Match of the Millennium

Description: Ayaki and Sana are both known for their dramatic displays of nature during their fights, so it's a smart idea to have them fight outside of the building. The schools they represent couldn't be more different. Who will win the day, the Gedo boy with the bad reputation or the Seijyun golden girl?

[AYAKI]
Ayaki's last fight had been close. Much different to his first match at the Fighting Festival where he had comfortably won his bout. He doesn't mind losing but the trouble is he knows exactly where he went wrong against Nako and that's been playing on his mind ever since. Ayaki is aware he has considerable ability but tactics and technical skills don't come naturally. Still, it's something to work on.

The weather today is tamer than it has been. The wild winds that have been troubling Southtown in recent weeks seem to have settled somewhat and there's several students already sitting on the grass outside Gorin High as he makes his approach to the area known as 'The Green." This is the school that Tsukiko attends. He's not seen her, other than on the streaming service, since they met at a restaurant in Chinatown. Maybe she will be amongst those in the crowd today? Then again she has her own match against Signi to focus on.

Ayaki stops at a water fountain on the circular sidewalk to splash his face, wetting his spiked black hair in the process. He's dressed as usual in all black, this time favouring a tight black t-shirt and baggy cargo style pants. He steps off the path and walks over to the wide expanse of grass at the centre of the area. It is here where he will take on Sana.

[SANA]
The afternoon sun casts a warm glow over The Green as Sana arrives, her light blue kimono and purple hakama swaying gently with each step. The breeze carries a few stray cherry blossoms from nearby trees, their petals drifting around her like a quiet omen of the battle to come.

Eienchi rests against her shoulder, its polished blade catching the sunlight as she surveys the gathered students. Her violet eyes settle on Ayaki-his spiked black hair still damp, his stance relaxed but ready. She recognizes him from the tournament streams; his last fight had been close.

Sana steps onto the grass, her movements deliberate and serene. She offers Ayaki a small, respectful bow, her voice calm but carrying clearly across the space.

"Yasuda Sana," she introduces herself. "I look forward to our match."

With that, she kneels in one fluid motion, placing Eienchi horizontally before her. The naginata gleams against the grass as Sana closes her eyes, centering herself with a slow breath. The chatter of the crowd fades into the background-there is only the fight ahead, the rhythm of her chi, and the weight of her weapon in her hands.

After a moment, she rises, lifting Eienchi with effortless grace. The naginata's blade flashes as she takes her stance, her grip firm but relaxed. Her expression is tranquil, but her focus is absolute-like still water hiding unfathomable depth.

"Let's see you learned from your mistakes," Eienchi murmurs in her mind.

Sana doesn't reply aloud. Instead, she waits, poised and patient.

[AYAKI]
"Amano Ayaki." The black-haired boy responds with a bow of his own. There's a smile playing on the corners of his mouth but it doesn't break out into a full beam. "I'm looking forward to the fight too."

HAyaki watches the girl as she kneels, his intense blue eyes focusing on her weapon. His own hands are free and bare at present, no signs visible of the dual blades of contrasting colours he often wields during combat.

A referee approaches from the sidewalk, stepping on to the grass and up close to the two schoolkids to settle who is going to start the match. A flip of a coin and Ayaki is asked to call. "Tails never fails." He recites, though apparently in this case it does.

"First attack to Sana". The woman announces, pointing towards the Seijyun student. Ayaki readies himself to defend whatever comes his way.

COMBATSYS: Ayaki has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Ayaki            0/-------/-------|

[SANA]
The moment the referee's call echoes across the grass, Sana's stillness shatters into motion.

She rises from her kneeling position in one fluid motion, Eienchi flashing upward as cherry blossom petals materialize from nothingness-first just a few, then a swirling storm of pink and gold. The sunlight catches each petal, making them glow like embers as they spiral around her naginata's blade.

Her first step is weightless, barely disturbing the grass beneath her feet. The second carries her forward like a breeze, her kimono sleeves fluttering as she closes the distance. The thrust comes without telegraphing-one moment her naginata is held ready, the next it's a streak of silver and petals aimed straight for Ayaki's center.

