Twist of Fate

Chapter 37: Withdrawals

A/N: When I wrote this chapter who knows how many months ago, I wasn't in my right mind (in my opinion). I made the fight hella short due to a disease I call LACK OF IMAGINATION AND ORIGINAL THOUGHT. Anyway, I only have two chapters left written so after I tpe them up, I'll have to take another break. Don't know about the summer, since I was stupid enough to sign up for more school, willingly. Bah, the next one is longer so maybe in a week or so. Enjoy. Also, I'm bored enough to write the word count for all of the chapters here on out.
-Fun Fact(More like spoiler): There are an odd amount of orphans in this story who's parents were...hm, abusive, debatably.
Word Count:3310(before AN)3446(after AN)

"This is the end for you," Serai Nain's soft, monotonous voice came from above through the low static buzz that filled my head. "You've reached your limit."

I gritted my teeth as white pain seared through my school. My limbs trembled and pins and needles stabbed through my entire body. I could barely hold in the groan that swelled in my chest and threatened to slip through my clenched teeth. It'd been so long since I'd last been in so much pain. It hurt almost as much as the time when some over-religious bastard clipped me with his truck, raving about how I was the "embodiment of evil" or some crap like that after seeing me beat a few of my tormentors and the mark appeared on my chest in my adrenaline high. That was painful, more than the chauvinistic bastard would ever know, especially after I had already had my head smashed against a brick wall shortly before by said tormentors. It wasn't a good day for me.

So this, merely having y skull crushed into dirt, though relatively hard, was much easier to bare. I had a worryingly but blessedly high pain threshold; this was easy to tolerate. I could handle the pain, but that didn't mean I liked having my head shoved into the ground. Again. I probably wasn't sane, but I wasn't insane.

"Get off of me." I barely recognized the gravelly bordering on growling voice that escaped my throat through the buzzing in my ears. I wasn't surprised though, it had happened before, like some kind of defense mechanism. It scared people, or at very least made them nervous. "I said get off," I repeated in the same low quasi-growl. "Right now."

I felt my opponent's suppressed aura, no longer impossible to sense, pulse strangely and the hand pressing my head to ground vanished. I wasted no time pushing myself to my feet, forcing the quiver of my limbs to cease. Quick, shallow breaths flow from me and I felt a trail of blood slide down my forehead, but I ignored the signs that I should give up and met red tinged, icy blue eyes wide with something unidentifiable.

Serai Nain stood three feet away, face a mask of calm passivity, but the look in his eyes and the stiffness of his body belied of any claim of calm.

His sudden wary-like state confused me, I was absolutely sure I hadn't put him in such a state, but I couldn't afford to worry about it. My chances of winning were already low, taking a harsh blow like that to the head hadn't raised them. Nor had the continuing throb in my head or the matter of the sounds of cheering around me being diluted and muffled. Things just kept getting better.

"...ow are...still...-anding?" Serai Nain asked lowly.

I winced, though his voice was low, it irritated the throb in my head, even if I could barely understand it. This match was beginning to get so...so troublesome. "Tolerance," I clipped out curtly in response to his question, hissing as the throb intensified.

If I hadn't known better, I would have though I'd seen shock flicker through Serai's eyes. "I see..." I heard him murmur almost to himself. "You are strong."

My brows twitched. "What?" I shook my head gently to see if I'd heard correctly.

"You are strong," he repeated, meeting my gaze directly. "Not many....able to stand after...that...-o I will no longer hold back."