Terry exited Mary's room with a smile on his face. The blonde woman had
just fallen asleep. She would be able to get out of bed in only a couple of
days more.
What he was happy about was that he had finally taken a step towards having a real relationship with her. Her enthusiasm proved to be all he needed to know it was the right choice.
With a contented sigh, and immersed in his thoughts of what to do once the tournament was over, he took a step forward.
Only to be violently shoved back to crash against the closed door. "Out of the way, Bogard." Commanded a voice with British accent he recognized as Billy's. The pole arm master didn't even look at him as he walked past.
Terry was about to come up with a retort when another person walked past him. He recognized Yagami Iori instantly, it was hard not to, but the reason for his words to die in his lips was being carried in the Insane Orochi Warrior's arms. *Ranko?* He thought in alarm at seeing the state the small redhead was in. The wounds were life threatening at best. Even if some would heal without much trouble the sheer amount of damage done on her body would kill a normal person many times over. "What happened to her?" He asked as he tried to follow.
Only to be shoved back again. This time the shove carried more strength, but no words accompanied it. Terry locked gazes with Wolfgang Krauser as the German man stared dispassionately at the only person to defeat him. The moment only lasted a second, but for those two warriors it seemed to stretch for eternity. The promise of more fights to come.
Krauser averted his eyes to continue looking forwards, and it was then that Terry's own widened upon seeing the ones that came with the Emperor of Darkness. He saw Rugal walking next to Krauser. Each had an arm of the Immortal Geese Howard over their shoulders as they dragged the unconscious man down the hall. The crime lord's body was leaving a trail of blood on their wake, blood that mixed with Ranko's own in a sort of ironic way.
Mr. Big came last in the procession, covering the others' backs.
There was no doubt in Terry's mind of what happened, even if the shock of realization struck him as hard as any physical blow. He knew the Boss and Rugal Teams would face each other, but he didn't expect for this to be the outcome of the fight.
This also brought Terry to another line of thought. It seemed like Geese and Ranko fought to a draw. Seeing the amount of injuries they sustained he had no doubts it was an all out match. That meant Ranko could be considered to be on Geese's level. A fighter that came out of nowhere and at such a young age could be considered as one of the strongest in the world. "No. Not just a fighter." He muttered to himself as he walked to meet with his brother.
In his mind he could see Ranko's blue-gray eyes burning with intensity.
"A warrior."
-----
Billy burst into the room, quickly followed by the others. All of them, since they had too much experience with injuries, started examining the wounded Geese and Ranko. Still no doctors had made an appearance and time was running short for the small redhead. Geese would probably survive without any treatment.
*He might even be able to heal himself.* Billy thought as he remembered how Geese recovered from his first defeat by Bogard. His main concern was Ranko, though. Her injuries were a lot more serious and her chi was very weak.
Rugal made a mental note to have the medical staff of the tournament assassinated once it was over. Kill them even if Ranko did manage to survive, which was starting to become unlikely. They all had experience treating wounds, but Ranko's were so numerous she'd need more than they could provide.
Iori stared at Ranko's unconscious form and wondered how he was going to help his friend. She needed someone with medical training, something everyone in here lacked. Asking for help would be useless. He seriously doubted anyone would want to help with Geese and Ranko's injuries. "Unless..." He whispered as his eyes lost their focus.
"Yagami?" Billy asked, wondering what the red-haired man was thinking. He wanted to help his friend, but all he could do was watch her abused body helplessly. If only the blonde woman was here...
"Try to stop the bleeding." Iori said seriously as he started walking away. "I'll get help." And he was gone, out the door and rushing down the halls of the Coliseum.
The others just looked at each other and shrugged. Krauser and Billy tried to follow Iori's instructions.
-----
Andy and Joe were discussing the fight as Mai continued to stare at the blood where Ranko and Geese laid before being taken away. Truth be told her mind was still going over the fact that Geese and Ranko would fight each other so viciously. Neither showed any qualms about killing the other, and judging from the wounds they inflicted on each other they might not survive.
But even if the battle was vicious, even if both fighters did all they could to destroy the other, Mai couldn't feel hatred in between them. Their auras were filled with dark emotions alright, but none of those were directed towards the other. *They met as warriors in the battlefield.* It had nagged at Mai's mind that Krauser didn't beat any of his opponents more than necessary. Geese did kill Kyo's father, but that also felt detached. He didn't kill any of his other opponents, just beat them up till they dropped. Aside from the Saisyu incident Geese seemed to be fighting just for the heck of it, like his half-brother.
It almost seemed as if the members of the Boss and Rugal teams were here only to fight strong opponents now.
Mai was taken out of her thoughts when Terry entered the room, a bewildered look on his face. "What the hell happened?" He asked bluntly.
-----
Heidern sat on his chair and considered what happened between Geese and Ranko. Even if they had all lost, the Ikari and Middle Age Teams, he decided to see things through. He was very suspicious of Rugal's motives for holding the tournament this year.
Leona sat by his side, stoic as ever. Ralph and Clark were commenting silently about the fight they just witnessed.
The sound of a door opening behind them made them all turn curiously. The reactions to Yagami Iori's presence varied tremendously.
Clark visibly tensed. Such a reaction from the grappler meant he was taking the threat posed by the red-haired man more than seriously.
Ralph's eyes narrowed dangerously. He'd managed to get a glimpse of Iori and Leona embracing the other night and the monster of jealously tinted his vision. He'd entertained fantasies of courting Leona for some time, and having a man that had already put the moves on the blue-haired woman in front of him further obscured his judgment and his instinct of self- preservation.
