Heya minna-san! Jurei-chan here! Chapter four of 'The Tournament' (wow! When I started, I didn't think I'd even get to chapter 2!) Domo for the kind reviews! I know that many of you are waiting for Sakura to appear (heck, that's what we all want!), but I have to get everything in place first! If I feel like it, I might just have her make a surprise appearance, but that still won't happen until at least chapter 5. Please review the story! For those of you that like action, there's another fight in this chapter (but of a different kind). Some important information gained!
Arigatos:
Disclaimer:
Dedication:
Now, to the fic!
The Tournament (When Worlds Collide)
A CCS fanfic by Jurei
"Ryushi?"
The warrior looked back at the sound of his name, seeing the form of the younger male in the semi darkness. They had left almost immediately after Syaoran had agreed to joining the Tournament. Syaoran had said a fond goodbye to his mother, who had surprisingly not begged him to stay. Instead, she looked at him with a look that spoke of sadness, but with understanding. "This is your destiny, Xiao Lang," she had told him, "You are, after all, your father's son. It is in your blood to fight for Good, and to make us all proud."
Now out in the world, travelling with the elder fighter, Syaoran had begun to think more of what lay ahead than what he had left behind.
"Na-ni?"
Syaoran looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What does that mean?"
"I forgot that you aren't used to Japanese. It means 'What'."
"You're Japanese?" asked the youth in half surprise.
"Yeah…" answered Ryushi lazily, "Now, what was it you wanted to know?"
"Where did you say we were headed for, again?"
"The portal to the Lookout. There's one placed at each place where it is most convenient for us. The Lookout is what you could call a 'midway point' between all the Worlds. It's a pretty long trek to the one nearest to us, as we haven't really recruited fighters from Hong Kong that much." Explained the blonde male.
"And where is this mystical portal you speak of?" asked Syaoran slightly irritatedly. The lack of sleep, especially after the battle with Ryushi was beginning to show. Sure, the Senzu beans had healed him, but he was still tired.
Ryushi looked back at Syaoran, and flashed a devilish grin.
"Japan."
*******
The sun rose in an incredible display of colour, bright oranges, yellows, and reds stretching across the morning sky in brilliant arcs. However, one traveler's mood didn't match that of the day.
Syaoran grumbled as he followed the elder warrior, faint mutterings of 'stupid portal and 'I can't believe (mutter mutter) JAPAN!' being made audible at times. They had traveled the whole night through, without stopping once for a break. Syaoran got the sneaking suspicion that Ryushi was taking an odd pleasure in making him suffer like this, or that is was another one of his 'tests', one that provided him with a strange sense of entertainment.
Being so preoccupied with his mutterings, he didn't notice Ryushi stop. Instead, he continued to walk.
"Hey! Xiao Lang! Did you plan on taking an early morning swim?" came the voice of the subject of thought.
Syaoran snapped out of thought just in time to prevent himself from falling into a body of water. Looking up, he realized where they were.
"The…ocean." He said in recognition.
"Didn't think we'd walk all the way to Japan, did you?" said Ryushi in a teasing sort of voice.
"Umm…no." said Syaoran, turning red. This brought another question to his mind.
"But… how are we going to get across? I don't see any boats."
Ryushi looked at Syaoran, smiling the smile again. "Oh, you're gonna love this." He said.
Syaoran sweat-dropped nervously.
*******
"They should be here any minute." Said Ryushi, squinting up at the sky.
Syaoran looked over at him from where he was leaned on a particularly large rock "You've been saying that for the last twenty minutes." He observed dryly.
Ryushi ignored the comment, continuing his scouting of the sky. Suddenly, he jumped up. "'Cause I was right." He said quickly, "Here they come."
The young warrior switched his point of focus to look at the area that Ryushi had been intently watching. What he saw almost made his heart stop.
Approaching them at an incredible speed was a large mass, wings beating powerfully and rhythmically as each new flap moved it forward an incredible distance.
A dragon.
The immense creature was a fiery red colour, becoming more distinguishable from the fading sunrise as it came nearer and nearer. In almost no time at all, Syaoran could see every incredible detail of the magnificent beast. He also noticed a figure sitting astride its back, hand holding a gnarled oak staff with a glowing red stone in it. The figure was dressed in shining red armour that matched the shade of the dragon's hide, with a magnificent helmet upon its head.
