Nothing to Lose
By RichieD.
(A/N: Sorry if the last chapter was too jumbled, I got a little too eager trying to post as quickly as I could (with school starting and all). I'll try to keep this one a bit shorter and space it for easier reading. As always Street Fighter characters are owned by Capcom. The KOF troop are SNK's even though they're not in this story. Now let's get back to the action already in progress.)
The crowd had gathered once more for what was, supposedly, the last fight of the day. The signal had been given and the two combatants were all too set to test their skill. Yet neither one had charged out once the hand had dropped in fact both were still rooted in the spot they stayed on. They were still in their fighting stance but hadn't moved an inch, this didn't play well for the more impatient members of the crowd. Yet those who ever saw an action flick or martial arts film, heck even the real thing, knew that some fights didn't always start with body parts flying. One could go underway just through the power of will.
And that indeed what was taking place between Sakura and Shorty, each fighter staring deep into the other eyes. Searching for a sign of eagerness they could use to their advantage. So far neither was having too much luck pinpointing it, a fact that surprised a semi-experienced one such as Sakura. Then again this was a new fighter and she didn't know what she was capable of. Most of the other kids who challenged her always acted liked hot shots, these traits she used to spot their faults a mile away and put them down.
But this girl was different, she bore that "am better then you are" attitude that the other wannabes had, that was for sure. Yet she could see that this girl was dead serious on proving her point and was going to give it her all. "This might just be worth getting scolded at when I get home." Sakura thought to herself as she continued studying her opponent who still had yet to move. Shorty just stared back, her mind quickly trying to think of a move that would catch Sakura off guard on the first strike. "Charging in won't do any good, girl got the mind of a jackrabbit. She'll move before I get my attack in. That Korzo guy proved that all too well." she thought, a frown coming to her face "But then again…"
"Hey get on with it already!" a rough voice shouted from the crowd a few others agreeing with the outburst. Still despite this, the two girls held their ground. No sign of movement from either one making the standoff even more tense. Birds chirped around the area. Someone coughed from the crowd. And the determined stares still continued to eye one another.
That is until a flash of movement caught Sakura's eye. One of her opponent's legs moved back a bit while the other bent forward some. "She going for a frontal attack, probably to test my reflexes some more." Sakura automatically thought "But if she saw my last fight, she should know am more then ready for it unless she got something else planned. Time to see what she got." With that she put her senses to full alert for the incoming attack.
One second later, Shorty made her move. Pushing forward from the ground in what indeed looked like a frontal assault. Sakura narrowed her eyes and smirk, readying a counter. Just when her opponent was within striking distance, she stopped abruptly, spun and yelled out "N-CHAN!" finishing up in a cute pose that seemed lifted right out some chibi anime. Sakura suddenly found herself on the verge of falling over from preparing the counter, eyes wide in disbelief and a single sweat drop dotting the side of her head. She wasn't the only one in this state of shock, the whole crowd too shared in her expression. A moment of this passed and Sakura regained her bearings "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!" she shouted to Shorty out of embarrassment. "I THOUGHT THIS WAS A STREET FIGHT. NOT SOME HELLO KITTY DANCE ROUTINE!"
Shorty, still in her cute pose and eyes close, just smiled in reply as she wave to the audience around her "Oh it still is. I just wanted to break the tension and see if you're any fidgety with your attacks. Congrats, you passed my test." She said giving a little mock clap for the accomplishment. But Sakura look lesser then please by this "Look I got to get home soon and don't have any time for jokers. Either get real or I leave!" The cute demeanor dropped from Shorty face replaced by a suspicious smirk "Just the starting pistol I wanted to hear." Shorty suddenly jumped into the air, her motion a blur for Sakura to register on the spot. By the time she did though Shorty was already over her. Her legs spinning through the air like a windmill as gravity brought her down, one of the spins nailing Sakura hard on the side of the head.
Shorty quickly landed on her feet and dashed forward at her opponent "Ha! My trick worked, that little cutesy ruse was just the thing I needed to throw off her guard. Thank you Dr Slump!*" she thought as she brought back her fist and striked at the currently dazed Sakura.
Only to have it blocked much to Shorty's surprised. She caught sight of a fist heading her way and quickly use her free hand to catch it crisscrossing the arm that was blocked. Not wasting time for her opponent to retaliate, Shorty brought up one leg and forced kick Sakura back while flipping backward. She landed and looked up just in time to see Sakura bearing down on her.
