Diane thinks she's dead

[pacfud]

OOC: I was hoping that maybe someone could npc as Uub and challenge me to a sparring match.

BIC: The magenta rays of the rising sun suddenly burst through the window, casting a soft, pink, glow onto everything in the sparse room. The living space was extremely bare, with only a dusty old mattress on the floor, and a sliding rice paper door that led into an empty hall. On the ancient mattress lay an unconscious 19 year old female with bubblegum pink hair and eyes of the same startling color. Her breath was slow and rhythmic, indicating that she was deep asleep. Occasionally she would twitch a muscle, or make an odd facial expression, revealing to anyone who might be watching that she was dreaming, dead to the world. From the looks of it, nothing short of nuclear bomb would rouse her from her slumber. In reality, all it took was the sunrise.

As soon as the first eager ray of light shone across her face, Diane’s eyes fluttered open. Her eyes were greeted with a beautiful view of dawn over the horizon. I’m not in pain… she mused, So obviously I’m dead. Accepting this as the truth, she rose from her bed, raising her arms above her head to stretch. A lazy yawn crept up despite her efforts to suppress it. “Whew” she sighed, eyes watering. With a final look toward the sunrise she stepped out of the room into the silent hall. Dozens of rice paper doors flanked the hallway on both sides, and at the end she could see the light of the new day. With each step the wooden floor creaked almost inaudibly, in fact a normal human wouldn’t have been able to hear it. It was while straining her ears to hear the creak that Diane caught a sound off in the distance. Eyes widening, she took off towards the source, ending up in a large courtyard filled with various martial artists. They were all training; most of them were sparring with each other, and any injuries sustained were healed instantly after their matches were over.

“I guess that proves it…” Diane sighed, disappointed, “I really am dead…” Feeling dejected despite her beautiful surroundings, Diane wandered through the courtyard. She weaved around fighters and meditators, finally coming upon a stone garden. Smiling at it’s peaceful nature, Diane sat cross-legged on the ground and closed her eyes. Now that I’m dead I guess I can just forget about making it back to the farm… she thought to herself. I just hope they’ve made it okay without me… As soon as this thought crossed her mind, she had a change of heart. “What am I thinking?” she called aloud, “I can’t just give up!” She rose to her feet, her hot pink aura flaring around as her emotions rose to fever-pitch. “I refuse to let this be the end!” she roared, “I’ve been trying to get home for 4 years, and I won’t let something as insignificant as death stop me from getting back to my family!” By this time she had drawn quite a crowd. Fighters had stopped their sparring matches, and the collection of martial artists was looking at Diane with a mixture of confusion and amusement. Diane, however, was way too fired up to care. “I am Diane Lillis! I may be dead, but I will not stay that way without a fight!” With that final proclamation, Diane’s aura faded. For a few moments, no one said anything. Diane looked at her audience, then stated: “Um… that was a challenge…” She had been expecting someone to step forward to fight her.

[Gray Callahan]

(Uub's dead, and check the update please )

PS: Just noticed you think you're dead, nvm xD

[pacfud]

The silence was awkward, broken only by the ambiance of nature. The crowd of fighters stared at Diane, and and Diane stared right back. She was about to start attacking them when a fighter nonchalantly strolled out of the crowd toward her chuckling at her outburst. Diane sized up the challenger as he approached. He was pretty tall, over 6 feet, and had milk chocolate colored skin with ruby-red eyes. He was lean and lithe, moving like a jaguar stalking its prey. His bald head shone in the now orange light of the morning. He wore a plain white gi with a black belt, the ordinary look of his outfit conflicting with his obvious power. Diane could tell that he would be an extremely tough opponent.

"Well, I guess I should welcome you..." The man stated, his voice smooth and friendly. "Though I must admit, I wasn't expecting you to wake until later." He smiled, an expression that for some reason filled Diane with warmth.

Diane groaned inwardly. Oh no... I can NOT let myself fall for this guy! She averted her eyes from his gaze, suddenly very interested in a tree off in the distance. Unfortunately, he continued talking in his soothing, almost melodic voice.

"The name's Abuul," He continued, "And I'm the current master of the Victory School of Martial Arts." He motioned to the building behind him. Diane had been so busy worrying about being dead, she hadn't gotten a good look at it. It was an immense structure of japanese design, the most cliche fighting dojo you could possibly imagine. It looked majestic against the backdrop of the rising sun, and inspired awe Diane's heart.

"Wow..." she whispered, unable to say much more. The sheer beauty of building was enough to make her want to stay there forever...

