Description: Hotaru Futaba is once again at Justice High, taking a break from her volunteer time cleaning up the mess left by the battle between her teacher, Takuma Sakazaki, and Justice's principal, Raizo Imawano. When Raizo shows up, the two talk and test each others' mettle, and in the process Raizo teaches Hotaru something about the nature of their shared enemy.
She gave her word that she would help clean up the mess caused by Takuma Sakazaki, and the girl has stuck to it. While she can't help with actual construction projects with any proficiency, she has been helping sweep broken glass, pile up shattered wood, and help set the archery targets back into their proper places after they've been repaired.
But now it's time to relax a little in her mind. She thinks she's earned it. Sprawled out on the grass of the Justice High athletics field, with her arms out at her sides and her feet far apart, the girl looks blissfully content to just lie around for a bit and catch her breath. Whew. Cleaning up after Master Takuma is /hard work/! It's almost like a normal night at the Dojo...
It's easy to miss her lying out on the grass at first due to the fact that she's wearing dark green pants and a matching blouse, with a red-brown vest, instead of her ususal blues and whites. Doing dirty work with all white clothing is just not a good recipe.
Eyes idly gazing into the clouds, she wonders about the many different things going on that she has to worry about as of late. Kurow... rampaging robots... crazy punks always messing with her YFCC basic self-defense classes... It's hard work being Hotaru Futaba in this crazy world!
Raizo Imawano, being the size of a house, CAN help with construction projects, but as the principal of Justice High School, is at the moment watching as other people do the work - namely students, working together for the common good.
But as time wears on, the old man has other things to do, and turns, leaving the students to carry on the work themselves. They're more than competent; they'll be fine. Raizo steps away, wandering in the direction of the athletic fields, to wander among the physical education classes, when he catches something not-quite-right in the grass over yonder. Pulling his mighty hands out of his overalls, the old man walks in that direction, curious.
His shadow arrives a few moments before he does, the old man towering over Hotaru mostly by virtue of sheer height, and he tilts his head at the resting teen, an amused look on his ugly mug.
"I see you're enjoying yourself," he rumbles. "Something on your mind?"
Yikes, what is that shadow of impending- Oh! Hotaru's eyes stray upward to fix on the large man towering over her. She looks possitively teeny compared to him, lying in the grass there. She smiles sheepishly before sitting up and leaping to her feet, turning around to face him directly, hands clasped together in front of her as she offers a polite, traditional bow. Just one this time. Not ten.
"Principal Imawano!" the girl chirps, "I-, er, well I was just taking a little break. We're almost all done with the archery repairs," she laughs, feeling a bit awkward at having been caught slacking off even if she felt entitled to it by then. A pause, followed by another statement, "Oh, I was just thinking about... well, you know, everything. If I can handle it. It's... well, a lot to worry about." she admits, her tone a little quieter.
Raizo waves dismissively, commenting, "It's alright. I did tell you not to worry about it if you weren't interested. That you're here and pitching in is great."
Hotaru probably does not know this, but Raizo is actually about one hundred percent more sane around her than most students - as Momo Karuizawa can now attest. This is primarily because when they first met he thought she'd have an aneurism if Raizo gave her his usual million-watt go-get'em attitude.
Still... the old man surveys the work being done on Hotaru's end of things, and nods approvingly, even a she speaks. "You're a smart young woman. You'll be able to figure these things out in time - I'm confident. But...I'll tell you a secret anyway."
He gives her just a shade of that half-crazy grin, and says, "You can't win if you don't /think/ you can, Hotaru. That applies to anything. It's one thing to know when you need help, but if you don't have faith in your own abilities, you'll never get anywhere."
As always, the compliments from the authority figure seem to mean a lot to the girl, her cheeks blushing just a faint pink at his approval of the work she's done so far and affirmation of his confidence in her ability to deal with the weighty matters that a girl her age should probably /not/ have to be plagued with.
"Thanks," she speaks, her tone a little stronger now. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't burden you with what's on my mind. You must have a ton more things to worry about than me! You're right though... It's like my mother taught me. Attitude is so very important."
