The Paladin
Chapter Six
June 6th - 1:30 pm
Stripped to his slacks and undershirt, bare feet moving silently across the mats padding floor, Die couldn’t help the little thrill of anticipation that washed through him. His eyes flicked up to the floor-to-ceiling mirror that spanned the length of the wall, eyeing the slender brunette across the room. He rarely got to spar people hand to hand anymore – no one in the building was willing to challenge him – and Toshiya was an appealing opponent, being roughly the same size as himself and having earned the same position in another prominent family, but with completely different training. Die could admit to a certain curiosity about the Terachi Head of Security’s skills and was eager to see how they meshed against his own.
Plus he really needed to punch something, and Toshiya was as good a target as any.
He strapped on the thick pads over his forearms that would serve as his only protection and shook himself a little to wake up. As he turned, he saw Toshiya was similarly stripped and prepared, rolling his shoulders in a lazy stretch and bringing his hands up loosely, shifting his weight to the balls of his feet. The redhead brought his fists up as well, sharp eyes examining his opponent through dark shades.
They circled slowly, like prowling wolves, light on their feet with arms raised at the ready. A couple times they drifted closer together and exchanged light, testing blows that were easily dodged or blocked with arm guards. They left one another deliberate, tempting openings that by and large went ignored. Finally, after a couple light taps with his off hand, Die sent his fist plummeting toward Toshiya’s face. The younger man caught it against his guard, but had to take a step back with a grunt; Die hit like a brick. He struck back and landed a glancing blow to Die’s wounded chest, causing the redhead to return a bit of lost ground; Toshiya fought dirty.
Toshiya dropped to one knee and kicked Die’s legs out from underneath him. Die caught himself halfway down and countered with a foot to the younger man’s chest. Toshiya dodged the kick and ducked past it, striking out at the redhead and landing a sharp blow to the man’s collarbone that was returned with a shot to his skull. Toshiya lashed out again and Die caught his wrist, whipping him around until his head was caught under the older man’s constricting arm. He drove his fist into an unprotected side and dodged backwards as the grip on his neck was slackened.
Around and around they danced, the silence of the room broken only by soft panting and the sound of flesh hitting flesh. For every successful blow their movements became faster, just as controlled but with more sincere intention. Die found himself becoming lost in the violence, venting all of his guilt and strain on his surprisingly competent partner. He had the advantage of strength and was easily the superior when they got caught in a grapple, but Toshiya was incredibly agile and had a bit more reach than Die did.
As their dance became more fevered, Die noticed an odd look come into Toshiya’s eyes. The man was looking for something, watching his every movement with something very specific in mind. He found it when Die took an ill-advised shot from too far back, overextending his arm and finding it trapped and wrenched around his back as his legs were kicked from beneath him. Toshiya kept the grip on his arm as he crashed facedown onto the floor, his sunglasses skittering across the room. Die was temporarily blinded by the pain exploding from his wounded chest as he was pressed down into the mats.
“Fuck, Toshiya!” he found himself hissing, unable to free his arm for fear of pulling his stitches. As it was, he wasn’t entirely sure they were still intact.
“Sorry, I don’t play fair,” a playful voice teased, uncomfortably close to his ear. “Anyways, I don’t think I could have won if you weren’t already a little tenderized for me.”
The redhead grumbled as he conceded, letting his body go slack in submission. After a moment with no sign he was going to be released, he squirmed, frowning. “You going to let me up?”
The grip on his wrist went let up, and Die rolled onto his back just long enough to refill his aching lungs and pull up his shirt to check his wound for damage. A bit bloody, but otherwise unharmed. Before he could sit up, though, he found restraining weight pushing down on his hips and strong hands trapping his wrists against the mats by his head, robbing him of the leverage necessary to pull free.
“What the hell? What are you doing?” Die demanded, reeling back as Toshiya’s face loomed over his own. They were so close he could feel the longer part of the younger man’s bangs brushing over his forehead.
“Kyo was right. Without your glasses, your face is an open book.”