So, I'm sorry this has taken me a while, but as I said, I suck at writing fight scenes, and I wanted this one to be better than any of the other fight scenes I've ever written. Please feel free to write a review and let me know how I did. And now, without further adieu, the conclusion of "Preservation"...
All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games or the anime.
"BEGIN!"
The shout of the castle's lord echoed through the Great Hall, but neither Jeff Bogard nor Hanzo Shiranui appeared moved to action by those words. Both the master and the student held back, their arms still raised defensively, moving forward step by cautious step across the plush carpet rolled out beneath their feet.
Hanzo stole a cautious glance at Jeff, raised and lowered his right eyebrow twice, then his left one three times, then raised and lowered both eyebrows once, lowering the left one first, then the right. Hanzo then prayed to the Gods that his friend Tung Fu Rue had taught Jeff the silent system of communication that the two men, along with Jubei Yamada, had developed together during the war.
It took Jeff a moment to realize what was happening, but then to Hanzo's relief, the American warrior silently nodded once, but otherwise he gave no indication that he had seen Hanzo do anything.
They continued forward, slowly closing the gap between them and their opponent, who stood there patiently, a defiant smirk under his beard. On the sidelines, all sets of eyes in the room were fixed unblinking on their lord.
Hanzo lunged forward suddenly, circling to the left. Jeff started to follow, but then a split-second later feinted right. He went in low, dropping onto his back and sliding forward while Hanzo went high. The Ninjitsu master lunged forward to strike with the palm of his hand. Jeff swung his leg around in time with Hanzo's strike, intending to hit Krauser in the shins.
Jeff's foot found its mark, but it was like striking a steel pillar. If Rudolph registered his blow, he did not even flinch. At the same time, he caught Hanzo's hand in his own, gripped it for a moment, regarding his opponent curiously, and then tossed him aside. Hanzo did a flip backwards, landed on his feet, and immediately raised his forearms defensively again.
Jeff was back on his feet by then, and tried to series of jabs at Rudolph's midsection, all of which were swatted away by his opponent. The German noble had a look of boredom on his face as he defended himself. By this time, Jeff was joined by Hanzo once more, who launched forward across the stone floor with his elbow raised. As Rudolph continued to block Jeff with one arm, he raised his other arm so that his own elbow blocked Hanzo's. He then slammed the ground with both fists, emitting a small burst of chi that flung his opponents backwards. However, both Hanzo and Jeff landed on their feet, and once more adopted defensive stances.
"His constitution is greater than any opponent I have ever faced," said Hanzo to his younger companion, in Mandarin, since he had a feeling Krauser might be more fluent in Japanese, but not Chinese. "We should hang back, for now, and goad him into going on the offensive, see if we can notice any patterns that we might use to our advantage."
"That sounds like a good strategy," Jeff replied, also in Mandarin.
To their amazement, however, the hulking form of Rudolph Krauser began to shake with laughter. "So you wish to see me on the offensive?" He asked them, speaking in the same language they had just been using. "Very well, then."
He charged forward at Hanzo, moving much faster than Hanzo would have thought he could move, swinging his right arm upward in a tight vertical arc. The air around it crackled as it was rent by some unseen energy, and then a bright blue half-moon of chi flames shot from Rudolph's arm and whizzed across the room towards the Hanzo. The Japanese master barely avoided it, feeling the rush of heat as he sidestepped it. The energy slammed into a marble pillar behind him, taking a large chunk out of it.
Rudolph did not stop, but followed this by advancing further, until the distance between him and Hanzo was completely closed. His feet were a blur as he slid across the floor and swung his other arm at his opponent. Hanzo managed to duck this, and heard a loud crunch as more of the pillar was pulverized by Rudolph's fist. But Hanzo was then caught by the kick from Rudolph's left leg a moment later. He grunted as the Earl of Stroheim's armored shin-guard slammed into his side. Hanzo did a quick leap backwards, launching three fans rapidly at Krauser as he moved. The fans glowed bright with chi fire, but Rudolph knocked each one aside before they could connect, unfazed by the fire that surrounded them.
For a moment, it seemed like Rudolph had forgotten Jeff Bogard. Then, he felt a rush of air from behind, though he did not turn to face it. Moments later, the heel of Tung's student slammed down against Rudolph's armored shoulder. Though it left a sizable dent in the shoulder guard, Rudolph gave no indication that the blow had fazed him. Instead, he casually grabbed Jeff's ankle, and tossed him in the direction of Hanzo. Again, Jeff's fighting companion had to move to avoid being hit. Jeff rolled as he struck the ground, but then quickly regained his feet, shaking his head to try and clear it more quickly.
"I could have easily broken your ankle just now, Jeffrey," Rudolph said with a small chuckle. "But fortunately for you, I did not want to cripple you so soon into the fight. It makes things more... interesting that way."
"How nice of you," Jeff snapped as he sprang forward again, with his fists raised. This time they were surrounded by luminous spheres of chi energy. He managed to land a few blows to Krauser's belly before the elder adversary seemed to adapt to the attack. As Jeff tried to punch him, Rudolph would counter with the same fist so that the two connected, knuckle to knuckle. He then saw an opening and swung up with one of his legs, the armored shin-guard slamming into Jeff's side. The American warrior felt a twinge of pain shoot through him, followed by a numbness in his side, and he quickly limped backwards.
Rudolph, however, was closing in on him fast. He delivered two more kicks with almost blurring speed, and Jeff was barely able to dodge them. Just as the German noble was about to try and land a third kick, he felt Hanzo's elbow slam into the small of his back. This time, Hanzo's move was charged with a small aura of chi fire, which jolted Rudolph a little. Hanzo did not pause, and instead jumped up, wrapped his hands round Rudolph's shoulders close to the neck (where the armor did not protect). Hanzo finished his move by leaping bodily over Rudolph's head, twisting his arms around so that he flung the master of Mittelbirge Castle across the Great Hall, where his back slammed into one of the immense marble pillars, forming a spiderweb crack in it.
The elder Ninjitsu master then moved to his comrade's side. "Can you move quickly? We have only a few seconds while he is dazed."
There was still a tingle in Jeff's left leg, but he gritted his teeth and nodded. "I'm with you, Shiranui-san."
"Good," snapped Hanzo. "Hit him hard and fast."
The two men launched into a pincer attack, coming at Rudolph from each side. The Earl was still recovering from being thrown, and so he was caught unawares by another flying elbow attack from Hanzo on one side, while Jeff slammed his knee into the opposite side of Rudolph's midsection.
