Description: A chance meeting of Kyosuke Kagami and Kurow Kirishima turns somewhat violent -- and Kurow shows Kyosuke just what edge he thinks he has over Hyo's failed attempt at taking Japan.
The nib of a fine-tipped pen danced graceful strokes across the ivory pages of a note book. Each character was carefully wrought inspite of the speed at which they were jotted down by the steady hand. The thoughts behind them were just as meticulous, and the bespectacled youth leaned back in his chair unbothered by the chatter that suffused the air. Dark solemn eyes studied the writing in silence, then set the pen down before pausing long enough to take a long sip from the still steaming cup of tea at his side.
It was a short speech meant to discuss and support the funding for additional aid to those in the Thailand recovery and rebuilding, the lead Kyosuke could do to try and rally the student body and their patrons. Some of their own had been involved, and though his responsibilities held him here...
The younger of the Imawano twins had come to one of the small coffee and tea shops that dotted the mall, choosing to seat himself out on the patio. Other tables about him were filled, as for his own...the other side was empty, and none had sought to claim the unused chair for their use. It would be unbecoming of him to use it as a footrest aswell, so there it sat as he worked in his little bubble before heading back to the school.
Coincidence, or perhaps synchronicity, is a remarkable thing. One can spend months, even years searching for one man, and never see even the barest artifact of his presence on the earth; however, if one needs to find a man but does nothing to actually find him, he may well walk past. It may be at the least opportune time of all, of course -- there are downsides to synchronicity -- but at the very least, it often gets the job done.
Kurow Kirishima is not much for coffee, though he does enjoy the occasional tea as much as any man with enough money to afford good tea on a regular basis; that is not the purpose of his walk through Southtown's open-air mall, though. He's here to catch up with an... acquaintance currently working a summer job fairly deep in the Mall, and as such ends up passing by most of its numerous shops. He makes note of which ones to stop by again later, to pick up a few modest luxury items.
... When he sees Kyosuke on the patio of the coffee shop, though, he is forced to make a choice. While the youth would never say in earnest that what he wanted was a fight with the man from the Morals Committee, he'd be lying -- there's nothing Kurow wants more than to prove his strength against the likes of the Imawano family. Even with the Darkside Society Organization itself defunct, Kirishima still has a personal score with the family -- one he cannot pass up an opportunity to try to fulfill...
which is why, in the end, he succumbs to that temptation and sits down in front of Kagami, giving him a small smile as he glances at the pen and notebook. "Keeping busy in spite of summer, I see," he says, hiding as much of his malice as he can.
Kyosuke isn't the only one that's fond of coffee and tea shops. Though really, Yurika Kirishima tends to prefer quieter, less crowded areas. Someplace nice and relaxing so she can read her tras-
Her romance novels in peace. But that isn't what she's up to today, however. She just so happened to be heading to one of her favorite stores, 'Baby, the Stars Shine Bright', which is somewhere on one of the upper floors.
But on her way to the apparel store, she just so happens to peek over the railing and catch sight of not only Kyosuke, but of course Kurow as well, which brings a very small frown to her face. Really, there was only one way this was going to end.. On the other hand, she was curious to see how the Morals Commitee member, president, and also client, would be goaded into her brothers evil scheme.
If the teenager had spotted Kurow, he gave no indication when the other approached. Kyosuke had gone back to penning his thoughts to paper, and only when the other spoke up did he deign to lift his gaze, but not before finishing up the sentence with the final punctuation. His expression remained most uninformative, and his gaze a cool appraisal barely broaching interest. Goaded? Kyosuke wasn't one to be so easily pressed. "Summer is only a season, there's no such thing as a vacation from duties when others depend on you." He bookmarked his book with the pen, closing its pages from any curiousity Kurow may have.
"The same can be said of yourself." He pointed out casually, alluding to the knowledge of some of the antics the other had gotten into. Yes, he'd heard about the meeting with his brother, as for rumours... "As much as it may amuse you to play at this charade, not everyone has time for games. Do you want something Kirishima, or are you here simple for the shop's wares?" Was that the beginnings of a smile-- no, he touched his glasses. "If it is the latter, then I would recommend the netto gyokuro."
Yurika is as of yet, unnoticed. Atleast openly.
Kirishima pays no mind to his sister, though he can sense her here as plain as day, even without looking -- they are family, after all. He keeps his focus purely on Kyosuke, purely on the task at hand. Mixing anything else with business, after all, bodes ill even in the best of times and ends in tragedy in the worst. No, better to stay dead-locked on the Imawano twin sitting before him. "I'd considered stopping in for tea," Kirishima says, "but I decided against it when I saw a far more pressing concern in front of me."
