Sakura Eyes

Chapter 58

CLANG!

My eyes flew open, and I sat up with a gasp. Immediately, shocks of pain shot up my body. I sat frozen for a second, trying to remember what happened and why I was in so much pain when a flood of memories broke in.

Clutching my head, I wobbled up. How long was I out? Where were Justin and the others? Was the fight over?

Another clang! echoed through the air, and I turned towards the loud sound coming from behind a tower. Before I could limp over to see what was going on, two figures suddenly jumped out from the shadows of the tower.

I gasped when I realized it was Justin and Guren. Although I tried to distinguish who was who between the two, I came to the realization I couldn't.

The two of them moved so in sync, so fast I thought they were one person. Every time Guren would attack, Justin countered it perfectly as if he had foreseen it and vice versa.

It was clear they knew each other's fighting style well. There was no doubt about it that this wasn't their first time fighting against each other.

I'd always thought of the possibility of them sharing a past...but it was clear as day to me now that they did.

I flinched as I watched Justin hop onto a tall stall. As soon as his feet touched the roof, he back flipped off. Stunned, I watched him fly through the air—his perfect figure turning and twisting as freely as a bird—before spinning straight towards Guren.

Guren quickly turned the hilt of his blade upside right before Justin clashed swords with him midair. Guren stumbled back, almost toppling over by the weight and power Justin was forcing upon him. Suddenly, Justin twisted in midair and managed to give a good kick to Guren's face. While he jumped away neatly, Guren turned over and crumbled to the ground.

Justin didn't miss a beat and quickly raced over before knocking Guren out. I winced at the sound of bones cracking; I could hear it from all the way here.

My eyes darted back to Justin; he seemed extremely tired, and there was blood splattered on his face. Just like me, his clothes were tattered, and I could see cuts and wounds that trailed all the way down to his legs.

Justin suddenly collapsed to his knees, using his sword to help him stay upright. He took a step towards Guren but wobbled towards the ground, too tired to move anymore. Breathing hard, his tired eyes surveyed the scene before stopping on me.

Justin immediately jumped back to his feet, eyes wide and body tensed with alarm. He started towards me but immediately crumpled to the floor. Terror flared up within me, chasing away any type of tiredness and pain I was feeling.

Forcing my feet to move, I ran over to Justin who was still lying against the ground. When I reached him, I collapsed next to him and flipped him over to his back. Justin's tired eyes met mines, and he suddenly gave me a handsome smile. I touched his shoulder and felt his body relax immediately.

"You look horrible," I muttered.

Justin chuckled and rose a teasing eyebrow at me. "Take a look at yourself."

His hand rose up and touched my cheek. Although his warm hand grazed my cuts, they didn't seem to hurt as bad anymore. Justin's smirk quickly turned into a frown. "Were you crying blood or something?"

"Yeah," I said. "Didn't you feel my earthquake?"

"Oh, I felt it alright," Justin snorted, letting his hand drop. "So I'm assuming that's your Guang then, yes?"

"What?" I asked, resisting my urge to take his hand and slap it on my cheek again.

Before Justin could respond, he suddenly coughed. His body violently shook with every cough, and on his last cough, blood sputtered out from his mouth.