So, this is a fic that takes place a few months after the end of "Vengeful Spirits," and it is partially Akaikounoichi's fault. In her review of my story, she suggested a fic where Andy and Mai tell the rest of Mai's family about the marriage proposal. I told her in a PM I wasn't really interested in doing that, but recently some snippets of dialogue between Mai and her clan elders worked their way into my head. And then they started taking on lives of their own, and before I knew it, I had an outline for a story. So... thanks, Akaikounoichi. Hope you like it, and that everyone else does, too! And as with everything I write, feedback is welcome.

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games or the anime.

The cover image for this fic was drawn by Hellstinger64, and belongs to him.

Seki, Japan – The Shiranui Clan Temple

I can't remember the last time I was here,Mai Shiranui thought to herself as her gaze flicked around the chamber she was kneeling in. Probably when I was fifteen, one of the summers I was sent here to receive kunoichi training from the women of my clan. Of course, she reflected with the tiniest smirk tugging at one corner of her mouth, she had never needed much training in that department. Even the older women had to admit that Mai was a natural when it came to things like sensual movements and flirting.

She had enjoyed the kunoichi training, but not so much coming here to the temple and grounds that were owned by her clan. Now, as she knelt on the polished hardwood floor in the center of the chamber, she remembered why. The room had a high ceiling, and from where Mai sat she was surrounded on three sides by wooden benches, upon which sat the elders of the clan. The elders were permitted to sit, while those of lesser rank stood just behind them. Mai would have thought that, for a clan of ninja, her ancestors would have designed their audience chamber to have better acoustics, but she could still hear most of the whispered conversation without even trying.

To the right of Mai knelt her fiance, Andy Bogard, dressed in a dark blue ceremonial kimono with a green obi. He had combed his long blond hair and pulled it back into a ponytail. Mai was dressed similarly, though her kimono was white with a gold-colored obi, and she had done her own long, reddish-brown hair up into a traditional geisha-style. They were both in identical poses, hands resting on the tops of their knees, heads bowed slightly, just enough so their eyes were not level with those of the clan elders, but not so low that they could not see what was happening around them.

It had been a few months since Andy had asked Mai to marry him (to which Mai had, of course, said yes), and they had just now traveled from Mino to the temple of the Shiranui clan, nestled in the foothills of Mount Takinami, in order for Mai to inform her elders of the proposal. It wasn't that Mai had been afraid to speak to them. She had simply been putting it off because she looked upon dealing with her clan as a chore, something more uncomfortable than going to the dentist. And she also knew that Andy could care less what they thought. He was just here to support her, as the only member of her family whose opinion had ever mattered to him was dead now, and both Andy and Mai knew that Hanzo had already given this union his blessing.

Finally, one of her uncles, sitting on the bench immediately in front of her, cleared his throat. "Why have you really come here today, Mai-san?" Jirou Shiranui asked his niece, in a tone that, to be frank, Mai found annoying. As the second-born after her grandfather, Jirou had ascended to the position of chief elder after Hanzo's death. But even before then, he'd kept himself heavily involved in all clan politics. So he knew better than most that Mai would only come here if she felt she absolutely had to.

Mai raised her head slightly to face him. "I already told you, Uncle Jirou. I came here today to inform my clan that this man, Andy Bogard..." -Mai paused to gesture at her fiance- "...Has offered me his hand in marriage. And I have accepted his proposal." She then raised her right hand to show the engagement ring on her finger.

Sitting to the left of Jirou, Mai's other uncle gave a small snort. "And that's the only reason?" He chimed in. "You have always had this... rebellious streak in you. You cling to traditions when necessary, and you take them seriously when your position as master of the Shiranui dojo requires you to, but you've also harbored this unhealthy... obsession with Western culture. You knew we would not react well to this news. Surely you must be amused by that? To know that this would rile your elders?"

It had only been five minutes and already Mai had to suppress the urge to rise from the floor and beat their heads together. She took a deep, calming breath and then explained: "I don't care what your reaction is, Uncle Saburo. The wedding is taking place with or without your blessing. My Ojisama already gave his permission for Andy and I to marry while he was still alive. Frankly, I don't see why you're not reacting well to this. The elders of this clan have been pressuring me to find a suitable husband ever since my tits first started to grow. Well, now I've found one. So you should be happy." After she finished, Mai realized she probably could have chosen her words better just now, but she was still rankled by Saburo's comments.

"We obviously have different definitions of 'suitable,'" Jirou said with a snort of his own, clearly not amused by Mai's crassness just a moment ago. "I can name several men we've introduced you to, all of whom were more suitable than Hanzo's deshi, and yet you never gave any of them a chance."

"By 'more suitable' you just mean 'born in Japan,'" Mai fired back. "And the fact that they're Japanese says nothing about their character. Andy has proven himself worthy of my hand, regardless of what country he was born in. You know how demanding Ojisama was as a sensei. If he hadn't seen something special in Andy, he never would have made him an apprentice. And even then, Andy had to try twice as hard as all the other students, but he always did everything that was expected of him, and more. You know that if he hadn't, Ojisama would have thrown him out in the first year. But Andy exceeded his expectations, and in the process Ojisama grew to love him as a son. Andy has come to call our country home, and has never shown anything but respect for our culture and our traditions. He has even learned to speak our language like a native. It never mattered to Ojisama that Andy is American. I don't see why you're still hung up over that."