"Great isn't she?" Diane was pulled out of her thoughts by Abuul's voice. "Now are we gonna fight or what?" he had assumed a fighting stance, a low position that revealed no obvious weaknesses. "I'll take it easy on you since it's your first fight here." he said with an encouraging smile. Diane gritted her teeth, angered by his remark. She was about to tell him that he wouldn't stand a chance when she felt an ungodly surge of power radiating from... Abuul. She could see by the sly look on his face that he was just giving her glimpse of his true power. Diane gulped, suddenly nervous.

It's okay... Diane tried to put herself at ease, Sure he's obviously stronger, faster, and more experienced than you... She was doing a horrible job. But if he's going easy, that means he'll tailor his power level to challenge yours... This gave her an idea. If I can convince him to underestimate me, I'll be able to catch him by surprise! With this plan in mind, she dropped into her own fighting stance.

"Ready or not, here I come!" Abuul called out. With an excited laugh, he leaped at Diane with frightening speed. Diane's eyes widened, and she instinctively raised up her arms to block. She was too slow. Abuul's fist connected with Diane's jaw with a force that rattled her bones. She flew backwards and slammed into the ground, her vision blurring for a moment.

Wow that was bad... Diane thought groggily. Forget trying to hustle this guy, its gonna take all my power to keep up! Suddenly she sensed movement in her peripheral vision. Without thinking, she threw her body aside, narrowly dodging Abuul's incoming kick. Unfortunately he didn't let up, closing in on Diane with series of quick quick steps. Once he was close, he began assaulting Diane with a flurry of high speed jabs, each one packing quite a bit of power. Every single one found its mark, covering Diane's entire torso with spots of pain that would no doubt bruise later. I can't let this go on! Diane thought to herself when she finally got outside the range of his fists. I have to go on the offensive!

Steeling herself, Diane rushed at an amused Abuul, throwing her open palm at his chest. Abuul could tell that the attack would fall short, and so instead of trying to dodge it, it stayed stationary in order to prove a point to his students. It was important to properly aim before attempting to- POW!

Abuul stumbled backwards, off balance. A smile played on Diane's lips. My ki pulse caught him off guard! I'd better take advantage of it! Diane charged, throwing punch after punch at her opponent. Unfortunately, Abuul was too quick on the uptake to be defeated by trick like that. None of Diane's attacks seemed to be able to land. Abuul either dodged or blocked them, avoiding ki pulses by staying out of the direction of Diane's strikes. Diane couldn't believe how fast this guy was...

Out of nowhere, as if a switch had been flipped, Abuul went on the offensive. His attacks were unpredictable and powerful combinations of punches, kicks, knees, and elbows. Somehow Diane was able avoid taking too many damaging hits, but only barely. It was all she could do to dodge, and she couldn't even think about a counter-attack. The only thing on her mind was survival. Finally, after what seemed like hours(but was probably around a minute), Abuul let up, breaking from the melee. Diane had sustained a substantial amount of damage, various cuts and bruises decorating her body. Abuul, on the other hand, had only a few minor wounds that he had received from Diane's desperate strikes in between blocks.

This is ridiculous! Diane scolded herself. You can't just let this happen! Time to take this fight to the next level... With a flex of her muscles, Diane surrounded herself in a flash of pink energy. She then called out, launching herself into the air a few feet over the head of her surprised opponent. Striking out with both palms, she fired twin waves of energy at the empty space where his head used to be.

"Nice try..." Abuul called out from a meter or so above Diane. "But if you think you can fool me twice, you got another thing coming!." Diane cursed herself for not realizing that Abuul would be able to fly as well. It was stupid of her to underestimate him, and she had revealed yet another card in her hand. She only had one more special move, one so simple and tricky that it might be able to catch Abuul by surprise. Diane would just have to wait for the perfect time to use it. Abuul smiled, and he had obviously decided that Diane's break lasted long enough. "Now, I suppose, the true battle begins."

[pacfud]

In a flash Abuul closed the distance between them with his leg extended, trying to a drop a kick on Diane’s head. Thinking fast, Diane dropped her own altitude, positioning her body to catch her opponent’s foot. Abuul, however, had been expecting that. As soon as Diane grabbed his leg he jerked it up, bringing his other foot down sharply. That foot caught Diane square in the chest, and she hurtled into the ground at full force. Upon hitting the dirt, Diane cried out in pain and frustration. A look of worry flashed over Abuul’s face for a split second, then was gone just as fast. What was that about? Diane wondered, recovering from the last encounter. For a second there… he actually looked worried about me… A smile crept up on Diane’s face, and she fired herself into the air headfirst at her opponent. Deciding not to play defensively, Abuul launched himself at Diane as well. At the last possible moment, Diane pulled away, planning to lash out with her foot in an attempt to catch him off guard. Abuul was too fast. Instead of keeping his course and taking the hit, he too pulled away. I won’t let you get away that easily! Diane roared in her mind.

