Show Me What You've Got (Zula)

[Zula]

Zula felt her foot make impact, and she thought the kick had been successful. Instead of her sister simply falling backwards, her hand closed around Zula’s foot. As Zuka twisted her foot Zula’s balance veered, and she couldn't regain it fast enough. The tug sent her crashing down to the floor, landing on her side. She kicked out her other foot to try and trip Zuka, but it only brushed her ankle, barely enough to make her sway.

Quickly turning onto her back she flipped herself backwards and got to her feet, the water under her feet causing her to slide slightly. The steam around them faded, eliminating the cover for both of them. Zula set her sights on her sister, and then decided to take a risk. She punched her fist out, sending fire towards Zuka, aimed so that it would go past her but cause a distraction. Then she ran forwards, dropping down when she was right in front of Zuka and attempted to kick her legs out from under her.

[Zuka]

Her plan had worked and Zula had gone down but she had almost gone with her. Grabbing Zulas foot was supposed to keep her from going down and she supposed it did in a way but twisting it had caused her to lose her balance once more and Zuka dropped to her knee. She stayed there a moment as she watched Zula twist around to her back and flip before sending another stream of fire her way. Zuka quickly got up and moved to the side to dodge the attack but she realized too late that she had done what he sister had wanted.

Zula came at her, dropping and taking a swing at her feet. Zuka felt her legs buckle under her as she fell and she landed hard on her right side. "Ow" she said and laid there for a moment to catch her breath before pushing herself back to her feet. Ok, it was time for some close quarters fighting, she was tired of getting hit with fire. Rolling her shoulders back Zuka started running at her sister, jumping up once she was close enough and giving a rounding kick toward the side of Zula's head.

[Zula]

Zula had to admit she was surprised that had gone the way she’d hoped, but she took the win nonetheless. She tossed her head as Zuka got back to her feet, flicking her escaped strands of hair out of her face and then readied herself for another bout of waterbending coming her way. Instead, Zuka started running towards her, which took Zula off guard. It wasn’t until her sister leapt into the air that she realized that bending was now off the table.

Luckily she moved in time, ducking underneath the kick right before it collided with the side of her head. Zula jumped from her crouched position back to her feet and then moved forwards, punching her fist towards Zuka. She brought up her arm to block what she thought would be Zuka’s counter strike, and then quickly retaliated with a second punch aimed for her shoulder to try and knock her backwards.

[Zuka]

Her sister had learned a thing or two she would give her that. As she ducked out of the way of her attack and readied her own Zuka leaned back out of the way of the first hit, bringing her fist up and throwing her own at Zulas mid section to which she blocked. As Zula hit out again Zuka rolled and dropped her shoulder back as she turned to her side and caught Zulas extended arm with her hand and began to twist, trying to hyper extend it to get her to yield. Zuka turned her sister around until Zula had her back to her, holding on to her arm but not hard enough that she would actually do some serious damage. Just enough to make it hurt a little.

[Zula]

Everything stopped for Zula as her sister grabbed her arm. The moment the pain hit, though not severe pain, Zula stopped thinking about her next move. She grit her teeth, her expression flickering at the hyperextension, and she knew that she’d been cornered. Then Zuka pinned her arm behind her body, and Zula understood there was no getting herself out of this one. She’d known that Zuka would get her eventually. This was unavoidable.

She turned her head, looking at Zuka over her shoulder, and blew an escaped strand of hair out of her face. There was a flash of amusement in her eyes, even if her arm was twisted quite uncomfortably. “Alright, I yield to your expertise. Now release me, you fiend.”

[Zuka]

As Zula turned to tell her that she was giving in a smirk flashed across her face and she held her sister there for a moment longer before releasing her hand and stepping back. Now that they were done Zuka could breathe and she brought her hand up to rub her right side before moving it across her body to her left shoulder. She might have won this time but that didn't mean she was without her own injuries "I gotta say, I'm a bit impressed. You've come a long way." Sparring back home had always been about proper form and technique and was kind of boring if she was being honest. There was only so much you could do with proper form, there was little room for improvisation which a real fight would call for.

"Who knows, a little more training and you might actually be able to beat me."

