Description: Yurika spars with Akira, her goal no longer to surpass her best friend, though it is secretly a test to see how far apart they are in fighting skill. It's not frilly that dangerous. In fact, they have a picnic afterward; who cares if it's still winter?
The Forest near Justice High. When someone wants to drag you out there, that's actually really not a good sign. Remember the Blair Witch Project? Or any other horror movies set in the woods? Nothing, nothing good will come of this that much is for certain.
That is.. If you're paranoid. Yurika Kirishima most certainly would not arrange some sort of murder for Akira out here, the fact of the matter is that the musician has been keeping a low profile on her fighting ability for whatever reason. So it's really a favor for Yurika that the tough biker/shy student would agree to help her friend practice so far away from campus.
It looks like it's snowing again, and it's pretty windy out too so lots of the old, fallen leaves of blowing about, the meeting place fairly easy to pick out despite everything, you know, looking the same. Lots of tall grass, large stones and trees all over the place.
Yurika arrives with her friend, and she's dressed in her usual light-blue ensamble, violin case in hand and a very delighted smile upon her pale features. She's picky about her sparring partners, so has gotten just a touch rusty. Well. Save from the maulings she had been recieving from her current 'teacher' Raizo. But that's another story. In her other hand is a basket, with a red and white checkered blanket over it's contents. It's safe to assume she's plotting a picnic afterward. .. Wow. Who picnics anymore?
Akira leaves her helmet hung on her bike, which is parked nearby. It's cold, though -- so while she's informal enough to at least unzip her jacket, revealing the camouflage tank top underneath, she doesn't remove it. "Are we even allowed to spar here?" Akira asks, looking around. "I hear Justice students use these woods to make out -- what if they catch us?" Around friends and without her helmet, it's easy to let her more neurotic, worrisome side show. "I don't even have my Seijyun ID card on me, I lost it somewhere and had to get this kid I know at Gedo to make me a new o-- well, I mean, I probably just left it on, um, my dresser." Akira bites her lip, and adjusts the wrist of her glove.
Akira also CYAs via topic change: "I guess I should spar, though," she says, as much to try and seem, you know, cool and not like a whiny nerd as anything else. "I think I'm gonna start trying to fight for money. Like the people who get on Saturday Night Fights and stuff. Seijyun won't let me have a job and I can't keep asking my parents for advances on my allowance." Akira shrugs, listlessly. "It's been a while, though, I hope I don't suck."
M- M- Make out? Yurika's cheeks pinken a touch and after setting her basket down gives an abrupt and dismissive wave, "N- No, I honestly don't think we'll have to worry about that. I tend to keep tabs on that sort of thing, this particular area is rarely used.." She then clears her throat, as always she tends to overlook Akira's more.. Delinquent nature, mostly because she finds it so endearing she can't enforce any sort of discipline, which is her reasoning and she's sticking to it.
"Yes.. Your dresser, I'm sure.." she replies with a small smile, and ponders her close friend's plan. Really, she can't find any fault in it. "I think that's a wonderful idea, I'm not certain what you need money for, but if you wish to do it in that way, you have my complete support. And I'm sure you won't s-... su.. .. Have much rust to work off, in fact I will make certain of that."
Yurika raises her violin case and flips it open, setting the instrument in her hand and on shoulder, the other tightly grasping her sharp tipped bow. "Best of luck, are you prepared?"
COMBATSYS: Yurika has started a fight here.
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Yurika 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Akira has joined the fight here.
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Akira 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Yurika
Akira sweeps her hair back with a gloved hand -- it's not /that/ long, but it's not like she's got bangs or really anything more complex going on than brushing it in the morning, so when the wind picks up, yeah, it gets in her face. "What do I need money f-- my /motorcycle/," Akira says, in a tone that combines the dumbfounded and the astonishingly neutral. "I want to have this new paint job done, there's this paint that gives this really weird shine that looks so cool under neon lights, so when I ride at night it'll look so badass, especially if I get it done in this shade of black th--"
Akira coughs and stops herself. "I mean, uh. Yeah, I'm prepared." She doesn't look it -- Akira just takes off her gloves, holding them with her teeth as she slides off her jacket and ties it around her waist -- and then, gloves back on. After that preparation, she finally sees fit to put her dukes up, raising her fists in a kind of halfhearted boxer's stance. "Come on, then."
