Disclaimer: I don't own Tekken

A/N: Hello to you all. Thank you for your time and I hope you like it. A couple of things here: first, Leo's fighting style has got to be the most difficult to type; I mean the names are so long. Second, we're beginning at the third round when everything starts getting heavy. Finally, we get some fighting in, so let's get to it. And here … we … go:

The King of Iron Fist Tournament 8: VIII for Vendetta

Machinations

Van, wearing her mother's red, black, and white 'Rock' jacket and black pants with a rose pattern on the leg, reported to her assigned stage, 'The Wrong Side of the Tracks'. She stood an elevated train track with a concrete barricade on each side. Tall buildings stood over it on either side, dotted with lights from random rooms. Finally, she came upon her opponent: the Spanish woman from before now in an emerald green matador outfit.

The announcer's voice suddenly rang out, "Van Kliesen, Esmeralda Rojo, get ready for the next battle!"

Esmeralda apathetically said, "Let's get this over with."

Mentally preparing herself for a possible early attack, Van responded, "What's your hurry? You need to go somewhere?"

The Spanish torera began lightly stretching as she replied, "No. I just don't want to waste any more time on you than I have to."

Rightfully offended, Van fired back, "Waste of time? Hey, don't look past me. You'll only regret it."

Esmeralda plainly stated, "I'm not looking past you. In fact, I've been watching your fights quite closely. You just don't pose a threat to me."

Van took her fighting stance, saying, "Oh yeah? How do you figure that?"

Esmeralda plainly said, "It's quite simple. Your style… It has no rhythm, no flair. I could dance circles around you."

Van defended herself (and Leo by extension), speaking adamantly, "My style might not be flashy… but I don't need any of that to win and definitely not to beat you! So all your flair and dancing … you can keep it!"

Esmeralda started getting annoyed and said, "Ugh, and I just took confession… I'm telling you; this will only end badly for you, I promise."

Van held fast, replying, "You don't scare me. Bring it!"

Esmeralda grew a slight smirk as she popped her knuckles, "Have it your way. Just don't take this next part personally."

The Spanish torera assumed a peculiar stance: One arm was kept in at her waist with her thumb tucked in, and her other arm was kept at her side, occasionally tapping an unknown cadence. It was a very relaxed but alert stance. Van, unfazed gave a 'threat' by performing a brief kata…

The announcer's voice proclaimed, "Round 1! Fight!"

Esmeralda's style was interesting and completely original to her, an odd but effective mix of Savate and flamenco filled with a lot of swift attacks and evasive maneuvers. But there was an obvious flaw: a lot of her stronger moves were slow with poor recovery time. Van fortunately was a natural answer to this style. Her Hakkyokuken centered around simple but fast and strong attacks, and she kept to her swift and powerful strikes like 'Chuan Pao', 'Yi Qi Jiao', 'Bei Zhe Kao', 'Shang Bu Zhuang Quan', and 'Tian Shan Fu Ren'. Eventually, she wore Esmeralda down with the surprising speed and surprising damage output.

Finally, Van reversed a strike and stuck Esmeralda with a palm thrust to the midsection, a 'Bao Hu Gai Shan'. Not wasting any motion, Van spun her opponent around and blasted her with a twin palm thrusts, a 'Shuang Pai Shou'. Esmeralda groaned in pain as she hit the ground…

"KO!" The announcer's voice resonated, "Van wins!"

Esmeralda thought to herself as she stood, "So fast… So strong…"

Van held her stance and said, "How's that? You like eating your words?"

Esmeralda brushed herself off, saying "I admit I sold you short… but it won't happen again, I promise."

Van took a return shot, "Now that you've seen what I can do… Do you really think you can win with all that prancing around?"

The Spanish torera clenched her fist as she answered, "I don't know… We'll have to find out together…"

With Esmeralda back in position, the announcer's voice resonated once again, "Round 2! Fight!"

Immediately, Esmeralda dashed forward, driving an uppercut deep in Van's gut, and blasted her opponent with a forceful right cross, sending Van spiraling backward. It was her father's exact 'Megawatt Uppercut', not flashy at all but quite brutal! Needless to say, Van was caught off-guard.

On her back and holding her jaw, Van asked out of confusion, "Where did that come from?"

The Spanish torera just shrugged, "Eh, desperate measures… I'm my father's daughter, after all…"

She quickly tried to stomp Van with 'Pedaleo', but Van rolled right out of the way. Now, it was time for the Spanish torera to pull out her full repertoire, and it was quite an arsenal, much of it her father's. Some of the moves were unchanged like 'Machaque', 'Codazo', and 'Oleaje'. But many were modified with her own spin: 'Martillo' was now made of kicks; 'Paseo' was now more of a dancing spin than a straight whip; 'Tortura' was now an outside sweep; even 'Savage Stance' was now a flamenco pose. Soon, Esmeralda used Miguel's faster attacks to get in and give more room for her more elaborate and powerful attacks. The speed and brutality of it all threw Van firmly off.

