“…Who is that girl?” Eiri demanded.
Kagura had an unfamiliar girl with her. She was probably not even ten years old. Grasping Kagura’s hand tightly, she looked at Kyousuke and Eiri with inquisitive eyes.
“Ah.” Kagura looked down at the girl. “She’s a lost child. She spoke to me when I was bored, and I grew attached to her company. Her name is Hina, apparently.”
The girl, wearing a pale yellow yukata, pointed at them. “Miss Kagura, who are these people?”
“That’s my older sister and her friend, Hina dear,” Kagura answered gently. She sounded like an entirely different person.
“Oh, neat!” She gazed at them with overflowing curiosity.
“……?”
Kyousuke and Eiri looked at each other.
“U-ummm…” Eiri furrowed her brow. “What are you doing bringing a girl like that to this kind of place?” she asked.
“We’re taking a walk. When I followed you, she followed me. I thought it was just too perfect, so I agreed to bring her along.”
“Too…perfect?”
“I thought you could use her.”
Kagura thrust the heel of her hand into the girl’s solar plexus. The girl gave a muffled cry, then crumpled to the ground. Flat on her face, she did not so much as twitch.
“Just a…!” Eiri’s expression changed.
“Kagura?! What the hell are you doing with that child—?”
“Make your choice.” Kagura advanced.
“Huh?”
Kagura glanced at the unconscious girl, then fixed her gaze on Eiri.
“Will you kill this child or not? Make your choice now.”
“……Eh?”
Kagura stood firm before her older sister. And then, pulling the iron-ribbed fan out of her obi belt, she pointed at Kyousuke and added the catch:
“Now, if you refuse—I will kill this boy.”
Scarlet Scarred the Sky
RUST-EATEN NAILS
ACT THREE
“You’re going to kill……Kyousuke?”
“Yes. If you don’t kill the little girl, I will kill this boy instead. It’s a simple choice between two alternatives, isn’t it? To take the life of a complete stranger or that of an acquaintance. One of two possibilities. Well, please make your choice, big sister.”
The sisters’ voices echoed down the deserted footpath. The elder sister, Eiri, looked dumbfounded, while the younger sister, Kagura, remained aloof. Standing between them, Kyousuke could not interfere, and looked back and forth from one to the other.
“…Huh? What is that…? If I don’t want Kyousuke to die, I have to kill that girl right now? R-ridiculous… There’s no way I can make such a choice, can I?!”
“Is that so?” Kagura stared at Eiri, her face stony and unchanging. “Well, in that case, this boy will simply have to die.”
“Don’t joke around!” Eiri screamed.
Kagura’s countenance did not waver. “I’m not joking,” she answered dismissively, advancing on her sister. “Do I look like I’m joking? Too bad for you, but this is an order. An official assignment, as commanded by Lady Fuyou. She instructed me to seize the opportunity, to place before you a choice between a stranger’s life and a life that you hold dear.”
“Ah…”
Eiri had lost all words.
Fuyou’s image rose in Kyousuke’s mind. Could Eiri’s mother really have been plotting all this behind her amiable smile? Like an assassin who doesn’t reveal her secret weapon until the moment before the kill, had she kept her true face hidden, without showing the smallest sign of her insanity?
“…Why? Why would Mother do such a thing—?”
“So that you can finally kill someone, of course, big sister. This is something that Lady Fuyou has always desired. You should share her wishes. There’s no need to hesitate, is there? Kill the girl. If you don’t, this boy will die. He will die because of you. In other words, you can’t run away… You will either kill with your own hands or cause someone to die by mine. Those are the only two options available to you.”
“……No matter what?”
“No matter what. I thought I told you, big sister… This task was given to me by Lady Fuyou. To an assassin of House Akabane, the orders of the family head are absolute… It’s useless to try to persuade me, so I have no intention of bending an ear to your nonsense. Blades are made to be wielded. You yourself are the same way, so I’m sure you understand perfectly well.”
“”
Silence. With a pale face, Eiri looked at Kagura, Kyousuke, and the fallen girl in turn. She hung her head and bit her lip. “……I understand.”
