Chapter Three

Chapter Three

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"Don't act so weak."-Reno of the Turks
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Yukio Kitase held herself in the crouched guard position, her dark black hair flowing behind her smoothly. Her tall and thin form was covered in a green kimono, with designs of leaves. Her feet wore brown leather sandals, each placed a good distance from each other. Her dark brown eyes, which appeared almost black, scrutinized her opponent carefully. Her face was covered in a thin sheen of sweat, making its thin appearance seem even more worn. Her sharply pointed nose and chin stood out from the rest of her form. Despite her obviously nervous appearance, she did not show very much emotion. Only her sweat gave it away, but that could easily be excused for the ordeal she was facing.

"Do you give up, Lady Kitase?" her opponent, a thick-boned man, asked tauntingly. His own hair was nearly as long as Yukio's, ending at the middle of his back. He wore a simple brown kimono, which was tattered in some places from earlier fights. His smile was mocking, green eyes glittering. His face was much more rounded than hers, although not from overindulgence. Despite the presence of the kimono, it was obvious he boasted many muscles.

"Never, Akira," she breathed heavily.

Akira laughed heartily. "I've been through four other fights, Yukio, and I have not yet tired from it. Could it be you have finally met your match?"

Both stood at the top of a five-story Pagoda located the far edges of Wutai. There were four others watching from the sidelines, all of whom were exhausted from fighting with Akira. They consisted of three men and one woman, each wearing a kimono much like Yukio's.

Yukio did not even flinch at his words. She stood absolutely still, waiting for movement from him. The few windows opened caused a small breeze to pick at her hair, but that was the only movement anyone in the room made.

Akira's expression hardened and he lunged towards her, right arm extended. She caught it easily, using his momentum to flip him over her back. He jumped away from her just in time to miss a kick directed at his back. The two fighters moved away from each other again, judging what the move had done to one another.

Once again, Yukio crouched into a guard position and waited for Akira's move, which came sooner than she expected. The kick he directed to her chest hit her shoulder when she dodged to the side, knocking her off balance. Before she was able to fix her position, he aimed another kick at her legs, causing her to fall bodily to the ground with a grunt.

He took a few steps back, waiting for any movement on her part. When he started to think he had won over her, she was on her feet. With one quick movement, she landed a blow with her fist onto his jaw, rocking him backwards. She was able to land two more blows to his gut and chest before he completely regained his senses, dealing a blow of his own to her gut. As if not noticing the pain of such a blow, Yukio twisted her leg and pulled his legs out from under him. He fell with a thud but lunged to his feet as quickly as he fell.

Sweat covered his brow for the first time that day. He wiped at it as he backed away from her. "You're better than you were at first."

She remained silent, her face remaining emotionless. He searched her face for any hints at what she was thinking, but it was as if she wore a mask. He took his chances when he saw a twitch at her mouth and ducked, a blow flying above his head. He rammed his head into her belly, knocking her off her feet. She gasped for air as she struggled to find footing on the floor. He stood back from her, watching her movement carefully. The fight was obviously having its toll on her.

"I don't want to hurt you more…" Akira said softly, panting slightly.

Yukio's eyes narrowed a small fraction but went back to normal. She was on her feet again, crouching. There was one difference in her position, though, she seemed to slouch to some extent. Akira noted that as a weakness to use against her as he took a step in her direction. She immediately moved back for a blow that never came. She blinked a few times, realizing he had feinted. He smiled in her direction before kicking at her face.

All in the room watched as foot connected with cheekbones, sending Yukio flying a few feet. She hit one of the walls, lying limply at the bottom. She still moved, but it was obvious she was beaten.

Akira smiled triumphantly as the other four rushed to her side to make sure she was not damaged so much it would cause health problems. When they began moving away from her, she pulled herself to her feet, using the wall as a brace.

"You have beaten me," Yukio said solemnly, bowing her head in respect towards her despite the pain she obviously felt.

"Thank you," Akira replied, inclining his head in respect.

All was quiet in the Pagoda as Yukio Kitase, former resident of the fifth floor, was helped down the stairs and out of the building. Akira remained where he stood, thinking to himself.

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Yukio Kitase sat by herself at the top of Da-chao. It had been a few days since her defeat, and she had remained alone for the majority of the time. A dark bruise covered her right cheek, marring some of her beauty. Instead of her green kimono, she wore a white tee-shirt covered by a dark green jacket, black shorts, and black boots. Her expression was blank as she watched over Wutai from her high perch of Da-chao's two fingers.

