Description: One match accomplished, it is time for great fighters to return home and prepare for the next. Or, in the cases of the increasingly disaffected Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami, continue to apathetically neglect any of their duties towards their teammates or their legacy. Fate would have it that these two would be bound for the same boat ride home -- yet one who would comandeer fate seeks to exploit this very fact. As mutually despising rivals prepare for the trip home, they will be given a first-hand taste of the world to come in the face of their apathy -- in the form of one Kain R. Heinlein, afflicted with the very taint that courses through Iori Yagami's veins. Yet, does he come as a foe, seeking to undo potential adversary's to his would-be newfound 'Master's' desires? Or... does he seek something else as he desperately tries to fight off the rage festering in his heart?
Kain has arrived.
Kain arrives from elsewhere.
[OOC] Kyo says, "well"
[OOC] Kyo says, "i guess the most logical person to set in this case is me :|a"
[OOC] Iori says, "it sure is"
[OOC] Kyo says, "in which case someone else can log, ho ho ho"
[OOC] Kyo says, "oh i see you already are"
[OOC] Kyo says, "well then"
[OOC] Kain says, "Makes sense. I will have my dramatic, mysterious entrance as you two snark/growl at each other."
[OOC] Kyo says, "So are we supposed to be already on the boat, or just headed to the boat?"
[OOC] Kain says, "Chances of this going well, considering Kain is trying to not be angry: Not good. And either way works, I suppose."
RIO DI JANIERO HARBOR
BRAZIL
"Her name is Rio, and she dances on the sand o/~"
"Just like that something something, hum hum hum land o/~"
Poorly remembered Duran Duran lyrics echo through the seaside air as Japan's (inexplicably) favourite son makes his way through the milling crowds towards the right pier. It would probably be faster and more efficient to take a /plane/ back to Japan, but Kyo Kusanagi is above such petty, mortal concerns... In fact, it was the team management who handled this, and despite being ostensibly the team's /leader/, the renowned World Warrior champion just shrugged blithely and went with it. If he took a plane, he'd probably end up stuck with one of his /teammates/, after all, and as much as he enjoys annoying them even he has his limits. The better part of a day stuck in first class with Iori Yagami or K'? Not actually super appealing.
Most of Kyo's luggage has already been taken care of, leaving the perpetual highschooler himself to just carry one small duffel bag over his shoulder, his eyes lost behind a pair of cheap sunglasses he picked up on the way out of the hotel. He stands out though, and not simply because of the air of lazy arrogance that surrounds him no matter what he does: Kyo wears the loudest, most obnoxious Hawaiian shirt he could find, along with a pair of faded jeans and some sneakers.
He really doesn't look like the sort of guy who could beat a Swedish teenager so bad that somewhere, somebody's Ikea furniture fell apart in protest, but there you go.
"At the end of the drive, the lawmen arrive o/~"
"You make me feel something, something hum o/~"
No clue why he's singing, though.
[OOC] Kain says, "Okay, I figure I'll drop in after Iori does his "KUSANAGI!!!!" thing."
'Her name is Rio, and she dances on the sand o/~'
Twitch.
'Just like that something something, hum hum hum land o/~'
Twitch.
'At the end of the drive, the lawmen arrive o/~'
Twitch.
'You make me feel something, something hum--'
"KYOOO!"
The abrupt roar comes from directly behind one Kyo Kusanagi. Standing there, in his typical dour clothes matched by his typical dour expression, is one Iori Yagami, clutching tightly onto his own dufflebag -- so tightly, in fact, that he looks like he is considering the prospects of using it as a bludgeon.
"It's ALIVE, you fucking moron! Even a toddler could've told you /that./"
There is a tense moment where Iori seems like he might just try and tear Kyo apart for daring to not remember the lyrics of a Duran Duran song -- but instead, he simply walks forward, intent to /very angrily/ shove past Kyo on his way towards the pier.
"But I guess /rhyme schemes/ are just too difficult for an idiot who can't even finish high school. Sorry, I should've remembered that." Despite the blithe insults, Iori's words come out a little more strained than usual; it is subtle enough to go unnoticed, as much as the vague contours of pain on his features are as he clings to the straps of that dufflebag until his knuckles turn white.
"This shit can't be over fast enough. Can't even hold a fucking tune..."
A cloaked figure moves smoothly through the crowd, approaching the pier. It's not actually the most subtle of disguises, but between the hood, the dark, enveloping cloak and the matching dark scarf across the lower half of his face it /does/ make Kain difficult to identify. He's not particularly worried about being detained and unmasked.
Still, there's enough people moving around that even like this he's able to go relatively unnoticed, and he has no trouble making his way through the crowd, without even having to push and shove. A few people turn when they feel a chill running down the back of their necks, but he's already past by that point.
Eventually Heinlein draws near to Iori and Kyo. He pauses for a moment, flinching, with a hissed intake of breath, then steps forward. A figure completely covered by his cloak, with nothing visible of his face but the scarf, and a faint glint from his eyes deep in the shadow of the hood. "Kusanagi. Yagami. We-" He grunts briefly, as if in pain. "We need to talk."
Perhaps surprisingly, Kyo was totally not expecting Iori to show up like that; perhaps he was too distracted by the loudness of his own shirt to pay attention to his senses, or maybe he was just really hoping Iori was on a plane, stuck in first class with K', the two of them engaged in a taciturn pissing contest over which one of them gets to defeat and kill Kyo Kusanagi. But no, no. No.
Instead, there's Iori, angrily shoving past the Kusanagi heir and interrupting his (incredibly bad) rendition of an '80s classic, which is actually probably for the best in the long run. No doubt the world breathes a sigh of relief as Kyo stops singing off-key and only half remembering the lyrics. "You really need to learn to relax, Yagami. You're way too uptight," the World Warrior says, after a brief interlude in which his expression settled into one of displeasure at being in his archrival's presence; but quickly enough his smirk returns as you would expect, and there he goes, being an asshole. "What's your problem anyway, you gonna get seasick?"
AND THEN
Kyo turns as he senses the approach of something his finely honed and superhumanly refined senses describe as 'weird as shit', his attention wandering dangerously away from Iori and towards the mysterious cloaked figure. He squints for a moment behind his cheap sunglasses, his head slowly tilting to one side.
"Yeah, that's okay, I had my fill of freaks in cloaks already," Kyo decides, judiciously. "And as rad and amazing as I am, I can't cure your leprosy or whatever."
