A/N: Well it's been… another month. Sorry for the delay, various things, family, etc., you get the gist. Basically I'm doing my best so this time I'll work harder, faster, better.
The first thing Yukio noticed was the smell of the place. As he awoke with a groan, he noticed the place he was now in smelled musty and old. Then he felt the pain in his right eye hit him like a punch to the face, which he had been. He slowly moved a hand up to his eye as the rest of his senses came in as slow as they wanted. Everything was fuzzy but he could make out faint sounds in the background and he was starting to gain his vision back. Yukio opened his left eye, slowly, and took a blurred look around before everything came into focus.
He was in what seemed like a waiting room. If waiting rooms had recently had a style change to old, damp, and musty. It contained only torches and was dim. He slowly rolled onto his side with difficulty, as if he had a weight on him, and noticed he had been dumped on a pile. That pile consisted of Denji's unconscious form. Underneath him was hay. Then suddenly Yukio became aware of the weight on him and looked slightly up. An unconscious Arine had been lain on top of him. Yukio grunted and felt his face heat up but he managed to reach up and push Arine off of him and onto the hay below. She landed with a soft thud and started groaning. Yukio slowly rolled off of Denji and landed in the hay, which was actually pretty soft. Denji began groaning as well, signalling his awakening.
"Ugh…" Arine started speaking. "Yu…. Yukio?" Arine slowly sat up, clearly in better condition, looking around. "What's…"
"Ah!" Denji shot up, in even better condition apparently, with a jolt. His chest was heaving, his brow covered in sweat. The weight of two people on his must've been hot. Add that to, Yukio now noticed as he recovered more, the humidity in this place. He suddenly felt his body sticky with sweat. "What? Where? How?" Denji panted out the words in rapid fire succession with his breaths.
"Calm down." Arine rubbed her temples, now able to speak more clearly. "Where's Yukio?"
"uuuuuuhhhhhhh" Yukio groaned, raising a hand slowly before attempting to sit up. He did so without incident, feeling slowly better as the seconds passed.
"Oh." Denji said, breathless. "Well that solves that problem."
"Yeah." Yukio let out. "But now…" he looked around, taking in the surrounding area. "Where are we?"
"I don't know." Arine replied, her eyebrow raised. "What's that noise?" Yukio rubbed his head and concentrated. The background noise was very consistent and loud. Almost like-
"Cheering?" Denji wondered aloud. Yukio looked at Denji, then to Arine.
"What is this place?" Yukio asked just as a door opened. They all turned and saw a man with a brown outfit carrying a spear.
"Oi." He greeted roughly. "I see you're awake. Come on." He stepped to the side and motioned with his spear for the kids to move. They slowly got up, Yukio keeping one eye on the grunt with the spear. Yukio elected to go last, so that he could stop any attempts at a backstab. There were no attempts as the next room had a barred gate that lead out, light poured in like a waterfall, spilling everywhere while the cheering made the crashing sound. As their eyes adjusted to the light they saw something they couldn't believe.
"Is that-" Arine started before the guy slammed the door and ushered them to the gate.
"Yep. 's your teacher lady."
Aika rolled to avoid the slam of Kohta's sword as it cleaved into the sandy ground where she just was.
"Come on!" he yelled as he yanked his sword from the ground. Aika hadn't even unsheathed hers, keeping it held in her left hand. "FIGHT ME!" the crowd roared with agreement.
Damn it, this will be tough. Aika thought as she jumped back with a flip to avoid a sidelong swing. His sword can block my fire waves but… Aika looked at this brute of a man. Would he expect a frontal charge? Aika's right hand was held above the handle as she ran forward, fast and low, ready to strike. Kohta had his sword raised up. He won't be able to hit me like this. Aika grabbed the handle as Kohta brought the sword down with frightening speed.
"What!?" Aika exclaimed as she leapt forward, barely dodging the swing. She skidded to a halt and saw Kohta yank the blade out in one go.
Now! Aika charged, bringing out the blade in a single, wide slash as she passed Kohta's right side.
