Palm Strikes

Ohma was first to strike with a kick to the head, Kuroda reacted quickly and blocked with his forearm. Ohma stepped back for a moment then came in with a barrage of punches. Strikes came from every direction, each one Kuroda blocked as he stepped back with each wave of oncoming attacks, then he suddenly started laughing.

"It's been some time. But compared to Naruse, your punches lack power."

Ohma gritted his teeth and performed a shurite then tensed all his muscles at the moment of the impact. Kuroda blocked with his forearms but was thrown away with the sheer force.

'Adamantine Kata: Ironbreaker.'

" Stop laughing, asshole."

Kuroda was thrown onto a grave and broke a tombstone as he toppled over. Kuroda jumped back onto his feet, a bleeding cut on his forehead.

"Show me why your style is known as the Art of Life and Death," Ohma said spreading his arms wide open while tensing all his muscles. "Hit me."

'Adamantine Kata: Indestructible.'

"You asked for it," Kuroda said dashing inside the range and slamming his palm on Ohma's chest. "Hashin-Sho!"

Ohma grunted and dropped on his knees, his head hitting the ground.

"A palm strike is different from a punch, it creates a shock that impairs the internal organs. Hashin-Sho reinforces that wave with a twist, the shocks starts with the diaphragm and then goes all up the brain." Kuroda said tapping his head. His smile quickly faded as Ohma got back up to his feet.

"Lesson number 1," Ohma said, "Don't given your opponent an opportunity to recover. Besides your palm strikes aren't even a hundredth of AJ's."

Kuroda dashed forward, Ohma was ready to strike or defend whatever the situation calls it. The at the last moment when Kuroda was in his striking range he disappeared.

'He is down.'

The moment the realisation hit a hard heel struck his forehead. Down on the ground Kuroda spun on one hand and tried for another kick but Ohma backed away with a bleeding cut on his forehead.

"The Fusen Kyaku, swirling hammer kick," Kuroda said as he got back onto his feet. "How that felt?"

Ohma gave no time to celebrate as he charged in with a right hook, it was hit, Kuroda's head was thrown back, then came a left hook and then a roundhouse kick to the face. Taking all these strikes, Kuroda collapsed onto the ground in a heap.

"You aren't going down with just that, are you asshole?"

Kuroda didn't open his eyes for a few moments then sprang back up again. He stood straight and took his stance before his eyes opened again.

"Did I break your chains?" Ohma grinned. Kuroda said nothing and dashed with a barrage of strikes. Faster and harder than he was before.

"Now you are getting serious," Ohma said clenching his teeth, he couldn't ignore the pain on his forearms anymore as Kuroda started hitting harder.

"There is no holding back now." Ohma charged, instead of blocking he started deflecting, letting the punches and kicks slide by the back of his hands.

'Redirection Kata: Flowing edge.'

"Now that this," Kuroda shouted as he jumped and started laying kicks. First, to the chin, Ohma deflected, second to the side of the head, Ohma blocked, third to the thin, Ohma blocked and the last came landed a front kick to the chin, it landed and Ohma staggered back.

"How about that?" Kuroda said coming back to the ground. "A four kicks mid-air combo."

He didn't stop and started laying blow after blow at the staggered Ohma. A kick to the side, a liver shot and lastly as Ohma hunched over; a knockout kick to the face.

The kick made contact with Ohma's face, but at the same moment he threw his head back breaking the blow's momentum and reducing the impact. He jumped back and looked at Kuroda then smiled, both their faces covered in their own blood.

"Let's finish this," Kuroda said stepping voice interrupted them.

"STOP IT!" A voice came from the cemetery entrance.

Both looked to see Takako standing there with clear anger on her face.

"I thought you said you didn't want to see this." Ohma snickered.

"Mitsuhide, stop that's enough," Takako cried approaching them, "Just look at each other, covered in blood, you both will kill each other. Let's go home now."

"Stut up, Takako," Ohma said then looked at Kuroda, "Look at him. This isn't a face of someone who is about to die so easily."

"I missed the feeling of the adrenaline rush for a while now," Kuroda shouted and thew his fist at Ohma.

Ohma dodged and grabbed Kuroda's arm and twisted it behind his back with his left hand and twisted Kuroda's face at the same moment with the other from behind. A standing submission locking the right elbow and the neck.

'Water Kata: Sea Crab Hold.'

"Now, I got you," Ohma said then lifted Kuroda with the lock in place, a suplex from a joint lock clutch.

'Water Kata: Decapitating Dragon.'

Kuroda was slammed onto the ground, back of the head first before Ohma released him.

"MITSUHIDE!" Takako screamed.

Kuroda crawled and slowly got back up to his feet. He was struggling to stand, his legs trembling, and his mind was spinning.

"I won't lose."

"Damn, you aren't a normal one," Ohma said wiping the blood off his face with his hand. "You are legs are convulsing, you mind is a mush and you are still looking to fight."

Kuroda said nothing, instead, he started hammering his leg, trying to stop the tremble.

"Thanks for this fight, now I remember something from my past," Ohma said. "A gift by Niko."

Ohma then charged, Kuroda just stood there defenceless. 'Make full use of the rotation of the shoulders and hips, twist yourself like rubber and throw it.'

Then he slammed his palm onto Kuroda's chest. "This is the palm strike handed down to me by Tokita Niko."

'Redirection Kata: Chi Blockage.'

Kuroda stood still for a moment then collapsed into a heap.Takako rushed in as Ohma stepped back, she crouched and felt his pulse. "There is no pulse... HELP!."

Ohma walked over to her and slammed his hand onto Kuroda's chest and he gasped in response. The pulse came back.

"Mitsuhide!" Takako held him tightly, tears filling her eyes.

"Chi Blockage stops the heart and damages the autonomic nervous system," Ohma said crouching next to Takako. "He'll be fine now, but I do seriously recommend getting a complete medical examination."

"I'll be fine," Kuroda spoke, his eyes slowly opened, his body still resting on Takako's arms.

"Takako..." Kuroda spoke softly, struggling to stay conscious. "So I lost."

"That's what you care about!" Takako cried, "You almost died!"

"But his demons are gone," Ohma said.

"They are, you asshole." Kuroda, "Fuck was that necessary? I can't breathe properly."

"Hey... that palm strike of yours wasn't gentle either."

Kuroda snickered. Takako screamed at him, "You are laughing, you both almost killed each other."

"And thanks to that -" Ohma got up. "- I am stronger now."