Chapter 4 – Shadows
Morris awoke bewildered and slightly at unease. He noticed that everything was yellow. Or it would be, but there was nothing there to actually be yellow. He could only see yellow, and inside he retched in horror. Being British, mild superstition surrounded his everyday life. Nobody believed it, though if something fitted, it became the only truth. And Morris thought of a particular superstition and it got jammed hard into his brain. Finally, he thought, years of masturbation had caught up with him, and now he was struck blind.
"Oh fucking hell!" He screamed in panic, throwing his arms around, to find that his hands met some odd material. Then he heard Asuka's voice.
"Morris, why are you hiding in the curtains?" She asked. Morris's heart skipped a beat and slowed as he sighed with relief.
"Help…" He sheepishly murmured. He felt her hands pry away at the cotton material. She extended her arms. As he pulled himself up with her support, he felt a small collection of rodents scurry out of his pockets.
"Morris, you're pale as all hell." She said anxiously. Morris looked at his hands. Bone white. "You had another bad dream, didn't you?" Morris shrugged his shoulders.
"It's odd." He said. "Don't remember it, but I must've had." He looked up to Asuka's notched eyebrows. "You look unbelieving…"
"Well, you woke me up." She said. "You were screaming horribly, as if something was killing you. And there was this name… you kept shouting for someone called 'Spike'. D'you happen to know anybo…" Asuka looked up to see that Morris had frozen to the spot. The mice and rodents scurried away in fear, and Morris certainly felt like following suit. "Morris?" He snapped out of his trance and looked to her.
"No, it's just… I haven't heard that name in years" He left it there. He still had trouble explaining it, even to himself. He walked out of the door and into the corridor. He noticed his hands become only paler. And then flashes occurred in his mind. A vague reminder of his dream. A young woman, probably no older than Asuka, screaming urgently. In fact, it looked a lot like her, though… it was unclear, and screaming wasn't something Morris thought Asuka did on a regular basis. The cries for help, though, sounded hideously disturbing for Morris.
Spike! Spike, for god's sake, help! SPIIII…
Morris heard a yelp to bring himself back to reality. He looked in front of him. There was a youthful, feminine face, contorting between shock and fury, her fair hair flickering in anger. Then Morris noticed what the problem was. His hands were on her breasts. He pulled away quickly.
"Sorry!" He said as the girl's eyes violently glared at him. "I'm so sorry, miss…" He looked down to the inscriptions on her white shoulder-less top. Morris assumed at first he simply was too drunk to read, though realised that the lettering was Greek. However, unfazed by a word such as ξυράφι, Morris decided to try anyway. "Eeeuuupp… swirl thingy penis stick?" The girl seemed only more infuriated.
"It's Razer to you!" The girl barked, loud enough to cause Morris to jump. "And you better have a good reason for that."
"No, seriously, I wasn't looking where I was going and I…" Morris began to babble, not even listening to himself. He found himself distracted by the low cut top. He tried to hold back the comment, but his self-restraint was already in shreds. "… melon with a hose pipe and with a top that revealing it was an accident waiting to happen."
It might have sounded like a branch snapping, but the pain and power that the slap had smashed into Morris's cheek convinced him that she had just shot her. He was pretty much propelled into the stair well, and, with a floor not designed to have a man-sized object with similar velocity to a napalm bomb, he felt himself smashing through onto the ground floor. As he wallowed and moaned in pain, he looked up. At first he had found blessing within a curse, as he noticed a very good view inside a denim shirt, though he changed his mind when he saw the owner of the skirt and boots.
"You again? What now, did I step on an ant or something?" Morris said callously as Julia scowled at him.
"No. You're my next opponent. If you're going to be that clumsy during the fight, you're out of luck." She said. She stepped on him and walked up the stairs. Morris grunted.
"Oh, don't worry about me! I've only just fell through four floors or more, nothing at all harmful, you know, you manic, stuck-up, moaning bitch!" He shouted back. He got up. He turned around. There was a huge man who looked almost naked, and he didn't look happy, either. Morris sighed. Today's going great. I've gone insane, fell through some stairs and have probably broken as many bones as I have, and now this. Can't I have a bloody break? The sumo picked him up off the floor with one hand and slammed him into the wall.
"Don't talk to Lady Chang that way again, ok?" He said ferociously. Morris searched for some snappy and witty comeback. However, something distracted him. He saw Ling Xiaoyu in the crowded lobby. She was being followed by a large teenager who was obscured by his hood. Xiaoyu obviously didn't see him. "Are you listening?" The sumo grunted. Morris happy-slapped the sumo and decided to leg it. He kept an eye on the obscured teenager. Hoodies were a common occurrence in Britain, though something told Morris that this guy was bad news. He looked to Xiaoyu, and back to the teen, who was fixated, and following her discreetly and doggedly. Morris sighed, reaching into his pants.
