Regrets of The Fallen (Victis Honor Book 1) (44 page)

“You can find out when you get there,” Isabella answered as she flung the woman into a nearby tree, focusing as the demonic power flowing through her increased.

Haruka saw it, but she also noticed Isabella’s hair was still blue; she hadn’t transformed, but something else was definitely happening. However, she wasn’t able to think about it for long as Genlock’s massive fist came down on her crossed arms. She was on her back in the dirt and being pounded further into it, but holding it together. Genlock was getting frustrated as she refused to go down despite taking numerous hits over the course of their battle. Even now she suddenly rolled out of the way and hit him with an uppercut that sent him stumbling back. He shook his head and let out a yell, smashing his fists together. “This… is impossible! We are the strongest within the Black Sun!”

Haruka spit out a tooth and wiped her mouth, no longer even bothering to clean the dirt off herself. “Then you should’ve recruited someone outside of the Black Sun.” Genlock growled and charged at her, which was what she was waiting for; she was sore all over and quite possibly suffering several bone fractures and some torn muscles. It was funny, though – all she could think was that she was glad she and Isabella had done all the ‘physical activity’ that
morning
, as she didn’t think she’d be in the best shape for it come evening. She dodged out of the way of the giant man’s charge and watched as he spun around, glaring at her.

“What are you smiling about?”

She chuckled, unable to help the spreading grin. “Just… good things. How much my life has improved since leaving that suffocating monastery and your pointless group.” She held her arms out wide. “Everything’s better now. And all we have to do is kill every one of the dogs my father sends after us, which is actually getting
easier.
I used to fear the Triad like everyone else, but I see now that you three have grown soft. You’ve been held in reserve while the rest of us fought every week.” She cracked her knuckles and neck before pointing at him. “Choose your words carefully; they’ll be your last and I might actually remember them.”

Genlock flexed his muscles until the veins bulged, smashing his gauntlets together so hard that it sent up a cloud of dirt around him. “I’m going to crush your legs and drag you back to Master Saito by your hair! And the best part is…” He gave her a dark grin as he lifted a hand and clenched it into a fist slowly. “Even if I don’t, and even if you win, Aranea’s information says that blue-haired bitch is
still
going to die soon. So why fight so hard?”

Haruka narrowed her eyes and disappeared, reappearing directly in front of him and ducking his massive fist. “The thing you fools don’t get is…” she began as she slammed both hands into his knees, “…
one minute
with her is worth more than a
hundred years
with the Black Sun!” She slipped between his legs as he bent down to grab her, leaving him to see the Death Marks on his knees. The explosion shattered both of his kneecaps, causing him to cry out in pain and fall backwards. Haruka casually turned and, as he fell, shot her knee upwards. It connected with the back of his skull and she felt the bone shatter before watching him slump to the ground. Her eyes then found Isabella, who had apparently just finished disposing of Trish if the bloody outline on a wide tree trunk was anything to go by. The blue-haired woman was shaking, though; at first Haruka was worried she was crying, until she stepped around and saw her face tensed with barely contained rage.

“Bella,” she said firmly, catching the attention of those grey eyes tinged with red. “It’s over.”

“Power… influences emotions,” she managed to grind out, looking down at her clenching and unclenching fists. “Without my sword… acting as a barrier… it’s… so
hard
to control… The desire to brutalize, abuse,
torment
… hard to feel other things.”

Haruka stepped in front of her and examined her eyes, searching through her own memory for the name Bella had only mentioned once. “Bale. You’re done here. The longer it takes you to calm down, the more stress you’re putting on her body.”

Isabella closed her eyes. “This is the reason I never used this… If there was anyone but you here, I’d attack them. I have no control.”

“You have no control but you won’t attack me?”

“I… Bale… love you,” she said as she opened her eyes again. “Bella… Bale… Bai… The feelings for you are… the same.”

Haruka took her hand, lifting it and forcibly uncurling her fingers from a fist as she looked in her eyes. Even though Bella knew that Bale and Bai were aspects of her own personality, she still…
believed
, Haruka guessed, that they were different. It didn’t make sense that she could believe they were unique people and parts of her at the same time, but once sanity broke, things like sense and reason no longer had any value to the mind. Haruka didn’t care about that, though. “I have devoted myself to every part of Isabella Enyo,” she said calmly. “And only I stand before you now. Release your rage.”

“It is all I am…”

“No; your rage has a reason. Follow that anger back to the reason; me. You aren’t angry at me, you
care
about me, and that leads to your anger at
them
. But those they sent are dead. So let it go for now, and bring it back when they come back.”

“I… Yes.” Bella snapped out of it like coming up for air from a pool of water, gasping loudly and beginning to breathe heavily.

“Bella?”

The knight looked up into Haruka’s concerned gaze and felt her hand on her shoulder. “It was… intense,” she tried to explain. “It’s like… all but two colors faded. There was you, a green; and then there was just… red. Everything was red, and whatever moved in the red, I had to kill.” She shook her head, straightening and looking over her shoulder. “Aizen… I thought Aizen died too quickly. I tried to prolong the woman’s death, but my anger got too strong and I overdid it. And I was just angry they were dead because I couldn’t punish them anymore.”

“It’s alright,” Haruka said calmly, worried at Isabella’s fearful look. “You just leaned more Bale for a bit. If you hadn’t done that we might be dead. It was only the one time, right?”

