[Round 6] Tenkai Matsumoto vs. Saphen

"Brhrhrhrhrhh!"

Thus was the sound of a shivering monk as he tried to shake the cold out of his head.

"My, my," he said, looking around at the rather tick blankets of snow, "This must be what they call a 'freak storm', if I recall."

Although they were still within the vicinity of the Zen gardens, it definately didn't feel much like Japan anymore. Although it did snow like this in the Land of the Rising Sun, freak storms weren't very common. Having spent his adolescence in Japan, Tenkai understood some of the subtleties of seasonal change much like any naturally born Japanese would. Due to Japan's geography, the changing seasons were both gradual and unique.

But this? This came completely out of left field.

"Either Mr. Sonners planned this, or nature seems to have an odd sense of humor these days..."

The monk had nearly caught a cold waiting in the rain for his opponent in Round 2. It'd be too ironic if his opponent didn't show due to the weather. Of course, this was highly doubtful. In a surprising change, the tournament committee had allowed them to change their attire for this particular round. It seemed as if they were taking extra precautions to make sure the fighters fought at their best.

Tenkai only needed to make a few slight adjustments to his usual outfit in order to be winter-viable. This time, he went without that piece of samurai shoulder armor. Usually, it was worn on his back while he was covered in his robes, only to be pulled into place by the leather strap as he removed his outer wear. But with Tenkai actually preferring to keep his robes on during the fight, it was best to go without it so it wouldn't get in the way. It wasn't like he could pull an utsusemiin the tournament, anyway.

He kept the rest of his armor pieces on under the rather comfortable robe and scapular, with his large-beaded rosary necklace hanging from his neck. His geta clogs kept his feet out of the snow well enough to move through it comfortably.

All he needed now was...

"Best to get into this with good spirits," he said as he popped the cork on his gourd, taking a nice swig of warm sake. The rice wine put some renewed vigor into his veins, warming his body as the alcohol took effect. It wasn't enough of a swig to make him tipsy, though it'd be best to leave the gourd be now that he was refreshed.

Looking around once more at the winter wonderland before him, something came to mind...

*冬の午後 そぞろ歩きの 街凍る*

"Fuyu no gogo Sozoro aruki no Machi kooru."

(In a winter afternoon, I walk restlessly through a frozen town.)

Tenkai took a moment to look over his opponent as he approached, making note of his attire. He seemed to be lightly armored in leather and wool, cloaked and hooded with a mask covering his face entirely. It was good Tenkai never let his initial judgements rule his overall analysis, otherwise he'd be absolutely lost. With his opponent's clothing obscuring most of his body, there was no telling what he was hiding.

That is, until he took off his cloak.

And what a heavy cloak it was. By the way it sunk into the snow, it must have been weighted. There were definately a few good uses for weighted clothing, but who knew what properties the cloak itself had? There could have been a reason why his opponent had thrown it right into the center of the arena...

Of course, it was the violin that surprised Tenkai the most. Tenkai had been expecting some sort of weapon, but his opponent felt content to play a relaxing sonata as a backdrop to the snowy fields. The monk couldn't help but stand there and admire the music as his opponent played.

He knew hw two of them had to fight, but for the moment...Tenkai wished they hadn't.

Saphen Wrote:

> "When ever you wish to begin."

Curiouser and curiouser...

Why would Tenkai's opponent wish to begin while he was playing a song on a violin? If it was up to Tenkai to start the fight, then his opponent was already prepared.

So that's how it is...

The violin was his weapon.

It was truly an interesting sight, but it didn't seem that the song he was playing was some sort of attack. Even as the monk listened, he kept his mind carefully focused. There were many other ways that music could be used as a weapon, so odds were likely his opponent wasn't simply some Pied Piper.

Well...Pied Violinist.

Nevertheless, Tenkai wasn't a brute. He had respect for the interesting style of his newest opponent. As always, the monk had only one question on his mind...The same question he had asked to his previous opponents, save the silent Link in the last round.

"I see then," said the monk as he picked up a sheathed Japanese sword with a black pommel in his left hand. "But before I do, I'd like to ask you something as you play."

"What is your reason to fight?"

Identity...

It wasn't much different from some of the answers Tenkai had recieved in the past. Although one of the fighters he encountered fought to make a living, others seemed to use it as a means of finding out who they were. It was quite an odd phenomenon for Tenkai to wrap his brain around.

To think that people need to go so far to define their own lives...

Was fighting really necessary for that? Is one's strength in battle the only thing that tells us who we are? So many people in this world sought out opponent after opponent all for the sake of discovering who they are. As if such a thing was ever a mystery! Were they nothing without the ability to fight?