Finally, The Spanish torera even the round with a technique all her own: an inescapable grab called 'Fantastica Mysteria'. Esmeralda threw Van to the ground and jumped on her back, feet first. She spun around on Van's spine three times, her heels wrenching with each twist, before stomping emphatically on Van's kidneys! Van could only let out an anguished cry as her air rushed away.

The announcer's voice promptly rang out, "KO! Esmeralda wins!"

As the Spanish torera jumped back to the ground, Van was in considerable pain. The stomp was vicious and well-placed, and pain shot through her entire body. She couldn't even stand right away; all she could do was writhe on the ground…

Esmeralda said as she rolled her shoulder, "To think I had to resort to that… I'd say now would be a good time to rethink this fight."

With determination and will, Van punched the ground and ignored the screaming pin in every muscle in her back as she rose to her feet…

Van reassumed her stance as she replied, "Forget it. I'm not giving up, not now, not ever!"

Esmeralda sighed, "Keep it up and you'll get yourself killed."

Van adamantly retorted, "Don't worry about me. Just bring it on!"

The Spanish torera rubbed the back of her head and said, "If you insist… I hope you've read your last rites."

The announcer's voice blasted again, "Final Round! Fight!"

Van immediately stepped it up, shifting from strong strikes to swift and potent strings like 'Heng Da Er Lang Dan Shan', 'Ba Wang Zhe Jiang', 'Qian Sao Lei Wang Quan', and 'Tian Shan Pu Bu'. This brought the battle back down to power … where Van had the slight advantage, and it allowed her to get a good ways ahead. That's when Esmeralda pulled out her final wrinkle: her equivalent of Miguel's 'Savage' stance, 'Esperanza'. What was interesting about it was that it was a natural parry stance. With it, she began reversing almost everything thrown at her, with it ending in her versions of her father's throws like 'Masaje', 'Carcia', 'Regalo', and 'Detalle'. Van tried going for 'Shuang Pai Shou', disguising it as an attack, but it didn't work and only got her counter-thrown.

Soon, Van felt things slipping away from her… leaving her with her most punishing combinations to break through: her super charged moves 'Jue Zhao Yian Mian Tui'' and 'Jue Zhao Qian Sao Wang Quan'. The incredibly damaging strings crushed the parry stance and rocked Esmeralda. The Spanish torera attempted her only option, her 'Burla', but the long delay left her wide open. Van unleashed her most powerful but still astonishingly fast string 'Jin Gang Hua Shan Tuo Tian Zhang' … and sent Esmeralda flying with a pained cry.

"KO!" The announcer's voice reverberated through the cityscape, "Van Kliesen wins! Please advance to the next round!"

Prone, Esmeralda thought as she held her gut, "I … I lost…?"

Van victoriously gave one last shot even as she panted heavily, "How was that? I don't hear you talking now."

Lying there, a very odd feeling washed over Esmeralda. She was upset and embarrassed to have lost but … she was oddly glad. It was her first street brawl loss but it was also her most exciting fight in ages. In fact, she'd long feared that she'd lost her fighting spirit, but this was the most fun and exhilaration she'd felt in a long time despite not showing it. An odd feeling warranted a strange reaction… Esmeralda slowly stood and bowed to Van!

The Spanish torera plainly and sincerely said, "I was wrong about you; I'm sorry. You're a very good fighter… I lost, and you won, so…. Congratulations."

Thoroughly surprised but happy to accept, Van bowed back, "Um … thanks. You're very good yourself."

As they stood upright, Esmeralda said, "Now, I would like a chance to avenge this loss, if you don't mind."

Van said with a smile, "If a rematch is what you want, then you got it. And hey, maybe we'll meet on friendlier terms…"

Esmeralda quickly said as she turned away, "I didn't say that. Don't get ahead of yourself."

A little embarrassed by her assumption, Van said, "Oh, right. Sorry… Well, I should go."

At the last second, Esmeralda offered, "Wait a moment; there's something you know."

Van stopped as she was asked. Another strange inkling ran over Esmeralda. She felt oddly obliged to say something and finally decided to give a 'reward' for the win…

Esmeralda bluntly revealed, "One of your friends is grave danger…"

Van's surprise was overshadowed by her instant worry as she asked, "W-What? What are you talking about? How do you know?"

Esmeralda continued without turning around, "I'd rather not say how, but you should probably hurry if you want to help him."

Van said in a definite hurry, "Who is it?"

