Description: During all the time he has been in Southtown, Kataki Tsukitomi-Renard has only once encountered his brother... to deliver a warning of the trouble that was to come. Now it's Frei's turn to call Kataki out, to deliver his message and his philosophy first hand. It's a destined clash of brother against brother, might makes right versus living with others. In the end, however, it's not Frei's fighting ability that is his greatest weapon, but his capacity to understand and forgive that ultimately proves to be the greatest force he can muster. ("The Moon's Three Treasures", Finale)
In the movies, it seems like people with a grudge to settle mano-a-mano have this instinctive way of determining where and when the final challenge shall take place. It's as if there is some cultural memory of time and space that makes such things appropriate. If the Tsukitomi-Renard brothers were gunslingers, it'd be high noon on the busiest street in town, the sun burning overhead. If they were ninja, it would be on a grassy plain in the darkest night. Samurai? On a bridge, perhaps, in a downpour of epic proportions. Unfortunately they are none of these things, or at least not enough of any to warrant some sort of pre-arranged meeting place that's coded into the fiber of their very being.
But this is not going to keep Frei down. So he did the best thing he could think of in terms of visibility:
He put an ad in craigslist.
"WANTED: EVIL BROTHER
Are you a sword-swinging Japanese guy with a nasty attitude? Totally need to vent on your older, non-sword-swinging brother for some reason?
If this is you, and I think you know who you are, meet me at the ruined shrine outside Southtown at the following date and time. Plz bring sword, it's important. Thx <3
ps serious replies only plz"
The date and time specified in the ad is now, and in deference to the aforementioned laws of narrative for epic clashes, the moon is high and full on this evening, giving a ghostly silver-white sheen to the decrepit shrine in the middle of the forest. At the height of spring, cherry trees and other plants are blossoming in the forest, as well as in the long grasses surrounding the shrine; white and pink petals flit hither and yon through the air, swirling about in chaotic patterns. They might not be samurai or ninja, but Frei knows this IS an epic confrontation, the meeting that's going to settle it all whether the other party likes it or not.
Silently, he stands in the grass, waiting. His headband is gone, the mark on his right temple from the 'demonstration' he gave Kentou on this very spot dimly visible against his skin, made pale in the moonlight. Rather than the long qipao-style coat and sandals, he's wearing sensible brown shoes and a black, short-sleeved peasant's shirt with a well-fitting hunter green long sleeved shirt under it. Tilting his head a little, he holds out his hand, palm up, letting a drifting blossom fall into it. New life, scattering about... spring has come.
No matter the cost, tonight one chapter ends and another begins.
This is not a movie. Sadly, in reality, even when people can punch a hole through cars that doesn't make them psychics. Even the psychics aren't all that they're cracked up to be. Predestined areas of conflict aren't exactly par for course even in a crazy world like this one. So, how do people go about finding people they need to have a... 'talk' with? There's a lot of ways.
Craigslist is one of them.
Minutes pass slowly as the spring breeze drifts across the shrine clearing, bringing with it a gentle reminder of new life. The time passes on in a slow drag as one lone young man waits standing in the grass, with anticipation his only company. The minutes begin to approach the hour. Is who he's waiting for not coming?
"'Evil brother'? -Really-?"
Of course he is.
"How overly dramatic of you, Frei-kun!"
The voice comes from behind Frei, distinct enough that the young monk should recognize it immediately. It belongs to a man dressed in black and violet, the wide brimmed straw hat he typically wears left slung against his back. His visible eye stares at Frei with a look of mocking disappointment. Gaunt fingers tap against his chin, in thought.
"But what a funny little advertisement! So quaint, hm? You really outdid yourself! But... I wonder..." Kataki's right hand rests easily on the hilt of his wakizashi as he tilts his head, his expression taking a distinct shift towards what could be 'concern,' if it weren't so teasingly presented. "... is it because you're afraid? Afraid you're not ready to face the truth?" His lips pull into a smile.
"... I wonder. Hello, Frei-kun."
Frei's head bows, eyes closing for a moment, and his fingers curl inward, closing the stray flower petal in his outstretched hand.
Apparently, it worked.
"You know," the red-haired man starts, opening his hand and letting the petal flutter away before turning around to face Kataki calmly. If he's afraid or nervous, it doesn't show, or at least not in a physical sense. "I don't think you of all people, with that Kurosawa film getup, can call anybody out for indulging in a little drama." Finally his eyes open, and rather than a frown, he just gives a little grin. It's no different from the smile he normally wears, not on the surface... but anybody who spends a lot of time around Frei that saw it would be concerned. It's a little tighter, a little more of a cruel rather than jovial turn of the mouth. Not enough teeth are showing. And the body language is all wrong.
Case in point: one hand goes to his hip, the monk shifting his stance slightly in that direction, letting his other arm dangle at his side. "I might be afraid of a couple things, sure," he admits, in an honest tone. "I'm afraid the Spice Girls might get back together. I'm afraid they'll stop making Diet Coke with Splenda now that I've started to like it. But the 'truth'?" he asks at last, fingerquotes around the word audible. "No, I don't think I'm afraid of that at all."
There's a moment while the jokes settle in, and then Frei is all business, fixing an even stare at his brother, smile gone. "I wanted to tell you that this..." he pauses, waving a hand out, "...this is all done. You're done."
Kataki stares. He squints. He begins to frown... but all too quickly do his lips readjust into a smirk.
"Heh."
A thin hand waves through the air at Frei's words, shaking his head sadly. "You haven't changed at all, have you? You were always funny, hm, Frei-kun? I guess you had to get -something-... since your talent's a bit lacking." A wistful sigh escapes the young man's lips as he shifts in his stance, still calm. Still casual. Just as if he were -waiting-. And then, he takes a good look at Frei. His lips part and his eyebrows lift.
"... Oh?" Kataki begins, head tilting slowly to the side.
"Are you upset, Frei-kun?"
He almost looks shocked. Almost. Instead, his expression is that knowing kind of shock. A sort of teasing way about his eyes and lips as he shakes his head. "What's wrong, Frei-kun? I thought you liked having fun. Isn't this fun? Why would you want to end this all -now-... when the game we've been playing is -so very fun-?" He sounds worried, for a moment. But his gaze half-lids, and his expression becomes far more venomous. Far more unpleasant.