Heidern's expression turned to stone. He stared emotionlessly at the intruder, knowing Leona favored the man. He'd known about it for some time, but had said nothing because the blue-haired woman was capable of making her own decisions and taking care of herself. He would insult her if he tried to intervene in any way. He didn't like Iori, not one bit, but he would respect Leona's relationship with him.
Leona's eyes widened slightly at seeing the worry evident in Iori's face. He usually showed such feelings only when they were in bed together, when he felt he could relax and let himself go. But here he was, in broad daylight and seemingly not caring about others seeing him like this. "Iori?" She asked uncertainly, though for anyone in hearing range it was a calmly asked question.
Iori took a deep breath. "Leona. We need... I need your help." He said at length. "Ranko's dying, and the medical staff seems to have disappeared." He growled the last part out. He could clearly remember how many paramedics attended Benimaru after fighting Ranko.
The blue-haired woman was on her feet in an instant. "Where is she?" She asked as she started after the man. If Ranko's injuries were as bad as she thought the redhead needed attention fast. She completely ignored Ralph's protests as she followed Iori.
The fighters ran down the halls of the Coliseum. Time was something Ranko didn't have. Very soon they found themselves entering the room where Geese and Ranko were. The conscious fighters turned to look at them, and upon seeing Leona Rugal frowned. Billy and Krauser said nothing, but looked at Iori for him to explain how Leona could help.
"Yagami, what is she doing here?" Rugal asked disdainfully.
Iori stepped aside as Leona rushed to Ranko's side. "She's here to save Ranko's life." He answered the big man seriously. "Are you objecting to that?"
Upon seeing Leona ignore him and start expertly going over Ranko's wounds Rugal smirked. "No. I'm not." If she didn't go after his hide like Heidern usually did he could tolerate her presence.
Leona ignored everything around her as she took stock of Ranko's many injuries. She quickly catalogued them and decided which had to be treated first. *I've got my work cut out for me.* She thought. "I need some privacy here." She said turning to the others.
Billy glared at her. "We're not leaving them alone with you." To make his point clear he crossed his arms over his chest. There was simply no way he would leave someone alone with both Geese and Ranko in the state they were in.
Krauser decided to keep quiet and simply turned to Iori. The red-haired man caught the look and only nodded, indicating that it was fine to let Leona take care of the injured ones.
Leona stared at Billy hard. "There's no time to waste. Even as we speak her chances of surviving are diminishing." She turned to the other fighters. "Besides, you have to return and continue fighting or you'll be all disqualified."
Billy was about to retort when Krauser spoke. "Let her treat the girl, Billy. If Iori can leave her under her care then there's nothing to worry about." His eyes narrowed. "What you should do while we continue with the fight is inquire as to why the medical staff decided not to help us even though Rugal is sponsoring this tournament."
Rugal nodded. "I'll deal with them once we're done, but for now we should continue fighting." He turned to Leona when he heard the sound of fabric being ripped. The blue-haired woman was ignoring them as she started going over Ranko's wounds. He quickly caught sight of Ranko's bare breasts, which were covered in a mixture of sweat and blood, and licked his lips. What was it about that girl that attracted him so?!
Iori shook his head. "Let's go." He said as he walked out of the room. On his way out he glimpsed over his shoulder at Leona as she worked on the small redhead. She was too busy to notice the attention.
The others followed silently. When they were out Billy closed the door and nodded to them, then took off down the hall in the opposite direction. He would really like to have a few words with the paramedics when he found them.
The others walked back to the fighting area. A fight was still waiting for them.
-----
The teams clashing weren't disqualified even though half an hour had passed since they left the fighting area. The platform had to be repaired before the fights could begin again, and it so happened that they returned when the job was being finished.
The four fighters ignored the crowd as they assumed their positions on opposing sides of said platform. As the moment for the next round neared they focused more and more on the fight about to take place. Even thoughts of a dying Ranko were pushed back as the chi in the air started to heat up.
Iori's eyes, to anyone that could see them, burned with more intensity than before killing Kyo. His nemesis had been the reason behind the fight, but now that he was gone he could feel his blood rage for battle, for a challenge. The focus was on the fight now, not on something he expected to achiever through it.
Rugal and Krauser were staring at each other, their unblinking eyes looking for any possible weakness that could be exploited. As they had seen in the previous fight exploiting a weak spot could prove the end of the fight.
-----
Terry leaned on the wall as he crossed his arms over his chest. He contemplated what Mai told him about the fight and came to the conclusion that what happened to Mary was pretty much what happened to Ranko as well. The fight was taken to the next level, a level were the only way of losing was being crushed. He'd fought many battles like that, and only two people had been able to get the better of him, but when he did lose he was in pretty bad shape for a while.
His eyes then turned to see Rugal and Krauser as they entered the platform. *This will be an interesting fight.* He thought.
-----
Leona cursed as Ranko started convulsing again. *It's a miracle she's still alive.* She thought as she forced the redhead down. *Her spirit is the only thing keeping her alive.*
The blue-haired woman injected something into her patient, who stopped convulsing after a few seconds, and wiped some sweat form her eyebrow. She sighed and got back to work.
She wouldn't let this girl die.
-----
Rugal smirked at Krauser as the transparent wall raised around them. "So we fight again."
Krauser returned the smirk with one of his own. "Last time you barely survived. I hope you worked to remedy that." He said assuming his fighting stance.
Rugal fell into his own stance. "I'm far stronger than last time we met." He snorted. "But that doesn't matter. We're about to find out, aren't we?"
"That we are." Krauser said.
"READY! GO!"
Both fighters shot forward and met in the middle of the platform. Their hands met in what turned to be a contest of strength against strength. Muscles tensed to their limits as they poured their all in a battle of wills, both physical and mental.
