The atmosphere was subdued in the bar after the day's tragic events. Every
fighter present could feel something in the air that put him or her on
edge.
Every fighter present.
This was particularly true because some of the participants were in the tournament's medic area, watching over their wounded friends, or were on their way home.
Terry was by Mary's side. The Sakasakis remained with Takuma, who was in a coma after his fight against Geese. Surprisingly, King remained by Ryo's side giving him the support he needed. Goro and Shingo left to arrange everything for the Kusanagis' funeral ceremonies. Athena went with them, followed by Kensou and Chin.
In one corner of the room, sitting on a boot, Chizuru tried her hardest to drown her sorrows with alcohol. Sitting next to her was Shiranui Mai, Andy Bogard's wife. Why she didn't take his name was a mystery to all. The ninja was giving her teammate the support she needed, or in this case at least company. The priestess was just too upset right now to care.
Andy, Kim and Joe shared a table not too far from the women, their features somber after watching Geese fight against both Kusanagi Saisyu and Sakasaki Takuma before standing down to let Krauser have fun with Heidern. The crime lord was not the same one they fought before. Sure, he was as brutal as usual, but the power and skill he now wielded... He killed Saisyu with little effort, partly because the man was overtaken by grief, but there was no doubt about who would've won that fight had Saisyu been in top condition. That he toyed around with Takuma put everyone on edge. Takuma was not a fighter to beat easily, yet Geese made it seem as if he was fighting an amateur. *At least Takuma isn't dead.* Was the thought that passed through more than one mind as the paramedics took the eldest Sakasaki away. News got around that he was in a coma, but expected to make a full recovery.
Andy clenched his fist in front of him. Why couldn't the bastard just stay dead? Most importantly of all, why was Terry so calm when seeing the man that killed their father? When seeing the man that killed Lily in front of their very eyes! It just didn't make sense to him, Geese deserved to die and that was all there was to it. Why couldn't Terry see that?
Off to the side sat Heidern with his subordinates. Leona was still recovering from her injuries, but they were faded bruises at the most now. Her behavior was the usual cold one, totally impenetrable. Ralph had a bottle of some strong liquor in his hand, staring at the liquid intently. Clark remained stern through it all, his shades covering whatever his eyes would probably reveal. Heidern, who had a broken left arm courtesy of Krauser, had a stony mask on his features. He every now and then turned his good eye to regard Leona before losing himself in his own thoughts. None uttered a single sound as they sat there.
All of them were worried over something, though. Leona's almost being possessed by her blood.
When a group of people entered the room everyone turned to them. Eyes narrowed in anger at seeing Ranko Howard leading the group. She stopped to take a look around the room before starting for a large table. The stares she was recipient of seemed not to faze her at all.
Following her was Iori, who seemed to have a contended expression on his face. His steps were sure, obvious sign that he had recovered from today's fight. As he walked he made eye contact with Leona, and the woman's eyes seemed to sparkle at the silent exchange. The glares he received would've killed lesser men. He was, of course, unaffected by them.
Some of the fighters in the room were about to stand and confront the pair when more people entered the bar and joined Ranko and Iori.
Geese.
Krauser.
Billy.
Big.
Rugal.
The five sat with the redheads, making the group grow from only two fighters to seven. Seven powerful fighters that showed no compulsions about destroying their opponents. Seven strong fighters that most of the time didn't even need a reason to start a fight.
The air was tense as everyone expected a fight to erupt, but the newly arrived group was content with simply sharing their drinks in peace. Chizuru was the only one that didn't notice the arrival, too immersed in her own alcohol-enhanced depression to care about her surroundings.
"The Kusanagi line ended today." Krauser informed the others. "I received report that the targets were taken down."
Rugal chuckled. "I guess our plan did work out after all."
Krauser nodded. "As much as I dislike not giving them a chance to have a warrior's death. The Kusanagi clan will no longer be an obstacle."
Geese just snorted and took a sip of his cup of wine. He himself was responsible for the death of Kusanagi Saisyu. Contrary to what most believed he didn't particularly enjoy killing the man. He was an obstacle, so he was destroyed. As a businessman Geese understood that. As a warrior he was disappointed in such a one-sided battle. There was no satisfaction in bullying someone to death. Had the fight been more even the crime lord would feel proud of achieving victory. Today that wasn't the case. "I take it one team will have a chance to rest before the final battle?"
The others didn't object to the change of subject. In fact Ranko seemed to welcome it as she nodded. "Only three teams remain in the tournament." She turned to Rugal, who was smiling behind his cup. "So who's fighting tomorrow?" The question was completely even, surprising everyone since Ranko seemed to really hate Rugal's guts.
Rugal just put his cup on the table and made a point of looking at each of the fighters. His eye sparkled in amusement when he could see they were all eagerly awaiting for his answer. They had different reasons, but they all wanted a piece of the Fatal Fury Team.
Before any of them could ask the question again Rugal lifted a hand to silence them. "Tomorrow the teams to meet for battle are our teams." He said calmly. At seeing the incredulous looks he smirked and continued. "We all want to meet the strongest of opponents. Tomorrow we'll be able to do so."
Understanding dawned on everyone. Even if the Fatal Fury Team was indeed a mighty adversary, it was mostly because of the presence of Terry Bogard. Andy and Joe were negligible considering the members of both the Rugal and Boss Teams.
Tomorrow's fight, on the other hand, would have some of the strongest fighters of the tournament. A true challenge for them. And with a prize to look forward to.
Billy was the one to voice what everyone was thinking. Even if he wouldn't be participating he was as excited as the others. "And the winner gets to fight against Bogard."
Geese chuckled as Krauser nodded. "A truly magnificent prize." The German man said before taking a sip from his cup.
Iori's eyes narrowed at hearing the name. He found out who it was that hurt Leona. Even if he knew she didn't need him to protect her, he would still find great satisfaction in meeting such an adversary in the battlefield. Not many people could actually beat Leona without being seriously harmed. Besides, Iori's fight against Terry didn't really count, since that idiot of his younger brother distracted him long enough for the red-haired man to finish the job.
Ranko smirked darkly as she turned slightly to see Andy Bogard. He was distracted as she turned to him, engaged in an argument with Joe, but it didn't matter to her. There was something about him that made her feel anger well inside, the way he behaved was a reminder of the way people in Nerima acted towards her.
