Fatal Fury Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Redemption ❯ Redemption II ( Chapter 2 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Tsukino Kage 
Geese gets a visit from a friend.
Anime/Manga: Fatal Fury Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Mystery | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 10.18.2002 | Updated On: 02.26.2004 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.4K | Visits: 1.1K | Status: Completed
Geese gets a visit from a friend.
Anime/Manga: Fatal Fury Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Mystery | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 10.18.2002 | Updated On: 02.26.2004 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.4K | Visits: 1.1K | Status: Completed
Redemption II: Many Happy Returns
A fanfic by Tsukino Kage Spectre based on "The King of Fighters", "Mark of the Wolves" and "Fatal Fury" by SNK with cameos from various other series belonging to their respective owners.
***
Note: This is a sequel to Redemption, my earlier work, and will not make sense if you don't read that first.
***
Little Terry Bogard, just turned eleven, watched as his father fought with Geese Howard, the man he once called friend. His brother Andy, one year his junior, was in too much shock to move as he saw Jeff Bogard took a pummeling. In horror, he saw the wave of energy moving towards Jeff, seeming to get larger and larger as it drew near and Geese poured more energy into it. As it finally reached Jeff, the intensity of the wave was so great that it totally engulfed him, the bright, white energy spreading all over as Geese laughed maniacally.
When the light cleared, there was no sign of Jeff Bogard. Little Terry and Andy wept, thinking of how their father had just been disintegrated.
***
Fifteen years after that incident, twin screams broke the silence of the night. In their separate homes, one in Southtown, the other at a certain dojo in Japan, the Bogard brothers awoke to mutual, remembered pain. What is perhaps the true irony of the situation, though, was that a THIRD scream had joined in their cacophany this night, having also shared the same dream/memory. This time though, he was seeing it in a different light.
Geese Howard, along with the Bogards, often dreamt of those same events which forever altered three lives at the ending of one. Unlike the brothers who thought of it as a nightmare, Geese had once looked upon the events with pride and satisfaction, thinking highly of how he got his 'revenge' against Jeff. This time though, the first time he dreamt of Jeff since having reunited with his family, he couldn't help but feel that that was the worst mistake he'd ever made in his life.
When he had lashed out at Jeff all those years ago, he had done so out of anger. Anger that he had been passed over for such a pathetic weenie to become Tung Fu Rue's heir. The same anger that had driven a wedge between him and Krauser when their bastard of a father turned his back on his mother and himself. It was that anger that drove his wife away the first time.
The anger that earned him the undying hatred of the Bogards, the greatest bane of his life. Sighing, Geese carefully got up. This night, he wsa sleeping alone since his wife was out of town. Marie had gone to participate in a chess tournament in England and she took little Rock with her. She had called earlier to say that she was coming back tommorrow morning to Southtown.
Geese thought back on Jeff. He had killed him out of anger, and that act had irrevocably set him down the dark path for the years that followed until Marie came into his life. Then, he was thinking of how his father abandoned him, and how he did not want such a thing to repeat as Tung Fu Rue abandoned him as well. In his anger and haste, he had made the Bogard brothers orphans. Truly, his anger was a terrifying thing.
It was only now, when age had cooled his temper, did he look back and see what a fool he was to act in the heat of anger. He truly wished that he could still fix this mess, but what's done is done.
"Is that what you really want?" inquired a soft, feminine voice.
Geese whirled around at the sound, but recognized the person by the voice alone. How could he forget this girl after all?
As he came face to face with Akiko Tsukino in all her heavenly attire, Geese smiled sadly. "Somehow, I'm not surprised. You always seem to turn up when I dwell the most on my regrets. The best part of course, is that you've always managed to help me overcome them."
"Hello to you too Sensei," Akiko laughed, sounding like little bells. "And yes, you're right. You are being given a second chance to do this right. The past is the past though, and you must not change it, but it doesn't mean that you can't change the present or the future."
"What do you mean?" Geese asked confused.
"You'll see," Akiko smirked at him as she turned to sparkling motes of light and vanished. Shrugging, Geese went back to bed, thinking of puzzling it out tommorrow.
***
Geese felt a pain on his back, and instantly, he awoke. What he did find was shocking. He wasn't in his room, but rather in what looked like a rather cheap apartment or hotel room.
"What the hell?" Geese looked around for anything to indicate his whereabouts, and his eyes fell upon a newspaper. He looked at the headline, then the date and his eyes bugged out.
"This can't be right!" Geese exclaimed. "This paper is dated the day I killed Jeff!"
Soft giggling came behind him and he turned to see Akiko materializing in dust motes of light, her usual method of travel it seemed.
"Good morning Geese," Akiko greeted him with a smile.
"Akiko! Whats going on?" Geese asked her.
"Remember last night?" Akiko inquired.
"You mean..." Geese couldn't continue the thought as he sank back to sit on the bed.
"Yes indeed," Akiko told him. "This is the day that Jeff Bogard was supposed to die. You get to do it all over again Geese, and this time you can do it right."
"I-I," Geese stammered. Then he perked up. "I can change it? I can make it so Jeff didn't die?"
"Yes and no," Akiko mysteriously replied. "There are limits to what you can do."
"What do you mean?" Geese replied. "What's wrong?"
"Well," Akiko began. "First of all, you must not be recognized as Geese Howard in this time, since there's already another of you running about."
Geese nodded at that. It made a certain sort of sense.
"Second," Akiko continued. "You can't contact your previous self and tell him anything about the future. In fact, you can't tell anyone else for that matter."
Geese just nodded again absorbing all this.
"The only exceptions to the first two rules are Tung Fu Rue and Jeff Bogard himself, but you can't tell them until after you saved Jeff's life," Akiko continued on. "Also, you can't be allowed to change any other event other than Bogard's death. That means that you don't mess with anything else, no matter how tempted you are."
Geese thought about that. It was pretty much what he expected really. Geese was not stupid. He realized that anyone mucking about with time could unleash a disaster unwittingly. The forces of heaven meant to give him this opportunity for a quick in and out job, and only that. He could deal with it.
