Description: Hotaru had pictured this moment for years - the anticipated encounter with her older brother at long last. But much to her dismay, there is nothing endearing about this family get together. Following a command from his master, Gato is determined to make sure this this brutal reunion is destined to be their final one.
Weekday afternoon - late enough for school to let out but not so late that the sun has quite set behind the rooftops of homes surrounding this walled in piece of property. The church yard is occupied by only one individual at the moment. The youngest member of the Futaba household and the only one that the public at large has any knowledge as to her whereabouts.
To her has fallen the estate left by her long gone father and deceased mother. It should have been the inheritance of two but the abrupt disappearance of Gato made sure that wasn't to be the case. While their home is maintained by a small helpstaff still being paid for out of the family estate, for over three years now, Hotaru has been the only caretaker for this other piece of property. A church yard, nestled in southtown. No longer in use by an actual congregation, the property was purchased by their father as a gift for their mother almost a decade ago when she had mentioned how dearly she loved the caroling bells that could be heard for miles around when they rang. It is on this property that the mother of Gato and Hotaru was entombed; the spot overlooked by a bronze statue of a large winged angel, her arms folded in front of her as if in prayer.
Hotaru is presently poised near a small pond. The green lily-covered surface ripples slightly due to the tiny creek that pours into it while the girl moves slowly and deliberately through a sequence of Tai Chi; a soft style martial art intended to aid in control over both body and mind. Her eyes are closed as she steps through the kata, her thoughts focused inward. Birds in the tree nearby seem to be providing soft musical accompaniment with their gentle warbling.
"Hmm. You seem to have made an impression on my new master," a voice suddenly says from behind her. A stern and all too familiar voice, "Unfortunately, not a good impression at all. Hotaru Futaba...I have been sent here from the practicioners of Ankoku to test you. Your fate depends on your success."
The voice comes from the man in the fine yellow silk shirt standing with his arms crossed and a bored expression on his face. Like his disappearance, his reappearance is abrupt, and with the words he speaks to his younger sister perhaps just as unsettling.
While he speaks his eyes scan across the church yard, taking in the sights and familiarizing himself with the environment. It changes his expression almost imperceptibly. A twinge of memory perhaps? It does nothing, however to quell the anger in his eyes. Like an ice-cube meeting a lava floe, it quickly disappears.
It's a lot to take in in the span of a heartbeat. Blue eyes opening as Hotaru literally freezes, arms extended in front of her, wrists bent so that her palms are forward. She recognizes the voice. It's a little deeper now than the voice she remembered him having years ago, and if that was the only change, that would be a relief. But it is not.
Lowering her arms, Gato's younger sister turns to face him, looking as if perhaps uncertain she is even really seeing him. Is this a dream? A vision brought on by the depths of meditation? "Brother..." comes the whisper. Years apart and now he speaks of a test. Hotaru had always expected a test when next they met. It was the drive to be ready for that very thing by which she pushed herself through grueling training and frightening matches day after day. She would prove herself in his eyes then. But now that the moment is upon her, she feels woefully unprepared.
Cautious steps forward are taken, arms coming up slightly. Now that she can see him in person as opposed to only catching glimpses of his occasional appearances in televised fights, she can see so much of the brother she once knew yet... at the same time, so much seems different as well. "Gato, wait, I-... Why does it have to be like this? There's so much that has happened. So much you should know!"
Gato's stern expression remains unphazed by Hotaru's words, as he slides right into the stance that his father taught him. His legs bend at the knees and slide apart to give him a wide center of gravity, while a hand moves in front of his face.
"Hotaru Futaba. Your words will not sway me from this fight. I have a job to do. You have your own job. Stop thinking, start fighting. Do not hold back, because I will not."
Gato's eyes take in Hotaru and his thoughts turn to battle. Already he begins to formulate his strategy, his plan of attack becoming clear in his mind. And.... he doesn't move. A cold wind rustles through the grass and he waits. Is he lying about not holding back, or is there something more than meets the eye to the violent kenpo fighter?
COMBATSYS: Gato has started a fight here.
