Blood
Chapter 6: Questions
By Fool's Gold
Disclaimer: Garou Densetsu (Fatal Fury) and all related characters are the property of SNK-Playmore. No profit has been made from this fic.
The kicks flew at Kim, a flurry of attacks that barely gave him time to defend against them all.
But the fact that he had blocked them at all was plainly apparent. And when he considered how his opponent was fully fit and half his age, a sense of disappointment ran through him. There was a distracted quality to the moves that did not escape his notice; it was as though the fighting spirit had departed from his opponent, forcing him to merely go through the motions of their fight.
It wasn't as though he blamed his opponent – he himself had been guilty of fighting half-heartedly, and his own mind was clearly on other things as he parried the blows. Given the circumstances, they could hardly have been faulted for their lack of enthusiasm.
But the one thing that a warrior had to learn was that when one stopped fighting, then nothing was left except to surrender... and that would be the end for them.
He dodged backwards and lashed out with a spinning kick, one that missed his sparring partner by a mere fraction of an inch.
Terrible, he thought, he should have seen that one coming. Kim vaulted himself forwards as he spun in the air, performing a full turn that ended in a descending heel drop. His opponent barely even noticed it coming as he performed a somersault of his own, striking out upwards heedlessly.
The impact sent a shudder all the way up Kim's leg as their strikes clashed, and the first thing that he noticed was how poorly he took the blow. It had been a weak kick, and not intended to cause hurt, but it was enough to force Kim to one knee as he landed.
I'm getting too old for this. He massaged his sore foot, checking it for serious injury; finding none, he then raised his eyes towards his son. Jae Hoon was now sitting on the floor, his expression one of weariness, and there was the shadow of dark rings around his eyes.
"You're distracted."
"So are you."
The silence that followed the terse exchange explained more than the words within it; father and son both decided that it was better to leave their dreadful concerns unspoken. But that left an impasse that neither party was willing to break. The dreadful thought had become taboo; it was as though the very mention of the spectre's name would cause him to reappear from the alleys of Second Southtown.
Finally, Kim rose to his feet, returning into a fighting stance. And as he got up, he locked a determined stare onto his younger son, willing him to continue the fight.
"Concentrate, Jae Hoon. We can't afford to lose. Not again."
Jae Hoon got up slowly, replying to his father's admonition with a grim gaze – a look of pessimism and conviction intermingled. Somewhere behind those dark blue eyes, the spark of revenge was slowly rekindled.
"You're right." He slowly picked himself up, loosening muscles that had been all too tense from worry and anticipation.
And the gym was filled with the sounds of fighting once more.
"So, how's the new job?" Rock asked tentatively.
In response, Hotaru bowed her head in thanks, replying softly, "Mrs. Yardsley's a kind person. I really must thank you for helping me find work." She began walking down the sidewalk slowly, Itokatsu scurrying along behind her.
"It's nothing. Just don't tell her that I recommended you." Rock scratched his head nervously as he walked alongside, put off-balance by the sudden politeness. He mentioned nothing about the fact that the last time he'd seen his former secretary, it had ended in a particularly nasty altercation – none of it having been her fault, of course. She hadn't known anything about Kain's secret schemes; as far as she knew, she'd simply been working for another one of Second Southtown's established companies.
Of course, the circumstances surrounding his departure hadn't helped matters, and he made it a point to surreptitiously help her out in whatever way he could... without having to meet her face to face and explain why he'd left a burnt office and several heavily-injured men in his wake.
That was the kind of news that he would rather have kept from Hotaru – news of his unlawful employment would surely have cast a great shadow over the façade he presented. And deep down, he realised that he did not want her to turn away; she was his only chance for redemption, a last opportunity to make up for all the terrible things that he'd done.
But how long could he keep up this front? He knew he would falter someday. Everyone did. In spite of all his efforts to ignore it, he knew that the day would come when the truth would come to light, and his secrets would be open to all. And then they would all flee, and leave him alone in his misery. It was inevitable.
