A/N: Well, between reading a few more fanfics, working on some other projects, and having the most finicky computer this side of "I'm a Mac… and I'm a PC" ads, I'm BACK! And you know what that means… it's time to get this damn show on the road!

The first thing Andy sensed as he regained consciousness was that someone was in his hospital room… someone familiar.

It couldn't be Mai… for her to make a recovery so quick after that kind… entirely out of the picture. Probably just Terry, dropping in, waiting for him to wake up so they could discuss what this meant. Either that or Eiji or Kim…

"Andy."

No. That was a female voice.

He slowly opened up one of his eyes, seeing the woman he loved sitting on a chair next to his bed. Her choice of civilian clothing was less than… modest… but at least it covered enough of her well enough he wasn't seeing if she had any grave injuries still there.

"How you doing?" Andy asked… the redheaded ninja smiling at the remark before shaking her head.

"Me? Shiranui mental training… it's not that ineffective. Truth be told… though…" she sighed, turning aside… "I was thinking it as… motivation."

"What?"

Mai seemed to tense up. "I… I used you. You care a lot about me, and before I go any further, know it's returned in full. It's just… I thought that maybe… if you were driven enough… you'd get angryenoughandfightyourwaytothefinalsandkillGeeseinitand-"

"Stop," Andy groaned as he leaned up. She turned to him, a look of shock on her face.

No… he wouldn't…

"Don't go any further… I understand."

Oh God… what have I-

"It's okay." The look on Mai's face let Andy know that wasn't what she had expected. "You… you had faith I'd get through it all, right?"

"Well, yeah… you're not that bad a fighter. That Benimaru character just ends up frying people's nerves and they lose because they can't move. Heidern lost to him that way."

"That's more faith than Terry probably has in me." Another silence followed… Mai surprised by him yet again. "I mean… he really doesn't care if we win or not… He's too preoccupied with those goddamn scrolls. And you're going to be needing a new team next year anyways… Come to think of it, Eiji and I might end up talking Kim into taking a year off for sabbatical… Would you-"

"Sure." A quick kiss later, Mai was out the door, whistling as if all was fine.


Athena collapsed on the bed, nearly exhausted from her little showstopper not too terribly long ago.

Iori had given his gruff farewell before staggering off to his room. Apparently some "idiot" was writing some anime crossover AU webcomic and Asuka from Neon Genesis Evangelion was in it…

And she just happened to have an outfit that looked exactly like his and wielded a certain magatama-shaped Sacred Treasure as a blunt weapon.

Kyo smiled as he walked into the apartment after Athena, glad another day's battle was over. He took off his jacket and headband, sitting down on the bed next to Athena. He smiled at the sight of her… she certainly had done a lot for him, and Kyo rested his hand on her shoulder. "How's it going?"

"Okay…" she responded, straightening up and then leaning her back against Kyo, breathing nice and slow. "Just doing some thinking and all."

"About what?"

"Well…" Athena started to say. That voice in her mind was telling her… to take it slow. She thought it wise. "For one… what would it be like to truly, seriously, hurt a friend, someone you cared about. But knowing you had to do it no matter what?"

"Well, I'd say try to talk to them first, talk them out of it," Kyo said in response, wrapping his arms around her waist and enjoying the quiet moment with her. Just being here, able to forget about the Orochi and his match against the Boss Team that would no doubt come about in just a few days… "If not, well… do what you can. If they're really your friend, and you're really theirs, don't you think they'd want you to knock them back to their sense?"

"Sure, I guess…" Athena said, closing her eyes and letting it go. "You wanna stay like this for a bit?"

"Well, we'll have to move sometime… like breakfast or a shower or something."

"Yeah, but this feels like… like an important time. Catch your breath, regain your focus on life and everything… that sorta thing."

"Maybe…" he checked his watch. "Wow… it's pretty late. Wonder if your buddy Sie and my buddy Shingo are fighting the Kyokugen Team yet…"

"Probably… think they've lost yet?" she joked, a few giggles escaping at the throat. Kyo took the joke quite well, chuckling at the remark.

"They're not that bad… Sie just didn't get off his ass and train. Otherwise, he woulda smoked Eiji. Beni's tougher than ever, and Shingo… well, what he lacks in experience and special techniques, he makes up for with a strong will and work ethic…"

Athena laughed at the last part. "Funny… Sie and Shingo… so similar, yet totally different in regards to their work ethics, eh?"

"Yeah."


