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From: "S Jacobin" <jacobin_11111794@hotmail.com>
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Subject: {ASSM} Kat Fighter [5/5]
Date: Wed, 21 Aug 2002 08:10:05 -0400
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   Kat Fighter
   [5/5: Kat and County]
   Jacobin
   jacobin_11111794@hotmail.com


   Boring Stuff

   Standard disclaimers regarding sexually explicit material apply. The good 
reader is reminded in particular that works of fiction often neglect 
real-world risks and consequences which should be taken into consideration 
in any re-creation or work-inspired acts.

   This is my fifth work of this kind. It's also likely to change 
substantially as I re-write it, so feedback or requests to continue (or 
stop, even) are particularly appreciated at jacobin_11111794@hotmail.com

   You can find my other stories at http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/jacobin/www

   This work is copyright (c) 2002 by the author. You may download and keep 
copies for your personal use as long as the author's byline, disclaimer, 
e-mail address, and these four paragraphs remain on the copies. Posting to 
newsgroups or on websites (with the specific exception of www.asstr-mirror.org) is 
not permitted unless you have my express written or email consent, and then 
only as long as no money is charged for access and the author's byline, 
disclaimer, e-mail address, and these four paragraphs remain on the story. 
Please respect my work as much as I've tried to respect the reader.

   -- Jacobin


   Part Five: Kat and County


   All County's first day was easy. Relaxed, Kat beat her way through ranked 
faces she'd seen throughout the season, many of her draws beat before they 
walked on the mat, remembering the speed that had crossed them up before, 
waiting for it, and Kat obliged.

   The second day was the semi-finals, all on the same central ring, and Kat 
barely remembered the first two rounds, fingering an angry purple bruise on 
her shoulder and trying to figure which of the girls had put it there.

   With only four contestants left, Kat found herself drawn against Terry, 
who had used brutal leg strikes to cripple her way to the semi-final.
   Kat saluted Terry and stepped back. She felt cold, instead of her normal 
hot match blood. She didn't want to beat down Terry. Terry took a couple of 
weak feints that fooled no one. They moved in a little, and exchanged hand 
strikes, circled again, and then started to spar, more technically than for 
real.
   At last, Terry reached in for a cross and Kat caught her shoulder as 
Terry came in, spoiling the blow, and Terry moved back, nodding. Kat threw a 
high kick and, as Terry deflected it, moving to strike, Kat's foot slipped 
out on a sweat spot and she dropped hard onto the mat.
   "Point, Mendoza," the judge said.
   "She slipped," Terry said. "It wasn't a hit."
   "Score is 1-0 Mendoza."
   Terry held her arms out. "It wasn't a hit," she said. "She slipped. Look, 
there's the spot. See?"
   The judge regarded Terry without sympathy. "Please continue with the 
match."
   Terry scowled at the judge.
   "Proceed," the judge said.
   Kat and Terry faced each other at the center of the mat again. The 
saluted, and as Katherine moved back into her stance, Terry took a knee.
   "Point, Connors," the judge said. "Warning, Ms. Mendoza."
   Terry stood up, not smiling, and they did the salute again.

   They went back into it, for real on match point, and Kat, worried about 
the leg strikes, let Terry smash a forearm into Kat's head, seeing the snake 
on the inside of Terry's wrist flash past before Kat's vision rocked, and 
she started to dance, setting up a long series of fakes, dancing in and then 
out, and Terry kept still, shuffling to keep oriented, and the instant Kat 
sensed Terry wondering when the attack would come she launched into it, off 
the cadence she'd been running her fakes on, faster and stronger, and Terry 
broke, took hit after hit and finally dropped on her side.
   "Yeah!" Jack screamed from the sideline in the moment before the crowd 
came up to cheer, and as Kat helped Terry to her feet, he could distantly 
hear his voice "I taught her that, yeah! Just like that, too."
   Kat was exhausted. The match had gone almost half an hour, and she hadn't 
noticed. The crowd kept screaming, and Terry waved in acknowledgement and 
the gym got louder, shaking on its foundation.
   "Good show," Terry yelled, and Kat hugged her tightly before they were 
shooed out to make room for the other quarter-finalist matchup. Kat walked 
outside and stood in the sun, breathing hard, pacing along the gym wall, 
training a hand against the rough concrete, ten steps and then ten steps, 
and when she felt ready Atin was leaning on the wall as Kat turned to walk 
back, smiling, waving her back in for the final match.

