The Bird of Darkness

by DeNice

With the dawning of another Shadowloo movement, fighters from all over race to get to the bottom of strange events that plauge the world. Little do they know how deep the rabbit hole really goes. CH.15 up: Another night is fully alive...

5. Night 'n Gale

CHAPTER 5: NIGHT n' GALE

Kyoto, Japan 8:47 P.M.

"This is it! The final round! Get ready!"

"Come! I won't hold back! Trust me on that!"

The now crimson skies of Kyoto shone down on two martial artists within a vast forest. A light breeze swept through the battlefield, which was littered with leaves long the grassy ground and huge trees all over. Once of the warriors in the battle was a master of Karate, sporting short black hair and a brownish-white gi. A long yellow headband was wrapped around her neck and it swayed in the air as she slowly and carefully circled her adversary. Before her was a taller woman, who had long brown hair and a red & white hakagi, along with a simple white headband on her head. The first was named Makoto; the latter; Hokuto.

In a blink of an eye, Makoto made the first move, dashing towards her opponent to try a quick throw. Hokuto dipped to her side and out of the way, returning the favor by delivering an elbow strike to the head. This attack was blocked, and swiftly countered with a close ranged dash punch to Hokuto's side. She quickly put some distance between them to recover from Makoto's Hayate, but Makoto wouldn't have any of it. She sped in with another fast Hayate, hitting her target...

"Gokyaku Hou!"

...who was in her counter stance. The karate girl fell on her back and Hokuto moved in to capitalize, only to get interrupted by an object swiftly flying her way. She backed way, letting the object stick itself into the forest floor.

"A dagger..." she thought. Obviously, it couldn't have come from Makoto.

"Hoooo!"

She was right. Another fighter, clothed in white & red ninja attire dropped from the sky right in front of her, almost catching her off guard. Upon landing the new fighter let out 3 quick spinning kicks, all which were blocked. Before Hokuto could retaliate, the ninja threw down a smoke bomb, totally throwing her off. Instinctively she covered her face to not inhale any of it as it quickly vanished.

"Ugh... Now where did she...?"

"Megita!"

Hokuto's confusion cleared up from Makoto's perch on a nearby tree. Instantly the shorter girl shot down with a swift kick, connecting instantly. She then followed with a knee to the face, popping Hokuto into the air briefly, then a spinning kick, and then dashed under her defenseless foe with a hard fist upwards, the force strong enough to hit Hokuto higher into the air. Makoto jumped to follow, her overhead kick hitting Hokuto straight back to the ground, the leaves on the floor jumping up as she landed on her back.

Makoto wasn't out of the fire, however, for her return trip downward was cut off from a foreign object that shot out from the woods behind Hokuto. The black & gold pole hit Makoto dead on in her stomach and she tumbled backwards to accompany Hokuto on the ground.

"Sister! I'll take it from here!"

And out jumped out yet another fighter, dressed in a brown dress with a small protective shield along her chest. Her brown hair was set up in a ponytail accompanied with a red tie and wore black long socks and brown sneakers.

"Alright, Nanase," Hokuto breathed out, getting to her feet. "Go for it!"

The younger sister wasted little time pursuing Makoto, meeting her as she tried to stand with a downward elbow strike, followed quickly by a fierce roundhouse kick to the face. Makoto cried out as she reeled backwards from the blows, but Nanase was all over her. She quickly jumped towards her, pole ready, and as she jumped over her, planted her pole right into Makoto's head for her Kasumi Oroshi move... or that is, if she didn't block.

The karate girl immediately cancelled her guard and dashed forward to where Nanase would land, then, as she turned around, grabbed her by the neck. Makoto proceeded to lift her up and give a single choke, then put her down, startling Nanase. She then followed with a swift chop to the side of the head, making her spin in recoil, then a Hayate to the back, making her stumble away.

"Ibuki!" Makoto called out and on cue, the ninja girl from earlier reappeared in front of Nanase.

"HaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAHHHHH!!" she shouted, grabbing Nanase's arm and putting her free hand onto her defenseless side. A second later a huge dome of energy poured out of Ibuki's hand, the wind caused from it blowing the leaves away, as well as Nanase's body, which flew into a nearby tree. She howled in pain as her body ached from Ibuki's Yoroi-Doushi super art, but there was no time to recuperate.

Nanase forced herself to roll out of the way of Ibuki's follow up kick. As the ninja girl dashed again as Nanase stood up as quickly as she could, she followed up with a powerful strike with her fist. Nanase, however, rose up with her own roundhouse kick. The two gasped as they traded hits, reeling away from one another. Nanase was slightly quick to her senses and spun back around towards Ibuki, whipping her pole out from her side. She ducked low, dodging Ibuki's recovery palm strike and swung hard while spinning, putting all her power into her attack. Ibuki instantly saw stars from the heavy blow, her body spinning as it fell to the ground. Nanase didn't waste any time capitalizing, dashing towards the dazed fighter and got her pole into position.

