Ran's Little Dragon

Sick!

Sweat rolls down my pale face as my eyes are wide open in fear and concentration as the hostile scarred German Shepherd snarles with  the now familiar starvation in it's eyes, we circle around each other as the audience above us holds their breath in anticipation. Suddenly the dog pounce into action as it wishes to sink it's teeth into my flesh but I won't let it as I give a blind slice before quickly rolling away and with practiced speed I return to my feet to see I have given the dog a slice across it's face, that doesn't stop it as it again pounces at me and with a risk I allowed it close. With a worn old knife in hand I embrace the crazed dog which caused it to sink some teeth into my shoulder but I sink the knife into it's ribcage in return and that makes the audience watching go wild while wondering what's going to happen next, I twisted the knife making the dog yelp in pain and let my shoulder go.

"I'm sorry" I whispered to the animal as only one will come out of this match alive and that will be me, I tear my sharp canines into it's throat to crush it and rip it out but I won't let it suffer any longer then it has to so I quickly pull the knife out and instantly killed it instead letting it bleed out to slowly die.

"Ryuu Ryo is the winner!!!" The audience cheers loudly as some won a bet and others liked the match, I hold my arms in the air in victory as I show myself off like I'm supposed to. Two week have pass of me having fight after fight until I'm now at Ryo rank and only a slight chance happened to me but I mostly still looked the same as my first match here, animal blood drips from my mouth and onto my shirtless chest that shows off the scars I now have but I am lucky that it's mostly on my front as I protect my back tattoo.

'I use to look like a normal three year old but now I look like a goblin without a round stomach and green skin'

I slightly joked to myself as my match Handler connects the metal leash to the collar around my neck to lead me out of the ring and back into Mercy's hands.

"Come on and let's get that shoulder fixed as Stan has a present for you!" She smiled at me as she lead us back to her room where she once again patch me up after a bath.

"I don't know how a three year old like you is surviving." She mumbles to herself as she puts ointment on the wound before bandaging it.

"As do I" I mumbled back before giving a thanks as she hands me a sandwich and water which I immediately started eating after washing my mouth out.

"What time is my next match?" Mercy fix the medical kit together again.

"You're lucky as it's tomorrow at 9." After getting to the Kata rank I've been having matches two or three times a day.

"Good, at this point feeling so sore is starting to feel normal." I stated as I lay on Mercy's and Stan's bed that they only let me do when it's just us in the room which she lay next to me and let me snuggle up to her side before she runs her fingers through my hair for a little while before Stan walks in with a german pinscher puppy wiggling in his arms, he walks over to us and sets the puppy in my arms which I give him a confused and questioning look.

"She's yours now, a friend of mine is a dog breeder for the gang and this little one is the runt of it's litter which he was going to put it down when it's mother didn't want it but I got him to let me have it." A smile appears on my face.

"She's mine?" Stan nods as he returns the smile.

"Thank you!" I look at the whimpering pup in my arms but I frown as a thought appears.

"Once she's grown they'll made me fight her, won't they?" I question which caused to the two adults to frown at the thought.

"We'll try our best to not let that happen." Mercy promises as I hope they can keep it.

"Yara" I responded after they asked what I'll name her and soon it's time for bed, I hold the pup against my chest as I lay in my corner and let sleep take over. Only a day has passed with two matches when sleep hardly comes to me that night and when my conscious returns to me I can tell something isn't right as my eyes feel like they're glued together with how heavy they feel.

"Ryuu, time to get up." I hear Mercy's voice as she removes the pup from me before noticing the sweat in my forehead when I struggled to sit up and immediately unbandaged my shoulders in worry to see it inflamed with infection

"Shit, I think the two matches from yesterday did more harm then good." She mumbled to Stan as she picks me up and place me on their bed.

"it's time" I can hear her whisper with sadness as I started to pant as my fever gets higher which she immediately trys to cool me down with a cold wash rag.

"Mercy! You know if you do this he'll kill you!" Stan responded back harshly.

"Stan, you know this day was coming! I would rather save him and then live another day knowing I could have done something!" She argues back.

"We've already planned for this, to get him out of here before he catches he's death." She whispers, it's seems they have planned a way to get me out of here for a while now.

"We'll get you out of here." She whispers to me as I started to get delusional from my fever.

"Papa." My lips quivers as I mumbled before my conscious fades. My conscious slips back in to notice someone is using a wet cloth on my forehead before hearing voices.

"Who would do such a thing to a child like this! Can you take this metal collar off?" The male voice is familiar to me before hearing a deeper one speak.

"Yeah,  hold him still." Large but gentle hands hold my shoulders down before as I can feel something clink against my collar and with a loud snap they break the lock off, the gentle hands ease the collar off my neck as I hear him give a relief sigh when seeing my skin isn't glued to the metal. I open my eyes when my head touch the pillow again after my collar being fully removed to see two people I haven't thought I would ever see in this life, Takemitchy is the one who gentle hands I felt as he sits on the edge of the bed as he attends to me while I can see Draken in the background doing something.

"You're awake!" Takemitchy blue eyes widen in surprise.

"Draken, he's awake!" He calls over his shoulder at the taller black haired man.

"Mercy?" My voice scratches as I try to speak which Takemitchy immediately helps me sit up to drink the water he has for me.

"Slowly" He urges me.

"Mercy? Stan? Where are they?" I questioned after pulling away once my thirst is quenched.

"Who are they? Are they the ones that took you?" Takemitchy softly questions me but I don't answer as I realize what I said and that the two got me out of that place.

"Pup? Where's my puppy?" I pleaded when I notice that's Yara isn't by my side while looking around wildly.

"You mean this little lady." Draken strolls back in with Yara in his large hand which I immediately reach out to and he hands her over to me.

"Now that you got her can you answer me now? Who are these two people that you're asking for?" I keep my attention on Yara ignoring the questions which Draken whispered to Takemitchy when noticing my absent answers, Takemitchy nods to him.

"I'm Takemichi Hanagaki and this is my friend Draken, he help getting that collar off." Takemitchy voiced before asking my name.

"Dragen" I reluctantly answered.