She was taken out of her thoughts when Geese called her attention. "How about a little bet, girl?"
Turning to the smirking blonde man she narrowed her eyes. "What kind of bet?" She knew perfectly well Geese wanted to bet on the fight. What he wanted was always a mystery. He was always after something different.
Geese's smirk widened. "When I win you'll wear whichever dress I pick for you for the next party I hold in my tower. You need to be properly introduced to my associates."
Ranko winced slightly at that. She was female in this tournament because of a bet she lost to Geese in their last fight before signing up. The hungry look in Rugal's eyes and amused ones in Billy and Iori's did little to reassure her. However, before she could decline, Geese pressed on. "I'll understand if you're afraid."
That did it. Ranko's eyes burned with determination as she glared at her master. "You're on." She growled out coldly.
Geese chuckled at how easy it was to manipulate his heir, if you knew what buttons to push, and continued. "I'll accept any terms you propose should you win the fight, girl."
This further enraged Ranko, but she just nodded and remained silent. She would have to think carefully about what she wanted, should she win the fight. Something that wasn't the most likely of outcomes.
As Ranko and Geese stared at each other Rugal turned to Krauser with an amused expression on his face. "Should we let them be the first ones to fight? That would make things more even." *And more amusing.* He added to himself. *I wonder if I could influence Geese in his choice of dress for little Ranko.*
Iori just snorted when the table erupted into laughter, except for Ranko, and turned to regard the others in the room. He found it funny to see every person in the room shudder and turn to them when the laughter was heard. Not that he could blame them, of course. Leona seemed to be the only unaffected one as she locked eyes with him.
Said laughter had the effect of attracting someone's attention to their group. That someone had been so immersed in her own grief that she lost contact with the real world, but one of the voices in that sea of mirth brought her out of her stupor. One of those voices she recognized as the cause behind her pain. Chizuru turned and, after steeling herself from the sudden move, her eyes locked on Geese Howard as he laughed out loud.
Mai saw her friend's expression turn from pain to anger and she immediately tried to stop her. "Chizuru." She called as she took a hold of the woman's shoulder, only to have her hand batted away.
"You bastard!" Chizuru drunkenly bellowed as she stumbled towards Geese. She didn't notice her becoming the center of attention, and even if she did she couldn't care less. "You heartless bastard!"
Andy, Kim and Joe tensed when they saw Geese stop laughing and turn to Chizuru. They would jump in at the smallest sign of trouble for the drunken priestess. Geese had already shown that he could very well kill a defenseless woman.
Ranko turned to the priestess she had seen lose to Krauser before. She didn't understand why Kusanagi's death would affect her this much, neither did she understand why she didn't insult Iori as well. The small redhead decided to keep silent and see how things progressed. Out of the corner of her eye she could see all the other fighters tensing for battle, if a fight broke out she would be ready.
Iori watched in amusement as the uptight Chizuru made a fool out of herself. She obviously didn't include him in her tirade because she knew what his intentions towards Kyo were from the beginning. She'd probably blame him later as well, but for now she must have obviously made the connection between Geese killing Saisyu and the remaining Kusanagis' murders. Every person able to wield the magatama in the Kusanagi clan was no more. It was actually quite obvious, since Geese always did everything with a purpose. Finding that purpose was the difficult part. Iori didn't care either way, for him a world without Kusanagis was something to be grateful about.
Billy stood up and was about to block Chizuru's path when a dismissive wave from Geese told him to step back. He did so, but not without keeping an eye on the entire room. He would be damned if anyone got to Geese without fighting him first.
Mr. Big remained unmoving the entire time, yet his eyes tracked every single corner of the room carefully. He knew if a fight broke out they would easily beat down their opponents, he just wanted to chose the one he would be taking down. For some reason he found himself disliking Kim.
Chizuru stopped when Geese stood up and faced her with no emotion in his eyes. "I hope you have a good reason for calling me a 'bastard.'"
Chizuru didn't let the blonde crime lord intimidate her. It obviously had something to do with the alcohol coursing through her veins, but she welcomed the effects as she glared daggers at the blurry sight of her tormentor. "I do. You purposely destroyed the Kusanagi lineage with the power to wield the magatama. With your actions you have condemned the entire human race to a fate worse than death!" She shrilled as she fought to keep standing. The floor was starting to move and she had trouble focusing.
Geese smirked as he looked down at her. "You do have a good reason to call me a bastard, then." With that he sat down and grabbed his cup. "Even if your sight is too short to see why the Kusanagis had to be eradicated." He added in a condescending tone of voice before taking a sip of wine.
Chizuru screamed as she threw herself at Geese, her hands intent on taking a hold of his neck to strangle the crime lord. She didn't quite make it as someone took a firm grip of her shoulders from behind. "Let me go!" She cried out as she tried to brake the grip, but whoever was holding her was too strong for a drunken woman. "Let me go!" She cried again in a more subdued tone of voice. In a matter of seconds all her rage turned to despair as she started sobbing uncontrollably, her slurred words making no sense at all now.
The others watched as Wolfgang Krauser held up the priestess by the shoulders now that her energy was spent. In a soft voice he spoke to her. "Kagura-san, your behavior tonight is beneath a woman of your station."
Chizuru just continued on sobbing as she let her body go limp, defeated.
Krauser sighed and picked the woman in his arms with ease before turning to Mai. "I believe Kagura-san should be taken to her quarters. She's had enough to drink for the night."
Mai nervously nodded back to Krauser and led the man outside.
Andy left with his wife to keep an eye on Krauser. He didn't trust the German man one bit.
All the others could do was look at each other in confusion. What was that all about?
-----
The next day of the tournament was greeted by a cloudy day, a cold wind blowing gently. As people entered the coliseum the fighters down bellow made preparations for the day's activities. Today only one fight would take place, but it promised to be one great fight considering the three teams that remained.
The announcer kept trying to animate the audience for five minutes. He gave up when it was obvious his attempts wouldn't bring out a response. It seemed like most of the people present only came to see what happened, all sense of this tournament being a reason to celebrate gone after yesterday's events.
It didn't take long for the teams to be named and step forward. It was actually a shock to the other fighters that the Rugal and Boss Teams would be fighting each other. Everyone figured the Rugal Team would try to weaken the Fatal Fury Team before the final battle.
