Fatal Fury Fan Fiction ❯ Fatal Fury - The Vengeful Spirits ❯ Chapter Eighteen - True Strength of the Wolf ( Chapter 19 )

[ 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 Eighteen: True Strength of the Wolf

 

After a minute that seemed like an eternity, the red finally began to fade from Terry Bogard's vision. He was lying on his back staring upward at a clear, unobstructed view of South Town's night sky. The dome that had covered the conservatory had apparently been completely obliterated by Geese Howard's attack.

Terry blinked, but even that slight movement caused spikes of pain to race through his body. He tried to sit up, but his muscles still did not seem to want to work. He managed to turn his head to the left, saw Andy and Mai lying several hundred feet away, slightly covered by debris. Their eyes were shut, but their chests still rose and fell with a steady rhythm of breathing, so at least that was a good sign. He turned his head to the right, but could not see Joe or Mary from where he was laying. Also, he realized that he did not see Geese, either. Terry took a deep breath and focused, trying to will away the fog of pain that hung over him. The sooner he got back to his feet, the better. Of course, he had no idea what the plan would be after he was standing again, but right now, it was one battle at a time.

“Andy?” Mai Shiranui called shakily, barely hearing her own voice over the roaring that still filled her ears. If Andy responded, she could not tell. Mai took a deep breath, was greeted with a fresh wave of pain that seemed to race along every nerve, but the pain was a mixed blessing. It told her she was still alive, and that all her extremities still worked.

She took another deep breath, silently reciting the calming mantra her grandfather had taught her to try and take her mind off the pain, and managed to sit up slightly, propping herself up on her elbow. From her new vantage point, she could see Andy lying close by. He appeared unconscious, but still alive. Mai started to use her other arm to try and drag her body towards her boyfriend, but she had gone only a few inches when she felt the toes of someone's foot lightly pressing against the top of her head. Her gaze moved upwards, to a familiar figure towering over her, dressed in a red hakama, the scar on his muscular chest still glowing brightly.

“If you'll recall, my dear,” Geese Howard said mockingly to Mai. “I told you earlier you would need to make a choice. Have you?”

“Yes,” said Mai. “I choose to watch you die, after my friends and I kill you.”

Geese shook his head, tongue clicking against the roof of his mouth in a tch tch noise. “That was the wrong answer, my dear. So you have made the default choice. Your lover will now be forced to watch as you are very gruesomely violated before you are killed. But lucky for you, he has not woken up yet.” He took his foot off of Mai's head, then moved out of her line of sight to another area of the roof.

After a few minutes of searching, Geese Howard managed to locate Mary Ryan, who was conscious and still trying to shake off the effects of the Raging Storm which had been greatly enhanced by the spirits inside of Geese. He grabbed her by her blond hair, yanking her roughly to her feet, and then wrapped a hand around each of her arms. “Terry Bogard!” He called out over the rooftop, his voice traveling farther now that the entire conservatory had been exposed to the night air. “Are you awake yet?”

Terry Bogard managed to sit up, though it still hurt to move. He turned his body in the direction of Geese Howard's voice, saw him standing a hundred feet away holding Mary in a more iron grip than before. He was also holding her in such a way that she would not be able to get the purchase she needed to throw him again.

“So glad you're up,” Geese said with a cold laugh, his teeth bared in a malicious grin. “Because now you get to watch as another lover dies because of your failure.”

“No!” Shouted Terry. The sight of Mary back in Geese Howard's clutches gave him the adrenaline boost he needed to shake off the pain and get to his feet. He took a step forward, but stopped when he saw Geese tighten his grip around Mary's arms.

“You're fast, Terry Bogard,” he growled. “But not fast enough that you won't be able to stop me from ripping her arms off before you get over to us. From there, it'll take her only seconds to bleed to death.”

“I don't blame you for this, Terry,” Mary called over to him. “I told you, I made my choice to fight with you and your friends. And I don't regret a single minute of it.”

