The rain appeared not to be letting up. In fact, it seemed to get worse. The noise of the downpour was shattering. But that was not the least of this watchguard's worries. He had to guard the door while Blacksoul and Altacea were engaged in... physical contact. For hours on end he heard nothing but bumps, moans, grunts and other things he didn't want to picture. Then finally, that storm passed. The guard wiped his sweating brow. He swallowed his pride then returned to vigilance.

Inside the room, Blacksoul returned from the shower. A towel was draped around his waist. He approached the bed where Altacea sat perched like a kitten with the silk sheets twisted around her. She looked up and smiled. Her happy expression faded upon seeing Blacksoul's firm growl. "What's wrong, honey? You didn't enjoy..?"

"Not that..." Blacksoul slumped beside his beloved. He sat up straight and rubbed his temples. Altacea edged close to him and took over the job.

"Aww... poor baby had to work too hard. Let me ease your pain." She teasingly kissed his cheek. Blacksoul turned his head so his lips matched hers. For that moment in time, they were locked in ecstasy.

Then there was a knock at the door.

Blacksoul snapped his head towards the door, glaring brightly. "I specified not to be disturbed!"

"Begging your pardon, boss," apologized the gangster behind the door, "but we've just received word that Yun Lee has been raving around town for the past two days. It seems that he's been looking for his brother."

"What?!" Blacksoul stormed to his feet. Apparently that Succubus' lady's plans have failed halfway. Yun is clever - he would have somehow found his brother before any given point. But he couldn't. So at least one twin nuisance was out of the way. Just one more left to go. The older one. The Storming White Dragon. The one who's name ran chills down the spines of the night lords nowadays. But not his, not Blacksoul's. Engraved in his mind was the negative legacy of their father, Lee. He will get that elusive dragon. "Don't just stand there! Round up 20 men and capture him! NOW!"

"Yes, sir!"

That rain still wouldn't let up.

Waddled... hazy... somehow the world was spinning but he could still see fine. Yun came to a rest at the corner of a building. He clutched the building's edge, allowing it to support his weight. 'That was one building, wasn't it? It's splitting into 2 now. God dammit, I'm not getting drunk now, am I? Shit... I can't afford to get drunk now. I gotta find Yang. Little brother.. Yang...'

Yun struggled to his feet. He was stupid to think he had a higher alcohol tolerance - 2 beers was already sludging him. His head felt lighter than a cloud. Was his vision going too? He blinked a few times to test that out, and ahead came upon the figure of his brother. He smiled in relief.

"Bro'! There you are! I've been lookin' all over for you..."

He ran forward with an outstretched hand. Somehow, his hand went through his brother and that hazy mirage disappeared altogether. Yun came down with a crash. His foot was caught in a puddle of water but he didn't care. What he thought was his brother was nothing more than a mirage. He slammed his fist into a puddle. The water flew up, some splashed on his hood. The rest came to a stop on the shoes of various men in black.

"Yun Lee, I presume?"

Yun stood and groaned. A bad line from a bad movie. His eyes - from what he could make of the view - and his instincts told him these were the same men that mauled him and Yang those days ago. Playing by their game of using bad movie lines, he spoke, "You dirty rats. You kidnapped my brother."

"Enough of the small talk." one of them interrupted. "We were sent to capture you. Surrender quietly or we'll take you by force."

"Feh...." The twin dragon stood with his weight on his front leg. He looked to the side and glared at them. "I'll kick all your asses then reclaim my brother." Still in that same position, he reached in his shirt for his cap, then placed the trademark garment on his head. At the angle the mobsters were standing, they only saw one eye visible. "Let's see you stop the Storming White Dragon in his thundering fury."

It was still pouring when a young man braved the rain to get to the grocery shop bearing a message. Makoto, who had been snoozing on a couch while a somewhat restored Gen watched the store, rolled right onto the floor in her surprise as the boy opened the door and the wind finished the job for him, slamming the wood right into the wall. As Gen and the boy wrestled the door shut, the boy handed Gen a note inside a plastic envelope and collapsed into a rickety chair. The old Assassin Fist master read the note and scowled.

"What!?" Makoto implored, sitting up. "Is it bad? What happened?"

*My* people have yet to locate either of the troublesome boys," Gen grouched. "Apparently others have had better fortune. This note is from an informant I have in the employ of a crime lord known as Blacksoul. He has a grudge against..." he couldn't bring himself to say Lee was his stupid son, or even Lee's name, "Yun and Yang's father, and he has sent a squad of men - almost twenty - out to capture Yun. It seems their enemies know more of those boys then their friends do."

Makoto stood. "Where are they going," she asked flatly.

Gen looked at her out of one eye. "The corner of Shun and Renten streets, but-"

His words were wasted, as the young karateka was already out the door.

Makoto ran through the streets, head down against the pounding rain, dashing through twists and turns until she arrived at Shun and Renten - the street corner just outside her cheap hotel, ironically enough. As she skidded around a corner, she noticed a crowd of men in dark rainsoaked suits surrounding someone who was apparently putting up a fierce struggle, as the crowd surged and thrashed wildly. Pulling together, they managed to get the victim down on the ground.

Makoto paused. {Is this the right group?} she wondered briefly, before a young man's voice yelled out hoarsely.

