The Sumo Tournament
Universe: That Time I Was Reincarnated as a Slime Pairing: Rigur/Kawa Word count: 3,753 why i was inspired by the Misogynist Sumo Episode is beyond me but hopefully my non-misogynist, deeply unserious sumo tournament fic is more enjoyable than the source material!
Tempest's first sumo tournament was soon to begin. Spectators were streaming into the designated venue, and Kawa did their best to try to blend in with the crowd. To their dismay, however, they were almost immediately noticed by Rimuru, who hailed them loudly. “Oh, Kawa, good to see you! I thought you didn’t want to participate in the tournament?”
Mortified, Kawa scooted over to him in hope that a shorter conversing distance would cause him to lower his volume. They could feel their face burning and found themself unable to make eye contact. “Well, I—…It occurred to me that there ought to be a healer present at this event…um, since Miss Shuna is a competitor, and so she'll be too busy to, um…attend to any injuries...”
“Sound reasoning,” he agreed. “Are you going to be okay, though? You look a little peaked. It’s not because of the attire, is it?”
“Of course not,” Kawa said quickly, with very mild offense. “I’m not a child.”
Rimuru formed an arm and finger from his slime body to point at them. “But you are a prude.”
“I am not,” they insisted, now more than mildly offended.
Fortunately for Kawa, Rigurd approached them. “Sir, the contestants are ready.”
“Oh, good,” said Rimuru. “Kawa, since you’re our medic on site, why don’t you stick with me? That way you’ll have a vantage point for observation. In case someone gets injured.”
Before Kawa could protest, Rigurd beamed in their direction. “Excellent! Be sure to keep an eye out for my son. He’s been training hard for this, but of course his old man can’t help but worry about him.” He put his hands on his hips to flex his pectorals. “Although if I were a few seasons younger, I’d be competing against him, myself!”
Kawa ducked their head. “Of course, sir, I’ll be looking after all the competitors.”
He clapped them on the shoulder. “I know you will. Come on, then, they’re waiting to hear Sir Rimuru’s opening speech!”
And so, instead of hiding at the back of the crowd as planned, Kawa found themself nearly front and center at Rimuru’s side as he surveyed the wrestlers. Everyone was divided by gender, with men on one side and women on the other - one of several reasons Kawa had elected not to participate. All wore comfortable-looking robes with various prints and patterns. Upon seeing Kawa, Rigur lit up, waving to them. His robe was, distractingly, open almost to the waist. Kawa waved shyly back. Inwardly they were panicking as they realized what a grave mistake they’d made in attending. If just the sight of his collarbone was enough to make them dizzy, how were they going to survive the actual match? But it was too late now - Rimuru was beginning his speech.
--
“You’re not bowing out of the tournament?” Gobta asked in surprise.
He and the other contestants, now disrobed after the opening statements, waited by the ringside for the first bout to begin. Rigur paused his stretches. “Why would I do that?”
“You heard your dad,” the other said. “The prize is a chance to use Princess Shuna’s lap as a pillow. But you obviously have a Thing for Kawa. What, are you gonna ask for them instead?”
“No!” Rigur knew he was blushing as he shook his head vehemently. “I wouldn’t put Kawa in that position.”
He regretted his choice of words the second he saw the smirk at the corner of his friend’s mouth. “What positions would you put ‘em in?”
“Not funny,” Rigur said, glowering at him.
Gobta wisely let it drop. “So what’s your plan, then?”
Rigur sat crosslegged on the ground and stroked his chin thoughtfully. “I’m going to win. But I’m going to pass on the prize. I don’t think anyone asked Lady Shuna whether she was alright with this anyway.”
His friend nodded in understanding. “I get it. Show Kawa you’re strong and a gentleman.”
Face burning, Rigur nevertheless nodded in turn. “Since they’re here watching, I’m going to give it my all.”
