Reflections
Author's Notes: Hmm, actually I hadn't meant for the last chapter to be a cliffhanger at all, but I just couldn't squeeze the entire battle into a single chapter. So I figured I'd use another literary device and worm my way out. I'll try to be better about cliffhangers in the future, since everybody knows that I hate them too (... admittedly, I screwed all of you over with the McGrath versus Akuma fight scene).
Osaka, Japan
One day has passed
Kirina sat cross-legged on her bed, deep in thought. Spread out in front of her upon the blankets, the ruined shards of her broken Muramasa sword glinted in the sunlight. Even now, they retained a decidedly deadly edge that continued all along the jagged sides. Perhaps twelve or thirteen of the largest pieces lay before Kirina, unable to be recovered. And although her eyes were fixed on the shattered pieces of her sword, her mind was elsewhere, replaying the last events of the fight between herself and the Chaos Prince. I won, but ... what price victory? If that had been a real fight, he surely would have killed Dad and Uncle Sagat. It was so close ...
Dadallent vaulted through the air with a graceful arc of a jump, descending like a falling star as he aimed an earth-shattering attack straight at Kirina's face. Doubtlessly the battle would have ended right there if the attack had connected. Kirina dodged frantically as her fingers closed on the hilt of her dropped katana. She cleared out of the way just in time as Dadallent landed with a storm of force, causing the ground to spiderweb into a thousand cracks under his single massive strike. Nor was that all; instead of dropping into a crouch to avoid damage the way any other fighter would have, he sprang up and aimed a vicious kick at Kirina. Kirina swung her arm around in the same instant; Dadallent's speed of recovery would never fail to surprise her, but she hadn't counted on him being able to avoid cooldown so quickly. They met -
Dadallent screamed in pain and surprise as Kirina's sword sliced through his tattered uniform and deep into his flesh, driving onwards with brutal force. It was far too late to stop his attack, but cruel irony seemed to be enjoying a particularly festive moment as Dadallent's own force propelled him onto Kirina's sword until the tip erupted from his back. The Muramasa's bitter edges had cut right through his ribs and punctured a lung; blood pooled out of his mouth and through his face guard, where it soaked through his uniform and lent the battered warrior a dark-red hue to his black clothing. Gasping hard, Dadallent grunted and with a mighty effort launched a powerful strike into Kirina's face. The force of the attack exploded upon Kirina with all the impact of a runaway train and her grasp on the Muramasa broke as she tumbled backwards in the dust.
Dadallent's left hand closed over the bloodthirsty blade, but when he pulled he nearly dislodged his lungs; the sword was embedded fast. Blood seeped through his shirt; gritting his teeth, Dadallent pulled his hands up, two fingers on each hand ready to strike. Then, swiftly and efficiently, he flung his hands down at the offending weapon and it broke into a dozen or more pieces as his fingers sheared through the metal like hot wires through cheese. Each shard rang as it dropped to the ground. With a gasp of effort, Dadallent wrenched the last piece of the blade out of his chest and flung it aside. He was bleeding all over his body and his footsteps left bloody imprints behind, but his aura remained as threatening as ever.
"No!" Kirina shouted, unable to believe what had happened to her weapon.
"That's impossible ..." Kyosuke breathed.
"Oh boy, somebody's in for it now!" Jin screamed excitedly.
Turning his blind eyes to Kirina, Dadallent stalked after her with all the relentlessness of death itself. Kirina scrambled up, slipped, and frantically pulled herself up again. Dadallent seized her from behind by the shoulders, but Kirina managed to break the grip before it could settle. As she spun around to face him, Dadallent sank his fist into the ground and it trembled under the impact as a blazing column emerged and began hopping towards her. Kirina dodged to the side, but she felt deadly fatigued. Dadallent, too, hesitated as she launched a weak fireball at him before he blocked it. And when he blocked it instead of dodging, Kirina seized her only chance.
"Ready ..." She cupped her hands backwards as a brilliant white-blue glow emerged from her palms. Her arms were partially shielded by her body, and the entire stance looked like something Ryu would pull. Whatever she was doing, it must have alarmed Dadallent as he beat off the remnants of her earlier Hadouken posthaste. "... Set ..." The light erupted from her palms as she committed extra energy to the technique. As her energy levels depleted, she began to draw on the reserves of her own vitality, though a small, insistent voice in the back of her head warned that she was risking oblivion. And Kirina realized that she didn't care - she wanted revenge for her sword, for her father, for the emperor.
