C12 Backstage

The fight was over. The crowd’s roar still echoed in Arun’s ears as he slipped behind the curtains, sweat dripping, jaw aching, knuckles throbbing from the force of his own strikes. The narrow hall reeked of liniment and smoke, the buzz of men counting winnings filling the air.

He just wanted his cut, a shower, and a way out. Away from those eyes. Away from them.

But silence pressed heavier than the crowd ever had.

Riku hadn’t moved from his place when Arun left the ring—but Arun could still feel him, like a shadow stitched to his back. And Daisuke? That bastard would never let him leave without some twisted remark.

“Nice fight.”

The voice slithered out of the darkness. Arun’s jaw clenched as Daisuke stepped from the wall, his smile lazy, a cigarette glowing between his lips. His coat hung loose, his stance relaxed, but the way he blocked the hallway made it clear: he wasn’t moving.

“You looked good out there,” Daisuke said, smoke curling around his smirk. “Strong. Brutal. Almost enough to make a man wonder what you’re like outside the ring.”

Arun glared, disgust sharp in his throat. “Move. I don’t have time for your games.”

But Daisuke only chuckled, leaning closer. “Games? No, no. I like you, Arun. You’ve got fire. You’re not like the rest of these dogs who lick Riku’s boots. You’d spit in his face before you’d bow, wouldn’t you?”

Arun’s glare deepened, but before he could answer, the air shifted.

Footsteps. Slow. Heavy.

Riku’s presence filled the hall before his figure appeared. Broad shoulders, dark suit, dragon ink curling up his neck. His silence was heavier than thunder.

Daisuke’s grin widened as Riku stopped only a few feet away, his eyes fixed not on Daisuke, but on Arun.

The hallway shrank between the three of them—predator, predator, and prey who refused to bow.

“Get out of my way,” Arun spat, anger masking unease. “Both of you. I don’t owe either of you a damn thing.”

Riku’s eyes darkened, unreadable. Daisuke chuckled low.

For a moment, no one moved. The tension was a blade, sharp enough to cut the silence apart.

And Arun, jaw tight, fists still wrapped, realized he was standing in the middle of a war he never asked for.