Iwa Hoshi attempted to release some choice unsavory dialogue in Chinese, and failed due to a wave of pain and nausea. Her head was aching, her heart was pounding, and everything seemed just so damn bright… And why couldn't she move?

Her head hurt thrice as badly than from her debut hangover from the Fighters Inn. It ached even worse than suffering Kumori's 24-hour Titanic marathon. She shuddered. It almost hurt as badly as a certain pink-wearing Sergeant's jokes.

On cue another bout of dizziness assaulted her worn form. What had happened? She recalled a big, guy, waxed head. Sagat. Okay, what had happened after that?
Her hand was wet.
Maru? Brand?

No. Wait. They were with Ryu and Chun-Li. Her hand was sticky and warm.
And so was the side of her head.
Then the young fighter's sense of smell flared up.
The smell of blood. Her blood.

"Kumori."
Iwa's delicate hands clenched white-knuckle tight, grasping the surrounding rocks with weary determination.

"-RunningrunningleapingAIIEEErunningrunning-"

The ground scant inches from Volpe's thick-soled combat boots erupted in psychedelic blasts of energy.

"-runningrollingjumpingGAAHHHHHsprinting-"

Kumori blinked in amazement as Volpe nimbly leapt between two polished daggers streaming at him from mid air.

"-runningrunningrolling'LOLADYKUMORIpanickingrunningrunning-"

The young woman steadied herself against a nearby rock for support, grinning despite herself.

"-sprintingdivingTRRRRREEEEEEEErunning-"

Her pink attired ally had somehow attracted the undesireable attention of a masked Vega, Rose, and a glowing Victoria Enid, all of whom were doing their utmost to reduce Volpe into a fine, shredded meaty pulp…

"EGAD! POINTY!!"

. . . and aside from being slightly singed and many slashes across various portions of his body he was somehow denying the trio's goal.

"TORNADO KIICCKKK!!" Victoria's high heels smashed again and again into Volpe's jaw, until he stumbled out of range.

The hairs on the back of his necked raised.

Volpe, dove, rolling underneath a massive blast of chi energy, twisted to the side to avoid Victoria's incoming dagger, while frantically evading Vega's deadly claw.

"SIT STILL!" roared Vega, slashing at the investigator at waist level, sending cloth and blood flying. Volpe grunted and spun while he twisted about, slamming his boot in Rose's midsection and his right gloved fist crashing into Vega's protected jaw.

Then he ducked, Victoria's flying kick sailing overhead. Volpe posed, panting heavily for breath. "Adversaries of cruel demeanor, ye face the mighty warrior Volpe, erstwhile protector of those young lasses. Nay, no demonspawn such as thyself nor custard doughnut shalt pass!"

Victoria's flawless features contorted into that of an expression of rage, eyebrow twitching dangerously. "You will kneel at my feet you damn fool!"

Twin daggers impaled the Volpe sprinted past, a searing blast of light then clipping his shoulder. "Alive or dead, it matters little to me! Ohohohohohoho! SOUL BLAST! SOUL BLAST!"

The appropriate sounds of carnage followed.

"Alas, I am not thy type, Vicky-chaaaaan!!" Aaron called out in a singsong voice, ducking to avoid Vega's overhead strike then sending the annoyed assassin airborne by flipping 360* in the air, leg lashing out with blurring speed, and generally looking spiffy.

"DON'T CALL ME VICKY!" Victoria launched herself at the heavily muscled form of Volpe, hair streaming about nearly as wild as her eyes.

Kumori shook off her last traces of dizziness, donning her undamaged glasses scant inches away. What was left of Iwa's jacket tightly bound around her middle.

"Yosha!" she declared, palming a fist. Surveying the surrounding damage the path of destruction distinctly got larger and larger the further away thing got. It was almost as if…
"..that baka led them away from us-" began a tired but warm voice. Kumori squealed in delight.
"Iwa!" She gave her friend a healthy bearhug, both immediately regretting it and yelping in pain.
"-though I doubt he did it on purpose." Iwa managed to smile behind a array of bruises.

"Damn Sagat.." She blinked at the sound of Volpe's now distant manly squeals of pain. ". . . is he alone?"

Kumori grimly nodded
. "We be it." She then stuck out her tongue and wiggled her fingers behind her ears. "Whad'ya say Iwa, do ya want coffee, tea or me?"

Iwa chuckled as she ducked a flung stray chunk of a tree. "I'll settle for some Durian after paying them back."
"With interest?"
"Whoever causes the most property damage gets treated to dinner."
"Sugoi!"

Pain.

Kay Lee Unleashed (sort of, he was developing this annoying habit of staying sane) wasn't real sure of what else was going on, but he knew it involved pain. And lot's of it.

What happened to him? Why couldn't he remember?

Advil. Must have advil.

...

...

And why was he being prodded with a stick?

His eyes snapped open to reveal…

Absolutely nothing. Complete darkness. And he was still being prodded.

"Awake yet?" intoned a whimsical voice, accompanied with some neat reverb.
"Who's there?" Kay stood up, attempting to face the source of the voice. "BISON?!!"
"Nah." Chuckled the voice behind him, "I'm much better looking than that."

The form of Kay Lee visibly blurred, then reformed in a burst of speed a small distance from his original location. "Gotcha." Kay grinned as he reached out to restrain whatever it was, all within the time allotment of less than three seconds.
"Eh?" He poked the air in front of him a few times.
"Nothing?"
"Nice move. Call me TS."
Kay Lee blinked.
"TS?" The kung fu expert scratched his head idly.
"What's that stand for? Toaster stroodle? Taco stand? Teryaki Salad?"

...

Time passed.

...

More time passed.

"Hello?" Kay examined his pockets for advil and loose bits of change.
"Umm… er . . ." reverberated the mighty voice. "That is to say…." A pause. "Hey, what's that behind you?"
Kay being a friendly, trustworthy kind of guy despite his mild case of insanity, looked. "A BURGER?" he grinned.
And the world flared to life.

Vega's dripping claw glinted in the sunlight as the deadly weapon bore down on the erratic form of Volpe. Rose's purple hair streamed about and her bosom heaved as she attempted to kick his head in, Victoria doing much the same, sweat plastering her already tight and binding tube top and stretch pants to her body.

Volpe grinned. It was almost worth being squewered to enjoy the view.

"Stop looking at me like that, you pervert!" Victoria's fists lashed out with the general inent to rearrange the Italian streetfighters face. "OHOHOHOHOHO!" Only a male suitably trained as my pet may gaze at this perfect body!"

"Forsooth," began Aaron, sidestepping Vega's roll, kneeing Psycho Victoria in the stomach, and nailing Rose with a spinning backfist to the shoulder.
"As much as I quest for the attention of the fairer sex-!" Volpe gave a sharp cry of pain as Vega slashed his arm and Rose kicked him in the back, sending him sprawling once more in the dirt.
". . . gmrph. Alas, I'm just really not into that sort of thing." The investigator grasped a fallen tree branch, parrying the trio's assault until the tree limb was reduced to the size of a toothpick.
"Moreover, thou art evil, mine beloved, whereas I am a humble champion of love and justice. It wouldn't work."

"Enough!" Blue flames cackled as Rose struck the Italian streetfighter with her outstretched blue fists. Ignoring the fact that what was left of his shirt was again on fire Volpe interlocked his arms with those of Rose.

"And the heaven's doth sing whilst I reside in your embrace, Lady Rose." Then with disturbingly brutal grace Volpe swung the woman overhead and crashing into an enrage Victoria, causing the two to collapse into a tangled heap a good distance away. "If only for an instant."

With a shrill cry Vega dove in from overhead, grasped Volpe by the shoulders and suplexed the fighter into the nearby rocks.

Volpe recovered slowly with a great pained expression. It was getting harder and harder to get up. Somewhere in the back of his mind the thought that he was running out of blood popped up, but was instantly crowded out by the memory of chili dogs, offensively bright wardrobes, cushy toilet seats and young women promising him all their worldly possessions.

Vega decked the investigator, sending him toppling in a burst of blood. Volpe rolled underneath the Spanish Assassin's incoming claw, slammed his palms in Vega's midsection a few times, then grasped the other fighter in a brutal bear hug, pausing for the appropriate 'popping sounds.'

Volpe chuckled at Vega's panicked expression. The then fighter leapt easily fifteen feet in the air with another worldly burst of wind, then hurtled downwards, power bombing Vega in a small crater.

The chipmunks were suitably impressed.

"Soul Blast!"
"Soul Spark!"

The investigator flew with graceless case into a nearby boulder making a neat crunch upon impact then sliding limply into the massive foliage below his shirt on fire… again.