"... But I guess you're right. Things have been getting a little boring, hmmm? At this point, I think I'd have to kill someone to keep the game interesting." He pauses, as if considering this. "That'd be an interesting twist, wouldn't it, Frei-kun? I wonder, which one would be best. Little Hotaru has been so very fun... maybe I could try her student?" His legs slide apart, his eye narrows. "It's not like you'll try to stop me, right, Frei-kun? After all... you're too weak. Poor, weak Frei-kun. I wonder why no one else sees it yet..." His smile is anything -but- pleasant. "But I'll show them all the truth."
Not one with a need to regularly search want ads, she never would have seen the listing were it not for other girls at school. A late night study session for the last week of finals for this term had Hotaru and a half-dozen of her peers huddled in the dorm computer lab. The tables were covered with text books as school-stressed girls peered over the pages, chats, graphs, and diagrams; their capacity for memorizing them having a direct correlation to how happy or miserable they were going to be by the end of this new week.
'Hey,' chortled one of the girls idly surfing the web. 'Hey, hey,' she repeated, 'Hotaru-chan, have you ever thought about finding your brother this way?' Her family 'troubles' were no secret to the gossiping gaggle of girls Hotaru found herself mingling with throughout the school year. Confide in one and find out that the entire group knows within minutes. Such is school life at an all girl's school. Humoring the girl, the tired student dragged herself over to the monitor to see what the fuss was about. WANTED: EVIL BROTHER. 'Real funny,' she had laughed good naturedly, shaking her head, about to return to her books only to pause and skim the rest of the listing.
Fifteen minutes later and one winded school girl crests the last step into the sheltered shrine yard, coming to an immediate stop. Still dressed for class, she hardly looks the fighter as she glances quickly between the gathered brothers, eyes a little widened. It's the exchange that provokes the gasp, however, as Kataki speaks. He references the fun times her living hell provided and her jaw tightens, horrifying memories of the last few months brought to the surface of her thoughts once again - wounds she's tried to forget demanding her attention once more.
But when he utters Kentou's name, the girl shifts from merely tense to dead somber, her entire demeanor shifting, eyes narrowing just slightly. "No... no I don't think so," comes the voice behind the younger of the boys, the girl exhaling slowly. "You've been allowed to have your fun all this time but that isn't going to be the case anymore." Sapphire blue eyes shift from Kataki toward Frei, Hotaru thinking back on her last discussion with Frei. For the monk a flicker of an apologetic smile is offered. He didn't ask her to be here but... the instant she found out, there was no way she couldn't be.
From Kataki's mouth comes a barrage of insults, the initial volley of arrows from archers on the walls. The first salvo in a battle yet to come that has connotations far greater than the simple punching in the face of people who disagree with you, a long and proud Southtown tradition. No, what's going on here is a lot bigger than that. But the problem is that when it comes to insults, you might as well be firing arrows at an armored car than to try and get under Frei's skin. Only a select few (Tran) have ever managed to do it, and even then he laughed it off afterwards.
Still...
Frei had been smiling through it all, eyes closed. Let Kataki get out all of the venom he wants, air it all. That was part of his plan anyway, part of the battle strategy he'd mapped out for himself. It did not, however, include the idea that Kataki would go so far as to actually kill someone, and that comment, for all its inocuous tone, strikes him in the face like a hard slap.
He's about to open his mouth to say something when Hotaru arrives, and does it for him.
The redhead glances over his shoulder at the young woman with a faint smile, then turns back to Kataki, equilibrium restored. That's his advantage here, that's his secret power... not chi, not martial arts, but good old fashioned friendship and good feeling. That's what's going to keep him from going over the brink, keep his anger in check. For he IS angry, an anger he's finally letting himself feel for the first time in a long time.
Isis' words echo in his head: 'He is your brother.'
Yep.
"I'm here to give you an opportunity, 'Taki," he says, deliberately using his brother's childhood nickname in the same way he keeps firing 'Frei-kun' at Frei. "Not a lot of people get a second chance, but I believe in second chances. So I'm going to give you one. You can stop, and go home, and work things out... find out why you were denied what you wanted. Work to change. You're so like Mom, you have that potential... to be great. Better than great. But not as you are now. Understand?"
"Hmmmm...?"
A lazy hazel eye drifts over to Hotaru as she arrives, pondering her appearance here with a furrowing of brows. "My goodness!" he exclaims, hands clapping together. "This must be fate! Hotaru-chan, how good to see you. But..." Kataki frowns. "... it seems you're back to being timid, weak little Hotaru. How sad. And you had such promise! Oh well." His gaze shifts back to Frei, his smile calm and amused.
"All you are is part of our fun, anyway."
Thin hands slide into billowing violet sleeves as Kataki takes a step towards Frei. "Hmmm. No. No, that's no good at all..." Kataki murmurs to himself as his brother speaks, a frown creasing across his lips. "You're not playing the game right, Frei-kun. You're not the one making the rules here. And 'second chance'? Really, that's a very dull way to start out what should be fun and -dramatic-... don't you think? No, this won't do at all."
His hands seperate as his right settles back on the hilt of his blade, head inclining. Hotaru, for the moment, is ignored. "I think -this- is a better condition: you get to show me why a spineless disappointment like yourself would get what belongs to -me-." The blade slides halfway out of its sheath, gleaming in the faint light. "If you convince me, then I'll leave and the game will be over, and you can go back to wasting your life away with useless people like our Hotaru-chan here. If -I- win..." his smile twists. "... then I take everything you love and I tear it apart so it'll be as if you never existed." Whether he's being sincere or not is up to debate. But the look in his eye, the tone in his voice --
--he might as well be.
"There, doesn't that sound like more fun? Games are so much more -exciting- with something on the line."
The faint smile Frei gives her is all Hotaru needs in order to know that even though she wasn't invited, nor asked to be here, he's okay with her presence. And in fact, might actually be glad to see her after all. Her attention snaps back to Kataki then as he regards her briefly. Again the insults, just like when he fought her in the church yard in what seems a lifetime ago. But unlike that time his remarks have no sting, the mock disappointment in his voice having no bite. "Not quite..." she states coolly.
