|Clash of Siblings

“Chizuru???”

“I’ve been looking for you, Zirou.”

He could feel the overwhelming weight of her blade. His hands were in his pockets but even then, he was on the defensive.

Hell, even the mightiest barrier he could muster was on the verge of coming apart after just two of those.

Between the apparitions he had faced and the trigger users he had seen, this monstrous aura was by far the greatest, nearly swallowing him whole. If his senses were numbed, he probably could have kept up at least.

Despite the clear gap in power, he had enough luxury to push Aiko aside with a gust of wind. Perhaps he really wished to end it all today.

She glared into his eyes with a grin and gritted her teeth. She dropped the sword midway and flipped her body .

“Stop.”

Even Aiko’s intervention couldn’t save him. Despite moving the two out of the classroom, the hit landed. With a stunning flash kick, she left him staggered. His shoulders could barely take it.

He couldn’t tell whether her ‘help’ put him in more danger or not. He had no footing to fall back on. All he saw was his body, compressed by her kick, sending him head first to the ground.

He used the wind behind him to reduce the momentum but to little to no effect.

“Come back here.” with the force of gravity on her side, she came down with a thunderous plunge, one that would have decimated him mid air.

“Who said I was running.” a vortex of wind clustered around him, clashing with the young girl.

Even with that, his efforts were yet again squandered. He wasn’t decimated like she had hoped but he wasn’t out of the woods just yet.

“Arrggh.” he was sent even further back, his crashing descent inevitable. He covered himself in a barrier but just as he landed, her sword was the first to welcome him.

Thanks to his quick reflexes, he dodged in neck cutting speed.

“So those hands are still functional.”

“How was my backflip? Cool?” The floor he found himself in looked encapsulated, with dark, multi-layered walls at every corner. Deep within the openings, the walls glowed blue. It was as though he fell in a magic cube. Even the texture of the ground was different.

“I’m still standing. What a surprise.”

“I have Takano to thank. For a second there, I thought she was on your side.”

“Why are you trying to kill me?”

“These walls are designed to absorb impact. In other words, the perfect place to end this. I don’t need to think of anyone.” she pulled her sword from the ground like it was the legendary Excalibur. Every second wasted was another second of him being alive.

“Absolutely unacceptable!!!!”

“That doesn’t answer the question. You’re saying some pretty morbid things, Chizuru.” he chuckled softly.

“Stop talking.”

“Why? It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

*Tch*

She leaped forward but this time, the overwhelming force from the wind pushed her back. He rushed in, parrying her hands with both of his and claimed a hit with a flying knee.

Much to his surprise, and hers, this put her deadly flurry of attacks to a brief halt. Her nose glowed red and her ears ringing incessantly.

“You’re the one that should stop. We can have a normal conversation instead of whatever this is.”

“This won’t do.” She scowled at him and retracted her blade back in its sheath before cracking her knuckles. She then cracked her neck and clenched her fists. He stared in intrigue and grinned in response.

“Scary.”

“I’ve figured you out now and I know what to do. Before I kill you, I will break every bone in your body. After that, we can move to your limbs. You’re a fan of cutting off limbs so one by one, you’ll be relieved of them. When you are closest to death, I will make you apologize. Those will be your last words. I promise you this.”

“Ah, so that’s it.” he slammed his sore fists on his palm.

“But are you sure you can kill me? It doesn’t take some empty words and a tough act to kill me. I might end up killing you instead, dear sister.”

“I’m not falling for your bluff. You might want to remove your hands from your pockets now.”

“Oh…You noticed?? It’s a weird habit of mine. Sorry.”

“.….”

*whoosh*

her turquoise coloured eyes flickered, her arms straightened like a blade. From her fingertips, a gold coating of energy emerged, roaring like thunder. From her fingertips, crescent shaped beams dispersed. Her swings were diagonal and swift.Even if he miraculously dodged the first, he couldn't dodge the second.

“Gotta kill two birds with one stone.” he muttered.