The petals accelerate ahead of the blade, forming a glowing tunnel of light in its wake. At the very tip of Eienchi, sunlight condenses into a needle-point of radiance-not blinding, but impossibly vivid against the afternoon backdrop.

"Straight and true," Eienchi whispers in her mind.

Sana's expression remains serene, but her violet eyes burn with focus. Every ounce of her discipline is in this single motion-no flourish, no wasted energy. Just the essence of Seijyun's grace given lethal form.

COMBATSYS: Sana has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Sana             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0            Ayaki

COMBATSYS: Sana successfully hits Ayaki with Hikari Tsuranuku No Mai.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Sana             0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0            Ayaki

[AYAKI]
Ayaki blinks as Sana rises, his blue eyes starting to glow red. The fragrant flowers are circling the two teens and then the schoolgirl's blade. It's a stunning sight.

As Sana comes towards him, a pair of psi blades appear in his hands. The left one azure blue and the right one crimson red. He brings up the left to defend himself against the silver pole but horribly miscalculates his timing. Instead he falls forwards, taking the full impact of the blade and blooms in his centre.

He clutches his core, cringing in pain as his ribs throb with the impact. "That was fierce." He remarks, his tone serious and his voice trembling slightly. "Let's see if I can punish you too."

Ayaki steps forwards, so fast that he appears to vanish, before showing up again behind Sana's back. He holds his blue oni blade out in front of him, as a chilling wind starts to circle. If it connects with Sana's skin, she will feel the strange sensation of being cut. Should she seek out the attack's path though, there will be nothing but a shimmering blue after image, almost like a fleeting ghost.

COMBATSYS: Ayaki successfully hits Sana with Blue Oni Phantom Slash.
Glancing Blow

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Sana             0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0            Ayaki

[SANA]
The moment Ayaki vanished from her sight, Sana's instincts screamed at her to move. She dropped low, her knees bending sharply as she pressed herself toward the ground-just fast enough to avoid the worst of the attack. But not fast enough to escape entirely. A sharp sting traced across her shoulder, the glancing cut searing like ice against her skin. She hissed through her teeth, the discomfort flaring, but it wasn't debilitating. Not yet.

Pushing through the lingering pain, Sana rose smoothly, her naginata held defensively as she turned to face Ayaki once more. Her violet eyes scanned the space between them, catching the faintest shimmer of blue-like the ghost of his strike still hanging in the air. Interesting. His fighting style was unlike anything she'd encountered before. Fast. Fluid. Almost like the wind itself was aiding him.

She adjusted her grip on Eienchi, the naginata humming faintly in response. "Patience," the weapon seemed to whisper. "Observe first."

Sana exhaled slowly, centering herself. The cherry blossoms swirling around her feet glowed softly, responding to her chi. She wouldn't rush in blindly. Not against an opponent like this. Instead, she studied him-his stance, the way his psi blades flickered, the rhythm of his movements. Every fighter had a pattern. A weakness. And she would find it.

For now, she waited. Watching. Ready.

COMBATSYS: Sana closes her eyes for a brief moment, taking a deep breath as she attunes herself to the rhythm of the battle, her senses sharpening.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Sana             0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0            Ayaki

[AYAKI]
Ayaki hears the hissing and a small satisfied smile appears on his face. It doesn't linger though as there's a lot of work to be done if he wants to do as much damage to Sana as she's already done to him.

As she rises up, Ayaki waits, still holding his blue blade so he can use it to defend himself from whatever the Seijyun student should bring his way next. He watches, he waits and then he realises, she's staying still, taking the time to catch her breath and steady her emotions. Interesting.

He could of course seize the opportunity to have a breather himself, but this is not the black-haired boy's style. Instead he thrusts his blue blade forwards towards Sana, using it like a piercing lance. A crackling wave of cold psychic energy spirals around the blade, condensing into a narrow, almost ethereal spear of blue fire.

Should the psychic sword strike, it will leave Sana with an aftershock of chilling energy that will ripple through her whole body.

