| [Apr. 30th, 2014|05:48 am] |
After all the struggle and pain Katsuko had gone through to reach him, killing Masaaki was anticlimactic. Her kodachi sank between his ribs, puncturing his right lung; he made a wet, choking noise, breath bubbling in his throat, and slid off the end of her blade to land on the cobbles. Euiko screamed. Katsuko sheathed her kodachi, kicked Masaaki onto his side and crouched down to look him in the eye.
“Watch,” she said, very softly, and waited until his face twisted in horrified comprehension. Then she rose to her feet.
Tsuto Euiko roused from her fear-glazed stupor and turned on her heel, clutching her daughter to her chest as she ran. Her long black hair streamed like a banner behind her. Katsuko caught her before she made it ten steps, grabbing a fistful of Euiko’s dark tresses and yanking the woman off her feet. The back of Euiko’s head hit the ground with an audible crack. Her daughter flew out of her arms and landed in a small, screaming heap a few feet away. Katsuko let out a breath and drew her kodachi.
Masaaki made a anguished noise. Euiko groaned. Katsuko flipped the kodachi hilt in her grip and drove the blade down one-handed between Euiko’s eyes, chakra-enhanced strength punching steel through the woman’s skull and impaling her to the concrete.
In the silence that followed, Katsuko felt the life fleeing Euiko’s body. She yanked her kodachi free with a scraping sound and turned away from Euiko’s empty, staring eyes.
Masaaki’s daughter— Tomoko, Katsuko remembered—sobbed when Katsuko stopped in front of her. Katsuko studied her in silence, taking in the tear-stained face and grubby pajamas. Then she sheathed her kodachi and knelt down, reaching out to grip Tomoko’s shoulder.
“Close your eyes, sweetheart,” Katsuko said, gently.
“No,” Masaaki begged. His voice was thick with blood and tears.
Katsuko held Tomoko’s gaze. “Close your eyes,” she said. “It won’t hurt.”
Tomoko whimpered and squeezed her eyes shut. Katsuko’s blade flashed once in the darkness.
Masaaki was crying when Katsuko returned to his side. Tears ran down his face to pool with the blood drying on the ground. Katsuko looked down at him, too hollow inside to feel anything like pity, and slit his throat. |
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