The audience all got enraged at the sight of both teams, throwing insults and threats that they would never back up.
Ranko looked up at the raging crowd and shook her head. It was quite interesting how some people only dared show courage in the safety of numbers and anonymity. *Cowards.* Throwing insults like that was only a way to cover their own insecurities.
Iori was used to being the recipient of countless insults. Life as a Yagami was always like that, so he had long ago learned to tune them out. His focus right now was in the approaching fight.
Rugal smirked and waved to the crowd in gratitude. It only made the people more enraged, which made his smirk to widen. *Fools. If only they knew the real purpose behind the tournament.*
On the other side of the platform Geese just snorted. He couldn't care less what people thought of him.
Mr. Big did his best to remain calm. Behind his shades he was looking at the people to insult him and started filing their faces for later. He would have fun making them repeat those insults, when he had them at his mercy.
Krauser stood there, stoically taking in the insults. He knew some of the things said were true, but the source simply couldn't be taken seriously.
-----
"The fight is about to begin. Where's Terry?" Andy asked Mai as she approached.
She only sighed at Andy's obsession with seeing Geese fall. "He didn't want to leave Mary's side. She woke up, but is too weak to get out of bed."
Andy just growled under his breath and turned to see the fight take place. "What's this?!" He exclaimed in anger at seeing Geese and Ranko step forward for the first round.
"We knew this could happen, Andy." Joe said as calmly as he could. "It seems like they'll only put up a show to let Geese advance to the finals."
Andy narrowed his eyes. It seemed like Geese wanted to fight them, after all. He would take revenge over the crime lord for what he had done.
-----
Geese and Ranko stared at each other as the transparent walls of the platform raised around them. No words were needed, not even to insult each other as the other would take the advantage over that little distraction.
The outside world dimmed until there was only the two fighters and the area they would be fighting in, their concentration fully focused on the fight even before it began.
As one they fell on their combat stances, nearly identical yet the redhead's emphasized the use of speed over power, even if only a little bit.
Geese suddenly broke the stalemate. It was only by blinking, but that made a big difference. In the time it took him to blink Ranko was already inside his defenses landing a palm strike to his chest. The power behind the blow sent him flying back and, though he recovered his feet, into Ranko's kick to his head.
With quick reflexes he was able to block the kick and counter with a front kick of his own. Even if the kick didn't land Ranko was forced back. Enough time for Geese to charge with his own attack.
While Ranko had the obvious advantage in speed, her attacks weren't nearly as destructive as Geese's own. The only way for her blows to be as strong as the one that killed Yamazaki was for her to focus on strength, forgoing speed. Even at her strongest Geese was still more powerful, so she had to keep the speed advantage.
Geese charged with a roundhouse kick. When Ranko ducked under it she could feel the wind blowing strong against her skin. She jumped over the follow- up sweep and tried to deliver a flying kick to the blonde man. Her foot was caught in a strong grip as Geese applied one of the atemis to send her spiraling away.
Ranko knew the move, she applied it enough times to know there was no escape even if you somehow knew where the floor was. The spiraling made landing right almost impossible. Yet she had seen something the day before that kept her thinking. *What if I can alter my fall?* Remembering Leona's technique she tried to emulate it. The worst that could happen was her hitting the floor on her head, a result that would happen if she didn't try anyway. Concentrating she called forth her chi to try and stop her spinning. It took more energy than she thought at first, but she was able to do it.
Geese's eyes widened when he saw Ranko land in a roll instead of her head. He didn't drop his guard, though. Knowing Ranko she would be on the offensive as soon as she turned around.
Ranko's eyes had a harder glint to them when she stood up and turned to face Geese. Or rather turned and rushed at Geese with the intent to seize the opportunity. What she didn't expect was for Geese to meet her halfway across, giving her no chance to dodge his charge.
"JAEI KEN!" The blonde man bellowed as he executed he move on the redhead. His shoulder rammed into her with great power, which was further amplified because of her forward motion, and he was gratified with the explosion of air coming out of his heir's lungs. *Got a long way to go before you can pull a fast one on me, girl.* He thought smugly as he punched her in the gut with his left fist, covered in dark energy. Ranko bent over, coughing blood. Geese followed with his other hand, landing squarely in the back of her head and knocking her to the floor with such force that it cracked.
Far from finished, Geese delivered a palm strike to the motionless Ranko, further cracking the floor bellow her, and grabbed her head to lift her up. As he was about to deliver another punch to her midsection he saw her hand in front of his face and heard whispered words that made him curse for his carelessness..
"Reppuu Ken." Ranko whispered as she let loose with the violent wave technique right on Geese's face. She was gratified with seeing him flying back and giving her enough time to recover her breath. She felt horrible right now. Her gut felt like it was on fire, she was certain she had a couple of cracked ribs and her vision was blurring. She should've expected for Geese to anticipate her charge instead of rushing in.
As she saw him get up she summoned more power to strengthen her weakened body, falling even deeper into her negative emotions.
Geese got up and shot Ranko a glare, which she returned with interest. Examining his own injuries he could tell his nose was broken from that chi blast. *Which will make breathing really fun.* He thought sarcastically. His ribs were starting to bother him from that first blow, too. They were probably bruised, and badly. He knew, however, that Ranko was in a much worse state than he was. The mere fact that she was powering herself with chi spoke volumes of the extent of her injuries.
The fighters didn't waste anymore time and rushed at each other.
-----
Mai's face was pale at seeing the brutal battle. She, as everyone else, had expected for the fighters to take it easy on each other. To put up a show and let Geese advance to the final battle. If things continued as they were, with Ranko and Geese brutally beating on each other, they would be lucky if they could stand after the fight.
Mai winced as she heard the distinctive sound of cracking bone. Her respect for Ranko, as a warrior, increased when she saw that the small redhead, instead of double over in pain, take advantage of Geese's fist still imbedded on her side to land a wicked punch to his face. The sound of cracking bone was heard again as the blonde man's jaw gave away. He stumbled back a little, only to have Ranko roar an inhuman bellow and charge him.
Mai felt Geese's own chi growing to match Ranko's. He growled as he used the redhead's own momentum to make a throw and slam her against the floor. He was awarded with a kick to his ribs for the effort.
