"What the hell was that?" Banksy said as Caine and Eugene were dragged from the arena and the next battle began. "How did Cross win? I thought he was losing?"

"Try not to forget that Cross did train for many years to be a Hunter and for a very long time was considered an equal, if not superior, to Alexis," Servilia answered.

"Yeah, but he never fights like that.”

"He is in a rather rare form today. Likely because of Alice," Servilia said.

"Alice?" Makina turned to Servilia. Lexi looked to Servilia as well, waiting for an answer.

"Cross challenged Alice at every opportunity, and when he wasn't fighting with her, he was training under her. His early style and many of his techniques are ones that he learned from her. It wasn't until you came to the guild, Alexis, that Cross began to develop a more mature style of his own, though even that took quite a bit of time." Servilia let out a soft sigh. "That was actually quite nice, you know. You cannot imagine how tedious it was to have to spar with Alice and then Cross. It was practically like fighting a mirror image, even long after she left."

"I see," Lexi turned back towards the arena.

xXx

“Feeling better?” Alice grinned down at a seated Cross. “I wasn’t quite sure if you were going to pull through.”

“I don’t think you’d let me lose.”

That managed to draw a light laugh from Alice. “Quite right. I much prefer this side of you.”

Cross felt his face form a smile. The expression made his cheeks ache, but he held it all the same. “Only one more.”

“Such a shame.” Alice reached out and ran her fingers through his hair. “This is so much fun, isn’t it?”

Cross didn’t answer, cocking his head towards the arena as Octavious began his speech. Alice’s hand suddenly appeared in his face and with only a beat of hesitation he took it. She squeezed his hand tight before heading out towards the arena, her hips swaying with confident swagger. With the smile still on his face, Cross followed after her.

They entered the arena side by side, weapons drawn and bobbing in time with every step.

"Alice Mara and Cross Drachen of Voy versus Francis Abel and Billson Abbot of Trinst!

"They look very serious, don't they?" Alice asked as she came to a stop. "Look at that stance. So rigid.”

Cross stared across at the pair and gave a small nod. "Trinst Military."

"This should be fun, then." Alice winked as Octavious signaled the beginning of the match.

"Oh look," Alice tilted her head as Billson and Francis began to slowly approach. "It looks like they actually want to fight as a pair. Shall we spoil that plan?"

"We shall," Cross dipped his head before charging towards their opponents, Alice trailing behind him.

Billson stepped forward to meet him and Cross thrust forward to open the match. Billson parried the blow and moved to counter attack, but Alice's blade shot out from behind Cross and knocked his blade up. In surprise, Billson jumped back, allowing Francis to step forward and block Cross's next attack.

Francis swung his blade up to meet Cross's only to have Cross suddenly falter back. As the sword hissed through empty air, the blade of Alice's rapier thrust forward and caught Francis on the hip. Grunting, he stumbled and Cross pounced.

With a quick slash across his chest, Cross knocked Francis off balance and sent him stumbling to the ground. Cross did not even flinch as Billson roared a challenge and stabbed towards Cross.

"Not so fast!" Alice sang as she knocked the blade off course before spinning around and catching Billson on the side of the cheek with her heel. As he staggered back, she quickly jumped forward and gave him a quick series of thrusts to the stomach, the tip of her blade just piercing into his flesh.

Billson dropped his hand down to his stomach and grimaced.

"Painful, yes?" Alice said before she turned to Cross. He gave a silent nod before he charged past her and towards the slowly rising Francis.

Back on his feet, Francis met Cross with a shout, throwing out an impressive flurry of thrusts that Cross managed to bat away before returning with an overhead strike. The attack was slow and Francis raised his sword to block, his eyes traveling upward for a moment to track Cross's blade.

"Mistake," Cross said as he brought up his other hand and drew Alice's rapier from his sheath. Francis cursed and tried to pull back, but it was too late as Cross plunged Alice's rapier into his chest.

Francis managed to stay on his feet and he brought the sword arcing down. Cross knocked it away with a soft sigh, shaking his head as he swept his sword up and slashed Francis across the throat.

xXx

"Wait, when did Cross…" Makina swung his eyes to Alice who was nimbly dodging Billson's ferocious attacks, her hands clasped behind her back as though she were doing nothing more than playing a game.

"When he ran by her, she slid her blade into his sheathe," Lexi said softly.

xXx

"Cross!" Alice called as she slid dangerously close to Billson, dancing through his attacks and slapping her hand against his ear.

Cross did not hesitate, pulling Alice's rapier free from Francis's chest and throwing it towards Alice. She tracked the blade out of the corner of her eye, ducking under a wild slash from Billson and coming up behind him. Lifting up her hand she caught the rapier by the hilt and spun it around just in time to knock Billson's next attack away.

Undeterred, Billson moved to attack again, only to catch sight of Cross approaching. Refusing to be flanked, Billson quickly stepped back, keeping Cross and Alice in front of him. The effort proved to be in vain, however, as Cross and Alice shared a barely perceivable nod before charging forward in tandem.

