Aisha growled softly as yet another large body rudely brushed past her. The coppery sent of Gene's blood had lead her to the crowded Sentinel III fighting arena, which was teaming with every kind of shady scumbag imaginable as they impatiently waited for the night's onslaught to begin. The Ctarl-Ctarl gracefully wove her way in and out of the crowd until she found herself near a very wealthy looking man in his late forties surrounded by several questionable looking young women dressed in clothing that just barely covered the essentials. She nonchalantly approached him from behind and in a move that no human eye could see, slipped her clawed hand into his jacket pocket and removed a single top box ticket. A large grin graced her lips as the young cat woman made her way towards 'her' seat, pausing only to flash her pass at the rather snooty usher who had questioned her, before quickly sitting down in the comfortable leather recliner. Her bright green eyes soon began to flit through the monstrous crowd in an attempt to pick out the red headed outlaw from their vast numbers.

'Now where are you Gene? You asshole, I know you're here somewhere.'

Aisha's gaze suddenly fell on a tall, redheaded figure standing near the edge of the fighting ring whose hand was clamped hard against his side, a look of intense pain etched across his masked face as the announcer's voice boomed overhead.

As Gene leaned over to adjust the Caster gun attached to his belt, a bolt of intense pain suddenly ripped through his entire body. He gritted his teeth as he attempted to keep an agony filled moan from escaping his throat as he carefully placed his hand over the wound on his side. He cursed heavily under his breath when he examined his palm only to find it coated in a thick layer of blood. The sound of the announcer overhead suddenly brought him forth from his shock as the crowd began to cheer and scream for the upcoming fight. The redheaded outlaw took a deep breath while he forced himself to stand up straight as he readjusted the black leather mask placed across his eyes1 and quickly made his way to his side of the ring.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN…TONIGHT'S FIGHT WILL START MOMENTARILY…SO BEFORE YOU PLACE YOUR BETS, PLEASE LET ME INTRODUCE TO YOU THE TWO FIGHTERS OF THE NIGHT….IN THE RED CORNER, STANDING AT AN INCREDIBLE 6'2" AND WEIGHING IN AT 173 POUNDS, COMING TO YOU ALL THE WAY FROM THE CTARL-CTARL HOME WORLD, PLEASE PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR RAIGAA!!!"

The stands erupted in a frenzy of cheering and clapping as a tall figure suddenly emerged on the crimson hued side of the fighting ring. His white blond hair contrasted drastically against his deeply tanned skin along with the dark brown stripes that covered his muscular, leather cladded body. The large catlike ears on either side of his head twitched slightly from the roaring crowd that surrounded him as his intense emerald green eyes took in every detail of the arena. An egotistical smirk spread across his lips, revealing sharp pointed fangs as he crossed his arms over his chest and slouched slightly against the ropes to make it appear as if he were already bored with the fight. The announcer's voice once again echoed throughout the arena as he began to introduced Gene's alter ego.

"AND IN THE BLUE CORNER, STANDING AT 5'10'' AND WEIGHING IN AT 152 POUNDS2…THE UNDEFEATED CHAMPION OF THE SENTINEL III FIGHTING ARENA, MASUKU NO KAGE!!!!" The red headed outlaw quickly stood as straight as possible, hiding a small wince of pain as he hastily climbed into his side of the fighting ring. A wave of dizziness overcame him for a moment and he desperately attempted to keep from stumbling as his foe stared at him with an unreadable expression etched across his features. Gene paled slightly as he watched the young Ctarl-Ctarl inhale deeply, a look of confusion spreading across his face as he returned his gaze to his opponent. Without a moments notice, Raigaa suddenly made his way across the ring in the outlaws direction, stopping momentarily to exchange several hasty words with the judge before coming to a stop directly in front of the red headed man. He leaned in towards Gene, motioning him to do the same before speaking out in a deep, hushed voice. "Are you injured?" The young outlaw cursed mentally as he tried to hide a look of shock.

"Why should it matter to you?"

The blond Ctarl-Ctarl put his arms behind his head and fixed the small ponytail that held his hair in place before casting his sharp emerald gaze back on his red headed opponent. "You're right, I shouldn't give a damn, but I'm an honorable guy and fighting an opponent who's not at their best is against my code." Gene smiled inwardly as he thought of how he could get across to his honor driven opponent that he really didn't have a choice.

"Look man, I appreciate the concern and all but if I don't fight, I don't get paid and let's just say I got a few people depending on me for this money."