Andy's wife turned her eyes from the fight to see the reactions on the others' faces. They were pretty much like her own, no one having expected the fight to turn out like this.
Returning her attention to the fight she wondered if they would stop before killing each other.
-----
Rugal stared at the display of skill and power with an expressionless face. On the inside, though, he was glad he didn't push Ranko any further than he did before. Since he didn't really know all of her tactics he would have a much harder time than Geese fighting her. Even if he did manage to defeat her, something he wasn't entirely certain about, he would probably have to face Iori and Billy as well. They would've beaten him to death.
Seeing the fight now, he could see why Geese took Ranko in and gave her his name. She was a fighter as vicious as any of them was. Yet at first sight she didn't seem like much.
Iori stood by Rugal's side and watched the fight intently. This was by far the most brutal battle he had seen take place between Geese and Ranko. Neither of them seemed ready to give up, though.
-----
Krauser eyed his half-brother with a newfound respect. Not only had he trained to a level more or less even with his own, but had managed to train a person to match them. Krauser knew, with his many years of fighting, that Geese seemed to have the upper hand only because of his experience. And even then Ranko could still pull off a victory, though it was the least likely of outcomes.
Mr. Big sweated as he stared at the fight. He knew, without a doubt, that he would be no match for Geese or Ranko. Sure, he would put up a great fight, but the outcome would be clear from the beginning, at least to him. He cursed himself for not continuing with his training as diligently as he could have. If Rugal and Iori were anywhere near that level he would lose the fight regardless of who his opponent was.
-----
Ranko and Geese continued to fight for a good five minutes more. None of them giving quarter for the other to take a break. Even even the untrained ones, who had gone silent in distress as the negative emotions summoned fear in the deepest parts of their souls, could easily feel the chi they were using.
Each blow that landed wouldn't go without retaliation. Every block threatened to brake the bones of the offending limb. Every thought was focused on executing the moves inherent to the style as perfectly as humanly possible.
Of course the fight couldn't continue as it was forever. Someone was prone to make a mistake. That someone was Geese.
The blonde man overextended his right arm, having put too much power behind the punch.
Ranko took advantage of the mistake and snaked into his defenses, quickly trapping Geese in a painful arm lock. Even if she wasn't as strong as he was, the technique was enough to have a good hold on him.
Geese smirked when Ranko was behind him, applying more pressure to dislocate his shoulder. This move was very effective, but Ranko made one fatal mistake in following through with it.
Ranko could see victory at hand. Geese wouldn't be able to fight her off with a useless arm. As the bone was about to pop out of place she gave out an anguished scream, her strength finally failing her as she couldn't hold Geese's arm any longer.
Geese lifted his left leg, ignoring the pain the move caused, and slammed his foot hard against Ranko's left leg. The resounding crack of breaking bone, followed by her anguished scream, was all he needed to hear as he turned around to head butt her, silencing her and braking her nose in the process.
Before she could drop he caught her by her shirt and threw her with all his strength at the transparent wall. *Now to finish it.* He thought as he started concentrating energy in his right hand.
-----
Iori watched in disbelief as Geese took advantage of Ranko's injury. The crime lord knew about the injury! *That's why he let himself be caught in that hold.* Geese's kick didn't hold enough power to get the effect it had, but Ranko's leg was already weak from her fight against the Insane Orochi Warrior.
-----
Ranko felt the air rush against her. She knew she was about to crash with the wall, and if she did she wouldn't be getting up. With strength born out of desperation she managed to turn around in the air and meet the wall with her feet first. Even if she only used her right leg to cushion the blow she still almost passed out from the pain coming from her broken left leg. Focusing all her remaining chi Ranko propelled herself forward and prepared what would be her last attack in this fight.
-----
Geese smirked when he saw Ranko flying towards him. *So predictable.* He thought as he raised his hand over his head, crackling with energy and ready to deliver the final blow.
Ranko cocked back her right fist, also crackling with energy.
The redhead did follow through her usual behavior, thus Geese was right in his prediction that she would launch one last attack. He miscalculated, though. He didn't expect the attack the redhead used.
Geese's palm slammed against the ground.
Ranko's fist shot forward.
"RAGING STORM!"
-----
Everyone had to shield their eyes from the explosion of energy. The twin cries of the special move, followed by the explosion, were the only clue as to what happened.
As they all tried to blink away the spots on their vision they looked at the platform, trying to make out what happened. What the outcome of the fight was.
Gradually their vision returned. Everyone had been so intent on the fight that they were all victims of the blinding flash of light.
The first thing to notice was a figure on its knees, with one hand on the ground and the other clutching its chest. As details became clearer they recognized said figure as Geese, who was currently vomiting blood and doing his best to remain conscious.
When further inspection revealed he was alone in the platform everyone started looking around. The first sign of what happened was seeing one of the walls had a hole through it. A big hole through which a human body could easily pass.
Ten feet away from the platform lay Ranko Howard.
Iori and Billy rushed to her side in an instant. It was no surprise for them that no paramedics made their appearance. Billy gasped when he saw the results of the battle. Ranko's eyes were glazed over and unseeing. Her braking through the wall had aggravated her injuries and given her some new ones, like a deep cut on her back that was bleeding profusely. Her chi was still very strong, but bleeding out of her uselessly as she unconsciously tried to get up.
Rugal, Krauser and Big joined them and studied the damage done. The German man quickly looked around for some kind of medical help, knowing the redhead wouldn't survive with such injuries for long, but found the medical staff nowhere to be seen.
Rugal's eyes widened when he saw Ranko try to sit up, only to be stopped by Iori. *Is she still trying to fight?*
As all this happened Geese stumbled towards the group. He was having trouble breathing, but his eyes never once left the downed form of his heir.
He pushed Billy aside as he knelt next to Ranko.
After doing that he punched her hard on the jaw, effectively sending her to unconsciousness.
As Ranko's body went still Geese snorted. "Stubborn girl, never knows when to give up." He said in obvious pain, since his jaw was broken, before collapsing himself.
END PART 2
Author's notes: And thus the second chapter of Reliving the Past comes to an end. This one is dedicated to Yanslana, since she's been supporting this fic for a while now and put some pressure on me to get the chapter out. If you're reading this, thanks.
Well, the fight between Geese and Ranko has taken place. Who expected such an outcome? In fact who expected such a fight to take place? More surprises in the next part of Reliving the Past.
