Tekken Fan Fiction ❯ The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 ❯ Fair Play ( Chapter 19 )

“She has yet to miss a King of Iron Fist Tournament. She's been called `Death by Degrees' and `Silent Assassin.' Coming from Ireland, using Assassination arts, let's give a warm welcome to…NINA WILLIAMS!!!”

I want to love you but I better not
Touch (don't touch)
I want to hold you but my senses
Tell me to stop
I want to kiss you but I want it too
Much (too much)
I want to taste you but your lips
Are venomous poison….

The elegant blonde assassin Nina Williams came down the runway with the lyrics of Alice Cooper signifying her arrival. She was wearing long black boots that went up to her knees, a lavender leather skirt, and purple jacket opened up ever-so-slightly to reveal her cleavage. The crowd's cheers were near deafening as she sultrily approached the ring. Her lovely face remained completely void of emotion as she walked. One fan in the stands tried to reach out to her as she walked by, and she shot the fan a look that was both threatening and seductive. The fan, deciding to play it safe, put his hand back and let Nina continue on her way.

Nina walked into the ring and closed her eyes in deep contemplation. She already knew who her next opponent was, and whenever she thought of him, she associated him with why people are supposed to be naturally violent. The way he so utterly humiliated her when they last met still burned fiercely in her mind. And the worst part of it: he was certified goody two-shoes. Nina had every intention of making him suffer greatly for the trouble he caused her, despite the fact that she did find him attractive in more ways than one. She muttered to herself with a thin sadistic smile. We Irish have a word for people like him: pansies.

“He's been known as `the Calm Before the Storm,' and is a first lieutenant in the Israeli Defense Force. He holds a black belt in Jujitsu and holds the rank of “Grandmaster” in Krav Maga. Coming all the way from Israel to compete in his first King of Iron Fist Tournament, using a fighting style of his own design….DOREN SHARON!!!”

This is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given.
Use them and let's start trying
To make this a place worth living in…

Doren Sharon waved to the crowd as he walked down the runway, occasionally stopping to sign a fan's autograph book. By the time he made it into the ring, the cheers had died down slightly due to the slight wearing of patience. That desirable body, those sports glasses, that jet-black hair, and that youthful face: this was no doubt the very same man who botched Nina's assassination attempt those three years ago.

“Pity…I was hoping that you'd have your face blown off in battle by now,” Nina said out loud as Doren stepped in the ring.

“Heh heh…I suppose it's good to see you again too, Miss Williams,” Doren lightly rubbed the back of his head when he said that. The two fighters slightly sidestepped across the ring, not breaking their gaze with the other. It was as if they were sizing each other up.

“I see you've been working out since our last fight, Ms. Williams,” Doren nodded as he noticed the impressive muscle tone of Nina's arms, “this should be most interesting,”

“We'll see how long you think so,” Nina broke the standstill and advanced towards Doren. The advance gradually became a run, and she dashed towards her opponent with violent intent.

Nina began the fight with a light kick, which Doren blocked with ease. Nina then shot out her hand and hit Doren in his arm with a horizontal chop. Doren backed away from the hit slightly, and was left open for a vertical kick to the stomach. Ow…almost forgot about her utter disregard for fair play, Doren thought as he gripped his stomach while narrowly dodging a roundhouse kick as he kneeled from the pain. Well, I guess it's up to me show her once again that the best fighters play by the book! Doren head-butted Nina while was kneeling from the kick to the stomach and rose back up to his full stance.

Doren grabbed Nina's leg as she tried for another kick and twisted it. Nina screamed as she struggled to break loose, and jumped in the air and kicked Doren in the ear with her other leg. Doren dropped Nina so that he could block the other kick, leaving himself open. Now's my chance! Nina smiled as she shot out both her palms and sent Doren sprawling to the ground. As Doren was about to get back up, Nina stomped on his chest and grinded her heel. Doren screamed as he his arm flung horizontally and pounded Nina in her shins. She screamed with him as she gripped her leg, allowing Doren to roll away and get back up. …she's obscenely strong now…

Doren grabbed Nina's head with his left hand, then began pounding it with his left. After three punches, he pushed her head into his knee, then tossed her over his shoulder. Nina rolled away as she landed as wiped off a speck of blood from her lip. So he's finally getting serious…

More punches came along courtesy of Doren as Nina tried her best to block the oncoming flurry. As soon as the onslaught of fists stopped, she hit Doren with her knee and stabbed her fingers into his midsection, and with a swift motion, drew blood from his abdomen. Doren let out a scream of agony and quickly backed away. When Doren looked back, she wasn't in front of him, but it didn't take long to find her. Nina grabbed onto his ponytail and pulled tight. Agh!! What is she doing!? Doren elbowed her in the stomach a few times, and Nina coughed up blood onto the back of his neck. Still Nina maintained her grip.

