House Kunou vs. The Golden Pair

The Setting:

Tatewaki Kunou barged through the door of his kitchen, and looked around. Sasuke, who had been startled by his master's sudden arrival, nearly spilled the bowl full of drain water that he'd been drinking. The diminutive ninja recognized the look on Tatewaki's face as one full of purpose.

The young kendoist shouted out, "Kodachi, you twisted sister of mine! Where have you gone?!" He paused for a moment, waiting to recieve an answer. When none came, he turned to his servant, and said, "Sasuke... Where has Kodachi gone? That beastly pet of hers hasn't been fed, and it is running amok in the garden!"

Sasuke prostrated himself in front of his master, and said, "Mistress Kodachi went to the park, sire! She said she was looking for Ranma Saotome."

Tatewaki frowned, and said, "Very well... It seems that I must vanquish that beast once and for all. Come, Sasuke, to the garden!"

Sasuke shuddered. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "But.. Master... Remember what happened last time we tried to vanquish it?"

Kunou suddenly recalled the time he and Sasuke had both nearly been eaten by the alligator. He said, "Well then... It appears I must find Kodachi immediately!" Without another word, he ran out of the estate, leaving his servant behind as he headed off toward Nerima's central park.

Meanwhile, the young woman in question stood in the park, dressed in a fancy looking western-style dress and holding a boquet of black roses. She thought to herself, "Ranma darling is supposed to walk through here in five minutes, according to information Gosunkugi gave me. I'll finally have my chance to prove my undying love for him."

Just then, the boquet was snatched from her hands. Kodachi, quite infuriated, looked to who had taken the gift she intended to give to her beloved.

It was none other than Azusa Shiratori, on a pair of rollerblades, who had taken the roses. She said, "How CUTE! Nadine! Nadine!" She was about to hug the boquet and release the paralysis gas which it contained, when Kodachi suddenly interrupted her happy moment.

The gymnast said, "Give that back to me this instant! Those roses are for my darling Ranma!"

Azusa put herself between the roses and Kodachi, looking as though she was trying to protect them. She said, "You're wrong! Nadine belongs to little Azusa!"

Kodachi certainly wasn't pleased with the turn of events. She needed those roses before Ranma arrived... How dare that skating wench suddenly destroy her plans? In one swift movement, she drew her ribbon, and struck a threatening pose.

Azusa looked ready to fight back, but before the tense scene could proceed, Mikado Sanzenin skated up and took the roses from his partner. He looked over to Kodachi, and said, "The beauty of this boquet of roses cannot possibly compare to you, my darling... But if it pleases you, I will gladly return them." He skated over to the gymnast, and handed the roses over, much to Azusa's dismay. Mikado then said, "Now, it's only fair that you repay my kindness..."

Kodachi frowned as the young man moved in to kiss her. She said, "Thank you, but I must be on my way." She turned, and tried to walk away, but he took her by the elbow. As she tried to break free, Azusa once more skated up and snatched the roses away.

She said, "You're safe again, Nadine. Don't worry... Mommy will take you home now."

Kodachi shouted after Azusa, "Give those back to me, now!" She tried to give chase, but Mikado held her still as he tried to maneuver into kissing position. Kodachi looked horrified as a man other than her darling Ranma attempted to kiss her upon the lips.

Suddenly, Tatewaki Kunou appeared on the scene, having finally tracked down his sister. He saw Mikado attempting to kiss Kodachi, and forgot what he had come to the park for in the first place. He raised his bokken, and gave charge, shouting, "How dare you attempt to force yourself on House Kunou's only daughter! Defend yourself, brigand!"

Mikado side-skated as Tatewaki brought down his bokken, dodging the attack neatly before coming to a stop and facing the enraged kendoist. He said, "I remember you... I still owe you a beating for what you did to me last time."

Just then, Azusa skated over to her partner, and asked him, "Mikki? Is there trouble?"

Mikado replied, "Nothing I can't handle..." Just as he prepared for a re-match with the kendoist, Kodachi jumped back into the fray.

She said, "If you won't give those roses back, I will take them from you. As for you..." She addressed Mikado now, "Keep your filthy hands off of me."

Mikado raised a brow, and said, "Very well then... It appears as though we'll face off as pairs. And don't think for a moment that I won't leave without my reward."

