Early in the morning, the next day after the party...

On the beach, a lone man wearing a pair of white karate pants and black belt was moving slowly purposefully. His red headband flows with the soft and warm wind. His right hand was extended slowly, finishing a punching move in the basic kata. He moved in perfect precision of many years of trained body and mind. No energy wasted in each movement.

He spun around while his hand moved in a blocking stance. A straight punch followed and then a high kick. Ryu closed the series of movement and let out a deep breath. He opened his eyes and watched the sunrise. A thought intruded his mind. Iwa, wherever you are, stay safe. He sent a prayer to the gods for his adopted daughter's safety.

His thoughts drifted even more to the past, recalling events involving him, his lover, and his adopted daughter. He felt his heart ache. At times he felt a regret of taking the path of a warrior, which brought troubles and dangers to those dear to him. He shrugged the thought. Whatever happened, is already done. I can only make sure that I'll protect them, even if it means sacrificing my life.

He felt energy, a strong one, coming from behind him. He sensed an attack coming and quickly turned just in time to avoid a flying kick aimed for his head. He rolled under the attack and quickly got up to his fighting stance. He blocked a jab and leapt back avoiding a backhand punch and got a look at his attacker. A smile crept up on his face. "Well, well, it's been a while. How are things with the dead?"

His attacker, a young man wearing black undershirt, training pants, and white sneakers, smiled back. "Not so bad. Kinda fun hangin' around their place. You know, you should try it sometimes."

Ryu laughed. "No, thanks, I'll leave all the traps and treasures to you. I prefer someone that can give a good fight."

The young man, the treasure hunter, shook his head. "You have no idea what I've been fighting at some places. They're sure are not a walk in the park." Ming grinned. "So, how 'bout a sparring practice to celebrate our meeting?"

Ryu grinned and readied his battle stance. "You either got amnesia or confusing me with someone else. Do you even need to ask?"

"Had to be sure, don't I?" Ming replied and then launched a series of punches and kicks. Ryu managed to block most of them, but a few got in, though he gave them back equally. The two battled in a friendly match. Ryu got the upper hand on power and experiences, while Ming had the advantages of agility and instinct.

After a bout of trading attacks and throws, the two stopped to catch their breaths, preparing for the second round. The two smiled at each other, a silent acknowledgement and admiration of the other skills and strength.

The second round was started by Ming again. He launched a straight punch which was blocked. Ryu countered with an elbow attack. Ming ducked under the elbow and rushed in a knee attack while grabbing the older fighter's shoulder. The knee attack was blocked and Ryu broke free of Ming's hold. He stepped back and spun, launching a low elbow aimed at the treasure hunter's stomach.

The young treasure hunter barely avoided the attack; Ryu's elbow grazed his stomach lightly. He leapt back and replied with a low sweep that the Ansatsuken fighter leapt over.

Ming dashed in as the Ansatsuken fighter came back down. He leapt to avoid an uppercut, but rather than jumping over Ryu, he flipped backward and paused for one millisecond in the air and launched his Dragon Rider Kick. His right foot glowed brightly with energy while zooming down at the world warrior.

***

UMBRELLA RESEARCH FACILITY (several miles off the coast of the Makai)

In the middle of a dark room with monitors lining one wall, three men stared at the glaring screens, absorbing the information. Two, dressed in lab coats, sat at computer stations while the third one, in a suit, stood slightly behind them.

"These are the tournament participants?" the man in the suit asked casually, studying the screens. Each screen had either video footage of the person during the preliminaries, or a slideshow of surveillance photos taken at the Makai.

"Yes," one of the scientists said. "Every single one of them."

The second scientist pointed at two screens on the right. "These two were the first subjects we thought would be most appropriate, remember?"

On the bottom right hand corner of each screen were the names, 'Sakura Kasugano' and 'Mien'.

The man in the suit studied the screens on the far left. The people displayed there were all on M. Bison's employ... Two of them in particular were most interesting. He only knew what he needed to know, but from what rumors he had heard, those two - a male and a female - had been some type of Shadowlaw experiment several years ago. As for the female below them...her family...particularly one man in her family was a powerful warrior who had participated in tournaments for years. In fact, he was the old friend of Ken Masters, another sponsor for this tournament.

So many twists, turns, and connections. He learned quickly that in this business, connections had a way of interfering with progress.

***
 

Ryu's experiences as a world-class warrior had prepared him for many unpredictable strategies. Though quite shocked with such strategy, he did not become paralyzed like any other less capable fighters. He quickly crossed his arms in front of his chest while slightly leaping back. When the kick hit his defense, he was thrown back about twenty feet. He landed quite loudly on the soft sand, but was not hurt badly. His quick reflexes had saved him from heavier damages.

