You're all Just Chess Pieces!
Author's Notes: There's something I should have explained earlier but forgot to. In the character pages, AP represents the character's physical fighting ability and LP represents the character's spiritual power. It's a pain in the rear to explain, but generally the higher the rating the better. Hope that clears up a few things. (Note: AP and LP ratings are not indicators of where a character falls in the tier list! The tier list will be released after the tournament ends.)
Chan: Finally, the mysterious boyfriend is revealed. Enjoy. Why'd it take so long for you to figure it out anyways?
Kikoken: Okay, okay, I'll update ... sheesh ... the pressure you guys put on me ...
DeNice: Are you saying that my killing Dan was a bad thing?! Don't ever question my decisions again, you hear?! Or would you rather that your OCs were murdered?! Answer me! Heh, sorry about that, but I've always wanted an excuse to say that. ^_^
Osaka, Japan
One day has passed
The sun had barely risen over the horizon, but even this early in the morning Ryu was already taking his breakfast in the hotel's dining room. He was dressed in plain denim jeans and a silk overshirt, sandals on his feet. Ryu stared down at the food piled upon his plate; fish, sushi, a bowl of soup containing ingredients that he couldn't possibly identify, and milk. The silverware was the finest available, the tablecloth clean and spotless, and Ryu could feel the plush red carpet brushing against his heels. Although unused to such extravagance, he fully appreciated every last bit of it.
He'd only just begun his meal when he caught sight of Ernest McGrath appearing from the big set of double doors that led from the commons area. McGrath was dressed in a tuxedo, clean-shaven and looking very healthy. He nodded to Ryu, who nodded back; after stacking his own plate full of ingestibles, McGrath indicated the seat next to Ryu with a nod and Ryu again nodded. McGrath sat down and gently set his plate on the table. "Good morning, Ryu. Sleep well?"
"Always." A slice of fish vanished down Ryu's throat. "And you, doctor?"
"My wife's snoring kept me up." Ryu was about to object after a moment's thought; McGrath chuckled and preempted him. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding ... just don't tell her I said that. You're rooming with ... Ken, correct?"
"Yes. Eliza and Mel are returning to the states - they should be well over the Pacific by now. What about the others, hmm? I know that Blake and Lloyd are in the same room, while my daughter is sharing a room with Maki, but I haven't heard much else."
McGrath ticked off the contestants on his fingers. "Guy and Cody are together, to the shock, surprise, and dismay of no one; Demitri and Morrigan are together; Vega and Balrog have the same room, though last I heard Vega was looking for a suitable replacement; Charlie and Guile share the same room, again no surprise; Bison and Haggar have the same room, one floor above mine; Chan and Kikoken share a room; Ruby and Jill have another room together - they got one on the ground floor, lucky ladies - should I go on?"
"No, that's fine." Ryu paused midway through the motion of bringing a spoonful of soup into his mouth. "Ernest, have you seen the competition bracket yet?"
"First thing I looked at this morning." McGrath neatly folded a silk napkin upon itself and slid his knife into the cloth. "So, the Darkstalker's Alliance is facing off against the Neo Commando Squad in three days, at an exotic Greek ruin, no less. This one's going to be hard to call. Who do you think will win?"
Ryu shrugged. "Impossible to say. I -" He abruptly stiffened, becoming conscious of an ominous presence ... somewhere. He couldn't place it. "Do you feel that?"
"Yes. Don't act so startled; he's been watching us for three minutes. I wouldn't worry about him, though; his aura is weaker than yours and lacks your level of control. Just be ready to act if he suddenly makes a move." McGrath finished a last slice of sushi. "Well, I'd love to hang around, but I still have to drill the Phantoms today. I'll be either in my room or in the outdoor gym if you need me for anything."
A sudden flare in the dark aura was all the warning Ryu had before a shape blurred into focus, heading straight for him ... instinctively Ryu thrust himself back from the table and assumed a defensive stance. McGrath, however, merely flung the silk napkin at the intruder; the concealed knife hit with a solid thunk and the unidentified attacker lost balance for a moment. In that instant, Ryu and McGrath both covered the three feet separating themselves from the unknown fighter and sank a pair of solid hits into his body. He landed in an ungainly heap into the carpet; when he glanced up, Ryu suddenly felt himself beset by tremendous shock. He was staring into his own face.
Or rather, a twisted, distorted version of it. The facial features were the same, albeit somewhat younger-looking, but the skin tone appeared slightly darker. And where Ryu's eyes were intense, this fighter's appeared lost in haze, unfocused and brimming with energy. He wore a traditional black karate uniform, with a dark blue headband around his forehead. In a word, it was Evil Ryu. "Y - you! You're still alive?!"
"Aargh ... fight me, one of you!" he cried. His aura flared again; with this signal, McGrath easily dodged a surprise uppercut from the ground. As Evil Ryu landed back upon the floor, McGrath stuck a foot behind his ankle and pushed him backwards. He landed heavily upon the ground. Although he recovered instantly, this time he remained upon his knees, looking upwards. "You, foreigner ... why won't you fight me with all of your strength?"
McGrath glared at him. "Look at you, you pitiful excuse for a warrior. It's been more than twelve long years, yet still your moves lack any sort of focus or discipline. You haven't improved - at all! In your quest for ultimate power, Ryu, you've forgotten - the fight is all. In this state, consumed by your desire to win no matter what the cost, you can't possibly improve. I have no need to fight with all my strength, as I could destroy you with half. Hmph, to say nothing of myself, Ryu over there could also defeat you without raising his heartbeat."
"Then what about you?" Evil Ryu demanded of his counterpart.
"Killing Intent is not the way," Ryu replied without hesitation.
Scowling, Evil Ryu pushed himself to his feet. "Damned imbeciles - well, if I can't find a good fight with either of you, then I'll simply look elsewhere! Just remember this: Energy of Murderous Intent is the only way to fight! Without it, you are nothing!"
"No, you mustn't!" McGrath shouted. "He will murder you, for certain -!" The warning came too late, as with another blur of light Evil Ryu faded into intangibility. McGrath struck empty air in frustration. "The fool - what is he going to prove, getting himself killed? And killed he will be."
"Then ... you mean Sagat ...?" Ryu asked.
"No, he will not be looking for Sagat, at least not immediately. He'll search for the only other true warrior here besides yourself and Sagat. And should he find that man ... Ryu will fight ferociously and die swiftly at the hands of the Chaos Prince." McGrath's tone softened when he looked to Ryu. "Do not blame yourself, Ryu, you had nothing to do with this. Considering that even Bison, with his soul already once destroyed by Gouki, has returned, my only surprise is that Ryu did not appear sooner."
"Ten years ago ..." Ryu said thoughtfully. "It's been ten years since that day when Bison seduced me with Psycho Power." He shook his head clear. "No - I rejected it then, and I still reject it now. Killing intent has no part in my philosophy."
McGrath nodded his approval and stooped to retrieve the knife. Both of them looked up as Guy appeared in the room, dressed in the classic red Bushin pajama outfit complete with his ever-stylish Nike sneakers. "Good morning, Ryu, doctor ... what just happened here? Do you sense ...?"
Ryu sighed. "It's a long story."
Riiiiiiiiiiing.
Abruptly and rudely awakened by the sound of the telephone, Sean Matsuda swore to himself and rolled over his sheets, reaching for the offending object. What could be so important at this time in the morning? Blast it, ever since I joined the tournament, I've been counting sleep in minutes ... Picking up the receiver, Sean growled a decidedly unpleasant "Hello" into the phone, placing heavy emphasis upon the first syllable of the word. "Make it quick ... look, I told you people yesterday night, this is a hotel room ... no, I am not interested ... don't make me say it again ... right. Goodbye." He dropped the receiver back into its proper place.
"Who was that?" With a voice dulled by sleep, Kenneth Feng consulted the clock and decided that it was high time to rise and shine. He stepped out of bed and strode off into the bathroom. "Sean?"
"It was those cursed Shadowlaw telemarketers again - making this the third time they're called us since we moved in." Sean pinched his nose and mimicked, with reasonable authenticity, the perpetually cheerful voice that all Shadowlaw agents seemed to have. "'Hi, my name is Candy Lackwit, I'm calling on behalf of Shadowlaw. For a limited time, you can make a tax-deductible contribution to the Doll scholarship or the Shadow initiatve.' I swear, every time I hear that voice I just want to jump up and stab!" Sean stifled a yawn. "Bah, morning ... might as well get up now rather than later. Don't use up all the hot water, Kenny."
Kenneth reappeared, recently shaved and dressed in punk attire. "What are your plans for today, Sean? And do remember to groom yourself correctly, you'll scare the ladies away in your present state."
"Training, grooming, more training, lack of any fun ... this isn't what I signed up for, Kenny. Why don't I just shoot myself and get it over with? At least I'd be a chick magnet then."
"Eh? How so?" Kenneth leaned in, hoping to get insider information.
"Because all the girls dig rigor mortis. Which, by the way, is what certain Shadowlaw telemarketers will soon experience if they don't leave us alone." Still grumbling good-naturedly, Sean hauled himself out of bed and shambled into the bathroom. "You go ahead, Kenny; I'll catch up later. And be sure to wake Kirina up while you're at it, she needs the beauty sleep much less than I do."