"HAAAAAH! Izayoi Rekkon!"

She gave Ibuki three ground attacks with her pole, the last one hitting her into the air. Nanase jumped after wards, spinning her pole over her head like a helicopter blade, hitting multiple times. Before the move could finish, though, Nanase paused...

"Yoyoi Toukon Gi!"

...and threw the pole at her opponent as a projectile while still airborne. Ibuki's body crashed into the grass a few feet away, her ninja gi starting to tear and her left cheek starting to bruise under the mask. She still felt woozy, but not enough to keep her from defending herself this time. She slowly regained her footing while Nanase dashed in, grabbing her staff from the floor while running towards her full speed. She still held tightly to her side, the pain from Ibuki's super still writhing through her.

The two stopped moving once they made eye contact with one another. Nanase held her pole ready in front of her as Ibuki slowly got her feet fully, her right hand slowly reaching a few of her daggers from her pocket. A moment of silence passed, the two rivals only listening to their pounding hearts and heavy breathing.

"C... come on..." Nanase heaved. "Make the first move..."

Through her mask over her mouth, Ibuki weakly smirked. "You sure you want me to? You might regret it..."

"We'll just see who'll be doing the regretting..."

"Humph... Ok... GURAE!"

On cue, Ibuki threw three of her daggers along the floor, right at Nanase's feet. At the same time, Nanase positioned her pole in front of her on its end, blocking the last dagger from pinning her down. Both moving swiftly, Nanase jumped, balancing herself on top of her extending pole as Ibuki dashed under her, missing her strike for her Yami-Shigure super art. Nanase came down quickly from her perch and turned around, trying to use her pole to retaliate, but this time Ibuki was quicker. The ninja girl gave her 5 quick roundhouse kicks, the last one making Nanase spin to the ground. Despite the pain, Nanase flipped to her feet as Ibuki dashed in to follow up. She performed a few low attacks, all in which Nanase was in position to guard against. She then moved in even closer to attempt a grab. However, Nanase managed to push Ibuki off, making her stumble backwards a bit.

Nanase then came in with her own quick attacks while putting her weapon to her side again. Those were blocked. Nanase then tried to mix things up, but a quick sweep from Ibuki disrupted it.

The ninja hopped backwards to catch her breath, watching as Nanase sat up, using her dueling rod for support.

"N... never thought... I'd have such a tough fight from you..." Ibuki heaved.

"I... I sort of... expected this..." Nanase hoarsely replied.

"All... about the beauty of it, uh?"

"You... could say that..."

Both let out light laughs...

"TAG!"

"TAG!"

...but it wasn't long until the action picked up again. Makoto and Hokuto rushed out to replace their tired teammates. Makoto came with a Hayate, but Hokuto came out the winner with her ducking sweep kick, the Shinkuu Geki. Makoto quickly regained balance to guard again a kick to her knee and returned with a light jab. Hokuto blacked, as predicted, so Makoto stepped forward with a stronger punch. Not only did Hokuto block this one, but she grabbed the arm and flipped Makoto over her back.

The karate girl gave a shout as she rolled backwards to her feet, only to get nailed with another Chugekihou that was linked into an uppercut, hitting her into the air slightly. Hokuto canceled again, this time forming an orange energy bullet with her hands. It hit as it expanded, but the real damage didn't occur until Hokuto shouted out its name...

"Kiren'eki!!"

....and shot it forward. Fifteen hits later Makoto hit the ground a third time, this time staying down. Hokuto brushed her hands and sighed, then flicked her hair.

"Are you finished?" she asked, her voice still soft even during battle. Makoto only groaned as she tied to stand up again, only she found herself lying back on the ground, staying permanently.

"Guess so," Hokuto answered for herself. "Ok, Ibuki! Come on out!"

"Hehe! That's the thing! Never keep your eye off a shinobi!"

Hokuto gasped as she looked up, where she found Ibuki jumping off a high tree branch...

"ATARE!!!"

...and fired many small daggers from the air. Unable to dodge, Hokuto tired her best to defend. The hailstorm didn't stop for quite some time but luckily Hokuto managed to hold on. Ibuki knew this while falling down right next to Hokuto. Instantly she tried to hop backwards to get away but Hokuto grabber her by her arm... and just led her towards her back. Although the move didn't damage in itself, Hokuto dealt some with a blow to the back of the head, then a solid Shingeki to the head, sending Ibuki to the ground face first.

