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"The Retaking Of Jokuzetsu (Part 1)"
Notations:
0/0 Drop the bomb and kill the people,
Shidoshi lashed out at wooded practice poles while the howl of her swords broke the morning stillness. It would seem odd to most people that a psychopath would do something as normal as sing early in the morning as she did her workout, but then few argued with the Shadoloo commander. It was an easy way to wind up eviscerated. 0/0 Shoot the missiles at the schoolhouse,
In truth, Shidoshi's swordplay was poetry in motion; an elegant dance of death that mesmerized with its sheer fluidity. Few could claim the same mastery of the blade that Shidoshi exhibited, certainly no one alive in this modern era of guns and bombs. 0/0 Drop some candy in the courtyard,
The dizzying speed and beauty of the sword dance belied the true nature of its creator. Some people state that creatures of evil could never create beauty but in truth, beauty is very much open to interpretation. Every so often, something beautiful hid something of such vile darkness that the cheap darkness of the night paled in comparison. 0/0 Kick the granny in the tummy,
Rinse watched as the mad woman's kata brought her demon blades ever closer to Rinse's vulnerable form. Tied to one of Shidoshi's practice poles, Rinse watched as she cut down each and every pole with horrific proficiency. The amazon struggled as Shidoshi neared the end of her song. Once Rinse's iron hard muscles could have snapped the bonds like paper mache but the deprivation of hunger and thirst had weakened the warrior to the point where she could only wait for death. Rinse wanted to look Death in the eye and die with dignity as befitted an amazon but as Shidoshi's blades began their lethal descent, just the tiniest spark of fear entered her heart. Chikara and Shiyokai plunged into Rinse's body without the slightest resistence. The amazon gave in to her fear and tried to voice out her frustration at her failure but all that issued from her throat was a gurgle as blood filled her mouth. Shidoshi stretched luxuriantly, looking like a kawaii school girl rather than a certified sociopath. "Ahh, that felt good," she cooed as her swords took on a decidedly pinkish tint. Sheathing her daisho and donning her yukata, Shidoshi strode off to fulfill her schedule for the day. An irritating pack of amazons had made a futile attempt to rescue their "sisters". Their leader awaited Shidoshi's tender mercies even now. Later that day, a young Amazon crept back into a camp where five young warriors were warily watching the Shadoloo encampment. Rin-rin entered the hollow while giving a quick bird-whistle: a signal the five had agreed upon when they had arrived the night before. Makoto Rindou, also known as the Amazon Xian Pu, and Rin-rin had both wept that morning when they awoke: it had been their first clear view of a prefab Shadoloo encampment standing on the burned remnants of Jokuzetsu village. "I sneak around, make sure to stay away from sword woman and snake-thing," Rin-rin said quietly as she sat down on a rock. "Elders held in central building - is no way to free them without big fight. Warriors held in big pen near barracks: many Warriors too starved and sick to fight, but is group captured just recently, some have food and give to stronger sick ones. Is maybe 40 Amazons who can fight. Big-big problem is children. They all in open pen on far side of camp from Warriors, and four Mak- Mash.." Rin-rin trailed off. "Machine guns?" Makoto asked. Rin-rin nodded. "Xian Pu so smart! Yes, Ma-chine-guns. They set one on each side of pen, any trouble and they shoot children," Rin-rin explained. All five faces darkened at the idea of using children as hostages. "Using children as hostages... those filthy bastards!" Yun Lee exclaimed with a clenched fist. His younger twin brother Yang Lee merely growled in silence. Makoto sighed. "Okay, this is going to be tricky. Here's what we're going to do..." she began. The other four leaned in around the adpoted Amazon as plans were made. As the sun finished setting, Sakura Yugure went into action. {Here I come, you Shadoloo goons,} she thought, Ashura Warping into existence some 300 feet above the pen where the children were held. Grinning a savage, wild grin, she turned 360 degrees as she fell, unleashing an airborne Hadoken as large as herself at each machine-gun nest. As four crew-served weapons of death became four debris-filled craters, Sakura teleported out again, aiming for the far side of the encampment. Rin-rin, who had snuck up close to the pen, immediately yelled out a command to the frightened children. "[[AIYAH! We're here to rescue you! Run for the north pass, now! Wait there until morning - if we are not back, flee to the cities!!]]" she roared in Chinese. The children held in the pen may have all been under the age of twelve, but they *were* Amazons. Given a battle command, they followed it, the eldest picking up the youngest and fleeing over the fence. Rin-rin followed the children long enough to make sure they were safely away from the Shadoloo troops, then hurried back to the encampment. '[[The rest of Xian's plan must be in action by now,]]' she thought. In the mobile command post, the Shadoloo scientist Eric jolted up from a short nap at the sound of explosions. Looking out the windows, he saw the glow of fire from the direction of the children's holding pen and swore. "Dammit! Those Amazon escapees are attacking again!" A moment's thought made Eric recall that the only thing holding the healthier captives in check was the threat to the children - and one way or another, it seemed that threat might be over. Turning to his console, he grabbed the microphone tuned to Akiko Tendo's Psycho Collar and spoke as he unstrapped her restraints. "Go