The Month Before The Battle 1

Aria walked to the balcony of the castle in Auroria and saw Joshua standing there alone. She walked up to him and leaned against the rail of the balcony and looked ahead.

"You're still up?" Joshua asked.

"I can't sleep..Everything happened so fast yesterday..Kikuri returning, meeting Keiji..it's just too much.." Aria said and looked at the moon.

"I can understand out you feel..letting that traitor stay in the same Realm as us.." Joshua said.

"What's up with your hatred for Kikuri..?" Aria asked.

"My hatred for her dates back before we even came to Genten. She is a branded criminal back in our home continent." Joshua said. "Branded at a traitor till death."

"Please tell me because I do not understand." Aria frowned a bit.

"Alright. As you know she worked in the 15th District and I am in the 18th District. Kikuri was my superior back home. She was also one of the most praised there. I don't blame her, she is very skilled. Back then she never acted like this..well from what I saw. She was always quiet and nice from what Sefia told me. They have been friends since they were kids.." Joshua said.

"What is Kikuri to Sefia?" Aria asked.

"...Kikuri is a lover to Sefia. She loves her..she's told me multiple times that she'd do anything to help her.." Joshua said.

[Flashback to 4 years ago]

"Sefia I understand your relationship with Kikuri, you don't have to keep telling me every chance you get." Joshua laughed a bit.

"I know but sometimes you treat it strangely!" Sefia puffed her cheeks. "Is it not right for a woman to love another woman?"

"It's not about that at all." Joshua said. "It's just..she doesn't really match your description. She seems a lot more..murderous and evil.."

"I've noticed too but it won't stop me from loving her! And she told me she loves me too..!" Sefia said. "We are the Blades and the Blossom! A duo that can't be separated!"

"Just watch over yourself.." Joshua said and walked off.

"I don't care how I end up! I will do anything to help her!" Sefia said.

A few months passed and the 1st District and the 15th District had a District Battle. They chose Sefia and Kikuri to battle since they were their strongest in the District at the time.

"Kikuri! Let's have an honorable battle! Show everyone how far we've come!" Sefia smiled.

Kikuri looked lifeless then looked up and took out her Scarlet Pin and gave a little giggle.

"Yes..an honorable battle.." Kikuri giggled.

They both dashed to each other and clashed. Sefia used her Holy Blades and Kikuri using her Scarlet Pin. They were evenly matched. Sefia noticed something was off about Kikuri. She dodged a slash that was headed towards her neck and stumbled back.

"Kikuri?" Sefia said.

The crowd murmered wondering what was happening. This wasn't an honorable fight at all. Kikuri was looking to kill. Sefia looked at her sadly. Joshua folded his arms and sighed.

"What's the matter Sefia..? If you won't fight then I will strike you down as easy experience!" Kikuri dashed to her and slashed.

Sefia's aura surged from her back and her gray eyes shined with sorrow as wings formed and she summoned six blades. Kikuri dodged the blades and her aura surged on her back and six scarlet red wings formed.

"They aren't holding anything back..!" A girl said.

Kikuri looked at Sefia and her red eyes shined. She summoned 200 kunai around her and her hand shook. Sefia looked at her and lowered her blade. Kikuri took deep breaths to prevent her tears. Her whole body shook and she looked miserable. She lowered her hand and the kunai vanished. Her aura vanished and so did her wings.

"I forfeit." Kikuri said then ran off.

The crowd was speechless. She could not bring herself to battle Sefia they way they did in the past. She couldn't do it. Sefia's aura vanished and she ran after her.

"Kikuri!" Sefia called out. She looked everywhere for her.

Joshua got up and walked off. He knew the inevitable fate of Kikuri. She has evil intentions and he knew she had to be stopped. Later that night, Kikuri's commander was laying on his bed in his room. Kikuri snuck in his room with a kunai.

"I'd think twice before doing that Kikuri." The commander said. "The moment you strike, is the moment you will be exiled."

"I don't care anymore...I should have never agreed to come to this district..Person after Person. Family after Family. It has ruined me to the point where I only know how to kill. Those children I had to kill. The blood..I am nothing more than a demon..no I am Nefarious..I am more than just a demon..!" Kikuri laughed softly. "It's all your fault..!"

"So you don't care what happens to your beloved Sefia? I know how close you two are. How happy you were before the previous commander suddenly disappeared..He let you both stay together, he only allowed certain deaths..he knew about your limits..he held you back!" The commander sat up. "Now look at you, you have reached your full potential!"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!!" Kikuri stabbed the commander multiple times. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!!"

The guards ran inside the room and turned on the lights and saw Kikuri on top of the Commanders body. They looked at her in shock. Kikuri had lost all sense of humanity and looked at the guards while licking the blood off her kunai and giggled.