No...it wasn't that simple.

A person's identity goes beyond the battlefield. Although conflict and strife can unveil one's true character, there was only so much someone could learn about themselves through constant fighting. If there was something missing in one's identiry that only combat could resolve, then perhaps there was a deeper reason behind his opponent's will to fight.

Regardless, it would be disrespectful for Tenkai not to give his opponent what he sought after. This was still a tournament.

"Very well."

SCHHING!

From such a distance, Tenkai's movements would appear to be a blur amidst the snow. His opponent would see the monk drawing his blade from its sheath using his right hand, followed by a large wave of snow speeding directly towards him from Tenkai's position. It was as if some powerful wind just tore through the ground.

In reality, the monk had used his ki to displace the air, sending a vertical "blade" of air towards his opponent from his iai (draw). The blade kicked up snow as it traveled, tearing a straight line in the powdered terrain. The attack would run into the cloak before reaching Saphen, the force of the wind sending it back towards the bard.

The force of the traveling snow would make sure the attack didn't cut through the cloak, in case it wasn't durable enough. But that was doubtful given its size. Still, the force would be enough to at least knock the hide away from the center of the arena, if not right back into Saphen with gale force.

一本! [1]

Tenkai expected his attack would be avoided, but he didn't quite expect what happened next.

*!*

Somehow the earth beneath Tenkai had raised and closed around his right leg like a vice. His shinguards covered his legs enough to avoid injury, but now he was locked in place. How did his opponent manage to summon something like that? Was some sort of magic through the use of his music? There had to have been a reason for using that violin...

The shift in earth only alerted Tenkai for a second, but it wasn't enough for him to escape the grasping earth. His attempt to move caused him to trip, falling onto his left knee as his right leg stood stuck in the earth. Fortunately for Tenkai, his moment of being off-balance caused him to inadvertently dodge the two spikes launching from behind. They'd sail over his back as he kept to the ground.

Though he definatley couldn't stay on the ground for long. If his opponent was able to use any part of the ground around them as a weapon, staying still would just make things easier. The monk couldn't waste any time on this.

Although rock was hard and strong, it was also rigid and brittle. Manipulating it like his opponent just did made it strong enough as a vice, but rock wasn't as malleable as clay. Without needing to think twice, Tenkai let go of his sheath with his left hand and pointed his fingertips directly at the stone binding his legs.

It seemed as if this fight would give Tenkai a chance to show something other than swordplay.

天狗破山拳 - 甲鉄破 Tengu Hazan Ken - Koutetsuha (Tengu Mountain Crushing Fist - Armor Break)

With a sudden jolt of his shoulder and hips downward into the ground, Tenkai's hand closed into a fist, sending his ki through his shoulder and into his left hand. From a crouching position the impact wouldn't be as much as usual, but it was more than enough to pulverize the stone around his trapped leg, allowing him to break free.

Tenkai promptly bolted from his position, pushing off of his right leg and advancing towards his opponent in a path that curved to the monk's left. Whether there was a reason behind this or if the monk was simply losing his equilibrium was up to his opponent to decide. Either way, Tenkai needed to figure out how to avoid those earth attacks in the future.

This time around, Tenkai was going to gauge how his opponent reacted to his advance rather than blindly attack.

二本! [2]

This wasn't the best of situations. Tenkai had already needed to show two of his techniques just to escape the clutches of his opponent's earth magic. Any accomplished fighter knew that keeping your maneuvers was the difference between a fair chance and a huge advantage in your opponent's favor.

Fortunately, Tenkai had learned a few things of his own about his mysterious opponent.

As Tenkai's step went in tempo with the music, the monk continued to listen to the melody as the bard played furiously. It didn't seem to be of any sort of hypnosis...unless the moving earth was just some sort of illusion. It was definately the means by which he controlled his magic, as if in lieu of pointing a hand or finger.

So why was Tenkai following the rhythm?

That wasn't very important yet, as now it was Tenkai's turn to continue gauging his opponent. With Saphen continuing to move to the left, Tenkai would reach his right side fairly quickly, bringing his sword up to his left above his shoulder in *hasso no kamae*. As soon as Saphen was in range of Tenkai's sword...

SCHIIIING

....Tenkai would strike, his Muramasa cutting through the air. He aimed to cut Saphen from his right shoulder down to the lower left side of his ribcage in a shallow wound using the last few inches of his sword.

Tenkai was avoiding his opponent's vitals for obvious reasons, but that wasn't the difficult part. Dealing with his opponent's reaction was the rub in this situation.