He shot an air blade right at the heart of the double fanged attack. The clash was rather one sided so he upped the output. she made a gamble, one that defined her very next move.

Betting on the potency of her attack, she charged straight in from behind it like it was a shield and prepared her counter. He pierced through the slashes after a few moments, his sharp gaze restless as ever, danced around his immediate surroundings. Her fingers curled up into a fist. In a single breath, she closed the distance and swung towards his side. The jab connected, leaving his defence in shreds.

He clenched his teeth as blood erupted from his mouth, leaving him in disbelief. It shook his very core. Causing him to slam the ground in rage. She dodged it easily and attempted a counter but the shockwave pushed her back.

“Finally removed your hands.”

“Haha I nearly passed out. What are…” he coughed up blood “those fists made of?”

The only response he got was the raspy sound coming from his own voice as he coughed. She wasted no chances and charged in again. With every blow, he felt parts of his body breaking down. He was forcefully neutralized to the point where his body was punished for both defence and offence.

The difference between her and a wild beast in this particular moment was close to zero. Her bloodlust came from a dark pit, but even when succumbing to her urges, she never lacked focus. Her hatred had purpose, it had a goal, it had an origin. It had flavour!!!

He levitated, thick clusters of air around her exploded spontaneously. Like the popping of a balloon. His main goal was to at least keep things level until his plan came into full effect.

“No, you don’t!!!”

She reached for her sword and throw it like a javelin, once again he was stuck nullifying the impact. She jumped so high, you’d have thought the ground were coils. This time, she aimed for his arms. With all this in mind, he surrendered his right arm in an attempt to inflict equal damage. She swiftly grabbed it, disregarding the immense pressure she felt up close, and……

*snap*

She gladly took the hit head on and desceded back to the ground as he slowly descended also. Gripping his arm and gritting his teeth, resisting the urge to scream.

“Akkhh”

As she laid on the ground, the air pressure left her glued to it. Leaving him ample time to prepare his next move. Unfortunately, it was short lived. She quickly recovered, clenching her shaken fists. It did quite a number on her, as she reconsidered going on the offensive. Did she have the strength to maintain her intensity or was he waiting for this counter?

There was no point in getting lost in thought. She simply had to strike again and he would have been a goner. She charged at him with a flurry of short jabs and a flying kick. He deflected her attacks with swift kicks. At this point, they were evenly matched and that reality alone fanned the flame in her heart even more. The brown haired girl grabbed a golden opportunity and couldn’t imagine herself loosening her grip. This was one of many chapters in her life, with a conclusion that was long overdue.

While her kicks were heavier, his were faster. This was a battle of strength versus speed. She had him right where she wanted him. But same could be said for him.

Passing out would have been way easier, he thought. However, he couldn’t let go until he had successfully survived this. Every time he charged at her, he was closer to that goal. He jumped at an interval, pinned her arm between his elbow and knee and in fluid motion….

*pop*

“Arrghhhhhhhhhhhh.”

“Serves you right..”

With a kick, she sent him flying once more. With all certainty, bones were shattered, especially his ribs. He gripped his side with his left arm. That nauseating feeling mixed with an intoxicating amount of pain. In the meantime, she examined her dislocated arm.

“What’s… wrong?” His body was on the verge of shutting down with an unusual sensation of heat to boot. As a result of his previous hits, spittle flew and blood flowed out from his body.

She was left panting. Her right arm was dislocated but even then, she was focused on her breathing and her breathing alone. She felt suffocated, as she gripped her chest.

“Let’s end this.”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way, sister.” his head was steaming. The rush of blood made him unusually eager and reckless.

“Your voice alone makes me want to rip out my ears.”

“Is that your new excuse for not listening to people?”

His jaded breathing was enough of a sign to shut it yet he chose not to.

“Since I’ll be taking out a body part, tell me which I should target next.” even in grave danger, his tendency to lighten up the mood arose. He pointed his blodied index finger at her, a smile running through his face, even as blood dropped straight from his nostrils to the edged of his mouth.

“Like my right arm wasn’t enough, you bastard.”