Even if Zula hadn't been fighting for as long as she had or as long as Kenji if she kept at it like she was it wouldn't be long before she could potentially take them down. Zuka knew her sister was determined to prove herself and if she wanted it she would make sure she got there.

[Zula]

Once Zuka released her Zula brought her arm back to a correct and more comfortable position, rubbing it and then stretching, rolling her shoulders back. Her sister had certainly worked her hard, and it was apparent all throughout the dull soreness of her body that she would definitely feel tomorrow. But the sparring had given her a thrill, and she'd enjoyed it even if she couldn't win. Besides, the whole point really hadn't been to win, it had been to show Zuka that she wasn't the same girl who only knew how to fight in its artistic sense. She wasn't that same person anymore.

By the sound of it, she'd been able to show enough to convince her twin. Zula placed a hand on her hip, "Well, I hoped that all my risky behavior actually paid off. You've even gotten better yourself since we last sparred. And you were always better than me then, too."

"Who knows, a little more training and you might actually be able to beat me."

"Might," Zula emphasized. Zuka had always been the fighter of the pair, the one who could throw herself into anything. While Zula was training to be better, Zuka naturally had the spark. For herself, it was something that had to be honed and focused. "But I do intend to keep working, so the day may come where I can almost match you."

She raised an eyebrow at Zuka, "So, has this convinced you that I can fend for myself on the streets? Or are you still hesitant?"

[Zuka]

After rubbing her shoulder Zuka rolled them back a few times to try to release the tension and at Zulas words about her getting better and being better she nodded sarcastically in agreement. "That is true." hey, if this was the one thing she had on her sister with being better at then she was going to take it. Zula had always been perfect at everything else, it was nice to have something on her "but I was never the very diplomatic type." To Zuka the only way to settle things used to be with her fist, in her youth she was always quick to fight someone..that had settled down somewhat now, she was less fight first ask questions later..less being the key word. It hadn't gone away completly.

"I don't doubt that" she agreed with Zula. Given time she knew her sister would perfect her skills in battle and there would be times when she would get the best of her. "But, until that happens I'm going to enjoy my victories."

Now that they were done Zuka walked over to where the staffs from eariler had been disgarded and picked them up to put them back in their place. As she set the staffs back on the rack she heard Zulas question about being able to be on her own. Zuka still didn't like the idea,this wasn't Zulas world even if she was trying so hard to make it so but...she couldn't deny the improvement that had been made either. "You still need training" Zuka said once both staffs were secure and she turned to look at her sister "but, I feel a little better about you going out there. ' That was as close to approval as she was going to get right now.

"What about your other training?" Kenji had been working with Zula too to make her think more and show her ways other than just barging in fist blazing. He was a good teacher,even if his ways were...questionable but Zuka knew how long it took her to fully appreciate what he had taught her and she was sure it would be the same with her sister.

[Zula]

Zula resisted a sigh at her sister’s words. As hard as she was trying to get Zuka to see that she could handle herself, it wasn’t easy. She knew that even if her twin was testing her and attempting to support her, she still wasn’t all that eager to see Zula involved in a world that Zuka liked to claim she didn’t belong in. But what world was she supposed to be a part of? The one where she smiled pretty and endured the lies of her mother and watched her life be made for her? No, she had had enough of that. She refused to be that type of noble any longer.

Perhaps this life was dangerous, but at least it was real.

But Zuka was at least admitting that she had improved in her fighting skills, and that was better than nothing. Zula would take that, for now. “I’m thankful that you’re willing to see that I am not as unprepared as you feared.”

At the mention of her other training, Zula couldn’t help the look that came onto her face. It was some sort of displeasure mixed with annoyance. She placed a hand on her hip, shaking her head. “He is absolutely infuriating, you know. I’m convinced that he’s trying to get me either killed or arrested.”

Every time she went with him, she had to brace herself for the worst. It was all she could do to not show him if he got under her skin--which he usually did. But Zula was determined to prove that she wouldn’t break under his tests, as hard as they could be. And if that meant putting on a brave face for his hardest challenges, she could do it.

“But he is intelligent,” Zula admitted, looking to her sister. “As challenging as he can be, I am learning. At what cost I have yet to find out.”