"Geez..." the ninja girl thought, struggling to rise up from the grass to continue the battle, "I don't believe that—irk!"

Rolling on her back to try to sit up, Ibuki found herself at the business end of another weapon: a pole with a very sharp metal blade on its end. She stopped moving on a dime, her eyes widening as they rose to look a smirking Hokuto in the eyes.

"You lose," was all the dominant fighter said. Ibuki heaved a frustrated sigh as she grabbed the mask off her mouth and threw it to the ground at her side, revealing the bruise that Nanase left on her cheek.

"Crap!" Ibuki yelled. "I hate cooking dinner!"

This only made Hokuto's smile bigger. "I think this'll tell you to get better at your skills then... Come on. Fighting 3 rounds with you two makes me famished every time."

15 minutes later

"Luckily I didn't hold any classes today. My students would probably ask why I'm looking like this," Makoto muttered to herself as she took of her battle torn gi and folded it neatly in her lap before setting it on her side on her bed. After the tournament 3 years ago, Makoto earned enough money from her bouts to buy a rather nice house that resided in the forest outside of Kyoto. From her bedroom on the second floor she could see much of the busy city of Kyoto from her bedroom, the evening sunrays shining through the window. Better yet, she also managed to get her father's karate dojo moved to right next door, making her life a whole lot more convenient for her. Even though she'd been living here for 3 years, many things still felt new to her, like the fact that she had much more room in her bedroom than before, allowing her to put stuff in that she normally would've passed up on. However, living with three close friends who knew how to live certainly made things easier on her...

After taking another look at the city below her, Makoto rose off the bed and towards a dresser drawer, searching for something to wear for the night. As she rambled through the clothes she possessed, a knock at her bedroom door came about.

"Who is it?" the karate girl asked while not stopping in her quest.

"It's me. Nanase."

"The door's open."

Taking the invite, Nanase entered Makoto's bedroom. She was already out of her battle clothes, wearing a simple oversized t-shirt and her long black socks. The bow that held her hair together was off. Now her brown hair was worn a whole lot longer, reaching well beyond her shoulders.

"I just came up to tell you that Ibuki's done with dinner," she announced, "Oh, and that she hasn't burnt it to a crisp like last time."

"Oh, really? What did she cook, then?"

"Nothing too groundbreaking... It's a nice fish dinner she prepared."

Hidden to Nanase, Makoto smiled. "Wow... she sure did go out of her way if she did fish... I'll have to see for myself. Ah!"

Makoto pulled out of the drawer a red tank top and slipped it on, then a blue pair of shorts that were about a size too big for her. As she put on the remainder of her clothes, Nanase twisted her mouth.

"How can you be so comfortable dressing up with me in here? Don't you know I can see more than I need to?"

"Last time I checked I wasn't forcing you to watch me," Makoto smugly replied while turning to face her friend. "Anyway, let's go."

A little later...

"You know, I don't know why you hate cooking so much. Your fish is divine."

"Oh, please, Hokuto. Don't flatter me. I'd rather order out than cook myself."

"This shows how lazy you get when you're not living in your village, Ibuki..."

Ibuki twitched as Makoto's words hit her ears. "Hey, can you blame me for wanting to have some down time from all that? You really don't know what goes on there."

"Perhaps... but it still doesn't say why you hate cooking."

Ibuki left that comment alone and turned to her dinner sitting before her. She and the rest of the fighters were enjoying Ibuki's cooking in the dining room that Nanase decorated herself. Hokuto was still in her clothes from earlier while Ibuki changed into some comfortable urban clothes, a bandage covering her right cheek. It was rather quiet save for the soft music coming from the radio on the table behind Hokuto. Although she didn't say it, Ibuki couldn't stand it...

"Would it kill them to put on something more... 21st century?" she thought to herself, taking another bite out of her fish, then responded with, "Hey, Makoto. Don't forget that you have to handle the dishes afterwards."

"Don't worry about me. I handle my responsibilities." A pause, then, "Speaking of which... Hokuto, did you and Nanase find the gift you were going to give your father?"

Hokuto just shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. There wasn't anything that he probably would've liked down in town. We decided to try again later in the week."

"Alright. Just checking..."

Nanase, who hadn't said anything ever since coming downstairs, remained so as she looked at her sister. It had been quite a while since they have even been near their original home, but there was a reason so. There were too many memories back there of their family, most of them very, very painful when brought to mind. The days where their family was peaceful and most important, together, definitely made her heart long for that. In a way she almost condemned her family's fighting style or martial arts all together, since it is what caused the breakup of their family... but times move on, and seeing her father again would definitely bring some hope to her.

For a while after that none of the women said anything to one another while they finished eating. Ibuki was first to break the ice, letting out a satisfied sigh as she pushed herself away from the table.

