Kairi stood face to face once again with his dreaded arch enemy,the demonic samurai known as Garuda.

"This time..I shall see shred the bone from your body,ninja!"said the demon. "Prepare to die!"

"I hear you talking,but don't see you fighting ,monster man!"said Kairi. "COME ON!"

The samurai then jumped into the air and dove down at his enemy.

Once he landed,Garuda shot out his body blades from his shoulders and arms.

He then swung and thrust them at him,Kairi simply ducked and dodged them and then slammed a rising knee into his gut.

"WHUMP!"

Garuda was knocked backwards,but came rushing forward with a blade spin typhoon.

Kairi jumped backwards and then leapt into the air.

Whilst in the air he charged up his fists and released a giant Air hadou down at the demon.

But before the blast could even reach the demon--he vanished!

"WHAT?"said Kairi in surprise.

Garuda then re-appeared behind Kairi and then brought down one of his blades across his back.

"ARRRRGHH!"cried Kairi as he felt his flesh get peeled off,and blood squirted from the wound.

The two warriors then landed on their feet,ready for more.

Garuda thrusted forward and unleashed another pair of blades from his arms.

Kairi dodged the first pair of swings from the blades and then grabbed the samurai by his left arm and then threw him across the grass,causing the monster to land on his back.

Garuda then vanished again,but just as he re-appeared over Kairi,the ninja launched upward and clocked his enemy with a rising upper punch.

Garuda fell back to the ground with a loud thump.

But just as he was down,he jumped back to his feet again and then spun into a blade tornado attack,straight at him.

Kairi then jumped backwards and then charged up his most powerful attack move.

"SHIIINNNNN---HADOU!"shouted Kairi as he thrust forward his left fist.

And a giant energy beam of ki energy enveloped Garuda head on!

"NOOOOO---YEAAAARRRRRGH!"shouted Garuda as his body was burned to a crisp by the blast.

Once it was over,Garuda laid upon the ground,his body and armor blackened by the ki blast Kairi gave him.

It was over at last.

"Surrender Garuda."said the ninja as he stood over him.

"Surrender,or I shall be forced to destroy you."

"BAH--I WILL CHOSE DEATH ANY DAY OVER BEING DEFEATED BY YOU!"roared the demon. "So..finish me now--before I rise again--NOW!"

Kairi clenched his fists,white energy rings formed around them.

"No--don't do it big brother!"called a voice.

It was Naneese,she and Hokuto had at last arrived.

"She's right Kairi. "said Hokuto. "Ninjas we be,but your killing days are long since over,remember?"

Kairi nodded and lowered his fists.

"Yes..I..I almost forgot myself there again."he said. "You were a fool to challenge me demon,you brought this on yourself,I will not destroy you!"

Garuda growled in rage.

"Then I shall do the deed myself--and you will one day regret this ninja..YOU WILL REGRET THE DAY YOU DID NOT KILL ME!"

Garuda then vanished and then crashed back to the earth,one of it's blades were impaled through it's chest.

He was at last dead.

"NO!"said Kairi as he went to the samurai's side.

He removed the helmet,revealing a bald head of someone he never recognized.

The villian's face was blackened and skull like beyond anything human.

"I'm too late."he said. "I couldn't stop him."

"Don't blame yourself Kairi."said Hokuto. "Whatever kind of person Garuda was,he obviously killed himself long ago when he became a demon."

"That's right."said Naneese. "You did what you had to do,a great evil has been rid of from this world."

"Has it..?"said Kairi as he looked to the sky. "Somehow,I sense…there may be something greater here than we think."

"So…"said a dark and sinister voice.

"Garuda failed to defeat the one called Kairi. "No matter..I shall see to it that he attends the tournament as well and eliminate him in the process. For he along with the others is a great threat to my plans. All will fall,all will be added to my power--and that power shall be mine-HAHAHAHA!"

US MINT FACILITY:PHILIDELPHIA.

Another group of the same terrorists that Guile and Ace were fighting had struck again.

This time,they had laid seige to a US mint facility.

They had broke in from the back,killed all security and held several workers as hostages,ordering the police and military to back off till they were finished looting the place.

Guile and his comrades Ace and Dark were ready this time as they moved in from the sewers beneath and snuck in through a grate lid.

"Man--!"said Ace wiping his brow. "I never thought I had to go through a sewer express just to get somewhere."

"Dark here used them all the time when he went awol back then,Ace."said Guile.

"That's right."said Dark. "Pipes and systems go everywhere,you just have to know where to go."

"Okay."said Guile. "We'll split up and take these muthas out from both ends and strike the last of them as well. Just be careful,there's no telling what kind of tricks they got up their sleeves this time."

"Right."said Ace.

"Will do."said Dark. "Good luck to all of us!"

The commando trio then exited from the basement and made their way into the corridors of the facility.

Guile came upon a pair of black clad and masked terrorists.

He then took out a smoke grenade and threw it at the pair.

The grenade exploded and smoke covered the pair in total concealment.

"Now--while they're distracted.."he said and moved in.

"SONIC KABOOM!"

Guile flung his famed fireball attack and slammed the two thugs down to the ground.

They were the first to be out.

"So far so good."he thought. "I sure hope Ace and Dark are doing okay."

Ace came across a pair of terrorists near the entrance to the factory machines.

He then took out his magnum and fired off a single shot at the wall across from them.

The shot alerted the two thugs,and the one on the left ordered the one on the right to scout ahead.

