Dear Diary,

You know what? I don't even know why I have a diary. It's something mortal girls my age have, but am I a mortal? Hmm, well, for the next couple of weeks (maybe months) I am. Well, I'm writing on your blank pages because Zuke is inside me regenerating. Honestly, he's wearing off too much on me. I'm not looking for anyone to understand, but no one can totally understand someone else. If the immortals can't, then these oblivious earthlings can't. They can deceive their thoughts all they want; they can warp their reality all they want, but what kind of world they choose to drape their eyes from is their ignorant choice. Anyway, Zuke is saying I bitch too much. Well he's a bitch too. Oh, don't you make me kick you out! Why you!

Anyway, the last week has been truly amazing. When Zuke got knocked here to kingdom come (heh, that sounds kind of weird), the most amazing thing happened to me. Out of nowhere dropped in these people. One said that he would protect me from all the evils of the world and fight to the last breath with a mighty dignity and strength of justice and pink as a radiant color of manliness. The next guy landed beside to him shaking his head sadly. He didn't really say anything, but he kept on complaining about this Acinomia's friend who took his car. It was kind of annoying the subject of cars. Yeah, I had to study them, but for crying out loud, when will these mortals learn how to use more than 11% of their brain? Don't they know once they reach 50% they can learn how to teleport? Ah forget it. Zuke is saying I'm bitching again. He just needs to shut up. No I am NOT having my freaking time of the month, Zuke! Will you shut up before I throw you out?

So, of course I knew this was my cue to exit. After all, Zuke was sent to baby-sit me, but in the end it was me that has to do all the dirty work. As I was leaving, this woman in a trench coat stopped me. She wore glasses and had a squirrel perched up on her shoulder. It was kind of interesting how she thrived on the wild forest, kind of like me. Anyway, before I knew it she jumped toward me and knocked me down and a big ball of leaves, with prickly stems on them, flew into our previous spot. I looked up at the woman who had saved me and I was greatly surprised. She didn't even know me, but she saved me. She wasn't all talk or wasn't complaining. She only looked at me briefly, thinking I was useless. At least that's what I had to make her think. After all, I had to protect Zuke and the Essence. I couldn't hand it away like that adolescent, Crista. By the fires of the Phoenix that was so embarrassing. First, my religion goes into mythology and even has the stars named after it. By the way, the people who live in that district of the galaxy are ten times more technologically advanced then they are. Then the only living representative truth of that religion gets washed away by a girl with a magical rock and 24/7 PMS. Zuke, I swear if you don't shut-up…

All right, back to the woman that really enticed me. Wow, I guess she did. Her skin was warm, her hair was soft, yet she fought like it was her last battle and she was dying for her God. It was a very beautiful sight. I could tell that the forest was her ground where she accumulated her energy. Fighting a guy who knew how to wrap vines around anyone in record time also used the natural forest, so it was also a fight of internal control. She wasn't the only one that fought him, though. This girl started flying and throwing some diverse colored fire works. I remember in ancient China they would make fireworks in the shape of the Phoenix. Ah, the glory of the days. Anyway, it kind of reminded me of that. It seemed, though, that was minor compared to her full potential. Then out of no where this guy in white torn pajamas appeared. He really ruined the party. He also made me realize I needed to find Zuke. They said something in Japanese, I think, and it seemed the world was a nicer place because of him. Oh, that wanted to make me puke.
 

As I approached the place where I knew Zuke landed all I saw was some footsteps and remnants of his jacket. It made me angry someone would want to steal Zuke away. It also made me annoyed because when Zuke is weak, damn Zuke is weak! Ow! That's it!

Nisshoku, sick and tired of the constant nagging, closed her eyes and suddenly Zuke was directly in front of her.
 

"Ow! Hey! Bitch!" Zuke growled.

Nis blew him a kiss and kept on writing. "Look what you're making me do!"
 

"Yeah, it's called exercising the things you learned. If you do that more often you'll become smart.

"Smart this, oh brother dear!" and she waved at him with one finger. As she kept on writing she reminisced of the time she met up with the guy who called himself John Heagy...
 

~ Begin flashback~

"Hey! What are you doing?! Put my brother down!"
 

John just turned around, confused, scared and gripped Zuke's jacket even tighter. She glared, leaping into a flying side-kick aimed towards his face, but she quickly disappeared into thin air.
 

John shook his head and heard his stomach growling. "I knew a hour without food causes hallucination," he muttered. Before he gripped Zuke's jacket collar again Nis appeared right in front of him. Her side-kick landed perfectly against the side of his face. Totally taken by surprise, he fell not only from the impact, but more of the mystery.

"Look, buddy. I have no idea who you want to sacrifice my brother to, and in any other situation I wouldn't hold you back, but I need him. Now, I want to know who you're working for! Is it Astaroth?!" She leapt down in front of him, holding a sphere of fire in her fist. "Tell me little human."

John could hardly believe his eyes. He totally forgot about his empty stomach. Now that really meant he was totally distracted. He couldn't help but notice how low cut her vest was and he couldn't help the red wave that escaped from his nose. He passed out with a silly grin on his face.
 

Nis couldn't believe her eyes either. "Is this actually happening to me?" She grabbed both guys and focused her energy. 10 seconds later, they were back in Zuke's room. There was only one bed so she put them together, making sure that the blankets were warm enough until they would wake up.

~End flashback~
 

As Nis gazed out the window she realized something. "Wow, that was totally based on my human nature." She smiled. Being a human did have its ups and downs. She actually had the capability to care for perfect strangers and perfect annoying allies such as Shizukesa.

"Hello, Nis-Nis?!" Zuke demanded.

"What? What? Can't you just pass out and play dead for the next few hours?"
 

Zuke looked around his room. "Where did that man go?"
 

"Oh, you mean John Heagy? Yeah, he woke up awhile ago. He apologized for the nose ordeal. He was embarrassed to say, but he admitted it happens more than he'd like it to. He also said he liked my eyes, then got really red. I thought he needed some fresh air, so he's outside training.
 

"Really?" Zuke smiled. He threw off the covers. "Time for me to work my magic."

Nis started laughing. "You're so desperate. I can't believe you'd like a mortal."
 

"Why not? You find that Iwa girl very interesting. I can't find what's his name interesting?"
 

"You mean Mr. John Heagy?"
 

"Yeah, John Heagy."
 

Nis rolled her eyes. "Knock yourself out, but I think he's straight."
 

Zuke stopped her, and gripped his chest. "No…" He turned slowly to Nis. "What makes you say that?"
 

"Watch this," she winked at Zuke before opening her window. "John!"
 

Heagy was practicing with his bow until he saw Nisshoku waving at him. Suddenly the bow hit his head and he fell back down again.

Zuke gasped. "Oh no, is he ok?"
 

