Wow. This might actually be the longest chapter I've written, even though its only 12 or so pages:P I'm glad I've met this before my deadline becuase now I can concentrate on getting out the final chapter, so expect that one for next Sunday. That's right, only one more chapter to go. Thanks to all of those who've reviewed! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Disclaimer: Maybe one day I'll own Beyblade but not right now(
Chapter 19
Today was the day all his dreams came true. He adjusted the medals on his jacket and grinned happily at his reflection. He looked good and he wasn't afraid to admit it. He turned to Garland with a wide grin. "What do you think?"
Garland gave him a once over and smiled thinly. "I don't see why you're going to all this trouble. All you need to do is have the girl say the vows. You've wasted too much time and effort in all the extravagance."
The other man smirked. "What's wrong with a bit of extravagance. After all, this is my wedding for crying out loud. It had to be a memorable occasion and I won't have it done substandard. Friends and family only and since I don't have any family and only you two would I consider my friends I had to extend my arm out to include our dear friend, Mr. Hiwatari."
Garland rolled his eyes. "I think it's a bad idea but then when do you ever listen to what I say?"
"Nonsense," Brooklyn chastised. "I always take on board every bit of advice you give me. It's just whether I choose to do anything with it that's the problem."
The thin smile went even thinner. "Another thing. You could have let me take care of the palace security against the Resistance. I still don't trust Mystel and neither should you."
"I don't trust him," Brooklyn replied simple, adjusting his cape so it remained on the one arm. "But I've looked at what he's come up with and I fully approve. Plus I've kept an eye on him at all times. He hasn't once left the palace since Kai's arrest nor has he called anyone from his cell phone. Besides, I'm not worried about the Resistance. How on earth can the fight against a wedding they don't know is taking place? Anyway, you have a more important job to do." He handed Garland two boxes. "You have to hold the rings!"
He accepted them and the patronizing tone but said nothing else. If Brooklyn said everything was going to be alright then he had to trust his judgment. He had a point anyway. Mystel was on thin ice and he doubted the man was going to step where it might break because should that happen there'll be no one there to pull him to safety. Maybe everything was fine.
The girls around her were rushing throughout the room gathering various hair accessories and pinning them to Hilary's hair, holding a private meeting and then deciding to try another one that to Hilary looked just the same. The servant girls who worked at the palace had been allocated the roles of her bridesmaids and were taking the task to heart, treating her is if she was nothing more than a fashion doll that they could primp and preen as they chose. Their attempts were a result of them trying to make her feel better she could tell – not that it was doing any good. Any other time she would have refused their help since she was perfectly capable of dressing herself. Or Mariah would have been there to help... Every girl should have the right to have their best friend help her with wedding preparation but this was just another thing taken from her.
She held in a sigh as one of the girls – all dressed in matching amethyst coloured dresses – pushed another tiara in her hair and attached a veil to it.
"Oh, Hilary," she cried, breathlessly. "You look so beautiful!" She took the other girl's hand like they'd been friends forever. "You look just like a princess!"
For the first time Hilary allowed herself to look at the three mirrors she was standing in front of and, yes, even she had to admit she looked like some heroine in a fairytale. Her dress was the purest white she'd ever seen and clung to her waist so tightly she struggled to breath in it. The top half was in a corset style, strapless and littered with diamonds. The top edge of it branched off into mini wings that reached to her arms and boosted her cup so give her a perfect cleavage. Where it pinched in at her hips the lower half then puffed out to create the illusion of wider hips than she had with netting covering the silk material that had lines of crystals running down ten centimeters apart from each other. Her shoes were stiletto heeled in a court shoe style of silk and were higher than any heel she'd ever dared wear before, however, Hilary never having had the chance to wear high heels much in her life, that wasn't too hard a feat.
Her hair had been pinched up in curls with strands of them framing her face. The silver, diamond tiara set it off nicely and the veil attached was currently hanging over the back, ready to be set into place.
One of the girls clipped a silver necklace around her neck and smiled admiringly and then flipped her veil over. "You're ready."
The veil made her look as if she was heading to a funeral instead of a wedding or perhaps it was the sadness of the girl's face that it was hiding. She didn't look like herself at all. If anything she looked like a bride from some big budget blockbuster but she supposed that was only to add to the effect. The photographs of this big event would no doubt litter the pages of every fashion, women and celebrity magazine in the country and what would set off this oh-so-perfect marriage to the oh-sp-perfect Brooklyn than an oh-so-perfect wife.
