A/N I must be the worst updater in the world. There's just too much going on in my life for me to consider writing more than one chapter a week!
Disclaimer: DON'T MAKE ME SAY IT oTL
Chapter Nine – Ooh! Fight!
The man in black was climbing.
Ash's jaw dropped about a mile. "He must have seen us with the princess!" He exclaimed. Ciel made a noise of indignation at being called a female, but Ash ignored him. "Therefore he must die. You," He smacked Agni on the chest, "you and Soma take him and come with me. We'll head straight for the Guilder frontier." He looked pointedly at Grell. "Stay here and make sure he stays out of our way. If he falls, fine; if not, the sword."
"Chainsaw."
"Whatever."
Grell looked at his hands thoughtfully. "I think I'm going to fight him left-handed."
Ash turned to glare at him. Hard. "You know what a hurry we're in!"
Grell did a little dance on the spot. "Ooh, but my hunk radar is going off! If I fight him right-handed, it'll be over to quickly!" He pulled a pouty face. "I wanna get a good look at him."
Ash threw his hands up in the air. "Fine! Have it your way!"
As the other three left, Grell began shaking his hands. In order to warm up for the upcoming battle, he began to practice sword movements, not bothering to turn on the chainsaw. Then, growing bored, (something Grell did easily) he sidled over to the cliff's edge and looked over.
"Hello, there!"
The man in black raised his head. Grell lifted his hand in greeting. "Slow going?"
The man in black spoke for the first time. "Look, I don't mean to be rude, but this is a lot trickier than it looks, so I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't distract me."
Grell nodded, "Sorry," and continued practicing. This time, he actually pulled the cord, letting the loud, roaring noise than came from his chainsaw echo across the gorge. But he soon turned it off and went back to the edge.
"I don't suppose you could speed things up?"
The words were very rude, and the man in black turned to look at him, venom in his voice when he replied, "If you're in such a hurry, you could lower a rope, or a tree branch, or find something useful to do."
Grell shrugged. "Well, I could do that," he mused, "I have some rope up here. But I don't think you'll accept my help, see, because I am only waiting around to kill you~!"
"That does put a damper on our relationship," said the man in black, voice laced with sarcasm.
Grell, obviously not hearing the sarcasm, felt a thrill at the word 'relationship.' For although he had yet to meet the man face-to-face, he had an incredibly sexy voice.
"But," he teased, "I could always promise not to kill you until you reach the top!"
"That's very comforting," the man in black said matter-of-factly, "but I'm afraid you'll just have to wait."
"I hate waiting." Grell scowled, and turned away; racking his brain to think of ways the man in black might trust him. "What if I give you my word as a shinigami?"
"No good," the man in black sent back, struggle evident in his voice as he tried to climb another few feet. "I've known too many shinigami."
Grell raised his arms halfway. "Is there not any way you'll trust me?"
"Nothing comes to mind!"
The redhead blinked, then, in a very serious voice, said, "I swear on the soul of William T. Spears, you will reach the top alive."
Something about the way he said it made the man in black stop, and look up at him. There was pure sincerity in Grell golden-green eyes, visible even behind the fake lashes.
"Throw me the rope."
"Yay~!" Grell squealed, dashing to unwrap the rope from the rock. Once he had enough, he ran back to the cliffs edge and tossed it over.
The man in black caught it with one hand, and began deftly climbing it. Grell pitched in; pulling it up with all the strength he could muster.
Once the man in black made it over the edge, Grell grabbed his arm and made sure the other man was steady. "Thank you," said the man in black, once he gained his balance. He made to pull out his sword.
Grell held up a hand. "Wait, wait, wait until you are ready."
The man in black nodded. "Again, I thank you." He sat down on a boulder and began emptying his shoes of the little rocks inside them.
Grell fidgeted a little in his seat. He hated to ask such an attractive man this question, but... "Excuse me, I don't mean to pry, but you... you don't happen to have six fingers on your right hand?"
The man in black stopped what he was doing, and stared at Grell incredulously. "Do you always begin conversations this way?"
Grell looked down. "The love of my life was slaughtered by a six-fingered man."
The man in black raised his right hand, and wiggled his fingers – all five of them.
Grell nodded, and smiled, revealing a row of pearly white shark's teeth. "Will was a great shinigami, like me, who made amazing swords. When the six-fingered man came in and requested something special, he made this."
He held out the chainsaw, and the man in black took it, weighing it in his gloved hand. "I've never seen its equal."
"The six-fingered man returned and demanded it," Grell continued, taking it back. "With a tenth of his promised price. When Will refused, the six fingered man slashed him through the heart without a word."
