2.5
They were lined up in a row, sitting with their backs to the wall and their hands bound. Five male Madararui with ages ranging to early to mid-twenties. They were bleeding and crying. More than once they begged for mercy. All five of them had at least one broken bone.
But Kunimasa wasn't satisfied. He wanted retribution. Vengeance. He wanted them to suffer before he killed them.
"P—Please!" one of the cat-Madararui's wailed. His face covered with blood. "M-Madarame-sama! We thought he was unclaimed! H-He wasn't wearing a blind! I s-s-s-SWEAR to you that we didn't know he belonged to you!"
Kunimasa tilted his chin back as he eyed this cat-Madararui, his eyes cold and wide. "Your ignorance is not going to save you," he said in a low voice.
Four of them shuddered, including the one who pleaded, but another cat-Madararui spoke up. "W-Why would we think he belonged to you, Madarame-sama?! H-He wasn't wearing a blind, and w-we had heard that you were engaged to someone else! We t-thought he was available!"
"So he wasn't wearing a blind. So you thought he was available. Because of this, the five of you thought that made it okay for you all to gang-rape him. You thought it was okay to murder him. Am I understanding that correctly?"
"His death was an accident!" one of the dog-Madararui's shouted. "We were just t-trying to impregnate him!"
"HE DID IT!" the other dog-Madararui shouted, jabbing his head in the direction of one of the cat-Madararui's. "He killed him!"
"It WAS an accident!" the cat-Madararui in question shouted. "Why would we intentionally kill him?! He was a Return to Ancestry! We needed him for breeding! That's all! He's worthless to us dead!"
Kunimasa lashed out and slammed his foot into this cat-Madararui's chest. He found satisfaction in hearing the crunch of his ribs breaking, but his throat was tight. His words disgusted Kunimasa…but they also filled him with guilt and self-loathing.
"I'm older than you, so I get dibs first."
"It doesn't matter what he thinks of me. He IS my female!"
"I want you to give birth to my child. That's all."
Words that Kunimasa had said out loud. About Norio and to Norio's face.
FUCK!
The door to the chamber abruptly slammed open, and the hairs on Kunimasa's arm stood on end when the malicious laughter filled the room. "Look at this!" Makio exclaimed, twirling a blue tube between her fingers as she breezed into the room. "Is this supposed to be a bootleg artificial womb?!"
Kunimasa quickly snatched it from her and looked at closely as one of the dog-Madararui shouted, "T-That is our womb! The s-seller said once we insert it, it would create a womb in 30 seconds!"
Horror and rage gripped Kunimasa's body anew, and his soul appearance started radiating from his body. "You…" he looked up and gave the five murderers a menacing death glare. "You were going to force THIS inside Norio's body?!"
All five trembled with fear, but the cat-Madararui who was fingered at Norio's direct killer shouted, "T-The seller said it was legitimate! I-It would create a womb—"
"This is a FUCKING BALLOON!" Kunimasa hollered, crushing the tube in his fist. "A balloon! Do you know what would have happened if you put this inside Norio?! You FUCKING IDIOTS?! It would have inflated like a balloon and POPPED!"
He kicked one of the other cat-Madararui's in the head, but the force of his blow crushed the man's skull against the wall. The remaining four screamed and Makio made a face. "Ooh, that's messy."
I removed his blind. I removed his blind. This is my fault.
"It would have popped," Kunimasa seethed, lowering his leg. "And it would have imploded Norio's organs from the inside!"
I removed his blind. I removed his blind. This is my fault.
"You stupid fucks would have KILLED HIM ANYWAYS!"
I removed his blind. I removed his blind. This is my fault.
"I'm done," Kunimasa rasped, throwing aside the broken tube. He waved a furious hand. "Get me—"
A jolt shook Kunimasa, and a tremor overtook his body when he felt the presence of immense power. W-What the—?!
"M-Madarame-sama!" someone rushed into the room. "Madarame-sama, I must implore you to check your phone! T-There was an incident at the main house!"
"An incident?!" Kunimasa fumbled for his pockets. He couldn't stop the tremors, but he forgot about them for the moment.