Tears formed in her eyes but she quickly batted them away. She couldn't afford to falter now. She had to be strong. For the sake of everything she was or had ever been she had to keep it together at least until she was alone. What would people say and what would Brooklyn do if her veil was lifted to expose black tears of mascara down her cheeks?
The girls followed her as she started to walk gracefully towards the ballroom where she was to meet with the coordinator before her entrance. The men would already have arrived and were waiting on her arrival. As advised, she was to be late for it was apparently lucky for the bride to be tardy on her wedding day. One of the girls handed her a bouquet of flowers – lilies – and she took them without even realising what she was doing. Everything seemed so surreal, like she was in some kind of a dream world. It wasn't really happening. Any minute she was going to wake up and her parents would be there to save her from this nightmare. None of it had happened. Her uncle hadn't died, Brooklyn hadn't came to power.
But it was real. This was happening to her. No matter how hard she tried to pretend it wasn't she couldn't hide what was true. She looked at the organiser who was standing with a clipboard in her hands and her glasses low on her nose. She noticed that her knuckles were white from gripping it so tightly and felt a lump in her throat as she wondered what was making her do so. There were two soldiers standing with rifles in their hands, ready to fire but Hilary didn't think that was what was causing the fear in the woman's eyes. Was it fear though or had Hilary just assumed that? She looked closer at her and saw that she couldn't meet her eyes. That was it then. Not fear but dread. Surely she's gotten over it already? Hilary had accepted the wedding so she had to too. It had all been fine earlier on when she was being told the arrangements.
"Hilary," she greeted her, her voice thick and heavy. It was as if Hilary was talking to a completely different person. "You look lovely." Her face was buried in her clipboard but Hilary could tell it was just so she didn't have to look at her face. "There's been a slight change of plan. It seems Lord Brooklyn doesn't see it fit that you should have to walk down the aisle yourself and has...arranged for some one to take the place of the father of the bride."
Hilary's breath caught in her throat and her heart began to beat faster. "Who?" She knocked the clipboard from the other woman's hands, sending her flowers to the ground as well so she had no choice but to look at her face. "Who is it?" she demanded but the woman's mouth just opened and closed like a fish. No sound was coming out of it and Hilary could feel her anger rising. "Tell me!"
"Sorry, Hilary," Kai's voice sounded from behind the guards and they stepped out of the way keeping their aim on him at all times. Hilary looked at him with her eyes wide in disbelief and went to take her veil off when his hands landed on hers. The guards cocked their guns and aimed even higher at him in mistrust. "I heard its bad luck to take off the veil before the wedding once you're fully dressed."
Her hands entwined in his and he squeezed them tightly. She heard excited and scared gasps from the girls behind her but ignored their hushed whispers. Just by looking at his suit she could tell who exactly it was that the wedding coordinator meant. He had been scrubbed up well considering the state he had been in when they'd last met. His face was cleanly shaved, his hair had been styled like it normally is and his face – though traces of cuts and bruises were still visible – was looking remarkably much more healthy that it had. And welcoming. In his crimson eyes she could see his sorrow but there was the shadow of a smile on his lips. She mimicked it unknowingly.
"You look beautiful..."
The tears were coming much more strongly now and it took her all her willpower to fight them back. "You should be waiting for me at the alter. Not walking me down to it."
Kai nodded his agreement. "Things just didn't work out that way. Wouldn't you rather it was this than nothing? You won't have to go it alone because I'll be there by your side."
"I don't want to do this," she said shaking her head and collapsed into his shoulder and embrace, crying hard.
Kai rubbed her back gently and held her close. He didn't think he would ever have gotten that chance again. "You'll ruin your makeup. You have to look pretty for your guests." He wiped her tears back with his thumb and smiled encouragingly, taking her shoulders. "You can do this. Be strong for me."
One of the soldiers separated them with the butt of his rifle. "That's enough. We're under strict orders not to let you two come together like that."
