AN. Okay, once again guests are staying at our house from today onwards. I don't know when they leave or where they are going to sleep. I'm guessing in the room with internet access. Therefore I might not be able to update for a while. As it is, I hope you enjoy this chapter and that it will keep you going until I get a chance to update again XD This chapter is long, so it should... If it's overdescriptive I apologise...
Chapter Five – The First Round
Sae stood at the edge of the first arena, a bare patch of rock high in the mountains, where the first match would be fought. She had refused to elevate herself above the other competitors, and was thus mingling amongst them. Not surprisingly, they let her stand at the front.
The elder of the two fighters, Marshall Law, approached the ring first, jumping slightly in his excitement. His white outfit had a blue Chinese dragon on the back, slip-on slippers on his feet.
The younger was one of the two men she had been watching the night before: Jin Kazama. Just hearing his name gave Sae shivers she couldn't understand. He was wearing the same tracksuit as the night before, the gold edges of the flames glinting in the sun.
Law preformed a forward flip for the crowd, showing his speed and agility. Jin just muttered something under his breath while looking over his shoulder. Sae followed his gaze and found the other man she had been watching, his eyes shielded, once again, by dark glasses.
Sae shivered under the warm sun, and turned back to the match.
"Ready?" she asked the competitors. They both nodded slightly. "Begin."
Law started first, doing a backflip-kick that sent Jin flying backwards. The Japanese man got up quickly, apparently unharmed by the attack. Law moved backwards, his hands waving.
Jin approached fearlessly, his hands held in front of him in classic karate style. Law was obviously unnerved by this, because he hesitated for a fraction of a second from his fighting stance.
That was a big mistake.
Before he could resume it, Jin ran towards him, knocking him to the ground. He delivered a few lightning-fast punches to Law's face and neck, getting up in about ten seconds. Sae could have sworn she had seen a flicker of lightning in those punches, but dismissed her thoughts as idiocy.
Law stood up slowly, a thin trickle of blood running from his left nostril. He wiped it away and resumed his stance. He smiled, but Sae could see he was physically weaker. She knew he was at least 20 years older that Jin, and that had to be a disadvantage.
Jin waited until Law got closer, so close that the elder man actually looked like he was about to strike, before making his move. He performed a high kick, uttering a small cry, which snapped Law's head back, before bringing his foot down. The kick forced Law to his knees, making him vulnerable to Jin's next attack.
He punched Law in the face with his left hand, making him collapse onto the hard rock. Jin then stomped hard on Law's stomach. He seemed to sit up, his knees and upper-body rising to encase Jin's leg. Law uttered a quiet moan and fell back, his eyes rolling up to whites.
There was a moment of silence, and then Sae started to clap. Xiao started soon after, accompanying it with a wolf whistle, and soon everyone was clapping. Sae looked over to the dark man, only to find that he had disappeared. She glanced around for a moment, then stepped forward into the ring.
"Congratulations, Jin Kazama," she said. "You have won the first round."
He looked at her soundlessly before nodding quickly. His hazel eyes studied her for a moment, tracing the lines of her mask. After that, he turned and walked out of the ring, his hands tucking into his pockets. Sae stared after him for a moment, before turning to the chatting spectators, as two ambulance workers came forward and checked Law.
"The next match," she said loudly, "will be held at the poolside between Christie Monteiro and Craig Marduk in one hour. See you there."
~*~
Everyone was crowded around the plaza next to the pool. A few of the swimsuit-clad women who appeared to live around the pool were there too, their tanned bodies shining with tanning oil in the morning sun.
Christie was seated on a pool-side recliner wearing long purple pants and a matching bikini top. Her feet were bare. She smiled and waved to Steve, who gave her an awkward double thumbs-up.
Marduk's chocolaty skin was shining in the sun too, but because of sweat rather than tanning oil. His chest was very hairy, and he had another line of hair down to the top of his purple and fluoro-green shorts.
They stood and walked towards each other. Marduk blew a kiss to Christie, and she grimaced.
"Sorry I have ta hurt ya, darlin'," he said with a strong Australian accent. "But I want the money more than I want you."
