Bleeding Heart

XXII

Kimiko squinted from the bright fire light as she entered into the basement, the place it all began. She looked around at the abandoned cells, the empty and partially destroyed testing site provided a haunting feeling in her stomach.

In the middle of the room stood Jashin, a grin spread across his face as he saw her. "My dear 97, I hear they took my gift from you!" he called out.

Kimiko felt the burn of bile rising in her throat at his voice. Choosing to ignore the man, she pulled the sword from its sheath, the candlelight glinted off the edge of the blade dangerously.

"Not interested in talking I see," he said quietly, "then a fight to the death it is," he called out as he lunged at the girl, a large scythe gripped tightly in his hands.

Kimiko dodged the blade narrowly. Stepping to the side of the blade, she quickly planted and with a twist of her hips, lifted her leg and kicked him hard in the back.

The man went flying forward, dust scattered everywhere as he rolled to a stop, landing on his side. Kimiko wasted no time in closing the distance once again, going in with her short blade, she felt the blade sink into Jashin's forearm.

The scent of blood filled the room. Kimiko's hands shook as she held her blade down firmly pushing further through his arm.

Jashin had managed to get his arm out in time to block her blade from penetrating his chest as his body shivered with adrenaline.

The look in Kimiko's eyes screamed bloodlust and he for one, could not have been more pleased. This is what he had tried to instill in her, this is what he tortured and trained her for... to desire another's death.

Gritting her teeth, Kimiko inhaled before releasing her breath in a shout as she used her strength to push her blade closer and closer to his chest.

'More, more, more!' she thought, 'this is your chance, kill him!' her arms ached with the force of her drive.

A gasp left her throat as her pushing ceased, Jashin laid there on his back, forearm still raised in defense. Her blade grazed his chest, when her hands froze.

Looking down to her abdomen, Kimiko saw the blade of the scythe puncturing her body. Felt the sting as her hands released her own blade and she fell backwards. The blade of the scythe slipped out of her harshly.

Laying on the ground, Kimiko tried to steady her breathing, she heard her blade clatter to the floor, and could feel the shift of Jashin's movements as he sat up.

"Well, you nearly had me there," he said with a grunt as he stood. Kimiko rolled onto her stomach, a sticky wet feeling of blood trailed down her body.

Jashin watched as she tried to drag her body away from him, the smeared blood she left stained the ground. Letting out a hearty laugh, Jashin walked in front of her, causing Kimiko to peer up at him painfully.

"Really?" he asked, "one big attack and then what, you die alone here?" he asked through cruel laughter. Reaching down, his dirty hands tangled themselves in her blonde hair, dragging her up and to her feet.

Kimiko cried out in pain as she gripped his arm in an effort to relieve the pull on her scalp. She glared at the man who had tormented her all her life, how could it end like this?

Dropping her hands, she let him hold her weight by her hair as she reached for a kunai. Gripping the hilt, she brought the blade up at his wrist quickly.

Jumping away from her, Jashin reeled as he gripped what was left of his now severed left arm. His wrist and hand lay limp on the ground.

Kimiko's vision blurred from the loss of blood, but she pushed forward. If she died before him, everything she lived for would be for nothing. 'I have to live through this!' she thought.

Lunging at him once again, Kimiko used the adrenaline that coursed through her body to her advantage. It was like his movements were in slow motion, as she maintained her breathing.

Dodging his attacks as she jumped around to avoid the reach of his scythe, she managed to get close to him a few times long enough to slice or stab quickly before retreating again.

This dance lasted a while, Kimiko would weave and get in close, avoiding his attacks. Jashin now stood there, breathing heavily as his body was sliced all over.

Kimiko's own breath came out in shaky gasps. "Looks like this is it Jashin, you can barely stand, and I'm clearly done for," she rasped out, her throat felt tight from the pain in her stomach.

'I can't give up, I have to win!' she thought to herself, Jashin let out a sharp laugh, nodding his head. He prepared himself for their last clash. "Let's end it here then, shall we?" he said.

With a yell, the two ran at each other, Kimiko blocked his scythe with her kunai before he landed a kick to her bruised ribs forcing her forwards toward the weapon.

Slipping to the slide, her cheek grazed his blade as she dropped into a crouch, her joints screaming in protest. Twisting, she swept at his legs, forcing him off balance.

With a scream of rage, Kimiko sunk her kunai into his abdomen. Staring up into his yellow eyes as she tried to slow her breathing.

Jashin dropped his scythe as he fell to his knees. Kimiko, still holding the kunai dropped down as well, watching his face for any sign of an attack.

Groaning, Jashin lifted his remaining hand and shoved her back by her shoulder. "Guess that settles this," he said, his voice strained.

"We're both going to die here, where I should have killed you years ago," he continued. "Those heroes would have only found your body if All Might hadn't arrived so quickly."

Kimiko allowed herself to lay flat on her back, her breathing was ragged as she listened to Jashin drone on about the past. "Jashin, shut up," she said quietly. He let out a painful chuckle at her response.

Staring up at the ceiling, Kimiko tried to focus on her breathing. Surely Aizawa would arrive soon. Her vision was growing hazy, her ears began ringing as she barely made out the sound of Jashin falling limp.

She couldn't hear his ragged breaths anymore, her own breathing had gotten far too quiet for her liking. Her fingers and toes were cold. She could feel the blood oozing out of her body, stealing her warmth.

Kimiko felt her body go limp, her mind was foggy and breathing was becoming too difficult to manage. Closing her eyes, she felt peace flow throughout her body. She had won, she can rest now.

And then her heart slowed to a stop and her body lay unmoving.