"If you don't give up now, I'll break your arm," Ryomou growled at Kanu, arching her back just a little more to illustrate her point.
"It's just an arm," Kanu retorted, marshalling her energy and fighting to sit up.
"No way," Kokin said in disbelief.
"Her arm! It's gonna break," Hakufu gasped.
"Kan-chan, don't!" Ranma called out.
"No simple injury is worth more than my honor!" Kanu announced as she sat up.
A loud snapping sound left the observers speechless. Even Ryomou was stunned into letting go of Kanu's arm. Kanu stood up several feet away from Ryomou, her arm bent at an unnatural angle and becoming discolored around the break.
"After all," Kanu said calmly, ignoring the terrible pain she had to be feeling, "I'm a Fighter."
"Is she serious?" Hakufu asked in a sick tone.
"Okay, I'm impressed as hell," Ranma mentioned. "Anyone else impressed as hell?"
Cologne, who was watching from the roof of the stairwell enclosure, echoed Ranma's sentiments. She had nearly fallen of her staff in shock when the girl had allowed her arm to be broken just to escape the other girl's hold. There was absolutely no doubt the Unchou girl had Amazon blood in her. What she wouldn't give to have that girl in the tribe, but she was off limits because of that accursed Fate.
"Ryomou! Get up!" Kokin shouted at the girl that was still laying on the ground with her mouth hanging open in utter shock.
Kokin's shout rebooted her stunned brain and Ryomou flipped backward into a handstand and then into the air to land on her feet. It was too late, however, since Kanu was already in the air descending on her. All she could do was get her arms up in a semblance of guard position before Kanu was on her.
Kanu landed in front of her and unleashed a kick that slammed into Ryomou's arms, numbing them with the force of the blow, but that wasn't the end. Kanu spun around and kicked her three more times in rapid succession, each kick blasting into Ryomou's torso with brutal power. Ryomou staggered backward before her shaking knees collapsed under her, dropping her to her hands and knees as she spit up blood.
"1800 years ago, Ryomou Shimei killed Kanu Unchou," Kanu said, standing over Ryomou, her broken arm dangling and her other hand on her hip. "If I killed you right now, do you think that I would change history?"
Ryomou could only glare up at her as pain racked her body. Kanu met her glare evenly before turning way.
"The winner is obvious," Kanu said as she began walking away.
"Wait," Ryomou grated out through clenched teeth, struggling to one knee, her body trembling from the effort. "It's not over."
"I'm next!" Hakufu shouted. "Gak-chan already had his turn. I think that I should be next!"
"Hakufu?" Ryomou blinked at the bubbly, strawberry blonde.
"Hakufu stop! You don't have to fight! I will," Kokin shouted.
"No way, it's my turn," Hakufu shouted back. "I wanna fight her."
"She has a broken arm. She's not gonna be fighting anyone else," Ranma pointed out.
"Oh yeah, that's right," Hakufu said, her enthusiasm waning.
"Don't worry," Kanu smiled. "I can still be your opponent."
"But you're hurt. I can't do that," Hakufu said.
"Why don't you say that after you've laid a finger on me?" Kanu smirked.
"Kan-chan," Ranma said, "you don't need to do this. I can handle the rest of them. You're arm is broken and I know it's gotta hurt."
"I can still fight, Ma-chan," Kanu stated, giving him a look that dared him to try and stop her.
"Sheesh, fine," Ranma said. "And people accuse me of being too macho."
Kanu snorted in mirth before turning to the ref.
"Begin the second match," she commanded.
"Uh, Seito versus Nanyo! Second match," the ref called out shakily. He was positive that Kanu was certifiably insane at this point. "Begin!"
"Alright!" Hakufu shouted. "But I'm not gonna hold back anymore!"
"Why did it have to end up like this?" Kokin sighed.
"It's because it's the way of the fighters," Ryomou said, easing herself back to lean against the wall.
