The Iron Arena Games, Part Two Ten minutes. That's how long she had—well, perhaps longer, if the first two fights started to drag. Merry's personal record for showering had been eight lean minutes, so she wondered if she could beat or at least meet it as she headed off to the locker room, undressed, and felt the layer of sweat melt off underneath the cool water. Ahh. She soon found company as another would-be contender came inside, undressed (in full view of Weathers, who couldn't help but stare), and took the stall right next to her. It was the blue-skinned beauty, G-Force, and she looked like she needed the wash even more. "Hey," said Merry, scrubbing her pink hair gently. G-Force greeted her with a nod. "I'm Rancor. I hear we're gonna be in the same match together pretty soon." "Yeah, you and me. So not too much fraternizing or we'll end up liking each other too much to care." Merry chuckled, well, merrily, and turned her head a bit more to get a better look. G-Force had a good, feminine body, though not quite as tall or muscular as her own, and the long honey-colored hair of hers that stretched to the tips of her shoulderblades looked surprisingly wonderful matted against her watery flesh. She quickly turned back when the smaller girl looked her way. "I wish they'd give us more than ten minutes," she sighed, running her fingers through that blonde mane. "On top of all this sweat and gunk, I'm not feeling up to this. I'm starting to wonder why I even got involved. I'm with the Battle Divas—you know them?—and they all signed in together. I guess that means I'm part of their team now, but I just don't feel worthy. I'm barely able to control my powers, and I'm kind of embarrassed to be beaten by that guy." "Oh, you mean the snob? Bah, he didn't beat you, he gave up." "Yeah, but if he hadn't, I would've lost." "Come on, he was cake. I've seen kids tougher." "I don't know. I just felt like I couldn't do it anymore. Even on my worst days I can force myself, but this... It made me feel like I couldn't even do anything. I'm afraid I'm not much better now." "Ah, you'll do fine!" insisted Rancor. "You're fighting me next, so don't worry! I'm not gonna go easy on you since it'd be rude, and an insult, but I won't go all out either. Hey, let's be friends, huh? You seem like an all right girl, and blue is kinda my favorite color." "It is?" She grinned, which Rancor felt utterly mesmerized by, and shied away. Oh, and the body lotion, she applied body lotion...! Merry had to force herself to look away. "My name's Merry," she said numbly. G-Force turned, then turned red, as she got quite a fair look at her companion's naked back...and backside. "Y-you sure you wanna tell me your real name?" "Yeah, why, you some kinda criminal?" "No, I'm one of the good guys. Erm, girls." "Oh." Merry had to force herself silent; otherwise, she would've boldly sang, I like the good girls. "No, I trust you. I don't really like my nickname, despite how fitting it is. I've got a temper." "You seem nice enough." "Yeah, but wait till' I get going." G-Force kept her tongue for awhile, long enough for Merry to brave a revolution and peek. The walls of the shower only went so high...but at that angle, thankfully, there was nothing to seriously stare at—except she had such beautiful shoulders... She turned, smiled, extended her arm, and said, "I'm Sally." "Oh. That's a cute name." "Spare me, I hate it. My parents are such dorks." "No, really, it's cute. And hey, my name's Merry, so how domestic can ya get?" G-Force nodded—"You have a point"—and despite being scheduled to pummel each other in a short time, a new friendship was made that very minute. ...... Lady Snowblood felt somebody's presence as she sat waiting for her name to be called. She knew it wasn't Rin, or even Kailin—it was a strange soul, one that was difficult to define, like it was standing with one foot in the sea and the other on land. Or, it was only two half-souls sewn together... She looked in the general direction of the aura, relying on sound and smell to fill in for the gaps, and nodded. "Hello. May I help you?" The aura fidgeted, wringing nervous hands. It tried to make sounds, but the only thing that came out were little grunts and squeaks. Snowblood removed her black glasses and reached her arm out. "Forgive me if I've upset you. I'm blind." I know, came a telepathic message. Snowblood was surprised for a second, but she took it in stride and nodded again. Her extrasensory perception, gifted to her in lieu of sight, enabled her to not only sense other people's presences, but their thoughts as well, thus enabling her to be incredibly skilled in battle—for who could fight against somebody that already knew their strategy? "My name is...Snowblood." She hesitated only because she didn't know how much she could trust the person. They, it seemed, were content with that. I am Skye. You know me from the first fight. "Oh yes, that's where I felt this presence. So, you are Skye. I've heard that you can transform into a dragon. Curse upon curse, and blessing upon blessing. What is my life? "...I'm sorry?" ...Excuse me, I think strange thoughts. I just came up to say hello...because I know you are disabled, like me. "You?" I'm a mute. I lost my voice in exchange for these powers. Now