Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait, my schedule's been really busy lately. Well, I hope you find this chapter worth the wait, so without further ado, I give you the latest chapter of 'Between Love and Lust.'
Chapter 8: Broken Promises
"Attention all students!" the voice of Tamaki, the K-Fight ring announcer, suddenly echoed throughout the entire school. "A challenge has just been issued to our K-Fight champion, Azumi Kiribyashi!"
"Oh great," Ryoko sighed after hearing the announcement, "here we go again."
The announcement of a K-Fight never seemed to interest Ryoko, even when she was still champion. She had got used to Tamaki's voice over the intercom now, it no longer mattered who was fighting who, all she knew was that it was an announcement for a pointless battle between two students over something so stupid; the title of K-Fight Champion. Ryoko never cared for the championship when she still fought, but now that she had retired, it actually meant quite a bit to her. The championship was what people recognized her for; the red-haired samurai girl that everyone looked up to. Ryoko never realized until now that she enjoyed the attention, she liked how the other students looked up to her, but now that was all gone. It didn't matter though, the attention she had from Shizuma as of lately definitely made up for that.
"And what a treat we have for our fight today, ladies and gentlemen!" Tamaki continued. "Today's challenger was the first K-Fight champion this year, only to lose later to a certain samurai girl."
"What?!" the announcement suddenly caught Ryoko's ear.
"That's right, ladies and gentlemen, after leaving the ring for what seemed like an eternity, we have the return of the navy-haired street fighter, Shizuma Kusanagi!"
"Shizuma?!"
"Are you sure you're willing to go through with this?" Azumi asked as she tightened the rose-colored guards on her wrists.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Shizuma grinned.
"Mr. Shizuma, this isn't a good idea," Daisaku pleaded from outside the ring. "Miss Ryoko will find out and then..."
"Put a sock in it, Daisaku!" Shizuma ordered with the crack of his knuckles. "Besides, Ryoko never listens to those K-fight announcements anymore, so she'll never know."
"You talk as if you don't care about Miss Mitsurugi's feelings, Mr. Kusanagi," Azumi butted in.
"Mind your own business, Princess!" Shizuma spat. "Of course I care about Ryoko's feelings, why else am I supporting her and our kid?!"
"If you wish to support them then you'll stop this fight before it's begun."
"You're really gonna get it now, Rich Girl!"
"Ryoko, Ryoko!" Hitomi found herself running toward the school's plaza.
Hitomi had heard the announcement as well, shortly after she left Ryoko after making that phone call to his work. She was in the cafeteria when it all happened, she could practically taste today's lunch special, fried eggs with a side of prawns, it was practically within her grasp. It was her turn to receive the meal when suddenly the phrase "only to lose to a certain samurai girl" caught her ear. Without wasting another moment, she found herself dashing around the school grounds searching for her best friend.
"Shizuma, you stupid red monkey, just what were you thinking?!" Ryoko bit her lip as she dashed toward the arena.
"Ryoko!" the voice of Hitomi suddenly caught her ear, bringing her to a halt.
"What is it, Hitomi?" Ryoko asked.
"It's Shizuma," Hitomi answered between breaths, "he's..."
"I know," Ryoko nodded. "We can't waste anytime, the fight's probably already started, we have to get there now!" she began making her way to the arena once more without wasting a another second.
A loud clang flooded the entire K-Fight area, the match had begun. The mighty Shizuma Kusanagi decided he would be the one to begin this match using his usual initiative strike.
"Hyah!" the street fighter cried as he quickly leapt into the air, sending his right foot forward as he plummeted back down.
The young warrior's foot met with the guard of the naginata master, cracking it upon impact. Azumi simply brushed it off as she took both hands onto her wooden spear, pulling the non-bladed side back as she pushed the other end forward. The oak slab met with Shizuma's wrist just as his right fist launched forward. A smirk fell upon Azumi's face as her opponent punched, his movements seemed to have been slower due to the injuries that were inflicted upon him the other night. A flash of raven black was all that Shizuma could see before his very eyes after his fist connected with the air. The flash was making it's way to the side, swirling behind him. Shizuma realized what his opponent was up to, readying his fists to strike behind him, only by the time he had done so, it was too late. A sharp pain suddenly shot itself onto Shizuma's chin, the force from the attack had caused him to stagger. Another shot was dealt soon after, this one striking his abdomen, and then a third hit fell upon his shoulder. The street fighter couldn't fight back at the moment, his only objective was to get away.
