Round 3 (Part 1/2)

The noon sun was rising high in the sky, with only a few stray white clouds leisurely flowing about. The sea-green haired girl lifted her fingers in front of her lavender eyes. A metal plate on the back her burgundy fingerless gloves reflected the rays of sun slightly. Rays of light trickled through her spread fingers, causing her to squint uncomfortably.  It was all bearable, if it wasn’t for the cursed wobbling. Rei sighed, crossing her arms back under her head, her brows knotting with annoyance as she tried to make herself comfortable against the haystack. She hadn’t been sitting there for long, but she was already ticked. Her long ponytail kept getting stuck in the hay, it was also pocking her bare arms and legs, and most annoyingly finding its way up her navy blue shorts. Her white tank top, short blue vest, and long necked boots didn’t help much in keeping the hay away from her skin. Not to mention that she had absolutely no tail room. The long rodent like tail, ending in a large ball of soft white fur, flicked to the side with her increasingly deteriorating mood. She could feel her short white floppy ears heating as well. She tightened her arms against the side of her heads, trying to block out the continuous screeching of the large old wheels. If she hadn’t been hitching a ride on the carriage without the old Miraconion famer’s knowledge, she would’ve given him a piece of her mind five minutes into the ride.

She stretched her back as best as she could without unfolding her arms, sinking deeper into the haystack. She let out a long sigh, closing her eyes and trying to relax her mind, she should be half way to the arena by now. She just needed to buckle through this and all she’d have left is the final fight. Her mind wandered back to the friend she’d encountered and defeated in the previous round. Her lids opened slightly, a perplexing expression of bitterness and content drawn on her face. “Hmph!”

she knotted her brows and closed her eyes once more, trying to focus on the next fight. She didn’t know who her opponent was, and didn’t care to find out. No matter, she’d defeat that person and get her prize.

A simpler expression of sadness found its way onto her face; she stared into nothingness with half closed eyes. Once she was done with this tournament, she’d have money, so everything would be okay. Even if she returned to her own world, her life wouldn’t be the same, right? A soft sigh unknowingly escaped her lips. Instantly, her brow twitched, what was it with her these days, such troubling thoughts clouding her mind and distracting her? That’s why she liked fighting; she could lose herself in the immense power, and not have to worry about anything else.

“Which way to now, Dappy?” an annoyingly cheery voice struck her sharps ears. “It says here to go to a large purple arena, shouldn’t be hard to find, right?”

Rei opened her eyes, looking into the large farm to her right. She saw a young man with dark spiky hair and a messy ponytail in the distance. He was dressed in a light blue top and black pants, a large sword fastened to his back. Next to him stood what seemed to be a large yellow blob with many appendages and a small round head at the end of a long neck.

“So we should head north.. Or south.. Northwest, it’s definitely northwest.” The guy paced about, seeming unsure, his little pet following his every step. “You know, I’ll just rely on my heroic sense of direction. I mean, have you ever seen a hero ask for directions while searching for a fair princess or the dragon’s den? Of course not! They depend on the hero’s compass which is inside their heads.. Or possibly spleen.”

Rei followed him with her gaze for a few moments, before closing her eyes once more. She really can’t stand people, but stupid people must be the worst. But then again, it would get boring without having them to mock. Sighing heavily, she once more tried to get comfortable before she arrived at the arena. It was a relatively quiet area, as was most of Miracon, besides the... Squeak-Squeak-SQUEAK-BA-Bmp… The carriage now momentarily airborne with its unlawful passenger, had rode over protruding stone. She opened her eyes widely, bouncing up. The next thing she knew, she was buried under the dry hay.

“God damn it all!”

***

It took Rei the entire walk to the arena to get the last straw of hay out of her hair. A bit disheveled, and already in a bad mood, but at her destination at last. She looked down the hill at the large arena, many people of all shapes and sizes had begun to gather around the purple cobblestone building. She shook her head with no particular thought in mind, sighing. She hurried down the grass hill, avoiding the mingling crowd and circling towards the contestant entrance.  She glanced through her long bangs at the large guard standing at the open old wooden door, before heading straight for the entrance. Instantly, she found his arm blocking the door way. She quickly stopped, glaring at him from the corner of her eye. She tightened her fists and scowled, “I’m Rei Sekai, a finalist, you numskull.” 

Without a word, or moving his arm, he lifted his other hand and tapped the base of his neck with his thumb.

The girl crocked a brow, wondering momentarily what the meaning was. She then remembered, and her hand instantly jumped to her neck, feeling for the shard necklace she’d received when arriving in Miracon. It wasn’t there. She bit her lip, remembering that she’d taken off after her fight with Lucas. She lifted her eyes back towards the guard, her brows tightening defiantly. “I forgot it.”

The guard didn’t react at first, he then stuffed his hand into his pocket. When it came out he was holding up more colorful necklaces. Clearly expecting her to take one.

Rei scoffed, and leaned back, placing her hands on her hips, “Seriously?! Do all you guys just walk round carrying necklaces for tourists to take?”