But still, he hoped to enjoy what short time had been allotted to him. And as far as he was concerned, if he could at least help Hotaru find her brother, it would count as a last moment of happiness before he was returned to his world of dejection.
How selfish of you, that you should abuse her misfortunes just for the sake of assuaging your own conscience.
"No," he whispered, clenching his fist involuntarily as proof against the voice that had entered his head.
"Sorry?"
"Oh... nothing." Hotaru's gentle voice brought him back to reality, and he relaxed his grip at the sound of her words. "As I was saying, I'll take you to see Terry. He should know something about your brother."
"I don't know..." Hotaru's voice was tinged with doubt.
"Don't worry." In contrast to her tone, Rock's reply was confident – a mood that Hotaru had not seen him display since her arrival. "Terry knows Southtown like the back of his hand. If anyone knows where to find out about your brother, he will." He looked up, only to find that they had already arrived at his apartment. "Hang on. I'll get you a spare helmet."
With that, he rushed up the stairs hurriedly, leaving a bemused Hotaru in his wake. She, in turn, looked down at the ferret that lay cradled in her arms.
"He has to be here, Itokatsu. I know it." Her blue eyes turned towards the horizon, where the Philanthropy bell tower stood in the distance... and for a moment, there was nothing except the distant past and a memory that was better off forgotten.
"You're my brother, right?"
She met him on the edge of the woods with these words on her lips and anticipation in her eyes. But for Hotaru, there were only words of gall.
"You're getting on my nerves, brat!" Gato spat, looking down on her diminutive frame with cold eyes.
She stared back at him, not daring to believe the words he spoke. But she refused to be intimidated: she had come too far to simply leave empty-handed now. And so, she faced him now, pouring out all the hurt that had accumulated in her eternity of searching, her words an incoherent plea for him to acknowledge himself.
"Big brother! Why? Why did you leave?" She was on the verge of breaking down, her heart torn apart by the bitter memories of what she had witnessed – and what her brother had missed. "Mother died, you know!"
Gato took a sudden step towards her, his figure suddenly looming over her in menace.
"Enough!" He bared his teeth, scowling in anger: her words had obviously touched a nerve. But that was nothing compared to the pain that Hotaru felt.
All the years of misery and loneliness that their mother had endured, wasting away as she grieved for a dead husband and a missing son; all the sorrow that she herself had gone through as she watched her mother pass away under a cloud of grief... all this, and still he refused to acknowledge himself. It was too much to take...
The sound of the slap echoed through the air; Gato flinched, more from shock than from the pain of the blow, and turned his face away.
The sheer impudence of such an action was unfathomable – the girl must have been hell-bent on suicide to even attempt such a thing. But Hotaru was beyond caring by now, all thoughts of her own safety driven from her heart.
"You jerk! Jerk! Jerk! Jerk!"
Her eyes were now blurred by weeping, her voice cracking as she screamed at Gato in violent frustration. But he simply stood there, his face a blank slate as she continued her tearful tirade. "I don't know what went on... that fateful day. But... but we... we're family!"
Family. That was a word that he hadn't heard in a while.
"...same as always."
"Huh? What was that?" She wiped the tears from her eyes in confusion, not daring to believe what he had said. But the words were lost by now.
"This isn't the place. I won't kill today. But next time..."
"Big brother!"
He didn't acknowledge her cry. And as he walked away, all she could do was to watch his departing image, so similar to the sight she had seen many years ago, and ponder his final words.
"Someday... for sure..."
But it was enough.
It had taken her the better part of three years to understand what he had meant. And when she had finally realised the truth, she wished she had not known – it was a terrible thing that she had uncovered.
But, killer or not, he was still her brother, and the only family she had left.
"I have to find him..."
"Hotaru?"