So he'd continue listening to the music...

三本! [3]

Saphen Wrote:

> As the sword cut through the air, the bard gave one last violent pull of his bow before his counter occurred.

TWANG!

*!*

The front--!

Tenkai could not stop his swing, but rather than losing his grip as the blade struck stone, he let go of it with his left hand. His right hand held the blade's hilt tightly as it rebounded off of the stone. Tenkai backpedaled four feet or so away from the pillar as it bounced off, catching the dull side of the blade in his left hand as he brought it back to the left side of his hip. He held it as if it was sheathed...except for the fact that he had left the sheath behind when he advanced.

That was close. If I hadn't followed his music, my recovery wouldn't have been as smooth.

Whether or not his opponent realized it, Tenkai wasn't following the music simply by suggestion or in appreciation. The rhythm of his opponent's earth attacks followed the rhythm of his melody. It was like fish feeling the ripples in the water. After seeing the attack twice before with the leg trap and the earth spikes, the monk was only starting to understand the rhythm. Though, even if he could see it as clear as a bell, he wouldn't have been able to stop his strike mid-swing. Being able to follow the rhythm simply gave him a fighting chance.

Many an accomplished martial arts master would always say to "go with the flow" of battle and move with your opponent's attacks. Taking things as they came was always good for unpredictable opponents. But when your opponent was the one controllingthe flow, moving with the current would lead him right where his opponent wanted him.

Heh...like a bear fishing upstream...

It was time Tenkai struck a chord of his own.

I'm probably forcing it, he thought as he pulled in ambient ki from the environment towards his left hand, crackling like some sort of electricity, But it's better than just--

!

That was when Saphen launched his cactus, sending the thorned arms towards Tenkai from behind the pillar. Time seemed to slow down to the monk as he witnessed the sudden, unexpected counter-attack.

He can control plants, too?

It should have been much more obvious. Being able to conrol the earth meant more than simply rocks or dirt in many forms of magic. It seemed that nature itself was at his opponent's fingertips as he plucked the strings. If the monk hesitated in his attack, he'd be caught in Saphen's well-orchestrated web.

So he'd simply cut through it.

*FSSSZZZCCHHIHIHIHI!!*

***雷神斬*

*Raijinzan!*** (Thunder God Slash)

Tenkai swung his blade from his hip as if he were drawing in some sort of iaijutsu strike, running the blade through the ki he had gathered at his left. The blindingly-fast swing sent the gathered ki forward like a bolt of lightning, despite the fact that it only lookedlike lightning rather than actually being elemental. The actual swing would cut through two of the tentacles, but that wasn't the extent of the monk's counter-attack.

Indeed, Saphen's rock pillar served more than one purpose. Not only did it provide a good defense, but it hid Saphen's actions from Tenkai's view so he couldn't see the cactus. And by deciding to go forward with his attack regardless, Tenkai intended to use both of these factors to his advantage.

The high-speed projectile of ki would crash right into the stone wall, probably even damaging some of the tentacles in its path. Although Tenkai had not enough time to prepare it so that it'd be able to break completely though the pillar, he didn't intend on hitting his opponent with the attack itself. The impact alone would be enough to shatter the pillar, sending both the cactus and large chunks of rock flying back from the force. Not only would it keep the cactus away from Tenkai, but the shattered rock would crash right into the bard crouching behind it at point-blank range. Just as the piller hid Saphen's movements from Tenkai's eyes, so to did it obscure Tenkai's own actions.

The bard may have control of the current, but it was Tenkai's intention to turn that current against him.

四本! [4]

It seemed the bard was still full of surprises.

Not only was he able to upturn the earth to use as a shield, he could control it independendly. He actually caused his own defense to dodge Tenkai's Raijinzan in order to avoid damage to that plant. But why would he--

Saphen Wrote:

> All eight of them would lash forward, like a multi point whip, in an attempt to add to the mayhem that was the stone structure. Each thorn could cut fairly deep into skin, the sinew could bruise and damage the body just as easily.

Ah...that was why.

It seemed as if Tenkai's opponent was desperate to catch him in his stone traps, especially if he was going so far as to break his own creations for their further use. Getting over the low-aiming rock pillar wasn't so much of a problem, though. The cacti, on the other hand...

With his katana at his right side, Tenkai brought his left hand once more to its hilt at the pommel area.

Yare, yare...

FSCHIIINGGG!

A flash.

