[ti]private[/ti]fear not this night

For once, Kazuki was resting.

He lay under the shade of a tree in Birchwild, fishing pole propped up on the edge of a nearby river. It had been a long time since he had a fishing day. He could hear his team splash around and cause trouble with each other (Pansear was training the fire types in the art of arson; Gyarados was being hugged into submission by Steelix; the Support team losing sanity.)

The sound of a notification opened his eyes. Waffle was still asleep on him, face planted in the middle of his chest, softly snoring. He quietly reached up to open his messages, wondering if this was another hunting request from M'Foxy.

Silvermoon said:

Hi Kazuki

Silvermoon is typing...

He stared at the chat window, the Silvermoon is typing… that seemed to go for-fucking-ever before he got fed up and beat them to the punch:

Kazuki said:

Who the hell are you?

His eyes were threatening to droop closed by the time the response came. Responses, rather. This kid—Silvermoon—yeah, that was a hell of a name, he could imagine himself making fun of it.

It’s at the mention of the ‘mural ghost monster’ that it finally clicked. “Huh. Damn,” Kazuki muttered, realizing just how long ago that was. Months. More than half a year, really—he’s amazed and a little disturbed that the kid even remembered.

Waffle yawned, stretching over his chest. <Pawzuki?>

“Hey, do you remember the kid from the cave?”

Waffle tilted his head. <Cave?> He looked down at his paws, focusing very hard. <Cave… Oh!> He grinned. <You mean the warm person who gave me my first hug?!>

Kazuki pursed his lips, staring at him. “Yeah. That one.”

The kitten began bouncing in circles on his chest. <Oh! I haven’t seen them in ages! Where are they? Can I see them? Can I get another hug? Let me at them! I’ve gotten super good!>

“At hugs.” Kazuki placed a hand on the sprigatito’s back to settle him. His eyes moved back to the chat window still filling with messages. He snorted, seeing the string of m’s and the immediate silence that followed. Right, that spineless brat—

I want to show you how much stronger I am.

Well, then.

_____

The sound of a fast travel teleport announced his arrival.

Kazuki stepped out of the light, eyes roving first over the arena—spacious; it reminded him of the underground cave of water he fought Verai in—before catching sight of the small figure hunched by the water’s edge.

<INCOMING!>

Waffle pounced off Kazuki’s shoulder, doing a fancy little flip in the air before landing in front of Silvermoon. He scampered up to them excitedly, tripping a little over the pesky vines sticking out of his coat, and heedless of the imposing Kintsugi by their side.

<It is you! Hi! Do you remember me?!> Waffle babbled, purring up a storm as his trainer sauntered over to join them.

“Well, this is familiar.” Kazuki stopped, arms crossed and eyeing them from above. He was already weighing them in his head. It didn’t seem like much had changed—save for the fancy billowing cloak and the guardian by their side. “You crying again, kid? Need another session with the cat?”

<My name is Waffle!>

Kazuki sighed. “Need another session with Waffle?”

Kazuki snickered at the rebuttal. “Small miracles.” It had been a long time since they last spoke, but the speed of their response was a little refreshing. Perhaps this would be different after all.

Waffle purred louder as Silvermoon kissed his head, ears folding down for a second before he’s released. He shook out his coat and hopped back to his trainer, trying to weave together the man’s ankles. One scoop under his belly lifted him back into Kazuki’s arms.

“Who said anything about refusing?” He chuckled. “You said you got stronger. I’m here to see you prove it.”

Waffle was placed on an elevated jut of stone, right under a nice spot of light peeking in from the pockmarked ceiling. With the cat settled, Kazuki turned back to Silvermoon, taking long, confident strides.

“Fighting weaklings is a waste of time and an insult, but that’s a mean-looking beast you got. I’m guessing that’s what you’ll use.” Despite how long he’s been playing, it’s the first time he’s seen a creature like this. It looked like something that belonged in Ostellia—an otherworldly hodgepodge. It looked like it would hit hard.

"Come at me!" Kazuki slapped his chest and grinned. “Hit me with your best shot.” He stood under the arena’s archaic canopy, at home even in such a small platform, at home even in the gloom. After so long, his skin was singing for it—the fight and spectacle you can only experience in the arena of your dreams.

(And if it was a little off-tune, he’d just have to make it a quick song.)

Waffle began hopping excitedly as Silvermoon drew closer to his platform. <Hi!> he mewled. <I’m not fighting today, so I’m gonna be… the referee! Welcome to the show, have a seat, friend!> There were no seats, and a good chunk of the floor was submerged in water.

<Now onto the match!>

Kazuki was shaking himself out, psyching himself up. It had been so, so fucking long since he fought in the arena. Even just being here invigorated him like nothing else.

Just a quick fight. Just a little bit more.

“Did they?” he snickered. “Not what I’d expect from someone who was scared shitless of me, but I’m touched.” He punched his palm, fire burning in his eyes at the offered challenge. “Now let’s ditch the flattery and get to the assault and battery.”

WHAM! The collision was instant, Kazuki barely having time to plant his feet before Kintsugi rammed its bulky helmet squarely in his chest. The vibrations racked his sternum, spreading outward and knocking him back.

The second hit landed, and Kazuki slammed his palms down to grab Kintsugi by the horns. The beast was his height and a hefty chunk of pounds more than his weight; it was like trying to stop a bull covered in armor with his bare hands. The jagged edges of Kintsugi’s helmet bit into his skin, and Kazuki grinned wide.

“Not bad, that hurt like hell! Let’s see what else you can do.”

<Two direct hits from Kintsugi! OOF, right in the heart!> Waffle’s voice bounced off the enclosed walls. <And now Pawzuki is pulling him into a hug!>

Kazuki was pulling Kintsugi head under his arm, body pulsing faintly with FIGHTING SPIRIT, intending to crush him against the ground in a SUBMISSION.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Kazuki} - say a one-liner as you attack