0815
The Garden Café, Makai

Out of habit Iwa cut the pancake into bite size pieces before dipping a piece into the maple syrup while Maru grabbed another strawberry from her plate. She takes a sip from an aromatic cup of warm coffee as someone joined her table, but Maru felt offended. He bristled his tail and imitated Gouki's battle stomp only to be swatted away by a very agitated Ken.

 
"Where is he?" he asked, flicking away bits of strawberry that stuck to him when he swatted the squirrel.

"Didn't you send the little guy back home?"

"I meant Sean."

 "Don't know. He's not on my list." She sliced off a piece of hash brown.

"You've been stalking my family for quite a while."

"Well... I had to. You're on my list, along with the lunk and the missus." Iwa looked up from her pancake with a smile

"Damn it Iwa, quit playing games. Where did you hide him?"
 

"Oohhh so now it's my fault you have missing disciples? Are you sure he didn't run away due to abuse?" Iwa laughed. She had caught a hint of desperation in Ken's voice. Funny that he chose to approach her of all people. The Mel escapades must have resulted in a very useful and interesting conclusion about her for Ken.

"What are you getting at?"

"That you worry for Sean when he goes missing, but didn't even care when I was captured."

"I did! We all did, but Ryu won't let us help! I don't know what got into him."

"And yet you all didn't dare go against him. I wonder why..." Iwa shot Ken an inquisitive glance, taking a further interest in the conversation. It was no surprise The Master held much interest in Ryu. The others practically fell in line after him.

"Please Iwa. You don't want Sean to go through the same thing you did. "

"If you're paying the Ookami to stalk me. He would have told you I don't have him. Now that something's happened, you either think it's my doing or I know something." She thumbed a general area behind her, pointing out John who quickly attempted to hide behind a menu.

There was a moment of silence as Ken thought it through. Iwa had guessed what was on his mind.

"I'm not Ryu. I don't abandon my charges. Not Sean. Not any of the kids and not even you."

"Oh really."

"For Mel's sake..."

Iwa sighed as she considered the notion. She had been briefed that there was another party who might be interested in the same people on their list and she was to secure certain targets before they did. Sean was not on her list so it was none of her business at all, but there was the off chance that Ken could be collected without the hassle of fighting him and the other two of course. Sean could be an extra bonus once The Master figured out where to slot him. After all it's just an extra body to try a theory on. Of course that's if he's where she thought he is. Stealing him though would be quite troublesome.

"Like I told you, Sean won't make much of a pretty Doll," she said. "But if it makes you feel any better, if I see him. I'll steal him over and you can deal with the Master." With that, Iwa chewed up the last piece of pancake and walked off.

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

1200

The golf course near the Makai

It was interesting that a golf course is one of the official battlegrounds, Ken noted, wondering to himself if the committee had any idea on the amount of damage a fight could do to the greens. He quickly dismissed it, knowing he had other things to worry about. He wondered though if he had compromised Iwa's safety by seeking her out if indeed she was truly undercover.

Considering her defection and the apparent issue they both seemed to have, it might add to her cover. Yet Ken still felt uneasy about it, especially with the way Iwa tended to behave. If she was undercover, then it was peculiar how she seemed so mentally disturbed. Whatever it was the three of them were up to, he hoped it would end soon before they lost her to Bison for real.

Spotting Ryu and Chun Li, Ken headed towards them. Upon spotting his approach, Ryu shoved a bun into his mouth much to Chun Li's annoyance.

"What? Have you developed an eating disorder to avoid talking?" There was much sarcasm in Ken voice. Ryu answered him by shoving another bun into his mouth all the while glaring at Ken. With a sighing, Ken took Chun Li aside, making sure that the three of them were not eavesdropped upon.

"I don't know what the hell the three of you are up to, but we just lost another kid and yours has a few screws loose," Ken whispered.

"Fay ouff off fiss," Ryu warned while chewing.

"I trusted you to do the right thing but you didn't."

"You intend to do something about this?" Chun Li asked.

"Yes. I asked her for a favour. I don't know if she'll do it. If I can get Sean back there's the chance I can get Iwa back."

"You know it's a trap." Chun Li answered back much to Ken's annoyance.

"I'm not Ryu, Chunny. I can't see things his way, but I know I would rather deal with Bison than some organization with no honor. Persuade him Chunny. We'll all regret it if we lose the kid for real." Ken pointed to his head and then headed towards Charlie, as his match was about to begin.

