Description: Ronin versus Criminals! In which Katana finally avenges his fallen master and Mizuki learns not to anger big black men. (Draw Match)
The theatre is nice. This is a vast understatement, as the Minami-za Kabuki theatre is one again playing the excellent play of Ch?shingura. Always a classic for this theater. When one would look upon tonight, it would be sold out.
And it still is. But with Geese calling the shots, some things are entirely different, if not outright changed.
Between the stage and the seats there used to be nothing but a small flowing stream, but now there is a wall of powerful plexiglass to keep the onlookers safe from the 'performers'. The second should be quite obvious, as the good seats are still occupied by the regulars, but the other, nosebleed section is occupied by ruffians and people looking for blood. When Geese takes control of a play, everyone hears about it.
As everyone sits down and takes their seats, the Theatre dims, signaling silence. Lights fall down to the curtain as music slowly begins to play, the curtains seperating slowly as the stage is shown, nude save for bushes, cherry blossom trees and fallen lots. Cherry blossoms litter the ground for the proper effect.
Underneath one of the trees, Birdie sits, completely white. His garbs replaced by the Kabuki Theatre style robe, his skin made white as snow, and his chain and hair UNTOUCHED. They can't have everything. Birdie meanwhile smokes a small pipe, looking down in silence, a bloody katana by his side.
Ugh... he's starting to feel sick already. Back to those 'white' flashes.
This is stupid.
The last thing Tenma Kiryuu wants to be is forced to be involved in the most boring parts of his own culture, and kabuki is possibly the worst. Much like Birdie, the Gedo swordsman is dressed in kabuki costume, his already fairly pale skin whitened further. His hair is, however, mostly untouched, simply pulled back into a tighter tail than usual; he wasn't going to let them anywhere /near/ him with a wig.
The lean highschooler stands not far away from his teammate and, for the purposes of this play, fellow assassin, looking distinctly uncomfortable being up on a stage in uncomfortable clothes and makeup in front of not just the typical fight spectators, but also actual patrons of the arts, more fool them.
Somewhere, back home in Osaka, his parents are no doubt near to exploding with shame.
But Tenma doesn't really care about that, his focus is on trying to not be consumed with stagefright, and also with the fight ahead. Like Birdie, he too has a bloody katana in hand. Except his is wood. And the blood is real.
WELCOME TO THE MINAMI-ZA KABUKI THEATRE, YOU WHITE MAN.
Katana, however, is far from white. He is as Japanese as can be. So Japanese, his MASK is white and dolled up in the sacred body art for such festivals. As such, his heavy armor has a huge, long, draping and flowing Kabuki Kimono, white and black spotted, flowing from his body in a long river like continuation. All the better to trip over.. AND ALL THE STRONGER FOR HIS ANCESTORS GIFTS AND PRESENCE. A Ronin, Katana is a warrior who fights for his lord.
And tonight, he has to come with all the fury of a shamed, and revenge seeking ronin. Even upon Birdie, HIS MATE.
But .. IT IS SO BECAUSE THE JAPANESE GODS HAVE DECREED IT EVEN IF IT WAS REALLY BY SNF BUT THEN YOU'RE LYING AND THE SPIRITS HAD SET IT ALL UP WITH THE ANCESTORS AND HOLY CRAP KATANA CHARGES ON SCREAM YELLING. "SAMURAAAAAAAAI! You .. You dogs! You have dishonored my masters house hold. In cold blood, you have slayed him! His body lies now upon the straw mat, his wife grieves. Worst of all, you have left me alive. You cowards have simply ran off after your murder.. BUT NO!" Both wakazashi are point towards them. Towards Birdie, who rests under a tree. Towards Tenma, whom holds the bloody weapon forwards. "Ah .. AND YOU HAVE THE BLOODY INSTRUMENTS BEFORE YOU!" He yells, shaking the blades.
"For my honor .. For my masters honor ... I SHALL FIGHT YOU TO THE DEATH. Death before dishonor! I SHALL EITHER DIE IN SERVICE TO MY MASTER..." And his massively long kimono almost flaps with him, dolled out in ways it SHOULD NOT BE, fake wigs wafting off his mask. "OR I SHALL BATHE IN YOUR COWARDS BLOOD!"
He's taking it way too seriously.
Tenma, Birdie. He's clearly gone insane. SORRY MIZUKI. HE'S CLEARLY GONE INSANE.
"TO ME, MY FELLOW RONIN!"
What an -odd- SNF to be placed into. Well, really, her outfit doesn't -have- to be any different than what she usually wears... she just has the sleeves tied back and a hachimaki on over her forehead. And she's carrying a naginata. When she got the premise for the SNF, she found it... amusing. It's like Kabuki but... probably more like a Kurosawa film. The question is, who gets to be the total badass??
It probably isn't Mizuki. But she'll play up her part to perfection. Tenma's parents may be exploding with shame; Mizuki's family too, although at least some of her teachers have enough of a sense of humor to enjoy this one... But... oh man. Oh man.
