Urien gazed out the window of his luxurious hotel room, overlooking the city on Fighter’s Isle. Such bad luck. He had hoped that things would start looking up for him, but ever since Memphis Long and Locke Koh’s sudden thought to abandon their duties, his plans had been foiled and the results delayed. To make things worse, the woman who had been in Locke’s hospital room had apparently disappeared. Either that or checked out of the hospital. He sighed, wondering how his lackeys could have missed seeing her departure. She had been his leverage, his insurance. No one double-crossed him. Abruptly, he looked up as the phone rang. He stepped away from the window, picking up his phone.

“What is it?” he demanded.

“I assume you do not wish to be disturbed by your tone of voice,” came a voice. “That leads me to believe that things are not going well with the Essences and those two pathetic beings who call themselves assassins…”

“It’s you,” Urien acknowledged. He did not need a lecture from Gill right now. “If you must know, I’m awaiting a report on them.”

Urien swore Gill was shaking his head. “One gets nowhere when they must rely on others…”

As if the statement didn’t even apply to Gill. How many did his bidding, anyway?

“If I were you, it might be best to keep an eye on those two, collect the Essences, and ensure that Bison does not catch them first,” Gill said.

Urien fought a snappy retort. “I am aware of the situation. I can handle it.”

“Excellent. Also…Bison does not take failure lightly…I understand that Memphis Long and Locke Koh were his employees for a short time as well. They performed the same trick on him that they did on you,” Gill continued. “Get the money before Bison gets to them.”

“I know,” Urien assured, seething on the inside. He knew all of what Gill was saying before he hired them. Why talk to him as if he was only using the primitive part of his brain?

“Very well. I expect results soon.” Click.

Ring.

“Yes?” Urien nearly barked into the phone.

“Sir, we have some information that you might find valuable,” one of his employees spoke up.
Urien straightened. “Excellent. Give me all the details as soon as you arrive…”

He smiled slyly. Things might be looking up, after all…

***********

Looking around the dimly lit, musty room yet again, Natalie began to wish that her brother or Jin would have at least stuck around to give her some company. She had no idea how many hours she'd been there. There was no way of seeing any sunlight -- if they had one in this place -- and for some reason, her watch had chosen to stop working. Sighing, she mentally reminded herself to at least be thankful for the heat that Jin had provided. Idly, she wondered what really possessed him to show kindness like that, no matter how emotionless his face was or how monotone his voice. Leaning her head back against the wall, she closed her eyes and drifted off into thought.

"Perhaps he was just being courteous when he did that, but I can't help but wonder why he came here in the first place... I mean, he DID make his feelings clear.” Natalie allowed herself to let loose a small sigh. “I wish mine were more clear. It's strange, but I can't stop caring about him. In fact, I'm probably one of the few people who does...” A brief pause. “But I also can't allow my feelings to make him uneasy..."

She sighed again in frustration and lightly banged her head against the wall, slightly irritated that Jin, as well as her brother, seemed invincible and unafraid of everything... except emotions. She smirked wryly as she entertained the thought of what would happen if she just decided to grab Jin, lean him over one arm -- she was strong, and he couldn't weigh THAT much -- and kiss him.

"I'd probably give him a heart attack..." she mused with a quiet chuckle, briefly glad that she could get her mind off her morbid surroundings. "I wonder what Dav... Astaroth would say...?" she thought, trying to imagine if her brother would encourage or berate her for showing any feelings for Jin. She huffed slightly. "He's never been THAT protective, from what I can tell."

Thinking more on her brother, she hmmed. She really knew few facts on him, but she also knew things he probably didn't think she did. Like he had been upset with Jin just outside her door, for not protecting her. She didn't hear anything said, but she could feel his sense of betrayal, and Jin's defensiveness. It made her feel guilty that she'd thought he had betrayed her as well. Actually, she felt guilty for accusing them both, considering the circumstances. It would be best that she be sacrificed alone than for all three of them to die...

Suddenly, she got that tugging feeling in the back of her mind again... the one that told her that it was close. Her destiny would soon be completed. How, she wasn't sure, but she knew that her purpose here would be finished soon... and then what? Then, she assumed the release she had longed for in previous years would come. And she would be ready for it; the only question in her mind was, would those who had come to care about her be so ready? She made a mental note to write her friends back home a letter, and to buy Guile a cup of coffee and maybe a few donuts for the others, particularly Volpe. "Pretty pink ones with sprinkles...” she thought with a small smile.

***********

Volpe helped Crimson settle into a chair. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

Crimson closed his eyes as he tried to absorb the events that had happened and the responsibility Ryu had bestowed upon him. When he looked up, he could see the concern and curiosity in his friend’s face, and in Guile’s. He stared at the ground bleakly.

“Hey…” Dan waved a hand in front of him. “He’s gone…” He started snapping his fingers.

