Finally posting this here, just because.
It's more of a Melty Blood fic than a Tsukihime fic, really, (if that makes any sense!) and it's done in the style of the less-than-serious routes. Vampire senpais and jump-kicking bears in the throat ensues.
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Bare Knuckle Brawler
Blood ran down between Satsuki's knuckles, and she clicked her tongue. A failed punch.
She'd been aiming for Sion, but the lithe, purple-haired girl had dashed aside right before the blow had landed. Thus, Satsuki was left standing there with her fist sunk into the brick wall of the alleyway, rain pouring down on her. She felt no pain; the only sensation that touched her was a touch of disappointment as she found herself unable to end the fight just as she had expected to. Still, Sion was a skilled fighter, but lacked Satsuki's brute strength. Satsuki believed that she'd be able to take at least a few more hard hits, so long as they both kept to fisticuffs.
Her little fangs glared in the moonlight that barely reached the two; they were shaded from all living light by the imposing alley walls, two tall buildings of no important purpose. It was a miserable night, but in her life Satsuki had grown used to disappointment and despair. Some bad weather wasn't going to make her lose heart, not now.
“Were I Roa, I could have struck you with twelve point five deadly strikes in the time you took to remove your hand from the wall!” Sion informed her opponent as she did a light cartwheel turn to escape Satsuki's rabid punches.
Satsuki frowned. “Wh-what would 'point five' of a deadly hit be? How's that even possible?” Though she tried to be serious, Satsuki couldn't keep her mind focused on the fight. Her thoughts drifted far too often to little observations and notes about what was going on, and to blissful memories of the boy she was still in love with.
“Do not question my statistics! You should be paying attention to the battle, not my words!” Again, Sion was harsh, and Satsuki had to wonder why her friend was being like that. Maybe she really believed Satsuki had a chance of defeating Roa, or maybe she was blowing off steam? The answer wasn't apparent, and Satsuki hardly had enough time to think about it.
She steeled herself. The blood on her hand had dissipated, and she clenched one pale fist. Her school uniform, once a chipper mix of colours with a blue skirt and an orange-peach vest, was now drenched with grey water, and the blue had faded as it was splashed with months of grime and dirt from unhealthy living. Only recently had her life turned around, but she still bore the scars of vagrancy like a sad, wet rat brought in from a storm.
None of that registered in her mind at the moment, though. Satsuki was far too caught up in the fight now to care about her hair or her clothes. This was serious, even if it was practice, and she'd never let Sion take another win. She gritted her teeth together, and focused on Sion's casual dodging. That girl had a keen understanding of how Satsuki moved and fought, but ofttimes lacked the ability to make a solid offensive. In a match of endurance, Satsuki would likely win, and both contenders knew exactly that.
Satsuki, wanting to end this quickly, kicked off against the ground, entering a fierce and powerful run that showed her capabilities as a vampire. Her eyes narrowed, and every part of her mind and body was dedicated to the task at hand. Under her feet the cement started cracking, almost tearing apart, and Sion was at once taken aback, but not for long.
“Satsuki, that would not-” She began, but was cut off when she dodged; she'd been expecting a punch, but Satsuki unexpectedly came from the side with an outstretched arm, striking Sion firmly in the throat and making the girl cough and sputter wildly.
Sion wiped her hand across her mouth and tried to get back to her feet, even as the blunt pain was still ringing through her body. Her speed was lacking, though; she felt a brush of air beside her, and Satsuki had brought the force of her elbow down on her back, hitting with a sickly snap and a surge of burning pain. It felt dull and muted to Satsuki herself, but Sion almost had her spine broken in half by that one discharge of raw power.
But, her mind was too strong to be overcome by just that. Her brain overclocked, dividing her senses into fragments and shifting the pain into a partitioned section of her mental faculties, rendering it null for all intents and purposes. That happened in just a split second, and she was able to twist her body to the side to avoid a heavy punch aimed right for her gut. If that had struck, it would've pierced right through her body. That one note was sobering in a way, and Sion raised her fists once more, getting ready to counter whatever Satsuki had planned.
The young vampire licked her lips as she stared straight ahead in Sion's direction, looking just a bit past her. Sion wondered at that, but kept focused on Satsuki. This was a dangerous match, but nothing she couldn't handle. She had beaten Satsuki nearly every single time they had fought like this before, and it wouldn't be unusual if this was another victory to be added to her list. She watched Satsuki clench and unclench her hands, rain making them almost gleam in the bright, full moonlight high in the sky.
All that came next happened in fleeting moments.
Sion felt Satsuki's balled up fist coming right for her face, sensing the movements in the air and the few telltale motions Satsuki made just before she was about to make her usual punch. This was exactly as to be expected, and Sion weaved to the side, her face only being struck with a ripple of force that rushed through the air, the wake of Satsuki's incredible fist. Still, it was a blunt and obvious manoeuvre, and Sion prepared to make an offence, turning about on her heel-
-when she suddenly felt her body moving against her will, twisting down towards the solid, rain-streaked ground. Her face bashed against the concrete, and there was an immense, tearing sensation from her leg that went unmatched by all the pains she had felt previously in the fight. Looking weakly behind herself, she saw that her leg was sticking straight upwards below the knee, something that human anatomy rendered physically impossible in her position. Still, it had happened, and ivory-white bone could be seen gleaming like bared teeth in the pale light.
Satsuki was on her in seconds, dragging her by the collar of her muddy purple shirt and grabbing roughly the back of her neck. Sion squirmed about, trying to escape, but the more she moved the tighter Satsuki gripped, and the more intense the pain of her snapped leg felt. Despite all that, she wouldn't resign herself, and remained conscious even as her skull was slowly pulled in one direction, grasped by Satsuki's whole hand, and smashed against the metal of a dumpster. Satsuki repeated that until one half of Sion's face was drenched a red that flowed down to the cement below, and there was a sizable, half-torn dent in the dumpster's side the size of Sion's head.
“You... ah, you win.” Sion's words were slurred and hard to hear, but Satsuki understood them implicitly, not wanting to ignore at least some form of praise from her only teacher.
Blushing lightly out of embarrassment, Satsuki pulled Sion up to her feet. “Ah, I'm really sorry, Sion!” She said, hugging the girl tightly to her chest. Sion let out a gasp, and at that Satsuki realized that she was only tearing up the girl's broken leg even more. “I-it doesn't hurt too much, r-right? I'm really sorry if I hurt you!”
Sion took a deep breath, not wanting to strain herself too much. She could taste blood in her mouth, a sharp and sour sensation, but she ignored it for the time being. “Do not worry, Satsuki. If you managed to win, then... then that is worthy of some approval, at least! But.. perhaps I lost on purpose, to make you feel better!” She smiled, somewhat wryly.
Satsuki's solemn expression was broken by a cheery smile and a laugh even in this dark and depressing part of town, and the two huddled together against one wall for warmth, dragging up a blanket to cover their bodies. It wasn't perfect, and the overhand above didn't keep out all the rain, but it was enough for now. Of all things, Satsuki didn't want her friend to be in too much pain. Sion, too, was a vampire, and fortunately could heal herself rather easily, and especially on the night of a full moon like the one that was grand and huge in the sky above.
Her breathing soft and her arm draped across Sion's shoulder, Satsuki wasn't content. “I... I think I'm going to go fight Roa, now. I can probably beat him, and then become the strongest Dead Apostle!” She said this quietly, as if it was embarrassing.
“You should not do that. Not yet, for you have a lot to learn. You must practice more, Satsuki; one battle will never make you a good fighter. Roa is one of the strongest vampires you may ever encounter, and you should never take him lightly.”
Satsuki pouted, her lips pursed. “But Sion!” She whined, hugging her friend, “I've fought a lot more than once with you! I think I can do this, since I've learned from all my mistakes. I'm sure that Roa won't even know what's going to hit him!” All of a sudden she smiled, trying her best to look cute so that Sion wouldn't be able to deny her.
That idea was cast aside as soon as Sion spoke up again. “No. Your victory showed more skill than usual, but it was nothing too impressive. Most likely, our next bout would end with myself as the victor, and there would be little variation. Perhaps you would begin to see more victories than usual, but really nothing impressive, and certainly not so to a man like Roa. You have to know your body's limits, Satsuki. Do not do this.”
