15 Ikari No Yuri (Part 1)

*3rd person POV*

Kyuu-san intercepts the fist launched at her, their impact shattering the pillar of glacier she stood on. Two figures bursts out of the cloud of snow and falling ice chunks, leaving trails of cold mist behind.

"Not bad brat! It was a good punch!"

Kyuu-san taunts the girl.

"I knew you were strong Kyuu-san, I'm going all out!"

Kyuu-san lands on the ice with a soft thud and the girl lands on all fours a distance away. The flower maiden's hands and feet dig into the cold, fresh ice and snow. The strong contrast of chilling ice and the heat of her excitement swelling in her chest was a strange, yet exhilarating sensation. The girl smiles, digging her hands further into the snow, and sprints towards Kyuu-san.

A boom echoes across the frozen tundra as the maiden picks up speed, feeling the icy touch of snow as her bare foot crushed the ice beneath her. The freezing wind blowing past her hair.

She's fast, Kyuu-san thought as she blocked a jab carrying the girl's momentum, sending a small shockwave heard by Ohari, who watched with her hands clasped worriedly.

Goddess Myriam's expression was dead serious, thoughts running through her head.

"You need to push the flower maiden to her very limits, Myriam... it's... the only way I can think of in finding out more about her and her powers... even if it means putting her in grave danger. I will take responsibility for the consequences."

*Door opens*

"Durga? We need you, everyone's on duty, there's been more repo-"

"I shall be there! Myriam... the risks are too high to not find out... I need to go, farewell."

Was the last thing Durga told her in their call with her firm, resolve driven voice... but what is she to do? She could barely believe the events have turned to this so quickly. From watching over the maiden to... putting the maiden's life in peril? The moment Goddess Myriam had described to Durga of the maiden's tenacity for battle and that primordial burst of power, Durga seemed to change her mindset... did she recognize something?

She cannot do what Durga has all in her life has gone through day and night, making ultimate decisions even at a cost... something a being of war knows all too well. Mokuren sees her mother's fist tighten... as if something is gnawing at her.

"Hah!"

Flower maiden launches her attacks, relentlessly jabbing and punching at Kyuu-san. Just as she thought her fists might connect, Kyuu-san weaves out of the way effortlessly, not even attempting to counter.

"You're not going to hit me with those predictable moves brat!"

Gritting her teeth, the girl launches a kick upwards, proceeding to slam it down on Kyuu-san. But her eyes widen as Kyuu-san smiles, as if anticipating the axe kick. The fiery fox quickly side-steps and crouches low, right underneath the girl's raised legs.

"Wide open!"

The girl feels a hand under her thighs as it thrusts her upwards with force. The flower maiden is thrown away in the air, spinning wildly out of control as she flails her limbs.

"Wooaahhhh!!"

The girl crashes back onto the frozen landscape on her butt. She stands back up, rubbing her behind.

"Oww… she countered so fast…"

The flower maiden looks around and finds Kyuu-san with one hand out-reached and palm open, pointing at her. A distinct sound of cutting wind passes her ear and she narrows her eyes to see some kind of invisible force rush towards her.

"What is- woah!"

She rolls out of way just as a powerful stream of air pressure carves into the ice next to her. Just as she gets up again, she hears more incoming.

*Fwoom! Fwoom!*

The flower maiden jumps out of the way of another air pressure attack. She flips backwards, trying to avoid them. A sudden force jerks her body around as one catches her shoulder, her legs tripping herself over and tumbling backwards.

"Oh crap, did I overdo it? Hang on brat! I'm coming!"

The flower maiden bounces back up, brushing some ice off her shoulders.

"I'm fine Kyuu-san! I can keep going!"

Kyuu-san stops in her tracks.

"Well hell, not a scratch. She really is a lot more sturdy than I assumed… he."

The fiery fox then raises a hand again, except she forms a pistol shape with her hand. Arcing blue energy started to gather at the pinpoint of her fingers. Small beams shoots out at the flower maiden with deadly accuracy.

The girl dodges out of the way as it melts a part of the glacier she ducked behind. Oh… that might burn a little. Continuous shots of beams fire at her so she quickly slides behind another glacier wall.

"This won't hold for long! What do I do… hmmm…"

An idea lights in her mind as her fist crushes the ground hard, shattering the ground into chunks of hard ice.

"What is she doing? You can't hide behind there forever! What the?!!"

