CHAPTER 10: MOVING OUT

Shanghai, China: 8:02 A.M.

"Mei-Liiiiiiiiing! Come on! Stop staring off into space and let's go!"

That voice, along with the addition of a horn being honked repeatedly, was enough evidence to Mei-Ling. Although she swore that she was hallucinating before, now there was no mistake.

Fen was here.

At her house...

On time...

It was going to snow today.

On any other occasion, Mei-Ling would have to call Fen a few dozen times to make sure that she was awake, then wait an hour or so for her friend to wash up, get clothes on, eat (which was optional), then get on her vehicle of choice, her motorcycle, and travel an additional 5 to 20 minutes, depending on traffic and other little stops she might make from her home to Mei-Ling's. However, today marked the first time ever in their friendship that she was on time. 8 A.M. sharp. As Mei-Ling stood on the front stairs of her home, her traveling bag hoisted over her shoulder, she couldn't help but feel surprised.

After all, she did just spend a good two minutes just staring at her friend, who was positioned on her motorcycle below the stairs, the only movement between them was Fen's mouth and her hand, which was pounding on the motorcycle's horn the entire time.

Finally, after accepting that fact, Mei-Ling shook her head hard, and began her descent towards her buddy. As she got closer, in the meantime, Fen rubbed the back of her head, giving her friend a good look.

"Hey, Mei," she said, "what took ya? You just sort of zoned out up there... The oxygen up there too thin?"

Mei-Ling just let out a laugh, although her face was red in embarrassment, and replied, "No, no, no... I was just... thinking I just saw something odd..."

Fen smirked. "Oh, really? Did it have anything to do with me?"

"...maybe."

"Yeah, well, I thought so," was the light-haired woman's response, turning around as her friend now sat safely behind her. "You know, I'll be the first to tell you that it isn't polite to stare, since apparently your father seemed to have forgotten to tell you that."

Fen then smiled as Mei-Ling stuttered before responding with, "Ok, ok, Fen. You can stop it now. Its time we got serious. We need a destination and wherever we go will need to be in our budget plans. I did a little research last night on places we should check out."

"Really? Well, give me the scoop, will ya?"

"Hold on a second..."

Mei-Ling then brought her bag to her lap and pulled out a paper that was popping out the hole. She then spread it wide to reveal it as a world map, with several areas marked with red circles.

"Ok, this is what I got," the older woman replied. "The internet had some helpful things news-wise. Shanghai, as I've been saying before, isn't the only pace where this organization's been targeting. In Hong Kong, it seems as if people found traces of the leaders of the Chinese underground were murdered and in Tokyo the winner of the last World Warrior tournament was beaten by a really powerful psycho at her job—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a second, Mei! You mean to tell me that the Sakura Kasugano; the one that beat the freak Kairi, got beat by one of those things!"

Mei-Ling only nodded. "Hey, when my father was under the influence, I almost felt my defense wear out myself, but this person seemed really focused on his job..."

Fen shook her head upon hearing the news. "Wow... I can't believe it... I mean, I'm not really focused on that circuit like I am for the Heavenly Fist tournament... but still..."

"Well, Fen, there are other events related to this organization but I feel as if these two are the bigger stories. So, where do you want to start? Hong Kong or Tokyo? Of course, Hong Kong is closer but Tokyo... is practically devastated right now. We're bound to find more clues in Japan, but it'll take a while to get there."

The light-haired woman put a hand on her chin for about a second, quickly analyzing the situation and its options, then, to Mei-Ling's surprise, she put the petal to the metal, the motorcycle engine giving off a strong roar as it warmed up.

"Fen? What are you--?"

"Better hold on, Mei! We're destined for Tokyo!"

And with Mei-Ling's long "WHOAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Fen kicked off the brake and the two screeched off the curb and shot down the street. As she got up to speed, Fen let out a yell of joy as she swerved through cars heading along or against her, just barely avoiding breaking the speed limit. While the younger of the two focused on driving, heading fast towards the highway towards the outskirts of Shanghai, Mei-Ling couldn't help but think about the other destination.

Hong Kong...

The words reminded her of an event back when she was younger...

Flashback

"Father? Where are you taking me?"

"Mei-Ling, I would like for you to meet a special friend of mine. He has been in town for quite a while now and we have been meeting in person since then. I told him about you and he is interested in meeting you. Of course, I could've told Shun to come instead, but he's with his friends, plus your little sister Jiao isn't quite ready yet. I'm confident that you'll understand once we get there."

"Oh, ok."

I was 9 years old at the time, a year before I met my best friend, Fen at the exhibition. The day was rather nice with clear skies and few clouds. Today was a special day to my father, for he had been preparing me for a few weeks for this meeting. It was the first time I was actually taken along to meet this stranger that my father spoke to. Of course, he was only a stranger to me, for I only heard of him though my father's lips. I only knew his name well.

Gen.

As of now we were at a park, an area where a bench and a tree were all that rested inside it, save for an elder sitting on the bench. He wore a purple martial arts robe with matching pants and black shoes. His head was riddled with white, aged hair, and as I looked at him, I got the feeling that this was definitely the man that my father spoke of.

However, sitting on the bench was someone I wasn't expecting; a young girl around my age. She had black hair worn short while I, at the time, had brown hair done in two large braids. She wore clothes somewhat matching the old man's, only with a yellow color to it and her eyes were on the ground, not even noticing that my father and I were approaching. Despite that, the old man was sharp, and looked up to my father as soon as he came close.


"I see you managed to get here early," my father opened up. "So who is our little visitor over here?"

"This girl so happens to be my granddaughter," says Gen, his hands hidden in his long sleeves, bound together on his lap. "I take it that this is your daughter that you spoke of...?"

I look up to see my father nod. "Yes. Her name is Mei-Ling, just one of my three kids that I raised in our family's secret arts."

The elder now proceeded to stroke his long beard. "Ah... I see..."

As he looked at me with wisdom eyes, inspecting me, I just looked back at him, my focus only on him. I, in turn, tried to figure him out. He seemed to be keen in martial arts like our family was... but somehow he seemed... out of the ordinary...

"She does seem to show much promise... She is a fine girl... I'll tell you this; the next generation of warriors will be filled with strong women like her. My granddaughter has also been coming up quite well."

"I see..." my father responded. "You are teaching her as well."

By this time, my focus laid on Gen's granddaughter, who was also looking wordlessly back at me. She seemed a bit shy, for her eyes were a bit adrift as she looked at me. I began to say something, but Gen cut me off.

"I see that you are about to open up to my granddaughter..." he said. "Well, why don't you also show me just how your father has been raising you up in Jeet Kune Do at the same time?"

