Vice the Maverick (4)

Vice plants his hands on the ground, slowly continuing to rise up to his feet, completely ignoring the hooked blade near his neck.

The light around Variance begins fading gradually as he takes a cautious step back. Okay, you wasn't -this- suicidal last time... He quickly regains his ground, rebuilding his charge and forcing the point of the blade's hook a little harder.

Seikou watches in silence, eyes unreadable. The fear has dissapated as he leans against a wall, merely waiting for the next move...

Raising the hands planted on the ground, with a quick motion, Vice slams them into the ground to spring himself backwards into the air.

Seikou immediatley abandons his relaxed position and falls back into a combat stance, eyes narrowing again. "Bloody..."

Vice lands hard on his feet, a little past the broken wall from the recent beam attack.

Variance makes with a short curse and finally decides to use his Charge, following his time-honored 'if it's not broken, don't fix it' tactic and firing off an immensely bright beam of white energy, only this time aimed more at the center of Vice's chest...

Vice quickly grabs ahold of the saber with both hands, firmly gripping the handle, concentrating the focus of energy, an actual image of a sword swirling with energy appears. Dashing towards the beam, he slices the energy in half.

Seikou looks annoyed and leaps at Vice, attempting a dramatic stabbing mauever from the side, his hair flowing behind him as he jumps.

Variance doesn't bother to say anything, pushing off opposite of Seikou and going for a melee attack of his own, though from a somewhat awkward position, considering he can't exactly glide around like certain other Dash-addicts...

Vice without hesitation, leaps into the air, grabbing ahold of Seikou's face and slamming it straight into a nearby wall.

Seikou is stunned by the attack, slumping against the wall, something vital clearly having been at least shaken by the slam.

You say ' WORTHLESS! You fail to protect your friend, and yet, you plan to save everyone?'

Seikou shakes his head, recovering slightly. "I will DESTROY YOU!" He dashes forward again, all the finesse gone from his thrust, replaced with pure rage.

Vice dashes towards Seikou, and grabs ahold of both his hands, engaged in a battle of pure physical strength.

Seikou grins and kicks at Vice's chest rather than attempting to free his hands, trying to use the kick to propel him away.

Variance takes the opportunity to position himself a little more favorably, hoping Seikou can hold Vice off long enough for him to prepare another attack...

Vice slides a few feet back from the hit.

Seikou nods and does another jumpdash style leap, trying to angle himself in such a way that he can plunge onto Vice from directly above.

You say ' I've had enough of this child's play.'

Vice reaches to grab the energy beam kunais attached to his back, gripping three of them, he flings them at the airborn Seikou.

Variance takes one last step back, placing far too much faith in having enough time to pull his little plan off, widening his stance and holding his spear horizontally before him. He closes his eyes, another aura of light springing up around him, though not like the other's he held.

Seikou attempts to knock them out of the air with his staff and only succeeds in knocking away one, the other two striking his chest and arm. The momentum of the kunais stops his lunge and he falls to the ground, barely able to land on his knees rather than face first.

Vice looks over to Seikou. "This is not you true strength."

Variance's eyes snap open, and he raises his weapon again, spinning it in the air exactly twice before stabbing it into the ground. He throws his arms outwards, aura flashing and expanding... then reforming into a pair of silhouettes strikingly similar to him.

Seikou shakes his head, struggling to his feet, using the staff as support. "I'm giving all I have... I'm just not good enough..." His eyes are closed, so he fails to see Variance's spell. "I'm sorry, Vari-sama..."

Vice notices the energy forming behind him and immediately dashes towards Seikou.

Seikou stabs outward with the staff as Vice charges, attempting to catch him on the tines.

Variance commands the two 'clones' towards Vice, hoping they set off their one attack before Vice can cause further harm to Seikou...

Vice slaps the staff away from the weakened Seikou, as he leaps over him and delivers a kick to his back, sending him flying towards the clones.

Seikou is just still flying because he really can't stop. ;.;

Variance suddenly tenses and shouts out another command, the identical bodies of light pushing off from each other just quickly enough to let Seikou pass by them unharmed before the energies dissipate... Never got to the intended target, but at least another victim was spared.

Seikou slams into the ground a short distance away. "I... messed up the attack... sorry..." he says quietly.

Variance wrenches his spear from the ground, gaze still locked on Vice. "It's not your fault, don't worry about it."

Vice looks over at the two hunters. "What a pathetic sight, how can you call yourselves hunters?"

Seikou raises himself to his knees. "...Don't lump Vari in with me... I'm worthless..."

You say ' You are, but only because you fight it. Give in to it, let it take over, end the pain, end YOUR suffering.'

Seikou shakes his head. "I will -DIE- before I surrender to the virus!"

You say ' I have my plans for you, which means you must live. As for your friend, that's another story.'

Variance takes a few more steadying breaths, trying to recover from the previous burst of mental exertion, eyes still trained on Vice. "You're not laying another hand on him!"

Seikou climbs to his feet slowly, leaning on his staff more than before, and walks so that he's in front of Vari. "You will have to kill me to get to him." He turns around. "Run, Variance..."

You say ' How touching...'

You say ' You're fighting so hard to protect each other, while the other towns have no protection. You've failed your job as hunters.'

"I haven't run before, and I'm not going to now." Variance's voice comes quiet, with an obvious tone of determination. "Besides, you're the one he's after, -and- you're injured."

Seikou shakes his head. "That's because we have no staff!"

You say ' Wrong answer!'

Vice grabs the last energy kunai, and flings it at Variance's neck.

Seikou has no time to do a dramtic staff block, and instead dives in the way, taking it in his chest. "AGH!"

Seikou lands on the ground, eyes closed, last of the energy spent.

You say ' Now there's one last thing left to do and my mission is done.'

Variance just stands for a moment, staring at the yet-again incapacitated Seikou... That's twice. Twice he's taken a blow in his place... Then, something in him, something that usually keeps him rational, snaps.

Variance says '...Mavericks... It's always the Mavericks...'

Variance tightens his grip on his weapon, looking back to Vice, expression that of unevenly mixed anger and concern, the balance between them breaking as he lunges forward. "DAMN YOU!"

Vice looks over to Variance. "This is once again, your fault. You failed because you lack power, you do not have what it takes to be strong."

Variance, currently lacking the capacity to hold himself back enough to get out a reply, simply throws a good portion of his weight into a single thrust towards you, aimed towards his midsection with a furied war cry.

Vice walks directly into the thrust, the blade pierces through his midsection.

Vice looks into Variance's eyes, a strange aura surrounds his body, glowing brighter by the second. The energy around him moves his hair away from the covered right eye. He stares into Variance's eyes once again. "You are weak, you are incapable of being strong."

Variance keeps the blade where it lies, despite the weapon shaking from the intensity of his grip. He stares straight into the eyes of his opponent, paying no mind to the few stray tears escaping from his now lessened guard.

Variance says 'You're wrong... I -can- be strong, and I -WILL- be strong! For this world, for humanity... -AND- for Seikou!'

Variance drives his spear deeper as emphesis, not recognizing its ineffectiveness.

Variance says 'NO ONE will hurt him again! EVER!'

Suddenly, the red aura engulfs the entire area of the square, Vice dashes over to Seikou and props him up on his shoulders.

Seikou barely manages to open his eyes, his staff still lying on the ground here he was. "...wha... what's going on...?"

Vice smirks at Variance. "I'll take good care of him."

Vice dashes out of the square with Seikou on his shoulder.

Variance straightens, eyes widened and taken aback, and turns around to see the one thing he couldn't bear to watch...

Variance says '...Sei...'