Chapter 11

The crowd cheered and applauded loudly as the announcer stepped into the ring. Rainbow Mika swallowed a lump in her throat as she watched him lift the microphone to his mouth. She looked out into the audience but couldn't seem to find Sailor Mercury anywhere. She hoped that she didn't forget about her promise and run off with that Ranma guy.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please direct your attention to the center of the ring as we begin our next match!" He motioned to his right. "May I present to you the young flower of our sport, Kasugano Sakura!"

Sakura bounded out into the ring wearing her usual sailor-style school uniform. She waved at the audience with a huge smile plastered on her face, mistaking the catcalls for cheering. Her eyes lit up with excitement at someone she recognized at a far corner in the stadium. It was just a glimpse, but she knew she had spotted Ryu among the crowd. This made her all the more determined to win and show him how much she had learned.

The announcer then turned to face Mika, who still hid in the entryway to the lobby. "And to this side," He motioned to his left. "A pro wrestler on the rise, please welcome the busty and beautiful Rainbow Mika!"

She slowly poked her head out of the entryway. The cheers of the audience seemed to give her the encouragement to step into the ring. She breathed slowly and deeply and forced herself to focus on the task at hand. Her opponent was a little bit smaller than herself, but she seemed very energetic. It could take a lot of effort to win this match.

"Mika-san!" A voice called from the audience. She lifted her head and looked around her to find a small girl waving her arms above her head. "Mika-san! Do your best, okay?"

The wrestler's face lit up when she recognized Sailor Mercury. Now she knew that she had at least one fan in the crowd. She turned back to the announcer and her opponent with a look of determination. She may have only met Mercury recently, but she considered her a friend and with her support she knew she could win.

Grabbing the announcer's microphone, she addressed the crowd. "Remember my name, everybody! I am Rainbow Mika, future star of the professional wrestling world!" She then turned to her opponent and said, "Prepare yourself Kasugano Sakura, I will defeat you and rise to glory because I believe in my dreams!"

"Um, what are you on?" Sakura asked cynically, inciting an angry, pouting look from Mika.

"Um, Mika-sama, could I have the mike back please?" The announcer insisted and pried it out of the wrestler's fingers. He backed away until he was a few paces from the entryway. "Fighters take your stances! Hajime!"

Sakura dashed toward her opponent to deliver a volley of kicks and punches. The sheer speed and ferocity of her attack caught Mika by surprise and forced her into a corner. She squealed in fear and pain as Sakura's onslaught continued. While she managed to block most of the attacks, Mika felt herself panic and turned her back in a futile attempt to escape.

"What's wrong?" Sakura demanded. "Come on, fight back!"

Mercury yelled from her seat, "Sakura-chan! Go easy on her! She's new at this!"

"Just whose side are you on anyway?" She muttered to the side. "Fine, I'll slow down for you, is that okay?"

A malicious grin crossed Mika's face as her opponent backed off. She pushed into the chain link fence and used its rebound to jump back. With an audible "Oompah!" she thrust her posterior into Sakura's face, causing her to stumble back. She then elbowed her in the stomach and locked her arm around the girl's neck. The wrestler choked her a few times before leaping high into the air and driving her opponents head into the ground.

Sakura jumped back up with a wide smile. Her bright, cheerful eyes shone with excitement. "That's more like it! I was afraid this was gonna be boring!" She straightened her headband and took her stance. "C'mon! Let's do it again!"

Mika gawked at her in disbelief. "How can you be ready to fight so soon after that? That's insane!"

"Yeah, probably." She answered and charged again. She brought her hands together and rammed them into Mika's stomach shouting, "Shouoken!" Mika flew back a few feet and landed hard on the ground. While the wrestler rubbed her sore backside, Sakura brought her hands to her side again, this time keeping them apart. A pale blue light glowed as she focused her ki. She thrust her hands forward and shouted, "Hadouken!"

Mika looked up just in time to see a softball-sized ki blast speeding toward her. When she scrambled to her feet in an attempt to dodge, it struck her in the midsection and forced her against the arena's fence. Her legs wobbled and gave out from beneath her as she struggled to breath.

