What Doesn't Kill You

Aw, she did a kip up. That was adorable. And hot, if Sin was being wholly honest. Seeing Zoey’s body unfurl like that was a not-so subtle reminder of just how fit her new friend, how much time and effort she’d put into that tight body of hers. Maybe not a supermodel, but she could’ve done worse. Far worse. From the looks of things, she was more than aware, too. She probably had her own idea of how this little meeting was ultimately going to go, and she wouldn’t be entirely wrong.

Yeah, impatience was starting to get the better of her, and she could tell that Zoey was getting more and more into the mood. Maybe it was still too early to go all out, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have some measure of fun with the moment.

She canted her head to the side with a wistful smile as Zoey got back into position, taking the time to look her over, inspecting that form. Confident, this one, Sin would give her that much, and determined in her own way. So many women in the AFW quit, day in and day out, most of them never enduring anything close to what Zoey had. What was the breaking point, she wondered? Did she even have one?

[”Just making sure, tigress.”] Sin had a little chuckle after the nickname, a laugh that was half a sigh. She didn’t move into her stance, not right away. Instead she took a step to the side, then another. Almost a stroll.

She broke into her stance in a flash and came rushing at Zoey with full speed, closing the gap with a quick stride, her hair whipping about behind her. She leaped up with a short hop when she was close enough and threw a snap kick towards Zoey’s ribs, but before she could even bring that leg down all the way, her other was lifting up for the same kick at the other side, targeting her on both sides in an instant.

But it wasn’t all about the offense. She kept her guard down as she moved, her arms wild and free, her chest exposed. The kicks would hurt if they connected, not her full power, but enough to leave Zoey sore in the morning. Sin wanted to see how her little pupil would take the opportunity laid out before her.

Not taking turns. Watch how she’s moving. Wait for the moment.

Zoey did her best recite Sin’s advice in her head as she kept ready in her stance, watching the kicker with a bit of added attention this time. It was decent advice, and she didn’t want to just absorb. She wanted to show it to Sin, that she could be an applied partner. It was easy to listen, it was another thing to actually do.

That started with being a bit more cautious about the woman’s speed. Zoey had gone up against some serious competitors before, but nobody that moved quite as her new friend did. Nobody was this fast, not even her master was this fast. It was tempting to guess she was a black belt, hence all the weird-ass instruction. But she looked so close to her own age and so laid back and…

Zoey blinked. She couldn’t have zoned out for more than a second, but it was a second more than she would have liked. Did it really matter if she was a black belt? Or a world champion? Or some resurrected Taekwondo queen from who-gives-a-shit land? She was Zoey Jae Oh. That was enough to send most people running for the hills crying for mommy where she came from, and she had to make that known here and now. She tightened her fists and inched forward.

Her eyes roved between Sin’s legs and the woman’s stance, or lack thereof. That speed had taken her off-guard the first time, and Zoey wasn’t looking to have that happen again. The second she slipped into her stance, Zoey tightened up, only to find Sin rushing at her in the same instant. Fucking-

A slight groan escaped her lips as Sin tagged her in the side. Bracing for it helped, and she went to move a leg up to retaliate when another person kicked in the side in the same moment. At least, that’s what it felt like, until she noticed SIn’s other leg had already come up. Didn't brace for that one. Zoey slumped slightly on that side, gritting her teeth as she peeped through her brown bangs. Watch how she’s moving. Watch how she’s moving. There had to be an opening somewhere, somewhere, some…

She noticed the arms at her side. The Korean-American didn’t waste a second, moving in spite of her hurt side to step into Sin’s range before she brought her leg back. As she did, she fired a palm strike towards her fellow Korean’s chest to make a bit of distance. Right after she pulled that off, she’d follow up with a spinning back kick straight to the gut. Oh, and she’d make sure to step into it.

Come on, Zoey. Hit. Hurt. Make it sting.

It took no small amount of effort to keep from panting on Sin’s part, doing her best to keep her vices in check. The whole ‘self-restraint’ thing that she’d heard so much about was hard to pull off, even in small doses. Like trying to keep a dog away from his meal, bringing it over and snatching it away the moment his mouth got close.