"It's true that I broke through what you did to me, but I'm not the same as I was before that either." She has struggled since that moment of jarring epiphany to prove that very point. Not to everyone else but to herself. And thus far... she has been successful. She's content with being ignored as the swordsman's attention shifts back to Frei, however. In the big scheme of things she's well aware that this comes down to the two of them. Family matters.
But as Kataki continues to speak she's glad she's here nonetheless, recalling quite well another ugly ultimatum placed before someone else that was important to her roughly a year ago and the young man that would very likely be dead now but for her interference. There's nothing good about that horrible wager he wants to put on the line. He speaks as a man who has already won, who is in no danger of losing the stakes he puts up for the deal.
Part of her wishes Frei would refuse such a ridiculous agreement... but thinking back on the way Jiro was trapped into facing Dante or risk everyone close to him being hunted down and harmed or worse, part of her wonders if Frei has any choice at all. Attention shifting back to the monk, she has nothign to say, no attempt to swap his decision one way or the other. This moment is his.
With a shake of the head, Frei indicates what is clear disappointment. Hotaru may be nervous, and indeed deep down Frei may be nervous too... but just as Kataki may sound like he's already won the fight, in his own mind, the monk has too. He had hoped for a different response, but he got the one he expected to get. In the end the only thing Kataki seems to understand is the politics of force. Well, that's fine with Frei; if he's learned anything lately, it's that the politics of force extend well beyond who 'wins' and who 'loses'.
"That attitude is exactly why you were denied what you wanted," Frei says softly, eyes hooded. Memories flood back: of walking to the mansion in Kyoto, of meeting his mother at the door. Of reconciliation, argument, demand, understanding. Of coming to grips with seven years of what felt like betrayal, and finally making some peace with that. Yes... Kataki has been denied that. He never needed to heal. Well, now he's going to heal whether he likes it or not. "And if you don't believe me, go ahead and ask Mom. Those are her words, after all, not mine."
The statement is clear: I went home and asked. I know.
Standing tall, and yet still shorter than his brother, Frei's carriage moves from his typical relaxed pose to something tall and proud, even regal... the royal bearing that is the inheritance of his mother, not the father he so physically resembles. One hand, palm down, sweeps out to the side. "You've been a terrible human being. You've hurt others because you're afraid to look within and understand the people around you. No friends, alienating your family... you've hurt the people close to me, and Mom, and myself. All you seem to understand is power, and not the strength that comes from being in tune with what's around you. That's something I had to leave the nest to find out. You still have a chance to heal those wounds that Mom gave you, without meaning to. You can still become worthy of the successorship."
And then his body is alive with power.
Somewhere between then and now, that link was forged: he wasn't shaping the primal forces of nature, he *became* them. They're not tools to be wielded like weapons; they're a choir in which Frei sings in perfect harmony. An aura of palpable energy spills from his form, voice echoing as the wind kicks up, spreading cherry blossoms around in a whirling torrent. "I'm not weak. I've become strong by facing my faults and learning from them, forging relationships with others. If you think you can overcome that power with your selfish attitude, then be my guest... but I'm not going to roll over just to satisfy your wounded ego."
COMBATSYS: Frei has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Frei 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Frei gathers his will.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Frei 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Kataki has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Frei 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Kataki
A lazy, half-lidded eye rolls towards Hotaru as she rebuffs Kataki's words. He almost half-heartedly squints, lips slowly pulling into a frown. "Hmmm..." his light voice muses out, head tilting idly to the side. He heaves a sigh.
"... How -boring-."
That is the extent of what the swordsman offers to the new arrival before his hazel gaze makes a drift back to Frei, his attention grasped up by his brother's words. That single eye narrows pointedly, the grip on the wakizashi's hilt strengthening. "Oh? You had a chat with mom, did you? How exciting!" His smile is a false one that expertly hides any agitation, but the look in that eye of his doesn't hide anything. Venom. Malice. It's all there. "And she agrees with you, hmmm? Well... I guess..." The blade slides out entirely from its sheathe, gleaming in the pale light. Kataki's frame lowers subtly.
"... she's as much of a -fool- as -you-."
His visible eye closes, and he offers an exhasperated shrug of his shoulders. "I guess she can't help it. It's a shame... to see such a strong woman become so feeble and senile. It's a sad thing to see. But I'll restore honor to our family. And I'll use your defeat to start it, Frei-kun! You should feel honored!" He smiles broadly, even as Frei ignites with power, a single brow lifting.
"Oooh? How scary...!" With a fluid movement, Kataki adopts his stance, only bothering to give a glance towards Hotaru. "Hmmm. I think things like 'honor' might go beyond a simple person like you... but try not to interfere here, okay?" Kataki's blade lifts. His smile darkens.
"This is a family matter."
One slice. Kataki makes one slice through the air, the distance far too great for him to score a hit against his brother. Yet, the moment he swings with such effortless grace, the air around him shimmers. "Let's see just how strong you are, Frei-kun! Isn't this -fun-?!" And the moment those words are spoken, a violet-tinged afterimage of Kataki rips across the air just beyond him, cutting through space with a ripple of psychic energy and mirroring the downwards slice that Kataki had just performed -- intending, quite simply, to cut Frei from shoulder to hip with terrible, icy-cold Psycho Power.
Why does it come down to this, she finds herself wondering, the lone girl off to the side of the dueling brothers. Why is it in the end it must come to the good guy fighting off the bad guy - especially when it's between brothers? Perhaps because good has no choice. That in the end, the only alterntive is to do nothing, and there's a well known saying that reiterates who wins when /that/ happens.
Kataki dismisses her remarks as boring, but Hotaru merely smiles back, his taunts failing to prick at her heart the way they did the last time they met. "Perhaps," she allows softly, "it's only disappointing for you because the misery and chaos you sought to spread has dwindled and dried up." She shakes her head, blue eyes shifting toward Frei. Nervous for his well being, but at the same time, she can't help but notice the changes that have come over him. She's learned how she isn't the same as she used to be, but the same can be said for him as well. Frei chastizes his brother, calling out his atrocities, the abjectly contemptible state his life is in, and Hotaru remains silent.
