NuTourney-Round One-Xrin

Xrin shook from the loud cheers erupting from the audience area…and from her own fear. The novice round was complete and now it was time for the intermediate tier. She watches from her seat in the audience as the players were escorted off the ruined battlefield to the waiting rooms below the arena to rest up. Crayton announced that there would be an hour recess while the field was cleared of debris…and blood. The Otome balled her hands into fists, ignoring the pain of her nails digging into her skin.

Sensei said never show your opponents fear and always face them with a bloodthirsty aura. How can I possibly do that when my opponents are my friends?

After her return from training with Kurogane, Xrin was shocked to find that both her lover and her 'brother' were placed in the same tier as her and were no longer in the novice tier they originally signed up for. The Superiors informed her that they had the even out the numbers when she went to confirm it.

I don't want to fight them! I would give up first before raising my weapon at them.

"Exciting isn't it, Xrin?"

The blue-haired girl glanced up to see Frixisu taking a seat behind her. "Y-Yeah…it is."

"Oohhh~ I wonder who's going to fight who next," the Madame giggled.

"Me too, Frixisu-nee." Xrin managed a small, yet fake, smile.

Frixisu raised a thin eyebrow at the younger girl. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Hai, I'm fine," she replied blandly.

"You don't look it. You've been staring out into space for a while now just after the novice rounds ended."

Xrin blinked at her 'sister' before looking away. "I'm…just nervous is all…about fighting my friends."

The brunette woman let out a light sigh. She then leaned over and groped Xrin's breasts from behind. The Otome shrieked and jumped out of her seat.

"F-F-Frixisu-nee! What was that for?"

Frixisu just smirked. "You need to lighten up, Xrin-chan~ Otherwise your forehead will wrinkle from over-thinking."

Xrin stared. "R-Really?" She then touched her forehead, feeling for said wrinkles.

"I'm only teasing, silly girl. But seriously, don't worry so much. Your friends will forgive you in the end if you fight them."

"I…guess. Arigato, Frixisu-nee."

"You're welcome, sweetie. Oh, there's Thexlade! I'll see you later~" Frixisu then skipped away to go pester the Rose.

Xrin watched her leave and turned her attention back to the ring. She was still scared about fighting those she cared about.

"Xrin?"

The Otome looked up to find her lover standing before, holding out a bottle of water to her. She smiled and took the bottle.

"Hello Lattxaana."

Lattxaana smiled and sat down, wrapping her arms around Xrin. "You looked a little tired so I thought I'd get you a drink."

Xrin relaxed in the former unicorn's arms, nuzzling her neck. "Thank you…" she said softly.

"What did Frixisu want?"

"Hmm? Oh, I was worried about fighting my friends and she told me that not to worry and that they'll forgive me."

Lattxaana nodded. "I see……and she also touched you too," she muttered distastefully.

Xrin blinked up at the pink-haired woman and chuckled. "Oh that? That was just Frixisu-nee being Frixisu-nee. And besides…when this is over…you can touch me all you want, koibito~" Xrin whispered in Lattxaana's ear, who blushed ten different shades of red.

"Xrin…" she whined.

Chuckling lightly, the Otome curled up in her lover's arms as they waited for the next tier to begin.

~*~

The restful hour quickly passed by. Everyone who went to stretch their legs or to get something to eat returned to their seats in their assigned section. The leaders of the clubs stood up at their podiums as Crayton read off the names of the fighters for the first fight in the intermediate tier.

"Would Org-Nu members Xrin, the Metallic Otome, and Frixisu, the Wordy Madame, please approach the ring?"

Soft gasps and murmured speech followed right after those names were said. All eyes turned toward the two women in question. Xrin lowered her head, not wanting to look at her 'sister' who sat a few feet away.

I'm fighting…Frixisu-nee? Why her first?

A tug on her sleeve snapped Xrin out of her stupor. The Otome looked up to see who it was and found her soon-to-be opponent smiling down at her.

"Coming, Xrin-chan?"

"B-But…I…do not wish to hurt you."

Frowning slightly, Frixisu enclosed her hand around the younger girl's arm and pulled her away from Lattxaana. She then tugged her down the aisle and stairs, heading toward the ring. Xrin yelped and tried to pull her captured arm free of the brunette's grasp, but the older woman held tight. Within seconds, the two Org-Nu members were standing in the middle of the ring.

"Wait! Frixisu-nee! I do not want to fight!" Xrin cried out, still pulling away.

A sharp tug pulled the blue-haired Otome toward the Madame, who glared down at her.

"Listen. If you did not want to fight your friends, then why did you sign up for the tournament? You knew that they would sign up as well and yet, you still wrote down your name."

Xrin looked away from the woman's gaze. "I j-just wanted to…"

"Yes?"

"Wanted to…_{prove that I}…"

Frixisu tugged her arm again. "I can't hear you~"

"To prove that I'm not weak person and that I am a strong member of this Organization!" Xrin shouted.

The Madame smirked and relinquished control of Xrin's arm back to her. "Very well. And remember what I said…your friends will forgive you," she said with a wink and then walking toward the opposite side of the ring.

"Alright. This fight marks the first round of the intermediate tier," Crayton began. "The level of fighting here is higher than novice, so there will be no shenanigans. Do I make myself clear?"

Both women replied with a 'Hai.'

"There is also no killing or massively injuring your opponent, and if that happens, you are disqualified."

The Great Wizard left the ring with the sound of a gong following behind him. That loud noise signaled that the round began. Frixisu summoned her cane with a paper lantern on the end, holding it loosely in her hands.

"Ready, Xrin-chan?"

Xrin closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She summoned her fan, the paper and the wood immediately transforming into iron. The curved blades shone in the sunlight.