For a moment, it would look like Tenkai did nothing more than a short jump over the pillar aimed for his ankles. But if Saphen could see anything above him while lying so low to the ground, he'd notice that Tenkai's sword had changed position. Once Tenkai landed on the ground, the cactus tendrils would fall apart, set ablaze with a burning blue flame moments after the cut.

In reality, the "flash" was Tenkai swinging his sword as he leapt over the incoming horizontal pillar aimed for his ankles. With all eight tendrils aiming to lash Tenkai at once like a giant cat-o-nine-tails, the bard had made it easier for Tenkai to cut through all eight with a single stroke.

Something about that last attack left Tenkai's Muramasa burning with the same strange blue fire that had "seared" through the cactus as Tenkai cut it. Even more odd was that the fire wasn't spreading like it should have been. In reality, all it did was cleave through the tendrils, completely ruining them rather than cutting them. It was as if Tenkai had just burst through the entire mass of plant matter completely.

Just what was going on, anyway?

*It's just...so...irritating...to go without blood so long after being drawn...*

Muramasa had awoken.

Don't be hasty. I'm not here to kill anyone.

Saphen wouldn't be able to hear this mental discourse, but it seemed as if Tenkai was speaking with his sword.

Saphen Wrote:

> As soon as the attack passed Saphen would quickly scramble to his feet, his breathing ragged as he---

"Hold it."

---stood there before the monk.

The forward leap had closed the distance between Tenkai and his opponent. Although there was still that foot-high stump, the monk was close enough to see the bard whether he decided to stay on the floor or not. Now there was about two feet between them, with Tenkai's Muramasa covered in a menacing aura.

What was a monk doing with a sword like that? And where did these "flames" come from?

"I hate to interrupt your sonata, but I'm starting to get tired of chasing you around and playing with rocks."

Tenkai was close enough to act the moment the bard brought his bow to his violin, if he so chose to do so with Tenkai so close. The monk wasn't about to let him resume his play so soon. If the bard was insistent on continuing his song, Tenkai would react accordingly. However, it seemed as if the strange holy man was more interested in seeing if Saphen was made of sterner stuff.

*Regardless of the outcome, it'd be disrespectful to use so little of what I can do. If my body alone isn't enough, then I will fight with my spiritas well.*

五本! [5]

*!*

He's changing the tune again?

The chord strummed from the bard's violin rippled through the air, launching the two rock shards Tenkai had evaded earlier. They sailed towards the forward leaping monk, aiming to crash right into him at two different points. It seemed as if there was no way for Tenkai to escape the upcoming bone-crushing attack...

I think...I've just...almost...

That was when Tenkai started to turn his body counter-clockwise with the momentum of his mid-air slash...

...gotten used to it!

Surprisingly, Tenkai's body turning caused the first rock shard to snag and tear at his robe as it passed, the rest of the cloth taking the majority of the graze. The pull from the first shard was enough to keep him turning, eventually facing the oncoming second shard. He swung the flat of the blade into it as he turned, violently parrying it into the ground where it stuck into the snow.

In a way, the monk was knocked off course, as it left him landing shakily in a crouch on his left knee with his blade held low at his left side. Fortunately for Tenkai, he was able to avoid serious damage from those spikes. But how was he able to tell the attack was coming from behind him?

I've finally gotten used to his rhythm.

Throughout the battle, Tenkai had been keeping with the flow of the bard's tune. It was completely unexpected at first, but the more Tenkai saw what Saphen could do, the more he understood how it carried through his music. Normally Tenkai could sense magical energies building up for some sort of attack, but the bard's abilities were indirect. They could come from many directions like that of a psychic. The only way Tenkai could react to such attacks coming from his blindside was to understand the flow of the bard's magic.

His music was the key.

The magic was woven into the sound. Now that Tenkai was paying more attention to the ripples of the music, he could feel where it was coming from. It gave him just enough of a chance to avoid a truly debilitating injury. Had those rock spikes scored a direct hit, even when blunt, they probably would do a lot more than just break a few bones. The graze was no holiday either, but it was better than being impaled by something notsharp.

It wasn't solely the music, though. Tenkai hadn't forgotten about those spikes either. After seeing how easily the bard could control that pillar and send it towards him, Tenkai wouldn't let himself be fooled. By now, the monk expected the bard could do just about anything with the earth so long as he had the melody.

Andthe energy.

Something that the bard was starting to exhaust. Tenkai could tell by the bard's movements as he backpedaled that he was getting tired. Tenkai was tired as well, but all of Tenkai's abilities so far were about releasing energy. It must have taken a lot more to control that stone and shape it the way he wanted, especially when it could move on his whim.

