A Bro's Life (AGG-ish Anime Bro Quest)

[X] Alright. If he's sure about this, then you're not gonna let him down. Promise him you won't hold back...at least not as much as you already have been.

[X] Take Yato with you. Have one of the twins carry him into the match, just in case you need him.

"Forgive me if this seems rude, Hayato-san. But, why do you need me to hold these gloves?"

You turn to look at Sohei Midono over your shoulder. The guy's holding Yato on a folded white towel, using both hands to keep him held up. You look down at the black gloves that your Partner is currently disguised as. Then you shrug, "Just in case I need them after the fight. Don't really feel right without them. And, thanks for carrying them here for me, Midono."

"It is no trouble," he bows slightly, flashing a confident smile at you, "And you'll be happy to know that my sister is doing fine. She should be up and moving again soon. Though I'm still unsure what caused her distress last time."

You flinch before turning back towards the arena, "Uh, don't worry about it too much. She was probably just thirsty. Again, thanks for holding onto them for me. Wish me luck." You send a wave behind you while walking up the familiar arena stairs. You can't help but feel an energy in the air. This feeling that everyone is holding their breath and waiting for something to happen. And, truth be told, you understand why. This is basically the big fight of the Tournament.

The two prodigies facing off against each other? With one missing an arm, but both having proven that they are strong in their own right? You doubt anyone wouldn't be excited to see this fight. A glance up at the stands reveals your brother in the same seat as last time. Munagi is sitting on his left, while who you believe is Yameko in disguise is on his right. Away from them sit the Student Council President and Estella the two are speaking about something, while Irina is leaning back in her seat. Her eyes are narrowed as she watches the arena.

Hmm...wonder what's up with that? Did the meeting with the benefactor guys go bad or something?

Any other questions you may have are pushed to the back of your mind as you reach the center of the arena. There you focus your all on the one standing across from you. Kuziwa stands there, smiles still on his face and his school's gi on. A few steps behind him you can see four people standing off to the side of the arena. The Amaterasu School's symbol is on their gis, so they're probably the students helping him out. You see one carrying a wooden sword with her, while another holds some MMA gloves.

You were briefed on how this is gonna work. Basically, you'll both fight each other using one of the three Martial Arts Styles allowed in the Tournament. Technically speaking, you're fighting each other three times and each time you'll use a different Martial Arts Style to do so. Starting with Karate, then Kendo, before ending it off with MMA. The order was chosen randomly by the judges and relayed to both of you before the fight started.

The two of you step to the center of the arena, staying a respectable distance away from each other. Kuziwa bows to you, "I must thank the Gods for allowing us the opportunity to face each other, Nagai. For fighters such as us, testing our skills against each other is the highest of honors. Wouldn't you agree?"

You return the bow and smile, "I guess. But let's not forget to just have some fun here, alright man?"

He chuckles as the two of you straighten up, "I shall endeavor to do as you say. Now then. Let us begin."

The judge calls for the two of you to get ready. You both get into your Karate stances. His is slightly modified since he doesn't have his left arm, but you can still see that he's practiced with it. You can tell that from just a casual glance. Under normal circumstances, you think he'd probably match Sakura. Maybe even tie if she wasn't injured.

[Karate Skill Check: 101 + 30 (Mixed Work Of Art) - 15 (Sanchin-dachi) = 116 VS DC: 70 -20 (Impregnable Defense) = 50]

Unfortunately for him, you're not Sakura.

You're better.

"SHOBU HAJIME!"

The two of you step into each other's guard as a first move, right fists aiming for each other's faces. Your leg comes up and blocks his attempt at a kick, while you move your right arm under his oncoming one. He moves to pull his back, but you've got him where you want him. You manage to hook his arm under your own while putting your right foot behind his ankle. You grab hold of his gi with your left hand and move to throw him to the mat.

However, he surprises you. When you try to throw him, he jumps just enough to avoid losing all his leverage on you. He flips in the air, twisting his way out of your hold within moments. It's a surprising maneuver but you recover quickly. The second he lands on his feet your own foot is coming at his mid-section. His leg doesn't come up quick enough to stop it from hitting his stomach.

"Chudan!" the judge calls, giving you the first two points of the match. You and Kuziwa bow to each other before moving back to your original spaces. That's two points. Need six more.

The next few passes go by quickly. Kuziwa is good. You won't deny that. He manages to avoid every attempt you make at getting an Ippon out. No matter the hold you get, no matter the angle you come from, you never manage to throw him to the mat. And, despite only having one arm, he's an adept at Karate. Five separate times he even nearly manages to land a Chudan Punch to the side of your head. You only barely avoid each one by deflecting his attack at the last second.

Honestly, you're surprised his moving so well considering his missing arm.

But, still...

With a short battle cry, you manage to land one last Chudan Punch to his torso. The judges call the match in your favor seconds later. Kuziwa is breathing heavily and you're panting a bit too. But it's clear you're in better shape than he is. He's got sweat dripping down his smiling face, his one arm going to the stump where his old one was, "You...you certainly are worthy of the title of prodigy."

