Description: Arranging a long overdue match against the famous tough girl of Seijyun High, Hotaru invites Zaki out to a remote location to enjoy a spar where no one will distract them. An early injury puts her behind the remainder of the fight, letting Zaki get the better of her. But that doesn't change what really matters - as always, it comes down to the experience shared, the words exchanged, and the friendship strengthened between the two unlikely friends. In the end, that's all they can take with them.
When most girls their age are making after school trips to the mall to hang out, these two are out making appearances in crazy fights around the world. Other girls idle away hours gossiping while these two spend that time training, practicing, working out. Their interests in life set them apart from other girls. Their skills as fighters far beyond that of casual novices don't come from casually sitting around chatting with their peers over picnic lunches. They come from experience, hard work, and effort.
Which is when it's time to catch up on ol' times, there's only one way to do it. Have a friendly, no holds barred match to see how each other are holding up in their respective training, of course! It's been almost a year since the day they met in the Seijyun flower gardens, and Zaki challenged the fight-eager Kenpo artist to a match. Finding they saw eye to eye on a lot of things, the two ended up being friends ever since. Meeting Zaki was the main thing that convinced Hotaru to finish her education at Seijyun High rather than seeking out another school that felt like it catered more to her nature. Not every girl at the all girl's campus turned out to be a music playing prissy thing, apparently.
Knowing she was well overdue for another match against that friend she respects so much, Hotaru invited Zaki out to make due on that at last. It's hard to squeeze in with all her other fight appearances, classes, training, and teaching Kentou. But certain fights are more important than others, and a chance to test herself against the rebellious Zaki was worth cancelling other plans for.
The site to meet is some ways outside of the city, halfway up one of the nearby mountains. A large lake nestled between a number of tall hills can be found there. The weather is grey, overcast, cool. The shore is surrounded by trees, most of them willows, their long branches drinking liberally from the still surface of the water. A gentle breeze barely stirs the leaves and ripples the water, but otherwise the environment is remarkably tranquil. For now. A wide wooden footbridge extends across one corner of the lake, rising only a couple feet over the surface.
It is on that bridge that Hotaru waits, clad in her traditional blue and white Chinese styled fighting attire, her signiture pig-tails held in place by bright red hair ribbons. Unlike the hotter areas down the mountains, the air up here is refreshing and the girl bides her time with her hands clasped behind her back, eyes closed, head bowed. A sparrow seems to have claimed her shoulder as a perch though with how still she stands, it's as if she doesn't even notice.
It's been a long time since she's had a challenge like this-- getting called out to the middle of nowhere for a proper duel with one of the exceptionally -rare- few she'd observe a lot of formalities with. Hitching a ride to an occasion like this isn't unwarranted, and after riding as far as she can with public transit, Aoi Himezaki is forced to hoof it the rest of the good distance to the footbridge-- to their meeting spot.
Walking through the countryside, it rather reminds her of the Himezaki Estate: Calm and tranquil, sure, but somewhere along the line the other shoe drops. The huge house, or the butler standing in wait, the lengthy mentions of how she shouldn't dress the way she does and how she should act more as a lady.
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
But no, so far, she hasn't encountered any of that yet. Instead, she arrives at the bridge in time with a rather calm air around her. A few steps ahead, Zaki pauses to fold her arms under her chest and shift her weight to one foot.
"Futaba."
She doesn't say anything else. The moment doesn't really warrant it.
Truth be told, Hotaru almost invited Zaki to her own estate. A respectable sized abode nestled in the wealthy district of Southtown Village, with its own large dojo building off to the side. Surrounded by traditional Japanese style gardens, a man made stream and a couple of ponds, Hotaru was very much in love with the property on which she lives. But she suspected, based on her impressions of Zaki, that the Seijyun tough girl would rather venture somewhere else than some other big estate. And fighting on campus again seemed too trite for a get together of this magnitude. Thus the girl selected one of the quite, remote spots she had discovered on an outing with her family, when it still existed, years ago.