There was no way Satsuki could be satisfied by what Sion wanted. If she thought herself that she could beat Roa tonight, then she'd do exactly that. Sion was the toughest person she'd known, and their fights were always intense and quick. This latest one, so she thought, showed how she could beat Sion even in a match of skill, and so she felt that if she was serious, she could defeat Roa. After all, could he really be much more skilled or talented than Sion herself?
Satsuki stumbled up to her feet, collapsing once before she could stand ably. She closed her eyes and smiled at Sion, who looked honestly worried, but Satsuki saw that only as the girl being doubtful, as usual. Satsuki was optimistic about her own abilities, and that optimism was all she felt she needed. Her skills and strength had been honed to a maximum, and there was no way that she could lose in a pitched battle.
“Don't worry, Sion! I'll do my best!” She gave her friend just one last smile and walked off, out of the alleyway and into the rainy streets beyond. Sion could only sigh, and try to fall asleep to the sounds of the pattering rain and rolling thunder.
x-x-x x-x-x
Finding Roa himself was hardly a difficult task for Satsuki; he was the man who gave her a new life (or lack thereof) as a vampire, and she shared with him a sort of unconscious bond. So long as she just willed herself to search for him, he could be found.
And, as a powerful vampire himself, Roa tried to avoid the bustle of ordinary, crowded life, staying out of sight and out of mind. For most, at least. A few unfortunate souls who wandered too close to his ramshackle lair may have found something more than what they had expected in a warehouse in one district of the city. At times he could be hungry, too, and unlike Sion and Satsuki he had no access to simple replacements for the blood he needed. He had to feed regularly, and that was perhaps part of why Satsuki wanted to defeat him.
With hesitant steps she entered the warehouse, gazing on at its vastness. She closed the thin aluminum door behind her, and she could hear the clatter of rain on the metal roof and sides of the warehouse. It was almost homely, she thought, and understood well enough why Roa would want to spend most of his time here.
This warehouse, too, was quite empty, having no storage containers or boxes barring the way; it was just a wide open space, occasionally littered by an abandoned forklift or set of empty shelves, but beyond that... nothing. It all smelled old and musty, but with a sharp sort of heat to the air that made Satsuki's skin crawl. Ultimately, it was a disturbing place fit for a vampire.
The lights hanging from the ceiling were on, sending their bright glow down to the floor to illuminate wide circles in the cold grey concrete.
Into one of those circles walked a man in a ruffled white dress shirt and dark black trousers, his hands in his pockets semi-casually. Unlike Satsuki, who had her fists already raised, he seemed to hardly even care about what was going on, even looking at the girl with a smile on his pale lips. He raised one hand, a simple greeting.
“The little fledgling vampire has arrived, has she?”
Satsuki narrowed her eyes, holding her hands in front of her face in a tight guard. “I've come to defeat you, Roa!” Her words were simple, but they had some strength behind them. “I don't want you to hold back! I'll end you and show you my power!” Her little voice mustered up all the seriousness that could be managed, but still Roa laughed.
His lips almost began to curl into a sneer, but he stopped himself. “Are you sure, girl? I created you, and I can very well destroy you if you challenge me. I'm not sure if you can handle that, to be honest.” Roa gave a shrug of his shoulders.
“Of course I'm ready!” Satsuki shook her fists, her face scrunching up into what she called a scowl, but would look to most like a little kid's face after she learned she was being grounded. That display of so-called strength elicited another few laughs from Roa, and he took one single step forward. His shoes tapped on the smooth floor, and their sound echoed through the warehouse.
He nodded. “Then, so be it. Come at me, if you're really worth the trouble!” A feral grin replaced his smirk, and he looked like a madman standing there, his posture instantly switching to that of a trained fighter. He raised his hands like a boxer, mimicking Satsuki but with the airs of a man who was far more skilled than her.
Satsuki took that as a sign that the fight was truly beginning. She prepared herself for a heavy punch, clenching her fists as tightly as she could. She trusted her power enough to not doubt it, not now of all times.
Breaking into a run, she angled her body to deliver a tough body punch to Roa, aiming to hit him in the stomach or in the chest, knocking him at least off balance. Satsuki was sure that if she put enough raw strength into this, she could break even Roa. All she had to do was make sure this all worked out. It would all be like the fight against Sion, she told herself. As she closed the distance between herself and Roa, she let her whole mind tense up in pure concentration on the single task of beating Roa with one single blow, then finishing him off for good. She took a deep breath.
She reached him, and he pulled back just slightly, swinging his leg up and to the side at the same time. Satsuki, who had continued to press on forward without stopping, was caught by his raised leg, taking a rough kick to the back of her leg. With all of her force exerted to run forward as fast as possible, she stumbled and fell, sliding along the ground.
Roa raised one hand into the air, and from the tips of his fingers lightning sparked, jolting in all direction upward; his body was surrounded by an aura of strange symbols and concentric rings. Something was building up, and he was about to let it all discharge.
Flashes of lightning burst out, and there was a crackling sound as the ceiling lights were all knocked out at once, leaving the two in utter darkness. Satsuki stiffened up just slightly at this, but had enough control over herself to roll onto her back to meet the oncoming attack heralded by the few light steps on the cement floor. Any normal person wouldn't have been able to react, but as a vampire Satsuki was able to at least prepare some defence. She hoped it would be enough.
Hearing a rush of air beside her head, Satsuki twisted her body up and around, leaping backwards as she just barely got to her feet. Instinctively she held her closed fists up, wanting to protect her face, but that was far from enough for a defence against someone like Roa. He had centuries of experience, whereas she was just a fledgling Dead Apostle; though she had great potential, she had to reach the extent of her capabilities.
She knew that it was all over for her when she felt a dull impact on her chest, and heard horrific snapping noises as her ribs bended and broke from the sheer power behind even a quick strike from Roa's hands. He had struck her in just the right place with just the right amount of force, and she began toppling backwards, unable to save herself.
That was not the end of the fight, though.
Roa ducked down in a split second, and grasped at Satsuki's leg. He prevented her from falling straight backwards, but at the same time she was in his grip, and at his mercy. Without even a second of delay, Roa reacted and charged a bolt of hot electricity through his arm, sending it coursing through Satsuki's whole body.
“This is for your own sake!” He told her, though he didn't even know if she could hear, as shortly thereafter he swung her around, tossing her away in the direction from which she had entered the warehouse.
Everything was numb, and none of her senses seemed to work. She vaguely understood that she was flying through the air, and she saw Roa as a figure in the distance, getting smaller and smaller with each passing instant. There was the very light, vague sensation of cold air rippling across her body and her arms going limp, but before she could think about that her head smashed through solid concrete and aluminum, sending her mind reeling with pain that passed even beyond the numbness that wracked her form.
She scraped against the rough ground, her body tumbling and sliding along the asphalt far outside the warehouse like a pathetic ragdoll, unable to alter the course she was on. Roa had absolutely destroyed her, and she had no chance of victory even in the beginning. She realized that when she finally came to a tumbling stop, her back pressed against a solid steel shipping container. Her eyes drifted across her battered and scarred form, examining through blurry eyes the tears in her dirty clothes, and the rain that was washing away the thick red blood that covered so much of her body. It almost made her sick, but she was too exhausted to even be able to comprehend exactly what was going on. All she knew was that she had lost, and that was enough of a disappointment for her. Having taken so many injuries was really only an addition, meaning barely anything to her.
Looking up, she could see a figure walking towards her from the warehouse off in the distance, wearing a fluttering bluish coat and with a number of swords in hand; the person's steps were calm and confident, and Satsuki wondered what anyone like that was doing here.
She glanced up once at the clouded moon before her senses slipped away.
x-x-x x-x-x
“Finally, you're awake!” Those words were spoken by a woman, who heaved a sigh of relief as she lifted her hand from Satsuki's forehead. “You really were an idiot back there, though.”
Satsuki shook her head, trying to get her bearings first before even trying to speak to the woman. She glanced feverishly at her arms and legs, and found that she was perfectly unharmed, and wearing a clean – though slightly oversized – school uniform. Where she was, she had hardly a clue. She did note that she was laying in a soft, warm bed that wasn't all too large and was actually rather undecorated. There was a dresser, mirror and closet nearby, and it became apparent that this was someone's bedroom. The main question was, then, who?
