Once again, night reigned over Hong Kong. Not any ordinary night. It was the time the crime lords awaken once more. The night folk flocked again to the underground fighting arena. Many new challengers were ready to fight to the death for the prize money. And again, the Twin Dragons were there.

Yang, clad in his trenchcoat, watched the fights from the side. Over the crowd, he heard the sounds of attacks colliding with each other, the grunts of the enemy, and Yun's, "Hai, hai, hai, AIYAH!" That all ended soon enough. Another victim fell prey to Yun's short-range Zesho Hohou. Yun's opponent fell to the ground, unconscious. The bell rang and Yun was declared the winner. Yun hopped down to meet his brother.

"American Wrestling is too slow for Chinese Kung Fu." said Yun. "I can't afford to lose."

Yang said nothing. Was Yun worried for once?

The next match began. Yun still appeared serious. He appeared too deep in thought to watch the match. The younger Twin Dragon was worried. He didn't like seeing Yun so serious. "Watch the fight. Your next possible opponent's fighting style will be less of a surprise."

"On the other hand, if you watch now you'll expect the opponent to do the same technique on you. They may have some tricks up their sleeve you won't be expecting. Some fighters save their best for last." Yun countered.

"True..." Yang said softly.

Yun forced a grin. "Sorry, Yang. Didn't mean to be so pensive."

Yet, Yun couldn't bring himself to say things will be okay. That would be a lie. His gut was telling him something was wrong. He couldn't put a finger on it, but the fact he couldn't pinpoint the problem was getting on his nerves. Brooding was Yang's department, not his. Yang noticed and gave Yun a silent council. That's all he could do. Yun was better with words.

The matches passed by quickly. Now it was time for the finals.

"Now announcing our final match for tonight. In the right corner we have a new upcoming challenger, Ri Jeshu Lon. Hailing from a large family who practice a variety of martial arts, she excells in Japanese Ninjitsu. In the left corner we have our reigning champion, Yun Lee, the Storming White Dragon. A young master of Mantis Style Kung Fu. He was won 7 consecutive tournaments! Will this be his 8th or his last?"

Yun sized his opponent. She was a cute girl. Long haired in a high ponytail, clad in a black and army green ninja outfit. If it weren't for the fierce stare, Yun would have thought she was an innocent school girl.

"Just because you're a girl doesn't mean I'll go easy on you." Yun grinned.

Ri smirked. "Likewise, lover boy."

The bell rang. Ri charged then leapt in the air. Yun decided to tease her a little. He stomped his leading foot on the ground, channeling the force of the impact upwards through his hands. His large palms connected just as Ri was in range and sent her flying back. Angered, Ri dashed forward only to be met by Yun's palms again. And again.

'Kobokushi.' Yang thought to himself. 'Big brother is just playing with her. He had better take this fight seriously soon... I have a bad feeling.'

Ri wiped the blood that trickled from her mouth. She glared at Yun who was happily hopping in place.

"Oh no, I hurt a girl. Grandfather will kill me." Yun laughed.

The ninja girl narrowed her eyes. "I'll pay you back for everything you did to my brothers."

Ri dashed forward again. Yun readied another Kobokushi. At the last second, Ri blinked and vanished into thin air. His palms hit the gust that trailed behind her.

"Wha...?"

"Behind you!" Ri's shrill voice cried.

She appeared behind Yun. Before he could turn around, she kicked him to the head, then spun around and landed her elbow in the back of his neck. Yun fell forward and choked. As he fell to the ground, he forced himself into a forward flip and vaulted out of the way. From inside her ninja clothing she produced kunai - throwing knives - and hurled them towards Yun's head. Yun rolled under, ready for a Senkyuutai. Unfortunately he underestimated the timing of the roll and ended up rolling more than he had to. Thinking fast, he sprung from the ground and slammed his shoulder into the unsuspecting Ri. He quickly followed up with a spinning knifehand to her throat, then a vertical knifehand to her head. She fell back.

"I don't want to hurt a cute girl like you." said Yun. "Let's get this over with quick."

"Never..." Ri stood, her legs shuddering slightly. "Especially after what you did to my brothers, namely Te Lon."

"Te.. Lon..."

Then it hit Yun. He remembered that one of the brothers had said the strongest of them would be here tonight. Ri must be the one they were talking about. A quick stab of sympathy ran through Yun. But that was enough for Ri to grab more kunai.

"Take this -- Deathblow Precision Stike Kunai!"

Nine kunai flew towards Yun, each kunai in succession and aiming to vital points on his body. Yun deflected the kunai. The last one missed his reach. It struck through him on an angle which cracked several of his right ribs. Wincing loudly, he yanked out the kunai. A red stain began to bleed into his white Kung Fu uniform.

Ri produced some more kunai. "The fight has been decided. Deathblow Precision Strike Kunai!"

Yun raised his head to see the kunai fly at him. He had faced this fear once today. He wasn't scared to see it again.

