Disclaimer: I don't own Tekken

A/N: Hi, how's it going? Thanks for coming by, and I'm glad you decided to give my fic a read. Well, this starts the stories of what some other characters are doing after the tournament. Now, please, I ask you not to just skip over these; I'm really setting up the next installment I have in mind. Also, after the events of the last chapter, I figured a break was needed. Of course, it's still your choice. Anyway, we'll first see what the Snake Edge and the Manji Clan leader are up to. And here … we … go:

The King of Iron Fist Tournament 7: A Final Tragedy for the Finest Future

Gaidens: Yoshimitsu and Bryan Fury

The New Light of Good Fortune

The entire Manji clan had gathered at the secret headquarters; a ceremony was set to take place. They had all congregated in an immense room dimly-lit by only candles, and were seated on its perimeter. At the center were the ceremony's two subjects: Yoshimitsu, the current clan leader, stood in front a young man, who sat on the backs of his legs listening intently; both men's faces were obscured in their masks.

Yoshimitsu began to address them all, "As you know, my life is close to its ends … and so is my time as the leader of the Manji Clan. Therefore, it has fallen upon me to choose my successor. But, fret not, my brothers and sisters, for I have found a worthy leader for you, and possibly a better leader than I…" He then turned to young man at his feet, "And I believe that man is you."

The younger ninja bowed his head in respect, acknowledging the honor, but remained silent.

Yoshimitsu continued, "My most gifted student, you have proven yourself beyond worthy… Your body is strong… Your knowledge is flawless… Your skills are impeccable… Your talents are numerous, your potential limitless… And your heart is noble and true… But there is one trial that lies before you, one question that remains…"

Yoshimitsu, his words resonating throughout the room and into the clan members as if passing through them, drew the sacred blade, and held it vertically as he slid one hand one hand down its spine and continued, "Is your spirit steadfast, unyielding, and strong enough to wield the Sacred Yoshimitsu...?"

The younger shinobi then lifted his eyes to his master, and one look in his eyes said everything. His eyes were humble, eager, and unafraid… In a word, he looked ready.

Seeing this, Yoshimitsu beckoned his pupil, "Excellent! … Then, draw your sword, my young charge! Thou shalt be tested…"

Yoshimitsu quickly back-flipped into his fighting stance; following in suit, the younger shinobi drew his katana from the its scabbard on the floor in front of him, and sprang up into its fighting stance. In a flash, the two ninja go after each other.

The attacks came at unearthly speeds and with inhuman force. The clanging and ringing of their clashing swords traveled and reverberated for miles. The Manji Clan members watched in awe as the fight lasted for close to an hour. The young shinobi fully utilized the Manji Ninjutsu style, proved his master true, and made brethren and master proud. Meanwhile, Yoshimitsu showed how he became the master in the first place, not going easy by any stretch of the imagination, not giving an inch, and using every trick he had.

Eventually, the younger disarmed Yoshimitsu, and toppled him.

Yoshimitsu calmly complimented him, "Excellent! Truly excellent, young one! You know what must be done. Now… take hold of your destiny…"

As he had studied, the younger shinobi dropped his katana, and picked up the Yoshimitsu blade. He stopped for a moment out of the realization and seriousness of what he must do next… Finally, he ran up as Yoshimitsu staggered to his feet… flipped the sword in his hands as he turned… and thrust it backward under his arm … and into his master's chest, performing the 'Hara-kiri' technique. Not long after, the Manji Clan leader fell backward to the ground.

Suddenly, white beads of light streamed out of and through Yoshimitsu's armor and mask, and gathered into the sacred blade; his soul had joined all the former Manji Clan leaders before him. The blade's glow slowly transitioned from red to blue, signaling instability to optimum power. Yoshimitsu's soul had brought the blade back from madness. The young ninja bowed to his fallen master in reverence, and shed a single tear in mourning of his passing.

