Bad Blood

[AsukaStrikes]

((Closed))

Hollow echoes rang against obsidian walls, their ballads of blood and sweat reflecting the souls of those within. Voices, shouting, bounded within the hallowed walls of the sacred battleground.

The Citadel had never seemed so grand than today, thought the young wildcat as she passed under the gigantic arch. Warriors, rangers and all sorts of dangerous individuals littered the resting area at the entrance. Some were sharpening their blades, looking to get that nice bit of flash once it slips into another warrior's flesh. Each of them eyed the new arrival with curious glances before returning to what they were doing - preparing for battle.

What a fine day to smack someone upside the head...

Asuka scoffed as she passed by the lounging wannabe-;egends, not sparing them anymore than a glance as she approached the hooded monk.

"Spare room?" The maiden nodded down the obsidian corridor, one of the many stretching down into the depths of the ancient fortress' hold.

"Certainly, miss." The ancient one nodded back, guiding her to what would be the arena for her fight.

It's been far too long...

Running a hand across the cool stones as they walked to the room, the maiden smiled as she let the soothing chill race down her arm and seep into her form, cherishing the cool sensation of solidarity. She had heard much about how even the Demons from afar were unable to penetrate this stronghold. She yearned to find out why...

But that would be for another day...

I feel lucky today...

The maiden grinned as she stepped through the doorway, feeling herself awashed with an odd sensation as intense light engulfed her form. It was one thing she never really got used to in the Citadel.

Should I feel lucky?

[Anila]

Sakurazuka Anila hadn't intended to return to Corone so soon. In fact, she'd intended to avoid the continent altogether until the time had come for her to return to Akashima and marry Harumura Daisuke, eldest son of the Duke of the Capital. But business for the organization with which she had allied herself meant that she needed to gather a part-time work force sponsored by a noble family or noble families. Since her father was the Duke of the North, her fiance destined to be Duke of the Capital, and her best friend was reclaiming her title as Duchess of the West, Anila had been the best and most logical choice to go and request a workforce.

She was supposed to meet another member of the House of Sora here in Radasanth, but she'd arrived a day or two early, and as she was bored and not inclined to be idle, she decided to flex her fans for the first time since her battle with Ashiakin and the almost-blind Alexa...and she'd come back to the Citadel to do it.

Dressed in her tight blue traveling and combat suit, Anila let Hissomi coil her long black braid into a tight bun at the back of her head. Her steel fans swung loosely in her grasp as she glanced around, taking in her potential competition. Perhaps one or two of them were worthy of her time. But perhaps not.

She approached the monk with a nod. "Give me someone...worthy...and somewhere interesting." The portal opened for her, and she stepped through, blinking to clear her eyes as the light faded.

She found herself in the most utterly peaceful spot she could imagine. She was standing atop a large flat rock in the center of a perfectly circular pond about fifteen feet wide. Behind her she could hear the trickle of a waterfall. And all around her stretched beautiful white sands that had been raked into beautiful designs around more rocks of varying sizes. Her family had a garden much like this in one of their courtyards at home.

On the shore, looking around at her new surroundings, was a familiar figure with red hair.

I thought Asuka was back in Akashima! What is she doing here?

Anila made advantage of the serpentine pattern the rocks in the pond took to hop onto the shore and approach the figure.

"Asuka-chan, nan--" there she stopped short. This red-head, while the very form of her best friend had the look of a maiden who scowled constantly, while Yamihara Asuka had a permanent smile and cheery demeanor. And to prove that their year or two apart hadn't changed her Asuka into this, her opponent had green eyes, not brown.

Anila perched atop a rock on the sand, looking down at her opponent coldly.

"I am Sakurazuka Anila, your challenger. Who are you?"

[AsukaStrikes]

...Asuka-chan?!

Asuka's head snapped in the direction of her accoster, who apparently had entered through merely moments before. This one was quite different from the others she had faced - unblemished face, silky midnight hair and an air of nobility. And a girl, at that.

"I should be the one asking you, stranger."

Then the name struck a tune in her memory. One she did not even remember she knew.

...Sakurazuka... !

