Description: Gen arrives at the Kusanagi household to pre-empt Kyo's SNF match. What he discovers surprises him... but not the ever-assured Kusanagi. (WINNER: KYO)
SATURDAY NIGHT
The Kusanagi Estate is a fairly large, sprawling affair on the outskirts of Southtown. As befits a lineage of such ancient roots and glorious history, it's a traditional Japanese estate and is in exceptional condition, despite having very few permanent residents (and a few more, crazy off and on ones). From the outside, it looks like a slice of ancient Japanese history transposed to the outskirts of one of the most modern and cosmopolitan cities on the planet... But, it's interior is rather more modern, generally speaking.
AND SO
"Kyo," calls Shizuka Kusanagi, a woman of what must be saintly patience considering what she has to put up with from her husband, and from her son. "Weren't you supposed to go to a match tonight? I know how you like to make an entrance, but it's rude to keep people waiting."
Kyo looks up from where he was staring into the fridge, as if trying to will a sandwich into existence. "Huh?" he wonders, distractedly. "Oh... Right. Shit."
BUT THEN
Finally, with about five minutes remaining before he's actually supposed to be /at/ his match, Kyo comes ambling out of the house and onto the front grounds, Kusanagi gloves in place and the one remaining quarter of of a ham sandwich dangling from his mouth. He doesn't actually seem to be in any hurry even though he's already running late... But at the same time, he doesn't notice that a /film crew/ has infiltrated the grounds, either.
What the <CENSORED> is this, then?!?!
The old man arrives at the Kusanagi estate only moments before Kyo makes his (tardy) appearance in the front, in time to see the camera crews setting up along the borders of the yard, and even a few enterprising fellows managing to get cameras in place -within- the compound. Witness: How one of the world's most famous fighters lives! Many who purchase the dvd collection will be overjoyed at the clandestine footage of the Kusanagi heir, but Gen? Well, it seems to make the diminutive old master all the grouchier. He vaults over the compound's gates, and stalks right up the drive, drawing the attention of the cameras even as he beelines up towards the house. Then, as Kyo appears... towards Kusanagi, instead.
"Kyo Kusanagi!" It's his full name, and would likely include the middle name if the Japanese do that and SNK ever documented it. "What /is/ this? You are whoring yourself to the media, /now/ of all times?!?" Perhaps Gen knows something about tonight that Kyo doesn't? Perhaps he is off his meds. "Does your father know about this? Get your father, RIGHT NOW. You are in serious trouble, and we need to have a SERIOUS TALK." The old man removes shades that are about three or four generations removed from what he should be wearing, resembling those worn by Morpheus in THE MATRIX. Behind them, eyes are pure white, pupiless voids. That stare at Kyo as one eyebrow arches expectantly, "Saishu is such an irresponsible, enormous fool! It is rubbing off on you, boy!"
Yes, Kyo is unhurriedly making his way towards the front gate, so he can probably arrive at his scheduled match at something approximating a time at which it is scheduled, without a care in the world and--
'Kyo Kusanagi!'
--/is interrupted/. Fortunately, Kyo has had years to get used to people showing up out of nowhere and shouting his full name in displeased tones, although usually it's followed by some sort of accusation, or an attempt on his life. You know, typical stuff. "What?" the Kusanagi heir wonders irritably, but he has a sandwich in his mouth so it comes out more like 'wrmf?' He turns, slowly, to look at the individual shouting at him, only to have his gaze fall on the sight of a wizened old assassin/restauranteur.
Gen's tirade continues, and Kyo slowly squints throughout, slowly finishing his sandwich at the same time. With an infuriating lack of haste, he brushes crumbs from his mouth, from his hands, and then he stretches his arms up over his head, arching his back a bit in the process. Ahhh.
"The old man's off on another one of his stupid 'training journeys', Kyo informs Gen, sounding almost casually distasteful of this, as if it were something he'd grown used to - because he has, Saishu has been doing it his entire life; when the older Kusanagi was captured by Rugal, nobody even noticed because of his tendency to just wander off. "Why, was he late for your lawn bowling tournament or something? You know how old folks get, all forgetful." He shakes his head and shrugs in a 'what can you do?' sort of a way, hands raised palm upwards. "Anyway, I've got an appointment to make a couple of chumps famous, so see you later, if I'm incredibly unlucky."
And then, the smug little bastard turns to leave.
COMBATSYS: Kyo has started a fight here.
