It Begins and Ends With A Breath [Invite]

[Levi Kayamei]

Levi's test proved what he had suspected: Todd was his equal, at least in terms of Qi control. The difference would come down to fighting experience and, to a lesser degree, fighting style. The only issue was the man molesting Kyrie, his mind was divided and though he managed to keep his eyes on Todd, his mind was certainly elsewhere. How could he save her without Mason killing her or getting killed himself? Frustration was building quickly as he qatched Mason have his way with Kyrie. His attention was returned to his fight as Todd kicked off and he immediately made a quick shift to the left to allow Todd's strike to pass in front of of him, making sure to stay close.

Let's see if you have my eyes...

All went dark for the two of them as Levi removed all of the light from a six foot radius around them in an instant as he struck upwards, sending a rising palm towards Todd's chin with his right. If he hit, he would stay low and evasive as he torqued his body into a low left uppercut aimed for Todd's right rib cage.

[Kyrie Blaze]

Kyrie continued to watch Levi and Todd as the light dimmed with the sun retreating further still, extending the evening and bringing the dark. She had been attacked at sunset. A curious thing began to happen. A sort of disconnect began to form as Kyrie's mind began to distance itself from her body's agony. Oh, it didn't lessen the pain at all, but it was a sort of coping mechanism all the same; some would call it an out-of-body experience. Her mind remained on the two fighters, clinging desperately to that and not what Mason was doing to her, though his very touch made her skin crawl with disgust as well as pain.

She managed rather well, but when the white-haired man began to nibble and kiss at her ear she was dragged back in, fully aware. Absolutely disgusted. Suffering from pain and fear.

"Arrêtez. de me. toucher!" A white hot flash of pain coursed through her body and escalated as she jerked her head to the side and spoke. She almost snarled the first word, despite the pain, and the rest came out as a hiss. She wished she had kept the knife instead of laying it by David; she couldn't access her qi at all with the pain being so intense. Having a physical weapon, she may have been able to plunge it into his leg or side. But then David wouldn't have anything. And it wouldn't be long before they would go to him if they succeeded here.

With tears streaming anew from her eyes, Kyrie managed to reach up with an arm, gasping with the escalating anguish, to sink her nails into his skin, trying to break through before attempting to drag her hand down.

[David B.]

Mason would ignore her nails, instead giving her that reward for having fought through the pain enough to dig her nails in. As she caused him pain, the agony would torque inward, driving the wind from her stomach and literally blinding her with it. Masons hand, meanwhile, would trail up to her chest, his nibbling intensifying.

Todd, meanwhile, would take the hit full force to the chin, stumbling out of the circle of darknesss. He would retaliate by moving toward killing- he would shoot spears of light into the circle, or at Levi if he followed, with the intent on impaling the kid. If it didn't work, which he assumed it wouldn't, the spears would still explode, firing little nails made of light, light shrapnel, it what he hoped would be an unexpected move. He brought up a barrier to block any that came for him, though.

*************

David grunted, rolling over toward the door. His eyes would open, and smacking his lips, he would stand and walk to the door. Turning on the facet in the bathroom, he would cup some water in his hand and drink it before killing it and heading back into the bedroom, not bothering trying to sense for Kiyr and Levi, assuming that perhaps they were either asleep or had gone for a walk.

He would crawl into bed and attempt to fall asleep.

[Kyrie Blaze]

The breath whooshed from her lungs and the blonde collapsed inwards with a hoarse cry of pain. Not terribly loud, considering how winded she was. Instinctively she tried to flinch away from his hands, inadvertently sobbing from the pain, briefly. Somehow, she kept her nails embedded in his arm even as she writhed with the pain.

Kyrie gasped, and moments later, emitted a pained groan, arching her back a little despite the pain. With the pain, however, she knew she had to still herself, and began to work on doing so.

[Levi Kayamei]

Levi had hit Todd harder than he thought, probably because his copy had moved straight into the blow. He began to give chase before seeing the spike in Qi, Todd was serious now and was going on the offesive. Levi dashed to the left to allow the spears to pass him. What he did not see coming right away was the explosion of tiny shards. He quickly raised a shield of light over his body, protecting his vitals as several of the shards cut shallowly into his skin, mostly on his arms which were crossed over his chest.

"Nice....I didn't see that coming....."

Levi made a mental note about exploding projectiles, the use and defense of, as he made a quick assessment of the damage. Levi almost cried as he glanced to Kyrie, Mason's assault on her clearly agonizing for her and sympathetic agony coursing through Levi's body. This was torture for them both, and he wasn't sure how long his focus could hold out. The urgency of the situation had reached critical: It was time to end this as quickly as possible, he no longer had time to assess Todd to avoid making hasty mistakes; He had enough information to at least fight somewhat intelligently: Todd was physically his copy and as far as powers went they were nearly the same. The big difference was Levi's ability to sense and see Qi, at least as far as he could tell.

I'm trying Kyrie, I swear I trying.....

"Okay, you want to turn it up...fine."