   Suzette was the other finalist. Atin, beside herself with joy that three 
students had made it to the top eight, grinning at Kat only a minute ago, 
now looked neutral, dead.
   "I don't have anything to tell you," Atin told Katherine as Kat 
stretched. Kat didn't reply. Atin stood next to her for a long minute, 
sighed, and moved on. Kat looked into the stands. Dan was smiling at her, 
and she turned back around, trying to concentrate on the match ahead. 
Katherine closed her eyes and saw the Suzette she'd seen this year, faster, 
stronger, and smarter even than she'd been when she'd broken Kat and taken 
months from her. Suzette's easy first strike, her slowest. Kat watched it 
again, and again. It was time for the match.
   Kat and Suzette faced each other. Kat looked at Suzette, who showed no 
emotion at all, her eyes dead. Kat swallowed despite herself. They put their 
hands together for the Shaolin salute and stepped back to take their 
stances.
   Suzette went into her first strike. Kat moved her lead hand up to parry 
and in to throw a left-hand hook, but Suzette left her strike up, stepped in 
past the hook and brought her right knee into Kat's stomach and then beat 
down on Kat's shoulders with both hands. Kat shoved her away, and they 
squared off again. Kat's shoulders burned with pain. She faked a lead 
Suzette didn't bite on.
   "I fed you that all year. You thought you were saving it," Suzette said.
   Suzette led with her hand again, so fast Kat barely turned it. The flurry 
behind it left her open and before Kat could close up, Suzette put a hook 
kick into Kat's breast, knocking her back but letting her find her stance 
again.
   Suzette came in jabbing again, and Kat snapped her body back, gave 
Suzette two inside punches to her stomach for her trouble. Suzette, already 
forward, drove off her lead foot and put a knee to Kat's kidney, and Kat 
staggered, her vision stars of pain. Kat knew what was next, and started to 
jump as Suzette went for the knee sweep, and managed to get up enough that 
her knee wasn't planted under her. The sweep pushed her legs out from under 
her and Kat took a header into the mat. But she'd saved her knee.
   "Point, Field," the judge said.
   Suzette reached down to take Kat's hand and pull her to her feet, 
brushing against each other.
   It would have been a year, maybe more this time. Suzette had gone for her 
knee, again, had set her up to be crippled. Kat's hair stood up on end. Her 
breast stung faintly, pain shot up her side, and her shoulders burned in 
agony.
   They did the salute, stepped back. Suzette had gone for the knee.
   Kat whipped forward with her lead hand and struck Suzette in the cheek, 
and even as her jaw turned, hit her again, shuffling forward, banging her 
again and again with the short leads in the fast combination that had been 
Kat's weakness for so long. Suzette moved her guard up, trying to deflect 
the blows, and Kat slapped her right hand on Suzette's stomach, spun behind 
her, almost perfectly crotch-to-ass, and pulled Suzette down around Kat's 
left leg. Suzette dropped on her shoulder, her eyes wide with shock. She 
regained her composure and stood up, dusted her hands together.
   "That was cheap," Suzette said.
   "Point, Connors," the judge announced.
   "That all you got?" Suzette said. She smiled again, confident as ever. 
They bowed in the salute, and as they came back, Kat worked around her 
mouthpiece.
   "I love you," Kat said. As Suzette stepped back, her expression clouding, 
Kat nailed her in the nose with the lead again, faster even than the last 
time, and the cartilage cracked, Kat already tagging her with the right 
again, almost speed-bagging Suzette's head. Suzette wobbled, dazed, and Kat 
drilled the back of her knee with a low kick. Suzette dropped right onto her 
back, blood spurting freely from her nose all across her chest.
   "Point, Connors," the judge said. "Match, Connors. The All-County Women's 
Open Martial Arts Winner is Katherine Connors, of View High School."
   Kat wasn't listening, staring at Suzette, who was refusing to cry, her 
face covered in blood, swelling up everywhere, looking back at Katherine 
with hatred blazing in her pretty eyes.

