Chapter Two: Into the Adult Circuit
She sighed happily as the last of the rice and beef stew settled in her stomach. It tasted better than the usual soup did and she knew not to get used to it. She would not get to eat again like that for a while, and she had been happy for the shower before her meal. It wasn't as short as the others but still not enough for her to enjoy the hot water against her muscles. She would get to sleep in tomorrow as well and do what she wanted, in other words train away from the others. She needed to train away from them so they couldn't predict her next moves, however a lot of it was thinking on her feet, something practicing the same moves could never help with. Only fighting and battles could teach her anything right now. She had no sensei, but life. Life has taught her everything she knew right now. She didn't even know how to read or write, or the finer things like music and dancing. She had no need of any of it.
She knew the females were glaring at her as she climbed into her rack. It was almost time to get to sleep anyways. They would continue to hate her because while they were getting woken up, she would be sleeping. While they fought for victory, she would be practicing. While they got injured, she wouldn't be injured. While they would have to sleep in blood and sweat tonight, she would only have to sleep in her own sweat. Being undefeated had its perks.
...2.
He had been disappointed when the girl did not fight this day. Instead he left the arena to hear the clank of metal on wood. He looked through a gate to see her "sparring" with a wooden dummy. He knew she was probably just practicing, seeing as she hadn't fought today. He stepped closer and she turned to see him standing at the gate. She knew she should have headed in instead of approaching him. She, as well as every other female, was told not to go near any of the spectators. If she was caught, she would be in trouble. So she quickly looked around and used her senses to see if anyone was around before approaching him. She had to tell him that he wasn't supposed to be here.
"Ano, you aren't supposed to be here, sir, and if I am caught talking to you, I will get into trouble." She made to turn and head in.
"You are a skilled fighter for one so young," his deep but quiet voice said. "You have all the makings of a skilled warrior in the future. But what is it you fight for?"
"What is it I fight for?" She never looked back at him. "I fight to live, that is all." She wasn't about to tell a stranger that she fought for the memory of her father.
"That isn't all, is it?" He watched her enter the building. Yes, he knew she fought for more than just to live. But what did she fight for?
...2.
She entered the berthing and climbed into her rack after locking her sword up. She ate the usual female dinner before coming back here. The other females were climbing into their racks, blood still on their person. The worst she had to deal with was her own sweat. She looked forward to a quick shower tomorrow. She knew she would have to fight but fighting seemed like enough to speed up time. She wouldn't have to do this forever, she hoped.
"Good night, tousan," she said before sleep claimed her tiny form.
...2.
She was fighting her last match in the child circuit. Tonight she would be moved to the adult barracks. She was certain she would finish the child circuit without a defeat, even though all of her opponents today were male demons. She had already beat the first three demons she fought, all of which looked to be around her age. This last one was proving to be more difficult than the last three. He had managed to give her a few cuts here and there, there was even one across her cheek. She knew he would pay for it, seeing as she was one of the more attractive fighters for her age. Yes, they were certain she would look far more appealing within the next few years. They had even gone so far as to take bets on how much someone would pay for her. Of course she didn't know that.
She dodged, another cut appearing on her cheek. She felt the blood slowly drip down her cheek. She paid it no mind, instead ducking under his attack and slicing his back with her sword. He howled in pain before spinning around. He went for another attack and she ducked under that one as well, slicing his side before swinging again, the flat of her blade hitting him in the temple. His vision swirled and soon another hit was landed. He doubled over in pain and she struck him across the back of the head, sending him into the world of unconsciousness. She wiped the blood from her cheek with the back of her hand as the crowd cheered for her victory. She headed back in, the unconscious demon being brought back. She was certain he was going to get punished double for the two cuts on her cheek, and now the medics were heading for her to clean up and heal the two cuts on her cheeks. People really were vain in her opinion. She could careless about the cuts but they sat her down and cleansed both cuts before using demon saliva to heal the cuts. After words, when both were healed, they cleaned the blood from her face and sent her on her way, not minding the nasty laceration across one of her still developing breasts. She would clean it and take care of it herself. It had turned out that the female that took to tending to her now was into her in a way a man should have been into her. Needless to say she didn't want the girl anywhere near her.