Her smirk disappeared when the guard again had no response. She knotted her brows, pulling a pink necklace out of his hand roughly. She threw it over her head, pulling her long ponytail free. She stared up at him, the corner of her mouth curled angrily, “Happy now?”

Sullenly, the guard lowered his arm, and moved out of her way.

The lack of reaction really got on Rei’s nerves. She stomped past him, remembering to flip him the finger before disappearing down the long hall. But as she neared the bright exit on the other end, her defiant attitude vanished. She found doubts clouding her mind, and her hands began to tremble slightly. Quickly she stopped in her tracks just a few feet from the exit. Memories of vicious past fights she’d been in filled her mind, as it been doing much too often in the recent time. She shook her head, her hair swaying softly with the motion. She took a deep breath, tightening her fists before confidently stepping into the bright area. She squinted as the glaring sunlight hit her face, lifting her hand to shield her eyes and she could hear the crowd roar.

“And this ladies and gentlemen, is the second finalist, Rei Sekai!” the announcer said cheerily.

It wasn’t long before Rei’s eyes had adjusted, and so she lowered her hand. She looked around quickly at the large crowd sitting around the arena; they looked like nothing more than a blur of moving, shouting, colors. A Large screen held the image of Shaina Le, her short black bangs swayed lightly as she moved energetically, continuing with her announcement. Rei pushed all that aside, lowering her eyes to see her opponent standing at a distance on the large stone floor panels. Her eyes widened with surprise, then narrowed with annoyance. She walked up to the middle of the arena as protocol, stopping just three feet away from her opponent, and placing her hand on her hip.

It was the same moron she’d seen earlier that day; she should’ve known that it would work out like this with her luck. Oh well, it shouldn’t be hard to defeat him anyway. Sure he had a large sword, but an idiot who couldn’t even read a map wouldn’t know how to wield it properly.

The guy took a deep breath, his smile widening as he stopped across from her. A brow rose, “Hey there green haired mouse chick.” His eyes scanned her up and down, he leaned over a bit, gesturing at her, “What are you supposed to be anyways.. That’s weird tail you got, mind if I touch it?”

Rei furrowed her brows, glaring at him murderously. Her tail flicked around and she moved her feet to stand more tensely.  Seriously, if he even dared to try to touch her tail she’d..

Apparently understand the meaning of her glare, he leaned away, his smile returning to his face,  “You missed my grand entrance and introduction, so I’ll tell you who you have the honor of fighting against,” he jabbed a thumb towards his chest, a yellow shard necklace hanging below it, his smile still broadening somehow, “Todd Axzeus, hero and legendary swo-…”

“Don’t care.” Rei interrupted in a monotone voice, turning her face away. Dear lord, the guy was so much more annoying up close, and they’d only met for a few minutes.

Todd’s brows knotted, and he crossed his arms. “Well you should, because I’m the one who’s going to defeat you here and win the billion dollars!”

Rei snorted, and turned to him lifting her brows and smirking belittlingly. “Are you now?” she then unfastened her large crystal from her belt, holding it in her open palm. She stared at it for a few moments confidently. “I’d like to se-..”

“I sure are! I mean am!” he shouted, lifting his closed fist. “You don’t even have a weapon! How do you expect to defeat me? Me, Todd Axzeus?!”

Rei lifted a brow, staring at him for a few moments confusedly. Her brows then knotted, and she opened her mouth to say something, but the announcer’s voice quickly interrupted.

“Alright contestants, get ready to fight!” Shaina shouted into the mic energetically.

The two opponents backed away a step, glaring at each other confidently.

Todd unsheathed his sword, brining it over his shoulder swiftly and aiming its tip at Rei expertly. His brows lowered and a determinate smirk appeared on his lips. “Don’t think I’ll go easy on you for being a girl.”

Not impressed the slightest, Rei spread her legs, lifting her tight fists and bringing her elbows by her sides. She lowered her center slightly, flexing her fingers. Her face held no emotion, “Save it for someone who cares.”

“Readyyyy… FIGHT!”

Rei quickly ducked down and to the left, avoiding a potential jab by the sword. She then pushed herself forward, holding the crystal from the metal loop at the top; she slapped it against the sword’s edge, pushing it away from her body with a jarring ring. She pulled her arm back, then thrust her fist towards the guy’s body.

Quickly the dark haired boy jumped back, effectively evading the punch. He then dug his heals in the ground, quickly stopping, and with a smirk he swung his sword around, its blade aimed at the girl’s body.

Rei instantly ducked, wrapping her arms around her knees and curling into a ball. As the blade passed over her head with a swooshing sound, she flipped over, kicking her foot up towards the nearest part of her opponent, but hit nothing but air. She stood up as fast as she could, and whipped around just in time to see the sword coming at her in a direct stab. Without thinking, she put her crystal between herself and the blade, deflecting it slightly. The crystal vibrated in her hand with the sword scraping against it.  She spun around quickly, pushing the blade away further. 