"Dammit, let me go! What have you done with my little brother!!?" Yun cried from the middle of the crowd, and Makoto kicked back into action. Sprinting forwards, she got a sudden idea and grabbed a lamppost, swinging around to jump upwards and rebound off the brick wall, beginning the Abare Tosanami Kudaki.

As she hit the wall, a mischievous notion occurred to her, and while descending on the thugs, aiming to cross through the pack at about head-level, she roared out, "HEADS UP BOYS, THE STEAMROLLER SHE-DRAGON'S THUNDERING IN!!!"

Most of the thugs jerked their heads around to look for the source of the shout, resulting in them being nicely scattered- {Knocked like Ninepins, as Dudley might say,} Makoto thought, remembering the british boxer who knew her father while thugs tumbled everywhere, several not getting back up.

Yun, however, picked himself up off the ground and dusted himself off, seeming so much his usual confident self that Makoto had to grin.

It seemed that the presence of a girl, even a somewhat masculine one like Makoto, snapped Yun to soberness. At once he snapped to his feet and grinned, tipping his cap Makoto's way. "Thanks for the help, good lookin'." he said casually and noticed a slight blush creep her face. Yep, he recognised her, and that last line she used, from the tournament. He just wasn't going to make a big deal out of it - yet.

Yun looked around at the mess. There were still 10 left. "Up for taking another 5, good lookin'?" he asked Makoto. Before she could open her mouth to reply, he grabbed her shoulders and flipped over her so he ended up behind her. She glared at him, as one pursuer was headed straight for her. But just before she launched a Hayate, Yun leaped over her and came storming down, foot first at the pursuer, with a chi-powered swan dive kick - Raigeki Shuu. His foot connected with the man's thigh with a sickening crack. Yun followed up by grabbing him by the head and pulling him backwards, forcing his power into his legs to push him away. The man in black flew in the direction of 2 others, one who dodged at the last second, then turned to connect his face with a lunging Zesho Hohou. His glasses slowly cracked, then shattered, and he fell to the ground. Yun then sprung forward - far, not high, and connected with a leaping punch to his opponent number 4, chained into another Zesho Hohou.

Makoto had not been idle. She had already finished her three while Yun did his. Yun had one more left to go, and it appeared the man was headed for Makoto. Feeling cocky, Yun rolled on the ground and reached him first with a rising shoulder bash - Tetsu Zanko - that sent him airborne. Then, summoning all his anger and fury, executed his new super attack, You-Hou.

"Haaaaahhh!!" he cried as the last chi-powered punch sent his last opponent high in the air to crash on top of Makoto's last two opponents. She looked behind herself with surprise and annoyance, and he grinned back laughing sheepishly. Yun surveyed the site. Each man in black was unconscious. 'One of them's bound to come to soon. I'll ask questions then.'

Brushing himself off so he was at least somewhat presentable, he approached Makoto.

Makoto snorted at the interference, but smiled at the Lee brother. "I could've handled them, you know," she said archly, but broke out in a grin. "Nice move, though. Did you remember when I did that at the tournament?"

Yun nodded, smiling back, then rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. She was sure cute when she smiled. "Hey... thanks back there," he commented.

"No problem," Makoto replied. "Heck, I used to have to *look* for gangs like this to get a good warmup... you get the practice for free! Maybe I should hang around you for a while," she grinned. Pointing to the hotel on the corner, she said, "My room's right in there. Let's get inside, then when one of these goons comes to and heads for home, we can," she cracked her knuckles, "*follow* him."

Yun shrugged. "Sure. And you gotta tell me what you're still doin' here," he commented, idly kicking one thug as he headed for the hotel door.

Makoto blinked and rubbed the back of her head as she led the way up the stairs to her room. "Ehhhhh... I kind of went looking for you and your brother at the shop and met Master Gen again..." she trailed off in embarrassment at how badly she'd overreacted.

At the mention of the word 'brother', Yun snapped. "Yang...." he said, grabbing Makoto by the shoulders. "Did you find him?! Where is he? Is he safe? He's...." Then Yun trailed off as he realized what he was doing. Releasing Makoto, he looked away, staring at the stairwell wall. "Damn... sorry," he sighed.

Makoto frowned. "We don't know. I kind of persuaded your granddad to help me look for you, and we got word that those goons were sent after you by some crimelord named Blacksoul. I headed here, and there you were! What *happened* to Yang, anyway? I thought you two were always together, and since you're not, something must be wrong..." she finished, suddenly aware that this could be very painful ground for Yun.

Yun thought, 'Gramps? He's helping Makoto or something? Damn, this is all too confusing. And that Blacksoul guy... he must be the bastard who took Yang away.' Aloud, all he said was, "I'm going after him."

Makoto blinked. "After who? Yang or Blacksoul? If it's Yang, do you have any leads? If it's Blacksoul, do you know where he is?" Smiling as she entered the hall on the hotel's third floor, she went on, "If it's Blacksoul, we can just-" she paused to open the door of her hotel room and enter, "watch from here, and when one of the goons wakes up and runs home to papa, we follow him. D'you think this crimeboss did something to your brother?" she asked, moving aside to let Yun in.

