Kick! Punch! Jump! Block! Kick! Punch! Block! Jump! Parry! Counter!
Her feet touched the ground. Sweat dripped from her forehead. Another days training was over.
"Heh…getting stronger…" she said to herself, gazing at the mammoth oak she'd been striking for the past seven hours. The ground was littered with leaves. Looking at them, she felt a great sense of achievement. "If I don't get stronger, then I'll never live up to my fathers name…"
Slowly, she walked away from the tree, allowing the wind to tidy the mess she had made. The sun was hanging low in the sky now, its bright reflection shimmering on the surface of the ocean. This place was perfect for her training. No people, no cars, no skyscrapers. It was one of the humbler places in Japan for sure, but it was something she had been accustomed to since she was a small child. Admittedly, the bright lights of the city and the excitement of the night life were tempting for a young lady, but her priorities lay in the need to become stronger.
Besides, after the defeat of the red and blue madman who had terrorized the world recently, her life had had plenty of excitement to last a lifetime. Right now, she just wanted to hone her skills. At least before she met "that man".
Sitting on the edge of the plateau overlooking the ocean, she meditated. Inside her own psyche, she found strength and power that were just beyond her grasp. In her mind, she heard the sweet voices of siryns , lulling her to grasp the power, to take a leap of faith and keep the power, to use the power to defeat all opponents. But her psyche was strong, her chi finely tuned. She could see the true faces of the siryns: demons in the beautiful masks. They sought to use her for their own means on earth, like they would to all true fighters. But she was stronger than the demons. She could fight them.
On the plains of hell, she could see the many guises of the devils that would destroy the world given the chance to escape. She saw the red and blue man, in chains, screaming for vengeance. She saw the mad dictator who sought to control the world with his vicious psycho power. And she saw him. The man who was known amongst most fighters as the 'devil incarnate', whose very names meant 'devil'. To some he was Gouki. To most, he was Akuma!
Sat on a throne of blood, he looked at the girl. Peering at her from beneath his devilish brow, his blood eyes seemed to glow in the hellfire. His mouth was a smirking grin. He was power. He was evil. He was Akuma, demon tamer, holder of the Dark Hadou, and master of the Murderous Intent!
The girl looked back at him. Her toes clenched the rubble beneath her. Her fingers became fists. Her legs tightened. She was ready for battle!
The hell around them collapsed. They were on her plateau. Akuma was real!
"Makoto…" His very voice reeked of anger. She quivered under his might.
"What do you want with me?" She uttered bravely.
Akuma smiled wider. "Makoto, I sense your power. I sense your want to embrace the Dark Hadou. I am here to offer you a choice. Become a student under my tutelage, and I shall teach you the wonders of my Murderous intent. Or you can continue your mundane life here, waiting for that pitiful man whom you idolise so much!"
Makoto smiled back at him. "I choose neither. I choose to kick your ass instead!"
With speed she never knew she had, Makoto flew into the air, kicking straight at Akuma. Her foot smashed straight into Akuma's chest. However, it seemed to have little to no effect on the monster. Quickly, he grabbed her ankle with his left hand, and with his right he unleashed a vicious rising uppercut, a technique she'd come to know as the "shoryuken" or "dragon punch".
His fist collided with her chin, causing Makoto to rise upwards with Akuma as he unleashed his attack. Makoto was swifter than Akuma had anticipated, however. Quickly, she wrapped her legs around his outstretched arm and quickly spun her opponent onto the ground, reversing the punch into a mighty throw.
Surprised, Akuma hit the ground on his back with a thunderous smack. Like lightning, he sprang to his feet, his face contorted from a grin into an angry frown.
"Foolish girl! You obviously do not seek to master the art of fighting. If you truly wish to meet your destruction at my hands then so be it!"
Makoto landed about three metres away from him, standing in her ready pose.
"Why does it have to be this way, Akuma?" She shouted, half pleading. "What glory is there in murder and destruction? What is to be had in becoming the strongest in a kingdom of ghosts?"
Akuma was silent. Her question had startled him somewhat. The sun had set completely now. She has meditated longer than she had thought. Behind them now sat a spectre like moon, surrounded by the twinkling of stars and looming grey clouds.
Finally, he spoke.
"Your question is one that has many answers. For you to truly understand the Dark Hadou, you must think beyond this earthly realm. There a many layers of life, and only through becoming an emissary of demons can I hope to dominate all!"
Makoto shook her head. "But why? Why can't you be content with just living and with mastering yourself?"
"Because mastering oneself can only be achieved through the mastering of all others. Until I have defeated every fighter in the world, only then will I be master of my own being."
"I don't understand…" Makoto looked at the ground.
Akuma smiled. "A child such as you never will. Nor will you know when your guard is down!"
Makoto looked up. "Huh!"
A ball of amazing energy hit her in the face, sending her onto her back. Akuma dashed forwards, punching her in the stomach with unbelievable strength. Blood squirted from Makoto's mouth onto the leaves beneath her. Akuma continued his attack with what she knew as the "hurricane kick", followed by a vicious kick to her chest, causing her to smash into the great oak tree behind her.
Falling onto her behind, he back resting on the tree behind her, Makoto collected herself.
"His power is only an illusion!" She thought to herself. "You have to overcome!"
She looked up. Leaves fell from the tree as a result of her collision. From amongst the leaves, Akuma flew in for another attack, his hands charging with violent energy. In a flash, Makoto was on her feet as a ball of energy came flying towards her.
"An illusion!"
Quickly, she pushed her hand into the energy, her chi focused into her fist. Instantly, it dissipated, and she countered immediately, throwing her fist directly into Akuma's crotch.
She proceeded to hit with a barrage of violent attacks, causing Akuma to fall to the ground once more. He jumped onto his feet, his mouth bleeding.
"YES!" He shouted in ecstasy. "You feel it! You feel the rage! The feel the murderous intent! Now take it! Take my life and succeed me!"
Makoto stood in front of him, her eyes crunched with anger, her fists thrust out in front of her. Her blood boiled, every nerve stung. She could feel it. She wanted it. The Dark Hadou was calling to her. The Murderous Intent was consuming her!
"Do it Makoto! Finish me!"
She took a step forward, when a voice in her head echoed loudly…
"Strength is a gift. Violence is a curse. Hope is beauty. Despair is ugly. The soul is real. Power is an illusion. Strength, hope and the soul are our allies. Violence, despair and power are our enemies."
She looked at the blood on her fists as her father's voice continued to echo I her mind. Her eyes opened fully, a lonely tear falling down her cheek.
"Never," she said calmly, averting Akuma's gaze. "I'll never let the Murderous Intent consume my soul. Your power is an illusion Akuma. A day will come when you feel the emptiness of your false strength. I wish you luck. I cannot save your soul."
Slowly, she resumed her meditation.
"Foolish woman…"
Her eyes opened suddenly, the sunset still strong in the sky. How had this happened? She thought to herself. What had her visions meant?
Slowly she rose to her feet, and decided to go rest at the dojo. She had trained enough for one day. As she passed the great oak tree, she noticed something. The leaves. There were so many leaves on the floor.