Description: Reiji Oogami has been given no small task by the Yata Clan: assemble the remnants of an old alliance in anticipation of their early assassination in the upcoming war. Believing that his job will be made that much easier if he can secure the support of Iori Yagami before the others, he puts himself at great risk. Will the Yagami and Oogami bloodlines meet to fight a common foe...or will they just spill each other's needlessly?
Southtown is a city that has bounced back from many disasters with that same distinct feel to it. Even after the invasion of its city limits, the destruction of that grand tower, the people recovered quickly and carried on with their lives. Even the other landmarks of this town have the same feel to them, from the YFCC to Duck Pond, to even Southtown's amusement park or the grand Howard Arena. It is a strong city -- just the way it was built to be.
Even the dilapidated shrine nestled deep within Southtown's forests remains the same as it ever was. A place for loiterers and various miscellaneous vagabonds, the ruins seem almost strangely empty today...
... yet the reason for this is as clear as day if anyone were to look only a little bit further. Abandoned though it may seem, the shrine is not completely vacant, and the reason for its lack of life can be found sitting on the steps leading up to the shrine proper:
Iori Yagami.
Propped against the stone slab steps of the shrine, Iori holds in his hands a simple base guitar. Despite his generally dour disposition, there is a certain, rare sense of calmness to the young red-headed youth as he plucks the strings of his instrument. There is no real tune that he composes here -- he simply twangs out random notes, content with this irregular pattern as he sits amidst nothing but nature to comfort him.
Just the way he likes it.
Stalking the likes of Iori Yagami is a practice that is best left to the suicidal, particularly when you're on your own. Still, it's something that Reiji Oogami knew that he was going to end up dealing with when he accepted this mission. The greatest of the ancient bloodlines were known for two things: power, and stubbornness. And from what the retainer of the Yata family understands, the heirs to the Kusanagi and Yagami bloodline are the very paragons of what their ancestors represented many ages ago. There's just one added problem in their case:
They're *unwilling*.
Following a guy around? It's something Reiji can do by necessity, but it's really not his thing. Standing behind a tree roughly twenty feet away from Iori, the messenger of the Yata clan briefly wrestles with a spot of guilt. I mean, look this kid. People can say what they want about him, but it's clear that the guy's content to just do his thing out here with nobody to bother him. Still, he's got a job to do, and there's no sense waffling. It'd be moronic to assume that Iori isn't already aware of him and waiting for him to announce himself, and giving the kid enough time to get irritated about his hesitation isn't going to move things along any faster.
So, of all things, the black-robed individual simply steps out from the cover of the surrounding woods with hands in his pockets, determined to wing it as he goes. "Hey. I'm Reiji Oogami, here on behalf of the Yata. I'd rather be playing with my kid, but some ancient seals are weakening to the point where life is about to get stupidly complicated for the both of us." That's a good start. He stands there for a moment, regarding Iori's guitar as he waits for his turn of the redhead's attention. "So, you can listen to what I say and maybe we can cut down on how much of it we both have to put up with it..." He shrugs, smirking then. "Or I can just piss off, and we can both deal with the assassins when they come looking for us instead. Your call."
Iori is aware. He doesn't say anything, not at first, because he assumes whoever was stupid enough to decide to tail him, or simply stumble upon him, would eventually get smart enough not to try something as suicidal as actually /bother/ him.
He is proven wrong, however, when that black-robed figure steps out. He only looks up briefly, red eyes giving an almost deadened stare towards the approaching Reiji in the same way a lazy dog might stare in order to warn someone they're about to be mauled for entering their territory. His gaze drifts down a moment after, staring at the strings of his guitar.
'Hey. I'm Reiji Oogami,' the man begins, even as Iori apathetically plucks another string. Reiji explains himself, and Iori's response is simple:
"You're pretty cocky, thinking I give a shit about your name or what you're here to waste my time with." Ancient seals? ... does that mean... his eyes narrow in obvious annoyance, lips pulling into a sneer.
