Description: Raizo decides to take a chance and agrees to assist Yurika secretly with her training. Over the course of the battle, Yurika shocks herself realizing some things about her personality.. But will she really make the effort to change them? Also, pain.
About a week after their last meeting brings Raizo and Yurika to the agreed location to do training. The forest of Justice High wasn't a good idea, in fact probably any place in Southtown would not be a good idea for the type of training the softer of the Kirishima siblings to undergo. And so this leaves the location to be just outside of the city, within the forests of Mount Yarigatake. There isn't much to say about the environment, there's plenty of water, plenty of greenery, and the ocassional woodland creature skurrying about, the location easily found on the maps they provided one another.
It's late noon on a weekend, the weather of course quite cool, and Yurika Kirishima possibly the first to arrive at the creek, and not in her usual attire, but in a dark uniform exactly like her brothers, her silver hair pulled back into a ponytail and long strands hanging at each side of her face, and two long tuning forks rest along the sides of her belt.
She's nervous, her face simply can't hide that fact, and she feels an inkling of guilt training under someone who isn't her brother.. But if she doesn't take steps forward, she simply won't get anywhere.
Raizo Imawano is not often far removed from Justice High. He is a man with a mission, and that mission requires the success of his work at Justice. But that doesn't mean he /doesn't/ leave, and indeed he shows up just a few minutes after Yurika, dressed in what is probably hiking gear, although on his preposterously massive frame, it's always a little hard to believe he wears anything more substantive than the monster-man Blanka does. He steps up to the small cleared area, eyebrow rising at the outfit and Yurika's expression. The tuning forks catch his eye; he's not sure what to make of that.
"Yurika," Raizo rumbles. "It's good to see you again. You certainly look ready."
Yurika gives a small smile to Raizo, she of course having to look up so he can see it. She wasn't sure what to expect him to be dressed in, in fact she has little idea of what his attire was when the principal was active in the clan! Maybe she'd be disappointed if she hadn't thought he was retired.
She notices his look, however, and she clears her throat, "A pleasure to see you as well.. A- Ah, I apologize, I'm not used to being trained by anyone but my brother, so this is a bit awkward for me. But I am by no means going to run away at this point, I will do as you say without question." Er, at least she's pretty certain she will.
Her hands then rest on her tuning forks, "It's a misconception that I can only fight with my violin and sword. I can channel my chi through any sort of musical instrument, though I don't make that fact well known for obvious reasons. You'll see soon enough that I'm not underequipped."
Brief pause.
"Well, at least not to my knowledge, perhaps."
Raizo likes to run around in a bright tan suit. Despite this he manages to pull off acrobatics that even some lifelong ninjas would boggle at - he doesn't /need/ the sneaking suits of the Imawano clan, and perhaps it is one of the small bits of arrogance he allows himself that he refuses to wear such attire. The hiker's outfit will be more than enough.
The bear man nods at Yurika explanation, drawing up closer to a proper, conversational distance. "If you were going to run away," Raizo notes, "I would not have agreed to this. I've a keen eye, don't let the boys who call me a crazy old man fool you." He smirks, a great bear of a thing.
"I was familiar with your fighting style, though I wasn't aware of its versatility. I should've expected as much - not a bad talent, nor a bad decision, to keep some of your talents disguised. But I can't assess you based on your words alone, Miss Kirishima, any more than I could any student." The old man arches an eyebrow. "Shall we spar? A test of your skill will help me decide how to proceed."
COMBATSYS: Yurika has started a fight here.
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Yurika 0/-------/-------|
Yurika's expression goes blank for a moment, as if caught off guard by Raizo's comment and then quickly shakes her head while laughing nervously, "N- No, of course not I would never have thought such a thing.. Not even for a moment.."
Runaway ninjas, while a treason, doesn't make it not understandable for the young Kirishima. Perhaps one day she could listen to his story and hear the truth with her own ears, but first things were most certainly first.
