L5R - Unity - Kaichiyo vs Naohiko DEATH BATTLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[Rain Yupa]

To work out their canonical past differences.  

[Plainsfox]

The brown haired samurai tested the weight of one of the dojo's many boken. Chiyo-chan had been acting aggressive lately and he didn't know why. As technically....*technically* the senior student in the Himura school, it was his job to challenge her. As her friend, it was his job to help her. The first thing he needed to do was determine how he could this.

"You ready, Chiyo-chan?" Naohiko picked out a boken that Kaichiyo seemed to be favoring lately and held it out to her. "I haven't fought you lately. I'm wondering how much progress you've made."  

[Paidi tou Selini]

Kaichiyo grinned with her usual confidence as she stood near her childhood friend, the serene, neatly kept dojo filled with the sounds of the nearby ocean doing little to alleviate the dangerous look in her eyes. Gempukku was so close she could feel it, and it charged her with a mood her fellow students likely hadn't seen from the joyful song-and-serenity-loving princess before. It was a shame Naohiko had to bear the brunt of it, but she needed a worthy challenger to test herself and prove that she was worthy of becoming a true Samurai, and none of the first-generation students were better than her old friend.

She took the boken with a polite bow and laughed, "Oh I'm ready~ Whether I've improved or not after my last humiliating defeat against you... we'll see."

She walked on over just past the center of the sparring/practice floor and turned to face her counterpart, assuming the well-practiced Center stance and holding her boken as if it were a sheathed sword ready to be drawn. "Prepare yourself, Hiko-kun. I won't be so easy this time, and I won't stop 'till one of us is out cold."  

[Plainsfox]

Naohiko took his position and mirrored Kaichiyo's stance. There was little he didn't know about Kaichiyo. They'd been at each other's side practically since they could walk. Their interests had diverged as they grew up, but their were no two Kraken closer then they were. Still, Naohiko would not let his familiarity with the princess take her for granted. He noted her posture and positioning and listened for her breathing. Finally, he looked deeply into her eyes to assess her spirit. "Let's see if all that swinging around like a monkey has taught you anything, Chiyo-chan."


OOC:
Awareness/ Iaijutsu 6k3 w/ 3 dice to handle explosions
Raises called: 1 to determine Kaichiyo's void
TN: 20
Dice: 6, 15,3, 11, 9, 5
Results: 35  

[Paidi tou Selini]

"I have become one with the Universe, Hiko-kun. The wind and ebbs of the open seas are as familiar to me as my sword. You won't beat me this time." The little Kraken princess grinned confidently all the while as she eyed her old friend up and down, taking in the ease of his stance, the tension in his arms, and the fire in his eyes.


[Awareness/Iaijutsu for Assessment
Roll: 4k3 vs. Contested
6, 7, 9, 4 = 22 ]  

[Plainsfox]

Focus came easily to Naohiko. If Chiyo-chan wanted a fight, she was going to get one. With that decided, The only thing Naohiko could do was give it his all.

Void/Iaijutsu roll
7k4 w/ 3 dice to handle explosions
Dice Results: 5,8,7,8,2,1,7
Results: 30  

[Paidi tou Selini]

It was a little disconcerting staring the man down and feeling the pure power and skill staring back at her. He was clearly not holding back, and even more clearly held a few measures more experience than her, but she was confident raw talent and her deeper connection to the universe would avail her. It was that connection that she tapped into as she focused, a split second before the draw to bring herself in harmony, that would mean every bit of difference in who could draw first, and faster.


[Void/Iaijutsu for Focus
Void Point spent for +1k1
Roll: 6k5 vs. Contested
5, 5, 2, 7, 10 + 3, 2 = 32 ]  

[Plainsfox]

Naohiko knew in that moment that Kaichiyo was giving it her all and pushing herself hard. She managed to move a hair faster than he could react, but only a hair. Their strikes would be simultaneous.

OOC:
1st Roll: Reflexes/ Iaijutsu 6k3 w/ 3 dice to handle explosions
TN: 20
Dice: 2, 2, 8, 6, 2, 8,
Results: 22
2nd Roll Boken Damage: 3k1 w/2 dice to handle explosions
Dice: 15, 9, 1
Results: 15  

[Paidi tou Selini]

Fast as she was, she could only watch in surprise as Naohiko proved to be just as fast. Their swords would have sent sparks - had they not been made of wood - as they grazed each other on the way to their intended target. She could practically feel the power in the man's arm as their boken touched, and much to her dismay could feel it knock her weapon off course as it barreled through. She tried to compensate, but her arm twisted all wrong and the boken soared over his shoulder, hitting him with little more than wind.

The princess herself was not nearly so lucky, catching the brunt of her opponent's blow hard in the gut and sending her reeling back in pain, the very air from her lungs knocked free and refusing to return even as she regained her footing and took an even attack stance, glaring indignantly at her friend as she suddenly regretted telling him not to hold back.


