Curse of the Jin
Disclaimer: I own none of these characters. All characters that come from Fatal Fury, etc. come from SNK.
Author's Note: Important. This fanfiction assumes that Real Bout Fatal Fury (and all events associated, including stuff that happened in RBFFS and RBFFS to an extent) happened in 1996. Also, a lot of things are going to be taken from the movies and other non-canon sources. This will become more apparent as time goes on.
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Chapter 4: Jin Yuan Part I
"I don't get it… You, Wolfgang Krauser, of all people… Why are you involved?" Chonshu said, as he and Krauser entered the outskirts of the city.
"Be careful with your disguise," Krauser said quickly, his hand moving swiftly to Chonshu's hood- Chonshu was wearing a thick raincoat- and pulling it down on the front side so that Chonshu's whole face was hidden.
"Beg your pardon, Mr. Krauser (sorry I called you 'Krauser', spur of the moment thing you see), but I can't see a dern thing." Chonshu said, lifting up his hood slightly. The rain was beating against both his and Krauser's bodies, so much that he was surprised that Krauser wasn't bothered by it. Hell, Chonshu certainly was. But Chonshu observed that Krauser was wearing a much heavier raincoat. Chonshu thought he looked a little silly in it, considering how tall he was. Those who walked by them were more intimidated than amused, however...
"And," Chonshu continued, "You haven't answered my question."
"This place is too public… Someone could hear us. Further forward, when we get on the road. There won't be many people out there, considering that this storm hasn't lifted for quite a while now."
"Wait a minute," Chonshu muttered, "We could be risking a flood. I may be a Jin, but I can still drown."
"Sometimes, Jin Chonshu, family lineage isn't something one should be proud of."
"What're ya talking about?" Chonshu snorted. "You've got the whole frigging Strolheim legacy behind you, you guys are known for being the most hot-blooded fighters of Germany... Wait, not just Germany, all of Western Europe. Even the Jins of previous times knew about you! Nothing like being the most powerful fighter in the western world, having every buckle under your might-"
"Being known as part of a line of cold, cruel fighters has it's drawbacks, Jin Chonshu. My ancestors have done dark, evil things in the past. They may have been one of the strongest in the world, but they have committed atrocious deeds… As have the Jin."
"Hey, don't drag my line through the mud!" Chonshu said, reacting out of indignation. However, Krauser looked at him so inexorably that Chonshu almost mistook his emotion as anger.
"… We will speak more of this later." Krauser's face suddenly lightened, as if guiltily, and turned away, striding forward.
"… Yeah…" Chonshu said, quiet as he decided to continue walking and keep his mouth shut.
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"Do you know who the Hakkyokuseiken are?" Krauser said, as he and Chonshu had reached a dirt road. They decided to stop at a small roadside establishment. Krauser ordered the both of them drinks and took a seat.
"Not really…" Chonshu said, thinking hard. Then it came to him. "Oh… Wait a minute… That's the style that you, Master Tung Fu Rue, Terry Bogard, and your half-brother take from, right?"
"That's part of it, yes-" Krauser was interrupted as Chonshu went on.
"Your half-brother! That's it, thief of my ancient line's relics, the Immortal Geese Howard is back, isn't he? He's the one who hurt Chonrei, isn't he!?" Chonshu said, looking at Krauser as if he had been the one to do it.
Krauser sighed heavily, and tapped. He stared at the darkened sky outside, stretching a hand out of the window. "If it were my younger sibling, this would not be as complex as it is. Geese wouldn't be able to bring things to the magnitude that it is at, currently…"
"You're talking cryptically, and that's a Jin's job," Chonshu put in, "Oh, and I forgot to tell you that I don't know what in heck you're talking about. Beg your pardon, Mr. Krauser."
"For that, I apologize. Tung could explain it much better than I could. I was just as confused as he was, when I… Well, I won't talk about that."
"What, were you roughing up the old master for information?" Chonshu said, snidely. Krauser narrowed his eyes at him. "Oh… I'm sorry…"
"No, you're absolutely correct. I was looking for information on the Hakkyokuseiken… However, he told me more of their rivals."
"Their rivals?"
"That year was early 1992, before the second King of Fighters tournament that I hosted."
"The first global King of Fighters!" Chonshu exclaimed.
"I was a fool, then. Finding that the techniques I had been taught by my late father were adapted from a style originating from Ancient China, I searched for the only man that was master of this style."
"Tung Fu Rue, yes, this became common knowledge," Chonshu said, nodding.