When her inhibitions had taken a backseat to her fears, Frei had tried to teach her what it really means to use strength to protect, to fight for what matters. But now he demonstrates it and the young Kenpo artist can see that.
Kataki tells her to not interfer and Hotaru cracks a faint smile of patronizing amusement back toward him, "You may be completely alone, so you might not understand this, but..." She glances toward Frei briefly, feeling the energy welling up in him, before looking back toward Kataki slowly, "In fighting Frei, you're fighting him and all his friends. For right now, he represents all of us." It's his fight, the message implies, but that doesn't mean he's going to be left entirely on his own if it comes down to it. That's not how things work between friends. Her arms rest against her sides, the uniform-clad girl showing no signs of interfering as Kataki put it. Hopefully, Hotaru prays in her heart, it doesn't come down to that. And then the battle is joined, Kataki slashing out for his brother with that fierce power she experienced first hand herself.
COMBATSYS: Kataki successfully hits Frei with Seishin Tai.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Frei 1/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Kataki
He'd expected violence, for sure; what he hadn't expected was violence of a type that doesn't carry a sword. In his travels, Frei has met users of Psycho Power, though he doesn't know to call it by such a name. Some of his best friends wield that energy that is so foreign to him -- Alma chief among them -- and thus he has come to gain some appreciation of it. But they are all... well, nice people. Or at the very least, neutral, not willing to hurt others. Kataki's psychic energy is something wholly different, and doubly unexpected... perhaps even more than that. One of Frei's problems with Musou Tenkei is that it didn't have a spiritual component, the kind that lends itself to, well... energy attacks.
Like the one that slams through Frei's wide-eyed guard.
The feeling is indescribable and painful; positive Psycho Power does tear at the soul and spirit, but it is, in Frei's experience, inwardly-directed; it brings the victim's emotions against them, a reflective fashion. The psychic force Kataki uses is... aggressive, furious, pained, tearing and clawing. For a moment Frei staggers, blinking, body numb. No words that could escape Kataki's lips... no cut that could be delivered by that sword... will ever hurt as much as that.
For a moment, Frei stands there, torso slumped forward somewhat. His red bangs dangle over his green eyes, his hand comes to his heart, his breathing sharp. But then he hears Hotaru's words -- "for right now, he represents all of us" -- and slowly, he unfolds, taking a deep and calming breath. That's right. He knows how to deal with this. He might be angry, but that anger is only there to motivate one thing: his forgiveness.
"Honor is a funny thing. Some people think it comes from adhering to tradition... others think it comes from breaking it in the name of greater principles. Kindness, compassion, understanding... justice." The monk's movement is lazy, though it's unclear if the slowness is because of the lingering shock of his brother's attack, or simple langour. Either way, he extends one hand, palm out; a flicker of blue-white dances from his fingertips, and immediately after the air around his brother is alive with frost, shards of ice scattering in a wide pattern practically on top of him. "What's your definition of honor, 'Taki?"
COMBATSYS: Frei successfully hits Kataki with Hatsuyuki.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Frei 1/------=/=======|====---\-------\0 Kataki
Utter delight dances across Kataki's expression as Frei is subject to experience all that cold, tainted Psycho Power. His lips split into a grin just as the blow connects, holding his blade off to his side. His head tilts, almost curiously. "Ohh? Did that hurt, Frei-kun? Don't worry..." The blade twists in his hand as his visible eye squints from the breadth of his smile.
"It's only going to get worse~!"
The words are practically sing-songed out as Frei recovers himself. Arrogantly, Kataki makes no further move, 'graciously' allowing Frei to right himself and get back to his senses as his younger brother idly inspects his fingernails in a mocking gesture. "What a terrible representation of all your friends! Really, you're going to make a fool out of them at this rate, /Frei-kun/ -- eh?"
Kataki is cut off by the sudden dispersal of cold blue power shooting out in the form of chi-borne ice. Hazel eye bulges wide from the sudden expulsion; Kataki attempts to spring to the side, only to be pierced over and over by those shards, bursting backwards until his back smashes against the side of aged and weathered rock. Ice crackles around his body as it dissolves, a trail of blood flowing down his shoulder and chest as he glares at his brother. He is not well pleased.
"My... honor? Heh." Pushing himself off the rock behind him, Kataki shakes off errant rubble from his body. "That's simple. Honor is something made by the strong for lesser people to adhere to. Really, Frei-kun. Things like honor..." Kataki moves with a fluid -spring- forward, surging with excess momentum to make up for ground lost as he lashes out with his wakizashi in a single, stabbing thrust, the cold metal of the blade aiming for Frei's shoulder. "... 'honor' is something that's the right of the victors to forge... like -me-. And for the weak to follow..." His lips curl unpleasantly. "... like -you-. Simple, hmm?"
COMBATSYS: Kataki successfully hits Frei with Medium Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Frei 1/---====/=======|====---\-------\0 Kataki
Hotaru's words might have been inspiring, but they don't appear to be making Frei any better a fighter right now. Green eyes track the movement of that bright blade -- a blade that's been handed down in the family for generations, in fact -- as it swipes through the air, and he narrows his eyes in concentration as he tries to step to the side, but not quite quickly enough; the tip of the blade sinks into his shoulder, a pool of red spreading outward from the wound. Yet despite how much it hurts, he doesn't seem as bothered by it as he should be; indeed, almost lazily, he reaches and yanks the blade out.
Interestingly, however, the wound briefly flickers with a green-gold light, and with a speed that seems supernatural, actually starts to close. Not entirely, but the process has clearly been sped up considerably. "I didn't know you had that power," he says quietly, contemplatively. "I know that I don't. I wonder... is that why you and Mom always got along better?" It would explain a lot. Perhaps the other twin, Threnody, also has such a power... after all, he too takes more after his mother than Frei does. If it's genetic, then Frei's lack of that power is certainly easy to understand.
"It's interesting, though. Everyone else I know with that power... they've used it to understand people, get close to them. Not you, though. I could feel it... you use it to hurt people and push them away." Casually, in mid-sentence, Frei takes his moment to strike; lunging forward, he attempts to snap a grip around Kataki's forearm; if he can get that grip, he pivots and tosses his brother aside in a horizontal arc, adding a burst of wind chi from his palm just as he lets go.
