Fatal Fury Fan Fiction / Vampire Hunter (Darkstalkers) Fan Fiction ❯ Caution Slippery When Wet ❯ Caution Slippery When Wet 2 ( Chapter 2 )

"Oh my god, Hiei did ANOTHER one?"

Yes I know this was supposed to be a pointless lemon from a guy who does plot heavy, serious drama's that happen to have lots of fights and an even greater amount of sex in them.

It isn't.

It has story, character development, and plot (okay it's a far fetched plot, wah). If this is not what you want, either skim through to the sex, or just go away. If you want to know why it has all of the above elements, the answer is simple. It has Mai in it. I like Mai. Mai gets a story if she gets molested.

Ongoing Japanese to English dictionary:

Yosha: Broken down: Yosh All purpose cheer, equivalent to "All right" the "a" is like adding and exclamation point or two.

Atashi: Me (feminine)

Onegai: Please. Usually as in "Please give me"

Chodai: Give me

Okashite: Rape or fuck me.

Naka ni: Inside

Hai aku: Hurry/Faster

Yoroshi ku/Yoroshi konno gashi masu: Pleased to meet you, the second form is more polite and formal

Hajime mashi te: Another greeting used for introductions, usually in response to someone saying Yoroshi ku.

Part One:

Edo, 1592

The gates of the temple were tall, ornate with runes, carvings of dragons and flame, embossed with expensive black and gold lacquer, and most of all, thick. The hardwood door was edged and wrapped with good quality steel, and though invisible when closed, bars of more metal ran through the door as well. Two high towers mounted the tall gates, all carved to impress an observer with their strength. The six guards (three on either side, dressed in plain white cotton shirts and black pants) wearing shiny lamellar breastplates, brightly polished helms, and armed with evil looking naginata (a five foot staff with a three foot blade at the end) seemed to be nearly superfluous, it would take a full fledged army to break through the main door when it was closed.

The servants' entrance on the other side of the castle wasn't quite as impressive in build, however it did have the advantage of being built without any means of access save for a single narrow bamboo and wood walkway that could only be extended from the castle.

There were also only two guards on the street side of the walkway, and two more were napping in the archway of the servant's access.

The killer looked at both methods of entry carefully for some time. He was experienced in this type of action; killing, it was who he was, what he was good at. And never once did he regret this choice. Chewing thoughtfully on a rice ball the killer thought for a few moments more before finishing his snack, opening his crimson umbrella and sliding his katana in his black obi (belt). With those actions complete he walked directly toward the front gate.

After all, he was Kibagami Genjuro. Nothing stood in his way, nothing lasting anyway.

****

The robed figure limped awkwardly past where the crimson haired man had recently sat, and continued her inelegant journey toward the two guards positioned lazily at the end of the causeway. They didn't see the shabbily dressed woman until she was scant feet from them, and then they took notice of her only to laugh. The woman bowed on her knees repeatedly at the two men.

"Please noble sirs, take pity on a poor beggar girl, she has no food, no coin, and no family, this unworthy one beseeches that you bequeath some meager leavings to this lowly one." The two men laughed loudly. The very idea! Giving food to beggars was the action of priests, not warriors! One stepped forward, snatching back the woman's hood so that he could properly curse and spit at her.

He stopped. He stared, for quite some time. Eventually the other guard also walked forward to find out what was so interesting. His reaction was identical.

The reason for this was simple; the woman was beautiful, shockingly beautiful, like a painting of Kwanon (goddess of fertility and mercy). She was dirty that was for sure, but underneath the grime lay smooth, pale skin, wide, dark, innocent eyes, and curves that even her stooped posture and loose robes could not conceal.

Still the two never questioned why she was a beggar, to be so young and yet so lame was the sign of a birth deformity, a family curse, or disfavor from the gods obviously. So the two men merely nodded to each other, and never thought twice of their plan to lure the young woman into the kitchen, use her for their pleasure, kill her, and deposit the body with the rest of the garbage.

The first man smiled widely into the innocent gaze of the girl. "Sure, sure, we got some nice food for you inside."

The second also nodded smiling with a predatory leer that was unrecognized by the young woman. She nodded exuberantly, and limped after the first guard as he walked across the moat and cuffed one of the sleeping men in the doorway. The second man followed, trying to hide his smile and failing.

"Hey! Wake up, it's our turn to rest!" growled the first guard. The pair in the doorway looked at him, the innocent eyed girl, then shook their heads.

"Save some for us." One said quietly.

"Yeah, while she's still breathing this time." Muttered the second.

The trio passed through the narrow hallway and down a set of stone steps into the basement underneath the kitchen. The place was currently unpopulated, sound wouldn't carry, and the two men could do whatever they liked and not get interrupted. In short it was the perfect place for some sudden violence.

Unluckily for the two guards they weren't the only ones who thought this.

The first man was almost turned all the way around when the blade caught him in the throat, puncturing the trachea, severing the spinal cord, and all angled so most of the blood flowed into the windpipe. Even as he slumped nerveless to be caught by an arm still covered in brown robe the guard caught site of a flash of red cloth under the loose brown robe, then he was slammed to the wall and slowly let down, joining the second who was already laying there, a neat slash across his throat as well.

Removing the dirty robe, then using a clean cloth to wipe her face with, Taki stood and pulled her half mask over her nose. The kunoichi wore a red silk body suit covering her from toes to her extremely well formed breasts. The suit was cut to reveal the tops of her bosom, wrapping around to her toned back and then down her attractively muscled body. On her shoulders the ninja girl wore metal armor, forged to resemble the mouths of monsters, both of which covered her upper arms and were mounted on leather backing that was strapped to her back and studded with squares of steel. The leather was held together in the front by a clasp of some unknown metal etched with ancient Shinto protection writing. Under that was a mask and skintight cowl the same shade as the rest of her outfit. The shinobi woman wore gloves the same color and material as her bodysuit, with a steel forearm guard on her left arm. Her shins and calves were armored with metal greaves, ornately inscribed with runes of protection. Taki's silken hair was the color of a raven's wing, tied into a tail off the back of her head, her bangs cut short so as not to interfere with her vision, and effectively highlighting her already beautiful features.

She flicked the blood from Mekki-maru; the kodachi forged from the remains of the first Soul Edge, and then sheathed it at the base of her spine. Studying the area the kunoichi nodded, and then started off down the hall, a demon was here. It was wearing the skin of a fallen priest, and had corrupted this once holy site with its foul presence and the worst kind of sacrifices.

Her eyes narrowing into ebony slits the kunoichi moved her right hand to Rekki-maru, her trusted ninja-ken, and reflexively gripped and relaxed around the familiar hilt. All who stood in her way were now merely objects to be removed. She had evil to destroy.

****

"Hey, what's with this guy?" Said Tatsuma to Shinjo, captain of the guard watch. The officer looked up and saw a man walking casually toward the group of soldiers. One arm was tucked inside his crimson shirt while the other protruded from the center the top to hold a wide umbrella. The man had long crimson hair, done into a topknot that flowed down his back. His gait was smooth and easy, yet menacing, like a tiger walking toward a cornered deer. His black hakema (the loose pants worn by aikido and kendo students) showed signs of wear, but were also obviously finely made. His only weapon seemed to be a katana, its finely polished black sheath resting in his midnight obi.

The expression on the man's face however was what truly set the nerves of the door guard on edge. It was an unpleasant mix of maniac grin, and cold amusement. The expression was also quite obviously directed at them.

The crimson haired man walked directly up to Shinjo, stopping only about two feet away. Something in this man's eyes told the guard officer that he was in trouble.

The guards formed a circle around the swordsman, lowering their naginata in readiness. The powerfully built man smiled widely at them, then closed and dropped his umbrella.

"What a warm welcome." He said quietly, looking at the gate to the temple. "Such an accommodating target. The priest even gave me some lackeys to warm up on."

Shinjo's eyes widened and he raised his weapon in preparation to strike at the crimson haired man. However when the huge man locked his gaze with the guard officer's, all strength fled the man. The warrior stepped his left leg forward, while simultaneously sliding his top from his shoulders, exposing powerful, defined muscles, and a huge, angry scar marring his back, reaching from of his left shoulder to his right hip. He pulled his sword from his belt slowly and deliberately, and unsheathed it equally calm. The sword came up held with both hands, the hilt equal with the killer's face, then, in a low, cold voice the man growled.

"I am Kibagami Genjuro. You will either run away, now, or you will die."

Much to the assassin's surprise two men's eyes widened at the sound of his name. Then they dropped their weapons, turned and ran. The remaining four yelled curses at them but quickly moved so that Kibagami was surrounded once more. There was moment of silence, not even the wind rustled the five figures.

"Attack!" Shinjo yelled. The other three yelled and moved forward simultaneously. One came with a straight thrust at the killer's bare back, the next an overhead slash, one aimed low at Kibagami's calf, while Shinjo slashed at his chest in a descending angle.

Ignoring the attacks coming from his back and sides Genjuro dashed forward, sliding out of the path of Shinjo's cut, and countering with a powerful downward slice. The guard, to his credit, actually got the haft of his naginata in the attacks path. Not that the two inch thick oak even slowed the razor edge of the katana powered by Kibagami Genjuro.

As Shinjo fell, nearly cleaved in two, the crimson haired man spun to his right on the same foot, raising his blade and swatting the naginata of the man on his back and right flank off to the side. Genjuro felt his ki swell up inside him, as the anger and bloodlust that burned in his blood always caught fire and exploded. He became a blur of motion, shooting along the haft of Tatsuma's pole, cleaving the man in two at the chest, spinning under the man's falling naginata, and coming up with a rising slash that opened up the man who had originally been at his back from hip to opposite shoulder.

Then Genjuro turned to face the last man, a near mad grin on his face as the two men behind fell, blood spraying in an arterial shower. The last guard's mouth opened and closed a few times, whether praying, cursing, or begging for mercy it wasn't clear.

And of no concern whatsoever to Kibagami Genjuro.

The assassin lashed out with his left hand and caught the other man's shoulder. The he drove his katana through the guard's stomach, ignoring the wood and metal lamellar armor. The crimson haired man laughed wickedly once. Then effortlessly threw the guard's corpse over the high wall of the temple.

Genjuro then began a slow, calm pace toward the gate of his target, the high priest of the temple. As he walked forward, the killer let his hate and ki rise and merge in a murderous powerful wave, blood red energy flaring up around his bare torso, licking off him like flames.

The assassin squared himself in front of the gate and raised his sword. With eyes on fire with homicidal glee Genjuro let everything he had detonate outward and slashed forward.

****

As the raven-haired kunoichi sprinted through the immense, ornate hallway of the lower temple she felt the entire place shake. As though someone had just attacked with a cannon. The shinobi woman paused, dashed into an archway and waited. Taki could hear the sounds of men yelling and there was a massive rush toward what sounded like the main gate.

Hmm, another force is attacking this place. She thought. How useful.

Just then four men ran by her concealed position. While they had no chance of noticing the ninja girl, and therefore posed no threat to her, Taki felt it best to aid her ally in thanks for their assistance, however unintentional it may have been. That and an old Chinese adage in war said to "Steal a gem in passing." In other words, targets of opportunity are not to be wasted. So she attacked.

Actually with Taki the action was more like the pounce of a tiger, all grace and fluid power. The kunoichi exploded out of the shadows, slamming Rekki-maru into the spine of the rearmost guard, punching through his armor effortlessly. Then she span, unsheathing Mekki-maru in blade-down-arm reverse grip, and slashing the next man in line across the back of the neck, severing his spine and paralyzing him instantly. Then guard after him had a faint inclination of something bad behind and actually managed to get turned halfway around when Taki brought her ninja-ken from behind her shoulder, across the junction of neck and shoulder, and simultaneously burying her kodachi in the unfortunate man's side.

The raven-haired woman then shoulder blocked the dying guard off her weapon and into the side of the last, a full samurai by his dress, complete with armored mask. The warrior stumbled, but managed to keep his footing and unsheathe his katana. And somehow he deflected her first spinning face level ninja-ken slash, and side stepped her follow up stab. His blade slashed down aiming directly for the shinobi's chest. Taki raised her blade like she was going to parry, then cross-stepped left to totally avoid the attack. Still the samurai showed skill and power; that was annoying, the longer she danced with him the greater chance she'd be discovered.

Time to get serious. The kunoichi hopped back, narrowly dodging a crosswise slash aimed at her stomach. Before her opponent could recover Taki lunged forward, slashing down with her left hand ninja-ken, predictably the samurai raised his katana to meet the blow, and there was a ring of steel on steel. Then Mekki-maru in her right hand slashed out, aimed at the warrior's side. Growling unrepeatable curses the samurai whipped his blade down, holding it vertically to intercept the slash. The masked warrior snapped the blade forward in a classic head aimed smash.

However the ninja girl was already spinning to her left, leaping and arcing her right foot up and over to crush into the side of the neck, perfectly aimed in between the warrior's helm and his shoulder armor. Even as he fell Taki caught him in the side with her enchanted kodachi, and before he could spin with the force of the blow she slammed her ninja-ken through his back armor mid-way down his torso, and pinned him to the floor.

And had to jump up in order to dodge a wild swing of the samurai's katana aimed at her legs.

What the hell?

The warrior was pushing himself off the floor, apparently ignoring the two feet of steel jammed through his spine. Taki's eyes narrowed as the samurai looked at her with red glowing eyes. With an inward sigh she realized that she, a demon huntress, should have expected this. The unearthly samurai came at her, attacking the woman with a series of powerful slashes and stabs. Taki deflected the first two with the steel bracer on her left arm, and then rolled sideways, dodging the rest.

The pony-tailed ninja girl narrowed her eyes. Fine, if it was going to be THAT way…

Sheathing her kodachi, Taki focused her power, and moved her arms in a shinobi kuji-in (energy gathering position). While she did so the samurai, still with the ninja-ken driven through his back charged, sword raised high in preparation for the kill. At the precise moment before the possessed warrior brought his weapon down Taki stepped forward, and caught the bottom of his hilt with her left hand. Even being stronger than her, with both arms over his head the warrior had no leverage and couldn't bring the weapon down.