Yun smirked. "Sounds like a plan, good lookin'. They'd better wake up before dinner," he commented, closing the door behind him and returning to uncharacteristic sullenness. "You musta heard from gramps that he kicked Yang 'n' me out. That same day, Blacksoul's men ganged up on us. He kidnapped Yang... I've been looking for either of 'em for the past 3 days... and...." He trailed off, but it was just as well as Makoto's rage interrupted him anyway.

"YANG WAS KIDNAPPED?? Grrrr!!" Makoto growled, then paused as Yun visibly shook off his bad mood.

"So anyway, what are you still doing in Hong Kong?" he asked.

Shaken out of her anger by Yun's change of mood, Makoto uncharacteristically dithered. "Umm... Ano... well, I had a few days still paid for here, and yesterday I heard about the shop where you two worked. I thought I'd go there and ask for a match or something... then I ran into your Gramps and..." Once again, she trailed off, embarrassed both about her conduct with Gen and for deeper reasons she couldn't really name.

Yun grinned and put his hand on Makoto's shoulder, moving close to her in the process. Pointing outside the window, he noted, "One of our sleeping beauties just woke up."

Makoto, *very* relieved to change the subject, replied, "Oh, good! Now we just wait long enough to make sure the others aren't coming to, then we follow him." She leaned into Yun, then noticed what she was doing and pinched a nerve in his wrist, moving his hand off her shoulder. "And ask before you do that!" she grinned at him. Seeing the thug staggering down the street, she added, "Let's go!" and opened the window, jumping down to the street with Yun close behind her.

Makoto and Yun tailed the flunkie to a warehouse by the docks. Yun made a mental note of the area in case he had to return. Once the flunkie entered and shut the door behind him, the two fighters closed in. They didn't follow him inside directly. Instead, once they determined that it was safe, they peered through a nearby window. By the very back of the room was an elevator. The flunkie entered through there, but the floor indicator was too far for either Makoto or Yun to notice. Makoto then gestured for Yun to follow and quietly attempted to open the door.

"Darn, he locked the door behind him." Makoto grumbled. She looked around for any open windows but found none. Going through the roof was not too smart either. Then, she had an idea. She took a few steps back and aimed her fist towards the door - {A quick Hayate,} she thought. {If I'm fast enough, the door will smash open quickly and with a minimum of noise.}

She dashed forward, but at the very last second, Yun held his hand outwards in a palm strike gesture. (Whether he was just holding out his hand or it was a real palm strike was for Yun himself to know.) Makoto screeched to a halt in front of his hand.

With a teasing smile, Yun waved his finger. From somewhere in his long braid he produced a lockpick. A few short clicks and turns later and the door was open. Makoto blinked, not because Yun was able to pick locks but because of the lockpick's location. She asked him about that and he shrugged.

"Gramps had a habit of locking up my skateboard when my training slacked. Carrying lockpicks became a habit since," he replied, slipping the pick back into his braid to hide it.

They took one last look around to make sure no one was there. The coast was clear - good. Yun and Makoto entered and locked the door behind them. They walked straight to the elevator. Makoto pressed the 'down' button, then they hid behind the wall just as the door opened. Apparently no one was inside. The two fighters dashed into the elevator. They inspected the elevator buttons but found no indication of a bottom floor.

"Must be accessable only by the bottom floor," they said in unison. In surprise, they looked at each other, blinked, then looked forward as the doors slid shut. The elevator was carrying them down. Good, but not good. If they were caught, trouble!

Thinking fast, Makoto suddenly hoisted Yun on her shoulders. "Quick, the roof hatch." she whispered, looking up at him. She then blinked and looked at the floor, realizing where exactly she'd be staring if she looked straight up.

Yun was stunned by her sudden move only for a second. Now was not the time to dwell on a girl's touching him - that was for later. He quickly unlocked the roof hatch and climbed up, then held out a hand and pulled Makoto with him. She closed the hatch just before the elevator came to a halt. The door shook a bit but both managed to maintain their balance. With a *ping*, the door opened. No footsteps were heard. Makoto's senses and Yun's instincts both declared that it was safe. They climbed down and exited.

There before them was a long, empty corridor. The coast was clear. At the same time, it all seemed too quiet. Makoto slinked along the walls, occasionally behind objects, with Yun tailing her. They came upon a locked door which led inside. Makoto leaned her ear on the door, checking if the coast was still clear, then gave her affirmation to Yun with a nod. He picked the lock. The door was carefully opened, then closed behind them when they entered.

They stared somewhat wide-eyed - this was something that was usually seen only in gangster movies. As far as the eye could see, everywhere was rows of guns, drugs, other illegal oddities. Yun pondered that even though he and Yang tried their best to keep their village safe, they couldn't get rid of every crime lord. Just as well, they make life interesting. Makoto was on her guard and tense, perhaps a bit too tense. Yun was about to slap her on the back with a playful, "Boo!"...

...but the siren beat him to it.

Hordes of footsteps came closer, along with the clicking of guns. "They must have spotted us somehow!" Makoto hissed as she and Yun looked for a place to hide. They had to go carefully, though, since men could be anywhere.

"We got no choice but to storm the place." Yun spoke. Makoto agreed with a nod.