"An incident?" Makio said more calmly. She raised her hands defensively. "I was here. It wasn't me."
Kunimasa turned his cell phone on, and he was stunned by the flood of text messages that came through. Frantic, short texts. He saw that he had voice messages from Yonekuni, Karen, and even Hidekuni. Kunimasa clicked on a voice message from Yonekuni and put the message on speakerphone.
"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK, GET HOME!" Yonekuni screamed in the message. "NORIRIN—" A loud, distant scream interrupted Yonekuni, followed by what sounded like an explosion. "SHIROU!" Then there was a loud clatter, which made Kunimasa think Yonekuni dropped his cell phone. Several more incoherent shouts were heard in the distance before the message abruptly ended.
Norio? He mentioned Norio. Did someone—why did—who—
SOMEONE TOOK NORIO.
"Get the car!" Kunimasa shouted, jabbing his finger towards the man at the door. "We need to—"
That was when the wall behind Kunimasa exploded. They were in a windowless soundproof room with very little light and thick walls. But the wall still crumbled, and late-morning sunlight spilled into the room.
The power rushed over Kunimasa, and he snarled instinctively at the presence of a threat. But—But the power—it felt…familiar?
Makio eyes and mouth went wide, and she hovered her hands over her face and let out a blood-curdling scream at whatever she saw behind Kunimasa. The murderous Madararui also started screaming too, and one of the cats yelled, "NO! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!"
Kunimasa turned to see what caused this reaction, and his vision splintered. A male teenager was standing there radiating power. An obscene amount of power from an unfiltered, dangerous soul appearance. Dressed in a white burial kimono. His hair disheveled, eyes wide with pupils slit like a feline's. Jaw clenched with rage.
Kunimasa screamed, but slapped a hand over his mouth to smother his voice. Then he bit down on his palm, expecting to wake up from this nightmare. He drew blood, but otherwise he couldn't wake up. He was awake. That meant the person he saw before him was very real.
Norio.
The breath puffed out of his lungs like it was being punched out of him—
Alive?
His arms fell to his sides and his vision rattled—
Norio's alive.
His knees bucked but he somehow remained upright—
He's alive, he's alive, he's alive—
It was impossible. His body had been cold and unresponsive.
He's alive, he's alive, he's alive—
But Norio was standing there, upright and breathing and STANDING THERE—
He's alive, he's alive, he's alive he's alive he's alive he's alive HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE—
The singular thought screamed in his ears that it blocked out all noise. His mouth hung open, and he felt vibrations in his throat. Kunimasa didn't register that he was also screaming.
One of the dog-Madararui's scrambled to his feet and tried to make a run for it through the new hole in the wall. He ran past Norio, but Norio made a wide gesture with his left hand. A moment later, blood geysered from the dog-Madararui's body as he collapsed to the ground. His blood splashed onto Norio, hitting him in on the left side of his face, but Norio didn't even flinch.
Sound was abruptly restored to Kunimasa's ears, and the first thing he heard was a chorus of screams. None of which came from Norio. Norio lowered his arm…and calmly walked through the hole and into the room.
Kunimasa's eyes fell to the fallen dog-Madararui, and the familiar grim stench rose from his body. …He's dead. Dead. Norio…killed him?
Kunimasa looked up, and horror gripped his body. "…Norio?"
I want blood. I will have blood. I will kill the jaguar.
The jaguar. Norio found him. The selfish, treacherous BEAST stood before him with wide eyes and an expression of horror. Norio would find it amusing if he wasn't filled with rage.
The dog's blood smelled badly. Norio remembered that he was the one who had shouted, "Get that fucking gag back in his mouth!" The dog had wanted to rape him. To impregnate Norio with his inferior seed. The dog was complicit in his murder. But now the dog was dead.
As they all with be.
Norio displayed his teeth as he entered the door, growling softly but threateningly at the threats that stood before him. The jaguar was frozen where he stood. Norio would be satisfied to leave him for last, because he wanted the jaguar to suffer the most before he eventually killed him. His other four would-be rapists were huddled against the wall; one of the cats had their head splat against the wall, but the remaining dog and the other two cat's—
HIM.
