Kung-Fu VS Street Brawler

Before I had the chance to blink, Wang Xianshi disappeared from my field of vision. Frightened, I let out a gasp, turning my head to the side moments before his thick, muscular shin collided with my cheek. My eyes began to spin, and I found myself falling toward the floor at an alarming rate.

I had made this same mistake when I decided to engage in combat with Ninagawa Charlotte over a month ago: diving into a brawl I was thoroughly unprepared for. I planted my hands on the ground, using the momentum from my collapse to roll forward, landing back on my feet with grace. It was futile.

As soon as I had straightened myself, Wang Xianshi unleashed an unstoppable barrage of jabs to my mouth and nose, sending small spurts of my blood flying across the room. My head snapped backward with each collision, and I was unable to see where the attacks were coming from.

Damn it! I can't read this guy at all! Is he ex-military or something?!

"You fight like a dog, Princess! You're all bark and no bite!"
Wang Xianshi laughed bitterly, using the force of his open palm to slam my chest, nearly shattering my ribs as I slammed against the wall.

I coughed violently, seizing the opportunity to catch my breath as I shouted,
"Did you just call me a dog?! You bastard! You don't get to call me that, you rotten gambler!"

"Shut your mouth, you filthy dog! Show me some real grit or I'll beat you unconscious!"
Wang Xianshi leapt high in the air, pivoting his body to land a brutal spinning kick to my temple.
"Stay down and accept your fate-"
He froze mid-sentence.

I had succeeded in grabbing his leg mid-air, halting his attack with my bare hands. I smirked cockily, twisting his leg and shoving him to the floor.
"You already used that move! I can read you like an open book now, Xianshi!"

His back made contact with the ground, and he let out a startled groan. Before I had the time to mount him, Wang Xianshi swept my legs out from under me, causing me to fall ass-first while he regained his footing.

I narrowly avoided being kicked in the face by his boot, using my small size to roll backward and leap up onto my own feet.

"You fight better when fueled by anger. Didn't your daddy ever teach you that's a shitty way to brawl?!"
Wang Xianshi spoke through his lightning fast palm strikes.

I ducked and weaved to the side, but not without accepting a few blows that landed on my face. As much as I was able to block and parry, my own attacks lacked the force that Wang Xianshi's had, not to mention the distance my arms had been able to extend was significantly shorter than his.

"Don't talk about my father like you know him! That asshole left my mother for dead! I don't need a man to teach me how to fight!"
I screamed, missing my kick to his side by just a hair. I could feel the fabric of his coat wrap around my ankle, accompanied shortly by his hand on my calf, tugging my body close to his as he leaned in for a chop to my neck.

I slapped his open hand away just in time to salvage my consciousness, but the impact on my wrist sent a shockwave of tingles through my hand, rattling the sensitive, still-healing nerves from when Charlotte had pierced my palms a month ago. I bit my own tongue to suppress my groans, jumping high in the air to attempt a spinning kick to Wang Xianshi's head, but I was met with his other hand now grabbing this calf as well, ultimately leaving him with both of my legs completely locked in his large hands.

I fell hard and fast, but my head did not collide with the floor as expected. I was dangling upside down, held firmly in Wang Xianshi's hands. My back was pressed firmly against his crotch region, and I could feel his hands traveling toward my feet. In a panic, I started to flail, but Xianshi had begun to spin me around, slowly at first, but soon the dizzying pace left me unable to focus my eyes on anything. The inertia was making me nauseous, and I let out a few frightened squeaks as I tried to steady my head mid-swing.

Xianshi let go of my feet, and I slammed hard into the wall, back first. I cried out in pure agony, feeling my lungs empty as I sprawled out onto the carpeted floor. I gasped desperately, trying my hardest to inhale any bit of oxygen that I could before Xianshi closed in for the finishing move. I began to crawl toward my fallen tanto blade, gleaming like a lifeline in my time of crisis. Xianshi must have caught on to my idea, because he sprinted forward, grabbing my ponytail and yanking my hair back just in time to keep my fingers from touching the handle.

He mounted me from behind, wrapping his muscular forearms around my petite neck, choking me with a force even stronger than Charlotte had. I felt my back arch at an impossible angle, and the weight of him on top of me made me feel like I would snap in half at any given second.
"I don't like senseless violence, Princess. If you yield, give me a peace sign,"
he said in a calm voice, as if he weren't out of breath from our battle.

With my cheeks puffed and my eyes filled with glistening wetness, I threw two, shaky peace signs up in the air, ultimately saving myself from certain death.

He released my airways, and I had never tasted such sweet oxygen before in my life. I savored the smell of the musky air, feeling eternally grateful for its existence as my lungs returned to their rightful state.

"I don't... like senseless violence... either,"
I spoke in between breaths.

"Good. Glad we're on the same page. Tell Takeshi he won't be getting the money back, and that Wang Xianshi is coming for the Bara-gumi. You all better watch out, I'm about to soak your entire organization in their own blood. You should get out while you still can, Princess. I really have no interest in harming a child."
Wang Xianshi casually dropped this information.

My eyes must have grown quite wide, as the next words out of Xianshi's mouth were,
"What? Scared that you'll lose your precious family? Charlotte and her crew haven't seen the last of me, damn it!"

"No! You're wrong!"
I quickly shook my head, leaning my back against the wall and staring up at him with immense admiration, despite the blood splattered across my cheeks.
"I don't care about the Bara-gumi! I'm like you; I want to destroy this organization too!"

"Destroy the organization? But you belong to them. They gave you that suit and tanto, and even entrusted you to be on Takeshi's crew."
Xianshi mimicked my posture, sitting down with his back against the opposite wall, now at eye level with me.

"Again, that's not true! I'm not in Takeshi's crew; I'm in Kazuya's... Not that it matters, but today is only a one-time thing. You just happened to be there when I was on duty."
I hugged my knees to my chest, staring with unblinking eyes at Xianshi.
"To keep it brief... I want to kill Ninagawa Charlotte... She took something precious from me, so I'm posing as a lapdog until I'm strong enough to bite back."

Xianshi smirked, using his slender fingers to scratch the stubble on his chin. He studied me for quite some time with those beautiful green eyes.
"Did you mention something about killing Ninagawa Charlotte? You?"
He laughed.
"Well, Princess... I certainly hope you succeed. I didn't think you were serious, but those cute amber eyes of yours don't seem to be lying."

"I'm not lying! And... thanks for calling my eyes cute? I was told to say thank you when complimented."
I tilted my head slightly, wondering if I should even be bringing up his compliment in the first place.

"Yeah, they're definitely cute. Like a princess's eyes, hiding something painful behind them, yet so innocent and full of youth."
Xianshi pulled a small nicotine vaporizer from his breast pocket, puffing gently against the colorful tip before saying,
"I suppose we have a common goal, don't we?"

"That's right; we do!"
I smiled, now giving him a full glimpse of my bloody face instead of hiding under my bangs.
"That's why I need you to give me the money back, so I can continue to play along until I can strike. I can't afford any more mistakes."

He sighed, puffing a few more clouds of vapor before narrowing his eyes with a very slight scowl.
"I'm sorry, Princess... but I really can't return the money. There's something that I need to do with it. If you've got the time, I wouldn't mind if you heard me out. I'm warning you, though; it's a pretty messed-up tale."

I snickered bitterly, resting my chin against my knees before saying,
"I'll listen. I've got a pretty messed-up life of my own."