Both of them then tried to press their attack. Jeff dropped to the ground and planted one hand flat against the cold stone, then swung his legs out into Krauser's knees. Hanzo, meanwhile, drew back his elbow, and then shot the opposite arm forward, fingers of his hand spread wide. A ball of chi flame erupted from it, and struck Rudolph at almost point blank range. The dual attack seemed to overwhelm him, and he sank to his knees for a moment.
Hanzo and Jeff continued their assault, but Rudolph suddenly countered by springing to his feet while they were in mid-swing, whipping his arms around him like a deadly windmill. Jeff dropped to his back to try and avoid the sudden onslaught. Hanzo was not as quick, and took one of Krauser's fists in the side of his torso. He jumped backward a few paces, the wind momentarily knocked from him.
While on the ground, Jeff whipped out again with both legs, trying to trip his elder opponent. Rudolph, however, jumped into the air, higher than Jeff thought a man of his size would be able to, then streaked back down towards the ground, his knee jutting out like a missile. Jeff saw the glint of his armored shin guard in the chandelier light overhead, and rolled to avoid the attack. Rudolph came down hard on the spot where Jeff had just been, hard enough to shake the Great Hall, his metal-clad knee making a large crack in the stone floor.
Jeff quickly did a handspring back to his feet, and fortunately he was rejoined by Hanzo at that moment. Once again, Jeff tried hitting their opponent low, while Hanzo spun his leg around in a spinning kick. Halfway through the kick, a steam of fire seemed to shoot from his leg, striking Rudolph square in his breastplate.
The Earl of Stroheim actually jumped back a few feet, forearms up in a defensive stance. Then he gave another icy laugh that rang through the Great Hall, making more than a few of the servants shudder. "You enjoy playing with fire, Master Hanzo," he said to the Ninjitsu master. "Perhaps I should show you some of my own."
He then raised both his fists over his head. Hanzo and Jeff each heard a crackling noise as the fists began to glow with an unholy green light. Then, with a cry of "KAISER STORM!" Rudolph slammed both fists against the ancient stone ground. Two huge whirlwinds of fire shot up from the ground where his fists had touched it, and swirled through the air towards his opponents. Along the walls, the servants crouched down, trying to make themselves smaller as they were buffeted by hot winds from the attack. The only two spectators who appeared unfazed were Rudolph's son Wolfgang, and the dark-haired boy called Laurence.
As soon as he saw the whirling flames, Hanzo leaped over to Jeff's side, pressed his fists together at the knuckles, and then shot his arms outward in a semi-circle in front of him, emitting his own wave of chi fire which slammed into Rudolph's attack. There was a bright flash that everyone in the room had to shield their eyes from, and although both Jeff and Hanzo were hit by the edges of the Kaiser Storm, the damage was lessened significantly.
Rudolph barely gave them a chance to recover from that before he sprang forward. Hanzo, being more experienced, had shaken the residue of Krauser's attack off more quickly, and attempted to dodge, but he was still struck on the shoulder by the earl's wrist guard, sending a shock of numbness down through his left arm. Rudolph tried to follow up on the other shoulder, but Hanzo managed to counter with his elbow, as well as block the kick that Rudolph tried to follow up with. Hanzo then struck out with his own spinning kick that connected with Krauser's ribs.
As usual, Hanzo's adversary seemed unfazed by the blow, and was quick to counter with his own move, which concerned Hanzo. As a master of Koppou-Ken, Hanzo had landed several blows throughout this fight that would have broken bones in any other opponent. That last kick should have cracked several of Rudolph's ribs, even through his breastplate. The fact that he was unfazed told Hanzo that Rudolph had either resisted the attack, or that Hanzo's moves had been successful and Rudolph was completely ignoring the pain from his injuries, pain that would be slowing down a lesser man considerably.
"Jeffrey-san!" Hanzo shouted as he did another flip backwards, trying to avoid Rudolph's onslaught but still being brushed by one of the Earl's kicks. "Are you still with me?"
Rudolph paused in his advance on Hanzo, feeling a sudden rush of air behind him, then spun his upper body, swinging out his fist and trying to catch the American warrior with the back of his knuckles. Jeff ducked the attack, countered by lunging forward and slamming his palm into Krauser's side. He followed this up immediately by lunging again, bringing the palm of his other hand to connect with Krauser's chin. "I'm with you," Jeff affirmed as he continued to try and press his attack.
However, Rudolph recovered almost instantly, as usual, and attempted to strike out at Jeff, but his American opponent had already maneuvered around the Earl and back to Hanzo's side. Without giving them a chance to catch their breath, Rudolph was on them again, delivering strikes with bone-shattering force that his opponents were only barely able to dodge.
"Jeffrey-san!" Hanzo shouted over the melee. He parried another kick from the Earl and tried to counter with one of his own. "We need to concentrate another attack! The strongest one that you know how to do! Perhaps together, we can finally penetrate his defenses."
"I'm ready when you are!" Jeff shouted back. He ducked a lunge from Krauser's elbow, attempted to bring his own fist up into one of the pressure points under Rudolph's armpit, but his fist was blocked before he got halfway there.
Hanzo launched another spinning kick that shot flames from his feet, which bought him some time to reach into his tunic and pull out something that Jeff could not see. "Be ready to move as far away from him as you can in three seconds," Hanzo instructed him.
"Hai!" Jeff responded, nodding his understanding.
"Two..." Hanzo dodged another series of attacks from the Earl of Stroheim. "One!" Then, moving quickly, he flung what was in his hand to the stone floor of the Great Hall. A huge, billowing cloud of gray smoke seemed to leap from the ground and completely surround Rudolph. Jeff took a few moments to retreat back to a safe distance, then curled the fingers of his left hand into a fist and started to focus his chi. As before, a sphere of blue energy surrounded his fist, only larger and brighter than it had been the last time he'd tried this move. On the other side of the smoke cloud, Hanzo was focusing his own energies.
A few seconds later, there was a sudden burst of air that dissipated the smoke. As soon as it had lifted and Rudolph was revealed once more, Hanzo launched a flurry of fans at his adversary. Rudolph blocked them all easily, but the fans were merely to distract him. As soon as they had left Hanzo's hands, the Ninjitsu master leaped into the air, then shot down at an angle towards Rudolph, feet first, the lower half of his body enveloped in chi flames.
