Hey everyone, and welcome to this chapter. This will be a chapter that holds a very important fight. Considering we haven't had a combat-oriented chapter in a while, I'd say this is pretty overdue.

This chapter will feature a fight I've been looking forward to for a really long time, and I'm sure a lot of you have as well. Hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based parody. History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi is owned by Funimation and Syun Matsuena. Please support the official release.

"Shirou" Regular speech.

"Shirou" Thoughts.

SEIKUKEN Attack names.

(Shirou) Words said previously.

[Shirou] Words said in unison.

Beasts Of The Wild

—…

The day began at the Koryuu High School auditorium as the drama club was in the middle of the final rehearsing for Romeo and Juliet as the day of the play was only one day away.

Right now, Miu was on stage and reading her lines as Tanimoto was standing by and Kenichi was sitting in the audience.

"Oh Romeo, deny thy father and refuse thy name, or thou wilt not be but sworn my love." Miu looked up with emotion as she recited her lines.

Kenichi was taken aback by the improvement in her performance. "Whoa, she's so awesome?"

Tanimoto clapped for her. "That's wonderful, absolutely wonderful, way to go. All the practice you put in has really paid off. Congratulations, Miu. It's looking good."

"Really?" Miu sounded happy to hear that. "But I think most of the credit has to go to your coaching."

Kenichi clenched his fists in frustration. "Damn it, she's right. With him as her leading man, her performance has definitely improved." He then let out a scream of dismay. "There's no way I can deny it! Those two are perfect together!"

"You honestly believe they're a perfect match based solely on their performance of a play?" Shirou asked, already irritated. "How low have you set the bar."

"Don't be an idiot." Niijima added as he arrived along with Shirou. "If you really can't stand the thought of them together, then take action! Go ahead and kick his butt from here to China." He opened up his PDA. "According to my records, he only has a C- in physical ability. It should be a snap."

But Kenichi was the one who snapped at him. "Would you just shut up?!"

Niijima did the opposite and got in his face. "Oh come on, don't you know people are already referring to them as the "perfect couple"? We should take him out before things go too far."

"I said shut up!" Kenichi yelled before pitifully crawling away. "Tanimoto and I are friends, do you hear me?! Friends! If you don't cut it out, I'm gonna get mad!"

Niijima scoffed at him. "Fell for the old "Let's be friends" dodge, huh? Man, you're such a sucker. Look at him." He stared at Tanimoto on the stage. "Natsu Tanimoto, no matter how you slice it, there's something wrong with that guy."

While Kenichi was kneeling by the wall to avoid Niijima, Shirou stepped in. "And, just how long do you plan on cowering like that?"

"Ah, I'm not cowering." Kenichi attempted to defend his actions.

"I think both of you are blowing this whole "perfect couple" thing out of proportion." Shirou informed him. "Despite what you and everyone who calls them, you seem to be missing the fact that the only reason they spend so much time together is because of the play. So once the play ends, they won't have any reason to hang out anymore, and naturally, they'll drift back into their original social circles, and things will go back to normal."

Kenichi was struck as though he had just been hit with an incredible revelation as he sprung to his feet. "You're right. I just need to make it until the play is over and after that… No more Tanimoto! No more perfect couple!" He raised his fists and cheered while laughing like a crazy person.

Shirou looked at his behavior along with Niijima's behavior and just sighed to himself. "Why do I hang out with these guys?"

Meanwhile, outside of the auditorium, Koga from Kisara's gang was wandering around by himself.

"Man, all Kisara does these days is train." Koga complained to himself. "Ah well, I gotta look for that big-boobed girl. Man, this is really starting to get old."

He stopped when he was in front of the door to the auditorium that was wide open and saw Miu in his stage costume with one of the stage girls helping her get ready.

"You know what? You look really pretty without your glasses on, Miu." The girl complimented her.

"Huh?" Miu became nervous, which always happens whenever someone mentions her glasses at school. "Oh no, I don't think so."

The moment Koga saw the way her breasts bounced beneath her dress, he immediately recognized her. "I found her!"

Another girl in the front row of the seats picked up Miu's glasses from one of the chairs. "You really should get rid of these geeky glasses and switch over to contact lenses."

When Miu saw her holding her glasses, she backflipped off the stage and spun through the air. "No contact lenses!" With a graceful landing, she touched down in front of the girl and took back her glasses before putting them on. "They just don't seem to work well with my eyes."

"Oh… I see…" The girl didn't know how else to respond after that.

"That was just amazing!" The girl on stage swooned after seeing that.

"Well, after all, I'm in the gymnastics club." Miu reasoned.

Shirou, Kenichi, and Niijima saw that as a bead of sweat fell from each of their heads after watching her extravagant reaction. "Ah, man, they almost figured out that she wears fake glasses." Kenichi muttered.

Unbeknownst to any of them, Tanimoto always saw Miu's actions and narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her.

On the other hand, Koga ran off and left the school grounds as he rushed to deliver his news to Kisara with excitement. "Haha! I found her! Who would have guessed she was a student at my school?!"

Koga soon arrived at the abandoned building that Kisara used as her base and entered the main room where Kisara and the rest of the gang had already gathered.

"Hey, Kisara, looks like you owe me one!" Koga announced as he entered the room.

"Did you find out where that stupid cow is hiding?" Kisara questioned him.