Katana's -really- into this one. Off he goes, charging unto the wild blue yonder of the stage, and his screaming shout the master and... wow. He's really into it.
"Ah, hai!" yelps the redhead, running onto the stage with her prop naginata in hand, taking up an appropriate pose. She pauses for a moment, then oh yeahs. "Uh, prepare to be defeated to appease our master's spirit!" ... yeah. See Tenma? It isn't really like Kabuki at all. How could you think it would be?
Birdie looks towards Tenma even as the boy begins to get ready. Well now, he certainly is doing his part. The music slowly strums before Katana breaks onto stage.
Birdie looks right towards him. He gets tunnel vision. Oh god. They didn't. Out of everything they put HIM there? He begins to sweat more than he's ever sweated before. Geese you bastard, you knew this would happen. Birdie's going to enjoy stabbing you in the b-getting you tea. Right.
Even still, as Katana charges, Birdie stands up, looking towards the WARRIOR RONIN KATANA threatens Birdie with PAINFUL STABBINGS. Now, Birdie hates painful stabbings, so he thinks of what to do.
Looking towards Mizuki, letting a small belly laugh out at the other Mizuki. Wow. This place is going to be crazy.
Well, might as well play along. "Your Masters dead, Bloke. And I'd kill him again if I could." And Birdie would too.
Raising the 'katana' up, Birdie attempts to beat the side of the weapon against the side of Katana, hard.
Because.
COMBATSYS: Birdie has started a fight here.
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Birdie 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Birdie has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Birdie
COMBATSYS: Katana has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Katana 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Birdie
COMBATSYS: Tenma has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Katana 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Tenma
> ///////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Birdie
COMBATSYS: Mizuki has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Mizuki 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Tenma
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Katana 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Birdie
Also notable about Tenma is the blood running down his left hand, dripping onto the stage lazily. That would probably be where the aura of bloody energy around his bokken came from in the first place. But for all of that, and all of his focus on how embarassing this all is... It's hard to stay focused on that when Katana shows up and gets way, way, way into things. In fact, the groan from the Gedo gang member is quite audible, and he lifts his bloody left hand to palm his face, smudging a bit of his white makeup with red.
But there's still a fight to be had, with Tenma's dark blue eyes fixing on Mizuki from between his fingers, taking in the presence of her naginata, and her attempts to match Katana for verisimilitude. "Ah, whatever," the lanky boy grates out, running low to the ground as he charges... Right at Katana as well! What a tweest! If he manages to get close enough to the possibly insane Shogun/ronin warrior, Kiryuu lifts his wooden blade over his head with both hands, slashing downwards to strike with blessed wood and bloody chi alike; at the bottom of the first slash, he reverses the blade to slash back upwards, creating a shallow V-shape.
He could probably be trying harder to play his part, you know.
COMBATSYS: Birdie successfully hits Katana with Jab Punch.
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Mizuki 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Tenma
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Katana 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Birdie
COMBATSYS: Katana fails to counter Ungyou from Tenma with Shiraha Catch.
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Mizuki 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Tenma
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Katana 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Birdie
AHA. Here is his loyal sidekick Ronin who will help him! Unlike all, he has no embarrassment. You see.. KATANA'S FAMILY DISOWNED HIM. HAHAHA!
As such, this is far, far too good of a chance to pass up. As Mizuki grows close, running with her prop nearby, posing with it. Ah. Such a good warrior! Perhaps he will invite her into the illustrious MAD GEAR GANG. "Very good... but .." His eyes narrow, he stands silent, and points. "JacoooooONOOO CHINGHAI!" He exclaims. And slowly takes a step, sideways, forwards, blades sliding up and down, motion by motion, one only beginning after another ends.
And then Birdie raises his naginata upwards. From what Katana sees, this will be ... No. HE WILL TAKE THIS BY HEART. "You .. dare say such infront of me!" Katana seems to boil with rage, but his slow, definite motions are quite clear.
Tenma.. is bleeding. Or at least, the aura he has seen before, Katana sees such blood. HMM. And he's .. being assaulted!? "You dogs... YOU WILL BOTH REGRET ASSAULTING THIS RONIN!"
DO THEY REGRET IT!?
Well no. Not really. The Shogun is slammed into by the handle of the weapon, and sent straight towards the blade, which he tries to grip.. HOT HOT HOT. THAT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN BLADES SHOULD NOT HAVE DELICIOUS CHI ON THEM. "Ah .. AGH!" he cries out, his slow, steady motions betraying him.
"You ... dare kill my master.. and Defile Kabuki!?" He intones. P-P-PERSONAL!?
... Well, I guess Katana certainly seems more of a danger to the other two than Mizuki. She waves her naginata around some, then casually discards it, setting the weapon down on the stage, out of the way. "Never liked using the naginata," she comments... probably to herself. And she looks up from where she is just in time to see Katana take both attacks, even with a valiant attempt to defend and reverse Tenma's. Mm. That... that wasn't good. She casts a side glance towards her 'weapon'... while not equipped with a real, sharp blade, it might prove useful... but no.