As her name is spoken up, Hotaru opens her eyes and turns to face the girl gang leader, her mouth occupied by a bit of a grin. The sparrow on her shoulder, as if sensing the fight to come takes wing, flying off across the mist covered lake. The bridge itself lies half obscurred in a shallow mist, though it's easily visible enough to make navigating it not too much trouble.
"Zaki." the girl replies, clasping her hands behind her back, leaning her head to the side slightly. The smaller of the two, but no less a capable fighter, the experienced Kenpo artist offers her a bow of her head. "It'll be nice to have this chance. Without any creepy little freaks to interfer and no zany antics to keep up with, ne?"
She turns to the side, her feet shuffling over the flat wooden board on which she stands. Her arms raised to the ready, the girl takes on a light footed, quick stance - evidence of her standard approach to fighting. Hit hard, don't get back in the process. "Whenever you're ready." she grins, hands closing then returning to the open palmed style she takes to fighting. She has more she wishes to say, but there will be plenty of time for that during the fight itself, she decides. It's nice to spar with someone as invested in fighting as Zaki!
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has started a fight here.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has started a fight here.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Zaki has joined the fight here.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zaki
There's a moment where she thinks back over the past few months, especially-- the absolutely insane SNF that she had participated in, as well as the attack on the school by the busload of freaks and the man with the too-nice hair. She thinks back on that and tightens her jaw, wondering if any of those moments could've been handled under other circumstances. They've had bad moments, too. Talking to her about 'that skill,' and all...
But now, told that it's whenever she's ready, Zaki grins under the mask... and part of her bets that Hotaru probably knows when the masked gang leader is smiling under that covering slab of buckles and leather. Reaching into her sleeve, she starts to draw out the massive length of chain that she carries within her jacket, the excess spilling into a pile on the ground while she gets it wrapped around her hand once for a sturdier grip.
Aoi Himezaki isn't the light, agile fighter like Hotaru at all, her arms hanging loosely at her sides and her head tilting back. Looking more casual than prepared to fight, the leader of the Ladies Team suddenly takes a step forward, her heeled ankle-high boots coming down hard on the bridge while she charges in at Hotaru. Hooking her arm around in the air, her chain snakes up into the air like a whip-- one that sweeps down in a cutting, telling arc through the air and tries to land a shallow, dragging strike across the martial artist's chest! And through it, she yells:
"Let's GO!!"
COMBATSYS: Zaki successfully hits Hotaru with Medium Strike.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Zaki
The chain is drawn and sapphire blue eyes follow its descent to the wooden foot bridge. The gang leader is renown for how dangerous she is with the whip-like, metal weapon. Capable of making it dance through the air with the greatest of speed and precision, or entangle her opponents and leave them vulnerable to further pain, there's no taking that weapon lightly. Hotaru has had to learn the hard way, through practice and repeat exposure, how to deal with those who can use weapons against her effectively, however, and she'll have to put her experience to the test now.
The sound of boots coming down against the wood brings her attention back to the immediate moment, snapping her out of her quiet reverie. Trying to follow the trajectory of the attack, the speed of it throws her off and her last minute step backward is hardly enough to spare her the painful chain lashing. Struck across the chest with enough force to knock her back several steps, Hotaru lets out a startled cry of surprise. That /stung/! Her left hand comes up to brush lightly at the small tears left by the raking chain before she shakes her head, grinning a little. "Good one," she replies, sliding her left foot back a little, preparing to launch into an attack of retaliation of her own. "So I heard that big lug, Birdie, broke into Seijyun recently."
The comment is tossed out idly before the girl springs forward with all the speed she's got. Attempting to slide in past that dangerous chain, she goes for Zaki's arms in an attempt to get a hold of her wrists. If she's successful in getting a grip, she'll use her hold to pry the other girl's guard open, leaving her vulnerable to a series of swift, powerful striking stomps right up the front of her. "Ya, ya, ya!" Should she reache Zaki's shoulders, she finishes with a forward flip, taking her to land somewhere behind the gang leader, further along on the old bridge.
