The Village Disciples

Shizen Utsukushi was stunned, with her gaze fixated on the hair of the fox-like rogue who towered over her. It was pink. His hair was a deeper shade of pink than hers, but the rogue certainly had pink hair. Utsukushi then reminded herself of his tails before reflecting on her own. The horrible twist of fate pushed the young student's psyche to the breaking point. Her long-lost sibling, the same person who vanished years before, had returned; however, all he sought was blood.

Kono's breath was still labored, the last of his purple tails dissipating entirely. 

"I know what's out there, Shizen." The rogue said in a clipped tone, his clenched fists shaking. "I've seen what people can do when they have all the power. So, I can't let you leave unless you prove you can handle yourself."

Utsukushi slowly lifted herself off the earth. Her bones felt fractured and a familiar sensation of soreness ran through her muscles.

"...Why? Why did you leave?" The student queried through grinding teeth.

"I didn't want to, Shizen," Kono answered breathlessly.

The student spread her feet and raised her hands slightly while her three blue tails rose behind her. She assumed a hostile position, glowering at her brother with resentment. 

"You've killed people… You left Buraun! We were safe there!" Shizen hollered, lunging at the rogue.

Kono has battled faster warriors, including ones who have eclipsed the speed of light—but currently, he is weakened, and his younger sister has managed to break the sound barrier. The rogue forced himself to dodge as the student's fist swept past his face, cringing as he felt his body collapsing internally. 

"No, we weren't. The invasion on Buraun is proof of that." The fox-like rogue retorted, angling his knees. 

*SMACK!*

Shizen's left leg slammed into Kono's defensively-raised arm.

"You could've helped protect it!"

The rogue shoved her leg away, sliding backward. On the other hand, the student was persistent, with her blue tails and fists launched at Kono thousands of times a second.

"I was weak, Shizen! I am still compared to the man who threatened the village at the time! I had to leave to spare our home!" Kono riposted, maneuvering around his younger sister's attacks.

Shizen noted that Kono was becoming slower by the second, and his motions appeared to be strained. She recognized the feeling—his Aura Sense was destroying him. The student had to be relentless; she had to wear him down until he was too fatigued to fight back.

"Who!? Buraun has one of the strongest armies in the nation!" The sister demanded.

"But they send out first-years to the front line!?" The brother shot back. 

With haste, Shizen aimed her palm at the ground as a blue Genso-Kyu materialized in her hand—*BOOM!*—and released a beam of light that leveled the ground, catching Kono by surprise. 

When the rogue attempted to distance himself from the blast, he tripped over the ruptured dirt and tumbled backward, prompting him to quickly plant his hands and feet into the soil to straighten himself. 

Leaping through the debris, the student discharged more beams of light—*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*—which forced Kono to use up more of his Aura Sense to evade the blasts. 

Kono frowned. 'She's getting cocky… I think she learned that I'm hindered by my own magic.'

The fox-like rogue charged himself with a bit more of his Aura Sense to create a barrier before him, taking the brunt of Shizen's next beam of light. Immediately afterward, Kono flexed his hands and transformed the barrier into a purple Genso-Kyu that released a beam directly into the ground beneath the student.

*BOOM!*

Shizen crashed through the nearest tree, bouncing off the ground as she landed violently. She coughed up an egregious amount of dirt as she stood up, finding her equilibrium once again. 

*CRACK!*

A thunderous bang resonated across the surrounding area, prompting Shizen to glance up and notice a big block of earth racing toward her. Unfortunately, she was too stunned to retaliate as the mound of stone and dirt pelted her, knocking her farther into the forest and destroying every tree in its path.

Kono reappeared, halting inches from where his younger sister landed. 

"You're still too inexperienced. You can never get cocky out on the field, Shizen! Not unless you can handle the ramifications!" 

*BOOM!*

The giant mound that crushed Shizen was obliterated, exploding into a million pieces. A bright blue light illuminated the inside of a crater, indicating that the younger sister was still kicking. 

"You have tenacity! I'll give you that—!"

*SWOOSH!*

Four blue tails emerged from the crater at supersonic speeds, making Kono practically dance around them to avoid being impaled. 

'Four tails? That means she…'

"RAH!" 

Shizen darted out from where she resided, and her right hand—still covered by blue-colored claws—was thrust forward, nicking Kono's cheek. The rogue ignored the small stream of blood trickling down his face; his eyes locked onto the four blue tails that swayed venomously behind his younger sister. A wide smile was etched onto his visage.

"Finally!" Kono screamed at the top of his lungs, laughing. 

It was only one additional tail, but its presence signified that Shizen could grow—that she could handle and use the pressure of being a warrior. 

Without warning, Kono keeled over and vomited blood, pain shooting throughout his body. 

'About damn time…' The fox-like rogue thought to himself. His body was failing. 

Shizen marched toward her brother slowly, her four tails pointed at the pink-haired rogue. If Kono were anybody else, the sight would be horrifying, but to him, watching his sister increase in strength and skill was nothing short of magnificent. 

"Finish the job, Shizen!" Kono ordered, stretching his arms outward. 

Before she could take another step, they both sensed something.

*RUSTLING!*

Kono and Shizen's eyes flitted throughout the area as they realized what was happening and what they sensed. 

Warriors.

