By Dan

Guy hadn't moved from his current spot inside Crimson's apartment for almost ten minutes. Crimson had seen it all before. Guy would do this whenever he was in deep thought, and the younger Bushin fighter could attest to the fact that he knew his former teacher was weighing the pros and cons of the current situation all in his mind. But being a teenager, Crimson was impatient.

"Listen... When you finally reach a decision, let me know, okay?", Crimson replied from behind Guy. Guy didn't even acknowledge him. Crimson narrowed his eyes to slits as he muttered an expletive to himself. Walking over to the refrigerator, Crimson retrieved a soda from inside. Looking up at his clock located on the top of the fridge, Crimson realized it was dead in the middle of the night.

"*Cripes... And I've got three tests in the morning...*", Crimson said to himself in thought. Closing the door to the refrigerator, Crimson walked by Guy.

"No..."

Crimson stopped. What had Guy said...? The young Bushin student turned around.

"No? No... what?"

"No... It's as simple as that.", Guy responded. Crimson shook his head. Guy shook his also before speaking again.

"...I'm not willing to compromise myself because one man has a problem with the way I go about my life as Bushin. It's not worth it. You can't have regrets in a life-or-death situation, so I can't apologize, Crimson. If I did, I'd be lying to you, and that's not the way I live."

Crimson nodded, understanding every syllable of Guy's well-chosen words.

"That's the way it's going to be, Guy?", Crimson asked in a calm collected voice. Guy turned his back and headed for the door.

"That's the way it's going to be, Marcus...", Guy said coldly. Opening the door to Crimson's apartment, the Bushin master turned back with parting words for Crimson.

"Someday, maybe not today, or even years from now, you'll understand. There's no room for guilt or doubt regarding your actions as a Bushin. You'll realize that one day, when you truly are able to step up and take responsibility for what you must and mustn't do as a true Bushin, Marcus... Oyasuminasai."

Closing the door, Guy left Crimson's home just as stoically as he came in. The young Bushin student had nothing to say. He just kept looking at the door that Guy had just made his exit from, as if he wanted to play back the entire event. But not now, Crimson reasoned. Sitting down on his couch, Crimson turned on the television idly, looking for something that would keep his mind off of Guy's words, but found it impossible not to pause and reflect on them.

"There's no room for guilt or doubt..."

"You'll realize that one day, when you truly are able to step up and take responsibility..."

"I'm not willing to compromise myself..."

Crimson sighed tiredly. Before he knew it, he fell asleep right there on the couch, overly worn out from the day's events.

*****

(Flashback)

The now-cloaked soldiers began their attack on what seemed to be a defenseless Guy and Crimson. The younger Bushin student was getting hit from all around, and tried wildly to fend off blows coming in every direction. Guy, however was swiftly blocking and returning punches to his unseen foes... with his eyes closed, at that. Crimson had a mere split-second to look at how his teacher was fighting, when a voice suddenly came into his head. He recognized it as Guy's.

"When you can't use one sense, the other become much sharper in turn. Instead of trying to see the opponent, use the Bushin technique to *hear* the opponent...", Guy told him through telepathy.

Crimson's eyes widened as he got punched in the abdomen. Closing his eyes immediately to block out the pain and to try his hand at what Guy told him, he tried his hardest to focus. And suddenly, it all became clear as day to him. The sharpened senses of a Bushin Ninja now were working in HIS favor.

Keeping his eyes closed, Crimson heard the approaching whiff of a fist coming from behind him. Grabbing seemingly empty air behind him, Crimson got hold of a fist. Bending at the waist, the younger Bushin hip-tossed a soldier right over his back onto the floor. It was then that the soldiers all appeared before Crimson and Guy's eyes, for the one that Crimson had just knocked down was Briggs, who was in control of the cloaking-device.

"Damn you! You broke it...", Briggs cursed at Crimson. Guy's student smirked.

"Ooops... My bad."

All the soldiers came after Crimson when he made that snide remark. But Guy wasn't about to allow that in his presence. Grabbing two by the lapels of their uniforms, Guy pulled them to the floor.

Two charged Crimson and were sent backwards by a jumping roundhouse into Guy, who elbowed one in the gut with his Houzantou attack and let the other one simply trip over his own feet. One soldier pulled out a nightstick of sorts and began twirling it in Crimson's direction while running full-tilt.

He wasn't prepared for the sudden rush and was sent sprawling from a direct shot into the ribs from the baton-wielding soldier. But Crimson recovered as best as he could to avoid the next blow, which missed his skull by a couple of hairs. He countered with a low kick to the knee, making the solider drop his baton by accident.

"Shit!", he cursed, picking it up.

"*Wrong move...*", Crimson thought, kicking the soldier in the head. The force sent him flying back into two soldiers who were trying to get up, effectively knocking all three out.

Guy, almost beside Crimson, was in a furious battle with Briggs, who had a pair of brass knuckles on. Briggs took heavy swings at Guy, being the stronger of the two, but the Bushin master was too fast. Guy ducked, parried and dodge most of the attacks with effort and skill.

