"This is weird." Locke commented one morning as he lounged in a recliner with the laptop on his . . . well, lap. He was looking over some of the info that Bison and his new employer had given him. There were differences between the two of course, but one part that interested him was this 'Naar' that seem to pop up many times in his new employer's data, while Bison's made absolutely no mention except for a vague partner. Inputting a few key commands, he had all passages with the word 'Naar' in them highlighted. After scanning every piece of info, all Locke could say was, "Oh shit."

---------------------

"What's this?" Kay murmured in some surprise as he looked at the slip of paper in his hand. "I'm in the tournament again? I thought I got disqualified when I lost to Bison." Kay scratched his head and glanced over at Lilly. "Hey, why is there another name next to mine?"

"Oh, you didn't know?" Lilly blinked. "The sponsor of this tournament just announced a new format for the tournament, we have duo team matches now. The fighters grumbled about it a bit, but the prize money has been quadrupled this time around."

"Hm." was all Kay said as he looked thoughtfully at the slip of paper in his hand. "*Ally, Ibuki. Opponents, Duck King and Bob Wilson.*" One of Kay's eyebrows twitched. "*Duck King?*" How the hell did a guy with a name like that get in this tournament?!

--------------------

"We have our mission." Jin said to Astaroth as they looked down towards the city from the roof of the skyscraper where they were meeting. "Locke Koh and Memphis Long have become more than mere annoyances."

"They are orders from Bison, not our Master." Astaroth replied neutrally.

"Our Master has ordered us to obey Bison for the meanwhile, at least until his path to this world is assured." Jin chided. "We will do as we are told, without question, unless it should pertain to our Master."

"Sometimes I wonder . . ." Astaroth said softly to himself. Something in his tone caught Jin's attention immediately and he looked at his long time comrade. After a long silence, Astaroth finally turned to look at his friend. "Promise me something, Jin." When Jin looked at him quizzically, Astaroth replied, "Promise me that you will protect my sister, Natalie, no matter what . . ."

The Kushina warrior stared blankly at Astaroth in response, a slightly bewildered expression crossing his features for a brief moment. "Wh-"

"Promise me, Jin." Astaroth interrupted, looked at him with pleading eyes, a rare sight to see, which shocked Jin even more so, though he didn’t show it. "No matter what, protect my sister."

"Alright." Jin said after a long silence. He gave a small, almost stiff nod. "I promise . . ."

"Here's a picture of her . . ." Astaroth said, pulling out a small photograph of his sister and handing it to him. Jin stared at the image, his face remaining expressionless as always, but a part of him could not help but note how pretty she was . . .

--------------------

"You imbecile, I knew there was a hole in your plan." Locke rubbed his temple. "Did you have to use our REAL names?!"

"Hey! What's wrong with my name?! Its a good name, and I don't plan on changing it any time soon." Memphis replied indignantly.

"Look at who our opponents are." Locke replied flatly. "Bison isn't stupid Memphis, and when he saw our names, he sent some of his best after us. And the stipulations for this match say that its no holds barred, anything goes, Memphis. We can be killed and it wouldn't be a problem."

"Oh." Memphis said, then tilted his head. "I hadn't thought of that."

"I should put a bullet through your head." Locke replied.

"Are you two done bickering?" Jin Kushina said from the other side, his eyes burning a dark flame from within as he stared hard at his opponents. "Astaroth and I have other matters to attend to."

"I'll go first." Memphis smirked as he stepped forward. "No holds barred is my kind of match."

Locke nodded and stepped back with his hands behind his back, quickly loading up a specialized gun he had never found need to use in the past before. The weapon was much larger than his usual handgun, and used special bullets that had deadly effects on its target. Under his new black suit, Locke had a chain of extra bullets to reload. Locke was in no mood for any new surprises, he had seen many strange things recently, and the info he had received on Naar further confirmed his uneasiness. Locke was hardly ever uneasy, and he killed all sources of his uneasiness. Staring at Memphis' back, he knew that if the opportunity should ever arise, he would end this partnership, permanently.

The stage they were fighting was at the edge of a cliff, which Locke found vaguely overdramatic for some reason. A crowd of onlookers had aleady gathered with various media crews nearby as they excitedly film the match to be. Locke took note of their environment, especially the incredibly long fall. This artificial island had everything it seemed, making it a suitable tourist attraction for anybody. But Locke had an idea of the island's more darker purposes. The chanting and excitement of the crowd, and the fighting of the combatants released much energy, energy that was being used to strengthen the link between this world and the world of this 'Naar.' Locke was not deeply religious, but the thought of having an all-powerful deity breathing down his neck was not a pleasant thought. Originally created to lure out the Essences to take their powers as well, Naar and Bison seem to have arrived at some sort of agreement. Their new employer, Gill, looked like he didn't like the alliance.

On the stage, Memphis and Jin were already fighting. Trading blows and what not. Projectiles flew across the air as Memphis' silver aura blazed across the stage to clash against the black flames which were Jin's own. Beneathe his sunglasses, Locke watched the two black clad fighters struggle back and forth in a show of strength. He didn't know why he suddenly noticed it, but he noticed how all four of them were wearing the color black. Feeling slightly self-concious, Locke made a mental note to see his tailor again.

"KIZANKEN!" Memphis shouted, a blaze of silver energy bursting forward from his hand streaming towards Jin at amazing speed. Jin crossed his arms across his chest and grunted as he flew far back, the silver projectile grinding him into the wall before it dissipated. "Ha! How did you like that?!"

