Andromeda

“Saki?!” Yuki shouted as he rushed to Saki’s side, but was stopped in his tracks by Saki’s arm thrust outward.

Saki looked behind her while she faced forward so that Yuki could see her face. “Yuki… I made you a promise. I’m not about to break it now!” Saki narrowed her face staring down at the man in vines ready to challenge him. She was not going to let him hurt Yuki anymore. The pain in her arms was slowly getting to her, but she had someone to protect. ‘Hitomi…Yuki… I’m sorry, Hiroshi.’ Saki felt her leg muscles tighten and flex on her preparing for her to spring forward, already warmed up from the sprinting that she had to get back to the warehouse. A burst from her feet sprung her into the combat that Ayumi was already engaged with the man of vines.

Chapter 22 – My Brother’s Keeper

“Ugh… I can’t believe that Saki.” Hiroshi shook his head trying to throw off the fuzzy feeling that was hanging around him. He laid on the couch taking in his surroundings as he could still vividly remember the last seconds before he was unconscious.

Saki seemed to have accepted her position listening to Hiroshi, but it was only feint by her to get him within reach and off guard. When Hiroshi went for the bag of supplies to grab something out for Saki she had her fist already prepared. Her punch was faster than Hiroshi remembered planted deep inside his stomach before he could even get a word out. The impact forced all of the air out of him instantly and drew his eyes wide as they became pale. He collapsed over her shoulder his slightly drooling mouth stuck against the back of the couch. “Sorry, but this is something I must do.”

She stood up placing Hiroshi on the couch in her stead. A look down in silence was all she had to spare knowing that her time was short. The room was empty, but at the stairs was Jun staring in mute knowing simply that there was nothing stopping her. Saki ran pass him catching the glimpse from his eye as though he was telling her to protect Yuki. She gave him a gentle smile as she did not miss a step and flung the door open disappearing into the street just as fast.

Hiroshi looked around already knowing that Saki had to be gone, but needing to know for himself. “Always running on impulse. Got to be the one putting your life in danger.” He let out a heavy sigh as he saw Jun walk around the couch in front of him staring at him blankly. There was little being said between the two, but they both seemed to sitting in the same pool of emotions. “Why don’t you sit down here and we wait for them.” Jun gave a content nod to Hiroshi and sat a comfortable distance apart from him. ‘Man… I thought it was the women that were supposed to be sitting at home for the men to return. This is so screwed up. Just come back safely Saki.’ Hiroshi rubbed his stomach still feeling sore from the hit and then it hit him. “Argh! She’s been holding back this entire time!”

“Saki!” Yuki tried to move his body, but it would not budge for him as though it seemed to know something that he did not. He could not stand seeing Saki out there getting hurt because of him. Yet there was nothing that he had been able to do to change it. It was like this for him all the time. ‘Why can’t I move? She can’t fight this sort of person. He’s not normal. Move legs! Saki’s going to get killed out there!’

Ayumi pulled her focus back on the assassin after the sudden arrival of Saki to protect Yuki. She cut away the vines that were getting in her way with an annoyed expression on her face like this was not worth her time and was causing her too much trouble. The sword tightened in her hands glowing off the light behind her as she readied her assault.

Saki did not wait for any word from Ayumi as she charged straight for the man without any consideration for her safety. She put up her arms to take a couple vines that were coming at her spraying blood into the air as she pushed on to her target. Nothing was stopping her as vines attempted to take hold of her, but missed getting a hold. The speed of a sprinter was given her an advantage that the assassin was not expecting from Saki. Closer to the man more vines came up to stop her slicing at her clothes trying to put up a wall to stop her.

Ayumi extended her snow up freezing the vines in place giving Saki a hurdle to jump over as she landed on her hands using her built up momentum and strength in her arms to throw her herself into the air feet first towards the man. All the vines grasped at the air as she sailed through landing her feet directly in the chest of the man forcing him to cough pushing all of the air out of him. Stunned for the moment, Ayumi took her opening and followed up as Saki was coming to a rough landing in the snow. The sword in Ayumi’s hands hung down against the snow as she charged forward drawing it up in an arc. A flash of the blade against the assassin ripped through knocking the man backwards.

Saki returned to her feet, ignoring the tears to her school uniform, staring down the assassin not certain if it was over or not. Ayumi leapt back after finishing her attack seeing that the vines had broken free from her ice and threatened to attack if she pressed a kill. ‘Not dead yet… And his vines seem to have a mind of their own. Explains a few things.’ The moment to breathe was coldly welcomed by Ayumi as she turned to Saki next to her. “What do you think you’re doing and attacking so recklessly too?”

Heavy breathing from Saki had held back her words as she caught herself and brought her body’s rhythm back under control. “Can we debate this after we defeat him?” Saki pulled her hands up sliding herself into an offensive stance ready to strike at the slightest movement. All of her training at the dojo she attended was going to be put to the test for her against this enemy.

