Ten Crimson Rivers(2)

"Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains." - Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

The world is not a conscious being, therefore what is committed on it, is not by its own faults, but rather those who inhabit it.

Everybody takes part in the evil done in the world, yet most feign ignorance.

However, there are those in the world that commit universal evil, something explicit that all can agree are wrong.

And that's precisely how all of Japan feels about Yamishin Kyoki.

The people despise him. They always have.

The Japanese citizens have given him many names and titles, but there is one word that all can agree, on a universal scale, that fit him.

"TRAITOR!" Tadashi roared, Kyoki standing across from him, and behind him, tens of cars filled with men.

As Kyoki stood in front of him, his eye began to twitch, so did his fingers, and veins were slowly appearing.

"What of it?" Kyoki replied.

"Don't give me that! You cannot turn your back on the world just because it turned its back on you!"

"..."

"Do you truly believe what you did to my Akari was okay? You knew her your whole life! Yet y-you fuckin' killed her! Like she was some damn animal who needed to be put down!"

"Do NOT act like some saint, Tadashi. She was practically already dead with the way your family treated her. If anything, I freed her."

"Freed her? PUHAHA!" Tadashi cackled, taking a few steps back, continuing, "FREED HEER?! You tortured her goddamit!"

"And what of it? I do what I do for my own benefit."

"What benefit? What's the goal, Kyoki?!"

"Do I need a reason? I am merely one of many who are bloodthirsty in this world."

"You took the worst possible route."

"Ironic. The man telling me to do good is the leader of a gang."

"I do not kill innocents!"

"You killed my father."

"You know I could not do anything about that! He wouldn't want this for you!"

"I did not come here to listen to you talk about my father and act like him. He is dead," Kyoki took a blade out from his suit. All the men around pointed his gun at him, but Tadashi gestured with his hand to lower the guns, and they did. "And you too will die at my feet." Kyoki added.

 The two looked at each other, their normally composed demeanors, characterized by an unwavering calm, started to fracture like the surface of a serene lake disturbed by an unseen force. The lines etched onto their faces, usually unmoved, became strained, and a subtle tension crept into the once stoic set of their jaws. Their eyes, once pools of serene restraint, now flickered with the intensity of smoldering embers.

Then, with an almost imperceptible shift, the two men, now on the precipice of the highest form of anger, unleashed a torrent of emotions. 

"TADASHI!"

"KYOKI!"

They charged at each other.

Kyoki, wielding a blade, was a storm of fury in human form, lunging forward with a ferocity that cut through the stifling air. His strikes were calculated, each movement executed with a lethal precision that spoke of a long-held grudge seeking resolution. Tadashi, however, was a master of evasion, an elusive figure that danced with fluid grace, avoiding the onslaught with a cat-like nimbleness.

As the first blow was unleashed, the blade cleaved through the void, its razor edge seeking purchase on Tadashi. Yet, like a specter, he sidestepped with an almost preternatural awareness. The blade met only empty air, the whooshing sound it created an eerie underscore to the escalating tension.

'Annoying.' Kyoki thought.

He pressed on, the gleaming weapon becoming an extension of his simmering rage. A swift sequence of slashes followed, each strike designed to find its mark and rend the very fabric of their unresolved conflict. Tadashi, a phantom in the shadows, countered with a fluidity that seemed to defy the laws of physics. The scene became a battleground, and the combatants, both fueled by a volatile mix of hatred and determination, engaged in a deadly waltz.

Getting close, Kyoki threw a feint with the sword, suddenly kicking Tadashi, who tumbled through the gate. Quickly rising, they both noticed some members of Team Swallow had guns and began shooting at the Himura Family.

But neither of them cared, only this fight mattered.

A right uppercut, a declaration of undiluted animosity, was unleashed with a force that could shatter bone. But Tadashi eluded the strike with a sidestep. The blade, a harbinger of violence, sliced through the empty air, leaving behind an unsettling silence once again.

Each step, each parry, was a stanza in the brutal poem of their mutual loathing. Tadashi, using the shadows to his advantage, continued to evade the relentless onslaught. The blade, however, was an extension of relentless fury, a steel serpent seeking its prey.