to the warriors' holding pen and drive off or kill anyone resisting us, then sweep the camp for any further resistance and treat them similarly!" he ordered. Silently, Akiko gave thanks to the gods that he'd allowed her the option of letting the attackers flee - perhaps she could convince them to escape rather than destroy them. Driven by the Psycho Drive fuelling her collar and its control over her, she moved out to follow her orders. The cyborg Bruticus noticed the explosions and went to investigate, but saw a fleet-footed figure slip by him. Engaging low-light visuals, he noted that it was a young Amazon with blue hair and decided to follow her. There might be combat involved - and even if there weren't, Little Brutie might get a good workout with an Amazon who wasn't broken in yet. S'luthssu'ka, called Sibilant by the Shadoloo troops, snapped awake to the sound of four explosions on the near side of the camp to her. Grabbing her belts, she strapped them on quickly, but paused outside her door, flicking her tongue out into the wind. There were scents, strange ones she wasn't familiar with yet, on the *other* side of camp from the explosions. {A diversssion,} she thought with some amusement. {Perhaps thessse mammal women have sssome tactical ability after all.} Nostrils flared in amusement, she set out for the origin of these new scents. {Perhapsss I will be fortunate and find a posssible mate there if they brought a male with them.} Earlier that morning, Comb hung limply from the wall of Shidoshi's "guest room". Any attempt to break free was obviously futile. Not only was she unable to break her restraints; the scum had compounded the problem by nailing down her hands and feet to the wall. A brutal but effective way to discourage escape, anyone who tried to shatter her bonds would first have to rip wide gaping holes in her extremities. Comb was almost beside herself with frustration. Her party was dead, nearly completely at Shidoshi's hands. Over thirty sisters killed with nothing to show for it. Pride had led to their downfall. Believing their martial arts and seclusion were enough to defend them from their enemies was their folly. Shidoshi and her ilk had shown them just how far the outside world had advanced without their knowledge. Now only if the Joketsuzoku could survive this ordeal to profit from this harsh lesson. The devil woman sauntered into the room dressed only in a yukata with her omnipresent blades at her side. Comb would have given anything to wipe that damned sadistic smirk off her face. One good whack with a bonbori ought to do it. Her face stretched wide in a grin that promised much pain for Comb, Shidoshi slinked up to the amazon leader in a feline manner. "How are you this morning my dear. Just killed the last of your little friends. Care to say hello?" Shidoshi held up Chikara to Comb's face. Reflected in the blade, she could see Rinse's anguished face as she howled in eternal torment. An abomination beyond anything in Comb's experience, Shidoshi's swords trapped the souls of those slain by their razor's edge. No power in heaven or hell would save Shidoshi's sorry hide if Comb could free herself from her captivity. Comb would see the madwoman in Yen Lo Wang's (Chinese God of Death) court even if it meant detonating a tactical nuke in their ancestral lands. "Ooh, you don't look too happy. No worries obaa-san (old woman in Japanese), you can keep her company soon enough," said Shidoshi in the same tone that so many associated with her insane master. "Just one liiiiiiiitle answer and I'll send you on your merry way, not too much to ask is it?" Shidoshi giggled as she bunched her shoulders together in imitation of a Japanese schoolgirl. "How many more amazons are there?" Comb just shrugged. "Wrong answer!" Shidoshi screeched as she smashed Comb's face with Chikara's pommel. The amazon simply spat a combination of blood and spittle into the Shadoloo commander's face. "Fine, we'll do it the hard way. Guards, get me one of the children!" Comb's eyes widened as a little girl no older than a score of seasons was dragged in. She wouldn't! Not like this! Without even acknowledging the girl's existence, Shidoshi plunged Shiyokai squarely between the girl's frightened eyes. Falling bonelessly to the floor, the young child never even uttered a single sound. "Another." Comb shut her eyes then. Their only hope lay with two last free amazons. One was an adopted sister but a sister none the less. If people like Shidoshi could be brought to bear against the Rindou Dojo, Comb had little illusion of how long her airen and the girl who should have been her daughter would last under the onslaught. Martial artists they could meet and beat. Men with guns only bored them. But when the foe was something greater than human, mere martial arts was simply not enough. "Next." "Bring in contestant number four." "Oh my, I hope that we don't run out of children soon." Blood spattered Comb's clothes. A red veneer covered the plain floor like morbid panelling. Yet Comb would not break. She did not dare to. It was sunset when the grotesque display, and subsequent torture, came to an end. "Wow, a tough one," Shidoshi cooed as she left her daisho to their meals. Cupping Comb's head in her hands, Shidoshi whispered in her ears. "I like you." Shivering uncontrollably, Comb was wondering if Shidoshi was of *that* persuasion when her eyes began to glow cerulean. Comb found herself lost in those eyes as if they had some hypnotic qua-li..ty... Shidoshi smiled in triumph as Comb's eyes unfocused. Lord Bison trained her well in Ler Drit and these tricks made her job *so* much easier sometimes. A working girl had to grab all the advantages she could in the competitive job market you know. "How many amazons remain free?" Comb's mouth worked soundlessly