Both Jirou and Saburo sat there for a moment. Then Saburo stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I understand you've always had a school girl infatuation with this American," he said after a time. "But don't you think you're taking this too far? You've had your fun with him, sown your wild oats. So isn't it time you started taking your role as master of your grandfather's dojo seriously, and found a more proper husband?"

Mai's deep brown eyes flicked over to Andy. The blond man still had his hands resting on his knees, but he was gripping them so tightly his knuckles were blanching. Still, Mai had to admire the way he was controlling his famous temper. She herself was just barely able to show restraint. "This is more than infatuation," Mai said, her voice level. "Andy and I are deeply in love with each other. Even when he was training to avenge his father, he carried a devotion for me. That love has only grown over the last year. We love each other, and want to spend the rest our lives together. And it doesn't concern me if the elders of this clan don't consider Andy to be 'proper.'"

"And what of him?" Jirou Shiranui asked his niece, moving his gaze to Andy. "Is he going to say anything on his behalf, or simply going to sit there and let you speak for him?"

"If you want me to say something, I will," Andy said with a small shrug. "Otherwise, I'm happy to continue to let Mai speak for me. She's better at arguing than I am. I mean, would you want to get her angry?"

Andy's expression was neutral as he spoke those words. But after he finished, there were several choking sounds throughout the chamber as many of the younger clan members who were gathered tried to hold back their laughter. Even Mai couldn't help but flash her fiance a tiny smirk. The only two who did not seem amused were Jirou and Saburo. "Well, we are asking you to speak now," Jirou said with a slightly raised voice that quickly silenced the muffled laughter all around. "Have you anything to say on your behalf or her's?"

"I have nothing to say on Mai's behalf," Andy Bogard answered. "She is quite capable of speaking for herself, and doesn't need anyone to do that for her. As far as I am concerned, I can only say this: she spoke the truth when she said I have always carried a devotion for her. I simply tried not to think about it for ten years, as it wouldn't have helped me in my mission to avenge my father. Also, after everything that had happened to me up to that point in my life, I was afraid to let someone else in. But now I'm no longer afraid. I love Mai, and I give you my word that as her husband I will stay devoted to her for the rest of my life, and I will never do anything to sully her honor, or the honor of this clan."

Silence filled the chamber for a moment. Both of Mai's uncles appeared to be studying Andy. Then Jirou cleared his throat. "You overcame your fear at a most convenient time," Jirou said dryly. "After all, when Hanzo-sensei passed on, his granddaughter came into quite a bit of money and property, did she not?"

Andy's glance flicked over briefly to his fiancee, and he saw the vein in Mai's temple throbbing slightly. He quickly attempted to defuse the situation by saying: "Her money does not interest me, and never did. I really only have two goals in life at the moment: studying the fighting arts, and making Mai happy. I don't really need money for either of those things. But if you still doubt that, I can also tell you that I came into money of my own, before I realized I was in love with Mai."

"What kind of money?" Saburo asked, in a tone that seemed just a little too eager for Andy.

So Andy simply responded with: "Just a small inheritance from a friend of Hanzo-sensei's. That is all I wish to say." Mai knew what Andy was talking about. After Master Tung had passed on, both Andy and his brother Terry were surprised to learn that their old sensei had left them each some money in his will. At the time, Andy had been focused only on his training, so he had put the money into a savings account and didn't give it any more thought. It was only after proposing to Mai that Andy had told her about that account, and started to use the money in it to make some investments (with the help of Cheng Sinzan, who had some accounting expertise and had agreed to only take fifteen percent of the returns as a fee). However, Andy did not feel the need to share those details with the rest of Mai's clan.

Saburo turned back to Mai, then. "I am curious, Mai-san. When you were caring for our elder brother, did he ever mention anything about any ancient writings of the Shiranui clan's oldest techniques?"

Mai knew that her uncle was referring to the clan's scrolls, first written four-hundred years ago, that Hanzo had told her of in a letter he had written to her shortly before his death. Mai had been studying them ever since she'd unearthed them in the courtyard of her dojo. The kunoichi kept her eyes dead center, her mouth a flat line. "No, uncle," She said. "He never mentioned them."

"And you've come across nothing in your tenure as master?" Jirou added. "No letter from Hanzo or anything indicating where he might have hidden such writings?"

"If I had," said Mai, still as deadpan as ever. "I would, of course, have done my duty and presented these artifacts to the rest of the clan."

There was more silence in the chamber, longer this time. Andy and Mai both knelt like statues, their expressions neutral. Finally, Jirou spoke again. "Very well. You both have clearly made your choice. We cannot stop this marriage from taking place. But you understand, Mai-san, that we have the ability to excommunicate you from the clan, if we see fit."

"I do understand," Mai answered without flinching. "And I will face the consequences of my choice."

"Very well," her uncle responded. "Then the other elders and I will discuss your place within the clan. And as master of your grandfather's dojo."

Both Andy and Mai had known that this second thing might come into question. And Mai was prepared to answer for that. "I understand that you must do what you have to concerning my standing within the clan," she told her uncle. "But I will remain master of the dojo, because it belongs to me."

"It belongs to your clan," Jirou countered. "And should be under the care of someone who has not forgotten their heritage."

"Just because I'm choosing to marry a man who isn't Japanese doesn't mean I have forgotten anything," Mai countered just as quickly. "If Andy and I have children, I will make sure they are raised in our traditions. And if you'll remember the reading of Ojisama's will, he said that the dojo, and everything in it, would pass to me. He never once mentioned the clan in that sentence. Will you insult him by going against his dying wishes?"

