Hitomi and Karisma- Reunited

Hitomi sighed. "So you don't plan to stay here for long?" she said, "That's a shame. But I like your idea, a league where the warriors could gather and polish their skills. Once you make it, I'll be sure to come." She shifted a little in her bed again, sitting up a bit more. "But first, I've got to make it to the top here. There's only one thing I'll fight for now, and that happiness." She looked right into Karisma's eyes. "Happiness for my own sake, and happiness to make others know that we who have had pain-filled pasts can still shine in this world." She smiled at Karisma. "And you can be sure of this too, I may have lost this time, but I won't lose to you again. I never lose to the same opponent twice."

Karisma looked down. "I won't leave until I am sure tthat I can suceed in my goals and I have found out the mysterious benefactor's true identity. I won't strike until I I know it will be the final nail in both their ugly coffins." She said quietly. "I may be here for quite a few years." Her words were said in a hopeful tone.

"I am happy that you have found something to shine brightly for." She then looked at Hitomi. "You never loose to the same opponent twice?" She said slyly. "Didn't you already loose twice to me? I'm looking forward to fighting you again though!"

"Oh? That's good," Hitomi said, "Tell you what Karisma, I'll help you. I'll try to help you find those terrible people."

When she heard what Karisma said, she laughed. "Hey, that was way back when I was weak," she said, "I had no hope then, and I was nothing. But now I am much more than before. I am strong now, I have the will and the strength to keep on going. Back then, all I knew was defeat. Now I know hope. I want to be better now. I lost to you once before this, but that doesn't count. I will not lose again." She regained her determined look. "We will fight again Karisma, perhaps sooner, perhaps later, but we will fight again." She raised her hand and clenched it into a fist. "And I will not lose."

Karisma smiled at what Hitomi said. "Thank you. I know where to find at least one of them. I would like to fight with you as much as against you." She spoke it more like she was thinking aloud. "And I would fight you a hundred times if you wanted but you're never going to have an easy fight. I beat you once, I know I can do it again!"

Hitomi looked at Karisma in surprise. "You know where one of them is?" she asked, "Well, why don't you go fight them then?" She raised her hands, "I'll be sure to help you beat them up!" She tried to get up, but her head suddenly exploded in pain, and she lay back down on the bed. "Well... maybe until I recover," she said, a hand going up to her head.

Karisma lowered her head. "She replaced me when she beat me. I am sure she lives in the palace I once called home. I cannot go back yet. I may be able to beat her, considering how tough those ugly pits made me but I won't go yet. I need to be able to defeat her beautifully. A graceful majestic end on my terms. I cannot beat her as the urchin I was or the thug I became after I lost. I need to beat her as a shining jewel of justice. Do you understand?" She asked knowing the answer.

"Ah, I see," Hitomi said, "Of course I understand. You're not sure you can beat her with your style yet, so you're honing your skills until you can." Hitomi leaned back in her pillow. "It's a bit strange you know? That style you use. You're almost dancing when you're fighting. It's nothing like anything I've seen here or anywhere else. It's without a doubt beautiful... but it's a bit wasteful I think." She smiled. "I guess that's one of the few diferences between us. I like fighting directly."

Karisma smiled when Hitomi described her style. "I was always tough but when I began to think about really shining I needed to find a style that was both beautiful and effective. I researched martial arts but I knew I needed to keep the essence of my country. The style of dance is elegant but a dance doesn't harness the raw power I needed but I stumbled onto a style that took all the best elements of certain arts and used fluidity as its base. Like water, the body flows loosely around the movements of their opponent. No matter how strong your opponent may be, if one uses their own strength against them, the weakest you can be is as strong as they are. I modified the style and added the elegance of a beautiful dance to make it as beautiful as it is deadly.Beauty in everything you do. That is my mantra."

"It's an impressive ideal to strive for," Hitomi said, "Elegant yet effective. It was really hard to fight you during our match you know, I couldn't predict your movements, and you always seemed to just slip away when I thought I could hit you." She shook her head. "But you know, I've figured out the way you move now," she continued, "And I don't think you'll be able to dodge so easily next time." She raised her hands and rubbed her eyes. "Tactics, it's all tactics. It's never just brute force, it's about using the right amount of force at the right time," she mused, thinking about how she always fought.

Karisma smiled at Hitomi's words. "You're right, the right amount of force at the right time is the key to victory. But if you think you can predict my moves, then you must also think you can predict the movements of a single drop of water in the middle of a raging river.