An hour later, Captain Commando and Strider Hiryu found the Project Justice team at the breakfast tables. Commando was dressed in a white tuxedo, hair slicked back and his ever-present red shades perched on his nose. Hiryu, on the other hand, wore his modern-day ninja outfit, only with the red scarf pulled down so that his entire face was exposed and his Cypher blade conspicuously absent. Edgar wore a suit and a tie, a friendly smile pasted on his face, and Kikoken looked simply dazzling in her floor-length turquoise dress. "Morning, Edgar, Kikoken," Commando greeted warmly. "Say, where's the third member of your team?"
Edgar shrugged. "Chan tends to be bitchy if she's woken up early."
"Oh."
"Her definition of early," Edgar added, "is any time before noon."
"Oh." Commando scratched his head. "I suppose I won't press the matter, then. Say, have you seen the tournament roster? We're up against the Darkstalker's Alliance in three days. I heard that your team's first match will be against the Triple Dragons. Best of luck."
"Wish luck to someone who needs it," Edgar replied confidently. "Our brackets are right next to each other, so I'll be seeing you in the first round of the second matches. Have fun, captain."
"He certainly is confident," Hiryu observed dryly as he and Commando walked away.
"He believes that justice never fails. Considering the team we're up against, I'm not so certain of that myself," Commando replied. "I'll go look for Ruby; I'd like to spend the rest of the day drilling team tactics, if possible."
Standing outside of the room that Ryu shared with Ken, Chun-Li tugged nervously at her neck collar and tried to untie a knot that had suddenly materialized in her stomach. She was expecting an unpleasant interview with Ryu, but this had to be done. She wore a beautiful dress of vermillion and magenta shades, complete with a golden blouse and two ornate jade pins holding her hair up. Chun-Li nervously cleared her throat and knocked on the door. The knock seemed to reverberate oddly, as if mocking her attempt to be formal.
There was a short pause; the door creaked open and Ken Masters appeared, wearing a white tuxedo. "Please be looking for me," he begged upon glancing at Chun-Li.
She tried to peep around him. "Um, is Ryu here ...? There's something I have to say to him."
"I'm right here!" Ryu called out cheerfully from the back of the room. He walked into view, holding a pair of chopsticks in one hand and a book in the other. "Hi, Chun-Li. Uh-oh ... that long face ... you have something serious to discuss, huh?" When she nodded quickly, Ryu put his items aside. "Come in. Ken, I hate to ask, but would you ...?"
"Yeah, sure. I'll be in the local mall if you're looking for me."
Ken stepped outside and walked away, whistling a tune to himself. Chun-Li quietly shut the door behind him; when Ryu invited her to have a seat on the bed with him, she quietly tiptoed next to him and sat down. "Now, what is it that you wanted to speak to me about?"
Chun-Li fumbled around with her dress before giving her hesitant reply. "Well, um ... Ryu, I don't know how to say this ... I mean, this is kind of hard for me, since nobody's expecting this ... but, Ryu - I don't love you. I ... I never have. People expect me to, but I ... I just don't have any feelings for you, Ryu. I'm sorry, I really am, but I just had to say this."
Ryu smiled gently and in total comprehension. "I understand you perfectly, Chun-Li, because in truth I don't love you either. How often have we met before in the past ... once, twice? Rumors are ugly things, aren't they?"
Chun-Li nearly collapsed with relief. "Thank you so much, Ryu! I was afraid that this would turn into a long weeping session." She smiled wryly. "Just to let you know, though, this doesn't mean that I can't kick your ass the way I used to." She winked; Ryu chuckled, and a moment later both of them burst out laughing. "Brings back memories of old times, doesn't it? Well, I have to go; the paperwork's calling my name, but if I can find some spare time I'd gladly spar with you, Ryu."
Ryu saw Chun-Li to the door. "I welcome the challenge at any time."
"Hey, doctor!" Ernest McGrath looked up from a video card to see Ken Masters calling him from across the room. Both of them were in one of the local shopping malls and in an electronics store. Ken was still dressed in his white tuxedo, while McGrath had changed into more comfortable slacks and a T-shirt. Ken idly picked up a set of headphones and pretended to examine it while he walked to where McGrath was standing. He indicated the women - Samantha, Chan, Maki, Kirina, and Cammy - sitting outside the store at an oversized table with ice cream cones and fish stories. "Your daughter's really beautiful, you know," Ken continued. "Say, uh ... would you mind if I go out with her tonight?"
McGrath looked him over with a considering eye, reshelving the video card. "Aren't you a married man, Ken?"
Ken winked at McGrath. "Eliza doesn't have to know. Hey, you're only in trouble if you get caught, right?"
McGrath shrugged. "Have it your way. Let the woman decide - if it's fine with her, then it's fine with me." He returned to browsing the equipment, but when Ken left his side he watched the American approach his wife with a careful eye. Samantha had just finished her ice cream cone, but when Ken slid into the seat next to her and she did not react, McGrath simply laughed inside and returned to his study of the store's products. Kirina saluted Ken and they made some small talk together before he turned to the object of his visit.
"Samantha, I presume?" Ken asked.
She nodded regally. "And you must be Ken Masters. An honor."
They shook hands. Ken cut straight to the point while the other four women gossipped amongst themselves. "Say, you have tonight off? I used to live around here, I know a great place we could go and eat." He winked at her for extra effect. "Whaddya say? I'll pick up the tab."
Samantha remained unaffected by the generous gesture. "That is very kind of you, sir, but I have a prior engagement. My husband and I will be at a karaoke bar tonight with the other members of the strike force. You are welcome to join us there should you be so inclined."
"Nah, I don't want to share someone as beautiful as you with another person," Ken replied, blithely ignoring Kirina's stares and Maki's snide comments. "Your husband doesn't need to know, right? I heard from Guile that the military makes plenty of last-minutes schedule changes. You could pull one off." Had Ken been less enamored of Samantha, he might have noticed that Kirina had stopped staring at him or that Maki's commentary had abruptly ceased. But he recklessly pushed on. "Besides, it's a real high class restaurant; we could even stop by the jeweller's on the way back. I'll buy you a gem that costs more than a soldier makes in half a year. And really, nobody would find out. Why not tell your husband that you've been given an emergency mission?
"Why not tell him yourself? He is standing behind you, after all."
"Wha -?" Ken whirled around, to find McGrath staring down at him with folded arms and looking decidedly threatening. He nearly fell out of his chair. "Y - you?! You're the husband?!"
At that point McGrath could no longer restrain himself and burst out laughing. "Of course I am, though it's not common knowledge outside of the IDC, so I don't blame you." He leaned in conspiratorically and whispered into Ken's ears. "Still, I'd make myself scarce if I were you, and quickly. Gossip has a way of getting around everywhere and wouldn't it be unfortunate if Eliza heard of this escapade?"
Ken took the hint and scurried away, his face by now as red as the uniform that he normally wore. McGrath seated himself next to Samantha and chuckled. "Poor guy; I shouldn't have said that. Probably scared him half to death."
Cammy snickered. "He deserves it, though," she observed, and the other women nodded their agreement.
"Hey, is that ...? Yeah, it is!" Maki waved, catching the attention of Strider Hiryu some distance away. Unlike everyone else, Hiryu was dressed in his ninja uniform, complete with his belt and pair of blades. His red scarf had been pulled down so that his entire face was exposed. Hiryu brightened when he caught sight of the group, and he rapidly closed the distance between himself and the table, bearing especially for Chan, who stood up to meet him. Chan waited until he was about two feet away from her. Then she slapped him across the face. Hard.
Surprisingly, Hiryu did nothing in response, only rubbed his reddening cheek with his left hand. "I probably deserved that," he observed ruefully.
"How could you do that to me?" Chan demanded, acutely aware of the uncomfortable silence that she was causing. "I was young, I was gullible, and I foolishly believed everything that you told me! I thought you loved me! You broke my heart, did you know that?" Behind Chan's back, Maki arched her eyebrows and traded glances with Kirina, Cammy, and Samantha. McGrath, watching Chan closely, made a hand motion indicating that her aura was building up. If she decided to create a scene here in the mall ...
"Would it help if I said that I'm sorry?" Hiryu asked quietly. "Because I am, I truly am, of all the pain that I caused you. I had no idea that - no, no excuses. Just an apology. I'm sorry, Chan." He held out his hands to her.
Erstwhile obdurate, now tears had begun to streak down Chan's face. "You see," she sniffled, choking back a tear, "that's what I love so much about you ... your obstinence, your honesty ..." She threw herself into his arms and the two of them shared a tight embrace. For a moment there was only silence and the feeling of shared tenderness, then Chan pulled apart from Hiryu after a long moment as the two of them realized that they had been drawing stares from all directions. "I'm sorry, Hiryu, I didn't mean to go all mushy on you -"
"No, it's alright. Like I said, I probably deserved it."
"Oh, but so much has happened since we parted last year!" Chan said. The two of them began to walk down the mall hand in hand, leaving their friends behind, with traces of the conversation drifting back to the table. "You see, Edgar came to me with an invitation ... and how I got involved ... so I'm a Lian now ... and so is Kikoken, too ..."
A knock on the door interrupted Ryu from his meditation. Grumbling to himself - Ken still hadn't returned from wherever he had gone - Ryu hauled himself to his feet and wearily shambled to the door. He was beginning to realize just how hard it was to meditate around the hotel. Too much noise. He opened the door and was surprised to find ... "Juli?"
