Five:

/The concept of Kendo is to discipline the human character through the application of the principles of the Katana. The purpose of practicing Kendo is to mold the mind and body, to cultivate a vigorous spirit…/

Yet no matter how many times Minamoto sensei’s voice rang in his mind, Heero remained frozen in his position, eyes widening in horror as he watched Duo approach with the deadly blade obviously aimed for him.

Move! Move! Move, goddamn it!

“Aaargh!” He closed his eyes, his scream nearly getting lost in the loud clash of steel against steel. Fiery and brilliant sparks flew off both swords on contact and as Heero opened up his eyes slowly, he was amazed to find himself staring into Duo’s furious eyes which were now mere inches before him. It took Heero a second later to realize that he had actually and somehow managed to block Duo’s attack. His arms had finally seemed to move on their own accord and were now angled in such a way that Duo’s direct approach had been stalled decisively with Satsuma.

“Heh, I see you finally remember how to fight,” Duo taunted with a light smirk. “I was beginning to think your kamae was extremely pathetic. Hmph!”

He pushed Heero away from him with a light grunt, but hardly took another breath before slicing Reiki’s blade through the air, its intention clearly meant to take Heero’s head off. Again, Heero found himself ducking and holding the katana above him, parrying the punishing blows as Duo continued to attack mercilessly.

“Is that all you’re going to do?” Duo yelled angrily as Heero dodged yet another thrust. “Run, run, run away like the coward you are!”

Damn it, he’s strong! Heero thought wildly. Fighting on a rooftop wasn’t very advantageous to begin with. He had to not only dodge Duo’s frenzied attacks, but he had to maneuver his way around steel pipes from chimneys, electrical as well as telephone wires. It didn’t help that Duo seemed to move so effortlessly amongst the obstacles either! It was clear that the long-haired man was used to these kinds of fights.

It was as if nothing was an impediment for the lithe young man before him. Reiki must have weighed a ton – well not that much – and yet Duo swung it around like he would a twig. Heero figured it was a miracle he hadn’t been scratched yet.

He dived behind a miniature brick wall, wincing as a chunk was sliced off over his head. He closed his eyes and mouth, suffering the debris from the crushed stones as they fell upon him. He was panting harshly now, his shirt plastered to his skin with sweat. His hair hung in damp tendrils upon his forehead and although it was a cool night, Heero felt like he was fighting in the middle of the hottest of deserts.

“What’s this?” Duo sneered. He sounded like he hadn’t even broken a sweat. “Running away, officer? I didn’t think you were such a wimp!”

Second time I’ve been called a wimp today, Heero thought with a bitter smile.

“Why?!” He suddenly yelled back in return. “Why are you doing this, Duo?!”

He couldn’t see Duo’s face, but he was sure that the other man was standing directly behind him. He eyed his hands, noticing that his wrists were getting swollen from the pressure he had been applying to Satsuma all this time. Damn…it had been so long since he had held anything remotely close to a sword and blocking Duo’s attacks had definitely not been easy. His wrists were beginning to throb painfully and Heero wasn’t sure he would be able to hold Duo off anymore if they continued at this pace.

“Why?” Duo asked incredulously. “Why are you asking me such a dumb question, officer?!”

Might as well talk him into submission. “That sword…do you know what it’s doing to you, Duo? Do you understand the power of Reiki at all?”

A long silence greeted his question as the sounds of the city filled their ears with each tension-filled second. Dogs barking faintly in the distance, a fire truck’s alarm going off or the faint sounds of television sets or music blaring from stereos were all a painful reminder of just where they were. They weren’t two samurai warriors on the battlefields of medieval Japan. They were just two young men who wished they could be anywhere but here – at least Heero thought so.

“What do you know about Reiki?” Duo finally replied in a voice that sounded far from his usual tone of contempt. “What the fuck do you know about anything, officer?!”

Another chunk of debris was sent flying his way and Heero knew that his resting period was over. He rolled away from Reiki’s blade which barely caught his ear as it carved a slice of the concrete beside him.

Shit! I think I really pissed him off this time!

