A/N: I've been on hiatus a bit, mainly trying to read other people's work, just trying to get a feel for the community. In any event, here's chapter three for you guys (and gals). Please review and enjoy!

Chapter Three: Captured?

Makoto was in her dojo, sweeping its wooden floors. She had taken the day off from sparring with all challengers because she was expecting two friends of hers to arrive. I'm glad I took a day off. It was starting to get really messy around here. She stopped when she heard a knock on her door. Slightly frustrated, Makoto threw down her broom and went to answer the door.

"Can't you read, idiot? The sign says no challengers today….Alex? What in the…"

Alex brushed passed her, carrying Michelle inside. "She's hurt pretty bad, can you let us rest up here for a while?"

Makoto put her hands on her hips. "How dare you barge into MY dojo, then ask me for help? Who the hell do you think you are, Alex?"

Alex turned to her and smirked. "I'm the guy that kicked your butt in the tournament a while back. Please Makoto, if not for my sake then for hers."

Makoto gave Alex a look that would freeze hell itself. She remembered her loss to Alex well. Defeat was something she hated to taste. "Alright, I'll do it." She turned her back to Alex. "This way. And by the way Alex, you owe me." Alex laughed inwardly as he carried Michelle to the bedroom. He knew she didn't want anything from him except a rematch. Or did she?

Meanwhile, In the US:

Reuben walked around the forest, looking for some measure of shelter. He had already buried the body of his attacker, but something else was bothering him. An old wound that would never heal.

Flashback

Two Years Ago, Metro City

A couple walked through the snowy streets of Metro City. One was a young man wearing a letter jacket which was purple and white; the other a young lady with blonde hair, she was wearing the same type of jacket, except with a hooded head.

"Rueben, have you heard from anybody about a football scholarship?"

The young man smiled at his girlfriend. "I sent out some game film the other day. I don't think anybody is interested, but I have some other news."

The girl stopped walking. "Well, what is it?"

"Um, I don't know Pricilla, should I tell you?"

Pricilla put her hands on her hips and made a pouting face. "I'll kick your butt and make you tell me, if you want to do it that way." She gave him a punch in the arm and followed up by playfully hitting him on the chest.

"Ok, ok. I got into Syracuse." Pricilla stopped her punching.

"No way!"

Reuben pulled out his acceptance letter and she snatched it from him eagerly. Her eyes scrolled down the piece of paper. When she was finished, she wrapped her arms around him in joyous laughter.

"I don't believe it. You didn't tell me you applied to the same school as I did? When were you gonna tell me about this?"

"When we graduated from the academy." Reuben smiled again.

"Let's celebrate! We haven't had a night out together in a while." He suggested.

"Yeah!" Pricilla grabbed his arm, pulling him down the street.

…………………………………

"That movie was horrible; I told you we should have seen that new comedy." Pricilla said as her and Reuben walked down an alley back to their neighborhood.

"Hey, YOU were the one that wanted to see that rip-off of Doom, weren't you?"

"Whatever."

The walked on, arguing about the good points of the movie, when they noticed that some people were up ahead.

There were six men standing in their way. If you got close to them, you could probably smell the stench of liquor on their breath.

"Well, if it isn't a couple of those preppy kids from the school uptown! What are you two doing around here?" The speaker smiled at the two. Pricilla got behind Reuben; she didn't like the feel of it.

"We don't want any trouble here. We're just passing by." Reuben said calmly, trying to move forward. The man, who was a good six inches taller than Reuben, punched him in the stomach, making him fall to his knees.

"We're gonna show you what me do to smart mouth kids around here. Grab the girl fellas!"

Three of the men grabbed Pricilla and pinned her against the wall. Two of the men started to fondle her. "Such a cutie….we're gonna have some fun with her."

Pricilla tried to struggle, and spat in her captor's face. He gave her a fierce backhand with his left, causing her to shriek in pain. "You little slut…you're gonna regret that."

The other men were busy beating Reuben down, kicking and stomping on him. "You hear that pretty boy, we're gonna show your girlfriend over there what real men can do."

Reuben, with the strength he had in him still, gave one of the thugs a hard punch to the jaw, knocking him out cold. One of them grabbed him from behind around the throat, trying to choke him out. The biggest of him came and hit Reuben hard on the jaw. Reuben looked out and saw that they were undressing his girlfriend down to her underwear. "Let her go please, she'll freeze to death out here!" This comment was rewarded with another punch to the stomach area.

"Shut up punk!"

Reuben was getting desperate, frustrated and angry. He saw that in the scuffle one of the thugs had dropped a knife on the ground. All of the men except for the one holding him down were huddled around his girlfriend, ready to commit a heinous act.

What is this I'm feeling? It's so dark. Maybe it's just the adrenaline getting to me, I don't know. Whatever it takes, I have to save her!

