Flashback to high school. Graduation day for two certain people. None other than the future maknae of K/DA, Akali and her best friend/boyfriend Lanza Del Relampago. After a blissful date, Lanza disappeared, seemingly vanishing from the world. Skip a...
I'm nervous... Lanza's being put against what he told me is his only equal in swordsmanship in this dojo. His childhood rival.
"Akali, you're nervous."
"Why wouldn't I be? This is the only guy that can match him from what Lanza said." Ahri put her hand on my shoulder as she smiled.
"He's going to get through this. I have a feeling he will." I took a deep breath before standing up.
"I'm going to the onsen." Going out the back of our guest room, I saw the onsen with the warm steam rising up into the air. I stripped down and stepped into the warm water, sitting on the rock floor as I let out a long breath.
"So you decided to come here, too?" Looking behind me, I saw Lanza in a black kimono with a silver obi.
"Yeah.."
"Pardon my intrusion, then." He started undoing his obi as I looked away to give him privacy. After a few moments, I heard the water slosh around before seeing him sit out of the corner of my eye. He sighed and relaxed as I laid my head on his shoulder. "You're a little tense, babe. Something on your mind?"
"I'm nervous."
"About the duel?" I hesitantly nodded.
"Mhm. I don't want to see you get killed..." I felt his fist clench under the water before he spoke again.
"Look at me, Aki. Look at me." I slowly looked up at him as he held a comforting look in his eyes. "I won't die. I swear on it. I refused to die in war, I refuse to die from a sword. If he tries anything, I'll figure out how to counter it." I slipped my hand into his as he tightened his grip a bit.
"Okay... I trust you, babe." He kissed me as I returned it, breaking away when I lost my breath. I used the rest of the time to sit by my lover and be calm with him before the storm falls. Eventually I felt more relaxed as I looked to Lanza.
"Ready?"
"Yeah. Let's go." We both stood and left the warm waters of the onsen as we put on our kimono, then I saw Kira walk in.
"The dojo is filling with people. We should hurry. The others are already waiting."
Lanza POV:
Here we go...
"Lanza?" Looking to my mother, I responded.
"Yeah?"
"You will have to bear my armor and fight with it. Ryouichi isn't going to hold back in his."
"Got it."
"I'll go and meet up with the others, babe."
"Go, I'll be there in a minute." She went to the dojo as Mom led me to the armor room. What I saw reminded me that I am a demon like her. Dark power flows through me.
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(A/N: Ghost of Tsushima: Legends is a fucking blast to play. Arigato gozaimasu, Sucker Punch. Can't wait to try and get this armor when the raid comes out.)
I took the helmet and mask as I put the mask on, then the helmet after as Mom then helped me get the rest of the armor on.
"This should protect you, as long as you channel your strength into this armor and your sword like a conduit."
"So focus on both fighting Ryouichi and keeping this armor strong with my energy."
"That's how this armor has worked for generations. Good luck." My mother left for the dojo as I went in through another door, seeing my grandparents sitting in seiza.
"Oji-san. Oba-san." I bowed to them in respect.
"Lanza." I know they're people of few words, so I didn't bother trying to start any sort of conversation. "It's time to prove you are a Fujihara." There's a reason I didn't want to take on Mom's surname during my time in the dojo. This is why. I bowed with a hidden contempt for my grandparents, as the door opened and revealed my rival. Ryouichi Katsu.
"Ryou. Never thought I'd have to come back to fight you."
"Neither did I. But we both know... Only one of us will come out of this victorious." He unsheathed his blade and took Hasso-no-kamae as I drew my blade and took Chudan-no-kamae.
"Begin." We both held our ground, waiting for the other to attack first before slowly circling each other. The tension grew, eventually to unimaginable heights before Ryouichi made the first move, stepping forward quickly as he swung his blade. I turned my sword to block his strike as he came back for a second strike, which I pushed past me as I countered with two strikes to his ribs. Stepping back, he regained his stance before rushing forward again, raising his sword and swinging down as I responded with blocking two quick strikes from the blade before dodging out of the way of a kashira strike. I swiped his stomach as he backed off, then I went on the offensive. I swung my sword against his as a few sparks flew, his feet shuffling quickly to stop his weight shifting. I attacked with relentless power, breaking his guard as I poured down a stream of fast and powerful attacks all over him before he swung his sword, so I swung mine to lock his in place.
"Where's all the strength you had when we were kids, Ryou? I landed more hits than you would allow." We broke away and retook our stances as he smirked.
"Don't think I'm finished. In your absence, they taught me the clan's most powerful attack." I narrowed my eyes, becoming wary of my childhood rival.
Kira POV:
"Oh, no..." I saw Akali look back at me with a questioning look on her face.
"Ma?"
"I should have known they would have taught someone our clan technique, 'Devil's Wrath'."
Lanza POV:
I slowly stepped back as Ryouichi followed, his blade glowing an ominous blood red before an insane smile crept on his face.
"Behold! The Devil's Wrath!" He spun his sword into his sheath before he dashed at inhuman speed, as I saw a flash of red being pulled out of the sheath. Knowing the blade was going for my right, I started to back away when I saw the red glow extend from the kissaki. I instantly pushed myself back with a stronger step as I just about dodged the strike. What I almost missed was Ryou turning his hand to swing the sword again, and I dodged four more strikes in total from him as I played back the attack sequence in my head while launching a counterattack. We locked blades again as he grit his teeth. "I won't lose to you, Lanza. I hope you know that."
"I wasn't planning on losing to you either. But now I've got it." I saw his eyes slightly widen as I pushed him away, taking Ko Gasumi as Ryou took his stance again, then he sprinted at me as I saw my blade glow the same blood red. Spinning my sword into my sheath, I uttered out a chant that sounded second nature to me. "Cut them down, Murasame." In the blink of an eye, I struck Ryouichi with the clan technique, destroying his armor and leaving wounds on the border of fatal and treatable. I watched my childhood rival fall to his knees as his sword fell from his grip, clattering onto the wooden floor. I swung off whatever blood was on my blade before wiping it in the crook of my arm and sheathing it. Turning to my grandparents, I watched as they stood up.
"It seems you've proved yourself worthy of retaining our family name. The Fujihara clan welcomes you back with open arms, Lanza." I stared at them before shaking my head.
"I have to decline, Oji-san. My life as it is will not allow me to stay here. The clan may be here, but you and Oba-san never were for my siblings or my mother, instead fixated on finding the next head of the clan when you pass." I bowed before walking out of the dojo, taking off the helmet as I sat on a small riverbank to catch my breath.
"That took guts to say to your own grandparents, Lanza." Looking over, I saw my mother standing next to me as I slightly smiled.