"Gah!" moaned the bush. "There must be another medium at action assaulting evil that dost not require the reduction of my already sparse selection of clothes!"
"Then stop moving!" Victoria called back. "It'll only hurt a second set of clothes."

A grinning Volpe peered above the greenery only to kicked in the side of the head, sent crashing to the ground once more.

"You talk to much," spat Vega. The assassin towered over the fallen fighter. His eyes narrowed behind the passionless mask her wore. "I shall solve that by ripping out your tongue."
"Hath any ever complemented ye on thy people skills? Aie!!!!!!" Aaron dove to the left as the rocks underneath exploded into rubble via azure flame. "Wouldest thou please desist?" called the investigator, attempting to avoid Vega's insistent assault.
"Those things hurt!"

"Die!" Victoria snarled.
"Hoi! Vicky-chan! Prithee, would ye reconsider the whole malevolent smiting Volpe thing?"
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Vega slashed Volpe across the arm and waist, but doing little beyond breaking the skin. He received a standing high kick to the eyes for his trouble.
"…Indeed, they cannot have THAT good a dental plan.. and what about hair care? I challenge ye to find bubbly soap within all of Shadowlaw…"

Vega's left food collided with Volpe's jaw causing him to see stars, diamonds, horseshoes and balloons. "Silence, worm!"
"…Sadly, I doubt they have any admirable bon-bon shaking routines."

Vega's claws wrestled with a heavily gloved hand, as well as the rest of Volpe as the two fighters locked in to a contest of strength. The claw scan inches from our hero's throat. The Italian warrior grinned, as it seemed like an appropriate heroic thing to do sweat and blood mixing freely on his brow.

Kay Lee opened one eye a fraction of an inch taking in his surroundings.

Which mostly consisted of rocks. Big ones. And the fact that he was sprawled out in the exact center of a newly constructed ten foot crater.

"That explains the headache. But the real question is…" murmured Kay, "Where is that burger? Oh and how did I get here?"

Nimbly leaping out at his environmentally friendly bed, Kay immediately received the answers to both his important questions. For one a neatly wrapped burger lay exposed in the outermost pocket of a very familiar black trenchcoat with golden Chinese scrawled on the back.

The second was a very irate massive Man Sei winding back a massive blade of deadly chi as pitch black as midnight.

Kay quickly bacflipped away with easy grace as the blade ripped through the air he was taking temporary residence upon mere seconds ago.

"Oh, Buddha…" whispered Kay, rubbing hsi forehead again. The headache was starting to come back stronger than before.

The three trees that stood innocently behind Kay collapsed due to being ripped in half.

"Time to die." chuckled Man Sei evilly. A massive dragon of pure energy warped into formation overhead, easily the size of a two story house.
"Aw, crap."

"Furthermore, I challenge ye to discern what's so wonderful about evil…"
"WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO SHUT…" Vega backhanded Volpe, sending more blood flying.
"-Other than the traditional garb of tight, binding leather outfits and battle bikinis anywhoo…"
"… YOU……" Vega planted the hell at his foot in Volpe's face, sending his sturdy glasses flying.
"… what about life, love, romance, witty dialogue and mad passionate we, sticky sex?" A dramatic pause filtered through the air briefly, "I hear being evil can lead to impotence nowadays…"
"..UUPPP!!!!" Vega slammed his knee in a dizzied Volpe's midsection causing him to double over.
 

"… speaking of which, how art thou feeling Vega? Things looking 'up'?" Aaron chuckled, continuing his monologue through bloodstained lips. "Or dost the activities of life in general seem a little 'limp'? Canna seem to 'rise' to the occasion, good sirrah?"

"DDDDDIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE" Vega released an animal like cry of fury, quivering with rage. The light gleamed off the cruel weapon just before it slashed across Volpe's twisting face. As soon as the bloodied stroke finished it's course Vega grasped his bleeding opponent by the throat, licking his blade absently. "Not nearly as talkative now are we?" Vega sighed, adjusting his grip. "Pity." And with that the blade arc downward one final time towards his beaten opponent.

"Am I supposed to be impressed?"

Unblinking, Kay Lee assumed an imposing kung fu oriented stance. His hair whipped around almost enough to reveal his blazing eyes, shielded underneath his massive bangs of hair.

The dark reddish chi dragon roared, seemingly drawing in all light surrounding it, instantly causing several nearby boulders to explode into small powdery chunks of stone kibble.

"….Okay….. I'm impressed." Using his extensive knowledge of the art of martial arts, perception, and deduction Kay decided whatever that thing was would hit him soon, and hard.

The fact that Man Sei was foaming at the mouth and screaming 'the end is near' had nothing to do with this.

Kay's stylish wardrobe twisted about. There had to be something that he could do. There HAD to be. After all, aside from a temporary bout of insanity, Kay's the tragic hero, bound to whip out the can of whoopass at any point and time… right?

...

Right?

"GGGRRRAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Man Sei roared into the sky, lifting his arms causing the ground to shake in a really disturbing manner.

Wait a minute… the hero? Kay smiled viciously. THAT was it! "Cease thy actions now, nefarious fiend!" Kay's mighty finger quivered as it pointed towards the dark martial artist, while he himself was in a decidedly manly, though slightly borrowed, heroic pose. "Ye knowest quite well thou art violating the evil-anime style villains code!"

"What are you dribbling about?"

Kay jabbed his righteous finger towards Man Sei with the proper 'poik' sounds. "Simple! Villain's must ALWAYS reveal their plot before slaughtering the supporting cast members!" He KNEW hanging around Volpe had to be good for something.

Well, okay, he hoped it might.

With a snap of Man Sei's fingers the horrendous apparition of dark energy vanished without a trace. "I will entertain your pathetic cliché. Enjoy your reprieve from death. All three seconds of it."

"Gee, thanks."

"First of all," Man Sei spoke in a detached tone, brawny arms crossed, eyes closed, all while managing to give off a evil aura at the very same time. "I'm going to kill you since you got in my way and pissed me off. Then I'll look for any friends of yours and kill them for good measure. And I'll keep slaughtering idiots like you until that coward Wai Lim shows that girly man face of his, and then I'll cripple him. I'll let him lie where he is, slowly dying in agony, asking, no, begging for nothing more than my forgiveness and a quick release from the trail of life." Man Sei turned his head once more towards Kay, dead eyes snapping open. "Ready to die now-SHH!"

The dark master twisted his head this way and that in a fit of rage, loosing spittle in every direction. "KAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!"

His eyes oriented on the rising dust trail heading down the mountain path, beating feet with a half eaten burger raised up high.

Massive multi-hued explosions ripped open the mountainside in an unparalleled display of light and sound, the ground shaking dangerously in sympathy.

"What the-?" demanded Vega, stumbling and turning his head towards whatever it was interrupting his fun.

. . . and then he realized his arm felt a whole lot lighter. In fact Vega screamed in horror as the rest of his body followed suit in the weightlessness aspect, due to some extreme unnatural force…

"MIGHTY BODYSLAM OF JUSTICE!"
*CRRUUNNCHH*
*CRASH*

*TINKLE, TINKLE*

…and let's face it, gentle readers, Volpe is anything but normal.

Vega's mask was ripped in half, as did the tree Volpe just slammed the Spanish Assassin's body through. Aaron winked with his one good eye as Vega stood menacingly. A small cut formed on Vega's cheek.

"YOU BASTARD!!" screamed Vega, eyes white with rage. "YOU DARE VIOLATE MY PERFECT BODY! YOU WILL DIE TEN TIMES OVER FOR THAT!!"

The investigator rocked back easily on his heels. "Come and collect." With a blur of speed Vega's claw lashed out, and began to rip from the tip of Volpe's shoulder down and across below the pit at his stomach. However, the narrator would like to point out the word 'began' once more due to both of Vega's out stretched arms were neatly caught by the mighty gloved hands of our hero.

The assassin cursed as he slammed his feet into Volpe's chest, failing to break the iron grip.

Volpe drew his opponent in close grasping him by the lapels of his elaborate tunic.

"This 'tis for taking actions to abduct Lady Iwa!"

Vega released as small shriek before his face assaulted by one at the most solid, undeniably thick object know throughout the entire world - Volpe's head.

"An this tis for reducing mine last manly shirt to the threads of dental floss!"

Once more the mighty forehead slammed into Vega.

"An this 'tis for allowing the eyes to gaze upon the budding body of young maiden Kumori!"

Vega's eyes to glaze over.

Volpe paused,

"An this 'tis for sadly lacking the inclination to use witty dialogue!"

Again with the headbutting thing.