Krauser increased the flow of chi through his body, further enhancing his already monstrous strength. Rugal did likewise, maintaining the stalemate. Everyone kept silent as the fighters continued to try overpowering the other. The ground beneath their feet cracked with the enormous power being unleashed. As they continued to call up more of their energy reserves a faint glow started to outline their bodies.
Both warriors were smiling even if the strain was obvious. They were enjoying the match even if it had just begun.
When it was obvious both fighters were even in the strength department Krauser broke the stalemate. He suddenly stopped pushing and pulled instead.
The move was unexpected by Rugal, who found himself losing his balance and quickly thrown against one of the walls. He impacted with the wall hard, but seemed unaffected as he fell easily on his feet. His eyes widened slightly when he saw Krauser's fist only inches from his face.
Krauser didn't waste any time and charged Rugal with a devastating punch. The fact that Rugal managed to block it with his forearm brought a smile of satisfaction to the attacker's lips. *He wasn't boasting. He truly is far stronger than last time.*
Rugal retaliated with a kick to the midsection, which Krauser took without any apparent effort, and followed it through with a spin kick. His surprise was great when his second kick hit nothing but air.
Krauser jumped back from the blonde's kick and concentrated briefly. "BLITZ BALL!" He let loose with a chi blast.
Rugal rolled out of the way at the last moment and charged with his own attack. "REPPU KEN!" He launched a blast of compressed air at the still recovering Krauser, who sidestepped and rushed in.
The fighters then started exchanging blows. It quickly became obvious that they were pretty even in hand to hand as well, though Krauser seemed to hold a slight advantage because of the fact he was a little faster.
-----
"They aren't holding back either." Joe said as he watched the fight progress.
Terry nodded. "That's bad. If they beat each other as Ranko and Geese did we won't be fighting much of a team in the final match." The idea of fighting weakened opponents wasn't at all appealing to Terry. His blood was boiling in excitement at seeing the fight taking place, and he wished he was the one fighting out there. At the rate things were going he would be lucky if there was a final match at all.
Andy snorted. "I hope they kill each other. They'll save us the trouble." He said as he watched the fight with a fierce scowl.
Mai looked at her husband in surprise. Joe only glanced at his friend sideways.
Terry shook his head and turned his attention back to the fight. His brother was a very good fighter, one of the best in the world, but his anger worked strongly against him.
-----
Heidern's eye narrowed as the fight became more vicious. Rugal Bernstein was a lot stronger than before, almost as much as when he turned into Omega Rugal.
He originally came to the tournament to see if Rugal was really still alive. He stayed only because he was suspicious as to the man's motives to organize the tournament. Rugal seemed so focused on the fights that it almost seemed as if he really was only interested in the challenge.
If only Heidern could get rid of the feeling that something else was happening.
-----
"GENOCIDE CUTTER!" Rugal bellowed as he countered Krauser's attempted flying kick, in the process gaining some breathing room. Fighting like this was exhilarating, but Krauser had the advantage and if things continued as they were the heir of Strolheim would eventually win the fight.
Krauser fell hard on his back, a shallow wound on his chest from where Rugal's attack connected. "The sweet pain of combat." He muttered as he got up and on his feet, his right hand caressing the wound. "My blood burns with the excitement of the challenge. You have grown tremendously!" He clenched his fist tightly and the blood straining his hand evaporated with his battle aura. "Come, Rugal! Come and share the glory of combat!!!" And with that he launched himself at Rugal again.
The blonde man could only respond with an inarticulate cry of battle lust. He met Krauser's charge dead on and, ducking under a punch that would've taken his heat off, grabbed the other man around the waist with his right arm. He continued rushing forward and slammed the German noble against the wall in his infamous God Press.
Krauser felt his back protest with the abuse, but instead of being distracted he focused even more in the battle at hand. Just as Rugal was about to withdraw he connected with a solid uppercut, which sent the blonde flying back.
Rugal nearly blacked out with the force behind that blow. He couldn't believe his opponent recovered so quickly after his God Press. No one had ever done that before! He managed to twist in midair and land on his feet. "Krauser!" He bellowed as he charged, adrenaline coursing through his veins as well as the blood of the Orochi. He knew Krauser was one of the strongest fighters in the world. Without the Orochi blood he had no chance of facing against the heir of Strolheim and walking out of the fight alive. But he did have Orochi blood further powering him up.
The German noble met Rugal in a flurry of punches and kicks. The fight had gone into the next level. One of them wasn't walking out of the platform.
-----
Terry's entire body was tense as he witnessed the fighters tear into each other. *The glory of combat.* Terry repeated in his mind. He was tensed as a reaction to the savagery in the platform. Many were distraught over the violence the fighters were capable of, but not Terry. He was further excited by the prospect of fighting like that. Losing yourself in battle. *When fighting like that nothing else matters. There's only your opponent and the fight.*
-----
The fighters parted to recover their breath. Krauser was bleeding from several deep cuts. One particularly nasty one was over his left eyebrow, which covered half his face in crimson. His breathing was difficult, but it was obvious from his stance that he was ready for more.
Rugal was no different. Bruises littered his forearms from blocking so much, while his right eye was almost swollen shut. He needed to do something fast. If he lost half his sight he would lose for sure.
Contrary to common belief Rugal's cybernetic eye did function. He had a lot of trouble distinguishing colors with it, but otherwise it worked fine.
The damage inflicted upon their bodies spoke poorly of the true proportion of their fight. Any human out of the tournament participants would be dead by now. Even some of the participants would be crippled for life with some of the blows connected between the two titans.
"Shall we end this?" Krauser asked conversationally, as if reading Rugal's mind. "I believe you'd like to define the victor of this match before you find your sight impaired."
Rugal sneered. "I'll be sure to thank you properly after you lose."