I blinked. Just what did he mean by that?

The elder looked at his granddaughter, who looked back at him and nodded. She then hopped off the bench and started to walk towards me, my father replacing her on the bench. As she walked towards me, I could see that her eyes were changing now from timid to something more...

"Mei-Ling, is it?" she spoke while coming towards my side, her hands calmly placed behind her back.

"Yes." I responded.

"Well, it's nice to meet you. So you learned from your father like I have..."

"Yes, I have."

The girl in front of me nodded, then brought her hands from her back, taking a step back, and assumed a fighting stance. I was at first a bit confused, since my mind was still a bit on the wondering side, but she soon cleared things up.

"I think it'll be a good idea to get to know each other this way."

"I agree..." I responded, giving the girl a formal bow before jumping back and into my own fighting stance. For a while we didn't move at all, the wind beginning to pick up as we focused all our senses on each other. Then, before she could move, I did so.

"So what's your name?" I asked while stepping forward with a poking punch with my left. The girl used a hand to block it, then backed off to avoid my following punch. I then jumped forward to close the gap with a swift kick, but she managed to grab it with her hands.

"Yin Lee," she replied. After that, I used her hands to flip off, Yin moving her head back to avoid my attack. As I landed, she moved in close with her own hand strike towards my chest. I knocked it away with a hand, then retaliated with my own fast punch with the same hand. Yin moved to the side, then thrusted forward with a harder strike, this time towards my throat. I repeated her action, spinning while dodging, then attacked with another side kick, which she avoided by rolling forward along with her attack.

From here we turned to face each other again, Yin now the one to attack.

"How old are you?" she asked, throwing along with that a hopping kick to my face.

"9," was my response, slightly moving my head backwards, then began throwing out a few quick jabs that managed to connect as Yin turned her back to me. Before I could add on something stronger, she ducked down, her back still towards me, and pushed off the ground, her foot catching me in the jaw strong. I felt my body pop off the ground and into the air before I fell on my back. After a few seconds I sprung up and ready again.

"Nice one, Yin."

"Don't get too excited. I'm not through yet. By the way, I'm 8."

"Do you live near here?"

"I live in Shanghai, just like you do."

"That's good."

I then approached her while spinning once, my leg coming out to kick at her legs. Yin was caught off guard, expecting a high attack, and it made her ankles clash together. From here I lifted my leg up to enter a crane-like stance, then...

"Ha, ha, ha, ha... EYAH!"

As fast as most people could blink, I kicked at Yin's head fast five times, the last one I spun once to get more power into it. The attack quickly knocked Yin off her feet and to the grass. I held my leg up back in my neutral stance and waited for Yin to sit up, my ears managing to hear the elders talk next to us.

"So you taught her more than just one fighting style... Impressive for such a young girl."

"Actually, our family's style is all-in-one. The crane is one stance in which we just call a stance switch."

"Hmmm... Quite a tactic... So how many does she know?"

"A few. As she gets older you can expect that number to grow. The crane just happens to be her favorite."

"Your attack was pretty slick, I give you that," Yin said while standing up, "but I doubt your defense is good while on one leg... Here I come!"

Then, as she finished her sentence, Yin blurred out of sight, and in an instant, I noticed that she was right in my face, preparing to strike at me. However, I was prepared. As her hand moved up to strike at my stomach, I moved my knee up to block it, then quickly counter with a straight kick. She let out a "whoa!" as she moved her arm out of the way. I followed up with a lower kick to her legs again, but Yin moved her leg up and planted it in my chin. Once again my body lifted off the ground, but this time, Yin jumped to follow me and give my body a light jab with her hand before giving a much harder twin kick.

It took a while for my body to touch the ground, and it threw off my timing to roll to my feet. From here, however, I was able to roll to the side and stand up.

"Nothing a little practice won't fix," I said out loud with a smile. Yin smirked herself and decided to keep the pressure on with a swiping hand strike, a streak of light following it. It was a quick attack and I opted to just block it. Following this attack, Yin ducked down to try to give a kick to my legs. At this I did a quick hop and returned with a kick to her head, making her fall back again, off balance. I capitalized by ducking down a bit, tripping her up with a sweep, then spun again and finished the move with a hard kick. Once again my attack connected and Yin was sent spiraling to the ground and I knew once I laid eyes on her that my last attack dazed her. She groaned as she slowly stood up, using her hands for support.

"It seems as if your girl specializes in strong kicks..." came Gen's voice in my mind as I attacked again with a jumping crosskick to Yin's head, her body reeling in that direction.

"Mmm," was my father's response as I followed up by turning my back to her, throwing my leg back for a sweep to her legs. Yin now was clearly getting overwhelmed by my attacks, but at the time I wasn't really thinking about her predicament. I was only sure that my attacks were connecting at full force no questions asked.

"She's been taught well. A very balanced amount of attacks..."

I then spun once again, bringing my heel up to give an overhead kick attack, but, to my surprise, Yin managed to duck in her awkward, whiplash condition, and as I kicked out, her leg slammed into my cheek. I cried out as soon as I felt it, because I wasn't prepared for her to stretch her leg out like that. My body spun in recoil and I had to place my hands on the grass to prevent from falling down all the way. I blinked, trying to regain my focus, then the elders keep making comments.

"Yin's not so bad, either. She sure knows how to avoid at the least expected times and counter."

"It's her strongest suit. It shall make her quite the opponent later as she improves."

As I got up fully to meet Yin, I made sure to keep that in mind. For the third time we met eye to eye, me going into my neutral stance again while Yin smiled at me, doing the same.

"You're pretty good, Mei-Ling. It's fun to finally see a girl that I can relate to."

I nodded. "Why is that?"

"Well... I like to fight because when I get older I want to be a strong woman. Living with my aunt made me realize how narrow-minded girls are in this city while the boys get all the recognition. Once I get older, I'm going to show the world that a girl can do whatever a boy can, even better."

"That's a pretty nice goal."

"So why do you fight, Mei-Ling?"

"...to retain the honor my family holds... and to show off my brother. He's such a pain, I swear I'll have to bop him sooner or later."

"Does he look down on you?"

"Yes."

"You see? That's what I'm going to stop. Boys are so full of themselves... but I'm going to change that. Girls like you and me are going to turn this city and world around. I always dream about it when I go to sleep at night."

"So do you think that being a strong fighter will be enough?"

"Why don't you see for yourself?"