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

"Do we tell him?" Ryu glanced towards Ken.

"No. We'll only compromise her safety if the others blow her cover. She needs their hostility or their attempts at redemption as a cover." Chun Li answered, accepting a bun from Ryu.

"I'm still worried." Ryu shoved another bun into his mouth.

"I'll find a way to speak to her. We have to think of something before she does something we all regret." Chun Li sighed as Ryu nodded, then she looked at him for a moment.

"What?" Ryu asked her. "Hey!!?? I was going to eat that!" he exclaimed when she snatched his buns away.

"You're going to develop a very bad eating disorder if you keep this up." She shook her head

"But I'm hungry!!" He pleaded as he attempted to snatch back his buns.

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

--FBI Honolulu--

"You know Wyn, with you around this office will never be short of subject matter for gossiping..."

The words that greeted Natalie as she walked into Parker's office made her expression turn sour. Oddly enough, her boss wasn't smiling as he laid the tabloid paper on his desk and slid it forward for her to see.

On the cover was one of the photographs of her and Jin, in the midst of their debate that the paparazzi managed to get.

Maybe she should have let Jin maul the guy...

Wynshire sighed as she picked up the paper and skimmed over the story. The locals apparently had little controversy at the time to yap about, so apparently the following story was something print worthy.

Kushina, a current participant of the Champion of Fists tournament, was at an outdoor restaurant with his lover Natalie Wynshire - another tournament participant, going by the name 'Mien' - when he took offence at a photographer catching the pair with a few shots. "He really wasn't happy, he just got up and knocked the camera away," said one witness. Deciding he wasn't satisfied enough, the fighter attempted to even attack the photographer, until Wynshire stepped in to calm things down.

How the hell did anyone outside her close friends and coworkers know her real name?

What was worse was that one of the pictures had caught Jack in it, and one spin on the story was a possibility of her having an affair.

"She was with this other guy," said another eyewitness. "He was handsome and seemed nice. Her boyfriend showed up and told him to leave, but the guy came back after the boyfriend left." Sources suggest the couple may be estranged.

Wow. That was just great.

"It's just a cheap tabloid," she said nonchalantly.

"So who's the guy you were with?"

Natalie didn't like it anytime Parker seemed curious. "Some guy who doesn't know when to stop pursuing me." That was the simplest and maybe the most believable.

"And you had dinner with him? I didn't figure you for leading guys on..."

Damn.

"Well, he offered dinner 'as friends' and I was feeling friendly."

Kyle scoffed, "You're as friendly as a wolverine."

Natalie smiled sweetly. "Only to you."

She cut him off before he could come back at her, "Let's just get to business, shall we? I've not slept well in a week and my fuse is short."

Kyle chuckled dryly. "Very well."

***

--Honolulu Shopping District--

"Y'know, that's a really good shot of you there," Fei teases, as he points to a freeze frame of Jin in mid-dash, with a stretched out hand. Under the image the caption reads: Violent fighter attacks photographer

A visible frown grows on Jin's face yet he initially holds back a verbal response, letting out an exasperated sigh instead. "I should've destroyed that damn camera when I had the chance, instead of toying with that pest," he says. Despite a small number of exaggerations and mistruths littered throughout the article, the courier knew that to challenge the issue would only serve to fan the flames, providing more attention to the situation than he'd like. Having to be teased about it from Fei Long was troubling enough.

Turning the page to continue reading, the film star raises an eyebrow as something catches his attention. "That guy... isn't he the same one that was with Natalie at the bar?"

Jin looks over at the picture Long is speaking of. "Yeah, that's him. He left after I turned up." He looks at the text below and upon reading the section on how Jack came back after he'd left, a hardened expression appears on his features. "...but the guy came back after the boyfriend left", huh? So you mean he was just watching us somewhere, waiting for me to leave?"

"Looks that way," Long adds matter-of-factly. "That meeting with Nat must have been really important to him." Finished with the paper, Fei folds it up and offers it to Jin. "Affair rumours aside, I wonder what they had to talk about."

"Whatever they had to discuss, she wouldn't tell me," Jin responds. "Or anything going on with her for that matter." He takes the folded up paper from Fei Long and hurls it over his shoulder, where it falls neatly into a nearby trashcan behind the pair. But doesn't mean I won't find out, he thinks cryptically. One way or another...

