Self-Inflicted Wounds

Chapter 3: Animal

Warning: This chapter will contain some graphic violence.

Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten stood with the rest of the participants. They were no longer wearing their Kinmoku tunics they favored, and instead donned the traditional grey tunics of the Kessho military. Seiya felt out of sorts in the rough fabric, but he didn't show it. He took a look around at the other soldiers. Taiki's intel had been correct. Including themselves, there was only 13 teams of three. As he sized up the men he would be competing against, he tried to remain calm. The anticipation was making his blood boil with excitement. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins hot and thick. It wasn't that he wanted to kill these strangers, he wasn't that sinister, it was the chase that got him excited, whether he be the hunter or the hunted. He had grown up in a hostile world where one either fought or died. It had taught him how to allow his senses to take over and give way to his animal side. None of the men around him seemed to pose any real threat. They were all fairly low ranking members of military. Seiya assumed this was because the military was relatively small in this country, and there weren't enough high ranking men to spare.

The crowd went quiet when a man walked to the front of the crowd and cleared his throat. Taiki had told them that the man in charge of this contest was Nephrite, another high general of the Kessho military. It was likely that this man would replace Kunzite, but first he had to prove himself. He was a lean man with curly brown hair that came to the small of his back and dark, cold eyes. His grey uniform looked like it had been freshly cleaned and carefully pressed for the occasion, the purple accent on the trim the only colour in the mass of grey and black.

"Welcome," he said to the crowd of men, it was obvious from the way his shoulders were drawn in slightly that he was nervous. It seemed likely to Seiya that Nephrite had probably not done much public speaking. "As you know, this contest is of the upmost importance right now. Our small country is under a great threat from Kinmoku. Ginoukoku is negotiating a treaty as we speak, but one of the terms is the princess. She will become our princess, but if she is to live among us, she needs to be protected by our men. It has been decided that a three man team will become the princess' official guards, and we need to choose which of you are the best men for the job!"

He paused briefly, and looked around as if he expected a cheer, but none came. He cleared his throat again and continued. Seiya let a small smile touch his lips, this man was a fool.

"This contest is a five day test that will take place in the military training grounds to the east of the city, which is just to my left." Nephrite paused and indicated the large wooden gate to his left. The perimeter of the training grounds was fenced in by a stone wall that was over ten feet high. It stretched out with a gentle curve, which told Seiya that the training grounds were huge. Someone could easily get lost inside. "Over the course of the five days, each team will fight against the others in order to survive. The last team standing at the end will be the victors. To prevent an unnecessary death, a few rules have been put in place. Any team may at any point surrender and will then be eliminated from the competition. If any member of any team is unable to continue fighting for any reason: injury, loss of consciousness, or death, then the whole team is disqualified. Each team has been given a flag. If your team surrenders or is disqualified, you are to give up your flag to the team who defeated yours."

"Good," whispered Seiya to Taiki and Yaten, tucking the grey fabric flag into his pocke. "I would hate to have to kill all of these men." Yaten and Taiki smiled. The men closest to the three of them shifted their weight uncomfortably and looked at them through the corner of their eyes. It was clear that they were uneasy with the presence of the three men, but they couldn't really put a finger on why.

"You will begin now!" Nephrite called as the gate slowly opened. The 13 teams gathered around the entrance of the training grounds. Beyond the gate was a forest unlike any Seiya had ever seen in his life. The trees were so thick that he doubted that he could wrap his arms around any of them. The tops of the trees were out of sight. The ground was covered with gnarled roots that were large enough for a full grown man to hide behind without being seen until it was too late.

Seiya took a step forward towards the gate. He could feel his heart racing. Suddenly he was inside the training grounds. He felt trapped, like a wild animal that had been corralled in a pen. As the gate slowly closed behind him, the other teams started separating, gathering their bearings. Sensing that he, Yaten, and Taiki were at a slight disadvantage, not knowing the lay of the land, he indicated a cave off in the distance, hoping the three of them could devise a plan there.

In the safety of the cave, the three turned to each other and crouched. Seiya looked at Yaten and Taiki, they both looked tense, ready to start the hunt. With a smile he told his companions his plan.

"Right," he whispered, "the three of us separate, meet back here at nightfall. Take out as many teams as you can before then. The faster this is over, the sooner we can get on with the real mission." The two nodded in agreement.

"Be careful, Seiya," Yaten told him as he turned to leave the cave.

"I'm always careful," he replied with a solemn smile, "it's you who has to watch out!"

With that, the three of them separated, going off into the dense forest. Seiya climbed the nearest tree, a skill he had never really mastered, but he knew that he would have a better view of the surrounding forest from a higher vantage point. Once up on the higher, thicker branches, he jumped stealthily to the next tree. As he travelled through the forest in this method, he kept one eye carefully scanning the forest floor for members of other team; he kept his ears peeled for the sound of footsteps in the soft forest floor.

