Chun Li watched as the huge, oh so huge, group of villains closed up on her and her allies. Her eyes darted in several directions and narrowed into mere slits as they fell upon the man who had destroyed so many lives, including her own…

"Bison." The name escaped her lips with acid hatred.

Again she looked to her side, where her friends stood. The Wandering Warrior, Ryu, was standing to her left. Ryu's best friend, Ken Masters, stood to her right. The other allies who had decided to stay stood their ground a few paces behind them. As if on cue, all our heroes, as well as the herd of villains charged each other with screams of war and battle.

"AHHHHHHH!!" Chun Li yelled as she rushed toward her target. She shut her eyes to the surge of chi energy that assaulted her body, chi that she would use to once and for all end the life of that man who had so cruelly ended innocent ones.

"AHHHHHHHHH!!" She opened her eyes to release the bolt of energy…

"What the hell? Where…?" Chun Li looked around her peaceful room and down at her comfy bed. She absently smacked her forehead and groaned. Another dream. Just another dream, she reassured herself.

The Interpol agent calmly laid back on her bed, hoping to catch a few more Z's before heading out to whatever the day held for her. She sighed blissfully as she felt the soft pillow under her cheek.

"Nice, soft, warm pillow of mine." She thought and smiled. Her eyes snapped open again to the sound of thunderous snoring.

"Oy." An annoyed Chun Li pulled the pillow from under her head and pushed it forcefully on the source of the hellish snoring.

"Ryu! For a man who hardly talks, you sure can snore!"

Ryu, oblivious to the pressure placed upon his head, merely kept on sleeping. The lady warrior now rested her head on the man's chest and closed her eyes, only be waken up again by the sound of very audible giggles coming from outside her window. With a growl she tossed the sheets aside and looked out, meeting the very goofy looks on the faces of Iwa and Kumori.

"What the… What are you two doing here!?"

"Nothing…we were just…sparring! Yeah, that's it! Sparring!" Iwa replied, with Kumori still giggling in the background.

"Outside MY window???!!"
This last statement caused Ryu to finally toss the pillow off his head and open his eyes.
Chun Li growled again, grabbed a nearby broom and ran outside.

"How DARE you spy on us!"

Ryu's eyebrow twitched somewhat as he viewed the spectacle of Iwa and Kumori fleeing into the woods, with Chun Li not far behind carrying a threatening broom in her hands.
The Wandering Warrior decided it was best to just head back to bed until he noticed Chun Li was running… yes she was running in her nightgown. His eyebrow twitched again.

"Yes, how dare you spy on us? Wait for me Chun Li!" Ryu followed the girls' trail into the woods.
 

***Somewhere in the forest…***
 

The forest is serene and calm and the pre dawn atmosphere silent and peaceful. The green and lush vegetation is moist with the small trinkets of dew covering the leaves, trees and grass.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps pierced into the morning air. Shoes sinking onto the grass, causing soft squishing noises, which slowly awakened the last sleeping creatures of nature. Two separate sets of feet ran within the plane.

A grunt was heard, and then the sound of leather brushing across skin; a loud thud and two feet hitting the ground soon after.

"Pretty good lil' bro, but you still got a lot to learn" Shadow Dragon said as he hopped lightly in his stance.

Shockwave hmphed and rose to his feet, a small bruise now blemishing his left cheek, breaking the perfect lines of his skin.

"We'll see..." Shockwave said as he resumed his stance.

Both brothers circled each other carefully. Shockwave twirled his staff around whereas his brother poised his blade according to Shockwave's position, holding a defensive stance at as he smirked lightly at his younger sibling.

Shockwave then swung his staff forward, the rod whistling through the air, aiming at the other warrior's face. The metals collided and the blow was deflected. Shockwave quickly turned around and aimed the other side of the staff at Shadow Dragon's other side.

Shadow Dragon rapidly shifted the position of his blade, the flat side of it hitting the staff's texture as he pulled it back slightly, parrying the blow before stepping back and ramming his shoe into Shockwave's abdomen.

Shockwave exhaled sharply and stepped back, his eyes narrowed slightly before he lifted his staff to block a slash directed toward him from his sibling, he then lowered the blade using the staff before lifting it quickly, lashing Shadow Dragon's chin.

Shadow Dragon's head snapped back. The warrior, though, used the sudden momentum to back flip with the motion of the blow. Shockwave cursed loudly as his brother's legs curled around his neck, twisting sideways and throwing him forward.

Shockwave quickly back flipped and landed on his feet. Sensing Shadow Dragon's approach, he swiftly ducked, thus avoiding a jump kick that whistled over his head.

Shadow Dragon landed before him, and immediately his foot lashed forward and in a deathly inner crescent motion, slammed forcefully into Shockwave's face, sending him spiraling back.

Shockwave landed forcefully, exhaling as his upper torso crashed into ground. He then rolled aside, avoiding a quick stomp from Shadow Dragon, trying to sweep the older warrior's legs.

But Shadow Dragon's foot blocked his sweep. The older twin used Shockwave's exposed position to kick his rear lightly.

"Aww, C'mon, at least give me something to train with." Shadow Dragon joked as he stepped back.

Shockwave rose to his feet quickly and leapt back, kicking off a tree and using the momentum to soar towards Shadow Dragon. The latter smirked leaping over the air bound Shockwave.

The minute Shockwave's foot hit the ground though; he leapt again while spinning his body around and ramming his staff against Shadow Dragon's back, sending him off balance.

Shadow Dragon slammed against the ground this time, and it was Shockwave who landed lightly on his feet while smirking.

"You were saying?" he asks just before Shadow Dragon surprised him and lunged forward while swinging his blade.

Shockwave moved to deflect the blow, but found himself being unarmed of his precious staff right before his brother's sword was positioned against his throat.

"Sorry Bro, you lose, again" Shadow Dragon said with a smirk.

Shockwave face faulted and grumbled something as the blade was slowly removed from his throat. With an annoyed grunt he kneeled to lift up his staff.

The golden glamour of the sun was now bathing the earth with its warm rays. The moist aroma of dawn was now dissipating; making way for the hot winds of the tropical weather. Suddenly the ground rumbled as if in terror and the sky began to darken.

Shadow Dragon and Shockwave looked upwards only to see clouds swirling rapidly into a vortex; white lightning crackled violently and the shaking of the earth grew more powerful, making it hard for our heroes to maintain balance.

These same powerful bolts of lightning crashed against the ground, dashing down in the shape of triangular cone and blasting the earth with the wrath of the sky. The ground was torn apart, the grass was scorched; rocks and debris were being tossed into the air as smoke spread askew.

A pillar of light rose into the air; the clouds above were growing and getting darker as they began spreading their black fury more and more across the land; lightning and thunder now graced the earth with their powerful presence.

All the humidity in the air was sucked at once into the vacuum, leaving a lingering dark and vile feeling in the heavy air. Suddenly a portal shimmered open, bringing forth with it a brewing storm of powerful rain, strong winds and intensive lightning. The tempest spread over the Fighter's Isle like a disease, bringing to an end what could have been a bright day. Many footsteps were heard through the portal, the noise they created being an envy to the thunder in the heavens. The clanging noises of armor and weapons also echoed though the vortex, as what seemed like a small army marched about.

