OZ-Starring Cody Ch. 4
By Dan

Cody swung hard at Balrog, missing him completely. Balrog instantly used the miss to his advantage, and knocked Cody down with a hard jab to the face. "WHOO! Yeah!", Cody could hear the inmates holler as the two fighters had their bout in the ring. Cody knew he had to find a way to keep his mind off of breaking out of Ozwald, so he tried having a boxing match with the former champion Balrog. He was beginning to rethink his decision, though...

WHAM. Balrog's fist slammed into Cody's ribs. WHUMP. Another one. WHAM. ANOTHER one. "*Man, this guy doesn't tire!*", Cody thought. Cody moved away from an uppercut that most likely would've taken a weaker man's head off. Cody then punched Balrog in his face, but it didn't seem to faze Balrog any. "Heh. That didn't even put a scratch on my pretty face", Balrog said, grinning. "*Oh yeah?*" Cody swung hard at Balrog, who ducked the right-cross and countered with a rising move he called the Buffalo Head. Cody was socked in the chest as he crashed in a heap onto the canvas. "*What the h*ll did I get my *ss into??*" Cody thought, shakily getting up. Before he could recover, Balrog had already charged up his most lethal move....the Gigaton Blow. "Hehehheh....RAAGGGHH!!" Cody only looked up at Balrog for what was most likely a split-second. Then he felt himself hurtled through the air like a ragdoll. "Arrrgh!!!" Cody screamed as his body was smashed by the piston-like power of Balrog's fists. When it was all over, Cody was on the ground....OUTSIDE the ring, groaning in pain. "*Man, that's the last time I challenge him.*", Cody thought, getting up. Then he realized, he couldn't...

...Cody was sent to the prison hospital later on that day. When Balrog knocked Cody out of the ring, Cody was in too much pain to realize when he was spinning out the ring, he was flung right into the wall! A doctor, along with Eddy E suddenly made their way through the hospital's door. "What's the prognosis, doc?", Cody said mockingly. The doctor went to her list of injuries Cody sustained. "Well, let's see...hm. Well, Mr. Cody, you have broken two ribs, you broke your left wrist, minor head trauma, a broken collarbone, a strained neck...what did you try to do, fight a mack truck?"

"Yeah...exactly." The doctor looked at Eddy E, then at Cody. "Well, you won't be on your feet for at least a month. Unless you have healing ability."

"I wish." The doctor smiled, and made her way out the door. Cody watched as Eddy E gazed at the doctor. "Heh. Wouldn't mind have a pretty little number like that operate on me...", Eddy said. Cody snorted. "Puh. A big loser like you? Puhleeze. She wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire." Cody forgot he was in no postion to talk smack, but he just had to...Eddy E looked visibly angry at the remark. He walked over to Cody's bed. "You can't walk, right?" Cody nodded. "Good." Eddy E then punched Cody hard in the gut! "Argh! Sh--, g*dd*mnit!! What the f--- was that for, a-hole?", Cody said angrily.

"For tryin' to make me look bad.", Eddy E said with a grim smile. He left out the door, but briefly came back to tell Cody something.

"Listen up, co--sucker, even though there isn't much security in here, don't try anything stupid. The warden had made sure to keep armed guards at this very door, at my request."

"Well wasn't that nice of you.", Cody said with a sneer. "It was, wasn't it?", Eddy E said, laughing as he left the room. Cody hadn't fully looked around, but it was more comfortable in here than in that musty old prison cell. "*Hm...wallpaper, no windows, television, bathroom...*"

"Hey, look at me! I've got the grand suite at Ozwald Prison!", Cody said out loud, chuckling. But now wasn't the time. He had to see if he could break out of this place. But how, and when? He then tried to get up. Big mistake. "OUCH!", Cody said, with a stream of profanities soon following. "*Lemme' try again, slower this time...*" Cody s-l-o-w-l-y got up into a sitting position. "Oww, jeez....", Cody groaned. He felt as if his whole body was mashed. He had the sitting up part down, now to get his legs to swing over the bed. "*Easy, Cody, easy...there. HA-ha!*" Cody slowly got up, and even though feeling much pain, was able to walk around. "Now, how the h*ll can I get out of here?", Cody asked himself. He didn't know the answer...yet. Suddenly he heard a knock on the door! Eep! Cody scrambled to his bed, and jumped into it with a yelp of pain. "OUCH! Who is it?" The same doctor who was with Eddy E came in. "You have a visitor..."