Whipping out from behind the shelves and into the underground warehouse's central corridor, Yun and Makoto thundered into the first pack of thugs. Storming through them thanks to several Hayates and Zesshou Hohous, they left the groaning men on the ground and kept moving. The second thug pack offered little more resistance, and Makoto was starting to feel optimistic about their odds here - until a bullet sparked off a shelf by her head. She yiped and dove for cover just as Yun kicked up a skateboard from the floor of the warehouse - {I guess there's stolen goods in here too,} Makoto thought idly - and zoomed across the corridor to her hiding spot, several more ricochets kicking up dust in his wake.

"Guns. I *hate* guns," Makoto groused as they crouched behind some shelves. Yun nodded grimly, but brightened considerably as a senior thug began barking at the others.

"No potshots, idiots! You'll damage the merch, not to mention the health hazard if you punch a hole in a packet of angel dust or set off a crate of bullets or grenades!! Get close, get the goods out of the line of fire, *Then* shoot!!"

Yun quickly tipped a set of crates down into the walkway between shelves to keep the goons from being able to fire on them from that direction, then turned to Makoto. "Any ideas, good lookin'?" he asked, *almost* not smiling.

Makoto frowned. "Maybe," she hazarded, glancing out through the shelves and noticing all the thugs seemed to be sticking to the central corridor. There were a lot of pathways to walk *under* the shelves, but the racks themselves seemed to cover most of the length of the warehouse, and were of fairly cheap construction. "But I'm going to need a couple of minutes, and we don't have that long."

Yun got up and tucked the skateboard under his arm. "My new friend here and I'll get you your time, m'lady," he said grandly, doffing his cap to her. "Anything we should know?"

Makoto smiled grimly at him. "Watch out for falling shelving."

Yun looked at her, then up and down the warehouse... "You're kidding-" then back at her. "You're *not* kidding. OK, little lady, we're off!" he cried, dropping the board and jumping onto it all in one motion.

Makoto wasted a second watching him go, then crossed her arms over her *hara.* {The Tanden Reki... can I reach it again?} she thought, and concentrated.

Yun zipped out into the corridor and several thugs tried to tackle him, with a complete lack of success.

{Criminals... They hurt innocents for a living. They traffic guns and drugs,} Makoto thought, trying to focus her anger as she had once before.

Yun ducked a grab and raced forward in a Zesshou Hohou, flattening one thug and drawing the others after him.

{The guns maim and kill! The drugs ruin lives! And who knows how hard people in Hong Kong have to work to earn this stolen stuff! I hate criminals... I HATE THEM!!} she screamed mentally, and her *hara* caught fire again, her skin turning angry red as her rage more than doubled her strength.

Yun jumped, passing over one pack of thugs while his board skittered under them, and had to duck as someone swung a baseball bat at his head. His balance now off, he slowed down.

Makoto lunged forward, grabbing at the metal posts of the shelves, and pushed with all her enhanced might. There was a creak, but little more...

Yun skidded into a kick-turn and went into another Zesshou Hohou, plowing through the goons he'd just evaded. This left him in a clear space, and one goon drew a pistol and aimed at Yun's chest.

Makoto screamed as she threw her entire being into the effort, her mind, body, and soul all straining to prevent the danger she dimly percieved Yun was in. The creaking suddenly echoed through the warehouse, causing everyone to glance at the shelf Makoto was pushing...

...just as it slowly, inexorably, began to fall. The single rack pulled down those linked to it on either side, and the avalanche of shelving and crates soon went from one end of the warehouse to the other. Yun ducked into an open space, and a few thugs were lucky enough to be conscious after the calamity, but by and large the area was quiet once the echoes stopped.

Makoto groaned and popped her aching back.

Yun kicked his skateboard back up under his arm and grabbed a thug with his free hand. "Where's Blacksoul?! Answer or I'll throw you into steamroller girl," he threatened. Makoto's eyebrow twitched and a vein in her forehead throbbed, but she stayed quiet.

The thug, on the other hand, took one look at her and babbled, "Back of the warehouse! Long corridor! North room!"

Yun nodded. "Back, hall, north. Got it," he replied before knocking out the man with a chop to the neck.

Makoto advanced on him, climbing over the fallen shelving. "'Steamroller girl'?? Yun, the last person to call me that was Ri. You remember what happened to her??"

With that, she turned and headed for the large door she saw in the back of the warehouse. Yun followed, if a bit nervously.

To the back room they went with newlyweds Yun and skateboard, and Makoto close on his heels. Yun was a pro skateboarder and thus was able to reach such a speed with little effort. It was a wonder to him that Makoto was able to keep up with him. He turned back to look at her, just for a second, to see her point to the front.

"Watch out!" Makoto cried.

Too late. Yun slammed down the back of his skateboard in attempt to skid into a halt, but ended up catching the front wheels on a rather large man. At his high-speed, Yun ended up skating vertically on the large man, then flipped off and landed on his feet, catching his skateboard under his arm. Makoto halted beside the chinese dragon and elbowed him in the ribs along with a look that said, "I *told* you to stop!"

Yun shrugged and they looked forward. Blocking the doorway were two rather large fighters. The first, a negro, was dressed as an American gangster - chains, leather and all. His blond hair was fashioned in a strangely cut mohawk. The other man - the one Yun skateboarded onto - was tall. As in literally over 7 feet tall! He had wavy black hair and was dressed in wrestling spandex.

"Outta our way! We're in a hurry!" Yun cried.