COMBATSYS: Zaki blocks Hotaru's Shin-Jou Tai.
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Hotaru 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Zaki
The chain strikes, drags-- and it does a little more damage than she had first intended. It makes Zaki a little relieved and a little confident all at the same time-- hitting her like that is going to be advantageous for her, if she can keep up the momentum. The swing leaves her with a bit of an opening, though her left hand is poised and ready to defend against it.
Aoi recieves the grip, the pull, and the first of the kicks. On the second, however, Zaki grabs the offending leg and -shoves-, breaking out of the attack and getting herself saved the rest of the trip-- the walk up her face and the ending kick. "That guy with the chain? God damn moron, pissed me off. Futaba, don't tell me you're hanging out with -unsightly- sorts, nowadays?"
Her feet shift again, a violent toss of movement that rustles her hip-slit dress and sends her ponytail into a loose spiral from the sudden movement. With her joke left in the air-- as she's 'unsightly' to the eyes of Seijyun's faculty-- Zaki twists at the waist, thrusting back one heel as her chain-wielding hand snaps outward. Her chain screams across the bridge in a sing-song way, if only 'sing-song' applied to the violent crash it tries to land into the girl's legs, as well as sparking up with bursts of energy and light. It pops like firecrackers and sizzles like electricity. Either way, that sort of thing -hurts-.
Just as much as the splinters of wood kicked up in the chain's wake as it dances across the bridge, splitting and cracking the top layer of the wood.
"Oraaaa!!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru fails to reflect Dokuhebi no Tessa from Zaki with Kobi Kyaku.
- Power fail! -
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Hotaru 1/------=/=======|===----\-------\0 Zaki
Hotaru's foot grabbed and shoved, Zaki frees herself from Hotaru's aggressive assault, forcing the girl to recover mid-attack with a backward flip through the air that brings her down in front of her opponent instead of behind her as intended. At the crack about Birdie, the girl laughs, shaking her head, shifting her stance a little to prepare for retaliation, "Ah, Birdie? Nah... they just like making me fight him a lot. SNFs... Neo Leagues... it's like a monthly tradition by now, at least."
She watches the movement of the other girl's chain, the weapon giving her opponent a range advantage that she's going to have to deal with carefully. Deciding to give the other girl a taste of her own weapon, she prepares to use her own chi manipulation to send it hurtling right back at its owner. What she didn't anticipate was that Aoi was aiming for her legs. She sees her chance, the chain flying at her from a longer range this time. Swinging her right leg out into a reverse roundhouse, a swath of blue, churning energy blossoms into existence in the wake of her shin. With that she can form a barrier, with that she can send that pesky chain flying right back.
Zaki's strike is aimed lower than that though, catching Hotaru in her left leg with a fearsome impact. Mid-counter attack herself, she finds her only support torn out from under her, forcing her into an immediate fall to the bridge. Landing hard in wide splits, she releases a startled gasp of pain. Far more flexible than most, there's limits to how far she can bend too, and right now she just went past that, as evidenced by the flush of red to her cheeks and grimace that crosses her features.
She rolls onto her side out of the landing, coming into a cautious crouch, shaking her head to try and clear her mind of the blinding pain, hoping she hasn't hurt herself so bad as to leave her woefully ineffective for the remainder of the spar. Hissing quietly, the girl bites back the pain, requiring a split second longer to rise back up to standing.
A monthly tradition? A repeated annoyance? For a moment, Zaki considers having to do something about that. Bursting into the scene and busting things up is more or less her style, but ... it wouldn't be right to infringe on any battles that Hotaru currently has in progress. No, that's something she just can't do-- and she would expect her classmate to do the same.
