Live Like A Warrior

Chapter 16

The sun hadn't even risen yet. The beach was silent. Even the waves seemed to make no sound. The moon was sinking into the sea, and soon enough the sun would be rising. Soon it would be dawn.

"Soon it will be dawn," Clay said, standing in the middle of the clearing with Akiko, Solar, and Lunar. Crickets could be heard all around them, and the sky was just barely lighting up. A few dozen stars still twinkled, and a soft breeze brought the scents of the forest with it. Akiko stood up straight, making himself look distinguished and bold. His yellow eyes eyed the edges of the clearing like a hawk. He took in careful breaths, counting each one as if he were anticipating something. They'll show up any moment now. We just have to be patient. 

"Sage? Are you awake?" Sage heard his mother calling out to him. He opened his eyes and sat up in his bed, letting out a yawn. It was still substantially dark in his room and outside. At first, Sage was puzzled, unsure as to why Cat would be waking him up so early. Then the realization washed over him in an instant. "It's almost dawn, isn't it?" Sage asked, his voice shaky with anxiety. He stared into his mother's deep blue eyes, somewhat comforted knowing that she shared his anxious feeling. She nodded to him to confirm that he was right. Sage threw the blankets off of himself and slid out of his bed and dropped to the floor. He walked over to his mother, wrapping his arms around her, resting his head on her shoulder when she picked him up. Cat grinned ever so slightly at him, running her fingers through his messy hair. "As mature as you act, you're still such a kid in some ways. Don't worry. I won't let you get hurt. I promise," She said to him. She gently put Sage back on his feet and grabbed his hand. "Let's get going. The others are already waiting for us".

The last stars shimmering in the sky began to flicker out as the sun began to rise over the horizon. It peeked over the mountain range in the far distance and turned the sky a gorgeous shade of pink and orange. Sebastian and Arsheena had already taken the lead, walking side by side along the beach. Oliver, Mai, and Seko followed not far behind, and behind them was Cat, Michael, and Sage. Sage was holding Cat's hand tightly and Michael kept glancing over to Cat, trying to make eye contact with her. It was no use, though. Cat had her head facing the sandy ground, her expression solid and almost impossible to read. She looked broken but fierce, insecure but determined. As they neared the trees and entered the forest, Cat finally gave Michael a quick and sharp glance like she was giving him a warning.  He saw her lips move as she muttered something under her breath, and picked up her pace.

