http://clampfix.fanworks.net/kenichi/hearts4-.txt </head><body><pre> People, forgive me for writing this, but unfortunately, I have no idea on how Seishirou is supposed to fight... ^^;;; Gomenasai... This little fic happens exactly three months before "Honor", so I guess this will explain how Seishirou got five broken ribs and a broken arm... |) [Sei-Chan fans, please forgive me, as this was integral to the story...] Hearts: Ace of Spades "" No life at all. There was no life at all in the warehouse I entered. Lots of crates, bags of gravel and sand strewn about carelessly within, almost bare and absolutely utilitarian. I felt contempt as I surveyed the five surrounding me, circling around like vultures awaiting carrion. It would have been better if they were alive, so that I could see the fear etched into their eyes as I struck. But there was none. No emotion. The five 'men' who surrounded me dressed themselves in formal business attire... All black in color. Shikigami. Must be. I'm no Onmyouji, but I knew what they could do. I clapped my hands in mock awe, hoping to catch the attention of the caster who made the five. "So, Sakurazukamori wants to send a bunch of paper dolls in order to kill me? I'm impressed. No, really. Seriously..." No reaction. The five 'Men in Black', as I called them, circled around. I groaned as I looked at them, then at the roof of the warehouse. Gaea help me, these things are getting annoying... Flash. One of the men in black leaped at me. I almost expected a death wail coming from it as it attempted to tear my throat out. Odd how much like robots these things could be. I stepped away a fraction of a second before it could connect, lashing out a leg. Stupid. The man in black tripped over my leg and fell on its face. Almost immediately, the other four lunged simultaneously. I spent no energy at all in dodging the other four. Three quick hop-steps and I was out of their reach. I almost fell down laughing as I saw them fall upon the first man in black, eventually pinning him down. Indeed, when I first encountered these things a year ago, I was reasonably surprised at their apparent lack of intelligence or sense of self- preservation. "Bravo, bravo. You get an A for effort, boys, but an absolute zero for intelligent, original thinking." The way the five leaped on me again, I could swear that they almost looked insulted. Somehow, that made me feel more comfortable. Everything seemed to slow in speed as they leaped. I said a silent prayer of thanks to father as I recalled the speed training lessons he used to give me. Closer... They were almost like wild dogs, leaping in the air like that. Closer... They were on top of me... Now. {SIREN'S HURRICANE!!!} The burst of wind spiraled up into the roof as it carried the three hapless Shiki and flattened them among the warehouse girders. As the wind receeded, I saw scraps of paper float to the ground. The intricate writings on them I understood not, but knew them to be the kind used to call forth Shiki. Gaea whispering through my contact with the ground. The earth warning me of a presence. I turned. A man wearing a trenchcoat and sunglasses, sitting on a crate. Sakurazukamori. Immediately all the juices in my stomach turned to pure bile. "Sakurazukamori, you son of a bitch..." A cold chuckle. "Ken, now is that any way to talk to your elders?" He folded his arms as I began to picture him trying to smile while I ripped him another orifice. Hopefully somewhere very uncomfortable. "My dear Kaeda Kenichi. I really wish you wouldn't go through all this trouble, as I am not hunting you nor do I wish to hunt you." He leapt silently off the crate, like a cat. The look on his face seemed almost angelic. "Please do yourself a favor and stop this nonsense." I scoffed at him. "If you hadn't noticed, mister cherry blossom, I'm not Subaru. That cute I'm-just-an-innocent-vet look isn't going to work on me, you bloodsucking sonofabitch..." My feet bent naturally to accomodate my low fighting stance, preparing for a strike. Sakurazukamori shrugged, almost disappointed. "If you choose to waste your life this way, so be it. This is not like our duels in the dreamscape, Kenichi. One of us could die." Mirth filled me. "Yeah, I know. Preferably YOU. Get on with it." He started chanting. I felt dread. What if he uses the illusion against me? No. There was no reason for me to fear. I trust in the power of the Earth to lead me in the right direction. My eyes shut as I concentrated. That was the one limitation my kind of magic did not possess. I was not limited by lengthy incantations and rituals as Onmyouji were. Something I was thankful for, as I felt a presence at my side. I grinned. A ghostly presence. Sakurazukamori was trying to throw me off. My senses told me I was surrounded. The earth told me otherwise. Must hand it to the bastard. If I hadn't possessed this level of communication with the earth, I might have panicked, looking for the real one. I opened my eyes and looked straight ahead. The real Sakurazukamori, sitting self-contentedly as his illusory selves surrounded me. He must be feeling disappointed that his trick isn't working on me... "Hey, Sakurazukamori... You're losing your touch..." It was sheer joy for me to see the surprise on his face. I flicked my wrist and struck the ground. The currents of water beneath the building would do nicely. {RAGING GEYSER!!!} "Nani...!?!?" He fled the spot just as the blast of pressurized water shot upward, tearing a hole through the roof. Damn, The bastard dodged out of the blast radius. His illusion was broken, but I missed. A problem I will remedy shortly... I leapt forward in a burst of speed. Fast as the Sakurazukamori was, he wasn't prepared for my tackle. I felt his body go limp as I banged my head against his ribs. He and I rolled on the ground as I continued to pound his face with a rain of left hooks. A kick knocked me back, and he was soon back on his feet. I pulled myself back into a fighting stance as Sakurazukamori uneasily crouched, hands on his legs, facing me. Watching like a panther confronting a tiger. He grunted slightly as he wiped the blood from his lips. "You have me at quite a disadvantage, Kaeda... I am not exactly well suited for out-and-out physical combat..." Much as I hated to, I laughed. "Your'e getting too old, you..." Somehow, I ran out of insults to throw out. Speed. I was almost unprepared for his next attack. His signature arm-thrust cam close to impaling me. {FLAME DAGGER!!