Author's Note: Once again, sorry for the lengthy delay. But, I do intend to continue this. First though, I wanna say thanks to Chibs and Steven Hopkins for the reviews. The reviewers are the people that keep these stroies goin'! (Chibs, I KNEW you'd like it...:p ) Anywayz, on with the story! ^_^
Chapter 5:
Aftermath
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Ren and the others finally left the main area of the Octagon, heading through the throngs of fans, heading toward the backstage area. Jessica had her arms folded the whole time. She glanced at Ren repeatedly, noticing his seemingly overjoyed facial expressions.
"Is that goofy grin permanent or something?"
Ren's smile became a bit more nervous, as he scratched at his hair. He chuckled lightly, trying to look cool.
"Um...heh...I'm just excited, that's all."
"Yeah...I can tell that much." Jessica turned up her chin, uttering a small "hmph". Attempting to break the awkward feeling, Tony walked alongside Ren.
"Man, that was some intense fighting back there, huh!? The best I've ever seen!"
Ren smirked, partly relieved that Jessica had finally laid off him for a minute.
"Yeah. Every match was exciting. They were all top-notch fighters."
"Who was your favorite?"
"I think it was that ninja girl....Kasumi."
Ren's eyes widened when he said Kasumi's name, and he almost immediately wished he could take the words back. He could literally feel Jessica's ice-cold glare piercing right through his back, even though she decided to keep her mouth shut.
"Leon was alright....and I kinda liked Hitomi's style of Karate."
"Jann Lee was the best one. He used Jeet Kune Do." Eric claimed.
"Meh, Jann was OK." Ren said with a faint grin. Jann did fight exceptionally well...it would be interesting to meet him, Ren thought.
By this time, the group had reached the backstage entrance.
"Mr. Hokunaki? You've got the camera, right?" Tony asked. Ren's Grandfather nodded. The man guarding the entrance wore an expensive looking black suit, complete with black sunglasses and a headset. He asked for identification, and Ren happily flashed his backstage pass, followed by the others. The guard stepped aside, and they went in. The entrance area was modestly decorated, doors were toward the back of the room, with some DOA memorabillia postered on the walls.
"Where is everyone?" Ren turned to ask the guard.
"That door on the left." came the burly man's reply.
Ren nodded, nearly dashing for the door. He knocked, and Tina answered.
"Well, hey there! You guys here to see us? Come in, come in!"
Ren and co. entered, immersed into a large, lavishly decorated area. There was leather furniture ling each wall, gold plated chandeliers, elaborate lamps, and a fully decked entertainment system. Leon stood, arms folded, leaning up against one of the walls. He nodded in the group's direction. Hitomi sat on one of the couches, she rose to greet the group, her blue eyes sparkling.
"Hiya! What's your names?"
Ren stepped forward, answering for the group.
"I'm Ren Hokunaki, this is Eric, Tony, and Jessica. Oh, and that guy's my Grandpa."
"Pleased to make your acquaintance." Ren's grandfather said with a smile. Hitomi extended her hand, and Ren shook it. Her grip was suprisingly strong, Ren thought. She greeted everyone else, then Tina followed suit. Ren noticed that both girls had made a change of clothes, Tina now wearing a blue midriff shirt with zebra-print pants, Hitomi wearing her denim outfit along with her Phoenix T-shirt under the jacket. Suddenly, Ren heard a gruff voice bark from some adjacent part of the room.
"TIIIINAA!!"
"Umm...is that....?" Tony mumbled.
"Here I come, daddy!" Tina called. "Oh, you all have to meet my daddy."
Ren's face contorted a bit. Meeting Bass wasn't too high on his priority list, but he agreed to anyway. Tina led them through a hallway at the side of the room, into a smaller room where Bass sat. He held an icepack to his head, still looking like he was in a bit of pain since his match with Jann. Though he smiled broadly when he saw the group.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Armstrong." Ren said, before raising an eyebrow just a bit. "...You alright?"
"Yeah. This is nothin'! I'll be back to normal in a couple days or so."
The group went back into the main part of the leisure room, everyone being seated except for Ren.
"Where's the rest of the tournament fighters?" He inquired.
"Well," Hitomi started, "Jann Lee is over there, closer toward the back part of the room. But-"
Eric walked off before Hitomi could even finish, dragging Ren along, eager to meet Jann Lee. Ren couldn't complain, he wanted to see the beautiful kunoichi Kasumi. The two discovered that the leisure room was even larger than he originally thought, and was split into two rooms by a thin dividing wall with a door. They walked through, exploring the room. After a while, Eric spotted Jann, standing with his back to the room, looking out one of the windows. Ren froze, as Jann quickly turned to look over his shoulder. Jann gazed at both of them, in his trademark icy glare. He stared a Eric for a few moments, Eric's mouth agape, as a few words tried to force themselves through his mouth. Then, Jann turned his gaze to Ren, and the two stared at each other for what felt like an hour to Ren. Ren could feel Jann Lee's aura, his pure fighting spirit. He was sure Eric could feel it too.... Jann Lee's face remained motionless, though it seemed he felt something similar. Eric finally found the words, and spoke up.
"So, you're Jann Lee...! I'm so glad to meet you. You fought really well..."
Jann simply nodded, the movement just barely enough to notice.