"Yes, my brother made it quite clear to me that versatility is essential, and an advantage with the art of Imawano Ryu. And you are correct, in that case I will show you the results of my training." Yurika unsheathes the eleven-inch forks and twirls them with her fingers until getting a firm grip on the handles.
"Perhaps I don't need to say this but considering my former teacher, you needn't hold back too much." Perhaps indirectly insulting her teacher with that comment, she rushes toward the ninja bear and starts simple; a wide, diagonal slash about the mans gut.. He could probably see mid-strike that the fork tips aren't blunt, but in fact sharpened like a pencil tip.
COMBATSYS: Raizo has joined the fight here.
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Raizo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Yurika
COMBATSYS: Raizo parries Yurika's Quick Strike!
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Raizo 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Yurika
Raizo's story would be hard to swallow, because the central part of it is that Raizo's brother is evil, which is kind of a hard thing to hear about the man responsible for your training. Or Kurow's training, anyway.
Raizo slides into a combat posture when Yurika readies those tuning forks. What will it be? The fact that the forks are bladed does not pass Raizo's notice, but how will she use them for her chi manipulation? He keeps a very careful eye on it - wanting to make sure he doesn't miss something that he can use to understand Yurika's fighting style better, and engage her as a student.
Raizo grins as Yurika assures him he doesn't need to hold back - he will be the judge of /that/. He shouldn't /underestimate/ Yurika, to be sure, but...if he comes in too fast, she'll be on the floor before he ever gets an idea of what she can do.
But he has to challenge her just the same. She comes at him, and Raizo moves fast, sweeping out past the arc of Yurika's strike, into just the right position to respond quickly and powerfully with a straight punch to the chest!
COMBATSYS: Yurika blocks Raizo's Quick Punch EX.
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Raizo 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Yurika
Yurika isn't so sure she likes that grin, but there's no turning back now. In fact, she has little idea what to think about her current situation, does she think she can defeat him? It'd be weird to fight if she didn't think she could, though on the other hand this is also just a display of what she's capable of.. So the appropriate way to think, then..
Is to try to defeat him. Skilled as Raizo is, he isn't invincible, there must be some weakness she can find and capitalize on and if not, then she'd create one. Yes, simple enough.
His quickness wasn't unexpected, nor the retaliation, she's pleased she can see it.. See it and defend by crossing the forks in an 'X' and letting the fist slam into it, though she's forced to leap backward to keep from losing her balance afterward. And then he gets a display of just how she uses her chi, and it doesn't appear to be complex: She makes a chopping motion, the forks clashing to emit a pleasent tone, and then the air twists and distorts into a ring-shaped wave. Said wave, of course, goes rushing toward Raizo intending to slam into the ninja, and yet it's a bit more complex than that- It's internal damage she's looking to do.
COMBATSYS: Yurika successfully hits Raizo with Tragic Serenade.
- Power hit! -
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Raizo 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Yurika
It is a kind of scary look; Raizo is not a friendly-lookin' guy. Still, he's not coming in with intent to destroy, just to...test. To fight Yurika until the girl's limits are found. Can she beat him? Perhaps she can; Raizo won't make it easy. And as long as she understands that she can beat someone without killing them, Raizo will consider her in good shape. Imawano is not a style for the merciful; such things as 'mercy' are introduced only for purpose of deceit or convenience. To default to allowing others to live...that is the sort of fundamental change to the style that Raizo lives and strives for.
Raizo nods, with an interested grunt as Yurika quickly snaps her tuning forks up to block the attack. And here it comes--she swings that fork, making a pleasant chime that erupts forward in a shockwave. Raizo tries to throw himself aside, but he's caught in the gut mid-leap, knocking him off balance and slamming him to the ground. Raizo doesn't get up right away, his eyes wide and open. "Internal damage...how brutal. Yes, that's an Imawano technique." The old man plants his hand, sliding himself upward and nodding at Yurika. "Painful techniques. Not a kind way to do business, Miss Kirishima."
He rises, then, but as he rises to his full height he bares the long claws at the end of his fingernails, adding, "But kindness has never been the way of Imawano fighting! Hah!" He surges forward, far faster than a man his size should be able to move, sweeping his clawed hands across Yurika's body!
