AN. And now for that mysterious woman behind the microphone. This does have some unnecessary character explanations/descriptions, but the people who read this the first time (including the one I'm posting this for) don't play Tekken and therefore do not know the characters involved. Oo, mystery!!

Chapter Three – Meeting The Competitors

The woman put down the microphone and leaned back in her chair. She was so lucky. Thanks to G-Corporation she had the largest bedroom in the mansion, complete with an ensuite and a huge, walk-in wardrobe. She stood up and walked onto the balcony, watching the competitors walking slowly towards their rooms. She laughed and twirled around.

She was wearing a floor-length, black and white dress. It was white over both dress straps – which came to her mid-upper-arm – and down in a diagonal line to her hip. Under that it was black. It clung to her body, but had a long slit up the side, revealing up to her thigh. Her long, raven hair was loose and swung in a perfect fan behind her.

This woman's name was Sae Kurosawa. She was a top researcher for G-Corporation, and had been for the past six years after working there for almost 20. Unfortunately, about a month ago she had suffered serious injuries when Heihachi Mishima and the Tekken force raided the G-Corporation labs. She had tried to fight them, but had ended up being severely beaten.

She had been in a coma for two days. When she had finally woken up, she was disorientated and frightened. Her first instinct had been to flee to somewhere else, a forest somewhere, where she could be safe. But after talking to the lead scientist, Matsumi Osaka, she was convinced that she was home. She was even shown to her room.

According to Doctor Osaka, she was suffering from acute amnesia. It should clear up in a couple of weeks. To stimulate her memory and maybe bring it back faster, they had shown her files about herself. But nothing they showed her was even vaguely familiar. Not even a picture of her parents.

She twirled again and fell backwards onto the large, comfy bed. The sheets were silken, smooth to the touch, and her fingers ran over them easily. She stood up and walked to the mirror. She smiled, running her fingers through her long, soft hair.

"Miss Kurosawa?" came a voice from the doorway. She turned around and bowed to the person entering.

"Yes?"

"Dr. Osaka sent me," the young boy whispered. "He told me to give you this." He held out a package.

"Thank you." They bowed to each other and the boy left. Sae sat down on the bed and shook the box experimentally. It rattled slightly and she opened it. Inside was a simple white mask and a folded up piece of paper.

Dear Sae,

You will have noticed that there is a white mask in this box. I want you to wear it. There are holes for the eyes and mouth, so you will be able to see and eat. Many people have speculated that you are just an imposter pretending to be Sae Kurosawa. We know that's ridiculous, but we want you to wear this mask just in case. Remember that we have many enemies.

This mask is a new invention of G-Corporation. I'm sure you'll find it...interesting.

Remember that G-Corporation is counting on you.

Take care,

Matsumi Osaka

Sae frowned.

"Do I have to?" she asked the empty room. On looking down she noticed another little bit of folded up paper. She picked it up and unfolded it.

Yes, you do.

Matsumi

She laughed and put them down. She picked up the mask and fitted it experimentally over her face. It fit perfectly, moulding over her nose and fitting her cheeks. She walked to the mirror and looked at herself. The mask seemed to put a veil over her eyes, making her eye colour indistinguishable. To her delight she noticed that the mouth moved when she moved her lips, and the lids seemed to blink.

"Cool," she whispered. Time had flown, and it was now time for dinner.

She picked up the microphone again and cleared her throat. When she spoke, her voice magnified.

"To all competitors. Dinner is now being served in the main dining room. I'll see you there."

Sae could almost hear the interested murmurs after her last statement. She laughed and donned her mask. She ran a brush quickly through her hair and left the room. Her hair brushed her back as she made her way down the stairs and into the dining room.

She could hear chatter in the room in front of her, and she paused to neaten herself up. Then she swung the doors open dramatically.

Every head in the room turned to her the minute she did so. At the head of the table were the young ones, 21 at the most, and they were regarding her with open curiosity. One of them, a blonde boy with red pants and blue shirt, was standing up, holding a chair out for a young girl with long brown hair in a ponytail, long purple pants, and a rather revealing golden bikini top. Another boy, with violent red hair held back by a pair of motorcycle glasses, was lounging back on his chair, his feet on the edge of the table. Sae noted the large boots with some interest. There were three other girls, a little Chinese girl with her hair in pigtails and a pink kimono, an American girl with brown braids and a feather in her hair, and Japanese girl with brown streaks in her black hair.

She was receiving different looks from further along the table, where several older men sat. There was a man with black hair that seemed plastered to his skull somehow in a white suit that buttoned up around his neck. One of the men was wearing a jaguar mask of her head, while another had obviously not taken this dinner seriously and was only wearing a pair of purple and green pants. There was a Chinese man, wearing a traditional Chinese shirt. Another man had white hair, eyes that seemed permanently narrowed, and a western-style hat. The last man had long, blonde hair styled above his head. He winked at Sae, and she bit back her laughter.

Next to them, two women were sitting across from each other. One was blonde and wearing a skin-tight purple costume. The other was a brunette, wearing a red kimono with a few minor adjustments. They were glaring daggers at each other, and Sae could tell that they were kicking each other's ankles from under the table. A silver-haired man was sitting next to the brunette, shooting nervous looks between the two women.

