Disclaimer – I do not own any of Team Ninja's characters or anything else related to Dead or Alive.
An energetic Bayman slashes through traffic as he crosses the street, fearlessly pulling some Nong Pradu stunts, leaping over cars, and sliding underneath trucks and the stunts replay with different angles and speeds. He throws open the doors of the hotel and holds his palm up to the receptionist as she welcomes him. He spins around two Japanese super models, ignoring their waves, skips the elevator and leaps into the emergency stairwell.
He takes two stairs at once as he ascends, his incredible drive pushing him like an amazing and invisible force. He pushes the door open as he reaches the second floor and leaps out into the carpeted hallway at the ready. He studies the numbers on the walls and slaps his head and rushes back into the stairwell and climbs up another floor before exiting again. He easily finds room number 315 and without any sort of announcement, he tosses open the door.
"Yamaguchi-san!!!" Bayman yells out and the young man looks up from his laptop, sitting on his futon located on the floor.
"Yes?"
"You serious? First try? Awesome!" Bayman claps his hands together, but cuts his celebration off early, knowing his battle isn't close to being over. He transforms his face into a mask of severity, "I have an urgent message from your..." He curses to himself as he looks in his dictionary and then smirks, "Your okasan."
"My mother?" The man closes his laptop quickly and stands up in his Dragon Ball pajamas, "Is everything alright?"
"It appears she's sick. The family wants you to come see her." Bayman continues, trying not to spoil his plan by bursting into laughter at the man's ridiculous clothes.
"Fly out? Back to Okinawa? Oh geez!" The man rushes to the closet and tosses it open, throwing all his Anime clothes and costumes into a bag.
"You like Cosplay?" Bayman asks curiously and the man looks over his shoulder and shrugs and answers casually,
"Eh, it's okay. Pays the bills."
"I'll check out for you, don't worry about talking to the girl downstairs." Bayman suggests as the man closes the closet and slips on his shoes,
"Ah, thank you. Thanks for the message." The man bows to Bayman and then rushes out of the room and Bayman cackles maniacally as he jumps down onto the futon. He regrets it immediately, slamming his mouth onto the hard ground underneath and blood spills from his split lip.
"Dammit! What girl is going to kiss me with this?" He bounces up and rushes into the washroom and turns on the sink.
"Maybe I can say I fought a samurai or something...yea, I'll be like, 'You think this is bad, babe? You should've seen the other guy. I like, cut off his arms and then beat him to death wit em'. Hehe, yea!" Bayman turns off the water after splashing his mouth and then towel dries and rushes back into the main room. He takes off his shirt, sucks in his gut, and gets comfortable on the piece of carpet, "Bring on the hotness!" He whispers anxiously and as if on cue, the door swings open.
Bayman looks over intently, but quickly bounds to his feet as a tall, muscular man enters. Something is familiar about those fatigues and that white turban, but Bayman can't quite remember.
"Uh, you look familiar, do I know you?" Bayman asks baffled, fumbling to put his shirt back over his head and Leon looks around suspiciously and then back at Bayman,
"You don't remember me?" Bayman shakes his head and Leon bites back laughter and clears his throat, "Oh, well...I played Duke in the GI Joe, movie."
"Dude, you serious?! Shit, that's awesome! So you was all up in Scarlet right? Oh dude, that chick is mad hot! Damn!" Bayman quickly calms himself down, "But other than that...why are you here? I'm waiting for my girl so if you could please, no offense, Duke...ya know, hit the rocks?" Bayman steps forwards and Leon adjusts his uniform jacket,
"That's actually why I'm here. I don't act anymore, I work for...whoever you set up that appointment up with...and it appears there was a cancellation."
"What!" Bayman yells, attempting to grab Leon's shirt, but Leon counters and tosses him away, but still answers,
"Yea, it seems like a young man named Jann Lee called our offices and canceled the girl that was supposed to be delivered to this room."
Bayman's eyes go as wide as flying saucers and he works his jaw, attempting to find the words. And here he thought they had become friends. That they had left on good terms.
"How could he do that?! He's like Brutus and I'm...I dunno, some dude born in August. This is bullshit! How's he gonna play me like this?" Bayman drops to his knees and covers his face in grief and Leon sighs impatiently,
"Yea...that's terrible. Maybe you should find and confront him about it." Leon suggests a bit blatantly, but Bayman's an idiot.