Duo withdrew quickly and slashed again, his movements a bit erratic and frantic as his frustration grew. Was it because of Satsuma? Why wasn’t he able to make a dent on this weak fighter who defiled the very presence of Reiki? And yet, Heero himself had proven to be quite adept at blocking his attacks. His defensive thrusts and stances had not exactly been expert, but they had sufficed. And what was all that talk about Reiki’s power? He knew what Reiki was capable of doing! He didn’t need this weakling to tell him otherwise!

There! An opening!

He could see that Heero was beginning to struggle and that his foot movement wasn’t as quick any more. Making use of that slight advantage, Duo lunged with a grin of victory. He was going to relish defeating Heero and longed to watch the officer plead for his life below him…but not before having his way with the handsome man. His grin became feral as he watched Reiki’s blade graze Heero’s cheek. He took pleasure at the sight of the thick line of blood it produced on the darker flesh and then promptly sucked in a harsh breath as he finally became aware of the sharp pain within his left shoulder. For a long moment, he could only stare at the sword buried in his body, gaping almost comically at the dark red stain that had begun to spread around the deep wound.

Satsuma had speared him – past flesh, muscle and bone and now with its bloodied tip shimmering beneath the moonlight like an unholy baptism. Duo lifted his gaze to meet the dark blue ones just inches before him. He stared at the tiny beads of sweat upon Heero’s brow with almost dumb fascination, traced the outline of those full lips which were parted as Heero’s warm but harsh breath mingled with his shallow one. Was that pity or sadness in Heero’s eyes? Duo couldn’t be sure, but he’d be damned if he was going to lose to this pathetic fool so easily.

“You’re…good…” he whispered thickly. He could feel Reiki slipping from his grasp and he shook his head rapidly, holding on tightly to the sword for as long as he could – seeking desperately for the strength he needed at this time.

You can’t abandon me now, Reiki! He pleaded as he felt Satsuma being withdrawn slowly. When it was completely out of him, Duo coughed; feeling as if his lungs and intestines were churning with revulsion at the thought of being wounded so easily. The pain became unbearable and he fell to his knees, his vision becoming hazy as he tried to stagger back to his feet like a stubborn mule. But like a master weary of its slave, Reiki slipped from its owner’s trembling hands, falling to the ground as lifeless as if it had just been unearthed from its tomb.

“No…no…” Duo tried to pick it up again, but Heero moved quickly and kicked it away with a foot.

“You won’t need it anymore, Duo,” Heero said softly, still reeling from the knowledge that he had actually won. If asked, he could only say that things had seemed to slow down before his eyes for those few precious minutes. For some reason, he had been able to judge Duo’s attack accurately and had somehow changed his stance – his left foot firmly planted a few inches before his right with Satsuma at the ready for its final blow. He hadn’t wanted to kill Duo – just a little wound to keep him silent for a while and it had seemed like the sword had heard his very thought and moved on its own accord…again.

“I think it’s best you…argh!”

His minor victory was shattered as he fell to the ground with a painful thud. Duo’s hand had wrapped around his ankle sending him toppling off balance. Shit! Didn’t this guy know when to give up? He tried to use Satsuma again, but Duo had already predicted that move. His right hand pressed hard upon Heero’s already aching wrist sending the police officer howling in pain and subsequently allowing the sword to slip from his grasp.

“I’ll fucking kill you,” Duo growled as he straddled Heero’s waist, hands reaching for the other man’s neck to choke the life out of him. “What the hell do you know about my life, huh?! Who gave you the fucking right to come here and destroy everything?!”

“It’s…killing…you….” Heero wheezed as he desperately tried to dislodge Duo off him. He stared into the wild violet depths, seeing the gamut of emotions ranging from anger, fear and confusion within them. “Duo…sto…stop…!” Heero could feel his blood circulation being cut off and it was taking all of his strength to keep his focus at this point. There was only one thing he could try to do. It was a cheap shot, but if he planned to survive this night, he’d have to do it.

Damn…damn…damn it! I’m so…sorry, Duo!

With a heavy grunt, he lifted his hand and forming a fist, slammed it as hard as he could into Duo’s wound. The cry of agony that slipped past the long-haired man’s lips was almost Heero’s undoing. Duo released his death grip on Heero’s neck and fell back to the ground, curling into a tight ball as his entire being trembled in pain.

