When Astaroth was far enough away from Iwa, Kumori and ShockWave, he teleported to the cabin, standing outside for a moment. Far behind him were a few of the Essences that had been so coveted, discussing their knowledge of Zorkaan’s plan. It didn’t matter. Right now, with the mood he was in, Zorkaan could very easily go to hell for all he cared.

He wasn’t going to say a word to the psychic being about his situation, he had other plans. The Essences... if he could only get one at least, it would take Naar’s attention away from his sister. And what of the Essence bearer? He didn’t particularly care; he only wanted to stop whatever was happening to his sister...

He could feel it... he had always had some sort of connection with her, and he could easily tell when she was in trouble. He could always sense her, no matter where she was. Somehow, he knew she had been moved, and was in quite a lot of pain. He tried his best to push back any thoughts of what kind of hell she might be going through.

Turning away from the cabin, his eyes narrowed up at the darkening sky. He only needed one thing to get the job done. With a flash of grey energy, he was gone.

**

Ryu leaned his head back against the cold wall. Guy, Cammy and Chun Li had yet to move. He hoped that his friends were all right, considering they had yet to wake up.

“Hey,” Ken spoke up. “How long you think we’ve been in here?”

“I wish I could say,” Ryu said softly. “Several hours, at the most.”

Ken pulled his wrists, feeling the chain move with him. “This thing’s getting heavier by the second…”

**

In the battlefield where Bison once occupied, Darius and his beloved waited, staring at the sky.

“It has not been long since he took them away,” Darius began.

“The people on this island are, surprisingly, strong,” Acinomia mused. “They have some purpose here…one they will fulfil, whether they live or die. It will be most interesting to see who survives…”

**

“Okay, now what?” Memphis asked. He lounged back in his chair, watching Locke eye his glass of wine.

“We wait.”

Memphis frowned. “Wait for what?”

“Every plan requires a bit of patience, Long,” the gambler said quietly.

Memphis shook his head. “I thought you said we only have a few days to carry this thing out.”

“We do,” Locke assured him. “But if things go accordingly, several days is far too much time…”

Memphis frowned again. Locke merely took a sip of his wine.

**

“May I use your phone?” Volpe asked Guile. “I want to check on the others. If Bison has…”

Guile nodded, tossing him his phone. “Help yourself.”

Volpe quickly dialed Fighter’s Inn, trying to contact as many people as he could. Shockwave, ShadowDragon, Iwa, and Kumori apparently had not returned. He fought a wave of uneasiness. To make matters worse, Meliza and Ayame had not answered their phones either. Lilly was the only one who had picked up her telephone. And she didn’t know the whereabouts of anyone else.

“So what’s up?” Dan asked once he hung up.

“Nobody’s there,” Volpe shook his head. “You’d think considering what’s happening, they would be around...”

**

Pale blue eyes stared coldly down on the raven-haired girls and their friend. Again watching from the treetops, Astaroth crept ever closer to them. The conversation was nearly over, they had reached some kind of decision and, by the looks of things, they would head back soon.

He was correct in his assumption. Soon after he arrived, they turned their backs to him and began walking. It was perfect... it was also their biggest mistake. ShockWave leading them, Kumori and Iwa following a few feet behind, Iwa appearing to be eerie of something... him. He almost smirked. It was far too late to become careful now.

With one swift movement, nearly undetectable, he pulled a solid black handgun from beneath his leather coat and aimed at his first target. Kumori suddenly felt a sharp pain at the base of her neck, and then, saw only blackness as the liquid filling the dart went into effect. She hadn’t even hit the ground when Iwa turned quickly, eyes wide, “Kumori!”

Suddenly, she too felt a sharp sting, only it was on her lower arm. She reached for the source and pulled back a very small, empty dart. She growled and her eyes narrowed, not bothering to look at ShockWave, who was looking around in alert, weapon in hand.

“What the hell was that??” ShockWave asked aloud, his eyes scanning for the attacker. With an effortless leap from his location, Astaroth landed gracefully before the Kai warrior, ocean-blue eyes now glowing with a cold, clear purpose.

ShockWave growled as he met the gaze with his own. “I knew it... you can’t be trusted.”

“It would take more than a young fool like you to win my loyalty, so it can’t be helped,” Astaroth said, his lips forming a straight line. He looked at Iwa. It was quite obvious she couldn’t fight the effects much longer. She was glaring at him, her eyes half-closing and her knees bending from sudden weakness.

He nearly smirked again and without a word, fired at ShockWave, who dodged. He kept firing, at least three more times, causing ShockWave to back-pedal and curse at him as he tried to avoid becoming the third victim. When Astaroth suddenly disappeared, ShockWave realized his mistake, a moment too late.

With a slight chuckle, Astaroth appeared between the fallen female warriors, kneeling and placing an arm around each of them. He had no time for fighting, and he had gotten what he came for. “Two Essences are better than none...”

ShockWave’s eyes widened and he ran toward Astaroth. “NO!”

A split second before he reached them, however, the trio all disappeared in a flash of gray...