you can see what good they did me. "No, you fought well. I was impressed." ...Thank you. Well, so long. Snowblood tried following Skye's aura, but it soon became lost in the crowd of thousands: the noise, the smells, the unbearable rush of it all... ......... "Welcome, one and all, to the continuation of the Iron Arena Games! I am your host, William that Cat—" "And I am your co-host, Bonnie the Fairy! Hope you enjoyed your break, folks and fighters alike, cuz' it's time to get back to the action! As you'll recall in our last match, Cobra and Siren each defeated their respective opponents to move onto the next round! Both Bubblegum Black and Skye were real tough and they gave us a good fight, so we can only imagine what these two ladies can bring!" "But before we go onto the main event," resumed William, "let's take a closer look at our next two contestants! First, both these pretty girls hail from the Battle Diva Enforcement team, a group consisting solely of women, dedicated to stamping out evil! Cobra is a tall, twenty-five year old woman who shares many traits of the animal she was named after, including great speed, constitution, and one hell of a grip!" "Lady Siren, on the other hand," said Bonnie, "is a beautiful eighteen year-old with the ability to use the world's spirit energies to manipulate objects and to blow her opponents away! She likes wearing suits, reading, sightseeing, and people who are outgoing!" "(Is this a tournament or a dating service?)" muttered Kailin. Rin snickered. "And now," shouted both announcers simultaneously, "for the main event! Let the tournament BEGIN!!" Both companions didn't like such farcical attention being drawn to them, but they had to endure it. Father Jacob wanted to egg his students further than they believed they could go, and something like this, even at its flashiest, was a good idea. For the second time that day, Mora Johsen was up against one of her fellow Divas, one whose tactics she knew very well. Neither could possibly be at a disadvantage; they had once been lovers for a few months, but disbanding for other pursuits. Rediscovering each other in the Divas was a surprise; working together just gave them more knowledge about each other's ways. They tried to face off quietly, with dignity and honor, but staring each other down wore off after a few minutes, and the fans grew restless. The dome soon filled with jeers and demands for hot girl-on-girl fighting action. Cobra and Siren spared each other a shared look of aggravation, and went into battle despite their reluctance. If given the chance, they would've stood there all day, letting their wills do battle and not their fists. Siren struck first, Cobra second—both hit hard, opening skin and creating new wounds. They fell back and judged each other again, and charged, and again. Siren relinquished her sword in favor of a more honorable approach; her limbs could do damage enough if properly augmented by her spirit powers. Of course, she couldn't keep them going forever without seriously damaging her body, whereas Cobra could go at it all day and night. Also, the other woman had strong defenses to go with her tough hide: Siren had seen her companion literally take a bullet to the heart and walk away with the shooter in hand. Of course, she had not been her best in bed later that evening... ...and WHAM!! Siren felt a powerful blow strike her forehead, sending her smashing to the ground. Cobra had made that one serious. She forced herself to stand and fight back. Mora could provide a temporary shield around her body to stop blows, and nearly every impact was absorbed as such. Siren knew she couldn't defeat the older woman unless she used the powers she hated; Cobra knew she would have to hurt her former lover to win. "Might as well," they both whispered—but Siren's blow was far deadlier. She knew Mora's weakness. Her arms spread apart for a lethal hug as she whispered to the voices of the world, begging for their aid, searching for the ghosts of frost and ice upon the two poles of the planet... Cobra braced herself for the blow, but knew she was beaten: cold weather nearly destroyed her. A blast of spiritual icy wind crashed into her, nearly crippling her, and for good measure, Siren swung again, and again if necessary. She won by knockout; Cobra cursed but gave up the victory. Naoma, as always, was there in a flash. "Wow! Amazing! What a spectacle!" Oh, brother, groaned the girls. "It's time to see our next fight!" continued William, after they were finished tuning out Bonnie's nonsense. "As you'll recall in the last match, Bloodbane won a marginal victory against Thunder-Claw, and Pandora utterly trounced poor Inferno!" "(Bastard,)" muttered Rin. "How will they fare against each other, though? Unfortunately, we don't have much information on either warrior, except they both came with Dr. Kamaguchi, our sponsor! Do you think they're talented, Bonnie?" "They must be if they're with the good doctor—but who am I to judge? Let's let them show us themselves!" "I agree! Ladies and gentlemen, the next match: Bloodbane versus Pandora the Gambler!" Both women climbed into the ring amidst cheers; they bowed to each other, though there were no bonds of friendship between them, and immediately got to work as soon