Isha vs. Kurenai Yamazaki - Aruarian Dance

[BlackAkuma]

Kurenai’s training kicked in as she watched Isha, taking in the totality of her actions, checking off a mental list without even thinking. Every movement a target made could tell a tale. The subtle twitch of the eyes, the brief slant of the head, the placement of the feet. Their focus, their fear, ever detail added to the tapestry.

There was hesitation coming from Isha at first, unsure of how to proceed, sniffing a feint in Kurenai’s technique. All the same, she did bite on it - at least, at first. The two locked hands, laced fingers, and Kurenai prepared to surge forward, only to be stopped dead when she felt the full power of her foe. Isha was no weakling, and those fingers dug in deep. Something was coming.

The knee she could dodge, throwing her body back just enough to avoid it.

The kick was another story. That sliced up and found its target, clipping Kurenai clean on the chin. Her head jutted back and she might have fallen away, if not for their shared grip. Instead, she dropped down to a knee before her opponent with her head low, almost as if she were bowing. It wouldn’t have been unearned, if true. After all, Isha had scored the first true strike of the match.

If Kurenai had her way, however, she would have the second. ”Perhaps.”

The red ninja yanked on Isha’s arms, pulling her downward while she rose, looking to smack her foe in the head with the tip of her skull for an eye-watering headbutt.

[dlamp]

Finally. First blood was hers. Not the kindest or cleanest way to get a hit in, but it was victory all the same and the crowd gave a small pop at the sight of the first blow being landed. For Isha's part, she kept her foot and leg high over her head, both displaying her flexibility and giving evidence of her strike while Kurenai was on her knees, practically kneeling to the one who fell her. Isha placed her foot down, her lips quirking up into a small and thin smile as she took in the sight of her bowing opponent and enjoyed the small thrill of success.

Then, she was pulled down, only catching the sight of dark brown hair rocketing toward her chin and face.

"Ngh!" The blow came fast and without mercy, forcing Isha's head to look up at the ceiling lights and knocking her off balance. Feet staggered and scrambled back, only keeping her balance thanks to a mix of her training and Kurenai's own tight grip. The world spun for a moment as she forced her head back into place, blinking away the flashing colors as the pain settled in. She could feel wet streaks forced down her face against her will, and looking down for a moment she could see small black dots where her eye mark was starting to mar her face from the forced tears. Immediately, she shot a dark, piercing gaze toward Kurenai, jaw clenched in pain and irritation as her black-streaked face was marred.

And as if her expression spoke for her, she retaliated. She jumped up, still clasping hand and lifting her legs up high before shooting them forward for a short-range dropkick to the stomach.

[BlackAkuma]

A headbutt might have seemed like a less-than-graceful move for a ninja to resort to, but it was well within Kurenai’s wheelhouse. She had always been taught to use all available options, to exploit an opening whenever one was presented, and few things were more tempting than a target with an open face and arms that couldn't defend it. While she couldn't see the impact, she could certainly feel it through her body, and she could only imagine how stunned it left her opponent.

Not so stunned that she couldn't retaliate, however, a fact she discovered with the woman leaped up and shot her feet out, hitting her in the stomach with a point-blank dropkick. The move hit with enough force to knock Kurenai off her feet, and send her tumbling away, flipping head-over-heels.

She popped to her feet out of it and the momentum took her to the corner, smacking her up against the turnbuckle. That was where she stayed, too, with her arms draped over the ropes and her legs slumping, as she tried to catch her breath. Down, for the moment.

But not out.

[dlamp]

There was a cold satisfaction in forcing Kurenai back. It seemed a little brutal to hit her with such a high-impact move so soon, but Isha's souring mood, throbbing chin, and ruined makeup had mercy leave her in quick order. And the rush she felt after forcing the ninja back into the corner had her heart pounding. Still, her face remained passive to not give her feelings away, tightening her lips as she scanned the woman's now prone position. It was quite the blow, and one that Isha took a short moment to let the pride wash over her before continuing the assault. That headbutt wasn't going to be forgotten without a few solid blows in turn as punishment.

She tapped the ball of her foot on the mat once, then pushed off, darting right for Kurenai. her leg shot up fast and without mercy, a harsh superkick aimed right across the woman's jaw to further Isha's vengeance.

[BlackAkuma]

Kurenai couldn't shake the idea that she’d soured Isha. Perhaps. A little.

