Summary:

Death comes to all. But that doesn't mean everyone can easily accept it, like him.

Notes:

Up till this chapter, Ao has been 11 years old. :>

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...As an inevitable result, since the first meeting that did not leave much sympathy that day, Tachi and Aoi, from two strangers who have never met each other, are now officially into a relationship that is even more distant than before. Over time, the Guardian of the Mist Island, the center of the whole mess, is hated more and more mercilessly by his junior girl, for the reasons that one lives the hidden life like him will never be able to fully comprehend its intricacies.

Of course, this was something that both Hayate and Airi could have long foreseen, even though the two of them couldn't be happier with themselves being right. A young prodigy, with extreme thinking and an unrelenting obsession with something as vague as "power"? It will only be a matter of time, until one day she becomes arrogant towards that hundred-year-old senior, who all the strong people on this island have boundless respect to.

Even so, however, openly criticizing Tachi, because of a little misunderstanding and still in the state of hysteria after the battle, was a completely different story. Hayate was cold and restrained, so he was able to keep those discontented feelings down to just a few reminders. But the sentimental Airi is the complete opposite. As soon as she met Aoi again, and first learned of what happened on the north coast through Hayate, she had an argument with her soon after, something that had never happened between the two of them before...

"What were you thinking to say those words to him!?"

Suppressing the uneasiness in her heart, Airi spoke while squeezing Aoi's shoulders tightly. After the incident that happened to Yinya and Yuna's family in the past, the Dragon Soul ninja felt the need to take the responsibilities for their daughter's upbringing, as a compensation for the fact that she had not arrived on time and could not do anything that day.

And certainly, acting disrespectfully like that, wasn't the kind of ninja way that Airi had directed her sworn little sister to follow.

"The two of them not only fought in a single frontline, but had to visit every key area of ​​the island before reaching you. The pain for that delay, they can totally understand, and have even prepared to face it. Don't let your ego overwhelm reason and act like such an immature person, okay?"

"But that still doesn't change the fact that he always cries with those closed eyes, right?" Aoi stubbornly refuted, but still couldn't look directly at Airi back then. She had never seen her sister lose her temper and raise her voice so loudly, just because someone had to endure her childish arrogance.

"...Everyone has their weak moments."

"But we don't make them a burden to others. He does. And crying, out of habit? It's even more shameless and immature."

...Of course, like any previous serious talks between the two of them, this didn't lead to any real solution, and always ended with Aoi dropping everything and hiding somewhere, with whatever reason she could have randomly said at that time. To Aoi, Airi is a sister, a spiritual support for her, yet she is not her mother. She didn't need anyone to tell her what to do, or who she has to pay respect. The only two people having the right to do that, have left her and do not know if there will be a day to return.

But things just don't end up well right there, since that the absolute respect that Airi had for Tachi, part of the reason for the conversation that day, have made her impression of the Guardian even worse. Consequently, for almost half a year after that, let alone talk, not even polite greetings existed between those two, despite the fact that the island was a very small place, and the fact that it is completely impossible for them to avoid each other forever.

After all, the only interactions Aoi could have with those she didn't like, were encapsulated in a grimace of disapproval, a look that contained nothing but pure malice, and silence "calmness" - in order not to swear or even quarrel. Nothing more, no less. As for Tachi, he is so ignorant and lacks concern for his honor or ego, that he doesn't even care about being hated, to think about having a few words to settle everything and reconcile with her.

...And just like that, the days when they were no longer strangers, but also not really friends or enemies, passed, with awkwardness and tension following every place they both appeared. To the point that, it seems that time itself can't change that, when the two insiders refused to change themselves, more or les, since both just want to live their warriors lives in every breath, without thinking about how tomorrow will find them.

*

And, as a punishment for that superficiality, it came to them in the worst way.

"Stay away..."

"Don't. It's over."

Aoi glared at the person still clutching her shoulder, who was preventing her from going any further, to the place where their enemies were retreating to the horizon, at the roaring sounds filled with excitement, gloating, and the taste of victory. His tall body, and his oversized odachi stood between Aoi and them, purposefully blocking the little girl's view, as if he didn't want her to be agitated by the sight anymore.

"...They've all returned to the sea. Let's just let things be the way they should be."

She didn't know who those words were about. Enemy? Or the fallen comrades who didn't even get a chance to be properly buried? Is this guy okay with this? Can he really still maintain that expression, after all that happened?

He said he would protect this island, and this is how he sees his failure? That what's left of them will just fall prey to them? What kind of Guardian could let that happen?

"Fuck off. Or I'll kill you too."

Aoi said, her hand clenched so tightly that blood started to flow out. She couldn't look up at him for even a second, because if she did, she'd be afraid she wouldn't be able to control her boiling rage anymore.

But, wait a second, their comrades just now had already retreated to the back line inland, and only the two of them were still far out at sea right now. Then, if she have punchee this guy in the mouth one last time before it's all over, no one would have ever know, right?

Yeah, it's the last time. But perhaps, with that inanimate face, he might not have understood what she was thinking right now.

"You just don't get it, do you?"