The her of Strolheim chuckled. "Very well, then." He assumed a stance everyone in the tournament was well acquainted with, standing straight with his arms extended to his sides.
Rugal mimicked him.
The air in the platform started to crackle with the power being concentrated in the hands of both fighters.
-----
"They're going to use that?!" Joe asked in disbelief. He'd already seen Geese and Ranko use Raging Storms to finish each other off. Would Rugal and Krauser do the same?
"Apparently." Terry whispered, his eyes wide. The amount of power he was feeling was clearly beyond what he expected.
-----
"KAISER WAVE!" Krauser let loose with his finishing move. He thrust his hands forward and a huge blast of chi traveled incredibly fast against towards his opponent.
"KAISER WAVE!" Rugal almost seemed like a mirror of Krauser as he, too, delivered his most powerful technique.
The blasts collided in the middle of the platform and exploded violently. The flash of light was so intense those few that didn't cover their eyes before the explosion were completely blinded and would probably remain that way for a while. Some even fainted, unable to withstand the pain of such a bright light burning into their brain.
After the explosion everyone turned to see what was the result of the fight. Smoke filled the platform area and was contained by the transparent walls. It took several seconds for it to disperse enough to be able to see.
Nearly everyone gasped when they saw the still standing figures of both fighters.
*What are they?* Was the thought that passed through more than one mind.
Krauser, still in the position he used to release his technique, looked at his opponent with respect. "I must thank you for such a battle." He said, his voice unsteady.
Rugal was lowering his arms as he smirked. "It's not over yet." With that he rushed the still unmoving man.
Krauser barely had time to blink before being punched in the face. The force behind the blow was enough to make him stumble back. Without losing his feet he wiped some blood coming out of his mouth. "I'm afraid it is. You're so weak you can barely stand anymore." He said as he clenched his fists.
What followed can only be described as a slaughter. With no real energy to keep fighting Rugal was beaten down mercilessly. Not an inch of flesh was spared.
The last thing he saw was his own blood smeared on the approaching fist of Wolfgang Krauser.
-----
Iori frowned when Rugal fell unconscious. He'd fought as well as possible, yet it wasn't enough to defeat the monstrously strong heir of Strolheim. "Seems like it's my turn." He said to himself. He had no doubt he would defeat Krauser. The fight took a lot out of the man and he'd be lucky to last two minutes against Iori. Yet there was still Mr. Big to deal with.
He wondered how they were going to fight against the Fatal Fury Team tomorrow. Whichever team won would be too weakened to put up a decent fight. *Hell! Ranko and Geese are out.* He thought, wondering if Ranko had made it.
-----
Terry just stared at the form of Wolfgang Krauser as Rugal was taken away. The medical staff was shaking in fear as Billy Kane trailed after them.
The power displayed by Krauser, one of the only two men to ever best him in battle, was pretty even with Terry's own when fighting against the God of War. He was pretty sure that if that last Kaiser Wave hadn't been cancelled by Rugal's it would have blasted clear through the wall and severely damaged the Coliseum structure.
To be able to fight even after that explosion spoke volumes of Krauser's power as a warrior.
-----
Iori stepped on the platform studying his opponent. The wounds didn't seem to bother him, though he was favoring his left side slightly. Feeling his chi the red-haired man could also tell the German was on the last of his reserves. He was stronger than Rugal, but not by much.
He considered the last two fights carefully. While Geese and Ranko had been vicious they had fought with skill beyond anything else. Rugal and Krauser's fight was more a display of power than of martial arts, though they showed remarkable skill. Even if the fights were so different he came to the conclusion that Geese, Ranko, Rugal and Krauser where more or less even. Krauser and Geese were the strongest of the four, but the difference was so small it could be omitted. He himself was even with Ranko. Most of their fights ended in draws.
"Yagami Iori. I look forward to fighting against you." Krauser said politely. When he saw Iori smirk he returned it with mirth. They both knew the fight would be pretty one sided for the little time it would last.
-----
Leona sat by Ranko's side, her eyes intent on the small redhead. Even if Billy arrived with the paramedics in tow she didn't leave the redhead's side. She'd promised Iori she'd help save Ranko, and she did. Contrary to the medics' first diagnosis when simply looking at Ranko, she was stabilized.
Right now the medic staff was supposedly attending Rugal, who was in pretty bad shape after his fight. Since it was in another room Leona didn't care. The man could die and she wouldn't even bat an eye. Geese was sleeping on a bed across the room. Even if his injuries weren't as serious they still were life threatening. It would take some time for him to recover.
Leona looked at the pigtailed woman as she slept. She seemed so harmless, yet the image of a savage-looking Ranko fighting Geese Howard quickly came to her mind. It was that very same savage redhead that made it possible for her to wake up in Iori's arms after her fight with Terry Bogard. The same woman that paved the road for Iori to finally kill Kyo. *She's also a young woman that could probably take me down in a fight.* She added to herself. All of it didn't really matter. That one act of kindness from Ranko, helping her to be with Iori, was all that mattered for a woman that wasn't used to kindness. People usually were after something when doing a favor, yet Leona couldn't think of what Ranko could be after for helping her and Iori along.
*It doesn't matter anymore.* She thought. Even if the redhead was after something, which she doubted, the debt was more than paid.
Leona didn't leave Ranko's side, even if she truly wanted to see Iori fighting. She'd wait here for him to return and see his friend was alive.
END PART 3
Author's notes: The second round of the fight is over, and the Boss Team has a temporary advantage. Will it be enough to secure a win? And if it is how will they face the Fatal Fury Team?
Heidern knows about Leona's activities with Iori, yet he seems reluctant to act. Ralph might be a problem, though, as he won't have such compulsions.
Another chapter done, and now we see the tournament coming close to an end. In the next chapter we'll see who wins the fight and more interaction between the characters as the final match is about to begin.
