Kiyo Nakamoto

(Kiyo stands behind Kaji. Kiyo’s forehead is bleeding. He has a serious attitude.)

Kiyo: I’m gonna kill you for doing that to me, Eli!

Eli: (Chuckles nervously) Sorry, Kiyo; I was improvising.

Kiyo: Kaji… Tell me why you live. Tell me why you fight to stay alive? Tell me why you killed Grandpa Wang from my village.

Kaji: I have my reasons, Kiyo (Turns to face Kiyo). (Grins) I had to lure you here somehow.

Kiyo: You don’t know me; why would you do that? Why would you murder an innocent old man?

Kaji: Allow me to tell you the truth of who I really am. I’m not the man you think I am, Kiyo. There’s more to me than meets the human eyes. You may be the only person in this world to understand that. That is why I chose you. I need your help.

Kiyo: You need my help…? What do you need me for?

Kaji: I need your help in making a decision; a choice that will determine the outcome of this city and maybe even the world. The fate of the world is in your hands.

Kiyo: So you’re one of those villains I see. You like to manipulate people and control their lives. You put them in complex situations and watch them struggle to find their way out like a rat in a maze. You want to manipulate me and try to understand my mentality, just for your own selfish reasons.

Kaji: Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps your eyes are the same as everyone else’s’.

Kiyo: Quit talking to me in riddles and be upfront! Tell me what you want from me!

Jiro: (Angry) Enough of this (Readies sword)! You two have been talking way too much. Now is the time to fight! You two lovebirds can have your little discussion years from now when your both in the afterlife! All I care about is killing this man and proving I can match up to the strength of Angel! Whether the two of you understand that or not doesn’t matter to me. Now equip your blade, Kaji, and let the bloodshed continue!

Kaji: You cannot kill me, you ignorant fool. I already told you I cannot die.

Jiro: Everything has a weakness, Kaji; even you.

Kaji: I can see yours quite clearly. Your emotions are like a fog blinding your eyes from seeing the obvious which lies in front of you. You’ve only been through one battle your entire life. (Turns to face Jiro) And in that fight, you were killed. I understand you and Jason had it out awhile back in the Royal City.

Jiro: He’s next on my list after you!

(Kiyo casually walks up to Jiro. He stands in front of Jiro and looks down with a cold look on his face and his eyes covered in shadows.)

Jiro: Get out of my way, Kiyo. It’s not my desire to kill you, but I will if I have to. I have something to prove. I wish to be king of this world.

(Kiyo punches Jiro in the face. Jiro stumbles back a few feet. He drops his guard and rubs his face as his cheek begins to throb.)

Kiyo: You’ll never be king with the attitude you have. You are a member of MY team! You follow my orders!

Jiro: I follow the path of a king. No one gives me orders!

Kaji: Some leader you are, Nakamoto. I can’t believe the fate of this city relies on you.

Kiyo: What?! How do you know my last name?

Kaji: A little birdie told me. Anyway, you should really deal with your boy.

Jiro: I’m not anyone’s boy. (Readies sword) This is where you fall, Kaji. You will fall to the feet of this world’s future king.

(Kiyo’s fist catches on fire and he punches Jiro across the face. Jiro goes flying a few feet across the battlefield.)

Kiyo: You either stay a member of this group and obey me, or you go out on your own and face enemies like Osmodeus, just to be cut down and die! It’s your choice, Jiro; what will it be?

Jiro: You’ll be sorry, Kiyo. (Stands up) You and I want similar goals. We both wish to be the strongest in the world so that we can make a significant impact on this planet’s people. I will become ruler of this world and reunite my once fallen clan. You wish for this world to be free of all evil and all bonds.

Kiyo: What’s your point, Jiro?

Jiro: My point is… (Puts sword away) One of these days you and I will have to meet fist to blade in battle.

Kiyo: (Cracks a grin) You know what… I never even thought of that. I’m looking forward to that day.

Jiro: You and I will travel a long journey together. The two of us will only grow stronger as time goes on.

Kiyo: So then you will obey me and follow my orders and demands until that day comes.

Jiro: Yeah, sure.

Kiyo: I wasn’t asking.

Jiro: I’m going for a walk. I prefer to not be disturbed. (Walks away from the battlefield)

Kaji: Now that he’s out of the way, we can finally get to the point.

Kiyo: What is the point? You said I had to make a choice that’ll affect the city; what exactly did you mean by that?

Kaji: I’m not the bad guy here. I’m just a misunderstood individual. No one understands me and no one understands my mentality.

Kiyo: All I understand is that you’re evil. And for that, I cannot allow you to walk freely and spread misery through the path of evil you walk.

Kaji: It seems Rayna was wrong about you.

Kiyo: What?! How do you know Rayna?

