AN: Ok, it's been a while. I've been battling with an internet connection that's on the fritz. BTW I don't own Sega or any of its affiliates…but I do miss it so sniff. Also, being a smart ass is what I do best so don't take any offense to any opinions or expressions I use at any time in any of these chapters. Thanks…
The luggage car wasn't exactly the most comfortable place to travel in, but it is the cheapest. Where sleep is lost, boredom runs rampant…
500…501…502… sigh
Bryan was sitting against a storage trunk with his head was propped up on an overstuffed duffle bag. He could feel every bump the train made as the tracks skipped sections. There are some parts of his body that were more bruised than others. Most noticeably was his back. Bryan budged the trunk slightly to remove it from a pressure point on his spine.
Man…sometimes winning isn't all that it's cracked up to be. He turned his hands over and stared at the palms. I can't believe I won so suddenly. I wasn't even tired afterwards. My abilities have really improved. Bryan clenched his hands into fists; knuckles cracking in response. Dhalsim…what a weird name. I would have never guessed that he would have an ID on him. I wonder why a strong fighter like that would travel across the world just to fight me? Bryan put his hands down on his lap and sighed again. Normally he would be ecstatic about winning a fight like that but this time there was nothing. He felt cheated, almost as if it was too easy.
Bryan had hopped the first train out of South City. He did know why but something inside him told him to head south. Maybe it was the fact he just might have put a foreigner into the hospital. I hope he's not a dignitary or something. He looked towards a slit in the baggage car door and gazed at the moonlight coming through. A slight tingle rising up the back of his neck snapped him out of his daze.
Klyde…
Bryan's ki abilities have always been superior to Klyde's. I recognize that signature anywhere. Feels like you just got your head stomped in. Just like old times buddy…
Bryan tilted his head back against the bag again and closed his eyes. How long has it been, dude? I remember when we first started hanging out…
Bryan's hand movements were almost invisible to the naked eye. Almost all of his attacks were going unblocked and striking their predetermined target. Bryan could easily see that his opponent was nearly defeated. With ease and precision timing, he performed his final move and sent the poor guy flying.
"HA!" Bryan flashed a toothy grin and gave a thumbs up. "Better luck next time, I'm unbeatable!"
His opponent gathered himself and walked off muttering obscenities. He had just suffered two of life's most severe shames: he got beat by someone younger than him and he just wasted a quarter at an arcade. That's right…Bryan owned the arcade in the mall as far as fighting games went. He would play for hours on one quarter as chump after chump fell at his feet.
"What a jerk…wasting my time like that…I mean come on, a double perfect?! No challenge what-so-ever." Bryan rolled his eyes to himself and went back to playing. A few minutes later he defeated the final boss and entered his initials. "Oh sweet! That has to be a new high score! Another first place for… … … what the hell?!" Bryan's eyes almost popped out of their sockets when he saw his score below somebody else's.
KK? Who is that? Somebody here can keep up with me? I have to meet this person and set the record straight.
Bryan waited all afternoon and most of the evening by his favorite game for this mystery person. It has to be a mistake. One of the employees must be screwing with me. His thought train was interrupted by a muffled voice.
"Flllighieo ghhhamesth…I luhv vllligheoh ghhammethsss…"
A scruffy looking kid about Bryan's age with a backwards hat was skipping up to him with a half eaten burger in one hand and a change bag in the other. What a retard…probably a newb or something.
"Heey!!! Youhl whalnnah fffight?" A speck of food flew out of the kid's mouth and sailed by Bryan's head.
"What did you say? How bout you swallow first, then talk."
The kid gulped his mouthful of burger and spoke again. "Do you wanna play against me in that game? I'm pretty good. See?! I just took the high score from that 'BCT' idiot."
So it's you that did that. Hmmm…this could be fun. I haven't had a challenge in a while. "Ok. Let's go. You got change?"
"Yup! My dad always leaves it laying around the house. He gets forgetful sometimes. I wanna be player 1." He put a quarter into the machine and pressed the P1 Start button. Bryan answered with his own quarter and started his side.
The two battled for three hours nonstop. They were getting nowhere fast. The battles went back and forth with draws running rampant.
"This time I'm going to beat you punk!"
"Never! You are the one with the losing!"
The two ko'd each other for another draw. Bryan looked at him. This is amazing. I've never had an opponent like him. He's pretty cool.