She glances toward the archery range before adding, "At least I've been able to help make one problem a little less worrisome. I hope... well, I hope Master Takuma doesn't end up causing you any more problems. I don't really know what gets into him sometimes." He's kind of crazy. It might be old age. The words are in her tone, even if she absolutely, most definitely doesn't say them out loud.
Raizo has scary old man superpowers, and so his grin grows at the dubious tone Hotaru uses to speak of her crazy old master. "I have a few suspicions..." he says, with a small chuckle. "But until I get a chance to track him or Kusanagi down and have a word with them, I won't be able to confirm anything." As usual with old men of their power, 'word' may be a code for 'fight involving massive property damage'. "For now, I wouldn't worry about Takuma too much, unless he shows up today."
As soon as he says it, the old man looks around, as if making sure Sakazaki isn't going to pop out of the grass and spinning uppercut him to Mars.
Assured that he will not be suffering any surprise attacks today, he adds, "And don't worry, Hotaru. I'm sure you have a great deal to worry about. While the matter with our mutual troublemaker is serious, I'm sure you have other things concerning you. I won't do all the work for you, but..."
He thumps his chest, emphatically. "Old men like me are here to light the way for the future. If there is something you need, I'll see what I can do."
She looks picked up by his supportive words. Having a bear of a man like Raizo in your camp is just one of those things that goes a long ways. I mean, can you imagine showing up to a gang fight with someone like him behind you? The other side is just going to turn around and /walk away/ with Raizo in your camp.
She nods about him not doing all the work for her. She wouldn't want that anyway. Her hands clench tightly at her sides, accompanying perfectly the look of determination in her eyes. When he talks about lighting the way forward, she gets a somber, thoughtful look in her eyes. "Well..." she begins, clearly there's something on her mind now.
"You clearly know how to fight. I saw how you carried yourself against Master Takuma. And I bet you've fought many others as well." She keeps going, slowly leading up to something. "I... well, I was wondering if maybe you could give me some pointers sometime," she continues. "I'm always looking for ways to improve. I spend a lot of time in competitions and training with Master Takuma's son, Ryo-sensei. As well as my own independent self-taught training. But there's always so much more to learn from those who are far further along than I in such things..."
Raizo actually cocks an eyebrow. It looks a little odd - with the way his face is structured, eyes sunken deep and his bald eyebrows more like ridges over crimson-irised hollows, it certainly does not look nearly as friendly as Raizo might want it to.
Raizo generally tries to avoid gang fights. The last time he went to Gedo, things got...ugly. Not to mention how he can't actually live with his wife and son because of the fact that he terrifies the neighborhood children...
He gives Hotaru an amused laugh, and says, "Yes, Hotaru. Yes, I know how to fight. I think I'm starting to feel my age, but I can still break a chair with the best of them. And while I think Takuma, his son, or both of them would come hang me out to dry if I taught you too much...I think I can give you a pointer or two."
His mind flashes to the safe in his office, and the secret arts scrolls that await within, awaiting a ready mind to receive them.
Hotaru's is probably not that mind. Takuma would cut him into flank steaks, for starters. The Kyokugen-ryu dojo's pride is monumental. But, it might not be a bad idea to get back into practice on how to handle younger fighters, for when the day comes...
Looking around idly, the old man notices that most of the students are hard at work, and rolls a shoulder, making sure everything is in order. He finds himself missing the days he could stand up straight. "If you'd like, I could give you a test match here and now. I'll warn you, though..."
He holds up one hand, baring the claw-like fingernails on the end. "Imawano-ryu fighting is not a soft art. You will bleed."
The warning certainly has an impact on the girl, her eyes widening slightly as they take in the fingernails of the older fighter. It is not an idle request to ask an old ninja to share a couple of his tricks. The slightly paler complexion and silent swallow of second thoughts would be impossible to miss as she seems to give his words a lot of thought.