She decided against using weaponry like that. Right... time to enter this fray, apparently. Mizuki rises to standing then... almost seems to flip a coin, mentally, looking back and forth between Birdie and Tenma. And she makes her decision, as she rushes towards Tenma, shouting "I'll help you Katana-saaaaaaan!" Okay so it sounds silly, and it probably is, as she approaches Kiryuu and stops short, attempting to plant a side kick right into Tenma's midsection.
Birdie looks towards Tenma as he delivers his strike. The boy is with him. And he isn't even trying? Well then, it's time to fudge things a little, just to make Tenma try harder.
We'll call it motivation.
Even as Katana strikes... and seems to get beat backwards, even still and then flung into the ground, Birdie things for a moment. His eyes look towards Tenma and then Katana. Yeah. This is a good idea. "Stupid Ronin, bloke! You're a bloody fool!" He calls. "I may have struck your master, but he is the one who killed him!" Birdie calls, pointing his Katana so that Katana may see Tenma.
"I had fought him still, but the boy had forsaken him!" Of course, this is all acting.
And Birdie has something more important to do than hit Katana while he's down.
Like scratch his ass. On stage. Oh yes.... yeah that's the spot... yeaaaaaaaah. Worth it.
COMBATSYS: Birdie assists Katana.
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Mizuki 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Tenma
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Katana 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Birdie
COMBATSYS: Mizuki successfully hits Tenma with Light Kick.
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Mizuki 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Tenma
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Katana 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Birdie
"What the f--?" Tenma wonders, as he's faced with two rather confusing things: One, the girlish cry of assistance for Katana, and two, Birdie putting the focus on him. He didn't want to play along with this! It's dumb! But surprised as he is, he can't manage to get his guard in the way of Mizuki's kick, and instead he gets hit right in the gut, luckily for the audience at home cutting off his profanity. Ow. Staggering back a few steps, with a hand over his midsection, Tenma briefly glares at Mizuki before turning to look at Katana.
Fine, he'll play along. Jerks.
"And so what if I did?!" the youth retorts as he gets his breath back. "Your master was weak! An' he smelled like old people!" Yeah Tenma's not very good at this even when he's trying. Pointing his chi-emanating bokken right at Katana, Tenma adds: "An' you, you're just as weak!"
COMBATSYS: Tenma focuses on his next action.
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Mizuki 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Tenma
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Katana 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Birdie
Augh.. how beaten Katana has been! It hurts, quite incredibly actually! Such pain .. but he will FIGHT ON. HE WILL PUSH ON. For he is the only one. Blind, perhaps in fury or rage, Katana is only calmed by a moment as Birdie points towards Tenma. He .. killed his master!? HE DID IT!?
"You disrespect my honor .. AND MY MASTERS HONOR .. and the honor of his bathing habits! ALL WILL HAVE THEIR REVENGE... " And then he poses again. Slow motion. Pose. Slow motion. Pose. Raise an arm, push a leg, move a blade, swing another. Forwards. One fast.
And then as Mizuki aids him, he yells out one thing. "Stand back, Mizuki! I .. WILL SHOW HIM MY MIGHT." He yells, and then charges towards Tenma!? HE INDEED CHARGES TOWARDS TENMA. And he holds bother blades forwards..
And 'realistic' is not the words you use when a large man is barreling down towards you with dual weapons. "FEEL... MY. MIGHT!"
Aiming to just GRAB Tenma, the masked man's eyes almost glow. "BUT-" Grab. "SU!" Crouch. "METSU!" LEAP.
Tenam might find himself going INVERTED.
"BUSTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" As he slams it towards the bushes. "I will bury you .. AND YOUR HONOR, MUCH LIKE THAT PLANT, WILL FIND IT'S ROOTS WITHIN THE SOIL OF PAIN."
Wow, that glare almost makes her cringe. But she kind of shrugs to herself.. she's playing a part, he's playing a part, and everyone is playing a part in this. That glare was tough, but she's seen worse! However, it sure looks like Tenma's caught Katana's ire now. And the big samurai-ronin-American has got something huge planned for his master's slayer. Who thinks he and his master smell. Uh... yeah.
She almost wants to turn to the audience for a witty aside, but... not really appropriate right now. However, Katana's advance lets Mizuki drop back a few steps, so she can get to work on preparing for her own best role in this fight.
Calling upon her ability to manipulate chi, blue-white energy starts roiling around her feet in a wide circle, lapping and undulating like the flares of the sun. Just for theatricalities' sake, she assumes a deep, knee-bent stance, and does her best to imitate that low, slow-rising "Haaaaaa..." that is so popular in anime.
COMBATSYS: Mizuki gathers her will.
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Mizuki 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Tenma
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Katana 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Birdie
Birdie grins a shit eating grin as Katana begins to move away from him and towards Tenma. Alright. That should do it. That should do it just fine. He's pretty proud of himself there. And with good reason too.
