The Unexpected Rule/The First Match

"Ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer called. "I welcome you all to the King of Iron Fist Tournament!"

The audience cheered loudly. The announcer waited.

"Now, I have a very important announcement to make."

Haruka gripped her friend Chihaya's hand as tight as she could.

"Ow."

"Sorry, Chihaya-chan!" Haruka gasped, loosening her grip.

"It's OK," Chihaya muttered. "Listen, Haruka. He's about to speak."

Haruka obeyed.

"There is a new rule," the announcer called. "In the previous years, a simple knockout would grant victory."

The audience nodded and murmured amongst themselves.

"But," the announcer continued, "this year, thanks to a request put in by Mr. Heihachi Mishima, the only way to win is through death."

The audience gasped. A couple people screamed.

The announcer was silent. When he spoke again, his voice was grim. "Yes, folks, you heard me right. If you successfully kill your opponent, you will advance to the next match."

Haruka started trembling. "We…kill?" she whispered. "…Chihaya-chan, I can't…"

"Relax," Chihaya ordered. "I'm sure this was just a joke."

Haruka started at the sound of Yayoi and Yukiho's loud sobs.

"Killing!" Yayoi wailed. "Iori-chan, I can't do it! I'm scared! I want to go home!"

"Makoto-chan!" Yukiho sobbed. "Makoto-chan, p-please…! Please help me!"

Makoto put her arm around the shaken girl and frowned. "This is not what I signed up for, you guys…"

"Heihachi Mishima!" Yukiho cried. "I-I told you he was evil! H-he did this…! Makoto-chan…!"

Makoto squeezed the sobbing girl closer. It was all she could think to do. Yayoi wailed loudly into Iori's shoulder. The other girls frowned and exchanged worried looks.

"That is all. Now, onto the first match of the tournament! Are you ready?!" the announcer yelled. The crowd cheered. "Are you sure?" The crowd cheered louder "Alright!"

The idols all grabbed hands, standing in their neat row. The girls they'd met on their first day, Xiaoyu, Alisa, Leo, and Lili, looked at them worriedly and chattered amongst themselves.

"The first competitor is…"

Haruka gripped Chihaya's hand desperately.

"Lei Wulong!"

Haruka let out a breath of relief.

A man wearing a long, black ponytail and a blue decorated robe staggered out onto the field slowly. He looked around for his opponent, but he wore a frown on his face. It was obvious he was not happy about having to kill his opponent.

"His opponent will be…"

Again Haruka squeezed Chihaya's hand. This time, Chihaya squeezed back.

"…Miki Hoshii!"

The idols fell completely silent.

Miki-chan? Why Miki-chan? No!

The lazy blonde idol took a confident step forward, her chin held high and a grimace on her face. She looked across to Hibiki, shaking with sobs, and then to Takane, who nodded solemnly, and cracked a smile for her comrades' sakes.

"Don't worry," she soothed. "Miki won't die. Miki promises~nano."

"Ya better not!" Hibiki cried. "Miki…!"

Miki grinned and started off into the arena, facing her opponent, the man named Lei. Lei's frown deepened when he saw Miki.

"A lady?" he slurred. "I'm…killing a lady?"

"A pop idol," Miki added. "Miki is an idol from 765 Pro. So go easy on Miki, OK? Miki has to get back to her Honey, after all."

Lei glared over at the announcer. "This is ridiculous. As an officer of the law, it is particularly distasteful for me to kill anyone, especially a lady."

"Sorry, I didn't make the rules," the announcer sighed. "I just announce them."

"Heihachi Mishima," Lei growled. He turned to look at Miki. "…I'm sorry. This isn't my idea."

"Miki doesn't want to die…"

"Well, unfortunately for you…" Lei closed his eyes. "…neither do I."

Suddenly, Lei leapt at Miki, running at her with his hand curled into a fist. Miki, alarmed, instinctually jumped away from the oncoming fist and ran to the opposite side of the arena.

"Go, Miki! Go!" Hibiki shouted.

"Miki-chan, you can do it!" Haruka yelled. But even as she said the words, she knew they weren't true. Lei jumped after Miki again with incredible speed and knocked the blonde idol off her feet, forcing out all her breath in the process. Miki gasped.

Lei pulled a bottle from beneath his coat (where he got said bottle, the world will never know) and knocked it against his hand a couple of times. Miki coughed. "I want to end this," Lei muttered. "I'm sorry. I'm very sorry." He reached over and broke the bottle on Miki's head, causing the girl to gasp again and scratches to appear on her head. Grasping the broken neck of the bottle, Lei leaned over Miki and raised his "weapon". His eyes clouded with regret as he stared down at the terrified girl.

"Miki!" Hibiki howled. "Miki…Miki, no!"

"M-Miki doesn't know how to fight," Miki whimpered. She coughed. "Miki wants to go home."

"I do too," Lei admitted. "Knocking people out? Eh, I do that all the time! It's no problem. But killing…is something I never wanted to do."

"Can Miki have your weapon?" Miki begged. "So that Miki can have a fair chance…nano."

"Sorry, no can do, Goldilocks," Lei answered. "I have to end this. I'm sorry."

Miki let out a wail, but it was cut short as the sharp end of the broken bottle neck plunged into her neck. She choked up sprinkles of crimson blood and Haruka heard Hibiki and Takane gasp. Hibiki screamed. Haruka's hand tightened around Chihaya's. Chihaya flinched.

"Haruka, ow."

"Sorry..." She looked expectantly at Miki. Lei had since gotten off of her and dropped the bloody bottle on the ground. He frowned deeply and shook his head, muttering to himself things like "what have I done?" or "I can't believe it…"

The bleeding and choking Miki coughed violently and started to sob quietly. Lei again bent to lift the bloody bottle.

