Note: On Why I haven't been updating the Millenium Chaos Pageant. One of The Headcrook's most trusted friends who had inspired him to write the MC Pageant has passed on after a lenghly illness. So, to honor her memory, I will complete the MC Pageant as soon as possible.

Part Two

Seven and a half miles.

From my dojo to the closet district, which is Chiyoda, is seven and a half miles.

Or course, I can run more than that. I can Hurricane Kick six miles in the space of 45 minutes. But that's another story.

Dressed in a white tanktop, a pair of black track pants and a pair of tennis shoes, and never going without my favorite red headband, I made my way through the Chiyoda district of Tokyo. After jogging for nearly an hour, I decided to take a break. I walked over to a vendor's stand and bought a bottle of water.

While walking at a brisk pace and taking sips from my water, I walked around a corner and ended up bumping into someone. That someone was Maki Genryusai, the sister-in-law of one of my rivals, the Bushin ninja Guy. She was dressed in her usual Bushin ninja uniform and red-and-white tennis shoes. She was also sweating, as if she was training. And Since I'm taller than her, if I look closely enough, I can see down her...wait a sec! What kind of a pervert am I?

I extended my hand out to her. "Are you okay?"

Maki accepter my hand and I helped her to her feet. "Yeah. I'm fine, Ryu." Either it was me, or she was looking at what I was wearing. "What are you doing here, anyway? I don't see you at the training hall as much."

"I got my own student to train now," I replied. "Something for me to do to kill time. She's a good kid and a willing apprentice."

Maki smiled at me. "I'm glad for you, Ryu." She then moved closer to me. She was so close to me that her lips were more or less a mere inch from my own as she whispered to me. "Well...since you're not doing anything," Maki breathed, "maybe you would like to spar with me for a while. Guy's out with Rena so we have the training hall to ourselves."

I may be obessed with mastering the art of fighting, but I wasn't stupid. IF I had accepted Maki's offer then we would start off fighting, which would then obviously lead to me and her performing unspeakable acts of desparate passion in the Bushin training hall. Make no mistake, Maki is very attractive and she would make a perfect girlfriend for anyone out here...if she doesn't kill them first. Worse yet, if Guy saw me making whoopie with his sister-in-law/Bushin trainee, he would kill me on the spot. Several times over.

I gently grabbed Maki's shoulders and pushed her back. "Maki, you're a sweet girl, and Guy would kill me if he thought I was taking advantage of you in any way. I like you as a friend, okay?"

Maki slowly nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry, Ryu. I don't know what came over me. It's this heatwave. Please forgive me."

"You're forgiven," I replied. "It's not everyday that the sister-in-law of one of my rivals tries to hit on me."

Maki smiled at the joke I made. She then took one step back and bowed. "I need to go home and take a cold shower," she said. "Maybe that would help." She then turned and ran off.

I watched her until she disappeared into the crowd. Maybe the day was getting to Maki. And if I was any other person, then I would have accepted her offer...and probably had gotten killed bu her brother-in-law.

But I had more important things to worry about at the moment.

I finished my bottle of water and tossed the empty bottle into the trash and resumed jogging. When I was near Roppongi, that's when things had gotten sour.

I should have known that it was a trap. But It wasn't for me. I had accidentally stepped in by mistake. I thought that a girl was in trouble, so breaking my own vow of not to get involved on my birthday, I jumped in.

The brutes were not that tough but I should have been more careful. When I thought that all of the thugs were knocked out cold, I felt something being broken against my head. Then darkness.

I guess it must have been a couple of hours since I was knocked out cold. As I cam to, I realized three things. One, my head hurt like crap and I felt something warm seeping from the injury. Two, I was naked from the waist up, and three I was seated in a chair, hands tied behind my back.

As my vision came back I looked at my surroundings. I was inside a warehouse of some sorts...surrounded by the same bunch of guys that I had thrashed earlier, and looked worse for the wear. Two of them I immediately recognized from the past few tournaments that I had fought in: Sodom and Rolento.

I was in the company of the Mad Gear.

"Our guest is awake, I see," a female voice said.

