Andy and Terry were crouched against the wall, breathing heavily. Both combatants were rapidly approaching their limit, but Geese only appeared mildly fatigued. Both of them had given their best effort; in fact Terry had never seen his brother fight better. Anyone watching the match wouldn't have given the advantage to either side, but the real consequences are not always the visible ones. Geese was hitting them much harder than they could reciprocate, and was not wearing down nearly as fast as they were.

"Why do you bother exerting such energy, you cannot hope to defeat me. I commend your efforts, but rest assured that that I will lose no sleep over your deaths. In fact, I'll sleep easier knowing now that the last two thorns in my side in this town are no longer a viable threat."

"You sadistic creep, we're not done yet!" Andy shot back.

"Hmph… denying the inevitable. Look at yourselves. In your mortal state you have reached your limits. I, however, have transcended mortality. I feel no pain, no fatigue… all that you have done has been in vain. In the end I will exterminate you like the pests that you are."

With a cry Andy shot forward, moving at a blinding pace towards his adversary. "Never! I'll never give you the satisfaction of winning this war!"

"Andy, no!"

So fast was Andy's assault that he seemed no more than a blur, flying towards Geese with murder in his eyes. Geese took it all in stride.

"You fool…" he muttered. Then Andy was upon him, elbow extended and braced as he threw himself at his enemy.

"Zan-ei Ken!"

…but the blow never made contact. Geese laughed as he held out his hand, letting Andy slam into it neck first. Andy, too stunned to even try to breathe, could only stare as Geese glared into his eyes.

"…you just did." Geese almost leisurely tossed him straight up into the air while bringing his hands down and around in a circular motion preparing his assault. Terry watched as an evil smile spread over Geese's face. He brought his hands together as Andy fell before him and finished his Holy Gates technique, using both hands to inflict a heavy blow that sent Andy on a deadly path towards a nearby window. Moving as fast as he could, Terry threw himself on an intercept vector, catching his brother just before he was sent crashing out the window and falling down eighty stories to the street below. Terry landed, cradling his little brother in his arms and calling his name frantically.

"Andy… Andy!"

Andy weakly opened his eyes. His breathing was laborious and irregular, and Terry knew he was in very bad shape. "T… Terry," he managed weakly, "I'm done. Yo… you'll have to fi… finish what you started. D…don't let him destroy everything." With that final thought Andy's eyes closed and his head rolled back into Terry's arms. Terry gently placed the body of his brother on the floor and slowly got to his feet. He turned toward Geese, whose sadistic grin remained planted firmly within his features. Geese pointed towards his opponent, then brought his hand up, palm open in an upward position before closing it suddenly into a tight fist. His intent was clear, he was going to utterly crush his opponent. Terry merely lowered the brim of his cap over his eyes, using the other hand to beckon Geese to come.

Geese was only more than willing to oblige.

With a fatal cry of fury the two masters collided in a final battle for victory.

Outside the tower Mary could only stand and watch. In all truth, there wasn't much to see. She knew that at least one of the three had made it to the top floor due to the constant flashes in the upper windows of the building, visible even from the ground, but she could no more tell what was going on than anyone else in the city.

"Mary!" The voice behind her came from a young Japanese woman, dressed – albeit scantily – in a heavily customized (or in Mary's opinion; utterly butchered) ninja robe.

"Mai? Where did you come from?"

Mai Shiranui, not one to bother with formalities, simply ignored the question. "Where's Andy?" she asked. Mary could only gaze up at the tower in response. Mai quickly got the message. "You mean they already went after him! Curse that Andy! He promised that I could help them…" her voice trailed off and her eyes went wide. Mary followed her gaze to the entrance of the building where a badly beaten Joe stumbled out of the main doors with two other figures. One slung haphazardly over his shoulder, the other gently cradled in his arms.

The two women ran towards him worriedly. Mai reached him first. Grabbing at his arm she gave him a solid jerk to get his attention and asked frantically, "Joe… Joe, where's Andy! Is he ok?"