A large chunk of ice is hurled at Kyuu-san, she quickly forms a ball of quanta fire in her hand and launches at it. An explosion of ice mist ensues obscuring her vision, a punch bursts through the mist at Kyuu-san as she blocks. A diversion! Not bad brat.

"Dang it I almost got you!"

As the ice mist settles, it reveals the flower maiden who closed the distance for a surprise attack.

"Good diversion brat. But you're going to try a lot harder than that to catch me off guard."

Flower maiden continues to attack, but Kyuu-san continues to dodge them, backing away as the girl chases her down.

As a right swing comes in, Kyuu-san leans backwards when it falls short suddenly as another low jab comes into vision. A feint? When did she learn that? Thought Kyuu-san as she blocks.

"I finally got you to block hehehe. Take this!"

The flower maiden alternates her movement, her punches less predictable. Just as Kyuu-san tries to evade but the flower maiden's eyes didn't leave her for a moment as her fist follow her moves, connecting sharply with Kyuu-san's arm as she blocks. She changed up her rhythm and is reading my movements… impressive.

Soon, sounds of cutting wind indicative of missed punches turned to more and more clashes as the flower maiden sped up and her movements became more accurate. Together, they sailed through the barren landscape as they clashed again and again, leaving small craters of impact.

"Oh girls, be careful... no they'll be fine, Kyui knows what she's doing."

Ohari reassures herself, trying to calm her anxiety... each shockwave she hears only kicks her anxiety up more and more... ohhh... just why did her two daughters just have to love fighting!?

"You're getting better brat! I'm going to actually have to try a little!"

Kyuu-san launches a low kick to the girl's legs only for it to be met by the same attack. The flower maiden launches as series of leg blocks and low kicks at Kyuu-san as she intercepts in swift motion.

"Wing Chun… you learned this from just one fight with Artemas."

Kyuu-san's kick comes in a low angle at the maiden, the girl ducks lower and bends down, using her small height as an advantage and catches Kyuu-san leg. The maiden pivots her foot and takes Kyuu-san for a nausea inducing spin before throwing her in the air.

"That brat!!"

Kyuu-san's palms open and quanta flames shoot out like propulsors, orienting herself midair before landing. She turns to face the brat, a triumphant grin on the girl's face.

"Hehehe! Revenge!"

Perhaps it was the brat's over enthusiastic smile, her stubborn relentless pursuit, or her naiveness. But Kyuu-san smirks back… hehehe not bad… not bad at all. Kyuu-san loosens her shoulder, and for the first time, charges at the flower maiden.

Fists collide in the air as shockwaves crush the ice beneath them, the flower maiden is sent skidding across the ice before a knee comes down on her, narrowly rolling out of the way as it slams down into the ground just next to her chest. A punch explodes out of the cold mist, leaving barely anytime to block when the teeth rattling impact sends the girl flying yet again.

"Wow Kyuu-san's strong… and I can tell she's still holding back..."

The maiden struggles to defend against Kyuu-san's onslaught. Alright brat! Let's kick it up a notch... applying even more pressure in her attacks.

A fist scrapes past the flower maiden's side and she retaliates, before her fist can even manifest it was brushed aside as an open-palm strikes her squarely in the chest. An explosive force pass through her small chest as the wind exits her in a gasp.

*Boom*

The girl yells in pain as she's sent hurtling backwards, desperately digging into the ice to slow down.

"Huff, huff, huff… that hurt… but."

The girl pulls her body back up. She clutches her chest and takes off the top of her gi and hangs it around her waist like a small cape. Her sarashi chest bind now showing signs of tearing.

"Is that all you got brat?"

The flower maiden thrusts her hand to her sides. Her heart thumping loudly with excitement as she feels the primordial essence within surge through her veins.

"Kyuu-san… I really want to be your disciple… of course That's Not All I've Got!!"

A Saffron aura erupts around her, the primordial energy within her growing ever more intense. Faster... stronger! I need more power! She raises her arm, feeling her primordial energy wrap around her arms following her command and desire... FIRE!!

Kyuu-san was caught surprised as a ball of fiery energy was launched towards her. She ducks out of way just as the maiden slams into her with tremendous force. Kyuu-san smiles, she's getting stronger… alright brat show me what You've Got!!

Blue flames envelop the fox with crackling energy as she collides with the flower maiden, sending crystalline shrapnels of ice and debris outward in their struggle. She sends an arcing kick at the maiden as she blocks it and returns fire.