[1st 7 dice: Reflexes/Iaijutsu for Strike
Roll: 5k4 vs. ATN20
8, 1, 1, 2, 3 = 14 ]

[Initiative Roll 4k3 + 15
8, 1, 3, 5 = 31 ]  

[Plainsfox]

The older Kraken kept his face impassive and neutral as he delivered a solid hit to his princess's midsection, Her own cut was ill-aimed and was further misdirected by the boken on boken clash. Naohiko shifted into a similar stance and struggled mightily to avoid letting a smirk appear on his face as he sees the look Kaichiyo gives him. He apparently fails and this lets Kaichiyo get the edge on him.

OOC:
Initiative: 4k3+15 w/ 2 dice to handle explosions
Results: 25  

[Paidi tou Selini]

[Wounds: 15 (Grazed +5)]

Her eyes narrowed as she saw the little smirk threatening to enter the corners of his mouth, and by sheer force of will and determination she took a breath and lunged forward, her boken lifting and coming down hard from overhead even as she winced through the pain. It was her turn to smile, however, as she felt the blow connect perfectly.


[First 7 Dice: Agility/Kenjutsu for Basic Attack
Void Spent for +1k1
Roll: 5k4 vs. ATN25
10 + 10 + 7, 1, 6, 3, 6 = 42 ]

[Last 3 Dice: Boken Damage 2k1
1, 9 = 9 ]  

[Plainsfox]

The boken connected with Naohiko's collarbone and it hurt. Not enough to distract the samurai, however. He'd aim the boken at Kaichiyo's leg in order to slow her down even further.....but missed by the barest of margins. Naohiko let out a growl as Kaichiyo dodged. If the Kraken princess won, Naohiko may never hear the end of it. He'd have to change his tactics soon. Either aggressive or defensive....for now, Naohiko would wait for Kaichiyo's move.

Kenjutsu/Reflexes 6k3+1k1 from Center w/ 4 dice to handle explosions
TN: 20+5 (One additional 1k0)
Dice: 3, 9, 3, 2, 4, 2, 6,
Results: 9+6+4+3
Results: 22

Damage: 4k1 w/ 2 dice to handle explosions


Damage status:
Good: 9  

[Paidi tou Selini]

[Stance: Center, Wounds: 15 (Grazed +5)]

It didn't take Kaichiyo but a split second to recognize where the counter was coming and correct herself, shuffling back a step and snapping her weapon down to intercept the opposing weapon, satisfied as they clashed evenly with a wooden thunk. She wasn't down yet, but she knew with her chest hurting the way it was and after how much momentum she'd lost by stepping back to defend, she'd need to recoup and think of a better plan of attack. She knew Naohiko's defenses better than most, but it wouldn't do her much good for how well he knew her style as well.

While she'd learned the defensive styles the Kraken were so well known for, she hadn't yet been taught to achieve the sublime level of focus within them that her mother and senseis could achieve, so when she fell back another step she instead kept her sword out and even as she took a Centered stance, readying to defend herself, but focusing more on focus itself; studying her opponent as she did before it all started and hoping an answer to her shortcomings in battle would present itself. "You've improved since last we fought. I don't remember you hitting so hard."  

[Plainsfox]

Stance: Full attack
Wounds: 9 (No penalties)

Although the attack had missed, Naohiko took a certain pride that the boken wasn't fully guided by the force of Kaichiyo's parry. When his sparring partner slipped into the center stance, a stance designed to gain focus and increase calm, the green eyed bushi knew he had to disrupt her before she could achieve that state. "It's the secret of water, Chiyo-chan. learn the flow of life and how to position yourself within it." Naohiko would give it his all this time. Shifting into the aggressive full attack stance and digging within himself to make aiming his blade easier. He sent the blow straight into Kaichiyo's legs, reducing their impact at the last second to make sure that the blow was something Naohiko knew his friend could with stand.

OOC:
Katana/Agility w/ Full Attack Bonus 8k4 w/ 4 dice to handle explosions
Raises called: 1 for damage
TN: 20+5 25
Dice:: 4, 8, 2, 3, 4, 6, 19, 3
Results: 33

Damage: 4k1 w/ 2 dice to handle explosions
Dice: 19, 6, 1, 1,
Results: 19  

[Paidi tou Selini]

[Stance: Attack, Wounds: 24 - void spent to reduce damage by 10 (Injured +15)]

She huffed at his response. The secret of water indeed. More like brute force. She was sure she had spotted a weakness on that front, but didn't have time to exploit it before she was forced to gasp in surprise at the sudden burst of raw ferocity from her normally amiable friend. She could see it in his eyes; no longer a friendly spar, but a vicious attack meant to take her down right then and there. It would have worked too, were it not for her tenuous last link to the Void. In a blur of motion she spun her boken in the same manner she had before to meet the incoming weapon, clashing with a resounding THUNK and saving her leg from being broken, but not enough to deflect the blow entirely. She felt the powerful, numbing sting on her thigh despite her efforts and nearly buckled under the pain.

But buckle she did not, and immediately aimed to take advantage of his over-committed state, bringing her boken around in the same motion as the defense and aiming a solid diagonal strike at his shoulder/side.


[First 6 Dice: Agility/Kenjutsu for Basic Attack
Roll: 4k3 +3 vs. ATN 10 +15 (wounds)
7, 4, 8, 4 = 23 ]