A vow to uphold [18/?]
"How about whoever wins gets to duel Victor?" Yurio challenges.
"Fine with me," Yuuri answers, grinning back at the boy.
"Do I even have a say in this?" Victor asks, smiling. And he smiles wider when both Yuuri and Yuri answer with a definite 'No.' "Very well. Duel it out between yourselves. But remember, no underhand tactics. We fight with honour of our names and stations."
As that honour dictates, Yuuri and Yurio stand before each other, then bow respectfully. Such is the beginning of their duel, but it is long forgotten by the time they begin circling each other. And once their swords first clash, nothing else seems to matter anymore.
Yurio advances on Yuuri, sure in his steps and jabs of his sword. He always is. There is no hesitation in his movements, whether he is winning or losing. Yuuri admires that in him. To be so certain of one's way… it must be a freeing feeling. But it is also a feeling for someone confident enough in their own skin to feel. It is not something for Yuuri.
At least, not yet, he thinks.
Instead of following in Yurio's footsteps, Yuuri's way of swordplay is different. He deflects the blows that come at him, and he waits. He waits and he watches, searching for a weakness that will surely emerge at one point or another. And as he keeps observing his opponent, he begins to notice patterns. A stab here followed by a pivot on this leg, not the other. An overhead slash, powerful enough to numb Yuuri's arm, always leaves Yurio's chest unguarded for a mere second before he strikes.
Soon, Yuuri begins to anticipate those attacks, to see where they come from, to watch for the tension in Yurio's muscles to be able to tell where he will strike again. Once that moment comes, Yuuri knows it is his turn to attack.
He lunges at Yurio. Their swords collide with a clang and they screech as they try to push the other away. To surprise Yurio, Yuuri jumps back. Yurio's sword, which has lost the opposing pressure from Yuuri's side, falls forward on the force that Yurio could not entirely halt. It is that moment that Yuuri has been waiting for. He beats away Yurio's sword, which breaks the boy's stance enough to allow Yuuri to sneak under his guard and knock the hilt of his sword into Yurio's sternum.
Not hard, but enough to signal his win.
"Best of three!" Yurio calls.
Yuuri laughs. "Sure! You're on!"
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