Panda Hero
Chapter 5: A Solemn Win
Steeping into the ring was a beefed up guy four times bigger than Rin.
Len whipped his head to the side to stare at Kaito wide eyed. once he saw who the petite girl would be fighting against.
"Are you crazy? That guy will kill her!" Len shouted over the roar of the crowd. Kaito just chuckled softly, not answering him.
Rei, who was to the other side of Kaito had his arms crossed. The blonde looked over to Rei hoping he would answer him. Len couldn't identify what Rin's brother was feeling by looking at his unusual facial expression.
The older teen had his arms crossed. His forehead was creased in concentration accompanied by a slight smirk on his lips as he observed his sister and the monster stretching in the ring. Rei pretended like he didn't here Len's shouting.
Len had enough of being ignored. He got up so abruptly his chair flipped back and hit somebody behind him, causing a string of swears and threats from them at Len.
He hurriedly flipped off the person behind him and marched his way towards the ring. There was no way he was going to let Rin get hurt by the opponent who would surely break her beautifully angelic face.
The blonde teen could feel his face burning in fury and a vein popping out of his neck. He clenched his fists when someone suddenly gripped his arm. A slight crack was heard from his limb. He tried to muffle a grunt of pain.
Rei was sitting calmly in his chair. But the way he was seated was the complete opposite of his scarily stern face. Before his arm became numb, Len felt a surge of goose flesh surge through him.
"Sit your ass back down." Rei ordered in a slightly demonic voice. His green eyes were lit with an unseen fire under the forest colored surface. Len stared back as hard as he could manage.
"No." He snarled back. Len noticed with satisfaction that Rei's eyebrow quivered in agitation. That sudden thrill of accomplishment he felt was immedietly crushed along with his arm.
Quicker than lightning, Rei had shot up and had Len in a position where it hurt to even breath, never mind try to wiggle his arm free.
By now everyone in their area was cheering them on, hoping a fight was about to start. Thankfully, Rin was oblivious to what was going on between Len and her brother. She and her opponent were busy warming up.
"I said, sit down." Rei grumbled startlingly calm into Len's ear, a complete one-eighty from before.
Len grunted and took a sharp intake of breath through his clenched teeth.
"And I said -tch!- Rin can't. . . do this!" Len shouted while trying to muffle his sounds of pain. He screamed out in agony when Rei twisted his arm sharply.
Rei had enough of Len's back talking. Giving one more twist to the blonde teens arm for good measure, he tossed Len to the side as easily as a gun's trigger could be pulled.
"Learn your place, punk." Rei spat out. "I'm bigger than you and I sure as hell can hurt you more than you can hurt me. You're just lucky I didn't break your arm. Now sit your ass down and shut your fucking mouth." Rei ground out as he threatningly loomed over a limp and bruising Len.
Kaito shook his head sadly and let out a 'tsk tsk', his eyes not leaving the pair in the ring. Len wondered if that were directed to him or to Rei.
Once Len crawled back onto the chair after getting up from the ground, Kaito leaned over to him and whispered "You just met the other side of Rei. Be careful from now on, ok?" the blue haired man spoke softly so Rei couldn't hear.
Len nodded, face grim.
Kaito met his eyes "And another thing; have faith in Rin." his voice was earnest as he gave his advice. The man looked away to gaze intently at the arena. Len processed his words until a shrill ring of a bell was heard.
The strung lights suddenly dimmed, the only source of reliable light coming from above the ring.
Everyone in the building hushed, the only thing Len's ears could detect was faint murmurings of the people. It sounded like they were silently whipsering Rin's name among one another.
The announcer stood in the middle of the ring, microphone in hand. After the man shouted introductions into the puny mic, Len could feel everyone in the room holding in their breath.
"GO!" The announcer finally shouted.
The arena stayed silent, the onlookers gripping to the bottom of their seats in anticipation as they watched. Len was the most nervous out of the hundreds of people in the building; though he would never admit it.
The two fighters were teasing one another as they faked coming towards the other, fists raised. Len noticed how Rin's short ponytail bobbed with every jump-step she took.