Levi's Qi surged, his eyes turned white with energy and he gritted his teeth as he turned the light around him into a razor-sharp aura of destructive force. "Ryû no ikari...."<Dragon's Fury>

Levi focused his ki as he rushed forward at full tilt. As he approached, he juked to the left to get Todd's attention as he infused his body with the focused ki, turning up his speed in a sudden burst to hopefully catch Todd off guard (+20 Dex), juking back to the right to hopefully get out of his opponent's field of vision as he torqued his body to the left, throwing his right hand, a blazing white fist, towards the man's abdomen. If it hit, the idea was that it would rip and cut whatever it touched, but as this technique had only been used in training, he was not certain of its' effectiveness.

[David B.]

Mason would laugh, and ease the pain on her just a little, so she could at least feel what would happen next. His hand, having done it's duty to her upper body, would now move south, to the waist....and below. He would groan into her ear and laugh in an evil manner, making sure she knew everything before the pain doubled what it had been previously.

Todd, meanwhile, watched Levi and grinned.

"Kid- you ain't seen nothin' yet."

As Levi would juke inward Todd let his Qi flow across the surface of his skin as he waited, not bothering to defend as the blow slammed into his stomach- just as it hit, driving the wind from him and tearing his skin, a glove of light would envelope Levi's punching fist, and spikes would shoot inward toward the fellows hand aiming to shred skin and puncture all around it. This would likely make use of that hand difficult, to say the least.

Meanwhile, Todd stumbled backward, blood pouring from two quarter inch cuts on his stomach, the muscles having been sliced as well. His arm would come across his stomach in pain, as mason continued his perverted assault on Kiyr.

[Kyrie Blaze]

The easing of the pain allowed her to breathe, and she caught her breath as rapidly as she could. Her heart felt like it was near to bursting in her chest. She could handle being groped, could handle having her ass grabbed. Kyrie could even handle - though with fear - being contained and immobile. Perhaps in the partial delirium caused by the pain she assumed Mason wouldn't go further with an audience. Whatever it was, she was completely unprepared for his hand sliding down along her stomach--and lower--

The blonde jerked back into Mason, yes, instead of away from him, drawing in a sharp breath as his fingers hit the seam of her pants and didn't stop. What blood was left in her already pale face fully drained. She ripped her hand down his arm, trying to push him away, but his arm wouldn't even budge.

Terror spiked and with Levi fighting for his life, her scream was instinctive.

"DAAAVIII--!"

The cry cut into a shriek as the pain was suddenly doubled. Her body contorted, and the shriek died as Kyrie tried to regain what sanity she had remaining with the agony she was in.

[Levi Kayamei]

Levi's tried to bend the light around his hand away, but they were matched in strength and the skewers rendered his hand swiss cheese. "AH!" Levi's aura faded as he took a few steps to gain some distance as he clutched his hand with his right. His tolerance for pain was pretty high and he was really glad he had only "lost" his hand. Levi's hand was wrapped in solid light to help the pain and keep the joints steady, though it still screamed with pain. He regained his composure as he began to feel an emotion he normally didn't feel in the manner it was currently surfacing. Anger.....it was an emotion Levi was normally able to control as it removed focus from his mind if he wasn't careful. His eyes flicked to the stronger man then back to Todd as his temper continued to spike. I need to finish this quickly, I must not let anyone see that side of me.....

Levi looked at Todd with a smirk as false bravado was the only thing keeping him mentally in this fight. Levi had lost the use of his left hand, but Todd would be much less mobile because of his injury. A good trade off I guess.... Deciding it would be a bad idea to touch Todd directly again unless it was for the kill, Levi shielded his body in solid light, and while this seemed like a defensive move, it was actually a different kind of offense. "Good to know our powers are the same, but our tricks are vastly different...." Levi's hands stayed at his sides as his hips twisted and turned as a furious flurry of kicks flew forth, projections of himself made of solid light flying towards Todd and executing an identical attack a split second later.

OCC: Dex is back down btw.

[David B.]

"SHUT IT BITCH!"

Mason would shout, cutting Kiyr on the collarbone with his knife. He would laugh and speak into her ear.

"We don't want to wake-"

Davids eyes tore open at the ear-piercing shriek that hit him, The front door to Levi's being ripped off it's hinges as David vaulted outside, looking to the sky and casting out his Qi in every direction. He felt them- Levi and another man fighting, Kiyr groaning in pain as another male was...was...

The windows around Todd, Mason and Levi would shatter outward as David rocketed into the air, raining down glass. Mason would turn with Kiyr and bare his teeth as David would land, splitting the earth with impact. Mason would attempt to now slit Kiyrs throat, but would find his hand immobilized by air, his whole body stiff and unmoving (CHARISMA VS STRENGTH CHECK) as David launched himself forward. Mason would release Kiyr from the pain and poof into thin air, appearing next to Todd and grabbing the man by the shirt.

"Time to go."

And poof- they both would vanish, Right as Levi intended to attack once more. David would now be holding Kiyr, speaking softly.