On the other side of Rudolph, Jeff Bogard was advancing forward as rapidly as he could, holding his chi-charged fist away from himself at a downward angle. Rudolph was still distracted from the fan attack, and did not see Jeff approaching. When he was close enough, Jeff swung his fist in an uppercut motion, releasing the chi energy stored in it right as his knuckled connected with the back of Rudolph's head. At the same time, Hanzo struck Rudolph on the other side with his flying kick. There was a blinding flash, followed by an energy backlash that threw both Hanzo and Jeff backwards, where they landed on their feet.
When the flames died down from their dual attack, Rudolph still stood there, as impassive as ever, but every servant in the hall who hadn't run for cover gasped in shock at the sight of their master. A single speck of red gleamed prominently at the corner of his mouth, standing out thanks to his white beard. Rudolph noticed their stunned looks, and ran his tongue over his lips, feeling a familiar warmth, followed by a metallic taste. Over on the opposite wall, Rudolph's son leaned forward at this development, a new eager look in his eyes.
Rudolph touched two fingers to his lips and withdrew them, raised one eyebrow curiously when he saw the smear of crimson on their tips. Then he began to laugh, cold and maniacal, echoing through the Great Hall.
Both Hanzo and Jeff remained where they were, waiting for their opponent to make the next move. For a man in his fifties, Hanzo was still in better shape than most people half his age, but even he was starting to feel the ache of battle fatigue gnawing at his muscles. Jeff Bogard, despite being blessed with the energy of youth, and the advantage of being trained by a teacher as experienced as Tung, also seemed to be slightly unsteady on his feet. Meanwhile, the Earl of Stroheim hardly appeared to be winded. Though neither Jeff nor Hanzo said anything, both warriors were beginning to wonder if this battle might be their last.
"Very impressive," Rudolph boomed out after he had finished laughing. "You have just accomplished what only a handful of men ever could in my lifetime. After I have killed you, you may take comfort in the fact that your spirits will likely live on as legends in the fighting world for what you have done here today. But as fun as this has been, it must end sometime." He curled the fingers on his hands into fists, and both began to glow with an eldritch light as he readied another Kaiser Storm. Hanzo altered his stance, trying to summon as much chi fire as he could to shield him and Jeff...
"Wait!" A small voice shouted, and a moment later, Rudolph's son dashed in between the combatants. Rudolph's fists relaxed, the light fading from them. "This contest does not need to continue, father," the boy said. "Because I will tell these men what they want to know."
An audible gasp was heard from more than a few of the servants assembled. Hanzo and Jeff exchanged a brief, silent glace, but still kept their arms raised defensively. Over on the wall to Rudolph's left, Sebastian's brow was furrowed with worry, but his loyalty to Rudolph prevented him from saying anything more. Next to him, the black-haired boy with the sword had a more curious look in his dark brown eyes. His gaze kept moving back and forth between the father, then the son.
"Stand aside, Wolfgang!" Rudolph growled at his heir. "I meant to teach you a lesson on finishing things, and that's exactly what I am about to do."
Wolfgang turned to face his elder, looking less timid than he had in the study. "No, father, I will finish it."
"I do not need a child to finish my battles for me, boy!" Rudolph snapped at him.
"And yet, here we are," Wolfgang snapped back, almost stoically.
A few moments passed in which many of the people watching from the sidelines did not dare to breathe. Rudolph Krauser's dark eyes regarded his son, but their intent was unreadable. Finally, he drew in a long, slow breath. "You are going against the family on this, boy," he finally said. "You understand there will be punishment."
"I do understand, father," said Wolfgang, unwavering. "And I will accept that punishment, whatever it may be."
"So be it," the elder Krauser growled, then strode across the carpet towards the arched doorway that Hanzo and Jeff had entered from. "Sebastian, Laurence, to me!" He called when he was halfway there. Both the butler and the dark-haired youth gave Wolfgang a quick glance, but the purple-haired boy simply nodded. So they turned and followed their master out of the Hall.
The entire time, both Hanzo and Jeff had kept their gaze fixed on the lord of Mittelburge Castle, their gazes following him as he moved towards the exit. Finally, when he had left with his servants in tow, the two warriors lowered their arms. The young earl-in-training approached them and cleared his throat.
"Master Shiranui," he said softly, with little of the fire his voice had just taken when he was confronting his father. "Master Bogard. I understand that you wish to know the location of my brother."
Though Hanzo had some questions for the boy, his words reminded him of the reason for their visit. "I do wish to know that," he said to the boy. "And if you are able to provide it, we would be most grateful."
"In truth, I do not know exactly where he is," Wolfgang explained to them. "But I have an idea of where he might be. Please, follow me back to the study." And so with no other options, the Ninjitsu master and his American ally allowed themselves to be led from the Great Hall.
Though it had only been less than twenty minutes since they'd last left the study, it felt like hours to both Hanzo and Jeff. The fire was still going high when they got back, and Wolfgang wasted no time. He climbed up a ladder connected to one of the book shelves, and grabbed several tattered pieces of parchment that were stacked haphazardly on a top shelf. Then he jumped back down to the ground, brought the stack over to a large, ornate oak table, and began to sift through them. Finally, he gave a small nod as he appeared to have found what he was looking for.
"Please, come here," he said, gesturing to Hanzo and Jeff. The two men stepped closer to the table, and saw that Wolfgang had unrolled a parchment with some sort of contour map etched on it. "This is a map of the Black Forest, which is far to the south," the boy explained. "There are several caves throughout it that my brother uses both for shelter, and to hide items of value. If he has returned to West Germany, he is most likely using one of these caves for shelter, and to plan his attack." Wolfgang then made a long arm across the table, took up a quill pen resting in a bottle of ink, on top of a stack of books. He then used the pen to make several dark circles on the map. "There are all the hiding spots of Geese Howard that I know of. You may find what you are looking for in one of them."
"You said the Black Forest was far to the south," said Jeff. "How far, exactly?"
"In the state of Baden-Wurttemburg, on the French/German border," Wolfgang answered.
"That's on the opposite end of the country," Jeff said, letting out a weary sigh.
"Then it seems we have a trek ahead of us," Hanzo told his companion. Then, he asked their new host: "Do you mind if I take some time to study this map, and commit its contents to memory?"
"No need," Wolfgang answered. "You may take the map with you."
Both Hanzo and Jeff were surprised by this, but the elder Ninjitsu master simply said, "Domo arigato, Krauser-sama," then rolled up the parchment map and slipped it into the sleeve of his haori.
"Do you require anything else?" Wolfgang asked them.
Hanzo shook his head. "Thank you, no. You've given us what we came for. We shall take our leave now."
"I'll show you out," said the purple-haired youth.
