Disclaimer: I don't own King of Fighters or Fatal Fury or related characters. All are the property of SNK. I'm just borrowing them for some non-profit entertainment.

Sore ga Ai, Deshou?

Chapter Seventeen: Ever hear of …?

As it turned out, living at the Yamada dojo wasn't all that bad. Yamada Jubei was an eccentric old coot but he was an entertaining eccentric old coot and his virtues seemed to be in blatant opposition of his vices. For example, Jubei was obsessively clean when it came to things such as germs, dirt, dust, etr. However, he had no problem with clutter and disarray. He would make Andy scrub, shine and polish the dojo floor so that it was clean enough to eat off of yet he had no issue with leaving his erotic magazines laying all over the place.

Another oddity of life at the Yamada dojo was that, aside from a handful of electric lights thrown here and there in the house, there wasn't a single bit of useful modern technology. It was like stepping back into the early Meiji era when entering dojo property. The kitchen used both wood-burning stove and oven, and the house did not seem to have indoor plumbing. There was a water pump just outside the kitchen door or you could walk six kilometers up into the mountains and carry buckets of fresh river water back down with you.

Also, there was no indoor shower or bathroom. If a person wanted to bath they had to fill the tub in the property's small bathhouse and heat the water yourself before hopping in. Likewise, if you needed to use a toilet, no indoor bathroom for you, nope, instead there was a privy a bit of a ways away from the main house just on the edge of the tree line.

Life at the Yamada dojo was nowhere near as comfortable as it had been at the Shiranui main house, but Andy had lived in worse places and he had to admit, with all its little quirks and eccentricities the Yamada dojo was kinda fun.

Jubei-sensei picked up Andy's training where Hanzo had left off: with ki techniques. Jubei was no kappou-jitsu master, he wasn't even a ninja really, but he had fought with Hanzo (both alongside and against) enough times to be able to explain the technique to one as bright as Andy. They kept up with Hanzo's usual regimen of light exercise in the mornings followed by a light breakfast (usually cooked by Andy himself) then they got down to the real training.

Jubei spent a good deal of time and great amount of effort helping Andy to get a better handle on his ki. No self-respecting ninja would allow themselves to go into battle without being able to fully control their own fighting spirit. The old judo master spent long hours with the boy working on his meditations and teaching him better control.

Jubei was no psychologist but he had a feeling that the boys problem with controlling his ki stemmed from his emotional issues developed over his time spent living as a street urchin and the death of his father. The old judo master was sure that living in the Shiranui clan hadn't exactly helped either. Hanzo and his son and granddaughter were alright, but the rest of the extended family were… less accepting, shall we say.

In the afternoons they would work on the more physical aspects of martial arts, the forms and motions of the kappoujitsu and Shiranui-ryu fighting styles. The two of them would spar off and on, pausing every now and again for Jubei to correct him on a move or a stance. Andy found that being taught by one who was not an actual practitioner of his style was both confusing and yet enlightening. Jubei didn't explain things like Hanzo had, in terms of 'why we do this this way', but rather from the point of view of an opponent with a different style, 'if you do something like that then I can easily do this and hand your ass back to you'.

Hanzo and Andy had been practicing the same style and so it had been easier for the boy to anticipate his master's moves and react accordingly. Jubei's style was very different and so often threw Andy off. It was infuriating to have to fight against, but at the same time he knew that when he fought Geese he would not be up against a familiar style but something he'd only ever seen once before and not through the eyes of another fighter but those of a scared child watching his parent die. As infuriating as it was, Andy knew he would be better for it and so viewed his spars with Jubei with a mixture of both apprehension and appreciation.

School didn't seem all that bad anymore either. It seemed all Andy really needed to really flourish was a change of scenery. Years past, he studied and trained under Jubei's guidance, attended school and before he knew it hew was sixteen (the age of majority in Japan) and could legally withdraw from school to focus all his time and attention on his martial arts completely.

…

On Andy's sixteenth birthday Jubei took him out for his first drink of alcohol. And to this day Andy still can't remember what happened that night.