"He's fine. He says that happens a lot too, so I shouldn't worry too much."
 

"These mortals are so weird," Zuke commented.
 

Nisshoku watched Heagy attempting to walk. His face was bright red and he was trying to hide his hurt. "She's so honest and open, I wish swould come out here so I could talk with her smore."
 

"I'm going outside to talk to Heagy," Zuke said.
 

"He doesn't care about you. He kinturred when he woke up with yin the same bed," Nis commented.
 

Zuke put on his tattered jacket, "Once you've tried gay, you'll change your way." He winked and left.
 

Nis wanted to throw up. "Hey, a new human emotion."

===========

A light, soft breeze pervaded through the lush, green scenery, that being a forest. The illustrious chirps and cries of birds, and any other wildlife, that resided in the woodlands continued in the only way that they could, whilst the trees allowed their leaves to dance, from side to side, with the passing breeze. Shining down brilliantly, the overhead sun was bright through the azure, cloudless skies over the woodlands, seeming to emit a lush, green glow from the forest itself. Here, was tranquillity and in it, was the essence of nature.
 

Within a small clearing among the many trees of the forest stood a tall figure, with his head facing downward, as the sunlight shone onto his face and hair. In one hand, held almost loosely, hung a long, powerful sword, with small ripples of dark, fiery energy emanating from the slender blade. The breeze that had stirred the forest to life had now intensified slightly, ruffling the figure’s dark clothing, and the long, ebony hair that fell freely beyond his shoulders. Half of it blew to one side, partially obscuring a pair of golden-brown eyes, which, although the individual was in his early twenties, seemed older than their time, before the passing wind died and the man’s hair fell back to its inert position once more. With a flash of his eyes, the warrior rushed forward.

Holding onto the legendary Murasame blade between two hands, Jin expertly swung the weapon through the air, following onward with another equally powerful strike. He fell into a defensive stature, swiftly spinning on the heel of his right boot to unleash a sweep kick using his other leg, shin level, before continuing onward with a neat uppercut using his sword, slicing up toward the skies in a powerful arc.

Although Jin, the elite warrior of Naar, fought with precision and well-executed grace and skill, he had no opponent with him. Continuing his sword kata, a series of moves organised into a routine, allowing for the practice of all of one's moves while imagining multiple opponents, all seemed to be lost around him as the speed and force of his attacks and attacks were slowly beginning to increase. He performed another sweep, lunging downward with his blade, before his leg flashed into a blurred roundhouse. Withdrawing his weapon from the soft ground, it flared a fiery black in response as Jin threw more sword swipes at the surrounding air, finally vaulting his form high into a rising uppercut slash followed into a wide, aerial swing before his trenchcoat had even caught up with his movement.

A bolt of pain roared through Jin as soon as he touched the ground, emitting a short, painful cry from the Kushina descendant, as he fell to one knee, one arm wrapped around his lower ribcage, since it was the main source of his agony. The power of the blows he’d endured, the overexertion of energy he unleashed, and, what he realised now hadn’t been a wise thing to attempt – his daily training exercise – had certainly taken its toll upon him as Jin forced the pain to a far corner of his mind. Though Locke and Memphis had successfully won their bout, he knew that at some point, somewhere along the line, their paths would undoubtedly cross once again. They had won the battle, but the war was far from over...

"Are you alright?"

Jin slowly gazed upward, his eyes eventually resting upon Natalie, as she stood over him with a concerned look on her face. He hadn’t even detected her presence; he immediately realised, wondering to himself how long she had been watching him all this time without his knowledge, with a mix of surprise and intrigue.

"I will be fine," was all Jin said in response. The feeling of pain wasn’t exactly new to him. Pain had been a key element in his life, whether he had inflicted or was very much subjected towards it, fighting or otherwise. He estimated that his injuries would be fully sustained within, approximately, a few hours. "Although it has been a while since I’ve been in such a condition as this..." he could not help admit.

"You don’t seem to be," Natalie said doubtfully. "Let me help you. It’s the least I can do after you saved me."

Jin sighed slightly, too low for Natalie to detect; figuring it was probably best not to argue with her, as he complied with her wishes via a small nod. A part of him wondered why she should even be concerned with him, since he was nothing more than a complete stranger to her eyes, but he dismissed it.
 

Natalie knelt before the tall warrior, as he remained in his half-kneeling position, placing one open palm onto his chest. Jin blinked, wondering what she was doing, seconds before a light, azure blue aura radiated off the contour of her hand. Tall, powerful flames began to rise off Jin’s form, but they clearly wasn’t his, he noted with awe, but... they belonged to her...

Natalie’s eyes were now closed as she continued her incantation, her flames continuing to flicker and lick away at the surrounding air in a kind, gentle fashion. Jin, for his part, could only comprehend, with some surprise that his wounds were slowly disappearing. Eventually, the flames slowly died, and Natalie withdrew her hand from the Kushina warrior’s chest. The young woman stood up afterwards, as did Jin, although more slowly, and the pair remained where they stood, a wave of silence passing through them briefly.

Jin decided to study her closely for a moment, really looking at her since the events that had unwittingly brought them together in this forest. She looked so much like her brother; both shared the same brooding nature beneath their eyes, similar features, and perhaps even the same preferential taste to the dark colours, such as the loose-fitting black jeans she was currently wearing. Her slim figure appeared delicate and fragile, the innocence she held in her eyes adding to the perception. Her dark brown hair, as long as his, was loose, cascading causally down her back. Despite the hint of sadness within her facade; a sadness he had no idea as to why she held it, and perhaps shouldn’t, her face appeared open and kind, her eyes twinkling and gleaming in the same manner, as she watched him.

"Thanks..." Jin uttered after a pause. His expressionless mask had returned, but his voice spoke with some recognition.

"Thank you for saving me," Natalie gave a warm smile in return. "If it wasn’t for you, I would have... have died if I fell to the ground..."

Jin said nothing, unsure on how to deal with such praise, as he averted his gaze from Natalie. When he looked her way again, his voice had returned back to its neutral, flat expression.

"It’s time that we leave this place," he spoke, clasping his hand around Natalie’s arm in a swift motion, albeit gently. Before the latter had time to react to Jin’s sudden action, the pair disappeared from the forest in a blurry flash of energy.

===========

"QUARTET WAVE!!"

ShockWave frowned as his opponent, who had flown airborne in result, only to descend just as quickly, avoided the destructive energy blast he’d just released. The Kai warrior retreated into a backward somersault, feeling the rush of air race past him as he narrowly avoided the impact of the aerial side-kick that came from his opponent. ShockWave had no time to blink, as he returned to his stance, before his opponent rushed forward, forcing him to play on the defensive, something he rarely did.