The maiden had heard that name before. The Sakurazuka Family, the people ruling North Akashima and supposedly keeping the peace there. But it did not really matter if the Sakurazuka were actually doing what they were supposed to do; Anila's presence here was evidence enough that someone was not doing their job.

"Saa, Sakurazuka da ne...?" Asuka mused, taking measured steps as she eyed her "challenger" head to toe. The lass looked battle-ready enough, although it would be doubtful if she could provide the fun this red-hair maiden needed.

Definitely a noble, probably one of the Duke's little girls.

"You've already said my name, so there's no need for second introduction. That's all you need to know."

That was all the introduction she thought was necessary.

Asuka was here for a fight, after all. There was no need to know who she was fighting unless the opponent was worthy enough of a proper introduction.

Taking in a lungful of air, the maiden sighed at the familiar scent permeating the air. Musing to herself at how the wonderful scene might become defiled with the blood of the fallen, she shook her head in disdain before turning to address her raven-hair opponent.

"Talk is cheap. If you want to know more, fight me."

Casually stripping off her leather jacket, Asuka flung the clothing onto a boulder rising high amidst the watery arena. Hearing the satisfying plop of her jacket landing on the rock, the maiden took a few measured steps from one stepping stone to another with a wary eye on Anila. Her right hand reached for Kazeryu, still sheathed but more than ready to strike, as they two of them prepared to engage in the sacred duel.

Let's see what you got, girlie.

[Anila]

"You are the very form of Yamihara Asuka...but you are not the woman herself." To be quite fair...the Asuka that Anila knew was not much different from a girl in many of her ways. And it only high lights the fact that this is not my Asuka.

Anila let her cool brown eyes assess the red-head across from her. She looked like she'd been in and out of fights and taverns for most of her life, much coarser than she herself was. Much hardier. Another problem was presented by the leather jacket her opponent wore. While Hagane and Uindo had no problems slicing flesh, the jacket would be a considerable obstacle. But not insurmountable.

Anila let her footing shift on her rock as she gathered herself for a leap at her opponent. Already she didn't like the arena. While it was peaceful, suitable for meditation or relaxation, her fighting style was much more suited to clear, open spaces where she could whirl in and withdraw in a deadly flash of fans. How do I adapt to something so close...?

Adapt she would, she decided. In close meant that she could make her movements more precise...and if her opponent occupied her left hand, she could use Uindo to attack.

Pushing off, Anila launched through the air, spinning and bringing her fans to bear. As she descended and neared her target, Hagane slammed downward to counter the inevitable attack, and Uindo followed the barest part of a second later, whipping open with a crack as she went for this new 'Asuka's' face.

[AsukaStrikes]

That name-!

Yamihara Asuka.

The name that had been haunting her mind for many years since before her self-imposed exodus away from Akashima. The name that constantly mocked her, cajoling the warrior maiden to seek out this person in an attempt to verify that... That the two of them were never alike.

The young noble's words barely had time to sink into Asuka's strained mind when the attack came, spinning through the air in a deadly whirlwind. Snapping her head up just as Anila came within striking distance, the swordmaiden flashed Kazeryu from his sheath on her right leg to parry the blow of-

A fan?!

Holding her ground, the maiden instinctively crouched under the supposed path the unorthodox weapon was going to make, even though her sword would more or less halt the attack in mid-strike. She had not considered her footing, though, and her right foot slid off the rock.

Splash-

Crack!

The entire arena spun as Asuka felt a rush of pain shoot through her head, spinning on her right knee as her eyes snapped around to see what had grazed her face mere seconds ago.

T- Tessen?!

Using the momentum of her fall, Asuka rolled through the water-logged pond until she managed to hit a solid piece of rock which jabbed her roughly in the ribs. Hauling herself onto the stepping stone after her unceremonious tumble, the maiden glared hard at the agile little warrior who managed to cut a neat little line just a few quarter inches below her eye.

"Eh~ Sugoi da ne..." Musing as she slowly rose onto her feet, the red-hair maiden let out a satisfied grin before wiping blood from her newly acquired injury. "Kono kanojou wa omoshiroin desu ne..."

It looks like things will be a bit more fun than I thought after all...