But there was a method to this madness, and she reminded herself of that as she laid into Zoey’s body, her flashing kicks finding their targets with ease. She left herself open, was begging for her to slip in. Would she go for it? Take the bait? Fight through the pain? Could she endure?

Yes. Yes, she could. Good girl.

The palm strike was a surprise and a good one, with Sin thinking Zoey would go for a kick straightaway. It hammered her hard in the chest, staggered her, and it would’ve done some modest damage on its lonesome...but what came next was the real treat. A spinning kick that would’ve looked fine coming from Sin’s own body. Great torque, solid timing, expert spacing. It hit with resonating force, enough to knock Sin clean off her bare feet and launched her into the ropes. She came bouncing back and fell to her hands and knees, wild hair flowing over her face.

Time froze. For an instant, a slice of time, Sin stayed in that position, silent save for her heavy breath. No words. No sounds. When that moment passed and her head rose, she brought the widest, most genuine, hungriest smile she could muster, her eyes gleaming through the dark strands of hair. ”Perfect.”

Sin threw herself up, and leaped towards Zoey in a single motion, tucking her body in tight as she flew. At the zenith of her flight, she extended both of her legs out in a powerful thrust, shooting her heels into her student’s face with one of the best dropkicks she could muster. Full force. Full power.

Zoey had earned it.

“Hell yeah.”

Zoey was feeling pretty good about that one, to say the least. She watched as SIn fell back and collapsed on the floor. A small, empathic part of her was worried, of course, but a larger part was realizing the damage she had done, the power she had brought to bear. It was weird, but from that failure, she was starting to feel some progress. Probably the only bits she’d felt in a long while, and she could see more on the horizon. She was strong, sure of herself, a mountain that no one could topple.

That lasted for about a second. One moment she was bouncing on her feet, fists raised, head high, smile on. Totally in the zone. Her ribs felt like hell, but hits like that weren’t anything new to her. She was feeling it, pumped. And then Sin looked at her. One single look that knocked the grin clean off her face. She stopped moving, stopped bouncing, stiffened on the spot. Her eyes couldn’t look away from the purple orbs that stared back at her, hunger lingering inside that rooted Zoey to the spot like a helpless victim. It was like some shit out of that Japanese horror movie, that thing crawling out of the TV, writhing and shaking unnaturally on the floor in a way that sent a chill up her spine.

And then she was on her back. Her face felt flatter than it did a second ago, pain flowing in a second later as she stared up at the ceiling. Zoey didn’t know what happened in the time between, at least not straight away. She opened her mouth to say something along the lines of “Are you okay?” and “No offense, but you’re creepy ass eyes are weirding me the fuck out”. Then nothing. She saw her partner move, but she didn’t see an attack. All she had to work with was impressions. She knew Sin hit her with her feet, but it felt more like a frying pan. Shot from a fucking cannon.

That pain turned into agony real fast as the memories came flooding back. The back of her head thumped harshly, her face seared and burned worse and worse with every second. The TKD chick rolled to one side, clutching her face tightly as she let out a brusque wail that was muffled by her palms. “Fuck dude!” She groaned, digging her nails in as she stirred from one side to the other. “That was the face! Shit!”

It hurt. It hurt like hell, but...gah, she couldn’t stay like this. Couldn’t afford to look like a bitch now. She rolled herself onto her knees, bringing her head off the ground with her hands still covering her face like some weeping widow. Somehow, she was able to tear one away, waving a frantic hand behind her where she was pretty sure Sin was, but she couldn’t be sure with the way the room was shaking. “Hold up, hold up, hold up. Reset again. Wasn't ready for that one...”

In the instant that Sin’s feet made contact with Zoey’s face, an electric shock went through her body, a sensation that flowed from the point of impact all the way to her brain. It was delicious, but it wouldn’t be the best part. That was about to come. Sin could have flipped away from the impact and landed on her feet, was more than nimble enough for it, but instead she landed on her back. And stayed there with her hands outstretched and her eyes to the sky.

