Kaya dodged her opponent's kick and clocked her in the face. The woman stumbled and Kaya tackled her, pinning her to the ground.
"Round three goes to Kaya!" her teacher shouted. She snapped her fingers.
Kaya pushed herself to her feet and helped her opponent stand.
"You were rough today, princess." her teacher handed her a canteen. "Is something bothering you?"
"No."
"You sure?"
Kaya glanced at the woman. Bella Rose was one of the toughest women she knew.
The woman was blessed with a towering height that made her stand out in a crowd. Her complexion was a rich shade of dark brown, hinting at a possible ancestry of African or Caribbean descent. Her most striking feature, however, was her voluminous curls which seemed to have a life of their own. She had pinned them up with care, creating an intricate web of twists and turns that framed her face. Despite her seemingly delicate appearance, she was not one to be trifled with. Those who dared to cross her would quickly learn that she had a fiery temper and a fierce fighting spirit. She had no qualms about using her fists or boots to mete justice to those who deserved it.
"Yeah."
Bella shrugged. "Something must have happened." she nodded toward the mat Nico was on. "He's been handing everyone's asses to them."
Kaya watched as two men charged him, one brandishing a sword.
Nico quickly crouched down and used his swift reflexes to sweep one of his attackers off their feet. He then moved with calculated precision to disarm the man by effortlessly knocking the weapon out of his hand. In the blink of an eye, Nico had retrieved the weapon and was now holding it up to the man's throat, showcasing his mastery of combat and the formidable threat he posed to anyone foolish enough to cross him.
Kaya gulped down the rest of the water. Well, damn.
"So, you want to tell me what's happened between you two? I've seen less tension on a bowstring."
Kaya finished the water and slammed it down on a bench. "Nothing. Can we get back to sparring?"
Bella opened her mouth to say something, but she closed her mouth again. She gestured for the next opponent to step onto the mat and Kaya glared at Bella.
"Good luck, Kaya!"
The man standing before her had a good six inches on her but she had the advantage. Speed. He pulled back cracked, dried lips to reveal yellowed teeth.
"I'll try to make this as painless as possible, love." he licked his lips. "You look so fragile."
Kaya bristled. "I'm not fragile."
"We'll see."
He pounced and Kaya ducked, rolling out of the way. She saw a flash of silver and her eyes narrowed. It was against the rules for an opponent to have a weapon in the first round.
"You're fast," he muttered. "But not fast enough."
He lashed out, slicing her across the cheek. Kaya winced, stumbling back. She tenderly touched the wound and pulled her hand away. Her fingers were drenched in blood.
"Aw. The little princess got a boo-boo." the man taunted. "Are you going to cry for your-"
Without putting two and two together, Kaya rammed into him; catching him off guard, he fell back, and she wrenched the bloodied dagger from his grip and held it against his neck.
"Kaya!" Bella raced onto the mat, yanking her to her feet. "What the hell? I step out for two minutes and-" Her eyes widened when she saw the blood dripping off her cheek.
Bella turned a furious gaze on the man, her hands shaking. "You're well aware of the rules, are you not?" she grabbed the man by the front of his shirt, and with one quick jab she knocked him out cold.
Kaya handed the dagger over to Bella. "I'd better go clean up."
She hurried out of the room and up to her room where she hurried to the bathroom to quench the bleeding.
When she came out, Nico was leaning against her bedpost with his arms folded. "He didn't get you too bad did he?"
He leaned toward her and pulled the cloth from her cheek, Kaya was so startled by the gesture that she just stared at him.
"That's not too bad-"
"Why are you talking to me?" Kaya snapped. "I thought you wanted nothing to do with me."
"I had time to think over what you said to me." Nico shrugged. "And I think my anger was directed wrong."
Kaya blinked.
"When I first saw you I'd gotten so pissed..but I'd been too arrogant to realize that none of this was your fault. There wasn't anything you could do to stop or prevent this from happening.." Nico released a long breath.
"Who do you think your anger should've been directed at?"
Nico pursed his lips. "Your father."
"So why'd you hate me?"
Nico shook his head.
"I deserve to know that much at least," Kaya whispered. "Please."
Nico opened his mouth to protest but he closed it and bit his bottom lip, drawing Kaya's attention to them. She looked up at his face, feeling the heat rise up on her cheeks.
"I believed that because King Kojo was a sadistic monster, his children would be too." Nico ducked his head. "And your expression when we were first brought in confirmed that, sort of. I'm sorry for being an arse."
Kaya laughed. "The arse part is on point."
"Funny."
"Friends?" Kaya extended a hand, hope flared in her chest.
Nico started at her hand for a moment before gripping it in his calloused warm one. "That's pending."
Kaya couldn't help the huge smile that split across her face. It was a start.