"Yeah, she turned out to be a student at our school." Koga informed her.

Koga gasped before she bit her thumbnail. "Damn, she was under my nose all this time. I've gotta be more careful next time we meet." She remembered their last encounter. "I didn't think another girl could be that good." Then she opened her fist with determination. "Anyway, this time, I won't hold back on that amateur." She started to kick wildly at the heavy bag next to her. "All the extra training I've done has made me way faster than she could ever be with that big rack of hers slowing her down!"

"Yeah! We're finally gonna have some action!" Koga cheered as he twirled around the room.

"Wait, Kisara." As if to quell the excitement, Shiratori stepped in while holding a sweat rag. "We've received another communication from Hermit."

Kisara stopped and faced him. "Huh? Now what?" She took the rag and wiped the sweat from her brow. "What's he want this time?"

"Uh, well, you see, that stupid cow…." Shiratori seemed hesitant to tell her. "Rather, Miu Furinji is off limits. You're not to touch her."

"Who does that guy think he is!?" Kisara yelled with steaming anger as she threw the rag to the floor. "I'll do whatever I want with her!"

"Hold on, the way things are right now—" Shiratori tried to reason with her.

Unfortunately, Kisara cut him off. "You can tell Hermit for me that if he gets in my way, he's next! You got that!" She then went back to attacking the heavy bag with the wildness and ferocity of a wild animal.

As the others watched, none of them felt like stopping her or saying much in response.

"Don't you think that you should stop her?" Shiratori suggested just for the sake of it.

"After you." Koga was in no rush even to try it.

That night, at the Tsukiharu residence, Shirou was sitting on the couch in the living room along with his younger brother, Haruto. Shirou had just finished informing him of what had transpired before he left the dojo.

"They want to go to the play?" Haruto asked for clarification.

Shirou nodded. "Miu was talking about how bummed she was that the old man wouldn't be around to watch her play, so Kenichi and the Masters plan on showing up as her family."

"Well, they are basically her surrogate family." Haruto noted.

"As for me, I'm not really sure if I wanna go." Shirou confessed. "Miu's my friend and all, but I don't really care much for Shakespeare."

"I don't have much problem with Shakespeare, but Romeo and Juliet is something I don't care for." Haruto admitted with a shrug. "I just find the whole premise flawed."

"Flawed, how?" Shirou asked.

"Oh, come on, just think about it. The story is of two teenagers who just hit puberty and see each other ONCE and immediately feel a strong emotion they believe is love, and after their FIRST conversation, they have the "brilliant" idea to get married. If that weren't bad enough, after only knowing each other for a total amount of time that was less than three days, they both believe that they can't live without each other and both kill themselves over a misunderstanding, all of which could have been completely avoided if they had made decisions that weren't driven by recklessness and impulsiveness." Haruto explained before leaning back. "Those "Star-crossed lovers" needed counseling."

"When you put it that way, I can see your point." Shirou conceded. "But that's not the only thing on my mind. There's still the fact that some guy out there is using my name and crushing gangs before anything else. I wanna know what that's all about."

"In that case, you should just do what you believe is a priority." Hideki chimed in as he entered the room.

"Dad?" Shirou faced his father as he approached.

"If you think this is something that requires your attention, then focus on it. After all, if this person is going out of their way to use your name, then he obviously wants you to be aware of him. It all points to him being an enemy." Hideki reasoned. "Not to mention, he's probably not the kind of enemy that plans to stay hidden for long, so you'll likely have a fight on your hands before you know it, so it's not wrong to be more concerned with that than the play."

"Yeah, but what about Miu?" Shirou pointed out.

"Miu is your friend. I'm pretty sure she'll understand you wanting to do something you feel is important rather than dragging yourself to a play that you'd only go to out of obligation." Hideki reassured him.

"Yeah, Miu doesn't let that type of thing bother her, especially considering her grandfather has no-showed on other important instances." Haruto added.

"Besides, we'll be there in your place." Hideki suggested as well.

"Yeah… Wait, what?" Haruto certainly wasn't expecting that last part.

"Well, I figured that we could be there for her at least, and filling some seats couldn't hurt." Hideki listened before getting to the main reason. "Plus, if all the Masters of Ryozanpaku are going to be there, someone needs to be around in case they need to be kept in check."

"I suppose that's a good point." Haruto relented with a sigh. "I just hope they let me bring my iPod."

The next day was the day of the play. As the actors were getting ready for the curtain to rise, Miu was still nervous about her performance. But, her nervousness faded away when she heard a familiar voice, and she looked at the front row of the audience to see none other than the Masters of Ryozanpaku, all there to watch the play while acting as her family, not only them, Haruto and Hideki were there too.

Seeing all of them present just to watch her performance made her so happy that tears formed beneath her eyes, and she now felt completely at ease and ready to start the play. One thing that caught her attention, though, was that she didn't see Kenichi or Shirou in the audience.

Outside, near the school gate, Kenichi was sitting alone by the grass hedges and let out a loud sigh of depression.

"Hey." Kenichi looked up when he heard a voice along with footsteps and saw Shirou appear in front of him with Niijima beside him. "Why are you here? The play's about to start."

"Yeah, what are you doing still mopping around here?" Niijima asked as well.

"To tell the truth, I'm not sure I can bear to watch it." Kenichi confessed while his head dripped down, still depressed. "It's just too much."