"SHOUKOU KEN!" Jin roared, shoving his fist forward as a huge swirl of black flames streamed forward from his outstretched fist. The flames impacted against a surprised Memphis, causing him to fly back. With tendrils of black smoke trailing away from his body, Memphis got up and rubbed his chin as he looked more intently at his opponent. With a loud battlecry, Memphis leaped forward with a series of kicks. The two were a blur as they continued to exhange blows, with the crowd cheering loudly for blood behind them.

"*Bloodthirsty crowd.*" Locke observed before focusing his attention on his possible opponent. The slip of paper had called him by the name Astaroth, but Locke had found no information on him anywhere. Long dark hair, and a black coat (what else?), Astaroth looked to be quite a moody person.

The sudden surge of energy upon the stage suddenly caught Locke's attention as his looked sharply to see that Jin and Memphis had grown tired of their match and wished to end it. Jin was surrounded in darkness and the very air around him had become dark, but it faded and slowly gathered in his cupped hands, the darkness flaring about wildly as Jin held it, the strain upon his face showed how much of an effort it took to hold it. Memphis as well was attempting his ultimate projectile attack, his arm glowing a bright silver holding the blast.

Both men strained to hold their respective attacks a moment longer, while their partners' faces remained expressionless as they watched. The chanting of the crowd grew ever louder at thesight of brilliant pyrotechnics fillithe stage. As the chanting grew louder, Locke became uneasy, as past memories resurfaced. This very soof crowd had marked his bircriminal, as well as marked the death of his innocence. Locke shook his head as the sounds of a different crowd chanted within his mind, of the harsh taste first taste of blood from a fight aimed to kill, of pain and sorrow as one must fight or die.

And Astaroth watched.

"CHOUZETSU KIZANKEN!" Memphis roared as the giant silver burst of light streamed forward from his hand.

"HISSATSU SHIKOU KEN!" Jin roared as black flames screamed through the air, impacting hard against Memphis' projectile. The resulting flash of explosion was incredible, and when it finally cleared away, Locke found both men still standing and scathed. Memphis bared his teeth and looked about ready to throw away all he knew about fighting and simple tear Jin into the ground. Jin's own eyes were blazing a fire as dark as those which he manipulated and seemed about ready to do the same.

The two advanced on each other again and proceeded to go into a fist fight, putting every effort they could into each blow against their opponent. The crowd cheered louder, crying for more blood, unaware of the pain the fighters in the ring were probably feeling.

Astaroth was not paying any attention to this when he suddenly found his flames erupt from his form, and his eyes were warm as they emitted fire. Astaroth knew what was happening.

"D-David?" Natalie's voice asked from behind him. "Is that you?"

"Natalie . . ." Astaroth whispered, not bothering to turn to look at his sister. "I didn't think you'd recognize me."

"Its been a long time, brother." Natalie told him in a voice which sounded distant, but Astaroth could tell she was struggling to keep all her emotions in. "I might have been too young to have seen your face before you disappeared, David, but I found mother and father's journals. I found your pictures, and I wondered where you were. This feeling . . . and the way you've acknowledged me . . . I knew you had to be my brother, David."

"Natalie, I've come to make you an offer." Astaroth said softly as he turned around to look at her, the battle lost from his mind now. "Join me."

"Wh-what?"

"I serve a Master who can offer you everything and anything in the world. You won't be lonely again, Natalie. You will never be an outcast. You can be anything you wish to be, people will love you and worship you. Your every wish, your every desire will be granted." Astaroth held out his hand, his eyes pleading his sister to accept.

"That's a great offer, brother, but something just doesn't sound right about it . . ." Natalie backed away, suddenly noting the dark aura around her brother. "I . . . don't think I can accept. It sounds too easy, and I'm happy with the friends I have. Ashley, Billy, Guile, Charlie . . ."

"I'm sorry, Natalie." Astaroth whispered, shaking his head sadly. "You don't really have much of a choice in this. You either join or you die, I'm begging you, sister, please join me as one of Naar's elite warriors. You'll never be unhappy again."

"Naar?" Natalie's eyes narrowed. "You can't be serious!"

"So, you already know of him." Astaroth was slightly shocked, but for some reason, he wasn't really surprised. Drawing a NoDachi from within his coat, he said in a sad tone. "I am sorry, Natalie, but I must obey the Master."

"Brother . . ."

Locke had noticed that Astaroth had become distracted and took the opportunity to get into the stage and help Memphis. Grabbing Jin by the throat, Locke slammed the dark warrior into the ground and adding insult to injury, Memphis grinded his boot into Jin. Jin struggled to get up and glanced out to Astaroth and tried to cry for help, but Locke firmly clamped the dark warrior's mouth shut with one hand and tossed him towards the unguarded back of Astaroth.

Astaroth fell forward as his comrade impacted against his back, lurching him forward. He got up quickly and with blazing eyes turned toward Locke and Memphis. Locke only smiled a small smile as he beckoned Astaroth with a gloved hand. "Your friend has already lost, now let's you and I have our match."

"Think over my offer." Astaroth told his sister before leaping onto the stage where Locke waited, he held his NoDachi before him, his face expressionless.

"Anything goes?" Locke asked.

"Anything goes." Astaroth confirmed.

"Good." and with that, Locke pulled out his large sidearm in one fluid motion as he shot out a giant stream of energy. Astaroth fell back, eyes wide at the burning sensation of the bullet in his shoulder. Astaroth clenched his teeth and lunged forward, slashing across with his NoDachi. But much to his shock, his blade did not draw blood, only cutting into the fabric of his opponent's clothing.

"That's kevlar underneathe." Locke explained as he rushed forward with a series of punches into Astaroth's gut. "Its bulletproof." A punch across the jaw. "And its incredibly tough to cut through." An elbow drop to the shoulder. Locke's next attack was suddenly blocked by Astaroth, who slammed him into the ground.