"Why am I doing this?" Morris said and ran towards the teenager. He intercepted him. When the teenager stood to one side, Morris did also. "Do I know you?" He asked. The teenager pushed Morris out of the way.
"Stay out of my way." He growled. Morris smirked. There it was, the chance he was looking for.
"Don't you dare!" He barked, swinging a punch. What happened next was just as painful as the slap he had received recently. No, more so, as if the teenager's hands were brick, and faster than wasps, as four punches drummed into Morris's torso, and a kick fired him across the room, smashing through the crowd. He looked to Xiaoyu when the teenager did. There was no sign or trace of her. The teenager growled dangerously, and turned to Morris. The air Morris breathed froze, and the entire room stopped in apprehension. All he could do as the faceless man, his hood holding the blackness of hell, glared with all the power of a truck with a deer within its sights, was simply smile sheepishly.
"Make good care that I never see you again." The hooded man said quietly, before walking away. Morris looked to his trousers. He sighed, and looked around for a place to change out of the sodden clothes.
The arena of ice and water that Asuka had fought in before was just as cold as before. Julia's face matched the cold, serious nature of the Arctic arena, made to reconstruct the conditions of such a place. She looked impatiently to Asuka, who just shrugged worriedly. Julia was about to walk away with a default victory when Morris pushed his way through the crowd.
"S'cuse me. Pardon. Oi, you want some o' this, then?" Came his slurred voice. Julia and Asuka turned. His blonde mop of hair was dragged across his face, and a huge bruise was on his face. However, it was the way he walked that caught their attention. His arms were clutching to the abdomen as he staggering, grunting with every step with a brilliant strain. Asuka ran over to him.
"What happened to you?" She said panicking. Morris
"I fell." Morris answered quietly. He punched her lightly on the forearm. "I'm fine." He winced when his arm had left his body. "Now, where's Pocahontas?" He said slowly.
"Here." Julia said. She got into her fighting stance. Morris panted slightly in pain. Julia laughed harshly. "Give up now while you've still got a chance."
"Well at least I'm not a virgin." Morris shouted. Then he leaned to Asuka's ear. "I hope she doesn't know I'm a virgin." He whispered as the bell rang. Asuka ran back to the viewing box as Julia rushed forward.
The fight started off with Julia elbowing Morris. Morris staggered back. He grunted, and didn't recover for a few seconds. He ran over and tried to punch Julia. It didn't have much effect. She just raised her arm and stood on one leg, allowing Morris's limp arm to fall away. She smacked him straight in the abdomen, and Morris howled in hurt.
"Not fair!" He yelped, before head butting her away. She recovered instantly, though her forehead was numb, and her vision was blurred from the impact. She only just saw Morris's kick coming, and couldn't block even if she tried. She fell out of her stance, though stood upright and strong. Morris, however, simply flopped in the effort, and fell face first onto the ice. Julia's eyebrows knotted angrily.
"This is an insult!" She barked at him as he forced himself onto his hands and knees. He peered through the ice. The water was cold, black, and unforgiving. Morris tapped his knuckle against it, and felt a punishment for his delaying, as Julia drove her foot into his shoulders. Asuka screamed in protest, declaring a foul, though Morris had an idea.
Let's even the odds a little. He remained on the floor as Julia brought her foot up. Morris pushed himself forward a little, and she drove her heel into his abdomen. He barked, and pushed himself slightly further away. She repeatedly kicked, and he took it, going further all the while.
"I've won, Morris!" Julia proclaimed as she rose her foot. Morris waited for her to fire it towards him. When she did, Morris forced himself forward as far as he could muster. Julia's foot smashed through the ice, and into the cold water. Her grip faltered on the ice, and she fell onto her knees. She groaned as a hard foot sized lump of ice smacked into her groin. She looked as Morris lifted himself up. She jumped up. "A pathetic tactic for such a worthless gain!" Morris giggled slightly.
"Cunt punt." He snickered. Julia fell into her stance. She tried to begrudge Morris, and tried to tell herself his plan achieved nought, though she knew it gave him time to stand, and, what with his abdomen in enough pain to prompt his arms to wrap around them permanently, standing up was his only hope. She decided to bull charge him. He, however, pushed back with his feet and slammed himself straight into the water.