"Jaki yo," (Evil be) Taki murmured, cocking her right hand back. "KIRAI" (Destroyed!)

A sphere of energy formed in the kunoichi's palm, which was subsequently crushed into the demon's face. Despite all rules of inertia to the contrary, the samurai flew back, across the wide hallway and finally impacting into a huge wooden support pillar. Before the devastated body could slide down the column Taki was upon it, driving Rekki-maru into the supernatural samurai's chest.

The samurai convulsed, a scream of agony no human could manage rent the air and a black shadow-like cloud erupted from the corpse. Taki raised two fingers in front of her beautiful face and chanted softly. The scream was cut off and the shade shrank down into itself and vanished.

Taki retrieved her blades from the empty husk.

So, this demon can transfer its essence into hosts. That makes it more powerful than I first thought. Mused the kunoichi. Then she heard footsteps, lots of them.

Time to go. And she was gone, a shadow in the night.

****

"SHI-NE!" Two men fell back spouting blood, nearly cut in half from the tremendous force behind the razor sharp katana. Another group charged from the side, yari (spears), and naginata again, not a true warrior among them.

"Weak fools!" I have no wish to dance with these weaklings. "Oukazan!

An immense purple hanafuda playing card erupted from the sword slash, crushing into the group, splintering wood and bone alike, crushing metal armor and the men underneath it. Kibagami Genjuro heard/felt people running behind him. More cowards, he thought. Attacking from behind, how typical.

The ronin spun and deflected four spears with one dominating swing of his blade, tangling the weapons with each other and halting the charge abruptly. Growling bestially Genjuro cleaved into the side of one guard, shouldered the dead man out of the way, and before the remainder could react, exploded into a flurry of nightmarishly strong katana slashes. Ten men died without having the time to scream.

As the crowd fell, their bodies spraying blood the crimson haired man closed his eyes, his back to the remaining guards. Of the fifty soldiers that gone to fight the killer in the courtyard when the assassin had blown through the huge reinforced gate, thirty lay dead or dying. Genjuro stopped for a moment, letting the peace that always followed the spilling of blood soothe him momentarily. Then he opened his eyes, and turned to face the remnants of the temple guard.

The huge man spread his legs into his battle stance, and raised his katana with one hand, holding it equal with his face, pointing across his body, blade facing upwards. Genjuro didn't even bother lifting his other arm to the hilt of his weapon. He merely faced the twenty heavily armed and armored men, waiting.

"Well?" He growled in a voice rough with hatred and threat. "Are you going to keep me waiting all day or are you going to die now?"

They outnumbered him twenty to one. So they did the most tactical thing men in their position could do. They ran, fast. Five guards were killed in the absolute stampede for the ruined gate.

"Yawai su giru." (Too weak.) Genjuro grumbled. Then he stood upright, and turned to face the doors of the lower temple. Covered in blood and gore the ronin assassin calmly walked toward them.

Minutes, and ten fanatic monks extremely messy bisection (half vertical half horizontal, Genjuro was fair) later the crimson haired warrior stood in front of the upper temple doors. The assassin stood in front of them for a moment, then sheathed his wiped clean sword, pushed with both hands, a small smile of amusement on his face as mentally prepared himself for another demonstration like what he had done at the temple gates.

Surprising the crimson haired man, the huge wooden doors opened easily. Genjuro walked in brashly, noticing the four hidden warriors behind the huge wood and metal support pillars that lined the immense hall, and patently ignoring them. In front of the assassin, dressed in the simple but richly made white robe and gold vestment of a Buddhist priest was his target. The man was tall, around six feet or so, and his shoulders were nearly as wide as Genjuro's own, with a cleanly shaven head and features that made his age undeterminable. The man stood on a raised dais, with the two warrior spirit god statues customary to these temples flanking him. The priest held a tall steel hexagonal cut staff, adorned with six (not the usual three Genjuro noted) metal rings.

The old man stood with his back to the doorway in which the crimson haired killer stood. Then the priest titled his head down slightly, gazing at the ronin through the corner of his eyes.

"You are the famed killer Kibagami Genjuro, are you not?"

The ronin strolled into the center of the room, oozing supreme confidence. "I am. You are the renowned priest, Tenshiro Sougetsu."

It was a statement.

"I am here to kill you, old man." The priest chuckled deep in his chest.

"Who would hire such a powerful ronin to come and destroy an old monk like me?" Asked Tenshiro, still not turning around. Genjuro laughed shortly.

"What does it matter, I have heard the tales of your great strength old man. Will you show me this fabled power of yours, or simply stand there and die?"

The priest finally turned around to face Genjuro. And to the killer's delight, radiated an intense battle aura.

"You are an uncouth, blasphemous, whelp to challenge me so. I, who have attained true enlightenment! I shall share my power with you foolish one, share it in this manner!"

And the priest snapped the staff forward, pointing the rings at Genjuro. The air itself rippled and distorted as a wave of energy leapt from the monk's weapon and rocketed toward the ronin. Kibagami Genjuro had enough time to smile manically, before iai-drawing his blade and laying the side of katana on his shoulder. He felt the wave of power impact into him, and roll around, the floor beneath him cracking and groaning with the impact.

Genjuro himself was not fazed.

Still grinning wildly the crimson haired man spun to his right, deflecting the immense six foot blade swung by a huge, fully armored samurai, then coming down and across to sink his weight into a massively powerful slash to the guardian's side. The assassin pivoted on his left, dodging another sentinel's katana stab without even looking at him. Genjuro folded his blade along the underside of his right arm and sank his weight backwards, skewering the armored man straight through his breastplate. The ronin pivoted again, leaving his sword impaled on the unfortunate man, and the throwing him off and into another katana wielding guard. The last warrior came at Genjuro with a katana in one hand and a wakizashi in the other.

Genjuro calmly deflected the barrage of his adversary, making sure that he only allowed the side of his blade to touch his opponent's weapon. Then the armored figure made a severe mistake, it drew back and swung both swords down a single powerful unit. Allowing the calculating ronin to step forward and spin around the samurai, dropping to almost one knee and then slashing up while pushing off with both legs. His katana caught the guard in the back perfectly lifting the man up and showering the floor with blood.

Ah, all in a neat pile, convenient, smirked Genjuro. The crimson haired man stood and turned back to the bald monk, who had surprisingly not moved.

"Trash. Not even counting as practice." The ronin spit at the old man. Tenshiro laughed at the assassin.

"Are you so sure? Look again!" Cautiously Genjuro glanced over his shoulder, then spun fully around, his eyes widening. The men he had killed were rising, slowly, but steadily. All four turned to face the assassin with nightmare-like glowing red eyes. Tenshiro's laugh was loud and long.

"You FOOL! My power is greater than your pitiful efforts could ever possibly imagine! My loyal servants will-"

"Be destroyed along with your evil!"

Descending from the ceiling like a shadow given a beautiful form, heart, and a perfect face Taki leapt in the center of the demon possessed warriors, her right arm cocked back and glowing. The kunoichi slammed her fist to the ground, and the floor around her erupted, sending the four armored figures flying. As they fell back down, the demon huntress crouched, and put a hand on both weapons her hands still alight with power. At seven feet above the ground Taki went airborne to meet her prey.

She became a crimson whirlwind, a blur of slashing blades and deadly powerful kicks. All four demons samurai flew in different directions slamming into the pillars and walls of the temple. Taki ran towards the largest one, hands on her blades again.

"Kibagami-san, the demon is yours, I will take care of these low ones." Genjuro's eyes narrowed, then he stole a glance at Tenshiro who was staring dumbfounded at the woman. He tossed his long crimson hair back and laughed once.

"Ha! A kunoichi, a ninja girl defeats your great servants. And she called you demon, are you? Show me your power!" The ronin half-roared half-laughed. The monk turned to face the mocking man with fury, and infernal power, making his eyes glow red.

"BE SILENT!" Bellowed the demon-possessed priest. The old 'man' leapt forward, and vanished. Genjuro snapped into his ready stance, feeling with his warrior instincts, then pivoting to his left and slamming the side of his blade into the monk, who was now dropping down at what was previously the ronin's flank. The assassin grinned at Tenshiro in a frozen moment. The he was surrounded by crimson energy and exploding upwards.

"Touhakyoukujin!" The killer roared slamming the priest's staff aside with the first hit and slashing into the demon's body with the second. There was no arterial spray (not surprising to either the demon huntress or the powerful ronin) but Tenshiro was hurled away from the assassin, disappearing again and rematerializing in the center of the hall.

"Not bad human, bu-" And then the possessed monk was frantically blocking an enormously strong downward slash from Kibagami Genjuro. The metal staff held under the impact as did Tenshiro's arms, but the corrupted priest was sent skidding away, the floor splintering underneath his stone sandaled feet. Despite his hell born soul panicking at the immense strength of this human Tenshiro pointed his staff at the charging human and focused another blast of infernal power at the man. The crimson haired ronin took the discharge of power directly in the chest, the force smashing him against a huge pillar, the steel hard wood splintering with the force of his impact.

To Taki's distracted amusement, and Tenshiro's utter horror, Kibagami Genjuro pushed off the wall and stood proudly in front the demon.

"You," He laughed. "Are truly weak. You bore me… die."

And with that the ronin assassin leapt at the demon with murder in his eyes.

Taki rolled under the titanic blade of the huge samurai, and exploded out her crouch, pushing off with an uppercut ninja-ken slash that lifted the enormous figure off the ground and into the air. Spinning a kick into the thing's armored side the kunoichi rotated herself in mid air and drove both of her blades into the monster's chest. And driving it all the way to the ground. The giant figure spasmed as both of the demon huntress's blades pierced it's possessed soul.

The raven-haired young woman tuned to see the double sword-wielding samurai was charging her. With narrowed eyes the kunoichi didn't even other trying to free her blades from the armor they were imbedded in. She waited for a half-second more, then jumped over the attacking samurai's head, her gorgeous body narrowly twisting out of the way of the deadly blades. Taki landed instantly lunged forward and grabbed the neckline and waistline of the samurai's armor.

Then, quite improbably, she lifted the warrior over her head.

"Orokana." (Utter idiot.) She whispered sensually, then crushed the demon possessed sentinel's head into the floor, sinking with it and driving every ounce of muscle weight and power she had. Then Taki shook herself, lifted both hands above her head, and concentrated.

"Jaki yo," The beautiful kunoichi whispered. Then her voice rose to battle level. "KIRAI!"

And the demon huntress slammed both glowing palms into the two warriors. The black clouds exploded from their host bodies and disintegrated with no further power from the kunoichi. Taki looked up to see the two remaining demon samurai circling her one, on either side. She smiled wickedly under her mask, snatched up both weapons, and snapped them back into their sheathes.

Parrying a brutal barrage of katana strikes Tenshiro finally managed to knock a light hit away and slam the end of his staff into the frenzied Kibagami Genjuro's side. If the ronin noticed he didn't show it, and stabbed his katana into the priest in return. Though unable to be killed like a normal human, the demon's shell was being brutalized like this, and if it absorbed too much damage his spirit form would be vulnerable to the ninja bitch's powerful spells.

With that in mind Tenshiro let go of his staff with one hand and grabbed Genjuro's forearm. Another frozen moment as the two combatants locked bloodthirsty eyes. Then the demon-monk spun them both, and punched the crimson haired assassin's chest. The impact, drawing on the priest's power, sent the killer flying across the huge room and imbedded him in the wall in between the two warrior god statues.

Again the ronin bounced to his feet, grinning psychotically. This time however the demon was holding his hands out, palms facing Genjuro, his metal staff floating in front of the corrupt monk and glowing with power. Then the air in front Tenshiro again was distorted, but where before it hand been a small ball of energy, this time it was a wave, a tsunami of power.

The energy crashed into Genjuro and slammed him into the wall again, this time pushing him into the hardened wood. Cuts appeared on the ronin's cheeks and chest as the pressure ripped into his skin. And still he grinned at the priest.

"You… had… best… kill me… now… weakling. For… if you… do not… you... will be… dead!" Growled Genjuro through his clenched tooth smile. Tenshiro smiled slightly and nodded. Then the priest's metal staff rotated so that the rings pointed at Genjuro once more, the weapon began to spin, increasing in speed until appeared to be smoothly round.

"Have it your way human." Hissed the demon.

"Indeed, I think I will." Said Taki.

Before the monk could react he heard the beautiful ninja girl scream "KIRAI!" and felt the evil power of Mekki-maru slash into the base of his spine and slice through his body, up lengthwise through the spine, and finally out near the base of his neck. The demon scream/roared in pain he like had never felt before.

However before Taki could land from her Seal of the Fire Dragon technique, Tenshiro spun and pointed both palms at her. The energy slammed into her, spinning the young woman around and making her cry out in pain, but like the shinobi she was Taki twisted in the air and landed on two bent knees, and one hand, the other going to Rekki-maru.

Red light could be seen leaking from the wound in his back, and the demon monk's face was now a mask of pain and fury. He stomped toward her glowing with evil strength and rage.

"Woman I am going to make sure you live through this, then once I have both tortured and pleasured your delicious body to its breaking point I will have your soul and take you until your heart explodes with lust!" The demon shrieked. Taki rolled her eyes.

Oh wonderful, another one of those demons. They were pretty common actually, ones that considered themselves to be every woman's deepest fantasy and positive they could reduce any female into a quivering slave of her own desire.

Taki was skeptical. Then she stood and pulled her mask down so the advancing demon could see her smile.

"You know, you just might be able to do that demon. But you're forgetting one little thing."

The wounded creature snorted at the kunoichi. "What, girl? Your great internal strength and will? Your training as a ninja? Those are nothing compared to my power!"

"Maybe. But that's not what you forgot." Taki said the sweet smile still adorning her lovely face. About then it finally hit Tenshiro. Both realization, and a ki blast in the form of a hanafuda card hurled from an irate Kibagami Genjuro.