She spun around to face Rock, who stood waiting with a helmet in each hand. "Here you go."
"Thanks." She put the helmet on, mildly unnerved by the stifling feeling it gave her, and faintly heard Rock's muted gasp of amusement. And just as quickly, she raised the visor and gave him a perturbed look, wondering just what was so funny.
"Sorry about that, Hotaru." Rock swung into the seat, remarking, "The sight of you in a safety helmet is just... well..."
"Wrong?" she giggled. She wasn't in the least offended; on the contrary, it had been just the thing to lift her faltering spirits. And she was especially grateful to Rock for having offered his aid at a time when she needed it most, even if she knew that the answers she sought would lead her into disaster.
"Yeah. Come on, Terry's waiting." He put on his own helmet and gestured for her to board...
...and she obliged, sliding in behind him and slipping her arms around his waist.
The touch made Rock flinch as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, suddenly glad that the helmet obscured the nervous look on his face.
"Sorry, is something wrong?" Hotaru's voice was barely audible over the sound of the blood pulsing in his temples, but the way her hands relaxed their hold was enough for him to regain a small fragment of his composure.
"N-n-no, not really," he stuttered. "I'm just ticklish." And that was true, to a certain extent – at least where his current situation was concerned. There had been something... awkward... about the arrangement, and it didn't take a genius to figure out just what it was.
Relax, Rock, he convinced himself, she's just another passenger. You've had pillion riders aboard before, haven't you?
And just as quickly, another thought came into his mind. Yeah, but not a female passenger!
He swallowed hard. "R-ready?"
Itokatsu slipped into the saddlebag that hung from the side of the bike and squeaked.
"Ready," came Hotaru's muffled reply, and he felt the grip around his waist tighten, stretching his control to the limit as he fought desperately to keep from freaking out. Quickly, he gunned the engine to life and began what seemed like an infinitely long drive to the mainland, a mantra hammering away between his ears.
I will not panic. I will not panic.
"Come in."
Goto entered Kain's office, his face still locked in its ever-present smile. But the crime boss knew better than to assume that everything had went well; indeed, as his right-hand man approached, he recognised the slightest hint of annoyance that hid itself behind moustached lips.
It was the assassin who spoke up first, commenting almost offhandedly, "Freeman gave me the slip."
Well, that's pretty frank of him. Not that it mattered: like a bad penny, Freeman would turn up sooner or later, and it always helped to maintain a decent level of fear in the population... especially when his plan was on the verge of execution. "Don't worry about it."
"I'm not worried. Incidentally, our target took the bait." But there was no enthusiasm in Goto's voice – the man had trained himself in the art of concealing his emotions, but Kain was a master at uncovering them. And his ears picked up the faint tinge of apprehension that not even decades of training could have concealed. Obviously, Goto was troubled enough to let it slip.
Kain didn't know whether to be pleased or not: his subordinate's discomfiture was useful as a tool to keep him in check, but distraction was never a good thing. "So... he told you something, didn't he?"
Goto turned to face the window, his broad back forming a wall between them. "He's not after you, Kain."
So, we're on a first-name basis now, eh? That can't be good. "I trust that you are fully capable of handling your own affairs, then."
The older man said nothing.
To Rock's chagrin, it wasn't Terry who stood in the doorway of the house.
"Hi, Rock. Terry's in the back..." Blue Mary cocked a wry eyebrow at him. "Your knees are shaking."
"Rough ride."
"I'll bet." She flashed him a mischievous grin as she noticed his companion. "And you're...?"
"Hotaru Futaba. I don't believe we've met before." The girl bowed low in greeting.
"Ah, Terry mentioned you. The name's Mary Ryan, but most people know me as 'Blue Mary'. Come on in, then." Mary left the door open, admitting the two of them into the house – until Rock rushed ahead, dragging her by the arm and towards an adjoining room.
"Hang on a sec, okay? Mary and I have something to... discuss."