Kaji: Do you remember when you first started your journey? You started your journey because I supposedly murdered your surrogate grandfather Wang… Or was it Wong… whatever. Why do you think I was in your village to begin with?

Kiyo: It was because Jinrei and his gang of thieves stole one of your valuable weapons. You followed him to find his guild’s hideout. You instead found me using my power against Jinrei and his gang. Once you saw I had power, you wanted me dead. So you killed my grandpa because you knew I would want revenge and come to you.

Kaji: Oh please, let me add some additional details to your little story. (Puts hand in pocket and closes eyes for a few seconds as he talks.) I’ve always known Kiyomi had powers, so by coincidence, I hired Aiko to kill Kiyomi the same night I killed your grandpa. Just think about how that sounds. Think about why you’re here! Why do you think I waited till now to hire an assassin to kill Kiyomi?

Kiyo: Cause you’re evil and you only care about your evil intensions!

Kaji: Just a few moments ago, you thought I was an evil villain who liked to manipulate people’s minds’ and put them in terrible situations.

Kiyo: Fine! Tell me the truth then!

Kaji: I was in your village because I had a meeting with Rayna. Rayna and I had to discuss the plan for how your journey would begin. While I was with her, we came up with an idea to reunite you and your sister. I told you I was going to invade your village because I knew you would go to Seigen Town to obtain their weapons so your village would be able fight off any threat that comes to them. Once you were in Seigen, you met Eli. Once the three of you were finally a team, Rayna and I had to find a way to unite you with Jiro and Aiko. Actually, just Aiko; Jiro was not planned; not at first anyway. Once the two of you entered the Royal City, I received an anonymous letter. I responded to it and entered the Royal City. You can imagine my surprise when I discovered the people behind the anonymous letter.

Kiyo: Was it Rayna?! Who was it?

Kaji: … You know them as Angel, Osmodeus, and Phantom.

Kiyo: What?! Why would they call you?

Kaji: Because Angel planned for Jiro to join your group. She convinced me to think of a strategy on how to do it.

Kiyo: So then… That’s why Angel was in the city. And that’s why Osmodeus attacked Sasha at the royal palace.

Kaji: Unfortunately, Osmodeus was an idiot. His hunger for power is his weakness. Osmo attacking Sasha was not a part of the plan. But it did help Angel make a believable intro and have a small little chat with Jiro. That talk is what set everything in motion to Jiro joining your group. As you can see, Jiro isn’t exactly one to cooperate with teams, so you can imagine how difficult it was to plan for him to join you.

Kiyo: Yeah, I can only imagine.

Kaji: Of course you know by now that when Emperor Roki blew himself up to destroy his city and its entire people, you and your team somehow survived, but were heavily damaged. You were protected my Angel and her team.

Kiyo: But I don’t get it. Why would they protect us if they’re the bad guys?

Kaji: Have you noticed that both Phantom and Angel were there with you when you fell into the underground fighting arena?

Kiyo: We fell straight down into the cave, but somehow we ended up miles away from where we fell.

Kaji: That’s because you were saved from the fall and landed in a different area. Osmodeus used a special power to transport you and your team to a different part of the cave where Tyreese was fighting in the underground arena. By the way, Tyreese isn’t the champion of underground street fighting; a boy name Tracy is.

Kiyo: So that time when Roki tried to blow up the people of the Royal City, his explosion sucked into the clouds like a wormhole. That must have been Osmodeus protecting us from the blast?

Kaji: See, you’re getting it. Now, when you and Tyreese were fighting underground, Angelika and Phantom were there watching.

Kiyo: What… Why are they watching us?

Kaji: They’re watching you because they see the potential your group is capable of. They’ve been protecting you because they want to see how powerful your group can become. I must warn you right now: Angel told me personally that her group will no longer protect you. Everything you do from now on will be because of you and your group.

Kiyo: So this whole time… we were all being manipulated.

(Kiyo clenches his fist and it begins to shake.)

Kiyo: Me and my team… should be dead. We should all be dead! I wasn’t… I wasn’t strong enough to protect them. I couldn’t…

Kaji: Don’t beat yourself over it, Kiyo. Your life was manipulated up to this point. You had no control over any of this. Your true leadership skills and the true potential of your legacy will finally begin.

(Kaji walks up to Kiyo and puts his hand on Kiyo’s shoulder.)

Kaji: (Thinking) Good, it’s not in his system at all. (Says to Kiyo) Now that you know the truth, you handle this the way you think you should.

Kiyo: I just have to be stronger (Looks up at Kaji).

Kaji: Now this is when you make the choice to save the world and this city.

(Kaji walks away and stands with his back faced toward Kiyo.)