"I could say the same to you," you admit, rolling your shoulders and hopping from foot to foot, "But you seem a bit winded. Need some time to rest up for the next match?"

"That won't be necessary. Kendo is something of my specialty. I am too excited to show you my best style to rest now," his smile only gets wider as he turns to go meet up with his team. You return it then turn around to do the same. This guy's pretty cool. Wonder if you could meet up with him after all this is over? Maybe get some food? You could use some ramen or something-

"Urgh."

You stop and then look over your shoulder at Kuziwa. The guy has stopped moving, right hand tightening around the fabric covering his stump. His body seems to be shaking with barely contained emotion. The tension in the room grows as everyone starts to mumble to themselves. Some of the judges look like they're about to rush toward the guy. You turn around fully and call to him, "Hey, Kuziwa? You good over there?"

"Y-Yes," he assures you without turning around. The grip on his stump tightens and his voice sounds shaky, "I-I'm just excited. Simply give me-gaaahhh!"

He falls to his knees, shaking becoming visible and voice sounding pained. His teammates, the judges, and you all move to check on him. The first two groups get to him before you do, letting you hear the gasps coming from the crowd.

"Hey! Hey!" you call out to the judges as you reach the center of the arena, "Where are the medical staff at?! I'll go get them while you guys take care of him!"

One of the judges turns around to yell something at you, but he's interrupted by Kuziwa screaming in pain. He grimaces before turning back around and pulling the kid to his feet, "You can't fight in this state. We'll postpone the match and-"

"Get away..."

"Don't talk. We'll get you to "

"I SAID GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Kuziwa's voice rings out as shakes himself out of the judge's hold and then lashes out with the sword in his left hand-

Wait...sword?! Left hand?!

[The Ever-Present Shield Activates!]

[Physical Resistance Check: 50 VS DC 65 - 20 (Impregnable Defense) = 45. Success! +3 XP!]

You move faster than even you expect.

You don't know how you pull it off. Or how much you have to push yourself to pull it off. Or how sore your body is gonna be when this is all over.

All you know is that you rushed forward, grabbed the judge by his collar, threw him away from the oncoming attack, then blocked the blade with your arm. You don't hear the sound of metal hitting metal this time. Probably because you don't have Yato with you. But you do feel the blade biting into your flesh just a little bit. The cut is shallow and not that bad. You'd liken it to a paper cut. But it's enough to draw blood.

That doesn't matter though.

You still stop it in its tracks.

And that lets you see what's happened to Kuziwa. And what you see causes your eyes to widen and your heart to drop.

Kuziwa...something's wrong with him. The left half of his face has changed into that of a monster. His skin has become a deep crimson, while a horn has started to grow from his forehead. His gi has come undone and shows that the new coloration is spreading from his face to the rest of his body. His teeth are grit but the left half of them are turning into sharp and pointed canines made for ripping through flesh. Half of his hair turns from red to white and his left eye becomes black with a sickly yellow iris.

But the main thing that catches your attention is his arm.

His new left arm.

It has grown from the stump, but it doesn't look natural. The place where the stump was has become a ragged, bloody mess. Blood seeps out onto the ground below while the new arm stands out with a sword gripped tightly in its hands. Well, you call it a sword. But it looks more like a giant meat cleaver than anything else. It's as big as your arm, its white edge gleaming in the light of the arena.

Kuziwa's new eye focuses on you. A painful groan escapes his throat as he says, "Na...Nag...gai-san...please...forgive me."

Another roar rips its way out of his throat as he stomps the ground. A shockwave explodes from his position, sending you and everyone else flying away from him. You manage to turn in the air and land on your feet, skidding backward as you try to arrest your momentum. You end up stopping near the stairs where you came from. You whip your head up to see Kuziwa walking out of the crater he made on the arena floor. You can't see anyone else and can only hope they landed safely.

Kuziwa's body jerks along as he moves, like a puppet being led by its strings. The right half of his body is doing all it can to resist, but the left part is gaining more and more control. As he moves, a figure begins to materialize on his left side.


It stands as tall as Sensei Hazma, its features identical to the ones that are slowly taking over Kuziwa's body. Its three eyes look around the room at everyone in attendance, before settling on the struggling Kuziwa.

You hear a girl scream.

And the next thing you know, all the lights in the auditorium go out.

Panic sets in a moment later. You can't see it, but you can hear it. People getting up from their chairs, people shoving each other out of the way, some trying to help others get to their feet, yelling from students, yelling from teachers, just mass hysteria.

And through it all, you can hear two familiar voices.

"Hayato! Remain calm! The lights will return in a few moments. Simply wait for that and then escape," Yamato shouts from somewhere to your left. Then you hear footsteps retreating somewhere deeper inside the building.

That's when the second voice resounds in your head.

"My Lord Hayato!" the urgency in Yato's tone is plain to hear. You feel him pull at your Bond as he calls to you, "Come! Equip me as soon as you can!"

"What's going on here, Yato?" you say while getting to your feet, "What the fuck was that?"

[Yato Supernatural Check: Auto-Passed by ??? Trait]

"That," Yato's voice gains a venomous edge that you've never heard from your Partner before, "was an Oni. A horrid, evil, man-eating monster whose kind brings nothing but death and pain wherever they go!"