COMBATSYS: Raizo successfully hits Yurika with Claw Stab.
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Raizo 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Yurika
The way Raizo uses the Imawano style is actually the way that Yurika admires very much; as cold as she can be at times, she's simply not a killer by nature-- She -could- do it, but she most certainly would rather not if she could avoid it. Kurow had confessed that such a 'weakness' isn't completely useless, but as long as she thought in that way, he would not be able to help her improve.
For a long time she thought, as a result, she was doomed to be 'inferior'. Raizo then became her hope, upon understanding what the 'problem' between him and the clan was. Her cheeks pinken a touch in response to her teachers assessment, not certain if he was chiding or not.
However he's then quick to strike back, she's astonished by how fast he moves so soon after speaking, and then it's her turn to make an attempt to sweep to the side. It's a shame, despite his speed she could see it, but just could not move fast enough and the raked attack digs in well making her yelp in pain while falling to the side, vision briefly blurred, but coming back in time for her hand to plant onto the ground, spring to her feet, and then smash back-first against the closest tree that sends the leaves falling overhead.
The tears on her suit aren't as bad as they could be, oddly enough, after glancing to it, she raises her fingers to her lips and starts to concentrate, focusing on moving her chi from the upper body to the lower, potentially making her move faster if she gets enough time. The wave of leaves grow larger as a gust of wind blows forth, faintly obscuring her from view.
COMBATSYS: Yurika calculates her next move.
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Raizo 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Yurika
Raizo likes to teach people. He wouldn't be in the line of work he's in if he didn't, but that does not make him a soft teacher. In battle, even against people who aren't truly his enemy, Raizo often engages at full strength. Yurika is seeing this now, as the mighty Princibear comes at her hard, swinging his mighty claws down. She recoils, falling away; Raizo doesn't pursue immediately, preferring to see what Yurika will do next. Which is...
"Mmm," Raizo rumbles. That's a new one. What will she do...
The Princibear remains at a distance, just for the moment; focusing all his attention on Yurika, to get a feel for what she's doing, and be ready for her next strike.
COMBATSYS: Raizo focuses on his next action.
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Raizo 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Yurika
Raizo's focus, in short, isn't good for Yurika. It seems like at the moment they're on the same page, however there is the advantage that she has the first move.. The disadvantage that she hasn't a clue what trick she may be falling into. The solution technically is simple enough, strike before he can react. Short and simple.
Raizo can probably see through the very scattered obstruction well enough, but that doesn't make her dart forward any less well-timed, it's the moment one leaf sweeps in front of Raizo's left eye that she suddenly, and silently rushes forward, unable to completely hide her steps with the dry leaves crunching under them.
And just like that she's in front of him though slightly crouched as she taps her forks togeather again and spins rapidly on one foot. The air once again distorts, taking the form of a blurred pillar that, should it touch Raizo, would not only drag him into the assault but launch him up into the air while his body would briefly refuse to cooperate with his thoughts, giving her time to distance herself.
COMBATSYS: Yurika successfully hits Raizo with Tragic Lullaby.
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Raizo 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Yurika
Raizo isn't expecting that kind of timing; even he rarely engages in down-to-the-millisecond timing of his attacks. Yurika's trick works; Raizo's eyes are wide with surprise - at the skilful tactic more than any surprise at Yurika's ability to move so quickly. That pillar hammers into Raizo, vibrating his precious organs but also sending him hurtling into the skies, flying up, up, up--!
Raizo grins in the air. "Not bad!" he cries down, apparently unconcerned with his altitude. "Kurow and I use chi manipulation so rarely, I forget sometimes what it's capable of! Keep it up!" he laughs, and then somersaults around...there's no chi manipulation in this. There's nothing fancy about it.
All there is is Raizo coming down on Yurika feet-first, like a comet the size of a house.
COMBATSYS: Raizo successfully hits Yurika with Heavy Kick.
