White Hawk and Sable Swan: A Martial Romance of the Far Future - Part VIII

This is the eighth part of an ongoing serial, written in honor of the Swords of St. Valentine initiative. Here are Parts One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and Seven. Updates every day.

He couldn’t understand, for the life of him, just why all these pugilists were so head-knockingly stupid. It was all purity this, lineage that… where in the world was he meant to find proper instruction if no-one was willing to teach him anything?

He was the champion, for Heaven’s sake! And he could outfight her, too!

…At least, that was what he thought, right until she turned and slammed a knee into his groin.

Li Wei bit his lip and crumpled to one knee. The girl stared at him, a wet mix of fear and defiant anger in her eyes. The passers-by gasped, then formed hurriedly into a circle. Auglenses and smartshades winked red all around.

“This is nothing,” he grunted, focusing his attention on her trapped right wrist. “I’m not letting go.”

“Yes, you are,” said the girl, but it was useless. His hands were wide enough to wrap all the way around her neck. She yanked at his fingers with a snarl, batted at his hand, and then, at last, said:

“Fine. Have it your way, then.”

He caught her palm before she could bring it down on his wrist, but that was exactly what she’d wanted him to do. The burst of furious chi jarred his whole right arm, and his fingers splayed open, freeing the hand he’d just sworn not to release.

“You let go,” she said, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. “Loser.”

Li Wei shrugged, and watched with satisfaction as her eyes lit up in fury.

It was so much easier when you could see their faces.

She kicked him in the chest. Channeling the Red Arhat, he focused his chi and leaned into the blow. She reeled, but kept her wits about her, turning the fall into a handspring. He tried to sweep her arms from under her with a low kick, but she sailed all the way across the impromptu ring and landed on the other side.

“Do you always wear slacks underneath,” grinned Li Wei, “or is it just today?”

The crowd sucked in its breath, then broke out in catcalls and applause.

“You… you pervert!” shouted Xu Hai, already bright red. “I’ll knock your face in if it’s the last thing I do!”

He held up his empty palms in response, then put them behind his back and whistled.

When she charged at him, he was ready.

#####

What was he doing? More importantly, what was she doing?

He was playing her like an erhu with only one string. She had the edge in technique and speed, which she’d pegged on the night of the championship bout as being his main weaknesses. He had extraordinary fight intelligence, but there was no depth to his style, and he had only defeated the Red Arhat by a mishap of quick reaction.

She was faster than him, and moved better than him. So why…

She jabbed at his head, but he slipped back and clipped her ankle with a short sweep. She stumbled with a yell of frustration, turned, and saw him coming up for an obvious jump kick.

She raised her hands for a blow that never came, lowered her guard, and saw him humming right in front of her. There was a smug light in his eyes.

He was absolutely infuriating, and not for the right reasons, either. She sent a swift combination of jabs and claws his way, but instead of intercepting or countering them, he simply took them straight in the chest. Then, to her horror, he leaned on her, his head languid on her shoulder.

“Do you ever stop playing with your enemies?” she demanded, taking deep mortified breaths.

“Kiss and make up!” caterwauled a guy from the crowd. “Woo!”

“Only when I’m in trouble,” said the White Hawk. “Other than that, yes, I tend to make a go of it.”

She tried to flip him to the ground, but he simply rolled with her, sending her crashing to the pavement like a pine-cone. There was more than mere weight in his movements. The physics alone were impossible.

No. He was controlling his chi like a master. Exactly like the Red Arhat.

“I’ll use my hands now,” said the White Hawk, removing them from behind his back. “That fine with you?”

Xu Hai wiped her mouth, spat, and stood. She took off her high-heels, one by one, and dropped them on the pavement.

“Do what you want, you jerkwad.”

It was time to show him the true power of the Xu Style of Scything Rain.

#####

Despite his show of nonchalance, Li Wei wasn’t being cocky in the slightest. The girl was an astounding fighter. She moved with brutal elegance, like a rivulet of acid rain, and struck with more strength than any female her size had a right to. If it wasn’t for his inhuman tolerance for pain, built up over more than two years in the Trial of Fists and Wills, he imagined he’d be flat on the ground by now, sobbing.

Not quite yet, he told himself, as she took up her stance, open palm in front of her chambered fist, right foot raised. Wait.

But there wasn’t that much time. He could feel the weakness in his battered groin, in his chest and thighs where she had pounded him. This wasn’t simulspace. He was, in fact, breaking down. Ignoring the pain would only get him so far.

“I don’t want to hurt you, by the way,” he said, wagging his finger. “You are a girl, after all.”

He barely had enough time to drop the finger. Her bare heel came for his jaw like a comet, and only the saving grace of pure reflex saved his face from utter destruction. He ducked and tried to shoot in for a takedown, but she stomped on his back and sprung into another flip, slamming his forehead straight into his left arm.

His palm tore. He could almost feel the grains of grit. It was alright, he told himself, closing his fist over the wetness and wincing. Better his hand then his head. He turned and prepared to catch the next kick, but it switched at that moment from left to right, bursting like thunder across his right temple and sending stars careening across his vision.

He fell to the ground and wobbled, almost stunned beyond speech. Everything was swimming. She was too fast, too strong all of a sudden. It was like he was caught in a rainstorm, in a sudden monsoon rage…

“Alright, that really was my head,” he slurred, holding up his hand. “Let me guess. The Needle-Point Downpour.”

“What?” She froze in front of him, flicked guilty eyes left and right to the whispering crowd. “How do you…”

It was at that moment that he focused all of his chi into his unhurt palm, rose, caught her answering hammer fist, and smashed her nose in.

Or rather, didn’t smash her nose in.

His palm wavered half a centimeter from her white face. She opened her mouth, speechless, then shut it. Her eyes swam with helpless, angry tears.

“Thanks for the lesson,” said Li Wei. “I think I’ve learned more than enough now.”

His bloodied hand clamped slick on her wrist. He felt like he couldn’t really let go, not anymore. It’d spoil the mood, and the show. And besides, it made for a nice way to end things off.

Or not.

“You’re all the same,” said Xu Hai, eyes closed, tears flowing. “All of you. You don’t take me seriously at all.”

“If it helps,” said the White Hawk, “I was being very serious.”

“No, you weren’t!” she hissed, jerking her caught hand back to no avail. “You knew about my style to begin with! You didn’t need lessons!”

“The Needle-Point Downpour was one of your father’s signatures,” said the White Hawk. “Didn’t you watch his fights?”

She grit her teeth and glared at him, jaw clenched to bite back the sobs. The crowd was staring at her. She could hear them clamoring, whispering. About her father. About her.

“I’ll pay ten netaels to everyone who deletes that footage, right here, right now,” said the White Hawk, raising her hand alongside with his. “Hello, officer.”

“I hope you have an explanation for this brouhaha, young man,” said the policeman.

The White Hawk smiled down at her. Xu Hai went completely and utterly white. She pulled desperately at his hand, but he was still stronger than her, and her chi was spent.

“Of course, officer,” said the White Hawk. “My name’s Li Wei, and this is my girlfriend, Xu Hai. We had a bit of a lovers’ spat, but now it’s all sorted. Just ask these guys. Can I give you a penny for your time?”

The crowd paused, leaned in, then broke into raucous cheers.