1Buttercup glanced about the hallway. She had left her sisters in the dust that morning in order to get to school early. She wanted to explore and look around the school. Cough, cough, also the Martial arts club met in the mornings and afternoons as well as on Saturdays and for the extremely dedicated Sunday afternoons as well. She had a map in her hand and other than that nothing. She had stopped by the classroom to drop her stuff off, other than one kid at the front of the class who had fallen asleep over a textbook, the room was empty and quiet. She had politely ignored the poor sap at the front and set her stuff down before silently leaving, she didn't know why she bothered though, they guy hadn't budged an inch the whole time she was in there. Even when she had slammed the door open upon entering, not expecting anyone to be in there.
Now she was definitely not lost, but she was well on her way to being lost. She had come to a fork in the hallways and she now had no clue where to go or what to do. If she looked at her map and then at her surroundings you could obviously see that she had no clue what on earth the map was even there for. Seriously, looking at the map and where she thought she had been, she could see that there was no fork. But ahead of her there was. Obviously one of them was wrong.
Sighing in anger and fixing to just rip up the map and retrace her steps, maybe wake up the sleeping boy and ask him for directions, she caught something just out of hearing. Stilling, calming her heart and closing her eyes, she listened really hard. If she bent her head just so she could faintly hear… the sounds of fists meeting flesh, of feet colliding with sandbags and people, of grunts and yells of exertion and effort being exclaimed. Could it be?! It had to be!
Taking off in the direction the sounds were coming from, she knew that it had to be the Martial arts club. She would know those sounds anywhere, also, the closer she got and she could hear more clearly the more certain she became that it was the Martial arts club. She could also smell it, sweat, blood, rubber mats, the metallic scent of training equipment, the whole she-bang. Feeling an unconscious smile stretch across her face, Buttercup laughed from joy. Just one more turn and she knew she would be there, she was so close she could taste it. Just one more bend, her green sneakers squeaked as she hairpin turned at breakneck speeds. She had focused all her senses on the sounds and smells of exertion, so focused was she on these things, even her super senses had no time to react to the person just around the corner.
Her eyes widened and a pathetic girly squeal escaped her mouth before she could stop it and then, in the blink of an eye, she was on the ground. Her limbs were tangled with someone elses, she could hardly tell what was even hers and what wasn't any more. Somehow, she had ended up on the bottom of the suprise two people dog pile. Her mind flashed back to all the movies and books she had ever read or watched. Of all the cliche things…
"Ummmm, hey that was unexpected, are you oka-" the person squashed on top of her started saying, untangling an arm and attempting to sit up. Buttercup became aware that the person she had just mauled smelled strangely familiar, and the voice…. it couldn't be. Life wasn't so cruel as to do that to her. Not after throwing her the whole moving towns and schools curveball. Oh but life isn't fair. As the sweaty body on top of her lifted up to face her, it was none other than-
"Gargoyle!" Of course. It had to be the person she had been friendly with the other day, someone from her class. Brownie points for being attractive. She bet life was laughing her butt off somewhere at Buttercups expense.
"Oh, uh, hey Buttercup. Just asking out of curiosity, but what are you doing here so early in the morning running through the hallways? Are your sisters with you?" He looked at her and leaned up as he spoke. Buttercup wasn't the kind of girl to blush, but she was definitely embarrassed. It was by pure force of will that prevented her cheeks from reddening like a school girl. Well, she was a schoolgirl, but she didn't want to act like one of the annoying stereotypical schoolgirls. That was for Blossom and Bubbles.
"Well umm, I was interested in the Martial arts club, and I thought I heard it over here." Buttercup said, it wasn't as though she couldn't get up, she could, but she had signed that contract…. she was stuck under Gargoyle until he got up, and he was taking a while. She moved her legs a tad to help him a little bit. He seemed to be having difficulties, he continued the conversation though. As though it was perfectly normal their current predicament and they were talking like they did in lunch or walking through the hallways.
"Ahhhh, yeah, after that introduction yesterday I kind of figured that you would want to be in this club." He smiled a charming smile. Buttercup couldn't be more annoyed. He had practically made himself at home where he was. The two of them had just about untangled themselves, he was propped up on both arms now, and she was flat on her back. Just chillin. She was becoming extremely uncomfortable with the closeness. The only times people were ever that close was when they were fighting or if they were her sisters.