"Hi, Ryu. May I come in?"
"Sure."
Juli stepped into the room and closed the door softly. "Well, I had a flowery speech prepared, but I'm sure you'd prefer that I be honest instead of poetic, so here goes: Ryu, I don't love you. I never have. I never even met you before this tournament, so can we please stop this whole affair?"
"You mean despite the fact that Kirina is your daughter ... and mine?"
Juli shrugged helplessly. "I ... I don't know, really. I mean, I know that she doesn't exist in the original storyline, but she does here, and ... ah, never mind, this is all so confusing. I think I'll go back and take an aspirin. Still, I just wanted to get my point across, that I don't love you and I doubt that I ever will. I'm sure you feel the same way towards me and towards everyone else whom the tabloid reporters misrepresent. But anyway, enough of that. How's Kirina?"
"Training as hard as always - sometimes for five or six hours a day. I think she ought to pay more attention to school. And you're right, Juli, in fact and in character I don't love you or anyone, but for our daughter's sake ... well, I do care for Kirina a lot, and I'm sure you do too. She's one floor below us, if you have the time to visit her. She shares a room with Maki Genryusai, 324 I believe - you've heard about the honorary attendees, right? Even though they aren't participating, the tournament sponsor still invited all them to come and just attend."
"Yes, I heard." Juli consulted her watch. "Well, I have to be going, but I'll drop by and talk to Kirina. Later, Ryu. And ... thank you for understanding."
"Bison!" Marching up a floor, a sizable crowd of the tournament's fighters actively sought out the room of the dread lord of Shadowlaw. "You can't hide forever! Aha, there you are! You don't look so formidable now, do you?"
Bison glanced backwards and scowled, unable to retreat any further. His jet black hair was wet and clung limply to his skull. He was dressed in a red-pink bathrobe, a towel thrown around his shoulders, and the distinctive Shadowlaw insignia conspicuously absent from sight. A pair of pink slippers with velvet bunny faces sewn into them peeked out from under the lowest folds of the bathrobe. In a word, the entire sight was ridiculous and Bison's scowl deepened. "Don't let this look fool you, it was all that the hotel had left." From a room to the left Balrog and Vega poked their heads out of the doorway, curious as to what the commotion was all about. They quickly emerged into the hall; flanked by his henchmen, Bison, despite his awkward outfit, suddenly seemed far more threatening.
Ryu, at the head of the crowd, opened the discussion. "Bison, all of us here have bones to pick with you."
"Make it snappy."
Ryu grinned evilly, not a look to encourage anyone. "First off, Balrog: I saw the look you gave to Kirina during the opening ceremony. Keep your hands off her body or I will remove them from yours. Vega, you stay away too, I doubt that I need to give a reason. And Bison, if either of your henchmen try anything funny with my daughter, I will hold you personally responsible."
Bison yawned, almost as if bored. "Done. Next!"
Mitsukake marched up to Bison, flanked by Darrell and Sean on either side. Ryu, now scowling, cleared the way for them. Mitsukake thrust his cellular phone at Bison's face. "Look at this, Bison - your telemarketers have used up all my minutes for this month, plus a lot more! You have any idea how expensive minutes are nowadays? Darrell and Sean have a similar complaint. We're sick and tired of having to fend off Shadowlaw telemarketers every day of the week. Make it stop, or else I swear we're going to beat you up right here and now!"
Bison's expression solidified into hardness. "I thought that I had put a stop to it months ago. Vega!" The Spanish matador stepped up and saluted smartly. "Find out who was responsible for setting up this telemarketing operation. And when you do, remember that the new Psycho Drive is in desperate need of more human batteries." Vega saluted again and wheeled away, striding off to do his job with mechanical efficiency. "Next - wha, you!"
Cammy White halted in front of Bison, and was about to begin when she was abruptly and rudely interrupted. "Biiiiiiisooooon!" The loud, wailing cry startled everyone and nearly caused Vega to jump out of his skin. Guile pushed his way through the crowd, elbowing other contestants aside and halting in front of Bison. "Bison! You killed my best friend Charlie! His blood cries out for revenge -"
"Um, Guile ..."
"Not now, Charlie. And you murdered the family of Scott Wagner -"
"Uh, sir ..."
"Save it, Scott. Bison, I'm going to Sonic Boom you all over the pavement! For my friends and family, you're going down! Sonic -!" He drew back his arms for a powerful energy burst -
- but it never came. Charlie and Wagner, having seized his arms from behind, pinned him against a wall. "Get a hold of yourself, soldier!" Charlie barked. "This is a tournament that hasn't even started and there are civilians around here! Second, do I look dead to you? Third, Scott doesn't even exist in the official storyline - no offense, Scott - and you're supposed to have gotten over this years ago! Sheesh, man, I wish we could make bullets out of your skull, no armor would stand against that."
Guile gulped and glanced at Bison, who had folded his arms across his chest. "Sorry about that, Big B. I tend to lose it whenever I look at you."
"No harm done," Bison replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me - yes, Ms. White?"
Cammy, dressed in a femme tuxedo, approached Bison cautiously and soberly. "Lord Bison ... is that really you?" Tears began to well up in her eyes, making everyone around her acutely uncomfortable. "Why did you do that to me, to Juni, Juli, and everyone else? I was loyal to you, sir; we all were. How could you simply throw us away like garbage? How could you try to destroy us just like that? Don't you understand what you meant to me? You were my hero! You were the one person in life for whom I had nothing but absolute respect and admiration! Yet you turned on me and threw it all away! Why?!" Still weeping, Cammy had to be gently led away by Mitsukake and Darrell.
"Bah, imbeciles." Bison waved a hand dismissively and sneered. "She is of no use to me anymore. Now, who's next?" His sneer abruptly faded into sobriety when he realized who had appeared at the front of the crowd. "Oh."
"I have a prophecy to fulfill," Guy intoned.
An hour later, Sakura cautiously wended her way towards Ryu's room, bearing a bouquet of flowers in one hand. This whole tournament looked ready to fall apart at any time; very likely Guy would've killed Bison then and there had not Jedah appeared just in time to intervene and talk the ninja out of a fight. There were also ugly rumors floating around behind Demitri's back of Morrigan's attempted escapades. On the bright side, it seemed that Mason Storm was quite taken with Jill Valentine - a hopeless love case if one ever existed. Rumor also had it that Yun had been making passes at the ladies of Project Justice. Sakura tried to steady her nerves and wondered how she'd break this news to Ryu.
Much to her surprise, the door to his room was open and upon peeping inside she saw that he was deep in meditation. Ryu sat on the floor, crosslegged and breathing evenly, obviously attempting to meditate. Sakura would have closed the door and waited outside had not a brief glint of light caught her eye. Peering in just a little deeper, she saw Dr. McGrath standing behind Ryu with a glittering blade in hand. Right before her astonished eyes, he drew back and all silently prepared to strike at Ryu's exposed neck, his aura flaring with deadly intent. "Ryu! Watch out!"
Ryu's eyes snapped open; Sakura rushed past him and in an instant was laying into McGrath with repeated attacks, all of which he easily fended off. "How ... dare ... you ... try ... to ... hurt ... my ... Ryu ... Hadouken!" McGrath stopped the energy burst with his fist; Sakura was about to wind up for the Nekketsu version, but Ryu grabbed her from behind and pinned her to the wall, then muttered an apology to the doctor. Sakura could hardly believe her senses. "Ryu! That man tried to kill you!"
"Doctor, I apologize on Sakura's behalf."
McGrath sighed and threw the sword to one side of the room. "No harm done. Actually, Ryu was testing for a sixth-level black belt." When Sakura pulled a blank look, he explained in greater detail. "The Goudan test involves being able to spiritually anticipate an attack. What I do is swing the sword at Ryu's neck, at the same time emitting a killing intent when I do that. Since the strike is silent, Ryu can only sense the attack by sensing my killing aura at that instant, and dodging successfully is an indication that he has indeed sensed it. It's just a little trick - nothing to it, really, I'm certain he would have successfully passed the test."
"That's very flattering of you, sir," Ryu replied. He turned to Sakura. "Is there something you came to see me about?"
Sakura, whose face had turned a deep shade of red, looked around the room before she spotted her bouquet of flowers. "Um, yeah. Actually, I just wanted to tell you that after this tournament, I'm really quitting the fighting circuit ... er, that is, I mean, I'm not really quitting, but, you know ..." She blushed madly, at the same time resentfully noting that McGrath, behind Ryu, was biting his lips hard. "Well, it's hard to say ... I mean, I have a life now - I don't mean to say that you don't, but - ah, forget it!" She ducked her head and stared at the floor, now so embarrassed that she wished she could simply melt into the ground.
"'Your' Ryu?" McGrath ribbed, and Sakura fled from the room blushing madly, afraid that her face would burn up from embarrassment. Knowing McGrath, he'd never forget this one and at the same time somehow find ways to prevent her from forgetting, either. What in the world had she been thinking?
Ryu scratched his head. "What was that all about?"