Guile grabbed Dan’s shoulder and pulled him back. “Give the kid some air. What happened, Crimson?”

“Bison…” Crimson cringed. That fight with Vega had worn him out. It even hurt to talk. “Fighting…them…”

Guile’s eyes widened.

“Ryu…said…he needed help…” Crimson continued.

Guile shook his head. “You have to show me where they are. Can you make it?”

Crimson nodded. “I think so…”

“Sir,” Volpe spoke up. “He can’t recover if we go out. I’m willing to go with you, but-”

“I understand what you’re saying, Volpe,” Guile interrupted. “But right now, I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave him alone. Especially in his condition …”

Volpe nodded before assisting Dan help Crimson to his feet.

It didn’t take too long for the group to head out. Guile listened to Crimson’s instructions to a tee. As they headed over, Guile pressed a button to speed dial Chun Li’s phone.

It was answered in one ring. But no voice spoke at the other end for several moments.

“Hello?” Guile called out. “Hello?!”

A quiet beep and click filled his ear to indicate that the receiver had hung up. With wide eyes, he turned to the three young men.

“He’s got them,” he said grimly.

Dan gulped. Volpe’s eyes dimmed, both men realizing the severity of the situation. Crimson could barely stand, yet he tried anyway.

“I didn’t make it…” he whispered. “I couldn’t get you guys in time…”

“We’ll think of something,” Guile assured him. “Bison might use Ryu and Chun Li to lure out Iwa and Kumori…we know how badly he wants them. We just have to find everyone…”

*******

“We tracked down the woman from the hospital,” Urien’s employee announced. “She checked out of the hospital not too long ago. Prior to her departure, we noticed something fairly...interesting about her…”

“Oh? And what’s that?” Urien leaned forward on the sofa as his employee stood at attention. He was starting to get into a good mood. His subordinate had arrived in less than ten minutes. That was efficiency.

“She was in the hospital room of another young man...a friend of hers, we believe. A girl was in the room with her, apparently there to see the young man. The young man had gone berserk it seemed, and a fight occurred between them. Then a mark appeared on the woman’s forehead, and a glowing blue light engulfed the young man.”

Urien stood up anxiously. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” the aide responded. “The hospital volunteer we paid off said he was passing by during his rounds and saw the whole incident.”

Urien began to chuckle. He was really starting to enjoy this day. “Well…Mr. Koh’s lady friend is an Essence…I find this extremely amusing, don’t you, Mr. Starke?”

His aide nodded once. “In addition to that…”

Urien narrowed his eyes slightly. “There’s more?”

“Yes. Locke Koh called to inform you that he will be returning the money you paid him and Memphis Long. The transactions have started already. You should be receiving all the money within the next few days.”

“Excellent…” Urien crossed his arms, a small smile crossing his face. “I believe we have some hunting to do…”

**************

Natalie was shaken from her thoughts by the creaking sound of the door swinging open. She looked up, hoping it was Astaroth or Jin, but instead saw what had to be one of the ugliest creatures she’d ever seen. It was skeleton-like, shorter than she was, but much broader, with the skull-like head of some strange animal. Where eyes were supposed to be, glowing orbs of green light replaced them. She held in a gasp, not wanting to show any hint of fear or shock towards any creature of Naar. It snarled at her in an animalistic growl.

“Come with me, pitiful human...”

She could barely make out the words, but eventually got the message, seeing the chains and shackles it held in its bony hands. She narrowed her eyes and stood, ready to face whatever was ahead, even Naar himself. Strengthening her resolve, she slowly walked towards the creature, stopping a few feet away. She held back a grimace as it roughly grabbed her hands and placed the heavy shackles on them, holding the chain to ensure she wouldn’t escape. She gulped silently as the creature began to lead her down the long, dark corridors...

**********

He felt strangely disoriented. It was an unusual feeling. Ryu opened his eyes, barely seeing his comrades sitting nearby in the dark. He shifted, hearing the scrape of metal as it dragged across a surface. He was shackled, pretty much like everyone else. He tugged at his chains, feeling the base of the chain from above, as if anchored to the wall.

“Ken?” he whispered, his voice raw. “Chun Li?”

“Ryu?” came a response. “You all right, buddy?”

“Yes…” Ryu’s ears picked up rhythmic breathing. Everyone else was either asleep or unconscious. “Where are we? How long have we been here?”

“I don’t know,” Ken answered quietly.

Ryu moved to a sitting position. “Don’t lose faith, Ken. We’ll figure this out.”

His friend responded with a short laugh. A faked one, too, if he wasn’t mistaken. “Yeah…stay positive…”

“If we can get out, someone will at least find us,” Ryu added to give him some hope. “Guile’s still out there, and so is-”

“Iwa and Kumori?” Ken prompted. “I think somewhere along the way, that became Bison’s plan, Ryu…”

The wandering warrior’s jaw tightened. “I know…I know…”

*************

Jin knelt before his dark master. “You asked to see me?”

