Fatal Fury Fan Fiction ❯ Fatal Fury - The Vengeful Spirits ❯ Chapter Four - Special Delivery ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games, or the anime.

Chapter Four: Special Delivery

South Town Cemetery

He should have left by now. His plan had been to sneak in, place a final bouquet on each of their graves, say goodbye, and that would be that. Jeff Bogard and Master Tung's graves had been no problem. But for some reason, Terry Bogard had now spent an hour standing in front of the headstones for Lily and Sulia.

"It's not that I want to leave," he said out loud to the stones. "But I have to. Thanks to the new mayor, I don't have a reason to stay. No, I didn't mean it like that. It's just that the living need to keep living. Since I lost you both, the only thing that makes me feel alive anymore is the fight, and if I stay here, I can't fight. So I need to move on. Lily, you used to appear to me all the time. Sulia, I've never seen you before, not since the day you died. Please, can't you just appear to me now and tell me you understand? I have to know that you understand. I still love you, I always will. I just have to leave. Please... tell me that's okay..."

Evening turned into night. Still, he heard and saw nothing. He was about to give up when he heard a soft whisper from the grove of trees behind their gravestones: "Terry..."

Terry's head jerked up, his eyes on the trees. "Lily? Sulia? Is that you?"

"Terry..." the voice emanated softly through the trees again, as if it were being carried on the breeze. Terry raced into the middle of the grove, his eyes scanning for the ethereal blue light that always seemed to appear right before he had a spirit visitation. But he saw nothing.

"Terry... Bogard..." The voice was louder now, clearer. Loud enough for Terry to tell that it was not feminine. But it was still familiar.

Through the cracks in the trees, Terry could make out a shadow against the hazy clouds of South Town's night. A silhouette of a well-built man, arms crossed in front of his chest. Terry could not make out the face. When he blinked, the shadow was gone.

"Terry... Bogard..." The voice was louder now, a deep growl that Terry recognized.

"What the hell?" He muttered to himself. There was a snap in the grass behind him. Terry turned on the balls of his feet... just in time to see a bright ribbon of blue energy strike him squarely in the face and send him flying. The blue light faded quickly into black, as did the rest of Terry's world.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that it was still night. He was on the ground, his back against the thick trunk of a tree. Slowly, he got to his feet, ignoring the ache in his head and neck. His blue eyes scanned the tree grove for any sign of his attacker, but they appeared to be long gone. Terry looked down, saw a small furrow of soil extending from the base of the tree to where he had been standing earlier, no doubt made by the heel of his shoe as he'd flown backwards. He stepped forward a few paces, saw that the tips of the grass appeared to have been singed by chi energy.

Terry knew a Reppuken when he saw one, and whatever hit him had definitely looked like one. But Terry Bogard had only ever fought one man who utilized that technique. What the hell was going on?

After standing there for a while, lost in thought, Terry finally made his way out of the tree grove, back towards the headstones of Lily and Sulia. "Good news, ladies," he said to the graves as he picked up his bag. "I may not be leaving after all..."

Mino, Japan – The Shiranui Dojo

The whistle of the tea kettle filled the kitchen, and Mai Shiranui quickly removed it from the heat, then poured the steaming water into a ceramic teapot that she had already filled with the ingredients for Hanzo Shiranui's favorite green blend. She quickly placed the lid on the pot so it could steep, then moved the pot onto a painted tray.

Andy was off in the forest behind the dojo, doing a quick workout before bed. At least, that was what he told Mai he was doing when he'd stuck his head in the kitchen earlier, after Mai had first put the water on. She knew the main reason he was exercising now was to give Mai some privacy while she had a chat with her grandfather.

He really has been so good through all of this, she thought. Better than I thought he could ever be. I'll need to find some way to thank him, when I'm feeling better. It had been seven days since the burial, and per tradition, the temple had held a memorial service for Hanzo on each of those days. Mai had been present at every service, and just like the wake and the burial, Andy had sat in the back if one of Mai's family members were present, while Mai sat in the front. Whenever they got back to the dojo after a service, the two would stand in the foyer, and Andy would simply hold Mai in his arms while she cried.