A sudden blur dashed in front of Yun, swiping the kunai in different directions. One throwing knife struck the electrical box on the side of the ring. A chain reaction ensued which shut off the power.

"Wha...?"

"Hey, what happened?"

"Watch where you're putting your hands!"

Yun felt himself being carried off. He wanted to continue the fight. Whoever was carrying him off had no right to do so. He struggled. The pain of his wound struck him and he couldn't struggle any further.

"Relax," whispered a familiar voice, "it's time for you to rest. Don't worry."

"Huh...?" Yun asked before he fell faint.

"Quick! Switch to emergency power!"

"Yes, sir."

In a flash, the emergency power was activated. All power was restored. The lights blinked, then opened. Ri blinked a few times. Her opponent, Yun, was still standing and ready for the fight. The crowd cheered. They paid good money to see a fight. A few broken ribs won't stop the Storming White Dragon!

Before the bell rang once more, Ri tried again her Deathblow Precision Strike Kunai. However, Yun easily deflected the blow with a passive look in his eyes.

Ri fell on her knees. "What the...? How are you able to do that?"

"Your kunai fly on the same angle and target the exact same pressure points." Yun answered. "That technique is effective to a slow opponent caught off guard. However, to the sharp eye it's easily avoidable after the first try. Only an amateur would constantly repeat the same technique in hopes to win."

Ri eyed Yun strangely. "You're different than before. Did I hit you too hard?"

Yun preformed a traditional Kung Fu bow. The bow was quick as he quickly got ready in his fighting stance. Ri noticed an ever so slight bounce to his rhythm. How was he able to do that with broken ribs?

"The fight isn't over!" the announcer cried.

The bell rang once. Ri charged at Yun. This time Yun did the same. In midpath Yun leapt in the air. Ri halted but only to meet with Yun flying, foot first, towards her collarbone. She lept back, having Yun collide with her leg instead. Yun quickly connected with a ducking jab to her shins, then tripped her off her feet. She got up and matched the rhythm of Yun's slight bounce. Ri noticed that Yun was moving around a lot more in fluid motions. Yun smirked.

'The fight will be over shortly. I won't give you a chance to run away with your teleport.'

Ri lept forward for a quick but hard punch. Yun grabbed her shoulders and flipped over her. The second he landed, he jabbed Ri in the back, elbowed her to the head and stepped forward with a fierce palm strike. She fell back. He stomped his foot on the ground and shoved her back with the force of a Kobokushi. As she flew in the air, Yun summoned all his power and speed into a quick roll. He vaulted off the ground in an accurately struck Senkyuutai, and at the highest arc he executed a flip kick, front kick and side kick to her throat - a Tenshin Senkyuutai.

Ri fell down. Her power was fading fast.

"W-why..." Ri sputtered before she lost consciousness.

Yun stood over her. "When it comes to fighting, the lines between genders are blurred to me. Your style of rushing in is the worst. Take your time and confuse the opponent. Otherwise you will suffer this same fate again."

"And... for the 8th consecutive win is Yun Lee!"

The bell rang three times. The crowd went wild. A lovely woman walked up to Yun with the prize money and a kiss. Yun institively held up his hand and blocked the affectionate gesture. With a huff, the lady left. Yun looked at the sidelines. His brother was hunched over, completely covered in the trenchcoat. He appeared to not be moving. Yun inwardly smiled. Success.

The tournament had long ended. The night folk and underground lords had left. The Twin Dragon sat alone in the ring. He unclipped the fake braid and pulled off the baseball cap. Long bangs cascaded down the right side of his face. He hopped off the ring and approached his brother, covered in the trenchcoat. He pulled the garment away, revealing an unconscious Yun.

"What would you do if I wasn't there to take your place?" Yang asked scoldingly, putting his hands on his hips. He couldn't resist a teasing smile. Tonight, the victory was his.

Carefully, Yang placed Yun on his back. In their village the hospitals don't open at night unless to cure a life-treatening disease. Yun was strong, he can live a few more hours with a few broken ribs. With nowhere else to go, Yang carried his big brother home.

The morning sun shone on Yun's face. He moaned. He was hurting like hell but somehow he was alive. He opened his eyes. He was in his room on his bed. Standing over him was Yang. There was something funny about the way Yang was smiling at him.

"Yang... what happened?" Yun asked weakly.

Yang's smile widened. "You won."

Yun blinked. "I did?"

"Yep. Your 8th consecutive win. You must be proud."

"I don't remember what happened. All I remember is that the schoolgirl smashed my ribs with her kunai." On cue, he felt pain from his side. The blood stain on his Kung Fu uniform was getting worse.

"Don't worry about that, big brother." said Yang. "The point is that you won. You stay in bed. I'll get the paramedics right away. If you must get up, soak your uniform in cold water. The blood will get off before it stains."

Yang left. Yun lay in bed, wondering what really happened.