"she's dead". Words that shook her to realization that, no matter how much you think everything's gonna be alright and you and your friends will always be together...sometimes it just does'nt work out that way. Crista was gone. Her friend was dead. And there was nothing she could do for her...even though she tried.

She thought about how maybe, if she would have been stronger, she could've stayed with Crista and helped defeat Acinomia...then maybe Crista would still be alive. Then she remembered Volpe's offer...just before she left to go get help.

***Flashback***

Both Kumori and Volpe twisted their heads around at the most heartfelt cry of fury either of them had ever heard in their entire lives, accompanied by a massive explosion nearly four stories high.

"Wow, she's pissed." Kumori observed.
"Indeed." Aaron rose to a knee with a cry of pain. Then a dry chuckle escaped his lips as he somehow managed to stand once more.

Kumori grinned, skipping down the hill. "I wouldn't wanna be any-VOLPE SAMA!!" Kumori nearly screamed as she ran full tilt towards the blinking fighter. Which was still a large distance to run.

Volpe grinned. "What ho, lass?" He considered flexing but thought better of it. "Oh, and thy elaborately inscribed trenchcoat is hanging but a scant distance from 'ere. Judging from thy state of undress procuring such an item would be a good-" Any other words the beaten Italian guy might have had were stopped then and there with a brutal hug from Kumori, tears stinging her cheeks.

"-eh?"
"Volpe-sama, you came! You came! You stopped them from taking Iwa!" Kumori cried, her fragrant hair buried in Volpe's chest.
"Rose, she.. magic.. and Vega.. my clothes.. " Volpe imagined she was blushing, but couldn't be sure.

He smiled. "What's with the water works, Kumori-chan? Ye could have handled this all on thy own, without my erstwhile aid, or the lady Iwa's."

She blinked. "..I could?"

Volpe smiled, raising her chin with his hand and meeting those tear-streaked, luminous brown eyes with his own. Or the one that still worked anyway.
"Yep. Listen to this irksome poetic monologue closely young lass, for I fear I have little strength to continue on." Kumori nodded with a confused expression.

Aaron smiled.
"Alas, I am not a great soldier like a certain brush-headed fighter. Nor am I as worldly as Iwa's idol, the warrior Ryu Hoshi. I cannot endeavor to construct sphere's of light, or manipulate mountains with my bare hands. I can only go by what I feel in the wind, what I may ascertain in mine heart. Instruct me, little one, why dost thou join this tournament of warriors, brigands, villains, and fools?"

Kumori blinked. "To meet Chun-Li and keep Iwa company really."
Volpe shook his head, sending small droplets of blood flying on nearby plants.
"Ick. Nay, Kumori-chan. Why didest thou join?"

"..I.. ..I.." she smiled absently. "I dunno."

Volpe released a bellyfull of laughter towards the now-setting sun. He brandished a palm towards Kumori's angered expression. "Nay lass, I'm not laughing at ye. Thy answer was more than passable."

"..I don't understand.."

"I recall with wonder a splendid young lass, bestowed by the friendly gods the name of Lilly. Her music could make the very heaven's dance with glee, methinks. She has little time left on this world, or the young woman believes, and yet she chooses to spend her remaining waking moments 'ere."
"Uh-huh?"

"From the glittering vengeful eyes of lady Crista, to the grinning Kay, seeking his past in his future, or Sir Night, fleeing only to face his fears.. or Shockwave, questing in search of hope, Crimson in that of a good time, Iwa for well.. many a reason.. or Victoria, grinning with her many faces." He smiled down at her.
"Just to name a few. We are all here for a reason, lass. Something brought us here, and mine heart spoke of that. And but few moments ago it spoke of ye."

Kumori turned her head with a startled grin. "I have got to learn where you got your dialogue."
"Trade secret I'm afraid." He sank to his knees, dizzyed. "To the point. I believe in you, young one, just as you should believe in thyself. And ye have been blessed with just as much ability as the friend you travel the world with, but ye have yet to release it."

"Well, she HAS been taught by Chun-Li and Ryu Hoshi." Kumori giggled. "You don't get much better than that. Though ya may be a close fourteenth." She attempted to smile at Volpe, but it changed into slightly more concerned as Volpe's grip grew considerably weaker
. "Those scars will never completely heal," she traced the deep cuts from across the bridge of his nose and above and below his left eye. "Especially those. I owe you."

He smiled. "I promised I'd protect both ye and lady Iwa. As well as any others that I bestow the title of friend upon." He dropped once more to a knee, his usual vigor gone. "Well enough," he mumbled, his other knee following suit. "Ye have a match upcoming, yes?"

"Hai."
"Then," his voice was little more than a whisper, "To pay me back simply come to my inappropriately constructed shack ye visited so often, in the pursuit of instruction and knowledge."