The headbutt had been a dirty move, she supposed, but it wasn’t beyond the rules of wrestling, and she hadn't meant it in poor spirits, only trying to get an edge over her skilled foe. And yet, the woman seemed to take it harsh, souring slightly on her face. She didn’t want to dwell too much on the thought, she wasn’t ultimately out to please anyone, but it was niggling, though. She didn’t want to cause offense where it wasn’t necessary.

Whatever the case, Isha wasn’t giving her much time to contemplate - the woman was coming in and coming fast, darting across the ring at high speeds, her bare feet scarcely touching the canvas. Kurenai had just gotten her bearing back when she saw a foot heading for her face, and raw reflexes were all that saved her, as she spun out of the corner and let it miss her face by mere inches. She kept turning, too, as she brought her arm up and tried to nail Isha with a back elbow to the face at close range, hoping it would at least stun her and buy some time.

[dlamp]

Isha blitzed forward as if on ice, her foot shooting out to nail her opponent's face and keep her locked onto the corner. Except her kick missed. Just by a scant few inches it missed as Kurenai got her bearings and quickly darted out of the way just in time. The crowd gasped, Isha's reddened eyes narrowed, and her heart sinking as the ninja danced out of the way in a way that almost mimicked Isha's own movements.

"Ggh!" And just like Isha's movements Kurenai turned her defense into offense in an instant, a sharp pain shooting in the back of the dancer's skull. Already off balance from her overextended and overly committed kick, Isha staggered and tripped forward, knocking into the turnbuckle face-first with her leg stretched out against the rope as if she was stretching it out. The sight got a mix of gasps, cheers, and giggles from the crowd at the awkward position she was in. Her face reddened in annoyance as she tried to settle herself and regain her bearings, slowly pulled her outstretched leg from the ropes and trying to return to a standing, more balanced position, her back and body exposed all the while as she tried to move quick.

[BlackAkuma]

The crowd gave Kurenai a short round of applause at her deft maneuver, but she didn’t think they appreciated just how close she had cut that. Even though the attack had missed, she could tell from how it was executed that Isha had no small amount of power behind it and that she would likely be out on the floor if it connected. While the two of them were close in height, her opponent seemed like the stronger one between them, with enough speed to keep up. If Kurenai tried to trade evenly with this woman, things would nosedive.

For now, though, she was safe. Better than safe, actually - she’d managed to get behind her opponent and had her back to work with, a tempting target for any kunoichi. She moved in low as her opponent came off the ropes, then leaped up, grabbed her by the shoulders, and raised her knees, placing them against her back.

”Hello, again.”

She chirped those words out as gravity did the rest, pulling Isha with her to the ground as she attempted to her the woman with the aptly named Backstabber.

[dlamp]

Isha's eyes snapped behind her, locking onto Kurenai at the sudden touch from behind, one gripping her from the shoulders and a hard press along her back with the woman's knees. She glared, a small scowl as sweat built along her forehead and back. She didn't need to hear the audience's raising volume to know the situation she was in and how bad it was. She still barely had her balance after the initial crash, completely helpless as the ninja hopped onto her and started tipping her downward. Kurenai's light words only emphasizing her advantage and the heavy crash that was about to happen. Dammit... Isha only gritted her teeth for the impact to come.

Gravity tipped, and Isha fell hard onto Kurenai's knees.

"Ggaaagh!" And it truly felt like the woman pierced into her spine, the impact spiking pain directly into her back as her body tensed and jolted out. The pain had her frozen on the mat for a moment, letting out short, pained breaths as gritted her teeth hard to try and distract herself.

[BlackAkuma]

Their match was relatively young, but Kurenai took no small amount pride in getting the loudest cry out of either of them thus far in the game. It was a small, trifling thing, but she liked to hold onto her accomplishments whenever she could, especially against an opponent like this. They wouldn’t be coming too often.

For now, though, things were firmly in her control. After the backstabber connected, Isha was sent bouncing away to cradle her back, no doubt feeling the pain deep into her spine. Kurenai sought to both make the most of the moment and start showing the full breadth of her skill. She rolled to her feet, rising instantly and dashing to the side. She leaped up, planted her feet on the middle rope, then vaulted backwards in a flip, soaring through the air in an arc, coming down on high towards her opponent with a Lionsault.