Every strand of hair on my body stood up as my eyes met the unusual dull hazel that was Azumi's left eye. I tried to react, move away, do something, anything, but Azumi was quicker, much quicker. Her hand wrenched out towards me in a blur of motion, and before I knew what was going on, I felt her perfectly shaped nails digging into my forearm, piercing skin and flesh, as she grabbed on tightly. Her grip was strong, stronger than anything I had ever felt in my life, so strong that my bones fractured, bending inwards from her sheer strength.

I didn't even have time to react to the pain, because she pulled me towards her immediately and once again I was subject to her overwhelming strength. My entire being jolted towards her as she spun me in front as though I was made of paper. She locked me into place and the motion suddenly ceased causing the air to leave my lungs. The rollercoaster ride didn't come close to preparing me for the force Azumi used on me.

Cold, razor sharp metal touched the skin of my neck and I glanced down to see a curved blade the size of a small sword pressing into my neck. I gasped, as her movements stopped, and the pain came flooding like a giant tidal wave uncovering multiple waves of pain. First, it was my forearm, Azumi was holding on tightly to keep me in place, and the sharp pain of her nails digging into skin and flesh was the first layer of pain at the forefront of my mind.

Second, the sensitivity of my fractured bones emphasised by the deathly grip she had on my forearm became the middle layer, throbbing intensely in pain. It was like the worst bruise I've ever had in my life, only ten folds worse and imagine having someone squeeze it with all their strength, although I doubted Azumi was using all her strength. Lastly, as though to ensure that my mind couldn't escape the pain, the curved knife at my throat sliced my skin as she pressed on, threatening to push the blade into my vocal cords by less than an inch.

"R-Ryo!"

I heard Luna's voice, but it was hard to see when your brain was screaming inside your head. All I could think about was the pain, but despite all this, my body seemed to recognise the bigger threat of death that Azumi presented. I didn't dare to move a muscle or struggle against her.

"If you move, I'll slice your head right off." Azumi whispered into my ear, reaffirming my thoughts. All traces of emotion or personality she showed to me earlier seemed to have disappeared completely. She was standing behind me, using my body as a shield against Luna.

"L-Let go of Ryo!" That was Mayu's voice. Mayu jumped down from the ledge, a look of serious concern and worry, which was unusual for her. I guess that only highlighted how serious she took Azumi. "P-please, Azumi!"

Azumi raised an eyebrow seeing Mayu. "So what they say is true after all, Mayu. You've betrayed us?" Azumi's voice was soft but toneless, reminding me eerily of Kaori. "Is that right?"

Mayu went silent, but her eyes searched Azumi, desperately trying to find a way to turn the situation around. Luna was doing something similar but I could see her eyes looking beyond Azumi and at her surroundings instead.

"No matter." Azumi said, she turned her eyes to Luna and for the first time, emotions flashed on her face. Her grip on me softened, and so did her face.

"L-Luna... please come back to Asahikawa." Azumi's voice held a pleading tone, somewhat compassionate, despite the fact that she was threatening a knife to my throat. "I don't want to fight you..." She said softly.

"Let go of him, Azumi!" Luna said angrily. "You're hurting him!"

Azumi glanced down at my forearm and noticed all the dark blood trickling down and the state of my bones. I felt her grip loosen even more, and I exhaled painfully.

"Humans are so weak." Azumi said. "I just wanted to grab him, and his bones crushed so easily."

"Y-you could had tried to do it more softy!" Mayu said, wincing at the sight of my forearm.

"I couldn't afford to take any chances when I saw Luna." Azumi said. "Besides, what does it matter if one person dies? I killed a couple dozens just on my way here."

Even though Azumi's grip on my forearm relaxed, the knife at my throat did not move at all. The blade was incredibly sharp, it felt as though one swift stroke was all it would take to cut my head clean off.

"Azumi..." Luna called out cautiously, staring at my neck. "Please let him go..."

Azumi looked surprised, hearing the sincerity in Luna's words. "You really care about him that much?" She asked.

"Yes." Luna said. "I'll do anything you say. So please, don't hurt him."

"Come back to Asahikawa with me then." Azumi said. "We all missed you..." She added in a quieter tone.

I stared at Luna waiting for her response and so did Mayu. Luna was silent for a while.

Luna nodded her head. "Okay. I will go back with you."

I felt my heart drop.

"L-Luna..." Mayu said.

Azumi's face brightened up at Luna's response. Her grip loosened on me completely and she pushed me aside, the blade sliding across my neck like a deep paper cut as blood splashed with the motion of her knife.

"Argh..." I groaned, holding onto my neck as I fell down sideways into the ground. The pain was etching across every corner of my mind but I strained to keep my eyes open to watch what would happen. "D-don't go..." I croaked, staring up at Luna.

Luna glanced down at me, worry on her face.

"Let's go now, Luna." Azumi smiled happily, as she made a move to withdraw her curved knife. "The others will be very happy to—"

Luna rushed at Azumi at an incredible speed, surprising Azumi, Mayu and me. A blade shot out from her left hand and I realised that she had been holding her switchblade under the sleeves of her jumper all along. It took less than a second before Luna appeared before Azumi, slashing out violently at her neck.

Azumi swung her body backwards, narrowly avoiding Luna's blade by a hair width. She jumped backwards into the air and landed a safe distance away from Luna.

"L-Luna..." Azumi raised a hand to her neck, her voice shaky. "You said—"

"I lied." Luna said tonelessly, then she turned to me and smiled. "I would do anything except to leave you, Ryo."

