User blog:LastZephyr/Maki Kuronami vs. Kurai Jack Jade





Maki Kuronami stood in the snowy clearing. She had been searching for some Grim, but it seemed that there weren’t many in this part of the forest, which made her frustrated.

“Okay, honestly, I don’t get how even in the middle of this wilderness there can’t at least be one pack of Beowolves wandering around.”

A soft crunch behind her alerted Maki to the presence of another being, but as she spun around she saw that it was just a cloaked human.

“I’m sorry, miss,” he said, face half-hidden by a long scarf,” but your instructors at Beacon aren’t amused by your prolonged absence.” Ignoring his target’s irritated expression, he continued. “Usually, I wouldn’t bother with chasing down kids, but they’re saying that you’re too efficient at taking down the Grim, and that they need to know if you’re really on their side.”

<span style="color: white; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: background1;">Maki scoffed. “I’m on my own side. I’m not about to listen to two dumbass instructors who are have to hire a random mercenary just to get one of their students and who can’t recognize talent when it’s shoved into their faces, and seriously, we have the same enemy, so shouldn’t that be good enough for them? You can tell Ozpin to look after his less-talented students instead of the one who can actually take care of herself.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: white; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: background1;">Kurai closed his eyes and nodded, then unsheathed his two ghost blades from beneath his tattered cloak. “Then in that case, I’ll have to take you by force.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: white; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: background1;">Maki’s eyes flew to the two swords. Her eyes widened as she examined the weapons from a distance, and she saw that, although they appeared to be intact and fully functional, there were minute cracks running across the edge of the blades, which glowed iridescently with some sort of spiritual power.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: white; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: background1;">Well, won’t this be fun, <span style="color: white; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: background1;"> she thought to herself, as she drew Lost Wing and assumed a battle stance.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: white; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: background1;">The two stood facing each other for a brief moment, before Kuronami launched herself at Jack, pulling her sword back and upper-cutting diagonally at her opponent, who dodged aside and thrust one of the ghost blades forward while partially shielding his body with the other. She’s fast, he thought, almost like a fauna.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: white; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: background1;">Maki kept going and followed up with a downward thrust with the serrated edge of Lost Wing, which struck the other ghost blade as sparks flew from the impact. Jack, using the strength from his artificial limbs, pushed hard and launched Maki into the air, then threw one of his swords at her small figure as she fought to regain balance. She saw the weapon spinning towards her, and leaned back just far enough for it to arc over her body, although it nicked her face on the way up. Jack pulled his unarmed hand back, and the weapon immediately flew back into his grasp.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: white; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: background1;">Kuronami backflipped and landed on the cold, packed snow. She scowled and ran forward again, this time wielding her sword with both hands, as she began slashing furiously at the opponent. Jack twisted and turned to avoid the blade, but Maki managed to strike him with the flat part of her blade, sending him sliding into the snow. He jumped back up and crouched low for a second, allowing two copies of himself to materialize beside him. The three Jacks ran forward, and Maki drew her pistol, cocked it, then straightened up, turned sideways, and fired once at the three enemies. She dashed forward and slid past the Jacks, taking advantage of the snow kicked up by the explosion, and thrust her sword clean through one of the copies, which dissolved into grey dust. Kurai spun around and parried another attack from Lost Wing, then leaped up to avoid Maki’s sweeping kick. While he was apart from his last clone, Maki had stood up and held the barrel to the copy’s forehead, then pulled the trigger and blew it up into more grey dust.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: white; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: background1;">Well, I guess replicas aren’t as useful as everyone makes them out to be, <span style="color: white; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: background1;">Kurai thought with a small smile. ''But then, how would they know? ''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: white; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: background1;">He refocused quickly onto his target as he became serious once more. She stood a few meters away from him and wasn’t making any attempt to attack him, instead staring at him with such intense focus through her glasses that Jack knew immediately what she was trying to do. In turn, he focused his thoughts together, gathering them so she could not perceive any of them. ''Like hell you’re gonna see what I’m thinking. My thoughts belong to me, and I can’t let anyone else feel what I’ve gone through.''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: white; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: background1;">Maki tensed, closing her eyes. ''I don’t understand! I’m supposed to be able to see people’s truths, so why the hell isn’t it working?! ''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: white; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: background1;">However, in her distracted frustration she lost track of reality for a brief moment, and she opened her eyes just in time to see Kurai standing before her, face to face. “Sorry,” he murmured,” but it’s going to be a while before your mental skill will come anywhere near matching mine!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: white; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: background1;">Maki leaped up and onto Jack’s shoulders, pushing off into the air once more as she drew Anastasia and fired repeatedly while upside down. However, when she landed and the snow had cleared, it revealed that the figure that had been standing there just seconds before was no longer there.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: white; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: background1;">“What did I tell you?” Jack spoke from behind her, and as Maki spun around he reached forward and grabbed her wrist, keeping her from swinging Lost Wing. Kuronami’s eyes widened as she saw the bionic   hand that gripped her arm, metal that extended up Jack’s arm and into the depths of his cloak. They gazed into each other’s eyes for a moment, Kurai calm and unexpressive, Maki burning with cold fury.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">'''<span style="color: white; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: background1;">Kurai Jack Jade’s Ending: '''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: white; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: background1;">Before the girl could blink, Jack swung his other iron arm towards her head and knocked her out. He slung her body over his shoulder and turned to leave, but noticed that her glasses had flown off and into the snow. He bent down and gently picked them up, then tucked them inside one of his pockets as he ran away and back towards Beacon.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">'''<span style="color: white; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: background1;">Maki Kuronami’s Ending: '''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: white; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: background1;">“Aah…” Maki let out a quiet cry of surprise. Shit, he really is good! Regaining her focus from the ambush, however, she pulled Anastasia and thrust it into Jack’s stomach, then let loose the rest of her rounds, allowing her to tear her hand out of his literally iron grip as he was sent flying backwards with a whoomph sound. He didn’t rise, and Maki was sure she had taken him down. ‘Damn machine,” she yelled, “as if you could ever take me down!” She turned and ran into the forest, intent on massacring any Grim she came across. ''Shoot, he made me use up all of my bullets! Argh!! ''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: white; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: background1;">Jack stirred, and slowly rose. “Well, that’s a lively one,” he said, as he clutched his stomach.

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: white; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: background1;">Author’s Message: Well, please tell me what you think of my writing skills. IMO, Kurai is better than Maki skill-wise and experience-wise, but I made it so that whoever could refocus the fastest would win. It was lots of fun being able to write using your creative characters! Thank you!!!

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