A match of Eastern and Western chivalry. Combat between the two ancient fighting styles.
I think I know who's gonna win this. Asherah turned away from the ring- where the announcer had just cried, "Ready?… GO!"- to look at the group of men sitting slightly below from her, only half- watching the match.
"I still think we ought to go after her." Andy was saying.
"No. She didn't want that." Ethan argued.
"But-"
"Ethan's right." Joe conceded, wincing on Domon's behalf as George's sword nicked a hastily- thrown up arm. Well, better that than his neck…
"She's not expecting to come back from this." Jesse pointed out.
"We all know that." Ethan snapped. "This is the way she wanted to say goodbye. Why should we ruin it for her? She probably has a good reason."
Andy stood up, fire in his eyes. "Asherah is our sister. Our little sister. Are you telling me-"
"Sit down!" a burly man behind him bellowed.
Andy glared at the world in general. "Screw this. I'm leaving."
Asherah's dark eyes narrowed. Is that…? She disappeared.
*
Has he gotten faster? Domon wondered, sidestepping George's sword again and loosing a kick that failed to connect with its frustratingly elusive target. I don't remember him being this fast… George thrust. Domon evaded the blade, grabbed the Frenchman's wrist, and tossed him. Chibodee's gotten faster too, a hell of a lot faster… shit, have I slipped? Just that crucial little bit?
George adjusted, turning the toss into a graceful flip and landing solidly. The blade came at Domon again. The Neo- Japanese fighter decided he'd had enough, and brought his arms up in combined palm strike and block that sent the sword flying. Before George could effectively recover, Burning Gundam landed a punch on his jaw and a kick to his ribs.
George skated backward, and the two huge machines faced one another. Then they simultaneously rushed.
*
Asherah's voice dripped menace. "You'd better not be thinking what I think you're thinking."
"Surely there's a better way to phrase that." Jonas replied, turning to acknowledge her.
"It got my point across." she retorted, eyes flashing as Andy's had earlier. "Now, what are you doing here?"
"I'm not a fugitive. I still have the right to walk around." Jonas smugly reminded her.
"And do you know how I can walk around with impunity, even as a fugitive, Jonas? Because I can kick ass, at times including yours. What- are- you- doing." she bit out.
"Testy, are we?"
"Dammit, quit being an ass!"
"Language-"
Asherah snarled and leapt at him.
Jonas barely managed to duck in time. "Your temper's worse than your boyfriend's!"
"I don't have a boyfriend."
Jonas' voice was low and rough, and a sliver of cruelty shimmered in his eyes. "And why is that, Asherah- my- girl?"
"You damn well know why." She blocked his punch, aiming a sadly unsuccessful kick at his gut and jumping over his attempted sweep. Jonas came back at her with a knife- hand aimed at her throat; Asherah, distracted with blocking that, failed to notice his fist. There was a whoof as it connected with her ribs.
*
"Rose Bits!" George proclaimed emphatically, flinging out an arm to direct his little army.
"Sekihatekiyouken!" the Neo- Japanese fighter replied. Gundam Rose's feet were singed as it jumped clear of the destructive blast that destroyed its Bits. George rolled (using his shield to take the brunt of the impact) and came to his feet in time to block a kick that would have taken off his Gundam's head- or at the least removed its jaunty little hat.
Feinting an attempt toward his sword, George smoothly swept the shield behind Burning Gundam's knees and jerked, bringing his opponent down. Domon raised up, grabbed the shield, and, taking advantage of the shield's progress toward its owner, shoved it. George threw himself to the side, but the shield still took off part of his shoulder.
"George!" cried Marie- Louise in the stands, clutching one fisted hand to her mouth and the other to her heart. On the Neo- Japanese side, Rain's eyes were wide as she watched with bated breath.
The French knight wasn't down yet. His leg came up and impacted on Burning Gundam's side, buying him a little breathing room.
Both Gundams rose to their feet, Domon slightly ahead of George.
*
Asherah and Jonas circled each other. "So," her ex- husband said conversationally, "what did you think I was up to?"
She sidestepped his rush and stuck out a foot to trip him; Jonas fell but landed on his hands and continued circling while "walking" on them. So immature… she snorted.
"No good, just like always. Were you going after that man?" She punctuated the question with a flying kick; Jonas went into a backbend to avoid it and came up on his feet.
"Andy? Your brother? Nah. I always liked him."
"You never met him." Asherah threw an easily- blocked punch, and just as easily blocked Jonas' counterattack.
"Not formally, no. But I looked him up after we split." he confessed, blushing the slightest bit.
"Why? And why then, why not when we were married?" But she already knew the answer. We were happy in our own little world. What did it matter if either of us had siblings? There's no way they could know the reality of what we do, not normal people. She moved her head slightly and snatched his ankle as it whistled past her ear; Jonas put a hand to the ground and punched the back of her knee. It failed to unbalance her, as she'd had it slightly bent, so he put his shoulders to the ground and yanked on her ankles, forcing her to let him go or smash face- first into the pavement of the abandoned lot they were in. Both were on their feet almost instantly.
Did he- does he still-?
*
Domon was just that critical bit faster than George. Before the Frenchman had fully readied himself for the next attack, Domon crashed into him elbow- first. Gundam Rose went down hard; Burning Gundam didn't give the other machine a chance to recover, pummeling it with a flurry of blows to the shoulders, upper chest, neck, and head before springing back.
Gundam Rose did not rise. As the announcer jubilantly proclaimed him the winner, Domon jumped out of his cockpit and ran over to help George out of his. The knight, courteous as always, allowed Domon to help him to the ring floor before stopping and shaking his hand. "That was a good match, Domon. Well fought."
Marie Louise was rushing toward them in a run somewhat less than decorous, with Rain just behind. The others, slightly less motivated, had not yet reached the ring floor.
"And you, George. Are you all right?" the Neo- Japanese fighter queried.
George's back straightened as his violet eyes, seemingly of their own volition, flicked toward the Princess. "I am fine." The women were upon them in the next minute; Marie flung herself at George (who did his best not to stagger back under the impact), smiling- Why is she smiling? I lost- and complimenting her knight on how well and bravely he had fought. I wouldn't have cared if he lost every fight- he fought them for me!
Rain's embrace was less exuberant, much shorter, and wordless. Domon smiled down into her eyes and gave her a kiss, only to be rudely broken apart by the heartily approving yells of Sai Saici and Chibodee, who were not abashed in the least by George's reprimands. They seemed to actually egg the Neo- American on; he let Sai Saici take sole responsibility for yelling at Domon and Rain, and resumed his tireless campaign to get the French knight to lose his composure.
Which reached a spectacular conclusion ten minutes later, when a comment about Marie Louise with the all the subtlety of a missile made the lady blush and her knight turn red with indignation. Swelling with the sentiment, George launched into a lecture. However, Chibodee's raspberry didn't improve matters, and a few increasingly heated exchanges later, the Jack of Diamonds was chasing the chortling Queen of Spades around the ring.
*
"You still didn't answer me why." And he doesn't want to. What the hell…? He's letting this rattle him! Damn, I don't believe this…
Jonas vanished.
Asherah followed a split second later. "Ooooh no you don't! I know that trick too, dumbass!"
A/N: How was that, LivEvil? I WAS going to just put a teeny bit of the Gundam fight in there, since I'm not really familiar with George's technique and I didn't want to screw up (yes, Ryan, I am intimidated- slightly-) but I did it Just For You. The Sekihatekiyouken was just for you, Ryan, and George chasing Chibodee was just for me. ^_^ Cookies to: LivEvil and Ryan. Surprise surprise!