After the third day, the services had gotten a little easier, and Mai didn't always cry after them. But sometimes, she would find herself doing a mundane task during the day, and for some reason (maybe she'd overcooked the rice by mistake, or maybe the stitching in the dress she was mending wasn't completely straight) she would just feel like crying. If Andy was nearby, then he would hold her until she stopped, saying nothing the entire time. On nights when she didn't feel like cooking, Andy would walk into town for take-out. After the first memorial service, when he'd tried to cheer her up by making botamochi, they had both decided that he should not do any more cooking.

At least that was good for a laugh, Mai thought. And I definitely needed one. The tea was almost ready now, so Mai gathered up two cups, and some sticks of incense, and placed them on the tray next to the pot. She filled the cups with green tea, and then got a bottle of sake out of one of the cabinets, and poured a little into one of the cups, making sure it overflowed and that a small amount spilled onto the tray.

"For luck," she said out loud as she stoppered the bottle. She then picked up the tray and headed out to the courtyard, where Hanzo Shiranui's memorial Butsudan still rested. Mai had cleaned up some of the offerings after the burial (the carnations had been starting to wilt), but a few still remained, among them Andy's wrist guards. Mai remembered waking up the day after the burial to find them sitting on top of the ornate, multi-tiered cabinet, and how she had barged into Andy's room (even though he was still asleep) and given him a great big kiss for it.

Mai paused in front of the Butsudan, and bowed her head. "Kobanwa, Ojisama," she said to the portrait of Hanzo that still hung from the cabinet, then got down on her knees on the courtyard stones and placed the tray between her and the Butsudan. She picked up the incense sticks and slid the narrow ends into cracks between the stones, then produced a book of matches from the folds of her black kimono and lit them.

She picked up one of the teacups from the tray, the one without sake, and raised it at the Butsudan. "Kanpai, Papa Hanzo." She took a small sip of tea. "I hope you're well tonight." The perfume of the incense started to drift through the courtyard, and Mai noticed that there were a few burned-down sticks next to the ones she had just lit.

"I see that your deshi left you an offering earlier," she said. "Did you and Andy have a nice talk? Or did he not say anything? I remember that first year he was here, it was always so hard getting more than one or two words out of him, even after his Japanese improved." She sighed. "He really has been so great through all of this. I'm sure by now you've figured out that I'm in love with him, that I'd gladly marry him, should he ever decide that's what he wants. And I don't care what the rest of the family thinks. They can disown me, if they want to. I know I should have told you this while you were here. But... even before you were called home, I think you always knew. I never could keep anything from you.

"Do you remember when I was six, and that bad storm hit during baiyu? You and Tou-chan both told me not to practice indoors with my fans, so of course I did anyway, and I chipped Obāsama's figurine, that porcelain whale that first belonged to my great-grandmother. I thought I had fixed it up good as new, but you still figured out what I had done. And you and father both remembered to give me extra practice after the rains stopped. I had so much mud on me by nightfall, that Tou-chan asked if I was training to be a ninja, or a pig."

Mai laughed at the memory, one of those things that was only funny now that she was an adult. "So, yes. I'm sure you knew that I love Andy with all of my heart. I have since high school. There's never been anyone else. That's why I never went out on more than one date with any of those would-be suitors while Andy was gone, in the rare moments when I actually said 'yes' to a date. But... I still don't know if Andy loves me. I've told him I love him many times, and even though he's gotten so much better over the last year with showing affection, I've never actually heard him say 'I love you' to me. And I can't read him, either. I've always liked to think I have a sixth sense when it comes to what people are feeling, but Andy is the one person whose feelings I've never been able to read. Sometimes I think that's one of the reasons we're meant for each other."

She had other concerns about Andy, but they were a little too personal to share with her grandfather. Foremost among them was the fact that she and Andy still slept in separate rooms. Mai had not yet moved into the Master Bedroom, and would not for another few months, to allow a respectful period of mourning to go by before moving Hanzo's things. But technically, she and Andy were no longer under Hanzo's roof. Even if Andy wasn't ready to make their relationship a sexual one, Mai had figured that they could at least share a bed. And she didn't know what was making him reluctant. She knew Andy found her attractive, she saw that in his eyes whenever he looked at her. But she wasn't going to press that now. It was still too soon after the funeral.

