Manami Kuroda vs. Yuki Onna - Snow and Wolf

Despite succeeding in regaining her momentum, Yuki couldn't help but feel uneasy. Hearing Manami's chuckle, her expression hardened before she unintentionally clenched both her fists, causing her injury to be aggravated again. Flinching, she brought her hand to her injured wrist, taking a moment to soothe the pain before she brought back her attention to her foe. She didn't like this foreboding feeling where she should feel assured and certain of herself, but Manami's reaction was disconcerting. This shouldn't be right.

This somewhat irked the azure-haired heiress a bit. So, she decided to press on as she would bend down, grabbing a handful of Manami's hair again to force her to get up. This time, her yank would be more forceful, as if she was trying to get a more satisfying reaction from her foe.

"What's so funny?" Yuki asked, her red eyes glaring into Manami's as she attempted to pull her up. She couldn't get a proper reading on her opponent so far, making it too frustrating for her.

Without waiting for Manami's reply, Yuki would try to tug Manami closer to the apron, looking to violently bash the head of the Wolf Girl onto the hard surface of the ringside, hoping to see a satisfying reaction out of her. This whole thing was very upsetting for Yuki, and due to her being agitated, the pain on her wrist was becoming more unbearable. She was hoping that she could keep her calm so that she could focus on what she was aiming for in this match.

At the same time, the referee continued counting for the countout, already reaching five.

Yuki had a bit of a temper, it seemed.

You couldn’t tell just by looking at her. The woman kept a nice composure about her person as best she could, at all times. The resolute calm of a true martial artist echoed through every fiber of her being. There was nothing but respect towards a worthy opponent and the honor of the fight latent behind those crimson eyes.

But she was still a person. A person with flaws, grievances, and, most importantly, grudges. If one dug deep enough, hit the cracks at just the right spot, they could see the kinks in the armor. The hatred built up over match after match of being underestimated and undersold. The humiliation of defeat and the sorrow of loss that would manifest itself under just the right conditions.

It may have been difficult for the average person to see, but Manami’s eyes were...special in that sense. Actually, it was more than that. She was just like that once. She knew the fury. The anger that slipped between the cracks. It was quite nostalgic. Quite pleasing. It brought a smile to her face, and drew a chuckle from her lips.

Even as her head was slammed against a metal pole.

“Hehehehe.” She laid slump against the ring, fighting Yuki’s grip for a moment. “I like you, Yuki.” And only a moment, before she pivoted on her back foot, aiming a spinning back elbow strike to the blue-haired woman’s head. “Let’s keep dancing.”

Assuming that diversion worked, Manami would roll back into the ring, waiting for her prey in the center.

Yuki didn't know why she was angry. She always thought of herself as a calm, collected person who could keep her composure in every situation. But, Manami had been pushing all the buttons that she never thought she had, making her more frustrated as the match went on. Even after slamming Manami's head as hard as she could, the reaction that she got wasn't what she hoped for, much to her dismay.

She had to fight back the urge to scowl and hiss upon hearing Manami's words, but her effort to keep her cool somehow distracted her from seeing the incoming elbow strike to her head. "Aughh!!" Her head recoiled back upon taking the elbow strike, and she had to let go of Manami's hair. She staggered back before she leaned against the barricade separating them with the audience. "Nnghh..." she grunted, bringing her uninjured hand to the spot where she took the elbow strike before she pushed herself off the barricade, going to enter the ring to continue the fight.

She tried her best to maintain her stoic look despite her rising frustration and anger, because she knew that Manami was trying to get those out of her. Gritting her teeth as she grabbed on the rope to pull herself up the apron, she finally got into the ring before the referee could count her out. Entering the ring, Yuki would try to retain her composure, controlling her breathing as she would step forth, preparing herself to face Manami again. With one injured hand, the cerulean-haired heiress was left with a huge handicap, as most of her power-based moves were rendered unavailable for her. She had to make do with what she had at the moment.