"Interesting, I'll keep that in mind." Astaroth replied as he rose from his knees. "But that was no ordinary weapon, was it?" He kicked Locke across the chest. "My coat should have been able to stop a mere bullet." Astaroth stomped Locke on the back when the gambler tried to rise up. "It hurt by the way."

"Good." Locke mumbled before he got to his feet swiftly with an uppercut across the jaw to Astaroth's face. The two fought as savagely as their partners had, their rage further fuled by the crowd's chanting for blood. Every blow taken brought Locke memories of the pain society had given him, and every blow given brought memories of each and every time he lashed back at those who dared to try and take advantage of him. Astaroth fell back as Locke's rage grew, the chanting of the crowd seemed to draw him into a frenzy. But a correctly calculated blow across the head sent Locke reeling back, hand to his head as he breathed heavily.

"You don't like the crowd, don't you?" Astaroth asked, looking around as the chanting grew longer. "You've been having a rough time, that's why the crowd is suddenly getting to you, isn't it?" Astaroth clasped his hands together and hitted Locke across the face.

Locke stared at the floor, shocked that this man could read him. He silently berated himself for showing so much emotions, and cursed himself for even accepting this mission in the first place. If only he had never come to this island . . . he would be alright, he would not be losing control as he was now. Straightening up, Locke looked Astaroth in the eye and punched him in the nose. Astaroth reeled back, shock that the man would use anything so direct.

"I want to finish this." Locke whispered, and Astaroth suddenly felt a rise in his opponent's power. Astaroth looked up in surprise to see his opponent's hair flying upward from a wind which seemed only to affect him. A pale aura was glowing around his form, almost invisible as Locke gathered that power between his hands.

Astaroth knew he faced a crazed man, a man who was suddenly feeling he had absolutely nothing to lose. The man's world was in chaos, he was incredibly confused with himself. Astaroth could not gather his power in time to counter Locke, but his opponent was already far gone. Astaroth braced himself and yelled to Jin. "Jin! Protect my sister!"

"RAISING STORM!" Locke roared as he drove the ball of energy into the ground and an incredibly large tornado of energy swirled up around him for several yards, taking in even the crowd. The pillar of wind rose up into the air, flashing wildly this way and that.

"David!" Natalie screamed as the wind carried her across the cliff. His friend, Jin, nodded to Astaroth as he leapt after her.

Astaroth closed his eyes as darkness overcame him.

--------------------

Kay was sipping a smoothie at the bar Duck King was hosting as a DJ. The man was very talented, as a DJ and a fighter. Kay touched his forearm briefly at the memory of the kick Duck King had given him. His partner, Ibuki, sat acthe table from him as she too sipped adrink. She was a very quick and clever fighter, and Kay had a feeling that the two of them would get vefar in tournament. thtwo were getting along pleasantly as they traded stories.

" . . . then there was that time I accidentally threw a series of kunais at my friend . . ."

Oh yeah, they were going to get along just fine.

--------------------

"*The forces of this world are stronger than I estimated.*" Naar spoke into the mind of three of his elite warriors. "*Go now to this other and aide Jin and Astaroth in eliminating these warriors known as the Essences of Nine.*"

And they passed through the ShadowGate.

"*Soon, another world will be in my grasp.*"

--------------------

When they appeared, Kay felt them. Looking at Ibuki, he did not doubt others felt their arrival as well. They were three, and their powers consisted of an evil that made Kay's stomach twist in knots. He setted his drink down and sprinted off without a word, a blur in the streets of the city as he hopped over vendors and buildings. He had to do something, before it was too late.

--------------------

Victoria Enid felt it, and the feeling brought a horrid taste in her mouth. The feeling was so horrible that even Joy was muted by its taint. Rage took over, running quickly out of the cabin as she grabbed her jacket. Others would know what this feeling meant.

--------------------

Zorkaan the Soultaker, Deathlord Ixiataaga, and Zakhan Kimah. These three were ancient elite warriors of Naar, powerful in their own right, and inhuman in every way possible. Zorkaan was a black mist able to form itself into various shapes, a ghost. Deathlord Ixiataaga was a skeletal warrior who holds the deathstaff. And Zakhan Kimah, invulnerable to all physical attacks. Apart, their auras were terrifying enough, but together, it was monstrous.

"Acinomia, so good of you to greet us." Zakhan grinned as he held his Death Orb. "Come and give your master and lover a kiss."

Acinomia glared at him as the necklace engraved upon her chest glowed angrily as the sould within howled about in the area. "I know not why Naar needs to send one such as you Zakhan, for without the Death Orb, you're more useless than a human child."

Zakhan fumed as he threatened to advance on her.

"*Settle this quarrel another time.*" Zorkaan hissed telepathically within their minds. "*For we have other hosts to greet us upon this world.*"

"You know the Master's orders." Acinomia glared. "The one known as Kay Lee is mine, do not dare touch him. Do with the others as you please."

"Of course, Acinomia." Zakhan smiled. "You have my word."

"*Obey, Zakhan, for the Master punishes disobedience. And you have already been punished ONCE by the Master before, dare you to be punished again?*" Ixiataaga whispered into his thought, quieting any thought of his to disobey the Master.

"*The first has arrived.*" Zorkaan warned.