Wait for it.

Wait for it…

There it was. Zoey’s scream out, a long and hard one that echoed through the room, shrill and shrieking. The delayed responses were always the best ones. You not only got the palpable pain, but it meant that her victim had more time to process what had just happened, could really let it sink in. There was shock mixed in with that wail. Outrage. Surprise. Betrayal? Not yet, Sin hoped. She wanted to see how hard she could play Zoey before the strings snapped off.

Sin sighed and arched her back against the mat, reveling in the moment, taking a second to let it soak all in. Imaging all the agony Zoey had to be going through, the feeling of her messed up features...pure bliss. She planted her feet on the mat and rose up, not even needing her arms to push up, and strolled around her friend’s flailing body, stretching as she went. Had to stay nice and limber.

Based on the way Zoey’s arm was moving, she seemed to think Sin was right behind her, so it might’ve come as a surprise when her voice came from close in the front. Sin kneeled down, her face only a few inches away from the other woman’s, only giving out her position when she spoke. [“Caught you off guard?”] She pouted, brows furrowed, putting some disappointment into her tone. [“You did say we’d be going fast and hard. Fast and hard You’re the best.” She blew hot air into Zoey’s ears with those last few words, egging her on before she stood up straight and took a few steps back. She urged her opponent to arise with a playful grin.

[”Show me why.”]

Confused. Confused and hurt. That was a good way to put how Zoey felt about things.

Sin kicked hard, as if she needed another reminder, but she was fancy with it too. A dropkick she’d seen before, but Sin pounced like a madwoman, a freakin’ spider. She was still having a hard time piecing together what she just saw. The move, the speed, the...face. That one moment in time, it didn’t exactly mesh with the picture she’d painted of her friendly, fellow Korean she’d met in the gym. There was more to her clearly, but Zoey had no idea what in the fuck that could be. The longer she hung around Sin, the less she knew what to think of her. She was strong and smart and fast and sexy and weird and…and…

...when did she get so close?

Zoey hadn’t noticed while she was tending to her nearly caved-in face to notice straight away, still flapping her hand about behind her until that ever familiar voice took her attention away. She brought her hand away from her face and looked all the way up this time, just to see Sin hardly an inch from her face. At least, it felt that way, but she could have sworn her mind was playing tricks on her. She tasted her breath on her tongue, intoxicating her with the warmth and playing into the delirium her headache was already giving her. Wasn’t she behind her? Wasn’t she

But you know what? For a second, it just didn’t even matter. Could have just been her second wind coming on. Could have been the taunting tone that was laced in each word. Could have been how they were said in the hottest voice she’d ever heard in her life. Whatever other-worldly force was compelling her, Zoey didn’t have to show her appreciation later. She put one hand to her knee and slowly brought herself upright, nice and easy. Easy as she could, anyway. Didn’t matter if Sin was just barely reaching her in terms of height, the woman hit like ten tons to the face. That showed with the little wobble Zoey made as she tried to right herself in the middle of her ascent, still feeling the aftereffects and shaking them off as quickly as they came.

“Yeah, yeah. It was just that one time. Caught me off guard. Not happening again.” She brought herself up to two feet, exhaling before she brought her back straight, wiping a quick line of moisture away from the corner of her lip. “Not that I don’t appreciate the warm-up and all, but you’re getting way too cocky, Sinny. Know what I think?” She punched her fist into her palm, slid back into her stance and, in spite of the pain lingering in her face, flashed a light smirk Sin’s way. “Think we gotta do something about that.”

She wasn’t up to hearing a rebuttal this time around. Sin was quick, she just had to be quicker. Zoey stepped into range and slashed the floor in front of her with a sweep kick. If she caught the Korean’s feet out from under her, Zoey would raise that leg high and bring it down on her like the headman’s axe. If she avoided it, though, she’d just keep the pressure on, keeping on one leg and firing one straight kick after another straight at Sin’s torso until she struck gold.