The man was the one to initiate the fight. He surged forward and struck out a fist. He stumbled into the ropes where he noticed with amazement that he missed. He turned to locate Rin.
She stood there, not the least bit threatning She smirked at her opponent who gritted his teeth with a snarl. The girl lifted her hand to mockingly wave at him.
The crowd howled with laughter and cheers.
"Bit clumsy, are we?" Rin impishly jeered loudly.
Len couldn't help but chuckle a bit at how cocky Rin was being. It was nice to see such a change in her usual gloomy mood.
As the noise died down, he became serious when the opponent got up.
Rin continued to smirk as she stood there patiently, quietly demanding the man to step towards her. Instead of simply getting up and stepping up to her, he dashed forward and with a shout of rage threw his fist yet again.
Len shut his eyes and braced himself for the hard crunch of Rin's face shattering. When he didn't hear it, he opened an eye.
Rin had dodged again by side stepping swiftly. Not only did she do that, but she also brought out her arm to get it caught in the man's beefy neck, who nearly choked himself by stupidly running into it. Len saw with astonishment at how easily Rin then flipped over the man who had to weigh at least three hundred pounds.
Rin jumped on the man who was now in a daze and coughing madly on the ground. The cheers started up again.
Rin held him pinned to the ground using an arm and both her legs. With her free hand she started to bash the man's face.
Len's mouth dropped at the speed her hand was moving. She was faster than when Rei had attacked him!
The punches brought the man out of his dazed state and he somehow wrestled himself free of her hold. Rin rolled out of the way in the same second he was going to kick her in the side.
Rin bounded up, and that's when Len realized there were no gloves covering Rin's small fists.
Her opponent aimed a powered kick at her head, which she easily dodged.
This just angered him more, sending him to release a frenzied barrage of kicks and punches.
Even though Rin dodged his attacks easily, it filled Len with rage just seeing how feircly this grown man was attempting to harm Rin, a petite young girl.
Rin weaseled her way around these attacks like quicksilver, using her size to her advantage. She was intune with her body, mearly swaying gracefully without putting much thought or effort into it. Rin had a gift for this.
She struck out her fist in an uppercut. The mans head jerked back with a loud crack that echoed throughout the arena. People were stomping their feet on the concrete ground, creating a thunderous beat that empowered Rin and made the moment so much more. . .memorable?
Her opponent stumbled back but regained his footing. Rin kicked him in the side quickly. The man lurched, but wasn't about to go down just yet.
As he was returning a kick of his own, Rin lashed out her hand with the speed of a striking cobra and snatched the man by the leg. The mans eyes went wide.
She lifted the leg and jerked her arm up, in and down, slamming the man to the ground on his back like a helpless turtle. All this time Rin didn't even break a sweat, or have a finger layed on her.
Rin immedietly got down and grabbed the man in a hold he couldn't free from this time. She wrestled him down longer until the announcer shouted over the mic.
"The winner: RIIIIIIN!" The girl bounded up and smiled her trademark cheeky smile of victory to the crowd. Everyone went wild, including Len.
The announcer handed something to Rin and she ran down to meet her brother, who hand his arms stretched out ready for a hug.
"You were awesome! I'm so proud of you." Rei praised her while he crushed her tiny frame. She laughed shortly and hugged him back. One of the times she ever felt adorded was when she won a match.
She let go and went to Kaito, who was smiling widely. He did his usual 'one, two' punch in the air, his way of saying 'good job!', which Rin mimicked back.
The girl hesitated for a minute, thinking, and suddenly (and quite awkwardly) drapped her arms around Kaito in a hug. He was caught off guard, but the perky man that he was, he happily hugged her back and daringly noogied her softly on the head. She laughed.
Len was last to congradulate her. Rin didn't go up to him, though. No matter how much of a good mood she was in, she didn't want to talk to him. Just the thought was revolting.
He walked up to her casually, avoiding Rei as much as possible.
"Sooo." He drawed out, picking his words mentally very carefully. "What did that announcer guy give you?" Len had noticed Rin take something from him.