"Destroy!" Kirina threw her arms forward and a storm of fireballs erupted out of her palms, blasting away at the area before herself. The withering hail of energy ripped straight across the battlefield and at Dadallent, covering the entire area in an unreal, ethereal white and blue glow. The Chaos Prince raised an arm to block, but his stance betrayed his uneasiness as the fireballs homed in unerringly upon him. Kirina felt the world sway as more energy flowed out of her body, and her feet were starting to develop a mind of their own. Was it her imagination, or had Dadallent not raised his hand to block at all, but to give a strange sort of salute ...?
"And I won the battle," Kirina mused softly to herself. She had fainted from the effort after seeing that salute, but she had won. "He left the field. Vanishing under the Destroyer Hadouken, and he wasn't seen again - so we won, but it feels like an empty victory. In a real fight, it might easily have gone the other way ..." No one had seen Dadallent after the match, and so the World Warriors had won by default. Ryu had voiced what they all thought, that it wasn't really a victory. And more disturbing news came in the fact that even a careful search failed to find the Psychisaber.
Kirina stared down at the fragments of her sword. Legend had it that the Muramasa sought out blood; regardless of whether or not that was true, the weapon had served her well ever since she received it from the ex-Shadowlaw doll Satsuki. As a historical relic, it was virtually priceless, a genuine weapon used by the samurai for over four centuries and perhaps the last of its kind. Now it lay useless in front of her and she wanted to weep. Someone knocked on the door.
"Come in," Kirina called lifelessly.
Ryu slid the door open as he and Samantha McGrath walked into Kirina's room. Soundlessly Samantha took a chair by the bed as Ryu seated himself upon the other bed, now unused. "We came by to see how you were holding up, Kirina," Ryu explained. "Are you feeling well? We were starting to become worried since we hadn't seen you all day."
"I'm fine, dad. Really, I am."
"... I see."
"Fine, I'm not!" Kirina exploded. "We would've been killed had that been a real fight! And look at this 'souvenir' that Dadallent left me!" She indicated the shards of the Muramasa with a sweep of her hands. "What did I learn from this fight? Perhaps I don't want to be a true warrior anymore, not if I have to fight against people like Dadallent! Thank Regina for healing me when you get the chance. I'm staying right here." Kirina folded her arms and half-shut her eyes.
"Sulking never helped anything," Ryu replied softly.
"I don't want to be helped!" Kirina snapped.
Ryu stiffened, but Samantha smoothly intervened before he could voice an angry reply. "Kirina," she began, "I understand. The life of the true warrior is difficult, fraught with dangers. Only one who possesses true strength of character will be able to endure it. Kirina, would you tell us why you reconsider?"
"I just don't want to do it," Kirina insisted.
"Surely you must have a reason?" Samantha asked.
"Leave me alone."
Only a swift glance from Samantha prevented Ryu from scolding his daughter. "Kirina, I understand if you do not wish to speak with us. I will listen should you decide otherwise. However, I do wish to know if there is aught I may do for you. Do you wish to speak your mind?" Samantha tilted her head to one side and looked sideways at Kirina.
"I ..." Kirina sighed and glanced hesitantly at Ryu, but the words died halfway out. She cleared her throat before proceeding. "I ... I've never fought anyone like Dadallent," she began slowly. "Bison was before my time ... and he was killed when I was only a child. The worst I've ever been outmatched, I think, was when I fought you for the first time, daddy. But yesterday, when I fought Dadallent and actually saw the way he fought - I don't want to die! I'm scared of dying in a fight!" Kirina confessed as tears began to emerge from her eyes. "I just can't help but think of how different it would have been in a real fight - you'd be dead, dad, and Uncle Sagat too! I don't want that! I don't want to die ..." Kirina trailed off as she wept.