“What do you mean ‘we’? This one’s mine. You don’t stand a chance against someone like this. You’ll only get in my way.” Ayumi caught the change in demeanor from Saki seeing the serious look in her eyes. ‘There’s no convincing her.’ A sigh came out of Ayumi’s mouth as she looked down at the ground that was covered in snow with the remains of plants still held in the man’s mind. She lowered her off hand to her side as the snow pushed aside revealing a narrow length of ice. The ice rose up until it came into contact with her hand. Her hand grasped the end of the ice breaking it free from the ground and whipped in sharply through the air causing the blank pole of ice to morph into a simple sword. “Well if you’re going to be here take this. It’s lighter than a metal one, but about as strong and sharp. It shouldn’t slow down your movements.” Ayumi tossed the ice sword over to Saki being caught quickly. “Just don’t leave the snow or it’ll disappear.”

Saki gave Ayumi a short smile and nod in understanding. She looked down at the sword seeing partly through the semi-opaque blade. It was cool, but not freezing to her hand nor did it even melt. She had never felt ice like this before, but quickly remembered how easy it was for Ayumi to defy the natural laws of the world within her space.

They were both drawn towards to the shade where the man began to move again with the vines surrounding around him putting up a net like barrier. Out of the darkness came a smooth nearly sweet and kind voice that seemed amused. “Well you’ve come back for your revenge? This should be interesting.” The man stepped forward bringing the plants with him reaching the edge of the light. A green light suddenly burst from him altering all of the ground around him into a green field of grass and vines with flowers interspersed throughout. The field collided with Ayumi’s snow melting and shifting fighting over dominance.

The barrier around him dropped away with the vines returning into the ground whispering in wait. The man revealed himself to be surprisingly handsome behind the vines taking the two back a step. He had a fair face and soft light blue eyes that matched with his voice that made him appear younger than he truly was. Medium brown hair finished off his young appearance kept short and close to his face accenting his shape. His white uniform was gone replaced by loose green pants that were wrapped at the ankles with red tape. A matching green short trench coat cut off just a little after the thighs before the knees split the cloth into four lengths covering around him except for the middle section in front of him. The coat was buttoned half way up with a long strip of material wrapping around from the right side of the coat over and behind snapping into place at his back. Underneath his coat was a red tank top kept neatly in place. A red sash tied in around his coat at the waist keeping all of the excess from being free. Along his right sleeve there were several red strips wrapped matching in color for the bordering that went around the coat.

“Getting serious now?” Ayumi said narrowing her eyes not certain how much of a change this would be now that he had pulled out his full power.

“Yes. It seems that I must, now that it is two on one,” he said with a pleasant smile on his face. He grabbed a vine that was slithering along his shoulder and ripped in two taking the length of it. The two girls moved slightly adjusting their stances defensively uncertain by the act. “So cautious.” In his hand the vine appeared to wither and die turning brown thinning out. It slowly turned leathery in texture until it became a whip that he coiled up in his hand. “Shall we?” He turned himself a little adjusting his stance with the whip staying further away.

‘He’s enjoying this…’ Saki thought to herself as she resumed her previous stance. Out of the corner of her eye she monitored Ayumi’s movements planning to time her actions in step. She knew that Ayumi was right when it came to this fight being out of her reach, but this was important. There was no turning back for her.

The man’s vines lunged forward out of the ground at the both of them with his hands giving orders to increase their reaction time. Ayumi and Saki leapt out of the way to evade only to be immediately countered with more plants changing direction almost instantly. A flash of light and the two landing on the ground little off signaling the drop of the pieces of plants in the snow. Saki used her legs strength to get into striking distance while Ayumi worked to slow the progress of the plants with her ice. The man brought up the whip in his hand that suddenly was gleaming like a razor slashing at the ice sword in Saki’s hand. The blade was snapped off without challenge as the whip followed through sliding through the cloth on her shoulder and skin as well throwing blood up.

Saki rolled out of the way quickly seeing that her attacked failed and looked questioningly at the sword. The blade suddenly restored its lost shape growing out to return to its normal length. She turned her head over her shoulder catching Ayumi gaze.

“Don’t you know? The further away from the owner the weaker it becomes and the closer to me the stronger my own. That sword will never do you any good at this distance.”

“We’ll see.”

Ayumi pushed closer breaking the vines away held frozen in ice. She cut away a strike of vines trying to make ground towards the man, but was blocked again by plants growing up. Some flowers were suddenly growing with the vines making her cautious. Buds popped up on the vines as well opening into small flowers of red and orange. It was only moments before needles launched from the opened buds that Ayumi reacted raising up snow to take the hits.