"AHAHAHA!" Aika turned to see that despite the swing, only a small trickle of blood was coming from the wound. Kohta was smiling. He rapped against his stomach, a metal sound could faintly be heard. "Armour torso plating. Ain't much but it'll sure protect against some deep blows." His toothy grin carried a smug sense of satisfaction. Aika quickly leapt away from the man as he stood.
"Damn you!"
"AHAHA!" Kohta merely laughed. "Come at me Witch!" Aika bit her lip, thinking.
Don't use the fire now… wait a bit. Aika tossed the sheath up before catching it, holding it and the sword itself in the same positions. Kohta charged and Aika crouched. Use your size, you're smaller, faster, hit and run. Aika ran at Kohta as he was ready to bring his blade around. Aika jumped pre-emptively, soaring over Kohta, her blade swinging down, catching him a centimeter deep, bring a trail of blood out in a small arc that landed on the sand. Aika landed on her feet, turning quickly as Kohta turned, ignoring the cut on his shoulder.
"Not bad. But let's see you try" he stabbed his sword into the ground and made hand signs. Aika recognised them, Earth. "this." He completed. "Earth Style: Mud Clones!" On either side of him, the sand rose into vaguely human-like shapes. Soon they solidified into almost exact copies of Kohta Inuzuka.
"I thought the Inuzuka's only used Man-Beast Clones." Aika backed up a step, her sword held in front of her. Neither of the clones carried a massive sword but they were just as big.
"True but I've learned to use things other than Inuzuka clan techniques. Keeps people on their toes." The clones each racked their knuckles as Kohta grabbed his sword. "Now stop being boring and enterTAIN ME!" he charged with his two clones en masse. Aika wasn't sure what he meant unless….
The fire! Aika jumped over Kohta again and sprinted as fast as she could across the field, closer to the wall, as the crowds booed and cheered simultaneously. This wasn't going good. She needed to give them a show but she wanted to know if the kids were all right.
"Kohta!" she yelled above the crowds, garnering his attention. "Let me know the kids are all right and then we'll talk about a show." Aika glared down Kohta, hoping he'd say yes. He smiled and laughed.
"You're less observant than I thought!" he bellowed, pointing. "They're right there!" Aika turned and saw them holding the bars of a gate, staring out into the field. No.
"What'll happen to them?" she asked. Kohta raised an eyebrow.
"Aika, don't tell me you've gone sentimental! They'll face opponents in the arena just the same! They're criminals like you the need to face justice!" he slammed his fist into his open palm and the crowd roared.
"Criminals!?" Aika shouted. "They're children you psychopath!" Aika held her fingers over her blade, ready to ignite. "Of what crime are we accused of!?"
"You're bounty hunters!" Kohta roared. "The scum of the earth that need to be sent back in the dirt!" Kohta charged and Aika ignited her blade, preparing to swing.
"Fire Style: Inferno Wave!" she sliced the sword through the air, sending a wave of concentrated flames in Kohta's direction. He jumped, his clones didn't and were bisected at the chest, turning back into mud and dissolving into the earth as Kohta landed. He sneered.
"There's the Witch!" he jeered at Aika, with the crowd's approval. Aika bared her teeth as she tossed her sheath into the dirt, charging Kohta.
"I'm not a witch!" she yelled, jumping, and bringing her blade down towards his face. Kohta sneered and brought up his club-sword to parry. Both blades made contact, but Aika's super-heated blade began slowly melting its way through Kohta's massive weapon. He shoved Aika off as he inspected his weapon. Aika landed, her sword still ablaze.
Kami, it's been too long since I've done this but it's incredible. She thought. Just keep your chakra under control and you won't have any issues. Aika racked her mind for the jutsu she used. Oh, there's one. Aika made the quick hand signs before turning her blade upside down.
"Fire Style:" she stabbed the blade into the ground and four small pillars of fire shot up around her before dissipating into four glass copies of her blade. "Glass Swords!"
