Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Culpability ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Thanks to all the reviewers!!! I was really surprised and happy to see so many reviews for the first chapter! So you deserve a second chapter ^^; I hope you'll like it as much as the first. Keep reading, you'll be surprised by the evolution of the story, well, I'm surprised so you must be too.

This is the revised version thanks to my friend Drusilla Dax ^^

Carine^^

Culpability 2

After Seiji's death, fights had stopped a little as if the Nether World allowed them a respite to mourn for their friend, but the truce was short. The battles resumed and were fiercer than before. They weren't enough without the blond, they couldn't repel the attacks and the wounds were multiplied.

Nasuty had just finished bandaging Shin's fracture and was now occupied with Shuu's injuries. Confrontations had been harder and harder and the samurais were more and more injured. The situation was really desperate and Kourin's power was missing to heal them.

"Ouch! Nasuty, you hurt me!"

"Stop moving or you're going to scar!"

"One more or one less…" said Ryo, "If Seiji were still with us…We could do something!!!"

"Stop Ryo! You know we were too far away to interpose," retorted Shin in order to calm the brunette.

"We can't, but Touma was near him!" fulminated Ryo.

Silence settled in the room. It was not the first time this conversation began and each time Touma was feeling guilty. He could tried to do something, anything, try at least but he had stayed watching his best friend being murdered.

"That happened too quickly, Ryo. Kayura was about to kill me when Seiji interfered. He was winning against her…And Anubis came behind him, he didn't see him, neither did I and it was too late," he said with a death tone, trying to justify his friends and himself.

"Sorry, Touma. I wouldn't remind you of this bad moment…But if that continues we'll fall one after the other!" answered the brunette.

"That's right. First Seiji, next Ryo who was about to lose a leg, and now Shin's arm…You aren't in condition to affront them," said Nasuty sadly.

The sun outside was setting, lighting the atmosphere of the room with red shapes. It reminded them cruelly of all the blood they had given and would give again. The sun, Seiji's symbol, was crying his death and lessening their courage every night as if the blond were taking revenge on them, on Touma.

Ryo animated again, there was only action to prevent him from falling before the others. He had to be careful because if the leader fell the group would be dead.

"We need a plan. Touma, you must have one?" he got excited.

"No. Last time I had a plan we lost Seiji so I have no other plan!!" cried Touma.

"You want we all die like him?" Continued Ryo.

"If someone must die, I don't want it to be by MY FAULT!!!" yelled Touma, before he collapsed, sobbing.

Shin was immediately at Touma's side and was trying to comfort him with his valid arm. He turned in Ryo direction and sent him a look that seemed to say 'Do you see what you did?'. Ryo hung his head down and sat down in a corner. Shuu wasn't saying one word like Nasuty, and Touma was still crying on Shin's chest.

When he was calmed a little, Touma excused himself and went to his room to sleep. Once again he didn't eat, he'd eaten almost nothing since the terrible 'accident'. He didn't mind what would happen to him even if sometimes he thought he couldn't help his friends if he collapsed in a fight. So he felt guilty and cried again.

***

The other occupants of the mansion watched the archer left the room, it was him who was the more affected by what had happened. Perhaps it was because he had treated Seiji coldly before his death… He upset them because even if he weren't injured physically like Ryo or Shin, his soul was hit and it was the worst wound.

"You're right Ryo, we must do something," said Shin, surprising everybody.

"Hein?" answered his leader.

"If we do nothing, we won't survive for a long time. You were hit at the leg, me at the arm and Touma's soul is dying from within…No, I don't see how we can escape this fate," he continued.

"We must be the first to attack;" proposed Shuu vigorously.

It was evident they couldn't do anything against the warlord coalition. They concluded their only chance was to unite to affront them one by one. Kayura and Anubis were definitively too strong for them, and most of all in their state, but Nazaa and Rajura, could be defeated.

They spoke a part of the night trying to find a way to attract Rajura into their trap. They decided to try to hurt him in his pride as he came alone to confront them. It wouldn't be difficult to stir up the natural jalousie existing between the warlords. That was what they hoped.

***

In his room, Touma was moping. He had heard the discussion between his friends. Their plan seemed viable but something deep inside him told him they would head to disaster. The same feeling he'd had during Seiji's last fight. If they used this strategy, one of them would die, surely himself.

He wouldn't be included in the elaboration of the plan, and if a catastrophe had to happen he wouldn't be blamed, he could look at himself in a mirror, not like with his best friend. Seiji… He hadn't stopped thinking about him since he was gone. He didn't understand what happened to him but it had something to do with what the blonde told him before dying.

He turned to see the bed Seiji had used and he had again the furtive impression to see him seated, smiling while saying something he couldn't hear. As always in this case he had an only wish: take Seiji in his arms, but each time the apparition vanished.

"Seiji, pardon me, I was an idiot. Because you loved me I pushed you away like the most horrible creature. I think about that and finally it was just that I wouldn't be loved by someone because I thought I wasn't worthy of it. And most of all your love…Seiji, if you can only know how I miss you. I love you."

His tears were rolling down. He admitted it at last, he was in love with his best friend. Of course he had to wait for Seiji to die to understand it. He really was a loser. All the more as Seiji's death was his fault, always his fault. He thought again to put an end to his insignificant life but it would condemn his friends definitively, so again he didn't do it.

He felt asleep but did not rest. A sleep that showed him only pictures from his past, things he could have changed. Even in his dreams, everything reminded him he always was the only responsible for what happened to him. His lonely childhood, his parent's lack of interest in him, Seiji's death, Shin and Ryo's last injuries and what would happen in the future.