"Move, feet move!" muttered Kay, doing his utmost avoid being reduced to a burning mass of charred flesh. To the naked eye Kay was little more than a blur of blue and black, three-quarter eaten burger in hand, with a small trail of destruction licking his heels.

Man Sei loosed another barrage of attacks from the air, failing to connect. Kay was running just that fast. "ALL THAT CHALLANGE ME DIE!!" Sei dove towards the fleeting fighter almost faster than the eye could follow, a now-too-familiar blade of dark chi warping into existence.

"Just go away already!" Kay leapt off a nearby tree limb, somersaulted of the stone encrusted side of a large hill, then finally off the incoming darkly garbed torso of Man Sei, flipping and landing neatly into the lush greenery beyond. "This guy's making my headache worse . . ." Kay muttered.

Man Sei collided gracelessly with the natural stone wall in a shower of dust and rock (as well as a tree or two) being sent in every direction.

"That had to hurt." Kay shrugged. "Ja ne!" Kay smiled, choosing to strategically retreat in the opposite direction, polishing off his procured burger as he went. "He wasn't too bad to deal with…" Kay mused to himself while rounding a corner.

"Ack?"

And a very angry martial artist garbed completely in black absently kicked Kay in the head, sending him careening into the dirt after bouncing of several large rocks.

"…maybe I was wrong.." he groaned, flipping neatly into his slightly glowing fighting stance.

Man Sei laughed as he advanced, hands and eyes glowing.

"This 'tis for poling mineself incessantly with that sharpened spork of thine!"

*BONK!*

"This 'tis for thy attempts to play doctor with small children!"

*SMASH!!*

"An this 'tis for failing to gaze both ways when transgressing a street!"

*WHAMO!*

"Hmm… looks like I'm just about there."

John Heagy nodded to himself, his unkempt hair bristling in the mountain wind.

He sighed, pocketing the map. Glancing at his watch he sighed again. "Took long enough, though. First I barely manage to defeat what's her name.. Mika due to blood loss. Then an assassin somehow managed to sneak up on my well honed reflexes while eating." Heagy rubbed the stubble on his chin thoughtfully. "And somehow ehe escaped in the middle of all those cops. I wonder how…"

Heagy's face visibly brightened.

"But hey, I hitched a ride on a cargo ship, and now I'm here with my friends in time for an all-you-can-eat buffet." He smiled. "And I even found a replacement for my bokken sword I uh..er.. I mean some guy broke over my head."

He tapped the large green bamboo stick slung over his shoulder with a grin.

Then he blinked. "Why am I talking to myself?"

He shrugged.

"And now to go cheer Iwa on!"

John began to stride up the mountain trail, humming a tune as he went.

**********

"This 'tis for failing to call homeward on mother's day!…assuming ye hadn't already slaughtered her for spare change, anywho!"

*BIFF!*

Volpe relaxed his grip on Vega, who wobbled slightly due the fact his face was a swollen mass of black and blue.

"I vill shill yuu.." Vega spat in Volpe's face, hissing.

Aaron's normally gleeful expression hardened. Slightly. "Alas assassin, thou hast slain many a noble person in thy pursuit of mere sport, funds, and entertainment. I cannot, nay, I shalt not take you lightly."

Volpe's hand balled into a fist, then relaxed.

"Who shall comfort the loved ones of the many ye slaughtered? Who shalt answer the orphaned children's cries into the night?"

Vega's claw flashed as it penetrated entirely through the investigators meaty left shoulder in a burst of blood. Then Vega was lifted off the ground by the throat.

"Thy atrocities shall end, the hammer of righteousness is at hand. 'Tis judgment day, Vega."

Volpe bared his canines with an unrestrained growl of anger. "THIS IS FOR ALL THOSE THAT THOU HAST SLAIN, MAY THEIR TORTURED WAILS OF AGONY VISIT YE AS THOU QUIVERS IN FEAR FOR MANY A DAY TO COME!!"

Volpe dropped the assassin back to the ground, who pressed his attack immediately.

Aaron blinked as the blade's pierced his side, winding back his right palm, green colored wind consolidating around his gloved fingers, twisting and dancing in a beautiful frenzy.

"VOLPEEEEEEE…."

Vega released a small shriek of horror.

"PUUUUUUUNNNNCCCCCHHHHHH!!!!"

The mighty fist slammed directly center mass into Vega, muscles bulging as the green wind bathed his arm and hand, sending the assassin flying over 30 yards into the distant trees and rocks out of sight, where the painful sound of his landing could eventually be heard. Aaron sank to his knees, blood leaking from his numerous wounds. "Mayhap that 'twas overdoing it.." His right hand searched the nearby ground for his glasses, the left attempting to keep the blood from seeping over his good eye.

"Yet…" he murmured, enjoying the subtle breeze. "I can't help but think I hath forgotten some vastly important thing…"

On cue a yellow shawl wrapped around Volpe's throat, constricting air flow pretty efficiently.

"Glrg?"

And then his entire body exploded into a hellish, azure fire.

Heagy blinked. He knew he heard something other than the rustle of the greenery behind him.

Chink. Chink.
Poik, poik
Donk. Donk.

John frowned as his head felt the first patters of rain.

"Everything seemed so nice a little while before."

Pitter, patter.
*Bonk*
"Ow!" Heagy complained, rubbing his cranium. "That rainfall sure is coming down hard." He doubled his pace. "Better get to shelter soon before the rest of the hail comes."

He smiled absently at the dreamy blue sky and fluffy clouds ahead of him. They came in so many shapes and sizes, but for some reason they all resembled food.

Wait.
Blue sky? Fluffy clouds?
Chink. Chink. Chink.

"It isn't supposed to rain down here for until next week.." he mused.
Chink. Chink. Chink.

His foot stopped mid-step.

"Rain?" He groped the top of his mop of hair. "Nothing but dirt.." he blinked and continued walking.
Chink. Chink. Chink.

Then he stopped again.

"….dirt?.." Heagy whipped his brow, gazing up towards the sun.

Crash. Rumblerumblerumblerumble.

"OH SHIT!!"

Twin boulders easily twenty feet across blotted out the sun as they lurched downwards. Directly over John Heagy's head.

"That was a really stupid thing to do," murmured Victoria, coldly watching the Investigator burn. "Though that speech was pretty. I'll make sure they write it on your tombstone."

Rose gazed at her cooking opponent, unblinking. "Are you ready to seal the pact?"

Victoria rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever. I help you with all the essences, and you free me from that goodie-goodie bitch, right?"

The blue pyre grew twice in size, which oddly matched the intensity of Volpe's screams.

"Correct."

With a practiced spin each of her twin blades was in hand. "Then let's get this over with."

Instantly the flames vanished, revealing the war torn and weary form of Volpe, steam rising off of his battered body as one hand pushed off the ground, another clutching his midsection.

Victoria smiled. "No hard feelings, guy."

Volpe spat of a massive of vile, burning blood. "Like hell." He attempted to rise, and failed. Attempted again. Failed. "Feel free to wake up now."

Then the glowing form of Kaze cratered a short distance from Aaron, sending dust rising as Man Sei floated overhead.

Being sent crashing several miles into hard ground would never be a pleasant experience as far as Kay Lee Unleashed was concerned. But with some needed concentration and the nice little blue glow around his body that buffered his impact. It wasn't really all that bad. The pain inside his head was far worse.

Sensing several familiar presences, Kay looked up into the cruelly smirking face of Victoria.

"Good afternoon . . ." Kay whispered in greeting to the other side of Victoria Enid.

"Not while I'm around, buddy." Psycho Victoria smirked as her daggers suddenly levitated from their sheathes and began to orbit around her.

"Guess not." Kay said as he rose from the ground, the rubble and debris falling from the rest of his body, a current began running across his form. His lips curled in a grimace at the effort to control the surplus of power running through his mind. Then he quickly moved to the side, where an explosion of ki was suddenly unleashed. He glanced in irritation towards the psycho martial artist, rival of Wai Lim. "You mind?! I'm trying to look cool here!"

"Impressive." Psycho Victoria smirked, glancing at her fingernails for a moment before she slowly levitated from the ground. "But you seem to have more of a problem with the whole bit than me."

Kay Lee Unleashed didn't know why, but he suddenly felt like laughing, so he did. The strain on his mind lessened thanks to it, so he began laughing some more. Looking for all the world like the stereotypical crazy bad guy who laughs because he's nuts.

Victoria frowned at this as she pulled out a small mirror and looked at her face, thinking he was probably laughing at her.

Rose narrowed her eyes, looking up towards Man Sei with a hint of hostility. "What are you doing here?"

"Bringing down weaklings." Man Sei bared his teeth, suddenly he found himself flying not of his own free will as azure crackling energy smashed him against the side.

