Chapter 4

Wolf and Cub

The crow soared over head in the light of the moon guiding Terry's footsteps through the dingy streets of South Town. Beneath the black starless sky Terry ran flanked by Joe and Benimaru toward the intimidating Geese Tower. From where the three of them were you could only see the bottom half of the fortress, the rest of it was shrouded in angry grey clouds that promised rain in the not to distant future. It always seemed to rain when Terry was in that damned place and today would be no different.

"What's the plan?" Joe shouted struggling to keep pace with Terry who was able to tirelessly keep up the same steady pace.

"Break in, destroy the Scrolls of Immortality, kill Geese." Terry replied keeping his eyes locked on the goal. The crow left his side suddenly to fly up to the tower showing Terry what he already knew. There was a welcoming committee standing at the gates of the Tower and farther up a blonde man in a black suit stared down as if he could see through the clouds to his men below. The bird landed on windowsill just outside of that office joining the man in staring down at the world below.

"Break in? He's got a small army Terry. Lead by Rock, I know you never met him he was out of the country when you were still alive. He's Geese's son and it definitely shows. Got some of your moves to man." Joe shot back.

"He's not that tough." Benimaru replied. "Just a punk with an army to back him. One on one I would dance all around him."

"I don't doubt you Terr but watch him." Terry didn't even bother to give that statement a reply as the three of them continued to run forward.

"Stop." A man shouted. He was dressed in a sleep black shirt that clung to his slender frame and pair of slacks. Over that he wore a red and white jacket that accentuated his red eyes and blonde hair. He looked exactly like Geese must have when he was a boy.

"Rock." Terry stopped in his tracks staring at the young man before him. He'd never ever met the boy before but he instantly had a kinship with him.

The two of them were standing in a dojo side by side practicing a kata. "I'm not like my father." Rock growled nearly missing one of his steps.

Terry turned slowly lifting one leg and pivoting on the other foot. "I know your not. Fighting is in your blood but you're no murderer."

"Then why does it feel like I'm cursed to be just like him?" Rock trembled as he continued to mirror his master's movements.

"I don't know but I'll help you find out. The tournament is starting again in New South Town, if there are answers for you there is no better place to start.

"I see my reputation precedes me." Rock sneered stepping forward and whipping his jacket off tossing it to the wind. "My father killed you once." Rock continued approaching. Behind him were at least a dozen fighters and behind them several units of Geese's private armor clad in their black Kevlar and helmets as they waited for instructions. "I'll kill you again."

"It's a shame." Terry pulled of his own jacket tossing it to one side. "In another time we might have been friends."

"I didn't choose this Terry. I didn't ask to be born the son of a criminal kingpin." Rock was holding his arms clenching down so tight that his nails had broken the skin. Blood was dripping down his arms as he looked up at him. "I try so hard to be good and then this happens!"

Terry stared at his teary eyed student then down at the man lying at his feet. He would live though he would probably never walk properly again. His name, not that it mattered was Duck King, a minor crook from the old days. Rock had beaten him pretty badly, a bloody lip and nose, one eye was swollen shut and probably a broken arm too. "He attacked you, it was self defense."

"Don't fucking lie to me Terry!" Rock screamed squeezing more blood from his arms. "It was self defense when I blocked his attack. It was self defense when I hit him with the Repuken and the Shine Knuckle. It stopped being self defense around the time I mounted him and started slamming his face into the concrete!"

Terry looked down at the man one last time before he heard something.

"Caw!" The crow had returned to sit on the wall watching the battle. What are these visions? The crow canted its head to one side cawing again. How things could be? Should be? Again his animal companion offered only a caw and nod in response.

Rock had simply smiled in response to Terry raising his fists and preparing to fight. He pointed one side and his gangsters instantly started circling the two fighters, with a second motion the soldiers did the same forming the other half of the semicircle.

"Get back." Terry motioned to Benimaru and Joe who joined the circle to watch the coming battle. "If you surrender now I might not kill you." Terry lowered his eyes glaring at the boy. Rock couldn't possibly be out of his teens yet Terry could feel his power in waves. He was certainly an impressive young man.

