Description: The two fighters escalate their Southtown rivalry to a Seattle grudge match! (Winner: K')
The Taiyo schoolgirl's really been trying hard to psych herself up for this
fight. Stirring herself into a frenzy over the other fighters, riding the
highs off their fights... that kinda deal. The same thing that got her
interested in fighting in the first place, really. That, and training. So
it really shouldn't be much of a surprise that she's jogging in place,
eagerly awaiting the upcoming match. She looks... just like always,
really, minus her headband.
As a last minute entry, his name hadn't gone up on the brackets until late
into the start of the tournament and that's the way he wanted it. Not for any
real surprise effect, but because he really had to think about it, and think
he had. He'd spent the better part of the month mulling it over, thinking
about the bet he'd made with Kyo Kusanagi and cursing himself for being so
stupid. His arrogance had gotten the better of him, he knew, something he
almost never allowed to happen, but Kyo goaded him. He knew he'd been a lamb
lead to the slaughter, but that was beside the point. He was here now and here
he'd stay, at least until he found reason or excuse to leave.
And so now here he was, his name added to the bracket table in pen at the last
minute, added to the electronic board up on the wall shortly after, the fight
card with a simple letter and a dash: K'. -- He wasn't quite sure who he was
fighting, nor did he much care. A fight was a fight at this point. He wasn't
here for glory or fame or money or even fun. He was here because he'd opened
his mouth and if nothing, he had only his word to rely on in a world so ready
to call him just that. Nothing.
As he had the night before, K Dash had sat in the break room with the other
janitors watching the fights on a small television screen and enjoying the
peace of being left alone. They thought he was either too strange looking or
too dangerous to bother and though a few had offered him things like snacks or
refreshments, they'd mostly let him be. They knew who he was, recognized his
white hair as the boy who had interrupted Kyo Kusanagi's fight during the last
tournament.
So it was that a small message was passed to him shortly after, he unfolding
it, reading the summons to the ring and standing, moving down the emergency
stairs to the ground floor and out into the lobby. This was the first time
he'd actually looked up at the fight cards and seeing Sakura Kasugano's name
next to his own, K' just scoffed, "So be it."
Oh, Sakura knew who it was. It was the first thing she looked at -- and it
literally floored the girl when she found out. But that's the main reason she
needed so much psyching up. Her jogging stops once the schoolgirl notices K'
-- lingering on just one foot for a double beat before resuming her
happy-go-lucky wave to the young man. "Hi! I had nothing to do with it, so,
like, don't go blaming me!" Her smile dampens a bit, just so that she doesn't
come across as too smug. She motions towards the entrance to the arena, with
that same faint grin. "After you?"
He wasn't here to pander to anyone's silly ambitions, nor was he here to _be_
pandered by fake kindness. He was already quite aware of how Sakura and the
rest of Taiyo High felt about him. The only problem was that he didn't care.
The only time he really took offense was when they decided it was fair to
assume they knew something about him and call him a freak. Oh, he had their
'freak' alright. That aside, when Sakura throws him a smile and a wave, he
responds with an indifferent shrug, moving towards the doors of the largest
arena.
He doesn't look back, doesn't say a word, just moves on, black leather
offering faint, dampened reflection to the lights from above, his ears
shifting as muscles tighten to avoid the roar of the audience outside. Just as
he suspected- _everyone_ remembered him. How terribly annoying. While he
wasn't a fan of people, it seemed here in the states, some of them remembered
him. He'd only experienced a brief extent of fanfare in Japan but it was
enough to pretend to be ignorant to. Here in America, people seemed to take
their sports a little more seriously. 'Dark Stranger' T-shirts were on-sale,
giggling girls were wearing them and blowing kisses, men were wooping and
cheering for the boy who'd nearly bested Kyo Kusanagi.
"Tch..."
