"Hey, Grim Reaper." The boy's distaste for the woman was obvious. His demeanor was the complete opposite of Akira's; rigid, on edge, and incredibly angry. However, the woman graced him with a smile. It had been so long since she'd seen him; he looked so different. He had grown so much in the last few years. She might not have recognized him had she not been waiting for this moment for so long. "I finally found you."
Akira cocked her head, her smile still beaming.
"Oh? I didn't know you were looking for me."
"I came to avenge my parents and to keep you away from Hiroto-sensei." Her smile fell, eyes filled with disdain. "Don't worry, Akira. I'll put you out of your misery once and for all." The girl stood motionless for a moment as she thought everything through. Of course, that hag Hiroto had lied to her brother and blamed her for everything. Of course, Erias believed him. Why wouldn't he? He was only ten at the time.
She steeled herself. This was gonna be an ugly fight. No matter how it ended, she wanted to make sure he knew the truth, whether he believed her or not. Akira's green eyes narrowed, her hand summoning her scythe and tightening around the staff.
"Do you really think you can kill me?"
"I'm stronger than you think," he boasted. She simply snickered at him. Not only was he still incredibly young and naive, but he was lacking in raw experience. She could tell that much just by looking at him. He was probably about as strong as Midorikawa if she was analyzing him correctly. He had skill, but he was still a child.
"We'll see about that." Erias was on her in a second, a long yet thin sword clenched in his left hand. It was similar to a Kogetsu but dual-edged. He sliced at her torso as she had yet to move but felt as his blade simply slipped through the air as she jumped back.
Erias had heard about her speed. She was lethal to fight against because of her quick agility and skill. Of course, he had to worry about all of that as well as her weapon of choice. A scythe wasn't exactly popular in the Neighborhood, but Akira made it well known. It had become a symbol for her along with her kill count, deeming her fit for her title of the Grim Reaper. Just catching sight of her usually meant that death was approaching your doorstep.
However, he showed no fear and advanced toward her again. She had to admit, he was pretty damn fast―probably faster than Kuga―but he was still no match for her. To her, it was like he was moving in slow motion. She slipped past his blade once again, still not needing to make use of her weapon.
Izumi watched as this young boy continued to attack Akira but made no progress. It looked like she was toying with him. He knew of her reputation at this point and had never seen her so lax in battle. Even with the last guy, she took the fight straight to him and finished the job quickly. He couldn't wrap his head around why she was dancing with death.
Erias seemed to have sped up slightly, trying to catch her unexpectedly. His blade flew like a dagger directly to her throat. The tip of his blade gleamed in the sun as it made its approach, matching the glint of success in his eyes. Suddenly, her scythe spun into his view and roughly shoved his blade aside. It would've gone flying had he not kept his grip on it. The boy stumbled back from the force and prepared to be killed in his opening. However, she just watched as he caught his balance.
He grit his teeth, flying back into danger as if he hadn't just been tossed aside. Akira grinned at his refusal to back down and agreed to his challenge, meeting him in the middle with her own blade. The two clashed, trying to force one another back. Erias struggled to hold his ground while Akira just leered at him like an unmoveable force. "Come on," she taunted. "Show me what you've got, little brother!"
Izumi's eyes widened as he watched Akira throw the boy back once again. Oh... Oh! The resemblance totally made sense now. This was the little brother she spoke about leaving behind. She hadn't run off to kill her mentor, but to see her younger brother again after four years.
Akira continued to push him back, her scythe making shallow attacks that meant no real harm to the boy. She was simply trying to get him to back off and realize that he was no match for her. Instead, this only made him angrier and he seemed to go completely wild. He returned to the offensive, sloppier than before and filled with rage. Even so, it wouldn't be enough.
Akira sighed and shoved his blade aside with her bare hand, spinning her body and sending him tumbling back with a foot to his gut. "You're strong, but you still have a lot to learn. It'll be decades before you can take me on."
"Shut up!" He returned to his feet and glared at his kin. "I swear I'll kill you for what you did! You destroyed our family and left me to rot!"
"I left to protect you―"
"Bullshit!" Akira bit her tongue. She had been gone for four years. Four years Hiroto had to raise Erias himself and brainwash him with his deluded ideas. At fourteen years old, he was stubborn and angry at the world. He was finally starting to grow up. He was a teenager with his mind set in stone. She knew that there was very little chance that she'd be able to change his mind at this point. But that didn't mean she wouldn't try. "You fled Afto because you're a coward!"
Izumi gulped at his words. He'd heard the story from Akira several times over and knew that this just wasn't true. And a coward? Would a coward stand here and fight her home country after what they did to her? "You killed Mom and Dad for the Black Trigger and then ran away!"
"That doesn't even make sense," she finally snapped. "Why would mom have produced a Black Trigger for her murderer?!" Her eye twitched as the boy seemingly ignored her, lost in his own delusions.
"You left me alone to die! Thank God Hiroto was there to take me in―" Erias was suddenly on his back, the glowing blade of her scythe pressing down against his neck. He stared up at her with wide eyes, finally understanding the gap in their strengths. Akira glared at him. For the first time in her life, she felt real resentment toward her brother. At this point, it felt like he was beyond saving.