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Gato 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has joined the fight here.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Gato
COMBATSYS: Gato focuses on his next action.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Gato
Again he calls her by her full name. Formal. Distant. Like a stranger with whom she shares no history, no heritage. "Brother, I-" And then he slips into a stance that she remembers well. So much like their father that the memory of to whom the style truly belongs blurs for a moment in her mind. But of one thing she is certain. When men of the Futaba household adopted that stance, they were not about to be disuaded by something as simple as words.
The girl nods her head slightly as if in acknowledgement. "I understand," she replies. Understands that this /is/ the moment she has been preparing for and that the time to get ready has run its course. Why he was sent and exactly who his new master would be is not perfectly clear to her. But she can remember well the final clues that had lead her to face the Martyr of Might in the forest one night. "It's him, isn't it. The one who bears that frightful mask... That's who sent you?" He had given her the hope of seeing her brother again, but this obviously wasn't what she had in mind.
Hotaru's own feet plant in the grass as she turns her right shoulder toward him, one arm raised out loosely in front of her while her other arm is bent at the elbow, hand at neck level. She slides one foot forward through the grass, her hair and ribbons tousled by the wind that has become strangely chilling for a lazy summer's afternoon. Breathing in, she exhales slowly, borrowing from the Tai Chi practice to control her breathing and suppress the uneasiness that would fill her with doubt if she allowed it. Fingers half clench as she waits, perhaps still reluctant to strike the blow after which there would be no more hope of talking.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru focuses on her next action.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Gato
"Hmph!"
That is the only answer Gato gives to her final question before he breaks into a run, one hand still held defensively in front of his face, while the other hangs down past his hips, as his knees piston high into the air one after the other, the sound of his footfalls on grass clear in the somber setting.
As he closes the distance between himself and the younger Futaba, the soles of both of his feet push down, launching him into the air and carrying him in a low somersault even closer to his sister. As he rights himself in the air, a foot launches out towards the girl, straightening along with his leg to form a hard flat blade, as his hands go out from his sides, helping him balance his flightpath.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru parries Gato's Sen-Ga!
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Hotaru 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Gato
She has no idea how hard he can hit by now. Years ago he had the advantage of age and height over her, putting him at a calibur far beyond what she could compensate for no matter how hard she tried. And stature, age, and experience are still on his side in this clash against siblings. But while she was denied the harsher training from her father - the training reserved for the one who seemed to be his favorite child, the girl had sat and watched as often as permitted the sparring and practicing her brother endured. A student of styles that depends on staying one step ahead to get by, the girl puts sharp memories to use as Gato takes to the air, as if she knows exactly where he is going to land.
A step forward is taken, as if erroneously believing she can weather the attack out with pure guts and determination. Bringing her arms up in a motion that at first looks like a defensive blocking reaction, the girl ends up pushing out against the side of her brother's leg while she takes a second step in an instant, avoiding the trajectory of his attack but maintaining a light touch with her hands sliding along the outside of his leg as he passes her by.
Only when his arm is about to go by her does she launch her own counter attack, reaching out to grab hold of it, trying to secure a grip on his limb before he has even had the chance to touch the ground. If she can get a hold, she'll take advantage of the leverage she has to deliver a rapid sequence of stomp-like kicks the moment his feet hit the grass, using him as a makeshift set of stairs, before back flipping off of his shoulders upon reaching the top. "Ya, ya, ya, ya!"
COMBATSYS: Gato fails to counter Shin-Jou Tai EX from Hotaru with Hou-zan Sai Heki-Ga.
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Hotaru 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Gato
As Gato goes sailing past Hotaru, he looks unsurprised by the turn of events, his legs already coming down to meet the ground just as the younger of the two grabs his arm. It brings a savage smile to his face for a moment, as he tries to pull his limb back, and twist his body towards Hotaru.
It's when his arm doesn't come back that surprise crosses his face. All of this happening within a split second ruins his gambit against his sibling. The next microsecond is a blur to him as his plan falls apart. His body weathers his young opponent's run up his back, and is pushed to the ground as she flips from his shoulders, causing him to look a bit dazed.
