Of the Same: Ean vs. Kie

Starting Off
"All right...." Kie growled at two cowering people, holding up a splattered-covered green hoodie. His face was nothing short of ticked-off. "What is this?"

"A....hoodie?" One of them managed to gasp out, stepping forward.

WHAM! A fist slammed straight into his face before he could react, knocking him on his back.

"Correct!" Kie replied, smirking as he lowered his arm. "And what is this gooey crap you nicely and purposely spilled all over it?!"

"Uhm....my ice cream?" Another asked.

WHAM! He found himself on his face, blood pooling from his nose. Kie sighed in annoyance, dropping the green hoodie gently on the dirt ground.

"Indeed it is! And I'm gonna have to pay a lot more out of my wallet than I have if I can't get it washed out..." He flexed one hand. "So, would you mind...?"

They didn't need to be told twice. They dropped all of their wallet money and ran out, screaming like frightened kids. Kie scoffed at their running backs, picking up the money they left behind.

"I was just mindin' my own business and they just pull a fucked up joke on me for fun..." He muttered, sitting down beside a tree. "Ridicul--" Then, he heard the sound of a bike roaring in the distance. "Huh....?"

Ean had heard the noise from a long distance away.

Either it was some idiots who had screwed up really badly, or a god reason to drive his bike over somebody.

Eh, his mission had barely failed either way, so what the hey.

He revved the engines to their maximum, and left a rut in the road leading up to the doomed punk who was a mere twelve inches from being flattened. Hooray for half-ton titanium warbikes.

"Uh oh..."

Kie barely managed to stumble out of the way, as the bike rider roared past him. He could've sworn he felt the handle of bike prick his back as he drove past. He stared at his back in shock and annoyance.

"Well, excuse me for stoppin' to take a rest!" He snapped.

The bike screeched to a roaring halt, the rider steering to block the road. He was wearing a stainless steel brushed mask, the lenses eerily changing colors from silver to a very faint blue. The lenses had seemingly switched to a scanner, circles focusing on Kie.

The look was completed by a rough jacket and two swords on his sides. He spoke "I didn't know resting was comprised of attacking people nowadays..."

Kie rolled his eyes. "They spilled melting ice cream over me. What goes around...." He folded his arms across his chest. "....comes around."

Ean's mask's lenses changed color again, back to gray. "So, I would assume that you'd be deserving of getting your ass kicked, right?" he asked, putting his hands on his swords.

"Or should just kill you for the fun of it?" he finished, drawing his blades slowly and deliberately.

Kie grinned deviously. His thumb pushed the guard of his own sword upwards, and it clicked out of its sheath. He had no idea who this guy was, or why he even bothered to stop. But, if he was asking for a fight, then so be it.

"Gee, you're pulling out weapons already?" He said jokingly. "We haven't been formally introduced yet!"

after digging his blades into the ground, Ean unzipped his jacket, and began to lift the bottom of his shirt up, his expression unoticable due to the layer of metal between himself and Kie.

Out-right shock came over Kie's face, and he comically recoiled back a bit, raising an arm as if to shield himself. "W-what are you doing?! I don't swing that way!!"

Ean continued to lift the cloth until the black outline of a tattoo could be seen. "I am Ean Eromalc, of the Guardians. Who are you?"

Immediately Kie's arm dropped, head drooping. "Great. I feel like an idiot now...." He thought, recomposing himself. "The name's Kie Joukai. I'd say it's a pleasant surprise, but I donno if it would actualy be 'pleasant' or not."

"I'd say..." Ean stepped to his swords, grabbing them out of the earth and dropping into his stance, "It's your worst nightmare," he continued, disappearing under a thick fog that was conjured up out of nowhere.

Kie sighed, balancing his sword onto his shoulder. He closed his eyes, waiting for Ean's eventual strike. If he was correct, Ean would strike from either the back, or sides. Normally, it would be the more exposed flank. If not.... well, he had his front covered to.

He crouched slightly, listening...

Dozens of ice-spears come from all directions, the fog dispelling at the same time they were just barely upon their target, glistening in the sudden light. Ean had not moved, and yet he was about to kill if his opponent did not defend soon.

Kie's eyes widened. "And I thought that Sokudo kid was bad...." He thought, quickly ducking behind the tree nearby, which covered his back from the crystals attacking from behind. Then, he rushed forward, swinging his sword and slicing through the ones rushing his front, eventually slicing through most of them with minor scratches.

"Ice? That's really somethin'..." He complemented.