Ending her hesitation, Eiri lifted her face. Tossing the water balloon away, she faced the girl who was to be her target. “You’re right, Kagura… I can’t just keep running away, no matter how much time passes, can I? Once I start running, I’ll never be able to stop.”
“H-hey—” Kyousuke put a hand on Eiri’s wrist, as if to restrain her.
“You get out of here,” Eiri ordered him. Her half-lidded eyes shone with piercing defiance. “…This is my problem. It’s not your place to intrude. I’m asking you to stay out of this, Kyousuke—don’t get in my way.”
“Eiri…”
Shaking her wrist out of his slackened hand, Eiri moved past Kyousuke. “…I’m sorry,” she apologized, so quietly that only he could hear.
Kagura unfolded her fan, waving her yukata sleeves. “It’s as my big sister said. There’s nothing wrong with saving your own life. Why would a murderer who has killed twelve people try to stop another from killing…? Well, you don’t have to worry about me breaking my promise. If my big sister can finally cast aside the stigma of being a Rusty Nail, then I won’t lay a single finger on you. I have no desire to, anyway.”
“—Really?” Eiri demanded, finally reaching her sister’s position.
“Yes.” Kagura flapped her folding fan. “The only orders that I received from Lady Fuyou were the commands I spoke of just now. If you do your duty and kill the girl, you will save his life!”
“…I see.” Eiri assented, “Well, all right, then.” Her gaze dropped to the girl in the pale yellow yukata, still lying on the ground where she had fallen, unconscious. Taking a knee beside her, Eiri turned the girl over.
“Uh—” A small noise escaped Eiri’s mouth as she saw the girl’s cherubic face. Her eyes were closed, and her chest rose and fell slightly with each breath. Perhaps owing to the excellence of Kagura’s skills, the girl’s expression was peaceful.
“Your name was Hina…was it?” Eiri stretched out a hand toward the girl timidly. She softly stroked her cheek, careful of the tips of her nails, treating her like a fragile object.
“What exactly are you doing? I thought I said, ‘Kill her’—”
“Shut up.” Eiri’s voice was quiet, but her tone was blunt and forceful. She did not lift her eyes from the child.
Kagura seemed to falter for just an instant, but she quickly hid her mouth behind the folding fan. “…Hmph.”
Eiri took her hands off the girl and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her whole countenance had completely changed.
“I’ll kill her.”
Her voice was emotionless, inhuman. It felt as though even the sound of the wind had stopped. Eiri slowly raised her right hand. The three blades affixed to her index finger, middle finger, and ring finger sparkled in the starlight.
Eiri had her sights set on the girl’s white throat. Without hesitation, she prepared to swing her nails down toward the defenseless carotid artery.
“Don’t kill her.”
Eiri jumped, startled by the sudden interjection. Stiffening, with her hand still raised, she turned to looked at Kyousuke with eyes like one possessed—though it quickly fell away, and she came back to herself. Unfortunately, her expression very quickly turned to anger.
“Y-you… Didn’t I tell you not to get in the way?!”
“Shut up.”
Eir
i jerked at Kyousuke’s curt retort.
“I know that you didn’t want me to interfere. And I know that you wanted to kill someone—but I refuse. Killing a girl in order to save my life? That’s not something you get to decide on your own! Aren’t I just as much a murderer if I stand by and let you do that?!”
“Ah—”
Eiri lowered her hand.
Kyousuke heaved a sigh and looked into his friend’s rust-red eyes. “Sorry, but if I have to, I’ll stop you by force. Unfortunately I can’t just stand by obediently when someone’s life is on the line. If you insist on weighing two lives on your ridiculous scale…I’ll smash that scale with my own hands!”
“Kyousuke…”
“—You bastard.”
Anger swirled like raging fire in Kagura’s eyes as she stared daggers at Kyousuke, her voice low. “What the hell are you butting in for? A lowborn, vulgar bastard like you, acting like a big shot… You’re the one who’s ridiculous. Has that prison school really reformed you? Those are some awfully noble words you’re spitting…despite being a murderer who’s taken a dozen lives.”
“Wrong.”
“In what way am I wrong?”
“I’ve never even killed one person. I’m just an…ordinary guy.”
“……”
For a moment, Kagura said nothing, letting Kyousuke’s confession hang in the air.