Julia slammed her feet down into the ice, hoping for purchase. However, she slipped and she joined Morris in the icy depths of the water. She opened her eyes and peered into the darkness, looking for some sign of Morris. Then she saw, to her amazement, dolphins. Their sleek, grey forms swam graciously around a centre of attention, their beauty distracting her a while. Then she surfaced, realising the strangeness of animals circling like that. She saw Morris holding to a platform of foam. He groaned in effort and strain as he lifted himself up. What would take a normal person a mere two seconds to do took Morris an agonising thirty. She took pity as he rolled onto his front, whimpering and shaking.
Then Julia remembered her goal, not to mention the spears of cold chilling her blood. She got onto the main ice platform. She stood tall. Morris remained lying. He knew better than waste the effort. He felt as if his body was on fire, and if it wasn't for the dolphin's mysterious eagerness to help, he would've simply drowned in the effort of getting onto the foam, so standing was the last thing he wanted to do. Well, that outside losing. He looked to Julia, and snorted.
"Isn't it odd?" He murmured, shivering with pain. "You think you have the upper hand, and you're yet to catch me." Julia stood back, preparing herself. Morris wondered what for, though saw another foam platform drift between the two. He gulped as she leapt, gliding through the air and landing perfectly on the platform. Morris looked at the gap. Too much to jump, he guessed, though she'd get close enough to pull herself up, and he couldn't even stand. He tried to support himself on to his first leg, and he burned with ache. He screamed and fell back onto his front, causing only more pain. Then he saw Julia dive into the water. Morris's mind couldn't even comprehend any form of strategy behind it. Sure, he couldn't see where she'd come from, though why did it matter? He was immobile for now.
And then he felt a tremor, and a fist smashed into his back from under the platform as Julia punched a large hole through. Morris's ribs screamed for relent as he was forced to one side. Julia pulled herself up. He looked to her. She grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, and his cheek became subject to a series of hard punches. The crowd screamed in delight. And then one voice was heard above all the others.
"CAN'T YOU SEE HE'S HAD ENOUGH?" Asuka shouted. Julia turned to her, with hurt in her eyes. Morris looked to Asuka, whose eyes were red, as she made her way right to the edge of the platform. Morris felt a lonely echo in his heart as he saw the worry on her face. He smiled, forgetting to even take advantage of the distraction. At least somebody cares.
"Sorry, Asuka, dearest of friends." Julia answered. "Though I must win… for my tribe." She raised her hand, ready to send the final blow.
"Spike! Spike, for god's sake, help! SPIIII…"
"It's ok, it's ok. I'm here now, so nothing bad'll happen."
Morris looked around in shock. He felt the grass beneath his feet, the warm summer breeze engulf him as he looked around the idyllic surroundings, as leaves and the large stems of grass spiralled in the wind, and all the while, Morris's mind was only saying one thing. Have I just fallen into Oz?
Morris's shoulders pulled towards his neck as he fell into a battle stance, only to find he was no longer in pain. He could move as fast as before. He became unnerved, and then he remembered something. Spike? Here? Why?
He looked over. He somehow recalled who the raven haired woman was. It was the woman he had seen in his dream at the Kazama home. She looked a lot younger, by at least twenty years, and probably a lot more. Before she was late twenties, but now, she looked younger than Asuka. Her hair was shorter, sparing the fringe, and Morris could only bring himself to think that she must be causing this… trip… somehow.
And, much to Morris's amazement, was Spike Wellington, pulling the girl up and wiping her tears away with his thumb. He looked too much like Morris for it to be a joke. His hair was spikier, and the skeletal figure Morris had wasn't quite as obvious, though, besides that, Morris and his uncle were identical. It was typical, seeing as him and Morris's mother were identical themselves, if she was a lot younger and of different gender. Even the classic family smirk was on his face.
"Got frightened, did you?" Spike said jokingly. Morris nodded to himself. Yep, that was Spike alright. Mischievous, roguish, and yet had only the best intentions for those he cared for. Morris couldn't believe his eyes. Spike was supposed to be on the run for stealing and smuggling diamonds, what was he doing with a young girl, comforting her like a father figure?
"Ha, ha, ha, Spike." The girl spat, sticking her tongue out at him. "The net traps weren't funny!" Spike chuckled.
"Yes they were." He answered. Morris walked over. He sat next to Spike and the girl, neither of whom noticed him. "You see, my life is all about the challenge." He said. Morris got closer. He had heard this before, and he never grew tired of it. He heard it as a kid, heard it when Spike was carted away by the police, heard it when he was asked in court why he stole all those diamonds, heard it was he escaped from the high security prison while dancing joyfully. He told it to himself everyday, almost like a mantra.
"Anything I see opposing me, I just have to have a go at it." He said. "After all, what's the point of life…"
"- if you don't try and beat every challenge it throws at you?" The girl and Morris finished together. "Yeah, but that's not an answer." The girl moaned. Spike laughed, smirking.