Ean had yet to remove his mask. But the intent was known through the covering. "Hmm... You dodged my attack from all directions without any sight. Which means you're pretty good. I think I'll like this," he said, pointing his katana at Kie, he declared "Kougi Kirema." sending a burst of flame at Kie.

Upon seeing the flash of light coming towards his person, Kie jumped out of the way, and the fireball barely missed him. Then, he turned and gazed at the spot where Ean had fired it at him.

"Heh heh....fired." He snickered at his own lame joke.

Ean was upon him, rapier at Kie's neck. "Leaving your guard down... tsk tsk," he said, sliding his weapon outwards, extending his arm fully, and swinging with full force back, executing his favorite move, the Reverse Guillotine.

But Kie merely grinned, ducking downwards and allowing the blade to pass harmlessly over his head. Then, he did a lunge roll out of harm's way, turning to face behind him.

"Who ever said I let my guard down?" He retorted, settling in a one-handed defensive stance. "I'm not that stupid."

"Yes, but you are slow," said Ean as he spun around, slicing a small portion of magenta-red hair off of Kie's bangs, whils continuing to spin into a downwards thrust from his rapier into Kie's back.

It connected with Kie's own sword, and the two both struggled in a deadlock. "Ain't slow, either...." Kie said simply, as his pulled his sword in a small arc, the blade aiming straight for Ean's wrists. "But I couldn't say the same for you!"

The sword sliced cleanly through Ean's arms, the two swords dropping to the ground, blood spilling as if there was more pressure behind it than usual. He knelt on the ground, his face contorted in agony. He was breathing heavily, but he looked up with mischevious eyes, and he turned frosty.

A pain shot through Kie's right arm, and Ean's rapier had speared through the muscle, skewing the whole of the limb. He dug it into the ground, holding his opponent there. "Hmm... I sure hope this isn't another trick," he said, his ice clone dissipating.

"Agh!" Kie gasped, knocking the rapier out instinctively with his sword. "Gettin' really sick of these clones!" He thought irritatedly, as blood dripped down his affected arm.

Ean leaped away, waiting for his opponent to rise, "C'mon, that's the first time I've ever used it. Get up rookie," he said flicking his rapier to clean it as much as possible.

Kie's head jerked up, as he stared with an appalled face. Then, he glared, pulling himself up and nearly falling on his injured arm. "I'm no rookie, damn it!" He cursed, an anime vein popping in his head.

Ean stood there, "Then if that's true, you'd be able to make me take off my mask," he said, resting on his bike.

"Who...is this guy?" Was Kie's next thought. "Is that so?" He asked, twisting his sword and swinging it in an elegant manner, before stopping to point the blade at Ean. "Well, I'll guess I'll have to take it off myself, even it it means slicing that face of yours off!"

Try
"Now that's what I wanted to fight," said Ean sinisterly, poising his blades at the ready, "Now make me sweat, or I'll make you bleed," he taunted, bolestraing at Kie, slashing through his chest and leaping over his left shoulder, nicking his neck muscle just barely, all in one fluid motion. Landing a far distance behind him, he said "Heh, still not much of a challenge."

At first, Kie's eyes were of surprise, as he saw his opponent jump over him. The sudden closing of distance had made it seem like he had teleported. His wound bit at his neck like a parasite, as he turned towards Ean.

Then, they narrowed, as he pulled his sword back and rushed at Ean, closing the gap between them in seconds. He started off with a lunge attack, then followed up with a flurry of quick and elegant strikes aimed towards the head and chest.

Ean blocked all of these, as they were small and indiscriminate. After the final strike, he slid his rapier down the inside of Kie's sword with such force and speed that he knocked it out, putting a small nick in his opponent's left bicep also. He regained distance between them, waiting again for another flurry of attacks.

Once again, Kie struck with a one-handed lunge attack, obviously blocked. But then, he forced both of their blades downwards, grabbing Ean's collar with his free hand to hold him still. Then, he brought a knee up, striking Ean in the gut.

Ean bent over from the sudden shock to his stomach, coughing up saliva and... blood? Yeah, that was blood. Crap, at this rate, he would have to show his face... oh well, play the cards you got...

He angled his head upwards, head-butting into Kie's diaphragm, causing him to lose his breath. Ean regained his stance, and spun on his toe, cutting small lines into Kie's chest umltiple times, jumping back once again, keeping his distance.

Kie's head immediately jerked up, and he grabbed Ean's rapier before it could escape completely from his grasp. The blade cut into his hand, but he ignored the small pain as he pulled Ean towards him, grinning widely. "Not this time!" He said, thrusting the blade straight into Ean's chest.