...Aoi scoffed, but that forced scornful smile was filled with fatigue. She needed to save the left strengh in this body, for what was about to happen next. So, instead of picking up a real fight, this is more than enough.

After all, like them, she had no intention of going back, after all she had seen, and the pain and shame that were trampled bit by bit that stubborn spirit right now.

She still remembered.

...The bloody memory of them, of her friends' screams of pain and despair, of flesh pierced by jagged teeth, bones crushed beneath giant claws, to the point where their identities all turned into a mess. And, the hope in their eyes, when they realized she could still fight, and that, the chance of victory was still there.

Last, in the end, it was that moment, when one of them pushed her out of its closing teeth, only to be pierced by another horn.

Damn it, he didn't die instantly, like so many luckier people. The pain of being hung on that piece of horn, only to bleed to death and witness the massacre below, would probably be the last horrifying memory he could recall in his despair, before drawing his last breath and becoming dessert for their children.

Touru, Chiyo, Sou, and... Yuichi.

They all came to Aoi's immature mind, along with that question, as if to laugh at herself, that she was weak, that she couldn't protect anyone. And, so is he.

...But there is no hell way she admitted she was in the same room as him. Never, unless she died, when trying to deny it. Because Aoi never allows herself to fail, and does not allow those around her to suffer the consequences of it...

Because if so, all the effort, sweat, blood, and tears she had put in this life, in exchange for power, what does they really mean?

"I'll go out there myself, and bring him back."

Aoi said. She knew, that Yuichi's body was still plugged into the damn thing on the Sea Beast's horn. And she knew, even if she lost her life out there, as long as she killed it, the waves could still bring him back to everyone...

"If you feel threatened, then go back to that tree, and wait for news, "sir" Sorrow's Edge."

*

...It was a sudden, unexpected ambush, with huge losses. Something that no one, or anything, not even Ancient Mist Dragon, could recognize.

These Sea Beasts are simply... drawn in. But they weren't the big, gruff creatures that were recognizable from a distance. Instead, the first wave was replaced by smaller individuals, moving as cleverly and as organized as battalions, advancing inland's key points from the depths that even the waves and clouds cannot foretell.

And worst of all, they fight like lunatic suicide soldiers, with their blood turning into poisonous smoke as soon as they hit the air, their flesh exploding when stuck in steel for too long, and their unreasonably good ability to move and engage in land-combat, which all cannot be found in their larger comrades.

Then, after the bloodbath that had completely crushed their backline, the purgatory began once more, with the familiar presence of giant abnormal ones drawing ever closer...

No matter how many troops were sent to hold the front line, it was still not enough to intercept them. The damage left by those suicide squads from first wave was too big, and that directly affected their combat performance on the battlefield. The ninja's faction had almost fallen, and was completely crushed before the enemy's stormy power.

Dead bodies are piled up into mountains, human blood flows like rivers. Young and old, men and women, Elite and inferior, there is no difference, all just tried to hold out in order not to not die out there, or be swallowed up by despair. They had even given up hope, that they could fight back, that they could repel them, like they had fought before.

The massacre only really stopped, after one of them said that sentence...

"He's coming. That man from the Heaven."

...Then, regardless of whether they were winning, or were half-eating their prey that had completely lost their ability to defend, like soldiers who had been thoroughly trained under discipline and martial law, they all retreated into the deep sea, with only a few vanguards in the rear. And, when the Guardian arrived, there was no one left for him to repel, or protect.

He, has failed.

...The Sea Beasts have evolved, to adapt and become superior. But not in a way that easily slaughters them on the battlefield at sea, or increases the ability to destroy the enemy directly. That won't do, since their ancestors had done that so a long time ago, and have exploited the full potential of the species in this respect for hundreds of years, leaving only failure after failure under that edge. This flexibility, cunning, and self-destruction are different, because they are created through learning, rather than just natural progression, all in preparation for a complete form of war: Habit cures habit.

These pioneering abnormals, born only to walk on a one-way street called "suicide bombing", with a fighting style revolving around guerrilla and taking advantage of the surprise, is the ultimate strategy, the most effective way of war that the enemies had taught them. In other words, they were born to fight like the Mist Island ninjas themselves. But in some ways, it was even more effectively, thanks to their pure wild madness and unflinching slaughter mindset, which help them enduring pain to sacrifice themselves, all so that their mighty comrades behind them could march forward confidently, win the battle, and return in one piece.

*

"I can't."

Despite the glare filled with hate and repulsion beneath her flaming blond hair, Tachi calmly refused. However, even though those words were still in slow tempo, like echoes from the mountains and forests, the way they came out was as dull as if stuck in the throat, making that answer sound so choking, and filled with a strange sense of melancholy.

It was as if something inside the Guardian had reached its limit now...

"There are more than enough sacrifices today. Please, don't make things turning worse."

"Sacrifice... are you talking about us, or them?"

"It's about both."

An objective and neutral answer, as always. That made Aoi feel like going crazy.

This wasn't what she wanted to hear, even though to be honest, she didn't even want to hear anything coming out of Tachi's mouth. But based on the way Tachi made the request, she guessed that the person had also more or less realized, that this would probably be their last conversation.