The ronin's fury was pretty much peaked. To be so nearly destroyed by such a weak opponent, then ignored because a woman was considered a greater threat! It was enough to drive the already borderline warrior mad. Or at least enough to make him use his ultimate technique. Drawing on his incredible personal power, and the ambient evil energy of the tainted temple Genjuro suspended the demon in a swirling image of a card, then slashed it once into the air, bent his legs and followed it airborne. Roaring with fury the ronin slashed Tenshiro four devastating times, before finishing with a double hand overhead swing that slammed the body of the monk into the floor of the temple and through to the basement below.

Genjuro landed, faced the hole in the floor and tossed his longhaired head.

"Hmph, yaku ni mo naran." (A truly worthless fool.) With that he turned to face his kunoichi ally, sheathing his sword the huge man approached her. Despite dwarfing the beautiful woman in height and width, she met his gaze with a challenging one of her own. Genjuro smiled slightly. Not many men did that, this woman was, interesting.

"What are you here for kunoichi?" Genjuro said studying the pale, perfect skin of her breasts, visible through the diamond shape cut out in her skintight crimson garb. Her face was round and symmetrical, her body was toned and muscular, but without losing an ounce of femininity. The crimson haired man knew he wanted her. Taki looked at the ronin equally appraisingly, studying, his enormous, excellently toned muscle structure. His devil-like face was handsome in its own unique way, and his black eyes held much power.

But that was a possibility for later thought the kunoichi. She shrugged as she answered. "I was here to destroy the demon, if it was the reward you sought I have no desire for it."

"Heh, so what do you desire huntress?" Genjuro said accenting every word carefully. Taki smiled wickedly at the man, but never got to answer.

An explosion of sick red light erupted from the hole Tenshiro's body had created. Suspended in the pillar of energy a silhouette of an animal-like skull could be seen, it's jaws yawning toward the two warriors. Then, in an instant, the light wrapped into the shape of the skull and erupted back out toward the two.

Genjuro cursed and grabbed his sword, but was stopped, by the image of Taki standing in front of him, her hands clasped into the energy focusing position the ronin recognized from when he had seen the shinobi Hattori Hanzo fight. Below the ear splitting roar of the demon's power he could hear the ninja girl chanting something. But what was important was what he saw. The torrent of red energy was splitting around the kunoichi, and therefore around him. All around the ronin could see thick pillars of strong wood splintered into nothing, the temple itself being ripped apart by the power of the demon's assault. A single truth sank into the assassin's heart.

The woman had saved him

Taki was focusing all her strength into her shield, she didn't know how long she could hold, already the young woman could feel her limbs becoming heavy, her heartbeat increasing dangerously, her knees going weak. And the demon's attack showed no signs of slowing down, let alone stopping. The kunoichi tried hard to think of a way out of this, and found none. She was doomed, of that Taki was certain, but she wouldn't give in, the bastard would have to work for every inch of victory.

Which wouldn't be long reflected the raven-haired woman as she faltered in her chant, her shoulder guards instantly splintering and shattering. Then, just as the kunoichi felt her head go light, a powerful arm wrapped around her body, directly under her breasts. The ninja felt herself pulled tightly to the muscular chest of Kibagami Genjuro.

Never stopping her chant the demon huntress felt his breath on her ear, and heard him whisper despite the roar of energy all around them.

"No you don't kunoichi. I'll not owe you my life in exchange for yours. If you need any of my strength to defeat this wretch, then take it. I came here to kill this thing, and I will do that, now!"

With that the ronin raised his sword, holding his faithful katana parallel with his right arm, and thrust it into the mystic barrage. Instantly the energy stream split at the sword's point, and Genjuro growled in pain that arced up his arm and coursed through his body. Yet he still hold onto the raven-haired woman with his left arm, even as the muscles in his right bulged with the tension of fighting the demon's titanic force.

Taki knew her chance had come. The kunoichi gathered all her remaining strength put her hands around the ronin's sword blade, and then formed a triangle around the katana with her thumbs and fingers. The kunoichi closed her beautiful midnight eyes, inhaled, then snapped them open, yelling one word.

"KIRAI!"

The effect was instant, destructive and dramatic. A bolt of bright crimson energy shot from the tip of Genjuro's katana and pierced the image of the skull. The violent flow of energy stopped, and both kunoichi and ronin breathed a sigh of relief, sagging tiredly onto each other. Then they realized that the image of the animal skull was still there.

And with a sound like nothing else in the universe, the image exploded into a prismatic orgy of light and power the blasted over the two warriors and vaporized the rest of the temple.

When the smoke cleared there was nothing and no one left to show that the temple had ever been there but a smoking, ruined crater.

****

In the space between nightmares and dreams, in the shadow thin border between heaven and hell, in the unending gray in the battle between darkness and light, something floated. Not asleep, not awake, just, waiting.

And then without warning, emerald eyes open, black wings extend, power flares.

A trigger has been activated in the Earth realm; it is time for this infernal creature to play…

****
"It's just one a those days, feelin' like a freight train
First one to complain, leaves with a blood stain

Damn right I'm a maniac, Better watch your back
'cause I'm fucking up your program!

And if you're stuck up, just lucked up
Next in line to get fucked up!"

Breakin' Stuff, Limp Bizkit

Typical, absolutely typical. Reflected the six foot five, massively built fighter titled Yagami Iori as he sat at the bar of a metal bar in downtown Roppongi. Can't even play a set and get a drink anymore.

The reason for this particular thought was a collection of about eight gaijin, dressing like they were military but displaying subtle hints as to what they were. Hired thugs. The man they were surrounding was not a normal Japanese man. He was not only tall but wide across the shoulders, with a the solid, but not bulky, build only gymnasts and fighters had. His hair was a dark crimson, projecting over the front of his face in defiance of normal laws of physics. Iori was dressed in a black suit coat emblazoned with the Yagami family crest, a silver crescent moon adorned with pale flames around the edges. Under that was a long white long sleeved shirt, unbuttoned to the center of his muscular chest, and hanging out both the sleeves of his suit coat, and out the waistline, hanging well over his thighs. For reasons known only to him (and one particular blue haired young woman), the powerful man also wore a small, plain leather collar.

Iori was the bass player and singer to a small local heavy metal band, they did well enough at the local clubs and small concerts, that the crimson haired fighter could have sustained himself without his families enormous wealth. As it was Iori merely looked upon the group as his expression of anger at being forced into a life he wanted no part of, but that seemed to be dead set on involving him. The men behind him were part of that. A hint that he should give up the frivolity of his regular life and work toward ending the world with revival of the power of Orochi.

Nanakase when I next get a hold of you, I'll make sure you stay dead. Yagami thought to himself slamming another shot of gin and vodka. Behind him one of the men was growling something in heavily accented Japanese. Not that it mattered. Once you had heard one set of threats and curses from a group of low rent thugs, you were pretty much covered as to the general meaning of them all. So Iori paid them no attention until one grabbed his right shoulder roughly, and tried to get the enormous man to turn around.

Which was a mistake. A very, very bad mistake.

In one smooth, impossibly fast motion; the crimson haired man snapped his right arm down under the American's arm, snaked it up to catch the man's elbow, knocked his grip of Iori's shoulder, and then pulled the thug into the table with enough force to break four of the man's ribs. Using the recently crushed man as leverage Yagami spun himself around the opposite way, lashing out with his left hand and backfisting another brave (stupid) thug in the jaw, and shattering the man's mouth as he turned around.

Now fully facing the group the huge warrior exploded off his bar stool his right heel rocketing up to catch a man just as big as Iori was square in the sternum. Arms and legs flying out wildly the thug slammed backwards, moving so fast it looked like the air around him was warping. Three men behind the unfortunate thug were knocked flat by the force of the man's body, sprawling on the floor and desperate to regain their feet.

Twisting to his left the crimson haired man snapped a left jab to the nose of another one of the Americans, followed by a left boot to the knee, and as the man doubled forward Iori slammed an uppercut to his chin, sending teeth flying, and nearly snapping the man's neck with the force.

Laughing wildly Yagami spun back around catching an expected punch with his left hand. Iori grinned at the man, allowing himself a moment to enjoy the thug's fear. Then someone broke a chair on his back. That annoyed the huge crimson haired fighter. With a growl Iori dug his fingers into the hand of the American, crushing bones in one quick effortless squeeze. Then Yagami pulled back, rammed his elbow into the thug's face and swung the man's limp body into the chair wielding thug.

Only two were on their feet now, both jumping at him in an attempt to pin the huge man to the floor.

"Amai!" (Weak!) Iori growled ducking forward and to the left, causing both men to miss him completely. The huge man spun around, slammed an open palm in between the nearest thug's shoulders, then sank his steel hard fingers into the man's skin, and raked down viciously, ripping cloth and flesh with equal ease.

A single forward step and Iori ducked his head, and slammed his right shoulder into the side of the other man that had been too slow to turn fully around. Every ounce of power, weight and frustration that Yagami Iori felt went into that hit, and a car would have been more kind to the man's body. The poor thug left the ground and flew into the edge of the bar catching it in the side and flipping over it sending glass flying, the American's body nothing but a shattered wreck.

The Orochi warrior turned around took a step forward with his right leg, then pivoted on the same foot wheeling his left leg around him and crushing into the last man's side as the ill-fated thug turned to run away. The man flew straight sideways and bounced off the metal and wood bar, slumping to the ground a boneless mess.

"Sonno mama shi ne!" (Die as you are!) Iori spat at the collection of injuries that had been his opponents. About ten seconds had passed since the first man had grabbed him. Then the crimson haired man heard a set of sounds that caught even his attention. The unique metal sliding on metal noise that only came from a pair of pistol slides being racked back.

Iori leapt sideways, catching the corner of the bar and flipping himself over it, and throwing himself prone just as a hail of bullets ripped into the glass bottles behind the bar. Lucky they only got nines, thought Yagami. Those things can't penetrate the bar.

Unluckily however the remaining thugs weren't stupid enough to unload their weapons on a target they couldn't see. Iori quietly rolled to his feet and crouched like the predator he was. A crunch of glass signaled the location of at least one hit man, and he was close enough.

Rising like a demon from hell Yagami Iori erupted from behind the bar, right side cocked back, right hand alight with purple fire, roaring like nothing else in the world. The Orochi warrior's burning hand caught the petrified thug in the face, and Iori slammed the man to the ground engulfing him with amethyst flame. The hit man didn't even get a chance to scream before he blacked out from pain.

Yagami spun toward where he knew the last man was and hurled an explosion of purple flame at the thug.

Who tried to step back…

… and fell sideways over a fallen chair, unintentionally dodging the Yagami's flame, but not dropping his weapon. And in fact keeping the gun aimed at the Orochi fighter's chest.

In the split second after this happened the red maned warrior realized that there wasn't a thing he could do to keep the hit man from putting, however many rounds he had left, into Iori's body. And strangely enough he felt peaceful about it.

However, when a small white and blue colored cat jumped onto the thug's face and began tearing away, the peace disappeared. The American grabbed the small feline, threw it off of him, desperately realizing he had to get his weapon aimed back at-

Too late.

Iori's left hand latched onto and crushed the wrist of the arm holding the pistol, and the Yagami heir's right caught the man in the face.

"Shi ne." Iori growled, and let his Orochi power free.

The crimson haired man stood straight as the last hit man twitched and burned, tightening and then relaxing all his muscles. In a low cold voice he snarled at the collected bodies. "Did not know who they were fucking with."

The club was now virtually empty, but Iori knew it wouldn't stay like that for long. Shrugging, he sauntered toward the back, idly tossing a wad of ten thousand yen bills on the bar.

After all, this wasn't the first time something like this happened, and the owner didn't mind the mess as long as Iori paid to have it cleaned up. The patron's just considered his performance part of the show. The Orochi warrior was about to leave when he felt something rubbing his leg.

Iori looked down. He then blinked, several times. The same cat that had saved him moments earlier, was busy nuzzling his leg and purring, loud. Yagami was not normally the type who considered himself a cat person, but this same cute little feline HAD just saved him, and there was something about it… something, elusive.

Sirens echoed from outside interrupted the crimson haired man's reverie. Iori scooped up the cat and broke for the door. Several blocks later Yagami realized that he had no desire to go back to his apartment and deal with Nanakase, or his cronies, whichever was undoubtedly waiting for him. Still holding the cat Iori strolled down a subway entrance and looked at the nearly abandoned station. The subway was closing in minutes and there wasn't anyone here. The crimson haired warrior walked into the men's bathroom to give himself a chance to think.

That's when he noticed that the cat was still purring and nuzzling his chest. There was also a collar around its neck. On the collar was a small, green and black gem, set in some unknown silvery metal. The gem looked familiar. Actually it looked exactly the same as the one that was inside his pants pocket. He had no idea when he received the gem or where, it had simply been in his apartment one day. And for some reason it reminded him of a dream. A dream about, Leona, him, the Shiranui ninja girl, and a cat-girl with… blue… hair… and white... fur…

Iori grabbed the gem that was around the white cat's neck-

-and the second his fingers touched it a bomb went off in his mind.
****
Part Three.

Hong Kong, Now.

****

Situated on the worst side of what already a bad portion of Hong Kong's infamous docks, the shack looked about as inviting as an abandoned cabin one of those foolish American horror movies reflected Chun Li, Interpol's finest female officer, and the undisputed master of the Hong Kong fighting arena.

Too bad her first lead in months worked from there. Too bad he was an illegal porn dealer with ties to every drug dealer and pimp on the lower half of the city. Too bad she had to write a deal out with him that granted the fat little pig immunity to all his previous charges. Too bad she could only trust herself to deal with him.

Too bad… Resigned to her singular fate Chun Li tightened her blue blouse for the hundredth time tonight, checked that her wire was in place and hidden, and vainly tried to wipe some of the grime from the filthy place off her white knee high boots. The black haired beauty couldn't shake the feeling she was being followed, but if that was the case she had to make doubly sure that she found Two Oyster Po before any of Shadowlaw's assassin's did. Like last time. And the time before that. And the time before that one too. And the time…

****

Operation Silence; Mission Journal Entry #6: Local time 21:35. Observed local law enforcement receiving payment from subject. Suspect high-level corruption in such agencies. International organizations suspect as well. Proceeding with elimination of Fang Shan Po alias: "Two Oyster Po" as per mission parameters.

