OPEN and the Road to Their Goal

OoC: A tribute to all of those old 2D fighting games we never play anymore. May they rest in peace.

BiC: The Emperor of Fighting event. There were few other things in the world that got as much widespread attention as that annual competition of martial artists. No other time of year yielded a greater gathering of talented fighters. They all came to claim their right to be called the strongest hand to hand fighter on the planet. Some traveled a globe’s distance to reach the city where it was held, some lived within it’s walls. Some traveled that great distance simply to register as a competitor, some were personally invited. But each of them, to a man, was a formidable fighter. Sometimes a world famous battler would come, put on a good show, and get knocked out as soon as they stepped into the ring. Other times, a complete mystery would walk in, and make it all the way to the final round.

Many fighters came to compete on teams, as was the event’s standard. A select few came as single entrants, strong enough to take on whole teams of four on their own. When one member would fall, the next would jump in the ring to take their place. How the team worked together always changed, but the end was always the same. The competition was over when there was only one fighter left standing. Every year, the big names would change and the way they fought would be different. Every year their stories would change and evolve. Some fought for fame, some fought for justice, some fought for a cause, some fought for the prize money, and some fought only because they enjoyed fighting. A more colorful cast appears in few other places at even fewer places in time.

The event worked on a great scale. Crime syndicates had fallen, warlords had been brought down, even entire cities were sent to their knees by the coming and passing of the yearly event. Drama never ceased to unfold. However, it always remained behind the scenes, out of the public eye. Even with such a sordid history, the opening of the new year’s Emperor of Fighting event was decided upon. The event’s sponsor was, yet again, a mysterious entity. As par for the course, rumors spread like wildfire. Messengers, couriers, and emissaries worked their feet to dust delivering letters upon letters all over the globe. Word that many well known names were entering once again only made them work harder. Word had already spread worldwide even half a month before the event came around.

At the half month mark, there was another Emperor of Fighting activity that had become something of a tradition within the two or three most recent events. There was a smaller, well organized, well observed, yet unofficial fighting event. Many fighters came to the main event as rivals. There were heated arguments and many unsanctioned fights amongst the competitors. The unofficial event came about as a way for the teams to cool down. They could decide who the better of the rivals was, and head into the main event as true minded warriors. And even though it was unofficial, invitations were still sent out to call upon a few key faces. For the most part, they were called on to set the odds on a wager. Betting on the main event was punishable by death, but the unofficial matches were free and clear.

As time went on, the inhabitants of Middle City, the home of the event, watched the same thing they had seen many times before. Preparations for the event went smoothly as ever. The venues for the competition were established, schedules were filled out, and everyone from fighters to spectators began to flock to the city. To get the feel of a natural setting for combat, venues were set up everywhere from back alleys to parks. The invitations were sent via the fastest and most reliable post men, some of whom would later return to compete. It wasn’t uncommon to find a world renowned fighter with a menial job in the city. A good few of the big names in the event lived their day to day lives in the city. Waiters and waitresses were a couple of the more popular jobs.

Yet, as grand in scale as the Emperor of Fighting event was, there were many who did not know of it, and had no intention of competing. Many were invited to participate in the event, but four people who had no idea it existed were the only ones who got invitations to both the main event and the unofficial event. Word of that spread, but spread less quickly. A few well known faces in the fighting world found it irksome that four complete unknowns were getting preferential treatment. No one contested it, though. When word spread, it carried the voice of the new year’s enigmatic sponsor. Little, if anything was known about them, but when the sponsor made a demand, every competitor, down to a man, followed it. The sponsor was rarely friendly, and frequently larger than life.

One of the double invitation recipients was an old man; not elderly, but aging, with hair still full of color and muscle still on his bones. The letter was delivered by someone he thought he recognized. Turns out, it was just someone who looked like him. The invitation came in a plain white envelope, closed with a nondescript wax seal. He opened it. The letter of invitation itself was not anything special. It told him what he had been invited to, what it meant, what the rules were, and where to go to get there. He may have been a cocky codger, but he knew a good thing when he heard one. If there was a way to make his personal style of martial arts famous, then he couldn’t miss the opportunity. Having nothing to pack and no home to lock up, he left immediately. He arrived quicker that he thought he would.

The desert land was a rough hard place to walk. The sun beating down in the land making everything cook under its powerful rays. It was hot even for the young half demon that walked across the bare wasteland. Small gusts of wind blew pass her face, but even the that couldn’t cool her little body down. The air was hot and only added more heat to her body every time it passed her.

“Too hot,” She said glaring out to the never ending earth ahead. It had been a while since she left Shisho behind to find her brother again. She wasn’t really sure how long, time seemed to go on forever being by herself with Arika.

“I don’t think we’ll ever find him. We haven’t even hear anything about him since we met Zorlo. Maybe it would be best to try and find him again,” Arika said flying lazily around Rika.

“Maybe. But first I think you should start telling me the truth.”

“What do you mean?” the winged elf asked really not knowing what she was talking about.

“You know. Tell me what happens when I black out Arika. Ever since what happen with Mister Shisho and that fight I’ve been trying wonder,” Rika said thinking about to that time and the fight with the boy.

“Nothing happen. You just fall down until you get back up,” her friend said lying. “Anyway, about the fencer again.”

“You’re lying Arika. Because I remember coming to after fighting the fencer and I won. I was also walking away from him and you told me I talked to him. Now tell me the truth,” she said, wanting real answer for once.

“Umm…” Arika thought for a bit, before she flew away from her friend. She knew the answer, but couldn’t tell her even if she wanted to. She was to afraid of her other half to tell the truth.

“Get back here!” Rika yelled dashing after her elf friend in the desert heat. She was a little faster than Arika and caught up to her quickly.

“Miss Rika!” a voice called out to her from nowhere. “Your Miss Rika Oni right?” he asked running up along side her. The voice shocked her, stopping her from chasing after her friend for a bit. There she stood next to a man that ran faster than she did. He was a little taller and much older then her. He pulled out letter from his pocket and handed to her. “Here.”

Rika took the note from him still staring at him. She was lost for word about everything. She wanted answers about how he knew her name, what she looked like and why he had a letter for her. At first she thought could be her brother, but that thought quickly when away when she opened it.

“Excuse me, but is there a Mister… B. Shisho here?” There was a person calling out to him. He barely heard it, for he was asleep. It woke him, though. It seemed that he could still not avoid waking up after hearing his own name called out. Both the original nor the clone could resist someone who needed them. But sleep was not something either of them graciously rose from. As soon as he was in the world, he felt like he was swimming at the bottom of the ocean. A deep, black pressure pushed down on his entire body. Sitting himself up, he moved through liquid, his vision fuzzy. He groaned loudly once, trying to convey to whoever had tried to address him that he was awake and he was indeed there. It didn’t work thought. He looked to the left, then to the right, then in nine other directions. The person hadn’t heard him.

“What is it?” he asked, his grogginess not entirely evident in his voice. That time, the person heard him. “I have a letter addressed to you,” the person said, speaking rather loudly as it turned out, “Would you receive it?” Of course he would. Why wouldn’t he? It was a letter. How often did someone get a letter? Black Shisho looked down on the person who had a letter for him. Lo and behold, it was a postman, with his red hat, white tights, and signature satchel. Somehow, they always knew right where you were, even if you were in the middle of nowhere like he was. Talk about convenient. At least, that’s what his soul told him. The walking mask hadn’t ever actually seen one with his own sunken eyes. His soul also told him he wanted one of their satchels. They had a bunny emblem on the bottom.

Trying to shake off his weariness, he lifted himself up and shook his head back and forth. It helped, but not much. Hoping he wouldn’t land on anything, he let himself slide off of the crumbling structure he used as a bed. He had been lying on top of what looked like an abandoned stone gate. What it was doing out in the backwoods was news to him. Landing was no problem, though he felt as if he were about to fall over for the first few seconds. He looked toward the postman, thinking he would be frightened, but he simply stood there, holding the letter toward him. After quickly shuffling over as quickly as he could shuffle, he took the letter and looked at it. There was nothing on it. “Enjoy your letter,” the postman said, making as if to turn around. “Of course,” he replied. And they were parted.