“Well, good luck,” Gobta said sincerely. “Sorry, but I won’t be holding back on your account. You might have your eyes on someone else, but I want that prize.”
The two clasped their right hands in a sporting gesture. “May the best Hobgoblin win,” Rigur told him.
Glancing over his friend’s shoulder, Gobta grinned. “Don’t look now, but here comes your crush.”
Rigur did, in fact, risk a look behind him, and was surprised that Gobta wasn’t pulling a trick - Kawa was indeed approaching alongside Rimuru, who rode on Ranga’s back. Along with the rest of the contestants who happened to be seated, Rigur leaped to his feet. He couldn’t help but notice that Kawa’s features were bright red. “Kawa! I didn’t think you were joining in today!”
As they so often did, they avoided eye contact - or at least, they seemed to be trying to. Their eyes darted back to him now and then…just not to his face. “I-...well, no, but, I mean, since I can’t participate, I thought–...um….”
“Kawa,” Rimuru cut in, “has graciously volunteered to be our medic for the day.”
Your father told them to keep an eye on you, Ranga added.
Rigur barely heard what either said. There was no denying it - Kawa was very clearly flustered, and also clearly trying to steal little glances at his figure. Realization made his head spin and his heart pound so hard he wondered if they could hear it. He couldn’t help but puff out his chest in pride. “I feel better knowing you’ll be around to take care of my opponents after each of my matches,” he said.
They bit their lip to suppress a little smile, which was extremely unfair. “Try not to make too much work for me,” they replied.
“No promises,” he told them with a grin. “I intend to win.”
To his dismay their smile fell, the little sparkle fading from their eyes to be replaced by shock and then heartbreak. “Oh? Right, that…that prize…”
Immediately a mix of panic and guilt roiled in his stomach, but before he could correct their assumption, Rimuru cut in again. “You’ll have some fierce competition. Shuna's pretty popular."
"Yeah. Everyone and their brother is competing," Gobta grumbled.
There was no mistaking the dejection etched into Kawa's features. They were wilting like a flower, their shoulders slumping visibly. "That…that's true," they said in a quiet voice, their eyes meeting his. "Please be careful."
"I will," Rigur assured them quickly, "but—"
"Attention, everyone," Rigurd's voice boomed across the arena. "Our first match is about to begin."
All eyes automatically focused on the ring, where Benimaru and Gabiru were stepping up to face each other. Concern replaced all other emotions on Kawa's features. "Excuse me," they said. "It looks like my services will be needed momentarily."
With that, they began making their way through the crowd to Gabiru's side of the ring, muttering something about weight class to magicule count and sports medicine. Rigur's heart sank even further as he watched them go. Rimuru, seemingly unaware of the trouble he had caused, said brightly, "Well, that's my cue to go find my seat. Come on, Ranga."
Direwolf and slime departed. Gobta patted Rigur's shoulder. "Hey. What's with the face?
Rigur shot him a scowl. "Didn't you see what just happened?"
"Yeah, duh, I was right here," the other retorted. "Don't worry, you still have your plan. If you can pull it off, it might even be doubly effective, like a plot twist Kawa doesn't know about."
"I hope you're right," Rigur muttered.
The two winced in unison as Benimaru got Gabiru in a brutal chokehold. Gobta subconsciously held his own throat. "You got your work cut out for you, though, going up against him."
"I sure am," Rigur said miserably.
"Just try not to die in front of your crush and make them even more depressed," the other advised.
Rigur sighed "I'll do my best."
—
Nothing was going as Rigur had hoped. While he had done well in his first few rounds, every time he tried to steal a glance at Kawa they were preoccupied healing one of Shion or Benimaru’s unfortunate opponents. He hadn’t even been able to make eye contact since the conversation he’d had with them just before the tournament. They’d looked so crushed, he knew they thought that he was interested in Princess Shuna. Guilt weighed heavily on him. If he could have only a moment to talk with them privately he would tell them his true intentions, but they were constantly at work. Damn it, Benimaru, Rigur thought bitterly as he watched the Kijin in question bodily hurl another opponent from the ring. Obviously he was intent on defending his sister, but couldn’t he calm down for a moment so Kawa could have a break?