Mai took another sip of tea. "I'm sorry, Ojisama. I didn't mean to start rambling about my love life. How are you doing? Is the rest of the family with you? If grandmother is there, tell her I still wear her keepsake almost every day." For a moment, Mai fingered the ornamental hairpin at the base of her ponytail. "It makes me feel closer to her. Just like my hair makes me feel closer to Oka-chan. Tou-chan always said my hair was just like hers. That's why I've always kept it long. If Tou-chan is there, too, please tell him that..."

Mai heard a small snap on the ground behind her, and she immediately stopped talking and turned her head, her eyes scanning the courtyard. She saw no one. "Andy?" She called. "This conversation is private. Come on, you should know better!"

Whoever it was did not reply. Mai set the teacup down and rose to her feet. She took a deep breath, and focused. There was someone close by, but she could tell it wasn't Andy. Their chi did not feel familiar.

Mai heard a click, followed by several loud pops, and quickly did a back-flip just as a small hail of bullets ricocheted off the stones where she had been standing. Mai continued to flip towards the overhang that surrounded the courtyard, side to side in serpentine motion, feeling more bullets race by her. When she reached the overhang, she quickly hid behind one of the vertical wooden beams that supported it.

From her hiding place, she heard more gunfire, but she knew the wood that shielded her was thick enough to stop the bullets, so she took a few moments to collect herself and try to assess the situation.

Mai had not been expecting an attack in her own home, so she had not been wearing her kunoichi uniform under her kimono, and it wasn't like she could just rip her clothes off and magically will the garment onto her body. She had tried before, but had only successfully done that once, and she suspected that the only reason it worked was due to the urgency of the situation (at the time she'd done it, Andy was being attacked).

Without her gi, she couldn't utilize any of her pyrokinetic attacks. But she wasn't completely defenseless. She had fans up her sleeves and down the front of her kimono. After thinking for a few seconds, Mai grabbed the hem of her dress and tore away the fabric below her knees. That should at least give her some better mobility. She then pulled a fan from her sleeve just as she saw a black blur of movement from her right side.

"Kachousen!" She shouted, tossing the fan towards the assailant who had just appeared at the other end of the overhang. He was raising his Uzi to fire, when the fan struck him on the hand, causing him to drop his gun.

Mai had started to sprint towards him before the fan had found its mark. The man reached down with his other hand to retrieve the gun, but Mai did a forward somersault towards the ceiling of the overhang, planted her feet against it for a split second, then pushed herself forward, elbow first.

"Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi!" She cried as she plowed into the gunman with her Deadly Ninja Bee attack. Without her fighting outfit, she could not summon any flames to strengthen it, but her elbow still struck the man hard in the solar plexus, pushing the wind from him.

Without giving him a chance to recover, Mai grabbed him by the collar and slammed her palm hard against his face. The sound of cartilage snapping in his nose was music to the ninja girl's ears.

He was out cold now, so Mai took a moment to look him over. He was dressed in black from head to toe, with a ski mask over his head. Mai pulled the mask off and saw a face she didn't recognize. She didn't have long to ponder, however, as the clatter of footsteps on stone brought her head up.

She dropped the unconscious man and looked back in the direction she'd come from, saw two more men dressed in black with ski masks and Uzis coming towards her. She tossed three fans in their direction, not even aiming this time as they were a diversion, and then sprinted across the courtyard towards the dojo's entrance. She was halfway there when the men recovered from her fan attack and opened fire. Mai did a series of flips and somersaults as she moved to try and make herself a smaller target.

Andy, I sure hope you can hear these gunshots, she thought as she reached the fusuma and dove headfirst through it, not even bothering to slide it open. Once inside the dojo, Mai tried to focus, to tune out the sound of her heart pounding in order to listen for footsteps. The two assailants outside were making their way back towards the door Mai had just dove through, and she thought she heard someone else moving through the hallway to her right.