The youth gives Kyosuke a little smirk, before saying, "I suppose it'd be better for both of us if we took it a little further out." A fight, he presumably means -- /here/? In public? It wouldn't be /too/ much of a surprise to watchers and passers-by, he likely reasons -- after all, both Kagami and Kirishima have been seen to fight in all manner of public venues when the mood strikes them or there's a need. It's not a particularly /big/ risk. "I'd hate for you to have to rewrite whatever you're writing, after all."
Don't mind Yurika, she doesn't have much to say. She's just being nosey, but at least she's looking very fashionable while doing so. She's a bit too far to really hear anything, so she more or less has to 'wing it', as it were, from her current position.
"Is that so, a 'pressing concern'." Kyosuke's voice was deceptively mild as he spoke, "How unfortunate that this conern should disrupt your plans." He lightly tapped a finger to the cover of the book, it's surface smooth. "No doubt it's become quite a bad habit." Here the more open of the Imawano twins finally did allow himself the flicker of a smirk, as if he knew full well that they were forshadowed to conflict. There'd be no apologies here from either party, both were quite happy to cause the other some sort of obstruction. Their last full on 'meeting' had ended a bit abruptly, mayhap they'd finish it this time.
By no means would he be overconfident, Kurow may be younger than himself, but the teen had skill. Skill enough that Hyo found difficulty, not a simple feat. With that, Kyosuke rose to his feet, pushing back the chair with a small scrape against concrete. One or two people looked up, a waitress poked her head out to check to see if the grey-haired boy was staying...Nope, no sale.
Slipping the notebook into a pocket, Kyosuke left his unfinished tea behind and wordlessly walked out onto the street. Let Kurow follow, this game of theirs had many levels. One of the smaller parks were nearby, a dog out with the ownder playing frisbee, another group packing up with picnic items...lots of activity but more importantly. Space. And no more collateral damage he'd have to find money to pay for inadvertedly. It wasn't in Kyosuke's personality to attack without warning viciously, though not once did he relax entirely. If the other chose to forgo any further pleasantries, he'd be ready.
Meanwhile, Batsu is in queue for a hotdog. The same hotdog he's been trying to get for 4 months. Batsu sighs, the prospects of success are not looking good. But it'll happen one day!
Perhaps the biggest advantage that Kyosuke has over Kurow is his lack of emotional investment in the battle. For all that Kurow is trying to play it off, he really does want to see the Imawano twin bleed -- indeed, it's the entire reason he decided to stop. He doesn't think it's likely he'll get the opportunity to kill or subvert Kyosuke, here in this public place... but then, not every battle has to carry such a weight. A battle can simply be a release, or a small hors d'ouvre well before the big meal. Even a battle with a hated foe does not explicitly have to carry the weight of death.
The youth follows Kyosuke out toward the park, more than happy to take the battle to such a venue -- though he might admit later that he'd like something with less open space. The youth has always had excellent luck in quarters perhaps a little too close, after all; open spaces have traditionally been his doom. Passing by the Ichimonji in the hot dog line and going to a relatively 'open' part of the park, the youth looks Kyosuke over once, before finally saying, "You wouldn't happen to have seen Shoma Sawamura recently, would you? I haven't heard from him in some time." Perhaps he's genuinely curious; perhaps he's trying to bait Kyosuke.
Katelynn says, "Ooops wrong way"
The grey-haired youth turns his head as if hearing some distant, mostly irrelevant noise -- but quickly recenters himself, looking back to Kyosuke. Whatever it was, it probably doesn't matter too much.
Kyosuke wasn't the type to make his decisions based solely on the spurr of the moment, that moment being emotionally strained. Did he want to make Kurow hurt inexplicably? Not really, but he wouldn't be too coy about feeding the other a strict lesson...that if required, may involve some pain. Not everyone could be swayed with words alone, as the other had learnt when it came to Kyosuke. Or maybe he was still learning, the bait to catch this Imawano fish needed to be jucier.
"I have." Unflustered as ever, Kyosuke turned to face Kurow without a flicker of anger or hate. "I wasn't aware that you cared about his whereabouts, have you two been friends long? He might have mentioned you." Might? Kurow wasn't the only one who had knowledge about their Clan's mental arts, and though he was no Hyo-- his smile was faint and far from warm. Almost as chill as the hue of his chi. Batsu was left to his own devices, infact Kyosuke had purposefully not called out to him. This...was private. His friends had a special place in his life, but there were things one needed to deal with on your own.