Yurika doesn't know about painting bikes, in fact she knows surprisingly little despite watching the girl constantly tuning and re-tuning the vehicle; she knows how to change the oil and how to 'be the bike' and.. Um, that's about it. But she can't help but smile, Akira does love to talk about her motorbike, but she didn't realize that color was such a big deal.
"All right, we can discuss it more later." Akira and herself certainly share something in common though, deceptions in their appearace- Not looking like much but quite a bit of skill behind them. Once given the motion to strike she doesn't waste any time, she's suddenly quite light on her feet as she rushes forward, raises her weapon in the air and then slashes at a diagonal arc toward Akira. This is quickly followed by a twirl and vertical strike, and finalized with a kick to the gut.
COMBATSYS: Akira fails to interrupt Power Strike from Yurika with Back Roll Throw.
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Akira 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Yurika
As it turns out, Akira /is/ a bit rusty -- she eats the first slash, her glove taking the brunt of it, but then tries to lunge forward to grab Yurika and throw her. Doesn't work out like that, though -- she leans too far into it and is too slow with the gasp, and just gets whacked in the chin and kicked in the stomach, sending Akira toppling to the snowy ground. "Oof," she says, rubbing her jaw. She doesn't allow herself more than that moment, though, before hopping back to her feet.
Yurika winces a little to the hit in the jaw, but she doesn't decide to hold back.. No, the best strategy here is to get Akira's blood pumping, her adrenaline flowing, that's the way to get the girl into the fight, she's sure of it! "Careful, Akira." she murmurs with her mysterious little smile, and raises her bow to her beloved instrument. "I'm going to make things more difficult now."
A serene but very short melody is played, and following the swipe of her bow along the strings, the girl hops backward and slings a ring of blue and pink half-notes, quarternotes and rests at her sparring partner. Of course it's cheery shape would feel anything but should it slam into the other with surprising force.
COMBATSYS: Yurika successfully hits Akira with Tragic Serenade.
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Akira 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Yurika
"I'm ready," Akira says as she resumes her stance, only to be bowled back over by the assault of happy musical notes, the ephemeral chi shapes hitting her with such force that she backflips and lands on her belly, again in the snow. Spitting out a dried, crusty leaf, Akira groans as she gets up. "Okay, well -- get ready for me to -- make it more difficult! Too!" Banter: not Akira's strong suit.
Akira surges forward, letting her feet do the talking as she picks up speed -- taking to the air and spinning with more grace than one would expect from the slouching, disinterested teenager. Dancing Cyclone Kick!
COMBATSYS: Yurika dodges Akira's Dancing Cyclone Kick.
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Akira 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Yurika
Yurika inwardly squeals- Now Yurika isn't really the type to fangirl, but she is just absolutely adoring the schoolgirl right now, the determination, the awkwardness of the banter, the complete grace of her offense, Kirishima is completely eating it up. But it doesn't really have much effect on her combat-wise, her body is just trained to react pretty much whenever these days.
The kick doesn't appear to be difficult to deal with, the first kick meets the flat of her bow, Yurika spinning off into the opposite direction to position herself behind Akira once she lands, and then takes another gentle leap back, placing herself atop one of the larger stones. "The execution is as wonderful as always," she comments, raising two of her gloved fingertips to her lips, a subtle motion that shifts the chi within her more toward her covered legs. "But you can't allow yourself to be half-hearted at the very end. I can take a hit from you, I promise."
COMBATSYS: Yurika calculates her next move.
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Akira 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Yurika
Akira whiffs aside from the initial block, but doesn't seem too discouraged -- instead, she just touches down in a three-point stance, legs spread wide, bent forward with her hand touching the ground. Slowly rising back up, Akira just nods -- even her movements become more terse, as she takes a few small sidesteps, eyeing Yurika up and down, squinting.
And then, with sudden force, Akira lunges, dashing up close to swing her leg up and try and kick Yurika right in the freaking face -- then twice -- then three times, leg snapping into fierce movements, each kick carrying force of its own.