"Great idea!" Bayman jumps back to his feet and dives into his pocket and laughs at the ticket, "The fool set himself up for failure! He thought he could screw me in the end, but the last screw will be mine!"
"That sounds kinda gay..." Leon observes, stepping backwards and Bayman looks over and points at the address,
"Do you know where this is?" Leon reaches out and Bayman surrenders the ticket without a second thought and Leon studies it,
"Let's go in my car, I'm sure we can find it."
Bayman follows Leon down the stairs in a dead sprint and they leave the hotel, waving good-bye to the very confused receptionist. Leon scans the area quickly with an eagle eye and Bayman taps him on the shoulder,
"Which car is yours?"
"That one!" Leon points to a blue car that pulls up to the curb and rushes towards it like an urban predator. A young woman opens the driver side door, but screams as Leon aggressively rushes up on her. He grabs her head forcefully and slams her forehead into the steering wheel, causing a 'honk' and then tosses her sprawling across the sidewalk.
"I've gotta pick up my kids!" She yells, but Leon ignores her and climbs in and Bayman doesn't hesitate to jump into the passenger seat.
"Was she the valet?" Bayman asks without an intelligent thought in his head and Leon looks out the window at the crying woman and nods,
"Yea..." He pulls away from the curb in a squeal of burning rubber, does a quick donut, and takes off down the wrong side of the road.
"I think you're supposed to drive on the other side!" Bayman screams as Leon wildly dodges oncoming traffic, sending cars spinning out of control and leaving carnage in his wake.
"Nah, kid, this is a new kind of driving. It's called drifting—oh geez, I even feel dirty bringing that up." Leon switches gears and speeds up and Bayman ducks down, hiding in between the dashboard and his seat,
"Are you sure you know where we're going?" He asks, shivering through fright and Leon takes his hands off the wheel for a second to check the ticket again and then nods,
"Yea, we're going the right way." He quickly jerks the car back onto the road after sending twenty-some civilians leaping out of the way, "And why you hassling me for anyways? I'm doing you a favor! Ungrateful kid."
It seems like an eternity of turns and jerks and spins before the car comes to a halt and Bayman lifts his head and peaks out of his hiding place. Leon looks down with a half smirk, half scowl,
"We're here. You should probably lead so Jann doesn't recognize—I mean, since your the one that knows what he looks like." Bayman nods his head uncertainly and pushes the door open and slides himself into the dirt parking lot. The massive tea house is tucked away from the road and civilization in general, but its impressive none-the-less. The outside walls sparkle with meticulous lights and a large red tori gate is erected in front of the entrance.
Bayman pulls himself up off the ground and walks down the cobblestone path to the building with Leon walking a cautious five steps back. Bayman pushes open the wooden doors and is immediately welcomed by two stunning young women wearing green kimonos. The warm, tranquil ambiance of the place could only be transcended by Mount Olympus itself.
"Welcome!" They both say with respectful bows and Bayman wipes drool from his mouth.
"Uh, Hi. We're looking for a friend of mine." Bayman explains and the two women step away from the entrance and point towards the main hallway leading deeper into the tea house,
"You are welcome to find him, but you mustn't slide open any screens that are red. Those are...important clients."
"Inappropriate stuff is going on behind those?" Bayman asks intrigued and the women giggle,
"Please just don't open them."
Bayman shrugs and nods and leads the way deeper into the tea house, the enticing smells of sweets, tea, and sake pulling him forwards. Lining the walls are closed screens, leading to other rooms and Bayman smiles at seeing a red one. He reaches for it, but Leon reaches out and catches his arm,
"Do you not listen kid?"
"Oh c'mon, when girls say, 'don't', they mean, 'only a little'." He grabs the handle and rips the screen open before the occupants have time to clothe and he almost gags.
Two Japanese men, dressed in samurai robes and white loin clothes balance backwards on each other's shoulders as a young Geisha throws raw fish at their already red and dripping ass cheeks. They all look over at Bayman and Leon with frozen expressions of embarrassment and Bayman chokes,
"What in God's name..." He whispers lowly, but Leon slams the screen back closed and slaps Bayman across the back of the head,
"You see what happens! Now find you're Chinese friend so I can do my—I mean, let's keep looking for your...friend..."