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Raizo 1/------=/=======|=======\=======\1 Yurika
Yurika seems to work well with what she -does- have, at least.. She doesn't have the ruthless strikesmanship of Kurow, or the swift strength of Raizo, but a slowly escelating skill of chi manipulation. Useful for at least attempting to keep up with physical strength. Still, she can't help but let her jaw slack a touch at how calmly he takes it all.. He really is some sort of unstoppable wall!
It's perhaps that moment of just standing there, losing her concentration that makes her fall prey to terrible luck, somehow her increased speed doesn't get her out of the way of his full body attack and the moment of impact simply doesn't look plesent at all. Who knows what she was up to but Yurika ends up hitting the ground hard, the force of air sending scattered leaves flying off to the side, and a bit of blood flies from her mouth as she sinks into the soil.
By all means, the slender fighter should be down and out, and yet somehow she slithers away like a snake, vision much more blurred that before and barely able to breath from the air knocked out of her. Concentrate, she must concentrate and move, she -must- have made a dent somewhere, she just needs to find it! But with five Raizo's in front of her that is an enormously difficult task. No more chi for the moment, he'd be expecting that, so as she rushes forward and breaks down the ninjas location with a logical guess, she springs upward and attempts to wrap an arm loosely about the bears neck best she can. She'd proceed to then spin around his body, as if she were a human ball and chain and on the third swing, with a burst of speed and a wrench-like grip about the neck, twists the head and forces the rest of his body to spin in the air to catch up before she releases and lets him collapse to the ground, flipping backward herself.
COMBATSYS: Raizo blocks Yurika's Strong Throw.
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Raizo 1/-----==/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Yurika
The problem with getting Raizo up in the air is that he LOVES that trick. His sheer mass can be weaponized with alarming ease, and it's been quite some time since anyone was ready for him to come down on them like a house. Yurika continues the trend of people crushed by falling Raizos. The old man backflips away to give Yurika some room, rather than descending for the kill like he might on a person he were fighting to the death.
The old man watches with interest, waiting for Yurika's next move --
She makes it, and Raizo has to move fast. He snaps one arm up, and Yurika's grab for Raizo's throat snags around his arm instead; it hurts to keep her spin controlled, but Raizo uses his strength and a little bit of martial trickery to redirect the energy, eventually flicking his arm with enough force that Yurika goes sailing to the ground!
COMBATSYS: Yurika blocks Raizo's Quick Throw.
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Raizo 1/-----==/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Yurika
Yurika is pretty comfortable with any arial tactic of her own, though dealing with Raizo's was clearly a different story! His counter-attack is met with a fair degree of success, but she's able to twist and hit the ground so she lands on all fours, sort of like a cat, as she slides to a halt. Ah, she guessed right at least, that's a good sign and so Yurika is able to push herself a little more.. Perhaps it's stubbornness, but she's sticking with her strengths rather than attempt another throw technique, she's not in a condition to experiment anymore.
Yurika is back on her feet, and stands on one foot, taking a somewhat familiar counter-stance, taps her forks togeather, but otherwise inexplainably ends up rushing forward at a great speed toward her teacher. The air blurrs behind her as she rushes past the old man, in hopes of slamming the weapons against his knee and ribs along the way.
Should this prove successful, Raizo will face the greatest degree of her chi technique yet! As the musical hum fills the air, the entire waves length would ricochette back into him, the effect not unlike a volley of invisible punches being thrown from the inside and out!
COMBATSYS: Raizo fails to interrupt Fatal Nocturne from Yurika with Ursa Ultimate.
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Raizo 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Yurika
Raizo is ready. He can't not be. At this point in a fight, most people would be ready to unload, and he himself has a few ideas for what to do...
Yurika is coming. He watches her prepare herself, and sets himself for the intercept. Time to show her some of what /he/ can do. Raizo braces, and as Yurika leaps past, he LUNGES forward -- but Yurika is faster than he anticipated, more crafty than he expected. She swings past him, jabs him in the knee and ribs, and then Raizo is locked, stationary, in a maelstrom of musical power punches, eyes wide from surprise, unable to do much until the cacophany ends - least of all attack.