Klyde looked back and matched the stare. Why's he looking at me like that? I was gonna ask him to be friends but he looks rreeeeeally gay right now.
"Hey dude. I just got this killer game on Sega Genesis, you should come over and play."
Klyde shrugged and held out his hand. "Cool dude. Can we go like right now? I don't wanna go home tonight." Klyde's expression changed and he looked at his feet.
"No prob. My parents are never home this time anyway. Let's go. It's a 2 hour walk from here."
The two new friends left and began to talk about video games. Klyde switched topics and asked Bryan if he knew anything about fighting. He told Bryan about his meeting with Dan and how he's been training hard to be like him. Bryan laughed heartily.
"Dude! I've been training too! I got sick and tired of getting my ass kicked by bullies so I started teaching myself how to fight. This Dan guy seems strong but … he sounds like he acts like a total idiot."
Klyde turned his face into a scowl. "He's not an idiot and I'm going to be strong just like him. Hey! I've got a great idea…are there some woods we can chill at?"
Bryan nodded. "There's a forest behind my house. I go out there to train when I'm not at the arcade. Why? Do you want to spar or something?"
Yup…I knew it…he's gay, but I can't turn down a opportunity to train. Klyde smiled and shot out a peace sign with his hands. "Heck yeah! We can teach each other some neat tricks….and I get another opportunity to kick your ass." Klyde thumbed his nose.
"KLYDE!!!" Bryan chased after him down the street, yelling.
Bryan and Klyde became the best of friends after only a week of hanging out. They trained everyday. Bryan told Klyde about his hero Ryu. How one of his 'rich' friends witnessed Ryu use some amazing techniques while on a family trip in Japan. Bryan idolized the fighter immediately and did some research on the style known as 'Hadou.' Through Bryan's friend, Klyde and he were able to obtain any materials on fighting styles no matter how obscure. Klyde absorbed everything, professing his self taught style was best because he took bits and pieces from multiple arts. Bryan stuck to the Hadou and based his moves from it. He took his training much more seriously than Klyde and it showed. He was able to defeat him constantly in sparring matches and he was also the first one to channel ki.
Eventually Bryan taught Klyde had to use his ki in the form of an attack, and he was surprised when the ensuing fireball was much larger than his own, even though he had been practicing it for a longer time.
"How the heck did you do that?" Bryan screamed at Klyde.
Klyde shrugged. "I just thought about something bad that happened the other day, and boom. It came out. Dan has been helping me learn how to do it."
Bryan stared wide eyed at the scorch marks left from Klyde's attack.
The next year went by very fast, and Klyde had begun to drift. There had been more and more fights with his parents, and they had been building to a boil. One day, there was a really big fight, and Klyde hadn't been quite the same after it. The moments where he would slip into a serious mood became rarer and rarer, and for some reason that Bryan couldn't fathom, he began throwing half-assed one handed fireballs that went nowhere. The only time he would ever become serious was when he would talk about Dan.
"Bryan, I've got to go see Dan." Klyde said suddenly while he and Bryan were playing Tekken 3.
Bryan flashed him a quizzical look. Moments ago, Klyde had been discussing why cheeseburgers were the greatest technological advance the world had ever made. Bryan decided not to question the change in gears. "Ummm, okay…any particular reason?"
Klyde nodded. "Something happened. I have to ask him about it. When we were younger, he told me something similar to him happened as well. He'll be able to help me out."
Bryan rolled his eyes. "Dude, Dan left Long Island like a year ago. He didn't even tell you where he was going. How do you plan on finding him?"
Klyde shrugged. "I dunno. I'm just gonna go from place to place until I find him."
Bryan groaned. "Brilliant strategy…re-re. You'll get eaten alive on your own."
Once again Klyde showed nothing but indifference. "It'll be okay. Besides, if I get too far in over my head, Dan will save me...just like he did when we were kids."
"You know, you can't rely on that."
"Sure I can."
Bryan picked his controller back up. "…whatever you say Klyde." He said, full well believing that Klyde would never go through with it. Moron…I'll probably end up saving his ass anyway.
"KO!!!" The game announced a drawn out victory.
Bryan jumped up and point at Klyde. "HA!!! Take that! I win…now go get me a can of Mountain Dew!!!"
A sharp jolt woke Bryan from his daydream. He chuckled to himself and made himself more comfortable. I never got that can of soda. The bastard drank it on the way back from the refrigerator. I wonder how much longer until we meet up again…
Bryan closed his eyes once again and let the bumps in the tracks lullaby himself to sleep.