"I-... I have been exposed to it before," she admits, trying to sound less afraid than she really feels on the inside. There was definitely nothing soft about Kurow's claws the times he's skewered her with them. And they were metal, sharp, pointy things. Not entirely like the nails on this man that seem to serve every bit as well as claws even though he need not don them as a seperate weapon.
"I understand the risk." She thinks, at least. At least with the Principal she won't be fighting a desperate for her life. Though with his lesson, she may very well be /preparing/ for such a fight down the line. A single hop back is taken, moving herself out of his shadow, feet coming down lightly in the grass.
"With your permission, then..." she speaks, feet slipping apart just a little, one arm raised forward, as if for defending, while her other arm is held up, bent at the elbow, perhaps for harder strikes. And with that, she bobs lightly on her feet, putting herself through mental paces in preparation for the perhaps harsh lessons to come.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has started a fight here.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|
Raizo watches Hotaru carefully - a decision to back off would be as telling if not moreso than a decision to continue on, and would probably have deeply wounded Raizo's faith in the girl's resolve. When she decides to continue, his stance eases, and then he takes a few steps back himself, nodding his head in acknowledgement of her desire. "Very well."
His technique is very similar to Kurow's in terms of actual attacks - however, to say that Raizo and Kurow fight similarly would be the sheerest of fallacies. Raizo is titanic, and uses his mass against his foes; Kurow is fleet and nimble, and avoids taking direct hits that Raizo would swallow easily. There are therefore limits to what Raizo can prepare Hotaru for, as far as fighting Kurow is concerned.
Still, fighting a master is never a wasted effort.
As Hotaru adopts her own stance, Raizo adopts his own, although to call it a 'stance' might seem generous; it consists of little more than spreading his hands out such that the claws are poised to rend whatever he sweeps them at, arms out, keeping his center of balance on the move.
"Then let us begin, Hotaru," the old man says, with a please grin. He holds his ground, allowing her the first move.
COMBATSYS: Raizo has joined the fight here.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Raizo
She breaths in deeply as he readies himself to see her first attack in action. When the girl leans forward into a sprint, she shifts from standing still to advancing upon him with remarkable speed for a fighter her age. To Raizo's experienced eye, it might not be too hard to see her coming, but it wouldn't be hard to imagine how many a fighter might be caught completely off guard with the brazen way such a small opponent decides to charge directly in.
It isn't a blind, careless charge either. There's a wary look to her eye, as if preparing to weave around any attempts to counter-attack her offense in order to land a first strike. Anything to convince her opponent that she is a real threat. Anything to show them that she isn't intimidated by any difference in size.
The girl's small hands reach out to latch a hold of one of the man's mighty limbs in order to give herself the leverage with which to continue charging right up the front of him with a series of rapid kicking stomps. A man of his girth and height is as easily traversed as a set of stairs for a small thing like Hotaru. "Ya, ya, ya!"
COMBATSYS: Raizo endures Hotaru's Shin-Jou Tai.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Raizo
Raizo sees it coming. It's hard not to - even at his age, feeling the drag of years on his limbs and stunted spine, Raizo can see her coming. He COULD try to dodge - he gives himself a fair shot at it - but rather than fight her like he would the lesser fighter she is, and defeat the point of the lesson, he simply steps forward and lets Hotaru strike at him, her kicking attacks smashing into his mass. It's like kicking a wall; as Hotaru saw the first time she met Raizo, his body is old but hardly decayed, and the muscles there are prepared for bruising. And as he walks right into her assault, he makes an attack of his own, a deceptively simple one, as he barks a kiai and lashes out with clawed hands to slash across Hotaru's front. No lesson yet - the lacerations will be as much of a teacher as the old man's wisdom, today.
COMBATSYS: Raizo successfully hits Hotaru with Claw Stab.
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Hotaru 1/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Raizo
Those shoe clad feet of hers strike against a wall of muscle that exceeds even the steel-like power of Marco, Senior Instructor at the Kyokugen Dojo. Not since she threw her life against the Martyr of Might in a forest long ago has she felt so unable to actually inflict harm upon another living person. She's struck metal wrecking balls at the dojo that seemed to have more give than this man's abdomen.