After “To B. Shisho,” it was a whole spiel about a world renowned fighting tournament. It described what the event was and the rules it had, where it was going to be, when it was going to be, how he was supposed to be involved, who some of it’s biggest stars were, and why he should come. There was also a bit in there about last year’s “messiness.” It was funny. He chuckled after reading the entire thing. Obviously, something strange happened, and he had no idea what it was. Humor or no, the letter was somewhat interesting. He had been invited? What an honor. He wasn’t sure how big of an honor it was supposed to be, but he felt honored none the less. He wasn’t even a little bit sleepy. It would be a good place to find something that made him angry.

Ah, but he would have to get moving quickly. According to the letter, there was a month left until the tournament, which meant he had only two weeks to make it to the early event he was specially invited to. Who knows, maybe he’d even pick up a nice little something while he was there.

----------------}---o Meanwhile o---{----------------

“Excuse me, I’m sorry if I’m waking you, but is there a… Nekonu Nakichi here?” There was a person calling out to her. She barely heard it, for he was asleep. It woke her, though. It seemed apparent just then that she hadn’t had enough to drink the past night if she could be woken up at what appeared to be such an early hour. Evidently, someone wanted her, and they were demanding her presence rather loudly. It seemed apparent just then that she hadn’t had enough to sleep, but enough to have a hangover. Suddenly, the person’s voice seemed like the shot from a matchlock being fired right next to her ear. The air just seemed to pound at her skull. She’d felt worse mornings, oh yes indeed, but a hangover was never fun no matter how severe it was.

She would have answered the person at her door with a “Get the **** out,” what with his loud knocking and intermittent requests for her, but she had to engage him face to face. To shout at him to go away would surely wake up her date, who was still soundly asleep in bed next to her. If the person at the door didn’t go away though, her date would wake up anyways. She wanted to leave before he could wake up. He was okay for a one night stand, but she preferred bananas over plantains. Silently as the cat ninja could, she pulled the covers off and tiptoed across the room. Luckily, the first rule of Intonjutsu was as simple as “If they’re sleeping, walk right by.” Searching her clothing, she picked up her kiseru. She didn’t need to get dressed, but having a weapon was a must.

Cracking open the door to her inn room, she found out who was calling for her. It was a plain old postman. It was a plain old postman, with a letter in hand, making a delivery to her before noon, while she was trying to escape. Perfect. Throwing the door open, she confronted him. “What the hell do you want?” she asked, her own voice hurting her head. He didn’t answer. His eyes went right down to her chest, where they stayed for the duration of their interaction. After he didn’t answer, she got irritated. “C’mon, tell me before I knock your teeth out,” she threatened. She couldn’t help but jiggle just a little as she said that, which didn’t help speed him up. “Uh, here,” he said, shifting the letter by fondling one of the corners, “it’s, uh, one of the… Correspondence for, uh, th-the fur.”

She took the letter, but he didn’t leave. It was irritating. “Listen,” she began, “Either touch them or leave, now.” After he did nothing, she kicked his legs out from under him and closed the door. Finally. Now that he was gone, she could get her head together. Focus. The situation wasn’t too dire. Her date was still sound asleep and smiling stupidly, so there didn’t seem to be any hurry to get out. She took her time getting dressed, and even took a hit of catnip before escaping through the window. Like always, Sukoshi was waiting right outside. Like always, he had the cold shoulder ready for her That jogged her memory. Reaching inside her vest, she took out the letter. It just had her name on it. The inside wasn’t that interesting, especially not then. Still, she’d bite. It was kind of what she left home to do.

Ah, but she would have to get moving quickly. According to the letter, there was almost a month left until the tournament, which meant she had only one week to make it to the early event she was specially invited to. Who knows, maybe she’d even pick up a nice little something while she was there.

OoC: Sorry it took so long. I was having some writing trouble. Couldn't not get my self to sit down long enough to write anything.

IC: Rika opened the letter slowly not sure if it safe to or not. It wasn’t everyday that someone knew her name and hand her a letter. She questioned what it could before and if she should really read it the whole time she took to open it. The letter quickly can into her sight and everything seemed to be safe. She continued to open it open it was a long letter.

Dear Rika Kaza Oni,

She was shocked that who ever sent the letter knew her full name. Seeing this she had to keep reading on to see what this person wanted. Who know maybe this person knew her brother or at least that’s what she hoped for.

I have sent you this letter requesting that you join me and be apart of a little game. This game isn’t like any other game you’ve play for this game is a game of life and death. I’ve hear stories about you and I wish that you join me in this. Many fighters and other strong people will be around for you to test you fighting skills on. I believe that you could be the champion this year.

Please join us at Middle city.

The letter was odd, but it did give her something to do, she thought as she folded the letter and send it on it way. “I guess I’m going to Middle City.”

***

“Hey1” A man in light green clothes called out behind the dark dressed man. The evil demon didn’t even stop hearing the person behind him call. True is he already knew that a human was behind him for he was really a demon. The taste for other battle was building up and he was sure that Niku wanted some blood. Maybe he would see what the little human wanted. In any case, he would feed his hunger for other battle even if it only lasted a few seconds.

“Hey, turn around and great me that sword before I take it!”

“Seems like to me he wants me more then you do.”

“You’re right he does. I’ll give you to him.” He told her with a smile on his face as he turned around putting the sword out with no trouble at all. “Here you go,” he said handing her over letting it drop on top of the human man breaking a few bones, but it didn’t kill him. “Now where are your friends hiding?”

“Ru- r.”

“Shhhh… Don’t try to talk.” He lifted Niku back up and swung it up against the neck of another man that tried to attack him and then with his free hand punch the last on right in the gut putting him down to the ground. “You’re the leader right?”

“Yes.” the older man said staring at the sword near his neck. “But how did you know?”

“Why are you following me? And don’t tell me because of this sword.”

OoC: Forgive me. Someone turned my drain valve, and all my inspiration leaked out.

BiC:“Just beat it, my friend, just get away from me,” he sang, “It doesn’t matter who’s right or wrong, you see. Just leave me.” Black Shisho, not needing to breathe, was able to sing joyfully whilst running cross country. The non-living thing he was never ran out of breath. As he dashed headlong across whatever country he was in, he added more words to his song. “I told you ‘don’t you ever come around here.’ Don’t want to see your crest. You better disappear. The evil’s in my eyes, and my words induce fear, so leave me. Just leave me. You better run away, you better do what you can. Don’t want to see no blood, not from a better man. It’s gonna be rough, better think of a plan, so leave me. But there’s gonna be pain! Just leave me, leave me, leave me, leave me. Beat it, my friend, and leave me. Show them…”

Just as he was about to hit a dynamic point in the song he stole, he happened upon something in the distance. It was his destination. He skidded to a halt, tearing up a good measure’s worth of earth in the process. In the distance was the city he was running to. It was a taller looking place than he had ever seen. His soul told him he had seen vast cities, hidden cities, and floating cities, but it told him nothing of seeing tall cities. Still, cities were cities. His soul told him one city was just like another. Things were expensive, the people acted differently, and it was easy to get lost. Ah, but they were fun places, too. Despite being expensive, the food was always top class. Despite being different, the women were always as tasty. Despite being confusing, the sights were always fun to see.

Even from where he was, he could hear sounds coming from the distant place. Had he a face, he would have smiled. Focusing strength into his legs, he resumed his full charge toward Middle City. As long as he could pull strength from the rest of his body, his legs were above tiring. Great distances were as nothing, as long as he took a good, long rest between stops. His fully focused legs were powerful, but not invincible. Eventually, his power would run out. He, however, being the efficient guy he is, was able to avoid any kind of breakdown. The specific global position listed in his invitation was not more than a week’s run from where he had been. Accordingly, he took his time, managing to come within sight of his destination within two weeks. Plenty of time to take in all of the city before the invitation’s deadline.