   Kat walked away towards the stands, where Daniel had trampled innocents 
to come out and hug her.
   "You were amazing," he said. "I couldn't see your hands move! I've never 
seen anything like it!" He kissed her softly on the lips, and looked at her 
with concern. "You don't look happy, Kat, what's wrong?"
   "I can't believe it was that quick," Katherine said. "I expected more, 
like lightning or something."
   Jack clapped her lightly on the shoulder. "That's the payoff for all that 
training, it comes easy when you need it. Nice work, you were flawless after 
that first one. You feel okay?"
   Kat nodded.
   "So you want to come over tonight, then?" Jack said, serious but smiling 
it off like a joke for Dan's benefit.
   "No," Kat said.
   "You did promise," Jack said, the smile starting to fade.
   "Promise what?" Dan asked.
   "Hang on," Kat said, and pushed Jack away, leaning in to talk in low 
tones.
   "Look here, I already delivered on that, and if you weren't satisfied..."
   "Not really, now."
   "I might under normal circumstances meet you halfway, but no, Jack, I'm 
not cheating, so you're out of luck."
   "This sucks."
   "It's what you're getting. If I ever break up with Dan, I'll tell you 
what -- full day, that's 24 hours, if you can manage it."
   "Yeah, I can manage it." Jack sneered.
   "That's the new deal, you'll take it. And I'll tell you what, Jack, if it 
comes to that you would not last the full day."
   Jack shook his head. "I would. You'll dump this asshole eventually." He 
laughed. "But I'll have fun thinking about it in the meantime."
   "I don't want to know," Kat said, and turned to walk back to her friends.
   Mike stood there, his dumb anticipation look back.
   "Hey, um, Suzette's going to be a while, so, uh, congratulations, I 
guess."
   Kat shook his hand. "Thanks. Have you met Dan?"
   "Yeah, yeah," Mike said, turning to shake Dan's hand. Kat saw Mike's hand 
tense as he squeezed Dan's hand.
   "Hey, that's a firm grip you've got there," Dan said, smiling, not 
letting go. Mike grinned back, putting his arm into it.
   "I work out," Mike said.
   Jack looked from Dan to Mike to Kat to Lisa.
   "You know what was really shitty, Mike? That breakup with Katherine."
   The stupid pride washed out of Mike's face an instant before Dan crushed 
his fingers, the cracking of knuckle and bone loud and gruesome. Dan's eyes 
went wide.
   "Oh my God!" he yelled. "I'm sorry, Mike! Holy shit!" Dan leaned in as 
the tears streamed down Mike's face, his mouth open but no sounds coming. 
"Going to be pretty hard to throw a baseball with a broken hand, huh, 
motherfucker? You're lucky Kat didn't kill you. Go find a doctor, huh?"
   Mike ran to find a coach.
   "Nice," Jack said, extending his hand to Mike. "Nice."
   Mike shook Jack's hand. "I don't know what you mean."



   The next morning, she and Daniel went climbing, Kat nursing her injuries, 
Daniel showing off, and they rolled in the pine needles, and as they drove 
back, Kat changed out of her sweat-and-sex-saturated climbing clothes, 
Daniel trying to look at her exposed and concealed body and not drive off 
the long, winding state highway that ran back to View.
   "I'm giving up fighting," Kat said. She pulled a T-shirt over her bare 
chest and buckled herself back in. "I'm going to turn my swords into 
plowshares."
   "You're giving up fencing?" Daniel asked.
   "Oh shut up."
   "Why?"
   "I'm not as angry as I was," she said, looking out the window. "It's your 
fault. I don't know, I feel like doing something cooperative now, like 
soccer. Or volleyball."
   "Or red-hot sex."
   "That's not a sport."
   "I've got five reasons you're wrong," Dan said. "First, it involves 
exertion. Two, it has a goal. Three--"
   "I want to talk to Suzette," Kat said. "Where would you be if you were 
Suzette and just lost All County your senior year?"
   "As far away from View as I could get."
   "No, she'll be around. She'll want comfort, familiarity."
   "All right, if you want to waste our Saturday driving around, that's fine 
with me."
   "Go to Amy's," Kat said. "She won't be there, but we'll figure it out."