She comes to a landing in the grass, arms out at her sides, feet some distance apart as she assumes a low, hard to hit stance for a moment, taking that chance to watch her brother and evaluate him further. There is a tinge of hesitation as she takes in a quick breath then a slower, more controlled one afterward. Years of looking for him and the first thing she does is stomp him in the back?
But then she reminds herself. This is what she prepared for. To prove to him that she wasn't weak. And there's only one way she can put that beyond a shadow of a doubt. "I've been training for this day for a long time, brother. I want you to know that... that I'm not so weak as when you left me before. I can fight just like you can!"
She shifts from her crouching stance to a forward sprint in an instant, flipping into the air from a few yards out. At the apex of her jump, she comes out of the forward flip and dives knee-first toward her brother's shoulder. If she gets contact, she'll swing her other leg around to strike him in the side of his head before pushing off of him to backflip once again, trying to play a hit-and-run game it would seem. It's a somewhat difficult attack to deal with, but she isn't packing a ton of power behind it either due to the precarious angle it puts her at.
COMBATSYS: Gato blocks Hotaru's Rengeki Shuu.
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Hotaru 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Gato
Gato's body seems to be surprisingly nimble when it counts, as his shoulder twists out of the way, being replaced by a hand that deflects Hotaru's knee and helps propel him in a sideways log roll for a short distance. At the end of this he is back on his feet, looking at Hotaru, and seemingly lost in thought.
He seems to be a decent multi-tasker however, as he launches an assault. Stepping towards her and then leaning backwards, pressing his palm to the ground and pushing himself into the air, his feet begin to bicycle. If all goes according to plan, Hotaru will know what her throw felt like first hand.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Gato's Rai-Ga.
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Hotaru 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Gato
Landing back safely on the ground in the same low stance she landed with before, Hotaru at first tries staying close to her brother as he kicks out at her, clearly intending to leverage speed and position to get another solid hit in.
But as his legs strike out at her, she makes a snap decision that trying to play a dodging game with those rapid kicks of his is just too huge of a gamble. A single clean hit would likely be devestating. Thus it is in a bit of a panic that the girl ends up rolling backward out of range in the end, opting more for last-second evasion than a more controlled tumble. Thus she's slow to get back up and not even in a great position to take advantage of the opening Gato's attack would have left, giving him plenty of time to land.
Getting her bearings back, the girl exhales with a harsh HUH! before taking a risky jump back toward her brother, attempting to plant her hands against his shoulders. If she manages that, Hotaru will kick up into a handstand on top of her brother, take a moment to turn around, and then drop down behind him so that she can plant both of her feet into his upper back.
COMBATSYS: Gato dodges Hotaru's Ten Ranku-Tou.
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Hotaru 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Gato
Gato slides back gracefully as Hotaru leaps towards him, letting her find purchase on empty air, before shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders.
His hands shoot out, each trying to find themselves in different places, one seeking Hotaru's armpit, while the other tries to locate her hip. And if they find their targets? Gato isn't much for dancing, so any hope Hotaru might have for cutting a rug should be dismissed as the more brutal fighter will lift her up, and toss her behind him with a mighty heave. His grunt of exertion as he launches his hands out is easy proof as to just how mighty that heave will be.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru interrupts Medium Throw from Gato with Kobi Kyaku.
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Hotaru 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Gato
Landing after her failed attempt to get a grip on her brother, Hotaru is leaning forward a bit much, making it easy to pick her up off her feet as intended. But she doesn't flail helplessly once held aloft either, proving to be quite squirrelly in his grip.
Twisting herself around, she manages to swing for her brother's head with her foot as if attempting to kick her way out of his grip. But her foot goes flying harmlessly past his head, not having quite enough reach to pull it off. But that doesn't mean that the swath of blue chi trailing behind her leg is going to miss too!
She still gets tossed to the ground, landing on her side into a hard roll before coming up on one knee a little ways off. She's panting a little in spite the breathing control she was attempting to exercise throughout the fight. Trying to keep pace with the Martyr's current student is wearing her out. Slowly she pushes herself back up to her feet, bracing herself in case of another counter attack.
