Catching a Ride

[CaptainL]

Yuki was like a spring that was being coiled tighter and tighter by the moment - every second she was here, in Angelina's presence, was testing her patience all the more, and with each second that went by, the strain was growing even worse. But a spring could only be coiled so tightly before the laws of physics took hold, and it exploded outward. That was exactly what Yuki did - her legs snapping into place, her weight shifting over to the side, and in a matter of seconds, Angelina was flung to the floor. For a few fleeting seconds, Yuki let out a sigh of relief. At last, she had done something about that weight that was eating away at her, begging her to step up and do something. But of course, it wasn't finished. Angelina wasn't finished. Their duel was still raging, and what was more, as soon as Yuki realized what she had done, she felt the goosebumps rise on the back of her neck as she sucked in a breath and shuddered. She really had given into her anger; she was losing control, making a scene. Exactly what Angelina wanted her to do.

Shoving herself back upright in her seat, Yuki leaned in toward the redhead, her fingers clamping down around the armrests of her seat with white-knuckle force. Every taunt she heard only reminded her of what she'd already suspected. She had let herself down - she'd already ceded the psychological battle, and now all she could do was make excuses for herself. "S-Shut up-! You started it!!" she shouted back, but her voice was softer and faltering, not fully convinced with herself. Yuki knew that excuses would get her nowhere. But that wasn't the point. The fight had still started - and, if the bat Angelina had just pulled out was any indication, it was only going to escalate from here. She was past the point of caring about her image, or keeping her cool, or avoiding drama. Now, the real challenge was in proving Angelina wrong. The sight of the bat, menacing with spikes and pointing in Yuki's direction, caused the dark-haired girl's eyelid to twitch nervously. But what twisted that knife even further was how Angelina was accusing Yuki of not being able to live up to her challenge, and finish what she started. Yuki could concede to throwing off the veil of normalcy, to embracing her worse instincts, if it meant proving she could keep up the fight instead!

"...Just WATCH me!" Yuki called back. There was no weakness and no stammer in her voice; it was strong and self-assured. Yuki's mind was made up. She might regret this later, but that didn't matter now. This was her fight, and she wasn't going to back down! The bat certainly posed a threat, but Yuki would just have to adjust. As Angelina swung it her way, Yuki moved to duck and lunge underneath its trajectory, while she threw herself forward to try and tackle Angelina with a spear aimed right at her midsection!

[Monsy]

So much for civility. But this was much better.
Yuki Kazikooks all to herself, on a fuckin’ train amidst the cameras and the bystanders who were all watchin’ with their eyes, phone cameras and now about to hear the succulent sound of spiked wood beating on flesh. So she thought anyway. Now came the harder part before the high. Actually fuckin’ winnin’ the exchange. Girl was still a giant nail in the side -- and give her one flaw, and she nails you right in the gut.

“HEGH!” And instead, it's Yuki’s shoulders hitting her belly like a hand slapping water. It twists her insides up gross. She loses bearings of what's up or down. She feels like a feather. All one-hundred-and-eight pounds come off the ground, with her feet swinging high and her upper body going back, then down violently until she smacks the ground, her spine re-aligns, her lungs pop out a wheeze, and her skull hits the train floor. It's cold. The impact zone starts to blush with early bruising. She heaves in. Coughs.

But it’s all adrenaline by now. So right when she hit the ground, and after her pause, laying flat, she took the bat with two hands and turned it face down. “That’s the fuckin’ thing! EVERYONE is!”

Then she jabbed it straight down her body, trying to thrust Yuki’s collarbone with the only blunt portion of this entire bat. The very end. She needed to get off her damn back as soon as possible. It was way too reminiscent of last time. And with everyone watchin’ -- she had an obligation to last at least two seconds longer than last time.

[CaptainL]

Yuki really didn't want to do this. She knew that avoiding this sort of confrontation was better - that if she gave into her aggression, she would only be giving Angelina what she wanted. That she would be showing she really was just a brute looking for the first excuse to bust someone's skull, and that her anger was too strong for her to control. That she was nothing more than a rabid dog, ruled by her emotions; that her baser instincts were holding her back, and that she could never achieve the self-discipline she needed to bring her dreams into reality. But...at this point, none of this mattered. Angelina had crossed a line, and nothing Yuki could say or do would talk her down from it. She had left her with no choice.