Christie didn't answer.
"Ready?" Sae asked the competitors. Marduk winked at her and assumed his Vale Tudor fighting stance. Christie jerked her head in a quick nod, her mouth becoming a thin white line. "Be-"
Before she could finish the word that would officially start the match, Marduk charged. Christie wasn't ready for the surprise attack and went down hard, Marduk's heavy form on top of her. She let out a loud cry of pain.
"Get off her, you slimy son-of-a-," Steve said angrily, moving towards the two fighters. Hwoarang put a hand on his upper-arm, hissing a few quiet words to him.
Sae rushed forward and pushed Marduk off Christie, pushing him back to his original starting position.
"I thought that match had started," was his only defence. Sae shot him a venomous look that shut him up pretty quickly.
Christie sat up and immediately grabbed her right leg, her face screwing up.
"Are you alright?" Sae asked, genuinely concerned.
"I think he broke my leg," Christie said shakily, tears welling in her eyes. Sae could see Steve arguing with Hwoarang and Nina, who had appeared from somewhere.
"Let me check," Sae said quietly. "This will hurt." She put her hands gently on each side of Christie's right knee and moved it carefully from left to right. Christie let out a gasp of pain, but Sae felt relief. "It's not broken."
"How can you tell?" Christie asked, holding her leg with both hands.
"If it was you would have screamed," Sae said, releasing her knee. "It's probably just a sprain. We can reschedule the fight for tomorrow."
"No. I want to fight today." Christie narrowed her eyes at the sulking form of Marduk. "He is such a dick."
"Are you sure?" Sae asked. "I'm not sure it's the smartest thing to do."
"Yeah, I'm sure." Christie held out her hand and – against her own better judgement – Sae pulled her to her feet. Christie staggered a little, then started her fighting stance, wincing every time she put weight on her right leg. Sae motioned to Marduk, who walked back to the ring.
"You're lucky you aren't disqualified," Sae hissed to him as she left. She stood next to the sullen silent Steve and watched the match with hopelessness. "Begin."
Christie pulled off a stunning spin kick that caused Marduk to fly backwards and crash into one of the pool chairs. As she did so her face twisted slightly with pain. After that, she kicked only with her left leg, supporting herself on her hands. Marduk managed to get in one good punch that snapped Christie's head back, but Marduk was still defeated two kicks after that.
Sae stepped forward through the applause and said the same statement as before, except with Christie's name in place of Jin's. She stood there in complete shock, her left eye steadily blackening. When Sae finished, Christie laughed and limped quickly to the edge of the crowd, where she threw her arms around Steve's neck. He looked very surprised, but put both arms around her. Sae smiled at them, trying not to laugh at Steve's awkwardness. A medic emerged from the crowd and waved smelling salts under Marduk's nose to get him up.
"The next match, between Hwoarang and Baek Doo San, will take place at the mall in half an hour."
The crowd slowly dissipated, leaving Sae alone on the tiled floor. She sighed and headed for the bus that would take them to the mall.
~*~
A soft artificial light shone down on the central square, while quiet easy-listening music played in the background. There was a small fountain in the middle of the floor, adding its soft tinkle to the ambiance.
Hwoarang had donned a traditional white Tae Kwon Do uniform, probably out of respect for his master. His name and a beautiful symbol were emblazoned on the back. His red hair was pushed back with a white sweatband.
Baek was wearing basically the same uniform, but it was more yellow and it had a different name on the back. His western-style hat was gone, and his white hair caught the light.
"Ready?" Sae asked and both men nodded. "Begin."
Before they began fighting, they bowed to each other and commenced their fighting stance. Baek started out with a strong kick to Hwoarang's shoulder. Hwoarang responded with a punch that pushed Baek back a few paces. This pattern went on, backwards and forwards. Hwoarang had a bloody nose and Baek had a black eye very soon into the match. Hwoarang brought up his left leg and kicked Baek in the face. The master of Tae Kwon Do fell backwards and twitched slightly, before lying still.