Besides, he had no intentions of making this a life and death fight. "By the way, since we're checking on persons...Have you by chance seen Sakura Kasugano? With her graduated, I haven't had a chance to hear from her in sometime." Purposefully quoting back some of Kurow's own words, he stepped foward then spun out with a flying kick-- though the real danger lay in the fist that would come flashing up if the other served well as a feint.
COMBATSYS: Kyosuke has started a fight here.
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Kyosuke 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Kurow has joined the fight here.
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Kyosuke 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Kurow full-parries Kyosuke's Strong Punch!
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Kyosuke 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Kurow
Somewhere in the open-air mall, buying tea, is an old man in a chinese shirt, slacks, and nice-looking shoes. This is almost certainly unimportant.
When Kurow hears Kyosuke mention Shoma, his suspicions are raised -- is Kyosuke precisely /why/ Shoma hasn't reported in since the fall of Thailand? He can't be sure, but it's a possibility... and it's when he hears the young man in white mention Kasugano that he realizes that Kyosuke isn't truly on a fact-finding mission. He's simply being coy about something that Kurow is not about to tolerate coyness over -- and when Kyosuke comes in with that flying kick, Kirishima is there in seconds.
The boy doesn't even have time to retract the flying kick and go in for the punch -- his body is like an inhuman blur, rushing out to meet Kyosuke's oncoming form, grabbing that extended foot with one hand... and catching the punch Kyosuke feinted for in the other. It's like he knew where the Imawano was coming from even before he began to move... or perhaps saw it, in his mind's eye, as the other youth talked.
The youth shoves both of the caught limbs out to either side, leaving Kyosuke's body wide open for him to suddenly take a forceful jump over the small distance between them, attempting to shove the claws of both hands deep into Kyosuke's neck...
COMBATSYS: Kyosuke blocks Kurow's Circle Slash EX.
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Kyosuke 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
If Kurow wasn't having fun playing this game, then he shouldn't have sought to bring it up. Kyosuke was only dealing with the cards he had been dealt, and turned the other's words back at him with as much information as the other had presented. The truth was, he was indeed the reason why Shoma hadn't come scurrying back to his over-inflated skirts-- sure the meeting had been a fluke. But why should he serve that up on a plate? As for Sakura...he already had his theories, but even then he needed confirmation. It all rested on Kurow's response, physically and verbally.
Fact finding and being a source of ire inspireing irritation, two birds with one stone. That was just Imawano efficiency.
"Tch--" The sound was born of the sudden pain from having those sets of claws not land in his neck...but rather slash against his upperback as he moved to duck and avoid the other's riposte. Scarlet tears in one swift motion ruined his jacket, "You don't seem too interesting in talking anymore, have I upset you?" He whirled to face the agile Clan member, and proving that he was no slouch to lumber across the ground...followed after with a leap of his own his hands sissoring out before him aiming to catch the other before he could recover full on with the arrow-head of heated blue-white energy.
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Kyosuke's Shadow Wave.
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Kyosuke 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
In truth, Kurow had wanted to answer Kyosuke with claws sunk deep into his neck -- he'd elected to skip such things when he found them merely dug into the other man's back, and at a bad angle for continuing what he'd intended. Pulling them back, as Kyosuke addresses him again, he yells his only answer to Kyosuke's inquiry with sudden, surprising force, "Don't play GAMES with me, Imawano!" The youth thinks that Kagami already knows the whole tale -- of Vega, Sakura, and Kurow's 'destined battle' with those five fighters, of Sakura's recapture and Vega's destruction -- and is just trying to tease /more/ information out of him, rather than simply not knowing.
Whipping his body around, he pulls it out of the path of that wave of energy only barely, trying to find a better pace for the fight. If he lets Kyosuke get too far under his skin, he'll concede the fight to Kyosuke... so rather than come in full-force as Kyosuke seems to be trying to get him to, the Kirishima scion decides to try to affirm the value of a measured response. "Tell me -- has your /brother/ recuperated yet!?" he demands of his foe as he comes in for a quick, hard swipe at Kyosuke's midsection. The attack is remarkably clean, though, clearly almost entirely uncolored by Kurow's frustration at Kyosuke and his rage at the Imawano family. Its strength, more than anything, lies in solid technique.
COMBATSYS: Kyosuke dodges Kurow's Medium Strike.
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Kyosuke 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
Kyosuke's been known to be less obliging than initial impressions may have given, especially when it came to accepting injury. The set of slashes however twinged each time he moved and reminded him of their presence, a nuisance more than anything. Thankfully they weren't very deep, else his clothing would have been swapped to a crimson jacket verses one that stumbled into some hippy half tye-dye. It was an affront to fashion he silently accepted as unavoidable.