"Wait!" She choked out as her opponent began to rush toward her. She looked up at her with pleading, tearful eyes. "Please stop! I give up!"

"Give up?" Sakura asked incredulously. "Are you serious?!"

Mika pouted and nodded her head. "I give up. Please, no more!" She coughed and choked back her tears. "It hurts too much. I'll never be a wrestler at this rate."

Sakura walked up to her and offered a hand to help her up. "You're still new at this right? Just keep it up and you'll be better before you know!" She put her arm around her waist and helped her stand. "I'll be expecting a good fight next time, okay?"

The announcer wiped away a tear from beneath his dark sunglasses. "What a touching display of sportsmanship!" He whimpered into the microphone. "Kasugano Sakura will advance to the next round!"

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Nurses tightened the bandages around the dark knight's body. They swarmed over him like insects, only giving fuel to his rage. He couldn't believe that he had been beaten in battle by a mere human, no less. It was unacceptable.

But how was he beaten? The shadows should have choked that fighter. They should have terrified him even as they crept up to his body. They were a magical embodiment of all things dark and evil within his opponent's soul. How could a human be stronger than his own evil?

He took another swat at the nurse nearest him, trying to shoo her away. Just like a fly, the rotund woman stepped away for a moment only to return to her work. These insipid creatures were more persistent than even the bludaria of the kingdom. If he took them with him to be trained as minions, he wouldn't be surprised if they made greater progress.

"It looks like we're done here, Melchior-sama." One of them said to him.

"It's about time." He answered gruffly. "Look what you've done to me! I look like I'm prepared for mummification!"

"You suffered some serious physical trauma." Another of them continued, ignoring his remarks. "Wounds on the torso and limbs, severe burns, and dislocation of your left shoulder."

"You don't have to tell me what I have, I feel it all."

"You just need some rest for now. I'll go and retrieve some pain medicine from the supply room." She replied and left the room, the other nurses following closely behind.

He looked up as a single redhead stayed behind. "Mizuho aren't you going to leave as well?"

She looked up at him and smiled sweetly. "I couldn't just leave you alone, Melchy-sama."

He growled to himself. She had been like this ever since the day before when she accidentally swallowed a love potion meant for one of the prince's girlfriends. "Mizuho, when does that blasted concoction of yours wear off?"

"The potion?" She asked innocently. "It doesn't wear off. It's not really a love potion, actually, it just enhances already existing emotions." She blushed slightly and said, "Melchy-sama, I love you."

The knight looked at her for a few moments in a state of shock. "How long?"

"A long time. She answered. "Ever since I first came to the kingdom as a little girl, I think. The potion helped me to see that."

He scoffed and looked away. An almost pained look crossed his face. "Save yourself a lot of trouble and find an antidote. You know I can't take a wife."

"But why not?" She stood in front of him and forced him to look at her. "Why not Melchy? It's not forbidden!"

"I am a god of evil, Mizuho!" He barked. "There is no room in my heart for such emotions as love."

"Liar." She reached up and kissed him on the lips. "There's always room for love." She giggled. "It's like Jell-O!"

Melchior didn't even groan at her childish joke, he simply stared into her innocent green eyes. "Why are you here?" He asked with a dry voice.

"You mean aside from being with you? Kotaishi-sama's mother sent me."

"The queen? Why?"

"She told me to keep watch on him. I'm supposed to make sure that nothing happens to him and he doesn't cross the rift."

The knight thought for a moment. "The queen ordered you to keep him out of the kingdom?"

She nodded and hugged him around the neck. Resting her head on his chest she said sadly, "She doesn't want him back."

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"And then I kicked her like this!" Sakura jumped around, telling Diro about her previous match. "Oh Di, It was awesome! You should've been there!"