"Incredible, such control." Kohta admired as Aika grabbed a glass word and pulled it from the ground before throwing it with incredible force. Kohta held up his blade and the glass shattered harmlessly. However another sailed towards his ankle, slicing deep and breaking, leaving a shard of glass in the Inuzuka's ankle. He growled, lowering to rip the glass out when another sword came at him and embedded itself in his shoulder. "Gah!" he screamed, grabbing the sword roughly, breaking it in his hand and getting shards stuck in there, drawing even more blood. The fourth sword came sailing at his head but Kohta ducked and the blade flew harmlessly over him, flying past and breaking somewhere behind him.
"Fire Style:" Aika yelled as Kohta ripped what glass he could from his body "Dancing Ignis Blades!" she made four short slashes in the air, leaving red lines that caught ablaze and became sword shaped, floating around herm close to her head. Kohta, despite bleeding from his wounds like crazy, laughed and stood.
"Amazing! Fucking amazing! This is the Witch I longed to destroy!" Kohta charged and Aika followed suit. Kohta raised his sword and Aika readied hers in a low they closed in on one another, Kohta swung down as the fire blades moved to intercept. Clang! Aika's fire blades sounded like the metal version as all four managed to block the hard hit while Aika thrust her sword up. Kohta shifted his blade and managed to direct the flaming sword away from his face. However the heat could still be felt.
"Damn you, you crazy son of a bitch." Aika growled, feeling the weight of Kohta's sword on her. She had to expend more chakra to keep the blades strong but it was difficult. Like holding up a boulder. However she could see Kohta's face reddening from the heat of the blade, as well as it slowly melting it way through.
"I can say the same, Witch." Kohta jeered, sneering.
"Oh well, half a sword is useless." Aika retorted, nodding to Kohta's blade. "Why make it out of metal? Just use stone."
"Making it out of stone would've taken too long. I just needed metal and a blacksmith to make this." Kohta sneered and pushed Aika back, letting Aika leap back and dissipate her fire swords. She panted, tired. Using the fire swords took too much chakra, and blocking that hit and sustaining the block was too much. She looked at her sword, now putting the task of keeping it alight as a passive thing, taking as little chakra as possible. However she wasn't sure she had another Dancing Ignis Blades in her just yet. Kohta stood there, his sword now having a large line melted into it from Aika's blade. She looked to the bars where the kids were. They watched out to the arena with certainty. She could see they wanted her to win. But… Aika turned to stare at Kohta, blood running from his shoulder, hand, and ankle. However he looked in peak condition. He'd barely used any chakra while Aika had used plenty.
"Maybe…" she swallowed, hefting her sword as she heard a whistle above the cries for blood. Her eyes snapped to Kohta's left hand, which was the good one. They pulled from his mouth, leaving a grin. "No." Aika said as she heard a growl behind her. She turned and ducked as Kohta's wolf jumped over her.
"Ahahaha!" Kohta bellowed laughter out as his hound made a growling leap again. Aika ducked as the beast landed behind her. It turned, not attacking, but circling her, growling, baring its teeth. "You met Yasuhiro before! Now it's time you two got intimate!" Aika turned her head. A man on one side, a dog on the other. She gritted her teeth. Two enemies while low on chakra was a challenge for most anyone. She wasn't sure she'd be able to come out in tact.
Yukio watched as he saw Aika slice her flaming sword at Kohta's hound and the beast backing off, but readying for another attack.
"This isn't going well." Yukio muttered, his eyes looking between Aika, Kohta, and the hound.
"Obviously." Arine retorted, her eyes glued to the battle before them. Aika jumped over the wolf and sent fire waves at the two, but they managed to avoid them.
"Well what can we do?" Denji gripped the bars tight, his arms trembling from the force. Yukio bit his lip in frustration while Arine tapped her fingers along the pole. There had to be something. Yukio quickly checked his jacket, nothing. Not even his needles remained, Kohta had been thorough in his frisking of them all. No weapons were left to escape with. Yukio turned and looked back at their guard, who was leaning against a wall, disinterestedly checking his finger nails while sighing, spear in the crook of his shoulder, simply leaning there. He turned back to the bars, watching Aika perform a deadly dance of jumping with Kohta's hound while the man watched, waiting for an opening.