COMBATSYS: Sana reflects Azure Flame from Ayaki with Yogetsu No Mai.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Sana             0/-------/----===|=======\==-----\1            Ayaki

[SANA]
The moment Ayaki's blue blade lances toward her, Sana feel the air itself grow heavy with psychic chill. But she doesn't retreat. Instead, her grip on Eienchi tightens, the naginata's presence steady in her mind-"Now."

With a sharp inhale, Sana pivots on her back foot, then explodes into motion. Her body spins in a flawless arc, golden light erupting from her blade as cherry blossoms burst forth in her wake. The naginata carves through the air in a blazing crescent, meeting Ayaki's psychic spear head-on.

For a heartbeat, time seems to freeze-the blue fire of his attack colliding with her sunlit chi. Then, with a resonating clang, the energy rebounds. The chilling lance deviates, its own force hurled back toward Ayaki as Sana's slash continues unimpeded. The glowing edge of Eienchi found its mark, striking true against his torso with enough force to send petals scattering like shattered glass.

Sana lands lightly, her naginata already raised defensively as she watches the aftermath. The reflected psychic energy seems to crackles in the air between them, the cold backlash mingling with the warmth of her own chi or so she thinks. She isn't familiar with what Ayaki is using too much.. She doesn't press forward-not yet. Instead, she studies Ayaki's reaction, her breath even but her pulse alive with focus.

Eienchi hums in approval. The dance is far from over.

[AYAKI]
Sana stands her ground, apparently unfazed by the intensity of Ayaki's psychic scare. Not only is she seemingly not afraid of his attack, she's also pushing towards him, sending blinding golden light and blossom into his face.

He tries desperately to bat the flowers away, frustrated by the feeling of them on his frame. As the weapons clash, one a real entity and the other the product of Ayaki's psychic power, his blue blade loses the battle.

Ayaki is struck in his chest, the impact knocking him backwards on to his bottom. His eyes shift from red to blue and then back again as conflicting feelings flood his mind. On the one hand, he know he's being badly beaten, on the other it just makes the fight more fun, giving the boy something to push back against.

He gets up from the grass, brushing green blades from his baggy black pants, his lean body still shivering from the effects of his own energy. What he wants to do is hit Sana with force, try and show her just what he's capable of but he's feeling fatigued and the best he can do is to lash out with his crimson blade, hopefully making contact with her as he does.

COMBATSYS: Sana counters Quick Strike from Ayaki with Hana No Mai.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Sana             0/-------/-----==|=======\=====--\1            Ayaki

[SANA]
Ayaki's crimson blade lashes out, but Sana is already moving-not away, but through the strike. Her body flows into a low, sweeping spin, Eienchi's blade humming as it traces a glowing golden crescent along the ground.

The moment steel meets his leg, sunlight-chi detonates upward in a burst of force. A shockwave of cherry blossoms erupts between them, petals scattering in a whirlwind. The flowers cling to Ayaki's clothes, their delicate touch a stark contrast to the bruising impact of her naginata's heel against his shin.

Sana completes her rotation, rising smoothly into a guarded stance. The blossoms still drift lazily in the air, catching the light like flecks of gold. She doesn't smirk. Doesn't taunt. But the quiet intensity in her violet eyes says enough-'I see your pattern now.'

Eienchi's voice whispers at the edge of her mind, pleased. "Good. Again."

She adjusts her grip, waiting. The petals haven't even finished falling.

[AYAKI]
Who is this girl? Ayaki wonders when Sana once again shrugs off his strike.

He contemplates if from this day forward whenever the scent of cherry blossom hits his nose if it will remind him of defeat, because surely that's the fate that awaits him? Not that he has any plans to give up. Sana will have to take him down.

The boy's black clothing is coated in the confetti of the pink petals. The beauty of them is almost enough to distract him from the pain he feels in his leg. Almost.

Still though, the Gedo guy pushes onwards. Before Sana's very eyes his appearance will start to shift.

It begins with his right eye glowing red and his left one blue, before an aura of blue psychic frost engulfs his left side, and an aura of red psychic fire engulfs his right.

Next both his blades expand and he lunges forwards with them, striking out with slash after slash before seeking to stab both into Sana's core simultaneously.