"Looks like our training session is over." Shadow Dragon commented as he moved into his fighting stance. Shockwave's only answer was a low grunt and he himself got into his stance.

The two warriors got ready, preparing to combat whatever that portal of eternal night delivered into the realm of earth...
 

***Um, somewhere… I'll figure out where later…***
 

Astaroth's eyes narrowed. His master, the god of all gods, was not pleased. The dark lord disapproved of the way Astaroth had been dealing with his… assignment. Naar instead, desired a faster approach on the situation, something Astaroth had been reluctant to do.

It was his weakness, Astaroth thought. He had yet not been able to retrieve his sister, and much less kill her. Emotions were a weakness, and he cursed himself cruelly for having such petty mortal attributes. Of course he knew well that his sister, Natalie, found these… emotions, to be the very essence of human strength. So different are their ways of thinking and so different are their paths. Astaroth envied his sister. She led a life of good and hope and yet he led one of evil, hatred and destruction. He snarled at his thoughts.

"No… It was meant to be this way." The cruelty once again returned to his ocean blue eyes.

"If it was meant to be this way, then so shall it be."

He did not look up to his master, the god Naar. He instead lowered his face while his bangs safely concealed his eyes. It was best though. He wanted to show no amount of fear towards his master. Respect was all. Respect.

"I grow impatient with every day, hour, minute and second that passes by and you have been unsuccessful with your task. I do not train nor do I favor failures."

"I give you my apologies, Dark Lord. Your bidding shall be done with no more interruptions or delays." Astaroth's fists clenched at his sides.

"Yes, I will make sure that this time you will succeed."

Tendrils of black power lingered momentarily on the Dark God's hand. That same energy swatted through the air and crashed forcefully into the mind, body and soul of Astaroth, forcing him to his knees and obligating him to succumb to an involuntary scream…
 

***In the beach…a few minutes before dawn***

"Huff…"

"…"

"Puff…"

"Hurry Volpe-kun!!!"

"Huff, choke, argh…"

"Is that the fastest you can run??? Hurry!"

An extremely perky Victoria (oh gee, wonder who's in control now? ^-^) ran through the white sand, flipping and hopping every now and then.

The small Hispanic woman hummed a catchy tune as she pranced in her routinely morning exercise.

She suddenly turned around to find herself with a limping and almost crawling in the sand Volpe. She trotted back to him…

" Pant…hiss…tell…me…puff…lass…"

"Yesssssssss????" Victoria chirped as she trotted in place a meter away from him.

"How in the blue heavens above is it possible for thee to wake up at five in the blistering morning and have such excessive energy, hmm scintillating lady?"

"Oh, Aaron-poo, you're just getting old."

The military clad man face faulted into the ground, taking with him a mouthful of sand.

"Yummy!" The joyful Victoria piped up as she kept on trotting.

"Woooow" She now mustered, as she eyed the sun in its splendid glory as it raced through the sky illuminating every corner of the island.

Volpe managed to roll over on his back. The sight that greeted him was not as pretty though, for in the distance clouds were rushing together creating a vast void. Lighting struck. Thunder roared. Rain fell intensely on Victoria's perfect hair.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!"

Volpe's eyebrow twitched slightly as he patted the weeping girl's shoulder. "There, there pretty one. 'Tis almost time for thy match anyhow!"

"Oh yeah!" She cried out, and raced madly in the direction of the Fighter's Stadium with a limping Volpe very far behind.
 

***Some time later…***
 

With swift footsteps, Natalie made her way through the rain, holding the hood of her jacket close to her face. She sighed. It had been such a lovely morning, but the bright and sunny days in this damned island were few.

Natalie sighed again. Her thoughts trailed off to her brother David. She shook her head. If only David were still alive, but she knew well that her brother had died long before she could have done anything about it. Now he was just a soulless killer. A monster. He was just Astaroth.

Natalie felt herself fall back into a deep melancholy. She knew depression all too well, and yet she manages to mask it even more efficiently. Her only reassurance to live is the fact that she knows that her reason for being in this world is far beyond more important than her thoughts or feelings. If it was not for her faith or for her desire to ease the pain of others whenever possible, her life would have ended many years ago. She does not fear death, and mostly, she would welcome it with open arms, but even she knows that death will only come when her true purpose in life has been fulfilled.

With another loud sigh, she entered her cabin and slammed the door shut, at the same time shutting herself from the outside world.

She hanged her jacket and other apparel to dry and changed into a more casual tee and baggy jeans. With a mug of hot cocoa in hand, she retrieved the CD given to her earlier by Shadow Dragon and slipped it into her computer, simply to see if she could make out something more of Bison's Project Insurgence. While taking a few small sips from her hot drink, she scanned the data on her monitor. Not much information was given though. All she already knew.

Natalie retrieved the CD from her laptop and placed it safely into its case. She blinked once… twice… as she felt a familiar and yet so alien aura. The intruder obviously had not made its presence known; and Natalie did not yet wish to show it of her suspicions. She simply took another sip from her hot cocoa and placed the CD case in her jeans pocket.

A silver-white flash of light caused her to jump out of her current position and unto the floor, watching silently as an aura-emitting blade rampaged through what used to be her desk and laptop. The weapon's glow dissipated, and Natalie turned her attention to its wielder.

"Jin? Why…?" Her sentence was cut short, as she was forced to leap once more in escape of the legendary Murasame sword.

Natalie looked at Jin's face. The soft glow coming from a nearby window had a dramatic effect on his features. Part of his face was hidden behind bangs, but what she could see was cold and uncaring.

With an emotionless grunt, Jin pushed forward through the smoking furniture and forcefully grabbed Natalie's arm. No words said, Jin teleported them both out of the cabin.
 

***Elsewhere***
 

The hard, merciless rain almost blinded the girl. She quickly wiped the streaming water of her face in vain, for again did the pouring liquid soak her features.
 

Natalie briefly studied her surroundings. She was standing in the middle of an arid terrain. Rocks of every shape and size decorated the earth. The once dry soil was now full of puddles, in a mixture of water and mud.
 

Confusion, shock and frustration ran through the eyes of Natalie as she gazed upon the enigmatic Kushina warrior; those light blue orbs narrowed as they scanned his facial expressions for some kind of answer, but she could see nothing there. Only emptiness.
 

"Why? Why do this now?" Natalie asked. Her voice though hurt, was neutral, unlike her eyes, which shone with anger and disappointment.
 

Blades of rain pierced the sky. The raindrops fell like daggers from the heavens and onto the earth, bruising it. The cold liquid was quickly absorbed by the clothing of the two warriors, forcing the threads to tightly cling to their respective bodies.

Both were silent. Only the roaring sound of thunder in the distance, and the occasional crack of lightning through the clouds broke the chain of silence every now and then.

The beams of lightning illuminated the rocky terrain, being the only light visible other than the scarce afternoon sunrays that managed to thrust themselves through the murky clouds.

Another bolt of lightning… Another howl of thunder, then silence again. Jin stood still, too still and this made Natalie uncomfortable. His eyes would reflect no emotion at all; his posture reflected even less.

Jin eyed her impassively, and then burst forward quickly. Natalie scurried away rapidly and got into a defensive stance as Jin's foot flew toward her chin.