There are about a hundred different ways Iori could respond to the Kusanagi heir. About eighty of them involve violence.
"My problem is /you./" It is a small miracle that the actual outcome only amounts of insults and name-calling.
"I heard about your fight with your special shitbag student," Yagami growls out. "Next time you're thinking about throwing a fight, just remember -- the sooner this is over, the sooner you're a dead man." Back turned to Kyo, Yagami clutches his chest, wincing briefly. There is a strange pressure there -- the blood pumping out of his heart feels as if it is going to burn its way out of his veins. He ignores it.
"So maybe that can be some incentive for you to stop fighting like a self-entitled jack--"
'Kusanagi. Yagami. We-- We need to talk.'
"--ass?"
Crimson eyes jerk around abruptly -- far too abrupt to be normal. Iori looks surprised as he gazes at that cloaked figure, not because of his words -- but because that mere presence suddenly makes him feel like his skin has been set on fire. His soul wretches. His lips twist.
"Who... the fuck are /you/ supposed to be?" That voice seems familiar. Yet -- he's suddenly unable to focus enough to put his finger on it as the Orochi taint within him flares violently in an upswell of anger.
"And wh--...why should I... /care/?" He's trying his best, but it's clear -- something about this person is just not sitting right with him.
K' has arrived.
K' arrives from elsewhere.
[OOC] K' says, "there are /two iterations/ of this room in ic/preset"
[OOC] K' says, "i blame iori"
Sorsha has arrived.
Sorsha arrives from elsewhere.
[OOC] Iori says, "it is definitely my fault"
Kain looks between Kyo and Iori for a moment. "If you don't know who I am, I'm not in the mood to enlighten you. That's not important right now, anyway. I-" He grunts again, then shakes his head. "You two wouldn't be my first choice in this matter, but unfortunately it wasn't my decision to come here." His right hand twitches slightly, causing a very faint movement of the cloak. In fact, the reason he's been sent here is one that he might enjoy, under his own direction. Who doesn't love kicking Kyo's ass?
Heinlein exhales, slowly. "But you two need to know. There's a major player lurking in the shadows, and he's planning something big. Recruiting or eliminating the competition. And his power..." Kain glances between the two of them. He's not hopeful, but Kyo and Iori /are/ both powerful, and they move in circles with some powerful people. "Have either of you heard of Orochi?"
[OOC] Kain says, "Okay, I'm now going to be distracted for a bit. Not sure exactly how long."
"...What?"
Kyo actually slides his cheap sunglasses down the bridge of his nose to look at Iori over the rims, not out of any surprise at learning that the other man's problem is /him/ - he knew that part already - but because of the rest of what Yagami says. "Did you just accuse me of considering throwing a fight? To /Shingo/?" It's actually hard to tell which part he finds more offensive. "You think I'd join this chickenshit outfit if I wasn't planning to win the tournament, Yagami? If I was going to throw a fight I'd have picked a way more hilarious team, like a bunch of professional athletes or something. Like a... Hockey guy, and a soccer player. Really get their hopes up, beforehand."
See? Kyo Kusanagi is the nicest guy.
Whatever's going on with Cloaky McCloakerson, it's obvious that Iori doesn't like him, which is a surprise given how personable the heir of the cursed Yagami line is normally. Heaving a sigh, Kyo removes his cheap sunglasses and tucks them in the breast pocket of his terrible Hawaiian shirt, as their mysterious visitor relates to them that there are things going on in the shadows of the tournament - Kyo's expression betrays a complete lack of surprise and, judging by the way he rolls his eyes, at least a smidge of annoyance - before the Kusanagi heir shakes his head. "Nope, not even a little."
Kyo is, of course, at least mostly lying.
That voice is irritating.
Iori can't place why. But it is undoubtedly familiar, and familiar in that way that annoys him even more than most familiarity does. The kind that makes rage well up in his chest -- the way rage is welling up now. Yet... something is different. But what--
"I don't like people who try and be mysterious," growls out Iori, forcing each and every syllable from his lips. His clawed fingers dig into his palm; a small drop of blood falls to the hard ground as he steps forward. He is about to say something else, when--
'Orochi.' That name. Iori pauses dead in his tracks. Normally, he'd be just as dismissive as Kyo. But--
"Where the hell did you learn that name...?" the Yagami heir snarls. Flames bubble at his fist unconsciously as he finally takes another step forward. "Are you with them?" He doesn't care about the Orochi, or any of this. He doesn't. But if that's why he's feeling this way--
"You better start talking, because I'm getting... nngh... really tired of you beating around the bush."
That voice. That voice. That voice makes him want to tear something apa"So /spit it out/!"
Kain frowns beneath his shrouding. Kyo's Jerk Aura may make it difficult for most to tell when he's /particularly/ being a jerk, but Kain is good at reading people. Although given the question, figuring out that Kyo is probably lying also provides the answer. And Iori, well, he makes his stance pretty clear. Idiots. This is important, and they're just messing around! They-
Kain growls under his breath for a moment, then grunts and raises a hand to his face. "I had the misfortune to cross paths with a man calling himself the messiah of Orochi. He-" And then Kain's entire body stiffens. He still doesn't know the limits of what Goenitz did to him. He can fight it off, somewhat, but it's difficult. And could the man be watching, toying with him? Was he able to set up some sort of trap inside Kain to trigger under certain circumstances, like attempts at betrayal? Kain just doesn't know, and that's not helping his anger.
He falls to one knee, then slams his fist down hard enough that the concrete cracks. "Just let people know that there's an incredibly powerful man working for the advancement of this Orochi." Kain grits his teeth. "And he expects something big to happen, soon. Now if you idiots would stop asking stupid questions or being smug pricks, maybe you could get out of here and see if you can get this information to someone who can do something about it!" Kain's voice builds in intensity and volume as he speaks, until he's shouting at the end. Cracks spread out further from his hand as he tries to maintain control. It's taking all his effort right now to not try to tear somebody's throat out with his teeth, but he knows he's starting to lose it.
There is an awful lot of pained grunting and angry growling going on here, and Kyo Kusanagi does not like it one little bit. Why, it's almost like whatever is bugging the mystery dude in the cloak is somehow affecting Iori as well, which is plainly ridiculous and in no way possible... And yet, the Kusanagi heir can't shake a faint stirring of his own anger as if in /response/, although the character of it is different - less wild, less chaotically, ferally murderous. The sun's fury, distant but relentless.