Kai offered her his arm and she look it. With his other hand he gripped her fingers for encouragement. One of the girls handed her the dropped bouquet and gave her a lopsided grin. She accepted it gratefully and took in a deep breath. The double doors were opened and the beginning bars of Pachabel's Canon in D Major began to play. Her nerves were shattered with dread now as she saw Brooklyn in his army uniform waiting for her before the marriage ordainer with a cruel amusement in his eyes. She heard a growl low in Kai's throat as the two of their eyes met.
The ballroom was barely decorated and looked empty with the small wedding party. Brooklyn was already position for her to stand beside him with Garland acting as best man and Mystel as a witness for Hilary. Apart from them, Kai, the three servants and herself there was no one else in the room who was attending for the wedding. Brooklyn was obviously trying to make it as low key as possible, at least until they were finally married. No doubt there would be a second wedding for the numerous political and regal figures involved with the country and neighboring ones. Brooklyn needn't even have bothered going to such an effort to make her a wedding dress nor Kai a suit but he seemed to want to make this as real to Kai and herself as possible to highlight the clear message that the day represented: 'I won'.
Despite there being so few wedding guests, there were a handful of soldiers (Hilary counted five) present to guard Kai, a pianist and the Registrar himself. What they needed so many soldiers for was beyond her. The two at the door would have sufficed surely. Kai wasn't exactly armed and he wasn't going to risk her life by trying anything funny. It was just because Brooklyn had the power to do it and it made her blood boil. He'd made her marry him, wasn't that enough? Kai was acting her the father of the bride. Wasn't that enough? No. Not for Brooklyn. It was never enough.
They reached the front of the makeshift alter and she turned to face Brooklyn. Kai let go of her hand but not before giving it one last squeeze and a small smile. She took in a deep breath to steady her nerves.
"Good day to you all. We've gathered today to join Lord Brooklyn Kingston and Princess Hilary Tatibana in a civil partnership marriage. I ask that you both swear before the law that you are willing and able to marry the other. Lord Kingston I need you to say the following words: I do solemnly declare that I know not of any lawful impediment why I, Lord Brooklyn Kingston, may not register a Civil Partnership with Princess Hilary Tatibana."
Brooklyn nodded. "I do solemnly declare that I know not of any lawful impediment why I, Lord Brooklyn Kingston, may not register a Civil Partnership with Princess Hilary Tatibana."
"Hilary?" She repeated the phrase with her name in place. "Now I need you both to say: I understand that on signing the Civil Partnership Schedule that I 'X' will be forming a Civil Partnership with 'Y'" Both of them repeated with their names in place. "You must make your vows of loyalty. Lord Kingston. Will you solemnly promise that you will always protect this woman from the harm of others with your utmost care and that you will honour and cherish her in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, and that in all things you be to her a faithful partner?"
"I will," replied Brooklyn.
"Hilary, will you solemnly promise that you will always love this man with your full heart and that you will honour, obey and cherish him in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer and that in all things you will be to him a faithful, obedient and loving partner?"
Hilary swallowed hard and looked at Brooklyn with utter hatred. "I will."
"Before you sign the Civil Partner Schedule it is required that I ask those present today who have any reason to believe these two shouldn't be married speak now or forever hold their peace."
Hilary saw Brooklyn smirk to Garland and out of the corner of her eyes saw Kai's lips press together so hard that they almost disappeared.
"If there are no objections-"
There were two gunshots outside the doors and then they swung open to reveal the remaining members of the Resistance dressed and ready for action. All five of them hand either a gun in each hand or were brandishing swords and had numerous other weapons strapped to their bodies.
"We object!" cried Tala, followed by approving cries from everyone. "Given the choice that girl would never marry you."
Brooklyn's eyes narrowed on Mystel who met his eyes calmly, staring at the face of death. "I thought you assured me there was no way for the Resistance to infiltrate this wedding. Can you explain then why they're standing right the fuck before me?!"
"There was no way for the Resistance to infiltrate the wedding based on the plans I'd given you. However I gave the soldiers no such plans." He walked towards the Resistance and joined their ranks by taking out his sword. "I've had enough, Brooklyn."
"You treacherous bastard," Brooklyn cried. "You told them everything, didn't you?"
"Something has to be done. This can't go on. People are suffering and you're refusing to do anything about it except make it worse. You've forgotten who you once were and what you once stood for. Power's driven you insane!"
He laughed harshly. "Insane?" he questioned as more soldiers began to file into the room. "I'm not the crazy ones who are going to try to take on armed soldiers when they're already outnumbered. I'll give you this one chance to spare you lives. Surrender to me now. You'll never win."