"What?" Even Niijima felt annoyed by his behavior. "Seriously, man, you need to grow a pair. You promised her you'd be there, right? So get going!"

"It's saying something when "he's" the one who's telling you all this." Shirou honestly couldn't believe that Kenichi had reached a point where Niijima was the sensible one. "Showing up to cheer her up and see her performance was your idea. You can't just lose your nerve and balk at the last minute."

"You know something?!" Kenichi got up and snapped at them. "Turns out there's a big kissing scene in Romeo and Juliet!"

"Reality check, loser, it's just a play." Niijima reminded him tiredly.

"You cannot seriously be saying that this is the only reason you won't show up to watch?" Shirou was almost out of patience. "You're honestly going to bail on Miu over a "stage" kiss? Are you really that insecure?"

"Aaahhh! I can't help it! I just can't stand it!" Kenichi cried out, flailing around and losing all reserves as he ran out the gate. "I wish they would just cancel the stupid play and get it over with?!"

Both of them watched him run off into the distance, still screaming, and both of them only thought one thing each in response.

"Man, he's pathetic…." Niijima thought.

"Every day I ask why I hang out with him, and every day I find it harder to think of an answer…." Shirou thought.

Meanwhile, at that same point in time, Kisara and her gang were making their way down the street and were heading straight for the school to find Miu.

Kenichi was still running down the street in tears. "Auu! Stupid play! Stupid kissing scene!"

Then, he stopped when he noticed Kisara and her gang not too far in front of him and hid.

"Listen, I'll let you guys take care of the Shinzaki Alliance wimps, but the cow is mine, you got it?" Kisara addressed her gang.

Kenichi peeked his head out behind a lamppost as they walked past him and further away. "Ah man, that's Kisara Nanjo, and it looks like they're heading for the school. But, who's this cow that they're talking about?" Suddenly, it came to him. "Is she talking about Miu?!"

While walking beside her, Koga decided to ask. "Uh, so what are you gonna do, Kisara? You know that girl is in the middle of a play right now, don't you? How are you gonna get to her?"

"So, she's on stage, huh?" Kisara seemed pleased about that fact. "That kinda appeals to me. I'll ruin her little acting debut and humiliate her right there in front of an audience."

Hearing those schemes made Kenichi alert. "What? That's terrible. I gotta try and stop her somehow—"

"Not so fast."

Kenichi jumped as a hand tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned around to see that it was Niijima. "Niijima! Where'd you come from?!"

"Hahaha! Hey, sneaking up on people is a major part of my skill set!" Niijima laughed.

"Aren't you worried?" Kenichi frowned at him. "This could spell big trouble for your beloved Shinzaki Alliance, you know."

"Actually, no, it won't." Shirou chimed in as he arrived behind Niijima. "The members of the Alliance are laying low for the time being."

"I see. That's a relief." Kenichi's momentary calmness turned to panic. "This is no time to be laying low! Miu could be in danger!"

"Wow, hold on." Niijima grasped his shoulder again. "This could be good for you. If this attack goes forward, Miu's kissing scene won't come up, and your worries are over." Niijima's words made Kenichi stop immediately. "And your monster Masters are sitting in the audience, so they'll be able to protect her and take care of Kisara."

Kenichi couldn't help himself from taking a moment to consider Niijima's reasonings. On the other hand, Shirou frowned at both of them but waited to hear Kenichi's response.

As they continued walking, Kisara became upset when she heard about Miu's role in the play. "First of all, I don't understand why they cast that cow in the role of Juliet when there are so many other girls who could play it. I mean, where does it say in the script that Juliet has to be a D-cup?" She complained. "Why is everyone so obsessed with that? It's not a talent."

"Uh-oh, someone's jealous." Koga joked at her expense.

"SHUT UP!" Kisara clearly didn't appreciate that joke and kicked Koga to the curb. She then grabbed him by the collar and started shaking him around. "Why would I be jealous of her!"

While they were doing that, Kenichi kept considering Niijima's idea and came to a decision.

"Yeah, you're right. If I just leave well enough alone, the performance will be ruined, so the kissing scene won't happen, and the Masters will mope up Kisara and thugs so no one will get hurt. All my problems will be solved." Kenichi spoke with an empty look in his eyes and an almost robotic smile on his face. "Besides, there's no way I can stop them all by myself. I've got no choice but to let them go."

"Ha! Now you're making sense." Niijima seemed gladdened by his answer.

POW!

Shirou, however, must have felt differently as he grabbed Kenichi by the head and bashed his face into the concrete wall. He let him go as Kenichi grasped his face and felt a large bruise on his nose. "Augh!"

"Did that knock some sense into you, or do you need another one?" Shirou looked pissed at him.

"Shirou…?" Kenichi couldn't say anything else as Shirou continued.

"I've had just about enough of you. It's one thing not to want to watch the play, but this?" Shirou was quiet but outraged. "You're supposed to be her friend."

"I am her friend!" Kenichi defended himself.

"Then what kind of friend would do this?" Shirou shot back. "What friend worries his own feelings so much that he doesn't care about hurting their feelings?"

Kenichi froze when he heard that accusation.

