I don't own Deadman Wonderland – just my OCs.
Chapter 9: Round Two
"The Pure and the Tainted" by Blue Stahli
Izumi squinted as she stepped back into the large bird cage; the arena of Carnival Corpse. It looked the exact same as it had the first time she had fought there several days ago: intimidating and empty, save for the tree inserted on one side.
As her eyes adjusted she moved farther onto the platform, the sound of cranking gears just out of sight alerting her that the lift was being hoisted up out of the cage and trapping her inside. Now all she had to do was wait for the announcer to finish talking and hit the buzzer.
In the previous few minutes she spent being escorted from the gym to Carnival Corpse Izumi had focused on calming herself and going through what she knew about the coming fight.
When she had asked, the guard had been kind – wait, scratch that… 'decent' enough to tell her her opponent was Crane. While this piece of information didn't provide Izumi with any specific details, it did give her some idea as to what her opponent's fighting style might be like. She had learned in her previous fight and from watching Crow's that each Deadman was given the codename of a bird that usually made some kind of reference to their Branch of Sin or fighting style.
That being said, all Izumi had to do then was observe her opponent and consider the characteristics of the bird they were named after.
When Izumi had realized this she had to force herself not to groan out loud in frustration. She didn't really know much about birds – perhaps what they looked like or maybe ate, but that was about it.
In the next moment Izumi and the guard had reached Carnival Corpse, the only knowledge she had about cranes limited to the facts that they had a long neck, beak, and legs; overall they appeared fairly lanky.
Forcing her attention back to the present, Izumi took in the appearance of the Deadman across the cage: A younger-looking man, perhaps somewhere in his mid- to late-twenties, long black hair tied up into a ponytail, tall like his codename implied, but despite being thin it was clear that he had some good muscle on him.
At least he wasn't taunting her or making faces in an attempt to look intimidating, Izumi noted, glad that the young man appeared generally respectable. Aside from looking somewhat disheveled in a pair of baggy clothes, he actually seemed fairly composed.
Through the speakers the announcer began to welcome the invisible spectators and introduce the 'players' in the fight.
In the meantime Izumi looked down to her hands where she had drawn blood during her practice earlier. The cuts were still fresh so she figured she didn't have to worry about cutting open her skin anywhere else, but a part of her wished that she could have gotten bandaged up and hydrated before all this. The fight was only starting and she was already at a disadvantage.
The signal sounded the start of the fight and Izumi swore to herself that she wouldn't lose. This time she would win. After all, her life depended on it.
Calling upon her Branch of Sin, Izumi forced herself to hold back a small smile, pleased with how much faster the blood flooded over her hands before solidifying. It wasn't the speed of light but it was better than last time. For once it seemed she had actually made some progress down here.
In the meantime, Crane had fashioned a katana for himself and angled it downwards behind him in preparation to defend or deflect against any head-on attack Izumi might throw at him. It was obvious that he was as serious as Izumi was about the fight.
Izumi stepped forward and began a fast walk, steadily approaching the center of the cage.
She didn't have any plan, but her brain kept telling her she had to create an opening – if not find one, even if it meant risking a full frontal assault.
As she walked Izumi could feel the sting Ryouko's whip left along her skin and clenched her jaw, trying not to let the pain hinder her movements. Her injuries from the previous Carnival Corpse weren't completely healed yet either, making her worry that it wouldn't be her opponent that would deal her the most damage in the fight. She would really have to watch herself this time.
I really hope this works, she silently prayed in the meantime and sped up her fast walk to a run, closing the gap between her and Crane within the next couple seconds.
Izumi expected that her opponent knew her intentions, but without hesitation dove towards Crane's chest anyway, throwing her arm forward to stab him with her claws.
At the last possible second she watched as the man took a step back to put more distance between them, bringing his katana down in a flash to strike at her unguarded form from above.
Izumi's eyes widened at how great the man's reach was – although she felt she shouldn't be that surprised given his height. From a distance he was a tall man with a sword, but up close, he was far more intimidating, with his katana acting as an extension of his arms.
Knowing full well she couldn't dodge the attack, Izumi brought her arms around to her left side as fast as possible, and with as much strength as she could muster, slammed her hands upward against Crane's inner forearm, the impact forcing the direction of his blade to change and weaken ever so slightly.