"Finally," Akiko summed up. "Terry and Andy must become as they were, so that if you do save Jeff, you have to make it look like he still died and then make him disappear until your present time."
"How the heck do I do that?" Geese exclaimed.
"Leave that to me," Akiko assured him. "I'll simply transport you both back to the present at a signal to ensure that Bogard disappears to leave Terry and Andy. It might seem cruel to both of them, but the world is a better place if they grow up as they did anyway. You simply have to arrange it that Bogard will appear to be dead."
Geese's mind went on a whirl, thinking of plans on how to do just that.
"Anyway, I've got to go," Akiko said. "Just call if you need me."
With a goodbye from Geese, Akiko disappeared once more to leave the older man to his plotting.
That was of course, when the clock signalled the time: 10:00 AM. With a start, Geese realized that he had until noon, a mere two hours away, to keep Jeff alive. It figures he'd have to rush things.
Rushing, Geese put on his day clothes, which he found in the closet, and rushed out of the room to the lobby, practically flying down the stairs. He paused at the front door.
"Hey pal," he asked the doorman. "You know how to get to Eastside Park? I'm in a hurry."
"Sure," the doorman told him. "But it's a long walk. You're on the other side of town. You can take the bus at the corner, or do you want me to call a cab?"
Checking his wallet, Geese was relieved to find that it was full of money from this era, the same amount he had back in his own time in fact. He put the mystery out of his mind and told the man to flag a ride for him.
Minutes later, Geese was in the back of a taxi headed for his rendezvous with destiny. With the car speeding away on the busy streets, he should arrive just in time if he was lucky.
Five minutes to the deadline, Geese had made and discarded five plans. That was unfortunate, as he had arrived at his destination at last and was out of time. He paid and got out of the car, rushing quickly to the exact spot he was supposed to go to.
He was just in time to see his younger self about to throw a lethal version of the Reppuken at an injured Jeff.
Reacting quickly, for once taking action without thought, he jumped for Jeff. He landed just in front of him, and immediately turned towards the danger.
This didn't, of course, solve the problem of imminent death heading their way. Thinking faster, and reacting faster than the eye can see, he jumped Jeff and tried covering his body with his own.
And that was when the world faded out in great flashes of white, and a sickly sensation came over him and Jeff, causing both to blank out. Geese's last thoughts before he lost consciousness was a silent prayer to God that he had not screwed this up.
***
The world swam back into focus. Geese looked around and found himself in familiar surroundings, though he could not yet identify which it was exactly. He felt hands grabbing hold of his left arm and haul him up.
"On your feet!" a familiar cheery voice gushed at him. Looking up, Geese saw Akiko smiling at him.
"What..." Geese was still somewhat incoherent when he looked around to find himself in his office. He turned behind himself to see Jeff Bogard unconscious behind him. Quickly looking at the calendar on the wall, he noted the date. "We're back?"
"Yup!" Akiko replied. "That was most impressive Geese. A truly self-less act. Throwing yourself in front of someone as a lethal bolt of energy was racing towards them... well, that's truly heroic."
"Please don't talk about that!" Geese replied to her, mortified. "It'll ruin my reputation."
"Don't worry," Akiko snickered. "Nobody will know of this from me. But you should really savor this well Geese. Not everyone gets a second chance. Of course, that's because most everyone would have just screwed it up anyway. For now though, aren't you forgetting something?"
Geese felt a cold dread. Looking at his watch, he suddenly remembered. "The plane! Marie!"
A quick check revealed that he was presentable, and Geese made a quick beeline for the door. He turned the knob and stepped out, then suddenly turned back to Akiko.
"Could you...?" Geese indicated the still prone Bogard with his eyes.
"Don't worry," Akiko promised. "I'll take care of him."
"Thanks a lot," Geese told her. "For everything."
And he was gone like the wind.
***
Jeff awoke a while later to see the face of a very beautiful redhead who was smiling down upon him.
"You're awake," chirped the girl. The way the light in the room played around her face made it seem like she had a halo around her head. "Good, it's about time."
"Is this heaven?" Jeff asked her, as he groggily got up. "It must be if I'm talking to an angel."
Akiko laughed. "Flattery will get you nowhere. You're actually in Geese Howard's office. I'm Akiko Tsukino, and I already know who you are Mr. Bogard."
"A pleasure," Jeff answered warmly. "Wait, didn't Geese try to kill me?"
"You better sit down," Akiko told him. "It's a long story."
***
Akiko spent the better part of the day rehashing the events that led up to the here and now, including her true nature. Jeff was astonished to say the least, knowing that he was in, what in his perception, was the future. He demanded proof, and Akiko simply turned on the computer and showed him the internet. When that failed to convince him, she grabbed him by the waist and jumped through the plate glass window covering one wall of the office.
Jeff screamed like a little girl as they plummeted to their deaths.
"Now I know where Andy got that scream," Akiko snickered as she summoned her wings and they soared up into the air.
Once realizing that they were going UP instead of DOWN, Jeff looked up at Akiko in astonishment.
"Convinced?" Akiko asked him. Jeff could only nod dumbly.
Akiko flew them back into the office and once inside, repaired the window with a wave of her hand. The glass pieces simply flew up and came together again, returned to their unbroken state.
"Why?" Jeff could only ask once he found his voice again. "Why must I be here? For what possible reason must I have been seperated from my family for over a decade?"
"Because champions were needed by the times," Akiko explained patiently. "Your sons were needed, but unless you were out of the picture, they wouldn't become the heroes needed by destiny. Your loss toughened them up and the years of growing up in adversity made them into what they are now. Personally, I didn't like it either, but I don't have the power to change it. Only the Almighty does, and he won't do it. He's the one who ordered it to be this way to begin with. And the time travel is a one time deal. None of us are doing that again unless he lets us."