She moved quickly to the locker rooms, pulling off the ruined leather. She was in a far corner away from everyone. She easily took a cloth and soaked it in the medicinal water and poured the excess water over her cuts on her chest, the laceration on her breast being the most severe. She was glad it was not too deep and would not impede with her development. She did not wish to remain flat-chested forever. She took a needle and threaded it after soaking the thread in the medicinal water. She heated the needle before painfully sewing up the still bleeding laceration. She would have to stop the bleeding before bandaging it. The sewing did stem the flow though and soon it was closed, the bleeding stopping. She had other wounds to tend to as well. She knew for a fact the laceration and stitching on her breast would scar. It wouldn't be the first scar either. She had a star shaped one on her hip from where a demon had stabbed her. She was unable to fight for a week after that.
She continued to cleanse her wounds in nothing but her leather pants. There were no cuts on her back, for which she was grateful. This time there were none on her legs, just her chest and arms. They were easily cleansed and she wrapped them before pulling on her shirt. She pulled off the leather trousers before pulling on the cotton ones in their place. She threw both in the dirty clothes to get washed and mended. She had a small sack for the few things she had. The sword she used would no longer be hers, instead she would be given a different one to fight with when she got to the adult circuit.
...2.
He was surprised by the out come of the matches she had been placed in. The announcer said she was being moved to the adult circuit, which meant she was soon to be thirteen years old. In two more years if she did not have a sponsor or sensei, she would be sold off as either a concubine or to a brothel. Such talent could not be wasted. But he would have to bide his time, see how strong she got before he interfered. Yes, he had already decided that he would buy her. She would be a part of his army, and then he would see from there. He also knew that the demon was to pay for the damage he had done to her young, but beautiful face. She also managed to get a large laceration across a part of her chest. He would have sent one of his medics to see to her, but seeing as he has not paid for her as of late, he couldn't. She was not his.
He left and looked to his father. His father had been distracted during her fights by a man who said his name was Naraku. Of course he watched the fights and was going to take some of his father's money to go buy her. His father would not be disappointed by her either. She showed a lot of promise. If she was able to handle demons, including those that were enraged, then she could handle the training she would undergo when she was back at the palace.
...2.
He thought his work done when he distracted a powerful lord during her fights. He would deter everyone from buying her as a fighter. Then when she was fifteen he would buy her and make her his concubine. Yes, she reminded him of the woman he could not have all those years ago. He could not have her but he would have the girl that looked similar to her. He was already setting it up with the son of the owner of the arena. They handled everything, but he couldn't buy her for that reason for another two years. He was a patient man and often had one thing or another going on to focus on. When he had her, he could focus on her. She would be his and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
He smirked at his own genius after the lord and his son left. Yes, it was only a matter of time. She would be his and she would be under him, withering and giving cries of pleasure. She would learn how to please him even if it killed her.
...2.
She got settled into her bunk. Yes, she had more room now. Instead they were placed in bunks, which were two high and provided her with enough room to sit up. It looked like she was being provided with new clothes, her current clothes not being nearly as pristine as the clothes on what was to be her new bunk. Her name was also on a locker, which she approached. She looked in the locker to see her new sword. It was sharper than her old one as well as longer. There was also what seemed to be daggers. She closed the locker and laid out on her bed, her body sore and tired. She had already taken a shower, but had to be more careful of her stitches, less they get pulled out. But it felt good to have warm water running over her skin. But now she had to put her stuff away then eat and head to bed. Perhaps her meal would be different this time around. She hoped so. She was getting tired of eating nothing but vegetable soup and a small portion of rice. She was pleased when she was provided with some form of meat, a portion of rice bigger than what she was used to, some vegetables and an apple. She ate it all slowly, savoring the not so bland flavor. When she was finished, she sighed in satisfaction and went to sleep. Of course since there were fewer female fighters, she had a section all to herself. And the section she was placed in had curtains around it. She found it odd but didn't question it. She was much too tired to question it.
...2.