She managed to lift her hand and accommodate the kick just in time, stopping the foot from connecting against her and pushing it downward soon after. Giving Natalie no time for thoughts, his fist rammed into her ribcage and sent her staggering a foot back.

The blow made the young FBI agent exhale sharply. Her face slightly twisted in anger for a split second, just before Jin's fist was driven towards her again. This time she was ready though. She lifted her forearm, deflected his blow and then stepped forward twisting her weight and sending a punch of her own.

Jin shifted his body sideways and tilted his head a little to his left, causing her punch to whistle by his ear and miss by a narrow inch. Jin lifted his other fist and rammed it into her cheek, as he turned. Natalie fell a helpless victim to the speed of the movement and her head snapped sideways.

Natalie recovered, and she quickly turned her head towards him, eyes narrowed. Her right eyebrow ticked as her body seemed to tense. Anger was slowly mounting into her nerves. Jin took no heed of this and attacked again. His foot rose quickly and slashed into the air aiming at her chin.

The girl ducked quickly and the kick missed her, passing just over her frame. Concentrating and letting her power flow, Natalie's leg erupted into a blur of speed and energy as she threw herself upward.

"Maxi Edge!" Natalie yelled, her leg cutting through the air as it collided with Jin's stomach. Two more kicks followed the first in rapid succession as Natalie continued to rise, slamming the final strike into Jin's forehead and forcing the warrior towards the ground.

Rolling with the impact with relative ease, Jin quickly resumed his stance. Dull pain now invaded his skull, but he ignored it, proceeding to draw one fist backward…

Realization of what was about to occur struck Natalie fiercely, as Jin's fist began to glow darkly, and she quickly, almost hastily, summoned her own chi energies in defense. His gaze never leaving his opponent's, Jin threw his arm forward.

"Kagezuki Ken!" He cried as he initiated the attack. A dark burst of energy screeched through the air, approaching Natalie with extreme velocity. Waiting until the projectile was within range, Natalie responded in kind with her own counter-attack.

"Neo Blast!" She exclaimed. A blue-white sphere of energy burst into existence onto Natalie's palms, catching Jin's own energy blast with deadly precision as both energies clashed in an impressive display of power…

Of course this was Jin's intention, and Natalie would once again fall victim to his attacks…
 

***In the hospital…***
 

Meliza's swift kick to his abdominal had been unexpected and unusually painful as his grip loosened upon the two women. Zorkaan-Kay gasped as he curled forward in reaction to the throbbing pain. He looked up as his eyes glowed in fury towards the female gambler. How dare she! HOW DARE SHE!

"Who are you?" Meliza asked as she placed herself between him and Ayame. The doctor and the nurse lay forgotten at the side, leaning unconsciously against the wall. Zorkaan-Kay looked at them, puzzled that the sudden strength he had held before was gone so quickly.

No, it was a momentary lapse in judgement in his part; the female gambler was stronger than she looked. Zorkaan-Kay lashed forward with his fist, but to his astonishment, his body fell forward with his arm and he found himself gasping on the hospital room's floor.

"*What's going on?*" Zorkaan narrowed his eyes in thought, suspecting someone inside was still functional enough to tamper with his control. He searched within himself for the miscreant, and was puzzled to find him trapped as he had left him. The psychic cage disappeared and Zorkaan lifted Kay and demanded furiously. "*What have you done?!*"

"*You've been limited.*" Kay smirked through his astral injuries.

"*That's not possible.*" Zorkaan snarled.

"*Fool, you've taken over a body which has not had physical activity for days and was here in the first place because of battle.*" Kay's smile wasn't very kind. "*My ability as a psychic is limited now because I'm no longer an essence.*" Kay's smile further deepened into an uncharacteristic smirk.

"*Like it or not, asshole, you've been limited. Deal with it or leave.*"
"*I'm going to turn you into a vegetable.*" Zorkaan snarled as his black mist of a body swirled in fury.

He was about to do just that when his form suddenly swirled in pain as a flash of blinding pale blue light engulfed his form. "*No, I don't think that will happen.*" Meliza's voice said coolly from behind him as she appeared in her astral glory, the symbol of Wisdom shining brightly from her forehead.

"*I am Zorkaan, you can't defeat me! I am one of Naar's elite!*" Zorkaan roared in fury.

"*Tell that to someone who cares.*" Meliza said unsympathetically as her eyes glowed and the radiance which surrounded Zorkaan slowly began to contract unto itself with Zorkaan within.

Zorkaan hissed in strangled fury before he made his escape.

"*Are you alright?*" Meliza asked Kay.

"*He would have been a lot more powerful if Darius hadn't injured him you know.*" Kay whispered.

"*Then he wouldn't have needed a body, now would he?*" Meliza replied as she helped Kay's astral form up. "*Come on, you need to rest up.*"

"*Why am I getting dragged back into this mess again?*" Kay muttered as he slowly (and painfully) regained control of his body.

==========

The Great Lord's coming was near and Zorkaan required a strong host to at least appear presentable to their Lord. Zorkaan reached out with his thoughts in desperation, seeking a strong aura, which he could overcome. When he found THAT aura, his body suddenly swirled in excitement as he flew towards that direction. The Great Lord of Darkness would be most pleased.
 
 

***Back to Jin and Nat (runs very, very fast from an infuriated Nadie)***

Closing the gap between himself and Natalie, in a near-impossible burst of speed, Jin swung out a fierce roundhouse, finding its mark on the side of Natalie's head, and bringing her painfully onto the rocky terrain. Dropping back into his stance, a glowing pair of gold-like eyes fell onto Natalie, who gave a glare in return, her facial expression revealing that she is less than pleased with what he is doing. Not acknowledging her expression at all, Jin lunged forward once again, intent on bringing the battle to a swift, abrupt close.

Or so he might have, if it wasn't for Natalie's unexpected, speed-driven lunge, notably dubbed the 'Neo Shift'.

Surprise and intrigue flashed across the warrior's features as Natalie shortened the gap between the two with magnificent speed, ramming a knee into the latter's stomach. Crouching slightly Natalie flew into a mid-air vertical split kick, her foot snapping off Jin's jaw as the Neo Strike hit home. The Kushina warrior's body spun into an involuntary back flip, only to crash forcefully onto the earth below with an audible thud. Natalie landed gracefully, taking the small opportunity to speak some sense into her assailant, as he slowly rose to his feet.

"Stop this madness, Jin!"

He grunted and eyed her before leaping forward

"Sakkyaku Geki!" Catching Natalie off-guard, Jin somersaulted, his feet lashing out into an upward lanching kick, the impact taking Natalie above ground. Even swifter came the follow-up barrage of leg strikes, ending the merciless array with a crushing roundhouse kick that sent the FBI agent flying backwards.

Natalie landed on her back with a grunt and held her abdomen in pain. She got up and glared at him angrily.

"Ok, that's it…" She knew that holding back much longer was not an option to take.

Jin looked at her coldly and lunged forward; this time Natalie lunged toward to meet him as well.

He threw a punch, which she deflected with her forearm, and she quickly brought her other fist to his nose. He swiftly swung his hands down, swatting her fist downward with the motion, while he raised his knee to hit her stomach.