"The wounds from last night are taking their toll on you, aren't they Mr. Kusanagi?" Azumi taunted with that trademark smirk on her face.
"I told you to mind your own business, Baboon Boobs!" Shizuma spat, gripping the newly opened wound on his bicep.
"Well that was uncalled for," the naginata master sighed.
The street fighter and the spear woman charged once more, their feet digging into the mat with all their might. The wooden blade struck first this time, plunging toward it's last target on Shizuma's torso. A grin stretched across Shizuma's face as he witnessed the attack, pushing his left palm forward as his right followed closely. His left hand quickly closed on the pole, a few inches below the blade. With a quick bend of his neck, the naginata's blade barely skidded across the thug's hair, coming to halt an inch later. Azumi was shocked to find out that her attack had missed. The gap in her mouth widened a second later when she found something suddenly pushing against her stomach, the very force made her grip around her spear loosen. Another force met with her body a moment later, this one met with the bottom of her chin, pushing her feet a few inches back. A third strike soon followed, again in the abdomen, but this strike pushed the young naginata master against one of the ring's poles.
"I guess I've underestimated you, Mr. Kusanagi," a weak smile perched upon Azumi's face.
"This fight's only gotten started, so come on!" Shizuma readied his fists once more.
"Move it, get out of the way!" Ryoko began pushing through the fight's spectators.
It had been a while since Ryoko entered the auditorium, the sights and sounds of the arena brought back memories. Pushing through the hordes of students was not one of them however, back then she would always enter through the red carpets of the ring, not having to deal with any of the spectators' cheering and the such. The arena was more noisy than how she remembered, and not as crowded; this must be because this is the first time she was just another audience member of a K-Fight.
Ryoko had finally came to a point where she could see the monitor displaying the fight. Before her eyes she saw Shizuma and her long-time rival locked in the heat of battle.
"Shizuma!" she screamed his name.
A crack filled the ring as the wooden spear met with Shizuma's leg, the street fighter only smirked as he ignored the pain of the latest blow. The other leg pushed forward again, leaping upward as it missed Azumi's shoulder. It plummeted back down a second later, striking the side of her neck. Just like her opponent, Azumi ignored the pain of Shizuma's axe kick, but she also thought of a way to counter his latest attack. With a quick spin of her weapon, the pole met with Shizuma's remaining leg, sending the navy-haired warrior to the mat's floor. Pain shot through Shizuma's body once again, it was worse than usual thanks to that fight he had the other night. A flash of light brown met with Shizuma's eye a second later, only to have it disappear as he pushed his weight onto his right shoulder. The naginata barely missed him, this was perhaps the longest and most difficult battle Azumi had fought so far in her entire K-Fight career. Shizuma returned to his feet soon after, his left fist planted against the mat as his other raised to his chest level. Azumi readied her stance as well, the middle and ring fingers of her right hand taking hold of her weapon as her left arm bent back with her left hand taking hold of the non-bladed end of the spear.
"You're better than I thought, I'll give you that," Shizuma panted.
"I can say the same about you," Azumi smiled, "although I have to say, you're probably the most difficult opponent I've had thus far."
"I thought we were here to fight, not gossip over one another," Shizuma grinned.
"You're right," Azumi nodded, "so now, let this duel come to an end."
"That's more like it!" the entire area began to illuminate in a red-orange shade.
"Almost there...," Ryoko finds the ring almost in reach.
"Uh oh, this doesn't look good for our champion, folks," Tamaki's voice suddenly stopped the samurai girl, "our favorite street fighter seems to be preparing for one of his favorite attacks!"
"What?! No, Shizuma!"
"Fire is said to be the power that kept Man alive for so long," Azumi dictates as the flames around Shizuma grow brighter, "but water is what keeps nature alive for so long. Mr. Kusanagi, I will be the water that will douse you're flame!"