"The one with silver hair…"

The words shoot through Van like lightning and, a moment later, the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She quickly sprinted off with everything within her…

The First Step off the Deep End

The Monegasque heiress, Lilith Rochefort, waited, clad in a replica of her mother's 1P attire with some changes: her was all white; the designs down the pant legs were now red; over her shoulders she wore her white riding jacket with the Monaco flag designed on one sleeve and the South Korean flag designed on the other. Dressed beautifully as she was, she was quite out of place in her assigned stage, 'The Wolves' Den'. Essentially, it was a circular clearing sitting in front of a small cave in a forest of vastly tall trees. The moon hung remarkably close overhead, looking quite large. True to its name, a pack of wolves circled the clearing, occasionally entering and exiting the cave.

Growing impatient, Lilith thought aloud, "Now, where is my opponent? How rude to keep me waiting…"

The other half of the match was actually nearby, standing above in the branches. They were in preparation, setting up … something for later. This person had actually been there much longer than Lilith herself. Finally, the other competitor saw Lilith waited, indicating it was time to start, and leapt off the branch.

Lilith, still thinking aloud, said, "What a dreadful place! How did the Kazamas ever find such a venue? I'll have to ask after the fight. Speaking of which, I wonder when my opposition will…"

Suddenly, she felt something coming near, and turned in time a person land in the circle with inhumanly silence. It was an Asian woman who, despite being older, probably looked a good deal younger than she actually was, and her face was marked by the X-shaped mark on her cheek: Raven. Not surprisingly, Raven didn't get a warm reception from the 'audience' in attendance. The wolves stirred, and the head wolf started growling at her. The large canine started barring the teeth and barking angrily. The modern kunoichi calmly turned all the way and faced it. Incredibly, the wolf backed down. The lead wolf let out a howl, and the entire pack retreated back into the cave. Raven turned back to Lilith.

The announcer's voice blasted through the woodland, "Lilith Rochefort, Raven, get ready for the next battle!"

Lilith crossed her arms and raised a hand to her face as if contemplating, saying, "That was pretty impressive just now; you sure are a fierce one."

"You could say that…" Raven cryptically replied.

Lilith lifted a finger to her temple as she looked Raven up and down, saying, "That's rather interesting garb you have on. What exactly is its purpose?"

Raven succinctly replied, "Completing my mission…"

Lilith finally relaxed and said, "Hmm… Very well. Before we begin, I think it's only fair to warn you…"

Raven interrupted, "There's no need; I know who you are."

The Monegasque heiress giggled, saying, "Good. Then, you already understand… This match makes you my new toy."

The modern kunoichi crossed her arms without a word. Finally, they both got into fighting stance…

The announcer's voice rang out again, "Round 1! Fight!"

Raven stuck to her game and fully utilized her style's excellent ground game with 'Buzz saw', 'Killer Bee', 'Vermilion', 'Basilisk Fang', and 'Shinobi Cyclone'. The strategy succeeded in putting Lilith off-guard and off-kilter … but not for long. Soon, Lilith began to show off why she was a prodigy. First off, she began using 'Feisty Rabbit' to escape ground traps and that let the flood gates open to the rest of her game.

With her style, she fought out of two systems: the 'Drive' system for Hwoarang and the 'Passion' for Lili. Lilith seamlessly switched between them, and most of her moves from one lead right into the other. As she is the child of the two, she had the capacity for the ferocity of Hwoarang's strikes like 'Heel Screw', 'Push Hands', 'Bloody Guillotine', 'Circular Saw', 'Bone Stinger', and 'Sky Rocket' and the finesse of Lili's attacks like 'Root of Evil', 'Minuet'. 'Submissive Heel', 'Rabbit Thorn', 'Broken Heart', and 'Matterhorn Ascension'. All of this made a nightmare to figure and worst, try to defeat.

Even still, Lilith pulled out an exclamation point: she reared back preceded by a Taekwondo step, a green and pink aura gathering around her entire boy. With all the energy gathered up, she unleashed an excellent corkscrew dropkick. Raven ducked under the attack … but didn't see the next part coming. Lilith landed in crouch and came all the way back with an impressive float over axe kick. It was Lili's 'Piercing Thorn Fortissimo' linked into Hwoarang's 'Power Blast', Lilith's 'Full Volume Crescendo'! Raven was crushed by the attack and groaned in pain as she bounced off the ground from the impact.

The announcer's voice resonated through the forest, "KO! Lilith wins!"

Raven simply kipped up, and brushed herself off…

Lilith again took on an inquisitive look and said, "Hmm… You're not much of a talker, are you? Oh well; we'll have you screaming soon enough."

Raven grew silent before finally saying, "Pride comes before the fall, it would seem…"

Lilith could only give a confused look, and both got back in fighting position…

The announcer's voice reverberated off the trees, "Round 2! Fight!"