"Yes, I am," she replied back as she opened her eyes, showing her determination.

"Then allow me to start this fight." The Madame raised her lantern. "Moth Thaw Awake…" A faint glow resonated from within the paper and intensified with each word. "Kelp Peppermint."

When the glow was bright enough, Frixisu swung her lantern in the air and five fireballs emerged from it. They quickly shot toward the Otome, blazing a fiery trail. Xrin raised her fan in a defensive stance, not knowing what to expect; this was the first time she is witnessing the older woman's element. The fireballs hit the air around her fan and rippled. The first four lightly pushed her back but the fifth one caused her to trip and fall on her butt.

"Itai…" the Otome muttered, rubbing the sore area.

But Xrin didn't have time to recover since Frixisu fired off another offensive spell.

"Handicraftsman Anaphrodisiac Accelerometer Eruption Onomatopoeia!" Frixisu shouted, waving her lantern. "Good thing I read up on my words before the tournament," she smirked.

The next five fireballs shone a lot brighter than the previous ones. When the first one hit the air near her chest, Xrin was forcefully pushed back. She yelped in pain, her chest aching. The next two fireballs hit her again, adding to the pain she felt.

If I don't fight back, I'll lose!

The Otome raised her fan again and sliced through the last two fireballs. She slowly rose to her feet and broke off into a run, her wooden sandals clunking against the stone ring.

If I attack her head on, Frixisu-nee won't have time to form words.

Xrin closed in on the brunette and swung her iron fan forward, blades singing in the air. But before even one blade sliced her, a large flaming shield appeared and blocked the swing.

"Lamp Post."

The younger girl recoiled back and swung a second time only to be blocked again. The shield rippled before vanishing.

Two words, two hits. Now's my chance!

Letting out a yell, Xrin swung again. But surprise surprise, another two-hit block. Yellow eyes widened in confusion.

"You said two words!"

Frixisu chuckled and wagged a finger at the younger girl. "Ah ah. The first two blocks were from 'Lamp', and these two were from 'Post'."

The Otome growled under her breath and swung her leg out, aiming for the brunette's gut. Not expecting such a physical attack, Frixisu flew back and rolled along the stone ring. Xrin didn't waste any time as she raced to her fallen opponent, brandishing her bladed fan. Frixisu stopped rolling by using her cane as a bracing tool. She saw the blue-haired girl gaining speed, staying low to the ground.

Xrin kept her eyes locked on the older woman. I can't lose! Not here!

Frixisu slowly stood and raised her lantern. "Tsk…" She opened her mouth to recite a spell but Xrin leaped toward her.

Iron blades slashed through the brunette's jacket sleeve and didn't stop there. Pushing past her limits, Xrin kept striking her 'sister' until blood was drawn. Within minutes, parts of Frixisu's clothes were coated with crimson red liquid. Before she could land any more hits, the brunette parried the fan with her cane, keeping her lantern out of the way.

The two shared blows for nearly half an hour, each one feeling fatigue by the second. Wood hit iron. Iron shredded the wood. Frixisu panted heavily, sweat rolling down her face. She saw her younger friend in the same condition. Xrin's chest still ached from the first attack.

"What's wrong, Frixisu-nee? Run out of words?" the Otome mocked.

Frixisu smirked. "Oh, I'll show you words, Xrin-chan~" She then jumped back, putting some distance between them. "Transcontinental Algebraically Lycaenidae Aerodynamic Ichthyosauridae!!" she shouted, waving her lantern.

Five large and glowing fireballs shot out from the delicate paper, scorching a path in the air toward the Otome. Xrin barely dodged the first fireball as she slashed it. Just when she was about to destroy the next one, a blur of black and white erupted in her view. Frixisu had appeared in front of her and smirked, her cane poised for a strike. Xrin blocked the cane, trapping it between her blades. A flash of light caught in the corner of her eye.

"Frixisu-nee! The fireballs!"

"Heh…I know. Butterfly Yukata!"

A rippling shield surrounded the brunette, protecting her from the backlash as the fireballs impacted on Xrin. Clouds of dust covered the area, coating the two women and blocked the audience's view of the field. A few seconds of silence hung in the stadium before a loud 'CRACK' and 'THUD' echoed in the ring.

Fearing the worst, Lattxaana jumped out of her seat, tears in her eyes. "XRIN!"

Xamu stayed petrified in his seat, his knuckles turning white as he resisted acting on his emotions.

It took a while for the dust to settle, everyone still in suspense. A body and a head of blue hair emerged from the cloud. Xrin stood upright, her clothes torn and bloody. Her hair was tussled and messy with dirt. There was a trail of blood traveling down her face and mouth. The iron coating on her fan slowly disappeared.

"It's over…" she muttered softly. Her free hand sported abrasions on her knuckles. "I won."

Yellow eyes stare on the still, and breathing, body at her sandal-covered feet. Frixisu's eyes were closed with one of them sporting a black mark. A shredded paper lantern rested a few feet away. Xrin turned to walk away but a raspy voice stopped her.

"That was crazy of you to do that, Xrin. Taking on all that damage."

The Otome glanced downward at the brunette who slowly opened her eyes. "I know…"

Frixisu coughed slightly. "How? How were you able to still fight me?"

"I owe that to my sensei. He always says 'Fight as if you were fighting Death itself'."

With that said, Xrin walked out of the ring and toward the waiting arms of her lover and 'brother'. Frixisu watched the trio with her good eye and smiled.

I forgive you, Xrin.

~*~

A large man with tanned skin and spiky teal-colored hair watched the entire fight from his hiding spot. He chuckled deeply as a wide smirk formed, showing his sharp fangs.

"Not bad, Girl. Not bad," the man said before vanishing into the shadows.