Dozens of Shanti troops surrounded the brother and sister, wielding blades coated in their Aura Sense. Shizen grew nervous, reeling her blue tails back to keep them close to her. Kono narrowed his eyes, his blood still spilling past his lips and even from his nose. 

"Do you guys fucking mind?!" The fox-like rogue shouted, struggling to stand to his feet. 

The Shanti soldiers inched closer, raising their swords threateningly. "We should thank you for weakening yourselves. You practically made yourself known out here, too, with all of your fighting!"

Kono coughed. "That's just family bonding here in Adonai!"

"Stay back!" Shizen suddenly yelped, jumping away from a warrior who snuck up behind her. 

Kono knew his sister was still afraid, especially given the gravity of their position. She was stronger than before, but the fox-like rogue doubted whether she had any experience battling a large gathering of warriors. 

"Focus on the girl. The man is too injured to fight." One of the troops ordered, walking closer. 

'Shit.' Kono mentally swore, his eyes becoming hazy. 'Well… I planned on dying anyway.'

Kono howled in pain as he forced purple tails to sprout from his body. With every tail that stretched outward, the rogue's lifespan was shortened drastically. Eventually, after long, blood-curdling screams, Kono successfully managed to grow thirteen purple tails. 

Every second that he lived, Kono could feel nothing but unadulterated pain. It was torture, feeling his body internally melt. 

"Which of you pricks are dying first!?" Kono bellowed, his eyes darting between the Shanti troops. 

Shizen was bug-eyed as she witnessed her older brother grow thirteen tails. What was the limit? Could she eventually grow thirteen tails of her own? Could she survive using that many? All that she knew was how lucky Kou, Haishi, and the rest were that Kono was not using this many tails.

The warriors surged toward Kono with determination, reeling their swords back as they assaulted him from every angle. Remarkably the fox-like rogue was far too quick, slashing the initial wave of warriors that tried to kill him with his tails.

It did not take long for Kono to bust out into his advanced combat methods, utilizing his purple-Aura-Sensed agility and flexibility as he pummeled the warriors with his hands and feet, using his tails as a finishing move. 

Eventually, Kono started to slip again, four of his tails immediately disappearing out of pure exhaustion. Shizen was unable to properly observe the fight as every single action made was beyond the speed of light—leagues above her current capabilities. 

*SHING!*

Horrifically, a sword had been plunged into Kono's waist, making the rogue clench his teeth and instinctively reach for his wound. 

"Bastard!" Kono shouts, deftly killing the warrior who stabbed him by using a tail. 

With every second that the battle continued, Kono grew weaker, leading to more of the Shanti troops' attacks landing. After a minute, Kono's body was littered with lacerations and bruises, but the number of warriors dwindled drastically. 

'I'm running on fumes at this point…' Kono noted, refusing to slow down. 

His body then shook again as more tails vanished. Kono was down to four purple tails, which was a stark contrast to the thirteen he originally had. He kept his fists high and his tails free, looking around at the remaining five Shanti troops. 

"...Are you going to charge me… or what?" Kono queried sternly, stumbling over himself. 

The five troops glanced at each other, skeptical at how they should proceed. The fox-like rogue appeared to be much weaker, but that did not take away from his brutality. 

"Fine!" Kono yelled, taking the liberty of initiating the fight once again.

Initially, the rogue was successful in subduing the troops, slaying three out of five. Unexpectedly, he was then stabbed in the back. One of the final two Shanti troops managed to drive their blade into the rogue, jumping away and leaving their sword embedded in Kono's back.

"You scared bitch!" Kono screamed, his blood splattering to the ground. 

He grabbed the closest troop's face and squeezed, popping their skull instantaneously. The fox-like rogue shifted his body, staring down the last remaining unarmed warrior. 

*SHING!*

"Huh?"

Kono was perplexed as he saw a blade tear through the warrior's torso, his body then falling. 

It was Haishi, Buraun's Chief. 

"I'm not done with you, rogue." The pony-tailed man asserted, narrowing his eyes at Kono. 

The two stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, peering into the other's soul. 

The rogue hummed and said, "I'm done." 

Haishi quirked an eyebrow. 

"You're… done?"

Nodding, Kono retracted all of his remaining purple tails back into his body. "I'm not fighting anymore."

"That doesn't set you free, rogue." Haishi declared, his hand still wrapped around the hilt of his sword. 

The destroyed forest was shrouded in pregnant silence, with only Kono's agonizing breathing to be heard. The fox-like rogue turned his head to the right, his gaze fixed on his younger sister in the distance. The chief was correct: Kono had done too much and murdered too many people; he was beyond redemption. All that awaited the rogue was life in prison or execution, depending on what the village that had him elected to do. 

So, Kono took matters into his own hands.

*SPLATTER!*

By covering his right hand in a small amount of Aura Sense—all that the rogue could conjure at this point—and impaling himself through the heart. 

"...Goodbye once again, sister."

He died seconds after, the sound of his body hitting the dirt being the last of Kono Utsukushi.

XXX

I loathe killing off characters, especially ones I love so dearly—but I know where they need to go and how this story must end. Just because they die does not mean that it is the end of their role in the story or any future projects. But, other than Kono's admirable and brotherly death, I hope you enjoyed this long-awaited chapter. I've had his death planned for years, and I'm only just now reaching it. Surreal. Stay tuned for more!

Have a Great Day!

Peace - Cr1ticalz_