Grinning with satisfaction, the wild cat let out a short battlecry and lunged at the young miss, Kazeryu flashing behind her as she trampled through the pond. Slowed by the watery grounds, Asuka still got within her target's reach in under three seconds and retaliated with a similar strike.

Bringing Kazeryu around in a wide arc from her right, Asuka intended on landing the flat of the blade across the young girl's shoulder before giving her a shoulder tackle clear in the chest. The force would most likely not be too lethal, but most certainly enough to make her think twice about getting too close.

[Anila]

Anila saw the move coming as the red-head brought the blade to bear -- she hadn't trained in martial arts practically from the cradle to fall prey to a simple charge and sweeping attack. The only flaw she could see in her own position was that the momentum of Asuka's attack would knock her from her perch. She had the option of relinquishing her perch willingly, or off mimicking her opponent's graceless landing.

As Asuka's Kazeryu swept toward her, Anila snapped her fans shut and hopped up a little, adding a little momentum to make her spin. Her right hand came around harshly to bat the red-head's simplistic sword with Hagane and prevent it from hitting her. Meanwhile, she allowed her opponent's shoulder to catch her in the side, letting the force knock her back several feet as she continued her spin, hoping to hit the girl across the face with the folded Uindo's broad side as she passed.

Anila landed on her feet, water splashing up in great arcs around her as she hit the surface and sank to her knees in the shallow water. The rock that had been her perch formed a natural, though temporary barrier between the two women. Koi and Carp bumped against her, agitated, and Anila grinned, sliding one foot back on the mossy bottom of the lake in order to take up a proper fighting stance.

Flicking her fans open, one out and level in front of her and the other held tight to her hip, Anila let her faintly rogued mouth twist into a smirk. She'd come expecting an easy battle against an inconsequential foe. It was much to her delight that she had a challenge worthy of her time, and she would have to try harder if she wanted a clear victory over her foe.

"Well played, Asuka. You seem to be worth my time after all."

That said, she plunged her trailing hand into the water, hitting a koi with Uindo and flipping it towards her opponent's face.

[AsukaStrikes]

And thanks for making my day as well, kiddo.

By the time the raven-hair kid regained her poise, Asuka was already taking up a defensive position of her own. Water lapped at her knees, wetting the inside of her legs and staining the cloth a darker shade of brown than it used to. Shiver moved up her body, but she shrugged it off and circled the stony barricade in preparation for her offensive.

It also made her realize the true danger of the arena.

The arena was of a very curious layout that she had failed to catch on her way in, the truth revealing itself only after her ungraceful tumble through the more shallow area of the watery arena. Despite itsl evelled appearance, the substrate underwater was much more uneven and treacherous than the surface - what you could not see, you could not anticipate.

As for the carp-flinging attack, she saw it coming.

Catching the flying fish nonchalantly with her left hand, Asuka contemplated on chucking the unfortunate thing back at Anila in retort. It was a logical attack - if you had a means to retaliate, retaliate in kind. The vain struggle of the koi fish in her hand, however, left a strange sensation on her mind. Contemplating the action, Asuka snorted irately and chucked the creature over her shoulders, the lucky fish landing with a plop in the water and swam away mostly unscathe.

"Ruthless like her father. I'm impressed."

Yes, definitely an interesting girl.

"But I think I'll have to show you how a real fight works..."

Taking a few steps towards another stepping stone to her right, Asuka trained her eyes on the proud little girl and began focusing her power into the double-edged blade. Glaring at the target through her wet, crimson bangs, Asuka flashed the Wind Dragon in a wide, flat arc aimed to give that pretty face a scar or two to remember her by.

"Okaze Slash!"

But it did not end there. Using the stepping stone as a launch pad, Asuka leapt out of the water clear into the air. While her eyes tracked the target's movement from the air, the maiden's trajectory was aimed not at the place where Anila was supposed to be - rather, she intended to land on the stepping stone behind the black-hair cutie for a surprise kick to the head.

If the little lady did not see it coming.

[Anila]

The only warning Anila had that the air itself would attack her was the light blue glow that shimmered around Asuka's sword in the moments before she whipped it at the dark-haired girl. Anila's only defense was reflexive - she brought her arm up in front of her face.

