The Rule of Two: Execution

The Coming of Age
The sky was a bright grey color as the equally reflected shade of the boat floated along the waters of the vast Pacific Ocean. Off in the distance was a thin strip of land nearly 6 miles long, and near it's edge rested a great mountain that was circular in shape, and had a very wide and flat top. The island was rather lush and green, but no trees could be seen.

On the boat rested three passengers with a single driver. They had been at sea for nearly a day, yet they all appeared to be rather calm and normal. The most notable of them was the large, indian pose sitting Kafiezial, his position remaining the same since they had left Okinawa. His eyes remained closed as he spoke to the other male passenger.

"Iwo Jima is it now? I never thought we'd be coming back to this place again." he said with a calm tone.

"Me, neither...." Qilin commented, his arms folded across his chest and one of his legs shifted over the other. His raven hair gently billowed in the light winds being created by both the travel as well as the environment around them. "I honestly thought we would end up someplace else. But I almost forgot that we had this place..." He turned his head towards the silent Evelyn, giving an encouraging look and smile. "Sorry if you just turned in over there. None of us were expecting the welcome party the Black Wolf gave us to turn up, so...."

"It's fine...." Evelyn answered smoothly. "I've always been a nomadic woman when it comes to life, so there's really no change."

"The life of a nomad tends to leave one better connected with the world." Kafiezial added to no one in particular.

He then opened one of his eyes and looked in Qilin's direction. "I'm going to assume that you haven't come back here since the time that we finished forging Surebachi's interior?" he said, his voice not changing.

Qilin shook his head. "Nope." He admitted, leaning over the boat in order to get a better view of the approaching island. "Never thought I'd needed to use it again ever since that...."

Evelyn's expression took on a surprised composure. "Surebachi...?" She repeated in question, "looking" over at the two for an explanation.

Kafiezial opened both eyes and looked in Evelyn's direction. "Surebachi is the mountain on Iwo Jima. About a century or so ago, Qilin and I, along with several others, reconstructed the interior of the mountain to house a sort of "training area." Here we fought and practiced, or just outright fooled around."

He chuckled slightly at his next sentance. "The unique thing about it is that we designed the mountain's interior to have a sort of "time warp" effect to it via methods that I would rather not explain. It would take days just to explain how it started. But Surebachi's interior completley dispells the effects of time. You could stay in there for a year and only a day will have passed in real time."

"I wanted to use it in the case that I couldn't satisfy a certain time limit under normal conditions." Qilin added. "The inner workings have a certain pattern and concentration of spiritrons within. These spiritrons within the dominating presence of the atoms in the Material World are influenced and warped to the point where their presence can alter the very area's "sense" of time. Just a mistake turned into one of the greatest inventions created...."

"So I hear...." Evelyn commented, giving an appropriate nod. "Will there be anything there to undo the damage to my arm? Although I can risk fighting with one hand, I prefer not to."

"Last I checked there was a medical area somewhere in that mountain." Kafiezial said, his eyes closed as he retained his meditave pose. "We'll fix it as soon as we get there, you have my word." he said in his signature calm voice. Clearly he cared for Evelyn's well being, but it wasn't to a deep extent. His attitude was one of friendliness, he cared for all that he considered his friends.

"Thank you..." Evelyn said softly.

Right as the words left her mouth, the boat landed on the shore of the island, Mt. Surebachi just a little ways from them. Kafiezial then stood himself up. "Well we'd better get moving, I hear a storm coming." he said as he began to walk off of the boat and onto the greyish colored sands.

Slowly, Evelyn stood up from the boat, picking up her staff in her lone hand as she did so. She hopped off, her sandals landed on the sandy grounds of the island. Qilin followed suit with a more jubilant air, letting out a whistle as he stretched. He turned back towards the driver, giving a wave.

"All right, thanks for the ride!" He exclaimed, to which the driver gave an acknowledging nod. With the passengers evacuated, he gunned the boat again and drove off, the vehicle making its away across the waters and away from the island.

As the trio trecked up towards the entrance to the bottom of the mountain, Kafiezial stopped and looked up to the top of the mountain and watched the American flag gently flowing with the wind. "I'm glad we didn't take that down." he said to Qilin, who was behind him. "It gives the mound a strange sense of...freedom."

"What...?" Because Evelyn couldn't see, it was natural that she would inquire as to what they were referring to.