as she struggled frantically to regain control of herself. Unintelligible vowels and incomprehensible sounds tumbled off her lips before a single clear word was spoken. "Two." "Two?" Shidoshi crowed. "You held off for so long just for the sake of two pathetic amazons?" Released from Shidoshi's mental grasp, Comb fought back tears of shame. "Two amazons are more than enough to deal with your little freak show!" "Is that right?" Shidoshi hissed as she slowly drew her blades from their depleted snacks. The swords thrummed as they hungered more souls to devour. Comb saw her doom in their eternally rapacious edge. Dull booms shook the room as the liberators of Joketsuzoku made their presence felt. Smiling grimly, Comb smirked, "That ought to be my niece now." While Sakura had been waiting for full darkness and Rin-rin had been moving to the children's pen, Makoto, Yun and Yang had slipped up to the side of the encampment near the Warriors' holding pens. They, too, had then waited. When the explosions of Sakura's Hadokens went off, the three sprang into action, decimating the squad of guards watching the pens with well-placed Hayates, Torou Zans, and Zesshou Hohou's. Makoto, dressed once again in her Amazon gear, threw open the door. "[[Everyone, we're taking our village back!]]" she cried. A ragged cheer arose from the perhaps one hundred prisoners. Makoto's initial glad reaction was dampened as Rin-rin's scouting proved accurate. Out of one hundred surviving Warriors, perhaps forty were still in any sort of shape to fight. Taking the keys from the guard lieutenant (who was too busy being comatose to object,) Makoto passed them in to the prisoners. "[[Undo your shackles fast - those who can fight get the keys first,]]" she instructed. "[[They'll stay with me and my friends, while the rest of you head to the northern pass and meet up with the children there. If we win, we'll come find you by morning! If we haven't, take the children and flee to the cities.]]" Quickly, Makoto went back out to Yun and Yang. "This is the sticking point," she said nervously. "If we can get the Warriors out and fighting, we have a good chance of winning this. If they get stopped, we'll be lucky just to get away. We *have* to keep the Shadoloo goons off the Warriors until they get free," she stated. "I hear you, Ko-chan," Sakura cried, jogging in from the encampment perimeter. "No one passes," she finished, leaping up onto the corner of the pen to keep watch. Rin-rin came running out of the shadows then. "Aiyah! Children safe! I follow until they out of sight of enemies, then rush back!" she reported. "Great!" Makoto replied, giving Rin-rin a grin. "Now if we can just hold them off until the Warriors get free, we can win this!" "I cannot allow that," a soft voice drifted to them from atop a nearby building. "Please, flee this camp. I won't have to kill you if you do," the speaker - a slight woman with striking sienna hair - implored them sadly. Sakura looked over at her. "You're Akiko Tendo, right? I think you're a cousin to Ko-chan there," she said, nodding down to Makoto. "I'll try not to hurt you too badly for her sake - but I won't let you stop us, either. I can feel your power, but I'm nearly as strong as you." Akiko nodded, then sighed, a sound filled with infinite sadness. "Then I have to fight - and to try and kill you. Please, if you can't stop me, flee! I don't want you to die," she pleaded, then shrieked as she was engulfed in the blue fires of Psycho Power. Sakura, in return, let out a battle yell and manifested the grey flame of the Satsu no Hadou, and the two leapt at each other, Sakura leading Akiko further away from the others and off into the wilderness. Makoto hissed in frustration. "Dammit, Sa-chan, why d'you have to be so stubborn? If you'd stuck around, we could support you if you got in trouble..." she gritted out. A deep male voice sounded out over the area, crackling with electronic amplification. "Nah, she'd just have died with the lot of you," Bruticus said as he lumbered into the area. "Unless she's as cute as you or the blue-haired one - then I might keep her around to F**k." Yun suddenly bore a striking resemblance to his brother, he was scowling so deeply. "Don't you lay your filthy hands on her!" he yelled, slamming into the huge man with an EX Tetsu Zanko, sending him hurtling backwards. "I'll handle this, good-lookin'," he called as he charged after the cyborg. "You hold the fort!" "Dammit, Yun-" Makoto began, but cut off and leapt as a slight hiss behind her made her danger sense scream. A pair of large reptilian jaws snapped shut where she had been, as Sibilant emerged from the darkness. "You have good inssstinctsss," the snake-woman complimented her. "You are the leader of thisss group, the only one in Amazon garb giving commandsss. I *had* hoped to take you out at once, but I have the patience of cold blood - I can wait." Makoto took up a stance. "Come and try, then-" she began, only to be cut off as two blurs shot past her. Sibilant recoiled as she was struck by a Bonbori Spin and a Senkyuutai simultaneously. Rin-Rin glanced back at Makoto. "[[She's right, Xian! You're the leader of this group and my fellow Amazons. You stay here and help lead the warriors when they come out. We'll handle her.]]" Makoto bit her lip in frustration. "[[But...]]" "[[Go,]]" was Yang's simple command. With that, Yang and Rin-Rin were off with another dual attack which pushed Sibilant into an alleyway between the prefab buildings. Makoto took a moment to shriek in frustration as she pounded a hapless group of Shadoloo troopers into mush. Those still able to move quickly decided trying to penetrate into the Warriors' pen was a bad idea and retreated. Behind Makoto, the first few Warriors emerged, grabbing clubs and knives from the ground or