Night curiously followed Crista as she made her way into the island's medical center. He watched quietly as the girl spoke with a middle-aged woman in the reception table. The nurse muttered a few words and pointed toward a not so busy hallway. Crista nodded and thanked the nurse, then walked into the direction the woman had indicated. Once again Night followed his companion.

The small medical center was located about ten minutes away from the beach. It was probably built to assist the fighters of the upcoming tournament. Crista and Brian walked by a few patients and nurses. Most of the medics had gone to aid the plane crash survivors that had made it to the island's shore.
 

Night walked up to Crista's side. He cleared his throat and finally spoke to the girl who had scared him to death earlier.

"Who are you looking for?" Brian blushed slightly when Crista smiled at him.

"For a friend…"

Night couldn't understand what he was feeling right now. Crista is his friend and for some reason he was utterly nervous around her now. Well, at least more that usual.
 

Brian glanced at Crista a few times from the corner of his eye. He watched her graceful walk and her long brown hair dancing with every stride she took.
 

Night found himself completely captivated by this girl. He stared at her for what seemed like an eternity but were just a few seconds. >She is so beautiful< he thought.

>Those eyes, that hair, that smile and…Brian what are you thinking!<

Night inwardly slapped his forehead.

>She is your friend!<

He dismissed the thought because another look from Crista enveloped his every feeling…

**CRASH**

Crista turned around abruptly, Night had crashed into a stretcher. Medical supplies had scattered all over the floor. Crista giggled when she saw Night sitting on the floor staring at his spread out legs.

He peeked at Crista with one eye, since a white sheet that had landed on his head covered his other eye.
 

"It's not funny" Brian said softly and quite embarrassed. He noticed the center's personnel who had come to watch the small spectacle. Most were just whispering and giggling among themselves.
 

"Oh, I'm sorry! Heh heh, are you okay" Crista said kneeling in front of him and removing the sheet from his head.
 

"I'm alright." Night answered as he let Crista helped him up. Just when he thought nothing else could happen to him, he slipped on some of the medical supplies. Crista grabbed his arm and Brian regained his balance only to see the intimacy of their position.
 

Her hands were gently placed on his shoulders. His trembling arms circled her waist. Night slowly lowered his face towards hers until the tips of their noses were touching. The feeling of her warm breath sent shivers down his spine and he automatically held her closer. In that brief space of time, as their lips came closer and closer to touching, Night felt the world was only theirs and that no force in it could tear them apart…
 

"Doctor! Somebody call security! The patient in room 375 is missing!" A nurse yelled at the top of her longs to get everyone's attention.
 

Crista immediately recognized that room number. She pulled away from Brian and headed to the said room. Crista didn't dare look back at him. Night felt his face grow warm and his complexion turned a thousand shades of red when he realized what had happened. He made a futile attempt to hide his embarrassment. But he had to admit, it felt right. He walked up to Crista, who was examining the empty room.
 

Crista looked up at Night and bit her lip. "He's gone…"

"Ugh, I can't believe you're eating another one!"

"You're eating another one too!"

Victoria arched her eyebrows and looked at the hot-dog she had in her hand.

"What? You've already eaten six! This is just my second one"!

Kay Lee shrugged and devoured his hot-dog only to buy another one.

"Well, I would eat more but this guy doesn't have burgers!" Kay pointed angrily at the vendor with his soda can.

A disgusted look crept onto Victoria's features. She shook her head and looked at Zero1, who was busily talking with another one of the tournament's competitors.

Victoria studied the other man from where she was standing, completely ignoring the fact that Kay was eating his tenth hot-dog. The man was dark skinned. He was wearing green sweats and a matching long sleeved collar shirt. Victoria raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly when she saw the baseball glove he was wearing on his left hand. But what caught her attention most was the blue broomstick he carried strapped to his back. She noticed the broomstick's sharp edge and the ease with which the warrior carried something that weighted probably about fifty pounds.

"Heh, cool weapon…" She thought.

Victoria finished her snack, walked away from the hot-dog stand and headed toward Zero1.

"…I heard it was Bison's dirty work…"

That was the only thing she had heard from the stranger, who had excitedly been telling the story to Zero1.

The stranger looked curiously at Zero1's female companion. More like studied her from head to toe.

"Hi there! So you're a fighter too?" The man asked, pretending to be surprised. Victoria felt a little insulted, despising the fact that he is underestimating her on purpose.

"Yes, I am. Name's Victoria Enid" She put out her hand forward to the other warrior, who in return shook it a little too gently.

"Call me JD. I wish you luck! Hope you don't get too hurt" JD laughed at his own comment. Victoria just smirked.

"Don't worry, I won't be the one biting the dust anytime soon…"

JD chuckled and walked away. Victoria mumbled some indistinct words under her breath.

Kay Lee joined Zero1 and Victoria.

"Who was that?" he said with his mouth half full.

Zero1 casually crossed his arms over his chest.

"That was Justin 'Debo' Davidson. Seems there was an attempt against some of the fighters. Their plane malfunctioned and crash right before they reached the island."

"Are they okay?" Victoria asked with little but at least some concern.

"All the fighters made it safely to the island"

"Wow" Kay muttered between a few gulps of "Doritos".

"Oh that is disturbing…" Victoria pretended to gag but bought yet another hot-dog for herself.
 

The young Korean man swiftly made his way around the medical center and into one of the streets in the island. He studied his surroundings. Not bad for a man made island. He saw some people around, fighters he assumed, and even some gift shops.

"Weird…" he thought.

He walked over to a bulletin board to read the fight schedules.

"John Heagy…"

John turned around abruptly and saw a young girl also reading the schedule.

"H-how did you know my name…?

An oriental young man popped out of nowhere and glanced at Heagy over the girl's shoulder.

"She can read your mind, heh heh…"

John's breath was caught short.

"Stop it Kay! I read it on that name tag thingy"

John looked at the nametag he wore around his wrist.

"Oh, forgot to take it off…"

"You were in the hospital lately?" Victoria grinned, making John blush a bit for some unknown reason.

Zero1 stepped in between the two. "Hm, seems my first match is tomorrow. Interesting."

"Whatever. We gotta find a place to stay." Victoria pulled both Kay and John away from the bulletin board, Zero1 followed closely behind.

John slipped out of her grasp. "Er…I have to go know. Nice meeting you all!"

Victoria followed him. "But…but, wait! Hey John, arghhhhh….."
 

*****
 

Victoria fell into a pit of darkness. Stabbing pain rushed through her body. She tried to open her eyes but her lids felt too heavy.

A blast of energy forced her to open her eyes. She couldn't recognize her surroundings. A large wall of pure energy trapped her.

"What? Were am I…?"

Strange, dry voices invaded her mind. She covered her ears to stop the mental torture but the more she struggled the louder the infernal noise became. Pain was all she could feel. The pain of being alone…the pain of being lost between worlds….

Out of all the torment she faced momentarily, one name forced itself into her mind…

"ShockWave…?"

"Huh? Victoria, wake up!" Zero1 shook the girl's body. She moaned and trembled in his arms. She slowly opened her eyes. She saw Kay's gaze directly on her. She focused a little more and saw the man who she had just me, John, a few feet behind Kay. His face was one of pure shock.

"You okay Victoria?" Kay asked. He couldn't hide his concern for the young woman. Victoria slowly sat up and grabbed her head.

"We have to go. There's someone I need to find…"