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

--Golf Course--

With the match about to start, Iwa filmed the surrounding area once more. The live feed would be sent back to The Master. As per instructions, she zoomed in on the various listed participants that her Master held much interest in. She spotted John who was near Guile and as usual he was glaring at her instead of watching the match.

"The 2nd Fiddle vs The Survivor. I mean every time you beat him to a pulp, left him to die and yet he returns. With such strong regenerative powers I don't understand your lack of interest in him."

She watches the match start and Ken was the first to launch into battle.

Clearly Ken was venting his frustration out on Charlie. Charlie had caught onto this only after a punishing assault of fist and foot strikes. Ken leaps back charging his qi for a Hadoken. Unleashing the projectile, it was fortunate for Charlie that he recovers in time to block it off, which sparks the beginning of a long drawn projectile fight.

Distracted by the monotony of it all. Iwa pans the camera around the stands once. In part it was on account of her Master's obsession with the perfect body that she seeks him out. Naturally the wandering warrior and his lady companion are in the stands watching his best friend fight. Panning the camera again, Iwa frowned when she caught sight of Guile. Was it just her imagination or had he moved closer? A change in the two battling qis caused Iwa to swing the camera back to the fight again.

Ken was annoyed by the turtling fight, so he leaps over two of Charlie's Sonic Boom projectiles. One more and he would be right in Charlie's face. But instead, both leap into the air the same time, leg extended crashing against each other. Falling back to the ground, the two stare at each other for a moment before dashing towards each other. Having grabbed each other at the same time, their attempts to throw one another became a test of strength and whose foot is faster at avoiding being stomped upon.

"You don't seem like the kind to watch their fight," Iwa looked to the side as her partner sat down

"I came to show you these." He held out a bunch of photographs for her. She raised an eyebrow at the sight of some of them.

"Nice no?" He smiled. The photographs contained the customized Dollfied look of a number of those listed. She noted some of the names scribbled: Toy Solider, Empath, 2nd Fiddle, Goldeneyes and Matriarch. Apparently the one codenamed as Vincent-chan had been renamed Gothic Gunner.

"You're missing one person. That Puerto Rican Guy, Riq or something. The one whose tentative code was Pirate Lord or Zorro."

"He's not suitable." Her partner's face darkens.

"Why not? Nice physique, easy on the eye. Green eyes. I like green eyes... Ah." Iwa came to a conclusion why Riq was left out. Her partner was about to blow his top while listening to Iwa's descriptions.

"Happy? Nice hat though" Iwa said into her earpiece as she panned the camera onto one of the photograph of The Serious One and then to the actual person. She noticed Guile was not there with the couple anymore. The sudden build of qi made Iwa turn the camera back to the fight.

Ken was building up his qi for a close range Hadoken to force Charlie into releasing him. The airman yells something at the blond and follows him by charging his qi as well, trying to cow Ken into dropping this stunt. The releasing of the close range qi causes an explosion that throws both warriors apart.

What looked to lead into another projectile fight was short-lived, for as Charlie leaps closer, Ken feints a leap that Charlie falls for, executing a Somersault Shell as Ken ducks.

"SHORYUKEN!!!" Ken chases Charlie into the air to distribute the fierce punishment. Landing on the ground Ken charges his qi, unleashing a Hadoken as Charlie recovers. The Airman was quick enough to block off the projectile and launches into another projectile battle with Ken.

Once again Iwa pans the camera around the spectator zone she caught sight of John leaving the match. As for Guile, he's stuck in an argument with Ryu. She shoves the camera into Vega's hands

"Keep him happy. I got work to do," she said to her partner and into her earpiece and followed John, missing a fiery Shoryu Reppa that's wearing Charlie down.

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

1417

Dockside Warehouse area

What could have been a twenty minutes walk to the pier instead turned in an hour or so of detours, stalking and backtracking. Eventually Iwa tracked John to the specific warehouse and hid behind a couple of crates. The ever-cautious John looked this way and that before making his way in via the side door.

Iwa waited a full five minutes before making her way in. The interior was covered in darkness but the light from outside had signalled her arrival so she stuck to the shadows instead. Moving some distance Iwa noticed Maru's whiskers suddenly twitch and she drops to the floor, a dagger leaving her hand and flying towards the higher reaches of the racks.