"That was good! Well, I'll be in my room if you need me... and Makoto, don't you dare think of leaving this floor without doing the dishes, got it?"

Makoto only looked from out the side of her eyes to her friend/rival, then back to her rice bowl. "I will take care of it. Just relax. There's no need for you to be all loud about such things."

Ibuki scoffed. "Yeah, well... one chore not done can lead to some serious problems down the road. I'm just keeping you on your toes."

"Oh, is that so?" the karate girl countered. "In that case, then I'll be doing the same to you."

"WHAT?!"

"And it's great to know that my influences are rubbing off on you. When this little group started you were such a slacker..."

Ibuki's face literally turned red from hot anger. "Oh, I'm a slacker, am I!? Tell you what? How about you see how much I'm slacking when you get upstairs, huh!?"

Makoto only sighed, unfazed. "Come on... Tonight? I mean... really. All I have to do is give your cheek one, nice touch... and..."

"Ok, you two," Hokuto interrupted, calmly standing up herself and grabbing her silverware, "you can handle that in private, but not here. We had an agreement, remember? No arguing or fighting at the dinner table."

The ninja pouted. "Ok, mother..." she replied, stressing the word 'mother' under her breath. Without another word she went upstairs, preparing for the finale that would take place later. Makoto just sighed and finished up her rice, then went past Hokuto to the kitchen area. Nanase kept her eyes on her until she passed her sister, and then kept her mark there. It was then where she watched in observation on her face. Hokuto hadn't moved ever since she stood up. She also had her gaze on the table in front of her, as if zoning out or thinking about something heavy.

"S... sister?" she whispered, just loud enough for her to hear. Hokuto then looked at her younger sister and straightened her posture.

"Yes, Nanase?"

"....oh... nothing... You looked like you were thinking..."

Hokuto lightly nodded before turning herself away from the table and Nanase and heading into the kitchen along with Makoto. Nanase didn't get up from her seat automatically, but she eventually got up and followed suit.

One hour later

Nanase couldn't sleep. She really tried to, but she couldn't. She just couldn't. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't rest when Makoto and Ibuki were fighting in the other room down the hall. It was just impossible. Heaving a sigh the young fighter sat up in her bed, holding her forehead. Her bedroom was dark since the lights were out and the moon was being blocked out mostly by the leaves from the many trees outside her window. That plus the fact that the lack of sleep started to set in, Nanase was already feeling like she hadn't slept all night.

{I need... to go somewhere... quiet...}

She forced herself out of her bed, or rather, tumbled out of it to the floor, the bed sheets falling behind her. Letting out a moan, Nanase got to her feet and grabbed her pillow and one of her sheets at random, not caring that there were numerous lint balls in her now messy hair. A while later, she was knocking at her sister's door, hoping that she hadn't either ran away from the noise or was asleep already.

"Sister..." she said lightly. "It's me... Let me in..."

There was no response. Once again, Nanase knocked on the door, this time harder.

"Hokuto?"

After a while of nothing, Nanase tired the doorknob.

{Huh...? It's unlocked....}

"Sister...?" she said quietly as she opened the door... and gasped. Her sister was definitely awake... and busy packing her things, most specifically her fighting attire into her travel bag. Baffled and shocked, Nanase just stood and stared at her older sister, unable to understand why she was doing this. Hokuto, in turn, grew aware of her sister's presence, and stopped what she was doing herself. After a moment of silence between the two, Nanase was the first to try to attempt to speak.

"Sister..." was all that came out of her mouth. "What are you...?"

Heaving a sigh, Hokuto sat down on her bed and looked at the ground, facing away from Nanase. The younger stood still as she waited on Hokuto's response.

"Nanase... I was planning on sneaking out... Out into the world once again..."

"But why?" Nanase demanded. "You don't have a reason to..."

"I do.... It's... about our brother..."

The little array of words struck Nanase hard in her stomach. She instantly remembered the tournament that took place years ago... What happened to Kairi as it concluded... How Sakura's Nekketsu Hadouken practically thrashed his body. It wasn't like she had much of a choice. If she didn't, she wouldn't be alive today. But at the same time, that was Nanase's brother who was at the end of that attack. It was Hokuto's brother that was presumed dead after it ended. There was no trace of his body when the battle concluded. Most people just thought that he left the remains of the Tokyo dome without a trace, but Hokuto & Nanase presumed the worst... or rather... Nanase did.

"I don't understand...." the younger sister responded.

"Nanase, lately... I... I've had this feeling that things between me and him can't be decided by him being defeated by someone else. I can feel it. He's still out there somewhere... Only I can stop him."