With a heavy sigh Rigur stepped into the ring to face his own opponent. This time it was Gobemon, his disheveled hair looking even wilder than usual in the absence of his signature hat. “Captain,” he greeted Rigur with a nod. “I assume you have a strategy in mind?”
Rigur suppressed another sigh. “I did, but it’s not exactly working out.”
Gobemon’s expression remained as taciturn as usual, but to Rigur’s surprise he said, “Well, we both know I can’t beat you. You taught me everything I know. But we can put on a show good enough to catch anyone’s attention.”
For a second Rigur’s mouth hung open in surprise. He felt heat rushing to his face. Then he chuckled. “And here I thought I was being subtle.”
“As a brick to the face,” the other deadpanned.
Hakuro stepped up to announce them, and both Hobgoblins fell silent, a meaningful look passing between them.
—
"I'm gonna die, he killed me, I'm dying! Oh my gods, it hurts so bad!"
Even in the face of Gobta's dramatics, Kawa remained calm and unfazed as they used their magic to draw water from the little canteen they always wore on their waist. "You’re not going to die. You have some bruising, but I'll have you healed up in no time."
They guided the water to surround his shoulder and incanted the name of their Ultimate Skill. As the water began to glow, Gobta, having calmed suspiciously quickly, said, “Rigur is in the next match. He’s gonna be real disappointed if you miss it.”
Abruptly the water splashed down on him as Kawa’s focus was broken. “Shit, sorry,” they muttered, quickly pulling it back.
He waved it off. “It’s starting soon.”
“I’m aware,” they said, not unkindly, as they set up their magic again. “I’m…as the medic, I’m here on duty, not as a spectator.”
His eyes widened. “But don’t you want to watch?”
Kawa sputtered for an embarrassing amount of time before settling on, “What kind of question is that?”
“Look,” said Gobta, “I know playing coy is kind of your thing-“
They opened their mouth to protest, but he held up a hand to silence them. “Listen, Rigur really wants to show off for you. And you can’t tell me you don’t want to see that. I saw you drooling earlier. So do us all a favor and just watch his match, alright? He’ll be crushed if you don’t.”
Kawa still hardly knew what to say, but the first thing that came to mind was, “I thought…he wanted the prize…”
“Nah,” said Gobta. “He has this whole thing planned where if he wins he’s gonna graciously decline. He’s so into you he doesn’t even care about Shuna or anything else.”
Clearly they weren’t meant to be privy to this information. Before they could process, however, Gobta grumbled, “I wanted a lap pillow, though.”
Though Kawa was still trying to sort through their emotions, a half-laugh managed to work itself out. “Better luck next time.”
He sighed. “Just watch the match, alright? It’s starting.”
As he got up and left, Kawa turned to look to the ring. It appeared Rigur and his opponent, Gobemon, were having a brief conversation before Hakuro announced the beginning of the match. Kawa immediately felt their face heat up. Even in a relaxed stance, Rigur cut an impressive figure, lean and athletic with well-defined muscles, further highlighted by the sheen of sweat from previous bouts gleaming in the afternoon sun. Once the two opponents locked together and began vying to topple each other, those muscles stood out with the strain, and Kawa couldn't help but stare. Even more attractive than Rigur's figure, however, was the confident grin on his handsome face, and the spark of fierce determination glittering in his lovely amethyst eyes.
Though Gobemon was himself no weakling, his wiry frame well-muscled in his own right, the match was much shorter than Kawa would have guessed. It took only seconds for Rigur to force his opponent to the edge of the ring. With a loud growl of effort, he gave one final shove that knocked Gobemon from both feet. The other Hobgoblin fell hard on his rear, his whole body well clear of the ring.
