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• [ THE OUTCOME OF THIS BATTLE: ] •

Yuudai had not, in fact, chickened out. Unlike the disrespectful Legion, he had duties and tasks that had to be attended to at his family business before he could leave, and he would not allow his responsibilities to slip just so that he wouldn't be tardy for a battle. His pride was important, of course, one of the most important things to a man, but duty came before all else. Perhaps it wasn't that way for everyone, but Yuudai had been raised as part of a family that depended on one another, and he knew the value of responsibility better than most. It chafed his ego a bit to be arriving late, but then, he would live through that.

His tonfa felt familiar and secure in his palms, aged wood nestled comfortably exactly where they belonged. He had trained with them a thousand times but never had cause to really use them on another person; in theory, he could defend himself just as well as he could attack, but theory didn't do much on the battlefield. Sparring was one thing; aside from his scuffle with Zhongxian, this would be his first real battle. Anything could happen.

He'd kissed Masami goodbye before he left, had assured her that he would be fine, and he would. The object tonight was not a fight to the death, but an expression that the behavior the Legion had exhibited was unacceptable. A simple thrashing would be good enough, and would inspire him to leave the inn alone.

Chin high, he skirted the other battles, finally coming upon a tree where the blue-haired Lunarian from before awaited him. A heavy frown on his features, he pointed with a tonfa, instructing, "Come down here."

While the Legionarre obviously had no real pride or honor as a man, Yuudai did, and he would begin this battle on even footing. The reality of war had not fully sunk in for him yet; tonight, this was all about his family's integrity, not the more deeply rooted issues between the Nobles and the Legions.

Yuudai had little experience on the actual battlefront; the majority of his brawls had taken place in an alley or away from a heavily populated area, and typically even then, they were not life-or-death situations. More often than not it was a matter of pride or honor, some situation where someone had gotten out of hand with one of his sisters and he had to remind them of exactly who was looking out for the pretty girls of the Koga family. Though their father would not hesitate to take a young man aside and properly reprimand him, the only son of the family was much more hot-headed when it came to matters such as this, and firmly believed that idiotic young men could only be taught a lesson one way.

This Huang-fu was not facing off against Yuudai because of a slight against his sister, nor was he even interested in his sisters, as far as he knew. That was for the best, because Yuudai could certainly never approve of them dating someone who supported the Legion. He tried to remain open minded, or at least as open minded as he could be, but he drew the line at some things and firmly put his foot down.

It was how it should be. His family's pride was another matter entirely, their business their livelihood. It would one day be his inheritance, whether he married and took over from there, or he and Masami decided to remain single and run the inn side by side. Either way, its reputation was as important as his own, even moreso, and he wouldn't have someone tarnishing that.

He was on the defensive at first, mostly because he'd never fought Huang-fu before and he wanted to read his fighting style as best he could. The leg surprised him, mostly because he'd readied his other weapons, so he reaction was a little slowed as he brought his tonfa up to defend himself. He managed to shove his leg away, but lost the security of his footing as he did, shoes sliding back on the dirt. He brought his arms up again, shielding his face with the tonfa, and darted back a few steps. He might have deflected the first blow, but it was only the first of many.

Being pitted against someone with more fighting skill than he as well as a more immediately lethal weapon put Yuudai at a disadvantage, certainly. He grit his teeth as sparks flew, digging his heels into the ground so that his balance wouldn't be upset by the impact, and debated his choices. He could certainly do damage with the tonfa, and the uniquely wonderful thing about his weapon of choice was that they were equally offensive and defensive; capable of great destruction when meeting with flesh but also very effective in sparing their user lethal blows from more wicked weapons. It suited his personality, he had always thought, as he was a warrior as much as he was a defender.

Tonight, though, judging the differences in their skill was his first priority. He was rapidly seeing that the other man was light and fast on his feet, a trait Yuudai also possessed that he often used to his advantage but would be largely useless in this case. The scales were tipped against him, but that didn't mean he would simply give up; far from it.