"Sister... you already fought our brother twice and won both times... and neither time did he return to his old self... Please... Don't go."

"I don't have much of a choice about it. It's either that or he comes here and threatens our friends. I can't let that happen. I just can't."

Nanase kept her peace this time around, leaving Hokuto to finish packing her things. Once she closed her bag up, Nanase tried again.

"Hokuto..."

"I'm leaving, Nanase... There's no way around it."

"At least let me come with you."

"No... Out of the question. It's too dangerous."

"But..."

"Besides..." Finally, Hokuto turned around to make perfect eye contact with Nanase, "someone needs to keep Ibuki and Makoto company. Knowing those two they might go too far with their rivalry. They need a good referee like you around."

"So... are you saying that... we don't care enough to accompany you... on this new journey of yours?"

Hokuto gasped as behind Nanase emerged Makoto and Ibuki, both who were panting heavily and obviously tired from their tussle, but still doing fine. Hokuto twisted her mouth. She didn't expect to conflict with her roommates, let alone her sister.

"You know," Ibuki spoke, "that if you have a problem that you should tell us. We can solve it together. I think we had this discussion quite a few times before, Hokuto. What? You don't trust us or something?"

"No. It's not that... It's just...."

"Sister, don't you understand? We're all in this together. You taking off without much word isn't really that we all would appreciate, you see...."

"Ok, ok..." Hokuto finally caved in. "I get the message, you three. Just promise me that... that... well..." Hokuto trailed off.

"Well?" Ibuki asked.

Hokuto shook her head. "No. It's nothing."

"Alright, girls! We leave ASAP tomorrow," Ibuki announced. "Get your things packed, because I sense another adventure coming up!"

As Makoto shook her head while giving a smile and went to her room, Hokuto couldn't help but do the same. Perhaps Nanase was right. Perhaps things would go better is she didn't go alone... Only time would tell if she was truly correct.

Tokyo, Japan 10:00 P.M.

From the time Sakura rode from the restaurant to their home, she couldn't help but have a bad feeling in her stomach. She spent a majority of the ride looking behind her to look at Chun-Li in the back seat, who was on her cell phone, getting the information on the arrests from Ace. Of course, Darrell was driving, and Hinata & Ran sat in the back along with the Interpol officer, but neither of them showed as much concern (or nervousness) as Sakura did.

{I know its something big...} she kept telling herself. {I just know it.}

As the tall buildings of Tokyo gave way to homes, Chun-Li finally hung up the phone and sighed heavily, catching everyone's attention.

"Are you alright back there?" Darrell asked.

"I'll be fine. Just a little tired, is all. Today's been quite a busy day..."

"Well, I think it's about time we knew what's going on," Hinata said. Chun-Li nodded in response.

"Yes. I do believe now's a good time. I'll start from the beginning. Interpol Headquarters in Shanghai started to get frequent reports of weird homicidal and suicidal cases all over the world. On each and every one of them, either the victim or the killer was under the influence of a drug that causes them to appear very much like Sakura's dark side. Not a clone, but the same properties."

"So... that guy back at the restaurant..." Darrell followed. "Was he—"

"He was under a fake replication of Satsu no Hadou, something both you and Sakura are so familiar with."

"I don't understand," Sakura said right afterwards. "Who would even think of doing something like this?"

Chun-Li took a pause before answering. "That's the part that I'm sure you're not going to like. We've managed to uncover several leads that track back to an old enemy of ours..."

That sentence was enough to immediately sound warning bells in everyone's brains. Darrell found himself pulling the car over at once, startling the others.

"You... You mean... No way! It can't be!" Hinata stuttered.

"I'm sorry... but it's true. No mistake about it."

"Damn... Why can't Bison every stay dead?" Darrell growled. "And why can't he ever learn his lesson? This guy has to be the densest person on earth!"

"Be that as it may," Chun-Li responded, "the fact of the matter is that he and his syndicate is back again, this time more diabolical than every. They're not just selling drugs and committing kidnappings anymore. They're responsible for so many deaths over such a small time due to this drug, which can get anyone at anytime. This time, it's more urgent than ever and they must be stopped."

Quiet entered throughout the car as Darrell resumed driving, a bit slower than before, turning the corner and down a now completely night fallen street. He stopped for good in front of a very nice custom built house in which Sakura's rival and family friend, Karin Kanzuki had built especially for him and Sakura. Heaving a heavy sigh, Darrell cut off the ignition and opened the door, Sakura following his lead right afterwards.

"So... knowing Bison, he's going to try to get revenge on us for bringing him down," Darrell said while opening the back door so that the passengers could exit the car.

"Exactly," Chun-Li responded. "That's why I'm here. You, Sakura, Hinata, and Kaoru all assisted in bringing him down. Speaking of her, does she still reside with you?"

