Chapter Twenty Seven

Main Palace

Your match tomorrow in the Courtyard at 8am has been moved to another location. We cannot disclose the location in this card. However, we advise that you be at the main palace grounds at 7am tomorrow by the water fountain. Someone will meet you there and take you to the location.

PS- Come alone, no exceptions.

The words from the index card repeated in Guy Hinato's mind as he waited by the fountain that stood in front of the main palace as directed. Although the directions had told him to arrive at seven in the morning, he came to this place fifteen minutes early.

What waited for him, he wasn't sure. He knew that it was a match, but why all the trouble? There had to be a catch to this, that was for sure or else why would they do this?

Rose had insisted on letting Raiden come with him, but the Bushin Ninja had declined. He felt that he should do this alone, just in case anything happened where they would only get in the way, or worse. They were his leaders here in Outworld and he didn't want them to go out of their way just for him. There were other things to worry about anyway.

He didn't bother to tell Cody or Maki about this either for the same reason, especially since he knew that they wouldn't listen to him and would just follow him to wherever he went.

Despite all that, there was only one thing that was bothering Guy... the vision he got of his deceased fiance, Rena last night while he was meditating.

Why now? he thought to himself. There has to be a reason for this.

However, he would worry about that later. Right now, there was a mysterious match to deal with.

Soon, seven o'clock hit. Guy wondered how much longer it would be before his escort would arrive. However, right after the thought, he turned himself around and suddenly became face to face with a person wearing a brown cloak. Every part of the person was covered, include a large hood over their head, concealing even their eyes. He knew that whoever it was, it definitely wasn't a Shadow Priest since the figure walked normally rather than floated towards him.

"Are you Guy Hinato?" a male voice whispered.

Guy straightened himself up and nodded. "Yes, that's me."

"Just follow me." With that, the cloaked figure began walking off with Guy following not too far.

They walked off the palace grounds and into the forest. Along the way, Guy noted noticeable items (a fallen log, a large white flower, etc) so that when this was over, he could easily find his way back to the tournament grounds on his own if needed.

The walk seemed to take forever, though it was actually a forty minute walk, before they came to a clearing. Guy immediately noticed a palace-like building ahead. It was like the main palace, but smaller and it had a more gothic feel to it. The entire building was a dark purple and consisted of statues of unknown creatures.

Another five minutes passed before they reached the entrance. Guy found it peculiar that the guards were easily letting him in. Perhaps they knew about the tournament he was about to attend.

Guy continued to follow the cloaked figure as they went down the stoned spiral stairs with a lack of banister. This also seemed to go on for sometime before they finally reached the bottom. Guy saw the arena he was to fight in then. It was a large, dome-like room, the arena itself in a circular shape. It was much larger than any of the other arenas in the tournament.

The audience wasn't a very large one. They were a mix of different humans and species along with the guards who guarded every inch of the arena. There was also a throne and in that throne was the sorcerer Shang Tsung.

Shang Tsung stood up upon noticing Guy's entrance. "Good, you have arrived. Step into the arena and stand by my throne."

Guy said nothing as he followed orders. He then went to the throne and stopped a few feet as he kept his eye on the sorcerer without much emotion on his face. In moral respect, he bowed to the sorcerer, who followed after.

Shang Tsung explained everything then. "You were chosen at random to attend this match this morning here at the former palace of Shao Kahn." He then smirked. "However, I have seen your skills in the first round and I was quite impressed. I look forward to seeing more of your skills in this match."

Guy only nodded at the compliment. A part of him just wanted to get the match over with, but it would seem that the sorcerer only wanted to try to leave him in the dark for as long as possible.

However, he didn't have to be left longer in the dark as Shang Tsung raised a hand. "I would like you to meet you opponent." Then, his snapped his fingers once.

Immediately, two guards opened two doors slowly. Guy heard a low growl as soon as the doors parted. He raised an eyebrow… he was now convinced that whoever his opponent was, it wasn't human.

Soon, the doors were wide enough for whatever it was to come in. However, Guy only saw two guards pulling on thick ropes. And once he saw what came out from behind them, he tried to keep his own brown eyes from going wide.

Shang Tsung smirked once again and spoke. "I would like you to meet… Berserk."

As though he was living up to his name, Berserk suddenly let out a loud, insane-like roar, nearly shaking the objects in the room. Guy only kept his foot planted on the ground he stood on. Shang Tsung was quite surprised that the Bushin Ninja didn't make any attempts to run away in that moment.

