Old Acquaintances

It was always the noise that got to Ivy—the cheering of a rambunctious audience provoking someone to cause harm onto another. It seemed so cruel and barbaric to want to watch as others suffered and insane to want to be in the middle of it causing or receiving that suffering.

And yet, once again, Ivy found herself as another face in the crowd waiting for the show to begin.

A dwarf walked before the line of sixteen fighters, a tangle of ginger hair and beard atop a stout stature, his voice a thundering boom that filled the arena as he introduced each one to the frenzied applauds of the jam-packed stands. The girl situated herself even closer to the boy sitting beside her as Sakura was introduced, her name thick with skepticism, and the praise from the men around turned to whistles, jeering, and cat calls. No matter the town or city, that response never changed, and all it ever did was serve to infuriate the woman even more.

But not this time.

Not with the angel in her ear drowning it out, undoubtedly still whining and complaining as she stared beyond what was in front of her, her conscious no longer of this world.

Ivy had never seen the vixen so calm before a match.

She must be boiling on the inside.

A warm hand enclosed around hers, and the girl looked up into calm crimson and a soft smile. “It’ll be okay,” Zero insisted quietly. “It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. It’s Sakura. She’ll win.”

Ivy gulped uncomfortably at the devil’s misguided naivety. “Sakura’s never won a tournament,” she admitted weakly. “She’s been in a lot of them, but she’s never won any of them.”

The smile dropped as his eyes widened in shock and confusion. The boy had fought against and beaten plenty of men, even won every tournament he’d been forced into. Never had he fought against anyone even comparable to the woman. She was in a league all her own. Every sparring match they had ended the same, him on his back and her above him reprimanding him for his every mistake. He’d been told about his near victory when he was consumed in the depths of madness, but it didn’t seem fair to count that as it was something he had no recollection of, and he hadn’t even come close to defeating her since. “What do you mean she’s never won? How is that possible?”

“She always gets disqualified,” Ivy sighed, trying to keep her composure while recollecting memories she’d rather forget. “Excessive use of force. She doesn’t know when to stop, and it takes multiple men to pull her off... and then she’s attacking them. More men get involved, there’s so much blood, and then we get kicked out of the arena. It happens every time.”

Well, that made perfect sense.

Zero really shouldn’t have been surprised to begin with.

Their attention was pulled back to the dwarf as a wooden box was brought to him.

“Our first match today,” he announced, reaching in and pulling out two slips, opening the first. “Will be last year’s champion, Ostendorlf!” An unduly muscular giant raised and waved a wide, meaty hand to the exuberant crowd as the dwarf opened the second slip. He paused, looking behind him at the fighters, and turned back to the stands, his voice losing some of its vigor. “And Sakura!”

Another sigh slipped from Ivy as the crowd’s cheers died away to uneasy, muffled mumblings—all wanting to witness a lively fight, not the massacre of a woman—and the remaining fighters slowly made their way out of the circle to the stands.

“Has she ever fought a giant?” Zero asked, watching the lumbering beast of a man take his place, the floor quaking with each hefty step.

“Yeah, quite a few. There was one tournament that was just a free for all: all the fighters fighting at once. There were three giants who were together and picking off people one by one... until they got to Sakura.” The girl looked at the fox as she vacantly stared at the angel who now had a hold of her elbow, his other hand and mouth moving frantically in indecipherable panic. The dwarf walked up to them and pulled Ren’s hand free, allowing the woman to walk off as the man began arguing with the dwarf. Ivy couldn’t hear what was being said, but judging by Ren’s neurotic state, it wasn’t too hard to imagine. That dress really had him out of sorts. “I’ve never seen Ren like this. Is he going to be okay?”

The boy had never seen him like this, either. The man was many things, but irrational was not one of them. “I… I don’t think so.”

Perhaps they had made a mistake?

Maybe it would have been best had they not gotten involved.

Another minute or two passed with the dwarf furiously pointing to the stands, the discontentment from the crowd growing louder and rowdier, before Ren finally conceded and stalked off to sit with the devil and fae in a huff.

“That fucking woman,” the man grumbled to no one in particular as he plopped next to Ivy in the front row and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, watching said woman with simmering indignation. “She’s gone too far this time. This is unacceptable, completely out of line. Does she not realize what she’s doing? How this is gonna end? No, of course she does, she’s not stupid. She knows exactly what she’s doing. But why? Why is she doing this to me? What the fuck is she thinking?”

Ivy cautiously pressed herself away from Ren as though his hysteria were contagious. Although this had been part of the plan, it was never their intention to corrupt the man to this extent. He was only supposed to be caught off guard, not spiral into lunacy.

At least, she didn’t think so.

The girl turned to Zero, ready to question their motives, before noticing his attention was focused somewhere beyond the angel. She turned back to Ren just as a man with hair the color of cinnamon and wolf ears and tail took a seat next to the distracted angel and patted his shoulder, bringing him out of his stupor.

