Khaos Wars

Chapter 5 - One of our own

The intruder's harsh stare pierced through Kazu's mind, making it impossible to look away. His shoulders slowly rose and sank over and over again. The room was so silent that he could clearly hear the intruder's deep breathing. He seemed strangely calm; there wasn't a single sign of nervousness, hesitation or insecurity in him. His expressionless face had no sign of any emotion; it was like staring at a statue. His shoulders moving was the only thing reminding Kazu that he was looking at a living person. He slightly shook his head, forcing himself to snap out of it.

Kazu analyzed him more closely. He looked like a self-proclaimed hero: his hair was long and ash blonde, tied up in a ponytail. He even wore a war uniform with a long, blue cape. The more he looked at, it the more familiar it appeared. Wait... it couldn't be... The blue war uniform was identical to the ones used 16 years ago: in the infamous Khaos War, named after the war hero Khaos. The one who led their people to victory, but later went crazy and disappeared without a trace.

"I can't believe you're throwing away all our morals like this. We used to be such a peaceful nation." The intruder finally spoke. That sentence confirmed Kazu's suspicion; this man really was one of them. What was wrong with this guy, didn't he understand that this was the only way for them to survive? Kazu wasn't happy to be doing this, but they had no other choice.

The two of them were staring each other down, waiting for the other to make a move.

Kazu lifted his head and pulled himself together. His attention turned to the girl; she still hadn't escaped. Looking at her filled him with pity. Her hair was dirty and messy, her clothes were torn and filthy and her entire body was shaken. Kazu knew Takeshi must have had his reasons for kidnapping her, but right now the sight left a sour taste in his mouth.
But why did she look at him with such horror in her eyes? That's when he heard it.

Quiet, water-like dripping gently hit the ground right beside him. Kazu slowly shifted his gaze towards the sound. His whole left arm had turned crimson, red liquid dripping down his fingertips, forming a tiny puddle on the floor which increased in size with each passing second. Kazu knew he was wounded because of the intruder's bloodied sword, but he didn't know it was this bad. The wound was still numb and he couldn't feel anything. He needed to stop the bleeding, but he couldn't risk letting his guard down. Damn, this guy was no joke; he was going to pay for this.

A light appeared in front of his hands, forming two swords; one long and the other short. He grabbed them and took a decisive step forward while trying to control the violent shaking in his left arm.

"If you don't leave now he is going to kill you." The intruder warned the girl. Aika, was that her name? Didn't hesitate and ran away. For the first time Kazu noticed a slight change in the intruders expression. A not-so-obvious smirk had now replaced his previous emotionlessness. It felt like he was mocking him. Like he thought he had won. Kazu wanted to wipe the grin off of his face. Despite the now pulsating pain in his left arm he charged at the intruder. Steel swords clinked against each other; their ominous sound echoing in the almost empty room.

"Who the hell are you? And how do you know about this place?" Kazu pushed his longer sword against his opponent's. He took his shorter one and tried to sneak up beneath their clashing weapons. But his rival seemed to have noticed and jumped away.

"My name is Saito Daisuke, and I have been watching all of you for a long time now... Ikisatashi Kazu." Daisuke's desaturated blue eyes narrowed in a hateful stare.

Kazu felt his blood boiling in a fiery rage. He screamed and stormed towards his opponent who tensely held his blade, waiting for Kazu to reach him. He swung both his swords against the foe, but he ducked just in time to avoid the attack. All of a sudden a tough force tore his weapons right out of his hands and sent them flying across the room. Before Kazu could react, a powerful blow hit his stomach and tossed him against the bookshelf. He forced himself to hold in a yelp. A few books fell on top of him, spreading dust all around. He sneezed and quickly rubbed his eyes. His swords; where were they? He stood up despite the pain and spotted the swords a few meters to his right. Sprinting, he grabbed them and scanned the room. Daisuke was nowhere to be seen. But Kazu didn't relax just yet; he could still be there, hiding somewhere... watching him. Saito Daisuke... just who was he...

Someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder.
Before Kazu could think, his instinct took over. The next thing he knew he held both his swords at Takeshi's throat.

"Woah, what's wrong with you? You have that crazy look in your eyes again." His friend's familiar voice made him feel more at ease. Kazu lowered his swords and dropped them on the ground.

"Sorry... just a bit on edge."
"I'm guessing it has to do with the girl being gone. But first we'll have to patch up that ugly wound." Kazu knew Takeshi was right. He couldn't feel his left arm anymore.

They both sat down at an old, dusty couch in the corner of the room. Takeshi started to take off the cloth he had wrapped around his left arm. As long as Kazu could remember, Takeshi always tore off his sleeves and wrapped them around his arms like that. But that was just a weird Takeshi thing.

"Jeez, you really need to stop ruining your clothes." Kazu teased him. It also made him feel better, being able to joke around like this with his friend.

"I know, I know. I'm a walking fashion catastrophe." Takeshi confirmed while wrapping the cloth around Kazu's arm to stop the bleeding. Kazu couldn't help but laugh. He already felt a lot better. Then he remembered Aika and wondered about her role in all of this. But that was not important now. He was bound to find out eventually and right now he had a bleeding wound, drooping arm and an assassin to worry about.

"So what happened back there?" Takeshi sounded more serious now.

"A man broke in and freed the hostage." Just thinking about it made his anger rise again.

"Why didn't you stop him? Even though when I think about it; he must have been very skilled if he managed to hurt you."

"He wasn't skilled; I was just being too reckless." Kazu grumbled. "Also," he calmed down again "he is one of us, Takeshi." Takeshi suddenly tightened the cloth too much causing Kazu to flinch. He loosened it up again.

"How is that possible? You, I and my brother are the only ones here." He sounded something in between unconvinced and worried.

"I don't know, but I know he knows everything about us."