tampered | log; incomplete

log; incomplete

When; During the arena battles. ♥
Rating; PG-13, probably thanks to Tasuki's potty mouth.
Characters; Tasuki [

mrscaryface]; Uruki [

un_fated]
Summary; Two Celestial Warriors battle it out. Apologies to Uruki-mun for being unforgivably late with this.
Log;

Over the past months, Tasuki's built up a certain level of tolerance, for City curses. Most of the time, it seemed that the deities enjoyed leaving Tasuki with his mental faculties, perhaps as an added measure to make sure that the humiliation of being turned back into a kid or into some strange animal really sunk in. But even if Tasuki would have preferred never remembering, never knowing the stupid things he was about to do, there was a certain comfort in being self-aware, in then being able to turn away and keep away from those who he might hurt while cursed. Or, well, people who he would rather die than display a furry little tush in front of. Either way, it worked out.

This was the first time, however, in which the City was actively changing him, the blood in his veins rushing and pumping and Tasuki could feel it overwhelm him as his knuckles turned white, gripping his tessen. Well, fuck. He was in an unfamiliar venue as well, the stadium walls high and the crowds loud and-- was this an exhibition sport?

And he was anchored to the ground, feet refusing to leave the dirt.

He hoped whoever else was in the ring would be sturdy enough to put up with this shit.

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When the Stadium called for Rimudo, he hadn't resisted. In truth, it was a welcome distraction; it called him away from the nature of Takiko's illness and all the upheaval that came with it, stole him from mental chaos. Now, for a few minutes, life was simple. There was a clear goal in mind and something he could do. There was an enemy to fight. Fighting was something Rimudo felt himself fully capable of doing . . . more so than attempting to wrap his head around the situation of a sick, unhappy, sometimes moody girl who he felt he had to help but couldn't always understand.

He arrived into the arena second, eyes flicking around the stands, taking in the crowd. . . . Annoying. If he had to do this, he would have preferred to do it in private.

And then his gaze fell on Tasuki.

He felt the corners of his mouth turn up in a smirk.

Edited 2008-10-22 16:41 (UTC)

...well. Tasuki hadn't anticipated the person who now stood in front of him, nor was his reaction the same barring the sense of surprise. Instead of smirking, Tasuki grumbled. Because this was the City, and if there was something that the City couldn't take from him--putting up a Celestial Warrior against another, how original--it was his ability to gripe. Because, man, what a waste of time, going up against Uruki, right? Not in the sense that Tasuki was levels above the other Celestial Warrior--because there was no guarantee of that, and Tasuki was no longer overconfident as a person, after all that had happened in Kounan. Instead, a waste of time because Tasuki stood to gain nothing from this, and the curse that made him uneasy.

So he stuck out his tongue, knowing that the deities would see, and slung the tessen over his back, a comfortable weight as he felt the steel heat up in his hands.

"Oi, uh... Uruki, right?" he called out, squatting near the ground and ready to jump away at a moment's notice. "So, are ya feelin' as geared t'go as I am? 'Cause I'm pretty sure this ain't normal, and that yer girlfriend and my girlfriend ain't gonna be so happy about hearin' 'bout the two of us rippin' each other out here on stage. Just a guess."

"Rimudo," was the flat correction. For his own turn, the young man saw nothing wrong with the battle. Two seishi battling together . . . why not? It was a means to test his strength and that of this other. Tasuki's restless energy had been intriguing for a while. Rimudo was not displeased with his opponent.

"It's not that way anyway," he noted, fingers moving towards the bladed discus at his wrist. "And what's it matter even so?"

"'Cause I don't like the idea of a curse dictatin' my actions, but I can already tell that I ain't gonna be able to hold myself back much," Tasuki replied, lips quirking slightly, the pounding in his ears increasing in volume. Stupid, stupid curse. "'Sides, if there's anythin' that annoys me than women in general, s'makin' a woman cry. One of them is probably gonna, you know."

One hand splayed on the ground, to give him an extra push up if he needed it.

"Why aren't ya goin' by yer Celestial name, huh, Rimudo? Not proud of bein' a warrior? Don't wanna join the cause?"

"Because." A small, measured smirk -- though there was no mirth in it whatsoever. "I have something else to do."

A sudden, sharp flick of the wrist, and the discus went flashing towards Tasuki -- and even as it flew, Rimudo was moving too, coming in at Tasuki from the opposite trajectory as the throw with high speed.

Tasuki snorted. If this guy really thought he was going to get Tasuki by throwing some kind of disc at him and coming in from the opposite side, he was sorely mistaken. The redhead easily skirted both, calling on a little bit of his power--maybe an indirect challenge to Uruki to use his--and leaving dust in his wake. Defense was his strength.

