ONE WEEK LATER

"You're way too excited for this," 

Brax playfully glared towards her "Can you feel that? it's the spirit of the game,"

"Fighting isn't a game" Alice scoffed beside him.

All three of them stood inside a crowded arena, people from all levels on the social ladder came — whether you were poor, rich or average. That's what Scarlett liked about places like this, it didn't matter where you lived or how much money you had.

"WE HAVE AN OLD TIMER HERE TONIGHT WITH US!" the ring announcer boomed through his microphone "BUT MIND YOU HE AINT AS OLD AS YOU THINK," the crowd roared to life as the lights went crazy,

Scar gazed at the livid strangers cheering "HE IS IN FACT THE ONE, THE ONLY - STALLION!"

The crowd screamed harder — Brax started fighting when he was only nine so everyone already knew him from before.

She smiled absentmindedly, it was a genuine smile that Scar rarely wore making him feel like the luckiest man to have made her happy even if it was just for one night. Each one of the fighters had a stage name — his was 'Stallion' a name his younger self came up with. Why? Well even he didn't have a very good reason for that. 

Brax wore some face paint covering his identity, it was the same as Alice's. A skeleton mask — both fear-evoking and creative — Scarlett wore a hood that covered her features in order to conceal her own identity "Well, here I go. Wish me luck"

"Don't die" Alice sang

Brax rolled his eyes before stepping into the ring, opposite a man with heavy scars on his face and body. Scarlett felt the familiar rush of adrenaline. 

Punches were exchanged as the crowd went wild, roars of on-lookers could be heard as they went at it.

Scar stared in amazement as she saw Brax dodge nearly every attack and landing almost all of his hits on the big guy, he was in the zone and she envied him for it.

"GO STALLION!" Alice screamed like everyone else beside her.

Scar didn't know it but she had a gleeful grin on her face as she clapped her hands like a fool.

Braxton focused mostly on her as he faced the man in front of him, he wanted to bring back the Scar he knew and cared about, and by the looks of it, he was succeeding.

The crowd continued to cheer — after another minute or two he thought that ending the match was the right thing to do so Brax pulled back his fist and punched the man across the jaw knocking him out cold.

"AND WINNER BY KNOCK OUT IS!" the announcer yelled "STALLION!" he came up to Brax and held his arm in the air, he'd be lying if he said he didn't miss this feeling.

The crowd shouting around him in both vexation and satisfaction

Alice swearing all kinds of nonsense

And Scar smiling at him from ringside...yes, he could gladly say that he missed this.

Walking down the cage quickly, he strolled up to them and smirked "How'd I go?"

"Okay, I guess." Alice rolled her eyes

Scar chuckled lightly, the very sound of it making Brax's insides melt at the fact she was enjoying herself "You fought really well"

"Thank you"

The announcer once again took the centre of the ring "OUR NEXT OPPONENTS WILL FACE THE MADHATTER!" Alice smiled at the both of them before turning around and entering the cage.

Scar watched as her friend fought viciously, Alice kept attacking no matter what — she left no room for her opponent to breath.

The reason she called herself the Madhatter was because in 'Alice in wonderland' the Madhatter was her favourite character. Mostly because he was crazy...and so was she "Are you sure you don't want to fight?"

"Brax..."

A small smile made it's way across his face, he only had a bloody lip and a slight bruise on his jaw "You miss it too, don't you?"

"Maybe," she sighed heavily while he chuckled

Alice once again landed a punch on her opponents face — the crowd cheered as she continued her onslaught "What's stopping you?"

"I left fighting a long time ago," she glanced towards him for a moment before returning her gaze to the cage.

Brax laid his hand on her shoulder making her face him "Once someone is born a fighter, they never just...stop..."

"AND YOUR WINNER IS, BY KNOCK OUT" the announcer yelled, causing their small conversation to come to an end "THE MADHATTER!" the crowd screamed and cheered for her as Alice pretended to take off an imaginary hat and bow repeatedly.

Scar smiled as she made her way to them "Do you want to stay?"

"I think that's enough for one night," Brax answered "Let's get out of here."

Wordlessly the three of them made their way out of the Arena.

They walked through the streets as the night surrounded them, stars shun brightly above and a strong breeze brushed against her cheeks.

She held her arms closer to herself as she fought against the cold chill. 

It wasn't until tonight did she remember why she felt so devoted to fighting before, and the way her eyes were glued to others cheering with excitement struck her with nostalgia. 

Despite the freezing weather a small smile made its way across her mouth. This was exactly what Brax said, like the old days. And she didn't seem to mind. 

After a while of walking they finally found their usual Diner "Thank you for bringing me." She spoke lightly while taking a seat.

Brax continued to smile, he felt the same emotions she did "...You're welcome"

"I'm gonna go and grab us something to eat - I'll be back in a bit" Alice smiled.

It was just the two of them in the booth now "I know what you're trying to do,"

"What?"

Brax fidgeted as she rolled her eyes "You're trying to bring the old me back."

"I don-"

She shook her head slightly "Usually I would be furious at the thought of someone doing that but as I stood in that Arena and felt the happiest I've ever been in a long time, I realised something- I miss it...I miss the old me."

"What are you saying?"

Brax stared at her in shock, she held something in her eyes that made him shiver — Scar gazed back at his form, a small light, no, a fire burned deep in her bluish-green gaze.

A fire she thought no longer existed "I want to fight again. My parents didn't raise a submissive little girl who barely ever expressed herself, they raised a fighter - When I stood in that Arena, surrounded by the roars of people that thrived on the thrill of a match, I knew..."

"Knew what...?" he voiced — marked speechless by the look she had on her flawless face, he couldn't help but feel the wave of lust that washed over him by the way she spoke.

Scar's jaw clenched but it wasn't in anger or frustration, it was in determination "Fighting is in my blood and I was a fool for trying to run away from it."

* * *

Red. 

That's all he could see — the crowd around him roared to life but he didn't care. They cheered because he was ruthless, because he fought with no mercy, the only reason why they screamed his name was because none of his opponent escaped that ring the same way they came.

Happy. 

That's what they all looked like as he heaved heavy breaths. He would never know why but these people looked as if he had done something amazing — it wasn't amazing though, it was horrible, disgusting, it made him look like a savage.

Scar. 

He flinched every time he would see the awful wound but not because of the pain that it had caused, not because of the memories of how he got it, not even the horrid way it painted his skin. No. instead he flinched because it was the name he gave the girl he loved or would ever love in his life. 

"Can you see the man I was...or... who I've now become?"