A surprised look crossed Raigaa's face but was soon replaced with the same egotistical smirk from before. He nodded slightly and made his way back towards his side of the ring, stopping momentarily to call out to his foe from over his shoulder. "Suit yourself, but remember, I may be an honorable guy but that doesn't mean I'll go easy on ya." Gene frowned slightly, wondering what hell he had gotten himself into as the bell rang out around them, forcing a loud cheer from the crowd as their fight began. The red headed outlaw abruptly pushed the throbbing pain in his side towards the back of his mind as he left his corner and slowly began to circle the ring, all the while keeping Raigaa in his sight. The Ctarl-Ctarl seemed to be waiting for him to make the first move and Gene, not being one to disappoint, begrudgingly complied. He quickly threw off his black trench coat and tossed it in Raigaa's direction, using it as a distraction as he shot several rounds at his opponent while he sprinted across the ring. The Ctarl-Ctarl's eyes widened slightly as he sliced through the coat before dodging the bullets with lightning like speed. He growled softly as more ammunition rained down on him from across the ring and clenched his fists together in frustration before forcefully driving them into the floor beneath him. A large fissure appeared from where Raigaa's hand had disappeared into the ground, which steadily stretched out towards the young outlaw, successfully knocking him off his feet. He quickly squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth together in agony as a wave of excruciating pain began to flood his entire body.

The Ctarl-Ctarl quickly leapt into the air above the outlaw, raising his fist in preparation of driving straight through the young outlaw. Gene, seeing his opponent about to attack, hastily rolled out of the way, barely escaping the wrath of Raigaa's assault, only to leave a large, crimson smear in his wake. He quickly leapt to his feet and was in the process of loading a caster shell into his gun when Raigaa suddenly appeared out of nowhere and forcefully punched the outlaw square in the jaw, sending him flying through the air until he landed on the other side of the ring with a sickening thud. Gene groaned slightly and shook his head to clear his reeling vision as he tediously pulled himself pack onto his feet only to have a strong, clawed hand suddenly take hold of his throat and slowly lift him into the air. The redheaded man gasped for breath as he struggled to free himself from the Ctarl-Ctarl's vice like grip but it was no use. His opponent was far too strong and the pain from his wounds had weakened him greatly. Gene coughed harshly, sending a small trickle of blood down the side of his mouth as his vision slowly began to blur before his eyes. An egotistical smirk once again appeared upon Raigaa's lips, though his eyes held a slightly remorseful look within them as he drew the outlaw closer so that their noses were almost touching before speaking to him in a hushed, superior tone.

"I told you that I wouldn't go easy on you." Gene laughed callously, causing the Ctarl-Ctarl's arrogant expression to quickly melt into one of confusion. "What's so funny?" The tell tale click of a gun being loaded suddenly reached Raigaa's ears, causing him to quickly glance downwards only to find the Caster being pressed into his side. A loud growl suddenly made its way past the Ctarl-Ctarl's lips as he quickly released his hold on the redhead's neck and hastily attempted to get out of range, but by then it was too late. Gene pulled to trigger, sending a castor shell directly at his opponent, causing him to fly backwards across the ring from the force of blast, where he his the ground with a sickening thud. The crowd suddenly erupted in a roar of cheering and hissing as the judge slowly began to count to ten before rushing to Gene's side and thrusting his hand into the air, declaring him the winner. By this point in time, the red haired outlaw was swaying drunkenly on his feet from his extreme blood loss, fighting desperately against the black void that was growing at the edge of his mind.

Completely ignoring the cheering crowd around him, Gene shakily made his way out of the ring and towards the long corridor leading to the locker room, leaving a long crimson smear upon the wall as he leaned heavily upon it for support. He slowly opened the door and made his way towards the cabinet that held his stuff, sitting heavily upon the wooden bench in front of it as he quickly pulled off his black muscle shirt, wincing slightly as the long, deep gash on his side was exposed to the cold air around him. The young outlaw proceeded to dig into his bag, his hand shaking violently as he retrieved a roll of bandages along with a small bottle of disinfectant. A long, pain filled hiss escaped Gene's lips as he quickly poured the antiseptic on his side, allowing to fizz slightly before wrapping the bandages tightly around his abdomen. He also examined the claw marks that marred his neck, treating them as he did his side while nursing the other various cuts and bruises that had appeared upon his body.

The door suddenly burst open, causing the red headed man to jump slightly in alarm as a small group of people entered the room. Most of them appeared to be of the same build, their large, muscular bodies giving away the obvious fact that they were bodyguards, but two smaller figures seemed to stand out from the others as they slowly made their way towards the wounded outlaw. One of them was a thin, lanky man who appeared to be in about his mid-twenties, dressed simply in a pair of baggy black drawstring pants, similar to those a martial artist would wear, along with a form fitting black shirt with an intricate dragon design embroidered upon it in silver thread. An elaborate tattoo peaked out from under the man's shirt, weaving its way down his right arm before stopping just above his elbow where a brilliant silver cuff had been placed. His short coal black hair was slicked back against his skull, leaving only his golden bangs to hang across his hansom, sun kissed face, slightly obscuring his ruthless crimson eyes as he gazed upon Gene with an almost hungry expression.