   As the sun went down, Kat found Suzette at the park, her long legs 
dangling off a rock, shoetips just on the water. Her nose had been set and 
pinned, and she wore a clear plastic guard held in place by an ugly elastic 
strap.
   "Hey," Kat said.
   "You took advantage of me," Suzette said.
   Kat sat down next to her, her hand almost touching.
   "No," Kat said. "If you'd been at peace with yourself, it wouldn't have 
affected you."
   "You knew it would."
   "Yeah," Kat said.
   "You're a real bitch sometimes, Kat."
   "Yeah."
   "This whole thing, with us," Suzette said, tapping her shoes in the 
water, sending ripples out on the still water. "You did that to set me up 
for county."
   "No," Kat said, and took Suzette's hand.
   Suzette held Kat's hand and waited. "What was it, then?"
   "It was what it is. Suzette, I'm not going to come over and tear your 
clothes off again. I'm not going to fight this war with you. We're not going 
to be what you want, though."
   Suzette stopped tapping the water and hung her head.
   "We spent years at this, fighting each other, turning your friends 
against me, my friends against you, because you couldn't stand to see me, 
and you turned love into hate and they're all mixed up for you now."
   "I've been thinking of throwing you in the lake," Suzette said.
   Kat smiled, squeezed her hand.
   "You need to deal with it. You need to become a better person. Let this 
cruelty go. Get some help, there's this woman I was seeing when we... when 
we were fighting, at first. She'll see you on weekends..."
   Suzette nodded, brought her head back up to look at Kat. "And what if I 
do, Kat? If I become the better woman, what then?"
   "I'll be around for you, whenever that is. And what that'll be like, I 
don't know, maybe I'll be your friend, and maybe... and then maybe it won't 
be me for you, it'll be someone else." Kat shrugged. "Maybe it'll turn out 
Mike's the right guy for you after all."
   Suzette laughed, turning to look out over the lake, dipping her shoes 
into the water. "That guy is such a moron I have a hard time believing it 
sometimes. I don't know why I thought it was a good idea to steal him. What 
did you ever see in Mike?"
   "I don't know anymore," Kat said. "He had this sort of clueless charm. I 
guess I was in love." She chucked Suzette on the shoulder. "People do 
strange things--"
   "Oh shut up already," Suzette said, and she smiled. "I'm going to head 
back. You want to come?"
   "I've got to go see Daniel," Kat said. "Sorry."
   Suzette picked herself up and stood, then pulled Kat up to her feet with 
both hands, kissed her on the lips, and then, still holding hands, stood 
there for a minute.
   "I didn't figure I'd get to do that again for a while," Suzette said at 
last.
   "Nah, that's fine," Kat said, and smiled, and Suzette shoved Kat off the 
rocks into the water.
   "Oh fuck!" Kat screamed as she came back up, treading in the cold, murky 
water. Suzette's stupid grin showed all her teeth and the rosy balls of her 
cheeks.
   "Sorry," Suzette said. "That's for my nose. I tried to resist, I really 
did."
   "You're a real bitch sometimes, Suzette," Kat said, and started to laugh.
   "Yeah, we're a fine pair, aren't we? Call me later with that woman's 
number."
   Kat gave her the finger with one hand.
   Suzette nodded. "I'll talk to you then, Kat." She disappeared into the 
trees as she picked her way back to the path and Kat had to swim her way 
across the lake to the beach as the sun went down and the bugs came out, 
looking for her.

   And on the beach, Daniel sat, waiting, and he didn't laugh as Kat walked 
up from the lake, dirty and wet, covered in bits of green and brown. 
Katherine stopped next to him and offered him a grubby hand, which he took, 
and pulled him up.
   "So that didn't go well, then," Daniel said.
   "Went really well," Kat said. "Come on, I've got to go shower, and you're 
invited."
   "My day's just taken a turn for the better," Daniel said.
   And he drove her home.



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