And then comes his retaliation, catching her well before she is able to leap to freedom following her ascent right up the front of him. She attempts to twist to the side while in mid-air, eyes barely even able to see the simple movement of his attack. Claws cutting as easily as the sharpest knives shread through cloth and skin, the force behind the strike sending her spiraling backward and to the ground. Though she doesn't land on her feet, the girl rolls with the momentum of the impact, coming back up into standing a few yards from where she hit the grass. One hand presses against her stomach, fingers splayed open.
The dark green color of her blouse is visible beneath the shreaded red-brown vest, it's color depending as blood spreads a little from the injury inflicted. She could barely see that attack coming, yet he struck with such force as to rend her like that. Hotaru hisses a little, sucking back the urge to think too much about the pain.
The desire to /not/ run into that again hits her as she rolls her arm back behind her, bathing her forarm with a broiling blue aura, charging a fair amount of power into the palm of her hand. Breathing in deeply, the blue energy flares in her hand as she rolls her arm forward and discharges a small, shimmering projectile in Raizo's direction. "HAA!" Pure force given form, if it should strike it will simply splash against him before vanishing, leaving no trace of its existence besides the dull thud of having been punched - only, from five yards away.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Raizo with Hakki Shou EX.
- Power hit! -
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Hotaru 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Raizo
Raizo is not as fast as Kurow. Compared to Kurow - hell, compared to quite a few people in the upper echelons of human power, as Raizo himself is - Raizo is as slow as glacial migration. But his strikes are fast, from experience and from hard training; and truthfully, the old man may not look like it, but one must remember that he /is/ a ninja. He can, if he puts his mind to it, move pretty well.
But he's not doing so today. As before, the old man simply charges toward Hotaru, smashing onward without a care in the world. It doesn't actually work this time - the force bolt smashes into Raizo's gut, and the old man's charge actually slows, as he regains his balance after the force of Hotaru's attack. His eyes twinkle, impressed. "Interesting..." the old man chuckles, but he doesn't stop for long.
Hotaru may get an inkling here of the core weakness in Imawano-style fighting, the one great hole in even Raizo's monumental defense, which is simply the fact that the old man doesn't have any style-based ranged attacks. Indeed, Imawano fighting is light on chi as a whole, at least as Raizo performs it. But then...a man of Raizo's brawn doesn't really need to augment his blows with chi.
If Hotaru doesn't move quickly enough, the old man draws nigh as quickly as possible, lashing out with a quick kick. It's not quite as picture-perfect as it could be, as it's partly needing to compensate for the offensive lag caused by Hotaru's well-placed hit.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Raizo's Light Kick.
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Hotaru 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Raizo
She lowers her right arm quickly, the dark blue aura that covered it when she threw the projectile melting back beneath the surface of her skin as if to return to the pool of potent power on which the small fighter draws. Her eyes are wide as she observes the incoming mighty warrior as he barrels through her small projectile. The splash of energy slows him down a little, giving her a precious split second with which to evaluate her next move.
As his foot comes lashing out toward her, the girl has the presence of mind to lean back, weaving down and around the swift striking kick, managing to avoid being struck down by so very little space. She's immediately on the offense though, not letting up either, maintaining a frantic, almost desperate pace to keep up with the speed of the impressive old warrior.
To an observer, her next attack may seem the hopeless flailing of one who has no hope of survival as Hotaru leaps directly into him like a suicidal gnat. Her target are his mighty shoulders onto which she hopes to plant her hands in the form of a handstand. If she can pull it off, she will hover there for a moment, upside down on top of him, before flipping the rest of the way behind him, kicking out with both of her feet to plant against his upper back as she launches back into the air.
An all together acrobatic attack that requires a remarkable amount of timing and precision - there might be a tiny bit of ninja blood in the little fighter.
COMBATSYS: Raizo endures Hotaru's Ten Ranku-Tou.
