So, simply gonna pop up here and drop this chapter and run away. I know it's been forever. *hides*
Thanks as usual to you awesome people who read this!
Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit.
Fate was out to screw them over. This was Kili's final conclusion as he, Nori and Dis were fighting to carefully reconfigure the internal security feeds to be as innocent as possible while hiding the fact that they'd been altered at all.
Kili's movements were certainly suspicious, as was the quick conglomeration of the company after the massacre. And while it certainly gave them an alibi, it also showed that they might have been involved, or would as soon as Detective Bowman matched up the time of deaths for Derek's gang the movements inside Erebor Corps.
Employees who were out late at night were called in, ascertained that they had an easily securable alibi for their actions and released. Those who had alibis that were difficult to obtain were told to say they had never left the building and then Nori wiped their tracks.
Kili himself received a vicious glare from his mother when he wouldn't say where'd he been but his movements as well, were wiped.
Kili carefully prepared the list of movements of all their employees and, when Dis and Nori had finished their hours of mind-bending work, checked it against the security feeds to ensure that there were no discrepancies.
This, of course, was even more hours of mind-numbing work but it paid off, with Kili catching shadows that weren't supposed to be there, and once, a changing in lighting in a spliced in scene.
Finally, finally, they managed to produce a guilt-free copy of their internal records and handed it over before the unspoken deadline that Detective Bowman had set.
"My brain is mush," Kili groaned.
"Yours?" Nori said, sounding like what Kili expected a zombie, fresh out of its grave would sound like. "I haven't slept for three days."
Kili blinked. "That's…not right." He blinked again and then grabbed the back of Nori's chair and proceeded to roll him through the hallways towards his room.
"Hey! Hey!" Nori protested, only marginally more alert than he'd been. He made weak attempts to push Kili's hand of the back of his chair and only succeeded in slumping further into his office chair.
Kili passed a confused Ori and advanced to the elevator. After a few moments, feet hurried after him and Ori said excitedly, "Are you making him sleep?"
"Yep," Kili said.
"Yes!" Ori hissed in triumph and helped Kili to manhandle the chair into the elevator. Nori gave his younger brother a betrayed look but almost actually fell asleep right there. Together they managed to get their security expert safely into bed even if Kili did tip the office chair at the bed like he was emptying a wheelbarrow and exited the room before Nori could yell at them.
"Is it done?" Ori asked him as they wheeled the chair back.
"Yeah," Kili said. He ran a hand through his hair. "Now we wait I guess."
"For the police," Ori said, "What do we do about the O.R.C.S.?"
Kili hissed in frustration, tugging at his hair again. "I don't know," he said, honestly aggrieved. "But I think we have to wait then too."
Ori frowned thunderous, an expression that was at odds with his usually even temper. "I don't like this Kili Durin."
"Neither do I, Ori," Kili said, fingers whitening on the back of the chair. "Neither do I."
Things are tense for the next few days. Detective Bard doesn't come for their throats which means, probably, that their doctored tapes have passed muster. Still they're stymied in their movements because Bowman has his eyes on them. The only good thing to come out of the Detective's wrath is furious patrols that rip up and down Dale's streets. The good detective is out for the O.R.C.S too and the force of his anger is enough to make the O.R.C.S. themselves to lay low.
All in all, everyone is laying low and playing it safe for the moment. It still doesn't help Kili to feel any better when the date of his next fight approaches. He's already tense from work and he knows that the Den will rachet any tension up by ten thousand. Not to mention that if any of the Detective's patrols catch him outside, without a legal alibi he'll be in trouble.
A well-rested Nori gives him a stern look as he slips out and Kili gives him an apologetic smile even as he slips out the door. He thinks ruefully that Nori might withhold coffee from him for his next shift. He would have skipped this fight, really, if he didn't have to fight and this wasn't a fight that was going to be easy. He avoids the street cams, letting Nori catch one glimpse of him before he goes dark and makes his way to the latest underground ring.
Right before he enters, he stops and takes a deep breath. He needs to get his head in the game. He releases the breath and takes another. This time when he releases, he lets go of all his work worries. They have no place here. Another breath in soothes him and when he breathes out, he slows his racing heartbeat.