By now, Tenkai figured that the closer he got to his opponent, the more the bard would do everything he could to get away from him. Even when exhausted, he wouldn't stop moving away from the monk.

So that's how it is...

The monk's face wrenched with determination, Muramasa's aura surged a blazing blue as Tenkai's spirit energy flowed into it.

"Doko ka!?" (Where are you going!?)

The monk swung his blade, low and horizontal from his crouched position. As he swung, he released another "wave" attack from his blade much like the first attack he used at the beginning of the match. However, Tenkai's Fuujinzan utilized ki and appeared to look more like air. This attack was a horizontal blade of spirit energy, which looked like some sort of blue fire.

Tenkai wasn't sure if Saphen could tell, but the "flames" weren't some sort of magic. If the monk's ki came from his body's breathing, then his reiki (spirit energy) came from his soul.

The attack was aimed low for the bard's shins. If his opponent was going to stay mobile, then the best thing for the monk to do was to try and reduce his movements.

...Then let's see if he can jump!

六本! [6]

Saphen Wrote:

> At this moment, Tenkai's wave was released, but Saphen was soaring over it and---

貰つた~! "Moratta~!" (Got you!)

That was when something unexpected happened.

Up until now, Tenkai had been rather predictable. His special attacks were mostly projectiles that followed a single line directly in front of him. It didn't look like there was any other trick in the monk's arsenal. Tenkai didn't really like using trap maneuvers, as he preferred to legitimately find ways around an opponent's defense. Especially if it was a defense this powerful.

But there was one move in his arsenal that managed to get the job done after his opponents had come to expect something of him...

The monk's released wave wasn't exactly from a slow swing. Rather than simply willing a projectile forward, the monk had to practically throwit using his sword. That required a strong, swift swing of the blade. The monk's swing would be completed before the bard leapt, and the leap was just what Tenkai had hoped for.

As soon as he saw the bard leaping over the wave, the monk's left hand zipped in front of his face in some sort of prayer gesture...

...the blade-wave surged...

...And the bard would feel himself locked in mid-flight by some sort of force as he was caught in a powerful spiral of spirit energy.

因果応報神剣流荻 - 燃焼旋風斬! *Inga Ouhou Shinken-ryu Ougi - Nenshou Senpuuzan!* (Divine Sword of Retribution Style Special Technique - Burning Cyclone Slash)

As said before, the wave he had launched was very much like Tenkai's first attack, the Fuujinzan. But the one he had just used also contained his spirit energy as well. Using that spirit energy, he was able to collapse the attack at the right moment, turning it into an upward moving hurricane of spirit fire. If Saphen wasn't some sort of demon or dark being under that mask, then the "fire" would only "burn" with the intensity of the spirit energy as it ravaged his body like a violent gale. If he was, on the other hand, Tenkai's spirit energy would feel like actual fire, causing even more damage.

The force of the wind would spin him around and send him up into the air, throwing off his mid-air balance so that he'd crash into the ground.

The attack wouldn't tear the bard to pieces or anything, although it would leave some gashes around the body. The monk couldn't put in enough energy for that. Rather, the attack would be more effective in how it got around his opponent's guard and sent him through the air.

Just as the bard had tried to take advantage of the monk being airborne, so too would Tenkai return the favor. Only this time, the bard was running intothe trap rather than the trap being sent at him from behind.

With Tenkai focused on the execution of his plan, he didn't give much significance to the vibrations of magic coming from the vine or the daggers on his opponent. But that same magic was the only clue the monk would get at something coming his way.

*!*

The spike!

It must have been sent as the bard was coming after him. That was a fast recovery! But would it have the same force with the bard's magic going every which way like that?

Probably.

However, since Tenkai had both parried the spike and turned his body counter-clockwise from the jump before, the spike would be in front of the monk. It'd be just within his visual range as it came in...although that did little to stop it.

CRSHH!

Tenkai only had time to tilt his body to the left, causing the spike to strike into his rosary necklace. The necklace separated as it was struck, the impact fracturing the right side of his collar bone. He fell back, stopping his back from hitting the ground barely with his right arm as his right side jerked back from the strike.

His face wrenched in pain, Tenkai would look on to see the aftermath of his own attack in order to decide what to do next. He couldn't waste movements anymore with an injured collar bone. Had he not been focused on his trick-move he probably would have escaped with a minor graze. Fortunately, it was a hit worth taking in order to pull off the technique.

七本! [7]

It seemed as if Tenkai's technique had paid off. Although that clothing had lessened the damage of his attack, he could still see some tears here and there, as well as a wounded right hand. He probably took some damage from the fall, but the monk couldn't tell how much by the way the bard was reacting to it.