And lo, Black Shisho ground to a screeching halt at the city’s outer limit. Before going in, he pulled out his invitation, giving it yet another look over, making sure that he had the right place. He read up to where he had gotten. Had he a brow, it would have wrinkled. Facing in the direction of the setting sun, he burst into a leisurely walk. From where he was, he could indeed see the place the invitation directed him. It had told him that he would be able to see it. The invitation told him to head somewhere other than the city. It directed him to a place called South by Southwest Town. From the look and sound of it, it would be a much smaller place. Just as he thought, the closer he got, the smaller the place looked. A trick of perspective? It may very well have been so.

Coming into the little town was near laughable to the walking mask. At only a mile’s distance from the tall city, the sparse cluster of huts seemed a bit out of place. Beyond two substantial structures, no building was bigger than one room. All the same, there were enough people walking around to make the town feel alive. If he did not have someplace to be, he would have taken the time to sit down and observe. Although, as he walked, he did get the chance to see a few interesting faces. A man with a sharp flame design on his pants, a man wearing a symbol that resembled his own personal insignia, a boy wearing an armored, white long coat. But he did not give anyone more than a glace. Everyone was moving, including him. Eventually, he got to where the invitation directed.

“Registration,” he murmured, sliding the invitation back into his pocket. The building in front of him stood, labeled only as ‘Registry.‘ He stepped into the one room cabin, asked a couple questions, and got registered. He left the building under the pressure of a thousand stares. There wasn’t a person he could see that wasn’t looking directly at him. It made him angry. “What the hell are all of you looking at?!” he shouted. Most of the people went back to what they were doing. By the time Black Shisho had finished snarling to himself, everyone had went back to what they were doing. Taking a deep breath, he collected himself. Before going to check out the cabin he and his team had been assigned, he decided to check out one of the substantial structures, the cantina.

On his way, he wracked his brain trying to keep the names of his assigned teammates in his head. Rika Kaza Oni, Nekome Nagisa, and an additional nameless member. After realizing he would not be able to remember their names by the time he met them, he gave up the effort.

Clouds of dirt shrouded the young half demon’s body as she came to a sudden stop. The dust kicked up from the dirt nearly blinded her vision of the wonderful tall city just ahead of her. As her view of the city cleared up she thought about how much fun she could have running up and down the walls of the buildings. She couldn’t wait to get the city that was so close now.

“Rika! You’re running too fast for me!” the little elf screamed making her way along Rika’s tracks. She glanced back to see her little friend racing behind her. She looked, but wondered how come Arika couldn’t keep up.

“Sorry, I didn’t think I was going any faster then normal,” She replied back wondering when she gained this new speed.

“You could look back every once in awhile. You know I got worried that I was going to lose track of you.”

“Sorry, now lets go.” Rika quickly jetted off now to the city, but to the small village just next to it. Reaching the town’s edge Rika slowed down to a walk and strolled on through the small village. There wasn’t much to it and all the building where small tents along the road. So many more people filled this place then she would have ever guessed.

Arika glanced around at the odd strange people that walked the streets. They all looked strong and scared her half to dead just by walk pass them. She had never felt more afraid in her life then right now; slowly flying to Rika side she shivered with fear of getting attack. “Hey, Rika,” she called out in the young demon’s ears; keeping it quiet out of fear that someone might hear her. “Are you sure it safe to be here?” she asked glancing around at the strong fighters that passed them.

Rika finally took noticed at some of the odd looking people that passed her. She didn’t think too much about them at all. None of them actually seemed to be all the strong at fighting, but she was never good at judging. “I wouldn’t worry. They wouldn’t attack a small thing like you.” she calming said laughing at the thought of Arika fighting.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am sure that no body would attack you. After all you don’t even look like a fighter and your about to ***** in your panties right now.” Rika said jokingly scanning the arena for the registration building. “Plus, I would attack someone taller if I was them. Now, help me find this registration building will you.”

“Registration building?” the small elf repeated with a puzzled on her face. “What does a registration building look like?”

“I don’t know what it looks like, but it should be marked some how to let us know. Like it should say somewhere on the building registration.”

“Oh… so that building over there,” Arika said pointing to the lone building with a sign reading registry, “must be it then?”

Rika just nodded and headed over to the build. It was small and very loud inside from all the people still waiting in line. The line moved much faster then she thought it would, but it still moved pretty slow. Come on, come on, I thought this would be fun or interesting, she thought tapping her foot while looking at all the different fighters.

“Yeah, thanks lady. So, I can’t fight with my sword only my fist. Tsk, no problem,” A strange voice snarled up in front of the line. Rika tried to see what was going on up in front, but she could make out much.

“Arika, can you tell what happening up in front?” Rika asked hoping a fight wasn’t about to take place in here.

“Some big man with a massive sword on his back seems to be scaring the lady at the desk.”

“Oh,” the young girl said popping her head out to view the mysterious man. He walked right by her and all she could make out was his blood eyes and sword that rested on his back. Her dress danced along her body, she could feel her powers acting out on their own. “Brother…” she said in a whisper catching a view of the blood bat on the cross guard of his sword.

“Little miss. Can I help you?” The lady at the desk asked snapping her out of her thoughts.

“Yes, I got this letter,” Rika stated pulling the letter out an showing it to the lady.

“Oh yes, your Rika and let see,” she paused looking through the sheets of paper. “Your teammates are Nekome Nagisa and Shisho. Sorry, I can‘t tell you who is your four teammate. It doesn’t seem to be written down here. Oh, and you‘re team cabin number is 000.”

OoC: Sorry, but I hope you enjoyed the post after the wait you had.

OoC: I'm deeply sorry, Niku. There is no excuse for how long it took me to reply. I make you a PROMISE that I'll post faster next time.

BiC:

The morning mist is parted,
A cat’s eye gleams,
Quiet feet belie a loud soul,
She sits, watching.

~blank verse.

She stood on all fours, her back arched, knees touching elbows. “It looks like we’re finally here, Sukoshi,” Neko purred, waving her tail so smoothly, it mimicked the motion of the waves. The little cat replied in a manner of which she had no natural understanding. “Myu, myu myu,” he said, “(If that’s where you want to go, then that’s where we are).” As compact as she was, she managed to make herself even lower after hearing him. “I’m not worried,” she responded, smiling, grinning, rather, “I don’t think anyone has what it takes to handle a real ninja.”

“Myu, myu (A real ninja like yourself)?”

“Oh, don’t complain. I still have all of the day to register for this thing. The tournament doesn’t actually start until tomorrow.”

With that, she was gone from the treetops. From her high perch, a tree on the most scenic edge of a hill hock, she had a marvelous view of the morning. The orange morning sun rose in a direction she had not been facing. It lit up behind the city she had been able to ignore. The small gathering of huts nearby was the only piece of scenery that caught her eye. The hilly, sometimes rocky, southlands leveled out as they made their way to the huts, turning into a flatland a fair distance before they hit the town, and a great distance before they hit the city. From where she had been, it had been easy to see just where she needed to go to safely reach the bottom. From her perch, she could have even seen herself making her way down and across the hills.

+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+

The feline ninja arrived within the compact town without incident, and without notice. She made no effort to arrive stealthily, but she arrived without notice anyways. As early in the day she thought she had arrived, the town was already alive with activity. It was too alive to notice that she had entered. For such a scarce place, there was no scarcity in the population. People of all kinds took up standing room in the dirt streets, which were less street and more worn earth. Were Neko a less focused person, something which she definitely was, she would have become distracted by the energy of the gathering, so that was exactly what she became. One kind of person she always noticed was the male kind of person. The trail of muscular, mostly handsome men led her straight to one of the few buildings larger than shack height, the cantina.