"I…" Yukio started, looking out at Aika. At this rate she might not last a whole lot longer and from what Kohta said to her during the beginning, they'd be in the arena next. Against whom? More grunts? Kohta's hound? Kohta himself? The three of them had hardly any skill. Yukio's killing of Kohta's man, what was his name… Rokusho, was quick thinking and good reflexes until Kohta had sent him flying with a single punch. Yukio looked around, there had to be something. Anything.
"You what?" Arine asked, her eyes glued to the fight.
"I…" Yukio looked back at their guard, still checking his finger nails. Yukio grabbed the collar of his jacket and began thinking.
If I throw this on him, how long would it take? He turned back to the fight, watching Aika stab at Yasuhiro while Kohta kept attempting to sneak up on her with little success. Hard to do when you're a mountain of a man with a massive sword. Denji's coat is heavier but won't wrap around him. Yukio slid his own jacket off. Perhaps my coat would work the most. Get Arine to go for the spear. Or I could while Denji tackles him. I'm faster than Arine so it could work.
"Come on Yukio." Denji whispered. "If you've got something just say it." Yukio looked out to the fight. He didn't have time, Aika was getting slower, Kohta and his hound overwhelming her in an unfair match. It seemed this all hinged on Yukio forming a plan of action. He gripped the bars and started talking.
"Okay, here's my plan" he started, pausing as the crowd cheered loudly as Aika kicked off Yasuhiro's snout and got an aerial round house kick off on Kohta's face. But it was a mere hindering as Kohta quickly swung his massive blade at Aika, who ducked, allowing Yasuhiro to jump at her, Aika barely rolling out of the way as one of Yasuhiro's paws caught her shoulder, slicing into it as she rolled away and stood with a bounce.
"Well?" Arine asked urgently
"Basically I toss my jacket on the guy there, you and Denji tackle him while I grab the spear. That gives Arine a weapon and it should allow us to at least fight back and attempt to get to wherever they stored our stuff." Yukio took a breath "If we can do that then we can keep getting past the guards and possibly interrupt the fight somehow, but this all hinges on our weapons being here to start with. It's possible it is and it's possible it isn't, however we have to take a gamble that Kohta got a bit too cock sure and made a grievous misstep in his plans." Yukio inhaled deeply, with good timing, as Aika got a nasty slash on Yasuhiro, making the wolf whimper. A searing hot blade will do that.
"Yasuhiro's taken more than that! You'll have to kill him to get him to stop!" Kohta screamed as he slammed his sword down, where Aika was a second ago, with enough force that plumes of sand shot up and the sword was temporarily stuck in the ground. Aika tried to take advantage of this but Yasuhiro lunged at her, his fangs attempting to chew her arms, but Aika managed to keep her sword in front of the beast so that it wouldn't jump at her constantly. However a stalemate like that allowed Kohta time to pull his sword from the ground. Things weren't looking good.
"Sound good?" Yukio asked, looking to each of his friends as they nodded their approval, Denji's face lined with determination and Arine's slowly building up rage. "On my mark." Kohta pulled his sword, Aika slashed her sword down quickly, cutting the hound across its eye. It leapt back with a whimper but Kohta swung his sword around. Aika jumped back but the sword caught part of her calve cutting into it and spraying blood in a small arc, staining the sand as it landed. "Now!"
Yukio turned and ran at the guard, who looked surprised, receiving a long coat to the face. It worked, the shock of the coat had started the man so much he jerked up, his spear landing on the floor with a thud. Arine and Denji tackled his legs, sending the man sprawling as Yukio grabbed the spear.
"Arine!" he tossed the spear, Arine grabbing it and stabbing the man on the torso with it, avoiding Yukio's coat, while the man struggled with his stab wounds. Arine stabbed eight times, which was enough to make the man stop moving. Arine pulled Yukio's coat off his face and they all saw the panicked expression on his face. Denji rolled the man's body over and Arine tossed Yukio his jacket, which he put back on.
"Nice plan." Arine commented as Yukio made sure his coat was right.
"Now what?" Denji asked, cracking his knuckles. Yukio looked, one door they came in was on the other side of the room, and near them was another door they hadn't seen.