“I... where... what about my fight?” Satsuki held her head in her hands, not understanding a single thing that was going on. The woman kneeling beside her smiled and patted her hair, trying to calm her down at least a little bit.
“You're Satsuki, right? Oh, this is terrible... I never thought someone like you would end up in a situation like this. Try not to move around too much, okay?” The woman, looking to be at most in her early twenties, had striking blue hair and seemed kind, if not a little serious underneath that.
Satsuki gasped. “C-Ciel? But I'm a vampire, what are you doing here? But what are you doing here I'm sorry I didn't mean to it was just-” She closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to somehow clear up anything that had gone wrong. It seemed like all too many things were her fault, and in fact that idea was part of why she wanted to defeat Roa. But if this was Ciel, then... something must have been especially unusual lately.
“Don't worry, Satsuki!” Ciel said, squeezing the girl's hand gently. “I'm not here to kill you or anything, okay? I just want to help.”
Pursing her lips, Satsuki looked hardly convinced. “Why do you want to help me? I don't think you've got any reason to, and... and, well, you're supposed to hunt vampires!”
Ciel just shrugged. “I may hunt vampires, but not indiscriminately. You're cute and Roa's a nuisance, so that makes me want to help you. It'd be better to have someone like you in his place, really. He can be hard to deal with at times, but I think you're best suited for fighting him.”
“Why me?” There was still some lingering doubt in Satsuki's mind, and she wanted a full explanation from Ciel. “You're from the Church, so you should be the one to get rid of Roa if you really don't want him around. I just want to fight him and beat him, and... I haven't been doing too well at that, I guess.” She hung her head, looking forlorn and disappointed in herself.
Showing more kindness than she expected to, Ciel grabbed Satsuki by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes, smiling broadly. “It's simple! You see, if I were to go and fight him, then he would take me seriously and fight to kill me. I'm a legitimate threat to him, after all, and unlike you he wouldn't be interested in actually fighting me so much as he'd throw all he's got against me. If he were to fight you, though, then he'd go pretty easy on you in comparison, since really you two are teacher and student, in a way. He's your parent as a vampire, and he's actually interested in seeing you grow and develop. If you were to kill him he'd probably be a little proud, but if I were to kill him he'd just be disappointed in comparison.”
“That... that does make sense, I guess.” Satsuki smiled back at Ciel. “I guess you're right, then! But why do you think I've got a chance at beating Roa? It was you who came up to me after he threw me out of the warehouse, right? There's no way that I can match that kind of power.”
Ciel shook her head. “No, right now, you can't beat him. It's good that you still want to try, but you'll need practice first. You understand that, right?” Satsuki nodded dutifully, hanging on Ciel's every word as she waited for an explanation. Ciel found it cute, in a way, how the girl looked so eager to learn. There was certainly a lot she needed to know, that much was certain.
“I've got something for you, then. Wait just a minute.” Ciel stood up and left out the bedroom door, leaving Satsuki alone. She was back shortly, though, and was dragging behind her a makeshift dummy that looked to be made out of old clothes piled onto a coat rack. It had shaggy black hair made from a random cheap wig, and wore glasses that were actually Ciel's old swim goggles rather than legitimate prescription or even sunglasses. The clothes were blue denim, and looked worn and too small for Ciel herself to wear.
A red flush spread across Satsuki's cheeks. “Wh-wh-why does it look like Tohno? Th-that seems like an unnecessary d-detail, Ciel!” Indeed, the resemblance was... uncanny. Or, at least, somewhere in the uncanny valley. Satsuki almost wanted to look away due to the strangeness of the fake idol of her school friend, but was oddly transfixed by its appearance. Maybe it was just a one-off thought, but it sort of did resemble Tohno beyond vague appearances.
Ciel pumped her fist, a serious look on her face like some old martial arts instructor. “You must learn to fight what you love! Only if you can fight against those most dearest to you will you be able fight for them!” Her advice struck Satsuki like a load of bricks, making the girl reconsider her earlier opinions and think about this in a different sort of way.
“Now, punch! The first lesson: finesse!” Ciel shouted, not caring if her apartment neighbours could hear her.
Satsuki nodded as if possessed by some strange spirit that drove her to strive for the best that she could achieve. If she wanted to beat Roa, she would have to practice, and learn from the best. Only through real training could she see the path to victory.
Taking in a deep breath, she let a serious expression cast itself on her face. “Alright, I'll do it! I have to, to beat Roa once and for all!” Her voice showed her immense spirit, and she went at the plush fighting figure like she never had before. It put up a good fight, but she considered herself the better fighter in this match.
“Good! Now, with skill!” Called Ciel, acting as Satsuki's coach. You must be able to kill this foe without using too much strength, or else you'll just needlessly waste all of your power at the worst of times! Also, you'll destroy my whole apartment if you try too hard. Think of that as an incentive.” Satsuki absentmindedly nodded, but she was far too focused on laying almost excessive hurt on the image of her friend to pay too much attention to Ciel's warnings or advice.
x-x-x x-x-x
From that day forth, her life became intense and regimented, focused on her end goal of defeating Roa in hand-to-hand combat. Surprisingly, Ciel actually had a rather small role in her training, mostly giving advice and acting as an occasional sparring partner for Satsuki to test her growing skills against. She was improving slowly, but there was a definite difference between the night she had fought Roa and the days of her training under Ciel's watchful eye.
In the morning, she would wake early and go for a jog around town, making sure to stay within human limitations of speed. Constraint, Ciel had told her, was a very important sign of power. In the end, it was the most powerful people who didn't have to use all their strength to win, while the losers used everything they had and still managed to fail. Jogging normally helped with that, and it made Satsuki get a better idea of what she was and wasn't capable of. Ciel seemed happy when she had that revelation, and fed her a nice dinner as a reward.
At night, however, Satsuki preferred not directly training her body, but instead training her mind. For though she was someone who had been in numerous fistfights and the like and wanted to fight, she didn't have the same mindset of a fighter, and didn't understand that mentality.
To cure that ailment, she turned to various entertainment goods: in her bedroom in Ciel's apartment, a stack of magazines with burly, half-naked men on their covers, brandishing their fists as if to challenge the reader. Inside were stories and pictures of famous boxers and pugilists, men who were masters of the sweet science and knew the true way to win a gentleman's duel. Satsuki eagerly absorbed what information they could pass to her through the printed word, and yet soon that wasn't enough for her.
She turned to the internet, then, to sate her need for more information, more knowledge, more wisdom about the world of fighting. Satsuki kept her eyes glued to the screen, staring at internet videos of schoolyard brawls and street fights and backyard boxing of all sorts, wanting only more. She wanted to understand the world of fighting with one's fists, if she couldn't actively live it yet. It was her belief that she could somehow absorb the fighting experience and attitudes of the people she watched through some kind of osmosis, understanding them by studying them.
In a way it was a study; she tried to piece together exactly how the winner of a fight won, and how the loser lost. It was almost a game to her, as much as it was a serious sort of practice for her own goals, but she felt in her heart that she was getting a better, greater knowledge of the art of fighting through this. She felt the urge to fight and beat things with her naked fists, to be a bare knuckle brawler just like she saw in the videos and read about in the magazines.
Yet, she had no outlet for it, and no way to express her enthusiasm for fighting.
That changed one day, when she came across stories about an American man from many decades ago, a famous leader, hero and of course a boxer; he epitomized the manly art, and Satsuki felt strangely drawn to him and his accomplishments. What he offered most to her, though, was an idea: if she were to replicate one of his feats, then she could truly consider herself a 'fighter' in the sense that she knew. She had an idol to look up to through her studies, and now she just had to find a way to make it real.
The fight with Roa that she longed for began to feel like a vague and distant memory, slipping with each passing day as it was pushed aside in favour of professional stories and amateur fighting videos that amassed themselves under Satsuki's careful research.
x-x-x x-x-x
There was one man who could make her goal come to life, and even Satsuki was unsure whether or not he'd be willing to participate in this. She clenched one fist tightly, then loosened it, letting the desire for fighting surge within her. This was what she wanted, after all.
