Enslaved

Chapter 52

Ryuu was breathing hard, his sword held in front of him and his wings slightly outstretched as he glared at his childhood friend. Kajeel was breathing raggedly, one arm clutching his side that oozed green blood from one of Ryuu's attacks. Ryuu lifted his sword marginally, his eyes narrowing.

"Give up?"

Kajeel smirked, raising his own blade.

"You know better than anybody else that is not an option, Ryuu."

Ryuu snarled, throwing himself at Kajeel without any other words. They were a flurry of movement, their wings opening and closing for balance as their blades danced in the air around them. Ryuu had grown up with Kajeel, they had learned to fight together, they had started the rebellion together. Ryuu knew everything about Kajeel and Kajeel knew everything about Ryuu. Ryuu gritted his teeth, whirling around and aiming a strike at Kajeel's wings only to be met with his sword yet again. Vaguely he could hear another fight going on behind him but he could not afford to look at what was going on, he only hoped that Kaida had flown to safety and his men had gotten to him. Ryuu blocked a blow that would have sliced his leg and twisted his sword around, trying to disarm Kajeel with a move they had learned years and years ago.

Kajeel turned his blade just as they had been taught and slipped out of Ryuu's move, causing Ryuu to go to defense as Kajeel swiped his blade through the air at his head. Ryuu frowned then as he stepped back, avoiding the blow easily. Kajeel was getting sloppy. Was it because he was hurt or because he didn't want to fight? Ryuu shook his head slightly, throwing out his left wing and tripping Kajeel as he tried to charge Ryuu. It didn't matter why Kajeel wasn't fighting well, Ryuu had to beat him regardless. Ryuu frowned in surprise as Kajeel hit the ground, his sword skidding across the floor as he did. Ryuu carefully folded his wing back in and pointed his sword at where Kajeel lay on the floor, his eyes cold.

They stayed like that for a moment, both of them breathing hard and that's when Ryuu noticed the bruises all over Kajeel. He must have been punished for his position being compromised within the rebellion, Ryuu realized. That's why he hadn't been fighting the way he usually did.

"What are you waiting for." Kajeel's dark words dragged Ryuu from his thoughts and he met his old friend's exhausted face. "Just kill me already."

Ryuu pressed the sword under Kajeel's chin, forcing him to look up at Ryuu fully and draw a little pinprick of blood from where his sword met his throat.

"Not before I know why."

Kajeel snorted, causing the sword to dig a little deeper into his neck .

"You truly are blind, Ryuu." Kajeel coughed, his arm moving away from the slice on his arm to around his ribs. "It doesn't matter why. It never did."

Ryuu snarled at him and raised his sword, causing Kajeel to close his eyes. Ryuu let out a yell and impaled the sword through Kajeel's right wing and into the ground below, his breathing ragged.

"You are still my friend." Ryuu whispered. "I cannot kill you."

"Then you are weak." Kajeel growled. "Kill me. End this. You know you want to, Ryuu."

Ryuu met his eyes as he pulled his sword out of Kajeel's wing and sheathed it behind him.

"No. I will not kill you." Ryuu heard something behind him and resisted the urge to turn around. "But if I see you again, I will not show you the same mercy. You betrayed everything I worked for and you kidnapped Kaida knowing she would be ruthlessly tortured. I am sparing you because of our past, no other reason."

Kajeel coughed standing up and folding his wings in haphazardly. Ryuu moved forward quicker than Kajeel could react and grabbed his shirt, bringing him face to face.

"But mark my words, Kajeel." Ryuu's voice was low and a snarl wound its way through every syllable. "If I so much as catch whiff that you are anywhere near me or Kaida ever again, I will slaughter you without hesitation."

Ryuu threw Kajeel away from him, watching him as he stumbled.

"Get out of here, Kajeel. While my mercy still stands."

Kajeel stared at Ryuu for another second before he turned and ran as fast as he was able away from the room, turning a corner and disappearing. Ryuu walked over and picked up his old friend's sword, lifting it up to the light just as he registered a yell from behind him again. He turned, brandishing the sword, and nearly dropped it in surprise. Kaida was on the ground, his dagger held out in front of her as the Emperor bared down on her with dual daggers held out in front of him.

She was breathing hard and his eyes flashed when he noticed the large bandages around the main muscles of her wings, soaked through with old blood. That's why she was still here. He cursed himself for not noticing earlier before throwing himself forward and opening his wings, flying over the ground. His sword was held out in front of him and just as Kaida's eyes flashed to him, Kajeel's sword went right through the Emperor's side, straight to the hilt. Ryuu let go of the sword and bounced backward, working his way around so that he was in front of Kaida again.

"You...impaled me." The Emperor sounded incredulous. "You-"

He broke off coughing and Ryuu heard Kaida stand behind him, taking a step so that she was by his side as the Emperor fell to the ground, one hand around the hilt of the sword as if he was thinking about taking it out of his side. He looked up at Ryuu and Kaida, hate filling his eyes.

"This solves nothing." He coughed, blood crusting the corners of his mouth. "You will always be slaves."

Kaida stepped forward and grabbed the crown from his head, looking at all the gemstones embedded in it before surprising Ryuu and placing it on her own head before kneeling down in front of him.

"We will never let another human control us again." She snarled, the gold of the crown glittering in his eyes. "And you will never take this land from me again."

Ryuu watched as she drove the knife into the Emperor's heart and twisted, a snarl on her face.