“I won,” One thought aloud, cutting through the clattering of his sword hitting the bathroom floor.
“No. No, I won. Fair and square, plain and simple. In the end, it was my name they were screaming.”
He steadied himself as best he could, blinking hard until his reflection came into focus. Red. His pretty face and sorry ass had definitely seen better days. One could feel his palms grow numb, leaning his weight up against the counter before he felt steady enough to run the water and plug up the sink. The water ran, the sound echoing around him as he stood still. It wasn’t enough to drown out all those circling thoughts still leaving their mark on One’s mind.
“It’s just a little mess,” One breathed out, “That’s all.”
This wasn’t even a setback, no. This was, without a single doubt, a win. My win, he thought, his eyes still glazed over as his reflection stared back at him. The room spun a little, a black eye and a whole lot of-
A small flicker of blue was enough to shake that thought away. Focus. This was the last fight of the weekend. And One would have all week to heal up and train for next time. A better next time. It wouldn’t happen again. That’s what he told himself as he felt his fingertips being submerged beneath the surface of the rising water. He fought for the focus to turn off the water. That was too close…too close for comfort.
Rinse and repeat. That’s all there was at this washed-up hotel. Yōkai that think they’re kings and queens by taking on that damn spider’s champion. That, and all the freaks getting a kick out of betting on and watching whoever’s next in the ring. Big Mama’s champion…
I bet I could take him out.
The thought echoed in his head. It washed away all the red and filled his chest with…something else. He pushed down the faintest flutter building in his guts, looking down as he watched all that red just drain away like it was never there. He was unfocused then, not even an hour ago now. One’s face still stung with near defeat. His feet shifted beneath him as he breathed out a low growl, the sound fading into the abyss.