“How are you doing?” the man asked with a friendly smile. “It's been a while. You remember me?”

It took only half a moment for Ren to look the wolf over before meeting his smile with a brilliant one of his own, his state of paranoia vanquished without a trace. “I do. My boy beat your brother in a match some time back. I’m surprised you remember me.”

A hearty laugh erupted from the visitor. “You two aren’t easy to forget. It’s not every day you meet a red-eyed boy tagging along with someone as gaudy as you. Even if I did forget you, I’d never forget that sword on your back. I’ve never seen a weapon so excessive.”

Ocean eyes went wide with surprise, and the angel whipped his head back, noticing the large sword for the first time. “Oh, shit! I forgot to leave that back at camp. No matter, I’ll dump it on the ground when the time comes. It’ll be fine. So, did that ass whooping knock that arrogant little shit down a couple of pegs?”

The wolf let out a short, disgusted snort. “Not even close. He’s lost plenty since then and is still as obnoxious as ever. I tried to get your attention in the lineup.” His eyes glanced over at the vixen in the arena. “But you seemed a bit distracted. I see you found who you were looking for.”

“I sure did. I appreciate your help. It took a while, but you put us on the right path…” Ren clicked his tongue in rapid succession, seeking something that wasn’t there. “I don’t know if I ever got your name.”

“Ahiga, and unlike you, I was paying attention during the introductions, Ren.” He leaned forward and looked past the man, giving the girl a charming smile. “However, I never got the opportunity to learn your name. You probably don’t remember me, but we’ve crossed paths before. I’m Ahiga, and it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance under better circumstances.”

Ivy chewed her lip as her head titled to the side and she studied the demon. “I’m Ivy... and you were with a boy who was around my age and another man with black hair outside of Golden City,” she tested the words slowly, recalling the man and his companions. “He was very nice, but Sakura didn’t like him and broke his arm. How is he? Did it heal okay? I’m so sorry about that. She really is sweet and so kind! It’s just… she doesn’t like it when men touch me.”

“I see that.” Ahiga raised a brow at the girl’s willowy embrace around the more muscular arm of the white-haired boy next to her. “I wouldn’t worry about him too much. He healed just fine, and it was like nothing ever happened. Back to his old ways in no time.” His amber eyes met the crimson that had turned their sights on him. “Look at you. You’re bigger than the last time I saw you. Starting to fill out as well. Not so scraggly anymore. I doubt my buddy... or... anyone really, will want to flirt with the little miss again with you around. I bet you’re stronger now, too. Why aren’t you out there fighting?”

Zero stared at the wolf for a moment, his face free of any emotion, before turning back to the fight that was about to begin. “I don’t want to.” He really didn’t want to get into it and risk having to listen to Ren complain about his lack of fighting spirit again. However, the devil was curious what ‘flirting’ meant but wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to ask a stranger to elaborate. It was probably safer to wait and ask Ivy later.

“Huh. Good enough reason as any.” He sat back warily and nudged the angel, his voice dropping low. “He’s like a wall, isn’t he?”

Ren gave a carefree shrug, not giving the wolf’s timidity much consideration. “Yeah, a bit. But the inside of those walls is filled with pretty things like flowers and butterflies, so it evens out.”

“Flowers and butterflies, huh? If you say so.” The wolf peeked at the boy once more, his white brows furrowed over impassive red eyes, a truly formidable looking being. Not even the gorgeous girl with her radiant smile cuddled up next to him could make the boy any less intimidating. Ahiga looked back to the fighters in the arena, finding solace in changing the subject. “You think it’s a good idea for her to fight? I know she’s no damsel in distress, but Ostendorlf’s a strong fighter. He won last year's tournament, and I’ve seen him win others as well. He might go easier on her, but he’s a giant so that probably won’t be much.”

“I’m not worried about her,” Ren admitted with a scowl, attention focused forward, every potential outcome making the rounds through his mind. “She’s a big girl. She can figure it out. It’s that dress I’m worried about. That woman wrecks everything. She’ll probably be wearing the clothes on my back by the end of this after ripping through everything else in our bags.”

There was a slow nod from the demon. “So, the family looking for her, that was you? That feather… on her shoulder… that’s yours?”

A smile crept across the angel’s face. “It sure is.”

“So, you’re a Fallen One?”

“I am. Is there a problem with that?” He looked to the wolf with an expression of mock terror. “Does it scare you?”

“If I were an angel, it might.” Ahiga smirked at the man with a dismissive chuckle. “But I’m a wolf demon. I couldn’t care less about what goes on in The Kingdom as long as it doesn’t concern my pack.”

“Well, that would make two of us. Though I can’t say I care much about your pack either.” Ren leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and face in his hands once again to observe the vixen closely. “The only thing I care about is that dress. And what’s under it.”