Schwarz Blitz 8
AN#1: In chapter 3 I wrote that Schuldig had a bandanna across his forehead. That was my mistake. I meant to say 'headband'. Bandanna is usually a ribbon tied around your forehead (think um…Ryu from Streetfighter 2 or Joe Higashi. They both have bandannas).
AN#2: Did you know that it was Crawford's birthday at the end of last month? Damn I completely forgot to celebrate. Gomen, Crawford-san ~_^. Hopefully he won't shoot me in the head for forgetting his birthday ^^;;
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The crowd cheered at the top of their voices as the winner of the karate tournament posed in the middle of the ring, one arm raised high in the air. Makoto couldn't believe she had won after being a participant in this tournament for so many years and had never come near to first place. But time had changed and here she was, her feet by the face of the current champion; someone who she had never heard of in Japan. The trophy cup was rightfully Kino Makoto's now. And so was the 8 million-Yen prize money.
She was on the victory side and it wasn't from a mere bloodthirsty street fight she had grown used to over the growing up stage. Makoto won for sportsmanship and a good reputation among the crowd. People could now learn to respect her for whom she was (finally) and not piss her off for being called Karate Maniac in the High School days. It was remarkable how she didn't bleed as much as she normally would on the streets. Only one or two tiny bruises appeared from her face and arms yet it didn't stop her from grinning joyfully at the crowd of excited people sitting at the far back.
After she took the small trophy from the referee and smiled in front of the cameras, Makoto dashed passed more of the media to reach backstage, away from the noisy spectators that had sat down through an impressive tournament final for two hours. Wow she had never felt this exhausted or had sweated this much since she was a teenage heroine. Burning off the energy throughout the tournament left her head wanting more action.
Come on you've just won the final after two hours of sparring The angelic voice wouldn't give the new champion nagging a rest. But Makoto didn't take any notice that she was sweating heavily and her body temperature had risen by double. It would be a waste if she didn't take this opportunity to use the rest of her stamina before taking a shower in the changing room to cool off. No! She realised. It was best to take it easy. A champion ought to rest then start a new career as the top Karate competitor.
Makoto gently placed the shiny trophy on the bench and took out a towel from her bag to wipe her face and neck. Shame there was no fan to turn on in the room. It would blow away the burning heat that had started to spread across the room and steam up the mirrors. She removed her belt and Gi, tossed it into her bag then stepped into the hot shower. The boiling water washed away the unnecessary odour on all parts of her skin. Adding the shower wash gave her a greater sensation of pure relaxation.
Makoto watched the bubbles float away through the drain of the shower, passing her toes. She loved this experience. And it had to be a dream for sure. No one could have a really good shower after a victory. The last time she had a victory in a fight, something else had to happen, which was either bad or good. A bad result was the likelier one. One example was when she first encountered Schuldig after pummelling the young junkie during the night. She forced her pessimistic attitude to not ruin her happy moment as she finished showering and started to change into drier clothes. Fighters deserved good moments in their lives, didn't they?
Noticing her hair was still very wet, Makoto decided to leave her long chestnut strands down, ignoring the strong clinging that they all created on the back of her neck. As she shut the door to the changing room, the new karate champion received a violent shove to her right shoulder. Who dared hit her so hard? That was just RUDE. She cocked her head to the side to see who asked for trouble. Makoto knew it would be 'her' no doubt. Expectedly, the opponent was pissed off for losing to an amateur.
How could she not see that her opponent was none other than her manageress, Aki? Makoto was too deep in fighting mode to see who she was up against during the fight. All it mattered to her was to throw in punches, kicks and takedown attacks to grab the victory. Now she had a reason to be happier on this exciting night. Aki was the current karate champion but had her title taken by Kino Makoto, a resident who lived in Juuban and now moved to Osaka. Of course in reality Makoto knew that Aki wasn't capable of martial arts. She didn't have a sort of fighter's aura that Makoto would usually sense around people, particularly as a combatant herself.
"That was a tough match," Aki said. The current champion was having trouble preventing her anger from unleashing powerfully. Makoto could tell she was still angry from the surprised defeat and replied, "I know. You were good out there." She offered an open hand. It was a handshake of friendship.
"Tch, don't give me that 'praising the loser' shit. I'll get my title back in the future." Aki's eyebrows raised proudly and her head turned back to the front as she walked away. Jeez, this dream version of her boss was even bitchier than the real one. Not only was she a good karateka but a damn right arrogant bitch who merely cared about herself as the winner.