"*What?*", Cody thought. A million possibilities went through his head about who it might be, but he was hoping for only one. His thoughts were broken as the doctor then said to someone, "He's in here." Suddenly a man with black hair, and a skinny frame stepped up to the door, wearing a all-red outfit, minus the gloves. "Guy?", Cody said.

"You came to see me?"

"Yeah, but that's not all." Guy waved a hand to n unknown person. Cody smiled when he saw Haggar make his way through the door. "How are you doing, Cody?"

"Fine." Cody said, a little dissapointed. It was a wonderful surprise that Guy and Haggar showed up, but where was- Guy noticed Cody's somewhat-dissapointed look. "Oh, I see. Hey, Haggar. He doesn't want to see us.", Guy said, with a make-believe pout. "Oh, really? Well then, we'd better cheer him up. Jessica! Come in!"

Cody's heart soared. Jessica WAS here! Indeed she was. She came in with a smile, yet she was crying also. She ran to Cody's bedside and hugged him tightly. "Oh my God....Cody, I missed you sooo much!" Cody put an arm around her, hugging her back. "You don't even...know, how much I've missed you, Jessie." Cody said. He didn't want to shed a tear in front of Guy and Haggar, but he didn't care. He actually cried. Guy looked at the both of them, and Haggar smiled. "You know, Guy, that's the happiest I've seen my daughter in a lonng time."

"I know. Let's leave these two alone, Haggar. Ikuzo.", Guy said. Haggar nodded, and followed suit with Guy out the door. Cody softly kissed Jessica on the cheek. "God, I missed you. How have you been doing?"

"Better than you, playboy.", Jessica said, kissing Cody back. "But, really, everything's fine. Everybody misses you. Ken was going to come visit too, but his tournament started early this year." Cody chuckled.

"Heh..he's STILL trying to be better than that Ryu guy." Suddenly he quieted as Jessica put a finger to his lips. "Cody...I need to know something", she stated to him in his ear. "Yeah, Jessica?", Cody asked her, puzzled. "I want to know something...when you said you'd stop fighting, you never did."

"I know. I tried, I really did. It's just that-"

"That what? You didn't try at all? Do you know something, Cody? I wondered why sometimes I let you go off and get yourself into trouble, and it was because I thought you'd be okay. But now...look at you. You're all broken up, bruised, battered, and in prison...you hardly look like the same man I love anymore." Jessica said, with a slight sniffle. "But I AM, Jessica. You gotta see that. Just because I'm here now doesn't change anything between us. I love you, Jessie.", Cody said. Jessica then told him this, getting up from the bed beside him:

"You love me, true. But admit it: you love fighting even more, right?" Cody was shocked! "*How could she THINK that?*"

"Baby, you've got it all wrong. I love YOU more. Fighting just keeps me grounded, that's all. I still want to spend all my time with you-"

"-Then why didn't you? You didn't have to fight, you didn't have to continue! When you defeated Mad Gear for the third time, it was your FINAL FIGHT! But no, you had to keep on. Don't lie to me, Cody. You can't stand to live without fighting." Cody let his head fall. He didn't want to yell, but he did anyway...

"Fine! I did lie! I just can't live my life the way other people would! The peaceful life isn't the one for me! I enjoy fighting, and I'll amit it, it is my life!" Jessica swallowed back more tears. "I knew it! I'm not the person who makes your life complete, fighting IS!" Cody wanted to set things straight. This was getting out of hand.

"Look, Jessie, I'm sorry, but-"

"But what? But nothing! All this time, I've been trying to see you again, to hear this!?! I've been at home for the last seven months crying over you, and for what? For you to tell me that if and when you come out of this place, you're STILL going to FIGHT?" Cody was p*ssed now. He thought Jessica was here to make him feel better, but he only felt worse. All his anger, all his guilt, it was too much.

