2006 TOA R3: Alucard v. Makoto (semifinals)

[LocoColt04]

OOC: Okay guys and dolls, I want to try something different this time. Considering the exceptionally long wait between rounds, I feel there should be some reflection of that in the roleplay timeline. This time, instead of there being a week of roleplay time between the fights, there have been two weeks to allow the fighters to recover from extensive injuries suffered in the previous round.

In order to thank all of you for your patience, I wanted to give you more creative freedom in this round. As such, whoever posts first will decide both the time of day and weather conditions for the round. The fight must still begin within the courtyard as is the traditional fashion of the tournament, so please keep the settings of the previous rounds in mind when you are writing your introductory post.

Don't worry about trying to do anything similar to the other semifinal thread... remember, it's a fantasy world, so we can let two completely different settings slip by unnoticed.

THE ROUND BEGINS IMMEDIATELY, AND ENDS FRIDAY, 15 SEPTEMBER 2006.

Good luck to everyone participating in this round. We're very excited to see what can be produced from this year's crowd. The level of talent in this tournament has been far more impressive this year than in years past.

[Bryan]

BOOM!

The sudden burst of thunder seemed to shake the very foundation of the estate, waking Kana up in the process. Sitting up quickly from a deep sleep, he glanced around the room in the darkness. He could hear the rain coming down outside, hitting the roof and running down to the ground just outside of his window. A cool breeze was coming through and the moon's pale glow was shining through the window. Odd. Such a bright moon on an evening with such a rainy forecast.

Kana took to his feet, wearing only his night attire, which only consisted of comfortable dark blue satin pants. He bent down to pick up one of his two katanas, Kikuichi-monji, and slipped on his geta sandals. He then slid open the door to his room as quietly as possible and proceeded into the dark hallway. Advancing down the hallway, he paused outside of one of the rooms for a moment, gave a brief smile and continued down the hall to the main door and proceeded through.

He stood under the over hang for a moment to take in the scenery. The rain was coming down hard and rolling thunder could be heard in the distance. The moon had taken over the role that the lanterns had previously filled, basking the garden in a soothing glow. Another cool breeze swept through, gently blowing Kana's long black hair. He closed his pale blue eyes for a moment, smelling the rain and savoring the breeze.

Carrying the Kikuichi-monji, Kana stepped out into the rain with a slow pace. He was almost immediately drenched from the downpour, yet it didn't remove the kind smile from his face. Keeping his eyes closed, he savored every rain drop that ran down his bare skin and imagined himself far away from this place, living in peace for the rest of his days. Kana had his share of solitude, but he only tasted peace for a brief moment when he spent those days and nights with Okita in the temple. He'd give anything to see Okita again, but with each day that passed, Kana came to terms with the fact that it could never happen.

He paused in the back of the garden and began to reflect on the past matches of the tournament at hand. How fortunate he was to make it so far. He thought of his previous opponents and was thankful that nobody had suffered any serious injuries to his blade. Kikuichi-monji was used for slaying, but in this situation, it was used for it's sheer beauty and grace. Kana had no desire to slay any of his opponents, but to learn from them, each opponent unique in their techniques.

Opening his eyes, he looked at the estate, which was completely still. The only thing that could compliment this evening even moreso would be a graceful woman fighter, which Kana has had his share of in this tournament. He didn't know when the next match would start, so he waited patiently, closing his eyes again and sending himself off to a far away place.

BEGIN!

The word seemed to echo in his head as it was yelled from a bit far off and to his right. Would this be the start of Kana's last battle in this tournament? A calm smile spread across his lips as he thought about everything that was about to unfold.

"Let the stars be our audience in this deadly dance we will share tonight" he thought.

A slight roll of thunder spread across the night sky as the rain continued to come down.

[LocoColt04]

No point in waiting for Friday.

At least the finals should be promising.