With a flash of pink energy she zoomed forward, throwing a punch at Abuul just as he was turning around to see her. With a satisfying smack her fist connected with Abuul’s chin. Diane simultaneously released a powerful ki pulse from her hand, and since she was in direct contact with Abuul’s face the wave of ki fired straight through his head. Abuul’s head snapped back, his eyes glazing over. The force of the blow knocked him backwards, and he began falling out of the sky diagonally. Now’s my chance to finish this! Diane thought as she sped in the direction Abuul’s flight. As soon as she passed by Abuul’s dazed body, she twisted herself around, aiming to kick her opponent in a different direction. Unfortunately Abuul wasn’t as out as he led on. When Diane began her kick Abuul leapt into action. With a burst of speed he positioned himself behind Diane, dodging her attack completely. He then grabbed her around her waist, quickly looping upside down and flying towards the ground at high speed. Before Diane could react he released her, sending her hurtling to would surely be an extremely painful crash. With hardly any time to think, Diane extended her arms to the ground, hoping to catch her fall. This is gonna hurt… She warned herself, cringing. Her palms slammed into the ground painfully, and she pushed against the earth with all of her strength. Her muscles strained, stopping her head from bashing into the ground, and she stayed frozen there for a moment. For a spit second the strength of her arms had completely counter-acted the force of her drop. Then, with one final push, Diane launched herself into the air once again.


Not wanting to give Abuul an opening, Diane turned and faced him immediately, ready to stop an incoming attack. Her weariness rewarded her, because she was instantly met with the sight of Abuul's fist a foot away from her face. Diane shifted her head to the side, Abuul's attack flying harmlessly passed it, and she thrust her palm at his incoming body. The attack would have connected, but Abuul thought fast. Quickly bending his arm, he brought his elbow into the side of Diane's head. Diane's ears began ringing, and her attack strayed off course, missing its target. She didn't see Abuul's knee coming, but she felt it plow into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. When Diane doubled over, he brought both of his fists down toward her back. Diane had anticipated this, however, and she had already dropped her altitude enough to evade his swing. Abuul's whiffed attack left him off balance, and Diane capitalized on this moment, flipping upside down and bringing her foot into the his chest. Abuul was launched backwards, but quickly righted himself. In the meantime Diane closed the distance between them, preparing for an all out assault. She threw combinations of punches and kicks at her opponent, who easily blocked them and countered with some of his own. Fortunately Diane was in peak form, blocking and dodging most of his attacks while striking at any openings she could find. This exchange lasted for what seemed like an eternity, and when they finnallly broke apart they were both sporting new wounds.

Diane's muscles were screaming. She was gasping for air. This guy is too tough! she complained to herself. I think I know his weakness, but I have to find a way to exploit it... Despite his injuries, Abuul didn't seem to be tired from the fight. In fact, the only discomfort he displayed was his concern for Diane's well-being. He tried to mask his worry with a light laugh, but it was obvious he cared if she was hurt.

"You doing okay?" he chuckled, surveying her battered figure. "You look like you're about to drop!"

Diane smiled, "I'm... fine..." she wheezed between breaths. she was still tired, but now the gasping and wheezing was just for show. It was time to bring this fight to an end, and she knew just how to do it.

[pacfud]

Diane lowered herself to the ground. She was nearly out of ki and didn’t have any to spare for flight. Abuul followed her lead, a friendly smile still etched on his face. “I guess we’ll finish this on solid ground.” He observed, “Unless you’re ready to call it a day?” Diane answered by dropping into a fighting stance. She was still breathing heavily, her arms and legs trembling in mock fatigue. She wanted Abuul to think that she would pass out any second. “Okay then…” Abuul said, obviously thinking it was a bad idea for her to continue, “Lets finish this!” He leapt at Diane.

Showtime… Diane reminded herself. It has to look convincing or it won’t work. Diane moved intentionally sluggishly, moves that she could have dodged glancing her, moves that she could have blocked sometimes breaking through. It was obvious that Abuul wasn’t going as hard as before, not wanting to give Diane any lasting injuries. Diane took the hits, each one hurting as much as the last, but it was a means to an end. She kept her goal in mind, ignoring the pain. It’s all in your head… Diane kept telling herself. You’re already dead… it’s not like you can die again! With these words of self-encouragement Diane took punch after punch, kick after kick. She occasionally threw an attack of her own, but she refrained from using any ki pulses. She had to keep her low stores of energy for her final gamble.