"It is not an insult to take the dojo from a traitor who has chosen to rut herself to an outsider, and put someone else in charge, someone who will act in accordance with the will of the clan."

"You do insult Shiranui-Hanzo!" Mai spat back. "Anyone who questions his will insults him! Like you, he was tempered by war as a young man. But unlike you, he did not allow it to narrow his mind with idiotic nationalism. His experiences made him realize that Nippon cannot be isolated. We must welcome the outside while remaining true to the things that make Japanese culture unique. Ojisama's will is not the will of this clan! And if you can't see that, then YOU are the ones insulting him!"

Andy Bogard kept quiet, but from where he knelt, he was beaming with pride for his fiancee. He knew how Mai normally acted around him, and he had finally learned to roll with it. But despite how perky and bubbly she could be on a daily basis, Andy knew she had also been brought up as a traditional Japanese lady. He always found Mai even more attractive in the moments when she could be serious, and conducted herself in a manner befitting her role as master of her family's dojo.

The vein in the center of Mai's temple was throbbing slightly again, but so was the vein in the center of her uncle's forehead. Mai's inflammatory remarks had started the other elders of the clan whispering among themselves again, and this time the kunoichi did not care what they were saying. Finally, Jirou silenced the chamber by raising both hands. "If you will not relinquish the dojo willingly," he said to Mai, "Then you know there is only one way we can settle this: an honor duel."

Mai nodded politely. "Understood."

"Mai," she heard Andy speak over to her right. "You know that I'll always fight for you..."

She turned and gave Andy a warm smile. "I know, Andy. That's why I love you. But this is a clan matter. That makes it my battle. I can't let anyone else fight it for me."

Andy sucked in a sharp breath, so Mai knew that he had more he wanted to say, but in the end, he simply nodded. "I understand. Do what you have to."

Mai turned to her uncle and bowed her head respectfully. "I will fight on behalf of myself and Andy. If I defeat your champion, then Andy and I stay in the dojo, regardless of the clan's decision here today, even if that decision is that I am to be excommunicated."

Jirou bowed in return. "Agreed. And if he defeats you, then not only are you banished from the clan, but you and your fiance must leave Shiranui-Hanzo's dojo, and you must sign an affidavit stating you relinquish your claim to it, and all property within it."

Mai raised her head to face her uncle's gaze. "I accept the terms."

Jirou then gave a small smirk of satisfaction, like a poker player with an ace up their sleeve. "Very well, then. The champion we choose is: Shiranui-Nobutoki."

It took all of Mai's ninja discipline to keep a look of panic from showing in her eyes. Her clan knew that in all the sparring matches Mai had taken part in when she had visited the temple over the years, her uncle Saburo's grandson was the only one she had never been able to beat. He was a prodigy with the tonfa, and his skill with those sticks had always seemed to surpass Mai's own natural expertise with the folding fans. She took a deep breath and said: "The rules clearly state you may choose any member of the clan. If Nobutoki-san is your champion, then I will face him."

"Excellent," Jirou said with a smug look on his hawkish face. "We will convene in the courtyard in five minutes. You will be allowed some time in private to prepare."

Both Mai and Andy rose to their feet, folded their hands and bowed to the elders. "Domo," Mai said, and then turned and quickly left the chamber with Andy at her side.

After they were alone together, Andy Bogard finally allowed his concern to come through. "Are you sure you're ready for this, Mai?" He asked her in the small, featureless room that they had adjourned to. "You've never beaten Nobutoki before."

"I knew they might pull something like this," Mai said. "Believe me, I'm ready. It's been a few years since he and I last sparred, and in that time, I've been learning some new tricks. I can always try the clan's secret technique: the Kagerou no mai."

Andy's look grew even more concerned. Mai had tried to execute the Solar Flame Dance many times in their practice sessions since she had read about it in the clan's secret scrolls, but she had yet to pull it off. "But Mai, you've never been able to focus enough chi to successfully do that move. You nearly burned yourself the first time you tried it. And Nobutoki is not going to sit still and let you focus..."

Mai locked eyes with him then, her piercing gaze cutting him off. "Andy, this is one of those times where your worrying about me isn't cute. I know what I'm getting into, and I know how to defend myself. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm expected outside. I have a duel to win." With that, Mai brushed quickly past him and made her way out to the courtyards.

For a moment, Andy's blue-eyed gaze lingered on the open door leading outside. He briefly remembered the first time he'd tried to keep Mai from getting involved in a fight that she'd chosen to be a part of, which also turned out to be the last time. The screaming rant that Mai had subjected him to afterwards was enough to make him swear to himself that he'd never do that to her again. He breathed slowly in though his mouth and out through his nostrils, taking another moment to calm himself.

Besides, he thought to himself, if she loses, it's not like we'll have no place to go. There is always South Town. Terry can probably let us crash at his place until we find an apartment of our own. Of course, that's only if Mai loses. You heard her yourself, she's not going to lose. You'll just have to trust her. Andy nodded to himself and made his way out to the courtyards.

It was a brisk fall day, but the sky was clear and cloudless, and the building surrounding the courtyard was itself framed in by a bright canopy of red, yellow and orange from the deciduous foliage overhead. It would have been more picturesque, were it not for what was about to transpire. Many of the clan had already gathered in the courtyard, forming a circle around what was intended to be the ring for the fight. On one side, benches had been placed for the elders of the clan. Jirou and Saburo were already seated there, and several other high-ranking members started to join them.

