Chapter 5: Wolf vs. Demon / Strongest Human Muscle
3 Weeks Left Until the King of Fighters Tournament
Mary sighed at the sight before her. For the last week Terry had been avoiding her and yet there he lay like a child who is free of all carnal thoughts and just lives life like there was no tomorrow.
Life wasn't that simple.
She was pissed. She was very pissed. Terry played her around last week during dinner and now she hasn't seen him for a whole week. He just picked and chose where and when he went. He'd sneak in late at night and leave just before Mary got up. She would have figured he had somewhere else to stay but there was always a fresh bag of fast food garbage sitting in her bin. She wasn't going to take it anymore.
"WAKE…" She screamed grabbing a nearby pillow, "UP!"
Terry Bogard woke up to the high speed bundle of feathers colliding with his skull. Judging by the recent action his internal clock was set on snooze. He didn't even know where to begin to get out of this jam.
Mary stared down at him like an angry school teacher. Terry didn't have much experience attending school but he knew female anger when he saw it.
"Well… Good morning," Terry said. Alright, take it slow.
"So Terry… How are you?" That bastard!
"Other than that fabric assault I'm doing good." So far so good anyways.
"Is that so… So can you explain this to me?!" Mary replied tossing a bunch of photos onto her coffee table. Terry picked them up and started identifying them.
So? She's been following me ever since Terry thought. He scanned through the photos. There were a few of them when he was beating up some thugs behind the grocery store. Then there was the bouncer at one of the bars (he used to be a fighter in the underground circuit). And the rest were just lost cause battles.
Terry put the photos down and looked at Mary. He had never seen her this upset in the entire time they've known each other.
"Mary… This is none of – "
"Don't tell me it's none of my business Terry! I've been waiting for you for so long and now you tell me it's none of my business!"
"Don't take this the wrong way."
"What do mean wrong way?!" She screamed back. Veins were beginning to protrude from her forehead, "I finally see you again for so long and even though I was really happy, you compromised my mission! Instead of telling you it's none of your business you had to sweet talk me with your ever so loving charm that there was basically nothing I could do without you looking over my shoulder!" Mary vented. The last bit came out with the ever so obvious hint of sarcasm.
Terry couldn't say anything. If this was a fist fight he'd say something to distract his opponent and them catch them off guard with a quick attack. That didn't work in a verbal fight.
"Tell me Terry, what do I have to do to get involved?!" She pleaded. "Aren't I your friend?"
Terry wanted to nod but he thought it was best to just let Mary vent the rest of it out of her system.
"What do I have to do to get inside Terry? What do I have to do for you to trust me?"
Terry rose from his seat. He reorganized his hat and picked up his bag and then looked Mary dead in the eyes.
"I trust you Mary. I trust you with my life. You are one of my best friends. That is why I cannot let you help me."
Mary watched him closely. She couldn't believe this was happening.
"Isn't there anything I could – "
"The more you know…. The more you are in danger. Stay out of it."
Terry opened Mary's door but paused before leave. He didn't even turn to face her.
"This'll be the last time I come here."
And then he was gone. She didn't know what to say, what to feel, or what to think. All she could do is stand there and watch a big part of her life take off without any regard of her emotions at all.
Mary grabbed the pillow she threw at him. She felt it shrink in her arm and then she tossed it against the door. Terry's last known whereabouts.
"JERK!"
She couldn't take it anymore. Mary collapsed on her knees with her head bent down staring at her hard wood floor. Her vision started to get a bit blurry. She hadn't done this since… Since…
Butch…
The wind was calm. The deep interior of the forest whistled a muffled tune. Only those with an ear for mother earth would care for such matters. This guy definitely wasn't one of them.
"SCREW UPPER!"
The forest's moment of tranquility was waved away in a tornado of destruction. Joe looked at his self-made natural disaster. He laughed away at the sight marveling at his phenomenal strength.
"Hey Andy. Check it out!" Joe roared, "I guess now those movie producers would decide to save a few bucks on special effects eh?"
Andy looked on with a negating sigh. He had practically begged Joe to take training seriously and yet here he was still goofing off. Although, the size of it was pretty impressive, boasting wasn't a part of training. It was a part of winning.