"Why won't you just let it go already?" Sage heard his mother whisper to herself. Sage nearly stumbled forward as Cat picked up her pace, half-dragging Sage along the forest floor. He balanced himself out and matched Cat's walking speed after a moment. Now I feel more uncomfortable than I already was. Sage ventured further anyway. The less he was distracted, the better. He let go of Cat's hand and slowed his pace, taking caution in his steps and scanning the undergrowth for any suspicious movement. Soon enough, he saw the undergrowth thinning out, the amounts of trees decreasing. There was a large clearing not too far away from him. He squinted in an attempt to get a closer look at the open clearing. He crept forward until he was just barely hidden by the undergrowth of the forest floor. There were four men, two with long gray hair, one with silver, one with gold. But oddly enough, Sage could also see Haruka and Glitch standing among them. What are they doing here? Wouldn't Glitch be on our side? 
"What is it, Sage?" Oliver walked over and stood beside Sage, crouching down to Sage's height. Sage didn't tear his gaze away from Glitch. He simply pointed in the direction of Akiko and the others. Oliver gasped when he saw his own brother standing among the people they were against. "Why the hell is h-...Oh. That explains it. Damn it," Oliver cursed under his breath,"Of course, that damn Yandere of his is with him. She probably drove him crazy again." By now, the rest of their group had caught up and was staring with Oliver and Sage. Cat took the lead again and was the first to walk out into the clearing, the rest of the group hesitantly following. Cat stopped about halfway across the clearing when Akiko finally acknowledged their arrival. His piercing yellow eyes lit up with excitement as he looked upon them. 
"Finally, you've all arrived. We've been waiting quite some time for you to get here," Akiko said, giving a crooked-looking smile. Cat stared him straight in the eyes, unphased by his attempt of intimidating her. 
"So, we finally meet, face-to-face. Akiko. What exactly is your reasoning behind all of this? It's not normal to just kidnap three children and threaten to kill them, you know."
" You see, Catherine, I wasn't being entirely truthful when I said I was going to kill them. Yes, kidnapping them was over the top, but I wouldn't end the lives of three innocent children."
"Well, then you chose a really bad person to be working with. Clay wouldn't hesitate in killing anyone."
"Is that so?"
"You never answered my main question. What's your reasoning behind this, huh? Is this some act of revenge?"
"No, not at all. More like an act of love. Your son Sage, as adorable and innocent as he may seem, is actually quite powerful. It's no surprise, keeping in mind who his parents are." Akiko's gaze rested on Cat and Michael. Cat folded her arms and grimaced. 
"What's your point?"
"The point is that your son is very... special. He has hidden abilities, abilities that could be very valuable for certain causes. With a soul like his, I'm sure he can do unthinkable things. Fight powerful beings, surpass the normal human," Akiko smirked,"And maybe even bring the dead back to life."
Cat's eyes widened as she saw what Akiko was getting at. 
"You intend to kill my son to bring back someone you've lost," Cat said, her voice trembling. She grabbed Akiko's wrist and yanked him closer, furious. "Do you even know how much I've lost over my lifetime?! I lost my parents, I lost two of my siblings, I lost the person I loved most! The last thing I need is to lose my own son! I suggest you back the hell off and leave."
With that, the tension was broken. Clay hurried forward and ripped Cat's hand away from Akiko's wrist. 
"Still trying to interfere with everything, Cat? You didn't seem to interfere when I killed your parents, though," Clay teased, tilting his head slightly. Cat gritted her teeth in anger. She had enough. She gave Clay a powerful shove while at the same time summoning her sword, and tackled him to the ground. Sage backed away, along with Seko. He watched as each person took their own individual places with anxiety pulsing through him. Arsheena and Sebastian were beginning to hold off Solar and Lunar. Why are they fighting for Akiko, anyway? Was he able to use hypnosis or something? Mai wasn't really involved in the now starting fight, and surprisingly, neither was Haruka. They both stood near the edges of the clearing. Mai was obviously nervous as hell, watching as Glitch charged towards Oliver. Oliver dodged out of the way as Glitch attempted to jab him with his dagger. 
"Glitch, what are you doing? You should be fighting for us, not them!" Oliver yelled, his voice shaky. Glitch didn't respond to Oliver. He straightened his pose and smiled, looking at Oliver with an expression of pure bloodlust. 
"Haruka has taught me a lot these past couple of days! About how you should only trust the ones that are closest to you. It got me thinking. Who's really important to me? Do I really need a family? Do I really need them when I have Haruka to support me? Hmm. Not really. I mean, Seko is just a child, and you're just my brother."
"Just your brother? Do you even hear yourself talking? We've been through almost everything together, Oscar!" Glitch seemed a little thrown off as Oliver called him by his real name. Oscar. Why'd he call me that?

"Wow, Cat, I'm surprised! Have you actually weakened over the years? Did becoming a mother mellow you out?" Clay asked. He had Cat pinned to the grassy ground, sword in hand and held it against Cat's throat. She struggled under Clay's weight and she sighed as she recognized how out of breath she was. "Maybe it has. So what? That doesn't mean that I can't still kick your ass," Cat responded, giving Clay a good kick in the stomach. Clay went flying back and landed on the ground not too far away. As Clay was regaining himself, Cat got back to her feet and dusted herself off. She shifted her feet and put herself in a more confident pose as Clay stood back up. Clay's proud smile had faded, along with his look of amusement. It was now replaced with a serious and cold appearance. 
"Cat, do you ever regret your past?"
"W-What?"
"I'm sure that you do. It must be difficult, knowing that your own son was a mistake," A gleam of mischief glimmered in Clay's violet eyes.
"...A mistake?"
"Yes, a mistake. He was never even meant to be. How does that feel? You're the mother of an accident, Catherine."
Cat felt herself freeze up. She was a mix of both enraged and shocked. I know he's just doing this to mess with me, and I really shouldn't give in. Cat looked down at her own trembling hands. But why does it still anger me so much, knowing that Sage wasn't truly meant to be? Am I really mad at Clay? Or am I mad at myself? 
"How does it feel that the person you believed to love you so deeply doesn't even want anything to do with his and your son?" 
As if those words had melted the ice freezing Cat in place, she rushed forward, hurling Clay to the ground and slamming her foot down onto his chest. She didn't even hesitate as she slammed her sword down through his chest at full force. Clay's face was overtaken with a look at horror and shock. As Clay gasped his last few breaths, Cat leaned down and whispered, "No one...Insults...My. Son."