Still, he turns away from Katana and towards another. Mizuki. His WHITE FACE looks right towards her, even if his lips beg to escape the face. Birdie smiles, pointing his katana towards her. "While the champion is busy, chick-a-dee, I shall dispatch you! He's fallen for it, and you will fall because of it! Hahahahaha!" Birdie cries as he lunges his body forward, the katana klick-a-dee clacking on the ground.
He simply reaches out for Mizuki's figure, even if she's beginning to glow with energy.
He reaches out, and attempts to grab her in his massive hands that Donkey Kong would be proud of. And if that wasn't good enough, the Ronin picks up and spins Mizuki, attempts to toss her into a cherry blossom tree.
Because, you know. He's strong. But that's only if he gets ya.
COMBATSYS: Tenma Toughs Out Katana's Butsumetsu Buster!
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Mizuki 0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1 Tenma
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Katana 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Birdie
It's funny, for a big guy in all that armor... Katana is faster than you'd think. Tenma would seem to have the advantage, though, in that he's standing his ground to face the possibly insane fighter's charge, frowning a bit as he looks for an opening... But instead of finding one, the Kiryuu demon hunter gets grabbed. And then he gets leaped into the air, and turned upside down, which is probably bad.
Impacting with the scenery, Tenma is introduced to, indeed, the soil of pain. "Just like I said, weak," Tenma grits out; apparently it's not painful /enough/, sheer cussedness forcing the younger fighter to erupt off of the ground almost immediately after impact, hoping to use the opening created by Katana's attack to strike back, hard.
Twisting as he rises, slashing with his chi-charged bokken in a whirling aerial assault, Tenma tries to take Katana up /with/ him, before blasting him away with the follow-through of the slash. "VAJRA-!!" Also, he knows what the words he's shouting /mean/. Will this lend him further power?!
COMBATSYS: Tenma successfully hits Katana with Vajra.
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Mizuki 0/-------/---====|=======\===----\1 Tenma
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Katana 1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0 Birdie
And then Tenma somehow doesn't explode. Instead, Katana is left the one pained, and the strike from Tenma causes Katana to wheel back in pain! Especially as he's twirled and slashed and then slammed through the freaking paper of the place. Katana just barrels through it all, crashing into the wall. It hurts. Quite a bit.
Weakly getting to his feet, Katana gleams, staring on.
Pulling himself from the back, he takes slow steps, the trailing of his kimono obvious. "Hah... You .. Ronin .. will. PERISH!" He yell is loud. His mask, though charred, looks 'serious' and he is sporting a bloody red hair-do from the chi.
Although mainly he's standing there, pointing at Tenma, and shaking. SHAKING. It hurts quite a bit, however.
COMBATSYS: Katana focuses on his next action.
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Mizuki 0/-------/---====|=======\===----\1 Tenma
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Katana 1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0 Birdie
COMBATSYS: Mizuki blocks Birdie's Quick Throw.
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Mizuki 0/-------/=======|=======\===----\1 Tenma
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Katana 1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0 Birdie
Well, she's not going to stop a guy like Birdie from throwing her around. That's pretty unlikely. But what she -can- do--she thinks, as she is unresisting when he picks her up, and even more so when he hammer-throws her at the cherry-tree set piece--
--is to cushion the blow. Instead of impacting head first, Mizuki tucks into a ball, hitting the 'tree' with her shoulders, not her head; the impact is painful, for sure, but nothing she can't handle. She ricochets off the tree and unfurls, landing with a light step to her feet. "Just as scary as I remember," she says, nodding towards Birdie--she Chaos Agented a fight between him and Brian and he certainly looked scary then...
"I'm sorry, but I'll have to deal with you a bit later!" she cries, as she instead turns her attention towards Katana. Clasping her hands, murmuring, she then points her hands at Katana, a blue-green glow surrounding them... then glowing over Katana's head, breaking in a drizzling rain of blue-green healing energy onto the 'ronin'.
Birdie doesn't notice that Tenma somehow cleaves through everything and still gets a hold of Katana. Well then. That's surprising. All Birdie can think of right now is Mizuki and how much he's going to hurt her. Or try to hurt her. Or something of the sort. All he knows is that, right now, Katana is the last of his worries.
He, if anything, didn't want to fight Katana in his special place. It would ruin the sort of work time relationship both exhibit while they bust heads. Tauros is a great goon, for all Katana knows.
And then he sees it.
Oh she can't be. She wouldn't. That's who she is? THAT'S HER?
Birdie's face sort of twists in a mangled expression as he looks towards Mizuki. "Oh no ya don't, Chick-a-dee!" Birdie calls even as she cushions the blow, tucking in and attempts to run away. Oh, she's not running away at all.
Birdie rips part of his robes?! Yes, yes he does. He does it enough to start unravelling some of the chain on his hand, beginning to take purchase of the situation. He looks, spinning it, towards where Mizuki is running.