OK…if she wants to play it like THAT, then I'll have no choice but to oblige!Doren thought as he noticed that Nina's ponytail was hanging over his shoulder.

“You know, Ms. Williams, I admit that I do have *ow* fairly strokable hair,” Doren said as he grabbed Nina's ponytail, “but you have some nice hair too.”

The two fighters pulled on each other's hair as hard as they could, occasionally screaming out in pain. Neither fighter was willing to give in, until the bands that held their hair together snapped, and the two fighters lost their grip. They backed away from each rapidly as they gripped the back of their heads in pain. The crowd's cheers reached defeaning pitch as Nina and Doren brushed back their now-unbound hair and resumed their fighting stance. They were tired and wounded; they were running on adrenaline alone.

It's time to end this, now! Nina ran towards Doren with her hand raised in preparation for a finishing blow. Doren maintained his fighting stance as Nina brought down her hand down upon his neck in a fingers-first thrust, but was simultaneously hit with a powerful knee to her solar plexus. The blow knocked the wind out of her, and she drifted into unconsciousness and fell on Doren. Doren gently let her fall to the ground and took a few steps back. Is that the end of it? Hope so, because I don't know how much more I can take!

Ten seconds passed, and Nina was still down. Whew! Doren let out a sigh of relief and gripped where Nina had scratched him when he delivered the final blow. If she had gotten any deeper, she would have probably hit his jugular vein, which would have definitely cost him the battle, if not his life. Damn…I guess she really had it out for me!

“See, that's as far as you go,” Doren said out loud as he approached the fallen Nina, who was beginning to regain consciousness. “What do have to say for yourself?”

“I swear to God that I'll kill you one of these days…” Nina muttered as tried to stand up, but she screamed in pain and kneeled back down.

“Hey I wouldn't make any sudden movements. Your ribcage must be in shambles by now,” Doren outstretched his hand and helped Nina up, who reluctantly accepted his help. Once she had regained her footing, Nina said out loud, “Pansies like you make me sick.”

“See, that's the attitude that cost you the fight! It's no wonder you don't have a boyfriend…”

“You watch your back Sharon, because when you let your guard down, I'll be there to stab it,” Nina said as she limped out of the ring.

“Well, I wish you a speedy recovery, Ms. Williams,” Doren gave a salute as Nina left, “and maybe next time, you'll be helping me up!”

----------------------------
She is your RIVAL.

Kenichi just told himself that over and over as he changed into his gold-colored gi. There was no need for wearing his school uniform now: this would be a fight between Asuka's father's Kazama-ryu dojo and his mother's Namikawa-ryu dojo. Asuka Kazama vs Kenichi Masamune, in the quarterfinals of the King of Iron Fist Tournament: this would be the ultimate deciding factor in their rivalry. Finally, there would be a deciding win for one of them to hold over the loser. In all truth, this was another reason Kenichi entered the tournament, to finally defeat Asuka Kazama.

So why did the thought of him fighting her seem strange all of the sudden? Kenichi knew why: he had grown attracted to her.

When he began training with Asuka so that she could defeat Feng Wei, his mother warned him that if he kept spending time with her, he would gradually become closer to her. Kenichi didn't listen, of course, because he figured that if he spent more time with Asuka, he would eventually become more accustomed to her fighting style, and she would become accustomed to his. They would be equals, and when the time came, it would be a glorious battle.

But just as his mother predicted, he became close to her. Asuka was now a different person: she was less of the thick-headed teenage girl he had grown up with, and more of a dedicated martial artist: someone worthy of the fight that now lie before him. Kenichi had molded a whole new Asuka with his training…and that's when the horrible truth dawned upon him: he was growing to desire her.

The fate that has been bestowed upon me is too cruel... Kenichi thought to himself as he put his Masamune over his shoulder.

Kenichi was no fool: he knew full well that Asuka had feelings for him…but did he have feelings for her? Or was what he was feeling nothing more than idle lust?

Kenichi took a red bead rosary and wrapped it around his left hand. These prayer beads belonged to his grandfather, a devout Buddhist who went to his grave training with his daughter and grandson. Grandpa…please give me the strength to go through with this fight…Kenichi closed his eyes in deep meditation: lust was a normal feeling, but acting upon it would be dishonorable, especially when the idol of lust happened to be his rival. The most important lesson his father had told him was this: honor is truth. If you die with honor, you die a good death, but if you live with honor, you have lived an even greater life.

“Hey kid,” Kenichi opened his eyes as Eddy Gordo came into the locker room and spoke, “Jin told me to tell you that you're up next. It's time to head down to the ring.”

“OK, thank you very much,” Kenichi got up and bowed as he put his school uniform in a locker and began to head for the door that led to the runway. A clean fight with his rival: a martial artist could not possibly ask for more. Whatever feelings he had for Asuka, he would have to disregard them for now. Hope you're as psyched as I am, Asuka…because this is the fight were we settle things!