"What, that old hag send you? ... And here I was thinking you must have a sadist for a boss." He seems to derive some wry sense of amusement from these words, plucking at the strings of his guitar once more. Despite his words, he doesn't tell Reiji to leave.
He doesn't tell Reiji to /stay/, either, but maybe the more optimistic viewpoint will be the more rewarding?
To the other man's credit, the insult is met with a roll of the shoulders. Considering who he's speaking with, that's not by far the worst he could expect as a response. It's certainly not immediate violence. Yet. That may soon change.
Choosing to grin in the most insufferable way he knows, he takes a leisurely stroll over to the opposite end of the stairs, inviting himself to take a seat. Not exactly what one would expect a guy to do if he was trying to play a kissass, or at least not be found in a pool of blood by hikers the next day. "Nah, I know you don't give a rat's ass. Almost as much as I could give a rat's ass about the tragedy of your bloodline or your mother's death, but I've still got some humanity in me." Reiji leans back on the stares casually, still grinning as he crosses his hands behind his head. "Nope, can't say I really want to be here, exchanging verbal bullshit with a Yasakani descendant. But if you weren't half the badass that you act like, you wouldn't be worth my time either." He glances upward toward the darkening sunset through the treetops in the distance, only then frowning. "It's like this. None of the bloodlines ever asked for this shit. But it's shit that has to get *done*, you know? Say what you like, none of you are tough enough to fight them all of them off if they pick you off one by one. And that's exactly what they're going to *do*. We've all been putting this off, but it's the old days all over again."
Letting his head flop back again, only then does he finally turn his gaze back toward Iori Yagami once more. "Putting it bluntly, like you do? Either we fuck them, or they're gonna fuck us. We thought we had more time, but they've already wiped out at least one of the lesser houses of the old alliance. They're working their way up."
One minute into this conversation and Iori has already decided:
I don't like this guy.
His choice of words, his callous attitude, the stupid way he grins -- no, Iori doesn't like any of it. His brow twitches, as he plucks another string. And Reiji keeps going /on/, too. His lips curl a little once more, as the would-be messenger continues his long explanations.
Another string plucked. The note sounds more tense than the last.
'... give a rat's ass about the tragedy of your bloodline or your mother's death...'
The plucking stops.
Reiji continues to talk, and Iori certainly doesn't stop him. Instead, he sets his guitar aside; he seems to take great care in the placement, making sure it is set far and away from himself and Reiji. He even scoots a little, to get it in that perfect position. Ensuring that the guitar will remain where it is, Iori slowly stands even as Reiji enjoys the comfort of his newfound seat, as if choosing to do exactly the opposite of his new 'friend' just to be contrary.
'But it's shit that has to get *done*, you know?'
"Shut up."
The words come abruptly as Iori stands up tall, looking down at Reiji with those unpleasant, crimson eyes. When Reiji finishes speaking, he'll find nothing but annoyance in Iori's eyes. He tried. He really tri--
"Jesus, how much do you fucking love the sound of your own voice? /Has/ to get done? This /has/ to get done?" His right hand clenches into a fist. His eyes narrow. "What exactly is making it mandatory? The world will be destroyed? Everyone's lives will be at risk? What do I fucking care about them?"
Suddenly, fires bloom at Iori's palm. Like a blossom, those violet petals of flame singe his own blood and soul as they spread across his hand, displaying the Orochi taint that has plagued his family for generations.
"So tell me, since you're so /damn wordy/," doesn't give a shit about his family--his mother--
"If I don't give a /shit/ about them..."
Suddenly, those flames are flung, an inferno bursting forth from the stone steps in a plume of ground-based destruction -- rushing /right/ for poor, sitting Reiji.
"... WHAT THE HELL MAKES IT SO MANDATORY FOR ME?"
He tried. Really.
COMBATSYS: Iori has started a fight here.
