Practice Bout: T.G. Oskar vs. Kaitou

[T.G. Oskar]

"The air, it feels so...clean"

With this words, the young man awakened. As he stood up, opening his eyes, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He took his eyeglasses, wiped them a bit with his shirt, then replaced them. Maybe, he thought, he was seeing blurry. But the vision did not fade out. He stood right in the middle of what looked like a castle. The walls were pure white, though somewhat fading. The soil he was standing looked clean, with barely a handful of white stones scattered over. "Perhaps I am dreaming. This place looks like taken from the books of fantasy", he thought to himself. He pinched his right arm to test if he was truly dreaming. But the sudden pain confirmed his thought: he was not dreaming. "What I am doing here? All I remember was being a bit sleepy, so I went into my room. And I fell asleep. So why I suddenly ended in here?" The castle looked barely empty, no soul was on sight. Only the nature surrounded him, as he looked into his new surroundings...

He looked upon himself to see if he was not wounded. He looked at his clothes: a plain white T-shirt, somewhat soiled by the earth from which he stood up; a blue denim jeans, also soiled; a pair of leather sandals, with a bit of smell; and a black cap put backwards, coupled with some stylish eyeglasses. He looked inside of his clothing, to see if anything was wrong: he was not quite muscular, but he had a sturdy physique, a bit of a tummy, and some muscular development somewhat atypical to a developing young adult. He stood tall, with nearly 6' of height. Seeing a small body of water, he decided to look at his face. Just like always: a lightly tanned skin, medium long hair, a pair of hazel eyes, and little facial skin.

"Everything is right so far. I wonder how I reached here?", he kept asking to himself. He checked if he held something with him: only his keys, with a flag keychain, of white, red, blue colors; a single white star, surrounded by a blue triangle pointing to the right, and 5 alternated red and white stripes. A handful of keys were hanging to the keychain. He realized something was wrong, as he saw his hand: a strange symbol was enmarked, a symbol like none he had ever saw. He also realized something was on his neck: a rosary, with metal beads, ending on a beautiful metallic cross. As he looked to the person in the cross, he realized it didn't look like the pictures he saw of the Son of Man, the man who he claimed to be his Savior.

Suddenly, he felt as he was no longer alone. He felt a peaceful presence, somewhere on the surroundings. He shouted aloud, in a loud voice, not common to a man but to a teenager:
"Who goes in there!!! Reveal yourself!!!"
And in the distance, with a thundering, melodic voice, someone replied...
"Finally, you came. I was expecting you. Get ready, for the training starts now..."

[Kaitou]

A small breeze swept past the two angels. The second angel held two swords, sheathed into cases of lustrous metal. His azure hair shifted in the wind, revealing his deep, blue eyes. He wore a loose, white collared shirt and blue jeans that had been torn at the base of the legs. Unlike the other angels, he had no wings, and there was no aura of light around him.

Kaitou gave a warm smile and tossed one of the swords towards the novice. He held up his sword horizontally in front of him and unsheathed the blade with his left, rune marked hand. Tossing away the sheath, he pointed the sword towards the angel as its tip glinted in the sunlight.

[T.G. Oskar]

The novice saw as the angel walked nearby, revealing its true self. There was no way he could look like an angel: the novice expected the typical wings, garb and halo of the celestial inhabitants. He did notice the angel wielded two beautiful swords, sheathed in brilliant, lustrious metal. As he kept observing, the angel tossed one of the blades upon him. He stood in shock as the sword fell upon his feet. Grasping the beautiful blade, he felt compelled to unsheathe it. As he unsheathed the sword, he noticed many of its aspects: after all, even as he did not looked like it, he was a sword connoscieur. The sword was a straight double-edged long sword, with a thick, broad blade; the hilt was fitted for two hands; and the weapon itself was well balanced for use with one or two hands. As he grasped the blade, he felt a sudden rush of holy energy flowing from his hand. As the strange symbol in his palm shone, the blade began to reveal strange symbols from the hilt to near the point of the blade. He was astonished by the event: suddenly, the glow was gone. He wondered why such a manifestation of holiness emanated from his hand; furthermore, he wondered how he did it. He attempted to meditate, concentrate energy, but to no avail. Only as he remained in calm and attempted to concentrate again that the blade shone again. He looked at the blade one last time: the blade was sharp, perfect for cutting, but with a functional point for thrusting. As he gazed upon the angel again, he stood yet again astonished: the angel drew the other blade, in his left hand, pointing towards him. The hand bore a symbol like the one he had in his palm, but quite different, of larger shape and different form.