"You're still alive."

"Y-yes," Miki whimpered. She let out a cry of agony.

Lei's eyes softened. "Stay still. If I reach your heart I think you'll die faster." He added a hesitant laugh. "Y'know, if I picture you as Kazuya or Jin, this doesn't seem half-bad."

Someone snorted in annoyance. Haruka couldn't tell who.

Miki tried to smile. "Th-thank you." She paused. "…nano."

Lei smiled back grimly. Then, he raised the neck of the bottle again and drove it back down into Miki's heart. Miki screamed in pain.

There was silence.

"…I missed."

"M-Miki knows…!"

"Here, I'll try again."

"W-wait—"

Again, Lei stabbed her with the broken bottle neck. This time, Miki cried out one more time and then fell silent. There were a few more seconds of her ragged breathing; then her eyes rolled back into her head and her lungs ceased working. Lei stood slowly, gazing down at the bloody mess that had become Miki's corpse. He wiped blood from his brow and sniffed loudly.

Glaring now, he pointed up into the throng of other competitors at an old-looking man with spiked-up grey hair and a scowl on his face. "You!" he shouted. "This is what your little rule has done! You happy, Heihachi Mishima?!"

Yukiho gasped in alarm and scooted against Makoto, who held her close gently.

Ritsuko's eyes widened. "He's alive…?"

The man called Heihachi glared down at Lei and then turned to Miki. He smirked.

"You should be thanking me," he hissed. "We don't need weaklings like that getting in the way. Only the strongest—only the most powerful—only me! Only I deserve to stand at the top!"

He put his hands on his hips and cackled evilly. Lei looked like he was about to throw the broken bottle at him. Eventually, the police detective just turned and stalked off, a world of intense fury embedded in his gaze. He clenched his fists and offered the fallen idol on the ground a last regretful glance before vanishing off the arena. Hibiki screamed again and wailed into Takane's shoulder, who held the trembling and sobbing girl against her gently.

Haruka let the tears in her eyes break loose. "Ch-Chihaya-chan…"

"What?"

"This…Miki-chan is…!"

"Yes, I know."

"Why?"

Chihaya shrugged. "There was nothing we could do, Haruka."

The idols fell silent except for Hibiki, still crying piteously into Takane. She slammed her fist weakly against the older idol's arm.

"Why?!" she snapped. "Why'd we come here?! Miki's dead! Miki is DEAD!"

No one said a word.

"…guys."

Everyone turned to look over at Makoto, gently squeezing the crying Yukiho against her body, her eyes fixed on Miki's corpse. They were lit with terror, shock, and most of all, remorse. She looked over at Haruka, then turned to Ritsuko and Iori, and lastly to Hibiki and Takane.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made you all come."

"Ya think?!" Hibiki lashed, balling her hand into a fist and whirling furiously on Makoto. "Makoto, Miki is dead, OK?! We can't ever bring 'er back! What, did ya actually expect her to be able to survive in a tournament like this?"

"I didn't force her to come, alright?!" Makoto snapped back. "Joining the tournament was Miki's choice in the end! And besides, how on Earth was I supposed to know we had to kill each other?!"

Hibiki fell silent. A few sniffles, and then she turned back to Takane and cried some more.

Haruka looked at Yayoi, who broke into a wail and turned towards Iori. She frowned.

"I-Iori-chan," Yayoi whimpered. "Iori-chan, I'm going to die here!"

"Makoto-chan! You promised me…y-you promised me I would be OK…!" Yukiho cried.

"And you will be." Makoto looked over at Yayoi. "All of you. I promise."

"How can you be so sure?" Yayoi whispered.

"Because I'm not going to let them kill any more of you. Heck, I'll throw myself into the middle of the arena and get stabbed in the brain to spare you guys, if that's what I have to do."

"D-don't die!" Yukiho and Haruka ordered at once.

Makoto smiled at them weakly. "Trust me, it's not my first choice," she said lightly. "But if I have to protect you guys then—"

"Couldn't ya have decided that just a minute sooner?" Hibiki muttered.

"I'm sorry," Makoto repeated. "But there's nothing we can do now."

"Yeah, NOW there isn't," Hibiki responded. "…whatever. I'm goin' home. Takane?"

Takane nodded slowly. "Hibiki, is it not correct that Miki was perfectly willing to participate? No one forced her into it. If anything, it is Miki's own fault for being willing to fight even though she does not know how."

Hibiki sniffled. "Right…I guess you're right. But that doesn't matter 'cause she's still dead!"

"I know, Hibiki. Come, let's go home…"

There was a long period of silence. Ritsuko sighed.

"We should go home," she murmured.

Haruka nodded. "Don't worry, you guys," she said, trying to sound positive. "In the end, this will all work out. I promise!"

"You do realize we could end up fighting each other, right?" Iori said suddenly. "I'm serious."

"If that happens, the weaker one of us fakes a death," Makoto said immediately. "Do something to them that you know won't actually kill them, but it looks like it will. Like…pretend to strangle them. And then, the weaker person just fakes a death."

"Genius!" Azusa gasped suddenly. "Makoto-chan, that makes such perfect sense! Ah, but…if we don't face each other we'll really die." She said even this last part with a smile.

Classic Azusa-san, Haruka thought.

Makoto smiled slightly at the praise she received. "Then…we'll just have to win."

"How?" Yayoi sniffed.

"Iori and Ritsuko and I can teach you," Makoto replied. "And I'm sure Hibiki will help too."

"So, you mean…you'll teach us how to fight?"

"Exactly."

"Yay! U-uun, somehow I feel a lot better..!"

"I-I too…I too will try my best…!"

"That's the spirit!" Makoto laughed half-heartedly. "Great, now let's head home so we can get started."

"Right…!"