fallen troops respectively. Sakura leapt over rocks and trees, Akiko close on her heels, until she reached a clear space not too far from the camp. Akiko landed near her, and Sakura gave her a brief nod. Their limbs sheathed in their respective energies, the two came together in a blurred clash of blows. An observer to the dance of blue and grey light would have been surprised at the beauty of the intertracing streaks of blue and grey that were the only way to follow the limbs of the two warriors. Sakura's Shotokan derivative clashed with Akiko's deadly straightforward attacks. The two blurred again and again, trading blows and blocks. Sakura was knocked back by a powerful kick to the midsection, but replied with her classic side power-kick (her Roundhouse) that likewise staggered Akiko. With a space opened between them, the two paused a moment. "You're pretty good," Sakura commented. "Likewise," Akiko spoke through gritted teeth. A silver aura fought with the Psycho Energy's cerulean just for a moment before the Psycho Drive reasserted its control. "Yeah, it's too bad I'm going to pound you," Sakura grinnned back. In the MCV, Eric Masterson frowned heavily. This intruder was proving annoyingly difficult to kill; he would have to disengage the level II safety locks and allow Akiko to fight with more autonomy. The risk was high though, the higher the power level they allowed the martial artist to fight at, the greater the chance of resistance. Shrugging his shoulders, Eric flipped the toggle to Level III. The Psycho Drives and his own Psycho Collars were infallible. Even if Akiko did break free, he could reassert his dominion at any time. Let's see the intruder handle a fighting ability that even M. Bison was wary of! Akiko smiled sadly and closed her eyes. A moment later, her aura intensified, silver against blue, a strangely mottled tapestry that spoke of a battle for dominance between two diametrically opposed forces. Sakura scowled in concentration and gathered her power as well, and then the two were off again. A Knee Press from Akiko sheathed in blue flame met a *chi*-aura Sho-Oh-Ken from Sakura, sending the redhead flying. Righting herself in midair, she replied with a chi-attack. "Winter's Gale Blast: Icicle!" A wave of pure cold pegged Sakura out of the end of her move, hurling her to the ground. Frost covered her body as the Satsu no Hado fighter shivered uncontrollably. Akiko powered up again as she landed, trying to finish the fight. "Winter's Gale Blast: Cone of Cold!" she cried out, unleashing a white beam that engulfed Sakura, trapping her for several long seconds in a crystalline prison of ice. Akiko moved closer, trying to determine if her foe was down. She wasn't. As Akiko got close, Sakura shattered her bonds and leaped up. "MIDARE-ZAKURA!!" 24 flaming hits of flurry and uppercut later, Akiko crashed to the ground, but unlike Sakura, kippuped immediately. She drifted backwards, the blue fire about her intensifying, and Sakura eeped as she understood the move, a variant of M Bison's Psycho Crusher, pulling her hands back and gathering energy to counter. "Dragon Subduing Strokes: The Indomitable Dragon Repents!"
The two waves of power clashed, Akiko surging forward against the tide of the Shinkuu Hadoken, but slowing to a halt as she came closer. Both moves ended almost at once, and the scarlet-haired fighter fell forwards, grabbing at Sakura as she dropped. Sakura returned the favour, and for a minute the two struggled in a clinch. Twisting for leverage, Sakura came nearly nose to nose with the savagely struggling Akiko. Looking up, she was shocked to see tears in her foe's eyes, even as the girl tried to knee Sakura in the gut. "This isn't *you!*" Sakura realized with a gasp. "You're being forced into this! *How?!?*" she asked, breaking the grapple and springing clear. Every muscle in Akiko's body tensed at the same time as her own silver energies surged. "Run," she managed to choke out. "NOW!" she screamed as a spiral of silver light formed around them with Akiko at its centre. "DRAGON" Sakura's eyes widened as intense cold emanated from the spiral. This was a version of one of the amazon's most sacred attacks. One that Rin-rin had described for her. Urging her body to move, Sakura tried to escape from the spiral of destruction before it was too late. "HEAVENLY" Akiko's fist flared with silver-blue flames. The cold sapped Sakura's strength and she felt as if someone had strapped lead weights to her limbs. This attack was deadly enough that even Sakura was not confident that she could survive it. Sakura was a mere foot away from the edge of the spiral when she sensed a massive build-up of chi. With a desperate lunge, Sakura prayed to all of the kami. This was going to *hurt*. "ASCENSION!" A column of chi energy erupted from Akiko's feet and lanced towards the night sky. Caught in mid-flight, Sakura felt the whole world spin as the edges of the chi-attack brushed her. The cold hurt terribly as the groggy karateka tried to re-orient herself to the world. Akiko stood over Sakura's prone form as that deadly energy gathered itself in her hands once again. "No, you won't make me kill again," Akiko hissed as she fought the insiduous influence of the Psycho Collar. Blue lightning crackled from the device as it tried to suppress Akiko's warrior spirit. In the MCV, Eric cursed as his monitors nearly blew out from the backlash. Desperately groping for his controls, he grinned triumphantly as he toggled the controls to Level I. God alone knew what Akiko would do to him if she broke free and God alone would have mercy on him if she did. A kippup put Sakura back on her feet as she fell into a defensive stance. It seemed for a moment that the silver aura could overcome the vile device that held it in check. Just maybe the will