Reuben hit the thug with an elbow and managed to break free, then hurriedly picked up the knife.

"Let her go dammit!" The thugs got up, just before they were about to rob Pricilla of her innocence.

"Kill the son of a bitch, now!"

What happened afterwards was a blur. Each of the men flew at Reuben. Each of them was cut down brutally. He showed no mercy on them, cutting and hacking them with a weapon of their own. It was brutality that Reuben didn't know that he was capable of. After five of the thugs were dead, one of them tried to crawl away from his own.

"Please…don't kill me! I'll go far away, never come back, you hear?"

Reuben looked down on him with pure hatred. The man, who was bleeding profusely from head, tried to crawl away, but Reuben simply knocked him over and pinned him to the ground.

"I'll show you some mercy… I'll end your suffering and send you straight to hell, you bastard!"

Reuben got on top of his attacker and stabbed him mercilessly in the chest, blood flowing everywhere. Pricilla, who was now awake, tried to pull him away.

"He's dead, stop it!" Reuben pushed her away, and went back to stabbing the now deceased thug.

"Please Reuben, stop! It's over!" Pricilla was in tears, trying to stop the massacre again. Then it happened. In an act of pure insanity, Reuben stabbed her in the chest. As he looked into her eyes, he came crashing back to reality, and began to realize what had just occurred on this cold, snowy day.

"Oh God…what have I just done?" Reuben tried to get her comfortable, holding out hope that she would survive.

"Please don't die one me! There's so much I want to do with you, so much I want to share and feel with you, Please don't let it end like this!" Tears were forming in his eyes. "We have so many dreams, so much to live for! Please don't die!"

It was pretty clear that Pricilla wasn't going to survive. She looked up at him with green eyes and half smiled.

"I….I forgive you….I know that you didn't mean for this to happen……I know this isn't the Reuben I know….and love."

"Shhh, Pricilla, save your strength. You're going to be…"

"Shut up. You have all night to talk…I don't." Her breathing was getting heavier; she struggled with every word she spoke.

"Don't you fucking talk like that!" Reuben could tell he was losing her. "All I need to do is..."

"Reuben….I'm not going to make it. Just do one thing for me…Remember me….and my love."

The guilt that was plaguing Reuben was crushing him inside. Here she was, dying because of him, and she wasn't even thinking about herself. She was thinking of him.

"Goodbye…" That was her last word. Her breathing stopped, and she gave up the ghost.

Reuben didn't know what to think. Bitterness, rage, guilt, and depression were all superseded by an intense numbness. He couldn't even shed a tear. That's how deep the wound went.

Meanwhile on a rooftop nearby:

A young woman was on the rooftop, watching the entire incident. She was wearing a pink mink coat with a matching dress under it. Her hair was a light blonde, with pink highlights. "This is getting interesting after all. It's been awhile since I've seen one that has massive potential." She smiled naughtily to herself. "I hope his potential isn't the only massive thing about him. Soon boy…you will become mine....and be the one I have been searching ten centuries for." Morrigan stood up and changed into her demon form, flying away from the scene as police sirens filled the air.

End of flashback….

Back in the present day…

Reuben heard something in the trees nearby. Pulling out his knife, he braced for an attack. "Who's there?" He looked up into the trees, seeing nothing save a few birds and squirrels. "Show yourself!"

"Target acquired. Reuben Siwald…you will come with me. Do not resist."

"Go to hell. Who or what are you anyway."

"I am called Twelve. If you do not come peacefully, my orders are to use whatever means necessary to bring you back alive."

"Bring me back where? What the hell do you want from me?" Reuben asked, looking around the forest trying to spot his adversary.

Suddenly, Reuben felt a sharp sting on his back. He fell to the ground on all fours, and then saw the source of his pain.

It (Reuben assumed that it wasn't human) was about the same height as him, and had a green covering. It had no eyes, and its face showed no emotion.

Just my luck…another day, another fight. I guess that's how pathetic my life has become…in any event, what do all of these people want with me? I'm just a fugitive. What makes me so special to them?

Meanwhile, In London.

Melena and Zane sat on a wooden bench outside the arena where Zane had just fought.

They caught up on their old times together. Although Melena was born in the Ukraine, she was brought up on American military installations throughout the world. It was during her time in South Korea, however, where she met her best friend.

Flashback

16 years ago…

Zane was wandering around the military base, looking for something to do while his parents were working. As he raced down the hall, he found a girl crying. She was wearing a green dress and was holding a broken doll in her hands. Zane walked over to her, somewhat surprised. There were very few children on base, and most didn't stay very long.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" The girl looked up and saw a boy that looked to be her age staring at her worriedly.

"It's my dolly. It's broken!" She looked down and frowned at the doll sadly. The head had popped off, but she didn't know how to fix it.