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Kyo 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Gen has joined the fight here.
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Kyo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Gen
Calmly.... too calmly... the elder assassin listens to Kyo, studies the haughty heir as he turns his back on one of the deadliest men in the world. Then? Gen smiles. It's a slow, small thing, that diminishes quickly, silently, into a most profound sort of frown. "Training journey, hmm? And you did not go with him /because/?" The words might /sound/ slightly patient, but there's a quiet, irritable wrath lurking just under that deceptively placid surface. A surface that's suddenly broken as the diminutive shadow boss moves. Two steps, kung-fu footwear barely touching the ground, are taken by the elder assassin. Then he's airborne.
It's a low, forward arc that carries him like the flight of a struck baseball, the old man coiling in around himself, only to lash out harshly at the side of Kyo's head with a blurring, thrusting kick that is intended to carry him right beyond Kusanagi, to land in front of Kyo once more. Blocking his path obstinantly indeed. "You should be /there/! Not here! Sport cannot prepare you, /fame/ cannot protect you! Sparring with amateurs. Hmph. This is the time to better yourself, boy."
COMBATSYS: Kyo blocks Gen's Saizu.
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Kyo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Gen
Arrogance comes almost as naturally to a Kusanagi as breathing, or shooting flame, you know? Gen isn't the first incredibly dangerous person Kyo has turned his back on, and barring things going south in a serious way here, he probably won't be the last, either. Though clearly, that's not going to stop the old man from trying to instruct the perpetual highschooler in the wisdom of doing otherwise.
Of course, Kyo knew the instant he turned around on the old man than he was going to get attacked. He's not /stupid/.
...Usually.
Moving with preternatural speed and awareness, the Kusanagi heir twists and intercepts Gen's thrusting kick with both hands upraised, his left backing his right as he 'catches' the kick, redirecting the force into a stinging pain in his palms and down his forearms rather than 'upside his head', pushing back a bit as the old assassin keeps moving, landing in his path.
"Okay, first of all, have you ever spent like... An hour in my old man's presence? Because he spends most of his time telling completely made up stories about how he invented peanut butter and the time he rescued a bunch of Victoria's Secret models from a rabid cyborg bear. And knowing him, he's not even 'training', he's probably... Taking a nap somewhere or plotting some stupid, elaborate prank on Sakazaki."
A nap does sound pretty nice, though...
"And secondly, I'm touched that you think there's room for me to get better." Suddenly springing into motion himself, the extremely confident young man lunges at Gen, swinging his right fist in a hooking punch aimed at the side of the assassin's face, flickering flame trailing behind the motion of the punch and a larger eruption of Kusanagi fire primed to detonate when (if?) Kyo's fist strikes.
If that first punch lands, Kyo follows through by stepping into it, swinging his left fist in a mirror of the first strike, right down to the fiery explosion at impact, and then keeps /moving/, whirling around in a quick spin kick to slam his heel into the old man's head.
"...Since I'm already the BEST!"
COMBATSYS: Gen blocks Kyo's Aragami.
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Kyo 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Gen
Deflected, but far from dissuaded, the elder assassin lands a short span in front of Kusanagi, immediately twisting to face the Scion of Flame, one hand drifting into its opposing number's sleeve, all but vanishing into loose cloth. It's this easy, deceptively relaxed stance that Gen holds as Kyo explains the wisdom of his path. "Fool's parables are not without meaning. Perhaps your callous disregard and disrespect for the /importance/ of your line leads him to doubt your readiness, despite your talent!" Hmph. Speaking of speed that not only borders on the supernatural, Gen's stance shifts in the half-eyeblink it takes Kyo to close the distance. His body is /not/ wide open. A clenched fist, barring two extended fingers, slams around and collides with the first strike, flames licking off the assassin's remarkably dense forearm as sleeve falls back with the equally blurring response. It's a powerful impact, one that fills the yard with a moment's cacophany of rushing chi, and colliding fists. Gen's beard is blown to the side, his tied-back hair rustling in the unnaturally occurring breeze. Still, the old master doesn't seem exceptionally impressed by the remarkable display.
"Merely /adequate/. Surely you can still be better! Or dead." The elder assassin laments, not really sadly at all. "If you are already there, hmph. The Kusanagis... most disappointing." Stable stance spreads wide, the fingers of his other hand open, then coil, a striking, biting stroke carrying those digits forward in a clawlike configuration, one aligned for a point perfectly aligned with the point between Kyo's solar plexus and belly button. Should that strike find purchase, there's a sudden, wrenching twist, not unlike having a knife twisted within one's very nerve endings.