Heero staggered to his feet weakly, his throat burning with the pressure that had been exerted on it. His left cheek was a bloody mess now, the cut Duo had given him much deeper than originally thought. He stared at the writhing figure on the ground, not sure if he ought to be happy at finally defeating Duo or simply depressed at having it end this way.

The right thing to do was to arrest Duo and lock him up like the law required and yet…Heero couldn’t get himself to do so.

He took a weak step towards Satsuma and Reiki, leaning down to pick up the two swords that had been forged with different intentions.

“Kill me,” Duo said in a husky whisper as he stared at Heero’s back that was now turned to him. “Finish me off now, officer.”

“My name…is Heero…” came the quiet reply as Heero slipped Satsuma back into its sheath. “Heero Yuy.” He held Reiki before him, reluctantly admiring the smooth curve of its long blade. It still had drops of his blood on it and that brought a small but bitter smile to his features.

“You once said my blood wasn’t worth being stained on Reiki, didn’t you?” he said and then raised a brow at Duo’s soft chuckle.

“Still isn’t…rookie. You were just lucky tonight that’s all. But what the hell…finish me off now or you’ll regret it if you don’t.”

Heero turned around slowly and walked closer to the prone figure. He held the cursed sword over his shoulder as if considering if he ought to waste his time driving it into Duo’s heart.

“So you wish for me to kill you and get this over and done with, is that it?” he asked quietly, a dark and unreadable expression filling his eyes. “Maybe…maybe I should…”

“NOOOOO!!”

Both men turned their puzzled gazes towards the figure running towards them and before Heero could blink, Reiki was snatched away from his hand and was now being cradled like a child against the newcomer’s chest.

“Don’t…don’t kill him,” the boy whispered harshly as he stood before Duo with tears running down his cheeks. “It’s not his fault. It’s not his fault at all, officer!”

“Ren,” Duo began with slight irritation in his voice. “Get the fuck out of here! Didn’t I tell you not to follow me?”

“No! I’m sorry, Duo but I have to tell the officer the truth!”

“There is no truth, you bastard.” Duo tried to sit up but it was with an effort and his face was already pale and shiny with the exertion he was putting forth. “Just give me Reiki…”

“I knew,” Ren continued thickly, the tears falling faster as he clenched the sword even tighter to his body. “I knew all the time what Reiki would do to you, Duo and I didn’t stop it! I felt guilty…so guilty when I began to see the changes in you.”

“Ren…shut…”

“No! I should take the blame for it! It was all because of my selfish need to get back at the people that destroyed my family!”

Heero raised a brow while trying his best to keep up with Ren’s choked words. “Your family?”

Ren nodded fervently, still unable to look at either man in the eyes. “My name is Ren Takayanagi. I’m the only surviving member of the Takayanagi family. We were the head of the 12 founding families and Reiki was left in our care. I was only five at the time when the uprisings began. I watched them kill my mom, dad and brothers and sisters before my eyes and I couldn’t do anything about it. Reiki was the only thing that they had left behind and I buried it in a section of the park, swearing to myself that when I grew older I’d come back to seek revenge on those responsible for destroying my family.”

“Ren…that’s enough…” Duo began again, but there was no fight left in his voice, instead a weariness and resignation made it sound low and barely audible.

“I met Duo at the foster home when I was ten. He had come by to visit Mrs. Sora; the owner and from the moment I lay eyes on him, I knew that I had to be with him. I could sense the bitterness and misery that filled Duo’s heart and I wanted to help him in any way I could. We became good friends and he finally told me about the life he had led – watching his mother being turned into a…”

“Too much damn information Ren,” Duo interrupted quickly. He swayed a little and groaned before falling back to the ground again. “Shit. If someone’s going to kill me then for the love of god, make it quick.”

Heero peeled out of shirt, shivering slightly at the cold wind that danced upon his naked flesh. Falling to his knees, he began to wrap the once white cloth over and beneath Duo’s shoulder and arm to stop the blood flow. He ignored the wary look that was thrown his way, feeling his already flushed cheeks darken with heat as he administered the crude first aid.

“You’re a weird one,” Duo finally said quietly. His lashes fluttered closed and he took a shuddering breath. “When am I going to prison already?”

