The daylight had eventually set as the three of them jogged towards the complex. As they arrived to glimpse the crowd that was occupying the area, different people seemed to be coming from all directions; citizens, foreigners, and even men in black with briefcases were all around the place as they came to a halt, and gazed at the magnificently cultivated structure that was accompanied by flying lanterns that lit up the starry night sky on a summer night.
"Guess we're here huh?" Haruto mumbled. His eyes glistening as he gazed at the multicolored fireworks.
"This is it. What we've been dreaming of..." Kenriki told. Smiling at the impression of the expectations that anticipated for them when they finally open the door to inside.
"Um, why are there a lot of people here..?" Sayozane asked with her finger under her chin, giving a dumbfounded look.
Kenriki and Haruto both glared at her with faces that looked like they just listened to the dumbest question ever. Moaning but eventually snickering it off before the three of them holding hands, they looked up at the magnificent palace in front of them and headed straight for it. The building felt immense to them, like a child sitting right in front of a boulder as they resumed to walk on the dirt path. Despite having been around since their childhoods, tonight felt like it was something new, it was as if the place they had arrived to was not the place of their memories and had transformed into something extraordinary. The lightings and decorations caught the eyes of people far and wide in Arid City, but the decor outside was merely baited for them to witness the real star of the show inside. This was the Temple of Light, a Japanese/Maharlikan-styled, complex where occasions such as parades and competitions are hosted annually by the community.
Just like its name, it shined like a beam of light in the cold night of Kananga, like an oasis in the middle of a desert under a burning sun. Its outer walls stood like an emperor's armor from ancient times; protecting its masters with durability as its intricate details graced their wearer like living art in a battlefield. It was an amalgam of strength and beauty, its paintings of swimming koi and legendary warriors made alive by the artisans. Inside these walls were no less. Just a few feet away from the arching entrance was an arching-acacia wooden bridge with its marvellous display of bonsai trees underneath warm lamp posts in a row of both sides. Underneath the bridge was the crystal-clear pond full of koi, lily-pads, and workers who were feeding and tending the delicate creatures. But perhaps the greatest thing about this place was building itself, an overwhelming structure of perfectly cultivated pillars and walls, its white towers and gold-plated roofs graced the area with its magnificence as well as the dorsals and paintings on it with the logo of the city as the finishing touch for its entirety. The darling gem of Kananga.
The complex was beaming with people who arrived to watch the matches. Haruto and Kenriki halted for a while to look at the children and adults who were laughing and eating together at small food stalls that clustered near the archway that sold very inexpensive but delicious food. The wavering odor of rose and sakura petals together with ladies' perfume fraught the night, making the trio a little dizzy as they walked by. It was just like how Haruto memorized it when his father took him here every week to look at the people who joined a tournament.
He looked at the towering structure and remembered what came to pass back then.
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8 years ago
The public cheered as the fighters brawled out through the night with only one person standing left. Daisuke and Haruto sat near each other as they watched a fighting tournament progress.
"Say Haruto, I'm kinda hungry. You wanna grab some tempura?" But Daisuke was surprised as he turned around and saw his son who was fascinated greatly by what was unfolding—a fighter who pinned his opponent to the ground and won.
Haruto could feel his father's hand rub his hair.
"You seem interested in this stuff Haruto. Tell you what, how about I teach you how to fight?" Daisuke offered to his son.
Haruto smiled, his eyes sparkled from what his father said, and on that day, they began to train. This was where the child knew, he wanted to fight.
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As they approached the seemly entrance, the gang was welcomed by the local registrar, an old man, and a neighbor of Haruto.
"Oh, Haruto! Came to join the tournament huh? Hope you don't hurt yourself much in their young man, these old bones still need help with his dogs!" The old geezer joked. Cackling and showing his misaligned teeth.
"I'm excited to join it, lolo! Are you going to watch it inside?" Haruto asked as he grabbed a pen.
"Sorry kiddo, I got to stay here and patrol the entrance. But promise me, lad, you gotta win it! Okay?" The old man said as he took the paper that Haruto and his friends signed.
"I promise lolo. See you soon!" Haruto waved the man good-bye who went on to assign the other contestants that arrived.
After registering and wearing the tournament passes they were given, their view was obstructed by a striking figure who stood at the center of the bridge. A lady wearing a flower-patterned kimono and a fox mask. Her scent was soothing, like lavenders on a field at night. Having seen the trio's tournament passes, she approached them cautiously and spoke respectfully.
"Welcome fighters! Your opponents are waiting for you inside, please, allow us to escort your belongings." Her voice was calm and professional but almost with a hint of seductiveness that unnerved the three of them.
With the snap of a finger, two big and muscular men came to her aid and asked the kids for their belongings. "Good evening! Allow us to take your luggage to safety! We promise to take care of them always." The escorts said excitedly together.