"It's gonna catch up with ya," Tasuki called out from the other side of the stadium. "This ain't shit that ya can just throw t'the side when it's convenient. Ain't no one that I know from either Suzaku or Seiryuu that was able t'dodge their duties."

Flames began licking at the diamond tessen, confined for now to the edge at the end by Tasuki's willpower.

Rimudo was fast on his own without his abilities . . . but no, not that fast. Not up to Tasuki's god-born level. But his test had been a good one, such as it was . . . Tasuki's abilities -- or at least so he thought -- had been revealed.

"I don't just roll over on my back and expose my belly for so-called fate," was his reply as he debated his next move. "Perhaps Suzaku warriors are easier that way."

This would be harder. His own speed was plenty for regular men, but for enhanced . . .

Perhaps it would be better to let Tasuki come to him, particularly with the other man on the other end of the stadium. He waited.

Insults rolled a little more easily off Tasuki's back these days, thanks to having known Tamahome for so long, and additionally thanks to his faith in Suzaku and in what they'd all managed together. Sure, he'd made mistakes during that time--they all had, really--but things turned out for the best and so Tasuki could have some confidence in the choices he made. Besides, spending a lot of time with Chichiri would also mellow a person out some, all things considered.

"Nah, that's puttin' it too generously," Tasuki shook his head. "Ain't that you aren't exposin' yer belly, s'that yer either too chicken or thick in the skull. I was thick in the skull too, and a lotta the warriors were, but just wait. You'll see. Whatever it is ya want t'do on the side, it ain't as important, trust me."

He was still as presumptuous as ever, though.

And with Uruki pausing on the other side of the stadium, Tasuki glanced quickly around him, eyes darting and taking in the surroundings. No cover to be seen.

Experimentally, Tasuki raised his tessen, swinging it down in Uruki's direction and sending a large arc of fire in the boy's direction.

"REKKA SHIN'EN."

Expected. It wasn't as though he hadn't already had weeks of earfuls of people protesting his decision. Rimudo hardly expected anyone to agree with it. The words hit the numb space inside of him and glanced off. A smirk answered the taunt -- an empty thing, like a long-accustomed mask sliding over his features.

And vanished in the wake of the arc of fire barreling towards him.

There was no help for it . . . he *had* to move -- and as the fire closed in on him, he vanished abruptly, leaving a rush of hot air in his wake. In the shimmering air molecules, Tasuki might have been able to see a difference in the figure -- but it was quick, lasting for no more than a split instant, and the Rimudo who gasped quietly some feet away from the blast was as he had been. (Save, of course, for clothing having shredded lightly from his arms and the beginnings of burns emerging red on his hands.) Likely, however, the difference had been no more than a mirage -- a visual trick of the heat.

. . . Right?

And some of the Genbu warriors, Tasuki remembered, had the powers of ice and water, and what else reminded him of the North but bitter winds and barren dessert? So it wasn't by any means a surprise when Uruki flew off somewhere, fairly quickly, although he saw very little through that small whirlwind. In laying his pieces on the table, at least, he got to have a glimpse of Uruki's as well.

Well, this was good. Very good, rather--because if fire had an advantage over ice, in melting it until the only sheen was from the light bouncing off the puddle, air provided him with an even greater advantage, objectively. Air provided him with something to feed his fire, and moreover to spread it, and Tasuki could only think that it was a pity that the two of them weren't surrounded by forest at that very moment, otherwise that amount of wind enough would've been able to start a conflageration.

Hrm.

"Nicely done," Tasuki called out teasingly.

Damn it. Rimudo caught his breath quietly, mind flashing over the situation. Not just one gift, apparently, but two . . . It did make things far harder to work with. Likely there was going to be no way out of this -- at least not as he was now. There wasn't any help for it . . . though with the curse singing in his blood and Tasuki taunting him from his long-range stance, the choice was all the easier.

The person who glanced back up to Tasuki was decidedly different. Still with Rimudo's long, tied hair, still in Rimudo's clothing . . . but the young man seemed to have lost some inches in height, his clothing loose about his frame and tight in places where it shouldn't have been tight. The face that rose to Tasuki was decidedly feminine . . . and smirking.

"I thought you didn't like making women cry."

Wait, wait.

This type of situation was very familiar. No, honestly, in that so many of the Suzaku warriors seemed rather bent physically-- either Hotohori or Nuriko would honestly have been mistaken for the opposite gender by a good proportion of society, so mixing genders up? Not the wildest thing out there.

However, it was also important to note that Tasuki had never met a guy who was actually a girl. Because the fairer sex, well. They scared Tasuki a little. Girls never played fair, and society was never nice to a man who played with women either. Lose-lose situation.

"W-w-waaaaait," he hollered out, flailing just a little, pointing vehemently in Rimudo's direction. "YER ACTUALLY A GIRL?"

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log; incomplete

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Sorry for the late post . . .

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