Gato looks a bit taken aback by this recent turn of events, and of course after that comes his angry face. His angry face gives way however to a look of calm determination. He stands completely still on the battlefield, closing his eyes and putting his hands to his side. Stealing his sister's breathing techniques, or just knowing them himself?
That cannot be said for certain. However, his clenched fists show that even while he takes this time to try and catch his bearings and find a new strategy. He is not quite yet ready to give up the fight. Perhaps his sister watched his sparring a little too much for Gato's own good.
COMBATSYS: Gato gains composure.
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Hotaru 0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0 Gato
Taking a moment catch his breath unfortunately gives his sister time to be chatty, perhaps much to his chagrin. "You have been avoiding me for so many years. Don't you have anything to say?" she pleads, slipping back into the ready stance she had adopted when they began. "When you walked away, I had no idea that it was going to be so long. You didn't even say good bye. Didn't even... how could you?"
She shakes her head, tightening her hands into small fists, then relaxing them. Inhaling, she decides not to waste much time waiting for her laconic brother to reply. He was never a chatter box before, but this silent man before her now is even further removed than she could have imagined.
Closing the distance quickly, she hops into a spin before lashing out with her foot, "HA!", attempting to deliver a swift kick to his chest, attacking him straight on now instead of opting to strike from behind.
COMBATSYS: Gato counters Light Kick from Hotaru with Hou-zan Sai Heki-Ga.
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Hotaru 1/------=/=======|====---\-------\0 Gato
This time, Gato is ready. His hand moves and grabs Hotaru's foot right out of the air, before pushing it aside, and twisting his body to clench his fists at his hips and thrust his back into Hotaru's staggered form.
Her questions. Her questions seem to cause his stern scowl to deepen with each question. He once again provides no answer, silently fighting her while his eyes narrow. The only word that passes his lips as he slams into her is a loud, "KYAH!!!!"
He must not be in the mood for conversation.
The impact of his back against his younger sister is devastating, sending the girl completely off her feet to slam against the ground, sliding on her back a ways before coming to a stop. Curling up a little, Hotaru rolls onto her side, eyes winced shut as she presses one hand against her side where he had struck her while she was already off balance.
This isn't how to prove that she's strong, she chides herself. That first clean blow from him has demonstrated the power in her brother's techniques. Her father never cared for fancy tricks. Just precisely delivered overwhelming force. And that's what the girl is getting a taste of now, perhaps feeling the techniques at a strength beyond that which her father would use against her when she was even smaller.
She gets back up in spite the quiet fear of how hard her brother can actually hit. But fear won't keep her from attacking again. She's faced monsters far scarier than him. "Okay," she whispers, noting his refusal to answer. The only language he speaks is action, it seems. Charging forward, the girl attempts to get another grip on Gato's arm, this time intending to use her own momentum to twist it around behind him. If she can, she'll release his wrist with one hand in order to bring it forward and slam it against his lower chest while kicking at the back of one of his ankles with her foot. All part of trying to take him down to the ground without having to rely on the overwhelming power that she lacks otherwise.
COMBATSYS: Gato interrupts Quick Throw from Hotaru with Jab Punch.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
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Hotaru 1/----===/=======|=====--\-------\0 Gato
And with his anger honed in, Gato begins to attack in force. Hotaru, so carelessly reminded him that he left the Futaba home, and in doing so she reminded him of the reason. Her father, so quick to beat him senseless in a sparring match, and just as quick to coddle the little girl. Her techniques not so much of a martial art as a ballet. The mere thought of him building strength in Gato's body, as he remembers just how hard he was pushed.
That anger finds an outlet, and that outlet is his hand, rising up just before her fingers cling around his arm. Quickly he brings the back of his hand across Hotaru's cheek with a slap that sends it's switchlike sound across the church yard.
"Hmph," is once more uttered.