Should this succeed, she will be paralyzed with the cold of his blue oni Ao whilst burning internally from his red oni Aka.

Taking hold of his weapons, Ayaki then kicks out at the girl to send her soaring away, before leaping up into the air, holding both blades aloft as his aura forms into a pair of psychic purple wings and the weapons merge into a single colossal purple blade.

Descending down upon her, he attempts to plunge the gestalt psychic zweihander into her body.

COMBATSYS: Ayaki successfully hits Sana with Demon King's Burial.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Sana             1/----===/=======|=------\-------\0            Ayaki

[SANA]
The twin blades pierce deep-ice and fire erupting through her veins. Sana's back arches as agony splits her in two directions: one side freezing solid, the other burning alive. Her vision whites out for a terrifying second, Eienchi's panicked voice distant beneath the roar of blood in her ears.

'Get up.'

Ayaki's kick sends her skidding across the battlefield, but she twists mid-fall, Eienchi's shaft grinding against stone to slow her. The smell of her own scorched uniform mixes with cherry blossoms as she forces herself to one knee. Blood drips from her lips, steaming where it hits frostbitten skin. At least that's how she feels.

'Get up.'

Above her, the purple zweihander descends like judgment. Sana's fingers tremble around Eienchi's hilt-but then tighten. Pain isn't new. Pain is just energy waiting to be used.

The world narrows to the descending purple blade. Sana raises Eienchi in a desperate cross-block, her muscles screaming in protest. The zweihander crashes down with apocalyptic force - steel meets psychic energy in a shockwave that sends cracks spiderwebbing through the stone beneath her.

For one suspended moment, she holds.

Then her knees buckle. The blade bites deep into her shoulder, carving through fabric and flesh alike. Blood blossoms across her uniform like crimson petals unfurling. The impact drives her to the ground, Eienchi clattering from her grip as she catches herself on trembling arms.

Pain radiates in nauseating waves, but through the haze, her fingers curl into the dirt. The scent of cherry blossoms mixes with copper. Somewhere beyond the ringing in her ears, Eienchi calls to her - not with words, but with the steady pulse of ancestral chi.

Slowly, shuddering with each breath, Sana lifts her head. Blood streaks her blonde hair, drips from her chin. But her violet eyes burn with undimmed resolve. She screams loudly.

This isn't over.

COMBATSYS: Sana plants her naginata firmly into the ground, her body glowing with radiant energy as she draws on her inner reserves.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Sana             1/--=====/=======|=------\-------\0            Ayaki

[AYAKI]
That's more like it.

This time it's obvious that Ayaki has managed to do Sana some real damage. The boy's most fearsome attack is executed expertly, causing his eyes to flash rapidly between blue and red as if in celebration.

After he's done inflicting agony on the girl, he stands back, surveying the scene and listening to the sound of her screaming. It's not totally unpleasant.

He awaits her revenge, anticipating her plan to punish him for the pain he's caused but no such thing comes. He looks at her curiously. Perhaps she simply can't catch her breath. He could show her sympathy, allow her time to recover before going for her again but she's shown him no such thing in this battle. She's cold, calculating and seems to treat the combat as a mission to be completed.

Lifting his blades aloft, Ayaki crosses them in mid air before swinging them towards Sana in a wide, sweeping arc. The blue blade aims to slice first, seeking to send a razor-thin wave of crackling blue energy outward, silent and deadly. Then, the red blade follows immediately after, its arc intending to explode forward like a thunderclap.

The clash of these opposing forces would generate a deafening shockwave of psychic blue lightning and red fire, threatening to blast away everything in its wake like the roar of an awakened oni god.

COMBATSYS: Sana dodges Ayaki's Twin Oni Roar.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Sana             1/--=====/=======|=------\-------\0            Ayaki

[SANA]
The world slowed as Ayaki's blades crossed. Blue energy crackled forth in a razor-edged wave, followed by the roaring red firestorm. Sana's body moved before her mind could process-planting Eienchi's butt into the ground, she used the naginata as a pivot to swing her entire body under the blue arc in a desperate, upside-down arc. The freezing energy grazed her back, frosting strands of her blonde hair as she twisted mid-air to avoid the ensuing explosion. The shockwave sent her tumbling, but she rolled with the impact, coming up in a crouch with her uniform singed and her lungs burning.