of a young woman could win against the manipulations of the Lord of Shadoloo. White-knuckled hands gripped the collar around her neck as Akiko did her level best to pry it open. Suddenly, the collar reasserted itself, and Akiko charged. Caught offguard, and now unwilling to fight full-out against someone who was, after all, more a victim than even the Amazons, Sakura was hammered over the next two minutes. Skull Dives, Knee Presses, and chi attacks battered the halfhearted girl, who blocked as best she could and healed when she had to... From one area of Jokuzetsu came the tremble of an earthquake. The grounds shook and buildings crumbled as this mighty force thundered by. And now it was about to arrive upon a wide open area. But as a matter of fact, this earthquake was caused by a human being - or rather, a giant cybernetic man charging like a tank. His giant hand, which held his unfortunate victim, headed straight towards a nearby building. "UWAGH!" Yun spat as he was slammed through the wall. Bruticus threw the boy on the ground and repeatedly slammed his foot on poor Yun, each slam resounding a painful "Uwa!!" Dust levitated from the ground, surrounding Bruticus' foot and completely obscuring Yun. After twenty slams, Bruticus decided the foolish boy was indeed finished. "Little boys shouldn't mess with men." Bruticus laughed. He flexed his shoulders, triggering missile units on each arm, and fired at the dustball where he believed Yun to be. "Walking scrap heaps shouldn't mess with the real deal." declared the young man through the roar of the missiles. No, not through. Bruticus whirled in circles, growling, as he knew the voice came from another direction. "Show your face, punk!" "I'm right over here!" Yun, a good distance behind Bruticus, tipped his hat. But it was Yun's turn to be surprised as Bruticus' missiles turned out to be *homing* missiles. "Oops," Yun, at the last second, dodged the first oncoming missile. "Too slow!" He backflipped to avoid another array. "Can't stop me!" Yun leapt over the sixth one. "And lastly..." The last one caught his foot. The missile exploded on impact. Yun was thrown a good few yards back. He skidded to the ground but quickly flipped to his feet. A sudden pain surged through his right foot. To his chagrin, as he leaned over to touch it, he was bleeding. He was lucky to have his foot still intact but now, it didn't appear he could use it to end a Sourai Rengeki, or even a plain side kick. He had not much time to muse as Bruticus lumbered his way again. Yun instinctively backflipped away but quickly forgot about his right foot, which gave out upon ground impact. "Damn..." Yun swore. He didn't hit the ground because he was once again grabbed by Bruticus and slammed into another wall. "Hah... foolish boy," Bruticus chuckled, prompting Yun to wonder if this guy ever brushed his teeth. "The part of me which makes a man is still intact. My 'Little Brutie' is more experienced than you'll ever be." "'*Little...* Brutie'... huh?" Yun grinned. "I can see why you call it 'little'." "Why you...!" The match between the iron man and the white dragon became a shouting one. All the meanwhile, neither noticed the atmosphere suddenly getting colder. Yuki no onna (snow girl) flew in discreetly, watching the two males with much confusion. "Now which one was I supposed to hit again? Umm... umm...." "You pig-tailed, cap-wearing punk!" "Juggernaut wannabe with hemmaroids on acid!" Suddenly, a sharp chill snapped both Yun and Bruticus to silence. Giant walls of ice encircled them and quickly encased them until they were frozen solid. In seconds, the ice shattered into pieces, snapping their bodies in the process. Luckily, both survived due to their hard bodies and equally hard (if not harder) heads. "Hey, what's the big idea, snow girl?!" Bruticus growled. "Umm... umm..." Yuki no onna flew into view. She held a curious finger to her face. "I wasn't sure which one I was supposed to attack, so I hit you both. I hope that's okay." "No it's not okay! You're supposed to hit him! *Him*!" Bruticus yelled, pointing a fat finger towards Yun. Yun sighed, hands on hips, cocking his head towards Yuki no onna. "Two on one ain't fair. Especially since I ain't hurting a cute little lady like yourself." "Oh..." if she wasn't an ice spirit, her face would have felt a warmth. "Mr. Bruticus, he said it isn't fair for two against one. Am I still supposed to hit him?" "YES!! YES, YOU DANG FOOL!!" Bruticus growled. "If you weren't some stupid inhuman ice spirit, Little Brutie'd have bagged ya by now!" "Oh, okay..." Yuki no onna held forward her index finger. A strong, biting gale hurled at Yun, shoving him back. It was bad enough Yun only had one foot to support him, he was on ice. Luckily, another building broke his slide. The gale caused Yun's hat to blow away. The elder dragon meant to jump after it, but somehow the ground turned into ice, and he slipped. Luckily he caught his balance and flipped to his feet before any ungraceful crash. Bruticus laughed at the foolish boy, but his balance slipped and he, too, crashed to the ground. Yuki no onna held her hands to her face. "Oh no! I'm sorry, Mr. Bruticus!" Bruticus regained his footing. "Shut up. Just SHUT UP! I'll deal with the F##king-ass punk myself!" Yun folded his arms, grinning at Bruticus. "That ain't no way to treat a lady, *amateur*." "What was that? Say that to my face, punk! I couldn't hear ya." Yun skidded in front of Bruticus. "Yuki no onna, hit me with your best shot!" "What? You *want* me to hurt you?" Bruticus laughed at him. "Freeze me. Lock me up in a ball of ice. Anything. Just show me what you've got." Yun continued. He was well aware that Bruticus could attack him at any time. Actually, he was hoping for that. "Oh, okay..." Yuki no onna becan a level 2 Freeze