Shingo yelped in shock as he slid away, his jacket smoldering from the heat of Yuri's Haoh-Sho-Koh-Ken. The fight had only been going on for a few moments, yet he found Yuri to be very much not the inexperienced fighter her youthful appearance implied. The selections for this match had been rather… obvious for both teams.

One, Sie felt himself not worthy to fight just yet. Instead, he had contacted Master Chin and get some advice. No matter what, he promised that he'd fight in the next round of the Loser's Bracket.

Two, Robert and Ryo were thoroughly hammered by their injuries handed to them by Geese and his bodyguard. Though Yuri had also been hammered by Geese, that had been at the end of the fight, whereas Robert had suffered against a full-powered Geese's blows.

Lastly, Benimaru was claiming his back was acting up again… leaving the poor schoolboy that was neither blessed with his "master's" flames, psychic powers and the abilities of a Serpent God, OR the electrical powers endowed by a giant radiosphinctopragmomitor.

So it fell on the greenest of the Benimaru Team's members to make a desperate stand against a girl with nearly 25 years of Kyokugenryu training. Sure, Shingo had barely beaten Kim… but Yuri was also younger, more spry and energetic than Kim.

Not a good mix when that essentially meant Shingo wouldn't be able to defend well against her offensive moves and her Raiou fighting style, which was far superior in regards of defense, also meant that she would be able to easily counter most of Shingo's attacks.

Of course, when nothing you did would really work, it also meant you felt no shame in pretty much trying anything and everything and hope for the best… and Shingo, in his heart of heart, was an optimist.

Jumping up and raising his legs to just barely avoid Yuri's Koah-ken, Shingo charged and punched at her. She threw up a short-range energy field that blasted him back. Shingo roared in frustration, performing a Shingo Kick. Hopefully the plow would arc over her technique-

"KOAH-KEN!"

Yuri had sprung into the air while Shingo had been thinking, his plan not expecting this. The attack missed him, however, hitting the ground right below him…

And then unfortunately burst up into the air hitting Shingo hard. He hit the ground on his back, groaning as Yuri stood a good distance away, catching her breath and hoping Shingo wouldn't get up after that. True, she'd been dominating the fight, and the fans here at the Southtown Stadium as well as the fellow members of the Kyokugenryu School were chanting her name, she really couldn't keep this up forever.

Beating Geese took everything from her… and even with a few days of recovery, she wasn't back up to full strength. And now she was up against just a kid that idolized Kusanagi yet had no chance of ever living up to his legacy. Yet Shingo was the kind of person that wouldn't care even if he was kicked into a pile of dogshit… or at least Yuri felt that way. He'd probably get up and wipe himself off and take a shower as soon as possible.

That was a noble trait, but that also made keeping him down damn near impossible.

Shingo roared in frustration as he got to his feet and kicked at her, arcing up at about a 30-degree angle while kicking several times. One of Kyo's ploys, although Shingo's was by far slower. She shot up in a Yuri Chou Upper, but suddenly Shingo yelped out in shock.

His legs… when he had been bringing his left leg in, hit bashed into his right, throwing off his balance and causing his angle in the air to be adjusted. He ended up falling right on Yuri, the two of them hitting the ground and wincing in the pain.

They were both really wishing the other one wouldn't get up, yet Yuri and Shingo managed to rise to their feet again as Shingo threw his school jacket off.

"Wha-what's the matter?" Yuri asked with a grin on her face, "Getting tired?"

"Tired?" Shingo panted back, "You're out of your mind!" He ran at Yuri, wondering why she didn't try a Koah-Ken or something…

Just as he reached the girl, she launched her attack… a weak, point-blank Koah-Ken that would have been an embarrassment to Kyokugenryu, except that Shingo was as tired, if not more tired than Yuri, and bent back by the impact of it. He staggered back, trying to drive away the ringing in his ears, the pain in his chest, the black void that was consuming his eyesight.

"YURI! WIPE HIM OUT!" Ryo, Robert, and King shouted from the sidelines, Takuma leading Yuri's fellow Kyokugen practitioners to cheer her on as she pulled back for one final punch. She would've done a Ryuko Ranbu… but Yuri doubted she had the force to really do a Ranbu.

Her fist sailed out as Shingo managed to upright himself, seeing the attack. He ducked barely in time, Yuri forcing herself to raise her knee up and smash into Shingo's chin. Yet… she didn't feel the impact yet… she looked down, seeing Shingo rise up into the air pound her in the face with his fist, although he immediately felt the pain of the ploy.

