His Other Half (KiriBaku)

Chapter 35

October 24, XX84
~Around the Halls~

Hi. We have blood and swords.

        The rumbles from Yo's earthquake were felt as far as Fineir, a city more than seven miles from Argo's royal capital. Yo had been scolded for his unnecessary display, but no one had been hurt, so it amounted to nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

        Katsuki couldn't do anything more to help. If anything, he might have made it worse, because that morning he'd watched as Eijiro's allies (Tetsutetsu having been relieved of his punishment) mounted their horses to ride for Dian with Deku and the others. Because he'd ordered them to.

        So of course Yo chose this day to strike, a day he wouldn't have to face consequences from the trio should he succeed.

        Which is how Prince Katsuki found himself in the royal viewing box, tense in his chair next to his mother and father. Eijiro's parents had refused to come, not wanting to witness another carnage at the hands of their son. Denki stood over his shoulder, sparking anxiously while Tenya ordered him to get a handle on himself. Prince Shoto looked on sourly, extremely bitter--he hadn't been allowed to go adventuring with his boyfriend, and for that, he had promised to torment Katsuki a thousand times.

        Far below, Eijiro stood on the field in his shiny black battle suit, patiently awaiting Yo's arrival. The earth mage was late. Not a lot, but enough that Hizashi had begun to complain loudly. Every few moments, Ei's eyes would drift up to catch Katsuki's, and he would smile. Katsuki wondered how he could stay so maintained with the knowledge that Argo's Earthshaker intended to take revenge.

        Yo arrived then, his court clothes abandoned in favor of tied pants and a loose white shirt like the other Cour liked to fight in, a scimitar hanging from his hip. Eijiro seemed to greet him amicably--he and Yo even shook hands, an acknowledgment and promise to fight fairly to the best of their abilities; an already dignified start to what could end up a terrible bloodbath.

        Prince Shoto growled at the pair while Hizashi started on his over-dramatic wind-up. "If Yo Shindo fails to defeat him," the prince wondered, "will they send another of their ilk to be sacrificed? Is there even a point in letting the games go on if your beast can't be beaten?"

        Katsuki hummed tensely, watching his love and his opponent back away and square off against each other. "I don't know if they'll send another challenger. They have one more younger son, but I don't think they'd be too eager to lose most of their male bloodline. And the games have to go on. Five more months, at least."

        "Duke Shindo won't let his wife throw another of their sons to the wolves," Tenya theorized. "The daughter is only twelve, and their son is fifteen. To put them into the court system this young is ridiculous."

        "To send Yo into a battle that isn't his is ridiculous," Katsuki protested, seething. He'd much rather prefer to hold his love than watch the man fight for his pride.

        Hizashi's excited shout rang out through the crowd. The stadium shook, the sand on the fields quickly stirring up a thick dust cloud. Katsuki lost sight of Eijiro almost immediately. "Does Yo have all the magic capabilities of his brother?" He demanded of Tenya.

        Yo answered the question himself when the glass shrunk into balls of tight glass spines and clattered back to the ground. Katsuki hissed in displeasure, thankful that Eijiro had taken to wearing stronger shoes in the arena. 

        But Eijiro seemed to have no such cares, crushing the glass shards under his boot as he tore across the open field. The fields shook again, Yo knowing that if he could know Ei off-balance, he'd likely fall on the glass mines. Eijiro didn't falter, getting close enough to draw his sword and ram the hilt into Yo's side.