Target.
Focus.
Ignore the factors that have nothing to do with the shot.
Trigger.
Take the shot.
Bullseye.
On his last exhale Kili feels himself settle and them he smiles, wide and reckless and unstoppable.
He was Kili Durin. Black Mane. The Undying. This, this was nothing he couldn't handle.
The crash of sound from the fighting ring was welcome, invigorating, a breath of air saturated in adrenaline and emotion. The thud of the flesh against flesh from the ring had Kili's eyes flickering to the two men going at it in the ring. Not amateurs but new to the sport. Another warm-up fight before the big one.
Kili let his eyes trail over the compound until he spots them, lounging behind another roped off section. Graylin is there, arm propped carelessly in his sling. Sting is next to him, looking half-asleep at the moment. Giant and Whiplash are next to them and to Kili's surprise, is Diamondbone. He's a mess of bruises, stitches marching crookedly over his face but he's the one that spots Kili first. He gives him a smile that wide enough, real enough and sharp enough to hurt the split skin before jerking his head towards the prep rooms.
Kili matches his grin, feeling genuinely glad to see him, to know he wasn't as badly hurt as he'd feared and makes his way to the prep rooms. Graylin catches sight of him as he threads his way through the crowds and waves with his good arm. Kili waves back but continues on his way.
The prep rooms have two of the Dragon's guards on either side of the door but they don't stop him as he steps through. He stops right inside the doorway to let his eyes get used to the darker room as opposed to the arena's bright lights. When his vision resolves he finds Killer sitting on the opposite side of the room, wrapping his fists and grinning at him.
"Well look at that," he says grinning, "He came."
"Was that ever in doubt?" Killi asks even as his eyes search out the only other occupant in the room.
"No," Killer says and gives him a wicked, crooked grin. Kili returns it and walks further inside.
The Lion Prince is leaning back in a corner of the room and his eyes flick over Kili's in a lazy, uninterested way. There is a subtle, relaxation to his body that fills Kili with relief. He too is not irreversibly scarred by his last fight. Rivaling that relaxation is a lethal edge that vibrates under his skin. Kili understands, knows that this fight is not one that will be easy by any means. Whoever wins will win. But whoever loses will lose a whole lot more.
That same lethal edge is humming under Killer's skin, running its dangerous thrum throughout his muscles. Despite Kili's injuries, he clearly thinks of him as a difficult opponent.
Kili walks over and drops in the bench next to Killer who looks startled for a moment, eyes darting to the other empty bench in the room before his eyes light up and the corner of his mouth curls into a smile. Kili dumps his bag at his feet and starts to rummage around in it, pulling out his own wraps and starting to drape his fists with practiced motions.
"You ready to go home Mane?"
"You ready to crawl into your bed and cry tonight?" Kili shoots back and Killer laughs.
"What a nice imagination you have there."
"What a nice bucket of denial you have there," Kili says grinning sidelong at him.
"Oh I thought that was yours," Killer says deadpan, "You brought it with you."
"Nah," Kili snorts, "I met that here."
In the corner, he can almost feel the Lion Prince mentally roll his eyes. But Kili doesn't care. The tension in the room had ratcheted down a notch. Killer is steadier, the anxious thrum to his movements have eased, the burden of the Dragon's expectations has been pushed back and he is focused and precise. Good.
Kili doesn't want to lose this fight. But he prefers to do his psyching out in the ring, not have it handed to him beforehand. He prefers a real fight, a true one, where his opponent is top form. A fair one.
He flicks his eyes to the Lion Prince and catches only ice in those blue eyes, but he has shifted, the lines of his body conveying something like gratitude. There was a reason he was in here today instead of outside with the others. A reason Killer had chosen to be away from the others as well.
'Protect your pride Prince,' he remembers saying. Huh. Looks like his instincts at least are still spot on.
Outside the bell clangs as the match is over and the announcer is screaming out the winner's name.
"Is this us?" Kili asks as he changes shoes, tugs on his gloves.
"Not sure," Killer said. "I think it depends on the crowd today."