The boy took shallow breaths; one full expansion of his throat would mean the end of this war for him. His first war, ending in failure.
"Don't ever thank that man for anything." She stepped back, finally letting the boy breathe again. "He ruined our lives."
Akira fully withdrew her blade, now empty-handed with her hands covering her eyes as she felt the stress from over the years finally crashing down on her once and for all. This was it. She just couldn't take this torment any longer. Erias, on the other hand, sat up but didn't rise to his feet.
"Finish the job, you coward!" His eyes searched her physique for answers. Why didn't she kill him or even sever his trion gland? Why was she letting him off easy? Why did she turn her back on the enemy? Was she belittling him or was she just too weak to go through with it?
Akira laughed bitterly, feeling her dried-up tears spring back to life. This was all just too much.
"How could I ever hurt you?" The boy finally stood to his feet but didn't bother to retrieve his blade. "For four years I've dreamed about getting to see you again, but not like this. Not as enemies..." Akira dropped her hands from her face and caught his eyes one last time. "I know it's almost impossible to change your mind at this point, but I really did everything I could to keep you safe."
He didn't know why but there was a lump growing in his throat. He tried to swallow it down, but it was as unmovable as she was. "I left you because Hiroto threatened to kill you if I didn't. I watched him slaughter our parents at your age, but I wasn't strong enough to take him on. So, I left, hoping that someone would step up and take care of you."
She slapped a palm to her forehead. "Of course, it had to be that sack of shit!" Erias continued to listen, their fight completely forgotten. For the first time in his life, his older sister was speaking to him like an adult, not that he was. He had just matured too quickly. Someone who should've still been in school with his peers was sent out to war against his own blood. Grown too fast.
He stood frozen as Akira slowly stepped toward him. There were two possible outcomes for this situation, both she had come to terms with. She would be okay no matter what decision he made. The siblings now stood face to face, looking almost directly into each other's eyes for the first and maybe last time in their lives.
Izumi was on the edge of his seat. This was all very stressful and touching, but the kid still wanted her dead. He knew it wasn't his place to intervene, but he wouldn't let anything happen to her, even if it meant protecting her from her own brother. "You've grown up so much." She wore a sad smile. She had missed out on every achievement he'd made up until now, every birthday... She felt like the shittiest sister in the world. "I'm proud of you. And I know Mom and Dad are, too."
Akira hesitantly wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him into an embrace whether he wanted it or not. After all, she was laying her life on the line for one last moment with him. Erias felt the sting of his eyes and grit his teeth. What was wrong with him? This was his chance to take her out once and for all. But the things she was saying and the look in her eyes were speaking to him more than Hiroto ever had.
Hiroto did no more than turn him into a weapon. Sure, he kept him housed and fed but he didn't love him. He didn't give a fuck about him. The sister he'd been taught to have been the enemy was right here, holding him in her arms whilst knowing it could be the last time. Why didn't he believe her, again?
His adrenaline spiked and he suddenly remembered what he had come here for. He drew a blade out from a holster on his leg and brought the tip of it against her back, right where her heart beat out of her chest. Izumi scrambled to his feet in panic. He knew this dumbass wouldn't bail out and would get herself killed if he didn't do something so he started to run over to her. "It's okay, Erias." He hesitated, his blade lingering just on the edge of her skin. "If this is the path you want to take, then that's okay.
"I'll still love you, no matter what." His grip on the blade tightened, teeth clenched as he attempted to put an end to these games. But that lump in his throat was suffocating him. He just couldn't go through with it.
Izumi skidded to a stop as Erias let the blade fall out of his hand. It clattered to the ground, echoing in the silence. The only other sound that could be heard in this plaza were the cries the boy tried to hold back as he clung to his older sister, the only real family he had left. And she held him. And she'd continue to hold him for the rest of eternity if he'd let her.
"Please, don't leave me again," he croaked. Now, that pulled at her heartstrings. She let herself cry, hugging him so tight he probably couldn't breathe. Never in a million years did she think she'd have this opportunity or even meet this kind of outcome. From fully accepting her fate to envisioning the future with him by her side.
"Never," she promised. "I'm never letting you go again." She pulled away from him slightly and wiped at the fat tears that rolled down his cheeks. "I'm gonna annoy you until the day I die, so I hope you're ready!" He nodded, a lopsided smile breaking out on his face. She flushed at the sight. He was still as adorable as when he was a baby.
Akira hooked her arm around his neck and dragged him over to Izumi who watched on with a small smile. "Erias," she began. "This is Izumi Kohei. We'll be spending a lot of time together from now on."
"We're staying here on Meeden?"
"We've got it made here for us, trust me." The boy watched how the two, wearing matching uniforms, smiled at each other with relief.
"Are you guys, like, together or something?" Izumi beamed at that, ready to confirm all couple-related allegations.
"I am―"
"―annoying as fuck," Akira interrupted him. "He takes some getting used to," she teased.