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Hotaru 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Raizo
Raizo's assault misses, leaving him open for Hotaru's attack. He can pretty much see where this is going - it is not exactly hard to guess what Hotaru has in mind, but he's not totally sure she can actually DO it and WHOA HOLY COW
Raizo finds his own mass and possibly Hotaru's apparently quite sturdy indeed shoulder joints used against him, as he is summarily used as a vaulting platform, the girl flying away, Raizo landing flat on his face...this is not actually going very well! Which is good, actually - Raizo isn't really holding back much at all, aside from sparing Hotaru some of the sting of his claws. But the time for that mercy may just be over.
"Springy little thing..." Raizo laughs, slowly, regaining his feet. "So let's see how you take to--"
He dashes in, covering ground quickly, and then, as he steps up just shy of Hotaru, plants his feet and drives one clawed hand forward, in a powerful, crushing blow powered more by Raizo's own sheer /mass/ than the claws that lead the strike.
COMBATSYS: Raizo successfully hits Hotaru with Roppu Zuki.
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Hotaru 1/=======/=======|=======\=------\1 Raizo
She lands, her feet touching down on the grass after her flipkick from off the back of the old bear of a warrior. Getting up top of him like that afforded her a moment of being able to stay somewhat out of range of his clawed hands for a moment. But the moment of safety ends once she finishes the sequence and knocks him to the ground. Turning to face the teacher, the girl looks ready to take to being evasive once more, as she pits her reflexes against the swing of his mighty paw.
The strike hits dead on though, folding the girl over and sending her flying quite a ways. She lands flat on her back - no fancy roll back up to her feet this time. "Ugh," comes the gasp for air as she curls up onto her side before ever so painfully pushing herself back up to her feet. If she was heavier in build, her bones may have simply broken from the force of the strike. But being a feather weight does have the advantage of typically just being knocked away before any fractures can be inflicted from strong blows. That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt crazy bad though, the girl resting her left hand against her right shoulder where another set of punctures have begun to bleed.
He wasn't kidding about the style of the Imawano. There is nothing soft about it in the slightest. Though her expression is torn from the pain that wracks her now, there is a certain glimmer in her eyes. A certain appreciation for how he is attacking with such force. Not treating her like a fragile little doll that might break from a stiff breeze.
"I-," the girl gasps, "Am reminded that getting hit..." she pants again, "By Imawano-ryu is definitely something to be critically..." She straightens up a little, lowering her palm from her shoulder. She'll need a nurse's attention after this little lesson, to be quite certain. "... avoided."
When the small thing comes for Raizo again, it's with the intent to unleash all she has, charging forward before leaping into a spin through the air in order to lend more momentum to the twin strikes she deals out when she lands, only to be followed by even more rapid palm strikes, each swing accompanied by a small spark of chi. "Soushou..." the girl starts as she tries to land a prying hit that will open the way to a larger attack. It's definitely not hard to see her coming as in this case she attempts to rely more on the persistence of her attacks than pure speed to succeed.
COMBATSYS: Raizo interrupts Sou-shou Tenrenge from Hotaru with Yasha Guruma.
[ < > //////////// ]
Hotaru 1/=======/=======|=======\====---\1 Raizo
Raizo can practically smell Hotaru's intent, now, as he pulls back from the crushing force of the Roppu Zuki. It was the lesser form of the technique - its true, terrifying weight would probably knock Hotaru's head right off her shoulders.
Raizo wasn't really holding back a WHOLE lot, but he knows to moderate himself in the name of not completely mutilating small girls who are not on his level.
Hotaru's comments as she stands are heard, and the old ninja master laughs. He's hurt; Hotaru has wounded him pretty well. But he's still got plenty in him. He walks forward, explaining, "It's true that my particular form of Imawano-ryu hurts quite a bit. Kurow's varies wildly. Hyo's...hah. Completely different forms." And Raizo occasionally isn't totally sure /where/ the hell Kyosuke picked up some of his tricks. "Hotaru..."
She is coming. Raizo doesn't stop her, walked directly toward her, crimson eyes burning.
"Never forget this lesson, young one. The heart of the Imawano-ryu, in all its forms, is nothing less than a single thing."