Mayu ran to where I was, leaning down quickly to look at my wounds. "It's okay, Ryo. You're going to be okay." She breathed, ripping the sleeves off her shirt. She wrapped the fabric around my neck and arm, pushing down against it to stop the flow of blood. I groaned as she pushed down, the pain was mind numbing.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Azumi's face went dark, her eyes hiding behind her hair. Her hands were clenched into fists by her side. "Luna..." Azumi pulled her knife backwards and she lowered herself slowly into a fighting position. "I knew it wasn't going to be easy to bring you back." She said.

Luna also braced herself into a fighting stance, her switchblade poised behind her. Her face looked serious and cold, and something in her eyes sent off a murderous vibe.

"M-Mayu..." I coughed, trying to raise myself up to get a better view. Mayu helped me up gently. "Is Luna going to be alright?" I said.

"It's..." Mayu glanced at Azumi and shook her head. "It's going to be hard."

"W-what?!" I said. "What number is Azumi?"

"Number 4." Mayu said. "But she could be strong enough to be higher."

"B-but Luna's number 1?!" I said. "How can Azumi beat her?"

"The truth is..." Mayu sighed. "Luna's gotten weaker... since she met you."

At that moment, Azumi took the first step of the fight, charging forward with her curved knife. My eyes couldn't catch up with her at all. She was lightning fast, as fast as Luna or maybe even moreso, I couldn't tell. In no time, she was in front of Luna, throwing a frenzied assault at her vital organs. Azumi's blade shot out in awkward angles, made only more confusing by the curviness of her knife.

Luna parried the attacks with difficulty, her teeth clenched tight as Azumi forced her backwards. There was hair and blood flying in the air as Azumi's knife swept dangerously close to Luna, pecking at her body. Some of the attacks Luna could dodge, some caught her by the skin or hair as she swung her head out of the way.

Luna lifted her switchblade to block an attack on her face. CLANG. Azumi's blade struck Luna's switchblade, knocking it aside, and Luna stepped back as Azumi's blade sliced the skin of her cheeks. A long horizontal cut on Luna's cheeks was visible, bleeding slightly.

"L-Luna!" I winced seeing the blood dripping from her cheek. I turned to Mayu, pleading. "Mayu, can't you help Luna?"

"I'll try..." Mayu stood up from me, exhaling. She pulled her dagger out from behind her and leaped forward, running at Azumi from her side.

Azumi glanced sideways at Mayu, her face emotionless. Mayu's dagger whirled out in front of her as she spun her body into the dance-like fighting style she used. Azumi parried the attack, while lashing out at Luna, simultaneously attacking and defending at the same time. Each time Mayu stuck out her dagger, Azumi would parry with one swift motion aimed at both Luna and Mayu.

"S-shit..." I mouthed, seeing Azumi continue to push back against both Luna and Mayu. For some reason, it didn't seem like Luna and Mayu were coordinating properly together. I guess that was because of their dislike for each other.

Luna threw a slash with her switchblade aimed at Azumi's throat and Azumi swept her head under the attack. The blade zipped past Azumi's head and swung into Mayu's neck. Mayu stopped her motion, disrupting her dance as she leaned back to avoid the attack. Azumi used the opportunity to slash Mayu's waist, spilling blood as her curved knife found its target.

Mayu yelped, falling backwards into the ground and she clutched onto her waist in pain. Azumi rushed at her to finish the job, stabbing her knife into Mayu's head. The knife dug into the ground as Mayu rolled sideways, narrowly avoiding. Mayu quickly bounced back up on her feet, just in time to deflect Azumi's blade from her head.

Luna ran in to Azumi's side and shot her blade forward, stabbing into Azumi's waist, but missed by less than an inch as Azumi spun her body around to deliver a slash as she came back to face Luna. The attack pushed Luna backwards, forcing her on her heels as she defended with her switchblade, wincing as she did so.

Mayu sidestepped into Azumi's back to attempt a sneak attack on the back of Azumi's neck, but without even turning back, Azumi kicked her leg backwards, surprising Mayu and hitting her right in the centre of her stomach. Mayu coughed out blood as she flew into the air, crashing into the wall with a loud THUD. Debris broke off the wall as she collided.

"M-Mayu!" I yelled, straining my voice despite the cut on my neck. The adrenaline from watching the fight made the pain feel distant. I wanted desperately to help out, but I knew there was nothing I could do. My eyes could barely catch onto their movements.

Luna and Azumi continued battling it out while I hobbled over to check on Mayu. She was sitting on the ground, her back against the wall and was out stone cold. Blood dribbled down her chin, as well as down from the gash by the side of her waist. The wall behind her had cracked from the impact of her body hitting against it, which showed how much strength Azumi had thrown into that kick. I flinched seeing her condition and tried my best to stop her blood loss while watching the fight.

Luna and Azumi were now by the marble staircase in the centre of the room. Azumi's back was against the railing, and she jumped backwards, landing elegantly onto the railings before flipping back forwards into the air to unleash a whirlwind assault on Luna. Luna's shoulder was caught by Azumi's blade and Luna flinched, retaliating with her own attack to try to catch Azumi off guard as she was landing.

Azumi fended the attack mid-air, and landed perfectly before throwing her knife across at Luna's face. Luna blocked the attack with her switchblade, creating a loud CLANG as the blades collided. This time Luna held her guard and she slid her switchblade across Azumi's knife to reach Azumi's face. The switchblade made a screeching noise as it slid on Azumi's knife, and Azumi released the tension between the blades causing Luna to miss her target as her switchblade stabbed harmlessly into the air besides Azumi's head.

Azumi threw her head forwards, headbutting Luna's forehead. Luna stumbled backwards, dazed by the attack and Azumi snapped her knife into Luna's stomach. The knife slid in, piercing flesh and splattering blood as the blade dug deeper and deeper. Luna gasped and her hands went onto the handle of Azumi's knife as Azumi pushed the knife completely into her stomach using both her hands.

"L-LUNA!" I screamed, my heart pounding against my chest.