Every fighter present.
This was particularly true because some of the participants were in the tournament's medic area, watching over their wounded friends, or were on their way home.
Terry was by Mary's side. The Sakasakis remained with Takuma, who was in a coma after his fight against Geese. Surprisingly, King remained by Ryo's side giving him the support he needed. Goro and Shingo left to arrange everything for the Kusanagis' funeral ceremonies. Athena went with them, followed by Kensou and Chin.
In one corner of the room, sitting on a boot, Chizuru tried her hardest to drown her sorrows with alcohol. Sitting next to her was Shiranui Mai, Andy Bogard's wife. Why she didn't take his name was a mystery to all. The ninja was giving her teammate the support she needed, or in this case at least company. The priestess was just too upset right now to care.
Andy, Kim and Joe shared a table not too far from the women, their features somber after watching Geese fight against both Kusanagi Saisyu and Sakasaki Takuma before standing down to let Krauser have fun with Heidern. The crime lord was not the same one they fought before. Sure, he was as brutal as usual, but the power and skill he now wielded... He killed Saisyu with little effort, partly because the man was overtaken by grief, but there was no doubt about who would've won that fight had Saisyu been in top condition. That he toyed around with Takuma put everyone on edge. Takuma was not a fighter to beat easily, yet Geese made it seem as if he was fighting an amateur. *At least Takuma isn't dead.* Was the thought that passed through more than one mind as the paramedics took the eldest Sakasaki away. News got around that he was in a coma, but expected to make a full recovery.
Andy clenched his fist in front of him. Why couldn't the bastard just stay dead? Most importantly of all, why was Terry so calm when seeing the man that killed their father? When seeing the man that killed Lily in front of their very eyes! It just didn't make sense to him, Geese deserved to die and that was all there was to it. Why couldn't Terry see that?
Off to the side sat Heidern with his subordinates. Leona was still recovering from her injuries, but they were faded bruises at the most now. Her behavior was the usual cold one, totally impenetrable. Ralph had a bottle of some strong liquor in his hand, staring at the liquid intently. Clark remained stern through it all, his shades covering whatever his eyes would probably reveal. Heidern, who had a broken left arm courtesy of Krauser, had a stony mask on his features. He every now and then turned his good eye to regard Leona before losing himself in his own thoughts. None uttered a single sound as they sat there.
All of them were worried over something, though. Leona's almost being possessed by her blood.
When a group of people entered the room everyone turned to them. Eyes narrowed in anger at seeing Ranko Howard leading the group. She stopped to take a look around the room before starting for a large table. The stares she was recipient of seemed not to faze her at all.
Following her was Iori, who seemed to have a contended expression on his face. His steps were sure, obvious sign that he had recovered from today's fight. As he walked he made eye contact with Leona, and the woman's eyes seemed to sparkle at the silent exchange. The glares he received would've killed lesser men. He was, of course, unaffected by them.
Some of the fighters in the room were about to stand and confront the pair when more people entered the bar and joined Ranko and Iori.
Geese.
Krauser.
Billy.
Big.
Rugal.
The five sat with the redheads, making the group grow from only two fighters to seven. Seven powerful fighters that showed no compulsions about destroying their opponents. Seven strong fighters that most of the time didn't even need a reason to start a fight.
The air was tense as everyone expected a fight to erupt, but the newly arrived group was content with simply sharing their drinks in peace. Chizuru was the only one that didn't notice the arrival, too immersed in her own alcohol-enhanced depression to care about her surroundings.
"The Kusanagi line ended today." Krauser informed the others. "I received report that the targets were taken down."
Rugal chuckled. "I guess our plan did work out after all."
Krauser nodded. "As much as I dislike not giving them a chance to have a warrior's death. The Kusanagi clan will no longer be an obstacle."
Geese just snorted and took a sip of his cup of wine. He himself was responsible for the death of Kusanagi Saisyu. Contrary to what most believed he didn't particularly enjoy killing the man. He was an obstacle, so he was destroyed. As a businessman Geese understood that. As a warrior he was disappointed in such a one-sided battle. There was no satisfaction in bullying someone to death. Had the fight been more even the crime lord would feel proud of achieving victory. Today that wasn't the case. "I take it one team will have a chance to rest before the final battle?"
The others didn't object to the change of subject. In fact Ranko seemed to welcome it as she nodded. "Only three teams remain in the tournament." She turned to Rugal, who was smiling behind his cup. "So who's fighting tomorrow?" The question was completely even, surprising everyone since Ranko seemed to really hate Rugal's guts.
Rugal just put his cup on the table and made a point of looking at each of the fighters. His eye sparkled in amusement when he could see they were all eagerly awaiting for his answer. They had different reasons, but they all wanted a piece of the Fatal Fury Team.
Before any of them could ask the question again Rugal lifted a hand to silence them. "Tomorrow the teams to meet for battle are our teams." He said calmly. At seeing the incredulous looks he smirked and continued. "We all want to meet the strongest of opponents. Tomorrow we'll be able to do so."
Understanding dawned on everyone. Even if the Fatal Fury Team was indeed a mighty adversary, it was mostly because of the presence of Terry Bogard. Andy and Joe were negligible considering the members of both the Rugal and Boss Teams.
Tomorrow's fight, on the other hand, would have some of the strongest fighters of the tournament. A true challenge for them. And with a prize to look forward to.
Billy was the one to voice what everyone was thinking. Even if he wouldn't be participating he was as excited as the others. "And the winner gets to fight against Bogard."
Geese chuckled as Krauser nodded. "A truly magnificent prize." The German man said before taking a sip from his cup.
Iori's eyes narrowed at hearing the name. He found out who it was that hurt Leona. Even if he knew she didn't need him to protect her, he would still find great satisfaction in meeting such an adversary in the battlefield. Not many people could actually beat Leona without being seriously harmed. Besides, Iori's fight against Terry didn't really count, since that idiot of his younger brother distracted him long enough for the red-haired man to finish the job.
Ranko smirked darkly as she turned slightly to see Andy Bogard. He was distracted as she turned to him, engaged in an argument with Joe, but it didn't matter to her. There was something about him that made her feel anger well inside, the way he behaved was a reminder of the way people in Nerima acted towards her.