"Umm, yeah." Buttercup couldn't see it but she heard the door behind them open then close, also a few footsteps before a sudden stop.
"Oh, uhhh, Captain, I-I'm really sorry, umm… am I interrupting, do you need a hand, or…"
"NO!" Gargoyle and Buttercup both screamed simultaneously. Buttercup practically threw Gargoyle off of her- contract no contract. Standing, Buttercup realised what the interrupter had said.
"Captain? Of what?" She looked at Gargoyle who had jumped up just as fast as she had and was standing to her right… was that… a… blush? staining his cheeks? No… it had to be her imagination, he was probably still just tired from whatever it had been that he was doing before she ran into him. Buttercup's lightbulb went off. He was sweaty, outside of the Martial arts club, and someone had just referred to him as captain. God fate hated her guts. Not that she was really a believer in any kind of religion… come on she and her sisters had been made in a lab for goodness sake.
"Haha, I'm actually the captain of the Martial arts club. Funny story that…" He scratched the back of his head a bit and chuckled. All the amusement went out though, or it seemed that way when suddenly his eyes went more serious and focused looking at her he said,
"You want to join right? Just a warning, we don't mess around here, all of the members take this club very seriously if for different reasons. If you want to join, you gotta be serious about it." His sudden change did nothing but fire her up. Buttercup felt her blood begin to boil like it always did before a fight, or a particularly good sparring or training lesson. He own face was probably serious and menacing when she replied, looking him straight in the eyes,
"Wouldn't want anything less." they both kept their gazes locked until a uncertain throat clearing focused both their gazes on the interrupter. Not that he really interrupted anything. So the nickname was unsuitable. He was a nondescript John Hancock, brown hair, brown eyes, average height. He was sweaty and muscular and not altogether unattractive, but still nothing to write home about. Buttercup looked at him, just staring. Not even really focused on him when she asked Gargoyle
"So, can I see all it is you guys have to offer before I sign up?" Hancock began squirming under her constant non-blinking perusal and she had to hold back a maniacal satanic grin. Making others uncomfortable could be very fun, she hated it when others did it to her though. That didn't mean she liked doing it to others any less, just meant she knew the feelings of the person she was doing it to.
"Yeah, of course, we also don't just take anybody, so we will also be examining all it is that you have to offer." At that Buttercup couldn't help but chuckle. She brought a hand up to cover her mouth and tried to disguise it as a cough before replying
"I don't think you will be disappointed." needless to say she was confident in her skills, some would call her cocky but she knew she was good. No use denying the facts.
Buttercup nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand landed at the base of her back to guide her to the door. The hand was huge and warm, it made her own hand seem miniscule in comparison; despite the fact that she could undoubtedly do more damage with her hands than Gargoyle could even dream of.
The chuckle coming from Gargoyle was contagious and charming. Without a doubt he had definitely felt her tense up at the contact, but his hand remained where it was.
"I don't bite you know." Of course she knew that. Gosh, she was beginning to hate coming into contact with Garoyle, fate really hated her when it came to people. Blossom- or better yet Bubbles was the one to go to for social interaction. Buttercup was the one people went to when they wanted a blunt, honest and often times cruel conversation, or a butt-kicking. Buttercup had no qualms about giving either one.
Gargoyle kept his hand on her lower back all the way to the wooden doors. The floors were the same tile as the rest of the hallways, but the doors were different looking from all the other doors. They followed behind John Hancock all the way to the door and he entered before them. There was a quick repreive when Gargoyle removed his hand to open the doors, but it was short-lived. Not that she really noticed him or his hand anymore upon entering the club area. The frickin rich people had made a fricking Dojo right there in the school. Connected to the hallways and everything. Buttercup was in heaven. Maybe moving really wasn't so bad. The school she had been atteding had been a simple public school, and it was unfathomable to even think for a second that it would ever have anything even similar to this.
The floors were no longer tile, instead there was a polished waxed and worn wooden floor- at least where the floor was visible there was. The majority of the laaarge room's floor was covered in mats. On those mats were students. Sparing students, training students, you name it. Not only that but she couldn't count with her fingers the amount of different techniques were being done. That was all on the right side of the room as well in the back looked to be more advanced sparring for the older students who seemed to really know what they were doing.