…

It was the day after Andy's sixteenth birthday party, as the boy was still nursing his first ever hangover than Jubei-sensei burst into his room and announced that they were going to Tokyo to participate in the underground fight circles there. Jubei rambled off some long explanation about not wanting to take Andy there when he was still a minor or something like that. But the boy was still to addle-brained from last night's boozing to fully comprehend. All he knew was that his master was packing a small travel bag for him and dragging him out the dojo to the nearest train station.

While on the train Andy received a splitting headache from a girl in a sailor suit school uniform shrieking in horror and hitting Jubei-sensei over the head with her school bag. Andy just messaged his temples and asked his master to kindly behave himself, not that he was really in any sort of condition to enforce this.

…

Ultimate Fighters is bare-fisted boxing. Competitors wear a little bit of padding to protect against most fatal injuries but overall are relatively unprotected. UF is televised and can usually be found on cable. It is perfectly legal, regulated and as safe as any blood sport can be.

What Jubei took Andy too was not Ultimate Fighters. It was a bare-fisted fighting ring but that was where the similarities stopped. Fighters did not wear any from of protective padding of any sort, it was not televised, there were no regulations and it most certainly was not legal.

The entry fee was ninety thousand yen (roughly one thousand America dollars). Andy had no idea where his master could have gotten that kind of money, but after seeing the iniquity in which he stood the teen decided that he probably didn't want to know.

As this was all an underground operation and everyone present wanted to stay off the radar. No one named any names or stared to long at faces and everyone called everyone else by a codename of sorts. Jubei was "the Demon" or sometimes just "Demon", the man adding Andy to the line-up was "Mr. Six" and had two beautiful yet scantily clad women flanking him whom he referred to as Kitten and Kitty (though Andy couldn't tell which was which).

"And what name shall we call the boy?" Asked Mr. Six. "He looks like he'd make a good 'Elf' with that hair."

One of the women at his side giggled. Andy decided to designate that one as Kitten. He wondered if he was expected to supply his own name or if they were going to give him one. He really didn't want to be called "Elf" like some supporting character in a Tolken novel. He wanted something tougher and more masculine, something that reflected all the years of training and hard work he'd put into his fighting. "How about the Human Weapon?" He suggested.

Mr. Six gave a laugh. "Maybe when you're older kid. You gotta earn titles like that around here. Take the Demon here for example," he jabbed a finger at Jubei-sensei, "when he first started comin' here he was 'Grabby Hands'. He didn't like that one much either, but he kept comin' back and by his third night everyone was callin' him the Demon instead."

"How about 'White Wolf'?" Jubei suggested. "I promise you, the kid's got chops."

Mr. Six sat back in his chair. "Well, I suppose that's relatively un-intimidating. Alright kiddo, White Wolf it is." He wrote down Andy's name in his ledger and scribbled some figures and odds next to his name. "Long as you're here, Demon," he addressed Jubei, "wanna place a bet? Or did you blow all your money on entering your little wolf cub?"

Jubei thought about it for a moment, he glanced at Andy then at the odds Mr. Six had written in his ledger. "Ya know, I think I will." He withdrew a ten thousand yen bill from the folds of his haori and laid it down on the ledger. "On White Wolf and let it writhe."

"You always were bad at this." Mr. Six smiled.

The old Judo master just shrugged. "We'll see."

As they were walking away Andy muttered. "I'm not really much like a wolf. Terry's more wolf-ish than I am."

Jubei just gave a shrug.

…

The "ring" was actually a cage, Andy soon found out. As such it would be impossible to win with a ring-out (or survive by a ring-out). It smelled of sweat and blood and the floor of the cage looked red and flaky but it was impossible to tell if it was from dried blood or rust. The teen was glad that his tetanus shot was up-to-date.

He entered the ring, a tad hesitant, this was not a set-up he was used to. A ninja should fear nothing and yet Andy found himself apprehensive. The kid gloves were off now, it was do or die. He had seen the odds Mr. Six had scribbled by his name; he was a 1 to 12 underdog. But then again, the Shiranui clan hadn't though much of him either and he had showed them, he could handle a little cage fight.

His opponent was about a head taller than him with broader shoulders and a wider chest. He entered the ring barefoot and shirtless. The man glared down at Andy in an attempt to unbalance him mentally but the blond fighter just stared impassively back. He was perfectly aware of the psychological tactic and was not impressed.