They both left the forest after another few minutes of Joe's bragging. Suddenly the forest wasn't as nice as it once was.
"Andy, let's go grab some lunch. My calorie count is almost equal to my loss record!"
"Then you should be plenty satisfied," Andy calmly replied without a hint of emotion. Joe raised his fist to strike but knew that would really get him no where. He didn't have the energy left to fight. That was before he caught something out of the corner of his eye.
"Andy!"
Andy quickly turned and swayed the flying objects. He kept a serious look on his brow hoping to find the would be attack but that soon dropped when he saw who'd thrown it.
"Oh no…"
"Hi Andyyyyyy…" Mai cheerily stated. Andy knew she repressed her anger this way and just thought that it would be better to ride the boat that to travel upstream.
"Well hello their little lady, what's your name?" Joe asked with his famous grin.
Mai, like Andy, also had some company. "Kasumi, don't pay any attention to him."
"Hey Mai, don't be such a stick in the mud. Introduce me to your attractive companion," Joe begged. He reached out and touched her on the shoulder. Bad move.
Kasumi grabbed Joe's arm and flung him clear across the pass. Joe's body crashed into the combination of dirt, leaves, and grass as his skidded body absorbed all of the colors of nature.
"OWWWW!" He screamed. "You have a funny way of saying hello!"
"She's SIXTEEN!" Mai shouted back. "That would have been a felony."
Joe got up and dusted himself off. That would have looked marvelous on a headline:
Famous Kick boxer is Also a Pedophile!
The masses would have field day!
"What are you doing here Andy?" Mai playfully asked.
Something's not right. "You know what I'm doing Mai."
"Yea, your right."
What? "So, is there… Is there something that you need from me?" Andy asked.
"Oh nothing… I just wanted to remind you about… You know?"
Andy flustered. He'd just gotten that image out of his mind and now this. His training was surely going to be taken off course after this.
"Ye – Yea Mai… I have." A plan suddenly shot into Andy's brain. He took Mai by the hand and gazed deeply into her beautiful brown eyes.
"A – Andy."
"I promise that I will make this up to you," he said while kissing her hand.
Mai blushed. Worse than she ever had in her life. This even tops the day she first met him.
"I – I – I…" Mai was stuttering.
Andy put her hands down. "I promise I'll make this up to you right after the tournament. But for now, I need to train."
Mai nodded. It was all she could do.
"Alright then. Here's something that will tide you over until then."
Andy leaned over and pecked Mai on the cheek. She was as frozen as the land in Antarctica.
"Till then…"
Maid nodded and started to back away not wanting to take her eyes off of his. His radiant smiled glowed a marvelous light that shined on her world. She had found bliss.
"Hey Andy… Pretty slick. When did you grow some – "
Andy let out a great big sigh as if he was holding his breath for three days.
"Yo man. What's wrong with you?"
"I can't believe I just did that."
"What?! Were you just pulling Mai's leg?!"
"I didn't mean to hurt her. I just really wanted to focus from now until King of Fighters. I'll deal with Mai later."
Joe laughed and patted his less charismatic friend on the back. "Alright man. You just watch it though. You're starting to sound a lot like another Bogard I know."
Andy chuckled. It'd been a while since he laughed. Almost a year in fact. A genuine smile crossed his lips right before he was struck in the face.
Joe started rolling on the ground in hysteria. He just caught a glimpse of Mai in her angered look right before she tossed her fan.
Mai stared down at Andy giving him a glare that read 'Why you little'! Andy was right back to where he started.
Andy took the fan that struck his face. He opened it up and read the contents.
YOU ARE MINE!
Andy cringed and closed the fan. He looked over at her and she had a little more of a light-hearted look but still pretty mad. She grabbed Kasumi and took off in the direction she came from.
Joe was still on the ground not getting over the past sight. "Oh – Oh man! That was great! My stomach got a great workout Andy. Thanks!"
No response followed. So much for his day. He wondered what his brother would do in this kind of situation.
"I've finally found you!" Terry screamed. His body was exhausted. Mostly due to the fact that he ran clear across town from a faintly reliable tip.
The man Terry was talking about could barely be seen under the cover of darkness. His jacket was camouflaged by the night and seemed to reflect a certain orbital object. The man turned around, his crimson hair radiated the color of blood as did his pants which happened to be tied together by a leather strap.