The razor-sharp blast of air ripped through her sleeve and bit deeply into her left arm, making the Akashiman Lady grit her teeth and scowl as blood trickled down the entire length of her the limb, staining the clear water red in droplets. The pain was negligible, since the blast had been so sharp, but she'd have to watch out, in case her opponent could repeat the maneuver.

Always assume that an opponent will repeat a successful move. Anticipate and be prepared.

She felt the shadow flit over her head as Asuka leapt over her, and she did a swift turn in the waist-deep water, feet dragging over the bumpy surface and koi scattering as she moved. Her right fan lashed out, searching for a leg even as Asuka's foot smacked the side of her head firmly.

The truth about head shots, especially with kicks, is that it's always a little disorienting to be hit around the head or face -- but if you have proper balance, it doesn't hurt much, and if the opponent doesn't kick correctly, she's just damaged her own foot. In Anila's favor was that she was moving in the same direction the kick came from.

She let her motion and the added momentum carry her through the turn, and made a very quick shifting of which foot was fore and which was hind, turning her body appropriately. Her positioning was worse than her opponent's by far, and she'd either have to find a way to get the red-head that so resembled her best friend into the water, or bring herself up and onto the rocks.

I wonder...if I can so easily fight this girl who looks like my Asuka, and bears her name...would I be so merciless to the girl herself? Her eyes hardened as she gathered the muscles in her legs, feeling the cold water swirl around her.

In the Citadel...yes, I would.

[AsukaStrikes]

If the landing on such a small rocky surface was not such an amazing feat in itself already, the anticipated follow-up actually hit home with ferocity that satisfied the Wildcat. However, she felt it could have been better if her jump was not so haphazard to begin with.

The stone platform connected with Asuka flat across her knee and she was now feeling the consequences. Numbing pain enveloped her left knee and slowly spread to consume her entire left thigh. But if not for the bad landing and subsequently smashing her knee against the flat rock, she would have felt a shock of needles piercing the side of her leg coinciding with the red stain on her pants. However one looked at the situation, it was a definite harbinger of doom to the Akashiman fighter.

Oh, great. Asuka forced herself into a crouch, keeping the knee planted against the cold surface surrounded by water. Now what, smarty-pants.

Had the fighter been with good legs, she knew this fight was going perfectly in her favor. After all, she had the advantage of speed and surprise while Anila was better at quick succesive strikes. A fighting style very similar to her own Dragon Dance technique. Spin, turn, strike, repeat...

...Why didn't I think of that?!

The maiden froze atop the rocky pedestal, a revelation shining into her eyes at the sudden thought of her trademark combat tactics. How could she forget the Dance of the Dragon, a fighting style rumored to emulate the very movements of the Akashiman Emerald Dragon. It was a technique passed down from her father, the late Master Blacksmith who also crafted her sword. It was a wonder how far she had strayed from her roots.

I can't believe I forgot about all of that... Her eyes widened in realization, motionless atop the stepping stone as if she was merely a statue above the water. Kazen... Kazeryu...

Gomennasai...

[Anila]

Anila was not one to show mercy in the face of combat, especially not in cases in which her own blood had been shed. Asuka's realization came at a bad time for the red-headed Akashiman, and the raven-haired girl was fast to take advantage of it. Her own injury was negligible, and the crack that she'd heard from her opponent's knee had been louder than the rush of the water in her wake. If this unfamiliar Asuka was still mobile, it would be painfully, and slowly.

Anila hadn't even completed her whirl as she completed her calculations. This was her chance to finish off her enemy and prove herself superior...and maybe get some answers.

A fresh thrust against the pool's rocky bottom gave momentum to her spin and pushed her through the water ever closer to her target. Again, Uindo led into the motion, closed to prevent its mistress from slicing herself on her opponent's weapon, and again Hagane flashed in the light as it sought out its target - the eyes, or if Asuka moved at the last moment, the throat.

While Anila despised needless killing as a rule, this was the Citadel. No one died here unless their time had come. Here, death was merely the way one warrior triumphed over another. Sakurazuka Anila craved that sort of triumph, and if it came du to an error in her opponent's judgment...

As her father said, "all is fair in war."