When the chain impacts and throws off her balance, her eyebrows narrow. She's getting ready to follow up with a second attack-- but Hotaru instead seems to be landing in a right fit of pain, as well she should. Zaki relents for a moment, letting her opponent get herself to a better position before resuming her own assault.
Aoi's chain is wheeled out to the side rather suddenly, whistling in circles in the air while she squints-- squints, and waits. "That looked like it felt good," she remarks. The chains achieving a speed high enough to stop rattling: It cuts the air in a taut line, now, and knowing Zaki, she's just building momentum to do something else. What, exactly, is still unknown...
"I insulted his hair, and he got really mad."
COMBATSYS: Zaki focuses on her next action.
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Hotaru 1/------=/=======|===----\-------\0 Zaki
Standing once more, Hotaru begins to force her way past the pain caused by over extending her inner thigh muscle. "Y-yeah," she stammers a reply out to Zaki's observation, a hint of a sheepish laugh behind that stammer at her the irony of the comment. "Something like that." There's a little annoyance at herself for such a poor opening, but if she can 'walk it off', she should be able to get back into the swing of things. For now she has a rapidly whirling whip to consider, the pig-tailed girl weighing her options as she carefully tests her ability to move again.
"Wow, you went for the hair, huh? He really gets worked up about that. He's got some kind of cement hairspray, I think... I've been gored by that gleaming horn of his before." She shakes her head, closing and opening her fingers as she works out the slowness she's feeling. Now it's time to get back to it. When she moves again, she favors one leg, but it doesn't slow her noticeably, the girl sliding to a crouching stop about a yard out, one leg stretched out in front of her, her other bent at the knee for support.
The position is held for just an instant before she lunges out of the windup, bringing her right palm forward with an open handed strike aimed for the center of Zaki's chest, right below her neck, attempting to force her backward off balance, hopefully before she can attack back with whatever it is she's got in mind. "YAA!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Zaki with Medium Punch.
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Hotaru 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 Zaki
"It's fuckin' inhuman, that's what it is!"
And no later than that, Hotaru is suddenly in close and driving a hand up toward her chest, the firm impact with her collarbone very well noted-- and for a moment, it looked as though Zaki was going to stand her ground against it-- take it, and smile, so to speak! Now she staggers, but her balance is quick to restore itself: Zaki twists on her heel, using the steely boot to wheel about and now turn her left side to Hotaru, as well as briefly exposing her back. Aoi puts a spin on her chain with a twist of her wrist, taking a shuffling step back-- her legs even close enough that it looks like she'll nearly clip herself with her own weapon.
Zaki's left hand presents first, her right arm catching the arc of her chain's spin just right-- and launching towards Hotaru in an attempt to get the makeshift weapon to drive into the Seijyun girl's chest and pile up onto itself. The eventual effect is simple, not only painful, but carrying enough force behind it to pick Hotaru up off her feet and launch her backward along the bridge!
COMBATSYS: Hotaru blocks Zaki's Hakai no Tessa.
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Hotaru 1/-----==/=======|======-\-------\0 Zaki
Her palm strike delivered, Hotaru draws back a half step to fall into a more defensive posture. And just in time, as well, as Zaki wastes no time retaliating. For a moment her back is exposed and it may seem that there's an opening for a quick counter strike, but Hotaru doesn't take the chance just yet, falling into slightly more conservative behaviors after her rough beginning.
And it's a good thing she does too, as the gang leader comes around with a powerful strike with her chain, packing enough force to easily bowl the featherweight Kenpoista over. Bracing one foot further behind the other, she brings her arms up, protecting her chest from getting caved in from a second punishing blow there. The impact of the chain sends her feet sliding back across the wood all the same, kicking up a small cloud of dust at the level of her ankles. "Oof," she grunts, shrugging off the coiled chain. Taking hits like that, even defended, /hurts/.