Makoto wondered how she could have friends with an attitude at this level. And she meant the Aki in real life too. What was with the cold-heartedness in the older woman? Previously when she was with Schuldig and Crawford in the café she had practically drooled over Crawford's clean, cream suit and his dashing businessman looks. Makoto was glad she wasn't the heavily jealous type. Ok so maybe she was jealous because Aki was able to flirt and impress the two strangers but that wasn't important. Besides she had to worry about other things apart from Aki. She wanted to keep her eye on Schuldig most of the time. Crawford didn't seem as threatening as the German did. Everywhere Makoto went, she saw him. He knew where she lived and what she was thinking.
Forgetting about the brief rudeness from Aki and reminding herself that this was a dream, Makoto directed her feet to the exit of the stadium. Her dream mind seemed to know where everything was and she let her senses guide her freely down the hallways. I'm glad Aki isn't a fighter. It would make it harder for me to cope with her at work She thought. Having the trophy in her possession felt so amazing. It was a real accomplishment. Shame it was going to fade from her once she woke up. The trophy cup looked small enough to fit on the shelf above her fireplace. It would look awesome in the living room.
After putting the trophy back into her bag, Makoto encountered yet another obstacle and lifted her head up. Dammit why did there have to be another annoying face in a dream? This dream would become a nightmare now.
"Oh not again," She moaned miserably. The orange haired son of a bitch was in her reality too now, eh? Her victorious smile from tonight had crumbled twice. First it was Aki and the latest person was Schuldig. She didn't care that her front strands were wetly clinging onto her cheeks to make her face look unnaturally shaped. Her fists clasped around her sports bag brutally at the sight of the German. Why the hell did he have to pop up? I didn't want him to come in. My mind was completely empty of that bastard all day today Makoto wanted to wake up but her eyes were still shut on the outside. She could tell.
"I'm not part of your dream," Schuldig replied, clearly responding to her inner thought. "I have chosen to come see you in this other world. Schoen, isn't it?" Was it possible for him to do that? Could he read her thoughts and also travel into her dreams? If it was true then it was just unfair. This dream had started to be a good one yet it had been ruined by the dream version of Aki and this guy too. Who cared if it was unfair? Makoto thought this little fighting thing against Schuldig was becoming very dangerous than before. First she discovered he was telepathic and the next thing she had realised was that he was able to go into her dreams while sleeping. Was he doing it right now?
"Was ist los, Fraulein? Aren't you happy to see me? I thought you'd be glad." He stepped closer to her. His hypnotic eyes scanned her astonished façade. "Hmm…you just said you're so happy to see me." Through Makoto's expressions, her main remark had 'Oh shit' written all over. She didn't know how she was ever going to catch him reading her mind. It would take professional training to do the trick, wouldn't it?
"Yeah. I'm happy to see you all right." She smiled forcefully then straightened her chin seriously. "So I can do this." Makoto somersaulted in the air and threw a back kick to hit him behind. It wasn't her strongest kick but it did manage to push him forward. Strike one went to Makoto, the newly crowned Karate champion. That sounded rather fitting for her, didn't it? She pushed aside the short pride status of being the winner and focused on her opponent. Makoto ran into the German as he stood back on his feet. He was faster in recovering than she was. And the swift dodging was the instant proof.
At the moment the Japanese girl wasn't concerned on why he enjoyed toying with her a lot. It was more important to be able to beat him in this fight so that he and Crawford wouldn't be able to mess with her ever again. A sure victory would be enough for them to back away, right? Makoto shouted and came in with God knows how many punches to Schuldig's stomach. Mastermind defended smoothly with both arms. Damn he was good in defending like Oracle was. A side thrust kick then a roundhouse kick came at Schuldig and he didn't have to do much other than slide away.
"Your rage is making you strong, Makoto," Schuldig commented above the grunting the girl was releasing in her attacks. "But your strategies aren't getting you anywhere, I'm afraid. You'll have to do better than that." She stopped punching when she heard his words. He wasn't her Sensei. What would he know? Was he trying to prove that he was a smarter fighter than she was? What kind of jerk did he think he was, pissing her off then telling her how to fight?
"You're not my teacher. You're my enemy!" Makoto shouted determinedly.
Her right leg went into a sweep to Schuldig's feet however his speed outmatched her and he jumped on the other side. Oh she wasn't going to let him catch her behind again. Makoto turned her back to face him, returning to a front stance and ready to hit back. Schuldig's hands rested on his sides casually. He was honestly getting a kick out of this, wasn't he? What kind of enjoyment was this? Makoto honestly didn't understand men at all. She wished he would get rid of that smile. Then again another tiny voice was telling her it looked nice on him. For goodness sake, Mako-chan, wake up. This was Schuldig, a dangerous guy who loved to use his telepathy for his games. She shouldn't be letting his attractive features get to her.