It was nearly a new record for her. After being in the town for a grand total of ten minutes, she finally said, “Let’s hit the bar.” At such an early hour, it was a record for the earliest sojourn and the soonest after arriving at the village/town/city. She went into the cantina to find that, despite its size, it was all but empty, with the exception of the bottles, the tables, and one or two folks. None of them were the type of person she enjoyed having a drink with. A couple of them were obviously old masters of the drunken fist. They drank their brains away while hardly doing anything else. The last one was simply an older gentleman who sat and nursed his drink. After finally listening to the line he had been repeating to her, she took Sukoshi’s advice, and began to search for the place her invitation invited her.

Registration, although it sounded important, went by without anything even remarkably close to an incident. Neko was, after all, the only one who had come to register within the last three days, and was expected to be the very last one to enter. She was forced let out an exaggerated laugh every time the receptionist spoke. Haze was the woman’s name. She noted the name so she could remember to blind side the woman if they ever met on the worn earth. Even with said annoyance, registration went smoothly. The end result, though, was hardly satisfying. The place she would be staying was a one room cabin along with three other people, not including her little companion. She began in the direction the woman pointed her in. To look on the bright side, or no. Her mind was telling her no, but her body was telling her yes.

That was, until she actually saw the place she would be staying. “Totally not cool,” she groaned the moment she spotted it. Just the sight of it made her imagine the kind of people she would be sleeping adjacent to. Rather than imagine for too long, she whined to Sukoshi. Odorous, heavy, brazen. Stinking, fat, annoying. She would be cursed with such people. Men had a tendency to stink -not to say that women do not smell every once in a while- especially after a day devoted to nothing but martial arts. Men had a tendency to throw their bulk around -not to say that women do not throw their “bulk” around every once in a while- especially after working hard to get it. Men had a tendency to have an ego -not to say that women do not have their own quirks of self image- especially when they fight.

A wash of relief came over her when she noticed who was leaving the cabin. It was a petite, young girl. As the girl made pleasantries with the morning, Neko hurried past the crowd to try and catch her before she went anywhere. Lo, they met. As she approached, a shin sized human who floated in the air tapped the girl on the shoulder, pointing at her. “Are you staying in this shack?” she asked casually, surprising the girl, despite the warning. “Yes, I am,” she replied, not overtly nervous, but close enough. “Jaa, you must be Rika,” she continued, her voice carrying a more friendly ring, “Yoroshiku. Looks like we’re going to be rooming together for this thing.” With that, the girl picked up, too. “Then you must be Nekome, Miss Nagisa. Or are you the mystery person?”

“Hah. No, I’m not the mystery person, and I tend to go by Neko.”

“Miss Neko. Right.”

Capping off their short communication, the girl gave a polite bow, which the cat-girl promptly mimicked. “Allow me to introduce my friend,” Rika went on, signaling to the oversized fairy floating next to her, “This is Akira. We travel together.” The elf floated an inch closer. “How’r ya,” she replied succinctly. There was a moment’s pause before the feline ninja figured out that she should return the gesture. “This here is Sukoshi,” she said, raising an elbow in his direction, “We also travel together.” He meowed at them in response. At that point, it dawned on her what kind of person she was talking to, and how inappropriately matched to the situation she was. “Are you here to fight in this tournament they have going on?” she asked, eyeing the girl from head to foot. “Yes ma’am, I am,” she replied.

Neko shrugged it off. She had seen stranger. She herself had learned her movement Jutsu by the girl‘s age. “So,” she began, turning to look at the cabin, “Where are the other two who were assigned here?”

“I don’t really know,” the girl replied, sounding disappointed, “I haven’t even met them, yet.” That statement perplexed the feline ninja. After taking a second to piece together her thoughts, she raised her eyebrow, and turned her head to the girl. She said nothing. Just then, she was about to ask how that could be, but she stifled the question. It was conceivable that the remaining two were staying someplace else. If they were not arriving later that day, then they could have easily spent the three days or more someplace else. “Did I say something?” the girl asked, noticing her face. “Nah. Only wondering where they are.”

Then, something strange happened.

“Hark! Was there a cue in that sound?” someone proclaimed, loudly and suddenly, “It reigns from the sky down to the ground.” The two acquaintances examined their surroundings, but noticed nothing but other people noticing the shouting. “I appear and pose dramatically!” From out of nowhere, a man in all black fell from the sky, striking a cheesy pose. “From over the mountains. From over the stars!” He changed his pose. “I am the majestic. I am the powerful. I am the excellent. I am the beautiful.” In one quick motion, he kneeled down in front of Neko. “I am all the strength.” He spoke quietly, taking her hand and giving it what would have been a kiss. In one quick motion, he slid over to Rika. “I am all the passion.” He did the same to her before returning to his feet.

“And, if you’ll excuse my prompt entrance, I am your third team member, Black Shisho. But you may call me, simply, Shisho.”

She blushed red as she stood there in a daze at the odd man. She wasn’t use to being treated in such a way and simply felt embarrass. It didn’t seem to affect the Neko girl at all, by the strange that appeared.

Shisho…

The thought crossed her mind of the name he gave to her. She blinked a bit before snapping back; glancing up and down the young man that looked oddly like the Shisho, she knew. “Mister Black Shisho…” she was finally able to say after odd enters.

“Yes, my lady Rika?” he replied turning back around to see her. It was easy enough to see her discomfort all of a sudden.

“Umm… Never mind. You just had to remind me of someone I know,” Rika said turning her back away from him. “I think I’ll go find something to eat now.”

“Rika!” Neko called out to her before she begun to walk away. The young half demon turned back around this time with a smiling a bit.

“Yes, Miss Neko?”

“I’m coming with you. I want to see more of this town and it will be more fun if someone else joined me,” the Neko shouted as she walked over to the young girl.

“In that case I shall come with you. I can’t let two beauties walk these streets a lone.”

“Haha, so this much be the gusts for this years,” a young sounding males voice said from behind Rika. “Funny, where is your fourth team member at.”

Rika jumped, turning around and taking a fighting stance with her hand behind her ready to grab her sword. “Who are you?”

“What do you want?” Neko asked slowly walking to Rika side. E

“It sad brother that the girl is so jumpy,” a young girl said appearing from behind the boy. They both wore matching red pants and shirts. “Even her stance is weak. I could easily take her down right now. I can’t believe they would pick such a weak girl to fight.”

“Why!”

“Rika!” the young winged elf shouted. “Calm down.”

“Hahaha, it seems she’s got a nice sprite under that weak body,” the young boy said taking a step forward. “Rick that name and I’m the team leader of my team. You’re team little girl has no hope in the world of winning with you on it.”

“Come on girl, you can show these clowns.”

“Must not laugh. Must not laugh.”

Neko and Shisho looked on in silence as the two challengers accosted Rika. She, though she would have likely preferred to just turn and flee, stood quietly, trying to think of something to say. “Oh, yeah!” she shouted, still in the process of thinking, “Well, my name is Ume, and…” After hesitating for a moment, she pointed her finger straight at them. “My team is the best team!” Sheepishly, she bent her elbow and looked toward her two team members. “Right?” One grinned. The other would have grinned. “I’m on it, aren’t I?” the walking mask retorted, crossing his arms in a very adult way. “Of course we are,” the cat-girl replied, putting one of her hands on her hips. “See!” Rika continued, firming her pointing arm.

“Pah, what a joke,” the brazen Rick taunted, throwing back his arms, and cocking his head at an arrogant angle, “Come on, Shion, let’s beat it.” With that, both of the red clad challengers turned and walked away. The boy’s last lingering words were, “We need to find Jin and Falsh, and start the day’s exercise.” The three guests of the tournament were left standing there, staring at the backs of the young pair as they disappeared into the crowds. “What jerks!” Rika and Neko said, practically in unison. “No kidding,” Shisho interjected at the end of a giggle, “You handled yourself very bravely, Ume. I’m impressed.” That caught the girl’s ear. “Really?” she asked as she posed in an innocent manner. “Absolutely. You know, I like a girl who can stand up for herself. She makes for a more reliable partner.”