COMBATSYS: Gen successfully hits Kyo with Medium Throw.
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Kyo 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Gen
It's not often that someone manages to mount a successful defense against that particular technique; the speed and strength of the Wild Bite is usually enough to overcome the guard of even the best of fighters. Gen, though... Gen is clearly a cunning and experienced kinda guy, and if Kyo were anybody but himself he might even compliment the old man on managing that feat.
Instead, he gets called merely /adequate/, and a look of mild offense crosses Kyo's face.
There's no time for even someone as good as Kyo at making snappy retorts to make a snappy retort before Gen is driving his gnarled old man fingers into his gut; all the crunches in the world don't really help against a nerve pinch from a master of Gen's magnitude, and so the Kusanagi heir finds himself on the receiving end of a rather painful technique, a faint 'wuff' of surprised air leaving his lungs as that sharp pain courses through his nerve endings.
"Agh, what's with the Pai Mei shit?" the World Warrior wonders as he fights past the pain, forcing himself to move despite the fact that his body would actually really rather sit down for a few minutes after that; rather than messing around with any fancy techniques this time, Kyo steps forward, aiming to get around Gen's arm and then kick him right in the face. "Have you been studying to become the world's worst massuse, or something?"
COMBATSYS: Gen parries Kyo's Heavy Kick!
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Kyo 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Gen
In the same instant that Kyo's face twists in that moment's slight offense, Gen's quirks in an all-too-pleased, darkly satisfied grin. It's there then gone again, like the elder assassin's hand, which snaps back as quickly as he struck, a coiled snake near to his body. One claw, for the old man really /is/ armed, though it does not look it, lurks low, while the other hovers high, elbows bent... ever ready to strike. His stance is wide, fluid, agility belying his age - indeed, he's faster than most of any age, Chun-Li's old mentor. There are similarities in his motion and positioning, even now - though he certainly possesses more elements than those.
"For /decades/." It's Gen's only immediate answer to Kyo's flippant query, as he leeeeans back. That's really all there is to it, but it's also vastly understating the motion the old man makes. Kyo's foot lashes out and up, and passes scant milimeters from Gen's aged face. His beard once more flaps in the breeze it creates, and from the ease and swiftness of the motion - not to mention the uncanny stability of his footing throughout - it's likely the assassin could be a limbo /legend/. Of course, the instant Kyo's kick passes, Gen is right back in his grill, both hands snatching for Kusanagi's chest and jacket. The intent, here, is pretty brutal: he seeks to grapple Kyo, drag the young scion forward, forcing him to seek balance in his own footing.... and then drive a heel sharply into one of Kyo's knees, intent on ripping the joint the opposite way it's meant to bend, before twisting, stepping back, and leveraging Kusanagi facefirst into the driveway. "Your failure blossoms like a thousand cherry trees!"
COMBATSYS: Kyo counters Houzen EX from Gen with Nue Tsumi EX.
- Power hit! -
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Kyo 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Gen
Fortunately for Kyo Kusanagi, he doesn't overcommit to the kick; there are some techniques, in Kusanagi-ryuu Kobojutsu, which require a certain degree of recklessness to be executed properly, but that doesn't mean he's going to go doing that for every little thing. The tremendous defense of Gen is a bit troublesome here, Kyo's kick passing harmlessly over the old man and creating a brief, unfortunate opening that could very well give the assassin the room he needs to put some serious hurt on the Kusanagi heir...
...You know, /again/...
...But Kyo yanks his foot back, getting it back under himself even as Gen grabs for his jacket. Kyo is, after all, many things. He's abrasive, he's arrogant, he's kind of an obnoxious asshole... But he's also smart and perceptive, and he can see where this is going: Nowhere good. "You think I'll let you?!" he wonders, swinging one arm down across Gen's grabbing wrists to break that deadly grasp, and in virtually the same motion swinging his other fist /up/ in a powerful uppercut at the underside of the old man's bearded jaw.
With, naturally, another explosion of Kusanagi flames at the point of impact!
