lucetilogs | Because Seifer can't keep his mouth shut.

Kain couldn't back down from a challenge, even one by someone who seemed as full of himself as Seifer. Perhaps it was that attitude itself that got to Kain, and made him have to prove himself better somehow. Seifer had managed to stir up that side of him that Kain couldn't stand. There was no better way to take those feelings out than upon the one who'd brought them on.

One he got there, he saw that Seifer had already arrived, apparently finding his way just fine despite being unfamiliar with the area.

"Ready to be proved wrong?" Kain wasn't as overtly cocky, but he was confident when it came to battle... that much would show as he walked toward him, spear in hand.

Seifer just liked to push buttons, and Kain was an easy target. Remarkably easy, actually, it was almost sad. That didn't mean Seifer was going to resist an opportunity to cut Kain down from his high horse, prove he didn't know everything he thought he did.

"Are you?" Was the only response Kain received as Seifer strode out to meet him, lifting Hyperion off his shoulder and holding it high as though almost in salute. The cocky smirk said anything but respect, however. For the moment he took a defensive stance, waiting for Kain to make the first move. That way he could study and learn Kain's tactics before attacking blindly.

"To prove you wrong, absolutely." Ugh. That attitude was already grating on him and it hadn't even been that long. It didn't help that the smirk just reminded him of his own worst behavior on occasion... but he pushed that idea out of mind. He told himself he was better than that now.

Kain eyed him for a brief moment as he raised his spear in salute back at him. A swordsman, then. It was unlike any swords they had in Kain's world, but in his time here he'd gotten used to seeing all manner of unusual weaponry. It told him enough how he should proceed, though.

Thus, he sprang into action, rushing forth with spear aimed for a strike.

Seifer just barked a laugh at that, Kain would be the one proven wrong today.

He'd never fought someone who used a spear before so this was going to be an interesting challenge, assuming Kain was any good that is. He hunched in on himself slightly as Kain charged, waiting to move until the last possible moment. He rolled himself out of the way extending his sword in an almost lazy horizontal slash. Kain was going to have to try a lot harder than that to hit him.

Kain had plenty of experience sparring with swordsmen, one in particular... though it seemed Seifer was nothing like Cecil in overall technique. He'd come to expect that of other-world natives, and welcomed the challenge. He moved swiftly to evade the path of the blade, swinging his spear in to attempt another stab at him.

They'd see soon enough who'd be proved right. Kain kept a close eye on Seifer's sword, watchful for the best timing to jump.

The gunblade was withdrawn and turned to function as a shield as Seifer continued with his momentum to block Kain's attack and use the force to push himself away, still staying on the defensive for the moment. This was just the warm-up, the real fight hadn't started yet.

"So, been meanin' to ask. The hell's the purpose of the ass-cape?" Of course the taunts could always start early.

The purpose of the- what? Naturally, Seifer was the first person to refer to that part of his official Dragoon armor as such. Kain scowled, finding Seifer's defensive stance a perfect opportunity to leap up into the air, springing in one sudden motion from the place he was standing.

Everything was a little less powerful here, but it still sufficed for his purposes. Even at half the normal height, he made it a fair distance into the sky. Then he descended for the attack, spear aimed at Seifer. He didn't have time to stop and see if he'd hit him, as he landed and braced against what Seifer might do to counter.

"Mostly... for that." Some Dragoon in the distant past must have found it to be a very aerodynamic piece of the armor. Kain wasn't one to argue against such tradition.

And that cocky smirk turned into a look of startled surprise. Okay, so Kain could jump really freaking high. No problem, right? Unfortunately it looked like Kain could also control his fall, a very swift fall. He was quick on his feet but not that quick, so in his attempt to get out of the way he got a new rip through his coat and a spear slicing down his leg.

Not one to be slowed by minor injuries, even if they did suck, Seifer reacted as soon as Kain was back on the ground with a vicious slash, this time pulling the trigger on Hyperion to give Kain a little taste of what a gunblade could do.

Now he knew better than to give Kain enough space to jump away.

It served Seifer right. The element of surprise may have aided Kain to some extent, but even more than that, he knew how effective the Jump could be. He felt confident and assured now, certain he'd win this with ease.

He prepared to block another incoming sword swipe... but it seemed Seifer had his own form of surprise to throw back at him. The blast certainly caught him off guard. Kain leapt aside as fast as he could, not having time for a proper jump. He still caught a hit to the left shoulder, stumbling off-balance afterward.

Hmmph. Who ever heard of a blade that doubled as a firearm? It seemed an unfair advantage, but Kain wasn't without one more trick he could pull. He steadied himself, gritting his teeth as he adjusted his grip on the spear. The throbbing pain just became part of the background that he'd have to deal with.

As he lunged toward Seifer this time, Kain focused on the wind. He missed the added affects that he'd once had the use of... but even this ability to manipulate the breeze somewhat would work in his favor. As he charged his opponent, he also focused a gust of wind toward him as well.