He rolled back and stood in his fighting stance. He saw Ming rushing at him, his right hand glowing brightly. Ryu changed his stance into a much familiar one. He set his feet wide apart and crouched low. His hands set on his side with both palms faced at each other. He gathered his ki and the space between his palms glowed.

Seeing the familiar stance, Ming smiled. He was enjoying every moment sparring with Ryu, and more if he could get the chance to fight him in the tournament. He knew that any real warrior would enjoy a fight, albeit a practice one, with the world warrior. Fighting a warrior like Ryu can stretch one's fighting skills and limit.

When he was close enough to Ryu, he skidded, his body turned sideways. He spun his right hand that held the energy ball like a baseball pitcher. The energy ball flew toward the older warrior with a strange trajectory, curving down near the ground, then rose up toward Ryu's stomach.

The Ansatsuken fighter had seen this technique before. He was tricked once or twice in previous fights with the young treasure hunter. He had to admit that such technique could easily catch even experienced fighters off guard, for Ming can manipulate the trajectory the moment it was launched. He used his fighter's senses to track the trajectory of the energy ball. When the energy ball was closing in, he launched his own energy ball.

The two bright spheres collided and negated each other. Two seconds later, both projectiles were gone with the wind. The two fighters stood transfixed in their position before finally with a silent agreement, ended the sparring session.

Ming smiled at Ryu, "Man, it's been ages since I had a good sparring session like this." He raised his thumb up. "And you still rock."

"Well, your skill and strength have grown as well. I'm still impressed with your projectile technique," replied the older fighter with satisfactory smile.

"Gotta have something original, don't I?" The young treasure hunter replied with a happy grin.

"Well, you two seem to be enjoying each others company. Mind if I join in?" A female voice was heard from a distance.

The two fighters turned around and were greeted with the sight of a beautiful woman in a blue and gold training suit. Her hair was tied in a familiar style, a bun of hair on each side. She also wore a pair of black bracelets with little spikes.

"Li!" Ryu called out.

"Well, well, well, a sight that's long not seen," said the treasure hunter.

"Same goes to you," said Chun Li as she walked down toward the two fighters. "...Tomb raider." She added with a glee.

"The preferred term is treasure hunter," replied Ming with a mock offended tone of voice. He extended a hand.

Chun Li accepted the greeting. "So, how's it been with the dead?" Ryu laughed at the usual greeting to the treasure hunter.

Ming shrugged, feigning an indifference tone. "Ah you know; fun, thrills, lots of booby traps - though they could do with trickier stuff than boulder trap, dead people..." Then he added with a grin and wink, "and treasure."

The couple of fighters grinned. "So, what brings you here? Another treasure hunt?" Asked Ryu.

"Sort of," replied Ming. "Though at the moment, it's the tourney that brings me here."

"Oh? So you entered tournaments as well?" Said Chun Li in a fake surprise tone.

Ming looked at Ryu and said in a playful tone of voice. "What happened to her? She lost a bolt on her head or something?" Then he avoided a playful slap on the head. "Ha! You hit like a girl!" And then the detective and the treasure hunter were sparring in friendly and humorous spirit, while the world warrior was chuckling and laughing.

***
 
 

Around 10 A.M. in the COF arena...

The sun soared high in the sky of the island where currently a world-class event was about to start. In the arena that was shaped like a Roman Coliseum, over six thousand spectators had come to watch the beginning of a worldwide fighting tournament. Cameras from various TV stations could also be seen among the crowd ready to record and air the brutal, yet admired and anticipated tournament among warriors and fans of them.

The tournament was the Champion of Fists Tournament, otherwise known as COF.

Sponsored by various companies, big and small, among them were Umbrella - a giant among pharmaceutical industries; the Masters Corporation - a world class business family currently run by Ken Masters, also a participant in the tournament; the Kanzuki Zaibatsu - another world class company rival of the Masters; the Rinaldo Hotel Corporation - specializing in accommodation and entertainment industry, and Iris Industries - a relatively new, growing company.

A roar of trumpets was suddenly heard; indicating the time for the opening of the tournament was about to start. A metallic double door on the north side of the arena was opened and a beautiful woman holding a wireless microphone appeared. She entered the arena confidently and stood on the center. She looked around the crowd for a moment, savoring the intense feeling from the spectators.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen! I am Nikki, your MC for the tournament! Welcome to this world class tournament, THE CHAMPION OF FISTS!!!" The spectators roared in approval as she ended her welcoming greeting.

"Now, I am sure all of you are all ready to see our favorite warriors pitting their skills against each other, but first, let us see who are our participants. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, GIVE YOUR MIGHTIEST WELCOME FOR OUR WARRIORS!!"