An incredible whoosh of air was felt as the dragon and rider passed overhead, landing on the ground mere feet from Syaoran and Ryushi.
"Hey Húmi! How have you been lately?" asked the green-eyed male, "Dragon raising been demanding?"
The dragon folded its wings, as the rider jumped off its back. Walking over to the waiting pair, they raised the visor of the helmet to reveal a pair of intense dark umber coloured eyes and serious eyebrows.
"You wouldn't know the half of it." Said Húmi, in answer to Ryushi's question, "Too bad that there aren't more like Darun here."
Syaoran observed Húmi to be of slight build, lithe, but strong and muscular. 'Judging by his muscles,' he thought, 'dragon training must be a really hard and physically demanding job.'
Noticing Syaoran, the dragon rider spoke to Ryushi. "So…is this the recruit you were sent to test?"
"Yeah…this is Xiao Lang." He answered, gesturing at the youth, "Kwaihu's son."
Húmi looked at him with more interest. "Kwaihu's son? We've heard lots about you at the training ground. Glad to have you onboard, kid!"
Syaoran took the outstretched hand offered to him. "Nice to meet you." He said. 'Wow, this guy has a hell of a grip!' he thought, wincing at the pressure exerted in the friendly exchange.
"Well…we should get going," Said Húmi, "if we want to get back to the Lookout before Shikoku and his gang clean out the place."
"Shikoku's back?" asked Ryushi in an excited voice.
"Hai." Answered the red clad dragon trainer, leading the two to the enormous mass that was their mode of transport across the ocean.
Syaoran looked slightly nervously at it, feeling the shear power that it held within. No time for shying, though, as Ryushi and Húmi were already climbing onto its back. He noted that there was a large seat, something resembling a saddle fastened tightly to the creature. Húmi sat down, strapping the armoured legs into braces that were place on the side. Ryushi and Syaoran quickly followed suit.
"Did he say how the assignment went?"
Húmi sighed. "From the way he looked, I'd say…not so well. He'll tell everyone later. First he has to report to Raiden-sama."
Taking the oak staff, the rider said some things in a language that Syaoran didn't understand. The blood red stone began to hum and glow brightly, red energy swirling around. Darun (the dragon, for those of you that have a really short memory span) promptly stood up, and with a swift beat of his wings, they were airborne.
Syaoran held on to the seat in front of him, closing his eyes. The ride was incredibly fast, to the point where it almost hurt to keep your eyes open. He could understand now why the dragon rider wore a visor and helmet. Ryushi, quite the opposite, was enjoying it to the full. "WHOOHOOO!" he cried happily, feeling the wind whip through his blonde spikes with immense force.
After reaching a certain altitude, Darun slowed slightly, to the point where Syaoran could comfortably look down and see the ocean far below. The sun glistened on the deep blue surface, sparkling invitingly off the waves. He could even see a small island now and again, some slightly bit enough to hold inhabitants, while some were little more than sea swept rocks.
"We should be there in a little while." Said Húmi; eyes focused in concentration as the staff channeled thought, telling Darun where to go, "Feel free to take the opportunity to sleep. Trust me, you'll need it."
Syaoran listened to the sound advice and lay back, letting the faraway sound of the waves, barely audible, with the rhythmic flapping of the dragon's wings lull him into a peaceful slumber…
~WHOOSH~
A giant wind suddenly rushed past them, followed by an incredible heat. Before they knew what was going on, Darun was going into a barrel roll, narrowly avoiding a jet of purple energy.
"Kuso…" muttered Húmi, "It seems like news about you, kid, has gone around."
Syaoran turned to look in the direction that the armoured pilot was observing. There he saw a figure dressed in black armour, mounted on a dragon of the same colour. Their visor was down; blocking vision of their face, and in their hand they held a gnarled staff with a purple gem placed atop.
The mysterious attacker fired another purple beam at the red dragon, coming within a hare's breath of the riders as the mount dipped lower by its master's command. Húmi was already performing a complex spin in the air, anticipating the next shot.
'I have to admit,' thought Syaoran as their mount avoided another blast, 'Húmi's good…but so's the other guy.'
A strange fire began to burn in the eyes of the red pilot. The dark umber began to come to life in a wrathful storm as each blast came near enough to feel the heat of the energy. It seemed that each attack fuelled the fire, building its intensity. Then, a stray blast hit Darun's wing, causing the dragon to cry out in pain.