"...Um, you guys gonna just stand there and have a staring contest, or what?" It was Tina. She and Hitomi peeked into the room from the doorway. Jann Lee shook his head, mumbling something under his breath. He then turned, walking past Ren and Eric, to the rear exit, without a word. Jann glanced at Ren once more, before leaving. Tina just shook her head slowly. Leon walked out a few moments later.
"I must leave as well. I'm sure Jann Lee is leaving to further his training before the next round of the tournament begins. I must train also. For Rolande's sake..." he barely whispered. "Farewell."
"Sheesh...a couple sticks in the mud..." Tina muttered.
"Yeah..." Hitomi agreed with a shrug.
"But that's how they always are.....especially Jann Lee. He thinks he's the greatest fighter of all time, I think."
They both giggled for a moment or two.
Ren and Eric walked back to meet the girls, and they all walked back together to the rest of the group.
"Hitomi...?" Ren began.
"Hmm?"
"Where's Ka-"
"Kasumi? She left already."
"NANI!?!?" Ren's facial expression could only be described as pure shock, with a good deal of dissapointment mixed in.
"I was gonna tell you, but you didn't let me! You walked off..." Eric, Tony, and Jessica all proceeded to explode simultaneously into laughter on sight of Ren's expression. Tina and Hitomi eventually joined, and even Ren's grandfather chuckled a bit.
"That gal can move!" Tina chimed in. "She's probably halfway to Japan by now."
Ren's ears perked up. She was heading back to Japan?? It was almost too good to be true. His face lit up with hope once again, to the suprise of everyone else.
"The next round of the tournament is in Japan?" Ren asked gleefully. Jessica eyed Ren suspiciously, but once again remained silent.
"Yeah...at least her division. Some of us are heading to China, and some to South America for the next round. Her division's next round is in Japan."
Ren was ecstactic. He couldn't wait to get to Japan!
"Why so happy?" Tina asked.
"Well...I'm going to Japan to participate in a tournament, representing my martial arts school. Maybe I'll be able to watch the next round of the DOA Tournament while I'm there!"
"You're a fighter!? Cool! What style?" Hitomi asked.
"Kenpo. Jessica and I. Tony's more into Muay Thai. Eric uses Jeet Kune Do." Ren replied.
"Hm. Eric, you'd get along with Jann Lee just fine... I've seen some Kenpo fighters, but none are in the DOA tournament...heh, maybe you should try out for the next one! Maybe we'd get to go up against each other." Hitomi's eyes showed eagerness, her words too. Ren could feel her fighting spirit too. Even Tina's.
"Heh....not a bad idea...I wonder if I'd be able to contend with you guys."
"Go for it!' Tina exclaimed with a wink. "I know you'd do great."
"Thanks. It's definitely something to think about." Ren mused.
"Hey! Let's take some pictures!" Tony said.
"Great idea." Tina said. Ren's grandfather took out the camera, and they proceeded to pose and take many pictures. For one of the last photos, Tina playfully grabbed Ren's neck, putting him into a headlock just as the camera flashed.
"HEY! No fair!" he exclaimed.
"That'll make a great picture..." Jessica said with a giggle.
"Yeah. Can't wait to see it." Ren muttered sarcastically.
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Back at the hotel, Ren laid back on his bed. He propped his head up placing both arms behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. It was probably close to 2 a.m., everyone seemed fast asleep. Everyone but him. He couldn't get Kasumi off his mind. Why!? He just kept thinking about how she smiled at him at the Octagon. Her perfect smile....he just had to meet her! He closed his eyes, slowly drifting into sleep.
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Ren was in a dense forest. Trees and green leaves were everywhere. Lush green grass rolled on in every direction, like a green capet. Ren looked up, he saw the pale light of a full moon shining down from a starry sky. The wind blew softly, caressed his face. He closed his eyes. He felt...peaceful. However, the forest sounded just a little too quiet. For a moment, all was silent. He looked around, trying to make sure there was no trouble. Then, out the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of blue, almost too quick for him to catch. It passed, Ren hearing the sound of light footsteps. Must be a person. Ren looked behind him, but the blur was already long gone.
"Hey.....wait!!"
He ran, heading in the direction he thought he saw the person go. Man, whoever it was, was fast. Ren could still faintly hear the footsteps, but they were way ahead. He didn't give up. Eventually, Ren reached a clearing in the forest. He slowed to a trot, looking attentively at every detail of the area for signs of the person. Then, he saw a silhouette.....the figure of a woman. He walked toward it at first, breaking into a run. But before he could reach the figure, there was a bright flash of white.....
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Ren awoke to bright daylight. He groaned. Only a dream. Reaching over, he looked for his watch. 11:35 a.m. Today would be the last day of their trip.
The second day of the trip to New York was simply a blur for Ren. They'd rose slightly late in the morning, and went out for breakfast. Ren had trouble eating. After breakfast, they tooled around the city in various cabs, seeing the sights. They visited a couple museums, Times Square, saw the Statue of Liberty. All this stuff was ok, but Ren wasn't truly concerned with it. All he could think about was going to Japan. And meeting her....
Finally late afternoon arrived, and it was time for them to head back to the airport. After packing their things, they checked out of the hotel, and within a couple hours, were on the plane headed back home.