At the far end of the table were two men. They looked so similar to each other, that Sae wondered if they were related. The one of the right was wearing a black shirt and sunglasses. His black hair was in a spike behind his head. The other's hair was spiked in a similar fashion, but there were a few stray strands hanging over his forehead. The hood of his purple and blue jacket was back.

Sae studied these two men with great interest. A strange feeling stirred in her heart, a warm feeling, but it was smothered quickly. She shook her head and approached the empty chair at the head of the table.

"Welcome," she said loudly. The two men at the far end turned their heads towards her in one movement. She smiled, feeling the mask shift with her face. "It is a great honour to have you all here, in the first King of Iron Fist Tournament run by G-Corporation." She spread out her hands. To her slight dismay, the two men at the far end seemed angered by this news. "I'm sure you're all hungry, so dinner will be served now. Afterwards, I'd like to speak to you all in the lounge room. Enjoy your meal."

She sat down and, as if this signalled something, a group of waiters appeared out of thin air. They approached each of the competitors with a menu and quickly took their order. Sae ordered the marinated chicken breast. Chatter broke out while people waited for their food.

"Who are you?" asked the Japanese girl with brown streaks in her hair.

"I am Sae Kurosawa," Sae replied. "I'm a researcher for G-Corporation. And you are?" she indicated around the group of young adults.

"I'm Steve Fox," said the blonde boy. "I'm the Middle-Weight World Champion in boxing." He pumped his fists in front of him. The girl beside him laughed, and he grinned and winked at her. Sae looked questioningly at the girl.

"I'm Christie Monterio," she said. "My grandfather's a master of Capoeira. I'm his top student."

The Chinese girl spoke up next. "I'm Ling Xiaoyu, but everyone calls me Xiao. I'm a student."

"Julia Chang," said the girl with braids, offering her hand. Sae shook it. "I'm a researcher too. My main research is on forest rejuvenation."

"Hwoarang," said the last boy dismissively. "Served in the Korean army." He nodded towards the man in the western-style hat. "That's my master, Baek Doo San. He taught me everything I know about Tae Kwon Do."

Sae nodded, intrigued. This Hwoarang was obviously a rebel, one of the worst kinds, yet Sae could sense good in him. He just needed an influence to bring it out. Baek had obviously done the best he could, but Hwoarang needed more. He needed a girl. And by the looks he was shooting at Julia, Sae had a good idea who it would be. She turned to the last girl.

"Asuka Kazama," she said, and Sae felt an unknown thought stir in her brain. "I live with my father in his dojo outside of Osaka." Sae fought down a blanch as something seemed to stab at her. "I entered the last tournament to get revenge on this dickhead called Feng, who attacked my father and really hurt him. I beat him in round four. Now I'm just entering for fun."

"And who are all of these?" Sae asked, motioned to the other end of the table.

"I'll tell you," Xiao said. She was an eager young girl, and Sae turned her attention to her. "That's Marshall Law," she pointed to the man with plastered down hair. "King," to the man with the jaguar head. "Craig Marduk," the man with the green and purple shorts. "Lei Wulong," the man in the traditional Chinese shirt. "You know Baek," the man in the western-style hat. "Paul Phoenix," to the blonde man. "Lee Choalan," the silver-haired man. "And Nina and Anna Williams," the two angry looking women down near the end.

"And the two at the end of the table?" Sae asked, trying not to sound too interested.

"That's Jin Kazama," Asuka said, pointing to the younger. "He's no relation, by the way. And that's Kazuya Mishima."

Sae's heart flipped, and she told herself to calm down. She made small talk with the young adults, getting to know them more personally. Asuka seemed the least likely to open up, not revealing any more about herself. Finally she spoke.

"What are you doing here?" she blurted out when dinner was finally served. Of course, as she said those words a silence fell over the table, and they fell exactly in the gap of silence. Every single head turned towards Sae. She picked up her glass of water and took a sip.

"I may be a top researcher for G-Corporation," she said finally. "But I'm also the master of a particular strain of martial arts. I am one of the most powerful fighters of it in the country. In short, I'm the fighter for the final stage. Anyone who wants the grand prize has to beat me."

There was silence. Eventually the blonde man in the middle of the table laughed.

"You've got to be kidding," he said. Sae shook her head innocently, taking another sip of water.

"No. I'm the boss, in a manner of speaking." She smiled good-naturedly around the table. She received cautious smiles from most of the table, but the two men at the end were staring stonily at her, their gaze burning into her. She put a hand up and pushed a stray strand of hair, feeling the ridge of her mask as she did so.

They finished eating in silence. Sae stood up first, putting down her knife and fork with a clatter.

"If you'd all like to move into the lounge room," she said loudly. "I'll answer any further questions you might have."

There was a general chatter as they moved into the lounge room. A few people rushed to see the lists for the fights, but most gathered around Sae.

AN. Ah, so much unnecessary explanation. I cringe to read it now. Ah well, it's part of the story and Sae really doesn't know who any of these people are. Whatever could happen next? Please review XD