The series of attacks launched at ShockWave were immediately deflected, blocked or avoided, despite the uncanny speed behind each one. It wouldn’t take long for the warrior to discover a pattern sequence between each move and he continued his defensive role, waiting for his opportunity. Finally, it came.

Deflecting a straight punch, ShockWave’s arms immediately flashed forward in response, slamming a powerstaff strike to the stomach of his now rather peradversary. Furthering his previous strike, ShockWave aimed his weapon towards the ground, before slitthrougthe suair, bringing it up into a diagonal-upward strike, which connected ungraciously with his opponent’s chin, followed by a thin, energy wake.

"Quartet..."

ShockWave rose up with the momentum of his strike, falling back to earth in a graceful somersault. ShockWave’s combatant cracked an eyelid open, from his aerial position, just in time to see the Kai warrior take his approach to the air, a long shiny stick twirling expertly within one hand...

"...Ascension..."

*WHAP*

*WHACK*

*WONK*

*WHUMP*

*WHAM*

The short torrent of pain soon ended, and gravity was able to assume control, as it always did, bringing the pair – one falling gracefully, the other not – back to the ground below. The anonymous combatant of ShockWave crashed into the hard earth, skidding several feet before his body came to a stop. ShockWave landed soon after, staring with focused eyes as he watched his adversary pull himself off the grassy terrain. The stranger stood upright, mere yards from his oriental opponent, his identity partially masked by the shadow of his hair. The pair remained where they stood, silent and unmoving except for the heaving of their chests. Eventually, the figure lifted his gaze, just as a weak gust of wind blew past the two warriors, brushing away a long lock of raven hair, the majority of it covering his left eye, to one side. Dark brown eyes stared into ShockWave’s own, bringing into light a face, familiar to ShockWave’s. Much like ShockWave’s.

"Heh... good fight, bro." Shadow Dragon grinned. "I’m getting outta shape nowadays..."

ShockWave’s sedated expression also turned into a small smile. "Yeah... same here. I needed that workout, especially with the tournament an’ everything."

SD nodded in what could only be in understanding. "A lot has happened to you, it seems, since my departure, lil’ bro. Most particularly in your Kai powers. They appear to have improved."

"They have?" ShockWave stared at his brother with some doubt. He wasn’t sure on whether to believe him or not, knowing that SD was capable of playing pranks and jokes on him, due to that weird sense of humour of his, that even ShockWave held from time to time. SD seemed to have noticed the reason behind his brother’s unbelieving gaze, for he gave a light chuckle.

"No joke, lil’ bro," he reassured, before his tone became slightly more serious. "You’ve managed to, while I’ve been away, fully master the Kai Discipline of Elementism. Now, with time, and training under my tutelage, you’ll soon master another. In fact, I’m surprised you hadn’t mastered this one sooner."

"Which one?" the younger Kai-in-training asked.

"The Kai Discipline of Weaponmastery..."
 
 
 

Some time later...
 
 

The azure, cloudless sky blazed brightly as the midday sun shone high over the island, collectively known as Fighters’ Isle. The sun had been kind to most of the island these past few days, and today was no exception. Today would become an important day on Fighters’ Isle, for it was the day that, finally, through all the hassles and unexpected events, the tournament would officially begin.

Like any self-respected large commercial area, Fighters' Isle had its own share of stadiums for this occasion, all scattered in numerous places all over the island. In the centre of these ‘circle’ of stadiums, and fundamentally in the centre of the island, was the largest of them all, and exactly where the author shall centre this scene. Not only was it the biggest, it was the most attractive and such, as well. It probably had the best of everything, well, in comparison to the other fighting arenas, at least. Oh, and guess what it was called.

Fighters’ Grand Stadium. Cool, huh?

Inside the building, the thousands and thousands of crowd members continued to roar with what only could be excitement, as the tournament appeared to be on the verge of starting. Four entrances were present within Fighters’ Grand Stadium, and slowly appearing out of them were the tournament’s participants.
 

"Woah, this place is HUGE!" Kumori exclaimed as her eyes wandered around the giant stadium. The crowd, exceeding that of the dome’s full capacity, boiled with excitement as more and more fighters poured out into the stadium’s centre. In the centre of the arena, there stood a huge stage with a multitude of smaller, but otherwise large, specially constructed rings surrounding it. 100 or so TV cameras were purely focused on the stage, with the crew running around them in every direction possible.

"...I feel like I’m in a circus or something..." Iwa murmured from beside her friend, with arms crossed slightly, as she briefly scanned through the crowd of fighters. "There’s more fighters on this island than I thought..." she murmured again, more silently this time.

"Not nervous, are you?" Lilly grinned as she came from behind, the look within her eyes showing no uneasiness of any sort. Twirling freely within one hand was her favoured accessory, that being her flute.

"Doubt it." A small smile made its way onto the oriental woman’s face. "In fact, I’m ready to draw blood..."

===========

"Hey, I heard that there’s gonna be some sorta party at Fighters’ Inn for the winners of today’s matches."

Crimson’s eyes widened at the extra detail provided by Cody.

"A party, huh? Then me and Guy CAN’T lose!"

===========

"Ladies and gentlemen!" an anonymous voice clamoured above the churning cheers of the restless crowd. "Today shall be the preliminary rounds of the tournament, where fighters from around the world battle it out, in teams of two, to determine the strongest of them all..."
 
 

"Wait a minute!" Zero1 objected to no one in particular. "What about all those matches before?"

"I guess they didn’t count," Victoria answered. The athletic-clad woman shrugged. "Figures. After all, they HAVE restarted the tourney more than once."

"Nuts..." Zero1 agreed.
 
 

"...As of yesterday, we now have 4 teams who have successfully made it through to the next round. Now, the remaining teams shall be determined today! And so, let the tournament begin!"

With that, the crowd rose into another cheered frenzy.

===========

"KO! Winner is Victoria Enid! Victoria Enid and Karin Kanzuki shall move on to the next round!"

"~Yay! Yay! Yay! We won! We won!~" Joy cheered, giving a Happy Smile (#34) from somewhere in Victoria’s mind.

"~Congratuations...~" said the always distressed Sorrow, adding a Melodramatic Sigh (#05) for some reason. After all, she was Sorrow.

"~What they said~" spoke Rage, uninterested somewhat, as she filed her nails absentmindedly, looking up only to glare at Joy (#41 if anyone cares), who had chosen to hug her in her moment of excitement.

"Thanks guys," Victoria smiled.

===========

"Hikari!" Darius cried as he unleashed another arrow, in the form of a white streak of light, at his opponent. Instinctively, Darius’ opponent leapt up, and over the projectile, but this was what the archer had in mind. Drawing back the string once again, another arrow of light, this one now larger than the previous, was sent diagonally upward. With a cry of surprise, the arrow hit home, striking the combatant in the chest, and bringing him downward in a world of pain.

