The crowd roared as the two oni in the ring locked their hands together for the third time and began wrestling each other into submission, their muscles glistening with sweat.
Yuugi drank deeply from her dish and wiped her mouth against her wrist, enjoying the show. Excitement never ended in Hell, least of all where her people roamed, but nothing beat the pulse-pounding action of oni matching their raw strength against one another.
The matches in the ring were sparring, really, but everyone knew what was at stake: the honour of being known as one of the strongest of the tribe. Yuugi herself had already tested her mettle against two of her lieutenants, vanquishing each in turn. They had put their soul into the battles, hissing and grappling like their lives depended on it, and she was fiercely proud of them. She drank again in their honour as she enjoyed the clear view of the ring from the seat her victories had merited her.
The crowd laughed and whistled as Touko suddenly headbutted Kanna in the ring with her goat-like horns and forced her to stagger backwards. After a moment of disorientation, Kanna responded by roaring, then picking Touko up wholesale and smashing her against the ashen ground.
Yuugi's eyes drifted from the battle. A few steps away from the rest of the cheering audience stood Parsee, her hair neatly tucked behind her pointed ears, her eyes gleaming in the lantern-light. She had traded her travel-worn clothes for oni cast-offs, but if anything, they made her stand out even more. She followed the match attentively, almost hungrily, her entire body standing rigidly at attention.
Parsee was an odd one. Yuugi wasn't even sure what her true name was: she had initially repeated something similar-sounding but unpronounceable until Yuugi had failed to say it correctly five times in a row, after which she had switched to repeating 'Parsee', nodding in satisfaction as Yuugi parroted it back to her. Similarly, she had accepted the family name the other oni had bestowed upon her without a murmur, as if she'd always been called Mizuhashi.
She wouldn't say a word about her past, either. Her "gibberish" had proven to be Persian, something Satori Komeiji had little trouble understanding, but that was all Yuugi knew. The satori had narrowed her eyes in either sympathy or revulsion, but either way had kept Parsee's secrets, only stating that as long as the oni kept an eye on her, she was welcome to stay.
The mystery irritated Yuugi she preferred all things in her world to be direct and out in the open but in general, she found Parsee's presence highly enjoyable. She had taken it upon herself to teach her Japanese, a task which had proven shockingly easy, and following that the bridge princess had started following her everywhere, like a second, smaller shadow, listening alertly at everything she said, eager to understand the world around her.
Yuugi returned her eyes to the crowd. Her gang didn't understand why she allowed Parsee to tail them, failing to recognise her staggering inner strength. Still, Yuugi was chief and her word was law, and so Parsee was treated politely, though never warmly.
The crowed roared, and Yuugi turned her head to see Kanna tossing Touko back onto the ground before grabbing her by the ankle. With a growl, she lifted the larger oni from the ground and whirled her in the air like a sling. When she finally let, Touko went crashing out of the ring, colliding with several oni in the audience.
The rest of the audience laughed, then began hailing the victor with applause. Kanna puffed up her chest in pride as she exited the ring.
Yuugi clapped too and looked on as Touko clambered back up, defeated but defiant. The audience fell into eager conversation, anticipating the next match-up.
Someone nudged at Yuugi's rolled-up sleeve, and she turned to meet Parsee's keen gaze.
"Yuugi." Her voice was level and as always, made Yuugi think of a distant ocean. "I want to fight, too."
The declaration gave Yuugi pause, but only for a moment. Why shouldn't Parsee fight? She was a youkai too, and if she planned to continue roaming with the oni, she should join in on their customs as well.
"You can. It's free for all." She eyes the oni gathered around the ring. "You can go next if you can find yourself a sparring partner." She slapped Parsee on the back, making her stagger forward. "Go on, shout for one before the ring's taken again."
Parsee stared at the crowd, her eyes narrowing. She took in a deep breath.
"Who will fight me?!" she bellowed, her usually soft voice carrying over the clamour of the crowd.
