Description: Kentou is besides himself with excitement as Hotaru begins her first lesson as his sensei! The boy is ready for anything! ... Little does he know that Hotaru has enemies of her own. Enemies that quickly become his enemies. Who is this boy? How did he get so -ungodly- strong? Kurow comes to Hotaru to settle an old score between them, and Kentou is caught in the middle! Hotaru has come far indeed since she last encountered Kirishima, but will she yet have a chance against him? Will Kentou's spirit turn the tide? The answer will -shock- you..
At last the day she's been dreading has arrived. The day he's been hoping for has finally come. Two seperate lives have had their courses forever altered by fate, circumstance, chance. A chain of unanticipated encounters, dialogs, and battles have linked the two in ways Hotaru hadn't seen coming. A visit to the humble shop that acts as home and employment for the kid was meant to put a preemptive stop to the weight the girl slowly felt building on her shoulders - to tell him that she couldn't be the teacher he was looking for and wish him the best of luck. But fate conspired against her there and she found herself unable to answer to the affirmative when the younger boy pleaded with her to take him as a student. Having had so many turn their back on her the girl found she couldn't do the same to Kentou. And thus were the promises made that would bind their destinies to each other for at least a time.
Squaring away affairs with the gruff, surly older shop keeper that had taken the boy in when he was orphaned, the Futaba girl felt that it was finally time to stick to her word and commence the one thing she feels least prepared to do: to take on an apprentice. She felt awkward asking Kentou to come to the Kyokugen Dojo. After all, she is hardly qualified to teach another in the ways of Kyokugen-ryuu, still just barely learning the basics of it herself. And she didn't feel that the Youth Center would provide an atmosphere that would be conducive to him concentrating properly, what with his propensity to challenge every wouldbe fighter to enter the door there.
Thus it is that the girl chose this property in the end. An old church building on a large lot surrounded by a high wall; a humble slice of the Futaba estate she has inherited as the only member of her family the beancounters can even track down these days. The young, nervous mentor left a note at the dock-side shop in the morning with directions to this special place and a time in the late afternoon that he should come by this way. Late enough in the day for her to get out of class a Seijyun and arrive well before he's expected.
The church yard itself does contain some accoutrements one would probably not expect to find on 'holy ground.' A training dummy mounted in the ground in one corner, with a kicking/punching bag suspended from a strong tree branch nearby it might be the first to be noticed. The weather is clear, cool with the encroaching fall. Hotaru herself is seated on the steps of the church building, facing the gate that acts as the primary entrance onto the property. In her lap is curled a yellow-brown furred ferret looking rather dolled up with a bright red bandana around his neck. One hand props up her chin, the elbow resting against her knee. Her other hand lightly strokes the head of the friendly creature.
In the aftermath of Kentou's very, very shortlived career in the SNF circuit, the boy had despaired that he could never hope to fulfill his dream of bringing honor to his family name. While some had shown kindness to him and offered their friendship, only Hotaru had shown him what it truly meant to be a fighter. In all of its meanings.
The youth indeed had begged her, realizing from the advice of others and the call of his own heart that he had a kindred spirit in her. She could lead the way for him to become.. well.. everything he wanted to be.
Despair conquered in his heart, the boy took to the world with renewed hope. Looking forward to this very moment with great eagerness and hope! Finally, to be trained by one of the very best in the entire world!
When the note was discovered, the boy was completely besides himself! Alternating between giggling and cheering as he zipped back and forth around the Bait shop, dodging most of the blunt instruments the roaring Ol' Sakana was throwing at him to shut up, the youth raced across town without barely pausing. A hastily filled dufflebag dangling from his shoulder as he skipped and ran through the streets!
Ho ho! Not the Kyokugen Dojo eh?! Truly, that other place must be just for show! Just to show off to all the other Karate fans who wanna see some awesome spectacle of a Dojo. She must be taking him to the super secret ultra Kenpo Base that only the grand masters of the world have even heard about! It must be some hidden temple filled with ancient monks and like some buddhist looking guy who speaks backwards and shatters whole buildings with his bald head. Which, itself, filled with the infinite wisdom of the ages. YEAH! Oh he can't wait!
Finally weaving through the village proper, Hotaru can hear the brisk patter of bare feet racing across pavement nearby.. Until Kentou -leaps- into view! Bouncing off a nearby wall and -vaulting- over the gate to the Church! Landing impressively on his feet in the middle of the grass with arms outstretched widely in triumph!
"I AM HERE! LET THE TRAINING BEGIN Oh ANCIENT ORDER Of.....of.."
The youth's voice slowly trails as his mousey eyes blink.. o_o.. Oh look! There's Hotaru! And.. a training dummy! ... and.. Um.
..A ferret?
"..H..Hi Sensei!.." The youth blurts a bit ackwardly. ^.^; He gets ahead of himself! Surely she will now lead him down some twisting, hidden staircase to the secret lair of silent Chinese masters?
Up over the gate bounds a small bundle of energy with a head filled with visions of a giant complex dedicated to the training of Kenpo as handed down by ancient Chinese masters through several generations. What he lands in is a tranquil, unassuming piece of well landscaped property with an old but maintained church house in the middle of it. Hotaru stays seated for a long moment after Kentou arrives, blinking slowly as she continues to pet the ferret in her lap. She looks neither surprised nor indifferent - merely curious, as if wondering what he thought he'd find here.
"Hello Kentou," comes the quiet reply to his awkward greeting. Eventually the girl gets to her feet, holding the ferret up by wrapping her arms around underneath his forepaw, hugging him against her as it were. "I hope you didn't have any trouble finding this place. It's kind of tucked away, I suppose."
She approaches a few more steps, closing the distance between them. "This is Itokatsu," she grins, hefting up the small mammal a little. "Do you like his bandana? I was thinking maybe it's something all my students should wear around their neck. You know, kind of a token insignia of sorts." She pauses, hmming thoughtfully. "That, or maybe red hair ribbons. What do you think? As my first and only student, I suppose you should get a say in the matter." Having second thoughts yet??
The serious expression can only be held for so long though before the girl laughs lightly and sets Itokatsu down on the clean, concrete walkway next to the two. He sits on his haunches, looking up at the new face. "Itokatsu, this is Kentou. He will be coming by here from time to time until perhaps he's ready for a better place to teach him." She grins a little at the boy but there's something to the way she spoke and the look in her eyes that suggests that perhaps she actually /does/ have another place in mind but isn't ready to take him there yet...
Maybe it's an underground Kenpo secret base!
As the awkward moment slowly passes, the boy begins to realize exactly how rude he's being in the face of his new master!
With an abrupt squeak, the boy immediately releases his duffle bag. The stuffed sack flopping to the ground to the tune of clattering metal and plastic. Immediately the youth taps his feet together, straightening his stance and offering her the Shealthed Sword gesture. Bowing full at the waist, "I.. I'm ready to begin my training, Master Futaba!"
Ugh.. what a frightening thing for the girl to be called.
"No Master! I.. It was easy to find!" Kentou nervously lies. In reality he was hoping to get here nearly an hour -early-. Turns out he needed that extra time to zoom back and forth across the Village before uncovering the one teeny little alleyway that led up to the Church. So, in sum, he ended up about on time. Hence.. Plausible deniability.
The youth looks up with bright eyes as Hotaru introduces her fellow student! Oooo! How cute! ^.^ ...Er. In a ..manly way. That is. "H..Hi Itokatsu!" Kentou greets. At Hotaru's consideration of fashion sense the boy's eyes brighten yet more! A smile widens as he considers.. A Bandana! Of course! Truly the greats of the world don such things! Who could forget the sagely Ryu and adorned with such stately martial regalia?
..Oh wait. Around the neck? ... RED HAIR RIBBONS?!
The boy's cheery expression slooowly begins to sink into a paling look of horror. Swallowing visibly as he adds in a subdued tone, "I..If M..Master wishes.. Um. That would ..would be alright.. o..Of course! I'd be proud to..uh.." Eyes shifting back and forth a bit nervously. Man! That girl from Seiyjin putting his hair in a bun was bad enough! ;_; But ribbons??