And then he hurls the heavy links to the stage, attempting the links to wrap around Mizuki's legs.
And if so? She's about to learn how to fly.
Into the scenery. As he hurls her about. "You ain't going anywhere!"
The fact that Katana doesn't press the attack is... Kind of a shocker, for Tenma at least. He would've figured the big lug would be all about that sort of thing. Instead, he has to deal with the other fighter getting all yelly and shaky, though the words from Katana bring only a flat expression from Tenma. "You... You're an idiot, right?" he wonders, somewhat rhetorically. "You guys are the ronin, remember?" He's making an effort to play along, certain overzealous people could keep the facts straight!
The appearance of... Whatever Mizuki is doing is somewhat more of a concern though, as Tenma can /feel/ that energy, and whatever it's doing as it rains on Katana, it's probably not good for Kiryuu's team. So he'd better bust out the big guns; put an end to this quick. "You like secret techniques and stuff, don'tcha?" Tenma inquires of the 'ronin' leader, swinging his right hand back to hold his bokken behind himself, the bloody wooden blade forming an arc behind his head. His left hand, meanwhile, is pushed forward, his fingers lightly contorted in a mudra position, an aid to concentration. "Well, here's a good one for ya."
The energy around the bokken build to a fever pitch, red blood and chi obscuring the wooden blade entirely until it seems like Tenma is holding a sword made out of pure blood... And then he lunges forward, rushing directly at Katana and trying to catch the man with one single slash across the body, with a fair amount of weight and force behind it, to strike at the Mad Gear leader with blessed wood and that distinctive chi energy. But if it hits, something /else/ happens too.
Tenma's chi actually passes /through/ Katana, wreaking havoc on the way the other fighter's very life flows, stealing his vitality and leaving behind a cold, chill numbness. "...DIE, SCUM!!"
COMBATSYS: Mizuki successfully hits Katana with Iki no Mizu.
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Mizuki 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Tenma
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Katana 1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0 Birdie
COMBATSYS: Katana counters The Sealing Sword from Tenma with Shiraha Catch.
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Mizuki 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Tenma
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Katana 1/----===/=======|-------\-------\0 Birdie
And .. Is that it?! Katana stands, seriously. Tired. Weak. Unable to keep it up. YET.. He is not alone. Mizuki is up, even as she is under assault by Birdie, she helps him. A touching display. His body pushes onwards, standing there ass Mizuki causes a drizzling rain of blue green healing about him.
Some of the bloody chi is cleared, and his kimono .. GETS LONGER. Or repaired, as it were. "Thank you for your help ..." He exclaims, in more of a low growl than a genuinely thank you. "But this man .. has insulted my honor .. and in insulting my honor .. HE...." Tenma calls him an idiot. Katana is certainly one, perhaps, but he is not ... yet ready to run in to die. EVEN IF MOSTLY HE IS. Even shoguns of Gangs must take time. But then, a ronin.. HE IS ALMOST DEFEATED?!
"WILL!" He yells at Tenma, taking another slow, heavy step towards him, robes trailing. "I love secret techniques." Katana responds. "But they will do you no good against the fury of the Shogun, and the master you have slaughtered." He explains, perhaps far too calm for what he is. The mask is almost silent now, the yelling from a second ago worn off.
And then Tenma charges him. He had sized up Tenma. Had fought him a few times. Each time, Katana is thoroughly smushed. He has come to dislike the blood chi. It's .. all icky and red. And painful too.
And then Tenma shoves the bokken towards Katana, striking towards the Mad Gear Leader with his wood. The Ronin, Katana, walks laboredly, wounds from the sparklies disappearing. "You wish for me to lose my anger.. you wish for me to become an animal.... much like you have, killing my master.. you beasts shall be slayed like them! HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" His hands, gauntlet clad, grip the sword as it slams towards him. But Tenma won't like what happens next. He pulls back, his own force fighting the blade. Whipping Tenma into the air, before grabbing him and ... POWERBOMBING him into the ground.
And suddenly, Katana is stupid agaian.
"HAHAHAHAH! DO YOU SEE, BEASTS! TO A RONIN .. YOU ARE BUT FODDER! Your graves shall be unnamed, and your close ones shall only know that you died as dogs, in dishonor! BECAUSE THE ANCESTORS AND THE MASTER HAVE GIVEN ME THIS MISSION, WHICH I SHALL NOT FAIL!"
And he promptly takes out a fan, and fans himself. For some reason.
COMBATSYS: Birdie successfully hits Mizuki with Bandit Chain.
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Mizuki 1/---====/=======|======-\-------\0 Tenma
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Katana 1/----===/=======|==-----\-------\0 Birdie
So intent is Mizuki on helping Katana--whether he wants it or not--that she doesn't notice Birdie until the absolute last second. By then, though she tries, it is far too late to avoid that snaking chain. She yelps, a surprised sound--and then OH MY GOD. She's taken for this insane ride--bashed into the set again and again. Oh lord. It hurts so bad... she's tossed like garbage.