Trails of Saffron and Fire blue encircle each other and speeds through the cold tundra as sparks of energy explode with every clash. Echoes of resounding force following their wake. They crash through glaciers without stopping as they exchange blows, their energy intertwining in their fierce battle, sounds of screeching, whistling wind is heard, indicative of breaking sound barriers.

Not long after, the maiden find themselves scaling up a mountain, wrecking havoc and causing avalanches as their battle sends them rocketing off the tip of the mountain.

In the brief moment they were suspended in air, the flower maiden locks eyes with Kyuu-san in battle... and they exchange smiles. It seems they together have found a bond, in their passion for battle.

"They seem to be enjoying themselves a lot... honestly I've never seen Kyui like this often."

Mokuren states to Ohari. Even so far away as spectators, Ohari could tell that her tsundere is smiling... well... she did wish for the little munchkin to melt her icy exterior... just not in the way she expected.

As they fall through the air, something tightens around the maiden's waist in a flash as a lasso formed out of quanta wraps itself around the girl. Kyuu-san rockets towards her with a tremendous pull, diving into the girl with a stomp, sending her rocketing down to the planet.

"Oh crap! Oh crap! Oh crap!"

The rapidly approaching ground fills the girl's vision... she quickly forms a parachute with her petals to slow her descent. She lands back down on the planet with a mildly successful thump. As she looks up, Kyuu-san gathers a blazing sun in her hands and swings it at the maiden, dispersing into a fiery blossom of tracking projectiles.

Quanta blasts rain down at the girl as she imbues her hands with saffron aura. She smacks the first blast out of the way as more race towards her from all directions. She steadies herself as her hands accelerate to hypersonic speed to defend herself, each blast deflected landing around her in showers of explosions. She didn't know how she could do any of this... it just came to her as she continued to push herself.

Just when as the last quanta blast comes in, through the smoke of the explosions, Kyuu-san spins towards the flower maiden with a lightning fast kick, twisting the smoke with her as it connects with the girl's side, sending her crashing into the side of the glacial mountain. The flower maiden's hands grip the edges of the crater, trying to pull herself out when a series of punches slams into her as she puts up her arms, pushing her deeper and deeper into the mountain with each shattering punch until she feels her back give out as the last punch sends her careening out the other side of the mountain.

The girl lays flat on the ground, her back painfully numb. She feels the cold ice beneath her... its frigid bite helping the pain just a little. Her chin scrapes against the ground as she tilts her head her just as a blast of cold wind and ice wash over her... the mountain collapsing and crumbling from the tunnel they carved. Sounds of massive glaciers and ice falling fills her ears.

"Owww... wow Kyuu-san, you sure aren't going easy on me."

As she tried to stand, her feels her leg almost buckle... she looks down to see them shaking, struggling to stand... am I hitting my limit? Kyuu-san's aura dims to embers.

"You ok? Let's stop, don't try to push yourself so much... you did amazing."

"No! Not yet!"

The girl's grits her teeth... just when she's having so much fun! Excitement! My body's giving out! I have to get stronger! Come on! The girl pushes her body to stand firm through sheer will even if she doesn't let it show, a burning sensation starting to ignite within her heart.

She charges at Kyuu-san and her knuckles meet elbow in a cracking shockwave. Piercing pain travels down her arm...

"Oowww!! Kyuu-san!! You meanie!"

The girl staggers back rubbing her fist. Kyuu-san laughs, her eyes crinkling, her tail swaying with mischievous joy behind her.

"Hahahaha! Always works on the new students... hurts like hell."

She laughed... Kyuu-san actually genuinely laughed. The flower maiden feels her chest shake as she lets out a laugh as well... it was too rare of a sight... Kyuu-san's gleaming eyes and wide smile didn't fit her at all. The two of them just stood there laughing for awhile, appreciating the moment.

"Kyuu-san... it's not over yet... not until I've had my fill!"

"Ready for another round eh?"

The maiden's aura reignites brighter than ever before as primordial energy courses within her... the burning sensation of her heart expanding into an almost painful degree... but it won't slow her down... not now.

Kyuu-san would never say it to the brat... but she was enjoying herself as their kick connects and as their fists collide. There is a saying she knew, that you can understand and judge your opponent's character through their fists and kicks... all she felt as they connect with their fists... was her pure, naive, contagious excitement... and love for the fight.

Unbeknownst to the fiery fox, the maiden's primordial core is starting to spiral, no longer within control of itself.