30No Holds Barred
Summary: Mugen finds himself tricked and forced into fighting various opponents for entertainment. Fight or die. Kill or be killed. Those are the rules, can you handle it? Post-series. Run away plot from my drabble series. Rating may go up.
A/N: This has also been posted as chapter 30 of my other SC fic, Just Another Day in the Life. I decided to turn this into a separate story when I realized a multi-chapter plot in a drabble series can get annoying if it's not resolved in two chapters. So here we are. Enjoy.
"Your boss posted your bail." The man with the keys opened the cell door next to Mugen's. The man got up slowly and shuffled outside, smirking and giving the pirate the finger when the door slammed shut behind him again.
"What about me?.!" Mugen exclaimed, shaking the bars that contained him. "Where's my bail?.!"
The man with the keys shrugged, just as a wealthy looking man came to scold the one who had just been released. "If no one comes by morning, you'll be executed with the other criminals."
"That's bullshit! I didn't do nothin'!"
"That asshole's face says different." Key-man indicated the newly liberated man bowing in front of his boss.
Mugen couldn't hide his smirk – the man was right after all. After he had attempted to steal his bottle of saké, the man had turned thrown the first punch. And while Mugen may not have started it, he sure as shit had finished it.
"Bar fights, again?" Boss sounded exasperated as he rolled his eyes at the swollen-faced man at his feet. "And by the looks of it, you lost. What the hell kind of guard are you, anyway? I'm not paying you to get your ass handed to you, Genji." He kicked the injured man off his feet. "Get up, you sack of shit. This is coming out of your pay, I hope you know."
"Yo!"
Both stopped in their tracks and turned to Mugen.
"What about me?"
Boss gave an expectant look. "What about you?"
"I'm the one who kicked his ass." The pirate declared. "So get me outta here and I won't hold no grudge."
Boss stared for a moment before bursting into uproarious laughter and kicking his guard over to Mugen's cell. "He wants out so bad? Let him out!" There was a wicked gleam in his eye. "We'll take him in and show him the meaning of true freedom, eh boys?"
Mugen wasn't a moron. Clearly, this boss wasn't just some smalltime mook if he had this room full of lawmen laughing nervously alongside him.
One prison cell for another. He'd really stepped in it now, Mugen realized upon waking up. The bucket empty of the cold water used to rouse him was tossed his way spitefully as Genji grinned his swollen mouth. The pirate had been knocked out the moment he stepped out of his cell last night, probably to prevent him from recognizing anything on the way to his "true freedom."
"You're up, pal."
Mugen shook his head of the droplets like a dog. "I ain't goin' nowhere without breakfast."
"Funny, kid." Genji opened his cell door and nodded for him to get a move on. "Don't make 'em wait or there'll be consequences."
Unwilling to show his confusion in front of someone as stupid as this other man appeared to be, Mugen obliged and followed him out of the cell. They passed several others as they made their way to wherever the hell they were going. Mugen ignored their teasing and placed his hands behind his head, realizing something was missing.
"Hey, what'd you do with my sword?"
Genji smirked. "Gotta earn your weapons, kid."
Mugen halted, not liking the sound of that. The guard pulled back a tarp on the wall, revealing a door concealed behind it. He kicked it open and motioned for Mugen to go through.
"Screw you." Mugen shook his head no. "Where's my sword?"
"Get out there, jerk-off!" Genji grabbed him and shoved him through the door, slamming it shut before he could get back through.
"I'm gonna fuckin' kill you for that!" Mugen leapt off the dirt and banged his fists against the door. "Ya hear me, princess?.! Better watch your ass!"
"Save it for the match." Two other guards restrained him by his underarms and dragged him down the remainder of the hallway.
Mugen winced at the bright light, unprepared when the two guards tossed him away. But this time, he didn't eat dirt; turning to give them a scowl.
"Round two, ladies and gentlemen!"
Mugen froze and took in his surroundings. He was in an arena, that much was certain. A giant ring surrounded on all sides by spectators. A man stood on the highest tier, barking at the audience. Mugen recognized the boss from last night, sitting with a wicked grin on his face as he stared down at him. He watched as Boss motioned at the announcer, returning a moment later.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have just been informed that we have fresh meat tonight!" He pointed Mugen's way.
The pirate wanted nothing more than to rip the lips off every single one of these asshats in the audience. See who'd be laughing then.
"Let me explain the rules to you, newbie." Announcer continued. "They're quite simple and something you criminals are rather familiar with." A pause for flair. "Kill, or be killed."
More cheers. Mugen gnashed his teeth – he should have known. He'd seen it a million times before. Bloodsport. Thrown in a ring against another sap in the same position, unable to do anything but fight until one dropped like a Goddamned fly. The winner kept moving onto the next round with new opponents, until he died or they ran out of opponents. In which case, the troupe would move onto the next place, collecting as much fresh meat as they could along the way.
And Mugen had fallen for it hook, line, and sinker.
"Step forward to meet your opponent, newbie!"
Reluctantly, Mugen did as told. It beat having those two touchy mooks start shoving him again. He spotted the other man walking toward him and blinked several times, wondering just how hard he'd fallen. But when they got close enough to shake hands, he realized this was really happening.
"That's my sword, kid." The pirate informed him. He wasn't even wearing the damn thing right!
"Weapons have to be earned." The brat replied, brandishing the blade and tossing the scabbard aside.
There was no way in hell Mugen was about to fight a kid wielding his own weapon. "Listen, give it back and we can both forfeit this crazy shit."
"Can't." His upturned nose made him look slightly piggish. "Forfeit's death, too. If you don't die here, they kill you in the back."
Mugen slapped his forehead. "So you're tellin' me if we both back down, we both die?"
He nodded.
"Shit." He spat. "Then we got no choice, huh?"
"Nope."
Mugen grinned and cracked his knuckles. "Just try not to dull my blade."
The kid placed it in front of him in a stance that clearly showed he had no experience. "Piece of shit like this couldn't cut dango."
"Tch." Mugen scoffed as the kid took a step forward and swung.
"And it begins, ladies and gentlemen!"
A/N: Humor me with the opening. I'm not privy to the Edo Era justice system so I stuck to what I know. Also, I left out calling them cops because I don't know what they had back then. But yes, Key-Man is pretty much a cop ^^U And if I continued any further, this would have been a Godzilla chapter (1,133 already). And no one wants a Godzilla chapter…unless you're looking for a Godzilla fic, in which case what are you doing here? ;) But enough of my cheesy ways, things pick up in chapter 2, which should be up soon! Stay beautiful, loves and I'll see you next update!
Preview ch.2: The sensation of cold metal against his warm pulse halted any further action. He stared helplessly as the crowd cheered for his demise.
