My breathing stalled when I saw a figure down the hill, the hood on his favorite hood-zip up hiding his eyes as always, his own breathing showing in the cold like mine as steam as -'if from a dragon's nose', he himself had put it when we had been great friends.
But the thing is, we didn't have a relationship like that now-it had been the thing if a past.
Still, I haven't been able to let the memories just fade away into nonexistence.
My legs stopped me defensively while my brain urged me to go down the hill. I couldn't decide whether I was being cautious or just out of fear that I would kill him as soon as I raced down the hill-when he spoke to me.
"I knew today would come," He murmured, emitting irregular puffs of steam from his nose and mouth. My eyes, trained for fighting, searched for any weapons on him, but could find none-which made the situation worse. When we had been friends, he had showed me his very deadly spins and kicks, using it against the kids who had been bullying me. But I was betting that he was now going to use it on me today.
"Come down the hill. I'm not here to spill blood-from me nor you," I could see that his lips had set into some faint line of stress. Jesus. I didn't belive him anymore. Yup, him being like more than a friend to me in the past is really just the past, I reminded myself as my legs finally gave consent for me to walk down.
When I was near, he lifted his hands to slip off his hood. Just as I had expected-long nose and green eyes, which I had once described as pure and curious. I had realized how much he had changed when he had lunged my own sword into my father with greedy eyes.
But right now, the eyes held nothing such but depression.
"Same as always, Mark," I froze when my nickname slithered out of his mouth-only the past him had called me Mark instead of Marcus. While my heart started to flood with confusion, my brain thought otherwise.
"Don't you dare call me like that again,"I growled. "You don't know how much pain, regret, revenge, and hatred you caused me!" I yelled, feeling strangled at the same time. Those feelings came swooping back to me right away.
Still, I managed to be surprised when his eyes lit up one more with his original fury and darkness as I aimed and shot the words at his face.
"I didn't do it on purpose! They were controlling me somehow! You know, Marcus Cane, you know it all! I didn't want to do it, no!" His hand suddenly went to the pockets of his hood-zip up, and I realized my mistake right away with bitterness. I should have suspected him for bringing a small knife that would fit into the small pocket easily...
Or the knife, in fact. The one I had lost on our second encounter after he killed my father, something that he had given me himself.
His eyes froze when he saw what he had been about to do, and glared at the knife's blade instead of staring at me.
"I can't deny that I have changed, Marcus. But the thing is, you have also changed-we both have. They changed me into an evil man who would kill first, then kick the head around for answers-like my grandfather. But he still treated me well, even better than you had done, Mark. And he wants your...body now...." His voice broke at several parts, and he winced at the last part. His nostrils flared, then suddenly, his form when we had been children disappeared, over- flooded by anger and regret. I knew that he wasn't going to stop his own actions when he clutched the blade and lunged at me, hungry for approval from his pack leaders.
He was gone for sure, and I knew that we both weren't going to stop this time.
I regretted not bringing a weapon myself, but decided to use the moves he had taught himself.
I quickly stepped to the side, but he had already predicted that. The blade came extremely close as I ducked. I caught his elbow and gasped as I tried to fling him away, but he kept firm. He cried out finally when I twisted his elbow and we both winced when a snap came.
I hoped that it signaled that nothing was going to be the same between us from now on-the past is just the past, I chanted as he fell away onto the ground, breatheless.