The Kunou siblings prepared their weapons as the Golden Pair struck a typical figure skating pose. The wind stood still as both pairs waited for the other to move first.

Commentary:

Jarvis

Although all the fighters in this match will at one point or another will be distracted for some stupid reason, i think the Kunos will prevail, since they both have higher thresholds of pain than the golden pair, especially Azusa.  One good smack upside the head and she's out.  Once she's gone Mikado wont stand a chance.

Maxfield Stanton

While Kodachi would certainly defeat Azusa, and Tatewaki would certainly beat Mikado if they were to fight in one on one circumstances, the ties between the Kunou siblings are tenuous at best (there was one manga arc where they fight against each other very bitterly!). The Golden Pair's usual strategy will serve them very well in this fight, since Tatewaki will want to protect his sister from Mikado, but at the same time, won't be so devoted to her that he'll refuse to let go in a good bye whirl. The Kunous cannot be victorious.

Arcanine10

Not too difficult a descision, I don't think.  The golden pair will win because they fight perfectly and in their strongest form as a team.  The Kunos, due to not really liking each other much, almost never fight together (I don't even remember a single instance that they actually worked together.)  They might even get in each other's way.  This one goes to the 'pair, easy.

Mercedes

House Kunou has the advantages of a larger variety of weapons and attacks. While The Golden Pair is deadly together, all The Kunou's have to do is divide and conquer for an easy vistory. If and until they do divide the Pair, however, the fight will be too close to call. Kodachi and Tatewaki are not used to fighting as a team even though they are siblings. Despite this, though, the greater diversity of attacks in the Kunou's arsenal shall triumph over the limitations of the Golden Pair.

Starphoenix

Oh please. While the "Golden Pair" may have teamwork down pat, they're similar to the Kunos in mental stability... well, maybe a little or a lot better. Anyhow, the Kunos are fighting angry, and given from what I can make out, they fight better when angry. Given not enough to beat Ranma or Ryoga or Shampoo or Ukyo (The list builds), they still are skilled at what they do (somewhat maybe). They'll probably try singling Mikado and Asuza out since the Kunos aren't much of a team together (too much bickering perhaps). Besides that, they should do pretty well and beat down Mikado and Asuza again (netting Kodachi her first victory... ever here possibly). On another note, I want to see Asuza hurt, and hurt bad (This coming from someone who hasn't seen her other than in the first Ranma 1/2 movie). Her personality annoys me and she'll probably try to name Kodachi's ribbon and Tatewaki's bokken, but well... she'll get walloped along with her partner (who seems the pervert somewhat).

HexxJo

It all comes down to teamwork. The Golden Pair depend on it to make their fighting style oh-so potent. Kodachi and Kuno would thrash each other if given the chance. So, basically, only one side even coprehends teamwork. Kuno and Kodachi may be better fighters one on one, but that lack of union will lose them this match...

Spanner

Were the Kunous on ice, or the Pair without their skates, I think this would be easy to decide. But as they stand, it seems a much more level playing field. Neither Kunou nor Kodachi has shown to have improved much since their original appearance at the beginning of the series (save for the occasional spurt, like when Kunou trained under Happosai), and with no evidence to the contrary, I doubt that the Golden Pair has changed much, either. But in the end, since the Pair is facing her for the first time, I think that Kodachi's art of foul play will provide the winning edge for her team. Team... wow, it's actually kind of odd to think of the Kunou siblings fighting as a team. Odd, and scary, too...

The Fight:

The Golden Pair continued to stand perfectly still, while the Kunous glared at them with much contempt. Finally, Tatewaki lost his patience, and shouted, "The Blue Thunder shall strike swiftly and surely! Prepare to face his judgement!" He charged at the skaters, and raised his bokken.

Mikado smiled a bit. The last time he fought this cretin, it was very close. This time, however, he had Azusa on his side. The kendoist brought down a quick overhand strike, and Mikado simply pushed off of his partner, sliding out of the attack's way. As the bokken hit ground, it shattered the concrete that Sanzenin had been standing on. Mikado noted that his opponent was ignoring Azusa completely... not trying to attack the pair, just him.