At the girl's laughter, the boy continues looking up to her with that aghast expression.. Until slowly he begiiiiiiins to realize that, OH! Joke! Laughter! Comedy! Of course, "Oh! Haha.. Haaa.. Hee!" Echoing her mirth as he self-consciously tosses one of his lengthly braids over his shoulder. Away from her. o.o
And THEN! .. She reveals the truth of it. Ah-HA! So this is just a test to see if he is indeed worthy to see the true, secret Kenpo Lair! Of course. The boy's expression hardens as he straightens up his stance, "I will prove my worth, Master!" Nodding to the Ferret in turn who surely must be impressed with his diamond resolve?
Something distinctly 'off' starts to pervade the air -- if there was ever a time that it could be said that an ill wind blew over this little church yard, that time would most assuredly be now. Perhaps it's an ill omen about Hotaru's training of the boy -- a small discouragement by the mandate of heaven.
Or perhaps there's a more mundane explanation. It could simply be that a certain unwanted presence has taken a renewed interest in Futaba, or is acting on an interest that that presence has carried with him since she began to distinguish herself as more than just a Kenpo fighter, more than just a Seijyun student. By no means is the young Futaba the type to make enemies... but then, sometimes fate allows us little choice in the enemies we make.
No real clues are given as to what the source of this sudden ill energy could be -- or indeed if there's a source at all. There is a brief movement in the tree that punching bag hangs from that slightly outstrips what the wind might generate... but that could just be an errant gust. Certainly there's nothing visible in that mass of green; no matter how much one might strain his eyes or ears or nose, seeing, hearing, or smelling anything other than an endless wall of leaves in that tree borders on an impossibility.
Sensei. Instructor. Master. The first two are titles she's accepted readily as part of the classes she's taught at the Youth Center on the weekends. But Master? "I think just sensei will do," the girl interjects after a moment's thought, her smile disquieted, a little uneasy at the devotion being showered upon her. After all, Master should be reserved for those who can rightfully claim it. Veterans of decades of training. Leaders of entire dojos. Not a girl scarcly taller than he is with nothing but a few months of Kyokugen training and childhood years of instruction from her father and mother that have carried her this far.
There is something she should sense by now. Another presence she's more familiar with than she would ever like to think. And but were it not for the nervousness she's fighting back at the prospects of trying to guide this young kid along a better path, she might have been able to better distinguish one aura in particular against the background energies of this special sanctuary. As it is, it's easy to dismiss any feelings of uncertainty as being tied to the doubts that weigh heavily in her heart as she looks at the boy that expects so much from her. Why did she agree to do this again?
A glance is offered down toward the duffle bag as it clanks to the ground, "And what do we have here?" she asks, crouching down next to it but not being so forward as to probe its contents herself. "It sounds like you've got a lot of stuff in there." Itokatsu is not so demure, however, and the ferret moves forward to lean against the bag with his forepaws, whiskers twitching curiously. But the question about the bag is only the first question, as she inquires further, "So... you remember things that you saw your father do with his practicing. Did he ever teach you directly?"
The youth stammers a moment as she interjects, "Ma..S.Sensei! Yes Sensei, will do Sensei!" Quickly nodding his head in acknowledgement as he remains at something resembling at attention.
Of course, if even Hotaru's honed senses can barely pick up the source of that ill-wind, the boy hardly begins to realize something is wrong. His shoulders shivering a moment as his hands idly rub at his lithe biceps. Trying to generate a little warmth as the temperature seems to drop a little.. But it doesn't feel any cooler. Weird. He.. He must be trembling with anticipation! Thats it, yeah. Nerves are getting a little jangled at such a momentus occasion.
As Hotaru puzzles at his dufflebag, the boy blinks once then haltingly looks down to the slumped bag at his side. Gaze switching back and forth between her and it as he nervously laughs, "Oh! Ah Ha.. N..Not much really! I just packed um.. a few things is all.. I mean. I figured you know.. a few snacks might come in handy if.. you know, we um.. went to.. oh.. some Temple on the mountains to train or .. you know.. that kinda thing.. ah. D..Doesn't hurt to be prepared, does it?"
As Itokatsu paws the edge of the bag, the little sempai notices a shiny package of potatoe chips just jutting out.
As the young master continues her inquisition the boy rocks back and forth in place. Rolling on his heels and swinging his arms to and fro, not one to hold still for very long, "W..Well.." The youth bites his lower lip for a moment as his brown eyes drift, "..That is to say.. Not.. not too much really.. He was.. a .. very busy. You know, had a lot of tournaments to win!" The boy can't begrudge that afterall, he was important after all! When you're the best like his dad was, you can't sweat little details like that.
That presence ebbs a little as Kentou and Hotaru discuss the younger boy's father; perhaps it was never really there, just a shared moment of jitters between student and teacher when neither feels entirely ready. Perhaps it is retreating; it could also just as likely be getting itself ready to intervene, however.
'Interesting,' the being in the trees thinks, as the pair discuss their circumstances. 'Futaba's taken on a student.' It would be a lie to say this came as a total surprise, it being so clear now that Futaba's starting to expand upon her style in ways the man in the tree would be proud of, were she /his/ student; he was not much more skilled than she was when he began to teach his sister, after all.
The man weighs his options, going back and forth with them in his head as Itokatsu paws that little bag. On the one hand, it might be better to let them wear themselves down a little before coming down and doing what he's set out to do; on the other, if they're ready to fight, they'll have an edge -- he'll just be starting to get his blood boiling, whereas they'll already be in form.
Best to do it now, he tells himself -- and in that instant, Kurow Kirishima drops from the trees, wordlessly, toward Kentou. His simple form of greeting consists of nothing but a quick kick to the side as he descends; he could announce his purpose, but Hotaru no doubt already knows what the young man has come for.
COMBATSYS: Kurow has started a fight here.
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Kurow 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Kentou has joined the fight here.
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Kentou 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
Well, she had to know. Had to understand what training he had received. If any. And it sounds like not much. In truth, it's impressive to contemplate what he's figured out on his own. Not to say kids that learn how to fight in the streets are abnormal... she has been visiting one such individual at Metro's police academy as of late. But to learn on his own and still have mimicked the style so well is remarkable.
"I see." the girl replies, her smile thoughtful. "Then his example has given you quite the foundation to start from." The supplies in the duffle bag earn a warmer grin, however. A trip to the mountains sometime might be fun. Perhaps she'll have to take him to some of her favorite places - the tranquil ponds, the far off waterfalls rarely seen. The sights she's found when wandering deliberately without direction through the forest yet never truly lost.
"Well, all things considered, we should start off with the basics." He has no idea how basic she has in mind, either. Taking notes from activities she's had learning from Ryo Sakazaki... and, well, there's a lot of work in upkeeping a place like this! "A lot of it will be review, but it will help me get a better idea of where you are at in terms of endurance, dedication, and foc-..."
There it is again. That slightest of surges. That presence she should have picked up on before. A glance up toward the treeline rewards her with only catching sight of a flash of blue and the sickening realization of who it is, "Kentou, look out!" Without even having time to realize that Kurow's foot is incoming on the lad, Hotaru reaches out to try and grab her student's arm and pull him out of the way in the split second of time there is to act.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has joined the fight here.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kentou
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Kurow 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru assists Kentou.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kentou
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Kurow 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Kentou with Light Kick.
- Power hit! -
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Kentou
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Kurow 0/-------/-------|
Of course, there have been other examples throughout Southtown. A certain Taiyo student and her hero worship of a wandering Ansatsuken master? A certain bumbling fan who emulated his burning idol as much as he could? Its amazing just how much one can learn through repeated, constant and focused observation. Its true, Kentou's father never truly taunt him in any formal manner beyond a few sparring basics so the child wouldn't embarrase the family name at school. But not a day went by where Kentou did not watch. Did not observe his father fighting in recorded tournaments, or practicing at his house. Not a day went by where he didn't copy those movements as smoothly as he could.
It isn't to say Kentou reinvented the style. No.. He had a teacher of a sort. Even if he had never taught.