From the same entrance, fighters came in pairs according to their respective partner. Leading the line were Alex, the champion of the third, latest Street Fighter tournament and his partner, Luke Blaze. As the participants entered the arena, Nikki introduced each fighter's name and country of origin. Cheers and applause could be heard when popular names among fans of the Street Fighter circuit were announced.

When all fighters were gathered in the arena, Nikki began to explain the tournament system. The first stage was where each team will fight the other team. Points will be granted for winning fights. Eight teams with the highest score will proceed to the second stage. The second stage was still a team-based system, but instead of fighting all opposing team, each team would only have to face one combat.

On the third stage or the quarter final until the final, where there were eight fighters left, the fighters would no longer fight in a team. The system used was a knockout system, if a fighter lost the match, he or she would no longer be eligible.

"Now," said the MC. "For what you have waiting for, our first fight. Let's welcome, Fei Long with this partner Jin Kushina against Enrique Pierantoni and Charlie Nash!!"

Again, the crowd cheered in approval as the rest of fighters who were not fighting left the arena. Guile gave a good luck playful punch to Nash before he went to the spectator seat.

***
 
 

"Hey, we made it on time," Sean noted, dropping down into a chair. "Looks like the match is about to start."

Next to him, Victoria slipped into her own seat. Offered to all COF entrants, fighters held the privilege of being able to view any matches throughout the tournament free of charge, provided they had their tournament entry pass with them. Having heard that Riq would be in one of today's scheduled matches, Victoria had decided to turn up, having nothing else to do as well as wanting to provide support.

Sean, on the other hand, was here primarily to see Fei Long, also a part of this upcoming match, having been a fan of his Hong Kong action films from a kid, up to now. Hearing from Victoria that Riq had been the one to teach her fighting style had additionally furthered his interest in this match, curious in seeing what he was capable of.

"I see your boy's fighting first," Sean grinned. "Dunno who the other guy is though." The "other guy" Matsuda spoke of was wearing a plain white T-shirt and white tracksuit trousers baggy enough to partially cover a pair of white tennis shoes. "Sure does love his white, doesn't he?" Sean commented, just before the fighter took out a pair of black fingerless gloves from his trouser pocket and slipped them onto his hands.

"According to this," Enid held up a card she took near the entrance of the stadium, with a list of all the matches scheduled for today. "His name's-"

***
 
 

"-Jin Kushina. Is it just me, or does that name have a certain... something to it?"

Natalie - or 'Mien', as her tournament entry pass stated - responded to Sakura's statement with a simple shrug. They are here, of course, solely to support both Jin and Fei in the team's first match in the COF tournament. A part of Natalie briefly wondered if Guile was also in this stadium, considering Charlie's involvement in this match, before questioning for perhaps the umpteenth time on her decision to join Sakura.

"It's probably just you," Natalie said, deciding not to let her friend's query go unanswered, only to slip back into thought. Of all people, Guile was one of the last people she wanted to deal with. Not in this current time, at least.

Sakura stared out over the crowd, seeing both Jin and his opponent were about to begin the first round of this match. "Yeah, maybe."

***
 
 

Seeing his opponent step into a defensive stance, Jin decides to open the match, closing in with a right hook that meets Riq's guarding arm. Seeing an opening, the Kushina descendant sends out a left palm strike to the solar plexus, expelling the air from Pierantoni's lungs as he stumbles back a step. Two jabs and another hook follow the palm strike before Jin aims low, landing a solid punch to the midsection that further opens up Riq to a wheel kick towards his head. It connects, driving the shaken-up Puerto Rican back as he tries to give himself space. Jin keeps up his offence, however, his leg cutting through the air towards Pierantoni's forehead.

Riq leans back, avoiding the kick easily and crouches, slipping into a cat stance. As Kushina spins through his missed kick, the Kajukenbo fighter retaliates with a strike to Jin's knee. Riq then hops from his cat stance, throwing out two wheel kicks, impacting against Jin's face. Kushina falters yet does not fall, gathering his bearings before his opponent has time to take advantage. Jin charges in a second time, having seen Riq's guard shift to his left side, leaving his right side exposed. A wave of surprise races across Kushina's features, however, as Pierantoni suddenly embraces a front leaning stance, cutting off Jin's charge with a hammer strike to the jaw, a gut punch with enough force to fold Kushina's body around his fist and a blow bouncing off Jin's jaw with a crack. As a visibly stunned Jin tries to recover, Riq ends the brutal combo with a strong shoulder toss, driving most of his power behind it.

Kushina's body lands and rolls side-over-side for a few feet before it comes to a stop. A few seconds later Jin pushes himself up onto his arms, staggering onto his feet much to the appeal of the crowd.

In the space of two heartbeats, Jin cuts the distance between himself and Riq, erupting a combination of jabs, palms strikes and hooks that find no purchase. Kushina throws out a left thrusting punch, targeting Riq's collarbone, but as soon as Riq brings his guard up Jin withdraws his punch, following the feint through with a crushing right fist to his opponent's abdomen.

