A New Generation: A ZoroMiku Story

33: Raging Battle

Miku

Dazed and dizzy from what had happened to her, Miku watched Zorome and Hyaku fight. Everything felt like a blur to her and she was having a hard time standing still enough to keep her head above the water. She felt weak from having tried to struggle against that horrible boy and felt numb with shock and pain. She'd nearly passed out when her head had been pushed under the water.

Zorome and Hyaku shouted at each other as they fought. They were locked in a vicious battle together. Water sprayed around them as they continued to fight. 

"Zorome..." Miku whispered hoarsely, knowing neither boy could hear her. "Please, be careful..."

Her body was trembling and she was freezing but she didn't dare make her way around the fighting boys to head to the shore. She was terrified that Zorome would get distracted if she did. She knew he needed all his focus to be able to fight Hyaku. Zorome was close to her size. The only difference was that he had taken Hyaku by surprise and was powered by adrenaline. Still, he was smaller than Hyaku and was more likely to get badly injured.

Miku's heart nearly stopped when she saw Hyaku shove Zorome underwater. He didn't resurface for a few minutes. Then he suddenly surged out of the water and grabbed Hyaku by the arms, yanking him below the surface whilst trying to twist his wrist. Hyaku's shouts were muffled as water surged into his mouth. 

Something warm was trickling down Miku's neck. Blood? How didn't I notice? She was confused. Then she realized he must've injured her while dragging her around. In fact, now she noticed that her knees were cracked and bleeding below the water, causing the red liquid to drift into the water. 

Suddenly, Hyaku grabbed Zorome in a tight threshold by the waist and tossed him to the side, causing a humungous splash of water to spray into the air. Zorome cried out in surprise.

"Zorome!" Miku cried. This caught Hyaku's attention. The silver-haired boy snapped his head around, fixing his manic gaze on her once more.

"Ah, yes, I still have to finish you off as well!" Hyaku swiftly splashed his way over to where Miku was standing. Miku, however, was prepared in spite of herself feeling weak and numb with shock. 

As Hyaku reached her, Miku swiftly snapped her arm upward and punched him in the nose. He cried out and clutched his nose with his hands. Blood was spurting out of it, dripping between his fingers. He muttered a few curse words under his breath, which were muffled from his hands covering his face.

"Get away from me, you freak!" Miku shouted. She noticed Zorome out of the corner of her eye. He was crouching behind Hyaku, preparing to attack him again. She acknowledged him with a nod. They knew each other well enough to know what to do: she had to distract Hyaku by keeping his attention fixed on her so that Zorome could sneak up on him.

She was ready to tear him a new one.

Zorome

Zorome stood behind Hyaku, his eyes fixed on the back of his head. He was planning on punching him out. He hated that boy so much. He was happy to have Miku's help now. He had been beginning to grow tired, feeling the sting of each blow he'd received. His adrenaline was beginning to fade, though he refused to give up. He was fiercely protective of Miku still and refused to let Hyaku lay another finger on her.

"You're such a weirdo freakshow," Miku said to Hyaku, sounding disgusted. "I can't believe you thought I'd be with you. Ugh, you're weird..."

Hyaku's head snapped up and he took his hands swiftly off his face and, before Zorome could even react, lunged forward and wrapped his hands around Miku's neck. "No! Shut up, 988!"

988? Does he really think that's who she is?  He thought, feeling a jolt of surprise. This boy was very, very delusional. Then he immediately felt a quick stab of horror: Hyaku was choking Miku. 

Zorome swung up and punched Hyaku hard in the back of the head. Hyaku gasp and stumbled sideways, releasing Miku, who immediately fell into the water, clutching her neck in her hands. Before Zorome could go over to help her, Hyaku snapped to his senses and lashed out at Zorome, catching him in the cheek with his nails. Blood began to form. He had scratched him hard.

"Bastard!" Zorome screamed, kicking Hyaku squarely between the legs before he could cause him any more harm. The larger boy grunted and fell forward...landing on Zorome. His cry was muffled as he fell into the water. He managed to shove him away and hurry back to the surface. As his head broke through the water, he coughed and snorted out any that had made its way into his mouth and nose. It stung like fire, as did the scratch on his cheek. He wanted nothing more than to make sure Miku was safe but he had to get rid of Hyaku first somehow. He saw Hyaku under the water and stomped down on his face, which he knew was already quite injured. He held jerked his foot away when Hyaku tried to snatch it. Then he hurried over to where he'd last seen Miku. He could see her lying underwater, her hair flowing upward. One of her pigtails had fallen out. 

"M-Miku!" He cried. He gently grabbed her and, grunting with effort, pulled her so that her head was above the water and began to pull her toward the shore. He set her down on her back on the soft sand. He could tell she was bleeding in several spots, likely from having been roughly dragged by that bastard. 

"Miku..." His heart sank. "Are you okay? S-say something!" 

Anxiety caused his heart to pound as he crouched down to give her a closer look. As he did so, hands suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders and yanked him backward, dragging him into the water once more.