It wasn't long before his efforts were rewarded. He had been jumping from tree to tree for less than half an hour when he came across a group of three men, not much younger than him, no older than nineteen. The three men were short, stocky, and lean, obviously swordsmen. They all had blonde hair that was cropped short. With a smile, Seiya jumped from the tree and drew his sword. He landed gracefully in front of the men, his sword tip flashed up to the chin of the man in the center.

"Dead," he whispered. The men froze, fear exuding from every ounce of their being. "You really ought to protect yourselves better." The man who had Seiya's blade pressed against his throat gulped, sweat beading on his forehead. Seiya pressed the sword a little harder into the neck of the man, a small stream of blood oozed from the small wound the sharp blade created. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the man on the right's hand inching towards his dagger. Quick as a flash, Seiya drew his own dagger, never taking the sword away from the man, and threw it. The dagger caught the man on the right in the palm and embedded itself in the trunk of the tree right behind him. A howl of pain escaped the man's lips from the pain of having a dagger pierce his hand. The other men in the group betrayed their panic, their eyes full of fear. "Not a smart move."

"Who are you?" the one in the center whispered, his voicing cracking.

"Your worst nightmare," Seiya replied, "now, we can do this the hard way or the easy shaking hands, the man pulled out the grey flag from his pocket and held it out to Seiya.

"Neji! What are you doing?" cried the man whose hand was pinned to the tree.

"Do you want to die?" the man answered, tears filling his eyes. Nobody answered.

"Good, then I'll be taking that," Seiya smirked, grabbing the flag and tucking it in his pocket with the other one. He lowered his sword slightly. "Now, get going." He stepped over to the tree and yanked his dagger out. He examined the blade then wiped it off on the man shirt. "I would get that checked if I were you. You might not lose the use of that hand." The man nodded, then rushed past Seiya. When the three were out of sight, Seiya took a half step to leave the small clearing, but paused when he heard a twig crack. "I almost didn't notice you. You're much better than those three." Seiya crouched, then jumped ten feet into the air, landing on a branch in a tree in front of three men. These three were different from the men he had just encountered. They were somewhat older, with stronger bodies. They didn't have the same innocence that the other three had, but rather they appeared hardened by battle. It wasn't likely that Seiya could simply scare these three. He would have to make his point.

"You're quite talented to have noticed us," one man answered, grinning a blood thirsty smile that sent chills into Seiya's soul. "I don't think I've seen you before. Which division you from?" Remembering the information Taiki had given him, Seiya formed his answer.

"I'm from the northern infantry division. I'm a new recruit. Drafted only six weeks ago."

"hmm…fresh meat," a second man sneered.

"You don't have to worry, I'm still a good fight," Seiya replied, bringing his sword to the ready.

"I'm sure you are, but can you win against three well seasoned warriors?" the first man asked, unsheathing his sword, likewise, his two companions pulled out their own blades. The grin on the man's face was terrifying. Without warning the man sprung forward, slashing down at Seiya. Seiya had very little time to react as he brought his sword above his head blocking the blow. Sparks flew at the contact of the two swords. Seiya withdrew his sword and jabbed quickly at the man's open shoulder. The tip of the sword struck the clavicle, snapping it with the force of the bowl. The man's sneer evaporated and turned to shock, however he didn't allow the pain to make him falter. He barred his teeth and tried to strike Seiya on the hip, but Seiya blocked that blow as well. Out of the corner of his eye, Seiya saw the other two men move towards him, their swords flashing with the same murderous intent that shone in their eyes.

"I'm sorry, I can't play with you guys anymore," Seiya growled, spinning away from the first man, thrusting his sword out, impaling the second man in the stomach. The man crumpled as Seiya withdrew the blade and snapped it up to the throat of the third man. The second man lost his balance and toppled from the tree, falling ten feet where he landed on the forest floor with a sickening splat. Blood pooled around the man's limp body, his limbs stretching out at odd angles. His companions paused only for a moment in shock of losing their friend. Anger flashed across the first man's face and he renewed his assault. In one shift, fluid motion, Seiya slashed, decapitating the man, his head toppling from his shoulders, out of the tree, down to join the second man. The body stood for a moment before it dropped to its knees and slid sideways of the tree.

"You bastard!" the third man roared, jumping up, his sword above his head, ready to strike.

"Too slow!" Seiya snarled, lifting his blade up so it impaled the man as he came down over Seiya. The man's face was filled with shock as he looked Seiya in the eyes.

"Who are you?" he said weakly.

"The Assassin of Kinmoku," Seiya answered, watching as fear spread across the man's features.

"Wh…" the man took a rattling breath, and his eyes went dull. Seiya pulled his sword out of the man's chest, and laid him down in the branches. He quickly searched the man's pockets. No flag. He would have to search the other two.

He jumped out of the tree, landing a few feet from the corpses of the two other men. Blood trickled off the end of his sword as he took a step towards the bodies. He looked at the face of the first man. Anger still held on his features, replaying the last moments of the man's life. With a sigh, Seiya bent down and search the pockets of both men, pulling the flag from the decapitated body. He hadn't wanted to kill these men. With so much death around him all the time, it seemed wrong to take more lives.

…

Less than twenty four hours later, Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten emerged from the forest carrying thirteen flags. They had been lucky; they had only had to kill 6 people. Taiki had been forced to take the life of one man who refused to back down, and Yaten had killed two. They left the forest relatively unscathed. Taiki supported a small gash on his check from where one individual had cut him in a hand to hand battle. Nephrite stood in shock as the three men exited the forest holding the thirteen flags.

"You three…" was all he could say.

"I believe that this is enough to prove that the three of us are more than capable of defending our future princess," Seiya replied, handing him the flags. Nephrite only nodded. "When can we expect to leave?"

"As soon as possible, King Endymion will debrief you later today, and then you can be on your way to the palace in Gin," Nephrite answered, still in shock.

"Good. We are eager to meet her highness," Seiya responded with a smiled.

Seiya's stream of memories was abruptly interrupted as he heard the doors of the throne room thrown open. Six people marched into the room. They were lead by a tall, slender man with white hair and sapphire blue eyes, a man that Seiya knew was the emperor of Ginoukoku. Trailing only a half step behind him was a small man with lush blonde hair. The unpleasant smirk on the second man's face only succeeded in irritating Seiya to no end. From the Grey uniform trimmed in green Seiya knew that the man was Zoisite, the ambassador to Ginoukoku from Kessho. Directly behind him was a woman who made Seiya's heart stop and his breath catch.

She was a petite woman, her slender body wrapped carefully in a soft white gown that had a low, square collar that showed off her strong collar bones. She was of a short stature; she probably came no higher on Seiya than his shoulder. Her silky blonde hair cascaded from two buns on the top of her head. In the center of her small, pale face were two large, gentle, kind, innocent blue eyes. They were like two sapphires in the snow. Those eyes captivated Seiya. Once caught by them, he couldn't look anywhere else. But those beautiful eyes were rimmed in red, which told Seiya she was upset. He studied her face carefully and realized that her carefully composed face was hiding a deep sadness. He doubted there were many in the room that could see past her mask. For a moment, they caught each other's gaze and the woman blushed. Seiya flashed a small smile in her direction, which made her blush deepen. His heart began pounding.

Seiya was so captivated by the woman, he didn't even bother to look at the other four women that trailed behind her. He watched her as she crossed the room, and his heart sank as she took a seat in the chair which he was standing behind. So this is Princess Usagi, he thought, this is the woman I have set out to kill. But as he looked down at her, he felt as if he couldn't bear to harm a single hair on her head. He never wanted to see her so sad again; he wanted to know how beautiful she'd be when she smiled.

As the rest of the princesses settled in their thrones around the room, silence fell. The emperor had called this meeting to formally announce the betrothal to Kessho's prince, Endymion IV.

As the room filled with high ranking members of society over the next half hour, Seiya kept a close eye on the princess who was sitting so close to him he could reach out and touch her. His blood was pounding in his ears. An animal was rising inside of him, but it was nothing like the animal he was used to. This animal had no intent to kill.

Finally, when the room was filled with the nobles of the empire, the emperor stood, which caused a hush to fall over the assembled crowd. He held his arms out, as if he were trying to embrace the entire room. He smiled a warm smile.

"My dear friends, welcome. Tonight I have some very important news that will alter the fate of this empire. This may very well be the thing that changes the tides of this unending war we've been fighting with our neighbors to the north. As many of you know, we have been negotiating an alliance with Kessho. Kessho has been an independent kingdom since the formation of the two empires. It holds vast resources that would benefit Ginoukoku greatly. At last, the terms of the alliance have been agreed upon.

Although it breaks my heart, I have agreed to let my daughter, Princess Usagi, marry the prince of Kessho, Endymion. Once they are married, our empire and their country will be bound together by the ties of blood," the king told the room in a booming voice. A collective gasp escaped the lips of everyone in the room as the king announced the information. "My daughter," he turned to Usagi, "I hope you can agree to these terms, and play your part in securing a better future for your empire." Slowly, Usagi stood up.

"I know my duty as the daughter of the emperor of this empire. I accept this duty and hope that it is enough." She said to the room. Her voice was sad, but determined. Seiya felt his heart break for the girl. She didn't want to be a part of this. Although she doesn't know it, this will lead to her death, thought Seiya. The emperor proceeded to explain why Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten were there.

"As part of the agreement, three of Kessho's strongest warriors are becoming Usagi's personal guard. The three of them have proved themselves on many occasions, and I trust them with my daughter's life." Seiya raised his hand slightly, waving at the noble's in the room. He watched as Usagi turned slightly in her chair to look at him out of the corner of her eye. His heart beat became erratic as their eyes met for a moment. Control yourself, he thought, you have a mission. Who was this woman, and why did she make him feel this way?

A/N: GAH! There you go… I hope it wasn't too gory for you… I don't think it was… anyways… I hope you liked the chapter. RxR =3 pwease