***

'Where am I?'

Around the young boy with blonde hair there was only verdure and light as the light came from what was around him. He seemed lost in a radiant and green place. A muffled sound attracted his attention. A tall man with long hair waving in an imaginary wind was coming closer to him.

'Kaos? How it is possible?'

'Yes Seiji, it's me. You are in a private place only reserved to warriors dead while fighting. There aren't many chosen allowed here and they are less and less.'

'It's impossible!! I can't be dead! I must return to help them! I must protect Touma!!'

'I know my friend, but your soul flew away to come here. You'll learn to like this place, you'll see.'

'No way! I will find a way to come back on Earth, with or without your help.'

'Are you prepared to do anything to help them?'

'Yes.'

'So…There is a way.'

***

It was easier than what they thought to lure Rajura into their trap. Ryo was waiting to affront him while Shin and Shuu were watching the surroundings from a safe place, and Touma was protecting them from the nearest hill. They were certain to win, but things hadn't happened as they thought.

"So Ryo, you came to our duel!" said Rajura, who was materialising on the plain.

"As you see. You keep your promise? You came alone?" answered the brunette.

"Of course, I have honour…Honour, yes, Hihihihihihihih,"

As his cruel and sadistic laughter was rising, three lights were coming from the sky. Two of them joined Genmasho to encircle Ryo, the last light disappeared in another direction.

"Rajura, you gave me your word of honour!!!" yelled the young samurai.

"Yeah, honour. I left behind me all notion of honour and honesty when I put on this armour more than 400 years ago!" he explained with a sardonic smile.

They were trapped in their own trap. Shin and Shuu came to help Ryo, so Ryo, Shin, Shuu, Rajura, Nazaa and Kayura were face to face. Anubis should have been the one in charge of Touma. Everybody took out their weapons and metal began hitting metal. It was too difficult for the three young samurais to contain the warlords and they worried a lot about Touma who had to affront one of the toughest of them.

***

Touma saw with horror that his friends had fallen in a pitfall, but he had no time to throw any arrow. A shadow was standing behind him and when he turned he discovered his biggest nightmare. Anubis was here with a cruel look and his sword in hand.

The archer could just avoid the powerful blow he struck. It was near and now Touma had a bleeding wound on his right forearm. He tried keeping an arrow to throw it to Yamimasho, but Anubis dodged easily the blow and at the same time made Touma's bow fly many meters away.

Henceforth Touma was disarmed face to a fearsome adversary, who had an only wish: plunge his sword in Touma's heart. His bad presentiment would be accomplished. He was frightened even if he was relieved it wasn't one of his friends who had to go first. In his heart he had accepted his punishment. It was a right return with all the things he was responsible for.

"Hahahah, you'll die as I killed your friend Kourin!!" said Anubis cruelly.

Seiji. He would see him again in death. This thought made him smile, this time he could say his feelings towards the blond. If he wasn't happy in his whole life, he could be on the other side of the path. He closed his eyes when he saw the sparkling sword rising in the air before pouncing violently on him.

He waited what seemed hours, but heard only a metallic sound. He reopened his eyes and saw a sword perfectly bright and sharpened which stopped Anubis' blow. He looked at its owner and distinguished a silhouette he knew by heart.

The stranger who save his life had shoulder length hair waving in the wind behind him. He wore sparkling green armour and even if he was against the light there were no doubts on his identity. Even Anubis seemed surprised by this apparition.

"Seiji!" cried Touma with joy.

"Kourin, I thought I killed you!" said Anubis.

"It seems you didn't insist enough Yami," answered the interested one.

The combat began immediately after this exchange of salutations between the two adversaries. Coups flew on both sides, but this time Anubis wasn't able to take the advantage. Touma watched with round eyes the scene playing before him in which the love of his life seemed transformed.

Seiji had never appeared so self-assured in a fight. Every movement was perfect; he was one with his sword as it was an extension of his arm. Of course the blond had always been the perfect warrior, stronger than Ryo, who let his ardour drag him, but he seemed transcended.

Touma wasn't the only one to notice this change. Anubis saw it too and he also seemed to already know this configuration and that really intrigued Touma. It was Seiji, who was before him, but in the same time he had the impression it was someone else. Someone Anubis knew.

"So Kourin, you made progress since our last encounter," commented Anubis while avoiding a blow.

"Pff, you on contrary really regress my poor Yami. You have been more efficient before," answered the blond.

"You stop calling me by my name now?"

"I have stopped the day you betrayed me," said Seiji between clenched teeth.

"No…You can't be…"

His voice was cut when he received a powerful coup in the stomach. Seiji hesitated an instant before knocking down his sword on him. This lapse of time was sufficient for Anubis catch his breath and be joined by the other warlords. They went together leaving behind them a very irritated Seiji, a Touma with a severely wounded arm, and three poor samurais who tried giving their friends a warm smile despite their mutilated bodies.

Seiji turned toward them and cast a disapproving glance to his friends.

"How could you be beaten by them?" he asked them with a cold voice.

The others couldn't believe their eyes. He came back. Touma saw him fight, but couldn't believe it. The man of his life was alive. He choked back a sob in his throat before jumping up and wrapping his arms around the blond neck.

"Seiji!!! Seiji, you're alive!!! You can't know how I'm happy!!!" He said.

To be continued…

So, Seiji is back, or perhaps not…You must read the next part to know, but before I really want to have nice reviews that give me enough courage to translate.