Yuki watched from the back with his fingers biting into his palms frustrated with his inability to help. From his view he could see Saki getting hurt because of him repeatedly getting cut and wounded for him. He knew that she was losing blood and had to be losing her strength, but there was nothing that he could do. ‘Why can’t I help her at a time like this? Aren’t I supposed gain strength from seeing her hurt? Aren’t I supposed to find my power and save her? Why?’

He dropped to the ground pounding his fists against the cement ignoring the pain. ‘I want to help! Saki needs me! I need to do something!’ Yuki coughed feeling a pain stabbing at him from the wounded sounds of Saki echoing through him. She was visible to him even if he did not look at her. It was clear to him what was happening and every injury she took cut deeper in him. ‘Saki! Please… Saki…’

Saki tried to evade the swing of the whip, but her legs were slowing down. She held up the sword hoping that it would take some of the impact away from the whip before it sliced into her. The amount of small cuts she had taken was adding up draining away her life through the blood that dripping and soaked into her clothes.

The sword held against the whip this time as it spun around the blade catching both of them a little off guard. However, while Saki was still trying to understand the man seemed to know almost immediately. “Focusing on this sword now too, Ayumi? Divide your attention too much...”

Ayumi dropped to the ground throwing her fists into the snow producing a shockwave in the snow altering the entire nearby state into ice throwing around blades and daggers of ice shards ripping the plants that stood before her and continuing through to the man imbedding into a secondary barrier of plants. “You talk too much,” Ayumi said standing up from her attack. “Start fighting and stop with these games.”

“Did I wound your pride?” The barrier lowered spinning quickly around him suddenly changing its state sounding almost like a saw blade as the edges became narrow and razor in form. “Very well. If you wish for me be serious it is your funeral.” The whip in his hand changed again on Saki growing barbs of metal from the twisted and tightly wrapped leather. It pulled at her sword until it disappeared for a split second causing the whip to fall away before it re-materialized.

Saki stepped away, but only one foot as she felt the air coming off of the spinning vines behind her that she was being trapped inside by the man. ‘So many of these things are beyond me, but I’ve got to focus on what I know and can do. However, Ayumi keeps baiting him into being serious. I don’t know how much more of this I can take.’ She clinched her hands around the hilt of the sword tightly using its stability for her own to give a foundation as she stared down the assassin. Blood continued to slowly pour down her arms wetting her hands and the green ground underneath.

Out of the spinning vines came hundreds of needles that Ayumi blocked with her ice wall. However, the attack was not over as dozen of vines launched at her shattering the wall she erected and knocking her back as more needles were released. ‘The strikes are faster and sharper than before… My usual tricks aren’t going to stop him anymore. Will I have to…’ Ayumi bit through the pain as needles dug into her skin and thick vines ripped through her clothes drawing blood.

Saki was suddenly feeling the sword melt in her warm hands as though the state of the water had just changed. However, she did not have a chance to question it as the barbed whip came at her shattering the blade into dust and hit her across her chest and back as it wrapped her around. The metal barbs dug into her skin forcing her to grind her teeth together just to bear with the pain. Her pain did not cease as the man sadistically pulled the whip back tearing through her flesh and clothes ripping her skin open spraying blood over the ivy under her as she collapsed screaming.

“Saki!” Yuki shouted snapping back his head hearing her screaming through the barrier. He did not know what happened to her, but seeing Ayumi laying on her back bleeding into the snow gave him enough of an idea. “Saki!” His fingers dug in his palms drawing blood as his eyes widened and pupil shrank in fear and anger. ‘I’ve got to do something now! Saki’s in pain! Saki!’ Yuki’s eyes suddenly flashed for a moment before fading away as he pounded the ground again having not received the power that he needed to save them.

Ayumi was struck again with vines before she could pull up defenses piercing her as Saki screamed from repeated attacks. ‘Damn… he’s poisoned the tips of his plants too. I can’t feel my body anymore.’ Her field was weakening; she could feel his field encroaching on her strengthening his attacks each time. Everything was dragging for her as she attempted to pull away from the next assault only to fail and receive even more vines piercing through her body. She bit through the pain as her lips tasted blood from internal injuries she was taking.

In the distance it seemed like Saki had grown quiet no longer visible over the spinning vines that protected and launched attacks for the man. Another wave of vines came after Ayumi to finish her off. The plants flashed at her leaving Yuki screaming for her knowing that she could not take anymore. The strikes hit with snow being kicked up clouding everything around Ayumi.

Seconds ticked by as the snow cloud hung in the air around where Ayumi was collapsed. When the cloud finally cleared the vines were stuck in the ground, but Ayumi was standing on her feet having evaded the strike. Yuki blinked in shock and relief to see that she was looking better suddenly. Ayumi was cutting away the plants with her sword starting to move towards the man with determination in her eye.