The announcer stepped between them and addressed the crowd. "We've got some new blood for you this evening! In this corner –" the ring didn't have corners, it was a circular cage "- a young buck out to prove himself, White Wolf!"

The crow booed loudly and threw various concession items at him.

"And in this corner, a man who needs no introduction. You know 'im, you love 'im, you've most likely bet on 'im… Iron Clad!"

The crow cheered and hollered and a number of the women of the spectators threw various undergarment type things at him (the cage, however, prevented any of them from actually landing anywhere near Iron Clad. The man turned around a few times, drinking in the attention before once again facing Andy.

"Ready…?" The announcer began, while backing to the cage's only exit. "Kill!"

The announcer dashed out of the cage just as Iron Clad charged at Andy, probably intending to pin him to the cage wall but the blond ninja jumped over him leap-frog style and so Iron Clad's own head collided with the solid bars and chain link fencing that made up the cage. The crowd booed.

Andy spun around to watch Iron Clad push himself free from the barrier and shake his head, most likely in an attempt to clear it. He turned slowly and glared daggers at the little White Wolf from across the ring.

"You're a quick little bastard."

The boy didn't bother to respond. He knew this type, he hadn't seen much of it living with the Shiranui clan but back when he and Terry were living in South Town this type was sort of the standard. They kept talking, cracking jokes or throwing insults in an attempt to distract or confuse their opponent. A common low down trick used by common low down trash. This fight wouldn't be nearly as hard as Andy first thought.

Iron Clad waited, he wasn't going to risk another charge knowing how fast White Wolf was. He waited for the boy to come at him. Which Andy did. He sprang forward as if to strike his opponent in the stomach but ducked down at the last moment to kick the man's legs out from under him. Iron Clad clattered to the ground in a heap, humiliated by a kid for a second time.

Andy wondered momentarily if he should take advantage of the man's vulnerability or wait for him to get back to his feet. It wasn't very sporting to kick a man while he was down. But then he remembered where he was and what kind of people were watching and what they expected to see. But mostly, he knew that his opponent wouldn't be so sporting were their positions reversed.

Still crouched, Andy lashed out with three quick punches, his knuckles pointed and heard the bones in the man's shoulder, forearm and ribs break under the attacks. Iron Clad roared in pain and Andy yet again took advantage of his vulnerability and, standing now, landed a kick that sent the man spinning to finally lay on the cage floor, motionless.

The crowd stared in stunned silence.

The announcer reopened to cage door and reentered. Crouching down he checked the man's vitals, his breathing and heart beat, to make sure he was still alive before standing and addressing the stunned crowd.

"THE WINNER!" He roared, lifting Andy's arm into the air as he did so.

There were a few tentative claps but the only real enthusiasm came from Jubei-sensei whom Andy couldn't see from where he stood but none the less managed to hear his exclamation of "Twenty thousand yen!"

Andy was lead out of the ring to make room for the next fight. He met up with Jubei in the crowd.

"I'm so proud of you!" The old judo master trapped Andy in a headlock and tousled his hair.

"He was not a difficult opponent, Sensei." The boy responded. And he hadn't been. Mai was a tougher fighter than Iron Clad had been.

The two waded through the throng of standing spectators to a spot close to the cage to watch the next fight that appeared to already be half-over. Another heavily built fighter squared off against a Muay Thai kick-boxer that appeared to be around Andy's same age. And just like in Andy's fight the younger of the two appeared to have the upper hand.

Andy watched in fascination as the Muay Thai kick-boxer grabbed his opponent's head and managed to land a string of powerful kicks to the man's face. It must have been at the very least a ten hit combo, a very impressive display.

The man, who's face now looked like chili con carne, collapsed to the ground -unconscious.

The announcer once again reentered the cage and once again checked the loser's vitals before raising the Muay Thai user's arm to proclaim him the winner. This youth received considerably more cheers than Andy had, cheers that were complemented by chants of "Hurricane Upper! Hurricane Upper!" Which the blond ninja assumed was the kick-boxer's alias.

"He's gonna be your next opponent when this tier is finished." Jubei whispered into the young ninja's ear. "Do you think you can beat him?"

Andy thought about the kick-boxer's apparent speed and strength. He coupled that with the fact that the man was obviously more experienced than he was at this sort of thing, the crowd's acclaim for him was indication enough of that. He was young, as Andy was young, but that meant nothing when it came to skill or prowess. The Muay Thai boxer would be a challenge.

