Love and Bamboo Sword

"FUCK ALL THAT!!!! SENTOKI IS HERE!!!!"

Sentoki stood with her fists pumped in the air. There was dead silence for a moment. Her words echoed throughout the arena, filled with unwavering conviction. She smiled and looked at the crowd around her and a single drop of sweat trailed down her face, disappearing in the heat of the moment.

The people shouted with fervour as they watched the first knockout of the tournament. The announcer slowly regained his composure and said "It seems like Contestant 4 won this bout". He looked at his co-host and the man shrugged his shoulders. "Should we go on?" he asked. "The crowd likes it….. I guess" the other man answered with a nonchalant face.

"THE WINNER, WITH AN EXPLOSIVE ENTRANCE, CONTESTANT 4!!!!!" he blasted through the speakers. The announcement gave more room for the audience to go wild. Sentoki stood in their excitement and tears ran down her cheeks as she clenched her fists even tighter.

"This feels so good"

The cameras did not terrify her. The looks of people had no effect on her heart. Fear? What was that? It didn't exist to Sentoki. She was strong now and she looked at her fists. They were strong. Strong enough to protect her from her nightmares.

As she walked away, she felt the band aid on her cheek and the warm embrace of love that emanated from it. "Watch me.... I'll keep going" she said as she moved out with the cheers of the audience behind her, pushing her forward.

Chisai and her brother joined the crowd as they applauded the beautiful sight they had seen. "She's strong isn't she?" asked Shinai from the chair next to them. "Yeah! She really is!!" Chisai answered, unaware of the person that sat beside her. Slowly, the realization hit her.

"HUH?!!!" she intoned and looked at Shinai sitting, staring at Sentoki as she walked away from the fighting ground. "What…..How... How the hell did you get here?" she stuttered and a red flush took over her face. Shinai didn't answer and just watched ahead.

"Don't think of telling anyone about this" she continued but Shinai didn't even look in her direction. "Are you deliberately ignoring me?" she asked. Shinai kept mute and breathed a sigh.

 "I'm scared Chisai" he said. "You can't just pretend I don't exist and then try to talk to me" she said but Shinai continued. "Do you think she can do it?" he asked.

The pink haired girl turned to him and saw a glint in his eyes. They were filled with fear. Filled with genuine terror. There was no sign of hope within them. They were completely.... Blank. Empty. She noticed his hands gripping his knees, yet he sat still. It looked like he had seen the end of this. In the midst of happiness, he was the only dark spot.

 Chisai touched his fingers and felt the cold running through it. She held onto it and said "She can do it". As she spoke, she felt his heart pound violently and his eyes fill with even more horror. She didn't know why he reacted like that to his sister winning. An observer that knew nothing of the trauma that sat deep within his heart.

"Painfully, Contestant 4 has to fight again. LET THE EXPLOSIONS OUT!!!!!" the announcer shouted again and this time, Sentoki burst out with a crazed smile on her face. The crowd went wild over her spectacular entrances like a dragon leaping onto its prey.

She didn't wait for the fight to start and charged towards her opponent. The young girl she rushed at tried to take a stance but Sentoki was too quick.

In a heartbeat, Sentoki grabbed her hand and sent her flying with a kick to the chest. The girl flew into the dust with a loud thud that shook the stadium to its foundations.

An encore rose from the audience with her name being reverberated throughout the arena. Sentoki basked in the euphoria of the moment, her hands stretched out, taking it all in.

As she walked away, she looked at Shinai and saw him beam a smile towards her and even greater joy filled her heart. However, she didn't notice was that Shinai had not smiled since her fight began.

And so, Sentoki destroyed her opponents. She rushed into her fights like a raging flame, breaking down the obstacles that stood before her. As she advanced, the fear that was in her heart grew weaker. Her mind grew stronger each time she felt the excitement of the crowd. Nothing could stop her. Absolutely nothing.

"CONTESTANT 4 HAS MADE THE FINALS!!!!!" the announcer beamed and a loud frenzy came over the audience. Frankly, there was nothing like seeing two humans fight with everything they had. It gave a primal sense of enjoyment that the audience tapped into.

Shinai sat, full of nerves. As his sister advanced his fears grew even stronger. He had seen what a great stage had done to her in the past and never wanted that to ever happen again. He needed to tell her to stop.

As he stood, he felt a soft grip on his arm. It was Chisai. She had watched him spiral down and was determined to make him feel the cheer of the moment. "Don't you think you should be happy for her?" she asked with a soft voice.

Shinai didn't want to answer but his emotions bubbled out of control and burst from within. "Happy? HAPPY?!!! SHE'S GOING TO BREAK DOWN ANY MINUTE AND YOU WANT ME TO BE HAPPY?!!!" he shouted with a voice laden with sadness. He tried to drag his arm out of her grip but she didn't let go.

"Do you really think she'll break down? I know barely anything about your sister but I know she's strong. It wouldn't kill you to put a little faith in her" Chisai said and stood up.

Shinai wanted to say something but he kept quiet. Now that he thought about it, hadn't he said she was strong? Hadn't he pushed her to fight against her fears? Why then was he scared? No matter what she faced, she kept pushing and never fell.

Shinai felt the weight of Chisai's words. A drop of liquid formed in his eyes and he started sobbing quietly. The loud voice of the crowd drowned his pain. He stood within the fervour and excitement with sadness pouring from him. He loathed himself, filled with hate for the thoughts and actions he had had throughout the day.

Suddenly, calming warmth ran through his body. Through his glassy eyes, he saw Chisai hugging him. "Stay like this until you feel better" she said in a soft voice, completely eliminating fear from his heart. At that moment, it felt like the noisy audience had disappeared from around them. At that moment, they were the only ones in the world.

"What are you doing?" quizzed Chisai's brother. Chisai, noticing the situation she was in, jumped off of Shinai's body. "NOTHING!!!" she denied as a red flush covered her face. "You didn't see anything" she said to her brother as she desperately tried to smooth her way out of this.

She heard a stifled laughter. Turning, she saw Shinai smiling with a comforted smile. His eyes showed little signs of tears but he looked at peace. The fear in his heart had been dispelled and now, he was ready to cheer on Sentoki with his full support.

"The finals are about to start" Chisai's brother announced. "Aren't we watching?" Shinai said to the blob of pink that lay on the ground. "I didn't hug him.... I didn't...." she muttered as Shinai dragged her to her seat. As they sat, Chisai noticed something was in her hand. Something huge and warm. Shinai held her hand in a firm grip, unwilling to let go.

She thought of removing it but as she saw the expression on his face, she grumbled to herself with a slight smile on her face.

"Alright. Just this once"