The mohawked one chuckled. "Not a chance in hell we're movin', pretty boy. Blacksoul hired us as insurance in case that Succubus bitch screwed up. I'm known as Birdie. This fat oaf is Hugo. And we're gonna kick your asses sideways and up so be good little boys and give up."

"B-boys?" Makoto growled. How dare they mistake her for one? She certainly was NOT a boy! She immediately grabbed Birdie by the collar, threw him to the ground, and began to pound him.

Somehow, Yun was able to put a hand on her shoulder to catch her attention, trying to soothe her, then pointed a finger at Hugo. "Hugo, huh? Hugo, huge butt, same differece." he shrugged. The response from Makoto was positive, and he smiled that he was able to loosen her up a little.

Although Hugo was large, he wasn't that stupid. He heard Yun's smart remark. Angrily and smugly, he tromped on over to the young dragon, cracking his huge knuckles. "I wanna pound someone today. You'll have to do."

Hugo's fist came crashing down into the concrete ground. He looked at his work in surprise. The kung fu fighter was already airborne and swung his foot successfully at Hugo's head. Grinning, Yun landed on his skateboard and whirred away. "Come and get me if you can, huge-ass!" he taunted with a twirl of his cap. And who was there to stop his misbehaviour? Yang wasn't there. Gramps wasn't there. Makoto had her own problems to worry about. This independance was staggering - Yun felt lighter than air!

Hugo took off after him, occasionally reaching forward to grab him. Each miss was accompanied by Yun's laughter. Feeling cocky, Yun swerved in just as Hugo began to lean forward for another grab and, fist outstretched, slammed his fist into Hugo's big body and chained that into a Zesho Hohou. Then when Hugo's arms were close enough, they reached thin air as Yun sped off, laughing again. Hugo furrowed his eyebrows and this time, he decided that he was just going to stand there and let the lithe fighter make the first move.

And that Yun did. Abandoning his skateboard at the last second, he quickly crouched down and stepped forward for his Tetsu Zanko. Hugo crouched in attempt to grab him from the ground, but Yun was faster. He ducked under Hugo's hands and smashed him high in the air. Yun took the chance to whirl away on his skateboard. But larger mass also can mean a faster recovery time. Though Yun was strong, his attacks were mere fly pecks for the wrestler. Hugo's fury was at its peak. "Ready for zee Gigas Breaker!?" he cried, grabbing Yun by the foot, leapt in midair holding Yun's feet in one hand and head in the other, then slammed down hard - twice, the second with a more sickening crunch than the last. Finally, he leapt up higher and crushed Yun in the ground under his own 530 pound weight.

"Had eenough, boy?" Hugo taunted. Or so Yun thought he heard. The immense pain he felt was making his world go black...

Makoto had let up on Birdie, thinking that he would be down after the beating she'd just administered. He proved her wrong by tucking into a ball and rolling away, then getting back to his feet. "Ah'm gonna stomp you flat for that, boy!" he growled, which set Makoto off again.

"You blind black baka, I'm a GIRL!!" she exploded, lunging at Birdie again. He ducked back and kicked out, and as she jolted to a stop against his foot she pounded a chop down on his thigh. The big man jerked as Yun led Hugo a short way down the hall, then recoiled. A vague taunt from Yun echoed through the air and Makoto lashed out again, a quick combination of punches and kicks that drove Birdie back a step.

The black man flicked out a hand, and Makoto blinked, as she was a good foot out of his reach - then the chain on his wrist flicked out and the handcuff snapped onto her wrist. Pulling against it, she hurled a side kick at him, snapping his head back, but he followed through anyway, hauling on the chain and flipping Makoto into the air, up, around, and down onto the harsh concrete floor, then did it again. The cuff popped open after the second impact, and Makoto skidded away along the floor. Snapping one hand out against the wall just before she would have hit it, she used the leverage to flip to her feet and counterattack.

"HAAH! HAYATE!!"

The enhanced dashing punch slashed forward and into Birdie, knocking him over, and Makoto skidded to a halt. A quick look down the hallway revealed Yun being squashed flat under half a ton of falling Hugo, and Makoto started down the hall to help-

-only to be slammed by a charging headbutt from the side as Birdie sprang back up into his Bull Charge maneuver. Makoto bounced off the wall, saw Birdie trying to follow up with a second headbutt, and in a move that owed more to the schoolyard than the dojo, tripped him, sending him headfirst into the wall. Summoning up all the strength she could muster, she dashed at Hugo, and a quick snap kick followed by a three-punch combination sent him staggering away from Yun, who was groaning and trying to get up.

"Yun! Come on, you have to pull yourself together! Think of Yang!" she implored him, and it seemed to work as the Chinese boy got to his feet, if a bit shakily. Two growls from opposite directions became the 'bad news' to that 'good news.'

"I vill crush you, leettle cheeldren," came from Hugo, who was winding up for a clothesline.

"Gonna smash ya both flat!" Birdie declared, the *chi* buildup around him indicating he was going for a finishing move as he cocked his head back and prepared to charge.