The grip lasted only until the door slammed shut. Mary suddenly shrugged herself loose, and in a flash, she had shifted behind Rock and put him into an excruciating arm lock. His back arched in pain as an irate voice hissed, "Okay, what was that all about?"
Rock was more or less used to pain by now, but Blue Mary hadn't come by her infamous reputation by being gentle. "How much did Terry tell you – URK!" He stifled a cry as the petite woman worked his forearm upwards, causing pain wholly disproportionate to her size. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry! Let go!"
The hold was released, and Rock winced as he flexed his arm, trying to get his blood flowing again. He grumbled, "Sheesh, I thought I told Terry to keep it quiet."
"Right," the blonde woman remarked sardonically. "And what happens to married couples who keep secrets?"
"Oh."
"Yeah, I know. Don't worry, this stays between the few of us. Anyway, Terry may be the one who knows fighters from all around the world, but you're better off asking a policewoman if you need to chase down an assassin." She opened the door as they walked back into the living room.
A familiar voice spoke up from the other end of the room. "Hey there, Rock. How's life?" The Legendary Wolf lounged back on the sofa, now looking far less than legendary in a faded T-shirt and shorts.
"Okay, I guess." Rock folded his hands behind his back, pacing across the room. "Where's Hotaru?"
Terry jabbed his finger towards the kitchen. "She's fast, isn't she?"
Rock looked over, only to find that Blue Mary had, indeed, already started an 'interrogation' at the kitchen table. Fortunately, he noted, at least one of his early misgivings had been unfounded; Hotaru seemed to have taken an instant liking towards the woman, and the two were already building up a steady stream of conversation.
"Like you're one to talk, you slacker," he muttered good-naturedly. "Any luck so far?"
"Nope." Terry sat upright, folding his hands in his lap as he leant forwards. "I've looked through the public reports on all the fighting tournaments ever since Maximum Mayhem, and the man we know as 'Gato' hasn't turned up in a single one of them. Martial artists tend to do that – heck, you know I've done it at least twice before." He noted the crestfallen look on Rock's face, and continued, "It could mean anything, of course. He could be off training for some private vendetta, or he could have dropped out of the fighting world altogether. Or perhaps he's in the employ of some secret organisation. For all we know, he might even be de-" He checked himself and continued, "Well, you get the idea."
"So there's no telling where he might be?"
"Well... there is one last option," Terry admitted, "but I'll have to get your friend's permission. It's going to involve some other people."
"I notice you didn't ask when you decided to tell Mary about it..." Rock replied sourly.
"Nah. She's different." Terry got up from his seat and sauntered into the kitchen, where Blue Mary and Hotaru seemed to be hitting it off particularly well. "So, how's everything, Hotaru?"
"Thanks for your help, Mr. Bogard."
"No problem," began Terry, before Mary cut him off with a dissatisfied snort. Rock had to suppress a chuckle at that – evidently, the Wolf was whipped.
"Okay, so it was a little bit of a problem. Happy now?" Terry muttered, feeling slightly disgruntled, and decided to cut to the chase. "Anyway, I'm gonna call for some backup on this..."
"Now, hold it right there, Terry." Before Hotaru had the time to say anything, Mary cut in quickly with an interjection. "Who?"
Terry shrugged. "Well... I was going to ask Andy to help me out."
"Who?" It was Hotaru who repeated the question, feeling more bewildered than ever. Mary, on the other hand, looked far more relaxed.
"You mean Rock never told you? Andy happens to be Terry's brother... and let's just say that his in-laws are really, really good at tracking people down and keeping quiet about it."
"Oh... Okay."
On the other side of the world, a phone rang in the Shiranui ancestral village, shattering the silence that had, until now, ruled the night.
Before the phone could ring another time, a distinctly Caucasian hand shot out of the darkness, snatching up the receiver deftly. "Yes?"
"Hey, Andy!"