Taking a second to shake off the ache in her arms, the girl sizes up the situation for a brief moment. She really needs to deal a heavier hit to try and narrow the gap from her first couple of mishaps. "Yeah," she grins after a brief moment, "Meet a lot of weird types in the circuits. Birdie and I... we have some kind of instituted rivalry thing going on, I think, with the way we always get matched opposite of each other. Someone must think it's real cute," she states, rolling her eyes as she clenches and unclenches her hands.
A breath is exhaled, then taken in, the girl is build up for something big. And then she takes her chance, sprinting forward with all the speed she is capable of, leaping into Zaki right foot first from a little ways out, attempting to force her onto the defensive. The instant her feet touch the ground, she follows up into a second hop, hands whirlwinding as she aims to deliver a series of swift, crushing palm strikes. And should she get through Zaki's defenses, the girl finishes with a brief pause the moment she sees an opening, then plows into the Lady's Gang leader with a rising shoulder tackle, "Tenrenge!" The coup de grace is a pair of spinning kicks while in the air as she attempts to knock the other girl backward significantly. "KYA!"
COMBATSYS: Zaki blocks Hotaru's Ten-ren-ge.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Zaki
Her chains pile in, but not against Hotaru's chest as it was planned. No, she guards it well and shoves the chain off to the side. Zaki's eyes narrow as she takes a step back, giving not only her fellow student the room she needs, but it also gives her a second to chip in with her side of their conversation: "Cute, fugly, and goddamn annoying. Seijyo doesn't need retards like that bustin' all around as they please-- next time you run into him, you smack that good into his head!"
Twisting her arm back, Zaki wheels her chain out... and around her forearm. It spins, spirals, and locks around it, letting the forceful strikes rail in across tightly-gathered metal links. Truth be told, Zaki's tensed up, getting ready for the other shoe to drop. Hotaru's a lot stronger than she looks... Finally, when the shoulder tackle starts, Aoi throws herself backwards into a lunge, willingly landing on her back and rolling her legs upward, rolling back up into a squat. There's no malice or sarcasm in her voice when she chuckles next, but the dry and morbid amusement of someone fully aware they just dodged a bullet. "Heh heh heh..."
Then she takes in a deep breath, standing up straight and running back in at Hotaru. Once she gets in close enough, if she can get in unaccosted, the Himezaki heiress throws what seems to be a massive, telegraphed punch with all of that chain wrapped around her fist and forearm. It's actually a feint: The real attack comes as she takes one more lunging step in closer, bringing her arm back out for the most ridicilous backhand she could possibly muster!
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Zaki's Fierce Strike.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Zaki
Her assault is fended off as Zaki's guard holds, the girl maintaining the presence of mind to avoid the final crushing tackle meant to take her to the ground. Dropping back to the bridge in a half crouch, Hotaru pauses for only an instant before rising up to standing, studying the other girl carefully. She had poured a lot into that attack but the Lady's Gang leader is tough stuff to get through, and now her aggressive assaults have cost her a fair amount of her strength.
Zaki chuckles softly at having held her guard well against the smaller girl's combination but Hotaru isn't distracted by it, keeping her focus on what comes next. "Nice," is the only comment she spares, the timing of the next moments so terribly critical for her. She can't let herself get too distracted - a split second of inattention is all it would take at this point, given the aches she's already built up thus far. The incoming punch is read for what it is - a feint and not the real attack, and Hotaru takes one step backward, attentive blue eyes watching for the real threat.
When the backfist comes, she ducks just in time; Zaki's arm whipping through the air immediately over the crown of her head. That was a close call, but the Kenpo artist is going to try and use the moment to whatever advantage she can leverage. Both hands shoot up in an attempt to seize the other girl's extended arm, trying to use her attack against her now. Should she get a tight enough grip, she'll take a step back and spin, drawing Zaki the rest of the way forward, flipping her over her knee onto the deck of the bridge with a classical style judo slam. "HA!"