That night, the local karaoke bar was filled with World Collision contestants. The bar was a wide but low-lying building, filled with strobe lights and heavy oaken tables. It was strictly non-smoking (much to the dismay of Kenneth Feng) and poorly lit. To the back of the bar, a raised platform and a slew of the latest equipment formed the music stage proper, while alcohol stands lined both walls along either side. Sakura, Yin, and Karin Kanzuki gossipped off to one side, Haggar and Zangief arm-wrestled at the center table, and Sean Matsuda had already started a drinking contest against Balrog.
As was normal, most of the fighter veterans had gathered to one side. Gen started off the discussion, glancing around the table. "Discover anything at all, Gill?"
Gill, dressed in a neat tuxedo, shook his head sadly. "I cannot remember; my apologies to all. I know naught save that ominous signs lurk beyond our sight. But of us assembled here, know ye aught of this mysterious personage?"
"Not a clue," Demitri replied flatly.
"Me neither," Bison added.
"I searched the Intergalactic Criminal Records and the civilian database," Captain Commando threw in. "Nothing."
Rose held up a tarot card, revealing its face. "Some powerful force obscures my attempts to view the future. To me, everything is muted, and I see nothing at all."
"A seer's trouble comes from meeting with eternal darkness," Jedah Dohma observed dryly.
"So everyone's in the dark," Sagat noted, stating the obvious. "Wonderful - back to square zero. This is like running on a treadmill. Okay, let's pool our thoughts. What do we know about M. so far?"
"She's probably a woman," Gen said.
"She's probably very rich, in order to be able to finance something like this," Commando reasoned. "We know that the logistical trail deadens very quickly, and no corporation has been connected with the tournament, so a reasonable conclusion is that she's funding all of it out of her own pockets. Then, of course, there's the prize money - $300 million US is a lot, even after adjusting for inflation."
"And of course, the most disturbing piece of the puzzle," Bison mentioned. "She offered the power of a diety as the prize."
"What's so special about that?" Jedah wanted to know.
"Bah, you and Gill, and probably a few others here, call yourselves gods," Bison sneered. "But let me ask you: could any of you grant divine power to anyone?" When the only response was an uncomfortable silence, Bison forged ahead. "Whoever this M. is, she must certainly be very powerful in order to offer divine power as a tournament prize, as well as speak telepathically to every spectator in that stadium. More likely than not she is also the one who resurrected various fighters - such as myself - and blocks Rose's view of the future. Could any of you accomplish even one of those feats?" More uncomfortable silence.
"The full moon comes in five nights," Rose said at last. "On that night, I could try to scry the future and enhance my own power for a short duration of time - then I might be able to break through the darkness surrounding my vision."
"Best of luck," Gen wished. "In the meanwhile, why don't we do our own research? Gill, Bison, Jedah, Demitri - all of you should have extensive spy networks, as would the IDC, the Anglo-American governments, and Interpol. Why not put them to work?"
"We did," Bison said heavily. "All of us. And you know what we found? Absolutely nothing." There were nods of agreement from all around the table on that one. "The logistical trail is either extremely well hidden or simply does not exist. Even the IDC's intelligence section hasn't found anything. I think we'll be forced to wait for Rose's report on this one - look, here comes the good doctor. You're late, Ernest."
"Sorry about that, the airplane left without me," McGrath threw back good-naturedly. "What's with all the glum faces? You look like you swallowed a live frog, Demitri."
"Just discussing what we know about M. - or rather, what we don't know, which is anything," Commando said. "Five nights from now the full moon rises and Rose will try to break through the darkness obscuring her vision - until then, we're pretty much stuck here. No one here has even the faintest semblance of a clue that M. didn't give us directly, unless you managed to find something?"
McGrath spread his hands. "Nope, sorry. A very powerful force is behind this tournament, but you all knew that. What we don't know is what M. intends and why she has done what she has done to attain it. We don't even know who she is - and I have a sneaking suspicion that knowing her identity wouldn't help much anyways."
"Not to mention - look out!" Warned in advance, Sagat dodged to one side and Jedah to the other; a moment later, Kikoken crashed heavily into the table swathed in flames. Her aura burst for a moment and the fire extinguished, then she jumped back up and launched a bolt of ice at Darrell. "Hey, watch where you're going!" Gen called out irritably. "Kids these days. Look, Ernest - one of your friends has commandeered the karaoke bar."
They all turned to look; indeed, Blake Wallis was atop the stage and he rapped experimentally upon the microphone. "Hello? Is this thing working? Alright, what song does everyone want tonight? Women, especially the beautiful ones, get priority." He ducked gamely as Juni flung a commando dagger his way. "Let's hear the requests now. Wha - you want 'Suteki da Ne,' Sakura? Okay, but no complaining when my melodious Japanese grates on your ears, alright?" He found the correct soundtrack and began to sing in a low, soulful voice. McGrath winced; Blake's Japanese was truly awful.
At Blake's invitation, Karin, Ibuki, Remy, and Mitsukake joined him on stage. The cacophony that ensued forced half of the bar's occupants to clap their hands over their ears. Boiling point came during the solo that Blake screeched out, prompting McGrath to compare his voice unfavorably against fingernails dragged across a chalkboard. "... and to say that I love you. Weave the threads of life and see - isn't it beautiful?"
"You sound like a raven with a sore throat," Cody sneered.
Blake halted in midnote and snapped back, "'Tis better to sound than to look!"
Cody shook a fist at the Phantom. "If you weren't the best friend of the devil himself," and here he nodded at McGrath, "I'd be more than happy to teach you a lesson."
"And why should that stop you?" Blake demanded, jumping down from the stage and marching straight up to Cody. "Hit me with your best shot."
Cody swung; Blake dodged to the side and responded with a solid punch into the stomach. For an instant they were attacking each other hammer and tongs, but only for an instant. Guy and Alex together pulled Cody back, while Blake wound up for a strike that never came; Samantha and Guile locked his arms behind him. A moment later, Haggar had stepped between the two brawlers and glared at each one in turn. "What in the name of reason has gotten into you two?" he half-shouted. "Well? Answer me!" They both wilted under his fierce gaze; when Haggar turned his back, Blake and Cody shot glares at each other.
While some semblance of order was being restored, Kenneth Feng sidled up next to Kirina at an otherwise vacant table. "Hey, 'Rina. Say, you want to go out tomorrow with me? Cigarette?" He offered one to Kirina.
"I believe that this is a non-smoking bar," she replied. "Thanks for the offer, though." An awkward silence followed, until she glanced at him again. "Say, Kenny ... how did you get involved with Uncle Ken, anyways?"
"I - it's a long story, and a boring one," he said dismissively. "I'd much rather hear about you. You're really the daughter of the legendary Ryu, huh? You must've breezed through the fighting circuit, huh?"
"What?! Not at all!" Kirina replied indignantly. "Being his daughter isn't easy in the least. If anything, people were always expecting more of me than I could deliver, while at the same time calling me 'the daughter of Ryu the warrior' rather than 'Kirina the warrior.' I haven't had an easy time at all in the fighting circuit! Every time I go out there and fight, I always feel as though I'm fighting against my father and all his accomplishments. You know, all I really want is to discover my own identity, but very few people are willing to let me!"
"Oh." Kenneth stared at his cigarette for a moment. "You know what my father was? He was a head scientist for Shadowlaw. He pioneered the Shadow technology that's all the rage these days. He even hid the complete set as bionic implants in my body. And in the end, it didn't do him a bit of good. I don't remember the incident anymore, but I know that Bison had him exterminated, him and my mother. Funny, isn't it? I don't miss him at all. He was always busy with work, too busy to make time for my mother or myself. I've had to put up with some serious bull in my life because of decisions that he made. Be glad you have a father who cares for you - Mr. Masters is like a father to me, the dad I never had. But you won't realize the absence of a parent's love until you've gone far too long without it."
At another table, Ryu randomly glanced back and saw Kenneth deep in conversation with Kirina. "Is that boy making another pass at my daughter?" he asked stiffly. "If he tries anything funny, the next words out of my mouth will be 'Hadouken,' and guess where it'll be directed?"
"Calm down, Ryu," Guy said cheerfully, clapping a hand on Ryu's back. "I've little doubt that she could lay a total smackdown on Kenny if he tried anything funny. Besides, Kirina's old enough to make decisions for herself; now Cody over there, on the other hand ... hey, doc, how's life with the IDC?"
McGrath sat down at the table directly opposite Guy, glancing around to include Ken and Ryu in the conversation. "Some things never change. The IDC's been busy as an ant colony arranging security for this tournament, and I'm the liaison within the tournament itself. But the BEATs have specific orders to let fighters through - like the ones watching us."
"Wha -?! What do you -" Ken, Ryu, and Guy all glanced around themselves. "Is it who I think it is?" Ryu asked, a lump suddenly forming in his throat.
"No, not him. Feel carefully - you should be able to discern three distinctive auras close together, none of which are Ryu's." McGrath leaned back into the chair. "I wouldn't worry, though; I doubt they'll try anything, at least not right now. Just pretend that I said something funny."
Watching from the rafters high above where he was securely concealed from sight, one of the mysterious figures glanced down at Guy, Ken, and Ryu laughing. "That's the fakest laugh I've ever seen," he commented dryly.
"Shall we?" a second voice asked.
"Not right now. Wait until they disperse to return to the hotel - we'll divert them, then strike halfway along the route. Let's go prepare an ambush - it wouldn't do to let this golden opportunity slip by now, would it?" So saying, all silently the three mysterious men stole out of the bar and went to prepare the battleground.