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Iori 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Reiji has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Iori 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Reiji
COMBATSYS: Iori successfully hits Reiji with Yami Barai.
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Iori 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Reiji
K' has reconnected.
Flames rush along the ground toward the poor sitting Reiji, and the strange thing? He doesn't make any attempt to dodge them. At all. In fact, he glances down at the oncoming threat as if one might to notice a beetle charging them. When the flames hit? That's when things get *really* interesting. Twi things happen.
One, the form that was sitting on the stairs...disintegrates. The flames simply tear Reiji apart, shredding the very fabric of his existence into nine pieces. That's the odd thing part. It was too easy, and those pieces don't bleed. They're fragments of a larger energy body, which immediately begin dissipating into the surrounding air. ...And the flames keep going from there, consuming that energy even as it becomes invisible, burning through the air as if consuming some invisible energy source.
That brings us to the second strange thing? "Shit, shit, /SHIT/. Didn't know the Orochi taint was *that* advanced."
A figure staggers out from beside one of the columns, patting himself down as if he were truly on fire with a decidedly pained look on his face. He's not writhing on the ground in agony, so he'll take it.
Well, that's one lesson learned. Yagami flames can follow a chi ghost back to its originator if one isn't careful. Kid's definitely the genuine article. Sliding one off to his right, Reiji forcefully stamps the other down in front of him to assume his stance. "HOH." The remaining flames are forcefully extinguished from his person by an inward exertion of his own chi, though it's clear whose power is stronger than a long shot. "So, it's not enough to live on in spite of those that damn you? Don't want to make those past tragedies mean something? Fine with me." Locking gazes with the red-headed Yagami pup, he doesn't bother with the shitty grin. His expression is a frigid one. "Answer me this. Do you think you can end Kusanagi's life as you are right now? ...Do you think you can end it NOW, before they beat you to him? Because if you do, that's not arrogant."
Instead of attacking, Reiji drops his stance and turns his Oogami-emblazoned back to the one who would end *him* here. "That's just STUPID. And I didn't come here to waste words on someone who knows no loyalty to his own clan, let alone a fool." This is a risky ploy. Reiji knows there's no sense in pressing the fight unless Iori does, but he also knew that there was almost no chance of getting Yagami to agree to this arrangement unless he was angered into it first. Tear down the ego so that the eyes can see, even if that means risking his own life to this one's hatred.
"The Yagami and the Yasakani end with you."
COMBATSYS: Reiji enters a meditative state.
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Iori 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0 Reiji
K' has dropped a connection.
Iori can tell that something is wrong a second before those flames come into contact with the figure. It's more than simply the fact that there's no blood, or that Reiji seems to explode -- it's that the flux of chi is all wrong for a human being. Iori didn't get this far in life just being blind and ignorant. He can tell. That thing isn't real. And he can tell, the real one is--
Reiji staggers out just as Iori snaps his head towards those columns. His red eyes narrow, a look of disgust passing his features.
"Che," he spits out. Just like that old hag. "Are all you losers good for stupid tricks?" He /hates/ those stupid tricks.
He's angry now. And he's tired of listening to Reiji. Dangerously irate eyes follow the other man even as he talks, purple flames still bubbling in excess around his clawed hand, the pain almost like an afterthought to a man who's dealt with it for over twenty years. But Reiji keeps talking. And talking. It's all very annoying. And the worse thing is, the thing that keeps Iori from just tearing him to pieces right away--
-is the fact that he makes actual, valid points.
And that just /really/ pisses him off.
