"I am thine to command" {Prince of Tennis fiction}

Chapter 10 [Dark Confrontation]

**** Scene Change ****

Marui was beaten into a bloody pulp, with blood trickling down his nose and dark bruises all over his body. The pain was intolerable. It was as though his entire body was on fire, the fiery flames licking his body, the blazing inferno charring him.

"Stop!!" He could hear a faint voice in the distant. He tried to look up, but a stabbing pain shot up his neck. Whoever it was, he sure was grateful to him or her, for his attackers finally ceased inflicting those brutal hits on him, giving him room to breathe.

There were rushed footsteps coming in his direction. A silhouette towered over him as a petite figure stood in between him and his aggressors with her arms outstretched, acting as a shield to protect him.

"Don't hit him anymore!" The girl shouted fiercely, though Marui could sense the quivering in her tone.

"Oh? Who are you to interfere, Kira Rin?" A guy mocked in a sniveling singsong tone.

"I cannot oversee this incident as the Vice- President of the Discipline Committee." Kirarin declared as she tried to keep her impassive façade in check.

"This is not your concern to begin with. Get lost. We still have some unfinished business to deal with." A guy smiled wickedly in defiance.

"No! I won't. I won't let you hit him-" Kirarin was interrupted as she was being backhanded forcefully, a resounding slap echoing in the alley.

"Bitch! I warned you to get lost!" The guy thundered, his voice tinged with menace.

Biting back her tears, she crawled to Marui's limp figure before whispering into his ears, "Escape while I distract them."

A tear escaped from the corner of Kirarin's eyes as it splashed on Marui's face. An intense feeling overwhelmed him upon catching a glimpse of her teary gaze, the blue eye that was glistening in tears. 'So beautiful, yet so melancholic...' Somehow, it triggered his inner alpha male, the feeling of protectiveness burning in his chest.

Kirarin could feel her confidence wavering. Nevertheless, she endured the pain and straightened up herself, mustering up all her courage to give a scorching look at the perpetrators.

"Oh? Little girl is crying now huh?" A guy looked at her right in the face and sneered.

"I'm not a little girl. And I'm not crying!" Kirarin growled.

"Feisty one, aren't you? I like it. I would love to see you break~ Won't you cry more? It turns me on~" A guy rubbed his hands with malicious glee as he licked his lips.

"Don't touch me! You disgust me!" Kirarin bit the hand, which was caressing her neck.

"Owww! Damn you bitch!" The guy yapped as he retracted his hand, before shoving Kirarin roughly up the wall. The violent impact made Kirarin groaned in pain as she clutched her left shoulder.

"Mmm I love it when you make that expression on your face. I wonder what will you be like if I do this!" Another guy yanked her hair downwards, making her yelped in pain. Her face was tilted up to meet the gaze of the perpetrators. The animalistic and predatory gleam in their eyes intimidated her, as though she was a prey, which was caught and had no other way to escape. Kirarin cursed inwardly as she felt fresh hot tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to fall. 'Damn, this is not the time to be weak!'

Kirarin's scream of agony and desperate cries was fuelling the sadistic passion in the perpetrators as they cornered her, trapping her delicate body to the wall.

Seeing his chance, Marui crawled to the end of the alley while muffling his groans, as he tried to evade the perpetrators, who were back facing him, their interest and attention solely focused on Kirarin.

After making a turn in the alley, he tried to stand up, using the wall as a support, before limping to the tennis clubroom, where Niou was supposedly waiting for him.

"What the hell happened to you, Bunta?!!" Niou was alarmed at the injuries, and the extent of those wounds, fresh blood spilling from those gashes, some dried blood staining his tennis shirt.

"Just bring me to the infirmary..." Marui coughed harshly as he collapsed onto Niou, his legs too sore to walk on anymore.

**** Scene Change (At the infirmary) ****

"Oww!!" Marui winced in pain while Niou was pouring antiseptic on his open wounds.

"What's wrong?" Niou asked suspiciously when he realized that Marui was restless and fidgeting. 'He's too quiet. Something must have happened.'

"How did you get out of this mess?" Niou asked.

"I-umm... That girl, Kira... came... rescue... ask me to escape..." Marui muttered as he shifted around uncomfortably.

Nevertheless, Niou was able to make out his words. "Kira Rin? Where's she?" he asked.

There was only silence in the air as Marui kept quiet while adverting his gaze from Niou, whose cerulean blue eyes were staring intently at him.

"Don't tell me you left her there with the guys?" Niou asked, his tone wavering. 'No Bunta, please tell me you didn't do that.' His inner self became jittery and disquieted.

There was no reply, just a slight nod, but that was all Niou needed to know that his worse prediction just became true.

"How could you just leave her there?!" Niou exclaimed in disbelief and anger.

"But they wouldn't do anything to her! She's... she's ugly!" Marui tried to justify his selfish actions, though his heart was pierced with guilt.

"You idiot! She may be ugly, but she's still a girl!!" Niou shouted as he bolted out of the door, with Marui trailing behind him.

Niou felt his heart racing as he dashed past the corridor to the alley. His peripheral vision a blur as he only focused on reaching the entrance. The distance felt so long, as if it would take forever before he will reach, even when he sprinted at his fastest speed. There was an indescribable sensation swirling in his heart, which he had never felt before. 'Please, please, let her be all right...' he chanted in his mind. It was the first time he felt so desperate in his life. He was breaking out in cold sweat, his heart full of trepidation, as different scenarios came to his mind, each one worse than the previous one.

It seemed like eternity before Niou reached the dark alley. Nonetheless, there was no one, not a soul in the alley. An ominous feeling crept in his heart as he discerned bloodstains on the ground, which were glistening in the dim light. 'I don't have her number either, damn!' Niou kicked the pebbles on the ground, his brows wrinkled in vexation.

"Look at what you've done, Marui Bunta! How could you leave her alone? If something had happened to her, it'll be your fault! I'm not going to talk to you unless you apologized to her, damn it!!" Niou lashed out at Marui with a devastating tirade of accusation, as Marui limped towards him, using the wall as support.

Marui felt a twisted feeling in his gut as he stared at the dark alley, empty and desolate. 'What kind of guy am I to leave a girl alone?!' Marui punched his fist on the wall as he gritted his teeth.

"I will apologize to her. I promise." Marui expressed genuinely.

"That is, if she's still alive..." Niou's voice trailed in the end.

(To be continued...)

*****************************

A/N: MERRY XMAS TO ALL!!! XD

To celebrate this joyous occasion, I've decided to post 3 chapts at one go~ hope you guys will enjoy these chapts! Please vote/comment if you lyk it~ Thankee :D

Btw, the main casts aren't all out yet~ tis story is going to b unexpected with lots of twists & turns~ tat's why I say tis would b my best work! Stay tune for more chapts~ (:

One last thing, if you guys lyk prince of tennis fanfic with dark plots, check out the story 'Forgotten' by Artemisbexter. It's pretty good! (: