Board Fighters II
Chapter 37: Expectations and Uncertainties
Writer: DUNES (w/ Animenadie, Gouki and Iwa)

-The Makai-

Luke exited from his hotel room. He was clad in a yellow tank top, with blue shorts and white running shoes. As he began to walk down the hall, intent on starting his usual workout, he saw Fei Long go past him.

"Hey there man," Luke said waving to him. "Good luck in your match today."

"Oh, thanks," Long replied. "You too man."

He figured that Fei was off to the pool since he had a towel over his shoulder, which was then confirmed as he caught him headed towards the hotel pool.

 
‘Wow, he actually spoke to me!’[/I] he thought. [I]‘He's way cooler to see live than in any of his movies. I'll have to remember to get his autograph before I leave here.'

Luke walked down through the halls and came across the lobby and went for the entrance doors. But before he reached them, he came across the same fighter he had been partnered and acquainted with, Alex.
 

"Hey Alex," said Luke, waving towards him. "Congrats on the win!" The previous day, Alex had beaten Makoto in his Quarter Final match, though he was sporting a few bandages for it today.

"Oh hey there Luke. And thanks," said Alex. "Going out for another workout again today huh? Boy, I've never seen anyone more determined with this than you."

"Yeah well, my sensei and old gym coach always told me to keep at it no matter what. Never falter, gain as much strength as you can every day. I've got to be in tip top condition if I hope to stand a chance against Ken."

 
"Ah… Ken," said Alex, scratching his chin. "So that's what this is all about."
"Well yeah… I never told anyone else this before, but I'm out to succeed Ken as the top US martial artist. Uh, no offence to you that is."
"None taken, Blaze," said Alex. So I take if you didn't win in the last US tourney?"

"Nope," said Luke. "I was so close but that military guy Guile beat me to the draw, even though he himself was defeated by Ken during the finals. Frankly, I wouldn't even be here if some crazy broad with a chipmunk hadn't come across me with an invitation to this contest. I’ve done well to get this far, but I still somehow feel that I'm not that close to beating Ken. Especially after I recently saw him training in the hotel garden with that fiery uppercut of his…"

"Saw him do that move did you?" Alex asked. "Heh, yeah, that's one pretty powerful set of fists he's got there. Hell, even I felt it once when I fought him a few years back."

"You fought him as well?" Luke asked in amazement. "Did you win?"

"Afraid not," said Alex. "He beat me just as that Ryu guy did after the contest was over. I'm on pretty good terms with them anyways, but I also hope to fight them again in this contest as well. I did learn something from those defeats... that winning isn't really everything. I also learned that you can get better and learn not to make the same stupid mistake twice. Surely you gained something from your defeat by Guile?"

"I… I did learn something." said Luke. "That there were many other great fighters out there besides who I had seen in the US, and I've witnessed that firsthand in the recent contest matches. But I vowed to never be defeated again… and this contest is the big chance I have."

"Now hold on a second Luke," said Alex. "As the old saying goes, winning isn't everything… and while you're good, Ken and Ryu are two of the world's greatest… maybe you might beat them… and maybe you won't. Just try to take that into consideration. Just do your best and learn something if anything from it.

"From one fighter to another… experience and wisdom is the better way to becoming a champion… not victory." Alex's near-lecturing tone took on a jesting edge before he continued. "And not only that, you might have to face me as well… so stay on your toes!"
"I will big guy… and thanks for the advice," said Luke with a half-smile.

"No prob Luke," said Alex patting his shoulder. "I'm not trying to tell you how to run your life or your fights… just giving you a heads-up that the world of street fighting and full contact competition is a lot more complex than you might think. So tread carefully man."

He raked a hand through his hair and said, "Now… if you'll excuse me I got some weights to lift and some rays to catch. See ya later."

"Yeah, i'm going jogging again… later," said Luke as he exited the lobby.
Alex looked back at the kid.

 
"Good guy from all aspects," he thought. "But he reminds a lot of myself when I first got into fighting… all hot blooded and overly proud. Tom and Ryu taught me a lot.
"I just hope he learns something new from this as well."

 
==

-Undisclosed location-

Obediently Iwa followed where the FBI agent Riq led her. Behind her followed Cammy who was armed with a pistol modified to fire tranquillisers. The weapon itself seems almost similar to her own. Either that or wielding a modified M9 was the latest trend. Boredly, she followed him through a passageway with guards and security monitors at intervals, she noted Riq had just brought her to some sort of medical facility. It was not long before they stop outside a cell with a large glass window.

Inside was the little red headed girl from the picture Riq had shown her; the child was hooked up to quite a number of medical equipment for some reason. If this child was the result of what her Master would be eventually paying for, she doubted he would be please with where the money and his patience went. Umbrella truly was full of strange monsters in their basement.

 
"This kid is the result the experiments that Umbrella conducts," Riq said with a grim tone in his voice.

Iwa wasn't listening intently, she was just thinking back about the photograph of Sean in their possession and if that was the same picture from her last reconnaissance then Victoria would be in the right hands, but for her it didn't confirm or deny anything. She was not the one who was supposed to jump to conclusions about who had Victoria.

 
"I was like that once," she mused absentmindedly, knowing her inattention annoyed Riq. Somehow she suspected they were trying to play on her sympathy by showing her this kid.
"Can you at least remember the exact location where the facility is?"
"Sorry Mr P, I can't tell you what I don't know."
"Victoria could end up like that."

 
Was it a plea? It sounded like a plea to Iwa. She had to give him credit for his self-control though. It was kinda fun watching him squirm to resist the urge to beat some sense into her.

 
"I turned out well. She turned out well too." Iwa gestured to Cammy. "If we really have Victoria, she would no doubt turn out really well." Iwa nodded to affirm her own beliefs.
"What?! So you're some kind of new model to replace me?" There was annoyance in Cammy's voice.

"Oh no. I can never replace The Killer Bee." She waved her hands before her in denial. "Assassination is not my speciality; I'm nothing more than an annoying distraction as best." Iwa laughed.

"You know. Your sisters missed you. It was kinda hard to pick up the pace after you left.""
"You know nothing about me." Cammy hissed back. Had she touch on a sore point now?

 
"Ah, kinda do, actually. Like me, he kept a cabinet full of files on you. too. I'm kinda based on your programming, makes me wonder if you have a sleeper mode." Iwa rubbed her chin in musing
"I am not that person anymore." Cammy's fist was clenched and shaking mildly.

 
"The most interesting stuff though was what your sisters let on. Makes it really hard for anybody to fill your standard issue boots." Iwa laughed, she was hoping to bait somebody into starting a fight, while it would not be enough to make a clean escape it would cause a decent amount of chaos.

"If the Colonel didn't have orders not to slap some sense into you." Cammy voice was low and dangerous.
"You're welcome to try. I could use a workout before the next match."

"Knock it off you two." Riq had a hand on Cammy's shoulder, he made a gesture for Iwa to follow him back to her quarters. Someone really knew how to spoil her fun.

==

Luke was jogging in the city, his thoughts still running through his experiences with the contest and what Alex said.

Suddenly, he heard a voice scream across the street.

"MY PURSE!" screamed a female voice.
"WHAT?" said Luke as he turned to see what was happening.

A slim and pretty brunette was knocked down on her duff by a lean, dark skinned and muscular thug in grey tank top and sweat pants.

"Shut ya face bitch!" he said as he bolted for the alley. "It's mine now!"
Luke couldn't stand to see a lady roughed up, especially by a lowlife thief.

 
"STOP!" he shouted as he ran across the street and went after him into the alley.
"Don't sweat it ma'mm!" he said as he passed her. "I'll get your purse back!"

 Luke ran down through the alley, gaining on the thief.

"Aw man!" said the youth as he turned his head. "Not now!"
"Give it up, punk!" said Luke as he raced after him. "Give the bag up, and I might not kick your ass!"
"Eh, screw you, loser!" spat the punk. "I ain't stopping for no one!"

 
"Suit yourself dumb ass!" said Luke. "I'm gaining on ya anyways!"

The thief then saw some large wooden crates stacked against a wall. With quick thinking, he kicked them down and blocked off Luke's path.
"NO!" said Luke. "Stinkin' piece of-"

Luke managed to kick and shove away the first couple of crates, but found that the thief was way ahead of him as he turned a corner. He then saw another corner that led to another alleyway, and then had an idea and ran off down the alley. Meanwhile, the thief found his destination, an old abandoned warehouse building. He kicked the door open and then shut it behind him.

"Heheh, beat that blonde-haired dumbass to the punch!" he thought. "Now, to the good stuff…"

The thief sat down on a folded cot that was his and started to dump out the purse's contents; make-up, passport, photos and finally the woman's wallet. He was just about to open it...

 
A fist came down on the back of his head, knocking the hooligan to the floor.

"Ooooowww, what the hell?" he cried.
"Loser' that, dickhead!" said a voice behind him.

 
It was Luke Blaze himself.

"What the- how the hell you get in here?"
"Simple," he said. "I did some jogging around this area recently, and found that these alleys and streets intersect around this old warehouse. Now, take a damn hike while I return this to the dame in distress you just heisted."

"Man, you just made the mistake of your life blondie!" said the thug as he got back up.
"And why's that?" asked Luke.
"I'll show ya," the thief replied with a grin.

 
He brought to fingers to his lips and gave a high whistle. Like rats and roaches scurrying out of the woodwork, a group of punks, fighters, and other thieves came stalking out of the darkness.

 
"What the..?" said Luke. "I just entered here through the front, why didn't I see those guys?"
"My pals, the Black Adders," said the punk. "They don't like to come out till they know they got a good reason. And you Mr. Hero, are a good enough reason."

The leader of the Adders, a large and muscular punk with a shaved head and a skull tattoo on each shoulder, stood before Luke.
"Hey, Cliff!" he said to the thief. "This mooch givin' you trouble?"
"Yeah man," said Cliff. "Trouble with a capital T, and that's exactly what he found, boss!"
"Yeah, you'd better believe he did," said the leader as he cracked his massive knuckles.

"Hmmm…" said Luke scratching his chin.
He finished packing the purse, placed it aside and got into his fight stance, ready for anything.

"Ohhh, what do we got here?" said one of the thugs. "A real martial artist, huh?"
"Meh, big deal man," said the leader. "He's just another pretty boy hot shot looking for trouble, and he's found it. So... SICK 'EM!"
"You got it bro!" said an Asian youth wielding a crowbar.

He then got up from his spot and lunged at Luke. The kickboxer dodged his weapon a couple of times, and then slammed a hard punch into the punk's face, breaking his nose.

"UUUGHH!" cried the punk as he crumpled to the dirty floor.
"Next," said Luke, beckoning them.
"Yo," said the leader as he motioned for the rest of the gang to attack Luke.

The next three brandished weapons and took a shot at Luke. But their opponent was no mere fighter as they soon learned as he kept on the defence. One swung his bat, Luke blocked it with left arm and then slammed a thrust kick into his gut. The second one swung a pair of nunchaku at him. Luke ducked and jumped away from the thug, giving him a chance to lunge again. Luke then swung his right leg into a leg sweep, knocking the punk down, and then kicked him right in the face, sending him to dreamland. The 3rd punk brandished a pair of switchblades and grinned toothily.

"I'll cut you up, brat!" he said.
"Come on then!" said Luke.

The knife wielder thrust his first blade at Luke, but the latter jumped and moved backwards from the knives. The punk then jumped into the air and landed beside Luke. Luke was about to attack, but before he could, the punk swiped Luke on the shoulder and then across the arm.

 
"Unngh!" Luke said as he winced. "You dirty-"
The thug ducked Luke's high kick and then jumped over his leg sweep.
Luke tried for another attack, but again, the thug scratched him across the chest with his left blade, cutting his shirt open and drawing more blood.
Blaze had tough skin, but the knives the guy was using were razor sharp.

"Hah!" said the leader. "Blades there gives dirty fighting a whole new dimension, blondie. If I was you, I'd surrender immediately."
"Like hell!" said Luke, enraged.

Blades then thrust both of his weapons at Luke, going for the kill. But this time Luke had enough of getting cut, so he caught the thug's arms by the wrists and held them in a steel iron grip.

"HEY--LEGGO!" shouted Blades.
"Certainly," said Luke. "After I do this!"

Luke thrust his entire head at the punk, butting him right in the face. Blades was hit so hard that blood erupted from his broken nose. He then fell to the floor and joined the others.

"Okay muscles," said Luke as he rubbed at his forehead. "You're next."
The leader grunted in response.
"You think you can take me, young puppy?" he asked. "Well let's see it."

The big muscle-bound punk stalked menacingly towards Luke and towered over him; he was several feet taller and more muscled than him.

Hoo boy, thought Luke. I've fought muscle guys and wrestlers twice my size before, but this guy…

The leader then smirked and then thrust his right fist down at Luke. Luke simply blocked, and then slammed a fist into the leader's face. But to Luke's surprise, the punk was still standing and simply wiped the blood from his nose.

Luke stared up at his opponent in amazement. "Uh…?"
"Hoo baby, you in some deep sh** now!" said Cliff who was still watching the fight.
"Nice try." said the leader. "Now it's my turn!"

 Before Luke could get away, the leader swung both massive fists upward and knocked Luke completely backward. Luke groaned as he crashed to the floor.

 "DIE MUTHA!" said the leader as he leapt at Luke, who managed to roll out of the way just as the bully's boot came crashing down on the floor.

The Californian then jumped back to his feet. He went into a flying roundhouse, but the leader simply caught his leg and threw him across the room. Luke crashed into a wall and fell down on his back again.

'Damn, he's stronger than I could imagine!' he thought. 'I've gotta-'

Luke's chain of thought was interrupted as the gang leader grabbed Luke by the waistband of his shorts and then lifted him upwards, bringing him down on the floor, and pinning him there. While he was down, the leader punched Luke in the face a few times before kicking him aside.

"Huh, too damn easy," said the leader. "I don't know how a puss like you could ever make it in that fancy-shmancy contest out there anyways."
That was the last straw Luke was gonna take. He spun on his back and leg swept the punk right off his feet.
"Hey-" the leader started before the wind was knocked from his lungs.

 
Luke brought down his left elbow right into the punk's gut. The larger man cried out in pain.

 "Aw man, boss!" said Cliff.

 The two fighters then got back to their feet.

 "I'm the best there is ya jack ass!" said Luke. "You just haven't seen anything yet!"

The leader was about to lunge again, but Luke unleashed his Rising Knee Smash, hitting him in the chin so hard that the crack echoed in the building. With the thug stunned, Luke then finished him off with one of his most powerful moves.

"SHADOW UPPER!"

Luke slammed a rising upercut into the Leader's face and they both went several feet into the air. Seconds later, they both fell back to the floor, but while Luke landed safely as the leader crashed to the floor and was the latest to be down for the count.

"Whew!" said Luke as he wiped his brow.
"Now that's what I call a workout! Oh yeah… I almost forgot what I came here for…"

Luke then turned to see the last remaining punk named Cliff sneak his way out. But before he could make it to the exit door, Luke grabbed him by the back of his shirt.
"Aw man!" cried Cliff as he was swung around.
"You said a mouthful pal," said Luke before he thrust a fast and hard punch that sent the purse snatcher to the floor with the rest of the riff-raff.

 
The kickboxer then picked up the purse and was about to exit from the room when suddenly...
"RRRRAAAAAGGHH!" roared a voice behind him.

It was the leader again, and he was pretty pissed.
"Not again," said Luke annoyed.

The leader swung a fist at Luke, but he ducked it and then jumped over a swing kick from him.
"You asked for it baldy!" said Luke.

Blaze then let loose with another Rising Knee and slammed him right in the face again, twice as hard. The leader fell backwards and crashed right into an empty crate. This time, he was really out cold.

 
"And stay down!" said Luke before he left the building.
"H-here you go, ma'am," said Luke, still trying to catch his breath even moments later. "Safe and sound."

"Oh, thank you so much!" the woman said as she stepped forward to hug him and give him a kiss on the cheek. Belatedly, she then eyed him from head to toe, seeing that he had some bruises and a couple of cuts on his chest and shoulders, as well as some dust and dirt on his clothes.

"Oh my, you're hurt!"
"Eh, just ran into that scumbag's friends there," said Luke as he dusted himself off. "Nothing I can't handle of course."
"Can I buy you a drink sometime?" she asked with a twinkle in her eyes. "You know, for getting my purse back."
"Uh, thanks miss," Luke started, "but I've got a lot to concentrate on in the next few days. Maybe later on…"
The brunette smiled in understanding. "Well, thanks again," she said.
Luke then jogged towards the nearest medical facility.

 
Man, she was a hottie for sure, he thought. ...but I can't stop for anything this time. This may as close as I get to a real fight workout… but no matter what, I'll give it all I've got. And Ken himself is going down!

==

-COF Arena-

The sun hung high in the sky above the stadium and its raucous crowd, prepared for today's Quarter Final match. Whether it would remain this sunny was another matter, due to the looming presence of dark grey clouds that threatened to cast a torrential downpour onto the two combatants. For Fei Long, clad in his trademark black baggy pants over matching karate shoes, the only threat was the man who stood across from him, who would be the sole difference between whether he advanced to the Semis or not.

Outside of sparring sessions and choreographed (and at times, improvised) film fight scenes, this would be the first time he'd be fighting Jin, let alone within a competitive setting. The martial artist brushed one hand through his hair, showing a confident smile to the crowd. His lean yet chiselled form tensed and relaxed briefly, while he clenched and unclenched his fists in silent preparation.

His opponent didn't seem to care much for fanfare, though he'd accumulated quite a following through the televised tournament. As opposed to Fei's open smile to the crowd, Jin's expression was mostly unreadable, reminiscent of past days. In pre-fight routine, he adjusted his fingerless gloves and waited for the referee to officially begin the match. Naturally, this took a bit longer, since the Quarter Finals called for more crowd anticipation.

As Jin levelled gold eyes on his friend and adversary for the match, he let a faint smile show, one that Fei saw clearly as a front. He knew Kushina well enough to see that the traits of the coming rain clouds were reflected in Jin's eyes.

"I hope you've been doing more training than signing autographs," Jin chided with the slight smile turning into more of a smirk. He casually lifted up an open hand in front of him, before he then summoned a flash of fire into existence onto his palm. Just as quickly as they appeared, Kushina closed his fist around the dark flames to snuff them out of sight. With that same fist still clenched, the black-clad fighter calmly settled into his versatile, hard-to-read stance.

"You pandering to the crowd now?" Long pointed out in kind. Those flames of his would definitely be something he'd have to watch out for, he noted. Now hopping lightly on his feet to warm himself up, Fei threw out a short burst of hand strikes. He finished the light-speed display with a blurred snake-hand, keeping his fingers pointed in Jin's direction. Long slowly turned his hand over, his fingers still aimed at his opponent, before making a 'come here' motion.

The crowd predictably lapped up the exchange, as most of them started drumming up various name-chants.

"Hardly," Jin replied to Long's former statement. When the former beckoned, the referee simultaneously signalled for the match to begin, and Jin dashed forward to the roaring sound of fans of both fighters, accentuated with the distant rumble of thunder.

Jin started things off with a quick series of punches, each of which Fei managed to block or avoid. The former wasn't surprised; Fei Long was known for his incredible speed. Of course, Jin wasn't far outclassed in that manner, as he soon proved when he deftly spun to the side, out of the way of a lightning-fast kick from the action star. Using the opportunity to try and get in the first blow, Jin lashed out with a backfist before the momentum of his movement ended and before Fei Long could distance himself.

Long instantly raised a forearm to guard against the blow, soon retaliating with a quick knee strike to the side of Jin's midsection. With his opponent's defence now breached, Fei pressed the advantage with a blitz of punches, driving himself forward with each hit. With Jin unable to turn the match in his favour, Long threw his body into a powerful uppercut that cracked against Kushina's jaw. Fei pulled back a now bloodstained fist, and then went into his signature Rekka Ken combination. Jin's body crumpled under each strike before Long's forearm sent him flying onto his back.

Fei observed his opponent silently as he casually pulled himself back to his feet, dusting himself off as if the crushing display hadn't affected him. Long, of course, knew better. He didn't wait for Jin to fully gain his bearings either, but merely closed the distance between the both of them with blinding speed in conjunction with an explosion of knife-hand strikes and palm thrusts.

Kushina hastily peddled backward, but found himself forced to endure his opponent's fiery offence at the growing expense of his forearms. Fei Long sought to maintain his control over the battle as he went to sweep his palm across Jin's cheek, followed instantly by the edge of his elbow to the jaw.

Jin slapped the palm away, and then leaned his head away from the elbow's range. In retaliation, the courier slammed his foot forward onto Long's chest, which successfully pushed him back whilst giving Jin enough space to dash. He did just that, completing the dash with a blurred open palm strike to the solar plexus, much to the delight of the crowd. "Kusho!"

Fei Long gasped in a combination of shock and pain as his body shuddered under the technique's effect. Taking a page from Fei's strategy, Jin gave him little time to recover as he unleashed a volley of punches that ended with a roundhouse kick to the head. Long sailed helplessly through the air and met the ground with an unruly thud. Like Jin, he too revealed his resilience by getting back to his feet with surprising quickness.

A slight smirk curved Jin's lips, accentuated by the blood gathered in one corner. He expected nothing less. Again he went on the offensive, knowing it would be a mistake to give Fei a chance to get an upper hand by letting him launch his own offensive series of attacks. The pain both had been dealt wasn't enough to slow them down, as the crowd soon saw when the fighters exchanged several rapid sets of punches, each blocking or evading the majority. The assault ended when Fei back-pedalled just far enough to vault upwards in a powerful kick that rattled the bones of Jin's forearms, knocking him back.

Long launched forward the instant his foot touched the ground with another kick, the Chokka Rakushu. This broke Jin's battered guard and forced him even further back, letting the movie star advance again. He took to the air in a powerful leaping kick, but this time Jin caught his ankle and brought him painfully back to the ground.

No sooner had Fei regained his footing was he launched back into the air via an uppercut against his jaw. His brain barely had time to register that pain before a stronger sensation engulfed his body as he was bathed in dark flames.

"Hageshi Ken!" he vaguely heard Jin say.

[i]Damn it-[/i] Fei thought a split-second before his descent was interrupted by yet another punch, angled to drive him back into the air with a more powerful explosion of Kushina's trademark fire. The Hageshi Hinote ended with Long colliding with the ground and taking a couple seconds longer to get up than last time. However, with the distance put between him and Jin by the technique, he was able to do so before Kushina could continue pressing his advantage.

Both fighters exchanged a silent, respectful appraisal as Fei resumed his stance to the cheers of thousands. The action star smiled at his friend, one that he was surprised was barely returned. Though Jin was obviously alert, Long momentarily wondered if his heart was fully in this. With adrenaline numbing the pain, he decided to test that.

Armed with a steel gaze, Jin threw himself forward at the oncoming Hong Kong native. A brief hush fell over the crowd as forearms crashed against forearms and shins met shins, both fighters unable to find any purchase. A frustrated grunt left Kushina's lips as he increased the intensity of his blows, yet failed to break through his opponent's defence.

The crowd soon reverted back to their riotous uproar, primarily in support of Fei Long as Jin leapt backward, appearing to regroup. Partially egged on by the crowd, Long dashed after the retreating Kushina to close the gap. Jin brought his guard up in retaliation, but then suddenly whipped his body into a standing somersault in an attempt to catch his opponent off-guard. The Sakkyaku Geki didn't connect however, completely missing its mark as Fei spun away at the last critical second.

Kushina barely had time to rue his mistake before Fei emptied his elbow into his cheekbone. He was given even less time to defend himself as Long's dangerous knife-hands from before landed unopposed against his upper body. With a pained grimace all over his features, Jin crumbled onto one knee, shortly before Fei planted both hands on Kushina's head and somersaulted forward, ending up behind Jin whilst grabbing the back of his shirt.

Instantly recognising the throw technique Long was about to do, Jin snapped his body into a full backflip just as Long hurled him into the air. Recovering completely while airborne, Jin snapped out an outstretched leg at Long's head. The blow sent spots into Fei's eyes, giving Jin enough time to land gracefully and close in with a powerful gut punch, followed instantly by a gloved hand clasped to the throat, the grip torn apart by a blast of ebony flame from the very same hand at Long's pained expense.

Jin stared across at his friend critically, who again showed the strength to continue by pulling himself off the ground. This fight was beginning to take its toll on his body, Kushina admitted to himself. He definitely had to end it soon.

Shoulders heaving as he panted, Long resumed his stance and stood his ground. He briefly rubbed his throat with a wince, coughing as he stared back at Jin. "And here I thought I might have to worry about you holding back," he said with a grimacing smile.

"Nah, far from it," Jin replied dismissively. As far as he was concerned, if he couldn't beat one man in a fight, then how the hell was he going to help his fiancée? While he hadn't had the time nor peace of mind to prepare for this fight the way he might otherwise have done, to lose to his friend, whose techniques he [i]knew[/i], meant he was even less prepared to face someone or something he wasn't familiar with.

Like that bastard who took Nat.

Jin quickly ventured out of his thoughts just in time to see Long dash forward at him, his speed still incredible. Jin avoided the first punch, setting both up for another fruitless exchange of blocked hits and wasted efforts. Fei dropped low for a leg sweep, which Jin simply hopped over. Yet when Long spun again, this time angling his leg for an upward thrusting kick, Jin could do little other than absorb the blow that rammed painfully into his right thigh, briefly locking up the knee below it.

The next few moments belonged entirely to the action star. Fei Long with an aerial spin kick that cracked through Jin's defence and knocked the wind from his lungs. Fei Long with an open palm into Kushina's chin, tilting him off balance. Fei Long with a sharp axe kick sliced downward into Jin's chest. Kushina collided hard with the unforgiving ground beneath him, his lungs screaming for oxygen, while Long merely gazed down at his friend and opponent grimly, waiting to see if he would get back up.

The referee started the count, but Jin rolled to his knees just before three, and rose more slowly from there. One hand rested on his chest as if he was trying to will the sharp ache away, and the other wiped the trail of blood from his mouth. Neither remained for long, for Jin soon raised both fists again. This time the look in his eyes was dark, dangerous. Not hateful, as it had been when he ended Parker's life, but determined.

Fei was just about to take the initiative when Jin beat him to it, rushing forward and crashing into Long with a series of rapid punches too fast for him to avoid or retaliate against. With Fei's guard breached, a gloved fist collided with his jaw, causing him to reel backward. An elbow strike to the solar plexus pushed him further, and his recovery was hampered further by the somersault kick that followed, rocketing Long off his feet.

He landed ungracefully and instantly rolled onto his side, then to a half-crouch, straining to recover breath and clear, un-blurred vision. Looking down, he noticed Jin's shadow on the ground in front of him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jin high above, swooping down on his position with increasing speed. Unknown to Jin, Fei let loose a confident smirk as a swell of power radiated from his still half-crouched form, some of it which rippled over the crowd, a precursor to his match-ending technique.

"SHIEN HIRYUU KYAKU!"

A split-second later, Long exploded off the ground, a spike of dust left in his wake, his body in the air with an outstretched leg bathed in flames. [i]This is it,[/i] Long immediately thought to himself, except as his eyes locked onto his opponent, he found an all-knowing grin staring back at him, as if to tell him that the fight [i]wasn't[/i] over.

Like Vega before him, Jin forced his body into an impressive aerial twist to narrowly avoid Fei Long's technique. While the crowd could only gasp in disbelief at the last-minute counter, Jin gave them more reason to do so as he snaked his arms around Long's waist, using the momentum of Fei's spin and gravity to augment the power and speed of his Gourin air-throw. As both fighters slammed into the ground, Jin immediately rose back up to his feet, driven by the will to survive, his will to win.

It was likeminded strength of spirit that refused to keep Fei Long down as well, as his prone form stirred back to life. Yet as the martial artist attempted to drag himself into a standing position, Jin had already created a sufficient gap between them, with one leg slowly held above the ground, which began to glow with dark flames. Though he favoured that leg after Fei's near-crippling strike, Jin had little choice but to use a move that would end this match before he came out any worse than he was already guaranteed to. While he didn't have the energy to execute the Hinote no Mai, he had just enough to perform this technique: the Kami Sakkyaku.

From above, as if tired of holding back, the clouds decided to pour out a few warning raindrops. Several beat against Jin's face, his upper torso, his raised leg, yet did little to douse the brilliant flames curled around his ankle. With Long directly in his sight, Kushina channelled the last of his power into his leg and blurred forward at the recovering Kung Fu practitioner. As Jin closed in for the final assault, he knew that Fei wouldn't recover in time to fully avoid it, that he would only be able to guard against it at best, yet in his current state wouldn't be strong enough to keep him in this fight.

What happened next was just as Jin surmised, for Long made no attempt to evade the oncoming attack but instead strengthened his stance, while he went to raise his battered arms in front of him.

Except, however, it wasn't to guard himself.

Like a bullet, Fei Long barrelled his entire right arm forward, accompanied by a sudden influx of ki that erupted from his fist as a burst of flames. That same fist drove itself into Jin's midsection with terrible force, cutting Jin out of his attack while turning his own dash against him. Jin's body, momentarily covered in flames, crumpled helplessly over Fei's arm before the latter withdrew it, followed by a left fist to the face. Several more blows rained onto Jin's body, followed by an uppercut that sent him airborne. Summoning the reserves of his inner strength, Fei fired his body through the rain-filled air, where he met Jin's side with an outstretched leg to complete the Ryuu Shin Yassai technique.

A hush fell over the crowd momentarily, then the uproar renewed as the count began… and was completed.

'It's over' Jin's mind conceded, his entire body sprawled across the ground, too pained and exhausted to continue. The cool rain almost soothed the sharp aches and burns covering him, but mostly it just served to add a sharp contrast to the pain.

Kushina coughed as the air returned to his lungs, each breath an agonizing stretch within his chest. He could hear the crowd erupting, but it was dulled under the thoughts of his loss as the medics came into the arena. The seconds seemed to stretch out into long moments, the steps of the medics sounding like a slow cadence, the same as the victorious fighter who finally stopped enjoying the fanfare to walk over to his friend.