"Hey, you think you’re Robin Hood with ‘dat bow or somethin’?!" Darius’ opponent yelled, partially irritated by the attack trap he’d fallen into, as he brought himself to his feet.

"Sorry that I use a weapon," Darius replied, beginning what would probably become a common line of his in this tournament, "but I can’t pull out giant fireballs with my hands."

From outside the ring, Sakura gave a tiny smile at the small, almost undetectable, joke. She had yet to know just who her partner really was, but from what she was seeing, he was clearly skilled. "And sorta cute, too..." she thought, letting a small smile pass by at the thought, as she kept her eyes fixed on the match in front of her, in the event that she would be needed, as well as in interest.

The two fighters continued their battle, Dariu’ weapon advantage keeping his opponent at bay from aclose attacks. Darius had successfully, with an assist from his assigned partner, Sakura, taken out one meof thoppoteam anright now, he looked to be about to execute the same method on the remaining team member, going by the name of Seroth.

Another arrow flew forth, courtesy of Darius, which his opponent again avoided with a lunge to the side, before rushing forward in an attempt to close off Darius’ long reach advantage. Darius had no time to block before an elbow forced itself into his face, releasing his hold on his favoured weapon in effect. A brutal series of strikes made their way onto Darius, sending the archer staggering as he struggled to avoid the tenacity behind the blows. Quickly drawing his hand back, Seroth grinned as green crackles of energy sparked into existence around his clawed palm.

"Nebula..."

"HADOKEN!!"

Seroth let out a cry of pain as he felt a burning sensation hit him in the side, cutting his technique short, and stunning him momentarily. Disappearing in a magnificent burst of leaves, Darius reappeared where his weapon lied, before letting loose another arrow, with a misty trail of ice radiating off its end. A blue flash erupted from where the arrow hit Seroth, showering him in ice energy as he fell to the ring mat. With a quick glance by Darius at Sakura, followed by a small nod of gratitude, a brilliant aura began to form around the pair, as they slowly harnessed their energies.

"Shinkuu..." Sakura trailed off as a dazzling blue sphere of energy began collecting within her palms.

Darius, for his part, simply drew up another arrow of light, watching it radiate with more and more power as he continued to concentrate.

"HADOKENNNN!!!" Sakura finished with a triumphant yell, hurling the energy blast forward. From Darius’ bow came a myriad of arrows, all with small wisps of fire flickering off their respective ends. Both energy discharges roared towards their target, Seroth, who brought up a pair of weakened arms to block, knowing that the fight was over. They finally crashed into their target, Darius’ arrows reaching there a split second earlier, and engulfing Seroth in their spiritual clutches, followed by a brilliant flash. The majority of his clothes torn and shredded apart from the blast, Seroth fell, limp, bloodied and bruised, onto the mat. He lay still after that, clearly unconscious and out of this match.

"KO! Winner is Darius! Darius and Sakura shall move to the next round!"

Darius gave a small sigh of relief as he let his arms fall by his sides, as did Sakura, both breathing heavily from the expenditure of their respective spiritual energies. He felt something tugging, pulling at him suddenly, from deep within his soul and spirit, and he glanced around, attempting to discover its source. No more than a few seconds later, Darius’ brow furrowed as he realised what it was.

"Phoenix..." he growled, albeit silently. There was just one of them here though, he noted. Though there was only one, he would not confront them now, for the battle, although it had been easy, had now left him moderately drained and weary. He had intentionally entered this tournament in the hopes of confronting them, and now, his hopes had been satisfied. If the Phoenix were as powerful as they were, then they would have no problem advancing in the tournament, and neither would he, as far as his need to eliminate them was concerned.

Realising that Sakura had already left the ring during his moment of thought, leaving him and the comatose Seroth left, Darius left the ring in a final burst of leaves, eager for the time when he would face his next challenge, and when he and the Phoenix would clash once more.

===========

Will the fighters Miko Eliana and Odel now enter the ring please!"

"I’m first? Wai!" the hyperactively cheerful cat-girl/cleaner said as she leapt over the ropes, and into the ring. Her opponent, Odel, towered over the smaller fighter, on height terms, as the pair stood face to face in the ring, but this didn’t effect Miko in the least, for the cheery smile continued to cake itself over the latter’s face. After glancing over Eliana’s fragile frame (or so she appeared to give off), a small, almost confident grin flew across the young fighter’s lips.

"Heh... this should be more than easy," he muttered to himself. His partner, another young fighter, known as Hunter, seemed to agree along the same lines as his friend, for a confident smile was also present on his face.

"Round 1..."

Miko turned a full revolution from her stationary position, as a battle-armour of some sort appeared into existence, replacing the Arabic-like outfit she had worn a few seconds ago. What was truly amazing about this feat, was the fact that the metal had somehow just came out of the ground, onto Miko, before it had moulded itself into the metallic-fighting suit.

"...Ready..."

Miko embraced her stance, an unending smile still present on her cat-like, oriental features. Odel, his confident smile now fading slightly due to what had seemed frail and weak now appeared to have a great starting advantage, courtesy of her armour, took on his stance also, a small wave of nervousness now washing through him.

"GO!!"

===========

"SPIRAL KICK!!"

Lilly fell to the ground, but was able to roll with the impact of the strike, embracing a crouched stance. Lilly narrowed her eyes in frustration. She was losing this fight.

Her opponent, a young fighter, probably around her age, switched his stance but didn’t advance. The announcer had referred to him as ‘Hotaru’, she remembered. Lilly wondered briefly why he hadn’t continued his offence, but discarded the thought as she took the opportunity to gain some of her breath back. She took a small glance towards her partner, and love, the Chinese martial artist, Yang.

Although his facial expression showed no great signs of worry, the tension in his arms, as well as the fact his hands were balled into tight fists, said otherwise. Lilly knew that he didn’t like seeing her hurt, but she was a fighter, and Yang himself knew that; whether he liked it or not, she would always be one. Then she saw Yang’s right foot bounce slightly, before he brought it up a few inches, and then slammed it on top of his stationary foot. Through his long bangs, Yang looked over at Lilly meaningfully; who stared back at him with a somewhat perplexed gaze. After a moment of thought, Lilly gave a small smile, as she comprehended his hint.

Standing upright, and falling back into her stance, Lilly rushed forward, bringing her leg towards Hotaru’s stomach. The young warrior prepared to block the strike, but then, mere seconds from impact, Lilly suddenly brought her foot down onto Hotaru’s foot, stapling his lead leg to the ground. A surprised Hotaru was able to stare at Lilly’s cute smirk before she slammed her flute into his face.

From his spot on the battlefield, Yang smiled. He had theorised that Hotaru’s main strength came from his legs, clearly verified by his utilisation of them for the majority of his techniques. But, once they became caught in a situation such as what Hotaru was currently in, if for a brief moment, then he would be pretty much helpless to anything, such as the point blank flute strikes Lilly was now dishing out.