When she finally comes to a stop... she rises, but bent, broken. For now. She hisses softly, trying to work her joints back into a semblance of movement. And it takes a moment, but she's more than able. Then she clutches her hands together. "Guess it's time... to see what you can take..." she murmurs, almost to herself. Time to be dramatic. She snaps her arms out to either side, blue-white power building on them, to a bright glow. "TASTE THE DRAGON'S WRATH!!!" she shouts, then sweeps her arms from her sides forward. What she unleashes is nothing more or less than an absolute torrent of icy chi, in the form of a bright, brief, swirling, elongated storm that rushes forward, seeking to engulf Birdie within itself.
Her cry is almost lost in the torrent of it. "HYOURYUU NO ARASHI!!"
COMBATSYS: Mizuki successfully hits Birdie with Hyouryuu no Arashi.
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Mizuki 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Tenma
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Katana 1/----===/=======|=======\-------\0 Birdie
Birdie looks towards Mizuki. Even as she attempts to go for him! Well, that's a good idea. He knows exactly what to do. She's grab, and thrown, and destroyed. It's a great feeling. So much, Birdie wants to do it all over again. But he cannot. Not at all. Instead, when she gets up, and then blast forward with icy chi at him.
Birdie looks towards it as he begins to coil his chain. What to do what to do. And then he does it.
Birdie attempts to throw himself up and over the attack.
But Birdie is stopped, the bottom of it grabbing a hold of him and throwing him back. It sears into him, the terrible cold, producing an effect that should not happen. His legs almost freeze as he comes down, causing him to splatter on the floor.
"Now look what you did, chick-a-dee." Birdie states, spitting out blood. "You've gone and made me mad." Looking towards Mizuki, Birdie seems to pop his neck. And just look at her. He's none too happy, she'll find out.
Find out the hard way.
COMBATSYS: Birdie focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Mizuki 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Tenma
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Katana 1/----===/=======|=======\-------\0 Birdie
When Tenma's attack is caught by Katana, the expression on the younger fighter's face is nothing short of pure surprise. That... Is really not good. What follows is nothing more than confirmation, as Tenma gets helluva powerbombed into the stage, with a very resounding thud. There's a lot of hurting for Tenma Kiryuu right about now.
"Ugh," he mutters. Clearly being crazy and possibly really dumb has no negative effects on Katana's ability to fight... No, the Shogun of Mad Gear is strong and dangerous, either despite or because of his mental situation. This means Tenma is in a bad way, and when you're in a bad way, there's only one possible solution: Be worse. Fight dirty. This is exactly what Tenma does.
Not even bothering to get up beyond a low crouch, Tenma suddenly slashes upwards with his bokken, pretty much as hard as he can. And so we may get to learn something interesting today: How good /does/ Katana's armor protect his groin? "Stop YELLING, IDIOT!!"
COMBATSYS: Katana fails to interrupt Deep Strike from Tenma with Run Your Ass Over.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Mizuki 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Tenma
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Katana 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\0 Birdie
And that's when Tenma runs towards Katana, slashing upwards with his bokken. Katana looks towards Tenma. He stares. And then he hollers.
"MY TRUSTY STEED. COME TO ME!"
And then the freaking DOOR BREAKS OPEN. Why? BECAUS EA TRUCK, DRESSED LIKE A TRUSTY STEED, WITH SADDLE AND ALL, BARRELS INTO THE ROOM AND RUSHES TOWARDS TENMA AND HOLY CRAP IT'S BREAKING EVERYTHING AND RUNNING OVER THE SCENERY AND HOLY GEEZE.
Of course, Tenma leaps at Katana /just/ fast enough that Katana's trusty steed runs past. "N-NO!" And then blade is rather painful. Incredibly so, and this, Katana looks towards Tenma, glaring, the blade slamming into the armor but the chi going farther. "You have been spared .. for this moment.." He grunts.
And then throws Tenma off, far more wounded than he wants to admit.
"BUT YOU WILL NOT BE SPARED ANY LONGER!" He challenges.. with ceiling collapsing all around, wheel marks all over, and scenery that now has a TRUCK imbedded into it.
"FOR MY MASTER!"
Oh hell. He's taking it personally. Mizuki is more than a little spent after that last blast, but fortunately... she doesn't -have- to go against Birdie solely. At least, not in her mind. Maybe in Katana's. Fortunately she doesn't have to deal with what is in Katana's head right now. She can only hope that once Tenma is down Katana will turn his attention to Birdie. She has no idea of what sort of comraderie lays between the two...
But she might find out. In any case... she sees that look in Birdie's eyes and she gulps. Yeah, she's brave, she's a fighter. But if you -don't- get a little freaked out by a big black man promising pain, then you're either crazy or hella tough yourself. "Uh," she says, with a nervous grin, "Tell ya what, I'll be right back..." And then she dashes off, running full out at Tenma. At least he -looks- safer, as she closes with the blood-soaked bokken user, seeking to break past his guard with a double palm strike, high and low.