That in it's self was impressive to the sorcerer. It was indeed going to be a good match.

Berserk was soon released from his cage and in no time, he chased after Guy. Guy was already disgusted by the bluish pale-skinned monster, but that thought soon left him as he quickly got out of the way from the monster's madness.

The match had begun.

Meanwhile, a long window was placed above the entire room. There, Shao Kahn sat on his own throne, watching the event below him. Around him were two Shadow Priests and his new bodyguards Sagat and Vega. The two had recognized Guy from previous Street Fighter tournaments and were both curious to know what was going to happen.

Shao Kahn couldn't help but think of the words he had said to Berserk previously…

I have come here to congratulate you. You have been very loyal to me and have been very cooperative. I want to reward you for that. I know you love the thrill of the fight… so as part of round two of the tournament, I would like for you to fight in a match… Shang Tsung will be picking the fighter, and you'll be facing them on the last day of round two.

After the thought, Shao Kahn did his best to withhold his sadistic laughter.

Underground Lair

Wearing a dark purple cloak, Rose showed up at the tournament in the underground lair. Since there weren't that many matches left to cover, all tournaments were either at the Courtyard or the Underground Lair. She had just left the Courtyard after the final match of the second round there. She was now heading to the Underground Lair, where the remaining matches would take place.

Rose's main reason for this was to find more possible fighters who can join in her and Raiden's cause. They haven't had much luck doing so, but Rose did hope for one thing… that she would at least find the 'lady in white,' the one she saw in her visions yesterday. She had a good feeling about her and if she could find her, she would be able to reach her goal.

When Rose arrived at the lair, she immediately heard fighting. Indeed a match was going on. She looked around to find a place where she can be able to see the match. She was then able to find a place to stand and went over there. Rose was now able to see the match that was going on… and suddenly notice a woman wearing white in the ring. Upon seeing the gasa on her head, she realized that this was the woman from her visions.

A name came to the psychic then. Ashrah… so you're the one I was looking for…

In the ring, Ashrah threw a punch at her opponent. Her opponent, a blonde male in heavy armor, was able to block the punch. Ashrah began to follow up with more punches and kicks, letting out battle cries during every other move, but once again her opponent would block.

Rose then looked over at the male opponent. Another name came to her. Siegfried…

The purple-haired woman sensed good within Siegfied… however, at the same time, there was such darkness in him that she wasn't able to tell which side of him was the true side. Unfortunately, he wasn't the right candidate. After that thought, Rose continued to quietly watch the match between Ashrah and Siegfried.

The two continued their hand-to-hand combat with Ashrah mostly on offense and Siegfried on defense. After a while of this, Ashrah extended her arms and shot out a white, sparkling projectile from her palms. Siegfried didn't see the move coming and was hit. He slid across the ground, but was still able to stay in the ring. He then recover quickly and managed to get himself back on his feet.

Siegfried ran back towards Ashrah and they fought hand-to-hand once again. This time, Siegfried was on offense and Ashrah was on defense. This lasted another minute before Siegfried pushed Ashrah as far away as he could. He looked down at his right hand with wide eyes as it began to slightly shake.

Not now! he called out in his mind.

Not knowing what was going on, Ashrah decided to take this opportunity to perform another one of her attacks. She raised her hand above her as the same projectile she used before shot out upward. It then maneuvered itself and began heading straight down towards Siegfried.

However, before the projectile made impact, Siegfried, out of his control, lifted his right hand up and quickly sent a shock wave around him. The projectile went off course and landed far off somewhere by the audience. Ashrah herself was knocked off her feet and flew back. She soon found herself outside of the ring before landing on the ground.

Afterwards, Siegfried was able to control himself again. He brought his arm down and looked at his hand once again as the Shadow Priest hosting the tournament announced him as the winner of the match.

I just don't understand this, he thought, not even acknowledging his win. Without anymore thought, he quickly left the arena.

Rose turned to Ashrah afterward and saw that she was already on her feet and leaving the arena. Once the former demon reached the exit, Rose adjusted the hood of her cloak and followed her.

Cave Area

Sitting by the unlit campfire alone, Julia Chang held a piece of paper in her hand. She reads the words on the letter over and over again, unsure of what else to do. This was the letter she received, only telling her to come to the tournament if she wanted to find out about her mother Michelle.

