~ Somewhere in Egypt...
 

Darkness.

Silence.

Then, the sound of horses passing by.

He squeezed his eyes shut tightly before opening them.

His head spun as he lifted it to survey his surroundings. Ming bit down the inside of his cheek to fight the pain.

Memories of the last few events he had experienced flashed in his mind and his features formed a grimace before relaxing. Making faces just plain hurt his head. His eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and he raised a hand to rub his eyes.

Only to find that his hands were tied down to the chair by rope. In a hotel room. A glance around told him that he was alone.

Juli. Pablo.

How could he have been so stupid?!

Ming's head snapped around to look at the digital clock in his room. Four a.m. Dammit. How long had he been out? He was scheduled to fly out to Hong Kong for the preliminaries of one of the most publicized fighting tournaments in the world. Until Pablo and Juli ruined it for him.

Hopefully he'd make it in time.

But first...

Gritting his teeth, Ming began to repeatedly stomp his right heel onto the wood floor of his hotel room. After a few tries, the hiss of steel cut through the air and he grinned triumphantly, glad to have equipped his sneakers with a small blade. And even more happy to know that his captors hadn't found it.

He propped his right ankle on his left knee and straining his bonds, angled his left hand as far as he could so that he run the small blade along his ropes.

It took a lot of patience. A lot.

But he was finally free and he managed to loosen the rest of his bonds. After dusting himself off, he crept to his hotel room window and peered outside. No one. It was quiet.

Making sure he had everything he needed, he quietly opened the door and slipped outside.

Getting as far away from the hotel as possible.
 
 
 

~Tokyo, Japan

"I decided already," Reno announced with a smirk, right before his fist went flying into Twelve's face.

The creature fell at the impact, like a domino. Reno moved over his form, and for good measure, kicked it as it still lay on the ground.

"Nobody threatens me," he snapped. Then he turned to his female companion, who watched impassively. "Let's go."

They headed for the door. The instant Reno opened it, Cana let out a grunt and fell against him.

"Damn. Since when were you so uncoordinated-" his sentence was cut off the instant he felt something sharp hit his leg. "What the-?!"

When he looked over his shoulder, he saw that Twelve had gotten to its feet, and that Cana was heading in its direction. Something sharp and white was coming Reno's way out of the floor. Fast.

"You've got to be shi-"

He'd managed to jump out of the way in time, just as Cana began to exchange blows with Twelve, only to be yanked by one of his limbs and thrown towards the opposite side of the room.

Reno took the opportunity of Twelve's distraction, jumping towards him to deliver a kick to the back of the head, causing the creature to fall face flat. Cana recovered on her feet quickly.

"Is he out?" Cana asked quietly.

For good measure, Reno kicked Twelve's leg. Only to be tossed into a flying cartwheel over the bed.

"Idiot won't stay unconscious," Reno growled as he rose to his feet.

Twelve hovered in the air for a few seconds, his body morphing into another shape.

A shield? A weapon?

Cana kept up her guard, watching as Twelve fully changed his body, looking like a marble statue of Reno.

"Oh, hell no," Reno snarled, blue electricity shooting all around him.

Anticipating Reno's next move, Cana dashed forward, her fist connecting with Twelve's midsection just as he got to the ground. Then she grabbed Twelve, setting him on fire momentarily. Once the flames ceased, she quickly jumped out of the way, throwing herself against the wall adjacent to the bed.

With electricity sparking from his hand, Reno thrust his hand against Twelve, who moved just a little out of the way...only to get a direct hit on the shoulder. Glass from the window shattered behind Twelve. Taking several steps back from the hit, Twelve staggered slightly, only to fall out the window.

Reno watched as Twelve turned in his descent, changing his body into a small canopy before descending to the balcony below.

"Dammit..." Reno muttered as Cana carefully made her way beside him.

They watched as Twelve slowly made his way from the hotel.

After a moment, Cana said, "Others might follow." Then she pointed to the hole in the glass. "And while I'm sure you can take care of them...we do have a flight to catch tomorrow morning."
 
 
 

~ 35,000 feet in the air
 

Romanav glanced out the window of the Boeing 777 as it headed back to the United States. He leaned back in his seat...well...bed...because first class just came with convertible seatbeds.

He and the kid were set to arrive in the US in about three hours. Which was fine. He had nothing else to do. And the tournament was scheduled to begin its preliminaries in a few days. He was more looking forward to the main event.

In the seat in front of him, Eleonore was coloring, using a new box of crayons and a sketchpad he had bought for her at the airport. He considered it his good deed for the day.

Not that he did many of those.

And not that it was really his money. Umbrella had given him some cash and plastic...to get by. Besides, she couldn't bring any sharp weapons on the plane. Might as well have something to keep her busy.

A blonde flight attendant came by with a tray of chocolate chip cookies, offering the girl a smile. She seemed to have gone white before she hurried away to the other side of the cabin.

Curious, Rez got up from his seat and took a few steps forward, peering over the back of Eleonore's chair. Then he chuckled.

She was currently in the middle of drawing herself, mauling three random figures with a sword.
 
 
 

~ Oahu, Hawaii, USA
 

A quick phone call to Sakura's room told Natalie that the girl was indeed, free to hang out the rest of the night. She grimaced at her reflection in the mirrored closet of the hotel room. UV rays were evil.

How did some people just have all the luck when it came to skin? She just wanted a LITTLE color. She had no intention of looking like worn-out leather...like that lady who worked the concierge of The Makai. Natalie shuddered. Nice lady, but bad skin. Ick.

Jin had managed to pull away from his video game system to change into appropriate sparring clothes. Natalie had convinced Sakura to go with her to watch the two men spar...and have a little friendly match of their own.

"She'll meet us downstairs in the exercise room," Natalie announced as they headed out of their hotel room.

"Since we're all probably going to be together the rest of the night, we should probably decide on where we want to eat," Fei Long suggested. "Especially if we might need to make reservations somewhere..."

"The Makai's got a buffet and a restaurant," Natalie spoke up. "All-you-can eat is fine with me."

"That's a surprise," Jin muttered, only to have his arm swatted as they entered the elevator.

Fei Long grinned as he pushed the button for the first floor to begin the short ride down.

Once in the large exercise room, Natalie waved to Sakura, who was on the far side of the mat, stretching.

"Hey, you made it!" Sakura called out.

'Mien' headed over as Fei Long and Jin secured a spot on the mat. E. Honda and Dan were currently engaged in a friendly sparring match. Several other hotel guests were making use of the exercise machines.

"How's it goin?" Sakura asked as she stretched her lower back.

"Pretty good," Mien said. "I love this place..."

"I know what you mean. I spent today at the pool trying to get a tan," Sakura held out her arms for inspection. "I tan kinda slow, though..."

At least you can tan, Natalie thought.
 
 
 

~ Egypt
 

Ming considered himself a very lucky man. He had managed to find a driver who was going to do his early morning errands in Cairo. He had hitched a ride and was currently waiting at the airport to fly out to Hong Kong. His flight wasn't scheduled for at least another two hours. Hopefully, his captors wouldn't discover his disappearance until it was too late.
 
 
 

~ Narita, Japan
 

From her position at the hotel bar, Cana Verdandi kept her eyes towards the entrance as Reno savored his drink. Unwanted visitors were the last things they needed right now.

She glanced at her companion. Since they left Tokyo just a few hours ago, he'd been in a foul mood. He'd never failed to advertise if something annoyed him, and their strange visitor certainly had.

Cana turned her eyes towards the hotel entrance again. So much had happened the last few days. Strange, considering their lives had been pretty 'normal'. Practice, traveling, playing, recording...and the cycle repeated.

"No one's showed up so far," she noted.

"Don't know, don't care," Reno said. He turned to look at her and the way she was observing the hotel entrance and lobby. She seemed way too concerned about keeping an eye out.

Less than three hours ago, after he made sure that his car was safely onboard ship, they had hitched a ride on the JR Line and headed to Narita, checking into one of the hotels near the international airport.

After Reno finished his drink, he slowly pulled out one of the airline tickets tucked inside of his jacket.

It was a ticket for Honolulu, Hawaii.
 
 
 

~ Oahu, Hawaii, USA
 

After a good few hours, Fei Long, Jin, Natalie and Sakura had sparred in the exercise room, along with other tournament finalists. It was amusing to hear E. Honda and Dan's antics. Natalie had almost forgotten the easy camaraderie that came with tournaments.

By agreement, the four decided to spend early dinner at The Shoreline – the buffet restaurant that had everything from prime rib to seafood. So after a shower and a change of clothes, the four made their way out of the elevators and towards the western wing of the Makai, where the host seated them by the window, overlooking the ocean.

The dining room was already beginning to crowd with hotel guests.

"Did you hear half the things Dan was saying as he and Honda sparred?" Sakura asked, grinning. "He hasn't changed at all over the years."

"Some people never do," Fei Long agreed.

"He's always been so enthusiastic," Sakura added. Then, shaking her head, she said, "If he ever calmed down for a minute, it'd be really strange. Like some alternate universe..."

Fei Long's eyes were focused at the meat station. "Hey, they just got some new steak. Let's go..."

"You guys go ahead." Jin waved them off while he and Natalie saved their seats.

As Sakura and Fei Long headed off to the bars for food, she turned to her fiancé. "Good match today."

"Yeah." Jin eyed her frame carefully before saying, "Did you bring anyone with you?"

Natalie laughed. "No. It's not like they can eat anything from here, anyway."

"Just checking," Jin shrugged. "If someone starts screaming about any of them and they start coming your way...I don't know you."

"Thanks for the support."

"Anytime."

She grimaced, turning away to see if Sakura and Fei Long were coming back soon. She was starving. Workouts made anyone hungry. Natalie paused for a minute, catching sight of someone at the table across from her line of vision.

That same Chinese man she had spotted earlier at the front desk. He was still dressed in the same clothing he had worn earlier, a blue collared shirt and black jacket and pants. In front of him, an empty plate except for a small slice of bread. And next to the plate, a tall glass of what appeared to be a quarter full of white wine.

Natalie frowned thoughtfully. Now that she had gotten a much closer look at the man...there were several differences between him and the face she had remembered being Locke Koh's. Weird. She could have sworn...Oh well. She'd still make a note to herself to do some research later.

Beside her, Jin had apparently noticed what had caught her attention.

As if sensing eyes on him, the man looked up, meeting their gazes directly before looking away.

Glancing over her shoulder, Natalie spotted the host who began to seat the ever growing dinner crowd that began to arrive in the late afternoon, early evening.

Where were those two? Her stomach was REALLY starting to growl. She was still trying to locate their two friends when the host's voice at the next table carried over.

"Excuse me, sir, I have a message for you..." the host presented an envelope with his words.

Natalie watched as the man across from her opened the envelope and pulled out a letter, skimming whatever was written on it. The man then got up and exited the restaurant.
 
 
 

~ San Francisco, California, USA
 

The sun had disappeared from the California sky a mere two hours earlier. From the backyard patio of the Masters' residence, Victoria sat outside on the porch swing, staring at the sky.

From inside the house, Mel's protests about bedtime could be heard.

A nightly ritual, according to Ken. It would take Eliza about a half hour to finally get him changed into pjs, teeth brushed, and items ready for school the next day. And sometimes a story from Ken before he finally fell asleep. Mel usually fell asleep when Ken shared a story about him and his training partner Ryu hiking.

She brought her knees up to her chest, huddling in the hooded sweatshirt she had worn. The city of San Francisco was by the bay, which kept it very cool during the nighttime. It must have been close to twenty-three degrees out there. She wasn't used to the cold. Not used to it at all. But it sure could be refreshing.

"Mind if I sit?" came a male's voice.

Victoria looked up to see Sean offering her a navy blue fleece blanket.

She blinked. "Sure...Thanks..." Victoria immediately took the blanket and shook it out, covering herself from neck to toes.

The young martial artist settled on the other side of the swing, dressed in a red hooded sweatshirt and black sweatpants. Even if he was bundled up, the weather sure didn't seem to bother him at all. Must have been all that time in Northern California. He must have been used to it by now.

He shifted, wincing a little as he slowly rotated his right arm in its shoulder socket.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked immediately.

Letting out a sheepish laugh, he answered, "Worked too hard earlier..."

In spite of Ken's somewhat sadistic 'training' of his student, Victoria knew that he only wanted the guy to get stronger. Ken and Ryu's training hadn't been the easiest in the world, according to what she had heard.

"Did he decide about letting you into the matches?" Victoria asked after a few moments.

Sean shook his head. "Not really."

At that, she smiled. "How long does it take for him to usually make a decision?"

"However long he wants it to take," Sean huffed, clearly unhappy with his teacher's attitude. "You ever see those kids who ask for something and their parents say, 'Maybe later'? And the kids don't wanna keep asking because they're afraid the parents will say no? And the parents say 'Maybe later' to buy them time?"

"Yeah..."

"This is like that."

His behavior was kinda cute, in an amusing way. Guys were usually so concerned about putting on a macho image. And here he was complaining about a vague answer.

"You up for some dessert?" he asked suddenly.

Victoria blinked. "Um...sure. Why?"

"Ever had cake with Ghirardelli chocolate?"

"I'm guessing this thing is popular here," Victoria concluded.

"Only in this house. Eliza likes to make white cake mixed with Ghirardelli chocolate topped with chocolate ice cream."

Chocolate...Dessert...yum. How could she resist?
 
 
 

~ Elsewhere unknown
 

"He's what?!" a voice roared on the other side of the line.

Juli cleared her throat. "Ming has escaped."

"What...how...Never mind," Pablo snapped. "He couldn't have gotten very far. Find him."

"I will."

"NOW."
 
 
 

~ Oahu, Hawaii, USA
 

At the restaurant, the host had delivered a message written in a woman's handwriting, 'My office, now. 2nd floor, suite 101.' When he had entered the suite, a small reception area with plush leather sofas and a desk neatly arranged with a phone and computer were the first things he saw. Beyond the desk was a wooden door with a temporary plaque labeled, 'Meliza Rinaldo, CEO/President'. He raised a fist to the door, rapping his knuckles three times in succession.

"Come in..."

He turned the handle of the door and pushed it open to see his girlfriend on the phone, sitting in a large leather executive chair, dressed casually in a black sarong, her long legs stretched out on the top of her desk, her feet sporting what appeared to be casual black sandals with an inch and a half heels. Her office overlooked the pool and beach area of the hotel.

"I want a proposal in my inbox no later than Friday," Meliza spoke into the phone line, waving him inside. "Yes, Friday....Yes....No. Goodbye." She set the phone back in its cradle and watched him lean against one side of her desk. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her tone void of any emotion. When she spoke like that, it was hard to read her.

"I missed you, too," he said dryly, crossing his arms over his broad chest. Her eyes narrowed a fraction, and he added, "I needed a vacation."

"Oh really?" Now he could tell that she was suspicious.

She immediately got to her feet. And even in heels she had to tilt her head slightly to meet his gaze. He hid a wry smile.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with the 'bad feelings' you've been having about this tournament?" Meliza asked.

"And if it is?"

"I can take care of myself just fine," she said.

"It was my choice to come here. End of discussion," he said flatly.

"Of all the arrogant..." Meliza closed her eyes for a few moments before opening them. "Locke...Let's say that you were right. After everything you've worked so hard for...I don't want it ruined."

It had taken him a while to establish a new identity for himself – everything from a new look, a new occupation, a new name...He had honestly been surprised how quickly Meliza adjusted to his new self – she easily addressed him by his alias in front of other people. It was only when they were alone together she addressed him by the name she knew of when they first met.

He paused, briefly reflecting on her comment. Funny, he knew her better than she thought. Still, her concerns were valid. "Fine. You don't need protection. But neither do I." Besides, Locke never did anything unless he had a plan. And three other backups.

She quickly glanced in his direction before a small smile crossed her face. "So...Since you're here...maybe you could help me out..."

Meliza slid a blue folder across her desk, which he trapped beneath his hand before picking it up, flipping through the pages. She had just given him a list of the current participants and the sponsors of the tournament. As well as an itinerary of special events happening around the hotel about the tournament.

One delicate shoulder lifted in a shrug. "See what you can come up with. You know me...I'd like to be prepared just in case."

"In case?" he echoed.

"I usually don't like to do business with people unless I know their background. With me overlooking the grand opening and the tournament, I haven't really had much time to do anything else. In this case, my event manager jumped on an opportunity. "

He frowned in thought. "You want me to research the sponsors."

"Yes."

Locke skimmed the list of competitors so far. "Some old friends of yours decided to come back..." He never forgot a name or a face, particularly in the business he had been in. "In the restaurant, I saw someone from the last tournament." Well, more like the man had been sent to kill him.

Not that she needed to know that. There were a lot of things he hadn't told her about his past. Especially since he had made her promise that she wouldn't use her abilities to probe his mind. Well...that hadn't been entirely fair on his part...making her promise him about ten seconds before she fell asleep after a long day at work. While he personally thought she was strong enough to handle his past, he preferred to keep it buried. Things were different, now. They weren't exactly the same people they had been four/five years ago.

He looked up when Meliza asked, "Did he or she recognize you?"

"It didn't seem like it."

Meliza nodded, studying him for a few seconds. "It took me a while to recognize you two years ago...hopefully no one else will. So..." She tapped her fingers on her armrest. "I have a penthouse suite with three bedrooms, living room and kitchen. And the patio has a Jacuzzi and pool. There are two private service elevators that can be used to access my room on the top floor, but using them requires a card key."

Most men would probably jump at the opportunity to be in close quarters with the girlfriend that they hadn't seen in nearly three months. Especially if she had all of the amenities one would ever need in her own penthouse suite. He was no different. Minus the jumping.

She tossed him two card keys attached by a key ring and explained where to find the elevators. "If you need anything, there are two managers on duty who are allowed to access my floor – William and Philippe. They're usually the ones who escort room service or maintenance to my room. Also, the whole building is wireless, but I have Ethernet in my room."

"Good." It'd help in his research.

"Where are your bags?"

"In storage near the bell desk. The front desk said that they have rooms available and I can check in anytime after six once they're done selecting rooms for competitors arriving today." He tucked the folder under his arm and rose to his full height, moving to the window to view the pool and beach area.

In the distance, he could see a small boat just off the coast. He'd have to check on coral reef life that distance from shore. And where the nearest dock was.

Meliza got to her feet and stood next to him by the window.

He was quiet for a moment before saying, "The groups from Hong Kong and San Francisco should arrive within the next two weeks. By then, I'm assuming this hotel will be strictly reserved for tournament use."

"Right." She watched a mother play with her two children at the kiddie pool before turning to him. "How did you know about the check-in dates?"

"Front desk," he answered, shrugging. "Adella was more than happy to provide any information."

Meliza grimaced slightly. "Funny...she's usually quiet about anything going on around the hotel." She looked at him, shaking her head with a wry smile. "Gambling, computers, firearms, flower-arranging, and extracting information from tight-lipped employees. Is there anything you can't do?"

He glanced down at the card keys in his hand before looking at her. "Sometimes I forget to say 'Thank you'..."

A smile immediately came to her beautiful features.
 
 
 

~ Daly City, California, USA (because I don't feel like putting in San Francisco for this scene since the good old city by the bay will show up a LOT more during this chapter...)
 