Late in the evening on a dry, windy night, she walked down the street, looking like any ordinary schoolgirl. But, she had a rendezvous with someone in an alleyway planned for tonight, and she couldn't bear to miss this. The man she was looking for was Nrvnqsr, a wandering vampire himself who had decided to take residence in this city. If anyone, it was he who could create the challenge that Satsuki was dying for.
A smile slipped onto her face as she entered the alley, disappearing from the late night lights and prying eyes to somewhere she and her compatriot wouldn't be noticed. She felt along one wall, making sure everything was as usual for this part of town, and she looked on ahead.
Standing alone in the space provided right near the end of the alleyway coated in darkness was a tall man in a long, ragged coat. He wore neither a frown nor a smile, seeming to be emotionally uninvolved in this entirely, but from the look he had in his eyes, it was obvious that he understood Satsuki. The glimmer in her crimson eyes showed that she was looking forward to this in a way that went beyond her normal fighting practice. This meant something different to her.
The air smelled faintly like wood smoke, and Satsuki took in a deep breath of that scent. This was no time to be unsure of herself; she had to have confidence, or else this would all be for nothing. She had convinced herself that this was right, but in order to prove it to herself, she would have to act on these strange new desires that she had. Only then could she embrace her new path in life. She licked her lips at the thought.
There was little more than silence in the shadowed alley for a long time.
“Satsuki Yumizuka? This is what you want, is it?” Asked the man standing before her, his arms crossed. He questioned her in a low voice, trying not to make any assumptions but instead attempting to gauge her character.
Satsuki nodded, firm and resolute. “I'm sure. Do just as I asked, and then I'll be able to fight Roa later on. Right now, I... I don't know, I think I need this.” Her lips creased into an unsure smile, and she fidgeted her feet, tracing circles in the dusty ground. “But, I'm not going to doubt myself any longer! I know what has to be done, so let me fight your beast!”
To all appearances, Nrvnqsr himself looked calm and perhaps even solemn, but in a single moment that all brutally changed. His face contorted into the visage of a mad rage, its pallid skin turning a shade of sheer black. Bestial teeth jutted from his mouth in place of anything that looked human, and he let out a deep and fierce roar. Lines of what looked to be shadowy blood poured down his neck and down his coat, spreading out onto the ground like flame, advancing towards Satsuki in individual, writhing streams, bringing with them the stench of bile and saliva.
Right in front of her they all converged, a whole mass of nondescript shades pouring from the core of the ancient vampire Nrvnsqr, spilling out to form a huge beast standing on its hind legs, a great black bear far larger than Satsuki. She stepped back as soon as it materialized just a metre ahead of her, her foot pushing into the thick cement as she steadied herself. From this beast she knew just what to expect, but she also knew that she couldn't be prepared enough. The creature of chaos roared and charged, its dark fur matted already with blood and dirt; it was far from a noble creature, but it was what Satsuki knew she had to fight. This would prove her worth at last.
Standing still, she took the brunt of the beast's attack as it fell upon her, trying to crush her down to the ground. Its huge arms crudely wrapped around her and tossed her to the side, and she smashed against a brick wall with the sound of stone shattering. The wall had broken, but not her. She believed herself too tough to suffer injury from just that. It was a matter of moments before she got back on her feet, and she raised her fists again, breathing in deep and keeping herself completely concentrated on her massive foe. Its very movements thundered the ground, and sent reverberations through her small body, but she wasn't intimidated in the least.
A hiss of foul breath steamed out from its nose in an indignant huff when it saw that the girl it had beaten was still alive and well. It got down on all fours and snapped its jaws, circling around Satsuki. She had little room to manoeuvre, and the bear soon had her trapped in a corner. It snapped its jaws at her as a threat, edging in closer with each moment.
However, Satsuki wasn't going to be brought down just then. When the beast bit at her again she twisted her body to the side to avoid the attack, and then she clamped her whole hand over the bear's mighty jaws. They were held tightly shut, and in one fluid motion Satsuki wrenched its head aside by its snout and punched it right in the neck, making it let out a muffled, rumbling cry. Raking one claw forward it caught Satsuki's thigh, tearing three thick gashes in her flesh. That was enough to make her loosen her grip enough for the beast to shake its head about and escape her hold, and then it tried to get her arm in its mouth with a heavy snap.
She could hear the crunch as it failed to bite down on her forearm, but she wasn't willing to risk another attack from this powerful creature. Even if it managed to clamp her arm in its jaws even once, it would be likely that Satsuki wouldn't be able to escape at all. So, she came up with an alternate plan, and she narrowed her eyes as she stared right at the bear. It, too, seemed to have a look of rage in its eyes, and Satsuki smiled at that.
Using the extra foot or so of space she had created for herself by forcing the bear to back up, she stepped backwards in a short leap. Her feet pressed flat against the two walls of the corner, with one hand steadying herself as she kept to her perch just out of the bear's reach. It tried to swat at her but failed, and when it shook its head back and forth, roaring, Satsuki let out a triumphant laugh in response. She loved fighting, and this was making her hot blood pump like nothing before. This is what she lived for, she thought, and ran along the wall.
She only had a few moments to keep her grip on the wall, and she used them well. She acted before the bear could respond to her in any way, and crouched down to leap from the wall. Performing a somersault in midair, she landed on her feet, scraping slightly along the ground with one hand pressed to the concrete, steadying herself. She was in a crouch like a runner getting ready for a race, and she charged straight forward. The bear tried to snap its body around to get at her, but Satsuki was too fast, and its bulk was too great to quickly change direction. The girl found herself right behind the creature, and yet there was nowhere for her to strike.
Through she had managed to injure it by punching its neck, that had done little to stop it. Almost all of the bear's body was covered in thick, furry hide that was enough like armour that Satsuki's flurry of punches could hardly even make the beast of chaos groan. It didn't even feel Satsuki's attack, and after a few seconds of Satsuki pounding on its body, it turned around and lashed out, striking her with two heavy paws like hammers, sending her flying back into a dumpster, her head striking the sturdy metal with a dull clang. This wasn't a good position for her to be in, and she saw the bear on four legs walking slowly forward.
Like a whip she snapped to her feet with a slight jump, getting back to her fighting stance with her legs moving from side to side and fists readied, to either guard or strike. She'd hit with the force of her whole body, and dodge with her whole body taken into consideration. Though her offence against this beast wasn't perfect, she believed that she had a masterful defence against it, and she waited for it to approach.
After they stared at each other, it was clear neither one was going to make the first move. The bear stood on its four legs, denying any opportunity for Satsuki to hit it where it would hurt, and at the same time Satsuki was in a more open space with room to move to either side. If it came to it, she could probably easily dodge anything that the bear tried. In the end, though, getting into close range combat would be detrimental to her, as the bear had more raw power than even her vampiric body could muster.
Rushing ahead, Satsuki tempted the bear by appearing to be making a strike, but in reality stepped back before she had moved even a single foot. Still, the bear roared and stood up on its hind legs, sending spittle ahead with its hot breath whenever it opened its mouth. It had fallen for the feint at first, but Satsuki hadn't performed well enough to be completely convincing.
She tried again, and the bear growled, getting low to the ground. Its ears flattened like a dog's, and it seemed ready to rush at the girl. But, after a moment or two, it didn't. It just remained still, following with its eyes Satsuki's most minute movements, as if calculating what she would do. It was a true predator, trying to get any advantage over its prey. Compared to any normal bear this one was a paragon of its species, having great intelligence, size and power. To relive the legend of one of her favourite fighters, Satsuki wanted to wrestle this bear, and show it her power. Only that could prove that what she was doing was right.
Her third and final movement wasn't a feint at all. However, it proved one theory true: Satsuki believed that the bear's own intelligence could be wielded against it, and indeed that was true. Rather than pure instinct the creature had memory and the ability to learn, and yet that made it only expect that Satsuki was attempting one last, complex feint after her first two had failed.
Even as instinct was overshadowed by intellect in sapient creatures, so was the property of self doubt extant, and even this bear had some traces of that. It looked curiously at Satsuki as she rushed forward, her feet beating against the ground and tearing up dusty cement. It realized that this was a true attack, and raised up its whole body onto its rear legs to try to take her down with the sheer power of its own mass. That was what it had as an advantage in this fight, and so it would try to do anything in its ability to achieve victory.