"The American flag." Qilin answered. "I'm surprised it's still lasting with the times, long as it's been...." He folded his hands behind his back, a slightly innocent look on his face. "Hope that this won't be an exception, though...."

The Visored then came up to a large boulder in the side of the mountain facing them that looked as if it was obviously placed to block an entrance. "We really have been away from here for a long time..." he said as he used his right hand to push the boulder out of the way with little effort, making the large rock roll to the side just enough to where they could all get inside. Kafiezial moved out of the way and allowed the othe two to enter first.

"Ladies first."

Qilin grinned, stepping aside for Evelyn to enter. As she walked by him, she stopped to give him an acknowledging nod before stepping inside. He followed in afterwards, knowing that Kafezial would just trail behind them.

As he continued to walk, his eyes couldn't help but drift to the woman that was walking in front of him. Although the kimono she wore was nonetheless made not to show off anything, he couldn't help but note the curves of her hips and legs as she walked. The split in the bottom of her kimono that showed off part of her leg wasn't helping his thoughts. Idly, he wondered if Kafezial hung in the back, knowing that Qilin would suffer.

However, he kept his cool composure, eventually drifting his gaze to the side.

Kafiezial then let his crow fly into the cave along with them before rolling the boulder back into place. The hall would have been completley darkened had it not been for the glowing blue light balls that appeared to be that of a lightning bug when viewed from afar.

"Not like this is going to stop him, but oh well."

As he thought to himself, Kafiezial slowly followed the other two companions. His crow quickly flew off of his shoulder in exchange for that of Evelyn's right shoulder, gently perching on her with it's body facing the direction that she was walking in.

"How does it not dig its claws into her shoulder while it's doing that?" Qilin wondered, watching the crow's movements as it landed on the woman's shoulder. She didn't show much reaction to it, seemingly expecting the movement of the animal. If the crow was truly digging its talons into her shoulder, she wasn't showing any emotion or reacting in any manner. She could certainly put on a mask when she wanted to.

The Visored then came closer to the duo and eventually he passed them both, reaching and putting his left hand on a stone shaped door. With a blue glow, the wall disappeared and revealed a surprisingly advanced medical room with various pieces of equipment. Kafiezial then looked back to Evelyn and Qilin.

"Here is where we can get your arm patched up." he said to Evelyn, before turning his attention to Qilin. "I assume you remember how this stuff works?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't start talking to me as if I have Alzheimer's." Qilin muttered. "I'm not an old geezer...." He folded his arms across his chest, walking over to stand beside Evelyn as she remained silent.

"Not like me you aren't." Kafiezial humorously added, slightly amused at his friend's annoyance.

"Will you be going somewhere?" Qilin questioned him, looking over in his direction. "We'll need at least one person to oversee this and make sure everything's going perfectly. I mean...." He shrugged nonchalantly. "It's no big deal if you're busy, though...."

Kafiezial held up his left hand to stop the man's words, his voice reassuring. "Don't worry. I'm here to stay until this mess is all resolved."

As they talked, Qilin looked out of the corner of his eye. Evelyn had her face turned away from them, politely trying to stay out of the conversation. He shifted his face towards her, a sheepish smile on his face and a hand scratching the back of his head. "I'm sorry about this. I normally have Tamafune tend to this kind of stuff, considering you're both female and all, but time is of the essence."

Evelyn turned her face towards him in return, quirking an eyebrow at him. "It's just my arm. There's no need to worry about an issue such as privacy, is there?"

"Well...."

Qilin's shoulder's sagged, his voice trailing off as he looked for the right words to say. He turned his gaze towards Kafezial, aware of how he acted around the likes of women. "Kafezial, do you mind giving us a moment to talk between each other?"

"Sure..."

Without another word, the Visored vanished from view, his crow now flying off of Evelyn's shoulder and off into the back of the cave.

"Now, then..."

Qilin turned towards Evelyn, who had taken to sitting on the bed with one leg shifted over the other. He folded his hands within his sleeves, his eyes closed. "I called Kafezial out of the room because he'd be too much of a...well...gentleman, to ask directly." He explained, one eye opening as he approached her. "Matter of fact, I'm not really sure that he'd be too thrilled in what I'm about to ask you."

"Which would be...?" His light and casual tone, despite his words, was making Evelyn a bit wary.