Regardless, the boy smiles and nods brightly to Hotaru's observation. Glad his Sensei feels the same way as his hands ball into eager fists. As she proclaims the lessons to begin, the youth is unable to hold back a quick giggle of glee, "Yes Ma-Sensei!" ^_^ Head bobbing eagerly as he straightens his stance once more, his wide eyes prepared for anything!
...Well. Anything except THAT..
The boy has only a moment to blink at Hotaru's shock and warning, "Whu.." The youth only begins to turn around.. Lift his arms in something resembling a defensive gesture as the kick -bats- him away. Squarely hurling the child away like a limp ragdoll. His voice blasting out in a rushed gasp as he sails a few feet before crashing ackwardly onto the ground. Rolling a few moments onto the grass before bumping up against the stone masonry of the church in a heap.
...Ow.
The Youth begins to stir however.. Gritting his teeth and squinting through half-closed eyes, "..Who..wha.. Hotar..." Slowly reaching out in her general direction as air has yet to return to his lungs. He'll be right there! Just give him a second..
COMBATSYS: Kentou assists Hotaru.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Kentou
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Kurow 0/-------/-------|
Kirishima watches Kentou fly away, and start to call to his apparent master, with no small amount of amusement; he almost feels a sort of vague pity for the boy, insofar as Kurow Kirishima feels such things. After all, this is a quarrel with a reasonable amount of gravity to it... but it's not in any way /Kentou's/ problem. He's just caught in the middle.
But then, Kurow Kirishima has never quite worried about collateral damage enough for that alone to stay his hand. Turning to face Hotaru, he ignores the boy for now, focusing his attention back on her. "I must say," he says, with a bit of a wry smile that seems as much playful as serious, "I wasn't expecting you to have recovered so quickly." The young man starts to take small steps toward Futaba, giving quick glances around the area as he gives consideration to the various training accoutrements.
He doesn't waste too long before coming toward Futaba with his typical brutality. However, the young lady may find that what he intends to do to her isn't /quite/ his usual set of tactics... indeed, they may be familiar from somewhere else entirely -- somewhere that might bother the two Kenpoists a little more than simply being speared with those fierce claws.
Kirishima lunges toward Futaba, giving Kentou plenty of time to get his bearings; it seems as though he's about to go for one of his typical advancing, repeated claw strikes, but that's quickly revealed as a feint if Kirishima lands a first hard strike into Hotaru's shoulder. If he can get that grip, he'll in turn slam the /other/ claw into her /other/ shoulder, and then begin using her as a sort of ramp to kick off into the air, running up her body with forceful kicks and then kicking off, potentially giving her a few nasty gashes.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Kurow's Strong Kick.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Kentou
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Kurow 0/-------/------=|
She thought this day might come. The day she would have to stand against the prodigy fighter and prove once again that she had the will to survive in the cruel world he sought to create. His Japan. His empire. His rules. She survived that test on the beach of Thailand, beaten bloody as the two wore each other out beyond all strength to continue.
She knew that someday she would have to fight him again. But why, oh why, did it have to be this one? With Kentou here to worry about and protect? The boy isn't ready for /this/ side of the world she would have to show him someday. The world free of the ideals she wished were universal. The world where tyrants seek to rule and the rest struggle to keep from being crushed. It looks like training has been advanced a few lessons.
As he kicks Kentou away, the girl looks back at Kurow, eyes wide, breath held. Like a shadow from the memories she sought to forget he has invaded /her/ sanctuary, the last bastion of tranquility in the entire, tumultuous world. Does he know about Raizo? Does he know she's trying to coordinate with him to thwart his goals someday?
"I had the help of some friends," the girl replies with regards to her recovery as he advances on her. Eva to tip her off to the problem. Mizuki to provide much needed advice. Alma to break through the mental blocks with his unique abilities. Her recovery was not hers alone to claim, but the triumph of many individuals.
"Kentou," the girl speaks in the seconds before Kurow's assault. "Run! Go back home!" she asks. This fight isn't his. He shouldn't have to be here for this. He shouldn't have to see the darkest side of mankind manifest in the boy that stands before her. He may look her age, common any other High School boy. But there is nothing common about Kurow Kirishima.
The attempt to get a brutal grip on the girl is avoided as Hotaru ducks low, his hand just barely brushing against the white sleeve over her shoulder. But that reach of his leaves him open for the girl to return the favor, almost as if on reflex alone as she attempts to show him just how that attack is supposed to be done. Both hands reach to clasp at his extended arms, attempting to get a tight enough grip to wrench them into a locked position so that she can use that leverage to kick her way right up the front of the boy with a sequence of rapid, hard hitting stomps, before backflipping away to land back on the grass a little ways off.
Itokatsu runs around in circles in the yard in a state of abject panic before retreating up into the trees, leaving a wake of falling dry leaves to mark his rapid escape.
"SHINSOKU!!"
Run? Go back home? Clearly Hotaru hasn't learned much about her young charge if she happened to forget how that little boy stood against hopeless odds without so much as batting an eye. Charging a monolithic Shogun whom could dismantle him with vast ease.. and didn't back away. When it comes to his friends, his home, his family? Kentou never backs down.
Especially not to some fancy pants goofball with a terrible haircut!
As this clawed assassin engages his mentor, the boy drags the air back into his lungs with a snarl! Hands tearing at the grass for a moment as he regains his bearings before punching the Earth with both fists. Bouncing him up into a sprinter's stance.
The boy is then -off- like a bullet. Kicking blades of grass in his wake as his voice grows in volume, "YeaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
At the last few paces, the boy -STAMPS- his foot hard. The rebounding force -launching- him forth and doubling his already considerable momentum as he holds his fist outstretched like a lance. Wide, squared stance relatively low to the ground as dust streaks in his wake while zooming right past the protective Hotaru, Pig-tails flailing!
"YARI!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Kurow with Shin-Jou Tai.
Glancing Blow
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Kentou
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Kurow 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Kentou successfully hits Kurow with Shinsoku na Yari.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Kentou
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Kurow 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Kurow has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
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Kentou 0/-------/-======|
Hotaru catches Kirishima with that quick grab, but the youth quickly wrenches his form out of her grasp -- only to find a speeding Kentou slamming right into him full-speed. Perhaps the most demoralizing part of the whole business, though... is that in spite of that full-bore rush, Kurow doesn't fall. Indeed, it looks like he only feels mildly inconvenienced by Kentou's full-bore rush.
"I'm not surprised you had help -- if you'd gotten out of that entirely on your own, I would've been amazed. Still... the light touches are often the hardest to remove. The brain so rarely finds that something's wrong in the first place." Turning away from Hotaru again, the boy looks Kentou over -- and smiles widely.
"-- So you took a pupil, then. I'm surprised -- he's barely any younger than you are... but still, he does show a certain amount of potential." He studies the enthusiastic youth carefully, appraising all his knowledge, all his potential, all that he is and could possibly be in that one little moment, with a gaze that could be described as unsettling -- were one to take a light touch with description.
Stepping toward Kentou, he says, "I wonder, though -- are you really the best teacher for him? After all -- even if my own training is incomplete, I think I'm more than capable of turning even the weakest potential fighter into something more than passable." The youth takes a quick step toward Kentou, seeking to pick him up by the throat... only to turn it into a quick facelock, which leads into a hard jump-and-slam. Curiously, he shows the boy no real malice, no ill intent; the attack is carried out with clinical precision, designed entirely to try to 'get into' Hotaru's head.
She fails to get the grip she so needed to deliver the rest of the attack and Kurow slips by, turning to take the hit from Kentou that fails to dislodge him in the slightest. If only she could explain to her student that compared to that masked wannabe samurai, this boy that stands between them is more than twice the monster that Mad Gear boss could ever hope to be. She's fought them both. She knows the difference between someone who has to get lucky to even injure her and someone who outshines her in speed, strength, and almost definitely, analytical ability.
But as Kentou charges back in, she knows. Knows that even if she had the time to sit him down and explain what he would be up against here she wouldn't be able to convince him to leave. It's part of what she saw in the boy on the times before she even agreed to teach him. That devotion to save others is something she can understand. She's felt it herself on many occasions.