“He can’t!” Ren cried out desperately as he knelt beside Duo as well, pinning teary brown eyes upon Heero. “You can’t take him to prison, officer! I gave him Reiki! I made him do all of that! I made him…”

“You didn’t do anything, you dork,” Duo said with a weak laugh as he lifted his right hand to caress the teen’s cheek. He brushed away the tears gently. “You just told me about it and let me have my way with it, didn’t you?”

“But I knew…about the curse…and how…”

“There’s no curse,” Duo muttered. “It’s just a story someone made up to make excuses for going berserk with the sword. I guess I let it get to my head as well.”

“But…but…you were only killing the bad people, weren’t you? You were only punishing those who had done you wrong or didn’t deserve to live, weren’t you?”

“Yeah…maybe…I would have killed this guy though,” Duo turned to face Heero who had been watching the exchange between the two men quietly. “If he wasn’t such a lucky bastard…and a good kisser.”

Heero had the grace to blush and rose to his feet quickly, shaking his head rapidly to prevent himself from thinking of the worst thing at a time like this. He ignored Ren’s confused look and coughed slightly. “Yes, you might have killed me but…”

“You are a sword fighter at least born to be one,” Duo said quietly. He noticed Heero shaking his head again and smiled wanly. “Ever wondered why you gave up Kendo, officer?”

With some effort, Duo lifted up his t-shirt and tugged his pants down a little to reveal a faint circular bruise upon the small of his back. “Once upon a time…in a little school for kenjutsu, there was a young boy who thought he was such a cocky bastard and could beat everyone in his class. That was until the day he met the girly boy who whopped his ass and sent him packing. Of course the girly boy hadn’t left without a souvenir.” He tapped the faded wound gently. “And how ironic that after all this time, it would be you again repaying the favor. Took me a while, but I can remember that pathetic kamae anywhere. You just never seemed to get it right, did you?”

Heero’s eyes widened as the memories came rushing back with a vengeance. He could remember his mother sending him to the classes – his reluctance to go but only because he had felt he was too good for the other members. He was too strong, had beaten up his classmates over and over again and he had allowed it to give him an oversized ego. Until that fateful day when sensei had shown up with the scrawny kid with really long hair – the scrawny kid that had sent him toppling to the ground after just a few thrusts with his shinai, making Heero the laughing stock of the school. How embarrassing had that been? What a blow to his pride! He had decided not to practice the stupid sport anymore because of that. Duo had been the one to cut him down to size. It was ironic that Heero had never actually known his name or cared to know about him either.

“Duo…I…” What could he say now anyway? That he was sorry for being such an asshole? Talk about bad timing.

“Meh…it’s all bullshit now,” Duo said weakly. His lashes were growing heavier and the sounds of the city seemed to be fading away from his consciousness. “It’s all a load of bullshit, Heero. Some avenging angel I turned out to be, huh? Just…do what you have to do already, okay?”

Ren’s sobs became louder as he pressed his head against Duo’s chest. Heero swallowed the stubborn lump that had come to his throat, hands reaching into his back pocket to pull out the small set of handcuffs he always had to carry with him. With a heart that felt as heavy as lead, he snapped the cold steel around Duo’s left wrist, feeling his vision blur a little as he turned his face away.

“You have…you have the right to remain silent,” he began thickly, cursing himself as a tear slid down his cheek. He wiped it away quickly, deliberately keeping his gaze fixed on the remnants of what was once a chimney. Ren’s cries overshadowed his monotonous recital and as he came to the painful end, Heero knew that he could no longer continue in this line of work.

“Hey…Heero,” Duo whispered as he opened up his lashes again to stare into the other man’s visage. “One little favor before you send me to the slammer, huh?”

“Wha…what can I do for you, Duo?” Anything for you right about now…

“Might gross out the kid a bit…but…just a little kiss…for old time’s sake, hmm? I’ve been dying – no pun intended – to taste them one more time.”

Heero watched the small smile and bit his lower lip, nodding slowly in acceptance. A kiss. It would be just a little kiss and then it would be all over.

“For old time’s sake,” Heero replied softly as he leaned close to honor his promise and as their lips met, the first heavy drops of warm rain fell upon them as if hoping that it could in someway, wash away the sadness which had now filled both men’s hearts.

*kamae – ‘On guard’ stance/posture in kendo