Finally Diane found the moment she had been waiting for. Frustrated with her reluctance to quit, Abuul decided to end the match. He drew his leg back, preparing for a kick that would be extremely powerful if it hit. Diane braced herself for the blow. If she passed out from this hit her plan would fail, but she had to take the hit in order for it to succeed. Abuul’s leg swung forward, his foot making a beeline at Diane’s chest. Perfect! She thought to herself. Now for the hard part… Abuul’s foot caught Diane square in the chest. She thought she felt some ribs crack. Her vision dimmed, white spots dancing in front of her eyes. She flew back as if in slow motion, knowing her consciousness was flickering on and off. [I can’t pass out now![/i] Through sheer force of will Diane stayed conscious, even as she slammed hard into the ground.

As she lied on her back, dazed, she initiated phase two of her plan. Bracing herself, she began to rise from the floor. Her chest was on fire, and she was in unbelievable pain. At the same time she bit down on her tongue with full force, her mouth filling up with the metallic taste of blood. She staggered to her feet, this time her swaying wasn’t just for show, and stood clutching her chest. With a hacking cough, she spluttered blood from her mouth, falling face-first into the dirt.

This was the moment of truth. As soon as Diane hit the ground she performed her final special move: the zanzoken. Leaping off the ground and to the side at a speed that was impossible to perceive with the naked eye, Diane left an afterimgage of her battered body on the floor. This is it... Diane thought to herself as shegathered her remaining energy into her hand. If I was right about Abuul, seeing me so injured will cloud his judgement. His natural reaction would be to help, and while he's focused on my after-image I'll take that oppertunity to strike once and for all! These thoughts ran through her mind in a split-second, and in the time it took her to think them, Abuul had already taken the bait. He moved forward, eyes wide and a look of intense worry on his face. Diane leapt forward, her hand containing the remainder of ki. Her hand was flat, and she was preparing to jab Abuul in the side of his abdomen with her outstretched fingers. This way the ki pulse would be at its most concentrated.

The world slowed down, everything moving as if under water. Diane saw the exact moment her afterimage faded. She saw the look of confusion on Abuul's face, which quickly changed to excitement when he realized what happened. He realized too late. With a roar of triumph Diane ran her hand into Abuul's side. His eyes bulged in his head, his face contorted in pain. His abdomen provided a large amount of resistance, but as the ki pulse fired from Diane's fingers the resistance gave way. Diane's roar of triumph tapered off into a cry of surpised as she found her hand sink into Abuul's side passed the knuckles. For a moment all was still. No one made a single sound. Then, with obvious effort, Abuul reached down and grasped Diane gently by the wrist, slowly pulling her hand out of the wound in his side.

"Clever move..." he muttered, following with a chuckle. Diane looked at her bloody hand, and suddenly everything hit her at once. The numbness brought by adrenaline had worn off, and the pain from her broken ribs, battered body, and bleeding tongue all rushed to meet her. Without a sound, she collapsed to the ground, welcoming the darkness of sleep.
___________________________________________________________

Diane slowly came to, her first sight the concerned, red eyes of Abuul. When he realized that she regained consciousness a wide, toothy grin exploded across his face. "You're awake!" he observed, "You know you gave us a big scare, pushing yourself so hard. You could have been killed!"

Diane couldn't help but smile. "How could I be killed if I'm already dead?" She said with a laugh. "Its not like I can die again." She was smiling, but when she saw the confused look on Abuul face, it suddenly dawned on her. "I'm not dead am I?" she whispered, as if afraid of the answer.

Abuul scratched the back of his head, uncomfortable. "Um... last I checked? No. When you stumbled into the dojo yesterday you had a foot in the grave, but you pulled through once we gave you a magic senzu bean... They heal all wounds almost instantly."

It took a moment for this to sink in. Diane's eyes darted around, her mind trying to work out exactly what was going on. "So... I'm alive..." she began. "And that means..." She started up. "I can reach my family!" Diane jumped out of her mattress and ran full speed into the hallway, making a sprinting towards the door.

"Wait!" She heard Abuul's voice from behind her, "Where are you going?"

She took one final look behind her, and with a smile that stretched from ear to ear, she proudly proclaimed: "Home."

[Gray Callahan]

1750 PL or Zeni. Nice work