THE LEGEND OF KIWAKAAZI

They say, “Two heads are better than one.” But even better are two heads that have an understanding and work together. Differences exist between all that lives and all that does not. But when understanding is born, then, the difference which should segregate rather unites. The shinkos were first to greet any intruder because of their strong killer instinct. Each shinko was a strong member of the thirteen generals of death. So how was it possible for a shinko to aid a human it had sworn to kill? It may be because of the power of love that defies all laws in the universe or simply for the first time, a shinko understood a human and likewise the human.

The nature of the battle between the intruder and the traitor, Kiwakaazi and Kaki, and their opponent Arangosango reflected this level of understanding between the female general of death and the human. Kiwakaazi was intelligent and with the kafunde’s assistance, he was almost as quick as Aran. However, he lacked the physical strength to crash Aran all by himself. Fighting by his side was his new ally, Kaki, whom although a female possessed the physical abilities but lacked the speed and intelligence to also destroy Aran. But when the two worked together, the combination was like a picture perfect dance routine between two lovers.

The battle went on. The two shinkos roared very loudly at each other. This was the first time Kiwakaazi was seeing a battle which involved only roars. It was as if their roars were controlling the wind. The two roars pushed against each other until eventually Aran’s roar won. It pushed Kaki’s roar backwards and strong wind was headed Kaki’s way. Knowing she was not fast enough, she wrapped her arms around her body hoping to minimize the damage and closed her eyes in the process. After a while, she realized nothing was happening. She opened her eyes only to see Kiwakaazi standing in front of her. He somehow managed to stop the attacking roar of Aran.

There was no time to waste exchanging small words of gratitude. She quickly moved from behind Kiwakaazi and attacked Aran. She swung her right claw aiming for Aran’s head. Aran caught her arm with his left hand. But before he could counter her attack, Kiwakaazi was already swinging his Kafunde from behind. Quickly, he let go of her and disappeared. When he appeared just fractions of seconds later, he was greeted warmly by another attack from Kaki. This was once again quickly followed by an attack from Kiwakaazi. It was now Aran’s turn to be on the run. Kiwakaazi and Kaki will not to give him any breathing space.

Aran stopped running away for a while. Kaki attacked him first. She pounced on him. Aran caught Kaki and threw her to his left side. Kiwakaazi swung the kafunde horizontally from left to right for Aran’s chest. Aran took a step back and quickly forward. Kiwakaazi was returning the kafunde, this time from right to left. Aran caught the kafunde with his left palm. He pulled Kiwakaazi towards his body and punched him on the chest. Kaki returned. She climbed on top of Aran’s shoulders, scratched and bit him in the shoulders. He grabbed her with both arms and threw her to the ground. Arangosango looked up and disappeared right before Kiwakaazi planted the kafunde (demon mummifier) where he stood.

Kaki and Kiwakaazi were both injured. Kaki rose to her feet and asked, “Are you alright?” Kiwakaazi just stared at Aran. He did not answer. Then, he vanished. He appeared close to Aran and on his knees. He swung the kafunde and Aran stepped backwards again. Aran had lowered his head and lifted it. Kaki was this time very quick. She appeared flying towards Aran. She drove her claws into Aran’s chest and pushed him to the ground. The two shinkos rolled on the ground for a while. When they stopped, Aran was on top of Kaki. He had made a fist but instead of punching her, he disappeared.  

Aran was quick. He could disappear and instantly appear anywhere of his choosing. To an average observer where he appears next was random, but to intelligent people like Kiwakaazi, nothing in this chaotic world is random. The very decision to randomize events implies there will be a pattern. The pattern behind Aran’s appearing and disappearing trick was what Kiwakaazi was trying to unravel.

Kiwakaazi’s speed was almost equal to Aran’s speed. If he should unravel this pattern and arrive at Aran’s destination just a fraction earlier than Aran, then he could kill him. I don’t know the kind of algorithm Kiwakaazi was using to predict where and when Aran will appear next but that algorithm was not perfect because Kiwakaazi only came close a few times. He still could not pinpoint where and when Aran would appear next with the kind of accuracy he wanted until Kaki showed up.

