Blood Fued

"Oh, no! That's not good. I can't have anybody dying here. This is bad. This is really bad."

Kenji exclaimed, frantically shaking his head. Kakuzo mirrored the distress in his expression.

Axel's gaze shifted back to the fallen boy, and he felt a gulp catch in his throat. The young boy seemed way too innocent, much younger than Axel himself. His dreams and future were being snuffed out in the midst of what was supposed to be a playful battle.

"What have you done, Haruki?"

Kenji's voice thundered. The boy shook his head in disbelief. It was supposed to be a routine fight, just playful banter between clan members. The serious killing was reserved for the adults, executed discreetly to avoid leaving any evidence that could be traced back to a specific clan.

But this... This happened in broad daylight, with multiple cameras and witnesses, leaving nothing to deny. It was cold-blooded murder.

A member of the Kuro clan had brutally killed someone from the Tsuki clan in broad daylight. This was going to be the headline, and it meant war.

There was no time.

"Oh, shit!"

Kenji cursed, gazing upward. Axel followed his gaze and felt a chill run down his spine. On a display of one of the skyscrapers, the same horrifying scene from moments ago played out. Haruki thrusting his katana through the unfortunate boy's mouth.

It wasn't blurred or anything. The gruesome scene was crystal clear, showing every detail of the katana entering the boy's head and emerging from the back. To make it worse, it played in slow motion.

Axel couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the kid.

In the middle of the chaos, a big headline popped up in bright letters:

"KURO CLAN WAGES OPEN WAR AGAINST TSUKI CLAN AMIDST TRIUMVIRATE MEETING AND CLAN TOURNAMENT."

The news spread like wildfire, reaching all the holograms and Eclipse holograms in the blink of an eye. Axel watched people's faces, their eyes widening in shock as they took in the unexpected turn of events. Gasps filled the air, and you could practically feel the tension rising among the onlookers.

Axel noticed himself in the background of the mess. He was standing close to Kenji, and for some weird reason, he had this small grin on his face.

It might look like he was grinning at the messed-up show, but truth is, he was just smiling because Kenji and Kakuzo were faking it. It was like watching a messed-up play, and for some reason, that made him smirk.

"Uh-oh. This is not good. Damn! Why did I get myself into this mess?" Axel muttered, feeling like he stumbled into some crazy situation that he wasn't ready for.

Axel's mind raced with the realization of how the world would perceive the situation. They'd probably think he was some big shot in the clan, just standing there while Kenji and his crew launched an attack. 

'Damn! Whoever's behind these displays is really good at stirring up trouble between clans.'

Kakuzo, fixated on the display, shifted his gaze toward Kenji. He smoothly unsheathed his katana, running the blade against his palm, letting a thin line of blood well up. Slowly, he pointed the blood-stained katana at Kenji.

"Your life is mine."

He declared, the words echoing forcefully. Yet, his eyes and trembling lips betrayed the act. It was all for the camera, a show for the watching world.

Kenji, not one to be outdone, raised his own katana. He drew a line on his palm, allowing blood to seep out. With a dramatic gesture, he pointed the crimson-stained blade at Kakuzo.

"A blood feud has been born. May the best win."

A blood feud, in the world of warriors, wasn't just some empty threat. It was a sacred pact, a tradition harking back to the ancient days. When two warriors declared a blood feud, it was a binding vow that set them apart from the rest.

By sealing it with the blood from their own palms, they forged a connection that transcended the ordinary rules of combat. From that moment on, no one else in the warrior realm could lay a finger on them.

The only one with the right to end their story was the sworn rival.

With the exchange of blood and the utterance of the vow, Kakuzo and Kenji had sealed their fate. 

In a strange twist of fate, by swearing a blood feud, Kakuzo and Kenji had inadvertently safeguarded each other. Now, no one from their clans could lay a finger on them without facing serious consequences. But that didn't mean they were untouchable.

Without solid evidence, no one could be directly blamed for harming them. Plus, if someone dared to publicly kill them, they'd be signing their own death warrant. Going against such a sacred vow was like spitting on ancient traditions, and the punishment for such disrespect was severe.

A deafening explosion thundered in the distance, signaling the start of the chaos they'd unleashed. The war had officially kicked off.

"Come on! Let's move," Kenji urged.

Haruki stood frozen, tears streaming down his face as he stared at his bloodied hand in shock. The reality of what had just happened hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Let's get out of here," Kenji repeated, his voice a mix of concern and urgency as he tried to snap Haruki out of his daze.

One of the clan members urged and pushed Haruki toward Kenji, urging him to run. Kenji, with a grave expression, turned towards Axel and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

Axel wanted to run, to flee from the chaos unfolding around him, but he found himself frozen in place, unable to move as fear gripped him tightly.

"I'm sorry, friend. Whether you like it or not, you're now part of this clan war. If they catch you out in the open, they'll torture you, then mince you, limb by limb, inch by inch. Come with us. You're his best friend. The clan will look out for you."

'Best friend? Who? I don't even know who the fuck is this best friend.'

Axel felt the urge to scream at Kenji, but he knew it wasn't the right moment. If they found out he didn't even know who this best friend was, let alone being a friend, they might just abandon him on the spot. And now, with everything going haywire, that wouldn't be a pretty situation at all.

Byte's meow brought Axel back from his daze. He nodded instinctively, as it was the only response he could manage in the moment.

With a determined nod from Axel, Kenji dashed towards the nearby alleyway, and Axel followed suit. In the dimly lit alley, Axel's eyes widened as he spotted a parked hovercraft at the side, ready to whisk them away from the brewing storm.

Kenji took the driver's seat while the other three swiftly hopped into the backseats of the hovercraft.

"Get in," Kenji commanded.

"Huh?" Axel, still bewildered, responded.

"You heard me. Get in, or do you want them to chop you up into tiny pieces?"

"Uh, no. No, no." 

He sprinted towards the craft, his footsteps echoing on the metal surface, and leaped onto the back seat just in time before the doors sealed shut.

The hovercraft roared to life with a whirl, lifting off the ground and ascending into the air. Moments later, they were cruising through the sky, leaving the chaos below them.

Axel had always dreamed of riding on a hovercraft, but now that the opportunity presented itself, it was under such dire circumstances that he couldn't find any joy in it. The fear and tension in the air overshadowed any excitement he might have felt.