Both contestants, on their last ounces of strength, staggered away. Yuri pulled back for a Koah-Ken… hoping she had enough left in her for at least a small one as Shingo began what was likely his last suicide rush.

Yuri thrust her hand out, her palm hitting Shingo's chest just as his fist was about to hit her.

Time stood still… but nothing happened… and then Shingo's fist hit her clean in the face. Another and another came, the infamous "Burning Shingo"… Shingo smiling as he pulled back for the last blow. Yuri was staggering around… easy pickings. He wasn't much better off but…

No… don't do this to me… Yuri thought, Ryo and Robert have found incredible strength in themselves before… the next level… let… Shingo was about to hit her. Let me have that strength too!

"HAOH-SHI-KOH-KEN!"

True, Yuri was in no condition to create a respectable Shi-Koh-Ken. But the force that smashed into Shingo's chest just as his last blow connected to her face was enough. Shingo slid across the arena floor, the ground being torn up as Yuri began her slow, gradual fall to the ground, the young Japanese boy not even a split-second behind her in the descent.

In short, they hit the ground together.

A draw.

The refs looked around as the infamous Boss Team came into view… they were expecting their match… but who really deserved to win here?

Debates suddenly sprang up as different opinions were presented… Takuma's ironically celebrating the fact another one of his students had performed the infamous Haoh-Shi-Koh-Ken. The girl, barely conscious, found herself in the arms of Robert, Shingo still lying there before she called out for Ryo to help him up.

Goenitz suddenly winced… as if sensing something as the eventual decision was announced.

"We have come to a conclusion concerning this fight!" shouted one of the announcers, "Considering this is the Loser's Bracket and this is a double-elimination, meaning no 'third chance' and no tie-breakers… we declare… Double Elimination!"

Crowds suddenly began booing as Maki and Geese looked over at Leopold.

"Quetz… what is it?"

"We've got trouble here… serious trouble…"

As if responding to his remark, the sky darkened almost instantly, the refs looking around. Technically, the Boss Team would be up against the Team Fatal Fury next… and then the winner would go up against the Japan Team for the final round… but Billy and the others weren't here… and the final round wasn't scheduled until tomorrow.

The weather didn't make matters any better, so the tournament was suspended until the next day, something Geese was glad for as he walked away, wondering which hakama he'd wear in battle against the Japan Team.

"Quetz… Maki…"

"Yes?" they asked in unison.

"I'm going to head for home. Call me if you get any breakthroughs in researching this. Sound good?"

"Sure, Geese," Goenitz said in response, "We'll meet up with Chizuru after she's done visiting Vice and Mature and head back to the hotel."

He nodded and gave them a small salute, smiling. Those two… they certainly were close. Spending two years hunting down Chris, Yashiro, and Shermie could make two people form a relationship, and they certainly enjoyed that time together. Then there was Chizuru, Maki's little sister who certainly enjoyed life to the fullest and was overjoyed with Celia and Emily's return. And of course, they were good friends with Leona too… the youngest of the four yet possibly the most mature.

True, those two secretaries had spent a great deal of time together with nothing but each other to trust in when they were in Rugal's clutches, but Leona herself had killed pretty much everyone she knew as a child and then deliberately joined a mercenary organization. Geese wondered if she ever wished to be a normal person… hell, she was younger than Kusanagi!

They all had reasons for doing this… helping out people escape from the Serpent Gods. How had he… a former crime kingpin been connected with such people? Why would he ever have a reason to help any of them? He certainly believed that science didn't have every explanation out there... although he was smart enough to know it explained many things quite well. But seriously… there was no monetary gain in doing any of this whatsoever, unlike when Goenitz had first made that deal with him what seemed like centuries ago.

"Geese."

Geese blinked, wondering where he was and who had called to him. He immediately found himself at home, the unusual, red eyes of Marie looking at his own eyes, a soft smile on her face that hid behind it the mind of an intelligent and poised woman… someone who had figured out who he had really been after a few hours together with nothing whatsoever than a name -which he'd taken from an arcade game- and a face that she probably had never seen before.

This was what he fought for.

Moving in, he kissed her warmly on the lips. "Marie, it is very good to see you."


"You thinkin' it's time yet?" Ash asked, irritated.

"Not at all," Elisabeth responded. "We keep waiting."

"But-"

CRACK!

"We wait."

A/N: Two fights. Two fights remain in the King of Fighters 1997. Yet all Hell will break out before they are over and done with, and the fight that Geese Howard will find himself in will test everything he has learned since he reformed. And the question he may not be around to answer is Can you Atami Nage a Psycho Crusher?