COMBATSYS: Kataki blocks Frei's Medium Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Frei 1/---====/=======|=====--\-------\0 Kataki
One stabbing thrust is enough to bite cold metal into yielding flesh, yet Frei doesn't even seem to recognize the pain he should be feeling. Kataki blinks, uncomprehending, before his blade is yanked free -- the force making him stagger backwards from surprise. Annoyance coats the young, gaunt man's expression for a moment... and then a dull smile crosses his lips.
"Ohh? Poor Frei-kun. It's just further proof that you don't belong in my family... in -my- legacy. Don't you think so, too? This power--" Violet crackles around his fingertips, as if in emphasis of said psychic energy, "-- is just a mark of the people who -deserve- to lead our family. How sad... but true. Mother got along with me better, because I /belonged/--"
And then Frei lunges. Kataki is quick to defend himself; even as his forearm is gripped, his body slackens. He is flung with ease, but as the secondary blast of wind-based power comes, Kataki lifts his wakizashi, the chi blazing across his guard and causing only a lingering sensation of pain and a grit of teeth from the swordsman. He twists, ultimately landing on his feet.
"Ohhh? And you think they use it correctly? They don't know how to use this sort of power, Frei-kun. Really, don't be so silly -- power is just a means to get what a person wants for themselves. Anything else... is just a waste." Kataki pivots forward on his right heel; in the same movement, he falls low to the earth, sweeping out with a leg to take Frei's feet out from under him to bring him crashing to the ground, even as Kataki smiles so infuriatingly pleasantly. "They just don't know how to play the game right...!"
COMBATSYS: Frei endures Kataki's Quick Throw!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Frei 1/--=====/=======|=====--\-------\0 Kataki
That blink, that moment of instability, does not escape Frei's notice. He, on the other hand, betrays nothing... but it gives him a brief moment of raised confidence. He's doing the right thing, doing it the right way. Isis Tsukitomi's warning resounds in ears every second this fight continues: 'he is your brother'. The hidden meaning, too... that he's family. That even if you have to stoop to his level, the goal isn't to *exist* on his level. It's a means to an end. Things are going pretty well, except for the shirt, which is a complete writeoff.
"I hope you don't really believe that, Kataki," Frei says, in a sad tone, as Kataki rights himself and disperses the burst of wind across that blade. "But I don't know they always use that power well. I think someone I know tries his best but sometimes... hmm. I don't know how to say it. I think he loses perspective. Just like you're doing," Frei adds, smiling faintly. Actually smiling! Why or how is just part of his mystique. "Sometimes to grow you have to move outside yourself."
In a way, Kataki's managing of Frei's throwing technique is a blessing in disguise; sensing his brother's movement puts the monk on the immediate defensive rather than taking a moment for a breath. As he goes down, a hand snaps out, leaving the monk to catch himself in an impromptu handstand. It hurts -- any effort at catching your entire body weight on one wrist will do that -- but it also lets him take immediate advantage of his position. A faint yellow-gold glow starts from hand as it's pressed to the ground, before he suddenly pushes off the ground in a low-altitude backflip. The yellow energy pushes outward from the point of his handstand, rising in a green-gold shockwave of force directed right at Kataki.
COMBATSYS: Frei successfully hits Kataki with Reiki.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Frei 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\=------\1 Kataki
"Losing perspective...? Don't be silly, Frei-kun. You couldn't know what perspective I had to begin with," Kataki mulls out lazily, a brow arched upwards as he slides his left foot backwards. "After all, you don't know me to begin with, do you...? Because you... don't... belong."
The words are delivered just after Kataki sweeps out. But there's something wrong. Something Kataki notes right off the bat. There's too much yield. Too much give -- "Hmmm--?" The musing hum is cut off by the sudden PULSE of golden-green chi that ripples outwards from Frei's hands. It crashes into Kataki without relent, and with improbable power -- so much so that he is blown into the air like naught but a ragdoll. Smoking body flings through the air, burnt and beaten as he propels backwards and IMPACTS violently against a nearby tree. He coughs, blood spilling from his lips. Gravity takes hold...
... and Kataki meets soft, yielding earth and grass face first with a deadened -whud-. For a long moment, there is silence from the young man. He does not move, he doesn't even seem to be -breathing-. But then... "What... do -you-... -know-?" The words bite out as Kataki slowly drags himself back onto his feet. His expression is one of a mixture of arrogant amusement and rage, contorting his face in a most bizarre way as his fingers twitch. "Nothing, that's what. You don't know a -thing- about how the world works. You've let friends and compassion soften you up into some -ugly-, -pathetic- excuse of a fighter. And for what? So you can delude yourself into thinking your life has some meaning? How -sad-, /Frei-kun./ Let me show you..." Psychic energy tugs from all around, bringing with it a sickening feeling -- drawing out the negative emotions and encouraging them to bloom in those gathered here, having the distinct feeling of icewater poured down the spine.
"... let me show you how the world really works.
"Out of love for my big brother."
He reacts in a flash. Within a single moment, Kataki is upon Frei. But not just from one angle... but from -all- of them. Within a single second, Frei has delivered upon him a blurring series of violet, crackling afterimages of his brother, all of them striking out as Kataki moves with blindingly fast speed to stab, slash and cut from every conceivable angle, Psycho Power shuddering across the ground and seeping in with every injury, to dredge up every negative memory and emotion Frei has ever expressed. The bitter taste of Kataki's reality.
COMBATSYS: Kataki successfully hits Frei with Ansatsujin - Shiden.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Frei 1/=======/=======|==-----\-------\0 Kataki
The last time Frei experienced a psychic attack of this magnitude, it was from Alma's hands... and the effect was profound, and not just on his body. Say what you want about his personality, but Kataki has beyond the shadow of a doubt mastered Musou Tenkei as a style; the attack has the swiftness of 'godspeed', that elusive velocity associated with old-style battoujutsu. The swift stroke that ends with a single attack. Frei has a moment to steel himself, eyes flashing with sudden perception of the attack coming in despite the near-teleportation and the strange angle... but knowing where it is doesn't equate to being able to do anything about it.
And this attack is... so much different than Alma's.