Hotaru reeled back from the final blow, and he felt the weight being pulled off his foot, but the damage had been done. Spinning into a swift, powerful roundhouse, the sole of Lilly’s sneaker caught her opponent directly under the jaw, sending a partially stunned Hotaru flying.

The young warrior pulled himself to his feet, his vision still blurry as he searched sluggishly for his opponent. His eyes caught Lilly as she flew towards him, her entire body becoming a violent mass of Yin energy, as she spun into a furious vortex. Lilly’s "Xuan Feng Wu" technique collided with Hotaru and the martial artist couldn’t see much of anything, except energy and darkness...

"KO! Winner is Lilly Yin! Lilly Yin and Yang will advance onto the next round!!"

"Yatta! [Yes]" Lilly happily cheered out, smiling to the cheering crowd. Ycame up from behind her.

"Well done," a small smile ocongratulations flew across his usually stoical facade. "Very well done."

At that, Lilly grinned wider and tarms around thKempo fighte’s neck, pulling him into a soft, delicate kiss. Yang, a part of him mesmerised for a brief moment, returned it, feeling everything around him fade into nothingness. Eventually they separated, Lilly still grinning fiercely, whilst Yang tried to keep himself from blushing, and failing in the process.

"After this," Lilly snuggled up against Yang’s broad, muscular chest, "we’ve gotta go shopping."

"We?" The look on Yang’s face looked as though he would begin a protest, which Lilly seemed oblivious to.

"Of course, silly! Who else is gonna carry the shopping bags for me?"

"But..." Yang was cut off by Lilly’s deliberate, adorable pout, as she stared at him with warm, pleading eyes. It was totally obvious, so shameless...

"Please?" Lilly begged in a cute fashion, batting her eyelids as she did so.

...and unfortunately for Yang, frighteningly effective. A small, defeated sigh escaped the young warrior’s lips as he placed his face into his left palm. Lilly gave a cry of delight, before placing a small kiss onto her lover’s cheek, and sped off in search of her friends, Iwa and Kumori.

Yang remained where he stood as he watched Lilly go, with an almost bitter expression on his face.

"Why me...?" was all he said, as he trailed off in the direction Lilly went.

===========

"Hey, seems like an easy victory for everyone today. I just saw Fei Long and Gen-sama win."

Iwa turned to greet her best friend, Kumori, with a smile. "And how did you do?"

Kumori’s smile grew wider. "Chou! [Super] Kumori ni omakase! [Leave it to Kumori]" She gave a trademark peace sign afterwards.

"Hey guys," Crimson waved as he approached the group, Zero1, Victoria and Heagy close behind. "RD and Chun Li just won too"

"Yeah, Claude and his partner, Alex, as well," Victoria added.

"And don’t forget me!" cried a familiar voice. The group turned to see a grinning Lilly running up to them. The girls simply smiled, while the guys gave small nods in return at Lilly, keeping cool, half-hearted looks on their faces.

"Hey, good job, girl," Kumori congratulated. "And where’s your boyfriend? I thought you two were inseparable," she added with a small grin.

A sheepish smile went to Lilly’s face at that comment, trying her best not to blush. "Well, he was with me, but he decided to go check on his brother’s match, and tell him about our victory."

"So, um, what do you guys suggest we do now?" questioned Crimson, turning his ivory white cap to the side, so that the bill pointed off in a diagonal direction, instead of its former vertical position.

A small silence fell onto the bunch at this point. It was broken by a small, inaudible sound by Heagy, as he scratched the back of his head in thought, but since this didn’t effect the story in the least, the writer shall swiftly move on.

"Well, we could-"

RAAAAAAH!!!

"Huh? Wh...what happened?!" Victoria exclaimed, slightly surprised, as was the rest of the group, by the sudden roar of the crowd.

"Up there, look!" Zero1 spoke for the first time since his arrival to the group, pointing to a large screen.

===========

"WAAAAIIIII!!!!!!" your chirpy cleaner/alien, Miko, yelled with obvious glee. "Ware wa... muteki da! [I am invincible]" Now one might ask at this point, ‘Just how can Miko suddenly know how to speak Japanese, despite not being from, or having visited, the native land within such a short period of time?’ and it’s at this point that the writer will simply reply with the following statement:

She just can.

Anyway, back to the fight. Well, as stated above, Miko had just clearly won her match against Odel or whoever. Now all we need is that charming anonymous voice to make this win more evident.

"KO!! Winner is Miko Eliana!! Fighters Cody and Miko Eliana will move to the next round!"

Ah, there it is. And with that cleared, the writer shall return back to our somewhat content bunch, who had been witnessing this whole event during this time.

===========

"Was that... Miko?" Crimson uttered in disbelief. "You mean she entered the tournament?!"

"I didn’t know she could fight," said Victoria. "I thought she was just a housemaid."

"~Her hyperactively happy attitude reminds of someone we all know...~ " Rage muttered.

"~Aww... you mean me, doncha Rage? That’s sweet~" came the response from Joy, hugging Rage as she did so. "~You know, ya my best friend in the WHOLE world!~"

Rage let out an unlady-like growl, before throwing Joy off her, who still managed to land gracefully on her feet, a smile still ever so present on her face, for she was just simply Joy.

"Hey, Vicky, you alright?"

Victoria shook out of her daze, before immediately clubbing Zero1 over the head.

"Never call me Vicky," was all she said.

===========

"KO! Winner is Dan! Dan Hibiki and ShockWave will advance to the next round!" came the anonymous voice again.

"OSSHHHHHAAAAA!!!!!" Dan screamed, shaking a fist at the heavens above in his trademark taunt. "KOZERO SAIKYO!! OYYYYAAAAAAJIIIIIIIIIIIIIII..."

ShockWave grinned from his position in the ring. That fight had been TOO easy. Showing off to the crowd with a few twirls of his staff, the ruggedly handsome fighter turned to leave the ring. That was, until he noticed the commotion in the ring next to theirs...
 
 

"Katta!" [I win] R. Mika cheered as she bounced up and down in the ring. Before her laid a huge muscular man, now unconscious and oozing on the ring floor like a pack of lard. Several males within the crowd cheered, a few more than others, with looks of bliss stuck on their faces as a few of them held tissues to their faces, attempting to suppress what would be massive nosebleeds in the making.

"KO! Winner is Rainbow Mika. Fighters Rainbow Mika and Sean shall move onto the next round!"

ShockWave eyed Mika’s vivacious form, most particularly the areas which where bouncing, briefly for a moment with a shrewd grin. He whistled nonchalantly to himself. This tournament could become interesting, indeed.