Cross aimed high, forcing Billson to block lest he receive a sword to the head. Almost as soon as their swords connected, Alice spun around Cross and thrust forward towards Billson's stomach. Billson spun his blade down, but was unable to block the attack and Alice's blade stabbed into his abdomen. Pushing forward, Alice ran her sword up to the hilt. Billson cried in pain and swung out his fist to grab at her, but Cross's sword was faster, slicing through his wrist and sending him reeling back.

Alice ripped her blade free and, with a small sniff, swiped her blade across his throat. Billson's mouth opened to let out a scream but it was cut short as Cross plunged his blade into his heart, silencing him immediately. His body shuddered once before his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

The crowd erupted into cheers as Cross pulled his blade free and glanced at Alice. She smirked at him, tilting her head to the side. His own mouth curved up and moved to take his place beside her.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

xXx

"They fight well together. However, I am not sure I approve of that smug look on the simpleton's face. He is getting far to uppity for his own good," Makina said with a scowl.

Lexi didn't answer, her eyes narrowing in on the pair.

xXx

"How disappointing," Alice sighed as she sheathed her sword and looked around the arena. "I was hoping for a much more interesting tournament, but it seems as though this year’s competition was rather thin. Perhaps I should have participated in the singles bracket. They seemed much more talented. Though I suppose it has always been that way…"

Cross didn't answer as Octavious entered the arena, his hands held out for silence.

"I give you… our champions!" Octavious boomed as he grabbed Cross and Alice's hands and held them up to the cheering crowd.

Alice smiled to the crowd for a moment before she let out a dramatic sigh and dropped her hand down with a flourish. Surprised, Octavious lowered his eyes and turned to her.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked. The crowd grew silent and the murmur of confused whispers filled the air.

"Well, I was just thinking," Alice glanced over to Cross for a moment. "It's rather strange to share the title of champion, is it not?"

Cross had a sudden sense of foreboding as Alice's eyes flicked to him again.

Octavious smiled. "You have not changed much, have you Alice?"

"I wonder…" Alice raised her voice until she could be heard through the near silent arena. "Would the people like to see one more battle?"

The response was instantaneous and the crowd grew to an immediate crescendo. Octavious allowed it to continue for a few minutes before raising his hands and looking to Alice.

"What is it you have in mind?" he said, keeping his voice loud enough for the crowd to hear

"One final battle. We will put the title of true champion as the prize," Alice said.

"And the combatants would be?"

"Myself, of course," Alice smiled and lifted her hand. "And Cross."

Cross took a step back. "What?"

"A single battle." Alice took a step towards him, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "You and me. It will be just like old times."

Cross's mouth went dry and he fought the urge to retreat back another step. Alice's eyes bored into his. He felt his heart begin to speed up.

"I know this is sudden," Alice said, suddenly relenting and giving her hand a gentle wave. "Octavious, you still have to do the closing ceremonies, don't you? Why don't we give Cross until the end of the ceremony to decide? That is, if the people agree to it?"

The crowd roared in approval and Octavious laughed.

"I’m not one to disappoint my people! Very well, Alice." He turned to Cross and clapped him on the shoulder. "The decision is yours, Cross."

Cross numbly stared back at him before he looked to Alice. She gave him a cheery nod.

"Why don't you go think about it somewhere quiet, Cross?"

Cross hesitated for a moment before he did as she said and slowly exited the arena, moving past the waiting area and into one of the dark hallways. He continued deeper and deeper into the darkness until the sound of the arena faded away and he was left with only the sound of his footsteps.

Leaning against the wall he let out a deep breath.

"Right, then… right, then."

He closed his eyes and pressed the back of his head against the stone wall. He didn't know how long he stayed like that before he felt, more than heard, someone else enter the hallway. Opening his eyes, he glanced to the side and gave Lexi a weak smile that she did not return.

"Hey Lex."

Lexi leaned against the wall beside him, her shoulder nudging against his.

Cross toyed with his borrowed scarf. "I guess there was some luck to this thing after all. I won."

Lexi shrugged.

"I think I fought well."

She shrugged again.

"Are you really not going to say anything?"

"You have won your battles, but I would not say you fought well.”

"I see.”

They fell into a thick silence that was not broken for a long time.

Lexi nudged him with her shoulder. "Are you going to fight Alice?"

Cross shrugged.

"Do you want to fight Alice?

Cross shrugged.

"Do you think you can win?

"I don't know." Cross gave a joyless smile. "Do you think I can win?"

"No."

Cross snorted. "Encouraging."

"Do you want me to lie."

"Not really."

"Then I won't. You can't win. Not as you are now.”

Cross sighed and slid down the wall until he was seated on the ground, his legs kicked out in front of him. Lexi dropped down beside him and folded her legs under herself.

"I know," Cross said as he began to rub at his temple. "Everything I've done today… she can do it better. I used to think if I could fight like that, if I could just beat her, just once… I just wanted to win so badly that I-”

"You're wrong," Lexi cut him off sharply.