He's right though. Were it not for Eva and Arika confirming that Hotaru's own memories were inconsistant, she may have gone forever not knowing the tampering that was done. And it was that realization that frightened her the most when she figured it out in the end. After all, what else might have happened? But then the young man takes the time to study Kentou - learning more about the child in a blink than Hotaru could probably figure out with an hour of scrutiny.
"I know what you would teach him," the girl snaps back, ire already in her tone - her calm composure slipping rapidly. "I know all about how you use people. You'd make him just another pawn like all the others!" He turns his back on her though and advances on the boy who so bravely threw his lot into this fight that wasn't supposed to be his. "Leave him alone! You came here for me, not him!" Two steps forward to try and close the distance followed by a swift strike with her palm toward Kurow's lower back, right against the spine if she can connect, followed by a third step and another palm strike a bit higher up as she struggles to get his attention back on her.
COMBATSYS: Kentou fails to interrupt Strong Throw from Kurow with Tekkoudan.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Kurow
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Kentou 1/=======/=======|
That speedy assault strikes true. But avails the boy preciously little as this nancy-looking boy is a whole lot tougher than Kentou had first assessed! The youth hangs there for a moment, fist rammed against Kurow's chest as his mousey eyes slowly widen, "..Ooooh Crap."
If this guy thinks Kentou will take this lying down he's got another thing coming! The youth already on the move as this taller guy talks about training, potential, blahblahblah EAT THIS!
With gritted Teeth the boy -leaps- at Kurow, fists raising into the air as he prepares to intercept Mister Smuggles head-on, "TEKKOUD-"
The youth's throat, however, is easily caught. Snatched out of the air with all the ease of taking candy from a baby in his crib. The youth again flails about like a limp ragdoll. Utterly helpless in the series of locks and vicious twists before -CRASHING- into the ground with disturbing force. Kentou's limbs twitch once or twice and.. likely knocked completely out. For mere moments.. or for a looong time, remains to be seen..
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Kurow with Strong Punch.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Kurow
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Kentou 1/=======/=======|
With that painful modified slam of Mugen's used to particularly crushing effect on Kentou Ondori, Kurow turns back to Hotaru -- only to catch each of those palm strikes in the chest. They don't hurt too much -- they're like little love taps each time, but the fact remains that they are three strikes, each of which sends Kirishima back a little. He certainly doesn't miss a beat when it comes to talking to Hotaru, though. "And what of it? It's not any different from being /your/ pawn, save for the methods of control."
Walking toward Hotaru in spite of the punch, leaving the injured Kentou to suffer on the ground, Kurow continues, "Really -- are you even so sure you could offer him what I could? You may disapprove of my methods... but you can't deny that they lead to strength. You barely have the strength to enforce /your/ will -- are you sure you can give him as much? If /his/ needs are met, if /your/ needs are met..."
In that instant, as Kirishima tries harder and harder to take Futaba off her game and weaken her resolve, he is upon her. This time, his tactics are faster, as he finally goes for a technique that Futaba no doubt has seen the youth use countless times, if not necessarily on her. Advancing in toward her, Kirishima goes for a series of forceful, wide swipes, aimed at somewhat strange angles -- the first a low, paritcularly wide slash designed to knock Hotaru off her balance, the next a vertical swipe for simple injury, and finally a hard slash across Hotaru's shoulder to try to leave her less than fully capable of striking back, as he yells, "...would it really be so awful to be a pawn?!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Kurow's Yami Kagura.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Kentou 1/=======/=======|
In spite her efforts to distract him, there's nothing the girl can do but watch helplessly as Kentou gets hefted up and slammed back down to the ground uncerimoniously. "...no," comes the whispered gasp as her arms lower, her strikes ineffective in deterring the youthful ninja or even slowing down his advance. "Kentou!" This time she actually backs away, her guard down as she hardly looks ready to fend off any retaliation. Matching step for step until forced to come to a stop, her left foot coming down against the small retaining wall that borders the impressive flower garden she maintains on the property.
"I'm not taking away his choice. I'm not forcing him to do anything. That's the difference. It isn't control with me." she replies, her tone icy now, clearly upset at being compared to the very person she despises perhaps above anything else. "Strength isn't the only thing worth living for," she protests. "There's more to life than raw power. But that isn't what you would show him. You wouldn't care about him except for how he fits into your plans. What I'm doing is nothing like you!"
And then he's on the offense, using the techniques she's seen and felt. Those deadly claws, dangerous in their own right - made all the more leathal with the precision and force Kurow is able to apply to them as well. The low slice is avoided as she arches her back, her arms out at her sides for balance. The vertical swipe is handled by shifting into a lean instead. And when the third slash is attempted, the girl has already stepped back, rising in altitude as her right foot comes down on the top of the retaining wall, giving her a little boost as she leaps forward, attempting to plant a heel against Kurow's shoulder.
If she can pull it off, she'll complete the maneuver with a forward flip, allowing her to come down in a landing between the fallen boy and Kurow, turning around in mid-air as to already be facing Kurow if possible.
...Wooph.
After a few moments of battle Kentou's head finally rises from the ground. Shaking his head once sharply to get the blades of grass out of his vision, and almost immediately regretting the jarring movement. Skull -pounding- from the impact he just took.. feeling more than a little dizzy as events of moment ago come back to him in a rush. Eyes blinking out of sequence as he slowly, painfully looks upwards to see Hotaru and this talking guy fighting it out. Dodging and attacking at speeds even the fast little boy has trouble following. Does Hotaru KNOW this guy? What is he saying to her? Something about.. Pawns? Something. Argh.. No matter. Any words that flood out of that guy's mouth are irrelevant.
All Kentou knows is that if he can still make his body move.. He's going to help his Master! No way is he going to let her down now!
"Ha..HAAAA-HUP!" Kentou blurts out as he barks that cleansing kiai. Forcing his mind to clear and his thoughts to steady. Making himself concentrate no matter how much the world is spinning, no matter how much his whole body screams at him to stay down. With trembling effort, the boy -pushes- himself up to his feet once more. Wobbling a step before solidifying his stance. Okay.. Okay! Now or never! Normally the youth wouldn't try to do the dishonorable thing and attack a man when he isn't looking. But.. Well, knowing how -incredibly- fast and calculating this dude is, the boy realizes his window of opportunity is tiny indeed.
Wait.. Now he gets it! This guy wants to train him?! "HAH!" Kentou suddenly blurts out, "I'd never want to learn how to be a -JERK- like you!"
Honor means everything to Kentou, not strength. You could be the strongest warrior on planet Earth and it wouldn't impress the boy a single iota.. If they had not a drop of Honor to show for it. Being mean for its own sake? He may be supernaturally tough, but even that Mad Gear Shogun has more honor than this guy!
Again Hotaru realizes the worst as in the aftermath of her attack.. Kentou once again -dashes- from where she meant to protect him. Launching himself at his foe with hardly a shred of concern for himself. "Try seeing through THIS one Jerk-Face!"
The boy -VAULTS- into the air. Spiraling about in a tight twisting spin, "TENCHIIIIIIIII!"
The youth hangs in the air, almost as if in slow motion.. Until he -lands- onto the grass field with enough force to shake loose the petals of nearby flowers. Rising into the air and sweeping away at the shockwave as Kentou redirects all of that explosive, mechanical energy. Driving his fist forth towards Kurow's defenses with such speed few could suspect such a little boy was capable of!
"SHUUEN!!"
COMBATSYS: Kurow full-parries Hotaru's Koushuu Da!
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1 Kurow
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Kentou 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Kentou successfully hits Kurow with Tenchi Shuuen.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|=======\=------\1 Kurow
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Kentou 0/-------/----===|
Two attacks come toward Kirishima at once -- he certainly knows that he won't have time to deal with both of them... but he just might be able to use them to his advantage. Kentou's rush at Kurow's back goes unheeded, and that fist plows right into his back -- it hurts, certainly, but he seems strangely unconcerned about it. Kentou's best doesn't even knock Kurow over, or even draw that much of his attention -- which may be doubly disheartening when he lets that momentum carry him an inch or two forward, directly into Hotaru's incoming heel.