"Yagami… So you're the one."
Iori Yagami. Decendent of the Yagami-style Ancient Martial Arts. He had a mean streak following him ever since the end of the King of Fighters '97 tournament. The Orochi blood must still be strong in his system.
"Bogard."
Terry had fought Iori just before the sewers collapsed in the last tournament. He was searching for Kyo Kusanagi.
Or course! It all makes sense now! Terry had been searching for the wrong man. Iori wanted to find Kusanagi and he tore up the streets of South Town just like he did the sewers. Kain and Iori used purple projectile attacks.
Damnit! All that time wasted! How could I have gotten that confused?!
"Where is Kyo?"
Terry honestly didn't know. Iori might just walk away but given his mean streak it might not be so easy. He might just have to do things the hard way.
"You know damn well that I don't know where he is."
Silence. Iori didn't say anything nor did he move an inch. "Where is Kyo?"
This wasn't going anywhere but the streets. Terry felt he had to do something or else he'd end up like all the other victims. Kill or be killed!
"POWER WAVE!"
"Dark Thrust."
The collision of orange ki and purple fire lit up the back alley. They exploded in a giant solid colored rainbow and sprinkled fragments into the air. Ori countered Terry's attack with minimal effort.
"Why have you been tearing up the city?!" Terry asked.
"Much like tonight, I wasn't the first one to provoke," Iori said while dashing towards Terry.
Shit! He would have just walked away! Damnit, no choice but to fight now.
Their last match ended in a draw. Someone was going to walk away a winner tonight.
Iori slashed his arm at Terry. He remembers the knife edge slashes Iori uses and they aren't fun to be on the receiving end. Terry stepped aside from the attack and delivered one of his own.
His fist was blocked. Iori bounced it off like a rubber ball and went low. Terry easily saw it coming and knew he was going to have an attack of opportunity.
Iori drop-kicked at Terry. His foot barely grazed Terry's sneakers as the South Town veteran was already airborne.
"Power!"
Iori didn't have time to react. He just barely finished sweeping at Terry and here he came with the first attack of the night.
"DUNK!"
Orange ki and Terry's fist smashed into Iori's face. His head and body bounced of the concrete like a stuffed doll and rolled all the way to the back of the alley. This was the only place he could regroup and keep a good distance between him and Terry.
Iori rose from his fallen state. He was mad. Terry hit almost as hard as Kyo did. He knew Terry's strength since he tested him in the sewers but neither of them was going all out. They didn't have enough time. Well, now there's plenty of time and lots of room. They were going to finish one way or another.
Iori charged at Terry with a new glow in his eyes. Terry thought better that to go for the same attack so he prepared to block high.
Terry's stomach exploded in pain. Iori started with a single uppercut to the midsection and followed up with another. Terry was airborne wrenching in agony. He wasn't going to have time to recover.
His body was smashed by Iori's double axe handle blow right in the sternum. Terry collapsed into a pile of rubble but Iori didn't let up. He grabbed Terry by the head and raised him from the rubbish.
Terry's body was beginning to get warmer. He could feel the outside of his clothes begin to light on fire. This isn't good.
Iori's arm wanted to scream bloody murder. Terry had grabbed Iori's arm with both of his hands and smashed his knee into his elbow. Iori had to drop Terry but left a part of his body wide open.
Spit shot out from Iori's mouth. Terry delivered a massive kick to his midsection that almost knocked the wind out of him. His body jittered with the shock of the attack.
"CRACK SHOT!"
A heel drove into Iori's face. He didn't expect a follow up like that. Underestimating his opponent could have contributed to his conclusion. There was no way Iori was going to let Terry get away with this.
Terry stood firm with his fists tight. He knew it would take more that that to put down Iori Yagami. It would just take a matter of time before they would test their real strengths.
Iori dove and Terry and went for a downward slash. Terry took a step back as Iori's viscous cut nearly put a scar on Terry's chest. Iori took the initiative and went for an uppercut slash that connected and there was a trail of blood to prove it.
"ARGH!" Terry screamed but he didn't have time to pant and tend the wound. Iori was getting in too close and he had to send him back.
"Burn Knuckle!"
Too late. Iori saw it coming and easily blocked it. The shock sent him back several feet but no immediate damage sustained.
