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Prologue
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Serra threw the first punch. It's an important fact to remember, especially if you happen to bear witness to a very public fight, and most importantly if that fight happens to be between a college aged male and a very sharp looking woman in her mid thirties.
Fortunately for Tyson, he did not have to spend a great deal of brainpower on recalling who attempting to strike first. This was, however, entirely due to the fact that he was the university aged male who happened to have been called out by Serra as he tried to duck into the skatewear shop unnoticed.
"It's time to end this, boy..." she yelled, as if trying to draw the greatest size crowd she could - urging the world to see her work, "You and I, here and now..." The mass of shoppers parted, forming a ring around the two, seemingly unable to tear themselves away from the commotion that was unfolding before them.
"...I can't...like...fight you..." Tyson meekly whimpered, "You're...like...a girl..." The crowd closed in tighter, forcing the two together.
"You're...like...a girl..." Serra spat back mockingly, "Stand up for yourself - Use what you were taught and fight me, or come back home boy." She faked a lunge towards Tyson, who cowered back slightly - the crowd widened their berth to avoid any collateral damage in what they anticipated to be quite an involved battle. "You're pathetic, really, from the moment you walked into my class...I knew this day would come..." Serra cracked her neck threateningly, "I just didn't realise it would be so...public!" Pleasure oozed from the honeyed syllables of her final word, as she hurled her fist towards Tyson with alarming speed.
Tyson froze in position as the events of the past two months flashed before his eyes - starting out at university, meeting the twins, and then all that business with 'the academy'...'The Academy' - That's what caused this whole issue to start in the first place. If he'd only stayed away...But he knew deep down that he couldn't have avoided it, even if he'd wanted to. As Serra's fist connected with his chin he thought back over the events that led up to this point. As he fell backwards he wondered if he could have done it differently. As he crumpled to the floor he decided that it wouldn't have mattered anyway. Things are the way they are.
"Things are the way they are" - He'd heard that so many times recently that it was starting to lose all meaning. He giggled slightly, to himself. From his position he could hear Serra's heartbeat through the floor...LubDub...He could hear Serra's heartbeat and things are the way they are. He giggled to himself again.
"Things are the way they are." - LubDub.
"Things are the way they are." - LubDub.
"Things are the way they are..." - Lub
He remembered his first day of university.
Falcon Punch!
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