After a moment, the shinobi composed himself, turned to his comrades, and raised the Yoshimitsu blade high for all of them to see, a storm of cheers going up in response. A new Yoshimitsu had been crowned. The battle done, the status of the clan was stabilized for the next generation. The Manji Party would continue to fight for the poor and oppressed for years to come…

---------

Wrath Rising

Having been denied any new prospects at the tournament, Bryan was forced to his very last resort: a young woman named Rebekah Wrath…

-----

Rebekah Wrath: She was a former rookie detective and part-time partner of Bryan Fury. During their time in the force, Rebekah knew of Bryan's venture into illegal dealings, and attempted to get him out of them before something bad came of him. Her efforts especially intensified after she learned Super Police detective Lei Wulong was pursuing Bryan as well. Eventually, she got a tip that Bryan was being set up, and rushed over to help him. All her efforts were in vain however as Bryan was brutally gunned down in front of her, and she was also shot though it was non-life threatening. Originally, because she was shot as well, it was thought that she was part of the dealings as well, but she was later cleared of all suspicion when it became clear what the effect on her really was.

Because, she was only about 19 at the time and it was one of her first cases, the gruesome murder took an extremely heavy toll on her, and she began to suffer from a manic form of schizophrenia and PTSD (shell shock). In an effort to not lose two of its best officers, the force attempted to get her help, but she refused and disappeared. No one could find the now 25-year-oldor knew how she was until…

-----

It didn't take long for Bryan to track her down to an abandoned warehouse. Sure, he was a cyborg now, but he still knew how to be a detective after all. The cyborg soon found and followed a hint that some young woman fitting Rebekah's description was seen frequently in this place at night. Immediately upon, walking in the door, he picked up a human heat signature, and, based on the body structure and hormone level, he deduced it was a female in her early to mid-twenties… It was her all right.

He quickly but silently made his way to the second floor, and spotted her, recognizing her deep eyes and (now very unkempt) short, ash blonde hair. She was wearing a white sleeveless shirt, a black bomber jacket that was noticeably bigger than her, loose black jeans, military boots, and fingerless gloves. It was odd attire indeed, but not as odd or disturbing as her behavior. She just seemed to be wandering through this dank and miserable place, seemingly whispering to herself.

"Tsk Tsk. You sure have fallen." Bryan commented, careful to stay in the shadows.

Not turning around, Rebekah casually replied, "Some things have gone wrong … but I survive."

"If you say so…" Bryan continued, "Just what are you doing in this dump anyway?"

Rebekah replied with insouciance, "I like this place... It's quiet… It helps me think… It helps me forget…"

"But you still can't escape, can you?" Bryan pointed out.

Rebekah turned around and asked out of curiosity, "Your voice sounds very familiar… Why are you asking all things, sir?"

"My voice should sound familiar," Bryan said as he stepped out of the shadows, "… And I'm here to help you escape."

Rebekah immediately fell backward to the floor in a panic, raving hysterically, "You!!! You can't be here. You died; I saw you. So many bullets… So many shots… So much blood… I saw you die!!! A ghost! … You're a ghost!!!"

Bryan let out an evil chuckle as he started creeping toward her, and replied, "That's right; I'm a ghost. Really, I'm the Grim Reaper… and I've come to take you with me!"

Terrified, Rebekah frantically crawled backward as she begged, "No… No! Stay back! Leave me alone! Leave me alone!!!"

Bryan continued to slowly advance, not noticing her pick up a black iron rod with a steel fitting on its end, "What's wrong? I thought you wanted to get away, to forget… Well, don't worry; it will all be over soon."

Rebekah suddenly sprung to her feet, and bashed Bryan in the head several times with the rod, knocking him back and rattled his brain. Quickly, the cyborg grabbed the rod, and attempted to wrestle her to the ground. However, she again surprised him; Rebekah responded with a swift knee to his gut, and a stiff forearm to his face. Bryan was forced to back off by the lip-splitting blow. As he stumbled backward, she aimed, winded up, and floored him with a baseball swing of the rod.

The next moment… Bryan was not prepared for what happened next as Rebekah's real status came to light. The clanging of the rod against the floor echoed through the entire empty building as she absently dropped it. Rebekah's hysteria grew until she started to sob uncontrollably, tears flowing like a fountain. Soon, however… Ha… Haha… HAHAHA… Her cries shifted into an amused, almost innocent-sounding giggle. That soon grew and meshed with her weeping until the whole reaction froze somewhere in the middle. Suddenly, it was impossible to tell if she was weeping desperately or laughing maniacally! It was now painfully obvious that that her mental illness had turned into to full-on insanity.