Haruto and Kenriki quickly complied and gave their bags. Sayozane on the other hand gave both men an arduous time by crying, her back straight,her dainty fingers clutching the bag, and pouting lips who didn't care who were watching her. Like a regal princess wronged. The two youths stared in humiliation as the annoyed lady stared at her two men who struggled to snatch the bag away easily from her (for a tiny girl she's really strong), it went on for a while but after a few minutes of pulling, crying, and ear-piercing screaming. They were finally able to take her bag and went off, fuming from the trouble she gave them and the slaps their manager gave.
"That annoying brat is strong! Does she even work out?!" Said the first escort. Caressing his swollen cheek as he looked back at Sayozane.
"Shut up Micheal, we almost got beaten in a tug-of-war by a kid. Ma'am Sonya is probably pissed at us." Said the second escort. He elbowed his partner to start running after they saw the woman stare at them with an intense look.
"You dummies," Haruto said to himself as he smiled. Recalling all the memories he had in his mind.
Sayozane and Kenriki both went through awful upbringings. The girl was abandoned on the freeways of Korea when she was only 4 years old, often crying non-stop in the streets which led annoyed people to fling small water bottles and fast-food leftovers at her. She sobbed as she endured this but started feeding on them to survive, frequently looked down on by people even by some charity workers who wanted nothing to do with her because of her stench and fleas. She continued to withstand this drastic condition until a blessing occurred. A rich couple who had no child of their own and was on vacation decided to take a stroll on the street Sayozane was in, after a party. They continued to walk until they heard a cry, knowing it was the voice of a child, they decided to look. They spotted her crying at a nearby water pipe with no food or any companion. They took pity on her and told her to come with them. After feeding her that night and talking things through, they decided to take her as their own. Her life became much more comfortable after that day. Since then, Sayozane vowed that she would help anyone who needed it, no matter how dire the situation was or who they were, just as her new family helped her. But her past still has an impact on her to this day, often crying at small things from time-to-time like how small insults always make her tear up.
Haruto looked at his eldest friend—Kenriki. Someone who acted like a brother to him. He was always smiling, corny, helpful, and, righteous.
"You'd think a big guy like him is some sort of playboy the first time you meet him, but Kenriki is so much more than that, he's like a brother to me, a brother to everyone." Haruto thought as if he was interviewing himself.
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But he knew that behind that mask of happiness, lied a broken child who suffered loss as well.
Born to a Maharlikan soldier and a weak mother, Kenriki was taught about the principles of responsibility and discipline at a young age. But one thing that stuck with him the most was his father's task for him—to always use his strength for the good of the people, not for one's interests. Taking the man's words by heart, he often repeated this vow to everyone, his family, and his friends. But despite being told to stay strong, his world inevitably, shattered in front of reality. One night, while expecting his father to finally return from the military after 6 years, his carefree personality took a turn as they received heartbreaking news from one of his father's commanding officers.
The old man told in detail how his father was tortured by the Japanese Empire after he was captured while he was taking care of his wounded friend. The man was smart for hiding his comrade and distracted the platoon from noticing. After being captured, they interrogated and tortured the man using the cruelest methods that were too terrible to speak of. This went on for a grueling 2 months where he was continuously forced to give information about his allies. But despite always being on the verge of dying, the man never spoke about them. Fearing no death and holding unbreakable will, his father endured the torture until his body inevitably broke down and died. The body was discovered several weeks after the war concluded and the kidnappers had escaped. The government decided to award the soldier's family by donating a huge sum. Since then, Kenriki always thought about his father's last words to him before he left for service. "Always fight for what's good and what's in your heart, if other people do not have the strength to fight, use yours to fight for them. Fight for the people who need your strength, who need you. No matter how difficult and no matter how much you have to endure. Fight for what's the right son." These last words were his motivation for life, never giving in to the cruelty of the world that treated him.
A few months after his parent lost her job and the donations were going down, his mother feared that she wouldn't be able to sustain her son anymore. Seeking help, she came across a bar manager who offered her a job, to work as a prostitute, seeing no other option to provide for her son as well as countless job rejections, she took the offer. Her son was then able to attend school and live a seemingly happy life, however, deep down he already knew what his mother was doing. Crying himself to sleep every night and cursing the world for what they did to his family. And just as things seemed like they were never going to get better, another miracle occurred. Kenriki's family was noticed by Sayozane's family and the latter helped them recover financially and to live while being sustained. His mother finally quit her job and his son was able to continue studying at school. After an evening dinner with both families, Sayozane and Kenriki decided to play together. Kenriki, looking at her with joy, thanked Sayozane for what her family did. He then made a vow, to always protect their families and Sayozane, no matter what. And since then a bond was born, an unbreakable bond, a bond that Haruto was joyful to be a part of when the three of them met here, at the complex.