"Let's talk about friends. You said that Tanimoto was your friend. You saw how much he loved the drama club and how badly he wanted to protect this play. Even when everyone else ran away, and those thugs threatened to hurt him, he still stood up for the club. That's how much this all means to him. Are you really going to let all that go to waste just because you don't want him fake kissing Miu? Is that all his friendship amounts to?"

"…I…" Kenichi couldn't find the words to respond.

"And back to Miu, you know better than anyone how much she's been looking forward to this play, how much she's practiced, how happy she was when you said you'd be there to watch. This is probably the first school thing she's ever gotten a chance to be a part of, and it's like a dream for her." Shirou reminded him deeply. "Are you honestly saying that you don't care that her performance gets ruined just because it'll make you feel better? That it's worth it as long as she doesn't kiss anyone who isn't you? Do you really have the audacity to say you're a friend to either of them if that's the case?"

Kenichi could only look down at the ground in shame. He felt ashamed of himself for even considering allowing the play to be ruined. He remembered how excited Miu was when she was asked to be Juliet, how bad her acting was at first, how much she improved over time, and how much the others at Ryozanpaku helped her get ready. This play made her happier than he had ever seen. Kenichi clenched his fists and resolved himself.

"I want to protect the play!" Kenichi declared before looking frustrated again. "But, I can't stop Kisara. She's a girl."

"Relax, caveman." Shirou hardly felt the desire to ridicule him for his outdated principle, but he the fact that he was somewhat proud that he made the right decision in the end. "I'll handle Kisara and her gang."

"What?" Kenichi and even Niijima were surprised by that. "You want to take them on yourself?"

"The rest of them aren't a threat. I can take out the fodder in just a few seconds." Shirou assured before becoming serious. "But, Kisara is no joke. I'll have to go all out against her."

"Just tell me you can win." Niijima insisted. That's all that really concerned him.

Shirou became confident. "My goal was always to take down all the Eight Deadly Fists. Why not start with her?"

Hearing that put Niijima at ease. "Perfect, then have at it."

"Wait, what should I do?" Kenichi asked.

"That's obvious. Go to the play." Shirou informed him like that was the only answer.

"Eh?" Kenichi was surprised again.

"My job here is to stop Ragnarok, but your job is to fulfill your promise. Even if the Masters and my family are there in the audience, the one she was hoping would be there most of all is you, and keep her waiting any longer than you already have." Shirou advised him before he looked him in the eye. "You may not be Romeo, but you're the one that Juliet is waiting for, so go."

Kenichi gulped and felt affected by those words before he straightened out and knew what he had to do. "I don't care about the kissing scene anymore. I just want to be there for her." Kenichi decided as he turned around and ran back in the direction of the school. "Good luck. I'm counting on you!"

Watching him leave, Shirou smirked and faced the direction Kisara was in. "In that case, you have nothing to worry about."

Meanwhile, while Kisara was still shaking Koga, Shirou stepped out and spoke loud enough for them to hear him.

"Hold it right there!" Shirou called as they all turned around to see him.

Once Kisara saw him, she let go of Koga and focused her attention on Shirou. "It's you?"

"Kisara Nanjo or, rather, Valkyrie." Shirou walked toward them. "Hope you don't mind a change of plans because you'll be fighting me today."

Kisara smiled confidently at him. "Well-Well looks like the Shinzaki Alliance's commander has come out to play."

"And it looks like you're on your way to having some fun at someone else's expense." Shirou stuck his hands in his pockets and crouched forward. "Unfortunately, you'll have your hands full right here!"

Before any of them could respond, Shirou charged forward toward the whole pack of them. The only one who could react to his speed was Kisara. Once he closed in, Shirou dashed past three of the gang members, dodged the sloppy punches they tried to hit him with, and counterattacked, knocking them down right away before continuing his advance.

Kisara kept her guard up, assuming he would try the same with her, but Shirou ran right past her. Finally, he stopped and turned around to face them again. This time he was in front of the group and blocking their path.

"There, now you can't go any further without going through me." Shirou now took his fists out of his pockets. "If you wanna taste the ground, step forward."

Koga and four more thugs became angered and charged at him. "Don't get carried away! Now you'll face Koga the Kicker—"

POW!

Before he finished talking, Shirou roundhouse kicked Koga into the nearby wall, knocking him out right away. He followed up by immediately taking out the other four thugs with one punch each.

He then looked at Koga's beaten form with annoyance. "Seriously, stop coming back."

Now, all that remained was Kisara, along with Shiratori and three more grunts, but not for long, as the remaining grunts became intimidated by Shirou's display of power and were so overwhelmed that they ran away in fear.

"Hey!" Shiratori called out as they ran.

"Let them go." Kisara dismissed them. "Well, you're just as quick and slick as always. I look away for a minute, and I forgot how tough you are." Shiratori stepped forward, prepared to face him next, but held out her arm to stop him. "I've changed my mind. I'll take him on first and deal with that cow later."

Shirou scowled at her as Kisara walked toward him.

"You'll be perfect as a warm-up. So what do you say, tough guy?" Kisara cracked her knuckles while approaching. "Let's see what you've got."

"I don't think you understand… Just what's it is that's going on here."