"Then there's the matter of Geese," Akiko continued. "He may indeed regret a lot of things he did wrong, but he did do some good as the 'King of Southtown'. If Mr. Big was still running this town, things would be a lot worse. There's also that bastard Yamazaki. Geese was the only one who could keep him in line. If it wasn't for Geese, Yamazaki would have gone raping and killing all over town. Then there's the people he helped out, like Ripper, Billy, Hopper and all the others, indirectly or directly. Lily wouldn't be going to school if it wasn't for Geese. Whether he acknoledges it or not, Geese is actually important to the world. For all his sins, he did make the world a better place. He may have tried to kill you and that lead him to a dark path, but in so doing, he ended up actually making things somewhat better. Funny how fate plays out, huh?"
"Yeah funny," Jeff said dejected.
"Cheer up," Akiko told him. "So what if your eldest son is now the same age you are? You get a second chance with them and life in general. That's better than the alternative. God could have simply left you dead."
Jeff nodded. She did have a point, but it didn't salve the fact of why he really felt pathetic.
"It's not that," Jeff replied. "It's just... God didn't trust me to raise my own sons. Am I that horrible a father?"
Akiko laughed. "No, you're a good father, and that's the point. You would have pampered them too much and not be able to properly train them for their destinies because of this fact. Don't worry about it. What this is all about, after all is you getting a second chance."
Jeff smiled at last. That one left him slightly mollified, though his smile was still strained.
Akiko noticed but ignored it for now. He'd come around eventually.
***
Geese came back to his home after only a couple of hours to hear shouts from Akiko and Jeff in the living room. The nature of which was somewhat disturbing.
"I'm going to kick your butt again Bogard! Deadly Rave!" Akiko shouted.
"Damn!" Jeff cursed. "I'm done for!"
Geese raced in, then facefaulted when he saw that both were only playing a video game (1).
"Hey Geese, you all right? That looked like a nasty fall," that was Akiko, turning to Geese.
Geese lifted his face from the ground to see Akiko and Jeff gazing worriedly at him. Then his eyes fixed on the TV and he got to his feet with a little help from Akiko. On the screen was a character taking a victory pose. The thing is, it was one he recognized. Indeed, the character with the short blonde hair in a fighting outfit reminiscent of his own, was taking one of his favorite win poses.
"Akiko-oneechan!" Eight year old Rock Howard practically dove into the redhead's arms.
"Welcome back!" Marie Howard added her own greeting and hug to that of her son.
"It's good to you all too," Akiko smiled warmly.
Geese saw a CD case by the game console. Picking it up, he looked at the title, "Capcom versus SNK 2".
"Where'd you get this?" Geese asked Akiko.
"To be perfectly honest," Akiko replied. "I got it as a sovenier on one mission for the almighty to another dimension, along with most of the games made by those companies. Notice anything about them?"
"I'll say," Geese replied. "That guy on the screen seems to be a video game version of me!"
"That's right," Akiko told him. "Shocked me too when I first saw it. Apparently, the events on one timeline can become the fictional material in another. (2) It really screwed up my sense of reality when I found out that our universe is a series of manga, anime, and video games in several other worlds, while our own fiction can be reality in several others."
"That's deeply disturbing," Geese said quietly.
"No kidding," Marie replied. She, Rock and Jeff had been listening in.
"I think I'm numb to it already, given all the shocks I've had today," said Jeff.
Billy, Ripper, and Hopper entered, loaded down with bags stacked one on top of the other, all the way up to their chins.
Akiko took that as a cue, and introductions were made all round, followed by explanations for the strange fact that the long deceased Jeff Bogard was now very much alive again. Marie and the stooges were a little shocked to say the least. Still, they were silently proud of Geese for finally thinking of making up with the Bogards. For Marie, this was due more for her love of Geese, and while the stooges had that too, they also breathed a sigh of relief for another reason. This meant that it was likely the Bogards and their friends wouldn't attack them anymore. Terry especially.
Geese and Jeff just looked at each other, and everyone could tell that there was a lot of tension between them. They just looked at each other for five minutes, then Jeff nodded and smiled. Geese smiled back.
Marie invited Jeff to stay with them until he could get back up on his feet, and with some cajoling from Marie and Rock, he relented. Naturally, Akiko was welcome too for however long she was staying.
***
(1) Jack Stalk used a similar joke in one of his fics, but I forget which one.
(2) Gregg Sharp, Mark Latus, Jared Ornstead and several other writers used similar concepts to explain alternate universes in their fics. In that sense, much of what Akiko's job is will seem similar to the 'Labors of Grey' written by Gregg Sharp and Jared Ornstead.
***
After dinner, Geese took Jeff with him for a private talk. They went up to Geese's office on the top floor.
The men rode the elevator silently, and once in the privacy of Geese's inner sanctum, Jeff blurted out what was on his mind.
"When can I see my sons?" said Jeff.
"Andy's in Japan with his fiancee," Geese replied. "I told my secretary to send him a message along with two complimentary plane tickets for them. They might be here tommorrow or the day after at the latest. Depends on how often Andy checks his mail."
Jeff mused on Geese's words. His youngest son was getting married?
"As for Terry," Geese continued. "He should be here..."
Suddenly the intercom buzzed.
"That's him now," said Geese, reaching for the button.
"Mister Howard," his secretary said over the line. "Mister Bogard is at the front door."
"Let him in," Geese told her. "Tell him I'm in my office, and let no one try to start a fight with him. Tell him I'll be waiting."
"Yes sir."
***
Terry Bogard was psyching up for the upcoming battle as he made his way through the automatic doors of the building. The first few times he had been by, Geese locked them shut in his face but after the third time he broke the doors down with his fists, Geese decided it was better for his wallet just let him in.
Terry stomped his way to the elevator only to see Billy Kane standing outside. Billy saw him and RAN. For once he didn't have to fight the psycho, direct order from the boss, and he was glad.