Kumori gently lowered the Investigators frame towards the ground. She thought for a moment, then grinned. "Your goin' to teach me?"
Volpe chuckled in the grass. "Yep." And then he passed out.
 

***end flashback***

"That's what I'll do", she thought to herself. "I'll train and become stronger! I'll...I'll never let one of my friends die again...no matter what it takes!"
Then, sleep finally overtaking her, she turn onto her side, and drifted to slumber.

Iwa tossed and turned in her own bed. Multiple cuts and bruises, though bandaged, still made it rather hard to get comfortable. Besides her body being sore, her mind was still thinking of all that had happened. 'D*mn Rose', she thought, rubbing one of the many aching places on her body. 'And that stupid Sagat too.'

Her thoughts were interrupted by the loud chainsaw in the other room...oh wait...that's just Volpe's snoring.

'He finally went to sleep...'

She had brought him to their cabin for the night, partially because she wanted to make sure he'd be ok, but mostly because she didn't feel like walking all the way to his cabin. Though not openly showing it, she really felt bad for him. He fought so hard protecting them, only to lose a dear friend. 'Fate deals many a cruel hand...', she thought.

She recalled the walk back to the cabin...

***another flashback***

Iwa stumbled along the path back to the cabins, supporting the weight of the severely battered and bruised Volpe on her right shoulder. She herself was not in perfect condition. All the fighting had obviously taken it's toll on her as well.

But at least she was emotionally intact...Volpe was another story.

His usually present charm and humorous expression were absent from him. As were the sunglasses that usually hid his eyes, yet another pair of shades lost in battle. But the thing that stood out most to Iwa was the absence of the light in his eyes... it simply wasn't there anymore. Replacing it was a somber look of loss. He hadn't even spoken a word since they started walking back. He just stared at the ground as they limped along.

She wondered how Wai Lim would take it...

After walking, or rather stumbling along the path for what seemed like hours, Iwa finally saw the cabin up ahead.

'It's about time...he's a bit heavier than he looks...'

***end flashback***
 

'*sigh* It's a good thing Kumori had that healing spell...', Iwa thought.

Once she and Volpe met up with Kumori at the cabin, Kumori used her magic to heal Volpe's badly damaged eye, as well as some of his more serious injuries...but she couldn't heal all of the many cuts and bruises he had sustained.
 

"Well, if we're gonna meet with the others tomorrow, I better get some sleep...", she said to no one in particular. She then noticed Maru on the floor trying to open an annoying noisy bag of peanuts. "and that goes for you too", she said flatly. Maru looked up innocently, and decided he better wait til morning to eat his precious peanuts.

***next morning***

Kay sat down at breakfast with Victoria, Meliza, Zero 1 all sitting opposite of him. Ayame however, was still rather attached to his arm...

"Umm...can you scoot over a little? I'm trying to eat...", Kay said while trying to use his free arm to pry her off. She looked up at him with her big golden eyes and blinked. "Umm.....okay", she said.

She released his arm and he could finally feel the blood flow to his hand again. She looked at her food and decided she should probably eat something as well. Though this was nothing like the food from her world...

'Well, I guess I should always try new things...', she thought as she poked at the eggs on her plate. She lifted a bite to her mouth, sniffed it, and upon deciding it was ok, she finally took a bite. "Mmmm....." was all she said before merrily proceeding to consume the rest of the strange food. Meanwhile, Victoria and Meliza were busy contemplating and talking over which shops they should take Ayame to, much to Zero 1's annoyance.

Kay noticed Ayame was finally eating. "See!", he said. "Our food's not so bad after all."

Ayame looked up at him and smiled a cute little grin. Kay smiled back. 'That's the first time she's smiled since she's been here...oh well', he thought, turning his attention back to his food and proceeding to consume it hastily.

"Hey guys!", came a familiar voice.

The group looked up to see Crimson and Guy standing next to the table with plates full of food in hand.

"I did'nt know you'd all be here! These seats taken?", Crimson said nodding to the unoccupied chairs.
"NO! Feel free to join us!! Please!", Zero 1 said getting out of his seat and scooting two chairs down from Victoria and Meliza, who had stopped chatting just long enough to say "Hi."

Guy and Crimson sat down. "Hey", Crimson said, "who's the new girl?"
"Thaz Mawisa", Kay said with a mouthful of food.
"Huh?"
"He said, 'that's Meliza'...yet another addition to our merry little 'clique'", Zero1 said in monotone.

"Oh...she's hot!", Crimson said, grinning. Guy just looked at him. 'He'd be a Bushin master much sooner if he could concentrate on fighting like that...', Guy thought.
"Oh wait...guys there's something we need to tell you....", Victoria said, breaking away from her fashion conversation in a sober tone. Kay stopped eating and looked at Guy and Crimson...