End Entry.

With a blur of green cloth and blue hair she was off. This particular brand of pond scum was certain to not live through the night.

****

"They are both here my lord." Sweet, soft, frigid. A voice that would have been beautiful if not for its total lack of inflection.

Observe only for the moment. If the principal achieves her mission undetected leave the area. If Ms. Li accosts the principal or the subject in any way, eliminate them both. The voice wasn't heard by anyone outside of the two women's heads. A direct Psycho Drive contact. The ultimate in secure channels.

"Yes my lord." A pair of responses, both from full perfect-lipped mouths. Both from gorgeous women dressed in dark blue body suits that covered the arms down to the heavy gauntlets that covered their seemingly delicate hands.

The two women knelt down, their wide emotionless eyes observing the tiny shack clinging to the edge of the dock. It was made of badly bolted together aluminum siding and rotting wood. Even the stainless steel rivets used to hold the material together had given up and began to rust. The place looked ready collapse at a moments notice.

Juni and Juli didn't care. They were there to fulfill their Lord Vega's command, anything else, even their lives, was unimportant.

****

"She'll be here any minute, so stay alert, and keep your guns cocked and the safety's off." The two men being addressed did just that, pulling their H&K USP semi-auto pistols out, half racking them to make sure there was a round in the chamber, letting the slide snap forward and checking the magazine to insure that it was full. After they were sure their weapons were in order the two men moved their leather biker jackets off to the side and holstered them.

"Boss I thought you said you were gonna work with this bitch?" Said one, a thick, scarred man with shaggy unkempt hair, a face that had been kicked and slashed a few too many times to truly recover, and dressed in a black leather waist coat, and blue jeans. The other man was dressed in the same manner but looked slightly younger and less beaten.

The first speaker, a short, bald fat, collection of cheap suit, soy sauce stains, and sweat, took another drag from his chewed and abused cigar. His popular name was Two Oyster Po, primarily because he wasn't worth three shellfish to most who dealt with him.

"I might, but you can never tell with these Interpol fucks. They make a deal with you and then bust you for something you thought they didn't know about. And anytime Shadowlaw's involved it pays to be careful." His voice sounded like he had ingested a healthy chunk of gravel for breakfast, broken glass for lunch, and washed both down with battery acid.

"From what I hear, this bitch is psycho 'gainst Shadowlaw. Don't think she's on their payroll." Said the second thug quietly. The fat man snorted.

"Those are the ones you trust the least Hwan." He growled. "They're the ones with the most to hide."

Any further commentary was interrupted by a knock on the next room's door. A typical observer would have been astonished that the hovel actually had two rooms…

Po nodded to his cronies and the pair turned around the corner, hands on their weapons, kicking empty carry out containers and discarded porn magazines out of the way as they moved. The fat criminal wiped a thick hand over his sweating brow and shifted trying to get the unfamiliar weight of the Berretta concealed in the back of his pants comfortable. Po wasn't used to carrying firearms, that was what the muscle was for, but whenever he had to deal with Shadowlaw, he generally carried two.

Not that he expected for it be much use, but the second gun was a .44 derringer concealed in his sleeve. It only had two shots, and both were meant for him if his first gun ran out of ammo. Shadowlaw torture was legendary, extended and not always fatal, though everyone who had reappeared after being in the "care" of Vega's minions either were mad when they got back, or killed themselves in short order. If their mangled bodies were capable of doing so.

Po wiped the profuse sweat from his brow again. He covered his eyes and massaged his temples trying to relieve the stress of his current situation; Chinese prison, or betray the world's largest, most powerful criminal terrorist organization in the world. Neither were appealing options. So intent was the fat man he didn't her his followers or their companion enter the shabby room.

"She's unarmed boss, and she got no wires either."

Two Oyster Po wasn't sure if that was good or bad as he opened his eyes and looked upon the woman in front of him. This was NOT Chun Li of Interpol. His decision over whether the woman's status was good or bad had been made. Bad, very, very bad.

Po's eyes widened and he raised a stubby finger to point at the blue haired, pale skinned woman standing in front of him, flanked by his two thugs.

"Hey! She ain't-" The fat man got no further, the two criminals drew their side-arms with speed born of survival on Hong Kong's streets.

They were only a hundred years too slow.

Leona Heidern grabbed both men's weapon arms at the wrist, ducked and spun around, pulling one arm up, and the other down, slamming the thugs' elbow's together and bending them at a ninety degree opposite angle. One man had his back to her now, the other was bent back in agony, trying to save his shoulder and elbow from imminent, and severe, damage. Then the blue haired young woman pushed their hands harder, in angles contrary to what the human arm was meant to turn.

There was a pair of pops, snaps, and short screams as Leona wrenched the thugs' arms out of socket and broke the tendons in their arms as well. The goons cries of pain were cut short as the pale, expressionless woman stabbed her hand under one's ribcage, effortlessly popping his lung. The other caught a forward stepping elbow that hit him in between the shoulder blades with enough force to snap his vertebrae and send the broken man into the next room and smash against the wall of the shack, shattered and bloody.

"-the right bitch." Po finished lamely. The blue haired young woman turned and locked eyes with Two Oyster Po for a mere instant. Long enough for him to realize he meant slightly less to her than the dust on a plastic plant in a hotel she wasn't staying at. He desperately scrabbled for his Berretta, and by some random miracle of adrenalin and panic, managed to draw it and bring the muzzle to bear on the calm girl.

Before the fat criminal could even begin to think of what to do next, Leona slapped her left hand on the top of the gun and racked the slide all the way back. Their eyes met again. Her icy blue pools of calm threatened to suffocate him. Reflexively, and uselessly, his finger tightened on the trigger of the gun. Leona cocked her head to the side with a bored expression. Then she thumbed a pin on the side of the weapon and pulled forward. In one smooth motion the commando girl ripped the slide of the weapon off the gun, and snapped her right foot up and into Po's florid face.

The bald man spun around and dropped to his knees, holding his face as if it was broken, which it was. The mercenary woman behind him didn't seem to care. She grabbed the pathetic criminal by the underside of his jaw with her left hand and pulled sideways, exposing his neck.

And without further ado, calmly stabbed her deadly finger into the space between Po's shoulder and clavicle. Trachea was severed, a lung ruptured, and shock took care of the rest. Fang Shan Po was dead before Leona pushed his empty shell away from her presence, and onto the floor. Just in time for the blue haired mercenary to hear someone behind her scream.

"NO!"

****

Not again! Chun Li screamed mentally as she flew through the air at the blue haired woman, lashing out with a vicious right side kick. Somewhat surprisingly to the Chinese warrior the young woman dressed in a green military style blouse and thigh high shorts bent and twisted at the waist, dodging the assault easily. Internally Chun Li shrugged. Oh well it was never THAT easy…

Leona was astonished that the woman in blue had even come as close as she had. In the soldier girl's experience most couldn't even come close to her. With narrowed eyes Leona made a conclusion. Only other fighters can even touch me. This woman isn't just some cop.

The raven haired woman touched the dirty floor, bent her knees until she was almost crouching, then exploded back at the military dressed girl in a tight ball that was ready to explode. The soldier girl sank back on her right knee for a the time it took the blue dressed woman to reach her, then shot forward, left arm slashing over her head, trailing a silvery line of deadly cutting ki. At the last possible instant the Chinese woman herself to the left, narrowly dodging the blue haired girl's hand, and lashing out with a vicious punch to her adversary's right cheek. Although the lethal attack missed the cop herself, it did slice open her blue and white blouse from just under the woman's breasts to her shapely hips, exposing a hint of lacey black bra and an expanse of tanned skin.

Leona stayed on her feet, spun with the impact, and snapped her right leg up in a side kick aimed at the black haired woman's back. Chun Li span and dropped to her right leg while arcing her left around in sweeping circle. Her foot caught the mercenary's planted leg and kicked it out, knocking the woman into the air.

Twisting around in mid-fall Leona, shot her left arm out to the floor, caught herself, and guided the rest of her momentum into a right spear hand aimed at her opponent's chest. Again Chun Li's incredible speed saved her as the Interpol officer slammed both of her palms against the other woman's arm, deflecting the strike narrowly to the side. Simultaneously the midnight haired fighter twisted her hips, pushing off and slamming her right leg up into a knee that caught the soldier girl in the stomach.

Leona grunted in pain and fell sideways, forced away by the power of the Chinese woman's attack. However she also hooked her left arm around Chun Li's thigh and pulled it in tight. The Brazilian mercenary hit the ground on her shoulder and rolled across the littered floor. The beautiful police officer yelped in pain as her leg was twisted painfully, then pushed off the floor with both hands, and arced her left foot back in to strike her adversary cleanly in the back.

If Leona noticed she didn't show it. The blue maned woman stood and bodily threw the cop over her shoulder and onto the recently deceased Po's shabby desk. The ill-made table crumpled from the impact, and also left Chun Li breathless.

This woman is strong!" The Interpol officer thought, then got truly concerned as she realized the her powerful opponent still had hold of her leg with one arm, and the girl's right was cocking back in the shape of another spear-hand. The blue haired girl's hand lashed out blindingly fast, aimed for Chun Li's face.

The police officer clapped both hands together around the lethal attack, stopping it dead. Then, pulling with her entire body, Chun Li exploded forward and up, crushing her left foot into the mercenary's abdomen. Leona finally had to release her adversary's leg as she went flying backwards, stopping herself just short of the shack's flimsy wall. The Chinese woman kicked herself up and leapt at the blue haired young woman, again keeping her arms and legs tucked in close.

Her ice blue eyes flashing Leona crossed her arms for a brief second, and then snapped them apart, a ball of pale blue energy forming in front of the girl. Unable to stop herself or twist out this new attack Chun Li slammed her forearms forward, hoping her spiked bracers would take most of the impact. There was a painful split second of chaotic violence-

Then Chun Li realized it was over, and she was mostly unharmed, her arms were covered in red welts and her spiked bracers were destroyed but it was better than the alternative. The Chinese officer found her opponent in front of her, looking somewhat annoyed. Leona snapped a blinding slice out at the Hong Kong cop, then another, using her timing and power to keep the far faster woman on the defensive. Then Chun Li caught a brutal reverse punch aimed at her face and spun with it, dropping to one hand and snapping her leg out in a hooking sweep kick. Unfortunately for the beautiful Chinese woman, a certain red haired kunoichi had caught the blue haired girl with exactly the same move too many times.

Leona hopped up, tucking her knees to her shapely chest and letting the kick pass under her, then the Orochi soldier landed still in a crouched position, and stood up, slamming her elbow into Chun Li's side. The black haired woman rose involuntarily, spinning into the wall of the hovel, luckily facing her deadly adversary. Lucky because the blue haired girl was vaulting forward, right leg stabbing forward, her foot glowing with ki power. Chun Li managed to block the tremendously powerful impact, but Leona's kick still knocked the more experienced warrior through the flimsy tin wall and into the open space of the dock.

The beautiful Interpol agent cursed at herself, rolled in mid air and landed on her feet, ready for the blue haired girl's next assault. Just in time no less because Leona was crouched down, her arms together over her head as if she were about to throw something-

With a sound of reality being moved aside a blond, short haired girl in a black bodysuit, wearing elbow and knee length arm and leg guards appeared behind the soldier girl with both arms raised, fingers interlaced, and then slammed both her hands into Leona's back. Chun Li was already ducking and spinning to the left before her mind consciously put together who the blond woman was.

Juni! And where one of the Twin Doll assassins went, the other was assuredly right behind. The Chinese Interpol officer had been exactly right in her defense, because Juli, the equally curvaceous brunette of the two just barely missed with a Psycho Power enhanced kick the dented the steel of the dock instead of pulverizing Chun Li's spine. The Assassin of July turned to face the Interpol officer, her cold, blank eyes locked on to the black haired woman, and she dashed forward, her hands looking like blades. Chun Li didn't know why the Twin Dolls were here, or what exactly was going on, but one thing was certain. This was not good.

She didn't know the half of it.

Leona had caught herself from the impact with her forearms, fists closed tightly, she coughed blood up, though her injuries were not that severe. The Orochi fire inside of her surged and raged at the chains she locked it in, roaring in her blood to be let loose and kill all of those who opposed her. Leona fought it down, she would NOT lose control, she would NOT-

Juni wrapped both arms around the soldier girl's waist and stood up, lifted Leona over her head, and slammed the blue haired young woman down in a vicious suplex.

Leona's pupil's expanded, taking up all of her eye, the world went red, and she howled, levitating off the ground, boiling with bloodthirsty power.

The Orochi was loose.
****

Part Four:

Tokyo, Now.

"I look deeply into your eyes
I smell your hair, caress your thighs

Now we'll make love, by firelight
A place so high, It lights the light

Your fingernails, dug in my skin
Your self so wet, invites me in"

Druidess, Type O Negative

****

<KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK>

"…. mmmmff."

<KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK>

"… mmmmm-go 'way-mmmffff…"

<KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK>

"Hey come on Mai, you invited me here remember?"

Lying curled up into a ball on her futon with a pillow pulled over her head, and wrapped cocoon-like in a blanket, the red haired girl twitched. She wasn't hung over, she was too experienced at visiting her friend sake to not over hydrate herself and eat enough noodle dishes to totally dilute the nasty after effects of her favorite beverage. That and shinobi had ways of countering poisons.

Really.

However this did nothing to help the fact that it was eight in the morning and she hadn't staggered back home until six. That and the true reason the beautiful red head wasn't hung over was because she was still fairly hammered.

"You went out partying again didn't you Mai?" The loud, VERY loud, voice belonged to one Joe Higashi. About six feet three of muscle, attitude, and kick boxer training somehow packed into a heavily tanned Japanese body, and under an unruly shock of spiky black hair. He was presently wearing a set of loose running shorts and tight muscle shirt under a waist length running coat, stuck in his hair was a set Oakley M frame sunglasses.