What he was happy about was that he had finally taken a step towards having a real relationship with her. Her enthusiasm proved to be all he needed to know it was the right choice.
With a contented sigh, and immersed in his thoughts of what to do once the tournament was over, he took a step forward.
Only to be violently shoved back to crash against the closed door. "Out of the way, Bogard." Commanded a voice with British accent he recognized as Billy's. The pole arm master didn't even look at him as he walked past.
Terry was about to come up with a retort when another person walked past him. He recognized Yagami Iori instantly, it was hard not to, but the reason for his words to die in his lips was being carried in the Insane Orochi Warrior's arms. *Ranko?* He thought in alarm at seeing the state the small redhead was in. The wounds were life threatening at best. Even if some would heal without much trouble the sheer amount of damage done on her body would kill a normal person many times over. "What happened to her?" He asked as he tried to follow.
Only to be shoved back again. This time the shove carried more strength, but no words accompanied it. Terry locked gazes with Wolfgang Krauser as the German man stared dispassionately at the only person to defeat him. The moment only lasted a second, but for those two warriors it seemed to stretch for eternity. The promise of more fights to come.
Krauser averted his eyes to continue looking forwards, and it was then that Terry's own widened upon seeing the ones that came with the Emperor of Darkness. He saw Rugal walking next to Krauser. Each had an arm of the Immortal Geese Howard over their shoulders as they dragged the unconscious man down the hall. The crime lord's body was leaving a trail of blood on their wake, blood that mixed with Ranko's own in a sort of ironic way.
Mr. Big came last in the procession, covering the others' backs.
There was no doubt in Terry's mind of what happened, even if the shock of realization struck him as hard as any physical blow. He knew the Boss and Rugal Teams would face each other, but he didn't expect for this to be the outcome of the fight.
This also brought Terry to another line of thought. It seemed like Geese and Ranko fought to a draw. Seeing the amount of injuries they sustained he had no doubts it was an all out match. That meant Ranko could be considered to be on Geese's level. A fighter that came out of nowhere and at such a young age could be considered as one of the strongest in the world. "No. Not just a fighter." He muttered to himself as he walked to meet with his brother.
In his mind he could see Ranko's blue-gray eyes burning with intensity.
"A warrior."
-----
Billy burst into the room, quickly followed by the others. All of them, since they had too much experience with injuries, started examining the wounded Geese and Ranko. Still no doctors had made an appearance and time was running short for the small redhead. Geese would probably survive without any treatment.
*He might even be able to heal himself.* Billy thought as he remembered how Geese recovered from his first defeat by Bogard. His main concern was Ranko, though. Her injuries were a lot more serious and her chi was very weak.
Rugal made a mental note to have the medical staff of the tournament assassinated once it was over. Kill them even if Ranko did manage to survive, which was starting to become unlikely. They all had experience treating wounds, but Ranko's were so numerous she'd need more than they could provide.
Iori stared at Ranko's unconscious form and wondered how he was going to help his friend. She needed someone with medical training, something everyone in here lacked. Asking for help would be useless. He seriously doubted anyone would want to help with Geese and Ranko's injuries. "Unless..." He whispered as his eyes lost their focus.
"Yagami?" Billy asked, wondering what the red-haired man was thinking. He wanted to help his friend, but all he could do was watch her abused body helplessly. If only the blonde woman was here...
"Try to stop the bleeding." Iori said seriously as he started walking away. "I'll get help." And he was gone, out the door and rushing down the halls of the Coliseum.
The others just looked at each other and shrugged. Krauser and Billy tried to follow Iori's instructions.
-----
Andy and Joe were discussing the fight as Mai continued to stare at the blood where Ranko and Geese laid before being taken away. Truth be told her mind was still going over the fact that Geese and Ranko would fight each other so viciously. Neither showed any qualms about killing the other, and judging from the wounds they inflicted on each other they might not survive.
But even if the battle was vicious, even if both fighters did all they could to destroy the other, Mai couldn't feel hatred in between them. Their auras were filled with dark emotions alright, but none of those were directed towards the other. *They met as warriors in the battlefield.* It had nagged at Mai's mind that Krauser didn't beat any of his opponents more than necessary. Geese did kill Kyo's father, but that also felt detached. He didn't kill any of his other opponents, just beat them up till they dropped. Aside from the Saisyu incident Geese seemed to be fighting just for the heck of it, like his half-brother.
It almost seemed as if the members of the Boss and Rugal teams were here only to fight strong opponents now.
Mai was taken out of her thoughts when Terry entered the room, a bewildered look on his face. "What the hell happened?" He asked bluntly.
-----
Heidern sat on his chair and considered what happened between Geese and Ranko. Even if they had all lost, the Ikari and Middle Age Teams, he decided to see things through. He was very suspicious of Rugal's motives for holding the tournament this year.
Leona sat by his side, stoic as ever. Ralph and Clark were commenting silently about the fight they just witnessed.
The sound of a door opening behind them made them all turn curiously. The reactions to Yagami Iori's presence varied tremendously.
Clark visibly tensed. Such a reaction from the grappler meant he was taking the threat posed by the red-haired man more than seriously.
Ralph's eyes narrowed dangerously. He'd managed to get a glimpse of Iori and Leona embracing the other night and the monster of jealously tinted his vision. He'd entertained fantasies of courting Leona for some time, and having a man that had already put the moves on the blue-haired woman in front of him further obscured his judgment and his instinct of self- preservation.
Heidern's expression turned to stone. He stared emotionlessly at the intruder, knowing Leona favored the man. He'd known about it for some time, but had said nothing because the blue-haired woman was capable of making her own decisions and taking care of herself. He would insult her if he tried to intervene in any way. He didn't like Iori, not one bit, but he would respect Leona's relationship with him.
