Strike! ストライキ

Chapter 15: Key Kingdom Awaits!

"When you think about it, it isn't much of a lie. Keys' mother, Queen Ninomiya, died and Key's father is never around because he is the King of Key Kingdom. He just exaggerated his story a bit. I don't have any idea why he would want to come sniffing around these people though."

Karvella squeezes her sword handle. I can see her grip getting increasingly tighter, her skin turning red.

"These people? How dare you! You used to be one of us! Don't act all prim and proper because you live in the storage room of the Kingdom, Mitsa! When your parents were murdered Aunt Roan took you in and you betrayed her!"

Mitsa flinches back in surprise before biting down on her bottom lip.

"How did I betray that hag? She was absolutely nothing to me!"

Karvella's face contorts with anger. Shivers descend down my spine from the look on her face. Her teeth look almost sharp as she shakes in rage. I've seen Karvella angry before but not this angry. She holds out her sword which starts to glow with a more ominous prescence.

"You, bastard! How dare you insult the loving woman who you left for dead for some pretty robes? I'll kill you!"

Karvella lunges violently, catching Mitsa off-guard. All I see is a flash of purplish hair and Mitsa falling towards the ground. Then I start hearing grunts of pain and look towards the way Karvella took off. Shockingly enough, Karvella is atop of Mitsa, her sword thrown aside, repeatedly punching her. Mitsa can hardly protect herself from the savage blows. I can hear each hit echo through the silent street and flinch on contact.

"Karvella!"

She does not stop. She keeps striking the blonde girl on the ground with vigor and her heavy, rapid breathing only makes me realize just how angry she is.

"Aunt Roan took you in! She clothed you, she fed you, put a roof over your head! And how do you repay her? You abandoned her! How dare you? You let them kill her! You're the real demon!"

"Ka-r-v-ell-a," Mitsa manages to cry out, "Stop!"

I can hear Karvella sobbing as she continues to pound her fists into the blonde girl's face. She lifts her arm high and blood flies across the ground. I dash over, my feet moving on their own and tackle Karvella off of the girl. We hit the ground with a thud and I wrap my arms around Karvella to try and keep her away. Of course I know that Karvella is stronger than me but I do not know what else to do. My companion is sobbing and laughing eerily beneath me but she doesn't try to get up. Maybe she's afraid she will hurt me?

I hear a moan and turn my head towards Mitsa without releasing my hold on Karvella. She sits up, her hair and clothes dishieveled and blood pouring from her nose which is probably broken. Her right eye is already beginning to bruise and there are cuts all over her face from Karvella's nails. She stands up shakily, hunched over with her hand on her bleeding nose. She extends it slightly, glancing down at the bright red that is coating her hand. Mitsa's lips and hands are trembling quite noticably.

"That's less than you deserve, murderer," Karvella grumbled beneath me, "You should burn in Hell."

Karvella lets out a savage scream into the sky which almost makes me release her in surprise. The anguish in her voice mixed with all-consuming anger makes my body shiver in unknown ecstasy. Her pupils dialate slightly, then her head fell back and she faints. I hear the door to the house open slowly and Hana and the three kids are all peeking out. Mitsa gripped her arm in pain and stood straight.

"Keys Altran Ninomiya," she growled, "Go back to the Kingdom immeadiately!"

Her anger almost matched the fierceness of Karvella's. I could tell that she was highly irritated by the entire situation and also that she was in an incredible amount of pain. The dark haired boy looked from Hana, Aoi, Keigo and then back to the bloody Mitsa before he slips out the door towards her.