As the novice fighter realized the angel would test him in sword combat, he grasped the blade with two hands, held the blade into his back, and stood into a rushing position. He knew not what to do, but one thing: to rush, to charge blindly and strike a fierce blow. Somehow, he was expecting his opponent to counter his charge, but he felt compelled to do so. Having no training in proper sword fighting, he knew he had to fight his way out of it, somehow. And, with no further ado, he rushed towards his opponent, lowering the sword for a swift stroke...

[Kaitou]

The novice rushed towards him, striking quickly with his weapon. Kaitou immediately blocked the attack with a swift upward stroke. The two swords collided, sending small sparks from the collision.

Kaitou noticed something special about his opponent's sword. It was emitting a soft glow, revealing several symbols across its blade. He noticed the rune in the novice's palm, somewhat smaller and more eccentric. It was glowing with the same degree as his weapon. His body was pouring holy energy into the sword.

Kaitou was amazed at his opponent's strength. He was unable to push the novice's sword aside to open up for a quick thrust. The novice's weapon overwhelmed that of his own, although both swords were identical. He looked up at the novice and realized his capabilities and potential. Perhaps this warrior is more powerful than even Kitamura or himself.

A small smirk emerged from the edge of his lips. Kaitou pulled his sword back and quickly jumped back. Pulling his weapon back, he shifted the blade towards the novice and aimed for a decent strike at his right shoulder. Kaitou swiftly dashed towards his opponent and thrust the blade forward with remarkable speed and accuracy.

[T.G. Oskar]

The angel's blade, glistening with the light of the Sun reflecting, struck him swiftly, opening a deep wound on his shoulder. The pain from the impact was such that provoked the novice to drop his blade at the ground, the grip already weakened from the impact of the angel's weapon parryig his attack. As he grasped his shoulder, he strengthened his fist, so as to reassure a proper grip for the blade. He slowly picked off his sword again, his right hand bleeding profusely. He immediately grasped the blade with his two hands, to relief his wounded arm. As he assumed a defensive position, he stood amazed upon the angel's quick and precise strike. No doubt at all: he stood upon a experienced soldier, trained in proper combat. Upon his amazement, a swift thought came upon his mind: as he swung his blade to adopt a basic defensive stance, the blade emitted a swift breeze. He thought, if he could just direct his newfound power through the swift breeze, he could impact the enemy from a distance. His lack of precision would not ensure a hit, yet he realized it may have a chance.

As he lifted his shining blade, the fighting spirit he had just shown bursted yet again. The symbol in his hand shone brighter: the symbols in his blade followed suit. With a swift movement, briefly ignoring the pain in his hand, he struck the earth. Suddenly, a wave of light emanated from the blade, thrusting away in a straight line towards the angel...

[Kaitou]

"W-what?!" Kaitou was amazed by the sudden energy flow from his opponent's sword. A wide wave of light emerged from the blade and flew quickly towards him.

Kaitou immediately pulled his sword back into stance. He brought the sword diagonally in front of him in an attempt to block the attack. The wave smashed into his blade, pushing Kaitou back. The energy proceded past the edges of his sword and cut into his body before dispersing. Blood splattered from the wounds and landed onto his blade. Kaitou clenched his teeth and absorbed the sharp pain coming from the injury.

Kaitou rested the tip of his sword onto the ground to spare his energy. Blood droplets that had landed onto the sword slid down the blade. He gazed upon his wound. His opponent's attack had penetrated fairly deep across his chest where his blade failed to defend. Kaitou realized his opponent's capabilities with his energy output. Like himself, the novice could somehow release his energy in some form of attack.

Kaitou transferred his sword to his right hand to unoccupy his left palm. Holding his rune-engraved palm towards his opponent, he began to concentrate energy into his hand. As the symbol on his palm began to glow, the air around it began to flow outwards. His hair shifted across his eyes as the wind passed his face.

"You're quite skilled. I wouldn't be surprised if you defeated me... Now, show me your true potential. Come!"

[T.G. Oskar]

The novice saw as the wave of light emanating from his blade struck the angel's chest, leaving a deep wound. He frightened upon his very power, as he realized that the angel was setting his blade upon the ground. He seemed to realize that the angel was expecting to diffuse the attack with his weapon, yet it managed to deal a swift blow that pierced his chest. Trembling, his right arm swollen, bleeding and in pain, the novice realized the strength of his attack. Somehow, he didn't expected to have this kind of strength in him. But, this wave attack proved him otherwise.