"*Leave this place.* his voice echoed in their thoughts, and Acinomia turned in greeting to her beloved. "*Leave now.*"

"*Who are you to dare command us?*" Zorkaan hissed. "*A mere mortal compared to those of us who have existed well over a thousand years.*"

And Kay Lee appeared, the runic symbol of Wisdom shining brightly on his forehead combined with strange markings across his face. Kay's eyes were closed as he focused on drawing every bit of power the Essence of Wisdom provided. The odds were not in his favor even with the power of the Essence at his side. Opening his eyes, he pushed down the conflicting emotions he felt whenever he saw either Acinomia or Ayame.

"Did you think you were going to get all the fun?" a richly accented voice asked as Victoria Enid appeared, the runic symbol of Emotion glowing brightly on her forehead, she too had markings upon her face. Within her mind, Rage, Joy, and Sorrow were quickly instructing her on what to do.

"*You shouldn't have come.*" Kay told her.

"*Neither should you.*" Victoria shot back.

"A party? And I'm not invited? How rude!" with a sparkling shower of prism, Kumori appeared with a dizzy Ryu Dragon at her side. Then he keeled over and started retching up his lunch. "Oops, I forget that some people can't handle the process of being transported from one point to another so quickly."

"*The Essences!*" Zorkaan hissed.

"So good of you chaps to come to us, it certainly saves us the trouble of trying to find you." Zakhan grinned as he held his black orb higher. Kay's gaze snapped to him and Zakhan's smile faded when he found himself flying back and crashing deeply into a large boulder.

"*Don't touch any of them.*" a new voice spoke into their thoughts. "*Touching them means death.*"

"*So good of you to finally join us.*" Kay muttered.

"*Hey, I got here didn't I?*"

"*True.*"

"*En Taro Adun.*"

"*En Taro Tassadar.*"

"*Shadow Dragon!*" Zorkaan hissed angrily.

"*We've got no choice, destroy them or be destroyed ourselves.*" Shadow Dragon said quickly to the others.

"*One moment.*" Kay said and glanced quickly over at Acinomia, who fell unconcious and slowly floated to his arms. His expression was strange as he looked at her, holding her delicately to him.

"*Ayame will be sad.*" Victoria whispered softly to him only.

Kay sighed and setted Acinomia at his side, and said out loud. "I know."

And they battled. Our heroes dared not to get too close to Naar's henchmen, lest they die, so they depended on projectiles. Kay blasted bursts of kinetic powers from his mind, doing his best to drive the enemy into the ground or whatever was handy nearby. Victoria shot out blasts of psychic energy, driving her opponents back. Shadow Dragon's Zero Blast soared their way across the battlefield, letting out large claps of explosion. Ryu Dragon alternated between his elemental projectile attacks, one moment freezing the enemies' asses, the next moment, burning them to a crisp. Kumori was a scary sight to behold, because she had the very elements at her hand as she summoned one element after another through her magic.

"We won't be able to keep this up for too long!" Kay shouted over the chaos, the veins suddenly appearing on his forehead as he unleashed projectile after projectile towards the enemy. "They're weakening, yes, but so are we!"

"Shockwave is coming, he'll back us up!" Shadow Dragon shouted as he letted loose a series of blasts to the enemy.

"What kind of fighting is this?!" Ryu Dragon exploded. "We aren't even touching them!!"

"You're welcome to touch them if you want!" Shadow Dragon snapped back.

"Good point." Ryu Dragon replied and kept on blasting projectiles.

"You know, I'd like to strangle the guy who thought these guys up!" Kay shouted.

"I'd like to strangle the guy who actually PUT them in!" Kumori screamed.

--------------------

In the rubble of what had been a battlefield, one gloved hand punched out of the rubble. And from the rubble appeared Locke Koh, his suit in tatters, even the kevlar he wore underneathe had seen better days. His hair was out of its traditional ponytail, hanging loosely around his head as he panted heavily to the ground.

"*I bet someone wish they had never come here.*" a voice echoed.

Locke looked up and around wildly and found his surroundings changed, it was like twilight wherever he was and tarots floated everywhere. A voluptuous woman in purple suddenly appeared, floating and sitting on nothing as she looked at him in a bored sort of observation.

"Who are you?" Locke croaked as he crawled painfully forward.

"I am called Rose." she replied, her voice echoing around him. "But I believe the answer you truely seek is 'who are YOU?'"

Locke stared at her.

"You are a very clever man, Locke Koh." Rose commented as she sat down in a chair that suddenly materialized and flipped through a deck of tarots upon a table which also suddenly materialized. "An orphan called only 'Koh' to become a criminal by the name of 'Locke Koh.' Many times your path had already been set for you, but a crossroads is ahead, and this time, you can make a choice which can either dramatically change your life or allow it to continue upon this lonely path of self-destruction."

"What are you tabout?!" Locke demanded.

"I am saying thatyou have a choice now." Rose looked at him steadily in the eye. "Repent and allow the souls of those youkilled antknyou to rest in peace, or continue upon this same path in life and join them forever wandering the Earth as a lonely shade."

"That's not much of a choice, isn't it?" Locke replied bitterly.

"But it is a choice." Rose replied. "If I cannot convince you of the right choice, then allow the spectres of your past to do so." And Rose disappeared as a violent wind suddenly hitted him. Locke turned this way and that wildly. Covering his face as the screams of those he killed in the past mixed in with those he knew well.

"*Koh.*" a strong voice cutted through all the rest. "*My brightest novice . . . How sad it is for your master to see you this way . . ."

"I-It can't be . . ." Locke choked, recognizing the voice which he had not heard for about seven years.