When he doesn't pull away with his gripped hand, she thinks she has him. It's not as hard to manipulate limbs once one has a tight hold, good footing, and the knowledge of how to manipulate the joints properly. It's not like she's trying to arm wrestle Grant, after all.
But when he suddenly jerks into motion, moving his hand out of her reach before bringing it down to backhand the girl she's painfully taught the risks of trying to prod at tender topics with the older sibling. Hotaru stumbles to the side a couple of steps, bringing her hand up to rest against her cheek, a shocked, betrayed look on her face.
The problem is the pain on a deeper level than the sting at her cheek. The harsh, undeniable rejection by such an attack. Hadn't she been showing him she could keep up too? That he wasn't the only one to come away a fighter? She can't fathom the reasons he would treat her so. Shaking her head, she pulls her hand away from her cheek and slips back into her ready stance. She needs to keep her focus on her brother. Trying to contemplate too far outside the scope of the fight will just leave her struggling to keep up even more.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru focuses on her next action.
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Hotaru 1/----===/=======|=====--\-------\0 Gato
Gato's body lurches back into motion almost immediately afterwards. Both of his hands coming behind his back before thrusting forward in dual open palmed strikes, as his foot stomps the ground. His angry eyes locked on the girl as he presses his advantage.
The attack demonstrates the difference between the two of them. Hotaru's graceful movements, versus Gato's kinetic offense. It also shows the similarities. Like Hotaru's so-called dancing, this attack flows smothly from the last, as Gato's offense begins to gather momentum.
COMBATSYS: Gato successfully hits Hotaru with Medium Punch.
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Hotaru 1/-======/=======|======-\-------\0 Gato
Now that he strikes with a perfect balance of speed and power, the true heir of the Futaba style of Chinese Kenpo manages to keep up with Hotaru's attempts to avoid being struck quite well. Even as she attempts to step back to avoid the strike coming directly toward her, she doesn't put enough distance between them and his dual palmed strike crushes against the more frail of the two.
The results are obvious as she's struck clean off her feet onto her back once again, unable to keep her footing after being dealt such a blow. Panting, the girl rolls onto her side, her complexion a little more pale as she copes with the pain of the strike, the edges of her eyes watering, unbidden tears brimming but not yet spilling over. "So this is the power they kept from me," she whispers, rolling onto her stomach and pushing herself up, much slower this time, to get back to her feet, turning around once again to face Gato. "What I taught isn't enough to keep up with the techniques you have learned," she confesses.
"But there are things I have taught myself since then!" And with that, the girl charges back toward her brother, rolling forward, coming out into a crouch at his feet. What comes next is a powerful backflipping kick, a torrent of chi trailing behind her legs, adding strength far beyond what she would have been able to do on her own.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Gato with Ten-shou Ranki EX.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=======\==-----\1 Gato
The attack demonstrates for a moment almost no emphasis on style and a complete dedication to just hitting as swiftly and powerfully as possible. And when it connects, it strikes hard, the strength of her legs coupled with power from a deeper source beyond raw muscle strength. Unless he's truly rooted, it's possibly enough to completely lift the man off his feet.
At the height of her momentum, the girl flips forward into a dive right back at him, airborn or not, connecting with enough force to bowl her brother over to the grass covered ground. By the time they slide to a stop, Hotaru is sitting on top of the kindrid Kenpo artist, hands pressed against his chest, teeth gritted as a sudden spike of power is created around the two.
Drawing on both her own energy and that of her brother, Hotaru swiftly creates a sphere of blue energy that surrounds her briefly. "aaaaaAAAAAH!" Unable to control the surge of chi for any longer, the girl releases it, allowing it collapse back on her so that she can funnel it directly into Gato's chest, channeling down her arms to blast him directly. "KYAAA!" There is an explosion outward from the two of them, the force flattening the grass and the sound reverberating off the walls.
There is a weary exhale as Hotaru slumps forward slightly, propping herself up by her hands, head hanging down a little as for a moment she feels almost like closing her eyes. "I have my own strength, brother. I am not a weakling. There's no reason to shun me like you have. Please..."