Isabella nodded. “Yes… Yes, of course. I couldn’t… I can’t do that again. Coming back was so hard, like clawing my way up a sheer, oil-slick wall.” She swallowed, finally gaining control of her breathing as she looked at Haruka. “It was like before.”

“Not completely,” Haruka reassured her. “You still cared about me.”

“Well, you’ve…” Isabella looked down. “You’ve changed a lot of things.”

“Well, I didn’t expect that.” Both women turned to see a woman taller than either of them, over six and a half feet, cloaked in a red robe that hid most of her. Her hair was crimson and clearly as long as she was tall, as some of it could be seen peeking out below the edges of the bottom of the robe; in the front her hair was much shorter, curly and falling over her chest. A red rose was tucked into her hair beside her left eye, reminding Haruka and Isabella of Suria, except this one was covered in thorns and a much deeper shade of red that was far more reminiscent of blood. Her eyes were also a deep maroon and intimidating. Neither of them made a move as she looked around; her presence was beyond threatening, like that of a sleeping dragon – pure destructive potential, survivable only by avoiding conflict entirely. “I see you’ve disposed of them yourselves.”

“Are you with them?” Isabella asked, both of
her and Haruka, though the monk appeared not to recognize the woman at all. “Who are you?”

“I am Sayuri Rin, and I was meant to kill them,” she answered simply, drawing surprise from the other two.

“Who sent you to kill them?” Haruka asked warily.

“Aranea.” Their additional surprise brought a smile of amusement to her face. “I was supposed to kill them to prevent them from killing Isabella. I was then to act your ally, but betray you in the night, taking the blue-haired one and leaving the
monk a note on where to get her back. After that I would bring Isabella to Aranea, who is prepared to deliver her to some Areyan king. Haruka would then come in to rescue her only to fall into a trap and be transported to her father.”

Haruka growled, but Isabella just blinked in confusion. “Why… Why are you telling us all of this?”

“I don’t like being in anyone’s debt, much less someone like Aranea’s. Moreover, I kind of like you two,” she said with a chuckle. “I hope you kill Aranea. I could do it myself, but with all of her backup plans and her refusal to get anywhere within a hundred miles of me, it would be such a
bother
.” She glanced to her right. “She’s waiting in Fort Inith, to the north. If I were you, I’d hurry, before she realizes I’m not coming.”

“Thank you,” Isabella said, stepping forward to catch her gaze.

Sayuri smiled. “I wouldn’t thank me. I’m only doing it this way because it seems more fun.”

“Oh… Right.” They watched as she walked away, waiting until she had disappeared before speaking. “Well, she was…”

“Creepy.”

“I was going to say ‘nice’, but… yes. Do you think she was telling the truth?”

“If it was a lie there would be no point. We just have to decide if we want to run, or try to end this now.”

Isabella studied her for a few moments. “…I think you’ve already decided.”

Haruka nodded. “I want… I’m tired of running. There are so many things I want to do with you, and none of this is included. I want to finish this so we can move on to important things.”

Isabella smiled, beginning to walk. “It’s funny what we consider important these days.”

“Is it? It seems a lot more sensible to me.”

“Well you’re in love; your head’s all fuzzy.”

“What, so yours isn’t?”

“Having voices in my head keeps
me grounded.”

“I can’t even
begin
to understand the kind of logic you’re using to think that makes sense.”

“Crazy logic! Haven’t you heard that women are crazy?”

“We’re both women.”

“See, this is the problem with mono-gender relationships. No gender politics.”

“That’s a
problem
?”

“It is when you’re looking for excuses!”

“Why don’t you just accept that you have no idea what you’re talking about?”

“Never! I will hold steadfast to my arguments even as they crumble around me!”

“You’re too stubborn.”

“I’m just determined.”

“That’s just a nicer word for ‘stubborn’.”

“I am
determined
that I am not
stubborn
.”

“Now you’re even ignoring the rules of grammar.”

“Speaking has rules now? We have to follow rules? I want no rules governing how I speak!”

“Now you sound like an anarchist.”

“Down with the oppressive grammar overlords! The revolution is now!”

“Now you sound like a crazy person.”

“And we’re back to square one. Hey, Haruka?”

“Yes?”

Isabella hugged her arm and kissed her cheek. “I wish you’d been with me for
all
my travels.”

Haruka smiled, threading her fingers through Bella’s. “So do I.
Believe me, so do I.”

And so they continued at the same pace despite injuries, planning to set up camp later that night but wanting to get a head start on what they hoped would be their last journey. They were heading north – towards Aranea and, most likely, towards Reis and Kazuki. So far they had spent all of their time running, but now they had turned around to face their pursuers with everything they had. All or nothing – by the end, they would both be free… or dead.

“There isn’t a single thing about you that is worthy of hate.”

“I’m really starting to hate forests.”

“Here we go again…”

“No, Ruki, hear me out: they’re dirty.”

“Yeah, I think it’s all the dirt.”

“And with all the rain we’ve been having, they’re instead filled with
mud
, which makes slow going and cakes everything and is really tiring.”

“Rain plus dirt equals mud? Man, the things you learn…”

“Plus, the trees prevent the sunlight from drying it, so it stays forever.”

“They also drink the water, drying it out about as fast.”

“No one asked for horticultural lessons, Ruki.”

“You’re the one explaining how mud is made.”

“Okay, look,
anyway
, my point is, it’s really slow and tiring.”

“I got that. And to think we could’ve picked the desert; I can’t imagine how much you’d complain
then
.”

“I’m not
complaining,
I am
assessing our situation
.”