Elsewhere in the dinning hall...

Natalie walked groggily into the room, apparently she was NOT a morning person...
Guile walked in front of her and went to the buffet.

Natalie, though not a morning person, was almost ALWAYS a hungry person...and once the smell of all that food reached her nose, she had already zipped through the buffet and was at the table eating like a pig before Guile could even blink. 'She eats like a man...with the same manners as one anyway...', he thought to himself.

He sat down at the table with his plate and began to eat.

"Why did'nt you go to the hot springs last night? We're here to relax for a while you know, Nat-chan", he said between bites. Natalie stopped eating and looked up...and if looks could kill, Nadie would have been arrested for murder.

Deciding it was pointless to say anything about it since he wouldn't listen anyway, she simply answered him.

"I had work to do...I wasn't sent here to relax."
"Really....what kind of work?"

"That's not your concern. Besides, there was something strange in the air, something's weird around here...something's missing", she said soberly, looking around the room slowly. Guile raised a non-existent eyebrow.

"What do you mean?", he said in his usual gruff tone.
"If you can't feel it then you're more of a blockhead than I thought", she said as she took another bite of food. Guile narrowed his eyes, but instead of arguing till his food got cold, he managed a simple "Hmph."

Natalie looked over at a table across the room. "So, there they are...hmm, but where are the others?", she asked casually.

'She recognized them all...she really has done her homework...', Guile thought.

"Ken is taking care of some important business, Ryu and Chun-li as well as Iwa all had recent matches, and Kumori and Volpe are supposed to be with them."

"Hmm..but where are Wai Lim, ShockWave, and Cris...ta..." With the last word came a shocking realization as to why she had felt that something was missing....she knew. Somehow, she just knew...

"Oh no...", she said in a barely audible voice.
"Huh?", Guile said, puzzled as to the sudden softening of her expression as she looked up.
She said nothing.
 

Kay and Vicky had just finished telling Crimson and Guy what had happened to Crista.
"Oh...man....", Crimson said in a low tone, his usual smile gone. "You mean she's....gone?" He looked at Guy...who was silent as he closed his eyes...
"She was a good fighter", was all he said.

Everyone resumed eating slowly, each keeping silent for the rest of the meal.

Iwa drove the rental car along the busy highway with Kumori sitting with Aaron in the back seat, and Maru and Brand riding shotgun. She had found the note that the others left with directions to the hot springs. 'I could use a rest', she thought.

The car was unusually quiet, with the exception of Maru occasionally fussing at Brand for moving around too much. Volpe was still very quiet, and Kumori was looking out the window thinking to herself. 'I almost miss the noise...', Iwa thought to herself.

Volpe sat quietly in deep thought. 'I almost saved her...but almost doesn't count.'

Wai Lim laid on his back on the couch, staring at the ceiling through misty eyes. She was just there not long ago, and now she's gone. He rolled onto his side as the tears fell once more...thinking again of when her spirit came to him and what she had said.

He forced a smile, knowing that she wouldn't want him to mourn like this, she'd return to him one day and that's all that mattered...but it still hurt so bad. He closed his eyes.

"She'll be back... one day she come back to me... one day..."
 

"We're here...", Iwa said as she opened her car door. Kumori followed in suit and they both helped the still injured Volpe get out of the car.

"The others are probably just finishing breakfast", Kumori said.
"Let's go to the dining hall to see", said Iwa.
"Umm...", Volpe finally spoke. "If ye would, go without me...I'd like to take a walk." His tone was sober, with still no trace of a smile.
"Are you sure you'll be okay? I mean, you're still really hurt...", Kumori spoke with concern.

A faint glimmer of a smile touched his lips. "I'll be fine, Kumori-chan."

Kumori returned the small smile and nodded, glad that he finally showed signs of his old self.

She and Iwa went on their way, as Volpe turned and began limping along toward the more natural part of the resort, a small park area.

He made his way slowly through the wooden area, until he came to a bench position comfortably under a shadetree. He sat down, his mind still replaying the events of the day before. He took his wallet out of one of the many pockets on his cargo pants, one of the few pairs he had left actually, opened it up and looked at the photo inside. It was a picture of him and the fighters who had become some of his closest friends. He smiled fondly as he looked at each face... Iwa... Kumori... Lilly... Crimson... Kay... Victoria... Brian... ShockWave... Zero 1... and Crista. The smile faded.

The last person was the hardest to look at.

"Forgive me, fair lady...I...I could not save you..."

He closed his eyes, but could not prevent a small tear from escaping them to run warmly down his cheek. He closed the wallet and put it away.