The outer manifestation is simple enough: light despite his defensive nature, Frei's body practically *bounces* through the volley of Psycho Power-imbued strikes, freed from gravity by the punishing, rapid-fire strikes. Clothes develop cuts faster than the eye can track; the swirl of white petals blowing through the air is tinted with swirls of red as blood as shed, and violet as Kataki thrashes through the air.
Internally is something else.
Strong-willed as he is, it's hard to fight back that onslaught of emotion, that sudden crushing tide of negative energy that seeks to overwhelm Frei through sheer power and force alone. All the doubts, all the fears he thought he had resolve flood in. He almost let Mizuki die. His brother turned Hotaru into a monster to get to him, hurt so many others to do the same. He abandoned his family, never got to say farewell to his master, left behind his family, threw away his obligations... and for what? To become what he is now? A... childish adult, wielding a not all that special power, pretending it means he knows what life is all about? This pain... this pain is what life is all about.
That last thought resounds as Frei's body slams into the ground, on his back, staring blank-eyed at the sky.
However...
"I don't know you..." Frei says hoarsely, sitting up. A sudden cough brings up blood, and the monk frowns, but continues getting to his feet, in a kneel. "You're right. I never tried. That was wrong. I was too worried about... the holes in my own life." Pausing in the kneel, he forces himself standing. "Maybe that makes me responsible. I'll take that on. But it doesn't excuse what you've done. My life has meaning because... I learned to open myself up to others. Because... of my mistakes."
His green eyes close; dangerous, in this scenario, but Frei's face is placid and serene. He holds out his hand, palm up, and the wind begins to kick up, petals once again blowing in the air. "I learned the value of sticking to your beliefs," he says, voice stronger. In his hand, there's a swirl of blue as chi-formed water swirls into a ball there. "I learned the value of passion and fervor." The water is joined by a ball of flame, the two orbiting each other. "I learned to take pride in doing my best." A third sphere, of gold light with a metallic sheen, flows in. "I learned the value of balance and forbearance." A fourth orb, of brown-gold like sand, flows in. "And... I learned that not all rage is bad... if it spurs me to act." The final orb flows in, a green swirl of leaves crackling with lightning.
The orbs collapse, becoming a yin-yang swirl of black and white in his hand that suddenly explodes outwards, surrounding Frei's body in a blazing aura of blinding light and crackling purple-black darkness. He floats, supported by that power, an inch above the ground. "I didn't try to understand you, but I did learn the value of understanding others. You've shut everyone out so you never have to learn. You think you know the world... but you only know the world you've created for yourself. So maybe to start again, you need to die and be reborn."
His body is like an arrow, streaking across the distance between the two brothers, body not even touching the ground. When Frei gets close he throws both hands forward, palms out... and the white and black aura becomes a massive spiral of energy that looks to consume Kataki utterly.
COMBATSYS: Frei successfully hits Kataki with Samsara.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Frei 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Kataki
And that's it. The final blow is delivered with a decided surge of pure, overwhelming Psycho Power as Kataki's blurred form comes to a stop several feet away from his brother. He pants; blood drips from his mouth and from several cuts on his back and torso, delivered by the natural surroundings themselves. But he looks amused, utterly amused. "See?" he says, slowly. "I make the rules of the game. And isn't it so... much..." his words begin to trail, as coherency begins to return to Frei. He blinks.
"... fun...?"
Then Frei speaks. Because he's not finished. Because he's not defeated. Kataki's eyebrow twitches. The look of amusement begins to fade away into anger. Disgust. Rage. "This isn't how the game -works-. You're done. Don't you understand?! I don't /care/ about your mistakes! You're not a better person than me! You're weak -- you're disgusting! Just like your friends! This... is NOT... how this WORKS--"
But, something cuts Kataki off once more. It's not physical force, though. It's his notice of the blinding orbs forming, swirling, and compressing all around Frei. His lips contort in a sneer, his eyes widening. "Don't try and force your worthless rhetoric on -me-. I know -- I know better than you. And some weak fool like you can't... can't beat me!"
Yet he doesn't sound convinced.
And it becomes all too apparent the moment all that energy is released in a brilliant arrow of pure energy. White and black collide with Kataki before he can even think of a defense, spiraling lances of chi crashing into and enveloping Kataki with their burning power. Monochromatic might collides with the swordsman, and in the ensuing explosion, the very grounds of the shrine shake violently. Dust and dirt explode and intermingle with seared blades of grass and chunks of rubble, creating a thick veil. Silence passes...
... and in the aftermath, Kataki is there. The upper part of his attire burnt and shredded. Standing, but just barely, the swordsman pants, blood dripping from burnt lips, and expression one of absolute disbelief. "No... why are you this strong? I don't... I don't understand. You're not allowed --" Psycho Power swirls along his blade as he weakly lifts his right hand into the air. "-- YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO BE STRONGER THAN ME!!" With that exclamation of utter disbelief, Kataki makes one defiant sweep -downwards-, slicing through the air and crashing the blade into the ground. A wave as large as Frei is tall erupts in the air space between Kataki and Frei, churning the earth as it sears a path for the monk. And as for Kataki? He falls to his knees, staring at the ground, his face contorted in anger.
"How... -how-...?!"
COMBATSYS: Kataki can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ <
Frei 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Frei blocks Kataki's Jinraiha.
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Frei 0/-------/---====|
The aura of power discharged, Frei settles gently to the ground, watching his attack wash over Kataki carefully, but as dispassionately as he can manage. The response is about what he expected; the disbelief, the uncertainty. More than any physical harm or rhetorical argument he could do or say, the uncertainty is what he was here to do. Not to beat his brother bloody, nor to make him feel worthless or wrong. Just to make him doubt... to see the value of looking beyond what he already knew. To make the certainty of things less certain.
After all, that's how Frei got his start.
As that final strike comes flashing at him, Frei is still yet at peace; he continues to talk even as he throws one hand out, palm forward, 'catching' the burst of Psycho Power, which splashes off Frei's aura like a wave hitting a breakwater. Lances of purple light flash through it, sending more cuts across Frei's already sliced torso, but in the end, he remains standing... bruised and bloodied, but unbowed.