Her opponent should have never dropped her guard.

[AsukaStrikes]

SMACK-!

Blood sprayed from the swordmaiden's face and mingled with errant strands of hair as Hagane cut through the air, a clear sign which mean the strike indeed hit home. However, in spite of all the roaring heat of battle bursting into flames all around the two fighters, Asuka remained frozen on her rock.

Kazeryu... Gomennasai...

Her mind drifted out from the battleground, away from the biting tessen which ripped a long red line across her cheek. Away from the Akashiman noble who questioned the flame-hair maiden's identity. Away from the heat of battle and away from the searing pain cutting across her sulken form.

Away from the painful reality that she had betrayed her roots.

Gomennasai...

Asuka stared at the obsidian-hair noble who just landed a deafening blow on her face, but her expression was not that of rage nor surprise. With empty sorrow eyes, she muttered incoherently to the person who was supposed to be her enemy.

"Gomennasai... Tousan."

[Anila]

There had ceased to be any honor in this battle. When her fan strike both failed to take out the other warrior and bring her attention back to the fight, there was no longer any point continuing.

It angered Sakurazuka Anila. It angered her tremendously. How dare this no-account red-head come into battle, treat her like an opponent...and suddenly lose interest? And why so soft an expression when she should have been crying in pain?

Disgust curled Anila's lips, and she flicked her fans, flinging ruby-red droplets that only mildly disturbed the otherwise serene surface of the pond. This wasn't earning a victory; defeat was written all over the other woman's face. She hadn't even had to earn it.

"Pathetic."

The word fell from Anila's lips will all the force of judgment one would expect from a girl accustomed to doling it out. Her opponent was pathetic, the battle had become pathetic and no longer worth her time.

"This is over."

With that, she waded out of the pond and stepped up onto dry land, letting the water fall away from her body and feeling mildly annoyed that it made her clothes cling tightly to her flesh. She watched the other warrior, though, as though to see if there were any surprise attacks left in her, and then walked out of the arena, through the doors, and out of the Citadel.

What could have been a very promising battle had turned into a giant waste of her time. She had a mission for the House of Sora to fulfill, and if her supposed partner had not arrived yet, she would leave without him.

After all...she was going home.

[AsukaStrikes]

Gomennasai...

Eyes bleak in spite of opening wide, the maiden stared off into emptiness. Fresh streams of blood trickled from the gruesome gash, dribbled down her pallid chin before merging with the light pink puddle in the water. Large golden Koi weaved through the water, flicking their tails in disdain as the crimson vapor reached their heads and stirring the mixtures together.

"....Gomennasai..."

The only words Asuka could muster as the fleeting shadow of her opponent stormed out of the garden arena, disregarding the apathetic Akashiman altogether.

Her vision blurred and head gradually becoming light, Asuka's knees struck the stony stepping stones she crouched upon and her hands dropped to her side. Even still, Kazeryu remained in her feeble grip but slowly slipped from her hold.

"...Gomennasai..."

The words continued to echo in her mind even as darkness overcame her, the world seemed to sway in unison with her being the only one not in synch.

Asuka was no longer sure who she was apologizing to, as the only other person present had left her many minutes before. Was it her Father, the gentle blacksmith of fame who crafted the sturdy blade she now wielded? To Kazen, the Emerald Wind Dragon whom she owed tribute towards his blessings. Or could it be to Kazeryu himself, whom she had neglected to use to his full potential.

"...Gomen... nasai..."