"A Masters Tournament Event Exclusive, it took some digging, but here for the
first time we have a name for the face. This Dark Stranger, the Leather-Clad
Beast of Flame, the Phenom himself, K Dash. A young man who at just sixteen
has shown extraordinary talent and endurance during his world debut in which
he interrupted a fight originally scheduled for Kyo and Charlie, two of the
world's finest. Where he hails from is unknown, but I distinctly recall a
mildly Irish accent. Could that be the telltale heart? Who knows."
... He hated them all alrready.
Sakura smiles warmly. She's got the crowd on her side, it seems! All the
cheering and shouts for her, the underdog, the up-and-coming star -- they all
meld together into one giant rush for the schoolgirl as the announcer starts
for her opponent. She can't keep half-grinning forever, even with the
possibility that she might be letting all of those fans down so very shortly.
As if thinking that very thought, she smacks herself in the cheeks with both
hands, mouthing, "I can't believe this is real!" as a throwaway explanation to
her fans on the Master-Tron video, or whatever they call the big screen. It's
with that, and the voice of the announcer, that she follows K' into the
ring.
"And in the other corner, we have another Masters Tournament Event Exclusive!
Fighting in her first official tournament match ever is a schoolgirl from
Southtown Japan! Also at age sixteen, this spunky little lady has shown great
promise and potential in her abilities, already challenging and finding
herself on nearly equal footing with the fan-favorite master of Saikyo style,
Dan Hibiki! Ladies and gentlemen, let's give a warm Seattle welcome to Sakura
Kasugano!"
For what it's worth, Sakura nearly plows face-first into the floor at the
parallels with her supposed sensei, in front of so many people -- but she's
lucky that she'd just stepped into the dark passageway at that point...
White Arena
Though the inner arena is the smaller of the two, the White Arena is no
less impressive than its brother the Red Arena, meant more for smaller, more
traditional fights. Spectator seating ranges around the oval fighting arena,
stretching up to top box seats which are built into the ceiling, giving those
that want to pay extra a rare bird's-eye view of the fighting. The lower
seating doesn't suffer though, the architecture carefully designed so that no
seat is too far away. (If you've ever been in an IMAX theater, this is much
the same.)
The fighting arena itself is completely bare of any obstacles or marking,
the floor sanded wood to resemble a dojo and to give fighters proper
traction. As Ken Masters is quite familiar with the power many fighters can
exhibit, the arena is separated from the seating with glass coated to reduce
glare, affording the spectators an excellent yet safe view. At the far ends
of the arena, doors which look like part of the wall when closed allow the
fighters to enter.
[Exits : <Out> Out to Lobby ]
Those parallel walls slide back, K' having been ushered around to his own
door, leaving Sakura to stand by hers. Tradition was ridiculous in K's
opinion, but since this was more or less for the spectators, he supposed he
might as well go ahead and jump through the hoops. His door opens in short
order and the leather-clad man steps out, again to a barage of cheers from
people he hardly knew and most of all, hardly knew they knew of him. The
lights were blinding at first, but K's squinting eyes became accustomed to
them very quickly, especially from behind those shades.
When Sakura's door opens, K' tosses it a bland and thankless look, one hand
moving to his hip, the other lifting to remove the sunglasses from his face.
He flicks the arms closed with but a gesture of his wrist and puts the glasses
away within that leather jacket of his, offering the girl a scoff. That other
arm fell at his side before he shifts his weight, tossing it all onto his left
foot, red gloved hand lifting. It bursts into flames as he shrugs, eyes
drifting closed, only to shake the hand vigorously, as if the flames burned,
they going out shortly thereafter. Lowering his hands to hang loosely at his
sides, K' assumes a slouching posture, back straight, legs slightly bent, eyes
remaining closed the whole time before uttering, "You're not enough for
me."
COMBATSYS: K' has started a fight here.
COMBATSYS: K' focuses on his next action.
Whereas K' would just as soon ignore the jubilant crowds, Sakura is exultant
that there's so much energy in the air. So many people to cheer her on!