Despite rumor to the contrary Joe was the champion of Mhuay Thai kickboxing. His last match with the near invulnerable Sagat had ended in a draw (The original master's varying level Tiger Shots couldn't seem to penetrate the upstart's double whirlwinds, and their other moves had just ended up countering each other.) And with the champion retiring to find one man Joe had inherited the title without question (There had been that punk Adon, but he really wasn't that much of a challenge).

Joe listened for a while. Eventually he heard a noise from behind the door that sounded like someone continually slumping, just with forward inertia. Having little else to do but look at the door in front of him, Joe did so. The front door to Mai's house was a pretty solid structure, and a hell of a lot more modern than the rest of the place, which held a kind of, feudal look that Joe could appreciate. The kunoichi's grandfather had done an excellent job keeping the place-

The kickboxer's train of thought was cut off by the door he had been contemplating opening. Standing behind it, unwashed, disheveled, and looking dead tired, stood Shiranui Mai. She was dressed in some kind of spandex black body suit that was covered, sort of, by a plain white robe. Somehow, despite all odds her hair was still in its customary ponytail, and surprisingly tangle free. Despite her obvious lack of energy the lovely ninja girl waved Joe inside.

"C'mon'in, m'juss a liddle tired…" She slurred through a weak smile. The tall man shook his head. She was still beautiful; she was drop dead gorgeous in fact. The fact that she could drink even him under the table, dance all night like her life depended on it, and come out of it looking better than the best supermodel, was something Joe admired. The kickboxer stepped inside, and took off his sports jacket, was about to sling it over his shoulder when he had to catch the unsteady kunoichi as she closed the door and fell against his arm giggling.

"Whoa! Geez Mai, I know you love to party but this is a little much even for you!" Joe said as he walked his friend over to the only western piece of furniture in view, a rather large fluffy couch. On his short journey toward the furniture Higashi had to wonder exactly where a luxury divan fit in with a house that looked like it had been plucked from the 1600's. The tall man settled the young woman down in the corner of the sofa, and successfully kept his hands from shaking as he closed her robe. Mai had her eyes closed; one arm flopped over the arm of the couch while the other was brushing her long red bangs from her face. The kunoichi had a kind of half smile on her perfect lips as she threw one leg up on the couch while stretching the other out, completely destroying the effect that Joe had sought by closing her robe in the first place.

Averting his eyes from the expanse of heavenly skin Joe turned quickly and bee lined for the kitchen. "So, uh Mai, what's going on? I haven't seen you this partied out since last year when Andy snuck off…" The black haired man's voice trailed away as he felt the girl's anger.

"He did it again." Suddenly Mai's voice wasn't slurred or tired. It was borderline lethal in fact. "He went off to train with some guy in Hong Kong. Didn't even have the guts to tell me himself, had to send a note through some messenger service. Couldn't even send flowers with it…"

The ninja girl's tone was some frightening cross between murderous and grumpy. Trying his best to distract the irate kunoichi, Joe looked through the Shiranui household food stores. Cooking was not his specialty, he could grill crocodile with the best of them, but that was about it. In desperation he found some tea bags, and an ornate teakettle. Yeah he could do that.

"Want some tea Mai?" Joe said, eager to change the subject off his friend, (even if Joe thought the younger Bogard was an idiot when it came to women in general, and Mai in particular).

"Haaaaaiiiiii…" The young woman's voice returned to its singsong, slightly slurred, and overly cute, tone. Joe breathed a sigh of relief. Setting about the task of boiling water, Joe yelled once more from the stove.

"So where is everybody Mai? I mean, I know your little brother is out of town, but where's your grand folks?"

There was a pause. "I dunno, Hanzo-ojichan jus grabbed Grandma and said they needed a vacation. …Got the place aaaaaaaaaaaall to m'self. I was gonna 'nvite Andy over, but…"

Even though he knew she couldn't see him Joe nodded. You are such a moron Andy. The kickboxer thought. Then he called to her again. "Hey Mai, how about you get cleaned up and we go out and hit the Green Mall in Hiro-e? They got some new stores there that I want to check out and I'm sure you can distract yourself there. Maybe tonight we can Richard Myers new club, I heard he went in with Duck King on it."

"Reeeeeeeaaallllllyy? Arigato Joe-chaaaaaaaan…" Mai said sounding even more unfocused. The black haired man stiffened. 'Chan'? Since when had he become a 'chan'? She usually called him 'Joe-baka", or 'ano baka'. It was all in fun, but still, an endearment coming from Mai sounded, well, weird. Really weird.

Finishing the green tea, Joe carefully over to the semi-conscious kunoichi and gave her the hot drink. He seated himself at the opposite end of the couch, trying hard to look anywhere but at Mai and the view her open robe and bodysuit was giving him.

*Joe what the HELL have you got yourself into?* The black haired man thought to himself. When Mai invited him over it was going to be two friends hanging out, maybe do some sparring, maybe hit some clubs. Things they both liked. Joe reflected on this decision, and judged it to have been a stupid one. He was a standard human male, (unlike Andy it seemed) and Mai's habit of being flirtatious, as well as being one of the sexiest women in history was an invitation to disaster.

The sudden motion from across the couch as Mai turned herself around and put her head on the kickboxer's lap, snuggling his powerful thigh like a cat, reinforced this conclusion. His first instinct, well never mind what his first instinct was, but closely following that, very bad and evil impulse, Joe's next instinct was to gently push the girl off of him. But the expression of serene peace on the kunoichi's face stopped him.

The girl was lonely, she needed a friend, and how could he turn her away? In short he couldn't. Breathing deeply Joe began studying everything but the lovely woman lying on him. Hoping his body wouldn't betray him through his shorts the Mhuay Thai champ desperately tried to think of some conversation that wouldn't involve anything that would bring his wandering mind back to the soft touch of cheek, the smooth tan skin of her curved thigh, the heave of her breasts against his leg…

Fortunately, the ninja girl moved first, starting Joe out of his staring. Unfortunately, she rolled over, didn't bother closing her robe, and smiled at her friend with a sleepy, relaxed grin. Then she reached down her top.

"oh my god…" Joe thought in severe panic. Until the ninja girl brought out a small crystal, suspended around her neck by a thin, spun gold chain. Suddenly and thankfully distracted the kickboxer wondered why he hadn't noticed the jewelry before. It wasn't like Mai to wear jewelry, most rings or earrings looked silly on her. Mai wearing jewelry was like trying to Clearcoat a diamond to get it to shine brighter; it just didn't work.

"Hey Joe-chan, wha'd'you think 'bout this?" The heavy-eyed young woman said. Higashi caught the chain and studied the jewel. It was a small emerald, with swirls and motes of black running through it, like tidal currents in an ocean pool. What really caught his attention was that it gave illusion (?) that something was swirling inside it. And the feeling it radiated, like someone had caught a thought and hammered it into a physical form.

"Mai, where did you get this?" He asked softly, carefully putting the little gem back into the kunoichi's soft hand.

"I dunno…" The red head returned drowsily. "It'was jus' sitting on'my nightstand one day… I like it, it reminds of a dream I had once…"

The ninja girl's eyes fully closed, and a wide smile played on her beautiful lips. Joe sank backwards into the couch, trying to focus.

"What dream Mai?" The kickboxer questioned gently. He could tell the young woman was almost asleep. Joe felt no need to wake her.

"…Was a niiiice dream…" Mai said, rolling back to her side and re-snuggling Joe's leg. "…Felicia… she was…such a naughty kitty… an' Leona wasss sooo pretty, an' Iori was…" The young woman's voice trailed off.

Joe blinked. Who the hell was Felicia? Why did Mai dream about the "Orochi couple" as people called Yagami Iori and Leona Heidern? Joe shuddered as he remembered what happened when Leona's two teammates had sustained crippling injuries and Vice had disappeared in 1998. The combination of Iori, Leona, and Mature had been brutal. To the Sports Team it had been fatal. No one considered that a big loss though.

None of this could answer why the hell Mai would dream about the two Orochi fighters, or why a jewel would remind her of this dream. From what he knew, Mai barely knew Leona, and had only met Iori at a few pre-fight get togethers for the King of Fighters tournaments. However, one thing was certain. With a woman this lovely cuddled up to him, and questions of loyalty bouncing around his brain Joe knew of one possible action.

He slowly worked his way out from under Mai, and went to her room. Patently ignoring the scatter of empty bottles, various martial weaponry that Joe had never even heard of, and clothes (including some black lacey things that caused his imagination to wander so far it came back with souvenirs), the kickboxer pulled Mai's comforter off her bed and walked back to the living room. He tucked the sleeping kunoichi in. She responded by continuing to smile, and sighing softly while trying to nuzzle his hand. Higashi had to pull himself away.

*GOD DAMN SHE'S HOT!! * Joe thought shaking his head and punching himself solidly in the temple. Now what was he going to do? Wait a second, Mai was a ninja right? Her grandfather ran a dojo here right? That meant training equipment. Joe could hit things, hitting thing was good, and hitting things meant he wasn't here to nearly molest one of his best friend's fiancé.

With a heartfelt "Yosha!" The hyper active kickboxer set out to find this fabled place, and work out more sexual frustration than he could remember having in, well, ever.

****

Impact.

That was what Mhuay Thai was all about. All the training and the body hardening, all for this, impact; the feel of fists, and elbows, knees and shins slamming into your target. It wasn't complex; it didn't have a huge ancient moral system or deep philosophy. Mhuay Thai simply was. You hit things, and sometimes they hit back. You either could take what they dealt or you hit them even harder. It was nice simple code to fight by.

Live by the hit, die by the hit. All off this summed up into one word.

Impact.

In this case, Joe Higashi was hitting a six-foot wide by ten-foot tall pillar of concrete wrapped with thick, tough rope. He was hitting it a lot, with everything he had. Which in his case was quite a bit, dust was flying from the pillar with every jarring strike, and especially from his rising knee slams, a personal favorite technique of his. He had found the makewara (striking post) only a few minutes after he had left Mai sleeping on the couch, and had been happy ever since.

Many people considered Joe Higashi stupid. To be honest he was, but only in a way. Joe had a desire for simplicity, not because he couldn't handle complex issues, but because he didn't want to. The Higashi name was worth millions of yen but Joe rarely saw the money, and spent it even less often. His house in Japan was a plain one, his residence in Thailand even more so.

Joe liked to fight; he was good at it. He liked to drink, alcohol made him feel good. And he liked women; they made him feel very good.

Higashi didn't see the world in layers of honor and betrayal, there were few great moral questions for him, nor did he sit and ponder the meaning of his existence. To a kickboxer such things were pretty much a waste of time. Life was short, for a fighter all the more so. So live fast, play hard, watch out for your friends, and hope someone remembers your name when you die.

It was simple. Joe liked simple more than anything else.

This was why he hated being around Mai. Shiranui Mai was anything but simple, if there was a point on the globe that marked the essence of simplicity, it was opposite of wherever she was standing. It wasn't that they didn't like each other or didn't get along; she did everything he did, partied hard, drank harder, and was a fighter to the end. In fact, the two had tremendous fun together when she allowed it. It wasn't that she tried to be flirty, it wasn't like she asked to be gifted with a combination of cute and sexy that most women can only dream about, it wasn't even that she was a phenomenal fighter, trained since she could walk by one of the greatest clans of ninjutsu there was.

What made her so complex (at least to one Joe Higashi) was her effect on him, and the fact that she was in love with one of his best friends.

Decidedly un-simple.

A series of blurred punches, each containing the power to crack stone slammed into the makewara. Joe followed up the assault with a pair of ducking dodges, and then a standing uppercut with his right elbow that shook the makewara to its foundations.

Joe dropped back into his typical stance (right hand back covering the face, left hand extended almost fully, both in closed fists facing down, right leg back and perpendicular to the body, left leg bent bouncing on the ball of the foot with almost no weight on it) and inhaled deeply.

He had just now broken a sweat. He didn't remember when he had started practicing.

"When are you going to teach me to hit things like that?"

Uh oh. It was Ms. Complexity herself, his inebriated hostess, sultry temptress, and own personal moral crisis: Shiranui Mai.

Thinkthinkthinkthinkthink…be a smart ass.

"When you can get some power behind those little taps you call hits!" He returned.

NO! WRONG! MORON! IDIOT!

"Ano baka!"

Yeah that too.

Just he was about to turn around and try to make up for it, someone slammed a car into his side while his feet were casually kicked the opposite direction the first impact had come from. The room tilted ninety degrees sideways. Then it rose quite quickly. Then by some odd chance the stone tiled floor came up out of nowhere and cracked him quite inhospitably in the side.

Note to self #5,789: Don't insult Mai when you've got your back to her. See also Notes two hundred and fifty six through 5,788 inclusive.

Joe's brain: All right, she's got it out of her system, gotta say something cool and recover some dignity, aha! Got it!

Joe's mouth (operating independently of his brain): "…owwww…"

No, wait, that wasn't it.

Joe rolled to his side and squinted up into the sun. Standing over him, looking at him with an expression that was (thankfully) all humor, was the red haired kunoichi herself. She was dressed (even more thankfully) in a pair of sweat pants, and a loose (well it was trying to be loose…) t-shirt.

Higashi's brain re-asserted some control over his body and the kickboxer rolled to his shoulders, braced his hands against the ground, cocked his knees up to his chin, then uncoiled like a pressurized spring. Twisting in mid-air and landing lightly on his feet, the spiky haired fighter placed his hands on his hips laughing slightly.

He meant it to show that he too could see the humor in this situation. It wasn't interpreted that way…

"Oh, so you're a tough guy, and I can't hit can I? Fine!"

"What? No! Mai I didn't-aah!"

****

Fifteen minutes later

****

"puffpuffpantpant… had… puffpuffpantpant …enough…." Female voice.

"…puffpuffpantpant …yet?" Male voice.