The jaguar roared, but Norio ignored him for the moment as he rushed towards his murderer. The cat who had shot him with a gun. The pathetic creature scrambled backwards, his arms still bound, and he howled and shrieked in terror. All of it was white noise in Norio's ears. He grabbed the cat by his face and screamed directly into it. He watched the power flow from his body and surge out. He squeezed the face—and the cat's head squished like a tomato.
I want blood. I will have blood. I want blood. I will have blood.
More animal shrieks filled his ears, and Norio's head began to hurt. He looked up, and paused when he saw the large snake hissing and quivering a couple of meters away from him. Ah. HER.
She was not responsible for his murder, but she WAS responsible for so much more. The jaguar hurt him because of her. And she had arranged for Norio to be gang-raped before. Norio had been lucky then; he had been able to overpower that viper and escape unscathed.
She shares in the blame. She will die too.
Norio dropped the cat's corpse and stood. Blood was dripping off of him. Filthy, tainted blood, but it was from the men who had attempted to rape him and had murdered him. He did not care. The viper was hissing loudly, and her soul appearance was very powerful. It tickled his senses. But she was not as strong as he was. She learned that lesson before, and she would learn it again.
She will learn it until she drowns in her own blood.
Norio started to lunge towards the viper, but he was seized from behind and a loud shriek vibrated in his right ear. He recognized this scent. The touch.
The jaguar.
Norio screamed, and power burst from his body. The jaguar let him go and went flying backwards. A smaller wave hit the viper and other animals in the room, knocking them over as well. Norio turned around, and he saw that the dog and cat had fled. He no longer cared. All that matter to him now was the jaguar, who was struggling to sit up.
He lied. He used me. He took off my blind. He killed me.
The rage soared in Norio's body and he quickly advanced upon him. The jaguar looked alarmed, and raised its paws, but Norio slammed the flat of his foot against the jaguar's torso and knocked him down. He was certain that he broke several ribs.
He lied. He used me. He took off my blind. He killed me.
The jaguar hugged his torso and bucked and coughed, and drops of blood flew from his mouth. Norio wasn't satisfied. The pain wasn't enough.
HE LIED HE USED ME HE TOOK OFF MY BLIND HE KILLED ME!
Norio let out another scream, one of rage and anguish, and he lunged at the jaguar. He sat on the jaguar's injured torso and pulled his arm back, punching the jaguar in the face as hard as he could. It still wasn't enough and Norio struck him again.
YOU LIED YOU LIED YOU SAID YOU LOVED ME YOU LIED I HATE YOU YOU LIED I LOVED YOU DAMN YOU DAMN YOU DAMN YOU DAMN YOU—
Norio pressed his hands around the jaguar's throat and began strangling him. The jaguar bucked and gagged, trying to push him off but couldn't. Norio's feral rage was still simmering but the anguish was growing. And with the anguish the growls slowly turned into sobs. Tears filled his eyes and fell down upon the jaguar's purpling face. Norio sucked in a loud breath, and he leaned in close to scream his rage and his anguish straight into the jaguar's face.
"WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?!"
The jaguar met his eyes. He was no longer struggling. He reached up, and pressed a paw to Norio's cheek. The jaguar's mouth trembled as he struggled to speak. Norio could not hear his voice, but he saw the words that formed. And his vision fractured like broken glass.
"Kill me."
Norio gasped, dropping his hands away from the jaguar's throat. He nearly collapsed upon the jaguar, but he slammed his hands onto the floor on either side of the jaguar's head to hold himself up. Norio squeezed his eyes shut and shuddered violently. Straining, wheezing noises escaped his mouth.
A hand stroked his cheek, thumb rubbing the skin underneath his eye. "It's okay to kill me."
Norio's eyes shot open. He lifted his head to see a…gorgeous man laying beneath him. A man who was bruised and bleeding, and who looked at him with red eyes and tears slipping out.
...Kunimasa?
"Do what you need to do," he whispered, holding Norio's gaze. "For everything that happened to you…I deserve it."
Norio stared at him for a long moment in silence. Then his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell upon Kunimasa in a full faint.