To the left were various things, most of which were exercise equipment, and more mats for demonstrations. Miniature classes on 'how to' there was a teacher and a volunteer in the middle it looked like and a spattering of other's in a circle around them. Overall Buttercup bet there were at least thirty-forty people, easy. All wearing different forms of battle attire, the most popular choice being a Gi.
The really amazing thing however was how as soon as they came in, they all turned and acknowledged Gargoyle, she only earned a curious glance or a slight wave before they all returned to what they were doing. Buttercup knew that if she was anymore satisfied and excited she would be dead. Not even asking she walked toward the back, where a particularly heated battle was being done. It was mixed martial arts at its finest, and she was almost drooling.
The two boys both focused on what they were doing. They were both around the same height, and both seemed to be at about the same skill level, meaning that the best possible fight and training partener was made possible. One of the boys was blond and tan, the other was pale with black hair, they were polar opposites. They were both sweating profusely and nicely muscled in their gi's. They had removed the top part of their gi's and were clad in tank tops and gi bottoms. Black hair was wearing a black tank, and blond air was wearing a navy blue one.
The two sparring had gathered a small crowd not that they seemed to notice. They seemed absolutely oblivious to the world out side of the match. Buttercup joined the other five or so people at the mat, and she stood fixated.
The two were slowly cirling each other in a very boxing like manner, with their heads down and their fists wrapped and protecting their faces, elbows tight and their stance perfect. The blond was the first to strike, instead of a punch or a kick, be struck out with his knee. Jumping into the air, rotating and aiming his knee right for the brunetts temple. It was a potentally lethal move and Buttercup was surprised that they were allowed to use it in a club sparring match.
Brunett just ducked, and aimed a fist up to punch the inside of the blonds revealed thigh. Blond took the hit with nary a grunt and landed softly, backing up a few steps to recover. Brunett didn't let him though, fast as lightning advancing towrd his retreated form and raining blows, all around. Blond dodged every one, and just barely dodged the high kick aimed at him. Blond, after the brunett landed from the high kick feinted up and to the left, and when brunett went to block he changed the trajectory of his punch, instead making it land in the abdomen. Brunett was the one to back up this time. Skipping back, they both faced each other, breathing hard. Buttercup didn't know how long they had been fighting before she came in, but she knew that the fight was, sadly, almost over. Both fighters were tired and at their limit.
It was as she was thinking the thought that brunett went in for the kill. He advanced toward blond and began throwing punches mixed in with feints to keep blond on his toes, it was when he went in for a spin kick, exactly like he had in the last bout that he struck. His leg, instead of kicking, wrapped around blonds neck from the front. Brunett then pulled him in and to the ground in a Judo hold. The fight was over. Buttercup was the first to snap out of it when Gargoyle nudged her in the side to get her attention.
"Pretty impressive huh. Bernie and Clyde have been in this club since freshmen year and were there when the club won nationals in the Youths Mixed Martial Arts Tournament. Their among the best in the club. So, what do you think, you in?" Buttercup watched as the two stood up, bowed, shook hands and all that jazz before they hugged slapping each other on the back and waving at all of the onlookers. They stopped when they came across Gargoyle and Buttercup and began walking over to them.
"Yeah, where do I sign up?" Buttercup said the same time Bernie and Clyde reached them. She looked away from Gargoyles condescending grin and looked at the two of them. Even though their looks were yin and yang Buttercup could tell that they were close friends. They looked from Gargoyle to her before Bernie, the brunette who had won the match asked her and Gargoyle,
"A new member? And a pretty girl to boot! Sadly we are sorely lacking in the female department, the only girls we had all left for some reason. Something about there being too much testosterone and not enough estrogen. Now there is only testosterone." He sighed theatrically and shook his head. Clyde just rolled his eyes and shook his head, Gargoyle seemed unfazed by the whole thing as well. He must do this often. Something for her to look forward to. Oh great joy. And he had seemed so serious while sparring.
okay there is chpt 2 :D
MERRY CHRISTMAS
AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR
Reviews always welcome ;)
Oh and I am proof reading this no beta, so forgive me if I miss anthing, I make mistakes I'm sorry.