Undeterred, Todd pushed his foot forward, stopping himself from falling. He then spun around, his sword fully extended ahead of him. Missing his opponent by mere inches. He quickly wrapped his other hand around the sword’s handle, swinging it over his shoulder and down at the girl.

Rei hadn’t yet regained her balance when the sword came down at her. She took a step back as fast as she could, but felt the tip of the sword cut through her left shoulder. She winced as pain shot through her arm, but just the same she continued backing away. With her opponent stopping to see how much damage he’d done, she put her right hand over the wound and glared at him. It wasn’t much of a cut, she’d still be able to use her arm normally.

Seeing the girl not making a move in response, Todd took the offensive one more. He charged at her with a stab that she evaded. He lowered his center, doing a 360 spin, his sword leading the way.

With a high jump, Rei traveled through the air over the guy’s head, landing behind him. She spun around, kicking him in the back. Then, as he stumbled forward, she charging at him with a punch.

Todd took about three steps forward before his left foot got caught on his right and he fell face first towards the ground. He thankfully managed to get his hands underneath him just in time to prevent his face from smashing into the hard floor. He groaned, his hand searching blindly for his weapon that he’d dropped on his descend.

Still charging, Rei found herself tripping over the fallen opponent’s leg. To avoid falling over his body she pushed herself with her other foot, giving herself enough force to fall just ahead of him and a little to the side. She pushed her hands forward trying to stop her fall, but her left hand slipped on the small pebbles and her face fell into the sand covering ground. She quickly flipped onto her back, wiping her face with the back of her hand. Just as she cracked her eye open she saw the blade coming down at her. She rolled to the side, letting it hit the ground to her left, then jumped to her feet. The blade swooshed by her again, but she deflected with the metal plate on her glove, then ducked down to evade another attack. And then another.

Missing the girl one again, Todd found himself propelled forward. He grid down on his teeth, but smirked contently, turning around to face his opponent. He leaned back on his right foot, tightening his hands around his sword’s handle and fixing its tip towards Rei. “Hahaha, this is going to be much easier than I thought! And I thought it was going to be easy!”

The long haired girl bit down on her lip, jumping back and putting more distance between them. He certainly is annoying, but is also far more skilled with the sword than she had anticipated. She tightened her fists, keeping them lifted defensively. He is a close range fighter, but so is she. There is no point in trying to punch him out, that blade is just too dangerous, and with her luck it would be impossible to keep evading him like this. She looked at the crystal dangling in her hand; she could only use her weapon for so long, and it would drain her energy greatly. But it was her best gamble at that moment; she’d just have to hopefully take him out quickly, or at least disarm him. “Hey you! You were wondering about my weapon, right?” she stood straight, lifting the crystal in the palm of her hand. “Well now’s your chance to see it.”

With those words, she threw the crystal high into the sky. It spun rapidly flying higher, a pink glow beginning to appear around it. It spun faster and faster for no apparent reason and the glowing intensified, all awhile Rei was following it with her eyes. As it reached the highest point in the sky it was glowing brightly like a little sun, she quickly jumped into the sky after it, flipping once.

“Woah!” Todd took a step back, staring up, lowering his sword in his right and lifting his left to shield his eyes. He squinted, barely making out the girl’s form disappearing into the pink glow.

Soon the pink light faded to nothing, and Rei was quickly descending towards the ground, a large burgundy and silver mallet gripped tightly in her hands. She pushed her weapon ahead of her, straight in the man’s direction.

Todd jumped back, scarcely avoiding the oversized mallet. It crashed into the ground in front of him, destroying the flooring. The air vibrated as pieces of rock flew into the air. “Hey that’s not fair! I didn’t know you-..”

Before he could finish his sentence Rei had yanked her weapon out of the broken stones that covered the arena ground. Their eyes met momentarily, before she swung the mallet around with all her might. It hit nothing. Just the same she pushed herself forward, endlessly swinging her mallet around in attempt to hit her quick moving opponent. She spun around, bringing the mallet at him with full force, but missed again.

With a duck and a tumble Todd avoided his skull being crushed into the ground. He jumped to his feet swinging his sword, but it was simply deflected out of the way as the mallet swooshed by him.  He grid his teeth, lifting his sword in front of his body and fixing his gaze on his opponent.

Rei slowly turned around, adjusting her hands on her weapon. Although she had the more powerful weapon, it wasn’t working much in her advantage. With the speed and agility he was showing, she might not be able to get him before her energy runs out. Pushing those thoughts aside, she gripped her weapon tightly by her body, then charged at her opponent. As she neared him she spun around, holding her mallet in her right. The weight’s sudden tug felt like it would tear her arm off, but she managed to keep a grip on the weapon as it barely missed the guy’s torso. She gridded her teeth, continuing the spin and throwing her free fist towards his face. 

 Todd leaned back, quickly sticking his foot out and tripping his already unbalanced opponent.