"Sure. Let me see." The boy took the head of the doll and put it back on. After making sure it was good enough to stay on, he handed her back the doll.

"Thank You!" The young girl chirped happily as she got back her doll. "Um, what's your name?"

"Zane and you?"

"My name's Melena, I just moved in last week. I miss my old house." The smile that was there slowly faded.

"I understand. I don't have many friends to play with around here, and a lot of them move away after a little while." Zane spoke up.

"That's sad…everybody should have a friend." Melina said, looking up at her new friend.

From that day on, Zane and Melina were best friends. They played on the base everyday, and on occasion even snuck away to the busy streets of Seoul, eager to make new friends and take on new adventures.

End of flashback

Back in the present…

Melina shook her head. "You remember that? Wow. It was so long ago, I thought you might have forgotten."

Zane laughed at her. "Of course I do, those were some of the best times I had as a kid!"

"They were mine too." Melina made eye contact with her best friend. With a great deal of nervousness, the two inched closer to each other until their faces were just inches apart…

BEEEEEEEEEEEP!!

A red convertible appeared near the two, and a man with a cream-colored suit and matching shoes was behind the wheel.

"Excuse my entrance; I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"Don't worry about it Dudley. What's new with you?"

"Nothing really, old chap. I saw your fight and you were rather impressive today. That brute Darun has put down many a challenger." Dudley said as he leaned on his steering wheel. "Can I offer you two turtledoves a ride? Tonight's victory is one worth celebrating don't you think?"

The two friends blushed at his turtledove comment, but accepted his ride.

Soon the three were blazing down the road, heading for the downtown streets of London. Dudley took them to a nightclub called Chaotix, which was rather popular with tourists and locals alike.

As they walked over to the entrance, Zane spotted someone that made him rather anxious. "Maybe we should go elsewhere, Dudley."

Dudley turned back to look at his friend, clearly confused. "My good man, why would you want to do that?"

Zane pulled Dudley over to the side. "Look over there. Do you see what I see?"

Dudley looked over at the entrance and saw what was causing his friend such duress.

She was nearly six feet tall, her incredibly long and slender legs contributing largely to her above average height. Her skin was a light brown, and shimmered under the bright lights. Her hair was short, and was a snowy white.

"Elena." Dudley said to himself. "What's so scary about her Zane? She's a good woman, hell I've even spared with her on occasion."

"She's my ex-girlfriend." Zane whispered.

"Oh….now I see. You don't want.."

"Hey guys…are we going in?" Melina asked, wondering what all the fuss was about.

Shit!

Meanwhile, in Houston, Texas:

A young African-American male walked out of an airport, carrying only a bag of clothing on his shoulder and a letter addressed to him.

It feels a little bittersweet to be in my home town…Its good to be back home and out of prison, but I didn't want to come back here until I found my brother's killer. Who is this Cammy White anyway? And how can she help me nail the son-of-a-bitch who killed my brother?

He was wearing some dark blue jeans, a blue-t shirt, and his dog tags on his neck. Along with the dog tags, he kept a locket with his older brother's picture close to his heart.

Where the hell is she? She said meet her here and she isn't even here yet herself!

A limousine rolled into the parking lot, scrolling slowly past him, them back towards him. The back window rolled down, revealing a woman appearing to be in her early thirties. She wore glasses and had long blonde hair which was fixed into one long braid.

"Lt. Ben Stafford?" She said, fixing her emerald eyes on him.

"That's me. And you're Cammy White, I presume?" He eyed her carefully, trying to get a feel for what she wanted from him.

"You presume correctly. There isn't much time to waste. Get in." She rolled up her window back up, and Ben cautiously entered the limousine, its destination a mystery to him.

Meanwhile, in Tokyo:

Michelle began to stir, wondering what had happened. That's odd; the last thing I remember was fighting Alex in the subway. How the hell did I get here? She tried to stand up, but her ribs were giving her a lot of trouble.

"You should be careful; I think one of them may be broken." Michelle turned to see a girl who was probably a little older than her with short jet black hair. She was wearing a blue gi with a golden sash.

"My name's Makoto, master of Rindo-Kan Karate, and this is my family's dojo. And you are?"

"Michelle, Michelle Hibiki. How did I get here anyway?"

"Alex brought you here. You must be pretty strong to go a few rounds with that guy. Anyway, feel free to stay here until you recover from your injuries." Makoto gave her a slight bow, which Michelle returned.

"Thank you, for your compliments and your hospitality. Where's Alex?"

"He's in the main room, talking to two of my best friends, Nanase and Hokuto. They've come to visit me for a couple of weeks, which is why my dojo is closed."

"I see." Michelle stood up again, and with Makoto's help, went into the main room. Unfortunately for her, someone was watching…

Just outside the dojo…

Two women were watching the dojo, one with black hair with purple streaks in it, the other with hers dyed orange. They both wore the same black body suits.