Terry glanced around, saw that Mai, Andy and Joe were also getting to their feet, but he knew that they would not be able to get to Geese in time, either. “Geese, just tell me what you want!” Terry shouted. “I'll do anything! Just don't hurt her.”

The brow above the crime lord's scarred eye raised slightly. “Anything?”

“Yes,” said Terry.

Geese Howard laughed at him. “Then watch, as I end her!”

Geese was just about to start tugging at her arms, when suddenly, they heard a new voice cry out over the rooftop: “Wait!”

Geese paused, turned his head towards the source of the noise. He saw Jin Chonrei and Jon Chonshu standing not far away. They both appeared to have several familiar bamboo paper scrolls tucked into the belts of their Tang suits. Geese tossed Mary aside, his vendetta momentarily forgotten, and turned his rage upon the two brothers. “How did you get up here?” He snarled at them. “And where did you get those?”

“We made our own entrance,” Chonshu said, pointing to a smoking hole in the floor between him and his brother.

“And once we were in the same building as our scrolls,” Chonrei continued. “It was easy to sense where they were located. And your security was no match for us.”

“You mean my scrolls,” Geese Howard said as he started towards Chonrei and Chonshu, his fists glowing with pent-up chi. “You're too late. The spirits of Qin Wang and Qin Kong are one with me now. I'll destroy you all without even breaking a sweat.”

Chonrei did not show any signs of panic at Geese's impending wrath. Instead, he pulled the scroll from his belt and started to unroll it. “I think not,” he said calmly. “You forgot the preservation mantra.”

“What of it?” Geese spat at them. “I didn't bother having my men translate it, since there was no need. Unless you can read a twenty-two hundred year old dialect of Mandarin, and I doubt you can, you have no way of getting the spirits out of me.”

Chonrei said nothing in response to this. Instead, he merely looked down at the scroll, and started to recite the words written on it, speaking flawlessly. His eyes took on that ethereal glow as he read.

Geese growled and tried to charge forward using his enhanced speed. Chonshu intercepted him, moving fast but not as fast as Geese, and delivered a lunge punch to the older man's solar plexus. Geese did not appear winded, and countered with a downward chop aimed at Chonshu's elbow. The brown-haired teen pivoted his body to the side, then lashed out again with his left arm, rocking his body forward into another lunge punch.

A short distance away, Terry, Andy, Mai, Joe and Mary watched what was happening, their minds quickly connecting the dots. “If that is the preservation mantra he's reading,” said Andy. “It will draw the spirits out of Geese.”

“You know what we have to do, then,” said Terry. The comrades all nodded at one another and charged forward.

Just before they reached him, Geese succeeded in knocking Chonshu back with his Deadly Rave attack, and then started towards Chonrei again. He had only taken two steps when the other five fighters swarmed around him.

“Keep reading!” Terry called to Chonrei.

“We'll cover you!” Joe added.

Geese Howard, sensing his newfound abilities were in danger, fought like a madman. He seemed to be drawing on every ounce of strength he had, both from the spirits and from the scar, not holding back one inch in his power and speed. His opponents, meanwhile, focused everything they had, as well, having found their second wind with the arrival of the Jin brothers. Geese's speed gave him a slight edge, but his opponents continued to regroup as quickly as he knocked them away, as they had all found a new sense of purpose in this fight.

Mary fought for her family's honor, and for the long-forgotten senses of friendship and love that she had rediscovered through helping Terry and his friends. Joe fought for the family that had slowly become his own, ever since he'd befriended Andy all those years ago in Japan. Mai fought for satisfaction, for the slight that Geese had committed against her clan, and against the memory of Hanzo Shiranui, and she also fought for Andy Bogard, the man she loved and someday hoped to marry. Andy fought for the spirits of his father and his old master, and also to finally eliminate the threat of Geese, so it would no longer loom like a shadow over the woman that Andy had fallen in love with. Terry fought both for the people that Geese Howard had taken from him, and also for the family and friends still around him. If he died, he would die with no regrets, as long as those he cared about were safe.