Kaji: There is a plague in this city. A disease came out of nowhere and infected the people of this city. Whatever illness they suffer from is spreading fast. Rayna told me that she knew the future of this disease. The reason why I agreed to meet with her was because she told me how I could cure the plague. She told me that I have to talk to you. Osmodeus can see the future as well, so he told me that if I agreed to work with his group and come up with a plan to get Jiro to join your team, they would allow me to live in order to warn you of the disease and help cure the world.

Kiyo: So you want to cure this disease? Where did this disease even come from?

Kaji: (Faces Kaji) All I know, is that you must be the one to cure it.

Kiyo: How am I supposed to do that?!

Kaji: I don’t know! But Rayna and Osmodeus both told me the same exact thing: You must be the one to cure it.

Kiyo: This is crazy… I have no idea what I’m supposed to do.

Kaji: Kiyo… Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I’m sure you’ve heard so many evil things about me.

Kiyo: You wanted Aiko dead, correct? This was when she was still working for you.

Kaji: I had to seem convincing. I did tell Nissa to kill Aiko, but once I thought about how serious he was about doing it, I told him not to. Unfortunately, he revealed his true colors and showed how he really felt about Aiko. Eventually, killing Aiko became personal to him.

Kiyo: During the fight between Nissa and me, I was able to stand my ground against him. Nissa was like 10 times more powerful then I was.

Kaji: Nissa did not hesitate when he fought you. That fight was not altered in anyway. You held your own ground on heart and strength alone. You should be proud of yourself.

Kiyo: I suppose I am…

Kaji: Listen to me, Kiyo, I am not who everyone says I am. Yes I did kill many people, including my ex fiancée, but there were reasons for that. The reason why I killed my fiancée was because I had feelings for another woman. I’ve had these feelings for her since I was of the age of 8. This woman was your sister, Kiyo.

Kiyo: You loved my sister? Then why did you try to have her assassinated by Aiko. I know that you planned for her to survive the attack and join forces with me to kill you, but what if Kiyomi really did die by Aiko’s hand?

Kaji: (Grins) Kiyomi is too smart to fall for such a thing. She knows to handle herself.

Kiyo: I guess you’re right. But how do you explain the order to shoot those arrows into the city? Kiyomi barely survived that.

Kaji: When I told my servant to tell the archers that a storm was coming, I meant a real rainstorm; not to make arrows rain from the sky. And I told them to give Kiyomi a welcome worth dying for. I didn’t mean that literally. It was purely miscommunication.

Kiyo: Of course it was… And I thought I was an idiot.

Kaji: Hey, don’t put yourself down and THINK you’re an idiot; you ARE an idiot.

Kiyo: (Sarcasm) Thanks, I feel a lot better.

Kaji: (Serious) No problem, buddy.

Kiyo: I wasn’t seri- (Sighs) Never mind just continue with what you were talking about. You said you had feelings for my sister?

Kaji: Yes. I loved her ever since I was a boy. When I sent her out on missions, I use to follow her to make sure she was safe. I discovered that she had Kotoda abilities. Without telling her I knew, I created a whole section in my palace that was hers and hers alone. No one would ever watch her or hear anything she did. She practiced her skills daily and worked as hard as she possible could to become strong.

Kiyo: She never mentioned that.

Kaji: That’s because it was a promise that the two of us made; to never tell anyone about it. (Shrugs) Obviously I’m not very good at keeping promises.

Kiyo: It stays between us.

Kaji: Of course…

Kiyo: So, what made you hate people with Kotodama?

Kaji: Because it killed my mother. The plague that threatens this city is the same plague which was responsible for my mother’s death. Doctors said that the disease originated from Kotoda energy. Someone infected her with the disease with energy. Somehow, my body inside of her was the only thing keeping my mother alive. Months after she was pregnant with me, she became infected. My body was absorbing the disease and keeping her alive. Once I was born, her body was still infected… and she died.

Kiyo: Wait… Are you telling me that this disease came from you? I don’t think anyone infected her, I think it may have been your own energy that was poison.

Kaji: I don’t know, Kiyo… But one thing I didn’t mention… I too have Kotoda abilities. You and I are the only two living souls to know this.

Kiyo: So what is your power exactly?

Kaji: I have the ability of poison. Also, I somehow have the ability of deadly chemicals. The chemicals which come from my body are released in gas form. That means I can create poison from my body, but it can only be airborne. My poison is like your fire or Kiyomi’s wind.

Kiyo: So you can create any form of toxic chemical, poison, or even disease?

Kaji: Viruses as well. The only problem is that once I create them, I can’t cure them. I’ve killed so many people by accident when trying to learn to control that power. I’ve killed so much. I eventually realized that nothing good can come from my ability. I stopped using it and I moved on. I kept it bottled inside of me, just like I did my anger. I only wanted to do good deeds and help people, but instead killed them.

Kiyo: I understand. That’s like me not being able to defeat evil so become evil just to acquire the strength.

Kaji: You become the very thing you hate the most.

