Do7: Alright! First Chapter of the New Year!

Garet: Not only that, but from the looks of it, things are about to get intense.

Mitsu: I just hope Hsu knows what he is doing...

Garet: Don't worry Mits! Sure your brother may be tough, but Hsu's good in his own right! He'll be fine.

Mitsu: For his sake, I hope you are right Garet...

Garet: Oh come on! I just told you he would be just fine! Tell her Feizhi!

Feizhi: ...

Garet: Er...Feizhi? You ok?

Feizhi: Huh? Oh...sorry I was just in deep thought. I'm just a little worried that's all.

Garet: You gotta be kidding...You know what, let's get this thing under way. Maybe you'll too will stop being so uptight once you see Hsu in action.

Do7: Sounds like we're in for a treat! Better get your popcorn ready folks!

Chapter 21: Round 3: Winner's Loser

"Match number three: Hsu Xong vs. Kyosuke Tao Shen. If both fighters are ready, then begin!"

Almost immediately the two lunged forward together in perfect synchronization as a fierce pain entered throughout Hsu's arm as it smashed mercilessly into Kyosuke's. However, the elder boy used his superior strength to launch the other backward. Skidding to a halt, Hsu led with his right and launched his fist directly into where Kyosuke's charging chest was. Flinging himself away, he dodged the attack and sent his elbow onto Hsu's nose. The boy ducked, jabbing upward and narrowly missing Kyosuke's jaw. However, in a move that he was in no way prepared for or able to counter, Kyosuke's forehead was seen screaming forward and plowed onto Hsu's. Pain blinded him, and he could feel the spurt of hot blood squirt from his nostrils as he fell backward. Giving himself a quick shake, Hsu flung out his arms and caught himself just in time before flinging his legs over and pulling himself back to an upright position.

Kyosuke launched again, jabbing his arms at him with super human speed but Hsu managed to dodge them, weaving and twisting out of the way as quickly as he could. Pushing skyward, narrowly avoiding a powerful kick to his back, Hsu pulled forward with his leg extended. Crossing his arms, Kyosuke blocked effortlessly. Hsu quickly distanced himself from the hazel-eyed fighter, but Kyosuke anticipated the move and charged. Commanding his muscles in a powerful sidestep, the elder boy flew, head over heels, rocketing forward a punch that collided heavily with his opponents elbow. Rearing back his arms and crossing rigid fingers, Kyosuke brought them racing forward; Hsu stumbled and he fell, missing the attack with.

Rolling quickly to avoid the stomp that slammed down where his body had been moments earlier, Hsu hurtled onto his feet, flinging jab after jab into his brown-haired foes chest. Kyosuke took the punches effortlessly, the pain receding to a dull thumping against his torso, ducked and threw up his fist. BAM! The attack connected with superb force, staggering Hsu. Regaining himself and ignoring the pain in his, possibly broken, jaw he threw himself back into the fray, punching and kicking his enemy. Having taken control of the fight, Kyosuke was able to dodge easily; he threw a punch at Hsu felt his eyes widen as the boy grabbed hold of his wrist with a dead man's grip and a painful pressure reared into his abdomen as Hsu's foot planted itself there. Taking advantage of his stationary position, Kyosuke had brought his knee up and it connected with Hsu's face. Hsu reeled backward, the pain in his mouth intensified. Kyosuke leaped high after Hsu, launching a series of downward jabs which Hsu rolled to avoid. As he came to the end of his circuit, Hsu twisted his body around and shifted upward with a kick that landed squarely on Kyosuke's face.

The hazel-eyed fighter teetered backward; catching himself on his heels, the elder boy took off at a run and driving the crown of his head deep into Hsu's chest. The boy caught hold of himself and somersaulted across the arena. Kyosuke flew at Hsu, but missed his target; skidding to a halt, he crouched and his complaining legs jetted him into the air. Their next flurry of attacks came swiftly and furiously, matching each other blow for blow before both fighters landed easily on their feet.

"I'm impressed," Kyosuke began "Your mobility is highly remarkable and your attack power is nothing to sneeze at. You're proving to be quite the adversary I was expecting you to be Hsu."

