Kaze: Guardians

Rival Battle!

     Juno looked up from his work and smiled as he saw me come back from the temple. "There you are!" He noticed the conflicted expression on my face. "Hey, what's wrong? Why so sad?"
     "It was nothing. Priestess Yara and I disagreed over something." I lied.
     "That's awfully vague, but eh... It's okay. Girl problems, huh? Pull up a chair." He gestured to a chair in the corner in the room.
     I took a seat and was put into a trance by the rhythmic pattern of his work. "What are you doing, anyway?" I asked.
     "I'm upgrading! There's a lot of metal just laying around, so I can make myself stronger and faster!"
     "By how much?" I smiled.
     "Um... How about I show you?" He fidgeted with one last screw.
     "Really? Are you sure?"
     "Sure, why not?" He stood to his full height. Juno wasn't very tall even with the upgrade.
     "I'll let you attack first." I said, attempting to be a good sport.
     "No way! I can handle anything you throw at me."
     "Okay, then. Here we go!"
     I didn't bother drawing my sword since it wasn't a real fight. I rushed in. He easily sidestepped and delivered a kick to the back of my head. I was sent sprawling into the dirt. So, he'd also been working on coordination. I smiled. Okay. Let's try again. I told myself. I ran in, prepared for the counterattack. He sidestepped, but I was ready for it. We awkwardly collided. Just as we untangled ourselves, he was back in action. I barely managed to dodge his next attack.
     "How are you so fast?! Trial! Trial! You're secretly a robot! You're cheating!" I laughed. I circled around him to try dealing another blow, but he was immediately ready for my attack from behind. I have to go faster. I jumped over him, smiling. I was shocked at how fast he was, but without his legs, he was in real trouble. I snaked around and tried taking him out at the knees. He jumped over me. Faster. He lunged and I ducked to the side. We were both determined to win. Even Faster. I rolled between his legs and he toppled to the side. However he was immediately back on his feet. I was fueled with adrenaline. Is this what it feels like to fight someone so close to you in skill and strength? Is this true rivalry? If it is, I hope this isn't all! This is awesome! I thought as I charged. He charged at the same time and we locked hands in a power struggle. We were dirty and tired. And smiling. He got into a state where he could push me down using leverage. I fell with a thud and rolled to the side of a kick to the chest. I momentarily looked through the fence. Kasumi sat there, eyes wide with shock and fear. I gave her a nod and a smile. I rammed my left ankle into Juno's shin and my right ankle into the bend of his knee at the same time. His right knee gave way and he fell. I was on top of him in a flash, holding him to the dusty earth. I felt him struggle beneath me. I slapped the ground to the side. "Three, two, one, DOWN! Yes!"
      "Nooooo!" He cried through fake tears. He sighed. "Ah, man. I should've expected that attack."
     "Don't worry about it. You were way faster than me. Here." I offered him my hand. "I didn't break anything, did I?"
     "Just my ego. It'll be okay." He smiled. An awkward silence followed. "So... Anyway,"
     "Yeah, anyway!" I laughed. "What are you going to build next? A rocket ship?"
     "Probably not. That technology isn't available to me and won't be for almost one thousand, nine hundred and seventy years."
     "That's a precise number. How do you know that?"
     "Well, since you had to ask, I secretly am a robot. I can channel the inner robot within me to see the future."
     "Lucky!" I joked.
     He sighed. "Hey, what's for lunch? I'm starving."
     "I have no idea."
     Kasumi walked over to our conversation. She smiled, but there was something in her eyes slightly resembling fear. Why is she afraid? I asked myself as I steered the two inside for lunch.