I'm back. Hopefully. Life's been really hectic this past month, prepping for AMC 10 and I've just learned I qualified for the AIME. So...lots of math to do. Meaning I've had little to no time to write. Think of this chapter as basically proof I'm not dead...since that's all it is, really.

-InstaGnar

Chapter Ten

THE MOST ONE-SIDED FIGHT EVER LMFAO

or

Blackquill VS Yukari

Blackquill tightly gripped his sword, mind clouded with trepidation (though he didn't show it). Okay, so maybe he lost control of his emotions for a bit. Maybe he shouldn't have angered Yukari. At least, he assumed Yukari was angry. He couldn't think of any other reason why she would trick him into a duel.

A very, very unfair duel.

But there was no backing down now, so he might as well see this through.

He ran forward suddenly, looking to land a blow...

And slammed into Yukari's open palm. It felt as if he'd rammed his head into a brick wall. As he reeled backwards from the sudden strike, he heard an infuriatingly lilting voice taunt him again.

"Tsk. Is that the best you can do?" Yukari smirked. "Perhaps I chose the wrong one for this after all."

"You never bothered telling me why I was needed in the first place!" For the umpteenth time, this single fact irritated Blackquill. "Maybe if you—"

He was abruptly cut off by a danmaku bullet colliding with his chest, blasting him backwards.

"This is a duel, remember? You're not even putting up a fight. Not that you can."

"Do you really think so?" Blackquill hissed. "Fine."

He lunged again, aiming directly for Yukari's neck, not caring how badly he'd hurt her.

Apparently there was no need to worry, since his blade never even reached her. The ground suddenly gave way beneath him, and he fell down, further and further...until he emerged back at his starting point, staggering around, disoriented.

"Sloppy and desperate, now? Tsk. You can't hope to win against anyone if you lose control so easily...let alone me."

Blackquill gritted his teeth, knowing full well that Yukari was right. At the same time, honor dictated that he try his hardest.

And besides, he would never submit to this woman! If anything, she was at fault!

He reached into his pocket for a spell card...

Wait.

One of Blackquill's most fundamental beliefs was that logic should be used to guide every decision. He'd upheld this principle quite well so far, but against a woman who seemed to literally defy logic, how would his mind fare?

Time to reapply the basics of deduction.

Take what you know.

None of my three spell cards can do much to a woman who bends reality to her will. For all he knew, this statement might not even be an exaggeration.

She could have ended this duel as soon as it began, but didn't.

I...probably offended her. (Probably a reasonable assumption.)

Therefore...

She is merely toying with me, and enjoys doing so. She wants to make a fool of me.

The duel will not end unless she wishes it to. A sad fact, but there was absolutely nothing he could do to influence the duration, let alone outcome, of the fight.

Plan of Action?

...

Nope. Nothing. There was no reasonable way to escape the situation with all of his dignity, and/or pride intact. Not surprising, really—he already knew no "complicated mental process" (an informal name given to what went on in Blackquill's head; a surprising number of prosecutors and even defense attorneys had picked up this euphemism—at least he assumed it was one) could save him now.

So, what should he do?

Continue the battle as before?

Try even harder?

Attempt to create a new spell card?

In the end, his decision surprised even himself.

"I admit my loss." Blackquill sheathed his sword. "This duel is over."

Youmu started. "What!?"

Yuyuko hid her smile behind her fan. So he had at least some intelligence.

While normally he would never back down from a duel, the word "duel" referred to a battle of honor, a clash of wills for a purpose. However, Blackquill reasoned, this duel was not so. Instead it was merely a way for Yukari to make him suffer. As such, he felt no shame in surrendering so soon.

Yukari raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Taking the easy way out?"

"Perhaps...well, as the loser, I must accede to whatever request you have."

Yukari pretended to think for a little while. "Hmm...well, for a start, you could take back everything you said earlier. After all, I was only trying to give sound advice."

"What!? You—"

Yukari giggled. "Now, now, I won, didn't I? So you have to do what I say."

"...fine. You were right, and I was wrong."

"Mmm...good enough, coming from you. And second of all, I want you to make some new friends today."

You must be joking...wait. "Hold on. You wanted me to duel you so when you won you could tell me to make friends?"

"It was the only way you would ever do such a thing. Think about it. You've been in Gensokyo for, oh, more or less a week. And how many residents can you claim to even remotely know personally? Reimu, perhaps, and only because she's as sorely lacking in company as you are. Marisa is everyone's friend, and I suppose some people have good first impressions of you. Other than that...nobody."