But it is what it is: Fire in the blood.
"Since you're so knowledgeable, what's this asshole's name, then?" Kyo wonders, putting his small duffel down casually, his other hand slipping behind himself, to where he keeps his gloves tucked in his back pocket, always close by just in case. "Something tells me we won't find 'Messiah of the Orochi' in the Yellow Pages, and then how will we track him down and rearrange his priorities?" You might think that, in a situation like this, Kyo would in fact stop being such a smug prick in order to defuse things, or to get some useful information before this guy who he hasn't even considered might be Kain R. Heinlein goes seriously, Mike Tyson crazy.
And you would, quite naturally, be wrong.
The way Kain is acting isn't remotely normal; if Iori was 'with it' enough to put together just who this was, it might make even him pause. As it is, the way the man is acting is just further exacerbating his own anger. He watches through barely-restrained crimson eyes as the cloaked man falls down to one knee. He hears -- but if he actually listens is something else entirely.
Right now, he's focused on that fallen figure. Something's not right. Something--
'--and then how will we track him down and rearrange his priorities--'
"Shut up," snaps Iori abruptly at Kyo's further practice of wit, walking past the Kusanagi heir with only a slightly staggered gait. "If I have to deal with you pretending you know shit about anything anymore I'm going to tear your throat open. And /you/--"
Crimson eyes focus on the hooded Kain. Iori does not stop walking, his fists clenching and unclenching as he goes. "You're hiding something, aren't you? I hate pricks like you, thinking they can get away with acting all mysterious, as if that makes you /better/ than everyone else instead of a /piece of shit./" The words are almost burbled out as violet flames surge at Iori's right fist briefly... before he /snaps/ that hand out, in an attempt to grab Kain by the cowl of his hood and, if not stopped, lift him forcibly back onto his feet.
"You wanna start giving me orders like some hot shot?! Fuck you! How about this -- you tell me exactly what you're trying to hide from us, or we can see how superior you think you are when you're burning to a crisp!!" He's at the edge, and all he wants to do is tear this man apart. He just needs one more word. One more arrogant word--
By this point people have started running away. When Kain started shouting it was one thing, even with the aura of danger that seems to be hanging over the area. But Iori, people recognize. And frankly, even when he's in a /good/ mood you don't want to be near him when he starts fighting. Of course, there's some people who only run as far as what they think as a safe distance, in the hopes of getting a free show.
Kain growls again at Kyo. "If I knew his damn name I'd have told you. He didn't exactly want to talk about much except for the coming glory of Orochi! I don't care if you're a moron who doesn't know anything, there are people out there who /do/. Go tell them about this because I can't-" He grunts again, and then he's dragged up by Iori.
He glares at Iori from the shadows of the cloak, grinding his teeth. "You think you- You- YoaaaaAAARGH!" And there something snaps. Kain has been holding back a torrent of anger, both his own normal emotional state, which he usually keeps under strict control, then the additional turmoil forced on him by Goenitz. And there's only so much he can take.
Black flame suddenly starts pouring out from the cloak all over, a shockwave slamming outwards that, while probably not enough to do much more than surprise Iori and Kyo, is enough to knock over some of the spectators and send them scrambling further back. There's a brief glimpse of the unremarkable, loose fitting shirt and pants Kain is wearing beneath the cloak, but it's mostly obscured by the unending fire. And in Iori's case, probably by the fact that Kain attempts to get both hands around the other man's neck, driving his thumbs into Iori's throat while engulfing his head in fire.
COMBATSYS: Kain has started a fight here.
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Kain 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Kain can no longer hold back his Rage!
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kain [E] 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Iori has joined the fight here.
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Iori 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 [E] Kain
[OOC] Iori says, "--wait"
COMBATSYS: Iori has left the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kain [E] 0/-------/------=|
[OOC] Iori says, "why can't i change modes"
[OOC] Iori says, "this is troubling"
[OOC] Sorsha says, "because you are"
[OOC] Sorsha says, "a terrorist"
[OOC] Iori says, "time to force it through my staff alt"
COMBATSYS: Iori has joined the fight here.
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Iori 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 [E] Kain
[OOC] Kain says, "All set?"
[OOC] Kain says, "And now Kyo can laugh at us. Possibly pissing both of us off even more."
[OOC] Kyo uses his ancient bloodline powers to summon a lawnchair and a bag of popcorn
[OOC] Iori says, "that fucking guy"
[OOC] Kyo says, "man what is this lag, it's like the old days"
Wow, there is some anger going on here.
Kyo snorts faintly as Iori brushes by him again - this time in the direction of the cloaked figure, rather than towards the boat they're supposed to be on - with another dismissive remark. But in a strange turn of events, for all the vitriol Iori directs towards /him/, his hated archrival and the embodiment of everything that drove the Yagami clan to the brink of destruction, the one who bears the real focus on Iori's fury is the mysterious other guy. And to be fair, Kyo can sort of empathise with Iori, because he's gotten pretty sick of the mysterious dude routine already. He had to fight, like, a billion cloaked cultists /in his house/. When he was trying to take a /nap/. And he only had a weird-ass French guy for backup!
Goddamn.
"Hey, Yagami," Kyo says, his tone oddly hesitant, rather than full of its usual strident arrogance. "Maybe you shouldn't--"
It's too late, of course, and power flares around the mystery man, black fire pouring out... And /that/ at least, is familiar. "Holy /shit/, Blondie!" the Kusanagi heir exclaims in realisation as Kain, straight up, tries to throttle Iori and set his head on fire. Kyo's not too fussed about that part, though, because Iori can take care of himself and also because fuck that guy. "What happened to all that vaunted self-control, the steely stoic resolve? Did they make you turn in your Nietzche Scouts badges?" The Kusanagi gloves, black and yellow and made out of some mysterious, unidentifiable and possibly sorcerous material, are tugged quickly into place and promptly clash horribly with Kyo's /incredibly/ ugly Hawaiian shirt, but this is no time for fashion. He's pretty sure Iori and Kain are not going to hug it out, and he's pretty sure this is - ugh - actually his problem, which means...
Taking a single step forward, Kyo springs upwards off of the pier in a manner which, frankly, defies any rational universe's laws of physics; he twists sideways as he dos so, tucking one leg in and extending the other in such a way that as he arcs through the air, his stretched out foot traces a broad parabola, the end of which will, if all goes as planned, be Kain's head. "Hua-!!"
