Shimiko Chinoike vs Nozomi Himitsu

Shimiko tried to pull herself together. She tried to focus on her opponent, on what it would mean if she lost here and now. But the harder she tried to insert herself back into the fight was the more her body resisted. As if to reset her mental state, she sheathed her Sai and gripped the twin Tessen on her hips. She had heard reports of this kind of paralysis and had always dismissed it as evidence of weakness and unfitness for shinobi life. Now in the midst of an emotional crisis, she learned what it meant to feel utterly powerless and alone. Shimiko took a few deep breaths and resolved to let her training do what her mind could not. She was losing the ability to maintain Neon Vision and allowed the technique's hold to slip. She could still see Nozomi but only if the demonic vessel had her complete and undivided attention. Her eyes followed Nozomi's deft movement as the girl easily dodged the blood dragon. Shimiko had expected this to be honest but facing an enemy who had survived everything she had thrown at her, she needed to exhaust her arsenal before giving up. She didn't want to re-visit this fight at a later date and wonder if there was more she could have done to secure her victory. The dodge she had predicted but when Nozomi landed on something in mid-air and rocketed towards her like a torpedo, Shimiko knew she was dealing with an unanticipated ability.

In the precious moments that remained to her before impact, she let go of all her doubt, fear, and shame. She reached deep into her spirit and reminded herself what she was fighting for. She wouldn't go down to Nozomi as a trembling child. She had seen the almost imperceptible nod of the head when the two had stared each other down. They were equals. Nozomi had gotten the better of her at this juncture but she would not give up until she had given it her all.

Lord Jashin...Give me the strength!

Shimiko stood and withdrew her twin tessen unfolding them and utilizing them just before Nozomi's blow hit her. Shimiko fully extended the fans revealing the iconic symbol of the Orthodox Church of Jashin. Shimiko flowed the majority of what chakra remained to her through her fingertips. She allowed the energy to interlace her hands and weapons before quickly swatting aside Nozomi's uppercut before it could land. The move was so fluid and graceful that it almost appeared to occur in slow motion. Shimiko aimed to use the girl's momentum against her. She artfully redirected the force away from her body and in the process weakened the power behind the attack. The other folding fan would be retracted and then violently plunged into Nozomi's chest at full force, its sharpness and penetrative power magnified by chakra. The attack targeted Nozomi's heart, a vital organ. It was clear to Shimiko that non-lethal strikes weren't going to cut it against the self-healing Jinchurikki. This was especially true given that her cloak state granted her increased durability. Ordinarily a metal fan wouldn't be able to even get through but Shimiko had mastered the art of Tessenjutsu and she knew just how to dance her chakra along the edges of the weapon such that its true power was brought to bear. Shimiko didn't want to kill Nozomi, she had made a promise to Ryuko and herself that she would break the girl but leave her alive. She doubted the Tailed Beast would let its host die but perhaps the damage would be enough to force it into some kind of hibernation mode. If not, well then it would be Nozomi that had broken her.

Shimiko stood up straight and looked her enemy in the eye regardless of whether her final attack had succeeded or not. The platform of blood slowly crumbled and she used the last bit of chakra to bring them back down to the ground safely. Her knees wobbled and her Ketsuryugan automatically deactivated for want of chakra. The frightening white horizontal bar amidst a dark pupil faded and her eyes returned to its normal bluish-green color. Shimiko's blonde hair was still somewhat soaked in blood and it was a miracle that she could even stand. Tears of blood streamed down her cheeks as she tried to find words to express the frustration and anguish that she felt. The win or loss became secondary. What did it matter if those you cared about weren't there to celebrate with you or console you? The whole match seemed hollow and empty. She was fighting for Ryuko, Natsuru, and Sakata yet none of them were there to see it. It burned her soul and despite the bitterness she felt, she was too tired to lash out. She had poured all of her emotion into this fight and it barely seemed to faze the jinchuriki. Now that she had spent nearly every last drop of chakra, she had nothing left to give or say to her opponent.