Riq stumbles back, and from the corner of his eye he sees Jin closing in, a split-second before he feels a gloved-hand hold his throat and carry him above ground by a few inches. Almost as quickly as he secures his fingers around Pierantoni's neck, Kushina voices a simple phrase that Riq doesn't understand before his hand detonates into a surge of dark fire that separates and sends the Puerto Rican through the air to land with an unruly thud.

Jin watches his prone opponent as the referee begins a five-count. Pierantoni is back on his feet by the count of three, inciting a cry of wild enthusiasm from the battle-hungry crowd. Riq resigns himself back to a defensive stance, beckoning Kushina to attack with a 'come here' gesture. Jin takes the moment to run one hand through his hair, soon accepting Riq's invitation with a sprint forward.

A gasp of surprise leaves Jin's body as Riq's fist finds a target in his gut, stopping his dash. The Puerto Rican slips past his stunned opponent, who soon reacts with a wild turning backfist. The strike whistles just past Riq, who continues to move forward, managing to switch positions with Kushina. Once Pierantoni brings himself to a stop, he turns around in time to see Jin close in on his exposed side.

Riq's eyes flash as an opportunity presents itself. Maintaining his rotational movement, he spins on one leg, bringing the other around with a powerful wheel kick. The blur that is Riq's leg collides with Jin's blocking arm with a snap, driving Kushina back by a few yards. Jin is given no time to even grimace in silence as Riq follows up with two punches to the chest and an uppercut, launching Kushina's body airborne. A split-second later, Riq flies up after him.

With his eyes squeezed shut, Jin feels something slam into his gut, snapping his eyes open to witness his body folded around Riq's knee. Both fighters appear to stay frozen in midair briefly before Jin's body lifts from Riq's knee, and Riq extends his offence with another punch to the Kushina warrior's chest. The side of Jin's form meets the ground ungraciously, instantly pushing itself into an instinctive roll just as Pierantoni lands with a knee where Jin's stomach would've been. Jin rises to his feet and receives a left and right elbow across the face. A left hook to the cheek sends Jin reeling as he falls backward and Riq rushes in, seeking the finish.

In a smooth motion, Kushina breaks his fall with one palm, throwing up one leg with enough force to make the rest of his body follow on helplessly. The first strike of the Sakkyaku Geki technique catches Riq's lower jaw, forcing the surprised Rican backwards as he mentally lets out a curse. Equally as smooth comes a short, swift blitz of leg strikes that concludes with a lunge kick to the gut. Riq sails through the air from the force of the kick, but what Jin doesn't expect is for his opponent to regain his footing without even falling to the ground. The signs of the technique's damage are clearly telling, however, for Riq's body is slightly hunched over, with one arm wrapped around his midsection. Without a second thought, Jin bolts forward with a high roundhouse kick aimed towards Pierantoni's temple, hoping to knock him into unconsciousness and secure the victory.

Once again, Riq shows his resilience by leaning his head and body out of the attack's range, reacting just as effectively with two hammer strikes to the left side of Jin's face, beginning his Kenpo Storm attack. A steely gaze washes over Riq's features momentarily as he instantly follows the brutal blows with a punch to the groin before closing the technique with a backward somersault, as if returning the favour to Jin's own version performed seconds ago. Riq's legs collide with Jin's chin with tremendous force, enough to throw Kushina several feet into the air only for the ground to break his fall.

The crowd erupts into an uproar, believing the fight to be over, as does Riq himself. Even Long, who has had his arms crossed throughout this match, lets them drop slowly as he inwardly ponders on the condition of his friend and team mate.

With a pained grunt, Jin pulls himself back upright once more, causing Pierantoni's eyes to widen incredulously. He had been sure that Kushina would not get up in time, if at all, considering the way he had crashed limply onto the stadium floor in addition to the distance his body had flown.

Gathering his spiritual energy, Riq bursts into a quick dash, hoping to make his opponent's fall the last one, knowing well that he may never get another opportunity. A near-exhausted Kushina, meanwhile, raises a knife hand in front of his face, gathering his own energies that soon manifests as a glowing hue around his battered form, his eyes closed to everything around him, most particularly his opponent's approaching form. Seconds later they snap open, unveiling a clear, sure resolute, matched in kind by the tone of voice he lets loose with words that only Kushina himself hears.

***
 
 

"Koko madeda..."

"Hmm?" Sakura turns to Natalie - or 'Mien', as her tournament entry pass stated - wondering what she just said. "What was that?"

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking out loud," Natalie says as she watches Jin dart forward, knowing full well what her fiancé is about to do with a smile. Koko madeda. It ends here, indeed...