So that's it ... Ryu thought to himself. Samantha, for her part, wordlessly stood up and crossed the room to sit next to Kirina on her bed. She said nothing, only reaching out and wrapping Kirina in her arms, hugging the younger woman close as she rocked slowly back and forth on the bed. Still sobbing softly, Kirina gradually gave way to Samantha's embrace and leaned on the Phantom's shoulders. Samantha spared an upwards glance at Ryu; he nodded his appreciation and silently slipped out of the room. "I understand what you have said," Samantha whispered softly. "'Tis no trivial matter to confront one's own mortality. Kirina, if you ever have need of an ear to listen, I will be here for you. I promise."
"Thank you." Kirina smiled with as much dignity as she could muster.
Samantha drew apart somewhat and patted Kirina on the back in a comforting manner. "Speak to me should the need arise. For now, Regina asked after you earlier today. Will you not speak with her?" Samantha stood up, pulled Kirina to her feet, and the two of them walked out of the room together. Kirina paused only to shut the door behind her. "Regina could hardly contain her anticipation," Samantha confided to Kirina. "Kirina, tell me more concerning yourself. What of your childhood?"
"My ... childhood?" Kirina asked. "There isn't much to tell, really ... you IDC soldiers seem to know everything, anyways. Though, if you care to hear it, I'll try my best. As you probably know, I am Ryu's illegitimate daughter by the Shadowlaw assassin Juli. I've always known, even from a very young age, who my parents are. My mother and father had an affair after Shadowlaw first fell, prior to the second World Warrior tournament. And I was the result of that affair. My earliest memories are of learning how to fish alongside my mother Juli, and of learning how to play cards from Juni and Satsuki. I must admit, my aunts tried to spoil me rotten." Kirina chuckled somewhat at the memory.
"Because mother feared that Shadowlaw might try to track us down - not an unfounded fear, of course - we never stayed in the same place for long. My mother and Juni also trained me to fight in the Shadowlaw style of combat, as well as combining data that they had analyzed from Shadowlaw's files on Ansatsuken. Aunt Satsuki taught me what she knew about swordfighting, thus my sword styles revolve around the traditional Japanese teachings - strike hard and fast, one strike, one kill. Not exactly the most effective way to approach an enemy like Dadallent. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
"Shadowlaw's fall after the second World Warrior tournament gave mom peace of mind. We settled down in a nice place in the States, while Juni and Satsuki eventually went their separate ways. My aunt gave me her Muramasa sword as a parting gift. Meanwhile, I discovered that I enjoyed fighting, that I could learn about myself while doing so. When the third World Warrior tournament was hosted, mom watched dad fight and decided to send me to him. At that time, dad did not know that he even had a child. You can imagine how surprised he was when I arrived, claiming to be who I was.
"It's been two years since then, and I've trained with dad and Master Oro all the while. Now that Master Oro is gone, dad is the one responsible for my training - though I admit, schoolwork interferes a lot with it." Kirina shrugged. "I'm not too sure what I want to do with my life, whether I want to continue fighting or to give it up and study. There you have it, that's my life story. I know, not the most interesting thing in the world."
"Did I say that it was not?" Samantha replied courteously.
"There you are!" Regina practically raced down the hall as she caught sight of Kirina and Samantha. She was dressed in a plain and simple brown skirt, wearing the same type of bunny slippers that Bison had sported much earlier. For all appearances, Regina looked like an overenthusiastic girl. "Hi Samantha, hi Kirina! Kirina, I've brought a special gift for you! I promise you, you'll love it!"
"Very well, I shall take my leave." Samantha bowed gracefully before stepping out of the room.
"Bye, Samantha! Come with me, please, Kirina." Regina led Kirina down the remainder of the hallway and through the lobby, then to the other wing of the hotel, up a flight of stairs, and finally to her own room. It was sparsely furnished and looked hardly used at all. On a small writing desk set near the windows, Regina had written out something on stacks of notebook paper, but when Kirina drew her she saw that it was all runic script of a type unlike any she had ever seen. Still, what immediately arrested her attention was not the writing, but instead the large, cross-shaped object lying on an unused bed.
Kirina stared at it and shivered a little. Even she could feel the power emanating from this object. It was nearly as long as she was tall and shaped like a cross, with a long, broad center and two equally broad arms projecting three-fourths of the way up the centerpiece. The top was not as broad; instead, it was apparent at first glance that it was a handle, made to allow a person to easily wield the object in both hands. Upon the massive crosspiece of the blade four distinct letters, INRI, had been burned into the metalwork. The weapon looked to be easily twice as heavy as Kirina herself. Most of the blade was inlaid with a strange brownish woodwork that nevertheless glittered even in the low light and the edges shone with a dangerous silver glint. "Goodness ... is that a weapon?"
