Conceit

Chapter V
Conceit
 

Reaching the hip height barrier which was much like a big top circus only made from concrete and steel bars, Rin looked left and right for the woman she’d only vaguely seen the name of on her results page. Obscured by dust clouds and smoke, the redhead held the back of her wrist over her nose as she continued to search tirelessly.

Dust clearing, she was graced with the presence of the Shota. “RiCchin?” The redhead looked to her right. Stood a few feet away, the blonde waved his hand.

Eyes wide when she was able to gauge his new appearance, Rin spluttered. “W-what the Hell happened to you?” She pointed at his hair askew, the rips in his clothes, and then the crimson streaming down his face.

“I just came from sparring,” he smiled despite swaying.

“There’s blood all down your face!”

“That’s the kind of person she is,” his grin grew.

“You said you were sparring! Just what kind of person mortally injures a cute little boy in a sparring match?”

“Ah, RiCchin, we’re the same rank,” he waved her off, his brow quirked as he spat blood onto the floor. “Don’t let my appearance deter you.”

“O-oi...has this room always been like this?” Blank faced, Rin glanced around the humongous open space which was crumbling and on fire in patches.

Slapping his hand down on the redhead’s shoulder repeatedly, Usagi pouted. “Us Uncontracted Ayakashi have to make money somehow, y’know?”

“What happene-” The smoke shrouding the pair disappeared as a gust of wind sucked the hindrance up. In the centre of the arena, a female with ashen hair stood with her hands on her full hips. Blood trickling from her lip and black blouse shredded, the tall woman glanced around the space with a look of distaste. Petite, turned-up nose twitching, she rolled her eyes. “I smell the blood of something new.”

Usagi immediately looked at the redhead beside him. At the same time, Kumata came waddling through the crowd of Ayakashi trying to have a good time. “I told you, Rin Tan; you can’t sneak up on someone like her.”

Noticing the bear, the shota wriggled. “Kumata Cchin, I don’t recall ever seeing you in here.”

Pushing past the last cloister of people, Kumata fell into the concrete barrier. “During her second test, Rin Tan got Yataga Tama as her Contract.”

“You should pick someone else,” all playfulness was gone from the short boy and his expression screwed up.

“That’s the problem - there were no other options.” The bear leaned forward to shout over the jeering.

Brows furrowed, Usagi shook his head. “That’s impossible.”

“Clearly, it isn’t.” Pushing her sleeves up her arms, Rin turned her head to see the female within the arena. “That’s her, isn’t it?” Celedon irises locked on the female appearing bored with having to wait.

“You can’t Contract her.” Usagi grabbed the redhead by the arm, his grip unexpectedly strong for such a petite boy.

“Watch me,” she peeled the hand off her. Grabbing hold of the low barrier, Rin threw herself over into the circle.

Stopping himself from breaking the rules and diving in, Usagi slapped the stone blocking him. “What are you doing? Do you want to die?”

Peeking back over her shoulder, Rin spared a small smile. “I’m already dead.” Turning back to the task at hand, the redhead stepped forward a few paces. “Yatag-Yagara-Yama-”

Coming back to earth, the silver-haired female’s eyes lined with heavy kohl slid along the space and landed on the speaker. “At least get my name right.”

“I have to confess, I’m no good with long names.”

Pale peridot irises fixed on the figure for a moment before she decided to grace her opposition with words. “Yata Sama.”

“Yata Chan-”

“-I will kill you.” Despite the threat being deadly serious, the blonde’s rough tone combined with her dead-fish eyes and lopsided smirk did nothing to strike fear into the redhead.

“Make a Contract with me.”

“Go to Hell.” Plucking a cigarette from the carton in the left pocket of her black jeans, the slightly shorter woman placed it to her lips, clearly feeling no threat.

Watching the Ayakashi that she was supposed to make hers tote on her vice, Rin swallowed hard. “Been there this afternoon, too much paperwork so I came back, and now I’m here in front of you.”

“Find someone else.”

“You’re my only option.”

“I don’t make Contracts any more.”

“If you don’t make contracts...” Looking the woman in the eye, Rin coughed a laugh. “What is the point of you?”

“You’re getting on my nerves.” Flicking her ash on the grit floor, the blonde groaned. Rubbing the back of her neck with one hand and flopping the other sluggishly, the blonde took a drag on the stick hanging from her lips. “Get out of here so I can earn some money.”

“Is that all you care about?”

“Pretty much.”

“I feel sorry for you-”

“-Feel sorry for yourself.” Brow quirked, the ashen female focused on her opposition. “I dislike people like you.” Holding her hand out, the blonde closed her fist and a gust of wind took a hold of the intruder. Carrying her up a few dozen feet, the redhead was brought back to earth with a devastating crash.

“Chi-”

Kumata grabbed the blond beside him and held him back. “Have some faith, Usagi Tama.” Teeth grit at the same-old scene he’d seen too many times to count, Usagi took a hold of the stone wall.

Air knocked out of her lungs as she hit the floor, the redhead stared up at the bright ceiling spotlights. Heaving a painful breath, the redhead rolled onto her side. She’d already seen the worst possible outcome during her second test. She could get past this. Crawling onto her hands and knees, Rin forced herself to inhale a full breath despite feeling as though her throat had been slit.

Watching the body jittering into a half-up position, the blonde extended her fingers, causing them to crack. “Forfeit.”

Ignoring the advice, Rin clambered into a crouching position. Pushing the stray hairs off her face while blood trickled from her nose and lips, the Contractor continued to gasp. The blonde rolled her eyes at the futile attempt before her.

“I have killed potential Contractors in an arena match before; stop being an idiot.”

Forcing herself to stand, albeit hunched over and clinging to her own thighs, Rin faced her opposition. “Being hurt is worse than being killed, and you could never hurt me.”