Her thoughts moved to the past. Six years before, when she was at the age of seventeen, she had risen to the fifth floor of the Pagoda. For those six years, she had remained champion. It hurt her to be beaten by Akira. She knew he was a better fighter, but her pain was none smaller for that fact.

Akira had been like a younger brother to her. He was only five years younger than her so they had become close over the years. When she had conquered the Pagoda, he had made one promise to her. That promise rang through her head. "Don't get cocky, Yukio. One day I'll beat you!"

Yukio bit her lip, brushing away a raindrop from her cheek. Above her clouds hung heavily, fitting her mood perfectly. She stood up from her perch, maneuvering herself down the side of Da-chao's hand. She hiked down the side of the great statues, making her was slowly into Wutai.

Rain began pouring down heavily over the small town, lightning flashing through the murky air high above. Her hair became matted against her hair, but she obviously didn't care. She stood watching Da-chao from the center of Wutai. The statue mountain had always struck certain awe within her. An awe that was replaced by little else.

She turned away from the sight and walked over one of the bridges. Wutai was one of those towns that changed little over the years. It barely grew and there were usually not any new residents. The only people who went to it were usually tourists, wanting to see Da-chao in all its glory. But there weren't any tourists anymore. Nobody had money to use on site-seeing anymore.

Yukio soon found herself at the town's entrance, which had one particularly large tree. She sat down under it and leaned against the trunk, finding her eyes drooping closed.

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"Yukio, wake up," a voice commanded next to her ear.

Yukio jerked awake, blinking her eyes a few times to remove the sleep. A huge form towered over her. Her mother was a plump woman, plump and tall. She wore a simple blue dress that covered her in more the form of a sack. She had short black hair that framed her large face, making it look even larger. She had dark brown eyes much like her daughter.

"What is it?" Yukio asked sleepily.

Her mother's arms rested on her hips. "I'm very ashamed of you. Moping around Wutai and Da-chao as if you were nothing more than a babe whining over the loss of his favorite toy. Come on, let's get you inside the house."

Yukio began to protest that she was too old to go home with her parents, but she decided against it. Her mother was one of those people you didn't argue with unless your life depended on it, and even then you probably could do without talking to them. She let herself be pulled away and into a small house.

"Sit down and I'll get you some food," her mother commanded, pointing to a pillow.

Yukio sat obediently as her mother bustled about in the other room, fixing a meal for her daughter. She fiddled with her hands, bored. "Mother?" she called.

"What?" her mother barked from the kitchen.

"Oh, nothing…" Yukio replied, faltering. Akira had stepped into the doorway, smiling widely towards Yukio.

"Hello," he said cheerfully.

Yukio inclined her head in his direction. "I trust you fare well?"

Akira rolled his eyes. "You don't have to be formal with me, Yukio. You know that. No matter what happens, you'll never have to show me one ounce of respect."

Yukio suppressed an urge to agree with him. She only smiled tightly. "What is it that you want, Akira?"

"Actually, I came to see how you were doing," he replied, taking a seat next to her.

Yukio looked at where he sat, unnerved by he fact he was uninvited. She smiled slightly, but not friendly. "I am doing fine at the moment. Thank you for asking. You appear to be doing good, also."

Akira sighed deeply, his brows furrowed. "Yukio…" he stopped and swallowed. "I wish you would not take offense in me defeating you at the Pagoda. I honestly have nothing against you. You are like my big sister. It's just that…I wanted some of that glory. I wanted to become a master of fighting. I wanted respect."

"And you received it, I'm sure," Yukio replied, her voice betraying none of her thoughts.

"I just want you to know that I still love you like my sister, Yukio. Promise me you will not let this get between what we have."

"I promise nothing. Promises are only made to make one feel better and are usually not fulfilled. But I assure you, this will most likely not harm what we have. I doubt anything really could ruin that," she replied a little coldly.

Akira stood stiffly to his feet and bowed to her. He turned and walked out of the house, nodding to Yukio's mother when she walked into the room.

"So Akira came to visit," her mother said softly.

"Yes, he did." Yukio sighed. "He wanted to apologize for defeating me."

Her mother smiled slightly. "Don't worry. All will be well soon enough again. You'll see. You will probably enjoy things much better now that you do not have to fight whenever someone makes it up to the fifth floor."

Yukio smiled for her mother's sake, although she certainly felt it was no reason to smile. She began eating the meal her mother placed down in front of her, letting the warmth wash away the coldness she felt inside.

Chapter Four

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