Her smile faded somewhat once Len approached her. She unclenched her fist to show him a 10 dollar bill.
That's it? She fought her ass off and got 10 bucks? That couldn't even buy you a burger from the dollar menu.
"Ten bucks?" Len asked. Rin nodded and gave Len a strange look. "What do you do with it?" what could you possibly do with money in the Slums? It was practically useless.
Instead of getting an eye-roll like he expected, Rin instantly turned somber, a thoughtful look clouded her eyes.
"I save it." and with the vague answer, she turned and walked out with Rei.
After walking out with Kaito by his side, Rei and the blue haired man headed to HQ together saying they had something to do, leaving Len and Rin to walk back together in the middle of the night.
The walk was like earlier. Awkwardly quiet.
They saw a few shady characters on the way, but they didn't harass the two teens. Rin's familiar short blonde hair was like a red flag that shouted 'DO NOT TOUCH UNLESS YOU WANT YOUR ASS HANDED TO YOU.'
Finally reaching their spot, Rin jogged up to the brick wall near her coat and crouched down. Len leaned against the wall and watched her curiously.
She dug her nails around an edge of a brick, jostled it free and dropped it on the ground with a clatter. Through the darkness, Len could makeout a long hole that was once behind the brick bursting with crumpled dollar bills. He watched as Rin smiled and deposited her prize money to join the rest and re-seal the wall with the brick cautiously.
Len whistled, catching Rins attention. She sat back on her legs and stared at him.
"That all your prize money?" He asked. Rin nodded.
No snarky remarks? Len decided to push on. He felt the urge to be an instigator.
"Whatcha savin' it for?" he interrogated. Rin pursed her lips to the side.
She didn't like telling people her buisiness, but Len wouldn't stop until he had an answer. "My education." she replied.
"What?" the boy asked. That was an odd answer. Instead of saving up to get an apartment out of the slums, Rin was trying to get into college WITHOUT much of an educational background?
She looked down and began to pick at her cot absently. "An education. You know, like books and stuff. When I get enough money from doing tournaments I'll spend it and teach myself, with the help of Rei." She murmured.
Len made a sound in understandment. That made more sense. Rin looked up at him with a helpless look on her face that made her look like a child.
"I've been doing this since I was ten. For five years. And i'm nowhere near the amount I need. Rei's always been telling me to try my hardest and then to get as much of an education for myself as I can. It's the only way out of here."
Len was speechless. Rin just blurted out her personal things to him, which he had no way to respond. He quickly covered up his shock with a mask of his usual arrogant face.
Rin noticed his discomfort before he hid it and blushed.
"I'm sorry. I'm just over here babbling. . ."
He thought with slight amusment at how diverse Rins personality was. She could be cold towards him, throw his attitude right back at him, or be helpless while letting her walls crumble down.
It was silent for a moment. Rin looked away and Len was watching her have a mental debate with herself. He hated silence more than anything.
"How many matches have you won?" the break in the silence startled Rin as much as Len was startled with her answer.
"Every single one since I started." she answered, not a hint of boasting in her tone. She smiled.
"I love it." She added. And Len thought how she said it so geniunley. She didn't say it in a way that made her sound like a girl obsessed with beating people up, but it was a passion of hers. And she was an expert at it!
"Has Rei ever competed?" He asked. Len remembered Rin telling him earlier that her brother was the one who taught her, and he was supposedly better.
Rin undid her ponytail and replaced the elastic on her wrist. "He used to. Rei doesn't do it anymore though. But trust me, seeing me fight is nothing compared to what he can do." Rin laughed at the end.
It was quiet somemore until Rin lied down on her cot and announced she was going to sleep. Len had singsonged a "Goodnight, Sleeping Beauty." hoping to lift his mood a bit. He shortly went to sleep after.
I've been super busy lately so I hadn't had the chance to update a new chapter! I'm so so so sorry! D: Anyways, just a bit more insight about Rin. Isn't Rei scary when he's pissed? :D Anyways, I think next chapter will start to introduce the Panda Hero and more!
Review please to see this going and tell me what you thought!
~Sabby-Sama