"Aside from your arm..."

Reappearing outside of the cave, the Visored leaned up against the wall and crossed his arms, his crow flying around the island aimlessly.

''Ah Qilin. You never cease to amaze me...''

His thoughts trailed off as he looked to the distance and saw a shadowy figure, letting his crow land on his left shoulder like Evelyn did to it previously.

Whoosh....

Letting the crow fly off, the figure Flash Stepped in front of the unstartled Kafiezial, his black trenchcoat drifting behind him as he looked up to the Visored with an almost sheepish face.

"...Master."

It only took several seconds.

In those few seconds, however, a miracle had taken place. Visually, it seemed to have come right out of a horror movie.

Evelyn's stump of an arm first started to bubble like a liquid. Then, skin, muscle, and bone began to stretch out in a wild and frantic manner as if trying to escape her body. At first, it looked like only thickened strands of flesh lumping together. However, once those strands merged, they began to expand to the width and length of her arm. The muscle and bone were sealed under smooth skin, and it wasn't long before the hand and fingers formed. Within an extremely short time, every thing was back into place aside from the sleeve that had been torn off.

Qilin grinned, clearly pleased with his work. He stepped back, allowing the woman to work out her arm and test it. "There! Good as new, as if it had never been cut off in the first place!" He exclaimed. "I'm certain there won't be any issues in the long run... unless, of course, you end up getting it cut off again..."

"I'm not foolish enough to make the same mistake twice." Evelyn said simply, resting her healed arm in her lap. "But, thanks for the concern." She allowed herself to slowly get off of the bed, grabbing her staff and holding it in its usual standing position.

"Right..." Folding his arms across his chest, Qilin turned away from her. "Like I said, the offer's still up whenever you decide to come back. I can understand you're probably not comfortable at this particular time, and that's fine. But... do make sure you decide and not leave me out of the loop, kay?" His last words were said with a rather joking tone, and it made Evelyn smile a little.

"Of course..."

"Now, then, let's get to Kafezial... the poor guy probably felt like he's been waiting for hours..."

"...You seem to have grown boy."

Kafiezial's position hadn't changed as he began to converse with his former apprentice. His eyes were half-lidded slits and his arms were crossed as he leaned against the rock wall, his voice calm and collected as usual. Rushifa stood straight up while looking up at his towering master.

"I have to grow up sometime, don't I?" he said while letting a slight smile crack his face.

"Have you grown though?" Kafiezial said back, retaining his pose. "From what I see before me, you're still the lost and confused boy that came to me years ago."

Rushifa's face then became sheepish once more and he looked down, his voice solemn. "Look, about what I've been doing..."

His master cut him off before he could say anymore. "You've been on quite the killing spree, from what I've heard." he said with his same voice. "I guess you really are lost now. Did my teachings tell you nothing?"

"They taught me to find my own path." Rushifa added, still looking down. "I thought that I was on the right path. I thought that making them all suffer for their ways was my destiny. Trying to change the world for the better...but...." He then looked up towards Kafiezial with a slightly less sheepish face. "...something's come up now, and I find my resolve hindered further."

The Visored chuckled slightly, the look in his apprentice's eyes gave it all away. "You love her, don't you?"

Rushifa's eyes widened in surprise to his master's ability to read his face as if hearing his own thoughts, but it went back to a calm and somewhat happy voice. "I've never met anyone like her in my life. Temari I cared for sure, but Brina is just...."

"She has an affect on people. Let's leave it at that." the Visored said in good humor. He then looked down at his apprentice with a serious glare afterwords. "I know why you're here Rushifa."

His apprentice gave an equally serious look. "When you start a storm..."

"...you have to finish it." Kafiezial finished, putting his right hand on the boulder guarding the cave entrance. "Maybe there is hope for you yet." he said as he pushed the boulder aside, revealing Rushifa's form to whoever could see from the inside. "Go ahead. Just try not to hurt Qilin any."

"Thank you, master." Rushifa said as he looked into the cave, his form standing straight up and his trenchcoat flying around behind him.

Needless to say, it didn't bode well for the people that happened to see him.

Qilin and Evelyn immediately stopped in their tracks like deer caught in head-lights. Their expressions conveyed nothing but surprise, but Qilin's expression was more prominent. "Wait a minute, Kafeziel?!" He exclaimed, blinking repeatedly. "Look, you may have a neutral hand in this, but really, opening the door for him? Don't just show him the way to us!!"

