Let things get a bit dirty.

"Lilith and Florate take your stance" the voice of the sensei came again. Lilith and Florate were already within the circle and bowed to each other, waiting for the sensei's order to begin. Florate was already not himself because of what happened to Rain earlier and so was Lilith. Left for them, they would have canceled their match and make sure she was well first before fighting. He sighed deeply, with his attention turned away from his competitor Lilith to his girlfriend Rain. He really wished he could at least accompany her to the clinic and be there with her while her wounds are being tended to. He wanted to be the first person she would see when she regains her consciousness, and hoped he would still be. But first, he had to go through with the match and with Lilith as his competitor it would definitely not be an easy win.

"Hey" she called to him from where she stood. "Get your act together, she will be fine, I promise. She is a very strong girl" she cheered him up with a smile. "Besides, I don't want this to be an easy win so concentrate and give me all you've got" she stretched her leg in a leg raise while she spoke.

"Oh please Lilith don't make me puke at your meaningless brags. Just plead with me to go easy on you" he smirked at her.

"Yikes! I'm scared already" she mocked. "Please Florate don't go easy on me"

"I honestly don't plan to Lilith love" he took his fight pose and so did Lilith.

"Just like in the last combat, you have just five minutes for this combat, the winner would be judged by the results of your stats, not the fight itself. Get ready... Fight!"

At the last command of the sensei, Lilith attacked first, aiming to give him a butterfly kick but he caught her leg mid air and gave her hard blows on it earning him an uproar from the other rangers and senseis but a deeply pained face from Lilith. " Just some piece of advice" he spoke to her while getting ready for her next attack, what ever it may be. "You know your circular skills in fighting are weaker compared to mine, how about you let things get dirty a bit" he winked at her.

Lilith could not believe how naive Florate was proving to be or was it Rain's current condition affecting him. She knew she was the most skilled when it came to ground styles among all her mates but she didn't want to use that advantage against him but here he was, asking her to have her way. Did he purposely want her to win or was this a trap. No Florate would never do that' she had a rethink. He only wanted the fight to be fair, him using his greatest strength and her using hers.

Nodding to his advice, she thought of ways to bring him down and then settled to let him take the first step. He attacked her with few punches which she dodged, aiming to land him one in his abdomen but he blocked it and gave her a sharp uppercut which got her staggering and whimpering in pain and this got him another uproar. "What was that for?" she cried obviously very hurt. "I said let things get a bit dirty" he repeated staring at her in such a way that seemed like he was talking in a code that he was very sure she would crack. She looked at him utterly confused. 'What do you mean?' she asked herself but was answered with a back kick she received from Florate, followed by another crescent kick. "Two kicks! All at once!" everyone yelled in astonishment. Florate was really scoring high points and getting famous right now.

Lilith fell to the floor at the crescent kick with her whole body in serious pain. She knew Florate was very skillful but never knew he was this strong. Well, she has never fought him before and he really did beat her expectations. She was about to get back on her feet, before she recalled what Florate had told her earlier, 'Let things get a bit dirty'. What did he mean she thought within her. If he really meant she should use her ground skills, then why was he not falling on the floor for her. He should at least make things easy for her if he really meant that she should win. No! Something just did not add up. 'Let things get dirty a bit' she pondered within her again still crouching on the floor, she looked around her and saw that she was almost outside the circle and falling out accidentally could get her dirty from it's rough sand. Within the circle was smooth and suited for battle but without it was all dirty and rough.

Wait! Dirty! That was it. It was then she realized what he meant along. "Let things get a bit dirty" she whispered to herself with sudden joy. He didn't mean she should use her ground styles, he meant she should get him disqualified by sending him out of the circle so that he won't have to wait for a whole five minutes to elapse before going to see Rain.

But why would she do that. That was going to drain his stats big time, did he not care? She stood up immediately and glanced at the timer. They still had three whole minutes and two seconds till the end of the match. She looked directly into his green orbs and shook her head slightly at him.

