I sit at the edge of my seat, my fists clenched. I can't believe he
is actually going to fight Tuboru. Again.
I remember the first time he fought Tuboru. Nobody won. The building crashed down. The fight couldn't go on.
Many times I asked him why he fights. He just flicks me off, as if it were nothing. This can't be the only way.
But he can't stay dead forever, can he?
The announcer's voice comes in over the intercom in the stadium. "Introducing..." he says loudly, and a drum roll starting, "Champion Tuboru Marinlak!"
The crowd goes nuts as the large, muscular man strides into the stadium, looking fierce. He looks up and cuts his eyes at us. He looks determined. And unafraid.
"Going against..."
I take a breath and hold it.
"Yusuke Yemarachi!"
The crowd claps politely, but I know they have their money bet on Tuboru.
Yusuke is sweating heavily as he walks to the center of the stadium. He throws his shirt on the ground, where the assistant announcer, Katt, retrieves it and brings it to me.
Katt looks slightly like a cat. She has furry ears sticking out of her head, and tiny fangs protrude from her mouth. This kind of appearance is not rare in this world. I look to the right of me and see a large blue- ish muscular man with one eye.
I turn to the other side, where Mano, the Chibi-Reaper, is sitting. "Do you think he is going to be alright?"
"I hope so, Kotoko. This Tuboru is extremely strong. But Yusuke has a chance."
I turn back and look down in the stadium. Just a chance. This is a death match. You fight until someone dies, usually. Again.
Lightning cracks, and the light illuminates the sky.
I sigh. More danger. More than I would have ever liked to face.
"First!" cries Katt, raising her microphone, "The two shall fight with their daggers."
I gasp. Daggers? There was one dagger behind Yusuke. And another dagger behind Tuboru. They were sticking out of the ground, the handle pointing upward.
I bury my face in Yusuke's shirt. I can't watch it. I can't listen to it.
I hear the 'ding' of the bell that starts the match, and squeeze my eyes shut.
It all depends on this. If Yusuke does not win this, he'll have to try yet again. Until he succeeds. Which could take years in this world. Maybe forever.
I feel Mano touch my shoulder. "Watch it, Kotoko-Chan."
I can't.
Watch it.
No.
Watch it.
I hear his voice speaking to me in my head. And I know everything he says is right. But not always right for me.
I lift my face from the shirt and look down into the ring.
"Rip his limbs off!" cries a horned thing in the front row.
I didn't know if he was talking about Tuboru or Yusuke.
I see Yusuke. But I am focusing on Tuboru.
He has muscles upon muscles, and he could crush me with a single punch. How Yusuke even stands a chance against him, I don't know.
He drives his dagger deep into Yusuke's shoulder. He grimaces but strikes back with a large gash down Tuboru's arm.
Tuboru growls and does the same.
All I can see is blood, tears, and the determination in Tuboru's eyes.
I pull my head away, half wanting to see how it ends, but not wanting to see their pain. Tears stream from my eyes, and I pull my hair back and burrow my head into Yusuke's shirt. It may be all I have left of him.
Mano leans his head against my shoulder. "Toko, please. You must watch. If you don't believe in Yusuke, he has no chance."
I'm shaking now. "I can't watch it, Mano. It's too much!"
"It seems like that now, but it will all get better in the end."
I bite my lip and turn back to the fight. I must not have heard the announcement about changing events, for they were fighting with their fists now. And bodies. And legs. And everything. But not the daggers.
It didn't make me feel much better.
Barely aware of what I am doing, I leap out of my seat and run down to the stadium, and run past Tuboru's trainer, Roka.
He grabs my wrist and does not let go.
I turn and try to pull away blindly.
He stares at me calmly, but tightens his grip, making sure not to hurt me.
"There is nothing you can do," he says. "You cannot interfere with what is going on here. It is up to one of them. Right now, you will have to wait."
I collapse to the ground helplessly. Roka lets go of my wrist. He knows I'm not going to interfere.
I know I hadn't fallen asleep or unconscious. But I had slipped away somewhere. I didn't know how long I had been gone or remember what I had been doing.