The brunette said nothing, but simply gave a stern stare in return. His eyes widened in surprise as Kyosuke dropped out of his stance, "I sense such hostility, tell me, what issue do you have with me?"

Hsu remained high on alert, eyeing the hazel-eyed snake distrustfully; he did not lower his guard, even as Kyosuke left himself defenseless.

"Aside from the fact that you're trying to deny a position that rightfully belongs to my sister, but you have crossed the line with me when you degraded Feizhi!" The young Xian fighter declared hotly.

"There are plenty of things I will tolerate Kyosuke, but there's one thing I will not allow, it would be anyone to dishonor my family the way you dishonored my sister!"

Raising an eyebrow, Kyosuke, scoffed dismissively "Dishonor? You throw that word rather loosely. Tell me Hsu, I didn't see you make much a fuss when Feizhi dishonored Master Feh the way she did. Where were you then with your hypocrisy Hsu?"

"That was different Kyosuke!" roared Hsu, "Everyone knew our father was extremely ill, Feizhi was only telling the truth about himself!"

"Then I guess it's based on individual interpretation, as I was merely speaking on how ineffective she would be as leader."

Hsu fell silent not quite sure how to respond. As much as he hated to admit it, Kyosuke had a point. Despite how well her intentions were originally, Feizhi knew it was highly frowned upon to talk back to elders, let alone the current time leader of the dojo. It also didn't help upon seeing the triumphant grin present across Kyosuke's face.

"You're enjoying this aren't you?"

Almost instantly did Kyosuke's grin quickly evaporate into a stern expression.

"To be completely honest I do not. I know this may be hard for you to believe Hsu, but none of us are happy that is has come to this; least of all me. Despite being on opposing ends, I still consider you both as good friends. It's just that right now this dojo is in need of a strong leader. We simply can't leave anything to chance."

"And I suppose you're the guy that's the most capable?" scoffed Hsu; Kyosuke nodded. "And you're saying that Feizhi isn't capable of being just as an effective leader?"

"I can't say that based on what I've seen, which is why I challenged her in the first place; if only she had decided to step down."

"You're blaming her for this!?" roared Hsu

"No Hsu, I'm blaming you!" said Kyosuke coldly.

Hsu stared, completely stunned "M-My fault? What do you mean?"

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Kyosuke replied.

"It's simple really: if not for you, Feizhi wouldn't be under all this kind of pressure. Sure I may have challenged her originally, but I'm more than sure she would've been more than happy to step down rather than drag this whole ordeal out. Have you ever considered that she might not have wanted this? You say it's her birthright and yet I see a timid girl reluctantly accepting a position where she had little to no real choice in the matter. If anything, I say I'm being more helpful to her by relieving her from such responsibility. Surely this past month hasn't been easy for her and has taken a toll on her. I can only imagine what she put herself through in order to prepare herself for this event."

Hsu said nothing, as he was left incapable to doing so; what exactly could he say? Nearly everything Kyosuke had said held a bit of truth to it. All this time he had imagined Feizhi wanting the position but never had he once thought to ask about her feelings regarding the whole ordeal; instead all he ever did was constantly push her. It certainly explained why Feizhi was so relentless with her training as well as her attitude over the course of the month. He remembered the long hours she spent pushing herself, even when it appeared she had reached her limit. He hated watching her go through all of that and not once did he ever consider he may have been the reason behind her recent behavior.

Maybe, just maybe, Kyosuke was right and this was entirely his fault. He knew Feizhi very well and he definitely knew better than to put it past her to accept Sagwan Master to appease everyone. That's just the kind of person she was: always putting other's needs before her own. Hsu glanced over at his sister before his eyes trailed down to the floor. A wave of guilt overtook him, his head sinking lower; if what Kyosuke said was true, then not only had he failed Master Feh but he also failed Feizhi as Kyosuke continued to emotionlessly back towards him.

Meanwhile from above, Feizhi watched on helplessly as Hsu simply stood completely frozen in place like a pillar of stone. She could sense her brother's spirit being completely shattered by Kyosuke's words; if something wasn't done fast Hsu would surely be a goner.

"Snap out of it Hsu! Don't listen to him!" Feizhi yelled over the rail getting his attention.

"Pull yourself together! I'll never forgive you if simply accept defeat while wallowing away in your self-pity! I didn't come all this way only for you to throw all of the exhausting hours we spent, without putting as much of a fight! What's wrong with you!? Do you honestly believe a single word of what he is telling you?"

"No! Of course not! It's just I—All this time I never once considered your feelings on this entire matter. Instead I simply went on pushing you without any regard on how you felt on being The Sagwan Master! I'm sorry Feizhi. I should've never pushed you so far without knowing how you felt about the whole ordeal! " He said dolefully.

"Stop it! Don't you understand? I would've never made it this far if it weren't for you staying by my side! You even went as far as to make this a Kumite- Taijume in order to help me; if anything you were trying to help relieve pressure! How could you even think what he's saying is true?"

"Well I—"

"Listen to me Hsu: you're someone who could never let me down! We're in this together!"

Feizhi's words hit Hsu deeply, memories of his conversation he had with Mitsu in Mogall Forest instantly flooded into his mind…her words reborn:

"If there is one person Feizhi knows she can count on it would be you Hsu!"

A faint smile slowly formed back on the young fighter's face as he looked back towards his sister, "I guess I really had you worried there, huh sis? Sorry about that."

"Then what exactly are you waiting for? Quit stalling and win this thing!" She shouted down.

Hsu turned back to Kyosuke "Sorry, but your little mind game failed! Now all there's left is for me to take you down, right here and now!"

"Then by all means: go ahead and try! Just don't be disappointed when the outcome isn't what you expected it to be!" Kyosuke replied dryly, as both fighters dropped back into their respective stances.

After a few tense moments the two fighters launched themselves towards one another, meeting in the center of the room as they entered into another fast-paced flurry. Fists flying in chaotic confusion, Hsu huffed and wheezed, sweat flying from his body, barely able to dodge a particularly nasty blow that very well might have torn off his head. Matching each other blow for blow, Hsu jumped onto the offensive with a well-aimed punch at Kyosuke, his fist burrowing into the boys flesh. They continued their frenzied battle, avoiding, even countering each other's attacks and grapples. They managed to regain their footing after a moment, when Kyosuke's last counterattack sent both of them flying.

"Is that all?" Kyosuke scoffed "I was expecting more after all that big talk"

"I guess I'll have to bring it up a notch. I certainly wouldn't want to disappoint you!" Hsu yelled, dashing towards his hazel-eyed opponent before kicking off, and launching himself in the air.

Kyosuke watched with a hawk-like gaze as his figure was obscured by the glowing lights overhead, before his shadow rematerializing; his fist taking on the shape of a grizzly as he came down towards him. Flinging forth his arm and charging with every ounce of weight behind his fist, the latter managed to evade Hsu's punch, but lost his balance due to the impact of the punch and its resulting aftershock. Taking advantage of it, Hsu quickly went back on the attack, as both of them began yet another exchange of attacks, before Hsu knocked Kyosuke away, earning a few cheers from the audience.

"Alright! Did you see that Mitsu? He's got him on the ropes!" Garet boasted proudly.

"Yes, so it would appear," replied the jade-haired girl faintly, watching the fight very carefully. "

Hey what's the matter? Aren't you stoked? At this rate this fight will be over in no time!"

Mitsu frowned "I hope you are right Garet but I fear the longer this match goes on the likeliness that something bad will happen."

"Well Kyosuke," Hsu smirked, watching as Kyosuke rose to one knee, "I trust you are satisfied now, or do you need me to plow you down some more?"

Wiping the blood of his mouth, Kyosuke grinned. "Ah yes, very good. A lucky shot I'll give you that, but still not good enough" He said dismissively as he brushed off his shoulders.

"Lucky huh? You're so full of it Kyosuke, but that's ok! You won't be arrogant for long, that I can assure you!"

"No I'm afraid that won't be necessary"

"What do you mean?"

"It's done"

"What are you talking about Kyosuke? What's done?"