Chonshu had regained his feet at this point, and raced back into the fight as well, his fists burning bright with fire as he fought to protect his brother, the only family he had left. Though their combined efforts were slowing Geese down, he was very gradually making his way forward towards Chonrei, who continued to read.

Finally, Geese slammed the ground with both fists, creating a small wave of energy that threw off all of his opponents. Now, with a clear line of sight between him and Chonrei, he charged towards the boy in a Jaieken move.

He got halfway before he stopped suddenly, as if he had slammed into an invisible wall. His body began to shake violently, rocked by large spasms. The six fighters watched as tendrils of mist began to rise out of Geese Howard, as if his body was on fire from within. Chonrei kept reading, almost to the edge of the scroll now, and the mist was pouring out of Geese more thickly. Finally, as Mai and Mary had seen down in the conference room, the mist coalesced into the shape of two men dressed in Terracotta uniforms. The spirits having been pulled from his body now, Geese sank to his knees, momentarily dazed. The glow seemed to have faded from both his eyes and also from the scar on his chest.

Having reached the end of the scroll, Chonrei quickly rolled it back up, gripped it in both hands, and then took a deep breath. His hands began to burn brightly with chi fire, a fire that started to consume the scroll. As the ancient document became ablaze, Terry and his friends could have sworn they heard what sounded like a cry of outrage from the two spirits hovering over Geese, or maybe it was only the wind. Finally, the scroll began to disintegrate into ashes that were blown away in the night breeze. As it did, so too did the phantoms of Qin Kong and Qin Wang vanish, the corporeal mist that made up their bodies seeming to dissipate and then fade from view.

Chonrei let a breath out through his nostrils, and turned to his brother. “Now the others, Chonshu.” he said.

Chonshu seemed to hesitate. “We're sure this is the only way?”

“Yes,” said Chonrei. “It's what the spirits within us want. They are tired of lingering, and the three scrolls you still carry are their only tie to this plane of existence. Besides, they always said that we were destined for something great. What is greater than helping to save the world?”

Chonshu gave a solemn nod, then pulled the three scrolls out of his belt, held them between his hands, and focused his chi energy just like his brother had done, causing the scrolls to burst into flame.

Geese Howard's head jerked up at this. “What have you done?” He hissed at the two boys. Then, as his rage took hold, he rose to his feet, shouting more angrily: “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?”

“Taken the spirits out of your reach,” Chonrei said calmly, “And the reach of any others who might abuse their power. As we were meant to.” As he spoke, the same tendrils of mist that seemed to rise out Geese a few moments ago were now rising from both Chonrei and his brother. They fluttered upwards like wisps of smoke, slowly dissipating in the night. As the last of the spirits left their bodies, the Jin brothers both collapsed to the ground.

Geese Howard was livid as he started towards Chonrei's unconscious body. “I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!” He snarled, his face contorted into a mask of pure rage. He was almost on his quarry when Terry Bogard launched into a flying kick that struck the side of Geese's head. Terry then put himself between Chonrei and the crime lord, and raised his fists in a fighting stance.

“Andy, you and Mai get the Jin brothers out of the line of fire!” Terry called.

“Right,” Andy said, scooping Chonshu's body up in his arms and racing off to the other end of the rooftop. As Terry went toe-to-toe with Geese, Mai slipped behind the elder Bogard, scooping up Chonrei and running off in the same direction as her boyfriend.

Terry launched at Geese with a Burn Knuckle attack, but Geese dodged it, lunged forward to grab Terry by the chin, and then flung him over his shoulder with one hand. Geese was hit almost immediately after this by Mary, her boot slamming into his belly. She followed this up with a kick from the opposite leg, but Geese pivoted his body to avoid it, and countered with a Reppu Ken that sent Mary flying backwards.