He meets it not unintentionally with his shoulder but intentionally with his hand, giving Hotaru a very small shove upward that could make a very big difference. This little, effortless trick for Kirishima may make for a massive change in his fortunes, as -- in that instant of unguardedness, that split second of opportunity -- he bolts straight upward, trying to ignore the bruise forming on his back.
The strike is something that Hotaru has seen time after time, from all manner of different angles and even a few decidedly different methods of execution; all of them harness the same dark energy, though, and all of them start with some quick physical strike -- in this case an upward shoulder tackle -- to position Kurow's opponent...
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Kurow's Kirishima Kyoujuu Reppa EX.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Kentou 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has saved the state of this fight.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Kurow
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Kentou 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has left the fight here.
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Kentou 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Kentou has left the fight here.
> ///////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Lazenca restarts a saved fight.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Kentou 0/-------/----===|
Kurow leverages Kentou's impact perfectly in order to catch Hotaru's incoming heel stomp. Recovering from a setback such as having someone completely redirect your aerial momentum mid-flight is a challenging prospect, and it definitely sets the Imawano-ryu user up for a vicious follow up as he pursues the girl into the air.
She can feel the surge of power of menacing intent as he leaps up to dislodge the girl from her course of travel. It's a small manner of luck and years of familiarity with the terrain in which Kurow has chosen to take this fight that saves Hotaru just then as with a desperate stretch of her arm she is able to snag hold of a branch of the very trees that concealed Kurow beforehand. The scrambled movement that follows as she pulls her legs up out of the way and flips up and over the branch isn't perfectly smooth by any means, but it gets the job done, she's avoided that vicious attack.
The completion of the flip allows her to resume her fall down to the grass to land by her devastated pupil, legs bending and one hand planting against the green fronds for support as she checks the wounded boy up close now. "Kentou. Kentou..." she whispers, her voice stammering a little due to the dread induced adrenaline flows through her bloodstream. "Oh, please be all right."
But she can't stay to check on him. Now that she's between Kurow and the youngest fighter, Hotaru pushes back up to her feet and whirls around to face Kurow, her expression darker now, her eyes narrowed as she all but fixes him with a glare. "I'm not the same as I was when you fought in Thailand," she states, as if trying to get into his mind in return. "I'm faster, stronger. You got a glimpse of that when Howard's people threw us in the arena together. You know. You should leave while you have the chance." Possibly completely bluffing, her typical inability to do so concealed in part by the ire in her voice. Or maybe she really believes she can take him now. That the things she's seen, done, experienced, and learned since Thailand have prepared her for fighting the likes of him.
But the girl isn't just talk, either, as she charges back at Kurow, this time leaning forward almost as if intending to barrel straight into him with her shoulder. But perhaps that's merely a feint to try and get him to lean low himself, as the girl swiftly leaps upward into a very shallow hop, flipping her legs up as if trying to pole-vault over Kurow without a pole. In passing, she'll attempt to get one of her arms around his neck and use him as an anchor to allow her to pivot around against his back where she'll swing her other arm around to join the first and lock on with something that looks kind of like a sleeperhold... except for the fact that her feet are dangling a foot or so off the ground, which makes it look more like he's just giving the girl a piggy back ride while she tries to strangle him!
Ha Ha! The legendary fist of the Ondori Style strikes true! Even terribly dizzy and barely clinging to consciousness, his Master Blow lands upon his pompous enemy!
...Until a second afterwards he dreadfully begins to realize, this taller boy -wanted- to be hit. Using the force behind the Tenchi Shuuen to launch himself right after his true opponent.. And Kentou may as well have just given him an alley-oop!
As much as he wants to tear after that clawed youth, the boy's legs simply give out from under him as he staggers and drops to his knee. Hands clutching the grass as the Kenpo fighter hacks and wheezes. Winded from the terrible, crushing blows and his own exertion.. But the boy doesn't so easily quit.
Growling under his breath, he crawls on all fours slowly.. Trying to get closer in a haggard, slow pace. Pausing only to watch Hotaru's spectacular display of acrobatics and terrain usage to evade an attack that.. The boy couldn't even follow with his eyes.. Let alone begin to even HOPE to evade!
As the girl lands at his side, Kentou certainly looks completely banged up. Badly. His head took -quite- the blow just seconds ago.. likely sporting a concussion at the very least. Still.. Desperately the boy tries to gather his strength, waving his hand in Kurow's general direction as he blurts, "F..Fine! I..I'm fine! S..Stay on him!"
He'll.. Apologize for his incompetance later. For now, Kentou cheers her on as he regathers his wits..
COMBATSYS: Kentou assists Hotaru.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Kurow
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Kentou 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Kurow full-parries Hotaru's Strong Throw!
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Kentou 0/-------/----===|
Even as Hotaru speaks, Kirishima -- even though she seems to be slowly harnessing the anger that his assaults on her student have given her -- seems altogether unfazed. He stares directly into her eyes as she speaks, telling him to leave while he has the chance... and as she leaps forward, Kurow Kirishima lets her get as far as wrapping one arm around his neck. As she comes around, though, that's when, in spite of Kentou's encouragement, in spite of it all, he meets that other hand with his own and gives a forceful shove back, destabilizing Hotaru's hold and sending her fairly painlessly down to the ground.
"That's precisely your problem," he says, glancing over to Kentou and then back down to the Futaba heiress. "You think you're the only one improving. You think that whenever you can't see something, it's simply in stasis." The young man takes a sudden, hard step forward, his right claw glowing with an eerie purple light. "I'd say I envy your simplicity, but the truth is," he says, as that energy reaches an intense swell, almost blinding...
"... I loathe it. I pity you... because until you take that to heart, you'll never stop playing catch-up." Evidently, however, this pity is not nearly enough to stay Kurow Kirishima's hand, and the youth drops to one knee, driving that glowing hand straight down at the young lady, trying to rip through her body, disrupting the flow of her chi with his own dark energies, twisting and grinding those claws deep into her stomach. All the while, if he can keep that strike held, he keeps his eyes locked on Hotaru's, his expression a cruel, pitiless mask.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Kurow's Roppu Zuki EX.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Kentou 0/-------/----===|
His precise timing sends Hotaru tumbling to the ground, landing on her back with a grunt, looking up at the taller student as he stands over her. For all her talk, and hope of having improved enough, he's suddenly taken to handling her quite well now. Prushing up with her arms, she sits still for a moment, waiting, realizing quite well that if she simply moves he'll strike early without her knowing from which direction. Better to wait, watch, and hope she can react in time when he attacks next.
His words are heard, but for the moment she's too focused on his movements to utter a sound, literally holding her breath as he curses her for her simplicity and seeks to show her the cruelity that he is capable of. Kentou's voice is heard and again she wishes she could convince him to leave. Not because of him being a hinderence but because of what she fears Kurow will do if she can't best him. If he gets his claws on the boy...
He kneels and stabs out and in that moment the girl is gone, leaving grass for him to strike at as she completes a quick summersault and then pushes off into a hopping snap kick right back toward him, trying to catch the young man while he's still low. If she manages to strike him with enough strength to stagger him, she'll follow up with three swift but powerful kicks with legs that are surprisingly strong for her small size. "YA!"
Kentou uses these moments to muster up as much wind as he is able. Breathing deeply, no matter how much his ribcage aches from that earlier crushing kick. Dizzy eyes following the blindingly fast movements of his Master and her nemesis. This, of course, gives him a good long moment to process what this taller boy is saying.
Man, this guy is a total jerk! What the heck is this guy's damage anyway? If he is all high and mighty why should he even begin to care about Hotaru anyway? Ooooooooooor.. maybe he's trying to prove something to her? No matter. Hotaru isn't going to lose here, not while Kentou has an ounce of fight left in his body!
"Ha..HaaaaaaaAAAA! HUP!" Once again Kentou blasts out that battle kiai, thrusting himself to his feet as he regains enough wherewithal to mount yet another assault! And -this- time better coordinating with his Master! ... Or at least, so he thinks.
The youth -zooms- forth. Staying low to the ground and deciding that this guy's completely incredible speed needs to be taken down a peg! The youth -dives- at the last moment.. Vaulting at a perpendicular angle towards Hotaru's own volley of kicks. Lunging low in a bid to -drive- his knuckles at the outside of this fighter's thigh! Trying to give him something akin to the world's worst Charlie Horse and maybe slow his footwork down enough for Hotaru to take advantage!