Rei found herself falling to her face, she quickly extended her hands forward, catching herself before she hit the ground. She grabbed her weapon, flipping onto her back and lifting it in front of her. As she had guessed, the blade bounced off the edge of the mallet. She slowly stood up, feeling slightly out of breath. Without wasting another moment, she lunged at her foe, swinging her weapon in every direction. But she felt increasingly annoyed as he continued to evade her attacks, and her muscles were starting to ache. She slowed to a stop, gripping her weapon tightly she shot a glare at her opponent.

Todd too stopped; laughing breathlessly he pointed a finger at Rei, “Ha! You can’t squash me like a bug that easily!”

Rei ignored him, taking a deep breath and lifting her mallet over her head. Her arms shook slightly as she strained to keep it up, but she needed to muster as much energy as possible for this hit.

The dark haired man took a step back defensively, and smirked unsurely. “Heh, what do you think you’re doing? I’m all the way over here. What, are you going to throw it at me?”

The genetically enhanced girl lifted her eyes, making sure she still had her opponent in sight. She was as ready as she would get. She swung the mallet downward, slamming it as hard as she could on the ground. With a loud bang, large cracks appeared in the ground, and spread outward from the point of impact. A wall of energy and air exploded outward from the center, traveling at high speed.

Todd knotted his brows tightly, a wave of dust and debris flowing his way. He crossed his arms defensively in front of his body, when he was suddenly hit by what felt like a brick wall. His boots scraped against the ground for a few moments before his whole body was sent flying back. He flipped backwards, then landed on his feet and crouched, skidding for a few short moments before stopping. He remained crouched, gridding his teeth and lowering his arms. His eyes shot open as he heard his opponent’s footsteps running his way.

Rei charged at her unwitting foe, his eyes shot open as she slowed slightly when reaching him. Tightening her fingers around the metal bar, she swung her mallet at him. She felt something akin to guilt as it slammed into his chest and sent him flying back. But mostly she felt confused; it had felt as though the mallet hit into an unseen barrier a few inches away from his actual body. She pushed her leg back, straightening her back and resting the weapon on its flat top next to her. With knotted brows and an anticipating expression, she fixed her gaze on the cloud of dust where he had landed.

As Rei expected, the young swordsman shakily stood up where he’d fallen quite some distance away. He wasn’t in perfect shape, but he was smirking mockingly. Appearing to be amused with his opponent’s baffled and angry expression, he chuckled lightly, “Heh, you didn’t expect me to survive that?” he gestured at a large blue crystal on the front of his top. “Legendary shield; pretty cool, huh?”

Her brows knotted, “Just bothersome.” She muttered coldly. She then took a deep breath, recalculating her situation. She’d used up so much of her energy and it’d all gone to waste because of that shield of his. She’d only be able to use her mallet for a little longer.

By now Todd had gotten up and readied himself again, he waved the sword slightly with a taunting smile. “What is it? Deciding to give up?” he wriggled a brow, “Well that is the smart thing to do, ‘cause you can’t win against me.”

Rei lifted her weapon, resting it against her shoulder; she needs to make him use that sword of his, instead of just jump out of the way. Failing to come up with any particular plan, she decided that the best way would be to just improvise. She instantly took off in his direction, lifting her weapon and twisting her upper half. She then thrust it at him with all her might.

It spun quickly in Todd’s direction, who quickly ducked to the side. The mallet flew past him, before crashing into the arena wall with a low bang, triggering startled reactions from the audience.

With her target distracted, Rei charged at him. She jumped into the air, spinning around and kicking him in the head. She landed firmly on her feet, pausing for a moment then charging at the guy once more.

This time around Todd was prepared, he swung his sword around, the blade aimed at the attacking girl’s legs.

Rei quickly jumped forward, and the blade passed safely beneath her. She extended her hands, pushing them against the guy’s shoulders, and flipping over his head to land behind him.

Todd fell flat on his back, he lifted his head, looking up at Rei who stood over him. With a swift move he whirled his sword back at her.

The edge of the sword cut Rei’s right thigh diagonally through to her left knee, causing her to recoil in pain. She stood a safe distance away, and shifted her weight from one leg to the other, making sure she could still use them fully. She lifted her hands defensively, locking her eyes on her opponent, “Not too bad.” She murmured coldly.

“Heh.” Todd quickly jumped to his feet, turning around and meeting her cold gaze with a smirk. He swirled his sword around theatrically, before stopping it firmly in her direction, “You haven’t even seen the half of my awesomeness.”

Rei lifted a brow, “Is that so?” she spread her arms to the side tauntingly with a smirk, “let’s see it then!”

Todd knotted his brows, smirking, “If you insist!” with those words he lunged forward, jumping and spinning, bringing his sword down towards Rei.

The young woman tightened her muscles, waiting for the right moment then dodged to the side, letting the sword scrape against the ground next to her.

Todd quickly lifted his sword, slashing it upwards.

Once more Rei jumped out of the range of the sword, she landed quietly to the side. Loweing her brows and giving half a smile. “Is that all?”

The swordsman said nothing, he merely swung his weapon again and again. He chased his opponent as she continuously backed away from his attacks.