The left one nodded and did so.

"Showtime."thought Ace grinning wickedly.

The left one went down the hall and came around the corner to find..nothing.

But just as she was about to go back..

"Excuse me."said a voice behind her.

Ace came at the thug with a flying kick to the legs,knocking her down.

And once down,he did a drop kick to her head knocking her out.

"Next!"said Ace.

The other terrorist came sliding across the hall and fired her uzzi at Ace.

"YOOOW!"cried Ace as he dove for cover.

He then got out his throwing knife and threw it at the thug,piercing her in the thigh.

Once down,Ace jumped upward and brought down another drop kick to her head,knocking her out next.

"Oh yeah,and the crowd goes wild!"said Ace. "I sure hope that Dark doing okay."

While in the main factory room,the last of the terrorists were busy keeping the hostages at bay and looting the currency and deposits that were there.

Suddenly,a pair of gas and smoke grenades came flying from out of nowhere.

"GRENADES!"said one of the terrorists.

But it was too late for them,as the two grenades exploded and filled the room with smoke.

Once there was plenty of smoke,Dark donned his gas mask and moved in for the kill.

He brandished his gauntlet blades and went about cutting into and wounding the enemy.

Each one fell to his fighting and attack skills,until only one with an M-16 jumped out and was about to fire.

"GOT YOU!"she said.

"Uh-oh!"said Dark.

But Dark was a fast thinker as he jumped high into the air and shot out his wire,and sliced the gun barrel in two.

"NO!"he said.

"Oh,yes."said Dark as he landed a flying kick into her chest and knocked her to the floor.

After that was done,Guile and Ace entered the fray and found the place was secure.

"Wow,your friend did it."said Ace.

"Naturally."said Dark. "I come from the best,don't we Guile?"

"We always did,Dave."said Guile grinning. "And no casualties this time either."

Suddenly,the last terrorist that Dark took out jumped back to his feet and did something rather unexpected.

"SONIC BOOM!"

A blast of ki energy exploded,causing all three men to fall to the floor.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?"said Ace.

"A..a sonic boom blast?"said Guile. "But I--"

The thug was then taking a run for it.

"Oh no,you don't!"said Dark as he threw a single knife and hit the thug in the right leg.

"NNNGHH!"cried the thug as he fell to the floor.

"Good shot man!"said Ace.

"I know what Guile means about that blast he did."said Dark. "We know of only one other person who used to do that move."

Guile then grabbed the terrorist's mask and ripped it off,to reveal…

A white and blonde haired man with deep green eyes and a scar on his right cheek.

Guile recognized him immediately.

"Ch-ch--Charlie..Charlie Nash?"said Guile.

"I don't who you mean..!"said the man. "I'm agent Lash--of the great and arisen Shadowloo!"

"No--this can't be."said Dark shaking his head. "Charlie's been dead for years…how can this be?"

TOKYO,JAPAN.

Dan Hibiki was just coming home off the subway and back to his plush penthouse apartment.

When suddenly…

A single man approached him in front of the entrance.

"Hey man..who are you,an autograph hound?"said Dan.

"Huh,I know it's been awhile,Hibiki."said the man in leather jacket and cargo pants. "But I didn't think you could forget me."

"Wha--CODY!"said Dan. "Yeah,it has been awhile,gotten a little old and fuzzy eh,heh-heh."

"So have you I see."said Cody. "Still wearing that stupid ponytail I see."

"Oh,and so nice to see you as well."said Dan sarcastically. "Look just what the hell do you want anyways,I need to get some shut eye,I just got back from my latest match."

"No man."said Cody cracking his knuckles. "I'm your latest match. I've been keeping a tab on you since the days of the Alpha battles and tournaments. You started as kind of a joke..but now I see you've developed into a real ass kicking machine. And that's just what I've been itching to fight..you--here and now!"

"Aw come on,Cody!"said Dan. "Why don't you go find and fight those mooks Ryu and Sakura..I hear they're still around. Or don't you go and fight your old friend Guy,I hear he's a full Bushin now."

"You heard right."said Cody. "But I got my reasons for not fighting a friend like him. It's you that I want to kick ass with!"

"Well sorry blondie."said Dan as he went for the doors. "Not really interested..book a fight and appointment and maybe we'll talk."

"Oh no ya don't!"said Cody. "We're gonna do this if it takes all night!"

The american did a jumping thrust kick,but Dan dodged it and slammed a hard chop to the back of Cody's neck.

"UURKK!"cried Cody as he fell forward and hit the pavement.

"Gimme a break here Cody!"said Dan. "I've beat the %@## out of fighters twice your size and style..I'm not the same weak ass schmoe I was..I could really hurt you."

"Flattery..will get you nowhere,Hibiki!"siad Cody as he jumped back to his feet and then slammed a stab kick into his chest,knocking the Saikyo into a nearby waste can.

"I've trained in total combat and other karate fighting forms..I'm no mere street fighter any longer."he said.

"You…on the other hand..I heard that you get all your strength from some stupid radiation %@## you absorbed. And you call that getting better?"

Dan huffed and snorted in anger.

"Alright,Cody!"he said as he ripped off his jacket,shirt and tie. "You want a rumble..I'll give ya an ass kicking you won't soon forget--just don't say I didn't give you a fair warning!"

"Music to my ears,pinky!"said Cody as he removed his jacket and shirt.

"LET'S DO IT!"