***
 
 

Jin throws his body forward, rushing to meet Pierantoni head on with focused eyes. Just as Riq draws back his fist to initiate his Coffee Mill technique, the image of Jin suddenly becomes a blur, separating into five figures.

"What the fu-" Riq utters, unable to complete his statement as a numbing, paralysing sensation starts to permeate throughout his body, whilst seeing multiple, blurred images of Jin swarming around him. He begins to feel his hands becoming slack, and before he has time to fully discern what's happening the after-images suddenly vanish, revealing the real Kushina as he appears in front of Riq.

"Moero..." (Burn) Jin's voice echoes, just as Riq's world explodes into a burst of pain and dark flame.

***
 
 

UNKNOWN LOCATION

A man activated a screen with a push of several buttons by his armrest. The screen flickered to life, its green color casting an eerie glow in the room. A list of names appeared, and he scrolled through the list. With each name he highlighted, a corresponding photograph appeared on the right side.

"Sir..." one of his employees spoke up from his right side several feet away. "I just got off the phone with our man at Umbrella...they'll be sending us their updated list and information on the tournament participants as well as their employees that will be present during the event."

"Good." M. Bison sat back in his chair, pausing at the name Iwa Hoshi. Yes, he had plans for that one.

Once the information was downloaded into his system, he looked through the list again of participants and staff, pausing at the sight of a young girl who was probably no older than twelve years. It was for reference...in case his staff needed to know who was on Umbrella's side.

"Odd..." the technician said quietly from his station.

"What?" Bison scowled. He could not have any room for mistakes. Not this time around.

The technician jumped in his chair before turning to Bison. "There's been an irregular occurrence...well...several happening in our system. It...almost looks like someone...or several...are trying to access our information."

"Which of our information has been compromised?"

"Email...some basic research data on your transportation crafts...dolls..." he frowned. "Someone...at Umbrella, perhaps?"

"Perhaps," the dictator echoed. He might be working with Umbrella, but what was his research was his. He also would not be surprised if the law enforcement agencies around the world were trying to connect him to this tournament as well. "Keep a close watch on all computer activity."

***
 
 

The near-blinding glare of fluorescent light is the first thing to flood Pierantoni's senses as his eyes crack open, scrutinising the surroundings long enough for him to realize that he's in a hospital room, lying on a hospital bed with areas of his body swathed in bandages. It took Riq half as long to realize he's also been heavily sedated and, with an inward grimace, that the anaesthetic was now beginning to wear off. Ignoring the pain coursing throughout his whole body, Riq shifts to a more comfortable position, staring up at the television in front of him. It's currently showing some footage of Fei Long leaving a hospital, along with a voiceover that states how he'd been sent to hospital following a defeat in one of the first series of matches in the Champion of Fists tournament.

'So Charlie won his match,' Riq notes approvingly. That meant that the entire match result was a draw, leaving both teams with one point each. It is whilst the Puerto Rican dwells on that briefly is when the door opens and Victoria slowly steps into the room.

"Hi," she begins with a friendly smile.

"What are you doing here?" No sooner had the statement left his lips does Riq quickly regret it, considering where he was. 'Bad choice of words,' he realises grimly.

"Well, to see how you were doing, of course," Enid replies casually. The look in her eyes, as if to say, 'what other reason would I visit anyone in a hospital bed', was not lost on him, however.

"I take it you saw the match, then?"

"Yep," came the answer. "Both Sean and I agreed it could've gone either way,"

Riq could only assume that the person she spoke of was the boy he saw her with at the beach at the luau. "I see..."

"You should be in good hands, though," Victoria adds reassuringly. "With Umbrella providing funding for this place, we've got some of the best doctors and nurses in the world working here for us to deal with."

"Yeah..." Riq mutters. He'd already seen the plaques broadcasting Umbrella's generous funding towards several of these facilities on the island. With a couple of these doctors and nurses on Umbrella's personal payroll, no doubt, he thinks bitterly. Inside he feels - correction, he knows - that nothing good can come out of something that ultimately has Umbrella's hands in it. Although a part of him hopes to be wrong somehow, the rational part of himself reminds him that he hadn't exactly entered this tournament due to the spirit of competition.

"What's wrong?" Millan inquires, snapping Pierantoni out of his thoughts.

"Nothing important," he lies. He suspects that she isn't buying it, however. Before Victoria would have the opportunity to fulfil his suspicions, the door opens a second time shortly before a nurse garbed in a white and green uniform walks through.

"Well, I'll see you later," Victoria says. If the nurse hadn't gotten to her first, Riq's willingness to make trying to get a conversation out of him near impossible would've driven her out soon enough. She had time to catch Riq asking the nurse how much longer until he could leave before the door closed gently behind her.