"I'm referring to our battle; just give up Hsu you can't beat me" advised Kyosuke

"And exactly what made you draw to such a conclusion?" Hsu asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kyosuke sighed, "Your power has diminished immensely since the beginning; in fact it's gotten to the point where you're no longer a challenge to me anymore. It simply wouldn't be fair for me to keep fighting you at this point. I have to admit that you have greatly disappointed me Hsu. Here I came into this match with high expectations that you would prove to be a worthy adversary and give me a challenge, but all you've did was recklessly attack me without forming an ounce of strategy, while burning through your Chi like a complete amateur! There's really no sense in to continuing this fight any further. It's best that you surrender now and stop wasting my time."

"Still with the same old tricks I see," Hsu yelled breaking back into his stance "I told you before Kyosuke: your mind games aren't going to work on me anymore! Now prepare yourself!"

Kyosuke sighed again.

"Very well Hsu, if you won't listen to reason then I guess I'll have to just how futile your chances are; just know, when this is all over with remember that I gave you a chance to walk away!"

"I've heard enough of you for one day!" Hsu yelled as he bolted towards his foe as Kyosuke held his ground, easily maneuvering around the series of fast punches that were thrown in his direction.

Deciding to take to the offensive at long last, Kyosuke grabbed Hsu's fist, pulling him forward before slinging him over his shoulder. Fortunately for Hsu he was able to catch himself before he landed, however, he was left with little time to react as the momentum of Kyosuke's approaching fist skidded across face. The air burned as it skidded across him, as Hsu barely managed to bring his head back before his fist was able to fully connect. Without skipping a beat Hsu quickly lowered himself down before sweeping his leg across in an attempt to catch Kyosuke off guard; unfortunately for him, Kyosuke had anticipated this move as he was easily able pulled back seconds before Hsu was able to bring his leg fully across. A brief stare down took place shortly before Hsu once again lunged forward as the two fighters entered into another fast-paced flurry of punches as roars from the crowd echoed heavily across the room.

"Those two are really going at it" commented Mitsu.

"I'd say," Garet concurred "It's a good thing I didn't get first crack at your brother after all Mits, I probably would've been wasted in about five minutes going into the match."

"I see…" said Mitsu distractedly, apprehension written across her face.

"Hey what's the matter Mits?"

"It is nothing…" Following her eyes back down on the two combatants Garet gently placed a hand over her shoulder.

"Hey don't worry yourself about this Mits. It's like I told you before: Hsu's got this! Just look at the way he's forcing Kyosuke back! It won't be long now before he finishes things and we're declared the winner! Yep, just call it a wrap!"

"No…you're wrong Garet."

Immediately two pairs of eyes went over towards the lavender haired wind adept as the two noticed her gaze staring intensely down at the fight below, as she tightly gripped the metal rail.

"Something is wrong. You can sense it as well, can you not?"

"What are you talking about?"

The two didn't say anything, as they fretfully watched the battle down below. Garet's eyebrow shot up in incredulity and confused annoyance.

"I don't get it! What's gotten you guys so bent out of shape? He's doing great!"

"It may appear to look that way Garet, but the reality is he's actually playing into Kyosuke's hands."

"What do you mean?"

"Kyosuke is an extremely gifted fighter, one of the primary aspects that makes him such a formidable adversary is his ability to adjust to whatever his opponent gives him."

"Yeah so? What does that have to do with anything?"

"See for yourself Garet. Just look at him!" Feizhi jabbed her finger down below.

Heeding the girl's instructions, Garet stared, carefully observing the brunette haired fighter, as he continued to go back and forth against Kyosuke. Unsure what he was supposed to be staring at as the two continued to go back and forth at one another, Garet stared skeptically over at the two and shrugged.

"I still don't get what's gotten you two so worked up. Hsu looks absolutely fine down there. Hell I'll even go a step further and say he's winning!"

The girls exchanged heavy looks before Feizhi replied despondently.

"…It's over…"

"What!?"

"There's no way he can win Garet," Feizhi said with a small sigh before closing her eyes.

"Well geez way to have faith in the guy Feizhi!" Garet yelled, glaring at the wind adept disapprovingly.

"No Garet. She is telling the truth; even I can tell Hsu will not last very much longer" Mitsu concurred sadly.

"Oh not you too! Give me a break you guys! You think he's in trouble just because of what Kyosuke said to him? Are you really seriously gonna buy that load of crap!?"

