DW tournament: Alvaro versus Ranyx!

Ranyx's eyes widened. That Rokuogan should've taken Alvaro down right there. Then he noticed the movement of Alvaro's arms to take the blow, and his smiled. Damn good idea, that. And then Alvaro somehow managed to make his arms function. How was that... "God, man, how are you even..." He couldn't finish his sentence, as Alvaro rushed forward at him with his swords. Ranyx dropped to the floor, crouching (under the slashes) and then pushing off the ground at Alvaro, trying to impale him with a Shigan.

By this point in time, Alvaro could see where this fight was going, and while he didn't really feel angry, he did think it was too bad fate didn't seem to swing his way today.
He knew he needed to block this attack, of he'd be done for. Hell, he probably was done for already. But he wanted to get a word in before he left. A last small attempt.
Alvaro knew his weapons, and he knew that, if he was to block an attack like this with the blade of either swords, there was a possibility they would not exactly be suited for fighting after it. So instead, he used the katanas guard. He knew it to be made of a hard, dense and thick material, but under the shigan, it broke, and even after that, the impact was so great Alvaro feared, for a moment, his attempt to save his blade might have been in vain.
Now he was looking Ranyx directly in the eyes, his hands shaking from the hardships they had been through today.
"I should have killed you when I had the chance... What an amateur mistake, to get curious and charmed. It's the best way to lose...."
He felt the iron taste of blood in his mouth again, something that might be quite thrilling at other times (oh, the storys he could tell...), but wasn't exactly welcome in this particular case. Still, he didn't spit it out this time, that would have meant breaking eye contact. Soon, a thin, red line ran down his chin and dripped on his breast, his silver necklace and what was still left of his clothing. He didn't really mind anymore. At some point, there was something more important than style.
"To tell you the truth, Ranyx..... if this is a dream, then it it favourable to the situation i I am currently in.... If this is, indeed, a dream, then maybe I would prefer not to wake up for some more time. So I am sorry, my dear, charming, gorgeous companion, but I don't see why you should have the right to end this dream of mine."
One last try. If he died, he wanted to die trying to kill his opponent, or in the arms of his love. That's about as far as his thoughts on the subject had ever gone after he had become what he was, and they didn't go further today.
The short sword, unused during their talk and hopefully forgotten about by his opponent, was thrust forward, aiming, one last time, for the thing Alvaro had aimed for most of his life, in most people, the heart.

Ranyx sighed and frowned. "I'm sorry, Alvaro... I can honestly tell you that if you had, I'd have probably tried to kill you equally as heartlessly. But... isn't it better that now we know each other?" He sighed again, looking at Alvaro carefully. "Better than the situation that you're in? What could be so bad that you'd rather languish in the blandness of this strange world than come back to our normal world? It's almost like you're..." It clicked. "You're an assassin. You're in a bad situation... that means... you must've been arrested." It clicked several more times. "Impel Down. Those bastards sent you to Impel Down?" One of Ranyx's hands was bunched into a fist, and he was obviously angry. "Alvaro, did I tell you then name of my boyfriend? Well, the names of my boyfriends? Ti'ar Urtu'as, the Demonic Jailor, and right hand man of Rear Admiral Martello, and Shichibukai Gael Iura. Like hell I'd let a gem like you rot in that hellhole. I promise, as soon as we're both awake, I'll come for you. No one should be forced to stay there for the rest of their lives."

Ranyx was surprise that Alvaro was able to still attack him, despite the damage that had been afflicted upon him. Alvaro's sword went straight into his body before Tekkai began being performed, and Ranyx's muscles hardened as soon as the blade had entered his body. Luckily, Ranyx's heart was muscle, as were all hearts, and it was a damn strong one. As such, his Tekkai was strong enough there to prevent the sword from entering his heart and killing him. "Alvaro... you're extremely good." He tried to make Alvaro release his grip from the sword. "I'm sorry that I couldn't end this without causing you so much pain... Please forgive me." He took a deep breath, and said, "Remember: I will get you out of there, some way or another." He then performed Shigan, aiming for Alvaro's temple. Hopefully knocking him out would be enough to wake him up.

No. Alvaro closed his eyes and sighed. Not deep enough...
Damn those rokushiki users. It was cheating, that's what it was! But oh well, cheating was just another way to win, he knew that better than anyone.
"Most generous of you...."
He knew the attack was coming. He didn't intend to dodge. A truly great fighter, that's what his mentor had told him, knew when he had lost. It simply wouldn't be graceful to fight a fight that he had already lost.
"Ranyx.... It was an honour to fight you...."
He barely felt the hit before the world around him went black. The last thing he saw was Ranyx face, and up above him, the dark, brooding sky. He made a mental note never to forget that face. He knew when he had met someone important in one way or another, and he never, ever forgot a face.
A good man. Alvaro wouldn't make promises like getting people out of Impel Down. He knew he wouldn't keep them, so why would Ranyx? But it was nice of him to lie.... Then again, somewhere in his heart, Alvaro found himself hoping. That maybe, maybe someone existed who would actually take that risk, even though he himself wasn't brave enough to.

Alvaro was awaken by a scream. Nothing unusual, he found himself wondering how he had been able to fall asleep. The screams came from the other levels, this one was always silent. No one wanted to scream here, it would only waste energy.
There was no need to open his eyes, the intense heat on his face told him clearly enough he wasn't dreaming anymore.
He wasn't wearing his coat, and he didn't have his weapons anymore. It had all felt so real....
He got up and leaned against the wall. It was burning on his skin, the stone heated up so much that even coming near it could make people sweat.
But he was used to it by now. In this heat, the stone felt like ice.
His eyes inspected his arms. No wounds.... safe for the marks this place had left on him. He didn't look his best, he had to admit....
"Honey, I'm home..."
He whispered and closed his eyes again, leaning his head back against the stone wall. He wondered if Ranyx was real. He wondered if he'd come and get him out of here. No... A dream was a dream, no matter how pleasant.
In his mind, he could still see his friend clearly, a handsome face against a dark sky.... A pleasant thought. But as much a lie as any other dream he'd had before.

((You win!))