“How old are both of you?” the cat-girl interjected. “Yeah, how old are you?” Akira mimed, floating defensively between the girl and the mask. “I’m fourteen years old,” Rika replied to Neko, “Why?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Shisho answered, not obviously looking at either interrogator. “Try me,” the winged elf pressed. “And what, my cute little friend, would you do for me if I told you?“

“That’s a really weird question, black guy.”

“How about I just say eighteen. That will save us a lot of time. Speaking of which, I would suggest we scoot before any more goons show up looking for us.”

“That’s a good idea,” Neko responded, already a step ahead, “I still want to check out the town.”

“Then let’s go,” the half-demon added, “I’ll show you all of my favorite places so far.”

With that, the three person team of five began to venture around South by Southwest Town. Along the way, the girl in white and the man in black pointed out all of the various areas they had frequented since they had arrived. He continued to make passes at the girls, while they cleverly avoided his ineffective three liners. They all made friendly conversation, trying to find a common interest, which turned out to be only that they each knew a form of combat. For a little while, they talked about strategy. The walking mask debriefed his strength distribution ability, the half-demon described her Aero style of defense, and the ninja divulged her unarmed Jutsu (After which, she learned that blunt weapons were legal as necessary). Indeed, it was a delightful tour, and good times were had by all.

As the afternoon came upon them, and they were nearly back to their cabin, they were met with an interruption. More specifically, Rika was the one who greeted it. As she turned to point something out, she noticed someone from within the crowds. They did not catch her eye for more than a moment, but it was enough to grab her attention. She stopped walking as she peered into the mess of martial artists. Besides her elfin companion, the others were five steps ahead before they noticed. Naturally, they rushed back, unsure of what she was looking at. With a kind of urgency, the half-demon turned to them. “I’m sorry,” she said, hopping backwards just slightly, “I have to go. I remembered something that just came up. I’ll see you tomorrow!” Before skipping away, she gave a hasty bow, and then left.

As she faded into the rest of the tournament participants, Neko shouted a quick goodbye, while Shisho tried to keep his eyes locked on her retreating behind. “Well then,” the walking mask began once she was lost, “How about we go to the cantina? We could get a late lunch.”

“Nah, I’ve already been,” the cat-girl replied, not particularly interested in sitting down with him, “Besides, it was kinda dead in there. I think I’ll scope out the competition a little more closely. It looks like there’s gonna be some strong… People in this thing.”

“You must have been there this morning. No one’s there, at that hour. They’re all out exercising. Plenty of people will be there, now. Not to say I wouldn’t like a more intimate setting with a beautiful woman, like yourself.”

“You try your hardest, don’t you.”

“If you aren’t going to give one-hundred percent, what’s the point?”

One smiled, the other would have smiled. They continued along, going past their cabin and on to the cantina. Just as the black mask had promised, there was a fighter occupying almost every seat, and a fair amount simply standing around. They took a seat at the bar, waiting for a table to become unoccupied. After noticing that at least one person stayed at each table, no matter how many others came and went, they decided to eat where they were. The attendant asked what they would like. “Oden, if you have it, and some warm osake,” was Neko’s order. After learning they had nothing “Oriental,” she ordered some plain rice. No alcohol. The tournament did start the next day. Shisho ordered plain rice as well, but offered to bring it out to Sukoshi. Eating was something he often forgot he did not have to do. Luckily, it was free.

“So, you said you were a ninja, right?” the walking mask asked as he watched her eat. “Yep,” she replied, having already finished half of her rice, “I’m the only daughter of a master.”

“A kunoichi is what you’d be called, right?”

“That’s right. A female shinobi.”

“Tell me, what are some of the services that a kunoichi might get paid to perform.”

“Why such an interest?”

“Oh, I might need something taken care of.”

“Ah, well, I might do any number of things. There’s any kind of spying. Sometimes I use stealth, sometimes I infiltrate. There’s thievery. I might have to kidnap someone once in a while. There are all kinds of bodyguard jobs. Parcel delivery is getting popular. Rarely, I work as an assassin. I can be a decoy. Sometimes I’ll be a false target, sometimes I use an erotic distraction. There’s…”

Blackness.

“And If I wanted to be ‘distracted’ for a little while, exactly how much would that cost?”

“Mister, I don’t whore myself out for no reason. I’m not exactly pure, but that’s part of being a kunoichi. That’s just a strength we have, and I don’t really appreciate being asked like that. You better have either a good reason why I should, or a better reason why I shouldn’t clobber you for saying something like that.”

“Do you think we’re going to win these events? How much prize money were they offering?”

“Get to the point.”

“Half of my winnings from both events. They’ll go straight to you.”

“Are you serious? You would really be willing to give up that much?”

“To spend a few minutes with you, I would climb the highest peaks and dive the deepest trenches.”

“In that case, you have yourself a deal. But it’s really too bad you had to tell me that.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m easy, and now you’re not getting any until we win.”

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

It was night. It was either late in the evening, or early in the morning, but the sky remained black. Black Shisho leaned against the back of his team’s cabin. He imagined the two girls, one elf, and the cat were sleeping soundly behind him. Rika was sleeping off a disappointment. The person she had spotted walking through town got away from her, and she had not been able to spot him since. Since she was not as large as any of the other participants, she had a difficult time moving around the town. While the walking mask had to ask to learn that story, he personally saw his other team member fall into bed. Neko was sleeping of catnip. She lit a pipe-full to calm down, and then immediately wandered off. Though he tried to follow her, Sukoshi made sure she was not any less annoyed with him.

He himself planned to sleep where he was. Rather than submit two sleeping women to his tireless lust, he decided to keep a firm wall between him and them. He had, at least, that much restraint. But, as he fantasized about how exciting being a participant in the Emperor of Fighting event was going to be, he thought that the ground was not an appropriate bed. The roof would be more romantic. He jumped up, thoughts of what he would do if he won floating through his head. He pictured himself carrying off a young girl, like Rika, who was impressed with his height and strength. He imagined himself running alongside a mature woman, like Neko, who was impressed by his speed and flexibility. “Oh, yeah, I am the Emperor of Fighting,” he declared smugly. When he thought of women, he thought of victory.

“Hey, buddy, keep it down. I’m trying to sleep.” Suddenly, Black Shisho became aware that someone was already on the roof. He turned, a friendly apology ready. When he saw who it was, however, he instantly went from friendly to terrifying. “YOU!” he shouted, already half way out of his mind. Forming a claw out of his fingers, he stomped forward, making a slash into the air. The person he recognized had rolled over onto his side, and, consequently, had rolled down and off the side of the roof. The walking mask jumped right down after him. He lashed out with his left. A miss. The person was already standing, completely aware that he was being attacked. “The black guy from the metal dungeon,” he said, remembering who his attacker was. “That old man, one of the body snatchers,” the black mask replied.

“Whoa, there. If you think I’m one of those guys who sticks guys in tubes, then you’ve got the wrong guy.”

“Oh, yeah? That’s a lie, I guarantee you. What were you doing there, then?”

“Leaving. Tubes aren’t really my style.”

“Bull. You attacked me.”

“You attacked me, man. I was escaping the same direction you were taking down white coat guys.”

“Hm… That’s completely true.”

As if nothing had happened, Black Shisho and the older gentleman were no longer enemies. “I’m very sorry about knocking you off the roof,” the walking mask offered, raising an open palm. “I sure hope you don’t treat your other team mates like that,” the man replied, stepping up and giving his hand a quick squeeze. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, yeah, you don’t know. I’m S mark One line One One Five One line One Zero. That’s S’1 for short. I’m your last team member. I prefer sleeping outside, so I been on the roof since I got here.”

“Why hasn’t anyone met you, yet?”

“I’ve been catching up on my sleep. Speakin’ of which, I’m gonna find a new roof to sleep on. I’ll see you before your first match, tomorrow. Later.”

“Uh, later.”

