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[rubyeyes_ryuhou]

[This gray, snowy day finds Ryuhou sitting out on his porch step, a note held in his hands. His eyes scan over the words several times as though he can't believe them.

Finally, he stands, crumpling the paper in his fist, stalking toward the edge of town. He doesn't seem to notice the cold as the wind whips his thin uniform jacket around him.]

I want to... hit something. That's more Kazuma's style, but now I understand why. I'm going to explode if I don't.

Comments

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[rubyeyes-ryuhou.livejournal.com]

[They stand at a stalemate for a long moment... Ryuhou's familiar with this move too, and he locks Zetsuei into place as best he can, resisting Kazuma's pull.]

What do you say we step this up, Kazuma?

[In a flash, he unwinds the whips, drawing them back to Zetsuei. Pulling his power around himself, he pushes the Alter to his second form, knowing he can't maintain it long, but hopefully long enough.]

[Action]

[screw-the-rules.livejournal.com]

[Oh hell...ever since his arrival in Luceti, his second form has been almost as unstable as it was when he first got it--despite the number of hours he's put in trying to regain control of it. At best, he's got about a 50-50 shot, but hell, he's faced worse odds. And damned it he'll show any weakness in front of Ryuhou of all people, anyway. Shrugging, he clenches his right fist, Alter-glow outlining his body as he struggles to push into his second form.]

Your funeral.

[And what the hell, he somehow manages to do it--although it feels a little as if he's trying to control 500 horses with reins of sewing thread. Still, he's got it for now, and with any luck, that'll be long enough.

With no further discussion, he raises his right arm, firing a shell-bullet at Zetsuei before pushing off the ground. The propeller-thingy on his back spinning in a blur, he jets toward the Alter to follow up.]

[Action]

[rubyeyes-ryuhou.livejournal.com]

[A grim smile forms on Ryuhou's face as the two clash, the familiar feeling of their fight centering him back into reality. Zetsuei takes a hard hit, but he lashes out again, recovering quickly and sending his Alter spiraling back toward Kazuma, fighting as hard as he can before time runs out.

Before too long, though, the power limits of Luceti take hold, and Zetsuei begins to flicker and shatter.]

Not yet, not yet!

[He tries desperately to hold it together, but the Alter dissolves in a shower of sparks. Drained, he staggers to the side, barely keeping from falling as he leans against a lucky tree that wasn't destroyed in their fight.]

[Action]

[screw-the-rules.livejournal.com]

[Truth be told, Kazuma's having a little trouble keeping his Alter together as well; he can feel the familiar power overload building up within him. It's just a matter of time before he blows his ass across the forest.

Fortunately, before that happens, he sees that Ryuhou's lost his Alter, and with a great sense of relief--well masked, of course--he allows his own to dissipate as well.]

Is that it, then?