The other figure was that of a young woman who held onto the man's arm in an almost possessive manner while she too glared upon the injured outlaw with cold, amber eyes. Her long, sea green hair was pulled back away from her face, secured in a small bun by several ornate look picks, which Gene had learned long ago were actually sharp daggers 3. Her form fitting silk kimono seemed to hang upon her every curve before flaring out at the woman's hips and cascading down to the floor where it stopped just above the tops of her feet.

Gene gritted his teeth together in an effort to suppress the growl growing in his throat as he glared across the room at his visitors. "What can I do for you now, Akogi?" A depraved smile worked its way across the man's lips at hearing the sarcastic tone within the outlaws voice but chose to ignore it.

"I thought we were under the agreement, Mr. Starwind, that you were to throw tonight's fight, thus earning me more money. So why is it that instead I stand before you, missing several hundred thousand Wong from my pocket?" Gene shuddered inwardly as he watched Akogi's eyes wonder over his body but chose to respond to the question by a simple shrug of his shoulder.

"It just happened. An accident I suppose." The man's smile faltered, his eyes narrowing slightly before a malicious expression once again appeared upon his face as Akogi finally noticed the blood soaked bandages covering the outlaw's side.

"My, my Mr. Starwind. It looks as though you have quite a nasty cut there. Maybe you should have my men take a look at it." Akogi smirked sadistically as he snapped his fingers together, signaling his guards to attack the injured outlaw. In his weak, exhausted state, Gene could do little more then throw a few wobbly punches before finding himself hurled to the floor, weakly attempting to shield himself from the barrage of ruthless punches landing all over his all ready battered body. With one last kick to his rib cage, the assault finally came to a halt, allowing the redheaded man a moment to recollect himself before they came at him again. Gene barely registered the soft footsteps heading towards him as he attempted to force himself into a semi-sitting position, spitting the blood that accumulated in his mouth onto the floor. A dark shadow suddenly fell across the outlaw's body before some one reached down and violently took hold of his hair, forcing the young man to stare at Akogi's smirking face.

"You're lucky that you still of some use to me, Mr. Starwind, otherwise I would have just let my men carry on until they were satisfied." The sadistic smile on the man's face became wider as he watched Gene struggle for breath, enjoying every wince that came across the outlaw's face when he accidentally aggravated his wounds. Akogi then slowly made his way towards the outlaw's prone form, sidestepping the pool of blood streaming from the wound in Gene's side before crouching down in front of him and taking hold of the redhead's chin, forcing his face closer that that their noses almost touched. Akogi stroked the side of Gene's face, relishing in the knowledge that it caused the outlaw to shudder slightly in disgust. "Now listen closely Mr. Starwind. You will help me win back the money I lost tonight, understand?" Gene laughed sardonically, sending a small stream of blood down the side of his mouth.

"The money…I owe you? Why should…I help you win back money…that you bet and lost all on...your own?"

Akogi smirked at the pain filled question, his crimson eyes narrowing slightly as he watched the outlaw continue to struggle with his breathing. A guard abruptly shot forward as Akogi snapped his fingers, kicking the outlaw in his badly injured side, sending him flying into a nearby locker before falling to the floor with a sickening thud. Akogi then motioned for the young woman to come closer, having her hand him several pieces of glossy paper before retreating back to her former position. "My dear Inari here is quite the surveillance expert. You'd be surprised at just how many of my enemy's weaknesses she has been able to discover for me."

He then proceeded to dangle the pieces of paper before Gene, making his eyes widen in shock when he saw exactly whom the subjects in the pictures were. One was a quick shot of the group sitting down for dinner, their smiling faces completely oblivious to the stalker who, judging by the camera angle, must have been watching from just outside the living room window. The next was a picture of Gene and Jim, taken just a few hours ago as they fought over the redhead leaving the house. When Akogi finally showed the injured youth the last of the photographs, it successfully destroyed the last of the outlaw's resolve at defying Akogi's demand. It had been taken more then a week ago after a particularly nasty fight at the arena. Gene had come home scratched up and completely exhausted only to find Melfina waiting for him in the living room with the first aid kit resting right beside her. She tended to his wounds no questions asked and, before returning to her room, placed a gentle kiss upon the outlaw's lips, leaving a slight blush across his features as he attempted to regain his composure. Akogi smiled ruthlessly as he watched the look of complete submission appear upon Gene's face before returning the pictures back to Inari and settling himself down upon a nearby bench where he proceeded to light a cigarette.