Terry stood there for a moment confused. Billy usually just attacked with his favored weapon, the three part pole, and he, Terry, would kick his ass. At this point, it was practically routine. The only variance was how he would kick Billy's ass. This change in the routine confused him a bit.
Then he thought that Billy probably ran off to warn his boss, ignoring the fact that security picked him up the moment he got close to the front gate (bear with him, he's streetsmart but largely uneducated after all). Pushing the matter out of his mind, Terry got on the elevator and made his way to the top floor.
The elevator opened finally and Terry raced to Geese's office, where, as by now ritualized, he kicked down the door and screamed his usual battlecry.
"Geese!" screamed Terry. "You killed my...!"
Then he stopped at the person he saw standing next to Geese (who was wearing a business suit rather than his usual hakama).
"Father?" Terry's voice got weak.
"Terry!" Jeff dove and crushed his eldest boy in a bear hug, not noticing the shocked young man was rapidly turning purple. "Oh, son! It's good to see you again!"
"..." Terry couldn't answer. Not only had the unexpected reunion made him speechless, but also the fact that he couldn't breathe was a reason for his silence. Finally, he just fainted.
"Son?" Jeff shook him in his arms to get a reaction, finally slacking his grip. "You alright?"
"Air," Terry gasped out, barely conscious. "Sweet, life giving oxygen! I'll never take breathing for granted again!"
"Oops," Jeff ooped. Geese just laughed at their antics.
***
Obviously Terry was thinking that Geese had come up with some new trick. Jeff asked for privacy and was led to an adjoining lounge to Geese's "encounter room" as he liked to put it, since this was where Geese and Terry usually fought while in the building. Terry was soon crying like a big baby in his father's arms, though still somewhat suspicious of Geese. Three hours later, they went home to Terry's apartment where the whole tale was told between father and son.
"Is it over?" asked Billy as he entered Geese's office, where his boss was.
"Yes," Geese replied. "I'm going home. Close up for the night, would you?"
"Sure thing boss," Billy replied. He went to do just that.
***
Andy was grumbling as he arrived the next day in southtown with Mai Shiranui in tow. Geese's secretary had wisely used Terry's name on the telegram sent to Andy not to arouse suspicion, then told Jeff where he was supposed to meet his youngest son. Eastside park was looking lively that day.
"What the hell is so important that I'm supposed to drop everything to come straight away?" Andy told Mai.
"Oh lighten up," Mai told him. "Terry wouldn't have sent for us if it wasn't important."
"I'm glad you realize that," said a voice to the side. Andy inclined his head to see for himself. The voice was so hauntingly familiar it sent chills up and down his spine.
"D... d..." Andy's jaw dropped when he saw Terry with Jeff. Then he fainted.
"Andy!" Mai shouted. She checked his pulse then his breathing and once more jumped to a conclusion.
"Waah!" Mai cried. "Andy's having a stroke! I'm a widow before I'm even married!"
"Are they always like this?" Jeff asked with a sweatdrop on his head.
"Yes," Terry replied. "You'll get used to it."
***
Pretty soon, the entire gang was at Terry's bachelor pad. This included the ones in the park, along with Mary Ryan and Joe Higashi, who were called in for explanations. Considering that the place had three rooms tops (which were: bathroom aka gas-chamber, kitchen, and small living space with a couch bed and a TV) they were skimped for space. Soon explanations were dealt with for Jeff's miraculous return, though there were plenty of questions.
"You mean Geese didn't kill you at all?" Mary asked.
Jeff nodded.
'But he still killed Butch,' Mary thought, but didn't say aloud.(3)
***
(3) Please remember that this is after Real Bout Fatal Fury, King of Fighters 97 and Fatal Fury 3. The year is 1998 and the events of the previous games occurred with some changes, notably the ending of Real Bout Fatal Fury as shown in the earlier work 'Redemption'.
***
"Geese?"
"Hmm?"
"What about Mary Ryan?" asked Marie Howard. She and her husband were about to go to bed when the strange thought entered her head out of the blue.
"What do you mean?" asked Geese slightly puzzled.
"Well, you're making up with the Bogards. The Sakazakis don't really hate your guts as much. Their grudge is against Mister Big anyway. You and Wolfgang are acting like real brothers now. Master Tung is dead so he's out of the picture..."
"But Mary still blames me for what happened to Butch," Geese finished. "You're right, but I don't know how she'll take the truth about it. It could destroy her."
"Or set her free," Marie finished. "It depends on if she believes it or not. But I still think it's better to let her know and give her the chance to lay his ghost to rest rather than having her carry such a burden all the time. Plus, it might help drive her further into Terry's arms, and that would greatly benefit both of them. They deserve each other, especially after all the tragedy they've had to deal with."
"Maybe you're right," Geese conceded. "But I'll deal with it in the morning. Good night."
"Good night"
***
Morning broke far too quickly for Geese's liking. Still, he was up and about at his usual hour, and well on his way to work. He was a man on a mission.
Jeff had gotten settled in back to his home, which Geese had painstakingly reacquired for him as an apology. It was surprisingly intact, and just the way he left it as if the years had not intruded, leading him to suspect that a certain redhead was involved. She always seemed to be when something strange occurred lately.
***
Author's Notes
I received requests to continue this fanfic, but couldn't think of how to do it. Then I read Ramza Lionheart's Geese Howard stories again and thought of how I could also use the time travel to save Jeff Bogard angle, but with a twist that's entirely my own. The result is what you see before you. I sincerely hoped I got the details right, it's been a while since I saw Fatal Fury The Motion Picture. Oh, and Marie Heinlein Howard being a chess player was my idea. If there is anyone else who thought of this idea, I never heard of them before I wrote this story. That part with the video game, well, I like to play Geese a lot in Capcom versus SNK (both 1 and 2). He's much easier to control on the playstation than in the arcade or the neo geo versions of any game in which he has appeared, and the version used for CvS is the best yet. In CvS 1, I just love toggling my options to have a full meter, then using Capcom groove, continuosly deploy the Deadly Rave. If my opponent figures out how to beat that, then I switch to Geese's projectiles or Jai Ken in the EX version. As always, timing is everything with countermoves. In CvS 2, I don't have the option to always used the SDM unless I buy it, so I stick to projectiles and Jai Ken, countering whenever possible.
