Author's notes: Ah, yes. Finally, Chapter 3 is here. Sorry for
the long wait. I know chapter 2 was a little slow and I hope this
is an improvment over that. Well, enjoy!
The walk through busy Tokyo felt like a long narrow trip that lasted for hours, for Asuka had made it seem that way with her constant babbling of last years previous Tournament. Spoken from memory, she recalled the first day she showed up at the event, first for a personal confrontation with Feng Wei and then later to have fun. It was a joyous moment when she finally put the man that hospitalized her father in his place after watching his jaw swollen face splash into a puddle of mud. She was confident, but still aware that another fighter could pose to be an even greater challenge than Feng Wei.
Jinpahci Mishima was the final combatant at the end of the long road strip of the Tournament. Asuka had more of struggle fighting him than the others. His power was incredible, seeming endless and unlike any other seen. He hurled explosive balls of fire from his mouth-opened stomach and generated huge earthquakes under his unshackled feet. His power was too great at the start of the fight and soared even higher once he confirmed that he was holding back his true potential.
Creating devastating winds that could rip cities apart in mere seconds, Jinpachi was looking to destroy all things in existence, including Asuka. But the young girl from Japan wouldn't have it. Though things seemed bleak for her, she was determined to win and banish the ugly nightmare off the face of the Earth. She used every trick she knew that was taught by her father, but none of it fazed Jinpachi. He shook it off and continued to pummel her viciously. That was when he threw one final attack that he believed would defiantly finish Asuka off. He fired another scorching fire to collide into Asuka's body, but she anticipated the move and ducked before it was close enough to touch her. Moving forward, she came at Jinpachi and battered him with punches and kicks. The grandfatherly Mishima then died and was turned into particles of loose dust that was thrown into the twirling winds, the winds he had created to annihilate all existence.
Asuka snapped back from her old memories to look at mind wandering Hwoarang, who wasn't paying much attention to a word she said. Upset at this action, Asuka so badly wanted to punch him for ignoring most of her story. She stopped herself before her hand connected with the side of his turned head, and noticed clouds of thick fog developing in the air.
"That's strange," Asuka said. "I don't remember hearing anything about it being foggy today."
"Don't listen to forecasters. They don't know what the hell their talking about," Hwoarang sniffed.
Asuka thought heading back to the hotel was a good idea to get away from the fog before it got worse, but it was too late. She could no longer see Hwoarang. Her line of view had been shrouded by the smoggy weather. Becoming a little worried, she called to Hwoarang to find his location.
"Hey, Hwoarang! Hwoarang? Hwoarang? Where did he go?"
There was no response expect for the sound of the wind blowing freely, combing the uneven mounds of dirt on the ground. Asuka held on to herself to keep warm and wished she had brought a jacket to escape from the cold air that was touching her as the fog blanketed everything before her. This was terrible since she had to walk blindly through the city to find her way back to the hotel alone. The city was uneasily quiet after the fog covered up everything. Asuka couldn't hear cars wheeling past, the children screaming, or the sound of people walking by. She was alone, alone and lost without a clue of what to do.
Stretching her hands out in front, she tried to feel around and touch objects, hoping they could determine where she was. She knew the Tokyo territory well, but being masked in fog made it difficult to navigate through the city.
She continued to pace forward, despite the fear that she might run into something unexpected with the soft pounding of her own tennis shoes being the only noise present. Within a few seconds, the fog lifted slightly and Asuka looked on and was able to see the hotel just a few feet away.
"Yes! Finally!" She shouted in excitement, not wanting to stay wrapped in the gloomy weather any longer.
She walked through the sliding automatic doors that invited her in with the air-conditioned breeze that threw her strands of hair back. The entrance inside was welcoming, but a cold vibration rolled down the side of her spine that wasn't as welcoming. She saw people, actual people for the first time since her encounter with the fog being the only thing she could view at the time. As delighted as she was to see them, they didn't return the same grateful expression. Their eyes carried cold penetrating glares that would scare the fur off the mightiest of lions.
Making eye contact with Asuka, they all hissed and snarled like rapid dogs ready to chew on a fresh meal. She stepped backward cautiously as they approached but felt something grab and take hold of her from behind. Craig Murdok it was, putting his massive arms under Asuka's armpits and clinching her in a powerfully tight hold. She couldn't escape, just wiggle and try to squirm.
"Ah! Man! Strong power," Asuka said under her breath.
The glaring eyes of Tournament participants, Steve Fox and King appeared before her, cracking their heads and knuckles in anticipation. Asuka knew what they were going to do, but she couldn't react and make a move as Craig tightened his grip even more with his bare fist coming in close to her face.
One by one, King and Steve jolted Asuka with solid punches to the stomach. She screamed and kicked her feet up wildly, hoping to escape and return the hits. Each punch felt different and varied in strength, but Asuka soon had enough and managed to kick a leg up that knocked King and Steve Fox over.
Looking up at Craig, she smashed her elbow into the ribs of his body. He kept his hold locked in, but made it known that he was losing his grip from the heavy force hitting his stomach. Asuka knew it was irritating him, so she kept it up and elbowed Craig even harder. Hollow grunts leaked through his sour lips as he could feel the grip of his hold loosening. Soon he let go, and Asuka broke free, kicking him in the face with the bottom of her heel.
The deviled eyed hotel employees and guests armed themselves with any object they could use as a weapon, as did the tournament fighters. They all, in a wall of bodies, circled Asuka, enclosing her with little room to breath. A couple of the bellhops armed with sharp broken Champaign bottles took a few quick swipes at her torso. She treaded backward and avoided getting stabbed but was tackled down in the process by another bellhop. Kicking her foot up, she knocked the group of attackers down before they could pounce on her on the floor. Asuka fended for her life, punching, kicking, and smashing heads together, violently fighting her way through the hoards of people seeming to be possessed.
Blood was drawn and bones were broken but not from Asuka. She was dishing out the pain, serving everyone that dared to touch her a nice sandwich in the form of knuckles. But the hoards still continued their attack and it would only be a matter of time before they wore Asuka out in exhaustion. They came at her like fresh troops being thrown straight into battle to replace their fallen comrades. She couldn't take on all of them, there were just too many to fight all together. Asuka then made a hasty retreat and darted toward the hallway that wasn't polluted with bloodthirsty psychos. King, Craig, and Steve Fox gave chase, their eyes all-glaring in the same eerie color. Asuka dashed past the bathrooms and bedrooms searching for an escape route as she wondered what was going on with everyone in the building.
"Today must be one bizarre day. Why is everyone mad at me?" she pondered.
Up ahead, she saw the door that lead to the staircase. She pushed it open and climbed the stairs with the others still in hot pursuit. The heavy sounds of multiple feet moving behind her could be heard echoing off the walls. She had reached the fourth floor and was going up to the fifth, but Feng Wei leaped down from the upper staircase and blocked her path.
From the front and behind she was trapped, the hissing snarls of the hotel guests, employees, and tournament fighters coming closer to her. An awkward smile grew on her face as she threw her guard up.
"Heh…..funny. Things don't look too good for me right now, but I kind of like the challenge."