There's a moment of surprise as the attack is plucked out of the air, his grabby hands intercepted, and the attack turned against Gen rather suddenly and profoundly. Fist and explosion send the old master flying away, tumbling over himself in a brutalized pile of limbs for a long moment. As he comes back up, there are several leaves from the Kusanagi yard stuck in his beard. This brings a breathy, irritated - yet appreciative - little grunt from the little fellow, as one large, powerful hand strokes through his long, stark white beard, and one equally white eyebrow rises over one studious - you guessed it - white eye.
This brushing motion is carried to the front of his robes, the char dislodged from their previously ornate embroidery, and the other brow arches at Kyo, as the former descends. "Dear boy. No one ever /lets/ someone kill them, when they're a warrior of your calibre." It's almost a compliment, "Yet poor preparation, an idiot's attitude, distracted glory-mongering.... these things kill /every day/, and may well kill you yet! As good as you can get, hmph. Even /I/ am not at that point." And it's clear the elder assassin considers himself beyond Kusanagi, even as he holds his ground, gathers his energy... and centers all that dangerous intent on Kyo himself. The camera crews continue to whisper among themselves and rapidly try to set up for better shots of the ever-shifting battle.
COMBATSYS: Gen calculates his next move.
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Kyo 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Gen
C-could it be?!
Has Kyo Kusanagi met someone with as high of an opinion of themselves as his own?!
The Kusanagi heir, as a practitioner of respect for the elderly, graciously lets Gen sort himself out and get back to his feet without any trouble or even a smartass remark about creaky bones or whether he's fallen and he can't get up or anything. "Yeah, yeah," the younger man says dismissively, because honestly what did you expect? "I know, you've forgotten more about fighting than I've learned in my whole life, and so on. That's not actually something to be proud of," Kyo explains, affecting a concerned air. "Alzheimer's is a serious disease, you should get that checked out."
From Kyo's perspective, it makes perfect sense after all: Look at all the people who've tried (and failed, obviously) to kill him so far! Yagami, Rugal, various other Grade A psychos... And, okay, sure, people keep telling him that there's a terrifying battle for the future of the world on the horizon, but why should that change how he approaches things? Honestly.
With Gen settling in and planning his next moves with a chessmaster's intent precision, Kyo sets his feet shoulder width apart in the casual Kusanagi-ryuu Kobojutsu stance, and raises his right hand above his head, fingers forming a 'cage' inside of which a flame appears, small but intense. As that flame burns, the ancient power of the Kusanagi bloodline is called forth, a /sense/ radiating off of Kyo, like something terrible approaching just out of sight, drawing ever closer...
COMBATSYS: Kyo gathers his will.
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Kyo 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 Gen
It seems... the improbable has become entirely probable! Gen certainly seems confident for an old man who just got exploded all over himself, that much is certain. It could be arrogance, it could be pride, it could be a bluff... or maybe he's just that calculatingly certain that he has Kusanagi... RIGHT WHERE HE WANTS HIM. Aside, of course, from all the damn fire. That's probably not really part of Gen's fond, happy vision of poking Kyo where it hurts. "No, no." Gen corrects, quite patiently, shaking his head as he again adopts that wide, claw-handed stance, "Now you're just echoing your father's deceptive, or self-defeating ramblings. I've never been sharper. It's never been clearer." The old man smiles, his features weathered, but still much younger in appearance than the assassin /actually/ is.
"Let Takuma and Saishu worry they are slipping quietly into obsolescence. I intend to ascend into my own retirement, boy." Even if illness may finally rob him of some of that chance, sooner than he might think. "Can't you feel it? All your talent, are you simply willfully oblivious? Events have set unstoppable currents in motion, worldwide it echoes outwards, dissonance and unnatural injury. It sings in your power, it resonates through the energy of each one of us..." A hand traces through the air, a momentary shadow of pure darkness shadowing the motion. Unlike Kyo, Gen's power does not scream, it is not loud, it does not burn bright. It sings low, it descends deep, a cavern lost within the twining canyons of the elder assassin's very soul. How strong that song is, how dark and endless that pit may be... that nigh-absence in the mighty shadow boss' heart - one would have to listen very closely to discover.
Without waiting for an answer from Kyo, Gen does not so much charge the Scion of Flame as he does cross the distance between them in a singular, reverberating jump. He arcs high, he drops low, he aligns both feet with Kusanagi's skull. He seeks to land, with profound force, atop Kyo's head. Fold his arms over his chest. And, standing at attention, ride Kyo's face right into the dirt with force enough to help begin the process of duplicating the surface of the /moon/ in the Kusanagi front yard.... before hopping daintily off.