Damnit! Terry screamed in his mind. Yagami was tough but he never suspected him to be this tough.
Iori never let up. He jumped up at Terry and threw his leg hoping to take the Legendary Wolf's head off. Terry swayed away but the relentless Iori came out swing.
Strike after strike. Hit after hit. Iori was a monster. He never even showed signed of fatigue. Terry managed to block and avoid most of Iori's cuts but there were those deadly few that found their way to his soft points.
There was no way Terry was going to win this on defense. He was going to have to wait for Iori to open himself up.
Iori spun Terry around and grabbed his back. Terry remembered this move. Iori would wind up a viscous slash to his opponent's back and that didn't sound good to Terry. His eyes starting glowing as he prepared to counter and attack.
Surprise struck Iori for the first time in ages. Terry had caught his arm and spun him around. An amateurish attempt he thought since Bogard never followed up with anything. Iori turned around to face his opponent but he was about to get surprised again as Terry's fist just smashed the ground.
"POWER GEYSER!"
"ARRRRH!" Iori screamed. The pool of energy shot him back into an unforgiving wall. His body made an impression that the building owner wouldn't like seeing in the morning. Iori then flopped to the ground into a pile of debris and garbage. He didn't move.
Terry clutched his chest. There was really no time to celebrate. Blood began to seep out and he could feel every drop. He was glad the fight was over.
"ERRAGH…" Iori mumbled from the waste heap. He was no longer sitting in a pile of filth but standing strong as if he were fresh from a year's rest. Terry must have been holding his wound longer than he thought.
Iori's hands crossed above his head. Purple fire began swarming around him and his eyes spoke to Terry telling him that there was no way he was going to walk away after tonight.
Terry tried to stand up but his would kept him closed and tight. Iori charged forward. Is this the end of the Lone Wolf?
Pain. Nothing but pain filled Terry's brain. He was being mugged by someone without weapons. Iori slashed and slashed and slashed until Bogard could barely stand on his own strength.
Iori grabbed the weak Terry and slammed him to the concrete. He started pumping purple flame into his body hoping to melt his internal organs. The fight was over.
Terry rolled to the opposite side of the alley. That was the remainder of his strength. All his body could do is breathe which was the only thing keeping him alive for now.
Iori approached Terry's prone body. He wasn't finished yet. Iori was way too pissed off to let him go easy now. He'd put an end to the Legendary Wolf and write his fate in stone. A tombstone.
His wish was short lived however. He got blind-sighted by someone who was going to join Terry in his demise.
Terry lifted his head with all of his extra might to see what was going on. Every part of his body was wrecked with cuts and his blood was staining the alley. He opened his one good eye and caught something he thought he'd never see.
Mary…?
Blue Mary tackled Iori and locked him in an arm bar. She pulled until she heard a crack.
"RAARGH!" Iori screamed. His left arm was screaming along with him. He saw who his assailant was and quickly caught the blonde hair.
Brother Bogard! Iori thought to himself and snapped his body up with Mary still attached to his arm. Flame collected all around his body as he spun up from the ground and shot his assailant into a wall.
"AAAAHHHH!" Mary screamed. Her body flopped into another alley wall and remained motionless.
A woman scream? Iori thought to himself. His assumption of it being the younger Bogard brother was off. The anger began to subside within him. He had enough.
"IWOKENNNNN!" Terry screamed.
How the? Iori thought. He heard Terry's voice but still was frozen at the sound.
Terry couldn't believe what he just did. Iori tossed Blue Mary like a rag doll and that was unforgivable. He mustered all of the strength he would ever have in the next ten years and dashed at Iori.
"KAAAH!" Iori spat. Blood replaced saliva. This version of the Burn Knuckle was the strongest he ever felt.
"BUSTER WOLFFFFF!"
Iori's body took the full blast. He was launched into another alley wall. His body crashed to the ground along with a few chunks of bricks. There was no way the heir of the Yagami Martial Arts was going to fight back now.
Terry collapsed. Blackness swelled his vision. If he was going to see the light, there couldn't be a better time.
Mary shook her head. The blow was stronger than she ever expected but she didn't feel permanently injured. She looked over at the sight and saw Iori was gone and Terry was in the center of the alley. Fallen and bleeding.