The sun rose up into the sky, shining its beam of light into the young demon’s face as she slept. Rika eyes slowly opened up only to blink a few time. She hadn’t slept well, mostly due to the fact that she wondered if that man was her brother or not. It was a pain not knowing, but today was she teams first fight. She looked around to see her little friend was still a sleep. “Hmm… where did the mask guy go?”

Rika got up and looked around the little hut, but she didn’t find him anyway. It seems strange of him to just leave us. I mean I didn’t think we would ever get him away from us. Maybe he found other friend, Rika thought going outside to get some fresh air. She glanced around shocked that so many people were awake already. It seemed like it was too early to be up running around.

“Hey you!” Black Shisho shouted pooping his head out from over the roof. Rika jumped back a bit shocked by the sudden appears of her partner.

“Stop doing that!? You scared me,” she shouted back putting her hand over her heart. “Where have you’ve been anyway.”

“On the roof. I thought it would be better than sleeping with one of you girls.”

“Oh. Have you seen are last member yet?”

“Yeah. He said that he’d meet up with us at the fight. He was on the roof before me.”

“Great.” What wrong with the males on our team? The only one that seems normal is Neko. Rika just smiled before walking back in to check on Neko. “I guess it time to wake-”

“Morning,” Neko said walking towards Rika that stood in the doorway. “You know you shouldn’t shout when someone is sleeping. But it good to see you back to your old self.”

“Yeah. Sorry about that. It just I’ve been looking for him for so many years now. Anyway, we better hurry up to where the fight going to be held.”

OoC: I think I might have went a bit overboard. Oh, I hope you don’t mind that I took a few liberties with the team you came up with. I hope you enjoy.

BiC: With a bit of night still in her eyes, Neko stepped out into the daylight. Her sleepiness abated as soon as the light hit her. It was a beautiful day. Not exceedingly hot, with a nice breeze blowing in from the north. The cat-girl was not only ready, but excited, about the coming day. She would get a chance to test her worth as a ninja. “Which round is ours?” she asked, hoping it would be an early one. “Gee, I don’t really know,” Rika replied, putting her fingers to her chin, “I don’t think I ever checked the schedule. D’oh, now I remember what I was going to do yesterday.” A grunt came from up on the roof. With a stylish flip, Black Shisho hopped down to the ground. “No problem,” he said, smoothly walking toward them, “I’ll go check right now.” Humming, he skidded off to the registration cabin.

“Let’s head to the ring,” Neko suggested, hoping to get away while there was still time, “You know where it is, right?”

“Shouldn’t we wait for him?” the half demon responded girlishly. “Whatever you say.” Letting out a sigh, the feline ninja rested herself against their cabin. No sooner had she thumped herself against the wall, Sukoshi came out to join them. He mewed, stretched, and curled up on the ground. “Oh, don’t just lie there,” his companion told him jokingly, “Why don’t you go to the ring before us? Get us some good places.” She turned to the other half human among them. “Rika, could you tell him where it is?”

“Oh, yes,” she replied, bending over to meet the little cat’s eyes, “Just walk that way.” She tried to gesture around their cabin. “It’s easy to miss, but there should be some people there already.”

Letting out a little growl, Sukoshi lifted his tail and swaggered away. Frowning slightly, the half demon stood upright. “I don’t think he likes me,” she said, brushing a bit of hair out of her face. “Don’t sweat it,” the feline ninja replied, tilting herself away from the wall, “He’s not really a ‘morning’ person. Give him an hour, and he’ll be bright eyed and bushy tailed.” As they conversed, the usual clamor of the village began coming noticeably from one direction. The crowds seemed to thin out, as well. Most of the people who had come to the village were already at the ring, waiting for the first fight of the day to begin. The two girls did likewise, but more privately. As they waited for the male of their team to return, they kept each other entertained. Who here is looking good this morning?

“I hope he gets back soon,” Rika said, looking in the direction the walking mask ran, “We wouldn’t want to miss the first round.” With a serious eye, the cat-girl looked over her teammate. The question begged. “Do you trust that guy?” she asked, turning toward her. “Do I trust him?” the half demon replied, “Well, we only just met yesterday. I don’t know yet. Please, I wouldn’t want to say anything bad about him.”

“I think he’s a real creep.”

“Yeah, a creep,” Akira mimed, “A creepy mask guy.”

“Hush.”

“I’m really starting to like you, Akira.” With a grin, Neko let out one of her cattiest chuckles. A little trash talking was exactly what she needed to get over Black Shisho’s insult. Besides, it was always nice to let a few hits slip out in her words. It was easier than hitting with her fists.

As the feline ninja let a few insults fly, their black bodied partner skidded into sight. He ran right toward them, leaving a pair of skid marks as he came to a halt at their feet. “Hey, I’m back,” he said, sounding a bit strange without being short on any kind of breath, “Okay, we‘re in the first match of today‘s round, and everything’ll start as soon as we get to the ring.”

“Well, what took you so long?” the cat-girl demanded, clearly irate. Hurried, they all began hastily striding the way Sukoshi had went. “I had a hard time finding our names. They organized the slots by team name, and I didn’t know what ours was. I found our names under ‘The Experimental Team.’ I assume that’s us.”

“Wouldn’t know.” Each one of them clammed up after that. They hurried ringside.

If the entire extended population of the village was not surrounding the edges of the ring, then it would have meant the chickens had already fled. With the obvious exceptions of the medical personnel on red alert, every last person in the village was gathered around the ring, waiting for the first round to begin. The first team had already made their way to the sidelines. The only thing for them to do was to wait for their opponents. There would be no fanfare for the event. It was unofficial. The winners would not be considered the strongest until they conquered the man event. Until then, a pair of teams would step into the ring, and fight. There would be cheering, there would be money, but there would be no title.

The Experimental Team walked up to the ring of people, and pushed their way to the ring proper. As Neko led, they quickly made it to a clearing in the crowd. There, waiting just at the edge of the ring, was Sukoshi and their final team member. The elderly man was scratching the cat gently, something the cat-girl did not react well to. “Ah! What the hell are you doing, you pervert!” she yelled as she jumped forward, and scooped up her companion, “Why don’t you find some other innocent to prey on!”

“Yeesh,” the man sighed, scratching his belly, “I sure hope you don’t treat your other team mates like that.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I think I’ll step in,” Shisho interrupted, “Neko, Rika, this is our last team member, Ess One.”

“Yo.”

“WHAT!? You mean this child molester is on our team?!”

The feline ninja proceeded to work herself into a frenzy, verbally beating this person she had just met over the head. He said very little in return. She hardly stopped when one of the members of the opposing team roared for their challengers to face them. She grumbled to herself as her new partner confronted the rest of the team. “It’s nice to meet you,” Rika said, giving a polite bow. S’1 stopped slouching. “Howdy,” he responded, “Rika, right? Well, you know my name already, so I think we’re all acquainted.”

“Now, we should focus on what we‘re doing,” the walking mask interjected, “Who’s going up first?” No one replied. They each had their own reason for not wanting to fight. Black Shisho did not want to fling anyone into anything, Rika was nervous, and Neko was still sore.

“I’ll go first,” S’1 finally replied, “It’ll be a good opportunity for you to see what kind of team mate you have yourselves.” Grinning confidently, he pulled a piece of cloth from his clothing. It was a green mask. He tied the mask over his mouth as he led the team into the ring. The chatter and clamor continued as it had since they arrived, although it was accompanied by a few cheers. The crowd had formed a fairly large ring; large enough to fight in, anyways. All but one of each team’s members took a seat at the edge of the circle. The opposing team’s fighter rushed to the center, and waited for her challenger to approach. He walked up casually, stretching one of his arms as he moved to his spot. They stood a few meters away from each other. If either of them looked as if they were going to take their match seriously, it would have been tense.