Kaki attacked Aran’s right side with her right arm. Kiwakaazi watched attentively. When Kaki’s punch was bearing down on Aran, he quickly shifted his body and used his left hand to stop Kaki’s right. Kiwakaazi remembered. He had seen this happen twice already – twice when Kaki attacked Aran’s right or when Aran could have defended attacks from Kaki’s right with his right hand but chose to defend it with his left hand instead. Kiwakaazi smiled. ‘I have finally figured you out Aran Shinko. You are like me. You are left handed,’ thought Kiwakaazi.

Well, unlike Aran Shinko, Kaki had a very powerful right hand. There were rumors that Kaki once defeated the king of the death gods in a fight. She punched Gbelemantse Kakai (king of the death gods) twice during that battle and Kakai passed out for two days. Perhaps Shinko knew how powerful Kaki’s right was and chose to always defend a right attack with his left – his powerful arm.

Kiwakaazi noticed a flaw in his original plan. When he first saw Aran wield his sikan dompesan with his right hand, he concluded that Aran was right handed. Now as shinko, Aran appears to be left handed. “Is he left handed or right handed?” questioned Kiwakaazi. He thought carefully.

Meanwhile, Kaki kept Aran busy while Kiwakaazi tried to figure out whether Aran was left or right handed. She was a real pain in Aran’s neck. She used every part of her body. She used her claws, her body and teeth as weapons. She got too close to Aran and got punched in the gut.

 There were two sides to Arangosango shinko; the beast side and human side. If Aran is right handed and shinko is left handed, then there would be conflict on which hand to use to defend those powerful right punches from Kaki. That hesitation would have been the undoing of Arangosango Shinko. However, blocking Kaki’s attacks with the left came naturally as drawing in breath. This only means one thing, ‘Aran too might be left,’ concluded Kiwakaazi. So he decided to test this hypothesis.

Kaki had been punched by Aran in the gut. Kiwakaazi appeared behind Aran but before the kafunde could slice Aran into two, he disappeared. Kiwakaazi anticipated Aran disappearing and disappeared almost a microsecond later. Kiwakaazi appeared first. He was pointing the kafunde at something.

Aran also appeared a fraction of a second later with the kafunde in his chest. He started to bleed from his mouth. He smiled and turned and saw a different face. This face had short hair. This face wore a smile. This face was Kiwakaazi II. “I can’t believe I have lost to you for the second time,” said Aran.

“The second time…?” wondered Kiwakaazi. He did not recall ever fighting Aran or Shinko. Aran was defeated and while his body changed to stone, Kiwakaazi withdrew the kafunde. He watched while something like a piece of cloth wrap itself around Aran from his feet and climbed upwards slowly and after the process, he noticed just how hard the material had become after it fell on the ground and made cracks in the earth.

Kiwakaazi was right. Aran was born left handed. But using the left hand for anything besides handling materials to clean the anus after egestion was considered an abomination. Aran was destined to become the Jaazi (Emperor) of Jumapafie (Southern Empire). Unfortunately, the title Jaazi would have been taken from him the instant it is discovered he is left handed. To secure the destiny of his son, Bagunasango forced his son Arangosango to switch hands. He did what every parent in the south would do. He used fear and intimidation. He used the whip and verbal abuse.

At the end of many years of mental and physical torture, Bugunasango was content. He was certain he had cleansed his only son of the disease of using his left hand. But he was wrong. All he did was suppress it. Aran remained left. It was the more powerful than his right and when the battle becomes difficult, he uses left hand. Figuring this out handed victory to Kiwakaazi and Kaki but it came at a high price.

After the battle was over, Kiwakaazi felt light headed. The impregnable armor of a Rahasi (guardian of hell) shrunk into a thin black thread around the kafunde and all the cuts, bites and punches Kiwakaazi had to endure during his match with Aran came rushing in. He felt it all at once. The pain made him dizzy. It did not matter. He believed he will recover. He always does. He just needs rest. So he let go. He did not try to stand on his feet. He just let go so that he could fall.