Sprawled out on the floor, with a faint cloud of steam coming off him was Joe Higashi, lying with her head only a few inches from his was Shiranui Mai, equally sweat covered and exhausted. Both fighters were sore; both had spent the last fifteen minutes doing their best to pound the other into the ground. Joe had held back of course, for the first twenty seconds. Then after five minutes, the 'fight' had turned into the good-natured sparring Joe had hoped for.

However genial the fight had been, it had still burned energy, lots of it. Joe hadn't felt this tired since the last KoF bout. He was sore in ways he hadn't even believed possible compliment of Mai's kyusho practice. In short, his body hurt like hell. And for the first time since he had arrived at the kunoichi's house Higashi felt he could actually look at the girl without every hidden fantasy he had ever held ambushing him.

The spiky haired Thai fighter slowly rolled over and pushed himself up. He looked for where Mai had been lying, only to see that she had already got up and was sitting against the wall of the outdoor training area. And despite the fact that her sweat had plastered her t-shirt to every inch of her improbably perfect chest, Joe was too tired to care.

As he levered himself weakly to the makewara Joe thought one thing.

Ah, bliss…

"Hey Mai?"

"Haaaaaaiii?" She sang back at him smirking at the same time.

"You feeling better?"

The kunoichi nodded exuberantly. "Oh yeah! Five hours of sleep will do anyone good!"

Five hours? He had been hammering on the striking post for five hours? In spite of himself, Joe thought about trying the 'energy through sexual frustration' bit the next King of Fighters.

However, the length of time practicing explained why HE still couldn't move and Mai was getting up to stretch and drink some bottled water. Suddenly the Thai boxer felt his throat constrict and realized he felt like he had been on a forced march through the Gobi desert.

His voice faltering Joe reached a trembling hand out to Mai.

"… mi… zu…" He rasped. Mai looked at him quizzically for a moment then nodded smiling.

"Oh sure, coming right up!"

Mai bounced away around a corner. Joe sat back, and closed his eyes, enjoying the peace of the moment. After a while, he began to think that despite the discomfort of the situation he was satisfied that-

<SPLOOSH! >

Whatever thought he was going to have was killed, along with a majority of his higher brain functions as a bucket of water was emptied on him. The water was so cold it steamed off of the tall (and currently spasming) man in clouds. Through the violent tremors his body was engaged in trying to re-form critical body temperature, Joe saw ice cubes lying on the ground next to him.

"Cooled off Joe?" Mai asked sweetly.

Fury achieved in seconds what rest would have accomplished in hours. Joe exploded onto his feet, the steam coming off him now forming a heavy fog.

"MAI!" Roared the kickboxer.

"Eek!" Gasped the kunoichi as she ran away from the enraged fighter, laughing the entire time.

Ten minutes, several track miles, and a double bucket splashing of both fighters had them sprawled out on different chairs in Mai's back yard, each with an enormous glass of Fighter-ade ™ (like Gatorade ™ but higher in carbohydrates). They were sighing in the contentment that can only come after a hard workout that was a lot of fun. They were also sighing in the higher enjoyment of stopping a hard workout.

Joe was nearly ready to nap in the shade, lulled by the ever-present sound of the cicadas, when he heard Mai's voice. It wasn't bouncy; it wasn't her normal tone of laughter and light. But it wasn't the deadly vicious pitch that she had spoken of Andy in either.

"Joe."

"Yeah"

A pause. "Thanks."

The kickboxer lifted his M-frames up. Her voice was so soft, so subdued… what the hell was wrong? The ninja girl continued.

"I mean it, thanks for everything, thanks for this morning, thanks for sparring with me, thanks for being here."

"No problem Mai, I mean we are friends right? And friends do this kind of thing." His tone was simple, mater-of-fact. The kunoichi drew her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs. She seems so innocent, so child-like right now, thought Joe. What is going on?

"What's wrong with me Joe?"

Where did THAT come from? The spike haired fighter sat up. "What do you mean, 'wrong'?"

She was rocking back and forth, lips pursed in concentration. "I mean, if I wasn't with Andy, would you go on a date with me?"

Oh. THAT wrong. Thinkthinkthinkthinkthink…

"Of course I would! You're fun, you're cheerful, you've got all kinds of energy, you are probably the most beautiful girl around…" I want to grab you, kiss you, make love to you until next year…

Mai smiled, small, but honest. "Thanks Joe. I just always wonder if Andy actually cares for me, he always puts me off for his fighting."

Great, right back into the moral dilemma of my life. Higashi cleared his throat. "It's what he does Mai, fighting is all he's good at, all he wants to be good at. Once he figures out there's more to life than just fighting, he'll come around."

Did I just say that? The kickboxer thought directly after speaking. Mai's eyes were fixed on the ground; the intensity behind them was scary to Joe, who had never seen her like this before. In a voice, soft, and quiet, the red haired girl spoke again.

"Andy says he loves me, but he isn't worthy of me. He also says that his family comes first, and that his first priority will always be the revenge of his father's death. He told me that if I could wait for him, for him to do what he has to, then he would be with me."

Joe scratched his head. It sounded archaic, like something a feudal samurai would say. His mouth, again operating with notifying his brain said. "Uh, really?"

Mai went on like she hadn't heard him. "He's always training, he trains so hard, and he works every day on getting better. He should be good enough by now. But, but, he isn't."

Uh oh.

The ninja girl's voice was even smaller this time; in fact Joe could barely hear her. "I'm better than him Joe. Every time we practice, every time he wins, but it's because I let him. I always see what he's doing, I always could counter it, but I let him win. I let myself get captured so he'll come and rescue me. I do all that for him."

The beautiful young woman looked up at the uncomfortable Thai fighter. "But it's not enough is it? What else can I do?"

Oh no. Mai, the source of eternal spring and happiness, the soldier of love and peace (and parties), was ready to cry. Joe could see it on her face, in the corners of her wide dark brown eyes. He hated seeing women cry.

Thinkthinkthinkthinkthink…

"It's not you Mai. Or rather it is you, but it's nothing you can change."

Mai looked confused; nearly as confused as Joe himself was at the words coming from his mouth.

"See Andy's got you up on a pedestal I think, and until he thinks he can reach you, he's not even going to try. I know Andy pretty good, and he'd consider it insulting to you if he were to become your husband before he was worthy. Now we both know that he is worthy in your eyes, but he's not in his own. And that's something that he has to solve for himself."

Mai nodded slowly, her expression turned from sad to thoughtful. She looked back up at Joe smiling again, Higashi sighed inwardly in relief.

"Thanks again Joe. That means a lot to me, it really does…"

The Mhuay Thai champion smiled back, honestly relieved, though he also felt like he had taken several staves and slammed himself in the stomach with them until they broke. Before anything else could be discussed however, the unlikely pair heard another knock on the door. Mai got up and hugged Joe, in a caring, friendly manner.

"We'll keep talking later Joe. Be right back."

Joe Higashi remained on his chair, unable to move, partially because of the emotional turmoil he was going through, and also because the feeling of Mai's breasts, covered only by a thin t-shirt, pressed up against his chest had caused him to have a raging hard on.

This is gonna be loooooooooooong day. The kickboxer thought.

Just as he settled back into the chair, to try and re-relax Joe heard a scream. In less time than it took to blink he was on his feet and pounding through the house, murder in his eyes and fury building a fire inside him.

A fire that was extinguished as soon as he saw the front door. In fact Joe Higashi was so baffled at the scene in front of him he stood there slightly hunched over, staring with his arms limp at his sides.

Mai was currently pressed up against another woman, a beautiful young woman with Asian features, a long mane of golden hair done into a ponytail, and currently dressed in ultra short shorts, and a mid-riff exposing cut off halter-top. The two women were holding hands palm to palm with their fingers interlaced, bouncing up and down, while talking simultaneously in ecstatic giddy tones.

The kickboxer was so stunned at his sudden reversal from hostility that it was full two seconds before the sheer visual stimulus of two such sexy, bouncy, and apparently bra-less girls hugging each other happily, hit him. Of course when it did hit it was the psychological equivalent of one of Terry's Overkill Geyser's. Then, quite unexpectedly he noticed someone standing behind the blond woman.

The man was a little shorter than Joe, dressed in a plain white t-shirt and loose jeans. He had a duffel bag slung over his shoulder and stood trying to look around the two gorgeous girl's to see what was inside the house. Instantly the kickboxer's instincts took over and Joe began sizing the man up. He had the powerful without bulk build of a fighter or a gymnast, with short black hair, tan skin, Oriental complexion, and hard, intense black eyes.

However once the man saw Joe, his gaze went back to the two women, then he looked back at Higashi with a questioning shrug. The kickboxer returned the expression. The black haired man carefully worked his way around the giddy girls to stand in front of Joe. He bowed informally.

"Yoroshi ku. My name is Guy." Joe smiled slightly and bowed back.

"Hajime mashi te, Joe Higashi." The other man nodded.

"Yes I recognize you, Japan's finest kickboxer. Good work in the King of Fighters Tournament last year." Joe grinned at him.

"Heh, I kinda figured you to be one who knew about the fights. Don't recognize you though, you an underground fighter?"

The shorter man shrugged. "In a manner of speaking. I'm a student of Bushin ryu."

A random neuron fired in Higashi's brain. "A ninjutsu variant. I've talked to Mai's grandfather a few times, and he mentioned that school. You an old classmate of Mai's?"

Guy shook his head. "Me? No, however-"

The shinobi was cut off as both he and Joe were grabbed by the arm and pulled next to their respective female companions.

"-and this Joe Higashi the World Champion Mhuay Thai Kickboxer!"

"-Guy, he's Zeku-sensei's best student!"

Joe pointed at the beautiful red haired girl holding him in an arm bar. "As you probably know, this is Shiranui Mai."

The other man motioned his head at the gorgeous blond clutching him in an identical manner. "This is Genryusai Maki, another student of Bushin ryu ninjutsu."

Both men then turned to the other woman and said simultaneously. "Yoroshi konno gashi masu."

A few minutes later Joe and Guy were stretched out on some chairs each with a chu-high, a purple mix of kool-aid and sake that was one of Mai's favorite drinks. The girls had led the two men outside, sat them down and then disappeared into the kitchen, both seemingly relishing their role as co-hostess.

"So, you've fought with Mai-san before Higashi-san?" Asked the ninja.

"Joe, please. My manager calls me Higashi-san, and I don't like the guy that much." Guy chuckled as Higashi went on. "Yeah, I've fought with her, fought against her, saved the world with her, tried to help her idiot boyfriend, one of my best friends by the way, see the light…" Joe Higashi rattled off, lounging back on the wide couch. He took another gulp of the chu-high and felt the sake in the grape flavored drink warm his insides nicely. While this wasn't exactly what he had planned, it was a pretty good afternoon, old and new friends, some sparring, and alcohol. All in all a nice package.

****

"So Maki-chan, are you and Guy…" Mai trailed off insinuatively. The younger blond woman blushed furiously and shook her blond tresses.

"No, I just barely got him off the mountain in Tibet, he was so upset when my sister left him. I don't know why she did it; he only left her when Zeku-sensei ordered it, and when he had to help his friends. Even then he asked her to come along and help!" Maki's voice was high, showing her frustration and concern. Mai growled internally as she mixed up some tea for her and Maki. Andy hadn't been a fifth as attentive as Guy was, and she was still loyal to him. Something in her life wasn't fair.

"Anyway, I've been trying to get him to come out of his shell, but he's afraid he'll hurt me if Rena comes back and he leaves. It's so frustrating!" Another shake of her beautiful head.

"Tell me about it." Grumbled Mai. Maki's intense brown eyes studied her friend and training partner for a moment.

"Don't tell me." She said quietly. "Andy still hasn't…"

"Done anything but kissed me once, and then only because we had just saved each other!" The red haired kunoichi groused. The young blond woman nodded, and then accepted the cup of tea. "So what about-"

****

"Me? Oh no, not in the slightest. Andy may be an inattentive fool, but he's still my friend and stealing your friend's girl is bad." Said Joe Higashi. Guy nodded an odd distant look in his eyes. The kickboxer didn't miss it. "So what's the story with you and Maki?"

Guy though for a moment. "It's kind of a long story, and somewhat personal."

"Hey no problem, I understand about that." Far better than the Thai fighter would have liked actually. The black haired ninja shook his head.

"It's just that to understand certain things about our, relationship, you would have had to go through some of the things we have."

I REALLY understand about that. Joe grumbled to himself silently.

"Maki is the sister of my ex-fiancé," started Guy. Oh this isn't going to end well. Joe instantly thought. "Rena is a Bushin ryu kunoichi just like Maki, and her missions are similar to mine, the interdiction of evil, in all of its forms. During one where I participated in the Street Fighter tournament, she was sent to Okinawa. There she met a shinobi working to undermine the influence of the Tong and Triad gangs. Throughout her mission this other shinobi saved her several times. Also during this my friend Cody was sent to prison, though he subsequently escaped. Which meant his fiancé, and ex-girlfriend of mine, named Jessica, was extremely lonely. And while I comforted her, I never touched her beyond the occasional hug. Rena however returned to find all these things out from someone outside the clan, a person with an old vendetta against me as it turned out."

The Japanese kickboxer waited quietly as the shinobi took a small gulp of his sake. Guy studied the floor for a moment then continued. "While there was no evidence of my misbehaving, indeed because I hadn't, Rena's suspicions and the charms of the other ninja proved enough for her to break off the engagement, and return to Okinawa, in order to insure her new friend made good on his word."

The short, black haired man met Joe's gaze with a small, sad smirk. "And, of course, to give herself 'time to think'."

Higashi shook his head with an expression of pained understanding. "Heard that line more times than I care to remember or repeat!"

Guy smiled ruefully and opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted, by a sound like reality itself getting eviscerated.

The ceiling to Mai's house above Joe seemed to get pulled upward, as though it was made of rubber, then a tear appeared in the warp, a jagged rip in the face of the universe. Sickly red light filling the room. Before the kickboxer or ninja could move something hurtled out of the tear and slammed into Joe hard. Then the light seemed to be drawn back into the rent in space and the tear looked like it sealed itself.