**

“You do need a break, Ayame,” Meliza commented as they walked aimlessly through the mall.

“I’m just worried about Kay,” the younger woman responded. “He’s been through so much…”

Meliza nodded, her eyes turning serious. “We all have…”

“Sometimes it feels like it’s not going to end,” Ayame continued.

The older woman briefly recalled the note sent to her room. “No, it’s not…”

**

Natalie was coming close to losing consciousness by now. Her face had become a bit pale and her back was quite bloody. Jin was hesitantly about to bring the whip down on her for what had to be the twenty-something time, when another creature, similar to Gaal, ran into the room, “Master! Master, Astaroth has captured two Essences!!” it growled excitedly.

Jin paused, thankful for the interruption as he let his arm drop, holding the whip against his side.

“Yes Master,” the subordinate continued. “We are not certain which ones, but Astaroth left them in the upper cell, secured,” it replied in a raspy voice. If Naar could beam with glee, it’s likely he would have. Instead, the evil being’s laughter shook the walls of the large room. Jin wasn’t aware of what Naar said next, but the subordinate’s reply was fortunate enough in giving him some clue.

“Astaroth has already travelled back to the Earth realm, Master. He said there was another Essence he could capture if he hurried...”

[Ahh... very well,] Naar clearly seemed satisfied. [He has been working quite hard since we acquired his dear sister... which reminds me. Kushina. Take her back to her cell. We will finish this another time. After you take her, assist Astaroth. That is all.]

Responding with a drop of the whip, the Kushina warrior knelt to pick Natalie up, who was nearly lying face-down on the cold stone floor. Gently, yet quickly, he lifted up her battered, near limp form and walked out of the room.

This was a chance. He knew she would be killed eventually, and likely he would be the one commanded to kill her...

And he would not have that.

Walking down the nearly dark halls, he looked down at her face, which was etched with worry as she mouthed something almost inaudible...

“Oh God... Let them be wrong... They can’t be in this place...”

“Hold on...” Jin said quietly, perhaps too low for Natalie to detect, as his grip on her tightened just slightly and he narrowed his eyes in concentration. A moment later, both disappeared with a short flash of dark energy.

**

Shockwave took a deep breath. They were gone. Astaroth, Iwa, and Kumori were gone. And Naar was one step closer to getting everything he wanted. He had to find the others, make sure they were okay. He was going to make it a personal vow to insure that Naar’s general would not take any more Essences.

**

Ayame stirred her bubble tea. “The doctors told me that Kay’s going to need a lot of rest. I might visit him again tonight.” She took a sip.

“Be careful, okay?” Meliza asked her. “There are some crazy people out there.” Then she smiled. “It’s sweet that you’re worried about him, though.”

Ayame studied her carefully. “You know…you never talk about him.”

Meliza straightened. “Who?”

“That one person. From a long time ago.”

“Oh…” Meliza dismissed that with a wave of her hand. “I…I don’t even know where he is now…”

“Did it end that badly?” Ayame asked hesitantly.

Meliza glanced away. “Not really. He just…left.”

“Left?” the younger woman echoed, her eyes wide.

“Yeah, left,” Meliza blew out a breath. “He took my winnings and…left.” At Ayame’s curious gaze, she sighed. “I met him at a casino…we started seeing each other for a while, then one morning I wake up and find that he took all my winnings. He was the only one I let inside my hotel room, and he even left me a thank you note. I was had by a professional thief.”

Ayame shook her head. “That’s bad…”

“Tell me about it,” Meliza wrinkled her nose. Then she paused for a minute. “You know what hurt the most?”

Leaning forward, Ayame had forgotten about her tea.

“I look back and see how he treated me…he…he was very good to me. I think…he really did…he really cared a lot about me,” Meliza said quietly. “But he couldn’t stop being who he was. He tricked me…caught me at a weak time…and used it to his advantage. I guess…there are some men out there…who can’t ever truly change…they live their lives by lying…and that’s what works for them. But anyone else they drag along with them…ends up getting hurt…”

“I’m sorry…”

“Me, too…” Her words made her think of another man who had recently gained her attention. Would he ever change? There was a time when it seemed like he did…that he was willing to help her and her friends. But something told her that he ended up suffering because of it. Was that why some men never changed? Because of the consequences they’d have to face when turning to the other side? She just didn’t know…

**

Jin, carrying Natalie, appeared suddenly outside of his and Astaroth’s cabin. Quickly, he took her inside, laying her on his bed. She didn’t respond very much at all, she hardly even seemed to acknowledge him. That worried him slightly...

When he took his hand out from beneath her back, he held back a grimace to see that it was covered in her blood. That needed to be taken care of, and the sooner, the better...

Indeed. He knew it would be several hours at least before she would be missed, but they needed the time to get her somewhere that Naar’s other minions would not look. He quickly gathered a towel and some bandages, briefly wishing she could heal herself, and returned to her side.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he gently lifted her to a sitting position, blushing lightly and being slightly frustrated at it as he had to lean her against himself to support her and free his hands. He leaned his head over slightly to see her back. In surprise, he lifted a brow to see that most of her wounds were already gone or in the process of a quick healing.