"In there, I'll go first." He explained.
"Why?" Arine held the spear. "I've got the spear." Yukio shook his head.
"It's no use if you get stabbed. I'll go first." Yukio made his way to the door. "At least it'll give you a chance if you need it." He grabbed the handle and pulled it open, leaning in. He looked and saw no one. They only had one guard on them? Yukio slowly stepped out, checking the corners on either side of the door. He looked and found himself in a curved hallway, the curve being gentle and, Yukio assumed, the perimeter of the arena. It was stone bricks and had torches lining the hall to give light. He went back and waved Denji and Arine through. When they joined Yukio, Denji whistled.
"It's long. How many rooms you think are in this place?" He turned to Yukio, who had thought the same thing.
"We'll keep to this level. He might have taken them to the armoury for future fighters. After all if we're to fight after Aika-" the crowd's muffled cheering could be heard. All three of them shivered. "then we'd most likely be allowed to use our weapons. If it's not the case, we go higher."
"Then I'm taking the lead." Arine announced, stepping in front of Yukio. "It's cute that you want to protect us but I'm not gonna have you die on me." Yukio felt his face heat up.
"Um. Yeah, fine." He grumbled. Arine smirked.
"All right then, let's go." She said, breaking off into a run, Yukio ran after her with Denji matching his pace. It was only a minute before they reached another door. Yukio and Denji got on either side, Arine's spear ready. They nodded and Yukio opened the door to show one man who was leaning against it, falling hard on his back.
"Gah!" he screamed as he fell and hit the ground, but Arine shoved her spear into the man's throat, quickly turning his screams to gurgles, then silence. He had a sword on his belt, which Denji took for himself.
"You want it?" he asked, holding it out to Yukio, who shook his head.
"No." Yukio let Denji have it despite Denji being good at fist fights. "Actually I will take it, thanks." Denji was only too happy to let Yukio have the weapon. He hefted the blade in his hand. Similar to Aika's but a curve near the top and the blade was obviously worn. It needed a good sharpening but it'd do. Looking in the room it was empty but for a table with some other guard weapons on it.
"This is the mighty armory?" Arine asked, looking. "They're all…"
"This must be a place to store weapons needing repairs." Yukio observed, running his finger along a battle axe blade. "I mean look at this, it's chipped and dulled."
"Those eyes giving you good weapons expertise?" Arine asked dryly, causing Yukio to glare at her.
"I guess my vision's pretty good." He replied, turning to the door. "That means that this should lead to the armory." Arine nodded and got in front of the door. Denji got on one side, and Yukio got on his side, opening the door. Nothing greeted them but another hallway that curved and held torches. The trio stepped through, eyeing the hall until Denji pointed about halfway down.
"Hey, a door." The door in question had a metal plate on it. Yukio quickly walked up and read it: Armory.
"This is it!" he whispered excitedly, turning and waving his arm forward. They got into the same position as before and took a collective breath. Yukio opened the door and all three walked in. What greeted them was a large room lined with swords, axes, spears, pole arms, clubs, all sorts, with a couple guards milling about. In the room were tables that held some weapons, one of which held retractable spears and gauntlets, a crimson red spear and a trident, and a scroll that likely contained a Warhammer sealed in it. The three men in the room turned to see the trio, two of whom were armed, the spear having blood cover the spearhead in a morbid show.
"Get them!" one screamed, grabbing a sword off a rack. The other two grabbed an axe and a club and ran at them. Arine threw her spear, hitting the axe wielder in the leg, sending him sprawling. Denji charged the club man, tackling him before he could do much. Yukio waited for the sword wielder to come near him.
Okay, observe. The man had his sword in a low stance. Low stance for running, means he'll he raised his sword go for a higher strike. Yukio raised his own sword to black the hit, his sword pointing down at an angle. Now slide out Yukio quickly slid his sword out and slice. He cut into the man's abdomen, the sword doing deeper than he'd anticipated. Then man crumpled forward, blood pouring from his wound. The one Arine had hit in the leg was holding his leg in pain as Arine went for her real spear. Denji had acquired the club of his foe and was now finishing bashing his head in quite fiercely.