"HEY, ROSE!!"

The ageless streetfighter turned her head a fraction of a second.

"Yes?"

"CATCH!!!"

Then she was blasted into the scenery beyond by a chi blast the size of a small house.

Kumori danced on a small hill, "Arigato for teaching me, Sempai!!!" then pulled her lower eyelid and stuck out her tongue. "BEEEEDAAA!"

The form of Iwa Hoshi blurred as she sprinted in the direction Rose flew. "You aren't getting off that easy!"

The hint of a smile ghosted Kay Lee's lips as he brought his hands down from before him. He turned to Victoria. "Now WE have some unfinished business I believe."

Victoria shrugged as her daggers floated from their sheathes and orbited around her.

"Let's go!" Kay whispered harshly as he rushed forward at her.

Kay and Victoria moved as if in a danced with Kay's kinetic blade creating sparks against Victoria's daggers as the two clashed back and forth. They flew about into the sky, soaring away from their befuddled spectators and landing upon another setting.

Kay moved his head slightly to the side as one of Victoria's daggers flew from her hand to him while she went low with her other dagger to aim for his abdominal. Spinning his blade quickly, he deflected her dagger, and glanced behind him with an intense gaze at the dagger which floated inches before his head.

A small thought floated from Kay's mind at the situation he was. Between a rock and a hard place.

Though that didn't mean it was impossible to get away as his form blinked away and he prepared to slash down upon Victoria from behind.

His clairvoyant abilities warned him to quickly spin around with his blade, deflecting the rocks that rose from the ground towards him. Quickly disappearing in the blink of an eye in the form of his Instant Step Unleashed, done by quick feet aided with a little telekinesis, Kay was several yards away from where Victoria crouched now. He allowed his kinetic blade to wink away.

Victoria smirked as she turned around to face him, her daggers resuming their orbit around her body. A body many men as well as certain deities would enjoy orbiting around themselves.

Kay's eyes narrowed when several large chunks of rocks began levitating. Concentrating on his own abilities with the mind, he pulled up several rocks of his own. Rocks ranging from the minimum size of a good ol' American baseball to the maximum size of the construction ball.

Good thing the island was artificial, or else these two would be mobbed by 'em nature groups.

And a battle of the rocks began, as the two psychics pulled up rock after rock, sending them to try and smash other rocks into a shower of pebbles, or to smash their opponent's head into pulp.

Unbeknownst to the two combatants as they stepped closer to each other to increase the intensity of the damage, a hooded figure stood above them, emitting that aura causing our two psychos to go nuts.

~This is getting boring . . .~ the hooded figure thought to himself. ~Why don't we up the ante now?~ The hooded figure began mumbling some magical words like abracadabra, alakazam.

Kay and Victoria suddenly stopped within a yard of each other, allowing the shower of dirt to finally settle. The two stood there, staring blankly at one another.

~Welcome to the Psychic Zone . . .~ the hooded figure cackled.

Enter the Psychic Zone . . . (Twilight Zone music plays)

"What is this?" Kay whispered, glancing around towards the strange dark setting with small patches of color here and there.
"This is the Psychic Zone, a level of fighting which only those of powerful psychic abilities would stand a chance." Psycho Victoria smirked.
"You seem to know alot about this."

"I've spent my time here while snow white here is in control." Psycho Victoria shrugged. "Unlike my fellow sisters, I'm far more constructive while she's in control."
"Sisters?"
"Didn't you read my profile? Snow White here has three personalities, I am Rage, guess who the other two are."

"Happiness and Sadness . . ." Kay whispered, a small rational part of his mind beginning to comprehend.
"Correct." Victoria nodded. "You're smarter than you look, those are three basic emotions for a person."
"The Essence of Emotion . . ."

"Well, now, a battle between two Essences gone loco (crazy), who will win? Or basically, who will survive?" Victoria snickered.

Their auras grew and the two clashed.

Within the Psychic Zone . . .

~Victoria . . .~ a sad voice whispered.
~Wake up, sleepyhead!~ a cheerful voice whispered.
~What?~ Victoria yawned as she struggled to wake up. ~Who's there?~
~Sorrow . . .~ the sad voice whispered.
~Joy! Happy! Joy! Joy! Happy! Joy! Joy!~ the cheerful voice chanted.

Victoria finally woke up and blinked.

She was seeing two of herselves. Not quite a bad sight to see when you wake up of course, but unsettling nonetheless.

~Are you my long lost sisters?~ Victoria asked.
~No . . . not really . . .~ Sorrow sighed sorrowfully.
- We're your other two personalities!~ Joy said joyfully.
~My . . . other two personalities?~ Victoria blinked.
~Oh, Rage is out there fighting with your friend, Kay.~ Joy replied.

~I hope she doesn't let our body take too much damage . . .~ Sorrow said.
~This is starting to give me a headache . .
.~ Victoria rubbed her head, then she blinked. ~Wait, my Rage is fighting Kay?! I've got to get out there and stop this!"
~Luckily they're in the Psychic Zone right now, so we can pop in there anytime!~ Joy chirped.
~Is she always like this?~ Victoria asked Sorrow, motioning towards Joy.

~Yes . . .~ Sorrow sighed.
~Is she always like that?~ Victoria asked Joy, motioning at Sorrow.
~Sorrow? Well . . . she's Sorrow!~ Joy sang.
~Oh, lord . . .~ Victoria sighed, then got up from her seat, looking around, she asked,
~So, how do we get to the Psychic Zone?~
~Easy!~ Joy smiled and motioned to Sorrow.

Sorrow sighed and snapped her fingers.

Battleground . . .

Kay panted heavily, his surroundings suddenly looked jagged, ready to burst. Cracks and creviced marred the solid black structure, while on Rage's side, all was perfectly solid.

"You can hardly control all that power you've got pent up inside of you." Rage smirked. "You'll go down quickly without recovering all of your memories . . . pity, you've even forgotten such a belleza (beauty) as myself."
Kay found himself curling up into a fetal position on the ground, holding his head tightly between his arms, struggling to maintain some control. And he began screaming.

"You know what's the best thing about the Psychic Zone?" Rage whispered as the daggers stopped before her, and turned themselves pointed to him. "No one can hear you scream . . ." The daggers flew towards Kay quickly.

"STOP!" Victoria shouted, and the daggers stopped inches before Kay's screaming, fetal form.
"So, you're all here . . . just like a big old happy family reunion." Rage's lips curled into a sinister smile.

Victoria stared, finally face to face with her Rage.

"What? No hello?" Rage brought the daggers back to her hand, looking disdainfully over at the struggling Kay. "Maybe if he had better control of his powers he would have beaten me, but its too much for him anyway."
" . . . why?" Victoria croaked out, staring at her Rage. "Why do you have to hurt people?"

"Because . . . I am Rage." Rage said simply. "Just like Sorrow is Sorrow, and Joy is Joy. We are three basic emotions of the human, and because you are the Essence of Emotions now, we have become manifestations of those emotions. Sorrow and Joy will easily fight at your side, but you'll have to be more convincing before I let you have control of me." Rage smirked.

"We have to help him . . ." Victoria glanced in worry towards Kay.
"Sympathy . . . a strange combination of Joy and Sorrow, its easy for you to utilize them." Rage's expression became bitter. "You never liked me . . . never liked being angry, always ashamed of me . . . a form of Sorrow."

"I-I don't understand . . ."

"Each Essence . . . has trials they must overcome. Even Kay, as an Essence of Nature, he must bring balance between himself and nature." Rage frowned. "Though Bison messed with his head, too much power for him to handle safely. I'll have to end his misery."

"How could you?! We can help him!" Victoria shouted.

"Rage and Sorrow . . . but more Sorrow in that." Rage sighed in a tone of disappointment. "Don't you understand? As an Essence of Emotions, Rage is as important as Sorrow and Joy . . . If you can't learn that . . . then there's really no hope for you or your friend."

Rage then proceeded to walk towards Kay with slow, purposeful steps.

"Stop!" Victoria stood between her and Kay. "No more! Please! No more hurting!"

"Don't you remembered what that deity offered? What was his name again?" Rage tapped her chin, then snapped her fingers. "Oh, yeah, TS. You should have taken him up on his offer, it would have been an easier way to learn how to control your powers." She shrugged. "I'll put your friend out of his misery anyway."

"Then I'll fight you . . ." Victoria gritted her teeth.
"Let's go." Rage smiled.

The two fought, and Victoria found herself at the receiving end of many of her attacks now. Soul Blast, daggers, uppercut, and Tornado Kick. She vainly tried to get on the offensive, but Rage would soon overwhelm her.