COMBATSYS: Akira successfully hits Yurika with Triple Kick.
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Akira 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Yurika
Did Akira perhaps take what Yurika said to heart? Or was it just a coincidence that the next series of attacks would go right for her face, yikes! Yurika wanted to brush the attack off in another direction, but the foot slides right off her bow and indeed in the face, her head jerks back and the follow-ups are quite possibly less pleasent than the other. Now it's her turn to fall onto the snowy grass, right on her back, but violin still tightly gripped as she holds her opposite arm at her lower visage. Doesn't look like there's any blood, but she can still feel the foot on her face. "Me and my big mouth," she jokes as she quickly gets to her feet,
And without missing a beat once again closes in on her opponent, bow once more at the strings of her instrument. This time she gets close and stays close, her pace alarmingly quick and another serene melody played- This time she's spinning in a 720, a ribbon of musical energy again illuminating to life about her and spinning along with her motion and forming some sort of cone that, should it even touch Akira, drag her right into the assault of chi and then blast her right back out!
COMBATSYS: Yurika successfully hits Akira with Tragic Lullaby.
- Power hit! -
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Akira 1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0 Yurika
"UNGH!" Akira grunts as her moment of triumph is somewhat invalidated by the fact that immediately after, she's struck down for the third time in this fight (and counting). In fact, this time Akira is knocked into a tree, smacking off of it and toppling over into some rather thick bushes.
"EEEEK!" a girl's voice -- not Akira's -- cries out from the bushes, and as Akira pops up, so two do two Justice students, their uniforms slightly rustled. "EEEEK!" she repeats, and the two red-faced students run away. Akira just looks confused -- before looking back over at Yurika with a 'told you so' kind of face, and adjusting her gloves.
COMBATSYS: Akira gains composure.
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Akira 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Yurika
That poor tree, what did it do to deserve Yurika's ire? Nothing, that's what. But Yurika holds no pity, not an ounce of remorse for the tree, but rather for the girl that hit it. The musician jumps with a start from the startled scream in the bushes, and then her face goes red, eyes wide as the students make their retreat. "I.. .. I.. What.." is all she can say, utterly speechless after that. Akira was correct. But at what cost??
Obviously flustered by the situation and her blunder, she quickly shakes her head, "I- I saw nothing.. I don't know what you're talking about," honestly. How disgraceful was that, no one would -really- do something so disgraceful in her presence! So with that Yurika once more closes in on her opponent, bow going slack in her grip so her gloved hand can take hold of one of Akira's.
If she gets that grip, she twirls around twice so quickly that it'd cause Akira to flip and crash right onto her back once more, but then Yurika would proceed to twirl around, dragging her friend with her until she's lifted off the ground and then released to crash into something else.
COMBATSYS: Yurika successfully hits Akira with Strong Throw.
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Akira 1/-----==/=======|======-\-------\0 Yurika
COMBATSYS: Yurika has left the fight here.
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Akira 1/-----==/=======|
COMBATSYS: Akira has ended the fight here.
Yurika gets that grip indeed, one of Akira's gloved wrists being seized tightly enough to prevent her from just slipping out of the garment. When her friend twirls, Akira tries to work against it, but it's no use -- she's spun onto her back, and then is sent sailing into the air, managing to land on her feet just in time for the momentum built up to send her running face-first into a tree.
After that rather loud impact, Akira falls backward, onto her ass, veritable canaries and so forth circling her head as she regains her bearings. "Uggh," she groans. "I forgot how strong you were." Tumbling backward onto one shoulder so that she ends up reverse-somersaulting onto her feet, Akira spins around, jumping toward Yurika!
The jump ends short of her, though, as Akira tucks into another somersault, rolling just enough to spring up to her feet and deliver a hellish axe kick, years of tai chi training -- whether she tried very hard or not -- leaving her flexible enough to nearly do a vertical split before bringing the hammer down on Yurika.
COMBATSYS: Akira successfully hits Yurika with Leaping Smash.