He understood what she meant immediately. She finally got his message and wasn't willing to do it. "Please" he whispered to her and with a sour face, she nodded. She really had no choice, he was begging this of her and she had to fulfill it as a good friend. She took deep breathes through her mouth before running towards him with a grievous attack, the knee kick. She raised herself from the floor with all strength in her and hit him hard on the jaw with her two knees, one after the other making him stagger backwards and almost out of the circle. He would have just stepped out but deliberately leaving the circle would get the both of them disqualified and he did not want that for her.

She did not hesitate to attack again. She punched his chest hard and gave him a hard head before finally giving him a back kick which landed him on the floor outside the circle and causing another uproar while the bell rang, signaling the end of the match.

"He let her win on purpose!" many of them said. "No he was charmed by her looks and didn't know when he got to the end of the line! Some others retorted but the sensei's voice silenced them all.

" As a result of the disqualification, Lilith wins. Step forward Lilith" he called to her and she walked to climb the stairs to meet him where he was. She looked down at where Florate lay in pain before only to find the place empty. Where did he go? She asked herself only to see him making his way to the clinic with fast steps. She really hoped Rain was alright, that would be the only thing that would get him to think right next time. She sighed before going to meet the sensei for a dumb handshake, she scoffed. Not like they were going to give her a gold medal or something.

*The clinic*

"It is good you came with me Nexine" the nurse appreciated with a cheerful smile. "Rain would be really happy to know that at least one of her friend followed her to the clinic. Please hold this" she handed him a bowel containing blood stained cottons. They were used to clean all of Rain's wounds that were on her face and other visible parts of her body. She covered them properly with cotton and plaster and straightened her pointed nose which seemed broken.

Nex sat on a chair beside the bed which Rain lay on as he watched the nurse attend to her. "Rain is more than just a friend to me nurse" he said with his eyes still focused on Rain's wounded sleeping face.

"Really?" she smiled while she dressed the last wounds. "I see. Well, stay with her here while I go get ready for her X-ray, she seems to have some internal injuries. Will that be fine by you?"

"Of course nurse" he nodded. "Take as much time as you might need".

"You are a very sweet young man" she patted his back before leaving.

Immediately she exited the ward, Nex focused his gaze on Rain. She looked very beautiful, even with the injuries on her face and in her white blood stained gi, she was still worth a second stare. Looking at her now made him feel very angry at himself. He would have had her to himself the time he suspected she had feelings for him. What was he saying, she still does. Because if she did not, she would have told the whole institute about his murder of Lilith or should he say his attempt of murder. He still could not wrap his head around what happened. But however, he was certain that Rain loved him and that was the only reasonable explanation why she had not reported him yet and now he was more than ready to reciprocate those feelings. Starting with being here for her. He knew well she would rather have him here than that Florate. He felt disgusted already but waved the thought away immediately.

He breathed deeply before he began to stroke her hair with so much affection. He was surely going to make her his, and he was sure he would prefer her to that pathetic Lilith. Rain was more beautiful and obviously more attractive. Her ocean blue eyes and sky blue hair told of this alluring brightness. Her pink love shaped lips told of warmth even though she seemed like a cold person but he was sure she wasn't.

He tucked her loose hair behind her ears and felt her cheeks with the back of his palm. They were very soft and smooth and he felt the sudden urge to peck them. Without second thoughts, he leaned unto her and pecked her both cheeks, then her forehead, before getting to her lips. He looked at her closed eyes for a while, he wished they were open, so that he could watch her close them when he will want to kiss her. Nevertheless, he wasn't going to let this opportunity pass. He brought himself lower to finally claim her lips with his but the sound of the door banging loudly caught him in his tracks.

"Nexine?" Florate looked both surprised and confused. "What are you doing here?!"

With an annoyed face, he stood erect and turned to him.

"Is that really a necessary question Florate? Well if you must know, I am here to see my girlfriend, Rain"...