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Hotaru's Heavy Kick.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Kurow
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Kentou 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Kentou's Strong Punch.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Kentou 0/-------/----===|
With the adrenaline pumping, Kurow starts to get on his game again -- a facet of Kurow's style that should no doubt be immensely familiar for young Hotaru Futaba. After all, it was less than half a year ago that she went through an all too similar experience with the Shooting Stars... Kirishima's body whips to one side as Hotaru goes for that hard kick, letting her move past him with a small, effortless maneuver.
Almost simultaneously, Kentou comes in with that fierce low blow, and Kurow is forced to lift his leg and move it out to the side, letting Kentou's dive take him to the ground rather than into Kirishima's thigh. The youth holds his position for a moment, leg raised slightly awkwardly, his eyes never leaving the young Ondori.
His head turns, and only for a split second, his eyes meet Hotaru's, cold and passionless. He may loathe /her/, but what he's about to do? Strictly business, strictly a tactical maneuver. Kentou is just unfortunate enough to be in the way. "Ha!" the young man says, swinging his leg down at last; where is it aimed? The answer to that question is no doubt obvious by now -- poor Kentou Ondori, in a forceful axe kick that takes advantage of the raising of Kirishima's leg. It seems as though, at least for now, Kentou isn't going to be able to do much about Kurow's speed.
As he nimbly slips through their dual attack, Hotaru comes to a stop after having only attempted the original hopping kick. He's out of position for her to try any kind of follow up for the immediate moment. But that doesn't mean she's left flat footed for long. The pig-tailed girl whirls toward Kurow while his leg hangs in the air after having avoided Kentou's strike...
And when those eyes meet hers, she knows in an instant what he is going to do. The attempt to interfer is desperate at best. The window to help so terrifyingly brief. The young Kenpo artist lunges forward, arms out at her side as she tries to plow bodily into Kurow with her limbs hooking around his waist. It's nothing elegant. Nothing even terribly effective, given her stature; a simple, despairing attempt to tackle him to the ground before he recovers his own footing.
COMBATSYS: Kentou interrupts Strong Kick from Kurow with Bakuretsu Tekkouken.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Kentou can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Kurow
ERF!
The boy lets loose a heavy, pained grunt as he dives to the ground. Sliding a foot or two further as his fist swishes past its intended target!
Argh! Too slow, too slow!
The youth just begins to look up and realize that he's way out of position. He can't even begin to roll away in time.. His only advantage?
In that jerk's arrogance he isn't even looking. -HEH-. Kentou's teeth grit as he -shoves- himself up one last time. Moving up to meet that descending kick as the youth blurts with whatever breath is left in his agonized lungs, "BAKURETSU.." His open hand streaking upwards as his outstretched fingertips juuust touch Kurow's middle.
"-TEKKOUKEN-"
Like a grenade going off at point blank, the boy's arm -thrusts- forward precisely one inch. Fingers clutching into a fist as he -drives- his two knuckles into his foe. Unleashing the force of a full-strength punch without hardly any momentum at all.. Giving this genius fighter no time to predict and compensate!
All at the cost, however, of not moving out of the way.
That decending foot -SLAMS- into Kentou's back and crushes him back to the ground with a painful crack! If the boy had any breath left in his lungs he would surely scream as his face contorts in a silent yell. Eyes slowly glazing over as his limbs then flop to the ground, head sinking to the Earth as he lies still.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Kurow with Quick Throw.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Kurow
Two thing shappen at precisely the same time, and Kurow doesn't have any time to deal with either of them. Hotaru catches Kirishima just as his foot swings down... and Kentou, in turn, gives Kirishima that vicious punch. Neither attack, on its own, is much of a threat to a man like Kurow, but together, they do quite a number on him, sending him to the ground with a fair amount of pain for his trouble. Still, he sees Kentou across from him on the churchyard ground... and he knows instantly that the boy's out. Finally, he can concentrate on Hotaru... and as Futaba knows, that's a dangerous place for her to be.
The youth doesn't even bother to get back to a full standing position this time, starting to crawl toward Futaba in a sudden burst of energy like some cornered, wounded animal. It seems like he's going for that same shoulder tackle he always tries against her yet again, that same strike that's failed him dozens upon dozens of times against Futaba...
... but at the last instant, he stops, swinging his body upward and whipping his hand forcefully into the air. Now, perhaps, the little lady will get a real taste of what Kurow Kirishima can do in a battle, as a golden whirlwind forms but inches ahead of his hand, springing up from underneath Hotaru and threatening to carry her up into the air, slicing her body over and over again. It may well be the only technique of Kirishima's Imawano-ryu training that Hotaru's never been conscious to see -- but unfortunately, she's now on the receiving end of it.
The youth says nothing, through the entire assault. Kentou's unconscious body speaks for itself.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru reflects Kirishima Shinkuu Yamiarashi from Kurow with Kobi Kyaku.
- Power hit! -
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
Her own recovery from her desperate tackle was hardly graceful as the girl is far less accustomed to such simple, blunt style assaults compared to her more acrobatic, aerial style of fighting. A stumbled couple of steps, her shove successful in one sense, but too late to do anything to spare her student the crushing kick to his back. She heard the sound of impact that drove him face down into the ground and left in a limp heap.
Her stumble ends with a drop to her knees next to him, her eyes wide with dread at the thought that perhaps that vicious strike was one more than the boy's body could take. What if he's dead? What if her charge was killed in the midst of a young man following up on a vendetta that had nothing to do with the boy? Wouldn't that be her fault then? How could she face the old man who entrusted her to teach the orphan? What would she say? What /could/ she say?
Her hand extends out to touch his shoulder at the same instant she becomes aware of Kurow's incoming assault. That same spike in power is felt, her aura, so intune with his due to repeated exposure, resonating just enough to tip her off. She has no idea what the nature of his incoming attack is going to be. No clue how he will twist his control over the breath of life so freely given by the natural environment around them to inflict pain on her. But she does know that being right next to Kentou means the boy may suffer from the attack as well.
It's in that moment that pure instinct takes over, the girl rising from her kneeling position. What comes next is no show of skill. No flashy technique practiced for hours on end to be honed to precision. Instead a pulse - a spike in power of her own, that powerful connection /she/ has to this special location, the strength within her, perhaps still never having fully been tapped... and the faith of the boy lying still at her feet. "AAAAAAAAAAH!" It manifests as a sphere of deep blue that pulses out from the girl, driving asunder the whirlwind and even sending a backlash toward its source.
In its wake, the girl remains standing for a long moment, hands clenched into tight fists, her blue eyes filled with an anger that would be foreign to anyone who had never seen her provoked to this state. He wanted to get into her mind with his words, but his deeds are far harder to ignore. But she doesn't stay standing for long as the costs of such an unintended expenditure catch up with her and the girl drops to her knees, supporting herself from slumping forward fully with her palms pressed against the grass.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Kurow with Reflected Kirishima Shinkuu Yamiarashi.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Kurow
That blue sphere rips through Kirishima's whirlwind, and sends Kurow himself back a few feet; he isn't badly hurt, but he's definitely suffering the death of a thousand cuts here tonight -- nothing on its own is much of a threat, but in the aggregate, he's been worn down drastically. The young man is completely out of options, and knows that -- and Hotaru's still ready, still strong, even if she's starting to get winded.
The young man takes slow, deep breaths, in and out, trying to focus -- but seeing his attacks batted back by the girl /again/, just as he'd done to her so long ago, trips something in his head. He takes a deep breath in, studying Hotaru as carefully as possible for an instant, trying to discern her weakest point, figure out just where that fatigue is hitting her the hardest, and capitalize on it.
It's then that he notices that anger, that fury inside her that's boiled over, that intensity in those blue eyes... and it's then that he decides to try a different approach, one that again uses his words but at a far different angle. As he comes in with hard, forceful steps, the well-grounded footfalls of another style, he starts yet again to speak. "You're angry," he says, his voice ragged yet seemingly pleased. "You're angry because someone 'innocent' has been caught in the crossfire in a deadly game you happen to be involved in. That'll help you. Having those you care about hurt, killed, twisted into nothingness -- it'll give you a strength you didn't know you had."