Rei nervously gambled to take her eyes off her adversary to look over her shoulder, she wasn’t sure how much longer she’d be able to keep evading so narrowly. She turned around just in time to duck the sword that swooshed over head. She quickly bounced back to her feet, readying herself for the following move.

Todd paused momentarily, readily holding his weapon, but with a contemplated expression on his face.

Rei bit her lip, seeing her opponent recalculating his attacks, “Ha! Missed me.” She backed away a few steps, and lifted a brow meaningfully, “What is it? Giving up?”

 Todd chuckled, his shoulders tensing and the tip of his sword lowering, “Todd Axzeus never gives up!” he then suddenly took off in her direction, holding his sword to the side.

With no time to spare, Rei stepped out of Todd’s way, then jumped back twice. Her foot then bumped into the wall of the arena. She knotted her brows, peering tensely over her shoulder then back at the still advancing foe.

With his opponent backed into the wall Todd picked up speed, “This will be the finisher!” he brought his sword over his head and down at her.

Quickly Rei pushed her foot against the arena wall, her hands wrapping tightly around her wedged weapon’s handle. She pulled it with all her might, freeing it just as the sword came her way.  With a loud clank the sword was sent flying out of Todd’s hand and disappearing into the distance.

Shocked, Todd slowly backed away from Rei. Silence fell on the arena with the two opponents simply staring at each other.

Rei smirked, content with her opponent’s displeased expression. She was first to break the silence, “Heh,” she fixed her hands on her lowered weapon, lifting her eyes towards Todd’s face, “Gotcha..”

Knowing full well that her mallet wouldn’t do any direct harm to Todd, she lifted it, deciding that she had about 3 more swings before she would be unable to carry it.

Just as Rei was about to charge at Todd, his hands suddenly lit with a bright blue color. He lifted confident eyes of a matching color towards her.

Rei quickly jumped back, keeping a wary eye on him. Was it some sort of magical attack? She wasn’t sure what to expect.  A few moments passed with nothing happening, which allowed her to feel more confidence.  She ran towards him, passing by him by a few steps, then whipping her weapon around in attempt to hit him in the side.

The guy merely stepped out of the way, but remained in close range of his foe.

Rei knotted her brows, feeling her arms growing increasingly weak with every second that passed with her weapon in hand. Why wasn’t Todd trying to escape and put distance between them? Was it that blue glow that remained? Was it a weapon he could only use in close contact with his competitor? She charged at him again, striking closely by his body twice, but he wouldn’t take the offense. Her hands shook slightly, the next attack would be the last with her mallet. Tightening her hands so she wouldn’t drop it she glared at him. “What are you trying to do?”

Todd said nothing, instead he stood readily for her to come at him again.

Growing increasingly angry and weak, Rei breathed heavily. She forced all her energy into one last attack. With a battle cry she charged at Todd, bringing the mallet over her shoulder and down at Todd’s head with her last bit of energy. As it missed her target, her hands began to give in and she could feel the weapon slip through her fingers. She held onto it tightly with her right, lifting it into the air harnessing the momentum. She let go, letting it slide over her hand slightly, flipping in the air as it was enveloped in the bright pink light. The light quickly subsided, and it was back in its crystal keychain form. She twirled the ring around her finger then held it tightly in her palm.

“Heh, so you can’t use your weapon for long?” Todd stood less defensively, with a mocking smile on his face, “Good to know. Guess that means I have the upper hand for real this time.”

Rei quickly fixed the crystal back onto her belt loop. She stared at Todd, her brows crossed and her eyes narrowing with suspicion. “No it doesn’t. We both lost our weapons.”

Todd kept the same confident smile, standing readily, as if anticipating something.

Rei’s shoulders rose and decent as she tried to suppress her pants. She waited for Todd to make a move; that glow couldn’t be meaningless, it had to be what was giving him confidence. Before she could go too deep in thought, her sharp ears caught a low whistling sound, as if something was coming at her at high speed. Without any time to turn, she bent her right knee, dropping to the right and propping herself on her hand. At the same time a sword came swooshing through her long ponytail, just barely missing her neck. As long strands of hair fell softly to the ground, Rei lifted shocked eyes towards Todd.

The sword was moving independently as if it had its own will; it circled the air slowly, landing gently in Todd’s fist. “Pretty neat, huh?” he twisted the sword in the air, demonstrating his mastering of it with a smile, “The sword is magical, only I can wield it right.”

However Rei paid no attention to that, she instead inspected her unevenly chopped hair. Her expression hidden behind her long bangs. She then turned to him with a fierce glare, tears filling her eyes, “You bastard! How could you?!” she clenched her fists, her whole body shaking with anger. Her voice cracked as she could only repeat, “You bastard!”

Todd flinched back, his brows knotting. His lips parted but no sound came out, he cleared his throat, “It’s just hair, it’ll grow back.”

It was gone, the symbol of her power. Tears trickled out of Rei’s eyes, so she quickly wiped them away. Her voice dropped as she struggled to maintain its steadiness. “It’s not about that. It.. Defines the person I am...” 