Sae congratulated Hwoarang, who just stared at his master in disbelief. He smiled an uncertain smile and Sae returned it with the warmest smile she could. He turned and walked slowly into the crowd. There was a quiet cry and Hwoarang was ambushed by a blur with braids. Julia hugged him tight, burying her face into his chest. He looked very embarrassed at this sudden display, but hugged back. Then both of them helped Baek up, supporting him back into the crowd.
"Next we have Steve Fox and Lei Wulong at the airport in an hour and a half."
This time Sae didn't wait for the crowd to thin before heading to the bus.
~*~
A Boeing 747 was droning overhead. The sun beat down and bounced back off the black tarmac of the runway. It wasn't the main runway of course, but a quiet patch of ground outside the baggage office. Sae could see a few oversized, steel baskets with large suitcases on them.
Lei was moving steadily from pose to pose, muttering quietly. His long blue shirt had golden Chinese symbols spread over it. His feet were clad in simple Chinese slippers. His long, black hair was tied in a low ponytail.
Steve was wearing a pair of long, red pants with silvery chains connected to the belt. His blue shirt was open, revealing his chest. He had long pieces of cloth wrapped around his hands. He ducked a little and pumped his fists in front of him experimentally.
"Let's go," Le said, and ducked into his shuffling fighting stance.
"Ready?" Sae asked. "Begin."
Lei managed to get one good kick in, hitting Steve in the lower stomach, before Steve knocked him to the ground. His punches were quick and deadly accurate. As a final move he bent down and to the side, before unleashing a tremendous punch to Lei's gut. Lei let out a barking cough before collapsing to the ground.
Steve beckoned into the crowd when he was completely sure that Lei wasn't getting up again, and Christie limped out. He hugged her tight when she reached him and she kissed the tip of his nose, making them both blush.
Sae congratulated Steve with a smile on her face. They were such a cute couple.
The medic with the smelling salts came forward again, and Lei was soon standing in the crowd.
"The next match between Ling Xiaoyu and King will occur in the underground in half an hour."
~*~
The underground was hot and damp, the interior filled with bulky men. It also smelt strongly of sweat and dirt. The men in there were all streaked with dirt and mud, their shorts coated with a thick crust of mud.
Xiao stood out like a sore thumb in this environment. Her dark brown hair was pulled into two pigtails by bright pink hair-ties. Her dress was the same shade of pink except for a strip of purple flowers on the right side near the hem. Her pink bracelets and a yellow section on the back of each of her shoes were glowing, indicating lights. They left streaks of colour in the air when she moved.
King was wearing the classical wrestler's underwear, with only large boots to compliment them. His jaguar mask was firmly in place, while his long, black hair hung down his back like a greasy curtain. He seemed to fit in with the dark surroundings.
Xiao waved up to Sae, who waved back. "Ready," she asked. Xiao nodded and King let out a low growl. "Begin."
King started out strong, grabbing Xiao and draping her over his shoulder, her kicking and punching all the while, and dropping sideways onto the ground. Xiao cried out, before standing up slowly. She took two deep breaths, King watching her closely, and then performed a combo-kick move. She leapt up and kicked King several times in the face, before using his shoulders to propel herself backwards several metres.
King stumbled, then recovered, uttering a low growl as he straightened up again. He grabbed Xiao and swung her around before tossing her to one wall. Xiao twisted in mid-air and hit the wall hands first. She pushed off it and landed on all fours, panting slightly. King advanced slowly, his beady eyes fixed on her. He got within three steps of her, before she leapt up and kicked him hard in the face.
He staggered backwards before tripping over an exposed rock and falling onto the ground. Xiao stood up and ran over to him, stomping on his fingers. She then kicked him in the face, her eyes clenched shut. King gripped her ankle and flipped her over. She thumped hard on her back, the air rushing out of her lungs. Her big brown eyes widened, then closed.
King growled in triumph, standing over Xiao with his arms upraised. Sae saw Xiao's eyes slide open and her fingers twitch. She flipped her feet over her head and kicked upwards. King yowled as her right foot connected with his left inner-thigh and her left foot hit slightly to the right of that. He toppled forward and Xiao rolled out of the way, ending in a crouch.