In that span of time, where adrenaline and the shock of the assault on his body faded gradually, Jin's mind worked over a realization in the form of a question.

What could he really do?

It wasn't the first time he asked himself that, yet each time before he'd rebuked doubt with a firm determination that he would [i]find[/i] a way to save her. She had to be alive; they didn't want her dead. He had the coordinates of where she was being held. He knew he had to do something.

But what could he do?

Nothing.The answer struck him as hard as the finishing blow of the match. He hadn't fought with the intent to kill in years he'd worked so long to unlearn the ways of his past.

You've lost your edge, an inner voice chided as Jin absently observed the medical personnel checking him over and Fei Long asking if he was alright.

"Yeah," he heard himself say dismissively.

You were better off before.

They tried to get him on the stretcher, but instinctive pride kicked in and he pushed the helping hands away, slowly sitting up with a hand to his side and pain poorly concealed in his expression. He stood, steadied by his friend who spoke to break his thoughts.

"You put up one hell of a fight... almost had me there." The action star smiled with a small wince at his own wounds.

Jin gave a slight nod and a distracted reply. "You too. Good match." Then, he simply turned away and limped slowly out of the combat area, again refusing aid.

You wouldn't have let this happen before.

Only when he was in the locker area did he accept medical treatment. Yet Jin was left with a distinct impression that his injuries were just going to be one more weight on a much bigger problem.

==

The lights were blinding.

 Even when she closed her eyes, all she could see was the white glow turned red-orange through the thin, twitching lids. And when she opened her eyes, the glare let her ignore her surroundings; the cold steel table beneath her, the straps on her head and limbs, the jumble of slurred voices around her, the needle in her arm.

 She could ignore them all and let watering eyes absorb the blindness, replace it with something beautiful - the beach, the lapping ocean waves, sea foam and scattered shells. A tall, dark-haired Adonis with captivating gold eyes and a mysterious, rarely-seen smile.

When she stared hard enough, long enough, she could see him, plain as every morning she woke next to him. She could forget he was dead.

Dry lips cracked in a drug induced, whimsical smile only a delusional person could have. Blood slid slowly over her teeth, the coppery flavor pulling her slowly away from her beach, from him.

"Why don't we just put her under? She's starting to creep me out…"
"We have to monitor her brain's response to the treatment. It's hard to measure progress just yet, but at least she's stopped resisting mentally."
"Because she's a basket case?"
"Possibly. At the very least, she's showing a strong physical response…"

No. She didn't want to leave it yet. A small whimper escaped her as her brow furrowed and her gaze fixated on that burning glare. Fingers twitched, attached to small monitoring devices that kept up with her vitals. She could feel the sand in her hands, the mass soft as she dug her fingers in, yet gritty where grains stuck between the digits and under her long nails. She brushed them off and took his hand.

 
"You know this isn't real, right?"
The voice wasn't his. It was her own. She ignored it and smiled up at the tanned face looking down at her.

The doctors watched her lips form her silent answer.

 "I know. I have to be.
"Because this is all you have left, isn't it?"

 
The sky-blue eyes staring into the lights watered a little more, blinking twice. She couldn't answer.

"They don't need another guinea pig. They've had plenty of those… you know that, right?"
She shuddered and the vision before her shimmered. Her inner monologue continued, the voice slowly changing.

A weapon… Again her lips moved, glanced at by the scientists and doctors constantly keeping watch on the monitors around her.
There was a smile behind the tone now. It was darker. It was her mother's.

"Ah, there you go. That's exactly what they're going to make you into."

 
Like the sand through her fingers, the vision began to slip away, bits clinging stubbornly. She kept her gaze on those golden eyes, holding them there as long as she could.

Then let them, she murmured.

"If they do, they're going to take away everything you thought you were. The good person, the fiancée, the sweet little girl you always pretended to be…" Mockery was clear in the tone. "Everything, gone."

Not everything. The glare of the light filtered through her vision as her eyes stung as if they were bleeding, but she kept staring, kept holding onto his image. Eyelids quivered as tears pooled at the inside corners of her eyes and in the paths of the dark circles beneath. Her lashes fluttered as she dared not blink, afraid it would wipe away the last of her fantasy.

 
Revenge was the only thing she had left… but it would take time. Time, pain, patience… and sacrifice. It wasn't as if her hands were clean, anyway.

"Like her sanity?" someone said. Another snickered.
She would let them do what they would. She'd become whatever monster they wanted. Then, she would devour them.
She only had to hold on.