spell. Bruticus took the bait Yun set up for him. "BRUTICUS PUNCH!" "Time for the Storming White Dragon to bail ship." Yun leapt out of the way at the last second. Bruticus' fist collided with the ground and stunned him briefly, long enough for the ice girl's Blizzard spell to connect with him. "YOU DANG FOOL!" were Bruticus' last words before his entire body was encased and sealed in 6 foot thick ice. "Oh no! I'm so sorry, Mr. Bruticus!" Yuki no onna exclaimed. Yun shoved away the giant ice block with a Kobokushi. "That's one out of the way," He reached a hand towards Yuki no onna. "Everything's all right now. You can come down." Yuki no onna peered curiously, somewhat suspiciously. "But... I'm supposed to fight you." "We're friends. Friends don't have to hurt each other." "Oh..." Yuki no onna took his invitation and floated down to him, placing her tiny hand in his. Yun shivered a little at her icy grip but kept his composure. Yuki no onna, on the other hand, fell into his arms, leaning on his chest. "You're so warm..." she sighed blissfully. "Do you like being warm?" Yun asked. "Yes... I've wanted to feel this warmth all my life. From me, not from others. But since I am an ice spirit, I cannot. I can only dream." Yun rubbed his hand on her back, hoping to warm her a little. Instead, he succeeded in nearly freezing his hand. Not that he'd show pain in front of a cute girl. "You know, this area of China is famous for hot springs." "Hot springs?" Yuki no onna repeated. "What are those?" Yun smiled. "They're warm pools of water. People go to 'em to relax and warm up. I bet you there's some hot springs just outside the village. There's nothing like a warm bath to relax and feel all warm inside. You will too." "I will?" "Of course." "Thank you. I'll never forget you... ummm..." Yun made a tipping hat gesture which looked cool despite him being hatless. "Just call me Yun, little lady." "Okay, Mr. Yun. Good-bye!" Blowing an icy kiss, Yuki no onna flew away into the distance. Her departure caused the surrounding frost and ice to melt. Which also meant a certain blockhead in a certain ice block was about to emerge as well. "ARGH!! YOU COCKY LITTLE PUNK!!" Bruticus roared. "I'M GONNA TEAR YOUR BALLS OFF IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!" Yun grinned. "Bring it on. Though, even if you tear my balls off, they'll still be bigger than Little Brutie." "Why you...!" "[[Sssoooo.... why do you ssstall your inevitable deatthhh, little girl?]]" Sibilant questioned while tastefully licking her claws. Rin-Rin bravely stepped forward, holding her arms and Bonbori spread open. "[[You underestimate the pride of the Jokuzetsu Zoku (Jokuzetsu Tribe)! We are a race of proud warriors with strong lineage. We are strong as individuals and even stronger when united. No one can break our unity! We are one big family and we will defend each other to the death!]]" "[[Your effort boresss me...]]" Sibilant frowned. She then caught a glimpse of the spikey-haired boy standing behind the blue-haired girl. He was young, he was healthy, and best of all, he was male. Sibilant slithered towards him, or at least as far as Rin-Rin's Bonbori would allow her. "[[You there - the young man clad in red. You appear quite young. Ssstill, you appear ssssuitable to be my mate.]]" "[[Mate?!]]" Rin-Rin exclaimed with Yang giving a weird look. Rin-Rin followed up with, "[[You're talking nonsense! I won't give my darling husband (Airen) away to anyone! I will protect him as definatly as I will protect my village and tribe!]]" "[[Fine, then.]]" Sibilant huffed. "[[I will grant you and your village your ineviable deathssss *and* sssteal away your precioussss beloved for my own.]]" Meanwhile, Yang watched this argument in stupor under his passive face. Rin-Rin pushed a Bonbori towards him. "[[Stay back, darling husband. This is my battle.]]" Nodding, Yang did as he was told at a decent distance while keeping an eye out for Rin-Rin. The Amazon girl made the first move. She hopped lightly in the air and struck forward with an outstretched Bonbori. Sibilant, smirking with a snide remark, easily swat the blow aside. However, that's exactly what Rin-Rin wanted. Using the momentum of the blow, Rin-Rin spun around and smashed forth with a Bonbori backhand towards a suspectable opening. And to her surprise, Sibilant caught the blow within her jaws. "Aiyah..." Rin-Rin swore. "[[Haaah, foolissshhhh!]]" Sibilant hurled the Amazon girl in the air. Rin-Rin, abandoning her Bonbori, regained her altitude and landed behind Sibilant, backflipping a few times to safety. But just as she landed on her feet, her Bonbori were flung at her. She caught one, then the other. Then saw a claw sear straight downwards. Clang! With her Bonbori held in an upwards cross position, Rin-Rin blocked the blow. Sibilant grinned. "[[You're fasssst, little girl, but not fasssst enough!]]" She declared with a quick slide forward and a quick lashing of her tail. (Think of a Naga's Tail Attack in Monster Rancher 2.) Rin-Rin fell to the ground and before she could get up, Sibilant's tail crashed down on her. Several times. "Kyaahh!! Aaah...!!" "Rin-Rin!" Yang cried. The Amazon quickly recovered by planting her hand underneath her and springing upwards with a rising kick that much resembled as Senkyuutai - a Dragon Sky Kick. Rin-Rin landed neatly on Sibilant's head. "[[Don't worry, darling husband. This is my battle. I must fight on.]]" But her words were a doomringer as Sibilant was faster than even she. The Bonbori only led to slow Rin-Rin down as all attempts to parry or counterattack were met by even faster attacks. Slashes, claws, even a headbutt, all connected with Rin-Rin. "Rin-Rin!!" Sibilant tossed Rin-Rin aside. "[[I've had enough of you, girl!]]" With the annoying pest out of the way, she was now able to