The dark-haired girl threw herself into motion. Her shoulder came crashing into Angelina's midsection, and the two of them toppled to the ground, skidding along the floor of the train car. Yuki hissed as she felt her knees rub up against the metal, and she braced her hands against the floor to steady herself as the car rocked under the force of the impact, but she couldn't let that stop her now. Even as Angelina looked up at her, reminding her that everyone was watching - and indeed, the tension between them had already garnered enough of an audience that when the first blow was thrown, the cameras were already out in force - Yuki wouldn't let it stop her. Her eyelid twitched; she bit at her lip - but it couldn't stop her. She wasn't going to back down!

"Then...so be it!! I won't let ANYONE believe I'm going to turn and run away from you!!" Yuki shouted back in defiance. Her body was tense; she knew that to take her eyes off Angelina even for a single second would mean certain death. She knew how unpredictable she could be, and she had to be ready for anything. She watched as Angelina turned and shoved the pommel of her bat right toward her sternum - but she was prepared.

Yuki's arms shot out at the same time, slamming the palms of both hands into the flat of Angelina's bat. The Marauder still threw it with enough force that Yuki felt the smack against her hands, and the soreness rippled through her, causing her to wince, but she knew she had managed to block the better part of the force. And what was more, she could take that momentum and use it for her own purposes. She let the blow carry her backward, hopping back up to her feet. And as soon as the soles of her shoes alighted on the floor, Yuki would kick out with one leg, attempting to slam her foot against Angelina's jaw as she called out with a battle cry!

[Monsy]

Shit kicked into survival mode after that. Down in the first few seconds was always her prophecy. She never got to taste this side of Yuki Kazikura without being already knocked silly. Even with how badly she wanted it after -- and more. It became a sugar craving. Then, it felt more like a scratch that was in her brain. She couldn't itch it, whether she cold showered or scratched her scalp until the hairs came out. Nothing would work. But the planning. Being here. That fixed it. Being speared in the stomach. That fixed it tpp. And despite this girl being all that makes her pissed off -- she was drawn to exactly that, and it made her wonder if some masochistic parasite was in control.

This was fuckin’ different. Ooohh, it was. She had a move, just ready and waiting. And even if Yuki blocked that, it was still an infinitely better outcome than the last two times. Better yet, Yuki was off. Angelina could breathe with her full chest and inflate her stomach; the first mission would’ve been standing up. Kick up. But Kazikura was right there and jousted with a concussion in mind. It cracked off her chin and rolled her twice around. She landed straight on her empty duffle bag and took a knee, then extended her pirate’s cutlass at Yuki’s upper body, chin dipped down, and eyes pointed up. Her tongue moved around to ensure she wasn't eating a piece of bone like a tooth. Half her face went numb.

"Lets see how well that fuckin' works for ya."

But it was worth it. Tense eyes, stiff posture and unchained aggression. THAT’S what she’s talkin’ about. And with her pretty purple cat eye, she winked just as her impromptu plan sprung. The empty duffle bag found its way into her hand, and she threw it like a big smokescreen, aimed high in hopes of sparking some reaction and blocking Yuki’s vision. Then, whether successful or not, Angelina made her move. She stood up suddenly, charged a swing and whipped her bat straight for Yuki’s stomach.

[CaptainL]

Yuki felt the crack of her foot against the side of Angelina's jaw. She watched as she went toppling backward, and as she hit the floor, Yuki could feel the thump of her body and the rumble of the train car beneath her feet. She stood there a moment, drawing in heavy breaths. Her heart was racing out of control. She was actually doing this, she thought to herself. She was giving into her aggression - she was letting that anger take control, and she was directing all of it outward, with no heed to all the onlookers, or to whether or not she was undermining the point she herself had been trying to make. The slightest hint of a regret began to creep into her, causing her to bite her lip and clench her fists tighter; her muscles firmed and her eye twitched as she felt the tension rise. But she would shake that out of her head a moment later. She couldn't afford to let her guard down for even a moment, not even if it was just to stop and ponder what it was she was doing, and if it was right. A single second that was out of place was one Angelina could seize on and take advantage of - and Yuki had already pledged that she wasn't going to concede to her again. Not in battle, and not in the psychological war that had been going on far longer than their brawl had.