True, most of her so-called "fans" are only cheering for her because she's not
K', or because she's a young schoolgirl -- but that doesn't matter to her.
They're cheering! They don't even have to be cheering for -her-: she gets the
rush all the same. Jogging out into the spotlight as her door is opened, she
.. keeps it pretty sedated, considering her usual personality. So many
people in the stands -- sure, she'd heard them before, but not so many! And
the lights, so bright! She shields her eyes with her hand at first, squinting
until she gets used to it.
Though, once the Taiyo student is acclimated to the surroundings, it seems
like another mood comes over her entirely. The people running the music can
tell, apparently, as the high-energy soundtrack heralding her arrival grows
into deeper, dramatic notes -- Sakura actually stops smiling, growing solemn
instead. She'd pulled out that long, white headband on the walk over.
Stopping once she's in position, she slips the headband under her bangs, her
back stiffening with a a deep breath in the process. Taking the time to
secure her headband into a tight knot, she closes her eyes, exhaling slowly,
and drawing in another long, deep breath. And then, only then, do her brown
eyes open to face K' again.
Her response to K'? A calm, relaxed half-smile, more like one Kelvin would
don than herself. "Probably not, but that doesn't mean I'll give you any less
than my best." The combat stance she enters is no different in silhouette
than her usual, but there's no doubt she's taking this seriously now. All
she's waiting on now is those judges to give their word, and she'd launch
right into action.
COMBATSYS: Sakura has joined the fight here.
COMBATSYS: Sakura focuses on her next action.
The word comes, a slow beat in K's already racing mind, and ushers in the
start of the fight. Unlike the other fighters who had come and gone through
this very arena, K' didn't take this moment as any special point in life, any
peak of self-assurance, no reassuring self-worth, it was just another day and
another fight. He was just here to keep his word. He'd lost a bet fair and
square and that was that. While Sakura and anyone else who came through here
might take such a moment more seriously, K' huffs a heavy breath, stands up
from that slouching posture and paces towards the girl with the slowness of
Quantum Physics on Prozac.
He remembered well his last few run-ins with Sakura and even at that had no
real marked interest in the girl anymore. He'd proven his point and thus she
was little more than fodder for this tournament to chew up and spit out. He
honestly wondered why he even bothered with the fight in general, but then the
realization that if he didn't commense with this fight that he'd be
disqualified washes over him, he only then acknowledges the fact that it was,
while unecessary... still necessary. An oxymoron. "I held back before. If you
die, it's your own fault."
Was that all he planned on saying to her? Apparently so, because without
warning, when that distance was closed, the young man brought his right hand
out in a burning flourish, pushing off of the ground with full intent on
rushing the girl with a sweeping uppercut, wreathed in unparalleled
fire.
COMBATSYS: K' successfully hits Sakura with Claw Bites.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
K' 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Sakura
She'd tensed up, expecting him to strike as soon as the judges gave the word
-- but no, he had to sit there and deliver his warning first. It seems to
have fallen on deaf ears, though, as the determination in Sakura's eyes shows
no signs of faltering. Even as he launches forward, Sakura takes a step
forward to act -- and yet even though she knows it's not good enough, doesn't
frown or scream as the flames blast her off her feet, charring her chin in the
process. No... for even as she's flung upwards, the set of her jaw indicating
the extent of her tenacity, she hasn't yet lost her concentration. Her hands
ripple with a sudden influx of chi, even though she hasn't yet hit the ground
-- clasping them together, she launches the blast down at her opponent with a
controlled shout of "HADOUKEN!", sounding much more like a kendo practitioner
than her usual self. The recoil from her blast even sends her up a bit
further, as the schoolgirl lands about the same time the fireball was planned
to impact against K'.