Kain had given up his element of surprise too early in the fight, now Seifer understood his tactic and what was most likely among his most powerful attacks. As such, he'd do everything he could to prevent the Dragoon from getting airborne again.

The shot had hit, that encouraged Seifer to continue with that tactic. Kain had been surprised by the firearm properties of Hyperion, perhaps he could keep up the pressure now.

Seifer was moving back into a defensive stance when the wind hit, which surprised him considerably. Oh, right, Rydia had mentioned that some could use magic from the spirits here. He'd need to make a point to go find out more, later. The gust forced him into altering his balance so he wouldn't be so easily pushed over by it, which hindered his ability to move out of the way of Kain's strike. However, he had enough self-preservation instincts to not just stand there and take it, instead he risked attempting to move with it and out of the way of Kain's spear, lashing his gunblade out again in an attempt to catch Kain while he was near enough.

Kain knew what to expect of Seifer, too, and would keep it in mind to avoid being aimed at by the firearm part of the blade. Except avoiding a blast from such a weapon was harder at close range... he'd just have to see that it didn't happen. Thus, his aim was to keep more distance from him, the exact opposite of Seifer's tactic.

He narrowed his eyes, continuing to focus upon the wind. That had been the only one of the spirits to grant him power, but his affiliation with that element was strong. He'd keep it up as long as he could... especially if it might throw Seifer off balance.

Seifer got back into close range fast, his blow glancing off Kain as he braced himself against it, head down and spear in a defensive position. He swiped the spear at him right after, countering quickly although not as efficiently as before.

A difficult task, considering the weapon was designed as a close-range firearm. Seifer didn't often overuse the gun part, but it definitely came in handy when dealing with those especially obnoxious enemies, like Kain.

The wind was very annoying, but Seifer was heavy so he wasn't quite that easily knocked off balance. Though now he had to keep himself grounded quite a bit more to ensure that he didn't slip, faceplanting would not only be embarrassing but asking for a skewering.

Again Seifer brought up his gunblade to act as a shield against Kain's blow. He wasn't willing to get far enough away to give the man a chance to jump again. He held his ground letting Kain slash at him, waiting for an opening.

Kain was also waiting on an opening- in his case, to jump again. He knew he'd take the advantage back once he got off the ground. He'd just have to bide his time and deal with Seifer until that chance arose. The wind seemed to be proving a distraction, anyway, which was better than nothing. He was still able to keep it going... but knew that he couldn't do so indefinitely.

As Seifer blocked, Kain moved and then aimed a lower jab at him.

The wind was annoying still, but without Kain attempting to move away from him it was easier to deal with. Just hold his ground and deflect what Kain threw at him, that was the plan anyway.

He swung the gunblade to knock away Kain's jab, then spun his whole body for a quick horizontal slash, triggering Hyperion again.

Kain darted when the shot fired, but it hit his right side and he stumbled backward, losing his balance entirely. He got the wind knocked out of him as he fell- and quite literally the breeze halted around them. For the moment.

As he grunted and started to pick himself up, he kept an eye on Seifer's position. He already had his spear poised to defend.

That was much better. No more annoying wind and Kain was knocked on his back, perfect.

Seifer took the opportunity to rush Kain, slashing furiously to keep him on the ground. Of course attacks like this also left him more open for attack, less defending and more vicious striking as it were.

Kain shifted fast into the defensive. As soon as he could get off the ground he'd be able to once again be on the offense... but Seifer's furious attacking must be overcome first. The sword nearly slashed into his head, a last second move taking him out of the way. He countered with an upward thrust, moving himself forth along with the spear.

Seifer was bent on keeping Kain on the ground at any cost, that Jump was a dangerous skill and very hard to counter. It would have been funny to have cleaved his head open, though. The thrust caught him off balance, Seifer was slashed rather deeply up his chest and thrown back, having to struggle to regain balance and not fall over. He hopped back several steps to try to prevent any further injury.

That hurt, and was bleeding a lot more than he would have liked. Damnit.

Kain smirked as he drew blood, despite that he was wearing down as well. He picked himself up fully to his feet, doing his best to ignore the aggravation he'd caused his shoulder with that latest thrust. But it had done what he'd needed it to. He got fully back to his feet.

That darker self whispered deep down, urging him to finish him off. It was hard to balance that side against who he wanted to be... He simply leveled the spear on Seifer, instead. "...There'd be no dishonor in you surrendering."

Except for the part where Kain would forever hold it over him.

It hurt, but Seifer had fought through worse. He leveled his gunblade at Kain again, as if daring him to keep going. "Good, let me know when you're ready to give up." That cocky smirk was back on his face. Apparently it took more than a couple injuries to convince Seifer to step down.

He made a vague gesture as if to say "come on", and waited for Kain's assault.

If he weren't so determined to loathe Seifer, Kain would have been vaguely impressed. It seemed he'd finally come across someone with the same stubborn drive as his own. Backing down was worse than anything else that might happen.

"Never," was his abrupt reply, as he took to the sky again. As before, he sped downward, targeting him as he descended.