Becoming frustrated with how weak she was looking. She wiped her eyes again just in case then stood straight, her gaze this time held clear anger instead of the usual blankness, “I’ll make you pay for this!”

Todd shifted his leg, holding a fighting stance.

Resisting her emotions, Rei took a deep breath, keeping an eye on her tense foe. Quickly she charged at him with a punch. Just as she reached him, she crouched spinning her leg around at ground level and kicking his legs out from underneath him.

With a short yelp Todd fell onto his back, he quickly tried to get up, but instantly found Rei’s foot stepping on his chest. He groaned, looking up angrily at Rei who kicked his sword out of his hand.

Rei’s eyes were void of emotion as she stared down at her enemy. She leaned her head to the side slightly, “Told you.” But before she could do anything further, she heard the all too familiar whizzing sound. She leaned away sharply, lifting her left arm and letting the sword pass underneath it. She then grabbed the handle, “Not this time!”

But contrary to what she expected, the force controlling the weapon was strong. She held to it tightly, but it pulled her forward. As she stumbled off of Todd, she felt him grab onto her ankles. She gasped, losing her balance and falling to the ground, the sword escaping her grip in the process.

Todd stepped over her, leisurely picking up his weapon. “How about you give up now?” he lifted his sword, resting it against his shoulder. “It wouldn’t be very hero like to kill a fallen opponent. It wasn’t fair of the judges to put a girl against someone as amazing as me anyways.”

Growing increasingly annoyed, Rei quickly got up. She backed away a little, trying to work up a plan.

Todd readied his sword, “No?” he charged at Rei, pulling his sword back, “Alright then!”

Rei jumped to the side, letting Todd pass her. She then moved behind him, hitting him with a chop at the back of his neck.

The man stumbled a few steps then whirled around slashing his sword towards Rei.

She quickly flipped backwards, kicking the tip of the sword up with her boot. She hopped back, and then jumped into the air. She descent quickly, stepping on the flat of the blade and forcing it down. With the weapon out of the way she thrust her fist into Todd’s face.

Forcibly letting go of his weapon Todd backed away a few steps, covering his nose with his palm, “That hurt!”

Still standing on the sword, Rei calculated her next move. If she stayed on the sword he wouldn’t be able to use it against her, but at the same time she can’t attack... Making a quick decision, she stepped off the weapon, and it instantly rose into the air. She grabbed the handle of it, resisting the strong tug for a few moments.

Todd extended his hand forward with a smirk, the blue glow intensifying, “Hah, you can’t attack me with my own weapon!”

Rei lowered her brows, and held onto the sword with all her might, “Wanna bet?” just as she expected, the tugging force increased. She was slowly being dragged towards her opponent. She was only about a few meters away when she suddenly let go of the sword. It flew out of her hands, and towards its original wielder.

Todd quickly jumped to the side, avoiding being stabbed by his own sword. It flew by him, then circled through the air, landing where it belonged. He furrowed his brows, “Hey! That’s playing dirty!”

Just as he turned back with those words Rei had landed next to him, she threw her right fist at him, punching him in the cheek.

As Rei backed away once more, Todd regained his balance. He shook his fist at her, “That’s not fair!” he demanded, gesturing in her direction, “How am I supposed to fight you if you just hit and run?”

Rei laughed, stopping a safe distance away. This strategy would have to do for the time being.. Until of course, he realizes that he only needs to chase her with the sword manipulating power. She shrugged, and went back into her fighting stance, “All is fair in love and war.”

Todd remained silent for a few moments, remaining still and staring at her with an odd expression, “So does that mean you love me?”

Rei scowled, leaning away slightly. Was he really that dumb, or was he just trying to mess with her head? “No you idiot! That means it’s war.”

Todd’s shoulders slumped slightly, “Oh,” he then shook his head, lifting his sword again, “But this isn’t war! It’s a tournament! With rules and judges and an audience and…”

Rei flinched, her brows knotting angrily. The hard learned lessons replaying themselves against her will, “Life is war!” she interrupted, her body tense.

Her opponent grew quiet, staring at her quizzically.

Realizing how weird her reaction must appear, Rei looked away and bit her lip hard, nearly drawing blood. She mustn’t let her emotions out like that, they could be used against her in such situations. She lifted her eyes back towards her opponent, she needs to defeat him quickly and get over with it. That’s the only way. Her eyes stopped on his weapon again, she’s at a clear disadvantage, she has no weapon and there’s no way she could disarm him with that sword controlling power of his.

Once more Todd charged at his motionless opponent, lifting his sword back.

Rei suddenly lifted her head with a determinate look, this had to work if she wanted to win. She lifted her open palm in his direction, trying to appear as commanding as possible, “Stop!”

Confused, the swordsman slowed to a stop, his sword lowered slightly. He raised a brow, “What is it?”

Surprised that it actually worked, Rei had to fight back showing any of it. She placed her hands on her hips, leaning back and tilting her head slightly, “You said it earlier, this fight isn’t fair.”