"Probably not," replied Tala. "But we'll sure as hell try."
"Very well," Brooklyn said with a grin. He turned to four soldiers. "Take Hilary and Hiwatari away. I want to make sure they're both alive at the end of this so we can carry on where we left off." Turning to his foes, he tossed his cape onto the floor and unsheathed his sword. "Prepare to die!"
Tyson headed through the corridors as stealthily as he could. His clothing was weighted light enough and his movements swift enough so no one sensed he was coming until it was too late and he had rendered them unconscious. He had no idea where it was he would find Kai but with every step he took he was finding it harder to contain his excitement. There was already an ongoing battle between the Resistance and Kingston's men so no one would even think to guard Kai in his cell. Even if they did he would leave no trace of evidence that would lead back to him. This was the perfect murder. No, not murder. Vengeance.
He sneaked up on another guard and dealt a powerful blow to the back of his head and watched with a satisfied smirk when he fell to the ground, unaware of what had just happened and probably wouldn't be for another few hours leaving him plenty of time to make his escape after his business was finished.
He heard footsteps ahead of him walking in his direction and quickly turned around a corner and pressed his body close to the wall. His hand rested on the dagger strapped to his waist just in case he had to use it. Holding his breath he watched as two guards led Kai past him, all unaware of his presence watching him. Tyson frowned as he studied Kai. He was wearing a suit and looked remarkably well for some one who'd been under the arrest of Brooklyn Kingston. He felt his eyes narrowing. Just what was going on?
The guards then turned into a room Tyson had seen marked 'Board Room' and he followed them. Why Kai was being taken there he didn't understand but he had no choice but to go after them if he wanted to get to Kai. Quickly he followed them and stuck his foot in the door enough for him to see into the room without drawing attention to himself. His eyes widened. It seemed that there was nowhere else in the room for them to go but they headed to the far wall and then opened some sort of hidden passage and went down the stairs it revealed. That must be where they were holding him then. They'd all guessed as much that he wasn't being held in a regular prison. It was far too likely they would be able to bust him out but in the palace itself and in a room where very few knew existed...it was genius.
He waited until the passage closed again before entering the room. He was willing to bet that these guards and perhaps only Kingston, Mystel and Garland knew the place existed and since it was very likely that the latter three were going to die within the night that only left the guards to take out. He couldn't leave any traces of evidence behind, even if it meant killing more people than he'd intended. He unsheathed his dagger and stood by the door.
The seconds seemed to drag in as he waited to attack his unsuspecting victims. The passage was obviously soundproof too since he couldn't hear anything with his ear pressed against it. He tried to shake such thoughts from his head and instead concentrated on springing into the action the moment the door started to open. They didn't know he was waiting and so long as he struck quicker than a python they wouldn't have time to draw their weapons. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead but he didn't wipe it away. He wouldn't risk such distractions. The passage opened and the guards walked out. Tyson crept behind the first one and in one swift movement cut his throat open. The blood spurted out like an internal tap had been turned on. The second guard fumbled to unholster his gun but he was too late. Tyson had already severed the vital artery while his weapon was only mid-raised.
The guard clawed at his throat as he fell to the ground and after a few seconds lay completely still. The breath he hadn't known he was holding in left his lips. Who would have known that so much blood could come from only two people? He brought his hands up to his face. They too were covered in the red liquid but there was no time to lament. A simple wipe on his trousers and the deed was forgotten. They were workers of Kingston. They deserved to die anyway. He removed a set of keys from the guards clenched fist just in the unlikelihood he should need them. He'd come this far and he would be damned if his plan would be foiled by a mere locked door.
He shivered with anticipation as he descended the stairs the passage led him too and he then entered the tiny prison with only a handful of cells. It was dim and he had to screw his eyes to see five feet in front of him. His eyes then narrowed as he approached Kai's cell.
Kai gripped the cell bars in joy when he saw Tyson approach but the feeling soon left him when his friend stood under the only light and he got a better look at his face. "You're not here to let me out, are you?"
"I was sent here to free you but I've no intention of obeying that order."
The prisoner nodded. "I see. You better do what you came here to do then."