Mary none-too-gently shoved Mai off of Joe with a reproving look. "Mai, you're unbelievable!" Turning to Joe she pulled Billy Kane off his back and laid him on the ground. After a brief check she determined that his vital signs, while weak, were constant enough that he was in no immediate danger. She then moved to take Lilly out of his arms, but Joe resisted. "Joe? Joe, what happened?" she asked him gently. When he continued to resist she tried again. "Joe, we have to get her to a hospital!"

"I… I…" Joe began, but he couldn't finish. He sank to his knees, cradling the body of Lilly Kane to his chest; then weakly offered her to Mary. Mary took the lithe form and checked for vital signs.

She found none.

"Mai… Mai!" The young woman was gazing at the building, lost in thought as she noticed for the first time the flashes of action that were taking place atop it. "MAI!"

She turned distractedly towards Mary at the sound of her name. "Will you please try to stay with me here? I need your help! Here, take her, but be gentle, there may still be time. Follow me!"

"Mary….. what?" Mai asked, puzzled as Mary started for a nearby building.

"She's still warm, which means she could still be revived. If we can find a large enough power supply…" Mary trailed off in her thoughts as the distinct sound of sirens in the distance steadily grew louder. "…or maybe we won't have to." A few seconds later several police cruisers and an ambulance sped around the corner and stationed themselves close to Geese tower. Two young officers stepped out of the first vehicle and Mary instantly recognized Officer Marcus and his trainee, Kevin.

"Marc, get the EMT's over here, we've got two down and may have more!"

"Yes ma'am, right away."

"Mai, get Lilly to that ambulance now!"

"Hai!" Mai answered, slipping into her native Japanese, as she usually did when the situation became tense. With Lilly still in her arms, she immediately sprinted towards the nearest Ambulance while Mary followed. Reaching the vehicle the medical technicians were already prepared for them and instantly took Lilly into their care.

"She's in critical condition; give her the best you can!"

"Don't worry ma'am, if there's any possibility that she'll pull through we'll make sure of it."

"Good. Get the other crew to that big lug in the leather jacket over there. He's pretty banged up, but should make it. Still, he's a possible threat, so I'm sending Officers Mitchell and Rian with you to keep an eye on him."

"We'll take care of it."

"If you can, have an EMT check on Mr. Higashi as well, he may be in need of medical attention." Mary paused for a minute, a quiet nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she had forgotten something. "Oh, right… you'll also find several security personnel in need of medical assistance on the first floor. Get to them when you get the chance,' she added as an afterthought. As the EMT's began to gather Billy's limp form off the ground, she turned towards the two officers who had been the first to arrive on the scene. "Alright, you heard me, I'll need you to follow the technicians and keep an eye on that character. If he should become rowdy or otherwise unruly try to pacify him, but don't let him get away, whatever you do."

"Roger that, ma'am. We'll take care of it."

"Good… by the way, how did you guys know to be here, anyway?"

"An Interpol agent gave us a tip just a few minutes ago… in fact, here he is now."

Mary turned to see a young Chinese man dressed in a red tank-top shirt. A nunchuk weapon hung loosely at his belt.

"Hon!"

Hon Fu strode towards Mary. "Greetings, Agent Ryan. It is nice to see you again," he said with a heavy Chinese accent.

"Well met, Agent Hon. If you have the time to help us here in this investigation, I take it you have found what you were looking for?"

Hon Fu gave her a nod, confirming her assessment. "Indeed, the criminal Ryuji Yamazaki is now in my custody. I will shortly return with him to Hong Kong where he will stand trial for his many crimes. I hope your mission has been met with equal success?"

"Well," Mary said, her eyes slowly turning upwards towards the massive tower, "My mission is still in progress, but with luck we should soon have our results." I only hope they are favorable.

"I take it Terry's up there?" Agent Marcus asked slyly.

"What do you know abou-" Mary began before quickly catching herself. The officer's tone, however, was enough to send a quick blush burning across her face.

"Come now Miss Ryan, it's common knowledge in the force that you've been working with the legendary Terry Bogard."

"You're stepping out of line, Officer Mitchell! Don't forget I'm still the senior officer here!"

The young official wisely decided to back off. "Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am. I just don't see why, now that you've secured enough physical evidence, we don't just storm the tower and apprehend the maniac."

