ᴀ sᴛᴇᴘ ɪɴ ᴛɪᴍᴇ | ᴛᴏʙɪʀᴀᴍᴀ sᴇɴᴊᴜ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

21. ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴏᴅꜱ [1]

"Wha-What are you doing?!" she exclaims though her voice comes gargled.

"Revenge for discarding me!" you shout at her. "You think I didn't know it was you who sent me to Konoha. I know it was! I know you wanted me gone so the others can get father's attention."

"N-No--" she can't speak. She wants to explain something, but your heart is closed and won't listen.

"Screw you for leaving me to rot. Just you wait, just you all wait," you growl as you near her. "I will be the one that destroys the Empire that threw me away. I will reign as Empress of this Empire."

Your mother glances to the side to spot Izuna standing in the background, his back resting on the wall near the door. Her maids all lay on the floor, dead by his hand. He watches the confrontation, looking amused yet also somber. 

You don't waste another second and raise your arm. Before it descends, it halts. Something within you struggles with your desire. It's as if it doesn't want you to kill her. 

"Where is your resolution?" Izuna's question holds no empathy for your hesitation. He desires you to live in this moment of pure ecstasy, but memories of your mother's careful nurturing stop your movements. Even if she abandoned you, she is still your mother.

"Izuna... I..." Your eyes still connect with hers. She looks at you as if you are some warped devil. Disappointment, fear, and sadness all combine within her expression. "I can't kill her."

He sighs and pushes himself off the wall, sauntering over and taking your knife away from you. "I know it's your first killing, but it seems I must show you how it's done."

You look down at your empty hands, your heart speeding rapidly. When he raises his arm, you notice not a hint of hesitance pauses his movements as his hand descends into her body. A guttural wail of pain escapes her lips. A few more stabs follow. Though Izuna stands in front of you as a shield, some of her blood splatters onto your clothes.

His back straightens as he finishes stabbing her. Red pools by his shoes, and the dagger returns to your fingers, sullied by maternal blood. He walks away, apathetic to the death he has delivered. When you feel his presence disappear, you collapse to your knees while your body shakes. Even if you didn't kill her with your own two hands, you still brought her to the grim reaper and that makes you her killer as well.

As your mother bleeds out, choking on her blood and struggling to breathe, you feel yourself breaking apart even more. You try to smile. You want to laugh at her pathetic end, but at the same time, you want to cry for her.

She reaches out for you, her eyes warm and kind, and a part of you listens to her desire. You grab her hand and watch her slowly die out, yet she uses the last of her strength to speak. "Dearest... [Name]... Find the tree beneath the crimson sun. There... lies your secret... and treasures."

Her eyes hollow into nothing as her tether to life breaks. She is gone. A lone tear falls, the only spark of regret you can muster after causing her death. 

As you stand up, you travel over to the balcony where Izuna awaits. Your stares meet.

"Cathartic, isn't it?"

You try to gauge what the sensation you feel is. An odd mixture of release and burden are what you can find, but there's something more. You look up at Izuna, who stares at you with curiosity. This man has always made you believe that you two were of the same cloth with the same burdens and the same morals.  

But what you just did... You wonder if he would ever kill his family for the sake of revenge. You move your head to face away from him. "It really was," you force out as another tear rolls down your cheek.