"No one is buying anything Garet" yelled Feizhi with equal frustration "Anyone with eyes can tell he's getting tired down there!"

Tired?" said Garet blankly "What are you talking about?"

"He's exhausted Garet, his energy has dropped dramatically compared to how it was in the beginning. Feizhi replied sadly.

"But…how?"

"It was my brother's strategy all along" Mitsu interrupted, "He knew Hsu was going to be…highly emotional going into this match, and he took advantage of it. So he taunted him to throw him off his rhythm, and Hsu took the bait."

"Wait didn't Hsu know that Kyosuke would try that?"

"I'm sure he did. Father always told us that it was important to keep our emotions under control. Not doing so is a sign of weakness, one in which your enemies could exploit. I fear he may not have been ready as the thought he may have been. That and I don't think he took into account that Kyosuke would make verbal attacks towards him, rather than at me, and by the time he was able to come to his senses it was too late" said Feizhi.

"As a result match my brother has conserving his energy while waiting for Hsu to completely wear himself out."

"Wait if what you guys are saying is true then that means…"

Turning back his eyes, Garet witnessed to his dismay, the undeniable truth that each move Hsu made was slower and sloppier than before as evident by Kyosuke being able to move past them with little trouble as opposed to earlier. It wasn't long before Kyosuke responded with a series of retaliatory strikes of his own, quickly overwhelming Hsu leaving him breathless as a particularly nasty jab to Hsu's ribcage sent the latter falling to his knees wheezing heavily.

"Enough Hsu, it's over! Don't you get it? Since the beginning I was merely testing your abilities!" Kyosuke said staring impassively over at Hsu. "It's time you face facts Hsu: you're no match for me. I'm giving you one last chance to surrender, I suggest you take it."

"Surrender?" spat the boy incredulously, sweat streaking down his flushed face, "Not a chance! You may find this hard to believe Kyosuke, but up to this point I was holding back!" He pushed himself sluggishly to his feet, chuckling as he wiped the blood off the side of his face.

"Is that right?" The elder fighter stared looking mildly nonplussed.

"Well you're right about one thing, I do find that hard to believe when all evidence point to the contrary."

"Then I guess I'm better off showing you." Hsu remarked with a small grin.

"Oh yeah? Then by all means go ah—"

Before had time to finish, he felt a sharp pain surge through his gut dropping him to one knee. Wincing from the pain, Kyosuke glanced up only to notice Hsu beginning to circle around him, moving at such an alarming pace as evident by several corporeal images that were now surrounding him. As the running came to a stop Kyosuke noticed a pair of Hsu perpendicular of him before both figures came crashing towards him. Confusion soon flooded over the boy's face shortly after as Kyosuke slowly began to fade out moments after the impeccable timed blow connected. Bedazzled, Hsu quickly looked around to see where his opponent could've possibly disappeared to when suddenly.

WHAM! Something heavy and fast dropped from out of nowhere, slamming his head hard onto the concrete ground. Painful pressure enveloped his skull, as he lifted his head to see Kyosuke standing a few feet away from him.

"Piece of advice for you Hsu", he said coolly "Next time you attack, you might want to hit your target!"

"Impossible…" said Hsu helplessly "If I'm correct that that technique you just performed was 'The Dance of the Elusive Fox'. But how? How exactly were you able to get past me? There's no way you should've gotten past that move, I timed it perfectly!"

"Not quite," Kyosuke interjected "While that was a very good choice of attack you used just now, it wasn't executed properly.

"Wha-What do you mean!?"

"I could sit here and explain it, but…To put it bluntly: You were too slow, and judging by the look of fatigue on your face, it's safe to assume that you just burned what little Chi you had left on that last attack. Am I wrong? "

"Kyosuke…You…" Hsu seethed, unable to disguise the anger and frustration, as evident by his tone.

"Now do you see the difference between the two of us? You cannot defeat me."

Tightly clenching his fists Hsu took in a deep breath in attempt to calm his nerves and regain composure. Without a word he sluggishly rose back to his feet. A small sigh escaped, Kyosuke as he watched Hsu sink back into his stance. At this point he wasn't sure whether to commend him for his determination or condemn him for stubbornness. Either way this had to stop. Still…there was something he needed to know.