"Don't bet to much on me, Sensei." The boy finally responded.

…

Andy stepped into the ring moderately apprehensive about his opponent. Hurricane Upper was no older than he was but the Muay Thai boxer stood about an inch or two taller than Andy. His thick brown hair stood up strain on his head as if to mock gravity and he wore a smug expression on his face that Andy was sure was because he knew he was awesome instead of just thinking he was awesome.

The Announcer shouted their names to be heard over the tumult of cheers that all seemed to be for Upper and none for White Wolf. Andy was just a little disappointed; he would have thought that his victory over Iron Clad might have earned him just a little respect. But, he reflected, it was always more fun to boo the new guy than to cheer for him.

"Ready…" As he had in the previous fight, the Announcer edged closer to the exit before shouting "Kill!" and dashing out the door, hurriedly locking it behind him.

Andy focused his full attention on Hurricane Upper, from what he had observed of the man he was wicked fast and strong to boot. If he charged Andy as Iron Clad had done he might actually connect before the ninja could dodge and land some meaningful damage in the process. It seemed something similar was going through the Muay Thai boxer's mind as well because he also just studied Andy. Sizing him up.

Andy took an experimental step to his right and noted that Upper did the same, the two circled each other like that for one full revolution, always keeping the same distance between one another before Upper seemed to get impatient.

He slammed one fist into the palm of his hand and then pointed at Andy while saying, "Sakusaku ikuzei." (Let's finish this quickly.)

Andy didn't care one way or the other if this was over quickly or not. His purpose in coming here was to improve his skills by fighting in a no holds barred tournament against fighters whose styles were unfamiliar to him. His goal was improvement and advancement; time was immaterial at this junction.

"Hn." Was his reply to Hurricane Upper's impetuous remark and he ran a hand through his long-ish blond hair.

"Omae…" Upper muttered. Apparently, he didn't appreciate White Wolf's dismissal of his statement. "Take this!"

Hurricane Upper rushed forward, his knee out in a fast kick that Andy didn't quite manage to avoid. The blow grazed him across the side of his pelvic bone. Had the attack connected on target, Upper's knee would have gone right into the ninja's groin.

Andy spun around and dealt a backhanded smack to the side of Hurricane Upper's face, startling the kick-boxer enough to get in a second punch before hopping backwards to the opposite side of the ring to plan his next attack.

His opponent rolled forward, Andy thought he was gonna go for an upper cut but the kick-boxer stopped short and instead of dealing a punch, lashed out with another kick, the heal of his foot catching the young ninja in the shoulder. White Wolf came crashing to the floor. He rolled a few inches away from Hurricane Upper before regaining his footing.

It was only after Andy was standing again that the Muay Thai boxer continued his onslaught. So, he was a sportsman, he had waited for him to get back up. 'How nice of him.' The blond thought sarcastically as he attempted to block the onslaught of punches that he was now assaulted with.

Hurricane Upper was wicked fast and strong to boot, though Andy was blocking the majority of the kick-boxer's punches some were still getting through to his face, shoulders or collar-bone and the ones that didn't, still hurt his forearms like no other when he blocked them. He had allowed himself to be backed into a corner and now he had to get out of it.

Dropping to his knees pulled Andy out of the immediate line of punches and he heard the pleasing sound of Upper's fist colliding hard with the iron bars and chain-link fencing of the cage wall followed by a choice swear which this author will not translate. The blond ninja rolled forward, between the kick-boxer's legs and came up behind him with a devastating Shouryuu Dan which he was more than happy to announce as he landed six, no, seven consecutive hits.

"Shouryuu Dan!"

Upper clattered to the floor. The Announcer thought that the fight had been won and reentered the ring, the crowd booed loudly. This little up-start had once again trounced one of their favorites.

"Heh." Hurricane Upper climbed back to his feet, silencing the crowd and giving the Announcer pause. "That was pretty good." He wiped a bit of blood from the side of his mouth. He must have bit the inside of his cheek. "I just might get my full work out tonight."

The crowed cheered loudly when Hurricane Upper reassumed his fighting stance and the Announcer once again retreated out of the cage.

"Hn." Andy schooled his features into an impassive mask.

