Am I the only one who makes topics here? (P)

Kazuo sat motionless, legs criss crossed, his eyes closed, the falling snow dropping onto his head. He had left the black market for a small walk, deciding he needed to clear his head after recent events. He now had a (Somewhat) trusty sidekick in Kaigo, although it seemed he wasn’t really good for anything at the moment. The boy had big ambitions, but he almost completely untrained and undisciplined. Kazuo sighed. Maybe he should have kept the crazy doctor and killed him instead. It would have saved him this headache. Then he felt the scar that now graced his cheek, and shook his head. That guy was a raging lunatic, not to be trusted. He had done the right thing there. He felt like his whole life had just become a long list of fuck ups as of late. He missed the old days. He wondered how his parents were doing. He wondered how Aika was doi-
 
A blade was pulled free of Kazuo’s belt, slicing into the side of a tree with immense force. Another slice. And another. The tree finally gave way and fell to the ground, causing a lot of ruckus. Kazuo dropped the sword, falling to his knees, and punching the ground.
”No! No, no, no, no, no!” He screamed, his voice going up several octaves. Drops of water fell from his face to the cold snow. Tears.
 
He looked up, noticing a pond, slightly iced over. He pulled himself to his feet, recovering the blade, and making his way to the pond.
”…Hhh… Hhh…. You’re a coward, Kazuo!” Came a voice, a female one. He recognized the voice. He looked around, but saw nobody.
”Who are you?!” He shouted into the distance, still in tears, falling to his knees.
”You act so tough, but when it comes down to it, you’re just a coward who was too afraid to stay and fight!” Came a voice again, closer now. This one was different, younger. He looked around, searching frantically for the voice. He recognized this one too.
”I went back! I tried to save her! He shouted into the wind.
”And you failed!” Came a final voice, that of an old man. Kazuo turned around to where the voice came from. Before him stood his old master, Miyamoto.
 
”Miyamoto… You have no…. idea…. how sorry… I am. I… I had no choice!” Kazuo wept apologetically.
”You who would slay your own master to save yourself. You are the worst this world has to offer! I am ashamed to have called you my student!” Miyamoto shouted, enraged. The old man’s hand went to his sword belt, as if he was preparing for a fight.
What was I supposed to do? You told me to, YOU TOLD ME to finish you!” Kazuo stammered.
”I was possessed! Obviously, if they could control my body, they could control my words as well. You’re either an even bigger fool then I thought, or a murderer. No, in fact, you’re BOTH!” Miyamoto shouted, drawing his blade.
 
Kazuo backed away slowly, before feeling a cold hand on his shoulder.
”You left the village for dead when you thought you had nothing to come back to. You forgot all about US!” Came the voice of the older woman. Kazuo looked over his shoulder to see his own mother standing behind him, a disappointed frown upon her face, a mix of sadness and anger in her eyes. Kazuo turned to face her.
”Mom… I couldn’t come back. It would have put you in danger… I couldn’t risk it.” He told her.
”More danger then being the mother of the most wanted criminal in the village? Did you think that they’d just leave your father and I alone? Oh, the things they’ve done to us… All because of YOU!” She shouted in rage, pointing one finger at him. ”You’ve caused so much pain and death, all of your loved ones are either dead or being tortured to within an inch of it!” She shrieked. Kazuo backed away slowly from the two of them. Right before him appeared one final loved one.
 
”Speaking of which…” Came the voice of the one he loved most. Aika.
”Aika…. No… I came back for you!” Kazuo pleaded.
”And you were too late! You weren’t good enough!” She shrieked, advancing quickly on him, grabbing him by the collar. ”Do you have any idea what they did to me before they killed me, Kazuo? She questioned him maliciously.
”Aika, I-“ Began Kazuo
”No more excuses! I’m dead now because of you! I died covering for you because I was blinded by love! But now I see you were only in it for yourself! Well, let’s see how you like the cold taste of death, or the hot irons they used to pry your hiding place from me. I stayed silent for you!” She ranted, pointing Miyamoto forward. The man advanced, blade in hand. Kazuo reached for his own blade, but found it missing.
”Aika, please….” He begged. ”Master Miyamoto…. Mom!”
 