Don't smile. Don't blush. Don't…oh shit this is hard Makoto pushed herself to focus deeply. Considering the German as a Bishounen wasn't worth the time. She had to win this fight in the dream world. Then she could wake up happily in the morning and go to work to tell her friends of her dream of beating Aki in a fight. There was another alternative option she hadn't thought of yet. And it might be the best way to wake up properly. Makoto ran towards Schuldig to throw him a Sparkling Wide Pressure.
She threw three more lightning attacks at the German, who was able to dodge each one easily. Dammit her aim was at a shit range. Concentrate, idiot Makoto thought Hey!. Her mind returned to its thinking stage and she discovered that it was the perfect opportunity for her to escape her dream. Her voice echoed to her brain, demanding to wake her up. Who cared about the punch? The opponent was down on the ground and really that meant she was the winner.
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Makoto's eyelids immediately lifted up. Finally! She was up. And free from that idiot. Or wasn't she? Losing her relieved smile, her gaze met another pair of eyes that were adjacent to her. So it was true! Schuldig was here all night, making himself present in her dream voluntarily. He WAS capable of this ability. Makoto swallowed hard when she found that the tips of their noses touched each other gently and his eyes were very close to hers. Of course apart from the close facial contact there was also the fact that Schuldig had his hand on her rear. This was extremely embarrassing.
"Hi," He said softly. Makoto cursed, threw herself away from him and got out of her bed. What made her angrier was the sight of seeing the German on her bed with his shoes. She only cleaned her bed covers yesterday after coming home from work. Her hands ran through her hair nervously. Each finger felt each individual strand and realised it was all dry rather than wet. Oh how could she forget? Her wet hair was in the dream. Duh!
"You were very aggressive in that dream." Schuldig laughed. "Take a look at your room." Unfortunately he was right. Makoto saw the glass frames of the paintings on the wall had cracked and weren't at straight angles. The paper cover of her table lamp had been knocked down and the bedcover had fallen off the mattress. The fighting felt totally real. The window was open too. Oh damn. That was how Schuldig came in noiselessly. She forgot to close it last night. How stupid could she be?
Makoto heard some crackling from her lamp and looked inside at the light bulb. Strangely she was able to feel the electric current flow through her. Oh no! This aggressive dream must also mean that she had used her electricity as well without realising it. Schuldig had pissed her off so much in that dream fight.
"Why are you here?" Makoto asked, calming down from waking up in shock.
"I came to see you of course," Schuldig replied.
"Get off my bed and leave!" She commanded.
Showing his hands in surrender, Schuldig slid off the bed. He wouldn't move as he stood against the bed. This was one grumpy sleeping beauty who had awakened from her deep sleep. The German was surprised at Makoto. Why didn't she often let her hair down? It was very wavy and smooth and he knew at the beginning that it was soft from feeling the tiny strands in his fingers. It wasn't very silky smooth but it was good enough for someone like him.
"If you don't leave I'll…" Without finishing her sentence, Makoto impatiently charged a Supreme Thunder at the German. He smiled and nonchalantly moved out of the way to miss the attack. He stood by the open window and looked at her teasingly. What I don't need is your annoying presence first thing in the morning Her face become a look of warning and Schuldig jumped out. Of course with a guy who had special abilities, he was able to survive the long drop to the ground. Makoto couldn't believe her morning greeting ended up like this. It was unpredictable.
She knew he was going to come back for her for his pleasure. And she had to be ready when he did come see her again. What she needed was hot chocolate. Though suddenly Makoto was looking forward to her next meeting with Schuldig more and more these days and now she had begun to see his face wherever she was. His orange hair and seductive eyes were all she could see now. Blinking furiously, Makoto told herself to be serious. Shit, she was losing it completely.
Schuldig looked back up at the apartment. That dream was fun to be in. And seeing her use her electrical powers mightily gave the amusement higher entertainment for the German. She was something, wasn't she? And he could tell she was confused on her feelings. He could have sworn he caught her thinking how much of a cool guy he was. For that he was honoured by the compliment. Though most of the time Makoto's thoughts had consisted of rage and revenge to get back on him, which was understandably fun in his opinion. That was the whole idea of his little mind game, to piss her off for the pleasure.
Apart from this game, Schuldig remembered hearing her mind say she didn't need his presence in the morning. Well He thought She'll need me when they come after her. She'll need Schwarz by her side no matter what. I'm certain the young Fraulein will thank me later on. Flicking his hair back, he opened the door to his car and returned to the hideout. Crawford should have new details on the operation to help the young Japanese girl. Schuldig didn't want her to die. She was too fun to have around.
TBC.
Oh BTW 'Was ist los?' means 'What is wrong?'