"TERRY!" She screamed. She quickly ran over to him and held him in her arms. There was blood everyone.
"Terry! TERRYYYY!"
His breathing was erratic. It sounded more like a static television followed by several coughs.
Tears streaked down Mary's eyes. She didn't want to see this. She couldn't believe this was happening.
Iori got up from his brick resting place. His body was riddled with pain in places he never thought could be injured. He limped forward and saw Mary holding Terry.
He walked away.
Mary squeezed Terry tight. She didn't want to see him like this. Even after the whole fiasco over the last week. He didn't deserve this. He kept her out of his business to protect her from this.
FROM THIS! She shouted at herself. She felt so stupid. Terry was right all along and he might not be around to hear her apology.
King emerged into the kitchen after her morning shower. It was quite in here as usual. Even though it was a Sunday and no training took place on Sundays, just the fact that she was alone in an unfamiliar house was enough to make her uncomfortable.
It would be this way for another week. Takuma and Ryo were halfway through their mountain training and she really couldn't wait for them to get back. Sure the training was tough, the toughest training she had ever had in her life but it was the little things that she missed. Kkushnood wasn't exactly the best person to talk with. He'd enter prepared to train and he'd leave after it was time.
What about Ryo?
Oh shut up you King beckoned at her inner voice. It had been bugging her for the last week and she didn't know what to do to silence it. She'd admit it though. She did miss him but it's not like she depends on him for anything major.
But you'd like to…
Silence! She screamed at her inner voice. The longer she thought about anything, the more her inner voice butted in. Of course she'd depended on Ryo for all kinds of things but nothing more than what friends would do for other friends.
But you cooked for him…
Hey! Friends can cook for friends! It's not a crime or anything! She shouted back.
Yea but how many friends have you cooked for before? I don't remember you cooking for Mai, Kasumi, Yuri, or Xangfei.
So what?! I don't cook for girls.
Says the one who used to pretend to be a guy.
She was stuck. She hated to fight these mental battles because she couldn't physically do anything about it. And as far as she was concerned she was still a white belt in that degree of fighting.
"Good morning King," called a voice from the front door. She had been to caught up in her own personal battle to notice.
Well finish this later… Her inner voice stated.
She looked over at the open front door and there was a surprise.
"Master Takuma?!" She calmly asked while bowing. She kind of had a habit of doing that ever since she started her training.
"How is everything?"
"Fine sir," she replied. She looked past him hoping to see another familiar face without making it look obvious.
"If you're wondering where Ryo is, he's still training. He has another week to go."
"Oh," King sighed. Well, can't have everything good at once.
"How did it go sir? You're back early." She asked.
"Very well. I left to let Ryo train in peace. It is the only way he can overcome his little challenges but other than that, Ryo is showing great improvement."
She smiled. She was happy to hear that. Finally, he'd be able to advance a step or two without having to worry about everyone else beneath him.
"Speaking of which," Takuma noted while grabbing a glass of water, "Could you tell me what happened between the two of you the day you met?"
What did that have to do with training? She pondered. Nevertheless, she began to tell him the entire story. Some parts in excessive detail and others with an embarrassed blush. She didn't realize how weird it must have been for both of them. They fought like enemies and now they were great friends
Takuma nodded. He'd heard Ryo's version of the story up in the mountains but not in as much detail as King gave. This didn't surprise him one bit.
"I see…"
"Why did you want to know about that?" She asked neglecting the sir; she felt she would drown it out as long as they weren't training.
Takuma wondered what telling her about Ryo's setbacks would do to her self esteem. It might be best just to tell her because how will they go anywhere without knowing.
"Ryo was having problems on the first day. I asked him what was wrong and he told me that your story was on his mind."
WHAT?! She shouted to herself. Her facial expression told everything that Takuma needed to hear.
"W – What?"
"Don't worry King. He needs to improve his muscle strength. This will help."
Muscle strength? Ryo looked buff enough from King's eyes. "What do you mean muscle strength? Ryo is pretty strong."
Takuma laughed. Not just a regular chuckle but a full gut busting reaction. He hadn't heard such a girly answer since… Since… Since his wife.
King was feeling pretty embarrassed. She had no idea what made Takuma laugh so hard. She wanted answers but was afraid of the results.