Miyamoto did not waver, and continued to advance on him. He thrust his blade forward, as Kazuo dodged backwards. Aika and Kazuo’s mother dashed forward, grabbing either of his arms, restraining him, as Miyamoto readied himself for another strike, this time a killing blow.
 
”…Kazuo.”
He drew back the blade slowly, glancing at the reflection of the sun in the blade. He was going to savor this.
”…Kazuo!” Kazuo looked up, noticing a blonde haired girl standing before him, between him and Miyamoto.
”Kazuo, you have to listen to me! This isn’t real!” shouted the girl. She ran towards them, pulling on Kazuo’s arm. ”You have to fight it! Wake up!” She shouted. Kazuo shook his head, reaching out to the girl. He recognized her. Yuumei.
 
She reached out for his hand, running now, just as Miyamoto, started to thrust his blade for Kazuo…
 
Then the scene changed, he felt him pulled away from this reality. Kazuo’s red eyes opened, his face in the dirt. He stood up slowly, looking around. He felt like he’d been here before… He couldn’t quite place where it was.
 
“So, what now?” He asked aloud, surprising himself. He was not the one who said that... But he felt his mouth move to form the question. Who was he talking to? What was going on? No answer came to his question. “Shit, can you hear me, Yuumei?” He asked aloud once more, still unable to control his voice. He tried to move his body, but it seemed that this body was not his own. No response came, once again. Was this all a strange dream? He blinked twice, his Meigan activating, as the dark night was suddenly illuminated. “Not a dream… Maybe she can only talk to me there.” He said to himself. What the hell was going on? Where was Yuumei? Why was he doing this?
 
He looked back out at the village. An empty noose caught his eye. He knew what was happening, now. He was reliving the day Aika had died… Why? Was Yuumei showing him this? He watched himself survey the empty town square, searching for his target. He sat cross legged on a nearby stump, gazing out at the village. He remembered that he worried about disobeying Yuumei by doing this, but he wanted to make the kill right that second, in a blind rage, he lost his sense of reason and wanted only for revenge. His vision shifted to the village leader’s house, that was where the man was. In the center of the village. It was difficult slipping in without raising the alarm, but Kazuo was notoriously good at not sneaking and not getting caught. He had slipped out of the village, slipping in should be just as easy. He stood up, walking back into the shack to prepare. He opened the door, taking off his boots as he picked up a bolt of cloth, adorning a skull pattern across it, and cutting out holes for his eyes. He wrapped his face with the cloth, forming a mask, and pulled his hood up over it. That would conceal the vigilante’s identity. He picked up his sword from the table, fastening it across his back for easy access. He had obeyed Yuumei in at least one way, he wore her stupid mask, but he wasn’t going to sit around and wait for more friends to die because of him. He headed through the door again, locking it behind him, and climbing higher up the mountain. He couldn’t go back down the way he came up, the roads were being watched for him, and the forests were crawling with packs of hungry wolves. No, he’d have to climb down manually from the face. It was definitely the more difficult path, but he had little choice. He climbed to the peak of the mountain, taking in the view one last time. Normally, he’d be enthralled by the amazing view, but right now, he didn’t have time for it. He drew his sword dramatically, holding it high above his head. 
“Aika…. I couldn’t save you…. This was my fault…” He began, bringing the sword down hard, clashing with the stone at his right and ringing loud, echoing down the mountain. “But for this… For what they did to you… I will repay them in blood…” He said, drawing a cut across his hand. “And above all… I will never forget... You will never be forgotten….” He swore, his swordsman’s oath sealed with several cuts across his hand. “If I have to stain my hands with more blood, if I have to give up my life to do what is right, so be it. I’ll endure the exile.” He said solemnly, his words echoing into the night, as his view zoomed out.
 