A symphony of clashing metal and grunted exertion echoed, personified by the fire. Tadashi, cornered momentarily on the gate, gracefully spun out of harm's way, leaving Kyoki temporarily off balance. The blade, hungry for contact, sliced through the air with a chilling whistle, a haunting reminder of its lethal potential.

With a sudden burst of agility, Tadashi, despite his old age, launched a counterattack. A series of rapid strikes rained down, fists colliding with calculated precision. Each blow was a crescendo, an echo of the pent-up resentment that fueled their bitter feud. He thew a punch that nearly missed Kyoki's gut, but he quickly spun off his back foot, and elbowed his gut, then followed it with an uppercut to Kyoki's chin.

"KUAGH!" Kyoki coughed up blood, and although momentarily disoriented, retaliated with a brutal backhand, the sheer force of the blow staggering Tadashi.

"KAHAHA! I GET IT NOW!" Tadashi wiped the blood off his mouth, "Kouze did manage to get you! HAHAHA! I knew my girl couldn't go out without doing some damage!"

"Shut it." Kyoki held his blade high.

Tadashi suddenly closed the difference, and as Kyoki used all his strength to swing his sword downwards, it was too late. Tadashi hit Kyoki's hand wielding the blade, causing the blade to fall out of his hand and onto the rocky ground.

Kyoki seeing an attack dodged left, but he fell right into Tadashi's trap, receiving a blow to the chest. He was thrown a few feet back but showed no signs of being hurt.

"Always were a tough nut to crack." Tadashi spoke, jumping back and forth on his tippy toes.

"You have yourself to blame for that."

Once again, Tadashi got close, but this time Kyoki wouldn't make the same mistake. He weaved his head from a straight right, tossed an arm over Tadashi's arm, and tripped him to the ground. Falling with him, Kyoki now had him in a headlock.

Crawling over him like a spider, Kyoki got behind him, throwing knees into his back. Using herculean strength, Tadashi reached behind himself and grabbed Kyoki, dug his nails into his body, and tossed him over himself.

Kyoki landed on his feet.

"Your father taught me that one." Tadashi joked, arrogantly.

Choosing to be on attack this time, Kyoki got into a grappling position and went for Tadashi's legs, but just before reaching, he spun, and launched a rocket-like kick to his chest, resulting in Tadashi's sternum to crack, which felt as if a truck rammed into him.

He groaned and held his chest in pain. Before he could react, Kyoki got close again, but this time he tackled him. Holding him high whilst Tadashi elbowed him, the two combatants tumbled backward, crashing through a weakened door into the dim interior of the fiery building. The door splintered, a precursor to the chaos that awaited within.

As they grappled on the smoldering floor, the building groaned with the weight of the inferno raging outside. The flames had found their way into the structure, and the crackling embers cast an eerie glow on the unfolding struggle. Smoke billowed through the air, carrying with it the acrid scent of burning debris.

Separated from the blade, Tadashi fought with renewed determination. Kyoki, however, was unyielding, his hands seeking purchase on his opponent's throat. The dim light flickered as their struggle intensified, the fire casting long shadows on the walls that seemed to dance to the rhythm of their violent clash.

Tadashi, tapping into a wellspring of resilience, managed to break free from the grip of Kyoki. As they staggered to their feet, the flames outside painted a fiery tapestry on the windows, turning the room into a surreal battleground. Embers danced in the air like malevolent fireflies.

Kyoki, his face smeared with soot and sweat, charged once more. Tadashi, now aware of the ever-encroaching fire, expertly sidestepped the onslaught. 

Or so he thought.

Abruptly, the metallic tang of blood filled his mouth as his head forcefully met a wall, courtesy of a steel pipe. The burning sensation pierced through his suit, the pain akin to being branded by a white-hot iron, the searing imprint lingering, prompting an "ACK!" He cried out, descending forward and becoming the unfortunate recipient of another kick to the face delivered by Kyoki.

With the intention of maintaining the element of surprise, Kyoki gripped him by the shoulders, hurling him through a nearby room. This expansive space, ablaze with a fierce intensity, heightened the tumult, the flames roaring more vividly and resonating louder than in any other part of the building.