Sakura let out a wide left chop, which only caught her some of Shorty's hair since she leaned her head to the side. Unfortunely for Shorty, she left her stomach unguarded. Sakura's punch invited itself into her gut, causing Shorty to reel back. But Sakura didn't give her chance to recover and hit her with another punch to the stomach, then another and another. Almost like some machine gun rounds firing continuously. But Shorty had had enough; she quickly brought both arms down on the plummeting arm then followed with a knee to Sakura's midsection. Sakura jumped back from the hit growling, then went for a sweep kick. Shorty easily dodged it and almost came back with a counter. I said almost as another sweep kick came followed by a third. "The heck?! It déjà vu only with kicks now!" More sweep kicks came in rapid succession gaining more speed with each pass. Causing Shorty to keep her feet moving but it was obvious she couldn't keep up with this deadly game of Skip It.* Finally, a kick hit the tip of her shoe and Shorty fell forward…right into Sakura's high kick. Shorty was thrown backwards tumbling on the ground a short distance, her body showing no signs of moving. Sakura's sores were throbbing like heck now and it took a good amount of strength just to pull off that. She was on her last legs and would be in serious trouble if this girl ever found out that is if she ever got up. As she caught her breath a mental phrase repeated in her head. One that she hadn't thought of in her recent fights since that big battle very long ago "Please stay down."
Shorty groan slightly as the effects from last attack stung her body. "Ugh girl wasn't kidding when she said she was packing. Felt like a stadium full of people dog piling on me." She thought as she tried to gather her strength "I'll give her one thing, that speed is incredible. But I've dealt with faster people and she no different. I just need to prove it uit I can't do that laying here like a raggedy ann doll. Gotta get…up." Shorty gritted her teeth through the pain in her stomach as shakingly got to her feet and faced Sakura. She thought she saw look of disappointment on the girl's face. But if it was there, it vanished back into that determined bravo. Shorty rubbed her face to ease the pain as she spoke to her "Yeah, I know. You don't have to say it "I gave you fair warning". Trust me it a phrase I've gotten used too." The pain had subsided and a confident smirk came across Shorty's lips as she went back into a fighting posture. "But it also spoken mostly by the people I fight back at home, right before I drive them into the ground!"
Sakura just give a tired sigh, shaking her head. Muttering something barely audible, Shorty couldn't pick it up as the Translace bumped again but it sounded something like "Baka". The necklace recovered and picked up "If your done talking like a anime villain, I like to finish this before its gets too dark." A line that broke through the playful nature that Shorty's was using for cover to throw Sakura off. It was a serious tone and her actions were defiantly going to show it in the next coming moves. "Fine then" Shorty said in a grave voice " No more games."
Shorty ran forward and let out a kick that was blocked then a punch that Sakura caught but managed to get a elbow in Sakura's face. Still grasping on Shorty's punch, Sakura twisted her arm to her back causing the girl to yelp out in pain before sending her stumbling forward with a kick to the back. She then tried to build on this with a jump kick to Shorty's head, but found that the girl was able to lean backward into a roll going directly under her kick. Shorty somehow directed the roll to land on her hands then, using them as leverage, sprung back with feet forward at Sakura's unguarded backside. The unexpected strike connected and Sakura stumbled forward and in a bit of pain too since an earlier opponent had also connected in that same spot.
Shorty then jumped to her feet then went into handstand, putting her legs into a "T" formation. She then begin to spin around one outstretched leg coming after the other at the weaken Sakura . Who, speaking of which, was still trying to regain her composure. The first spin hit her face, the second spin clipped her shoulder. Sakura recovered on the third strike and blocked it. But didn't see the other still-in-motion leg and caught another across the face as well as the midsection, once again causing her to stumble back. Shorty got back on her feet and let fly a high kick but was blocked and got a jump kick in return. The girl ducked but found she was on the defensive as Sakura left out some quick and very hard punches and kicks. So much so that Shorty was having trouble detecting where they coming from, she realized she was being pushed back. "Whoa! Where this come from!" Shorty thought rapidly as the storm of punches kept coming, now feeling as if bricks were being thrown "She must be getting desperate, every person I've fought always brings out the big guns when they're at their limit. Those other fights must have drained her! Yeah that has to be it!" Somehow Shorty was able to grin while dodging a kick "Which means I got her right where I want her!"
A punch connected to her face followed by a kick to the ribs disoriented her train of thought. But on instinct she lifted her arms and blocked an incoming punch and came back with two punches of her own, then leap back to avoid any other attacks "Well I gotta get around those attacks first" Shorty added mentally. But at this point cheap tricks weren't going to do; Sakura was at full alert and was going to strike at the fullest "Go for broke, huh? Not a bad idea girl. Ready or not here I come!" The girl put her arms in a cross and charged forward. Immediately her opponent let out a kick which Shorty moved to intercept with a guard.. She then pushed forward, causing Sakura assault to go back a little and sent the girl off balance. Shorty then raised her left arm to block an incoming fist, drew her right arm back and went for the stomach. But Sakura's other free hand met it half way and stopped it, regaining control of her leg she resumed to kick Shorty back. But the girl had moved to her side, dropped low and went for a sweep kick. Surprisingly Sakura saw it coming and hop over it in an awkward sideways jump. Spinning in the air and coming down on Shorty with a rough almost impossible crescent kick.