approach Yang with a less than innocent smile. "[[Tell me, boy, do you love thissss little girl? Becausssse I can give you pleasuressss far beyond your wildesssst fantasssiesss. A young man like you would never deny the privelege.]]" Yang's answer was a fierce glare and a more protective stance. "[[They ssssay that Amazzzon women are wed to the men who bessst them. Sssso let me ssssee the power that defeated thissss puny little girl and which will carry on my bloodline.]]" Her slither speed increased along with an outstretched claw. Yang readied his own attack. Regardless if this was his fight or not, he too was ready. Yang never felt a thing. All he heard was a girl's scream as Rin-Rin was slashed cleanly to the side of her face. "[[No, darling husband.]]" Sibilant made another dive for Yang, but Rin-Rin was there to intercept her by taking a smash in the abdomen, of which Yang could not prevent. "[[This is...]]" Yang leapt back, hopefully to avoid Sibilant and Rin-Rin's damage any further. However, Sibliant decided to follow Yang and Rin-Rin intercpted in the middle. Rin-Rin's shirt and chest ended up with a sizable gash. "[[...my battle...]]" If Yang was screaming her name, she couldn't tell. She was deaf to his tone with the pain she was in. Sibilant swat the Amazon away with her tail. "[[...my... pride...]]" Gasping for breath, Rin-Rin struggled to stand. She was on her last legs. Yang watched on worriedly from a secluded corner. The fact Rin-Rin was getting hurt for his sake was eating him up more than not being able to protect her. It was then that Yang noticed Sibilant lick her right hand claws in a strange sort of way. A thick, greenish liquid quicly became transpared once coated on her nails. From his experience in the kitchen and with illegal mobs, Yang recognised that substance anywhere. It was venom. Sibilant followed Rin-Rin with a quick left claw slash, and Yang knew she was planning to follow up with her poisonous right claw to finish the job. Springing from the wall for an extra boost, Yang targeted a jump kick straight towards Sibilant's right arm, hoping to swiftly target her arm away. Unfortunately, Rin-Rin saw him beforehand. In her weary condition, she interpreted Yang's attack as him being in need of defence from Sibliant. She leapt towards him. "[[Darling husband!!]]" "[[Fool! Don't look the other way!!]]" Sibilant cried. It was almost as if time slowed down. Rin-Rin sailed towards Yang and Sibilant... Yang neared... Sibliant readied her attack... And there was a connection... ...with Yang's foot shoving Rin-Rin straight into Sibilant's poisonous claw. There was a sickening quelch and a spray of blood from Rin-Rin's impaled shoulder which sounded again when Sibilant released her claw. The Amazon slowly fell downwards and into Yang's outstretched hands. "[[Rin-Rin! Hang on...!]]" Yang, carrying Rin-Rin, Kaihou dashed into safety. Sibliant chuckled. "[[Hide and seek, eh? Now that I killed your wife, Amazon law dictates you're no longer a member of their tribe. It's only a matter of time before you become my husband.]]" And with her final words, she vanished. Yang laid Rin-Rin to the ground. "[[Rin-Rin... Damn, I...]]" Rin-Rin reached out a trembling hand to Yang's face. "[[No worries, darling husband. It was my decision and my stupidity. I... I said I would defend you to the death and I meant it.]]" she giggled then quickly coughed. Her body began to tremble from the poison, which was already too far in her bloodstream for Yang to attempt sucking out. "[[Darling husband... I just want you to know... that.. I ... I never would have fell in love with you ... if.. I didn't realize your kind heart...]]" "[[Rin-Rin, don't...]]" Rin-Rin's finger to his lips silenced him before he uttered "speak". "[[I love you.]]" Rin-Rin then succumbed to the poison. Yang was helpless to aid her. All he could do was watch her die. Leading a phalanx of Warriors, Makoto easily mowed down the regular Shadoloo troops. A long, drawn-out battle was not in their favour; the longer they spent dealing with the cannon fodder, the heavier the casualties among exhausted Warriors. Without her friends, Makoto lacked the firepower to end this fight quickly but that's not to say she didn't do her best to make a difference in this fight. As goon number #86 fell to a quick uppercut-roundhouse kick combination, a mournful wail announced the arrival of one of the deciding factors in the battle for Joketsuzoku. Leaping into their midst, Shidoshi cut a devastating swathe through the ranks of the remaining Warriors. Steeling herself, Makoto launched herself at the Shadoloo commander. "HAAH! HAYATE!" Makoto blinked in surprise as the momentum from the speed punch left her behind Shidoshi. This was one of the few times in her young life that the Hayate had failed her. She had not even connected with one of her fastest manoeuvres! Falling into an aggressive stance, Makoto was about to launch an attack at Shidoshi's back when she felt a searing pain in her shoulder. An explosion of blood told the karateka that she had not escaped the encounter unscathed after all. "Are you the niece of Comb-chan?" Shidoshi asked as she turned to face her target. A savage, bloodthirsty grin spread itself across her face. "And she thought so highly of you too. Such a pity - I was looking forward to a challenge worthy of the heir of the Hitokiri Battosai." Makoto scowled, ripping cloth from the back of her dress and tying it around the shoulder in a quick bandage. "I know enough about Kenshin Himura that I can tell you he would die of shame at your behaviour - if you really are related to him, that is." Seeing the smile twist into an enraged scowl on Shidoshi's face, Makoto drew the twin Kodachi from the sheaths she'd tied onto her back. "And if you don't believe me, then I can give you a more credible witness." Gathering both Kodachi into one hand, Makoto reached up to her neck and drew out the amulet. "I call upon the strength of my ancestors! O my grandfather, Shinomori Aoshi, guide my hands!!" An odd feeling of - detachment - came over Makoto then. Her hands moved without her will, and the Kodachi came up, crossed before her chest, and her mouth moved - but it was a man's voice, cold and icy calm, that emerged. "Your claim to the Himura name is a disgrace, girl." {Dammit! I have to set her free,} Sakura vowed silently. {If it's the collar doing it, and the Psycho Power's not her own, then somebody must be controlling her with Psycho Power through the collar,} she reasoned. {Bison said the Satsu no Hadou is akin to Psycho Power... If I get ahold of that collar and channel my energy into it, could I start a feedback crash?