The whole process had taken maybe two seconds.

Guy was on his feet, though what he could do he didn't know. Then the Bushin ninja realized what was lying on the dazed Mhuay Thai fighter. A woman, a gorgeous, voluptuous woman dressed in a crimson silk body suit, with steel leg guards, a single forearm brace, fingerless gloves and two swords, one on her back the other at her waist, across the base of her spine. She was unconscious, her jet black hair in a ponytail strewn across her beautiful face.

There was something distinctly familiar about her.

"Guy!"

"Joe!" The two voices were virtually in chorus as Guy gently picked the woman up and turned to face Mai and Maki. The two shinobi girls stared at him then at the woman in his arms, then back at him. The Bushin student looked up at the ceiling where the woman had fallen from, then at the expectantly waiting girls, then the black haired beauty in his arms. He knew they were waiting for his explanation and that it would have to be good.

"Um…" Guy started intelligently. Any further brilliance was cut short by the girl in his arms stirring. Her wide black eyes opened, then she stiffened and weakly tried pushing away from his grasp. Guy looked around frantically and gently set her on the easy chair he had been sitting on. Something needed to be said.

"Ah, please, calm down, we mean no harm to you." Guy said. The woman's eyes widened slightly. The black haired man cursed himself for speaking in Japanese, though she looked it there was no reason she-

"N… ni… ppon?" The gorgeous girl whispered hopefully. Guy glanced at Mai and Maki who were huddled on either side of him, eyes wide with curiosity. The Bushin shinobi looked back at the mysterious woman.

"Hai. This is Japan." He said carefully. The young woman relaxed slightly. She studied both of the ninja girls behind Guy. Her eyes fastened on Mai, then her hair. The black haired beauty's mouth opened in surprise. She pointed at Mai and shakily motioned the red haired girl toward her. Mai cautiously approached, still not sure what had happened or where this buxom woman had come from.

The black haired lady looked at Mai again, appraisingly, then once more stared at the shinobi woman's hair. In the same small, weak voice she spoke.

"Kunoichi?" Both Shiranui and Genryusai ninja women sank back slightly. Then they fully studied the woman in front of them. Mai's eyes grew large(er).

"Yes, yes we are!" She said excitedly. The strange woman nodded with a smile, her eyes sinking shut again.

"…fate… smiles… on me… I… am Taki…"

****

The explanation that followed Taki's regaining of wakefulness was long and very complex, but eventually all four fighters believed the girl. The black haired kunoichi knew secrets taught only to kunoichi that even Guy didn't know, and all four warriors had seen things ranging from evil psychic entities that switched clone bodies nearly at will, to an ancient god being resurrected, to two dark forces draining the life from each other to become nearly unstoppable forces of destruction, to a mad god's resurrection in the body of a small boy.

Time travel via exploding demon didn't seem all that implausible anymore.

Eventually all were seated outside in Mai's yard sharing sake and tea, exchanging stories, trying to find out what they should do about Taki's appearance, and generally getting to know each other. The decision was reached (by Mai) that everyone (including Joe much to his excitement, and distress) would spend the night.

Not a one of them noticed a small ball of light emerge from underneath the couch Taki had landed on, flit into the dojo and hide behind one Mai's grandfather's demon masks. The mask glowed once, then faded.

****

By the time she had done her job as hostess and made sure everyone was asleep Mai was feeling pretty tired. Not wanting to wake Maki and Guy, the ninja girl took a quick bath in the furo next to the dojo. She changed and made her way to the nearly lightless training hall. Dressed now in a black silk kimono, slippers, white silk thong panties and little else, Mai stretched luxuriously in the darkened room.

As she wound her hair up into her customary pony tail Mai reflected on how much she liked it here. Despite all the hours she had spent training and fighting, all the times she remembered bruises from her grandfather, she also remembered other things, training beside Andy, helping Maki with that rising kick technique of hers, Kasumi with her power, Ibuki with the control of her ki, Andy…

The kunoichi sighed heavily. "Still can't get over him can you girl?" She murmured to herself looking at the faint outlines of the floor.

Mai smiled sadly and looked up, then frowned. Something was wrong. There was something out of place here. She couldn't see it, hear it, smell it, or even feel the air of it moving. But she could feel it, inside, on the borders of her senses.

From behind one of her grandfather's ceremonial oni masks, directly behind the now cautious kunoichi a light flared up, soft, and small, a hint of sphere shaped energy manifesting. Then shooting forward, frighteningly fast, to sink into Mai's back.

The red haired kunoichi gasped as she felt something hit her and her blood catch on fire, but not pain, only, only, what? Hunger? Her head started spinning in confusion as it felt like something hit her again. The hits weren't hard, they didn't even feel real, she couldn't describe the sensation, but Mai was positive that she wasn't fond of it.

However her head was getting muzzy, confusion began to take over as she felt two more soft, quick impacts, and the heat inside her increased.

"Aaaaaah!" Mai gasped in sudden unexpected pleasure. Suddenly the ninja girl realized she was clutching her breasts through her kimono. Squeezing and kneading them passionately. Forcing herself to halt Mai looked around wildly, trying to pinpoint the source of the unnatural desire. Finally, through hazed eyes, the ninja girl spotted it, a small mote of soft glowing light, bobbing and hovering in front of her.

"Na… na… ni…" Mai wondered aloud. At that second the light shot forward again. The red haired girl tried to dodge, but the fog in her head slowed her down, and the fire in her blood distracted her. The light disappeared under her robes, and sank into Mai's already damp panties.

Mai moaned and tried to scream but her throat closed on her involuntarily as she gasped, desire arcing through her now sweating body. The burning pleasure filled hunger in her became unbearable. In desperation one of the kunoichi's hand slipped underneath the tight elastic of her panties, and began stroking her smooth shaven labia quickly, another hand nearly tore open her robe trying to get to her hardened nipples.

Falling to her knees, Mai's hips thrust unconsciously, driving two fingers inside her, and causing the young woman to scream with lust. Her entire body pulsing with each drive of her hand, the red haired woman found her nipple and squeezed it almost to the point of pain, then released it. Her confusion and apprehension now forgotten, Mai could think of nothing but need, hunger, desire, lust.

Using her bountiful cleavage to her advantage the lust intoxicated young woman used the hand that had been squeezing her nipple to push the same one to her mouth. Muffling screams of pleasure with her own breast, Mai sucked strongly on her peak, driving both fingers inside as hard as she could. For a few moments that's all she did, all she could do, writhe to the rhythm of her fingers pushing inside her soaking sex, fondling one breast roughly with her hand and flicking her tongue against her other nipple, trying not to scream and lose any source of pleasure.

Finally it was too much, feeling her orgasm building, tightness suffusing her sweaty, beautiful body, Mai cried out, and clutched at her sex with both hands, using her free hand to rip the thin silk away. When she did the material was pulled taught against her, against the ultra-sensitive skin just south of her sex, against…

Mai slowly crumpled forward, her hand and hips never ceasing their wanton pulsing. Her cheek resting on the dojo floor her breasts crushed beneath her against the cool hardwood (and adding to the pleasure that wracked her body) as well, the ninja girl used both hands on her pussy now, spreading her labia open, thumbing her clit, even rubbing the outside of her anus.

Then unexpectedly, violently, Mai came. Bucking her hips, unable to scream because she could barely breathe, her sex flooding a torrent of honey over her hands and down her thighs. She kept thrusting for as long as she could manage until her quivering; shaking body finally ran through the tremendous wave of pleasure.

She lay there without moving for some time, nearly limp, soaked in sweat and sex. Then the red haired girl slowly moved her hands under her and pushed up, sitting back on her knees. As the kimono draped lightly around her, Mai sighed and stretched, seeming to notice for the first time that her hands were covered in her own sex. The eyes that noticed this were not the same, wide brown, caring orbs that reflected Shiranui Mai.

Something else was there now, something… hungry.

"Mai?" The voice was Joe's. "Mai are you all right I heard a noise it sounded like you but…"

The kickboxer had begun walking toward the kneeling young woman, when suddenly his sense of smell kicked him, hard. Joe was famous. Fame meant fans, fan boys trying to get his autograph, and fan girls trying get, well, anything. Some of these women had not been unattractive, a few had been hot. And Joe's willpower wasn't always the strongest. Which is why he was no stranger to the company of a woman, and he recognized the aroma of a woman's sex quite well.

In the darkness of the dojo Joe could only see outlines of the woman in front of him, but they were enough. Mai's glittering eyes locked with his, her disheveled kimono half open, letting him see in full what he had been flashed by for years. Then the kunoichi closed her eyes, raised her right hand to her perfect lips, and slowly ran her tongue over her fingers.

Joe had never considered himself the brightest of all people, but even he could understand what was taking place here. And dressed only in boxer shorts it showed.

"Joe-chaaaaaan…" Mai's eyes were locked on him now, her voice sibilant and seductive, a distance caress. Raising her left hand, still slick with her juices, the nearly naked ninja girl beckoned to him "Come here…"

Utterly mortified Joe wanted to turn and run away. Really. He really, really, really did! He… practically ran to the red haired girl, skidding to his knees. Mai reached out with her left hand and tenderly touched his lips. He could taste her, smell her, feel the heat coming off her, morality never even tried to raise its head. (Actually it did try but was hit by the grand momma of all "Screw Uppers" by Joe's libido.)

Joe closed his eyes, grabbed her arm and began kissing and licking the woman's hand. Mai mewed in pleasure and wrapped her arm around the kickboxer's powerful shoulders, and pulled herself up to straddle him. By some miracle of concentration Joe managed to continue his "cleaning" of Mai's hand. The lust possessed ninja girl, sighed, then groaned as she ground her naked sex against the hard bulge in Joe's shorts.

The taste of Mai's sex burning on his tongue Higashi let go of Mai's arm and began ravenously kissing, licking, and lightly biting the ninja girl's graceful neck. Mai clutched his hair, pressed every bit of her perfect body against his tightly muscled chest that she could and purred.

"Oh yes, yes, just like that, oh GOD! Joe, Joe, please, take me Joe, take me…" Mai could felt the burning hunger inside her re-ignite, scorching her blood, causing her breath to quicken, her pussy to throb with need. Wildly the red haired girl returned his affections, far rougher, scraping her nails down his back, leaving welts where she bit his neck, and Joe Higashi loved every second of it.

What came out of the ninja girl's mouth next nearly made the kick boxer cum at that instant. Mai's flawless lips ran kisses up the side of his throat an ended at his ear. Writhing with total abandon against his manhood, breathing heavily, she whispered into Joe's ear.

"Joe... oh YES! Joe please, I need you… uhhh AH! I need you now! Fuck me Joe…Fuck me!"

Stunned as he was to hear the ninja girl say this, his body practically jumped to obey. The kickboxer leaned forward; and never once ceasing in his attention lavishing Joe lay the kunoichi on her back. The beautiful fighter arched her back as her robe flowed off of her, still pressing her soaked sex against the length of his covered manhood.

The passion drunk man started moving his lips down the girl's neck and collarbone to those bountiful breasts he had so long desired to taste. Wasting no time the kickboxer started on Mai's stiffened nipple, then tried (in vain) to engulf her entire breast, his tongue never halting as it rolled and flicked her peak. The pleasure only fed the ninja girl's desire further, enflaming the supernatural hunger inside her higher and higher.

"Ahh! Hah hah Joe… one… onegai… " Was all Mai could manage between pants and moans. Then the red haired young woman grabbed Joe's hair and pulled his face to hers, their eyes locking for a moment, even as Mai pressed herself to the fighter's sculpted form, her entire shining body undulating as she rubbed her slit up and down against his shaft. Even caught up in a staggering swirl of pleasure and released emotion a single thought finally broke through his passion induced drunkenness.

Why?

Why was she doing this? Gratitude? Loneliness?

Then the beautiful woman closed her eyes and parted her lips slightly, halting her motions, just holding his hard muscled body tight to her. Whispering so low the young man wasn't sure he had heard it, the kunoichi said one word.

"Onegai…" It was enough. All his reservations were promptly beaten, stomped on, and buried in small, unmarked graves.

Joe pressed his lips to hers, squeezing his eyes shut to savor the intensity of it. Something inside him recoiled in horror as Higashi felt something draw him into her, into her kiss beyond any natural connection. Then lust roared fully to life and swept all doubts like a tsunami hitting a rowboat.

As the same paranormal desire that possessed Mai engulfed Joe, the kickboxer broke the kiss with a snarl of hunger. Mai gasped as her paramour let go of her abruptly, to push himself up with one arm, violently pull his boxers down and off with his other, and forcefully press himself against the wet opening of her womanhood. The red haired woman brought hands down to her soaking pussy and pulled her labia apart. And with no further delay, Joe slid inside, pausing involuntarily as he reeled from the whirlwind of sensations.

Hot, slick, tightness around him, squeezing him, Joe nearly lost it then. Without thought his hips thrust forward as he pressed himself down on top of the moaning woman. Soft breasts crushed against hard muscle, her sex tightening with every thrust, his pulsing getting faster and harder, him grabbing her shoulders to drive himself into her deeper, her teeth biting into his superbly toned shoulder, nails digging into his powerful back, spurring him on.

Then as he thrust forward she caught his tight buttocks with her hands, squeezed with her thighs trapping him, and locked her intense eyes with his near bestial ones. Licking her lips Mai spoke again in a firm, authoritative tone.

"Fuck me."

Her hips ground against him, shaven skin rubbing against black hair, and still she did not unclench him.

"Fuck me, fuck me hard, fast, and deep, cum inside me."

It was a statement of command. Joe's body glinted in the dim light, sweat dripped down the ridges of his abdomen, his finely sculpted body twitched with her every sultry word. He was deaf to everything but her voice; even the roar of his own heart was drowned out by Mai's sweet, lusty voice.

"Fuck me like the animal you are, now!"

And her grip on him relaxed. Instantly he was thrusting inside her, grunting and growling, pulling down on her shoulders, arcing his entire body just as she did. Pounding, fast short strokes with a desperate rhythm. Joe had to lift himself from Mai's chest, her generous breasts bouncing with each thrust, her nipples brushing against his chiseled chest muscles, causing even more pleasure to surge through the young woman. Her high screams of ecstasy counter pointing his low growls.