A fanfic by Tsukino Kage Spectre based on "The King of Fighters", "Mark of the Wolves" and "Fatal Fury" by SNK with cameos from various other series belonging to their respective owners.
***
Note: This is a sequel to Redemption, my earlier work, and will not make sense if you don't read that first.
***
Little Terry Bogard, just turned eleven, watched as his father fought with Geese Howard, the man he once called friend. His brother Andy, one year his junior, was in too much shock to move as he saw Jeff Bogard took a pummeling. In horror, he saw the wave of energy moving towards Jeff, seeming to get larger and larger as it drew near and Geese poured more energy into it. As it finally reached Jeff, the intensity of the wave was so great that it totally engulfed him, the bright, white energy spreading all over as Geese laughed maniacally.
When the light cleared, there was no sign of Jeff Bogard. Little Terry and Andy wept, thinking of how their father had just been disintegrated.
***
Fifteen years after that incident, twin screams broke the silence of the night. In their separate homes, one in Southtown, the other at a certain dojo in Japan, the Bogard brothers awoke to mutual, remembered pain. What is perhaps the true irony of the situation, though, was that a THIRD scream had joined in their cacophany this night, having also shared the same dream/memory. This time though, he was seeing it in a different light.
Geese Howard, along with the Bogards, often dreamt of those same events which forever altered three lives at the ending of one. Unlike the brothers who thought of it as a nightmare, Geese had once looked upon the events with pride and satisfaction, thinking highly of how he got his 'revenge' against Jeff. This time though, the first time he dreamt of Jeff since having reunited with his family, he couldn't help but feel that that was the worst mistake he'd ever made in his life.
When he had lashed out at Jeff all those years ago, he had done so out of anger. Anger that he had been passed over for such a pathetic weenie to become Tung Fu Rue's heir. The same anger that had driven a wedge between him and Krauser when their bastard of a father turned his back on his mother and himself. It was that anger that drove his wife away the first time.
The anger that earned him the undying hatred of the Bogards, the greatest bane of his life. Sighing, Geese carefully got up. This night, he wsa sleeping alone since his wife was out of town. Marie had gone to participate in a chess tournament in England and she took little Rock with her. She had called earlier to say that she was coming back tommorrow morning to Southtown.
Geese thought back on Jeff. He had killed him out of anger, and that act had irrevocably set him down the dark path for the years that followed until Marie came into his life. Then, he was thinking of how his father abandoned him, and how he did not want such a thing to repeat as Tung Fu Rue abandoned him as well. In his anger and haste, he had made the Bogard brothers orphans. Truly, his anger was a terrifying thing.
It was only now, when age had cooled his temper, did he look back and see what a fool he was to act in the heat of anger. He truly wished that he could still fix this mess, but what's done is done.
"Is that what you really want?" inquired a soft, feminine voice.
Geese whirled around at the sound, but recognized the person by the voice alone. How could he forget this girl after all?
As he came face to face with Akiko Tsukino in all her heavenly attire, Geese smiled sadly. "Somehow, I'm not surprised. You always seem to turn up when I dwell the most on my regrets. The best part of course, is that you've always managed to help me overcome them."
"Hello to you too Sensei," Akiko laughed, sounding like little bells. "And yes, you're right. You are being given a second chance to do this right. The past is the past though, and you must not change it, but it doesn't mean that you can't change the present or the future."
"What do you mean?" Geese asked confused.
"You'll see," Akiko smirked at him as she turned to sparkling motes of light and vanished. Shrugging, Geese went back to bed, thinking of puzzling it out tommorrow.
***
Geese felt a pain on his back, and instantly, he awoke. What he did find was shocking. He wasn't in his room, but rather in what looked like a rather cheap apartment or hotel room.
"What the hell?" Geese looked around for anything to indicate his whereabouts, and his eyes fell upon a newspaper. He looked at the headline, then the date and his eyes bugged out.
"This can't be right!" Geese exclaimed. "This paper is dated the day I killed Jeff!"
Soft giggling came behind him and he turned to see Akiko materializing in dust motes of light, her usual method of travel it seemed.
"Good morning Geese," Akiko greeted him with a smile.
"Akiko! Whats going on?" Geese asked her.
"Remember last night?" Akiko inquired.
"You mean..." Geese couldn't continue the thought as he sank back to sit on the bed.
"Yes indeed," Akiko told him. "This is the day that Jeff Bogard was supposed to die. You get to do it all over again Geese, and this time you can do it right."
"I-I," Geese stammered. Then he perked up. "I can change it? I can make it so Jeff didn't die?"
"Yes and no," Akiko mysteriously replied. "There are limits to what you can do."
"What do you mean?" Geese replied. "What's wrong?"
"Well," Akiko began. "First of all, you must not be recognized as Geese Howard in this time, since there's already another of you running about."
Geese nodded at that. It made a certain sort of sense.
"Second," Akiko continued. "You can't contact your previous self and tell him anything about the future. In fact, you can't tell anyone else for that matter."
Geese just nodded again absorbing all this.
"The only exceptions to the first two rules are Tung Fu Rue and Jeff Bogard himself, but you can't tell them until after you saved Jeff's life," Akiko continued on. "Also, you can't be allowed to change any other event other than Bogard's death. That means that you don't mess with anything else, no matter how tempted you are."
Geese thought about that. It was pretty much what he expected really. Geese was not stupid. He realized that anyone mucking about with time could unleash a disaster unwittingly. The forces of heaven meant to give him this opportunity for a quick in and out job, and only that. He could deal with it.
"Finally," Akiko summed up. "Terry and Andy must become as they were, so that if you do save Jeff, you have to make it look like he still died and then make him disappear until your present time."