Bayman gathers himself and shakes the image from his mind as he continues down the hallway until it merges with an even larger room with a massive stage up front. Men and women are gathered around the stage watching a graceful Geisha wearing a flowing red and white kimono dance atop it mellifluously, spinning two large fans with her petite wrists angelically.
"She got moves." Leon says leaning backwards against the wall as the Geisha hops across the stage, does a back flip, and then starts spinning her legs in the air like a helicopter propeller, balancing on her arms.
"She trying to serve somebody?" Bayman asks as another Geisha comes on stage, wearing an identical kimono and the two spin towards each other like tops and start kicking their legs together, doing some sort of 'Kid 'n Play' moves.
"Can I help you two?" A young woman asks from beside and Bayman looks over at a young black haired girl, struggling to balance three baskets of soiled clothes on her shoulders. Bayman discreetly glances at her name tag, among other things, and smiles,
"Yes, Kokoro, you can."
"Sure thing, what is it?" Kokoro stumbles slightly, but catches her balance as her knees begin to wobble.
"I'm looking for a Chinese guy about our age. He's got spiky black hair and--"
"Jann Lee?" She asks knowingly and Bayman nods quickly,
"Yea, is he here?"
"Oh, no, he's on his way to California to find my daddy. He thought he was still here, but daddy left a few weeks ago with his new business partner...I guess he's visiting some lady he makes me call 'Aunt Maria'. His sister I guess? Maybe, but my mom says daddy's a man whore and that--"
Leon growls and holds his hand up with a peremptory snap,
"Hey, little girl! What time did he leave?" He asks in an eager rush and Bayman looks over with a questioning eye,
"Why are you so passionate about this?" Leon clears his throat loudly,
"I like you, little buddy. But enough emotions, let's go." Leon turns and hurries off and Bayman bows to Kokoro,
"Thanks, Kokoro, if we ever meet again I'll bring you a present. Like a new shamisen or something."
Kokoro giggles and claps her hands together, dropping all the dirty laundry,
"Can I play Guitar Hero on it?" She asks excitedly and Bayman shrugs uncertainly,
"I'm not sure...maybe if it has a USB adapter, but...listen I don't know." Bayman turns around and rushes after Leon as Kokoro begins dancing around, pretending she's strumming on an invisible stringed instrument.
Bayman crouches back down in his safe place as Leon speeds through the night streets of Tokyo, and Bayman has to chuckle to himself at ending off the expedition at the same place they started. Leon screeches to a hurried stop, ignoring the 'no-parking' sign and rushes up onto the sidewalk. Bayman reaches out, ready to warn Leon about the roaming stampede of businessmen, but Leon violently storms through them, sending black suits and cellphones flying through the air.
Bayman smirks as he follows through the gap in the herd and follows Leon into the bustling airport and they both study the crowd. Bayman pushes through the bustle and sees Jann sitting smugly in the lobby in front of a gate. Bayman slams his hand into his fist as he walks towards the double crosser. He pushes a little girl out of his way, and then kicks an occupied kennel sliding across the floor. Nothing will stop him from exacting his vengeance.
"I got knives for sale!" Bayman yells loudly and Jann groggily looks over and his eyes widen, "If you want one, you'll have to yank them out of my back!" Bayman scowls at Jann as the Chinese boy stands up confused,
"Hey, Bayman! How'd you find me? Come to see me off?" He smiles and Bayman clinches his hand into a fist and swings, but misses by a good foot. Jann catches the chubbier boy before he falls and hauls him back to his feet,
"Are you drunk or something?"
"No, and it's thanks to you, psychopath! I could be slurping sake off of a Japanese hookers' booty right now, but you had to come along!"
"What are you talking about?"
"You canceled my girl, damn you! What did I ever do to you? You were a brother to me! I loved you!" Bayman grabs Jann's shirt and reaches back again, but Jann looks passed Bayman and spots Leon walking towards them.
"Oh shit, Bayman, look!" Jann easily dodges the next attack and spins Bayman around to face Leon, "This is no time to be fighting each other!