The two roared and attacked, rushing in at the two youths... and at the last second, Makoto grabbed Yun and threw herself down to the floor. The clothesline missed high, as the closer Hugo hopped over their bodies to avoid tripping, and collided with Birdie's Bull Revenger headbutt. The two big men recoiled as they tried to shake out the dizziness of their unplanned encounter, and Makoto smirked. "I'll take huge-ass," she commented, pulling her arms over her *hara* and focusing briefly. As she raised her head again, she added, "And watch out for those chains the negro has - he uses them like grapples for throws!"

"Not a problem, good-lookin," Yun smirked back, and they were off to battle again.

Makoto ran up to the big man, and with a *kiai* yell, grabbed his arm and twisted her body, throwing him over her shoulder and down the hall. She charged after him, and happily took the backhand slap he threw at her to land another triple-punch combination. A thunderous hand-clap knocked her out of a Hayate, but she hopped into the air and brought the Tsurugi down onto him instead, sending him to the ground with a thunderous crash.

He popped back up and clotheslined her, but she swept his feet out as she landed and kippuped, vaulting to her feet much faster than her bulky foe. Guessing that she had time, she hopped back and crossed her arms over her *hara* again- focusing her power still further. Hugo got to his feet and jumped into the air with a devastating dropkick, but Makoto put her heightened strength to good use and snapped one arm over in a parry, actually *deflecting* the kick, and Hugo hit the ground much harder than he'd meant to.

"Stupid boy," he muttered as he pushed himself up, and Makoto felt the now-familiar flash of rage... but recognized it as an opportunity this time.

Again the arms went down over her *hara*. But instead of the minour focusing of before, she used her outrage over the boy comment to ignite the inferno within her again.

"TANDEN REKI!"

Raging red, Makoto stormed in at Hugo, who slapped out a hand at her again. She willingly accepted the blow and stepped in close to the giant wrestler, reached up, snagged his collar... and lifted. Hugo rose off the ground, caught in the Karakusa. Back down he came, to meet a blurred series of punches topped off with an Oroshi chop and followed by a leaping Tsurugi ax-kick. Hugo went down again, shaking the floor... and this time, he did not get up.

"Yun? Need help?" Makoto asked, turning to face the fight between the china boy and black bruiser...

Birdle roamed his tongue around his freakish smile as he swung his chain like a whip. At first Yun tried to grab the weapon, sometimes tried to get it to wrap around his arm, but Birdie was more skillful than he thought. The Kung Fu fighter ended up having to swing around the quick lashings, putting his nimble body to full use. But Yun couldn't keep this up forever. The damage he took from that Gigas Breaker was taking its toll on his back.

Seeing a potential opening, Yun quickly kicked away his skateboard and slammed a Zesho Hohou. Birdie took the full force, but Yun was quick to note that Birdie was somehow still standing. In fact, he blocked the lunging punch and countered with his own uppercut! Yun was sent back to his skateboard. He landed on his feet and skidded off once more.

"I know what you're up to, pretty boy." Birdie chuckled. "You're waiting for an opening and speed in with your little tricky dinky hits. News flash, pal, I know what's comin'."

Yun parked the skateboard over his knee. "Fine, pal, then I'll let you come to me instead."

The Chinese boy unsheathed his hat and twirled it around his finger, grinning wildly. Birdie gave him a strange look. What was Yun planning to do? The gangster made a similar twirling gesture with his chain. But unbeknownst to Birdie, Yun's confidence was rising. With each passing moment he could feel himself get more pumped - he could do anything! The Storming White Dragon can plow through anything. His spirit matched his body and his power was slowly rising...

"I've had enough of your games, pretty boy!" Birdie spat.

"Come and get me, overgrown punkhead." Yun shot back, placing the cap on his head. 'Looks like I'll make the first move.'

But Birdie beat him to it with an attack that reminded Yun of a charging bull. And at that speed, the range could hit him! Oh well, Yun leapt back along with his skateboard, and to his pleasant surprise, Birdie stopped short at his feet. Birdie wanted that - now he was in range for his Bandit Chain. He swung his chain around to grab Yun's feet. The Chinese dragon was anticipating that and flung away his skateboard with his feet. The chain ended up grabbing the skateboard. When Birdie found himself smashing the skateboard in two, he stopped and looked in confusion.

"Bastard! You just wrecked a perfectly good skateboard!"

"What th' hell...?"

"Eat Sourai Rengeki!"

Althernating double elbow strike which slid him forward, a double punch, a rising front kick and a jump-spinning back kick, all struck hard and in succession - the traditional Sourai Rengeki. Yun finished off with an angry hammer fist to Birdie's temples, sending him crashing down. Birdie landed first, giving Yun the chance to connect with a jump kick chained into a Raigeki Shuu. Then an elbow to the throat which shoved Birdie slightly backwards. Then another Sourai Rengeki. Birdie, more overwhelmed with the speed than anything, fell over with eyes spinning. For good measure - just for the skateboard - Yun stepped on Birdie's crotch. Another squeal of pain from Birdie's direction and he was down.

"Yun, need help?" Makoto called, running to him. She had already finished her fight with Hugo, leaving several craters in the floor in the process.

Yun fiddled with his cap. "The damn bastard broke my new friend." He shrugged. "Shall we move on?"

Makoto nodded seriously.

The door to Blacksoul's room burst open by a combo Hayate and Zesho Hohou. The room was dimly lit thanks to an oil lamp. Blacksoul and Altacea were engaged in a warm embrace. They looked up to glare at their pursuers. To their dismay, standing there were two fighters. Strong ones, to have come this far. But young as well. What did they want? With a clenched fist, Yun stepped forward.

