Learning to Walk Again: Chapter 8

Learning to walk Again

Chapter Eight

I was sipping water, when the bell went off for the next pair of fighters to enter. I grabbed my gear, and headed out. This wasn’t the first time that I had been rushed.

Ten minutes later, we returned, and I sat by Extinction, who was piecing together a rip in his chain-mail. I started at the other end, and helped him. I was the only one left in my arena, still in the individual fights. Talon had been defeated by Factor, Brute by Savage, and Fear by Tempest. They were sill here, though, repairing armor, instead of showering and sitting in the stands. Most fighters sat in the stands, to watch their opponents, as well as those who were in their arena, if there were any left still in the competition. I don’t know why they were still down here.

I slugged down some more water, as well as an Extra-Strength Tylenol. My hands were throbbing, and I had almost dropped my sword once, which had alerted me that my grip was starting to weaken.

Then, next week’s finalists were announced, as that was the final fights for Regional Champion. In that same day, we’d all be fighting by home arena, as teams. That promised to be fun.

“The last six finalists are as follows: From North PlainFoxBoro Arena, Extinction! He shall be fighting Factor, from the Berkshire Arena. Also from the Berkshire Arena, is Tempest!” The crowds roared, and I sighed, as he walked out. “Fighting Tempest, shall be the formidable Savage, from the Cape Islands Arena! Then, from the North Shore Arena, we have Demise, who shall be facing, last but certainly not least, our very own femme fatale from the WeyQuinTree Arena, Kedakai!”

I walked out, and the crowds yelled even more wildly than they had for Tempest.

I daresay, he didn’t like that.

We each stood under our banners, and those arenas who weren’t in the finals, were covered with a black cloth. Extinction looked down at me proudly, and I heard the announcer say, “Well, it looks like those two know each other well! Extinction is looking at Kedakai as if she were his own daughter!”

Mom was laughing. I looked at Extinction, and called over, “He is!”

The announcer dropped his mike, and the crowd laughed, then cheered, as he picked it up, and said, “Then I guess the fighting spirit runs in the bloodline! And for Tempest, what do you have to say about dealing with the possibility that you could fight both father and daughter in one day, next week?”

“I’d have to say that I’ll bury them. What does it matter?”

“Extinction is the best in the league, as well as the four-time Regional Champion, and three-time National Champion. Not to mention that he’s twice-over the World Champion! What a rep for Kedakai to live up to!”

I called over, “I make my own path!”

Factor called over, “Yeah, to your grave!”

“In sixty years, perhaps!”

“How about in less than sixty seconds?” Factor called.

Savage called over, “Keep your mouth shut, Factor! Extinction’s gonna tan your hide if you keep it up!”

“Wanna bet, baby boy?”

The mikes cut out on the two Hawaiians, but you could still hear them bickering. Savage and Factor were brothers, who went to live with different parents, after a divorce. They were twins, no doubt, and acted like it. Unfortunately for some, they were identical. All the girls got them constantly mixed up. They didn’t notice the small scar crossing Savage’s left eyebrow. Factor had a small scar upon the top of his left wrist.

Yokio called down, “Hey, when can we go home?”

“In a little while.”

“Okay.”

“And there’s Kedakai’s husband-to-be, sitting with her mother and her best friends, Hoshi and Ganko! You can tell that she doesn’t care what’s on the outside, but if he was a single fighter, heh. Inferno, you’d have to watch out!”

“Not that idiot from the Wars,” I said up to Dinobot/Yokio, “but a snobbish boy who thinks that he’s God’s gift to all women. Luckily, he’s from the Los Angeles area, where snobs run rampant, and not from the east coast, so you won’t have to deal with hearing about him constantly.”

“But isn’t he the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?” Hoshi asked, her voice dreamy.

I sighed, and shook my head. “You’re hopeless, Hoshi.”

“Aah . . . sweet looks, sweet temper . . . beautiful . . .”

I laughed, and we all filed into the waiting room. Tempest glared at me, and I watched him calmly, until he walked over. “You know, if you weren’t a fighter, then I could come to like you, Kedakai.”

He reached for his sword, and glared behind me. I spun quickly, saw Yokio, and drew my sword, crossing it with Tempest’s, blocking the potential swipe, all the while keeping my calm gaze. “My fiancé. Yokio Kenkokoro.”

He drew his sword away, and snarled, “So you go for someone like him, who has never entered an arena?”

Yokio/Dinobot drew up to his full height, and growled in reply, “I have. And the fighters here, look like kittens at play, when compared to my home arena. Yourself included.”

Tempest said, “So what if we fight for her, eh? Would you do that?”

Two beefed-up guards came in, and stood on either side of Tempest. “Sir, your arena rooms are on the other side of the stadium.”

He looked at them innocently. “I was only having a simple conversation with the Kedakai.”

They indicated a camera, and Tempest snorted, then allowed himself to be led away. Yokio took my hand, and brought me to the rooms. Once the door was closed, he became the tall Cybertronian I had met him as. I sat on a stool, unlatching my armor, and letting it fall to the floor. I was exhausted, and I’d pick it up later. Dinobot helped me with my shoulders, and let them fall as well.

Finally, I was in just the chain-mail, when my father entered. He smiled, and said, “What about dinner?” I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, he was smiling. “You have a van?”

I shook my head. “Popped a tire entering the parking lot.”

“We’ll drive you home. Would you mind if my fighters crashed at the Pavilion tonight?”

I shook my head again, and Dinobot touched my shoulder, keeping me sitting up straight. “I’ll get her out there, sir.”

I heard my father’s chuckle. “Ah . . . don’t ‘sir’ me, Dinobot. I’m not that old. And don’t look at me as if you’re surprised that I know that name. After all, Alessa’s mother is my wife.” He looked back at me, and said, “I’ll be back here in a half-hour. Make sure that you two are ready to get moving by then, okay?”

“We will.” The door closed, and I felt Dinobot wrap his arms around me. “Where are those leather straps that keep this scrap-metal on?”

I started to reach under my gauntlets, to untie them, but my hand was pulled away, and other fingers gently did that for me. I sighed. “You don’t have to do this for me.”

“And how many times have I said that to you in the past week?”

I leaned against him a bit more, and he pulled the glove off, then started on the other one. Once they were on the floor with everything else, he was human again. Yokio grabbed some ointment, and rubbed it onto my scars. I reached for the leather pieces that hold the chain-mail pants up, and in place. Yokio reached to help, but I batted his hands away playfully. “My job.”

He chuckled, and I wriggled a little, trying to get the pants off, when Yokio wrapped my arm over his shoulders, and helped me stand. My limbs were trembling by now, and I could barely keep my balance, even while holding onto my husband. I pushed the chain-mail off, and he brought me over to the couch, and pulled my chain-mail hauberk off carefully. He put it on the stool, and then pulled a blanket over me, and tucked it around me. I looked up at him, and he smiled. “I know how to load up the rack. Sleep until I help you up.”

I went out immediately, and didn’t even remember him helping me pull some loose clothing over the black fighting suit I already had on, and re-wrapped the blanket around me. I didn’t wake up at all on the way home. Even when once we were home, and in bed, when Dinobot changed over to his beast mode, and curled up around me, I didn’t remember it. He told me everything later.