COMBATSYS: Gen successfully hits Kyo with Shuuga.
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Kyo 1/--=====/=======|=======\-------\0 Gen
Honestly, Kyo hasn't the foggiest idea what Gen is talking about, and he's probably happier that way. He gives the old man a bit of a dubious look, and then the assassin is just /moving/, with speed that belies his creaky old age. This is, the Kusanagi heir reasons to himself, probably bad.
With his positioning, perhaps Kyo should be able to deal with the incoming attack more readily, the remaining eddies of power coalescing around the younger man as he twists, moving his arms up to intercept the incoming Gen... But what actually happens is that those selfsame arms are driven hard against Kyo's head, the tremendous force behind Gen's descent enough to spike him face first into the ground just as intended, the impact sending a ringing pain through the World Warrior.
"Ugh," mutters Kyo, slowly pushing himself up, intentionally taking just a bit longer than necessary, purely for the sake of being a jerk about it. "I guess you've still got a trick or two up your sleeve, huh Lo Pan?" he wonders, setting his stance again once he's upright. Snapping the fingers of his right hand, Kyo calls out the Ever Burning Flames of the Kusanagi once again, and... Resumes the position he was holding earlier?
Except /this/ time, Kyo actually bursts into flames.
Enveloped by the bloodline flames, tendrils of heat and fiery energy rise off of Kyo's form as he faces Gen, all that power concentrated on his right hand. It seems like forever, but really it only takes a few instants, and then Kyo springs into forward motion, practically skidding along the ground as he sweeps his right hand in a wide arc, unleashing the flames; the fire on Kyo's body peels off of him as well, until a great swelling hellstorm of fire rages over the distance between himself and Gen, a wave of orange-crimson, sacred power!
"EAT THIS!!"
COMBATSYS: Gen blocks Kyo's Orochinagi+.
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Kyo 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\1 Gen
Youngsters. Sigh. Gen does, indeed, sigh, as Kyo rises - buying himself those moments to breathe without contest from the assassin, who is probably NOT actually here to try to kill the young Kusanagi, after all. "Try to warn them..." He laments, with a slow shake of his head, as Kyo rights himself, as Kyo draws up that tremendous, all but unbelievable wave of pure, consuming heat. It's a weapon - and an ancient one. That much is readily apparent to Gen, so much so now as when Saishu - or perhaps Saishu's father - first showed it to the elder assassin. The Triad boss slides back away from Kyo a short span, one leg coming up as he perches, deceptively steadily, on the other. It's as if his form suddenly transitions from air to earth, the swift-shifting winds altered to an obstinant old mountain, cracked and gnarled but not giving an inch further, today.
Flames roar in, they tear into the old master's carefully aligned guard, they drive Gen backwards as his vision is consumed by the surrounding, cruel flames. Kyo may notice, however, that rather than searing /through/ Gen, the inferno erupts mostly outwards, projected away as it meets the insightful killer's own focused, tremendous inner power. When it comes to ancient weapons, the Kusanagi clan does not have the monopoly. As the blast ebbs, Gen is nowhere to be found! Completely, thoroughly devoured and turned to ash by the force of the Orochinagi. At least, one might think that, for a moment. In reality, Gen is suddenly perched, horizontally, on the side of the fountain in Kyo's front yard. Water runs down over his feet, and for a half-second, it looks like Gen is just going to stoop there knelt for awhile. Then, he pushes off, straight in at Kyo like a projectile himself.
His foot leads, seeking to kick right through Kyo and launch him towards the estate's wall. Somehow, Gen would then accelerate faster than the Scion of Flame, landing on the wall much as he did against the fountain, and kicking Kyo back the other way, and upwards, with a rising, snapping crescent of a kick as he passes again. Hand would touch the ground, powerful arm bent, and the elder assassin would launch straight skyward, again seeking to intercept Kusanagi... before flipping overtop him, and kicking the other fighter back to the ground.
COMBATSYS: Kyo blocks Gen's Kouga.
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Kyo 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Gen
Were Kyo less canny than he actually is, he might suspect for a brief, hopeful moment that Gen was completely destroyed by the Orochinagi; as it is, the Kusanagi heir has been through too many fights with highly dangerous individuals to believe something like that. No, he knows old man Gen is around here somewhere, waiting for just the right...
Ah, there he is.