"Kiyr, fuck are you okay?"

[Levi Kayamei]

Levi stopped mid-attack as David swooped in. "Thank god...." Levi stood up straight and rushed straight towards Kyrie and David, his injuries a non-issue at the moment. He looked at Kyrie as David held her, a solemn look in his eyes. "I'm so fucking sorry I couldn't stop him from violating you...." Levi was hiding it pretty well, but he was furious at Mason, but moreso at himself for not being able to stop him. He had failed, even if it may not have been within his ability to help it. He held onto his composure in front of the elder, unsure of what to do as his adrenaline began to fade.

Levi's eyes moved to David, his expression changing only slighty as he spoke, "Thank you, I was dreading having to fight that guy after Todd.....Let's go back inside.....we can talk in there." Levi began to walk back towards his home, his anger turning inwards and his fists clenched in frustration. I swear you will both die.....I fucking swear....

[Kyrie Blaze]

The slashing cut burned and increased the pain. Dimly, she was aware of the explosion of glass as it rained down, bouncing off her skin to cause bursts of anguish. She could hardly breathe, and only saw a body impact into the earth. The impression of black hair and a familiar build. She hardly realized Mason's body suddenly stiffening before a sudden feeling of weightlessness as she was let go to fall.

The pain dissipated, wearing off quickly, though her muscles still twitched as her nerves fired information. Her breath caught in her throat with a sob of relief before something finally clicked that she was being held and the pain was gone. Really gone. She didn't know what was going on, dragged from one extreme to the next, but over the physical pain was the mental pain.

Wide, shocked eyes slid up to David. Her lips parted but she didn't speak. She was still pale, feeling like a wraith. Panic kicked her heart rate back up and as Levi neared, her eyes flicked in his direction. The apology registered slowly as her hand extended towards the ground. Shadow coiled around her hand and then plunged down into the shadow at David's feet.

She was gone, the solid - if trembling - weight leaving David's arms; disappearing from where she had previously rested with her head leaning against his chest. A few wisps of shadow curled into the air.

If logic had any say, she may have stayed. David and Levi hadn't caused this, but saved her. Still, emotion was unreasonable and with the blonde still in fight or flight mode: flight was chosen. She hadn't even remembered to answer, but clearly the instinctive disappearance would probably be answer enough.

Within the dark, shadowed world, Kyrie pressed her hand over her mouth and could do no more than simply hyperventilate. It stopped any sobs for the moment, though tears that finally didn't cause her agony trailed down her cheeks.

[David B.]

David held her to his chest for a moment, grinding his teeth as he put his arms around her for a bit, her small frame shaking as Levi apologized. He noticed her hand hit the ground, and the dark flitting around her hand. He would slacken his grip, speaking in a low voice that the wind would carry to her ears alone.

"Take your time."

She would vanish, and David would turn agressively toward Levi.

"What the HELL happened? Why wasn't I called?"

David's rage was thundering in his head, and he wanted answers.

[Levi Kayamei]

Levi looked down as he continued to walk. His self-loathing consuming him for a momentas his fists clenched. "They knocked on our door and demanded I step outside or Kyrie would die...I....couldn't take the chance the he would kill her......plus I wasn't sure how out of it you really were....." Did he regret his decision? No, it had been the right call given hi assessment...but was his assessment accurate? I t was seeming more and more like it wasn't and this thought would continue to haunt him.

He passed through his doorway before speaking again, "If I had known, I would have woken you up...." He looked down at Kyrie with silver, solemn eyes, "I'm so sorry..."

[Kyrie Blaze]

Legs were drawn up as the blonde felt her stomach roll, twist, and threaten with the still-panicked breaths rushing in and out of her lungs. Instead of huddling up, she leaned her face between her knees to help with the nausea. One hand stayed connected to the base of the shadow so that as David began to move, she didn't have to walk with. She simply held on and let him walk.

The words and questions came to her so slowly, as did the actions that occurred just before she had disappeared. Her normally sharp mind had slowed to a crawl like she was trying to swim through molasses. Her slim frame shuddered as she tasted bile. She didn't throw up, but it was a close call all the same. The sound of crying was muffled, indistinct for the most part. Unfortunately, sound was not upon a separate plane, as was the case for air - unlike the movement of wind--here there was none - so she kept it as quiet as she could.

She responded to neither, though so many things being said made her feel that it was her fault. Too weak. Too slow. Didn't share information. Didn't cry out for help. Couldn't take the pain. Didn't fight to get out sooner. She flinched and crossed her other arm over her head, fingers burying into her hair. She remained in her prone position, just hanging on, as David and Levi moved back inside.

[David B.]

David would step forward and grip Levi by the front of the shirt.

"I don't care if I was near death. You were risking your own life and the life of another. You want to hold your honor and not ask for my help when it's just you- by all means, but what happened to her shouldn't have happened."

He would shove Levi back, probably causing him to slam into a wall, though David simply meant it as a release, and a way to get the fellow away from him.

"I should kick your ass myself for not calling sooner."