"Are you hurt, Ryomou?" Kokin asked.
"I'll be alright," she replied.
"Here, let me look," Ranma said coming up to Ryomou.
"Look at what?" Ryomou asked.
"Your injuries. I might can do something about the pain," Ranma suggested. Cologne had been teaching him a few helpful pressure points that could ease the pain from injuries and promote healing.
Ryomou looked questioningly at Kokin who nodded slightly.
"Fine," Ryomou conceded, dropping her arms to her sides.
Ranma began examining her while trying not to notice nearly the entire front of her outfit was missing and her bra was clearly showing. He immediately noticed she had some cracked ribs and some fairly deep bruising on her diaphragm. It probably hurt her just to breathe.
"I'm gonna have to touch you," Ranma explained. "I promise, I won't do anything perverted. After all, my girlfriend is right over there."
"One of them anyway," Kokin quipped.
"Just do it," Ryomou said, trying to sound irritated.
"Right," Ranma nodded and began poking her at various points.
Ryomou's eyes widened as her breathing became easier and less painful. Each time he touched her, it felt akin to an electric shock but the pain seemed to recede to a far more tolerable level after each zap. When he was done, she was still in pain but it was much reduced now.
"How's that?" Ranma asked.
"A lot better, thanks," Ryomou nodded.
"No problem," Ranma smiled before turning back to the fight just in time to see Hakufu leap at Kanu.
Kanu spun to the side and caught Hakufu with a ki-infused spinning back fist as she flew by. Hakufu squawked as she was blasted into the fence with the whole front of her top blow apart but she immediately got back on her feet and grinned at Kanu.
"I'm not through yet," Hakufu declared, charging at Kanu with another leap.
This time Kanu caught her with a side kick to the gut, stopping Hakufu's flight dead. Hakufu's eyes bulged and she coughed out some blood before she was sent flying a few meters back the way she came to land hard on her back.
"Hakufu!" Kokin gasped in alarm while Ranma winced in sympathy.
"Can this really be the Sho Haou?" Kanu wondered. "She's much too weak."
Ukitsu sat atop a nearby water tower watching Sonsaku's cousins...er...fight, yeah that's right, she was watching Sonsaku's fight, not her delicious, hunky cousins. And she wasn't imagining ecchi scenes involving one or both of them, a can of Ready-whip and a bottle of chocolate syrup. Nope, she wasn't imagining that at all.
"Now let the games begin," she grinned as she sensed Sonsaku's true power about to manifest.
Hakufu's eyes opened and her pupils shrank to slits as she stood up. Kanu's eyes widened as she sensed the power awaken behind her. She had started to walk away, thinking that the other girl was down for the count, but apparently she was wrong. Ranma's eyes widened as well as he saw Hakufu's battle aura manifest in a burning golden corona around her.
"Oh no!" Kokin said urgently. "That's what she looked like right before she defeated Ryomou...er...sorry about that, Ryomou."
"Don't worry," Ryomou dismissed. "It's only the truth."
"What the hell?" Ranma blinked. He had known there was something slightly weird about his cousin's ki, but now the part that felt odd had exploded into an enormous power. "Can you feel that, Old Ghoul?" Ranma asked Cologne, having known she had been following him.
"The power of the legendary Dragons of Haou," Cologne said in awe. "We've heard about it, but never actually witnessed it."
"Something is different," Ryomou pointed out.
"She's laughing?" Kokin observed, not quite sure if he was really seeing it.
"I'm getting so excited," Hakufu grinned in a slightly unhinged manner as she pulled up her bra strap that had slipped down her shoulder. "It's awesome! You're so strong!"
"That girl..." Kanu exclaimed as Hakufu set herself and leapt high into the air.
A line of ki trailed from Hakufu's foot as she descended towards Kanu. Kanu ducked the kick but a small tear appeared on the shoulder of her fuku top indicating she hadn't avoided the blow cleanly. Kanu countered with a back kick as Hakufu landed, but the other girl moved with impossible speed, leaving Kanu's kick to pass through her after image.