"Is that all?!" Rage spat. "Maybe I'll just go kill your friend first, he's been suffering for quite a while already."
"No!" Victoria shouted, anger welling up in her as she attacked. As she attacked, she didn't notice that Rage was becoming weaker and weaker. "CONFUSION!" Victoria shouted as sent a chain of punches across seven parts of Rage's torso and went up with a powerful Soul Uppercut!

"You finally got it . . ." Rage whispered, smiling at Victoria who was staring down at her fists, eyes wide. "I'm part of you, and anger can give you power in a fight . . . You're the Essence of Emotion, you don't need to fear your anger . . . you need only to control it."

"But don't forget the other two basic emotions, Sorrow and Joy." Sorrow and Joy whispered as they appeared at Rage's side. "Sorrow, Rage, Joy . . . three basic human emotions, do not fear or be ashamed of them. For they are your emotions, human emotions."

"I . . . understand." Victoria whispered.
"Let's help your friend now." Rage said, frowning towards the weeping Kay. "I still don't see why we can't kil-"

"NO!" Victoria shouted angrily.
"Just testing ya." Rage winked.
 

The four stood over Kay's fetal form, his eye filled with restrained insanity. You couldn't really blame him, as if being in the presence of one voluptuous woman as Victoria wasn't enough, he was in the presence of FOUR of them. Of course, this being Kay, ignorant of the true beauty of the fairer sex and the birds and the bees, he wouldn't have been affected very much.

"It'll take some work . . . but I think between the four of us we can stabilize his psychic powers." Sorrow said sadly.
"Let's get on with it then, watching him weeping there on the ground's making my hand itch for my dagger." Rage growled.

"Yay! Whoohoo! We're gonna combine our powers!" Joy jumped up and down happily.
"Is she always like this?" Victoria asked Rage as the trio sweatdropped, motioning towards Joy.
"Now you see why I'm usually taking over your body?" Rage muttered. "Its just to get away from HER!"

"Aaawww, you don't mean that, do ya Rage?" Joy hugged Rage. "Ya know we're all one BIG HAPPY FAMILY! And we're gonna buy a Saturn car, aren't we?!"

A vein began to throb on Rage's forehead.

"Let's help Kay first!" Victoria said quickly.

Rage nodded reluctantly as she threw Joy off of her, who gracefully landed on her feet.

The four placed their hands upon Kay's head and concentrated, thoughts shifted through Vicky's head as she explored his mind and suddenly found herself more hungry than usual. She grimaced slightly as she shifted through delicious gourmet delicacies, onto various Chinese martial arts forms, then onto friends and family.

~Here it is . . .~ Sorrow whispered softly into their thoughts and they shifted to her direction where they nearly collapse at the incredible amount of psychic power pouring from Kay's mind.

The three combined their powers and slowly minimized the opening which Bison had created. Kay's body visibly relaxed, and his thoughts began to quickly organize themselves.

~There's the block.~ Rage said and they followed her thought pattern.

And released his concealed memories, releasing more recipes, friends and family, and martial arts forms. Victoria found it slightly disturbing that the best thing Kay seemed to know about where babies came from was from a white stork.

The four Victorias released themselves from Kay's mind, and Kay began to slowly awaken.

"Don't worry." Joy smiled. "His memories won't stick in your mind, you haven't reached the level where you can take all that in. Though most of it was fuzzy anyway."

"Make up . . . dresses . . ." Kay mumbled, then his eyes widened. "Babies aren't delivered by the stork?!" His face turned noticeably green. "I'm gonna be sick . . ."

"Thankfully, he won't remember our memories either." Joy sweatdropped.

"Come on, let's get back to the real world." Rage replied indifferently.

As a bright light began to appear, Sorrow said, "Now that you have mastered your emotions, you can use a new technique." Sorrow gave her instructions on how to summon three more images of herself, although momentarily, in a fight.

"That will definitely be useful . . ." Victoria grinned from ear to ear as the light filled her vision.

Da Real World . . .

The hooded stood there, cursing as he banged his fist against the small portable TV in his hand. The reception had suddenly gone bad before Victoria Enid was to kill Kay Lee. The two still stood there however, blank eyed and covered in dirt. As well as scantily dressed from the tears the rocks had made to their clothes.

~Oh, he's coming around this way.~ the hooded figure glanced into the distance, sensing a hostile aura flying rapidly towards his direction. ~Better hurry away now.~ The hooded figure ran off.

Kay and Victoria were beginning to stir, and they glanced briefly at each other before Victoria letted out a shriek.

"CLOSE YOUR EYES!" she shouted.

"What? What? Did someone use a solar flare technique to try and blind us?!" Kay shouted, covering his eyes.

"No, stupid! Half of my clothes are ripped to shreds!" Victoria shouted.

"Is that all?" Kay asked, dumbfounded. "I thought it was more dangerous, half of my clothes are ripped to shred too anyway."

Victoria could only stare at him. How could anyone be so dense about the birds and the bees?!

Just when she was about to make another retort, Kay suddenly grabbed in his arms and began running at incredible speed away from the mountain.

"Get your hands off of me!" Victoria shouted, slapping him across the face several times. Hard.

~You go, girl!~ Rage cheered inside her mind.

"M-M-Man Sei." Kay spoke through his swollen cheeks.

Victoria glanced behind them just in time to see a tiny figure roar loudly in anger and a HUGE explosion of ki from where they stood.

"Left a dummy there." Kay spoke through swollen cheeks. "He won't follow us."

"Oh." Victoria said, then realized that they were both still scantily clad and he was touching her.

Sounds of slapping continue to echo throughout the valley as Kay ran for dear life.
 

"Iwa-chan," Kumori uttered under her breath. Her arms embraced an unconscious Italian fighter whose sole purpose upon this island was to originally protect her and others. She watched ahead at her bestfriend. The person that knew her more than she knew herself. Kumori viewed Iwa's defensive demeanor facing the
villainous Rose.

Her eyebrow quivered at the thought of the name. This woman betrayed her, almost annihilated her protector and now attempted to take Iwa away from her. -But this woman's ignorance would soon be erased with Iwa's legendary skills and tactics. Kumori could only smile,
"Bitch, you're going down."

Then, from the reaches of the trees behind, a darkly dressed figure approached. She walked over endless blades of grass, twigs snapped beneath her feet, and small forest animals scampered away with fear provoking their judgment. Kumori viewed a squirrel family run past her and down the dangers of the mountains side. She could already tell this black suited, dark hared, purple make-up abuser could definitely not be an ally. Rising up, Kumori studied this woman more,
"Who are you?" -finally broke the silence.

The woman smiled, but she stood so far that Kumori couldn't tell whether it stood as a smile. After moments of silence, the dark figured lurked forward one foot infront of the other. Acinomia began reciting her favorite poem she learned…
 

"You stand there waiting… hoping. Hoping that your savior will come.
Familiar faces you see come into focus. It's him. So you stand there waiting… hoping.
The earth beneath you cracks and the splitting terrain opens jaws of death to engulf you.
-But your savior is coming. So you stand there waiting… hoping.
Every stride he takes, every move he makes, then he takes a break.
He stops, he stares, he smiles, he smirks.
Gaping eyes followed by shattering beats of your broken heart fly away as dust particles. Insignificance is a pity. Your savior is but a false idealistic hope.
What? Why betrayal? Why?
Your lip quivers, goosebumps decorate your arm vividly.
The rusty knife digs deeper as seconds pass through your head… years they feel.
Life dashes infront of your face reminding of endless memories… Insignificance is a pity.
The ground breaks beneath, you fall into the stomachs of hell.
-But you don't care.
The fire surrounds your frail skin and delicate bones and feasts on you live.
-But you don't care.
Your savior looks down upon you… laughing.
Back you look, staring…
You stand there waiting… hoping. Hoping your savior will come."
 
 

"That's when you realize-," Acinomia began her commentary upon her original dramatic monologue, "-That you must become your own savior, so you will never be hurt. You cannot wait around for vengeance to bestow its' grace upon your life and you must never ever hope." A deep engraving carved permanently upon her chest glowed a vivid stone. Kumori never once had she lay eyes upon a necklace like so, This isn't a necklace. It can't be…

"Again, I'll ask. Who are you?"
"That's very rude of your words. Shouldn't a civilized conversation start out with words of formal usage. After all, I am a stranger and your manners should be tested at best."
"Lady, I'm bruised, beaten, scratched and scarred. I don't give a damn about manners or language. Just answer my question and get along your way."

