The death of her Innocence

Orochi’s smile was feral, her heart pounded loudly. Her regeneration was slow to kick in, an after-effect of her previous fight. Her enemy was at the other side of the ring, enveloped by thunder and lightning, a red dome of destruction.

Umi could win the fight easily by dragging Orochi there, but something in the Hydra girl told her this wasn’t Umi’s plan. Of everyone in the gang, she grew the most to a frightening degree.

To the point, Orochi had to ask herself if Umi hadn’t turned into an alumni or upper year from a prestigious hero school.

From her demeanor, skill, and quirk usage, she was a different beast from her other friends, down to her intention and posture.

She was different from the other three. Umi’s intentions with this combat were different. She wasn’t here to test her, no. Umi bled bloodlust like a broken pipe releasing water without stopping.

Raw, unfiltered bloodlust. Orochi’s heart shook with the enmity her friend exhaled. It was different from how KaKa stabbed her, or how Sasha beat her up. Kaka tested her will, and Sasha pushed her to the limits, but they had different hearts in their battle.

They didn’t want to kill, they lacked that intent. Umi was full of it as if she expected a fight to the death.

The type of bloodlust she never felt before, except for one beast. The monster who changed the course of her life, and set all of her personal catastrophes in motion— ‘Feral.’ Her lips felt the urge to dry up, but her regeneration kept them as healthy and wet as possible, even if was barely healing her wounds.

Orochi’s mind associated Umi’s bloodlust with Feral’s, it was smaller than the monster’s will, but it was still sizable, bigger than everyone she had met up to this point.

Her knees almost buckled under the pressure of her bloodlust, the entrenched fear inside Orochi’s psyche came out, but Orochi stood up. Unbearable heat sparked by fear and doubt burned through fear and pain, and only anxiety and the knowledge she had to wage a battle were left.

Umi was scary. Orochi was scared. This was her last trial, but now more than ever, the Hydra girl almost stepped back. The lithe form of Umi drove terror inside her. Orochi had to win this fight, she already won three, and fought against Sasha, yet why was she hesitating?

She knew this fight would be a bloodbath, but her heart somehow felt more frightened than ever.

The red storm retreated inside of Umi, her form left on the other side of the arena. She gleamed with a red spark, her eyes coated in bloodlust, her smile as bestial as Orochi’s, despite lacking any mutation to make it possible.

“Those three… they were here to test you. They never had the intention of pushing you to your absolute limits.” Umi unsheathed her red blade, and energy crackled from it like a maelstrom. “Between life and death.”

Orochi bit her lips, and her Hydra heads came forth to stand by her side. Even in their limited sapience, they recognized the threat before them, a threat bigger than the other three could be.

They felt a danger to their lives, a danger to Orochi’s life.

“They took you too lightly. I’m here to prove you are weak, Orochi. That the damned school turned you into a soft-hearted fool.” Umi held her sword in position, her words cold, but she spoken radiant warmth

“You are not fit to rule, you are not fit to fight. You came back to how you were all these years ago just now. We grew beyond it already.” Umi smiled in mockery. “DO you think you can challenge it? Death? Hurt?” The ground beneath Umi’s feet vibrated and shook violently.

Orochi raised her fists in an open challenge, ready to face her friend. She didn’t flinch, but her friend’s words hurt. It was worse because it was the truth. She didn’t disagree with some of them, but now she had more on the line than merely her loss or victory. She had to defend the honor of her friends of Shiketsu.

They weren’t weak. They weren’t fools, maybe soft-hearted, but they would never be weak like herself. Her legs were shaking, but Orochi didn’t turn and run like the last time she faced such a want for battle and carnage.

“If you haven’t given up, I will now make you. You shouldn’t have come back, you shouldn’t have continued this path if all you wanted was to become a weakling.” Orochi knew her friend, and it made her anxiety and misery worse to hear those words.

Umi could try to masquerade her words with enmity, spite and the will to hurt all she wanted, but Orochi could glance beyond it, and see what lay underneath it. She was wounded, she was damaged by what her mother did.

And she left her friends’ wounds to fester and worsen, she fleed the responsibility and pain, while they soldier it for every one of their gang.

Umi nurtured rightfully enmity towards her since that day. She ran away, she abandoned them, but no more. Orochi won’t retreat this time. Her legs shook and trembled under the pressure, but Orochi didn’t step back or retreat.

She could take pride in not fleeing this time. All sorts of bad feelings and memories came out, most of them were of the incident. Orochi maintained a poker face, but she was under the effects of pressure and antecipation.