Tyson removed his gun and aimed it at Kai. He frowned when Kai didn't do anything to protect himself. Instead he stood in the same spot and closed his eyes like he had expected this moment to come. Maybe he had. After all being a prisoner of Kingston would mean that death was at his door all the time. Tyson's finger squeezed the trigger but he couldn't bring himself to pull it. His hands began to tremble with the strain.
"Its your fault Hiro's dead," he growled. He thought that reminding himself of that fact would make it easier to shoot but still his finger wouldn't squeeze hard enough.
Kai opened his eyes and nodded. "You're right. I am partly to blame. Not just for his death but for the death of many. If you want to punish me for it then I suggest you do so before some one comes in and stops you."
Licking his lips, Tyson lowered his gun. "No one knows about this place apart from the two I killed and Kingston and his generals, do they?" Kai said nothing but continued to stare at him, his unfaltering gaze unsettling Tyson more than he liked to admit. "If I leave you here no one will ever find you, will they? At least until its too late. I'd give it three days before you die of thirst, four tops. Then when they do find you they'll never know I was here. It would be an easy mistake to make since I only stumbled upon you by accident."
"No," Kai admitted quietly. "You're right. They probably won't find me."
"You'll suffer more, won't you?" Tyson continued his monologue, not even paying attention to anything Kai had to say. "And its more likely I'll get away with it too."
"I will and its very likely."
"So I should just walk away," Tyson concluded taking a few steps backwards.
"Do you think this will help you get over Hiro's death?" Kai asked suddenly, catching Tyson off guard. "Leaving me to die or even killing me, I mean. Do you think it'll ease the pain?"
Tyson stopped. "I don't know but I'm not doing this for me. Hiro has to be avenged and since you're the one responsible you have to die as well."
"If you really think that's what Hiro would have wanted then you didn't know your brother at all. The only way to avenge Hiro would be for Kingston to die. Mariah too. And all our families and friends that we've lost. If you leave me to die then all it will cause is more grief for everyone you care about. I think I'm right in saying that you don't want that," Kai said gently.
"I-I don't know what I want," Tyson whispered. "I just want to stop feeling this pain inside."
Kai smiled sadly. "I know. I feel it too for Mariah and Hiro. I was there when they both died. I saw their last moments. It hurts more than anything Kingston could ever do to me because I was powerless to help them. But bloodshed won't make the pain go away any faster. Only time will do that. In time we'll forget the pain of losing them and only remember the happy memories we had with them."
The gun fell from Tyson's hands and the sound of it hitting the floor echoed throughout the cells. "What should I do?"
"Why don't we fight Kingston together so that those who have died haven't done so in vain? Our numbers are small just now but even with two more people we stand a greater chance of reaching our goal. Now's our chance to go down in history. What would you rather be? If you leave now you'll be a murderer even if no one calls you it. But if we go together then you'll be known either as a martyr or a savior. Whatever your choice I won't hate you. God knows there's already enough hate in this world."
Tyson looked at the keys in his hand. Fate had played a bigger part in his life than he thought. One of them would unlock Kai's cell door. Grinning, he used it. "I kind of like the sound of being a saviour."
Smiling back, Kai replied, "I thought you might." He took a few steps towards Tyson and then stopped. "I think I better be honest with you. If you would have left me here Hilary would have found me. She knew of this place too."
Tyson was taken aback and frowned. "Why did you talk me out of it then? You could have just let me go and be freed anyway."
"I didn't let you walk away because I know what would have happened when I was released. They wouldn't ever forgive you. You've already suffered enough grief. Being misled shouldn't be a cause for more. Everyone's suffered enough."
"You know," Tyson admitted, grinning, "they were right about you. You're an alright guy."
Kai smiled. "Yeah, I'm not too bad. Though why its taken you all this time is beyond me."
Tyson shrugged. "I'm just a slow learner."
Tala blocked another blow with his sword and circled round to deal another killing slash to a soldier, immediately having to defend himself from another attack from a further two, feeling the strain with every strike. The battle was becoming a long and bloody one and they had taken down scores of men but not without their own casualties. Max had been struck by a stray bullet and was forced to fight with only one arm being movable. Kenny was also handicapped having been slashed with a sword down his left eye and unable to see out of it with the blood from the wound. He hated to admit it, but things weren't going well. They were just too outnumbered. Even with their superior fighting skills, trying to block off six attacks at once was taking its toll. They were weakening, every last one of them. There were still fifty or so of the opposition remaining.
