perfect poison
. helium lost .
Author's Notes: I wanted an anonymous, difficult fight, so this is set in the Chimaera Ant arc. No spoilers; it's an alternate ending, anyway. :)
Theme: #24: good night (おやすみ)
They are caught in a desperate struggle, weaving in and out of stingers sharp enough to tear through flesh with a simple caress, weaving in and out of the forest of claws scuttling across the ground, leaving tiny cracks and imprints. Their jaws click as they lunge forward, tasting droplets of succulent blood that ooze from the scratches and wounds.
Phinx looks up, breathing heavily, one hand flat on the ground to support him as he squats and tries to catch his breath. It's no use—he's not as fast as Feitan, and his attacks are too slow for this sort of fast, close combat. Blood drips down his arms, coiling around his tired muscles, as a patch of blood blossoms on his shirt. At this rate… He takes in a deep breath, then stands again, watching as Feitan darts between the ants.
He is more on the defense than anything: he is trying to avoid their razor-sharp claws, disappearing just as their claws close on his shadow. There is blood dripping down the side of his face, and he is panting, concentrating only on living as more and more of the ants swarm in around him.
Feitan cries out as one of the ants takes a hold of his arm. Its jaws exert a gentle pressure that leaves a small cut in his flesh; then, it slowly tightens, savoring the tension between his flesh and its jaws, before slicing through cleanly. Feitan falls to the ground, clutching the bleeding stump of his arm, feeling the warm blood cascading through his fingers. He looks up, his gaze showing the first traces of fear that Phinx has ever seen in those brilliant, amber eyes, and he watches as the ant opens its mouth and eats his arm, the sound of bones crunching ringing through the chamber as his arm slowly disappears, the fingers peeking out from the ant's mouth before disappearing completely.
Phinx takes in a gulp of air, then darts in and pulls Feitan out of the fray, narrowly missing dozens of claws thundering down on their absence. He drags Feitan by his good arm, and they stumble over the uneven ground, resting behind a pillar for a moment as the sound of ants approaching continues ominously behind them.
Feitan is muttering beneath his breath, cursing the ants. Phinx opens his eyes, then opens them wider and sees that Feitan's ten is dim and weak. Feitan looks at him, eyes glazed open, lips slightly parted as the blood pools up around him. Phinx's hand kisses the wound as it cups his arm and the blood pools into his palm and fills every line and pore.
Their desperation grows and multiplies as the sound of the approaching ants gets louder and closer. Phinx stands and touches his bloodied hand, then curls it into a fist. To see Feitan slumped into a heap, the last traces of his arrogance and fighting spirit ebbing away… He spits, then holds his shoulder as his arm slowly begins to wind itself in a wide circle.
Feitan is expressionless, watching; he whispers something too soft to hear amidst the ringing echoes of footsteps.
"Good night," Phinx says softly, and his fist collides with Feitan's face, making it explode into a million pieces of flesh that stick to the walls and drip down into the crumbling dirt, leaving behind brilliantly red trails of blood.
And, picking up his mutilated body, Phinx turns and lets the jaws descend upon him.
Author's Notes: Feedback is greatly appreciated. :D