Angelina quickly rolled up to her knee, and Yuki flinched. She could see the Marauder was getting into position, and she knew she had to be ready for anything. Already, she lowered into a stance, prepared to strike. She wasn't even going to say a word, not even to Angelina's challenge - she was sure her fists would make her point more than adequately. All she did was draw her lip back in a snarl, meeting her with a snort of hot air from her nostrils.

But when Yuki was primed and ready to strike at the first opportunity, that too was something Angelina could take advantage of. When she tossed the bag into the air, that was the first thing Yuki saw coming her way, and the first thing she needed to react to. Lunging forward, her arm swung out to try and bat it aside as it was flung toward her head. But that meant she wasn't guarding her midsection - and when Angelina came rushing in with her bat, Yuki wasn't able to act fast enough.

She looked down with a gasp, seeing the redhead closing in on her, and she tried to bring her hands in front of her to block, but it was too late - the bat slammed into her stomach, and Yuki was thrown back off balance. Her upper body swung back in an arc as one foot kicked out into the air, and she let out a loud cough as the air was thrown out of her lungs. At last, her other foot slipped out from under her, and she fell to her back, her eyes squeezed shut in a pained wince. The ache throbbed in her gut - this moment could only serve as a harsh reminder of just how hard Angelina could hit. And that would remind Yuki that she really couldn't afford to stand around and take those hits.

But then, she wouldn't do that! Biting the inside of her cheek, she kicked her legs up in the air, using the momentum of the strike to propel her as she sommersaulted backward. She wasn't going to let the pain get to her - she still had a chance to strike back, and she couldn't let Angelina think she could dominate her so easily! This was still on, and she had to keep the momentum going - that instinct was enough to alight the spark in her that kicked off the second wind she needed!

As she reached the seat behind her, Yuki kicked off the ground to fling herself onto the seat in a backflip, showing her acrobatic talent that had served her so well in the ring. And no sooner had her feet settled on the seat that she would set up her next move - she jumped straight into the air, her hands shooting for the hand-holds hanging from the roof! If Yuki could get a hold of them, she'd let the momentum swing her, catapulting herself back toward Angelina with her foot flung out in front of her to aim a flying kick square in her face!

[Monsy]

Just what can she take off Yuki this time?
Dignity was a fun one. For a girl who called her a fluke, humiliated so badly before the public eye that the crowds could laugh, and the prodigy, no matter how talented she may be — mocked for something that follows her everywhere. But would that solve anything? A stroked ego and a free comedy channel. Not good enough. Option two was better: a fight. After all, that is what they started on, and that's where they were heading. However, they can spark one anytime and anywhere. Yuki said so herself. She isn’t running.

It's just seeing them knocked down that does it. A bat into their gut, seeing them heave. Tit for tat. It felt GREAT. Surprisingly, Yuki didn’t seem to be bleeding anywhere. Her razor-wire bat didn’t cut — fuckin’ hilarious.

She knew what she wanted to do when she watched Yuki take a breath: to rob them. Whatever was on their person. Phone, wallet. A little special note from her parents. A hair clip, band, bracelet, ring. A piece of her shirt, a slice of that hair if she could find the scissors. The urge was brimming.

One trouble with that, though. Yuki was already up. And since when could she back-flip?
Her brows raised briefly, acknowledging it, then giving her bat a few spins.
“New trick, Yuki?” Aye, and one that was only half done.

The bat’s point dragged across the ground as Angelina prepped her next swing, coming closer. And instead of retreating as Yuki did seconds before, like a sensible person -- Angelina found the distance close rapidly. Her cutlass swung up, trying to catch the girl mid-flight. It was too late. Her arm couldn’t muscle it. And so Angelina flew, feet kicking out, stacked on her shoulders and the back of her head before rolling over again, then sliding. The bat slipped her fingers and rolled underneath a row of seats. Angelina smacked against a subway pole, sitting, wincing and not knowing where she was. She put her hands out, trying to balance. The subway tremors and the small but audible bystander cheer to the improvised move told The Marauder she was still conscious - but helpless.

They were in for a show and had front-row seats. A horned pirate and a schoolgirl coming to a subway stop near you!