"Juni, how do you think we should go about acquiring our target?" The raven-haired one spoke.

"If we go in now while they're all awake, we wouldn't stand a chance. We'll just have to wait until they go to sleep…then we go in with extreme prejudice. Do you agree, Juli?"

"I think you have a good strategy mapped out, Juni. Well, lets get comfy. Its still a few hours until night fall."

The two assassin dolls rested themselves in the tall trees near the dojo, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

Meanwhile…back in the United States.

A lone warrior walked in a tall forest, sweat building on his brow. He wore a white gi, which had been ripped in a few places due to some intense training. On his head he wore a blood-red headband. His hair was black, but some areas were starting to turn grey.

"AHHHHHHH!"

"What was that?" Ryu turned and looked around the forest. "Sounds like someone's in serious danger. I better go and help."

Ryu dashed through the forest, trying to locate the source of the screams. "I just hope I'm not too late."

Next time: Ryu finds the source of trouble in the forest, and a young man's journey begins in earnest. Zane and Elena meet, will this cause trouble between Elena and Melina? Cammy makes Ben an offer, but will he accept the great task being given to him? And also, the infamous Assassin Dolls, Juli and Juni, make their move.

Well, I thank you very much for reading, and hope to hear your input on my fic. If you like it, great! You think it's so-so, that's great too. Even if you hate it, and give me a reason why you don't think it's up to snub, that's great too. I should have updated sooner, but my life is undergoing some drastic changes at the moment, which is causing some difficulty in finding some writing time. This update has been especially hard for me since I've also been battling writer's block as well. But I promise you this, I'll be writing to give you all the best fanfic I can possibly write. In any event, here are two more of my OCs' bios, Zane Crawford and Ben Stafford. I'll have the last two in chapter four. Until next time, please review and take care of yourselves! IM OUT!

Name: Benjamin Sampratt Stafford (Ben Stafford)

Height: 6' 2"

Weight: 222 lbs

Age: 22

Country of origin: United States

Hair: black

Eyes: brown

Rivals: Shadow Geist, Alex

Allies: works for Interpol, but has no real allies.

Quotes: "Everyone has their limitations in life. You should know yours."

"How does it feel to be slammed by an All-American?"

"I fight like whom? Hey, that's a compliment."

"Will you just stop already? Beating you down is a snore."

Bio: Benjamin grew up in the suburbs of Houston, Texas and at a young age people realized that he had a great deal of potential. He has an IQ of 200, and skipped several grades. At his college preparatory school, he began to excel in athletics. Stunning his family, he chose to enroll in the Air Force Academy, where he earned All-American Honors in football, basketball and track. As the Air Force Academy's star tailback, he led the Falcons to their only National Championship. Despite these accomplishments, he is seen as arrogant, brash, and cold by not only his teammates and superior officers, but his family and friends. He took this behavior to a new level after he received news of his older brother's death, going AWOL to find his killer. He vowed vengeance, and searched all over the US for information. Before he was able to find the killer, he was caught and sent to prison. After several months, he was mysteriously released and given a letter reading the following message: "I know who killed your brother. Cooperate with us and I will supply you with the information you need. Meet me in your hometown in three weeks." The signature on the letter: Cammy White.

Move List:

Falcon Blast: Energy attack similar to Guile's Sonic Boom, the only difference being this one shoots in the shape of a falcon.

Falcon Somersault: Flash Kick-like maneuver, very similar to Charlie's.

Falcon Rush: Ben simply tackles the opponent and drives him/her into the ground with brute force.

Opening Gambit: Combination of punches and kicks followed up with a German suplex.

Super Falcon Blast: Same as Falcon Blast, except bigger and much more powerful. Ben's strongest attack.

Name: Zane Crawford

Age: 25

Height: 6'5''

Weight: 243 lbs

Hair: Blonde

Eyes: Green

Country of Origin: Born on Military Base in South Korea, Raised in United States.

Rivals: Ken Masters, Sean

Allies: Melena Draga, Dudley

Quotes: "That may be my nickname, but I'm no angel by any means."

"Maybe Dudley should fight you; it would be a better match."

"Just leave already, I've proven my point."

"Give Ken Masters a message for me, I'm READY!"

Bio: Zane Crawford lived a life of privilege and prestige as the son of a prominent general in the United States Army. Bored and eager to fight, he took up Muai Thai kickboxing during one of his travels in Thailand. Surprised by his skill, his associates convince him to enter a tournament in Bangkok. Zane won the tournament, defeating Adon in the semifinal round and then defeating Sagat in the final. Sagat took defeat so bitterly that he decided to retire from fighting altogether. Shortly after Zane was challenged by Ken Masters, who witnessed the tournament. Although Zane failed to defeat Ken, everyone realized that he was quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with. He trains hard every day, hoping to face Ken once again.