Chapter Twenty-Five
The bald man from the elevator escorted him out of the hotel, at Seishirou's insistence. Syaoran walked alongside the uniformed man, his thoughts a tangled mess of potential loopholes, worry, and resignation. As he walked out into the midmorning air, he realized he needed some pretext to explain his long absence. I told Fai I was going to find out more about this country, but I don't have time to find substantial enough to merit an hour of wandering around. Maybe I could find something else. His eyes flitted over dozens of buildings, looking for one that could reasonably draw his attention given what he'd set out to do.
I can't believe I have to worry about this, he thought. If I didn't have to keep this deal a secret, I wouldn't have to think of an excuse. For a moment, he considered telling them the truth. Just for a moment. Then, he dismissed the thought as an irrational idea brought on by sleep exhaustion and continued looking for potential excuses. I could say I went to the library. I wasn't really gone long enough for that to make sense, though. Maybe I could say it was closed. But what if they checked? I could make up a library, something they haven't heard of, but that's another lie to keep track of, and if they ask me about it later, how am I supposed to remember what I named it? Maybe I could get by without a name. He reached the edge of the park, and caught sight of the others. That'll have to be good enough.
He walked back, keeping his pace slow so as not to tip them off to his subterfuge. When he approached, Kurogane turned toward him, looking annoyed. "Where did you run off to?"
"I went to the library, to see if there was any more information on this country's history." He stopped there, not sure if he should mention his supposed research pertained to Sakura's feathers, or if that was obvious enough that it didn't require explanation.
None of them called him on it, though, so he sat down on the edge of the fountain.
"Kurogane got us breakfast," Fai said, handing him a paper bag smelling of grease and salt.
The ninja shrugged. "It was the closest place that had food."
Syaoran unwrapped the contents of their breakfast and started eating. Despite the greasy packaging and strong smell, the food was actually quite tasty. He ate quickly, so as not to annoy his teacher any more than he already had. As soon as he was done, the ninja stood up. "We're going to work on your balance today," he said, walking toward the edge of the park, where a stone wall separated the grass from the sidewalk. Before he explained any further, Syaoran guessed what they'd be doing.
"I'm going to have to walk across the top of that fence, aren't I?"
Kurogane nodded.
Well, that doesn't sound too painful. He looked at the short fence, glad he wouldn't have far to fall. After trying to walk on his hands, his balance was much better. It seems a little too easy.
"You'll have to dodge the pebbles I throw at you without losing your balance."
You just had to go and think it, didn't you? "Okay," he said, as he climbed on top of the stone wall. It was just wide enough for him to fit both his feet side-by-side on top. That gives me some room, he thought, positioning himself in a defensive stance as the ninja picked up a handful of round rocks from the ground.
"Ready?"
"Ready."
He actually managed to avoid the first few rocks, kicking some away and avoiding others altogether. As his success became apparent, they flew at him with greater speed, and in greater numbers. After almost a minute, one of the stones grazed the side of his face. Two more followed as he flinched in pain, and his balance faltered. His hands shot out, securing him to the ledge before he fell, but it was a near thing.
"Try moving like the mage," Kurogane said, stooping down to pick up more pebbles. "Be flexible and react in the fastest way possible, even if you have to sacrifice a counterattack to get out of the way. You won't win any battles if you die."
The thought of Fai's movements sent a rush of emotions through him, the most dominant being resentment, and the rest of it different flavors of guilt for feeling irritated. He's right to want you dead. You've got a clone wandering around with half his magic, and you won't explain how that came to be.
But he did as Kurogane said, trying to move as if he was made of paper, like Fai did. He actually found it easier to avoid the projectiles when his every other movement wasn't focused on retaliation. It's always been about fighting back. Seishirou taught me . . . taught the Other to use an enemy's power against them, and how to compensate for being blind in one eye, but everything he taught had an offensive component to it. I never focused on just avoiding attacks. He bent backwards to avoid a stone, pressing his hands against the top of the stone wall and using the leverage to propel himself upward again. He flipped, landing like a cat on his feet.
"Good," Kurogane said, tossing another handful of pebbles his way. He dodged, and the game began anew.
Cheers rose from the audience as they walked out into the arena. "And returning after a near-lethal injury, Team Big Puppy!"
Kurogane turned to the mage, shaking his head. "I still can't believe you named us that."
"It was the first thing that came to mind."
He rolled his eyes and turned his attention to their opponents, just walking in from the door on the opposite end of the arena. Three teenagers, each wearing the chains all competitors were required to wear, stepped out, followed by their controller, a gray-haired man with withered features and sagging cheeks. Despite the age gap, the family resemblance was obvious. Reliving old glory, or carrying on a family legacy? Kurogane wondered, as the announcer drove the crowd wild. It didn't matter who they were, or what their connection was. He would take them down, just like any other opponent.