Yurika isn't exactly certain how, but she has a feeling she had dodged a bullet! Well, she isn't going to bother worrying about it, it seems for the time being Raizo has been left stunned, which means she must take advantage and keep pushing herself. Facing his back, and forks continuing to resonate, Yurika continues her rushing assault, this time with the intent of leaping up and onto her back with the humming instrument to Raizo's neck.
Her chi's used differently again, rather then hitting him with it, she'd use it to litereally take his breath away as she slashes the weapon in a slit-throat motion while leaping away, once more sending him spiraling before hitting the floor.
Tough as this fight has been it's been.. Oddly exhillerating. There aren't many people she'd been able to face without holding back.
COMBATSYS: Raizo interrupts Melancholy Pavane from Yurika with Yasha Guruma.
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Raizo 0/-------/--=====|=======\====---\1 Yurika
Raizo stands, for several moments, reeling from the force of Yurika's mighty assault. He silently tries to assess exactly what that was - some kind of particularly nasty chi assault, he thinks. Not a bad trick at all - nasty, very nasty, but no more brutal than Raizo's own fighting style. Brutal in a different way, perhaps, but...
Alarming. It is not a gentle art. Truly, a branch of the Imawano school.
He staggers himself back into a defensive position as Yurika runs at him, and sets his feet, ready for her--she leaps up, and no sooner does she do so than Raizo shoots DIRECTLY upward, feeling the pang of her chi assault in his neck even as he roars, "YASHA GURUMA!" and rolls up into a ball, slamming into Yurika with all of his mass, his body engulfed in a searing purple chi aura.
It is like getting hit by a train that is on fire.
Yurika would say she'd been taught quite well. There's room for improvement, she knows this, but her fear of course is that said improvement would involve a more dangerous mindset.. Which isn't really the path she's sure she wants to go down.
She didn't expect Raizo to be able to recover so soon, she was so certain she had him right where she wanted him! She does learn something though: Getting hit by a train that's on fire is not fun at all, and if the first time he barrelled into her and she got brought down to a bad state, there's no doubt the second one would end things, and the pain quickly reminds her just how huge the gap in power and skill really is.
She can't even scream, the pain is just that great! Yurika is knocked out of the sky, tuning forks flying from her hands and she smashes onto the ground like a heavy doll, immedietly falls unconscious afterward. But only about seven seconds afterward does she come to, her dark eyes snapping open with a silent gasp, and then she groans as they clench shut once more. It'll take a moment for the feeling to return in her body. "Nngghh.."
COMBATSYS: Yurika takes no action.
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Raizo 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Yurika can no longer fight.
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Raizo 0/-------/--=====|
Speed is the thing most people forget about Raizo. It's easy to remember that he's strong and tough - his arms are as thick as girders and his body is the size of a modest apartment. But that he can /move/, that he can go from point A to your face in mere seconds, that is always difficult to account for, with him.
Raizo impacts, and Yurika flies off. The old man finishes his roll and swings down to the ground, sending loose dirt flying. He watches Yurika land, and waits patiently while she recovers from that forceful impact, arms crossed. She'll get up sooner or later, he knows. The question is if she'll have any interest in talking afterwards.
It'd been a long time since Yurika had felt a blow like that, it's a pretty good reminder that she may be a little bit out of practice.. Raizo's presumption is correct, though, it's only a matter of time that she does get up on her own, just as she would want it to be.
Yurika gradually rises, looking worse for wear and holding her side, but she makes her way back to Raizo. The girl swallows hard, and then bows to the large man, a rather traditional gesture, if not a bit forced.. Only because it hurts, not out of disrespect. "So.. Ah.. What do you think?" she asks, her eyes downcast.
Raizo has felled the strongest men in the world. He has beaten Krauser to a standstill, and knocked Rugal flat. Losing to him is not a shameful thing in the slightest.