***
 
 

"You know, with all the punches you were taking to the face, a hockey mask might be a good investment. Honestly, I bet no one in this whole tournament is going to wear any sort of mouth guard..." As she inspected the bruising on Jin's face and the swelling due to the impact of soft facial muscles being crushed against his teeth from blow after blow, Natalie considered buying a mouth-piece for herself. The worst of the visible damage were the inky purple and red patches forming on his face... mostly his jaw. The swelling seemed confined to that area as well.

Now wearing only the white tracksuit pants, he sat on their bed in the room they shared, wincing now and then as she poked and prodded to guess the damage. He would have been taken to the hospital, had he not waved the medical attendants off. Some looked rather annoyed, but none argued all that much after witnessing the fight and what the guy was capable of while conscious. Natalie smirked as she gently dabbed here and there with antiseptic wipes. She was willing to bet certain of her abilities were going to come in very handy in the next few weeks.

Though the inside of his mouth was even worse off than the outside, Jin managed a small complaint. "I don't see why you can't just heal me like you used to."

Natalie chuckled and knelt to look at the bruising on his abdomen where Pierantoni had all but broken him in half a few times, "The more I know about the injuries, the less I waste my energy by trying too hard to heal them. Aside from that, I have to leave at least a few light marks. Or else everyone will want to know what sort of miraculous treatment you had in order to look perfect again overnight..." She was impressed, as always, with his endurance and ability to pull of a win in the fight after taking so much damage. She wouldn't be stroking his ego anytime soon over it, though. He wasn't really the type who needed praise, anyway.

Jin started to smirk slightly at her words, but stopped when it hurt a tad more than he'd expected. Riq had given him quite a fight, though Jin had been out of competition for years now. If half the fighters in this tournament gave were as good as that guy, well, it might be more interesting than he had initially thought. He looked forward to seeing his fiancée compete within the next few days. He anticipated possibly fighting her as well, though the extended schedule had yet to be posted. Their teams would battle for sure, but whether or not the two of them would be in the same round was another matter.

The only part he really did not look forward to in that fight would be the possibility of her being too exhausted (or maybe irritated) to restore one or both of them. Especially if her very large partner had any hand in dealing with Jin himself. E. Honda might have been jovial and good-natured, but the man had pummeled more stones, bricks, and sandbags in one outdoor training session than Jin cared to count. Natalie had only grinned cutely at him and told him that she and the sumo champion had been talking over a few "partner assists" that they might use. He imagined they might include the opponent being set on fire and then extinguished by suffocation as he or she was sat upon by who-knows-how-much weight.

As Rosie crawled across the bed in that generally creepy fashion of hers, Natalie closed her eyes and called her blue, flame-like power into her hands. As gentle warmth and a slight prickling sensation spread throughout Jin, Natalie whispered inaudibly, passing both hands over the worst injuries until all that remained were a few red, and sometimes purplish bruises along his left cheek, chin and one edge of his lips. Since no one would likely be seeing his abdomen, she'd elected to heal everything there.

With a relieved sigh, Jin plopped back against the bed, startling a few of the animals and the spider who were exploring it, yet thankfully not crushing any of them. The gecko did hiss threateningly at him, though. Natalie scowled a bit at his carelessness, but seeing no harm done she lay beside - and half against - him on her stomach, yawning with her head pillowed on his outstretched left arm which curled to drape over her shoulders instinctively. She was now a little tired as well. Using that particular skill always drained her more than most others. She hadn't used it in a while, either. Well, at least not to that degree. The sunburn thing didn't count.

"Feel better?"

"Mm. Yeah. Thanks."

"Hn...Welcome." And that was the extent of the conversation, since both were already beginning to doze. They wouldn't be missed in any case. Everyone had enough to handle with either their own wounds or watching other participants have their faces bloodied or sparring in preparation for just such an event.

***
 
 

Several hours later...

"Not now, Freckle, mommy's gotta do a little espionage."

The cat didn't seem to understand at least the last word, but the way Natalie clicked those keys on her laptop certainly held his attention. Freckle, more often referred to as Baka-neko, swatted at her busy fingers as she searched the database of fighters, looking over both familiar names and a few she'd never heard of. It was well past midnight, Jin was still asleep and she was awake staring at the bright screen, squinting now and then as her eyes became dry. Were it not for the glare of her laptop's screen, the room would have been nearly pitch-black.

Hours ago she'd woken, put most of the animals up, and coaxed Jin to actually rest under the blankets rather than on top of them. After that she had decided that she'd put her "work" off long enough. It had been a long, tedious task of finding which wires to tap for the security cameras and hacking access into the hotel's information network. The least of her problems had involved the process of snagging one of the Makai's master key cards, copying the magnetic strip, and then returning the card to its correct place before anyone noticed its absence. Thankfully, there were a lot of cards to keep up with and the system offered "advanced security with little maintenance or monitoring." Luckily for her, the staff believed that.