In the middle of her episode, Rebekah ranted more to herself than Bryan, "A ghost… A ghost in front of me… Why is he here… Maybe he's not dead… Maybe he's not dead enough! …"

Wondering how Rebekah was able to fend him off, Bryan realized that he'd forgotten a very crucial detail… Rebekah Wrath was a champion and master practitioner of Krav Maga. An acclaimed fighter with an unstable mind…? That would make any sane individual run very quickly in the other direction. Fortunately, Bryan Fury didn't quite fit in that category; he merely got up and readied himself for the fight ahead of him.

The two former partners turned enemies through one warped event engaged in a manic brawl. Incredibly, despite her disadvantages, Rebekah held her own against the cyborg. Because of the nature of her fighting style, going within a single foot of her was met with swift punishment. Her own erratic temperament made her hard to predict and defend against. She was also surprisingly strong and resilient; it wasn't clear however if it was due to actual fortitude or a madness-induced sturdy pain threshold...

Nevertheless, Bryan was not to be denied this time. The cyborg started to overpower her; he was sure to stay at mid-range where he could excel and keep damage at bay. The deciding factor ultimately was his ability to reserve more energy while Rebekah's chaotic and unstable style caused her to tire out a lot quicker. Bryan's perpetual power generator didn't help either. Finally, the man formerly known as Snake Edge slammed Rebekah with a 'Chopping Elbow'. Unfortunately, the section of floor she was standing on was very weak, so instead of bouncing (which she might have recovered from), Rebekah crashed into and through the wooden floor!

Bryan, curious to see the damage he caused, looked down into the break, but the darkness of the place was too thick, making it impossible to decipher anything. Quickly, the cyborg made his way down, trying to get to her before she made an attempt to escape, and found her lying in a heap, covered in broken wood and blood trickling from her mouth. Rebekah looked up to see him approaching as he drew his gun from his leg holster.

Rebekah laughed innocently as she said weakly, "I guess I should have called the Ghostbusters™…"

Bryan said as he slid a bullet into the chamber and stopped at her feet, "I was wrong after all; I think you will do just fine… But playtime is over and now you're coming with me."

Rebekah laughed ingenuously once again and asked, "So… does that mean I'll be like you, Casper?"

Bryan let out a chuckle at the irony, and replied, "You'll find out soon enough, but right now … it's time for you to sleep.

The man formerly known as Snake Edge then aimed his gun right at Rebekah's heart… … … BANG!!!

------

Dr. Abel arrived at his hidden laboratory, responding to an urgent page, and quickly flipped on the lights to a sick 'gift'. On his main table was a figure covered by a white sheet with a large red spot in its center. The doctor cautiously approached the obscured form, slowly grabbed the end of the cover, and, after a moment to compose himself, flipped the sheet over with a flourish. What was waiting for him was much more gruesome than he expected; laying there was the body of a young woman, a single gunshot wound in her chest, her blue eyes empty and staring into oblivion.

The next moment, Dr. Abel was met with a cold hand grasping the back of his neck with impeccable strength. This could only be one man…

"Bryan Fury…" Doctor Abel said, frozen by the suddenness.

"That's right…" Bryan replied threateningly, "Good evening, Doctor."

Doctor Abel shakily inquired with a hint of fear, "What have you done? Why is she here?"

"I'm cashing in the favor promised me," Bryan plainly answered.

The fear still present, Doctor Abel inquired more specifically, "Yes, I relented to your intimidation … but what is it you expect me to do?"

"Here's a deal…" Bryan explained, "You were upset that Doctor Boskonovitch was able to apply the technology of his cyborg daughter to his own body, extending his life for at least another 100 years… Well, this is your new lease on life; she's your next project. Since my body is failing me… She'll be my next one."

Doctor Abel began to tremble slightly and broke into a cold sweat as he exclaimed, "What?!?!"

Bryan explained further, "I want you to make her just like me, only this time… You'll put my mind into her body, extending my life."

His fear rising to a boiling point, Doctor Abel exclaimed, "What makes you think I will do this? … What makes you think I can do this?"

Bryan whipped Abel around and lifted him up by his shirt as he ominously proclaimed, "Because… I'll make sure you have everything you need… I'll make sure never forget or fall behind… I'll be with you every step of the way…"

End Gaiden

Next Time: "That little girl? I actually didn't know she was yours… If I had known though, she would've ended up like her mother…"

A/N: Well, that's the first gaiden (or side-story), and what happened to Yoshimitsu and Bryan Fury. Next, we'll check in on Lei Wulong, and see where his investigation has taken him. Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you come back. Please R&R, and, as always, Rant, Rave, and Review.