With that, Yin stepped forward, bringing her arm towards her, and lowered her body as she approached. I stood on guard and blocked a swipe of her arm, then another strike, then she stood up to give me an elbow to the face. I saw this coming, responding by catching the elbow with my hands while moving forward and kicking at her legs, making her say something inaudible as she fell on her face. Instantly I brought my leg up to try to stomp on her fallen body, but she moved her body up fast, narrowly dodging while flipping backwards to her feet. She then dashed in, and I started to block again, but I was fooled, since Yin instantly reared back. I let my guard down for a second, but I paid for that, for Yin shoved her shoulder forward into my chest with quite a bit of power, stunning my body for her to add on the knockdown fist. The moment I hit the ground again, she jumped into the air, then let out a yell as she shot back down with a kick.

"Hai!" I shouted while flipping myself, dodging her attack just like she did mine. Once we were firmly settled on the grass, we met each other with a barrage of melee attacks, moving fast enough to meet the level of lower class fighters in martial arts tournaments. We both attacked and blocked with such pace that we moved like the wind, formless but swift, until we both attempted kicks to our stomachs. The attacks both hit at the same time and we both lost balance for a bit, but we quickly recovered, Yin shooting forward with a yell. I waited as she attempted another hand strike, but I spun around quickly to try to counter with a hard roundhouse kick to the head. It turns out that Yin just barely ducked my attack, her own attack having to be aborted to do so, and then we both spun around to attack again...

...and then the action stopped, the wind coming back across the park. For quite a while we both held our positions, Yin's hand, taking up the stance of an upside-down spear hand, stopped just centimeters away from my throat, while I had my knee just a few centimeters away from her face. After a few long still moments, she spoke.

"You're pretty strong..."

"Same to you."

"Maybe next time we'll be able to really go at it."

"Perhaps. This was just a demonstration after all..."

"Next time I'll have a lot more in store for you, so don't you dare think we'll be done. Just do me a favor."

"What would that be?"

"I want for you to get stronger. I just know that the two of us will show just how strong women can be."

"You can count on it."

"Very excellent show, girls."

We both then relaxed, letting out loud breaths as we faced our fathers from the bench. As we then showed each other our respects, I was certain that we would meet again. However, after that day we didn't meet again. Then, years later, I found out that she participated in the Street Fighter 4 tournament and moved to Hong Kong. In my mind, I wished her the best of luck. However, I'm certain that we would really meet...

End flashback

"Hey, Mei. What are you zoning out about now?"

Mei-Ling gasped as she blinked, finding herself now on the highway that Fen was driving towards. She didn't notice that her reminiscing had made her forget about where they were going, and once again she stammered.

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just remembering something from way back."

"Well, wake up. I'm on the highway right now, so I'm going to need for you to sort of look behind me for idiots that might try to rear-end me."

"Ok."

Yep. For sure Fen wasn't lying. The two girls were speeding, going roughly 60, down one of Shanghai's most busy roadways. The wind was pretty fierce, whipping at anything that wasn't clamped down, be it their hair and clothes or the strings on Mei-Ling and Fen's bags. As Mei-Ling looked behind her for incoming traffic, Fen decided to speak.

"So do you have a plan?"

"Plan?"

"Yeah. For when we get to Tokyo."

"Yes. Well first we can try to track down Sakura or anyone related to her to try to fix up anything they know about these weird people and if they don't know, then we can—"

"That's highly unlikely..." Fen interrupted. "Remember when she and a few others were going around on a crime spree for those same people? I'm pretty sure they will know SOMETHING, and trust me, I'll get something out of them, even if I have to beat it out of them to do so."

Mei-Ling was shocked. "Fen! How can you? They don't even know us! How do you think that sounds? Going overseas just to demand and force answers from her and she's hurt from that attack?"

"Yeah, well... she won't have to hide anything from us unless she still works for them."

Mei-Ling gave her friend a blank look. "Fen, I'm pretty sure working at a high school is pretty domestic enough..."

"We can't be too sure, can we?" she asked while looking back at her friend.

"Fen, have a little logic, will you? I heard that she was part of the reason that this organization was brought down before."

"I'm not going to rule out that possibility, Mei-Ling, but if it makes you feel better, I won't attack them..."

"That's more like it..." the older woman sighed.

"...unless I have to."

And she sighed again, this time in frustration. "Fen!"

"What?"

Mei-Ling began to scold her friend, but that quickly stopped once Fen's motorcycle passed a truck... and at the corner of her eyes she picked something moving towards them fast, changing lanes...

"FEN! WATCH THE SIDE!"

This time, Fen hesitated, spinning around and looking towards her side... then steered her cycle to the left, moving off the road and to the curb, narrowly missing the second motorcycle. From here, Fen quickly hit the brakes, the vehicle kicking up a load of dust as it slowed to a complete stop and from there, silence, for both girls could feel their heart beat hard and up towards their throats, preventing speech.

"Fen...?" Mei-Ling asked breathlessly.

"Yes, Mei...?" Fen responded while slumping up against the handlebars.

"You have got to watch where you're going..."

"...ok... but still...! Wait..."

Fen blinked once she looked forward, noticing that the motorcycle that she nearly collided with was a few meters in front of her on the curb as well, its driver now getting off it. From here she could see that he was a blond, but other than that she couldn't see anything else.

"Fen?"

"Look... Whoever that is... is coming this way."

Mei-Ling blinked herself and looked over her friend to see that person indeed approach them, and, for some reason, in the pit of her stomach, Mei-Ling could pick up something odd with this person... As he got closer, Fen herself jumped off the bike and started to face him.

"Look, I don't want any trouble," she started. "I wasn't watching the road and..."

Suddenly she stopped, getting a look at the young man in front of her. This person was obviously American, with a red jacket and black undershirt, and a red iris in his eyes. However, his appearance was rather... rather...

"Fen...?" Mei-Ling asked while coming to her side. "What's wrong?"

Fen, however, quickly found herself with her mouth open, her eyes resembling anime hearts, and a huge blush on her face.

"Wow... What a hunk..."

"...Fen...?" Mei-Ling said again, this time sweat-dropping. However, the only response was that of a dreamy sigh. The blond, due to this, was a bit thrown off his game, expecting something... different than this, and in a way, he guess he couldn't be quite as mad as he expected.

"Um... yeah..." he began. "Well, I take it from that... that you two are alright?"

"Uh-huh..." Fen responded, leaning over closer to him, making him sweat-drop himself. "I'm just fine..."

"Say... you look... familiar..." Mei-Ling stepped in. "That jacket... and eyes... You... You're..."

Then her eyes went wide with realization. There was no mistake about it.

"No... You... You're Rock Howard, aren't you? From the King of Fighters circuit?"

The young man in the red and black nodded, leaving both girls in utter disbelief.