"I take it that you understand what will happen should you refuse." Gene paused slightly before nodding his head as he slowly pushed himself upward so he could lean against the cold steel locker behind him. "Good boy. Now listen closely. In a weeks time, there will be a competition taking place right here on Sentinel III called the Jigai Tournament. You will be entering and you will win back the money that you owe me, is that understood?" Gene once again nodded his head, making Akogi's heartless smile widen even more. "Good. All the necessary information shall be sent to you no later then tomorrow evening and I expect you back here the day before the tournament so we can work out some of the minor details." Akogi then rose to his feet, taking a long drag off his cigarette before flicking it in the outlaw's direction as he made his way out the door with Inari and his bodyguards following soon after.

A long, pain filled sigh worked its way past Gene's lips as he placed a shaking hand across his eyes while he attempted to gather what energy he had left in order to pull himself up from the floor. He quickly grabbed a nearby towel and pressed it against his side to staunch the bleeding as he slowly managed to get onto his feet and shakily walk towards a row of sinks resting against the opposite wall. After securing the towel to his side, Gene proceeded to clean the blood from his face and arms, wincing slightly when he looked in the mirror and discovered just how horrible he looked at the moment. 'Damn it! Mel's gonna shit a brick when she sees this.' A wave of dizziness suddenly over came the redheaded outlaw, making him lean heavily upon the sink as his vision began to darken, signaling to the young man that he fighting a losing battle. The redhead's grip upon the porcelain suddenly slipped, causing the outlaws knees to buckle under the unexpected weight. Just before he hit the floor, Gene felt two strong hands suddenly take hold of his arm, successfully saving him from smashing his head against the floor as two concerned emerald eyes glared down at him. The injured youth cursed heavily under his breath as Aisha silently helped him to his feet, throwing his arm over her shoulder to keep him steady as he swayed slightly on his feet.

"Aisha look about this, it's…"

"Save it for later. Let's just get you home ok." Not willing to push his luck against the cat woman's legendary temper, Gene allowed himself to be lead out of the locker room and down the hall towards the exit, all the while fighting desperately against the darkness threatening to engulf him as they slowly made their way back home. Just before they walked through the front door of Starwind and Hawking Enterprises, Gene slowly turned towards Aisha with a slightly apprehensive look upon his face.

"What all did you hear?" Aisha sighed heavily before glancing towards the injured outlaw, a mixed look of sadness, concern and annoyance etched across her face.

"Just about everything."

" 'S what I thought." He sighed heavily, hissing slightly when the pain from his wounds came rushing back at him while he slowly reached for the door handle but, instead of turning it, just allowed his hand to rest upon the knob. "Does Mel know?"

"Not yet and for now it might be a good idea just to keep it that way." Gene nodded his head in agreement as the pair made their way into the shadow-covered house, the deafening silence within making the hairs on the outlaw's neck stand on end. Aisha quickly reached for the light switch, her eyes narrowing momentarily as they adjusted to the hash overhead lighting before allowing her to take in the jumbled state of their house. The leather sofa had been flipped over and seemingly thrown across the room while the kitchen table had been reduced to nothing more then a large pile of splintered wood, its chairs lying nearby in a similar state. Papers and various bit of clothing had been strewn about, mixed amongst broken bits of glass from the broken picture frames that had once adorned the walls. Aisha quickly sprinted up the stairs, frantically calling out for Jim and Melfina as she desperately searched their rooms only to find them empty and in the same state as the rest of the house. The Ctral-Ctral then made her way back down stairs where she found Gene sitting in the middle of the floor, an unreadable expression etched across his face as he stared at a small piece of paper taped to the back of the front door.

Dear Mr. Starwind,

Just in case you were thinking about skipping town, I took the liberty of using your friends as an incentive for you to keep your word. Should you go ahead and choose to leave Sentinel III or should you not win the tournament, they will die immediately. So please don't do anything rash. See you in five days.

Love,

Akogi

TBC……..

COMMENTS

1 ok in case that didn't make sense, he's basically wearing a typical robber's

mask that just covers the eyes…..like Zorro's only it doesn't cover his hair.

2 his weight and height I got off of some official web site. For some reason all

anime characters seem to have these seemingly impossible

measurements!!!

3 like hair chopsticks only a little bit thicker and with daggers on the end

hey sry it took me so damn long to update. I had issues deciding where I wanted this to go but I have a pretty good idea now. Anyways hope you like it and just remember….I WORKED ON MY BIRTHDAY TO GET THIS UP FOR YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!! Ok so it was the 18th but I have been up late into the night working on this so yeah…all I want is a cookie. Luvs ya all! Laters!

P.S. sorry about all the character descriptions but I promise that they aren't there just to make the chapter look pretty. Those characters play parts later on I promise!!!! Also sorry about the fight scene being kinda….awkward…I'm not very good at them if you haven't noticed.