"Oscar," Glitch said, slowly letting his gaze drift to the edge of the clearing. He saw Haruka standing there, with her cute blue pigtails and her creepy smile. "Oscar, dear, you don't need him. Just do as you're told, darling!" He could hear Haruka's voice talking to him in his head. I don't need him. I don't need him. I don't need him.
"Oscar, please, I beg of you. Snap out of it. I know it's difficult, but you have to try! Please, do it for my sake. I can't lose you to her again. She's just manipulating you, that damn Yandere. This isn't real love," Oliver said. Glitch tore his gaze away from Haruka and back to his brother. 
"I don't need you," He muttered. 
"W-What? What are you talking about, I'm your brother! You don't need her! Her! Haruka!"
Glitch slowly walked towards Oliver, his grip tightening on his dagger. 
"You don't know anything. That's why you must die."
Oliver tried to run away, but it was too late. Glitch, in a matter of only a few seconds, already had Oliver pinned down. Oliver held up his hands, mouth wide with fear. 
"O-Oscar. P-Please..."
Glitch held up his knife, pointing it directly at Oliver's neck. 
"Goodbye, my dear brother."
Oliver closed his eyes as he saw Glitch's hand rush down, the knife driving straight for his throat. He waited for his death to come for him. But it never did. Oliver opened his eyes, confused. He saw Glitch standing right beside him, tears running down both sides of his face. 
"Run, Oliver. Run before it's too late. I-I'm...I'm so sorry," Glitch cried. Oliver quickly stood up and wrapped his arms around Glitch, hugging him tightly. "I'm not leaving you again. Not now, not ever."

Sage watched as the few conflicts resolved. Arsheena and Sebastian had managed to knock Solar and Lunar out, snapping them out of Akiko's spell. Cat was still near Clay's body, recovering, and Oliver and Glitch were still in a tight, brotherly hug. Michael was standing with Sage and Seko, making sure that nothing bad happened to them. Sage took a quick look around. The only few people he didn't see were Akiko, Mai, and Haruka. Where are they? "Have you seen Akiko, Mai, or Haruka, Seko?" Sage asked. There was no response. "Seko?" Sage looked over to where Seko had just been standing a moment ago. She was no longer there. Sage's eyes scanned the entire area as panic took over his body. He eventually spotted her at the other end of the clearing. Akiko was there with her. What is he doing? He saw Akiko pull out a knife. He saw Akiko point it towards Seko. Sage's eyes widened. He's gonna kill her. Without another second of thought, Sage sprinted forward, running towards Seko. He felt both power and anger burning within him. He heard his father calling out to him, but he paid no attention to it. It felt as if his rage blocked out all other sounds and all other thoughts, except for one: I have to save her. Sage stopped in front of Seko, extending out his arms, shielding Seko from Akiko. Seko looked at Sage and gasped. What happened to him? His hair is darker... And his tail is a different color. He looks-... Seko's thoughts stopped when she saw Sage look back at her. His eyes were completely changed. One was as blue as the sky, and the other was as dark as the night. I don't even think Sage notices that he's different. Sage took a few steps forward, not afraid to take Akiko on himself. He felt oddly courageous and powerful. Without hesitation, he grabbed the knife from Akiko's hand and held it against Akiko's chest. "Don't think for a second that I won't hurt you." Akiko looked completely and utterly stunned. 
"So, this is the true power of a demon, huh?" Akiko asked, mostly to himself. Sage opened his mouth to question Akiko's statement. However, before he could, Oliver's voice cut through the mostly silent moment. 
"MAI!" His voice sounded as if it were filled with panic. Sage ran over to where he had heard Oliver scream, along with everyone else. Oliver was kneeling on the ground, beside a body. When Sage saw a glimpse of bright blue hair, he knew who's body it was. Mai's. Glitch was standing beside Oliver, his hand resting on Oliver's shoulder. Mai's body was covered in bloody wounds, most likely caused by a knife. Oliver's hands covered his face, but it was still evident that he was crying. Even Akiko wore an expression of sadness and guilt. 
"I didn't intend for anyone to die. I mean that with all honesty," Akiko said, his voice cracking. He picked one of the wildflowers nearby and placed it on Mai's chest. The flower was a beautiful shade of blue, like the ocean on a starry night. Cat slowly made her way to the front of the group, a small amount of blood still on her hands. She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly.
"Rest in peace, Mai. May your sweet and loving heart be remembered. Forever and always."



HOLY FUCK, I DID IT! I FINISHED CHAPTER 16! And the next two chapters are meant to be pretty short, so maybe I'll even have this done by the end of the year! Be proud of me, guys, I wrote almost 2,000 words in the matter of an hour and a half. Sorry if this chapter is trash, I'm just really proud in myself for getting it finished.