} Surprising how similar his thrust and my Flame Dagger attack were. Both of our arms clashed, almost like swords colliding. I grabbed his arm and he did likewise, both of us engaging in a macabre parody of a waltz as we fought to release ourselves from each other's grip, yet stay out of reach of the lethal hands. It seemed that no pain came to the Sakurazukamori unless he desired it; Although his hands began to smoulder as he gripped my flaming arm, he betrayed no hint of agony. I remembered Rio and his notes on street brawling. <Style means nothing if you can't win.> I threw my head into Sakurazukamori's face. Though he was the taller, My forehead readily connected with his nose, and I felt the sunglasses shatter as he was thrown back. Unfortunately, my head ached horribly immediately after. No time to dwell on that... I lashed out with a kick to his groin. Although he shook with the impact, I was doubtful whether he actually felt the pain. No time... The arm plowed into my left side with a vengeance. I heard the sound of twigs breaking, echoing within, and realized that some of my ribs were broken. Badly. Unconsciously, I screamed as the pain jolted me. I collapsed backward, biting my lip as I stifled the pain. No blood. I had been lucky; Sakurazukamori hadn't had the time to turn that arm of his into a lethal weapon. But the pain felt like tearing my body in half. Another blow to the same spot. Though I heard no noises, I still felt the pain screaming inside. It was all I could do to keep from screaming out once again. I fell kneeling to the ground. No, no, no... Pain tore into my side like a new wound. I won't let this sonofabitch enjoy this. "Goodbye, Kenichi. It's been nice knowing your family..." The right arm, it's hand pointed like a spear, dove for my heart once again. Almost by reflex, I grabbed the arm in mid-thrust with my left arm. Do it quickly, you knucklehead, or you'll lose it! Twist away. Then... Strike. I aimed my backfisted punch at the elbow joint, slamming into it with full force. At the second I connected, I could feel something exploding within the Sakurazukamori's arm as it bent backwards onto itself at a wild angle. I wanted to follow up the blow with another, but the pain in my ribs attacked once again and forced me to release his limp arm. He winced slightly, as if it were no more than an insect bite. I rolled away, the pain beginning to become unbearable as it demanded my defeat. No. Only one of us is leaving this warehouse alive, and it's going to be me. What a rotten way to die... I forced the pain to the back of my mind as I stood. "Sakurazukamori!!!" He turned to look in my direction. My fists clasped tightly as I rushed at him. {SIREN'S HURRICANE!!!} The tornado of wind spun me rapindly in his direction. He had no time to react as the wind blasted into him, spinning wildly like a top gone mad. As I met him in the center of the wind, I began to pound on his face and chest at an insane rate. Somewhere along the way, I lost control and went berserk, hitting him with everything I had, concentrating mainly on his torso. One, two, three... I counted five snapping noises as I hit him in his ribs mercilessly. Still, there was not even the slightest whimper of pain in him. A blow from his uninjured left arms sent me sprawling backwards and ending my attack. The fall strengthened the pain in my ribs. I whimpered as I clutched my ribs tightly. Yet Sakurazukamori was still standing. Pull yourself together, dammit! I struggled to stand once again. One last attack. "If you... can still stand after this... You gruesome sonofabitch... I'll eat my jacket...!!!" Sakurazukamori felt no pain, yet... It was obvious his broken ribs and limp arm were slowing him down. I closed my eyes and tried to think. Of the earth. Of the people I loved and lost. Of those who still live, whom I wished to protect. Of the legacy that took mages from two different worlds for me to realize in it's entirety. Geomancy. Ancient Chinese studied it to determine their fortune, to cast out evil spirits, and... Some Chinese fighting styles have even incorporated it within their techniques, with few knowing it. Ki, the essence and force that drives life. Everything living has Ki. And it all comes from the Earth. I felt the gravel bits on the warehouse floor rise. Not qute the stones I was used to working with, but they would do. Floating about me, suspended by my will and the Earth's force. {STONE RAIN!!!} The gravel chips shot toward the Sakurazukamori in a hail of fury. He had barely enough time to shield his face, but even that did not help him as the force of the stones grew stronger. And stronger. Almost as if hate was motivating them. And it was. My hate. My will. The Sakurazukamori was buried in a fierce wave of gravel and stones. The force eventually burst through the side of the warehouse's concrete walls. Only when all the gravel in the warehouse had been emptied did I cease my attack. It took me a full quarter hour to rest before leaving the warehouse. Police would be here soon, and I didn't wish to entertain any questions. Especially now. Subaru once mentioned that whoever killed the Sakurazukamori would be his heir. I felt no change in personality or whatever... He might have been wrong... Maybe it was something, a false trail, that Sakurazukamori laid for Subaru to believe. I sighed as I planted my back to an adjacent warehouse's wall. Then again, I doubt I killed the bastard yet. Way too easy. Noise... I looked to my right. Lying on the floor outside the warehouse was a single sakura blossom. </pre><p><a href="./">Back</a></p><p><a href=http://www.dreamhost.com/donate.cgi?id=216><img border=0 alt="Donate towards our web hosting bill!" src=https://secure.newdream.net/donate1.gif></a></p></body></html>