Author's Notes: There's something I should have explained earlier but forgot to. In the character pages, AP represents the character's physical fighting ability and LP represents the character's spiritual power. It's a pain in the rear to explain, but generally the higher the rating the better. Hope that clears up a few things. (Note: AP and LP ratings are not indicators of where a character falls in the tier list! The tier list will be released after the tournament ends.)
Chan: Finally, the mysterious boyfriend is revealed. Enjoy. Why'd it take so long for you to figure it out anyways?
Kikoken: Okay, okay, I'll update ... sheesh ... the pressure you guys put on me ...
DeNice: Are you saying that my killing Dan was a bad thing?! Don't ever question my decisions again, you hear?! Or would you rather that your OCs were murdered?! Answer me! Heh, sorry about that, but I've always wanted an excuse to say that. ^_^
Osaka, Japan
One day has passed
The sun had barely risen over the horizon, but even this early in the morning Ryu was already taking his breakfast in the hotel's dining room. He was dressed in plain denim jeans and a silk overshirt, sandals on his feet. Ryu stared down at the food piled upon his plate; fish, sushi, a bowl of soup containing ingredients that he couldn't possibly identify, and milk. The silverware was the finest available, the tablecloth clean and spotless, and Ryu could feel the plush red carpet brushing against his heels. Although unused to such extravagance, he fully appreciated every last bit of it.
He'd only just begun his meal when he caught sight of Ernest McGrath appearing from the big set of double doors that led from the commons area. McGrath was dressed in a tuxedo, clean-shaven and looking very healthy. He nodded to Ryu, who nodded back; after stacking his own plate full of ingestibles, McGrath indicated the seat next to Ryu with a nod and Ryu again nodded. McGrath sat down and gently set his plate on the table. "Good morning, Ryu. Sleep well?"
"Always." A slice of fish vanished down Ryu's throat. "And you, doctor?"
"My wife's snoring kept me up." Ryu was about to object after a moment's thought; McGrath chuckled and preempted him. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding ... just don't tell her I said that. You're rooming with ... Ken, correct?"
"Yes. Eliza and Mel are returning to the states - they should be well over the Pacific by now. What about the others, hmm? I know that Blake and Lloyd are in the same room, while my daughter is sharing a room with Maki, but I haven't heard much else."
McGrath ticked off the contestants on his fingers. "Guy and Cody are together, to the shock, surprise, and dismay of no one; Demitri and Morrigan are together; Vega and Balrog have the same room, though last I heard Vega was looking for a suitable replacement; Charlie and Guile share the same room, again no surprise; Bison and Haggar have the same room, one floor above mine; Chan and Kikoken share a room; Ruby and Jill have another room together - they got one on the ground floor, lucky ladies - should I go on?"
"No, that's fine." Ryu paused midway through the motion of bringing a spoonful of soup into his mouth. "Ernest, have you seen the competition bracket yet?"
"First thing I looked at this morning." McGrath neatly folded a silk napkin upon itself and slid his knife into the cloth. "So, the Darkstalker's Alliance is facing off against the Neo Commando Squad in three days, at an exotic Greek ruin, no less. This one's going to be hard to call. Who do you think will win?"
Ryu shrugged. "Impossible to say. I -" He abruptly stiffened, becoming conscious of an ominous presence ... somewhere. He couldn't place it. "Do you feel that?"
"Yes. Don't act so startled; he's been watching us for three minutes. I wouldn't worry about him, though; his aura is weaker than yours and lacks your level of control. Just be ready to act if he suddenly makes a move." McGrath finished a last slice of sushi. "Well, I'd love to hang around, but I still have to drill the Phantoms today. I'll be either in my room or in the outdoor gym if you need me for anything."
A sudden flare in the dark aura was all the warning Ryu had before a shape blurred into focus, heading straight for him ... instinctively Ryu thrust himself back from the table and assumed a defensive stance. McGrath, however, merely flung the silk napkin at the intruder; the concealed knife hit with a solid thunk and the unidentified attacker lost balance for a moment. In that instant, Ryu and McGrath both covered the three feet separating themselves from the unknown fighter and sank a pair of solid hits into his body. He landed in an ungainly heap into the carpet; when he glanced up, Ryu suddenly felt himself beset by tremendous shock. He was staring into his own face.
Or rather, a twisted, distorted version of it. The facial features were the same, albeit somewhat younger-looking, but the skin tone appeared slightly darker. And where Ryu's eyes were intense, this fighter's appeared lost in haze, unfocused and brimming with energy. He wore a traditional black karate uniform, with a dark blue headband around his forehead. In a word, it was Evil Ryu. "Y - you! You're still alive?!"
"Aargh ... fight me, one of you!" he cried. His aura flared again; with this signal, McGrath easily dodged a surprise uppercut from the ground. As Evil Ryu landed back upon the floor, McGrath stuck a foot behind his ankle and pushed him backwards. He landed heavily upon the ground. Although he recovered instantly, this time he remained upon his knees, looking upwards. "You, foreigner ... why won't you fight me with all of your strength?"
McGrath glared at him. "Look at you, you pitiful excuse for a warrior. It's been more than twelve long years, yet still your moves lack any sort of focus or discipline. You haven't improved - at all! In your quest for ultimate power, Ryu, you've forgotten - the fight is all. In this state, consumed by your desire to win no matter what the cost, you can't possibly improve. I have no need to fight with all my strength, as I could destroy you with half. Hmph, to say nothing of myself, Ryu over there could also defeat you without raising his heartbeat."
"Then what about you?" Evil Ryu demanded of his counterpart.
"Killing Intent is not the way," Ryu replied without hesitation.
Scowling, Evil Ryu pushed himself to his feet. "Damned imbeciles - well, if I can't find a good fight with either of you, then I'll simply look elsewhere! Just remember this: Energy of Murderous Intent is the only way to fight! Without it, you are nothing!"
"No, you mustn't!" McGrath shouted. "He will murder you, for certain -!" The warning came too late, as with another blur of light Evil Ryu faded into intangibility. McGrath struck empty air in frustration. "The fool - what is he going to prove, getting himself killed? And killed he will be."
"Then ... you mean Sagat ...?" Ryu asked.
"No, he will not be looking for Sagat, at least not immediately. He'll search for the only other true warrior here besides yourself and Sagat. And should he find that man ... Ryu will fight ferociously and die swiftly at the hands of the Chaos Prince." McGrath's tone softened when he looked to Ryu. "Do not blame yourself, Ryu, you had nothing to do with this. Considering that even Bison, with his soul already once destroyed by Gouki, has returned, my only surprise is that Ryu did not appear sooner."
"Ten years ago ..." Ryu said thoughtfully. "It's been ten years since that day when Bison seduced me with Psycho Power." He shook his head clear. "No - I rejected it then, and I still reject it now. Killing intent has no part in my philosophy."
McGrath nodded his approval and stooped to retrieve the knife. Both of them looked up as Guy appeared in the room, dressed in the classic red Bushin pajama outfit complete with his ever-stylish Nike sneakers. "Good morning, Ryu, doctor ... what just happened here? Do you sense ...?"
Ryu sighed. "It's a long story."
Riiiiiiiiiiing.
Abruptly and rudely awakened by the sound of the telephone, Sean Matsuda swore to himself and rolled over his sheets, reaching for the offending object. What could be so important at this time in the morning? Blast it, ever since I joined the tournament, I've been counting sleep in minutes ... Picking up the receiver, Sean growled a decidedly unpleasant "Hello" into the phone, placing heavy emphasis upon the first syllable of the word. "Make it quick ... look, I told you people yesterday night, this is a hotel room ... no, I am not interested ... don't make me say it again ... right. Goodbye." He dropped the receiver back into its proper place.
"Who was that?" With a voice dulled by sleep, Kenneth Feng consulted the clock and decided that it was high time to rise and shine. He stepped out of bed and strode off into the bathroom. "Sean?"
"It was those cursed Shadowlaw telemarketers again - making this the third time they're called us since we moved in." Sean pinched his nose and mimicked, with reasonable authenticity, the perpetually cheerful voice that all Shadowlaw agents seemed to have. "'Hi, my name is Candy Lackwit, I'm calling on behalf of Shadowlaw. For a limited time, you can make a tax-deductible contribution to the Doll scholarship or the Shadow initiatve.' I swear, every time I hear that voice I just want to jump up and stab!" Sean stifled a yawn. "Bah, morning ... might as well get up now rather than later. Don't use up all the hot water, Kenny."
Kenneth reappeared, recently shaved and dressed in punk attire. "What are your plans for today, Sean? And do remember to groom yourself correctly, you'll scare the ladies away in your present state."
"Training, grooming, more training, lack of any fun ... this isn't what I signed up for, Kenny. Why don't I just shoot myself and get it over with? At least I'd be a chick magnet then."
"Eh? How so?" Kenneth leaned in, hoping to get insider information.
"Because all the girls dig rigor mortis. Which, by the way, is what certain Shadowlaw telemarketers will soon experience if they don't leave us alone." Still grumbling good-naturedly, Sean hauled himself out of bed and shambled into the bathroom. "You go ahead, Kenny; I'll catch up later. And be sure to wake Kirina up while you're at it, she needs the beauty sleep much less than I do."