COMBATSYS: Zaki dodges Hotaru's Quick Throw.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Zaki
Her fist strikes open air the first time-- as planned-- and then strikes open air the second time. That... Zaki wasn't planning on. But the fighter keeps her cool, watching Hotaru carefully. Zaki twists herself a little, shifting her heel back and watching the martial artist carefully. The hands that come up to seize her arm touch the fabric of the custom-made jacket for only a moment-- a moment before the chainslinger pulls it back and away, free from the immediate danger that Hotaru poses.
Zaki lets out a short, "Heh!" while moving, ducking to her left-- Hotaru's right-- and she squats down a bit. The squat starts a short lunge, springing up high into the air and whipping her leg up on high... before attempting to bring it down on the girl's head in an impressive axe kick. Pale, blue-tinted energy rides the armor-plated heel of her boot all the way down, to add a little more of an 'oomph' to the impact!
"Try again!!"
COMBATSYS: Zaki successfully hits Hotaru with Gankou Geri.
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Hotaru 0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1 Zaki
Zaki slips away, leaving Hotaru grasping at air for an instant, her hands crossing each other as she over extends a little. She notices the girl shifting to her side, getting into a position from which it will be hard for her to defend against, but isn't quick enough to figure out from what angle the actual attack is going to come from. By the time the girl reacts, Zaki's foot is already coming down, cracking her good on the top of the head hard enough to drop the Kenpo artist back to the bridge itself with a pained gasp.
She doesn't have a lot left in her, but she's still able to move, and as long as that's the case, she's going to have to give it her best. Hands slap down against the old wood, bracing her up and letting her roll to the side in order to avoid any painful follow up that might be coming her way. Her head is ringing a little from the painful blow as she rolls up into a low crouch and subsequently manages to get back up to standing, albeit a bit wobbly. She think she feels a faint trickle on top her scalp, a likely gouge from the hard hit that struck her.
Gritting her teeth as she attempts to keep her focus, she steps forward, dropping into a low stance from which to launch into another attack. She springs at Zaki, a small hop into the air, arms windmilling out as she aims to strike the other girl high, only to have her feet touch down in order to deliver one of the hardest single hits she can muster - a short range, one handed palm strike, into which she leans with all she's got, lending leg and torso strength to compensate for a somewhat lacking arm strength. It mgiht be enough to slow Zaki down, she thinks, though extending herself so hard in the process will bear its own costs!
COMBATSYS: Zaki blocks Hotaru's Soushou Shin.
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Hotaru 0/-------/--=====|=======\===----\1 Zaki
When the leg drops, the heel hits Hotaru fairly well-- and when the girl is spiked to the bridge, the gang leader throws her foot back up a bit more and hops, getting her stance squared away. When the young fighter starts to regain her senses and get back up to her feet, she gets herself ready-- but still offers a short, taunting poke: "Should I go a little easier on you, Futaba?" All in good fun, mind.
Apparently Hotaru wouldn't have her do anything like that, as suddenly she's back up in the air and throwing a brutal strike in an attempt to knock her down. Bringing her arm up and bending it at the elbow, the strike slams down hard-- hard enough for Zaki to notice-- and rather than being knocked over, she soaks the blow and only staggers.
"Here it comes!!"
She shouts this as she rears up her chain, twisting it around and spinning the large series of links in a windmilling manner. Rearing up, Aoi sweeps high, swinging it around for a series of brutal strikes-- smashing in crosswise ways, looking to smash Hotaru across from shoulder to hip. One strike, two, three, four, five, six, and then the chain is snapped out like a whip to snag her around the upper body... and then, with a constricting tug, she's trying to drag Hotaru in close for one more direct strike to the chest with the intent to send her flying right off her feet.
