Chapter 1:
Ground Rules
I want to know the defeat tatakau tame ni
Saibou ga minuku tamashii no kesshou
Tsudoi shi kakugo to ai no kodou wa
Fumikomu ryouiki mijuku to mitari
Tobira no mukou ni ima yowaki kokoro hisomu
Buchi yabure imasara
I want to know winner's mind motto
Jibun no naka no monsutaa ga sakebu
Kurai tsukushite shimae
Kowasu! Be free na ketsuraku wo
Tagiru asu wa koosutaa no you ni maware dream on
Todokanu mirai ga attemo
Heru mae no puraido setsuna
Mata moto ni modoru dake~! Yeah~!
Dorian Apartments, Room 235
Monday, August 19th, 0745 hrs
The alarm went off like a gunshot, and I shot up from my sleep almost as quickly. I turned to shut off the damn clock, my head pounding from the song resonating from the clock. I struggled to even climb out of the bed, but I managed to stand on my two feet and make the bed as neatly as possible. Then I went to the bathroom, pulled out my toothbrush from the medicine cabinet, and started to brush my teeth. I was holding an almost dead stare towards the mirror, seeing only the toothbrush and foamy mix of saliva and paste. I turned on the water and took a handful into my mouth, swishing and spitting out the contents before soaking my face with the water and its cold embrace.
"Morning, Zabuza," I called out to my confidant. The shadow coiled from the coat rack and propped itself onto the back of my chair, morphing into a black leather coat upon arrival. I was busy pouring some orange juice in a glass and some milk onto my Pumpkin Pete's cereal (it was the only good cereal I could find around here that didn't taste like fucking crap). I managed to get halfway into the bowl before asking, "So, about last night. You felt it too, didn't you? The energy radiating from all those fighters." The shadow was physically silent as usual, but I know he agrees with me. All of the other people from that club, they were all drawn to this so-called "Lord of Fighters" tournament. I even vaguely remember a few from even before that: Mars Greyson, for one. He was the guy who asked how we fight in the tournament. That fox tail and Cheshire grin of his were all too familiar (I still haven't gotten his fight with Yang out of my head. Or the rest of my body, for that matter). Then there was the woman sitting next to me: Sienna Khan. She was the High Leader of this local Faunus group, the White Fang. That is, until she was stabbed in the back by someone who ran with her, and was nearly killed in the attempt. She wouldn't tell me who it was or why; that's all we left it at after I saved her hide from her former comrades. Of course, there's still the problem with all the others. I either forgot who they were in the span of five years, or I've never even met them. However, they all looked pretty powerful in their own right, which means I have to stay on guard until this is over. With that in mind, I slurped the milk and the rest of the juice, donned Zabuza, and headed out the door.
Pier 49, Vale
0815 hrs
I was taking a quick walk around the boardwalk, reading the latest updates on my Scroll. Apparently, Mitsunari added to the rules for the tournament, saying:
'To all competitors, the Tournament has already begun, and is in full motion. Be on guard at all times'
'No shit, old man,' I thought to myself. I was scrolling down the rest of the notification, when I something caught my eye:
'For all who are eliminated, don't hesitate to report to the nearest medical facility for treatment. All medical buildings, as well as my location and the Beacon Academy grounds, are where fighting is strictly prohibited. I want to turn Vale into an arena, not a full blown warzone.'
I couldn't help but chuckle at that last line, as I stuffed my scroll into my pocket. Just then, I spotted someone facing away from me, leaning ahead of the entrance to the Crowbar. I recognized the stripes on her back, and the chain whip on her right hip. 'Sienna,' I whispered in my head, 'what's she doing here?' Her ears suddenly perked up, so I decided to follow her, tracing her every step. I figured she either didn't know I was tailing her (no pun intended), or she knew and was just luring me in. I didn't know until she turned into an alley way near Tukson's Book Trade, and as the fool I am, I immediately ran in pursuit. Upon entering the alley, I was met with a blade sailing past my left cheek, its Dust crystal glowing a bright crimson. Sienna quickly launched the whip at me, as I jumped up from my spot, narrowly avoiding the strike. She pulled the chain back, as I drew Zabuza's pistol form and quickly fired three lightning rounds. Sienna spun her chain into a spinning shield, deflecting all three bullets. I landed on my feet, and said, "It's been five years, Sienna, and this is the hello I get? How rude."
"Maybe so," she replied, "IF we weren't in the middle of a tournament. Although, stalking is not the best way to greet someone after a while, either." She got me there. After a solid minute, she exhaled and said, "Anyway, what is it do you want? Are you going to start badgering me about what happened when we met, or what?"
Feigning a hurt look, I reply, "Okay. THAT was just uncalled for. I am a gentleman. But seriously, I'm here to talk about the tournament." I took a deep breath to collect myself. And breathing out, I started as we walked through Vale's streets, "Ever since that night at the club, with that old man announcing the tournament, I've never stopped thinking about how it will play out. At first, I didn't want any part of it. I was already done with fighting, what with our little crusade against Salem. And it's because I have Beatrice to look after. I love her with all of my heart, but it's also why we could never be… you know."
Sienna, as impatient as she is, pulls the trigger and says, "Just get to the point."
"All I'm saying is, I think there's more to this tournament than just as a competition. Out of all of the fighters participating, you and I both know that some of them aren't even from around here. And that's coming from a guy who was originally from an Earth where me being a vampire or some other fantastic creature is totally normal."
Sienna only nods at my words, and says, "You make it sound like this is a test for us; to see which dimensions is home to better warriors. Is that about right?"
"Well…"
"Because that's what I see. Some of these fighters have come from God knows where; they're drawn to the animosity of combat, and finding our world to be rich with it. Now without having to worry about massive Grimm outbreaks, people are becoming more open with their emotions, which also brings aggression and fighting spirit. THAT'S what brought these foreign warriors."
"Right." I replied in a deadpanned manner. "Anyway, other than fighting anyone at any place or time throughout Vale, there isn't a rule against teaming up. Think about it: individually, our skills and semblances could only carry us so far, and that's not even considering anyone who would break some of the rules. I figured if we team up and find more to join us, our chances in the tournament would be a little better. So… what do you say?"
We stopped in the middle of the side walk, and as she turned to me, she had a look in eyes; one that signified how hard she was going to make this.
"Alright, but if we're going to work together, you're going to have to prove yourself to me."
Utterly disappointed with the condition, I could only comply. I said, "Alright. So, when do you want to do this?"
With a light chuckle, she answered, "It seems you've already forgotten: your test," as she lunged at me with her whip following her in flight, my body entering a battle stance with my hand to Zabuza's sword form, "HAS ALREADY BEGUN!"
The Vampire and the Tigress. Who will win?! Anyway, I sort of fell in love with this idea, so I've decided to do a little update. Still trying to figure out how I'm going to add to the Last Laugh (that's right, I'm keeping it going), but I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, leave a review and PM me if you have any questions or oneshot ideas. Kamina out.