"Ahh," Kili nods. If the crowd was sufficiently riled up then the ring wouldn't bother with another fight, and chance that the crowd loses interest.
"And now for the main attraction!" the announcer booms.
Kili and Killer glance at each other before saying simultaneously, "Us."
The Lion Prince moves then, eyes flickering over both of them before he saunters out of the prep room and turns in the direction of the rest of the fighters.
Killer is announced and he stands up and grins down at Kili. "See you in the ring kid."
Kili grins back. "Best place to be."
Killer's grin widens before he is running out, waving to the crowd and hopping over the ropes and landing in the middle of the ring with a flourish. The crowd screams, deafening, pulsing with energy. Money changes hands quickly before the cut of time and then the announcer is screaming out,
"Black Mane!"
Kili stands and runs out into the blinding lights and roar of the crowd.
The rules are explained to them as usual before the referee sends them to their corners.
"Good luck," Killer says to him before walking away. "You'll need it."
"Don't give away what you'll have need of," Kill shoots back, smirking before going to his corner.
The crowd has quieted, breathless with anticipation, and then the bell clangs loud and startling in the quiet and the match has begun.
Their first clash is fast, a flurry of fists before they break apart, circling each other, hunters marking their prey. Kili darts in first next, a feint and then a kick.
The kick is blocked and Killer, lunges forward with a cross and jab. Kili dances back from them easily. He bounces on his feet a little, grins and returns to circling. He's not expecting this fight to be fast and he's not planning on it.
Killer steps as well in response to his motions, trying to not get trapped, inching closer and closer with each step, closing in the distance before he strikes. Kili lets him get closer, always making sure he has space at his back. He too doesn't want to get cornered.
When Killer finally lunges, Kili doges, twists, lands a punch on his shoulder, a kick to his lower back that sends him stumbling. He recovers fast though and comes back twice as fast, fists flying in dangerous combinations.
Kili blocks, but the blows batter on his guard. He ignores the pain, he's had worse. He times the blows, waits for his opening and the second he gets it, he lashes out. The punch catches killer square in the chest, rocking him backward. Kili doesn't give him a chance to recover. He snaps out a front kick, catching Killer in the same spot again and then darts in, dropping low, sweeping his leg hard against Killer's feet. The den fighter goes, down but he rolls as soon as he lands, gets to his knees before Kili can pin him.
He's come up with his back to Kili and snaps his elbow back as Kili lunges to wrap an arm around Killer's throat. The elbow lands smack to his nose and Kili is tossed back, rolling and getting to his feet. His nose is bleeding but it isn't broken. Good.
Killer is back on his feet and he's grinning. He shakes his arms out and lifts them. Kili grins in return. Warm-up is done. He wipes the blood off his face then his eyes are narrowed. He focuses, the way he does when he has a target on the other end of his scope. He narrows his world to that one point, while simultaneously being aware of everything else, anything that might affect his shot.
Killer is a beast when unleashed. But Kili is a hunter, a prince who has fought monsters in dark places, a sniper who has brought down others bigger than him, survived overwhelming odds. He is as much a survivor as Killer. He is as undying as his name suggests. There will only be one winner to come out of this ring and there is only one person it can be.
Killer sees his look and grins. And for the first time, Kili sees him drop his chains voluntarily. Those shackles of iron control are dropped to the floor, the beast opening the cage on its own. It is Killer, the killer, on the field, ready to face the undying.
Kili's smile only widens.
They move towards each other almost laconically. They don't circle, don't tease, merely head into this war that's brewing in the small space bound by the ropes of the ring.
Killer moves first, striking out with a jab, dodging Kili's responding blow, moving to the side of him with barely a pause. Kili manages to shift in time to lift a leg to block the furious kick. Killer merely pulls back a little, shifts his leg higher and snaps out a second kick all in the space of a breath. Kili blocks the kick with an arm, feeling the shock of the impact rattle his bones, before he's snapping out a kick of his own while the other fighter is slightly off balance.
It connects but Killer shifts in time so that he doesn't take the brunt of it. He staggers back and then takes two quick deliberate steps back and dives forward before Kill can quite get out of the way.