"Tell me something Hsu, what exactly is it that you're trying to prove here? Your energy is expended and I've managed to get past your strongest attacks. Why don't you spare yourself the pain and surrender? There's no shame in yielding to a warrior who is superior in skill."

"Surrender, huh? You'd like that wouldn't you Kyosuke?" Hsu scoffed

"I'm only trying to look after your best interest Hsu, since you're not doing so for yourself! Believe it or not I don't want to fight you anymore!"

"Then why don't you surrender?" Hsu suggested sarcastically. Kyosuke's expression remained stern though his voice did not lose an ounce of its cool.

"You know I can't do that"

"Is that so? Well I can't just give up either! If this was for myself I'd probably would take you up on that offer. You are without a doubt the better fighter out of the two of us Kyosuke."

"Then why do you continue to resist?"

"Because I'm not doing this for myself: I'm doing this for Feizhi!" declared Hsu valiantly "I'm doing this because she believes in me and she's someone I could never let down. What about you Kyosuke? Can the same be said about you?"

"What do you mean by that?" Kyosuke frowned feeling a knot starting to form in his stomach.

"I fight knowing that Feizhi believes in me; but what about the people closest to you Kyosuke? Do they have the same faith as the two of us have in one another?"

Kyosuke stood, rooted to the spot, in disbelief at hearing his opponent's daring words. Looking over at his jaded hair sibling he could see the concern look in her eyes but knew better than to believe that they were for him. He didn't bother to look over at his grandfather, knowing full well that he'd be met with the same sentiment.

"That's why I won't quit," shot Hsu again "Because, unlike you, I have someone I'm fighting for!"

With his resolve and dedication serving as his primary motor, Hsu could feel a sudden rush of adrenaline coursing throughout his veins, revitalizing him. With his fist raised, Hsu took off, making a direct beeline towards his adversary. To his surprise he noticed that Kyosuke wasn't making any effort to evade his attack as. He simply stood there idly as Hsu's fist fully connected across the side of his face. And then…nothing; Kyosuke didn't move. His head didn't jerk back from the blow, not even by a margin. His face was impassive like a block of marble, leaving Hsu completely stunned. Collective gasps and murmurs were heard around the room over what had just transpired as Hsu quickly pulled back to create safe distance.

"What's wrong Hsu," Kyosuke inquired, wiping the small trail of blood from the side of his mouth "Have you decided to cease your attacks?"

Rendered speechless, Hsu could feel his entire body starting to tense up, as a bead of sweat trailed down the side of his head. Ever muscle in his body starting to tense, as he clenched that his eyes had remained dead locked, focused directly towards him. With a small grin, Kyosuke gradually closing his eyes and let out a small sigh.

"Alright then, I guess it's about time I brought this to an end"

A phantom chill slowly rippled down Hsu's spine upon as he watched Kyosuke vanish within an instant as he began looking around frantically for his opponent.

"Looking for someone?"

Startled by the voice coming so close behind him, Hsu darted his eyes widening in shock, only to discover the spiky hair brunette standing idly behind him. Without hesitation Hsu whipped his right arm back in hopes of landing a quick hit, however that would prove to be costly as it left him wide open for a counter attack. Unwilling to pass on a golden opportunity, Kyosuke reappeared directly in front of him before lifting his fist and planting hard blow into his torso staggering him. Kyosuke however was far from done.

Lifting his fists Kyosuke continued his assault, landing two jabs across his opponent's face, followed by a hard punch towards his midsection before repeating; increasing the speed and intensity of each blow as he continued.

Before long Hsu soon found himself lost in a hailstorm of punches and kicks coming from multiple directions; Feizhi and the others could only look on in complete horror and disgust as the blows were taking their toll, leaving Hsu completely dazed as he simply stood idlest and completely helpless while absorbing all the punishment dished out towards him.

Without hesitation Kyosuke landed a vicious uppercut to the jaw, sending him off his feet. Once he began his descent Kyosuke moved into position, placing himself right under where he would land before skillfully raising his foot at a perfect one-hundred, eighty degree angle, catching the falling combatant. The cracking thud of his back as it rudely met the back end of Kyosuke's foot sang throughout the air as Hsu violently coughed out blood before sliding off Kyosuke's foot and onto the pavement floor.