Shorty found herself spinning through the air from the strike toward the ground. But was again able to land on her hands before hitting. Shorty's face was now a mess of bruises and scrapes. Her body feeling like it had been through the ringer and back again but still had some strength left as long as her brain didn't black out. The girl tried to get to her feet but dizziness came over her and she collapsed to her knees. "Dang it! I keep hitting her and she comes back with an even stronger hit then last." Shorty mumbled "I know I got her on the ropes but I can't finish it, she just won't go down. Talk about…stubborn. Oh, my head." The dizzy spell eventually passed and she tried to get up again but only managed to get on one knee, though it was becoming more of a struggle then a task. Still though all the pain that was seeping through her body she smiled as a weird thought suddenly came to her "My formidable opponent all the way out here a thousand miles from home. Who knew?"
Also on knee and looking worse for wear, Sakura sucked in deep breaths after landing. Strength at a maximum low, fatigue already clinging to her, and the only thing holding her up was willpower. She was trying hard to keep it covered though many in the crowd could already tell the fight was nearing the end, even when Shorty sat up some were grabbing their backpacks and suitcases. However, despite the odds and the seriousness of it all Sakura gave a little chuckle "As much of a big talker she is, she one of the few people who can actually back up her claim. Just needs more training, I wonder how she would fare if I was at full strength." She thought out loudly to herself "Still she hasn't won yet. Time to see if she is really worthy of the title street fighter."
Shorty was still having trouble getting too her feet even though most of her strength had returned. "Alright…uh..um what was you name again?" she heard her Sakura ask "S-Shorty." "Oh Right, I noticed you having trouble getting up and am not one to strike a fighter when they're down. What say we call it even for now and pick it up when we meet again." Shorty just grinned and shook her head. "Nice try but then technically I'll be giving up if I agreed then wouldn't I? No point in bluffing girl, were both in bad shape to continue but too stubborn to end it that easily. But due to the lateness of the hour (and my record for the exchange program. Heh -_-;;.) Let just end it on these next moves. K' good for you?"
Sakura gave a little smirk at that answer, almost as if she was expecting it "Alright your call, give it everything you got."
Shorty just gazed at her for a moment, eyes burning with determination. "Gladly!" she suddenly yelled and rushed ahead at full speed. Sakura braced herself her fists starting to glow blue, a sign to the crowd that this was it. Almost a inch from her Shorty dropped onto her back into a baseball slide. Sakura, expecting another frontal assault, was got off guard and barely had time to jump forward and over her before it impacted. "Gah!" Shorty cried out as she continued to skid forward, but suddenly got sight of a blue light directly above her. Looking up confirmed this, but what was really noticeable was that it was getting brighter and descending right on top of her! "HADOKEN!" she heard Sakura call out, then the thing came down full force causing a small explosion on the spot where Shorty was.
Or would have been if see hadn't continued skidding. Shorty let out the breath she was holding and jumped to her feet. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!" She shouted out loud as she looked at the smoking crater. However nobody answered her question and it was then she realized that Sakura was nowhere to be seen. "Why do I get the feeling I just made a big mistake." She automatically thought as she searched for her opponent. A small speck of dark on the ground that seem to be getting bigger coming in her general direction suddenly caught her eye. Recognition then hit "She coming from the air!" and Shorty turned her attention upward, instantly putting her arms in a blocking cross just as Sakura came down with one of famous spikes. Guard and strike connected and cloud of dust kicked up from the impact. The crowd around them momentarily looked away to keep dust from getting in their faces. All eyes then turned back to the action to see the outcome of the fight.
And were in for quite a shock.
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And that shall end it for chapter two. Yeah I know cliffhangers sucks but I wasn't in the mood to make this too drawn out. I was going too but after getting through my first weeks of school and mom using the computer constantly. I figured I better just finish it on the next chapter plus I'll be able to advance the story this way. But anywho, gimme some R & R and show me what you think so far, I don't mind flames as long as you brave enough to put your name. If not, I don't wanna hear ya. (Wait a minute did I just rhyme?)
Follwing disclamer astrisk: *(Dr. Slump is a product of Bird Studios and property of Arika Toriyama. You know the DragonBall guy. Don't know of this series, do your research.)
Next Chapter:
The Finishing and the Offer
Shorty and Sakura finish their fight but yet don't know of each other presence back at school. Least not until a outside party once again tests their strength then brings them a offer that will really put them through their paces. Will they accept?
L8R