Julia sighed to herself. Nothing has even came up since coming to Outworld for this tournament. She was hoping that the person who wrote the letter would at least show up and tell her… or perhaps Michelle herself was here, but Julia didn't believe that was the case... though a part of her wanted it to be true.

Julia continued to stare at the letter when she suddenly heard footsteps behind her. She didn't bother to turn to see who it was, believing that it was just only someone passing by.

However, the footsteps soon stopped and the person spoke near her. "I haven't seen you around in a while."

Julia turned around then and was now face to face with Ryu, who brought himself down to sit next to her. The Arizona native couldn't help but smile a little. "I only saw you yesterday at dinner."

Ryu scratched the back of his head. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot." He noticed the letter then. "What do you have there?"

The smirk on Julia's face faded then and she looked back at it. "This paper is the reason why I'm here at the tournament. My mother disappeared two years ago when she went to travel to Japan. I've been looking for her ever since, but to no avail. This is my first lead in a long time. However, we've been here for fifteen days now and nothing has been coming up yet."

"Do you know who wrote the letter?" Ryu asked.

Julia shook her head. "That's the worst part. If only I knew, then I would've tried to meet up with them."

Ryu stretched his arms out as he yawned a little bit. "Well hopefully you'll be able to find out soon. If anything, let them find you. That may be your best option."

Julia nodded in agreement. "Thank you Ryu. You and Ken have been such good friends since I came here."

Ryu nodded with a small smirk.

As this was going on, Mika was just returning from training herself just near the edge of the forest. She was hungry and was about to head back in the cave to fetch some breakfast when she noticed Ryu and Julia by the campfire. She stopped for a moment out of curiosity. However, she couldn't help but feel a bit of jealousy wash over her. She didn't know why, but it was the only feeling that came to her. Why would she worry though? Ryu was giving Mika just as much attention as he was giving to Julia.

Was he?

Deciding to forget about it, Mika quickly went back into the cave before they saw her.

Shao Kahn's Former Palace

It was almost as soon as Guy moved out of the way that Berserk managed to grab him by the arm. Without much effort, Berserk tossed him to the side and Guy hit the ground hard. Sheer pain shot through his body almost immediately. Suddenly, he noticed Berserk's oversized bare foot coming down at him.

Guy quickly grabbed on to Berserk's foot. Using all of his strength, he tried to push the monster back, hoping to knock down the eight foot beast. At five foot nine, Guy had faced bigger fighters nearly all his life… but Berserk was as big as they came and he was most likely never going to fight someone like him again.

If he survives…

Then, Berserk lost his balance and stumbled back a bit, giving Guy the chance to roll out of the way and get back on his feet. Not hesitating any longer, Guy lunged himself at Berserk, landing a few punches in the process. Berserk would swing his big fist at Guy, who would dodge out of the way as much as he could. At some point, he was able to feel the large fists barely brushing on his skin.

This went on like this for another few minutes. Guy had hoped that if he worked on it, he would at least weaken Berserk. However, when he pulled himself back to look at the damage, there was little effect on Berserk.

It was time to take more measures.

"Bushin Senpuukyaku!" Guy called out as he jumped forward. He then placed one leg out and spun himself around in rapid speed. He managed to get a few hits on Berserk and was able to daze him out, but that was all.

Guy got back down on the ground. There was a bit of a difference now, but not much. Berserk let out another roar and lunged himself forward again. Guy dodged out of the way, prepared for his next move.

"Bushin Gourai Kyaku!" Guy dashed closer to Berserk and managed to unleash a flurry of punches and kicks and ended it with a flying kick. Berserk stumbled back, completely stunned by the move but still kept on his feet. Now Guy was getting somewhere.

However, before anything else happened, a booming voice shouted, "STOP THIS MATCH!" Everyone turned around and immediately were surprised upon seeing Outworld's own Emperor Shao Kahn approaching the ring. With the exception of Guy, Berserk, and Shang Tsung, everyone else in the room bowed to him.

Shao Kahn stared at Berserk then. He had the medallion in his hand, but he kept it hidden so that Guy didn't see the artifact. "You disappoint me, Berserk. You will never again fight in this tournament." He then looked up at the guards and ordered them to send him away. Quickly, they got Berserk in his cage using ropes they managed to tie around him. His loud roars were heard all throughout the room until the double doors leading out was closed.