Todd’s brows rose, as he stared at her thoughtfully. He lowered his sword further, resting the tip on the ground, “How so?”

The plan was working much better than expected. Keeping a straight face, Rei gestured at his weapon, shifting her weight onto her other foot, “Well look, you have a sword, with magical powers. And you have a magical shield to protect you.” She then motioned at herself, “I don’t have any weapons, and no protection.”

“Hm, that’s true..” Todd opened his hands outward, shrugging, “What do you propose we do about that?”

A smirk crept onto Rei’s face, but she quickly concealed it. “Well it’s really simple actually,” she crossed her arms, lifting a brow challengingly, “Stop using your sword, we’ll have an equal hand to hand fight.”

Todd looked down at his sword unsurely, his brows knotting as his hesitating continued.

Rei knotted her brows, studying her opponent’s thoughtful face. She placed her hand back on her hip, motioning meaninglessly with the other, “No it’s okay, I understand why you’d hesitate. After all, a swordsman is nothing without his sword. I’d be afraid too.”

Immediately Todd’s face drew an annoyed expression, he lifted his sword, pointing it at Rei, “Ha! Todd Axzeus is afraid of nothing! Especially not an unarmed rodent girl!” he then whirled his sword around and stabbed it into the ground, looking at her with a ‘well?’ expression.

Rei shook her head, “No no, far away. So I can guarantee that you don’t try to cheat and use it when you start losing.”

Todd’s lips curled and his brows furrowed even further, “True heroes never cheat..” he muttered, his eyes and hands then lit up with the blue light, “But here, for your peace of mind sake..” the sword rose from the ground, hovering shortly before shooting to the far end of the arena, and imbedding itself in the ground.

“There, happy now?” Todd turned back towards his opponent, and his eyes widened.

Feeling full of contentment, Rei reached her opponent. Her foot swung around, making contact with his face.

Todd flew back, falling onto his side. He quickly wiped the tip of his lip, and jumped to his feet. “That wasn’t fair!”

Rei scoffed belittlingly, he wasn’t seriously saying that, was he? Didn’t he realize that it’s his own stupidity’s fault? She flexed her fingers, “Fair was never part of the deal.”

Todd lifted a brow, “Uh, yes it was. That’s kind of the whole point of me putting down my weapon, to make things f-…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Rei was charging at him again, with more confidence now that his weapon was out of the way. She stepped hard on her right leg, swinging her fist towards his face.

Quickly Todd leaned his head back, Rei’s fist missing him. His hand then jumped up, grabbing her wrist.

Rei didn’t resist him; instead, she used his arm to insure he’d stay put. Pressing her elbow against his forearm, she whipped around, her ponytail hitting him in the face, before her free arm’s elbow smashed into his cheek.

Todd stumbled back, but didn’t loosen his fingers around the girl’s wrist. Regaining his balance, he pulled her in his direction, throwing his fist towards her face.

As his fist made contact with her face, Todd released Rei’s arm. She stumbled back, before regaining her balance. She glared at him, tightening her fists. She then launched herself forward, jumping up just before she reached him, and spinning around, kicking him in the face.

Todd fell onto his back, but was quick to jump back to his feet. He lifted his arms defensively, “No matter what you do, you can’t defeat me. I’ve taken far worse beatings and survived, this is nothing in comparison.”

Too irritated to be amused, Rei bounced from one foot to another, “That’s nothing to be proud of, you moron.” She then chuckled lightly, just to annoy him, “And you dare call yourself a hero? And a legendary one at that? Don’t make me laugh.”

A poorly concealed pout found its way onto Todd’s face, he knotted his brows tightly, “Well at least I fight for something, so I’m better than all those selfish people who just fight for themselves.”

His words shot like a dagger into the homeless girl’s heart. Her stance loosened, her lips parting slightly, “But.. I…”

Instantly she caught herself at the beginning of an apologetic excuse. She tightened her lips shut for a moment, pushing aside the memories of all the people she’d hurt. She closed her eyes, trying to control the overwhelming emotions that’d been piling up for the longest time. Although she’d had them so long, getting her mew power back, and the whole experience in Miracon had unearthed the darkest emotions and memories that she’d buried so long ago.  Those thoughtless words were just the right sort of pressure the emotional balloon needed to burst.  Unable to hold back the tears that started filling her eyes, Rei glared up at her opponent. How dare he provoke her like that? Just defeating him wasn’t enough anymore, she had to prove him wrong. Her lips curled back drawing a scowl, “Who do you think you are to judge me?!”

Taken back, Todd lowered his hands slightly. He then tensed again, his face struggling to balance between emotions of confusion and irritation. “I.. Wasn’t talking about you.. I was talking about selfish people, who…”

“And what do you know about how the rest of us have to live?!” Rei’s shout interrupted, tears now streaming freely down her cheeks. “What do you know about the pain you feel, when the world turns its back to you!”

Losing his fighting stance, Todd’s brows curled, as he once again attempted to speak, “I….”