Andy still wanted to make a good impression on Mai's family, and so he made his way through the crowds as politely as he could, until he could clearly see his fiancee. In the middle of the ring stood Mai, waiting for her opponent. In the short time between when she had left Andy in the room and when Andy had come outside, she had put her hair back into a ponytail, and also taken off her ceremonial kimono and changed into her fighting costume.

It was no longer the familiar kunoichi uniform she had worn for as long as Andy had known her. Well, it was still familiar in some ways: a sleeveless dogi with the sides open, which tapered down to a loincloth in the front. But Mai had made some small changes: the fabric was now dark red instead of pink, with white trim instead of gold, and had been altered so that it was slightly wider in the front, but still provided a healthy view of her ample cleavage (not to mention it provided slightly more view from the sides). The twin tails that covered (or tried to cover) her shapely buttocks were now red and white, and had steel balls tied onto their ends, which Mai had placed there in order to try and put more striking power into her Ryu En Bu attack. Her wrist guards were now much smaller, while her shin guards were completely gone, replaced by a simple pair of black and red tabi socks. Whenever Mai moved a certain way, however, Andy could see that at least one thing was still the same: she had nothing on underneath the costume except for a pair of thong panties. But despite this, Mai seemed not to notice or to mind the nippy autumn air.

Andy had been surprised, and a little disappointed, when Mai first told him she wanted to change her fighting outfit. But he'd gotten used to the new one more quickly than he originally thought he would. Of course, it probably helped that she hadn't made too many drastic changes to it, just a few minor tweaks. Mai kept saying that was because she hadn't wanted to alter it too much, since it was the traditional uniform of the Shiranui kunoichi, dating back to her ancestors. Andy, however, knew this was bull. The truth was, distracting ones enemy with a display of skin was an old kunoichi tactic, and Mai knew only too well that she had a body most women would kill for, so she enjoyed flaunting it.

But what's not to like about that? Andy thought to himself. When they had started dating, Andy had at first been very critical of some of the outfits Mai liked to wear in public. These days, he tried his best to take it in stride, and keep his mouth shut (unless it was to compliment her), because deep down he knew that despite being a horrible tease (usually without trying), Mai would never actually do anything with anyone else. Her heart belonged to Andy, and always would. It actually made Andy feel better about himself, knowing that he was the only man who was allowed to touch her body. All those other men who made cat-calls at Mai would still get the smack-down from her if they ever tried to do the same. They'd never get to know Mai in all the ways Andy had gotten to know her.

Mai smiled when she saw Andy, and bowed low to him, deliberately giving him a very clear view of her cleavage. Andy smiled and returned the bow to Mai, just so none of her relatives would suspect she was flirting with him. Mai giggled and flashed him a wink as she stood upright again. She then turned and bowed respectfully to her uncles, though not as low as she'd just bowed to Andy. Both Jirou and Saburo had looks of disgust on their faces when they saw Mai's outfit, but they returned the bow.

A few moments later, Nobutoki Shiranui entered the ring from the opposite side. A tall, dark-haired man about the same age as Mai, he was clad in a red tunic and black slacks, with a black sash around his waist, into which was tucked two tonfa sticks, each about as long as an adult's forearm, with a small handle that jutted out perpendicular at one end. He turned to the elders, folded the palm of his left hand over his right fist, and bowed respectfully. He then turned to Mai and bowed as well. Mai returned the gesture, though she kept her head up, never lowering her eyes to Nobutoki.

"Long time, no see, cousin!" Nobutoki said with a cold glee in his voice. Moving so fast his hands were a blur, he whipped the tonfa from his belt and twirled them expertly several times. "How many years has it been since your last humiliating defeat?"

"Not long enough," Mai growled, pulling a pair of fans from the front of her gi and assuming her stance. "Let's get your ass-kicking over with! It's past noon, and Andy and I still have to catch a train home."

Jirou Shiranui cleared his throat and stood, the shape of the courtyard providing the perfect acoustics to carry his voice. "You are both familiar with the rules?" He asked, though it was not a question. "This is an honor duel, so it ends only when one of you has yielded to the other, or is killed. The terms have already been discussed and agreed upon, have they not?"

"Hai, uncle," Mai said with a curt nod. "The terms of this duel were agreed upon by both of us in the presence of witnesses."

Jirou folded his hands into the sleeves of his kimono, and sat back down on the wooden bench. "Then... begin!"

Mai jumped into the air, making it look like she was going to start with her usual opening move: launching a flurry of fans to disorient her opponent. But Mai was actually trying to fake Nobu out. She knew her cousin was familiar with this tactic, and he would simply use his tonfa to knock aside her fans without even flinching.

So once she was airborne, she surprised Nobu by launching herself forward at a forty-five degree angle, shooting headfirst towards him with her fans raised. Nobutoki took a few small jumps backward to avoid the attack, moving gracefully on the balls of his feet, almost as gracefully as Mai usually moved in battle. Mai quickly brought her legs down towards the ground in midair, trying to stop herself from going any further. Nobu had adjusted to the surprise attack more quickly than the kunoichi anticipated. His arms were already raised in a defensive pose, ready to swat Mai from the air.

