Quick block with my gunbai. A dodged slash. Blocked roundhouse kick. An evasion of more slashes followed by a barrage of kicks. This fight is definitely more intense than our last bouts.

I jump in the air and prepare another downward slash with both of my weapons. Oren backflips and, upon landing, goes into a sprinting position, pushes off towards me, and prepares to kick me with full force. I lean to the side, pull my weapons from the ground, and dodge in the knick of time, causing Oren to go past me and kick the deteriorating timetables, shattering them into pieces.

I don't know how to describe him right now. He's not using whatever sped him up in our last fights. What's more, I cannot read his movements as before. He's abnormally reckless, fighting without restraint. And yet, he's more determined to win than ever before, having lost everything. It's like whatever reason he's had up to this point has been replaced with a desire to kill.

This isn't like him. This isn't Oren.

(He's silent. Why isn't he talking back?)

Oren kicks up some of the seats, then roundhouse kicks them in my direction. I cut half of them with my sword, Clarent, knocking the remaining ones away with my gunbai, Nobunaga.

Oren quickly looks around and, before I can get to him, he knocks down one of the lamp posts, causing it to crash down in my direction. I put my sword back into its sheath.

"Wind Drive: Tornado Slash!"

I slash the lamp posts into pieces with three separate jets of wind from Nobunaga. But before I can see past the dispersing parts...

Oren is right next to me, attempting to grab my sword!

I perform a horizontal swing with Nobunaga, knocking him backwards into one of the old trains. The air rings with crashing broken windows.

"I see now," he says, getting up, "looks like my assumption was correct. I don't know what's so special about that blade, but you can't use your rhime while wielding it, can you?"

!!!

(He's figured me out...Impressive...However...)

"Just because you know that, doesn't mean you can beat me."

He presses himself against the side of the train.

"At least I'm not the one hesitating," he retorts.

He pushes off the train's side with full force, from what I assume is his "Soul Conversion," causing the train to get lifts off its tracks and slam into the wall. He's moving too fast to dodge, so I block with my gunbai. He kicks it with full force, pushing me back two whole meters before I fly off the ground and collide with the wall behind me.

(Hesitating... Am I hesitating?)

I quickly get up, shrugging off the pain.

(What I've been waiting for this whole time, for so many years, is within my grasp. Why would I be hesitating!?)

Oren lets out a dark chuckle. So unlike him.

"You might act tough, but I think you have a heart. Or are you pitying me?"

!!!!!!

(Those words!... So similar to hers!)

I look at him again, and see the silhouette of the woman of my past. Oren's cloak reaching down to the same length as her dress. His now sinister smile changing to a more peaceful one, reminding me of hers. The little wind from the vents in this station causing his cloak to flow the same way her long, black hair used to. Why...why does this boy keep reminding me of her!?

"To think, someone who actually has a heart has caused me so much trouble." Oren says with a rather calm smile. "Why did things have to turn out this way?"

Although I cannot see his eyes, I know quite well what's going on.

He's crying.

"My home, my father, my friends, my sister, and even my best friend are all gone because of my mistakes. Mistakes that you were the source of, although you didn't participate directly. Why? Why must you get what you've longed for at the expense of everything somebody else treasured!?"

Those words... And that crying expression...

Yes...I remember.

Oren rushes at me and prepares to kick me once more. I get up and dodge all of his attacks. His kicks have now become sloppy, easy to read. Yes, he reminds me so much of her. Of everything. I have so many chances to hit Oren back, but I don't.

My mind flashes back to the past. Of struggles long ago. Struggles that got me to where I am now.

To lose family. I remember that all too well. My mother died in childbirth, and my father abandoned me at a young age because I would be "too expensive" to take care of. I grew up in an orphanage, alongside many other children. Being a wind tone, I looked younger than I was, so I fit in pretty well despite being twice as old as most of them. They became my family. My only family. Mary, our "mother," was always so patient with us. Perhaps patience runs in the bloodline of elves. And her daughter, Mai, was the one closest to me out of all of them. For years, my life of peace would continue, day after day, with nothing eventful happening.

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"Stop moving!!" I hear Oren yell.

I snap back to reality, and kick him in the chest, knocking him back and causing him to tumble down the stairs to the lower level of the station. I move to the top of the stairs and look down on him.

And remember her again.

