Hey hey hey! Yes, you guys waited for a week only to be given: the exact same chapter from last time! And it still bears the same name too: Ultimatum! ...Okay, actually, to tell you the truth, it's not exactly the same thing. Like all the other chapters, this one is much more detailed than the previous version. Basically, it contains the same plot, with a few add-ins, and there's much more detail in fight scenes; you might be surprised. ((; So feel excited! Thanks for all your lovely reviews, favorites, and follows! (: Happy reading!
P.S: Oh, and even if you've already read the first version of this chapter, I suggest you still read this... Because, come on, I spent a whole week reediting/ rewriting this for you guys! I love you all that much! :))
Okay, I'm done. Now you can read. (:
Chapter 10: Ultimatum
Ulrich's feet had a mind of it's own. It's only goal was to catch up with Odd, who was still walking unresponsively towards their room. It was so unusual; he didn't know what could get a lovable, funny, and kind guy like Odd so unhappy.
Ulrich's face ran into the door of their room which Odd just slammed closed. Ulrich tried to pry the door open, but it was caught. Shaking his head, he pulled out their key from the inside of his pants and thrust it into the lock, the door giving way with a crisp click. He pushed aside the glass door and found Odd inside, sitting on his bunk with his eyes lowered to his palms.
Odd wrung his hands as Ulrich chose to break the oppressive silence. "What did I do wrong, Odd?" he asked.
An awkward pause ensued as several seconds elapsed. "I really thought I was on my way to getting her to like me, Ulrich," he answered in a dejected tone, finally deciding to lift his gaze. A mixture of sadness and anger glazed his light brown eyes, a look that irrefutably brought chills down Ulrich's spine. It was when Odd chose to stand up that the fear of losing his friend began to assail the German's mind.
The svelte teenager stood up to his greatest height, his face forcing Ulrich to back away. His lack of size failed to eradicate the intimidation etched in his features; Ulrich knew how powerful Odd was. "But then Aelita chose to assign you to train her, and now she can do nothing but latch herself onto you," he continued. Never so fast did Ulrich ever watch someone lose himself: he watched as the comedic guy he knew so well evaporate into a guy of assertiveness and control.
Ulrich was at a loss for words. Narrowing his eyes, he spat back, "So what are you saying, huh? That I was flirting with her?" He clenched his fists to vent out the adrenaline coursing through him. He didn't want to fight.
Odd threw his arms up in exasperation. "What else could you have been doing?" he retorted angrily. "With friends like you, who needs enemies? I thought you were to be trusted, but I guess I was mistaken!" his high pitched tone screeched. He clenched his teeth so tightly, anyone could make out the contours of his jaw.
Ulrich's gaze only hardened. "I would never do that to you, Odd," he said, shaking his head. "I thought you knew about my feelings for Yumi."
"Of course I do," he agreed, anger still ingrained in his tone. "But by the looks of it, it seems like you guys aren't getting anywhere."
"I never flirted with her," Ulrich restated, noticeably flinching by the fact that it was a partial lie. They have toppled on top of each other and exchanged blushes several times, but that was close to being unpreventable. He took that fact as solace, but he couldn't help but still feel slightly guilty... Not to mention the intimate gesture of helping her with handling the sword.
Now that rose a red flag.
Sighing in defeat, he knew that he couldn't keep these things from Odd. "Well.." he began, "there have been several instances..." When Odd began to advance with his fists threateningly clenched, Ulrich put his hands up in a defensive gesture. "But how else was I supposed to teach her?!" he asked with desperation.
"Well, I don't know," Odd answered in an undeniably sarcastic tone. "But I do know that instructors shouldn't be blushing at their students!"
Ulrich took fighting stance as Odd approached even closer. "Look, Odd, I don't want to hurt you," he said.
Odd's eyes flickered with newfound hostility. "You already did," he choked out. "How could you!"