"Because Geese is no ordinary criminal," Mary explained. "He has enough political backing in the city council and even the judicial sector that mere evidence might not be enough, and storming his tower could lead to disastrous political results."

"Well, if the Bogard brothers kill him, I don't know how we can keep them safe. You know how the chief hates when the average joe takes the law into his own hands."

"I've already taken care of that, for the most part. Let me worry about it."

"If you say so, ma'am. Anyway, looks like our baggage is loaded up, we'll get moving for now, but I'll call in some backup as soon as I can."

"Thanks, Marky." Mary glanced towards Marcus' partner, who was helping the
EMT's load up their charge. "By the way, how's the training going for the greenie?"

"Kevin? It's going great! He's a natural at this. Got top marks for hand to hand combat in the academy. Might even give you a run for your money. Sometimes I almost want to see some punk resist arrest just so I can watch Kevin take him down." Marc's face was beeming in obvious admiration of his new partner. Mary had to admit she was rather impressed that one so new to the force would earn such an immediate respect from such a seasoned veteran. "Kid's got a heart of gold though," Marcus continued, apparently not quite finished. "Even after only a few days with him I'd trust him with my life and family."

"Glad to hear it, but make sure that you put him through the ropes. Who knows what might happen to this town in the near future. We'll need the best we can get."

"You got it, ma'am. Be careful out here."

Mary gave a slight chuckle. "Don't worry about me, just get going, and make sure Kane doesn't cause you any trouble."

As the vehicles sped from the scene Mary turned back towards the tower. Mai stood there, gazing forlornly at the top where the battle waged. Joe knelt beside her, eyes downcast as he dealt with his own problems. Mary started towards them. Already this war has claimed too many victims, she thought to herself. Terry, you had better come back from this… this city needs you.

Terry, however, was battered, beaten, and bruised; his lungs were screaming from exertion, but he refused to give in. Of course, he realized that if he kept this up much longer, the point would be moot. No matter what he did, Geese had a counter for it. If it wasn't for the fact that the Scrolls of Immortality didn't seem to have taught him any new fighting styles, Terry knew he would have lost long ago. Even with Geese using the style Terry was familiar with, the extreme increase of raw power and speed was more than enough to keep the Lone Wolf on the defensive. There just weren't any openings for Terry to press the attack, and Geese, deciding that the time for words had long since passed, wasn't even giving him a moment's respite to brag about it.

Geese's full roundhouse caught Terry in the side of his neck. Terry grunted in pain but couldn't get away before Geese caught him full in the chest with his Evil Shadow Smasher, performing a rapid three-strike attack and fusing it with his inner power. Terry landed on his back and rolled to his feet, charging his opponent once more he sidestepped Geese's initial blow and spun with his roundhouse hammer-punch. Geese blocked the strike by grabbing Terry's arm, who responded by completing his spin and attacking with his free arm. Geese merely plucked that arm out of the air as well, ceasing Terry's brutal attacks. In a rage of effort Terry threw his arms apart and ducked, loosing Geese's grip. Charging forward, he slammed his shoulder as hard as he could into his opponent's body, sending him almost straight into the air. He followed the attack, attaching one more hit as he launched himself into the air, connecting again with his shoulder.

"Power Dunk!" His fist swirled with power as he brought it down onto empty space. Geese, using Terry's attack against him, had let himself be struck the second time, using the momentum – and Terry himself – as leverage to push off, ending up well above Terry's finishing blow when it came. He now had the advantage as Terry's attack whiffed thin air, and blasted the hapless hero to the ground with his Sawblade Slicer finish.

Terry struck the ground hard and lay still. It was over. He was worn out and beaten, but Geese was still as vibrant as ever. It would take a miracle to stop him now, and they both knew it. Geese stood over Terry, looking as giddy as Terry had ever seen him.

"You see now, Bogard. You were resisting the inevitable from the start. I ought to kill you now, but feel obliged to offer you one last chance of redemption. I've seen how the people revere you. They think you're a hero. They think of you as a friend, and there's no doubt about the fact that you are an extremely competent fighter… one of the best in fact to have beaten me the first time we met.