COMBATSYS: Zaki successfully hits Hotaru with Hissatsu Denkou Tessa EX.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
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Hotaru 1/---====/=======|===----\-------\0 Zaki
Zaki asks if she should go easier on the girl, trying to provoke more out of her, and Hotaru replies, mid-retaliation, "Not a chance-!" The exclaimation is cut a little short the moment her first foot touches down following her lunge, a jarring reminder of the painful way she wrenched her leg earlier in the spar. "HRK," she takes in air with a pained gasp even as she forces herself to complete the attack, her palm striking out hard, attempting to bowl Zaki over at last. But the gang leader's arm manages to slip into the way just in time, stopping the worst of the strike, slowing her down only a little as a result.
She has a moment to recover herself, but the flush of red to her cheeks betrays just how bad the spike in pain is that provoked her gasp. Taking one tender step backward, she attempts to ready herself for expected retaliation as Zaki revs up that fightful chain of hers. When the strikes come, however, she just doesn't have the capacity to move as quickly as she needs; each attempt at doing so resulting in adding further agony to her injured leg. The initial flurry of strikes batter the martial artist back and forth, leaving rips and tears in her vest.
She's about to collapse completely when the chain lashes out, wrapping around her tightly and pulling her forward off an already shattered balance, leaving her falling directly into the final strike to her chest that sends her flying backward into several tumbles along the length of the wooden foot bridge. Landing prone, arms sprawled out at her sides, the girl doesn't move at first. "Ow," she at last grunts, shifting her hands to plant them beneath her, pulling her unhurt leg up so that she can place her knee beneath her and start to get back up.
Drawing herself the rest of the way to standing, she braces herself up with her hands against her knees, panting for breath for a few seconds, blue eyes fixed back on Zaki, judging the distance she'll need to go in order to strike back. "Heh." she grins, in spite herself, her complexion a little pale now, "If I had known I was going to try and break my leg, I would've chosen some place closer to home!" Closing her eyes, she takes a deep breath, then takes her chance, forcing herself to sprint in spite the sharp pain it causes in her leg with each step. She isn't going to stop without trying a little harder. It's the least she can do.
The instant she's close, she makes her move, dropping low, drawing a heafty amount of chi into her as she launches herself into one last, crushing flip kick, attempting to power through Zaki's stubborn defenses!
COMBATSYS: Hotaru can no longer fight.
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Zaki 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Zaki parries Hotaru's Ten-shou Ranki!
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Zaki 0/-------/---====|
With Hotaru driven back by her own assault, the repeated and brutal whippings from the chain leading into that final and violent shove, Zaki watches her classmate-- friend?-- get blasted back with one more powerful blow. The redhead scowls after that, watching Hotaru and carefully noting her condition-- even if she's branded a thug by just about anyone and everyone alive, she's not as thick as one. She knows when someone's forcing themself, and that time is right about now.
Still, she's gotta admire Hotaru's panache.
"You don't expect me to carry you all the way back down to town, do you?" Zaki asks in reply, the grin on her face almost as if it were visible through her leather mask. Hotaru shows that spirit one more time with a direct charge, leading into a flipping kick that she's all too familiar with...
But it doesn't happen the way she wants to.
Lashing her chain out in a quick way, she loops it around the back of her other hand as if she's about to start a massive chain-based cat's cradle. Leading it forward, she catches the kick on the chains and twists her hands, wrapping it around the Seijyun student's ankle and riding the momentum in one large arc-- shooting through the air and landing closer to the other end of the bridge with a heavy fall of reinforced heels on wooden bridge. Skidding backwards a bit, she keeps her balance pretty well-- and darts back in, thrusting a chain-wrapped fist at Hotaru.
She stops short, of course-- she's not an idiot, nor that cruel. "I think I got you this time, Futaba."
COMBATSYS: Zaki takes no action.
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Zaki 0/-------/---====|
Chi, strength, and raw determination carry Hotaru up into an upsidedown arc. Even as she reaches the apex of the journey, she realizes Zaki's managed to escape the attack with some very fast, very clever thinking. Another time, she might simply need to correct her trajectory and drop back to the bridge to continue fighting... but even as she twists herself around she realizes that she's going to have to come down for a landing - and with the way her leg throbs, that sounds like the worst thing possible.