Now, for all her hard work, she had access to the data on the fighters, the security feed, and to any room, barring the penthouse, which seemed to be on a different locking system. Fine with her, Meliza wasn't exactly someone she considered a potential problem. She seemed to have a great deal on her hands without worrying about the goings-on of the various organizations and fighters involved in this tournament. She hadn't known Meliza through much more than reputation from the previous tournament... a little over four years ago.

A brief smile tugged at her lips as she remembered Victoria and the shock on her face. So far, she seemed to have kept her promise of secrecy. No one else had yet approached her. It wasn't too surprising really, with so many new faces mingling with the old. Other than Jin, Iwa and Victoria, few would have known her well enough to recognize her in any situation, let alone if they were to think she had died. But Aaron Volpe... he should have known her. She had made it apparent enough that she knew him. Really should catch up with him, if there were any way to do that with him apparently forgetting her. Something was amiss with that. Very, very wrong, as with a lot of the things happening just beneath the media's radar. And she still suspected something about that Chinese man from the lobby. Just one of those hunches, she supposed.

Altogether, the hardest thing had thus far been avoiding Chun, Guile and even Charlie. He had been too caught up in the fight, she was fairly sure he hadn't noticed her. She was also pretty certain the other street fighters she'd met wouldn't connect who she had been to who she was now. Guile though... he might spot her quickly. Her lips pursed as she checked the video feed for the halls on the second and third floors, the lobby and the elevators. Minor activity, mostly staff. Nothing in the hall just outside her door.

She had not expected him to be here, in all honesty. Should not he be getting too old for this kind of stuff? There was no way he was in it "just for the fun." Oh, he may have fun bashing in a few faces... but if he and Charlie were here - along with a few other military or police personnel - then something big was definitely going down.

"Well, no time like the present," she muttered quietly. Giving her cat a scratch behind the ear and a playful push as he swatted her hand in his typical "Play, now, stupid human," manner, she rose silently from the desk and used the light from the monitor to dress by. She could see fairly well in the dark anyway. Slipping out of her tank top and shorts, she was soon dressed in a pair of black slacks cut to hug her legs to the knees and flair slightly at the bottom, a white collared shirt, and a black blazer, also cut to fit her figure. She left the top two buttons of the shirt undone, an old habit from days when she'd had to wear a similar sort of uniform on a near-daily basis. Good thing they relaxed the dress code for her when she went to Fighter's Isle. She could not have handled fighting in a suit. Why in any level of Hell some of the fighters here wore sportswear to a fight was simply beyond her.

She pinned her long hair in a bun with hair sticks, and she applied a light coating of make-up... just enough to look like she cared. To complete the look, she donned a pair of fake eyeglasses that dimmed the bright, noticeable blue of her eyes. The slate blue of her eyeshadow furthered the effect of hiding one of her more notable traits.

Checking the security cameras in the halls, she pressed a few more keys and overrode the live video feed, sending a looped recording on an empty hallway instead. Just as she picked up her clipboard, pocketed her digital camera and slid her feet into a pair of black leather flats, she heard that quiet, familiar voice.

"Where are you going?"

Dammit. Dammit dammit. Damn. It. She had thought he was sleeping heavier than that. "Just doing a little research," she replied casually, turning to give him a flat stare and an over-dramatized huff, "How long have you been awake?"

Jin sat up as Baka-neko decided to hop on his feet and knead the blanket, claws out. "Long enough to guess you're about to break several more laws. That makes... what? Five, since we boarded the plane to get here?"

She had to squint a little, but could still make out the small smirk on his face. As if he was one to talk. "Six. And this will only be seven... okay, maybe eight. And what do you care? I'm not going to do anything dangerous..."

He gave her a doubtful look, "Not by your standards of the word."

It was her turn to smirk, "Nor by yours. I'm just going to be taking a look around." Best to be vague about it.

He lay back down, facing her on his side with his head propped, "Fine. Just be careful."

She beamed, the smile barely showing in the dim, bluish light. "I will, I'll be back soon."

As Natalie turned to the door once more and placed a hand on the knob, she almost missed Jin's last comment. "That outfit is cute, by the way. Brings out your inner geek."

With a sugary tone and a tense smile she threw her reply over her shoulder, "One of these days, you're going to wake up to the searing pain of your eyebrows being ripped off by wax strips."

It was a bluff, as always. She loved him too much to really do anything to him. He was positive... kinda. He did wonder now and then...

He was just about to give a snarky reply when she shut the door behind her.

***
 
 

Moments later, Natalie found herself at the door leading to a certain assassin's room. Vega, she had noted, had left with some chick earlier and had yet to return. Best to start with the known criminals, she figured. She looked around to be certain no one was near and pulled her copied master key card from an inside pocket of her blazer. She swiped it and waited with a slight nervousness, which passed with a silent sigh when the tiny light turned green. Pocketing her card again, she entered the room.

