Chapter 5
The sky was dark with a threatening thunderstorm and everything felt unreal to Anna as if she was just dreaming. All the good feelings from the day before had left and all she felt was dread. She kept staring at the paper as if the writing would somehow change before her eyes…and she read it again -
Nina Williams vs. Anna Williams
Fight 6, Day 10
"That's today," she kept telling herself and she glanced over at the clock, which read 3:30 pm.
"And only one hour left."
Anna was so nervous, her palms felt clammy and her stomach seemed to be doing somersaults of it's own. It felt like such a short time since the tournament had started and now it was nearly over. She lay flat on her back on the bed, staring at the low ceiling and lost in thought. The softness of her mattress almost made her want to fall asleep and she slowly shut her eyes letting out a sigh.
"God! what am I so afraid of…" she cried in her mind. "It's only Nina, the same Nina who I played dress-ups with when we were little…isn't it?" Anna frowned, her eyes still shut.
"I don't actually know." she answered her own question out loud.
There was a loud knock at the door and Anna jumped, her eyes snapped open and she dragged herself on to her feet, her whole body felt heavy like the black clouds outside her window.
"Who is it?" she called and a low voice answered,
"Just me."
"Hello me," Anna laughed, opening the door and looking up into dark almond eyes, "What can I do for ya?"
Kazuya's eyes crinkled at the corners. "I just wanted to wish you luck, Anna, and…" He pulled his right arm from behind his back and produced a small bouquet of scarlet roses, grinning as a soft pink blush crept on to her cheeks.
"Oh, um, thankyou" stammered Anna as she took them from him. Admiring the velvety red petals she stayed in a shy silence.
"Right, I should get going. I'll be at your next fight." He said quickly and started down the hall then added again, "Good luck."
Anna smiled to herself and shut the door again, lifting cold hands to her hot cheeks, "Maybe today won't be so bad…"
About half an hour after Kazuya's visit, Anna was nearly ready for her big fight. Finally she slipped into some red high heels and adjusted her gloves. Staring at herself in the mirror with distant eyes, Anna decided that this would be the best opportunity to talk with her sister. She wanted to wear her out and make her listen as well as distracting her from assassinating Kazuya.
"Okay, this is it," she whispered to her reflection, then headed out the door.
Anna arrived at the arena a little bit early, there was a small crowd starting to gather and Nina was nowhere in sight. She clasped her hands together anxiously and started slowly pacing back and forth trying to calm herself down, her eyes scanned the spectators curiously and she smiled slightly when she spotted Kunimitsu and Kazuya to her right. Suddenly the crowd grew quieter and the click of stiletto heels could be heard on the wooden floor as Nina approached slowly and deliberately. She held her head high with a confident smile painted on her face. She was wearing a purple cat suit with long stockings to match and a gold ribbon tied in her hair, keeping it out of her face. Anna shifted her weight from one foot to the other and watched her sister approach. She felt a surge of adrenaline that lifted the heavy feeling her body held and she got into her cat stance. Nina flashed Anna a sarcastic grin and took her own stance, she blocked out everything but her target, the announcer signalled for them to begin and the crowd roared at the girls, shouting encouragement to their favoured fighters.
Nina jumped straight in with a combo of high and low kicks which Anna barely avoided then followed up with lightning fast slaps at her sister's face, the last one caught Anna's cheek, she raised one hand to the stinging spot on her face and frowned.
"Why aren't you fighting back!" Nina growled, glaring at her and Anna just glared back, rubbing her cheek.
Nina tackled Anna with another angry growl and got on top of her, raking at Anna's face with her fingernails. Anna cried out in surprise as she was forced to the ground by her sister and tried to block the attacks, eventually she grabbed Nina's wrists and tried to push her off with her knee but to no avail, they began rolling over each other screaming and pulling at hair and scratching. Nina rolled to the side and got Anna into an arm lock, pulling her arm and bending her elbow the wrong way, Anna screamed in pain. She tried to bat Nina off, feeling her bones crunch as they were near breaking point she gritted her teeth and rolled in the same direction as Nina, loosening her grip enough for Anna to escape. Both girls were back on their feet looking a bit messed up, Nina's ponytail had nearly come loose and soft strands fell around her face while Anna sported a few scratches on her neck that were puffy and red, she flexed her arm and groaned a little as pain shot up from her elbow.
Things weren't looking good for Anna so far and Nina launched another attack, thrusting both her palms at the scarlet clad woman's torso and knocked her back, rolling over twice before she stopped against one of the barriers surrounding the arena and rose slowly.