He hits somewhere around his thighs. He only gets one arm around one leg because Kili is fast but he still manages to drag him down on one knee.
The impact jars his still-healing ribs, and the pain crackles and crawls under his skin, up his throat. He suppresses a scream. Doesn't let it stop him. He uses his sudden position of height to rain quick blows down upon Killers head.
Killer braces for the blows, takes them, though Kili felt skin split under his hands. Smartly he drops his hold on Kili's leg, rolls away and comes up to his feet. Kili meets him standing up. The next flurry of blows is fast. Killer isn't as fast as the Lion Prince; Kili is actually faster, but he is fast enough to dodge the full force of Kili's fists. He is also nimble enough to slip through little spaces despite his bulk.
It is different, to fight him, when he has voluntarily dropped his chains, fights with a combination of deadly instinct and carefully curated skill. Kili has to keep his wits about him, to calculate every move, pull back from instinct himself. He needs to, he realizes in sudden epiphany, put himself into a sniper's mindset instead of a ground fighter. He needs precision, accuracy, patience and when necessary, absolute explosive force. He needs to be the bullet out of the gun, the arrow slicing through the air and burying itself into bodies without apology.
They separate from their last exchange. Kili's ribs are throbbing, each breath is a knife blade searing into his side, cutting the breath from his throat in cruel twists. Killer uses the time to flick blood away from his eyes. The hits Kili had laid on his head are causing rivulets to streak down his face, giving him a frightening visage.
He grins at Kili again. "Having fun?" The words are loaded, they're a response to the threat Kili is proving himself to be, the threat that activates Killer's survival instincts.
Kili huffs a laugh even though it costs his abused lungs. "Sure."
Because he is a threat. He does intend to take Killer out. But he's not going to do it the way Killer has come to expect. They, none of them, know the sniper's eye that lies inside, none of them know the cold, calm soldier he is. They will soon.
He can feel the Lion Prince's eyes on his back. Can feel the gaze sharpen in the moments before he moves, as the other fighter no doubt reads his body language.
Then he is moving.
Killer moves to meet him and that is his mistake. You run away from guns. You do not cross open plains when a sniper is on the field.
Killer strikes out first and Kili takes the hit flat to his palm, snatches the arm that jabs at him, pulls and then snaps the forearm of his other hand right down on Killer's elbow joint. The blow actually yanks Killers closer to Kili as his arm spasms and contracts. Kili head-butts him, and, still tugging him closer with the fist he has in his grip, jabs his free hand straight into his throat. Killer reels back, coughing, abandoning the blow he'd aimed at Kili's broken ribs.
Kili doesn't let him go far. He steps quickly, feet light and using his grip on Killer's arm, twists it up behind the other man's back. A kick to the back of his knees gets him to stagger to one knee. Killer tries to roll to one side to break the hold, but Kili braces his feet, tugs in the opposite direction.
And then he drops. Four blows hammer down the line of Killer's back. Kili is precision personified, power packed into a small form. Four ribs break in quick succession, sounding loud, even over the crowd. A quick twist while Killer fights to recover, pops the arm he's holding out of joint, ripping and tearing muscles and tendons. Kill drops the arm now that it is no threat to him and still moving oh so clinically fast, grabs the other arm. Killer flails testing to get away from him, manages to kick a leg back out.
It causes him to fall forward and he tries to roll away, to regroup. He manages to make it to his side before Kili pins him, shifts his grip briefly and then using his other arm he delivers a punch carefully aimed and snaps the bones in Killer's forearm.
It's not easy. His knuckles scream at him, every single breath is whistling through his throat, but he's been trained to be this weapon, to do whatever necessary to protect the people under his care and he does not hesitate now.
Killer roars.
The crowd is silent. Breathless. Shocked.
Kili gets up, freeing Killer to roll onto his front, to try to get up. There is rage and fear on his face, the chains, dropped voluntarily, have dissolved now, but it is too late. Kili snaps a kick to his face and his head whips to the side. He lands on the mat, out cold, leaving Kili breathing harshly.
This fight was super-duper hard for me to write, so let me know how it went!