“I don’t remember being illegitimate. I’m your older brother, you little shit.”

“What a shameless excuse of a man.”

*sigh*

“If you won’t pick then I will.. Your left arm then..”

His game plan was a success. From his right pocket, dense air particles all gathered round from around the room. As the fight went on, the air had been unreasonably thicker. There were also multiple particles he placed solely on her in the midst of battle.

Knocking her unconscious was the initial plan but her endurance was far greater than he anticipated. Due to the nature of their battle, he also got caught in the same attack he created quite frequently. His left hand on the other hand, was an unexpected weakness he had no choice but to reveal, forming a fist.

Something was off about her gesture, it was like an invitation that he readily accepted. She boldly stood her ground, however, she was already at her limit. Due to her difficulty in breathing, ending this right here and now was not even an option.

“Here I come.”

“Bring it.”

He unleashed the particles around his arm in full force and leaped off, setting a punch while she dragged her sword out and poured a great deal of aura into it.

“This is the end.”

“Says who??”

In the middle of the clash of siblings, a hand from each side stopped them in their tracks. A cold stare ensued as she unleashed her trigger.

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

They both uttered these words simultaneously and fell to the ground, like their souls were sucked out of their bodies. Fortunately, they were only unconscious. She uttered a sigh of relief.

“What would have happened if I was just a second late?? Hey, Fudo. Can you explain this?”

“I was taking a leak when the new kid arrived. Don’t blame me. I swear, I also just got here..” a bespectacled man rubbed his head awkwardly while leaning on the door.

“How did things escalate this quickly??”

“I have no idea. I was getting ready to do the introductions but he already left his room. From what I heard, they were already in the briefing room when Kotowari suddenly attacked him.” he placed his hands on his face, his frustration clearly visible.

“I never expected this minor issue with the law enforcement to cause something this disastrous.We need to get them to the infirmary immediately.”

“You know you’re the cause of this right? You unchain a starving dog and act surprised when it gobbles up its prey.”

“Fudo, please handle the rest. You can at least do that much, right?”

“Yeah, yeah.I’ll call for some back up.”

“I will find out all the details from them.” she strode out of the room.

“You bet. But really, my students sure are heartless. No one bothered intervening.” he slid a cigarette out of his pocket and flicked his lighter.

“Either that or they just couldn’t.”

“Sorry it took me so long!!” Aiko rushed to the scene panting, with her hands on her knees.

“Are they okay?”

“You’re the only one, huh? Yeah, they will be.”

“So they knocked each other out?”

“Not necessarily. Fujisaki was the one that did that.”

“Oh..She used that again..”

“You don’t like it?” he jumped off the elevated platform, adjusting the frame of his glasses as he landed.

“Well, I can’t say I’m fond of it being used on allies.”

“Don’t be like that. Someone would have died if she didn’t.”

“So she was really capable of pulling it off.”

“What did you expect? It’s Kotowari.”

On his chair, he stared long and hard at what the mirror in front of him showed him. When he peeked into it, analyzing the content, all he saw was an empty grave. Unlike the others around it, decorated in flowers, his was barren. Some even had bottles of alcohol beside it. It never changed the sentiment.

“Just what is this supposed to mean?”

He looked around, nothing but the mirror in sight.

“Is this what death feels like?” he gazed at the mirror yet again. In disbelief, he looked away.

“What are you trying to tell me? You think I’m a loner whose death will be that insignificant, huh? You really think I wouldn’t have a full funeral. You really think no one will come see me? Well, you’re wrong.”

He stopped to catch his breath.

“Although, under the right conditions, I will gladly take it. If this is what the end of my life will look like then I haven’t been a decent human being. But even then, I can’t afford to die. Not yet.”

“Why??”

The voice rang out. Not a hint of emotion, yet you could hear the loneliness emanating from it.

On his bed he slowly opened his eyes and gasped for air. He looked around and found an arm wrapped around his. This warmth he felt was genuinely soothing but the development itself was shocking. The pink haired girl yawned and turned to him with a chuckle.

“You’re finally up.”