Natalie lifted her own knee and thus blocked his from reaching her abdomen, just before she stepped forward and rammed her forehead into his nose. Jin's head snapped back and he dazed momentarily. Natalie's lips curled into a grin as she stepped back crashing her foot into his nose once more, and the second her foot touched the ground she leapt and twisted into the air.

Jin's head snapped sideways, as a reverse roundhouse kick connected forcefully with his skull. Jin took a moment to spit what was a mixture of blood, saliva and rain, before turning his head back to Natalie, narrowing his eyes and lunging toward her again. As Natalie landed from her previous leap, Jin's foot crashed against her midsection with crushing force.

Natalie exhaled sharply, and just as she bent over in pain, Jin hit her back with an axe kick, sending her forehead-first towards the ground. Her pale skin breached and was now bleeding. Jin moved towards her to stomp on her back.

She rolled aside, spinning on the ground while extending her leg. Jin's feet were swept from under him and he landed on his back with a loud thud and splash of muddy water. Natalie then rolled back to gain some distance between her and her opponent. She held her abdomen and felt it, sensing a few if not broken then out of place ribs.

Natalie winced then growled deeply in her throat, anger overcame her again. Jin rose to his feet and stood straight. He brought his arms across his chest. His head slumped downward as a dark hue surrounded the outline of his body.

Thin ebony beams of energy were drawn into him from the surrounding atmosphere for a few seconds. Jin then brought his hands to the side of his torso, cupping them for a split second before sending them forward just as quickly as they were summoned.

A beam, seven feet in diameter, made of pure dark energy was unleashed from his palms, screaming through the air and connecting as fast as it was thrown. Natalie summoned her own chi and shielded herself with a dome of her flames, gritting her teeth at the usage of power and strain.

Five seconds had passed and Jin finally stopped the barrage; he lunged forward. Natalie decided she had had enough. It was time to end this lunacy. As Jin lunged forward he aimed a kick at her cheek. Natalie ducked the kick and summoned her chi into her fist before sending it forward with extreme speed.

Jin’s eyes widened. He exhaled very sharply as Natalie’s hand exploded into flames and collided with his nether regions with intense force. Jin fell forward holding his family jewels and coughing in hard chokes. Natalie grinned for a second and stood straight.

Natalie took two steps back and surveyed Jin's form with pity. What had gotten over him? This was not the man whom she had met days ago. This was not the man who had once, then again who knows how many times, had saved her life.

The adrenaline was slowly escaping her veins, and Natalie once again felt the stabbing pain in her midsection. She held it firmly. Jin's eyes stayed focused on the rocky land underneath him.

"I do not understand Jin."

For the first time, Jin lifted his head and looked into her eyes. "You don't have to understand. Don't you see Natalie? I never hope. There is no hope for you, or for me, or for anyone in this doomed world. The Dark God's reign is approaching, and there is nothing you or anyone can do about it."

"You speak nonsense Jin. Whatever the outcome of this war will be, I shall fight until the end. Then I shall die. Not here and not now."

"You expect to die, then what if you don't?" Jin's eyes once again lowered. "I would rather kill you here and now, than watch as your soul slowly rots away into evil. I will not let you live a life like mine."

"This is not protecting me Jin!"

"It's the only protection I know." The Kushina warrior growled.

And with that, Jin swung his leg across, taking Natalie's feet from under her. An awestruck Natalie fell onto the mud-filled terrain, turquoise blue eyes widening in surprise and fear as Jin poised the Murasame sword an inch away from her throat…

***In that very nice and peaceful place in the forest…***
 

Shadow Dragon and Shockwave stood side by side, both with weapons at the ready and both well aware of this apparition’s origin: The Dark God. This was the power Naar himself.

First a dozen of small, stunted humanoids stepped out of the portal, wearing regular plates of black colored steel armor, forged in the dark world. They also wielded long curved scimitars, maces, flails and spears all forged of the same eerie colored steel.

These fiendish creatures were the Giak, man-eating beasts and the foot soldiers of the dark army. Behind them stood four large skeletons in field plate armor; their armored bones were covered in a long red robe and upon this long robe the battle symbol of the army of Naar was sewn. These were certainly the real threat, as they were some of the more elite warriors of Naar.

These warriors were armed with black, spiked Maces forged out of the dark metal named kagonite found only in the dark realm of Magnamund. They turned their bony features toward Shadow Dragon as the hollows one would call their eyes shone with a bright yellow glow.

"Shockwave, you take care of the runts, I’ll crush these bone heads, yes?" With that said Shadow Dragon launched himself forward as the four undead warriors leap over their shorter counterparts.

An inhuman screaming pierced Shockwave's ears. He cursed under his breath as the horde of Giak charged towards him.

"How come I get to the weenies all the time, it ain’t fair I tell ya" ShockWave thought out loud as he leapt into the air and kicked one of the approaching humanoids.

His foot hit with force the creature’s throat, smashing the windpipe. The Giak the impact force the Giak to spin backwards and to then land forcefully on the ground with a black bruise on it's throat; blood ruse from the wound causing a slow death to the freaky being.

Shockwave landed easily from the previous attack and twirled his staff, sending a spear jab of course while kicking back and ramming his shoe into a Giak charging from behind. His shoe crushed the creature’s nose, pushing the bone structure through the Giak’s skull, and mashing its small brain.

Another small humanoid growled in pain and fell back, as Shockwave circled around and slammed the end of his metal staff into the creature’s temple. First a crack, a convulse, and then an anguished cry and the Giak was dead with his skull shattered; blood oozed from his nose as he collapsed.

Two more approached and thus Shockwave thrust his staff forward at once while sidestepping; he leapt upwards while flipping and hurled his staff down once more.

His first thrust killed a Giak by piercing his eye and ramming through his skull. The second blow kills another by smashing the base of his skull, breaking it easily.

A blade sliced through his back as he landed, making Shockwave curse involuntarily. His immense offensive had left him vulnerable for a split second resulting in what was now a bleeding wound on his skin.

The rest of the Giak stepped back slightly in a defensive stance, finding their foe and possible snack stronger than they expected.

An angry Shockwave gritted his teeth and proceeded to summon forth his chi. Tendrils of power exploded from within him, licking his limbs as a bright blue light filled the 3 on 3 feet radius of the Kai warrior.

It then is transferred into his staff, making the metallic weapon exploding into blue energy. He swung the staff forward, creating a huge comet like projectile.

The powerful chi consumed all the Giak that were standing in a 4 on 4 feet radius before him. The Giak cried out loud as pain engulfs them; the power of the Kai incinerated their skin, bones and flesh.

The creatures' bodies transformed to ashes, along with the grass and a tree or two that unfortunately resided within the impact zone.

"You’ve gotta be…Oh shit!" Shockwave began to speak just as another two figures strode out of the portal.

One of them turned to Shockwave and chuckled "Kidding you? Oh no, we’re quite real Kai" he uttered.

Meanwhile, Shadow Dragon had just dodged a well aimed swing toward his gut .He twisted sideways while lifting his blade backwards and defending his back from another swing. The Kai warrior then turned and swiped his own blade toward one of the Vordak.

One the undead ducked under the quick swipe and stepped forward. Shadow Dragon grinned somewhat as his blade swung in a wide arc and sliced another Vordak's skull in half.

