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[ 'you're sure you're alright', Haruka said before they transformed. the intonation was flat, not even a question anymore, as Michiru has reassured her of it enough times by now -- just one final confirmation, is all.

Michiru, of course, never shows a single sign of hesitation, and this time was no different.

'all right,' Haruka then said, lips twisting a grin that only barely betrayed her antsiness -- 'then I won't hold back.'

that was thirty minutes ago. she's kept true to her word, driving herself to her limits from the get-go; pacing oneself might be essential in real combat, but for now, she has to see how far she can go before pushing further still. there are scrapes and bruises scattered across her skin, nothing major -- barely enough to even draw blood, and nowhere near enough to slow her down. she runs through the rows of trees, as silent as she is fast, breathing shallow and eyes and ears peeled for anything that might disclose the location of her partner.

a faint rustle of leaves-- in an instant, she hops off the ground. of course, from the top of the tree, Neptune would have already noticed her, but that doesn't stop her from trying to lend a blow, arm outstretched and hand balled into a fist. ]

[ This is harder than she's used to being on herself. Michiru stays fit, swims regularly, but gliding through the water is a lot different than leaping from tree to tree and fighting like this. She's tired and sore, but she refuses to be the first one to back down.

So when Uranus leaps up at her, Neptune throws herself back. The blow glances her arm but she remains visibly unfazed, swinging down to land in a hard crouch.

Popping back to her feet, she drops immediately into a defensive stance, eyes cutting up, trying to track Uranus. She's not running now. ]

[ she lands back on the ground with ease, and charges into offense as soon as Neptune slides into defense -- Haruka doesn't know how to fight, but she's always been strong, and with Uranus's powers and the phantom of a memory to guide her, she finds herself not having to think to know which blows to strike and where, a fist beneath the collarbone, a knee to the stomach. ]

[ She's tired for this, too tired for this-- she has to strike where it hurts. Dodging is hard; she manages to duck away from the fist to the collar, but Uranus's knee lands solidly in her stomach and she can taste acid in the back of her throat. She almost calls it quits then, backs up and sits down, but she's resolute.

She won't stand a chance if she can't slow her down. So Neptune catches her breath, charges forward-- and then drops at the last moment, trying to sweep her leg hard under Uranus's to knock her down. ]

Ngh-! [ it catches her off-guard, and she feels her knees go out beneath her. her hand shoots out blindly, grabbing at whatever it can on the way down -- a fistful of white fabric, and the next moment she's got her elbows and knees dug into the dirt and Neptune trapped beneath her. Neptune with her hair fanned out against the dark ground, purple-red and mud-brown staining her perfect-white skin, chest rising and falling with each breath.

Uranus looks down at her, eyes still a little wide, and breathes out. ]

-- Nice one.

[ She wasn't expecting that- she was prepared for Uranus to trip maybe, to give her time to catch her breath. She wasn't expecting to hit the ground with the blonde atop her, her own eyes wide, shoulders rigid and face red from exertion.

She's sweating. She hates sweating out of the water, but one has to make sacrifices, right? Neptune manages to smile up at her, though, the look a little strained. ]

Don't let your guard down.

[ And then she's launching herself up, slamming her forearm beneath Uranus's chin. ]

Edited 2012-10-23 01:11 (UTC)

[ the hit throws her backwards and causes the air to jam in her throat, shooting off fireworks against her opened eyes -- Uranus doesn't waste her chance, though, grip fastening around that arm before it can retract, and she takes advantage of the blow's momentum to use every bit of force left in her and jerk, sending Neptune hurling towards the trunk of the closest tree. ]

[ She has no way to slow herself, and the full weight of her body impacts hard against the trunk of the tree. Neptune is stunned, breathless and convulsing once with the sudden pain of it. Finally, with a little grunt, she pushes herself away from the tree, fingers digging into the bark.

And then she charges. Slowly, but it's an attack. ]

[ even with the way she's been exerting herself, speed has always been Haruka's thing -- it doesn't take much effort for her to block the attack with her forearm, in the same breath aiming a blow to Neptune's lower stomach with her other, dominant hand. ]

[ She can't dodge the blow. Fluid and graceful, yes, and her stamina is incredible in this form.. but a blow from Haruka's dominant hand to her already tender stomach is enough to make her stop. Neptune pauses, scrabbling to hold onto the tree to keep her on her feet.

Neptune is left panting, staring at the ground, knuckles white. ]

-- two minutes, and then we can continue.

[ A break isn't admitting defeat, is it? ]

Edited (CHASE WAS TALKING ABOUT BEING CONUFSED) 2012-10-23 02:08 (UTC)

[ Uranus is still, watching Neptune struggle for breath. she herself is breathing harshly through her nose, throat still closed up from where she'd been hit, and standing in one place for as long as a minute is enough to cause the adrenaline to recede, alerting her to the heaviness in her knees and the dull throb between her temples.

she's hardly in top shape, for sure, but she could still go on. what worries her is that Neptune looks worse. ]

We don't have to. We've trained enough for the night.