Her throat was cramped, but she stood her ground amidst the fear that made her chest and shoulders quiver with anxiety. Umi leaped ahead Like a crimson lightning parting through the atmosphere—

Rui crossed the battlefield in one second, her red blade thrust forward towards Orochi’s right shoulder.

Orochi dodged on instinct, barely able to perceive the attack. Lightning was released from the red blade, a spark hit her shoulders and hair. Her hair tie and a good chunk of it were blown away by the blade and its electrifying aura. Her shoulder’s flesh quickly became brownish, burnt by the blade’s aura and heat.

Before she could react, Umi pounced on the gap in her foe’s stance.

“What do you think you can do? Playhouse with those stupid kids at Shinketsu? While you eat biscuits and drink tea?” Umi grabbed Orochi’s hair, yanking her forward, her blade spun to aim in the opposite direction of Orochi.

The handle of her sword hit Orochi’s face square on the cheek, and another burst of electricity was released, a cross-burn mark exploded on the Atsushi’s face. Orochi was propelled forward by the attack.

Blood and ache filled her mouth, and her right eye felt cold and itchy, feelings that an eye shouldn’t feel. Some teeth got loosened by the blow. With a dizzy vision, she needed to think quickly.

Her body was thrown a few feet in the air, she was exposed to another attack. Her Hydra heads dug themselves into the ground to forcefully halt her fall and flight.

With their help, Orochi stood up, ready to take on Umi again. Her friend didn’t give her time to even think as she rushed with her sword already slashing in a wide arc.

Orochi felt her shoulder and face unbearable itchy, the flesh stung from the inside out. Memories of pain and powerlessness in her mind.

It was hard to properly calculate the arc of the sword because the vision of her eye was slightly blurred in one spot. Her sense of depth was slightly affected. Yet she had no time or chance to waste, lest Umi capitalize on it as well.

She couldn’t give her any gap to use. Umi’s sword was the main problem, if Orochi neutered it, the fight would become easier.

Orochi had to try the unthinkable, a way to stop this blade. ‘I know of a way…’ Her shoulder tingled with pain, not agreeing with her course of action.

Orochi didn’t retreat or try to dodge, she moved her right arm to collide with the sword.

Umi was awestruck for a second. Orochi moved her arm downward against the blade’s tip, effectively impaling it against the sword. The blade was stuck in her bone and flesh. Orochi clenched her arm’s muscles, to keep the blade tightly held in place.

It was a risky maneuver, but she already accepted that victory couldn’t come only from safe bets and risk-free actions. She had to make risky moves, even if they were painful and stung like hell.

She had to overcome her trauma of hurt and Feral. She had to grow stronger!

It took Umi a solid second to understand what happened. Orochi used the time wisely, she connected a right hook on Umi’s stomach, turning her fist the moment the full momentum of the punch was transferred to her belly for more damage.

Umi grimaced and widened her eyes, biting back any reaction from showing on her face, her bloodlust smile still kept across her features. “Orochi… good punch.” Orochi widened her eyes, a cold descended her spine like an ill omen.

The moment it appeared, her Hydra heads sprung in movement but it was too late. “But you held yourself back. If you don’t attack with the intent to kill, you will never win a true fight in your life.”

Umi’s tone became sweet, like how a teacher guides a student, Orochi’s heart was drowned by fear of her words alone, but it was far too late to escape this trap. Energy exploded from the blade, and Umi moved it, downward and upward, twisting its directions.

“Gaaah!” Orochi’s whole nervous system screamed in pain as they felt electricity run inside of it. She shook as if a crashing wave hit her body, her mind felt like fading out, and blood sprouted like a fountain of water.

Her whole body felt as if was set on fire, electricity ran rampant across her system as her arm flew in the air. With her remaining arm, Orochi held the stump of where her right arm should be, blood tainted her hands and was spilled on the ground, as Umi retreated.

The crowd turned their eyes away, some had the stomach, or the willingness, to see the damage dealt by Umi, but most were disgusted by the scene, too much for them to accept or view.

For a regenerator, Orochi had lost her limbs only a handful of times, the pain of their separation always fresh and hurtful the time they were cut. The pain was made worse by the electricity transferred from the blade to her body.

Orochi fell on one knee, her whole body suffering from quakes, while Umi cleaned the blood off her blade. “People won’t babysit you around. People don’t care about your hurt. You can take a beating and bounce back from it.”

Gone were the kindness and gentle undertone, replaced by cold and unrelenting apathy. “Because of that, they will go an extra mile to make sure you ARE hurt, to SCAR you where you can’t heal. If you can’t hit me to kill, you will never win.”