She managed to stop, and land on her feet a few yards in front of him, and he wasted no time pressing the attack. Keeping the long ends of his tonfa tucked close into his arms, he spun his whole body around counterclockwise as he took a step forward. When his right arm was parallel to Mai's body, he swung his weapon around with blinding speed, lashing out with the long end to try and strike Mai's torso. Mai used her fan to repel the blow from the first tonfa, but not the second one that came a split-second later. Nobu continued to spin forward, and lashed out with the tonfa in his left hand quicker than Mai had been anticipating. This time, the stick caught her in the stomach, momentarily knocking the wind from her.

She did a flip backwards, but her cousin pushed forward, continuing to flail his tonfa like a deadly windmill. She knocked aside what she could with her fans, but he seemed to have somehow gotten even faster since he and Mai had last sparred. She was struck two more times, but fortunately she was starting to get a sense of his patterns at that point, and moved her body to lessen the force of the blows. If she hadn't, she was sure that Nobu would have broken some bones.

He lashed out again, and this time, Mai ducked to avoid it. She pivoted her body while in a crouch and swung one of her long, well-toned legs around in a spinning kick. This time, she managed to catch Nobu in the shins. She followed this by leaping back to her feet, lashing out with her left leg to try and score a higher kick. Nobutoki managed to sidestep this, and lunge forward again with the tonfa, aiming a blow straight for Mai's breastbone that she only just barely managed to knock aside using both fans. She then took a leap backwards, closer to the edge of the ring, to try and put distance between herself and Nobutoki.

Off on the sidelines, Andy Bogard watched the ongoing match with concern. Already, Mai seemed to be floundering against her cousin. He was hoping that by now, they'd be a bit more evenly matched. True, there had been a period of time (after Andy had come back to Japan) where Mai had slacked off in her ninjitsu training, but those days were long behind her now. Since she'd resumed her training in earnest two years ago, Andy had seen her take down men twice her size. But it seemed that Nobutoki, who had always been something of a nemesis of Mai's in the sparring ring, had been training just as hard as her. Andy had a bad feeling about this, but he would not do anything now that might make Mai appear weak in the eyes of those assembled. She was fighting for her honor and for her grandfather's honor, so she'd probably never forgive him for that. Well, no, eventually she may forgive him, but it would cost Andy A LOT to reach that point.

"Come on, Mai, you can do it, I know you can do it," he whispered softly, low enough so none of the other spectators could hear.

Inside the ring, Mai also noticed that her cousin was putting up more of a challenge than she expected. It was like he could somehow still predict the new fighting patterns she had been practicing. I've been holding back on purpose, trying to conserve my energy, but it looks like it might be time to unleash some stronger attacks. She dodged the next series of swings from her cousin, though one still managed to graze her elbow, then she jumped straight up into the air.

"Ryu En Bu!" She shouted as she swung the tails of her fighting costume, now blazing with chi fire, around to strike at her opponent. Nobutoki remembered this move, and braced himself with his tonfa. What he had not noticed, however, were the hollow metal balls that Mai had now attached to her costume. Both these balls, super-heated by the flames, struck him in the solar plexus with more force than he was anticipating, and knocked him back, leaving him winded.

Ordinarily, this would the point in the fight where Mai would say something cocky to taunt her opponent, and try to anger them into making a mistake. But she knew from experience her cousin was immune to such tactics. So instead, she pressed the attack while he was dazed. Mai somersaulted towards him, planting her feet flat on the ground when they were inches apart, then jumped up and spun around with her arms outstretched, hitting Nobutoki repeatedly with her fans. He flew backwards again, this time falling to the ground.

Though Andy did not show it outwardly, on the inside he was jumping for joy. Yes! He thought to himself ecstatically. For a split-second, Mai's gaze flicked to the sidelines, and Andy took that moment to flash her a brief thumbs-up.

Nobutoki regained his feet quicker than Mai gave him credit for, however. "So, you caught me off guard," he said with a sneer as he once more twirled his tonfa menacingly. "Not bad for a woman. Maybe I need to stop going easy on you!"

This time, Mai couldn't help but give him just a little sass. "Or maybe I was just going easy on you, cuz."

"We'll see," Nobu answered, and then lunged forward in a series of long, arcing steps, spinning his tonfa out in front of him as he moved. Mai did a long leap backwards, and then flung several of her fans in Nobu's direction. He knocked them aside with no effort, but they were meant to distract him from Mai's main attack. While still airborne, she surrounded herself in chi fire, then shifted her direction and began to spin down towards her cousin at a forty-five degree angle, like a deadly pinwheel of flames. "Houou no mai!" She called out as she descended.

Nobu was too preoccupied with striking down Mai's fans to dodge her real attack properly. He felt a sharp jolt as Mai's flames coursed over and through him, and he pitched forward to the hard ground. Mai landed gracefully back down on the ring, facing Nobutoki, her right leg tucked underneath her, her left one extended out. After a moment, she rose to her feet and re-assumed her fighting stance.

Nobutoki got up as well, his tonfa spinning as he raised his forearms defensively. If Mai's chi attacks had been doing anything to him, he was certainly hiding it well. He wore a look of disdain as his black eyes flicked down to his crimson gi, saw a rip in the sleeve.

"Ah, well," he said with a shrug. "I never liked this shirt much, anyway. Tell me, cousin: you have any other party tricks?"

"Maybe I do," snapped Mai. "And maybe I don't. Wouldn't you like to know?"