Dozens of pairs of curious eyes clapped themselves on her, but even after several moments ticked, no-one rose to the challenge. Yuugi couldn't say she was surprised: there was little pride in trouncing a non-oni, let alone someone as unassuming as Parsee, and much to lose if Parsee somehow managed to win. Agreeing to fight her would be a sizeable favour, and few oni have that much goodwill towards their tag-along bridge princess.
Just as Yuugi wondered if she'd have to fight Parsee herself, a large oni with chin-length hair and short, straight horns stood up, grinning. "I'll spar with you, Mizuhashi."
Yuugi cast an appraising look at the volunteer. Urara wasn't the strongest of oni, but she was usually level-headed while simultaneously capable of berserker fury in battle, and by no stretch a weakling. She'd do.
Yuugi turned back to Parsee. "You know the rules?"
Parsee nodded. "The first one who can't get back up or leaves the ring loses."
"Good." Of course Parsee would have figured it out by now, clever as she was. "Off you go, then."
The oni hooted and cheered as Parsee entered the ring. She cut a silly figure in her over-sized cast-off clothes hanging off her, but the fighting stance she assumed was surprisingly competent.
Urara moved opposite her, stretching her arms in an exaggerated fashion. "Give me your best shot, little girl."
Her arms were twice as thick as Parsee's neck, and as Yuugi raised her sake dish to her lips, she wondered if she should have steered Parsee clear of the battlefield after all. At that point it was too late halting the fight after the challenge was accepted would shame Parsee in front of the oni and so she sat down more comfortably and ignored the strange trill in her stomach. The bridge princess was a youkai, after all. She could take it. Hardly anyone died at sparring.
Unlike most matches, the current one was slow to start. Urara continued stretching her arms, even after the audience began to groan, grinning all the while. Parsee looked on attentively, her expression made of stone.
Then, like a tiger pouncing at its prey, Urara leapt into action. Pulling one of her enormous fists back as she rushed forward, she struck at Parsee's head.
Or rather would have, but Parsee's head was no longer there.
Urara's lunge came to a stuttering halt, and her eyes darted around to see what Yuugi and the rest of the onlookers already knew; that Parsee had jumped nimbly out of the way and was now staring at Urara from several paces away, her shoulders stiff and her eyes wide.
Urara broke into a lopsided grin. "That's one way to deal with it," she said as she turned to face Parsee again, "but how are you going to win if you don't ever strike back?"
Parsee made no reply. She braced herself for another attack.
"Tch." For a moment, Urara's lazy smile faltered. She inhaled, so subtly only a seasoned combat veteran could spot it.
Then, she ran forward with tengu-like speed, so fast it tousled the hairs of the nearest onlookers. She hadn't raised her fists: she didn't need to. It was clear she was going for a headbutt.
From her vantage point, Yuugi missed how exactly Parsee managed to sidestep the assault, but sidestep it she did. The Urara stuttered to a halt only a few inches from where she would have been disqualified, and turned back towards the ring with a glint of victory in her eyes.
Only then did Yuugi see that Parsee hadn't been able to avoid the attack entirely; the bridge princess faltered, clutching her side. It couldn't have been more than a graze, or else she'd be down for the count, but from the way her legs shook, another graze was all it took.
Urara rose to her full height, flexing languidly. Parsee stared on, breathing shallowly.
Suddenly, Urara raised her arms to her sides.
"Go on, then. I'm giving you a free shot." She widened her stance. "Show me what you've got."
The audience laughed.
Though it was in bad form, Yuugi couldn't argue with Urara's assessment of Parsee's strength. Even if she pounded on Urara's exposed torso for an entire day, she was unlikely to do more than bruise her. In fact, taking the free shot was tantamount to admitting as much.
Parsee seemed to realise this, too, as instead of striking, she slinked further towards the opposite end of the ring, still clutching herself. For a moment it looked as if she was about to yield, but ultimately she stood her ground, staring defiantly at Urara.
Urara leered at her as she reassumed her fighting stance, but from her pose Yuugi could read a modicum of newfound respect for her opponent. "Fine. Let's do this properly."
She lunged towards Parsee again.
Only, there were now two Parsees.
A shock went through the crowd. Yuugi blinked, certain she's seeing things, but even after rubbing her eyes the double bridge princesses remained. Only after careful scrutiny did Yuugi notice one Parsee shimmered, like she was made out solid light.