Umi pointed her blade at her, raising Orochi’s face to meet hers. The poor Hydra’s heart raced, and parallels from Feral’s fight-filled her mind. The sensation of powerlessness settled in.

“Beg to go out, beg for your defeat, and go away. Never come to this life again. If you don’t, I will slash you. Again. And Again. And Again.”

Umi moved her blade, she drew blood from Orochi’s chin. Her eyes filled with the will to battle, but also with the unrelenting apathy expected from an assassin. The power to feel emotion and pleasure from battle, and nothing at all.

“I will make you beg for death, I will send you to the hospital like Feral did. You got soft, you forgot your roots and nature. You shouldn’t come back to any fight. Go and become a housewife. It fits you better now than it ever did before.”

Orochi bit her lip, the blood flowing out of her stump didn’t stop, it was painful, for the first time in her life, her regeneration was late. It wasn’t there to help her push through the pain and keep her safe.

Worsened by Umi’s words. The Atsushi shook with anger, her eyes filled with wrathful tears, taking offense to her friend’s words, but before she could counter-argue, Umi proceeded, taking away the chance to defend herself.

Orochi readied herself to attack. She needed to fight, to prove to the world she could— Umi drove the tip of her blade inside her neck. Although the one who stabbed her belly was Kaka, the emotion of being at someone else’s mercy, of her life on their hands, came from Umi.

The memories of that fateful day blew inside Orochi’s mind.

“You can’t win against me. You don’t have the heart, the guts, or strength to win. Just give up, Orochi. You are not who you were.”

She stood paralyzed. She held her stump of an arm, her redhead’s friend shape morphed into that of a beast for a few seconds.

Orochi felt Umi unleash more power inside her blade, directly inside her neck. The muscles swelled the airflow as cut as she drove more of the blade in. “You can’t do shit, your mother broke you. Just accept defeat already and go home. You are not my boss. You are not our boss.”

She was in despair, her fight or flight instincts kicked in, but her body refused to move. A reenaction of that day, even if unintentional played before her eyes.

“You are just a teenage girl who thinks she has the power to fight and change the world. Get real, you can’t even control your life.” The clenching of her throat felt like an unbearable agony.

Orochi’s eyes widened, not because of the pain of her wounds, they hurt, but they didn’t hurt more than these words. Her friend morphed into Feral but still spoke in Umi’s voice, those contracting scenes clashed like an explosion.

She was a teenage girl, true, but did she lack the power to make a change? To better someone else’s life? She faced danger but… she lacked the mindset for this. To be a hero.

She was one of the three students who ended up in the hospital. Herself, Kaylee, and Chris.

Kaylee fought against villains, she was put in the hospital because she went to clash against one. She didn’t know the deal with Chris, but he also ended there for a similar reason, chasing after one.

What was the difference? They were willing to kill, or end a villain? No. There should be something more. ‘They were willing to lay down their life for their objectives.’ They knew it was reckless, and that death could come if they followed that path.

Yet they did so anyway, they went for her rescue and clashed against Feral, a S-Class villain. They were rule breakers in a loose sense, yet they bounced back better than her. They had their troubles but were recovering better.

She has been sulking for a month, acting as if her world crashed. They had it worse, they lacked her regeneration, but the one hurt was Orochi, the one with an open wound.

Why do things always end like that? Orochi tried to act by the book, act as a hero should, the discipline and responsibility, but why does it never seem to work? Against the slimes, against Umi now.

Rui and Sasha weren’t willing to fight to the death, and KaKa merely tested her, in a way, they weren’t serious as she wasn’t. Why should she fight with the will to kill?

Why break the rules everyone tried to desperately still into her? To held back to not hurt others, and had their safety in mind first and foremost because she was dangerous.

If she acted by the book, then things would be okay. No one would get hurt. ‘Then why did the world try to bring me down so many times?’ It felt like a losing battle. Every time she acted by the rules she should follow, and the discipline she had, things took a turn for the worse.

When she hoped and thought she improved, something happened to prove her wrong. She defeated three of the fighters, but the time one got serious, she was defeated so soundlessly, by her friend.

She was on her knees, pain bled from her right arm, or the lack of it. The airflow inside her throat was cut short, she could lose consciousness at any moment. She was doubtful once again because she was so soundly defeated.

The way society wanted. The way her mother wanted. The way Orochi wanted. Why did it crumble so easily when Orochi acted how she was supposed to? ‘I’m weak.’ Umi was right. She was an actor in her own life, a life where others took the shots for her.

Her mother, herself, the society’s expectations. She was selfish yet selfless, fighting for others to get accepted, and play the role she was given by her strength and danger.