"Where's my brother?" he demanded, dangerously quiet.

'Brother...?' Blacksoul wondered. Then it hit him, who this stranger was and what had happened. This young man was none other than Yun Lee himself! From the look in his eyes, he was out for blood. Fear surged through him as Yun approached, as he thought of the pain Yun would inflict on him. Unlike his incompetent father, he looked strong. And to make things worse, Succubus didn't tell him a word of her plan so he couldn't answer if he wanted. "I-I don't know a thing! Don't hurt me...!"

Darkly and silently, Yun stepped forward and grabbed Blacksoul by the collar. He singlehandedly raised the dark lord into the air, giving him the glare of death. Then he let go and slammed his fist into Blacksoul's face. The dark lord went flying backwards and crashed into the wall.

Makoto nodded to herself, watching Yun land his famous multi-hit combos. {This is his fight. I'll just hang back here and keep an eye on things, to make sure he isn't interrupted...} she thought, but felt a tinge of nervousness. He didn't seem quite his usual self...

Yun grabbed Blacksoul and raised him in the air once more. "I'll only say this one more time. Where's my brother?" he glared. The power emitting through his body was that of a dragon in its fury.

Blacksoul waved his limbs helplessly. "I-I told you! I know nothing. Let me go! I'll do anything you ask me to, just put me down!"

"Shut your fuckin' lies already!" Yun screamed and impaled Blacksoul again.

Blood trickled from Blacksoul's mouth. He reached a shaky hand to grab a gun but the weapon was easily kicked away. Yun followed up with a palm strike to the bleeding area followed with a spinning knifehand and leaping elbow strike. "Give me back my brother!!" Yun cried, almost hysterical. He launched Blacksoul into the air with a rising side kick, stepped with legs apart and forced his chi outwards. "Haaahh.....GEN'EI JIN!"

{Good move. This Gen'ei Jin technique allows him to attack with triple the hits for less damage,} Makoto noted with a nod. She also noticed that instead of attacking furiously like Yang, Yun preferred to juggle his opponents. She kept that in mind in case they faced each other in battle. As Blacksoul was bounced in the air for a fifth time, she chuckled. {Who knew fat flew?}

"Tell me where my brother is NOW!" Yun demanded, grabbing the floored Blacksoul by the collar again.

"I..if I... knew... I'd t-tell... you..." Blacksoul choked.

"Stop bullshittin' me, asshole!" Yun screamed. His voice was going hoarse but he didn't care. His loneliness, his pain, his anger, the pure desperation to be reunited after being separated for three days, all welled into his body. He was much too furious to see logic anymore. He raised his hand upwards, fingers in a position like knives....

"Big brother, STOP!!"

"Ya... Yang...?"

Was Yang here, or was Yun imagining his voice? Whatever the case, Yun flinched long enough for Blacksoul to escape his grip. Yun looked up with burning eyes. "You ain't gettin' away!" he cried, rolling on the ground and slamming Blacksoul as hard as his Tetsu Zanko could muster. Blacksoul went crashing into the wall. Yun sprang to his feet with a Zesho Hohou which knocked the crimelord further into the wall. "Tell me NOW! WHERE IS MY BROTHER?" Yun screamed with a fierce punch which shook the foundation. "TELL ME!!"

"Wait!" Altacea cried with an outstretched hand. "I'll tell you everything I know, just leave Lord Blacksoul alone!"

Yun never heard her. He was deaf to all but his own pain.

Makoto looked at Yun worriedly. {I've seen that look before, but not on Yun,} she thought. Her father had taken a picture of her face once when she had lost control of herself during training to control her anger as a weapon... and she'd seen herself with that look more recently, in a reflection from an alley window behind a certain shop, when she had almost killed Gen.

Altaecia, noticing that the young girl seemed to be the more reasonable of the two, pleaded with her next. "Please, stop your friend! I'll tell all I know, do *anything* you want, but don't let my Lord Blacksoul die!!"

Makoto stared at her for a second in the shocked realization that this woman actually *loved* the crimelord, then dashed toward Yun.

Yun raised his hand, ready to impale Blacksoul's heart. "Bas---"

A firm hand clamped onto his elbow, and he struggled several times before he realized it was Makoto who was holding him back. She shook her head. "The fight is over, Yun. Killing Blacksoul won't bring Yang back." she said, speaking carefully but firmly.

Yun went limp. He slumped to the ground. His arm slipped from Makoto's grip and turned to a punch in the ground. All at once, he regained his senses. He couldn't believe what just happened - he lost his cool. His hurt pride prevented him from saying anything further. It was quite possible he couldn't hear any more words, he was so locked up.

Makoto picked him up off the floor and set him in a chair, then turned to Altaecia. "Tell me what you know," she implored. "This boy feels as strongly for his brother as you do for..." She trailed off, but looked over at Blacksoul as he sagged to the floor.

Altacea nodded, shuddering. "Three days ago, Lord Blacksoul hired a woman named Succubus to get rid of the twin dragons. She never told I nor Lord Blacksoul of her plans so I don't know what happened to Yang Lee. Shortly after she arrived, she disappeared and was never heard from again. I don't know anything else."