Brushing some stray blue locks off her forehead, Yuki would keep her distance, this time trying to play things out cautiously. She couldn't afford to go fully offensive, considering that she she couldn't use one of her hands at the moment. So, she needed to think of some new plans and improvise if she had to. Manami had proven herself to be a very dangerous opponent, not only because of her martial prowess, but also her expertise in psychological approach. It was proven by her playing Yuki like a fiddle throughout this match, much to her vexation.

Manami felt her blood picking up again as Yuki stepped back into the ring.

The waif had certainly made a point of attempting to impress her. Her martial prowess was nothing to wave at, and her foresight had saved her many a times so far in the match. But Yuki’s ability to recover was one she had vastly underestimated. For someone so delicate, she was clearly learning from her past experiences.

She could admire the girl’s resolve. The burning fire in her eyes despite the no-doubt swelling pain in her wrist. Her stance was firm, ready for an attack no matter where it may come from. If there was any fear behind those pupils, Manami wasn’t able to snuff it out.

That didn’t mean it wasn’t there, of course. It just meant the wolf had to force it out of her. The girl had to know, here and now, just how severely out of her depth she truly was. Let her screams fill the arena and make her weakness known to the rest of the world watching the two warrior women tearing into one another. The Wolf Girl licked in her lips in anticipation. She wanted everything this girl could throw at her.

Without a moment’s hesitation, she’d step strongly towards the blue-haired girl to close the distance between them. With a pivot on her back foot, she’d swing her leg forward with a roundhouse kick towards Yuki’s chest, looking to force the pale figure onto the canvas with sheer, overwhelming force.

Yuki tried clenching her fist again to see if it still hurt, and winced again when she felt the stinging pain on her wrist. She definitely needed to get it checked up soon after this match was over, but for the time being, she needed to put her focus on Manami, who was not only a frightening opponent, but also a frustrating one to deal with. The usually calm Yuki seemed to have trouble keeping her cool while facing her, making it difficult for her to keep herself focused on this match.

As her eyes tracked Manami's movement, Yuki dropped into a stance, preparing to spring into action as well. Seeing that Manami was going for a roundhouse kick that seemed to be aimed at her chest, the cerulean-haired heiress would step back, avoiding the kick altogether before rushing forth, hoping to use Manami's momentum against her. She would attempt to target her legs by trying to kick at her knee, hoping to make her lose her balance, thus allowing her to deal a more devastating move on her.

Yuki was planning to pivot in case if she managed to make Manami lose her balance so that she could attempt to deliver a superkick at her opponent, targeting at the side of her head, stunning her and bringing her down onto the mat at the same time. She thought that it was a solid plan and she hoped that she could successfully execute such plan on her enigmatic foe.

Manami was enjoying every moment she could spend with this girl. The expression worn stoically upon her face, hiding her feeble resolve, only made the Wolf Girl even more allured towards inflicting whatever harm she could. She wanted to the fear and pain in her eyes again. When she made her attempt at the roundhouse kick, it wasn’t simply to harm her opponent, but to put her in a compromising position. One where she could further the abuse that Yuki seemed to be deeply appreciating up until now.

But then her kick hit nothing but dead air, as Yuki’s face drew back a couple inches out of her range.The next thing she knew, a hard kick met her knee, making her wince and stumble back a couple paces. That wasn’t good. She was open now. And her opponent saw that quickly enough, as a superkick landed squarely into the side of her head.

“Gah!”

Manami caught it hard in the temple. She fell to the canvas with a slight ringing in her ears, clutching the side of her head with one hand. Her head felt like it was almost split in two. For a few seconds, all she could muster was a slight scowl towards her blue-haired adversary. If there were any doubt towards Yuki’s martial ability, the wolf’s condition would be an excellent case in her defense.

But simply laying her wouldn’t do her any good. Even if her senses were dulled, Manami was still more than capable of retaliating in her own right. The Wolf Girl batted an eye towards the martial artist’s leg before kicking her leg straight towards her kneecap, looking to bring her down to the canvas with her. While she may not be in a position to counter, it would at least take away Yuki’s ability to do so of her own accord.

Yuki managed to send Manami down with her superkick, and she quickly regained her balance after delivering it so that she could observe her downed opponent. Still, the Wolf Girl was far from done, and Yuki had to think of another way to deal more damage on her. The throbbing sensation on her injured wrist was making it difficult for her to focus, and she had to bring her hand to her injured wrist in order to soothe the pain a little as she warily watched her opponent.