“Yuki…” Saki said weakly as she was being ripped apart by the whip feeling her life draining away. All of her clothes were soaked and barely hanging together. The barbed whip lashed out going for her throat to end it. A dull pinging rang out as the whip came towards Saki revealing the sword in her hand having returned. Saki narrowed her eyes suddenly restoring her spirit.

The assassin stepped back having been unbalanced by the strange resurgence of the two girls. He scanned Ayumi and Saki trying to find his answer, but was drawn away from either of them. His vision became centered on the boy on the ground away from them all. “I see. I understand now.” The man looked back at the two seeing the wounds that they had sustained mending themselves and restore vitality back to them. “I thought he was just dead weight, but you kept him back there on purpose. He’s healing your wounds for support.”

Ayumi continued forward throwing her ice around to break through the vines that were being sent at her and cutting away what did not get stopped. ‘I wish I could say that I planned it. Unfortunately, that is not case. He’s useless still. You give him too much credit.’

“Yuki…” Saki looked over at him through all of the plants that were between them. She knew that the assassin was talking about Yuki and that her new strength had come from him. ‘If only I was stronger I could keep my promise. Yuki…’

“Saki!” said middle school aged Yuki as he greeted her in the street coming out of the school running. He had a cheerful and excited look on his face like one that had never know tragedy or lose.

Saki turned back not expecting to see Yuki and not having even heard a single word from him for more than a month since his mother had died. He had been like someone that was just simply existing and no longer attached to the world. However, that day something changed in him. ‘Everyone had noticed that day how different he had become. No one knew what to make of it. He was going up to students trying to be friendly with them while they ran in fear expecting him to hurt them. Yuki was not the same person that they all knew and I didn’t understand what that meant until then.’

The two walked back making it to the convenience store where they took a break to get snacks. Saki offered to go inside as she always did and Yuki stayed out looking like he was daydreaming. She picked out two wrapped snacks and handed to them to lady at the front counter when she heard the glass rattle suddenly taking all of the customers by surprise. “Yuki! He’s fighting again!” Saki ran out of the store as the store owner shouted to her about her money. “Yuki!” she shouted reflectively expecting to see him dropping a student into the dirt. “Stop…” However, when she looked at the reality Yuki was a mess against the glass with a bloody lip and looking half out. There were four boys with wicked grins across their lips pounding their feet into Yuki.

Saki stood there for moment unable to believe what she was seeing. It had not sunk in to her yet. ‘I didn’t know how to react. Here he was getting the stuffing beat out of him and all I could do was just stand there in surprise. But I couldn’t let them just pick on him like that. He had protected me so many times and I swore to myself I would be strong enough to protect myself. So I stepped in.’ Saki spun her leg around knocking out two of the boys immediately with neither of them expecting it. The other two boys backed away in shock not certain what had just happened. “What do you think you’re doing picking on him like that? If you’re going to touch him you’re going to have to go through me!”

“Since when does Hayashi have girls fight for him?”

“Since now!” Saki said running her fist through the boy that spoke up knocking him flat sending the remaining boy running. She walked over to Yuki putting out a hand to help him up. “Don’t worry, Yuki. For now on I’ll protect you. You won’t have to fight anymore. I promise that I’ll make sure you don’t have to use your fists anymore. Okay?”

Saki focused her eyes on the assassin before her. ‘I made that promise to him. I’ve got to keep it so he doesn’t have to fight anymore.’ The assassin was having troubles keeping back Ayumi who was throwing everything at him and ripping into the spinning barrier. None of his attacks were getting through and every time that she barely got cut it healed almost immediately due to Yuki. Saki used the distraction to charge at the man throwing her sword at him as vines reflexively stopped it from piercing. However, Saki was not ending the attack as she used the sword as a ledge to jump off for a back flip that connected her feet into the man’s face knocking him off balance. Many of the vines became alerted to the attack and drew in breaking the barrier as Ayumi shattered his remaining defenses.

Saki landed on the ground and shrank sliding to the ground as vines slashed at her. She extended her legs out spinning her body around to hit them into his legs knocking him even more off balance. Once her legs cleared she pushed herself up on her hands bringing her legs up to wrap around his neck as vines scrambled in to keep up with her. She could feel them slowing her down and pulling at her, but she had just enough strength left. “Ayumi!” Saki shouted as she pulled on her legs to take the man off his feet and throw him at Ayumi with all her remaining strength. Saki collapsed to the ground burying in plants that tightly wrapped around her.

Ayumi was already prepared throwing up ice spikes from her field that dug into the assassin piercing him in several locations on his body quickly dripping blood from his mouth. The life in his eyes was starting to fade as the plants and field vanished into the air.

Yuki leapt up to his feet running in to the both of them suddenly finding his strength. “Saki!” he screamed as he ran to her body that lay unmoving on the ground in the snow of Ayumi.

To be continued…