Iori can't deny some of Reiji's words, and it makes his face contort in mild rage. Especially when Reiji decides to lay more onto it as if Iori cared about his opinion. His fingers twitch. "Loyalty to my clan? ... hah hah hah... what a goddamn joke. I AM my clan, you shit for brains! Like you said, this worthless 'legacy' ends with me, right?!" He is painfully aware of that. He doesn't have that much longer--
He pauses. His frown deepens, as his body lowers. "... tch, whatever. You better stop beating around the bush and start getting to the fucking point, old man..." Suddenly, Iori springs. Fueled by scarcely controlled anger and irritation, he surges across the stony earth, this time attempting to use his impressive speed to his advantage to catch the /real/ Reiji before he can use any of his tricks. If he does, he'll grip on tight to his shoulders with those clawed fingers... before TEARING downward, intent to flip Reiji through the air while simultaneously gouging his chest.
"... before you don't have a damn voice box to make points /with/! GUUUOOOOOOHHH!!"
COMBATSYS: Reiji dodges Iori's Sakahagi.
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Iori 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Reiji
"Family is still family, even in death."
It was the real Reiji for a good long moment there. But superimposed on top of him was another of those Yata clan chi ghosts, this time disguising his movement as he rolls to the side and out of harm's way. The double's head is cleanly lopped off the moment Iori goes for its shoulders. Closing his fists again, Reiji takes up the stance that he held earlier when ridding himself of the flames.
"We move as a group, and use the King of Fighters tournament as a pretext. One team with the strongest bloodlines that I can gather. We hunt down the Servants of Orochi. We deny them our deaths." Chi is gathering. Reiji is up to something again. This time he takes two steps forward and lunches after Iori, leaping through the air with surprising speed for a fighter who has already admitted to having passed his bloodline gift to an heir this young in his life...but more problematic is the fact that Iori will catch a glimpse of Reiji still standing where he was before he began the attack, and he's trying very hard to keep the chi flow uniform between the two incarnations. Either one can do damage, but which is the real one?
...Contrary to what Iori may suspect in his spite, the Reiji charging straight for Iori is in fact the real one. Should Iori not evade or intercept, he'll come down with a forceful knife hand chop on his skull, atempting to bowl him over with sheer force before continuing onward to take up his stance again.
"Kill their followers, rebuild the seal, get away from each other as fast as we can. Whatever you and Kusanagi do along the way or afterwards is none of my business."
That would seem to imply that he intends on dragging Kusanagi along for the ride as well. And that he thinks they'll *fight alongside* each other.
COMBATSYS: Iori fails to interrupt Jin Rougeki from Reiji with Oniyaki.
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Iori 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1 Reiji
Iori curses as he rips through a ghost and little else. Snapping his hands backward, he levels a glare the /real/ Reiji's way. He's sneaky. Iori doesn't like it. His fingers twitch, purple flames once more sparking between them.
But Reiji lunges again. And even as he speaks, Iori is only half-listening, his mind half-focused on the rage that is building up inside of him. This one is real. Those flames broil all the brighter. This one is real. His body tenses--
The amount of mystic flames gathered up in Iori's hands would suggest something painful on the horizon, but Reiji is a -few- seconds faster than Yagami. That hand comes down in a brutal chop moments before Iori can launch off his feet, snapping into his skull. "Guhrk--!" Impacting with a loud -=CRACK=- it causes Iori's body to snap down in a bodily stagger -- but not /quite/ bowl him over from the force of it.
"..." Crimson eyes lift. He regards Reiji. Wait, did he say...?
"You want /me/... to enter King of Fighters... with /him/?" The words are practically spit out as Iori comes to this revelation. He looks almost uncomprehending before... he laughs. A loud, spiteful laugh, containing more hatred in it than amusement.
"Hahahahaha! You're a pretty funny guy, if you thought something like THAT was ever gonna happen! What, does that old hag just train you up to be clowns for lack of anything better to do?" And his words are more angry than they are amiable.
Indeed, it would seem that Reiji plays his game just differently enough than Chizuru to make the difference. But how long can Reiji hold up his end of the game? Even if he does manage to be successful at fooling Iori's senses at any venture during this battle, it's still just a coin flip as to which one he'll really be. The longer the 'duel' runs, the more the advantage will turn to Iori. And Reiji is well aware of it.