Suddenly sensing Hakufu behind her, Kanu spun around to see Hakufu's fist inches away from her face. It was everything she could do to bring her arm up and deflect the punch to the side. It was utterly amazing how powerful the girl was now.
Kanu lashed out with another kick, but Hakufu leapt into the air again letting the kick pass harmlessly under her. When she came back down, the two fighters clashed with each other, forearm against forearm, each trying to overpower the other.
"This is amazing," Kokin said in awe. "Could I be dreaming right now?"
"She still herself, but she's fighting so well," Ryomou pointed out, equally astounded.
"This is the power of the Sho Haou," Gakushu spoke up. "This is what I sensed in her."
"Just wait until I get her home," Ranma growled angrily. "She's been able to fight like this the whole time and she's been acting like a first year white belt. That's damn well gonna stop. She's gonna fight like this every time even if I have to beat her to a bloody pulp."
Kokin looked over at his cousin like the younger boy was insane.
Meanwhile the faceoff came to an abrupt end when Hakufu fired a kick at Kanu making the blue-haired girl leap backwards to avoid it.
"Kanu actually backed off to escape an attack?" Ukitsu said in amusement. "What an interesting show!"
'Incredible,' Kanu thought to herself as sweat began to run down her face from both the effort it was taking to ignore the pain in her broken arm and the energy she was having to use to stay in the fight. 'Her tactics, reaction time, and power are all extraordinary. If I'm going to have any chance to win...'
Kanu relaxed her stance, shifting to the deceptively open stance Ranma favored. Hakufu smirked as she saw this.
"I got it!" Hakufu announced.
She charge forward with a screamed battle cry, firing a kick at the taller girl. Kanu matched Hakufu's scream and launched her own kick. The spectators all gaped as both kicks landed, the sound of flesh striking flesh echoing loudly across the rooftop.
Time seemed to stop for several moments as the two girls held their pose, Kanu's leg extended and resting against Hakufu's head while Hakufu's leg was extended and resting again Kanu's ribs. Then time began again as they both fell to the ground on their backs.
"It's a tie!" Kokin exclaimed.
"No," Ryomou negated.
A moment later, Kanu climbed to her feet and looked down at the out-cold Hakufu. This time she really was down for the count, but it had been a lot closer than it should have been.
"A-and the winner is...Seito Private School!" the shell-shocked ref announced.
"Hakufu!" Kokin cried out as he ran over to his fallen cousin.
"That girl has a ferocious dragon locked inside her," Kanu said to Kokin. "Never take your eyes off her."
"Kan-chan? Are you okay?" Ranma asked, examining her. "Do you need me to help you to the hospital?"
"I'm fine, Ma-chan," Kanu said. "You can take me after you finish your fights."
"Screw the fight," Ranma dismissed. "That arm's gotta hurt. We need to get you to a doctor."
"I said I'm fine," Kanu said in a no-nonsense tone. "You have a match to win."
Ranma looked like he was considering scooping Kanu up and taking her to the doctor anyway when Cologne jumped down from the roof and landed beside them.
"Don't worry, child," Cologne reassured him. "You do what you came here to do. I'll take care of her. She won't feel a thing until you can get her to the doctor's and get a cast put on that arm."
Ranma still looked torn, but then he nodded, trusting Cologne to make sure Kanu was comfortable.
"Fine then, but after I'm done, I'm taking you straight to the doctor's," Ranma announced.
"Deal," Kanu smiled, her insides warmed by his evident concern. Maybe if she played this right, she could get a little pampering out of it.
"Come, child," Cologne said to her. "I'll get that arm numbed and set the bone. You'll just have to be careful that you don't disturb it too much before you can get a cast on it."
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(Posted Sat, 26 Jul 2008 05:58)
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