Odd's hands sprung for the shoulders of Ulrich's shirt, the fabric wrinkling inside his grasp. He shoved his German friend forcefully against the wall, his face wretched into a full-on death glare. Ulrich's blood ran cold as he saw Odd get angrier, his expression so foreign, unfamiliar. He never saw Odd like this, ever.
Ulrich shoved Odd away from him and kicked him in the stomach, hard enough to throb, but not hard enough to bruise him. Odd only staggered back, finally collapsing into Ulrich's bunk which served as a safety net.
"What the hell has gotten into you?!" Ulrich hollered, towering over his fallen friend... Actually, he didn't know if they were even friends anymore.
That shook him. Badly.
"...Look, I don't have any feelings for Brynga. I swear," Ulrich continued, offering him a hand. Odd stared at it, debating whether to take it or not. "I only blushed from embarrassment." To tell you the truth, he didn't know if it was true. Like mentioned before, blushing is near to unpreventable.
"You sure?" he asked hesitantly.
Ulrich nodded slowly, his eyes finally softening. Odd shook his head, and took his hand. He couldn't even comprehend what would've happened if their fight had gotten further. He has to calm down.
"Brynga will be lucky to have you, Odd. You're a great guy," Ulrich finally said.
He responded with a large smile, but then it vanished almost as fast as it came. "You really don't have to pretend to be dating Yumi just to help me."
"Actually," Ulrich began, "that was a test run. Doing this finally gave me the guts to really make things official with her."
Yumi nearly tripped over her boots as Brynga pulled her adamantly into her room. Once the door was shut, Yumi wrenched her arm away, and Brynga was more than obliged to let go. Her room was occupied with several cots, belonging to her roommates, along with a large wooden desk which was accompanied with at least ten seats. Luckily for Brynga, none of her roommates were present due to the patrolling of Spain, considering what she was about to do next.
Yumi threw her arms up in frustration and irritation. "What?" she asked in a malicious tone. She was suspicious, because under that mask of gentleness and kindness, she knew there was something unusual about her. She can't be trusted.
As Yumi massaged her slightly sore wrist, Brynga lips formed a chilling sneer. "I want you to stay away from Ulrich, that's what," she hissed. "He's mine, and you're getting in the way."
Yumi placed a hand on her hip and cocked her head, raising an eyebrow. She was perplexed beyond words. Brynga's feelings for Ulrich frighteningly elevated; she had only been here for two days -close to two days. In less than forty-eight hours, she built up the nerve to claim him for herself. Yumi couldn't believe it. "And what makes you think that?" she retorted. "Ulrich's not in your possession the last time I checked."
Brynga responded with only a cold, mocking laugh. She tapped the edge of her chin with the tip of her index finger, as if to contemplate her next few words. "Hm..." she trailed off in a sarcastic tone, "Let's see. Ulrich was assigned to protect me, not you. He was assigned to train me, not you. Ulrich-"
Yumi narrowed her eyes. "-Ulrich is mature enough to treat this professionally. He won't grow feelings for you. Besides, he will never do that to Odd. " She then reached for the doorknob. "I've had enough. I'm leaving. This conversation was pointless."
Before Yumi could even turn the knob one degree to the right, Brynga's hand was already clamped around her wrist, bringing back the slight sore. She shoved her hand off the turning device, and before Yumi knew it, she was plummeting backfirst towards the ground. She met the solid floor with a loud thud.
The fall extracted the air completely out of Yumi's lungs, and she didn't have time to catch her breath before Brynga's hands secured around the collar of her sweater. A wheeze of distress was forced out of her as the blonde forcefully brought her back up to a standing position, a smirk choosing to settle upon her face. She then began to slowly elevate her arm until Yumi's long legs were dangling, making it exceptionally harder for her to breathe.
"I beg to differ," Brynga snarled, staring as Yumi's face gradually receded to a deep shade of red. "Not to make you jealous, but we fell over a few times, and he was blushing at me like a maniac. Not to mention the fact that he wrapped his arms tightly around me just to teach me how to use a sword." She then shook her arm to keep Yumi from kicking her. She gasped for air.