“You fools!” Geese shouted. “I may have lost the Jin Scrolls, but I still have enough power to kill all of you! While you've been wasting your energies, I've barely begun to fight. This scar has never fully healed, and it will still give me more than enough power to take my revenge on you, and then to regain control of this city!”

Even before they heard the familiar crackle of energy, Terry, Mary and Joe knew what was coming. “Take cover!” Terry shouted. The three fighters spotted a section of wall that was still standing somehow in the ruins of the conservatory, and managed to get behind it just a moment before Geese's Raging Storm attack ravaged the rooftop once more.

This time, the wall managed to screen them from the blast. A few moments later, they were joined by Andy and Mai, who had also managed to find cover.

“We put the Jins somewhere safe,” said Andy. “It looks like Geese hasn't slowed down, despite losing the power of the spirits.”

“Supposedly, it's because of his scar,” said Joe.

“I wish we had a power source like that,” Mai quipped. “My chi fire is almost tapped out.”

“Fire...” they then heard Mary mutter. After a moment, she snapped her fingers. “That's it! Geese said that his power is coming from that chest scar, which has never fully healed.”

Terry nodded at her as realization dawned on him. “So... we heal it for him!”

Mary gave him a smirk. “Right.”

It took the other three a few moments to figure out what was happening. “Um... would you mind filling us in?” Joe asked.

“That scar on his chest is the source of his power,” Mary explained. “Or so he claims. So that's where we hit him. You, Mai, and Andy all have fire-based chi abilities. So if you all use your hottest attacks against that scar, maybe we can cauterize it. Which might weaken him enough for us to end this.”

Andy, Mai, and Joe all exchanged a brief, knowing glance. It seemed like their best hope. “But first, we need to get him into a position for us to hit him,” Andy pointed out.

“Leave that to me,” said Mary. “I don't really have a lot of fire in my attacks, but I can still line him up for you.”

Terry reached over, put a hand on her shoulder. “No, Mary, it's too dangerous. I'll do it.”

Mary shook her head. “You need to deliver the final blow. You're the only one here who knows the Sempu Ken, right?”

“Yes,” Terry said. “But, I...”

“Terry, she's right,” said Andy. “This is the best plan.”

Mary reached over, took Terry's hand in her own. “I'm not gonna die, Terry,” she said firmly, her green eyes locked on his blue. “I think I'm falling for you harder than I realized. So I refuse to do something stupid, like break your heart. Not tonight. Not ever.”

For a moment, they gazed into each others' eyes. Then, they were interrupted by Geese Howard's cry of: “Come out and fight, cowards!”

Mary gave Terry a quick kiss on the lips, and then nodded at the other three fighters. “I'll set him up. Be ready to knock him down.” With that, she jumped over the section of wall, and started towards Geese Howard.

Geese smiled coldly as he saw the detective walking towards him. “I'm glad it's you attacking me,” he said to her. “Because I still haven't made Terry Bogard suffer enough.”

Mary fixed her opponent with a cold glare. “Like I said earlier, Howard: FUCK. YOU.” Mary charged at him then, and as she had done in the warehouse, dropped her body into a sliding kick. Like last time, Geese fired a Shippu Ken, but this time Mary was ready for it. She rolled to the side, feeling the heat of the chi attack as it sliced past her, then launched herself forward again, slamming her foot into Geese Howard's knee. She followed this by swinging her other leg up hard, bringing the opposite foot into his crotch again.

This time, the former king of South Town doubled over and gave a small cry of pain. “Hey, it worked before,” Mary said as she did a handspring to her feet. “So why not again?”

“You fucking bitch!” Geese snarled at her, his face contorting once more into a mask of unbridled rage, as if losing the Jin Scrolls had finally pushed him over the edge. “I'll kill you for that!”

“Talk, talk, talk,” Mary spat at him in a mocking tone. Geese launched himself at her, fists and feet becoming a blur as he unleashed a Deadly Rave. As Mary hoped, the attack was uncoordinated, since Geese's anger was disrupting his focus. Mary blocked the attacks this time, countered with a spinning kick to his midsection. She then did a quick leap over him, and as she was coming down on the opposite side, turned and gripped him in a headlock.