Grell ran a hand through his hair. "I loved Will; so naturally, I challenged his killer to a duel. He won, of course, but he let me live. And he left me these." He ran a hand across his cheek, revealing a small, thin scar on each one.
The man in black was looking at him, eyes intense. "How old were you?"
Grell shrugged, "Young. Since then, I dedicated my entire life to the study of swordplay." And hot men, he added in his head, but left that one quiet – it took away from the dramatics of his story.
"And when I see him again," he continued, "When I am strong enough, I will go up the six fingered man and say, 'Hello. My name is Grell Sutcliffe. You killed my lover. Prepare to die.'"
The man in black broke the spell by saying, in disbelief, "You've done nothing but study swordplay?"
Grell blushed, refusing to answer. "T-the study of swordplay is hard," he lied through his teeth, "and I have absolutely no clue where the six-fingered man is. I only work for Ash to pay the bills." Well, that part was true, at least.
"Well, I certainly hope you find him someday," the man in black said, getting to his feet and drawing his sword.
"You are ready, then?" Grell squeaked excitedly, jumping to his feet.
"Ready or not, you've been more than fair."
"You seem an attractive fellow," Grell teased, although a little sad that this would all be ending soon. "I hate to kill you."
"You seem an attractive fellow," the man in black answered, smirking a little. "I hate to die."
They tensed slightly, and Grell made the first move, swinging forward. The man in black blocked it easily. Then, he struck forward in return, and Grell parried it.
They smirked, eyes locked on each other for a second, then Grell pulled the chain on his weapon, and they began to fight.
(A/N THIS FIGHT SCENE IS REALLY GONNA SUCK, BECAUSE I CAN'T WRITE FIGHTING, AND I DON'T OWN THE BOOK TO COPY FROM!)
They fought for a minute, neither one getting anywhere, as they were both so skilled. As they backed up onto rocks, Grell spoke. "You are using Bonetti's defense against me, ah?"
"I thought it fitting, considering the rocky terrain," the man in black replied.
"Naturally," Grell continued, "You must expect me to attack with Cappaferro!"
"Naturally," the man in black smirked, but I find that Tybalt cancels out Cappaferro. Don't you?"
Grell struck forward, the chains coming dangerously close to the man in black's cheek, and he jumped down. "Unless the enemy has studied his Agrippa!" He flipped over to behind where the man in black was now standing. "Which I have!"
They continued to fight, the man in black constantly pushing Grell back. "You are wonderful!" The ginger exclaimed.
"Thank you," the man in black replied. "I've worked hard to become so!"
"I admit it," Grell said, "you are better than I am!"
"Then why are you smiling?" the man in black asked, not missing a beat.
"Because I know something you don't know~!"
"Oh? And what is that?"
Grell grinned wildly. "I am not left-handed!"
He switched hands, and immediately the tides of the fight turned, Grell pushing back against his opponent with such skills, that the man in black was soon run up against the wall.
"You are amazing!" the man in black remarked, voice calm even as he was bodily pushed up against the crumbling edge of the cliff.
"I ought to be, after twenty years!" Grell replied triumphantly, already seeing this victory in his eyes.
"Well," the man in black said, "then there is something I ought to tell you."
"Oh?"
"I am not left-handed either," the man in black said simply.
Grabbing his sword with his right hand, the man in black pushed back Grell, and twisted the chainsaw out of his hands. Fear in his eyes for the first time, Grell escaped to where his weapon lay uselessly, picking it up. The man in black was upon him again before he had time to turn it on again.
"Who are you?" Grell screamed, fighting as hard as he possibly could.
"No one of consequence," The man in black replied, his voice still eerily calm.
"I must know!" Grell begged.
"Get used to disappointment!"
Epic action music played in the background, as the fight culminated to its climax. Finally, the man in black whipped his sword up beside Grell's cheek, cutting a bit of the hair, and causing him to lose focus. The chainsaw was knocked out of his hands.
He knelt to the ground, head lowered in defeat, as the man in black circled him, blade at his throat. "Kill me quickly. Please."
The man in black sighed. "I would sooner destroy a stained glass window, than a masterpiece such as yourself. However, since I can't have you following me either," he hit Grell over the head with the hilt of his sword. The redhead dropped in a dead faint.
The man in black bowed. "Please understand, I hold you in the highest respect."
And then he was off again.
~OMAKE!~
Ash gasped, as the figure of the man in black appeared over ridge of the hill. "Inconceivable!"
A/N Whoo, lame fight sequence was lame.
Oh well. Did I make up for last chapters super-shortness? :D
And remember ladies and gents, reviews are the Advil to my cramps! DX