Kiyo: So you killed people by accident; that doesn’t make you a bad person.

Kaji: (Grins) Kiyo… I try to be good; I really do. But I was never really good at it. I’ve lost control of my power and I ended up recreating this plague by accident. The plague that killed my mother now returns to kill the people in the city and eventually spread to the world

Kiyo: So that means what?

Kaji: The only way I know how to cure this disease, is if everyone infected dies. That means every person in this city dies. Killing them will benefit the world and save our future.

Kiyo: No… These people are innocent. They all work to support their families. There are innocent women and children living in this city.

Kaji: Over 10,000 people are residence of this city. That’s not counting the people who work for me. If they must die to save billions of other people, then so be it.

Kiyo: No! I can’t let you hurt innocent people! I’ve spent my whole life preparing for moments like this! I will stop you!

Kaji: What do you suppose we do then, Kiyo? If these people don’t die then the entire world gets infected! Which do you prefer happen?!

Kiyo: I want to save this world.

Kaji: Then these people must die.

Kiyo: What if I killed you? If I killed you, will the plague disappear?

Kaji: Maybe… But I’ve tried killing myself countless times… As long as the air in this world remains polluted and contains negative energy from the evil thoughts and the pain of the innocent my body will use it to regenerate itself all on its own. This is how I planned on getting rid of the plague: Killing these people. You were supposed to find an alternative.

Kiyo: I’ll end the plague with you. If this disease originates from negative energy, I’ll have to use positive energy to defeat it. Your body absorbs negative energy and heals itself. If I find a way to channel a very powerful amount of my positive energy to you, then your body won’t be able to heal.

Kaji: That’s a foolish plan, Kiyo. And you call yourself a leader? What a disappointment. I can’t believe I wasted my time believing you could actually do something to end this plague without harming these people!

Kiyo: (Thinking) Joseph has the ability to understand things. He can understand this situation and fix it. But then again, maybe this is something I must do on my own. I need to think about this.

(Kiyomi is standing behind Kaji. Kiyo and Kaji turn to look at her. Her clothing is scratched up and damaged.)

Kiyomi: I heard everything, Kaji.

Kaji: Then you know how I feel about you.

Kiyomi: Yes, I know… (Looks to the ground) But I live for my brother. A part of me has always loved you too, Kaji, but I love my brother more. You have no idea how difficult this is for me right now. I have to choose to kill the man I love, for my brother’s happiness.

Kaji: You were always so faithful and committed. That’s one reason why I’ve always loved you. I understand this is something you have to do. But you must understand that this is something I have to do. I must kill all these people.

Kiyomi: I won’t let you!

Kiyo: (Thinking) This is crazy! I need help on this! (Out loud) Kiyomi! I’m going to ask Joseph for help. You and Eli do your best against Kaji.

Kiyomi: Understood!

Eli: Yes, sir!

(Kiyo runs away from the battlefield. He eventually gets outside of the gates. The ground begins to roughly shake and a giant glass dome comes from underground to cover the city. Kiyo uses a flamethrower to try and burn through the glass, but if fails.)

Kiyo: Darn it!

Kaji: Kiyomi, this city is quarantined because every living thing inside here is going to die. You see, I can’t die. So I’ve decided to spend the rest of my life in this dome until I die from old age. But everyone else in here will be killed. I can’t risk anyone finding a way out of this dome and infecting the world. The plague is only in this city, and it will stay that way.

Kiyomi: Sorry, but I have too much to live for!

Kaji: I know, Kiyomi. But you must see that Angel and her group want the members of Team Kiyo alive. Before they know about what I’m doing, you and your entire team must be killed. I cannot risk you getting out. You are most likely infected as well, Kiyomi.

Kiyomi: You know… You’re probably right… Guess I have no choice then but to just fight you to the death.

Kaji: I won’t hold back.

Eli: Neither will I! It’s time for you to face the wrath of Team Kiyo. Kiyo will find a way in here, and when he gets near Kiyomi, the two of them get stronger. Those two will deal with you, but until then, you fight us!

Kaji: Of course… Alright, I’ll play with the two of you for a bit. But if this fight drags on too long, I will kill you both within an instant, got it?

Eli: (Grins) Oh yeah; I got it.

(Jiro walks in front of Eli.)

Jiro: Stay out of this, Eli. I will fight him first. My mind is clearer now, and I can focus. I believe I can give this guy more of a challenge. I’m not trying to ruin your fun and takeover; I only want to fight this guy one-on-one. That’s just how I fight, alright?

Eli: Fine. Go get ‘em, jiro!

Jiro: (Thinking) I’m sorry for my ignorance earlier, Kiyo. I need to be smarter and more patient. I’m just not use to having partners, or friends. Please forgive me if I take it the wrong way. I’m giving this fight all I’ve got!

TO BE CONTINUED…