The skeleton shimmed softly in ebony and crumbled to dust, leaving its gear lying on the ground as its soul was seemingly set free from the forced corporeal shell Naar had imprisoned it inside.

Shadow Dragon could not avoid the next blow though, due to the close range between him and his opponent. The attacking Vordak rammed an armored hand into the warrior's jaw with devastating force.
Shadow Dragon angrily spit out some blood. His Sommersword clanged audibly as it collided against the Vordak's kagonite metal; then Shadow Dragon kicked its skeletal chin, sending the head flying and spinning as it rose higher and higher into the air before turning to dust.

Then he summons forth his magic powers; his gift as one of the disciples of Kai. He grinded his teeth together as the surge of power flowed through his body. Shadow Dragon's eyes pick up a bright glow as he readied to finish the two grotesque undead beings.

An unfamiliar pain obligated him to shut his eyes. He shook his head, as if to somehow thwart the throbbing from overcoming his mind.

"What is this?" In his dazed moment, a mace brought down Shadow Dragon. The strike caused him to crash heavily and painfully to the ground.

"Quite simple Disciple of Kai, my power is afoot, your magic shall not save you from this battle, if you are to survive, then you will endure it like a mortal"
A dark voice boomed in his mind. The sinister voice ended an amused chuckle and slowly faded away.

The voice was too familiar, filled with venom and malicious intent. Shadow Dragon growled in frustration of the Dark One's interference. He jumped up while swiping his blade, avoiding a stomp and decapitating one of the Vordak before spinning and breaking the skull of the last one with a well aimed kick.

The skeleton's body shimmered once as the dark magic was released and its tortured soul returned to the abyss, leaving a robe, armor and mace behind. Shadow Dragon landed on his feet and turned to the new auras he felt arriving on the battlefield.

Meanwhile, Zorkaan the Soul Taker hovered not far away from the battlefield, briefly scanning his soon to be host. After a few calculations in his head, Zorkaan grinned; at least he would have if he had a face to begin with. His "grin" faded when the familiar voice of Kekataag echoed in his mind. "Zorkaan, what are you waiting for? This is not an easy body for you to control."

"You are not my commander, and I heed not your orders whelp, leave me be." Zorkaan hissed mentally, annoyed at the sudden interruption of his thoughts.

"The Kai master grows weak. It shall be now or never. Come now, help me defeat Shadow Dragon, and avoid facing the wrath of our master!" the voice spoke to him and the mental projection trailed off.

"Fine, I’ll do it now" he muttered, inwardly feeling anxious and invigorated once more. Now was his chance to avenge his honor by controlling the one who defeated him in the stronghold of the elements so many years ago.

Zorkaan made his way through the foliage. Shadow Dragon turned to see a very familiar foe approach him.

"Kekataag…" he muttered as he took his stance.

"That is correct, and now my dear mortalized Kai, it is time to bow before the might of darkness and our lord Naar.”

Kekataag is a tall skeleton, clad in a dull golden armor. His eyes glowed in crimson red as he swung a large dual bladed axe in his armored hands. He held it with ease as if it were as light as a feather. He swayed it quite quickly in a few testing swings, his stance showing the mastery he possesses in the use of this weapon. His skeletal jaw twisted into a grin.

Not too far away, Shockwave nearly choked when he saw his new foe. "Ixiataaga…The Death Lord" he said in a small, slightly nervous tone. The Kai disciple wiped his forehead of the unwelcomed rain and took his stance once more.

"It is nice to be famous, yes? But not matter, I shall wipe these trivial thoughts from your mind when I smash your skull under my power." The Death Lord mused with a chuckle as he approached Shockwave.

The Death Lord is yet another undead warrior, a skeleton dressed in long black robes decorated with the signs of his position as one of Naar's generals. In contrast to his undead counterparts, Ixiataaga possess the skull of a goat.

He carries a large metallic staff, around waist long: the infamous Death Staff. It is carved with runes of dark magic, giving it the powers of the underworld and demonic weight, power, each of its blows titanic in strength. The weapon screeched in an inhuman way as it is swung through the dry air.

The Death Lord lunges and swung his staff. It shrieked as it approached Shockwave. He blocked but was sent soaring back by the immense momentum behind the blow.

Shockwave scurried to his feet and rolled aside avoiding a blow that would’ve probably broken his spine. He tried sweeping the Death Lord’s feet, but the skeletal being flipped over the attack and brought his staff downwards.

Shockwave gasped lightly, barely avoiding the killer blow. He blinked twice as he eyed the crater that was created on the ground he was standing a mere second ago. Shockwave moved aside and smacked Ixiataaga's back.

The being turned to him, lashing his magic weapon toward his neck. Shockwave ducked and miraculously avoided a certain painful decapitation, leaping back and reentering his stance.

Shockwave continued his duel with Ixiataaga and avoided the deadly blows, with more luck than skill, praying to Kai for surviving such a foe.

As Ixiataaga and Shockwave fought, Shadow Dragon shook his head at Kekataag the Avenger. Shadow Dragon lunged forward, swinging his blade.

Kekataag sidestepped and twirled around while swinging his axe at his back. Shadow Dragon ducked and spun around while lashing out his blade once more. Kekataag’s armor deflected the blow, and yet the Sommersword left a long line in it, almost leaving it destroyed.

Kekataag smirked as he stepped forward and kicked Shadow Dragon landing and hitting him with a sidekick. Shadow Dragon staggered back, the force reeling him of balance slightly.

But he overcame this quickly and leapt over an axe swing. He directed a kick at the dark warrior’s head, sending him spinning forward and landing on his back. Shadow Dragon followed the attack by thrusting his sword downward, intending to impale Kekataag.

The undead warrior shifted sideways, much to the surprise of the Kai master, the sword sunk beside him and kicked back, hitting Shadow Dragon’s abdomen and sending him reeling back.

"Not so tough without magic, are you Shadow Dragon?" He asked in an amuse tone.

Shadow Dragon growled and summoned his chi, intending to wipe the skeletal grin off Kekataag’s face.

A sudden interference in his body made him blink wildly and cry in pain. A familiar black mist curled around him, seeking to invade his mind.

"Hahahaha, finally we meet in my realm oh master of Kai" Zorkaan laughed in Shadow Dragon’s mind. Shadow Dragon directed his attention once more to the reality outside his psyche when he heard an arid whistle in the air. He ducked instinctively and avoided decapitation.

He then focused once more on Zorkaan, as the Soul Taker sporadically sent veins of pain through his nerves. Shadow Dragon soon blasted Kekataag back and sent him rolling with his Mage fist before narrowing his eyes.

Zorkaan took the form of a dragon and blew fire at Shadow Dragon’s psychic image. Shadow Dragon formed a shield and then seemingly turned his arms into crossbows, shooting bolts of energy.

Zorkaan laughed evilly as turned his misty skin into a metallic texture, the blows rebounding off it.

"In the realm of the mind, I will prevail!"  Zorkaan boomed and laughed at Shadow Dragon before being blasted by a psychic force and growling.

Kekataag stopped himself before killing Shadow Dragon, who was preoccupied with the mental battle with Zorkaan. He nodded to an unseen force and grabbed Shadow Dragon, tossing him into the portal. Satisfied, Kekataag entered the black vortex himself.