Húmi snapped. Bright, hot, red energy began to build in a great sphere at the end of the oak staff. Darun dove in an incredibly drop, wings tucked tightly into his body as he sped quickly towards the surface of the ocean far below. Suddenly, the giant wings spread out, catching the air and soaring upwards. Húmi concentrated as the energy built, and the red dragon gained the lost altitude with breathtaking speed. Human and beat seemed to become one as they circled behind the attacker, flying with the wings at almost vertical angles.
"HYUUUUU!"
Húmi released the blast, and Darun shot a stream of flames at the black dragon. The armoured warrior turned just in time to see the spinning ball of flame and red energy hit full force.
Syaoran looked in sickened shock as the rider disintegrated into dust. The large black mass that was the dragon fell in a dizzying drop, finally hitting the surface of the sea and disappearing beneath the waves.
Ryushi put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Save your pity for those he killed," he said quietly, "He wouldn't have thought twice about doing the same to us."
Syaoran nodded. He realized that he would need to get used to death if he was to engage in something a lethal as the Tournament.
"It's too bad that we can't prove that the side of Evil was behind that." Ryushi continued, "It's against the laws of the Tournament to attack scouts of the other force when they are recruiting."
"Speaking of recruiting," said Húmi, "I almost forgot. We aren't going straight back to the Lookout. Xiu decided that since you were passing this way, you would test another recruit, a Japanese one."
Ryushi laughed. "Never a break!" he jokingly complained, "and Japanese recruits are usually though opponents! But why didn't he tell me before I left?"
"They just sensed this one's power a little while ago." Answered Húmi casually, "Strong magical and fighting ablility, but it's been well hidden until now. I believe that they live in a small village, well hidden in the mountains."
"I've heard of that place!" exclaimed Syaoran, "I remember my father telling me that they turn out excellent fighters, but are rarely chosen to help. I wonder why…"
********
"Here we are! Japan!"
Darun landed in an area thickly covered by pines. The grove was secluded, but the solitude was oddly beautiful.
The recruit, the scout and the dragon warrior dismounted. The fiery red dragon lay down on the ground. Húmi removed the helmet, holding it under the heavily armoured arm. "He's really tired from that battle." The voice was edged with concern as the dragon seemed to collapse under the hand placed on his hide.
Syaoran looked at Húmi in surprise. "You're...you're…a girl?"
The red pilot tossed her raven black hair carelessly over her shoulder and smiled at the astonished youth. "Yeah…so?" she asked casually, running a gloved hand through the ebony tresses.
Ryushi was virtually rolling on the ground, laughing.
*******
In a secluded area of the woods, the auburn-haired young woman stood up, suddenly alert. She could have sworn she heard voices…
Listening hard, she strained her hearing to see if it had been her imagination.
For a long time, she heard nothing; just the sound of the wind moving softly through the pines. Just as she was about to give it up, she heard the unmistakable sound of someone laughing.
Taking out her unusual weapons, she carefully and silently headed off in the direction of the noise.
********
Well, that's all for this chapter, minna! I guess SOMEONE made a surprise appearance earlier than expected! (The whole point of a surprise appearance is that people DON'T expect it! Lol) The certain character should come into the actual main story in the next chapter, so stay tuned! (and please stop asking me if she will appear or not!) Arigato, and please review!-Oh! I almost forgot! Since this is a dangerous style tournament fic, there will be some death. That also means that some well-liked character(s) might die, as well as opponents. It won't be particularly gory, like the Mortal Kombat game, but there will be death, just to warn you.
ULT-(useless little tidbit)
Opinion: I think that western fighters and robots have no place in 'Mortal Kombat', ie. Jonny Cage, Syrax, Smoke(robot), Jaxx, and Stryker. For gosh sakes, it's a MARTIAL ARTS thing! No guns! ANYONE can just shoot someone! That takes no particular fighting skill, and is WAY more boring than watching cool flips, kicks, punches, and special attacks.
Martial Arts rule#1: Mizu no Kokoro (a mind like water)
Focus and automatic reaction is the key to emerging the victor.
Songs…: "Top of the World"-Rascalz, "My Console"-Eiffel 65, "Komodo (save a soul)"-Mauro Picotto, "Lámour Toujours"-Gigi D'agostino , "More Kombat"- Mortal Kombat II CD