Mary then began to spin in place, moving so fast she became a blur, twirling Geese Howard around her like a hammer as she continued to grip his head. Finally, she released him, sending him flying across the rooftop, closer to the edge of it.

She sprinted towards him as his body was hitting the ground, and she jumped up into another flying kick, but this time he was ready for her. He pivoted his body slightly, grabbed her leg just below the knee, and tossed her away. Mary landed on her feet and sprinted at him again, determined to keep him from moving too much.

From his vantage point, Terry Bogard watched nervously as Mary and Geese continued to exchange blows. Next to him stood Mai, Andy and Joe, who had been doing their best to draw in as much chi as they could, despite their depleted strength. “Come on, Mary,” Terry whispered. “Get out of the way.”

“Hit him!” They then heard Mary cry. Andy glanced over at Terry, saw his brother's fists clenched so tightly the knuckles were turning white.

“Don't worry about me!” Mary called. “Just do it now! I've set him up, now I'll keep him from moving!”

Geese Howard then ducked a high kick from her, saw an opening, and pressed his palm against the detective's breastbone. Seconds later, a burst of blue chi energy leaped from his hand and slammed into Mary at point blank range. The detective cried out in pain as she was flung backwards from the force of the attack. She landed in a debris pile several hundred feet away, and then was still.

Geese Howard took a deep breath, and then cracked his knuckles. “I hope you were watching that, Terry! One down! Now, which of your friends do you want me to kill next?” He threw his head back and began to laugh maniacally.

“Chou Shin Soku Zan Ei Ken!” Geese's laughter died suddenly as he saw Andy Bogard racing towards him elbow first, moving so fast he was almost a blur, an aura of bright blue flame surrounding his elbow.

“Chou Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi!” Mai Shiranui appeared alongside Andy, also flying towards Geese elbow-first, her body enveloped in psychokinetic fire.

Joe Higashi ran alongside them, and as they got within a few feet of Geese, he lunged forward with his knee, which also became enveloped in flame. “Tiger Kick!” He shouted.

Geese raised his arms to try and block, but as one, the attacks of Andy, Mai and Joe broke through his defenses and struck him dead center on the chest. There was a sizzle as the heat from their chi attacks seared his scar, which was followed by a burst of energy that flung the three fighters backwards.

For a moment, Terry Bogard stood there, hesitating. His blue eyes flicked to the pile of debris that Mary had landed in, saw no signs of movement. Then, he heard a faint shout from his brother, who lay nearby: “He's weakened, Terry. Finish him off!”

Terry's eyes then moved to Geese, saw that the crime lord did appear to be reeling from the combined attack. His legs shook, as if he were no longer steady on his feet. Terry Bogard charged at his nemesis, then unleashed a spinning kick that struck Geese in the jaw. He fell backwards, dangerously close to the edge of the roof. Terry quickly altered his stance, planting his feet shoulder-width apart and holding his arms out at his sides. He summoned every last ounce of chi that he could muster, then brought his arms forward swiftly, slapping his hands together.

“SEMPU KEN!” Terry cried out as he unleashed the powerful Hurricane Punch on his opponent. The whirlwind of energy slammed into Geese Howard, battering his body from a hundred different directions at once. He was lifted off his feet, tossed violently around by the gale force of the winds. Then, like last time, he was spit out of the top of the whirlwind, and thrown several hundred feet into the air.

As he came back down, Terry saw that Geese was going to fall off the roof. He sprinted to the roof's edge, dove as he got close, sliding on his stomach the rest of the way, and managed to grab one of Geese Howard's arms with both hands right as Geese sailed past him. For a moment, they balanced precariously, Terry with his head and arms over the edge of the rooftop, looking down at Geese Howard's battered visage, Geese glaring up at his nemesis, his eyes filled with venom and hatred.

