Re-enter the Dragon

"Kick him again!"

"Harder!"

"Stomp him!"

Kozue was crying. She didn't even notice it at first, but after the third kick, she could feel these hots tears coming down her cheek. She wasn't sure why. She couldn't take the time to analyze it, right now. She just kept going on and on like a machine while the crowd egged her. It felt good. It felt righteous. Every kick felt like evening the score, tiem and time again, and she wanted to just keep doing it until...something happened. She wasn't sure what, but something.

That 'something' probably wasn't supposed to be Black Dragon grabbing her leg, pulling her towards him, and nailing her with a clothesline from the pits of hell. That, however, was exactly what happened.

She hit the floor hard with her arms splayed out and her face contorted and her hair splayed all around, groaning while her head rocked from side to side.

Dragon dropped to one knee, one arm across his chest clutching it. All those kicks were hurting still. They'd probably be bruises the next day. He leaned over to the side, spat out blood, and ran his tongue along his teeth. That freaking cheap shot with the trash can lid had hit him good. He seemed to just laugh it off but he really couldn't hide that the blows were staggering him.

After a few deep breaths, Dragon forced himself to his feet and laughed some more as he looked down at Kozue. He brought his leg up and stomped down at the ninja-girl's abdomen with seeming sadistic fury.

Who the hell was this guy? What was his whole problem? Why'd he come after her and Johnny in the first place? Why was he still starting shit with her? Why'd he fuck up her match? How could she be stupid enough to think this fight would end in any other way than the way it was clearly ending?

The questions swirled around Kozue's brain as the world came back into focus, along with the realization that getting up and getting out were both things she needed to do in a hurry. She started to do it, too, slowly raising up into a sit, when Black Dragon's boot came crashing down into her stomach.

She fell back and grasped her battered abs while she gasped for air, futily kicking her legs about. All while the fucker laughed and laughed.

Dragon held his booted foot on the ninja for almost ten seconds before finally releasing her. He took a step back, rubbing the now battered chin that Kozue had smashed with the trash can lid. He contemplated returning the favor...but he imagined there were a few too many people around to let him get away with it while she was down. They clearly supported the ninja-girl more based on all the things he could make out them saying.

"Like kicking girls while they're down?" was one of the questions that managed to slip by the filter that was all the ambient noise from the busy city around them. Dragon seemed to embrace the thought of that one. No, of course not. Why kick them when they're down...

When you could kick them while they're up? He grabbed Kozue by the shoulders and hauled her up to her feet. He held her in place with his hands, and then drove his knee into her gut.

Oh, people were commenting on the fight. That was nice. It didn't do a single goddamn thing to help Kozue out, but it was nice to have a running commentary while she was gettng her ass handed to her.

She was too busy sucked in lungfulls of air to properly comment, interrupted by the occasional wheezing cough. Somehow, someway, she managed to put her palms flat on the hard concrete and started to push up, working for every inch as she started to rise.

Black Dragon helped her along. Pulled her back up to her feet. Got her standing. Then he made the pain in her stomach all that much worse.

He hit Kozue hard enough to lift her off her feet, and if he hadn't been holding her up, she would've fallen right down again. Instead, she stayed up and grasped her stomach while she leaned on him for support. She couldn't even muster the strength to spit in his face, which she desperately wanted to do.

Dragon couldn't help but grin maniacally as Kozue keeled over from the vicious knee shot.  He could feel the energy draining from her with each blow he dealt.  He imagined the strength difference was just too much after he had grounded her.  Not that she would've been fine had he not, of course.  She was out of her element in this fight, and the arrogant man couldn't help but bring light to it.

"What good is all that training of yours?" he asked referring to her time in the dojo.  "If you're just going to get the shit kicked out of you in a backalley."

He grabbed her back of her head and pants and hauled her over to the nearby dumpster, before brutally ramming her head into the side of it.

The only thing worse than getting beat around by a sick fuck in a backalley was getting beat by a sick fuck in a backalley with a legitimate point.

Kozue wanted to call Black Dragon out, throw some sort of retort back his way, but she couldn't. It wasn't just because she was having a hard time breathing, though that was a major factor. No, it was the fact that he was, in many ways, right. The training didn't help. Not when she needed it most. Sure, she'd done better than last time, but the end result was still the same. Pain, and more pain to come.

She had little time to ponder this, though, before her head was sent into the nearest dumpster at ramming speed, hitting with a mighty crashed that echoed through the alley. The crowd recoiled, roaches fleed from underneath the garbage, and Kozue collapsed in a heap, right on her chest. An unmoving, silent, battered mess on the street.

People cringed as Dragon drove Kozue's head into the side of the dumpster.  The whole excitement of a street fight seemed to be fading as people realized that at this point it was less of a fight, more of a beatdown.  There was no referee to keep the man from just beating the girl to a pulp at this point.  But people still had consciences, and Dragon was more than aware of that.  The last thing he wanted was supposed good guys stepping in.

But it was more or less over.  He didn't start the fight.  He could walk away at any time and not look bad.  She was down and out, and he couldn't help but laugh.  He spat out a little more blood onto the ground with a grin.  "Is that all you've got?" he asked the downed Ninja.  The spectators seemed to answer him for her.

"That's enough don't you think?"

"Stop while you're ahead!"

"Fuck you man."

"Finish her!"

Dragon heard all of it but acted as if he only heard that last bit.  He cracked his knuckles against his fist and crouched down.  "Get up," he yelled at the down Kozue.  He stalked over her.  "Get up," he said again, positioning himself in front of her.  He waited patiently for the girl to get up on her own strength, before suddenly charging forward and kicking her in the jaw with his finisher.

The sad fact of the matter was that, yes, that was all Kozue had. Dragon had her completely beat, dead to rights, and if there was some way out of the hold she'd dug herself into, she couldn't see the way.

"Go fuck..." She started to pick up herself back up as he moved around her, taunted her, rubbed it all back in and made the wound sting. "Go fuck yourself."

It was a weak, empty way to come back at him, but it was all she could think to say at the moment, just noise to fill the void while she made it back to her feet. It would have to do, because she wouldn't get a second chance. The crowd wanted him to end it, and that was exactly what he did - the last thing Kozue saw before darkness took her was the sight of his boot coming towards her face at terminal velocity. She never heard the sound of the impact, never saw her body flop backwards and land spreadeagled. She'd hear about it a week later, after a stay in the hospital, but until then, Kozue could only fill in the blanks.

Everyone held their breath as somehow Kozue found the strength to get back to her feet. Most didn't expect that she'd even be able to stand on her own after that last hit, and they probably hoped as much as well. They all watched with eyes wide open as she managed to stand up straight...

...and go right back down as Dragon's boot struck her in the jaw. This time there was no doubt. She fell limply backwards to the ground motionless. The masked man formed himself as if ready to continue the fight, then eased up without a word. He looked down at her from a few feet away, still panting lightly. Then, in classic heel form, he laughed.

This time, people looked like they were about to step in and intervene. But it didn't matter to him, the fight was over. He had showed Kozue what happens to people who mess with him. He backed away, spitting one last time to the side and shaking his head. People moved out of his way as he headed back into the arena.