Another fight and another bloody victory. She had faced off with a demon male. He was fast and had nearly taken off her head, but something whispered to her, a power she had not felt till today. It allowed her to dodge and soon had her slashing the demon relentlessly. She had stabbed him through, the blood spraying her in the face. He pulled her close but she yanked her sword free and when he made to attack again, she slashed him. She ducked under another attack and soon she had him pinned, her sword through his shoulder and pinning him in the shoulder. He would not yield and she was forced to take his life. That was her first kill and she knew it was not going to be her last. She knew to survive she might have to kill, more so now then ever before. If they would not yielded and she could not knock them unconscious, then she would have to take their life. Yes, she had not killed before, but it seemed natural. It was survival of the fittest. She would survive, she would get a sponsor or sensei and she would get her freedom. She was tired of this lifestyle already. She was surprised with how few people could survive. There were maybe five other females in this room that had fifty beds. They had boundaries and each seemed to respect them. It was an unspoken rule.
She knew she would have to continue fighting and winning and killing if she was going to go anywhere, and she wanted out of here greatly. She just didn't know when she would be bought. She had two years left to find a sponsor or sensei. She did not want to end up how other girls had. The girl that had warned her had not been lucky and now she was some brothel girl a few towns away. She had heard her screams as they dragged her away and into a carriage to be taken to the brothel. She didn't want that so she fought hard, she won time and time again against any odds. She had come close to losing her first match in the adult circuit, but she had won. She had several cuts for it but it was worth it. She was still alive right now and sometimes a sacrifice or two was needed in order to achieve the ultimate goal.
...2.
He saw her fight and was impressed. She had faced a demon way older than her. She had won but still came out with several cuts on her, but her face had been avoided. She had killed the demon after pinning him down. It was her first kill, he knew. She seemed unfazed by it and was glad that she seemed to know that sometimes killing was needed to stay alive. He would wait. If no one bought her in a year and eleven months, he'd buy her and take her back to his palace where his father now stayed. He did not see a reason to watch these fights anymore. They were amusing at best. He watched them as a way to scout out who he should add to the army. Yes, it was costly after a while, but some of the fighters were worth it. He hoped she would prove her worth, if not, he was not sure what he would do with her. He could always have her just fight in the arena. He could earn the money back that way when people placed bets. He got a portion of the bets, depending on if she won or not. He was sure he could also find other uses for her. After all she was a female and he a male. There were times when he needed a release and he'd rather not have to go look for a decent female. At least if she were around he wouldn't have to look and he would be doing her a favor, getting her out of a place like that.
There was no one else of much worth to him. But she was scheduled to fight two more times before the day was over. The new people often had to fight three or more times on their first day to prove their worth. Her next two fights would not be disappointing, though in one of her fights she had to fight a human male, and the last was a demon woman. She had defeated the male easily enough and his life was not taken but the demon female was proving to be more of a hassle, even more than the demon male had been. He was watching as she fought the demon woman.
He watched as she ducked and dodged the female's attacks, getting small cuts here and there. The female even went so far as to cause small cuts on her face, though they didn't look like they would scar. The woman he had his eyes on for a new recruit, looked determined at the woman before her. She leapt through an attack before striking. The demon batted her away and it looked like she was going to lose, but she landed and ducked under the attack that would have taken off her head. It was too close and she had to end the match soon, so she concentrated and heard the whispering again. She sheathed her sword and took up a dagger in hand she concentrated and right when the wind attack was to hit, she threw the dagger, piercing through the wind and canceling it out before continuing forward. It landed at the woman's feet, destroying a portion of her demon energy. The demon growled in frustration before leaping forward. She took up the other dagger and concentrated. Before the demon could land her hit, she ducked under and plunged the dagger into her shoulder, a blue light coming from the dagger and her hand. The demon hissed and growled before something unusual happened. She gave a scream and exploded from the inside out, turning into ash before their very eyes. Things were turning out to be interesting, especially if she could turn demons to ash.
Author's Note: I meant to post this earlier, but I got side tracked. Here it is. Hope you like it. I am going to try to update my other stories, but distracted by Spartacus Blood and Sand. I hope to at least update one more story tonight. But as always, read, review, and ENJOY!