Mai went left instead, vaulting her slender body forward in a long leap, followed by several rolls as she hit the floor. She rounded the corner and almost ran directly into another attacker. The masked man was startled by Mai's sudden appearance, and forgot he was holding his Uzi. Mai flung another fan, disarming him, then raced forward and did a vertical leap, this one ending with her knees resting on the assailant's shoulders. She locked her legs around his head and did a quick flip, releasing the leg-lock when she was halfway through the turn and sending the man flying down the corridor, where he struck the far wall.

Mai landed on her feet, just as the two men from outside caught up to her. They might have superior weapons, but Mai still knew the lay of this dojo better than them. She pulled out another fan, slashed it at the wall to her right in order to weaken the structure, then dove through it into another room just as the two men started shooting, spraying bullets up the corridor.

After she was through the wall, Mai got on the floor as flat as she could, hearing the sounds of more bullets tearing through the wall over her head. "When the hell did our opponents start using guns?" She asked out loud to no one in particular. She glanced around, and saw that she was in one of the sitting rooms. Mai quickly rolled across the floor towards the sunken area where a table would normally go, and got down inside it as flat as she could.

Out in the hallway, she could hear the sound of guns being reloaded. "Andy, where are you?" She whispered. "I'm starting to run out of fans!"

The proper door to the room was behind her, and Mai was so intent on the hole in the wall that she almost didn't hear another attacker coming through the door. He glanced around the room, for a moment not seeing Mai as she was hiding in the sunken center of the floor. As he was looking to the left, Mai took that moment to spring up and throw a fan at his arm, aiming for a pressure point.

The fan struck the inside of the man's elbow, and Mai was rewarded with a faint snap as the projectile tore the tendon there. Startled, the man dropped his gun. Mai rushed him and, after a few well-aimed kicks, he was laying on the ground next to his weapon.

Mai could not hear anything else outside in the hall she had come from. She ran to the sitting room door, and after peeking out and seeing nothing, she exited the room and made a left. Her bedroom was this way. Once she got there, it would take seconds for her to quick-change into her fighting outfit, then the odds would be a bit more in her favor.

The attack was sudden. Without warning, a masked man tore through the wall to her left and kneed her in the belly, sending her sprawling to the ground. Mai quickly regained her feet, but the first attacker had been rejoined by his companion. They stood on either side of Mai, less than ten feet away, with their Uzis pointed at her.

"You're pretty fast, sweet cheeks," said one of the men, in Japanese. "But I bet you're not fast enough to dodge bullets at this range, from two different people."

Mai shook her head. There was nothing to do now except stall for time until Andy showed up. "You have me," she said as she raised her hands. "So, I guess now you're gonna tie me up so your boss can question me, right?"

The masked man shook his head. "Our orders were specific. No prisoners, no witnesses."

"Oh, come on!" Shouted Mai, using her most exasperated tone. "You're not doing this right at all! We're supposed to fight until I knock you all out or you capture me, and then you're supposed to tie me up and question me, or take me to your boss so he can question me. And why are you using guns, anyway? You've never done that before. For bad guys, you sure are lousy at following the rules. If I weren't..."

"Enough!" Shouted the other man. "You have quite a mouth. Too bad we have to shut it now."

He raised his gun, and his companion did the same. "It's not personal, sweet cheeks," the first man said. "Just business."

Mai bit her lower lip, and shut her eyes tight. Andy... She thought, saying his name like it was a prayer.

"Hishou-ken!" Mai's eyes snapped open at the sound of Andy Bogard's cry. A ball of bright blue chi energy raced up the corridor and struck the man in front of Mai. He pitched forward, firing his uzi as a reflex action. Mai leaped out of the way, the bullets missing her by inches and striking the assailant behind her, ripping into his thigh and belly.

The wounded man dropped his gun, but was still conscious. In a sudden burst of hot anger, Mai slammed her fan against one of his bleeding gunshot wounds, eliciting a shrill scream of agony from the man, after which she delivered a kick to the side of his head that knocked him out cold.

Andy took care of the other assailant, then stepped over to Mai and wrapped his arms around her. Despite the fact that they might still be in danger, Mai took a moment to return the embrace. "Are you hit?" Andy asked her.

"No," said Mai. "I'm okay. Thanks, Andy."