"I'm not stronger than you," Frei says quietly, looking at his kneeling brother with a kind expression. "Maybe just now, I got the upper hand. But does that mean I'm stronger than you all the time, forever? Of course not. Today... today I had something to prove. Maybe that gave me extra strength. Tomorrow, I don't know." He brings his hand down with a shrug, then winces and brings it to his elbow, gripping his cut arm and hissing a bit at the pain. "If we were to do it again, I don't know the outcome would be the same. You're strong, and skilled... you've really mastered the style. You're a credit to the family in that respect."
Stepping forward a bit, Frei closes the distance and hunches down on both knees, looking Kataki in the eyes. How many fateful meetings has the monk had here? Mizuki, Sakura, Kentou... all people who've had a profound effect on his thinking and his life. It's only fitting that this be resolved here. "Kataki, you've been hurt. And I don't mean in body. Mom said something that hurt you, by accident. I never really tried to understand you or Thren, because... I was being selfish. I can understand why you're angry, and why you need so badly to prove how powerful you are. But..." There's a pause, as Frei closes his eyes for a moment, and then shakes his head.
"Nobody wants to take being the next master away from you. I don't want it and I never did... neither does Thren. And what Mom said, she said because she wants you to succeed her, but she's afraid the path you're on is going to lead you to destruction. So she hurt you, by mistake. It's not wonder you lashed out, especially at me. So I forgive you for that, if you can forgive me for being a selfish brother who worried about himself first."
Standing up, there's a pause, and the monk raises his head, looking up at the sky. "This world... there's so much in it. Not just people, but the sky and the land. Maybe because I learned to channel this power, I feel that pretty strongly. But if you want to know where the strength came from, today, right here... it was because of all the experiences I've had up until now. I listened to what people said, I tried to feel what they feel. I reached outward instead of pulling inward. And pain makes people want to do that; they pull inward, they close themselves off... because connecting to people means being hurt, and you don't want to risk it when you're really, really in pain."
Looking back down, Frei favors Kataki with a bright smile, jade green eyes shining with the feeling of suppressed energy that characterizes his everyday life. "This is your second chance, Kataki. This is your chance to go home, to talk things out. To change. To grow. This is your death and rebirth. From here on you have to decide what to do."
And off to the side, she's born silent witness to it all. Following the ebb and flow of the energies in play, Frei's elemental chi contending with Kataki's twisted varient of Psycho Power. The accusations and hate countered with acceptance and responsibility. The rage induced denial in Kataki's voice echoing out over the shrine's courtyard provokes a slight wince from the girl.
The strong emotions in play between the two siblings making her think of her own brother and the lack of anything there. Maybe if Gato cared enough to be angry back at her it would feel like this... She used to think anything woudl be better than the empty apathy she's gotten from him in the past, but now she has to wonder.
Kataki sends his attack flying at Frei and Hotaru can't help but wonder if the monk has reached his limits of what his body can take. But the elder brother continues on, walking into the attack, powering through it in spite the wounds visible on his body. She folds her arms loosely in front of her as Frei addresses Kataki. The physical fight has ended, but... this was but one battle in a long path toward possible change. Maybe Kataki will take this second chance Frei extends to him, taking that first step. How she hopes so, for both their sakes.
Content to remain the silent witness to what plays out, Hotaru exhales softly, studying Frei thoughtfully. Here the older sibling was the one to make the effort. Glancing to the side at last as to avoid gawking at the two of them, she can't help but picture the might've-beens had her own brother decided to solve the differences between the two of them as maturely.
It's over.
Kataki stares at the ground, unbelieving. His lips are cut and dry, his breathing shallow. With almost morbid curiosity he watches his blood drip and pool at the ground at his feet. He attempts to dredge up the strength to pull himself back up, but a weak, bloody cough precedes his further collapse on his knees. He looks shocked.
He looksunfathomably frustrated.
The last exertion of effort has already been given, and yet still, Frei stands; Kataki can hardly comprehend it. The look in that visible eye says it all: if he had the strength, he'd probably still be trying to introduce the tip of his sword to Frei's heart. But he can do little.
Little more than gather his breath and strength and listen to Frei talk. His teeth grit, his lips curl distastefully. He leans on his wakizashi, embedding it into the earth to use it as a rest point. The frustration begins to dwindle, as does the shock, as he lifts his head up to stare weakly at Frei.
"... tch," is all he can afford to utter, at first. When the words are done with, he lets out that single grunt, casting his gaze to the side. The lithe young man works to pull himself back up onto his feet, weak and wobbling but still managing it. He staggers once he stands, slowly dragging his blade up and sheathing it.
"... we're very different people, aren't we, hmm? How... silly." The words come softly as Kataki turns on his heel, rubbing his temples. He doesn't say he's sorry. He doesn't accept forgiveness. But -- "Maybe it's time I go for a little trip... don't you think? Yes. A trip... would be good." He starts to weakly hobble off at that point, offering only a sparing glance towards Hotaru as his lips curl into a wry smile.
"My second chance. Maybe I'll find whatever it is that made you what you are." He speaks calmly, almost as if in a daze. But he pauses, looking over his shoulder to offer Frei a single smirk.
"And maybe we'll meet again sometime...
"... Frei."
And with that, he'll begin his walk away, trailing a thin path of blood behind him as he goes. After all -- he has a new trip to embark on.
Even as he watches all this, Frei doesn't give a rejoinder. For his part, he feels he's done what he came to accomplish; that Kataki accepted it in his own inimitable way is just the nature of things. Had his brother gotten to his feet with a cheery smile and exulted about the joy of living anew, the monk probably would have had to call in some sort of orbital strike. It would have been too creepy for words.
Still, he does have one thing to say right before Kataki turns to go. "Good luck, Kataki." That's all. No exhortations or lessons, just: good luck. I'm rooting for you.
It's a long time before his brother is out of sight, and when he is finally a good deal away, Frei topples over backwards onto the grass, a cloud of white petals floating up as he does so. Arms spread wide, he stares up at the clear, moonlit sky again, then laughs a little. Turning his head, he finds Hotaru standing close by and gives her a little wave, as if he'd briefly forgotten about her... and in the intensity of those last few moments, he almost had. "Well, that turned out alright, I think."