Ever so slowly she was learning to respect that he knew what he was talking about, and that there was a method to his madness--and it was madness. Still, perhaps Zuka had been right to force them to meet the way they did. She felt that by the end of this they’d hopefully have mutual respect for one another. The only reason they probably weren’t clashing as much as they should was because of Zuka, but her sister certainly was well aware of that fact.

[Zuka]

”This is one time I don’t mind being proved wrong” Zuka would have felt better had Zula not improved her skills at all but seeing how hard she had worked and knowing all that she went through Zuka could take that loss. Zula had at the very least earned that.

Mentioning Kenji brought a physical change over her sister and Zuka had to fight back the laugh that wanted to come at Zulas demeanor something that she failed. Ah yes, she remembered that feeling well, hell, she still felt that from time to time now. Kenji had a special way of doing things and he could pick out a persons weakness, insecurities and peeves just by spending a few minutes with them. He was far too good at what he did but that was why he was the best of them.

”Oh, I do know. “ Zuka had dealt with him for years, Zula only had a few weeks. ”I did warn you” she reminded. ” He grows on you, remember?” In time they would eventually come to a understanding, as long as they didn’t kill each other first but Zuka was confidante that it wouldn’t come to that.

Zuka nodded at her sisters statement of Kenji being intelligent ”he is, sometimes too intelligent for his own good but, he knows what he’s doing and has kept us both alive this long. Give it time, he will ease up eventually but he has to push you to see what your limits are. See how you work in high stress situations and how you improvise. “ Zuka sighed, he had taught her to think on her feet that was for sure ”if it makes you feel any better years ago when he first started teaching me things he almost let me take the fall and nearly got me arrested on our first night out” Kenjis first lesson had almost been her last, he hadn’t sharred any of his plan with her prior to his little ‘test’ and Zuka had gone into the whole thing blind. It had been the first of many nights like those but she was a better person for it.

[Zula]

"I recall," Zula said with a sigh at her sister's reminder. She knew from the moment that Zuka first described him that it would be a hard start for them to get along. That hadn't been a wrong assumption to make. Still, for her sister's sake, Zula did her best to try and keep the peace. She kept telling herself that Zuka was right and eventually the two of them would learn how to interact without getting on each other's nerves instantly. The fact that since he was training her and they were forced to spend time together also forced them to have to work on that part as well.

"I lived my whole life with Mother hovering over my shoulder," Zula said after her sister explained why he was so hard on her. "I've been made for high-stress situations."

She was joking, but only by half. This was what Zula had been telling herself through every training session. He pushed her because if he didn't, she'd fail miserably. And if she didn't pass his tests, she had to put the mask aside. That was their deal, after all. As much as his methods rubbed her the complete wrong way, she suspected deep down they were going to make her much better than before. Being trained by the best meant she had to comply to his ways. And even if she wasn't happy about them, she had no choice but to face them head on.

At Zuka's story Zula let out a puff of air, "Well, at least it's nice to know I'm not enduring a special kind of torture. Part of me wonders if he'd rather see us fail in the early stages solely so we are out of his way."

Zuka had passed all the tests, which didn't surprise Zula. Her sister could endure the hardest of trials and still come out on top. That was the type of person she was, and Zula admired her twin for that. Her motivation came from refusing to give anyone the satisfaction of watching her fail, and that became exhausting after a while.

"I never thought I'd have to prove myself to anyone else. Not like this," Zula said, glancing to her sister. "It's frustrating that I cannot predict what he's going to do next yet he seems to know everything. I can never tell what he's thinking or if he even considers what I've done to be adequate. Everything has to be so vague."

[Zuka]

Zuka gave her sister a sympathetic look. She understood what Zula was going through, she had gone through it all before too but the one thing she had on her sister was that Kenji hadn’t known her noble past when they first started. That gave her at least a little bit of a edge, he just thought she was some merchants daughter that had run away from home. If he had know her true identity she doubted she would have gotten very far with him.