She was taken out of her thoughts when Geese called her attention. "How about a little bet, girl?"
Turning to the smirking blonde man she narrowed her eyes. "What kind of bet?" She knew perfectly well Geese wanted to bet on the fight. What he wanted was always a mystery. He was always after something different.
Geese's smirk widened. "When I win you'll wear whichever dress I pick for you for the next party I hold in my tower. You need to be properly introduced to my associates."
Ranko winced slightly at that. She was female in this tournament because of a bet she lost to Geese in their last fight before signing up. The hungry look in Rugal's eyes and amused ones in Billy and Iori's did little to reassure her. However, before she could decline, Geese pressed on. "I'll understand if you're afraid."
That did it. Ranko's eyes burned with determination as she glared at her master. "You're on." She growled out coldly.
Geese chuckled at how easy it was to manipulate his heir, if you knew what buttons to push, and continued. "I'll accept any terms you propose should you win the fight, girl."
This further enraged Ranko, but she just nodded and remained silent. She would have to think carefully about what she wanted, should she win the fight. Something that wasn't the most likely of outcomes.
As Ranko and Geese stared at each other Rugal turned to Krauser with an amused expression on his face. "Should we let them be the first ones to fight? That would make things more even." *And more amusing.* He added to himself. *I wonder if I could influence Geese in his choice of dress for little Ranko.*
Iori just snorted when the table erupted into laughter, except for Ranko, and turned to regard the others in the room. He found it funny to see every person in the room shudder and turn to them when the laughter was heard. Not that he could blame them, of course. Leona seemed to be the only unaffected one as she locked eyes with him.
Said laughter had the effect of attracting someone's attention to their group. That someone had been so immersed in her own grief that she lost contact with the real world, but one of the voices in that sea of mirth brought her out of her stupor. One of those voices she recognized as the cause behind her pain. Chizuru turned and, after steeling herself from the sudden move, her eyes locked on Geese Howard as he laughed out loud.
Mai saw her friend's expression turn from pain to anger and she immediately tried to stop her. "Chizuru." She called as she took a hold of the woman's shoulder, only to have her hand batted away.
"You bastard!" Chizuru drunkenly bellowed as she stumbled towards Geese. She didn't notice her becoming the center of attention, and even if she did she couldn't care less. "You heartless bastard!"
Andy, Kim and Joe tensed when they saw Geese stop laughing and turn to Chizuru. They would jump in at the smallest sign of trouble for the drunken priestess. Geese had already shown that he could very well kill a defenseless woman.
Ranko turned to the priestess she had seen lose to Krauser before. She didn't understand why Kusanagi's death would affect her this much, neither did she understand why she didn't insult Iori as well. The small redhead decided to keep silent and see how things progressed. Out of the corner of her eye she could see all the other fighters tensing for battle, if a fight broke out she would be ready.
Iori watched in amusement as the uptight Chizuru made a fool out of herself. She obviously didn't include him in her tirade because she knew what his intentions towards Kyo were from the beginning. She'd probably blame him later as well, but for now she must have obviously made the connection between Geese killing Saisyu and the remaining Kusanagis' murders. Every person able to wield the magatama in the Kusanagi clan was no more. It was actually quite obvious, since Geese always did everything with a purpose. Finding that purpose was the difficult part. Iori didn't care either way, for him a world without Kusanagis was something to be grateful about.
Billy stood up and was about to block Chizuru's path when a dismissive wave from Geese told him to step back. He did so, but not without keeping an eye on the entire room. He would be damned if anyone got to Geese without fighting him first.
Mr. Big remained unmoving the entire time, yet his eyes tracked every single corner of the room carefully. He knew if a fight broke out they would easily beat down their opponents, he just wanted to chose the one he would be taking down. For some reason he found himself disliking Kim.
Chizuru stopped when Geese stood up and faced her with no emotion in his eyes. "I hope you have a good reason for calling me a 'bastard.'"
Chizuru didn't let the blonde crime lord intimidate her. It obviously had something to do with the alcohol coursing through her veins, but she welcomed the effects as she glared daggers at the blurry sight of her tormentor. "I do. You purposely destroyed the Kusanagi lineage with the power to wield the magatama. With your actions you have condemned the entire human race to a fate worse than death!" She shrilled as she fought to keep standing. The floor was starting to move and she had trouble focusing.
Geese smirked as he looked down at her. "You do have a good reason to call me a bastard, then." With that he sat down and grabbed his cup. "Even if your sight is too short to see why the Kusanagis had to be eradicated." He added in a condescending tone of voice before taking a sip of wine.
Chizuru screamed as she threw herself at Geese, her hands intent on taking a hold of his neck to strangle the crime lord. She didn't quite make it as someone took a firm grip of her shoulders from behind. "Let me go!" She cried out as she tried to brake the grip, but whoever was holding her was too strong for a drunken woman. "Let me go!" She cried again in a more subdued tone of voice. In a matter of seconds all her rage turned to despair as she started sobbing uncontrollably, her slurred words making no sense at all now.
The others watched as Wolfgang Krauser held up the priestess by the shoulders now that her energy was spent. In a soft voice he spoke to her. "Kagura-san, your behavior tonight is beneath a woman of your station."
Chizuru just continued on sobbing as she let her body go limp, defeated.
Krauser sighed and picked the woman in his arms with ease before turning to Mai. "I believe Kagura-san should be taken to her quarters. She's had enough to drink for the night."
Mai nervously nodded back to Krauser and led the man outside.
Andy left with his wife to keep an eye on Krauser. He didn't trust the German man one bit.
All the others could do was look at each other in confusion. What was that all about?
-----
The next day of the tournament was greeted by a cloudy day, a cold wind blowing gently. As people entered the coliseum the fighters down bellow made preparations for the day's activities. Today only one fight would take place, but it promised to be one great fight considering the three teams that remained.
The announcer kept trying to animate the audience for five minutes. He gave up when it was obvious his attempts wouldn't bring out a response. It seemed like most of the people present only came to see what happened, all sense of this tournament being a reason to celebrate gone after yesterday's events.
It didn't take long for the teams to be named and step forward. It was actually a shock to the other fighters that the Rugal and Boss Teams would be fighting each other. Everyone figured the Rugal Team would try to weaken the Fatal Fury Team before the final battle.
