Bring It On Old Man [Complete]

[leashed_hunter]

Who: Albel Nox and Kiryuu Zero
When: Sunday
Where: Biodome
Summary: The old man, aka Abel, and Zero do some training together. 
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Violence, angst.

Comments

[acrimsonscourge]

Silver hair and violet eyes. A tall young man, Zero seemed to carry himself with exquisite posture and good form. This would be interesting. Albel watched him approach and smirked when he spoke.

"Of course. With something young and spry like you around, how could I sit still?" It was an almost provocative comment, but one that the brigade captain said with confidence. He had always been the type of person to speak his mind, to say what he wanted even if it was an evident bit of hubris.

"Well. I don't have my sword, but hand to hand is always more fun in it's own way, don't you think?" With a bit of a clatter, The Wicked One shook out his claw and grinned, pulling himself into his usual slouching stance.

"Come at me then, little Zero." There was a measure of fondness in the insult, and his grin spread from ear to ear. This was the most exciting thing that had happened since ending up in this place.

[leashed_hunter]

Zero was not easily taunted, at least not by someone that wasn't a Pureblood. And this male, Abel Knox, he understood him--somewhat, which was why it was easy to roll off the insults without bringing out his emotionless mask.

Zero stood tall, shining silver eyes on the other. The older youth might just be someone worth "training" with.

"You got it wrong," Zero said, he did not intend to charge at him like an adolescent. "I'll let you have the first hit, after that..." he smirked, "you're not getting any mercy."

[acrimsonscourge]

"Hah. Your funeral, kid." Albel wasn't one to take chances for granted.

Back home, he was accustomed to sparring with Fayt and Adray, occasionally the super-strong Klausian Cliff. Sizing Zero up as he approached, it was easy to judge that he was about the same size and build as Fayt. And thanks to this week's experiment (Something that Albel was still getting used to the concept of), the other fighter wouldn't have much up on him in the means of supernatural...well... anything.

It was a well practiced pattern of movement; a quick dash, his gauntlet braced against his side. It was also a cautious move, testing what this young man was capable of. Albel brought his human hand up, attempting to land a hit to Zero's chest. He'd save the God Hand for later.

[leashed_hunter]

Zero had learned most of what he knew through hard work, his enhanced abilities were simply a bonus, so having no supernatural abilities was a good way to gauge what he needed to work on, what he had allowed to rust when his unnatural abilities had surfaced.

It had been a year since he had finally truly fallen, and now he would be able to fight like a human once more--be a human once more.

He quickly side-stepped to the side when Albel rushed him. He had always been quick, his reflexes were the same. As soon as he moved to the side, his hand snapped forward to grab the other's hand and use it and his momentum to throw him over his shoulder.

[acrimsonscourge]

Albel saw it- felt it- coming. He cursed himself as he felt his world turn upside down for a moment and sailed through the air. There was a moment of perfect silence before he struck the ground, shoulder, hip armor and claw all rattling raucously. The wind was knocked from him for a split moment, and the brigade captain wheezed and coughed- before bursting into laughter

[leashed_hunter]

When he threw him over his shoulder, Zero watched him land from his crouching position near the ground. He rose up to his feet, one foot slightly forward, his stance one that would allow him to move quickly if Albel's retaliation was quick and swift, but instead of a quick retaliation, he...

He was laughing. Zero rose an eyebrow at his outburst. The old man had really lost it he thought to himself as Albel rose back to his feet. He ignored the comment he made and instead, kept his eyes on the other. His retaliation would be soon.

Zero didn't have to wait long for after that for the military man made his retaliation soon enough, his movements fast and accurate, graceful. And then he threw his weight on his shoulder, using his momentum send them both the ground.

Zero hit the floor with an audible "Oomph", Albel on top of him. But as soon as his back hit the ground, he put his arms up in defense, ready to roll them over and get the upper hand.

[acrimsonscourge]

Laughing again. Not nearly as neurotically, but amused none the less. This was what he lived for, the kind of rush that was what he trained to achieve. Albel could feel Zero struggling against him. Good. He'd hopefully spend his precious energy. The brigade captain wasn't expecting the push that came so soon though, and to save himself from getting pinned entirely, rolled away as far as he could with his minimal momentum.

An irritated growl, face down in the dirt as the dazed brigade Captain tried to catch his bearings. There was no way he was letting a little whelp like Zero- who'd never seen true war- get the best of him. He tried to fight the voice that reminded him how he'd come to respect the younger man.

Albel braced himself, waiting to see what Zero was going to do, digging his claw into the dirt beneath him.

[OOC: Off to bed with me. Tag you in the morning. <3]

[leashed_hunter]

They had rolled on the ground for a bit, but just when Zero was about to get the upper hand, Albel managed to get away. He rolled away from him, until he was face down on the ground.