In a flash, after Kisara was halfway there, Shirou dashed forward and caught her off guard by using an even greater burst of speed than before to appear right in her face. Kisara reacted on instinct and tried to hit him with a forward kick, but Shirou waived past it and threw a hook at her. Her instincts saved her again as she swayed back to dodge the hook and responded by throwing a sideways kick at Shirou, but Shirou was still setting the pace as he caught her kick by the ankle and pulled her enough to lift her off the ground. He then spun her body around and threw her at the wall, but she had beaten this tactic once before and did the same thing by kicking her feet out, landing them on the wall, and using them as a springboard to leap forward at her opponent and use the momentum to fuel her kick. Unfortunately for her, Shirou already saw this coming and closed in as well. Even though the momentum strengthened her attack power, Kisara found herself unable to dodge while in the air, and Shirou took advantage of that by sidestepping her kick and landing a solid punch to her face.

WHAM!

The strength of his fist plus the added force of the forward momentum slamming back into her created so much of an impact that Kisara was flung through the air like a rag doll and rolled along the ground before stopping, lying on her front.

"Kisara!" Shiratori called out in horror.

"Nailed her." Niijima grinned, feeling pleased.

In a second, Kisara raised her head up and looked at him with a bloody nose and a scornful expression.

"Warm up? Later? Tell me, how much do you plan to underestimate me?" Shirou looked down at her with a merciless expression. "This is the only fight you should be focusing on. If you think you afford to be distracted by other stuff right now, then the only thing you'll have later is a grave."

Kisara stayed like that for a bit before she smirked and lifted herself up off the ground. "Well, I'll give you one thing." She stood and wiped the blood off of her nose. "I shouldn't have thought of you as a warm-up. In all the time I was focused on that cow, I forgot that you were my original target. We still have a score to settle."

"I agree. You begin to comprehend how long I've waited to fight you. I've been looking forward to this from the beginning, and I refuse to wait for even a second longer." Shirou's expression then became excited. "Kenichi stopped us, Tsuji got to you first, Hermit and Miu kept us occupied, but this time, there's no one around to get in our way."

"Then let's stop waiting around. Now that we've gotten rid of all those distractions, we can finally stop holding back and fight already." Kisara became excited as well. "Bring it on!"

[Haaaa!] Both of them let out a yell as they charged at each other with no abandon, ready to start their long-awaited clash.

Back at the school, the play was still underway as Tanimoto and Miu were together on stage.

"If they do see thy, they will murder thy~ Tell me, by who's directing founds thou out this place~?

"By love that first did prompt me to inquire, he lent me counsel, and I lent him eyes~ I am no pilot, yet were thou as far as that vast shore washed with the farther sea, I would adventure for such merchandise~."

Miu said her lines with emotion, and Tanimoto followed suit perfectly.

"Apa!" Apachai uttered while burying his hands into his face to hide how much he was blushing.

"Ah, not as bad as I expected…." Sakaki muttered, hiding his true thoughts.

"Shh…" Akisame hushed them both. "This is a very impressive performance." Akisame focused his attention specifically on Tanimoto. "This young man playing Romeo is simply amazing. He's not only completely committed to the emotional core of the role, but he's able to adjust his performance based on the audience's subtle reactions. He's young, but he's skilled."

He was brought out of his thoughts by Sakaki. "Hey, Akisame. Hey."

"Would you keep it down, please?" Akisame scolded him again.

"But that damn fool, Kenichi, hasn't shown up yet." Sakaki noted while pointing at the empty chair next to him. "I even saved a special seat for him."

"I understand. I know what you're going through, Kenichi. It's tough to be young." Kensei cried tears of sympathy as he kept snapping pictures with his camera.

"If you keep waving that camera around on campus, someone's going to report you." Haruto advised him.

"By and by, I come, nurse~! Leave me now. Tomorrow, I will send~."

"A-due, my love~."

With that last line, Tanimoto stood up from the kneeling position he was in and changed his position. However, at that moment, Kensei's eyes widened when he noticed the way Tanimoto did that.

"That move? That was the stepping method? That can't be part of the play?" Kensei kept his eyes on him as Tanimoto walked off. "That boy must have had some form of intense Martial Arts training."

"Hey…" Hideki whispered at Kensei. "You saw that, too, right?"

Kensei nodded. "I did."

"Whoever that boy is, he's no ordinary student…." Hideki realized as he remembered how Shirou had told him about some unknown enemy using his name, and a thought entered his mind. "Could he be—"

"Hey, you guys…." They heard a whisper and saw Kenichi arrive, tiptoeing past some of the chairs to get to them.

"Kenichi…?" Akisame whispered.

"Finally, you're here…" Sakaki whispered as he approached. "Where the hell have you been…?"

"I'll explain later…." Kenichi sat in the open seat next to Sakaki. "How much did I miss…?"

"Quite a bit…." Akisame informed him. "But, this is still the first act, so there's a lot of the play left to see…."

"That's good…." Kenichi was glad he made it but still looked concerned. "Shirou, I hope you're okay."

Back in the streets, Shirou and Kisara had just begun their fight. It started when both of them got into close range and exchanged blows. Kisara finished by raising her leg and bringing down an ax kick. Shirou blocked it by crossing his arms above his head and pushed forward, knocking her back a step.

Both of them were still trying to set the pace before the other could. Shirou came in with a thrust attack with his right hand, but Kisara dodged with a turn of her head. Kisara then countered with a kick aimed at his head, but Shirou also dodged with a turn of his head. The two of them separated immediately and sidestepped away from each other to gain some distance.