When they got outside, they saw it was nightfall, and that clouds had rolled in, blotting out the light from the stars. A flurry of snow was beginning to fall. They made their way to the drawbridge and saw that their carriage had left.
"He didn't wait for us, even after we paid him to," Jeff remarked.
"No doubt he was frightened off by the sounds of battle coming from inside the castle," Hanzo pointed out. "Which is fine. He is not a warrior, just a working man with a family. He should not have to risk his life over our business. And are you trying to tell me that you can't walk back to town? It's only a few miles. You Americans are more spoiled than I thought."
Jeff laughed as he re-donned his jacket. "Me? I'm more worried about you getting tired. I won't be able to carry you if that happens, by the way."
The entire time, Wolfgang Krauser simply stood in the middle of the drawbridge, flecks of snow collecting in his purple hair, and said nothing. Finally, when the two fighters were ready to leave, Hanzo turned the boy. "We are grateful for your aid," he said to Wolfgang. "But if you don't mind my asking: why have you helped us?"
"To repay a favor you did for me," the young earl-in-training said simply.
Hanzo's brow furrowed in confusion. "We've never seen you before today," he said. "In what way did we help you?"
A cold smile, utterly devoid of any mirth or merriment, spread slowly across Wolfgang Krauser's face then. "Today, for the first time in my life, I saw my father bleed. I know now that Rudolph Krauser is not invincible. You have given me hope for the future. That knowledge is worth the punishment I will receive later."
Both Jeff and Hanzo exchanged a quick, uneasy glance. Then Hanzo gave the boy a respectful bow, and Jeff did the same, after which they turned and started off through the snowy night towards the warm lights of Stroheim village a few miles below them. Even though that was the last time either of them saw the boy, there would be odd moments for the rest of their lives when both Hanzo Shiranui and Jeffrey Bogard would find themselves remembering his evil smile.
After arriving back in Stroheim, Hanzo and Jeff returned to the inn where they had managed to secure lodging and drop off their bags before they had headed up to the castle. Jeff Bogard was ravenous after the fight, and the three-mile hike back to the village, so he had quickly said yes when the innkeeper asked if they would be having dinner. He wound up packing away two plates of scalded knack-wurst with mustard, fried potatoes and steamed red cabbage. Hanzo had a bite of Jeff's sausage and potatoes, but found them to be too heavy for his liking. He did, however, eat the red cabbage, and fortunately, the innkeeper had also been able to pan-fry him some fish.
After dinner, the two of them sat by the fireplace in the inn's common room. Jeff was sipping beer from a large mug, while Hanzo, who had taken a taste of Jeff's drink and thought it was too bitter, was drinking hot tea. The elder Ninjitsu and Koppou-Ken master had the parchment map unrolled on his lap, and was studying it by the firelight, a pair of reading glasses perched on his nose.
"It seems that this Geese Howard has quite a few hiding places," Hanzo remarked. "It would take too much time to search them all, time that we do not have."
Jeff leaned in closer to Hanzo's chair, and appraised the map they had gotten from Wolfgang Krauser. In particular, Jeff studied the blue areas on the map (which indicated water), and where the black dots were in relation to those.
"I'm betting that he uses some of these caves more than others," Jeff said. "When he was Shifu Tung's student, Geese would sometimes spend time on his own, alone in the wilderness. But he's also a bit of a neat freak, obsessed with cleanliness and tidiness. So he would want to be very close to a body of water." He pointed to a few of the dots on the map which nearly overlapped with the blue areas. "I think these caves would be the best places to start looking."
Hanzo nodded, and took a sip of tea. "I'll trust your judgment, Jeffrey-san. Tung said that you know this man." The elder ninja then picked up a pen from the small table next to his chair, and circled the dots that Jeff had pointed to. "And now I suggest that we get some rest. We leave before dawn." He drank the rest of his tea, and then rose from the chair.
"I'll be ready, Shiranui-san," Jeff told his comrade.
Hanzo started towards the stairs that led up to the bedrooms, then paused at the foot of them, and said to Jeff: "You fought well today. Tung has chosen a worthy heir."
Jeff rose from his seat, folded his hands in front of his chest, and bowed. "Domo, Shiranui-san. Coming from his oldest friend, that means a lot."
Hanzo returned the bow, then started up the stairs to his room. Jeff Bogard sat by the fire for a little longer, finishing his beer before he retired.
Black Forest Region, West Germany – Gengenbach-Alpirsbach Trail – December 23rd, 1973
The journey had been largely uneventful. Jeff and Hanzo had used public transportation where they could, be it taxi, bus, or even horse-drawn carriage. The rest of the time, they either went on foot, or relied upon the kindness of a passing motorist. Ordinarily, one might not have stopped for hitchhikers. But it was the Christmas season, and many locals were curious as to why a Japanese and an American were traveling together through West Germany so close to the holiday.
Now they were deep in the Black Forest, making their way over one of the trails. Before entering the forest, the two of them had managed to find a shop where they could purchase snow shoes, which the both of them needed. A thick blanket of white coated both the ground beneath them, and also the evergreens that towered all around them. As they made their way deeper into the trail, Jeff Bogard cast a glance skyward. The sun was out now, and the American warrior was making a note of its west-ward path as it dipped closer to the horizon. So far, they had been to two of the caves that Wolfgang Krauser had marked for them, and found neither Geese Howard nor the items Hanzo was looking for.
"Let's hope that saying about the third time is true," said Jeff. "Otherwise, we'll need to seek shelter when it gets dark."
"We won't freeze," Hanzo said. "I can make us a fire easily enough. I just hope your information on this Howard boy turns out to be correct. Otherwise, this mission will take longer than I want it to. I have been away from my home, my family, long enough now."
"You want to be back in time for Christmas?" Jeff asked him as he ducked under a low-hanging pine branch that was heavy with snow.
"No," said Hanzo. "My family are not Christian, so we don't celebrate it. My son's wife is pregnant with their first child, my first grandchild, and her time is very close. I was hoping to be there when the baby first came into the world, and then... this happened. I didn't like having to leave them, but this is about more than getting satisfaction for my clan. It also has to do with the preservation of my son's birthright, the preservation of a legacy hundreds of years old."
Jeff was silent for a few moments, gazing down at the snow. He hadn't really asked Hanzo too many questions about his family, since he knew the subject of discussing what Geese stole was off-limits, and so he didn't want to get that personal. But he had no idea that Geese's theft had taken place at such a bad time. He remembered what Hanzo said back before the fight with Rudolph, the elder ninja had also talked then about preserving the birthright of his son, his unborn grandchild.