No one dared to ask his reasons to stop the match just yet. They only kept silent and continued to bow to him. Shao Kahn then turned his head to Guy, who was sweating from his match. The Bushin Ninja figured that this was the Emperor Raiden had talked about. Now things were getting complicated and Guy wasn't sure what was about to happen next. Unless it threatened his safety, he was going to let the Emperor talk.

Shao Kahn spoke then. "You are one of the greater fighters in this tournament. I've seen the fear in the eyes of other fighters who faced the weakest of the tarkatans. However, you were able to hold your own and I saw no fear in you. You are one of a kind. This match is considered a draw… however, I grant you permission to continue to round three of the tournament."

Guy nodded, unsure of what to say. Rather yet, now that he thought about it, it was better not to say anything.

The Emperor snapped his fingers twice. The same cloaked figure who brought Guy here stood up and stepped forward. "Reptile, escort him out of here and return him to the palace grounds… that's an order."

"Yessss massster," the cloaked figure said. Guy hadn't noticed the hissing from him before, but it was no matter. He had to get back to Raiden to tell him about his discovery. Reptile, still hidden within the cloak, began walking out and once again Guy followed him.

Once they were gone, Shang Tsung stood up from his throne. "What's the meaning of this?" he demanded. "We were supposed to kill him after this was over!"

Shao Kahn glared at him in such a way that it made Shang Tsung sit back in his throne. However, the Emperor answered his question anyway. "Guy Hinato was his name, correct? What I said to him about being a great fighter is true. He has potential …potential to be in my army."

Shang Tsung got the idea then as a smirk came over his face. The match had ended because Shao Kahn wanted Guy in his army and he didn't want Berserk to end up killing him as originally instructed.

Cave

It was just past noon and Li Mei had just come back from having lunch in the palace. Since losing the tournament, she suddenly found herself bored. She wasn't interested in the matches that were going on today, especially considering that none of the people she got to know in this cave were attending either.

"I'm bored," Li Mei suddenly announced to no one in particular... not that anyone was around to hear it at the moment.

She paced back and forth in the cave. It was mostly quiet with the exception of feet rustling about in their rooms. Li Mei then decided to talk to the first person who came out of their room, no matter who it was.

Li Mei only had to wait a minute before a curtain pulled over and Ibuki stepped out. Her mask was pulled down to her neck and she was enjoying a potato which was half eaten. She wasn't really looking around when she suddenly bumped into someone. Ibuki looked up and noticed Li Mei staring at her.

"Hi Li Mei," Ibuki greeted before she took another bite of her snack.

"I'm bored Ibuki," Li Mei said. "What do you think I should do?"

Ibuki swallowed her food. "Gee, I don't know," she said politely. She began thinking for a minute before two ideas came to her. "Well, you can do two things… you could either go out and do some training or go pick some berries. I think Rose wanted to do that tomorrow before round three begins."

Li Mei placed a finger on her own chin. "Well, there's no use in training right now since I lost the tournament… so I'll go pick some berries." She then stared at Ibuki. "Want to come with me?"

Ibuki waved her free hand. "I'm sorry Li Mei. I have to do some other things."

"Please?"

Ibuki began to feel bad then. She had seen Li Mei around the cave and realized that she didn't have that many companions as far as she knew. Just this once, she'll push her other plans back.

"Well all right. Let's not be too long."

"Thanks Ibuki! I'll go get the baskets, then we'll pick so many berries that we don't even have to go berry picking tomorrow, even though it's fun but sometimes it's could get a little boring…"

Li Mei continued to talk as she and Ibuki went to back to retrieve the baskets. Then they left the cave and headed into the forest.

Unknown Area

In a hallway, Ivy Valentine had just exited her sleeping quarters and was heading down to get something to eat. She would normally get to Tanya fetch her food, but today, Shao Kahn had sent her to look after the dungeons.

Though Ivy has been down in the dungeons a few times only to overlook things briefly, she couldn't understand the point of it. Sure, it was a way to shut up those who suspected the Emperor's plans, but there seemed to be prisoners who were there for no reason. Not that she herself didn't enjoy the thrill of torturing others when they deserve it, but at least she had a reason for it... torturing just for random fun was not her style.

Ivy was just beginning to head down the stairs when she noticed Shao Kahn standing at the very last step. Shao Kahn has been pleased with her loyalty to him so it was no longer required for her to bow to him.