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits K' with Small Hadouken.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
K' 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Sakura
Touching down shortly after Sakura is sent further airborn from the wake of
the flames, K' merely blows another breath, his eyes downcast, hair falling
over his engineered-brown eyes, altered from their original hue by flames he
could not yet control without the aid of that glove. He didn't move, didn't
speak, just waited, listening. The girl shouts out her attack and K' looks up
into it, watching it come down at him with the quickness of miliseconds
flashing by. It strikes true and he's driven back a sliding step, but the boy
makes no indication as to if it hurt or not.
It was already a given that it had. Why bother with the theatrics unless it
hurt enough to lack control over such reaction. Standing straight again, K'
looks at the girl and moves in again. Hesitation was in his every gesture and
not out of any real reluctance, he was just lazy in his actions, lethargic,
lackadaisical, like he didn't even want to be there. It was as if the fight
itself was as boring as jiggsaw puzzling. He wasn't making any effort here and
the crowd, picking up on itt, had begun booing and jeering, requesting more
violence, pleading for more bloodshed.
"People sicken me," K' utters, leaving the ground in a short hop to send his
boot in at Sakura's face. "You're all the same at heart anyway."
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks K''s Minutes Spike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
K' 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Sakura
Sakura has no response for K's hatred of people. She's already blocked out
his words, as well as the booing and hissing of the crowd. If she didn't,
she'd lose her focus, and she might even think the booing and hissing were at
her. No -- she knows she's on display here, and she's determined to do her
best, even though she's already starting to falter a bit. Her chin still raw
from the fire, she narrows her eyes -- and as such, she's ready for the foot
flying at her face. Throwing up her forearm, she sidesteps the thrust of his
foot -- but instead of trying to throw one of her big attacks back at him, she
opts for something simpler: a quick snap-kick at the young man while he flies
through the air. She's not aiming to deal a great amount of damage, but
rather to unbalance him. Annoyance: it's what she's good at, even when as
deep in the 'zone' as she may be.
And somewhere in the top of the stands, a lone but visible figure is dancing
in his seat, waving two big foam #1 hands. Pink foam hands. "SA-KU-RA!
SAI-KI-YO! SA-KU-RA! SAI-KI-YO! WHOOHOO!"
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits K' with Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
K' 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Sakura
The young man still wasn't bothering with the fight. Why? This was just
another stone to step beyond to get this stupid thing over with. "How putrid,"
K' bitches, touching down after the kick and itching an ear with a finger, one
eye closing as he looks Sakura up and down. He could tell just by the girl's
expression that she was paying him no mind and he really didn't care. Hish
ands fell to his sides, only to lift, sheathing thumbs in his back pockets.
The other eye closes shortly after and K' rasps an exasperated breath
out.
While the girl had intended to kick him in the air, K' was simply a rather
light and quick body, he'd been down long enough to speak when that kick came
snapping in. He didn't even move. Or try really, just allowed the girl's shin
to impact with his ribs under that arm that had been up scratching his ear
just seconds ago. A dull thump issues, but K' doesn't move. Bee stings only
hurt at first, naturally. Offering the girl a grunt to acknowledge the attack,
K's eyes flutter open before he snaps forwards, hands still at his back,
thumbs still in his pockets, his right knee bursting forward as he leaves the
ground, intent on burrying it in the girl's throat.
COMBATSYS: K' successfully hits Sakura with Knee Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
K' 0/-------/=======|=======\====---\1 Sakura
Silent throughout the whole exchange, it's only after that kick that Sakura
draws in a longer breath. Clenching her fists, she takes a step back,
slamming her foot back to the floor in deep concentration. Attack, pause,
receive attack. It's a cycle she'd gotten used to, fighting K' twice before,
and it's still not one she really likes. She can't read him after all -- even
less so than she can other people. And likewise, while she attempts to
sidestep K's kneestrike, she cannot do so in time. Nailed hard in the throat,
she finds herself gasping for breath as she goes flying through the air, with
K' so close in turn. Eerily, it's like a lightswitch is turned on -- the
Taiyo student's skin burns with a light blue aura as she struggles to regain
composure in mid-air, no longer solemn but fully choking with pain. Landing
with a loud screech of rubber on the sanded wood floor, she surges forward
with gritted teeth, sucking up the pain and mutely channeling that aura into a
raging uppercut. Blue afterimages of herself trail along behind her from the
sheer speed of the attack. Should those connect and juggle her opponent into
midair, two more uppercuts of the same ilk will follow to deal even more
schoolgirl justice!