Gen comes out of the fountain, which is probably a good place to hide from a gigantic fireball all things considered, and then he's racing at Kyo through the air, which is patently unfair. Old people shouldn't be allowed to /fly/. Kyo twists to meet the incoming Gen rocket, intercepting the kick with his crossed forearms; there's still enough force behind it to blast Kyo back, but he doesn't make it to the wall even if Gen still does, instead skidding to a halt on the ground, loose soil and dust kicked up in the wake of his heels dragging along the yard's surface.
Still, no point in standing around.
Kyo is still for about two whole seconds before the younger fighter takes a step towards Gen and then leaps into the air himself, twisting his body so that he's pretty much horizontal, one leg tucked in while his other is extended perpendicular to his body, his foot tracing the outward edge of a meteoric arc through the crisp December air, and then aiming to drop right down on Gen's head.
"Hua-!!"
COMBATSYS: Gen fails to interrupt RED Kick from Kyo with Ouga.
- Power fail! -
>>> Punitive Hit!!! <<<
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Kyo 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Gen
The quickness with which Kyo recovers his guard, finds the rhythm of the fight through that tremendous expenditure of energy, catches Gen by surprise. Granted, it is, at first... a pleasant surprise. White brows arch, Gen kicks off the wall, and lands on his feet, "And here I thought you were finished, boy." It's likely as close as the elder assassin is going to come, tonight, to admitting a mistake... or actual appreciation for what Saishu's spawn proves capable of. A hand rushes down his beard, flicks it to the side, and those pupiless eyes narrow as Kyo closes the distance just as quickly as before.
The leaping axe-kick is studied - for the quarter-blink it can be studied - and Gen drops low with it. Kyo, however, catches up to that stroke of motion first, and all Gen does is accelerate his own course to the ground. Rather than coming down crouched, the impact to his skull renders him heels-over-head, and he crashes /face first/ into the Kusanagi yard, aged features digging a beautiful little hole in which to plant a flowering annual bulb to winter over and delight everyone in the spring. There's a muffled, unidentifiable mumbling from the new pit, as Gen drags himself defiantly, with what dignity he can muster, out of the dirt and grass, spitting bits of lawn aside as he struggles for his footing, trickles of blood running from nose and mouth.
That was probably a bit closer than Kyo would've preferred; there's a definite sense of something bad /almost/ happening, there.
The Kusanagi heir rebounds off the kick, flipping backwards to land on his feet while Gen gets a faceful of dirt - inside the house, Shizuka Kusanagi may well be considering how to apply these fresh holes in her yard to her gardening for the spring - and watches for a brief, curious moment as Gen starts to get his footing. He can tell, by the faint sense of tension in the air around the old man, that he's not done yet.
Which means he's fair game.
Rushing in at Gen again, Kyo seeks to end things in a decisive fashion, throwing out his elbow for a stunning blow to the older fighter's solar plexus... And if that lands, Kyo twists to follow through on the motion, grabbing him by the front of his shirt with his other gloved hand, and hefting the older man right off the ground.
"BURN!" Kyo would then instruct, before helpfully providing /another/ enormous eruption of sacred Kusanagi flame to help Gen out with that, releasing him as the explosion tosses him away.
COMBATSYS: Kyo successfully hits Gen with Koto Moon Positive.
> Determined Hit! <
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Kyo 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Gen
Fair ball, old man in play! Old man in play! At least, for the moment. As soon as he recovers his stance, Kusanagi is on him. The defense raised is bypassed quickly by the talented Scion, and Gen is hefted harshly off his feet, lifted high, and does indeed burn. The searing flames rip over the old master's luxurious green and silver robes, charring cloth, ripping through to the alarmingly stalwart muscle and sinew beneath, even as the elder assassin is hucked clear, rolling limply along the ground for three rotations. On the fourth, however, he flips, almost supernaturally, right back to his feet. Battered, burned, and suddenly caught dangerously close to being bested by the arrogant upstart, Gen chuckles quietly to himself, of all things.