More and more images filled Rei’s mind, until she was unable to push them away, and unable to run. She lowered her head, watching as the small crystal like tears trickled down her face and fell on the ground.  “What do you know about anything? Living a peaceful life, a blissful idiot that knows nothing. While the rest of us have to fight, and then run and keep running, and running..”

Rei lifted shaking hands, watching the tears fall into them for a few moments. She doesn’t remember the last time she cried, but she needs to stop. She’s in a battle right now, as she always is. She can’t be weak. She wiped away the tears covering her face with the palms of her hands. It took her a few moments before her body stopped trembling. She then lifted an angry face towards Todd, a hateful glare in her eyes, “That’s why I hate you, all of you.. And I’ll never forgive you, ever.”

The guy readied himself, his brows knotting determinately. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but bring it on..”

Annoyed by the challenge, Rei charged towards her opponent, ducking a punch he threw at her, she whipped around, throwing her elbow at his face.

Todd stepped to the side, evading her attack. His left then grabbed her fist, and his right her elbow. He pulled her forward, driving his knee into her side.

Rei gasped, her side exploding in pain. Her arm remained in the swordsman’s left hand, as she fell to her knees. Mentally blotting out the pain, she glanced up at his smirking face. With all the aggression swelling in her, she swung her fist upward, punching him in the crotch.

A yelp lodged itself in the man’s throat, he instantly released Rei’s arm. Bouncing back and bending over, “Should’ve.. Saw.. That.. Coming..” he squeaked.

The girl slowly stood up, covering her still aching side with her hand. She carefully watched her quickly recovering foe; he did seem able to withstand great lengths of pain, but she’s no stranger either to prolonged fights. Taking a deep breath she steadied her nerves, this was going to be a battle of nerve and wits, and she was quite confident in hers.

Suddenly Todd charged at her, then with a swift upper cut hit her in the chin.

Rei’s entire lower face hurt, but she would be damned before she let it show. She took a step back but didn’t fall, she tightened her fist, swinging her right towards Todd’s face.

But her opponent lifted his arm, deflecting her punch, and throwing one of his own in her direction.

Catching Todd’s fist in the palm of her hand, Rei hopped back, tripping on a part of the floor panels she’d broken earlier with her mallet. Falling on her back, she saw her opponent still coming her way. She pulled her knees to her chest, springing them back out just as Todd came into range.

The girl’s boots dug into Todd’s abdomen, propelling him backwards.

Feeling slightly pacified with clear pain plastered on her opponent’s face, Rei quickly hopped to her feet. She didn’t waste time, throwing a punch at him while still unbalanced.

However, with a quick side step Todd managed to get out of the way.

Before he could make a counter move, Rei’d leaned onto her right foot, and whipped around with a kick.

Todd grid down on his teeth lifting his arm, deflecting her foot with his forearm.

Not to waste the momentum, Rei continued around, digging her foot back into the ground between Todd’s, and elbowing him in the chest with her left.

Todd gasped, backing away a step, then moving his head to the side to evade a punch. Seeing an opening, he drove his fist into his foe’s diaphragm.

The air escaped Rei’s lungs, as she felt temporarily paralyzed by the pain. She doubled over, right into Todd’s knee that swung upward. She flew back, feeling like it was taking a life time to reach the ground. Memories of countless fights like this one flooded her mind. She bounced across the ground, every bump feeling all too familiar. Finally settling on her back among the gravel and dust, she stared at the sun through her thick bangs. It felt like all her life she’d been thrown down like this, always in pain, always defeated. Why did she continue to fight? To prove to others she wasn’t weak? To prove to herself? To make the world feel the pain she felt inside?

She narrowed her eyes, the blue sky becoming blurry with tears. Like always, she was in pain. Would it have been easier if she’d just given up? Why should she get up, if she’s going to be knocked over again? Then kicked when she’s down? Finally remembering that she was still in a fight, her eyes shifted off the sky, and onto the blurry image of her opponent in the distance. He was completely motionless, just staring at her from afar.

Rei rolled onto her side, wiping the tip of her lip, and slowly propping herself upward. She glared at Todd, feeling intense pain in her torso. She spit over her shoulder, before looking back at him, “Why didn’t you finish it when you had the chance?”

Todd looked unusually serious, he tilted his head slightly, “That wouldn’t have been an honorable win.”

Rei struggled for a few moments, finally she stood on her feet. She paused briefly until the pain slowly subsided. She smiled bitterly in Todd’s direction, lifting her hands up again, “Honorable or not, a win is still a win.”

Todd merely shrugged, and readied himself for the next attack.

Rei jerked slightly, as if she’d been hit. He’s mocking me, definitely. She took a deep breath, holding it in for a second “I don’t need your damn pity!” she shouted, charging at him.

Todd moved to the side to evade a punch, then jumped back to avoid a kick to the gut. He backed away further, “It wasn’t pity,” he ducked down, letting a kick pass over him. He sprung back up to his feet, “What’s with you? Why do you see yourself as someone people would want to pity?”