A small frown soon formed across the face of Kyosuke the longer he continued to stare down at the lifeless figure. For whatever reason, he felt unsatisfied with himself. Not because of what he did, but because of what he didn't do; it was if he should've done more. He wasn't sure why but for some reason the more he stared down at Hsu the more awful thoughts began to pervade his mind.

He then looked over to where his team stood, specifically towards his sister, and notice the look of fear and concerned she had on her face that clearly wasn't towards him but for the lifeless figure below him. Ever since his training in preparation for the kumite he couldn't understand for the life of him why both she and their grandfather up and deserted him the way they did. Didn't they have any idea that he was doing this for them as much as he was doing this for himself?

Did they truly believe Feizhi would be a better at that position? Did she think that Feizhi was better than him? Or did she think he couldn't do it? One way or another this was his the chance he had long sought for, and he would be damned if he allowed anyone to stand in his way from achieving his goal! Without a second thought Kyosuke once again brought his at a perfect one-hundred, eighty degrees before forcefully crashing it down into Hsu's shin, snapping the bone in two.

An uncomfortable silence came across the room everyone watched as Hsu's scream of pain tore throughout the arena. Looking to where Hsu's teammates stood, he took extreme delight noting the dreaded look on all of their faces. The only exception was Mitsu who had her face covered with both hands as she looked away.

Although it pained him to put his sister in so much pain, he took solace over the fact that this was a direct consequence of being in a Kumite as he turned away to face the elders who were in the middle of their countdown.

"You may as well not even bother, he's not getting up any time soon, I've seen to that; besides his left leg is completely shattered. There's absolutely no way that he'll—" He was force to stop in midsentence upon hearing a collective gasp fill across the room.

Turning his head back, Kyosuke's eyes widened in complete disbelief in what he saw. Somehow, someway, Hsu was on his feet slouched over in his fighting stance, in spite of his entire body shaking unstably. Looking closer at his opponent Kyosuke noticed his eyes were faded and was only being held up through sheer will power. In normal cases Kyosuke would commend such determination, but for some reason the more he stared over at Hsu, the angrier he was becoming.

"So even after going through all of that, you still wish to continue..."

Kyosuke seethed lowering his head to the point where a shadow covered over his eyes.

"Alright then Hsu, no more games. I've tolerated your stubbornness long enough…This time you'll stay down!"

He lunged towards Hsu at an incredible pace. Drawing closer and closer with a raised fist, his attack came to an abrupt halt upon watching as a familiar figure with forest green hair swiftly stood in front of the two combatants, throwing her arms out wide open. Luckily for her, Kyosuke was able to stop his fist from fully connecting as it stopped inches short from her face.

Despite this Mitsu didn't waver an inch as she held her position. Despite her impassive expression Kyosuke could see the damaged and hurt he had brought upon her as the two stared quietly into one another's eyes.

"I'm done here." Kyosuke muttered in agitation turning away as the elders declared him the winner of the match.

A hard knot soon formed inside the stomach of Kyosuke upon watching as Mitsu placed the fallen warrior on her lap as his fellow teammates raced down towards them. Although he may have won this fight between Hsu, he still couldn't help but believe that he had still lost for the things that truly matters.

A/N: Alright! First chapter of the New Year! I apologize for the wait you guys! I've been meaning to post this chapter a lot sooner, but with the holidays showing up and the fact that I finished an exhausting semester I've been feeling extremely lazy as of late. Nevertheless I should've posted this a lot earlier like I had originally intended. Overall I'm pretty satisfied with this one. Since the whole debacle Hsu and Kyosuke had been butting heads with one another and this was a great way to settle things. Although Im pretty sure everyone knew Kyosuke was going to win, I didn't want to make Hsu look bad, and show that despite being outmatched, he was able to hold his own against Kyosuke. I'm also trying to bring Kyosuke's character out a tad bit rather than make him simply a generic antagonist for this arc. He's not a bad person as he does consider Feizhi and Hsu his friends, and loves his family dearly, it's just that they're on the opposite side of the fence is all.

Once again feel free to leave a review and have a safe and wonderful New Years. I'll see you all next time!