Iori will turn to find himself looking straight at the white cross on the back of Reiji's coat, the other man's head tilted to the side to regard him over his shoulder with a subdued smirk. It doesn't really seem to be one of mockery of self-satisfaction. "A regular comedian, I know. But that's why I'm here talking to you first, see." A sudden flare of chi from within Reiji. And a hint of something...different. The feeling of something that's more than going through the motions of rehearsed technique...blood.
"Because if you say yes..."
At this point, now that Iori knows what to look for, it's easier to pick up on the fact that Reiji is overlaying another chi ghost on top of himself. But when he charges...the ghost charges with him. When Reiji strikes with a punch, the ghost shifts to deliver a roundhouse. Easy.
But then the blows continue to rain down. Elbow slashes, knees to the abdomen, it's the very staple of a surge of fighter vigor...but with the added contributions of chi ghost that require a different form of bracing than the real Reiji, and the blows sting regardless of which type they happen to be. Delivered in this close proximity, only a master fighter would be able to track them all quickly enough. And Iori may very well be able to do it.
All throughout this, that earlier sensation has been building. Finally, the Reiji's motions merge with that of his ghost to thrust both palms toward Iori's breastbone, and that's when he'll truly sense it. Bloodline flames. A weaker family, and one that has already had one child, but still powerful enough when manifested in a single burst like this.
"...Kusanagi would be a pussy to say no!"
The full force of the conflagaration will be unleashed forward, and the full effort of the expenditure will leave Reiji with little choice but to immediately resume his guarding stance, or eat whatever Yagami has in mind for him.
COMBATSYS: Iori endures Reiji's Rouga Rakan Geki.
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Iori 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Reiji
Iori can see it clearly, now. He can feel the well of chi inside Reiji, spiking dramatically, encasing in one afterimage after another. And what does Iori do?
He does not move a single inch.
The first blow comes, a punch that strikes Iori across the jaw. His head snaps to the side, only for a roundhouse to snap it to the opposite. The blows continue as Iori traces the patterns, weathering the pain -- even as blood drools from the corner of his mouth, even as his body is battered. The force behind this is truly mighty, but he has had so much worse, from his own power even -- he has become comfortably numb even to this impressive display of power that now ravages him. Chi and fists. Chi and fists. Fake and real. Fake and real--
"HUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHH!!!"
Bloodline flames, weak but still real, surge forward. The brief inferno consumes and burns away at Iori and yet he /powers through it/, spitting out blood as he suddenly /punctures/ a fist through the flame, seeking to hammer it straight across Reiji's jawline titanic, merciless force. His right fist pushes forward, even as lingering traces of flame burn at the fabric of his clothes, to uppercut Reiji. And, if that succeeds--
"GUUUOOOOOOOGH!!"
Iori will LEAP forward, twist his battered, bruised and burned body through the air, and /hammerblow/ his fists /right/ into the other man's sternum.
The answer, it seems, will apparently be waiting until after the violence.
COMBATSYS: Reiji blocks Iori's Aoi Hana.
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Iori 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Reiji
It's what the Yagami does. More than that, it's what *Iori* does. Everything isn't bloodline. It's not just given to you. It's where you take it from there that determines how powerful one truly is.
The same can be said for those who can do the same with even given to them, though Reiji will never know the twisted burn of the Yagami flame.
Reiji has enough foresight to anticipate this, particularly when Iori doesn't bother putting up much of a defense for himself. With little time to react, Reiji uses his forward fist to deflect the uppercut to the side...but this is the equivilant of trying to deflect an airborn log thrown by a bear. Still, he tries, teeth clenching nearly as tight as his arm while he moves to step aside at the same time. The fist still grazes the side of his head, mapping a bleeding red gash along the side of his cheek and rattling the contents of his head something fierce. Then again, there can't be much there to start with when he's in this situation voluntarily...right?