Kisara was the first to go back on the offensive as she rushed toward him right away and let loose a barrage of fast kicks, raining down on him like the thrusts of a spear. Shirou blocked them with his guard and felt her kicks opening cracks in his defense.

"Fast." Shirou gritted while defending himself. "Not only are they heavy, but her kicks are faster than Takeda's left. Well, let's see how she handles this."

Shirou moved in with a drive. This time, not to get in and close the distance but to dash past Kisara. Kisara stopped when he was now in front of him, and less than a second later, while behind her, Shirou swipe-kicked her leg the way Miu had done when they fought.

But, Kisara wasn't the same fighter she was that night, and this time, before her head hit the ground, she held out her arms behind her back and caught herself before she turned her body around and lifted herself back up.

Once she stood, she smirked at him. "Nice try. Did you really think I'd fall for the same trick twice?"

Shirou smirked back and shrugged. "Nothing personal. I just figured it was worth a shot."

"After getting suckered by that dairy cow, I've been hard at training to make sure I'd be ready the next time." Kisara looked more determined. "My moves are faster and sharper than before, and it's gonna take more than a dumb sneak attack to stop me."

"I thought I told you already. You don't have the luxury of focusing on someone else." Shirou confidently reiterated.

"My bad, you just haven't been giving me enough reason to worry about that so far." Kisara taunted confidently.

"Well then, why don't I give you a reason?" Shirou taunted back with a dangerous expression.

This time, Shirou moved in to go on the offensive first. He came in low to pick up speed as he struck with an uprising punch. Kisara stopped him by blocking his fist with the sole of her boot.

"Legs are much stronger than arms, about three times stronger if I'm not mistaken." Kisara used the same line and tactic as the one she did on Takeda.

"That might be true, but—!" Shirou pushed further, and Kisara felt her leg knocked away before his fist collided with her stomach. "That's only true if both arms and legs belong to the same body."

"Argh!" Kisara coughed as she felt the air escape from her lungs. She grasped her stomach with one hand and glared at him.

"Is that enough reason for you?" Shirou asked sarcastically with a smirk.

Kisara straightened herself up and breathed out. "Bastard."

"You got good kicks, Valkyrie. I'll give you that." Shirou continued before he raised his leg. "Now, how about I give you a taste of mine?"

"Huh?" Kisara narrowed her eyes. "You think you can match me in kicking? Is that a joke, or has your ego grown too big?"

"Call it a habit, but I can never resist using the same style as my opponent whenever I see an opportunity." Shirou confessed as he lifted his head slightly to gaze down at her. "There's no sweeter victory than beating someone at their own game."

"Well, let's see if you think this is sweet!" Kisara lost her temper and pounced at him.

She swung a high kick, and Shirou responded with a high kick of his own. Their kicks clashed, and both of them were locked for a moment before they brought their legs back. Now, Just like how she did before, Kisara let loose a barrage of kicks at Shirou, only this time, Shirou followed suit and unleashed his own barrage of kicks. It was like a slugfest, only with kicks instead of punches. Kisara was landing more blows due to being faster, but Shirou was causing more damage due to his kicks having more weight behind them.

They kept this up for a while until they both moved back to gain some distance and stop allowing the damage to pile up. Kisara's face had some bruises around it that looked pretty bad. Shirou had more bruises than her, but they didn't look as deep. Both combatants were breathing heavily, but neither one of them cared.

They both shook off any fatigue they might have been feeling and charged at each other again. It was a matter of pride at this point. Neither of them wanted to be the first to back down or be accused of being unable to bear their opponent's attacks before the other.

Shirou leaped and aimed a jump kick at Kisara's head. Kisara avoided it by ducking. When he landed a few feet behind her, she swung a looping kick aimed at his head. Shirou dodged it by ducking forward. Now close to the ground, Shirou swung a raising squat jump kick aimed at her chin. With a turn of her head, the kick sailed past her. Seeing that his guard was open, Kisara moved to strike and swung her kick with a wide arch, causing it to slice through the air like a blade, and aimed for Shirou's liver. But the wide swing allowed Shirou to read the attack's angle, and he evaded with a step back.

The course of the fight had changed completely. In practically a second, they had gone from a slugfest that lacked any intelligence to a high-level exchange of two skilled kickers that an ordinary fighter could barely keep up with. They kept this up for a while, knowing that the first to make a mistake would lose. But while it felt like it had been carried out for a long time, this exchange of attacks hadn't even lasted a full minute before it came to an abrupt end.

After dodging his last attack, Kisara stepped in and swung another kick aimed at the center of his body, but Shirou dodged it with another step back. At the high-speed rate they were going in, there wasn't much time to strategize. There was only a moment to think of your next move, and when Shirou made his next move, that clinched it. Shirou swung a looping kick at her with a wide arch, and Kisara saw an opportunity. Before his kick could reach her, She moved in and aimed to counter him with a low kick. His kick lifts the burden of holding his entire body upright to his other leg. If she attacked his support, she could make him fall and end it. Unfortunately, that was precisely what he thought she would do.

Shirou's kick stopped short as it turned out to be a feint. He then changed the position of his kick in midair, just like how Kisara had done when she finished off Takeda, and swipe-kick her left leg while her right leg was already extended.