"*So much can happen in seven years, destroying a young man's soul.*" his master continued. "*But take this opportunity wisely, for few are shown that they can divert from their path to self-destruction. Some discover it for themselves, but many ignore it and follow through on their own destruction.*" His master's voice looked sternly upon him. "*You never were cut out to be a monk, but you aren't cut out to be a criminal either.*"

Spectres of friends and enemies floated to him, talked to him. Some cursed and tormented him, while others gave their advice or sympathy. Sometimes Locke laughed, sometimes he screamed, sometimes he cried. He did not understand, he was so confused. He should have never come to this island, but if he hadn't, he wouldn't have met her . . . Locke was confused. And as the last of the spectres began to fade away, Locke was on the verge of taking his own life. But one spirit remained and Locke looked with a tear streaked face at the spectre, and his eyes widened in recognition.

"*Locke . . .*" she whispered as she held out a gentle hand to brush away at his tears. She leaned forward and embraced him fiercely, and he unsteadily returned that embrace. They said nothing, for only their touch was enough to show the other how they felt. Locke closed his eyes and smelled lilies, his favorite scent since he was a child.

Her name was Florence Yee, the only other woman he had ever loved in his life. A fellow criminal, Locke had met her about two years ago when they both targetted the same man. The men's bodyguards had found them out however, and the two had needed to depend on each other to survive. It was the first time since his rebirth had he ever felt he needed to depend on someone, or have someone depend on him. It took time, but Locke had eventually grown to love her, and she loved him. But cruel fate would take her away as the bodyguards finally found them. They had actually dreamed on getting out of their dangerous profession and actually living normal lives. She sacrificed her own life to save his, and he thought that all hope of his salvation was gone with her. He reemerged to the world again, more cold than ever, and had hunted down each and every one of their target's bodyguards before finally killing their target slowly.

And there she was now, in his arms. Short hair and an eyepatch which she liked to wear, she was the most beautiful and alluring woman he had ever known. She touched his lips and kissed them gently and smiled as she disappeared. They had never needed words to communicate, Locke knew exactly what she wanted from him. And the strange background disappeared as Locke broke down and cried on the graveled floor like a broken child.

--------------------

"KAY!" Victoria screamed out in horror as Ixiataaga's Deathstaff impacted the side of Kay's head, causing the Essence of Wisdom to fall the floor immediately.

"The fool!" Shadow Dragon cursed. "Why was he trying to protect that woman?! She's our enemy!"

Ixiataaga had managed to get past their barrage of projectiles and was reaching for Acinomia when Kay violently charged at him. And this would be the result as Kay stared blankly into the air, the side of his head bleeding immensely. Shadow Dragon immediately blasted Ixiataaga away, and Kumori rushed forward to check on Kay.

"Forget him." Shadow Dragon said in disgust. "He's gone, no one can survive a touch from Ixiataaga's Deathstaff."

"NO!" Victoria shouted as she grabbed Shadow Dragon by the coat. "You've gotta save him!"

"Uh, some help here . . ." Ryu Dragon said from his position.

Shadow Dragon pushed her aside and stepped in to throw projectiles at the enemy with Ryu Dragon. "The plan was to weaken them by the time they got here so we could safely fight them hand to hand." Shadow Dragon replied. "The fool was too concerned about the woman, and what's worse is that she's our enemy."

"He's still alive." Kumori whispered softly as her hands glowed their prism glow. "Barely, his soul is still struggling to stay alive, it seems to be too stubborn to die." She smiled, then frowned. "Its strange, though."

"What?" Victoria asked.

"His soul has two minds." Kumori frowned. "They merged briefly so that he could control the power of Wisdom, but they're also in conflict now to see who is the dominant mind of the soul."

"Oh, no . . ."

--------------------

"So, this is the way its going to end, then." Kay said, his back to Darius. Then he looked angrily over his shoulder at Darius. "But I won't go down easily, I still have too much to live for!"

"I am sorry." Darius replied softly, his back turned to Kay. "But I refuse to disappear and die this time, my Julianna needs me, and I must atone for the fact that I could not save her the last time."

"Then we'll fight." Kay said firmly as he turned around. "We'll fight for dominance of this soul. Two incarnations cannot exist simultaneously within a soul, I'm surprised we've both managed to stay this lone."

"That is true." Darius nodded and unslung his bow. "I am Darius, disgraced Ranger of the House of Xeris." His eyes glittered. "And I'm damn proud of it."

And the two fought as Darius struggled to maintain a distance between the two of them, while Kay drove in quickly to send a series of attacks at Darius. Darius' arrows flew true as they sended Kay flying across the air upon impact. As the two fought, they struggled to claim as much of the soul for themselves as they could. The more pieces of the soul they held, the stronger they became in the hollow battlefield. And it came to a point where Kay and Darius were even, pushing and depending solely on willpower. Both wished fervently for another way, but they struggled just the same for dominance.

A pale light made its way to their hearts, and Darius suddenly realized what the light meant as it stopped everything and an ancient voice spoke to him.

"*Have you made your wish?*" the White Tiger asked.

Darius nodded.

"*Then so be it.*"

--------------------

The skies darkened, and everyone stared as a white pillar of light shot down from the heavens. Kumori backed away quickly as the pillar of light hitted Kay. The power from that light was enormous and as it slowly began to dim, a mysterious figure made its way out of the light, carrying Kay Lee, who carried a glowing blue sphere in his hands. He was caucasian in appearance, with white hair that had long thick bangs reaching his chin. He was dressed oddly with a shining white bow strapped to his back.

And he had ALOT of power.

Setting Kay down, the man unslung his bow and letted loose three arrows of light, destroying their near invincible foes. Slinging his bow over his shoulder again, the man reached down to carry Acinomia to his body, gently. He smiled a warm smile and disappeared with Acinomia in his arms. The god-like power within him was already beginning to fade away, so Kumori supposed she couldn't blame him for not introducing himself to them.