If Izumi couldn't dodge his attacks, then she would just aim to ruin their trajectory.
Crane's katana missed its intended mark and fortunately for Izumi only cut her arm as her body crashed into his and they tumbled backwards.
Not a second after they hit the ground Izumi was already pushing herself off her opponent and jumping away, but not before slashing her claws across his chest, causing the young man to let out a grunt of pain.
As much as she wanted to win this fight, it was awfully difficult to beat the man without seriously injuring him. It wasn't like she could just knock him out with one punch and be done without spilling a single drop of blood; she was in a lose-lose situation when it came to winning without injuring.
The small optimistic part of Izumi hoped Crane would stay down after the hit, but she was quickly disappointed as he suddenly jerked out at her, swinging his katana at her legs before he was even back up on his feet.
Not having expected this, Izumi barely had enough time to lift her feet off the ground to avoid having them hacked by her opponent's blade. However, she quickly realized her mistake in doing so, and as gravity forced her body back down to the earth Crane pushed himself the rest of the way up off the floor and slashed his Branch of Sin at her once more from the left.
Jumping up to dodge his previous attack had allowed her to remain unscathed, but landing gave Izumi no option to move away, thus leaving her open to anything Crane threw at her. She had to estimate exactly where his blade would hit her in relation to when she would reach the ground.
Izumi had to guess immediately and simultaneously called for more blood to come and harden around her left hand while lifting it up to guard her side. Her hand barely made it up to stop Crane's slash from reaching her neck, but knew she hadn't been fast enough with her Branch of Sin when she felt a stinging sensation on the back of her hand, alerting her that the katana had managed to cut through some of her hardened blood. At least it was better than getting her throat slit she figured and cocked her head to the side as Crane angled his sword to slice upwards and across at Izumi's head.
Izumi felt the bandages around her head loosen and saw a few small strands of dark purple hair fall to the ground as the katana rushed alongside her head. Oh man, that was way too close, she realized with wide eyes and immediately jumped back out of Crane's range once more, glad when he didn't follow.
Reaching up, she gave a quick jerk to the bandages around her head and threw them to the ground; they weren't going to do anything for her anyway.
The blow she had managed to land on her opponent was beginning to take effect judging by the pained expression on Crane's face as well as his momentary pause in attacking.
Izumi really hated to see someone in pain – even more so when she was the cause of it. But she bit her lip and managed to force her concern to the back of her head. She had to do this, even if she didn't want to. And she really didn't want to.
Izumi's chance to recover was short-lived though, and no sooner than she had discarded her bandages Crane was attacking her again, firm determination set on his face as he sought to stop her movements with another slash to her side. Izumi parried and tried for another go at the man's injured chest, hoping that if she was able to hit him enough times in the same area it would weaken him faster and help end the fight sooner.
Her strike was just short of reaching him though, as Crane seemed to have anticipated her attack and was already moving to attack again.
Repeatedly he swung and stabbed his katana at Izumi all the while she slashed back at him, both of them dancing back and forth in an endless game of offense and defense, neither showing any signs of giving up.
But Izumi was beginning to tire, and she was sure her movements and reactions were gradually beginning to slow, which meant it wouldn't be long before her opponent noticed as well.
She couldn't let this fight drag on much longer or she would be at a serious disadvantage.
Right then Crane's katana cut into her left shoulder and Izumi let out a pained cry, the thin blade easily slicing through her uniform and into her unguarded skin. Jerking back at the sensation, she clutched her newly injured shoulder and moved to narrowly avoid being struck again. Unlike the first blow Crane had dealt, this one was in a far worse place, and Izumi was quickly becoming convinced that even her breathing made the wound hurt more.
Think, Izumi, think! she screamed at herself. There has to be some way to get him to drop his guard or something – even if it's just for a second! Her brain was now frantically turning in a desperate attempt to work up some kind of plan, but Izumi was drawing a blank; her panic level rising with each passing moment. This had to end now, even if it meant risking her safety in the process.
Not willing to wait for her mind to work out a plan, the next thought that entered Izumi's head was the one she decided to act on. It wasn't smart and it wasn't great, but it was certainly better than nothing.
