika, to Koan... Even to Souji, back at Ikedaya. Prince or not, he was going to die.
« I'm happy though » continued Kazama « Last time you were so weak that I could have died of boredom. I'll be glad to show you that being healthy wouldn't change anything to the outcome of our duel. Your humiliation would only be greater. »
He leaped forward in his demon form. With my human eyes, I had trouble following but I didn't want to turn into a Rasetsu now. I wasn't injured, I didn't need the healing power and I'd rather keep my Rasetsu form as an element of surprise if I got in difficulty.
The sound of the blades hitting each other was soon the only sound in the forest. From Chizuru and Haruhi's point of view, I supposed it looked like we were on the same level but I could sense the truth. Kazama was way more powerful than I was. I would have to turn into a Rasetsu to have the speed and strength necessary to beat him.
I saw Koan in the corner of my eye trying to stand up and in a blink, Kazama was gone. I prepared myself to receive a blow but instead, I heard a high pitched gasp. I turned to the side to see Kazama's blade dug into Koan's throat. The fox collapsed. He shrinked. Where the majestic beast once stood, a small silver fox was lying dead. Kazama pulled his sword out and wiped it in the fur.
« You've lived enough » he said to the corpse « I couldn't allow you to interfere. »
« Koan ! » cried Haruhi.
She ran to the dead fox and looked at it before turning to Kazama with hatred, the hand on the hilt of her wakizashi.
« Oh ? » he grinned « you are going to unsheathe ? Come on, baby girl. Do it. Show me the warrior you are. »
« Kazama. » I called « I am your opponent. »
The Oni turned his back on Haruhi, showing her his defenseless flank and I saw her hesitate to strike. Kazama was waiting for it, I could see it. He would kill her as soon as her blade would be out of her scabbard.
« Haruhi. » I called « rules. »
She was still looking at Kazama but I saw her hand get away from the pommel of her sword and with a nod, I asked her to go back to the side, with Chizuru. She complied and Kazama's gaze followed her with a wide sadistic grin.
« Too bad... » he commented as she passed near him « I thought the baby girl was deserving of her sword, that she had the honor of a samurai... I guess it's just a toy then. »
Do not answer the provocation, Haruhi !
She put her hand back on the pommel and unsheathed her wakizashi, aiming for Kazama's inner thigh but of course, he was faster than her. His blade swung at Haruhi's neck and I blocked it, putting a big kick in the girl's stomach at the same time to make her get out of Kazama's range. My long white hair was flowing freely around my face as I unleashed the Rasetsu in me.