It was the streets of Budapest where the story began.
Deep in an underground carpark, another foe had fallen to the Champion. Admittedly, the Champion didn't look like much, but he was tough, and that is where his opponents had lost.
"Anyone else?!" The Champion roared. A briefcase full of cash sat next to him. "Anyone at all? For all of the money in this briefcase if you can beat me?!"
Jeers and cheers went up from the small, unruly crowd, but no one stepped forward.
"Double or nothing then! Come on!" The Champion goaded.
Finally, a tall, well-built young man approached. He had dark hair, a nose that had clearly been broken many times, and a distinctive tribal tattoo on his left arm.
"All right then mate, you're on." His deep voice was arrogant. The Champion scowled. English, by the sound of his accent. The Champion knew how to deal with arrogant Englishmen.
"Think fast!" The Champion threw the first punch, knocking the young man off-guard. He recovered quickly though, and shot back with jabs of his own.
The two men weaved and darted around each other. The Champion growled. This upstart was holding back, just like the others who mistook his size for weakness! He'd soon show this Pom what happened to men who took the Champion lightly!
He started pummelling the young man, every blow stronger than the last. The young man took it for a minute, before countering with shots of his own. The Champion staggered. This young man was as strong as he looked, perhaps even stronger.
He slammed his fist into the young mans face again, sending him flying into the crowd, who hauled him to his feet and threw him back into the fray. Blood streamed from his nose and lip, but he wasn't ready to give up yet. He slammed his full weight into the Champion, knocking him to the ground. Without thinking, he mounted the man and began laying into him with countless blows.
It might have been one punch, it might have been a hundred, but finally the Champion had had enough.
"I quit! You win! Please!" He cried.
It took three men to pull the young Englishman off. They shoved the briefcase into his chest and told him never to come back. That was fine by the Englishman, who grabbed his bag and clothes and left quickly, before they changed their minds.
A few levels higher in the carpark and he finally put his shirt back on and long coat over his shoulders. He grabbed his towel and winced as he dabbed his new wounds. His nose was already off-centre, now it was going to be worse. His knuckles were bleeding too, which was a pain.
He sighed, and leaned back against a cool wall. There was a fair bit of money there in that case. He quickly transferred it from the briefcase to his bag, and threw the briefcase into a nearby skip. He gingerly made his way to the street, breathing in the cool night air.
He laughed. He'd won, again. A nice steak dinner when he got home, some nice champagne, perhaps even an expensive woman to spend the night with...having a decent number in the bank account was always a fun experience.
He strode off down an alleyway, looking for a taxi to take him to the airport. First thing would be a new shirt, he thought to himself. Maybe not white next time, he added mentally as he looked at his blood-stained front. Ugh!
Suddenly there was a yell from behind him. A young girl shot past him, followed by three brutes.
"Come here NOW! We won you fair and square you little bitch!" One roared.
The girl stumbled and fell, and the young Brit got a good look at her. Across her forehead was a headband with a metal forehead protector. The symbol on it was that of a broken star. She wore rags, barely enough to keep her modest. She looked barely fifteen.
Suddenly, her eyes glowed with an unnatural green light, and she looked one of her pursurers dead in the eye. His eyes started glowing too, and he immediately turned on his partners, raining punches on them.
"Damn her genjutsu!" One growled, grabbing his hoodwinked partner into a headlock and knocking him out cold. The young Englishman looked at he girl again. Tears of blood were running down her cheeks, and he knew that she was blinded.
"Take her eyes now, no point in waiting for them to mature anymore, the little girl will kill us!" The other man pulled out a knife.
The poor girl suddenly pulled herself to her feet, weaving hand signs as she did. "Rat, Tiger, Monkey, Snake!" She roared furiously. One man grabbed her, and she slapped him, a loud cracking sound coming from the impact. She slapped him four more times, each slap sounding like a gunshot.
The man groaned, paralyzed. The girl then slammed into him with powerful punches, screaming angrily as she did.
"I. AM. NOT. LITTLE!" She thundered, knocking her opponent clean out.
Alas! The girl couldn't see the final assailant rushing at her with a knife.
"You're DEAD Hoshi!" He cried, preparing to stab her eyes out.
The knife never met its target. The young Brit had stepped in front of her, the knife plunging into his back near his right shoulder. He cried in pain, before slamming his attacker to the ground, knocking him out instantly.
"Are you okay kid?" He turned to look at the girl, who stared blindly in front of her, looking terrified. "I'm not going to hurt you. What's your name?" He knelt down in front of her. Those eyes of hers had interested him. Not that he had any thought of removing them from her.
"Kowareta Hoshi." She whispered.
Huh. Broken Star. She didn't look Japanese though, and certainly didn't have the accent. She sounded English, perhaps even Australian. "Well, I don't think you're broken. I think you're lucky, all things considered." He pulled a wad of gauze out of his bag, and an old bandage. "How about you come with me, and I'll look after you?"
The girl didn't answer, she just shook as he bandaged up her eyes. "You poor thing. Come on, you're coming with me whether you like it or not."
He picked up the young girl. He'd have to be careful never to call her little, he thought as he wrapped her in his big, heavy coat, because that strength of hers was dangerous. "You'll be all right with me, kiddo." He smiled at her, even though he knew she couldn't see.
He had already made up his mind. He was going to take care of her. For the first time in his life, the young Englishman had someone elses best interests at heart.
To tell the truth, it scared him.
Hello everyone! Welcome to the worst fanfic on this site!
I've been having a rough time recently, and this fic is my outlet. I thought I'd share it. Totally up to you if you review or not.