Leona's eyes widened slightly at seeing the worry evident in Iori's face. He usually showed such feelings only when they were in bed together, when he felt he could relax and let himself go. But here he was, in broad daylight and seemingly not caring about others seeing him like this. "Iori?" She asked uncertainly, though for anyone in hearing range it was a calmly asked question.
Iori took a deep breath. "Leona. We need... I need your help." He said at length. "Ranko's dying, and the medical staff seems to have disappeared." He growled the last part out. He could clearly remember how many paramedics attended Benimaru after fighting Ranko.
The blue-haired woman was on her feet in an instant. "Where is she?" She asked as she started after the man. If Ranko's injuries were as bad as she thought the redhead needed attention fast. She completely ignored Ralph's protests as she followed Iori.
The fighters ran down the halls of the Coliseum. Time was something Ranko didn't have. Very soon they found themselves entering the room where Geese and Ranko were. The conscious fighters turned to look at them, and upon seeing Leona Rugal frowned. Billy and Krauser said nothing, but looked at Iori for him to explain how Leona could help.
"Yagami, what is she doing here?" Rugal asked disdainfully.
Iori stepped aside as Leona rushed to Ranko's side. "She's here to save Ranko's life." He answered the big man seriously. "Are you objecting to that?"
Upon seeing Leona ignore him and start expertly going over Ranko's wounds Rugal smirked. "No. I'm not." If she didn't go after his hide like Heidern usually did he could tolerate her presence.
Leona ignored everything around her as she took stock of Ranko's many injuries. She quickly catalogued them and decided which had to be treated first. *I've got my work cut out for me.* She thought. "I need some privacy here." She said turning to the others.
Billy glared at her. "We're not leaving them alone with you." To make his point clear he crossed his arms over his chest. There was simply no way he would leave someone alone with both Geese and Ranko in the state they were in.
Krauser decided to keep quiet and simply turned to Iori. The red-haired man caught the look and only nodded, indicating that it was fine to let Leona take care of the injured ones.
Leona stared at Billy hard. "There's no time to waste. Even as we speak her chances of surviving are diminishing." She turned to the other fighters. "Besides, you have to return and continue fighting or you'll be all disqualified."
Billy was about to retort when Krauser spoke. "Let her treat the girl, Billy. If Iori can leave her under her care then there's nothing to worry about." His eyes narrowed. "What you should do while we continue with the fight is inquire as to why the medical staff decided not to help us even though Rugal is sponsoring this tournament."
Rugal nodded. "I'll deal with them once we're done, but for now we should continue fighting." He turned to Leona when he heard the sound of fabric being ripped. The blue-haired woman was ignoring them as she started going over Ranko's wounds. He quickly caught sight of Ranko's bare breasts, which were covered in a mixture of sweat and blood, and licked his lips. What was it about that girl that attracted him so?!
Iori shook his head. "Let's go." He said as he walked out of the room. On his way out he glimpsed over his shoulder at Leona as she worked on the small redhead. She was too busy to notice the attention.
The others followed silently. When they were out Billy closed the door and nodded to them, then took off down the hall in the opposite direction. He would really like to have a few words with the paramedics when he found them.
The others walked back to the fighting area. A fight was still waiting for them.
-----
The teams clashing weren't disqualified even though half an hour had passed since they left the fighting area. The platform had to be repaired before the fights could begin again, and it so happened that they returned when the job was being finished.
The four fighters ignored the crowd as they assumed their positions on opposing sides of said platform. As the moment for the next round neared they focused more and more on the fight about to take place. Even thoughts of a dying Ranko were pushed back as the chi in the air started to heat up.
Iori's eyes, to anyone that could see them, burned with more intensity than before killing Kyo. His nemesis had been the reason behind the fight, but now that he was gone he could feel his blood rage for battle, for a challenge. The focus was on the fight now, not on something he expected to achiever through it.
Rugal and Krauser were staring at each other, their unblinking eyes looking for any possible weakness that could be exploited. As they had seen in the previous fight exploiting a weak spot could prove the end of the fight.
-----
Terry leaned on the wall as he crossed his arms over his chest. He contemplated what Mai told him about the fight and came to the conclusion that what happened to Mary was pretty much what happened to Ranko as well. The fight was taken to the next level, a level were the only way of losing was being crushed. He'd fought many battles like that, and only two people had been able to get the better of him, but when he did lose he was in pretty bad shape for a while.
His eyes then turned to see Rugal and Krauser as they entered the platform. *This will be an interesting fight.* He thought.
-----
Leona cursed as Ranko started convulsing again. *It's a miracle she's still alive.* She thought as she forced the redhead down. *Her spirit is the only thing keeping her alive.*
The blue-haired woman injected something into her patient, who stopped convulsing after a few seconds, and wiped some sweat form her eyebrow. She sighed and got back to work.
She wouldn't let this girl die.
-----
Rugal smirked at Krauser as the transparent wall raised around them. "So we fight again."
Krauser returned the smirk with one of his own. "Last time you barely survived. I hope you worked to remedy that." He said assuming his fighting stance.
Rugal fell into his own stance. "I'm far stronger than last time we met." He snorted. "But that doesn't matter. We're about to find out, aren't we?"
"That we are." Krauser said.
"READY! GO!"
Both fighters shot forward and met in the middle of the platform. Their hands met in what turned to be a contest of strength against strength. Muscles tensed to their limits as they poured their all in a battle of wills, both physical and mental.
Krauser increased the flow of chi through his body, further enhancing his already monstrous strength. Rugal did likewise, maintaining the stalemate. Everyone kept silent as the fighters continued to try overpowering the other. The ground beneath their feet cracked with the enormous power being unleashed. As they continued to call up more of their energy reserves a faint glow started to outline their bodies.