“Give me your other hand!” Terry shouted at him.

The crime lord's brow furrowed in confusion. “Is this a trick?”

“No trick,” said Terry. “I'm losing my grip on you. You need to give me your other hand if you want to live.”

Geese did not move. He kept his other arm at his side. “Why would you help me?”

“Because,” said Terry. “Someone very special to me told me recently that our abilities do not make us better than the people who don't have them. If I didn't have a code of ethics, then I'd be a murderer, just like you. And I'm nothing like you. As tempting as it would be to see you splattered on the ground below, it would be even more satisfying to watch you spend the rest of your life rotting inside a reinforced cell in a maximum security prison.”

Geese's dark eyes narrowed into slits. “You mean you wish to see me broken, humiliated, in a place where you can gloat over me until the end of my days? Very well, Terry Bogard. You want my other hand...” Geese's right arm shot up suddenly, and Terry saw the unmistakable blue glow of chi in his palm. “Take it!”

Just in time, Terry managed to roll backwards, avoiding the attack, but in the process he was forced to let go of Geese. The former king of South Town made no sound as he dropped fifty stories. The only sound Terry heard was the moist crunch a second later, as Geese Howard's body struck the earth.

Terry got to his feet, surveyed the carnage of the rooftop conservatory. Joe appeared to be standing, leaning heavily against a piece of rebar jutting up through the floor, but otherwise he looked okay. Terry also saw Andy and Mai helping each other to their feet. The only person not accounted for was...

“Mary.” His heart in his mouth, Terry Bogard ran to the pile of debris that Mary Ryan had been knocked into. He found her lying on her back, trapped under a large piece of drywall. Terry lifted the drywall and flung it off of her with no effort, but Mary did not move. Her green eyes were shut, and Terry couldn't tell if she was breathing or not.

“Mary!” He shouted as he got down on his knees beside her. She did not stir. “No,” he whispered, his eyes starting to shine with tears he was just barely holding back. He reached down and took both her hands in his. “Mary, please wake up! I can't lose you now. I like being with you, you make me feel like there can be more to my life than fighting. I never thought I'd meet anyone else who could do that. Please! Please don't leave me like the others did. I need you...” He bowed his head. “Please. Please wake up...”

“T-terry,” he heard her voice say faintly. She feebly raised one arm, motioned with her finger for him to come closer.

“Yes,” Terry said as he leaned in. “I'm here, sweetheart. What is it?”

Mary sat up slightly, whispered in his ear: “Move. Your knee is pressing against my stomach.” She sat up a little straighter, then, flashing him a look of annoyance. “And don't ever call me 'sweetheart'.”

It was now obvious that Mary was going to be all right, but Terry still could not stop a few tears from falling down his cheeks, tears of joy that he had finally beaten his curse. I did it, he thought as he got to his feet, offered Mary his hands. I finally beat it.

Mary ignored his offer, and got to her feet on her own. She then noticed the tears on his cheeks, and reached out to wipe them away with her finger. “That's really not a good look for you, Bogard,” she told him. “And where the hell is my jacket? I told you to watch it for me.”

Terry blinked quizzically for a moment. “Oh, I um... left it at my hotel room.”

“You what?” Mary snapped at him. For a moment, Terry gaped at her. Then her expression changed instantly, and she smiled. An actual smile, using both sides of her mouth. Terry Bogard decided that he'd never seen a more beautiful smile in his life. “Gotcha!” She said, and punched him playfully on the arm. “Man, you are easy. We'll need to work on that.”

“We?” Terry asked her.

Mary stepped closer to him, wrapped her arms around his waist. “Terry, I still don't believe in curses. I'm not sure what your own thoughts on them are right now, but I think we've established that I can take care of myself.”

“Yeah, I think we have,” Terry said with a nod of agreement. He looked down at her, then, gazing into her green eyes. “Oh, Mary, I... I really think that I... that I might... I mean, what I'm trying to say is... you really are...” He continued to stumble over his words, finding he had so much he wanted to say but didn't know how. Mary finally silenced him by placing her finger gently against his lips.