"OK? But what the heck did it do to Kuziwa? What was he even doing with it?! Why was it in his arm?"

"My Lord...the Bonding Ritual done by me and the fox are not the only ways humans and monsters are able to form a union. There are other ways. One such way is to have the monster reside within the body, soul, or mind of the human. This gives the two a closer Bond that, sometimes, gives them both more power."

"And you haven't told me about this why?"

"Because that form of bonding ties the monster closely to the human's physical, mental, and spiritual being. If done unprepared or if the monster forces the union...the human will either die or become a Vessel for them. Their will subsumed and under the complete control of the monster."

Your eyes widen at the revelation. So...does that mean...if Yato hadn't done that ritual...would you have-

Before you can ask any more questions, you hear the sound of metal scraping against a mat.

"Listen up, morsel," a deep, rumbling, cruel voice speaks to you from somewhere within the darkness. You don't know how, but you know it's the oni, "Unlike you, I can see in the dark. So, if you don't mind, could you just stand there and let me start preparing you for my feast? Don't worry. I'll get the one who ran off at the sight of me later."

"Ara-Arashi," that's Kuziwa! He's hanging in there, but his voice is weak and it sounds like he's barely hanging on. He continues in spite of it, "You-You said-you wouldn't-dot this. You-promised me-"

"Huh? Oh. Right that. I lied," the oni says casually as if she's talking about the weather, "I only said I wouldn't eat anybody to get you to let me in. I didn't do anything before to make you think I was serious. Really, I was just waiting for the moment I could get you around enough people. Then I'd pop out and start eating."

"You-You-Nagai-san! Run! Don't let her get you!"

You hear the sound of metal hitting flesh, "That's enough out of you. While I can't kill you, I don't need you awake to use your body. Now be quiet while I get to work."

"Lord Hayato! Come to me! Please! The one you entrusted me to has run off! This our chance!" Yato shouts in your mind. Judging by how the oni hasn't said anything, you don't think she's noticed him yet.

"But...can't I handle her myself?" you question, calling back to all the training you did with Hose, "I'm not normal anymore, Yato. Couldn't my stuff work on her?"

"Yes, but-I request-no! I beg you, Lord Hayato Nagai! Let me fight alongside you, to rid the land of this evil!"

You don't even need to try to feel the desperation in Yato's voice. This... feels personal to him. You can tell that. Even if you don't know why.

"...Before I do anything, I've gotta ask you something, Yato."

"Anything, my Lord."

"Can we save Kuziwa?"

Yato goes silent.

"Can we?" you ask again, more insistent this time.

"Yes. But it will not be easy. It-"

"Just tell me what I need to do!"

Yato goes silent again. But he's quick to respond, "It appears to me this oni currently inhabits that boy's body physically. Judging by how he grew a new appendage and how the transformation is on his left side, it likely resides within that arm. If we wish to save him...we must sever it."

"And there's nothing else we can do?"

"...If we had a way to attack souls directly, then we could try to separate the two that way. Even if she inhabits his body, she needs to form a connection with his soul to take it over like this. But...as it stands..."

...Right.

"Couldn't I just beat up the big oni? She's standing right next to him."

"She's not really there, Lord Hayato. That's simply a manifestation, drawn out thanks to her taking command of the boy's body. The only part of her that is 'real' is the arm coming out of his left side."

You click your tongue in annoyance. There's goes that plan.

So...your only option is to cut his arm off?

You run the information through your mind multiple times. Each time thinking of a different strategy. Each time wishing Yamato had stayed behind. He would've known how to deal with this. How to make a plan that would make everything work out fine. But...but he's not here. So...so you've got to do what you can.

Yeah. That's all you can do.

But you'll give your damn best you know that much.

The lights come back on.

The oni smiles at you.

You start moving...

[] ...to grab Yato. You'll take this thing on together. Your first real fight. Let's do this. (Will fight the oni using UMT with Yato; ???)

[] ...to fight the oni. You don't need Yato. You've got this thing. (Will fight oni using your strongest Supernatural Martial Art that isn't UMT; Yato WILL be upset; ???)

[] ...to grab Yato and run. You won't fight this thing here. You've gotta get to a better spot. Hopefully, it'll try to chase you down. (Grab Yato, but try to lead the oni somewhere else; Note that the auditorium is empty now; ???)

...and when the fight starts, your goal is...

[] ...to save Kuziwa. You won't let this thing have him. And if you need to remove his arm for that...so be it.

[] ...to stall Kuziwa. You can't bring yourself to cut his arm off. But you can't get the oni out of him as you are. All you can do is stall and hope for the best.

[] ...to take Kuziwa down. You can't bring yourself to cut his arm off. But you can't get the oni out of him as you are. You'll just...try to knock him out and hope for the best.

[] Write In plan...

---

And, as per usual, I manage to knock this out before the week even starts.

Don't worry. Once the vote is over, I'll try to get the next part up soonish.

And, for the record, Kuziwa would've had 80s in all his Martial Arts Skills. But his missing arm gave him a -10 Debuff.