Yumi narrowed her eyes, though the intimidation slumped just by the simple fact that she was desperate to breathe. "I- don't -believe- you," she managed to croak between shallow breaths.
Brynga laughed and threw Yumi against the opposite wall, her back crashing against the metal frame of a nearby bed. Yumi then gave way to sliding down to the floor, using her right arm to support her upper body as she took in big gulps of air, satisfying her fiery lungs. Brynga bent down until her gaze met Yumi's, a smug grin engraving her face. She placed her hands on her knees, cocking her head to the side, as she watched Yumi with sinful eyes. "Fine," Brynga said as Yumi was still gasping to recovery. "Believe what you want."
"He's my boyfriend," Yumi emphasized, grabbing a post from a nearby bunk for support as she got back up. Her back throbbed, inducing winces among her eyes. It almost took away from the feeling of that mere word, the feeling she got just by announcing it. She moaned just as another flourish of pain shot throughout her system, bringing her to the real realization of Brynga's attack. "Y-you're insane!" she declared once she fully pulled herself together.
Without warning, Brynga began her long string of kicks aimed for Yumi's vulnerable mid-section. They were intricate, beautifully coordinated, but they were still no match for Yumi nevertheless. A smirk formed upon Yumi's face as she used her highly trained reflexes to catch her right foot, trapping it between her palms. Then tucking it under her arm, Yumi began to shove her foot back in Brynga's direction, forcing her against the wall.
Once Yumi shoved Brynga's foot to the right, causing her to fall, she lunged for the Icelandic, securing her wrists and thighs. Unfortunately, though, Brynga was easily able to overcome her sheer strength, and turned the pair over, making it her turn to be on top.
Yumi writhed underneath Brynga's restraining body, unable to conquer her unexpected strength. Once the Icelandic was purely of dominance, she proceeded to say, "I may be insane... But I'm going to make sure that Ulrich's gonna fall in love with me."
Yumi was totally unprepared for Brynga's next move. The blonde grabbed her neck, and forcefully shoved her head against the ground, hard enough for it to throb, but not hard enough for her to go unconscious. She then paused for a moment, listening to Yumi's whimpers and grunts of struggle which served as music to her ears. "Let me give you an ultimatum," Brynga suggested in a cold mocking voice, a devilish smirk which was close to being Satan's forming on her delicate features. Her lips brushed the tip of Yumi's ear threateningly, whispering, "If you don't leave Ulrich alone, then I swear I will go on to beating your friends to a pulp, like I am doing to you now."
The Japanese geisha was speechless for a few seconds, and Brynga almost laughed at her uncertainty. But it quickly died away when a smile developed on Yumi's lips, diminishing all the fear that was present just a second ago. "No. Way," she replied.
"Wrong answer," Brynga sang. Proving her point, she picked up Yumi's head, and all at once smashed it against the wooden floor once again. Yumi couldn't retaliate; her head was throbbing and her eyes blurred things together into a mess of colors which were indistinguishable against one another.
She whimpered slightly, as Brynga said her next few words. "Let me rephrase that," she snarled, tightening her hands around Yumi's wrists. "You are the better fighter at martial arts, aren't you? Meaning that I can easily take down Ulrich, Odd, Jeremie, and..." She scrunched her eyebrows in feigned concern, "poor, little Aelita."
Yumi narrowed her eyes, trying to get a clear focus on Brynga's face. "Touch her, and it'll be the last thing you'll do," she spat.
"You seem to care a lot about your friends," Brynga stated the obvious. Pummeling Yumi's head into the floor not one, but three more times, she then continued, "But their physical health isn't decided by me. It's you. One kiss is all it takes. One kiss, and your friends will get it. Now, let me say this one more time." She banged Yumi's head. "Do. You. HEAR. Me?!"
Yumi eventually succumbed to her abuse and nodded painfully, her head pulsing with pain along with every slight movement. Brynga gave her a sickly smile.
"Good," she said.
Brynga helped Yumi up, then propelled her towards the writing desk, provoking a chain reaction of stationery materials to drop to the ground. Yumi used it as support as she gasped for breath, her mind moving in all directions, banging incessantly against the corners of her skull.
