Back --->Yoroshiku Chapter 12

Chapter 13: The Battle

   Vick ran as fast as his legs could carry him. A mixture of sweat and tears poured from his face. He knew something was wrong, or was going to be, and he knew his legs could never support him all the way back to the palace. As he ran, he quickly calculated in his mind, it took them about seven hours to walk there, and at best, he could walk five miles in an hour. The kingdom was about thirty five miles away, or more. He pushed his legs faster. Whatever happened, I have to make it there in time. I have to. Vick gasped for breath. His lungs collapsed and he fell to the ground. He quickly got back up and tried to run, but he couldn't.  He sat down on the side of the road and tried to catch his fleeting breath.
   Damn it! I need to keep going, but my body won't let me. For all I know, Kyoko could be . . .I don't even want to think about it. He looked down, his sneakers and socks were stained red from his bleeding feet. In his mind he could picture Kyoko's face, somewhere out there, she was scared. His thoughts, emotion, his spirit, focused on her. Suddenly, he felt his body starting to become light, ethereal. He looked down at his feet, but they weren't there, replaced by a golden mist. The mist crept up his body, and with it, came the airy sensation, he was disappearing. He let go of all of the tension and stress in his heart, and allowed the mist to billow around him, and take him away. The golden cloud then blew away with the westward wind. 

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   Liam held Kyoko tightly to his bare chest. She continued to push away, but was no match for Liam's strapping embrace. 
   “Why do you push away from me, dear?” he whispered sweetly in her ear. 
   “Please, let me go . . . you're hurting me.” She turned away as Liam tried to kiss her, and saw in the distance thunder clouds forming. She turned back to Liam, who had stopped moving completely. His eyes were closed. She looked back at the distant clouds, but realized that they weren't distant at all. The black clouds swirled around overhead, and thunder rumbled from within. She tried to break Liam's frozen grip around her, but she was stuck. The cloud whirpooled from the inside out, and settled down on the ground. Now, the sky was clear again, but one cloud remained, drifting a few feet above land. The cloud swelled, then a breeze broke it apart, and blew it away. Out from where the cloud had hovered, stood Vick. 
   Liam revived from his temporary halt and whipped around.
   “You! What are you doing here?!”
   Vick ripped a sword out of the hands of a nearby statue. “Get off her,” he snapped. 
   Liam sneered. “And what do you think you're going to do about it? I could have you dead in under a minute. Don't waste your strength.” 
   “Dead in under a minute, eh?” Vick pointed the sword at Liam's throat. “I'd like to see that.”
   Liam did not move a muscle or waver one bit. He pushed the sword away. “Is that some sort of a challenge?” Liam asked as he drew his own sword from another statue. He sighed as he stepped in front of Kyoko, as if he were shielding her. “Fine, I accept, but don't expect me to let you live.”
   Vick stared down his opponent, then with a swift motion, raised his sword above his head. He swung it down, but Liam quickly blocked it. Even though Liam was shorter than him, he was definitely quick. He could dodge and attack faster. Liam continuously bore down on Vick, and all he could do was protect himself. With a quick jab, Liam tore open the skin on Vick's arm. He yelled, then hit Liam in the chest with the blunt of the sword. Liam fell to the ground, then Vick on top of him. The blood from Vick's arm steadily dripped onto Liam, as he held him down. Vick grabbed Liam's neck and tightened his grip. He held his other hand high above his head, ready to strike him. All Liam could do was watch the beads of blood drop down on him, feel the pulsing veins in his neck, If Vick didn't bear down on him with his sword, he would surely be choked to death. He gasped for breath, but Vick's grip remained tight.
   Kyoko had to make her decision now. If she didn't one of them would be killed, and she didn't want either of them dead. “Stop!” she yelled.
   Liam tried to turn his head to see, but Vick held tight. “Why the hell should I?”  Vick snarled.
   Kyoko hesitated. “Because . . .” Tears fell from her face. “Because I love him.”

Next ---> Yoroshiku Chapter 14