An hour later, Captain Commando and Strider Hiryu found the Project Justice team at the breakfast tables. Commando was dressed in a white tuxedo, hair slicked back and his ever-present red shades perched on his nose. Hiryu, on the other hand, wore his modern-day ninja outfit, only with the red scarf pulled down so that his entire face was exposed and his Cypher blade conspicuously absent. Edgar wore a suit and a tie, a friendly smile pasted on his face, and Kikoken looked simply dazzling in her floor-length turquoise dress. "Morning, Edgar, Kikoken," Commando greeted warmly. "Say, where's the third member of your team?"
Edgar shrugged. "Chan tends to be bitchy if she's woken up early."
"Oh."
"Her definition of early," Edgar added, "is any time before noon."
"Oh." Commando scratched his head. "I suppose I won't press the matter, then. Say, have you seen the tournament roster? We're up against the Darkstalker's Alliance in three days. I heard that your team's first match will be against the Triple Dragons. Best of luck."
"Wish luck to someone who needs it," Edgar replied confidently. "Our brackets are right next to each other, so I'll be seeing you in the first round of the second matches. Have fun, captain."
"He certainly is confident," Hiryu observed dryly as he and Commando walked away.
"He believes that justice never fails. Considering the team we're up against, I'm not so certain of that myself," Commando replied. "I'll go look for Ruby; I'd like to spend the rest of the day drilling team tactics, if possible."
Standing outside of the room that Ryu shared with Ken, Chun-Li tugged nervously at her neck collar and tried to untie a knot that had suddenly materialized in her stomach. She was expecting an unpleasant interview with Ryu, but this had to be done. She wore a beautiful dress of vermillion and magenta shades, complete with a golden blouse and two ornate jade pins holding her hair up. Chun-Li nervously cleared her throat and knocked on the door. The knock seemed to reverberate oddly, as if mocking her attempt to be formal.
There was a short pause; the door creaked open and Ken Masters appeared, wearing a white tuxedo. "Please be looking for me," he begged upon glancing at Chun-Li.
She tried to peep around him. "Um, is Ryu here ...? There's something I have to say to him."
"I'm right here!" Ryu called out cheerfully from the back of the room. He walked into view, holding a pair of chopsticks in one hand and a book in the other. "Hi, Chun-Li. Uh-oh ... that long face ... you have something serious to discuss, huh?" When she nodded quickly, Ryu put his items aside. "Come in. Ken, I hate to ask, but would you ...?"
"Yeah, sure. I'll be in the local mall if you're looking for me."
Ken stepped outside and walked away, whistling a tune to himself. Chun-Li quietly shut the door behind him; when Ryu invited her to have a seat on the bed with him, she quietly tiptoed next to him and sat down. "Now, what is it that you wanted to speak to me about?"
Chun-Li fumbled around with her dress before giving her hesitant reply. "Well, um ... Ryu, I don't know how to say this ... I mean, this is kind of hard for me, since nobody's expecting this ... but, Ryu - I don't love you. I ... I never have. People expect me to, but I ... I just don't have any feelings for you, Ryu. I'm sorry, I really am, but I just had to say this."
Ryu smiled gently and in total comprehension. "I understand you perfectly, Chun-Li, because in truth I don't love you either. How often have we met before in the past ... once, twice? Rumors are ugly things, aren't they?"
Chun-Li nearly collapsed with relief. "Thank you so much, Ryu! I was afraid that this would turn into a long weeping session." She smiled wryly. "Just to let you know, though, this doesn't mean that I can't kick your ass the way I used to." She winked; Ryu chuckled, and a moment later both of them burst out laughing. "Brings back memories of old times, doesn't it? Well, I have to go; the paperwork's calling my name, but if I can find some spare time I'd gladly spar with you, Ryu."
Ryu saw Chun-Li to the door. "I welcome the challenge at any time."
"Hey, doctor!" Ernest McGrath looked up from a video card to see Ken Masters calling him from across the room. Both of them were in one of the local shopping malls and in an electronics store. Ken was still dressed in his white tuxedo, while McGrath had changed into more comfortable slacks and a T-shirt. Ken idly picked up a set of headphones and pretended to examine it while he walked to where McGrath was standing. He indicated the women - Samantha, Chan, Maki, Kirina, and Cammy - sitting outside the store at an oversized table with ice cream cones and fish stories. "Your daughter's really beautiful, you know," Ken continued. "Say, uh ... would you mind if I go out with her tonight?"
McGrath looked him over with a considering eye, reshelving the video card. "Aren't you a married man, Ken?"
Ken winked at McGrath. "Eliza doesn't have to know. Hey, you're only in trouble if you get caught, right?"
McGrath shrugged. "Have it your way. Let the woman decide - if it's fine with her, then it's fine with me." He returned to browsing the equipment, but when Ken left his side he watched the American approach his wife with a careful eye. Samantha had just finished her ice cream cone, but when Ken slid into the seat next to her and she did not react, McGrath simply laughed inside and returned to his study of the store's products. Kirina saluted Ken and they made some small talk together before he turned to the object of his visit.
"Samantha, I presume?" Ken asked.
She nodded regally. "And you must be Ken Masters. An honor."
They shook hands. Ken cut straight to the point while the other four women gossipped amongst themselves. "Say, you have tonight off? I used to live around here, I know a great place we could go and eat." He winked at her for extra effect. "Whaddya say? I'll pick up the tab."
Samantha remained unaffected by the generous gesture. "That is very kind of you, sir, but I have a prior engagement. My husband and I will be at a karaoke bar tonight with the other members of the strike force. You are welcome to join us there should you be so inclined."
"Nah, I don't want to share someone as beautiful as you with another person," Ken replied, blithely ignoring Kirina's stares and Maki's snide comments. "Your husband doesn't need to know, right? I heard from Guile that the military makes plenty of last-minutes schedule changes. You could pull one off." Had Ken been less enamored of Samantha, he might have noticed that Kirina had stopped staring at him or that Maki's commentary had abruptly ceased. But he recklessly pushed on. "Besides, it's a real high class restaurant; we could even stop by the jeweller's on the way back. I'll buy you a gem that costs more than a soldier makes in half a year. And really, nobody would find out. Why not tell your husband that you've been given an emergency mission?
"Why not tell him yourself? He is standing behind you, after all."
"Wha -?" Ken whirled around, to find McGrath staring down at him with folded arms and looking decidedly threatening. He nearly fell out of his chair. "Y - you?! You're the husband?!"
At that point McGrath could no longer restrain himself and burst out laughing. "Of course I am, though it's not common knowledge outside of the IDC, so I don't blame you." He leaned in conspiratorically and whispered into Ken's ears. "Still, I'd make myself scarce if I were you, and quickly. Gossip has a way of getting around everywhere and wouldn't it be unfortunate if Eliza heard of this escapade?"
Ken took the hint and scurried away, his face by now as red as the uniform that he normally wore. McGrath seated himself next to Samantha and chuckled. "Poor guy; I shouldn't have said that. Probably scared him half to death."
Cammy snickered. "He deserves it, though," she observed, and the other women nodded their agreement.
"Hey, is that ...? Yeah, it is!" Maki waved, catching the attention of Strider Hiryu some distance away. Unlike everyone else, Hiryu was dressed in his ninja uniform, complete with his belt and pair of blades. His red scarf had been pulled down so that his entire face was exposed. Hiryu brightened when he caught sight of the group, and he rapidly closed the distance between himself and the table, bearing especially for Chan, who stood up to meet him. Chan waited until he was about two feet away from her. Then she slapped him across the face. Hard.
Surprisingly, Hiryu did nothing in response, only rubbed his reddening cheek with his left hand. "I probably deserved that," he observed ruefully.
"How could you do that to me?" Chan demanded, acutely aware of the uncomfortable silence that she was causing. "I was young, I was gullible, and I foolishly believed everything that you told me! I thought you loved me! You broke my heart, did you know that?" Behind Chan's back, Maki arched her eyebrows and traded glances with Kirina, Cammy, and Samantha. McGrath, watching Chan closely, made a hand motion indicating that her aura was building up. If she decided to create a scene here in the mall ...
"Would it help if I said that I'm sorry?" Hiryu asked quietly. "Because I am, I truly am, of all the pain that I caused you. I had no idea that - no, no excuses. Just an apology. I'm sorry, Chan." He held out his hands to her.
Erstwhile obdurate, now tears had begun to streak down Chan's face. "You see," she sniffled, choking back a tear, "that's what I love so much about you ... your obstinence, your honesty ..." She threw herself into his arms and the two of them shared a tight embrace. For a moment there was only silence and the feeling of shared tenderness, then Chan pulled apart from Hiryu after a long moment as the two of them realized that they had been drawing stares from all directions. "I'm sorry, Hiryu, I didn't mean to go all mushy on you -"
"No, it's alright. Like I said, I probably deserved it."
"Oh, but so much has happened since we parted last year!" Chan said. The two of them began to walk down the mall hand in hand, leaving their friends behind, with traces of the conversation drifting back to the table. "You see, Edgar came to me with an invitation ... and how I got involved ... so I'm a Lian now ... and so is Kikoken, too ..."
A knock on the door interrupted Ryu from his meditation. Grumbling to himself - Ken still hadn't returned from wherever he had gone - Ryu hauled himself to his feet and wearily shambled to the door. He was beginning to realize just how hard it was to meditate around the hotel. Too much noise. He opened the door and was surprised to find ... "Juli?"