"Well, well, I have never!" Acinomia, still walking stopped a yard away from Kumori. Both females knew this was the distance minimum kept between strangers… or fighters. The stranger studied the weary fighter. She knew the fighter stood no fair chance battling a partner of fullest strength and potential. "I guess this will be an easy victory for me," Acinomia sighed, "-And I need this to impress Bison."

"You're a newby for Bison? Well, then, if you think I'm going to keel over and shrivel up you're greatly mistaken." Kumori stepped away from the sleeping and partially snoring body of Volpe. She distanced herself more and placed her good foot in back and brought up two clenched fists, "I've fought many today and if I can survive this much, I believe I can survive more."

"Tempting…I must find out," Acinomia smiled still standing normally. The two faced eachother for the longest time. Kumori valued these minutes of death stares by catching all the breath she could, I AM ready! Acinomia smiled looking down and before Kumori moved her other foot to shift her balance Acinomia lashed out. From her right fist protruded energy that swirled in a spherical form. Kumori realized too late and just shut her eyes waiting to be shot down by the strangers ki attack. -but the attack never came.

Here a woman stood. Traveled from afar to reach where she is today. Trained for years, endured hardship after hardship. Survived and now here a woman stood. She was new to the tournament fighting scene, but she tried her best. Her bestfriend, Iwa, also new, fit in nicely and kicked major ass recently. Her quote unquote guardian, though, faired worse and kicked ass, but got his ass majorly kicked as well. Now around her carnage continued. Kay and Victoria had now escaped the scene and Rose would never claim victory over Iwa. Her bestfriend would never let that magic using bitch get away with what she did.

-But now, what of this mysterious woman, clothed in the most shadowy black, her short hair covering her pale face which wore heavy clad dark purple make-up and bore wind chilled eyes that could freeze a weaklings heart. Just looking at the woman arose discomfort internally for Kumori. -And when this unknown woman lashed out, from Kumori's mouth escaped one word…

"Crista?!?!"

Directly infront of her Crista stood in a loose fighting stance. Her left arm at her side, but flexed showing a fair amount of definition from a females arm. Her right arm bent and wrist ever so carefully bent facing her palm parallel to the sky. Above her hand hovered the remnants of a fire ball. Lying facing the ground three feet away the black and purple lover hunched over, glared at Crista standing alert and ready, wiped her mouth from the back of her black sleeve and slowly rose. "How unfair of you to interrupt. Must I teach you two a lesson in the art of fighting?"

"Don't give me any of your s--- about the art of fighting! You were about to fight an already weakened woman! You would have gained an easy victory! Where is the honor in that? Where is the decency in your self? -And gawed damn that make-up is so not your color!"

Acinomia's arm twitched at the woman's use of foul language. "You," she began, "-Are not speaking like a young lady should!"

Crista raised an eyebrow, she wondered whether this woman was here to fight or bitch about manners? "You know what?" she began, "-Take your little notes about manners, open up a school of excellence or what-ever you call em, dress up in a fancy dress and shove them up your ass. I'm not here to be kind! You just wrongfully attacked an ally and now you're going to see what happens when you attempt to play with the masters when you're only an apprentice."

This made Acinomia smile showing pearly white teeth, "You make me laugh, child."

"Well, she's definitely evil, that laugh sounds more psychotic then your bitching about manners," Crista spoke to herself. She turned to Kumori, "-Get out of here. Get some help. I don't know this woman's potential."

"-But, but you just called her an apprentice!"
"I could have called her much worse."
Kumori shrieked and pointed jumping up and down, "Crista look out!"

Ducking before looking, Crista crouched low and viewed the stranger clench her medallion that seemed way too out of fashion, "I think the style of wearing large, heavy jewelry is 80's thing. Welcome to the 21st century."

The more Crista commented of Acinomia, the more Acinomia became angry. This young woman had no manners and she disgraced the art of fighting. "Annoying you are. How could your mother have handled such an ungrateful brat as yourself?" Gripping her pendant more firm, Acinomia paused. Her teeth grinned against eachother and around her fist a large amount of chi developed. After that brief five seconds, Acinomia crouched low and leaped high into the air.

Darkness filled the air as the sun set behind the mountain of the island. The stranger's guiding light for Crista was her chi in her palm. It came upon Crista's head more developed and rapidly exerted from Acinomia's fist. Crista fell aside to the ground. Quickly bring up her left foot she leaped, used her arms and guiding tools and slammed her foot aside Acinomia's cheek and nose. Acinomia flew and fell to the ground. She couldn't believe such an immature youngster held so much skill. It was apparent this plain dressed young girl already held an advantage over Acinomia. I underestimated this girl, the black medallion bearing woman slowly stood pensively.

"To answer your question, I think you'll find this predictable," Crista began, "My mother was a submissive woman who died by the hands of her abusive husband. That's why I did everything in my power to become the woman she never was."

Acinomia's glacier colored eyes widened, "Y-Your mother was killed by your father too?" Again, she never would suspect a girl with an attitude would have a horrific child hood.

Crista smiled, "Welcome to reality. s--- happens, and in words of my ally investigator you say something witty and boot to da head."

She couldn't believe this girl. She spoke so delicately of the subject. -Like her mother was just another woman… another insignificant. No! This youthful brat has no clue what pain is! She is lying! Behind that smile holds a smirk! "N-No… I can never forgive and forget!" Acinomia bellowed.

"Sounds like you got some personal insecurities you must work out with yourself," Crista shrugged. "I've accepted what's screwed up with my life and I've dealt with it the way I wanted. It's obvious you've taken death as a punishment toward life." At this Crista grinned, "Why does everyone think death is a punishment. It's only a way of life. All thing must end."

Acinomia raised her tightly clenched fists, "I've been living for over 5 centuries."

"-So that explains the fashion disaster…" Crista quickly interrupted.

"-And I've seen, experienced and caused death. I, of course, will never die. You, on the other hand will be one of the many that experience death by my hand." Acinomia plunged forward with a blade of energy protruding from both hands and lunged straight into Crista's decorated arm guards cracking them both. Acinomia smiled, "How beautiful your armguards. They're now ruined by my power."

Crista's head lowered, never once looked upon Acinomia until silence filtered the air. She felt the chi break the skin and enter her arms. Immediently she felt a chi she had never felt before. She realized something, "-You kill people and take their souls. With their souls you take their energy, manipulate it into your own and enslave them forever. They never go on to the next world."

Then Crista raised her head, both eyes glowed a scarlet red and her arm guards sank into her skin, dark black wings escaped her back and she thrusted a conflagration of chi deep in the pit of Acinomia's gut causing her to fly back until the side of the mountain engraved her physical being. Crista didn't persist her power of the gods. She stepped forward slowly, "You are worse than death. It's you who cannot accept death and with this you must capture others in a world of despair inside that medallion of yours. You claim energy and life from others and give none in return. You are nothing but a parasite!"

Acinomia's eye's flashed, "The phoenix bearer! You're her! I knew you were upon this nearby terrain, but never you I would have guessed!"

"So, you're here to stop death, aren't you?" Crista grinned. From this her black wings flapped lifting her up from the ground and she hovered above the idealist woman that never died.

"It was King Xaris, the man that gave me life and took it from my mother, that worshipped the Phoenix God! I am here to rid the faith of the man that I hate and killed!"

"You killed your own blood?" Crista questioned, "Now that, you ungrateful brat, is unforgivable."

From the far reaches of the forest, Kumori ran panting. She wanted to stop, wanted to rest and wanted to turn back and aide her ally. -But she knew that would do little. She obviously viewed a quarrel that was more than just a physical fight. There was something about Crista and something about that strange woman that made them enemies at first sight. Now Kumori faced the task of finding someone that could help out Crista. No one knew this strange woman's potential. Then she remembered, "Night! Of course!"

Deep in the dark shadows created by the shadows of the mountain, Volpe coughed and choked for air. Even talking seemed difficult, "K-Kumori. Where'd you go?" From above Volpe felt endless chunks of minute rocks and pebbles hitting him in the back. "Hey, what's the big idea? I've just laid here and done nothing." That's when the investigator realized, "C-Crista? What is she doing here? -And who is that woman dressed in black? Why are they fighting. What's coming out of Crista's back? W-Wings? Oh gawed, I'm definitely dreaming." With that Aaron placed his bruise cheek on his fore-arm and went back to sleep.

"You unmannered ruffian!" Acinomia yelled at the flying girl. She soared back and forth dodging Acinomia's attacks.

Finally, Crista smiled and landed on the ground one foot and then the next, "Sorry, you're just really funny to annoy."

Acinomia growled and her right eyebrow twitched, "You think this is all fun and games? You think you can just shrug these fights off? You think death is just nothing and that people should accept it? You think that I won't forgive you for your position. Most people would think you powerful and super-human at this time. It's at this time, I myself will stop you and cause your death."

