Fight for Love!
34th Fight: Belt Honour
"You sure have changed a little, Mikan. You weren't as dense as before."
With a camera in my hand while the other hand scribbling notes on my little notebook, I let out a soft laugh and gave Hotaru a quick glance before continuing my observation.
"How so, Hotaru?"
"Using such a legit excuse in order to return to Taekwondo Club."
"Ah, Hotaru, you find it legit. That's so wonderful," I cooed. "Hotaru recognises my intelligence!"
Then, I heard Hotaru grunt, "Stop being so full of yourself. I didn't say anything about..."
"Hotaru, I noticed something. Hayate-senpai seems to be very good in defense, but his attack moves seems to be weaker... especially when it comes to his right leg," I interjected as my focus was still on the said senior who was striking a series of high kicks on another member in front of me. "Is he a lefty?"
"He has an injury before... if I'm not wrong, his right knee was fractured during the tournament last year."
"This probably explains why his right kicks are weak," I noted as I wrote down this interesting finding in the notebook next to Hayate's name. "He's taking part in the tournament again this year, isn't he?"
"Yes," Hotaru replied. "Back to what my main point, does anyone else besides us knows that you join the Taekwondo Club?"
"No."
"Not even Yoichi?"
"Nope."
"Special Club?"
"Why should they know?" I asked calmly, stopping the film.
"Can you even cope with two club activities?"
"Of course!" I stood up and stared down at Hotaru who was giving me a look of concern. "Special Club doesn't really have a lot of activities within a week. We just have weekly meetings about... fundings and other useless stuffs like eating."
Hotaru gave me the 'are-you-serious' look as she stood up as well. She was probably thinking about how slack Special Club was. Well, it was true to a certain extent. We had general meetings once a week and I swore that each meeting consisted of forty percent discussion on relevant topics, twenty percent teasing and jokes which were somewhat relevant to our meeting agenda, thirty percent eating sweets and pastries prepared by Misaki or Narumi, and ten percent practical nonsense which had no relevance to the meeting agenda. After the meeting, Serina would give us some trainings to improve our skills. She would mainly focus on Misaki instead because she would be the one representing the club. On the other hand, I just needed to know basic skills to defend myself if I were to be caught by other people during my spy work.
"Now that we're here together again, let's deepen our friendship bond as we work together as club managers," I continued with a smile.
Hotaru's face cringed in obvious disgust and she quickly shook her head in response. "Eww. No."
"Aww... Hotaru, why not? "
"Your cheesiness made my hair stand. Stop it."
I rolled my eyes as I laughed away. "Hotaru's a meanie!"
Just then, the gymnasium entrance door was swung open and there went a dramatic appearance of the four female 'musketeers'. The leader of the four walked in with arms akimbo and eyes fixated at Tsubasa whose attention was already on them. The other three followed behind her with arms akimbo as well.
"Tsubasa-senpai, have you thought it over yet?" Luna the leader stopped right in front of Tsubasa and tilted her head upwards, looking as if she wanted to match his level of gaze. "It has been two weeks since you made that agreement."
"I promised you, I know. I remember, okay? But circumstances..."
Luna flared and argued, "Argh! I'm a Red Belt! Are you doubting my skills?! I can kick arses for you right now if you want me to prove my capability to you!"
"Koizumi-san..."
"I want to fight alongside with Natsume-sama and Ruka-sama!"
I arched an eyebrow. Oh wow... Our Luna didn't change, did she? She was just as clingy as ever. Furthermore, based on my knowledge, there was no such thing as tag team in the Taekwondo tournament. Good try, Luna Koizumi.
"You can fight with them all you want today, you know?" Hotaru suddenly spoke up with a hint of amusement in her voice. "I'm sure Nogi-senpai doesn't mind."
"Imai-san!" Ruka shouted with a frown on his face.
"Hyuuga-senpai will join us later so you can seek his permission to fight with him. You will lose anyway," Hotaru stated and smirked at the already aggravated girl.