"I raced back here as soon as I heard the gunshots," Andy said. "Who are these men?"

"I don't know," Mai answered honestly. She knelt and pulled the ski mask from one of the unconscious attackers, saw another face she didn't recognize. "They're Japanese, but beyond that, I don't know anything else about them."

"How many are there?" Andy asked, keeping his eyes fixed on the end of the hallway.

"Five that I've seen, so far," said Mai. "We should search the dojo for any more."

"First things first," said Andy. "We should find the nearest phone and call the police and an ambulance, then we should tie up the ones who are already knocked out."

Mai nodded. "Right." Andy started for the kitchen, and Mai followed him, her eyes occasionally glancing back the way they had come, holding her fan at the ready...

Several hours later, the police and paramedics had been and gone, carting four of the assailants off to the lock-up in Mino, while the fifth was taken to the local hospital to be airlifted to Tokyo, as Mino's medical facilities were not equipped to perform the surgery that the man needed.

Mai and Andy had searched the dojo and the grounds before police arrived and found no one else. After the police had shown up, the two had stayed in the kitchen as the house was swept for evidence, giving statements when asked to, but otherwise staying quiet.

Now, they were sitting at the kitchen table. Mai was wearing her kunoichi uniform (having changed into it after the police had been called), and was nursing a cup of sake, trying to calm her nerves before bed. She didn't feel like mending the walls tonight, she and Andy could do that tomorrow. "At least grandfather's Butsudan wasn't hit by gunfire," she said absently, not really talking to Andy, who sat across from her.

Andy nodded. "Mai," he said to her. "I know you wouldn't have told the police if these men were from another ninja clan, because that business stays within the family. Now that we're alone..."

Mai shook her head. "There hasn't been a chinofukushu between the clans in this prefecture in over a hundred years, and I can't think of a single reason why someone would want to start one up again. Besides, another clan would have sent their own ninja to do the job. These men were just hired thugs, not ninja."

"How do you know?"

"Ninja would never use guns," Mai said, and took a sip of sake.

For a time, they were silent. Then Andy told her: "Mai, I should have gotten here sooner. I'm sorry."

Mai reached across the table, gently took his hand. "You're only human. Andy. You got here as soon as you could. And you got here in time, too. Thank you for saving me." She smiled, and gave his hand a squeeze.

Andy nodded, though Mai could tell by the look on his face that he was still troubled by something. She finished the rest of her drink, and then moved to the other side of the table. "Andy, I have a request," she said.

"Yes, Mai?"

"Will you... will you sleep in my bed with me tonight?" Andy gave her on odd look then, and before he could say anything, Mai placed her hands on his shoulders. "I am not asking you to have sex, unless that's what you want. You can sleep in your clothes, if it will make you more comfortable. And if you want, I can sleep in my clothes, too. I... I just don't want to be alone tonight. I want to be next to you. Please?"

Andy sat there for a moment, in thought. Then, he nodded. "Okay, Mai. I will."

He got up from the table, and Mai slipped an arm around his waist. The two made their way out of the kitchen, and down the hall towards Mai's bedroom. "Did you leave the door open?" Andy asked her, noticing that the shoji leading into Mai's room was not shut. She normally kept it shut.

"No," said Mai. She reached down the front of her gi, and pulled out a fan. The two of them cautiously entered the room... and found no one. Everything looked to be undisturbed. Then Mai looked over at the futon and gave a small gasp.

A plain white envelope was pinned to the wall above Mai's bed, held in place by a kunai. The name ANDY BOGARD appeared to be written on it in English. Andy walked over and pulled the kunai from the wall, then took the envelope and opened it.

Mai saw Andy's blue eyes open wide as he peeked inside the envelope, then she saw the color drain from his face, leaving it a sickly shade of ashen. Andy's jaw clenched, he sucked in air sharply through his nose. She walked over to his side, and got a brief glimpse of what looked to be a black and white Polaroid photograph before Andy closed the envelope and tucked it into his belt.

"Andy?" Mai asked. "What is that?"

Andy stood there as if he had not heard. "Andy?" Mai asked again, placing her hand on his shoulder.