The Bushin master finally sent back an attack of his own, a straight open hand slap that found it's mark right across Briggs' face, who cursed as the blow hit him hard. Guy made sure he could attack again, and dashed forward to close the distance between him and his adversary.

But Briggs had another idea. Clasping his hands together, he swung at Guy and almost knocked him clean of his feet with a double-handed blow. Guy hit the wall and stayed there. Briggs smile became sinister.

"Stupid heroes...", Briggs muttered. Guy caught his breath as Briggs charged him. Aiming a punch at Guy's face, Briggs tried his hand at embedding the Bushin master's head into the wall, but it wasn't to be. Guy spun away from Briggs as he punched the solid wall, breaking his wrist in the process.

What happened next was worthy of a movie, for it seemed to happen in slow motion... Turning around on a fabulous slide technique, Guy eyes went wide then narrowed to slits in as he thrust his foot right into Briggs' lower chest to abdomen area, breaking several ribs in the process due to Guy kicking him into the wall, and all while in one motion.

Blood suddenly vomited from Briggs' mouth as he gurgled noisily while his body slumped to the ground in resignation. Guy was already on his next adversary, and easily knocked him out. Crimson was having an easier time with the final soldier left.

Trading blows with the soldier, Crimson smiled as he realized he was wearing down the soldier. So he decided to end it quickly. Performing a backward dash, Crimson secretly charged up his chi. The soldier charged him, but was sent backwards several feet as the young Bushin student knocked him to the floor with his unique Hadouryuken.

"What a cool move...", Crimson said to himself while raising his two fingers in front of him. Guy saw that and almost nearly smiled. The Bushin duo looked around, making sure no one was left standing, and was pleased to see that all the soldiers had been taken care of. Guy stepped over to Briggs, who was having trouble breathing. Crimson's eyes widened when he saw Briggs.

"Whoa... Guy, did... you do that?", Crimson asked. Guy didn't respond. Instead, he grabbed the collar of Briggs' uniform.

"I know you're bleeding internally, so I'll make this quick. Tell me what I need to ...", Guy replied in a cold voice. Briggs spit up once more, his blood now on Guy's face. But that didn't faze the master of Bushinone bit.

"I'll pretend that didn't happen... Now, tell me what I need to know... What is this place? What is Bison using it for?", Guy asked more insistently. Crimson looked at Briggs with wide eyes.

"*He looks like he's dying...*", Crimson realized. As if on cue, Guy replied:

"He's not going to die... Unless he wants to..."

Guy then performed a technique on Briggs, pressing several spots on his neck in rapid succession. Briggs' eyes went wide as he realized he couldn't keep up the silence much longer.

"O....kay.... I'll... spea... speak...", Briggs whispered. Guy nodded.

"I knew you'd see it my way. Go on...", Crimson's teacher replied.

"This... place...", Briggs began, "...Is a holding area..."

"A holding area... For what?", Guy asked. Briggs was beginning to slip into unconsciousness, and Crimson realized that.

"Guy, take the pressure-point technique off him. He's about to..."

"I know what I'm doing, Crimson. I've got it under control...", Guy assured, Crimson nodded, looking behind him momentarily before turning back to Guy. Then he turned back around again and his eyes went as big as saucers

"GUY!!!", Crimson exclaimed, while ducking. Guy didn't need any further encouragement than that. He ducked as well as hail of gunfire raged in their direction.

"Get low and get fast!", Guy told his student as they both ran for it. The other soldiers who were with Briggs at the beginning had now closed in on the Bushin duo... Crimson realized they left Briggs back there.

"What about that soldier?", Crimson asked while running. Guy didn't answer him. Crimson then asked more forcefully while the two dodged bullets and ricochets.

"GUY! WHAT ABOUT BRIGGS???"

"It's over for him...", Guy said silently. Crimson's eyes went wide. Guy was just going to let him die? How could he allow that? These thoughts would wind up revolving in Marcus Redd's mind over and over again until he finally couldn't stand it anymore...

(End Flashback)

*****

Guy walked through the streets of Manhattan in Metro City, thinking hard about the decision that he had made while in Crimson's apartment. It was somewhat disheartening to lose a prospect such as Crimson, a young man who would do more than fit the bill when it would be his time to become a master of Bushinryuu, but there was no way Guy could go back on what he had done.

It's not that it would be the right (or wrong) thing to do, it's just that something that happened that long ago is out of his hands. It would be for the fates to decide now, not he, not Crimson, and not anyone else.

"I made my decision. If I lose a friend in the process, so be it...", Guy said to himself.

"I didn't train to become a Bushin to make friends or enemies..."

The Bushin master walked into a subway station. Maybe his best move would be to leave town for awhile, perhaps to gather more information on Shadaloo from another city. Metro City wasn't much for info regarding Shadaloo, so his best bet might be on the West Coast...

"*Damn... That would mean I'd have to catch a flight...*", Guy thought to himself. He knew what that meant. Another trip to Cody & Jessica's house...