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Akira 1/---====/=======|=======\==-----\1 Yurika
In response to Akira's comment about her strength, the frilled fighter couldn't help but giggle lightly behind her hand. "Perhaps a little, Akira," she replies, resisting the urge to ask her friend if she's all right. Though technically she doesn't need to, even if she is supposedly strong, Akira, in Yurika's opinion, is incredibly sturdy. The next attack comes forth, and it's simple enough for her to read- Perhaps it's Yurika's overconfidence there that causes her to move a fraction of a second too late, and that is enough time for the crushing blow to meet it's mark and abruptly floor the graceful musician.
With a small groan, Yurika forces herself back up, the intense pain of that attack still ringing through her body, and it's ignored for the most part in favor of trying to strike Akira as quickly as possible; get her a touch off-balance by stealing a page for Ninon's book. She sweeps herself behind Akira and attempts to hop up and plant the flats of her maryjanes against her foes shoulderblades. Then she would backflip abruptly, that would return the favor of slamming the girl to the ground once more. "But flattery will get you nowhere this time!"
COMBATSYS: Akira Toughs Out Yurika's Quick Throw!
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Akira 1/--=====/=======|=======\===----\1 Yurika
Yurika's kick strikes home, but Akira is not knocked over -- rather, as she's flipped off of, Akira just kind of bends forward a bit, letting out a grunt of pain at having such expensive shoes smashed into her shoulderblades. She involuntarily flexes on impact, arms swinging out -- and then, when she realizes that she's not been smashed into the ground again, she turns to face Yurika, squinting, ready for more.
So ready, in fact, that Akira just dives right in -- pulling back for a moment, she gives herself more momentum in dashing toward the recovering Yurika. The noxious smell of burning vigor fills the air as she kicks her feet up, wrapping her body into itself to become as straight as possible as she spins through the air, chi crackling and exploding outward from her, trying to smash into Yurika as she gets to her feet!
COMBATSYS: Akira successfully hits Yurika with Haten Mueishu.
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Akira 0/-------/-----==|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Yurika
Yurika didn't quite forsee Akira's reaction being what it was despite having conceded to the fact the biker girl was sturdy. So by the time she does recover it is unfortunatly much too late for her to react to Akira's next attack that, long story short, is not very fun to get struck by. She's caught within the spinning assault, a soundless cry escaping her lips as she is sent reeling, tumbling a touch along the snow-coated grass and slamming back first against one of the stones.. That on the plus-side stops her from creating any more distance from her foe.
Wincing, and her grip on her violin and bow firm, Yurika stands again and there's a slight stagger in her steps as she draws forth once more. And then moves a bit faster to close the distance between herself and her opponent. The bow touches the strings of her violin and then she swipes low, technicolor energy once more glowing bright with life while she spins in a 720, but this time leaps upward and creates a pillar of her musical chi that could drag Akira in and deliver quite a beating while carrying her to the top and eventually spitting her out.
COMBATSYS: Yurika successfully hits Akira with Fatal Rondo.
- Power hit! -
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Akira 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Yurika
"UNGH!" Akira tries to backflip out of the way of the pillar of pure musical pain, but instead this concerto of crunching agony just catches her upside down, spiralling her flailing form around to an excerpt from the complex, serene, and physically devastating Symphony No. 7 by Sibelius.
Akira is thrown out of this chi choir high enough to smash through a nearby tree branch, snapping the snow-covered limb off of the winter-weathered tree and landing on the ground on her back, eyes like spirals from the dizzying move she just took. She gets up, shaking her head and trying to remember her phone number, but still struggles onward -- nearly tripping over herself, Akira all but falls over as she swings a dazed uppercut at her friend's chin.
COMBATSYS: Akira keeps on fighting!
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Akira 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Yurika
COMBATSYS: Akira successfully hits Yurika with Gate Elbow.
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Akira 0/-------/-======|=======\==-----\1 Yurika
Yurika remembers Akira's phone number, at least, so that's something right? Right? Yurika decends from her attack landing lightly on her feet and this time she can't help but look a touch sympathic for her opponent. BUt it looks like she's coming in for yet another attack and what should have been just a simple sway from an attack instead becomes a rather clumsy stumble and the demi-ninja ends up falling right smack into Akira's strike. Her jaw makes a loud clack from the impact, and she staggers backward..