"You're a truly weirdo, you know?"

...So annoying, when the only person who could be brave enough to stay here and listen to her right now, was the person Aoi hated the most, the person she didn't want to talk most. She let out a sigh as he usually did, like wanting to mock the ironic reality of this moment.

"Worried about the death of comrades, worried about the death of the enemies, no one on the battlefield would carry two conflicting thoughts like that at the same time. Because if there was such a person, he should have died of hesitation in critical moments, or given up his warrior life because of mind breaking. So why, why, are you still standing here, and be the one to hear me babbling all of these stuff!?"

Right.

It was something that even after living for more than 3 years in countless battles, witnessing all kinds of horrors or sorrows, Aoi still couldn't understand.

If he was simply a half-hearted person with no opinion, living only to become the center of a lie, there was no way he could have lived this long. Because even though she had little chance to make eye contact, she had seen him fight, with the sword that was no different from a dry tree, and he was indeed skilled. But along with it, there is a mindset like no other...

Like... "the waves of the sea will cry for you", or "May the Dragon's breath will redeem your lost souls", some kind of compassion, that does not discriminate between people. Still unnecessary, for those who have to point their weapons at each other, and plunge into this never-ending cycle of killing every single day in their lives.

By, how can you assume kills "necessary" on the battlefield? And if so, who is the one to decides it right or wrong? The Gods, again?

And how weird is this Guardian's answer?

"Do you still think, that any acts of taking life should all be presumed as immoral, if there is no meaning to them?"

"Yes."

"Even after 'seeing' things has happend today, and, I say I want to kill them, all by myself. Would you still consider it unnecessary?"

"...If that's really what you want."

"Heh."

Aoi chuckled, before slapping the arm that was clutching her shoulder, and slowly walked past Tachi standing in front of her. Perhaps, for the first time in her life, since the two of them knew each other, she was able to smile honestly like this in front of Tachi, instead of just a scornful smirk, or a mocking smile. Because after all, this ridiculous stubbornness of his, was perhaps the only thing about him that she could temporarily accept, and the only thing the two of them had in common.

"As expected... until now, I still can't like you at all. However..."

And, because of that acceptance, somewhere inside, she still believes, that the situation he is here with her right now, must still have a meaning after all...

"...if, just an assumption. If you really don't intend to return to that tree right now, and if you still want to stay here until the end, don't waste your energy getting in my way. Instead, help me one thing..."

She said.

"Wait for the waves... bring his body back, and bury him. Yuichi doesn't belong to the sea. He's a ninja of the Misty Island."

And, the girl began to speed up, rushing forward without hesitation, without even waiting for an answer, or looking back.

...Aoi didn't know if, at her current speed, she would be able to catch up with the retreating Sea Beasts. Especially when moving on the water and the waves in the distance is not an easy technique to perform, even if she is a ninjutsu genius.

And above all, if she can catch up, how can she beat them? Kusari-kunai would be able to help her reach that horn easily, and get Yuichi's body away from it. But that was if she was on land, they didn't go in groups and she didn't fight alone, in her current state of physical and mental exhaustion. Most likely, she would be crushed, before she could even reach her destination.

...Death?

Aoi wasn't really afraid of it.

What she really feared was that she would die, like an insect squashed beneath their overwhelming power. A senseless, tasteless death, only to further humiliate her weakness, for not only letting failure happen once, but letting it continue in this pathetic attempt to correct the mistake.

Until the time of her death, she was still a thirst for power. A person who will never be able to find peace, because the fire of will has been kindled by her since her childhood days...

.

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.

.

"Sorry."

...But he won't let Aoi do that.

Still the same familiar feeling of the hand she'd slapped aside earlier, but this time, it grabbed her, and threw her back with incredible speed and force, before she was swept away ten meters later by the whirlwind and storm coming from nowhere, without even having time to understand what had just happened.

The only image that the lucky girl could barely see that time, was a familiar tall figure, with long white hair that partially covered his teary eyes, rushing foward the enemies at a speed like an arrow.

Around him, the waves of the sea and the clouds of the sky go hand in hand, attacking with mighty as if to sweep everything ahead. They bring the melody sounding like from reqiem songs, echoing as if they want to make the whole ocean, the whole Heaven and Earth shaking with every god-speed steps they make.

...And, on his right arm that had always been sleeveless, it wasn't the usual form of a giant odachi wrapped in demonic claws, but something completely different.

What they can only call that "something", is a strange name, the name that reminds them that their souls do not belong only to their own. It belongs to the deep ocean, and he is the one who returns it to their true owner.

He/it, is Un'you (1).

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Notes:

(1): Un'you (雲耀), or "Floating light", is a core motto in the Jigen Ryu, a school of swordsmanship that teaches the use of the odachi (see footnote (2) in chapter 1) and various types of sword schools in Japan. This word means "just need one hit to kill", and is a combination of the two words "cloud" (雲) and "shining" (耀). The reason why the Sea Beasts use this name for Tachi and his sword will be explained later. :>