Chapter 22:Fall To Stand
The ice worm had bruises all around it.Red wasn't getting tired.
"Oh brother,give it up!We need to flee now. We've had our share of fun!"
"No…not yet. It's only been two days!"
I sighed. He wasn't going to give up any time soon.I couldn't sit here and watch all the action fly by rapidly.Maku laid down in the sand,limbs spread out like a star fish. He got tired of fighting me already but Red was full of energy.
My brother was always full of energy for some reason and I never knew why. We've had trauma. We've had hard lives. To this day I still have suicidal thoughts.Yes I may have changed in 3 years but there's still a part of me that will stick with me throughout my life.Sick and twisted Mother.
No Father.Brother had me and I had him.That's how it worked. He was the only person I truly cared about.Ever since Mother started acting a bit strange,I started to dislike her.
She lost her humanity,if you can even call her human.Before the sudden shift,my Mother was a kind person.She was a nurse.
But I haven't seen her in a long time.Suddenly,a loud BANG ruptured through the ground. It felt like a stomach rumbling.I was…hungry.
After all this,Red attempted to crush the ice worm and it got crinkles all around its fluffy fat skin.
"AIZZAKU!WE'RE NOT DONE YET.WHY ARE YOU FLEEING?"
"Red!You're immature.You haven't reached my level yet and I'm NOT in the mood to duel,I just want to survive."Aizakku cleared his throat and the ice worm slowly vanished into thin air.
He turned around and left with the other Genshi.
"Coward…"Brother mumbled.But I was coated in relief.They stopped fighting!This whole idea is bad.The bloodmoon,all of it.
"Brother please can we go now?"
"We'll terrorise someplace else Kibo.Let's leave now."
"WAIT!Think this through please!We've fought enough people to defend ourselves but innocents…"
He stood silent for a second and faced me,gazing.Staring at me like I was a hidden gem.Although…I couldn't tell his facial expression under that mask of his. He trotted but I stayed sat down on the dusty ground.
"Kibo I can't leave you here after everything we've been through,don't resist and be a good brother ok?"
"Red this is too…much."
"You're gonna cover up all your problems again with that apparent coping mechanism of yours?"
"I can use plants to regenerate myself!"
"Doesn't matter.Self harm isn't justified Kibo you know that.I made this event to have fun."
"FUN?YOU CALL CHAOS AND KILLING PEOPLE FUN?"
"OH IS IT TOO MUCH FOR YOU?YOU ARE SUICIDAL.YOU AND I HAVE WITNESSSED IT ALL!BERE WITH ME PLEASE."
He cleared his throat and turned around.I just,stared. It was hard to respond to something so aggressive yet he was right.
Why am I surprised of what he's doing after everything we've been through?Hardship after hardship,I had to agree in the end.After walking for a bit we discovered something quite unique.
There were two.A human and a dragon.
They seemed familiar.A bloodbath indeed.
It soaked into every last grain of sand within the area.They killed some creatures,Navajo perhaps?
And more.They were both apart of the draco clan judging by their outfits.
"You gonna speak or just stare?"One of them broke the silence.And then that was the sudden moment where their faces dropped.Not literally but in this scenario it was possible.They recognised us.Specifically my brother.Maybe they remembered his face when he was standing right in front of the Blood Moon.THEN VANISHED WITH ME!
"You seem surprised?What'd you except huh?For me to staying in one place?!"Red swung his arms open enraged.
"Stay away."The girl raised her daggers boldly.
"WAIT I REMEMBER YOU TWO!"My brother clicked his fingers desperately.
"The two assassins from the draco clan correct?The ones that attempted to kill Kraven and ultimately failed?AM I RIGHT?!"
"You sure are and you speak a lot for a psychopath."
"Think I'm more of a sociopath to be honest."
Hunter's chuckle faded into a frown with grinning vampire teeth showing.His eyes were…RED.Just like my brother.
"You two caused enough trouble."They trotted away,thinking they could escape my brother's rath.For the next 5 days or 5 hours I'd have to get used to it.I've seen this type of stuff before.I can handle it.Red pointed his hand out in HIGH FIVE shape. He tightened it into a fist and pulled it back hard.Emma's body swung towards Red in an instant.CRACK!That's what I heard.A short vibration impact the ground and travelled through the rest of us.She breathed heavily,calculated.Staring Red deep into his eyes.
"Tie the boy back Kibo."Silence hit again.
"What…"
"You heard me damn well I'm standing right next to you.I said tie the boy back.With your vines or something!"
I gulped and slowly twisted my head towards Hunter. He clenched both of his fists that warmed up pretty quickly.I saw steam emerging from them. No hesitation,I threw vines around his body,tightening them greatly.Grunt after grunt,he tried.Wasting all his energy.
He burned my vines temporarily but I managed to regrow them back quick enough.A dark tone set between the 4 of us.2 witnesses.1 killer,1 death.
I knew it was going to happen and my legs trembled in fear.I felt goosebumps all around my skin and a sharp shiver spread through my body like wild fire.I couldn't say no to my brother,he was stronger.And would do it for the love of the game.Hunter's eyes teared up in distress. My eyebrows went down in disappointment.
"Red..I…"All the words in my mouth were erased from existence in that moment. He didn't let me finish speaking and I could already see blood gushing out of her body.Hunter bawled his eyes out.
"STOP!WAIT…EMMA.STAY WITH ME!"I know it wasn't my fault but I should have at least tried to give my brother some empathy.I mean.A sense of it atleast. He had no mercy on the world as it had for him.Same goes with me. We're both homeless,both outlaws.Both blood brothers,both rejected by the world.Yet one seeks vengeance while I seek peace. Or do I?Suicide is peace for me isn't it. To escape all the suffering.
"Emma?Talk to me."No response from her.Red raised her head.Her eyes were closed.Open mouth full of blood.