COMBATSYS: Kyo has joined the fight here.
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Kyo 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Iori
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kain [E] 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Iori endures Kain's Schwarze Schleife.
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Kyo 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Iori
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kain [E] 0/-------/--=====|
Pain. It's so distinct now, and so familiar. But Iori has never felt it so focused. It feels like his head is about to explode as he grips onto the cloaked figure, and even as he snarls and threatens, a thick trail of blood oozes its way down his right nostril. He barely notices it.
Because right now it feels like he's standing in the heart of a volcano.
This is not even remotely helped by the black fire that suddenly /surges/ forward from Kain like a deluge of flames. /These/, Iori recognizes. Yet there's something about them now, something--
"You! You SHIT FOR BRAI--"
And before Iori can insult Kain any further, the blonde man helpfully preempts him by throttling the Yagami heir roundly.
Iori can only let out a startled, choking sound as he is abruptly and violent gripped by the neck. But rather than try to defend himself, well -- Iori just TAKES IT, because in his mind, that is the only thing he can focus on: powering through...
"GUUUOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUGHH!!"
... And punishing Kain as hard as possible.
Head alight with black fire, even Iori's roar comes out strangled as he abruptly swipes out with his right fist, to deliver a titanic hook into Kain's jaw. Another blow comes, an uppercut, to launch him into the air -- at which point Kyo lunges for that kick just as Iori - hopefully - is lunging himself, to deliver one powerful bodyblow to Heinlein's sternum. Kyo. That's right. Kyo is here. There's so much pain, but--
"STAY THE FUCK OUT OF THIS OR I'LL BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU TOO, KUSANAGI!"
At least he can remember his old hatreds.
COMBATSYS: Kain effortlessly dodges Kyo's RED Kick.
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Kyo 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Iori
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kain [E] 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Iori successfully hits Kain with Aoi Hana.
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Kyo 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Iori
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kain [E] 1/-------/=======|
Kain is too busy trying to drive his thumbs all the way through Iori's neck to pay much attention to Kyo. And, of course, he doesn't need mere words to drive his rage at this point. Yagami, however, clearly has his own thoughts on the strangling matter. Kain's head snaps back as Iori's fist slams into his jaw, launching him into the air. It doesn't seem to actually stun him, though. He actually flips about in mid-air, twisting over Kyo's kick and snarling at Iori as another punch is delivered, this time to his sternum.
Kain comes crashing down to the ground, but quickly rolls to his feet. His scarf is still mostly in place, but the hood has fallen back to reveal that there's clearly something wrong with Kain. His skin has turned to a much darker shade, and his hair has gone almost white. To say nothing of the insane rage burning in his eyes. "Grrrrraaaaah!" He thrusts both hands to the sky, even more black flame pouring forth and turning into a giant swirling sphere above him. A moment later he brings it crashing down toward Iori, blasting a significant hole in the pier regardless of whether it hits the target or not.
One nice thing about that sort of a kick is that it comes with a built in landing. Oh sure, most aerial techniques /do/ - gravity is sort of consistent that way - but the Rainbow Energy Dynamite Kick has the advantage of bringing the combatant's foot towards the ground before the rest of them, making it a bit harder to fall on your face if you aren't Shingo Yabuki. As he misses Kain /completely/, Kyo makes something approximating a graceful landing as he returns to the pier, twisting about in the process to present a vulnerable angle to the other two for the least amount of time he can manage.
It is, after all, one thing to be dealing with a rabid Kain without also having a rabid Iori running around. Things rarely seem to go easy for Kyo, huh?
"Wow," Kyo says, when he sees Kain's new look, apparently ignoring Iori's threat. Look, he's used to those, okay? "That is /fucked up/, Blondie. You should be careful, because I've /heard/ that once you go black, you can never go back." Meanwhile, Kain attempts to blow up Iori and/or the pier, which is probably bad. There's not much Kyo can to do /stop/ it, so instead he charges in again, this time staying on the ground... Swinging his right fist in a hooking punch aimed at Kain's head from an ungentlemanly angle, guttering flames trailing in the air behind his fist, and a small explosion of sacred Kusanagi fire erupting at the intended point of impact.
If, of course, Kyo manages to land that first hit, he doesn't stop... Instead following it up with a second punch with his left, a mirror image of the first, and then whirling around in a quick, spinning heel kick. He might be trying to draw the heat off of Iori... Or maybe he's just taking advantage of Kain's distraction to try and put the hurt on him. It's difficult to say.
COMBATSYS: Iori blocks Kain's Himmlische Macht.
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Kyo 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0 Iori
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kain [E] 0/-------/-------|
[OOC] Iori says, "hi kyo"
[OOC] Kyo says, "sup"
[OOC] Kyo says, "curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal"
[OOC] Iori says, "sorry for the delay on this by the way, had to write up a big pose elsewindow"
Those flames are stronger than before. Kain has always been strong, but this -- there is something very familiar amplifying them.
Iori might think about it more, in his own sociopathic way, if he wasn't completely losing himself in fury and pain. It feels like he's being eaten from the inside out, a fact that is helpfully supplemented when Kain suddenly unleashes a spherical /inferno/ of fury upon him. He barely has any time to react; out of instinct, his hands snap up.
A rare moment where he actually defends himself speaks well as to just how threatening that power of Kain's really is.
The giant orb of black flames CRASHES into Iori. It burns away at his sleeves, gobbling at his flesh, burning not only into his body, but into his soul. Even defending himself against the sheer fury overwhelms him; he is blown straight off his feet, collapsing into a roll moments later that snuffs out the remnant flames as wood explodes all around him. He feels nauseous. He feels dizzy. He feels...
Angry.
Fingertips scrape across blasted and scorched wood as chunks of debris fall on Iori's back. He shakes them off as he slowly, blearily looks up...
... Just in time to see Kyo lunging himself at Kain.
Crimson eyes narrow. Kyo. He told him. Kyo. Never listens. Always so damn arrogant. Always thinking he's better, never doing anything, lazy, entitled, spoiled--
"KYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
The suddenness of it all is overwhelming. Within a second Iori Yagami is springing through the air, spinning bodily, fists on fire--
--not for Kain--
--but for Kyo.