The look Geese shot the other man was particularly unnerving for Terry. "You could still have that influence, Terry. Work for me, and I will see to it that you have a say in what happens to this town. We could be a great source of success for this place."

Terry couldn't believe what he was hearing. That even now, under these circumstances, Geese had the audacity to attempt to recruit him. "Y… you must take me for a fool, Geese… to think that I would forgive you so easily after all this time."

Geese's unnerving stare darkened visibly."You would be a fool only if you do not accept my offer. Decline me now, and I will see this city and everyone in it burnt to ashes around me after the world is mine."

"…If the world is yours…"

"I am immortal now," Geese shrugged with a small smile. "I'll take as long as I need, but it will be mine eventually."

"You can sit on your offer and rotate, Geese," Terry offered as he slowly got onto one knee. "You'll answer for your own sins, I'll have nothing to do with them."

Such a blatant insult elicited a dangerous look from the powerful crime-lord, but only for a moment before he was once more in complete control. "Ha… one must first die to meet the maker, yet very well. I see that your stubbornness clouds your better judgment." Geese stepped forward to tower over his defeated opponent. "No matter, I will make do without you. I do pity the loss of such talent as yourself, but you had your chance, and your time is up." In an instant he was standing next to the young man. Terry didn't even have time to react.

"Deadly Rave!"

The ensuing flurry of attacks came too quickly, and Terry was helpless against it. Repeatedly, Geese pounded the young man with increasingly forceful blows, and Terry knew it was over. This attack would leave him entirely unable to continue, if it didn't kill him outright. With a final strike Geese sent his opponent flying across the room. Terry could almost feel a wave of heat pass over him in the air, and he knew Geese was preparing for the finishing touch. It would be over before he even hit the floor.

Or so he thought… until then he hit the floor.

When he finally rolled to a stop it took him several moments to clear his head from the massive fireworks display playing about within it. The beating he had received had been substantial, and it had left him dazed. He desperately tried to gather his wits, his efforts fueled by an intense feeling of desperation– the source of which he couldn't immediately remember.

As they finally came together, a startled gasp cut into his thoughts. Opening his eyes Terry was greeted with an astonishing sight as Geese Howard was now also upon his knees, wincing visibly.

Terry shook his head, attempting to dispel what could only be a hallucination, but when he opened his eyes again the scene remained unchanged.

What the…?

"It hurts, doesn't it?" At the sound of the voice, both men turned towards the far corner of the room where sat two short and nearly identical figures. One was adorned with an eloquent fiery red, the other with a contrasting royal blue, but both were instantly recognizable. The Jin twins had come calling, and once again they held the Scrolls of Immortality in their hands.

"N...No!" Geese's words came in pained gasps. "How… how did you get in here!"

Chonshu gave them both a sadistic grin. "After we lost the power of the scrolls, the fighters of this city treated us as mere children; a fatal mistake on their part. Your 'friends', Mr. Howard, made it easy enough to get here, though I must say that I am impressed that Mr. Bogard was able to hold your attention enough so that we could get to the scrolls unnoticed, you shall both now pay for crossing us and taking what is rightfully ours!" Chonshu's eyes were burning fiercely now, and he seemed to radiate a sense of power. Terry wearily recalled that it had taken five of the city's best fighters to keep the twins at bay while they held the power of the scrolls. Now, with both him and Geese in such a battered state, he did not doubt that they would be easily disposed of.

…but that wouldn't stop Geese from trying.

"No! Those scrolls are mine!" He hissed though his teeth.

"These scrolls were never yours!" Chonrei affirmed, stepping forward beside his brother. "They belong to our ancestors and were never meant for men such as you, men who do not understand their true power!"

"I understand more than enough to know they are the key! I will have them!"

Chonrei glared at the man before him, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "No, you shall not." He was holding the scrolls before him. For an instant, Terry could breifly make out a few of the characters upon the pages. The realization of their ability struck him like a blow to the face, and slowly he felt a small measure of strength return to his limbs. He could not see the entirety of their words – the scrolls true power was only unleashed to those who gained a full possession of them – but even then he understood that Geese would retain some portion of their power once his body recovered from losing the most of it. If he could get a hold of them, even if only for a moment… maybe… just maybe…

Chonrei's gaze turned sternly towards the young Bogard, as if sensing his intentions. Terry quickly averted his eyes, but it was enough to realize that his wounds didn't hurt quite as much as they had before.

