Music for chapter: Soundgarden -4th Of July
Aullie couldn't stop fidgeting with his lockpick, rolling it between his fingers while that familiar tingle of Void energy crawled under his skin.
"You're going to wear a groove in that thing," Sora said, not breaking stride as she stretched. Her breathing was controlled, the only thing giving away her nerves was how Kagehime kept shifting on her shoulder, those dark eyes scanning everything twice.
"Better than setting the grass on fire," Aullie shot back, nodding toward Aki.
"I'm not" Aki started, then looked down at her hands where tiny flames were dancing between her knuckles. "Okay, maybe a little."
Haru pushed off from the wall, stones skittering away from his feet like they were trying to escape. "We've trained for this a hundred times."
"Training's different," Aki said, shaking out her hands. The flames went out, but Aullie could still smell the burnt grass. "This is…"
"This is what we're here for." Sora's voice was steady, but she reached up to stroke Kagehime's fur. Above them, Saki let out a sharp cry and banked in a tight circle, wings cutting through the thick air.
Koizumi's voice boomed across the field. "Squads to your positions!"
They all looked at each other for a beat. Aullie pocketed his lockpick, Aki cracked her knuckles, and Sora rolled her shoulders back. The moment stretched thin between them.
"Whatever happens out there," Haru said, his voice rougher than usual, "we stick together."
"Always do," Aullie replied.
"Let's fuck em' up!" Aki added, and this time when the flames appeared around her fingers, they stayed steady.
Across the field, Ryota's squad was already waiting. The pale morning light stretched their shadows out long and thin, making them look taller, more intimidating. Ryota wasn't wearing his usual cocky grin, just staring straight at Aullie with calculating eyes.
"He looks different," Aki muttered under her breath.
"Focused," Sora said quietly. "They all seem to be."
She was right. Ryota's teammates were coiled tight, shifting their weight like runners waiting for the starting gun. No trash talk, no showboating. Just business.
Koizumi lifted his hand, and the field went dead quiet. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
"To win the match you either need to incapacitate the entire team, or get the team captain to surrender, looking at you two Ikeda and Ona."
Both Aullie and Ryota nodded at the same time.
"You ready for this?" Haru asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Aullie's grip tightened on his lockpick. "As we'll ever be."
"Begin!"
Everything erupted at once.
Aki shot into the air like a rocket, flames streaming behind her. "Get down!" she yelled, hurling fire at their sniper named Mako. The girl scrambled backward, cursing.
Haru's hands hit the ground hard. "Cover!" Earth erupted in jagged walls around them, chunks of stone and dirt raining down. Good, Aullie thought, buy us some time.
Then Ryota was on him.
Steel rang against steel, the impact shooting up Aullie's arm like lightning. Christ, he's strong. Ryota's blade moved like water, smooth, relentless, each strike flowing into the next. Aullie had to give ground, his feet sliding on the torn-up earth.
"Finally ready to get serious, Ikeda?" Ryota's voice pure venom.
"Just getting warmed up," Aullie shot back, but his heart was hammering. Focus. Find the opening.
They circled each other, blades singing. Ryota's sword left frost trails in the air, crackling cold that made Aullie's breath catch. Too close. He Void-stepped left, violet energy wrapping around him like smoke, felt the ice blade whistle past his ear.
There. Aullie's dagger snapped out, caught Ryota across the ribs. Not deep enough. Swinging his Katana low he missed his follow up strike, the bastard twisted away, but blood darkened his shirt.
"Lucky shot," Ryota snarled, then came in low and fast.
Shit. Aullie jumped back, flipped in midair, landed wrong. His ankle screamed but held. Another Void step, this time behind, got you, but Ryota spun like he had eyes in the back of his head.
Their blades crashed together, sparks flying. The impact rattled Aullie's teeth, made his vision blur for a split second. He's faster than before. Stronger too. But Ryota's breathing was getting ragged too, sweat mixing with the frost on his face.
"Not bad," Ryota grunted, pushing harder.
"I'm just getting started." Liar. Aullie's arm was already burning, his Aether energy waning. But he couldn't let up, couldn't show weakness.
They broke apart, both of them breathing hard, Aullie got into his stance, Tanto dagger in his left hand, Katana in his right and waited. The cold air turned their breath to steam, made the blood on Ryota's shirt look darker. Around them, the battle raged, Aki's flames, Sora's shouts, the crack of Haru's earth walls taking hits.
Come on, Aullie thought, watching Ryota's eyes. Make a mistake you fucker. Just one.
While slowly circling Ryota, Aullie used his peripheral vision to check out what's happening with the rest of his team and his bonds.
"Watch your six!" Sora yelled at Haru as she sliced through a barrage of wind rings. Her blade work was clean, efficient, each cut exactly where it needed to be. "I've got you covered!"
"Thanks!" Haru slammed his fist down, and the ground split like rotten wood. Their opponents stumbled, cursing as the earth shifted under their feet. Smart, Aullie noted. Keep them off balance.
Kagehime was a black streak, the ferret launching herself from Sora's shoulder straight at the monk, Hideo. Shadows rippled around her small form as she hit him with a darkness shock. Hideo grabbed his head, screaming, just as Saki dove from above. Her wings covered in the space element sliced across his forearm, and his hand went limp.
"My arm!" Hideo staggered backward. "I can't feel my damn arm!"
Above them, Aki was putting on a show. Fire streamed from her hands as she spun through the air, cutting off escape routes, herding their enemies like sheep. Her gecko Martin clinging to her shoulder adding bursts of flame to her already spectacular onslaught. Show off, Aullie thought, but he was grinning. Keep it up.
Then everything went to hell.
Ryota's Ice Wolf exploded out of nowhere, all fangs and frozen breath, frost spreading wherever its paws touched. It went straight for Haru's throat.