Andy shook his head. "It may be nothing... or everything. Sorry, Mai, I need to check something." He turned and started to leave the bedroom.

"Andy?" Mai called after him. "What is it? Andy, please tell me."

Andy did not look back, instead he continued towards the door as if he hadn't heard. Mai followed him.

"Andy, please don't do this," she said. "Don't shut me out again. Andy, talk to me. Please! Tell me what's wrong. Andy? Andy, please talk to me!"

Mai caught up to him as he moved down the hallway. "Come on, Andy, talk to me. Don't walk away from me. Andy, please!" She reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, and felt him shrug away from it.

"Not now, Mai!" He snapped at her, louder than he intended to. Mai's deep brown eyes went wide, her lip quivered.

Andy shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mai," he said, his tone more even. "Just... not now." He turned and continued down the hallway, and Mai did not follow. She heard his bedroom door slide open, and then shut again.

"Andy..." She called faintly to him one more time. Then she went back into her own room, shut the door, sank to her knees, and began to weep bitterly.

A few miles away from the Shiranui dojo, a dark-haired man in a police uniform walked along the side of the road. Underneath his sunglasses, his eyes remained fixed on the lights of the village of Mino, which slowly loomed larger as he walked towards it.

When he was right on the edge of town, he removed both the cap, and also the blue vest with the word POLICE written on it in Japanese characters, then wadded them into a ball and carried them the rest of the way back to his hotel. Upon arriving, he unlocked the door to his room, snapped on the light, and entered. He tossed the hat and vest onto the bed, sat down at the desk, then picked up the phone and began to dial.

After a few rings, a deep voice on the other side said: "Yes?"

"The package was delivered," said the man in sunglasses.

"Any casualties, Mr. Ripper?" Asked the voice.

"No, sir. Andy Bogard and his ninja squeeze both survived."

"I wasn't expecting that street trash to succeed, anyway. Not against those two. Killing one or both of them would have just been an added bonus. The attack was meant to provide you with the cover you needed to get in and out unnoticed."

"Understood," said Ripper. "Though I'd like to add that they barely survived. The men disobeyed your orders and brought guns to the fight."

There was a momentary pause at the other end. Then: "And where are these foolish ones now?"

"Four of them are in jail here in Mino, the fifth is probably at Tokyo General Hospital under guard."

"Well, that shouldn't stop you from making sure they're all dealt with before you get on your plane tomorrow."

Ripper smirked, though he knew that the boss couldn't see it. He just loved getting orders like these. "No, sir. I'll take care of it."

"Good. That will be all."

Ripper hung up the phone, then pulled up the cuff of his pants, making sure his knife was in its ankle sheath. Satisfied that it was, he put the cap and vest of his disguise back on, and exited his hotel room.

Somewhere in Florida

Geese Howard smiled as he hung up the phone. He glanced over at his bodyguard, who was staring intently out the window of the hotel room, clutching his staff like he was expecting someone to crash in on them at any minute. "Something on your mind, Billy?" He asked.

Billy Kane was silent for a moment, weighing his next words carefully. He'd learned long ago never to question the boss's orders, both in public and in private. Given Howard's obsession with power, the man never wanted to appear weak, and lack of control over one's subordinates was a definite sign of weakness. So Billy needed to use caution when choosing his response.

"Just surprised you didn't order me to finish Terry Bogard off," said Billy with a shrug, still gazing out the window. "He was unconscious, at our mercy."

"You obviously don't play chess, Billy," said Geese. "Right now, we simply move the pieces into position. It's too early for anyone to die just yet. But they will eventually. First, however, we need to get Terry Bogard and all of his friends in the same place. That way, he can watch them die. And after we have destroyed everyone and everything that still matters to him, then we will finally put him out of his misery. And ours. Besides, my power may have grown, but so has his. Remember that he has defeated a god. So I must become stronger than a god, in order to truly make him suffer."

Billy nodded. "Whatever you say, sir," he said, as he continued to gaze out the window. Behind him, Geese moved to one of the room's queen beds, sat down on it in the lotus position, shut his eyes and began to meditate.

Soon, Terry Bogard, he thought to himself, the smile lingering on his face.

To be continued...