Part 25

Rukawa eyed Kogure as they rounded one corner with cool, detached eyes. The spectacled boy didn't look too good. Most of his powers were taken away by Raphael during the battle they had in Zion, and he could only conjure a small amount of energy. Rukawa doubted that it could be help him fight Death back. Even Mitsui agreed to this, only he didn't keep it in his mind.

"Come on, Min-kun! You'll die once Death releases a small portion of his energy straight at you!" Mitsui pleaded as Kogure walked with Rukawa, holding his wounded arm gently. Mitsui shook his head. "Come on. Go back to where Hanamichi is and stay with him."

Kogure smiled softly at his lover and shook his head. "I made a promise to Rukawa-kun, and I will keep it. Besides, I still have some power left."

"Yes. Some." Mitsui emphasized.

Kogure shook his head and held Mitsui's hand, trying to calm the nervous demon. "I told you, don't worry. Besides, why don't you go to where Hanamichi-kun is? This battle is between Death and Rukawa and I."

"No way." Mitsui answered stubbornly as they rounded a corner. "I'm not letting you die."

Kogure sighed. "You're so stubborn."

Rukawa noticed that he should leave the two of them alone for a little while, so he quickened his pace. When he was sure that they had enough distance from each other, he went back to his normal stride and looked up, feeling the dark aura of Death seeping in his skin. The battle area was always set on an abandoned field. This time, Death chose the filed that was once a beautiful soccer field, but now, was run down. All that could be seen were sand and dead leaves. It was about 15 hectares long, counting the abandoned buildings beside it, and it was covered by a thick wall. Rukawa made his way through the brass door by the end of the wall and pushed it open, his eyes immediately drawn to the center of the field.

True enough, Death was standing there, holding his scythe at arms length, but what Rukawa didn't expect was another dark form beside Death. That other form being Eri Fujisawa.

Mitsui and Kogure stopped beside Rukawa and took in the 2 forms standing at the center of the field. Mitsui cursed under his breath. "What the hell are you doing here, Eri-san? I thought that we were only going to fight Death."

Eri chuckled at his furious look. "Well, I thought that Death was going to fight only Kaede-san and that angel."

Mitsui snorted. "The situation called for it."

Eri smiled back. "Ditto that."

Rukawa stepped forward, his hair moving with the wind as he released his wings from his back. "What do you want?"

Eri laughed at that and stepped forward. "I'm going to make a bargain with you." She eyes Rukawa thoughtfully and continued with that mocking voice of hers, "If you refuse to the offer I am going to present to you, your Hanamichi will suffer a very painful death, and the cause would be you. However, if you are to agree with my proposition..." She ran her fingers through her hair, giving Rukawa a sultry look. "I assure you that Hanamichi will be safe and that everyone will be okay."

Mitsui huffed at that. "And what is your proposition?"

Eri smiled that evil smile and answered, "Kaede has to marry me."

Silence.

Eri chuckled at that response and glanced at Rukawa. "How about it, Kaede? Marry me and your little redhead will be safe until the day he dies. It's a pretty good deal, isn't it?"

Rukawa was silent, his hands clenched tight as he lowered his head, his bangs covering his eyes. Yes...even to him the deal sounded good. Too good. To marry her and to spare everyone from dying...It was a very good deal. Rukawa looked up from the corner of his eye and saw Mitsui looking at him with a worried expression, his mouth opening ang closing since he couldn't decide what to say. Kogure looked more composed, but he too was worried. Rukawa sighed and bowed his head again. Then, he bit his lip, seeing the face of Hanamichi float in front of his eyes. He smiled gently as he called out to the smiling redhead. Hana... He unclenched his hands and looked up, making up his mind.

Eri smiled at Rukawa's determined look. "So...what is your answer?"

Rukawa smiled back at her and said, "No."

Eri's composure faltered. She righted herself quickly and stared at Rukawa's smiling face. "Wh-what did you say?"

Rukawa smiled even more as he shrugged, placing his hands in his pockets. "I said no. No, I won't marry you. No, I won't leave Hana. And no, I won't back out of this battle." He gave Death a hard look, his smile turning into a grin. "I told Hana that I wouldn't abandon him and that I wouldn't love anyone else. I plan to keep that promise even if I die. I won't make him suffer anymore, and I won't let you have him. All in all, my answer to your proposition is," He tipped his head to one side and said heartily, "NO."

Eri bristled at that answer, her black wings spreading themselves to the limit as the black aura around the field became darker. She drew out a black sword from her side. "You will regret your answer very soon."

Rukawa formed a scythe from his right hand and held it by his side, his wings spread also. "I don't think so."

Eri screamed and charged forward, her sword clashing powerfully against Rukawa's, sending a ball of black energy to fall against the ground and burst, making the dust and dead leaves fly around them. Eri opened her eyes and cursed, seeing that her right arm was wounded. She glared haughtily at Rukawa then shouted as she raised her sword, "Die!!!!!"