"You're back," Ivy asked, well aware that he had been at a private tournament. She slowly began going down the stairs.

Shao Kahn stood in his place as he spoke. "Berserk is a good torturer, but he's not that great of a fighter."

"I thought he loved the thrill of the fight."

"Obviously that was a lie I was told. I'll be taking care of the one who informed me of that later."

As Ivy walked down the stairs, Shao Kahn couldn't help but stare at her form. She was taller than most human women, her clothes hugging her fit and curvy figure. Her short platinum hair covered half of her face, only showing one eye, which was a deep blue.

Such beauty is rare in a woman, the Emperor thought to himself.

He then spoke up. "I have an assignment for you."

Ivy smirked as she stood a few steps away now, almost matching Shao Kahn's height. "About time. I was aching for some fun."

"Well it's not much of one, but it'll do for now," the Emperor continued. "Your job is to recruit more people to the army."

Ivy nearly raised an eyebrow. He definitely had a thing for recruiting more people into the forces. She wanted to ask why he needed more people when he had plenty, but instead she bit her tongue in fear of his rage... not that she's been on the receiving end yet, but she didn't want to try to start either.

"At least find one person," Shao Kahn suggested. "Then you can continue with your normal duties."

A thought came to Ivy then. She thought back on her encounter with Heihachi Mishima a few days ago. She was originally there to check out activities in the main palace when they met up. During their confrontation, he had grabbed her and kissed her violently as a way to get to her. She could still feel the sour taste of his lips on her nose and it made her nose twitch in disgust.

She then looked back at Shao Kahn, a side smirk appearing on her face. "It seems that my assignment is already over. I have someone in mind."

Shao Kahn nodded. "Go on."

A gleam seemed to go over Ivy's eyes. "In the main palace, there's a peculiar fighter named Heihachi…"

Forest Area

Rose was still following Ashrah, who was possibly heading back to the main palace. She was still wearing her cloak, but she had pulled the hood back, revealing her head. Her normally wild purple hair was actually much calmer and in ringlets. It was one of her disguises that she used to navigate in places she shouldn't be at.

The psychic had been trying to find the right time to confront her, but there had been too many people around previously. She couldn't risk inviting Ashrah to the cave and having other people know about it, especially on the off chance that a member of Shao Kahn's minions were near.

Once they were in the forest, Rose realized that this was the perfect moment. She couldn't sense anyone else around her so it was now or never.

However, before she could make her move, she suddenly found herself being knocked down by another person. Rose yelped out in surprise as she was pushed to the ground. She felt the person still on her and she looked up.

Rose was surprised that the person on top of her was Ashrah herself, the person she was seeking out! Not only that, but in her right hand, Ashrah was hold a knife!

"Die demon!" Ashrah called out. Before she should bring the knife down, Rose managed to knee Ashrah in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. Rose then pushed her off of her, rolled back, the got on her feet. She then ripped off her cloak, revealing purple dress, black stockings, and high heels. A yellow scarf wrapped around her shoulders and lingered past her arms.

Rose quickly grabbed her scarf as Ashrah attempted to approach her again with the knife raised. The psychic threw one end of her scarf forward, the fabric quickly extending out. It wrapped itself around Ashrah a few times before Rose pulled her towards her.

Ashrah struggled to get out of the hold. "Let me go you demon!"

Rose wasn't sure why she was calling her a demon. The only conclusion she could come up with was her past with the dark arts. It was a story to be explained in another date.

"You may call me a witch, but I'm no demon," Rose said.

"Why were you following me?" Ashrah demanded harshly.

"Because I need your help," Rose proceeded. "You possess a pure heart and soul. No one is perfect, but as a long as they possess that, it doesn't matter."

Ashrah began to calm down a little when Rose mentioned 'pure.' As a demon, it was what Ashrah had always wanted. To hear that from someone, even by someone with a dark essence inside of her, it touched her emotionally, though she tried not to show that in front of this stranger.

"My name is Rose and you must be Ashrah," Rose said. Ashrah was surprised to know that Rose knew her name.

Then, unexpectedly, Rose had a quick vision. A shadowed figure appeared before her. The only other color on this figure was a pair of white that indicated eyes. Then, just as fast, the vision was gone.

Rose looked at Ashrah. "Do you know of a shadowed figure dressed all in black with glowing white eyes?"