"No," Sakura said while closing her door. "She left us quite a while ago when the tournament ended. She's out in the world somewhere, searching for answers to her past..."

"I see... Well, the reason I'm here is to ask for your cooperation on this case. Seeing how you did first-hand, it'll be a great help."

"I get it..." Darrell answered. "Well... it's a tough call. Things now aren't as flexible as it was when we were in school, you know. We can't just up and leave like that."

Sakura immediately gave her husband a look. "You're joking. Are you saying that our jobs are more important than stopping Shadowloo?"

"I can understand your situation," Chun-Li said. "I can get the pardon from the heads of your jobs easily."

"It's not just that..." Hinata spoke up. "I've got a young 5-year old son to worry about." She took a pause as they made their way from the car into the house, Ran closing the door behind everybody. "When exactly to you intend on start this?"

"As soon as possible."

"I guess I could ask Kyosuke to watch little Tai..." Hinata murmured to herself as she sat on the couch. "Then again, I'll need to find someone who can watch after my businesses and all..."

"How about you, Darrell?" the agent asked.

"Well... the job's now encountering a huge business deal with the Chaolin Foundation and if it pulls through... I'm head of the Financial Ward so it's important that I'm there... but... considering my status there I could always give my work to the assistant and he could do it for me. As long as it pulls, the company doesn't care where I'm at. It'll also help if you came yourself and explained thing, but I think that won't be necessary."

"But that may be for me..." Sakura followed. "The head of Tamagawa Minami is a jerk. It's going to take some fancy talking to let him release me. He's against me as it is, looking back at my history to be terrible in school due to street fighting. He practically despises Street Fighting and martial arts as a whole, keeping the school's tradition on staying 'clean & academic.'" She heaved a sigh. "I missed the old principal..."

"Don't worry about it, Sakura. I can get him to work with us... No problem about it."

Sakura smiled. "Well, give us until Saturday. Um... you have a contact number we can reach?"

"Sure. 291-3176."

"Here, Sakura," Ran immediately picked up, ripping a piece of her notebook paper out and reaching out to give it to Sakura. "Hot from the presses."

The blossom giggled while receiving the number. "Thanks."

"No. Thank you. Without you, I think bringing Bison down a third time would be a tough feat."

"So it's settled," Hinata spoke. "Saturday morning. We'll meet here and go find out what that guy is up to again."

Chun-Li nodded while grabbing her phone again and dialing a number. A few seconds later, she got an answer.

"Willows, here."

"It's me, Ace. How's thing on your end?"

"Everything's finished here. We've got the Tokyo Interpol Ward conducting tests on the group for any traces of the Psycho drug. Also, I got a call from Shanghai. Two martial arts girls by the name of Shui Mei-Ling and Xiao Fen apprehended a Shadowloo lackey. He's currently being detained and fiercely interrogated. So far he's not cracking much."

"Alright. At might not be much but we're making some progress. You can come pick me up. I'm at Darrell Markis and Sakura Kasugano's residence. 67 Kuri Street."

"I'll be there in 15."

"Roger."

As the Interpol officer hung up, Darrell was there to meet her.

"So would you like something to eat or something?"

"No, I'm fine. I had a good meal before I met you guys."

"Mmm... ok..." he let out a yarn. "Well, I don't need to ask Ran. She ate with us and Hina, I'm pretty sure she ate while working, so I guess... Hey. How are you two getting home, anyway?"

Hinata and Ran looked at one another then back at him. "I guess we'll ride with Chun-Li," Ran said.

"Good idea. I won't need to walk."

"Well, I guess. I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Alright. I better tell Kyosuke what's going on. Lately he's been a little... um... well... never mind."

Sakura rolled her eyes as she got up to let her friends out.

"You know, this would make an awesome front page story..." Ran said, going over the whole ordeal in her head.

"No," Chun-Li immediately snapped, catching Ran by surprise. "As of now this is something the public shouldn't know about fully. Not, at least, until Interpol can get some solid footing on this mess. Also, considering how Shadowloo caused so much global trouble the second time around, what the public doesn't know yet won't hurt them."

"Ok... If you say so...."

The officer then turned to Sakura, smiled, and ended the conversation with, "Good night, Sakura. Take care of yourself until Saturday."

"Don't worry about me. I'm a big girl now. I think I can take care of myself."

A hug from Hinata and a flashy smile from Ran later, Sakura closed the door behind the ladies and closed her eyes, sighing deeply.

{I saw it coming... and I was right, but I can tell things won't be easy like last time...}

"It's just another one of those times, isn't it?" Darrell asked from behind her, standing next to the staircase leading to the second floor of the house. Sakura turned around and nodded.