"Hi, Ryu. May I come in?"
"Sure."
Juli stepped into the room and closed the door softly. "Well, I had a flowery speech prepared, but I'm sure you'd prefer that I be honest instead of poetic, so here goes: Ryu, I don't love you. I never have. I never even met you before this tournament, so can we please stop this whole affair?"
"You mean despite the fact that Kirina is your daughter ... and mine?"
Juli shrugged helplessly. "I ... I don't know, really. I mean, I know that she doesn't exist in the original storyline, but she does here, and ... ah, never mind, this is all so confusing. I think I'll go back and take an aspirin. Still, I just wanted to get my point across, that I don't love you and I doubt that I ever will. I'm sure you feel the same way towards me and towards everyone else whom the tabloid reporters misrepresent. But anyway, enough of that. How's Kirina?"
"Training as hard as always - sometimes for five or six hours a day. I think she ought to pay more attention to school. And you're right, Juli, in fact and in character I don't love you or anyone, but for our daughter's sake ... well, I do care for Kirina a lot, and I'm sure you do too. She's one floor below us, if you have the time to visit her. She shares a room with Maki Genryusai, 324 I believe - you've heard about the honorary attendees, right? Even though they aren't participating, the tournament sponsor still invited all them to come and just attend."
"Yes, I heard." Juli consulted her watch. "Well, I have to be going, but I'll drop by and talk to Kirina. Later, Ryu. And ... thank you for understanding."
"Bison!" Marching up a floor, a sizable crowd of the tournament's fighters actively sought out the room of the dread lord of Shadowlaw. "You can't hide forever! Aha, there you are! You don't look so formidable now, do you?"
Bison glanced backwards and scowled, unable to retreat any further. His jet black hair was wet and clung limply to his skull. He was dressed in a red-pink bathrobe, a towel thrown around his shoulders, and the distinctive Shadowlaw insignia conspicuously absent from sight. A pair of pink slippers with velvet bunny faces sewn into them peeked out from under the lowest folds of the bathrobe. In a word, the entire sight was ridiculous and Bison's scowl deepened. "Don't let this look fool you, it was all that the hotel had left." From a room to the left Balrog and Vega poked their heads out of the doorway, curious as to what the commotion was all about. They quickly emerged into the hall; flanked by his henchmen, Bison, despite his awkward outfit, suddenly seemed far more threatening.
Ryu, at the head of the crowd, opened the discussion. "Bison, all of us here have bones to pick with you."
"Make it snappy."
Ryu grinned evilly, not a look to encourage anyone. "First off, Balrog: I saw the look you gave to Kirina during the opening ceremony. Keep your hands off her body or I will remove them from yours. Vega, you stay away too, I doubt that I need to give a reason. And Bison, if either of your henchmen try anything funny with my daughter, I will hold you personally responsible."
Bison yawned, almost as if bored. "Done. Next!"
Mitsukake marched up to Bison, flanked by Darrell and Sean on either side. Ryu, now scowling, cleared the way for them. Mitsukake thrust his cellular phone at Bison's face. "Look at this, Bison - your telemarketers have used up all my minutes for this month, plus a lot more! You have any idea how expensive minutes are nowadays? Darrell and Sean have a similar complaint. We're sick and tired of having to fend off Shadowlaw telemarketers every day of the week. Make it stop, or else I swear we're going to beat you up right here and now!"
Bison's expression solidified into hardness. "I thought that I had put a stop to it months ago. Vega!" The Spanish matador stepped up and saluted smartly. "Find out who was responsible for setting up this telemarketing operation. And when you do, remember that the new Psycho Drive is in desperate need of more human batteries." Vega saluted again and wheeled away, striding off to do his job with mechanical efficiency. "Next - wha, you!"
Cammy White halted in front of Bison, and was about to begin when she was abruptly and rudely interrupted. "Biiiiiiisooooon!" The loud, wailing cry startled everyone and nearly caused Vega to jump out of his skin. Guile pushed his way through the crowd, elbowing other contestants aside and halting in front of Bison. "Bison! You killed my best friend Charlie! His blood cries out for revenge -"
"Um, Guile ..."
"Not now, Charlie. And you murdered the family of Scott Wagner -"
"Uh, sir ..."
"Save it, Scott. Bison, I'm going to Sonic Boom you all over the pavement! For my friends and family, you're going down! Sonic -!" He drew back his arms for a powerful energy burst -
- but it never came. Charlie and Wagner, having seized his arms from behind, pinned him against a wall. "Get a hold of yourself, soldier!" Charlie barked. "This is a tournament that hasn't even started and there are civilians around here! Second, do I look dead to you? Third, Scott doesn't even exist in the official storyline - no offense, Scott - and you're supposed to have gotten over this years ago! Sheesh, man, I wish we could make bullets out of your skull, no armor would stand against that."
Guile gulped and glanced at Bison, who had folded his arms across his chest. "Sorry about that, Big B. I tend to lose it whenever I look at you."
"No harm done," Bison replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me - yes, Ms. White?"
Cammy, dressed in a femme tuxedo, approached Bison cautiously and soberly. "Lord Bison ... is that really you?" Tears began to well up in her eyes, making everyone around her acutely uncomfortable. "Why did you do that to me, to Juni, Juli, and everyone else? I was loyal to you, sir; we all were. How could you simply throw us away like garbage? How could you try to destroy us just like that? Don't you understand what you meant to me? You were my hero! You were the one person in life for whom I had nothing but absolute respect and admiration! Yet you turned on me and threw it all away! Why?!" Still weeping, Cammy had to be gently led away by Mitsukake and Darrell.
"Bah, imbeciles." Bison waved a hand dismissively and sneered. "She is of no use to me anymore. Now, who's next?" His sneer abruptly faded into sobriety when he realized who had appeared at the front of the crowd. "Oh."
"I have a prophecy to fulfill," Guy intoned.
An hour later, Sakura cautiously wended her way towards Ryu's room, bearing a bouquet of flowers in one hand. This whole tournament looked ready to fall apart at any time; very likely Guy would've killed Bison then and there had not Jedah appeared just in time to intervene and talk the ninja out of a fight. There were also ugly rumors floating around behind Demitri's back of Morrigan's attempted escapades. On the bright side, it seemed that Mason Storm was quite taken with Jill Valentine - a hopeless love case if one ever existed. Rumor also had it that Yun had been making passes at the ladies of Project Justice. Sakura tried to steady her nerves and wondered how she'd break this news to Ryu.
Much to her surprise, the door to his room was open and upon peeping inside she saw that he was deep in meditation. Ryu sat on the floor, crosslegged and breathing evenly, obviously attempting to meditate. Sakura would have closed the door and waited outside had not a brief glint of light caught her eye. Peering in just a little deeper, she saw Dr. McGrath standing behind Ryu with a glittering blade in hand. Right before her astonished eyes, he drew back and all silently prepared to strike at Ryu's exposed neck, his aura flaring with deadly intent. "Ryu! Watch out!"
Ryu's eyes snapped open; Sakura rushed past him and in an instant was laying into McGrath with repeated attacks, all of which he easily fended off. "How ... dare ... you ... try ... to ... hurt ... my ... Ryu ... Hadouken!" McGrath stopped the energy burst with his fist; Sakura was about to wind up for the Nekketsu version, but Ryu grabbed her from behind and pinned her to the wall, then muttered an apology to the doctor. Sakura could hardly believe her senses. "Ryu! That man tried to kill you!"
"Doctor, I apologize on Sakura's behalf."
McGrath sighed and threw the sword to one side of the room. "No harm done. Actually, Ryu was testing for a sixth-level black belt." When Sakura pulled a blank look, he explained in greater detail. "The Goudan test involves being able to spiritually anticipate an attack. What I do is swing the sword at Ryu's neck, at the same time emitting a killing intent when I do that. Since the strike is silent, Ryu can only sense the attack by sensing my killing aura at that instant, and dodging successfully is an indication that he has indeed sensed it. It's just a little trick - nothing to it, really, I'm certain he would have successfully passed the test."
"That's very flattering of you, sir," Ryu replied. He turned to Sakura. "Is there something you came to see me about?"
Sakura, whose face had turned a deep shade of red, looked around the room before she spotted her bouquet of flowers. "Um, yeah. Actually, I just wanted to tell you that after this tournament, I'm really quitting the fighting circuit ... er, that is, I mean, I'm not really quitting, but, you know ..." She blushed madly, at the same time resentfully noting that McGrath, behind Ryu, was biting his lips hard. "Well, it's hard to say ... I mean, I have a life now - I don't mean to say that you don't, but - ah, forget it!" She ducked her head and stared at the floor, now so embarrassed that she wished she could simply melt into the ground.
"'Your' Ryu?" McGrath ribbed, and Sakura fled from the room blushing madly, afraid that her face would burn up from embarrassment. Knowing McGrath, he'd never forget this one and at the same time somehow find ways to prevent her from forgetting, either. What in the world had she been thinking?
Ryu scratched his head. "What was that all about?"