At Kataki's glance, Hotaru responds with merely a quiet nod of acknowledgement, her own lips pressed into a neutral expression. He's going to leave. Going to go take a trip. A walkabout, as some call it, an unrestricted amount of time spent wandering until one finds themselves for real. And part of her is glad that a second chance has been granted him. But part of her can't help but contemplate what he did to her, what he did to Mizuki, and others. He isn't asking for forgiveness, and she's certain he feels not the slightest remorse for nearly ruining her life. Even if he were to unexpectedly ask, she's not ready to give it anyway. So perhaps it's just as well. Frei has helped her see the positive outcomes of all she went through, but that doesn't excuse the catalyst at the center. And right now he's standing in front of her, finally having seen his brother's strength for what it is.
The girl is quiet as he turns to walk away, glad to see him go. Glad for what it means for Frei - a release of the burden Kataki's visit to Southtown caused. Glad for what it means for everyone else - released from being viewed as novel entertainment for the twisted youth's mind. Coolly she watches him go. No, there is no where far enough he can go that would be too far in her mind.
Left in the company of Frei, the girl's attention shifts back toward him as he flops back against the ground. For several seconds she debates slipping away quietly. She came to make sure Frei didn't end up dead. Came to be here in case he needed a friend. Came to make sure that no matter what happened between Frei and Kataki, this whole game of Kataki's came to an end. All these things satisfied, perhaps she should leave now, let Frei rest and contemplate upon what just transpired.
But he looks to the side as she begins to turn and Hotaru pauses, her cool expression from moments ago warming into a quiet smile for the monk, looking him over carefully as he mentions it turned out all right. "Yeah," she allows after a moment. After all, he's not dead, and Kataki's left... and perhaps the two brothers will meet again on far better terms someday. "Yeah it did," she repeats, unfolding her arms, letting them rest against her sides. "You did good Frei. What you did here..." her voice fades slightly as she glances up at the courtyard in general. "... it was good."
It's not lost on Frei, that coming here was as much for Hotaru herself as it was for him. He doesn't know the true depths to which his brother's association with his friend fell, but having experienced that psychic energy for himself, he's gotten more than an inkling now. The wound may be healing, but it's going to scar. Of course, from Frei's perspective, scars aren't a bad thing; his hand comes up to the mark on his forehead left, accidentally, by Kentou, as he has that thought. Still...
"Maybe," the monk says, forcing himself sitting and stretching his hands toward his toes... something he instantly regrets. Yes, he managed to have it in him just enough to drive his point home in a physical way, but that sword cuts deep, and the Psycho Power even deeper. "It could be he's going to go somewhere else and relive it all again, just get worse. I don't know that he won't, though I have faith that it's not going to be that way. Whether something is 'good' or 'bad'... it all depends on your point of view in the end." He pauses, then shakes his head. Self-confidence... the feeling that even if you might be wrong, you have to believe in what you did. It's what he really learned from all this. "But I think I accomplished what I set out to do."
Bones and sinew protest, but he's finally able to drag himself to his feet, and stretch his arms over his head in the characteristic arc of fingers locked. "I never knew he had that power. If it does what Alma says it does, he might have been hurting more than anyone knew." There's a pause, and he shakes his head sadly before turning to look at Hotaru with a distant, almost tired expression. "He never had what Alma and Zach had... a reason to look outward. And you found out for yourself... the more you hurt, the more you pull away. It's built in, a safety mechanism. And sometimes it's useful. But sometimes... you need to be hurt in order to move on."
She watches as Frei manages to sit up, evaluating his condition, weighing whether or not he's going to need some help getting out of here. She told Kataki that for this fight, he represented them all, and she meant that. But now that it's over, he doesn't have to go it alone. But he makes it to his feet, in spite the complaints of his body, and she relaxes, convinced that for the wounds he took, he's going to be all right.
A blink is her response to his mention of the power his brother. Her experiences with Psycho Power have been limited in scope to the point that she has almost nothing to say about it, thinking only of her countless spars with Alma in years past and his special gift for being able to help her when she needed last summer. This time it's her turn to equivocate, "Perhaps." She shakes her head slowly, turning to the side, folding her arms in front of her once again. Everyone's got their story, she muses. She could rattle off any number of reasons why she should be able to rationalize all number of wrong behaviors. In fact, she did just that very thing for three months straight. "It's still doesn't excuse..."
Her voice fades, the girl shaking her head, looking back toward Frei, a smile on her face. "Nevermind. You going to be all right? I should get back to school. Got exams." she remarks, a grin slowly forming, feeling more at ease at the forced change of topic, "I'm sure you remember those things, right?" she teases lightly, knowing Frei did pursue higher education at one point. She glances over her shoulder in the direction that Kataki left. "If you ask me," she pauses, "... I don't think he's going to go relive this all over again."
"I never studied," Frei says blithely, and probably earning the subconscious hatred of test-takers everywhere. Hopefully, at least for Hotaru (who can actually see him), his self-deprecating smile defuses that statement somewhat. "Of course, I also dropped out to join a Buddhist monastery, so what does that tell you?" Does he have regrets about that? Maybe he does, but doesn't show. Instead he watches Hotaru turn to where his departing brother is now beyond sensor range, and nods. "It's not going to be easy. But I believe in him." A pause, and then another wry smile. "He comes from good blood."
Pausing for a moment, when Frei next speaks, his voice is quieter... addressing the more serious topic that Hotaru decided to avoid. He's just that type of person; Frei crosses the bridges others might try to avoid, which doesn't always work in his benefit. But in this case, he feels it's needed. "Nothing excuses what he did. Or what we did. The important thing is, if he comes back a changed man... if he really finds some better way to live... then that's what's important." Only now does his serious face become a wan smile again. "No excuses. But face forward at the future."
With that, he shakes out his hands, and nods once. It's a note of finality; this scene, this act is over. The play marches on. Actors wander across the stage, speak their lines, and are loved or forgotten... but ultimately the show must go on. "Well, then... c'mon." In a cheery tone, as if the past few moments had never happened, he adds: "I could really do with a slice of pie with ice cream on top, for example. A guaranteed aid to exam studying." He pauses, then adds with an expression of barely-concealed mischief, "Not that I'd know."
And then he turns to go. On to the next moment, and beyond.
Log created on 01:04:19 05/20/2008 by Frei, and last modified on 02:48:33 06/08/2008.