A dark voice chuckled. [I did...]

“What would you have me do, master?” Jin asked quietly in monotone, head bowed and not looking up to the Dark God. Not that he could, even if he wanted to, considering Naar’s obligation to always remain incorporeal.

[Astaroth is busy watching the events on earth for me. While he does that, I want to see if you could perhaps break the strong will of my new future servant...]

Hidden by his bangs, Jin’s eyes darkened just slightly. He fought down the faint dread tugging at the pit of his stomach, placing his stoic facade back in check and trying to quickly quench all emotions. “You mean the girl?”

As if on cue, a clatter of chains entered the room, followed by a thud as Natalie was cast roughly to the ground behind Jin, effectively answering his question.

Natalie shuddered once, feeling a terrible, indescribable evil seeping from every part of the room, particularly in front of her. Though she could see it, the latter was quick to gauge its source.

“Naar...” she nearly spat.

As a deep, echoing voice chuckled; she slowly lifted her gaze. What she saw just in front of her and Jin was nothingness, a black, cold side of the room where the dim light did not penetrate. The blackness shifted every now and then, showing that it was indeed some sort of entity, perhaps in one of many forms. Her eyes narrowed: this was her enemy.

[Young Natalie, I presume...] the voice rang into her mind, surprising the latter with its unexpected nature. [My future loyal servant.]

“Never. I don’t serve demons...” she nearly growled in an act of defiance. Silent alarms began to go off in Jin’s mind as his master told him to rise, which he did, standing to the side and watching the girl who was perhaps too brave for her own good.

[I am no demon, wretched child,] Naar boomed. [I am GOD]

“God is just, caring and all powerful,” Natalie began, continuing her defiant role. “You are none of those, therefore you are nothing but a self-centered, over-confident demon who is too stupid to realise his battle is already lost,” she then finished in a calm yet firm, matter-of-fact tone. Jin’s eyes widened slightly. That was NOT something you’d dare to say to Naar’s face...

With no warning whatsoever, a powerful yet invisible force of energy suddenly tore through the room, staggering even Jin as it slammed into its target. Feeling the full brunt of the attack, Natalie collided heavily with the ground and a quiet grunt of pain, but dared to look up again, spite oozing from her gaze. “I await the day I see you destroyed...” she hissed.

Again, Natalie felt the force of a similar attack, this time with enough force to slam her body back-first against the stone wall. This time, Natalie let out a sharp cry of pain. Jin watched with a steadily increasing heartbeat, he could’ve sworn he heard a crack. Natalie slumped to the floor, gritting her teeth at the new pain in her left shoulder. Again, she looked up towards Naar with the most hateful look Jin had ever seen from her, surprising him. Though now, for her sake, she was silent at least.

[Kushina... take the whip from Gaal. Break this stubborn girl’s will into submission.]

For a second Jin didn’t move. He felt almost as if he couldn’t. Then, obediently, he did as commanded, taking a cruel-looking whip from the creature that had brought her in, the same whip with which he and Astaroth had been beaten with countless times in the past. Roughly, yet still holding back much of his strength, he used the chain her hands were still bound with to yank her from the wall. For a moment he stared at her back before slowly raising the whip...

[Aren’t you forgetting something? It never stings nearly as well through cloth.] Naar stated, in an almost irritated tone at Jin’s sudden reluctance and inability to see the obvious.

Trying to conceal any emotion that tried its best to tug at him, he lowered the whip and reached forward with one hand. Tucking two fingers into the back of her collar, he quickly jerked down, tearing the back of her shirt to expose her back, leaving only the thin back of her bra to conceal any skin from the beating. As far as he was concerned, no force on any world could make him go farther than that.

Natalie’s face flushed slightly at that moment. He was going to do it; he was actually going to beat her. She had hoped he would at least try to avoid this. “He must truly be a slave to Naar,” she thought, very sadly. Still, she found she could hold no malice against him, even for her own sake. Just as he raised the whip, she turned her face slightly toward him, glancing up at him. “You’re still forgiven...” she whispered, hoping only he could hear. For a second, she could have sworn she saw his golden-brown eyes dim.

Whatever the emotions invading his mind was, he felt that a stab in the gut with his own Murasame would have felt better. She could have said anything but that. This truly must have been the lowest point in his life, he thought briefly before bringing the whip down on her back.

With a loud crack, it broke her skin in a long stripe across her back. She gritted her teeth hard, not letting more than a grunt escape. He knew she was holding back from screaming, and he knew why. There was no way she’d allow him or Naar to know how painful this was. He also knew now, what he had pondered earlier. She did not deserve this. She most definitely did not deserve this...

The voice of the Dark God chuckled, then laughed evilly at her first reaction. [Good... again, Kushina. Harder] the cold voice said cruelly, and Jin was forced to comply...