Crista darted behind Acinomia and held her in a back choke hold. The Phoenix bearer's tight grip proved strength given to no average human. Indeed, Crista definitely wasn't mortal at the present state of mind. "Tell me then," Crista's raspy voice spoke,"-How can you kill someone that's already dead?"
 

Sweat dripped down Acinomia's forehead and down her face causing her violet make-up to smear and thus began her gasping for breath. It had only been minutes of complete fighting and Crista proved to hold a good power of the Gods. Acinomia knew the Phoenix God would never bestow his power totally upon the Phoenix bearer, but enough to grant her extended existence.

Crista stood opposite her, arms in fighting stance, knees bent, posture straight. Her wings she clipped knowing it was unfair that Acinomia held no flight capability and she did.

"You pity me, don't you?" Acinomia began, "Well don't! I don't need your pity!"

"Too bad," Crista responded, "It's people like you that remind me of who I was."

"-You've changed in the past couple of minutes."

"People change everyday. Change is good. It keeps people updated with the world, unlike your choice of jewelry."

A quick laughter from Acinomia halted the fighting tension briefly, "This medallion carries the lost souls of those I defeated. -Even the soul of my dead father!"

"Sick bitch," Crista muttered, "Phoenix call!"

Acinomia jumped up, flipped backwards and landed perfectly. Her landing was similar to a gymnasts: both hands in the air and back straight. Crista knew Acinomia held back purposely.

"What's wrong?" Acinomia smiled, "Are you doubting the powers of your Phoenix God?"

"Never."

With that Acinomia ran behind her, jumped leaping off a random rock and began running… on the side of the mountain.

Augmented eyes fell as Crista couldn't believe what her vision impulsed in her brain. She then smacked both her hands together and quickly drew them apart revealing ten arrows of fire, "Phoenix SNIPER!!!" All arrows landed roughly against the mountain side. -each one seconds late.

The last one knicked Acinomia foot and caused her to fall and roll upon the ground. She quickly stood and smiled that got the prickly hairs on the back of Crista's neck to stand up. "Feeling insecure? Don't worry, that's normal for people around me."

Crista glanced down at her arm guards, the glow simmered down to a faded yellow. What's wrong with me? Why am I feeling human emotions when I possess the power of the Gods? Why are my arm-guards weakening? Blood burned through Crista's temples as she stared across from the medallion wearing, soul torturing, psycho-bitch. Then after minutes of dramatic pausing, "Self Ofuda!!"

-And Acinomia became paralyzed. Her entire body shot with pain that kept her movements sessile. At this time she even became jealous of the dying trees around them that burned of Crista's flames. Atleast the trees were capable of movement. "T-This isn't a Phoenix bearer power!" Acinomia roared.

"Keep on bitching, that's all you can do." Then Crista faced Acinomia, raised her far hand clenched in a fist, "Behold the power of the Gods." The slap echoed through out the woods and sent the once paralyzed evil woman flying into the nearby cliff. Crista smacked Acinomia directly upon her medallion.

Acinomia gasped and notice her pendant suffered slightly, "My ruby!" -Inside she noticed the power faded, "Y-you damaged my ruby! YOU WILL DIE!!!" Acinomia stood and gripped her medallion with one hand and reached her other directly into the air. Before Crista took another step, fire swirled around Acinomia like she was an axis and all rotated around her. Acinomia's hands both moved toward her waist and the fire followed into a little sphere.

Crista twitched her eyebrow, watched and waited for her opponent to attack… what a stupid mistake.

Acinomia turned facing the mountain side she crashed into, ran up the wall, leaped off spinning and twisting several times in the air to adjust her body position and landed perfectly… right behind Crista, "SPIRIT BOMB!!"

Crista felt the energy of Acinomia's thousands slaves shoot forth from her palms directly into the back of her. My back! She thought while sniffing the dirt with a bloodied nose, "Only a coward would attack someone's back…" Slowly Crista raised and brought both hands up. That's when Crista realized, "M-My arm-guard!" Her left arm, once held her most prized possession now remained barren and vulnerable. Before she blinked twice, she screamed in pain, "N-N-NOOOO!!!" Her physical body fell to the ground, every muscle ached. The breath from her lungs escaped all at once. Her red eyes cried blood. Her soul clenched down upon her heart. She lost the power of the Phoenix God.

Acinomia smiled upon this, "You're predicted weakness did prove true. Once one of your arm bands breaks, your power reduces by half. -Your immortality vanishes and you are now mortal and weak. This indeed will be an easy victory."

Lying on the ground Crista's red tank top and black karate pants possessed many tears and holes. Her pony tail now transformed to tangled flowing hair draping her back like a water fall. Pain shot through her entire body laughing at her state of despair. Darkness filtered the night sky. No star could be seen for guidance. Every breath she gulped was a breath of hope and often interrupted by the tears provoked by more of Acinomia's torture.

Volpe, the hidden investigator, remained cloaked by the shadows. He wanted to reach out and protect Crista, after all she was under his watch too. He wanted to call her name and distract the psychotic necklace wearing opponent, but breathing proved a task of difficulty for the military Investigator. He only gripped the rocks and gravel beneath his already bruised and beaten hands till new fresh blood decorated the tops of the terrain. Prominently standing in his mind, Aaron knew he had to stop that strange woman before she took Crista's life.

Around them circled the dead souls of the Acinomia's slaves. They did not spoke nor fought… just stared. Stared like they would attack you, wanting to attack you, wanting to take your soul so you could just end up like them because they cared not whether you had family or friends. They didn't care whether you held great capability or potential. They didn't care, because they weren't alive. Just spirits caught in Acinomia's idealistic world of non-death. The world where only she survived and she conquered. The world that Crista objected to with her entire life.

"My, my, look at the situation now. You are fighting for life when earlier your preached about how great death was. Don't you realize how hypocritical you are?" Acinomia smiled kneeling down right infront of Crista.

Crista spat blood on Acinomia's pointed boots, "I never said life was a bitch, I said you were a bitch."

With that Acinomia lost her smiled metamorphing it into a glare, she stood up and kicked Crista in the mouth causing the younger woman to fall, gasping for breath even further, and between gasps of air she coughed up blood. "You are the hypocrite," Crista finally spoke between coughs and gasps. "You caused the deaths of hundreds of lives when it's you who's most scared of death. It's your praise about a fair fight and you just kicked your opponent while she was down. It's you who will get the worst treatment . . ." Crista began as she covertly prepared for her next attack, "-When your lost soul wanders the world in search for HELL!!"

She grabbed Acinomia's leg and pushed down at an angle, causing Acinomia's posture to fault, she jumped up having one arm balance her still to the ground and extended her right leg into Acinomia. Too late to parry the attack, Acinomia took the kick into her stomach. The effect caught her off guard so well, she collapsed on her back and had trouble breathing. One of her ribs punctured her lungs… atleast one.

Crista wobbled to stand up straight. She stared at the fallen woman. This woman has fallen more than once in her life. She fell straight passed the pits of burning hell into a complete nothingness of chaos. "You have my pity," Crista spoke as her mouth bled in union.

This, Acinomia could never take from another mortal upon this earth. She hated pity, every form of it. She inflicted pain, suffer, lost hope, and fear. In return, she got pity from this foolish young girl. Ignoring the striking pain in her chest Acinomia grabbed her amulet recharging again. Her body still ached from mortal wounds, but her energetic state remained prominent. "Your soul will be one of many that have entered this amulet," Acinomia calmly spoke. Her glacier eyes now froze over a new layer colder than the final breath of death, "Die, Phoenix bearer, insignificant infidel!"

Her arms raised and from her extended arms, spirits flowed from the amulet. Dead spirits sprang forth toward Crista, swarming around her. Encircling her and reaching for her, but phased through her. Crista felt extreme cold in place of reaching bony arms. The experience alone frightened the warm blooded fighter causing her to fall on her back screaming for help. Her lungs released all air filling the night sky with screams of desperation, "N-No!!! S-S-Stop!!! Go away!!! STOP!!!" The dead souls, some in the phase of decomposition, some mostly bones, some all bones moaned. Some spoke her name. All, though, remained around her wanting her soul by the orders of their master.

Suddenly, from the undergrounds came up an endless array of arms and hands surrounding Crista. All were resurrected from the ground by the souls of Acinomia's medallion. They all held firmly, gripping Crista's arms, legs and sides refusing to let go. "NOOO!!! STOP!!! AIEEEEEEE!!!!!"

