"You're pathetic!" Kasho screamed, throwing another knife at Satoshi.
Satoshi's defense was strong. His attack was even stronger. But he was weakened. He couldn't take too many hits from Kasho. Both of them knew that.
But it's not about this anymore. It's about his pride. Like it always was. Satoshi thought, feeling how his body became weaker and weaker.
"Already giving up, aren't you?" Kasho said, kicking him in the stomach, making him spit blood.
Satoshi jumped back, touching his chest and realizing how bad it was. It was improbable to him to beat him. He wasn't that wounded when he first defeated him, in the real past. His life was seriously threatened.
"...But have this in mind: don't you dare think of yourself as a sacrifice. Push your limits. Do what you have to do. Fight. Get wounded. But, always have this in your mind: you have to live..."
He chuckled, supporting himself on his sword, getting to his feet one more time. Kasho came closer and narrowed his eyes, seeing him laughing when it was clear who the winner was. "Are you laughing at your own death? I'm impressed, Satoshi-san. You've been so stiff all these years that it was a miracle when you even sketched a smile."
"Oh, well. I just realized I have a promise to keep."
"I hope it wasn't anything important... because it might never get fulfilled."
He's letting his guard down. He's an arrogant bastard. His own pride is going to kill him.
"Unfortunately for you, it really is important."
Kasho drew a deep breath and bored his eyes into Satoshi's. "Everything is more important than me, isn't it?"
Satoshi frowned in confusion, inspecting Kasho's perfectly cold face. "What do you mean, Kasho? As you can see, fighting you is my priority right now." He joked, getting a firm grip on his sword.
Kasho threw him a cynical chuckle and sighed. "How funny of you. Guess you couldn't show me a little appreciation before, right? We wouldn't have been in this situation if you did."
"What the hell are you talking about? You literally stabbed me in the back!"
What is this pitiful speech? Is he trying to buy time so he can strike me again, out of nowhere?
"But why did I? Didn't you think about it?" Kasho yelled, running towards Satoshi.
He's losing his mind.
"Kasho. I don't understand what you're trying to say..."
"It's all because of you!" Kasho interrupted him, making Satoshi narrow his eyes, confused by his weird behavior.
"What did I do, besides taking you under my protection?" He asked, fending off his knives and moving around the sword, trying to touch his skin.
Kasho pulled back and raised his head. His right cheek was bleeding.
I don't know what's happening with him, but it's good for me. He's becoming emotional.
"You were just using us! You never considered us your equals! You think you are the mighty fox demon, who can't be bring down by anyone? Do you think you're invincible? Wrong!"
Satoshi moved quickly, right before Kasho jumped on the spot he was a few seconds ago. He had to finish it already. His body was screaming, telling him he didn't have much time left. Kasho was wounded as well. Maybe the fact that he was coming from the future and had developed his skills during those decades was an advantage. He wasn't as weak as in the past.
"You're moving pretty well for a dead man." Kasho commented, panting.
"If you weren't talking that much, maybe you could've moved faster." Satoshi replied, a grimace appearing on his face because of the pain. "I've never considered you dispensable, Kasho. You were... my friend. But you decided to go against me and I realized how stupid I was because I trusted someone."
Is he trying to trigger me? Does he think if he makes me talk he'll find a breach in my defense?
Kasho laughed, rotating one of his knives on his fingers. "If you considered me your friend you wouldn't have kept all those secrets from me. You would've made me your partner, including me in all you did. When I heard you want to destroy my hometown, I knew there was no going back."
Satoshi frowned. Destroying his hometown? What is he...
Suddenly, he remembered a conversation with a general he had centuries ago. He did talk about helping his military force in a possible raid, but the location didn't ring a bell to him. So, it could've been...
"I had no idea that was your hometown!" Satoshi screamed, fending off Kasho's attacks, his movements becoming much slower than before.
"Lies! You saved me from my hometown! You saved me when my mother died and now you want to erase the single connection I have with her!"
Down, up, down, left...
"I'm sorry, Kasho, but I couldn't remember the name of your hometown... I didn't know that this was your reason for doing this. You should've talked with me!"
"I tried, idiot fox!" He yelled back, jumping again, rotating in the air and throwing three knives out of his pocket. Satoshi used his sword as a shield, but he missed one of them.
The knife stabbed him in his shoulder, making him fall on the wet grass. He was panting, but, still, he tried to get to his feet. A knife appearing in front of his face stopped him instantly.
"You're running out of time. I bet you're sorry now because you have no other option than to beg me for mercy, right?"