Sin watched Zoey like a scientist gazing through her microscope. Watching as this fighter, this woman, this thing before her tried to put herself together after that thrashing. Seeing the process. Imagining what was going through her head at this moment - aside from the pain, naturally.

There was a flash of a second as Zoey rose where the two of them were staring eye to eye, looking right on with only a few inches to separate them. It would be brief, Sin knew, but she made the most of her time. There was some confusion there, no doubt circling the dropped facade that her ‘student’ saw just a few moments ago. Was she thinking that she’d gotten in over her head, that maybe this was too much? Maybe considering an exit - not that Sin would let her leave at this point, but she couldn’t have known that, and a small part of Sin wanted her to try.

But no. Zoey was a big girl. A strong girl. Sin took a step back on the balls of her feet and watched as the woman raised her way up, defiant all the way. She had spirit, there was no taking that away from her, even if her body couldn’t always cash the checks that spirit wrote.

”Easy. Easy.” There was a motherly tone in her voice, the same a mother would use to ease her child through the first steps. A taunt. A small one.

She brushed a few hairs out of her face as she stepped back into place, not moving into her fighting stance. Hands behind her back, one lean leg crossed in front of the other. Calm. Unworried.

She opened her mouth for a response to Zoey, but the woman didn’t give her the chance to utter a single syllable. In she came, leg swinging low, catchig Sin right at ankle with a textbook sweep. Worked like a charm, dropping her flat on her back and putting her in the killzone for an incoming axe kick. A good one, too. Shame it was going to miss.

The moment Sin hit her back, she curled up, shot her legs up, and rolled off her shoulder, narrowly avoiding the blow as she flipped up to her feet. Zoey didn’t give her a moment to rest, following up with kick after kick, slicing at her torso with that toned leg. Up came the arms, blocking each strike, getting rocked with the impacts. Each hit was crisp and clean, jerking her to the side, and for a moment it seemed like she would even break through.

And then Sin had to go and ruin it by ducking.

She sussed out the timing, read the move, and ducked under Zoey’s latest kick, dashing behind with a swift step, landing right in her blind spot. It would only be for a moment, a blink before her opponent turned back around. All the time she needed.

Without even looking over shoulder, Sin raised her leg and shot it up high, hitting Zoey in the head with a back kick, driving her heel hard into the skull.

It took quite a bit on Zoey’s part to keep the frustration on her face tied back after her axe kick came down and found nothing but bare ground waiting for her. Sin was good. Really good. Scary good. She could tell that much from their short time alone, and the longer this spar went on, the more clear it became. It was hard to pin her down and just as difficult to read her. It wasn’t even like she was fighting half the time. It was like she was dancing around her. Mocking her.

It was fine, though. She was learning. That was the whole point, right? There were going to people that were faster than her, lighter than her, more flexible. This was her chance to up her game. Sin was quick, but it wouldn’t matter if she just didn’t get that opening. The second she was back on two feet, Zoey was on her, completely forgetting to be surprised by that little tuck-and-roll she pulled. She didn’t want to stay down? She’d put her down. She kept on her kicks after she popped up, not letting it down for a second as smack after hard smack echoed across the room, Chun-Li-ing her way right up against a wall. Once she saw that crack in the guard, she’d charge up a kick and-

She didn’t know when or how it happened, but Sin dodged her kick. Well, “dodged” in the loosest sense of the word. It was more like she flash stepped, turned into a black streak that disappeared underneath her leg. Zoey was left with only a base impression of where she’d had gone and acted on it. She nearly stumbled forward once after she brought her foot back down, turning her head around quickly...and kept going with an audible smack.

Zoey fell down to one knee, her vision hazing for a moment as she stared at the floor through one eye. She winced and brought a finger to the side of her face, feeling a sharp sting as she touched the cut and brought her hand back. Traces of vicious red seeped between the ridges on her fingertip. A shallow cut, but one that could easily open with a bit more pressure. The frustration on Zoey’s face definitely wasn’t going to help the healing process.

