this is why i shouldn't be left alone, bored

     Foot-steps softly pattered behind me. It wasn’t like I couldn’t hear the movement, I just didn’t think anything of it at the time. Whoever was behind me stayed that way, just standing there. Waiting. Watching. I didn’t say anything until I finished my chocolates and then took in a deep breath. 

     “Do you need something?” I asked. There was no sound in response.. Giving a sigh, I began to get up, the faint sound of a blade being unsheathed catching my attention. I turned my head and my body reacted before my mind did, saving my life entirely. But the blade did not miss my flesh entirely, cutting across my cheek. 

     Stepping back with a yelp, I began to unsheathe my own sword in response to my attacker. Only to sheathe it back in place, disbelief settling over me. 

     “Brother?” I asked, blinking a few times and wiping away the blood. Hanzo did not answer me in words, but merely slashed again, another cut going across my face. “Hanzo! What are you-” 

     Another cut, this one digging deep into my side, but still missing as I dodge. My reactions are dulled. It’s something I wasn’t understanding. My own brother… my elder brother… 

     “Hanzo!” I try to ask again, but am forced to draw out my wakizashi blade and deflect what would have been a lethal hit. “What the hell are you-?” 

     “Fight back,” was the demand he gave me. He couldn’t even look me in the eyes. 

     “I cannot,” I murmur softly, lowering my blade. His hands grip tighter on the katana’s handle, a snarl coming to his lips. 

     "That wasn’t a question! I said fight back!” Hanzo hissed and slashed across my shoulder shoulder, making me cry out and stumble back. He look at him, bewildered. I know we had argued this morning over me stepping up in the Clan but… surely he wouldn’t… He… Hanzo wouldn’t… 

     “No,” I reply, my voice trembling. Hanzo lets out a growl and slashed forward, across my left arm, my blade barely deflecting him from cutting open my belly. He let out another pained gasp, gritting my teeth. 

     "Fight or die!” he snapped, raising his blade high, his jaw tightly shut, muscles completely tense and shaking. Blade hits rock softly as I drop my weapon and remove my katana from my back, letting it fall gently next to me. Hanzo begins to tremble a little more. 

     “You are my brother, Hanzo,” I murmur softly, opening my arms a little and taking a step towards him. He slashes across my face again with both steps I take towards him. 

     “Pick up your blade and fight!” he hisses. Another slash to my slide as he darts to grab my katana and unsheathes it, tossing it at me. I catch it, of course. But I cannot fight back, the blade dipping down. “You are dishonoring our Clan, not stepping up and doing your job.” 

     “It is not my-” I begin to protest. 

     “It is your duty! You disobey the Clan and you dishonor it by refusing to take part of your family. You sit around and tarnish the Shimada name through the dirt with the way you act and all that you do!” Hanzo snapped, his voice raising with frustration. “Why… Why can’t you just do as asked for once?!” 

     I stand there for a moment, looking down at my blade. So this was it. 

     “You and I, we can rule an empire together,” he went on. He raises his gaze to look me in the eyes. “We could-” 

     “No,” I interrupt. “That is not something I wish to take part of.” 

     Hanzo goes silent again and puts both hands to his katana. I raise my chin and look at him. 

     “Hanzo… we are brothers. I grew up with you. We played here in this yard, trained in the dojo together. We learned how to use these swords of ours together, having each other’s back,” I state softly. His sword begins to lower and I take another step towards him, dropping my own. “Must we really kill others and bring all this death around to our country? Deal out illegal items to make people suffer? Is that what you really want to do?” 

     “You…” he begins, but stops. 

     “I am your brother, Hanzo. You are my elder brother… please…” I hold out my arms. 

     Pain.

     That’s all that I could feel. Pain and betrayal. He moved before I knew what was happening. I looked down to see his katana directly in my abdomen. From the way it felt, it passed all the way through. I gave a shuddery gasp and coughed, a bit of blood finding its way up. 

     “Hanzo…” I gasp softly. I let out a pained scream as he twists the blade. I hear a pop and my legs give out. The blade travels farther upwards as my weight crashes down onto it. My hands grip onto Hanzo, trembling. “Brother… I-I…” 

     He shoves me off and I fall to the ground, wheezing softly. Pain… and heaviness. I look over and reach for my blade, pushing myself over weakly. 

     Betrayal. 

     I grip onto my sword and look up at Hanzo, who is staring down at me. I grit my teeth and suck in a deep breath. 

     “Ryujin no ken wo k-” my sword might have started to glow, but I was unable to finish as I feel my right arm come completely off, the blade passing through skin, muscle and bone..  

     Pain. That’s all I can feel. I feel my own blade on my left shoulder, but all I feel is pain. 

     And then more pain that stops my howling, my eyes widening and looking up at my elder brother, my vision growing dark and hazy. 

     “H-Han…zo…” I whimper soflty, holding onto the blade, blood dripping down the metal of the katana. I feel … water drip down onto my cheeks. Was it raining…? "Dai... su... ki. Nii…. san…” 

     My vision goes black, the last thing in my vision being my brother, removing his sword and backing up, a horrified look on his face. And then…

     White.