The audience all got enraged at the sight of both teams, throwing insults and threats that they would never back up.
Ranko looked up at the raging crowd and shook her head. It was quite interesting how some people only dared show courage in the safety of numbers and anonymity. *Cowards.* Throwing insults like that was only a way to cover their own insecurities.
Iori was used to being the recipient of countless insults. Life as a Yagami was always like that, so he had long ago learned to tune them out. His focus right now was in the approaching fight.
Rugal smirked and waved to the crowd in gratitude. It only made the people more enraged, which made his smirk to widen. *Fools. If only they knew the real purpose behind the tournament.*
On the other side of the platform Geese just snorted. He couldn't care less what people thought of him.
Mr. Big did his best to remain calm. Behind his shades he was looking at the people to insult him and started filing their faces for later. He would have fun making them repeat those insults, when he had them at his mercy.
Krauser stood there, stoically taking in the insults. He knew some of the things said were true, but the source simply couldn't be taken seriously.
-----
"The fight is about to begin. Where's Terry?" Andy asked Mai as she approached.
She only sighed at Andy's obsession with seeing Geese fall. "He didn't want to leave Mary's side. She woke up, but is too weak to get out of bed."
Andy just growled under his breath and turned to see the fight take place. "What's this?!" He exclaimed in anger at seeing Geese and Ranko step forward for the first round.
"We knew this could happen, Andy." Joe said as calmly as he could. "It seems like they'll only put up a show to let Geese advance to the finals."
Andy narrowed his eyes. It seemed like Geese wanted to fight them, after all. He would take revenge over the crime lord for what he had done.
-----
Geese and Ranko stared at each other as the transparent walls of the platform raised around them. No words were needed, not even to insult each other as the other would take the advantage over that little distraction.
The outside world dimmed until there was only the two fighters and the area they would be fighting in, their concentration fully focused on the fight even before it began.
As one they fell on their combat stances, nearly identical yet the redhead's emphasized the use of speed over power, even if only a little bit.
Geese suddenly broke the stalemate. It was only by blinking, but that made a big difference. In the time it took him to blink Ranko was already inside his defenses landing a palm strike to his chest. The power behind the blow sent him flying back and, though he recovered his feet, into Ranko's kick to his head.
With quick reflexes he was able to block the kick and counter with a front kick of his own. Even if the kick didn't land Ranko was forced back. Enough time for Geese to charge with his own attack.
While Ranko had the obvious advantage in speed, her attacks weren't nearly as destructive as Geese's own. The only way for her blows to be as strong as the one that killed Yamazaki was for her to focus on strength, forgoing speed. Even at her strongest Geese was still more powerful, so she had to keep the speed advantage.
Geese charged with a roundhouse kick. When Ranko ducked under it she could feel the wind blowing strong against her skin. She jumped over the follow- up sweep and tried to deliver a flying kick to the blonde man. Her foot was caught in a strong grip as Geese applied one of the atemis to send her spiraling away.
Ranko knew the move, she applied it enough times to know there was no escape even if you somehow knew where the floor was. The spiraling made landing right almost impossible. Yet she had seen something the day before that kept her thinking. *What if I can alter my fall?* Remembering Leona's technique she tried to emulate it. The worst that could happen was her hitting the floor on her head, a result that would happen if she didn't try anyway. Concentrating she called forth her chi to try and stop her spinning. It took more energy than she thought at first, but she was able to do it.
Geese's eyes widened when he saw Ranko land in a roll instead of her head. He didn't drop his guard, though. Knowing Ranko she would be on the offensive as soon as she turned around.
Ranko's eyes had a harder glint to them when she stood up and turned to face Geese. Or rather turned and rushed at Geese with the intent to seize the opportunity. What she didn't expect was for Geese to meet her halfway across, giving her no chance to dodge his charge.
"JAEI KEN!" The blonde man bellowed as he executed he move on the redhead. His shoulder rammed into her with great power, which was further amplified because of her forward motion, and he was gratified with the explosion of air coming out of his heir's lungs. *Got a long way to go before you can pull a fast one on me, girl.* He thought smugly as he punched her in the gut with his left fist, covered in dark energy. Ranko bent over, coughing blood. Geese followed with his other hand, landing squarely in the back of her head and knocking her to the floor with such force that it cracked.
Far from finished, Geese delivered a palm strike to the motionless Ranko, further cracking the floor bellow her, and grabbed her head to lift her up. As he was about to deliver another punch to her midsection he saw her hand in front of his face and heard whispered words that made him curse for his carelessness..
"Reppuu Ken." Ranko whispered as she let loose with the violent wave technique right on Geese's face. She was gratified with seeing him flying back and giving her enough time to recover her breath. She felt horrible right now. Her gut felt like it was on fire, she was certain she had a couple of cracked ribs and her vision was blurring. She should've expected for Geese to anticipate her charge instead of rushing in.
As she saw him get up she summoned more power to strengthen her weakened body, falling even deeper into her negative emotions.
Geese got up and shot Ranko a glare, which she returned with interest. Examining his own injuries he could tell his nose was broken from that chi blast. *Which will make breathing really fun.* He thought sarcastically. His ribs were starting to bother him from that first blow, too. They were probably bruised, and badly. He knew, however, that Ranko was in a much worse state than he was. The mere fact that she was powering herself with chi spoke volumes of the extent of her injuries.
The fighters didn't waste anymore time and rushed at each other.
-----
Mai's face was pale at seeing the brutal battle. She, as everyone else, had expected for the fighters to take it easy on each other. To put up a show and let Geese advance to the final battle. If things continued as they were, with Ranko and Geese brutally beating on each other, they would be lucky if they could stand after the fight.
Mai winced as she heard the distinctive sound of cracking bone. Her respect for Ranko, as a warrior, increased when she saw that the small redhead, instead of double over in pain, take advantage of Geese's fist still imbedded on her side to land a wicked punch to his face. The sound of cracking bone was heard again as the blonde man's jaw gave away. He stumbled back a little, only to have Ranko roar an inhuman bellow and charge him.
Mai felt Geese's own chi growing to match Ranko's. He growled as he used the redhead's own momentum to make a throw and slam her against the floor. He was awarded with a kick to his ribs for the effort.
Andy's wife turned her eyes from the fight to see the reactions on the others' faces. They were pretty much like her own, no one having expected the fight to turn out like this.