Or maybe there is something up there, if he can survive this long against this class of opponent.
The moment the fist passes Reiji's head "safely", the available fist at his side is thrust forward palm first - not as an attack, but to a chi force that counters Iori's own momentum and shove himself back to a safe distance. It works. He's forced to dance from foot to foot as he spins away, but he maintains his balance and comes away as cleanly as one expects.
He resumes his stance, visibly adjusting the tilt of his head to ensure that the blood doesn't begin unexpectedly seeping into his eye in mid maneuver. His eyes widen slightly, not in surprise, but from the expanse of his focus. The furance of his spirit shows no sign of yielding until his body can no longer physically support it.
"This is bigger than me. I don't care. Bring it."
COMBATSYS: Reiji enters a trance-like state.
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Iori 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Reiji
Coming to a full stand as he completes the motion of his assault, Iori stares at Reiji, barely even cognizant of the flames that still slowly die on his sleeves. Spitting blood and saliva caustically to the side, his hands clench up tight. Reiji managed to block it. Not bad. But...
"'Bring it'? What kind of tired expression is that? ... Fine. You want me to 'bring it,' you worn out wannabe?"
Iori's body tenses. Chi circulates through his body even as Reiji brings himself to a greater focus, hones his abilities. Iori does not care -- he has never been anything more than an uncaring, relentless offense.
And he certainly won't stop now.
One spring. His entire body launches forward bodily. Limber frame twisting through the air, Yagami becomes a blur of blacks, whites and reds as he clasps his hands directly over his head. From those twin fists is born a spark of violet -- a spark that ignites into a ball of broiling, Orochi-tainted flames that devours Iori's very life to call forth.
"THEN I'LL BRING IT!!"
Which is about when he spins bodily through the air to just unceremoniously /smash/ his fists into Reiji's skull even as he is in the midst of his apparent trance.
COMBATSYS: Iori successfully hits Reiji with Tsumagushi.
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Iori 0/-------/---====|=======\======-\1 Reiji
Eyes still wide, the man grins to the very last moment the attack comes home.
"Guess that's the generation gap talking for me."
The blow lands home. Brutally. The ripple of CRUSHING force travels through the side of Reiji's head, sending him flying to the side even as the hungry Yagami flames begin to consume his very body. Yet despite the concussive force to the side of his ol' noggin', somehow he's still maintaining control of his midair spinning. What's more, there's a sudden ignition of focused power that explodes from within him, causing even the mighty Yagami flames to balk as they're simply ejected from his immediate vicinity, the man spiralling on all fours as he touches the ground.
The kiai isn't greatly exaggerated. "HOOAH!" He immediately jumps upward, only very *slightly* backward.
I will not lie. This is likely to be the highest jump that Iori has ever seen, or will even live to see. The distance travelled and the speed of acceleration is beyond baffling.
There's no time to appreciate it though, because the only thing faster is how quickly Reiji reverses velocity in a sudden and uncalled for violation of physics, a mighty bloodline flame igniting around his feet as he soars *right back down* almost immediately.
%T"STILL GOT IT!"
COMBATSYS: Reiji successfully hits Iori with Shippu Rou'ou Ken.
- Power hit! -
> Determined Hit! <
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Iori 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Reiji
There's no time to appreciate it, both because of that downward descent and because, well--
"THEN I'LL BE HAPPY TO /TAKE IT AWAY/, YOU SACK OF /SHIT/!"
--Iori's going into a bit of a Bad Place.
Reiji descends from that miraculously high jump. And as he does, well... Iori leaps TOWARD him. It might seem suicidal. It probably is. But Iori in no way tries to get out of the way of that blow.
Ultimately, in this rarest of instances, gravity prevails in Reiji's favor. His downward velocity greatly exceeds Iori's upward thrust, and his impact comes miliseconds before Iori can properly prepare for the blow. The impact comes with a deafening BOOM of force, as heat and kinetic energy ripple from the impact point like a shockwave, flames billowing outward from the moment of impact. If Iori was anyone else, he might wonder about those flames.