Nobu gave another shrug, even more nonchalant this time. "Not really. To be frank, I'm getting bored with this. It's time for me to show you what a real ninja can do, little girl."

From the sidelines, Andy could see the vein in his fiancee's beautiful forehead start to throb. "Don't fall for it, Mai," he whispered, again too low for anyone else to hear. Growing up, Mai had usually had to endure sexism from her cousins, some more than others. Nobutoki had always been one of the worst offenders. Every time he defeated Mai in a sparring match, she always heard some comment from him afterward, such as how it was a pity Mai lost her parents before they could have a son, which would have given Hanzo a true heir.

Mai had learned to take these remarks in stride (not to mention she was rather gifted at coming up with blistering retorts on the spot), but for some reason, today it got to her. She tucked her fan back into her gi, then did a quick cartwheel forward and lunged with her elbow, her body becoming enveloped in chi flames as she executed her Chou Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi attack.

"No, Mai!" Andy whispered off on the side, louder than he intended to, but thankfully those to his immediate right and left did not notice. Nobutoki was familiar with this move, however, and countered just as Mai's elbow would have contacted his torso. He summoned some chi fire of his own and swung both tonfa upwards in a half-moon circle. Mai was hit head-on with this attack, and gave a small cry of pain as she was thrown backwards.

She landed on her backside several yards from Nobu. Her cousin did not stop the attack, and leaped forward at her, both sticks raised over his head. He swung them down with bone-cracking force, but Mai had already rolled out of the way. The ninja girl regained her feet with a handspring, and quickly pulled her fans out, just in time to parry another swing from Nobu's tonfa.

Focus, girl, she told herself as she continued to dodge the attacks from Nobu, which were becoming much faster. She barely managed to parry one of his tonfa, but left herself wide open and was struck by the other one. She grunted as a pain shot down her left arm, causing her to drop one of her fans.

Nobu swung again, but this time, Mai bent her upper body backwards until she had planted the palms of her hands against the courtyard stones. She then kicked executed a back-flip, kicking upwards with both legs and catching her cousin on the chin, dazing him momentarily. She then did several jumps backwards and quickly widened her stance with her legs, so her feet were shoulder-width apart.

I'm gonna have to try the Solar Flame Dance, she thought to herself. It's the only way. Already, she could see her cousin recovering, readying himself for another attack. Mai shut her eyes and pressed the palms of her hands flat together in front of her chest, trying to gather as much chi as she could.

Off to the side, Andy Bogard saw what Mai was doing, and inside the sleeves of his kimono, he was clenching and unclenching his fists, doing his best to keep from crying out loud. Don't try it, Mai! He thought silently to himself. You've used too much chi already. You're not going to gather what you need in time. Focus on Nobutoki-san. Mai continued to stand there stoically, in what looked like a very vulnerable stance.

Finally, Nobutoki lunged forward with his tonfa straight out, and swung his upper body around, preparing to strike Mai in her midsection. Right before the sticks connected, Mai opened her eyes suddenly... and nothing happened, save for a few small wisps of smoke and flame, not much bigger than a candle, that appeared around the cobbled ground at her feet. Nobutoki's sticks slammed hard into her belly, knocking the wind from her. He followed this up by lunging with his elbow, catching Mai in the face and sending her flying almost to the edge of the ring.

I couldn't do it, she thought sadly as she wavered there unsteadily on her feet, feeling like she was about to faint. I just can't gather the energy that technique requires. It's too much. I'm sorry, Ojisama. I've failed you here today. Mai wiped some blood from the side of her mouth and considered her next strategy. She could probably continue to dodge her cousin's attacks for a while longer, but she just couldn't get through his defenses. She was starting to think her best bet was to yield before Nobu got lucky, and struck a blow that was crippling or fatal.

Nobutoki seemed to see this in her eyes, and though he could easily have brought the fight to an end, he decided to stand there and taunt her some more. "I can end your suffering, Mai-san! Just yield, and admit that you never had any business trying to be a ninja! You'll still get to marry your hakujin boy toy, and Hanzo-sensei's dojo will get a proper master. Everyone gets what they want!"

Mai scanned the edges of the ring, studying the faces of her clan. Most of them were jeering, more were shouting for her to yield. But in their sea of smug faces, she saw Andy Bogard, the man she loved, and would soon marry, and someday have children with. His blue eyes were shining with the light of love as he looked straight at Mai, and she could see that he was saying something. Though he spoke too softly for Mai to hear over the shouting of her clan and the blood pounding in her ears, lip-reading had been part of her kunoichi training.

"I believe in you, Mai," Andy was saying to her. "Win or lose here today, I love you, no matter what."

I love him so much, Mai thought to herself with a sad smile. Her eyes flicked briefly down to her right hand, saw the afternoon sunlight catch on the diamond of her engagement ring. The symbol of her and Andy's commitment to each other. She thought back to the first time she had read the clan's secret scrolls, the notes that had been written down on the Kagerou no mai: "In addition to a focused mind, a large amount of energy is required to properly execute the technique. The earth may not be able to provide enough chi, in this case."

She looked again at her ring... and then it hit her. Yes, now I understand, she thought to herself. I can gather the energy for that technique. I've always had that ability. She smiled at Andy and flashed him a wink, then turned back to her cousin, who continued to gloat.

"I will never yield to you, cousin!" Mai snapped at him. "In fact, I offer you a chance to yield to me. You've lost. You just don't know it yet." Ignoring the laughter which had erupted from her clansmen on the sidelines, Mai quickly assumed the same stance from earlier, legs widened, hands pressed together in front of her chest. She shut her eyes... and concentrated.

