AN. Right, another chapter. There won't be many rounds, I'm sorry about that, but I'm not very good at adding up numbers and I don't really enjoy writing fight scenes (well, I didn't anyway). Hard to believe, but true. Anyway, another long one... Enjoy!

Chapter Seven – Round Two

The first two fighters were Jin and Christie, at a small park on the outskirts of the city. Sae was wearing a white blouse and a black skirt. She looked around, it was a quiet day, the weather promising to be fine and warm. Elm and oak trees were everywhere, along with simple flowerbeds and a dirt path.

Christie's black eye had faded and she looked ready to fight again. Her limp was also barely noticeable, but the cream Sae had given her couldn't heal it that quickly. She was wearing another ensemble of long pants with a bikini top. She performed what looked like a break dance, testing her sprained leg and doing a few of her moves.

Jin was definitely the stronger of the two, having received only minor injuries in the previous match. He was wearing dark-green plaid pants and a dark grey shirt. He adjusted his red glove and turned towards Christie.

"Ready?" Sae asked. They both nodded. "Begin."

Christie tried her hardest, but from the very beginning it was obvious she was at a disadvantage. Her leg wouldn't support her completely, and she winced whenever her kicks forced her to put weight on it. Jin noticed immediately that that was her weak spot, and aimed most of his kicks at the wounded leg. He managed to get one good kick directly on the weak joint, and Christie screamed in pain as she went down.

She rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself back up, her arms shaking and threatening to collapse at the elbow. Although she fought back as hard as she could, the match was over from that kick. Christie grew weaker and weaker, her leg growing steadily worse until she couldn't even get into her fighting stance comfortably. Jin saw this and circled around her when she closed her eyes. He hit her on the back of the neck and she fell silently to the ground.

Sae stepped forward and checked her pulse and pupils. She was out cold.

"Congratulations, Jin," she said, not bothering to add 'Kazama'. "You've won the second round."

He didn't walk back into the crowd, motioning to Steve instead. He came forward, and both men ducked down to check on Christie. Steve rubbed a thumb over her forehead and she smiled. He smiled too and picked her up. He and Jin walked into the crowd together, Christie supported in his arms.

Sae smiled after them before turning to the crowd. "Next we have Hwoarang and Steve at the jetty in one hour."

~*~

The sun beat down on the rough, wooden boards of the jetty. The crowd of onlookers stood in the shade of a large cruise ship which had come into port moments before. The steady stream of tanned and burnt passengers came and joined the group.

Hwoarang was wearing less formal clothes, deciding to wear a black T-shirt and dark-coloured jeans. He was wearing his motorcycle boots again, and his goggles held back his hair.

Steve was wearing a purple shirt that was buttoned up and pale jeans. He was wearing trainers, but they had light, wispy looking things at the back. His hands were wrapped in the long strips of cloth again.

They shook hands, smiling at each other.

"Ready?" Sae asked. The two stepped away from each other and nodded. "Begin."

It was obvious, right from the get-go, that these two friends wouldn't go easy on each other. Hwoarang got the first hit in, a strong kick that sent Steve skidding backwards a few paces. He responded with a punch to Hwoarang's gut. The red-head hunched forwards, his breath rushing out of him. Steve hit him in the face, a blow that glanced off Hwoarang's cheekbone and skimmed his ear.

Hwoarang grabbed Steve's arm and held him still before kicking him in the stomach. He hit Steve three times consecutively in the stomach before releasing him. Steve punched Hwoarang high in the air with his next punch, then hit as he was falling back to the ground. Hwoarang cried out, a trickle of blood trailing from his nose, his eye blackening.

Steve faltered, unsure what to do now. He saw the blood on Hwoarang's face and stopped completely, falling out of fighting stance. Hwoarang swung his legs around in a low kick that brought Steve to the ground. He then brought his fist above his head and swung it down in a wide arch that finally connected with Steve's stomach.

Steve groaned, then fell backwards, his eyes rolling up to whites.

"Congratulations, Hwoarang," Sae said. "You've won the second round."

Hwoarang bent down and checked his friend. He reached over the side of the jetty and splashed cold, salty water onto Steve's face. Christie had reached their side by this point, and stared eagerly into Steve's face. He coughed and sat up, his eyes opening blearily.

"The next match will be fought at the schoolyard in two hours between Asuka and Xiao."

~*~

Crowds of children and young adults wandered into the concrete schoolyard where the match would be fought. There were girls wearing green plaid skirts and white blouses, and boys wearing dark-green plaid trousers and dark grey shirts.

Xiao was wearing an identical costume to the girls, and Sae realised that this was Xiao's school. Jin was also wearing the school uniform, even if he wasn't a student anymore. Xiao kept waving to people and when a large panda exited the school beside a young girl with short red hair, she squealed. Sae watched with confusion as Xiao embraced first the girl, then the panda.

"I think that girl's one of Xiao's friends. And that's Panda," Julia whispered to her. "She's Xiao's bodyguard. Or at least she was."

Now, however, it seemed that Panda worked at the school.

Asuka was watching Xiao and Panda with a look of utter confusion on her face. Her traditional costume had been replaced with a mini tracksuit. It consisted of light purple short-shorts and a light purple, sleeveless shirt that was zipped from her waist to her belly button. In the open shirt there seemed to be a dark-purple boob-tube that stopped just above the zip, showing a triangle of her skin.

