Chapter 87: Certainty
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"Good moves, let's see how you handle this." Koneko punched the ground, hard. Cracks appeared and they headed straight for Lelouch, forcing him to dodge. Right into Koneko's attack.
'Damn, she only moved when she saw which way I was going.' Lelouch thought to himself as things slowed down, Koneko's punch a foot away from pulverizing his ribcage.
He shifted his left arm to block, wincing as he felt his forearm fracture, and retaliated with his right fist.
Koneko caught it before he could hit her face and he swung his left leg up for a high kick which forced the Nekoshou to jump back and let his fist go. Lelouch held his left arm close to his body, attempting to avoid further aggravating his injury.
He panted and sweat dripped down his face, he hadn't been this worked up since… he honestly couldn't recall.
"Good job." Koneko was impressed. She hadn't expected Lelouch to react as well as he did. "You sacrificed your left arm to protect your torso and retaliated immediately despite the pain." A flash of pride appeared in her golden eyes. "And when that failed you forced separation." She got concerned as she watched Lelouch fall to the ground.
Lelouch collapsed to his knees, shifting his body until he sat with his legs crossed and his arm held close to his chest.
"Yeah, but the damage was too much, even if I prevented a worse injury by giving up my arm. I think I need to stop for now, I'm exhausted." They had been sparring for about three hours, and he had been up since five when Rias dragged everyone out of bed.
"I need to get my arm looked at and I need some food before I keel over and die. Again." Ever since they'd found out about his previous deaths he'd been making that joke, with varying success.
Kiba and Issei groaned, but found it amusing, Rias hated it and frowned the first time she heard him say it, Akeno giggled at his twisted sense of humor, and Koneko? Well…
"Please stop." Koneko asked as she helped him stand, grabbing his right hand to pull him up. "You know I don't like it when you make that joke." She got sad and, if her true features were visible, Lelouch had no doubt her ears would be droopy right now. Even now, her eyes were avoiding contact with him after what he said.
"Ah, sorry." He apologized. His sense of humor was not the best, but sometimes he couldn't help himself.
The Knight and Rook duo walked back to the main grounds in a comfortable silence. It didn't take them long to arrive and when they did, the first thing they saw was Issei getting jabbed by Kiba's sword.
The Pawn grunted loudly as the weapon dug into his ribs with a twist before Kiba pulled back and allowed the perverted boy to collapse to the ground holding his ribcage.
"That was a kill shot." Kiba said seriously, twirling the wooden sword in his hands before he rested it on his shoulder. "You shouldn't raise the sword so high Issei, it leaves your vital organs wide open." Issei's attempt at a strong overhead slash had so many holes in it Kiba hadn't known which one to choose, ultimately deciding to go for the straight stab rather than a dodge and knocking the sword out of his hands.
Control over his weapon could come later, right now the blond Knight wanted to work on getting rid of the huge openings in Issei's amateur sword style. "Well, that's enough for now, let's get some lunch." Kiba turned and caught sight of Koneko and Lelouch leaving the forest where they had been sparring. "Hey Lelouch, watcha makin today?" The Knight asked his fellow with a grin, eager to once again taste his friend's awesome cooking.
Lelouch's eye twitched as he held his arm close. "Nothing, not till I can move my left arm again at least." Asia would be getting some serious practice healing everyone over the next few weeks. "Also, why the hell can't any of you cook for once?" He complained as he, Koneko, Kiba, and Issei, once the boy picked himself up, all walked into the villa. "I'm not a miracle worker, honestly."
"Tell me that when your food doesn't taste like perfection." Kiba retorted with a laugh, slapping his sweaty friend on the back. "You're gonna make someone a wonderful wife someday." Kiba said with a wry smirk.
Issei laughed his head off before coughing and holding his ribs. "Good one." Issei snickered in a more controlled fashion to avoid hurting himself.
"I'm never getting married." Lelouch deadpanned as he ignored Kiba's joke, mildly surprising the group as they entered the dining room to find Rias, Akeno, and Asia setting the table.
"Huh, really?" Kiba asked, with a raised eyebrow. Issei made his way over to his seat and plopped down, nursing his sore ribs while Kiba remained standing to speak with Lelouch. Koneko reacted similarly, looking up at him surprised by his vehement denial. "Isn't it a little early to say something like that with such certainty?" Lelouch was his age and he had already sworn off marriage entirely?
"Nope." Lelouch sighed as he walked into the kitchen to start cooking preparing the food after Asia healed his arm. "I don't think anyone should have to put up with me for the rest of their lives." He gave an answer he hoped would suffice, not really interested in discussing the topic of marriage.
"Really, Lelouch?" Rias asked curiously as she watched him through the opening between the kitchen and dining room. He moved like a professional as he filled up the pots with water and began to take out ingredients from the fridge.
"I mean, I'm not eager to get married to anyone right now either, but, as long as I can avoid marrying Riser, I don't exactly mind the idea of marrying someone in the future." All Rias wanted was to be able to choose who she spent the rest of her life with, she wasn't exactly against marriage entirely.
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