Rukawa glared at her, and in a second, he was in front of her, and pushing the end of his scythe against her stomach. She doubled over and held her stomach, her eyes blazing with fire. Rukawa snorted at her and muttered, "You aren't my real enemy. Get out of here."

"NEVER!!!!!!!" Eri righted her sword and jumped up in the air, a black orb being formed in front of her sword. With a whip, she sent the orb down towards Rukawa. She laughed, seeing that Rukawa had nowhere to run. "Die!!!! Die together with your stupid cousin and his angel lover!!!!! DIE!!!!!" The ball came closer and closer to Rukawa, and when the impact occurred, Eri was blown away by the wind, Death stood exactly where he was, Mitsui shielded his eyes, his arms enveloping Kogure, and Kogure, staring aghast at where Rukawa was. Eri laughed, seeing nothing but burnt soil where Rukawa was once standing. "Hahahahahahaha! That'll show you to never defy me! Hahahahaha-ack!" Eri looked down to her stomach and saw the edge of a scythe protruding from the center. Her eyes became glazed as she looked behind her. Her eyes widened as she gasped out, "H-how...?"

Rukawa stared back at her emotionlessly as he pulled his scythe away from her body. "I told you, I'll do anything to protect Hana, even if it means killing you."

Eri felt blood slide down the side of her mouth as she smiled up at Rukawa. "Hah...I don't think you'll be able to protect him at all." Then, with a cry, white light exploded from the wound in her stomach and she turned into dust. Rukawa sighed and landed back on the ground, the shield that he place around Mitsui and Kogure visibly showing itself. He stared at them. "You okay?"

Kogure nodded back, then his eyes widened when he saw something behind Rukawa. "Rukawa! ABUNAI!!!!"

But it was too late. The ball of energy hit Rukawa squarely on the back, sending him falling hard on the ground. When the smoke cleared, Rukawa had a big wound on his back, blood seeping all over his body. Kogure gasped and ran over to Rukawa's body, followed closely by Mitsui. Kogure looked at Rukawa's wound and shouted out, "Rukawa!!! Rukawa!!!! Shikarishite!!!!"

"It's no use." Death said in a soft tone, floating towards them with ease. Mitsui stepped over both Kogure and Rukawa's body, using himself as their shield. Death smiled at that and continued. "Even thought Kaede-sama is a strong demon, even he cannot stand up after being hit with my energy ball."

Mitsui drew out his scythe and charged forward. "Shut up!!!!"

Kogure looked up and shouted, "YAMETTE!!!!!!!!!!!!"

But it was too late. Death lifted his scythe up a little bit and a black orb was formed. Mitsui's scythe connected with it, the electricity coursing through his entire body, making his heart race and blood come out of newly formed wounds. He pushed against the orb more, then, he was shoved back, his body hitting the thick wall hard. Mitsui slumped to the ground, his shaky hands trying to pull himself up. "Yaro..."

Death snorted and moved towards Kogure. "It's futile to try to stop me." He glanced down at Kogure and lifted his scythe. "Satan-sama's orders were to eliminate you and that mortal. Thank you for playing your part in this fascinating tale." Death aimed his scythe down straight at Kogure, but a shield stopped it before it could touch Kogure's face. Death's eyes widened a he looked at the barrier. "What the-"

Kogure smirked and stood up, a sword forming itself on his right hand. "I may have lost most of my powers, but I still have enough." Then, with a war cry, Kogure broke through his barrier and aimed his sword at Death's head. Death saw that move coming and intercepted it, his scythe blocking Kogure's sword. Kogure drew back and quickly rained down blow after blow, not giving Death anytime to form another orb. He aimed at Death's feet, and when he saw Death lift himself off the ground and into the sky, he knew he was at a disadvantage.

Death chuckled down at Kogure. "It seems that you have lost your wings. Tsk, tsk." Then, with a swipe of his scythe, he sent a gigantic black orb towards Kogure. Kogure saw it coming, tried to block it with his sword and whatever was left of his energy, but it was too much. Kogure was pushed back by the force, slamming his head against the ground as he fell, blood matting his head as he released his sword.

Mitsui bit back the amount of blood that wanted to come out of his mouth as he stood up. "Min-kun!"

Death chuckled, seeing that Kogure wasn't dead yet. His chest was still rising and falling slowly. "You're a tough angel, you know that? Too bad you won't be so tough after this." Death raised his scythe, the edge of the blade glowing dark red and yellow.

Mitsui's eyes widened when he saw that. It was the move he saw when he was still young. That was the move Death made when he sliced that demons body in half. Mitsui stood up and ran towards Kogure, his legs shaky and the distance too wide. "Stop it!!!!!!!" He spread his wings, which were bloodied and bent because of the force sent towards him, and managed to shorten his distance.

Death laughed and brought his scythe down. "Ja ne."