"Looks like peace isn't much of a liker to us," she responded, smirking slightly. "We did it twice before... We can sure enough do it a third time."

Darrell then found himself looking at the clock above the 42" TV.

"10:21..." he murmured. "I think we'd better get ready for tomorrow. I'll phone Hiro to come get the proposal from me, then we'll wait for Chun-Li to get to the school and we can deal with the annoyance they call the headmaster."

"Right," Sakura answered. "Then we get ready to leave." She let out a yarn and looked up to the stairs where the bedroom lay. Darrell twisted his mouth as he saw his wife lazily kick off her shoes at the front door and then ran a hand furiously over her previously neat hair, instantly messing it up.

"Still can't stand playing dress-up, sweetie?"

"You know me! I like being wild!"

Both laughed together for a bit then as it died, the two met at the first step and walked up together.

"What do you think that jerk Bison's up to now, anyway?" the blossom asked.

"Guess we won't find out yet," her spouse responded, "but we'll find out soon enough and when we do, we'll bring it down, no matter what tricks he has up his sleeve."

Shanghai, China: 10:45 P.M.

"Mei-Ling... I'll be fine. It's late. You should be home eating dinner and getting some sleep."

"I know, father. I... I just need to make sure you're doing ok."

Back at the hospital, Mei-Ling spent the last 3 hours at her father's bedside. She delivered the good news of Shun getting arrested for his crimes and afterwards talked loosely about other subjects. However, a thought was on her mind for the longest time. As she stared at her father's smiling face, the thought made her gulp.

"Father... I... I need to ask you about something very important."

"Go on."

"Well... as I said, I think that there is more that I can do to stop things like this. Fen brought up a good suggestion—"

"What did that coo-coo friend of yours flood your mind with now?" he interrupted suddenly. As first take aback, Mei-Ling eventually found out that he was joking.

"Dad, I'm serious," she playfully wined. "And I wish you wouldn't call her nuts."

"I didn't mean coo-coo as in nuts," the martial arts master replied. "I meant coo-cco as in retarded."

"Anyway... she brought up a good idea. She suggested that we go out and bring down this 'Shadowloo" once and for all..."

The father closed his eyes and meditated on Mei-Ling's words. She sat there, waiting anxiously for his response.

"Child," he started, "do you realize what you're asking for?"

"...yes..."

"Remember what I've said. You're 21 years-old. I know you can fare for yourself. This is a big step you are about to take. You're taking the way of the true warrior."

Mei-Ling kept silent as he continued.

"If you go, don't expect easy times. Every traveling warrior has trials they must deal with. However... I know that you'll be ok. I have the utmost confidence in you."

The martial arts girl's smile grew on her face. She could feel herself cheering up over those words. "Thanks, father."

"As long as you stay in touch and don't forget what I've taught you, you'd please me to no end. Remember that, Mei-Ling."

"Ok," she pecked a kiss on his cheek. "I'll be leaving as soon as possible. I'll call you once I'm ready to leave."

"Have you talked to the family about this, yet?"

That made her freeze. She completely forgot about that. Instantly she pictured how they would take the news. She wouldn't have any problems with her mother and less from Jiao, but it was Shin which made her twist her mouth.

"Not yet..." she mumbled, "but I will as soon as I get home."

The father looked at his daughter for a while, then said, "Don't fret. I know what you're thinking. If Shin gives you any problems, I will set him straight myself. Sometimes he can be an egotistical pain in the rear."

"I know..."

At that moment, the father gave Mei-Ling a different look, this one a bit more sincere than before. "Mei-Ling... There is one more thing that I must tell you. It's of the utmost importance to me."

Mei-Ling gave a firm nod. "Anything... What is it?"

"Tonight... I want you to go into the dojo of our house... and take the 'Kochikaze' and 'Nishikaze' from the trophy case..."

As he said that her heart jumped. "B... but father! Those are—"

"Yes... Yes, I know. Those are the precious wristbands that our forefathers and foremothers wore when they won their championships in the 'Heaven Fist' tournaments of China years ago. I want you to wear these as you and Fen travel the world on your journey. I believe they will give you the inner strength you need to overcome any obstacles that may come your way."

In an instant Mei-Ling felt a heavy burden grown on her shoulders. "Father... do... do you really think I am ready to...?"

"Mei-Ling..." he reassured, "I haven't been more sure about anything in my life."

"Dad... I... I... I'll protect them with my life. I guarantee it."

Mei-Ling's father smiled. "I know you will. Now get some rest and start getting ready for your journey. Tomorrow's a new day."

"Yes. Goodnight, father."

"Take care, Mei-Ling."