"You know something, Jessica? If you came here just to f-ing chastise me, mission accomplished! I already felt like dog-s#!+ for doing what I did, and then you just crap all over me anew with all of this? I can only say I'm sorry! I can't go back in time and fix tings so they can be perfect! I can't! Even if I didn't try at all to stop fighting, even if I never fought a single battle, even if I wasn't who the h*ll I am now, I'd still be the same! And if you STILL can't accept that, what's the use in us still being together?" Jessica's eyes went wide. "Take that back, Cody! You don't mean that. Say you don't mean it. CODY!", she yelled with tears in her eyes. "*She deserves better than what I have to give her. I should give her a fresh start. She deserves that much. I am who I am, and I can't change that, she can't change that, Guy can't change that, I don't even know if God can change that....*" Cody then sighed. He looked up at the foot of his bed where Jessica now stood. He looked at her golden hair, her blue eyes, welled with tears...

"Say you don't mean it, Cody, please...", Jessica pleaded one more time. Say you don't mean it, Cody......

....Please....

With a deep breath, he said:

"I do mean it. We shouldn't be together, at least not now anyway-" Jessica's eyes went wide, then she got upset.

"And at least not now anymore! I can't believe you! Ten, no, twelve years of my life, gone like that? Forget it now, Cody! You put the seal and stamp of approval on it. I don't care if you do get your d*mn life together! We're through! Forever!", Jessica said making her way to the door in tears.

"Jessie, wait! Please! D*mn, why the f*** won't you listen to me!!?!" Cody yelled. Jessica turned back with a finger pointed at Cody. "I was the only one who loved you like no other. I was the only one who has been there for you all the time, no matter what type of b.s. you got yourself into." Jessica stopped momentarily.

"I was THE ONLY ONE, who let you get away with all the garbage you put all of us through. When we first were together, my dad hated you, and now I see it was for good reason. Cody, you are a creep, a liar, and I HATE YOU! Goodbye!" Jessica said, turning on her heels and running from Cody's room. "JESSSIICCAAA!!!!" Cody screamed, running full-speed. He ignored the intense pain in his body. He tried to catch up with her, but of course, the door guards caught him.

"Let me go! D*mn you all!", Cody said, struggling to free himself. Guy and Haggar came from another area as they watched Cody get dragged back to his room. "What in the name of Bushin?", Guy said as they followed the guards back to Cody's bed.

*****

When everything was settled, Cody was back in his hospital bed, now with two guards outside his door and three inside with him. Luckily for him, Guy and Haggar were able to stay for ten more minutes. "What happened, Cody? And where's Jessica?", Guy asked him.

"She's gone...for good. We had an argument, we broke up. End of the d*mn story.", Cody said angrily. "What?", Haggar said in disbelief. "I've gotta' go find her...Guy, you stay with Cody...Ohhh jeez. I PRAY she didn't do something dumb...", Haggar trailed off. Guy pulled up a chair and looked DIRECTLY at Cody. "You yelled at her, I bet."

"Yeah, but, she yelled first. I mean, she jumped all over me! Telling me about how I care about fights more than her! Ridiculous!", Cody said.

"Is it really?"

"No, not you too, Guy. C'mon, man, you're my bro."

"True, but she has every right to yell at you. Ever since we decided to fight against Mad Gear, you have always said you'll change your ways after we'd defeat them. But you NEVER did. You betrayed her trust, Cody. You pulled her strings, played with her emotions, you-"

"Enough!", Cody said, shoving Guy to the floor. The guards looked, but didn't do anything...yet. Guy dusted himself off as he picked himself off the floor. "That isn't the wisest thing to do, Cody. Don't try to vent your anger at me."

"I'll vent my anger at whoever I want to!" Cody said getting in Guy's face. Both of them looked at each other in the eye, Cody's filled with self-anger and frustration, Guy's with only one thing....pity. "Forget it, Cody. I'm not fighting an injured man. And I'm definitely not fighting you...", Guy said, turning his back. As he began to walk away, Cody muttered:

"I thought so, you little b*tch."

Guy suddenly turned, and in a flash, was back in front of Cody. "Don't say it again, man. I do NOT want to have a confrontation with you..."

"Isn't that a shame...." Cody said. He then swung at Guy! Guy flipped out of the way, and the guards once again, suppressed Cody's near-assault of Guy. "F***! Why won't you sh**heads let go of me?" Cody said. He looked as Guy began to walk away. But he quickly turned around.

"You've chosen your fate Cody. I'm no longer your brother, friend, or acquaintance. You do this all the time. I'm always the one to bail you out, but no longer will I associate myself with you. I now consider the name 'Cody' nothing to my ears. Sayonara!" First Jessica, now Guy? Cody had nobody now, and what's worse?

He brought it on himself...