And now, if it couldn't get any more weirder, Tenma just tried kicking Katana in the groion. THE GROIN. And Katana is struck.
But not before a truck comes running through the entire area. Wow. This just keeps getting better with every passing moment. EVERY PASSING MOMENT.
Kabuki theatre still sucks on the principle of it sucking, however. Birdie's just doing this to get paid.
But then the day does get worse. Mizuki decides, through the great graces of her smarts, she's going to ignore Birdie even after he's busy looking at her. Eyeing her LIKE A PIECE OF MEAT. And to be fair, like one you train with.
But she ignores him. Completely. Going for Tenma.
Oh yeah, this shit just got real. As she runs at Tenma with the double palmed strike, Birdie hurls himself through the air, the white pain falling off from the speeds and the robes fluttering as he lands with a THUD behind Mizuki. He's looking right at her. From behind.
From there, he even tries to turn her around, grab her, spin her, and turn her around. Before delivering a few head butts.
And if those headbutts succeed? Poor... poor Mizuki.
COMBATSYS: Mizuki successfully hits Tenma with Strong Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Mizuki 0/-------/----===|=======\=------\1 Tenma
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Katana 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Birdie
Fact: That was way too close.
Tenma is well aware that getting hit by a truck would probably ruin his Christmas, and likely several Christmases yet to come, so he breathes a sigh of relief when hitting Katana right in the mean bean machine keeps him from getting truck'd, a sigh of relief that nearly proves to be HIS UNDOING. Seeing Mizuki's approach a moment too late, Tenma tries to get out of the way of her palm strike, but he can't quite make it; the blow staggers him driving him backwards, and he snorts at the miko. "Looks like you already got a dance partner," he says, referring to the whole lotta Birdie that's looking to land behind her.
Tenma, meanwhile, has bigger fish to fry. Taking a few more steps away from Mizuki, Tenma considers the destruction already wrought and, he realises, would probably do this even if there wasn't a truck already in the scenery. "Time to put your sorry ronin ass to sleep!" the Guardian King declares to Katana, lifting his bokken high above his head, point down, and then driving it /into/ the stage, hard enough that he has to kneel along with the descending weapon.
At first, nothing happens.
Then cracks begin to spiderweb out around the point of impact, causing further harm to the stage as they widen to let out gouts of blood and chi, terrible red shapes that form into bloody dragons, tearing along the ground in serpentine lines to converge on Katana, clearly seeking to annihilate the man utterly. "GO TO HELL!!"
COMBATSYS: Katana blocks Tenma's Hell of Blood.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Mizuki 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Tenma
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Katana 1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Birdie
Then Tenma points at Katana, a gout of blood and chi, terrible shapes in dragons. Katana is swallowed by them. But he has seen this before. He is .. READY!?
Nothing makes you ready for chi dragons. Nothing but pain.
The swarm ravishes him, and as they leave, he stands there. A bit tired. A bit more wounded than he would like. Breathing heavily, Katana looks upon Tenma, eyes focusing upon him. His clothing tattered.
And yet, the Shogun takes another step forwards. And another. "Do .. You know.. who I am!?" Katana says, silently at first. "I will never sleep.. I will never rest.. I WILL NOT FALL UNTIL I, THE SHOGUN OF MAD GEAR, AVENGE MY MASTER!"
And as such, Katana charges towards Tenma. His motion is a bit slow. A bit risky. A bit sloppy.
A bit chi-dragons on his face.
But Katana is not one to let Tenma get away with such .. it will be a time .. a time .. /FOR VIOLENCE/.
"SHOGUN THROW!"
He aims to snatch up Tenma's hand, and then toss him to the ground, wrenching it, pulling it, and ending Tenma. ONCE AND FOR ALL. AND AVENGING HIS MASTER. "I WILL ALSO CERTAINLY NOT GO TO HELL... wait.."
He looks over, and fail or not. "MIZUKI BEHIND YOU!"
What is this!? HORRIBLE MONSTER CHARGING AT MIZUKI. Oh right Tauros.
COMBATSYS: Birdie successfully hits Mizuki with Bull Revenger.
[ \\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Mizuki 1/--=====/=======|=------\-------\0 Tenma
[ \\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Katana 1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Birdie
As soon as the headbutts hit, Birdie wouldn't wait for it. The chain comes out again. "I told you chick-a-dee." Birdie sneered as he wrapped the heavy links around her neck, tighting it, and once there, he lifted.
Mizuki would find herslef thrown into the air by his effort, the chains moving up after her, almost trying to race her up. But suddenly, a pull, another great stress on her neck.
And down came Mizuki, cradle and all, aimed simply towards the ground, where she might make a smash on stage.
"You don't make me angry."
Caught. The beating is possibly the most brutal beating she's ever had, bar none--Birdie's power is overwhelming. It's the kind of beating that used to make Mizuki wonder -why- she did this kind of thing... why she'd ever want to take on a monster of a man like Birdie, a man of such overwhelming physical power that it's almost guaranteed he'd beat her half to death.