A cheer went up from the crowd. Rigur straightened and looked around, chest heaving and triumphant grin glowing. He appeared to be scanning faces. When he spotted Kawa, he met their gaze, and his grin spread from ear to ear as he raised a fist in victory. Kawa almost hid their face behind their hands as a dizzy warmth swept over them. Caught up in the moment, they rose to their feet and shouted as loud as they could, hoping their voice would carry over the din. "That was incredible, Rigur!"
It seemed he heard them, as his smile grew impossibly more radiant, the flush of exertion on his face spreading to the tips of his ears. He turned and offered his hand to Gobemon, who accepted. Once he was on his feet the two shared a brotherly embrace before parting for a more formal bow. Gobemon's departure from the ring was Kawa's cue to get back to work. They made their way through the crowd to ensure his well-being as Hakuro announced Rigur's win.
—
Rigur's spirits soared. True to his nature, Gobemon had put up a good fight, but as he had predicted, Rigur's superior skill was sufficient to topple him. The adrenaline from the match already had his blood racing, but then he saw Kawa's expression of awe directed his way, and he felt downright giddy. Hearing them cheer for him was enough to make his head spin. In that moment, he was on top of the world.
Then his next opponent stepped up to meet him, and all his confidence and bravado immediately fled.
If a stare alone could kill, Benimaru would have dropped Rigur on the spot. That firey ferocity had been a beacon of hope when fighting alongside the Kijin general, but now it simply burned Rigur's hopes to ash. He felt his heart sink. Benimaru thoroughly eclipsed him in power and strength. Rigur didn't stand a chance. After only just managing to succeed so gloriously, now he was doomed to inevitable crushing defeat. Was Kawa still watching? He fervently hoped not. Of all the thoughts racing through his mind, backing down was never among them. He resignedly took his assigned position opposite his indomitable opponent and waited for Hakuro's signal. There was a flash of red, then everything went black.
—
The first thing Rigur was aware of as he came around was the bright light of the sun. He slowly lifted his hand to shade his eyes, squinting, but another hand caught his own and a soft voice said, “Don’t try to move. Let me take care of you.”
A shape blocked out the sun, allowing his vision to focus slightly. Kawa leaned over him, concern evident in their features. Rigur’s heart sank. He’d finally gotten Kawa’s attention only for them to see him fail. But…they were still holding his hand. Slowly he became aware that they were using their other hand to direct their Ultimate Skill to detect and repair even the most minute injuries. “You weren’t seriously hurt, thank goodness,” they told him, “but I’m not finished healing all the minor injuries. So just relax until I’m done.”
Rigur had no complaints about this. He lay still, watching Kawa’s face. Their bright eyes were constantly flickering with thoughts as they focused on the task at hand, their perfect lips pursed slightly, jaw set. Even with little flyaways of hair sticking to the sweat on their forehead and their brow furrowed in concentration, they were stunning. Every now and then he felt a gentle touch accompanied by a refreshing coolness - to his shoulder, his ribs, his temple - that erased the aches and pains at the site but sent a little jolt of sparks through his body each time. The latter he knew from experience was not a side effect of their magic.
“You’re lucky,” they said, breaking the trance. “Some of the others were much worse off.”
“I am lucky,” he agreed, “but I didn’t think getting your attention would be this difficult.”
Their focus immediately gave way to surprise. “You— …but I thought— I mean—“
Rigur gave them a wry little smile. "I never cared about the prize. I just wanted to impress you. I'm sorry I gave you the wrong idea."
"You don't need to apologize," they said. "And…for the record, I was impressed."
They averted their eyes shyly. Rigur grinned. "You were?"
A telltale color rose to their cheeks. "Very. I…I didn't really understand what was going on, but you looked…." They seemed to catch themself mid-sentence, blinked, and started over. "Um, you made it look easy. Up until…you know."