Xiao soon let go of the panda and, after exchanging a few words with the girl with red hair, walked back to the match.

"Ready?" Sae asked. The two teens nodded. "Begin."

Xiao started with one of her combo kicks. Asuka, being smaller than King, was more affected by this move and staggered backwards. She countered with a cartwheel-like kick, keeping her upper torso at the same level, while her lower body spun up and over, hitting Xiao repeatedly in the head and body. Sae recognised this move as well, and she felt slightly paralysed.

The fight continued like that, Xiao performing a tricky combo, and Asuka responding with a move that made Sae just a little more confused.

Eventually Asuka managed a powerful move. She spun around once and brought her leg up to shoulder height, kicking Xiao in the face. She flew backwards, landing with a small cry on the hard concrete. She tried to push herself into a sitting position, but groaned and fell back onto the ground again. Sae waited for a moment, then stepped forward.

"Congratulations, Asuka. You've won the second round."

Asuka walked back to the crowd and whispered something into Steve's ear, who rolled his eyes and whispered into Jin's. He nodded and went to the unconscious form of Xiao. She was lying still on the ground, her eyes peacefully closed. Jin carefully picked her up and walked into the crowd.

"The last match for today is between Nina and Kazuya at one of G-Corporation's labs in two and a half hours."

Sae glanced at Kazuya as she said this, and was shocked to see that he had frozen. His mouth dropped open and his face relaxed for the first time since she had seen him. She ignored this sudden lapse in his character, and instead headed for the bus that would take her to her work.

~*~

She was back in the place she lived, but she had never felt further from home. She had never felt at home here, even though Matsumi and the rest of the scientists said that she had lived here since her 20's.

Nina was wearing another skin-tight outfit, this time in gold. Her high-heels were the type with straps and a solitary buckle.

Kazuya continued with his black trend, wearing a black button-up shirt and a pair of long, dressy-style pants. He also continued to wear his dark glasses, despite the fact that the lab was dimly lit.

Nina was staring hard at Kazuya, her blue eyes icy with hate.

"I'll kill you if I can," she hissed. Kazuya nodded.

"Ready?" Sae asked. The two nodded again. "Begin."

Nina performed the first hit, punching Kazuya hard in the stomach with both her hands. He stumbled backwards, one of his hands covering the spot she had hit, and it was a short moment before he straightened up again. In that moment, Nina struck again. This time it was in the form of a double kick, one to the face and one to the stomach. This assault on Kazuya continued until he had a split lip, blood running down his chin.

Finally he managed to block one of Nina's punches, catching her wrist just before her hand connected with his face. She let out a short, surprised gasp, and then she was thrown over Kazuya's head. She landed several metres away.

Kazuya walked slowly over to her, noticing perhaps that she seemed in no hurry to get up. She sat up and looked slowly up Kazuya's tall frame. He was smirking, a disturbing expression that looked at home on his face. He carefully drew his leg back and kicked Nina hard in the face. It snapped her head back. She fell backwards, her body visibly relaxing.

Sae started to step forward, but Kazuya brought his leg back and maliciously kicked Nina in the stomach. Sae rushed forward. She put her hands on his upper arms and pushed him away from the unconscious woman. He went easily for a few steps, but then pushed back.

"What are you doing?" Sae hissed to him, putting her face very close to his.

From this angle, she could see the outline of his eyes through the dark lenses of his glasses. They widened, then narrowed.

"She'd do the same in my place," he said shortly.

Sae released him and stepped back, ready to grab him if he made to hit Nina again. He stayed where he was though, and she congratulated him sourly.

"You can all go back to the mansion," Sae said to the crowd. "I'll see you at dinner."

The crowd of onlookers dispersed, the competitors heading for the bus, the scientists returning to work. Kazuya followed the competitors after a moment, sneering down at Nina as he passed. Steve and Hwoarang both supported her back to the bus.

Sae waited behind, spotting a figure in a white coat on the sidelines. She waved at the bus to go on, knowing G-Corp could send her back at any time. She stared towards the man. His thick glasses glinted in the dim light and his brown hair was neatly combed. Sae could still see the tooth marks left by the comb.

"Sae," the figure said warmly as she approached. "How are you?"

"Fine," Sae replied, smiling at Dr Matsumi Osaka. "A bit tired though."

She saw the bus pull away and pulled off her mask. She sighed in relief and wiped sweat from her forehead.

"Yes," he said. "Those competitors seem a little odd. Especially that last one. What was his name? Kazuya? Kenawa?"

"The first one," Sae said. "Kazuya."

"Ah, yes. He's an odd one." Matsumi shook his head. "How's your memory going?"

That would have been the perfect moment to say what was happening. To tell Matsumi about the hazy fragments entering her mind, the random memories that assailed her.

"It's going terribly," Sae said, completely honestly. "Nothing's coming back. I'm beginning to wonder if it might be permanent amnesia."

"Doubtful," Matsumi said. "We know it's just temporary, Sae. We'll just have to be patient."

Sae wondered for a moment why he had said 'we', and not 'you'.

"I'd better be getting back to the mansion," she said, sliding her mask back onto her face.

"Yes, you'd better," he said, eyeing her strangely. "I'll see you later, Sae."

She waved goodbye to him and left the building, heading to where a car was already waiting for her.

AN. And there we have it, yet another chapter from Satu's vaults. I hope you enjoyed it, the next chapter will be another day-off kinda thing and then back to the fighting the chapter after. Good times had by all XD