Spirits surrounded the small circle, murmuring in anticipation. Ryuu winked at the girls before entering, taking his time. Meanwhile, Chihiro stood quietly, slightly unsheathing and sheathing her katana. Beside her, Aogaeru hopped around, muttering excitedly to himself. "How is this going to turn out?" she heard him mutter.
"Alrighty then! Have you been waiting, sweetie?" Ryuu smiled slyly. "It's about time, Kaida," she shot back. The girls behind him whispered to each other, glaring at the human. "That's brave of you, spirit," Ryuu said, unsheathing his katana. He slid one finger down the spotless blade, gazing at his reflection. Spirit? Chihiro frowned. "Why don't we make a bet?" the dragon suggested.
"If I win, you will become mine," he offered. "And if I win?" she questioned. Ryuu swiftly lowered his blade, slicing through the air- literally. An unusual crack appeared where he cut down, slowly repairing itself back into air. As the girl stared curiously at the spot, he replied, "You'll earn your place here."
Without hesitation, Chihiro stepped to the side, escaping with a cut on her cheek. Although the audience did not see it, Ryuu had lunged forward, driving his katana straight towards Chihiro's face. Luckily, she dodged the attack. Jumping back, she was close to the line.
Smirking, Ryuu dashed towards her, raising his katana to cut up. Strangely, his blade was only a few feet away from her. Ready to take anything, Chihiro braced herself for what would appear. A gust of wind erupted from Ryuu's blade, heading towards Chihiro.
Making a somersault to her right, she did it a few times as the dragon spirit repeated his attack. Many were so absorbed in the fight that they did not notice Chihiro had not even unsheathed her katana. Using the end of her sword, she hit Ryuu's side, causing him to stumble backwards. "You've got some skill," he slightly panted. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Chihiro smiled.
She unexpectedly ran towards him, flipping over him. Using his shoulder for support, she pushed herself down, right behind him. Noticing she took his ribbon that was tied on his wrist, he grinned. "You're a sly one," he murmured.
Strangely, he stabbed his katana into the center of the circle, laying his palm on the top. Closing his eyes, the wind began to rise. Blowing at the girl's face, she narrowed her eyes. So he's the spirit of the wind, she thought. As she was about to make her move, she felt something strange wrap around her, like an invisible net.
Struggling to move her legs, she realized Ryuu used the wind to stop her from moving anywhere. Gritting her teeth, she looked up, watching as he pulled his blade out of the grass, and headed towards her.
His eyes shined, approaching Chihiro like a snake pouncing on a mouse. She slowly pushed through the wind, barely getting a grip on her katana. But when Ryuu finally arrived, he did not attack. Instead, he bent over to her ear, whispering, "You can give up now. I don't want to ruin a pretty face like yours."
"Don't take pity on me!" she hissed, finally breaking through the wind as soon as she unsheathed her blade. A burst of flames erupted, engulfing the arena. The crowd backed away, shocked and astounded by the sudden heat. Inside, Ryuu was surrounded by a sphere of wind, protecting himself from the intense heat. Glancing up, he caught the sight of Chihiro.
"You are truly amazing," Ryuu laughed. Looking up from her unsheathed katana, she smirked. Raising her katana, she swiftly cut through the barrier. He braced himself for the flickering flames to bury him. However, only the flames and wind disappeared. The grass around them was singed, leaving smoke crackling in the quiet air. After a few moments of surprise, the audience began to clap and cheer.
The girls gasped, quickly rushing to their lover's side. Halting them with a raise of his hand, he glanced back to let them know he was alright. Turning back, he found Chihiro lending him a hand. Chuckling softly, he took it, pulling himself up from the grass. As they both sheathed her swords, Ryuu congratulated her.
"I've never met a clever girl like you… um…" Ryuu spoke. "Chihiro," she introduced herself. "You fought well too, Ryuu." After realizing what she had said, his eyes widened with happiness. "You finally said my name, huh?" he cheerfully laughed. Chihiro handed him his red ribbon. "Here," Chihiro said. Ryuu took it, also taking her right hand. He wrapped it around her ring finger, making a small, delicate bow.
"There," Ryuu said. "It's like a ring!" Chihiro carefully examined it, realizing what he had meant when putting it on her ring finger. She opened her mouth to protest, but he interrupted, "But still."
Ryuu pulled her towards him, quickly whispering, "I'm still going to have you." Chihiro blushed, pushing him away and looking at him with a flustered look. To him, her blush made her look cute. Turning away before he could say anything, she turned away, leaving the arena.
"I'll definitely make you mine," he murmured to himself. Dragged away by spirits, they pestered him on his first defeat. Looking back distractedly, he found Chihiro walking beside Aogaeru. Her warm smile gave him a shiver, making his heart pound loudly. He hoped that she too would be there tonight. Clearing his throat, he announced, "Shall we prepare for the festival?"
The frog spirit stared up at Chihiro, who seemed to be in doubt. "What's wrong?" he asked. Revealing an anxious look, she glanced up at the cloudless sky. "Ryuu called me a spirit," she began. "What did he mean by that?" Aogaeru frowned. Taking a careful sniff, he nodded in agreement with a strange look. "You're human, yet you smell strongly of a spirit. Not of other spirits, but your own scent as well."
Chihiro narrowed her eyes, wondering what caused that to occur. Glancing at her hidden curse, she thought of what other surprises it had in store for her.