} Suiting action to thought, Sakura lunged back in, ducking a Cold Blast and reclaiming the offensive for the first time since the clinch. Her hands blurred again, batting back and forth to defend Akiko's punches - until both of Akiko's hands went out wide. Instantly Sakura's left hand lanced in, latching onto the collar and pulling, at the same time summoning up the flames of the Satsu no Hadou and channeling them directly into the collar. As the collar began to spark, Akiko's hands came in to try and pry Sakura loose. Her heart going out to Akiko - {Imagine having to fight to stay under Bison's control!} - Sakura shoved her right hand into Akiko's breastbone to get more leverage- -unknown to either fighter, Sakura's eyes gleamed green- -and the world spun away in a whirl of images. In her mind's eye, Sakura saw a dojo. Humble but well built, it had that elusive quality of a home. A place where a person felt most at ease, surrounded by the love and warmth of family and friends. She *felt* Akiko's struggle as she took step after agonizing step towards sanctuary. She knew what the madman had planned but was powerless to halt. His nefarious energies pervaded her entire body making her nothing more than a marionette dancing at the end of a puppeter's strings. The door of the dojo slid open as a lovely young woman called out a cheerful greeting. Dressed in an apron, the lady had some ineffably motherly aura about her, the kind of person you could tell your deepest, darkest secrets to without fear of judgement. Akiko was trying to scream to her to run but her body refused to obey her. The lady's look of complete and utter shock as Akiko's kick shattered her head into red pulp hurt far more deeply than any physical wound ever could. It was as if the young woman was presented with an utterly incomprehensible conundrum: the image of a friend and confidant turned marauder. Akiko screamed inside and railed against her bonds but still Bison's Psycho Power moved her body without her volition. A scream caused Akiko to turn around. A younger woman, her hair styled in a fashionable bob-cut, back-pedalled frantically. Her eyes wide and wild, she shook her head in an attempt to deny the scene before her. In a world gone mad, the headless corpse of her elder sister lay at the feet of the one other person in the world that she trusted and respected. Paralysed by fear, her sharp intellect failed her as Akiko closed the gap between them in an eyeblink. Before she could retreat or scream for help, Akiko's fist buried itself in her gut. The younger woman's innards exploded out of her back as she slumped bonelessly against her former mentor. Her face was frozen in an eternal mask of fear and perpetual disbelief. Even in death, she refused to accept that Akiko would turn on her. That hurt most of all. Akiko pleaded, she sobbed, she prayed to any power, celestial or infernal to intervene as she watched M. Bison murder her family. With her own two hands. True horror is not about confronting evil; it is the realisation that *you* are the evil. And powerless to stop. One by one, M Bison hunted down her loved ones just to get a sick thrill from their pointless deaths. As she strode away from the burning dojo, Akiko found that her body's betrayal was complete. She could not even shed tears. Akiko's fingernails tore bloody grooves into her face as she was forced to relive that horror once again. Bison had always used it in an effort to break her spirit whenever she grew too rebellious and always she *almost* succeeded in breaking his hold over her. This time, a wellspring of compassion flowed into her. It made the pain bearable. It gave her the strength to fight back. A sudden explosion of Psycho Power threw both combatants off their feet as Sakura ripped off Akiko's collar. The redhead began sobbing as her memories began filtering back to her. In her mind's eye she could hear Bison's commands. "Nakama wo korose. (Kill your friends.)" Tears freely flowed down Akiko's face as she regained her past. And how Bison had done his level best to destroy it. "Yurusenai, (Japanese: Unforgivable)" Akiko whispered, deadly soft as her full faculties returned to her. "Yurusenai," Sakura whispered as for the first time in her life she welcomed the Red haze of the Satsu no Hado. "YURUSENAI YO!" they screamed in chorus as the pair of berserk babes went to town on the cowering Shadoloo infantry. Sakura Yugure, in utter sympathy with Akiko's anguish, had only one thought running through her mind. {This must be Avenged.} Her eyes glowed blood red. Mental connections were made, and the restraints she normally kept upon her power were undone. She took note of the men running to fight against the free Amazon warriors and a part of her mind labelled them. Shadoloo troopers. Servants of Bison. Object lessons. Targets of Vengeance. Back to Yang's chapters | Back to Yun's chapters Back to the chapter archives | Back to the archive updates |