Hollstein Karate AU (Broken Champion on AO3)

Chapter 12

The cut on the small girl's cheek stung like mad, and every now and then a trail of blood would run down her cheek, spinning her into a rage all over again.

 

"Rematch. Here and now, no holds barred. I want you to give me everything you've got. Elbows, knees, punches to the face, and everything else you have in your arsenal. Winner gets gloating rights. Deal?" Laura asks, holding her hand out to shake, in the same trusting way she had offered to help him up. This time he took her hand and shook once, amazed by the smallness and softness of her hands and the strength of her grip. For the first time Derek Robinson thought he might have done the wrong thing. On top of it all he was kind of terrified that he was about to get his ass kicked, another unfamiliar feeling for the large boy. He had always been a popular fighter due to his size. So much so, that he had been given the nickname of Mountain Man. He stepped away from the two boys holding him in the ring and took his fighting stance hesitantly.

 

"I'm kind of scared for the poor bastard." Carmilla murmurs to no one in particular.

 

"Why? It's not like Laura will do him any serious damage." LaF asks, surprising Carmills.

 

"You don't feel that coming off of her?" Carmilla asks, the waves coming off the girl enough to make her queasy.

 

"Feel what?" LaF asks.

 

"It's like a wave of power. When you're facing someone down in a sparring match and they're staring you dead in the eye and you feel that thrill of fear and power run down your spine... it's like that, only Laura is absolutely radiating it right now."  Carmilla says as Laura moves like a flash in the corner of her vision.

 

The dark haired girl whips around to see what's happening, her heart suddenly pounding in her chest. Laura was angry, and angry fighters make mistakes. this was a recipe for disaster and all of the more experienced people in the circle knew it. Suddenly, Laura was in the air and her heel was hitting Derek in the temple. If he hadn't been wearing a helmet, he would have been on the ground unconscious. He countered despite seeing stars, a flailing punch that had no hope of landing as Laura blocked and gasped for air.

 

"Take it easy, Cupcake. There's no fire." Carmilla advises from the side-lines. Derek has recuperated and he throws a kick of his own, also heading for the head, but he overestimates Laura's height and it sails over. The small girl scoffs and steels herself, Carmilla's advice ringing in her ears. She sets her stance and waits for him to come to her, side-stepping at the last second, her face stinging as a blow glances off of her face and she grasps his helmet with a (usually illegal) palm thrust, elbows the helmet (also usually illegal), and brings his face down to an inch above her knee. A blow that, if it had landed, would have broken his nose all over his face, the same way her own nose currently felt as blood ran down her face.

 

"Next time, remember when I do fight you fair and square, it's not because I have to. It's because I respect both the art and your worthless ass enough too much to fight any  other way. Next time, pick on someone your own size." Laura says, wiping at her nose with the back of one gloved hand, staining the white material red. She swings herself out of the ring, whips off her helmet and tosses it to LaF, stomping off to go see Perry wordlessly, blood running down her face. Carmilla watched her walk away, feeling like she was seeing a burning avenging angel walk away from her.