"I probably should've." He answered, telling her exactly what she wanted to hear. In truth, he couldn't have cared any less at the moment. She won her match and wasn't hurt, that was all that mattered. The only reason he let her in the men's locker room in the first place was to find out that much. "Listen Sakura, I hate to kick you out but…"

"But you're fighting Vega in the next round and you really need to focus." She finished for him. "Honestly, you're so single minded these days!" She giggled when he gave her a stern look. "Okay, okay, I'll leave! Me 'n the others will be in the stands cheering you on, but be careful out there."

He ignored her and went back to his warm-ups. His body was still a little sore from his fight against Guy, but with Balthazar's help he made an incredible recovery. Magic, apparently, proved to be a useful talent. He had seen the Sailor Senshi use it on occasion so he wasn't too surprised when the Knights started to use it. But he started to wonder if the two groups were somehow connected.

It was best not to think about it, he decided. If he was going to stand a chance against Vega, he needed to keep his mind in the arena. Even so, what was it that Balthazar said? Something about his skin becoming impenetrable? If that was true, it would definitely give him the upper hand.

Diro shook his head and tried once more to clear his thoughts. It was no use to trust anything that guy said. He and the other Knights never revealed anything about themselves, where they were from or what they wanted. Why should he trust them? What did they want from him? Who was this supposed "father" they said he had? Were they going to tell him after his match? Why?

"Dammit!" He yelled and slammed his fist into a nearby locker, leaving a large dent. This was getting him nowhere. All this thinking about the Divine Knights was going to disrupt his performance. He wished he never met those losers. He wished he were home with Rei and the other girls. He wished he could just live a normal life. He wished…he wished that his grandparents hadn't died.

He collapsed on the ground and shook as a wave of sadness, anger and hatred flooded over him. This was all Vega's fault. That pompous, narcissistic freak ruined everything for him! He killed his grandfather, Kotaishi Kunio, causing his grandmother, Mitsuko, to die of a broken heart soon after. He scarred the boy's face and his life, but he swore to make it right. Before this day was over, he would kill Vega or die trying.

"Would Kotaishi Diro please report to the ring." A voice sounded over the loud speakers placed throughout the lobby and locker rooms. "I repeat, Kotaishi Diro, we are ready for you at the ring."

He stood and tried to compose himself. Looking in a mirror, he saw that his scowling face made his features appear haggard. He nearly mistook his own reflection for that of an old man. It would have been an understandable and forgivable mistake, though. As he saw it, Diro's life had taken a turn for the worst three years ago and had forced him to grow beyond his years, that is, assuming his guess about his age was accurate.

The boy didn't even bother to correct his appearance. He simply walked out of the locker room doors and headed toward the ring entryway. The audience erupted at his entrance. For them, this signified the beginning of the semi-finals. Judging by his and Vega's previous fights, they expected great skill and much more blood.

"Hey, are you sure you wanna go through with this?" The announcer asked him to the side. "Y'know, with your injuries and all."

"Just start the match." Diro replied dryly.

"Okay, okay, just checking!" He raised his hands in defense and backed away. "Boy did his attitude turn sour." He muttered to himself and readied his microphone to address the crowd.

"I hope you all enjoyed the intermission because now it's time for the first match of the first round of our semi-finals!" He raised his hands over his head, milking the audience for more applause. "As I'm sure you remember we had some very action-packed opening bouts that knocked several of our fighters out of the tournament. While this round of semi-finals may be short, I assure you we have plenty of action ahead of us with many more fighters! For now, I'd like you to welcome back two of our greatest competitors yet, Diro and Vega! Fighters please take your stances and begin!"

Diro focused on his opponent, taking little notice of the way the ring announcer was scurrying out of the way. As his eyes narrowed and his body tensed, he had the vague impression that if he stared at him any harder, he might just burn a hole through that stupid little hockey mask Vega always wore. He almost wished he could do just that, but then he wouldn't have the satisfaction of breaking his bones with his bare hands.

"I grow impatient of your stalling, little Kotaishi. Are you going to fight me, or are you one of the many who would prefer to gaze upon my beauty?"