"Ohmigod!" Fen shrieked. "I can't believe I almost ran you over! I'm sooooooooooooo sorry! You sure you're alright?"

Rock nodded again. "I'll live."

"Just what are you doing so far away from the U.S. and Southtown?" Mei-Ling asked. At this question, Rock paused a bit before answering.

"I'm on my way to Tokyo. I've got some business to handle over there..."

"Business, huh...?" Fen murmured, now shaking off her daze and trying to concentrate. "Funny thing. We were just on our way there..."

This caused Rock to raise an eyebrow. "Really...?"

"Yeah. You know... I don't think I'd be quite a bad idea if we joined up and traveled together. Heck, we're going the same way, and while we're at it, we can get to know you better..."

As she ended, Fen leaned forward in a flirtish way, almost until she was looming over Rock, and once again the blond sweatdropped, trying his best to stay humble.

"Heh... thanks for the offer... but I don't think it'll work out..."

"Awww... come on..." the light-haired girl pleaded, now sprouting puppy eyes as if she was on the verge of crying. "You're so mean... Not letting two young girls like us stay with such a strong young man like you..."

"Aaaaahhh..." By this time Rock was growing very hesitant. "Well... alright... I guess... I can let you come on with me... Can you... you know... sorta let me breathe now...?"

Fen's smile could literally go from ear to ear. "Oooooo! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She then turned around, sprouting a bit of a devilish look, and gave Mei-Ling a smirk. "See that charm? That's how Fen hitches a free ride... Nice luck, huh? Bumping into him...? This trip's gonna be sweet...!"

Mei-Ling just put a hand on her face and shook her head. "I can't believe you would do that..."

Fen gave a giggle before fixing her face and giving Rock a straight look this time. "So, how about we hit the road, eh? The sooner we get on the plane the better!"

Rock shrugged in response. "Sure, if you say so. Get on your bike and follow me."

"Sure! No problem!"

Fen then spun around and began to walk with Mei-Ling to get back on their ride, but just as they reached it...

"Oh, and if you think I'm paying your fare, then you've got another thing coming."

Instantly Fen's face went pale and she stopped in her tracks, as if she heard the wail of a banshee, and Mei-Ling couldn't stop laughing.

"I guess that wasn't part of the plan, now, was it now, Fen?" she teased, and Fen just hung her head.

"Oooooohhhh... he's good..."

"Yep!" Mei-Ling answered. "This trip's definitely going to be quite a blast, that's for sure."

Tokyo, Japan: 8:30 A.M.

"Hmmm... it seems as if we're all set. Everyone's ready and packed... I say we bail out now while we got the chance."

Batsu hopped down from the steps of the Kanzuki Complex and landed where the others stood below. The morning was pretty cool in temperature but still fair, and it was perfect flying weather, which was great, considering that Karin was having everyone travel by means of her private plane. The heir of the Zaibatsu wasn't present with the others in the ground; instead she was already on-board, getting the final kinks out of her schedule to be able to make this trip possible. Meters away from the takeoff site, Hinata was kneeling in front of her son, who was also accompanied by one of Karin's maids and Shibizaki.

"...and I want you on your best behavior while you're staying here," Hinata instructed. "Don't do anything that I wouldn't do in there. Ms. Kanzuki's mansion is just as big as ours and you don't want to get into trouble. Understand?"

Little Tai merely nodded wordlessly, giving his mother a warm hug.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," the mother reassured sweetly.

"Ok, mom," Tai replied, Hinata giving him a kiss on the cheek afterwards. After that the maid ducked down and began to lead Tai into the mansion while Hinata stood up and closed her eyes a bit, focusing on what could possibly lie in store for her later.

"Are you ready to go?"

Hinata turned around to face Kyosuke, who was coming up from behind her, and nodded. "Yes... Let's get out of here."

Meanwhile, while Kyosuke and Hinata began their way to the port, Batsu hot on their heels, Darrell was staring at the skies over Tokyo solo, his hands in his pockets.

The hunt's on, Bison... I don't know what you're planning this time, but it's not going to work. We're coming after you and we're also going to stop you.

"By yourself again, uh?"

Darrell gazed over his shoulder and caught the sight of his wife, Sakura, walking up towards him, Yui and Kaoru a few inches behind her and still carrying their possessions with them.

"Yeah..." was all the young man replied with.

"Don't worry yourself about getting at Bison," Sakura reminded, standing next to him to get a view of the city they were about to leave in a few moments. "We'll get him in due time. We just need to find him first and figure out what he's up to."

This was responded with a sole nod, and Sakura knew that her words were going in but the computer in Darrell's brain wasn't analyzing them. After a moment to frown at him, the Cherry Blossom faced Kaoru and Yui, who were just looking on, and then jerked a thumb towards Darrell as if to say, "Watch this." The 'little sister' blinked with a confused look on her face, just before she spun back around to attend to her husband one more time.

"Come on..." she said, her tone turning low and even a hint playful. "Relax, will ya?"

"Yeah, I know I should, Sakura. It's just that there's so much crazy stuff happening and its worrying me. You heard what happened in Hong Kong last night. That's right in the Lee Dragon's area, and I heard that people all over Japan are going nuts as well as the rest of the world. Heck, we could've bit the big one yesterday. Stuff like that really sticks... to... mind... Sa... ku..."

Darrell couldn't finish his thought, for instantly his body froze and his face heated up in a hot blush as Sakura was busy bringing his mind back to earth with a kiss to his cheek. Then, after a bit of stuttering from her spouse, Sakura let it go, holding onto Darrell by his hand.

"Remember what I said... Relax... All that thinking and rage is going to fry your mind and body and you'll be no good once we do find Bison. Until the time comes, try to enjoy the trip, ok?"

"Ok, Sakie..." Darrell replied kindly, giving a deep breath and exhale before turning around to face the other couple. "I think it's about time that we took off. I bet Karin's waiting on us as we speak."

"You're darn right I've been waiting! The plane's all set. It's time to ship out!"

As the foursome's focus went around to face Karin, who held her hands on her hips, the wind in the remote area began to pick up a little bit and the sound of turbine engines filled the air. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was causing that.

"Hinata, Batsu, Kyosuke and the Interpol agents are already on the plane. Oh, and I forgot to mention, it seems as if Ran brought along one more person to accompany us on this adventure."

"Just who could that be?" Sakura asked.

Karin just shook her head, her golden locks being swept in the breeze. "I think I'll let you figure that out once you actually get on the plane. Now come on! I didn't clear out a bunch of meetings off my schedule to just stand around and admire the sky."

"Ok, ok! I get the picture," the blossom sighed, facing the others. "You heard the kind woman. Let's get a move on before she leaves us."