as the bell rang, Bloodbane with her bizarre ability to form tools from her own blood, Pandora with her random deadly arts. Not even Dr. Kamaguchi knew of Bloodbane's origins, or how she got her powers, or even her real name. The silvery-haired woman had simply arrived at the MERCS' doorstep one day, seeking money and favors, and was granted both in exchange for a brief contract. She, like a few of the others working for Kamaguchi, was paying off her debt by fighting as Yohko's representative in the tournament. If any of them were victorious, the prize money would more than make up for it all, but Yohko had another motive for recruiting such talents... Pandora, on the other hand, knew exactly what she was getting into when she signed up. Unlike the others, she wasn't seeking favors—she and Dr. Kamaguchi shared many ideals, and were so similar at times that an alliance between the two seemed inevitable. Pandora was one of the doctor's secret weapons, though only Yohko and the Gambler knew for what exactly. She only fought in the Games for the thrill and the money—and to prove to the world that even a person like her could wage war against those with unusual skills. Bloodbane knew how the older woman worked and refused to give her a chance. She formed a thin, flexible staff that could be improvised as a whip and lashed out at Pandora the moment she could. With her cherry-hued wings, she could travel at speeds much faster than Pandora, and she struck so quickly that the remaining blood in her body actually froze briefly from the rush. Pandora didn't stand a chance, and was forced to the floor, tumbling into a mess— Tumbling so much, her head shook. Bloodbane gasped and realized her foolish error. When she could stand, the Gambler had a grin of delicious malice on her face. "Outcome generally positive," she announced. The roulette wheel on her back sprang to life: a great flash of light spun round and round, circling the wheel and highlighting the skills available to its mistress: machine guns, flamethrower, poison darts, electricity, hand-to-hand combat, or retreat, and one could only guess how often that last one showed up. At last, the light slowed and stopped, apparently on something good, for Pandora's grin remained. Machine guns. Her bandoliers roared to life and opened fire. Bloodbane quickly reacted and stepped to the side just enough so that a bullet grazed her arm, and with the flowing blood, she formed a shield big enough to protect her somewhat. Knowing Pandora, though, her arsenal would continue long after the shield broke, and besides, most of those bullets were strays—they whizzed past arms, legs, thighs, her ears, her hair...one burrowed its way into her calf. Another hit her in the shoulder. Pandora closed the gap between them, more merciless than before, and Bloodbane knew her defenses would shatter eventually. She couldn't hold it... She quickly dove as the shield shattered, and got hit twice. The blood came out, and to her will, formed spikes along the ground to slow the Gambler. She carefully stepped over them, firing wildly, making sure her "friend" wouldn't get anywhere near her—and laughed out loud the whole time. Hang the rules, she wanted Bloodbane dead. Or at least suffering. Well, maybe suffering was better. She cheered with victory as she struck the woman hard in the chest. Bloodbane tumbled and did not get back up. The judges were nearly ready to disqualify Pandora on a deathblow technicality, but were later told that the wounded girl was still alive. Pandora wished she had the opportunity to finish the job, but she had already won. Why bother? She walked away, chuckling cruelly, and left the younger woman in the hands of the on-sight healer. Before she returned to the skybox, Pandora directed her eyes, both real and artificial, to Siren. And snarled. You are next. ...... "Good luck." "I'm gonna need it." "Bah, you'll do fine." Merry winked, Sally smiled weakly, and together the two entered the ring. William and Bonnie gave some quick tidbits of information about the two fighters—Rancor was a nice girl who could be goofy and hyperactive one minute, enraged the next, and G-Force was still a beginner—and let them go after each other. Of course, Sally's warning had come true: in the brief time they had known each other, both girls found themselves liking their opponents too much to get into a serious brawl. However, as before, G-Force made herself go through with it and hurled a great force field of strengthened gravity around her new friend. Rancor quickly covered her body with the natural armor that she was known for, and withstood the attack. G-Force amplified. Rancor remained stationary. G-Force clenched her teeth and put as much power into it as she could, which was obviously having some affect. The very ring itself was buckling slightly from her power, yet Rancor seemed unaffected. "Come on," she could hear the elder calling, "is that the best you've got?" "No," she managed, and with a flash of willpower, Sally tried something she had only begun to experiment with. With a bit of manipulation, she kept the force field around Rancor whilst lifting the area around her, thus making herself lighter. She leaped into the air and lowered it again as she landed, crashing down on the