Disclaimer: See previous chapters

Chap. 57

"Guahh!"

With a pained gasp, Ken's eyes snapped open and into consciousness. It took him a moment of realization to recognize that he was on the ground and looking up at a sunset sky. With a low moan, he slowly sat up, taking note of the damage his clothes had sustained, which reflected the blows he had taken and which still hurt even now.

And he grinned…

His fight against the demon immortal was more than he expected, but in the end, he stood to the challenge. Initially, Akuma used his shadowy speed to try and frustrate him. But Ken had quickly learned how to track his movements, cutting that option short for him. From there, it had escalated to a full-out fight, at least for Ken. The power Akuma displayed was destruction incarnate, giving Ken the full horror of what their art had once been before Gouken worked to purify it.

And he faced it head on.

He knew Akuma had been surprised more than once by his use of the techniques. Ken may not have had the raw power Akuma had, but he made up for it with his speed and technique. Demon or not, Ken knew many of the blows he struck Akuma with would be hurt him for a bit. 'Shows him right', Ken thought, knowing why he was able hurt him so much to begin with. Akuma had underestimated him, and for fighters and especially immortals, that could easily be a critical and fatal mistake. If Akuma had been fighting him seriously from the start…actually, not much would have changed except the end of the match would have come sooner.

And that was what Ken was grinning about.

Akuma had used his Gou-Hadou and immediately launched himself in the air at Ken while the surge was still streaking toward him. Expecting Ken to block it since it was too close for evasion, Akuma planned on hammering through Ken's defense. So it was to his great surprise (and Ken's greater pleasure) that the blond immortal had instead, parried the Gou-Hadou, dismissing the surge as though it was nothing and leaving him able to counter the incoming demon.

With the Shinryuuken!

But that was when Ken's miscalculation came in. He had shot into the technique earlier than he expected and while the attack struck Akuma, it didn't hit him with the full force it possessed. As a result, Akuma was thrown out of the technique early and Ken was stuck spiraling through the air. A normal opponent would have still been reeling from the attack, but Akuma was no normal opponent and he retaliated in the worse way upon Ken's descent.

Anasatsuken's darkest technique … Shun Goku Satsu…

It came on him in an instant; a blinding flash of fury and pain. Even now, dark marks scorched were about his body beneath the torn and ragged clothing and Ken wondered if the marks might be permanent. 'Eliza will worry, that's for sure.' Rising up to his feet, Ken still felt a sense of accomplishment. Although he lost, he had forced the demon immortal to use his greatest technique on him. In a way, he was grateful that Akuma had chosen to forego his use of the sword, as Ken would probably not be alive to realize his accomplishment.

Sore still, Ken turned about to retrieve his sword, which was still settled on the ground where he had left it. Strapping in on to his person, he began to walk away, but immediately paused remembering the reason he was there before. Striding over to his master's grave, Ken bowed solemnly. This done, Ken turned and walked away, taking note of the now battle-ravaged ground. Despite his defeat, he knew that should he meet Akuma again, they would do so as immortals, with swords. Oddly, the thought made him grin.

'Bet you don't think I'm a waste now, do you.'

"I can't believe it. He actually showed his face."

It has been two days since Chun-Li's encounter with M. Bison after her duel with a Shadowloo-controlled Sakura. She gave the report to her captain indicating that Shadowloo was in fact responsible for the killings, but kept out a good portion of the details. Afterward, she met back up with Guile, where they traded stories. Chun-Li was able to sympathize with her partner, hearing that he had been forced to kill his friend who had been turned into a Shadowloo agent, Doctrine Dark. Memories of her fight against Dragon's Shadow/Fei Long replayed in her mind, along with a bit of the pain and sorrow that came with it, some of which was present now after she told Guile of her encounter.

"Only to taunt me." she replied to his comment.

The burly man folded his arms. "So why does Bison want this Ryu guy? What's so special about him?"

The Chinese immortal shook her head. That was a question she had been asking herself for a while after her encounter with Bison. In all honesty, she wished she asked him that question instead. Or maybe, he already had answered her.

-"I want him to suffer a little more."-

Had Ryu had contact with Bison before? From the words of the evil immortal, it sounded that way. And Chun-Li had a hunch that it was a recent development as well, especially if he had taken control of Sakura. 'Will none be safe from your evil?' Despite that, she couldn't think of any real reason as to why Bison wanted Ryu.

"I don't know. He's a strong immortal, one of my teachers in fact. But beyond that I couldn't say, not with any certainty anyway."

The frown on Guile's face deepened. "What I don't get is why Bison wants you to find him."

"I don't even know how to find him." Chun-Li replied, shaking her head once again. "He's a wanderer, in every sense of the word. He's almost never in the same place for long." Now it was her turn to frown. "And the worse part about it is that I think Bison knows this."