“Ah, is that the case?” she eventually replied. “Well, that’s just fine! Whether you’re a murderer or not doesn’t change your role in this equation. If you won’t sit on the scale where you belong, I’ll just have to knock you out and put you there!”
Closing her fan, Kagura stared Kyousuke down. “The penalty for interfering with my assignment is quite severe, you know? You may be lowborn, but I won’t be merciful with you.”
“Bring it on. Come at me! You said it before, right? You said, ‘Eiri has only two choices.’ However—” He clenched his fists, damp with sweat, and clamped together his chattering molars. Kicking off the awkward, unfamiliar sandals, Kyousuke planted bare feet on the ground and grinned defiantly. “There’s one more option available! There’s the option where Eiri doesn’t have to choose, because I turn the tables on you!”
“…………Eh?” Eiri stood wide eyed, astonished.
“—What?” Kagura narrowed her eyes. “Are you serious? If so, you’re a fool beyond saving. Even when you’re worked up, you’ve got to stay within the bounds of reason, surely? Allow me to teach you where you stand.”
Clatter, clatter. Her sandals echoed on the pavement as Kagura approached Kyousuke. One step, two steps, three steps…
Kyousuke warily followed her movement, his fists at the ready.
Four steps, five steps, six steps, seven steps, that moment.
—Clatter! With an especially loud noise, Kagura’s figure disappeared.
“Wha—?!”
Suddenly, a powerful blow connected with his left temple. His skull rattled from heavy impact, as if he had taken a hit from a metal bat in full swing. Kyousuke’s body lurched over.
“Gah?!”
Then came the follow-up attack. His head snapped around in the opposite direction as a strike to the right temple sent him flying. The thing that struck him felt so hard that he couldn’t believe it was a human fist. As stars flew around on the edges of his vision, a silver crescent flashed past.
“Guh?!”
Another attack, blasting him from underneath the chin. The vibrations carried straight to his brain, and the world went white. His consciousness threatened to forsake him. Staggering backward, Kyousuke collapsed onto his backside. His discarded geta clattered underfoot.
Kagura calmly looked down at him. “…Oh? Weren’t you going to turn the tables on me? You couldn’t even react to my attacks, though.” In her right hand she was gripping…the closed iron-ribbed fan. “If I had opened up the blades, you would have died without even realizing that you were cut! You only survived thanks to my compassion.”
Still talking, Kagura swung her signature weapon. Kyousuke went flying, taking the blow on his left cheek, and tumbled across the asphalt.
“Kyousuke?!” Eiri screamed.
Kagura flicked away the blood that had stuck to her fan. “Dear sister. I’m going to start beating this boy to death. If you want to save him, you will kill that child, okay? This is a splendid weapon, even if I’m striking with the back end, so…if you laze around too long, you’ll be too late. Will I kill the boy first, or will you kill the girl first? Now, let’s have a good match.”
Laughing, Kagura swung the metal fan down on the bridge of Kyousuke’s nose.
“Guh—”
The attack was too quick to follow with the naked eye, but Kyousuke somehow managed to dodge it, if only by a hair’s breadth. The instant that Kagura’s weapon struck the ground he leaped up and, without any regard for life and limb, tackled her.
“Don’t underestimate meeeeeeeee!”
“You’re an idiot.” Kagura easily evaded him. “Do you think you can grab me with a move like that? How ridiculous!” As Kyousuke stumbled past her, she landed another blow with her fan on his right cheek, sending him toppling to the ground once more. Kagura stepped on the back of his head with her geta. “You seem like you don’t have much interest in the martial arts,” she teased. “Why, aren’t you a genuine amateur?”
“Shut up!” Kyousuke roared. Lifting his head with all his might, he pushed Kagura’s leg away.
“……?!”
Kagura momentarily lost her footing. Kyousuke seized his chance and drew back to deliver a right straight punch, but—
“I’m telling you, you’re too slow!” Kagura nimbly avoided the assault and took hold of Kyousuke’s arm. She seized his right wrist and forced his arm into a lock around the iron fan.
“Guh…aaaaaaaaahhh!”
Kagura twisted Kyousuke’s arm around behind his back, grinding his joint against the iron-ribbed fan. Kyousuke screamed and dropped to his knees on the ground.