"Well." Denji said, a smile on his face. "That was easy." Yukio pursed his lips, walking to the table where Arine was storing her trident, in tow pieces, on her back. Yukio grabbed his gauntlets and clamped them on his forearms before grabbing his spears and sliding them into place. He grabbed Denji's scroll and tossed it to his friend.
"True, it was easy." Yukio looked around. "Maybe a bit too easy."
"They always say that Yukio." Arine commented dryly. Yukio bit his lip. Still, it seemed a bit odd that Kohta would have such low security for this armoury. And for three children who've proven themselves able to take life. Trained by the Witch of the Hidden Leaf no less.
"Yeah, but…" Yukio scratched his chin as he walked over to another table that held his needles. He thought a second while reloading his gauntlets and his jacket pockets. If Kohta had done this, expecting them to charge out, then they were playing right into his hand. And he'd sacrificed people just for a trap, which left a bad taste in Yukio's mouth. They'd need to do something to outwit this Inuzuka, who had a whole village on his side and used it to trap them easily. So how could he do it? Yukio sighed through his nose. If they couldn't run out, then what was the opposite of… he snapped his fingers, drawing Arine and Denji's attention.
"You got something bud?" Denji asked, eyebrow raised. Yukio turned, a smile on his face.
"Oh I've got something all right."
Aika landed in the sand, a bolt of pain shooting up her leg from the gash in her calve. Aika was biting her lip to stave off the pain to the point that her lip was bleeding too much. Aika quickly jabbed her sword into the ground and created another glass sword which she threw at Kohta. The man simply blocked with his sword and shattered the glass into thousands of fragments that landed on the sand. Yasuhiro was walking lightly, which Aika was counting on. With another jab four more swords shot out of the ground, glass reflecting the sunlight almost beautifully. Aika threw each one in a different direction, watching them break into shards that could shred feet in seconds. It was working, Yasuhiro was trying to find ground to cover but the glass shards could get big and would slice open his paws.
However, with this, Aika had effectively cornered herself. Around her was a field of shattered glass, some shards small and effective as caltrops, others a chunk of the blade or a handle. Her back was, literally, against a wall with seemingly no escape. She could jump over the glass but that'd make her more vulnerable, with her leg damaged. Going on the defensive was the best option right now. To prove the point, Yasuhiro had taken a few steps inward, only to yelp loudly and back up, blood now staining the couple feet of ground that the hound had covered. Kohta looked over and frowned.
"This is boring!" he shouted. "Come on! Fight me! Show me what you've got!" Kohta was looking more angered by the second as Aika simply spat blood in his general direction.
"Then come at me big guy, shouldn't be too hard." Aika sneered, adding to the effect. She looked over and saw that the kids were gone, their faces not pressed against the bars, their hands gone from gripping them with tension. That meant one of two things: either they had escaped and were on their way, or they'd been taken and killed.
Aika suspected the former. After all, Kohta had to give the order first. These piss ants waited on him and his wife on bended knee. Meanwhile Aika was at his mercy completely. How ironic. Her sensei had always called her a free spirit. Aika started chuckling to herself. Here she was trapped, glass as her last line of defence against a mad man and a wolf. Glass. Aika started laughing. This brittle little thing had become her salvation.
"The hell are you laughing about?" Kohta asked, gritting his teeth. "COME ON AND FIGHT!" he screamed, gripping his sword tight. Aika just kept laughing. Kohta was attempting to contain his rage. "RAAAAH!" he screamed, jamming his sword into the ground and making hand signs. "Earth Style: Rolling Stomp!" Kohta slammed his foot against the sand, sending a small wave out in a circle, gathering the glass and taking it away, allowing Yasuhiro to leap over it and come on fresh, flat sand. Aika jumped to avoid the sand but now had glass resting behind her. It went around the arena in a glittering circumference.
"Just like you Inuzukas." Aika spat, sending a glob of blood far and into the face of Yasuhiro, who didn't flinch, but simply growled menacingly. "You never had any damned patience did ya? Your sister at least know what she was doing."