"So, in short, we're being toyed with." Guile growled. "Damn it!"

There was a moment of silence as the two worked to collect their thoughts from the frustration. From the way of things, Guile was right. They were being toyed with and there was seemingly no way around or out of it. Bison seemed to be holding all the cards and whatever move they made would undoubtedly be under watch. Not that there was any more they could make. Despite the number of Shadowloo cells they've taken down, they were nowhere near determining their base of operations.

And even if they could find that, they would still have to deal with Bison himself, an immortal who had conducted himself and his organization in the shadows for generations without being found out, by either mortal or immortal. And, Chun-Li remembered that power Bison resonated with during their encounter. 'Psycho Power'. She had never heard of it before, but she couldn't erase the dread she had felt from it.

"There may be a silver lining in this." Guile said suddenly, breaking her thoughts. "If he wants us to find Ryu, that must mean he can't find him either."

The frown of Chun-Li's face slowly eased away. "Which also means that if we do manage to find him, then Bison will have to make his move. And we can be ready for it."

"Exactly." Pacing across, Guile continued. "Now, are you sure there's no way to find this guy? I don't think Bison would have contacted you if there wasn't a way you could."

"I've had recent contact with him, but that was months ago." she replied, briefly recalling how badly they had parted last. "He really could be anywhere in the world by now."

"How about friends? Does he have any that you know of?"

"Just one other person; Ken Masters. From what I could tell, he's probably the closest friend Ryu has."

"Ken…Masters?"

"Yeah" Chun answered. "You know him?"

A scowl formed over his face. "Unfortunately"

'Such a practical device…'

That was the thought of the dark figure who sat on a throne in the middle of a circular chamber. Surrounding him were nine black-clad women, all geared the same way. But the source of the thought was the device placed in front of each woman, an elevated board with a wide blade hanging above it by a chain.

A guillotine…

"Kneel."

The dolls obeyed silently, each one bending down on one knee and placing their heads upon the raised board, the back of their necks exposed. Normally at this point, a second board was to be placed over their necks to keep them in place. But that wasn't necessary here, since they would not move without his command. He smiled to himself at this, elated from the knowledge that he could hold a person in control like this.

Mentally, he could sense their various states. Some where truly loyal to him, knowing nothing else except for service to their dark master. Others, who had identities from before, were now broken and crushed minds, succumbing to their fate under his control. And then there were one or two who, upon realizing what was about to happen, tried to resist with what little mental strength they had. But it made no difference. His control over them was so complete that they would do anything he told them to do.

Absolutely anything…

But now, this particular batch of dolls has served their purpose. They had slain enough immortals over the years to provide him with an adequate strength and power, at least until he obtains his real goal. After all, power is endless and so must the hunger that goes with it. His hand slid over the armrest and his fingers rested on a button on a panel. His eyes glanced up toward a glass showing the outer room where his newest doll stood in wait. A malicious grin formed over his face, wordless letting the woman know that this was the fate that was in store for her soon.

-Blip-

*gasp!*

From her bed, Cammy shot up and awake, her eyes wide in terror and shock. Realizing where she was, she struggled to control herself, taking slow calming breath to ease the anxiety. When calmed enough, the immortal woman rose from her bed and moved toward the nearby window. Night was well-along now, but it looks like sleep would not visit her this night. She was almost quite used to such occurrences, waking up in the middle of the night due to the nightmare, but this time felt different. The usual disturbance that faded with nightmare persisted even now that she was awake.

'That could have been me.'

The brows furrowed in confusion. 'What could have been me?' Her mind was still a bit foggy from sleep, and if it wasn't, she didn't think she would know why such a thought came to her. Being an immortal that suffered from partial amnesia wasn't the best thing. She would have thought that for as long as she lived (in her current memory), her memories would have returned in full by now. But they hadn't, aside from a few trace feelings of familiarity at odd moments at one time or another. More often than not, they came in the form of nightmares, where she saw terrible things happen.

Many by her own hand…

But what awakened her now was no dream. What she felt now though, was much stronger than any dream she ever had. Something had happened, something terrible. She didn't understand why she was certain of this, but she was certain. The fact that it could be something connected to her past only confirmed it in her mind. And much to her dismay, it had also confirmed something else in her mind, something that she had wrestled with more since her fight with Birdie and could no long avoid now.

She couldn't stay here any longer…

Turning away from the window, she slowly made her way to the door. Hopefully, Father Jonathan would be awake still, as there were random, yet often occasions where he would be. If he was, then she could tell him her intentions. Being one of the few who know she was immortal, he would understand her reasons, or at least, understand that she had her reasons. This place had been her sanctuary for so many years, but now the time had come for her to rejoin the world.

…And get back in the Game.