"Yeah, sure thi—"

Kaoru then stopped abruptly, leaving everyone else thrown off.

"What's wrong, Kaoru?" Darrell asked while walking towards his 'little sister'. However, as he got close, she put an arm out to repel him.

"Wait a second..." she muttered. "I'm sensing something... Something's... not right..."

"Well...?" Sakura lead on, yet the only thing Kaoru did was close here eyes to concentrate. Yui did the same as well, and the others looked on as they tried to zero in on Kaoru's disturbance...

...guys...! Guys...! Come on! I know you hear me! I'm getting murdered here...! I could... sure use... the help right about now...! AH! SON OF A--

Then Kaoru's eyes shot wide open in shock.

"Mitsumi!" she exclaimed out loud, startling the others. For a while the name didn't ring a bell, but after a short while Sakura remembered it.

"Mitsumi...? Yao Mitsumi? That Chinese girl that was with you during the last tournament?"

"Just what the heck are you guys talking about?" Karin asked, but Kaoru had no intentions on explaining.

"Listen, you guys go on without us. This is an emergency. We've got to help her out. It sounds like she's in real danger now."

"But wait a second! I don't under—"

"Darrell, don't worry," Yui interrupted, now drawing close to his wife. "We'll be back ASAP. We'll call you once we're done."

"But..."

The dark-skinned fighter couldn't finish that, because with that quote Yui held hands with Kaoru as she closed her eyes herself and in a sudden gust of wind, her body, along with Yui's, blurred out of sight and disappeared completely. For a while, the three just stared at the empty space between them... and suddenly Sakura let out a laugh.

"That's Kaoru, all right... Always disappearing snap, just like that."

"Yeah..." Darrell commented, now beginning to walk out towards the plane. "You heard her. No use waiting on her. Let's bail."

Karin merely sighed at that. "It's about time... I was wondering if you guys would stop stalling like that."

As that was going on, back on the plane, the rest of the group were all settled and ready for takeoff, merely waiting on Sakura, Darrell, and Karin to board. Chun-Li herself was just busy looking at the scene the just unfolded through the mirror on her left, and once it was over, she sat back in her seat.

"Looks as if those two had some other business to attend to," Ace commented. Chun-Li only nodded.

"Say, Hinata..." she began, now directing her attention to the woman across the aisle from her. "Is Kaoru always like that?"

"Nn? Oh, yeah. Definitely. She's pretty busy, and with that mind link she shares with people she's always going out whenever something important jumps up. Trust me. When she's ready to join us again she'll be here."

Before Chun-Li could accept that information, another voice cut her off from behind.

"Hey, everyone! Morning to all! Man, I'm so stoked for this trip I can't contain myself! This is gonna be so awesome!"

Everyone in the room looked behind them just in time to see Ran come from the back storage section of the plane, a smile so big on her face it was almost going ear to ear.

"Well, don't get too excited, Ran," Batsu said. "We're not going on a field trip you know. This is business."

Ran immediately shot Batsu a look. "Like I didn't know that. That's why I brought along an old friend of ours..."

"Old friend...? Hinata asked, now giving Ran her undivided attention. The reporter nodded and then moved to the side...

"AH! Akira!" Hinata shouted out while literally jumping out of her seat. "It's been ages!"

Behind Ran was another young woman, not a year older or younger than Hinata, who was donning normal street clothes and brown hair that reached onto her shoulders. Her eyes, normally soft and a bit shy, instantly turned their tone once Hinata literally ran over to hug her. The newcomer couldn't help but let out a laugh as she welcomed her friend's embrace.

"I guess some things never change..." she commented.

"What are you doing here?" the Taiyo graduate asked, now pulling away a bit to give Akira some space. "I mean, its nice to see you, but why in the world would you want to come with us?"

Akira paused a bit before answering the question, saying unevenly, "Well, after hearing what happened to Sakura and Darrell yesterday and after Ran called me last night about you and Kyosuke, I just couldn't help but feel worried about you guys. Also, my brother's been away for longer than he normally does on his trips... So I decided to head out and join you to help out... and to try to find out where my brother's at."

"Oh..." the shorter-haired woman returned, letting go of Akira. "Daigo's missing..."

Then, something hit Hinata right then and there, getting flashbacks of the incidents that happened while all the Rival Schoolers were busy with the problems surrounded by Justice High...

"Say..." she began slowly, looking at Batsu and Kyosuke before returning to Ran and Akira. "You don't think... he would know about—"

"I wouldn't even think about it, Hinata," Batsu returned sharply. "If what Darrell told me about this Bison guy is true, then..."

"Then, what?" Akira interrupted. "Who's Bison?"

"I'll tell you once we take off..." Chun-Li answered, not quite looking at the others but instead watching the entrance to the plane, which Karin just closed behind her, Sakura, and Darrell. "I take it Ran didn't tell you everything, so I'll let you in on everything from the beginning..."

Akira merely nodded, leaning to her side to whisper into Ran's ear, "You didn't tell me that she'd be here. She's that famous Taichi fighter from the World Warrior circuit."

"She told me it was a secret," the reporter mumbled back. "She didn't quite know you, so when I said that I'd call you to join up, she told me to exclude her from the details. For all she know of you, you could've been some big fan of hers and she'd have to deal with maybe more if you called them... She especially was cautious once I told her that you use the same fighting style as she does."

"I get it..."

"Alright everybody," Karin's voice unexpectedly ran over the plane's intercom system. "We're about to take off, so It would be a wise decision to find a seat and buckle up. Our first stop will be in Saebe. The Zaibatsu picked up some suspicious activity there, plus its close by. It won't take long to get there, so just relax. We're off!"

South Town, USA: 8:33 A.M

"Ah, Ryu. Early, as I expected. Did you enjoy the night in there?"

At the door of Kim's dojo were three individuals, however in reverse positions. On the outside stood May Lee and Kim, both in casual clothing and prepped to go out on their search and on the inside stood Ryu, still wearing his all-season martial arts gi and headband. From the sight of it, it seemed that Ryu had the least to carry with only his travel bag, and May Lee had to force herself not to go crazy with her bags, limiting herself to just two bags like Ryu, where Kim only carried one.

At Kim's question, Ryu only nodded, triggering a smile on Kim's face.

"Perfect. That means that we're just about set. We need to get to the airport at 10 to catch the next flight to Japan. As I predicted, a lot of the activity is happening there."

Then, without warning, Kim was interrupted by a tired yarn from May Lee, who rubbed her eyes and then immediately apologized.

"Sorry, guys... I guess the excitement didn't let me get much sleep the other night..."