===========

From somewhere within his headquarters, Bison stared at a large, pretty nifty-looking screen monitor in front of him. Hitting the ‘Rewind’ button, the vision of the match involving ShockWave played out in front of him once more.

A small, wry grin crept onto the Shadaloo Lord’s face. "Interesting..."

===========

The preliminary rounds were now drawing to a close, and several fighters, all of them successful in their own matches, had gathered around a large ring, all eager to witness the outcome of the last, current match now taking place. The bout had been tremendous so far, perhaps one of the best to occur today, and still looking to exceed that of its current excellence. Originally beginning with four full members, like with any other match, it hadn’t taken a great deal of time for that four to become three. Now, with the primary fighter too tired and weary to be able to fight effectively against his much fresher opponent, his partner had voluntarily risen to take his place on the battlefield.

"WAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!"

The leaping form of white, pink and green leapt through the air, landing with the solid clack of heavy soled boots on the plain flooring. Bright, well-maintained teeth gleamed in the sunlight as the man now stood, adjusting his green circular-lensed shades with a single finger as he glanced over towards his opponent.

Twelve, nothing more than a hulking, humanoid form of white, flexible metal, with cobalt-blue eyes, gurgled something intelligibly in what sounded more like code than actual dialogue.

"00101.11010.01010.01111.00010." [EZ Job]

"Eh?" A single eyebrow shot upward. The heavily muscled man wasn't sure, but he was pretty sure he was being made fun of. He shrugged it off, laughing.

*SHANK!!*

Volpe stopped laughing as Twelve's hands twisted and shifted in shape, revealing mirrored blades over a foot long each. A low, smug grin soon moulded onto the cyborg’s face.

"Round 2..."

Iwa Hoshi studied Twelve’s previous action with narroweeyes. "Time to get serious."

Kumori nodded thoughtfully fbehind her extra large tub of popcorn. "Yup."

"...Ready..."
 

Volpe’s gloved hand strode through the a, causithe spectators to blin silence, sufinding themselves enthralled with the man in white's odd mannerisms and Twelve's sudden development of Ginsu knives.

"Creature known as Twelve," he began. "I have never seen the likes as you before..." He smiled, twisting sidewise to better expose his torso to the female portions of the audience. Absently, one arm flexed within the confines of his dress jacket. "...And by the blessed lady luck I never will..." His voice then drew husky and short, shades turning oddly opaque. "'tis time to dance."

"GO!!"

The instant the toe of Volpe’s left boot was launched off the ground was when the other combatant chose to strike, hurtling his arm towards him from several feet away in a dull roar. Only by spinning to the side, did the well-dressed man save himself from being impaled as the arm grew nearly three times in length, a dagger-like end now stabbing the area where Volpe once stood.

The hairs on the back of his head feeling like they were standing on end, Volpe twisted his broad frame into a shoulder dive ground-ward as he finished the revolution of his initial spin. The familiar feeling of pain flashed in his head as a second white limb hurled through the air, slicing the outer trapping of cloth and skin alike along his shoulder.

From the momentum of his roll, the part-time Investigator leapt into a full sprint, barrelling towards the androgens humanoid as fast as his legs could carry him. As Twelve recoiled from his initial strike, attempting to recover his limbs to their original state, he observed in muted horror at the blur in white rushing towards him.

"VOLPEEEEE CRASH!!"

Legs pumping in an intense rhythm Volpe's form lost a small sense of visible definition as his shoulder slammed into the milky-coloured cyborg in a burst of light, sending him airborne. An unholy mix of blood and cybernetic fluid flew from Twelve’s mouth before he eventually struck the ground in a painful heap.

Lilly Yin whistled low as Volpe clutched his shoulder with a grin.

"10000.00001.01001.01110." [Pain] Twelve was on his feet within an eye blink, twisting in an arc and delivering a powerful kick towards Volpe's sternum. Blocking with a grunt of discomfort, Volpe once more attempted to close the gap between the two, twisting to the side to avoid a strike to the ribs, only to end up gritting his teeth in pain from a glancing blow to the side of the head.

Twelve continued his assault with a small hopping knee, which Volpe deflected with a laugh, and then followed onward with several quick blows towards Volpe’s midsection, with hands lashing out like blades. Several strips of cloth began to fly freely from the rest of the muscled fighter’s garments, some of which were bloodstained.

"At this rate," he groaned. "If you don't kill me, my tailor will..."

The Italian man hastened to avoid what he could of the upcoming strikes, feeling each and every impact as they slashed around his midsection. Volpe cursed as another knife-edge shaped hand nearly pierced his rib cage. He was faster and stronger than most, but the sheer ability of his opponent’s hand to hand manipulation was nothing short of amazing. He blinked in surprise as he immediately dove under a supercharged sweep kick. Why was he thinking so much?

Volpe laughed, swaying around a horizontal overhead strike, which caused a small crater in the ground.

"Don't think, sirrah." He grinned, twisting at the waist. "Move."

And with those words of advice to himself, Volpe stepped inside Twelve's latest strike, using the given opportunity to swing a rolling elbow only to have it narrowly avoided. Recovering rather quickly from his missed strike, Volpe slammed his fist forward, catching the cyborg as it’d reared its fist back to strike again. Two crosswise spin kicks danced in the air, both failing to meet their mark, until Volpe twisted around once again with a slight hop, delivering a devastating backfist. Despite the sound impact of his knuckles on Twelve's jawline, it seemed to have no effect on the white humanoid, as he retaliated a split-second later with a brutal, crushing leg strike to the side of Volpe’s jaw, causing him to stumble to the ground from the impact.

"01011.01001.01100.01100." [Kill] It tittered, bringing an arm back menacingly for one final stroke.

Instinct told Volpe to dive; and dive he did, avoiding yet another additional air hole. However, Twelve had already prepared for this, twisting both of his arms around and towards the path the man was hurtling towards, arms spontaneously changing to the shape of twin jagged sickles as they flew forward.

"Luck, lend me your blessing..." Scant centimetres before the deadly strike struck home, Volpe planted his arms on the ground and pushed upward with all of his considerable might, propelling his body at his opponent like a missile. Caught off guard by the sudden action, Twelve had no choice but to observe the Investigator up close and personal...

"SOMERSAULT!!"

...as he jack-knifed in the air, launching his legs independently outwards in a blurred split kick in a full circle, striking the creature in the head with enough force to send him toppling through the air once more in a burst of light.

Naturally, Volpe landed with a solid ‘thunk’ from the manoeuvre before his opponent did. He grinned to himself, patting his ego on the back in all the right places. Sure, it’d hurt to torque his body like that, considering all those gashes he had, but the move had been flawless...

Then he looked up.

"Alas! ALAS!"