For a while, they walked in silence. Jeff was now more curious than ever about what they were looking for, but he was still determined to respect Hanzo's desire not to discuss it. So he quickened his pace over the snow until he was walking even with Hanzo. "We'd better get a move on, Shiranui-san. Geese has already stolen enough from you. I refuse to let him steal something as precious as you being there when your grandchild is born."
"Domo, Jeffrey-san," Hanzo said with a small chuckle as he quickened his own pace to keep up with the younger man.
An hour later, and they had encountered no one and nothing except a pack of wolves, who were easily scared off by a few random chi blasts from Jeff and Hanzo. Finally, they paused for a few moments so Hanzo could study the map. "We'll need to go off the trail, now," he said. "The next cave is two miles to the east, overlooking a lake."
So they started to move through the underbrush, where the evergreens grew a little more thickly around them. As they walked into the shade, Jeff Bogard couldn't help but shiver involuntarily. He was wearing long johns under his layers of denim, but even so, the chill of winter was starting to get to him. He cast a quick glance at Hanzo. If his elder companion was starting to feel the cold, he did not show any signs of it. Almost as if some strong internal source of energy were somehow keeping him warm.
The American martial artist then glanced up at the branches crisscrossing overhead... and noticed something. Several of the lower-hanging boughs did not have snow on them, as if something or someone had shaken it off. And a few of the trees appeared to be missing some of their limbs. They had not been snapped off, but something sliced cleanly through them, and Jeff knew it was past the season for foresters with saws to be in this deep.
"Shiranui-san," he whispered, and the elder Ninjitsu master paused in mid-step. "Look up at the trees," Jeff said.
Hanzo's gray eyes flicked upwards, and he noticed the same thing that Jeff had. "Did Geese progress far enough in his studies where he would be able to do this with his bare hands?" Hanzo whispered back.
"Farther than that," Jeff answered.
"Hm," Hanzo grunted, then lowered himself down to one knee. For a few minutes, he looked at the ground beneath his feet, intently studying the snow. Jeff was about to ask what he was looking for, when Hanzo whispered: "Someone else has walked here recently. They've been brushing away their tracks as they moved."
"So, if he is at this cave," said Jeff. "We should approach from another direction."
"Agreed," said Hanzo. The two of them took a right off of the path they had been following, and began to circle, in order to approach the cave from behind. Their snowshoe-clad feet made no sound as they moved, and their eyes were constantly scanning for signs of any traps that might have been laid to alert someone of their presence.
When they were almost to the clearing where the cave was, Hanzo turned and said to Jeff: "I appreciate you coming this far with me, Jeffrey-san. However, if we do find the Howard boy at this cave, I must confront him on my own. Please do not interfere."
Jeff gave a grim nod. "I understand."
They continued forward, and after several hundred yards the trees began to clear. They soon found themselves standing over the mouth of a cave entrance. Their gaze moved across the snow on the clearing below. Once again, it looked smooth and untouched, but to the eyes of trained warriors, the tell-tale signs of someone removing tracks were again visible.
Then they heard a faint noise from the other end of the clearing, a noise of someone approaching. Hanzo glanced over at his American comrade, and wordlessly gestured to the trees, jabbing his finger skyward. Jeff nodded his understanding, and the two warriors turned and silently leaped up into the evergreen canopy overhead.
A few minutes later, they watched from their hiding place as a young boy in his late teens, with long blond hair, dressed in a heavy fur-lined parka, jeans, and hiking boots emerged from the trees and into the clearing. He had the plump carcass of a white rabbit slung over one shoulder, and as he got closer to the mouth of the cave, the two warriors noticed that he had a pine branch, thick with needles, tied around his waist, which dragged along the ground behind his feet, erasing his tracks through the snow.
Hanzo looked over at Jeff, pointed a finger at the blond boy, and raised an eyebrow. Geese? Jeff nodded twice.
Halfway to the mouth of the cave, the boy stopped, raised his gaze slightly, and studied the treeline above the entrance to his temporary home. For a moment, it seemed like he was looking right at them. Then he shrugged and continued onward. He paused again after a few steps, his ears picking up the faint whistle of the fan that Hanzo had just thrown. He quickly dropped his dinner onto the snow, then raised his arms in a defensive stance. A few seconds later, the boy snatched the fan out of mid-air right before it would have struck his head.
Seconds after he caught it, he saw the fan's owner leap through the air to land in front of the entrance to his hiding place. The boy used the weapon he'd just caught to cut through the rope around his waist, then turned and tried to run back the way he'd come. But he'd hardly taken three steps when another, more familiar figure, landed in front of him.
"Come to fight me, teacher's pet?" Geese Howard snarled at Jeff Bogard, his face contorted in rage. If he was surprised to see Jeff here, he did not show it.
"Only if you try to run," Jeff Bogard said calmly, and gestured over his shoulder to Hanzo. "Your fight is with him. Apparently, he has a bone to pick with you."
Geese was still holding onto Hanzo's fan, and made to raise it against his former classmate, but he'd barely moved his arm when Jeff quickly snatched the fan from Geese's hand, and slipped it into the seat pocket of his jeans.
Geese spat contemptuously onto the snow between them, then turned to face the Japanese warrior who still stood at the cave's entrance.
"You are Geese Howard?" Hanzo called to him, though it clearly wasn't a question.
Geese took a few steps towards the man and shouted back: "Who wants to know?"
"Shiranui-Hanzo, master of the Shiranui dojo of Ninjitsu and Koppou-Ken in Mino, Nippon. Though you should be familiar with it. You recently paid me a visit, yes?"
Geese could tell by his tone that this also was not a question. "I don't see how you could have known that. I killed the only witness." He paused for a moment, then, looking introspective. "Or I thought I killed him, anyway. I was in a hurry to escape, which is probably why I didn't execute that move properly. Seems I'm paying for that mistake now."
"Your real mistake," said Hanzo, with a fire in his voice that Jeff had not heard until now, "Was entering my home without invitation, attacking those under my charge, and stealing heirlooms from me, heirlooms whose contents are meant only for the Shiranui ninja. I have come to get them back, by any means necessary."
If Geese was intimidated, he did not show it. Instead, he simply gave a small snort. "So, how did you find me? That pompous fool in his big, cozy castle would never have given me away."
"That is not important," Hanzo Shiranui growled at his young opponent. "What is important is that one way or another, I will get what I have come for." He reached into the sleeve of his haori, pulled out an ornate kunai, the handle of which was decorated with the same crest that was on Hanzo's tunic, and tossed it through the air towards the blond-haired boy. The dagger landed at Geese's feet, the point of the blade sinking into the snow, the hilt quivering slightly. Geese cast a quick glance down at it, but made no effort to pick it up.