"Bastard." The boy spat and rushed forward. He knew he should be wary of Vega's weapon, but he decided to throw caution to the wind. Maybe if he moved fast enough, he could get around it and take him out before he had a chance to use it. Then he could call it a day and just go home. As much as he would like to win the tournament, too much had happened in too short a time. He needed to process it all, and he had a feeling that the Divine Knights were about to bring even more confusion into his day.

"Too slow!" Vega shouted as he brought his foot up and thrust it into the boy's face. Diro fell back and hit head hard on the ground. He had made his first mistake. He allowed himself to get carried away with his thoughts during the fight. He quickly rolled aside and jumped back up.

He had less than a second to clear his head before Vega took the offensive. The conquistador attacked with an array of spinning back kicks that seemed to be more for show than for power. Diro managed to avoid or block most of them, but he eventually began to lose his balance. His opponent noticed this and swept his legs out from under him.

Vega leapt high into the air and grabbed onto the fence. He took care not to make any noise as he moved out of the boy's line of sight and positioned his body for his attack. He waited patiently as Diro bounded back onto his feet and looked around for a moment, confused. The boy realized exactly what it was his opponent was doing and turned around just in time to see Vega's body diving toward him. Before the boy could step back, he felt the razor sharp claw scrape across his chest.

Some members of the audience gasped as he stumbled backward, while other's cheered Vega's technique and cunning. The boy ignored their reactions and held his wound. It burned as badly as he remembered it from years earlier. He brought his hand up before his face and stared at it with intent, but couldn't see any blood. He patted down his body and looked at his torn gi top.

"No blood!" He said, amazed. "Bal came through for me! It hurts like all hell, but there's no blood!"

"So the old man was right." Vega spoke up. "You truly are impervious to my claw. For now, that is. It's only a matter of time before I plunge it through your chest and rip out your heart!" He shrieked and dashed at the boy.

Diro waited for him to come into range and leapt forward to grab his shoulders and slammed him into the ground. Maintaining his hold on his opponent, the young Bushin jumped up again to repeat the move. Before he could get to his feet, the boy backed up a few paces. He then rushed toward him and delivered a flying side kick, sending Vega crashing into the fence.

He slowly stood and peered at the boy from behind his mask. "You're going to regret that one, little Kotaishi. Of this I assure you."

"Shut up and fight." He replied and approached him yet again. Before he could make a move, Vega bounded up and thrust his knee into the boy's chin. As he stumbled back, the conquistador hooked his claw around his belt and threw him into the air. He carefully judged the boy's descent, and raised his fist high above his head and grinned maliciously as the insignia on the back of his claw began to glow.

Diro's mind swarmed with random thoughts and pictures which were then reduced to a mental white noise as his body fell hard upon the uplifted claw. He couldn't breathe and felt his blood begin to spill from his body. As his mind reduced to an incomprehensible haze, he thought he heard someone shout his name.

"How do you like it, little Kotaishi?" Vega said. With his free hand he removed his mask and forced the boy to look him in the eye as he died. "Red Impact, the move that killed your grandfather. It is all too fitting that you fall the same way."

Diro's body dropped to the ground. His mind was too much in shock to feel the impact of his own fall. He barely even managed to register the sound of someone fighting and the sensation of his head being lifted. In his moment of pain and euphoria, he thought he felt a soft cushion, a body, cradle him. It held him as he convulsed and grew cold. He looked up and tried to focus his vision, in a vain attempt to see one last kind face. He shook violently and heard a girl scream as he let out a final breath and everything went dark.

Author's Notes:

What happened to Diro? Who is holding him? Will he win the fight after all? Will he even survive the night? For answers to these and more, tune in next time. Same bat time. Same bat channel.

Kinda lame, huh? It felt appropriate, get off me. I decided to just upload the remaining chapters this week seeing as how I am going to be extremely busy this college semester. I'm not even kidding about the busyness, but I will try to finish chapter 12 real soon. If I wait too long on that, I am fairly certain one or two of you will form a lynch mob. So, see you soon, hopefully.

The Rockstar Prince of Crossovers