However, that was exactly what Satsuki had wanted the black bear to do. Just as it roared and raised its body up, she ignored the throbbing pain of her wounded leg and jumped, crouching down for but a second on the ground and leaping into the air, swinging one leg forward in a last gasp attack. This was her only chance, and she had to take it.
Her foot made contact with the beast's throat, make it howl in mumbled pain and collapse forward. Deciding that she wasn't done yet, Satsuki grabbed at its fur, holding on as the bear shook its whole body about trying to lash out at the girl. It bit down on her shoulder, its teeth digging into her clothes and her flesh, but with its nearly collapsed throat it could hardly keep that up for long. Satsuki clambered onto the creature's back, holding onto tufts of thick fur; the bear slammed down on all fours, tearing Satsuki off of its bulk and sending her to the ground.
In its eyes was a look of absolute rage, incomparable to anything Satsuki could muster. Foam poured from its mouth in thick globs and it let go of any reason. Satsuki, on her back, felt the whole weight of the beast falling down on her as it pinned her to the concrete, its paws holding down her arms and its jaws opening wide to bite down on her pale, exposed neck.
Faced with near death, Satsuki felt a sense of power rushing through her, and urgency. She took in a deep breath right before the bear tore into her with its powerful jaws, and slipped one arm around the same limb that was holding her down. Using all the force she could manage in one blow, she managed to twist her arm around to snap the bear's bone right at its joint, making the beast tear itself away in pain, roaring. Only some magic of the ancient vampire Nrvnqsr kept the whole town from hearing that cry of rage, but for Satsuki the bear's howls were only signs of her victory.
Wrenching her body free from being pinned down, Satsuki wrapped her small arms as best she could around the bear, and pushed forward, running with all her might to slam the off-balance creature into the wall, its head snapping back and smashing against the solid bricks. She slipped her body to the side with quick and precise footwork, and let the bear tumble to the ground, the fire in its eyes extinguished. The fight had been ended with that last, absolute attack, and Satsuki let out an exhausted sigh as she stared at the black corpse.
The thing's stench was still on her, but it didn't matter. Her skin was hot and flushed, with sweat dripping down her face. She'd exerted herself more than ever before in that fight, but she was filled with such an incredible feeling of accomplishment that she was able to ignore all of that in favour of glancing over at Nrvnqsr, who nodded once in her direction.
With a dark shudder the beast unravelled, turning back into the slithers of chaotic black matter that had made up its body in the first place. All those tendrils and streams of shadow returned to their host, Nrvnqsr, and the whole area was clean as if nothing at all had happened, save for shattered brick and cement, and spatters of blood from Satsuki's torn up body.
She sat down, utterly spent from that battle, and she looked up still at Nrvnqsr, who seemed to be curious, if a shade disappointed in the vampire girl.
“An impressive victory.” He said after a long silence. “Months ago, I would never have expected you to have fought so well against one of my greater beasts, but it seems now you have changed. You have much potential in that body of yours... though I have to wonder if you'll ever truly end up reaching the peak of your abilities.”
Satsuki pursed her lips, wondered why Nrvnqsr still doubted her. “Why's that? I... I really want to fight!” She clenched her fist again, pumping it and showing Nrvnqsr her inexhaustible spirit. “Now that I've really done something I can be proud of, doesn't that make me more willing to go on and be better? With this I can really become the best fighter there is!”
Sighing, Nrvnqsr now wore a frown on his face, and shook his head once more. “That is not a goal suitable for a Dead Apostle, Satsuki Yumizuka. You have truly unparalleled potential even at such a young age, but even if you achieve this goal of being a 'great fighter'... you will only be directing your growth in a way that isn't satisfying to what you could be.”
“Wh-what do you mean? Surely there has to be some vampires out there who just want to do something simple, like me?”
“No.” Nrvnqsr answered her quickly and harshly. “You spoke once of defeating Roa himself in single combat. That is a goal you should work towards. However, based on your attitude as I've seen it, you wish to become a good fighter for the sake of fighting. That sort of ideal is... self-defeating. If you become a good fighter, then what will you do with that? It seems that you've been so absorbed in a culture of fighting that you've failed to learn that the greatest fighters do not do their art merely because they wish to fight, but because they have some vast goal that they want to achieve, something solid and reachable.” He breathed another sigh, and stared at Satsuki. “I was willing to help you advance as a person and a Dead Apostle, but you seem to have changed. I am disappointed in you, Satsuki Yumizuka.”
Satsuki shook her head, her hair waving across her shoulders. “I don't get it!” She cried, her shoulders slumping. “What do you mean, then? How am I supposed to get better or appreciate myself if I don't want to get better at fighting? I... I just don't know what you mean, and... and it makes me sad, sort of.” Her thoughts were jumbled and she hardly knew what to say. All she had within her was a mix of tangled emotions, and she needed to express them somehow.
Giving her a rare, honest smile that yet hardly seemed to fit on his face, Nrvnqsr lifted her off of the ground. “We should go have tea at a shop near here. I can explain this to you in greater detail there, if you are willing to listen. There is no bad blood between us, but I do wish to see you develop properly.”
Hesitantly at first, Satsuki smiled back and nodded, following the man to a tea shop in town. She was blissfully ignorant of how suspicious an old man in a trenchcoat and a young schoolgirl looked walking together, but she understood that Nrvnqsr wanted to help her, somehow.
But most of all, she wondered what her original mentor would say, and if she had advice on this dilemma that she now faced.
x-x-x x-x-x
When she next awoke, Satsuki felt somehow... strange. There was a certain lightheadedness that clouded her mind, and she groggily raised herself out of bed, hardly feeling like doing anything really physical. She rubbed her eyes and checked her alarm clock. It was still morning, but two hours past the time she usually got up to go jogging.
That just made her fall backwards and give up, seeing no purpose to waking. The events of the night before were blurry and she felt some pain trying to recall them, but she felt some urgency even though she'd already woken up far too late for her usual jog. Messing up her own schedule completely drained her of any willingness to get anything done that day, and the only reason why she slipped out of the covers of her bed and got up was because her stomach started growling at her.
Still wearing her pyjamas, she trudged out of her bedroom and into the small kitchen and dining room of the apartment, sitting down and waiting for the breakfast that Ciel usually prepared around that time of day.
For some reason that Satsuki couldn't fathom, Ciel never showed up. She scratched her head, looking around and trying to see where her mentor had gone, but even when she looked in the woman's bedroom she saw nothing. After looking around for a solid hour Satsuki started getting worried, thinking of anywhere that she could have gone that was outside of the apartment. School wasn't in session, and Ciel never usually had duties to perform, at least most of the time.
“Ciel? Where did you go? I'm... I'm kind of getting hungry, you know!” Satsuki crossed her arms and pouted, blaming Ciel herself for not showing up when she should have.
Just then the door burst open, slamming right into the wall, and through a cloud of mist came a blue-haired woman in a blue robe, her hands bare and free of any weapons. Her eyes were locked on Satsuki's slouching form, and she cast a harsh glare at the girl. Ciel had arrived, but not in the way Satsuki had ever expected.
Satsuki backed up against a wall, not knowing what to do but implicitly understanding that Ciel was here not to teach her, but to kill her. This was a poor battlefield, but one that Satsuki knew Ciel would have an inherent advantage fighting in. Satsuki, after all, was used to flat, open spaces, and in this apartment there were couches and tables in the way, and she felt almost confined. Her breathing started to get shallow and quick, like an animal about to be pounced on by a much more powerful and terrifying predator.
“Wh-what are you d-doing, Ciel?” She asked, her voice breathy.
The woman in blue narrowed her eyes. “You're useless now, Satsuki.” She spoke, shaking her head. “I offer to you two choices: submit or die. Since you don't seem to be willing to fight Roa and have strayed from the path I placed you on, I have no choice but to force you back to wherever you came from. If you wish, though, I will show you mercy and let you remain free, for at least a time. Tell me: what do you choose?” Those words had a sense of finality to them, and Satsuki felt as though a great weight was being pushed down on her body.