And Kingston and Garland hadn't even entered the fight yet...
Another soldier charged at him with his sword raised and out of the corner of his eye he spotted a gun being aimed in his direction. In a split second he dropped his sword and removed his guns, firing both simultaneously. Both of them fell to the ground. He put his guns back in the holsters and picked his sword up again to take out his next target, turning only to find Garland and Garnet battling. He could tell from the instant that she was overpowered by the strength of the skilled swordsman and that she knew it too. Her eyes were wide in fear as she desperately blocked off hit after powerful hit, not daring to make a strike of her own in case she wasted precious energy which she needed for stopping each devastating advance.
Tala tried to make his way towards her - panicking as he heard every clash of their swords – but every path he tried to take was blocked by an opponent. He slashed furiously feeling that every step he took was two steps back. Garland was relentlessness in his attacks and Garnet's defenses were failing. Every swipe was inching closer to fatal. He needed another method. He unholstered his guns and fired. No shot came out: he was out of bullets. Furiously he threw his guns down and watched in horror as Garland disarmed Garnet, bringing her to her knees with a slash to the back of her leg, defenseless and open to any attack. She flung her arms over her head as Garland brought his sword down again.
Time seemed to slow down. He would never reach her in time. His head turned away as he heard her scream in anticipation but instead of the muffled sound of a sword slicing skin he heard the clash of metal on metal. He turned back to see Mystel standing over Garnet, matching Garland's strength with his own. Their eyes locked and a crash of emotions ran through them: remembrances of friendship, admiration, love, distrust, jealously, hate fear. All were forgotten now. It was about survival and the one who would live would be the one who had memorised the others weaknesses down to the last flex of the wrist. Countless hours spent in training meant that they were equally matched in terms of strength but their differences in style would determine the outcome of the spar.
Garland snarled as he struggled to push Mystel's sword away. Finding he just couldn't he swung around to catch Mystel off guard but it was easily blocked. Blow after blow they clashed with each other like it was another training match. A winner had never been determined between the two. But today there would be, had to be. Once again their swords met between blows in the middle of the two men and Garland used every ounce of his strength to push Mystel backwards. Momentarily loosing his footing, he stumbled but it was all the time Garland needed. He thrust his sword into Mystel's heart and twisted it. Mystel gasped for a breath that would never come. His hands grabbed onto Garland's sword but he was dead before they could do anything more.
With a satisfied smirk Garland pulled out his weapon, kicking Mystel's body to the ground in the process and looked to Brooklyn who nodded his approval. Now there were only five to go. He heard a cry behind him and turned, bringing up his sword just in time to defend himself from what would have been a lethal strike from Tala. The surprising amount of strength left him stunned briefly but only briefly. In no time at all he unleashed a counterattack Tala had been unprepared for and only managed to dodge through sheer luck. Garland wasted no time in offering a wide display of his swordsmanship for Tala. His skills were greater than any he'd ever faced but, stepping over the corpse of Mystel's body, it didn't seem to matter. There was more than just his strength giving him power. Where Garland only had his own muscle, Tala had the power of the fallen in his stride; Mariah, Hiro, their men and now Mystel. All of them were on his mind and all of them seemed to gift him with the strength of the fallen. No matter which way Garland's sword struck Tala found that his own arms found a way to best the blow with one of his own; though neither seemed to be getting the better of the other. Tala's teeth clenched under Garland's block strike as did they other man's; there were getting nowhere. And fast.
It was then that Brooklyn decided enough was enough. He had watched too many of his men go down while the Resistance stayed relatively unharmed. It was about time they knew some real force of opposition and – judging by the way Garland was handling himself against their new leader – they hadn't seen anything yet. He took a quick shot at the blonde named Max Tate and took out his other hand just as he was about to murder another one of his soldiers. He smirked as his unsuspecting victim shrieked in pain and despair as he realised his only real way of defense was through pain. He watched merrily as Max grimaced when he struggled to aim a pistol in the soldier's direction and fire. Life was so fun for those without scruples. He even let out a short cackle as the blonde succeeded in meeting his target. Now there was determination!