"What did she look like?"

"She... had long red hair, and she was french. I heard she has the ability to change her appearance so she won't be easy to find."

Makoto sighed. That didn't help much. She looked at Yun who sat on the ground, trembling. {I'd better get him out of here. We can look for this 'Succubus' later.} Slinging Yun's arm over her shoulders, she helped him walk out. Destination - her apartment. The moment they left, Altaecia went to her lord and embraced his bloody form in her arms.

Back at the room on the corner of Shun and Renten streets, Makoto unlocked the door and stepped inside, still supporting Yun on one shoulder. "Here we are," she said, trying as she had for the whole walk to bring Yun out of his funk, "and all the thugs were gone when we arrived too!" With a heave, she deposited Yun in a chair beside the room's one old table. "We have to make some plans. Did you hear what that woman told us?"

Yun only muttered, still a bit in shock from his loss of control. After a few more tries at getting his attention, Makoto was exasperated enough to go get a bucket of cold water and dump it over Yun's head.

"HONESTLY!" she cried.

"Brr.." commented Yun, shaking his head like a dog to get the water out. Water splashed everywhere and Makoto held her arms up to shield herself. "Yeah, yeah, Yang. I'm wakin' up already... Huh?" he finished, a bit lamely, as he realized the situation.

Makoto only 'hmph'ed. "About time!" was her first comment. "Did you hear what the woman - Blacksoul's lover, I guess," she went on in a quieter tone, "told me there?"

"...yeah..." was Yun's only reply.

With a hiss of aggravation, Makoto decided, {This'll be about as good a reply as I'll get, I guess,} and went on. "Now, if this 'Succubus' person is just part of the normal crime scene, then your grandpa's connections should smoke her out sooner or later. The problem's going to be if she's as, well, magical as her name implies..." Muttering, she broke off and sat down on the bed.

Yun looked off to the side, then grinned at Makoto. "You think too hard, good lookin'. I appreciate the help 'n' all, but there's only so much you can do in a day."

In reply, Makoto's muttering grew loud enough to be heard. "Not a day, no. I'd need a week or more to get *there...*" she grunted, a sullen look on her face.

"'There'?" Yun asked.

Makoto sighed. "There's this village in the Byankhala range, they've got as much magic as anywhere in the world today, so they could probably help." To Yun's surprise, the girl dithered, "I'm... sort of related to the head family... by adoption... well, it's complicated..." and trailed off.

Yun blinked, then thought, 'I'd probably better change the subject, she looks really uncomfortable.' "Worry about that later. For now....." he said, draping an arm around her, "I need a shower."

Makoto's reaction was predictable. "NOT WITH ME, HENTAI!!" she roared, grabbing his arm and shoulder-throwing him into the bathroom. After the crashing noises stopped, she had calmed down enough to continue, "Anyway, I think I'm going to head there, then come back to Hong Kong. If there's any supernatural news about this woman, I'll know it by the time I get back."

Yun laughed from the bathroom, as he kicked the door mostly shut and various showering noises began to emerge from the room. "Thanks, I appreciate it!"

Makoto shrugged, though Yun couldn't see it from the shower. "Hey, I can't just walk away from this. You guys are - well, friends, I guess! Hey, what're you going to do? About a place to stay, I mean? Your grandpa may be willing to talk to you and Yang now, but he swore flat out he wouldn't take you back in the shop." She paused. "Actually, if he keeps up this disownment thing, um..."

"Yeah? Keep talkin' good lookin', I'm listening," Yun called over the sound of running water.

Makoto answered, "Well, I know a family and dojo who wouldn't mind adopting two nice young men who happen to be excellent martial artists... and maybe training you two in some Rindoukan would get Otousan off his ass!" A notion struck her as she recalled her comment when she attacked the thugs on the street, and she blinked. "Hey, then I really *would* be the Steamroller She-Dragon, if you were my adopted brothers..." she broke off, overcome by giggles.

"Tempting offer," Yun called out. "We'll ...... *I'll* consider it. Even for a visit anyway. I'm sure Yang wouldn't mind..." His voice trailed off.

"We'll find him," Makoto assured him. "And pound this Succubus lady into the ground in the process!!" she added, sending her fist into her palm with a loud 'whap!' for emphasis. "I'll get packed." Stopping for a moment, she replayed the conversation in her mind, then cried, "Hey, you never said what you planned to do here, for now, about a place to stay!"

"I'll stay here," Yun answered, as the water sounds stopped. "I got cash from the underground tournaments to burn. 'Sides, even without Yang, someone has to stay behind and protect the village...." he finished, as the door opened and Yun stepped out - wearing only a towel far too small to be modest. Suddenly, sensing danger, he stopped, glanced around, and his gaze settled on Makoto, who was staring at his well defined midsection with very wide eyes. He couldn't help but note that her wet *gi* no longer concealed the fact that for all her tomboy mannerisms, she had very feminine curves.

Suddenly, Makoto began to show battle-aura as her eyes tracked to the towel. Alarmed, he looked down to see a lump in the towel that hadn't been there a moment ago.

Moments later, a clamour arose that could be heard for three blocks, centered on the battlecry of, "YOU PERVERT!! YUN NO BAKA!!" and the building trembled on its foundations.