Cross's hand dropped down to his lap and he looked to Lexi with a frown. "What?”

"You aren’t trying to win," Lexi said, her dark eyes finding his. There was a dangerous glint of annoyance. "I've seen you fight to win. I've been beaten by you fighting to win, but that isn't what you've been doing today."

Cross's frown deepened and he dropped his eyes to the floor.

"You're acting like you were when we were kids. It wasn't about winning then and it isn't now. It's about showing off your skills. Taking the more difficult route to finish the battle, just because you can. You aren't fighting to win, Cross. You’re fighting to show off."

He was silent for a long time. "Am I really being that obvious out there?"

"To me."

"What about everyone else."

"Likely."

“Ah.” Cross leaned his head back and stared up at the ceiling. “What the fuck am I doing, Lex?”

Lexi remained silent, but she pressed her shoulder harder against his. The sound of drums echoed from the arena and a great roar rose up from the crowd.

“I wanted to be her, you know?” Cross slipped down another inch. “I thought she was so perfect. The way she moved, the way she spoke… everything about her. When she would look at me, it was like I was the only person in the world. She was this… this untouchable ideal. I wanted to reach her so badly, but I never could. It wasn’t even that she was a step ahead of me, she was on a completely different level.”

“Cross…”

“She was why I wanted to be a Leader. When she left, I tried to fill that void. She was going to be a Hunter, so I trained to be a Hunter. She was going to be a Leader, so I would form a team.” Cross began to rub at his temple harder, his nails scratching against the skin. “All I am is a counterfeit.”

Lexi’s hand caught his and she slowly she pulled his hand away from his head. He struggled to pull free, but her grip remained firm. After a moment his arm went limp, and he let out a deep sigh.

“Who says you’re a counterfeit?” Lexi asked suddenly.

“What?”

“Who made that distinction?”

“I…”

“I don’t understand how anyone, least of all you, could say that. Yes, you learned many skills from Alice. You may even be able to mimic her style, but you are not her. You have learned from the Mistress, From Servilia, from me. You are no counterfeit, Cross, don’t pretend to be. Don’t you dare throw away all of our effort. Don’t you dare throw away your own effort either!”

Cross was silent for a long time as Lexi’s raised voice bounced around the empty hallway. Finally, he let out a soft chuckle. “There you go, again.”

“What?” Lexi’s eyes were sharp.

“Nothing.” Cross shook his head, his eyes closing as he leaned his head against the wall. His lips quirked up into a small smile “Hey, Lex?”

“Yes?”

“Do you know what I stopped wanting to be a Leader?” Even with his eyes closed, Cross knew she had shaken her head. His smile grew slightly. “It was because of you.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, it was the first time I watched you fight the Mistress. She planted you face first into the floor before you could even swing your sword. And all you did was stand back up. She put you down again, and still, you just got back up. You did that until you passed out.” Cross laughed softly. “It wasn’t that you put up a good fight. You didn’t. It was probably the worst I have ever seen you fight. You were so scared. Your hands were shaking so bad I didn’t think you were going to be able to hold your sword. It wasn’t that you didn’t give up, either. I’ve never seen you give up a fight, even when you know you’re going to lose.

“It was because when I looked at you, you weren’t looking at the Mistress. You were looking somewhere beyond her. I started to notice it more, after that. No matter what you were doing, what skill you were trying to learn, you weren’t looking at the next step. You weren’t looking for the end. That’s the difference between me and you.” Cross squeezed her hand once. “I was never like that. There was only Alice, even long after she was gone, that’s all I was truly reaching for. That’s all I wanted to be.”

“Is that still want you want?”

Cross thought about the question for a moment, his eyes slowly opening. “No… I don’t think anyone really wants to be Alice. Not even Alice.”

Lexi gave him a questioning gaze but Cross only shook his head.

“It’s fine if you don’t understand. I don’t know if I really understand either.”

“What are you going to do?”

Cross blew out a breath. “I don’t think I can beat her.”

“I see.”

“But I want to try.”

“She is more skilled than you.”

“Yeah.”

“She is also faster than you.”

He chuckled. "You're being a little tough on me, you know."

"Perhaps, but I am your Leader.” Lexi gave a nod and stood up, still loosely gripping Cross’s hand. “So, I’ll be there, cheering for you no matter what.”

Cross looked up at her. “Being a Leader sounds like a pain.”

“It has its moments.”

“Then I guess I’ll continue to be in your care.” Cross grinned as Lexi hauled him to his feet. “As long as you’ll have me.”

Lexi met his smile with her own. “Cross?”

“Yeah?”

“Fight to win?”

"Fight to win."

Another roar from the crowd reached the hallway. Cross looked down at Lexi.

"Hey, do you still have my key?"

Lexi nodded. "Yes, why?"

Cross touched his temple for a moment before dropping his hand and nodding to himself. "How fast do you think you can get to the guild and back?"