The milky white humanoid was somehow hanging aloft in the air not unlike a hang-glider, only to hurtle down and strike the Italian fighter fiercely in the exposed back, sending him careening off balance. Volpe twisted on the balls of his feet, turning to recover, only to be painfully slammed back into the ground, now viewing upwards towards the featureless, genetically engineered warrior through his green tinted shades.

"Er... have you seen my contact lens? I'm sure it was-AYYIE!!"

Rolling to the side Volpe avoided a heel strike to the throat, only to twist desperately to avoid another attack. And another. And another. Dust and dirt alike started to churn, as the creation grew closer to making his current assignment his last. Whenever Twelve would strike, Volpe would roll out of the way, but he was quickly running out of options. He was bleeding, getting tired and running out of room fast. And he still hadn't managed to recover enough time to stand up.

"At least it shan't get any worse..."

*THUNK*

The sound of Crimson, Zero1, Victoria, Heagy, Kumori, and numerous others, which the writer can’t be bothered to state, all face palming at the same time filled the air.

"I really, really need to cease saying that..." Volpe murmured as he pulled himself to one knee, managing to give off a brilliant smile, despite the world of pain he was obviously in. "Zounds! I am undone!"

Nowhere left to run, Twelve gleefully chittered away as he struck once more, sending his massive, sharp appendage ripping through Volpe's prone form and killing him instantly in a horrid, gratuitous display of violence...

"SONIC BOOM!"

*BLAP*

...Or at least, that's what WOULD have happened if a certain spectacled Air Force Lieutenant named Charlie Nash, wearing a jacket and cargo pants, a highly noticeable watch and very little else, hadn't just whacked him upside the head with a rotating blast of ki energy. Naturally, it sent the creature reeling, until it suddenly found itself standing upright and immobile for some odd reason.

"Well, THAT'S gonna hurt..." Charlie murmured, shaking his jacket loose as he casually observed what was about to happen.

Muscled arms and battered jacket alive snaked around Twelve's waist and shoulder. "Good..." Volpe's battered and bloodied face whispered where he guessed the earlobe to be. "...NIGHT!!"

Roaring with all his might the man, who was now more or less dressed in white, hurled Twelve's body and sideways from his own, slamming the creature into the grwith a deafening wail of pain. Absently, he noted the small cracks in the ground developing the site of the impact.

The audience roared idelight.

Volpe smwearily to himself, dragging his body upward to face the crowd and his partner.

Charlie offered a ready smile, dragging out his spectacles with his free hand as he strode towards his partner. "Not a bad team up at all."

He readily grinned back. "I'd say the winds are in our favour. Now, shall we-"

"00110.01001.01110.01001.10011.01000." [Finish]

Before either of the two could react the very ground itself began to rumble and quake, sending Volpe sprawling to the ground.

Charlie wasn't nearly as lucky. Pillars of energy, faintly resembling Twelve's limbs erupted from the ground, slamming into the jacketed Air Force pilot’s body in a continuous, painful fashion, again and again, each strike sending him further and further from the ground into the air. A final blast rocketed towards the airborne Nash, sending the man flying out of the ring, and towards the outer boundaries of the arena. Upon impact Charlie’s body cracked the cement wall, and then slumped to the ground.

The group of fighters could only stare on in a stunned silence, whilst the audience’s cheers continued to flood the entire stadium.

"CHARLIE!!" Volpe screamed, taking off for a dead run towards his fallen friend. He was faintly aware of a blast of light and something going on from behind him, but at this point, he didn't really care.

"CHA-rl..."

Though the rest of the body didn't move in the least, one arm lifted sluggishly, hand producing a 'V' sign.

The man in what used to be white sighed in relief. Then he heard it.

Judging from the rising intensity of the heel beats behind him the Investigator swayed to the side, neatly avoiding a broad shouldered man's bone shattering flying kick. Upon landing the man twisted around once more, grinning, and for some reason it struck him as ruggedly handsome and manly somehow.

Silently his right hand drew back at neck level into a spread hand, left hand lowered into an open palm, bouncing lightly up and down, his knees slightly bent.

Volpe stood now stood, shifting from an entirely too similar looking stance, fist tightening.

Victoria and Heagy both gasped in surprise.

"THOU...." Volpe's eyebrow twitched, looking from his eyes to his own. "...ART SOO DEAD. PREPARE TO TASTE THE TRUE MIGHT THAT IS JUSTICE!"

Heagy sweatdropped. "There’s..."

"...two of them?" Victoria finished with some disbelief.

"If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, then this is affection at its best," Zero1 added; his voice deprived of emotion, as per usual.
 
 
 
 

In the blink of an eye, the two Volpes began to tear into each other like ravenous animals. Blood, turf, dust and spittle flew as the two exploded into everything they had. Wherever a fist would fly, the other would move and counter, bringing the other to bear. Kicks lashed and touched empty air, only to follow up and strike flesh. When one would strike, the other would find an opening and return the favour.

The audience went wild.

"VOLPEEE CRUSH!!"

"VOLPEEE CRUSH!!"

*Explosion*

"HAH!"

"HAH!"

*Blocked*

"SOMERSAULT!"

"SOMERSAULT!"

*Deflected*

...you get the idea.

"In the name of all things well developed scintillating and female, WHY WON'T YOU FALL?" One of the Volpe's demanded of the other, wiping the blood from his mouth.

The other shrugged negligently and strode forward again, lashing out with his leg. The other countered with the exact move, wincing from the impact. The second rounded from this, delivering a spinning back knuckle, only to have the other counter again with the same move, causing the fists to collide solidly with a nasty sounding crunch.

"Faith, I canna take much more of this..." one murmured, falling back while nursing his hand.

The Bushin apprentice, Crimson, widened his eyes slightly, as realisation and understanding struck him. Somehow, Twelve was duplicating everything Volpe had done, and was using his own skills against him. And normally that would be an even match, except Volpe had been getting worn down the entire time, while the other still appeared fresh. What was worse was that Twelve, somehow, seemed be much more resilient in terms of accepting damage, seeming to take less than what he took usually, whereas Volpe was suffering blow for blow.

Victoria seemed to frown, worry, and smile all at the same time as she watched the two forms of her friend collide once more. Everything was countered so completely; it was difficult to even see which was the real and which was the fake. Wasn't there something he could do, she briefly wondered.

"OAK AND ASH!" One cursed. Letting loose a cry of pain, one of the Volpe's hurled what was left of his torn jacket from his body, followed by the last remnants of his pink collarbone shirt, sending them fluttering of in the wind.

Woman everywhere in the stadium roared in delight.

The shirtless Volpe, breathing drawn and ragged, and with numeral cuts and bruises all along his body, still worked up the energy to pose dramatically.

"WAAHAHAHA!"

"Well, that's the real one..." muttered ShockWave.
 

Miko sighed sadly. "Miko's going to take forever to fix that one..."

"One what?" Kumori murmured, passing Iwa the bon bon's.