"This is too easy," laughed Nina then rolled her eyes mockingly at Anna and pretended to yawn behind her hand.
The arrogant tone of Nina's voice sent hot anger though Anna's veins and forgetting about her aching arm and bruised body she threw herself into a string of powerful attacks, catching Nina off guard with the sudden change in her fighting technique, she kicked Nina hard in her calf causing her to stumble so Anna could bring her knee into Nina's face. Anna stood on one leg for a moment holding up the knee that connected, then threw her leg out at Nina's chest knocking her off her feet with a hefty thump. Nina landed quite ungracefully on her backside and looked up at Anna from under her loose hair.
"That's more like it," she smirked, wiping blood from her lip with the back of her hand.
"Only just warming up, sis," replied Anna in a slightly mocking tone.
"Hah!" Nina laughed then tried to sweep Anna with a kick directed at her ankles, which was easily avoided.
Anna started to threaten Nina by stomping her heels dangerously close to her feet and calves "Come on, get up," she challenged.
"Hey, piss off!" hissed Nina as a heel grazed the side of her leg and she stood up.
The fight resumed with Nina suddenly lashing out with a roundhouse kick that caught Anna in the side of her head, her front foot slipped sideways with the force of it and Nina tried the move again, this time it was blocked although she was still a bit dazed. Anna saw an opening and performed a somersault kick, her foot connected under Nina's chin and her head snapped back painfully. Anna landed back on the floor and Nina just shook her head, pretending it didn't hurt as much as it did. Anna noticed that her sister was starting to slow down and she hesitated on her next attack. The blonde could see it coming a mile away and sidestepped as Anna's elbow came at her face and she missed her completely.
Anna turned to face Nina, their eyes locked and the noise of the crowd became a distant roar in Anna's ears.
"Nina…why are we doing this? If Dad could see us now he'd -" she was cut off by a impatient but pained groan.
"I know, but he's not here and it's your fault. You killed him."
Anna's eyes widened "Wh-what? How could you say such a thing!"
"Oh please! I saw you do it for Christ's sake, you were too stupid to notice I was right in the next room." Nina snarled
Anna blinked back hot tears and feeling the rage inside her bubble up once more, she clenched her fists.
"It wasn't me!" she screamed in frustration, throwing a punch blindly at Nina's face.
Nina just stepped out of range and smirked,
"It was. You were 'conveniently' working with the Mishima Corporation at the same time weren't you?"
"Is that why you hate me? You don't even have any proof."
They kept their eyes locked and Nina's eyes flashed briefly with anger
"I don't need proof to hate you," she replied calmly, her smirk widening.
Anna's stomach was tying itself in knots, she felt sick at what Nina had accused her of and she gave her sister a helpless look that just made Nina laugh.
"Fine, if you're gonna be like that…" Anna growled defiantly and took her stance once more.
Nina watched her warily and her eyes flickered with amusement for a moment, slowly she circled Anna waiting for a chance to attack again. Nina found it quite funny when her sister got mad, her eyes narrowed and her lips pressed together in a thin line but her face still looked innocent, She could get away with anything and got Nina out of trouble quite a few times when they were younger. At this memory Nina, to her surprise, smiled and this time it was genuine but she quickly dismissed the emotion, she couldn't turn soft now.
Nina noticed that Anna wasn't watching her anymore but looking past her, she saw it was her chance and grabbed her sister's arm, twisting around behind her and flipping her on to the floor before she could even cry out. Anna arched her back when she landed, pain shot up her spine and she tried to stop it by pressing her hand against the small of her back, she stayed down for a while as the pain subsided but when she looked up and saw one of Nina's sharp stilettos coming toward her face she rolled to the side and got back on her feet.
The two fighters, both breathing hard, glared at each other once again then they both moved at the same time into a strange looking stance, with one leg raised and the other bearing their weight they slowly lifted their arms above their heads, pink and gold sparks of energy emitted from their hands and it was a spectacular sight. They reached the peak of the attack, all the energy concentrated and the crowd was silent in awe of the graceful yet deadly women. Suddenly like two snakes after a mouse they thrust their arms at each other in lightning speed and jabbing the other's gut with deadly precision the energy was released.
They both fell backwards in opposite directions, landing on the ground at the same time. The only sound was the thunder rumbling outside as the crowd stood in stunned silence, Anna and Nina lay sprawled on their backs and their eyes closed, neither of them moved. Not even the announcer knew what happened as he watched and waited for a sign of who had won.