The Chinese man known as Ray Kon was putting up a great fight one handed against three opponents and not needing any weapons either. Brooklyn decided he would make things more interesting. He'd lost a hand and survived. How good would he be without a leg? Taking aim he prepared to fire. He locked his target on sight and squeezed the trigger but before the mechanism could be activated his gun was shot from his hand, burning the flesh of his fingers from the force. His eyes narrowed as he turned to locate the culprit. They widened in shock when he saw the thorn in his side brandishing the offending weapon, complete with the smoke of a recently used firearm.
"Well, Kai!" he cried, grinning widely. "If you wanted to join in the fight so badly you should have just asked!" His face turned dark. "I would have killed you before you had the chance."
Kai holstered his gun and unsheathed his sword. Brooklyn did the shame. "I've no doubt you would have. It's the only way you every could have beaten me," he snarled, advancing on the greatest enemy he'd ever have.
The red heard was grinning all the while. What was turning out to be a mundane fight had taken an exciting turn for the best for finally he had a challenge, not that it was much of one. He'd managed to outsmart Kai once and he would do it again. After all he'd managed to outsmart a county. How hard would it be to do it with one person, and for the second time no less!
"Are you stupid or are you just forgetting that you've spent the last few miserable nights of your life in my arrest? I bet you once and I'll do it again!"
Brooklyn swung his sword around, aiming for Kai's stomach and barely giving his opponent time to foresee and dodge the attack yet Kai still managed to. His eyes never left Brooklyn's for a second and neither did the latter's. Their swords clashed between their two persons and the two focused all their strength to push the other out of their way. In doing so their faces were only centimeters apart; so close they could smell the others sweat under the strain. Kai gritted his teeth. The fight was too much too soon after days of precious little exercise and very much torment. If he'd had a few hours to prepare perhaps the fight would be easier to handle but already he was feeling the pressure. His whole future – the whole country's future – was resting on the outcome of this spar. He couldn't let anyone down, least of all himself.
"Tell me, Kai," Brooklyn spat, gritting his teeth also and feeling the tendon in the side of his head twitching, "in what life do you think you ever could have beaten me?"
Twisting out of the grapple, Kai struck at Brooklyn with such a flurry that his opponent only saw the attack moments before it was about to hit. He pulled out just in time but Kai's sword caught his arm, tearing a deep cut into his skin. Immediately the blood began to leak through and the dark stain appeared on his blue military jacket.
"This life, the next one, anyone," Kai answered back, gasping for breath. Already he could feel the thick layer of sweat on his brow. "You're only fighting to protect the throne you've stolen but when we fight its for something greater. We fight for justice and for our people, not just ourselves. When you've got passion in your heart like we've got there's no way you can lose, no matter how much the odds are stacked against you!"
"Must you always make a speech about everything you do?" Brooklyn sneered as he took off the the jacket that was restricting his movements. He watched as Kai did the same. Maybe they weren't so different after all. In the short space of time they'd begun their battle both were feeling the strain of their powerful opponent. Brooklyn circled his freed shoulders as did Kai. "Really, it starts to get rather dull."
Kai readied his sword again. "Then lets have less conversation and more action!"
Brooklyn cried as he struck at Kai, unleashing a fury of powerful blows one after the other. Kai found himself being forced backwards, unable to see where his feet were going whilst Brooklyn surged forward. Suddenly he tripped over a body, being disarmed in the process. He propped himself up on his elbows and watched as Brooklyn prepared to deal a fatal blow to his unarmed opponent. As the sword came down Kai rolled out of the way and swung his legs round to knock Brooklyn to his knees. With the other leg he kicked his weapon from his hand and swung himself up to his feet again. He took a panicked look around the immediate vicinity and saw the sword he'd been using. While Brooklyn was still down he made a dive for it; his fingers only just whispering on the handle when he let out a cry of pain. He turned around to see a dagger sticking out from his leg and saw Brookyn's hands coming down from the position they had thrown with.
A grimace of pain polluted his face when he pulled it out and got to his feet in time to defend himself from another of Brooklyn's attacks. He gingerly put weight on his injured leg. The pain seared through him with such ferocity he had to grit his teeth against it. Seeing his chance, Brooklyn concentrated his strength on pushing him back as far as he could. The more Kai was forced to use his casualty the more weak he would become. But he wasn't giving up that easily.