COMBATSYS: K' blocks Sakura's Midare Zakura.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
K' 1/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Sakura
He followed the airborn schoolgirl for a short distance before finally coming
down again, rubber meeting wood, hands falling at his sides, thumbs
disappearing into front pockets this time. His eyes? They were closed
immediately after the strike. "So this is what you people do? You beat and
humiliate one another for pleasure? And you called _me_ a freak? You really
are fucked up in the head, aren't you?" No, he wasn't directly chiding Sakura,
not for her fighting prowess or even for being a Tomboy- for once. No, he was
absolutely disgusted at this 'fighting subculture'.
"I wasn't sure before, but now I'm positive," He says, eyes remaining closed
as Sakura's fist slams into his open palm with a loud popping sound, he
closing tanned, half-gloved fingers around it, his red gloved hand remaining
slung from his pocket. "I can't stand tournaments. Or the people who enter
them for that matter. Is this what you want? To come here and have a beating
thrown at you? I'm a freak, but you put yourself on display like some village
monkey looking for approval and acceptance? GET A JOB!" K' barks, shoving the
girl away, his left hand falling to his side.
"Make a use of yourself."
COMBATSYS: K' gathers his will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
K' 1/--=====/=======|=------\-------\0 Sakura
Kyo practically has to drag Yuki into the White area of the Master Stadium,
after all, she didn't exactly take it well when she learned that the REAL
reason Kyo came to the states was to participate in a fighting tournament.
Indeed, there was much hell to pay, "Come on, come on, Sakura's fighting..."
he murmurs to her, tugging at her arm.
As she's shoved out of her followup attack, the remainder of Sakura's blue
aura washes helplessly over her opponent. Her eyes wide with surprise, she
might have snapped out of her trance if she hadn't stepped back and thrown her
fists down to her side, trying to regain what she can of that earlier fighting
spirit. Wits recollected, she paces steadily around K', the verbal
meanderings of his mind a dull mumble in the background of her consciousness,
of her own voice in her mind telling her what to do next. Indeed -- as K'
chooses this time to sit and berate her, Sakura is dead set on proving him
wrong -- even though she isn't spending any brain cycles processing his
speech. All she's concerned with is the fact that he left himself wide open
for an attack -- and as such, she launches forward to deliver it. She
looses a defiant battle cry as she rushes forward at K', the sneakered foot
arcing downward at his face heralded by the distracting rustle of her pleated
skirt.
Needless to say, there are about 20 other things Yuki would rather do than go
out and watch a bunch of thugs beat each other sensless. And to say she was
annoyed would be an understatment when she found out she'd be going to an
arena of all places instead of the promised landmark she was extremely
interested in visiting. She was pissed, "Don't touch me," she starts, pausing
just a moment to the news that even Sakura was here. But refusing to let Kyo
see her slight interest, she simply snorts and glances to the side, "Fine,
whatever."
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits K' with Flower Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
K' 1/--=====/=======|==-----\-------\0 Sakura
Again the white-haired young man watches the girl step into another attack.
His earlier 'defense' if you could call it that, was simply to endure the
girls attacks and not bother defending. Why should he? She couldn't hit hard
enough to disturb his calm and on top of that, he refused to let this gaggle
of morons watch him at his full potential against so shallow an opponent. The
Flower Kick comes in and K' merely tilts his head to one side, allowing
Sakura's kick to come down and meet with his collar, muscles already clenching
tightly to absorb and dispurse the impact velocity.
