Okay I've got bad news for all the nutjobs keeping an eye on Bushin Kaiden. Simply put I'm gonna put this on hold for now. It's not that much of a brain drain in the planning but rather, Capcom just chose to throw the shit when Seth Killian stated that the SF4 series will end at the Arcade Edition. Simply put nobody will know how the Vega revival debacle will turn out at least for the next couple of years or so. All because Oh-no wanted to turn his sights on the SF vs Tekken games. And that's given the fact that the official announcement only came out somwhere in the middle of the AE release. Fuck that stupid shit srsly. After AE managed to fix all that has been uber wrong in the SF4 and SSF4 (with the Ryu nerfing being that one best damn thing of them all), Oh-no just chose to shit on everything. So now while I'm stewing in front of my PC doing nothing, I've actually got a random inspiration. Which of course led to this current SF - King of Fighters crossover fic. Just to set the record straight, the timeline setting of this story will be post KOF XIII. On the SF front, everything will start from after the events of SF3: TS while the KOF side as you all can guess by now, will start off after the Ash saga in XIII. Everything will go by what I know on the official canon. Thank gawd for that heaven-sent gift called SNK Wiki. And yeah one last important note. All the names will go by the original Japanese format. :)

X X X

The Axis of Fate

When Justice Has Reached It's End

Before the great ruler of the underworld, all couldn't stand before him. Smirking at the sight of the fallen, the dictator has decided that enough was enough. This group of pitiful worms has dared to go against him and now they have to pay the price. A military man bent on righting the wrongs done to him; a young Chinese girl who had just returned to the fold of law enforcement for the sake of her beliefs; one particular redhead bounded by her own duties towards her country and lastly but not the least, a ninja clad in red.

"Foolish humans... why is it that you all would rather struggle than to accept the truth before your eyes? The power which I wield... it has always been something that the likes of you won't be able to obtain, let alone defeat!" grinned the demon, "The name of Vega will forever consign you to the eternity of failure. Be glad that you all will die by my hands..."

Just as Vega has finished his words, the ninja slowly stood up. At first Vega was surprised as to how the person before him has managed to stand up despite the injuries. But no sooner this question was asked, he realized that the answer has always been there. The one ancient fighting art that he has always been wary of.

"So this is Bushinryuu... most interesting," he growled, "I have always seen it's potential powers to be a threat, but never have I witnessed that this very power is capable of making a worm stand up from defeat. The duty of a Bushin ninja... has it always been the only way which you can survive?"

After a few moments of catching his breath, the ninja sent his adversary a piercing glare, but yet the emotions present was not of anger. There was nothing in those orbs, only that of an absolute nothingness. Understanding the real message behind the expression, Vega began to taunt the Japanese fighter.

"Yes... living a life where nothing you do will reflect on what you truly wanted from the world. Tell me what do you have to gain from all these..."

"My mission here is very simple... I'm only here to buy 'that person' time. He is the Fool that Rose has spoken of. Even though the power of Bushinryuu is capable of bringing you down, it has never been something that can decide the fate of the world. As long as it is within human hands, nobody would be able to truly unleash the reality of that power. Vega... you have foresaken your own humanity rigth from the start. That's why you're able to wield such a power meant to surpass all that is capable by every single fighter. And this will be your downfall... the meaning behind the Fool's card, I truly understand now..."

"To destroy an existence beyond humanity, another power having the same, but yet conflicting nature must be required... such a delicious logic of paradox don't you think?" grinned Vega as he walked forward with an ominous air, "But yet don't you think we're much more similar rather than being different? The one woman you have sworn to protect has always been the very same person that you should love... but yet in the end you chose to end her very life. The battle to prove your own humanity ending in such a pathetic fashion... I will say that this is the best entertainment ever."

"Be quiet Vega..." whispered the ninja, "Your words have no meaning to what I've sworn to do. This will be my parting gift to 'her'... "

With that Guy prepared himself for his final throw of the dice. The ultimate ougi that has always defined what the rightful heir of Bushinryuu has to do at all costs. Indeed only by combining the joint positions of being the master of both the Ninpou and Ninjutsu clans could this very power be unlocked.

Bushin Musou Renge...