Even though Ciel's words were harsh and foreboding, Satsuki wouldn't bow to them. “I'll never do that!” She shouted, weakly tightening one hand into a fist as she adopted a fighting stance. “I'm not going to back down now, Ciel. If you want to kill me, then try. A true fighter entrusts her life to her fists!” Her voice was full of courage, but had the slightest wavering to it, and Ciel knew that Satsuki wasn't completely sure of herself. That was exactly what she had expected, and it was what she would use to turn this fight in her favour.
Striking first, Ciel dashed into the kitchen, diving and rolling past Satsuki and sliding along the smooth tile floor until she was up against the dining table. She beckoned for Satsuki to come and bring the fight to her herself, and the vampire girl was more than willing to oblige, a proud smile on her face that wasn't cruel in any way. She was fighting for her life, now, and knew that there could be no changing the course she'd set for herself.
She raised her fists and started forward, her steps cautious the whole way. Ciel crossed her arms, looking impatient but still ready for a fight, completely aware of what was going on and ready to strike back as soon as it was necessary. When Satsuki was close she pressed one arm and shoulder forward as a guard and kept the other back, prepared to punch or parry as was needed. Slowly, she drew her feet up, preparing them for a dodge as Satsuki gathered up speed.
The young vampire kept both fists closed tight and readied, and barrelled forward. When she got within range of Ciel, however, the woman just backflipped out of the way, onto the table right behind her. One of her feet struck Satsuki in the jaw, but at this point she couldn't be stopped at all from charging right ahead. Satsuki lowered her hands and gripped right below the edge of the table, lifting it up and forward with superhuman strength and sending Ciel unexpectedly backward, pinned against the wall.
She tried to resist, but Satsuki never let up for even a second, beating Ciel with a left hook to the cheek, then a right straight to the jaw that left a stinging red mark.
“Why are you fighting, Satsuki?” Ciel shouted her question, unaffected by the punches being laid on her.
Satsuki kept her body pressed against the table, not letting Ciel go as she answered, “I fight because that's what I have to do! I don't need any reason!”
“Not good enough!” Ciel shoved the girl with a sudden burst of force, feeling one gasp of hot breath from the girl before she was knocked stumbling backward towards the living room. “You'll never win if you only think of fighting without any purpose behind it!” A sharp lunge and a punch brought her fist up and into Satsuki's gut, knocking the wind out of her and making her grasp at her stomach, stunned for a few vital seconds.
At the very least she could control her vague lurching steps, and she made her way backwards even further. “I don't care!” She yelled, grabbing at Ciel's forearm as she went in for another punch, and Satsuki tossed the woman's arm aside. A look of fierce determination was in her eyes, but it didn't impress Ciel at all. The woman of the church just walked steadily forward, an imposing wall of force that couldn't be stopped no matter what Satsuki tried to do.
“Who are you fighting for?” Ciel asked again as she hit Satsuki with a heavy shoulder check, sending her tumbling backwards over the back of the couch. She vaulted over, getting right beside the girl who was bent over, barely able to defend herself in any way.
“I fight for myself!” Shouted the girl, and she twisted her body around to get behind Ciel, smashing her spine with a well-timed blow with the side of her fist that nearly sent Ciel reeling. But, Ciel knew there was little spirit behind even an attack like that, and she would continue to fight so long as Satsuki had no spirit to put into their battle.
Ciel spun around, hitting Satsuki in the nose with her swung arm, making her grasp at her nose and take a few blind steps backward, completely off-balance and easy to exploit. Ciel stepped in to make her followup attack just a fraction of a second later, swinging her leg around behind Satsuki to knock the girl flat to the ground, on her back and helpless.
She stared at her, frowning. “That's not what you said after I saved you, Satsuki.” Disappointment could be heard in her voice, and Satsuki felt an ache in her heart. What wasn't she understanding? It almost brought her to the brink and made her want to give up, but she wouldn't allow anything like that to happen.
“What did you say, that morning? Tell me, Satsuki!” Ciel lashed out, even stronger now, stomping with one booted foot down on Satsuki's leg, nearly crushing her bones with the sheer force of that. Her power was unrelenting, but she at least gave Satsuki time to answer for herself.
“I said I wanted to defeat Roa!” Satsuki gave a plain answer, sputtering up blood and saliva when she was kicked harshly in her side for that incomplete and lying answer.
Ciel couldn't be satisfied by the way Satsuki was acting. She grabbed her by one arm and forced her to her feet, then held her shoulders and rammed her with a relentless shove against one wall of the room, beating her in the face with a clenched fist, wanting to get something more honest out of Satsuki. If she had to kill her she would, but she had to deal with something more important before then. Her questions struck Satsuki's very spirit, and it was clear that the fledgling vampire wouldn't be able to withstand them for much longer.
“Tell me the truth!” She pulled Satsuki back from the wall, and then slammed her back at it, making her head snap back and forming a shallow dent in the wall exactly there.
Satsuki's breathing was now ragged, and her body was covered in sweat. “What d-do you want to know? Th-there's nothing else!” She shouted, absolutely exasperated.
Her frown now a genuine scowl, Ciel brought her knee straight up and rammed it into Satsuki's stomach, sending the girl lurching forward, her head resting on Ciel's shoulder and her face contorting in pain. Her skin was flushed, and bruises could be seen all over her.
“Who are you really fighting for?” Ciel asked, the look in her eyes showing clearly that she wanted to know what Satsuki had been missing this whole time.
“I...” Satsuki let out a long breath, her face turning a shade of sickly pale, even beyond her normal undead pallor, and she felt like she was slipping into sleep. “I... I'm fighting for-” There was a solid blow to her cheek. Satsuki's eyes lit up at once with rage, but that cooled shortly afterwards, her fighting spirit dwindling to nearly nothing. She was fighting for something, but... for what?
She was struck by the realization just as Ciel gripped her head and smashed it once more against the wall. Though she was feeling dizzy and barely aware of anything that was going on, it was clear in her mind what she really meant behind this fighting, why she did it all in the first place. She remembered what Nrvnqsr had said, and when she realized what she had been getting wrong, she nearly collapsed on the spot.
“I'm fighting for Tohno!” She let out a mad yell, and gripped Ciel by her sides, one arm right under her shoulder. Energized by her epiphany, Satsuki had a second wind and lifted Ciel all the way into the air, dropping her down onto the coffee table right in front of the couch. She bounded over the couch like a beast, tearing across it and letting her hands do her work; Satsuki fell on top of Ciel when she leapt from the couch, smashing through the table with the impact and pounding away at Ciel's face with an endless barrage of punches, each one stronger than what she had ever let out.
Even under that onslaught Ciel laughed, but it was something more. It sounded somehow happy. “That's good! Tell me more; why do you fight for him?”
Smells of blood and sweat mingled in the air, an intoxicating mixture. Satsuki was nearly drunk off of it, her reasoning clear as she utilized everything her body was capable of. Ciel kicked up, sending Satsuki flying backwards into the kitchen, but the girl landed on her feet, hardly affected by the heavy strike. She would never give up, not now.
“I fight for Tohno...” Satsuki began, gathering her strength as she watched Ciel rise to her feet, crouching low to the ground, “...because I love him!”
She spoke what was on her mind. Yes, that was the reason, in the end... if she could defeat Roa, and prove herself worthy of respect and admiration, then the boy she loved, Shiki Tohno, would finally pay attention to her. Her struggle would meet an end, and she could be happy. But, until that happened, she would have to fight with every ounce of her strength and willpower.
“Never forget that!” Ciel responded, elated by and perhaps a little jealous of Satsuki's answer. However, by the time she said that she had already began to sprint madly forward, running right for Satsuki; if she managed to make her next strike connect, then they'd both smash right through the side of the apartment and onto the street below.
However, among fighters, Satsuki was the sort who focused on defence. Her offence was certainly impressive, but there was little in the world that could match her supreme instincts and skill in the art of defending herself against attackers. It was like a divine gift to her, or perhaps a talent taken to the utmost level. Here she was at her peak, and she had a sense of self-worth that couldn't be quenched, not in a hundred thousand years.