White Wolf's cool countenance once again seemed to grate on the Thai boxer's nerves. "Alright, see how you like this!"

Hurricane Upper once again dashed forward, his knee out to deal another lighting fast kick to the blond ninja only this time the kick-boxer's body seemed to become writhed in flamed and so dealt some second and third degree burns in addition to the normal battle damage.

Andy staggered, one hand on the cage wall for balance and hoped that Upper was still sportsman enough not to attack until he had regained some semblance of composure. The Thai boxer's knee had couth him in the chest and he gasped for air a few times before he was once again ready to face his opponent.

"Not bad." The ninja admitted, allowing a droll smile to grace his lips. But you're not the only one here with pyrokinetics. Zan-ei Ken!"

Now it was Andy's turn to rush forward, his body writhed in flames, his elbow out to impact Hurricane Upper in the chest and deal just as much physical and burn damage as the kick-boxer had dealt to him. The blond ninja leapt backward quickly in case his opponent was going to retaliate quickly, but he didn't.

"Not bad." He coughed. "Try this."

He seemed to deal an upper-cut punch to the air in front of him but no sooner was Andy confused by this action than his confusion turned to horror when he realized that a miniature tornado was now heading strait for him! He quickly threw his arms up to attempt to block the on-coming natural disaster. How did one evade something like that?

His body was thrown backwards against the cage wall and he thought he might possibly be crushed under the air pressure but no sooner had this occurred to him than the domestic tornado dissipated and was gone. Andy gazed across the ring at Hurricane Upper, 'hurricane' indeed, the name was inaccurate.

"You like that?" The Thai boxer shouted across the ring, probably thinking that Andy was going to give up after seeing that display of power.

"Yeah." Andy answered. "Now let me show you somethin'."

The ninja steadied himself, finding his still point and then delving into himself to find the place where his ki gathered. Over the years training with Jubei had had learned to do this much faster and with much greater control and so it took the boy only a moment's pause to bring forth an attack of pure fighting spirit.

"Hishou Ken!"

"The hell?" Upper threw up his arms as Andy had done in an attempt to shield himself from the attack. Though, this one could have been evaded by simply jumping over it. Hurricane Upper was also thrown against the wall of the cage as Andy had been.

Some where off to the side a buzzer sounded but the two fighters didn't seem to hear it, or if they did they didn't pay any attention to its significance.

The two charged each other, once again engaging in simple hand-to-hand tactics. They seemed to blurr into a collage of punches and kicks that were so fast it was difficult for the spectators to tell where one combatant ended and the other began.

The Announcer was at the door again.

"Time!" He shouted before unlocking and opening the cage door. The two didn't seem to hear him, so focused were they on their fight. "Time!"

Andy and Hurricane Upper just kept going. The Announcer sighed and walked back out of the ring only to walk back in again carrying a bucket of what appeared to be ice-cold water. This he threw on the two fighters. Yes, yes it was indeed ice-cold water. The two fighters disengaged long enough to gaze upon the Announcer in shock and shiver.

"What was that for?" Hurricane Upper demanded.

"I said 'Time'!" The Announcer explained testily. "As in the time is up. This fight has expired. We gotta end the fight and get on with the night."

Andy just wrung his hair out in silence. He wasn't even aware that these fights were timed. Good to know for the future though, it could play well into a strategy.

"Well, who won?" Upper demanded. Andy was also curious to know this.

"Well, which of you feel less hurt or less exhausted?"

"I'm fine." Upper announced. "I could go all night."

"So can I." Andy added. The two glared at one another.

The Announcer sighed. "Then I guess it's a draw." Then to the crowd, he held up both their arms and shouted, "Draw!"

There was such a loud roaring of "Boo" that Andy feared they might riot. It was a draw so neither of them had won and so no one got to collect any winnings on their bets.

"Well, who advances?" Upper demanded.

"I donno." The Announcer shrugged. "I don't make the rules, ask Mr. Six."

They did exactly that. Mr. Six was already waiting for them when they exited the ring that served as cage. He was flanked by Kitty and Kitten, though Andy still hadn't figured out which was which. His ledger was tucked under one arm, a pen behind his ear, his free arm on his hip in the pose of an irritated parent.

"Boys, boys, boys, I can't be having draws at my fights." He shook his head. "How do you expect me to make money with results like this?"