"Ahh, Nature Girl, think about it. What happens when you get caught?" He said. The girl rolled her eyes.
"You have to admit you've been beat. The greatest blow to your self esteem." She groaned. "So I have to be able to beat everything…" Then she glared at him. "And don't call me Nature Girl!"
"Whatever, you love it." Spike laughed, putting his hand into his shoulder holster. "And animals are nuts for you. So…" Without hesitation, he pulled out the pistol that he had at all times, smacking the girl across the head. She yelped as she fell to the floor, her head against a large river. " – what will you do when I've got you down like this?" Spike finished. Morris stood back. Spike wasn't one to pull a gun onto a girl, though if he was teaching a lesson, he was prone to doing things like that.
Then something happened. It was the last thing Morris expected as the girl plunged her hand into the river. He saw her hand grab a fish, and, somehow, it pulled her away as Spike fired. The bullet scarred the river bank as the girl dug her feet into the soil, and pulled herself onto land. Spike couldn't turn fast enough, and she smashed her fist into his cheek, pulled his gun arm toward her. She lifted the arm sharply, and Spike yelped, dropping the gun. The girl then unleashed a furious combo of kicks and punches that Morris couldn't even follow. However, the spins and the almost dance-like grace reminded him somewhat of something he couldn't quite remember. Then Spike laughed heartily.
And it was the last Morris heard.
"Sorry, Asuka, dearest of friends." Julia answered. "Though I must win… for my tribe." She raised her hand, ready to send the final blow. Morris's mind raced faster than he did, and he already knew what would happen. He swung his arm around a dolphin's fin as it pulled away. Julia fell forward, her fist punching thin air and smacking the foam platform powerfully. The whole thing turned over, and the shock stunned Julia for a good few seconds.
Morris literally jumped back onto the platform, strength renewed and spirit rekindled. Julia swam to him as he waited. She looked to him.
"You're weak and tired." She told him. "And you've ran out of places to run!" Morris chortled as she put herself onto one knee. Her arm rose, gaining power for the uppercut that was her speciality. Asuka gulped when she saw this. It was, to be frank, unstoppable. It was so unfairly strong that even Heihachi prepared for a sharp hit and a sharper fall when she prepared it. Julia charged, the audience, all familiar with this move, held its breath…
… and Morris punched the arm.
Julia screamed as her own force was used against her. Morris moved his arm slowly but steadily, unmovable, and the force from the uppercut had to go somewhere. So it went straight back into Julia's arm. She screamed as the impact nearly broke her arm clean in two, and her arm was throbbing with the sting. But Morris wasn't done, as he used the slippiness of the ice to his advantage, skirting past her, leg outstretched, bringing her down. She fell to her stomach, while Morris stood, wrapping his leg around hers, and forcing his weight down onto her.
"Say pudding." He said as she howled in agony. The crowd cheered louder as she shrieked louder. The pain on her leg was tremendous. She tried to hold. She was desperate to hold, though, in the end, she gave in.
"PUDDING!" She screamed, raising her right hand to surrender. The announcer and the crowd chanted Morris's name. He looked to Julia.
"Now, you extinct indigenous being, tell Xiaoyu and anyone else you see that I'm going to be a whirlwind of pain for everyone I fight!" He told her as she glowered at him. He walked away, punching the air and waving. "Thank you, thank you." Then he felt something pink hit his face. He looked to it. He smirked. "Ladies panties." He said to himself. "THANKS!" He shouted. Then he felt something orange hit his face. He looked to it. This time, the pants were a man's. Morris couldn't quite think of a response, throwing the pants away to the dolphins, who were chattering excitedly. It's the thought that counts, I suppose. He walked over to Asuka, who looked shocked. He wore a smug smile. "Don't look surprised. I said I could beat her." He said haughtily.
"That's not what I'm surprised at." Asuka said, her eyebrows notched with concern. "How'd you know how to do the leg thing?"
"What, the cloud-taste throw? Dunno, I just….. did." He said simply.
"That's a Kazama Style Throw, and I most certainly haven't heard it being called Cloud Taste." She sounded worried. Morris looked quite surprised. He looked at her.
"What? So I know a throw I'm not supposed to. Surely it's a good thing if I can do it well." Morris said irritably.
"That's the thing. You know it all too well, yet it's never made any significance in your life, you've never seen it before and I'm sure you haven't used it at any other point in your life." Asuka explained.
"Now, that's untrue. I…" Morris stopped. She was right. He had never seen or preformed it in his life. He suddenly became extremely interested in how the water washed onto the ice in its soft and slow way. Morris looked at his hands, and back to the dolphins.
"What have I done wrong today?" He asked himself.