X X X

Genoa, Italy

Guy stood in front of the unnamed grave as the memories of the past assaulted his mind. Three years have passed ever since Vega attempted his comeback, only to be thwarted by the prophesied Fool. The man who used the very power belonging to himself to defeat this adversary. And with the result of the victory, he ended up renouncing that very power as well. The lone fighter Ryu who managed to tame the beast in him in order to secure the victory. Any average person would keep such a beast by his side upon it's awakening. But Ryu has always knew better, that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Gouki has embraced the very same logic without any doubt in his mind, but not everybody has the capability to admit it as the ultimate truth in humanity.

Satsui no Hadou is not the answer... I've understood this logic a long time ago and I have never changed one single bit on this truth of my life...

Guy smiled as he remembered the answer that Ryu gave him upon the question on why is it that he chose to foresake the very power that has chosen him right from the bat. Guy has never doubted his old friend in terms of mental fortitude. In fact by that point of time where Vega was gone for good, Ryu could have chose to accept that power without his mind running the risk of corruption. Once a fighter with honour, forever a person rooted in his own integrity. Ryu has always seen this very power as something he could do without and that was the very reason for the choice that has defined his future from there on.

"The difference between a human and a machine, such is the defining gap between me and Ryu... Vega might be right after all. The similarities are there. In the end, the only gulf separating us is the way which we lived our lives. Ryu has said that I will always be that very sky that he couldn't reach, but the truth has always been the direct opposite. He has lived a life he has truly wanted while my existence is nothing more than a symbol of duty..."

"Guy?"

Guy never bothered to turn back to face the speaker for he knew who was that very person. Standing up from a kneeling position, he proceed to leave, his athletic frame brushing past the young Japanese girl in her late teens holding a bunch of lilies. The girl could only bow her head as she headed towards the very same tomb. As she put the flowers before the tombstone, she smiled wistfully.

"You're pretty lucky there Rose... You've seen him going forward without stopping, but yet you managed to make him turn his face back. Even though he has that very choice to go back to Rena's side by the end of everything, he still chose to go the opposite way. For me, Guy will always be an unattainable dream. Such is the truth of Ibuki."

Three months later...

Haku-san, Japan

"Sensei... you have stated before that in order to progress, I must surpass everything before me... at first I believed that I've done so. You proved it to me via your death and by the end of one road, the true power of Bushinryuu has been revealed to me. That has marked the starting of a new chapter, but why is it that everything has gone back to square one? Back during the days of my reckless youth where the only reason to fight would be to merely survive?" whispered Guy as he remembered that one damning memory.

X X X

"It's all over, Guy... either you deal the final hit or I will kill you on the spot... everything has been predestined where my life is concerned. 'That man' has taken total control now and the body isn't for me to command. But the Fool that you've known by now... you've fought him after our first meeting ever since all those years back. I don't know why you're able to read my mind at that very crucial moment, but now whatever I'm unable to do in the future, I'll leave it to your hands..."

X X X

"It's not just some half-assed ability to read your mind you stupid gaijin kyonyu... you knew it all along, didn't you? That right from the very beginning, we have known each other... where and when I don't know, but the truth is definitely there..." commented Guy in an affirmative yet hurting tone as he departed from the crude tombstone.

"Sensei what would you say if you're seeing me in this state?" In response to these parting words, the wind could only caress the monument with the faded words engraved on the surface.

Here lies the honour and life of the 38th Master of Bushinryuu Ninjutsu. Zeku, beloved teacher and the last scion of the Ninjutsu clan.

X X X

Well erm I guess it's nothing much. iirc this starting chapter is only there to warm up my engine so as to speak since it's like N ages since I've started writing something decent. Hopefully you guys like it. :)

Also I need to give a major shoutout to Vasili. Granted that I dunno him personally, but at the very least he managed to compile all the canon stuff by the end of SF4. So quite obviously as I've stated above in the starting A/N. We won't be seeing any new SF games for quite some time. After all that Tekken cashcow is way too good to pass up in acommercial sense. That plus I'm not even sure if there's any future Capcom crew willing to take the job. Ono quite obviously has created a monster when the entire 2.5D graphics system was implemented. It's like the only best thing the future developers can do would be to maintain the nature and standard of the graphics. Which quite obviously is something Capcom will loathe to do if there's anything to go by via the different SF series. So does that mean that the entire Vega necro debacle will just stop here? Hopefully not. SF3 has dished out a stupid cliffhanger that the powers-that-be might not end up resolving, but yet at the very least I won't label Gill as a threat. Vega on the other hand... well we all know wtf he's gonna plan anyway. -.-