In fact, the bard seemed to have changed his pattern entirely. Now that Tenkai thought about it, the sudden vigor and movement from the bard after being so exhausted was unusual. The fact that he was charging at the monk just moments before he ran into his technique implied he was trying to get into melee range.

That's right...his instrument! It's not just a magical weapon...

It was unusual, but not unbelievable.

But that didn't seem to be what Tenkai's opponent was going for now. As the monk stood back up, he saw the bard bandaging up his right hand tightly to halt the bleeding. A smart move, but odds were likely the injury would mean needing a new plan.

As the bard bandaged himself, Tenkai reconnected his rosary necklace where it separated from the bard's attack. It seemed as if he could reconnect the beads somehow. He winced as he felt a sharp pain in his collar bone just from moving his arm. It must have been a fracture from the impact. Thankfully, the pain was more of a mental than mechanical hindrance. If it wasn't for his rosary it probably would have been a lot worse.

Still, fighting through pain was always...redundantly...a pain. Though the bard seemed to be enjoying the pain he was in.

Yare yare da ze...

The monk didn't see the bard reaching for his instruments again. Instead, he was reaching his left hand inside of his shirt. Such movements usually implied some sort of hidden weapon. Last time an opponent made a move like that he pulled out a bomb, so the monk found himself ironically hoping for a dagger or throwing glaive.

With Muramasa in his right hand, Tenkai kept an easy grip on the blade as he held the hilt up lightly at shoulder level, the tip pointing forward and downward towards Tenkai's left side. He kept his left hand against the flat of the blade a few inches away from the tip.

"You said to me earlier that you fight to find your identity," said Tenkai. "Tell me...just what have you learned about yourself?"

八本! [8]

The monk understood the bard's words, spoken in a tongue familiar to him. Even though he could understand the language, the meaning of the words was hidden behind its poetic nature.

And yet, somehow the monk understood that as well.

Identity...I knew it was more than that.

Fighting people simply to learn about them was empty in and of itself. It was why the bard wanted to learn about others that gave it significance. By fighting Tenkai, Saphen was gaining another story to tell in his travels. For the monk, it wasn't difficult to understand why a masked man would be so interested in stringing together the stories of those he encountered.

Of course, even the things he understood were still very peculiar...

So battle is a muse to him?

Tenkai smirked...

"Sou kita ka..." (So that's how it is...)

...and his opponent attacked.

The monk watched as the bard played, though something was odd about the movement. It seemed he was moving the violin itself rather than the bow to strike the chords. It would seem as if he was trying to make it easier on his injury, but he wouldn't need to grip so hard to keep hold of the bow if he kept the movement in the arm.

That was when the bard swung, from outside his own weapon's attack range. With that bow hooked from under his shirt where he had previously reached with his left hand, odds were likely he was preparing something. Surely enough, the whizzing through the air was all that was needed.

!

A dagger--!

At least it wasn't a bomb. Of course, that wasn't to say you couldn't put explosives on daggers. They were just a bit more noticeable in certain situations. Then again, with the way it was spinning it could have been any sort of small throwing weapon. All Tenkai could tell was that it had a blade, and it was heading right for him.

Fortunately for Tenkai, he was holding his sword right in the way of the dagger. With a step to his right, Tenkai moved his sword to the left as the dagger came in. His Muramasa parried the dagger, causing it to ricochet off the blade far off Tenkai's left side without needing any elaborate movements.

Although his injury was painful, it did little to hamper his footwork as adrenaline flowed through Tenkai's body. He advanced with his step and, unlike before, headed directly for the bard. Tenkai seemed intent on finding out how the bard reacted to close-quarters swordfighting.

"Now then...do you know why I fight?"

九本! [9]

Time seemed to slow down as the fighters drew closer to eachother. There wasn't even time for Tenkai to speak in response to Saphen's question. The monk wouldn't stop his charge as the bard assumed his fencing position, as if he intended to practically run right into the bard's "blade"

What is worth fighting for?

As the bard feinted his thrust, the monk moved into the forward-held blade. He stepped forward onto his left foot and stopped, pivoting on it clockwise. As he turned, he brought the flat of his blade right into the side of the bow to parry it with both of his hands.

What isn't worth fighting for in this world? Worth is in the eye of the beholder.

It appeared as if the monk intended to turn his body so that he was on the outside of the bard's right arm, moving his body as if he intended to stand side-by-side with his opponent. Although his right leg followed with his turn out of the line of attack, it wasn't done as an attempt to dodge the unseen dagger. The monk intended this action all along. In fact, Tenkai hardly noticed the dagger.