"I was under the impression you enjoyed playing games." Came the less than ruffled reply, not what Kurow wanted. Not in his favour, Kyosuke didn't know the whole story. He knew bits and pieces, what he could coax out of Shoma, what he gleaned from key transmissions-- but by and large...the depth of the other's involvement remained shadowed. "Enlighten me Kirishima, what is it that you really want?"
And then he went and mentioned Hyo. Were he someone like Batsu with a firey spirit and less a mind for tactical strategy, he may have just went after Kurow all out. Instead, he delt with the issue at hand first...that being Kurow's wickedly spiked fingers that would have added a matching set to his back. Instead Kyosuke slipped on past, almost gliding with the movement, "I see you have." Uttered words right next to the other's ear where he appeared, his arm already out to hook the younger teen...and maybe send him into a spinning throw into the air as he threw himself down with his resisting opponent.
COMBATSYS: Kurow counters Back Roll Throw from Kyosuke with Double Slash.
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Kyosuke 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Kurow
Kyosuke does everything exactly right. He reaches out for Kurow at just the right time, gets his hand around him precisely. Truly there is no more perfect interpretation of the technique than Kyosuke's... but Kirishima has one advantage. He knows timing inside and out, and right when Kyosuke's committed to hooking that arm around him, right as the topic of 'what Kurow really wants' comes up -- it's then that the youth's righteous fury catches up with him again, and, teeth gritting, he shoves one claw right into Kyosuke's exposed armpit, stopping the technique cold and pushing away a little.
"What I really want, Kyosuke?!" he yells, almost forgetting, for a second, where the pair finds themselves; he eventually brings his tone back down to a more even one, harder to eavesdrop on, as he says, coldly, "What I want is what your brother no longer has the courage to seek. I want to lead this country into a new age." One which would primarily benefit Kurow, of course, but he leaves that part out -- after all, isn't that to be assumed in all human interaction? People will take the actions most beneficial to themselves. "I want to take control of its future -- of the schools of Southtown."
The youth finally shoves that other claw into Kyosuke's stomach, using the somewhat awkward hold to turn Kyosuke on his side and slam him straight into the ground, yanking both claws out midway through the downward toss. "And most importantly, I want to see the Imawano family wiped FROM THE EARTH!" Kurow perhaps gets a little carried away, this close to some uninvolved parties... but then, street fighters have always inflated their own importance -- even something like this likely is not /too/ new in Southtown.
To say that no one has noticed their little scuffle would be a lie. It's not everyday that people decide to just cavort into the park then lay into each other with sharpened blades with pure intent to maim while kids are playing. Ofcourse, the kids were holding their icecream looking on with wide-O shaped mouths before some of the more mindful mothers usher them away. Those older were making bets. Kyosuke wasn't getting many with his performance there-- and those who'd betted that way swore and scowled.
"That again." Was about all he got out before he was more than hardpressed. That which was to have played into his advantage quickly turned on its head against him. There was little room to avoid the claws, and he hissed when the first found him. It was all he could do to avoid having it rend more than it should, "Guuahh--" likely the response that'd please Kurow the most. Giving flesh met cold metal, sinking into his stomach as he buckled and moved with the other's push for the same reason as the first. So much for keeping the rest of his clothing intact, alas, the trouble when fighting Kurow.
Kyosuke met the ground hard, a scattering of red splashing the grass as he did and a grimace etching his features. In his fall though he'd make one attempt, to grab a hold of the other's hand--
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Kyosuke's Random Weapon.
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Kyosuke 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Kurow
No scuffle goes /unnoticed/, but conversely, few are extremely /remarkable/ in Southtown save the sorts that result in the death and resurrection of loved industrialists. As is apparent, this is just another event to bet on to many people; the context is all but completely lost but for a few particularly informed men... only two of whom are here, and they're the very two that engage one another in this otherwise sleepy part of the Mall.
Kirishima yanks his hand away as Kyosuke begins to reach for it, letting him finish the fall without even a chance to take control over the fight again. His style has gotten much more direct, brutal, straightforward since the last time they fought. "Is that the best you've got, Imawano? One little, furtive grab at my hand?" Kurow spits, still standing above the fallen Kyosuke, not moving. The youth has a very simple tactic for dealing with fallen opponents -- and this time, he doesn't even have to get a good hold on any throats with those claws.
With a short hop, Kurow tries to slam his feet down into Kyosuke's torso... and then simply /spins/, in a quick, brutal attack that will likely break and wrench all manner of bones in Kagami's body. If the assault works as planned, he delivers one last, forceful stomp before stepping off, a cruel smile crossing his face. "That's not /nearly/ enough!" he declares.
