[thirteenth bullet] action

[boldandresolute]

[Liquid had gotten tired of waiting in Violet for his father to show his face.  Despite the fact that the snow was coming down so thick that he could hardly see two feet in front of his face and the temperatures weren't climbing out of the low teens, the British soldier left the safety of his hotel room in pursuit of Big Boss.  He would find him,

Comments

[philanthrotaku]

Liquid, please--!

[Otacon had been following as closely as he could, pleading almost constantly for the soldier to turn around and get out of this god-awful weather.]

[Being Liquid, he didn't listen.]

[When he tripped, Otacon was at his side in a moment with a confused look on his face. Liquid didn't trip, the very idea seemed ludicrous.]

What...what was that?

[sneaking_sin]

[That thing Liquid tripped over was one passed-out Big Boss, face-down in the snow. But his body wasn't cold yet, it was something other than the weather that made him pass out. Perhaps it was some of the light-blue Chesto berries scattered in the snow in front of him.]

[In any case, the foot to his side roused a vague groan from him, but didn't quite wake him up.]

[boldandresolute]

[Liquid ignored the engineer much like he had been doing for the past half hour or so, and leaned down to get a better look at what he'd tripped over.]

[And when he saw exactly what that passed-out shape was, Big Boss would find himself being roused by a kick to the ribs rather than just a foot to the side.]

Get up and face me like a man, Father!

[Liquid had to engage in a bit of a shouting match with the wind, but his lungs could beat out any gale.]

[philanthrotaku]

[Oh, what the hell.]

Liquid, will you listen to me for once?!

[sneaking_sin]

[The kick made him grumble like an angry hobo. With difficulty, he began slowly waking from his short berry-induced hibernation.]

[boldandresolute]

[Sorry, Otacon. You're being completely ignored.]

That's it, you bastard. Get up! Fight me, Father!

[philanthrotaku]

C-come on, don't do this now...!

[Already shivering, Otacon reached over and tugged on Liquid's wrist.]

Please, at least wait until the weather's better...

[sneaking_sin]

...Who the hell..?

[He managed to get halfway-up in the snow, bringing a hand to his face to rub snow off of his face and beard.]

Hnghh...

[boldandresolute]

Sleeping late, Father?

[He didn't care about the weather or the blizzard-- all that mattered was that his father was here and his chance to prove himself was within his grasp.]

[philanthrotaku]

...

[Deep breath. Sigh.]

[The sooner this was over, the sooner Otacon could get back inside and give out first aid.]

[sneaking_sin]

[He shook his head, attempting to get rid of the lingering effects of a drugged sleep more quickly. Getting to his feet in the snow, he fixed his eye on Liquid, scowling and positioning his arms in a CQC stance.]

[boldandresolute]

[Liquid sunk into his own fighting stance, squaring off against his father. Finally, he could pit his skills against the old bastard's and see who would come out superior.]

Have at you, Father!

[And he swung his weight into a hard, fast punch.]

[sneaking_sin]

[The punch connected easily, stunning him, but not knocking him off of his feet. He staggered back a couple steps but stayed standing, spitting a growl as blood oozed out of his nose. But he regained his senses within seconds, more awake than before. Liquid hit damn hard... but not as hard as Volgin.]

[He corrected his stance, adjusting it into a more proper CQC pose, waiting for Liquid to make another move.]

[boldandresolute]

[Liquid had been waiting for that punch for his entire life, and God above if it didn't feel good to have his fist connect with his father's face.]

Come on, old man. Give me your best shot!

[He went in for a few quick jabs; he knew about his father's CQC, after all, and he was going to keep his attacks too quick for the old bastard to come off of the defensive.]

[sneaking_sin]

[He didn't want to think about Boss. He really didn't want to think about her... but he could hear her voice in his ears as plainly as if she were speaking to him a foot away. He tightened his jaw at her reminder, but his body loosened for combat.]

[Liquid's earliest hits landed; instead of blocking, he grabbed at Liquid's wrist to pull him forward and send an elbow at his jaw.]

[boldandresolute]

[Liquid was yanked forward when Big Boss pulled on his wrist, and a moment later the other soldier's elbow slammed into his jaw, briefly stunning him. He recovered quickly, though, and twisted himself out of his father's grip and regained his footing.]

Not bad, Father.

[He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth; his lip was bleeding.]

But I'm not some rookie soldier. You'll have to do better than that!

[He swung into a vicious roundhouse kick for Big Boss' head.]