His eyes immediately flicked to him, but he didn't make a move to go after him. Slowly, he rose back to his feet, and waited for him to get back to his own. It was a stupid thing to do since he could easily get the upper hand with the other on the ground the way he was, but Zero waited nonetheless. This was training, it wasn't about winning. Besides, he doubted he could ever go all out on anyone that wasn't a vampire, but at the same time, he wasn't going easy on the other. He didn't intend to lose to him.

[OOC: Night. XD]

[acrimsonscourge]

It was almost funny.Chivalrous. The way Zero stepped back and waited for him to get up. In the split second that took, the Glyphian was back on his feet, brushing grass from his sarong. The chain links on his collar made a light sound almost like bells as he tilted his head and grinned at the younger man.

"How sweet of you to wait for me." Albel was already learning the way Zero moved. It was a practiced and refined style that the boy seemed to use, and it reminded him of his younger days- before he'd developed his own personal flavor of violence.

The Wicked One was circling Zero slowly, careful, languid steps that foretold of the power of a leopard ready to pounce. And pounce he did. Albel went for the vampire hunter's arm, twisting it behind his back as he made an attempt to put him in a choke-hold with his prosthetic arm.

[leashed_hunter]

"Don't think too much on it," Zero murmured, silver eyes on the prowling general. He was circling around him, waiting for an opening. He kept his eyes on him--on that prosthetic hand. A hit from that would cause some damage in his current state. He kept him feet spread, his hands at his side, raised a little. A position that would allow him to move quickly in whatever direction he needed too.

And then the attack came, before the Hunter could stop him, Albel had twisted his hand behind him in a painful position, and used that prosthetic arm to choke him. Not wasting his time fighting the hold upright, Zero immediately threw them on ground, Albel breaking his fall, thus making the hold less effective. He then rolled them on the ground until he managed to get his hand free, almost spraining it in the process and with both hands free he fought against that choke-hold that was cutting off his air circulation.

After a bit of struggling, Zero managed to break the hold, taking in a gasp of air, and throwing the other off of him.

[acrimsonscourge]

Another beautiful movement and he was on his back, coughing and spluttering while Zero wrestled free. He was half laughing though, amused at just how focused the vampire hunter could be. It was almost enough to give him a little bit of hope in the world. Almost

[leashed_hunter]

And he was laughing again, Zero narrowed his eyes, finding nothing amusing about the situation. The general was much too jolly for his taste, or rather he wasn't used to a fighter that was so happy... then again... he had never sparred with another. Not like this, and not any time in the last 6 years

[acrimsonscourge]

A shift in expression, a change in attitude. It wasn't unlike the other day when he had shut down entirely and walked away from their conversation. Albel wasn't exactly the most social person in the world, but this was a tell-tale sign, one that he exhibited far too often. If it hadn't been for his travels with Fayt and the others, he probably would have been just as closed off as Zero, if not more so. He remembered a time not so long ago when he would have sooner gutted someone who cracked his shell than to converse with him. That realization made him wonder if he was changing for the better or not

[leashed_hunter]

He was good at making people dislike him, pushing them away. He had always been self sufficient--independent; had never allowed himself to grow close to anyone aside from Ichiru, his twin, and Yuuki... But they were both gone now. One he had buried, the latter he had promised to kill.

He listened to the other, his words resonating with something inside himself...

"I had to admit that what I hated most was myself. I hated myself for being too arrogant, for being too harsh, for being too stubborn. For a lot of things. Only by admitting this...did I pass the sword's trial of character."He had never needed to admit such a thing. He already knew. Since he was young, and realized why Ichiru was so sick, why he was born so weak, and later after being turned into a vampire... he had already known the answer to that question

[acrimsonscourge]

"Tch." A bitter taste in his mouth. Albel hated a lot of things. But the one thing he could never tolerate was himself. In the end, it was all just a product of what had happened to his father. Albel could never change that it was his fault. He could never make it right... It was being around people who actually cared, people who made him realize that there was worth in living that made it bearable. He couldn't see Zero, but he could almost sense him there on the other side. He dug his claws into the bark, not tearing at it nearly as much as he should have been able to.

"I do. I loathe myself every day. I can't ever make up for the atrocities I caused. But I keep walking, one boot in front of the other...because maybe it'll be worth it in the end. Maybe I'll be able to make up for what it is I've become.... maybe."

[leashed_hunter]

He could hear the bitterness in that one sound. His eyes shifted to the side, barely glimpsing that metal claw as it dug into the tree.

"I see," was all he said, his voice neutral. He understood that. The self loathing, and he also understood the determination to keep moving. To keep fighting. Too hold that naive thought of atonement for the things he had done... for what he had become. Deep down he knew he could ever gain forgiveness, but still he had nothing left but to keep moving forward.

"You and I aren't so different."