Disclaimer: I do not own either Hareluya II Boy or Mortal Kombat. They are property of Umezawa Haruto and NetherRealm Studios respectively. This story is written purely for enjoyment. No profit is being made from it.

The two fighters faced each other in battle-ready stances. They ignored their surroundings and the crowd of eager spectators watching them. Each warrior's focus was entirely on his opponent as he waited for the duel to begin.

Finally a voice called out a single word. "Fight!"

Both warriors immediately sprang into action, raining powerful blows upon each other as the crowd shouted words of encouragement to whichever one they favoured. Almost from the start it was clear that the fight was utterly mismatched. As much as he tried the challenger was no match for the reigning champion. Despite this his supporters continued to cheer for him and so he gave it his all but the outcome was inevitable. Within only a few moments the challenger lay defeated.

"Ha ha, Taro wins again!" Hibino Hareluya crowed gleefully. He was a tall, strongly built teenager with spiky black hair and brown eyes, dressed in the blue school uniform of Rakuen High. "You lose Ichijou!"

Makoto Ichijou shrugged as he stepped back from the arcade game he had been playing. He was the same height and build as Hibino and also wore a Rakuen High uniform. His shoulder-length hair was bright red and his eyes were blue.

His opponent, a little boy named Taro, grinned and raised his fist in triumph. His fans, all kids his own age, swarmed around him as they congratulated him on his win. The excited chatter filled the entire arcade.

"The current score is what, ten-nil now?" Hibino teased.

"Eight-nil" he said grudgingly.

"Never mind Ichijou, you played really well" said Yamana Michiru reassuringly. She was a beautiful girl with light brown eyes and gold-brown hair that came to her shoulder blades. Her uniform consisted of a maroon top, a grey skirt, white socks and brown shoes. A grey bag hung from her left shoulder.

"Thanks" he replied. His expression lightened as he added, "Besides, it was fun."

"Exactly" she agreed with a cheerful smile.

Having finished accepting congratulations Taro turned to Ichijou and extended his hand.

"Great game" Taro said.

"That it was" he replied as they shook hands. Both had been hurt deeply when Ibu Reiko, Ichijou's former girlfriend and Taro's surrogate big sister, had left Japan and despite the difference in their ages they had become good friends.

"Maybe next time you'll beat me" Taro said with a small grin.

"Maybe I will."

"Ha! And maybe pigs will fly" Hibino scoffed.

"Come on Hibino, he's gotten a lot better" said Yamana.

Hibino laughed. "The day Ichijou beats Taro at that game is the day Ore-sama loses at anything. Speaking of which that game looks good."

He pointed at a machine in a corner. Ichijou and Yamana frowned as they saw it.

"Mortal Kombat 2? I don't know Hibino, that game is supposed to be very gory and brutal" Ichijou said doubtfully. "I'm surprised it was even allowed in here with so many kids around."

"And the word "combat" is spelled wrong" Yamana added.

"Ha, Ore-sama doesn't care about any of that" Hibino scoffed. "It's decided, Ore-sama is playing that game."

"Suit yourself" Ichijou replied with a shrug. He went over to the arcade entrance and looked outside. He sighed as he saw that the weather hadn't changed. The sky was still completely blanketed by thick black clouds and rain was still falling in torrents, drumming incessantly against the pavements and making tiny but numerous splashes in the many puddles it had formed.

He turned to Yamana. "It's still raining. If we go out there we'll get soaked instantly."

She shrugged. "We'll have to wait here a little longer then." She checked in her bag. "I can lend you some money if you need any."

"No thanks, I've got money" he replied. He glanced over at Taro. The boy had found another challenger and was gleefully wiping the floor with him.

"I could use a break from fighting games. I'll have a go at Guitar Hero. It might be good practise for me."

She chuckled softly at that.

"How about you?" he asked. "I know you're not much of a gamer."

"I'm not" she replied. "But I think I'll try that one, Dance Dance Revolution. It looks like fun."

"Okay. I'll see you in a bit then."

"See you."

For a while they all played their respective games. Ichijou enjoyed himself immensely as his fingers nimbly pressed the buttons while his other hand strummed energetically. It wasn't as good as playing an actual guitar but it was still fun. A crowd soon formed around him and when he beat the game they applauded.

Yamana also enjoyed her game. While she wasn't a trained dancer she was still very graceful, her feet moving fluidly across the platform. It wasn't flawless but she consistently scored "good" and "great" with a few "perfects."

After beating Guitar Hero Ichijou joined the people watching Yamana play DDR. When her score appeared onscreen everyone cheered. She smiled warmly at them as she stepped off the platform.

"That was really good" said Ichijou. "If you ever get tired of being a jewellery designer you could be a professional dancer."

She giggled. "Thanks Ichijou. You were great yourself."

He nodded in appreciation. "Let's see how Hibino's getting on."

Hibino's face wore a look of focused intensity as he played. Naturally he had started on maximum difficulty and it had been tougher than he'd expected. Still he pressed on and now he was up against the final boss. It had also been just as gory as Ichijou had said but that didn't bother him.

"This is it" he muttered to himself, not even noticing the mass of spectators that had gathered around him.

At that very moment there was a sudden deafening BOOM! of thunder that drowned out the electronic beeps and music from the various games. A blue electrical bolt shot down from the ceiling to the Mortal Kombat cabinet and a flash of brilliant white light burst from the screen. Everyone cried out in alarm as they were dazzled by the light.

"What was that?" Taro cried.

"A lightning bolt must have struck the arcade" said Ichijou. He rubbed his eyes as his vision began to clear. "You okay Hibino?"

There was no answer. His vision now fully returned he looked at the cabinet and his jaw dropped. Its screen was completely black and tiny blue sparks flickered over its surface. There was no sign of Hibino at all, only a black scorch mark on the floor where he had been standing.

"Hibino!"