"I understand now that these items have no place in this world." Chonrei's eyes softened suddenly and he glanced back at his brother. "I'm sorry, Chonshu, but I see now that there is no other option."

"Brother… what…?" before he could finish his question Chonrei gave a violent jerk and neatly tore the scroll in two. Upon sensing its destruction, the scroll burst into flames.

"No!" The cry came from both Geese and Chonshu as they charged towards the holder of the remaining scrolls. Chonrei easily sidestepped his brother's desperate charge, sending him crashing to the ground as he pulled out the second scroll. Geese's charge was likewise stopped short as a Converse clad heel slammed down upon the back of his head. Terry's Crack Shoot technique had left him standing before Chonrei, but Terry made no move to stop him. Upon receiving and understanding nod from the powerful fighter, Chonrei quickly pulled out the two remaining scrolls and destroyed them before the others could recover. At the loss of the scrolls, he sank to his knees, weakened as he had been when he had lost them the first time. Chonshu was apparently feeling the same affect, as he could only raise his head from the floor where he lay, a look of betrayal upon his face.

"Chonrei… why?"

"It is better this way, Chonshu," Chonrei responded. His body betrayed his pain, but his face was a reflection of peace. "The immortality of the scrolls is but a curse. We would find no rest in this world holding such relics. They had to be destroyed." He gave a sigh of relief as he looked down upon his brother, "We can now be the children that we once were, and live our lives as we should."

Chonshu's face fell once more to the floor as quiet sobs began to emanate from the prone form. Terry watched the two, relief filling his body as he realized that it was over, the danger of the scrolls had passed forever, along with any ambitions they may have given rise to. Chonrei looked up at him, and Terry looked back, a small smile adorning his features. Chonrei smiled back weakly, but then his eyes went wide and he cried out a warning. Terry spun to see Geese standing behind him, murder in his eyes.

"I'll kill you!" he screamed madly. "I'll kill you all!"

Geese's subsequent attack was just as wild as the look in his eyes, but now Terry was able to fully understand the effect the loss of the power of the scrolls had on the man. Even as battered as he was, he was able to keep pace, dodging or blocking the majority of the attacks thrown at him. The blows that got through were far less substantial, and Terry knew that now the two combatants were more or less on equal footing. With the patience of a long tested fighter, he let Geese attack him, luring him in until the right moment.

Had Geese still been on his guard, he would have sensed something amiss, but he was no longer paying attention. His only thought was to destroy the one who had instantly demolished his dreams. His mind was focused entirely on the blue clad figure keeling no more than thirty feet from him. He was barely aware of the man who was keeping him from his target, and he couldn't care less. Again he struck out at the impediment before him, but it almost didn't register that the attack had missed completely. A heavy blow to his abdomen, however, stopped him in his tracks.

Terry quickly followed the lower body gut-punch with a second, continuing the one-two combo into his fierce Power Charge body blow. In a huff, all the oxygen was forcefully removed from Geese's lungs as Terry flowed smoothly into his Power Dunk technique, following his opponent into the air only to slam him back into the ground with a vicious chi infused fist.

Geese crawled back onto his knees, coughing violently. Even so, Terry kept his distance. His body was screaming in protest, having not had the time to properly recover from the earlier beating that a divinely powered Geese had given him. He kept up a solid front, but he knew he had to end this fight quickly while the opportunity was there. He wouldn't last much longer.

His enemy was far less concerned about appearance than he was about results, and right now his only desired results was the complete destruction of everything around him. Geese slowly climbed back to his feet, fighting the impulse to vomit from the blows to his abdomen. The wrath inside him was reaching its peak, and his blood was boiling dangerously. He glared at the figures before him as he slowly brought his hands up to cross them over his chest. Straining with all his might, Geese focused all he could into his final attack, and his arms began to glow with a severe blue power.

Terry knew instantly was he was about to do. "Geese! No! You'll blow out the entire room!"

"I don't care anymore!" Geese shrieked in response. "None of you are leaving here alive!"