"Are you done?" K' offers, shrugging Sakura's foot off, his shoulders rotating
to disipate the remaining pangs of pain that shot along the limb, numbing it
right down to his fingertips. Considering the close proximity for a split
second, K' ganders up and down Sakura's diminuative, boyish frame and frowns,
"If only you were better looking this might have been slightly interesting.
God I hate fighting women. Especially girls," Smacking a hand over his face in
disgust, K' sighs and brings his adjacent hand, that gloved right, streaking
upwards in a burning arch that seeks to torch the girl where she stands, "Buzz
off you figureless pipsqueak."
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks K''s Eins Trigger.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
K' 1/-======/=======|====---\-------\0 Sakura
Kyo is going to take Yuki to the Space Needle for dinner later tonight to
hopefully appease her, but there's no need to ruin the surprise, even if she
is really pissed off at him right now. Kyo doesn't bother even taking a seat,
instead he moves right up to the railing, putting his hands upon the steel as
he peers down towards the wooden paneling of the arena floor. He's missed the
most of this fight, it seems.
Kyo's eyes narrow, "It looks like Sakura isn't doing so well..."
See, K''s attempts to rile the girl up may have worked exceptionally well
before. Right now, the schoolgirl hears his voice as only a light whisper --
but apparently even that was enough to elicit a twitch from her eyebrow. She
fights her natural impulse to lose control and pitch a fit though, clenching
her fists tighter and remaining still otherwise, drawing her breath in and
allowing the majority of K's venom to wash over her. She notices some sense
of his impending move in the way he moves his hand over his face --
backpedaling a step, she throws her forearm up to block. As the gout of flame
leaves black charred marks in her handguard, she holds her ground, letting her
body loosen a bit to ease the blow. Either fully still, or fully in motion,
much like K' himself, she waits until he passes before leaping into action. He
ought to be familiar with the move, of course: arms whipping about, her
sneakered foot whirling about her like a tornado as the Taiyo student leaps
towards K'. As earlier, she calls the move with controlled rage: "SHUN-PUU
KYAKU!" Not quite the best retort to a knock on her figure, but what
/is?/
Yuki at least brought her bag along, so she'd at least have something to do
while she was out here, and lets Kyo go off to do his thing; she at least
won't be trying to make a desperate escape, particularly since she was rather
curious how Sakura would fair. Taking a seat, she gets a good look at the
fighters, and then her eyes widen in suprise, "... K'?" she murmurs in a bit
of suprise. Well, if she were a rooting woman, she certainly wouldn't be sure
which to pick now.
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits K' with Shunpuu Kyaku.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
K' 1/=======/=======|=====--\-------\0 Sakura
His hand lowered from his face in time to watch the girl protect herself from
the flames, but was he in any way bothered by her remaining? Of course not.
Again, he had taken his time entirely in this fight, not at all interested in
ending it quickly or even devoting much attention to it. She waited patiently
enough for those flames to fade and came in again, K' merely held his arm out
wide at his side, allowing the first of the whirling kicks to impact with his
side, hard.
He steps back, the second impacts, back again, the third, back again, fourth,
dull thumps echoing against his ribs as he refuses to move or run from the
ebbing tide of Sakura's onslaught. Why would someone choose to accept such
pain? Because he wasn't enjoying himself, and he certainly wasn't about to
show out for all these gawking morons. That said, he also wasn't about to tip
his entire hand to the tournament this early in the game. Instead he would
take his time, not let them know his true speed, his true awareness.
"This fight's about to end," is all K' says in response, his hand disappearing
into his jacket, removing those sunglasses of his. Flicking the arms open
with a quick gesture, K' tosses them towards Sakura with little concern. He'd
yet to use this attack against Sakura and the one time he'd unleashed it even
close to her, she was already out of it and Batsu was fighting in her
stead.
COMBATSYS: K' successfully hits Sakura with Chain Drive.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > / ]
K' 0/-------/---====|=======\===----\1 Sakura
Kyo notices his girlfriend mouthing "K Dash?" and makes something of a sour
face, "Hmpf."
In that moment, the darkest days of purgatory rage against the walls of light
and K Dash sets free the hounds of Hell itself upon Sakura in a seemingly
unending showing of the truth behind his violence. What transpires in seconds
is an onslaught of damaging, vicious perfection, K's body moving with the
swiftness of sand in high wind, tearing into Sakura with animalistic abandon.
Fists, feet and flying flame are all that she sees as he peppers her small
form with not just rage, but disgust. Disgust in this tournament, disgust in
the audience, disgust in the fact that people actually participate in this
ridiculous show of idiocy, "This is what you wanted, isn't it!?" K' snarls,
finishing by grabbing the girl by the shirt and yanking her into a full force
One Inch punch, only to release her soon after.
He had struck her in such a way that could only be summed up as intentionally
brutal. He was _trying_ to hurt her and it showed. It wasn't just fighting
spirit or vigor, no. What K' did and was doing was purely, wholly grotesque in
nature. He struck her face an impossible number of times, her ribs, bashed
them in, feet and legs striking low to take the strength from her legs, fists
rocketing in hard at upward angles to keep her from falling, only to further
damage her body with those brutal, fast moving knuckles of his. A red gloved
hand seeking to break and bash an eyesocket, a half-gloved fist rushing in
from the left to bruise a jaw, an eye, break a nose, swell flesh, impact and
further brutalize her throat. He was a man possessed by malice.
Stepping back wide and swiftly pivoting around, K's hands fall to his sides,
his back to Sakura, thumbs in pockets and scoffs, "Tch... Give up. I don't
want to kill you."
Kyo hears something on the PA system and suddenly becomes very disintrested in
this fight; the outcome seems decided as K' executes the Chain Drive
technique, "Yuki... you can stay here if you want, I have to go watch this
other fight... my father is fighting." Kyo takes another glance down at the
arena's floor, "...besides, it looks like Sakura may need your help." With
that, he starts to dash towards the exit, regardless of his girlfriend's
decision.
Sure, it's about to end. Sakura can admit that, even if she'd rather not. She
accepts the pain, because it's what she wants to do. Push her body to the
limit. Grow from it, get stronger and take even more. She wants to surpass
the bounds dictated to her by nature -- and that's why she continues to
fight. Even as K' continues waylaying her, she has a faint smile with the
knowledge that, despite her determined face, she's still hurting -- and
growing. And that despite K''s attempts to play it off as nothing -- she's
still hurting /him/, if in some infinitessimally small way.
She doesn't even attempt to dodge the sunglasses, as they rebound off her
forehead -- it's a distraction. She wants to know what's coming, she wants to
/see/ what makes this attack tick -- if she survives it, she'll know better
for next time. Tensing, she throws up her arms, knowing full well what's
coming next: blocking the brutal onslaught of punches, kicks, and flames as
best she can with her wiry limbs, she still can't help from being knocked
backward, utterly torched and beaten into oblivion. Blood spurts every which
way as the girl is bruised and broken beyond comprehension and yet... Sakura
still has that faint smile on her as she skates back, landing on her rear and
pitching forward with a tight grin. "No..." she says, weakly breaking her
silence, with another burst of blue energy forming between her palms. "I
haven't given you my congratulations yet."
Funneling every ounce of her fiber into that last burst of chi, she shakes her
head. "It's over now, but I'll keep fighting you until I /win/!" she shouts
over the maelstrom of energy forming before her. "SHINKUUUUU HADOUKEN!!!!"
she screams, cocking her palms toward K' and letting the ball rip forth from
her hands -- as she gets knocked back by the shot's own recoil, finally
rendered unconscious. It's noble, that he doesn't want to kill her -- at
least now, with so many people watching, she can feel safe at least.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > / ]
K' 0/-------/---====|=======\===----\1 Sakura
COMBATSYS: Sakura can no longer fight.