"That's quite alright, May," Kim acknowledged. "You can catch up on your sleep on the plane, so the sooner, the better, right?"

May Lee nodded. "Let's get moving before I pass out. So, I'm guessing that you're driving, right?"

The Taekwondo master gave his pupil a bit of a look, and May Lee instantly sweatdropped.

"No... You mean..."

Kim nodded. "We're walking. It'll be nice exercise for your legs and endurance."

At first May Lee had a pretty strong desire to protest this decision, but then she forgot it, figuring that Kim wouldn't make her do anything... totally crazy. Nope, this wasn't his worst, especially since he said "walking" and not "running" like normal exercises featured. And it was on solid ground, with nothing (at least, nothing as dangerous as hot coals or the like...) on the ground to improve her striking speed...

"Ok, I guess we can do that."

"Alright. Time to get the lead out."

45 minutes later

The streets of South Town never deviated from its natural rustle and bustle as the three traveled through, May Lee herself questioning why she didn't offer to pay for bus fare the entire time. However, now it didn't matter. She was just glad as after their long trek across the city they were actually a good ten minutes away from their final destination. The buildings were steadily making way a bit the closer they got, and eventually the three found themselves in a wide park; one all three knew as the one just in front of the airport.

"So, once we arrive in Kyoto, I was planning on giving a good friend of mine a visit," Kim announced. "He's been in Kyoto for quite a while now as his students went on their musical tour. I'm pretty sure he'd have a little insight on how things are running over there."

"I see..." Ryu replied, looking around at the green surroundings, a slight breeze making his headband sway as he walked. May Lee, bringing up the rear, was too looking around, but not just to admire the scenery. She was busy looking for some other people around besides them... and she wouldn't have to look long, for as they approached a basketball court, her eyes widened...

"Master Kim! Ryu! Check out whose playing ball!"

"Mmm? "

Both men turned their attention to the sound of a basketball pounding the asphalt, and grew aware at the sight of a few young kids all guarding one individual, said person now dribbling. He wore a white t-shirt under a red denim jacket and blue jeans, and a famous red and white cap that was signed "Fatal Fury" on it, his blond hair done in a long ponytail... it took only one glance for the three fighters (or anyone else in South Town for that matter) to recognize him...

"Get the right side!" a young baller on defense shouted. "He might take it straight to the hoop this time!"

"Frank! Stay on him!" another shouted, watching the game from the side.

"Come on, kid! Let's see you get a steal on me!"

The kid guarding the strong-built individual kept his ground, his arms out to man up his defense, watching the man's hand carefully as he dribbled. Every once and a while he'd attempt a steal, but the blond's handle was too good for it. Then, in one swift spin move, he broke away from the defense, drove up to the hoop, jumped up, and slammed it home."

"That's game!" he called while landing, the ball moving out of bounds and towards the three fighters on the outside of the court. "Nice try, kid." He then flipped a finger off his red cap and pointed it towards the younger. "Better luck next time."

The kid only smiled, his three-man team giving him respect for taking on the guy one-on-one. "Thanks for the game, Terry! See ya next time!"

"Later!"

No doubt, the man was Terry Bogard, one of the famous fighters on the KOF circuit, and right now he was enjoying a day out. Now turning over to get his ball, placing it in his bag, he looked up and found out that he had a crowd...

"Hey, Kim!" he shouted out. "What's up? Looks like you're on your way out traveling... and, whoa! Look who's with ya!"

Grabbing his ball and his travel bag from the ground, Terry steadily approached the small group, a hand in his jean pocket and holding his bag over his shoulder. Once he was close he brought his hand back out and shook Ryu's hand strongly.

"It's been years since I've seen you," he continued. "Still travelin' and fightin'?"

Ryu only responded with a nod, making the Bogard spark a smile.

"Well, I don't know what brings you around these parts, but don't forget that I'm always willing to go a few rounds with ya. You know with Andy out in the mountains training, Rock traveling and Joe in Japan, it clears my schedule up whatnot.

"Now isn't that nice to hear," Kim said while rubbing a hand on his chin. "We were just about to head out to Japan ourselves and handle some business regarding a certain organization..."

"Oh... I see... Evil huntin' again, eh? You never change, Kim."

"And I see by that look in your eyes that you aren't just going to leave us this time..." Kim smirked. Terry shook his head.

"The Lone Wolf hears the cry of battle and follows it. You know I can't resist a good brawl, even if I have to continent jump to do it. So, who's on your radar this time now that N.E.S.T.S. is in the history books?"

"It's a big crime syndicate that's been around for quite a while. Shadowloo. I believe it's responsible for all the mishaps that has sprung up recently. I was going to Kyoto to meet up with Chin, who says he might have some info for us."

"Hmmm... sounds like a plan... Think you guys don't mind a fourth wheel on the expedition?"

Kim and May Lee both shook their heads. "It wouldn't be a problem..." the Tae Kwon Do champion began.

"That is, if you have some money on you..." May Lee smirked.

"Don't need to worry about that," the current King of Fighters champion said while tipping his cap. "I always carry my weight around."

"Alright! With Terry on our team, evil better watch out! It's past due for a hurting once we cross paths!" the superheroine shouted mightily, looking up hopefully into the blue sky while clenching her fist. Terry couldn't help but laugh at the way May Lee put on a show.

"Well, our flight is in a good short while," Kim reminded, pointing towards the direction of the nearby airport. "We'd better get there before it leaves us."

"No problem!" Terry answered, already making his way there, Ryu, Kim, and May Lee right behind him. "Next stop, Kyoto!"

Tong-An, China: 8:35 A.M.

The moment Kaoru and Yui ended their warp and landed on the brick streets of Tong-An, Kaoru immediately knew trouble wasn't too far away. The air was thick in silence and the vibes from her surroundings were very negative, despite the appearance. Yet, even so, she couldn't help but gawk a little. She never stepped foot in this place before and technically, the only thing she did was follow Mitsumi's call back to sender. For the first time in her life she laid eyes on the beautiful traditional buildings in the village, all basked in a golden glow from the sun shining in the distance, and she was taken aback at the fact that everything had such a pure potential to it...

"So this is Tong-An..." Kaoru began while stepping forward.

"Yeah... Mitsumi's birthtown," Yui commented. "It's been a long while since I've been here... However, things aren't right here. The streets are practically deserted..."

Yui's attention then went to a particular building, in which its front door was slightly ajar, and someone was peaking out of. The persons' focus lay cleanly on the couple before about a second before Yui's glance made the individual close the door.

"This town's normally pretty social and friendly at this time..." he continued, "but it seems as if something's making them hide..."