Chest rises and falls, head shakes thrice, and the old master decides, "Ah, well. Capricious youth." It's an enigmatic decision not fully explained, as the Triad legend tucks one hand near his side, hand clenching, and charges Kyo fast enough that remnant robes, beard, hair all flutter out behind him, his other arm limp as the old fellow all but blurs the last distance, despite the rigors of the fight. Still focused, still dangerous, the elder assassin targets Kyo's everything, all at once. That is to say, in a flash so quick the cameras miss it, to say nothing of the eyes of the onlookers, Gen strikes for multiple points on Kusanagi's chest, sides, and throat, two probing digits with an alarming armor penetration value accelerated at hyperspeed and seeking to tag him at critical points that the old man seems to have mapped out by heart. World's worst masseuse, indeed. Should he find those targets, the result is not only physical pain, but the eruption of continuous, wracking internal pressure, as Kyo's chi would betray its host, the currents suddenly crashing violently together, screaming as they are distorted, and for a dreadful, lingering moment... all but ripped asunder.
COMBATSYS: Kyo counters Shitenshuu from Gen with Nue Tsumi EX.
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Kyo 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Gen
"Geez, seriously? Even after all that?" Kyo wonders out loud, giving a dubious look in Gen's direction as the old man chuckles quietly and gets back up. "What are you, the Terminator or something?" Leave it to a Kusanagi to make what would otherwise seem like an admiring comment about an opponent's toughness and endurance into a dismissive statement like that; it might be the succession technique for Kusanagi-ryuu Kobojutsu.
But old or not, the 'master' part is always a danger. Gen's sudden burst of speed, his dangerous intent, draw Kyo's attention even as the younger fighter seems like he's paying attention to anything but. He doesn't know exactly what's coming, but he can guess generalities, and none of them seem like particularly good options to him, so as the assassin strikes, Kyo's own hand moves, snaking out with similar speed, nearly impossible to follow, and he catches Gen by the wrist, stepping to one side and guiding the old man forward. It seems like it would probably be a pretty standard throw reversal, but this is a Kusanagi we're talking about.
He turns quickly beside Gen as he guides the old man forward, and rather than letting the assassin's momentum do all the work for him, he drives his elbow into the back of Gen's head, replete with another eruption of orange-crimson flames.
Gen's eyes narrow, brows furrow, at that same instant he launches the attack meant to end Kyo Kusanagi in his tracks. This time... it was not to be. The frown deepens - such as it has time to - as his hand is caught, and he's blasted backwards by that explosive elbow, blood erupting anew from his aged features as he staggers backwards, and falls to the ground. Crimson spittle is released to the side, and those void-filled eyes lock on Kusanagi, more thoughtful than wrathful. "Interesting. Perhaps you will manage this." He concedes, "But if you do not prepare... you will not survive, unless another carries the weight that is yours." The old man sits there for a moment, shakes his head after the simple warning, and then begins to rise again.
Not to fight, this time... though durable? Yes indeed. For all the brutality of the exchange, the elder assassin seems inclined to walk away from the encounter with only a slight tense soreness to his frame - aside from all the notable injuries, at least. He may not be liquid metal, but the old master does appear to be some sort of tempered steel. Neck is cracked, a low groan is offered, and Gen simply heads towards the gates of the Kusanagi property, apparently intending to let himself out. "Tell your mother I will be by for dinner... another night."
COMBATSYS: Gen takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Kyo 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Gen can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Kyo 0/-------/----===|
When it becomes clear that's all she wrote for Gen - that last hit being sufficient, at least, to take the old man out of the fight - Kyo relaxes only slightly, perhaps concerned that the assassin has some other trick up his sleeve, or that maybe there's some other psychopath lurking in the bushes waiting to jump out at him. That Freeman guy didn't seem too jazzed about his general existence after all, but then again he seemed like he felt that way about everybody.
The old master's words elicit, at first, a look of slight confusion from the Kusanagi heir, before he brushes his hand through his hair, causing the dark brown locks to fall back into their just-so look of casual disarray, which they achieve without any other outside help. Seriously, it's like the world /wants/ him to be this smug. "Believe me, you have no idea /what/ I can manage," he replies, starting to wonder if the hand of professional old maid Chizuru Kagura isn't in this somewhere.
He watches sort of impassively as Gen manages to rise, and then after sorting himself out heads towards the gate, leaving Kyo standing there once again confused. Why do they always have to have the worst houseguests?! Wasn't it bad enough when Maxima was crashing during the Siege of Southtown, all... Canadian, and polite and helpful?! Heaving a sigh, Kyo turns away, figuring he'd better call somebody about his match, which is approximately when he sees a badly hidden SNF cameraman. Kyo looks surprised, and then he squints.
And he says: "What the f---"
Log created on 22:59:22 12/04/2010 by Gen, and last modified on 14:06:56 12/07/2010.