Raven figured that going head-to-head with Lilith would only be a mistake. Her only option would be to go around her offense… That would not be a problem for a ninja. Raven began utilizing her deceptive and confusing attacks including 'Alter Ego', 'Doppelganger', 'Blind Ghost', 'Laevateinn', 'Phantom Warp', 'Pandora Spin', and 'Death from Above'. In the midst of it all, Lilith became lost, caught up in all the illusions and mis-directions. Ultimately, she couldn't get anything going because she couldn't get a clean read on the ninja. Raven went right under an attack, and spun Lilith around with a whirlwind trip. On the way back up, she connected with a rising crescent kick, 'Quicksand'. Lilith gave out an anguished cry as she spun to the ground.

"KO! Raven wins!" the announcement blasted through the area.

Lilith said as she struggled up, "Okay… You're tough. I admit it. But don't think you've won yet. I won't lose to you. I cannot lose … not before I face her."

In response, Raven rubbed her scar briefly before going into an extensive threat. She waved her arms in her 'Summon Force' before bringing her hands together. Suddenly, several clones 'phased' out of her body and encircled Lilith! The Monegasque heiress could only stand in stunned silence as they all ominously pointed at her.

Raven and her clones all said in unison, "It's useless to resist."

The next moment, the clones disappeared in clouds of smoke, and the real Raven got back into fighting stance. Lilith was completely flustered, but could only shake it off and get ready to fight once again…

The announcer's voice blasted out, "Final Round! Fight!"

Not resting on her laurels, Raven only expounded on her illusions and disappearing, and began incorporating it into her strings and combos like 'Double Vision', 'Crescent Mirage', 'Cold Grave', and her 'Shadow' moves: 'Skull Rave', 'Pendulum, 'Chakram', and 'Deathbringer'. Lilith again struggled to locate Raven and gain some momentum. But she wasn't about to be overwhelmed again. The Monegasque heiress reached down and pulled out her highest level weapons. From the 'Drive' system, it was 'Flying Eagle', 'Firecracker', 'Screw Kick', 'Fire Storm', 'Teaser' and 'Hunting Hawk'. From the 'Passion', she used 'Cloisonné', 'Sunflower Lance', 'Garland Kick Combo', 'Peacock Jive', 'Heavy Languish', and 'Moonsault Alstroemeria'.

Finally, she gained some momentum and started to take the match through mere effort. Raven, feeling the contest slipping from her grasp, decided to do something drastic: her modification of her predecessor's 'Undertaker' called 'Tombstone… The modern kunoichi reversed a strike and catapulted Lilith into the air before disappearing. She reappeared in midair behind Lilith and grabbed her around the waist. Raven, with the Monegasque heiress firmly in grasp, began flipping backward, picking up velocity as they plummeted. At last, she let loose all the force to slam Lilith into the ground on her upper back and shoulders.

The damage was devastating as both of them bounced from the impact. Lilith screamed in pain as she bounced a second time…

"KO!" The announcer's voice rang out once more, "Raven wins! Please advance to the next round!"

The modern kunoichi, oddly enough, immediately turned her attention to something else as Lilith was left writhing in agony. Raven emptied a sleeve of kunai knives on her leg, and formed a Kuji-in hand sign. She focused in as she 'located' her target and began throwing the knives into the woodland in various directions. Just as she finished, Lilith stirred and turned just in time to see….

Labored, Lilith said as she very slowly got up, "Wha… What are you … doing?"

Raven turned to face her and plainly replied, "I'm disabling the satellite feeds to this area… It's best no one sees what's about to happen."

Confused, Lilith asked as she finally got to her feet, "What … are you ... talking about?"

Raven produced one more kunai as she ominously said, "We are not finished, I'm afraid… You must come with me."

The Monegasque heiress pushed the pain away and got back in fighting position, saying, "Is that right? Well, I'm afraid you'll have to kill me first. You're not taking me anywhere!"

Mustering every last ounce of strength she had left, Lilith charged forward. Raven stood calmly before simply throwing the kunai into the forest. The Monegasque heiress started to attack … when her arm was suddenly caught by a chain flying from the direction the last kunai was thrown in! She tried to kick but her leg was caught by another chain flying from a different direction! More chains came flying in and all wrapped around Lilith until she was completely restrained. The trap was sprung, and she was firmly snared in it, only able to fall to the ground. Raven scooped Lilith onto her back…

Forming the corresponding hand sign, she chanted, "Rin Pyoh Toh Shah Kai Jin Retsu Zai Zen…"

With Lilith in her grasp, Raven leaped high into the air and disappeared into the night….

End Chapter

A/N: Okay, the first fights are in. Things are only going to get heavier from here, so I hope you come back. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you come back for next time. Please R&R, and, as always, Rant, Rave, and Review.