"You expect one of us to throw the fight?" Andy asked, crossing his arms over his chest. The action was meant to appear defiant but Six only raised an eyebrow and Andy realized that the bookie must have much more experience dealing with this sort of seedy underworld that he did.

"I only require the people I'm paying to throw fights for me." He answered. "As it is now, neither of you are on my group's pay roll so all I can do is give you a slap on the writs. No kneecaps tonight."

'Kneecaps?' Were these fights run by Yakuza?

"But still," Six continued; "only one of you can advance to the next tier. It seemed there's only one thing to be done."

"Continue outside?" Upper asked.

"Jan, Ken, Pon." Six smiled flippantly. "Best two out of three."

"Eh?" Andy struck dumb. He never would have thought that a mafia run underground fight ring would use such a simple means of solving their draws. It was just so juvenile.

Hurricane Upper faced Andy, his fist already in his hand. "Well, let's do this thing."

Andy seemed to not have a choice but to comply.

"Jan, Ken, Pon!" The two chimed in unison. The both of them chose rock.

"Ai, Kore, Sho!" They choired again. This time Andy chose paper to cover Upper's rock. Unfortunately for the fair-haired fighter Hurricane Upper had not chosen rock but scissors this time. Scissors cut paper, Hurricane Upper got to advance to the next round.

Jubei seemed to materialize next to Andy at that moment. This caused Upper to jump but Six and his escorts seemed un-phased.

"So, Six," The old man began, "I couldn't help but notice that the fight came to a draw…" He rubbed his hands together expectantly.

The bookie sighed. "That is did, Demon-kun. Damn you, you've got the devil's luck. Come to my office and we'll settle."

The bookie left followed closely by his escorts, Kitty and Kitten. Jubei made to follow but then paused, muttering to Andy, "There's a little bar down the street. Why don't you go have a drink or something."

Andy did not want a drink. He still didn't remember what had happened the last time he'd drunk. But he knew when he was being dismissed and so left for the bar.

…

Andy hadn't been in the bar long before Hurricane Upper entered and seeing him seated in at booth in a back corner invited himself to sit down next to the blond ninja.

"I like you, White Wolf." The Thai boxer announced. "All the years I've been goin' to the fights here in Japan you're the first to give me a real challenge.

"Hn." Andy didn't really care.

"Now back in Thai Land… back there people know how to fight! I'd almost given-up on finding decent opponents here in my homeland. Oi!" He flagged down a waitress. "Two for me and my buddy."

Andy scooted just a bit away from Hurricane Upper, not wanting to be known as his 'buddy'.

"So what's you're real name?" He asked when the sake had arrived. He ignored the little cups that had come with their drinks and took a swig directly from the bottle. "You look kinda German. Siegfried?"

Andy cringed.

"No? Russian then. Dmitri?"

Andy's face fell into the palm of his hand. What this guy really going to go all through out northern Europe?

"Well, c'mon. You gotta give me a hint."

"Give me your name, Upper and I'll give you mine." He decided to make it easier on the both of them. He didn't much care for Hurricane Upper's guessing game and he had a feeling that he had pretty much exhausted his supply of western names with just those two.

"Gads! He speaks!" Upper smiled jovially. "I'm Higashi Joe, you might have heard of me. I'm rather famous."

Andy had no idea who he was.

"I'm so renowned and loved they even named a mountain range after me. Ever hear of Higashiyama?"

Andy couldn't help but snort. He lived in the Higashiyama Mountains! They were not named after this little upstart whom he'd never even heard of.

Higashi made an irritated face at the blond ninja's snort. "Alright then, I've told you my name. Now who're you?"

"Andy Bogard." Andy answered and then got an idea. "And I've also got a mountain range named after me. Ever hear of the Andes?"

He glared at Joe, daring the other to call him out in the obvious lie. Higashi just glared back knowing that to call bull-shit on Andy Bogard would also be admitting to his own bull-shit claim. Finally the kick-boxer sighed and picked his drink back up.

"Looks like we're both awesome fighters."

…

A/N: OMG! You have no idea how long I've been waiting to tell those Higashiyama/Andes mountains jokes. Were they as funny as I think they are? Probably not. But I'm happy I got to finally post them.