With his free hand, Andy Bogard smacked himself on the forehead in disgust. "Do you have any idea what time it is over here, Terry?"
"Hey, it's not like you're unused to getting up in the middle of the night, anyway." There was the faint sound of a chuckle on the other end of the line. "Anyway, I have a favour to ask of you."
"Please tell me it doesn't involve saving the world again," he grumbled. "We left that to the younger generation, remember?"
Another chuckle. "No, nothing as bad as that. But we need some help in finding a man... He goes by the name of Gato."
"Sounds familiar. Hokutomaru mentioned somebody by that name..." Andy trailed off, trying to recall all the details that had been mentioned in his student's report on the Maximum Mayhem tournament. "He did mention a girl who was looking for her brother. Is that brother the man we're talking about?"
"Yep."
"Right. I'm always willing to help a damsel in distress." He yawned lightly. "I'll dig up our clan's recent records and see what we've got on him. You're in luck: I know Hokutomaru was the one who pegged him down as a 'highly suspicious' character, so one of our guys should have been tracking him... I'll get the information in as soon as I can."
A pair of arms suddenly draped themselves around Andy's neck, and he found the seductive voice of Mai Shiranui whispering jealously in his ear, "So, what was all that about a damsel in distress?"
Geez Five years of marriage, and she still knows how to make me feel really uncomfortable. Andy squirmed slightly, mumbling, "Terry's asked me to help some girl find her brother... Come on, Mai. It's work."
"I know. I heard everything." She pressed herself closer to his back, her hand drawing the receiver away. "Hey, Terry."
"Oh hi, Mai. How are the kids?"
"They're sleeping..." she replied, "something which my stupid workaholic husband should be doing by now." She shot Andy a glare as he tried to get a word in edgewise. "Don't complain, Andy. We both know that you'd end up wasting the entire night trying to get the job done, and end up with nothing but empty hands and red eyes to show for it. You work better in the morning anyway." Turning her head back to the receiver, she continued, "We'd love to help, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow morning. You know how Andy is."
"Sure, no problem," assured Terry. "Thanks."
A hand covered Andy's upraised one, gently guiding it back to the cradle, and all Terry heard on the line from Japan was a muffled 'click'.
"You know, Mai..." Andy was slightly miffed by her interference. "If you're planning what I think you're planning, it's not as though I'm going to get any sleep anyway."
Mai's smile widened in a suggestive fashion as she slowly guided him back to their bedroom.
"Sure... but if you're going to lose sleep, you might as well waste it doing something productive."
Terry gave the others a thumbs-up as he hung up the phone. "Okay, Andy and Mai agreed to help us out." He walked over to Rock, who had been watching the proceedings with scant interest. "I think we'd better give them a little privacy. Anyway, there's something we need to discuss." He gestured in the direction of the front porch.
"Oh, really?" The look on Rock's face was sceptical, but he followed Terry out anyway, leaving the two women in the kitchen.
Hotaru watched them leave with some apprehension, wondering about the sudden turn her search had taken. It had started so simply too – she hadn't intended to trouble all these people with her own problems, not by drawing them into the mess that her family had created... and then, there was the truth.
She wondered how much they would uncover, how deeply they would dig into her family's past. And she knew that whatever they found would not be good: her heart told her that if she found her brother once again, it would only lead to more pain. It would have been much easier to ignore it, to forget everything that had happened... Now, old wounds were reopened, and she had to find him.
But what right did she have to force her family's troubles upon these people?
"Don't worry," Mary's voice broke in – she had recognised the look of worry in the girl's expression. "We'll find him... but you have to help us. Now..."
She leant forwards, intent on hearing Hotaru's tale.
"...why don't you tell me about your family?"
Notes:
Updates to this fic will be sporadic, depending on how frequently real life and procrastination get in the way. But rest assured, I will keep working on it.
Yes, standards have fallen. I apologise for any inconvenience caused.