Gato looks surprised by the suddenness of the attack, and is caught entirely off guard. His body sailing into the air a moment, before being clamped to the ground by Hotaru's knees. Disoriented by his field of vision being jostled and confused by all the movement, Gato only has time to get out a single "Wh-" before the hands of the girl land on his chest followed by all that energy being forced at him against the earth.
He pulls himself from underneath Hotaru, and stares at her cautiously for a few moments, with an unreadable emotion. And just when the silence drags on for too long. He slides back into his fighting stance, his determination returning.
COMBATSYS: Gato focuses on his next action.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=======\==-----\1 Gato
As he slips silently away from her, Hotaru gets back up to her feet, forcing herself back into her ready stance as before. Though she doesn't seem so light on her feet now, appearing tired, her strength spent on trying to keep up with Gato while also coping with the power behind his attacks and pouring everything she has into her last attack.
Even still he regards her with the same dispassionate expression, as cold to her as any stranger she may have faced in her life. Breathing in, she simply maintains her ready stance, clearing her mind of the questions, the frustration, the pain at being so disregarded by the one she had been seeking out for years now.
"What is this test to determine?" Hotaru finally asks. "You said... you said my fate depends on this fight. What did you mean?"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru gains composure.
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Hotaru 0/-------/------=|=======\==-----\1 Gato
"You've been fighting for your life, Hotaru. Didn't you hear me when I said I wasn't holding back? If your flowery style is enough to survive, then survive. Prove that your will is not weak."
With those words, Gato pulls his arm back in a long arching spin, before he launches his arm forward after a considerable windup open-palmed toward Hotaru, letting out a forceful grunt as he launches his attack. His eyes look tired, with the anger in them slightly dulled by the course of the battle.
COMBATSYS: Gato successfully hits Hotaru with Mou-Ko Kou Hakan.
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Hotaru 0/-------/=======|=======\====---\1 Gato
It's hard to absorb the idea that the very person she's sunk so much of her life into preparing to meet again has only chosen to show himself when sent to engage her in a duel upon which so much rests. "Why do you even care?" she asks, hands tightening into fists as she leans toward the brother who finally broke his silence for a change. "What does it matter to you?!"
She sees him coming for her then, driven by the weight of what he has declared rests upon this match. In a panic, the girl attempts to step backward and get out of the way, underestimating her brother's reach when he both steps forward and leans into it. She recognizes the attack in an instant even as his palm strikes her squarely at the base of her neck. Time and time again she saw her father use it on Gato in the midst of the training sessions she could see. The opportunities to watch them practice became increasingly rare over the years, until finally she was no longer welcome to observe the nature of the training her father was giving the boy. But even through her blurred memory of the past, she remembers that strike vividly.
It doesn't quite knock her off her feet but the youngest Futaba is gasping as she slides to a stop a few meters away, her shoe-clad feet leaving dirt ruts in the grass.
"No," comes the pained whisper, having felt yet another of their father's techniques as weilded by her brother now. "I didn't know that it was like that... But even still..." On rapidly dwindling strength, she stumbles forward, attempting to deliver one final flowery attack by grabbing hold of Gato's arm to give her the leverage needed to deliver several swift kicks before her strength fails her completely.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru can no longer fight.
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Gato 1/---====/=======|
COMBATSYS: Gato interrupts Shin-Jou Tai from Hotaru with Ten-Ryuu Retsu-Kiba.
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Gato 0/-------/-----==|
Gato's body pulls backwards at the last minute, hopping just out of Hotaru's range, before he shakes his head. "You don't understand at all."
The anger has now left his eyes, as his face becomes slate. No emotion shows through that stoic visage as he spins his body backwards.
Once again he slams his back into his sister's body, rocking her from the impact, before his arms spin in a quick circle, the one facing towards Hotaru raking down her body, and steadying her somewhat, before he spins again and his arm winds up once more for that violent open-palmed technique. This he aims into his sister's chest, punching her hard.
When he's finished he crosses his arms and shakes his head, "Grant was right."