The Visored looked back into the cave with his eyes closed, his head poking out of it's side for them to see. "I didn't open it for him, I opened it for you." he said, with a hint of amusement towards his friend's reaction.

Multiple anime veins appeared on the back of Qilin's head, and he fixed a comically angry glare at Kafezial with piranha-like teeth. "You're a liar! Go and die. Please, just go and die now!"

Despite Qilin's comical mood, Evelyn remained silent. Her focus was on Rushifa and Rushifa alone as he stood outside the cave doors. She took in a deep breath, exhaling softly. She could feel that familiar anger stir within her, her hand gripping her staff tightly. However, she now understood. Her daughter really had a presence within his heart, and he had a presence within hers. It was just too late to kill him or be killed without consequence. Unless they stopped their arms, this would only end in tragedy.

But she couldn't ignore the fact of what he had become. He had taken many lives just to reach her, both innocent and guilty. He had come all of this way just to hunt her down and end her life. He had made her his amusement and his entertainment, turning his own revenge into a game of cat and mouse. It was despicable and without pride. At these thoughts, her eyes slowly opened up to reveal an angered, blank stare in her enemy's direction.

This could only end one way.

Rushifa's gaze was equally solemn as his blood red eyes looked straight into Evelyn's blank ones, his right hand gripping the black handle of his katana tightly as he slowly began to unsheathe it, letting the scabbard fall lifelessly to the ground.

"Evelyn..." he said with an empty voice. "...top of the mountain. Meet me there."

WHOOSH!

With a Flash Step, he vanished from her "view", presumidibly reappearing at the area he previously stated. The storm Kafiezial mentioned earlier becomeing more and more visible.

Calmly, Evelyn kicked off her sandals and let them collide against the rock wall. With Rushifa gone from her sights, her expression lightened up as she looked towards Kafezial. "Kafezial... if I am to be killed... and if you happen to see my daughter or husband again..." She said softly. "Please... tell them I love them. They deserve to know that much, after how I left them behind..."

The Visored's body was in full view, his arms dangling at his sides as he acknowledged her request. "You have my word." His eyes then closed as a breeze calmly made his hair flow to his right side. "Remember Evelyn. Listen to the wind when it beckons you."

"I will..."

That being said, Evelyn tracked the boy's signature and used a Flash Step to instantly appear a distance in front of him.

Though she could not see, she could feel the wind picking up as the storm approached. A chill went down her spine at the feeling, her kimono billowing softly in the winds. It only served to fuel her fire, mentally preparing her for the battle that was to come. She swung her staff out to the side, revealing the three-pronged blades of her Yari. Throughout this, she had a smile on her face, her eyes still open as she "looked" at Rushifa.

"I thought you would be more excited..." She commented. "This will be the last time we'll get to see each other, so it'd be better for one to savor every second of it."

"There's nothing to savor." Rushifa solemnly said, his eyes nearly as blank and solemn as Evelyn's. "I finally realize that all of my actions leading up to this moment were no better than the one that you commited on me." He backed up from her a little, not out of cowardice, but to give them both space. "I don't want to fight you. I don't hate you any more for what you had done to me and Temari. But I started all of this back with that train in Tokyo. I need to finish it."

"Noble words..." Evelyn remarked, brandishing her Yari in a preparing stance. "It's a shame that I don't agree. You may have changed your mood. But it still doesn't change the fact that you killed so many. You and I both know that you'll never redeem yourself. You chose this path, so you'll just have to face the consequences. Whether that means death at my hands or retribution by someone else, I don't know. But, I will only ask one thing of you."

"And what would that be?" he said back to her, a slight smirk coming across the right side of his face.

"If you live through this... if you hurt my daughter in any way... I'll be there to chop your head off."

She had said it. Her forgiveness of her daughter... her forgiveness of him... both of those had been conveyed into one single statement. It was a genuine statement, despite her guarded and composed tone. Now, she simply waited for his response, even as the storm continued to gather over them.

Rushifa's face became shocked, she actually approved of their relationship?!

He shook the thought aside and closed his eyes, bowing his head before her in a respectful manner. "I promise. I'll keep her safe from any harm that may come to her." he said to her in a respectful tone.