The Blue Thunder didn't seem to be giving the situation the same analytical thought that his opponent was, and pulled his bokken free from the ground. He brought it back over his head, and charged in again, preparing another deadly overhand attack. Mikado stood still, waiting for the attack, while Azusa skated up from behind the charging Kunou, and tripped him with an outstretched foot.

Tatewaki let out a surprised shout as he left his feet, falling forward. As he fell, Mikado stepped forward and hit him with an uppercut punch. The kendoist landed on his back with a groan as the male half of the Golden Pair chuckled, waiting for him to get up.

Kodachi, who had been standing there the whole time, just rolled her eyes. How like her brother to ignore the girl... It didn't matter, though, she thought to herself. All she wanted was to get her boquet back and get away from that lecherous young man. She spotted Azusa there, waiting to assist Mikado, and decided that she'd make her move. Readying her ribbon, she shot it out toward the captive black rose boquet.

Azusa was more perceptive than she seemed, however, and she skated quickly to the side to avoid the Black Rose's attack. She stuck her tongue out, and said, "You can't take Nadine away from me!" Kodachi struck out again, but the nimble Azusa danced to the side. She didn't move to counter-attack, however... she knew better than to do so without Mikado's help.

Kodachi smiled to herself. Her adversary was obviously scared of her, and whenever that was the case, she had already won. She started leaping after Azusa, lashing out with her ribbon over and over. The female half of the Golden Pair was genuinely getting scared now, since every time the ribbon missed, it would hit the concrete below and shatter it. Mikado sighed as he watched this. Usually, the female members of the opposing pair were not strong fighters at all... Kodachi was definately strong, and he had to help Azusa out before it was too late.

Tatewaki had gotten to his feet again while Mikado was analyzing the situation. If he had just simply struck the skater at this point, when he wasn't paying attention, the battle would be over. However, Tatewaki was never one to use stealth. He pointed his bokken at Mikado, and said, "For incurring my wrath, you shall feel the full vengeance of the heavens!" Mikado was initially surprised that the Blue Thunder was standing again, but as his adversary was talking, he simply skated off, as though he ignoring the kendoist.

This made Tatewaki quite angry, he gave chase, shouting, "How dare you insult me with your inattention?" He slashed quickly at Mikado, but the nimble and graceful skater weaved around each of the attacks as he skated off toward his partner. Each of the missed attacks shattered even more of the concrete walkway. Azusa continued dodging Kodachi's ribbon, but it was clear that she was starting to wear out from all the activity. Mikado though to himself, "They're both very strong fighters... but they're not fighting as a team."

Kodachi lashed out again with her ribbon trying to hit Azusa at the same time as Tatewaki was bringing down an overhand strike aimed at Mikado. The male half of the golden pair side-skated the kendoist's attack, at the same time grabbing his partner from the air, where she had jumped to in order to avoid the ribbon. After grabbing ahold of one of her arms (the other was still holding Nadine), he swung her around, directly at the Blue Thunder's head. She kicked out with both feet, sending him onto his back again.

The Black Rose saw her brother go down again, and wondered if he wasn't just getting in her way. It didn't matter any more, since he was down on the ground again. She quickly pulled out her hoop and threw it at the pair, trying to get them before they could recover from their attack. Mikado quickly released his partner, however, and the razor edged hoop passed through air. Mikado said, "Now... I will claim my reward."

The two skaters knew this routine very well, and quickly circled around to skate at Kodachi from either side. The Black Rose saw this, and thought, "All I want is to get my roses back... I don't have time to punish the both of them." She turned and started running at Azusa, meeting her charge. Instead of charging, however, Azusa turned and started to skate away. Growling, Kodachi gave chase, not noticing Mikado coming up quickly from behind. Mikado smiled to himself... This trick always worked against fighters who weren't used to team fighting.

Kodachi pulled out her ribbon, and lashed out. Azusa tried to dodge, but she found herself quickly wrapped up. Kodachi held her adversary in place, while producing a gymnastics club, which she brought up for a finishing blow on her restrained adversary. Mikado chose this moment to skate in around her and grab both of her hands.

It was obvious to the Black Rose that Mikado was going to try and kiss her again. She had to take desperate measures. She did her best to look embarassed, and said, "Oh please, sir, before you kiss me, let me put on my makeup."

Mikado assumed that he had once again captured the heart of a young lady, and said, "But of course, my lovely..." Kodachi reached behind her, and pulled out her compact. She opened it up, and then blew into the powder contained within, causing it to form a cloud around Mikado's head. He took in a surprised breath, and then started coughing violently, not being able to stop himself from dropping to his knees.

Kodachi laughed, "O-HOHOHOHOHO! This is the last time you get in my way..." She produced a gymnastics club, and got ready to finish off the coughing Mikado. Azusa leapt from out of nowhere, and clothslined the Black Rose before she could strike. Mikado stopped his coughing, and felt very relieved that his partner had just saved him. Before he could get up, however, he noticed that Tatewaki was standing next to him now.

The Blue Thunder said, "You, the lowest brand of scum... You, who would defile my younger sister... Feel the vengeance of heaven!" As he said this, Mikado again thanked his lucky stars that his opponent was so long winded. He got back to his feet, although a little unsteadily since he was still coughing. Tatewaki quickly advanced and started slashing, but Mikado was able to dodge as he had before, although not as quickly...

Meanwhile, Kodachi was getting to her feet, finally recovering from Azusa's surprise attack. She looked over at the female half of the Golden Pair, and saw that she was skating off to her partner's aid. She thought to herself, "Those two obviously have a lot of experience fighting together. Very well... I shall fight fire with fire."

Tatewaki struck out relentlessly, and Mikado finally slipped. The kendoist managed to get in a solid hit on Mikado's side, sending him to the ground in pain. The Blue Thunder raised his bokken, and prepared for the final blow shouting, "Behold the dreaded Overhand Strike of Death!"

Before he could execute his strike, Azusa jumped in the way, saying, "Oh, please don't hurt me!"

Tatewaki managed to stop his attack, and shouted, "Stand aside, woman!" He tried to nudge her aside, but she wouldn't move out of the way. Mikado stood to his feet again, chuckling. His buffoon opponent wouldn't dare harm Azusa, so he could set up his attack at his leisure.

Suddenly, the Black Rose lashed out at Azusa again with the ribbon. Mikado quickly grabbed his partner's arm, and spun, pulling Azusa out of harm's way at the last second. As he spun, he grinned to himself. Tatewaki was still open for attack, and when he swung Azusa around, he could use her as a weapon upon him.

Tatewaki saw the sudden attack coming at him, and as fast as he was, he simply couldn't defend himself for an attack he hadn't been anticipating. Just before Azusa's feet connected with his chin, he felt himself being carried away through the air... Surely the gods had sent him a chariot upon which he would assail his wretched opponents. He felt his flight through the air change, and he was heading toward Mikado now at full speed... Heavenly deliverance was at hand!

Kodachi smiled as she watched her brother descend toward the male half of the Golden Pair... The closest to teamwork she had even gotten with Tatewaki is when she used him as a weapon in her Gynmastics matches. Teamwork was the only way she could defeat her opponents, so she employed her technique. She tugged her ribbon sharply, and Tatewaki collided head first with Mikado. A moment later, the both of them fell to the ground unconscious.

Azusa flew free from Mikado's hands, and barely managed to land safely. After she got her balance back and stood up, Kodachi was smiling at her rather wickedly. The female half of the Golden Pair said, "Little Azusa is in trouble..."

The Black Rose watched as her opponent turned, and started skating away as quickly as she could. She lashed out with her ribbon, and wrapped it tightly around her opponent. With a sharp tug, she said, "Time to reel her in..." As the ribbon tightened around Azusa, however, the boquet of roses she had still been holding on to was squeezed into her face, and the paralysis gas was released. Kodachi flung her unconscious opponent through the air, sending her flying off into the park's fountain.

As the Black Rose realized she had destroyed her boquet, which she had intended to give to Ranma, she sighed. It didn't matter, in the end, though. Her charm alone would win Ranma's heart. She spotted her love as he came walking through, and laughed, "O-HOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!"

The Results:

House Kunou: 18

Golden Pair: 11

This one started out pretty close, but the Kunou siblings pulled ahead at the end. Thanks, as always, to everyone who voted. I got a lot of very cool comments on this one... wow... Thanks for everyone who took the time to type those up ^_^