As Ciel reached her, Satsuki brought her fist forward, completely level and clenched as hard as she could make it. She punched straight ahead for Ciel's stomach as Ciel herself tried to grab on to Satsuki to hold her in her attempt to bring them both through the wall in a thundering, mighty last move that could end up destroying them both. It all hinged on whether or not Satsuki's defence would hold against this peerless charge.
Then, as it turned out, her defence held.
The sheer force of Ciel's body colliding with Satsuki's fist was too much for even the expert hunter of the church. Her stomach was pierced, and her spine broken as Satsuki's fist passed straight through her body, sending a splatter of gory red across the tile floor behind her, and coating Satsuki's arm with blood.
“Good... good work.” Said Ciel, staring up into Satsuki's eyes as the girl held her in her arms, cradling her gently and bringing her lightly to the floor, not wanting her to be in too much pain as she fell unconscious. Satsuki wore a solemn expression on her face, knowing that Ciel hadn't been killed, but had been dealt a blow that was nearly fatal even for a person with superhuman endurance. Satsuki's punch was not only forceful, but her very body exuded an aura of incredible willpower that would be enough to overwhelm anyone and kill them, if a solid and lethal enough blow was landed. Such was the power of Satsuki's fist.
But, now wasn't the time to be waiting. With Ciel, her mentor, impressed and defeated by her skills, Satsuki had only one fight left before her: Roa.
Stepping lightly out of the apartment, Satsuki made her way to the warehouse district where she knew Roa was still waiting in his makeshift lair. He likely knew that she would be coming back to fight him, and yet even then, Satsuki knew that even Roa wouldn't be expecting the changes that had happened over the course of the past weeks. Satsuki was almost a new person, reborn in her own body, but her mind remained the same, and undiluted.
She had a goal, and no matter what, she was going to achieve it.
x-x-x x-x-x
The warehouse had hardly changed in the weeks since Satsuki had last seen it. Perhaps a few shelves or cardboard boxes had been moved about, but otherwise nothing much was different. Satsuki warily eyed the whole place, suspicious of open spaces. She checked the ceiling, and there was no one there.
No, Roa wasn't hiding: he was sitting lazily on a pile of boxes, chin resting on his fist, watching Satsuki enter his lair and walk about. He let out a small laugh when he saw her evident suspicion, and he jumped down to the ground from his makeshift chair. In recent times he had little to do in this city, so Satsuki was a rare spot of relief for him. Even now he still remembered her last visit quite fondly.
“So the fledgling vampire has come again!” He exclaimed, raising his arms as if to present Satsuki to a nonexistent crowd. Just like before, he stood under one of the ceiling lights in the illuminated circle it traced on the smooth concrete floor. The floor, in fact, was polished, enough so that one could see a person's reflection in the concrete below.
Satsuki stood under a light right across from Roa, letting him see her clearly. “I'm not inexperienced anymore, Roa. I can defeat you this time!” She planted her feet squarely apart and readied her fists, held tight.
“You'll always just be a little girl to me, you know.” Roa said with a small chuckle. “I'm the one who made you a vampire, and like a father to his daughter, I can hardly see you as 'grown-up' in any sense. It will be nice, to see if you've really changed at all.” He nodded at her, his expression finally becoming serious. “You're ready, are you?”
“Of course I am!” Satsuki pumped her fist, hopping from side to side on her feet, not wanting to wait for the battle to commence. “Come at me, Roa!”
And, so he did.
Satsuki circled around, rolling to get behind Roa after he rushed forward to start a regular melee with her. He never planned on actually hitting her with that, though; in the end, they were still apart, having not advanced even a foot closer to each other. Still, Satsuki kept her fists up, not wanting to be caught off guard. A feint certainly wouldn't work against someone like Roa.
She didn't want this to go on much longer, though. She sprinted forward and hit the floor, her leg aimed forward in a low kick. Moving faster than a bullet, she slid across the concrete and tripped Roa with a sweep of her other leg as she raised back up to her feet just behind the man. However, he took that in stride, and casually flipped forward back onto his feet, still standing.
That wasn't unexpected for Satsuki, either, and she tried her best not to underestimate Roa. Still, she was in a good, close position here, and so she raised her fist, using the momentum from her quick slide to propel a punch right for Roa's chest.
He stopped it with one hand, and smiled grimly. His teeth bared, and he began pressing Satsuki's fist back at her, trying to slowly break the bones in her hand and wrist. She wouldn't be taken down so easily, though, and after a second of careful thought she whipped her other hand up to the side of Roa's white dress shirt, grabbing onto it and trying to toss Roa aside with the little leverage that she had in her position, dragging him down.
At the very least, that managed to make him divert his attention elsewhere, and he slid the hand that held Satsuki's fist down the front of his shirt, tearing it open. Offering some resistance to one side, exactly opposite the force that Satsuki herself was exerting, he slipped away, shirtless. Satsuki was left stumbling backwards, Roa's torn shirt in one hand. She tried to regain her balance, but wasn't fast enough: Roa slipped up right in front of her, looked her in the eyes, and punched her in the stomach, making her lean over from the heavy blow, and then swung a right hook for the side of her head, putting enough weight behind that blow to knock even a Dead Apostle unconscious.
Satsuki, though, wasn't an ordinary Dead Apostle. Instead of taking the blow, she smashed her head and body forward, the top of her head connecting with Roa's chest in a spectacularly strong attack that managed to make even him take a few steps back, reeling from that strike. He never expected that, and he gave Satsuki a light smile, showing he was impressed with her. That, though, wasn't what she wanted. She'd only stop when she had absolute victory, and she had no time to waste thinking about other things.
“You're doing well! Keep it up, now!” Roa laughed and leapt to the side, gesturing for Satsuki to try to keep up with him as he began to run, trying to make speed a factor in the outcome of this battle. Satsuki knew she could meet his challenge.
In fact, she didn't need to even match his speed. She shuffled about a small space, waiting for Roa to get into one space where she knew she'd be able to pull off an attack that would give her an immediate advantage. Her eyes followed him closely, and it was a matter of making sure to move when she needed to, rather than waiting for him to strike. She knew that Roa would only make a move when he had the advantage, and at the moment they were about equal.
She dashed forward, leading Roa like a moving target, knowing where he would be next out of instinct and experience. He fought in a way similar to Ciel, actually, and Satsuki made a note of that as she rushed to get right into his face, her shoes tapping loudly on the smooth floor beneath her. Eventually the taps became more spread out as her strides grew wider, and she was nearly flying with each step she took. Much like before, she ran at Roa, but this time she didn't go at his side. Instead, she got up close and tossed his old shirt in his face, taking him by surprise. He hadn't expected her to fight dirty.
His bare chest was battered with a dozen punches before he could slip slightly to the side, avoiding one heavier blow and getting his own wound up strike on Satsuki's shoulder as she tried to bring her fist back to defend herself. She was too late, and the hit to her shoulder forced her to take a few steps back, but not too many. It was clear by now, though, that Roa wished to stay out of a direct melee with her, and that Satsuki herself was a superior direct fighter, while Roa had more dexterity but a larger frame. If Satsuki ever got in close and stayed there, she'd probably be able to pummel Roa down with blow after blow that would force him down.
Roa's goal, then, was to avoid that. He took a hit to his side, numbing the pain with sheer willpower and using that time while Satsuki readied herself for another strike to hit her right in the neck with the side of his hand, a chop strong and directed enough to nearly tear a person's head off. He was a serious fighter in situations like this, and he wasn't going to go easy on Satsuki.
One pale hand reached out and gripped her throat, and she held onto it with both of hers. Roa raised her up, up until she couldn't even kick at him, and slammed her into the ground without mercy or remorse. She made a clear crater in the floor, and was aching all over. She wouldn't have been surprised if a few of her bones broke from that, but she still wouldn't care. It was her fight, and she would keep on going until she dropped dead. Roa may have been clever, but Satsuki believed that she could at least outlast him physically.
A glowing aura surrounded Roa's body, and lightning crackled from his fingertips. It arced upwards, striking each of the ceiling lights, until the only light entering the warehouse was of the waxing moon filtered through the wide windows. That was still enough light for Satsuki to see with, though, and she wasn't caught off-guard by that trick like she was the first time. Instead, she twisted about as she stood to her feet in what looked almost like a dance, her legs spinning and knocking Roa down; Satsuki used the one opportunity she had then to lunge up from the ground and hit Roa in the jaw as he fell.