Butt he did feel it.

FSCH!

In spite of the pre-emptive movement of his body, the dagger still managed to graze his thigh, cutting through his robes at the thigh. Although it had a lot to cut through, it still cut through enough to draw blood.

The question is...should something be worth fighting for?

As he turned and parried, Tenkai's hand shot for the bard's right hand in a fluid motion. The monk intended to keep the bard's right arm where it was, although gripping the right hand would inadvertently agitate the wound.

Regardless of what I think is worth it, there's definately something I think shouldn't be...

With his turn, Tenkai would be standing at the bard's outside to his right. Rather than simply pause as his face wrenched in pain at putting weight on his right leg, he turned his pain into a determined cry. With his sword poised from the position of his last movement, the monk held tight onto the bard's right hand...

No one should have to do battle just to figure out who they are.

"HAAAAAAAAH!"

...and thrust Muramasa into the bard's abdomen.

From Tenkai's position, he wouldn't be trying to stab his opponent directly in the stomach. He was aiming for the right side, in an area that would miss the bard's vitals. Just as he had tried when he fought Nightsnow, he was trying to deal a serious blow without disregarding the life of his opponent.

People are more than just the sum of their abilities. In truth, understanding the self is only difficult in its simplicity. It's so simple that our human minds look right past it, as if we all have our selves written on some stone lost in the ocean.

As much as he hated to quench Muramasa's thirst, Tenkai refused to keep it from respecting his opponent with what he was capable of. But in spite of this, Tenkai lamented that his opponent could only find his "self" in fighting others. There were so many wonderful and terrible things in this life, Tenkai thought. "All-covering forests and ten-thousand things"...The whole of creation as people saw it. To the monk, what he was in the scope of it all wasn't important. The fact that he "was" is all he needed.

Things didn't seem that simple for the bard somehow. But the thought of it being so severe as to drive someone to fight just to give themselves identity filled his heart with sadness.

I fight because I must, for the sake of others. In spite of that...I don't really like fighting much at all. We shouldn't have to fight for anything. But most of the time...we must.

十本! [10]

((Edited for clarity. Sorry, that third time I was thinking about my left hand holding the right, and accidentally called your right hand a left hand. @.@))

((Editing with post. Judges, please excuse the time of my opponent's next post. Then again I'm sure by now you know neither of us are trying to skimp out on our fight. >.<))

And so the monk and bard were locked together by their weapons.

Tenkai was happy to see the bard's effective counter. Not only did stepping forward with his left manage to turn a painful stab into a less-serious gash, but the violin used to block his sword would prevent Tenkai from pressing the blade forward to deepen the wound. The monk had managed to use that against an opponent earlier on in the tournament, but now things were different.

As Saphen pulled in with his right arm, Tenkai didn't initially see the bard's intention to crash his forehead into him. He thought he was trying to pull Tenkai into his weapon. With his hand locked around the bard's injured right and the guard of his Muramasa against, Tenkai had enough leverage to push the weapon-lock downward and into his opponent.

That was when he saw it.

That mask...

Everything seemed to slow down as the bard reared his head back for the headbutt. Even so, all Tenkai could think about was the bard's mask...the testament to his sorrow.

That mask...

The identity that the bard had so much difficulty coming to grips with was shrouded by that mask. It was no wonder why someone needed to fight for their own sense of self when they hid themselves behind such a thing. Many would say a mask like that was a means of feeling safe and secure.

But to Tenkai, it was nothing more than a cage.

You said you fight for identity...?

A stone mask like that couldn't have been too thick or heavy to serve as viable protection for someone that wore light armor, but it'd definately be hard enough to make a headbutt very effective. If it crashed into his face, his nose would be broken for sure. That would be a terrible disadvantage.

And yet still, all the monk could think about was how horrible it was to be trapped behind a mask.

*...見せて遣るぞッ!!!!

(...Then I'll show you!)*

Saphen Wrote:

> "Ha!"

*"HWOOOAAAAHHH!"*

CRSSSSSHHH!!!!

And their foreheads collided!

Rather than try to turn his head away or anything that'd try and avoid the headbutt, Tenkai went right into it with a headbutt of his own. With a powerful exhale, the monk focused his ki towards his forehead and swung his head down and foreward. Rather than getting smashed in the face, the force of their blows would meet right in the center.

Tenkai's kiwould harden the striking surface of his crown much like the techniques used by other Buddhist monks. It would protect him from the impact much like wool lining would protect the bard's head. However, it wasn't Saphen's face that Tenkai was initially targeting...