COMBATSYS: Kyosuke blocks Kurow's Strong Kick.
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Kyosuke 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Kurow
Kyosuke grunted where his arms met in a warding cross above his chest, the entire lengths shaking beneath the force of Kurow's atempt to imprint the soles of his feet on his shirt. Seeing as how it was ebony and rapidly growing darker with the slick warmth of his own blood, it would have been in a most painful fashion where more than just clothing suffered from an 'impression'. His stature wasn't one that immeadiately lent itself to thoughts of immense strength, but the Imawano was strong enough to shove off and roll back onto his knees. Step one to getting back up.
That last bit only served to further aggravate his injuries, and he alreayd felt a touch of headiness from the loss of blood. Any further exhertions would only see the further loss, and if he wasn't careful...he may just succumb to exactly what Kurow wanted. Too bad he was stubborn.
"So I'm inclined to believe." Rocking back onto his heels, he still braced a hand to the ground, casting his gaze up to Kurow. Kyosuke remained as level headed as ever, his voice calm. You'd never think he was so badly injured. "What gave you the impression that Hyo has given up? From what you're saying our goals aren't all that different..." He paused, "The methods perhaps, but isn't it all the same. What you propose to do you want by force, what's wrong with another tact? Is it so scary to have people think and decide for themselves."
COMBATSYS: Kyosuke focuses on his next action.
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Kyosuke 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Kurow
The ninja takes a step back from Kyosuke, looking down at him until the young man finally gets back to a full standing position -- the youth can see Kyosuke's strength starting to flag, whereas he still feels relatively strong. What he needs is to keep the pressure on Kyosuke somewhat while not fully ceding control of the fight to him -- and most importantly, to minimize the chances of having his guts ripped out by the young man's well-calculated attacks.
Kurow begins to move back in as Kyosuke holds back, letting the man get his bearings a little but not completely -- after all, it's the ideal tactic for what he's about to try, if he remembers how things went last time. "You assume I'm just trying the same tactic -- you think that I haven't learned from his failure. Just because I'm not ceding everything to the power of 'friendship' -- of accepting weakness -- doesn't mean that I'm just going with the same tactics your brother used."
With that bit of explanation done, Kirishima suddenly launches himself forward, enveloping his entire body in a ball of black chi, curling himself in tightly as he floats toward Kyosuke with intent to not only slam that ball of chi into him, but also shred him with a combination of bladed chi and his own purely physical claws.
COMBATSYS: Kyosuke dodges Kurow's Yasha Guruma.
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Kyosuke 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Kurow
Kurow wasn't the only one who learnt from the past. Nothing about him was hurried, and he seemed quite content to remain where he was, resting and studying the teenager. Was he unaware of what was being plotted? Maybe, mayne not. Kyosuke was the type of individual who dissected every bit of information presented to him and then acted upon it. Where he failed, well, not all calculations were perfect, and even he had his limitations. Kurow was a talented young man, but then so was Kyosuke. The lesser of the Imawano heirs, he was still more than enough to give the Kirishima boy a handful if the opening presented itself.
That he remembered that likely is what saved him all now.
"Did I say that? I must have missed it." He was now speaking from mid-way, his hands resting on his knees. "It always comes back to it, no matter how we might try. If not friendship, if not outright brute force, howelse do you plan to accomplish your goals?" Kysouke's sluggishness was just an exagerration, enough to lull the other into believing that he had become more of an easy target.
He lived to disappoint...his father might have once agreed to that.
Kyosuke was already moving by the time Kurow had launched himself towards him, familiar with the attack from before he'd calculated the most anticipated path...and simply was not there. The rumbling in the ground was fair warning enough, and his hand snapped up as the chi responded in a torrent of white and blue hissing and crackling energy that illuminated a small area even with the sun overhead. Whether or not Kurow was caught in this, remained to be seen.
COMBATSYS: Kyosuke successfully hits Kurow with Super Lightning Uppercut.
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Kyosuke 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1 Kurow
When Kyosuke begins to demand answers, to ask just how Kurow plans to make his dreams a reality, Kurow just looks him in the eyes and says, firmly, "I'd like to think I can keep a few secrets, Kyosuke." That's it. Perhaps it's because he doesn't want his ideas taken and used, now that he feels he really has the secret to taking his ambitions well in hand. Perhaps he has no answer. Whatever the case, he /certainly/ has no answer for Kyosuke.