As he recollected himself into his former stance, he noticed the angel was also surprised by the power of the move. Suddenly, the angel shifted his blade from hand, releasing his left hand. Placing his palm towards the novice, he started generating a small concentration of energy. As he noticed deeper, he realized the angel had a symbol like that he had on his right palm, and the symbol was shining as the energy was recollected. Then, the angel spoke:

"You're quite skilled. I wouldn't be surprised if you defeated me... Now, show me your true potential. Come!"

A provocation, he thought? The novice realized rushing into him was a waste of time, and extremely risky given the nature of the situation. He also changed his weapon of hand: he had a strategy that might work. He thought to himself:

"Maybe, just maybe, he will attempt to release that energy as I released that wave. Perhaps, if I just...focus energy upon my fist, I may stop the blast. Its as risky as rushing, yet I have no choice. He's skilled, and his capabilities can be more devastating than mine at this moment. I have to try..."

Setting his blade in front, grabbing it as a icepick, the novice stepped back, placing his wounded arm at his back. He clenched his right fist, and looked deeply into the angel's palm, as if to punch him. Standing in this position, the novice spoke, this time with a tone of confidence:

"I have never heard such praise before. Yet, even unskilled, I can feel your determination to win. It would be a shame if you held back now, as it would be shameful for me to hold back now. Strike me with all your might,... as if your life depended on it."

[Kaitou]

Kaitou was surprised. His opponent had not tried to disrupt his collection of energy. Perhaps the novice was attempting a maneuver to counter his attack... It was too late for doubts. He had gathered enough energy, and Kaitou would have to receive any counterattack from his opponent.

"Alright then. Let's see whose energy is more powerful. Now!" Kaitou swung his left hand behind him, a trail of light following its path. Immediately, he thrust his palm forward and unleashed a bolt of energy at his opponent. A ring of light eminated from his palm the moment the energy left his palm. His hand jolted back slightly from the force of the attack.

Kaitou quickly grabbed his sword with both hands and rushed towards the novice. He held the sword to his side and prepared to slash at his opponent the moment his attack connected.

[T.G. Oskar]

Finally, after a little time, the angel had recollected enough energy. Soon after that, the concentrated energy was released as a bolt of pure energy, shot at high speeds toward him. The novice had expected such a move: now it was only a matter of time until the bolt reached him that he could prove his thoughts right. As the bolt reached near him, he attempted to punch it. And, as the fist drew nearer, the symbol on his hand shone brighter, and his fist started to shine as well. He felt as holy energy was drawn to his hand swiftly. He struck the bolt of energy, in an attempt to cancel both energy emanations.

Then, in a fit of concentration, he realized the angel rushed towards him, sword placed to his back...

[Kaitou]

Kaitou watched in amazement as the two energies negated. The energy around his opponent's fist faded with his own. He noticed a disturbing result... some of the novice's energy had remained. Even with the amount of energy Kaitou had gathered, it had been overwhelmed by his opponent's brief counterattack. Was it because of the dark energy he contained within himself?

His slight observation disrupted his concentration. His position was too close to that of his opponent, and the novice would easily counter. Kaitou pressed his foot forward and jumped back. Somehow, the novice's skills bothered him. Although a new member, his opponent already possessed incredible talent, that of which overwhelmed his own.

Kaitou smiled and looked down, holding his left hand onto his heart. Should he reveal his other form? At his current state, his energy would be surpassed by the novice. Perhaps his dark energy will excel past his opponent's.

"No...not this time," Kaitou wrapped his fingers around his palm and brought it away slowly. He looked back up at the novice and held up his sword. Grabbing the weapon with both hands, he rushed at his opponent and poured energy into his blade. Kaitou lifted the sword above his head and swiftly swung downwards at his opponent with a powerful blow.

[T.G. Oskar]

The strategy worked to perfection: as he hoped, the blast and the focused energy cancelled themselves. The explosion caused the novice to back off a bit by the intense power: strangely enough, he remained close to the impact zone. Furthermore, the fact that some of his own energy remained made him realize how powerful could he really be. Yet, the battle was far from over: the angel stepped back, smiled, and placed his hand upon his chest. And he was already suffering the effects of the first attack: he overexerted hmself, and his wound was still bleeding.

