Ch. 2: The Sparring Match
*This one's a bit on the long side, but I really wanted to get the fight scene in. And Tiger5913, thanks for the encouraging words. Don't worry. As they say, "the best is yet to come."*
"How do you know.?" Uriko asked.
"I heard a noise." Kenji replied. Eying the doorway. He was tensed to the max as the creeping steps moved closer. He was ready to pounce at any second to protect his girlfriend (although they both new she didn't need it). Slowly the footsteps crept, until Uriko's door squeaked open and a voice pierced the darkness.
"Meow?" it asked. Kenji fell forward, onto his face. It was only the kitten he had gotten her for Christmas. Uriko climbed onto his back and looked at the little kitten.
"You can stare down Shenlong and not even flinch, you can fight against your own best friend, you can even stand to be around that awful Busuzima long enough to choke him with his own tongue, but you scared by. Mr. Fluffles?"
Kenji groaned and buried his head in Uriko's pillow. It wasn't often he made a mistake, but when he did it was a doozy. "So the great ninja Kenji is human after all?" she rubbing her hands up and down his back. "You're awfully tense tonight," she said kneading her hands into the small of Kenji's back."
"Mmmmmmm, that feels good." He said softly. "You know, Riko, you could always become a professional masseuse."
"Nah, I'm relying on you for my income," she said jokingly.
"Hmm.The Magic Fingers of Uriko.."
"Flatterer," she giggled. "Heeeey, was that a joke? From you? Will wonders never cease?"
"I guess you just have that effect on people."
Uriko smiled to herself, bent down and kissed Kenji lightly on his cheek, then went back to work on massaging his back.
"Why are we going to Kane's place?" Kenji asked the next morning.
"Because it's spring break, Yugo and Alice are on their honeymoon, and I'm bored! Besides, you said yourself that Kane's a good person."
"I know but.. there's just something not right about him.."
"Come off it, he's just having trouble adjusting. Actually." she said. "What?"
"He reminds me a lot of you a while back."
Uriko walked up to Kane's house. He had practically the whole house to himself, just a few servants and his limo driver. His father, Raven Darkholm, was the sole owner of RavenTech, now the world's largest biogenetics firm. He was always away, this time in Brazil meeting with some former Tylon scientists.
Kane's butler, Amagasaki answered the door. He led them to a small dojo built in the compound. Inside they spotted Kane practicing with a dummy, when he noticed the two.
"Hey Kenji, Uriko. Just gimme a little while to take a shower and all.."
"Hey, I didn't know you were a martial artist." Uriko interrupted
"Yeah, my uncle, Erik, was a prominent Vale Tudo fighter. He taught me everything I know."
"Heeeeey, why don't you and Kenji have a sparring match?"
Kenji gave Uriko a look that seemed to say "what the Hell?" while Kane seemed all for it. "If you don't, Kenji, then I will."
Kenji gave an audible groan. Uriko did this all the time to pressure him to do things. Reluctantly, he agreed, handed Uriko his coat, and stepped into the middle of the ring with Kane. From her vantage point, she could marvel at the size difference between Kenji and Kane, Kenji was fairly small and slight, relying on speed to defeat his opponents, while Kane was a giant. He was nearly seven feet tall and weighed in at 300 lbs. She giggled at the thought of Kenji beating him. "Kenji the Giant Killer" she mused to herself.
"Okay.GO!" she yelled. Kenji made the first attack, a quick kick that Kane easily parried. He swung wide for a punch that Kenji ducked under, and delivered a blow to his stomach. He attempted a follow up attack, but Kane caught his arm. Kane used the leverage to knock Kenji to the ground, and tried to deliver a blow to the downed ninja. Kenji kick flipped up, avoiding the attack and made one of his own, a spinning kick that Kane avoided. He tried to go for an uppercut, put Kenji's speed allowed him to recover in time to parry it, and deliver a flipping kick to Kane's jaw. The giant staggered, and took a few steps back.
"Round One goes to you, Kenji. But now it's my turn. Kane ran at Kenji, to deliver a wide right hook. Kenji prepared to block the blow, but was surprised when the attack never came. He realized too late that the punch was a feint for a sweep kick. Kenji was knocked off his feet, and could only watched as Kane fell in tandem, driving his elbow into Kenji's stomach and knocking the wind out of him. Kenji slowly rose from the attack, only to be knocked down again by a kick to the head. Kenji recovered his wits, landed on his hands, and prepared to flip back up. But as he was in the air he felt a strong pair of arms grab his legs. Kenji looked genuinely surprised as he was flung onto Kane's shoulders and brought down in a powerbomb. As quick as Kenji could see, Kane switched his grip, swung around, and put Kenji into a Boston Crab. Kenji's back screamed in pain as he tapped the ground in a gesture of submission. Kane let go, and offered his hand to the fallen ninja.
"You're pretty good," was all Kenji could say.
"You're not bad either," Kane said shaking Kenji's hand. Kane made his way to the shower, and told them he'd be back in a few minutes as they walked by Uriko, Kenji looked over to his girlfriend. He was red with embarrassment. He knew she'd never let him live this down.
"Uriko? I think I'm gonna need another one of those massages." he said with a groan of pain.