I look up, and rain is pouring. The fight is still going on.
I catch bits of conversation between Roka and his comrades.
"Both are down to their last straw." "It's over." "He doesn't stand a chance." "One of them has to drop down soon" "This is the closest match I have ever seen." "How does he do that? He's so small."
I reluctantly switch my gaze to Tuboru and Yusuke.
Yusuke falls to the ground. Both of their bodies are covered in wounds. Tuboru's were deeper and more severe, but he was much stronger.
Katt begins to count. It's over.
My mind numbs to the thought that he might be dead. Again. Gone.
Unable to think straight, I turn away.
I feel a hand on my shoulder. It's Roka.
"He's alive. It's alright. Even Tuboru doesn't have the cold to kill someone."
I still won't turn back.
He's down. But breathing. His chest is moving up and down.
The crowd gets up and leaves, thoroughly disappointed that nobody died in the fight.
Roka leaves and helps Tuboru limp out of the stadium. By now everyone is gone but me, Mano, and Yusuke.
Mano leaps down off the stadium seats and lands next to me. He hands me Yusuke's shirt.
My mind is asking, 'What should I do with this?'
But my heart knows.
I walk over and kneel down next to him. The rain washes the blood away, and now I can see how severe the wounds really are. I place the shirt around his waist, where the deepest gash is, making a tourniquet.
Mano helps him sit up.
I brush his wet hair off of his forehead. "I'm sorry."
"Sorry..." he said weakly. "About what?"
"You lost the match," I said flatly.
He nodded. "I know that."
I take his hand and help him stand. But he falls immediately, too weak and injured to stay upright.
I look at Mano questioningly.
He nods. I don't know what that means.
I turn back to Yusuke. "Can you stand again?"
He shook his head. "I...feel...horrible."
Well, duh. You just risked your 'life' to get your life back, and almost died again in the process. And on top of that, you ended up getting yourself beaten up for nothing.
I can feel Mano nodding behind me again, and I know what he means.
Yusuke's energy may be gone.
But mine is not.
I kneel again, and pick him up. He winces as my hands brush the numerous dagger wounds on his back.
And then I run.
I remember the first time he fought Tuboru. Nobody won. The building crashed down. The fight couldn't go on.
Many times I asked him why he fights. He just flicks me off, as if it were nothing. This can't be the only way.
But he can't stay dead forever, can he?
The announcer's voice comes in over the intercom in the stadium. "Introducing..." he says loudly, and a drum roll starting, "Champion Tuboru Marinlak!"
The crowd goes nuts as the large, muscular man strides into the stadium, looking fierce. He looks up and cuts his eyes at us. He looks determined. And unafraid.
"Going against..."
I take a breath and hold it.
"Yusuke Yemarachi!"
The crowd claps politely, but I know they have their money bet on Tuboru.
Yusuke is sweating heavily as he walks to the center of the stadium. He throws his shirt on the ground, where the assistant announcer, Katt, retrieves it and brings it to me.
Katt looks slightly like a cat. She has furry ears sticking out of her head, and tiny fangs protrude from her mouth. This kind of appearance is not rare in this world. I look to the right of me and see a large blue- ish muscular man with one eye.
I turn to the other side, where Mano, the Chibi-Reaper, is sitting. "Do you think he is going to be alright?"
"I hope so, Kotoko. This Tuboru is extremely strong. But Yusuke has a chance."
I turn back and look down in the stadium. Just a chance. This is a death match. You fight until someone dies, usually. Again.
Lightning cracks, and the light illuminates the sky.
I sigh. More danger. More than I would have ever liked to face.
"First!" cries Katt, raising her microphone, "The two shall fight with their daggers."
I gasp. Daggers? There was one dagger behind Yusuke. And another dagger behind Tuboru. They were sticking out of the ground, the handle pointing upward.
I bury my face in Yusuke's shirt. I can't watch it. I can't listen to it.
I hear the 'ding' of the bell that starts the match, and squeeze my eyes shut.
It all depends on this. If Yusuke does not win this, he'll have to try yet again. Until he succeeds. Which could take years in this world. Maybe forever.