armored woman like a comet. Her boot struck...WHAM! "OW!!" G-Force fell down, immediately dispelling all unnatural forces, leaving her foot the only thing scathed. Merry softened her skin and chuckled. "Sorry, did that hurt?" "Of course!" she snapped angrily. "God, what're you made out of, anyway?" "I honestly have no idea. Probably some material neither one of us could pronounce." G-Force had to chuckle at that, and stood again to fight. Using so much power had drained her, and Merry seemed just as fresh and eager as ever. She took a clumsy step forward and tried concentrating again. "Round two..." The field lowered, and Merry's defenses raised. G-Force's vision soon became blurry, then she started to wobble, then she weakened, then she fell to one knee. Merry became soft and walked over, sensing how worn-out she was. "Hey, don't push yourself. Come on, relax." "Don't treat me like a child," she grumbled, refusing to be helped up. Merry backed off. "Okay, sorry. Uh...maybe I should just fight you honorably. I mean...this clearly isn't working." "Shut up." "Hey, don't give me an attitude or I really will knock you senseless." Both girls now glared at each other, but Rancor had the upper hand. After all, she could still stand under her own power, and G-Force... "Sor-ry. I'm just...not used to..." "Okay, well, then maybe I ought to do something." Merry charged after her, sans armor, and struck her hard—G-Force fell to the ground, and appeared content to stay there. Merry hovered over her and crossed her arms. "Is that better?" "Some friend...you were." "Hey, I tried to help you, woman." "What did you call me?" "Woman, why? You got something else I'm not aware of?" G-Force rolled around just enough to look up, and in spite of the referee counting to eight and beyond, she smiled. "You called me a woman. You really did. Up until now, everyone's been calling me a kid, or a girl, even my partners. You're just the first that really..." "Well, you are a woman, aren't you?" G-Force smiled warmly, and even laughed. "Yeah, I guess I am. I did just turn 18 a few months ago." "There, see? A woman. Hey, you still mad or what?" "No," she groaned, "just sore. And upset—not at you, myself. You were great. I stink." "I dunno, ya kinda smell nice after that shower." They both blushed, and Merry helped her friend up once the ref made it to ten. G-Force gave her an unexpected hug, and dared to whisper something she had wanted to know for awhile. "Say Merry...would you like to go on a date with me?" "Would I." They chuckled. "Thanks. Hey, sorry I was so mean. You really were great." "Oh, stop it, you're embarrassing me." "You also have a really great body. And did I tell you I'm attracted to older women?" Merry whistled, backed off, and rubbed her pink hair bashfully. "Whew! Oh, boy... A little too much information. But hey, at least I got a girlfriend out of it." They laughed again and took hands; Marissa, who had seen it all, stood dazed. This is a most unexpected turn of events. ...... Nobody looked forward to the Rin-Snowblood conflict more than those involved, not even the fans. William and Bonnie were apt to point out that the two had fought before, and were looking to settle the score. They got it wrong by calling them rivals—in truth, Snowblood had been assigned to kill the Ronin—but in the arena, old grudges were all the same, no exceptions. Rin seemed to be in a moderately good mood as she faced her "rival" in the ring; Snowblood was trying to remain unemotional, though anyone could tell it was a fight in itself. CLANG! The gong sounded; the two warriors chased after each other; Kailin forced herself to watch this time. What a fight! They were both moving so quickly, so fluidly, like two whirlwinds coming into contact, battling for supremacy. They fought like tigers, one vastly more powerful and the other vastly more attuned to the psychic world. They crashed, they collided, SMASH! They bled and bruised, they wheezed and begged for more, and not for one second did either of them dominate the fight. It was dead even down to the very end. But what an end, and in the meantime, their war orchestrated violently, beautifully, mixing the horror of a fight with the splendor of a match: there was Snow, and Blood, and shared superiority; the two seemed more suited for each other than friends, than sisters, than lovers even. It was as if, after one single fight, they knew each other completely and could fight to the best of their abilities without lagging behind, for the other would follow suit and even push them further. Seldom had anyone seen anything like it. Haanz Glücklig gawked. "Is this the same girl I fought?" he had to wonder—because she certainly didn't look like it. That Snowblood had been strong, sure, but also showed clumsiness, difficulty, even ineptitude. This one was downright miraculous. In time, both warriors were too exhausted to continue. They had fought so perfectly that they both ultimately collapsed from weariness and stayed down, long enough for the referee to count to ten. Still they did not move. The crowd became restless. Kailin chewed on her lip, wondering what would happen next. "Don't worry, folks!" barked William merrily. "This is not unprecedented in our history! In the event of a tie match, the