Returning her attention to the fight she wondered if they would stop before killing each other.
-----
Rugal stared at the display of skill and power with an expressionless face. On the inside, though, he was glad he didn't push Ranko any further than he did before. Since he didn't really know all of her tactics he would have a much harder time than Geese fighting her. Even if he did manage to defeat her, something he wasn't entirely certain about, he would probably have to face Iori and Billy as well. They would've beaten him to death.
Seeing the fight now, he could see why Geese took Ranko in and gave her his name. She was a fighter as vicious as any of them was. Yet at first sight she didn't seem like much.
Iori stood by Rugal's side and watched the fight intently. This was by far the most brutal battle he had seen take place between Geese and Ranko. Neither of them seemed ready to give up, though.
-----
Krauser eyed his half-brother with a newfound respect. Not only had he trained to a level more or less even with his own, but had managed to train a person to match them. Krauser knew, with his many years of fighting, that Geese seemed to have the upper hand only because of his experience. And even then Ranko could still pull off a victory, though it was the least likely of outcomes.
Mr. Big sweated as he stared at the fight. He knew, without a doubt, that he would be no match for Geese or Ranko. Sure, he would put up a great fight, but the outcome would be clear from the beginning, at least to him. He cursed himself for not continuing with his training as diligently as he could have. If Rugal and Iori were anywhere near that level he would lose the fight regardless of who his opponent was.
-----
Ranko and Geese continued to fight for a good five minutes more. None of them giving quarter for the other to take a break. Even even the untrained ones, who had gone silent in distress as the negative emotions summoned fear in the deepest parts of their souls, could easily feel the chi they were using.
Each blow that landed wouldn't go without retaliation. Every block threatened to brake the bones of the offending limb. Every thought was focused on executing the moves inherent to the style as perfectly as humanly possible.
Of course the fight couldn't continue as it was forever. Someone was prone to make a mistake. That someone was Geese.
The blonde man overextended his right arm, having put too much power behind the punch.
Ranko took advantage of the mistake and snaked into his defenses, quickly trapping Geese in a painful arm lock. Even if she wasn't as strong as he was, the technique was enough to have a good hold on him.
Geese smirked when Ranko was behind him, applying more pressure to dislocate his shoulder. This move was very effective, but Ranko made one fatal mistake in following through with it.
Ranko could see victory at hand. Geese wouldn't be able to fight her off with a useless arm. As the bone was about to pop out of place she gave out an anguished scream, her strength finally failing her as she couldn't hold Geese's arm any longer.
Geese lifted his left leg, ignoring the pain the move caused, and slammed his foot hard against Ranko's left leg. The resounding crack of breaking bone, followed by her anguished scream, was all he needed to hear as he turned around to head butt her, silencing her and braking her nose in the process.
Before she could drop he caught her by her shirt and threw her with all his strength at the transparent wall. *Now to finish it.* He thought as he started concentrating energy in his right hand.
-----
Iori watched in disbelief as Geese took advantage of Ranko's injury. The crime lord knew about the injury! *That's why he let himself be caught in that hold.* Geese's kick didn't hold enough power to get the effect it had, but Ranko's leg was already weak from her fight against the Insane Orochi Warrior.
-----
Ranko felt the air rush against her. She knew she was about to crash with the wall, and if she did she wouldn't be getting up. With strength born out of desperation she managed to turn around in the air and meet the wall with her feet first. Even if she only used her right leg to cushion the blow she still almost passed out from the pain coming from her broken left leg. Focusing all her remaining chi Ranko propelled herself forward and prepared what would be her last attack in this fight.
-----
Geese smirked when he saw Ranko flying towards him. *So predictable.* He thought as he raised his hand over his head, crackling with energy and ready to deliver the final blow.
Ranko cocked back her right fist, also crackling with energy.
The redhead did follow through her usual behavior, thus Geese was right in his prediction that she would launch one last attack. He miscalculated, though. He didn't expect the attack the redhead used.
Geese's palm slammed against the ground.
Ranko's fist shot forward.
"RAGING STORM!"
-----
Everyone had to shield their eyes from the explosion of energy. The twin cries of the special move, followed by the explosion, were the only clue as to what happened.
As they all tried to blink away the spots on their vision they looked at the platform, trying to make out what happened. What the outcome of the fight was.
Gradually their vision returned. Everyone had been so intent on the fight that they were all victims of the blinding flash of light.
The first thing to notice was a figure on its knees, with one hand on the ground and the other clutching its chest. As details became clearer they recognized said figure as Geese, who was currently vomiting blood and doing his best to remain conscious.
When further inspection revealed he was alone in the platform everyone started looking around. The first sign of what happened was seeing one of the walls had a hole through it. A big hole through which a human body could easily pass.
Ten feet away from the platform lay Ranko Howard.
Iori and Billy rushed to her side in an instant. It was no surprise for them that no paramedics made their appearance. Billy gasped when he saw the results of the battle. Ranko's eyes were glazed over and unseeing. Her braking through the wall had aggravated her injuries and given her some new ones, like a deep cut on her back that was bleeding profusely. Her chi was still very strong, but bleeding out of her uselessly as she unconsciously tried to get up.
Rugal, Krauser and Big joined them and studied the damage done. The German man quickly looked around for some kind of medical help, knowing the redhead wouldn't survive with such injuries for long, but found the medical staff nowhere to be seen.
Rugal's eyes widened when he saw Ranko try to sit up, only to be stopped by Iori. *Is she still trying to fight?*
As all this happened Geese stumbled towards the group. He was having trouble breathing, but his eyes never once left the downed form of his heir.
He pushed Billy aside as he knelt next to Ranko.
After doing that he punched her hard on the jaw, effectively sending her to unconsciousness.
As Ranko's body went still Geese snorted. "Stubborn girl, never knows when to give up." He said in obvious pain, since his jaw was broken, before collapsing himself.
END PART 2
Author's notes: And thus the second chapter of Reliving the Past comes to an end. This one is dedicated to Yanslana, since she's been supporting this fic for a while now and put some pressure on me to get the chapter out. If you're reading this, thanks.
Well, the fight between Geese and Ranko has taken place. Who expected such an outcome? In fact who expected such a fight to take place? More surprises in the next part of Reliving the Past.