Seifer was almost impressed, he still thought Kain was a coward and had given up, though. Nope, far too proud to back down. It was shaping up that they'd both have to be near bleeding to death to give up.

He'd expected that this time, and watched Kain as he shot through the air, trying to calculate his descent so he could make sure he was out of the way this time. He wavered and leaped back with all his strength at the last possible moment to avoid being impaled by Kain's spear. This guy was playing for keeps.

He attacked again as soon as Kain was on the ground.

Alas, there would be no Seifer-kebab this time. He cursed mentally, having been so close to that sweet and undoubtedly final victory. In many ways he was glad that Seifer was not the weak-willed but loud-mouthed idiot he'd taken him for. He was still an idiot, but a fierce one to contend with.

Kain chose to dodge this one, but it ended up hitting an arm in his haste to avoid the blow. He countered right away, still remaining rather quick and light on his feet.

Coming from Kain that was probably almost complimentary. But no, no Seifer-kabobs today that would have to wait until another time.

Seifer was starting to slow down, the injury on his leg throbbing and the one on his chest making breathing painful. His reactions weren't as quick, as such Kain's blow wasn't completely avoided. Seifer managed to get out of the way of the worst damage but still took another slash from that spear. Countering with a slash and blast of his own.

It was the closest to a compliment someone like Seifer would ever get from Kain... and that said something, really. He could tell he'd hold a grudge against him for a while to come.

But Kain used Seifer's slowing to at least some advantage- he could be faster on his feet than him at the moment. Except he'd been hit a great deal on arms and shoulder, thus his blows themselves weren't landing as much power as earlier. He was adjusting his strategy as he went along, attempting to make up for power with speed. He raised the spear to deflect the blade with its long pole, that part always coming more instinctively. The blast, however, hit his stomach, sending him crashing off his feet on impact. It had been the most direct of the hits so far from that stupid weapon. ...And damn painful, as Kain found out in the next moment.

Oh yes, there would be a very impressive mutual grudge after this.

There was a reason the gunblade was such a devastating weapon, when wielded properly anyway. Seifer may be slowing down but he was still hitting hard, harder perhaps now that he was wounded and knew the fight would have to end soon. When Kain went down Seifer was upon him again, attempting to force him into submission now with a series of vicious heavy blows. Not well defended blows of course, they were meant to beat on Kain not protect Seifer.

Kain knew the conflict was drawing fast to a close, but there was no chance he'd give up. He struggled to block the first of the blows, using the spear to deflect a couple of them. But more ended up hitting after that. Seifer obviously wasn't holding back. He could still handle a few more blows... but wouldn't be able to hold up much longer. The latest gunblade hit had taken out a lot of his energy. But as long as he had his weapon in hand, he'd keep looking for another opening to strike again.

Seifer was giving it all he had because he didn't have much left. The chest wound was bleeding pretty badly, and this really wasn't helping it mend. He was slowing down steadily, leaving more and more openings for Kain to get a shot in. Eventually they'd both have to give up, if that were possible considering the two.

Edited 2009-06-22 07:08 (UTC)

Although the repeated blows were wearing him down fast, Kain wasn't going to succumb to that. At least, as long as he was able to keep going. He found a chance to strike back and took it, then another.

"You can give up any time, y'know."

Seifer was back to the taunting, mostly because he was ready to stop but unable to give up once a fight was started. Damn that foolish pride. He wasn't blocking or dodging Kain's blows like he'd been able to, so even though Kain was wounded each one caused steadily more damage. Finally out of irritation Seifer struck a hard blow and blasted Kain again, before jumping back to the best of his abilities to catch his breath.

And try to minimize the bleeding. Stupid spear.

The shot from that confounded gunblade left him wincing and gasping for air. Kain struggled to keep Seifer in his sight. He tried to move, finding only excruciating pain when he did. He doubted he could do anything more in this state. Still...

"As long as... you've given up first."

It was obvious neither of them could do much more, yet... backing down was unacceptable. Kain refused to take such a cowardly option. Let Seifer admit that they were through.

Seifer was just as idiotically proud at times, but he also had a small sense of self preservation and he knew that if he kept this up it would take a very long time to heal back up. Kain couldn't move, it was clear the fight was over.

Finally Seifer stepped back, still managing to smirk that infuriating smirk. "You're done, we'll finish this up later." In truth they were both finished.

Arrrgh, that smirk. Kain would have loved to have punched it right off his face, were he up to it. But as it was, they'd reached their limit. There'd be no continuing for the moment. He scowled, but could agree to those terms.

"Later... Yes. Fine. I'll hold you to that."

Seifer made a vague gesture that was almost a farewell and at the same time incredibly condescending, he was good at things like that. Then turned to wander off with as little limping as possible, at least until he was out of Kain's line of sight.

Kain made a hateful face at Seifer in return. A new enemy... he could deal with that, since it meant pure antagonism, much like he had with Valvalis. It was when the person you despised was a friend as well that things became difficult.

He stayed there a bit before slowly making his way out. Fortunately by that time, Seifer was long gone.

Because Seifer can't keep his mouth shut.

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