Disclaimer:
I don’t own Beyblade.
I’m using
the Japanese-version names:
Yuri = Tala
Takao =
Tyson
For All Who Gave Their Lives
Chapter 2:
The duelists
OH... OH...
Fight for the Honour
Fight for the
Splendour
Fight for the
Pleasure
OH... OH...
Fight for the Honour
Fight for the
Splendour
Fight for your Life!
(Iron Maiden ‘The
Duelist’)
Yuri stuck his sword in the soil and took the
sheath of his back. Then he removed two daggers from his boots and a few others
from his belt. Finally he took off his chain-mail and a padded, protective
blouse.
Takao was surprised by what the gaijin did,
but he figured it might be some custom, which should not be upset. He took of
his own armor, never letting the dai-sho and tachi go.
The opponents regarded each other, while the
samurai placed the wakizashi and katana back at his side. The half-elf was
taken aback by the fact that the person he was to fight against seemed so
innocent. Without the mask, which covered his mouth earlier, and the armor he
looked very young. The boy had dark-blue hair and eyes of the same colour. His skin was tanned, somewhat brownish in colour. He was a good deal shorter than the red-head.
The loose clothing, the bushi had on, prevented Yuri from esteemating his
opponents built.
The half-elf took his sword again, while Takao
crouched slightly, holding the tachi before him. They started circling, their
eyes never leaving the opponent. Suddenly, Yuri made three fast steps forward
and cut from the side. Takao jumped back. A second later he started his own
attack – a series of fast slashes to see how good the gaijin actually was. It
seemed, he was indeed a worthy opponent – he didn’t bother blocking them, but
kept barely out of Takao’s reach – as if taunting him, untill he decided it was
his time to strike. After blocking the bushi’s sword, the half-elf pushed the
tachi back, so that his opponent staggered, leaving an opening, which Yuri
promptly used. He made a quick cut from above, which Takao managed to
parry.
The red-head had a slight advantage – because
of his height, he could reach further with his sword. His fighting style was
much more savage and vicious than anything the young samurai had ever seen
before.
The nature of their weapons required strength
and most two-hander users were bulky slowpokes, who concentrated only on the
power of their muscles. Yet both Takao and Yuri moved gracefully and swiftly.
In the young samurai’s case, it was the effect of long years of training, while
the red-haired warrior possessed the natural grace of his elven ancestors.
Their blades clashed again. For a while they
faced each other, their swords crossed. Suddenly, they both jumped back and
started circling around an unseen field. Without any sign Yuri charged, but the
bushi managed to parry his attack. Not loosing any time, he started his own
series of slashes. Yet the half-elf dodged them. They crossed their blades
again and started pressing them. Eventually, they jumped back. They stood
motionlessly, just looking at each other. Finally, the red-head smirked.
-
You
have a cut on your cheek. – he said. – And it’s bleeding.
Takao whipped his cheek with his hand and
looked at his palm. There was blood on his palm, all right, but oddly enough
the blue-haired samurai seemed amused.
-
I’m
not the only one, who’s bleeding. – the young bushi smiled cockily. – Look at
your own cheek.
Yuri touched his face suprisedly. He looked at
his hand – there was a red spot on his palm.
-
Seems
it’s a draw. – said the red-head. The blue-haired samurai bit his lip.
-
We’ve
got to repeat the fight. – he answered sternly.
-
We
could check, who lost more blood. – the red-head shrugged and showed his palm.
Takao extended his own hand. It seemed for him that the stains were equal. – I
think, I lost more... Seems you won after all.
-
Are
you sure? – Takao asked suspiciously.
-
I’m
sure. – Yuri said firmly. – Half-elves have better sight than humans.
-
I’d
like to invite you to the
The half-elf gave the bushi a surprised look.
-
Name’s
Yuri. – he said and smiled. – Son of Louhi. I guess, I need a bath.
He flashed a grin to the samurai and took his
equipment from the place near which his wolf-companion sat.
Yuri found the
Right now the blue-haired boy was cheerfully
talking about how much he always wanted to be a great hero. His monologue was
very enthusiastic, which made the half-elf think. Maybe this boy could help
him? He was a very fine swordsman after all.
-
Say,
I may know, how you can become a hero. – he piped up. That caught immediately
the bushi’s attention.
-
How?
-
I’m
going to kill a lich known as Balkov. – the red-heads voice became harsher.
-
Why?
– the samurai reacted surprisedly to the sudden coldness in his companions
voice. Yuri looked at him and Takao felt a pang of fear when looking in those
icy-blue eyes.
-
He
killed my mother and many others. – hissed the red-haired warrior.
-
Avenging
deaths of ones family is the honorable way. – nodded the samurai. – I shall
help you... But why are you here? His name doesn’t point at my country.
-
I
heard he was related to the house Hiwatari.
-
They’re
a diplomatic family, which has gone native in Schafland. – said Takao.
Translations:
Shafland
(German) – Land of
Sheep
Louhi is a name of witch in Finnish legends. I
figured, that if elves spoke Russian, where Yuri came from, the humans should
speak a different language, so I chose Finnish (which means there will be no
dialogues in Yuri’s second language, because I can’t say a word in Finnish).
^^;;
The samurai helmet had a mask (made of the
same material as the rest of the amour) which covered the mouth sometimes.
Go to
chapter 4
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2