"Brother! NO!!!!" Shockwave shouted in anguish. Ixiataaga retreated into the void as well, laughing.

"You lose, Kai warrior." he said as he melted into the portal.

Shockwave blinked and gulped as many Vordak and Giak began to be spawned out of the portal. A small platoon of 20 Giak and 6 Vordak were now in the Earth realm.

The portal exploded brightly as the energy swirled once more before rising back in form of long lines of purple smog, melting into the clouds. The last booming thunder roared audibly and the portal disappears and with it, the storm subsided.

Shockwave lost himself in thought for a moment. He was alone, and the foes were many. After a small debate with his pride, Shockwave realized that victory could not be his. And thus he did the only reasonable thing left to do.

He ran…he ran as fast as he could with all the force of his enhanced Kai powers, in hope of finding help, for himself and his brother.
 

***In the Fighter's Stadium***

"Oh ho ho!! The pain! The sweet pain!" Karin raised a skeptic eyebrow as she glanced over to the funny looking military guy that had accompanied her partner Victoria into the Stadium. Volpe carefully and yet painfully poked into his strained ankle.

"Told ya to slow down Volpe hon. There was no hurry." Victoria said as she placed an icepack over his ankle.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!!!!!!"

Both ladies jumped back.

"Sweet Vicky, thou heart is as warm as the sun, but dear lady, THOU HAVE VERY COLD HANDS! OW!"

"Don't call me Vicky"

Aaron Volpe rubbed the throbbing back of his head. "My apologies dear maiden…"

Both Karin and Victoria looked back over their shoulders as their names were announced through the Stadium's speakers.

"Wish me good luck Volpe-kun." Victoria muttered as she patted the detective's head and pranced away.

Both female fighters stepped into the ring. "So where is this oh so powerful warrior we're going to face?" Karin said with a yawn. Victoria merely shrugged and tightened her sneaker.

Then she appeared before them.

Victoria looked up and glared at the woman who had caused everyone so much trouble and who had slain one of her friends.

"Acinomia" Vicky muttered out.

Karin could acutely sense her teammate's displeasure with their opponent and decided to step back and wordlessly gave her partner the first round.

With a growl, Rage took control of Victoria's mind and body when the match began. She ignored the crowd's cheers and uncharacteristically dashed straight towards her opponent, daggers flashed quickly into her hands. Acinomia's eyes flashed angrily as she clutched at the brooch that was set upon her chest, power radiating in readiness as she awaited Victoria's attack….
 

***Back to Jin and Natalie…umm…again***
 

Natalie swallowed the lump in her throat. Her body muscles tensed, daring not to move, for any slight motion could cause

"Go ahead Jin. Kill me. I do not fear pain or death. If my time has come then so be it."

"So be it…" Jin repeated as he pulled his arm slightly back and drove the silver-white blade through Natalie's exposed throat.

...Or so Natalie had initially believed, for she opened her eyes only to discover, with great relief, that Jin had withdrawn his attack, placing his sword back into its sheath. The furious rain had now ceased to mere raindrops and Natalie allowed a small smile to tug at her lips as she felt the cool sensation of the liquefied trinkets on her face.

Natalie would never admit it, but she felt some sort of an attraction towards the Kushina warrior. Her heart right now though, felt broken and shattered. Her trust had been betrayed. She sighed in disappointment, lifted herself onto her elbows and then slowly to her feet, beginning her long walk home.

Jin said nothing as he watched her walk away.

"No! I am not like you!" She said turning to him abruptly. "I do not run away from my problems. I face them!"

She grabbed Jin's collar forcefully. "You are going to talk, even if I have to kick every single word out of your mouth!"

The man grunted out of her grip. She merely sat in front of him, waiting for him to commence talking.

"The moments in my life in which I have been given the freedom to make my own decisions have been little…" Jin sighed, and for the first time in years had he felt like opening up to someone. "…And now that I have been given the opportunity once more, I make the wrong one."

"Like I said, I never hope. One who hopes for nothing, loses nothing. I made an oath to your brother, an oath to protect you, even if it meant your death."

Natalie turned her face away from him at the mention of her brother. She does a splendid job in masking her emotions, Jin thought, almost as well as him.

Since his youth, Jin had befriended Astaroth, both being swept by Naar's training at almost the same time. Both had become bitter, uncaring, ungiven to any emotion or any faith. They were the perfect pawns for evil; the ideal puppets pulled by Naar's strings.

Naar always wanted more though, and anything or anyone that could possibly hold a challenge to his reign in the future merely had two choices: to join his forces or to suffer a painful death.

Jin shook his head, unable to say more.

With a sigh, Natalie scooted closer to him. "I'm going to regret this…" Jin blinked a couple of times as Natalie gently placed her hand on his chest. He watched as she frowned in painful concentration as she forced the remains of her energy to come forth and heal the man beside her.

Jin's next action surprised the hell out of even him. His hand subconsciously trailed towards Natalie's fingers, holding them in a small embrace. His face lowered towards hers, not slowly, but not extremely fast either and their lips met in a small, timid kiss.

Natalie's eyes widened in shock, and yet she chose not to resist the strong arm that chose to pose itself around her waist. Now more relaxed, did she let her energy flow, healing Jin's most damaging wounds…
 
 
 

***In a cabin…no not that cabin…yes that…no! Yes, that cabin, to your left… right there***
 

"I don't know how this happened, or why I did what I did. Dammit, I'm not even one of them." She looked at a nearby ally. "I'm not even belonging of another world either." She applied some golden lipstick to her voluptuous lips and smacked them, "I'm sure it's quite human when you feel the world cannot understand you and death is the only escape."

From a short distance Zuke rolled his eyes, "She's talking to herself. She's always talking to her damn self. How can a social, materialistic brat talk to herself? Is everyone else not good enough?"

John Heagy shrugged, "Maybe she's the only one that really listens."

Zuke inhaled slowly giving Nis-Nis a pensive gaze. He then turned to John, "She's not that deep, dear...the attention span of a child and the wanting the limelight of a teenager. Then the hormones of a young adult… gawed, she's more human than half the people on this island."

Heagy decided to smile between his bites of burgers, "At least she's not some psychotic moron who's only reason in life is to fight a better person and live another day alone. What a way to waste your life."

Kumori frowned, "Hey!" She pointed to Heagy and immediately his burger dissipated into thin air.

"Oh my gawed!!!" He hollered, "No!!!" Before he could blink, all the burgers were gone. He felt annihilated, "My stomach will never forgive me." He began franticly searching under the couches and sofas.

Iwa drank some green tea with honey and stared at the sun, whom was now lazily poking it's golden rays through the disappearing storm clouds. She sighed knowing somewhere out there was a half naked Chun-Li with a Ryu following her on the verge of a nosebleed.

Heagy wiped a tear and sat back up, "Kumori, if you weren't a girl I'd-" He turned to face her, but a got an open wide eye in response. He was staring straight at Nis-Nis's back; she let her hair down.

Zuke rolled his eyes, "The hair comes down and the nose becomes a flowing." He walked over to Iwa, "You're the only one with common sense, here. Why do you put up with all this immature behavior? I'm supposed to be in the presence of the best fighters in the entire world and instead I'm finding myself-"

"You know," Iwa began looking up at him through her glasses, "With all this destruction that's going on in this place… you would think everyone needs to let loose or they're going to end up hallowing out from within."