"Don't worry about him, he's my muscle!" Bayman demands, pulling away from Jann and Jann's mouth gapes,
"What are you talking about? You brought him here?!"
"Your damn right! Now whatchu gonna do?" Jann slams his fist into Bayman's gut, sending the boy squealing to the floor and then kicks him in the face.
"You, doop! He's the man that Amalda sent!" Jann explains furiously, ripping Bayman's shoe off his foot and then starts slamming it into his back. Bayman covers his head as he rolls back and forth, trying to distribute the punishment,
"It's not my fault! When he came to me, he was wearing a Kabuki mask!" Jann stops hitting him for a second,
"Serious?"
"No...I'm just a dumbass..." Bayman starts crying and Jann stops lashing him and tosses his shoe back.
He flexes his muscles and prepares himself as Leon finally reaches them after stopping to buy a Pepsi from the concession stand.
"There's nowhere to run, Jann. Just give this up and come with me."
"You tricked me, Lion!" Bayman cries from the ground and Leon looks down and nods,
"Yes, I did, but I'm not a French skateboarding punk that wears an orange life vest. I actually could have killed you, but I figured you're about as pitiful as a fin-less fish."
"What? No fins at all? I can't even have one working one like Nemo!" Bayman continues crying and Jann sighs,
"We're not going back, Leon. Keep trying, but I'm not one to give up."
"Nor am I." Leon takes an intimidating step forwards, but Jann holds his hands out quickly,
"Wait, one final wish?" Leon stops and looks at him with a leery squint, but nods. Jann smirks and spins around, "Kikuchi-san!" A little old lady turns around slowly and Jann curses, "Nagashima-kun!" A little boy looks up from his lolipop and Jann slaps himself, "Uh, Furukawa Toshio-dono!" Finally an official of airport security turns around and Jann points,
"This guy is a terrorist! Check out the Taliban Turban!" Jann yells and Leon attempts to grab him, but like a ninja, probably because he is one, Toshio leaps forwards and grabs Leon around the neck. Leon chokes as he is pulled backwards and Jann turns and runs towards the gate as the plane begins boarding. He stops halfway though, forgetting his doop of a partner, "Bayman, you ass, get up!" A new hope sparkles in Bayman's eyes as he scrambles to his feet and follows, running with only one shoe.
"Hey, get off me!" Leon yells as he struggles away from Toshio, but more Japanese ninja security enclose his position and trap him in a tight circle, "Oh, c'mon, I don't want to have fight you little Korean midgets!"
"What you say? Do I look Korean?!" Toshio yells, ripping his katana from its sheathe and Leon scowls at him,
"Would I have said it if you didn't?"
"You trying to terrorize the Japanese people with your threatening bombs? Just because we had our army taken away? You serve Kim Jong?"
"Woah, wait, now you're calling me Korean?" Leon looks over his shoulder and scowls as Jann and Bayman disappear through the gate, "Geez, c'mon! I have to catch those boys! I need the money! This bitch Rolande has been trying to hit me up with child support payments for like ten months. I'm broke, dammit!"
"We don't care...any and every kind of terrorist must be brought down!" Leon only has time to thrust his arms in front of his face as ten katanas flash at his face.
Jann Lee and Bayman plop down in their seats huffing, puffing, and laughing all at once.
"I'm sorry I almost got us caught, Jann. We still boyz?" Bayman puts his closed fist out and Jann smirks and finishes off the daps,
"Yea, I guess. We started this shit together, let's finish it in the land of opportunity! Loose girls, crooked cops, and hackneyed cinema. You feelin it?" Bayman nods excitedly,
"I'm just sorry that you had to pay for my ticket since I'm broke.
"Oh yea, that reminds, me, what did you do with your money?"
A bleeding Leon stumbles into room 315 and turns on the light, surprised to a see a Japanese girl standing in the middle of the room wearing some crazy ass clothes that ridiculously epitomize self expression...but the pink dyed hair aint bad.
"There you, gawd, I've been waiting for like two hours." Leon begins unbuttoning his shirt and looks up,
"Which one are you? Love, Angel, Music, or Baby?" The girl contorts her pink and silver painted face in confusion,
"What?"
"It doesn't matter, I've had a long day. Just take off your clothes."