"I TOLD YOU TO STAY OUT OF MY FUCKING WAY! HUUUAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGHHHH---!"
His anger is the only thing overwhelming his pain as he twists through the air, aiming to HAMMERBLOW his flaming fists into the side of Kyo's head.
The subsequent explosion will be nothing less than overwhelmingly violent.
COMBATSYS: Kyo successfully hits Kain with Aragami.
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Kyo 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Iori
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kain [E] 0/-------/----===|
Sorsha has disconnected.
He's not even really /hearing/ them, but somehow Kyo's insults seem to be making Kain even angrier. It's Kyo's gift. As he straightens back up from blasting a hole in the pavement, Kain turns as he hears Kyo approaching. An arm swings up, but it's not enough to keep Kyo from landing an explosive punch to Kain's head, followed by several more attacks to send him staggering back.
When it ends Kain stands there for a moment, leaning backward and staring up at the sky, flame still billowing off him. And then he slumps forward, arms hanging at his side. He only holds that pose for a moment, though, before his eyes lock onto Kyo. That hurt. All the more reason for even more rage. And so he leaps at Kyo aiming to drive a flaming foot into the other man's sternum, taking him to the ground and then just punching and punching until he starts hitting the ground instead of meat. Insofar as anything passing through Kain's mind at the moment could be considered a 'plan', anyway.
[OOC] Kain says, "Okay, I think I need to go pass out... you two can keep going if you're up for it, though. I can catch your stuff in backscroll and we can continue later? Saturday, Sunday?"
[OOC] Iori says, "i am good for either day"
[OOC] Kyo says, "i am also good for either day"
[OOC] Kyo says, "also this is a dilly of a pickle"
[OOC] Kyo says, "i think we'll just pause here in a classic cliffhanger, how will our hero get out of this one?!"
[OOC] Iori says, "he'll die"
[OOC] Iori says, "messily"
[OOC] Kyo says, "it's possible"
[OOC] Kyo says, "those are some bad odds"
[OOC] Kain says, "We're right by the water. Makes for easy disposal of corpses(or are they!?)."
[OOC] Iori says, "good thinking e_e/\"
[OOC] Kain says, "So, sometime in the afternoon on Saturday? I can't start much earlier than that, because I expect to sleep forever."
[OOC] Kyo says, "afternoon is good yeah"
[OOC] Kyo says, "i admit i'm pretty wiped too, my day started at 6 am hahaha"
[OOC] Iori says, "damn"
[OOC] Iori says, "yeah, that sounds fine"
[OOC] Kyo says, "yeah the other fun part of my job is that i have to wake up at 6 to get there"
[OOC] Kyo says, "it's pretty great"
[OOC] Iori says, "yeah that sounds like an overall situation you'd be better off getting out of"
[OOC] Kyo says, "they don't even pay me very well"
[OOC] Kyo says, "well i've been putting applications in places, plus my continuing attempts to go back to uni so"
[OOC] Iori says, "that's good"
[OOC] Kain says, "If I had to wake up at 6 every day they would be paying me not to kill them all, to say nothing of any actual work."
[OOC] Iori says, "too true"
[OOC] Kyo says, "honestly most of the day i'm left to my own devices so i just get shit done and take a midday nap"
[OOC] Kain says, "I had an internship before my senior year of college where I had to be up before 6... and then ended up having almost no work to do most days. Unfortunately, I apparently snore, so my stealthy attempts at not dying of exhaustion were not as stealthy as I had hoped."
[OOC] Kyo says, "i have my own office and the only other key is in the possession of a manager who is rarely on site"
[OOC] Kain says, "Good times."
Sorsha has connected.
Kyo has disconnected.
Iori has disconnected.
K' has disconnected.
Kain has disconnected.
Sorsha has disconnected.
K' has connected.
ODROP::K' heads OOC.
Kain has connected.
Kyo has connected.
Kain has disconnected.
Kain has connected.
Kain has disconnected.
Kyo has disconnected.
Kain has connected.
Kyo has connected.
Kain has disconnected.
Kain has connected.
K' has arrived.
Iori has connected.
[OOC] Kyo says, "dun duuun"
[OOC] Iori says, "dunnnnnn"
[OOC] Kain says, "DUNNNN"
[OOC] Kyo says, "soooo i guess we want the log so we can see last poses huh /iori/"
[OOC] Kyo says, "and then i get to pull off a miracle"
[OOC] Kain still has stuff in backscroll. "Let's see..."
[OOC] Kyo says, "oh well i guess there are people who never log out, yeah"
[OOC] Kain says, "And it looks like the log is up. So I guess we're good for Kyo to get his teeth punched in! C_C_"
[OOC] Kyo says, "everybody's so mean to me"
[OOC] Kyo says, "i just try to be nice"
COMBATSYS: Iori successfully hits Kyo with Tsumagushi.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kyo 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Iori
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kain [E] 0/-------/----===|
[OOC] Kyo says, "ouch"
[OOC] Kyo says, "well now all of my odds are bad so"
[OOC] Kyo says, "valhallaaaaa"
COMBATSYS: Kyo fails to counter Schwarzer Stob from Kain with Nue Tsumi EX.
- Power fail! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kyo 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1 Iori
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kain [E] 0/-------/=======|
[OOC] Kyo says, "aw gay"
[OOC] Kain says, "Tell the Valkyries I said 'hi'."
[OOC] Kyo says, "clearly i did that backwards"
A lot of people think that, no matter what caliber of a fighter you are everything remains /relative/. That the effects of two veritable living legends, guys who do things every day that merit Iliad-level superlative praises about their godlike prowess, going at it is the same as two guys who just got their black belt in one of the approximately eleven billion forms of karate punching each other... After all, everything scales, right? But the reality of things is different: The truth of the matter is that the more powerful and skillful you are, the higher the stakes you're playing for become. And sometimes you get the bear, and sometimes, well... The bear gets you.
Especially when there are two bears, both being influenced by the cursed power of an ancient deity to whom your very existence is anathema.
"Ah, shit," mutters Kyo, as Iori turns his enraged attentions away from the rather freaky-looking Kain R. Heinlein and towards /him/ instead, leaping through the air in a deadly, sudden pounce aind aiming to catch him with his fiery fists; the Kusanagi heir tries to block the strike, but he can't interpose his own forearm in time and instead Iori's attack powers right through his guard, slamming into the side of his head with a massive explosion of purple, tainted flame...