I remember, I was 17 at the time. Twenty years since our encounter. She was on the ground, face first, collapsed in the mud on a rainy day. Mai and I rescued her and brought her to the orphanage. I was there, after she was cleaned up, fed, and rested, that I finally got a good look at her. Even compared to elves, her beauty was unmatched. Her voice would make my heart skip a beat with every word. I cared for Mai, that much I couldn't deny, but I never felt like this towards a woman before. At the time, she was around 16. Yet, she had this mature air about her. Perhaps, it was because of the sorrow in her eyes.

She spent much of her time avoiding most of us, but refused to leave or even tell where she came from. She spoke very little. She often looked to the sky, pondering something.

After a few days of her staying with us, I approached her.

"Is there something I could help you with?" I asked her that day.

She backed up, scared.

"I don't wish to hurt you, I just want to know you better. And help you if I can."

I reached out to her. Again she backed away.

But when she looked into my eyes, she reacted as if she was looking at herself in a mirror. She seemed to hate herself.

I then chose to walk towards her, my hand stretched out. But this time, I closed my eyes.

"I don't know what it is you're afraid of, but I will try my best to shield you from it. While you're here, you're family, and family has to be there for one another."

She stopped backing up when I said that.

"Family..." she said quietly. It would seem that this word was the cause of her worry.

"Or...perhaps friends, if family doesn't suit you." I add.

I open my eyes, and see her looking at me with more curiousity than fear. She walks up to me and takes my hand, weakly shaking it, saying "friends."

Since that day, we began to talk more and more, and she became less distant and more cheerful, more outgoing, and even more of a sister to all of us than anybody could have imagined as the years went by. She told me so much about her during this time. Her name was Keire Kagami, a descendant of the ruling family of the Illusion tone from Decalone, the city consisting solely of her kind. A kingdom ruled by theocracy. She ran away from an arranged marriage. For years, she hid with us. Became a sister and mother to us. And, although I couldn't prove it, fell in love with me. I remember Mai and Keire becoming rivals to an extent because of this.

"Soul Conversion 5...BEAT!" I hear Oren yell.

He runs up the stairs at full speed, snaps off one of the railings, and uses it as a sword substitute. His technique could use a little work, but he's still got some accurate attacks.

Just like her.

During my years with her, she told me everything about her homeland. Her people believe, and even teach, their children that they are superior because "the Rhoken chose them." Her people are quite intelligent, and, despite looking the same, are all fair in appearance. They are also physically weak and magically strong. Her illusion rhime allowed her to move at an abnormally fast pace, much like the electric tones. Or rather, electric rhime speeds up the thinking process, which electric tones utilize to increase their body's motor functions, while illusion tones speed up the body directly. As she wanted to learn more about all rhime tones, she chose to immerse herself in studying what she could. And this started her training with me.

When she ran away from home, she took Clarent, her family's heirloom. And it was this weapon that she sparred with. When she began, she was possibly the worst fighter I had ever seen, but with each year, she improved. And with each year, we became closer. She specialized in swordsmanship with an occasional kick, much like Oren.

Much like Oren now.

He's beginning to knock my gunbai back more and more with each kick.

"Wind Drive: Tornado Barrier!"

I spin around to knock Oren away. Much like I occasionally did while sparring with Keire. Perhaps that's why I'm holding back. I see this as a sparring match.

Or perhaps, my reasons for revenge are also holding me back.

Seeing Oren in pain reminded me of something important I forgot about Keire. She had issues with hypotension, and fainted regularly from syncope. Perhaps that's why she wanted to become stronger. To not look like a hindrance to the rest of us.

And I remember that conversation we had, almost 17 years ago, when she was 21 years of age. The day she told me everything.

"The main reason I oppose this arranged marriage is that I have no feelings for my husband-to-be. He's selfish, arrogant, with possibly every kind of personality flaw you could imagine. That's why I ran away from home with Clarent, which was to be a form of dowry. If I do marry, I want it to be for love."

"I understand how you feel. We orphans may not have any true families, but even we know that a family not built around love and trust is no family at all."

"That's why, I have a selfish request. Please, marry me!"

"WHAT!?"

"Your apperance cannot fool me, I know you're a wind tone. And that aside, you're my closest friend! No, my love interest! Please, be with me! Run away with me! Be the family I wish to have!"