Both warriors were smiling even if the strain was obvious. They were enjoying the match even if it had just begun.
When it was obvious both fighters were even in the strength department Krauser broke the stalemate. He suddenly stopped pushing and pulled instead.
The move was unexpected by Rugal, who found himself losing his balance and quickly thrown against one of the walls. He impacted with the wall hard, but seemed unaffected as he fell easily on his feet. His eyes widened slightly when he saw Krauser's fist only inches from his face.
Krauser didn't waste any time and charged Rugal with a devastating punch. The fact that Rugal managed to block it with his forearm brought a smile of satisfaction to the attacker's lips. *He wasn't boasting. He truly is far stronger than last time.*
Rugal retaliated with a kick to the midsection, which Krauser took without any apparent effort, and followed it through with a spin kick. His surprise was great when his second kick hit nothing but air.
Krauser jumped back from the blonde's kick and concentrated briefly. "BLITZ BALL!" He let loose with a chi blast.
Rugal rolled out of the way at the last moment and charged with his own attack. "REPPU KEN!" He launched a blast of compressed air at the still recovering Krauser, who sidestepped and rushed in.
The fighters then started exchanging blows. It quickly became obvious that they were pretty even in hand to hand as well, though Krauser seemed to hold a slight advantage because of the fact he was a little faster.
-----
"They aren't holding back either." Joe said as he watched the fight progress.
Terry nodded. "That's bad. If they beat each other as Ranko and Geese did we won't be fighting much of a team in the final match." The idea of fighting weakened opponents wasn't at all appealing to Terry. His blood was boiling in excitement at seeing the fight taking place, and he wished he was the one fighting out there. At the rate things were going he would be lucky if there was a final match at all.
Andy snorted. "I hope they kill each other. They'll save us the trouble." He said as he watched the fight with a fierce scowl.
Mai looked at her husband in surprise. Joe only glanced at his friend sideways.
Terry shook his head and turned his attention back to the fight. His brother was a very good fighter, one of the best in the world, but his anger worked strongly against him.
-----
Heidern's eye narrowed as the fight became more vicious. Rugal Bernstein was a lot stronger than before, almost as much as when he turned into Omega Rugal.
He originally came to the tournament to see if Rugal was really still alive. He stayed only because he was suspicious as to the man's motives to organize the tournament. Rugal seemed so focused on the fights that it almost seemed as if he really was only interested in the challenge.
If only Heidern could get rid of the feeling that something else was happening.
-----
"GENOCIDE CUTTER!" Rugal bellowed as he countered Krauser's attempted flying kick, in the process gaining some breathing room. Fighting like this was exhilarating, but Krauser had the advantage and if things continued as they were the heir of Strolheim would eventually win the fight.
Krauser fell hard on his back, a shallow wound on his chest from where Rugal's attack connected. "The sweet pain of combat." He muttered as he got up and on his feet, his right hand caressing the wound. "My blood burns with the excitement of the challenge. You have grown tremendously!" He clenched his fist tightly and the blood straining his hand evaporated with his battle aura. "Come, Rugal! Come and share the glory of combat!!!" And with that he launched himself at Rugal again.
The blonde man could only respond with an inarticulate cry of battle lust. He met Krauser's charge dead on and, ducking under a punch that would've taken his heat off, grabbed the other man around the waist with his right arm. He continued rushing forward and slammed the German noble against the wall in his infamous God Press.
Krauser felt his back protest with the abuse, but instead of being distracted he focused even more in the battle at hand. Just as Rugal was about to withdraw he connected with a solid uppercut, which sent the blonde flying back.
Rugal nearly blacked out with the force behind that blow. He couldn't believe his opponent recovered so quickly after his God Press. No one had ever done that before! He managed to twist in midair and land on his feet. "Krauser!" He bellowed as he charged, adrenaline coursing through his veins as well as the blood of the Orochi. He knew Krauser was one of the strongest fighters in the world. Without the Orochi blood he had no chance of facing against the heir of Strolheim and walking out of the fight alive. But he did have Orochi blood further powering him up.
The German noble met Rugal in a flurry of punches and kicks. The fight had gone into the next level. One of them wasn't walking out of the platform.
-----
Terry's entire body was tense as he witnessed the fighters tear into each other. *The glory of combat.* Terry repeated in his mind. He was tensed as a reaction to the savagery in the platform. Many were distraught over the violence the fighters were capable of, but not Terry. He was further excited by the prospect of fighting like that. Losing yourself in battle. *When fighting like that nothing else matters. There's only your opponent and the fight.*
-----
The fighters parted to recover their breath. Krauser was bleeding from several deep cuts. One particularly nasty one was over his left eyebrow, which covered half his face in crimson. His breathing was difficult, but it was obvious from his stance that he was ready for more.
Rugal was no different. Bruises littered his forearms from blocking so much, while his right eye was almost swollen shut. He needed to do something fast. If he lost half his sight he would lose for sure.
Contrary to common belief Rugal's cybernetic eye did function. He had a lot of trouble distinguishing colors with it, but otherwise it worked fine.
The damage inflicted upon their bodies spoke poorly of the true proportion of their fight. Any human out of the tournament participants would be dead by now. Even some of the participants would be crippled for life with some of the blows connected between the two titans.
"Shall we end this?" Krauser asked conversationally, as if reading Rugal's mind. "I believe you'd like to define the victor of this match before you find your sight impaired."
Rugal sneered. "I'll be sure to thank you properly after you lose."
The her of Strolheim chuckled. "Very well, then." He assumed a stance everyone in the tournament was well acquainted with, standing straight with his arms extended to his sides.