[CaptainL]

Yuki was determined to make Angelina eat her words. The Marauder was determined to bring her low - to show the world that she was everything she had feared she was, and that she hated herself for being. If she shrank away from Angelina, if she didn't accept her challenge, then she was a coward - someone who shied away from a true threat, and who couldn't live up to how big she talked. Someone who could never hope to be a champion. If she did strike out at Angelina, though, then she was unhinged; a violent psychopath; a wild animal - someone who had no business being in civilized company, no less holding herself as a champion of the people who stood up for them and represented them on the grand stage. Yuki had been grappling with both labels, trying desperately to prove she wasn't either, but not finding any way to silence one set of doubters without giving more ammunition to the other. And now, Angelina was trying to force her to confront that struggle face to face - presenting her with a situation she couldn't talk her way out of. One where she would need to make a choice, and one where either option would leave her worse off than she was when she started.

But if that was how Angelina wanted to play...then Yuki wasn't even going to bother worrying about her image any more. Angelina needed to know that her efforts wouldn't get her anywhere. She needed her to pay for meddling in her life like this. And she was going to teach her a painful lesson about what happened if she kept getting herself involved in other peoples' affairs, if that was what it would take!

At Angelina's little quip, Yuki shot her back a sneer - but she wasn't even going to dignify her taunts with a response. Her fists and feet were going to do the talking. Yuki was a high-flyer at heart - she knew that her speed, agility, and momentum were her best assets in the ring. She was going to leverage that here. Angelina might have thought she would be able to corner Yuki and keep her from running away if she confronted her on a train, and she might have been right about that. But it would also just happen to give the dark-haired girl everything she needed to do what she did best - and just as she had used her altitude to amplify the force of her blows against Angelina in the ring, so too would she do it here. She rolled with the momentum of Angelina's strike, propelling herself up to the seats. She grabbed the hand-holds overhead. And she swung herself straight toward her foe - not only dodging Angelina's incoming attack, but hurling her back through the air in the process!

As the redhead's back came crashing into the pole, a rattle went through the train car. The other passengers weren't even the least bit bothered by the commotion - they were cheering louder than ever now that the action had risen to a fever pinch. But for Yuki, it was all a dull roar. Her full attention had been focused on Angelina, and on punishing her for trying to pick this fight. She couldn't let anything distract her from her goal. Every move she made had to be in service of surpassing her rival. And so too would she put that into play now!

As her feet touched down on the floor of the car, Yuki brought her arm down to brace herself in a three-point landing, catching herself before she could fall. She took a few slow breaths, lifting her head up enough to lock her eyes onto Angelina. But it was only seconds later that she had pushed herself back up to her feet and gone sprinting toward Angelina at full speed - she couldn't give her even a moment to recover, and she couldn't take the pressure off now! As she closed in, Yuki would try and grab one of Angelina's arms from where she had it held out. Hoping to keep her steady, her foot cracked out to try and land a kick against the girl's midsection. And if that succeeded at leaving her winded, Yuki would quickly circle back behind that pole, pulling Angelina's arm along with it, to twist it into place around the pole and pin it behind her back!

[Monsy]

It’s easy to wish your problems couldn’t fight back. Then, they wouldn’t be problems. Likes those videos where the bully eats one punch and eats shit before a neutral crowd. It seemed so common, and it was even easier to think that being mad enough made you strong enough. But she never had such an occurrence. All her problems could fight. Usually better than she could. Just a few extra inches, then add on twenty pounds, and that was game over before it began. They didn’t even need to be bigger. She just wasn’t born or raised tough. She was the one down in one knock. Pain tolerance just wasn’t her thing. So, she would picture her problems defenceless. Just a punching bag. Like here. What would she do if Yuki ate every fist? If every bat swing mushed a muscle as designed. And every swing of her boot cracked off the ribs?

With what she realized: it becomes a massive problem.
It gets so big it takes a page out of ninja school and launches you across the train car. There wasn’t anything graceful about it. Her shoulders were crunching up with nibbling nerves, biting muscle and a throbbing neck from the awkward landing. The adrenaline buzz had her sweating and feeling squeamish. But she knew the pain was there.

In fact, more was coming. Yuki grabbed her arm just as Angelina was finding her feet. She was groaning, wobbling just a little. Then, her big problem pulled the limb taut, and with her back against the pole, Yuki destroyed her smooth stomach in one single swing. “GEKH!” An eye goes buggy as Angelina gags, bends over and spits. The foot sunk right in, and her expression was in immediate peril. Mouth twisted, open, gasping and drooling. She found her arm hammerlocked into her back, solid metal running along her forearm near the elbow pocket, right up into her shoulders. This fuckin’ problem just didn’t stop.