... and was utterly shocked. The room was indeed empty of any living thing... but good God in heaven... the pink!! It was everywhere!! Along with splashes of purple and black here and there. Feathered boas, ruffled throw pillows and... high heels?? Though most of the standard decor remained, it had been drowned in throw pillows, satin sheets, rugs and various other novelty adornments. She had to double check the number on the door. Indeed... this was Vega's room.

Natalie barely kept enough good sense to step quickly into the room and close the door behind her. This was far beyond the term "metro-sexual." She nearly forgot her reason for being in the room. The furry handcuffs on the nightstand only added to the odd mix of near nausea and sardonic hilarity. The dog collar was downright disturbing, but not nearly so much as the... strappy thing... that hung in one corner from a hook in the ceiling. This assassin had some very odd fetishes, and she cared not to know exactly what they were.

Putting a quick end to that train of thought she began systematically searching the room, taking her tiny digital camera out and photographing anything and everything that might be of importance. No laptop or such in sight... unfortunately. And more often than not she found sexual paraphernalia instead of files or folders or anything resembling what she had intended to find. She resolved to soak her hands in rubbing alcohol and take a very long shower once she returned to the room she shared with Jin.

Within ten minutes of entering the room, she was done. Or at least as close to done as she could stand. A sense of urgency filled her, prickling her sixth sense. Vega could return at any moment, and that boded ill for one or more likely both of them. She had found documents in a desk drawer containing extensive information on many of the tournament participants. So... Shadowlaw was back, and very interested in some of the world's best fighters once again. Go figure, you would think they had have found a new hobby.

Just before leaving, she took a few pictures of the room itself and some of the items scattered throughout. Otherwise, Jin probably wouldn't believe her. And, she mentally added, it never hurt to have blackmail material.

Deciding she had had enough w.t.f. moments for the night, she left the room just as she had found it, making her way back to hers and Jin's room just as Vega and the girl he had left with exited the elevator.

The man flipped a stray lock of long, blond hair over his shoulder as he tugged the giggling, busty red-head along, both obviously having had a few drinks. Natalie stared at the floor and walked passed them, trying not to be obvious with a blush or look of disgust.

"Hola, chica," the Spanish ninja slurred at her as she walked by. "Care to join us for a private party?"

The words, "f*ck off, contract syphilis and DIE" came to mind, but she opted instead for a shy, "Um, no thanks," and all but ran to the elevator, hammering the button for the floor her room was on. She really needed that shower now. And ideally, it would not be alone.

Impatiently, she poked the button again thrice more as the doors slowly closed. She shuddered with a few unintelligible sounds of disgust. Yup. Hot, long shower. That was what she needed. And to never see the colors, pink, purple and black all in that same combination again...

***
 
 

As the tournament went on in the COF arena in Hawaii, and as Rose was conferencing with the member of Illuminati, a group of film school students and paranormal enthusiasts were working on a documentary for a project.

In a famous location on Salisbury Plain, England, stood the rock formations of Stonehenge. Here, a group of would-be ghost-hunters and photographers did their best to work around the crowd of tourists that were ever-present in such a place. One student, a male around eighteen years of age, held a combination EMF alarm and gaussmeter. The device was designed not only to read magnetic signatures, but electric and thermal as well. Just as the young man began complaining to a friend about how little activity there was, the instrument began a slow, high pitched beeping. Amazed and excited, he looked down to see the analog needles begin to creep to the right. The overcast sky darkened, and just as his friends ran to him to see the reading, the gentle breeze became a brisk wind. A few onlookers peered upward to the sky and pondered the sudden change.

Suddenly, the needles peaked and the alarm changed from a beep to a constant, ominous buzz. The cameraman began filming and the students immediately prattled on about spiritual activity and paranormal phenomenon and the speculated occult aspects of the site. The wind turned from a brisk pace to a torrent, ripping hats from their owners' heads and flattening the grass against the ground. The tourists were now frantically trying to get to safety. The weather forecast had not called for a storm that day, nor did it call for the sudden drop in temperature, from light jacket weather to barely above freezing. The students could not have been both more terrified and more pleased. The thermal detector showed the coldest spot being in the center of Stonehenge itself, with the temperature there dropping well below freezing. Then, even more suddenly than it had come, the wind died away and the sky lightened. A few puzzled tourists came out of hiding.

One among them had his mobile phone and shakily punched a phone number that he had been instructed to call when such weird anomaly occurred. He waited impatiently as the phone was connecting to the satellite and finally to the destined number. Three ring tones passed before finally the phone at the other side was picked up and a familiar male voice was heard.

"Good afternoon. Croft Manor."