Ashrah stared at her as only one name came to her. She slowly nodded. "His name is Noob Saibot and he's a wraith from the Netherrealm. I was once a demon there until I managed to free myself with a purified weapon. However, Noob is now in possession of it and has tainted it with evil."

Rose nodded after hearing her story. She then released Ashrah from the scarf's grip. The white clad woman stumbled a bit before regaining her balance.

"Our mission is to stop a possible threat to the realms. Chishio No Me is more than you think. If you help us, we'll help you with your cause."

Ashrah stood there for a moment. Despite the dark energy within Rose, she found herself wanting to trust her. She seemed like a reasonable woman, though she was going to stay on her toes in case she was wrong about her.

"Tell me more," Ashrah asked.

Rose nodded. "This is not a good place. There is a cave south of here just by the beach hidden behind some trees. Meet me there tomorrow morning."

Ashrah nodded. "I shall."

Other End of the Forest

Ibuki and Li Mei continued to pick berries. The bushes they would normally go to seemed to lack the delicious fruits, mainly because they had been picked so much. The two of them grabbed whatever was left and placed them in the baskets before continuing to walk along the path.

Ibuki found herself enjoying Li Mei's company and wondered why she hadn't taken the time to get to know her to begin with.

"So you're from here?" Ibuki asked.

Li Mei nodded. "Yeah, but I don't like it here. There's just too much war and chaos here and I never liked it. My parents passed away trying to rebel against our oppressors when I was a child and I've been living with my grandfather and brother ever since. I was hoping that one day I could go to Earthrealm and live there for the rest of my life. That's my dream… what are your dreams?"

Ibuki had to smile at that. "Well, after the summer, I'm going to be going Tokyo to attend my first year in college. I wanted to go two years ago when I was eighteen, but my ninjitsu training just took too much time. I'll finally be relieved from my duty after this tournament. I've always wanted to be just a normal student without worrying about my clan."

"That sounds really nice," Li Mei said. "So college is like a school, right? We don't have that here."

Ibuki nodded. They then reached a fork in the path going in two different directions. Li Mei had an idea then. "Say, let's split up for a bit. That way we can get more berries faster."

"Well," Ibuki said. "We shouldn't separate, but I'm sure a few minutes won't be too bad."

"All right," Li Mei said as she went right, whistling as she did. Ibuki stood there for a moment, looking down at her path on the left before she began walking along it.

Unknown Area

After being relieved from his duties for the day, Sagat decided to take a walk to get to know the area he was now staying at better. Today had indeed been a long day, especially with the secret tournament he had attended, which he personally considered a waste of time. He had thought the match was going fine until Shao Kahn decided to stop it for his own personal gains.

Things could be worse though, he supposed. At least Shao Kahn was giving him what he wanted, unlike his old master Bison. Sagat had done everything for him, but he had never been given his main request… to face his old foe Ryu in an honorable match. Ryu having left a scar on his chest so long ago in the first World Warriors Tournament so many years ago. He hadn't requested this wish to Shao Kahn yet. He didn't think it was wise to ask for the opportunity so soon after his recruitment.

Sagat then stopped walking and looked up at the sky. He wondered if getting closer to the medallion through recruitement was even worth it at all. He never even thought about having the medallion, but the only reason he accepted Shang Tsung's offer to join the Emperor's army was because he merely wanted his long-time wish. If he could prove that he was worthy, perhaps he could finally have it granted.

It was then that his thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of footsteps. Sagat quickly whiled around and was slightly surprised to see Adon standing before him. The cocky grin that was normally on his face was nowhere to be seen. Bandages covered one side of his face as a result from his defeated match against Havik.

When he noticed Sagat staring at his bandages, Adon clenched his teeth in frustration. "Don't even say it! You're going to say that vengeance is not the worth it! Don't even dare speak about vengeance when you seek it as well! Just stay out of it!"

Sagat decided not to say anything. It was ironic though… Adon was now following the same path that he had once walked. Though he had to admit, the scars on younger fighter's face was indeed worse than on the chest. It didn't matter though, Adon was quite the ugly one to begin with, he thought.

Adon continued then. "I was offered to join an army and I gladly accepted. This is definitely my way of proving that I AM, and always will BE, Muay Thai God! So stay out of this!" With that, Adon passed Sagat.