The sky was dark with a threatening thunderstorm and everything felt unreal to Anna as if she was just dreaming. All the good feelings from the day before had left and all she felt was dread. She kept staring at the paper as if the writing would somehow change before her eyes…and she read it again -
Nina Williams vs. Anna Williams
Fight 6, Day 10
"That's today," she kept telling herself and she glanced over at the clock, which read 3:30 pm.
"And only one hour left."
Anna was so nervous, her palms felt clammy and her stomach seemed to be doing somersaults of it's own. It felt like such a short time since the tournament had started and now it was nearly over. She lay flat on her back on the bed, staring at the low ceiling and lost in thought. The softness of her mattress almost made her want to fall asleep and she slowly shut her eyes letting out a sigh.
"God! what am I so afraid of…" she cried in her mind. "It's only Nina, the same Nina who I played dress-ups with when we were little…isn't it?" Anna frowned, her eyes still shut.
"I don't actually know." she answered her own question out loud.
There was a loud knock at the door and Anna jumped, her eyes snapped open and she dragged herself on to her feet, her whole body felt heavy like the black clouds outside her window.
"Who is it?" she called and a low voice answered,
"Just me."
"Hello me," Anna laughed, opening the door and looking up into dark almond eyes, "What can I do for ya?"
Kazuya's eyes crinkled at the corners. "I just wanted to wish you luck, Anna, and…" He pulled his right arm from behind his back and produced a small bouquet of scarlet roses, grinning as a soft pink blush crept on to her cheeks.
"Oh, um, thankyou" stammered Anna as she took them from him. Admiring the velvety red petals she stayed in a shy silence.
"Right, I should get going. I'll be at your next fight." He said quickly and started down the hall then added again, "Good luck."
Anna smiled to herself and shut the door again, lifting cold hands to her hot cheeks, "Maybe today won't be so bad…"
About half an hour after Kazuya's visit, Anna was nearly ready for her big fight. Finally she slipped into some red high heels and adjusted her gloves. Staring at herself in the mirror with distant eyes, Anna decided that this would be the best opportunity to talk with her sister. She wanted to wear her out and make her listen as well as distracting her from assassinating Kazuya.
"Okay, this is it," she whispered to her reflection, then headed out the door.
Anna arrived at the arena a little bit early, there was a small crowd starting to gather and Nina was nowhere in sight. She clasped her hands together anxiously and started slowly pacing back and forth trying to calm herself down, her eyes scanned the spectators curiously and she smiled slightly when she spotted Kunimitsu and Kazuya to her right. Suddenly the crowd grew quieter and the click of stiletto heels could be heard on the wooden floor as Nina approached slowly and deliberately. She held her head high with a confident smile painted on her face. She was wearing a purple cat suit with long stockings to match and a gold ribbon tied in her hair, keeping it out of her face. Anna shifted her weight from one foot to the other and watched her sister approach. She felt a surge of adrenaline that lifted the heavy feeling her body held and she got into her cat stance. Nina flashed Anna a sarcastic grin and took her own stance, she blocked out everything but her target, the announcer signalled for them to begin and the crowd roared at the girls, shouting encouragement to their favoured fighters.
Nina jumped straight in with a combo of high and low kicks which Anna barely avoided then followed up with lightning fast slaps at her sister's face, the last one caught Anna's cheek, she raised one hand to the stinging spot on her face and frowned.
"Why aren't you fighting back!" Nina growled, glaring at her and Anna just glared back, rubbing her cheek.
Nina tackled Anna with another angry growl and got on top of her, raking at Anna's face with her fingernails. Anna cried out in surprise as she was forced to the ground by her sister and tried to block the attacks, eventually she grabbed Nina's wrists and tried to push her off with her knee but to no avail, they began rolling over each other screaming and pulling at hair and scratching. Nina rolled to the side and got Anna into an arm lock, pulling her arm and bending her elbow the wrong way, Anna screamed in pain. She tried to bat Nina off, feeling her bones crunch as they were near breaking point she gritted her teeth and rolled in the same direction as Nina, loosening her grip enough for Anna to escape. Both girls were back on their feet looking a bit messed up, Nina's ponytail had nearly come loose and soft strands fell around her face while Anna sported a few scratches on her neck that were puffy and red, she flexed her arm and groaned a little as pain shot up from her elbow.
Things weren't looking good for Anna so far and Nina launched another attack, thrusting both her palms at the scarlet clad woman's torso and knocked her back, rolling over twice before she stopped against one of the barriers surrounding the arena and rose slowly.