"He told me that the Hakkyokuseiken style goes as far back as the times of the Shang dynasty."
"As early as 1700 BC. How does this connect with-" Krauser held up a hand.
"I didn't understand either, but Tung went on to tell me that the Hakkyokuseiken would become rivals of another school that was formed around the same time. This is where my story begins to interest you, because this school was called Jin."
"Jin? That isn't so special," Chonshu said, laughing. "There must've been a lot of things called Jin at that time."
"What's more, the leader of this school had surname also called Jin. His name was Jin Yuan Chonshu."
"… Okay, yeap, I'm listening."
"Yes, that similarity must be interesting to you. Most of his peers preferred to call him Jin Yuan however, and that's how I'll refer to him. Apparently, the Hakkyokuseiken and the Jin were at odds and neither school could best the other. The Jin went to seek for ways to get an edge over the Hakkyokuseiken. They went so far as to copy the Hakkyokuseiken's moves. Has it ever occurred to you that the Teio Tengan Ken looks similar to my Blitzball? That's because, like the Blitzball, the Tengan Ken was taken from a Hakkyokuseiken move."
"I really hadn't thought of that…" Chonshu mused.
Krauser coughed, getting Chonshu's attention again. "They decided to step up their efforts. Jin Yuan was a cunning man, but his time was running out. He had become old, and so he decided to communicate with a demon."
"A demon… I think I know where this is going," Chonshu muttered. He knew there was demonic power in him… And often wondered where it came from. All he knew is that it gave him power. He thought knowing that was enough… But if something in the past was the reason Chonrei was the way he was, now…
"The demon decided that, in exchange for control of their souls, Jin Yuan and his followers would become the greatest warriors of China."
"Something out of an anime! That's disappointing," Chonshu said, throwing up his hands.
"Do not joke about this, Jin Chonshu! Anyways, Jin Yuan was much better than that…"
"Better than a demon? Well, that's to be expected…"
"Jin Yuan was a great martial artist, considering he pioneered his own style. I already told you he was cunning, and also intelligent. As an example of his intelligence, he and his cohorts were able to trap, defeat, and murder the demon when he took a physical form. It was said that Yuan, with the help of a Chinese mystic (his name was Tung), was the one to land the final blow. He and the students of the school of Jin were to absorb the power of the demon. However, Jin Yuan alone was fated to take the demon's power, and gain both immense power and the final gift of corruption- immortality."
"Tung? There were mystics in his family?"
"Yes… Tung's ancestor realized his mistake. Jin Yuan convinced Tung that he was out to rid the world OF a demon. Tung was never told that Jin Yuan had SUMMONED the demon, and Tung realized this truth moments after Jin Yuan took the demon's power. Jin Yuan's vision shifted from the ultimate defeat of the Hakkyokuseiken and the triumph of the Jin over them as the school of the Middle Kingdom, to conquering China and maybe the world. With great power comes a heavy responsibility. Jin Yuan decided he was responsible for becoming ultimate ruler of the world. His power seemed unmatched, and he murdered all the pupils of his school, and was about to finish off Tung himself. Then the Hakkyokuseiken showed up. Jin Yuan decided he would take them all on himself, but with their combined might the Hakkyokuseiken defeated Jin Yuan. A heavy amount of the once-prominent martial artist master's power was stripped off by Tung and transferred to-"
"The Jin Scrolls." Chonshu said, finishing that sentence. "I can figure out that much."
"However, Jin Yuan managed to escape. How, I do not know. He was a clever man, of course…"
"Obviously, if he could lure a demon out of the metaphysical planes and summarily defeat it…" Chonshu said.
"In the universal sense, that is nothing to be proud of."
"Right, I got that already…" Chonshu said.
"Jin Yuan's life continued to be prolonged indefinitely. He still retained much of his power, as well. He went into hiding, and soon his name was forgotten to the public. Even the Hakkyokuseiken nearly forgot. However, that name, Jin, continued to passed down to the Tung, even to today." Krauser said, taking a long sip of his drink.
"But if Tung Fu Rue knew this… Then why did he take Chonrei in…" Chonshu asked, looking expectantly at Krauser. Krauser rubbed his temples… He looked extremely tired. So tired, Chonshu noticed, that it was as if he could count the number of bags under Krauser's eyes.
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End of Chapter 4.
Author's Note: Blast from the past, remember this? Chonshu accuses Geese of knowing about the Jin Scrolls in Fatal Fury 3 saying "Your battles with Tung and Krauser led you to our secret." This is part of where Chapter 4 is coming from.