They continued to walk on the wide-arching bridge filled with bonsai trees and lanterns on each pole, towards the building. On each wall of the structure, a compilation of morals and virtues that had water-like patterns. Its windows were brightly lit and the koi from the ponds lept over lily pads.
"This place is always a sight to see. But how do you think they managed to create this place, Kenriki?" Haruto asked nicely.
"Whoever made the architectural plans for this estate and the engineers behind it must be renowned for being geniuses," Kenriki replied as they watched the caretakers throw fish food on the pond, "And their hard work paid off too."
As they continued to walk on the creaking bright, the fox-lady stopped, informing the group that this was where she would leave them and the rest was inside. They thanked her for their assistance and took deep breaths before looking at the outside one last time and finally entering the majestic building.
Inside, the place was somewhat given an illusion of being gigantic, four courts close to each other, each hosting a different sport like Basketball or Volleyball. Its walls had beautiful Japanese and Maharlikan artwork, the lights on the ceiling were bright and vibrant, and the whole place was noisy even though the place was only half full.
"Is my tie good?! Hurry it up!" They could hear a man giving orders to his staff from a distance.
Suddenly, on the stage, a young-looking man with a microphone commenced to emcee the event, looking classy with his velvet tuxedo and long delinquent hair, background music started playing as he leaped into the center of the stage with a wireless microphone in his right hand. The other sports were put to a halt and all 25 fighters were called to gather at the center of the field.
"What are we doing?" Sayozane asked as she held Kenriki's arm close.
"We're going to do a vow of sportsmanship first. It's a tradition to do this before sports." Kenriki explained to the anxious girl.
Everyone lined up and began the ceremony. Raising a right hand and reciting a vow of sportsmanship, each contestant was then escorted to their respective locker rooms to change into their attires. Standing still in the middle of the fields, the three of them looked at each other with sealed lips, somehow the feeling of excitement was replaced by neutrality.
But before both boys could say goodbye, Sayozane spoke, "Kenriki, I'm scared..." Said the timid girl.
"Don't worry Sayo, just do your best. We're always here for you." Kenriki replied while Haruto smiled at her.
After hugging them both, the trio parted ways. Waving at Sayozane, both boys were escorted to their locker rooms.
"Come on Haruto, let's go now!" Said Kenriki.
"Right behind you," Haruto replied.
The insides of the locker room looked enormous. A lingering smell was swimming in the air, a peculiar odor that smelled like the insides of a gym locker after football practice mixed with incense used in massage trials. The smell was more than enough to sicken Haruto but not Kenriki. They continued to travel past the various lockers and fighters who were putting on their finishing touches before exiting the room. With no knowledge as to where their lockers might be, they decided to ask the nearest people for directions.
"Excuse me," started Haruto who was looking at the girl that was tying her rose-tinted shoes.
She looked at him and gave off a surprised look but smiled afterward, "Hello, can I help you?" said the girl.
Haruto thought about how pretty she was before telling himself that he should ask her for directions right away, "Yeah, um, we're wondering if—" But his words were cut short when another fighter turned around and looked at him. He looked similar to the girl, only bigger, more threatening, and possessed the face of a prideful person. The boy looked on down him as he tightened his fighting bandages. His icy stare was enough to make Haruto swallow his saliva. He was muscular, rivaling that of Kenriki's, his chiseled jawline transcended into a mocking smirk. He came closer towards the two and put his face close to the overwhelmed kid.
"What does this little shrimp want?" Said the boy as he turned his face towards Kenriki. "Aww looks like he's accompanied by his big bro to protect him. You pissed your pants little man?" He laughed and mocked them.
"Stop it, Gokuro!" The girl scolded the boy as he pushed him away gently.
The boy rolled his eyes and left the scene. "Whatever bitch. See you later losers!" Walking towards the exit, the girl apologized.
"I'm so sorry about that, he can be a little rough to new people. I believe we haven't met. I'm Keiko Sanada, a Taekwando student and that guy is my brother, Gokuro Sanada, a Muay Thai student. Nice to meet you." She opened her hand and shook them both with a gleeful smile.
Her personality was very friendly and calm, a complete polar opposite of her brother, Kenriki thought.
"It's okay, I was just wondering, do you know where lockers 315 and 317 are?" Haruto asked.
"Oh they should be over there at the left, you'll find it near the bathroom." Pointing towards the direction, Kenriki noticed that the logo on her sleeves wasn't from their region.
"Thanks, so... you from here?" Kenriki asked.
She giggled, "Oh no, I'm not actually, I'm from Zamboanga del Norte. My brother and I only came here to compete."
"But, why here in Rajahnate?" Kenriki asked.
