This chapter is dedicated to Firebat!

Chapter 13: Loss And Revealing

Elsewhere, Miharu sat on the floor in a meditation like manner. She had been resting in the temple where she was supposed to meet her next enemy. His name was Marshall Law and he had a reputation that shocked her. He wasn't necessarily the type of fighter to lose. She had barely defeated Hwoarang, so how much more difficult would it be to defeat an opponent who participated in the first two tournaments?

Miharu sat before a statue of the Buddha. She wore black pants with an orange tank-top. This was the Hon-Maru temple. Here, the battle between the young teenager and the older man would ensue. The crowd of people stood near the walls of the large empty space. Miharu felt as if she were sitting among a horde of blood-thirsty monsters. These people around her, they wanted to see violence.

That thought didn't sit well with Miharu, for she became to feel paranoid of the whole crowd of individuals around her. In the crowd was her best friend Ling Xiaoyu, along with her newfound friends, Peter and Julia. It was then that she realized that she had to snap back into reality. Her opponent had arrived. The battle was about to begin.

Slowly, Miharu rose to her feet and stood opposite Law. She respected him, because he didn't seem like the type of fighter that would disrespect her. The announcer came to the two and asked "Are the both of you ready?" Miharu looked up to Law. He nodded in silence. This reassured Miharu, and she nodded as well.

Time seemed to flow in slow motion as Miharu walked a fair starting distance away from Law. The two stared at each other before getting into their respective stances. Miharu could feel uneasiness within her. Law felt a stride of confidence, layered with his respect for his opponent.

"Fight!"

Right away, Law charged in for Miharu. He grabbed at her side, but she cart wheeled to the right, guaranteeing her with safety, for now. As soon as she planted her feet into the ground, she swung her right leg around to kick at Law. He caught it with ease, tripping her to the ground right after.

Once Miharu hit the floor, she closed her eyes in agony, waiting to feel the next attack. To her surprise, she opened her eyes to see Law in his stance, waiting for her to rise. 'He's got such a code of honor.' she thought to herself. Taking advantage of his kindness, Miharu rolled backwards and stood up. That's when Law charged at her again.

This time, Miharu charged at him as well. She threw her open hand at his stomach, aiming to disorient him. However, Law was too quick, as he charged his fist into her stomach. Coughing, she backed away, thinking of what to do next. Then, she had an idea. She cart wheeled to her left as he ran over to her, kicking his face with the tip of her sneaker. Quickly, and without letup, Miharu grabbed the back of Law's neck and slammed her knee into his back. He collapsed forward, gasping for air.

The audience cheered inside the temple, making Miharu almost lose control. She was satisfied with her last hit, it looked as if she had stunned him. Not long enough however, as Law soon turned around, his right fist aiming for Miharu's face. Thinking quickly, Miharu grabbed his fist and tossed it to the side, kicking his chin as she did so.

Shockingly, Law kicked Miharu in the stomach, then he grabbed her back and lifted her off of her feet. With no way to get down, she yelled out in anticipation of the pain she would soon feel. She found herself tossed to the floor, falling in a messy heap. Her legs hurt bad, for she had landed on her side and her legs hit the ground first. It would seem that her victory earlier was now irrelevant, she felt as if she would lose this match.

Rolling to the side, Miharu prepared for what felt like her last defense. She rolled underneath Law's legs and stood up, lifting his right leg into the air with her. With all her might, she spun his leg as hard as she could. Law spun around in a full 360 before falling to the ground. Dust rose from the floor as he smacked his body into the earth. Miharu got back into her stance and prepared for any other attacks.

With a muffled grunt, Law stood up and faced his opponent. He had been in many fights before, but this girl was full of endurance. Most of his opponents before had been beaten within a lesser time frame as this one. But he already knew that the outcome would be in his favor. This girl, while she was good, wasn't good enough to defeat him. She was merely good enough at defending herself from his advances. He charged at her again, launching his fist towards her chest.

Miharu blocked his punch, but was taken off guard when he leaped into a backflip, kicking her square in the chest. She was lifted off her feet slightly, falling back down to the wooden floor beneath her. She landed on her back, not bothering to get back up. She was beaten.

Law got out of his stance and walked over to help her up. Miharu was glad to take his hand, the pain she felt was beginning to subside. "You want to know why you didn't win?" Law asked.

Dazed and confused, Miharu replied "Sure. Why did I lose?"

"You didn't have enough confidence in yourself."

Later…

Peter left Miharu's room. He had given her some tulips. He found out from Julia and Xiao that those were her favorite flowers. Julia wasn't jealous, in fact she was happy that Peter was nice enough to care. Peter had been feeling nervous all day. His first match was tomorrow. He would be fighting the tournament's number one female veteran fighter, Nina Williams. Peter didn't have a doubt that she was good, he knew she could hold her own. He just felt that it would be embarrassing to lose his first match.

Something was wrong tonight. Peter had noticed that the reasons he thought he used for entering the tournament, didn't seem to hold water on their own anymore. Of course, he wanted to protect King, but there was something else. Something violent and completely out of character.

"Hey Pete wait up!" Xiao called from behind. Peter stopped in his tracks and turned to face her. "I just wanted to say thanks for all you've done for Miharu. You have no idea how much she truly appreciates it."

"Well, how she seems to be doing okay now. I'm just glad that there was something I could do." Peter said. Xiao smiled before replying "Yeah, she's okay. The only thing badly wounded is her pride. She's upset that she didn't get farther into the tournament."

"It happens to the best of us Xiao." Peter replied coldly.

"Oh look who's talking, Mr. I-Got-Second-Place-Last-Tournament." Xiao said mockingly. Peter had to laugh. "Jeez Pete, you talk like you understand failure." Xiaoyu laughed at her remark as Peter turned towards the door coldly.

Xiao stopped laughing as she saw Peter leaving. Without so much as a second look, Peter was gone. 'I was only kidding with him. I didn't know he'd get so upset.' she thought to herself.

"Failure. I know ALL about that. I'm a failure in everything I do. I failed King, I failed Julia. I failed everybody." Peter said as he worked his way towards the hotel. "What kind of son hires a hitman to watch over his father? I talk like I don't make mistakes. But the truth is, is that I'm an arrogant-"

His words were cutoff as he noticed Marduk walking his way. 'Don't lose your cool, don't lose it!' Peter thought to himself. He looked down at the floor, trying desperately not to lose his temper. Marduk bumped into him as he walked past. Peter looked up in anger, ready to take him down. "Hey, aren't you King's son?" Marduk asked.

"Who wants to know?" Peter replied coldly, causing Marduk to say, "Yeah you're him alright. Any friend of King is my enemy, and that makes you target number two."

"Yeah? Well the target's on my ass. Kiss it." Peter stated.

"Go to hell!" Marduk yelled. Peter leaned closer and replied "I'd tell you to go to hell, but I'd have to give your dumb ass directions." With that, Peter turned away and took off towards the hotel. His breathing was increased heavily increased and he wanted to go back and show Marduk what he was made of. 'Calm down, just calm down. It's over.' Peter thought.

Elsewhere, Starcain lowered his gun. It seems that Marduk will get to live another day. In a flash, the black man was off the roof and on the sidewalk, watching Peter as he walked into the hotel. 'Something…is not right…' he thought to himself.