I looked at the woman standing before me. She was wearing a tanktop that only covered her breasts (just barely) and a pair of shorts and high heels.

She walked over to me and bent down so that she can look at me at eye level. Thankfully, my head was still pounding and bleeding from being bashed with a glass bottle, so I really wasn't concerned with staring down her top.

"How are you feeling?" she asked softly.

"My head hurts," I replied flatly.

"The fighter who took down Sagat is complaining that his head hurts," the woman said. It got a good laugh from the other members. "She the looked at me again. "Your reputation preceeds you, Ryu."

"Since you know who I am," I replied, "maybe you can tell me your name."

The woman placed one heel on my knee and leaned forward. "Name's Poison. Poison Kiss. The Mad Gear is setting up an overseas base here in Tokyo."

Mad Gear. I remember hearing about them from Guy. "How cute," I replied.

Poison then turned to the others. "Leave us."

The gang members piled out of the warehouse, Rolento and Sodom the last two members to leave. She then turned back to me once the place was emptied. "That was me back in the alley who bashed you with that beer bottle."

"I suspected as much."

Poison them moved closer to me. She then began to whisper to me. "For a Japanese guy, you're cute. We weren't trying to capture you, but we were trying to nab Guy and his friends." She then saw on my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck. "I'm giving you a special one-time offer," she said while occasionally placing kisses on my cheeks.

"Join me," she whispered. "Be with me. You can have anything you want once we take over."

With my head pounding and a scantily-cald woman sitting on my lap and the (ahem) little dragon now getting involved, thanks to Poison grinding against me, I would have said yes.

In the meantime, I was working to get out of my bonds. One thing that I had learned from my travels was that you can get out of rope bonds by dislocating your thumb. While Poison was giving me her deal, I dislocated my thumb, allowing me to slip out of the rope that was secured to my wrists. While she was kissing me, I popped the joint back into its socket.

"Sorry to disappoint you," I replied. "But the answer is no."

Poison looked at me in complete shock. I then added, "by the way..." I held up my hands. "...I broke free of my bonds."

Before she could scream for backup, I balled my hand into a fist and sent it crashing into her temple. She went out like a light. Thankfully, her top still kept her assets covered.

I stood up. "Sorry about that," I managed to apologize before running out of the room.

Outside, I saw that Guy, Maki and a older man who was using a lot of wrestling moves were busy cleaning house with the Mad Mear members. Better let them handle this while I make my escape.

I turned around and decided to head for the back door. Unfortunately, Sodom and Rolento were guarding the back door.

"Planning to leave our company, aren't you?" Sodom asked as he pulled out his swords.

I pointed my thumb to the fiasco in the other room. "You should be worried about your friends, and let me pass."

Rolento held his baton at the ready. "That we can't do."

After being held captive and nearly being seduced, I was ready to blow off some steam. Screw the promise that I made earlier about not trying to fight. They started it and I was sure as hell going to finish it.

Looking to my right, I noticed a display of samurai armor, complete with a katana and a short sword. Seeing that I had a better chance of getting out of this mess with a weapon, I grabbed the katana from the display and held it in a ready stance. I've learned a bit of kendo and general swordfighting from various persons during my travels, so I can hold my own. But I'd prefer my fists.

Sodom and Rolento attacked. To this day, I'm now sure how I managed to defend against their attacks. But in a matter of moments, Rolento was down for the count and I had knocked Sodom on his back, his two swords behind me on the ground. He stumbed to his feetm stunned. I've seen Sodom do this before. He was going to try and charge at me.

Sure enough, Sodom rushed me. He can move real fast for someone wearing a ton of football padding underneath his clothes. However, I was ready. When he got close enough, I ran and tackled himand myselfthrough the window.

Fortunately, Sodom had broken my fall. And I broke several of his ribs when I fell on top of him. Serves him right for trying to block my escape route.

Unfortunately, I was still without a shirt and my pants were soiled from being fragged into the warehouse. Fortunately, there was a store nearby where I can buy an extra set of clothes and a public bathhouse where I can clean myself up.

I can use a bath. My clothes reeked. And I needed someone to take a look at my head.