As the torrent of chi springs up from the ground, Kurow tries to leap forward above it before it even starts; he's a split second too late, though, and the hissing energy rips him apart, crackling through his body. It's only the first shot that Kyosuke's landed on him, though... he's still got much, much more where that came from, whereas Kyosuke has spent much of the fight being slowly whittled away. Kurow thinks he has an advantage, even though he's scorched by the uppercut and starting to feel the power of the Imawano family.
There is actually some small advantage in being down on the ground, badly hurt, that Kyosuke may not immediately see. The men exchanging bets certainly don't see it -- a few of those who wagered on Kyosuke are starting to recant their previous lamentations. However, in the split second of surprise that Kurow thinks he has, he knows precisely what to do -- how to hurt Kyosuke, badly, if he can get it off. The youth suddenly bursts up from the ground and toward Kyosuke, moving at an incredible speed... but perhaps most importantly -- he's not going /quite/ straight across the park grass. There's a subtle difference from the last time he used this technique... but will Kagami have time to spot it?
COMBATSYS: Kyosuke dodges Kurow's Kirishima Kyoujuu Reppa.
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Kyosuke 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Kurow
It was no suprise. If Kurow had actually continued on to explain how he intended to do it-- he'd be remarkably dumb, or arrogant to underestimate their abillity to foil whatever it was. There'd be no disappointment, but all the same Kyosuke remained curious. It was one of those things he'd have to find out the hard way.
The flow of chi ebbed after that sudden deluge, the gates slowly dropped as Kyosuke maintained the control he was most renowned for keeping. Grass and soil alike were singed, cracks where there were non previously forked across the small area. "Fair enough." He made no move to approach the fallen teen, instead he waited. He waited...to also catch his breath. A thin sheen of sweat laced his temples, and Kurow had made the correct assessment. His strength was being whittled away like a piece of wood, and soon there'd be naught left but a fragile piece that could be snapped with thumb and forefinger.
He'd continue to make it difficult for Kurow for aslong as he could however, his eyes tracking the movement across the grass. The speed was daunting, but at the last moment he 'zigged' when the other 'zagged', anticipating the most damaging spot Kurow would have wanted him to be at...and simply not been standing there.
He'd leave a gift for Kurow, his focusing voice a low shout over the sudden surge of chi again. Where Kurow would have ended up, that's where he'd send it. Paired spearheads of that same energy lancing through the air.
COMBATSYS: Kyosuke successfully hits Kurow with Cross Cutter.
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Kyosuke 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Kurow
And at last, Kyosuke starts to take control of the battle. When Kirishima moves, Kyosuke is there -- with a present, at that, as those twin waves of energy slice out and tear into him, forcing him to stagger a few inches back, looking up at Imawano. Last time, he'd been so ready for that attack; this time, Kyosuke's timing is so much more vicious. What does the Imawano twin know that he doesn't?!
Most men, when faced with something like the Cross Cutter, would recoil back -- try to recover, or shift their tactics. Not so with Kurow Kirishima -- the youth has found that he does his best when constantly pressing his offense, never letting up, keeping his opponents from getting a break. Surprisingly, though, his next technique does not have the sort of raw force behind it most of his other strikes have.
What he tries this time is going for a strike at the oh-so-tender spot just between Kyosuke's neck and shoulders, driving a single claw into each one -- what he's seeking to do is not take Kyosuke down with raw force, but rather make him feel a great deal of pain without doing a great deal of genuine 'damage' in the conventional sense.
COMBATSYS: Kyosuke blocks Kurow's Quick Throw.
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Kyosuke 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Kurow
Patience.
Kyosuke was willing to wait, suffering his injuries without complaint, accepting the verbal assaults aswell like the face of a shear weathering wall of stone. Kurow may not have the same amount of restraint to do the same, but then no one's methods were the same. Neither was success a guarantee. Kyosuke didn't have the same unrelenting mannerisms as his twin, but they both were methodical about their approaches, and decisive about their actions.
Some may have interjected a particularly vitrious or taunting jab there when the attack hit, instead he accepted this and planned ahead. Kurow made the latter exceedingly difficult, if he desired to win. Ordinarily winning wasn't everything...experience was better, but even Kyosuke couldn't help but feel a tinge of rivalry with Kirishima. And a strong desire to somehow make up for what happened to his brother. None of these he let colour his decisions on the other hand.
Those claws were batted aside with an arm, the cloth shearing and edge finding flesh, but Kyosuke darted foward as he did so, reaching out-- for the other's neck in a crushing grip that he'd seek to slam the other after slipping a foot behind Kurow, to the grass. The complete opposite of what the other attempted. The time for words has passed?
COMBATSYS: Kyosuke successfully hits Kurow with Strong Throw.