He knew she had no advanced natural healing abilities, and that she was too weak to use her power... so then what on earth had healed her? Deciding it didn’t matter and would save him time anyway, he wiped the rest of the blood off of her back with the towel and carefully, yet very quickly taped the gauze over the remaining cuts.

When he was done, he sat still for a moment, forgetting she was still leaning on him. He was too busy thinking. He sighed. Never, in his entire life had he done anything as brash as this. There had always been some sort of plan to everything he’d done. Now, he was forced to make everything up as he went along, and it was quite frustrating. He knew one thing, though; he’d have to tell Astaroth.

He frowned a moment, Astaroth was definitely going to love this. Jin figured he had just earned another several months worth of jests...

“It’s chilly in here...”

The soft voice broke his thoughts and brought him to two realisations: the first, she was talking again; second, his chin had been resting on her head...

He pulled his head back quickly, hoping he wasn’t blushing again. Damn, he hated that... He looked down at her, his stoic facade back in place as she tilted her head up.

After a moment of staring, which made Jin quite uncomfortable at such close range, she spoke again. “Did you hear me?”

“Um, yes. Here,” the Kushina warrior quickly responded, as he almost mechanically pulled a blanket up to cover her back.

“Thanks,” she said softly, expressing a small, slight smile as she stole a brief glance at Jin’s features. He really was quite handsome, she noted, with his stoic, mysterious expression, set off by dark hair that hid some of his face and eyes of the most exotic colour. Only one other time had she ever been this close to him, and what a memorable time it had been. The kiss had been quite nice, truthfully wonderful, even if both had been a bit inexperienced. She had scolded herself quite a few times for thinking of it and him so much, like some infatuated schoolgirl.

She knew she cared quite a lot about him, but did she love him? Somehow, she knew the answer, though admitting it was not possible at that moment. She wondered yet again if he felt the same, she thought he at least cared to some extent. He wouldn’t have save her if he didn’t, right?

“Jin... Why did you save me? I thought you only served Naar...” she questioned softly, her eyes, not even a foot’s distance from his, reflecting curiosity and confusion. He blinked once, but showed no outward reaction other than that. He thought for a moment before he produced an answer.

“Why did you forgive me? I gave you to your enemy...”

It was Natalie’s turn to blink, momentarily caught off guard by Jin’s counter response as she frantically searched for a suitable reply. “Well... I... I guess I can’t hold anything against you. Besides, you did save me... hey, I asked first anyway,” she stated, feeling childish for the resort but thankful it got her out of a full answer.

Slowly, Jin opened his mouth as if he were about to say something, then closed it again, withdrawing himself back into his emotionless shell. Natalie sighed and leaned her head forward slightly, her light blue eyes locking with his in a coaxing manner. “Jin...” she slowly began.

Jin noticed his heart rate increasing. Being this close to Natalie brought back vivid memories of kissing her, and a strong reminder that it had not been something he disliked at all. He had kissed her out of instinct, and instinct was often irrational. Therefore, it must have been just a fluke, right? He was beginning to feel quite the opposite, however, much to his mind’s chagrin.

When he stayed silent, she dared to lean forward just a bit more, her cheeks tinting slightly. Still, he did not answer, he only looked a bit more nervous and his cheeks had a tad more colour. With their faces only inches apart, both could feel the other’s breath and the heavy tension that hung in the air, waiting for some type of response. She was beginning to feel that strong attraction to him again, and she knew that if something was not said or done soon, a certain mistake might re-occur...

“I... because I was wrong in taking you to Naar,” he said quietly. Natalie’s eyes shone with some sort of understanding, which the Kushina warrior quickly noticed, as she slowly leaned back, grimacing slightly at the nagging, dull pain still in her left shoulder. Jin exhaled quietly in relief, looking away at the floor. Natalie was sitting on her own now, inspecting her ruined shirt. The front was still intact, for which both were quite thankful. However, with the back ripped in half, it was barely staying on her shoulders.

She sighed and blushed lightly. “I’m going to need another shirt...”

Jin wordlessly got up and walked into Astaroth’s room. When he returned, he handed her a black, long-sleeve button-up shirt, that was a bit large, yet better than nothing. Anyway, he figured Astaroth wouldn’t mind. She thanked him with a smile, which got little response as he left the room for her to change. She sighed, still smiling. “He can be quite confusing at times...”

**

Meliza and Ayame decided a quick trip to the bathroom before leaving the tea house would be an excellent idea. You know, girl stuff. Fix the hair, yadda yadda.

As they entered the bathroom, a strong arm wrapped around Ayame’s throat. She had no time to scream a warning to Meliza, who immediately ended up in the same situation. Ayame struggled violently.

Meliza tried pulling off the arm that wrapped around her. In the bathroom mirror, she spotted two men in dark suits keeping tight grips on her and her friend…