At the twenty-four hour diner/restaurant by the freeway, Cody watched his companion heartily dig into his meal of burger and fries. It was kinda strange. The whole story behind the guy.

But he did feel bad for the guy. He didn't seem to have much on him.

Well, that was putting it lightly. He probably didn't have anything on him of value.

"So where you from?" Cody asked before drinking his soda.

The man who called himself Volpe blinked then shrugged. "Not really sure."

Okay, Cody thought.

The guy really didn't have much on him.

"So...you're going to San Francisco for this tournament?" Cody asked.

The man nodded, answering after swallowing a large bite. "Fighting and trip to Hawaii? Couldn't resist."

"Tell me about it," Cody grinned. "It's a big public event. It's on the news at least once a day. There's a lot of money backing this thing up. I don't remember ever attending anything this big."

"Me neither," Volpe answered. Then he added with a smile, "But I don't really remember much of anything."

Cody blinked. "You're awfully happy for a guy who doesn't have much in life."

The man sitting across from him fiddled with his drink for a few seconds before answering. "Being depressed doesn't really get anyone anywhere, wouldn't you say?"
 
 
 

~ San Francisco, California, USA
 

Heaven.

Absolute, guilty heaven.

Victoria happily scooped up some of Eliza's marble cake and ice cream on her spoon. She had to give Ken's student some credit. He sure knew how to charm his way into her good graces. He brought her a warm, fleecy blanket AND offered her dessert.

Chocolate.

Good stuff.

Sean was currently in the middle of a story about Ken's training. It involved running on the Golden Gate Bridge in the pouring rain. While Ken's limo drove on the street of the bridge. Apparently, the bridge could be very hazardous during wet weather. But it hadn't bothered Ken.

"Then there was the time he made me run to Coit Tower from Fisherman's Wharf," Sean continued, grimacing. "That really sucked. Have you ever walked that distance?"

"Can't say that I have," Victoria admitted.

"If you ever feel out of shape, try it sometime," he challenged.

They sat in silence, eating dessert. It was funny...she certainly didn't imagine that she'd end up here. The most recent events in her life had happened in such a blur it was as if she hadn't even had a minute to dissect it all. She lowered her eyes to her dessert plate.

In all honesty, she was grateful for Ken and Eliza's hospitality. In spite of the man's incredible wealth, he had a very generous heart and down to earth personality. That didn't happen very often.

"Hey."

Victoria looked up. "What?"

"You okay?" Sean asked. "You seemed out of it for a few seconds." He rested his fists on the counter, propping his chin on top of them. His pale brown eyes focused on her for a while before turning to his now empty plate.

"Yeah, I'm good."

"So what's your story?"

She blinked. "Story?"

"Well, everyone has their reasons for signing up for a tournament," Sean said, shrugging. "To become stronger...to challenge a rival...revenge. What's yours again?"

"You have no manners," someone spoke from the kitchen doorway.

The two young people looked up to see Ken watching them, dressed in a red long-sleeved T-shirt and gray pajama pants.

"Hey, Sensei," Sean greeted. Then frowning, he said, "I was just making conversation..."

"Never ask a lady personal questions," Ken responded. "It's rude and it gets you nowhere with women." He winked at Victoria, who smiled back, before his eyes settled on the plastic Tupperware cake storage pan in front of them. "Hm. Raiding the fridge for goods?"

"Always," Sean quipped.

Ken nodded, cutting himself a slice and chewed on several bites. "I'm thinking of evaluating on how much you've improved by pitting you against another fighter," he directed the comment to Sean.

"Yeah?" The young man's interest perked up, and he sat straight up in his chair.

"Fighters, I mean," Ken corrected. "The prelims are coming up in a few days...seeing you in action against different opponents might help in deciding if you get to participate in Hawaii..."

Victoria hid a smile as Sean's eyes lit up.

"Really?"

Ken shrugged, grinning. "Who knows...if you advance...you technically would have earned that spot, and you won't need anything from me to get in."

Sean's grin was wide enough to split his face.