Before Brooklyn could make full use of the handicap, Kai surged forwards with his own attacks. Each blow was as calculated as the next, focusing all the backlash to Brooklyn's weakened arm. He gasped as he tried to defend himself from the mighty force against his bleeding wound but with every blow he was finding it harder to block. Trying a different tactic, Brooklyn circled quickly around Kai to try and catch him off guard but Kai had expected the unexpected and managed to force Brooklyn back to leading with his injured arm. Once again Brooklyn tried another approach but once again the outcome was the same.
It was then he realised he was fighting a losing battle.
Meanwhile, Garland and Tala were head to head in their own dual. No words passed between the two men except the occasional grunt as their swords clashed again and again. Garland swung for Tala but missed time and again and was finding that each of Tala's blows would strike home if he didn't block them with full accuracy. He couldn't understand what was happening to him. He had been one of the most celebrated fighters in the Kings Army yet here he was struggling to match some terrorist who didn't even have proper military training. He took another swing but Tala was too fast. He tried to swing for the other side but it made no difference to his opponent. Tala's agility was far superior to his own. Before he knew what was happening Tala spun behind him and thrust his sword into his back, severing his spinal cord. Garland let out a bloodcurdling scream as his mouth filled up with blood and he collapsed to the floor, dead before his head touched it.
Momentarily distracted by Garland's cry, Kai turned in alarm and then relief when he saw Tala removing his sword and smirking in victory. However, that was all the time Brooklyn needed. He thrust his sword into Kai's stomach and twisted.
"No!" the Resistance screamed in horror as Kai fell to his knees, gripping onto Brooklyn's sword with his hands, letting the steel cut into him. There had never been pain like it and it was everything Kai wanted to do in succumbing to it. But it wasn't over yet. Kai wouldn't let it be over. They'd come too far, all of them. Yelling with the pain, he pushed against Brooklyn's sword, slowly, each movement of the slicing blade inside his body like a little bit of hell. Brooklyn tried to push back but Kai was too strong for him - he had something else spurring him on; giving him momentum.
Only the tip of the sword remained inside Kai's stomach and no matter how hard Brooklyn fought against it he was no match. "Why won't you die?" He hissed.
"Don't you know your anatomy," Kai questioned, his breath hissing out in pain, "you've got to aim higher!" The sword was removed completely and at the same time Kai brought up his own and pierced it through Brooklyn's heart, all the way to the hilt and then back out again. He dropped it by his side, the clattering steel on the marble floor catching everyone's attention who hadn't already stopped fighting.
Brooklyn's vision began to blur. He didn't feel much pain, not after the initial shock. Everything seemed surreal. Was he really dying? Slowly he looked around the bloody battle ground that was supposed to have been used to unite he and Hilary in marriage. He saw all his fallen soldiers, bodies battered, shot, stabbed. He saw the Resistance, most wounded and hurt. They'd stopped fighting now, his soldiers too. There was no reason for them to battle anymore. Their leader had been killed by the Resistance's leader. He'd lost. Everything. His eyes rested on the bodies of his fallen friends, lying beside each other. Mystel and Garland. They had stuck with him until the very end, one way or another. Both had sacrificed their lives for his life and soul. What had he done? All of this carnage, all of this pain and suffering. All of it was by his own hand. The evils of this country had been based on his own evils.
Slowly, he crawled over to his friends. Mystel, Garland and he. They were together again. Smiling, he let his eyes close for the last time.
It took all of Kai's remaining strength to stand up again. His legs were shaky underneath him and were about to buckle when he felt some one put his arm around their shoulder to give him some much needed support. He turned to see Tyson pulling him back on to his feet. Tala took his other arm so he could stand fully with their help.
Standing to his full height he addressed the remaining soldiers and guards. "Your leader has fallen. There's no need for you to continue fighting now. If you want to you can but we will kill you all. If you choose to lay down your weapons then you can walk away with your lives. If we don't have to kill you we won't. There's been enough unnecessary bloodshed since Brooklyn Kingston's reign to last this country an eternity." He watched as one by one they disarmed himself and smiled inwardly as his friends all did the same. Now they were equal. There was no dictator standing between them. They could all follow the same ruler, a reign by their rightful queen. "Guys," he said to Tala and Tyson, "its over."
Garnet cried out as he lost consciousness from both exhaustion and blood loss. He felt cool hands on his face as his body surrendered to the embracing sleep that was calling it. It was over now. He could rest.
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