"Well you see, we were looking for other places to compete. But when we heard of the tournament in Rajahnate and the big cash prize it had, we decided this was the best place to help our home."
"Your home? Did something happen?" Haruto asked. Unaware that he was asking something personal.
She stared at the floor and the drawn-down corners of her mouth made the duo feel a bit awkward. "You see... Our hometown suffers from poverty. Our main source of income is from selling rice and vegetables. We had plenty of harvests back in the day but now things have changed. I only came here because I want to help my people." She confessed.
Haruto and Kenriki looked at each other, cautious if they should keep going.
"Don't feel sorry for me," she looked at them. Her words surprised the two, "I just wanna win so I can move on with my life."
Having heard this, Haruto couldn't think of anything else to say but comfort her a little, "Well, I'm sorry to hear that, I wish you good luck."
"Thank you, see you later."
They continued walking to their destination. Their bags were already placed inside the lockers. Finally able to change into their attires. Haruto put on his sleeves and sat down to look at his sword. But Kenriki noticed something and asked him.
"So Haruto. You finally got the chance to fight other people in the complex. What'dya think?" Kenriki asked in his local accent that sounded amusing.
"Huh? Oh, the tournament?" Haruto said shallowly, almost dumbfounded, "I mean.. yeah, it's... it's, kinda cool. I guess..." He looked down on the floor and continued polishing his sword.
"You lost to him again didn't you?" Kenriki asked.
Haruto stopped. His face was frowning and he seemed to stare blankly. Sighing at the site of his half-polished blade. Kenriki sat down beside the boy and patted him on the back.
"Haruto, I—" Kenriki was cut off when the emcee called for the contestants. He stood, putting on his bandana. "Let's go Haruto." His open hand reached to his friend and he grabbed it. They walked towards the exit as the lights behind them slowly turned off.
The audience seats were now brimming, not a single chair was empty, everyone cheered for the event. The emcee was still standing on the stage, full of energy and excitement, it was time to start. After giving his short speech and introduction, he gave a hand sign to the backstage. From the darkness, a young man pulled down a lever and the crowd went silent. The ground suddenly shook, the sounds of gears grinding filled the stadium, all four courts suddenly started to move, slowly meeting with each other. The ground below the crowd began to rotate forming a whole new area for the event, when the shaking stopped, all four courts comingled into one huge circular stage and the ceiling leisurely opened to reveal the moon and the night sky. The crowd screamed, roaring through the night like thunder through the clouds. Kenriki looked for Sayozane and spotted her near the other girls, trembling in fear about what was happening. Each fighter was then taken to the waiting room to prepare for their matchup.
The emcee, still full of energy and excitement, called for the backstage to bring out a device. But Kenriki knew what it was—a device used to randomly match up two fighters for their battle. Pulling the lever and watching it spin, the device revealed the names for the very first match.
"Alright, folks this is the moment that you've been waiting for! Get your emergency rooms ready because this is about to get bloody!" The emcee's tone was almost sinister and his lips stretched so tightly over teeth that they seem to disappear.
Inside the waiting room, two guards came inside to escort the first contestants into the field.
"Hey Kenriki, who do you think will be the first contestants?" Haruto asked. Cracking his knuckles as they walked all over to find somewhere to sit.
But everyone's attention was diverted towards the sound of two people arguing over something.
"Are you serious about this?!" Keiko screamed as she clenched her fist and pulled her face close to Gokuro's. But his brother didn't reply, he left her and walked towards the metal door looking unbothered. Keiko followed and the men closed the exit.
"Well looks like we're gonna see some sibling one-on-one," Kenriki said casually, unfazed by what he saw earlier.
The atmosphere almost felt kind of lonely. Everybody else was quiet as if they didn't want to talk to anyone else. Some of them even slept as the sounds of crowed cheering penetrated the walls. Kenriki and Haruto looked for Sayozane and spotted her at a nearby chair all alone. She was holding her legs together with her head lying on top of them. Kenriki approached her and asked what was wrong. She was still afraid of what was going to happen but he comforted her. Haruto walked around for a moment, looking at the different people who were inside the room. Indeed they didn't look like they should any interest towards him or to the person they were sitting next to.
"This is getting kind of tense." Haruto thought as he moved his body closer together. The ceiling opened and revealed a rectangular space with a black reflective glass surface. It slowly descended and gave off a small static before showing a live broadcast. The screen showed an aerial view of the fight from a drone's camera, Haruto saw the siblings who stepped out of the room earlier, standing in front of each other at the center of the gigantic field. They both stood still as they looked at each other with ice-cold stares and emotionless expressions. The referee came into the field and raised his hand and a whistle on another, it blew together with the sounds of the crowd full of foreigners and only a small amount of locals.
The match began.