…wake up…
"..."
...I said wake … UP!!!
Bryan sat up and opened his eyes. Something was not right. He was no longer in the luggage car. In fact, he wasn't anywhere. Black surrounded him with the exception of a white star and a …
"What the fuck?"
The other wasn't lit up at all. Bryan's mind raced for the word that could describe the object. He then noticed a faint trickle of light pouring from the star to the object.
"That's one of those black hole thingies that half-wheel chair, half-genius always talks about! This doesn't make any sense at all…where the hell am I?"
It was at that point that Bryan realized his thoughts were being spoken; not by him but by some sort of P.A. system. He went to talk, but there was no sound. Bryan shook his head and went to stand up. Something put its hand on his shoulder and kept him seated. He turned around to see someone very familiar.
…look, isn't that interesting…
"Who are you?" The 'boy' was very young, but there was something wrong about all the discerning features. It was almost as if somebody was trying to figure out what he should look like through trial and error.
…oh I don't have a name…I've been here such a short time…would you like to be my friend?...
Bryan felt very confused talking to the innocent talking child but at ease at the same time. A loud boom broke their eye contact. The black hole emitted an energy wave and moved closer to the star. More of the star was now flowing into the singularity.
"Hey what are those th…where'd you go?" Bryan's companion was gone. He stood up, unopposed now, and started walking to the two objects in the sky. His eyes were locked on them.
…do you understand?…
The hair on the back of Bryan's neck rose. He turned around to see the same figure from his last 'dream'; the warrior in the dark gi with a 'dark' aura…who wore asbestos clothing.
"What kind of question is that? It's a black hole engulfing a star, happens all the time in space. I did pass science in grade school you know…" The warrior's eyes emitted a fiery glow. Bryan was tossed high into the air. He could see the warrior following.
"Uh oh, bad feeling about this…"
The dark warrior launched a ki blast from one palm that sent Bryan rocketing towards the ground. His body bounced from the impact and skidded to a halt.
…weak…you are worthless…nothing but a coward…
"…you…bastard…I'm gonna make you pay for that…" Bryan spat out a mouthful of blood and channeled his ki. He shouted out his favorite move's name but there was no sound. There was, however, a massive surgel of blue energy now moving towards the warrior.
…pitiful…
The warrior swatted away the attack like a beach ball and appeared 2 inches from Bryan's face…with a fist appearing in Bryan's stomach as well.
…such power is wasted…I do not play games, boy…attack again…
Bryan raised himself from his knees, gasping for air. He hopped into the air and delivered a roundhouse directly at the warrior's head. A wrist blocked the attack and a hand tossed him head over heels. His face once again became landing gear.
…nothing…reach down and show me real power…come at me once more…
Bryan was on his hands and knees. "Who is this guy? Why can't I hurt him? I've hit him twice, right? Nothing works. I have to defeat him or I'll end up really hurt. I know I'm strong! Where's that power from before? I want it! I need it…"
The black hole pulsed.
…HA!...now we begin…show me everything…
Bryan rose to his feet. His wish apparently answered. He looked at both his palms and took notice to his aura. "This is what I need. I will show him." Bryan looked at the warrior and focused on his eyes. "I'm in control this time…not like before." He smiled eerily.
…come…
Bryan charged at him. He focused his ki and leapt into the air. He spun once and swung his foot, ki forming a swipe mark in mid-air. The attack connected and ime stopped. The warrior disintegrated like a gust of wind hitting a pile of dust. The last thing that faded away was the evil smile on his face.
…perfect…
"…I…can't…move…" Bryan was frozen in the air. He heard someone crying.
"Who's there?"
The boy was now hovering in air with Bryan. Tears were falling from his face as he wiped his eyes constantly.
…I only wanted to be your friend…
The black hole pulsed again and everything disappeared. Now Bryan was alone in darkness. He tried to call out but there was no sound once again. An overbearing feeling of loneliness and emptiness began to eat away at his mind.
"Where is everyone?"
Bryan curled into a ball and shivered. The feelings grew worse and worse every passing second until he began to cry…
AN: …for those of you are wonder what's happening to Bryan, he's got a few mental problems thanks to the Satsu no Hado. Let's refer to them as innocent, id and just normal. I haven't tried creating a character with MPD but hopefully I'm able to put down on paper the info that's going through my head. Peace