Without a word, the flame-hair maiden sank into her watery demise.

~~~

Light crept into her eyes as Asuka opened her eyes, a frighteningly familiar smell almost instantaneously assaulting her nose. However, the girl did not wince as she used to and neither tried to free herself from the uncomfortably warm bed she now felt under her. The bluish white ceiling stared at her as she stared back, a blank expression the only thing registering on her face.

Shortly after her sight had returned, her vision still washed of the bluish white tint of the infirmary room within the Citadel's hold, the all-too-familiar sound of the healer monks entered to check on her recuperation.

"That was a rather nasty defeat, Asuka." The familiarly-attired monk addressed her, placing a platter of food atop the bedside table. "So, how do you feel today?"

The lass did not even look at the man as he went about checking her pulse, making sure that their healing techniques left no visible trauma to the Citadel battler.

"Asuka?" He asked once again, seeing no reaction from the lass known for her fiery temper and even quicker tongue.

"...I wish I died in there..."

The monk nodded slowly before departing from her room. Again, as if mocking her condition of defeat at her own will, Asuka was left to her thoughts in a sterile white room, staring at the ceiling and seeing nothing but a word.

Gomennasai...

[Call me J]

Well this was a very well written thread. AsukaStrikes is the winner, but you both shone here.

Anila
Continuity: 7. I would have liked a bit more detail on how Anila knew Yamihara. I felt it would have helped, especially if you had just told me what kind of an adventure they had. Also, please see my comments for persona.
Setting: 6. This factored into Anila’s strategy occasionally, but that was about it. It seemed in this battle, you were content keeping setting as a side note, as opposed to an actor of its own right.
Pacing: 5. As far as telling your own story arc, this was good. However, I really didn’t feel like there was anything that really linked the stories of Asuka and Anila in this thread. Anila seemed to be centered on the battle, and Asuka seemed to be mostly in her head. Your conclusion to this thread really hit this point home, though I assume that was unintentional.
Dialogue: 9 I really loved your use of internal monologue. Part of me wants to say I wish you had more of it, but then that part of me remembers that your monologue was the best because it came only at the right time and emphasized the right things.
Action: 6. While there was nothing in here I would really point out as wrong, there was also nothing I would point out as creative or exciting either. For me, the first few points in action just come from doing things that are mostly logical. Beyond that point, you have to do things that are either creative, or unexpected and still reasonable to gain higher scores.
Persona: 7. I really felt you did a better job in this thread in distinguishing Anila from a robotic character with no emotions from a battle hardened warrior whose emotions don’t really factor in battles than you have done in other instances. Your internal monologue was the real vehicle for this. I was actually surprised for a thread that had so much continuity, that you didn’t really include much history that really showed character. Perhaps if you did more to “editorialize” the history from an omniscient POV then you would have more success in this area.
Mechanics: 10. Good job.
Technique: 6. I feel that if you tied this more in with setting you’d see both scores rise.
Clarity: 9. This battle read very easily, perhaps a function of your stripped down style.
Wild Card: 4. At the risk of sounding rude, while I really liked your writing here, I don’t really feel as though I liked this story much at all. It sort of lacked a real hook to it, and since I don’t feel that I really expressed that anywhere else in the rubric, I put that here. In general, I like every Citadel fight to have a “big match” feel to it. I got that, but only from Asuka.
Total: 69

AsukaStrikes
Continuity: 6. I’m not sure whether adding more backstory here would have helped you in every post, but it would have helped the introduction. It would have greatly strengthened your conclusion.
Setting: 8. I liked the little bit with the koi a lot, at least as far as setting goes. It may have slightly seemed out of place in terms of action, but I’m the kind of judge who is willing to let little things like that slide if they bring more to the story than they take away.
Pacing: 5. See Anila’s comment.
Dialogue: 6. When using Japanese phrases, you really need to make sure that the reader knows what you’re talking about. I thought Gomennasai was a person’s name initially. Using Japanese really suits Asuka, but make sure non Japanese readers have a way of figuring out what you’re talking about.
Action: 8. This was a great example of how action and setting can be used together to tell a great story.
Persona: 6. Despite the fact it was Asuka’s regrets that lead to her losing the battle, I was a bit underwhelmed here.
Mechanics: 9. There were minor errors that a spell check wouldn’t have caught.
Technique: 8. Your writing style is very unique. I mean that in the most positive way possible. I especially liked the way that you used onomatopoeia and formatted it out to give it its greatest effect.
Clarity: 9. Another case where this is an artifact of your writing style.
Wild Card: 6. Normally, I don’t give different scores to different writers in Wild Card during battles, but here I felt it necessary, because I really felt that Asuka was the one who drew me into this thread and not Anila.
Total: 71

Spoils.

Asukastrikes gains 1200 EXP and 85 GP
Anila gains 300 EXP and 100 GP

[Karuka]

EXP/GP added!