He sets his feet, launches himself forward with an agility that borders on the instantaneous. "UTTER DOMINATION! YASHA GURUMA!!"
The bellowed kiai is accompanied by a sheathe of shining bright red chi around the behemoth as he balls himself up, claws slashing wildly, in a three-pronged assault that could batter through Hotaru's defense whole-sale if she doesn't get that final segment of her assault off in time, and she doesn't - one of chi and blades and mass, battering through Hotaru like a wrecking ball.
Fortunately for her, she need not experience the truest forms of his attacks. The two meet not as deadly enemies but rather as master and student on this field of dreams in the back of Justice High. May fate never conspire to arrange otherwise in the days to come.
As she begins to strike him, she believes that perhaps there is an opening - that she might be able to shift into some harder strikes... then again, it feels like his body is barely giving way under her blows - not even the chi she pours into each swing seems to be inflicting all that much against him... When the core of the lesson is about to be driven home, she freezes mid-swing, realizing that right there, up close to him as she is, there is no hope to avoid the attack that is coming next.
She's been struck by the self-same technique by Kurow before. But coming from the monster of an old ninja that she faces now, it delivers a blow much worse than what the young prodigy could deliver. To him it probably feels no worse than barreling into a fly even as Hotaru tries to bring her arms up in a desperate last second defense before he teras through her, a swarm of claws, powerful chi, and brute force. The girl is knocked some ways before coming coming to land hard against the ground on her back, her arms extended to her sides as she gasps, eyes wide.
She starts to roll over onto her side as if to try and get up again, but she just doesn't have it in her anymore and in the end she unfurls right back into lying flat on her back in the grass pretty much like how he found her initially this afternoon. Well, except for the scraps, puncture wounds, completely thrashed vest and cut blouse, marred by her own blood where his sharp nails struck true. There is a long exhale as she lies there, staring up at the clouds just like she was when his shadow first loomed over her.
Not since she was struck down by Grant had she faced such a disparity in power. But having felt the techniques of the Imawano at his hands, she will know things now that she would not have known before. No small detail will be forgotten should she have to face another practioner in the future. "T-thank you, Principal Imawano, sir. I- I think that is all I can take this afternoon." It's just like a painful sparring session at the Kyokugen Dojo. Only with more bleeding and sharpness!
COMBATSYS: Hotaru takes no action.
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Raizo 1/--=====/=======|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru can no longer fight.
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Raizo 1/--=====/=======|
Raizo does not follow up. The Yasha Guruma is easily the most feared - and known - attacks in the Imawano-ryu clawfighting arsenal. While Kurow's version is certain painful, it is adapted for his body - agile, cutting. Raizo's form, adapted over a lifetime of battles, is similarly adapted for Raizo's body - it is a technique of raw, cruelest power, bypassing defenses not with guile or snaking blows, but with sheer, jackhammer force.
It is, as Raizo himself has just said, an attack designed for nothing less than complete and utter domination. Its nature reflects the nature of Imawano as a whole.
Raizo walks over toward Hotaru, his claws no longer bared, a neutral look on his face. "I'd tell you to go see Miss Minazuki, but to tell you the truth I do not have the first clue where she's gotten off to today. You did well, Hotaru. To hurt an old man like me as much as you have takes a fair bit of talent and power." He crosses his broad arms across his chest, eyes narrow, thoughtful. "I'm sure you'll remember what I've told you. Imawano fighting arts descend from Imawano philosophies, which are rooted in conquest and domination. If you are to help me, especially in combatting Kirishima, you must understand that that is what you are opposing."
One might even go so far as to wonder if Raizo himself is colored by that philosophy - although an observant person would not have to wonder about that for long. What else is Project Justice, but domination of a new, unusual stripe - one through peace and brotherhood, rather than force and fear?
The old man offers a hand to help Hotaru up, hand held carefully so that Hotaru won't hurt herself on those claws. "Here," he says.
COMBATSYS: Raizo has ended the fight here.
Log created on 02:02:24 08/20/2007 by Raizo, and last modified on 16:35:23 08/23/2007.