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Kyosuke 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Kurow
Even if those past actions aren't coloring Kyosuke's actions, they're certainly fueling his /results/. Kirishima just can't get a break right now it seems, as Kyosuke performs a simple, brutal slam straight into the ground on Kurow; now it's Kurow's turn to get tossed around a little. It's about then that Kurow realizes his folly -- in a battle where everything focuses entirely on controlling the situation, Kyosuke wins. If the two of them try to beat each other with raw strategy, Kyosuke tears him apart.
It would appear it's time to be rational by exceeding rationality a little -- be coldly efficient by striking wildly. This is precisely the balance that Kurow doesn't see Hyo and his brother using, precisely Kurow's tactic for his bid for power... and recently, quite the /combat/ tactic as well. It certainly helped him fight Hyo.
With a wordless yell, Kurow suddenly lashes out toward Kyosuke from the ground, not even bothering to get back up -- he just begins to claw at the young man's ankles and tendons with as much force as he can muster, trying to shred tendons, scrape bone, and cut as deep as possible. It has little real 'tactical' nature whatsoever, mere wild, forceful striking... which Kurow thinks might actually catch Kyosuke off guard, since up until now he has mostly kept his cards close to his chest.
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Kyosuke with Fierce Strike.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
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Kyosuke 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Kurow
It would appear, that it was a logic that was entirely correct.
Kyosuke echoed that cry with one of his own, one of suprised agony as metal nearly clove through skin and sliced at the bone beneath. By the time he'd realised what the other was about, it was too late to do more than save the functioning of his legs-- all the same he crumpled to the ground beside Kurow, that sweat now a firm trickle down the side of his face, also smudged with dust. Bleeding from several injuries, and now the latest, his body protested any kind of movement, and his breathing laboured.
He'd been pressing himself these last couple rounds, making a great show of strength, but Kurow had figured it out. Through strategy he was able to overcome any of the imbalances, when that was ignored for irrational actions or from the leftside...Hyo and Kyosuke thought alike, it was true. Atleast when it came to combat.
His sneakers had long been turned red, and it refused to be stemmed with a single hand to the most masserated area. This round was his, and Kyosuke was trying to deal with shutting out the pain before responding in truth.
COMBATSYS: Kyosuke focuses on his next action.
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Kyosuke 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Kurow
As Kyosuke tries to put his slowly weakening offense back together, taking some time to try to reevaluate his strategy for the number of bloody wounds he's had inflicted on himself, Kurow decides to just keep going with things Kyosuke doesn't expect. He begins to back away, far away, as Kyosuke spends valuable time now on a future that may never come. But what will take him completely off-guard, Kurow asks himself, what could he do that would --
He sees it as he takes his last few steps back, ones which are curiously to one side... which makes far more sense a few seconds later. Kirishima does not charge in toward Kyosuke, for to do that would be to invite /certain/ doom. Now he's expecting a conventional charge, since Kurow has gotten himself lots of space for it -- perhaps it's another attack like that lunge before, but from a distance. That'd certainly be the rational choice.
What he's likely not expecting is for Kurow to extend the claws of one hand with the dark Imawano-ryu energy, use them to snag a rather large boulder, and -- with the full force of his run, his chi, and of course his arms -- just whip it toward Kyosuke with all the force he can, trying to simply plow through any defensive attempt Kyosuke might try.
COMBATSYS: Kyosuke dodges Kurow's Large Thrown Object.
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Kyosuke 1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Kurow
It was a little late in the game for Kyosuke to totally shelf his tactics and explore an entirely new scope. The time for wanton experimentation had passed since the early throws of the fight, now, it depended on his abillity to adapt to the other's new variation using his own. It was the kind of versatility in rigid practice that the Imawanos could use. Now if he could just abide the pain long enough to find his feet, he doubted he had much time to stave off the bleeding. This confrontation would be conclused soon enough he sensed, if anything from his own perspective.
It was a slow process, by the time he'd made it to a semi-upright state, Kurow had already backed off far enough that he was within reach of a particularly nasty sized rock. Boulder really. He saw it coming with his first few dragging steps. His teeth were locked, his features paled unaturally, but he moved closer. Still, too far, and his mobility hampered that even the rock was too much...There'd be no quick-footed pirouettes out of the way.
Kyosuke did the best he could, when it came, he threw himself down onto the ground and rolled. Not immeadiately onto his feet, but it was enough to have the stone go sailing over just missing him. His move back upride was quicker this time, Kurow on the other hand would find his foe severly incapacitated.
That didn't keep him from trying, and Kyosuke would make it towards the other with Imawano obstinancy...close enough to throw a barely controlled punch for the man's face. There were no fancy frills or feints. Just plain blunt brute force behind it, as much as he could muster.