"Yes!" Regina exclaimed. "This is my weapon, INRI. Try it out, Kirina. I'm lending it to you."
"Wha -? Hold up, you're lending me your weapon, just like that?" Kirina demanded, not quite believing what she had just heard. When Regina nodded enthusiastically, Kirina approach the sword and laid her left hand on its handle. The moment her fingers touched the cool metal, she felt something like a pulse of electricity run underneath her skin and throughout her entire body. The sensation surprised her, and she thought to herself, Any weapon used by a goddess must be powerful indeed, but I had no idea it carried so much within itself. And for all of its formidable appearance, the weapon turned out to be remarkably light; Kirina easily pulled it off the bed with her left arm and flourished it in the air. INRI sang as it sheared effortlessly through space. What a remarkable weapon ...
"Isn't it?" Regina echoed. "Would you like to hear the tale of how I acquired it?" When Kirina nodded acquiescence, Regina indicated a chair to her. The goddess seated herself upon the bed and tucked her legs under her body. For a moment she glanced upwards, sorting out her thoughts, until she seemed to decide upon a starting point. "INRI ... the phrase is Latin, 'Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum.' Perhaps you have heard the saying, 'Greater than any weapon in the world is an idea whose time has come'? Appropriately enough, INRI is both weapon and idea. This is the story of how I came by this sword ..."
Rome, Roman Empire
383 A.D.
"Marin, why have we come here?" Regina asked, glancing around herself. They stood together atop the Palatine hill that overlooked much of the sprawling city. It was indeed a remarkable sight; Rome was, after all, still one of the greatest cities upon the Earth. To Regina's divine senses, the place bustled with life and activity. Children played happily in the streets below. It was evening and the sun hovered on the distant horizon, painting the world in vivid hues of orange and violet.
"Look around you carefully, Regina," Marin answered. She and her sister were both dressed in the plain and simple garb of common peasant women, though their hair instantly made them stand out. "Rome declines, dear sister; she will not endure another century. Already the greatest empire of this earth has begun her fall to ruin. Yet from the ashes of Rome shall arise a force that no mortal power can halt. It is for this force that we are present. You sense it, do you not? A latent, still sleeping power which shall become irresistible once awakened."
"Yes, there is power here," Regina agreed. "Yet it cannot awaken until the nation which has birthed it dies. Such a sad sight, sister; must every empire fall?"
"Even we goddesses are not eternal," Marin replied matter-of-factly. "Follow me, Regina. We did not come to ruminate but to find you a weapon. I pray that you will never have need of it, but should the need arise, you shall have it. I saw it but ten days ago; it is indeed of peerless quality." Marin turned and led Regina down the street, avoiding most of the largest thoroughfares. They navigated for ten minutes through various ways until they halted in a small bazaar, where the vendors prepared to close for the night. Regina felt the source of power with much greater intensity.
Marin stopped only to purchase a pair of apples for herself and her sister, then the two goddesses found a marble bench opposite the bazaar square, facing one of the humble homes that lined the marketplace. The sun had nearly disappeared, but oil lamps in the streets still provided reasonable illumination. Marin sat back and chewed contemplatively on her apple, saying nothing, only staring at the space in front of herself without really seeing any of it. Seeing as how Marin was in no mood for casual conversation, Regina also held her peace and an uneasy silence descended. She nibbled on her own fruit wordlessly.
Marin finished the apple and casually tossed its core aside; after a short while, Regina did likewise. Still Marin said nothing, only staring out in front of herself, lost in thought. Regina glanced around, but this particular street seemed mostly deserted save for the occasional prefect on patrol. No one paid much attention to the two women sitting together in the shadowed corner. When the silence became unbearable, Regina finally spoke. The sun was long gone and the evening star shone brightly in the nighttime sky, visible even over the torchlight. "Sister, will you not share your thoughts with me?"
"Patience, Regina," Marin whispered. "The home opposite us is that of the scholar Jerome. There, he labors ceaselessly - we must need tarry until he sleeps. He is a servant of the Almighty, as we are, yet he would by no means recognize us as divine. In his zeal, he would condemn us as heretics, or devils, or worse. There is no shame in resorting to thievery." Marin laughed; it was a sweet, vibrant sound, full of life. "He shall be none the wiser."
