The Zodiac Spirit Guardians

The Aries Contract

Her eyes lock onto mine and grow increasingly dark. Until now, I've never witnessed this magnitude of darkness before, even though it's vacant of light, there remains a passion inside those blackened eyes. This young girl has kept something tragic inside herself for centuries, a secret she's possessed in order to keep a part of herself that she deems worthy of permanence. Whatever it is, it dares to become a crack in this porcelain doll that's been molded for perfection.

Her voice takes on a similar darkness as she disrupts the equilibrium in the room, "Haruka Rokisan, I challenge you to fight me."

Protests erupt from the people around us, the ceremony room soon sounds like a trial gone wrong. People in shock, words of complaints and disapproval litter the air. Among them, Isis Sheeno's is absent. I force myself not to look up to her mother for approval. Instead, I take a long hard look at the girl who stands before me with narrowed eyes.

I ditch the fake gentleman act without a second thought, "I refuse to go easy on you." I reply, only sending more eruptions through the people.

"If you did, I would feel gravely insulted." Akira's voice alters into a serious but eager tone that chills me to the core.

Her hand reaches out as if to shake mine, several feet away from me. A weapon appears out of thin air in her grasp. It's a dual head scythe. The hilt of the scythe is taller than she, and the blade itself is longer than she is tall. Akira tilts the blades down to her eye level and runs a smooth finger along its diamond-cutting-sharp surface. More protests and outrage fume through the people.

Her eyes follow her finger as she says, "You will be cut by this blade, Haruka." Ash eyes send daggers into mine. Even though she has the figure and appearance of a little girl, her spirit comes off as ages older than mine.

I take her seriously, every single word.

Before I ready myself as I do when fighting my mother, Akira straightens up and leaps into the air toward my direction. People around us push back even further to avoid getting hurt. Akira flips in the air still gripping the scythe that is unnaturally big for her. She sprints towards me, eyes blazing. I jump into the air the moment she swings to hit me.

I land on the other side of her and ready myself for defense. She starts swinging the giant blade at me in a strategic way that seems too old for her to know. I backflip out of the way and grab ceramic plates from tables nearby. I start throwing them in her direction, horrific outcries from the people in my village neglect to phase me.

Akira shatters each projectile with the scythe. I slide on the floor underneath the blade as she swings it in my direction. I grab hold of her ankle and pull with a hard yank, sending her flying onto her back. Just in the nick of time she uses that momentum to tornado kick me in the face. I stagger backward, touching the cheek that burns.

Anger builds in my gut. The facade I've put up, cracks, daring to shatter.

Her moves are quick and precise. She sprints toward me again, slamming the butt of the scythe handle on the ground. She swings her body around it as if it were a pole, kicking me again in the head. I fall onto my back. She slams the blade down right toward me, I move my legs apart just in time to avoid the scythe and catapult myself off the ground with my hands.

The villagers have grown silent in anticipation. My facade cracks even more, beckoning to shatter completely.

I run and jump over her and the scythe. I land on the ground right behind her and drag my foot around, in a swift motion, knocking her feet out from under her. She falls onto her back, and rolls backward onto her knees. She sees my attack coming and falls onto her back again to move out of the way of my incoming punch. She stands up and takes me off guard, whipping the blade around her back and slicing my leg. The black fabric tears along with a gash the length of my foot. Blood smears everywhere.