"That woman" Kohta growled "is the reason I was exiled-"
"You mean after you tried killing her and her kids in a rage? Because you falsely traced a bounty hunter to-"
"SHE HIRED THAT SCUM TO GO AFTER ME!" Kohta bellowed. "FOR NO REASON!"
"Attempted murder is a good fucking reason you moron!" Aika spat back. "That and you running away like a bitch, honestly."
"I WAS ATTACKED FOR NO REASON, MY DOG KILLED-"
"AFTER you disembowelled his partner. And after they attempted peace."
"THEY AMBUSHED ME!"
"THEY TRIED DIPLOMACY!" Aika screamed, the crowds around them becoming more and more silent as the shouting match began. "Then after that you kept running until you founded this dump of a town with your new bitch." That pointed comment was for Shiro. Aika quickly glanced over and saw her face was one of distaste. Aika could at least take satisfaction in that. Kohta simply roared in anger.
"ENOUGH TALK, PREPARE TO-"
"SIR!" a man yelled from the roof of the arena. "Sir! We've got an issue!" Kohta looked up and saw a man yelling, his arms waving above his head frantically. "It's them! It's the-" he stopped and simply fell over the railing, landing in the crowds, causing people to scream and back away from the body as if it had a plague. Aika could now see his chest had been pierced, as if with a spear.
"WHAT!?" Kohta yelled and Aika smirked. Two weeks and they weren't half bad. More bodies flew over the arena roof, landing in the crowd and making them shriek in fear. "WHAT IN THE HELL-" he looked to Aika. "You." He growled, low and deadly. Aika simply shrugged her shoulders. Her leg was on fire.
"What can I say?" she replied, sounding admittedly smug. "I'm apparently a good teacher." Kohta's face, which had been turning redder and redder, was now cherry tomato red.
"GRAAAAAAAAH!" he screamed, charging at Aika, Yasuhiro in close pursuit. Just then another body, this time of a fairly large man, flew from the roof and landed squarely in Kohta's face, knocking the man to the ground. Yasuhiro leapt and Aika heled her sword up near the beast's face before cutting across its snout, leaving a seared scar. The hound turned to Aika, intending to leap again when several needles embedded themselves in the hound's neck. It turned to look up but the thrower of the needles was gone.
Chaos had taken over the arena, people were scrambling to get out, Shiro sat in her chair, gripping her arm rests tightly, and Kohta was struggling to get the man off his face while Yasuhiro was distracted by needles. Aika smiled. People always said kids were little hell raisers. She just didn't know it could be put to such strategic use. Suddenly, Aika noticed that the crowds weren't leaving. They were clogged at the doors, banging them. They got the doors jammed. No doubt Yukio had thought of that.
Needles kept coming down on poor Yasuhiro, how was now too distracted to do much else but dodge them. Kohta had finally succeeded in getting the body off himself as the needles stopped. Panting, red in the face, Kohta stood, breathless.
"That's it." He growled. "You're DEAD!" he grabbed his sword as a voice yelled from above.
"Don't you dare!"
Yukio knew this plan was risky but it was his only option. He was led by Arine with Denji picking up the rear, killing guards when they saw them. His goal was the roof. Arine and Denji agreed since they thought the idea was funny. However, as they passed some doors, Denji stopped and made mud walls at them.
"What are you doing?" Yukio asked, miffed since they were in a rush.
"Blocking the doors, listen." They heard cheering and yelling on the other side of the door.
"Oh. So you mean when we drop the guards…" Yukio started and Denji was all too happy to finish
"People go nuts, can't leave, simple." Denji smiled devilishly and Yukio chuckled, admiring the cunning Denji had at times.
"Excellent, let's keep going." Yukio began running as Arine restarted, Denji coming up on his side, both boys high fiving. They passed several doors to several labeled crowd entrances which Denji blocked with mud walls. No one was the wiser, but the few guards Arine impaled on her spear. By the time they found stairs to the roof, it was dripping blood like a trail to them.