Spoiler:

The young blonde rocketed towards her opponent at a frightening speed, ready to end the match with a single blow, and finally claim the victory in their match. It had dragged on long enough, and she was reaching the limit of her mastery for the cloak. Much longer using the Bijuu's energy, and she would absolutely lose control of it. That wasn't something she had permitted herself to do, as she planned on taking control of the Bijuu for a more permanent basis, but couldn't do so while fighting Shimiko.

Interestingly enough, it seemed her opponent had a little bit of fight left in her, as she managed to narrowly avoid taking a head on strike from Nozomi, blocking the powerful strike with her tessen, using it to diminish Nozomi's force and with a swift and deft motion, struck up into Nozomi's chest, obviously aiming for her heart.

It was a matter of preparation that saved Nozomi at this moment. She didn't usually wear armor, but had chosen to don a flak jacket of superb quality for this match, knowing it could mean the difference between victory and defeat. While Shimiko's bladed fans had a fantasticly sharp edge, her armor cut down on a lot of the force behind them, and with the added bonus of Isobu's constitution vitalizing her body, the blade didn't cut very deep into her, distributing the force of the impact across her torso.

Nozomi and Shimiko stayed in their stance for a moment, eyes locked on each other for a brief period of time. The crowd's cheering in the background had faded away to almost nothing, and this wasn't a trick of the fight, they had actually fallen silent as the match appeared to reach its conclusion with Nozomi seemingly impaled on Shimiko's blade.

As the platform of blood collapsed, lowering them down to the ground, Nozomi noticed immediately as Shimiko's eyes returned to normal, the slight wobble as she maintained her footing probably only because of the fan in Nozomi's chest, ironically enough using her as support when she had nothing else left. "Well... fought." Nozomi murmured, a soft tone spoken only to Shimiko. She didn't care if others knew that she respected her opponent, that was between the two of them.

However, Nozomi had come here to win, and Shimiko wasn't the type to simply quit. Like before, Nozomi knew that she needed to end the fight now, and without the added benefit of her Doujutsu to help her keep focus on Nozomi's movements, she grabbed the fan and pulled it out of her chest with one hand, the small wound sealing up with a hiss. Almost simultaneously, Nozomi's free right hand rocketed upwards, using her Petal Shift one final time to speed the uppercut up to near her maximum speed.

If the hit landed, her palm would crack heavily into Shimiko's chin, sending her rocketing up and backwards, and hopefully driving whatever fight Shimiko had left in her out. Regardless of the result, Nozomi's Version 1 cloak would fade away right after as she suppressed the energy of the Bijuu before it reached the point of no return. "Call the match." Nozomi spoke, addressing Shimiko if she was still conscious, or the proctor if she wasn't.

Assuming she had landed a successful strike, Nozomi would pull out 3 small pills from her military ration pouch, and move towards Shimiko. If she was awake and the match had been called, Nozomi would offer her the pills. "Go ahead and take them. They'll give you back some energy." If Shimiko wasn't conscious, she would place the pills in her mouth and force them down her throat manually. The Jashinist had given her a hell of a fight, and Nozomi appreciated the chance to fight with her. "I saw the symbol on your fan. My lady and many of her followers are also believers. If you ever think about changing sides, you'd be welcome." Nozomi said, once again in a softer tone. This was a private conversation.

Arhat Fist -1
Misty Petal Shift -1
Slamming Palm -1
Water Walking -0

Taijutsu Bonus: All taijutsu cost 1 rank less stamina

Post 4/5 Version 1
Post 4/5 Nonlethal Wound Healing

Stamina: 107/225

Post Bijuu: 86.5/182

Strength: C -> C++ [V1, Unique] -> B++ [Arhat Fist] -> A++ [Slamming Fist]
Constitution: B -> A [V1, Unique]
Stamina: B+ -> A [V1, Unique]
Speed: A -> A++ [V1, Unique] ->
Coordination: A -> A++ [V1, Unique] -> S+ [Misty Petal Shift]
Intelligence: C -> D [V1, Negative]
Perception: A

Shimiko had managed to stab her opponent but the wound was not nearly deep enough to be fatal. She watched as the folded fan sank into Nozomi's flesh. It had pierced the flak jacket but the material had absorbed the majority of the blow. Rather than cut into her heart, all it had done was make a sizable wound. Shimiko knew that it wouldn't be sufficient to harm the self-healing jinchurikki and so it was pulled out unceremoniously. The feeling of fighting so hard only to lose was indescribable. Nozomi congratulated her but to Shimiko it was a tasteless and mocking gesture. The words came off as patronizing and she wanted to slap her for it. Before Shimiko could muster the strength to reply, she was knocked off her feet by a powerful uppercut to the chin. She sailed a few feet in the air before landing hard on her back. The blow rattled her senses and that, coupled with her exhaustion, made it impossible to stand. She was done.