"How the heck do I do that?" Geese exclaimed.
"Leave that to me," Akiko assured him. "I'll simply transport you both back to the present at a signal to ensure that Bogard disappears to leave Terry and Andy. It might seem cruel to both of them, but the world is a better place if they grow up as they did anyway. You simply have to arrange it that Bogard will appear to be dead."
Geese's mind went on a whirl, thinking of plans on how to do just that.
"Anyway, I've got to go," Akiko said. "Just call if you need me."
With a goodbye from Geese, Akiko disappeared once more to leave the older man to his plotting.
That was of course, when the clock signalled the time: 10:00 AM. With a start, Geese realized that he had until noon, a mere two hours away, to keep Jeff alive. It figures he'd have to rush things.
Rushing, Geese put on his day clothes, which he found in the closet, and rushed out of the room to the lobby, practically flying down the stairs. He paused at the front door.
"Hey pal," he asked the doorman. "You know how to get to Eastside Park? I'm in a hurry."
"Sure," the doorman told him. "But it's a long walk. You're on the other side of town. You can take the bus at the corner, or do you want me to call a cab?"
Checking his wallet, Geese was relieved to find that it was full of money from this era, the same amount he had back in his own time in fact. He put the mystery out of his mind and told the man to flag a ride for him.
Minutes later, Geese was in the back of a taxi headed for his rendezvous with destiny. With the car speeding away on the busy streets, he should arrive just in time if he was lucky.
Five minutes to the deadline, Geese had made and discarded five plans. That was unfortunate, as he had arrived at his destination at last and was out of time. He paid and got out of the car, rushing quickly to the exact spot he was supposed to go to.
He was just in time to see his younger self about to throw a lethal version of the Reppuken at an injured Jeff.
Reacting quickly, for once taking action without thought, he jumped for Jeff. He landed just in front of him, and immediately turned towards the danger.
This didn't, of course, solve the problem of imminent death heading their way. Thinking faster, and reacting faster than the eye can see, he jumped Jeff and tried covering his body with his own.
And that was when the world faded out in great flashes of white, and a sickly sensation came over him and Jeff, causing both to blank out. Geese's last thoughts before he lost consciousness was a silent prayer to God that he had not screwed this up.
***
The world swam back into focus. Geese looked around and found himself in familiar surroundings, though he could not yet identify which it was exactly. He felt hands grabbing hold of his left arm and haul him up.
"On your feet!" a familiar cheery voice gushed at him. Looking up, Geese saw Akiko smiling at him.
"What..." Geese was still somewhat incoherent when he looked around to find himself in his office. He turned behind himself to see Jeff Bogard unconscious behind him. Quickly looking at the calendar on the wall, he noted the date. "We're back?"
"Yup!" Akiko replied. "That was most impressive Geese. A truly self-less act. Throwing yourself in front of someone as a lethal bolt of energy was racing towards them... well, that's truly heroic."
"Please don't talk about that!" Geese replied to her, mortified. "It'll ruin my reputation."
"Don't worry," Akiko snickered. "Nobody will know of this from me. But you should really savor this well Geese. Not everyone gets a second chance. Of course, that's because most everyone would have just screwed it up anyway. For now though, aren't you forgetting something?"
Geese felt a cold dread. Looking at his watch, he suddenly remembered. "The plane! Marie!"
A quick check revealed that he was presentable, and Geese made a quick beeline for the door. He turned the knob and stepped out, then suddenly turned back to Akiko.
"Could you...?" Geese indicated the still prone Bogard with his eyes.
"Don't worry," Akiko promised. "I'll take care of him."
"Thanks a lot," Geese told her. "For everything."
And he was gone like the wind.
***
Jeff awoke a while later to see the face of a very beautiful redhead who was smiling down upon him.
"You're awake," chirped the girl. The way the light in the room played around her face made it seem like she had a halo around her head. "Good, it's about time."
"Is this heaven?" Jeff asked her, as he groggily got up. "It must be if I'm talking to an angel."
Akiko laughed. "Flattery will get you nowhere. You're actually in Geese Howard's office. I'm Akiko Tsukino, and I already know who you are Mr. Bogard."
"A pleasure," Jeff answered warmly. "Wait, didn't Geese try to kill me?"
"You better sit down," Akiko told him. "It's a long story."
***
Akiko spent the better part of the day rehashing the events that led up to the here and now, including her true nature. Jeff was astonished to say the least, knowing that he was in, what in his perception, was the future. He demanded proof, and Akiko simply turned on the computer and showed him the internet. When that failed to convince him, she grabbed him by the waist and jumped through the plate glass window covering one wall of the office.
Jeff screamed like a little girl as they plummeted to their deaths.
"Now I know where Andy got that scream," Akiko snickered as she summoned her wings and they soared up into the air.
Once realizing that they were going UP instead of DOWN, Jeff looked up at Akiko in astonishment.
"Convinced?" Akiko asked him. Jeff could only nod dumbly.
Akiko flew them back into the office and once inside, repaired the window with a wave of her hand. The glass pieces simply flew up and came together again, returned to their unbroken state.
"Why?" Jeff could only ask once he found his voice again. "Why must I be here? For what possible reason must I have been seperated from my family for over a decade?"
"Because champions were needed by the times," Akiko explained patiently. "Your sons were needed, but unless you were out of the picture, they wouldn't become the heroes needed by destiny. Your loss toughened them up and the years of growing up in adversity made them into what they are now. Personally, I didn't like it either, but I don't have the power to change it. Only the Almighty does, and he won't do it. He's the one who ordered it to be this way to begin with. And the time travel is a one time deal. None of us are doing that again unless he lets us."