Even as Kurow's body fails him, even as he tries his hardest to catch even a fraction of his breath, he cracks a grin. "Even if that boy were to die here, which he... shouldn't, it's no loss. You'll grow stronger." The youth aims a quick punt for Futaba's head, as he finishes, "Believe me. I know."
COMBATSYS: Hotaru endures Kurow's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Hotaru 1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Kurow
Hotaru remains kneeling, her fingers digging into the grass beneath her. This isn't the first time she's faced someone so unlike herself within these walls. Only a couple of months have passed since her own brother sought to end her life with no sign of regret, no remorse. Her brother called her weak. The very one she had trained for years to prove otherwise to. Nothing mattered but that pursuit of power he was on. All else, including his own kin, were irrelevant.
And now Kurow advances on her, speaking of strength as well. That Kentou's loss would be just another stepping stone in her own progression toward the power he implies she must surely want. And the truth of it is she really does. The power to protect, the ability ot defend, the strength to stop the monsters of the world. She wishes she had that. But the price is unacceptable. If it costs blood to get there then maybe she will never reach that point. Grant suggested as much. That her path would deny her her own potential. And now, more than ever, she understands what he meant.
She lifts her head slowly, eyes fixated on Kurow, as if glaring through him rather than seeing him. A thin shimmer of tears born of frustration glistens on her cheeks. Her jaw is set, teeth clenched. "I will never climb the stairs hewn from the bones of those dear to me, Kurow Kirishima," the girl hisses back. "That horrid path is the one you have to live with."
And when he swings his foot in, the girl does nothing to avoid it at all, instead lunging upward into the strike. There is a flash of blue along her right forearm. He's seen this attack before. Normally it has taken her time to charge it up to full force, but right now she is drawing on potential that perhaps was not meant to be touched. Maybe it's that same potential that lies in the Futaba bloodline that has driven her brother and father mad. Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely, or so the saying goes.
Her right arm slams forward even as his foot impacts her hard in the stomach. While the blow does little to improve her aim, she's attempting to deliver a package of pure, blue, vibrant chi at nearly point blank range with nary a warning. "YAA!"
COMBATSYS: Kurow parries Hotaru's Hakki Shou EX!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Kurow
The youth's forward followthrough in the punt could destroy him in any other circumstances. However, here and now, a lucky raising of his arm has brought him into perfect position to not only see that quick, focused strike coming... but to bat it down, his claws making a resonant, metallic sound as he swats that blue light into oblivion. The youth looks down toward that young woman so close to tears... and starts, simply, to laugh.
It is a harsh, painful laugh to hear, one that sounds as though it could never be anything but 'at someone else's grave expense.' It's entirely possible that, by now, Kurow simply doesn't find much amusement in things that /aren't/ at the expense of others; even Hotaru's misty eyes only offer him some mix of entertainment and derision.
"'Have' to live with?!" he asks of her, his tone still edged with amusement. "It hurt at the time... but climbing those bloody steps has given me something it sounds like you may never understand." The young man stays close to Hotaru, giving her a smile as he says, "I may not defeat you tonight... but the way I've hurt you is something you'll feed off for weeks to come. Even if you don't try to walk that path, it may drag you along." In spite of his injuries, his breathing and speech have started to level off.
The youth reaches down now, grabbing at Hotaru's head -- and finally decides to try something that might end the battle, looking to sink the claws of both hands deep into her flesh before kicking off the ground, whirling around her as he's done to so many in the past. He finishes it off with a trick that the two of them have both used at at least one point in the battle, locking his arms around her head and trying to drag her to the ground in a forceful slam.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Kurow's Circle Slash EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Kurow
Being so close to him, Hotaru is a perfect, albeit unintentionally so, position to watch Kurow dispatch with her small projectile using precision she can only barely understand let alone dream of being able to mimic herself. She's extended herself hard to try and deliver that forced strike directly into his chest, her arm reaching out, her left leg forward, bent at the knee to support her lean. She took the blow to the stomach to get in close to him, but now all she can think about is how she wishes she were anywhere but near him.
The darkness that courses through him - that power gone wrong, twisted. He pulls chi from the same environment she does, but what it becomes when it courses through him seems so foreign as to be from another existence all together. Being this close to it, to him, is a stark reminder that maybe there are those people who are too far gone over the edge, hopeless of redemption. Blights on humanity. To look the young man in the eye is to know that it is truly possible for a person to be wicked at the core. No fluffy, warm, naive hope will change that.
She remains frozen in place as he speaks, like a dear in headlights that vainly hopes that if it holds still the menace will simply go away. "As you dragged yourself up those steps, you left shreaded, tattered pieces of yourself behind... I wonder who Kurow Kirishima was really meant to be..." the girl whispers back, her voice trembling with the adrenaline and emotions coursing through her. She's furious. Furious at his mocking laughter. At her inability to have protected Kentou from him. At the sense of feeling alone in the world this very moment, trapped in a waking nightmare in her very sanctuary. His words ring true, the turmoil this encounter has already injected into her heart will not be easily brushed aside.
And then he moves. And she does as well. His clawed hands reach out for her head but just as the tips begin to graze her flesh the girl slips away, leaving behind several strands of her dark hair hanging freely from his 'nails.' The retreat was only partial, however, as it is with a turn that she aims to deliver a swift kick into his stomach. She doesn't know what his condition is. She doesn't have his practiced eye. All she can do is keep swinging and hope he relents. "KYAA!"
COMBATSYS: Kurow parries Hotaru's Light Kick!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Kurow
There is much of Kurow that was lost in his climb to where he is. Had Hotaru met the young man ten years ago, before Mugen Imawano, before Kirishima was made into the Imawano clan's fire-and-forget weapon, before that very weapon ended up outlasting them... she might have liked what she saw. Somewhere back there in the dust is a thoughtful, insightful young man -- all the intelligence, potential, and understanding of other human beings reflected in what stands before Hotaru, but without the malice, the cruelty, the desire for dominance. There's a part of him that his sister babied, that led him to become fast friends with a young lady now only known as 'Student A' -- but that part, as Hotaru sees, is gone.
Kirishima wastes no motion, no effort at all in trying to tear Hotaru apart -- as that kick comes in, his hands dart down to that incoming leg and give it a hard grab, then a push to the right, sending the young lady spinning for a moment. "No one is 'meant' to be anything," he says, stepping into Hotaru's guard in that instant. He's dropped all pretenses of playing around now, of considering Hotaru anything less than a drastic threat.
The youth comes in with a series of hard, forceful slashes from all manner of different angles, trying to cleave through Hotaru's unbalanced legs and throw her off her perfect balance for the rest of the battle -- and perhaps turn the fight around. He's come here for more than a pound of flesh... and yet intends to take what he came for. At this point, Hotaru is too much of a threat to be anywhere but firmly under his thumb -- damn that boy for getting in the way, he thinks to himself.
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Hotaru with Yami Kagura EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Hotaru 1/----===/=======|=======\-------\1 Kurow
Now that the distraction that was the young boy, hell bent on defending his teacher, has been dealt with, Kurow seems to be slipping into his old routines of easily handling everything the girl can throw his way. Attacks rebuffed with ease, her momentum redirected, fighting against her moreso than helping. She's been here before and even through the blinding anger she begins to feel that same glimmer of hopelessness she felt in a battle months ago at some unimportant radio station in the jungles of Thailand; a fight he had made her forget the particulars of for a while. But now, more than ever, she remembers the ineffectiveness of her attempts strike him back then for now it is happening all over again.
Her leg caught then shoved aside, the girl half-turns as she brings her foot down, realizing that she not quite off balance but not in a position to move until she can reposition her leg either. But it is that side turned to him that he tears into first with his claws. Unlike the frenzied slashes of a rabid beast, Kurow's strikes are precise, each one with the intent to deliver specific damage. And as the girl staggers backward, thin red lines of blood staining against her torn, white trousers it's clear that he has hit his mark. Hotaru stumbles a little, the pain in her legs quickly threatening her ability to continue. Surely she can't keep pace with him for long with the injuries slowing her down now.
