[h1]Kain Jackson[/h1]

[i]Fast[/i]. That was all I had time to think. [i]She's [b]really[/b] fast.[/i] And then I was on my back, five feet from where I was standing with a throbbing jaw and a sharp pain from my landing. I could feel my back cracking as my limbs followed gravity's urging and leveled with the rest of me on the ground. Thankfully, I was spared her taunting this time. Rolling onto my stomach, I pushed myself back up and turned to face her once again. It took less than a second to get my guard up, and yet the instant that my hand reached its upheld position, a heavy blow to my chest sent me flying once again. 

"[color=8882be]You've got to predict the opponent's move before they make it. Against a dangerous enemy, your reaction time is slow enough to kill you multiple times over.[/color]"

I know that. Of course I know that. My father's teachings aside, I've been training with a monster for a year now. A monster that is by all means fascinating. Demons and "demons" have been a fascination of mine since a young age, and thanks to her I was acutely aware of how hard it is to fight them. I brought myself back to my feet and readied myself. My human body simply wasn't able to keep up with hers, so an equalizer was necessary. I began to soak my shoes in my soul's natural energy as I prepared a plan of attack. My opponent and I stared at each other; it was obvious she was giving me a break that I didn't deserve, but I intended to take full advantage of it. The tension broke and I closed the distance between us, attempting a punch which she immediately used to throw me over her shoulder and onto my back for the third time in as many minutes. 

I hissed through my teeth at the pain. Standing up once again, I rushed at her, ducking below her punch and countering with one of my own directly into her solar plexus. Had it connected, I might have gained the advantage, but as it were, she spun outward and yanked my arm behind my back to incapacitate me. After a moment she let go and we squared off again. All I had to do was "win" once, something that was challenging at best and infuriatingly difficult more often. 

After another five minutes and twice as many defeats, I was ready to attempt my plan. As subtly as I could, I pulled down the back of my shoe, keeping the ball of my foot inside. The instant my opponent began to rush at me, I kicked it forwards and the loose shoe became a projectile aimed at her head. Unsurprisingly, she dodged it, but that was the point. I immediately teleported to the shoe and, now midair, lashed out at her neck with my leg, catching her still moving the opposite direction. The force sent me spinning onto my side a few feet away, but I had done it. I had landed a finishing blow, and it was over. For the first time in months, I had sparred with Zadkiel and won.

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Kain thought back to that day, the day he developed his now signature technique out of desperation. He still watched the recording of that match sometimes, to remind himself of the progress he'd made and that every step was as difficult as the current ones. Finished reminiscing, he collected his work and left the machine shop he occasionally visited. Today was a rather uneventful day, in no small part due to it being the day that he and his partner, Zadkiel, (or "Zee," to him) were separated, a monthly event for the two. Without her around he was far less likely to be targeted by angels, and this was only furthered by his errand taking him to the slums of Millennial City, where demon influence was somewhat higher. Of course, the trade-off was that he might be targeted by said demon influence, but in Kain's experience demons were more reasonable than their "holy" counterparts. 

[i]What a beautiful day,[/i] he thought as he left the shop. "[color=6ecff6]I can't really put my finger on it, but... I get the feeling that today is gonna be pretty good.[/color]"

[i][b]Bang![/b][/i] A gunshot. A gunshot in the slums? Not incredibly uncommon, but... [i]Damn instincts.[/i] Kain thought, turning towards the sound. [i]So much for a good day,[/i] he thought as he began to run.