...it was the mask.

The force of his kiwould drive into the mask with intention to shatter it. Tenkai's kenpoallowed him to strike much thicker rocks without too much injury, so the relatively thin mask wouldn't be much. The force of the impact would end up jarring both of the fighters, but Tenkai didn't care about that. All he cared about was breaking his opponent free of his identity's shackles.

I fight for the sake of others...and for your sake, I will set you free!

十一本! [11]

Although Tenkai couldn't break completely through the mask, the monk at least made a statement. The mask had broken enough for the monk to see a shred of the bard's face. But something was wrong.

His reaction was unlike what Tenkai had expected. Although the monk wanted to set the bard free of his burdens, he was intent on keeping his face hidden. Was there some further meaning to this that the monk couldn't comprehend yet?

Rather than being jarred with the pain of Tenkai's grip on his right hand, the bard had managed to wrench it free of his grip. By somehow dropping the bow clenched in his hand, it gave him just enough leeway to pull himself free and...

A punch...?

It was much different from before. The bard's previous attacks had a different flow to them. But this? This felt as if he had gone into some sort of berserker rage, fueled by his pain. Now he had recovered from the stalemate headbutt, his bent arm was wrenched back in preparation of a powerful punch.

But it was a punch the monk could just barely "see".

Though "feel" would probably be the better word for it. The bard's fury was like a crashing wave in a calm sea. With Tenkai able to feel his grip on the bard's right hand lost, everything else came together in a clear picture.

Albeit, not as soon as the monk had hoped.

It gave him enough time to bring in his left hand. He pushed softly against the bard's incoming right wrist, redirecting the force of the punch just a bit as he moved to the left. The fist painfully grazed his right cheek, covering it with blood such so that the bruise would be hard to distinguish on the monk's face. But as the fist passed by, Tenkai kept his hand moving with the punch, using the force to push the bard off balance as Tenkai passed behind him.

激流を制するのは清水...

Gekiryuu wo seisuru no wa seisui... (The calm stream commands the raging rapids...)

He almost stumbled as he turned, but Tenkai kept his body stable. Had he not been disoriented by the headbutt, the whole movement would have gone a lot more smoothly. With luck, Tenkai's maneuver would cause the bard to fall foward onto the ground. If not, it'd at least throw off his attack enough to create distance between the two combatants.

Panting heavily as his perception recovered, the monk adressed the bard's cry.

"You're right...we all wear masks. And we all must remove them in order to discover who we really are."

十二本! [12]

What more does anyone need to know about masks?

Masks could hide both the face and the self. Regardless of whatever else someone put onto that, all masks hid something. Usually they hid things people didn't want others to see. But why would the bard want that? Was he horribly scarred? Was there something inhuman about his face that he couldn't stand to see? Was he even human at all?

Tenkai wasn't sure, but if the bard insisted to hide behind that mask, was he afraid of his own identity?

Saphen Wrote:

> "When you forget everyone that is important to you then you can come with your words of UNDERSTANDING!!!"

Forget everything important to you?

Tenkai thought about this as he watched the bard hunch over, grasping his stomach. The monk knew he had injured the bard, but not in the middle of his stomach. If anything, he would be grabbing his side.

Thankfully, Tenkai was right.

The obvious target would be his injured collarbone, so Tenkai naturally responded by moving towards his left. But the movement went too fast for the monk to tell if that was all that the bard threw at him. So he kept in motion, moving himself entirely out of the line of attack, turning the right side of his body away.

FSHCH!

The movement barely escaped the dagger aimed for the center of the gut. With the way his body was positioned, it would shear through his scapular, tearing a large gash through the garment. It was a close call, but by now Tenkai had come to expect these trick moves.

As he stopped on his left foot, Tenkai grasped his rosary necklace with his left hand and removed it entirely from his neck. There it hung from his grip, almost as if it was some sort of weapon, but not in an initially threatening pose. It almost looked as if he wanted to use it for prayer.

"Is it more painful to forget about what is important, or to know that the the important things have been taken from you at your most helpless?"

Tenkai's last few words had a very odd tone to them. If the bard's ears were sensitive enough, he'd be able to tell that this wasn't simple use of philosophy. They must have had a deeper meaning to the monk.

Regardless, Tenkai was being choosy with his movements. The wounds he had sustained may not have inhibited him mechanically, but they were painful. Both fighters were in great physical pain, but somehow the bard's pain went deeper than just his body.

What is it that hurts you so much?

十三本! [13]