I feel Mano touch my shoulder. "Watch it, Kotoko-Chan."
I can't.
Watch it.
No.
Watch it.
I hear his voice speaking to me in my head. And I know everything he says is right. But not always right for me.
I lift my face from the shirt and look down into the ring.
"Rip his limbs off!" cries a horned thing in the front row.
I didn't know if he was talking about Tuboru or Yusuke.
I see Yusuke. But I am focusing on Tuboru.
He has muscles upon muscles, and he could crush me with a single punch. How Yusuke even stands a chance against him, I don't know.
He drives his dagger deep into Yusuke's shoulder. He grimaces but strikes back with a large gash down Tuboru's arm.
Tuboru growls and does the same.
All I can see is blood, tears, and the determination in Tuboru's eyes.
I pull my head away, half wanting to see how it ends, but not wanting to see their pain. Tears stream from my eyes, and I pull my hair back and burrow my head into Yusuke's shirt. It may be all I have left of him.
Mano leans his head against my shoulder. "Toko, please. You must watch. If you don't believe in Yusuke, he has no chance."
I'm shaking now. "I can't watch it, Mano. It's too much!"
"It seems like that now, but it will all get better in the end."
I bite my lip and turn back to the fight. I must not have heard the announcement about changing events, for they were fighting with their fists now. And bodies. And legs. And everything. But not the daggers.
It didn't make me feel much better.
Barely aware of what I am doing, I leap out of my seat and run down to the stadium, and run past Tuboru's trainer, Roka.
He grabs my wrist and does not let go.
I turn and try to pull away blindly.
He stares at me calmly, but tightens his grip, making sure not to hurt me.
"There is nothing you can do," he says. "You cannot interfere with what is going on here. It is up to one of them. Right now, you will have to wait."
I collapse to the ground helplessly. Roka lets go of my wrist. He knows I'm not going to interfere.
I know I hadn't fallen asleep or unconscious. But I had slipped away somewhere. I didn't know how long I had been gone or remember what I had been doing.
I look up, and rain is pouring. The fight is still going on.
I catch bits of conversation between Roka and his comrades.
"Both are down to their last straw." "It's over." "He doesn't stand a chance." "One of them has to drop down soon" "This is the closest match I have ever seen." "How does he do that? He's so small."
I reluctantly switch my gaze to Tuboru and Yusuke.
Yusuke falls to the ground. Both of their bodies are covered in wounds. Tuboru's were deeper and more severe, but he was much stronger.
Katt begins to count. It's over.
My mind numbs to the thought that he might be dead. Again. Gone.
Unable to think straight, I turn away.
I feel a hand on my shoulder. It's Roka.
"He's alive. It's alright. Even Tuboru doesn't have the cold to kill someone."
I still won't turn back.
He's down. But breathing. His chest is moving up and down.
The crowd gets up and leaves, thoroughly disappointed that nobody died in the fight.
Roka leaves and helps Tuboru limp out of the stadium. By now everyone is gone but me, Mano, and Yusuke.
Mano leaps down off the stadium seats and lands next to me. He hands me Yusuke's shirt.
My mind is asking, 'What should I do with this?'
But my heart knows.
I walk over and kneel down next to him. The rain washes the blood away, and now I can see how severe the wounds really are. I place the shirt around his waist, where the deepest gash is, making a tourniquet.
Mano helps him sit up.
I brush his wet hair off of his forehead. "I'm sorry."
"Sorry..." he said weakly. "About what?"
"You lost the match," I said flatly.
He nodded. "I know that."
I take his hand and help him stand. But he falls immediately, too weak and injured to stay upright.
I look at Mano questioningly.
He nods. I don't know what that means.
I turn back to Yusuke. "Can you stand again?"
He shook his head. "I...feel...horrible."
Well, duh. You just risked your 'life' to get your life back, and almost died again in the process. And on top of that, you ended up getting yourself beaten up for nothing.
I can feel Mano nodding behind me again, and I know what he means.
Yusuke's energy may be gone.
But mine is not.
I kneel again, and pick him up. He winces as my hands brush the numerous dagger wounds on his back.
And then I run.