Regina nodded and the two again fell silent. This lasted for another three hours as Marin meditated and Regina expanded her senses, empathizing with the citizens of Rome. Then all silently Marin stood to her feet and indicated that they should proceed. Quite stealthily the two sister stole into the scholar's house. It was really a simple structure, built of stone and brick, with the ground floor broken into several rooms. Marin and Regina tiptoed past the bedroom, where the scholar who resided in the house snored softly. When Marin half-turned, touched a finger to her lips and smiled, Regina had to bite down on her tongue to stop herself from laughing out loud.
They crept past the kitchen and into the study, where Marin straightened and pointed out the scholar's desk to Regina. Though there was hardly any natural light in the room, the scattered parchments that littered the desk seemed to glow in Regina's eyes and her breath caught. Each character burned a fiery trail through the darkness and the entire room seemed to be bathed in a divine glow. Regina slipped up to the desk and stared. Latin words, of course, and as she read them she realized that Marin was indeed correct. "Never have I beheld aught of such untapped power ..." Regina breathed. "Yet ... 'tis no weapon, sister."
"You must make it yours, Regina," Marin stated. "Draw out its essence."
"Draw out its essence ...?" Regina echoed. "But of course, metal must be forged to become a sword. I understand, this weapon shall take the form of a sword. What qualities will it possess? How will it serve me?" Regina expanded her spiritual senses, probing, drawing deeply as she navigated through the auras all about her. As she did so, she realized that she was creating a weapon unlike any Marin had ever made. Her sister worked with precious metals garnered from stars, but here Marin had asked her to mold ideas into reality. "A weapon unlike any other ... very well, I shall draw out its power." Regina laid her right hand upon the painstakingly transcribed manuscripts and concentrated.
Divinity: In principio erat Verbum et Verbum erat apud Deum et Deus erat Verbum.
Invulnerability: Caelum et terra transibunt verba autem Mea non transient.
Power: Vivus est enim Dei sermo et efficax et penetrabilior omni gladio ancipiti et pertingens usque ad divisionem animae ac spiritus conpagum quoque et medullarum et discretor cogitationum et intentionum cordis.
Regina's hand closed around a hilt and with a single mighty pull she extracted a brilliant and beautiful weapon. It was shaped like a crucifix, three of its blades tipped with edges so bitter that they would shear through steel like cloth. And yet despite its impressive size, the weapon was as light as a feather and adjusted itself to Regina's grip. She flexed experimentally and was pleasantly surprised to feel how easily it cleaved through the air. Upon the massive crosspiece the phrase INRI had been burned into the metalwork; to Regina's divinely attuned senses, it shone with a brilliant and beautiful light. The entire weapon fairly vibrated with the power that it contained and Regina instantly knew that here was a sword that would never fail her, no matter what. "It is done, dear sister."
"Let us be on our way," Marin answered softly. "Much remains to be accomplished."
As Regina finished her story, Kirina felt her mouth drop open in astonishment as she stared between INRI and the goddess. "Incredible. Regina, you actually saw the original Vulgate?"
"Why, yes," Regina laughed. "I'm always fascinated by the way the Bible has changed throughout the years. Kirina, this sword has a long and distinguished history behind it. I lend it to humans who can use it; two others have wielded the weapon before. One of them was Arthur, who named this sword 'Excalibur' - a fitting name, I would add, as it means 'beyond the Word'." Seeing Kirina's expression of astonishment again, Regina chuckled. "Are you surprised? I was the Lady of the Lake, Kirina, and I did enjoy playing the part. The other who used this weapon was Jeanne - or Joan of Arc, as she is known to history. Both of them, I am afraid, met tragic deaths." Regina tilted her head to the side. "You really ought to meet them someday, Kirina. I'm sure you three would get along just fine."
"You never fail to amaze me, Regina," Kirina replied. "INRI ..."
"I hope you find the weapon to your liking," Regina added.
Kirina smiled. "Thank you very much, Regina. I consider myself in your debt. It is indeed a beautiful and deadly weapon, and yet ... what a warm and gentle feeling it gives off. Yes, I think INRI and I are going to become best friends."