From afar Volpe couldn't believe his eyes, he refused to believe his eyes. He swore he saw floating bed sheets in human forms… or were they bed sheets. Then all of a sudden hands and arms reaching over and binding Crista to the grounds where she lay helplessly. "N-NO! CRISTA!!!"

Standing over Crista, Acinomia stood there waiting… she smiled, she smirked, she laughed. Her psychotic hysteria increased the soul's energy as they pined for her. They all began to chant her name in unison, "Crista! Crista!! Crista!!! CRISTA!!!"

Acinomia, then, crouched over Crista and with the wave of one hand and snap of her fingers; all hands, souls and dead creatures vanished. She smiled, "You have seen the capabilities of my power. Know this, you are merely one of the many that have suffered by my hand."

"Illusions?" Crista blinked, her tears slowly stopped forming when she questioned Acinomia.

"Oh, no illusions at all." Just then, Acinomia grabbed Crista's neck and gripped with all her strength, "It just gave me enough time to position myself and kill you with my bare hands!" As the seconds passed, Acinomia released spirit after spirit into Crista's body draining her soul. Slowly and slowly, Crista's energy dispersed while each spirit's life flashed in front of her eyes. How they lived, how they died… all by the hands of Acinomia. That's when Crista stopped fighting Acinomia's little minions and grabbed hold of the woman's arm with both her hands.

Unaware of her mistake, Acinomia eye's elongated, "What the-!"

Crista smiled one final smile, "You'll never kill me, Acinomia!" Suddenly Crista locked her grip onto her arms, twisted her hips and landed a kick right into Acinomia's face.

Acinomia fell back falling on the ground still possessing shock, "H-How'd you?! How'd you stop my draining of your life?!"

Crista stood up roughly, "It's a Phoenix bearer thing… you wouldn't get it." The long haired student of Grand Master Kim smiled.

"Why you - !!" Acinomia began, "SPIRIT BOMB!!!!!"

Crista stood in defense waiting for the barrage of the numerous spirits that were enslaved to Acinomia, then Crista slowly looked up wondering why the attack never came, "V-Volpe?"

Standing clear, present and almost far from perfect posture Volpe barely saw Crista as being surrounded by the dead spirits blocked his view, "Aye, my lady! Forgive my actions for not intruding on this earlier! I was… almost dead."

Crista's eyes augmented, "N-No! Y-Your going to kill him! He's already weak!"

Acinomia smiled, "Who dies doesn't matter, as long as I have someone's life." She broke the chain upon her neck and held the medallion further in front of her, gripping the scarlet stone harder causing more power to drain from the wearied fighter.

This can't happen!! I won't let it happen! NOO!!! Crista, then, ran up aside Volpe. Forgive me, Aaron. With that she knocked him over and held on to him until the two stopped rolling at the edge of the cliff. Crista, using her body momentum, halted Aaron's movements. Her legs rolled over the edge and the new fear of falling caused her to scurry crawling back safe.

Not impressed with the present situation, Acinomia ran over and surprisingly the spirits from the stone still were present. They still attacked toward Volpe… this time calling his name and reaching for him.

"Oh, no you don't!" Crista yelled and she jumped, leaping into the air toward Acinomia. She landed a good distance from Acinomia before, "THUNDERBOLT!!!" The ground rumbled an earthquake causing Acinomia distraction. She dropped the stone between a gravel of large rocks. She glared gritting teeth, stained with blood, at Crista, "Why you little wench!!"

Leaping above the rocks and dug up dirt, Acinomia flew across the air and landed upon Crista, knocking her down with side kick toward her neck. Crista rolled until the edge of the cliff met her side, she gasped for air breathing heavily. Putting two and two together the purple clad make-up warrior approached the fallen Phoenix-bearer and stepped her pointy boots upon Crista's last and darkly visible arm-guard. "Well, well," Acinomia began, "-This is almost too good to be true. You will die by my hand… or should I say my foot." With this Acinomia prepared a basic front kick toward Crista's head.

"Aye you psychotic, straight jacket needing, poor make-up wearing lunatic! Looking for this?!" Aaron yelled as he waved around a familiar big medallion that barely glowed within his bloodied palm.

Gasping, Acinomia quickly darted for the medallion, "Don't you dare!!"

"Ah, but you see, I do dare!" With a wink Aaron slammed his fist into the ruby cracking the gold case surrounding it and threw it into the woods giving Acinomia a hunt that she would never forget. Smiling brightly Aaron placed both hands on his hips and looked up toward the velvet sky proudly. That's when he realized, "Crista!"

Already hanging on by on arm, Crista's body began to slip slowly into the endless abyss. She believed the bottom held a small cloaked beach. The beach was an assumable 500 yards from where Crista presently hanged.

Aaron slid upon his stomach and reached down before Crista's arms lost strength to hold on, "Lady Crista of the Phoenix! I've come to rescue thee."

"Aaron, you- you don't have to try with me. I'm already your friend." Crista muttered gripping Aaron's firm fore-arm with all her strength.

"Then lets skip the medieval conversation and let me pull you up."

Crista coughed and spat, "M-My arm-guards… one of them is broken."

"Aye, and we can get you a new pair later. Come on, it's not healthy to be hanging off the edge of a cliff with a pink loving Italian military Investigator your only hope of survival."

Crista smiled at his kind and calm heart… especially in drastic situations as this. "-That's the thing, I will never get a new pair. Not until my soul is anew."

From this sentence Volpe twitched his brow and a bead of sweat dropped from his short curly locks. His green/blue eyes now faded to a gray silver, "W-what are you talking about, Crista?"

Coughing once again, Crista spat blood onto her swaying hand, "-Remember the legend I told you of awhile ago?"

"Y-Yes," Aaron muttered. They both knew under better circumstances he would fret of hardly remembering his name.

"The Phoenix will never die."

"-But, but… you're not the Phoenix. You're a Phoenix bearer… Crista…" Aaron repeated. His face now pale, his silver eyes now filled with a ghastly fear. His grip tightened once he saw Crista nod gently, "No!! I- I- NO!!!"

Crista used the last of her strength to come up and kiss his check, "The Phoenix will never die…" -And with that the arm band that Aaron gripped so firmly shattered into a thousands of black, dull fragments following Crista down to the hidden lagoon where her body stayed facing the sky eternally.

"NOOOO!!! CRISTA!!!!" Aaron cried, his lungs burning and his aquatic eyes sobbing frantically and full of fear. "NOOOO!!!"

"NO!!!!!!!" Wai Lim yelled sitting up in bed frantically. Sweat covered his entire body and he shook with chills that ran up and down his spine teasing him. "CRISTA!!!!" He quickly ran out to his living room where Crista was last upon the couch. He quickly lifted the sheets. All he viewed remained a pillow and under sheet. "Crista!!" He ran throughout the kitchen. "Crista!!" He ran back in his bedroom, checked the bathroom and ran to his front porch. He inhaled deeply, "CRISTA!!!!"

Crickets responded, chirping in their own vernacular language. When nothing other distracted his worried attention… slowly, one foot in front of the other he walked back to his cabin. Gripping the sheets she last touched he slumped upon the couch. "Crista…" he repeated. The description of his nightmare was nothing he would want to repeat to describe to even his family.

What he could obviously make from his dream was prominent, "Crista, where are you?" Too much in shock to realize his surroundings, Wai Lim sat confused. "W-What did I dream? W-Why did I dream it? Where is she? I want to see her. Listen to her. Feel her hair, touch her skin. I want to be with her? Crista!!" He buried his head deep within the wrinkles of the white sheet. The light seemed to bounce off the snowy colored sheet and captured the tears of the confused fighter.

Minutes after confusion set in, Wai Lim felt a cold hand touch his shoulder, "Brian, is that you?"

Night quickly rose throwing down the sheet upon the bed. He realized after endless blinking, "C-Crista? Y-You're here!"

She only smiled in response.

He quickly wrapped his arms around her and kissed her gentle lips, "I was so afraid you left!"

Smiling, she never spoke.

"N-Nevermind. It was just a nightmare, I guess." His arms ran with goosebumps, but he ignored them when, "Wow, what are you wearing?" He viewed Crista. She was decked out in a beautiful silken pearly white night gown. The top was tight around her chest and held on by three silk spaghetti straps and the white fabric flowed freely down to her feet. Her dress danced as she stood there smiling. "Sugoi," he muttered with a tiny blush. He went to take both her hands when he realized his hands could never fully grasp hers. Instead, they phased through them.

"W-What?"

Crista lost her smile and brought Wai Lim closer kissing him one last time, "Wake-up, Brian. A long battle has just passed while you slept. If you look below a long precipice where it had occurred you will find remnants of my broken arm guard and a figure sleeping for eternity… me."