“How do you do,” the opposing member said politely, “My name is Falsh. It’s good to meet you.” The fighter was a young girl with a solid looking frame. She was a tan thing with visible muscle. Her face told she was about as old as Rika, though the girl was more physically developed. She wore a nondescript shirt with no sleeves, beige, and a pair of nondescript pants, brown. Her hands and wrists were taped up, giving her arms a rather masculine appearance. She was barefoot, exposing a pair of very rough looking feet. By simple looks, she appeared more as a field worker than a martial artist. However, she took a stance suited for an experienced fighter. The only flashy garment she wore was a yellow cloth belt which blew lightly in the breeze. All of her teammates seemed to be wearing one.

“How do you do, yourself,” S’1 replied lazily, “Name’s S’1. Good to see someone of your age outside.” The fourth member of The Experimental Team was an old man; not elderly, but aging, with hair still full of color and muscle still on his bones. Topped brown hair and light beard, he was a sharp, if not tired looking, man. He wore his kimono very tightly, with the pants bound down, and his top tucked in. His sleeves hung loosely, though, if only to show off the symbols printed on them. It was an all purple affair, with the exceptions of a few pieces. He wore a pair of green hand bracers, and a stylish, although slightly gaudy, tiger striped belt. He would have looked like a completely respectable practitioner of the martial arts, were he not slouching.

Naturally, by then, the other three guests of the tournament realized that they were going up against the same team that had accosted them the previous morning.

It was as silent as a clamoring crowd for a few moments, until a person in the audience decided to speak up. “START!” someone yelled. Suddenly, a hard look came to the girl in the ring’s face. “Let’s begin,” she said. Hardly wasting time, she advanced on her opponent. At running speed, she balled up her fist, and threw out the first punch. He drew up his arms to defend, and the hit connected. He slid back an inch, but did not reel from the hit. Un prepared to defend a counter, Falsh hopped back a few feet, and reassumed her stance. “That was good, kid,” S’1 commented, scratching his wrist, “You have potential. How would you like to become my pupil, and train in Shishoryuu?” She huffed at him. “You don’t have to mock me,” she replied, “Please, let’s conduct ourselves honorably.”

“Whatever you say.”

The match resumed, and the older man took his stance. He was low, to match her short stature. The girl came at him with her knee ready. She released a strong kick, creating a breeze in her wake. He dodged, shifting himself backward. Seeing an opening, she drew back her fist. One punch. He slapped her hand away, a classic block. Another punch. He threw out his palm, catching her hand. Holding her prone, He raised his right hand. Readying for the hit, he released her. She began to step back, but could not avoid his attack. He lowered his arm, striking her chest with his elbow. They both bounced back. Using his same hand, he brushed his palm past her, creating a cut along her shirt. Tensing his muscles, he fiercely thrust his left palm forward.

Falsh was blown backwards, moving a few feet through the air before hitting the ground. A few moments passed, and she looked up toward him, a pained look on her face. “I give,” she moaned before letting her neck go limp. Very suddenly, many people in the audience started cheering. Her team was hardly as enthusiastic. After exchanging a few shocked glances, all of her teammates got up and rushed over to her. Her two red uniformed friends carried her to the sidelines, while one remained in the ring. Naturally, this person was not very happy. “You may have defeated Falsh,” he began angrily, taking up a sleek stance, “But you will not be so lucky with me. She is a little too nice for her own good, though she does know her place better than most.

“I am Jin, and though I may not be the leader of our team, I am surely the star.” This fighter was distinct from his other team members. While they all appeared fairly down to earth, this person had an executive quality to him. Up against the dirt pusher his younger partner appeared to be, there was not any comparison. He gave off a very western glow as he stood there in his expensive looking pin-striped suit, complete with white gloves, red tie, and a pair of leather shoes. He only wore one less glamorous piece of attire. The yellow belt that looked flashy on Falsh looked poor tied on over his jacket. A rather pale man, he did not look as if he spent a great deal of time outdoors. From his sharp face to his slicked back hair, his entire body screamed “snake.”

S’1 had been ignoring the man, opting to dig a little wax out of his ear using his pinky. After flicking the stuff away, he became faintly aware that the man had been talking. “You say something?” he asked, pulling one of his arms into his top. He rested his hand where his belt tightened. “Ah! How dare you ignore me!” the snake like fighter shouted, “I will show you, old man!” Not wasting a second, he charged at his opponent. “One shot,” the older man muttered. Letting out a grunt, he drew his remaining hand back. A split second, and it looked as if his fist was burning with white fire. With a hearty kai, he threw his fist forward, opening his palm at full extension. The white fire became a white fireball that flew straight ahead. Jin was struck before a single move could be made.

The fireball nearly carried the man to the edge of the ring before flickering out in a burst. He hit the ground roughly, knocking the wind out of him. After catching his breath, he groaned loudly, trying his hardest to return to his feet. He managed a few inches, but quickly fell back down. “How?” he moaned, “How did he do that? Just one shot, and I can not move. Aaagh” He continued to babble incoherently as his last standing teammates came to drag him back to the sidelines. Two members of the audience happened to have just as strong a reaction to seeing the technique. The half demon and the walking mask took it two very different ways, but their reaction was the same. “Those white flames,” Rika and Shisho both said, almost in unison. They shot each other the same queer look.

“Oh, ohh!” Out of nowhere, the one person remaining in the ring began to cry out. “My back, my back!” he exclaimed, hunching over, and putting his hand on his side, “I give up!” Moaning in pain, he began slowly making his way back to the sidelines. When he reached his other team members, however, he stood up straight. “I heard your fight with them yesterday,” he said, addressing Rika, “If you want to prove them wrong, we’re three to two.” With that, he sat himself down, letting out an oversized sigh as he planted himself on the ground. His younger partner, on the other hand, made no noise. The half demon simply looked across the ring at the two remaining members of the opposing team. Then, stiffly, quietly, she set her sword on the ground, and moved into the ring.

OoC: And here to you Librairian. A gift before I leave today.

BiC: Rika seemed timid about entering the ring. She didn’t like the feeling of being watched by so many people at once. She never really fought on a scale like this. Unsure of herself she walked to the center of the ring, her worried face showed clearly. “GO! Rika!” the winged elf yelled worried about her friend. “Is she going to be ok guys?” she asked the team getting their thought.

“I don’t know, she is still young and not acting herself,” Neko said showing the same concurs as Arika.

“She’ll be fine when the battle starts,” S’1 quickly replayed resting just behind him.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! You’re sending out the little princes of the group!” Rick yelled as he hopped into the ring. “I’ll end this one quick and than kick the rest of your team butt for sending you out.”

Rika disliked the down talk he was saying about her, but didn’t have the sprite to comment back. She was lost for words and the only thing she could think of doing was stand there. Rick put his fist up readying himself to fight. Throwing a few punches to warm up his arms and moved closer to the young girl. “Get ready to lose!” the young boxer said throwing a punch to her face.

As the punch made contact with her face, the young demon grabbed the fist and her body moved with the fist. Her feet lifted from the ground and kicked the boy in the face. As she landed on her feet she hopped, back missing the furious blow that Rick throw. “You bi***!”

Rika flipped a few times around the ring the floating in the air as she moved around. This was freedom to her and a smile formed on her face. She was ready to fight. “I’m coming Ricky boy,” she said dashing quickly at him and punching him in the back with her fist. He quickly spun around, only to see her feet kick him in the feet. Rika spun her body letting her legs kick him more than once.

“That for the other day,” She said lunching her body into the air just above his head. “And this is for today!” With that, her hands landed on his shoulder and a powerful breeze aid her legs to smash into the back of the poor boy. He body flew out of the ring and into his sister arms as she fell to the ground with him.

Rika slipped her hands together clean the dirt of her white gloves she wore. “I believe your next little girl?” she asked with a hint of a question in her tone.

“Yeah! That the Rika I know! Kick there a**!” her friend screamed cheering her on at the sidelines.

“So, you coming.”