Fuck this. She closed her hand tight and punched it into to the ground to push herself up, turning right around on the spot as she did and, with a cry of retaliation, swung that same fist straight up with a rising uppercut right towards Sin’s jaw. Where she expected it to be, at least.

Oh, that was a good. Sin had smacked enough faces to know when she’d just scored a good hit, and the impact on Zoey’s face was all she could’ve asked for. She was starting to see why so many woman seemed to enjoy beating her senseless - aside from the fact that it was just satisfying to make her eat all the big talk she liked to spout. She had a face that was just perfect for taking damage, made the most lovely sounds when you hit her, and…

And…

Sin trailed of thought came clean off the rails when she glanced over her shoulder and saw the red on her ‘student’s’ face. Blood. A good little trail, too. Not a nosebleed, nothing that a decent bandaid wouldn’t fix, but noticeable. A decent cut. If Sin landed another one on that spot, maybe she could-

What happened next could’ve been blamed on Sin being too out of it to pay attention to what was coming her way, but that wouldn’t have been 100% fair. Zoey’s punch was fast, fierce, and came at Sin’s face like an upwards meteor, striking her right on the chin. Spittle flew in a high arc and she took a step back, with her eyes to the sky. For a moment she hung there, her arms and hair dangling, her spine bent and nearing 90 degrees, her abs tensing and her breath heavy.

When that moment passed and Sin straightened back up, the smile from before was back again. Wider than ever, with a red streak flowing from her lip and the taste of copper on her tongue. ”Thank you.”

Enough playtime.

First, Sin wanted to do something about those legs. Zoey wasn’t quite at her level, but her kicks weren’t something to scoff at, either, and cutting her off below the waist would make it easier to control the pace. She skipped forward and swung her leg low and quick like a whip, striking the outside of Zoey’s thigh with a low kick, striking hard with her shin.

Not the most Taekwondo thing she’s done all day, but fuck it, it worked.

Zoey may have been all about her kicks, but it's not like she wasn’t impressive anywhere else. She invested plenty into her fitness, put in more work in the gym each month than most people did their entire lives. Her legs were her pride, but she still had a pair of finely-crafted arms two steps above most women her age. Perfectly capable of rattling skulls when they had to.

That was what it looked like for a second, at least. Her uppercut landed flush with little avoidance on Sin’s part, earning a nice and satisfying crack. The second she was on her back, Zoey would leap on her and stark hacking away, get to work on draining that huge reservoir of energy she seemed to be working with, maybe try a hold on her legs. Maybe, maybe, maybe in a future that was never meant to be. After her punch landed, Zoey just stood there and watched, waiting for all that pain to reach her head and for Sin to finally up and fall over.

She didn’t. Zoey looked on, frozen for a second with her fist raised in front of her as the Korean woman brought herself upright. Her hands slowly fell to her side, leaning back a tad.

This woman wasn’t Moon-Sin Jae. She had no idea where the other woman went out for lunch, but it was clear she’d left her door open for...something else to wander in. The smiling waking nightmare across from her sent a chill up her spine the moment their gazes aligned. It was a primal feeling. The fear seeping through her veins wasn’t something she was consciously aware of, but rather her body acting before her mind. It knew better, sending danger signals for her brain to pick up. Zoey tried to move her eyes away, but something kept their gazes fixed. Spellbound. It was a miracle she found the sense to process the woman’s words at all.

“Uh-”

‘You're welcome’ was what was supposed to come after that. Unfortunately, the slight movement of the tongue that would require was just too slow for Sin’s kick. A crisp smack of flesh echoed across the room and what happened next was hardly a surprise. Zoey cried out and fell to one knee. An electric shock traveled up her leg, numbing it in only seconds from the middle of her thigh down. She tried to move it. Nothing happened. A bad spot, one she wasn't sure when she’d recover from, but that didn’t mean she’d just have to sit here and take it.

With her good leg, Zoey kicked forward with her arms wide in a snap attempt to tackle her to the ground, taking Sin from the waist down.