"You have two options, boy," Hanzo continued. "You can willingly give back what you stole from me without any argument, and then..." His gray eyes flicked down to the kunai at Geese's feet. "...You can die with honor."
Jeff Bogard's mouth fell open, but no words came out, simply because he was too shocked to form them. Hanzo paid this no mind, and went on: "Your other option is for me to take what I have come for by force. Either way, my clan's honor will be restored."
For a long while, there was silence in the clearing, made even more deafening by the dead of winter, which had sucked all sounds of life from the forest. Hanzo's gray eyes bored into Geese's dark brown, while the boy stared back just as impassively. Finally, Jeff Bogard managed to find his voice. "Shiranui-san, isn't this... a little extreme? I mean... seppuku? I understand your desire for satisfaction, but this is 20th Century Germany, not feudal Japan."
"I told you not to interfere, Jeffrey-san!" Hanzo snapped. Then, he turned his attention back to Geese. "So, what say you, boy?"
Geese Howard stared long and hard at Hanzo Shiranui, his dark eyes unreadable. Then, he raised one corner of his mouth ever so slightly in an arrogant smirk. "There's a third option, old man," he said coldly.
Hanzo said nothing. Instead, he cocked one of his eyebrows at Geese, inviting the blond-haired youth to explain. Geese paused for another moment, then, quick as a flash, he moved one of his feet underneath the handle of the kunai and kicked upwards, sending the knife up into the air. Geese reached out with one hand, wrapping his fingers around the cold steel of the dagger's hilt, and then emitted a cry of rage that rang through the forest as he charged forward, straight at Hanzo.
Jeff Bogard stood there, wondering what he should do. Hanzo had told him not to interfere, but... the elder Ninjitsu master appeared to be just standing calmly in one place. If Hanzo realized the threat that was racing towards him, he did not seem to acknowledge it. Instead, he stood with his head bowed, hands in front of him with palms pressed flat together, his eyes shut.
Geese was getting closer, the kunai raised in front of him, the blade aimed straight for Hanzo's heart. Right before Jeff was about to intervene, he saw the snow around Hanzo's feet begin to swirl, and he realized what was happening. Still in the same stance, Hanzo slowly began to rise a few inches off the ground until he was hovering. Jeff then realized that the snow he saw swirling all around was actually tendrils of chi energy that Hanzo was drawing from the earth into his body.
Geese lunged forward with the kunai, but right before he would have connected, Hanzo's gray eyes suddenly snapped open. A large, swirling pillar of fire seemed to erupt from the ground at his feet, and although Hanzo was in its center, he remained unburned by it. The pillar of chi fire then radiated outwards in every direction, slamming into Geese Howard. With a howl of pain, Geese was flung backwards by the energy burst, until his back slammed against the trunk of an evergreen on the edge of the clearing. He slumped to the ground and lay still, tendrils of smoke rising off his body.
Jeff looked over at Geese, saw that the blond youth was not getting up. He used the rope that Geese had cut from his waist to bind the thief's wrists behind his back, then picked up the kunai that lay a few inches from Geese and tucked it into his belt. Then he walked over to Hanzo. The elder ninja's feet were back on the ground, but he appeared unsteady on them.
"Shiranui-san..." he started to say as he offered him a hand, but Hanzo waved him away.
"There may finally come a day when I'm too old to use that technique," he grumbled. "But it's not today. Even if it is getting harder to do."
"That... was amazing," Jeff told him. "How..."
"Someday, when Tung-san decides you are ready, he will teach you how to use techniques similar to that one," said Hanzo. "But for now, we have other matters to attend to."
"Right," said Jeff. "What you're looking for may be in this cave. Whatever it is, Geese would have wanted to study it, to see if it could help him in his revenge."
Hanzo had now regained his composure. "Very well," he said with a nod. "Let's go."
Jeff pulled a flashlight from his travel bag, flicked it on, and then the two warriors entered the cave. Inside, they found a large open area. In the center of it was a circle of stones, inside of which was a large pile of blackened embers and gray ash. Along the walls, they found a rolled-up sleeping bag, and some stacks of books and scrolls.
One particular group of parchment scrolls seemed to attract Hanzo's interest, and he crouched down in front of them, unrolled them one by one, and scanned over their contents. After several minutes of this, he nodded and turned to Jeff. "This is what we've come to find," he said. "And they appear to be all accounted for." He carefully re-rolled the scrolls, and then tucked them inside his tunic.
For a moment, Jeff was confused. They had traveled so far and been through so much for some scrolls? Part of him kept saying that he shouldn't be demanding answers from Tung's oldest friend, but still...
Hanzo seemed to sense this, and so after he had secured the scrolls, he said to the American warrior: "I know it seems like we have been fighting for a small thing, but I assure you: I meant what I said when they are vital to the preservation of the Shiranui clan's legacy."
Jeff studied Hanzo's eyes for a moment, then gave a nod. "I understand. And I'm sorry if I spoke out of turn earlier when you gave Geese the option of seppuku."
Hanzo gave a grim nod. "I'm sure that was shocking. But if the other elders of my clan ever learn of this incident, I must be able to tell them that I acted in accordance with their general will, in the same manner that any such insults against us are to be handled."
Though Jeff didn't say anything, he nodded his understanding. With no further reason to stay in the cave, the two warriors made their way back outside. They emerged to find that Geese Howard was gone, and the rope that held him was in pieces on top of the snow, but there were uncovered tracks leading out of the right edge of the clearing. Jeff and Hanzo followed them until they came to a small cliff overlooking a lake that was covered by a thin sheet of ice. There was a telltale hole in the ice directly below them, indicating that Geese had decided to swim for it.
"There's not much daylight left," Hanzo said, noting the position of the sun. "He may freeze overnight."
Jeff shook his head. "I don't think so. He's good at surviving in places like this. The question is: do we go after him?"
"No," Hanzo answered. "We have what we came for, and I know we each desire to go home. Geese's anger has made him unfocused. If he still plans to carry out his revenge against the Von Stroheims in his current state, he'll be lucky to escape with his life. But that does not concern us."
"Right," Jeff said with a nod of agreement. "I would love to go home."
"If we move quickly," said Hanzo as he turned around and started back towards the clearing, "We may be able to get out of the forest before sunset."
"Sounds good," Jeff said, and started after him, neither one of them casting another look backwards at the glassy lake.