*This one's a bit on the long side, but I really wanted to get the fight scene in. And Tiger5913, thanks for the encouraging words. Don't worry. As they say, "the best is yet to come."*
"How do you know.?" Uriko asked.
"I heard a noise." Kenji replied. Eying the doorway. He was tensed to the max as the creeping steps moved closer. He was ready to pounce at any second to protect his girlfriend (although they both new she didn't need it). Slowly the footsteps crept, until Uriko's door squeaked open and a voice pierced the darkness.
"Meow?" it asked. Kenji fell forward, onto his face. It was only the kitten he had gotten her for Christmas. Uriko climbed onto his back and looked at the little kitten.
"You can stare down Shenlong and not even flinch, you can fight against your own best friend, you can even stand to be around that awful Busuzima long enough to choke him with his own tongue, but you scared by. Mr. Fluffles?"
Kenji groaned and buried his head in Uriko's pillow. It wasn't often he made a mistake, but when he did it was a doozy. "So the great ninja Kenji is human after all?" she rubbing her hands up and down his back. "You're awfully tense tonight," she said kneading her hands into the small of Kenji's back."
"Mmmmmmm, that feels good." He said softly. "You know, Riko, you could always become a professional masseuse."
"Nah, I'm relying on you for my income," she said jokingly.
"Hmm.The Magic Fingers of Uriko.."
"Flatterer," she giggled. "Heeeey, was that a joke? From you? Will wonders never cease?"
"I guess you just have that effect on people."
Uriko smiled to herself, bent down and kissed Kenji lightly on his cheek, then went back to work on massaging his back.
"Why are we going to Kane's place?" Kenji asked the next morning.
"Because it's spring break, Yugo and Alice are on their honeymoon, and I'm bored! Besides, you said yourself that Kane's a good person."
"I know but.. there's just something not right about him.."
"Come off it, he's just having trouble adjusting. Actually." she said. "What?"
"He reminds me a lot of you a while back."
Uriko walked up to Kane's house. He had practically the whole house to himself, just a few servants and his limo driver. His father, Raven Darkholm, was the sole owner of RavenTech, now the world's largest biogenetics firm. He was always away, this time in Brazil meeting with some former Tylon scientists.
Kane's butler, Amagasaki answered the door. He led them to a small dojo built in the compound. Inside they spotted Kane practicing with a dummy, when he noticed the two.
"Hey Kenji, Uriko. Just gimme a little while to take a shower and all.."
"Hey, I didn't know you were a martial artist." Uriko interrupted
"Yeah, my uncle, Erik, was a prominent Vale Tudo fighter. He taught me everything I know."
"Heeeeey, why don't you and Kenji have a sparring match?"
Kenji gave Uriko a look that seemed to say "what the Hell?" while Kane seemed all for it. "If you don't, Kenji, then I will."
Kenji gave an audible groan. Uriko did this all the time to pressure him to do things. Reluctantly, he agreed, handed Uriko his coat, and stepped into the middle of the ring with Kane. From her vantage point, she could marvel at the size difference between Kenji and Kane, Kenji was fairly small and slight, relying on speed to defeat his opponents, while Kane was a giant. He was nearly seven feet tall and weighed in at 300 lbs. She giggled at the thought of Kenji beating him. "Kenji the Giant Killer" she mused to herself.
"Okay.GO!" she yelled. Kenji made the first attack, a quick kick that Kane easily parried. He swung wide for a punch that Kenji ducked under, and delivered a blow to his stomach. He attempted a follow up attack, but Kane caught his arm. Kane used the leverage to knock Kenji to the ground, and tried to deliver a blow to the downed ninja. Kenji kick flipped up, avoiding the attack and made one of his own, a spinning kick that Kane avoided. He tried to go for an uppercut, put Kenji's speed allowed him to recover in time to parry it, and deliver a flipping kick to Kane's jaw. The giant staggered, and took a few steps back.
"Round One goes to you, Kenji. But now it's my turn. Kane ran at Kenji, to deliver a wide right hook. Kenji prepared to block the blow, but was surprised when the attack never came. He realized too late that the punch was a feint for a sweep kick. Kenji was knocked off his feet, and could only watched as Kane fell in tandem, driving his elbow into Kenji's stomach and knocking the wind out of him. Kenji slowly rose from the attack, only to be knocked down again by a kick to the head. Kenji recovered his wits, landed on his hands, and prepared to flip back up. But as he was in the air he felt a strong pair of arms grab his legs. Kenji looked genuinely surprised as he was flung onto Kane's shoulders and brought down in a powerbomb. As quick as Kenji could see, Kane switched his grip, swung around, and put Kenji into a Boston Crab. Kenji's back screamed in pain as he tapped the ground in a gesture of submission. Kane let go, and offered his hand to the fallen ninja.
"You're pretty good," was all Kenji could say.
"You're not bad either," Kane said shaking Kenji's hand. Kane made his way to the shower, and told them he'd be back in a few minutes as they walked by Uriko, Kenji looked over to his girlfriend. He was red with embarrassment. He knew she'd never let him live this down.
"Uriko? I think I'm gonna need another one of those massages." he said with a groan of pain.