Her own friend fought intending to kill, they were friends. They trained and sparred together, yet she was so much stronger in two years. Where did Orochi go wrong? Why? Why? ‘She is right. I can’t lead the gang.’ Why was she so weak? Why couldn’t she be like Kaylee?

Chris? Bobby? Yui? Why did her past come back to haunt her?

They had much better leadership in Rui and someone who could make them stronger in Umi. They didn’t need her and this was shown in Umi and KaKa.

She wanted to help people, use their gang to make their lives better, a light in the darkness. The safety and power in numbers to reach out to more people, get them out of danger, and protect them.

A beacon in the storm. Yet she lacked the power. The mindset to achieve her dreams. A few months ago, things were going nicely for her. Things were nice…

Like they always are before the fall. Tears fell from her eyes. Why her life is always like this? ‘Why does it give me hope before taking it from me?’ The one who took it from a friend, a friend she wanted to earn back in her life.

Yet she wanted nothing to do with Orochi, she wanted to exclude her from this life. Make Orochi realize her weakness, both mental and physical… show her weakness and unfitness to realize her dreams.

Orochi wanted to rebuild the bridges she burnt, but now she was pathetic. She wasn’t fit for a hero, she wasn’t fit for anything she ever wanted to be. Orochi felt tears fall from her eyes, not from pain in her body but the ache inside her heart.

Her consciousness started to blank.

…

Darkness started to encroach on her, the electric pulses the only avenue to reality, even pain was numb.

Orochi heard a familiar voice on the horizon, the voice of a friend calling for her. A new friend, coming close, but so far away.

She was defeated again, her ideals, dreams, and herself were proved wrong. it felt for naught, worthless.

She just has to give up and accept she will always be below everyone’s expectations of her. Her life’s mistakes caught up to her.

She has to give in to the darkness and abandon her dreams. Let those better suited to fulfill them take the reigns… be the perfect little doll she was meant to be. The perfect Japanese lady, a good housewife…

…

Monster - Starset

UNDER THE KNIFE I SURRENDERED
THE INNOCENCE YOURS TO CONSUME
YOU CUT IT AWAY
AND YOU FILLED ME WITH HATE

…

Orochi kept her eyes open as the light vanished from them. Umi was right, Umi was right about her. ‘You are not my boss, you are not our boss.’ She wasn’t. She wasn’t. She wasn’t that Orochi anymore.

She was below her past, true, yet it hurt more than anything to be rejected by her friend. It was a hurt that made her heart split open like a red lily blossoming.

Everyone had unrealistic expectations of her. What she should do or how to act. What was her “better self”, how did she have to grow… the roles did she have to fulfill.

This time is no different. Umi may want a different version of her past self, but in the end, was much like her mother idealizing a future out of Orochi’s control.

‘I’m done with this. I don’t want anyone else to say what I should with my life…’ Tears fell from her eyes, and her chest clenched like a heart attack.

‘I will show the world how I feel. It made me poisonous, it ruined my life. I am done rejecting how it made me.’

…

YOU ARE THE LOVE THAT I HATE
YOU ARE THE DRUG THAT I TAKE
WILL YOU CAGE ME?
WILL YOU CAGE ME?

…

Something snapped inside Orochi’s soul. With her only hand, she grabbed the sword, a surprised look drawn from Umi. Orochi ripped the blade’s tip from her neck. Hollowed purple eyes stared up.

Gone were the light inside of them. The Three-Headed Serpent’s body ignited with a mass of steam exiting every pore of her body. “I’m done making excuses. You are right about everything, and I don’t care.”

She was done running. She was done repressing herself. Her whole body was in pain, her throat and arm were the worst excruciating agony she felt.

But she didn’t care. She is fated to get hurt, she is fated to be the center of other’s enmity because of who and what she is. She will accept this destiny. “If you want me to fight to kill, I will kill you.”

Orochi’s words were emotionless, like a machine accepting it was broken, but still working.

Before Umi could open her mouth to speak any blunders, Orochi pounced on her like a beast. Her only fist threw at full force against the redhead’s solar Perplexus. Umi noticed it coming, she placed her blade and a layer of electricity between her and the fist.

It wasn’t enough to nullify the strength of Orochi’s punch. Her fist drove the blade flat against Umi’s belly and chest, uncaring about the edge of the blade or the layer of red lightning cutting through her fist. She wanted to punch Umi, so she would punch the redhead, no matter what stood in her path.

Umi’s flesh made a cracking sound because of the pressure exercised on it, launching Umi several feet ahead of Orochi.

Every wound on her body accumulated from the two combats started to heal simultaneously, a rebound effect in place after her body finally understood completely the damage done by Sasha.