"Or someone," Kaoru ended as they turned down another street, trying to track down their friend's ki level.

"This doesn't add up. Just a minute ago I could feel her loud and clear. Now its faded out. You don't think she..."

"No," Yui interrupted rather sharply. "We'll find her, Kaoru. Trust me. Let's check out her restaurant. It's called the Blue Gale. As a matter of fact--"

"Looks like I already found it..."

The two stopped as soon as their eyes spotted a relatively large black plane with a very sleek design "parked" in front of a building, most specifically, one that's sign was now on the ground, a large hole in a few spots in the wall, and guards, all wearing black military attire, were standing guard outside the restaurant door and the plane...

Without saying a word, the two silently ducked undetected behind a stand held conveniently at their side, and peeped over it to look on.

"Just what in the world is that...?" Yui whispered.

"It's Shadowloo..." Kaoru replied, her own eyes unable to believe what she was seeing. "Chun-Li WAS right! But... how did they return like this...?"

She, however, couldn't ponder at that for long, as movement began to stir just inside the building. The guards outside all faced the entrance of the Blue Gale restaurant, watching two female soldiers built similar in size, one with red hair and the other blond, and in their hands... and dragging limply along the ground, was a young woman with brown hair done in a long, heavy braid and with burgundy clothes...

"Ohmigod..." Kaoru muttered quickly, feeling her pulse quicken at the sight. "They got her... She's out cold! That's why I couldn't sense her! Come on, Yui! We're saving her—"

Before the traveler could rush in, Yui stopped her by grabbing onto her right arm. "Wait a second... I think they're talking... Let's see if we can get some information first."

At first Kaoru was going to ignore Yui's suggestion and teleport into the fray, but after a quick second she solemnly nodded and maintained her position. "Yeah... I guess you're right..."

The two remained silent and kept a sharp ear out as they eavesdropped onto the conversation sparked between the blond soldier and one of the guards manning the loading bay to the flying vessel...

"Subject 45: Yao Mitsumi. Apprehended," the woman reported. "Requesting permission to board and return to base."

"Understood," returned the guard. "Throw her in the lock. We're running right on schedule. We should be back in base in about an hour. Let's move."

"Uh... guys...?"

Kaoru and Yui both gasped as the last voice ran through the air. It was different from the other two, and it grew apparent that it was accompanied with the brown-haired woman slowly raising her head so that she could be eye-to-eye with the main guard...

"M... Mitsumi...?" Kaoru whispered to herself, relieved with the fact that she's back on the conscious side, but a bit worried as to what would happen now...

"So you regained consciousness..." the guard began. "It doesn't matter. You've put up quite a hassle, but you're now part of Shadowloo. What you have to say won't matter much anymore."

"Oh... Is that right...?"

And much to the guard's surprise, the mountain girl sprouted a small smirk onto her battered face, triggering the man's nasty look.

"Why I ought to stomp this boot right in that face of yours. Just why are you smiling?"

Mitsumi shook her head. "Oh, it's nothing... It's just that... well..." she now looked at her captives... "...remember when I said that I'd go quietly...? Before these two goons knocked me out...? I... LIED!"

Before anyone could catch on, Mitsumi managed to slip her arms out from the girls' grasps, placed herself onto one knee to support herself, and stuck with twin elbows to the soldiers' sides, making them reel away form her in shock. She then hopped back, just narrowly missing a grasping hand from the head guard, then assembled a defensive stance, staying wary.

"Why you little..." the man growled. "Want to die, eh? That's no problem with me. Men! Fire on my mark!"

The 10 or so guards around the area then focused in on Mitsumi, their firearms aimed and crosshairs all on Mitsumi's body...

Cowards... Just where the heck ARE Kaoru and Yui!

"We're HERE!"

Mitsumi then linked and looked to her left, just in time to see two guards get dropped by two flying kicks from none other than the traveler and her husband. The doragon-ryuu disciple then smiled heavily as soon as her partners hopped back and joined her in the middle of the Shadowloo circle.

"It's about time you two showed up!" she sighed in relief, then focused in on the ring leader. "So you think its cute to try to kidnap me, eh...? I don't know who you people are, but rest assured you're going back where you came from empty-handed!"

"Tch... Three of you. Thirteen of us. Won't make much of a difference... Tary! Janie! Get a scan on the new pieces of meat pronto! Everyone else, drop your guns! I don't want any friendly fire! Hand to hand until the girls are done!"

"Yes, sir," the girls to the sides of the threesome said simultaneously, now setting their sights on their targets while the others began to close in, following orders...

"Kaoru! Yui!" Mitsumi warned. "Don't let those two get a good fix on you! They did to me and they practically knew every move before I did it! Keep moving!"

The other two nodded.

"Alright, let's take 'em down! Hoooooooo!"

Instantly, Mitsumi shot herself forward to the nearest soldier, who began to assume a defensive stance, and blocked the mountain girl's flying kick, but she bounced backwards and into the air, not letting him retaliate...

"Ryuujin Hirameki! TYAH!" the eldest of the three friends shouted, throwing her arm out and stunning her foe with a fast streak of golden ki energy before finishing it off with a stronger blast with the other arm, the force roofing the Shadowloo soldier off his feet and into the wall of the restaurant, his back bending wickedly as it collided into a hold in the wall and finally rested by slumping down onto the ground. Once she landed, she ducked, a fist from her second opponent just gazing her head and returned with an elbow to the side of the head. As her opponent stumbled over, the mountain girl opted to finish the job, but a silver ki bolt from Yui covered her, sending the man into the ground.

Before she could even mutter thanks, the air filled with a shrill cry as Kaoru dodged a punch to her face, grab the arm of her assailant, and brought her victim down to the floor hard, cleanly breaking his arm upon impact. She then backed away, letting him roll over and hold his arm in utter pain, then barely blocked an attack on her blind side. As she dealt with the fourth soldier, Yui and Mitsumi turned around to the sound of an approaching yell from "Shadowloo Lackies" number 5 & 6, both running to ambush them, and, ironically...

"Must be the rookies of the squad..." Mitsumi joked. Yui only shrugged before getting ready to counter...

Three seconds later, the two merely moved to opposite sides, letting them miss wildly in their attacks. As Yui ran in and took out his target with a simple lunge punch, Mitsumi merely danced mockingly in her stance.

"Come on, kid! I'm pretty sure that wasn't a serious attempt at hurting me!" she taunted, ducking forwards again and making her assailant miss a high kick to her head. As the soldier spun around again to attack a third time, Mitsumi spun, grabbed his arm, and planted her brown shoe right into his chin, sending him flying onto the ground, finishing by jumping after him and landing hard with both feet onto his stomach, the young man groaning hard before she reluctantly got off.