Anger subsides a little, replaced with panic. When the Kenpo artist comes for him again, it's with far less elegance that she normally fights. Like the clumsy, desperate tackle from before, Hotaru charges into Kurow, attempting to lunge her left shoulder right into him before twisting her torso and bring in her right hand, an open palm, to drive into his chin.
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Hotaru's Strong Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Hotaru 1/----===/=======|=======\-------\1 Kurow
As Hotaru comes in, Kurow sees another person standing before him, in posture if not in name -- Roy Bromwell. It was months ago that he'd stopped the man cold, in his attempt to send the young Terry-to-be against Geese Howard and give him at least a /little/ training to help him on his way -- and the attack he stopped dead was the very thing that Futaba brings forth now, albeit far more refined, and with the burning energy that Roy always brings to the table.
The young man takes a quick step to the side, not using Futaba's momentum against her but not letting her touch him, either; he seems to have a much better grasp on how to handle the battle than he did moments ago, as the young lady is no doubt finding out; the youth tends to lose control of battles where the numbers don't favor him, especially if he diverts his attention. Fighting Hotaru alone allows him to refocus, and use that analytical mind to its full extent.
Giving her that usual heartless little grin, Kurow says, "A shoulder tackle? ... cute. Allow me to demonstrate a better one for you." The youth drops low, trying to guess Futaba's center of gravity and positioning the highest part of his body just below it, bowing his head down before lunging forward in a last-ditch effort that will, either way, leave him panting.
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Hotaru with Kirishima Kyoujuu Reppa.
[ \\\\\ < > /////// ]
Hotaru 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|-------\-------\0 Kurow
The youth's shoulder does something it has not yet done: meets squarely with Futaba's legs, sending her body over his back and just behind him. For a second, one brief merciful second, it seems like that's it -- he just intends to mock her by doing what she can't. However, Futaba learns quickly that that is not the case, as he subjects her to the high-risk maneuver that he's subjected many to over the years, slashes of chi forming in the air just behind the path of his run -- and dragging Futaba in with them, each passing her on to the next one, dragging her in Kurow's wake like a fish behind a motorboat.
It feels like an eternity, as each attack leads into the next, not giving Futaba even a moment's break from the endless barrage of slashes. Finally, when he reaches the edge of the church yard, he suddenly stops, launching Hotaru up and forward. Leaping after her, Kirishima raises a leg in a maneuver Hotaru will recognize from not long ago. He says nothing, only giving her one last cold, steely look with those grey eyes before slamming his heel down into her gut, sending her down into the grass.
At last he has her. As his speed ceases to betray him and his mind finds ways to pry at her ability to fight, he finally catches the girl with an attack that is more than capable of dealing with the fragile girl. Each slash of energy, each wave cutting and propelling her toward him. Like an animal caught in a trap, she panics, flailing and struggling, but to no avail - helpless to keep herself from being launched up into the air.
The blood streaks, the shreaded, torn clothing, like a bird sucked into a propeller Hotaru is chewed up and spit back out the other end of the attack, hovering for a long moment in the air before being driven back down to the ground where she crashes with a solid thud on her back.
If only she had his strength. His power. His will. The thoughts flitter through her fading consciousness as she lies flat on her back for a long moment before rolling over onto her side, struggling back up to her feet. She glares over her shoulder toward Kurow as he comes back down from his attack. The anger is there, but dulled. The fear is there, but slipping along with her cognisance. But there is a third emotion. One that one might not had ever expected to see written in her visage. Envy. Faint, subdued, but present. The gulf that exists between her and the boy a year behind her in age is undeniable.
She finally turns after propping herself up by resting her hands against her knees for a long moment, and makes one final dash toward him. One last burst of strength. A low lean, partially out of intent partially because she's losing the ability to stay upright, leads into a chi-surged flip kick as she attempts to plow into the boy with everything she has. If she connects, it's merely the opener of more to come. If she fails she will reach the apex of her accent before she loses control and drops uncerimoniously back down to the ground, a falling sparrow that's lots its wings.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru can no longer fight.
> /////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Kurow with Ten-shou Ranki.
> ]
|===----\-------\0 Kurow
That she manages to catch him all is either pure luck or an indication of the attacks that have slowly weathered the far faster fighter down throughout the fight in this once tranquil location. Whatever it may be, the strike lands, leaving him open to be plowed into the ground, the two landing next to the small, man-made pond in one corner of the property.
The girl seated on his waist, her knees in the ground as she presses her hands against his chest. She had delivered this attack before, her small hands gripped at his neck. But the venom that consumes her is different this time. She wants to perform the technique exactly as she mastered it by accident so long ago. Because... because she wants to feel, for a moment, that aura of his.
The attack requires the girl to draw upon everything around her. The environment, her own spirit, and, yes, even some of the Kirishima boy's own chi is drawn into the young girl before being forced into the growing sphere of energy that manifests around her. The sphere is mostly blue, but it crackles with other energies - most notably the black colored lightning that streaks around the outside of it. A strange technique, one that may very be dangerous for her with repeated use, it requires her to borrow aura from her opponent to create a blast more powerful than she could manifest on her own. Which gives her, for a brief, passing moment, a sense of Kurow's own nature. Of the boy beneath the steel, cold mask. Previous uses of the attack on him were when she was less proficient with it, and overcome with blinding anger. But this time her senses are perfectly clear.
"aaaaaaaaAAAAH!" It isn't long before she can sustain it no longer and the sphere collapses back in on her as she channels the pooled chi from herself and everything around them, returning that which she borrowed, and /then/ some, directly into Kurow's chest. The resulting blast explodes outward, splashing much of the pond water against the nearby brick wall, flattening the grass in a radius around them, and sending fall leaves flying up into the air.
And then that's it. Had she the power, she would do more. She would try to take the boy. Try desperately to have him held accountable for the crimes he had committed and no doubt continues to. But she can't. She would crawl away if she could, rather than slump down on the very person she hates and envies at the same time. But when the sound of the blast fades and the world slowly returns to normal, a gentle stream trickling into the pond to slowly refill it after the major loss of water, Hotaru Futaba has passed out atop Kurow Kirishima.
No matter how many times Futaba does it, Kirishima so rarely pulls himself out of the path of that starting kick. Knocked up a few inches into the air, Kurow is helpless to do anything but wait for Hotaru to straddle him, slamming him into the ground and starting to draw just the smallest amount of his own energy out of him and into herself. And though Hotaru may want to feel that aura for herself... she may not like what she feels.
In that instant, Hotaru sees -- perhaps -- more than she bargained for. Though she does not literally 'see' anything, the atrocities committed by Imawano-ryu's dark energy are no doubt the first thing that drawing on them reveals -- the art truly is a blood-stained style of utter domination. But then there's Kurow's own energy. His own twist on it. While she doesn't see into his past, no doubt she'll know the feelings. There is a strange sort of fluctuation in that aura -- fresh, at that. One of doubt. It'd take a spectacular empath to root out much more than that, but in that instant that both parties begin to slip toward unconsciousness, Hotaru may find out something more bothersome about Kurow than any cruelty, any merciless thrashings could ever reveal: that he, too, can have his worldview shaken and challenged.
He's nearly out by the time that explosion hits. He didn't really have anything left in the tank when Hotaru came in for him -- the kick practically took him down on its own. The energy blast just seals the deal, causing his unconscious body to thump once on the ground, shifting slightly toward the pond but otherwise remaining altogether still.
When Futaba finally regains consciousness, she'll find herself no longer atop Kurow Kirishima, no longer so close to that hated enemy. He always escapes. It's the curse of dealing with him. But in his haste, he's left something behind: a tattered red hair ribbon, one Futaba's lacked for months. Whether he left it for her or it simply fell out of his pocket is for her to decide... but regardless, perhaps this can be considered some small, symbolic victory.
COMBATSYS: Kurow has ended the fight here.
Log created on 22:35:33 09/24/2007 by Kentou, and last modified on 00:17:53 09/28/2007.