Sae waited for a moment, just to make sure that King was unconscious, before stepping forward. Xiao stood up slowly, her eyes wide and immediately assumed fighting stance on getting up. Sae put a hand on her shoulder and she relaxed.
"Did I just -?" Xiao started to ask.
"Congratulations, Ling Xiaoyu. You have won the first round," Sae said quietly. Xiao laughed and pulled Sae into a hug.
"Thank you," Xiao whispered, and broke away. She looked over her shoulder and smiled shyly at Jin, who had been standing in the front row since King had thrown her to the ground. He smiled back at her. Marduk came out of the crowd and helped King up.
"Next, we have Asuka Kazama fighting Anna Williams at the church garden in one hour." Sae tried to ignore the shiver that saying Asuka's last name gave her.
~*~
This is a beautiful place, Sae thought, looking around the shaded garden.
The sun was low in the sky, shining a strong orange light down on the ring and making long shadows on the ground. There were two flower beds in the middle of the garden, bright red and blue flowers surrounding a simple shrub. The stone church in the background cast a long shadow towards them.
Asuka was wearing what seemed to be a traditional fighting uniform. Her long, loose, black pants contrasted strongly with her white shirt. She was wearing Japanese sandals and a white sweat-band to hold back her brown hair.
Anna was wearing a very tight red kimono. It had been altered, apparently by a professional, to show a generous view of her breasts. A long slit up one side of her dress was parted because of her stance.
The two women looked at each other. Anna's gaze was haughty and judging. Asuka's was carefree and amused.
"Ready?" Sae asked, and the two nodded. "Begin."
Anna delivered the first punch, but her heart wasn't really into it. She only seemed interested in the fight for the first ten seconds. Asuka delivered punches and kicked and all sorts of combos. And every one of them seemed to paralyse Sae's mind. For a grand finale, Asuka spun around, quite fast, before delivering a powerful kick to Anna's middle.
Those moves, Sae thought. How did she –?
She stepped forward to congratulate Asuka, who smiled and walked into the crowd when she was finished. Lee came out and supported Anna back into the crowd.
"Now we have Nina Williams and Lee Chaolan at the beach in one and a half hours."
This time, Sae was second on the bus.
~*~
The sun was just touching the horizon, making the sky a beautiful blend of oranges and reds, with purple and dark blue just touching the edges. The water reflected these colours, shifting continuously to rearrange them. The sand was pure white, and so fine it was like walking on silk. Two palm trees swayed in a warm, salty breeze.
There were barely any people around at this time of the day, but a few late swimmers joined the ring of spectators, including an elderly couple with a small but dignified dog, and life-guard.
Lee Chaolan was dressed for the occasion. His choice of outfit was a full tuxedo, complete with shiny dress-shoes and a red carnation in his lapel. His silver hair was neatly combed.
Nina was wearing a very tight, full-body purple outfit that showed a lot of skin. Her long blonde hair was back, out of her face, and her clear blue eyes coldly surveyed the man in front of her.
"Ready?" Sae asked.
"Of course," Lee said courteously. Nina just nodded.
"Begin," Sae said.
Nina started with a combo kick, one to Lee's face and one to his knees. He stumbled backwards, before rushing forward. He pushed her to the ground, sat on her stomach, and started punching her in the face. She blocked most of them and bucked hard enough to throw him off. He landed on his knees, before hoisting himself to his feet in a fluid movement. Nina did the same, stretching her arms up as she did so. They circled each other like animals.
Sae took a moment to glance around the crowd. Everyone was cheering for their favourite fighters. Steve and Hwoarang had started up a chant: "Let's go, Nina, let's go." Followed by two claps.
Nina smiled a cold cruel smile and punched Lee with her hand flat. Her locked fingers dug into his cheek before his head was forced to move. He fell onto his knees, his hand going to his cheek. Nina kicked him briskly in the groin and he fell onto his back, groaning. She put one foot on his chest, her sharpened stiletto heel piercing the flower on his chest.
"Looks like it's over," she whispered, and rolled him over with one simple push of her high-heel.