Zulas comment about him wanting them to fail so he could work alone was more on the nose than she knew. Well..” Zuka held up her hand and moved it from side to side in a ‘kinda’ sort of way ”I’m sure he prefers it that way…or at least he used to” Zuka couldn’t speak for how he felt now but after accepting that she wasn’t going to give up the Talon things had gone a lot smoother, oh she was sure he wished he was still a solo act but Zuka was certain Kenji knew better than to start that argument again.

”But, if he’s learned anything from his time with me is that he knows how stubborn I am and that I will do anything to prove myself, and if were anything alike he knows that about you too. Its less of a headache for him if he just accepts it. Doesn’t mean he wont try though.” She was half joking. Zuka sighed and walked over to her sister, placing her hands on Zula’s shoulders. ”It will get better, he just has to do it this way at first. If nothing else it makes Kenji feel better knowing that you stuck it out through everything. Means he knows he can rely on you when were out there.

[Zula]

Well, Zuka was certainly right about that. They were different in many ways, but in this they were the same. Determination and stubbornness were both traits that they shared, and they were more prominent now more than ever. Two things that Zula could definitely be through this whole ordeal, and they would have to aid her well.

"It is the Ou-Yong way," Zula said with half a smile. "We always get what we want, no matter how hard it is to obtain."

Hearing her twin's explanation made her relax a little--not much, but it gave her reassurance. It was very nice to know that all that he put her through wasn't without a purpose. If she kept up the good work, it meant that she could be out there in a mask with all the tools that she needed. And it would mean that he trusted her to not mess up, and that Zula could handle whatever was thrown at her. It would all lead to better things, she just had to be patient and get through the hard parts now.

She placed a hand over one of her sister's, "Thank you, Zuka, for everything. I know this has not been easy for you to accept. But I greatly appreciate your support. I don't know if I could do this without it."

Then she raised an eyebrow, giving her sister a curious look. "Now, since you've said I still need training..."

She let the question hang between them, knowing Zuka would figure out what she was asking. Zula would need a teacher, after all, and she figured she knew what her sister had in mind.

[Zuka]

”One trait I’m glad stuck” Zuka laughed a little, if nothing else she was glad their families stubbornness had engrained itself in her. It had saved her in many ways

At Zula’s thanks Zuka gave a small smile. As much as she didn’t want her sister going down this road she could at least be there for her as she made the journey. Give her support and help her in not making the same mistakes she had. Had she had Kenji’s teachings when she first put her plan in motion things probably would have turned out differently. Zuka had been careless and sloppy then and had caused more damage than anything else. It had been a hard, painful lesson to learn. Zuka had nearly destroyed everything she had worked so hard to build as well as her relationships with people.

Was she better for it now? Of course, but the journey could have been much easier had she had a teacher and she was going to be that (or make Kenji be) for Zula the best way she could.

Speaking of a teacher.

Zula let the question hang and Zuka thought about it for a moment. Of course she would teach Zula. Kenji may be the brains and the strategist but Zuka was the more physical one and this was something she could easily help her sister with. ”Are you sure you can handle both of us?” It was a valid question, Zuka wasn’t going to go any easier on Zula. Zuka had been shaped by the weapons and martial arts masters that their mother had hired. They had been harsh and unrelenting and Zuka remembered their lessons and continued them even to this day. Her training would be tough and would require just as much discipline as what Kenji was demanding but if Zula was up for it then she would be eager to teach.

[Zula]

It was a question that Zula thought was fair to ask. The training she was going through already was hard in itself, with no room for her to be anything but diligent. Even though it taught her so much more than she ever could have discovered on her own, it took all of her willpower to get through it. She knew that Zuka wouldn't take it easy on her, even if she was going through a different but still intense form of training at the same time. But Zula didn't want easy. As she learned, easy was sloppy, and sloppy yielded poor results. Testing herself, both physically and mentally, was something that she knew would benefit her in the long run.

"I know how to handle you," Zula said, slightly smiling. "I've lasted this far. And I can't be falling behind in my fighting skills, especially not now."

Zula gave her sister a look that reflected she knew what she was getting herself into, and she did. At least, she had a much clearer idea than when she'd started her first type of training. "If I'm going to improve, I want to learn from the best. As I'm well aware, I'm looking at the best the city has to offer. I won't be passing up that opportunity."