"How high are the stakes on this one?" Fai asked.
"High enough to pay for a new apartment," he said. "These guys have been in tournaments like these since they were old enough to fight." Still not more than five or six years. Veterans, but not experts.
"I'm sure you'll be able to take them down, Kurogane."
He sighed, unsheathing Souhi. Beside him, the kid took a fighting stance, his eyes trained on their opponents. Focused. Good, he thought. He's not underestimating them because they're young. That was perhaps the one advantage younger fighters had over old masters: they treated every opponent as a grave threat, because they expected their own age to make them an underdog.
"On my mark," the announcer said, lifting his scepter up as a signal for the audience to pay attention. "Get set . . ."
Fai turned toward their enemies, his eye shifting to gold. Behind them, Sakura sat down on her throne, every muscle rigid with focus.
"Fight!"
Their opponents ran across the arena, each brandishing different weapons. Kurogane aligned himself so he was facing the one holding a sword, since that was the weapon he was most familiar with. Fai raced ahead of them, moving with supernatural speed toward the youngest of the boys. That one wielded a scythe suspended on a chain. That left the kid to fight the unarmed boy sneaking in from the left.
The teams met. The sword-wielding blond brought his weapon around in a wide arc, not moving until the last possible second. Skilled, but not exceptional. He raised Souhi to deflect the blow, listening to the way the sharp edge of his opponent's blade moved across his. Before the boy could move to attack again, the ninja sent a blast of energy from his sword in that direction, throwing the blond back and knocking the sword out of his hands. The boy rose up from his crouch gracefully, sporting a few new cuts and bruises.
Before Tomoyo had cursed him, he would've just killed the blond. This was a fight, and in his country, losing a fight most often meant death, unless there was something to be gained from keeping the defeated opponent alive. Now, though, he waited for the boy to pick his sword up, then lunged forward, sending another blast in his direction. This time, the kid was better braced for the attack, lifting his sword up to deflect most of the energy.
A few feet away, Syaoran threw a kick to his opponent. Kurogane heard the sound of bones cracking. A solid strike, Kurogane thought, parrying another blow as he watched his student.
The two of them went at it, moving smoothly. The kid had apparently taken today's lesson to heart, because he was focused more on avoiding his opponent's blows than he was on attacking. Good, he'll live longer that way, he thought, watching the boy sidestep a punch.
Just as that happened, the sword-wielding blond moved to attack again. The ninja brought Souhi up and cut his opponent's wrist, parting the flesh and baring the bone underneath. Blood gushed from the wound like a fountain.
This must've flustered the old man controlling them, because the other teenagers' movements slowed. The chess-master's will controls how well the chess pieces are able to fight. As soon as the leader falters, the battle changes tides.
The slowed movements allowed the others in his group to gain the upper hand. The magician got hold of the free-swinging scythe and ripped it from his enemy's grasp, bringing it around to knock the young boy unconscious. While the mage finished off that one, the kid saw an opening and twisted his whole body to throw a powerful kick to his opponent's sternum. Kurogane moved Souhi to the sword-user's throat, tilting his head up with the dull side of the blade. He recoiled, still clutching his bleeding wrist. "I s-surrender," he stammered, looking to his grandfather in desperation. The old man stood up and gave the hand signal for surrender, looking bitterly disappointed.
"Team Riverrun surrenders!" the announcer blared over the microphone. "Team Big Puppy advances to Bronze Rank!"
A chorus of cheers rose up at the declaration. Kurogane sheathed his sword and put his hands in his pockets. He turned to the kid. "Your reaction time is getting better, but you still need work."
The kid's face stretched into a smile as he registered the approval. Kurogane blinked in surprise. That's the first time I've seen him smile, he realized.
Fai strolled over to the betting center nearest to the arena, leaning close to the glass. "We'll take our winnings now," he said, still wearing that easy grin, though his eye was still gold.
The woman behind the glass handed him an envelope with enough cash to rent a new apartment, her eyes dropping as the purpose for the vampire's eye-patch registered with her. She paled a little.
Fai turned back to them, grinning as if he hadn't seen the way she'd looked at him. "I think we'll be able to afford a nicer apartment with this, don't you, Kurogane?"
He shrugged. "The lady at the counter said that higher ranked fights paid more, so I suppose we will." Maybe the extra space will diffuse some of the tension, he thought. At least I won't have to share a room with that damn mage.