He didn't say another word. 'What a human thing to say' Zuke looked at the window, but he didn't stare at the rising sun. He looked, first at Iwa's reflection, then at Nis-Nis's purple streaked hair, 'Beautiful indeed.'

Iwa frowned. She saw a figure not too far away running. He wouldn't stop running. He was running straight for the window she was sitting infront of!

"Help me!!" Shockwave hollered then *SMACK* right into the window.

Zuke couldn't believe his eyes. He blinked. He blinked again. He blinked a third. He looked at Iwa. She was still blinking. He looked behind him to see Nis's facial expression. She was already opening the door. "Nis what are you doing?! You trust some psycho that ran into our window?"

She frowned, "If you can let in two girls that are peeping Toms then I'm letting in the window crusher!"

Iwa smiled, "Don't worry, it's just Shockwave."

Kumori jumped up, "Shocky-poo!"
 

***Hours and a headache later…***
 

"Is this it?" Kumori asked.

"Yup," Shockwave nodded.
 
"How do you know?" Heagy asked, "It's just like the past half hour of foliage we've been walking through."

Shockwave glared at him with an "I just know" look.

Heagy's stomach grumbled.

Zuke laughed, "Your stomach talks more than you do, Heagy."

Heagy nodded with a, "Mhmmm."

Iwa stepped up on a rock, "Shockwave is right. I feel the forest talking to me. Telling me… it's saying…"

"I think the scorched grass and burnt trees are also a good clue Iwa…" Zuke piped up annoyingly. A nasty look from Nis-Nis soon followed.

Suddenly a sharp blast exploded right against Iwa's shoulder and she flew. Kumori ran to aide her friend, but Nis caught her first.
 
"You cool?"

Iwa gripped her shoulder. The blast had knocked it out of its socket.

The Phoenix female frowned, "Kumori, work your magic."

"Don't have to tell me twice," she hollered throwing some blasts at the upcoming figures approaching…
 

***Er…Jin and Natalie take the stage once again…yay!***

The force had hit them both with extreme might. Jin was knocked away while Natalie was sent into the depths of unconsciousness as the fiery onslaught engulfed the kissing couple in a grayish hellfire of tendrils of heat and increasing energy.

As both fell the ground, a powerful and familiar presence let itself be known. The Kushina warrior quickly rose to his feet and turned to face the bearer of this immense power.

"Astaroth?" Jin says, his bitter voice masked the slight confusion he felt; an emotion that was almost as insignificant as a pebble that makes a ripple in the ocean.

Astaroth looked at him, locking his cold eyes in his. For a bystander such glare contest would have been bone chilling as no emotion ran though any pair of eyes.

"So the traitor does like my sister." An emotionless smirk decorated Astaroth's face for a split second.

The word "traitor" echoed in Jin's mind. His best guess was that Naar had been once again messing with Astaroth's head.

Jin took his stance, standing in front of the currently limp form of Natalie. Astaroth did not seem to acknowledge his actions and raised his hand. Tendrils of gray chi erupted from his arms and exploded from within his palm.

The energy formed into a long cylinder and then flared brightly. The flash subsided, slowly revealing the Nodachi. A weapon which has claimed the lives of his opponents countless times would now aim it's deadly blade at the one who was seemingly Astaroth's friend, Jin Kushina.

Jin did not look phased as he lifted his Murasame blade and entered his own weapon bound stance. Astaroth nodded and Jin follows suit before both warriors bolted forward. Jin swings his sword toward Astaroth's abdomen, as quickly as the blade was lashed out; it was blocked as Astaroth used his Nodachi to deflect the blow.

Then he spun around and aimed his blade at the Kushina's back while in the motion. Jin ducked and the blade whistled over his head, another inch and he would have gotten a permanent haircut. Jin then leapt and spun around while extending his foot.

Astaroth sidestepped and Jin's foot missed his nose; it whistled pass his ear. Astaroth took the sidestep motion further and brought the Blade of the Nodachi grazing on Jin's back, slicing the fabric and a little skin, leaving a small line of crimson on the warrior's back.

Jin winced slightly and turned around the second he landed. He tried to retaliate with a quick short-arced slash. Astaroth saw it coming and raised his Nodachi, the metal rod of the weapon deflected the attack soundly. But the second it does, Jin spun around in the opposite direction and brought his blade toward Astaroth again.

The long weapon, though quick, was unable to rival the speed of the attack, so instead Astaroth turned his body sideways; the blade slit a portion of his arm, cutting into the skin; dark crimson blood formed down his muscular arm and soaked his sleeve.

Astaroth stepped back and gritted his teeth in slight pain. He then twirled his Nodachi around masterfully as he circled around Jin. Jin changed the defensive angles of his blade to adjust to Astaroth's position as he circled around him in the same way.

Jin's eyes narrow slightly as he summoned his chi. The energy summoned formed fiery images in the air as he dashed forward. He brought the blade to his hip before slashing it in an extremely wide arc. The Murasame sliced through the air leaving a wide and black trail of flames in its wake.

An unexpected lightning bolt blinded Jin. His eyes widen slightly as his blade slices through nothing more than the murky storm-affected air. Astaroth's had taken advantage of the immanent lightning strike to conceal the flash of his teleportation.

Jin cursed under his breath as he quickly raised the Murasame blade to his upper body level and turned around rapidly just as thunder roared in a deafening way. The sight of Astaroth's gray flames greeted him, as the dark warrior had masterfully used the roaring of the thunder to mask the words used to execute his feared Kaze Barai attack.

The powerful fire formed in the shape of a huge wave as it made its way toward the Kushina warrior with immense speed. Jin grunted as he tried to move out of the way. His efforts were in vain as the flames collided with him, bathing him in a shroud of heat and intense fire.

Jin was knocked back. Astaroth ran upon the arid plane with the intention of driving the blade through the Kushina's abdomen.

Jin rolled out of the way but was still slightly vulnerable and a little off balance. Astaroth's eyes pick up a red glow; flames erupted violently and swirled within the pale blue orbs as he leapt slightly upward while spinning around. Jin manages to bend backwards, making Astaroth's foot miss him by half an inch.

Astaroth's eyes flashed slightly with frustration as he landed on the ground. Jin's fingers curled around his neck as with a vise strong chokehold

"...Abayo" (...So long) He muttered as he lifted him up just before sending him to the ground, bursting into ebony flames.

The fire expanded across Astaroth's body and burned into his skin somewhat as he dropped to the ground heavily. Jin then kicked Astaroth on the ribs and sends him rolling back a few feet. The Kushina leapt into the air and channeled his chi once more.

He drew his foot back and dove diagonally downward, and slammed into Astaroth with his now black fire engulfed foot with his infamous Fuusetsu Ken. Astaroth leapt upward in an angle that allowed him to avoid Jin's kick, all while extending his hand and sending it diagonally upward as well.

Jin inhaled sharply as Astaroth's hand grabs his neck putting him into a strong chokehold as lifted the Kushina into the air with his momentum. Jin cursed as Astaroth did a quick somersault and then dove down quickly.