Facing her opponent, Izumi spread out her arms as though she was waiting for him to embrace her. Although the action was one to be suspicious of, Crane took his chance and lunged at her with his sword.
In the next minute, time seemed to slow down for Izumi. Crane was coming towards her, his katana swinging at her from her left side, and as Izumi watched it move closer and closer she turned and outstretched her hands to grab the sword. The blade slid along the hardened blood on her palms and finger pads for an instant before she felt her it cut through, making her wince at the burning pain it shot through her.
She bet Crane hadn't expected her to do that.
Gritting her teeth, Izumi willed her hands to jerk Crane's katana up under her arm and to her side, keeping it locked tight between her upper arm and ribs.
The surprise on Crane's face from her unexpected move was warring off and he gave a rough tug to try and remove the katana from Izumi's grip. The movement was limited but still strong enough to cut Izumi, and she gave a gasp of pain as she willed herself not to let go.
Looking back at Crane, Izumi saw the young man was preparing to let go and release his Branch of Sin so as to make another weapon for himself.
She couldn't let him do that.
I'm sorry, Izumi thought to the man, and forcefully drove her right arm up into the space below Crane's armpit. Letting out a groan of exertion, Izumi gathered all of her strength and twisted her back to Crane's chest. The left arm that had previously trapped his katana moved up to grab his wrist, and simultaneously pulled it down towards the ground as she hoisted her right arm, hauling Crane up and over her in a flip that sent him crashing to the ground.
Eyes wide as he lay on his back, Crane sucked in a ragged breath and let out a harsh cough, small flecks of blood coming from his mouth and spotting the front of his uniform. He was no longer holding his katana, but Izumi could tell by his momentarily dazed state that he hadn't given up yet.
As much as she prayed for the man to be okay, Izumi knew that she couldn't let him get up again.
Nearly throwing herself down to straddle her opponent, Izumi dropped her left arm to the side of Crane's head and balled her right hand into a fist, shifting her weight forward to balance on her knees and one arm.
She pulled her right arm back, and with a full upper-body motion brought her fist down as hard as she could into her opponent's face. Once. Twice. Three times. Then four before the man was at last rendered unconscious.
When she was sure Crane wasn't going to wake, Izumi let her hand fall back, hardly noticing that her Branch of Sin had shattered, revealing her bloodied hand beneath.
Her breathing still fast and heavy, Izumi let her head dip down to the defeated Deadman lying beneath her and tried to steady her gasps for air. Her adrenaline rush was quickly diminishing, and when she felt she had regained enough of her composure, leaned back onto her knees.
She did it. She had won.
Sending glances past the bars of the cage, Izumi looked up from Crane's unconscious form and raised her head to glare at the illuminated panels near the outside walls as if challenging them. She sucked in another deep breath and blew it out, her heart still pounding rapidly in her chest as she clenched her fists tightly to help steel herself.
"Crow!" she yelled suddenly, projecting her somewhat faltering voice to reach the cameras she knew were hidden somewhere out of sight. "Are you watching?! You better be! Because if you don't keep your promise…" she stopped momentarily to catch her breath, "so help me God, I will make you regret not yet dying here the next time we meet."
Izumi paused for another second as her throat started to run dry. Swallowing painfully, she took another breath to try and steady her voice once more. "Don't you even think about going back on your word after all this; not for one second," she warned and her voice finally gave out, rendering her mute.
Finished with her little speech-of-sorts, Izumi swung a leg over Crane's motionless form to move off of him before letting out a sigh of exhaustion as she almost fell forward, her partially outstretched arms the only things stopping her from planting her face straight into the ground.
In his office, Tamaki smiled as he disconnected from the Carnival Corpse feed and leaned back in his chair.
He always enjoyed watching fights that ended in an upset. It made for a more interesting show with some suspense thrown in.
He had been somewhat hesitant to put his newest toy back into the ring so soon after her last fight when she hadn't yet recovered; after all, he didn't want to break her too quickly. But Tamaki wasn't known for being gentle with his inmates. No, if he wanted Nightingale to improve, he would have to keep her pressured like the other Deadmen.
After all, he expected great things from her in the future. That much he had been promised.