“You talk too much, Terry,” she said. Then she stood up on her toes, and kissed him. This time, Terry eagerly wrapped his arms around her, and returned the kiss, pressing his lips firmly to hers.

 

A short distance away, Joe Higashi finally felt strong enough to stand without using the rebar for support. He took a few steps towards Terry and Mary, but then stopped when he saw what they were doing.

“All right, Terry!” He shouted, pumping the air with his fist. A minute later, he felt a fan smack him in the back of his head. He turned, and saw Mai and Andy limping towards him, leaning against one another for support. Mai had ripped one of the tails off the back of her fighting outfit, and had fashioned it into a makeshift sling for Andy's right arm.

“Quiet, you jerk!” Mai admonished him. “Don't spoil the mood.” She and Andy stepped up alongside Joe, and for a moment, the three were silent.

Then Joe asked her: “Um, Mai, can you make me one of those slings? I think I dislocated my shoulder.”

Mai looked at him, saw the smirk on his face. Then she said casually: “Well, if you want, we can just pop it back in for you. Both Andy and I know how to do that.” She reached out for his arm. “Here, let me see it.”

Joe quickly shied away from her. “No, I was just kidding,” he said quickly, and then waved his arm. “See, it's all right!”

Mai shook her head at him, then focused her attention back on Terry and Mary, who still had their arms around one another. The ninja girl's large brown eyes shone with happiness for the two of them. “Isn't that romantic, Andy?” She asked her boyfriend.

Andy did not reply. Instead, he used his good arm to hold Mai closer, then looked skyward, and said a silent prayer of thanks to whichever gods might have been listening that his brother would not have to endure the heartache of burying another lover. After a few minutes, Andy turned and started to make his way towards the edge of the rooftop.

Mai hurried after him, putting her arms around him. “Andy, you're still not steady enough on your feet yet. Where are you going?”

“I have to see his body,” Andy said simply. “I need to be sure.”

Moments later, both Andy and Mai were standing on the roof's edge, peering down at the marble courtyard below. They were soon joined by Joe, Terry, and Mary. The body of Geese Howard was on its back in the courtyard, his sightless eyes staring up at them. A bright flower of blood spread slowly out in all directions from under the crime lord, its deep red a stark contrast to the white courtyard stones.

“I don't think he's getting up from that one,” Joe said after a long silence. “Looks like he's gone for good this time.”

“It's finally over, then,” Terry said. “We did it.”

“You mean you did it,” Andy told his brother. “Just like last time.”

Terry reached over, clapped Andy on the shoulder. “No, Andy, I couldn't have done it without my pack. If the rest of you hadn't weakened Geese, I'd never have landed that final blow. We all did it.”

“I guess,” Andy said with a nod, but his tone was unconvincing. He then felt Mai smack him on the back of the head.

“Andy, listen to your brother,” she told him sternly. “Tonight, we were all a team. Just accept it!”

“Oh, okay, Mai,” Andy said. He then leaned in close to Mai, whispered in her ear: “I love you, but sometimes you drive me nuts.”

“The feeling's mutual,” Mai whispered back.

The five of them then realized that they'd forgotten all about the Jin brothers. They were reminded of this when they heard a faint voice from the other side of the rooftop, speaking in an old dialect of Mandarin. They followed the sound of the voice, and came upon Chonrei, who had another bamboo paper scroll open, and was reading the mantra upon it. Chonshu stood behind him, looking grim-faced.

As before, tendrils of mist rose from the black-haired teen's body and then coalesced into another phantasmal image of a man. This one did not look familiar to any of them.

To their surprise, the spirit then spoke to them in English: “Greetings. I am Lin Wuqiong, and I have waited a long time for this day.”

“You speak English?” Terry asked the spirit.

“I speak many languages,” Lin said with a nod. “For I have had five-thousand years to learn them.”