However the staggering is a bit overplayed as she's taking a bit longer than usual figuring out what exactly just happened, but also plotting her next, if not final, attack. This one is executed a bit differently, as there's a sudden rush of wind that whips through the trees of the forest and it seems to carry the musician forward as she plays her instrument once more. A string of notes trail from where she once stood and as she gets closer to Akira she swings her weapon and attempts to strike the flat of her bow across the bridge of the others nose, then come to a halt a couple of feet behind her.
The end result would be both ends of the bar closing in and barraging Akira with quality chi goodness! Unfortunatly for Yurika, however, she's completely spent and drops to her knee.
COMBATSYS: Yurika can no longer fight.
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Akira 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Akira parries Yurika's Fatal Nocturne!
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Akira 0/-------/=======|
Akira is running on pure bleary-eyed instinct -- she's not really sure what she's doing, just that she needs to act, and as Yurika swings in, Akira's response is to suddenly spin into a graceful, wide roundhouse and kick the violin out of her friend's arms.
Spared the onslaught of musical chi, Akira also falls to her knees, fists landing on the ground and hunching over, letting out heavy breaths of exhaustion. Then, like a little electric '!' appearing above her head, her gaze shoots up, realizing she just kicked her friend's no doubt priceless violin. "--! Oh no," she says, stumbling upward and staggering over, praying she didn't break it.
COMBATSYS: Akira has ended the fight here.
Yurika doesn't seem too concerned. Were it anyone else, she'd probably be livid that her treasured instrument suffered the fate that it did. No, the musician is actually extremely impressed with how Akira handled her attack, that was the first time she had ever been countered that way it was.. Well, really it was nothing short of brilliant! It's enough to make a girl's heart skip a beat it is. "It.. It's all right," Yurika says with a warm smile, and winces as she gets to her feet and steps forward to join her schoolmate.
"You were amazing, Akira, I believe the pressure you were under was just enough to get you back into shape.. I'm really happy for you." though Yurika does ponder on it a moment. ".. Hmn. How do you feel right now?"
"Kinda tired," Akira says, not really mincing words -- that's her entire summation of her current condition. She rubs the back of her head, hair mussed and stricken with snow in a few spots. A few bruises will no doubt be rising in various spots before the day is over, but she doesn't seem too bothered by that. "Kinda cold, too."
Akira then unties her jacket from 'round her waist -- it's miraculous those shoulder spikes didn't stab her or tear up her tanktop during the fight -- and slips it back on, flexing the leather sleeves and re-donning her gloves. She zips the jacket up as far as it goes. "D'you really think I could cut it in the Neo League or something?" she asks, turning abruptly and beginning to walk back toward her bike.
Yurika doesn't let Akira get away without a bit of fussing first, she raises a hand to brush some of the snow out of Akira's hair while she 'suits up', and then moves a bit more quickly to gather her scratched violin and slip it back in the case.
"There's no doubt in my mind that you could, I believe you'd do exceptionally well, so long as you keep up your confidence.." Yurika then says, moving to catch up with Akira and pick up her picnic basket along the way. Her cheeks pinken a touch as she tries to hook her arm with Akira's before she reaches her bike. "W- Wait a moment, you said you were a bit chilly right? I brought some hot cocoa along, just in case.. It may be better to warm up a bit more before throwing yourself to the wind chill, don't you think?"
Akira doesn't seem to really react to Yurika fixing her hair, taking the fussing in stride; as much as she's a part-time biker badass, Akira has always been markedly passive and docile much of the time. After she turns and Yurika runs after her, she stops, turning around again slightly. "Oh -- the picnic," Akira says, rubbing her forehead. "Sorry -- I think you hit me harder than either of us thought." Cue a flashback to Akira giving that one tree a POWER HIT with her skull. And then an instant replay of it in slow motion.
Akira's dull tone brightens a bit, a conscious change just so she doesn't sound like she feels put upon, or like an ingrate. "I can't believe I forgot. Cocoa sounds good." She can't help but ruminate on the contrast -- if she'd just had this duel with Gan, he'd be asking her if she wanted a beer, probably. But then, variety and spice and life and all that.
Log created on 19:50:07 12/11/2008 by Yurika, and last modified on 04:50:54 02/12/2009.