The Kushina was greeted by pain as Astaroth rammed the back of his head against the ground, extremely hard. He grunted for he knew well the second more nasty part of the Asseiteki Haji. A mere millisecond after his head hit the ground, Astaroth's eyes and arm burst into a gray hue as searing flames bathed Jin.

Jin convulsed in pain, his neck being wounded slightly as the his opponent's fingers dashed deep burns against his skin. Astaroth then leapt backwards and resumed his stance while twirling his Nodachi.

"You can't win this Jin…" he says coldly as Jin slowly rose to his feet.

Jin coughed roughly and lifted his gaze. His were now eyes cold and angry as he lunged forward again, sending his blade toward Astaroth's abdomen. The Enigmatic warrior deflects it and then parried a slash toward his head. He pushed Jin back with the Nodachi's long shaft and then stepped forward as well.
The two began exchanging blows. Astaroth struck; yet it was dodged via a very quick sidestep. Jin then slashed toward Astaroth's ribcage, blocked by the Nodachi once more. Then Astaroth lifted his knee, ramming it into the Kushina's abdomen.

Jin exhaled sharply and stepped back only to bring his foot upwards, ramming into Astaroth's forehead. Astaroth staggered back and Jin slashed at him quickly. Astaroth tried in vain to bring his Nodachi up to block, for the weapon was knocked out of his hand as Jin slashed up soon after.

Astaroth gritted his teeth as the blade sliced deeply into him, cutting through the layer of skin and muscle and flesh beneath it, leaving a long and bleeding wound at it's path. Astaroth stepped back as Jin attempted to attack him again. Astaroth managed to dodge Jin's quick stab and then brought one fist forward while using his other hand to grab the hand the Kushina was using to hold his blade.

Jin's head was tossed backwards as the fist slammed into his chin in a uppercut motion. Astaroth proceeded to move his attacking hand to grab Jin's own as well and lifted it up before flipping Jin. Jin landed on his back heavily. Astaroth twisted his arm while slamming his foot into his abdomen, disarming him.

Then Astaroth paced back and kicked the Murasame blade away. Then Astaroth re-summoned his Nodachi.

Jin climbed to his feet shakily panting tiredly. He glared at Astaroth who looked back at him with an intense cold stare. Then he gritted his teeth and began channeling immense amounts of his chi into him; his clothes and hair flapped violently as flames erupted from within him. He brought his fists to his sides.

Astaroth drops his Nodachi and shivered as he tried to get up. Jin roared and dashed forward at the opponent in a blur of speed. A furious blend of punches and kicks in conjunction with his flames were released against Astaroth, wrecking ruin and pain upon the enforcer.

Or at least that's what Jin was hoping to do... But to his disdain, Astaroth flashed and teleported to safety just in time and Jin's fist sailed through the air, whistling loudly in a menacing way, but all in vain.

Summoning such amount of chi had weakened. He pants tiredly. Then a powerful blow rammed into the tendons of he left leg, sending him crashing to the ground. He tried to turn and defend himself but a fist slammed into his face.

He spitted out blood and saliva. A hand then forcefully yanked on his hair. Astaroth then rammed Jin's face into the ground, once, twice, and then again, making sure the
Kushina was down. Then he summoned his Nodachi and twirled it, the blade gleaming with an eerie light as he prepared to bring Jin's life to an end.

Then he swung the blade toward the beaten warrior…

"DAVID!!"

A familiar female voice catches his attention just before the owner of the voice suddenly appears in a blur, shielding Jin and gazing up at Astaroth as the latter's Nodachi stops barely an inch from her chest. Astaroth's senses return momentarily and his eyes seem to change suddenly, softening for a second, the corners of his lips turning downward slightly...

"David..."

Natalie pauses, "Astaroth..." she corrects with traces of melancholy in her voice and eyes as she gazes up at him. Astaroth sighs, such a low sigh that it can barely be heard as he pulls back slightly and lets the sword rest pointing downward at his side, though still poised to fight at a moment's notice.

Jin could only look up at the siblings in silence.

"Why are you here..." his deep voice more states than questions. Natalie's pale blue eyes, much the same as his own, still gaze at him with the emotions of regret, scorn and pity burning in them.

"Stop it... You've gone more than far enough..."

"No, I haven't. Naar's will... is for..."

"DAMMIT, ASTAROTH!! Shut up about him!!" Natalie snaps at her brother, or at least, whom she used to call brother. Astaroth's eyes shut and he grits his teeth for a second as she speaks...

"You don't get it! You don't HAVE to obey him! Jin is your friend... I don't care what you've been taught, or what he says, or anything! His will is NOT absolute!" Natalie half growls, spitting the words out scornfully as her blue eyes narrow and seem to brighten in hue. Astaroth stares at her for a moment, the fiery passion in her words and features reminding him briefly of how he used to be, such a long time ago. His eyes narrow once again as his mind regains composure.

"You know nothing, he is far more powerful than anything you've ever fathomed... too powerful. And... he... will have his way..." he says, almost regretfully, his fists unconsciously clenching around the hilt of the Nodachi. His brow furrows slightly as he feels the familiar, yet hated and unwelcomed force pressing into his mind once again.

Natalie's eyes widen slightly.

"Something's wrong... no..." she thinks. Sensing what's happening to her brother, Natalie rises to stand rather than kneel before him.

"Fight it! You CAN keep him out! There's still good left in you, somewhere... Just don't let him take control!"

Astaroth's eyes close tightly, his head and chest aching in painful throbs. His fists clench tighter, causing the blade of the nodachi to shake a bit. He slowly raises it again.

"You will submit... you have no choice..." a dark voice echoes in his head. "There's nothing left of you to fight... just submit..."

Natalie growls slightly, becoming frustrated as she feels he is about to give in.

"Stop it!!" she yells and steps forward. Just as Astaroth's eyes once again take on a dark look, her hand slaps hard across his left cheek. Astaroth's eyes widen as his head snaps sideways. He blinks slowly...

"Natalie?" he questions slowly, looking at her as he lowers his nodachi again, one hand touching his cheek. He pulls it away, looking at the residue of blue energy glowing faintly on his hand before slowing disappearing.

She exhales slowly, closing her eyes, "Finally..."

Astaroth looks down, cursing under his breath at what he had nearly done. "Naar..." he mutters.

With one last tired sight, Natalie collapsed into Jin's arms. Jin paid no heed to the young woman in his arms though, for he arose his senses to the eerie auras that were now plaguing the Fighter's Isle. They were all too familiar.

"You feel them too…" Astaroth plainly stated toward his former opponent.

"Lets go" Jin grunted. The two men teleported out of the rocky earth with an unconscious Natalie.
 

***Back to the forest…***

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!!!!! What are those ugly, disgusting little things!!" Kumori hollered as she pounced on a very surprised John Heagy. His face turned beet red and his nose threatened to explode.

"Ew…" Nis muttered. "Don't worry dear. Those lil freaks are easily taken down" The Phoniex lady said as she directed her attention from the upcoming Giak to the sweat dropping Iwa that rested in her arms. Iwa didn't know what to fear most…Nis-Nis or those ugly looking dwarfs.

Zuke merely scratched his head and eyed Shockwave, raising an appreciative eyebrow and smiling slightly. The Kai warrior inhaled deeply then exhaled profoundly…

"Here we go again…"