"I understand," Blackquill grumbled. "I'm just...accustomed to being alone."

"Now would be a good time to change that."

"How?"

"Why, a duel, of course. What better way for you and Youmu to interact than a sword fight? Neither of you are socially adept," Yukari added cheekily.

"But I've only just met her! Are you insane!?"

"Of course I am." Yukari grinned. "You should know."

Oh, hell.

At least Youmu didn't look any more thrilled than he did. In fact, Yukari and Yuyuko were the ones excited.

At the same time, he could tell that Youmu was still mad at him to some extent. Clearly she didn't intend to hold back, and neither would he.

"Remember not to hurt each other too badly, okay?" Yuyuko said not-at-all-helpfully. Perhaps if she didn't act as though she were spectating an exciting tennis match instead of a duel with real weapons, her advice would have been heeded. "And no spell cards!"

No spell cards in a duel in Gensokyo? Well, to make a fight between Youmu and Blackquill fair, it only made sense for that stipulation to be added. And Youmu didn't particularly like using them in the first place...considering that in a true duel she could probably defeat quite a few of Gensokyo's more powerful individuals.

Oh well. Still too early in the morning for such a thing. But at least his opponent wasn't a sadistic youkai many times older than the country he lived in.

"Begin!"

As soon as Yukari's words rang out, Youmu sprinted, no, dashed, no...well, she moved faster than any ordinary human, that was for sure. Knowing he couldn't possibly block the incoming blow, Blackquill instead quickly leapt backwards, only to quickly step to the side as she lunged toward him. Her aggression was unrelenting, and, if Blackquill was honest with himself, warranted. To an extent.

Not that he cared. It's pretty hard to ponder such trivialities when you're in danger of being gutted. Fortunately Youmu seemed to have a very direct style, aiming at him with seemingly every attack and movement. While being in such a situation was frightening at times, it also eased prediction. Sadly the best way to exploit predictability—counterattack—was not a possibility since he could hardly even see Youmu when she moved, let alone hit her. His only hope was to essentially hold his katana out and hope Youmu ran into it. (In other words, he was probably going to lose.)

When did I become so pessimistic? He briefly wondered. Oh, right. In a world where any normal-looking woman could completely thrash him without effort nor mercy, it was hard to be confident.

Well, it couldn't hurt to try parrying an attack, right?

He firmly gripped the hilt of his weapon and attempted to defend himself against the next attack, only to nearly falter at the force of Youmu's slash. Nearly. Luckily he didn't, or he'd probably be dead. Or as close to dead as one could be; he didn't think Yukari would simply let him die.

Nonetheless, he was...nervous. A very un-Blackquill-esque emotion. He knew he was, at least in terms of strength and speed, outmatched, though perhaps not in technique. And no spell cards meant no possible mental manipulation, the one way back into the fight for him. But he would never let Youmu know that.

"You fight well," Blackquill commented. "This is enjoyable."

Youmu scowled. "Liar. You detest this as much as I do."

Blackquill, seizing his opportunity, swiftly put as much force as possible into his next swing, forcing Youmu to step back to maintain balance. A second strike followed, and a third. As their blades met yet again, he smirked as Youmu glared at him. "Precisely."

"They seem to be getting along splendidly," Yukari commented as Youmu attempted to decapitate Blackquill within the first few seconds of the duel.

Yuyuko had an interested expression on her face. "I never knew Youmu was so sensitive about her age. Why, if you and I were..." She trailed off.

"Many a man would not exist were I so easily offended." A short laugh. "I should probably pay more attention to this duel. There are potential injuries to be prevented, after all."

"Yes, indeed. And have you ever seen Youmu so hostile in her life? She's not shy, that's for sure."

"Blackquill seems to have brought out her fighting spirit. This will be entertaining."

"Hold on, how long is this going to last?"

"About...twenty minutes. Give or take a few. It depends on how long Youmu takes to exact her revenge. Really, she is quite childish when it comes to this sort of thing, isn't she?"

"So is the outsider. I must say, my friend, you've found quite the candidate."

"He is aware of his ability, but not yet of how powerful it can and will eventually become." A mysterious, almost worried expression crossed Yukari's face. "The only question is how soon."

After this week I shouldn't have any major time-consumers for a long time, so I'll most likely be free to write. Then again my homework load is exponentially growing so you never know. I hope for the best.

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