"Then there's the matter of Geese," Akiko continued. "He may indeed regret a lot of things he did wrong, but he did do some good as the 'King of Southtown'. If Mr. Big was still running this town, things would be a lot worse. There's also that bastard Yamazaki. Geese was the only one who could keep him in line. If it wasn't for Geese, Yamazaki would have gone raping and killing all over town. Then there's the people he helped out, like Ripper, Billy, Hopper and all the others, indirectly or directly. Lily wouldn't be going to school if it wasn't for Geese. Whether he acknoledges it or not, Geese is actually important to the world. For all his sins, he did make the world a better place. He may have tried to kill you and that lead him to a dark path, but in so doing, he ended up actually making things somewhat better. Funny how fate plays out, huh?"
"Yeah funny," Jeff said dejected.
"Cheer up," Akiko told him. "So what if your eldest son is now the same age you are? You get a second chance with them and life in general. That's better than the alternative. God could have simply left you dead."
Jeff nodded. She did have a point, but it didn't salve the fact of why he really felt pathetic.
"It's not that," Jeff replied. "It's just... God didn't trust me to raise my own sons. Am I that horrible a father?"
Akiko laughed. "No, you're a good father, and that's the point. You would have pampered them too much and not be able to properly train them for their destinies because of this fact. Don't worry about it. What this is all about, after all is you getting a second chance."
Jeff smiled at last. That one left him slightly mollified, though his smile was still strained.
Akiko noticed but ignored it for now. He'd come around eventually.
***
Geese came back to his home after only a couple of hours to hear shouts from Akiko and Jeff in the living room. The nature of which was somewhat disturbing.
"I'm going to kick your butt again Bogard! Deadly Rave!" Akiko shouted.
"Damn!" Jeff cursed. "I'm done for!"
Geese raced in, then facefaulted when he saw that both were only playing a video game (1).
"Hey Geese, you all right? That looked like a nasty fall," that was Akiko, turning to Geese.
Geese lifted his face from the ground to see Akiko and Jeff gazing worriedly at him. Then his eyes fixed on the TV and he got to his feet with a little help from Akiko. On the screen was a character taking a victory pose. The thing is, it was one he recognized. Indeed, the character with the short blonde hair in a fighting outfit reminiscent of his own, was taking one of his favorite win poses.
"Akiko-oneechan!" Eight year old Rock Howard practically dove into the redhead's arms.
"Welcome back!" Marie Howard added her own greeting and hug to that of her son.
"It's good to you all too," Akiko smiled warmly.
Geese saw a CD case by the game console. Picking it up, he looked at the title, "Capcom versus SNK 2".
"Where'd you get this?" Geese asked Akiko.
"To be perfectly honest," Akiko replied. "I got it as a sovenier on one mission for the almighty to another dimension, along with most of the games made by those companies. Notice anything about them?"
"I'll say," Geese replied. "That guy on the screen seems to be a video game version of me!"
"That's right," Akiko told him. "Shocked me too when I first saw it. Apparently, the events on one timeline can become the fictional material in another. (2) It really screwed up my sense of reality when I found out that our universe is a series of manga, anime, and video games in several other worlds, while our own fiction can be reality in several others."
"That's deeply disturbing," Geese said quietly.
"No kidding," Marie replied. She, Rock and Jeff had been listening in.
"I think I'm numb to it already, given all the shocks I've had today," said Jeff.
Billy, Ripper, and Hopper entered, loaded down with bags stacked one on top of the other, all the way up to their chins.
Akiko took that as a cue, and introductions were made all round, followed by explanations for the strange fact that the long deceased Jeff Bogard was now very much alive again. Marie and the stooges were a little shocked to say the least. Still, they were silently proud of Geese for finally thinking of making up with the Bogards. For Marie, this was due more for her love of Geese, and while the stooges had that too, they also breathed a sigh of relief for another reason. This meant that it was likely the Bogards and their friends wouldn't attack them anymore. Terry especially.
Geese and Jeff just looked at each other, and everyone could tell that there was a lot of tension between them. They just looked at each other for five minutes, then Jeff nodded and smiled. Geese smiled back.
Marie invited Jeff to stay with them until he could get back up on his feet, and with some cajoling from Marie and Rock, he relented. Naturally, Akiko was welcome too for however long she was staying.
***
(1) Jack Stalk used a similar joke in one of his fics, but I forget which one.
(2) Gregg Sharp, Mark Latus, Jared Ornstead and several other writers used similar concepts to explain alternate universes in their fics. In that sense, much of what Akiko's job is will seem similar to the 'Labors of Grey' written by Gregg Sharp and Jared Ornstead.
***
After dinner, Geese took Jeff with him for a private talk. They went up to Geese's office on the top floor.
The men rode the elevator silently, and once in the privacy of Geese's inner sanctum, Jeff blurted out what was on his mind.
"When can I see my sons?" said Jeff.
"Andy's in Japan with his fiancee," Geese replied. "I told my secretary to send him a message along with two complimentary plane tickets for them. They might be here tommorrow or the day after at the latest. Depends on how often Andy checks his mail."
Jeff mused on Geese's words. His youngest son was getting married?
"As for Terry," Geese continued. "He should be here..."
Suddenly the intercom buzzed.
"That's him now," said Geese, reaching for the button.
"Mister Howard," his secretary said over the line. "Mister Bogard is at the front door."
"Let him in," Geese told her. "Tell him I'm in my office, and let no one try to start a fight with him. Tell him I'll be waiting."
"Yes sir."
***
Terry Bogard was psyching up for the upcoming battle as he made his way through the automatic doors of the building. The first few times he had been by, Geese locked them shut in his face but after the third time he broke the doors down with his fists, Geese decided it was better for his wallet just let him in.
Terry stomped his way to the elevator only to see Billy Kane standing outside. Billy saw him and RAN. For once he didn't have to fight the psycho, direct order from the boss, and he was glad.
Terry stood there for a moment confused. Billy usually just attacked with his favored weapon, the three part pole, and he, Terry, would kick his ass. At this point, it was practically routine. The only variance was how he would kick Billy's ass. This change in the routine confused him a bit.