No more defense.

Eienchi's shaft burned in her palms as she began the dance. A single spin-slow, deliberate-before momentum took over. Petals erupted around her, golden light fusing with the whirl of her naginata. Each rotation came faster, the blade humming as it carved through air and lingering psychic energy alike.

She saw the opening.

With a cry that tore from her raw throat, Sana lunged mid-spin, the full force of her vortex channeled into a devastating horizontal slash. The shockwave wasn't some distant blast-it was the very air around her blade shattering from impact, petals exploding outward as steel met its mark. Or would meet. She didn't know. Couldn't know.

But as her momentum carried her through the strike, boots skidding across torn earth, one truth remained:

She'd given everything.

COMBATSYS: Sana successfully hits Ayaki with Sakimidareru Uzu No Mai.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >                                ]
Sana             0/-------/------=|=======\=------\1            Ayaki

[AYAKI]
So a second score against the Seijyun student was too much to ask for. Too bad.

Sana shows considerable acrobatic ability, as well as weapon skill when avoiding Ayaki's attack. The boy nods his head in approval, sending his spiked hair falling forwards on his forehead. When she begins to dance, he allows himself to watch the show, it's not an unpleasant sight. Far from it. The light and the petals compliment her pretty features. She could almost be a portrait if she wasn't picking up the pace with such speed.

She comes towards him, spinning and swirling and it's a second slower than needed that he remembers to react. He attempts to leap towards the left but it's too late. She collides into him in a flurry of blade and blooms. He collapses to the grass, groaning in agony as he fights to keep conscious.

It's a fight he manages to win. At least for now.

Ayaki clambers to his sneaker clad feet, taking a wide stance and pressing his blue oni blade deep into the ground. Immediately, a wave of freezing energy spreads outwards, encasing the area in a crystalline prison of psychic ice and trying to trap Sana's movements.

He then raises his red oni blade high above his head, its crimson glow intensifying into a blinding inferno. With a furious war cry, he brings the blade crashing down, shattering the frozen battlefield as an eruption of demonic blue ice and roaring red flames engulfs everything.

Should Sana be caught up in this chaos then she will see the spectral visage of an Oni, its burning eyes filled with both cold wisdom and unrelenting rage. Whatever the outcome, Ayaki's body will give up on him, the spectacular show spending what's left of his energy and sending him slumping back to the grassy ground.

COMBATSYS: Ayaki can no longer fight.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  <
Sana             0/-------/------=|

COMBATSYS: Sana blocks Ayaki's Twin Oni, Hell's Rise.

[                         \\\\\  <
Sana             0/-------/---====|

[SANA]
The world fractures into blue and red.

Ayaki's blades strike the earth, and Sana moves-not to evade, but to meet the storm head-on. Eienchi plunges into the ground with a resonating clang, her sun-chi erupting upward in a blazing dome of golden light. Sakura petals swirl in frantic orbits as the psychic ice crashes against her barrier, the two forces shrieking in a battle of frost and fire.

For a moment, she holds.

The ice shatters, its crystalline prison exploding into mist under the sun's wrath-but the flames are another beast entirely. The red blade's inferno crawls through her defenses, licking at the edges of her shield like a living thing. The Oni's spectral face leers through the fire, its dual eyes (one frozen blue, one molten red) boring into hers as her light flickers-

-Then fails.

Heat slams into her, not as a wave, but as a hand-crushing, merciless. Her knees hit the grass, Eienchi's shaft slipping from nerveless fingers as the last of her chi scatters like dying embers. Across from her, she figures Ayaki is done as well.

Through the smoke and settling petals, she tries to meet his eyes.

No words. No taunts.

Just the quiet understanding that neither of them can stand again for this fight.

COMBATSYS: Sana takes no action.


COMBATSYS: Sana can no longer fight.

Log created on 17:36:21 05/07/2025 by Sana, and last modified on 10:41:35 05/18/2025.