"You don't have anything better to say all the time, do you? You always piss me off," Luna hissed angrily as she glared at our direction. "Oh! Look who's here. What the heck?"
Luna's eyes widened as she pointed her offensive finger at me. She turned to look at her three friends who were staring at me with a mixture of surprised and flabbergasted look. Pretending to be as normal as ever when I was in fact mentally screaming in alarm, I waved to the girls and greeted them 'hello'. The response I had in return was a loud shriek from Anna.
"The lesbian has returned alive!"
"I'm straight and have been alive since the day I was born," I corrected.
Nonoko tugged her fringe behind her ear and muttered, "Fabulously interesting."
"What's the meaning of this?" Sumire asked aloud, staring daggers at Tsubasa. "I thought she promised us that she wouldn't be back."
"Well... I know it was sudden..." Tsubasa paused, looking as if he was trying to find the right words to pacify the girls and ease the situation. "She is here to help me out."
"Exactly," I added. "I didn't promise you all that I won't be back forever. Furthermore, I no longer have the rights to wear the white belt ever since I lose to Luna-senpai. That was our deal. However, to be a great asset to this club, I am working as a manager here. Please cooperate with me, senpais."
Luna's jaw dropped. "That's absurd!"
I shrugged and said sarcastically, "Of course, it is! Like Nonoko-senpai said, it's fabulously interesting."
"Argh! You're equally annoying like that Imai brat!" Luna growled and then stomped away while the other three girls gave me one final glare before following Luna to another side of the gymnasium to put down their bags.
I looked at Hotaru with a smug and nudged her arm.
"I can see that you're always doing your part to piss her off."
Rolling her eyes, Hotaru muttered, "And you're starting to pick up some good skills in pissing people off. You must have learnt well from my excellent coaching."
"I'm not that dumb after all," I said jokingly as I flicked my hair upwards.
"Stop acting so like the four bimbos there. Disgusting."
I burst out laughing, unknowingly capturing the others' attention. Upon realising that I was disturbing the session with my laughter, I immediately stopped and apologised bashfully. Then, I decided to carry on with my spy work; this time, Ruka would be my target of study.
I switched on my camera and started filming him spar against another member who was wearing a black belt as well. The kicks and punches from both parties were so strong and steady, as if the spar was the real battle out on the field. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen Ruka fight before. During my first few weeks of training, I had only seen him coaching people. Who knew that a gentle rabbit-lover like him could give solid punches and do flying kicks? Even his facial expression wasn't giving any vibes like the golden flowery aura which I had seen earlier... not even the threatening look which he had showed me after finding out about my identity when we had first met each other. He looked entirely like a different person. The seriousness in his eyes, flamed with killing intent and passion, made him like a fearsome predator who wouldn't care if his attacks could break his enemy into pieces.
"You are thinking that Nogi-senpai is cool, aren't you? Your heart must be beating very fast right now," Hotaru teased softly.
I spun my head around and faced her with a shocked look. What nonsense was she saying again?! I hoped the film didn't capture her words. No wait, of course, it did record her words down since she was so close to me.
"I swear my heartbeat is as normal as it should be, Hotaru."
"Oh my, your eyes just can't resist his sexiness. An absolute eye candy," Hotaru continued to tease me as she used two of her fingers on each hand to widen the lids of her eyes. "Oh-ho! Mikan is so perverted."
"I'm not! And what's an eye candy by the way?"
"It means a delicious treat to your eyes. You derive pleasure from watching him, seeing his beautiful face and body."
I felt myself blushing from her explanation and murmured to myself, "Geez! I don't know what you're talking about."
Hotaru smirked mischievously and said, "Yes, yes, you do. Don't be shy."
I rolled my eyes and continued to observe Ruka and his spar partner until Luna's voice broke in, calling out my name. I looked away from the camera and stared at Luna who was walking towards me in her white robe. Her red belt was dangling at her side pocket as she moved her hips in a sassy manner. Not knowing what she wanted with me this time, I swallowed hard at her looming figure and she stopped right in front of the camera. She had totally blocked our view of Ruka.
"Hey, you're our club manager, right? What time is Natsume-kun coming?"
"Natsume-senpai?" I laughed crudely and grinned at her. "Do I look like I know?"
"Of course not. But you're the manager. You should at least know when he's coming here."
Oh, so she was trying to challenge me. Was she trying to pick on my role as a manager even when I was no longer wearing the honorable belt? Fine then, challenge accepted. I couldn't always be picked on by her. Since I was back here, I might as well do something about her attitude as a club manager.
"Luna-senpai, I..."
"Koizumi-senpai, we practice confidentiality. We won't reveal such information about another member," Hotaru interrupted me.
I immediately nodded my head and said, "Ye... Yeah! Very sorry about that!"
"What?!"
Trying to hold back my laughter, I pointed at the red thing which was dangling at Luna's side pocket and reminded in a shaky voice, "Put on your red belt."
"Oh, this..." Brushing her fingers across the red fabric, the older girl smirked at us. "I was thinking that if we could play a simple game since you're back here, Yukihira-san. I hadn't had the chance to play an ice-breaker game with you before. The duel was not counted."
I stopped stifling my laugh and then frowned at her. "What if I say that I'm not interested in the game?"
"Then you will lose by default."
"That's harsh. Well, just put on your red belt, okay?"
"I may not look like it, but I'm actually a person who doesn't like winning by default."
Hotaru mused, "Oh, that's a surprise."
"Imai, you brat, just keep your mouth shut."
Oh boy. Luna and Hotaru had serious issues with each other.
"Koizumi-senpai, please put on your red belt," I reminded Luna again, trying to prevent any argument between them from happening.
However, the both of them decided to ignore me and carried on their staring contest. As usual, Hotaru was looking as calm as always. On the other hand, Luna was seething with anger.
"Eh... guys..."
"I have had enough!" Luna shouted, clenching her fists and then pointing at me with her finger again. "Let's start the game now, okay? The purpose of this red belt inside my pocket is for you to get it. But in order to get it, you have to duel with me. During the fight, you are to snatch the belt from me while I protect the belt. Sounds simple, right? Like the game of tag."
I stared blankly at her. It did not take long enough for me to process her long speech which I normally did. She got to be kidding, right? Duel with her again?!
"What for?" I asked with a frown.
Luna smirked and answered me, "Like I have said earlier, it is an ice breaker game. We need it to bond with each other. Furthermore, I'll go easy on you since you've proven yourself that you aren't trying to get close to Natsume-sama and Ruka-sama."
"We don't need it," I mumbled as I waved her words off. "I'm sure we have bonded enough through this talk here."
"If you get this belt, I promise you that I will tell Tsubasa-senpai to bring back your belt honour," she added. "Imai brat will get hers too... even though she's more suited to wear the white belt forever."
Just then, Hotaru tapped my shoulder and spoke softly into my ear, "Sounds like a great plan, Mikan. You should keep your promise to me."
I turned my head towards her and whispered, "But I promised not to fight anymore!"
"Yet you fought with Matsudaira-senpai."
"That was different!"
"How so? Anyway, you said you will bring back our belt honour. Besides, Koizumi-senpai said she will go easy on you. So, why not take this chance to save our arses here?"
"Hotaru, you can't do this to your club manager!" I said pleadingly.
"Mikan, you can't do this to your fellow club member and best friend," Hotaru said monotonously and patted my back as a sign for me to move forward to take on the challenge.
"Are you ready, Yukihira-san?" Luna prompted me impatiently after watching us whispering away.
Looking at Luna's confident facial expression, I gulped. Why was the both of them pressuring me into this silly game? I just had to snatch that red belt, right? Maybe I shouldn't think so much and just take that silly thing out of her pocket quickly.
Alright, set. I would end this game all at once.
I put down my camera and stood up, staring head on at the red belt in front of me. I rolled up my sleeves and got into my fighting stance which Serina had taught me during the weekly trainings. Show no fear, she had said. Just look at your opponent and concentrate on how to take him or her down.
Luna chuckled as she shifted her leg behind the other and spread them further apart. Putting both fists in front of her, she lowered her head and her eyes looked up at me. I had to admit, she looked like a tigress when she got into her fighting stance too.
"Looking good, Yukihira-san. Ever since I have seen you duel with Hayate-san, I was wondering where in the world you picked up those offensive and defensive moves," Luna commented. "Show me what you got in... 3... 2..."
"Mikan, you have to win," I heard Hotaru say.
"Argh! I will, okay? I will!"
"... 1!"
As soon as Luna shouted that, I launched towards her without thinking twice and extended my arm towards the red belt on her waist pocket. However, Luna was quick to dodge my arm as she hopped a few steps backwards and readied herself to give me her upper kick. Her left leg flew upwards and swung towards me. Everything was moving slowly in my eyes; as her leg swung closer and closer to the side of my head, I began to construct a way to block the attack. That was, using my arms to cover the sides of my head. Anyone would have done so out of instinct.
Closing my eyes, I immediately brought my arms to my head and held there for a second, expecting an impact on one of my arm. However, there was none. I felt a light brush against my fingers above my head and heard a loud thud on the wooden floor. Oh yes, I guessed she had missed me. That was kind of funny for a person wielding a Red Belt. Regardless, I looked up and got into my fighting stance again.
"So, you're the type who will attack first without thinking twice," Luna noted softly to herself, nodding away as if she had gained an interesting insight of me.
"I... I am not!" I retorted, feeling embarrassed because this was actually the truth at the start of the game. "I just wanted to get this over and done with!"
Then, I launched towards her with the same method I had done earlier - reaching out for the dangling red belt.
"Oh no, you don't!" Luna shouted at me and back away like she had done earlier.
The only different action she did was that she used her arm to block my extended arm. Gently, she pushed my arm away. Just like that, my 'attack' was futile against her.
"Take that!"
Luna threw a punch towards me and instinctively, I flinched as I saw her fist fly past my face. She had totally missed me again.
She couldn't be that bad, right? How could she miss me? It was not that I wanted her to hit me but it was strange that she couldn't land any hit on me. For an experienced fighter, she should be able to bring me down within seconds just like before. Anyway, I should change my approach. If I immobilised her, I could easily get the red belt. Great idea, Mikan.
"How about this?" I shouted and threw my fist towards her temple.
Luna quickly squatted, dodging my attack again, and then she extended her left foot out towards my feet. Startled, I jumped in order to avoid her low kick. It might seem like a good move to avoid her incoming attack, but it actually wasn't. Before I knew what was happening beneath my nose, Luna's fist was already making its way towards my stomach.
Oh no, not again! Please!
I closed my eyes and screamed internally. Mental sirens warned me on the consequences of being foolish. Yes, I must have been a fool to take up another challenge from Luna Koizumi. I was going to be beaten into a pulp again.
"Never close your eyes when your enemy attacks you, Yukihira-san."
I opened my eyes at the reminder from Luna and at the same time, my feet was already on the floor. Her fist was no longer aiming for my stomach. Instead, it was right in front of my face...
... almost two inches away.
Startled again, I stumbled backwards and tripped over my very own right foot. I gasped as I found myself falling backwards and landed on my bottom with my arms supporting my body from behind.
Upon seeing me sitting on the floor, Luna withdrew her arm and pull out the red belt from her pocket.
She said, "You know, you fell down on your own."
I frowned.
"And I didn't land a hit on you to be fair."
I frowned even deeper. So, she had missed me on purpose. Were those attacks were just meant to scare me and made me fall on my own? That was cheeky!
"Oh well, I'm bored of this game already even though it is barely forty-five seconds," Luna said tiredly as she tied the red belt around her waist. "You're still an amateur, Yukihira-san. You should train more."
Of course, I was an amateur! And I had been receiving training from Serina! Argh! Stop degrading me, Luna.
Just then, Luna turned around and called out, "Tsubasa-senpai!"
Tsubasa who seemed to have been watching us duel without interfering us looked at Luna with a frightened look on his face. I wasn't surprised by his response anyway.
"Imai brat and Yukihira-san can get back their belt honour," Luna continued, flipping her hair away from her shoulder. "Don't ask me why, but I feel so kind today."
With that, Luna walked away and joined her three friends at the far-end corner of the gymnasium. Many eyes were on us, probably anticipating a fiercer fight between two girls whose fight hadn't been resolved since the first duel. But no, our game lasted less than a minute. I wasn't hit but I had just fallen down on my own because I had lost my footing. Luna had decided to return Hotaru and me the rights to our belt honour even though I didn't manage to get the red belt. It felt strange and real at the same time.
I turned to look at Hotaru who appeared just as lost as I was. She was staring back at me with a deep frown on her face.
"Does your butt hurt?"
"A little," I groaned and hissed in pain as I slowly stood up. "Well, it's over."
Hotaru relaxed and said, "You have done nothing but embarrassed yourself, Mikan."
"But at least, you will no longer have to stay a White Belt forever," I interjected with a toothy grin.
Hotaru smiled weakly and walked towards me with the camera which I had just put away. She placed the camera on my hands and pointed at Ruka and his spar partner, who were already sitting on the ground a few metres away from us taking a short break. The two boys stared back at us as soon as they caught us staring at them. Then, the spar partner grinned and waved to us.
"What a fight, Club Manager!" he shouted and threw his fist in the air.
I didn't know if I should feel insulted or embarrassed when he had said that, but I decided to remain composed and look away from their gazes.
"As soon as they start sparring again, let's get our camera rolling, shall we?"
I beamed at Hotaru and nodded in agreement.
Hi, everyone! I'm back with a long chapter. I posted this chapter slightly earlier than planned because... let's just say that this chapter is to celebrate Crimson Knights' 4th Anniversary on Fanfiction . net! It wasn't a big deal but I am glad that I have improved a lot in my writing skills through these few years of writing and the support given from my readers. I still make mistakes every now and then, but you readers have given me feedbacks on my strengths and areas of improvement. Really appreciate all of your support since April 2012!
Special thanks to the reviewers:
- newroz: Thanks for reviewing! :D
- sweet little: Hey, thank you! :)
- pennYnnep: Hi! The thing about Aoi and Natsume being unrelated (not siblings) wasn't mentioned in this fic. The reason why MIkan kept having this 'Aoi' thoughts will be revealed later! :)
- N. Risa: Thanks for your reviews! Welcome to the fandom too ~ ;)
- Katherine Kalissa Amara: I see. Thanks for the feedback!
- CrazyFanFicLover4Life: Thank you! I'm not a KokoxMIkan fan but I will take your suggestion into consideration for future story planning. In fact, I have quite a few requests for writing KokoxMikan moments here. :)
- Miko: I'm sorry, I can't verify if that message in her fanfic's reviews section was real or a prank.
- Yoshida Haru: Hahaha awww! Thanks!
Lastly, I would also like to thank those who had story alerted and favourited this story. :)
Brief preview of the next chapter:
35th Fight: Double Agent I
Being a spy was not easy. There were many fears associated with the prospect of being a spy.
"Yukihira-san, as the club manager, you shall be..."
One of the fears was getting busted.
"... our spy."
Oh wait, I had to be a double agent?! No way!
"Natsume-san will assist."
Oh no! That was a double no-way!
Please don't forget to review this chapter and tell me how it is! Thank you ~