But there was Kay. Kay was pale and shaking and his eyes were unsteady as he looked at the glowing sphere which was the Essence of Wisdom. He smiled a small smile as he whispered softly. Kumori could not hear what he was saying, but the sphere of light suddenly rose up into thair and streamed away.

And Kay closed his eyes.

-------------------

That night, Meliza was looking up towards the night stars and wondered where some thwere. Ryu hnot been seen since lunch, where everyone had that weird distasteful feeling. As she looked to the stars, she noticed a falling star. Closing her eyes, she made a wish, not realizing that the falling star was falling at HER. Luckily for her it wasn't really a falling star, but it was something weird just the same. As it floated before her, Meliza looked curiously at it as it communicated to her. Her expression became sad, and she nodded as she held out her hands. The blue sphere rested upon her hand and slowly entered her chest. When it was done, Meliza had tears in her eyes.

--------------------

Within a cave, a small fire burned. Darius' silver hair took in the orange glow of the fire as he settled a wet rag on his beloved's forehead. The power of the White Tiger was gone from him now, the instant of his rebirth had infused him with a surplus of power from the White Tiger which he used up destroying the trio of evil-doers.

"Darius . . ." Acinomia whispered softly.

"Everything will be alright." Darius whispered softly as he caressed her cheek. "We are together again." His eyes glittered darkly beneathe the darkness of his bangs. "And the Phoenix Bearer will pay."

--------------------

"How is he, doctor?" Victoria asked in a worried voice.

"He's in a coma, but he's physically alright." the doctor replied. "Now its up to him whether he comes out of the coma or not." The doctor looked at her with a serious expression. "Its best that he not return to the fighting until he's a hundred percent, he almost died." The doctor shook his head. "And then there's something about his brain waves . . ."

"What?" Victoria asked.

"Its as if its been halved . . ." the doctor's pager suddenly sounded and he looked at them apologetically. "I got to go."

"His soul's been separated." Kumori said softly when the doctor left. "Eventually, he'll become complete again."

"Then that person . . ." Victoria's eyes widened.

"That wasn't Kay." Kumori shook his head. "But alot of power had been poured into him, allowing him to become a complete soul. Kay's situation will take a while longer."

Victoria turned with a worried expression to look at Kay again. His hair had returned to its dark self again, and the aura of wisdom he had before was gone. Shaking her head, Victoria turned away.

"*We should go.*" Sorrow said sadly. "*There's more to do.*"

--------------------

"Where have you been?" Shadow Dragon demanded of his brother.

"Here and there." ShockWave replied evasively.

"Have you been girl-watching again?" Shadow Dragon demanded (see profile).

ShockWave looked shamefacedly towards the floor.

"Why didn't you invite me?"

--------------------

Aaron Volpe was having donuts the next morning, and they were good donuts. From the strange sounds he was making, everyone steered clear of his moment of ecstacy. With a teary-eyed face, Aaron held up the final donut, which was his faaaaaaavorite!

"WAT HO! My final donut! The moment I've been waiting for!" Volpe sobbed dramatically into his sleeve. The donut he held was one of those with really long names that the writer doesn't want to get into right now. But lets just say it oozed with pink icing with strawberry cream fillings inside.

"Hey, thanks for saving me a donut, Volpe." Meliza said as she passed and plucked the donut out from his hand without touching it. It flew to her hand and she took a small bite as her hand reached out to grab hold of a rolled up newspaper from the couch.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" Volpe screamed shrilly after he bit into his fingers, hard. When he realized his donut was lost, he cried softly. "Oh, dear doughnut! I knew thee well."

"*Hey, these powers aren't so bad after all, in fact . . . they're quite convenient.*" Meliza grinned in her thoughts as she ate the pilfered doughnut and read the newspaper. "*Fights, destruction, massive complaints of damage caused by fighters . . . Locke Koh? Memphis?*" Meliza read it closely and her eyes widened slightly at the news of an avalanche occuring where they fought.

--------------------

Memphis grunted and with a roar, he tore to the surface. Panting heavily, Memphis checked over himself and found that he looked good even when he was hurt. Grunting up into a sitting position, Memphis looked around him and his gaze locked onto Locke, who was sitting on a piece of rock jutting out of the rubble. Although Locke seemed strange, Memphis could not help but get a little angry at being thrown into the chaos Locke brought out. Oh, he didn't really mind chaos, as long as he was the one making it.

"Nice work, Koh." Memphis said sarcastically. "You did a real fine mess, this time." Memphis was actually surprised Locke could lose control like that, Memphis always got under his skin sometimes, but Locke went absolutely ballistic this time.

"Shut up, Memphis." Locke replied without turning to look at him.

The two sat where they were, paying each other no mind as they tried to regain their strength for the trip away from this site of destruction. If Memphis had the strength, he would lash out and kill Locke on the spot for what he had just done. Memphis didn't care if the bastard wanted to kill himself, just as long as he didn't try to take Memphis down with him.

"Long, I'm getting out." Locke said after a long silence.

Memphis started to get up.

"Out of this business, I mean." Locke continued as he looked over his shoulder at Memphis. "I'm tired, Long, and I never wanted in on this world."

"Live by the sword, die by the sword." Memphis whispered the ancient warrior proverb as a silent warning to his rival.

"Was that a threat?"

"If not from me, then from someone else." Memphis growled.

"Neither of us are in any condition to fight." Locke said as he began walking down from their cliff. "Our partnership is over." Locke walked away, not paying any mind to Memphis, who's eyes burned into his back.