She tries to correct for this as she comes back down, drawing her her hurt leg up so that she lands on her other foot first, letting it take the worst of the impact. The end result is a pretty clumsy landing, Hotaru collapsing to the side as she touches down on the bridge's wooden surface. "Che," she hisses, rolling onto her side first, then onto her back, hands planting against the boards in order to force herself into a sit up. She just barely manages to do so in time to see Zaki barreling back in at her. And why shouldn't she? The pig-tailed Kenpo artist hasn't cried uncle just yet. Though, really, she should.
She's in no position to defend herself, is the problem, managing to do little more than bring her right arm up at an angle across her face as Zaki's fist slams forward. But the only impact is that of the air driven by the coming strike as Zaki pulls her punch early, leaving it just shy of the fallen girl's face. Blinking her eyes open, Hotaru lowers her arm slowly, staring at Zaki's fist, then up at the masked girl, grinning, chagrinned as she finally gives up and flops flat on her back, bringing her left arm up to rest over her eyes in the swirling mists of the bridge. "Yeah," she finally concedes between pants for breath. "You got me good."
She's quiet for a moment, breaths coming quickly as she slowly begins to regain control over her breathing. "Tough as a I remembered. You better not make me wait another year for a rematch," she continues, her tone gravely serious even though her mouth is curled into the best grin she can muster given her condition.
She rolls over onto her side after a moment, drawing her hurt leg up, bending it some to test it. "I'll be all right." she states after another moment, "I'm not letting you carry me anywhere!" she adds with emphasis. Perish the thought! She's quiet for a moment, finally pulling her arm from off over her eyes, wiping it a little to discard the tears forming at the edges of her eyes as she does her best to bite back the pain. "I, ah," she finally admits, her tone reluctant but accepting, blue eyes focusing back on Zaki as she reaches her hand out, "might need help getting up though."
The chains ring and rattle around her fist-- and that's probably the only herald that something didn't go exactly how it should've, that the fist didn't drive in home and give Hotaru's brains a powerful rattling-around. Pulling her fist back, straightening up, Zaki allows the chain in her grasp to go slack and hit the bridge in a pile, snaking down until she's only holding it by a bit of the length. Coiling it up like a professional tamer coils up a whip, Aoi Himezaki tilts her head at her 'sparring partner' and grins again under her mask. "Carry you back? Hah! Don't think for a second I'd show up at Seijyo with you over my shoulder or ridin' on my back. You imagine the kind of bullshit I would have to listen to from the idiots in charge if that happened?" It's hardly true, though-- she would help Hotaru back to the school if she really did need it, whether the martial artist wanted to or not. Pride, and all.
Sliding the chain up onto her shoulder to rest, the slack ends hang down so it settles against her body. Ultimately, so long as she doesn't make any largely exaggerated moves, it stays in place on it's own. She does put a hand to it now and then to keep it steady and keep from sliding to and fro, especially as she extends her other gloved hand to grab Hotaru's and get a firm grip. Pulling with a decent amount of strength to it and letting Hotaru find her own footing in the process, waiting for her to get steady either on her own, using her arm or otherwise.
It's rare that Aoi acts like this with another person-- friendly, outright, and not throw the terrifying gangster routine forward. Maybe in some way, Hotaru's weaseled her way under her skin in the same way that the members of the Ladies Team have: Protect each other, and if you hurt one, you hurt them all. Which... the idea of Hotaru Futaba in a flu mask standing with the numbers and the various likes that Zaki associates with is an image that her mind won't shake for a little while, if only for the sheer amusement.
"Anyway, Futaba. Let's get walkin' down the hill or catch a ride or somethin'. If I leave you out here, you're liable to get eaten by a bear or somethin'."
Log created on 00:00:33 07/17/2008 by Hotaru, and last modified on 12:26:15 08/07/2008.