The old man stands by while Yurika gathers herself and approaches. He crosses his arms, making his preposterous magnitude look all the more massive. "You are skilled. Moreso than your reputation had led me to believe; I'm quite impressed. I should have expected as much of you, given your clan. I don't use chi manipulation much...there will be relatively little I can teach you regarding fighting in itself. I can help you to a degree, of course, but not as much as I could help, for instance, your brother." Them using the very same branch of Imawano, and all. "But...I can think of a few things to work on, certainly."
After a moment of silence, Yurika looks up to Raizo with a weak smile. Really, she wasn't exactly sure what kind of answer to expect from the large man, but she was certainly prepared for the worst answer. Thankfully that isn't the answer brought upon her at all. "That's quite fine, my skill in chi is, for the most part, self taught. It wouldn't be difficult for me to improve on that aspect on my own.. But doing so outside a murderous mindset is very difficult for me." she explains.
"But I would gladly accept whatever you could teach me, or suggest to me. I do not believe my brother is unreachable, if I were to become strong enough with your guidance I... Should be able to. But I suppose we could discuss that at a later time, I'm.. Quite relieved to hear that I'm capable of following your way. There have been many times where I've asked myself if I had gone down a path in which I could not return from."
"The only ones who cannot be saved," Raizo intones, gravely, "are those who do not wish to be." He does not add that he is fairly certain Kurow is among that latter number. "It will be difficult. Imawano arts instill murder into the mind and body as one. It is a teaching that runs bone deep. That is what makes them so dreadful. And of course...as you know, they are not gentle arts. Even I can barely fight another person without drawing blood."
He flexes his claws, pointedly.
"But you've come to me, and I /can/ teach you. There are ways. The first is simple...but, at the same time, quite difficult."
He gestures, open-handed, and says, "You must learn to honor others as human beings. The Imawano teach that others are nothing but cattle to be slaughtered, or lambs to be dominated. The first step to separating yourself from that mindset, is to remember always that everyone around you is a human being - with their own hopes, their own dreams, and their own right to live. The arts of Imawano violence and...'persuasion' both, may be exercised only with the understanding that such actions undermine the rights of others to safety and sanctity of thought."
Yurika listens closely, carefully, to Raizo.. It isn't a difficult task even with the fatigue she feels, but it's one particular sentance that Raizo says that gets a visable, shocked reaction from Yurika. It'd seem it she was completely unaware of the actual methods involved in training a Kirishima assassin, in her life, Kurow was simply gone for very long periods of time while they were growing up. She just barely remembers that being the first thing he told her, after she had begged him to teach her to fight...
Yurika wasn't a violent girl in the past, she was simply afraid if she didn't have combat ability, he would leave her behind, and her life changed from that point. It's stunning how little it took to make her the twisted self she is. And perhaps she may have a hint at how deep her brothers wounds really are. This philosophy obviously clashed with her own, at least that's what it seemed like to her, at that moment.
"... I. .. I understand.. I..." Yurika starts, breaking out suddenly into a cold sweat. "Thank you.. Very much, Mister Imawano. I.. I need to excuse myself. If we could meet again, sometime.. I'd be very appreciative.."
Raizo rumbles an affirmative, although one of his eyebrow ridges arches curiously. Odd reaction. She clearly didn't actually /know/ that. Of course...with the Imawano, one does not need to 'know' to 'obey.'
"Take all the time you need," he says. "I will be going to Castle Strolheim soon for the Master/Student Invitational. I will be away for a short while during that period. Please, if we do not see each other again before then, continue your self-training, and remember my lessons."
"Very well," Yurika replies, giving another bow to Raizo before turning away from the man and walking off. "That sounds like a very fitting tournament for you, I'll be looking forward to hearing how it turns out. And I most certainly will not forget, and will do my best." She finds her tuning forks, slipping them into her belt, and continues on her way.. There's a lot to think about, but she believes she has a decent idea for a good way to start.
COMBATSYS: Raizo has ended the fight here.
Log created on 19:55:48 11/12/2008 by Yurika, and last modified on 04:34:43 02/12/2009.