"Go get the Head Commander!" a guard said. "We have a turncoat!"

The other guard ran off to get the Head Commander. The alarms blared and the first guard summoned his sword and blinked once and saw Kikuri gone. She ran down the halls. Sefia saw her and wondered what happened and walked to the guard.

"What happened?" Sefia asked. She looked in the room and covered her mouth and her eyes widened.

"Go back to your room.." The guard said.

Sefia stepped back and ran to the bathroom to throw up. The next day the Head Commander held a meeting with all the districts.

"We have been informed that the 15th District Commander had been killed by Kikuri. She is branded as a traitor! Now we have to inforce rules to make sure everyone is safe! Anyone who goes beyond Mistral borders will be branded a traitor!" The Head Commander said.

Sefia walked away and threw away everything the Head Commander said.

"Sefia where are you going?" He asked.

"You all drove her mad..She isn't the same anymore..!" Sefia started to cry. "She used to be so nice so quiet and respectable..now you all turned her into a demon!"

"Sefia.." Joshua said.

Sefia ran off to find Kikuri. Avani walked off too, followed by Vildron and Yan. Others began to leave. Joshua disappeared amongst the crowd. Sefia ran and then found Kikuri sitting along the shore and went to sit beside her.

"Why..? Why did you follow me..?" Kikuri asked.

"Because..I..." Sefia paused a bit. "I love you.."

"How can you love a demon who betrays her own district..? A demon who's tried to kill you.." Kikuri said.

"I don't care about that! I only want to be with you!" Sefia said and held Kikuri's hand.

"You're an idiot.." Kikuri sniffled and squeezed her hand. She wiped her eyes. "I am no longer the same..Now I have to have blood to survive..I have evolved into a demon who needs it.."

"Then take mine." Sefia looked at Kikuri.

"What?! No! Why would I-"

"I will be your provider! I will be the one you can depend on!" Sefia said and looked in her eyes.

"Sefia..don't say that kind of things.." Kikuri said and felt her heart racing.

"Kikuri, I love you so much..that I would give my life to you..Let's run away from this land together.." Sefia leaned in and closed her eyes.

"Sefia..I..okay.." Kikuri leaned in and closed her eyes.

"HEYY!!" Avani called out.

Sefia and Kikuri quickly scoot back and blushed hard. They looked back and saw Avani and the others.

"If you're leaving then we are too!" Avani said. "We all are friends here! We stick together! Until the end!"

"Yeah. Running off without us? Unforgivable." Vildron smiled.

"Yeah! Don't leave without us!" Yan puffed her cheeks.

Sefia and Kikuri smiled at each other then looked at them. They happily agreed. They allowed them to join. Joshua stood in the back and glared.

"Why..? Why is she so blind..?" Joshua said.

"Where should we go? This world is so huge!" Yan smiled.

"Here." Sefia pointed at Genten.

"Let's start our new life..In Genten.." Sefia said.

"Right!" They all agreed.

[Back to the Present]

Aria was silent and looked at Joshua. She disapproved of his choice of hating Kikuri. Sefia listened from behind a wall.

"She isn't the blind one Joshua! You are!" Aria glared.

"How am I the blind one?! She-"

"This isn't about how you feel! This isn't about right or wrong Joshua!" Aria closed her eyes and screamed.

Joshua looked at her in shock. Sefia held her hand to her chest. Motochika listened from the bench in the front of the castle. Kikuri laid in Sefia's room and looked at the wall.

"Couldn't you tell she was hurting on the inside?! Couldn't you tell she was being used as a tool?! They didn't treat her as a human! She was fighting the will to turn into that demon! She wanted to change her inevitable fate of an assassin! Sefia was her escape and they took that away! They turned her into a demon, they corrupted her can't you see that?!" Aria yelled.

Joshua closed his eyes and looked away.

"All she wanted..was to be with Sefia..and they took everything from her..They made her like this and you are too blind to see the flaws behind your own home! In my eyes is she a traitor? No she is not!"

Joshua and Sefia looked surprised. Motochika smiled as he listened.

"Kikuri is struggling and treating her like this will only push her further over the edge. She is one of us now..and I will be the one to fix her..By doing what her pathetic commander couldn't ..giving her free will." Aria walked off. "If you can't handle her being here..then leave Auroria."

Sefia was moved to tears and covered her mouth. She closed her eyes and was happy Aria was going to help Kikuri get better. Motochika got up and walked off.

"Aria..your words have moved me..I can sense great things in the near future." Motochika smiled and walked out the kingdom and back to the Kingdom of Mizu.

Avani looked up and smiled. She was pleased by what she heard.