Now that both of her legs were off the ground, Kisara was off-balanced and found herself completely vulnerable, which is just what Shirou wanted. Not allowing this perfect opportunity to go to waste, Shirou spun his body around to pick up speed before he struck Kisara with a thunderous shovel kick that dug right into her midriff and had so much force that her body was hunched over in midair before she was sent flying.

Her body hit the ground hard and skipped back a bit like a pebble skipping across the surface of a river before she stopped, and she rolled a few inches until she lay face down on the ground, as silent and motionless as a doll whose strings had been cut.

"K-Kisara…?" Shiratori couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. It was a horrifying outcome on Kisara's part. He had never seen Kisara go down like that, not even against Miu.

"Yes, he beat her." Niijima celebrated while remaining hidden. "I was worried for a minute, but it looks like he had everything under control."

Shirou let out the breath he had been holding in and relaxed his body. "That was close. She was tough, more than I was expecting…." He admitted as he turned around. "Still, now it's…."

He and the other two who were watching froze as he turned back around to see something unbelievable. Somehow, in practically a few seconds, Kisara had risen to her feet and was standing again. She was hunched over, so he couldn't see her eyes.

"She stood back up?" Niijima was shocked.

"But how? After that last blow, she should hardly be able to move, let alone fight?" Shiratori was closer to her than anyone, and even he was taken aback by this development.

"I definitely used enough power to finish her off?" Shirou obviously wasn't expecting her to rise up again. "How'd she withstand it?"

Kisara stayed in that hunched-over position for a moment longer. Then, before he could react, she was back on him and shot forward like a bullet. Shirou was caught off guard and barely had enough time to block as she swung a straight kick at him.

POW!

With strength like nothing she had shown before, Kisara's kick broke through his defense completely and struck him right in the face, knocking Shirou back a few feet.

Forcing himself to stay upright, Shirou shook off the damage, less concerned with it and more concerned with what had just happened. "Where'd that strength come from?"

"I won't lose… You bastard…" Kisara muttered before she lifted her head, and her eyes revealed themselves to widen and slit like a wildcat filled with rage. "I'LL NEVER LOSE TO YOU!"

With a mighty roar, she pounced at him once again. Shirou tried to counter and took a swing at her when she got in close, but she surprised him again. Instead of dodging his attack, Kisara jumped in the air and leaped over him until her entire body was above his head.

"The Hell?!" Shirou couldn't hold back his surprise.

Kisara immediately followed by swinging down a kick from above where his defense was wide open. Her kick struck him across the head, and this time, he was knocked off his feet, and he hit the ground hard.

Shirou coughed as he landed on his back and felt the impact of the concrete over his body. But he didn't have time to worry about that as Kisara was still airborne and prepared to land her next kick on his downed body like a guillotine.

Shirou saved himself at the last second and pushed his body away as Kisara touched down. But Kisara wouldn't let up as she rushed at him while he had just stood up again. Shirou was struggling as he was stuck on the defensive under the unending downpour of vicious attacks from Kisara.

"This is crazy. She was just on the verge of defeat. Where was she hiding this power?" Niijima questioned, not understanding how the course of the fight had shifted so abruptly.

"Something's wrong. I've never seen Kisara like this before." Shiratori muttered with concern. "What's happened to her?"

While still fighting off Kisara's assault, Shirou was dealing with his own thoughts. "Her style is different from before. It's not just more instinctive. It's almost… Animal-like."

The moment that thought entered his head, it all clicked. He suddenly remembered something he had learned in the past and realized what he was up against.

"This is… The Wild." Shirou thought back.

It was a few years prior, while Shirou was still being trained by his father, when this lesson took place. While training, Hideki started to give him a lecture.

"Listen, Shirou. There are some fighters out there that are a different breed than what you've seen."

"A different breed?" The younger Shirou repeated, not knowing what he meant.

"As you know, there are fighters out there that are more in tune with their instincts than others, and that makes them more dangerous in battle." Hideki explained. "But, there are people out there who take it a step beyond that. They have instincts that are more akin to animals."

"People with animal instincts?" Young Shirou blinked. "How does that work?"

"Well, the truth is, humans have always had these instincts. We're born with them, but the more we grow up without using them, the more they begin to dull and fade away. Because the vast majority of people aren't even aware that they have them, they vanish completely by the time they reach adulthood. It's natural for humans who live ordinary lives; animal-like instincts aren't really necessary. But, there are a rare few individuals out there who didn't follow that pattern. No matter how old they get, their wild instincts never fade."

"You mean Martial Artists?" Young Shirou guessed.

"There's them, or professional fighters, athletes, or even hunters." Hideki elaborated. "There's no telling who will fall into this category, but for those who do and have an occupation that can put those instincts to use, they always end up being a real struggle to deal with. They fight with a beast-like strength and tenacity, and conventional strategy doesn't apply to them at all."

"But, if it's something they're born with, does that mean that if you aren't born with it, does that mean you can't gain those instincts?" Young Shirou asked curiously.

"Not necessary. I said most people lose them because they aren't aware of them." Hideki clarified. "If you are aware, it's possible to draw them out with the right training. It's pretty intense, and it's in no way safe, but if you survive the training, you'll acquire the Wild for yourself."

"Dad, have you ever fought like that?" Young Shirou asked a final question.

Hideki smiled and gazed upward. "Yeah, a few times. I don't think I'll ever forget those guys, considering how much trouble they gave me."