Ean looked down, feeling an unbelieveable fire burn in his chest.

What he saw did not please him, he could barely breath and he was bleeding heavily from the spot he was stabbed. Damn, it was that exact same spot that he was always stabbed. Why that exact same spot?

He staggered back, away from the blade, pulling it out of his chest. He continued to shakily stand, until he felt the blood freeze on the wound, turning an icy red color. He could bear to look up now, the pain mostly numbed. ''Great, now I definitely have to show my face. Fine...'' He thought, putting his hand up to meet the cold steel surface of the mask. "you've.... done well for a rookie, I have to say... but, you have a long way to go," he said, showing one eye, his left one, and the frost that had formed on his face.

Upon seeing the frost, Kie almost staggered back. "His face...!" He thought, in slight alarm, and even more surprise.

Ean suddenly whipped away his mask, revealing his face, half covered in frost and the left side of his mouth extended in a creepy, jagged form that could be called a maw. He said "Yes, this is my face. Take in mind I'm not always like this, but you've seemed to push me this far. I congratulate you," he finished in his cold, breathy tone. He walked to a stunned Kie and said "Are you ready to fight?"

Kie merely stared with the same expression, before he settled into a defensive stance, keeping distance between the two of them. "What? Was this some sort of a warm-up?" He asked, the grin returning.

Ean stepped back also. "For me it was. For him, he's pretty much done. Now, I fight." he said grimly, clouds of fog coming from his mouth as he spoke. He setteled into a very low, beast-like stance, and simply spoke "Go." he disappeared, and suddenly Kie has scratches everywhere on his body. Ean was back at his spot, albeit a bit flustered, but nonetheless fairly unaffected by the high speeds he had just been moving at. "Your turn, boy."

"What the?!" Kie staggered at the sudden wounds inflicted upon his person. A flashback occured, back to the fight with Otonami. "Just like before...." He stared at Ean for a split second, before stepping forward, a strong lunge attack directed at his head.

Ean sidestepped the attack by an inch, bypassing the blade by his mouth, grabbing it between his teeth. "Well, I'm surprised you're still standing, you've got some major skill. maybe I should actually try to kill you now..." he said between clenched teeth. He slid down the blade to the hilt without letting go, elbowing Kie in the gut and spinning around, slicing cleanly across the face. "I honestly doubt you're fighting with every single ounce of strength you have! Come at me, cause if you don't, I will kill you!" he said after regrouping.

Kie staggered back, but rushed at Ean anyway, attacking with a more stronger slash this time, with enough power to temporarily open Ean's defenses. Then, he did the unthinkable: he jumped, landing on pushing his feet off of Ean's chest in a backflip move, before twisting in mid-air and swinging again, this time aiming for Ean's head.

Ean blocked with his katana, jabbing at Kie's right arm with his rapier, making a small cut on the side of the skin. "Well, at least you're learning how to get close to me without getting yourself killed, that's for sure," he said gruffly. He proceeded to spin-kick Kie in the chest as he landed, sending him skidding and eventually tumbling onto his stomach.

THUD! Kie fell to the ground, but pushed himself back up, glaring at the man with frustration. "Damn it!" He swore out loud, settling into a two-handed stance this time.

Ean looked at the boy with his half frozen face. "I bet you don't even know what that stance does," he said, not moving from his spot.

"It's a defense stance, damn you!" Kie swore, an eye twitching.

"It's a kendo stance. When two hands are holding a sword, it's power and strength double," he said, in a matter of fact tone. "Like this."

The next moment, Ean was slicing downwards at Kie's right shoulder, two hands on his katana, maintaining his speed. "See if you can block this!" he shouted wildly.

Kie stood his ground, and raised his own sword to block, but nearly staggered at the strength of the blow. "Everyone knows that!" He retorted, pushing his weight into Ean and forcing him back. Then, he aimed a diagonal arc strike towards his stomach.

Ean blocked with a low guard, twisting his rapier around the outside of Kie's blade, and returning it to the original stance with such strength and swiftness it goes flying out of the younger man's hand. He pointed it at Kie's neck, "Before you rush to get that without dying, I want you to answer something," he said with the cold voice he possessed.

"Crap..." Kie thought, a bit unnerved by the sudden change of events in Ean's favor. "....What is it?" He asked.

"You live in the land of ninja, yet you use no chakra or ninjutsu. You can stand up to me without dying, and you're fifteen. I want to know how a boy like you came to learn how to fight to make me give an effort," he said, not moving his blade's position.