Mitsui's eyes became teary as he reached out. "YAMERO!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A blinding light filled the entire stadium when Death's scythe made contact with his target. Mitsui's wings were bent even further, making him fall to the ground, his hands balled into fists as he cried out, "MIN-KUN!!!!!"

Death laughed his evil laugh, still not moving from his position. When the light finally faded away, he opened his eyes and looked down. Then, he gasped as he fell back, his eyes wide as he tried to say something, though nothing came out. His scythe-

-was blocked by Rukawa's scythe.

Death gasped and stared with disbelief at Rukawa. "Masaka!"

Rukawa glared up at him, his blue eyes becoming dark yellow with a certain light to it. Blood trickled down the side of his mouth, his arms matted with the wound from his back, but the power he had was still there. He pushed Death back as he slowly stood up, his aura slowly becoming bigger and bigger again as he murmured, "Attacking someone from behind is a very cowardly thing to do."

Mitsui looked up from the ground, saw Rukawa blocking Death's scythe from Kogure, and tried to stand up, the wound in his knees making it very difficult. "Kaede!"

Rukawa didn't even spare him a glance as he continued pushing Death back, his dark aura becoming 5 times his body size. "Take care of Kogure, Hisashi. I'll handle Death."

Death finally got his bearings back and stopped backing up as he too pushed his scythe against Rukawa's. He sneered. "How brave of you, Kaede-sama. But have you forgotten that a mere demon like yourself cannot beat me unless you have an angel by your side?"

Rukawa smirked back and pushed their scythes away from each other, their bodies in battle mode. "Don't care."

Death sighed as he drew his scythe back. "You asked for it." With that, Death smiled at Rukawa, then took a step back. Once he did that however, his entire body shifted, and before Rukawa could see what he had done, he was surrounded by what looked like 10 figures that all looked like Death. They all spoke at the same time as they started circling Rukawa, their scythe's flashing because of the sun. "Now, now, Kaede-sama...can you find me?" When they all finished saying that, a scythe was aimed straight at Rukawa's eyes, but Rukawa managed to block it, his heart ramming against his chest.

Rukawa cursed and turned around. Death was known for his magic and skill in the Underworld. He has never used it against another demon unless called for it, but Rukawa heard that no one has ever survived this technique once Death brought it out. When he saw 2 scythe's coming down at him, he blocked them both, though the other one managed to slice his shirt in half, making a small wound on his chest. Rukawa cursed.

Death chuckled happily and he circled around Rukawa even faster. "What's the matter, young prince? Scared?" With that, 4 scythes in all four corners of the circle came down. Rukawa blocked two, as one cut his upper arm deeply and the other his cheek.

Blood trickled down the side of Rukawa's face, but he remained passive, his eyes darting left and right, hoping to catch the real Death. Now he saw why no one has ever survived this technique before. This was a perfect assassinating technique meant for those who were about to die. There was no way to distinguish who the real Death was since you can't stare at his eyes because of the cloak, and they all moved and hurt you when they attack. Rukawa raised his sword, prepared for the next round of attacks.

Mitsui cradled Kogure's head in his arms and watched Rukawa struggle. He had to help him. Now that Kogure was out, he was the only one left. Mitsui place Kogure's head down to the ground, murmured an incantation under his breath for a barrier to form itself over Kogure, and stood up, his knees shaking. He took a step forward, and gasped when he felt immense pain travel up his left leg. He fell to the ground and grasped it tight, feeling tears fall down his face. Broken?! Of all times, why now?!

Rukawa saw 8 scythe's being brought down, and he expertly blocked 5, but three of them changed their course, each giving him wounds on the back, arms, and legs. Rukawa felt his vision becoming slightly blurry due to the loss of blood. The one on his back was the main reason. He could have summoned already his final technique, which was the 50 Orb Attack, but if only he didn't lose too much blood. He was getting weaker and breathless.

Just then, Death noticed the glazed look on Rukawa's face and backed away, the other figures following his lead. They all were still around Rukawa, only this time, they all had a small black orb in one hand. Rukawa breathed in and out rapidly, his eyes darting from one form to the other. Finally, the real Death smiled at Rukawa and said, "Good night, Kaede-sama." And with that, all 10 forms released the black orbs towards Rukawa, the energy making the ground crack and break up.

Rukawa place his sword in front of him, waiting for the blow. Just then, he saw Hanamichi's smiling face again and he smiled, feeling the hot air of the orb close in. Gomenasai, Hana...I wasn't able to protect you after all... The white light from the electricity became blinding that he had to close his eyes. When nothing happened, he cautiously peered up, and his eyes widened to the size of saucers.

There standing in front of him, was a certain redhead with black leather jeans, boots, and fitted black shirt. But that wasn't what shocked Rukawa. Hanamichi was holding a scythe with a determined look on his face, and on his back-

-were black wings with silver linings.

Rukawa gaped like a fish as Hanamichi turned to look at him and smiled that arrogant smile of his as he said the one last thing Rukawa expected to hear from him.

"You really are one stupid guy, you know that, Kitsune?"

TBC