Takuma stopped laughing. He'd had his fun. "King. What is the strongest muscle in the human body?"
King knew what he was talking about but didn't think it was the right answer. Could the master of Kyokugen Karate be into things other than fighting?
"The… The heart," she stated.
"Correct. And it is the only muscle that can be exercised two different ways."
"Two ways?" She didn't know what he was talking about. Did he mean cardio exercise and another form of training? She was lost.
"Yes. Physical and psychological."
"Psychological?" She pondered.
"Yes," Takuma nodded while downing his glass of water. "It is the hardest exercise in life."
King didn't have a response. She didn't know what to say.
"Don't worry," Takuma patted King on the shoulder, "He'll come around."
She couldn't hide her blush. He could have meant it any way but she took the most personal one. Takuma smiled at the sight. His son had made quite a choice.
"KOUOUKEN!" Ryo shouted. His fireball was superb. Its speed, size, and color equaled that of his father's and he couldn't be happier.
"YES!" He shouted into the mountain range. A week went by and he was feeling stronger than he ever was. Progress never tasted so sweet.
He should have expected it though. It's not like he got the chance to train this hard every day. He could now move on to his next challenge.
Ryo decided to take a break. The sun was setting and there wasn't much he could do in the mountains without electricity. He went inside his tent and reached for his food supply. Another lonely night in a quite place.
"Thanks for all your help," King said. She was nested inside her bar with Sally and Elizabeth with only a few more minutes left before they opened.
"No problem King. I could use the extra hours," Sally replied.
"Yea, she's trying to save up for a trip with her dream man," Elizabeth added.
Sally blushed while King chuckled. "That's not it!" She screamed in her defense. King was preparing to leave just before Elizabeth opened her big mouth.
"You know we had a special visitor here the other day…" Elizabeth said with a smirk.
"Oh really, who?" King inquired.
"A certain blonde-haired gentleman who is pretty famous around King of Fighters."
Ryo? It couldn't be King thought to herself.
"Yea, he was really cute. Much cuter in person!" Sally added.
That sounds like Ryo. But I thought he was training? King thought. "Oh really? What was he doing?"
"You know, the usual things guys do. Hit on me," Elizabeth winked. King's face flustered. She couldn't believe that Ryo was sneaking late at night to have drinks at her bar when he knows she's not going to be there.
"THAT JERK!"
"Achoo!" Ryo sneezed. He started rubbing his shoulders together making sure the temperature wasn't too chilly for his taste. It passed.
Maybe I'm catching a cold…
"Elizabeth, Terry never hit on you…" Sally noted.
"SHHH!" Elizabeth said.
"Terry? Terry Bogard!" King stated.
"Yea. Who do you think we were talking about?" Sally asked.
"Ryo Sakazaki," Elizabeth answered.
"Oh shut up!" King ordered. Why is everyone picking on me recently?
"Come on King sweetheart. You need to learn to lighten up," Elizabeth added.
King sighed. She was right.
"Alright, but listen I've got to – "
*CRASH*
"What the?" All three said surprised. They quickly bolted outside to see what was going on.
Around the corner in the back alley there was a fight going on. King instantly noticed one of the fighters.
Terry?
"Oh my god. What should we do?!" Sally asked in a fit of excitement. She couldn't help it though. The guy who was sitting and talking to her in the bar just a week ago was now bleeding in a pile of trash.
"Get inside!" King ordered. It was the smart thing to do. Getting involved would only make it worse.
The first thing King did when she went inside was grab a phone. She picked up her black book and began dialing a number in her 'Female Fighters Team' section.
"Hello?" Came a rather low and sad voice on the other side of the receiver.
"Mary! This is King. You've got to get down here quick!"
"Why? What's wrong?" Mary asked still not fully grasping the situation.
"It's Terry! He's in a fight and it doesn't look good!"
Mary dropped the receiver and left her apartment.
"King, why did you call your friend? It would have been smarter to call the police," Sally noted.
"Think about it. If Terry got arrested then he'd be disqualified from King of Fighters."
"Why not? That would be great for you! You'd definitely win then," Sally commented.
King hadn't thought of that. Without Terry and his team, her chances would have greatly improved.