As Hotaru's hand fails to get a much needed steadying grip on his arm, the girl is already beginning to trip forward as her brother delivers a stunning slam with the brute force of his body striking her, holding her in place for the second raking hand that keeps her upright long enough for the final, destructive palm press to her chest.
Unlike the last attack where she was able to barely stay standing afterward, there's no hope of any such recovery after this one as the smaller fighter is knocked straight backward until she collides against the wall of the property. At first she starts to slide down into a seated position, her back finding support briefly, her eyes staring back at Gato - wide, frightened, but unfocused. "Why..." Halfway down she ends up falling forward as her legs give out, landing on her knees first with a gasp of pain, then collapsing face down into the grass.
There's no sign of movement then. No more pleas for attention or at the very least, tolerance. No more attempt to convince the powerful fighter to stay his hand. No more chance to understand.
Gato keeps his arms crossed, watching Hotaru like a hawk. His eyes opened wide for a few moments, watching for movement. After a moment, he closes his eyes and turns away from Hotaru, and lets his hands fall to his sides.
"...."
He has no answer to her final question. He looks to the surrounding property lots before turning back towards Hotaru, and then begins to walk towards her.
There is a gurgling cough after a long while, the convulsion that wracks her body the only sign that she still draws breath at least. One hand tightens in the grass, pulling green blades into her fingers, snapping them from the ground. Perhaps not even aware that she isn't exactly alone, Hotaru's other hand comes up to her mouth, cupping over it as she coughs again. It isn't a very healthy sound in the slightest, but it's all she does. Her eyes are shut now, tears streaking her cheeks.
The moment she had been preparing for and she had failed to prove anything at all, in her mind. Failed to show him that she wasn't a disgrace to the family's name. That she wouldn't be a burden if he were to tolerate her company again. But instead he attacked her, breaking her at the whims of one who must be promising him so much in exchange. The price for Grant's instructions is unfathomable to the girl, but the viciousness of her brother is even harder to comprehend.
Lost in her own thoughts and too weak to move, the girl lies there, not cognisant enough of her surroundings to realize Gato yet remains.
Gato shakes his head a final time and lifts his foot into the air.
"There's talent in you, but not the spirit to do what needs to be done. You have failed."
And then his foot comes whistling down, on a collision course with the base of Hotaru's neck. What was he looking for in those adjoining lots? His masters, or witnesses. It's not as important, really, as he starts his final blow, especially for Hotaru, as for what happens next...
There's a sudden shift, a wisp in the air, as a great form suddenly lunges forward. A large hand snaps out, to grasp Gato and forcedly wrench him away from the fallen form. The descending foot would likely miss by inches, at best. Unsurprisingly, Grant has been observing the battle since the onset, and it appears his initial demand has been retracted for the time being.
"Enough." is mulled. There is no pity, however, within his somber tone. The blue cape again settles about his form, terrible visage etched of crimson, pitted steel turning to observe the wounded girl with what appears to be genuine interest. "It is our creed to cull those unworthy. Her body is frail, and her style passive... But still, her defeat was by a narrow margin. Enough that, if she does not die on the field of battle, she has earned her petty existence."
There's that firm determination from the Martyr of Might, that this is an argument that will not be overturned, were Gato to care. He is positioned to intervene, although does not appear expectant that such will take place. "You have passed the rite, Gato. You would have finished her. That intent is more important then the blood. ...You may surpass your father yet." Hotaru, were she lingering on consciousness, would easily hear what is now taking place. Like the whispered offer of a devil, in exchange for the petty price of one's soul. She is discarded, ignored, someone who has twice proven her worth to live... but not yet, still, earned Grant's respect. Kain is the one who admires such focus, not the behemoth man, but her purpose is far from over... Even if her soft nature and soft style will hamper her throughout her road. That much Grant is certain of.
"Will you take that step, Gato? Will you follow the art of controlling mind and body, to forge the fire of darkness? To turn one's sin into strength, to turn one's demons into servants...?" Green eyes seem to burn brighter, and the shimmer of behemoth strength apparent on his form. Mayhaps a reminder of the potential that opening that door has...