Kagura sighed, still holding his right arm behind his body. “Can’t you do anything other than swing your fists around like an idiot…? Honestly, I’m amazed. You do seem strong, but your talents are completely and utterly wasted. On the other hand, I may not have much strength, but if I apply it just right…well, this is what happens!” Kagura applied more pressure to her grip, sending pain throughout his arm.
“Gaaahhh!!”
Watching Kyousuke’s anguish, Eiri shouted her sister’s name. However, Eiri immediately hung her head and continued in a frail voice. “…Stop it. I’m begging you, stop already… Don’t hurt Kyousuke any more. I’ll kill her… I’ll kill this child right now, so…please.”
“…Big sister.” Kagura raised an eyebrow, looking displeased. “You still don’t seem to understand, do you? You shouldn’t be pleading right now—you should be killing! If you want me to stop, then hurry up and kill her. Sounds like you need some more encouragement. I’ll take the liberty of breaking his arm!”
Kagura applied the full weight of her body to Kyousuke’s secured wrist.
“Gwaaaaaaaaahhh!!”
“Kyousukeee?!”
The pressure from the iron-ribbed fan could have easily shattered a person’s bones—or it should have.
However, Kyousuke’s arm did not break. His bones were unyielding.
“……?!”
Kagura was astonished by the incredible strength of Kyousuke’s body.
“Get off meeeeee!”
“Ah—!”
Seizing the opportunity, Kyousuke struggled free of the agonizing hold and stumbled to his feet, facing Kagura. Grasping his aching wrist, he called out to Eiri, “Don’t worry about me! You don’t have to kill her if you don’t want to. There’s no way I’m gonna die here…so just worry about yourself!”
“Kyo-Kyousuke—”
“Silence!” Kagura swung her iron-ribbed fan and struck at Kyousuke—who deflected the blow with his arm.
“Don’t
kill just to save my life!” he shouted. “Don’t kill just because Kagura tries to force you to! Why do you want to kill?! Why do you want to kill this child?!”
“Th-that’s…”
“Because Eiri’s an Akabane, of course!” Kagura answered in her sister’s stead, sweeping at Kyousuke with her fan as she interrupted.
Though he instantly raised his arm in defense, the iron fan crashed into his left flank— “Gah-ha?!” Kyousuke staggered back as Kagura rained a tempest of strikes down upon him.
“Our family lineage is steeped in murder, our entire raison d’être is assassination… Those of us who were born into that line are not human. We are weapons. We were made to kill. We are tools, finely honed tools! For a blade to ask why it cuts is beyond absurd! That is its entire purpose! A blade that cannot cut has no value, surely. It has no meaning, right, big sister?!”
“Kagura—”
“Shut the hell up!” Kyousuke shouted, unleashing a fist that rocketed through the deadly dance of Kagura’s iron fan. “You two aren’t weapons—you’re human beings!! You have your own emotions, just like everyone else! Forget about the Akabane name and your ancestors and your environment: They have nothing to do with this!! What do you truly believe?! If you kill that girl, you can never take it back. Think hard about—”
“What could you possibly understand?!” Evading a left hook and an uppercut, Kagura countered Kyousuke’s blows with her iron-ribbed fan. “An outsider who’s known an Akabane for only a few months shouldn’t speak like he knows everything! My big sister and I have been refining our killing techniques together since we were born. You could never begin to imagine the strength and ferocity of our discipline…and despite that, what’s happened to you, big sister?! You were born to kill, raised to kill, and you lived to kill… If you take away murder, then what’s left?!”
Eiri’s eyesight blurred. Her gaze drifted back and forth between Kagura, Kyousuke, and the girl.
Kagura bit her lip. Channeling her fury through the hand that gripped her weapon, her assault became even more ferocious. “There’s no way that you can be such a weak person, is there?! You, who out of all of your brothers and sisters are the fastest of anyone, the strongest of anyone… You, who everyone believes is likely to surpass even Lady Fuyou… How long do you plan to carry on in this sad state?! Enough! Please don’t disappoint the Akabane family… Please don’t disappoint me anymore.”
Murder Anniversary and the Reverse Memorial Page 15