"You talk too much, you know that?" Shizuma responds.
"Kyah!" the beautiful warrior screamed as she charged once more.
"Akai Kiba!" the street fighter yelled as the flames burn around his fists.
Another crack fills the area, this time it's the sound of wood snapping. With disbelief in her eyes, Azumi watches as her weapon now finds itself broken in half in her hands. Another smile stretches across Shizuma's face as his hand glow brighter with red. Azumi's torso suddenly begins to burn as a force suddenly presses against it. The power of the Akai Kiba, Azumi had heard tales of the attack before from other K-Fight participants that had fought with Shizuma Kusanagi, she had never realized it's awesome power until now. Another punch followed, this one searing her cheek as it pounded against her face. The arena suddenly began moving before Azumi's eyes, all of it seemed to be shifting upward. Her eyes now met with the auditorium's ceiling, and her back was now pressed up against a hard surface. Things were beginning to blur, she knew that she had been defeated. A flash of blue suddenly entered her vision, growing as the feel against her back began to vanish.
"One more thing," Shizuma spoke as he held Azumi by the collar. "This is for pissing off Ryoko all those times!" Shizuma closed his fist once more.
"Shizuma!" his name suddenly screamed in his ears.
The sneer on his face quickly melted at the sound of her voice, his thumb freeing the rest of his fingers as it did so. His head began to swerve toward the source, slowly he saw the faces of the spectators before him. All of them, they all looked the same, except one, which stood out before the rest. Red hair, violet eyes, fair skin, there was no way Shizuma could miss this face.
"Ryoko...?" he barely called her name.
"Please, stop it, Shizuma...," translucent rivers began falling from her eyes, "you've had enough. What about your promise?"
"My promise...," Shizuma turned to the mat below.
The promise, his word never to fight anymore. Fighting, it was what made the mighty Shizuma Kusanagi feel alive, it was the only thing he thought he was good at. Never to fight again means destroying the only income he had for Ryoko and his child. Fighting was always an important aspect to Shizuma, could it be possible for him to stop?
'Maybe for her,' he thought to himself.
His fingers slowly began to relax, releasing their hold on the collar of his opponent. Azumi's back met with the mat once more, just as the street fighter rose to his feet once more.
"You can keep your damn championship," Shizuma said, "it's nothing compared to being the champion of someone's heart."
"Shizuma...?" Ryoko looked at him puzzled.
Pressing his feet against the mat with all his strength, Shizuma jumped out of the ring, landing beside the samurai girl. A small smile crept upon his face as he looked into her eyes, but it quickly melted away after seeing the rivers that were flooding down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, "I just..."
"Shizuma, you jerk!" Ryoko cried. "How could you?! You promised me that..."
"I don't know what came over me," Shizuma explained, "I just..."
"You just what, Shizuma?!" Ryoko yelled. "You just had to break your promise, you just had to fight Azumi, you just had to make me worry like this?! Well, what is it?!"
"I..."
"Forget it, Shizuma!" Ryoko began to turn away. "You know what, you can fight all you want, I don't care anymore! If you don't want to take responsibility for our child, fine! I can take care of our child by myself!"
"Ryoko, please!" he took hold of her arm.
His touch was the last thing she wanted felt, the feeling just boiled Ryoko's anger. Her fingers curled for a moment, straightening once more as her arm swung forward. A loud smack filled the enter arena, the force of Ryoko's palm had broken the street fighter. It had broken something more than his cheek, it had broken his heart, and most of all, it had broken her heart.
More tears fell upon her face at the moment, followed by small whimpers that would put a dog to shame. The very same rivers began to crawl down Shizuma's face as well, he could not bear to see her like this. A scream filled the area moments later, just as the samurai girl turned away, not looking back, as she melded into the crowd of spectators once more.
Author's Note: Well, that was pretty sad, huh? We all knew that Ryoko would find out eventually, Shizuma would slip up sooner or later. Reviews are always welcome, but no flames or anything like that, okay? I hope this chapter was worth the wait, and I will try to update sooner with the next chapter, but we'll see how my schedule goes. Until then, later!