"Haru!" Sora screamed.
Queenie slammed into the wolf midair, black fur and white ice tangling together in a snarling mess. They hit the ground hard, rolling, claws tearing at flesh and fur. Blood splattered the frost-covered dirt.
Shit, the beasts are on each other and it's not pretty. Aullie felt his stomach drop. Queenie was tough, but that ice wolf was bigger, and seriously fucking mean looking. Luckily Shinku darted in after Aullie called him off from covering Sora and Haru, using his small form, flickering in and out of void, slashing at the wolf's back legs before vanishing again.
The wolf yelped, spun around snapping at empty air. It snarled viciously and it sounded grinding ice.
This is getting bad, Aullie realized. Real bad.
The monk was throwing up barriers everywhere, golden light crackling as he boxed Sora and Haru in. "Can't hit what you can't reach!" he called out, sweat pouring down his face.
"Like hell," Haru snarled, but his earth walls were crumbling against the monk's defenses.
Then the crack of a rifle split the air. Aki jerked midair, blood blooming across her shoulder as she tumbled toward the ground.
"Aki!" Sora screamed.
Shit, the sniper found her mark. Aullie's chest tightened as Aki hit the dirt hard, but she rolled and came up spitting mad.
"You bitch!" Aki roared, flames erupting around her like a bonfire. "That fucking hurt!"
There. Aullie saw it, Ryota half-turned, watching Aki fall. Just for a second, but it was enough.
"Regroup!" Aullie shouted, then Void-stepped behind Ryota. Queenie came with him, her claws finding gaps in Ryota's armor, digging deep.
Ryota spun like a top, his blade catching Aullie across the cheek. Fire raced down his face, and he felt blood run hot down his jaw.
"Getting sloppy, Ikeda," Ryota said, but his breathing was labored now.
"That's your first and last hit on me, Royal prick," Aullie shot back, dodging another thrust. And you're slowing down.
His muscles were screaming, lungs burning with each breath. Around them, Haru threw up one last dome of earth around himself and Aki, blocking the sniper's line of sight.
"Ready for a trick?" Sora appeared beside him, Kagehime coiled on her shoulder like a dark spring.
"Always."
The ferret launched herself, darkness crackling around her small form. She hit Ryota center mass, and shadows poured into him. His sword arm went limp, the blade wavering.
"What the—" Ryota's eyes went wide.
Now. Aullie stepped in close, inside Ryota's guard. Ryota swung wild with his off-hand, telegraphing it from a mile away.
Aullie ducked low and drove his forehead straight into Ryota's nose.
The crunch was satisfying. Blood exploded across Ryota's face as he staggered backward, eyes watering, completely stunned.
Don't let up. Aullie went in for a knee to the gut causing blood and saliva to shoot out of Ryotas mouth and hunch over in agony. Immediately after he swept Ryota's legs hard. The bigger boy went down like a sack of rocks, and Aullie was on him before he could blink, knee pressed to his chest, dagger point hovering a hair's breadth from Ryota's left eye.
"Yield," Aullie said quietly. His voice didn't shake, even though his hands were.
Ryota stared up at him, breath barely coming into his lungs, blood streaming from his broken nose, fury and something like respect warring in his eyes. For a long moment, nobody moved on the battlefield moved.
Then Ryota's shoulders sagged. "I yield."
Finally. Aullie's whole body wanted to collapse, but he kept the dagger steady until Koizumi's whistle cut through the air.
"Match concluded!" Koizumi's voice carried across the torn-up field. "Ikeda's team victorious!"
The words hit Aullie like a physical weight lifting off his chest. Around him, his team erupted.
"Yes!" Aki threw both fists in the air, blood still trickling from her shoulder but grinning like a maniac. "Did you see that shot I took? Still kicked ass!"
Haru let out a long breath, his shoulders finally dropping. "That was a little too close for comfort, pretty sure I might have peed a little."
Wood gave him the side eye and scooted away.
Sora was smiling, a gorgeous smile that took Aullies breath away, with her eyes bright despite the exhaustion written all over her face. Kagehime chittered triumphantly from her shoulder and Saki chirped a victory song above us.
Aullie pulled back, offering Ryota his hand. The other boy was already sitting up, blood smeared across his face, but his eyes held something different now. Not hatred, but maybe some grudging respect.
"Not bad, Ikeda," Ryota said, voice muffled from his broken nose. He took the offered hand and let Aullie pull him to his feet.
"Thanks." Aullie studied Ryota's face. "Next time, don't underestimate us."
Ryota actually almost smiled at that. "Next time, I won't make the same mistakes." He paused. "You fight dirty."
"I fight to win."
"Yeah." Ryota wiped more blood from his nose. "I can see that."
By evening, they'd made it to their favorite spot on the academy roof. The sun was setting, painting everything in soft purple and gold, and Aullie's cheek had been healed, same with Aki's shoulder. Even with the healing they were still all bandaged up, bruised to hell, but none of them wanted to be anywhere else.
"Honestly didn't know what to expect," Haru said, poking at the bandage on his arm. "That monk was no joke."
"Speak for yourself," Aki shot back, but her usual fire was tempered with exhaustion. "I never doubted us for a second."
"Liar," Sora said softly, but she was smiling. She shifted closer to Aullie, her shoulder warm against his. "You scared me out there for a minute. When Ryota caught you with that blade..."
"Yeah." Aullie touched his cheek. "Scared myself a bit too."
"Don't make a habit of it," she said, but her voice was gentle.
Aullie looked out over the academy grounds, watching students move between the buildings below. Tomorrow there'd be more training, more challenges, harder fights. But right now, sitting here with his team, his friends, he felt almost content.
Ready for Whatever came next, they'd handle it.
Together.