Shoin clawed up from under her bother terrified at the sheer power the little girl has. She shook her head no, moving away just thing how smoothly she executed her attacks. She moved so, flawlessly with ease. There’s no way I could be her, she thought pulling her yellow off and throwing it into the ring. “I give up! They win!” she said grabbing her bother that hadn’t moved, but was still breathing somehow. “Someone help him!”

Rika run back to her side and hugged Arika before noticing the rest of her team. “I did good Mister?” she asked looking at S’1 that allowed her to fight in the first place.

“Rika, don’t forget your sword,” Arika said landing near it.

“Oh, right.” She picked it at the ring and noticed a shadow off in the corner. She wondered if it was the man she’d been chasing around. “So, what next?” she asked ready to fight again.

OoC: I feel like I haven't written in ages. Hope this doesn't seem too contrived. Trying to get our characters on the same page is hard. Oh, and thanks for being so patient.

BiC: By the time Rika asked that, the Experimental Team had already been forced out of the ring by the next group of eager fighters. When someone finally answered, they had become as simple spectators in the crowd. “Well, I’m not sure about everyone else here,” S’1 responded, “But I’m going to stay and watch the rest of today’s fights. Maybe get…”

“Oh, you mean we’re not going to get to fight anymore today?” Neko interrupted, “And I didn’t even get to manhandle anyone.”

“The tournament doesn’t finish in just one day. You can’t expect everyone to breeze through their matches like me and Rika, over here.”

“That’s right,” Black Shisho interjected, “Some of these guys get hurt pretty badly. They need some time to recover.”

Hearing that, the Cat-Girl let out a dejected sigh. She then looked at them as if they were children. “Yes, I know that,” she began, now choosing to avert her gaze, “I was joking. Take a hint. Augh, these simple-minded pervs.” Without saying anything else, she slumped her posture and walked off into the fog of the crowd. Having fallen into a less than energetic mood, she was off to find herself a bottle of sake. Having not only spent a good portion of her day around two people she honestly did not like, but was also passed up for a chance to fight, she found that drinking as early as it was, was justified. Her smaller companion did want to stay and see how the fights were, but was not about to let her wander off by herself. He did a courtesy brush up against each of their legs, and left right behind her.

Not one to be tied up by things such as social etiquette, Black Shisho went on talking just as soon as she was a body length away. “So, speaking of which,” he said, not smooth by any definition, “Rika, could we go somewhere private? I want to talk to you about something.”

“Oh, um… Okay,” the young dark skinned girl replied, seemingly taken aback by his sudden request, “If you want, that is.”

“Oh, yes, definitely.” At that, they moved toward the back of the ring of people, leaving their last team member still standing on the inside. Once past the crowd, they made their way to the most secluded place in the village. Really, it was just the front of their cabin, but everywhere was secluded, thanks to the tournament.

Before saying anything, the incarnation of Shisho’s desire took a few moments to eye the girl from toe to crown. During the fight, she had suddenly become more attractive to him. The way her face looked and her dress fluttered gave rise to thoughts he knew his original would be having if he ever saw her. And she was excited, too. She had yet to calm after finishing the fight. “So, waddaya want?” Akira, the girl’s small companion demanded, snapping him out of his thoughts. “Oh, you’re here,” he said, reminding all of the things he was not one to be tied up by. The larger of the two reacted to this. “Akira, would you mind, terribly?” she asked, sounding more condescending than friendly, “He did say he wanted to talk in private.”

“Ah, no, no, no,” he responded, “I’m sure if this concerns you, it concerns her just as much.

“Now, what was I going to get at? Oh, yes. I happened to notice that you and I had a similar reaction to seeing S’1’s fireball attack. Forgive me for prying, but have you ever seen anything like that before?”

“Yes, I saw something just like it, once. But, considering the circumstances, it’s probably just a coincidence. Why? Have you seen those white flames before?”

“Hehehe. Yes, as a matter of fact, I have. To be honest, this tournament isn’t the first time S’1 and I have met. We crossed paths a little while back. We ended up fighting, but, because of those white flames, I lost. After seeing your reaction, I’m starting to think that our team’s roster isn’t a coincidence. You said that you saw something like it, in the past? Please, tell me about it.”

Finally coming down off of the excitement that the match had stirred up, Rika was somewhat hesitant to give him a straight answer. The event he was asking her to describe was, after all, almost traumatic, whether he knew it or not. She danced around the question for a few moments before moving in the direction of an answer. Eventually, she began to talk about the incident where she woke up in a tube full of green liquid. She went over everything, from escaping the chamber, to parting ways with the person she met there. Her description of the white flames she encountered was sporadic at best. She admitted to her memory being fuzzy about that part. Her story ended with her walking away from the man named Shisho, who had helped her defeat the villainous Silazirk.

Having been silent throughout the entirety of her story, Black Shisho could hardly wait to jump into a speech about what was evidently going to be a big reveal. His thoughts spun like a Dervish as he listened to her last few thoughts on her time with the original. As their paths crossed, so many questions came about. Just who were the people that had been cloning Shishos and Rikas in the metal dungeon? Were these people the ones who entered them in the tournament? Would S‘1 have any answers? How did he even fit into this oddly shaped puzzle? All baffling. If she told him anything, though, it was that their team was nowhere near a coincidence. Those thoughts came and went, though. Mostly, the walking mask was trying to think of a way to use her time with Shisho to aid in seducing her.

As soon as the floor was his, he jumped straight into what he thought she should know. That is to say, he left out any information he thought would make him look like a villain. His creation, his differences from the original, a tangent that made him sound heroic, his fight with S’1 at the cloning facility, how close they were to meeting each other that day, an apology for creating so many fires, the things he did only a few days before meeting her, even. As he talked, the half-demon’s brows arched and furrowed, her eyes widened and narrowed. The significance that everyone on their team -sans the Cat-Girl, somewhat mysteriously- had a link to the metal dungeon was clearly not lost on her. Finally, he reached their first real meeting, citing her as his inspiration for his dynamic entry. After that, they both went silent.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It was early in the evening. While it may have been as dark as any other part of the night, the sun had just recently set, and there were still eleven solid hours of darkness left to go. Black Shisho waited atop his team’s cabin, optimistically searching among the few passersby for Rika. She had disappeared until after sunset the last time she saw someone she had to chase after in the crowds, as well. She had returned to the cabin around then the last time, though, so he hoped he would see her soon. S’1, sitting on an adjacent roof, well within sight of the walking mask, proved to be an unsatisfactory companion. They sat silently on the tops of the cabins from when the rainbow of twilight turned to the purple darkness, and on into the night. Both found it mildly vexing that the other was not willing to start a conversation.

The half demon, when she finally did come back to the cabin, was able to go by without Shisho noticing. He had been distracted by a different petite mass of white walking through the area. When a lantern illuminated the windows of their cabin, he smacked himself for his folly. The red herring got him every time. Perhaps more rigidly than necessary, he swung down to the ground, and entered the small structure. The young girl lay awake in her bed, with her hands clasped behind her head as it rested against her pillow. “Welcome in,” she said, beating him to the greeting punch. Her fairy-esque companion sat up from next to her, and shot him a dirty glance before lying back down. For one reason or another, this gave him the brief desire to be able to perform the Fairy Spell.

“I’m not staying long,” the walking mask responded, “I’m just here to see Neko. I want to see if she can tell us anything about what we discussed earlier today.” Although he was primarily there to make small talk with this person he enjoyed being around, he did have a minor secondary purpose of finding out if the feline ninja knew anything about the location that tied their team together. “I don’t know exactly what to make of it,” she replied, turning her head over to him a bit. Had he a mouth, he would have smiled at the gesture. She was so cute. Although without a smile on his smooth face, he strided gleefully to the cot he had not used since the others had come to stay in the cabin. With any luck, he could get in some nice chatter before Neko arrived.

Just as he thought of her name, he heard her voice at the door. With an obvious slur, she addressed someone that was with her. Clearly sauced to the gills, she struggled to communicate with three or four other people who sounded much more clear.