The immediate pinch made her whimper. She hissed and straightened her posture.
“Ain’t you just… a…” She grunted -- and used the moment to see her options, looking right and left, then licked her teeth to gather composure. “C-Clevah psycho. I bet this feels real fuckin’ good, don’t it? Like gettin' ya win back. Not like ya evah have. Not with miss Lucy. Or Mayori. Bola De Nieve. Aoi. RG. Xiomara. Clara. Skylah.”

Angelina relaxed herself and plotted carefully. She talked with each name, bringing a head tilt between alternating shoulders whilst she looked back, trying to find Yuki’s feet. That was the first step to solving her problem. Step two. Skylah. She trailed off that name, and took a breath, stiffened up and then ushered the last person on that fine-fine list. “Me.”

She turned one way, stomping her foot down and fainting a bolt. Then she turned in the direction of her trapped shoulder and moved quickly, trying to undo herself around the pull and take Yuki’s back, flipping this whole problem right around!

[CaptainL]

Yuki wasn't normally one to get aggressive outside of the ring. Even in the ring, she preferred to keep her cool, maintaining focus so that she could conserve her energy for when she needed it most and to ensure that her strikes landed with perfect position. But, if she truly had no choice...she wasn't going to hold back. And now, Angelina had left her with no choice! She simply couldn't sit there and listen to the Marauder taunt her about what a failure she was, and how afraid she was to strike back, without growing all the more desperate to make a change - to prove her wrong. Yuki was like a rubber band. She could be stretched far, yes. But there was a point at which all that tension had no choice but to snap back. And this was it.

Kicked into a flurry of motion, Yuki moved across the train like a blur. She hadn't been down for more than a couple of seconds before she went bounding straight toward Angelina, and the redhead had barely come to a stop before Yuki forced her arm to the side and slammed her foot against her midsection. Every action flowed into the next; she wouldn't even take a couple of seconds to breathe when any of those seconds could see Angelina getting a move in - or worse, they could lead to any onlooker to think that Yuki had hesitated even for a moment. With her heart racing a mile a minute, Yuki had slipped into a flow state where everything came naturally. Every thought jumped into her head perfectly formed, and she knew just how to lay everything out step by step. But for Angelina, everything Yuki did might as well have been over from start to finish in the blink of an eye.

That was, until Yuki had her rival's arm twisted around the pole - and Angelina had the chance to speak up. Yuki's attention was fixed on her all the while. One eye was squeezed tightly shut, and the other stared back with a twitching eyelid. She growled under her breath when Angelina called her a psychopath. That would have cut deeper had it come a moment ago. But now, Yuki had thrown herself into the rush of battle, and any such insults wouldn't matter. They did, however, get her attention. And now that Angelina had her attention...she was able to find a chink in Yuki's armor.

When she began to name off everyone Yuki had lost to, the girl's eyes went wide. For a moment, she could feel the color draining from her face as she looked back and forth and realized how everyone was staring at her bewildered. Had she really acted out like this in front of so many people, she asked herself? But what truly made her stomach turn was as Angelina went on. She'd done her research, truly giving Yuki not even a moment of privacy. Not only did she bring up Yuki's most enduring and notorious rivalries, but the one-off opponents and those she hadn't heard from in months. But in with those were some of the losses that cut deepest of all.

Xiomara Tempest - who Yuki had lost to at the Lightweight Classic by a hair's breadth, and cost her a chance to truly set matters right with Rose Gold.

Skylar Jones - who had unleashed a harrowing beatdown that left Yuki hospitalized, with physical and psychological scars, and who she cringed just thinking about.

Rose Gold - the Lightweight Champion, the very name that Yuki couldn't help but compare herself to, and who she had devoted everything toward rising to the level of in order to take her down.

And, of course - Angelina herself.

All of those losses stung to think about, yes. But what stung most of all wasn't the losses themselves - but, as Angelina reminded her, the fact that she hadn't been able to avenge any of them. All of those matches she swore to do better after. All of them left her wanting more from herself. All of them were motivations to set the matter right. But Yuki hadn't been able to do any of that. Not even with Angelina, who was literally right in front of her.

