Sasha’s sick, been sick for a whole ass week, so Alex has to cover for her in the gym. Being honest, watching a bunch of kids struggle with lightweight shit is kinda hilarious, so she doesn’t really mind. Only thing that really annoys her is that she can only watch, ‘cause if she’s lifting weights she isn’t paying attention to the children. So she kind of just meanders around, giving advice where she can, correcting forms and stopping kids from crushing their throats on the bench press. Not that hard, not that boring either surprisingly. Other than the casual amusement she actually kind of likes helping out the little shits, whether it be kendo or gym. Who knows, maybe someday she’ll take Korin or Minoru’s place, scowling grumpily like she’s got a stick stuck up her ass.
Is it weird that she actually misses those two? Minoru didn’t really do shit other than stop them from being dumb, and Korin’s just a prick. Yet she finds herself wishing they were here, teaching and watching over her.
Talia’s kinda boring as fuck so she doesn’t miss her as much, but she does still miss her. She wonders how many beds will be empty and ready for new arrivals by the time this war is over. It’s a bit of a suprise that all of them were called on, those her age or older sure, but anyone above ten? That literally includes pre-teens. Hopefully they aren’t near the front lines, but if her experience is anything to go by, it doesn’t really matter.
Only the Wolves haven’t joined, only the Wolves will be prepared once the corporations see their chance. She wonders what in the ever loving fuck the Dragon was thinking by joining this war. What is there to gain over what can be lost? Sure, the scion getting injured is really bad, but so is the whole gang dissolving from corporate pressure after beating each other to the brink of death. Which is where this is looking to go if the heavy ordinance being used is any indication.
“Miss Alex?” The voice of a child breaks her out of her reverie, Alex turns to find a five year old looking up at her.
“Yes Jasmine?” Alex says with a smile.
The girl looks hesitantly at Alex, “can I go to my room. I’m not feeling well.”
Alex looks her up and down. She’s seen this before, even tried it a few times herself. Minoru always said the same thing when this happened.
“Sure, I’ll take you down to see Clarice after I’m done here”
Jasmine gives her a small smile and nods as she leaves the gym.
Ah, to be new and naive.
-
Alex blocks a cross as she goes for a hook and finds Chen ducking and sweeping her leg at Alex’s. Alex jumps back out of range before bursting into motion, going for a knee to Chen’s exposed face but the girl dodges to Alex’s right before delivering a cross just below the ribs and right into her liver. Alex doubles over and falls to the ground as Chen straddles her and starts to deliver the good old ground and pound. Alex bucks her hips, destabilizing the girl, before pulling her close and delivering multiple right hooks to her ribs while Chen does short punches to her chin. Alex gathers her strength and bucks again before pushing Chen to the side and trying to get up, but the girls legs wrap around her before she can, pulling her down, Chen gets her into a headlock and starts to squeeze. Alex struggles but it’s in vain, the girl's hold is too strong.
As her vision becomes spotty, she taps out.
Li Chen let’s go, relieving the pressure and letting her blood flow back to her brain.
“That’s another one for me” Chen smiles “It’ll take you forever to catch up at this point”
Alex coughs “Fuck you, if we fought with bokkens you wouldn’t stand a chance”
Chen smiles wider, “ah but we’re not, now are we? All fisticuffs here sister, and you just keep getting your ass whooped. Though you have gotten better, made me actually have to get serious, the ways of martial arts finally click in that muscle brained head of yours?”
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Alex coughs, “something like that,” Chen’s probably talking about her magic, which doesn’t help as much here as it does with the sword. Alex guesses it has something to do with the style. The more she knows the better it can guide and she doesn’t really know much about MMA compared to Chen.
The girl shimmy’s beside her.
“Ah, it’s been so fun since you came back. All the shits in the Den don’t want to go no holds barred against me. Too scared for their poor little bodies. But you! You just go for it, it’s the perfect stress relief.” Chen says
Alex chuckles, “is that what I am now, stress relief?”
“Always have been,” Chen nods with gravitas.
Alex smiles and gets to her feet, extending a hand to Chen.
“So, another round?”
Chen grabs her hand and pulls herself up. There’s a vicious smile on her face.
“Another round”
-
Returning back to Lost Hope with many bruises across her entire body excluding her chest, Chens has been avoiding that since she almost broke her hand trying to punch her in the sternum. It still winded Alex, but fighting with a fractured hand is a losing battle. Her nose is still fair game though, and elbows to her face. Apparently the Den covers the cost of bone enhancements in the knees and elbows, which is apparently the tip of something called the ulna? She doesn’t know, biology isn’t really a priority in lost hope. Point is she is very bruised, very bloody, and very tired when she opens the door to her orphanage.
Which is why she can’t be bothered to deal with the shit that comes next.
Sitting on one of the couches, wearing a dress shirt and tie, sits a boy with two chrome arms resting on his knees as he regards Alex, he’s surrounded by children poking and prodding him like he was a zoo animal. He ignores them and looks straight at Alex.
“You’re Alex” he says
“No, I’m fucking sleepy. What do you want, chrome boy? I got better things to do than entertain some spoiled brat.” Alex replies
He tilts his head as he regards her, one child pulling at his cheek and another messing with his hair.
“My name is Takeshi,” he says “Yoshifumi sent me here for you and your friends”
Alex stares at the boy who looks to be her age.
“Your our handler”
Takeshi nods.
Alex sighs and starts banging her head against the wall.
-
“We can’t start any kind of operations” Aki says “Sasha’s still sick”
Takeshi nods as though that were expected, “indeed, we can wait, I’d like to see how life in ‘Lost Hope’ fares anyway”
Alex snorts, “not much to see with most of the others being sent to the war, the place is practically abandoned.”
Takeshi turns sharply on Alex with a hard expression, “the children were sent to war?”
Alex rolls her eyes, “yes, they were. Part of our responsibilities when the gang needs people for supply runs. We even helped with that thing with the House that went tits up and started this whole thing.”
His face falls, “There were children there?”
Alex waves him off, “just us from what I know, though there could have been more, and stop saying ‘children’ like you’re not a child yourself”
He draws his lips in a thin line, not really acknowledging that last comment. His eyes are like literal rubies, glowing with a soft light as he stares at the wall ahead of him. He looks like he’s staring at something else, they got such a soft heart for a handler. Alex might find that endearing if he wasn’t so clearly rolling in credits. Two chromed arms at his age and no signs of psychosis? Must be one of the more adaptable models, which are expensive as fuck. Add his clear ignorance of how war works and Alex is honestly a little pissed, are they supposed to trust this guy with their lives?
-
Sasha is staring at the ceiling, it’s a normal ceiling, nothing is strange about this ceiling. But she feels like it isn’t and that there is something very wrong. So she stares at it, not because she believes in the feeling, but just to be safe, what if the feeling is real? Can’t ignore your instincts.
Just to be safe.
She feels like the ceiling is watching her, but there are no eyes so it can’t. But it is. But it can’t be. But it is.
Sasha is confused.
She hasn’t blinked in ten minutes, her chrome eyes not needing the moisture. She’s been laying on her bed, staring at the ceiling.