Terry took several retreating steps back. He knew that Geese was a ruthless and heartless person, and that he would kill at the drop of a hat if it meant advancing his ambitions, but he also knew that the man was always in control, and he was never suicidal.

The evidence, however, was there. Terry saw it in his opponent's stance, in his face… in his eyes. Geese had been given a taste of real power, of a strength unimaginable– a force entirely incomprehensible to mortal man – but it had been forcibly taken from him. The loss had driven him mad, and Terry was now truly afraid.

Geese was wild with rage and no longer in control. All the years he had spent learning to manipulate and increase his power were useless to him now. His natural restraints were gone, and Terry saw that he would likely kill himself and everyone else in the room with an uncontrolled explosion of raw power. He raised his hands over his head; Terry realized he had to act.

In a desperate attempt to quell the tide the young man threw himself towards his enemy, his fist glowing orange with his own inner force. He slammed the fist into the ground as Geese brought his hands down, thrusting them violently into the floor as well.

"Rising Storm!"

"Power Geyser!"

Almost simultaneously both men released their gathered strength. Geese's attack swirled around him and began to expand violently outward when the geyser erupted beneath him. The sheer power from the older man's technique protected him from the blast, but the force of the geyser drove the brunt of the power upward, slowing its outward expansion. Slowing it, but not stopping it.

In desperation Terry brought his other hand to bear, driving it into the ground as well to create another geyser of pure inner energy. This one, too, collided with Geese's Rising Storm, deflecting it further into the air to blow a hole clean through the ceiling above them.

With the remainder of his strength, Terry hit the ground a third time, creating yet another blast in an attempt to countermand his opponent's attack. No longer able to sustain the effort, Geese was finally overwhelmed, and the third eruption threw him violently from the point of impact, sending him careening towards the outer balcony to land roughly against the wooden railing which cracked and groaned under his weight.

As he leaned heavily against the rails, drained of the remnants of his strength, Geese met Terry's gaze. Terry could see that his eyes were clear once more; the last blow had snapped him out of his mad daze. Geese glowered at him, wanting nothing more than to destroy this constant thorn in his side, but having exhausted their limits the two men could only stare at each other, a thousand words passing unspoken between them.

It was several more moments before a creaking sound behind him finally alerted Geese to the precarious position that he was in. He turned to look over his shoulder, only to find himself staring off the side of the tower at the streets over 800 feet below. Frantically he tried to push himself off the railing and back onto stable ground, but the strain became too much, and the railing gave way. His eyes went wide as he fell, careening over the edge of the edifice of his own construction. Falling, as, he knew, his empire would without him.

The realization had barely struck him when his fall was brought to a jarring halt. Slowly he looked up to see Terry, hand locked firmly around his wrist, straining with the last vestiges of his strength to keep him from gravity's final embrace. Geese was not quite sure how to respond. After all Terry had already let him fall from this very building once before.

"Why… why do you save me, Bogard?"

Terry's words hissed out at his rival through grit teeth. "I came here to stop you, Geese. Not to kill you."

"But what of your revenge… your father?"

Terry winced visibly. He couldn't tell if it was from the strain or from the memory; likely both. "I got my revenge the last time I kicked your ass. Your death isn't my responsibility anymore."

"Hmph," Geese smirked. "And what if I told you that I was not the only one responsible for your father's death?"

"Impossible! I was there! I saw you kill him!"

At this Geese scoffed. "Ha! Jeff Bogard was a fighter even I had come to respect. What you saw was merely a consequence of his own actions."

Terry's eyes narrowed at the man before him. "What's your point, Geese?"

The older man grinned up at his would-be savior with an evil sneer, "Look to Sakazaki!"

For a moment Terry was taken aback at the implication that the well known Kyokugen Karate dojo had a hand in his father's death. A moment was all Geese needed. Using the instant of weakness, Geese yanked his hand out of Terry's grasp. Time seemed to slow down as Terry grabbed at him again, only to clutch empty air. He saw his tormentor fall before him, laughing as he fell, silencing only upon impact with the asphalt eighty stories below. It was an image that would be burned into Terry's memories for the rest of his life.