THUP! Sure enough something meant for her buries itself into the crates above her. From the higher reaches came a rustling and metallic clank. Her dagger had forced the sniper to abandon his spot.

"What?! And now you're out to kill me?!" Iwa yelled and sprinted off towards the exit. Another THUP answered her question and blocked off her escape. The door slammed shut and an electronic 'clack' sealed off her escape. Now the interior of the warehouse is much darker than before.

"Go." She whispered to Maru and mentally nudged him. With a flick of his tail the critter bounded off her palm. Taking out a few walnuts from her pocket Iwa throws one some distance to her right. THUP! A shot answered her theory.

"Are you trying to kill me or insult me?" She tossed a few more nuts in the opposite direction of where she was going. Another THUP! answered her, almost catching her in the leg. Too close for comfort.

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

From the high reaches John kept his ears peeled. Iwa had guessed his methods and was keeping it random to confuse him. What sounded like footsteps came from two different directions, John picked the source from the left and fired.

"A change of strategy? Versatility gives you extra points you know!" Iwa's voice came from the right side. And John fires another shot in the direction of her voice. Why the hell was she doing that for, knowing full well it would reveal her position? There was a flash of metal and John rolled aside, just as a dagger struck his former position, almost stabbing him.

"I spy with my little eye, a bird on high." Iwa laughed from somewhere below, knowing John would answer her with another shot. He resisted the attempt to do so and instead crawled some distance away. A dagger hit the side of the crate of where he was a few seconds ago. Too close for comfort.

Some time had passed in the long silent wait. Again footsteps sounded from two different directions, John turns to the nearer source and fired again. Returning his attention to the other side John resisted pulling the trigger. For sitting right there in the pathway is a cardboard box...

His mouth opened for a moment and closed. Its just a box...3ft by 3ft by 3ft... sitting there making him wonder which one of them is in there. Was she trying to lure him into going down or revealing his location? Looking through his rifle's scope John inspected the box. It's a box used to contain action figures...

'12 inch Battle Gear Solider. Case mix - Zombie, Crocodile stealth camouflage. Exclusive Hawaiian vacation camouflage.' Scribbled in corner of the box are the words, 'I see you. LOL'

The sound of footsteps broke his thoughts. Aiming at a spot to the right he pulled the trigger and a THUP answered him. Returning his attention to the box, cold sweat covered his brow. The box had moved a few inches towards him! Still he resisted the instincts to shoot, but instead he crawled a little distance away. No daggers followed this time, yet the box just sat there.

The sound of footsteps came from the left! Going against instincts he refrains from shooting the source of the sound and kept his eye on the box. Was she in there? As if to answer his question the box dragged its way towards John before becoming motionless again. This is quite a worrying thing as he kept his eye on the box.

Keeping watch for over five minutes the box suddenly quivered at the same time the sound of footsteps came from the right. Squeezing the trigger, John opened fire at the box.

THUP! The tranquilizer dart shot into the box, it quivered for a second more and then dropped in its tracks. As John waited, he contemplated whether or not he should go down and find out who's under the box. A little over five minutes had gone by as he kept his eye on the box, which had not moved at all. The second source of sound that was used to distract him was silent as well. There was a very high chance that she's in the box. Cautiously he made his way down.

Coming down from the racks, John made his way towards the box, rifle constantly pointing at it. Checking the surrounding area he found nothing at all. He circled the box with caution. Nothing was revealed to him, yet his suspicious nature still screamed at him to be cautious.

"It's just a box." He wondered why he said that.

With only one choice left John kicked the box away. Alarm bells rang in his head when he found out who's under the box! Maru leapt onto the barrel of his rifle and glared up at him.

"Frag!" John cursed and shook his rifle a little but the critter remained perched on the barrel. The critter twitched its whiskers in annoyance leaping out of the way when John attempted to swat it. The look on its face confirmed one thing.

"Don't." John warned the squirrel.

"SQUUUEEEE!!!!!!!!!!" Maru squealed out his location,

There was a tap upon his shoulder and he instinctively turned around, regretting the action as he does. A glowing blue fist smashed into his face, blinding him momentarily as his rifle was snatched away. Iwa grabbed him by the arm and threw him across the area, impacting a crate full of Styrofoam peanuts and action figures. Opening his eyes John rolled away as Iwa came leaping towards him. Her blazing blue fist smashed into the ground instead. They rose and face each other, both in their stances.