Rugal mimicked him.
The air in the platform started to crackle with the power being concentrated in the hands of both fighters.
-----
"They're going to use that?!" Joe asked in disbelief. He'd already seen Geese and Ranko use Raging Storms to finish each other off. Would Rugal and Krauser do the same?
"Apparently." Terry whispered, his eyes wide. The amount of power he was feeling was clearly beyond what he expected.
-----
"KAISER WAVE!" Krauser let loose with his finishing move. He thrust his hands forward and a huge blast of chi traveled incredibly fast against towards his opponent.
"KAISER WAVE!" Rugal almost seemed like a mirror of Krauser as he, too, delivered his most powerful technique.
The blasts collided in the middle of the platform and exploded violently. The flash of light was so intense those few that didn't cover their eyes before the explosion were completely blinded and would probably remain that way for a while. Some even fainted, unable to withstand the pain of such a bright light burning into their brain.
After the explosion everyone turned to see what was the result of the fight. Smoke filled the platform area and was contained by the transparent walls. It took several seconds for it to disperse enough to be able to see.
Nearly everyone gasped when they saw the still standing figures of both fighters.
*What are they?* Was the thought that passed through more than one mind.
Krauser, still in the position he used to release his technique, looked at his opponent with respect. "I must thank you for such a battle." He said, his voice unsteady.
Rugal was lowering his arms as he smirked. "It's not over yet." With that he rushed the still unmoving man.
Krauser barely had time to blink before being punched in the face. The force behind the blow was enough to make him stumble back. Without losing his feet he wiped some blood coming out of his mouth. "I'm afraid it is. You're so weak you can barely stand anymore." He said as he clenched his fists.
What followed can only be described as a slaughter. With no real energy to keep fighting Rugal was beaten down mercilessly. Not an inch of flesh was spared.
The last thing he saw was his own blood smeared on the approaching fist of Wolfgang Krauser.
-----
Iori frowned when Rugal fell unconscious. He'd fought as well as possible, yet it wasn't enough to defeat the monstrously strong heir of Strolheim. "Seems like it's my turn." He said to himself. He had no doubt he would defeat Krauser. The fight took a lot out of the man and he'd be lucky to last two minutes against Iori. Yet there was still Mr. Big to deal with.
He wondered how they were going to fight against the Fatal Fury Team tomorrow. Whichever team won would be too weakened to put up a decent fight. *Hell! Ranko and Geese are out.* He thought, wondering if Ranko had made it.
-----
Terry just stared at the form of Wolfgang Krauser as Rugal was taken away. The medical staff was shaking in fear as Billy Kane trailed after them.
The power displayed by Krauser, one of the only two men to ever best him in battle, was pretty even with Terry's own when fighting against the God of War. He was pretty sure that if that last Kaiser Wave hadn't been cancelled by Rugal's it would have blasted clear through the wall and severely damaged the Coliseum structure.
To be able to fight even after that explosion spoke volumes of Krauser's power as a warrior.
-----
Iori stepped on the platform studying his opponent. The wounds didn't seem to bother him, though he was favoring his left side slightly. Feeling his chi the red-haired man could also tell the German was on the last of his reserves. He was stronger than Rugal, but not by much.
He considered the last two fights carefully. While Geese and Ranko had been vicious they had fought with skill beyond anything else. Rugal and Krauser's fight was more a display of power than of martial arts, though they showed remarkable skill. Even if the fights were so different he came to the conclusion that Geese, Ranko, Rugal and Krauser where more or less even. Krauser and Geese were the strongest of the four, but the difference was so small it could be omitted. He himself was even with Ranko. Most of their fights ended in draws.
"Yagami Iori. I look forward to fighting against you." Krauser said politely. When he saw Iori smirk he returned it with mirth. They both knew the fight would be pretty one sided for the little time it would last.
-----
Leona sat by Ranko's side, her eyes intent on the small redhead. Even if Billy arrived with the paramedics in tow she didn't leave the redhead's side. She'd promised Iori she'd help save Ranko, and she did. Contrary to the medics' first diagnosis when simply looking at Ranko, she was stabilized.
Right now the medic staff was supposedly attending Rugal, who was in pretty bad shape after his fight. Since it was in another room Leona didn't care. The man could die and she wouldn't even bat an eye. Geese was sleeping on a bed across the room. Even if his injuries weren't as serious they still were life threatening. It would take some time for him to recover.
Leona looked at the pigtailed woman as she slept. She seemed so harmless, yet the image of a savage-looking Ranko fighting Geese Howard quickly came to her mind. It was that very same savage redhead that made it possible for her to wake up in Iori's arms after her fight with Terry Bogard. The same woman that paved the road for Iori to finally kill Kyo. *She's also a young woman that could probably take me down in a fight.* She added to herself. All of it didn't really matter. That one act of kindness from Ranko, helping her to be with Iori, was all that mattered for a woman that wasn't used to kindness. People usually were after something when doing a favor, yet Leona couldn't think of what Ranko could be after for helping her and Iori along.
*It doesn't matter anymore.* She thought. Even if the redhead was after something, which she doubted, the debt was more than paid.
Leona didn't leave Ranko's side, even if she truly wanted to see Iori fighting. She'd wait here for him to return and see his friend was alive.
END PART 3
Author's notes: The second round of the fight is over, and the Boss Team has a temporary advantage. Will it be enough to secure a win? And if it is how will they face the Fatal Fury Team?
Heidern knows about Leona's activities with Iori, yet he seems reluctant to act. Ralph might be a problem, though, as he won't have such compulsions.
Another chapter done, and now we see the tournament coming close to an end. In the next chapter we'll see who wins the fight and more interaction between the characters as the final match is about to begin.