Star | Jujustu Kaisen

we'll fight the powers that be (just don't pick on our destiny)

Time seemed to stretch endlessly as Maki and [Name] locked eyes, the tension between them palpable. The rest grew restless, some showing signs of boredom.

"If those two aren't going to do anything, I'm outta here," Kugisaki grumbled, slouching with her chin resting on her knees, her body aching from the training she had endured.

"Patience, Nobara," Fushiguro advised calmly, though his words were met with an irate glare from Kugisaki, which he chose to ignore, keeping his focus on [Name] and Maki.

"Well-" Before Panda could finish his sentence, Maki made a swift move, thrusting her polearm toward [Name]. With a calm demeanor, [Name] deflected the attack with their whip, the sound of metal clashing echoing through the air. Quick as lightning, they retaliated, aiming a strike at Maki's torso, but she skillfully parried it with her polearm, sparks igniting between the two weapons.

Maki's smirk widened into a grin, a surge of adrenaline fueling her movements. "You're up for the challenge. Let's step it up!"

[Name]'s eyes widened as Maki intensified her assault, swinging her polearm in swift arcs. Gritting their teeth, [Name] skillfully used their whip to deflect each of Maki's strikes, the two engaged in a mesmerizing dance of skill and agility.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Kugisaki exclaimed, her eyes wide with admiration, and hot, she thought to herself. Two completely good-looking people almost made her ascend to heaven.

"Maki's really on fire," Panda observed, a grin spreading across his face.

"Salmon," Inumaki agreed, nodding in approval at the impressive display of combat prowess.

"Come on!" [Name] urged themselves, their focus sharpening as they used their whip to keep Maki at bay. They knew she was intent on closing the distance and testing their hand-to-hand combat skills, but they weren't about to let her catch them off guard.

"I like you!" Maki grinned eagerly, maneuvering her polearm between the gaps in [Name]'s defense, aiming to make them do something other than defending themselves. She used her polearm to skewer in between the chinks of their weapon, stabbing it into the ground.

"Oof!" [Name] grunted as they felt their weapon caught in the ground, leaving them vulnerable to Maki's follow-up attack, who used her polearm as leverage. With lightning-fast reflexes, they dodged her roundhouse kick by ducking down, then countered with a leg sweep in an attempt to knock her off balance. Maki, however, anticipated their move and leaped into the air, leaving her polearm momentarily stuck in the ground—a perfect opportunity for [Name] to gain the upper hand.

As Maki leaped backward to evade [Name]'s leg sweep, [Name] seized the opportunity to act. With swift precision, they kicked the polearm that Maki had left planted in the ground, sending it hurtling straight toward her mid-air form.

Maki's eyes widened in surprise as she saw the weapon flying towards her. Reacting quickly, she twisted her body in mid-air, narrowly dodging the incoming polearm, which embedded itself firmly into the ground behind her. Landing gracefully on her feet, she glanced back at [Name] with a mixture of surprise and admiration.

"Now, that-!" Maki shouted in surprise because as soon as her feet met the ground, she found herself bracing as [Name] whipped their weapon towards her, striking her chest and sending her airborne again. Despite the impact, Maki managed to land gracefully on her feet, right next to her polearm.

"Woah!" Panda exclaimed, his eyes wide with amazement, while Inumaki and Fushiguro watched in stunned silence. Meanwhile, Kugisaki cheered [Name] on enthusiastically.

"You're good," Maki acknowledged, spitting out a bit of saliva and she wiped her chin with her sleeve. "You almost got me there."

"Got to win after all." [Name] said cocky as they got into their stance, and they could feel the tug at the corner of their mouth as the excitement of the spar began to settle in them. Maki laughed cheerfully at their words and grinned as she pulled her polearm from the ground.