judges' decision will be called on to decide the winner!" The crowd grumbled, and if Rin still had the strength, she would've objected to the whole thing. All she could do was lay there quietly and wait. The suspense hurt worse than anything Snowblood could give her. "Oh my!" she heard Bonnie exclaim. "It seems our panel of judges has come to a split decision! With a score of 16-14, they have favored Lady Snowblood as the victor!" Half the crowd booed, the other half cheered, and even Rin, in her weakness, stirred. "No way," she grumbled. "This bites! How could they? That wasn't...the way...it was fought." "Feeling upset?" Snowblood sat up as Naoma healed her, and turned to give her "rival" a cocky smile. "Don't take it too hard, Rin. Everyone must be defeated at some point." "You idiot," she moaned—but she couldn't follow through and fell limp again. Naoma rolled her eyes and attended to the fallen warrior; Snowblood touched her shoulder once she was conscience again. "I suppose we are even now." "Even nothing, that fight was a tie!" "You heard the judges." "Screw them," she pouted. Snowblood frowned, growing more irritated by the moment. And she had learned to respect this? Maybe Rin was more shallow than she appeared. Or maybe... "Look, it's not what you think. If you had really beaten me, no big deal. I can handle that. It's those damn judges, saying we had a tie and then barely giving you the victory. That just blows." "Well, next time, we will not stop until one is the victor." "Yeah, and then you'll kill me, right?" "I have no intention of dying." "Hey, me neither. So how about you telling me why you gotta kill me." "Sorry," said Snowblood as she rose, "I cannot do that." She walked away, apparently to rest, leaving Rin to wonder. Just what was her deal anyway? She hoped she would learn soon. Snowblood had told her how painful it was, going through with the assassination, but she had had no choice. Painful. Like it was the last thing she wanted to do, or the near-last. But why? If it hurt so much, why? The reason must've been big. "I hope I find out soon," she murmured to herself as she joined Kailin. "Maybe...I can help her." Once she finished healing Rin and Snowblood, Naoma took a break from her duties and rushed for the nearest empty ladies' restroom. Finding one, she locked it and hid herself in one of the stalls, then pulled a secure cell phone from her robes. She dialed the number quickly, knowing that the line would be safe, and waited to be picked up. Two rings, and a voice came through. "Butcher's Square on Silver Street, this is Lazlo, how may I help you?" "I'm interested in selling you some choice cuts." "Ma'am, did you acquire these yourself or did you buy them somewhere else?" "They're mine." "What's the weight?" "It would tip the scales." He chuckled. "I hate this damned back-and-forth password mumbo-jumbo. Sashuo's a real prick when it comes to that—oops, don't tell him I said that." "Said what?" The man calling himself Lazlo chuckled again. "For an average-looking lesbian doctor, you sure are smart. So whaddyou have for me today, Naomi?" "Naom-A," she emphasized. "Not Naomi, Naoma. Please get it right." "All right, all right, keep the sand outta your skirt. So? Top priority, eh?" "Yes. Could you please direct me to your boss?" "Oh, him? He's...busy. And by that I mean..." "Probably torture again," sighed Naoma. "Just tell him it's urgent." Lazlo hissed. "Okay, but if I get my head chopped off, I expect you to fix it." "But of course. No problem at all. Now, please?" She was forced to wait fifteen seconds, then her companion's powerful, booming voice erupted. Even though they were several countries apart, Naoma couldn't help but shudder a little. Sashuo was...so much more. More than her, more than Emily or Yubami, more than anybody. He was everything; he was terror and torture in itself. To face the Crimson Blades was something even fools wouldn't dare try. "What?!" "I have some information—" "I know, now quit wasting my time and tell me." "...Yes," she sighed. "Sashuo, you won't believe this, but I know the whereabouts of the Takamatsu girl." And for the first time since the two were acquainted, Sashuo seemed at a loss. At least for a second. "...Go on." ---------- To be continued. Cobra: It's about time I get to do this! Oh, we're on. Salutations and hello, everybody. Mora Johsen here, narrating for once since our friends seem preoccupied. Siren: Apparently they're scouting for dates. Cobra: Yeah, but Kris is way too shy for that stuff. Anyway, I'm sure you all are just dying to see the finals and semifinals, but you're gonna have to wait a little bit longer. Siren: Believe us when we say it'll be worth it. Let's just say that the winner is going to be somebody unexpected! Cobra: Whoever it is, you can bet that "somebody" will be happy. wink Siren: Hey, I saw you drooling after Rancor and Snowblood! Cobra: Well you were gawking at Pandora! Siren: I can't help it, she's so cool... Cobra: Ugh, looks like Kailin was more right than she knew! Next time, it's winners and apparently, romances: "The Iron Arena Games, Part Three". Siren: We swear it's the conclusion to this thing.
Back to Champions Index - Back to Original Fiction Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction