Description: A challenge issued in glitter ink on a balled-up piece of paper leads to an unexpected win... (Winner: Sakura)
A medal tournament. Kula had been hesitant when she first heard about it, but had to admit it sounded a bit like fun. Plus, she heard about some of the people who 'might supposedly' be in it, and her interest was piqued. Of course, as if that wasn't enough, there was that convenient little memo from NESTS that said 'join, and gather data for us'. The memo also told her not to lose, but that's NESTS for you. And so, Kula had worn a medal proudly as she walked around, watching for anybody else carrying one. And did her best to appear threatening as she issued a challenge.
Of course, we won't get into the unfortunate event involving Boy Scout Troop 25's award ceremony. That was rather embarassing once things calmed down.
But she had finally managed to find someone else wearing the /right/ medal, and had issued a challenge in a more polite, respectable manner. Namely, a hastily scribbled note balled up and thrown at Sakura as Kula ran past asking 'please meet me here so I can try to take your medal later'. Not the most intimidating challenge ever, especially when you take into account it was written in glitter ink.
Knowing her luck, Sakura probably showed up expecting to fight Athena.
But Kula's there now, still dressed in her own school uniform, sitting on a bench and adjusting her gloves. She's nervous, having never done a fight like this before, and silently wishes more people she knew were around to cheer her on. But she's determined to do her best. After all, it's what NESTS told her to do.
Well... it didn't really matter to Sakura -who- threw the balled-up piece of paper. A challenge is a challenge! And there isn't anyone alive who Sakura wouldn't challenge in order to get one of those shiny medals for the tournament -- because she =is= the heroine of Southtown!
Well. There's a few people.
And she's only the heroine of Southtown in her own mind.
And she gets her ass handed to her on a regular basis.
... yeah. But beside that! Sakura's not chicken! So when classes are over, she looks once more at that crumpled up piece of paper, rolling her eyes. "Glitter pens... like something Kei would write with..." she mumbles to herself as she strides out to the courtyard.
Word travels fast here, especially with Sakura wearing one of those medals on her shoulder. They know that when the fighting fangirl marches somewhere with a determined expression -- much like the one she's currently wearing -- some ass is gonna get kicked.
Quite possibly hers.
Sakura's voice rings out across the courtyard, amplified by two hands cupped over her mouth: "Okay, show yourself, mystery---" And then she trails off, having missed the short transfer student earlier. "... Oh. It's you, Kula?" One brief look from Kasugano confirms Kula's medal is in place, and then Sakura walks over to her, all grins. "So it's you, huh? Lookin' for an easy win, huh?" She holds up the crumpled piece of paper. "Your challenge, right?" Tilting her head to the side, she flashes Kula a brief smirk. "If so... I accept!"
Meanwhile, the Kanzuki zaibatsu ninja camera crew gets into position, somewhere...
Yeah, not too many people notice Kula when she's just sitting somewhere. It helps that a majority of students at the school still have trouble connecting 'Blue-haired leather-wearing Kula Diamond' in the SNF events to 'Red-haired schoolgirl Kula'. And why is that, exactly? Partly because Kula doesn't act like she could harm a fly around school. The fact she gets detention now and again for punching bullies that try to pick on her in the face is totally irrelevant.
And so, as Sakura accepts her challenge, Kula stands up and smiles, beaming. "Okay." Yeah, she's not going to win any drama awards. "I'm not sure it will be an easy win, but I'll do my best." She takes some steps from the bench and does a small bow to Sakura, knowing it's what a lot of people do before a match. And then she takes a deep breath and moves into her fighting stance, her hair quickly turning blue as the temperature drops around her.
COMBATSYS: Kula has started a fight here on the left meter side.
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Kula 0/-------/-------|
Well... that's okay. Sakura's fully used to the secret identity thing. She didn't even recognize Athena Asamiya when they first met! But now, well, she's used to it! Yeah.
"Well... I'm gonna try my best to make sure it's -not- easy, so I guess that's what counts, right?" Smiling brightly, she plucks her red handguards out of her schoolbag, before setting it aside on a bench. Tugging them on, she tilts her head to the side. "... I gotta ask ya though, did you think I wouldn't come if I knew it was you or something? I mean, I always thought we were friends, y'know?"
Grinning brightly, she clenches her fist, relishing the feel of the vinyl straining underneath her grip. Apparently, she's not being -fully- serious in her jibes at Kula. "Well... I guess it's time to tango!" Smirking, she raises her left hand before her defensively, her right hand hovering by her jaw as she bounds into a combative stance. "Good luck!"
COMBATSYS: Sakura has joined the fight here.
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Kula 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sakura
COMBATSYS: Sakura focuses on her next action.
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Kula 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sakura
"W-... Did I-...no!" Kula blinks a bit, taken off guard by Sakura's comment. "No, I didn't think you'd refuse, I- I mean..." Kula shifts a bit awkwardly, and then says, "...I've never challenged anybody before, so I was nervous and panicked." There's a quick shuffle of a foot as Kula looks embarassed, and then she calms herself down and smiles again. "But thank you for showing up."
And then Kula's running forward (or rather, skating forward) along the ground towards Sakura, and decides to start things off with a quick jab towards her side to test her defenses, trying to spot a weak point she can strike at. She may not be the best challenger, but she does pretty well when it comes to combat.
COMBATSYS: Kula successfully hits Sakura with Jab Punch.
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Kula 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Sakura
"Well... yeah! I have my pride! I don't back down from a challenge!" And from there, what ought to be a simple matter of raising her arm to defend against a rather simply-expressed jab punch results in Sakura staggering backward in pain, her guard neatly bypassed -- she'd defended high, while Kula had aimed lower. "Brrrrrr!" Her ribs now freezing from the sudden contact, Sakura grits her teeth and seems more than determined to make up for it, shaking off the cold and lunging forward with a thrust kick to Kula's abdomen. Don't pay attention to the skirt which flaps up out of her way -- it's a quite potent kick! "HRAAAAH!"
"That girl is pretty wild now," ASH CRIMSON sings under his breath. His eyes are half closed as he moves along, shambling to an unheard beat. He's dressed in the Taiyo winter uniform, except he has his jacket slung over his left shoulder. "That girl's a superfreak!"
The French teen, some thirty feet from the melee, promptly sprawls on a bench. Somehow, in the process of falling over, he lands perfectly on his side with his jacket neatly folded into a makeshift pillow. He stares at Sakura and Kula, a strange look in his eyes.
"The kind of girl you read about," he mumbles, "in new wave magazines."
COMBATSYS: Kula blocks Sakura's Medium Kick.
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Kula 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Sakura
And of course, ASH CRIMSON (tm) isn't alone. Benimaru's feeling in a pretty chipper mood today (for once), why.. Hell, he's even decided to hang with Ash. What does that tell you? The model's dressed up as one of those old school pimps, wearing all red, silk pants, silk top with the zebra fur about the collar and sleeves, heck he even has the hat with a giant feather in it. On his nose, thin rimmed glasses reside, and he has a cane in one hand. Scuffling his shoes on the sidewalk, dancing (or rather pimpwalking) to Crimsons muttering, "And she's all right. o/~"
This, is what we call 'going undercover'. Even though it's completely obvious it's Benimaru, it isn't obvious that he's scouting medal fights for Duo Lon. What a guy, huh?
There is another presence making his way within the entrance to Taiyo High. It's a form lurking just to see wha's going on. Somewhere about thirty-fourty feet from the fight is another young man. However, it's quite easy to tell who the person is.
First clue is the green Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle.
But if it is too hard to figure out, it is none other than the former Stray Dog, Jiro Kasagi. He is wearing a black jacket with his camoflauge pants. While passing through, Jiro peers towards the two men.
... What the hell?
Whatever. Jiro came to see Sakura fight... Kula. Huh. Nevertheless, he shoutss, "Yo, Sakura, kick some ass!" ...It'll be a cold day in hell before he call her Mistress out in the public. ...It's not like she has that controller on her. ...Right?
Shifting her weight after the jab, Kula continued to slide past Sakura. She manages to stop with a quick twist of an ankle. She's ready to dodge the next incoming attack...when suddenly she just pauses and /stares/ off into the distance at Ash and Benimaru. And Kula Diamond, for the first time in a long time, feels scared. Truly scared, down to the depths of her soul.
Oh, right, the fight. Kula turns back just in time to twist around and bring up an arm to block the leg, gritting her teeth as tiny pieces of ice fall away from her sleeve. Kula immediately drops down to press her hand on the ground, and a pole of ice catches against the concrete to push her forward, sliding along the ground to try to connect both feet to Sakura's other leg to knock her over. Thankfully, she never does that with skates on.
COMBATSYS: Kula successfully hits Sakura with Slider Shoot.
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Kula 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Sakura
What? Spectators? Sakura doesn't pay attention to -spectators!- This is a fight! One with ... stuff on the line! Which would be why Sakura's totally gonna rush forward and knock Kula's block off... right? Right.
Except she chickens out at the last instant and flinches out of the way of that kick, getting nailed for the trouble. Way to go, Sakura!
Arms flailing to the side for balance as she teeters backward, she manages to catch herself before adding insult (falling over onto her rump) to injury (that sliding kick that knocked her over), making one shaky flip before turning back on Kula.
And just what does she rely on now? Why... the tried and true standby -- a brilliant bloom of blue flame, whirled into the shape of a sphere! "Hadoooouken!"
COMBATSYS: Kula fails to reflect Medium Hadouken from Sakura with Counter Shell.
- Power hit! -
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Kula 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Sakura
Hadou-wha? Kula needs to start to ask people what these attack names mean. Her forehead furrows in thought as she pauses, and then as the fireball gets close, she throws up a quick ice shield to take the hit, ready to reflect a chunk of ice back at Sakura. ...unfortunately, she's still skeeved out by Benimaru and Ash to the point where it seems she can't focus very well. Which is why the ice shield fails, and Kula screams as the fireball hits her, twisting away from it. She stumbles back and falls, steam rising from her body as she shakes her head, and then slowly stands back up unsteadily, placing a hand on her side where her shirt got singed and a nice burn shows up underneath. Owie.
Ash lets Benimaru groove his thang. The French teen is too busy staring at Kula. Oh, how he stares with those soulless blue eyes. It's very uncomfortable. Not to mention his smile is very peculiar. Oh, and don't forget the all-encompassing aura of dread that only Orochikids can sense.
He's a creepy kind of guy, that Ash.
Ew. Sakura clearly doesn't get into fights to hear her opponents scream, especially not when they're just a bit younger than she is! (As far as Sakura knows she's fourteen, after all...)
But... well, this -is- a medal fight. And she can't afford to be distracted by any bystanders, even her date-auction prize Jiro, while the fight's on the line!
And while her concussive impact may not have been all that hot -- by most accounts it's only a little past lukewarm -- it seems to have been enough to knock the chill off of the Anti-K'.
Nodding firmly, Sakura's eyes flicker across Kula for a moment as she confirms that it's proper to continue -- and in doing so, she takes three long strides to close the distance to the wobbly-stanced Kula. Glowing a faint blue from the immense speed she's pouring on all of a sudden, Sakura throws one left punch as a jab. However, it's just a distraction for the underhanded right punch coming up towards Kula's midsection -- a punch that extends into a leaping uppercut. "SHOOOU'OOOOU KEN!"
Benimaru is kind of creepy in a different sense. We won't get into those details right now though. Benimaru is actually watching both fighters with interest and.. Actually, it's rather sad, as both fighters also had beaten him. "....." He taps his shoulder lightly with his cane, other hand on his hip, and then glances to Jiro once he arrives. ".. That poor chump," he mutters to himself, shaking his head.
COMBATSYS: Kula dodges Sakura's Shou'ou Ken EX.
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Kula 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Sakura
The former Stray Dog stares over owards Benimaru, peering at him when he makes his statement. The youth merely snarls at his direction, before throwing the middle finger his way. Then, he brings his attention towards the fight. He growls, flicking a kunai that he jacked from Duo Lon in his hand to try to cut off the collar.
This is like the... twentieth time he has tried that. No workie.
...Meh." He grumbles. He looks back a the fight. He merely watches, pocketing the kunai once more.
Kula's eyes have a distinctive similarity to that of a wounded animal. The girl's training is kicking in somewhat, and the major thought in her head after being injured is 'beyond all else, keep from getting injured again'. The girl pushes back with a foot, sliding just a short distance before she drops back down and rolls out of the way of the incoming punches, and pushes herself back up again. Thankfully, her instincts are also managing to keep her from paying any more attention to the freakshow surrounding the fight. Cause if she watched it anymore, she'd probably throw her medal at Sakura, and run away home to cry.
The girl stands up, and extends a hand out at Sakura. She has no fancy name for the move, but she does brace herself as ice forms around her hand and then extends out quickly, like a stream from a firehose in her attempt to once again knock her opponent off-balance. Her other hand is still pressed against that burn, trying to keep it cooled down.
COMBATSYS: Sakura interrupts Critical Ice from Kula with Shou'ou Ken.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
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Kula 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Sakura
o/` o/` o/--o/ o/` o/` o/` o/`, o/` o/` o/` o/` o/` o/--o/ o/---o/
Ash begins to whistle, but quietly, because he's respectful of the two girls beating each other silly. He props his head up in his hand, turning his stare to Jiro. The teen's smile widens, and he waggles his fingers at the Stray Dog.
Ash... well. Sakura doesn't remember meeting the guy. She'd probably be glad for that. Just like she's glad she's not paying attention to Jiro.
Nope. All her attention's on the fight, such that even after her punch rockets waaaay past Kula, she's still quick to turn about and keep her coffee-colored eyes trained on the girl. Landing in a low crouch, Sakura's facing Kula when the ice crystallizes in her general direction -- but she's not going to flinch -this- time. No, she jumps right =towards= the ice, staying low -- and miraculously, the ice lances right through her right shoulder's sleeve, with no damage at all! She certainly didn't =plan= it that way, because her primary goal was to come up right underneath Kula with another uppercut -- second verse, same as the first, except with the =left= hand rocketing up into Kula's abdomen. "SHOOOU'OOOU KEN!"
Benimaru doesn't take Jiros rather disrespectful behaviour in the same light as Mister Crimson, as soon as that finger is lifted, his free hand raises to lower his shades a bit, his baby-blue eyes narrow. In most circumstances, that'd result in a beating. Not tonight though, he gives a snort to Jiro, and just gives a small nod to Ash before moving on.
This isn't going at all how Kula planned it. Kula's ice stream usually doesn't fail her, and the girl is caught completely flat-footed as the punch connects with her stomach. She grunts as the wind is knocked out of her, and collapses down onto the ground again on her knees, holding her stomach. That...really hurt. She coughs once and spits, checking for blood, and flinches a bit when she spies some before she weakly gets back up again and looks at Sakura. She's hesitant now. Not sure what to do, and likely to panic. Blinking her eyes a few times, Kula clasps both of her hands together, and charges forward to attempt to swing them both around at Sakura's side, ice forming around them to turn it into a nice blunt club.
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Kula's Medium Punch.
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Kula 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Sakura
Ice club? So is Kula doing her Yeti impression now? If so... Sakura really doesn't want to be the penguin on the receiving end here, so after her uppercut, she once again finds herself crouching. Dropping one knee to the courtyard floor, she brings both hands high over her head, letting the blow glance dully off her padded handguards -- not a light hit by any means, but enough to send a shudder through Sakura's light frame. Not to mention the chill! "Nnf! But don't worry..."
But Sakura doesn't stay on one knee for long -- rising, she delivers a quick jab punch to the abdomen. "There's plenty more --" before following through with a harder, full-armed power punch to the sternum. That's the goal, anyway! "-- where that came from!"
COMBATSYS: Kula blocks Sakura's Fierce Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Kula 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1 Sakura
Pulling her hands apart (and letting those nice halves of her ice club fall away), Kula shakes her hands to get a bit of warmth back into them. People think it's those she attacks who suffer the most from the cold she carries around with her, but Kula also has difficulty dealing with it sometimes. Why do people think she's always clad in leather? To keep the heat in, of course. Kula shivers a bit, and then extends out a hand fast to catch Sakura's first punch, a nice soft pad of snow from her hand helping to soften it, and then brings her other arm up to catch the other attack, again a brief shield of ice wrapping around it to soften the impact.
Kula pushes back then, and stumbles once before she finds her footing. Bringing a gloved hand up to wipe at her mouth, Kula considers her actions for a moment, and then decides to stick with what's worked. Namely, she pushes forward with one foot while falling backward, and then pushes with her hands again to slide at Sakura. Both feet press together as she raises them up to hit the sides of the other girl's feet.
COMBATSYS: Kula successfully hits Sakura with Slider Shoot.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
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Kula 1/-----==/=======|=======\===----\1 Sakura
Also, Ash is gone. He disappears like that sometimes. Poor Jiro.
Oof... yeah. Sakura was starting to get a big smug grin from all those punches. Hitting someone else is a fun sensation! Which... would probably explain why the tomboy grooves on fighting so much, huh?
Uh, yeah. She also enjoys long walks in the beach, getting her feet kicked out from under her, and flying headlong into the bench she'd set her stuff into. It was there all along, Sakura was just getting backed into it without realizing, and then, *WHAM!*, there it is clocking her right in the head.
How embarassing.
At least the girl's quick to bounce back, though. She's been hit harder. No, really. So as she picks herself up and kicks off the bench, flying towards Kula with her head throbbing red? ... Yeah, that's just an anime special effect. Not a head wound. Nope.
Oh yeah. The punch, it comes straight for Kula's shoulder. "HRAAAAAAH!"
COMBATSYS: Kula dodges Sakura's Fierce Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kula 1/-----==/=======|=======\===----\1 Sakura
Kula almost apologizes. She didn't mean for Sakura to bang her head on the bench, honest. And she certainly didn't mean for it to sound like /that/ when her head impacted. She almost asks if Sakura's all right, too, her stance relaxing once she's up on her feet again, hands held up close against her. Training falls away as Kula immediately flashes through the different ways Sakura could need medical help, and it would be all her fault. Now there's a terrifying thought.
Luckily, though, it seems Sakura has a hard head! Even as the punch is thrown and Kula barely steps sideways, she's visibly sighing in relief and smiling. It doesn't seem like Sakura even has a concussion, which is wonderful. A bit hesitant to strike Sakura so soon after that blow, she swings around and brings up a foot to try to tap Sakura on the side. Nicks and dings to wear her down.
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Kula's Light Kick.
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Kula 1/-----==/=======|=======\====---\1 Sakura
"Heh, my ears are still ringing from that last one," she confides in an attempt to cheer Kula up.
Nicks and dings? Sakura's made of sterner stuff than that! Which might explain how she's able to throw her arm downward, deflecting that kick aside, even after all the ringing in her ears. She's hardcore and stuff!
Of course, it'd be a wasted opportunity if she didn't try and cross Kula up herself. Sakura takes a half step closer, trying to snap her knee up into Kula's thigh. It's not likely to leave any more than a bruise, unlike most of her prior attacks, but she's of a similar mindset -- stick and move, stick and move!
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Kula with Medium Kick.
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Kula 1/---====/=======|=======\=====--\1 Sakura
...okay, now, Sakura did that on purpose. Kula's so intent on what Sakura was saying, that the kick up slips past her last-second attempt to get out of the way, and connects with her thigh. No, it might not raise much more than welp, but in Kula's rather battered form, it's enough to stagger her and make her drop to one knee. "...I'm glad you're okay." Sakura might not hear them, but Kula felt the need to say them, at least.
Pushing herself unsteadily back up, Kula decides...to resort to a move somewhat more primitive than she's used to doing. She lunges forward at Sakura's legs, and turns around, reaching up to try to grab Sakura's hand. And then, she's going to lean forward, trying to flip Sakura over her head onto the ground. Here, some stay down here with Kula for a while. Getting up is taking more and more effort.
COMBATSYS: Kula successfully hits Sakura with Medium Throw.
- Power hit! -
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Kula 1/--=====/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Sakura
Oh yeah, like 'babbling incoherently' doesn't come hand-in-hand with banging one's head into a metal bench, Sakura just =had= to do that on purpose, eh?
Well, Sakura's not offended. She heard the words, and smiles briefly in response... well, at least until she gets snagged by Kula and tossed over her head, and -- OH SNAP! -- right into the -courtyard!- Slam, bam! Sakura falls over onto her side, and it looks like she might be down for the count!
Well, she's not. It wasn't a lie, just a momentary lapse in signs of consciousness as her legs fell limply after her shoulders and arms. (And now, a moment of free fanservice for everyone!) "Nn-gyyyyuuu..."
After a moment, though, she's spinning her way back to an upright position, looking more like a breakdancer than anything else. Though that might be due to the fact that her legs spin, and =keep= spinning, towards Kula's shins. Hey, it worked for her, right? "Right back at you -- here I come!" Well, the revolving kick is intended for one, two, three, =four= hits, before Sakura rises to deliver a fifth hard roundhouse to her already-beleaguered abdomen. "HAAA! HAA! HAA! HAA! HAAAAAAAH!"
COMBATSYS: Kula blocks Sakura's Haru Ichiban.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Kula 1/=======/=======|=======\-------\1 Sakura
Kula sits there for a few seconds, just taking some deep breaths, and holds her sides. She's been hit harder by people, but that was either work-related or for one of those big fights in the arenas. This is the first time she's taken a pounding like this outside of there. She respects Sakura for being willing to not hold back against her, and just wishes she could be the same. But, she is holding back, because even if it means she loses a medal...the fight just doesn't mean as much to her as it does the other girl.
She curls up a bit, and a barrier of ice wraps around her legs as the kicks come, chipping away at it like a hammer. Finally, Kula plants her hands down on the ground, and pushes her leg up to kick at Sakura, snapping off that block from her other foot, and aims it at the back of the other girl's knee.
COMBATSYS: Sakura interrupts Medium Kick from Kula with Shou'ou Ken.
[ \\\ < > ///// ]
Kula 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\==-----\1 Sakura
...Well... no, Kula may not have as much of an interest in the fight. The fangirl puts =everything= into fighting -- while it may not be a 24/7 interest like her master's, that's only because parental units get involved. And... friends and such.
But Sakura runs through scenarios such as this in her mind =all the time=. Maybe they don't involve limbs encasing themselves in ice, but part of her training involves quick and decisive reactions. And in this case, the fangirl's reaction to an ice block to the knee is much as it was earlier in the fight -- a good hard uppercut! Kula's strike doesn't do as much as it ought to simply because Sakura's leg doesn't stay put -- she's dashing forward, and slamming her fist up into Kula's ribcage at much the same time. It's... well, yes, it hurts, but Sakura's just trying to assure a complete win here.
Because it's only fair to give the most to someone who's asked for a fair challenge, right? "Shoooou'ooou Ken!"
Puzzlement crosses Kula's face as the fact that her leg hasn't solidly connected with anything yet manages to find it's way to her mind. That's funny, she could've sworn Sakura was right th-AAGH. Kula's eyes widen a bit as the fist finds its way home, and she doubles over again, coughing and gasping for breath. Again, there's that spattering of blood, but Kula is rather delicate. For a fighter, anyway.
The girl gets to her hands and knees, palms pressed firmly down against the concrete. It's a move not uncommon to see her prepare for towards the ends of fights. The one where huge columns of ice explode out of the ground towards her 'target'. And there is a noticible dip in the temperature as Kula takes a few wheezy breaths. However, one hand reaches up to the medal and holds it, Kula mentally weighing something in her mind, and then she gives a quick tug to snap it off and hold it. She smiles a bit, and weakly says, "...I guess I shouldn't have issued the challenge, huh?" She tosses the medal out to land at Sakura's feet, and then her eyes roll back into her head and she doubles over onto her side again, just focusing on taking calm steady breaths.
Sure, she could've used a move to attempt to finish Sakura off as well, but...considering what the move is intended to /do/ to people...she'd never forgive herself if it hits. Besides, it would completely tear up the school courtyard, and she's in detention enough as it is.
COMBATSYS: Kula takes no action.
[ \\\\\ <
Sakura 1/----===/=======|
COMBATSYS: Kula can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\ <
Sakura 1/----===/=======|
Well. Brutalizing Kula wasn't exactly Sakura's goal for the day, but... well. It -was- a challenge. And Kula =did= beat down Sakura pretty hard the last time they'd fought. ... =really= hard, to the point of embarassment for the King of Fighters winning teammate.
But this... well. It's not quite 'redemption' so much as... well, giving Kula what she'd promised at the start of the fight: a good match.
Which is why Sakura's still on the guard, as if she's =expecting= the stalagmites of ice to come plummeting through the ground to impale her. And when they don't come, Sakura =still= jumps back, thinking the medal is part of it. That's how scared she was!
Stepping forward hesitantly afterward, Sakura reaches out and takes the medal softly. "Uh... well... I did say I didn't wanna make it easy for you, right?" she asks with a wince. Kneeling beside Kula, she clasps her hand around the girl's icy glove. Maybe they can't feel each other through it, but it's the thought that counts. (And besides, ice feels good after all those punches!)
"Are you okay, Kula? I'm... sorry for going a bit overboard, but..."
COMBATSYS: Sakura takes no action.
[ \\\\\ <
Sakura 1/----===/=======|
COMBATSYS: Sakura has ended the fight here.
Kula curls up a bit more even after Sakura takes hold of her hand. The four-year old (fourteen, as far as the public's concerned) still needs a bit of work on her emotions, since a mixture of adult logic and primal childhood fears are swimming in her mind. It's a wonder she's even able to smile and look at Sakura. "I...think so. You hit pretty hard." She places her free hand on her side where the burn is, just to feel the cool against it. "...but I did challenge you. I'm glad you gave it your all." There's a bit of silence from the girl for a bit before she says, "...I think I'm gonna lie here for a couple minutes." She weakly squeezes Sakura's hand, and says, "...I hope we can still be friends." No, that's not so much a result of the fight talking as it is Kula still trying to master the art of having friends and keeping them. She isn't sure what being put against each other in a tournament like this means.
Well, the Hadouken was probably only a 'burn' in the concussive sense, it shouldn't last long or scar or anything. And besides, that's what NESTS has vats for, right?
And it's good that Kula senses Sakura's sentiment, even as she's scratching her cheek in mild apology. "Y...yeah, I'm... still, really sorry about that..." Funny how she's only sorry when it looks like Kula might be about ready to cry. Typical behavior for the tomboy, anyway.
Squeezing Kula's hand back, Sakura... actually starts to laugh at that. "Still be friends? Th... of course we will... right?" Incredulous, Sakura reaches over and gives Kula a light hug. "It's just a fight! Just like SNF or anything else, like... sports and whatnot. It's just for fun!"
Grinning, she sits indian-style next to Kula, rubbing the back of her head. "... I might, like, wanna lie down in a bit from the headache, but hey, nothin permanent, right?"
Log created by Sakura, and last modified on 02:42:54 11/01/2005.