Urara, however, didn't have the time to spot the difference. A look of shock registered on her face just before she reached the pair, missing both. The illusion evaporated immediately afterwards, but by then it no longer mattered: Urara has speeded head-first out of the ring.
The audience fell eerily silent as the oni gave each other puzzled looks.
Parsee stood still in the ring, breathing shallowly. The sleeve of her tunic has fallen down from her shoulder in the tousle, her usually neat hair is a fuzzy mess, and she was still clearly favouring one side of her torso, but she held her chin up despite the non-reaction from the crowd.
Slowly, a thin, satisfied smile spread on her lips.
Urara pushed herself back up and shook her head, her back turned from the ring, her eyes hidden beneath her fringe. For a long while, she did nothing more.
When she finally tossed her head back, there was fire in her eyes.
In a blink of an eye, she's back in the ring. Before Parsee could react, she reached out with her shovel-like hand and grabbed her by the front of her tunic and raised her aloft.
"Cheat!" She spat through gritted teeth. "Deceiver! You conniving, dishonourable little..." She punctuated each word with a rough shake.
In turn, Parsee clawed desperately at Urara's hands, but it's like a kitten trying to escape from a tiger.
The crowd murmured, and several of the oni sitting closest to Yuugi shifted uncomfortably, but none moved to interfere. Bitter outrage had no place in the sparring ring, but then, neither did Parsee's deceit.
Yuugi was on her feet before she even realised what she was doing, and with three long strides, she was at the centre of the ring. She placed her hand on Urara's shoulder and squeezed, not too tight to break bones, but tight enough to catch her attention.
"She won. Let go," Yuugi growled, surprised by the harshness of her tone.
Urara glared hellfire at her. "You know she cheated! Like a human would! You can't allow this brat to come here and make a mockery—"
"She. Won." Yuugi repeated through gritted teeth, increasing the pressure of her hold. By that point, human bones would have crumbled to dust.
Urara continued to stare back. Finally, she yielded. She dropped Parsee unceremoniously on the ground and turned away, wrenching herself away from Yuugi's slackening grasp.
Parsee sat up and then fell still, staring at the audience which for only the second time in two hundred years was entirely silent.
Seeing that she was fine, Yuugi placed her hand on her hip and focused her attention on Urara. The weaker oni's head hung low at least she was ashamed for sullying the training ground with her actions but her hands were curled into fists.
Had she been the only one out of step, Yuugi would have challenged her there and then and wiped the floor with her. But Urara's actions, stupid though they were, had been provoked.
In truth, Yuugi was troubled. Parsee hadn't broken any rules, that was true — at least, any rules spoken out loud. Not a single oni in the history of the race would have thought to use the kind of misdirection she had, and so making it an official rule had never crossed their minds. All the same, each of them knew Parsee had committed a great transgression.
Yuugi raised her chin up. "Enough. Now we're going to have fun!"
The difference was immediate. The oni returned to their drinks, and soon the din of conversation was once again pleasantly boisterous, though with lingering mutters mixed in.
"Chief..." Urara was still in the ring. She had turned back towards Yuugi and unclenched her hands. Her tone was respectful she acknowledged Yuugi's triumph over her but the rage Parsee had kindled in her was boiling just beneath the surface. "That kind of disgrace..."
"She doesn't understand our customs yet," Yuugi stated firmly. That had to be it. She refused to consider the alternative, Parsee willingly making a fool of them all. She has never known the bridge princess to be disrespectful like that: at worst she was strange and still holding onto the ways of her former people.
"She isn't an oni," Urara continued, quieter now.
She didn't have to elaborate. Yuugi caught her drift anyway.
"No, she isn't. But she is one of us regardless." she replied, never changing her expression.
Urara frowned at the reply, but Yuugi's word was law. After nodding stiffly, she limped back to her friends and downed a cup of sake immediately offered to her, sullenly accepting the slaps on her back.
Yuugi looked around. While she had been preoccupied by Urara, Parsee has crept away and was nowhere to be seen, gone like a shadow disappearing before light.