It's certainly the kind of beating that would have made her quail even a few months ago. Now? Now she's a changed woman. She smashes into the stage--and she knows that in just a moment, she's going to be out. She can feel her body struggling on that edge. But she's not done yet.
Creakily, slowly, she rises... and LUNGES for Birdie. It's a sloppy version of her ultimate technique; instead of the complex combination she's practiced, she just lashes out at Birdie, again and again and again, her hands glowing bright with her power, her hands held into rigid knives, lashing out until the last of her consciousness fades.
COMBATSYS: Mizuki can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Katana 1/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Tenma
> ////////////////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Birdie
COMBATSYS: Mizuki successfully hits Birdie with Kouryuu no Ranbu.
[ \\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Katana 1/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Tenma
> ////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Birdie
Birdie looks towards Mizuki. He obviously beat her the hell up. But she's still coming. He simply tries to take it. Move through it. Continue on twith it and just make it his own.
Well, that's not how it happens. One after another strikes him, over and over and over. It pains him a great deal, but the titan just stands tall, energy burning into him as he fall backwards against a tree, looking towards Tenma and Katana. The cord cob pipe amost falls right back into Birdie's mouth as he rests.
"Boy, you better do it. Bloke, or else." He states, puffing on his pipe, just laying back, and catching a few moments of rest.
He might also be drinking sake.
COMBATSYS: Birdie gains composure.
[ \\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Katana 1/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Tenma
> ///////////// ]
|======-\-------\0 Birdie
COMBATSYS: Katana successfully hits Tenma with Shogun Throw.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\ < > / ]
Katana 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 Tenma
> ///////////// ]
|======-\-------\0 Birdie
Speaking of risky, Tenma tries something exactly that... And it doesn't really work out. Letting himself get caught, the Guardian King tries to use Katana's throw to try and create a better opening for himself to attack and hopefully take Katana out... But he can't really manage it, as he lands pretty badly, and gets his free arm wrenched painfully. It sucks, and there's not much more he can do in the fight. Not much, except for one last thing.
But will it work?!
"Stupid ass," Tenma grunts, pretty thoroughly sick of Katana by this point. Whether he's released from the grapple or not, by this point, is largely irrelevant; he sweeps his other hand through the air, the one holding onto his bokken, in a slash not near enough to actually hit Katana. The problem is what happens /after/. From the red afterimage that follows the slash, a crescent of roiling blood springs forth, a gory and disgusting attack that seeks to collide with Katana and, hopefully, put the Shogun out of the fight. But either way, that's all Tenma's got.
COMBATSYS: Tenma can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Katana 1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0 Birdie
COMBATSYS: Tenma successfully hits Katana with Dharmapala.
[ < > ///////////// ]
Katana 1/--=====/=======|======-\-------\0 Birdie
Tenma's strike catches Katana, blown backwards by the red after image. Clearly, Katana no likey it .. and should have taken out Tenma when he had the chance.
He has paid for it. And it looks like, he might not be able to make it out of the BURNING CHI. Katana does no such thing. And Tenma's after image crashes into his weak, tired body, causing him to collapse.. but he stands up once more. And then pulls himself to the truck.
"N-Noble steed.. I .. I have failed.. She has failed... we have failed.. but you ..."
He climbs up the stairs, pulling his body, his flowing cape pulling itself in closer and closer...
And then he collapses head first, hand grabbing for the drive shaft. "Deliver .. my body ... to the family.. so they may know my honorful sacrifice..." He takes Mizuki too, and loads her in. WHile crawling. And Mizuki is placed in the seat.. and Katana collapses on the pedal. And it's set to reverse.
AND BIRDIE IS THERE AND IT'S BEEPING AND OH GOD.
HONK HONK
COMBATSYS: Katana can no longer fight.
> ///////////// ]
|======-\-------\0 Birdie
COMBATSYS: Birdie endures Katana's Run Your Ass Over.
> ///// ]
|=======\===----\1 Birdie
Even as Birdie looks to Katana, as he's sitting down and drinking some Sake and smoking at the same time, he watches as Tenma does hit Katana. Well, that's that, right?
Wrong. Birdie gets up to address the crowd while Katana begins to climb towards the truck. He gets himself in, and out. He delivers himself alright. Right through the set. And Birdie. He's backing up all right.
And Birdie just looks towards the truck as it beeps, backing up SLOOOOOWWWLLYYY.
Okay, FAST. But still, Birdie just leaps towards it, attempting to get purchase of a spot to hang off to get out easy.
Well, he gets it, but it runs his ass over hard core.
And it just keeps going. Birdie, mean while, hangs on for dear life underneath it cursing, his face still white as snow.
BET YOU DIDN' EXPECT THAT.
COMBATSYS: Birdie has ended the fight here.
Log created on 18:39:52 02/25/2008 by Mizuki, and last modified on 16:36:18 02/26/2008.