He looked skyward...speaking in melancholy tone..."The phoenix will rise again...I pray that is true, Crista..."
 

Guile's face showed an apparent questioning of what exactly Natalie was talking about.

"Just what do you mean 'oh no'?"
"Excuse me, Guile, I'll be back here in a little while...enjoy the rest of your meal."

Natalie got up from her chair and left. Guile wasn't sure what to make of this...she actually seemed nice...or rather... saddened somehow.

'That's weird... she didn't snap my head off this time... What's she really here for anyway?', he thought. 'And she actually left some food on her plate...'

She started walking. She didn't know what else to do... she felt she was needed somewhere but wasn't sure exactly where. Besides, Walking always helped her clear her mind.

'The legendary Pheonix Bearer is dead... yet another piece of the puzzle falls into place...'

She stopped and smiled sadly at herself as she closed her eyes… "But then again...nothing ever really just 'falls into place', does it..." She continued walking.

The sky overhead was unusually dark for morning... she could hear thunder roll lightly in the distance...the breeze blew ever so gently.

Her loose black pants ruffled slightly in the wind, as did her long dark hair, which was braided rather loosely at the end. Her top clung slightly to her slender form. She felt the tiny sprinkles of water falling softly on her bare shoulders, signaling the storm that was to come.

She walked along the narrow path until she came to a small clearing in the trees. There something caught her attention... a man sitting on a bench, wearing an offensively bright colored shirt. 'Aaron Volpe...'

She walked closer, and as she did so he looked up, seeming somewhat surprised that someone had so easily sneaked up on him...but then he wasn't incredibly alert at the moment...

"So... you're Aaron Tristan Volpe... it's a pleasure to finally meet you, though I wish the circumstances were different..."

He looked at her, puzzled, but still saddened.

"The pleasure is mine, milady, but how do you know who I am? I don't believe I know who you are..."

She smiled.

"Call me Natalie...the FBI sent me here to help with your mission...and I always make it a point to know who I'm working with."

"Oh...I see..."

He looked back down. Her smile faded as her eyes softened to compassion. 'So this is why I was lead here...'

"Volpe, don't blame yourself for her death...what happened was fated to be."

Aaron looked back up with surprise.

"How...how did you know?"

"Let's just say a private source tells me these things...but how I know doesn't matter. Just remember what she said to you....'The phoenix will never die'. She wouldn't want you to mourn like this." The light sprinkles began to turn to rain.

Volpe's eyes softened to a look of understanding.

"I know...", he said. "You are correct, fair lady." With that, he smiled sadly, and tried to lift himself back to his feet, but due to the injuries that still remained, his knees were shaky and he nearly fell.

"I see you're still injured, that fight must've been pretty bad", said Natalie, pointing out the obvious.

"Heheh... don't worry yourself young maiden, I'm becoming quite accustomed to my present state...Thanks to the fair Kumori, I managed to retain my perfect eyesight, as well as be relieved of some of the more painful wounds..."

"Well, at least let me help you some...", said Natalie, walking over to him. She motioned for him to sit down again, as she knelt on one knee before him. Placing a hand over the center of his chest, she closed her eyes and began to whisper something that Volpe could hardly make out. He wondered what the heck she was doing....

Suddenly his chest began to feel warm, and soon after he noticed her hand was starting to glow with blue flames that flickered softly and slowly, and the flames began to spread out over his entire body. Volpe just watched in awe...he noticed something rather peculiar, even though this was obviously fire, it wasn't burning him, and even more peculiar was the fact that the drizzle of rain was not affecting it in the least.

He listened harder to what she whispered, and realized what she was doing...

'She's....praying?'

Suddenly, she finished her prayer and the flames disappeared as she opened her eyes.

Volpe looked down at his body and noticed the rest of his wounds were gone.

"Wha..."

Natalie put a hand up, motioning for his silence.

"Please...do not tell anyone of what has happened here."

Volpe nodded. Natalie turned and began walking back down the path. Volpe soon followed.

Natalie returned to her room.

"*sigh* I know I'm needed here... but even still... I wish you would tell me why..."

Aaron arrived back at the dining hall to find Iwa, Kumori and the others sitting outside talking and relaxing. He walked up to them all with a smile. The rain had stopped a few minutes ago, and the sun was shining brightly.

"I do hope you all saved some rations for this weary soldier...I'm starving!", he said, rubbing his stomach.

Everyone looked up at him as he walked over to Kumori and Iwa, placing his muscular arms around each of them in a big bear hug. "Ugh..." Iwa grimaced. Her wounds had almost completely healed...almost...

"So...does anyone of ye care to accompany me as I enjoy the most important meal of the day?", he said, his usual grin returning once more.

Iwa couldn't help but smile to herself...'He may be weird... but I'm glad he's back..."