"This is too easy," laughed Nina then rolled her eyes mockingly at Anna and pretended to yawn behind her hand.
The arrogant tone of Nina's voice sent hot anger though Anna's veins and forgetting about her aching arm and bruised body she threw herself into a string of powerful attacks, catching Nina off guard with the sudden change in her fighting technique, she kicked Nina hard in her calf causing her to stumble so Anna could bring her knee into Nina's face. Anna stood on one leg for a moment holding up the knee that connected, then threw her leg out at Nina's chest knocking her off her feet with a hefty thump. Nina landed quite ungracefully on her backside and looked up at Anna from under her loose hair.
"That's more like it," she smirked, wiping blood from her lip with the back of her hand.
"Only just warming up, sis," replied Anna in a slightly mocking tone.
"Hah!" Nina laughed then tried to sweep Anna with a kick directed at her ankles, which was easily avoided.
Anna started to threaten Nina by stomping her heels dangerously close to her feet and calves "Come on, get up," she challenged.
"Hey, piss off!" hissed Nina as a heel grazed the side of her leg and she stood up.
The fight resumed with Nina suddenly lashing out with a roundhouse kick that caught Anna in the side of her head, her front foot slipped sideways with the force of it and Nina tried the move again, this time it was blocked although she was still a bit dazed. Anna saw an opening and performed a somersault kick, her foot connected under Nina's chin and her head snapped back painfully. Anna landed back on the floor and Nina just shook her head, pretending it didn't hurt as much as it did. Anna noticed that her sister was starting to slow down and she hesitated on her next attack. The blonde could see it coming a mile away and sidestepped as Anna's elbow came at her face and she missed her completely.
Anna turned to face Nina, their eyes locked and the noise of the crowd became a distant roar in Anna's ears.
"Nina…why are we doing this? If Dad could see us now he'd -" she was cut off by a impatient but pained groan.
"I know, but he's not here and it's your fault. You killed him."
Anna's eyes widened "Wh-what? How could you say such a thing!"
"Oh please! I saw you do it for Christ's sake, you were too stupid to notice I was right in the next room." Nina snarled
Anna blinked back hot tears and feeling the rage inside her bubble up once more, she clenched her fists.
"It wasn't me!" she screamed in frustration, throwing a punch blindly at Nina's face.
Nina just stepped out of range and smirked,
"It was. You were 'conveniently' working with the Mishima Corporation at the same time weren't you?"
"Is that why you hate me? You don't even have any proof."
They kept their eyes locked and Nina's eyes flashed briefly with anger
"I don't need proof to hate you," she replied calmly, her smirk widening.
Anna's stomach was tying itself in knots, she felt sick at what Nina had accused her of and she gave her sister a helpless look that just made Nina laugh.
"Fine, if you're gonna be like that…" Anna growled defiantly and took her stance once more.
Nina watched her warily and her eyes flickered with amusement for a moment, slowly she circled Anna waiting for a chance to attack again. Nina found it quite funny when her sister got mad, her eyes narrowed and her lips pressed together in a thin line but her face still looked innocent, She could get away with anything and got Nina out of trouble quite a few times when they were younger. At this memory Nina, to her surprise, smiled and this time it was genuine but she quickly dismissed the emotion, she couldn't turn soft now.
Nina noticed that Anna wasn't watching her anymore but looking past her, she saw it was her chance and grabbed her sister's arm, twisting around behind her and flipping her on to the floor before she could even cry out. Anna arched her back when she landed, pain shot up her spine and she tried to stop it by pressing her hand against the small of her back, she stayed down for a while as the pain subsided but when she looked up and saw one of Nina's sharp stilettos coming toward her face she rolled to the side and got back on her feet.
The two fighters, both breathing hard, glared at each other once again then they both moved at the same time into a strange looking stance, with one leg raised and the other bearing their weight they slowly lifted their arms above their heads, pink and gold sparks of energy emitted from their hands and it was a spectacular sight. They reached the peak of the attack, all the energy concentrated and the crowd was silent in awe of the graceful yet deadly women. Suddenly like two snakes after a mouse they thrust their arms at each other in lightning speed and jabbing the other's gut with deadly precision the energy was released.
They both fell backwards in opposite directions, landing on the ground at the same time. The only sound was the thunder rumbling outside as the crowd stood in stunned silence, Anna and Nina lay sprawled on their backs and their eyes closed, neither of them moved. Not even the announcer knew what happened as he watched and waited for a sign of who had won.