COMBATSYS: Sakura has left the fight here.
COMBATSYS: K' blocks Sakura's Shinkuu Hadouken.
He had beaten the girl so thoroughly that his knuckles ached, and not just
externally. No, they ached down into the bone where her blood couldn't reach.
Lifting his hands again, K' only then realizes that they are in fact covered
in crimson, Sakura's vitae a macabre reminder of that creature he seemed to
become when 'lost in the moment'. Frowning at it and the speckled blood
dotting his leather, K' turns his hands over and wipes them off on his pants,
much like he had after beating Kelvin senseless weeks before.
What surprises him is the fact that the girl can still conciously form a
sentence. Not the words. The frown fades when she proclaims she'll continue
fighting him until securing victory. K' turns swiftly then, crushing the
Shinkuu Hadouken that rages in under a bursting explosion of crimson flames,
Sakura's chi rushing out over the fire and stinging against his skin where it
couldn't be completely disipated. Slinging his hand down at the ground,
ridding it of that flame that hurt about as much as it did anyone he struck
with it, K' offers a humorless, rumbling chuckle. "We have a lot of matches
ahead then. Besides, the role's already taken. Nothing is over until I win."
But he _did_ respect Sakura's words.
Moving towards the girl with determined steps, K' reaches down and snatches
her up by the throat, her unconcious dead weight a liability on his arm but he
holds her steady still, back to the skyboxes above where the officials and
those rich enough to afford such seating reside.
-- The Arena. Goes. Silent. So quiet you can even hear the creaking of
seats as people shift uncomfortably to watch. "There... I've stripped the
humanity away from another human being for your amusement. I hope you sick
bastards enjoyed it. You're all vomit." Slinging the girl down against the
ground hard enough for the sound to echo, K' marches towards the opened door
before him and is thusly gone.
COMBATSYS: K' has ended the fight here.
"...I am so not letting him getting any endorsements in here. His
sportsmanship sucks harder than Iori's. And that takes talent."
Who notes that? It's Ken Masters. Having watched the whole fight... Or
enough to get the general gist of it (Sakura getting pounded), the tournament
head makes his way toward the ring, hopping into it via the employee entrance
as the medics come in to make sure she is safe.
Megumi has been seated in the audience for most of this match, blending in and
keeping quiet. Once it's over though, and Ken starts to head in...she also
gets up from her seat and begins dashing back out to another hallway, to also
go in through an entrance to the arena itself. No real obvious point to this
since the match is over, definitely over, but she's heading out there
too.
Sakura's limp body hangs from K's grasp, her unconscious head lolling weakly
to the side. She has no urge to respond -- or even the capability, at the
time. Slung like a rag doll to the ground, her heartbeat faint but sure. She
doesn't come to immediately, nor are the medics fully able to resusciate her
immediately. But it'll happen in due time -- Sakura's just fully exhausted
from the battle at the moment. After a few tense moments, she does show signs
of revival -- much to the assured relief of the crowd.
Yuki isn't exactly sure what's happening at this point, her eyebrows raising
slightly as Sakura is lifted and then thrown to the floor. Wasn't the fight
already over? What? Yuki gives a confused and worried look, and then looks
around for Kyo to ask what's going on- And just her luck, he's gone off..
Again, though at this point she's pretty used to it. Though with everyone
staying silent, she follows suit and does as well. "....."
Megumi bursts into the arena to do...very little indeed. She's not looking at
K' at all, but instead dashing past to catch up with the medical crew to
follow them out once Sakura's in tow. A rather out of the way path for what
amounts to not much of note, but...at least it's not a disruption.
Log created by Kobun, and last modified on 12:36:33 04/26/2005.