Void • Memoria

49. Mutual Trick

Overcast Memoria ( Yuki's Point of View Part 10 )

I began to walk in the direction that Kurai went. Once I finally found her, she turned around to look at me.

"They're gone."

"What?" I asked in hopes she'd clarify so I don't misunderstand.

"The demons. Their presence all just vanished. I could sense a little left but... It was too sudden for them to just be killed." She said, worry evident in her pink eyes.

"Maybe they got scared. I mean, us all together probably killed a good amount, right?"

"I..." Kurai stopped herself from speaking her thoughts. "Let's head back to the clearing. We should wait for anyone left to show up." Her words felt empty as she began to quickly walk to the clearing. I watched her silently before starting to follow her as fast as I could.

As we navigated our way through the trees, just as the clearing was starting to come into view I noticed Kurai slowly turn her head to the side before quickly looking forward once more.

When I followed where her gaze went, I noticed something small standing in the trees watching us. It was hard to make out in the darkness besides its bright yellow eyes.

Was it a cat?

I ignored the meaningless curiosity and continued walking behind Kurai. I grew full of concern once she froze in place, her eyes wide in horror.

Without hesitation, I moved past her quickly into the clearing.

"Please... Yuki, Keiko is in danger... Please..." Hiro's words rang in my head like a painful taunt as the horrific sight brought me to a realization I didn't want to believe.

I watched as Natsumi walked to Keiko's detached torso and pried a katana from her hands.

I felt sick from regret. I wanted to throw up.

I tried to cover my mouth and hold down the vomit moving up my throat. I fell to my knees and let it out onto the grass.

"You killed him. For nothing." The voice in my head laughed. "You couldn't protect anyone."

I tried to ignore the voice as tears brimmed in my eyes. My throat was burning, the thought of what I did clenching at my heart. I felt as if just now I gained clarity on everything.

Why was it like this? Why am I like this?

It doesn't make sense.

Why Natsumi? How could Natsumi even do this?

She was born human wasn't she?

So why are there demons here?

I looked up when I heard fast footsteps charging at me. Before Natsumi could strike, Kurai quickly stood in front of me and blocked the attack with her sword.

Natsumi pressured hard against Kurai to break her defense. But Kurai was more skilled in swordplay. She moved her sword quickly and it cut the side of Natsumi's head. As her hair fell from where the cut was, white smoke pooled around the wound.

Just like my black smoke, it stitched the wound shut, except she healed at an insane speed.

Why was it like mine? Was this a part of her magic?

But it wouldn't make sense.

Different gods give different powers. Don't they?

Kurai pulled her sword back to prepare for another piercing strike, but before it could land a large white tentacle quickly grew from her side and shielded her from the attack.

Kurai kept putting pressure trying to pierce through it to no avail.

Once I realized the fight wasn't in her favor I quickly pulled out my katana. I had to help her.

I know I'll never be able to make it up to Hiro for what I did. But I can at least try to end whatever goal Natsumi was trying to achieve.

I quickly moved to Natsumi's side as fast as my legs could take me. I positioned myself to strike, but right before my blade made contact, the white tentacle swung from Kurai's blade.

Its fast motion simultaneously knocked Kurai's sword from her hand and slapped me harshly across the face. As I went hurdling down I heard Kurai scream in fear.

"Yuki!" Kurai yelled in a panic as all her focus immediately fell on me. The moment she got distracted with my safety, Natsumi wasted no time to strike. She swiftly brought her sword down and connected it with the nook of Kurai's neck.

Kurai's eyes opened wide once Natsumi's blade made contact.

I immediately pushed myself off the dirt ground and grabbed my sword. This time I succeeded in piercing her leg. 

Natsumi fought back a scream and tore her sword from Kurai's neck, allowing Kurai to fall to her knees. Her hands covered the wound on her neck as she kneeled over, her forehead pressing against the grass.

I ripped my blade from her leg and used it to shield myself when she tried to strike me again. I pushed against her sword to stand up before breaking off our bind. She winced from the pain in her leg as she attempted to sidestep to avoid another attack from me.

But she was a second too late and my blade was able to leave a small cut into her shoulder. When I took another strike, she blocked the attack with her sword. Natsumi attempted to mimic the movement I did to her, but she was still lacking in her swordsmanship.

She failed to properly break our bind in a way to benefitted her, and instead, I was the one who was able to make a swift and easy strike into the space between her shoulder and collarbone. I began to push the sword deeper into her wound as she screamed in pain.

The white tentacle formed a hand-like shape and gripped onto my neck. It felt warm, yet it was getting harder to breathe. As if touching it took away the feeling of pain, but not its capabilities to kill.

I pushed past my need for air as I stared her in the eyes while driving my blade deeper. Tears were flowing down her cheeks as she slowly fell to her knees. The white hand on my throat slowly grew dimmer with each passing second as we stared into each other's eyes.

When she put her hand on my blade I roughly pulled it out of her.

"Yuki... Please... Just die,"

I took a deep breath as my only response to her desperate plea. I slowly aimed my sword at her neck, silence lingering between us.

I couldn't take my eyes away from hers.

The pure dismay and heartbreak that shined in her tear-filled black eyes felt oddly good to see. I wasn't sure if I felt this way because this meant this torment was finally over.

Or because I enjoyed seeing her suffer after betraying all of us.

But either way, the silence didn't last much longer once I took my final strike.