And naturally, the /next/ thing Kyo sees is Kain coming for him.
One of the World Warrior's hands lashes out as quickly as he can make it, catching Kain by the ankle... But he can't stop or redirect Kain's momentum enough, and instead the strike lands anyway, leaving him wide, wide open for the rest, a battering assault of limbs and black fire until he's finally able to get away, rolling free of the battering the other man would probably dearly enjoy to continue giving him until the sun turns cold, coughing as he tries to get some air back in his lungs.
Which, as a plus for everyone, means he can't make any smartass remarks... For the moment.
There is a distinct lack of control in Iori's flames as they billow outward and engulf Kyo; certainly, Iori is known for his fury, like a veritable force of nature -- but he had always exercised a fine-tuned control over those flames that slowly gobble him away from the inside out. And now, it seems, it's slipping.
He hardly notices this fact as his fists whip about and violet fire spits across the ground, devouring wooden debris and growing around him in a ring as the mystic flames eat up more and more of the surrounding environment. Crimson eyes turn to look toward the fallen Kyo, about to make a smart remark of his own -- when he sees Kain lunging for him.
"Look... at you," growls out Iori; blood drools down the corner of his lip. He isn't quite sure how it got there. "You're... -pathetic-. All that control you always... hhnnng... /gloated/ about. And now, someone gives you a little challenge..."
Kyo. He's going to kill Kyo. Iori can't let that happen--
"... and YOU'RE LIKE A LITTLE GODDAMN -BABY-!"
--after all, Kyo is HIS target.
And so, Iori lunges, leading with his left. His left arm bends at the elbow just in time so that he may /ram/ that joint directly into Kain's throat with vicious accuracy, before twisting and /sweeping/ out his right hand, currently engulfed by a rapidly-expanding and uncontrolled bloom of purple fire, aimed to smack that hand palm-first into Kain's face, /smash/ him into the ground--
--and then force-feed all that terrible, cursed fire directly into the blonde's head.
"JUST COULDN'T TAKE THE HEAT, COULD YOU, YOU PUSSY?! HUUARRRGHHHH!!"
[OOC] Iori says, "and now i idle to get pizza, b r b"
[OOC] Kyo says, "time to get t-shirts printed up with a shopped pic of me and iori giving a thumbs up"
[OOC] Kyo says, "caption 'BEST FRIENDS'"
COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Iori's Koto Moon Negative.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Kyo 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1 Iori
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kain [E] 0/-------/=======|
After a few moments Kain realizes that it's concrete crunching under his fists and not Kyo's bones. At that point he looks up and sees Iori coming toward him. The blow aimed for his throat is intercepted with a raised arm, and then his other arm swings up to block Iori's follow up strike. Purple and black flames writhe together as they arms connect, and Kain glares at Iori with his teeth bared. "You have no god damned IDEA what control is!"
Kain lunges out with his left hand for Iori's collar. "I come here to HELP-" And then he attempts to headbutt Iori in the face. "-and you bastards won't LISTEN!" He then reaches out to grab Iori's head with both hands, dragging it down to meet his rising knee. "You want to see me lose control!?" Kain's eyes are already looking pretty insane at this point. But he manages to top it when they start to glow blue. And then the flames around him erupt outwards, engulfing a fairly large area in black flame while he hurls Iori to the ground. And they don't appear to be subsiding anytime soon.
"Ugh, gross," mutters Kyo, as he spits out a gob of particularly bile-y spittle, suggesting that maybe he got hit in the stomach a bit harder than he had originally anticipated. At least, he reminds himself, he's tough enough that he didn't just throw up on Kain. As funny as the 'throw up on Kain' part would be, a man has his pride. Spitting a few more times onto the pier to make sure he's gotten it all out of his system, the Kusanagi heir then rises up to his feet, for the moment barely even noticing the way Kain and Iori are shouting at and generally trying to murder one another.
Better them than him, you know?
"I'm really getting sick of all the violent psychotics in my life," Kyo continues complaining to himself, a brilliant flame blooming to life in his right hand, raging in his palm and contained by the 'cage' of his fingers as he raises it up over his head. The Ever-Burning Flames of the Kusanagi, the ancient and sacred power once shared by the Yasakani who preceded the tained Yagami clan; the power itself has the weight of history behind it, a palpable feeling that fills the air as Kyo draws on the flames of his bloodline.
As the flame rages, Kyo's hair and horrible Hawaiian shirt stir in a wind created by the force of his own power, and there's a strange sensation, of something enormous growing closer, just outside of one's line of sight.
COMBATSYS: Kyo gathers his will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Kyo 1/--=====/=======|=======\-------\1 Iori
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kain [E] 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Iori Toughs Out Kain's Fierce Combo!
~ Cruel hit! ~
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Kyo 1/--=====/=======|=======\======-\1 Iori
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kain [E] 1/------=/=======|
[OOC] Kain says, "Well played."
[OOC] Iori says, "my ability to mindlessly barrel into things knows no bounds"
[OOC] Kyo says, "what an odd confluence of abilities"
[OOC] Iori says, "now let's see if i survive"
"?!" Surprise paints Iori Yagami's features for the briefest of moments at the sight of Kain's flame-infused arms intercepting the entire raw fury of his blow. Surprise is quickly replaced by irritation; irritation, quickly replaced by--
"WHO GIVES A SHIT ABOUT CONTROL?!" --Rage. So, so much rage.
"THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO NEED... ghhhn... CONTROL ARE COWARDLY LITTLE PRICKS LIKE YOU--" And then comes Kain, head-first. It's not a move that he would usually make use of, and if Iori was feeling remotely normal he would be taken aback by it. As it stands, when that headbutt swings in, the last of the Yagami very literally swings his /own/ head down to meet Kain's headfirst, butting heads like two angry rams.
The CRACK of bone reverborates throughout the pier; thick crimson runs down Iori's forehead, splitting into a multitude of rivulets that drain down his face. A second later, Iori's head is grabbed -- yet he does not even remotely try to resist. And the second that skull meets Kain's knee in a second, even more resoundingly loud impact of bone meeting bone--
"No," breathes out Iori. Black flames erupt outward.
"All I want you to do is--"
And SUDDENLY Iori SNAPS his head up, staring directly into Kain's glowing blue eyes with a blood-red gaze of fury; his right eye has been dyed with his own blood, and all that can be seen in that expression is overwhelming bloodlust as he stands at the very epicentre of those flames, burning within Kain's fury.