“So, I take it Kazuo Kemuri sent you? He’s not all that subtle…” Came the voice of the a large man, brandishing a sword. It was the leader of the mercenaries. He remembered this fight.
And with that, the leader took off at him, charging at full speed towards the boy. Kazuo was taken aback by his raw speed, which was much more impressive then he had originally thought. He turned, attempting to sidestep Lynch, and narrowly missing the point of a sword, which cut the skin on his bare arm slightly. As he spun, he held out a leg, sending Lynch flying onto his face. Kazuo finished his spin, going a whole three hundred sixty degrees, before stepping forward and sending himself into the air, coming down and using his momentum to smash Lynch into the ground…
 
Kazuo dashed forward, pulling his sword from its sheathe, and slashing at Lynch’s stomach. The man deftly jumped forward, rolling through the air so as to avoid the slice. Kazuo turned to see Lynch bringing his sword down at his head. He lifted his own bone blade to catch the strike, only to see the katana cut clean through it. In the split second he had to react, he lurched forward, rolling across the ground, and narrowly avoiding the blade, coming up just behind Lynch. Kazuo brought his sword around, aiming a slice for Lynch’s neck. Just as the blade collided, a “Poof” sound echoing as a log took his place. Behind him, Lynch appeared. Kazuo spun to face him.
 
One of the swordsmen managed to get a strike in on Kazuo, opening a gash on his right arm, and sending him tumbling to the ground. The wound was deep, all the way into the bone. Kazuo felt as if the blade that had struck him had also absorbed some of his energy, as he felt extremely tired from the fight, and could barely remain conscious. 
“Well, you fought well, kid, but you’re just a boy. You can’t do everything. I think this one will make another good hostage, but he’s strong… leave your blade in his stomach. That should keep him nice and docile…” Commanded Lynch. The one called Jin, who held the sapping blade, drew it from his sheath dramatically, inching closer and closer to Kazuo every second. He felt so helpless, he was in way over his head. He searched for a way out, someone, anybody, anything to help him, and then it hit him. Yuumei. 
“Yuumei!” He shouted his word echoing once more, and just as the blade was about to collide with him, a huge pulse of energy would go off, blinding him. 
 
 
Kazuo opened his eyes, sitting bolt upright. Where the hell was he? He looked around. Back in the forest. His hand went to his head. He was burning up, but he didn’t feel sick. Did he just pass out? The last thing he could remember before going into that strange dream. He looked around, noticing a blade at his side. What had happened?
 
He felt a strange pull in the back of his mind, as if he was being called. Yuumei. He did not resist the pull, being forced back into his subconscious. There, Yuumei sat at that same table, this time sitting on the edge of it, a lot more casual then she had been before.
 
”What’s going on? What just happened?” Kazuo asked her, confused.
”You had a relapse. Did you see anything interesting?” Asked Yuumei. Kazuo shakily nodded.
”A flashback, I think, of the night I returned to the village.” He said. Yuumei grinned.
”When you didn’t listen to me and charger in like an idiot? Yeah, I can see why that would be traumatic for you.” She said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
”That’s not the point, Yuumei. Why did it happen?” He asked. Yuumei looked at him funny, hopping off the table, walking right up to him, and poking him on the forehead. Kazuo’s expression was one of utter frustration. Before he could express this, she spoke.
 
”Well, maybe it is the point. I saved you in that fight, after all. You saw that the fight was hopeless without me, if I hadn’t intervened, you would have died. That shows your dependency on the Meigan and Meiton.” She explained. Kazuo shook his head, confused. ”You’re adorably slow, Kazuo. You’d best think a little harder about things like this, or some new girl might just come and take advantage of you…” She said, suddenly very flirtatiously. ”A blast of dark chakra can’t save you from heartbreak, or an empty wallet.” She warned. Kazuo clapped sarcastically.
”Did you practice that line? It was pretty good acting, maybe you should look for a career there instead of harassing me for a living.” He said, matching her sarcasm. Yuumei giggled.
 
”You still aren’t getting it, Kazuo… Ugh, whatever.” She muttered, suddenly reaching for the man’s face. Kazuo stepped back impulsively, but Yuumei grabbed him by the arm, holding him in place with a remarkably strong grip. He felt a tingling sensation in his eyes, and then she pulled her hand off.
”There. Talk to you later, Kazuo, I think you have places to be.” She said, waving him off.
”Wait, what did you do?” He asked, confused, but Yuumei just smiled mischeviously as he faded away from her realm. She was so hard to read, Kazuo couldn’t make any sense of her...
 
His eyes snapped open once again, in the forest, at the edge of the pond. He looked at his reflection, scooping some of the icy water to wash his face and wake himself up. It was then that he noticed his reflection.
 
Dark red eyes stared back at him from the empty pool.
 
   
(Exit)


TWC: 2602


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