He sighed. "Yeah. Not my proudest moment. I wish you hadn't seen that."
Regret flashed across Kawa's face. "Th-that's not what I meant…I meant to say, um, I…I really enjoyed watching you."
Their admission sent a dizzying rush sweeping through him. It made him bold. Leaning forward, he asked, "So, do you think I earned a consolation prize?"
Their blushing intensified by several shades…but this time they didn't look away. "Did you have something specific in mind?"
"With your permission," he said, cupping their face in his hand and brushing his thumb over those perfect lips, "I'd like to kiss you."
Kawa's eyes widened; clearly they hadn't expected him to be so forward. It took a moment for them to find their tongue, upon which they stammered, "I-I'm not a very good kisser."
"I don't care whether you are or not," he replied gently. "I just want to show you how I feel about you."
The soft hopefulness in their eyes as they blushed even deeper and fidgeted made Rigur's heart start racing impossibly faster. They leaned in a bit and whispered, "Then please show me."
Rigur's heart hammered like a drum. He saw Kawa's eyes drift shut just before he closed his own, too. His face heated up as he leaned further forward.
Instead of warm, soft lips against his own, there was fabric.
Rigur opened his eyes. The first rays of dawn were peeking through the window of his bedroom. A rush of dismay swept through him. He rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling, processing for a moment. The dream had felt so real, almost as if he really had come so close to sharing that romantic moment with Kawa only to be pulled away. he heaved a heavy sigh. Not only was he disappointed, he felt the familiar, unwelcome fatigue that told him his sleep had not been restful.
It was going to be a long day.
—
On his way to the training grounds, Rigur spotted a familiar figure approaching from the opposite direction, recognition causing a blossoming of warmth in his chest. "Good morning, Kawa," he greeted them with a wave. "How are you?"
"Good morning. I'm well, thank you," they said, smiling softly. "And you?"
"A little tired," he admitted. "I guess I didn't sleep well last night."
"I'm sorry to hear that," they said sincerely. "Bad dreams?"
"Not bad," he told them. "Just…a little strange."
They looked surprised. "Oh? What was the dream about?"
"There was a sumo wrestling tournament," he explained, smiling in faint amusement. "Just about everyone was participating. You were there too, as the medic on call."
Kawa stared for a beat, eyes wide. "That…that is very strange. I…" They shook their head. "Would you believe me if I told you that I had the same dream?"
Now was Rigur's turn to be surprised. "You did?"
How did it end? he wanted to ask, but aloud he instead asked, with a carefully jovial air, "Who won the tournament?"
They huffed a soft laugh. "Benimaru, who else? But you did very well, for the record." Their gaze slid to the ground, and their ears turned a little pink. "I was cheering for you."
Though their face was downturned, their flustered expression was evident enough to tell him that perhaps their dream had indeed been similar to his. "Benimaru won in my dream, too," he said, smiling ruefully. "That part isn't much of a surprise. Thanks for cheering for me, though. In your dream, that is."
Kawa murmured a polite response. He wanted to ask more questions, but he still had to get to the training grounds before his trainees took his absence as a sign they were free to disperse. "I wish I could chat longer," he told them, "but I should hurry along. It might be fun to compare and contrast dreams, though. Would you like to meet me at Cafe Jura this evening to talk some more?"
Their bashful smile and the eager sparkle in their eyes threatened to melt him in the spot. "That does sound fun. I would love to."
Rigur couldn't help but grin in response. "It’s a date, then?" he asked, his choice of wording deliberate.
The way Kawa's face reddened another few shades confirmed that they had understood completely. "It’s a date," they replied, their sweet smile growing.
As the two parted ways, Rigur was still smiling to himself. His dream might not have ended the way he would have preferred, but it had instead had an unexpected outcome. Despite his fatigue from the poor night's sleep, his spirits were lifted immensely.
After all, he had a date to look forward to.