Memphis then sighed as he looked away and proceeded to make the long trip back to their hotel suite. What thoughts he had as he made his way down were unknown to this writer, but they were probably contemplative thoughts of his own place in the criminal underworld.

Locke found a beat up car at the base of the cliff, but it was still in good enough condition to work. Hot wiring the automobile, Locke drove his way away from the cliff. He was not done with this island yet, there were still things he had to do, and things to know.

--------------------

"Aya? Are you in there?" Meliza knocked softly on the door. Soft sobs were heard, so soft Meliza almost didn’t catch them. She gently opened the door and stepped into the room, which was she noticed was very dim . . . glancing around, she saw the shades were pulled down to keep the sunlight from coming in. Meliza turned to the direction where the sound of silent tears originated. Stepping forward, she kneeled down and pulled Ayame into a hug. "Aww . . . Aya, have you been crying?" Aya cried even harder, the painful memory has ingrained its way into her heart deeply. Meliza swallowed and felt a lump on her throat, but she had to think positively for Aya. "Don’t worry, he's not going to die, he'll be back before we know it. You know Kay, he'll be up and running to snatch a burger before we know it."

Aya shut her eyes tightly.

"He could of at least told us where he was going! Why is he doing this alone?!"

Aya felt so angry.

"Why . . .?" Her voice trembled as her tears strolled down freely.

Meliza took a deep breath, Kay had really done it this time.

"Well . . . you know how men are. They are always thinking they can take the whole world on their own . . ." She paused for a second as her eyes averted heavenward. " . . .not even thinking about the possibility of failure, always doing things without our consent . . . always trying to solve problems on their own."

Ayame looked at the older woman’s face. Meliza must know a lot of things.

"Meliza . . ."

"And Kay's no different. He thought he could take them all on and spare the rest of the trouble of facing those goons." She continued on. "Sometimes they get so caught up in it that they forget us . . . forget what's more import, forget how wwfeel about tsituation . . . forget that we care."

Aya's crying seemed to have abated as she looked at the older woman's face, and noticed how Meliza’s breathing started to seem shaky.

Aya studied Meliza. "Did you . . . have someone?"

Meliza looked away.

"That . . . was a while back." She replied as she blinked a few times from keeping her own tears from coming out. "Anyways . . ." She avoided the memory. "I have this feeling . . . Kay was thinking of you. Even though he left without telling anyone, it was most likely because he didn’t want you to stop him. Maybe because of the slightest possibility that he knew you could."

"I . . . don’t know . . ."

"With you around, he'll find his way back to us soon. Kumori mentioned how he has to grow back a part of his soul. And that’s why he’s going to come back to us and to you."

Aya suddenly began to feel better about this situation. Meliza contains a way with words which Aya finds quite flattering.

"Well, he better . . ."

"Hehe, see? Things aren’t so bad, now come on, girl." Meliza smiled as she helped Aya up.

"You missed breakfast, and everyone's been worried about you."

Wiping the remnants of her tears away, Aya nodded and put on a little smile.

"Hey, Meliza."

Meliza turned around. "Yup?"

"Thank you for listening to me. Where would I be without you?"

Meliza laughed. "Of course . . . now come on, let’s go."

When they finally emerged into the dining room, things seemed quite "lively." Miko was arguing with Zero1 back and forth, because she wanted to vacuum and his legs were in the way, but Zero1 was a guy, and he didn't want to. John Heagy was staring hungrily towards the refrigerator, awaiting lunch. Volpe and Claude were in a deep conversation about how great the color pink was (gah). Crimson was reading a book titled, "So, You're the Essence of Yang." Lilly was cuddling up against Yang whispering those sweet nothings to each other. Victoria was working on her nails. And Ryu Dragon was talking to his friends on the phone.

But when they all noticed Aya’s presence, they suddenly began to relax when she seemed back to her normal, happy self. Their concerns for her went something like this:

"Forsooth! I, Volpe the Mighty, shall strike down the evil fiends who dare to do such a dastardly thing upon my comrade, Sir Kay!" Volpe boomed with his arms raised. "Do not fear, fair Aya, for Kay shall return to thy loving, soft embrace." Then he said as a side comment. "And if he should not return, I, Volpe the Mighty, shall drag him back from the deepest pits of hell! For there is little upon the darkside which could stand up to my mighty magnificence and these manly pink duds I'm wearing!" (pant, pant . . . must breathe . . .)

"Er . . . um . . . thanks." Ayame blinked. "Hehe, that’s very nice of you."

"*Say what?*" Meliza blinked in her thoughts.

"What he just say?" Zero1 whispered to Crimson.

"I dunno, Ryu Dragon?" Crimson whispered.

"Uuuuuhhhh . . . ."

"John?" Crimson asked.

". . . hungry . . ."

"Miko?"

"~Bad dust go bye-bye!~" Miko sang.

"I think he told Aya that he's going to take revenge for Kay, and that Kay will wake up from his coma. Oh, and if Kay doesn't come back, he's willing to go to hell to drag him back." Lilly informed them.

"That's what I said!" Volpe said with an annoyed expression.

"Oooooooooooohhhh." everyone in the room said, finally nodding in understanding.

"Don't worry, Aya." Lilly smiled at the young woman. "Kay wouldn't leave you, he'll come back."

"Lilly you are so kind, thank you." Aya smiled at the older woman.

The phone rang.

"I'll get it!" Miko shouted gleefully as she pounced on the phone. "Moshi moshi!" she blinked then turned to Meliza. "Meliiiizaa! Its for you!"