It happens in an instant. Not trying to move out of that powerful, Orochi-tainted chi, Iori instead very simply LASHES out with his right hand, aiming to gouge Kain's chest with a powerful sweep of his clawed digits.
"CRY!"
And then another swipe. And another. And another, until he has slashed at Heinlein at least eight times, his own blood flinging through the air and burning up within Kain's inferno.
"SCREAM!"
Purple blossoms within pitch blackness as Iori lunges forward across that brief distance, to try and grasp Kain by the lapels of his outfit. Purple flames billow outward, intermixing with the black conflagration.
"And then..."
And like a timebomb going off, Iori Yagami suddenly explodes into violet flame, billowing outward viciously to consume the black flames surrounding him -- and then consume Kain, to burn the both of them simultaneously, without care, concern, hesitation or remorse.
"-DIE-!"
[OOC] Iori says, "ha ha ha it won't let me use any attacks that will kill me"
[OOC] Iori says, "well shit"
[OOC] Kyo D:
[OOC] Kain D:
[OOC] Iori says, "i have 3 health left and ya otome has driven on it, apparently if an attack would take me into ko it won't let me use it. hmmmm"
[OOC] Kain hmms.
[OOC] Kain says, "Maybe we can fudge the numbers slightly. <_< >_>"
[OOC] Iori says, "let us cheat fate"
[OOC] Kain says, "Just a sec."
[OOC] Kain says, "GLaDOS is looking into allowing people to kill themselves with DRIVEN."
[OOC] Iori says, "excellent"
COMBATSYS: Iori can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Kyo 1/--=====/=======|=======\=------\1 [E] Kain
[OOC] Kain looks at his odds. D:
[OOC] Iori says, "they're an expression of my love"
COMBATSYS: Kain just-defends Iori's Ya Otome!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kyo 1/--=====/=======|=======\=------\1 [E] Kain
[OOC] Kain says, "0 block chance means nothing to me. NOTHING! C_C"
[OOC] Kyo says, "welp"
[OOC] Kyo says, "uhhhh"
[OOC] Iori says, "you're screwed buddy"
[OOC] Kain was actually expecting to just get torn to pieces and then vanish in a blast of flame with some dire warnings. Hmm, hmm...
[OOC] Kyo says, "'kain turns around, kyo is gone leaving behind a stuffed straw dummy in that ugly hawaiian shirt'"
[OOC] Kain says, "So, Iori, since you're down anyway, do you mind if I pose blasting you away as part of my pose? :|a"
[OOC] Iori says, "do it up, sir"
For anybody looking in from the outside (which is pretty much just Kyo at this point, because people are running the hell away), it's hard to see much but a maelstrom of purple and black flames, and hear much aside from the fact that there's two men shouting loudly. As Iori lashes out Kain snarls at him. A wave of black flame erupts from Kain with so much force that it's like Iori's hand hits a solid wall. Slash after slash, but instead of blood there's just sparks and waves of flame.
With one final effort, Iori manages to gets his hands through to grasp Kain by the lapels. But then, just as the purple flame starts to erupt from Iori's body, the black firestorm swirling around both men suddenly stops, and all the energy slams inward, stopping Iori's flames in their tracks, then driving in until Iori briefly appears as a man-shaped, flickering black flame. And then, in the blink of an eye, it's snuffed out.
Kain lets his left arm drop, then moves his right hand to Iori's chest. And then the black flame is back, a quick burst sending Yagami sailing away. And then Kain turns to Kyo, locking onto him with his blue gaze. His face is twisted up into a snarl, but it only gets worse as he begins running toward Kyo. He leaps up, raising both hands over his head as he sails toward Kyo. There's a glint of blue light from the sky overhead, and the clouds suddenly twist around that spot. And then as Kain lowers his hands a beam of blue energy shoots down from the sky, with black flame swirling all around it. If Kain was thinking more clearly, he'd realize that with an attack this massive, leaping toward your opponent isn't a good thing. But thinking clearly is definitely not what Kain is doing right now.
[OOC] Kyo says, "hmmmmmmmm"
[OOC] Kyo says, "mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm"
[OOC] Kyo says, "Wow even Orochinagi would only be a slow, that's uhhhh"
[OOC] Kyo tugs collar
COMBATSYS: Kyo blocks Kain's Himmlischer Atem.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kyo 1/--=====/=======|===----\-------\0 [E] Kain
[OOC] Kain says, "You're looking to be pretty on track for an awesome hero finish."
By this point, Kyo has decided that whatever has turned Kain into a crazy photo negative of himself is in fact /total bullshit/, as he watches the formerly calm and controlled chi master completely shut down Iori's furious power. Now, he's well aware that Kain is, hands down, one of the strongest fighters in the world... But he's also well aware that /so is Iori/ and stuff like that just shouldn't happen. Unless it's him doing it, because he really is just that amazing.
Kyo's dark brown eyes meet Kain's freakishly glowing blue, and he answers the other man's visible snarl with a level look that, ever so slowly, pulls into a lopsided, grinning smirk. It's a little known fact that one of the essential rules of Kusanagi-ryuu Kobojutsu is 'never let them see you sweat', which is at least fifty percent of why Saishu Kusanagi acts like such a goddamn lunatic all the time.
The other fifty percent is that he is, in fact, a goddamn lunatic.
As Kain comes running at him, Kyo doesn't flinch or falter or give ground. He focuses on the flame, feels the familiar power flowing through it, through /him/, even as he can also feel the antithetical power flowing through Kain, blue energy and black flame responding to the other man's call like he has a freakin' satellite laser (completely ridiculous, who would have a satellite laser?) at his command, and then with Kain's urging bearing down on Kyo himself. His flame-bearing hand comes down, and crimson-orange fire wreathes his forearms in a sudden flare of power as Kyo raises them, crossed, and actually /intercepts/ the deadly assault from Kain, the two tremendous forces impacting against one another. Kyo hasn't enough power to completely negate what Kain does, and quickly enough the force of it overwhelms his guard, blasting back against him and sending him skidding backwards, but Kyo fights it every inch of the way, sheer stubbornness keeping him from giving up. The area begins to clear, blue and black and orange-crimson dissipating, and Kyo is still standing.