She needed to see if Manami had anything in store for her. As of right now, she could only rely on her kicks and speed to deal damage on Manami, considering that one of her hands was not in any shape to be properly used in this match. As Yuki slowly approached Manami, she saw her moving her leg, as if going to attack. Eyes widened upon seeing what Manami was trying to do, she tried to step back in order to dodge, but the pain in her wrist had dulled her senses, making her misjudge her timing, and she ended up taking a kick at her kneecap!

"Aaahhhh!!" Yuki cried out in pain. It felt like the ground that she was standing on had turned into jelly. She managed to get a few steps back before she dropped on one of her knees. "Nnghhh... gah..." It seemed that she had been careless again, and her kneecap was targeted as a result. The stabbing pain in one of her knees was too much for her that she ended up grounded, with her on one knee. She placed a hand on the knee that was attacked by Manami, trying to soothe the pain, putting herself in a precarious position as a result.

Maybe she was taking this a bit too easy. Maybe she just got hit at a bad angle. Maybe it was just that Yuki was getting a bit more serious, but for some reason, her hits now in comparison to earlier in the match were night and day.

Manami was still reeling from that superkick even after Yuki cried out in pain. If she were being honest, that kick to knee was more of a gamble than she would have liked. If Yuki had managed to parry that strike, the wolf’s evening may have gotten a million times more painful.

Thankfully, the strike landed and her opponent went down on one knee. While she wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon, the Wolf Girl’s situation wasn’t any more favorable. Her head was still shaking uncontrollably. Her vision slightly blurred and teeth grit in frustration. It seemed like it would take a little longer before she could stand on her own two feet again. There was little doubt in her mind that Yuki would be the first to recover. She needed to follow up and quick.

As painful as it may have been, Manami managed to roll forward and went to wrap her legs around the blue-haired girl’s neck. Once she pulled that off, it would simply be a matter of yanking the martial artist down to the side and keeping her pinned between her thighs in a headscissor. Her hold may not have been as secure as it was early in the match, but Yuki was one-handed at the moment. That alone would buy her enough time to get her head straight.

With her knee throbbing painfully, Yuki was unable to focus on moving away as Manami immediately went to her and wrapped her legs around the cerulean-haired girl's neck, which caught her off-guard before she was brought down, trapped between the Wolf Girl's powerful thighs in a headscissor.

"Nnnrghh!!" Yuki grunted as she felt those legs squeezing her neck before she brought her uninjured hand to the legs in her attempt to pry them off of her. She might be able to pry those legs off if she could use both hands, but with one of her hands being injured thanks to Manami earlier, doing so was so much harder. And while the pressure from the hold was definitely weaker than the one that Manami had subjected Yuki to earlier, her handicap made it harder for Yuki to actually escape, and she started having difficulty to breathe because of this.

As she attempted to break free, she also started squirming and struggling, finding herself in a precarious position again. The pained noises she made were getting hoarse as time went on.

With each passing second, she felt her strength slowly returning to her. Manami used whatever strength was left in her to crawl forward with Yuki still caught between her steel thighs. Her main concern was risking her getting another rope break. She couldn’t have her getting free just yet.

Slowly but surely, the wolf dragged her prey away with her jaws sunk deep into its neck. Once she had finally reach the center, she would throw herself up and over Yuki’s captivated form. Adjusting her legs ever so carefully, she would transition the scissorhold into a sitting triangle choke. Relaxing her upper body a tad, Manami would brush the hair away from her sweat-covered forehead. Despite her opponent’s waif-like figure, her body was still lined with trained muscle. No doubt the results of rigorous training.

After taking a breath, she’d look down and stare deeply into Yuki’s eyes. Those red eyes filled with defiance sent an excited shiver up her spine. She reached down and tousle some of the azure hair laying on her forehead.

“What a cute face. It could use some color, though.”

Suddenly, she’d increase the pressure between her thighs. As she looked into the blue-haired heiress’ eyes, Manami didn’t want her fading quite yet. Yuki still had a lot more to endure.