"Er, thank you." Meliza blinked and accepted the phone. When she heard who was on the other line, however, her mood became serious. She smiled at everyone comfortingly. "An old friend of mine who managed to get his hand on this number." But when she turned away, her expression was serious as she murmured carefully yet softly to the caller. Then she hung up. "It seems like my friend wants to meet with me, I'll see everyone later." She said casually. With that, she grabbed the keys to Zero1's new car and left.

"Hey!" Zero1 objected, but she was already gone.

--------------------

"Iwa, why are we here?" Kumori asked her friend as she floated about in the back of an alley. Kumori wondered where the alley had come from, since this was an artificial island. At least they didn't try importing rats.

"To confront a past." Iwa whispered as she looked into the darkness of the alley, her eyes wide and her poise was one of expecting someone.

"Young mistress." a deep voice rumbled from within the alley, and from the shadows stepped forth Sagat. The dude with an eyepatch and boxers. (I don't know about you, but the image of a dude with an eyepatch and boxers makes me laugh. Of course, this is Sagat we're talking about . . .) "Lord Bison wishes to see you again."

"Sorry, but I'm not interested." Iwa replied, looking at her fingernails. Then she glanced sharply towards Sagat. "But I am here to warn him. Break away from this alliance while he still can, he's playing with fire."

"I'll tell him, but I don't think he will listen." Sagat rumbled, then his eyes suddenly gleaned a dark fire as he leapt to attack Iwa with a powerful kick across the face.

"Iwa!" Kumori screamed and stared at Sagat in shock. No, this wasn't Sagat, the aura wasn't right, something had taken over Sagat.

"Two Essences . . ." Sagat rumbled in a hollow voice not his own as he cracked his knuckles. "The Master will be pleased." Kumori had a feeling he did not mean Bison.

--------------------

"How did you find us?" Meliza whispered when she seated herself at the table in the cafe where her and the caller would meet.

"The black sedan." Locke shook his head, bemused.

"Zero1 has got to change his tastes in cars." Meliza muttered under her breath. She looked at him her brows furrowed as she attempted to delve into his mind. So far, she could only delve to the level where he was actively thinking to himself, and at the moment, his mind was blank. "Why did you call me here, Locke?" A fuzzy series of images came up and disappeared before Meliza could take a good look and decipher them.

"Here." Locke said, pulling out a small laptop, which he pushed across the table towards her. "Its some info you and your friends might find important." Pictures of each of her friends passed through his mind, and the vibes she got from him was a moody one. Images of others appeared as well, some whom she knew, and some whom she did not.

"Why?" she asked, opening the laptop, and whistling under her breathe when she saw the brand's name. Again, she concentrated on Locke, and found strange colors and a confused mixture of emotions. But most prevalent of his emotions was a tired feeling of near resignation.

"Take it and go, the sooner you and your friends get access to this information, the more prepared you can be." Locke replied, frowning as his hair shadowed his eyes. "This game we're playing is very very dangerous, where the whole world seems to be at stake. Some of us know what the game is really about, the rest either don't know or have yet to figure it all out." He shook his head ruefully. "I should have never come to this island. But I'll be in the background and give you any info I get my hands on."

"That's quite a change." Meliza observed.

"It wasn't much of a choice." Locke muttered.

"Thank you." Meliza said as she stood up with the laptop in her hand. "I'll make sure we make good use of the info."

Locke nodded and finally took a sip from the cup of coffee at his elbow. Meliza made a face at the taste of coffee left to cool, but Locke didn't seem to particularly mind. Leaving, she kept contact on his mind in case anything should come up from behind her back. But the thought she received surprised her. "*I hope to see you, again . . .*" And she departed her maway quickly, doing her best not to think of that momenat the cliff.

Then she wondered why he was wearing a white trenchcoat and drepants over a black t.

-------------------

When Iwa and Kumori were done with him, they looked in concern over the large Muay Thai fighter. The Sagat they had fought was not like the Sagat they knew, dark forces were already beginning to make their way into the fighters of this tournament. The two women walked away, leaving the large Muay Thai fighter behind, not seeing the dark shadow which escaped from the large man's body as he moaned in pain.

--------------------

"Oh, no . . ." Darius whispered when he saw the necklace engraved upon her chest. It was Xeris' amulet, and he could feel the evil emanating from it.

"Darius . . . what's wrong?" she asked.

"Juliana, you have to take that thing off!" Darius said urgently, pointing at the necklace engraved on her chest.

"No, Darius." Acinomia replied firmly. "I will not. It has helped me to find you after these long centuries, and has helped me take revenge upon them all."

"Juliana, they're all dead, now . . . Xeris, you . . . killed him." Darius pleaded. "You don't need this anymore, please take it away, its evil."

"You don't understand!" Acinomia roared and Darius felt a powerful force fling him to the stone walls. Acinomia looked at him with angry eyes, her fists clenching and unclenching. She touched the necklace almost gingerly. "Its a part of me now, its been a part of me for a long time. We can't separate."

"I'm sorry, but-"

"She's here!" Acinomia hissed, then her eyes narrowed. "Or rather, THEY'RE here."

Grabbing Quintessence, Darius' sharp eyes looked out the mouth of the cave and saw two figures poking around.

"Hello, is anybody in there?!" Nisshoku called out.

"Why are we here?" Shizukesa whispered.

"Cave exploring." Nisshoku replied confidently. "And its good exercise, too."

"Nis, watch out!" Zuke cried out in warning, but it was too late a a giant bolt of light energy streamed and blasted Nis full on the front, sending her crashing to the wall. "Who's there?!"

"Can you believe how deaf the phoenix can be to the cries of help from others?" Darius whispered as he stepped out of the shadows, his bow held at the ready. "The phoenix is a bringer of death, not rebirth or salvation. Do you think it will hear your cries?"