Kie was silent for a moment, before he spoke. "I learn from watching others...." He said quietly. "I was given these swords skills by my own father, but I learned how to survive from adapting...."

Ean was silent, his face frozen like the ice that characterized its features. He spoke roughly, "You speak like your father is a distant memory. Is he no longer alive?" he asked bluntly.

"...He's not." Kie looked slightly glum after saying that.

Ean's face was hard, "So is my own," he said grimly. "So... you fight in your parents' memory?"

Kie sighed. "I'm that obvious, aren't I?"

"yes, you are. Reading into things is what I do," replied the older man. "And I kill for the money," he said, quickly and swiftly swinging his arm out to the right, leaving a small cut on Kie's throat. "Don't let emotional moments inhibit your ability t fight. You'll die from simple sentimentalities," he said, drawing back his katana. "Now, get back to trying to kill me."

"That's right....I've got a fight to complete..." Kie was instantly brought out of his "blues", and immediately settled into a Makashi stance, one that was very familiar with his own person.

Evening Out?
Ean leaped at Kie, bringing his katana outwards to block Kie's sword from movement, and stabbing at his jugular with his rapier, "C'mon, that stance won't get you anywhere!"

Just as the sword was inches away from his face, Kie grabbed the blade, stopping it in its tracks. "Wanna bet?" He retorted, raising an eyebrow.

"'Cause you just made yourself a sitting duck!"

He brought his sword from under Ean's, swinging it upwards at Ean's exposed stomach.

In response, Ean turned his own katana downwards, blocking Kie's own sword. He turned his focus on his rapier, jerking it slightly in Kie's hand, slicing open the skin with ease. "Sitting duck you say? Try fighting with a busted hand," he said mockingly.

"Hmph!" Kie winced at the pain, but scoffed anyway. He gripped the blade even harder, pulling it to his side and leaving Ean's chest exposed. With his left leg, he lifted and kicked Ean in his his exposed flank, just enough to make him stagger back.

Then, he used an elegant and one-handed side swing to slash Ean across the face, just below his nose. He stepped back a few feet, seeming a bit more calmer as he began to walk sideways.

"I've got two, thank you very much." He shot back, a bit calmer than he was a moment ago.

Ean felt the small trail of blood on his upper lip. "...Y'know, I really don't want another scar on my face, thank you very much..." he said angrily, digging his rapier into the ground and using it to pivot, throwing himself at Kie while slashing across his arm, thoroughly cutting into the flesh.

"Not a very smart move..."

Kie had taken the time Ean took to pivot, in order to position himself for another sideswing, this time two-handed. He felt the blade pierce through muscle and bone, but he was to lost in his thoughts to care. Ean's lunge had left him exposed now, and he wasted no time.

His blade swing in a collision path, straight for Ean's face.

"This is the end!!!"

Within a split second, everything happened at once.

Ean had switched his katana to a back-hand position, blocking Kie's own sword solidly. He stepped in, too close for Kie to move, "Yes, it is," he smiled, pulling his rapier back, pointing to his opponent's stomach. He stepped with one foot beyond his opponent's other foot, closing even more distance between them, and, with a movement that could only be described as cold and precies, he ran the long blade through the body of the boy he was fighting. He did not remove it for a moment, then, with another movement as swift as the attack, he pulled it out, sheathing it slowly.

Kie fell to his hands and knees, a trickle of blood running down his chin. He dropped his sword, breathing heavily more heavily now, a shocked expression on his face. "N-no way...." He thought, in more than amazement than fear. "I-I could've sworn i had him!"

Then, his eyes lowered, and he managed a slightly humored smirk. "Jeezus...." He muttered. "I guess this wasn't m-my day...."''

Ean stepped back, almost a small staggering motion, and the later of ice on his face shattered, flying away in bits and pieces of mirrored glass. Instead of falling to the ground, they floated in front of Ean, who brought his hand up to meet them. They attached to his finger tips, and he grabbed Kie's collar with his free hand, holding him up to what he could muster to be his feet. With force and deliberation, Ean shoved his hand into the open wound.

Kie's eyes widened in shock, as he gasped in pain, letting out a violent exhale. "He's going to kill me!" He thought in realization, grabbing Ean's wrist in an attempt to stop him.

but he did not stop, slipping through Kie's fingers.

His hand entered the hole in his stomach, and, after holding it for half a moment, he pulled it out slowly, the look on his face dire and serious, almost as if he had no intention of killing this boy.