"Oh, and one more thing: Do not tell anyone about what just happened, and about the ultimatum, or the same punishment would be given out," Brynga finally said. "Now leave."
Scared out of her wits, but not showing it, Yumi left the room, now thought of as their private battlefield, immediately, wanting to depart a long time ago.
Yumi didn't know what happened. First Brygna was all sweet and kind with an innocent crush. Then the most wicked transformation took place, turning her into the most demented person Yumi ever saw. She was scared, to tell the truth. Scared for Eurasia's Army. Brynga has to be working as one of the adversaries in this whole scheme; she was willing to kill or at the least beat up Aelita, Odd, Jeremie, and Ulrich, for crying out loud, and her as well!
But then that brought up a new question in Yumi's head: Is Brynga part of the Kinimods, then? She thought about talking to Jeremie, but the thought of Brynga getting back at her put her in a deadlock. Brynga could beat Yumi so easily, so why not the others?
The thought of Brynga being part of the Kinimods seemed incomprehensible. How could she be so evil? Shaking her head to clear her mind, Yumi slowly trudged to her own room. Her legs, her arms, her stomach, and her head were palpitating shocks of pain throughout her body with every step, making the seemingly short walk of a few meters seem like a mile.
Yumi's wrist thrummed with discomfort as she slid the glass door to her room open to let herself in. The thought of the outing seemed like the least of her worries; it was far from the main focus of her mind right now.
Even though she really wasn't in the mood, Yumi began to prepare for lunch. She sorted through her rack of clothes for at least ten minutes, despite the fact that she didn't have a really large variety. She had only the clothes that were provided for her when she enlisted in Eurasia's army; when she ran away from home, she couldn't pack anything with her, for Dominik's bodyguards were already searching the house. Her mind kept on drifting to the subject of Brynga's loyalty, distracting her from her small list of clothing choices, so she eventually closed her eyes and blindly plucked a random clothing hanger off the rack which held the article of clothing she would wear.
As Yumi inspected her naked self in the mirror, she felt ticked off. She narrowed her eyes at the bruises littered along her wrists and the center of her thighs, and turning around to look at her back, a chill briefly glided down her spine.
Multiple nasty bruises stained her porcelain skin, making it look as if it was in the early stages of decomposition. Yumi could almost make out the outline of the bed post Brynga threw her back into by the way they lined up with one another, making it all the more bad. Luckily, all of the bruises weren't severe in any level; Yumi didn't expect Brynga to be that strong. And feeling the tender skin on the back of her head from being slammed into the floor, it didn't seem to be as severe either. Barely any swelling occurred, much to her pleasure. So, she chose to ignore them and bear with the pesky pain; mostly because she couldn't risk getting caught by Jeremie while grabbing an ice pack from the infirmary.
Yumi eventually slipped on a navy blue fitted dress with a sweetheart neckline cut just above her knees. The dress was polished off with lace in the same color, covering up her arms and collar bone area. This was the same dress she was going to wear to Dominik's inaugural, until his henchmen told her to change into the other black, slimming dress. Yumi still had that free dress, of course, but she chose not to wear it. It held terrible memories, bringing her back towards the time of Jeremie's near death at Dominik's hearing, which is why she cringed when she saw it sitting alone in the far back wall. She then brushed her hair, not bothering to style it up. Her hair was too short to do anything with it anyway, and they only had twenty minutes to get ready.
She then used the concealer from the compact Sissi once threw at her out of annoyance to cover up her bruised skin.
Author's note: Awesome, eh? The next few chapters will probably bring forth a surprise that didn't exactly happen in the previous chapter, so feel excited! :) I just ate a toasted croissant, and I'm really happy (though that's probably gonna be the last one I ever eat, considering the fact that my mom and brother hate croissants -_-)... Well, anyways, feel free to review, guys! Mwah! I'll try my best to get the next chapter up by tomorrow, you guys deserve it!