Yet even if her regeneration stopped, even if her quirk was taken away, it wouldn‘t stop Orochi from doing what was needed. ‘I will pummel your face into the ground, Umi.’ Her purple eyes stared at Umi’s form.

Orochi wanted nothing more than to destroy her redhead friend, but somehow, it felt hollow, an empty want and wish.

Blood flowed out of Umi’s mouth, a tired expression on her face. Instead of staying down, bloodlust ignited, sparked so much it overshadowed her previous apathy on Reika’s face. Like lightning, she started to move across the arena.

Orochi expected Umi to bounce back, she was strong, after all.

Umi wasn’t as fast as Chihiro, she lacked the suddenly instantaneous movement of Hifumi, yet she had her own sort of deadly skills. Too bad, Orochi didn’t care for it anymore.

The training was thrown in the garbage somewhere in her mind, and all of her previous strategies were wasted. She is done with this fight, she will end this fight now.

She stood in position, a fist raised in challenge. She will win this challenge, no matter what. To prove the world wrong, to prove everyone wrong. To gain the reins of her life after eight years.

Like a flash, Umi came at her in a single thrust motion like how she did at the start of the fight.

Orochi stepped forward, not bothering to dodge or protect. Her Hydra heads attacked ahead of her, they furiously launched themselves at the blade, they were destroyed and pierced by the attack, but quickly got up again like an endless barrage and horde, moving the blade little by little as they were killed.

It didn’t matter, like herself, they would always get up. All they have to do is attack, and not care about anything else.

Umi continued her advance, trusting to end the fight with a single attack on Orochi’s heart, to knock the girl out with electricity delivered directly inside her chest. Orochi knew it as well, with every attack from her heads, she changed the direction of the blade little by little.

Until they were in range to collide against each other.

The blade pierced her belly. Electricity was discharged through her body, and her belly became numb immediately, but Orochi advanced the same, closing the distance. Her head and arms dragged Umi further into a hug devoid of emotion.

“Good night, Umi.” Orochi pulled her further, and a “crack” resounded through the arena. As an attack, it was hollow, devoid of any emotion or even intent to kill, just the crushing cold and apathy.

Empty as Orochi felt at that moment. Done with everything, done with her life. Umi lost the strength to keep fighting, and drove her sword out of Orochi’s belly, only to drop it.

Orochi stared at Umi’s limp body. The Hydra girl fell to her knees, all of her jadedness and hurt finally falling on her shoulders, yet she held Umi tightly in her arms and heads’ embrace.

(Scene break)

Orochi stared at Umi’s body. She could’ve snapped her spine if she applied more strength, and crushed every bone of her body, but she didn’t. For some reason, she hadn’t felt like killing Umi at the last moment.

Just a knockout. Simple and quick. Blood fell from Umi’s mouth, but she was still conscious. “Hah. Those eyes of yours, yeah. They are the eyes of someone who can achieve her dreams.”

Orochi hadn’t pulverized her spine and bones, but she applied enough strength to knock someone out. It was surprising how Umi was still conscious. “Haaah. I feel like shit now.” The redhead smiled, her red eyes lined with Orochi’s purple orbs. She raised her hands to fondly pat Orochi’s healing cheek.

A satisfied smile on her lips. “I thought you looked like your mother when you snapped, but seeing better… you are still the same as before, ‘Chi.” Umi smiled, the resemblance of Orochi to her mother was sickening when she untied her hair.

‘You look better with your hair untied, my best friend.’ Umi wanted to speak those words, but it was too late now, too cheap after the things she said.

“I guess I was the one blind here.” She chuckled, only to cough blood afterward. “Ahh, you messed me up good here. Sorry for being an ass, boss… I was angst with all of this.”

U]mi closed her eyes, leaning in the embrace that could easily crush her like how a child leans into a loved one’s warm embrace.

She left the most heartfelt words she had spoken in years out of her mouth. “Welcome back, boss.”

Umi lost her consciousness. With a heavy breath, Orochi too closed her eyes. Her blood loss halted completely, her body regenerating at full throttle. Orochi felt tired, this fight crushed her spirit and body. All she wanted was to sleep.

She hadn’t killed Umi, she didn’t know if she had the strength for it. She just wanted to finally rest a little.

Yet, all these fights, this haunting moment felt worthy as Umi spoke her last words before unconsciousness took her… to be recognized as her boss again. “I’m home, Umi.” Orochi too closed her eyes, letting the darkness take her out.

Final Match Won by Orochi.

The match lasted for a total of four minutes.

Orochi’s Showdown Arc Finished. Thank you for reading.

Ending Theme - A small maid in a big world - Chikoi the Maid