That night, the local karaoke bar was filled with World Collision contestants. The bar was a wide but low-lying building, filled with strobe lights and heavy oaken tables. It was strictly non-smoking (much to the dismay of Kenneth Feng) and poorly lit. To the back of the bar, a raised platform and a slew of the latest equipment formed the music stage proper, while alcohol stands lined both walls along either side. Sakura, Yin, and Karin Kanzuki gossipped off to one side, Haggar and Zangief arm-wrestled at the center table, and Sean Matsuda had already started a drinking contest against Balrog.
As was normal, most of the fighter veterans had gathered to one side. Gen started off the discussion, glancing around the table. "Discover anything at all, Gill?"
Gill, dressed in a neat tuxedo, shook his head sadly. "I cannot remember; my apologies to all. I know naught save that ominous signs lurk beyond our sight. But of us assembled here, know ye aught of this mysterious personage?"
"Not a clue," Demitri replied flatly.
"Me neither," Bison added.
"I searched the Intergalactic Criminal Records and the civilian database," Captain Commando threw in. "Nothing."
Rose held up a tarot card, revealing its face. "Some powerful force obscures my attempts to view the future. To me, everything is muted, and I see nothing at all."
"A seer's trouble comes from meeting with eternal darkness," Jedah Dohma observed dryly.
"So everyone's in the dark," Sagat noted, stating the obvious. "Wonderful - back to square zero. This is like running on a treadmill. Okay, let's pool our thoughts. What do we know about M. so far?"
"She's probably a woman," Gen said.
"She's probably very rich, in order to be able to finance something like this," Commando reasoned. "We know that the logistical trail deadens very quickly, and no corporation has been connected with the tournament, so a reasonable conclusion is that she's funding all of it out of her own pockets. Then, of course, there's the prize money - $300 million US is a lot, even after adjusting for inflation."
"And of course, the most disturbing piece of the puzzle," Bison mentioned. "She offered the power of a diety as the prize."
"What's so special about that?" Jedah wanted to know.
"Bah, you and Gill, and probably a few others here, call yourselves gods," Bison sneered. "But let me ask you: could any of you grant divine power to anyone?" When the only response was an uncomfortable silence, Bison forged ahead. "Whoever this M. is, she must certainly be very powerful in order to offer divine power as a tournament prize, as well as speak telepathically to every spectator in that stadium. More likely than not she is also the one who resurrected various fighters - such as myself - and blocks Rose's view of the future. Could any of you accomplish even one of those feats?" More uncomfortable silence.
"The full moon comes in five nights," Rose said at last. "On that night, I could try to scry the future and enhance my own power for a short duration of time - then I might be able to break through the darkness surrounding my vision."
"Best of luck," Gen wished. "In the meanwhile, why don't we do our own research? Gill, Bison, Jedah, Demitri - all of you should have extensive spy networks, as would the IDC, the Anglo-American governments, and Interpol. Why not put them to work?"
"We did," Bison said heavily. "All of us. And you know what we found? Absolutely nothing." There were nods of agreement from all around the table on that one. "The logistical trail is either extremely well hidden or simply does not exist. Even the IDC's intelligence section hasn't found anything. I think we'll be forced to wait for Rose's report on this one - look, here comes the good doctor. You're late, Ernest."
"Sorry about that, the airplane left without me," McGrath threw back good-naturedly. "What's with all the glum faces? You look like you swallowed a live frog, Demitri."
"Just discussing what we know about M. - or rather, what we don't know, which is anything," Commando said. "Five nights from now the full moon rises and Rose will try to break through the darkness obscuring her vision - until then, we're pretty much stuck here. No one here has even the faintest semblance of a clue that M. didn't give us directly, unless you managed to find something?"
McGrath spread his hands. "Nope, sorry. A very powerful force is behind this tournament, but you all knew that. What we don't know is what M. intends and why she has done what she has done to attain it. We don't even know who she is - and I have a sneaking suspicion that knowing her identity wouldn't help much anyways."
"Not to mention - look out!" Warned in advance, Sagat dodged to one side and Jedah to the other; a moment later, Kikoken crashed heavily into the table swathed in flames. Her aura burst for a moment and the fire extinguished, then she jumped back up and launched a bolt of ice at Darrell. "Hey, watch where you're going!" Gen called out irritably. "Kids these days. Look, Ernest - one of your friends has commandeered the karaoke bar."
They all turned to look; indeed, Blake Wallis was atop the stage and he rapped experimentally upon the microphone. "Hello? Is this thing working? Alright, what song does everyone want tonight? Women, especially the beautiful ones, get priority." He ducked gamely as Juni flung a commando dagger his way. "Let's hear the requests now. Wha - you want 'Suteki da Ne,' Sakura? Okay, but no complaining when my melodious Japanese grates on your ears, alright?" He found the correct soundtrack and began to sing in a low, soulful voice. McGrath winced; Blake's Japanese was truly awful.
At Blake's invitation, Karin, Ibuki, Remy, and Mitsukake joined him on stage. The cacophony that ensued forced half of the bar's occupants to clap their hands over their ears. Boiling point came during the solo that Blake screeched out, prompting McGrath to compare his voice unfavorably against fingernails dragged across a chalkboard. "... and to say that I love you. Weave the threads of life and see - isn't it beautiful?"
"You sound like a raven with a sore throat," Cody sneered.
Blake halted in midnote and snapped back, "'Tis better to sound than to look!"
Cody shook a fist at the Phantom. "If you weren't the best friend of the devil himself," and here he nodded at McGrath, "I'd be more than happy to teach you a lesson."
"And why should that stop you?" Blake demanded, jumping down from the stage and marching straight up to Cody. "Hit me with your best shot."
Cody swung; Blake dodged to the side and responded with a solid punch into the stomach. For an instant they were attacking each other hammer and tongs, but only for an instant. Guy and Alex together pulled Cody back, while Blake wound up for a strike that never came; Samantha and Guile locked his arms behind him. A moment later, Haggar had stepped between the two brawlers and glared at each one in turn. "What in the name of reason has gotten into you two?" he half-shouted. "Well? Answer me!" They both wilted under his fierce gaze; when Haggar turned his back, Blake and Cody shot glares at each other.
While some semblance of order was being restored, Kenneth Feng sidled up next to Kirina at an otherwise vacant table. "Hey, 'Rina. Say, you want to go out tomorrow with me? Cigarette?" He offered one to Kirina.
"I believe that this is a non-smoking bar," she replied. "Thanks for the offer, though." An awkward silence followed, until she glanced at him again. "Say, Kenny ... how did you get involved with Uncle Ken, anyways?"
"I - it's a long story, and a boring one," he said dismissively. "I'd much rather hear about you. You're really the daughter of the legendary Ryu, huh? You must've breezed through the fighting circuit, huh?"
"What?! Not at all!" Kirina replied indignantly. "Being his daughter isn't easy in the least. If anything, people were always expecting more of me than I could deliver, while at the same time calling me 'the daughter of Ryu the warrior' rather than 'Kirina the warrior.' I haven't had an easy time at all in the fighting circuit! Every time I go out there and fight, I always feel as though I'm fighting against my father and all his accomplishments. You know, all I really want is to discover my own identity, but very few people are willing to let me!"
"Oh." Kenneth stared at his cigarette for a moment. "You know what my father was? He was a head scientist for Shadowlaw. He pioneered the Shadow technology that's all the rage these days. He even hid the complete set as bionic implants in my body. And in the end, it didn't do him a bit of good. I don't remember the incident anymore, but I know that Bison had him exterminated, him and my mother. Funny, isn't it? I don't miss him at all. He was always busy with work, too busy to make time for my mother or myself. I've had to put up with some serious bull in my life because of decisions that he made. Be glad you have a father who cares for you - Mr. Masters is like a father to me, the dad I never had. But you won't realize the absence of a parent's love until you've gone far too long without it."
At another table, Ryu randomly glanced back and saw Kenneth deep in conversation with Kirina. "Is that boy making another pass at my daughter?" he asked stiffly. "If he tries anything funny, the next words out of my mouth will be 'Hadouken,' and guess where it'll be directed?"
"Calm down, Ryu," Guy said cheerfully, clapping a hand on Ryu's back. "I've little doubt that she could lay a total smackdown on Kenny if he tried anything funny. Besides, Kirina's old enough to make decisions for herself; now Cody over there, on the other hand ... hey, doc, how's life with the IDC?"
McGrath sat down at the table directly opposite Guy, glancing around to include Ken and Ryu in the conversation. "Some things never change. The IDC's been busy as an ant colony arranging security for this tournament, and I'm the liaison within the tournament itself. But the BEATs have specific orders to let fighters through - like the ones watching us."
"Wha -?! What do you -" Ken, Ryu, and Guy all glanced around themselves. "Is it who I think it is?" Ryu asked, a lump suddenly forming in his throat.
"No, not him. Feel carefully - you should be able to discern three distinctive auras close together, none of which are Ryu's." McGrath leaned back into the chair. "I wouldn't worry, though; I doubt they'll try anything, at least not right now. Just pretend that I said something funny."
Watching from the rafters high above where he was securely concealed from sight, one of the mysterious figures glanced down at Guy, Ken, and Ryu laughing. "That's the fakest laugh I've ever seen," he commented dryly.
"Shall we?" a second voice asked.
"Not right now. Wait until they disperse to return to the hotel - we'll divert them, then strike halfway along the route. Let's go prepare an ambush - it wouldn't do to let this golden opportunity slip by now, would it?" So saying, all silently the three mysterious men stole out of the bar and went to prepare the battleground.