"U-UGH! AGHH!!!" Tadashi agonized on the floor, clawing at his chest and back, "you murdered her! Murdered her! UGH!" He got up from the floor, his eyes turning bloodshot whilst Kyoki watched.

"I-I'LL KILL YOU, KYOKI! Y-YOU FUCKING TRAITOR! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE, YOUR EXISTENCE!" Tadashi was losing it. He raised his palms up to his face, tears strolling down his eyes as he contemplated something.

His nails reached closer, eventually making contact with his face. He curled his fingers, and dug all ten fingers into his skin, and slowly, he descended downwards, his flesh piling up under his nails.

Crimson flowed down his face.

'You were wrong, Akari,' Kyoki thought, his face contorted, 'I am the same as your father!'

"Don't take the high horse against me, Tadashi! You were the reason for my dad's death, so I took your daughter's life, and now I'll kill you too. Even if I can't do what I used to, it's more than enough for you."

"GAHHH!" Tadashi vanished, then appeared behind Kyoki, who felt a surge hit his spine. He stumbled a few feet forward, turning around to face Tadashi, and slung a right hook, connecting with his cheek.

Not even moving an inch, Tadashi angrily hopped off his back foot, and aimed for Kyoki's neck with a kick. Kyoki barely dodged it, feeling the tip of the shoe grazing his neck. He grabbed Tadashi's leg, angled his elbow downwards, and made contact with his knee, forcing it to twist inwards.

"ACK!" Tadashi cried out but jumped off his other leg and kicked Kyoki in the face.

"Ptooh!" Kyoki spit out blood, a long streak of blood running across his forehead down to his nose and past.

The building got closer to collapsing as walls started to cave in, roofs crumbled, and the air got thicker with smoke.

The two could no longer see each other, their vision clouded both physically and metaphorically.

"Let's end this Kyoki!" A voice rung through the smoke.

While Tadashi was searching, Kyoki stood still. His arms roped down past his body, and his feet, despite the warmth of the room, felt like blocks of ice, devoid of any feeling.

He cranked his neck backwards and looked up to the roof, which was also covered in smoke. 'Maybe...If I just stood here...'

Suddenly, a part of the smoke dissipated, and Tadashi wrapped his arms around Kyoki, crashing into the closest wall. Kyoki tried to wiggle out, but not before Tadashi whipped his head up, headbutting into Kyoki's chin as pain flared through his body like a searing flame, every nerve ablaze with the intensity of the blow.

However, Kyoki acted swiftly, twisting his head sideways and biting Tadashi's nose. Rumpled in pain as if struck by a lightning bolt of agony, Tadashi stumbled backwards, but Kyoki tripped him. Trying to attack him whilst he was on the ground, Tadashi dodged, and Kyoki hit nothing but the ground. He grunted in pain as the impact felt like a hammer smashed against his fist, but he quickly gripped his hands around Tadashi's head, giving him a headbutt of his own.

Then, the nearest wall entirely fell apart, the sunrise light shining through it. Tadashi dashed for the outside, but Kyoki lowered his shoulder, and dove for his legs, tackling him on top of the rubble.

As Tadashi struggled to see through the blood on his face, he saw a hand appear on the rubble from inside the building. And then another arm thrown next to it. Kyoki was climbing over the rubble, but then, all the walls began to fall apart.

Tadashi covered his eyes and ran from the building as dust began to fly everywhere.

Nevertheless, Kyoki lingered within the building. "Cough! Cough!" He wheezed, his hand slicing through the smoke-filled air. In a moment of urgency, he located a shattered window. Ignoring the shards that pierced his hand, he reached over and propelled himself through the broken opening.

He groaned, but there were two people standing above him.

Remi and Hiroki.

"Boss!" Hiroki called out, the both of them working together and picking Kyoki up.

"So, how'd it go?" Kyoki asked, looking at Remi.

"We won." She replied, her eyebags overshadowed by the smile on her face.

"Good." He panted, wheezing with every breath, then he looked to Hiroki, "good job, kid."

"Thanks boss!" Hiroki beamed as the remainder of Tadashi's men were getting finished off.

As the two carried him to their car, he struggled to see straight. He coughed and thought, 'I promise you Tadashi. You won't escape me again.'