He wasn't down long. Satsuki stepped back, not wanting him to use a move similar to the one she'd just executed, and as a result he just sprang to his feet, looking no less energized than before. No matter how many times Satsuki beat on him with her supernaturally tough fists, he was still immensely strong, even amongst vampires. It would take something serious to defeat him, more than just a few dozen punches across his body.
Satsuki took in a deep breath as she readied herself for another round of fighting. She made herself recall why she was doing this. She understood: she was a bare knuckle brawler, a fist-fighter, a pugilist of a bygone era. Her goal, in the end, was to defeat Roa and make the boy she loved pay attention to her. That, for her, was more than enough motivation. Nothing in the world could stop her, and as she smelled her own hot sweat she felt the desire to fight and win coursing through her whole body, making her feel all-powerful.
Roa was already up and fighting her again, and she stopped his rapid punches with her own fists, meeting them blow against blow, trying to beat him down with every parry and every punch. One forearm pushed Roa's hand to the side, and the other arm used that opening to meet Roa's other fist, pushing past it and striking the man in the side of the jaw as he tried to move his head out of the way to avoid another hit.
That wasn't the end: Satsuki knocked him off-balance but didn't move him back, and so she locked her arms up and around his, and pressed the top of her head against his throat. This technique was inspired by the bear she had fought, and she imagined its immense strength as her legs worked to propel them both forward, the concrete cracking under Satsuki's powerful feet, her heels almost digging into the floor. She ran ahead, holding Roa as tightly as she could, and at the last moment shoved him forward into a tall and empty shelf made of pure steel.
He stumbled back at a pace he couldn't control, and fell into the shelf with a heavy clang; it swung back, then forward, and finally with a momentous, slow collapse it toppled onto him, crushing him under its immense weight. He let out a pained cry, the first of the long battle, but Satsuki wasn't convinced that he had been defeated quite yet.
As she bent her knees, ready for anything, her prediction came true.
Roa stood up, knees bent, his powerful arms grabbing hold of and tossing the whole shelf at Satsuki, rocketing it at her with reckless abandon. She ran at it and ducked down, sliding along the floor underneath it to get right back in front of Roa again, not wanting to give him any breathing room. If she kept up the pressure then she would win, she thought.
At the very least, it was clear that the fight would soon reach a conclusion, with a victory possible for either fighter. The shelf smashed into the floor far behind the two with an unceremonious crash, twisting itself apart on impact. It acted almost like a signal for them to starting beating on each other again, and Satsuki was more than willing to oblige. Though she had bruises covering her face and blood running down her legs and chest, she kept going. Similarly, Roa was covered in cuts and had a clearly broken shoulder, the bone sticking up from his flesh and sweet red blood spilling down in drips onto the grey floor. They acted as if nothing was wrong, though, and fought harder than ever.
Roa blocked a punch from Satsuki with his bare chest, grabbing her wrist, and he twisted his body around to arc her up and over his shoulder. She landed with a thud, smashing on the ground and almost snapping her own limbs, sliding a few metres, but she didn't let Roa gain any advantage. When he came up behind her, she pressed one elbow backward, aiming it up to impact right with his stomach. The force of that hit combined with his momentum made Roa nearly topple over forward, and Satsuki seized her chance.
Barely standing up, Satsuki locked an arm around Roa's neck and with her other fist bashed him on the back of his head, letting him fall to the floor. It was enough to cause a sickly crunching noise as Satsuki's knuckled collided with his skull.
Not giving up at all yet, Roa just laughed and flipped Satsuki over himself with the leverage of his body; as he did so he brought up one hand and smashed it against the girl's elbow joint, snapping her arm and making it bend in a way it wasn't supposed to at all. Satsuki let out a bloody scream at the burning pain of having her arm broken in half, and when she stumbled up to her feet that arm was absolutely useless, hanging limp while the other had to carry its weight. Could she win this fight with just one arm? Satsuki felt some doubt fill her mind as soon as she heard the raw crack of bone, but she cast that away and narrowed her eyes at Roa.
Though he tried not to show it, he had felt that last blow to the back of his head, and he stumbled vaguely about when he got solidly back on his feet. Satsuki, even in her current state, could note that. Her breath ragged, she pressed her luck in a risky move that, if performed incorrectly, could leave her open to a finishing blow from Roa. The battle was heating up, both figuratively and literally: Satsuki could see drips of sweat trickling down Roa's chest, and even his pale skin was getting hot and flushed from sheer exertion. His bared muscles gleamed from the slick sweat covering them, and he flexed them as he clenched one fist.
Satsuki stepped forward and, instead of punching with her good arm as Roa expected, she spun about, bringing one leg up high, tucking it in, and then shooting it out at a magnificent speed, faster than nearly anyone could match or even try to keep track of.
Her roundhouse kick smashed the heel of her foot right into Roa's throat, and he coughed up blood and spit, grabbing at his throat. He retched in pain, nearly vomiting, but he didn't lose focus, trying to still keep track of Satsuki. She was reaching a crescendo in her fighting, knowing what she had to fight for, and how to achieve it. The next few attacks she thought up were planned out clearly in her mind, thoroughly understood and practised to perfection.
Though he hit Satsuki in the stomach with a punch that mustered up all of his remaining strength, Roa couldn't manage to stop the girl's advance, and she shoulder-checked him with her broken arm and aching shoulder, a risky and painful tackle. She winced in pain, but accepted it freely. Pain was necessary for success. And, she knew just as well, Shiki had to suffer pain every time he fought. If she couldn't match his resilience, then she didn't even deserve to win.
Roa was off-balance, and open for a clear strike. There was nothing he could do, and his eyes locked on a fist coming straight for his chest, a strike that he could do nothing about. He understood, then, that he would die, and let out a long, sputtering laugh. Even though he was a nearly immortal Dead Apostle, a centuries old vampire and the famed Serpent of Akasha himself, he would die. There was something about Satsuki's fist, barrelling ahead for his body, that was unlike anything else he had ever come into contact with. It was infused with such passion, determination and sorrow that it was magical in its own right, perhaps even utilizing some of the immense magical potential Satsuki had within her. Whatever it was, it filled Roa with both absolute dread and absolute satisfaction.
Burning with pride and passion, her blood pumping hot through her veins, Satsuki shot her fist forward with all of her might.
“I'm never going to forget this, Roa!” She yelled at the top of her lungs, and her mighty, resounding blow pierced right through Roa's chest, crushing his heart and coming out the other side, and she pulled him in close to her body. A few small tears fell down her cheek, but she steeled herself; this was no time to be emotional, as she was a fighter now.
Roa himself had a vague and distant look in his eyes, Satsuki noticed, and even as the adrenaline within her began to lose its potency and her hand no longer burned a hot red, she realized she had won. Roa gave her one last, happy smile, and said,
“I... can't really call you a fledgling any longer, can I...?” His eyes closed, and he lost all power in his limbs and his body, falling forward onto Satsuki. She caught him, and sensed that her connection to him was severed without any trace. Roa was truly and finally dead, his very soul dissipated by the raw power behind Satsuki's passion-infused fist.
It had ended at last, and silence fell upon the dark, moonlit warehouse.
Though she had faced many trials, both internal and external, Satsuki rose to her feet once more, now proud. She had come from humble beginnings in search of a single truth, and had found a world of knowledge and excitement she had never known before. Though she had nearly succumbed to losing herself in pointless violence, she managed to see her goals only more clearly, and that made her heart swell inside her. She'd never felt that before; she'd never felt pride. But now, staring down at her battered, beaten and bloody hands, she knew that she had accomplished something worthy of her own legend, beyond just a recreation of the achievements of someone else.
She knew, in that moment, that the boy she loved would finally pay attention to her.
Staring off into the distance at the entrance she had stepped in through to seal her fate, she saw a familiar figure in a blue-coloured suit and jacket, standing completely still in the doorway wearing an awestruck smile.
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Satsuki's punches have the power to destroy souls, discuss.
I hope you all enjoyed it! It was certainly fun to write.
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Originally Posted by Seika
