When the battle has been going for three minutes and Soubi has barely suffered a restraint, let alone any notable injury, Oshiro Rai first begins to feel almost…threatened. His Fighter is too busy being furious. When the next attack nearly knocks Rai down, and the one after restrains him more seriously than any attack has done in almost longer than he can remember, he can see the fear and the shock and the simple, intense hatred in his Fighter's eyes as Ataru turns, horrified, on impulse. Soubi still looks…passive. Unconcerned. There is nothing in his eyes, because there is nothing to be there, and Sightless know that the revulsion they feel is asking whether Soubi is even human.
The restraints choking Rai are strong, and Sightless know if they take the time to crush them, Soubi will attack again. Rai knows Ataru is out of practice at freeing him. He weighs his options only a moment. "Don't worry about it Ataru! Attack!" He doesn't need to break the restraints if he can crush their maker. The Fighter feels his partner's will flow through him, give him power. "Darkness of the dreamless sleeper, deeper than shadows in the freezing night, freeze his limbs and rend his heart with void!" The image is complex, but this draws on the sight-world of his name, on the word most essential to his being, to his bond, and in these images, imbued with his name, his fullest power is drawn. The power drawn between him and his Sacrifice. The power of their word.
Soubi has no Sacrifice, but he does have a master. Ritsu-sensei has ordered that Soubi fight two-on-one, for now. Soubi knows that he is expected to win on auto. It is fine. He has no Sacrifice, but he has been told to win, and so, as the darkness of Sightless surrounds him, the words form themselves with barely a thought. One word spells were left behind in the first two minutes of the battle. Simple spells passed quickly in the next two. Their spells now are higher, greater, and Soubi finds them beautiful.
"The sleeper's eyes open, and the light blinds. Tear away night's shadows, melt the freezing cold, obliterate the void. Cutting rays of rising sun, rend their bond and bind them."
Sightless defends, and it is too slow. Rai gasps as restraints frighteningly close to complete bring their once familiar pain. Ataru is barely hanging on to reason. "A pressure of rising force, crush the restraints to dust and free Sightless."
Soubi briefly considers cutting in another attack in the breath between Sightless' attempt to free themselves and their coming retaliation, but chooses not to. He thinks that perhaps, though it is so hard to know like this, Ritsu-sensei would feel it graceless. A cheap victory. He doesn't need the weak opening.
Sightless' eyes are burning, and neither of the pair is angry at each other, but both are irrationally furious at Soubi. The restraints have barely been weakened by Ataru's attempt. He pauses only a few beats before returning to the attack. He knows he can afford no more. "Shadows cast by all things, slay light and lay bars where there were none. Restrain!"
The attack is poorly formed, hastily worded, the image too swayed by emotion, and Soubi barely needs to think about defence. "The light bathes all. The shadow is shattered. Shards, return. Cut with the heat of two-hundred suns."
"Defend!"
"Your barriers are transparent. The light shines through."
Ataru's voice is desperate, and Soubi's is eerily calm. Another Fighter might have been disappointed that a battle so long prepared for could end so quickly—that a Fighter with such a reputation could so easily lose focus and fall apart. Soubi is not disappointed, nor is he happy. He is told to win, and so he does.
Rai cries out involuntarily. Ataru's panic is too clear. "Mighty forest, giants of wood and life, tower over him and shut him in!"
It is clear to everyone watching the battle now that Sightless is too damaged to image the complex visions surrounding their name. Ataru is desperate. He has reverted to his surroundings—there is little but trees, since Soubi controls the sun—and the image is marginally stronger, but Soubi has been taught first to counter by oppositions, and 'wood' plays to his strength, if he has one strength.
"Fire that conquers all, slay the wooden giant, burn him to ash and return in a rain of burning dust." Find the holes in their attacks. Defend and attack in the same image. Focus on the vision. Let the words materialise. "Burn through their ropes, melt their chains, obliterate their ties. Sever! Bury them in ash and burn them in flame. Restrain!"
"Def—"
"Your defence is nil. The fire burns through!"
"Def—"
"Your defence is nil."
Soubi's words are swallowed by the cries of his opponent's Sacrifice, writhing on the ground, not unconscious, but fully restrained. Slowly, Rai stills, humiliated. Slowly, his Fighter falls to his knees. As the world shifts back into focus and Soubi lets dimensions realign, Ataru crawls shakily toward his unmoving partner. The restraints holding Rai have dissolved into air.
"Rai!"
"Unh. I'm okay. I'm fine, Ataru."
The Fighter breathes heavily, eyes not leaving his less than healthy Sacrifice. "I'm sorry. I was too weak."
Rai draws in shallow breaths. "Don't sweat it. We'll beat that bastard next time."
Soubi watches, motionless, until Sightless is clearly seen to be alive, conscious and remaining so. When he turns, his eyes find Ritsu-sensei immediately, and he moves undistracted. When he stands before his teacher—his master—he does not raise his eyes.
"Good." Ristu-sensei's voice is without emotion, but Soubi is sure that the man is pleased. Soubi smiles, a little.
"You countered through their spells reasonably well, but you're too reliant on light and heat." Soubi follows as his teacher turns away from the gathering of students, staff now clustering around the defeated Sightless. "Next time use something else, even if your opponent's attacks make fire obvious. Someday you may fight someone less repetitive. I don't want another light attack until I give you permission."
Soubi nods, eyes still downcast. "Acknowledged."
Ristu-sensei does not seem to remember the other team until he reaches the doors. He turns only his head. "Sightless!" The fussing staff and students jump at the call, parting just enough for Soubi to see Ataru still kneeling over his other half. Ritsu-sensei is blunt as ever. "Don't get distracted so easily. The holes in your attacks were inexcusable."
Soubi follows his master wordlessly inside, unconcerned by the muttering and glares following his back.
A/N: One chapter left :) Please read it :) It's the point of the story :)