Terry was battered, beaten beyond even his ability to stand and deliver when Rock delivered the Shine Knuckle sending some demon flying through a distant wall. "Nobody touches my master." He growled in a low angry voice. The demon came flying back through the wall but Rock was waiting. Terry sensed what Rock was going to do, tried to plead with him but he didn't have the strength. Rock and Grant, the demon, flew at each other and vanished into a flash of light.

"If you surrender now I might take you to my father to die."

"Stop talking and fight. C'mon." Terry motioned him forward smiling at the young man.

Rock slammed his fist into the ground summoning a wave of energy then slammed the other. "INFINITE REPUKEN!" He roared sending wave after wave of energy against Terry. Even blocked the first blast was enough to grind Terry backwards. The night was lit up with the repeated blasts of energy engulfing the undead warrior.

"Holy shit." Joe muttered his jaw dropping at the show of power. Similar grunts of agreement echoed from all the fighters watching and their disbelief only increased.

Terry had his arms crossed to shield his face and he started walking forward through the barrage. He looked like he was stepping through a storm each new blast forcing him to slow down. "Not bad Rock!" He shouted as a purple and black flame formed around him slowly expanding till the Repukens were harmlessly crashing into them. "Senpuken." Terry shouted thrusting his arms out and becoming the terrible hurricane that blasted its way through the Infinite Repuken and into Rock.

There was a grin on Rock's face as the attack slammed into his defenses.

"I love a good fight don't you?" Rock asked as he parried Terry's Burn Knuckle following it quickly with a Shine Fist of his own.

"There's nothing like it." Terry ducking beneath the attack and then putting his hands up.

"One day you'll give me a real fight won't you?"

"Of course, as soon as your grown up cub." Terry taunted.

Rock grit his teeth and but held his ground as he stared into Terry's eyes starting to push back against the attack driving them towards the center of the circle. "SEN-PU-KEN!" Terry shouted increasing the power of his attack. The look on Rock's face turned from confident to excited as the attack started batting his fists aside nearly connecting with his face.

"POWER GEYSER!" Rock shouted slamming his gloved fist into the asphalt and sending a pillar of energy beneath his attacker. The blast sent Terry tumbling through the air landing on his back.

"Impossible." Joe whispered.

"What?" Beni replied still impressed with the attack.

"Only Geese has ever blocked the Senpuken and that Infinite Repuken was incredible. That alone would have been enough to put me down."

"I'm impressed Rock. You got some heart." Terry grinned reaching up to fix his hair before charging. Rock only grinned smugly and met Terry's charge the two clashing the center of the circle. The two warriors met in a flurry of attacks that left most of the spectators a behind. Only Joe and Benimaru were keeping up with the incredible speed of the two warriors. It was the kind of fight a man waited his entire life to see, two men who loved the fight fighting for the love of it. Even though they were fighting to the death there was none of the animosity of the earlier battles, just the thundering flow of adrenaline in their ears. Finally a blast knocked Terry into Joe's arms nearly knocking him over.

"Get up man."

"I'm up, I'm up. Kids pretty tough. Got some of my moves." Terry grinned getting back to his feet and pushing a stray strand of hair back behind his face. On the opposite side of the circle Rock was being helped back to his feet by one of the soldiers. "I don't want to hurt the kid anymore though."

"What are you saying?" Joe asked.

Terry glanced at his friend over his shoulder. "That its over." He turned back toward Rock and grinned charging toward the younger warrior. Both men had covered about half the distance when they attacked.

"BLASTER WOLF!" Terry shouted nearly vanishing in the blur of motion.

He was met exactly in the center of the circle as Rock roared "SHINE KNUCKLE!"

Everybody could see what happened after that. The two warriors were locked fist to fist auras flaring as each braced waiting for the other to give way. Sweat beaded down Rock's face magnifying every detail of his grimacing face. Terry for his part showed no sign of the strain of maintaining the attack. The light from where the two men were joined grew in sparks until the sky itself responded drenching the two warriors in a deluge.

It felt like forever but it had only lasted fifteen seconds when a stroke of lightning marked the end of the struggle. There was a blast of energy so immense it knocked all the spectators flat on their backs blinding them all. A cloud of dust shrouded the crater where a single survivor stood with his arms hanging at his sides.

(Well dear readers I hope you have all been impressed and enjoyed the ride up until this point. I thrive on your feedback friends, so feel free to flood my mailbox! Sorry this chapter was short, but you don't have much farther to go till the end so buck up!)