I'm fine. [ It comes snappier, a little more sharply than originally intended. She doesn't apologize just yet now, though; instead, she seats herself on a fallen log, her hand pressed lightly in her stomach.

She still has the vague feeling that she's going to be sick - she can feel the stomach acid still in the back of her throat - but she remains transformed. ]

You're not finished yet. There's no reason to stop.

[ Haruka's lips pull into a thin line. she shouldn't feel guilty for hurting her -- there would be little point to this if they weren't giving it their all. ]

We're doing this to help the both of us.

[ Michiru doesn't blame her at all: this is what training is, after all, and she drops her hand back into her lap. Her breathing is evening out, at least. ]

And this is helping both of us. One minute left. Enjoying your break?

... Sure. [ she scuffs her heel against the ground, shifting her weight from leg to leg. Michiru should understand her own limits better than she does -- she's in no place to tell her what to do.

she needs to toughen up, she needs to stop hesitating, she needs to stop pausing to ask herself is this really okay. she's Sailor Uranus, she's a warrior, and she can't afford to be this soft. there's no room for this worry that gnaws away at her from the inside of her stomach.

she said she won't hold back, and she's going to show her she meant it. legs spread, arms raised, hands balled into fists: she's ready. ]

So? Has it been a minute yet?

[ Haruka falls into a defensive stance and Michiru has a sudden but vague idea. Well. It couldn't hurt to try, could it? That hesitation that Uranus showed, the concern- it was nice, nicer than she wanted to admit.

But it could be taken advantage of.

So Neptune stands finally with a little nod, moving to step forward-- and then she cries out, holding her side and stumbling forward. ]

[ of course, Haruka's resolve to fight only lasts until the exact moment she hears her partner scream-- the next, it's dissipated into thin air, and she's rushing towards her, concern plain in her face and voice. ] Michiru!

[ She feels terrible for doing this, much less thinking it- it would be so easy to get herself get swallowed in the warmth of Haruka's worry. Instead, she just changes stance at the last second, every muscle in her body screaming, and aims a hard flurry of blows to Uranus's stomach and side.

Her lungs are burning in her chest. It's probably not a good sign that it's this hard to breathe. ]

Showing concern like that is dangerous. You can't afford to worry about your partner!

[ she doesn't see it coming. of course she doesn't. and once Neptune begins, it's all too fast and too much at once for her to stop it. her body lurches forward with every new stab of pain, and she lets out a series of choked, hoarse groans that rise in crescendo, each feeling like her throat's tearing down the middle.

by the time she manages to stop the income of punches to her gut, too-tense fists wrapped tight around Neptune's hands, Uranus doesn't have enough in her to attack in return. her knees wobble, her vision flashes, and she coughs harshly between desperate gasps for breath.

better try to retain a shred of her respect and give in before her legs do. ]

Hah... you win.

Edited 2012-10-23 04:04 (UTC)

Smart of you.

[ But the fight evaporates from Neptune the moment that Uranus concedes defeat and she pulls her hands back, stumbling back to the log and sitting hard. She hadn't meant to show that she was this tired, that she could barely keep herself up- it took something from the victory, didn't it?

Didn't change the fact that the last little series of blows had been everything that she had. ]

You should probably rest before we head back.

[ It's not an insult. Uranus had been the first one to call it quits, which meant she had to be hurting pretty badly, too. Neptune at the moment just isn't entirely sure she can lift her own head right now. ]

Yeah. [ she collapses down on the log by Neptune, too spent and too aching to feign a display of grace or control. Uranus sits there with her shoulders hunched up and her head hanging down, silent except for her heavy, ragged breathing, interrupted every now and then by the need to swallow back bile. there's a pounding in her head, in her chest, it's like the whole world itself is pulsating, and it's funny, that's the kind of feeling she would've lived for if only everything didn't hurt. ]

[ Neptune needs a long bath, a nap, some industrial grade painkillers. Her hand flashes out to grab Uranus's upper arm in a sudden fit of vertigo, but she releases it just as quickly and holds her breath to suppress a shudder. ]

We should get home soon.

[ She's not positive she can stand. ]

[ Uranus starts at the contact, head instinctively snapping towards Neptune, but she relaxes as soon as she looks at her and Neptune drops her hand.

she nods through another swallow, plants both hands firmly against the bark, and forces herself to her feet. ] Come on, then.

[ Michiru starts forward to stand and lurches slightly, fingers curling and nails dug into the bark of the log. Her arms are white, covered in goosebumps. ]

-- just a second.

[ she knows: she's too soft, 'you can't afford to worry about your partner'. but the fight is over now, so she tells herself it shouldn't matter. (people can't change in a day.)

taking a step towards Neptune, she tentatively offers out a hand. ]

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