Karako turned to look at Nagi who sat silently next to her at the bar, neither of them bothering to watch what happened after the fight ended. Izumi's shouting had certainly taken them both by surprise, but it was the young girl's condition that was more upsetting to Karako.
"I don't like this, Nagi," she mumbled quietly and took a sip of her drink. "She walked into that fight with an injury – and an untreated one at that; you saw her when she came on that screen. I'm pretty sure they're at least supposed to patch you up before you go in for the fight if necessary." The anger was subtle but evident in her voice.
"Careful Karako, your nursing habits are showing; it's not good to get so attached," Nagi warned but gave her a sympathetic look that told the woman he was concerned as well. Karako gave him a light nudge in the arm, a small smile on her face.
"Yeah, says the guy who likes to make friends and help everyone he meets." Nagi chuckled but the laughter seemed sad, his gaze glued to the empty glass in front of him.
"Well at least she won," Karako piped up, sensing the sudden change in mood and trying to steer them towards a lighter topic.
Nagi gave a nod in agreement. "Hopefully it will give her some more confidence in her abilities. It may not be the most pleasant way to lift one's spirits, but if she can manage to keep on pushing she'll have a greater chance at making it out of here."
"Not only that, but it seems like she may have found herself a partner now. With that in mind I can only imagine how much she'll grow in the weeks to come," Karako smiled as Nagi gave her a questioning look.
Crow continued to stare at the TV screen in the gym, his jaw clenched and a scowl on his face.
He had had the TV on only as a sort of background noise while exercising, but his focus was immediately lost once Carnival Corpse began streaming. Not so much because he liked to watch the fights, but primarily due to the familiar young woman he saw on the screen.
The fight had gone on like any other, but it was what the girl had said after she won that upset him the most.
"Ah…dammit," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck once the screen cut off in preparation for the punishment game.
He never should have told the girl that he would help her. To be honest, he had never intended for her to win in the first place – that was why he had given her a task he had thought impossible for her to do.
Not bothering to stay around and watch the game on next, Crow picked up the black overcoat he had unceremoniously thrown onto one of the benches and tossed it over his shoulder before exiting the gym.
He needed a drink.
Genkaku slouched on the dark purple and grey sofa in the Undertaker quarters, a guitar resting on his lap and a dying cigarette held between his teeth as he smirked at the large TV screen displaying the end of the Carnival Corpse broadcast.
He hadn't expected much from the fight, and there was nothing terribly unique about it that made it stand out from the many other Carnival Corpses he'd seen before; a fair amount of blood, a lot of pain, and perhaps a tiny bit of screaming. But he would be lying if he said the very end of the fight didn't catch his attention.
The female Deadman had given her all to take down her opponent, and had even gone to the point of doing something potentially suicidal just to win. That interested him.
And then there was the little verbal scene after she had won. Genkaku didn't know what that was all about but he decided to keep the incident in mind, recalling that the young woman said something about a promise she was determined to see upheld. One she was willing to hurt another for? he mused half-heartedly. He wasn't sure if that had just been her pride talking or if she actually meant it.
Taking the cigarette from his mouth, Genkaku blew out a small puff of smoke and lifted his legs up onto the dark coffee table in front of the sofa.
He didn't particularly pay much attention to Deadmen in order to distinguish one from the other. They were all trash to him except for the rare few here and there that were more troublesome or showed greater potential than the rest. But he did like to keep a closer watch over the newcomers when they were first brought in; not just for his own amusement, but for that of the other Anti-Deadman Corps or higher-ups. It wasn't very often, but every now and then one such prisoner would show up.
If his memory served correct, the young woman in Carnival Corpse was the same one he had brought to G-Block for Tamaki a couple weeks ago. She didn't seem that impressive to him at the time, but he knew fairly well that appearances could be deceiving.
As the TV began to project the "Too Bad for the Loser Show," Genkaku focused his thoughts on the young woman.
Yes, he would keep an eye on her for a bit longer.
Hello, hello, everyone out there. As usual it's been a while, but let's not get too deep into that chaotic mess. A big thanks again to all the lovely reviewers of this fic as well as all those who favorite/follow it, for it is not just for myself that I write, but for my readers and all the others out there. That being said, I hope you enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think! Until next time then, adieu.