Sae was a little frighting of this cold woman when she stepped forward, but when Nina smiled slightly she relaxed. "Congratulations, Nina Williams," she said. "You've won the first round."
"Thank you," Nina said and strolled into the crowd. Steve moved to hug her, but he stopped just short and shook her hand instead. She smiled at him and Sae thought she saw a little warmth in her eyes. Christie didn't look happy, but Steve looked over the moon. Anna came out of the crowd and pulled Lee into it by the collar of his shirt.
"Last for today, and this round," Sae began in a clear voice, "we have a match in the streets between Julia Chang and Kazuya Mishima."
As she said Kazuya's name her voice broke slightly. No one seemed to have noticed though, and they all started moving towards the bus.
~*~
The sun had gone down and the street was illuminated by the orange streetlights. Neon signs flickered and buzzed overhead, and a large, graffiti-marked sign adorned a building. It was an ad for an Anti-Aging cream called 'Wrinkle Away'. Underneath the plain print someone had added the statement: 'I woz ere. Ere I woz. Woz I ere? Yes I woz.' Underneath that an illegible name had been sprayed.
A large crowd of punks joined in the crowd. Even Hwoarang, the bad-boy of the group, looked like a normal teen next to these guys. Their hair was styled in rough spikes and three of them were wearing collars.
Julia was regarding the waste and ruin around them with an angry eye. Her clean jeans and denim jacket contrasted with their surroundings.
"Hey, baby," one of the punks called. "Are ya free after the match?"
Hwoarang let out a silent sigh and kicked the punk in the face. He smiled at Julia, and she smiled back, waving.
Kazuya was wearing another black outfit. His black glasses reflected one of the neon signs.
"Ready?" Sae asked. Julia nodded and Kazuya grunted. Sae hesitated, not knowing if that was a yes or no, then said, "Begin."
Julia fought hard. She kicked and punched and performed tricky combo moves. But Kazuya ducked all of them, barely breaking a sweat. After a minute of this, Julia was panting slightly as she kicked out at Kazuya again. It connected with his shoulder and he reeled backwards slightly. Julia took this as a sign and renewed her efforts.
Kazuya eventually kicked her, a simple sideways kick that sent her flying backwards. He then walked calmly to where she was lying on the ground and stomped on her stomach. She coughed and pushed his foot off her. He stood over her, waiting for her to get up.
She got into a crouch, then swung her legs around in a low kick. A triumphant cry came from Sae's right, and from the corner of her eye she could see Hwoarang smiling broadly. Kazuya's legs shot out from under him and he toppled to the ground. Julia stood up, smiling. Kazuya lay on the ground for a moment, then performed a similar manoeuvre, one of his muscled legs catching Julia just below the knee. She let out a cry as she fell to the ground, and Sae saw the smile leave Hwoarang's face. Kazuya hit her in the stomach, and she crumpled backwards.
Sae waited for a moment. Julia didn't move.
"Congratulation, Kazuya Mishima," she said softly. "You've won the first round."
Kazuya didn't move. Hwoarang did though. He fought his way clear of Steve's restraining hand and went to Julia's side, taking her hand. She was breathing deeply, a dark purple bruise forming on one cheek bone. He scooped her up and the crowd started to move towards the bus.
Sae started to follow, before seeing Kazuya standing very still to the right. She turned to him and a rough bolt of attraction passed through her gut. She could clearly see his muscles beneath the fabric of his shirt, and his black hair shone in the bright neon lights. They stared at each other and he sneered. The motion twisted his thin lips and made the scars under his cheeks rise. His dark glasses seemed so impenetrable, and Sae wondered for a moment what his eyes looked like. A thought ran through her mind. A thought that couldn't be true, and yet she knew it was.
His eyes were as dark as midnight the day he left.
Left what? His family? His lover?
As if he could hear these thoughts, he shook his head and turned to the bus. She rubbed her arms as a chill fell over her.
A memory came to her then of dark eyes burning into hers, while two large hands held her close. A whispered voice, I'll come back. I promise on our child. I...love you.
AN. Ah dear, random memories. That's gotta be confusing... Poor Sae. Anyway, please review! I would really appreciate it XD