Stuttgart, West Germany – December 24th, 1973
It was actually about an hour after sunset by the time that they got out of the forest. When they arrived back at the inn, neither one of them was interested in sleeping. So they had gathered their things, checked out, and traveled to the closest International Airport, which was in the city of Stuttgart. Somehow, they had no trouble getting Jeff Bogard a seat on an afternoon flight that was bound for Florida, as they'd had a few cancellations only moments before the two warriors had approached the information kiosk. And it departed on the afternoon of Christmas Eve.
Hanzo and Jeff spent the rest of that morning catching up on their sleep. Now it was time for Jeff Bogard's flight to depart. Hanzo would be stuck at the terminal until the 26th, but he said that he could use that time to inspect the scrolls and make sure their writings were all still intact.
"When you see your master," Hanzo said to Jeff, as they stood just outside Jeff's gate. "Please tell him that I do not blame him for what happened. There was a blackness infecting the Howard boy's soul long before he came to Tung's doorstep."
"I'll be sure to tell him," said Jeff. Then he remarked: "I still can't believe I got this flight so easily. A Christmas miracle, I suppose. I'm glad I'll make it back in time for that."
"Do you celebrate it?" Hanzo asked him.
"Sort of," Jeff answered. "We don't decorate the dojo or anything, but I do like to buy gifts for some of the other students. And we make a nice dinner, have some drinks, share stories. It's a good day."
"I do understand that it is an important time for being with family, or those that have become similar to it. We form many bonds as we move through life, Jeffrey-san. But none are more important than the bonds of family." He got an odd look on his face, then, as he remembered his own family.
Jeff guessed what he was probably thinking. "I'm sure you'll get home in time, Shiranui-san."
"Please, you may call me Hanzo," the elder warrior said, and then bowed his head to Jeff. Jeff Bogard returned the bow, and then offered Hanzo his hand. Hanzo reached out with his own hand, gripping the center of Jeff's forearm in a warrior's handshake, while Jeff did likewise.
After they shook, Hanzo said: "Thank you for your assistance, Jeffrey-san."
"It was my pleasure, Hanzo," Jeff said. "And please don't take it the wrong way when I say that hopefully we won't have to do it again sometime."
Hanzo laughed aloud. "Don't worry, I won't."
Jeff nodded, and shouldered his bag. "Safe travels," he said.
"You as well," Hanzo replied.
Jeff gave him another bow, then turned and entered the gate for his flight. Hanzo waited until he was gone from sight, and then walked in the opposite direction, eager to find a place to sit.
Mino, Japan – The Shiranui Dojo – December 28th, 1973
The rest of the journey was uneventful. Hanzo was laid over for a while in Hong Kong, but other than that, he had gotten back without incident. After he and Jeff Bogard had parted ways, Hanzo had found a phone and called home, and was relieved to hear that the baby still had not come. He had checked in when he could throughout the rest of his journey, and thankfully that did not change.
Now he was back home again. After greeting his wife and the rest of his family, Hanzo had retired to his study. An ancient looking scroll of parchment was unrolled on his desk, and Hanzo was giving it one final inspection. He was almost finished when he heard a knock on the frame of the fusuma door.
Quickly, the Koppou-Ken master rolled up the scroll and tucked it out of sight, then took off his reading glasses and rose from the chair. "Enter," he called to the door.
The door slid open, and one of his upperclassmen entered. The boy's face was bright red, indicating he'd recently been outside in the cold. "I just returned from town, Hanzo-sensei," the boy said to his master. "I purchased the items that you requested when you called from Haneda."
"They have my exact specifications?"
"Hai, sensei. They are both air and watertight. I left them in the courtyard as you requested. Tadat-sensei is already out there."
Hanzo gave him a nod. "Domo, Akinori-san. You are dismissed for the evening. If you're hungry and need to get warm after your errand, my wife cooked a large pot of nabeyaki udon. I believe it's still simmering on the stove."
"Domo, sensei," his student said with a respectful bow, then turned and left in the direction of the kitchen. After he had left, Hanzo shut the door, gathered up both the scroll he had been studying and its companions, then left the study and made his way outside to the courtyard.
A light snow had begun to fall, but it was not yet sticking to the ground. Two sturdy-looking canisters sat in the center of the courtyard. Next to them stood Hanzo's son, Tadatsugu, who was holding two metal prybars. He said nothing as Hanzo slipped the parchment scrolls into the canisters, sealed them shut, and then checked twice to make sure he had done it properly. It was only after Hanzo was back on his feet that Tadat cleared his throat.
"So that's what you left us to recover?" He asked.
"They are," Hanzo said simply as he accepted a prybar from his son. The two were silent again for a time, as they set about lifting up one of the heavy stones that cobbled the floor of the courtyard. After they had set the stone aside and were using spades to dig up the hard dirt underneath, Tadat spoke again: "We have lots of books and scrolls, chichi-ue. Why are these so important that we now have to bury them?"
"I want to be sure they are safe this time," Hanzo explained. "We have not had someone steal from our dojo since my great-grandfather was its master. Perhaps this is why I allowed myself to think that it could not happen under my tenure. So I have to be sure that they are preserved."
After they had dug up enough dirt, they lowered the canisters into the hole and started using their spades to put the dirt back in. "But why?" Hanzo's son asked him. "You still haven't told me why these are so important."
"And I'm afraid I cannot," Hanzo said to Tadatsugu, his gray eyes tinged slightly with regret. "At least, not today. Someday, when it is time for me to step down as the master of this school and you to assume that role; when that day comes, we will dig them back up and you will know everything."
For a long while, Tadat regarded his father. Then he set down his spade and picked up his prybar again. "I understand," he said simply, even though this was a half-truth. They set the stone back into place and then Tadat began gathering up their tools.
"Do you know where your wife is?" Hanzo asked him.
"I think she and haha-ue are in the nursery," Tadat said.
"Domo," Hanzo said with a nod, then turned and started towards the door back inside. He was halfway there when his son called out to him. Hanzo paused, and turned to face him.
"I'm glad you made it home in time, chichi-ue," Tadatsugu Shiranui said to his father.
Hanzo smiled at him. "As am I, my boy," he said. "As am I."
Hanzo went back inside and made his way to the room that had been converted into a nursery. Inside, he found his wife seated on a large cushion. On the cushion next to her sat a pretty young Japanese woman with large brown eyes, and long reddish-brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. A soft pink baby blanket was stretched out in between the two women, and they were putting the finishing touches on it with their respective sewing kits.