Satoshi resisted the impulse of rolling his eyes. "I wasn't begging for your mercy. I am truly sorry for what I was intending to do. But if you told me about it, I would've understood it."
"You don't care about families and humans! You haven't lived as a human in your entire life! You're a pure demon, you can't understand the feelings of a half one! Why should I have told you? So you could get suspicious and try to stop my plans? No way! You deserve this, pureblood demon." He spat the words, throwing him a disgusted look.
"You've never been more of a hypocrite in your entire life, Kasho-kun. You've been walking around, full of pride and stupidity, saying to left and right: 'I'm a demon, idiot humans. Show me some respect!' and now, out of nowhere, you remembered your roots? Cut the crap! You're just trying to make me emotional so you can cure your guiltiness. At least be honest to yourself."
Kasho's eyes widened as Satoshi's speech got quieter and quieter. Satoshi could've seen on his face that at least half of what he said was true. "I might be half human, but I'm half demon as well. I'm embracing both of my parts. Because this is who I am. And yes, I might push the limits sometimes, but I will never let someone destroy the single thing which connects me to my humanity. The rest can disappear, for all I care."
"You can't be reasoned with. And I can't be bothered anymore. Because you are not real. You're just a ghost from my past. And now you shall disappear!"
Kasho gulped, as Satoshi's sword got into his chest. Satoshi raised his upper body, placing a hand on Kasho's shoulder, keeping him steady. He made eye contact with him, as blood appeared from the corner of his mouth. "I told you. Never take your eyes off your opponent. You never listen, Kasho-kun."
Kasho smiled, his eyes becoming glassy. "I should've known better. You are a sly fox, Satoshi-san. You would've never talked with me as your equal. This is revenge, right? At least you stabbed me in the front. Maybe you truly are a better friend than... I... was..."
He rolled his eyes and almost fell on his back, but Satoshi grabbed his arm and let him fall on his lap. Kasho was panting, his chest going up and down with an unsteady rhythm. Five more minutes, and he was dead.
Maybe it shouldn't have affected him that much. It was an imaginary death. Of his traitor from the past. But it was painful as hell. And he couldn't stop crying.
Drops of blood were falling on Kasho's face. He opened his eyes slowly, watching the rain falling along with Satoshi's tears. "Ah... Bloody tears. The most painful tears. True... pain triggers them. Satoshi-san, why are you crying? You should be happy. Your traitor is dead. Now you can destroy my hometown as well. Maybe you will get your girl back from that... buyer... too..."
"Shut up. Stop making it worse. Just shut up." Satoshi said, trying to stop himself from crying, but with no success.
I don't even know why I'm crying. I didn't cry when I fought him for real. Maybe... the Kasho from this illusion is different? Maybe Lucifer made him like this so my pain could grow bigger?
"I don't know why, but now I... remembered the... the moment when you rescued me... remember...?"
"Stop talking!" Satoshi yelled at him. All he could see was his own bloody tears, which make everything worse. He felt like in hell.
And not my home. The hell humans experience. The real hell. My own, personal hell.
"The other demons tried to kill me. They said I was... weak... half-human... you said... the otherwise... you believed... in me..."
"You had potential, Kasho. You were twisted, traumatized, a child, but you were strong. And you could've been much more if you didn't betray me. Hell! You should've talked with me, you idiot!"
Stop reopening this wound, Satoshi. It's just an illusion.
An illusion.
An illusion.
A freaking illusion, stop it already!
Kasho tried to laugh, but he coughed instead, blood trickling down his neck. Satoshi sobbed quietly, watching him getting weaker and lifeless. "That girl... special? Your eyes... in the cave... but..."
"The succubus?" Satoshi asked, frowning his eyebrows.
What about my eyes? Is he talking about Xsilia?
Kasho smiled. "No. Satoshi..."
He suddenly stopped. Satoshi became quiet for a few seconds. He didn't want to wipe away his tears. He didn't want to look down. He was scared of reality.
But it's just an illusion!
"But the pain is real!" He yelled, but his scream couldn't be heard by anyone. The rain was too noisy. He couldn't hear even his own thoughts anymore.
Where's that freaking sun when you need it? Why hasn't it appeared yet? Shouldn't the sunset be now?
The thirteenth day.
His illusion will fade away.
With a shaky hand, he wiped away the blood from his face and dared to look down. Kasho was looking straight at him, with his lifeless eyes and his mouth smeared with black blood.
"Satoshi!" Someone called his name, but he didn't know who. He looked to his right and left. He was all alone, near the lake, sitting on the grass with Kasho in his arms.
"Satoshi!" The person yelled again.
What is that? Who is this?
"Caiden!"
Ivy?
He looked behind him.