Sagat raised an eyebrow afterward. He was suspicious of Adon's recruitment. Not only that, but he figured out why Adon accepted… because it was a good way to get closer to Havik, the cause of his new scars.

Despite their current grudge against each other, Sagat decided to keep an eye out on Adon.

Forest

Ibuki continued to walk through the forest in hopes of finding more berry bushes, but to no avail. 'Maybe there aren't any more,' she thought. She wondered if Li Mei was having better luck. The young ninja girl decided to go on a bit further before heading over to Li Mei's path.

A few minutes later, Ibuki suddenly heard a moan somewhere. She stopped in her tracks to listen again. She heard the moan again but much more clearly this time. Ibuki followed the noise.

"Hello?" she called out.

That's when she heard a faint call for help. Ibuki dropped her basket and ran over to the noise. She soon reached a young woman who seemed not much older than she was, battered and bruised, possibly from a previous fight, or worse... Tears stained the woman's face and she seemed to have fear in her gold eyes.

Ibuki quickly bent down to her. "Are you okay?" she asked.

The woman looked over at Ibuki. "I, I don't know… the, there were so many of them…"

Ibuki hushed her a bit in order to calm her down. "I don't have any medical supplies, but the palace is not too far from here and I can get you help."

The woman took a deep breath. "Th… there's something I need…"

"What is it?" Ibuki asked.

The fear suddenly seemed to disappear from the woman's eyes. Ibuki nearly felt good, feeling that she had calmed the woman's fears. However, the fear in her eyes was suddenly replaced by a sadistic grin. Her sweet voice suddenly changed into a deep, demonic one as she spoke these chilling words;

"I need your soul!"

Upon hearing that, Ibuki attempted to get herself back up, realizing that the woman was not who she seemed. However, the woman had quickly sat up and managed to grab a hold of Ibuki's throat. Ibuki struggled to fight back, but it was to no avail. The woman was too strong for her.

The woman's eyes glowed green, the sadistic grin still upon her face. She then freed one of her hands from her grip and raised it above Ibuki's head...

Meanwhile, Li Mei had just entered Ibuki's original path because she too wasn't able to find berries. She expected Ibuki to be walking by. However, upon seeing the horrifying sight of her friend being choked by a female stranger, Li Mei dropped her basket, the berries pouring out and spreading in different directions on the ground.

Li Mei was about to call out Ibuki's name before running over to try to save her. However, even if she did, it was long too late. A green mist was sucked out of Ibuki and transferred into the woman's hand. Immediately after, Ibuki's body went limp and her once peachy skin turned a pale blue almost immediately. Then, the woman dropped her body as though she was nothing but a rag doll.

Tears fell from her eyes as Li Mei sprinted out of there in fear of the woman seeing her. She tried her best not to scream as she quickly headed back towards the cave.

Cave Area

A dark feeling came over Raiden as he was walking past the edge of the forest. He had just finished speaking with Guy, who had informed him of what happened in Shao Kahn's former palace. It was odd since Raiden had already checked out the place previously before the tournament and found nothing. However, he realized that it was a good way to throw him off, plus it was his and Rose's first lead in their mission. He thanked Guy and sent him off so that he could rest.

The trees began to sway more than usual as the dark feeling continued to pass over. A serious look came upon the Thunder God's face.

Something has happened, he thought.

It was then that he noticed Li Mei running out of the woods. He was curious why she was, possibly running from Outworld wart hogs, he guessed at first. However, upon seeing the tears on her face, Raiden knew that whatever dark feeling he was feeling, it had something to do with whatever the Outworld native was running from.

Li Mei felt so much relief and cried even more upon seeing Raiden, his dark blue cape swaying in the wind that suddenly came. "RAIDEN!" she cried out. Once she reached him, she threw her arms around him, buried her face in his chest, and sobbed uncontrollably.

"Li Mei," Raiden said calmly. "What happened?"

It took a moment for Li Mei to find the ability to speak. "Ibuki… she's… she's…"

She didn't have to say no more. Raiden placed his arms around Li Mei and he let her sob into his chest for as long as she needed. A grim look appeared on his face. He and Rose had tried so hard to protect their chosen ones from bad situations like this… but now, death had befallen on one of their own.

A/N: To the Ibuki fans, I'm sorry… please don't hurt me. Please note that Ibuki is one of my favorite Street Fighter characters and this was definitely a very hard decision to make.