As Hanzo entered, both his wife and his daughter-in-law set their needles down and made to stand, as they normally would when the master entered the room. Hanzo, however, shook his head as he raised both hands. "Please, don't get up," he said. "I'm sure it is hard for you." That second comment was directed more at the younger woman. The bulge of her pregnant belly was quite prominent, even through the fabric of her kimono.
Kasai Shiranui nodded her head in thanks, and then picked up her needles and continued working. "I'm glad you made it home in time, chichi-ue," she said to Hanzo.
"Tadat just said the exact same thing," Hanzo said with a laugh. "And so am I. How are you feeling?"
"Getting a little impatient, honestly," Kasai said as she shifted her weight slightly. "I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever get to hold my little Mai-chan."
"I know the feeling," Hanzo's wife Saiai spoke up. "Tadat-chan was late, too."
Kasai then gave a little grunt and started slightly, a sight that had become more common in the last few months. Hanzo raised an eyebrow cautiously. "May I?"
Kasai smiled and nodded. "You may."
The elder Ninjitsu master carefully lowered himself to one knee, and placed a hand flat over the top of Kasai's bulging belly. A second later, he felt a sharp kick, followed quickly by another.
"Mai-chan is anxious to meet us, it seems," Kasai remarked. "She's been doing that more frequently in the last few days."
"She has strong legs," Hanzo said as he got back to his feet. "She'll make a good kunoichi someday."
Instantly, Kasai's expression darkened a little. "So, you intend to train her when she is old enough?"
"She is of the Shiranui bloodline," Hanzo said. "And unless you and Tadatsugu have a son, she will someday inherit this dojo. As a clan elder and the master of this school, it is my duty and my obligation to train her in the arts of Shiranui-Ryu Ninjitsu." His expression then softened a bit. "But I wouldn't worry too much. If her heart is even half as big as her mother's, you have nothing to fear."
After a minute, Kasai's expression softened as well. "Domo, chichi-ue," she said.
"It's been a long day for me," Hanzo told the both of them. "I'll be retiring soon. But you know our clan's physician is on call, in case anything starts to happen. Just alert me if it does."
"We know," Saiai said to her husband. "And we will. It's good to have you back, shujin."
Hanzo gave each of the women a kiss, his daughter-in-law on the forehead and his wife on the lips, then he excused himself from the nursery and made his way towards the kitchen, intending to heat himself a cup of sake before he turned in...
Two hours had passed since Hanzo Shiranui had started to tell the story, and Mai had sat there the whole time and listened with the same rapt attention that she'd had when he had started. However, there were a few things Hanzo had left out of the telling, namely the part about burying the scrolls in the courtyard. When he'd gotten to that part in the story, he had simply said that after he'd gotten the stolen property back, he'd put it in a safe place.
Now that he was finished, Hanzo sat back again and took a long drink of water from his glass. As Mai thought back over what she had been told, she found it interesting the way that Hanzo had described Jeff Bogard. There were characteristics he seemed to have in common with both Andy and Terry. He had shared Andy's quickness to anger over the disrespectful actions of others, he sounded like he'd shared Terry's appetite for food, and he'd shared both brothers' strong sense of honor, and desire for justice. She wondered how many of these traits the Bogard boys had picked up from their father, and how many they had already possessed, which could have been why Jeff felt a sort of connection with them, making him want to take them in...
"One of my regrets in life," said Hanzo, his voice taking on a rare sentimental tone, which Mai did not hear in him very often. "Is that I did not keep in touch with Jeffrey-san as much as I would have liked. Whenever I spoke to Tung, I would always ask him how his apprentice was doing. And I would send Jeffrey-san a card for the Christmas holiday. But I feel like I should have made more of an effort to communicate with him. If I had, our mutual respect for each other might have grown into friendship."
"Is that another reason you agreed to train Andy?" Mai asked her grandfather.
The old master's brow creased for a moment, then he gave a small shrug. "Maybe. But whatever my reasons, I'm glad I took the boy in."
"So am I, Ojisama, " Mai said with a small smile. "I just have one more question: did Tou-chan ever find out what was written in those scrolls?"
Hanzo shook his head, the sentimental look in his eyes becoming stronger. "Sadly, no. He and Kasai-chan were involved in that accident before I felt it was time for me to step down as master. Another of my great regrets in life." Then the look was gone, replaced by his old stoic countenance. "Which means that someday, after I have gone to what I hope is a well-deserved rest, the responsibility of preserving them will pass to you, Mai-chan."
Mai was silent for a moment. She had come to terms with the fact that her grandfather was not the man he used to be, and that he had far fewer years ahead of him than he did behind. But, still... it was not something she liked to think about. So she changed the subject. "The time's gotten away from us, Ojisama," she said. "I have to wash the dishes, and then get in some practice and think about what I'm going to make for dinner." She started to put all the empty dishes from lunch back on the tray.
Hanzo gave a brief nod. "I think I'll finish my work inside," he said. "It's getting a little warm out here."
Mai helped her grandfather to his feet, and then picked up his walking stick and handed it to him. "I'll bring your letters into you, Ojisama," she said.
"Domo, Mai-chan," Hanzo answered. "I'll be in my study."
Mai leaned in and kissed her grandfather on the cheek. "Thank you for the story," she said.
"It was my pleasure," said Hanzo, and then started across the yard back towards the dojo. Mai watched him for a moment, and then gathered up everything and made her way back inside as well...
THE END
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Since they like having their ego stoked, I do want to give a shout-out to fellow fic writer RenkonNairu. In one of their FF/KoF fics that I read, I saw that Mai's father and grandfather both used fans. Which was my inspiration for Hanzo using fans in my own fic.
To find out more about what Geese Howard stole from Hanzo, and why Hanzo was so eager to get it back, check out the ending to my Fatal Fury 4 fic, "The Vengeful Spirits."
And speaking of which, thank you JojoDO for reviewing every chapter of that story. I feel accomplished now.
There is a bit of a historical inaccuracy in this. Tadatsugu and Kasai know that they're having a girl, but according to what I've researched, ultrasound technology didn't reach a point where the baby's gender could be accurately predicted until the late 1970s or early 1980s. So given when the story takes place, they shouldn't be able to know they're having a girl. But this is fanfic, so I don't care.
And most of you probably already know this, but the SNK wiki lists Mai's birthday as January 1st, 1974. Her being a late baby is just something I came up with on my own. It's also another head canon of mine that Mai lost her parents in a car accident a year or two before Andy came to live with them, which is what Hanzo was referencing.
Well, that's all for now. I hope you enjoyed reading. Until next time...