"This bleeding would already down a regular person. Why am I still fighting? Perhaps...I am not as 'natural' as I thought". Grabbing his sword with both hands, he returned to his former state. Suddenly, the angel jumped against him, dealing a blow. The novice gathered as much strength he could, to parry the blow.

As the blade struck his own, he attempted to force it away. Then, the unexpected happened: the wound on his shoulder forced his right arm to weaken. In an instant, the angel's blade swooped down on his head, and his own blade, while absorbing the sharpness of the other, did little to contain its impact. The solid blow to the head forced the novice to kneel, his left arm holding the sword. His head started to bleed slowly, and the right arm was numbed by the loss in circulation.

After the attack, the novice gathered up his remaining strength, in a daring effort to keep fighting. His right arm disabled, he would be forced to fight with his left arm. Checking his eyeglasses, he found out they were intact: the blade had protected them from harm. He thought for a second, to finish this all, to end it. But, sadly, he was no longer the young man he was before. He felt a great necessity to prove himself more. And thus, he prepared for the attack. Placing his right hand on his back pocket, he placed his left arm around his abdomen. Facing his enemy, he placed his blade on the ground. Then, he ran to his enemy, his blade rushig through the ground. He closed his eyes, and the symbols on his blade shone once again...

[Kaitou]

He still wishes to fight...? Kaitou thought to himself, astonished by his opponent's will. The novice charged towards him, rushing his blade from the ground. A storm had already begun developing. A heavy cloud blocked off the sun overhead, casting a gloomy shadow across the landscape. Symbols shone on the novice's blade, radiating brightly through the dimmed atmosphere.

Holding his sword with both his hands, Kaitou held it up and gripped it tightly. He poured more energy into the blade and tensed his muscles, ready to counter his opponent. As the novice's blade drew near, Kaitou swung his sword against it, attempting to dislodge his attack and open up for a swift thrust...

The blades collided, sendind a fury of sparks from the impact. Kaitou's sword slid across the edge of the novice's, grinding across the edge of his sword. His opponent's sword didn't budge, proceding straight at him and towards his body. The sword struck straight through his stomach, his sword flying off the hilt of the novice's.

Rain began falling from the heavens. Kaitou's sword hit the ground as raindrops pounded onto its steel blade. Kaitou dropped his right arm and held the novice's blade with his left. He looked up at the novice, his eyes half covered by his drenched hair. Kaitou gave a small smile, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, "I told you you had potential...too bad you didn't see it sooner."

His body began to fade away, disappearing into spheres of energy that drifted into the sky. The rain passed through him, washing away the blood that had collected on the novice's blade. Kaitou looked up and closed his eyes as if to let the rain wash his face. As the last hint of his existance disappeared, the rain ceased. The clouds began to thin and rays of sunlight broke through...

[T.G. Oskar]

The novice poured every inch of his strength into attacking his opponent. Raising the blade, the novice's blade overwhelmed the power of his opponent's defense, his fighting spirit heightened by the determination not to win, but to survive. In a split second, he saw as how his blade cut open the angel's stomach, as the force of the attack drove him to turn his back upon the fallen combatant. As the novice recovered from the movement inertia of his desperation attack, he turned, only to see his opponent grabbing his left arm, right arm dropped, the angel's blade lying on the ground. The angel smiled one last time to him, and as he disrupted into energy, he left him his final words:

"I told you you had potential...too bad you didn't see it sooner."

With this words said, the angel's body dissolved into nothingness, rain falling from the sky, as if Heaven itself mourned the death of one of their childs. The angel, before turning into nothing, lifted his face to the sky...and soon, it was gone. Grabbing his blade, cleaned by the falling droplets, he looked into the sky, his wound still swollen. Yet, he felt no more pain: the pain of seeing a worthy opponent overcame his physical wounds. He saw as the sky opened, releasing the few rays of sunlight. Sheathing his new blade, with great difficulty by the numbness of his arm, he proceeded to hold in his hand the blade of the fallen. Lifted his face unto the sky, he closed his eyes, and released a silent prayer:

"May the Almighty accept you in his Presence, mighty Warrior of Light... I still don't understand you...you cry for your fallen child, yet you still have a glimpse of joy for the birth of a new warrior. How do you do it? Just give me the strength to follow your word. Just...listen..."

In one day, in a brief amount of time, in the course of a single fight, the once novice had matured into a stronger individual. He still considered he needed more experience, yet the fight