Back in the present, Shirou was still enduring Kisara as he was still thinking back on what his father had told him.

"In the end, I never met anyone who had those wild instincts during all that time overseas. Who would have thought I'd first meet someone like that here in Japan?" Shirou thought as he finally escaped from Kisara's assault.

Kisara shifted and moved to chase him down. "You're not getting away!"

Kisara spun and prepared a rolling heel kick aimed at his stomach. Once more, Shirou tried to block it, but the weight behind it was strong enough to push through his guard as his body twisted back from the impact.

"Dad wasn't wrong. Her strength and tenacity are beast-like. She's definitely harder to deal with now, but…." Shirou used the twisting motion of his body to build momentum and did a 180-degree spin before he struck Kisara in the stomach with his own heel kick. "Just because you're stronger doesn't mean I'm weaker!"

BAM!

This time, Kisara twisted back and was knocked away but held her ground. The ferocity in her eyes grew. "I'll kill you!"

While she seemed more violent and instinct-prone in this state, there was another factor that couldn't be overlooked. The Wild wasn't just about having powerful instincts. Despite the increased power behind her attacks and the animal-like nature of her style, her injuries and fatigue hadn't magically disappeared. She was still in terrible condition. There was only one reason why she was still able to press on—Determination. Kisara's will to fight was far greater than anyone really knew; it was overlooked, but it outshined both her Martial Arts skills and her instincts. Her determination was like that of a warrior who would never yield, no matter the pain or how high the hurdle was.

Shirou saw her dart in close and aim a swiping high kick at the right side of his head. Shirou raised his right arm to block her kick. But Kisara quickly followed up. While one of her legs was being held up against his arm, she jumped her other leg off the ground and used it to aim a second kick at Shirou's head.

POW!

"She swung a kick while both feet were off the ground?" Niijima gasped in shock.

Despite Niijima's concern, the damage wasn't as bad as it looked. Yes, Kisara's second strike did connect. Shirou jumped back at the moment of impact to soften the blow. But he knew that he couldn't keep this up much longer. Kisara was thinking the same thing.

Both combatants decided that it was time to end this fight already, and so this time, they both moved back. This time, their motive wasn't to gain some distance. They were both further apart now than when the fight began. This distance would allow them to charge forward enough to pick up a tremendous amount of speed and acceleration to fuel their attack.

Now kicking off the ground, Shirou and Kisara moved simultaneously. In the moments leading up to their clash, both fighters were lost in indecision, the question, which move would be optimal? An incorrect read would mean a certain defeat, considering this would be the final attack for both of them.

[Aaaaaahhhhhhhhh!] They both roared while closing in.

Kisara swung first with a kick, but not an ordinary kick. As she charged, she spun her whole body around and then leaped off the ground before she turned again, like a midair cartwheel, in order to generate a vast amount of power from the added velocity and torque before she landed on one foot while still spinning, and with a final explosive push, she swung a supercharged jump kick at Shirou.

As if by coincidence or an incredible twist of fate, it wasn't just their body that moved simultaneously, but their minds as well, as Shirou had the exact same idea and moved just as Kisara had to create the same supercharged jump kick that he swung at Kisara.

Both of them charged like billet trains while their legs had generated so much speed and power that they sliced through the air like thrown javelins. At the rate, distance, and timing of the two of them, it appeared that their clash would end in a draw, and for any other pair of fighters, it would have been, but in this case, there was one key difference that would end up being the deciding factor of this battle.

BAAAAAAAAMMM!

The one that was hit first was Kisara. Shirou's kick had struck her dead center in the face. Even though no amount of pain could stop her, even Kisara could do nothing when her consciousness had been severed. After colliding with the kick, Kisara's body fell to the ground with a thud. She had already been knocked out before hitting the ground, and it was clear that she wouldn't be getting up this time.

Shirou stood over her with an unreadable expression. He just looked down on the defeated form of his opponent. He knew why he had won. It wasn't just him. Shiratori and Niijima knew it as well. The reason was apparent to everyone why only his kick had landed.

The speed of their bodies, the timing of their attacks, and the distance between them had all been even, so close that any difference was paper thin. But, the height and length of the legs of a man's body were different than that of a woman's body. Shirou's legs were longer. That was why his kick had been the first one to land.

Despite everything else, despite how evenly matched they were in almost every other category and how close of a fight it was, the outcome ended up coming down to something so simple, so ridiculous as that.

She lost because her opponent was a man.

—…

And that's the chapter.

First of all, what did you think of the fight? Ever since the beginning, I've always wanted to give Kisara a climatic showdown with the protagonist since she never got one in the canon, and considering they had wanted to fight each other since the first arc but never got the opportunity, I wanted their long-awaited fight to be as exciting as it could be.

I made the fight as back-and-forth as I could to fully show off how strong Kisara was and how she measured up against Shirou. It was a struggle different from his other bouts but just as challenging, if not more so, Considering Kisara was stronger than any of his previous opponents and Shirou was stronger than he was when he fought any of them.

I also added the part about wild instincts after seeing the same thing in others and thought that it not only fit Kisara, it would explain a little about her character, especially later. This won't be the last time this is brought up.

Anyways thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed. If you want more, leave a review. If you liked the story, click the follow/favorite, and as always, have an awesome day.