In that moment, a chill took hold of Yuki. The goosebumps rose on the back of her neck. Her muscles began to grow slack, just a little bit - and her hold on Angelina eased ever so slightly. But Angelina had also managed to get Yuki lost in her own thoughts. So much so that she didn't even see Angelina raise her foot - until she felt it come down on her own.

"YEEEEOW-!!" As the pain suddenly shot through her system, Yuki doubled over forward. More and more of Angelina's arm slipped through her fingers - and with her newfound freedom, the Marauder was able to spin around her, getting behind Yuki. But when Yuki looked back up, her teeth clenched, and her body went rigid. Not this time, she told herself. Angelina had held all her failures right in front of her face. But now, it would be more important than ever that she fight back. That she prove her wrong. Yuki wouldn't even wait to get in the ring. She had to beat Angelina now.

As she pushed herself back to her feet, Yuki swung an elbow behind her, looking to hit Angelina in the ribs. If she could leave her stunned, she'd spin back around to try and pull Angelina along by their still-entwined arms, steering the momentum between them as though they were bound by a chain. If she could, she'd aim to slam Angelina's back against the wall of the train car. And she too would have a few words to say, as she looked her dead in the eye.

"That ends now," Yuki shouted. There was no hesitation. There was only a cold, defiant confidence as she stared Angelina right in the eye. She would lean even closer to her, their foreheads practically touching. "I'll beat you now. I'll beat you in a cage, no matter how you want it - I'll prove you wrong." she added. With a bullish snort from her nostrils, Yuki pressed herself even closer, her shoulders butting up against Angelina's own as she locked her eyes on her foe's.

[Monsy]

If all her fuckin’ time spent learnin’ about this dork, preying and stalking on her evenings, the mapping and asking around -- If she couldn’t make her brain bleed with what she said by now, call her fuckin’ Rachel Baker. But it worked. Like a charm. And good, because she couldn’t have her shoulder being popped before she broke theirs with the bat.

Man, it felt so good. But not as good as stomping their foot and turning that shit RIGHT around.
Freedom was sweet and well-earned. A victory and a half. Her arm was still pinching from the twist, and her joints strained from the freedom, even though it was still stuck in Yuki’s clutch. That was MORE than alright. In fact, she’d use that to try and throw her free arm around the other side of Yuki’s waist, search to link up with the trapped hand and suplex the absolute FUCK out of Yuki onto the train floor. Her eyes already looked like she had done it. Her chin was right by their collar. She whispered, “Got ya.”

Or so she thought.
She got a stake right into her ribs. Angelina seized to one side, wincing, and her day was flipped again. This time, she was tugged. Her eyes went wider. Shit-shit-shit! Her back slammed against the train car. The force nearly pinged her right off, and she yelped loudly. Her lungs were spanked and hurt on the other side. For a moment, she was breathless and gasping, then found herself sandwiched between a solid wall and Yuki’s body. Angelina scrambled to get her feet together. Look tall. Her face was turning white as her little tactic had blown right back in her face. All options seemed fuckin’ stuck. She was stuck. Her arm. Stuck. Only one left and no room to swing. Shit.

By the time Yuki pressed her forehead, Angelina had small panicking mouth-breathing pants. She shrunk. Her shoulders curled in, and her free arm went to grab Yuki’s wrist and yanked. Little give. She winced at the bullish snort. Her throat went tight. She was flattened. If she could hide her sudden fright before, the fact they were touching shoulders, chest-to-chest -- then her heart rate gave it away.

And still. It was what she wanted to hear. All she wanted to see from them. That fuckin’ fire that she wanted to rip from their gullet. No more stupid pussy shit or hiding. Whatevah it takes. Wherevah. And no more worryin' about what others thought. That was the fuckin’ spirit that made her win shiny the first time -- and made being punched in the face by them over and over worth it. The premeditated schemes to rile her up, with more plans detailed on the bullet board back home. She didn’t know what the objective looked like. But for a moment, she believed she had it.

“A…ah” Angelina stammered, slowly looking them back in the eye, still scared as though Yuki had a weapon on hand. She didn’t smile nor shrink, but stared, daunted and wide-eyed, then -- leaned in to take their lips.