Although it took me aback, I couldn't deny how happy I was when I heard those words. I agreed without question, and we planned to run away together once everything was finalized.

But then, things took a turn for the worst.

On the day we were to run away, we held a secluded wedding of our own. Away from the other orphans. Away from everyone.

But we weren't alone.

That day, a handsome man with short black hair and a scowl beyond that of hatred intruded on our ceremony. I didn't even need to know his name to tell who he was. He was supposed to be Keire's former fiance. I learned that he was very wealthy. I remember that he went so far as to "pay lowlifes" that would end up becoming many of the rich men of New Vegas to track Keire down by offering them wealth beyond their imagination. These men obeyed without question, and attempted to take Keire from me. He even proclaimed that Clarent was more important to him than Keire, as Clarent was a symbol of power, while Keire, being the one with hypotension, was nothing more than a "useless weakling of a woman" in his eyes. It was at this moment that Keire took up Clarent and attempted to fight the men off. Much to my surprise, this man was rather weak, and was easily overpowered. And it's for this reason that he resorted to a cheap trick.

He threatened to destroy the orphanage and everyone who resided there.

And that's when everything went downhill.

Keire stood there, frozen in fear, and looked emotionally torn. Our marriage or the lives of the rest of our family. I too was unable to make a move when this came about. But even though we hadn't made a decision...

Those with this illusion tone set the orphanage aflame.

Before giving our answers, we fought past this man and his thugs to get to the orphanage. We didn't have to see what was going on to know what was happening. The screams of children. The blood on the windows. We knew what they were doing.

And, as cruel as fate was that day, this was when Keire weakened.

We turned around to see the fiance and his thugs, and I saw Keire prepare to stand her ground. But before she could make a move, she collapsed from fatigue, but remained conscious. It was then that one of the thugs, Dives I believe, punched her in the stomach, knocking her out and causing her to drop Clarent. The sights around me, the loss of everything, all because of wealth and power, was too much for me. I took up Clarent, and recklessly attempted to fight back. I managed to wound many of the thugs, but they weren't my goal. I noticed that, when I tried channeling my wind rhime holding Clarent, my hands felt like they were on fire, but I didn't care. I cared little about physical pain. I wouldn't let them take Keire away. Not when she was the only family I had left! I was eventually pinned down and was about to be executed...

Until he showed up. Until Dodge showed up.

He was much younger back then, but still just as capable a fighter as he is now. He single-handedly fought off the thugs, allowing me to break free. It was then I took up Clarent...and stabbed the fiance in the heart. My first ever kill. The day I became a murderer. I looked over to where Keire was, but she and the thugs were nowhere to be found. They took her from me. I lost her. My love. Forever. Dodge and I attempted to rescue any survivors from the fire, but the only person we could save was Mai. She was hurt because of me. And it was because of this illusion tone. I looked into the thugs' activities and learned that they returned Keire to the illusion tones for large compensations of money. Illusion tones and power. Power and greed. Greed and wealth. It was then that I swore to hate the illusion tones and make the wealthy who abuse their power pay. It was then that I swore my allegiance to Dodge. Even though I have not always agreed with him, I have been by his side as a friend and mercenary ever since. I am a killer, a heartless killer.

But my memories of Keire hold me back. She would tell me not all illusion tones are the same, and she was living proof of that. She would tell me that not all of the rich are the same, as she came from a royal family. She contradicted everything I fight for, and yet I cannot let my memories of her go. She was my contradiction.

He is my contradiction.

I focus back on the fight with Oren, who is continuing to pressure me to the best of his abilities. I cannot seem to bring myself to fight him at full strength. I don't know if he is an illusion tone, but his personality alone is enough to sway my motivation to kill him. If he could see my face through my mask, what kind of expression would he see? I'm so confused and torn, even I don't know what expression I would see.

"ADIOS!!!" Oren yells, landing on the ground and beginning to spin around, preparing for a powerful flare kick.

I've been reminiscing too long, and let my guard down.

The flare kick hits me straight in the face, knocking away my mask and...

Kin! Kin!

My star pendant falls from my neck.

And, of all times, I remember one last thing about the first time Keire and I became friends.

"I am Keire Kagami," she said to me, "and you are?"

"Turbulent. My name is Hisashi Turbulent."