"Not much I can do about that." Arine said when Yukio complained. She flicked the spear, sending a small spray of blood onto the floor.
"But…" Yukio sighed. They'd find them and make their lives a lot harder. But… that was an acceptable risk right now. "fine." He rolled his eyes. They opened the door to the roof, the cheering and yelling loud around them, the sounds of battle raging above the crowds. Crouching low, Yukio pointed to his left and Arine began her way, Denji following. Yukio moved to his right, ready to take down the guards. They were positioned equidistant, or so Yukio saw. About eight guards out of sight of the arena goers and combatants, around the edge of the roof, staring out into the town.
Yukio came up on his first one, pulling his left spike, flicking it out, a cheer from the crowds covering the noise.
Wait… wait… Yukio watched as the guard turned his head to the side, away from Yukio, before he lunged, his spike piercing the man's torso. Yukio covered the man's mouth with his hand and drove his spike into the man's throat. He fell, blood pooling around him. Yukio moved on, flicking the blood from his spear as the crowd's cheering died down to let out shouting.
"Because you falsely traced a bounty hunter-"
"SHE HIRED THAT SCUM TO GO AFTER ME FOR NO REASON!" Yukio frowned. That was Kohta. Aika was talking as well. He ran up, quickly stabbing the guard in the torso then neck, letting the body fall just like before. Yukio looked, Denji and Arine had dealt with three guards already and were working their way to a fourth.
"Attempted Murder is a good fucking reason you moron!" Aika shouted. "And you running away like a bitch, honestly." Yukio kept one ear on the conversation, his mind working through it. Kohta went after his sister after he attempted to murder them? Then blamed her for when a bounty hunter came after him? That was stupid. Yukio tried sneaking up on the guard ut he turned his head and saw him. The guard lowered his spear and Yukio threw his, hitting the man's throat by some miracle. He fell, the last guard turning and noticing.
"I WAS ATTACKED FOR NO REASON, MY DOG KILLED-"
"AFTER you disembowelled his partner. After they attempted peace!" Aika reasoned. Yukio felt angry now. If Kohta had done that, then his reasoning was stupid, illogical. Almost desperate. The last guard ran to the edge of the roof as Arine closed in. The conversation was ending as she ran up.
"SIR!" he yelled. "Sir! We've got an issue! It's them! It's the-" Arine ran behind the man and thrust her spear through his chest, making him stop. She pulled it out and he fell forward, into the crowds. Screaming could be heard and the patrons started running. Yukio turned and nodded to his comrades. The three of them went around the roof and started pushing guard bodies off the roof, into the crowds.
It worked, Yukio's plan to disrupt the entire arena was working. But still, that comment about bounty hunters and murder… Yukio wondered if Kohta's world views were slightly skewed. He looked over the roof and saw Kohta yelling in rage, getting ready to charge. He ran over to Arine and Denji, who had one of the guards, a large man, and wanted to throw him down.
"It'll work." Denji reasoned and Yukio wasn't in the frame of mind to argue. He grabbed the man and helped his friends toss him off the roof with enough force to land on Kohta Inuzuka, flattening him. Yasuhiro ran at Aika and Yukio through to do only one thing. He flicked his wrist, needles flying into his hands, and he threw them, hitting the hound in the neck. It looked up and Yukio ran to his left, past Denji and Arine, flicking needles at the dog. He had to keep its attention.
"Come on you beast, come on…" Yukio muttered as he threw needle after needle from his wrists, then his jacket. He quickly crouched and refilled his wrist gauntlets before he heard Kohta get up from under the body with a yell.
"That's it!" He muttered, Yukio standing, eyeing his friends. They nodded and Yukio looked down. A couple leaps and they should make it. Right? "You're DEAD!"
"Don't you dare!" Arine yelled as she leapt down, Denji following, Yukio coming up last. They jumped to the stands before landing in front of Aika in a protective semi-circle. Arine brandished her spear, Denji had his fists ready, and Yukio had his left spear out. They were ready to protect their teacher, at any cost.
A/N: Well this was quite fun to write honestly. Sorry it took so long, few issues here and there. Read, review, follow, favourite.