Arena of Affections

[Unknown POV]

"Come on, Uncle Lander, we're getting late! They're gonna start...!" screamed the girl in excitement, running closer towards the arena.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Tokugawa. You know how she gets when she's finally let out of the castle," I spoke to the short old man who was currently leading us to the audience stands.

"Haha, not to worry, Mr. Lander. I'm sure she's just happy now that she has a chance to explore a little," the elder replied with an understanding tone. "I'm just surprised she's so enthusiastic about this sort of thing. Aren't girls supposed to be into dolls or something at this age instead of deadly battles between martial artists?"

'Darn this old geezer, I can't tarnish the name of the royal family any further,' I thought.

"Surely you jest, elder. Our princess Diana isn't that young, and she's certainly been a little feisty since she was young, watching those fighting TV shows and movies, but pushing it to this degree is something new..."

"I just hope that this fight is enough to scare her out of this new interest of hers." I spoke to the old man, once again asking for confirmation, "I've heard the rumors, Mr. Tokugawa, that tonight's supposed to be a fight between two dragons."

"Haha, the correct term is Sea Kings, Mr. Lander, but I can assure you, you're certainly in for a show tonight."

We continued following Mr. Tokugawa through the maze-like corridors of the underground arena. The sounds of the crowd grew louder with every step, a clear indication that we were nearing our destination. Diana's excitement was contagious, her energy palpable even to the elder, who seemed amused by her enthusiasm.

'I know it's contradictory, but what am I supposed to do? As her protector, I have to make sure she grows up safe. As a member of the royal family, I have to maintain our dignity. And as a good uncle, I can't stand her pleading.'

"Uncle, Uncle! Do you think we'll see someone really strong today?" Diana asked, her eyes wide with anticipation.

"Absolutely, Diana. Today's match is going to be something special," I reassured her, though internally I hoped the spectacle would be appropriate for someone her age while being able to scare her straight at the same time.

As we approached the stands, we were greeted by a burst of noise. The arena was packed with spectators, all eagerly awaiting the next match. The atmosphere was electric, a testament to the high stakes and intense competition that the underground arena was known for.

"Here we are, right at the front," Mr. Tokugawa announced, leading us to our seats. "I hope these seats are to your liking."

"They're perfect, thank you," I responded, helping Diana into her seat. She was practically bouncing with excitement, her eyes darting around to take in every detail of the arena.

The lights dimmed slightly, signaling the imminent start of the next match. The announcer's voice boomed through the speakers, introducing the fighters. I glanced at Diana, whose eyes were now glued to the stage, her anticipation bubbling out.

'I hope it goes well...'

[10 minutes later]

'What the fuck,' I swore in my head for the first time in years, staring in horror at the spectacle that was taking place in front of me.

'I know we aren't on the best of terms, Mr. Tokugawa, but this is going too far...' I contemplated, 'Just how much bad karma did I accumulate for something like this to happen?' I put my head down into my hands in frustration, my worries finally overcoming my desire to continue watching the fight play out.

If that wasn't enough already, my little bundle of joy decided to add even more fuel to the fire, choosing to continue to sing when all other spectators in the arena had been scared silent,

"♫ Although the future is a little bit frightening (little bit frightening) ♫"

I turned my head slowly to my niece, only to see a face full of excitement and thrill at the spectacle she was currently watching.

I continued to rethink my life decisions that led me to this moment, and what I could have done to avoid coming here today.

'I should've said no to her... I shouldn't have let her watch that movie growing up... I should've just gone to a different match...'

As if running out of reasons to continue doubting my reason for existence, I finally found the silver lining in all of this, 'At least it isn't too violent.'

It seemed that God still hadn't abandoned his lost lamb, as the fight ended quickly after that, with a single blow to the gigantic man's head, as if reenacting the tale of David and Goliath in the modern age.

[Xiao Li POV]

'Haha, this fight's even more fun to watch than I expected!' I cheered at the show that was taking place in front of me, like something straight out of a poorly written children's TV show.

'Sing Kuzan, sing...' I was finally able to break out of my initial reverie, as I remembered the important task I had been instructed to fulfill by my best friend.

'There you go,' I spoke to myself, finally setting up the camcorder I had spent the night locating into the perfect spot to record the fight in front of me. 'Milli's gonna love it when she sees this.'

[Kuzan POV]

I walked out of the arena with a face full of seriousness, trying my best to hide the deep feeling of cringe I was internally facing about what I had just done.

'At least it was worth it,' I soothed myself. 'There's no way Kaiou Retsu's able to stay calm after that. After all, even monks have limits to their patience.'

'I just hope he doesn't tell Kaiou Ryuu, or worse, Kaiou Kaku about this...'

The thought of their reactions sent a shiver down my spine.

------------------------------------

It's here, the time to vote:

How to vote: comment "+1" under the one you want to vote for, or you can just comment their names under the chapter comments. Vote's from the same person will not be counted twice. If you vote for both of them, then your vote will not be considered for either. 

Deadline: The votes will be counted on Saturday, June 1st at 11:00 pm EST.

Xiao Li

--

Princess Diana

Some important comments to make an informed decision:

- Yes, it's the Princess Diana that you are thinking of, I have no idea about her personality when she was alive in real life, so she's basically an OC like Xiao Li.

- Although I prefer if Xiao Li is picked, as it makes writing the future chapters much easier, if you want to pick princess Diana, that's perfectly fine (see author's comments for more details if you want).

- Princess Diana's character will get way more flushed out if she is picked, with lovey-dovey scenes between her and Kuzan as well (though not too many, it's still a martial arts novel after all).

------------------------------------