She did not even notice that Nobutoki's face had turned bright red, nor did she care. "Stupid little ninja bitch!" Nobu snapped at her. "You were always too stubborn for your own good. It's time someone put you in your place... permanently! You'll be lucky if Andy still wants to marry you, after I'm done smashing that pretty face of yours to a bloody pulp." With a cry of rage, he jumped forward as high as he could, his tonfa raised overhead, ready to bring them down hard on either side of Mai's collarbone, a move which had the potential to cripple her for life if it connected...

Right when Nobutoki got into range over her head, Mai Shiranui's brown eyes came open. The whites of them glowed faintly, as if they were being stoked by some internal flame. A huge pillar of fire shot up from the ground at her feet, its brilliance momentarily blinding everyone present. The flame spiral caught Nobutoki in mid-air, and he screamed as the heat and energy slammed into him over and over again, shredding his tunic and burning his tonfa sticks to ash.

"Kagerou no mai!" The granddaughter of Hanzo Shiranui screamed from within the center of the firestorm, completely unburned by the energy she had summoned. A few seconds later, she nodded her head, and the pillar of fire dissipated in every direction. The energy flung Nobutoki's battered body to the other end of the ring, where he struck the ground in a heap and lay still.

All laughter from the spectators had died away, replaced by stunned silence. Mai looked around at their faces, didn't see a single expression that wasn't a blank stare of awe. Only her uncles, Jirou and Saburo, did not appear confused, and instead regarded the kunoichi with a look that was almost contemplative. The only other person who did not look shocked was Andy, whose eyes now shown with pride as well as love. Mai could tell he was just barely repressing the urge to run out into the ring, sweep her up in his arms and start kissing her. Mai wanted nothing more than for him to do that, but certain formalities had to be seen to first.

She pulled another fan from her gi, this one made of steel, and snapped it open. She then strode across the ring to the prone form of her cousin, who still had wisps of smoke rising off him. Mai rolled him onto his back with her toe. Nobu groaned as he regained consciousness. When his world came back into focus, he saw Mai Shiranui standing over him, the steel leaf of her fan less than an inch from his throat. Though the glow was gone from her large brown eyes, he could still see fire burning behind them.

"Do you yield?" Mai snapped at him.

Nobutoki Shiranui scowled and spit on Mai's fan. "Not to you, you cow!"

Mai leaned in slightly, the leaf of the fan now tickling her cousin's Adams Apple, just enough to break the skin and make a small red scratch. "You know there are only two ways this duel can end, Nobutoki-san. I don't want to kill you. You may be a repugnant bastard, but you are still my blood. However, if killing you is the only way I can end this, then I will do it. I've killed before, so don't think that I don't have it in me." Her eyes narrowed into deadly slits, and she began to slowly spit out each syllable through clenched teeth as she spoke. "So I ask you just one more time: DO. YOU. YIELD."

Nobutoki found himself flinching at the fire in Mai's eyes. The woman who stood over him now was clearly not the pampered little girl he remembered from seven years ago. Fifteen-year-old Mai would not have had the stomach for killing. But the look in her eyes now told him that she was not bluffing. "Hai," he eventually grumbled reluctantly. "I yield."

Mai's eyes flicked over to the clan elders assembled. "I don't think they heard you."

Nobutoki turned his head as much as the fan pressed against his throat would allow. "Grandfather!" He called out. "Uncle Jirou! I yield to Shiranui-Mai. This fight is over."

Mai snapped her fan shut, and then offered a hand to her cousin. He continued to lay there, looking at the ground, his face seething with anger. Mai left him there and made her way over to the bench were Jirou and Saburo sat. "It is done," she told them. "I understand you still must convene, and make a decision as to whether I will be excommunicated from this clan. But regardless what you decide, my family's dojo stays with me!" She bowed respectfully to them, and then started to make her way towards Andy, who still waited patiently on the sidelines.

She was so focused on this, she failed to notice Nobutoki lunging at her from behind. He had produced a kunai from the cuff of his trousers, and he reached out a hand towards Mai's ponytail, intending to snap her head back and rake the blade of his dagger across her throat...

He made it halfway when a blue fireball slammed into him and sent him sprawling. Mai saw Andy standing on the edge of the ring with his arms out in front of him, palms of his hands still glowing faintly from the Hishou-Ken he'd just launched at Nobu.

Mai turned and saw her cousin back down on the floor of the ring, saw the dagger just out of reach of his right hand, and she quickly put two and two together. Angrily she stalked back over to Nobutoki, who was reaching for the kunai again, and brought her foot down hard on his wrist. The moist crunch of bones breaking could be heard even over Nobu's shrill scream of pain. Mai silenced him by slamming her fan against the side of his head, knocking him unconscious. She picked up the kunai and then turned her rage in the direction of her clan's elders.

"My fiance and I are leaving now," she said coldly. "And I don't think we'll ever be coming back here again."

If Jirou showed any concern over what had just happened, he was masking it well. "We still have not made a decision," he said to her. "Also, we must now question whether this duel was valid. Andy did just interfere."

"He stopped Nobutoki-san from murdering me in cold blood," Mai spat at him. "After Nobu had already yielded. My win is still valid. But if you want to send out another champion, by all means, do so. I'll burn his ass to a crisp just as easily as I did Nobutoki-san."