"What?" he wonders. "Is that it? Sounds like your deal with the devil was pretty one-sided, Blondie. Tell you what, why don't you go hide under your bed, and let the grown-ups handle the rest, huh?" And that would be right about when a massive column of orange-crimson, the sacred Kusanagi flame, erupts out of the ground and stretches to the sky, ideally centered /right on Kain/... At which point, Kyo actually hauls ass /into/ the flames, setting himself on fire as he starts unloading a lengthy series of punches, all once again aimed at Kain's person; if allowed to have his way, Kyo will just keep right on hitting the other man, driving him out of the column's area and along the pier, eventually twisting around to deliver a rising shoulder-block at the underside of Kain's jaw, which would then turn into a rising, whirling two-fisted fiery uppercut, with enough force to hurl even Heinlein away.
"HRAAAGH!!"
COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Kain's Himmlischer Atem.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Kyo 0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 [E] Kain
COMBATSYS: Kyo knocks away Kain with Mu Shiki.
>> Decisive Hit!! <<
[ \\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Kyo 0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 [E] Kain
[OOC] Iori says, "harsh"
[OOC] Kyo rubs champion all over his body in an alarmingly intimate way
Kain's cloak is basically disintegrated as his own death beam from the sky crashes down onto him and Kyo, but he otherwise doesn't really seem to notice it, despite the smoke rising from his shoulders. It does briefly force him into a hunched over position, though, and when he's able to straighten back up it's just in time to be engulfed in flame.
Even that isn't /that/ bad, considering how Kain is. It hurts, but he's not feeling pain at the moment. However, when Kyo follows up on that, Kain definitely notices. His head snaps back, and then he's launched up and back through the air, sailing some distance away before crashing down to the ruined pier with a loud thud.
And even with that, Kain rises again, spitting blood. But then the blue glow in his eyes fades and he wobbles, clutching at his face with one hand. "If I had the choice, it wouldn't be you two I came to for help." He falls to one knee with a grunt. He glares at Kyo with the one eye not covered up by his hand, then his face screws up in anger again. Somewhat more natural anger this time, though. Damn it. He doesn't want to admit any sort of weakness to /Kyo/ of all people, but... "This wasn't my choice, and I can barely control it. But people need to know that this priest of Orochi is on the move. He's the most powerful person I've ever /seen/, and he needs to be stop-" Kain grimaces, clutching tighter. "Just- just do something worthwhile for once in your damned life and find people who can stop them!" And then the glow starts to come back to his eyes. With a grunt of effort Kain slams both of his hands to the ground, and then is engulfed in a massive explosion of black fire. When it clears there's a good chunk of the pier missing, along with Kain.
COMBATSYS: Kain takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Kyo 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Kain can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Kyo 0/-------/=======|
It's impressive, no doubt about it, that Kain manages to get back up after all of that; but how much, Kyo has to wonder, is the man's own ability... And how much is because of whatever's been done to him, unleashing that furious rage that lends strength to his body, speed to his movements, and a definite mesquite aroma to his flames? It's a line of serious thinking that the Kusanagi heir would rather not have to bother with, the sort of thing he's tried to avoid his mind turning to his whole life, no matter what happened.
Even in the depths of the Siege of Southtown, when he was fighting off Shadaloo and NESTS psychos left and right, forced into improptu superhero teamups with people he could barely stand to deal with, he managed to keep his thoughts anything but dark and serious. Even when he almost got a hospital dropped on his head.
As Kain forces himself up and then finds himself half-falling again as that strange power seems to fade from him, Kyo makes no move to help, shows no sign of concern about the other man. Not out of cruelty, or his personal dislike for Heinlein, but because he wouldn't want to be coddled either. A man does have his pride. Impassive and, surprisingly, silent, Kyo doesn't do much of anything while Kain continues, and then actually blows up a chunk of the pier and /possibly also himself/ in the process.
Nah, Kyo is too genre savvy to believe Kain just killed himself, don't be silly.
Lifting his hand, Kyo watches as his bloodline flames dance easily over the back of his fingers, moving from one to the other like a coin rolled over the knuckles of a master of sleight of hand... And then he sweeps his hand through the air, snuffing the fire out. It seems distressingly possible that he might actually have to /do/ something about this. That there /might not actually be any way to weasel out of it/. Destiny has come knocking, and it brought a chloroform rag and a big burlap sack just in case.
"Son of a /bitch/," Kyo mutters, as he silently resolves to punch Reiji Oogami in the face at his earliest convenience for getting him into this.
COMBATSYS: Kyo has ended the fight here.
And just like that, it's over. In one second, Iori's world is engulfed in maddening rage as he feels himself tipping over the brink of some vast, metaphorical cliff.
In the next, there is only darkness.
The second those black flames temporarily blind and consume Iori, he is finished, done in by both Kain's fury and his own. The smoldering mass of a man collapses to the ground, barely cognizant of his surroundings -- but what he is /just/ cognizant of is the fact that Kyo is still up, still fighting -- and forcing Kain into a retreat, of sorts.
The explosion that ensues in Kain's disappearance is muffled to Iori's ears as his blurred vision focuses briefly on Kyo. Something tells him -- that man before him his wrong. He wretches, feeling his blood begin to bubble into a boil again. He has to -- has to
"What'd... I fucking... tell you..." he mumbles. "Gonna... kill... yyyy..."
And that is about all he can manage before Iori's consciousness slips away. When he wakes up, no doubt he'll have a wounded pride of his own to nurse.
But now, he has other, far more grievous problems to deal with.
[OOC] Kain says, "Good times."
[OOC] Iori says, "indeeeed"
[OOC] Kyo says, "fortunately nothing about this scene will come back to bite any of us in the ass, ho ho"
K' has disconnected.
Kyo has disconnected.
Kain has disconnected.
Iori has disconnected.
Kain has connected.
ODROP::OSUCC::Kain goes OOC.
Kyo has connected.
ODROP::Kyo heads OOC.
K' has connected.
K' has disconnected.
K' has connected.
K' has reconnected.
K' has dropped a connection.
K' has disconnected.
K' has connected.
Sorsha has connected.
K' has reconnected.
K' has reconnected.
K' has dropped a connection.
K' has dropped a connection.
K' has reconnected.
K' has dropped a connection.
ODROP::OSUCC::K' goes OOC.
Sorsha has disconnected.
Iori has connected.
Log created on 18:57:33 03/25/2011 by Iori, and last modified on 16:25:56 04/01/2011.