Then, all too soon, it was over.

With a last deep thrust he buried himself inside her, perfectly formed muscles clenching, tension welling up, and finally over as he flooded her pussy. Her fingernails dug into his back, spurring a final jolt of pleasure and pain, one last spasm of ecstasy. They arched apart, Mai's breasts jutting forward, her body shivering with orgasm, glistening with sweat. And then Joe slowly collapsed on top of the beautiful woman, wrapping her in a tight embrace, and rolling her over, still hard inside her.

The kunoichi lay on top of the black haired fighter quietly, her eyes glowing with a supernaturally satisfied light. For a brief moment the light in her eyes dimmed as the young woman held Joe, the warmth of his embrace, the comfort of someone near her enough for the kunoichi's true self. Then the demon's fragment, its Lust Incarnate roared in her veins again, fanning the fires within, surging over Mai's consciousness. Once she had found the strength Mai pushed herself up to look Joe in the face again. He was, by some miracle of endurance, still conscious. The pair exchanged a deep kiss, and when their eyes opened as they parted lips, both fighters' eyes were glowing slightly. Mai spoke in a voice laden with lust and command.

"Now the blond one and her friend."

Higashi nodded and released Mai who sat back, slowly slid the kickboxer's erection out of her, then smiled, kissed her way down his smooth shining skin, and proceeded to clean their combined juices off of him, thinking it would great fun to do this to both Joe and Guy. Joe moaned in pleasure, but was already wondering how Maki would taste, especially if Mai was rubbing her pussy on the blond woman's own slit…

For reasons they didn't know, neither of possessed fighters thought about their last guest. The kunoichi named Taki wasn't on their list. Not yet.

****

Maki sighed and stretched as she came out of the bathroom. If she had known she was spending the night at Mai-san's place she would have brought some clothes, ones less revealing than what Mai slept in. Her outfit consisted of a near-transparent white robe and a sheer black chemise that ended just past her panties. Her underwear was her own though, a pair of white thong bikini panties and a thin front clasped white bra. Though this outfit might come in handy in coaxing a certain highly skilled but extremely shy shinobi into saying how he felt, thought the blond girl with a grin.

A grin that she still had while considering which door she should go into, the guest room? (Her room) Or Mai's little brother's? (Guy's room) While she was standing in the near darkness the kunoichi suddenly heard something behind her, then carefully and quietly turned around. And stopped, her eyes growing enormous.

For standing directly behind the blond ninja girl was Shiranui Mai, still wearing her black silk robe, though it was hanging open now, exposing the other kunoichi's gorgeous body to the dim light. Mai's skin was glossy with sweat, and the intense smell of arousal surrounded her. The red haired ninja girl locked eyes with Maki, and then very deliberately ran her tongue across full red, lips.

Almost immediately the blond woman felt her body heat up, as wave of sexual hunger swept through her. Maki had no idea where it had come from, having never before harbored thoughts like this about Mai-san. The Bushin kunoichi opened her mouth to speak, though what she was going to say she had no clue on, when two powerful arms grabbed her from behind, wrapping around her elbows and then scooping up to pin her arms behind her back.

Maki spread her legs out to retain her balance, and opened her mouth to try and wake up Guy, alert the others in Mai's house-

Mai interrupted any other actions, pressing her lips to the blond woman's own; the red haired ninja girl slipped her tongue inside the Bushin kunoichi's mouth to begin a private dance. Mai's hands slipped the robe from the other woman's shoulder, and then fluttered over the blond girl's body, stroking soft skin over hard muscle. After untying the interfering cloth completely Mai then pressed her own wonderful curves to Maki's delightful body. As both kunoichi's breasts were pressed together, and the Bushin girl continued to kiss Mai, questions, doubts, protests all formed in Maki's mind, only to be burned away by the heat that her hostess' lips and body were igniting within her.

Her knees going soft the blond woman felt her body go limp, as though her strength was being drawn from her by Mai's hungry kiss. Even as she panicked at the loss of control, and even more from the feeling of a hard muscled chest pressing against her graceful back, Maki moaned in pleasure at the wonderful sensations of Mai's lovely, sweat slick body, and the mystery man's chiseled form behind her.

Slowly Mai broke from the kiss, not stopping her attentions, merely redirecting them to the blond woman's neck, collarbone, heaving breasts, sucking on the pale skinned woman's nipples through her bra, down her flat, toned stomach, and then stopping at her moist white panties. Maki's head lolled back onto the man's shoulder, who she slowly gazed at with heavy-lidded eyes as he brought her arms up and around his neck.

Oh, yeah, it's Joe Higashi, Mai's friend. Maki thought laconically as she linked her fingers and used his body to hold her up. He smiled hungrily at her, and she returned the expression sleepily, then her eyes rolled up into the back of her head as Mai lightly brushed her lips on the surface of the other kunoichi's covered but damp sex.

Why does this all feel so, so, good? Wondered the Bushin ninja girl, gasping as Joe shifted behind her, his long hard member sliding along the underside of her sex, only separated by a thin piece of wet cloth. Her gasp turned into moans as the man's lips caressed her ear, then neck, and then shoulder. I shouldn't like this so much, I shouldn't-

Any further thoughts Maki was going to have were destroyed utterly as her panties were pulled to the side, Mai's skilled tongue parting the petals of her womanhood, and sliding into her as deeply as possible, then gliding up to find the hardened nub of her clit. The blond ninja girl shuddered, her firm breasts heaving as she writhed against the kickboxer's chest, and the kunoichi's mouth.

Joe ran his large hands up and down her body, stroking her sides, her stomach, and then finally resting on Maki's pert breasts. He hastily unsnapped the woman's bra, not bothering to even take it off, just getting it out of the way. He squeezed her chest gently, caressing the underside of her breasts carefully, then moving his fingers to the blond woman's fully hardened nipples.

Just as Joe squeezed the erect tips, Mai pulled back from Maki's dripping sex, causing the girl to moan and gasp at the same time. The red haired kunoichi hooked her fingers in the waistband of the other woman's panties and pulled down, gently brushing Joe's manhood and making him groan into his kissing.

Once she had pulled the sweating, shaking girl's underwear to her knees, Mai instantly went back to tonguing Maki's sweet sex. The lust possessed red head quickly added her index and middle finger to the stimulation, gently probing the folds of the other kunoichi's pussy. And just when Maki felt her body tighten, as waves of heady sensations washed through her, when the pulse of Mai's tongue and fingers slipping in and out of her, her own hips driving down to increase the penetration, when the spiky haired kickboxer and her were kissing deeply, almost violently-

-It all stopped. Mai withdrew from Maki's soaked womanhood with a mischievous smile, licking her lips intently as the blond pumped her hips forward, and moaned her body twisting against Joe's in frustration. Then the red haired woman, cupped the desperate kunoichi's sex with one hand, and wrapped the other gently around Joe's still stiff erection. Stroking him carefully Mai urged the smoothly muscled man forward, alternating between flicking her tongue on his member, and tasting Maki's pussy.

Then, her smile growing even wider, the hentai ninja girl used her fingers to part Maki's dripping petals, and rubbed the tip of Joe's manhood against the opening. Both sweat soaked man and convulsing woman shook as Mai teased them, tasting them both lightly, gently rubbing the fighter's large stiff member around and over Maki's sex.

"Do you want it?" Mai's voice was a sweet, husky purr. "Do you want him inside you, filling you, fucking you?"

Maki gasped each time the other woman said "you", her body shaking, and quivering, desperately holding on to Joe's neck as her hips pumped back and forth, begging Mai with her body. The black haired man was so tense, so ready to fuck the hot, pale skinned beauty he held, every muscle in his sculpted body stood out, his dark tan glistened with his own sweat as he restrained himself, just barely. Mai grinned wider, shifting her hips around as the energy of the other two, and the control she had coursed through her, inflaming her just as effectively as a lover's hands.

So arousing was her teasing of the younger woman she was almost disappointed when Maki begged, breathily, and loudly. Almost. "Ohh, onegai, onegai… chodai… ah! AH! …onegai, naka ni... hai aku atashi o okashite!"

Mai ran her long tongue from the base of Joe's member, up over the tip, up the wet folds of Maki's labia, circled the blond woman's clit once, then slid Joe inside her while simultaneously grinding her tongue onto the ultra-sensitive nub. The kickboxer threw his head back wolfishly, his hand instantly sliding down to grab Maki's hips and pull her deeper onto him. Maki rose to the balls of her feet, eyes and head rolled back, arching her back so her breasts jutted out.

He started slowly, withdrawing and thrusting with agonizing pleasure. Mai grabbed Joe's powerfully muscled hips and pulled down; her eyes alight with passion and hunger. Still lost in the blond beauty impaled on his stiffness, Joe complied, both he and Maki sinking to their knees, shaking and quivering, their sweat making their skin shine in the half-light. When the two were equal with the red haired ninja girl Mai began kissing and licking Maki's jiggling breasts, while sliding her hands along the other kunoichi's arms. Upon finding the blonde's wrists Mai gently pulled them apart and guided them down gently.

Joe was beginning to increase the pace of his thrusts. His thighs tensing and flexing, as he slid into her, his shoulders tightening to maximize each penetration. Maki fell forward, her body limp and convulsively tight simultaneously. As she fell onto Mai, crushing their flawless breasts together, Maki tangled her hands in Mai's hair and kissed the other woman deeply.

All three pulsed for a moment, rocking with the kickboxer's powerful thrusts, shaking with their own pleasure. Reluctantly, Mai separated herself from the other shinobi girl's lips. Then her mischievous grin returned and Mai lay back, pulling Maki's shoulders as she did so. When Mai's back touched the smooth floor of the hallway, the blond girl's head was between her toned, curved thighs.

With no more instruction needed Maki looked at Mai once, her lust filled gaze meeting Mai's own, then she bent her neck down, hooked her arms under Mai's hips, and slid her tongue inside the red haired kunoichi. Mai gasped loudly in pleasure, placing her legs over the blond woman's shoulders and lacing her fingers in the ninja girl's silk blond hair. As Maki began her tentative kissing, licking, and sucking Mai arched her back, then thrust her hips forward, trying to drive the other woman's tongue into her more. Then Joe redoubled the power of his fucking.

Grasping the blond tightly the kickboxer forgot about everything but the intense heat, and silky smooth tightness of Maki's sex. He pounded into her relentlessly, his entire body curving with each violent thrust. Mai screamed in ecstasy and threw her head side to side as she felt Maki do the same thing, then felt Joe's hard, powerful thrusts through Maki's gorgeous, sweat covered body.

The electrifying rhythm of slick friction, penetration, and taste made sure this did not last long. Mai was loud this time, every time Maki's tongue was driven on to her she nearly screamed.

"Ah! Ohh soo good...OH! Yes! Yesyes… YES! Fuck her Joe, fuck her tight hot pussy, fuck her hard and fast… Oh ah, AH! FUCK… HER!"

The wanton, heartfelt words sending jolts through his ecstasy tormented body, Joe came, with one final, deep, grinding thrust. As she felt the hot fluid flood inside her Maki screamed one more time as she ran her tongue across Mai's clit, arcing her back upwards and writhing against Mai's convulsive grip and Joe's hard member inside her. Mai pulled the blond girl's hair unconsciously, the little bit of pain making Maki's pleasure all the more intense, drove her hips up one final time before she orgasmed finally, twisting her hips one way and her shoulders the opposite direction, freezing there as her body tensed, and finally collapsing to the floor in satisfaction.

Joe embraced the blond kunoichi from behind tightly, pulling the exhausted young woman's limp body from between Mai's legs, and sitting back, on his knees with the ninja girl sitting on his lap. The kickboxer brushed her flaxen hair out of the way and tenderly began kissing her neck, even as his finally spent member slid out from her. Maki's half-closed eyes fluttered open and shut and she cooed at his delicate attentions. After an enjoyable moment of this the young woman turned her head and looked into Joe's handsome, roguish face, the leaned forward and kissed him, slipping her tongue in between his lips.

Mai lay on the floor for a moment, her eyes closed, voluptuous chest heaving as she panted in the intense afterglow. Then her eyes snapped open, the unnatural glow of hunger still there, and growing stronger. The red haired kunoichi sat up and saw Joe and Maki kissing, then her gaze traveled down to the stream of fluid, flowing from the other kunoichi's sex. Crawling forward like a cat Mai half lay down, and ran her hands up and down the other young woman's sides. She gently kissed Maki's lithe, trim stomach, barely touching the pale skin with her lips and tongue as her kisses slowly traveled south. To rest in the small triangle of blond hair, and past, gently probing the outer edges of Maki's labia-

Then abruptly, and voraciously, lapping at the other woman like a cat at a milk saucer. The blond ninja girl gasped as threw her head back, clutching Mai's head, desperately pulling the other kunoichi to her, her hips bucking forward as her body spasmodically shook in time to Mai's tongue, her well formed breasts bouncing up and down with each twitch. Then cried out lustfully as the other woman began sucking her and Joe's combined fluids from her sex.

Joe was about to resume his attention to the lissome blond when Mai paused from Maki's sex, causing the other girl to moan loudly in disappointment, to look up at him. Her face shining with his cum and the blonde's honey, Mai's brown eyes flashed once. And the kickboxer smiled in understanding. Though he regretted releasing the beautiful, writhing woman, and leaving Mai, who he cared for as well as wanted, the possessing entity that had infected Mai and now held him as well, directed him to another, the last woman in the house.

Taki.

Mai closed her eyes again as Joe stood and turned away. Greedily driving her tongue into Maki's pussy, and sucking the woman's nectar down, the kunoichi didn't see the kickboxer pause as he turned away. The supernatural glow in Joe's eyes faded for just a moment, replaced by concern and caring.

"Mai…" He managed to whisper before the demon's energy coursed through his body again, turning the man away to find the other woman and posses her on all levels as well.