A loving hug and kiss later, Mei-Ling was gone from the room. As the door closed, the father closed his eyes and prepared to rest.

{Mei-Ling... this is my gift to you... I know that you'll do just fine uncovering the true secrets within the Kochikaze and Nishikaze...}

30 minutes later

"Welcome back, Mei-Ling! How is father doing?"

"He's doing just fine, Jiao. Don't you worry."

Mei-Ling was greeted at the door of her home by her sister, who had eagerly awaited her arrival ever since she herself returned home. It was really late at night when Mei-Ling got home, so she was glad to be treated by the lights that illuminated the foyer of the home.

"I watched the news earlier today," Jiao said as the two walked away from the door and towards the kitchen area. "I can't believe that you and Fen actually did all that! I would've been scared if I were you."

"Well... it was instinct..." Mei-Ling found herself saying. "Trust me, it was a dangerous situation. I was scared myself."

"Aaaah..." Jiao awed as they stepped foot into the kitchen area. The lighting was rather dim, only spouting from the ceiling over the counter area instead of the main light hanging on the ceiling. There was a table right in the middle complete with chairs, as well as a stove, refrigerator, and other casual household appliances. "Well, anyways, mother kept a batch of dinner out for you. It's on the counter."

"Thanks," the older sibling answered, about to head that way to start eating, but she stopped. She looked back towards her little sister and asked, "Where is mother, anyway?"

"She is resting."

Mei-Ling nodded. "Jiao, I need you to tell her and Shin something..."

Jiao blinked. "What is it?"

"Jiao, I'm... going away for a while. Fen and I are going to travel the world in search of the people responsible for this mess."

"You are? Wow... I knew you'd say that you would do something like this... but so sudden?"

Mei-Ling nodded. "I already talked to father about it."

"And he's letting you go..."

"Yes. I don't want to wake mother or Shin up, so I want you to let them know tomorrow morning."

Jiao took a pause before nodding. "Sure, Mei-Ling. I... can't say to have fun out there but I can say to be careful out there. I remember the epidemic that spread because of that place a few years ago..."

"I know. That's why we're going to stop it before any more suffer."

Jiao looked at Mei-Ling for a few more seconds before leaning over and giving her a quick hug.

"Be sure to call regularly, ok?"

"Ok... Now, you go on off to bed. I'm going to go off and eat."

"Ok," the younger sister replied while passing her and out of the room to head upstairs. "Good night, Mei-Ling."

As her sister went out of sight, Mei-Ling looked at the solitary plate of food that remained on the counter. She wasn't able to tell what the contents were since another plate was over it to keep other 'things' from getting to it. Smirking a bit, Mei-Ling thought about trying to go eat, but another thought got to her.

{I'll be back for that... but first...}

Mei-Ling turned around and went across the kitchen area to another hallway. The hall was completely dark since it was so late and no on was supposed to leave lights on in the house once the day was over, but Mei-Ling knew the entire house well enough to go through it blindfolded. She passed numerous paintings on both sides of the wall as she came closer and closer to the end, where wooden double doors blocked her path. As she approached them, she put her hand on it, savoring the grooves that lay in it. She reached a lever and pulled it, opening one of the doors and stepping in...

{The dojo...} she thought, her sneakers echoing each step she took into the large wooden training facility. Unlike the rest of the lower level of the house, the dojo was lit by candles the led a path from the door to the other end. Mei-Ling followed the path all the way, until she stopped and laid her eyes on the family treasures. In front of her lay weapons from Chinese history that impacted her family for generations. Swords, arrows, and other equipment of warriors were showcased in their own glass cases like a mini museum. However, none of these were the two items that Mei-Ling were searching for. She looked upwards onto the wall, and just in front of her were two metallic bracelets. They both had the same look (mostly white with red stripes on the sides) except for the design that was imprinted onto its middle. The one to the left showed a blue design of a gust of wind on it. The one to the right showed a more intense gale, dubbed with a red tint.

{The Kochikaze and Nishikaze...} Mei-Ling thought, her hands reaching up to open the case that contained the century-old bracelets. {Father... I will treasure them as long as I wear them...}

Taking her time, Mei-Ling slowly reached and unlatched the family heirlooms from their hooks. This was the first time in her life that she actually touched them. She always thought that they were pretty when she was younger, and always dreamed of wearing them. However, now that she was able to... the feeling was different than what she expected. She didn't exactly felt a childish-like happy, but more like a mature sense of responsibility. Her body felt more powerful as she grasped them in her hands. It was then that she realized why her father gave them to her.

After a while, Mei-Ling put them in her jean pockets and closed the case. She then turned around to head back into the kitchen to eat. From there she'd pack her things for her trip. This was the start of a new challenge for her... One that she was ready for.