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Kyosuke's Strong Punch.
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Kyosuke 1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Kurow
Simply punching Kurow is probably one of the worst possible tactics; Kirishima has always been more than able to deal with them, simply because they're so straightforward. When he's on a relatively even keel with his opponent, he /usually/ manages to outmaneuver them -- such is the case here, as Kurow advances in and weaves around the punch, going with the same strategy he's gone with for most of the fight in /that/ regard, at least. There are some aspects of Kurow that are predictable no matter what else he might be trying, after all.
The grey-haired young man has been put in a bad position, by his own reasoning; he needs to keep trying things that Kyosuke might not expect, because it's the only way he can take control of the fight. The youth has a reasonable cross section of tactics he's known for, and he can't use any of them. He has to improvise -- but who wouldn't Kyosuke see coming?
The answer comes when Kurow tries to take advantage of Kyosuke's possible overextension and his own close proximity, trying to lift up Kyosuke, toss him up into the air, and then catch him in a relatively simple backbreaker throw rarely seen in the high schools; indeed, its /primary/ users are none other than the Ikari Warriors.
COMBATSYS: Kyosuke blocks Kurow's Medium Throw.
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Kyosuke 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 Kurow
It's true, it was horridly simple yet Kyosuke was rapidly falling out of choices when it came to the brutility of attacks. He used what he could, and Kurow evaded it easily. Again it wasn't a suprise, but where others may have sank to the ground in acknowledged defeat-- he persued it. He had overreached, and with his tentative balance as it was...those grasping hands caught him and lifted him-- but not before he threw himself foward. His actions caused more injury than anything Kurow did, each second he remained on his feet he weakened...
But that jerk towards Kurow was aiming a shoulder right for his sternum, the force of his momentum behind it.
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Kyosuke's Light Kick.
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Kyosuke 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 Kurow
When Kagami comes in with that quick jerk of his shoulder, Kurow just barely inches out of the way with his own twitch reaction; he knows that Kyosuke can't go far with his legs in the condition they're in. He can now win, he thinks, entirely based on exploiting the economy of motion -- quick, little movements.
Of course, one thing that certainly wouldn't hurt would be to actually /injure Kyosuke/ in the process. When Kurow's sure that Kyosuke isn't going to try to slam his shoulder into him again, the youth comes in with a quick leap-and-punch aimed right for Kyosuke's head. While it lacks the slash of bird-wing-like chi that is Rock Howard's trademark, anyone would recognize the precise form of the hard punch as a Rage Run Dunk.
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Kyosuke with Medium Strike.
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Kyosuke 1/---====/=======|======-\-------\0 Kurow
It's true, with his mobility hampered the finer adjustments to his attacks nolonger came into play. The other's punch swiftly landed in the midst of Kyosuke struggling to regain not only his balance, but a firm hold on remaining upright. The teenager staggered back and fell, his senses momentarily dazed by the act. His injuries layered themselves on his shoulders like a weighted shroud, and edged him onto the gentle painless slumber that awaited him should he just succumb. He should, but he didn't, not before one last--
It was wilder, but the shaking was familiar. A warning to the impending raging energy he'd tasted earlier. It was courser, not nearly controlled but it responded. And with that last push to his feet-- hit or miss he'd fall onto the grass, all words that needed to be said spoken earlier. In the future, it'd be the figuring of fists.
COMBATSYS: Kyosuke can no longer fight.
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Kurow 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Kyosuke's Super Lightning Uppercut.
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Kurow 0/-------/-======|
This time, Kurow can tell that he has no reason to leap in over the blast and try to strike again -- all he has to do is get out of the way, and that he does, with a quick backward roll. The lightning arcs into the sky, dissipating... and leaves Kurow standing, freshly out of the roll, still up -- maybe even still /strong/, if not quite out-and-out /hearty/. The youth looks down toward Imawano -- it would be possible to kill him here, certainly, or worse. But it's too public -- and he can sense, somehow, that it's not the right time.
After two quick, forceful kicks to the Imawano's stomach (just to be sure, after all!), Kurow begins to retreat. "That's the strength I intend to use, Kyosuke. To succeed where you and your brother have failed." It doesn't matter to Kurow if Kyosuke can hear him -- Kyosuke will, he thinks, simply /know/. After all, for all the two are different, they're apples from the same now-dead tree, at least in spirit -- and even if they fall in different directions, they never fall too far from each other.
Log created on 19:55:49 07/18/2007 by Kurow, and last modified on 13:34:40 07/21/2007.