The five comrades exchanged glances. “Then that must mean...” Andy started to say, but did not need to finish, as they all realized who Lin was.

“Yes, I crafted the first spirit scrolls about three thousand years before the Qin Dynasty. As you can imagine, I have continued to hone my craft even after I was kidnapped by Qin Kong and Qin Wang, and forced to craft the Jin Scrolls for them. I have learned how to move without a mantra of summoning, as well as how to go undetected by any other spirits who might be in the same body as me.”

“You were inside Chonrei this whole time, then,” said Joe. “Your intention was always to destroy the scrolls.” He looked over at the black-haired youth, who simply nodded.

“That is true,” said Lin. “As a sage, I was able to give him the insight to realize that the scrolls were too dangerous to be preserved, and that there will always be those who may try to abuse their power. It is not the first time, in my long life, that I have seen such things. Through the bodies of others, I have seen people use the spirits in a scroll for their own selfish ends. I have seen the destruction that ensues when a mantra is misread. So eventually, I decided to make it my mission to find all the spirit scrolls that still existed, and destroy them. I have had help from many different people down through the centuries. The Jin Scrolls were the final scrolls that needed to be destroyed. Now that it is over, I can go to my rest.”

“Except... those weren't the final scrolls,” Mary pointed out. “Chonrei still holds your preservation scroll, doesn't he?”

Lin nodded solemnly, and turned to the boy. “He does. Which is why I'm asking him to destroy it.”

Chonrei exchanged a quick glance with his brother. “You are certain this is what you want?” He asked the spirit.

“Yes,” said Lin Wuqiong. “Five thousand years is long enough for any man or spirit to inhabit this planet. It is time I finally see what lies beyond. Also, when I die, the knowledge of crafting spirit scrolls will die with me. Which is as it should be. Please, Jin Chonrei... set me free.

Chonrei looked down at the scroll in his hands, then took a deep breath and focused his chi. Fire leaped from his hands to the brittle bamboo paper and began to consume it. Hovering up above, the spirit of Lin Wuqiong shut his eyes, leaned his head back, and blew out what sounded like a sigh of relief. As the scroll burned to ash, his spirit dissipated into the night air.

For a few moments, everyone stood there silently. Their bodies ached, but they were content in the knowledge that now it was truly over. Finally, Terry Bogard asked the Jin brothers: “Why didn't you just tell us that this was your goal all along?”

“Like I said, we work best alone,” Chonshu said with a shrug.

“Also, having seen what we've seen in our lives, we do have trust issues,” Chonrei added.

“Well, we know what that's like,” Terry said. “So... what will you do now?”

Chonrei rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “We will return to China, but other than that... we don't know. We have no other living family, and the spirits of our ancestors are finally at rest. I guess... We hadn't thought that far ahead as to what we'd do afterwards.”

“Hm.” Terry thought for a moment, then turned to his brother. “Andy, didn't you tell me that Master Tung used to rent space at a temple in China? You think his rooms there might still be available?”

“We can check,” said Andy. “But the elders might need a little persuasion in order to let the Jin brothers stay. Last time me and Mai were there, we... sort of trashed the outside of their temple.”

“Technically, it wasn't us,” Mai added.

Terry turned back to the Jins. “Anyway, one of our master's old friends still lives in the Chinese district of this city. We can reach out to him tomorrow if you want, see if he can get in contact with the temple elders.”

Chonshu straightened a little, and bowed his head. “If the elders will take us in, we would be honored to learn from them. Right, Chonrei?”

“Yes,” Chonrei agreed. “Thank you, Terry Bogard.”

Terry smiled, and bowed back to them.

“Hey, guys,” Mary interjected. “We should probably think about moving down to the ground now. I'm sure that someone saw the roof of this building blow up, which means that the police will be on their way.”

“Right,” said Terry. The seven of them then started moving across the roof towards the “entrance” that the Jin brothers had made, glad to finally be departing.

 

To be continued...