Being struck by the comment, the blonde closed the gap between them in a blink. Gripping the redhead by her throat, the slightly shorter female constricted her grip. “Don't be ludicrous. This isn't a shōnen manga; having the 'will' to do something doesn't mean jack shit if you're as weak as you smell.” Staring into pale irises, the blonde exhorted a fraction of her strength.

Something hard inside her hoodie brushed against her forearm and Rin remembered the trial from earlier. Sticking her hand in her pocket, the redhead curled her fingers around the narrow handle. Retrieving the weapon, Rin swung outwards and lashed at the shorter woman’s face and torso in a single jagged motion. Slashing the blonde across the face, Rin was dropped to the floor. Choking at the lack of air, the redhead scrambled backward.

Also taking a step back, the blonde hissed at the attack. Glowering down upon the attacker, she took a hold of the handle still poking from her middle ribs. Removing the hindrance and holding up at eye-level, the blonde shook the blade condescendingly. “You really are new.” Flicking the weapon downwards, the blade stuck in the dirt beside Rin’s hip, “try to kill me. You can do that, at least, right?”

Rin glared at the Ayakashi. Holding her throat with her left hand, she retook her weapon. Using the stone barrier to help her stand up without taking her eyes off of her opposition, the redhead inched forward across the floor splattered with blood from previous matches.

Kumata gripped Usagi by the shoulders and shook him violently, his eyes not even on the shota as he ragged the life out of him. “What are we going to do?”

Putting the bear’s arms by his side by force, the golden-haired boy threw himself down on one of the single plastic seats which had gone astray in the hours of cheering. “We don’t really have any options but to let it go on until the end.

Usagi hated to say it so coldly, but rules were rules. Unless it was a Contractor and Guardian versus another Contractor and Guardian, or in a situation like this, an Official Second, nobody could stop the fight, or even call out ‘unfair’.

He had known Yatagarasu for a long time, more than any human lifetime at least a hundredfold, or even the lifespan of an Ayakashi these days. They were the closest of friends regardless of being polar opposites, and he cared about her more than anything; neither of them had been Contracted for over a century. They only had each other. This made him more privy to how his fellow blonde tended to behave. She would deny it at any cost, but she was just as sentimental as the rest of the Ayakashi who had once had a compassionate master.

A scream from the redhead filled the space which had grown quiet in anticipation at the lopsided match-up. Stumbling forward, Rin continued her quick attacks. Most of them missed and that bitch laughed, but thanks to an upraised pebble, she staggered back a step. Catching the opportunity, Rin sprang up from her lowered stance. Instead of one of her usual slashes, she flew at the blonde which had accidentally given her an opening.

Lodging the blade below the blonde’s sternum, Rin stared at the lack of reaction. The six-inch gauge across her opponent’s face healed steadily - That dead-eyed gaze remained, even as the Ayakashi pulled the blade from her gut. Tossing the weapon on the floor, Yatagarasu blew a bloom of smoke into the Contractor’s face. Whispering a few brief words, the blonde threw the redhead. Launching Rin across the space, the redhead met the barrier with a devastating crash. Hacking up her only remaining breath, the redhead slumped into unconsciousness.

Chucking the end of her cigarette onto the floor, the blonde plucked a new one from the packet in her pocket. Resting it on her lips, she sparked the end and blew out the first drag. Fixing her hair as best she could with the blood splatters, she shrugged her left shoulder with a smirk.

“Looks like I win...Again.”

Flicking her ash on the floor without any care for her victim, Yatagarasu strut towards the exit of the arena. Grabbing her leather jacket off the chair closest to the opening in the stone wall which was barely big enough to squeeze through, the Ayakashi flung it over her shoulder and headed towards the bar with the erratic bookkeeper in tow.

Waiting for the precise moment until the blonde had left the circle, Usagi leapt over the barrier to check if Rin was okay. Well, if he was expecting her to be pleased that she was flung around like a ragdoll and then knocked out, he was going to be disappointed. Blood seeping from her nose, mouth and ears, and from what he could see, a couple of ribs were broken and her left shoulder dislocated. Face bruised almost beyond recognition, Usagi winced at the state of the newcomer. Scooping the woman a foot taller than up into his arms with ease, the golden-haired boy made for the bear waiting in worry. Handing the woman over, the shota hopped over the barrier as curious eyes were glued to the scene.

“What are we going to do, Usagi Tama?” Kumata continued to carry the redhead bridal style towards the side door they’d come in through.

“Take her back to her assigned dorm,” stepping out into the frozen corridor, Usagi pulled his collar up around his neck. “and call Doctor Yakazu.”

“She doesn’t have that kind of money yet.” The bear shook his head and the woman jittered in his grasp.

Tone lower than usual, the boy turned his back and began walking down the opposite side of the corridor. “I’ll pay for it.”

“That’s more than generous-” Kumata bowed his head.

“-I’m not doing it for your compliment.” The boy glowered back over his shoulder before he continued walking.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to make Chikage see some sense.”

“Please don’t fight.”

“She deserves a beat-down for what she’s just done-” Usagi rolled his eyes when the bear gave him a pitiful look. “I’m just going to talk to her; don’t fret so much.” Returning to the taller Ayakashi, Usagi put both hands on the bottom of the bear’s back and urged the giant plushie out of the door. “Just get RiCchin back and call the Doc.”

“You promise you won’t fight?”

“I promise.”

Usagi hated feeling so tense, so over wrung by such volatile emotions. He was way past the point of being old enough to have a grip on his feelings, but she always managed to irk him with her pettiness. Watching Kumata waddle into the darkness with the limp body in his arms, the short man tensed. He probably shouldn’t have made that promise.

Updated: 8th February 2020 - 16:57