The cat-girl meowed dispassionately. "His jacket. I'm sure it's got all kinds of stains in it now too... oh, yeah, I hope he's alright..."

That was it! Victoria smiled. She didn't even have to blink twice.

"HON, YOUR JACKET!"

"My wha?" The shirtless man cried out as the other descended on him one more, trading another set of blows. Somersaulting neatly off of each other’s kick, the shirtless Volpe landed next to his jacket, pondering. It was a nice jacket, which always looked decent, kept him warm, and, of course, aided in his manly heroic image. It deserved a whole lot more than to just lay there on the dirt floor... why, when he thought that that damn pretender still had his manly jacket and he... didn't...

"ARIGATO VICKY-CHANN!"

"DON'T CALL ME VICKY!"

He smiled, ducking a roundhouse absently. He turned towards his rather active reflection with a dark smile.

"Say I, let us finish this..."
 

And to the horror and delight of spectators everywhere, the shirtless Volpe stood stock still as the other whipped around in a round kick that could quite nearly take his head off.

*CRACK*

With a small creak of protest his latest pair of shades flew skyward, broken and twisted, like most of his late pairs, as the heavy soled leather boot of his opponent ripped across his face in a flash of pain.

But the shirtless Volpe remained smiling.

"I have something of thine," he stated with a grin, intensifying his grip on the outstretched leg. Then he drove his elbow directly into the others throat, not quite connecting with the windpipe, but enough to cause him to gasp for breath.

The shirtless Volpe sighed in mock sympathy. "Oh darn, I guess you didn't expect that, did you?" He laughed. "I don't know where you found data on my fighting style, thing..." Volpe absently slapped his other with his left arm, walking calmly forward. "Moreover, I should hath been privy to the facts." He smiled as he drove his knee in the other’s midsection. "'Tis of little matter. I shall discern the truth eventually." A forearm lashed out, striking the stumbling man across the face. Ye can copy the past, try to alter it however one may try... like, say, wear my garments..."

With a mighty headbutt he sent the jacketed Volpe stumbling several feet backwards, footing awkward and unbalanced. His skins texture began to lose definition and colour. "But nay, the future can always produce something different, yes?" With a grin Volpe launched his right fist out, connecting solidly with Twelve's midsection.

Volpe pursed his lips as the other lost all trace of its last form, settling back into the milky white form of Twelve once more. "I dost wonder... have ye ever seen this one?"

The part-time Investigator launched forth his left fist, followed by his right, then left again, constantlpunishing the genetically engineered creation's midsection. "I fearednot." A spinning hook kick slammed against Twelve's temple in a dazzling display of agi. "Pity." Absently he flexed for audience.
 

"FLY, RIGHTFURY OF VOLPE!"

In time it takes to blink the man, who was now only in white trousers, with legs ripped, flew through the air as he twisted entirely around, whipping his legs through the sky in an instant, producing a blast of pure energy from the sheer speed of it.

"POETIC..."

Twelve's form rocked from the intense blast, spinning around nearly like a top without any controlled sense of direction, yet completely unable to move. Volpe's toe touched to the ground silently as he spun once more, twisting his body around and forward, from his arm to the top of his gloved hand glowing with light.

"JUUSSTTIICCEE!!"
 

Completing the second revolution of the amazing spin he launched his fist forward with enough vigour to visibly flash up, around, and through the point of impact, which was namely Twelve's torso.

Moments later, the flash of energy was gone, and everyone within the arena were recovering from the blinding light. Twelve, however, was nowhere to be seen.

"Huh? Where’d he go?" Kumori questioned.

"There," ShockWave answered, somewhat bluntly, pointing upward. Embedded deep in the huge screen was the milky-white body of Twelve.

A hush grew over the crowd at the revelation, and Volpe, satisfied with the victory, collapsed wordlessly onto the mat. Somehow he managed to make this look dramatic.

"KO! Winner is Aaron Volpe!!"

Footsteps.

Then he was faintly aware of being nudged by the toe of another boot.

"You dead yet, Volpe."

A groan.

"Not as such."

"Then let's go." Charlie offered a hand to his prone ally, pulling him up with a grin.

The crowd predictably erupted into applause, like always. And the teams that would fight in the next round of the tournament were now ultimately determined.

===========

The incoming rain provided no solace for the lone figure who stood atop the roof of a large building. As the light drops of water continued to stab repeatedly against his face and body, Jin kept his gaze on the simple actions of the public below him. He had no concern for them, though, for his mind was now more focused on other matters.

He had long disengaged himself from Natalie since he had teleported her, and himself, away from the forest. However, he hadn’t been able to erase her from the centre of his thoughts since then, which he found had bothered him. Keeping his promise to protect Natalie was actually going to be detrimental to his health, since Naar had ordered her execution should she refuse to join them. Jin had not known this when he made his promise to his comrade, Astaroth, and at the moment, he felt a bitterness towards him for placing him in such an unappealing position. To betray his master, or to go back on his word?

"Are you sure this is true?" Jin suddenly whispered softly; and to no one, it seemed.

"Those were the orders," Locke Koh chuckled softly, from behind Jin by a few yards. In essence, the man was the former Shadaloo agent Locke Koh. However, in reality, Jin knew he was talking to Zorkaan, another elite agent of Naar, who had apparently found himself a host after that incident with the Essences. "My, my... your friend has placed you in quite a spot, hasn't he?"

"Shut up," Jin muttered with mild irritation, his back still to Zorkaan. He had never liked Zorkaan, and he knew the dark, mist-like being didn't like him, either. Once a time ago, the pair had competed for the prestige among Naar's elite, which, in the end, both had gained. The mutual dislike between them hadn’t faded, however, and on several occasions, Zorkaan had even attempted to possess Jin’s body, but the Kushina warrior had managed to fend him off every time.

"The sky... will become dark," Locke-Zorkaan whispered. "All light will be concealed from this land, and that will be when our Great Lord shall emerge. The energy from this tournament is strengthening the link between this world and our master's domain. Naar's arrival will be glorious, indeed."
 

"Yes," Jin muttered. "It will be..." Each passing day would soon become a step closer towards Naar’s imminent arrival on the Daizairn plane, where Earth resided. He wasn’t a stranger to the conquering destruction of planets, for he himself had led armies, as part of his master’s cause, to many planets, many worlds and many civilisations, with each one succumbing to Naar’s force. He had been born here, but he had not spent his life here, and thus whatever affiliation he might have had towards this world was non-existent. If things went accordingly, then this world would soon become the next to fall...

"By the way, mortal," Zorkaan rasped, interrupting Jin’s thoughts abruptly. "I'm here to kill you for treason."

Jin whirled around, with golden eyes glowing with a mix of surprise and fury, just as Locke's gloved fist headed straight for his face...