"Six down, four to go..." Yui announced to himself, noticing that movement was coming his way from behind again. This time he didn't bother to turn to face his opponent, letting the seventh soldier actually land his attack onto the back of his head. However, he later regretted it, for instantly someone grabbed onto his neck from his backside, and it was revealed to be another Yui, the first one disappearing shortly after the strike, and then swiftly, Yui twisted hard, and just like that, there were three left.

And as Kaoru and Yui turned to face them, they grew aware that those left were all ganging up on Mitsumi, two at her sides and one in front of her...

"Be careful, Mitsumi!" Kaoru shouted out!

"Yeah, I see 'em..." the mountain girl replied, bracing herself as the others stared her down. After about 2 seconds, all three came in for a grand final assault...

"Let's see you handle this!" she shouted, twisting her body around a bit and charging up her ki. She waited for them to come within a hair of her body... and then let loose, spinning in place with a wild hurricane kick that actually caused the air around her to pick up into a vicious storm, hiding her and the three remaining lackeys from sight, but the sound was more than the vacuum caused by Mitsumi's super attack, the Uzumakimoyou... Once it was done, the others were sent flying onto the ground, one in particular landing right in front of the main guard... who was now paying all three fighters his full attention.

"Any last words...?" Mitsumi warned, turning to face him herself. The man gave a scowl, not at all happy at the outcome...

"Girls...! What's with those scans!" he screamed at the two Shadowloo dolls, who were near his side, but much to his dismay, they seemed worried.

"Something's wrong..." the blond, Janie, muttered. "The data that is coming up... is not matching up with them... It's..."

"It's WHAT?" the leader demanded. Janie, now beginning to sweat heavily, stuttered a bit before she made a solid sentence.

"...wait... I'm getting something..."

"You guys!" Mitsumi shouted, leering at her partners. "What are you waiting for? I told you what'd happen if they get a fix on you guys! That's how they managed to get me off guard! They... seem to have the ability to pick up our skills just by looking at us!"

"Mitsumi..." Yui answered, pointing at the two young women in front of the plane. "Look..."

"Uh...?"

The mountain girl looked questionably at Janie and Tary then raised an eyebrow.

"Hey... What's with them...?"

On the other end, Janie continued her readings of Yui, Kaoru and Mitsumi...

"There's something... very powerful in each of them... Something extremely dark... Possible ki levels are going well off the records... This goes well into the "A" ranking in the warning database..."

"From these three guys?" the leader asked, his voice now wavering in favor of a possible hold-off.

"When we first came here and battled Mitsumi," Tary now spoke, "her threat rating was only a minor 'C', but once subjects #40 and #41 showed up... it skyrocketed..."

"But I don't see any difference!" the lead man yelled out. "And besides, you two should be able to handle them no problem!"

To his shock, both dolls shook their heads.

"That's a negative..." the blond responded. "Miss Raven hasn't outfitted us with the upgrade that has started to go around in Shadowloo. If we take them out now, we risk not making it back to base alive..."

The guard growled hard, now staring at the three Street Fighters a few meters in front of him. "We're not retreating... I'm making sure of it... We're going to take that chance! On my—"

"I strongly suggest you reconsider that option..."

The man gasped once a new voice rung into his ear...

"Hey, goofballs!" Mitsumi shouted, now tapping her foot impatiently on the brick floor. "What's the hold up? I'm just waiting to get my hands on you more than even now!"

The main guard paid her no mind and instead tapped the hidden communicator in his ear, looking away to focus...

"S... senior Vega..." he stammered. "What are you...?"

"I'm calling off this attack. You, Janie and Tary are to retreat back to the nearest base."

"But... you can't be serious...!"

"If you wish to defy the order... I can always deal with YOU along with our three little targets as well..."

"Ok, ok... We're moving out..."

As if they were listening in on the short conversation, the two dolls made their way behind the guard and into the ship, leaving Mitsumi shocked.

"What the...? They're leaving...?" she blinked, confused.

"You should be glad that they are..." Kaoru answered, giving her a mute look. Mitsumi merely replied with a "Biiiiiiida!" raspberry before returning her attention to the main man, who was now backing away and into the aircraft. As soon as he disappeared inside, the sound of engines filled the air, and within an instant, the plane lifted off the ground, kicking up a storm of wind and making the three fighters take cover nearby inside the totaled Blue Gale restaurant. In a few more moments, the plane took off, leaving Kaoru, Yui, and Mitsumi to look out the door as it aborted its mission and traveled into the distance.

"Well... I guess that's that..." the chef sighed, wiping the sweat off her forehead.

"Young Mitsumi..."

"Eh...?"

The trio's attention moved over to the streets, where pedestrians were now cautiously moving out of their hiding places, be it in the buildings or in the alleyways. Before any of them knew it...

"Looks like you have some fans here, Mitsumi?" the silver-haired Korean asked as they were face-to-face with a hefty majority of the population of Tong-An, most of them wearing traditional Chinese wear.

"Heh... I guess so..." Mitsumi answered while letting out a laugh, rubbing the back of her head with a hand shortly before an elder woman, a good head shorter than her, grabbed the other.

"Oh, thank you, Mitsumi. Thank you and your friends for ridding the city of that wretch..."

"Oh, it was no sweat. I'm sure we've could've taken them any day of the week."

"Don't worry about the restaurant," the elder woman continued. "I'll call some relatives of mine and they'll patch it up, good as new for you, Wangtang, and your master."

"Thanks. I'd appreciate that a lot."

I wonder if today isn't on the calendar for her... Kaoru joked to herself, just before a few young kids came up to her and Yui, all 6 of them smiling.

"Say! You two are just as strong as Mitsumi says you are!" one chimed.

"Yeah! Wangtang, even!" another one followed.

"Come!" a male in his thirties rang over everyone's commotion. "A feast for the three who protected the town!"

As the crowd steadily agreed, the kids all grasped onto the three fighter's hands and, a bit against their wishes (even though inside they didn't mind), dragged them off down the street with the rest of the population. As they went off in celebration, on top of the restaurant stood another figure in yellow and blue attire with a snake running along the side. His face was hidden among the white mask, showing only his wild blue eyes and his long blond hair swayed in the sudden breeze as he eyed the dark-skinned, black haired traveler with sick intent, the claw upon his right hand now over the area of the mask where his mouth would've licked it, as if it were covered with blood already...

"Yes... That's the one... Come night time... that beauty will be mine... Enjoy your fun, Kaoru... Rest up... because tonight... I paint the town red..."