"Any idiot knows you protect your face in close combat," Yuudai spat back, blue brows drawn over angry cornflower eyes. "But then, I could simply be overestimating your intelligence."

It likely wasn't a good idea to mouth off to an opponent, but Yuudai's temper was easily rankled when he was compared to a woman, and if he tried to hold it in it would only distract him. Venting it through sharp quips helped him stay centered, and if it had the advantage of annoying his opponent and possibly setting him off his game then he wouldn't complain. If it didn't, oh well; he would still be a little more focused.

This time, when Huang pressed forward, Yuudai shifted his stance slightly. He brought his tonfa up, spinning them in his palms until the bars were flat against his forearms, and dove into the attack as well. He knew he would take a hit, and sure enough, blood blossomed on his sleeves when the claws skated over the top of one of his arms; he hissed through clenched teeth but ignored it, throwing his weight forward as he rammed one tonfa into his opponent's ribs.

The attack, though it connected, cost him, as it left him wide open for the next blow.

He'd acted rashly and now the consequences were his to bear; though he heard the cracking of his opponent's ribs and had a moment of pure, unadulterated triumph -- one that he would feel shame for, later, because taking joy in others' pain was not something that came naturally to him -- but it was short-lived. His feet lost purchase against the dirt, slippers skidding back a bit as the recoil of his attack forced him to regain his balance, and then Huang-fu's blow landed.

The scream was startled and loud, torn from somewhere deep inside of him; he'd been burned, cut, and smashed many a time in his life, through domestic chores and maintenance on the inn, but he'd never really been hurt with the intent to do actual damage. His shoulder wrenched back, pain and heat searing it, and he bit down hard on his lip to swallow the rest of his scream, drawing blood as he did.

Huang-fu staggered back, his hand coming up to cover his ribs, and Yuudai ground his teeth together as the claws retracted, a whimper escaping him despite his best effort. Blood blossomed on his clothing, soaking greedily into the fabric as he stumbled back a few more steps, bringing his tonfa up in a defensive position. His left arm shook badly, however, the strain of holding the tonfa almost too much with the wound in his shoulder; he would be completely useless to continue the fight, and as good as dead if he attempted it.

His face whitened, pain pinching it as his pride crumbled beneath him and he gripped the handles of his tonfa as though lifelines. "I'm not afraid of you," he said, left hand shaking, grip weakening on the tonfa. His next words cost him, however, "but I don't want to die here."

He wanted to close his eyes so badly, but he couldn't take them off him for a moment. "And your ribs --" were not as bad as his shoulder, possibly just bruised, cracked at the most -- "I will concede..."

He ground his teeth, finally losing his grip on the tonfa, swearing when it hit the dirt and his arm went limp at his side. "I will concede defeat this time."

It scalded his pride to have his opponent offer him something to tend his wounds, but it also struck something inside of him; had he not been so disappointed in himself for leaving an opening wide enough to seriously wound him, he would have been more reserved in the surprise that flickered across his face. Tending to the wounds of your enemy after a fight, when it had been declared over... that was something he would do, had done, and would do again. If it wasn't necessary to fight to the death, then it was a waste of life and spirit to do so -- he had always felt this way.

He simply wouldn't have expected it from Huang-fu, especially given the sort of opinion he held about the other man. He still wasn't convinced of his innocence, but the fact that he would walk away from the battle without finding it necessary for either of them to die went a long way with him, as did the offered ointment. It was humane. It was... kind, and he could respect that.

Grudgingly, quietly.

He bent at the waist, picking up the tube and gripping it in the hand that was still able to do so; he watched the other man leave, his eyes narrowed but holding resentful, grudging thanks. He didn't speak it aloud, however, because that would be ridiculous... ridiculous, when they'd just been doing their best to beat one another into the ground.

With a shaking hand, he smeared some of the ointment on his good palm, tucked it inside his shirt to apply to his wound. It would do for now, until he could get home, when he would more properly examine it and dress it. He would be careful not to use all of it, because Yuudai was not a man who wasted; he would return the ointment to Huang, perhaps the next time he challenged him to a battle.