Shimiko tried to sit up but barely managed to make it on her elbows before collapsing back on the ground. She looked at the proctor trying to fight back the tears. It wasn't in here spirit to give up in a situation like this but there was nothing else she could do. She stared at the officiant for a few moments then looked away unwilling to say the words. She stared at the ground, unable to stand but also not wanting to concede defeat. The proctor did it for her. He declared Nozomi the winner of the match and thus the tournament as a whole. There was applause and mayhem from the crowd as the tournament had finally come to a stunning conclusion. Some would be angry, others jubilant but regardless of the spectator's feelings this match would have significant political consequences.

Nozomi approached Shimiko and out of instinct the girl turned to face her with a severe look. If Nozomi wanted to kill her here and now then she'd be powerless to stop her. She'd need to rely on the proctor and her village to do something but they wouldn't be able to save her in time. She wasn't even sure if their combined might exceeded hers. It was a scary moment and despite her emotional instability, Shimiko steeled herself for the worse. However rather than attacking her, Nozomi offered some military ration pills. She encouraged Shimiko to take them so as to restore her energy. The Jashinist looked at the pills with cold eyes before lashing her hand out and knocking them away. The supplements would be dashed to the floor and Nozomi would only be given a hateful stare. Nozomi claimed that Honiko was a follower as were other members of the Society. It was an interesting piece of information but one that Shimiko would keep to herself for the time being. There was no reason for anyone except her to know. The Church had enough problems to deal with. They didn't need to be associated with this terrorist and her war-lady's organization.

Shimiko spat blood at Nozomi's feet and replied:

"I'd never join you or your paymaster. This doesn't change anything Nozomi. You're dead. To me, Ryuko, and everyone in this village. You have some borrowed time you're living on but when we meet again....." Shimiko didn't finish the thought as it became difficult for her to breath. The physical effect of the blow caused her breathing to become heavy and rapid. The arena started spinning and she felt as though her head was on fire. Nozomi must have clipped her good as there was definitely something broken. After a few minutes of rapid fire breathing she continued "...I'm not going to let you beat me. Jashin as my witness, Nozomi I'm going to kill you one day"

The sudden heart attack started again and Shimiko clutched her chest, unable to say or do more. She slumped over on the ground and the proctor requested immediate medical evacuation. A stretcher was brought out and Shimiko was taken away. As she was carried away, she shut her eyes. She did not want to look at the crowd. She didn't want to see the twins, Lady Mora, Nariko and all of the other people present that she had let down. But more importantly, she didn't want to look at the crowd again and be reminded of all of the people that weren't there that she had let down.

Exit

Nozomi's face grew blank ad Shimiko smacked away the offered miliyary ration pills, watching them scatter into the dirt and blood and water that littered the stage. She stared at the pills for a moment, contemplating just killing the girl while she was helpless, if only for a moment. Then, it passed, and Nozomi's soft smile returned as she bowed her head and stepped away from Shimiko.

Bowing politely to the crowd that watched the two of them, Nozomi's eyes scanned towards Honiko, and she saw an impressive display with the dragon. Her face lit up like a kid in a candy store. She had impressed Honiko, finally living up to her standards. All thought of killing Shimiko had gone away.

"You're welcome to try. But I beat you today. You were at my mercy. You still are. I have over half my chakra left, and none of these people could stop me in time. Remember that. We're not all monsters." Nozomi said warmly. And with that, she walked away from the arena.

This fight had been everything she had wanted. It was the hardest fight she had ever had, and it had been exhilarating. She hadnt known who would win or lose and they could both fight without holding back. Most importantly though, Honiko had seen it, and had been impressed.

-Exit