No! That's not important. Someone's in trouble and he needed help.
King walked outside putting on her fighting gloves.
"Wait King! You don't know what you're up against!" Sally pleaded. It was too late, before she knew it, King was gone.
Orange ki filled the back alley. King shielded her eyes from the light show. Terry's opponent hit the wall of the next door apartment complex and fell into a pile of garbage.
King sighed. Good. Nothing else to worry about. She looked over at Terry and watched him stay kneeling against the concrete; blood was still coming out of his chest.
Oh no! Terry… I've got to - and before she could step into the alley she saw his opponent rise from the debris.
Iori Yagami?! Why was Terry fighting him?!
No time to ask. She rolled up her sleeves and went forward. Another hand caught her shoulder preventing her from entering the fight.
"Mary!"
"Hold it King!" Mary ordered. "Here take this number," she said while handing King a slip of paper. "If I'm not back in five minutes, call Andy and Joe!"
"No way! I'm calling them now!" King stated.
"Don't! I don't want them to get involved if they don't have to. Now get inside, this could get ugly."
King nodded while still holding a little bit of defiance. She ran into her bar counting the seconds.
Mary turned around and her eyes began to fill with shock. Terry was being pummeled and he needed her help now.
"How's he doing?" Sally asked.
Terry sat in the back room of the 'Illusions' bar wrapped in bandages. His breathing was still weak but the bleeding stopped, that was the good news.
"He's lost a lot of blood. Nothing immediately fatal though," Mary responded.
"We should take him to a hospital! He's only going to get worse laying there!" Sally pleaded. Elizabeth shook her head.
"Doctors ask questions," she added.
King agreed. "Mary, we did all we could. The first aid kit isn't going to hold him over for the night."
Mary nodded. "I'll take him back to my place. I've got some stuff there that can be used for this situation if it ever came up."
"I'll go with you," King added.
Mary agreed.
"Take my car. There's no way all of you are going to fit on a bike," Elizabeth said. King took her keys and helped pick Terry up. This was turning out to be a long night.
King and Mary placed Terry on her bed. He rested there peacefully for now but there was no telling how he was feeling inside.
"Thank you King," Mary stated. "Thanks for all of your help."
"Think nothing of it," King replied. "Is there anything you need?"
Mary shook her head. She just stared at Terry remembering the sight she saw and how he was being slaughtered. That same sick feeling began filling into her heart and tears swam in her eyes.
"IDIOT!" She screamed, hoping it would wake him up. No such luck however.
Mary wrapped her arms around King and began to cry. She cried long and hard.
"M – Mary…"
King didn't know what to say. She never was in a situation like this. Here was a girl who was strong enough to take out half of South Town if she felt yet here she stood pouring her eyes out.
Mary felt King's arms tighten around her. It felt good for a second but then the pain came back. She wasn't going to get over this. Not tonight anyhow.
"If there's anything you need or if you even want to talk, give me a call," said King in the apartment hallway.
Mary nodded while whipping away a few of her tears remaining tears. The door slowly shut and that was the end of that.
King let out a big sigh. Then she started thinking about her current situation.
If that's the second way to exercise your heart… I want no part in it!
(Author Notes: Oh! Suspense! Terry's injured. Mary's Crying. King giving up men… Again. Wow this is shaping up to be a pretty good story. I'm happy, how about you guys? Now I know I've been consistent on updating the story but I've got some bad news. I'll be going back home for the weekend and my parents don't have internet access so Chapter 6 won't up uploaded until Monday (If I finish it by then). I've got finals on Monday and that's all. I'll have a whole week to myself before I go back to work and my goal is 2 Chapters every 3 days so maybe I'll finish the fic before the middle of June. Thanks for the reviews guys. Keep them coming and hopefully I'll see you next chapter.
Story Notes:
- Differing Story Points: For those of you that are confused, both sides of the fic take place on the same day. "~~~~~" These separate the Fatal Fury Point of View from the Art of Fighting Point of view. This chapter is a good culmination of this point as both sides ended together at the same point even though they started at parts of the story. Sorry about the confusion but I got a few emails about this and I wanted to clear things up.
P.S.: I hope I wrote Iori's character right. I'm not a big fan of his work or his character. He's still pretty cool though, that's why I put him in this fic.)