The thud of Gato's foot against the grass is enough to cause the fallen girl's eyes to snap open as she gasps again, the rasping sound accompanied by a short cough a heartbeat later. At first there is the thought that perhaps he couldn't do it. She heard his words but maybe he changed his mind, a split second shift of his foot to spare a fallen sibling's life.
But then she feels, rather than hears, the presence of another. One she would never forget no matter how long it had been since she threw herself against his fists in the forest months ago. Her mind fades slowly as she closes her eyes again, the discussion between Gato and the Martyr who has taken to training him sounding more like a distant dream, a nightmare right out of her worst fears. He /would/ have killed her.
Is this what her brother is drawn to now? Did their father do this alone? Did he not receive the same nurturing of a mother's love that she did? "Brother..." comes the murmured whisper as Grant invites her brother to take the next step, a helpless, vain protest - a last hope to change the course her sibling has chosen.
Gato, while unsurprised at Grant's presence, shows a mild expression of curiosity at Grant's intervention. He looks towards Hotaru for a moment before calmly sliding out of his fighting stance and folding his hands behind his back.
He regards Grant cooly for a moment before turning towards the Church Yard, and answering, "You have trained me well so far. I have show what I am willing to do to recieve your training. I will learn your strength Grant."
As he finishes, he looks back towards Hotaru before looking towards Grant, "You are the road to my father."
"Compassion is not a weakness." Grant states towards Hotaru, smoothly. "The desire not to kill, mercy and caring, are not the tools of the foolish. Yet it is the darker side that gives strength. The great dark flame of Ankoku..." And even the greatest technique of all, the Satsu no Hadou that birthed Ryu's style, "...Require such. Requires the determination to kill and achieve any means. It can be harnessed, and controlled, by those willing and strong enough of mind. Know the limitation of your path. And know Gato's growth. Do what you will." Advice? Maybe. This will not be the first time the pair will encounter one another, if nothing else to check Gato's determination. But to kill one's own kin unflinching... Yes. He might be able to embrace this well, indeed.
To Gato he speaks next. "The spark is strong in you. But that spark risks becoming a bonfire that will consume you, and burn out your potential. It is this I tested, with your patience. It is this I tested, pitting you against Rock. You scantly passed. We shall see soon whether it destroys you." The genuine curiosity of this might be more peculiar then anything else, as Grant shifts and then quickly leaves, in another flutter of blue cape and swoosh of wind. Gato would be left behind with Hotaru; To do or say as he wishes. Kain should be interested to hear about this, indeed...
It takes biting back the urge to give in to the excruciating pain in her body to find the strength to roll over onto her back as Gato speaks. There is a quiet sigh from Hotaru as the Futaba boy confirms his committment without the slightest hesitation. Even though she isn't looking at Grant, her face turned away for the moment, she realizes that some of his words are directed her way. He said that the fight was close. Closer than her eye was able to determine. There is that tinge of confidence at such a declaration. Something even vaguely resembling acknowledgement is no doubt a difficult thing to come by from that Titan among men. And for a moment she takes a silent solace in that fact, in spite the source.
But then he is gone and she is left with Gato. Finally she manages to face her brother, pressing against the ground with trembling arms to shift her position. There are no words left for him, only a quiet fear mixed with worried sympathy. He would have killed her? For what? For the promise of Grant's further instruction? All to get back at their father?
Her brother has his way and she has hers. That's the spirit of the Martyr's advice. Recoiling from Gato, she scoots away, finally pressing her back against the wall. So much she wanted to tell him. She had pictured this moment for years. But now there is nothing to say, and the rose-colored thoughts that filled her mind before now have long since been shattered. "Go away," she asks though in no position to enforce such a request. There is quiet anger in her voice. Bitter disappointment that is impossible to hide.
Gato looks at Hotaru as she speaks her two words, and says begins to walk away, saying as he leaves, "We all do what we must. You have talent, Hotaru, but talent alone is not enough to survive on."
And with that he disappears from the church yard. Now with more questions filling his head than before.
Log created on 23:29:49 08/06/2007 by Hotaru, and last modified on 14:36:43 08/07/2007.