"Never mind," Saburo said wearily. "That is unnecessary. But aren't you curious to know whether or not you will still be a part of the clan?"

"I don't care about that anymore," said Mai. "Frankly, I wish you would excommunicate me." She held up the kunai and shook it at them. "If these are the sorts of dishonorable tactics my clan now condones, then I'm well rid of you. If Ojisama were here, he'd be ashamed of you." Mai then flung the dagger down towards the bench. The blade buried itself in the wood between her uncle Jirou's legs, only a few inches from his crotch. The ninja girl then gave another respectful bow. "Good day, Uncle Jirou. Uncle Saburo." She then turned and finally made her way over to Andy.

When she got close to him, Andy grabbed her by the upper arms, lifted her bodily off the ground, and spun her around in a complete circle. "You did it, Mai!" Andy shouted, as he placed Mai back on the ground. The two then hugged each other tightly. "You finally pulled off that technique! I knew you could do it!"

"Thanks to you," Mai said, nuzzling his neck with her ponytail.

Andy blinked in confusion. "Ummm... what did I do? I mean, I stopped Nobutoki-san from killing you, but how did I help with the Kagerou no mai?"

Mai gazed up at him, her dark brown eyes shining with all the love she felt for him. "Andy, I've finally figured out why I haven't been able to pull that technique off. It had nothing to do with focusing enough chi. What I was doing wrong is that I wasn't focusing the right kind of chi. The energy fueling that technique doesn't come from the earth. It comes from a much more powerful source."

Andy continued to blink, not comprehending. So Mai laughed and went on: "The heart, Andy. When I used the Kagerou no mai, I was thinking only about how much I love you, and how happy I was that you love me just as much in return. I kept thinking about how that love has only grown stronger, and about the life we'll build together as husband and wife. My feelings of love woke up a new power inside of me, giving me the strength and the focus to finally summon and control the chi fire behind that attack. So you did help me, Andy... just by loving me."

"Mai..." Andy said as he gazed back at her. There were many things he wanted to say in that moment, but found that he could not find the right words. So he chose a different form of expression. He suddenly realized that he no longer cared about keeping a proper appearance in front of Mai's clan. He leaned down and kissed Mai fervently on her sweet, cherry-red lips. For a moment, Mai found herself unable to move or breathe, as she always did whenever Andy kissed her with the same intensity he'd shown during their first kiss in Jerusalem. Finally, she regained her senses and began to kiss him back with equal vigor, hungrily probing his mouth with her tongue.

"Are you two quite finished?" Mai heard a familiar voice behind her a few moments later.

She opened her eyes, pulled her lips from Andy's, and turned to face her uncle, who wore a look of pure disgust. "Actually, we're not, Uncle Jirou, but for you we'll make an exception," Mai said sweetly.

"That technique you did a few moments ago," her uncle asked. "You're sure that you haven't come across any old scrolls among your grandfather's belongings?"

"Positive," said Mai. "That's just something I learned to do on my own after chatting with Ojisama. He never said where it came from, though."

Jirou pursed his lips in thought, then let loose an audible sigh. "I see..." he grumbled.

Mai ignored him, then, turning back to her fiance. "Let's go home, Andy," she said.

"Fine with me," Andy said. He bowed respectfully to Jirou Shiranui, a bow which was not returned, then started towards the courtyard exit with his arm wrapped around Mai's waist.

Two men stood guard by the exit, but made no move to stop them. Soon, the couple were at the bottom of the long stone steps, walking down the dirt path that led towards Seki, on their way to the nearest train station.

"Andy, after our train gets back into Mino, I wanna stop at that ramen place for some take out," Mai said after they had put some distance between them and her clan's temple. "Because I'm not in the mood to cook tonight. When we get back to the dojo, all I want is to do two things: pour myself a cup of sake, and have a nice long soak in a hot bubble bath."

"Sounds like a plan," said Andy. "Need me to scrub your back for you?"

Mai turned and flashed him a smirk. "Now, Andy," she admonished him. "You know that every time you've tried to scrub my back in the past, it doesn't end well. Feeling your hands on me just makes me want to scrub your back, and I'll probably wind up doing that with my breasts. Which will only make both of us horny, and so we'll end up having sex in the tub. That happens every time."

"Yeah, I know," said Andy, his tone and expression both deliberately neutral. "But maybe this time it won't."

"Well, we''ll try," said Mai. "But I won't be trying too hard."

"Me, neither," Andy said, as the two of them continued arm-in-arm down the path, glad to be going home.

The End?

ADDITIONAL NOTES

According to what I've researched, America is one of the few countries where they put engagement and wedding rings on the left hand. Which is why Mai is wearing her engagement ring on the right hand.

And for those of you wondering when Mai has ever killed someone, I was referring to her fight with Panni in Fatal Fury: TMP. The SNK wiki does not really make it clear what happened to Panni, but after watching that scene a couple of times, in particular how it plays out at the end, it's my opinion that Mai killed Panni with her attack.

Also wanted to give a shout-out to JojoDO. If you haven't been reading his fic KoF: Ultimate Grand Dream Kumite, I highly recommend it. But anyway, Mai's fight in Chapter 7 of that story served as the inspiration for her using love to help her win against her cousin in my story. But I still like to think I put my own spin on it with the whole her being unable to do the Kagerou no mai technique until she realized the true source of the chi energy.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to post a review.