"We should stop doing this." Iwa dropped her stance while John held his. "Every time we meet we'll end up beating the crap out of each other until one of us runs away. It's getting kinda stale." She paused briefly, and then spoke again. "So... were you going to kill me?" Hoshi asked, keeping her hands out in plain sight.

"I wasn't trying to kill you. I was ordered to take you back to base. And hopefully secure information from you." John said.

"Can you guarantee my safety?"

"Eh what?" Realizing he dropped his guard, his eyes narrowed in distrust.

"I have information that you'll find useful, but my partner will kill me if he knows what I've done. Can you ensure my safety?"

"That I can do. I can liaise with Guile and have you out of here and into a safe house in 12 hours." John lowered his stance. Relieved that this bit of insanity was over and hasn't led to anything drastic. There was still some reason left in her after all.

"What about security cameras?" she pointed to a spot on the wall.

"I took care of that detail. Unless your partner is here watching this "

"Excellent." Iwa started walking towards John slowly. "So where were you?" she asked.

"Eh?"

"Where are you? One of my friends. When I was left for dead?"

"I didn't know. I only found out when I was briefed for this mission. If I had known I would have helped." John answered honestly. He made a mental note that this issue seemed to bother her greatly.

"Only to be stopped by him." Iwa shook her head and laughed. "Didn't know, not allowed to get involved. Nobody dares go against him I guess." She sighed, offering her hand to John for a handshake. He gripped it firmly. "You know, I'm going to need therapy with all the issues I have." She added with a small smile.

"I believe it can be arranged." John tried not to laugh at her comment.

"Masters will be pleased," Iwa smiled broadly, suddenly grabbing his wrist with her other hand. She leapt up into the air, in the apogee, her body giving a forceful twist and a loud 'CRACK!!' came from his shoulder. His eyes widened at the pain. She landed behind him and twisted his dislocated arm behind him locking it, pushing him up against a crate to intensify the pain and keep him immobilized.

"NO!!!" The realization struck him as quick as the nuzzle of her gun poking into his back. "Iwa!!! You don't want to do this." He shouted

"Already done." She applied pressure to his arm to emphasize her point.

"Stop this before you do something you regret!!!" John struggled to free himself

"So long soldier. It goes as planned."

THUP! The sound alone made his eyes widen. Had he been wrong about redeeming his friend? THUP a second shot slowed down his train of thoughts and the darkness consumed him.

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

"Eee... He's heavy..." Iwa relaxed her hold as John went limp and slumped to the ground. She waited a little while longer before removing his jacket and any weaponry she could find on him. She inspected this piece and that before dumping it into a small crate nearby.

Should be useful... Iwa thought to herself as she examined his Beretta, shotgun and their accompanying ammunitions. Those she added onto her own arsenal while the rest she dumps into the crate. She found his cellphone and began rummaging through its contents. Not seeing anything she would find useful she switches off its power supply. For a moment she considered destroying it, but then dumps it with the rest of his weaponry.

"Carries more than enough weaponry to rival a cartoon character and still be unhampered by the weight," she observed. "Such hammerspace would come in handy." She then dragged over a larger crate and then proceeds to haul John into it. Ensuring an adequate breathing hole she shut the lid. Taking out her mobile phone she dialed a number.

"Good afternoon. S-Doll customer service. How may we help you?" Came a female voice on the other end.

"User ID: PS2249."

"Please key in your password." The voice requested and Iwa pressed a series of numbers on her phone.

"Your account has been verified. Welcome to S-Doll Miss Hoshi. Please state your request."

"Item: Customizable HB5-Toy Solider x1. Accessories not included. Condition: Slight repairs required. Status: Trade in." Iwa repeated from memory.

"Your request is in progress please wait a moment." She was automatically put on hold while the music played.

While waiting for a reply, Iwa headed off to various points of the warehouse to retrieve her daggers. Eventually the music came to a halt and the operator return to attending her.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Miss Hoshi. Transaction ID: HB5-TS approved. Free pick-up service will arrive in 3 hours at confirmed pick-up location. Credits for trading in of Item: HB5-TS has been credited into your account. Please state your request."

"None. And Account log out."

"Thanking for trading with S-Doll. Have a nice day."