Then he thought that Billy probably ran off to warn his boss, ignoring the fact that security picked him up the moment he got close to the front gate (bear with him, he's streetsmart but largely uneducated after all). Pushing the matter out of his mind, Terry got on the elevator and made his way to the top floor.
The elevator opened finally and Terry raced to Geese's office, where, as by now ritualized, he kicked down the door and screamed his usual battlecry.
"Geese!" screamed Terry. "You killed my...!"
Then he stopped at the person he saw standing next to Geese (who was wearing a business suit rather than his usual hakama).
"Father?" Terry's voice got weak.
"Terry!" Jeff dove and crushed his eldest boy in a bear hug, not noticing the shocked young man was rapidly turning purple. "Oh, son! It's good to see you again!"
"..." Terry couldn't answer. Not only had the unexpected reunion made him speechless, but also the fact that he couldn't breathe was a reason for his silence. Finally, he just fainted.
"Son?" Jeff shook him in his arms to get a reaction, finally slacking his grip. "You alright?"
"Air," Terry gasped out, barely conscious. "Sweet, life giving oxygen! I'll never take breathing for granted again!"
"Oops," Jeff ooped. Geese just laughed at their antics.
***
Obviously Terry was thinking that Geese had come up with some new trick. Jeff asked for privacy and was led to an adjoining lounge to Geese's "encounter room" as he liked to put it, since this was where Geese and Terry usually fought while in the building. Terry was soon crying like a big baby in his father's arms, though still somewhat suspicious of Geese. Three hours later, they went home to Terry's apartment where the whole tale was told between father and son.
"Is it over?" asked Billy as he entered Geese's office, where his boss was.
"Yes," Geese replied. "I'm going home. Close up for the night, would you?"
"Sure thing boss," Billy replied. He went to do just that.
***
Andy was grumbling as he arrived the next day in southtown with Mai Shiranui in tow. Geese's secretary had wisely used Terry's name on the telegram sent to Andy not to arouse suspicion, then told Jeff where he was supposed to meet his youngest son. Eastside park was looking lively that day.
"What the hell is so important that I'm supposed to drop everything to come straight away?" Andy told Mai.
"Oh lighten up," Mai told him. "Terry wouldn't have sent for us if it wasn't important."
"I'm glad you realize that," said a voice to the side. Andy inclined his head to see for himself. The voice was so hauntingly familiar it sent chills up and down his spine.
"D... d..." Andy's jaw dropped when he saw Terry with Jeff. Then he fainted.
"Andy!" Mai shouted. She checked his pulse then his breathing and once more jumped to a conclusion.
"Waah!" Mai cried. "Andy's having a stroke! I'm a widow before I'm even married!"
"Are they always like this?" Jeff asked with a sweatdrop on his head.
"Yes," Terry replied. "You'll get used to it."
***
Pretty soon, the entire gang was at Terry's bachelor pad. This included the ones in the park, along with Mary Ryan and Joe Higashi, who were called in for explanations. Considering that the place had three rooms tops (which were: bathroom aka gas-chamber, kitchen, and small living space with a couch bed and a TV) they were skimped for space. Soon explanations were dealt with for Jeff's miraculous return, though there were plenty of questions.
"You mean Geese didn't kill you at all?" Mary asked.
Jeff nodded.
'But he still killed Butch,' Mary thought, but didn't say aloud.(3)
***
(3) Please remember that this is after Real Bout Fatal Fury, King of Fighters 97 and Fatal Fury 3. The year is 1998 and the events of the previous games occurred with some changes, notably the ending of Real Bout Fatal Fury as shown in the earlier work 'Redemption'.
***
"Geese?"
"Hmm?"
"What about Mary Ryan?" asked Marie Howard. She and her husband were about to go to bed when the strange thought entered her head out of the blue.
"What do you mean?" asked Geese slightly puzzled.
"Well, you're making up with the Bogards. The Sakazakis don't really hate your guts as much. Their grudge is against Mister Big anyway. You and Wolfgang are acting like real brothers now. Master Tung is dead so he's out of the picture..."
"But Mary still blames me for what happened to Butch," Geese finished. "You're right, but I don't know how she'll take the truth about it. It could destroy her."
"Or set her free," Marie finished. "It depends on if she believes it or not. But I still think it's better to let her know and give her the chance to lay his ghost to rest rather than having her carry such a burden all the time. Plus, it might help drive her further into Terry's arms, and that would greatly benefit both of them. They deserve each other, especially after all the tragedy they've had to deal with."
"Maybe you're right," Geese conceded. "But I'll deal with it in the morning. Good night."
"Good night"
***
Morning broke far too quickly for Geese's liking. Still, he was up and about at his usual hour, and well on his way to work. He was a man on a mission.
Jeff had gotten settled in back to his home, which Geese had painstakingly reacquired for him as an apology. It was surprisingly intact, and just the way he left it as if the years had not intruded, leading him to suspect that a certain redhead was involved. She always seemed to be when something strange occurred lately.
***
Author's Notes
I received requests to continue this fanfic, but couldn't think of how to do it. Then I read Ramza Lionheart's Geese Howard stories again and thought of how I could also use the time travel to save Jeff Bogard angle, but with a twist that's entirely my own. The result is what you see before you. I sincerely hoped I got the details right, it's been a while since I saw Fatal Fury The Motion Picture. Oh, and Marie Heinlein Howard being a chess player was my idea. If there is anyone else who thought of this idea, I never heard of them before I wrote this story. That part with the video game, well, I like to play Geese a lot in Capcom versus SNK (both 1 and 2). He's much easier to control on the playstation than in the arcade or the neo geo versions of any game in which he has appeared, and the version used for CvS is the best yet. In CvS 1, I just love toggling my options to have a full meter, then using Capcom groove, continuosly deploy the Deadly Rave. If my opponent figures out how to beat that, then I switch to Geese's projectiles or Jai Ken in the EX version. As always, timing is everything with countermoves. In CvS 2, I don't have the option to always used the SDM unless I buy it, so I stick to projectiles and Jai Ken, countering whenever possible.