The taste of your own blood

The first thing I thought when I saw the robotic arm on the ground was "What if that arm was mine".

I jump back far enough that there is a clear distance between me and my opponent, I raise my right arm that holds the blade, using the sound transmitter, I shout to the machine who I see as an enemy:

" -Did you ever tasted your own blood?!"

Those were the last words spoken by one of the recruits who had accompanied me two years ago in the C-14 battle of Kyoto, the first time I acted as a North Japanese soldier.

His name was Ziasha, his combat animal side stood out from the others, he cut his enemies down with efficiency and speed. Like me, he was a prodigy ready to be called up to the "Sub-Elite" team where the most powerful children of the Gardens went, ready to replace the Elite soldiers when they died in battle.

During that battle, he and I took the central attack positions, and we were the representatives of our respective combat sections, we fought and defended ours with the greatest agility, in essence we were fighting to decide who was the best, only one was going to be chosen to represent the Elite, only one could win the race, and so, we tried to show our qualities during that battle.

The atmosphere between the two of us was no longer just competitive, before we knew it we started fighting each other, in the middle of the battlefield, we left our posts and started exchanging strikes with our blades.

"-You've always been jealous of my evolution, Aiko, you've always done everything to copy me," said Ziasha.

"-You are no example for anyone, I wouldn't fall to your level." I answer her.

"Shut up, you know I'm the favorite to enter the Sub-Elite, that's why you envy me. You're nothing but a scrappy version of me, Aiko, we've been fighting for this place since we were kids, and this is the time to end the fight for once, I'm going to show what a mistake you were."

I reached my limit at that moment, I stopped containing my strikes. And finally, I pierced Andreax's chest from Ziasha. As I smiled I ordered him:

"Kneel down"

He obeyed my orders, I hear the sound of the heavy knees of Ziasha's robotic body hitting the ground. Ziasha puts his hands on the blade, trying to get it off his steel chest.

I remove the blade from her chest. My smile is broken as I look at that blood dripping from the blade, without realizing it, I had hit the cockpit.

"-No!!!" I shout

I can hear Ziasha's heavy breathing.

" -Did you ever tasted your own blood?"

To this day I don't know the meaning of that words, but I can't forget it, they are my curse.

I killed a man, a man who was not my enemy, an ally, I am a murderer. Obviously my actions resulted in consequences, I was kicked out of my Garden, I was eliminated from the Sub-Elite potentials. I stopped being Aiko the Potential, and I became Aiko the Killer, everyone knows my name, the name of the boy who out of jealousy killed one of the greatest North Japanese Potentials. 

 This is the DDX Combat Section, composed of men who have done crimes like mine, who have dishonored the flag, this is our death sentence.

I deserved such fate, I understand my mistake, I can understand the hate, but I will prove that I am more than a body ready to be thrown to the lions, I will prove my worth, I will survive all the battlefields imposed on me, because I am Aiko The Killer.

I will do everything to survive, and when this war is over, I will die at  the sea. That's a promise.