As it stands, he's too busy being launched into the earth like a cannonball. The -=BOOM=- that issues with his crash-landing is tremendous as stone debris is knocked across the forest, thick clouds of dust kicking up all around it. And yet... and /yet/...
... it is not even after Reiji has so much as landed that Iori Yagami suddenly LAUNCHES from the depths of that veil of dust, letting out a blood-curdling yell as he rushes at superhuman speed to do three things:
1) Introduce Reiji's throat to his elbow.
2) Introduce Reiji's face to his flaming palm.
3) Introduce Reiji's body to the ground and also a full-body curse-flame immolation.
"GUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHH!!"
COMBATSYS: Iori successfully hits Reiji with Koto Moon Negative.
! VENGEANCE !
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Iori 0/-------/-======|=======\=====--\1 Reiji
It seems that a game of one-upsmanship has commenced. Iori has the satisfaction of mauling the real Reiji to his heart's content this time. Not a single hammer blow, not a chi ghost being slashed to pieces, but *real meat and bone* buckling and tearing under the onslaught of a deranged and violence deprived Yagami heir. This was long, long overdue, and the lack of resistance makes it far easier to savor.
The one-upsmanship is not over.
A second Reiji, you guessed it, was following Reiji down. With the severity of the beating its owner is receiving, it's already well on its way to deteriorating when it finally closes in. A chi ghost cannot replicate bloodline flames. It can, however, deal one mean bitch of an elbow drop. Of course, by the time it's nearing Iori's head, there's not really much of the chi ghost left *but* the elbow, but there's just enough juice left to potentially make it happen.
Either way, the flames lick at the form of Reiji where his crumpled form has come to land. A pained groan can be heard, followed by a racking blood cough that his face opposite of the earlier gashing he recieved. He pants for a few greedy mouthful of airs before letting his head drop back to the nice, comfy, jagged rock under his head. He manages a grin, but it's *very* much of the self-mocking sort.
"...f...f...fuck. ....worse than the time...I mouthed off...to the last Yagami..."
Since there aren't exactly many Yagamis, the lost of possibilities is a narrow list of one.
COMBATSYS: Reiji can no longer fight.
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Iori 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Reiji successfully hits Iori with Maboroshi.
- Power hit! -
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Iori 0/-------/=======|
[OOC] Reiji says, "/..../"
[OOC] Iori says, "ha ha ha serves me right for trying that 94 dodge"
Well, that was...
Unexpected.
Iori knows the second that he smashes Reiji into the ground that this fight is over. Yet, persistant man that he is, Reiji proves himself resourceful one last time. The second Reiji is unexpected, and when Iori feels that /something/ from behind him, it takes even him some time to completely figure it out--
--before there is an elbow dropping on his head with a sudden, sickening crack.
The blow is enough to cause Iori to stagger forward in a violent lurch, even as Reiji burns below him. Letting out a yelp of surprise and pain, the crimson-haired Iori heir /spins/ around -- only to find the ghost gone. Iori waves, swaggering once or twice almost drunkenly; blood now pours from his scalp, scarcely noticeable until it starts to seep down in rivulets across his face. He takes another step forward...
... and then remains standing. Surprisingly battered, but still standing.
"... what a piece of shit," he spits out, because that's about as close to a compliment as one can get from Iori.
Slowly, Iori begins to walk away. He only stops midway through, to stare back. Last Yagami?
"... go put your pathetic little team together, old man," he mumbles irritably.
"If you can even manage it."
It's an implicit 'yes.'
Maybe.
But that's better than a definite 'no,' right?
COMBATSYS: Iori takes no action.
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Iori 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Iori has ended the fight here.
Log created on 20:49:39 10/20/2010 by Reiji, and last modified on 00:17:01 10/22/2010.