The doctor opened the door and was met with his patient's friends. He could see the concern on their faces as soon as they all turned to him. In a calm voice he informed them of Mary's condition. "We've managed to stabilize the patient. She has some broken bones and minor internal bleeding. She won't recover consciousness for a few hours due to the exertion of the fight, but she should be fine when she wakes up. " He loved the expressions of relief whenever he gave good news. It made all his hard work worthwhile to see gratitude towards him, even if they rarely voiced it.

Terry took a step forward. "Doctor. May I see her?"

The doctor shook his head. "I'm sorry, but she need's to rest. I can't allow anyone to disturb her."

Terry didn't relent. "Just for a minute to see she's okay. Please, doctor. I need to see her." He wasn't used to pleading. In fact he wasn't used to asking things of others at all, but this time he felt the need to.

"Are you her boyfriend?"

Terry hesitated, conflicting emotions clashing in a war for dominance, but finally nodded. "Yeah." Andy, Joe and Mai were shocked. It was the first time Terry admitted his feelings for Mary.

The doctor smiled and stepped aside. "Just make it quick. You have a fight to attend to." He said as he allowed the eldest Bogard to step in.

Terry entered the room, leaving his friends and brother behind in the hallway. They looked at each other and small a smile formed on their faces. It had come at a great cost, but it seemed like Terry had recovered a part of himself absent for years.

-------------------------------------

"OKAY!"

"WINNER!" The announcer cried after the incredible fight.

The crowds cheered wildly as the Lonely Wolf finished with the last member of the Kim Team. Joe took care of Choi but was smashed down by a furious Chang. Andy made it to Kim but was surprised with the man's new technique and was also beaten. In the final round Terry faced against Kim, but this wasn't the Terry everyone was used to in the King of Fighters Tournament. The eldest Bogard fought like a possessed man, taking out Kim with an spectacular show of skill and power. Mai, Andy and Joe stared in shock, remembering the last time Terry actually fought wielding such incredible power. The fight with the god of war. That could only mean he had achieved peace with himself and the Earth, the highest tenet of his school.

Terry put on his cap and waved to the crowd. He then walked to the downed Kim and offered him a hand. "Good fight, Kim." He said smiling. He had always enjoyed fighting, more than anything else, but now it was even better. He felt alive. He had truly accepted his feelings for Mary, accepting himself and letting the past rest.

Kim shook his head and took the offered hand. He unsteadily got up to his feet. "You've gotten a lot stronger, Terry. Seems like I didn't train nearly enough." Terry's Burn Knuckle was a lot stronger than before. He was actually surrounded by an aura of power, making the attack even more dangerous than it already was. He patted the blonde man on the back. "Congratulations." With that they both walked out of the platform.

The announcer started working the crowd for the next and final match of the day. He couldn't believe the power behind all the fighters, and was eager to see tomorrow's matches.

-------------------------------------

"He's much more powerful than before." Krauser observed as he saw the only man ever to defeat him walk away. His blood boiled in anticipation. After being defeated by Terry that first time he had trained harder than ever before, the knowledge that there was a challenge out there returning life to his dark existence. And now this... He couldn't wait to fight Terry once again, to feel the sweet pain of combat all over again as he tried to crush the eldest Bogard.

Geese frowned. *Terry Bogard. You've become strong.* He thought darkly. He himself had improved more than he had ever imagined possible before. *Who would've thought training the girl would have this little side effect.* But even then he wasn't sure he could easily defeat the Lonely Wolf. The fight would be an interesting event, if it ever took place that is.

--------------------------------------

Iori had watched the fight with disinterest. He could tell from the beginning the Fatal Fury Team would win the fight without much trouble. Ranko sat by his side with her eyes closed. In the short time he had known her they had become something like friends, if Iori could be said to have any friends at all. He had seen her enter some kind of meditative trance after every single time she used her special techniques. He already knew about Ranko's little issue with water. *Or should I say Ranma's?* He knew Ranma was a man. Even when female he thought of her as a man, ignoring completely the fact that she was the cutest girl in the Tournament. *A trap.* He knew anyone dumb enough to fall for her cuteness before a fight would be beaten to near death within seconds. He himself had paid a high price for his arrogance concerning Geese's 'daughter' and vowed never to be so overconfident again.

The next participants were called and the fighting begun. The crowd was really enjoying this tournament, even if some of the fights had been completely one-sided.

Iori smirked as the fighting started in the platform. That blue-haired woman, Leona, was giving that idiot boxer a beating he would only wish on Kyo. She was simply too fast and skilled for him, as well as cold and ruthless. He could feel the Orochi power flow from her as she fought, in his eyes, with a majestic grace. He always kept a close eye on her since he found out she was of Orochi blood, but that wasn't the real reason he did. In 1998 they had a long talk, she wanted to know more about how to control the Orochi power. He helped her as they trained together for a couple of weeks. Iori still couldn't figure out how they ended up sleeping together, nor why did they part ways after it happened. From then on they would occasionally meet, whenever her duty and his training didn't get in the way, and spend time together. He would deny it if asked about it, but he knew he had a steady girlfriend in the soldier.

And now here they were in the place they first met. And they would probably fight each other in the next round, too. Iori didn't have much luck when searching for his final fight with Kyo, but when it came to Leona they had met even by accident.

-------------------------------------

The music played in the bar as people enjoyed a little relaxation after the day's events. It wasn't everyday that you faced against the best fighters in the world. Even though there was a feeling of camaraderie among these people, who shared a passion for fighting, there was a visible tension between them.

There was a group of people that sat in a corner of the bar that no one dared approach. Every single fighter could feel the power emanating from the people there, power tainted with darkness and the stench of blood.

Geese Howard, Wolfgang Krauser, Mr. Big, Rugal Bernstein, Iori Yagami, Billy Kane and Ranko Howard. They all had people with reasons to hate them, even the new face among them.

Terry, the one with most reasons to be angry at Ranko, wasn't here tonight. He managed to convince the doctor to remain by Mary's side, so it didn't surprise anyone that the Lonely Wolf was missing.

Even the barest smile among that dark group sent shivers down the spine of anyone watching. For that smile could mean one of many horrible things they planned on.

Nearly every fighter in the room had some kind of vendetta with one of the people sitting on the corner table. Some even with more than one. But they all refrained from making a scene, the rules of the Tournament were quite explicit when it came to fights out of the platform. Even if they didn't care about the rules, none wanted to bring on him or herself the wrath of those seven. Even Ranko, the newest of the group, had viciously killed Yamazaki and put Mary in intensive care.

But they all tried to ignore them and relax. They turned to talk among themselves about what they had done during the years that passed between tournaments.

Geese glared at the red-haired girl in front of him. "I told you I wanted Yamazaki alive, girl. He still had his uses for me."

Ranko glared back. "Served the bastard right! You seem to forget he kidnapped Lily again and beat the shit out of her before we could stop him. He was just lucky to escape before I put my hands on him."

Geese didn't need to see Billy to know he shared Ranko's feelings on the matter, in fact he was surprised Billy didn't attack Yamazaki before the fights. *Maybe they planned it that way.* His glare slowly turned into a smirk. "You should know me better by now, girl. Yamazaki still had things to do before I repaid him for his services." Everyone knew what kind of payment Geese had in mind.

Ranko nodded, knowing Geese would never betray one of them, his subordinates, if they didn't betray him first. He had a twisted sense of honor, but it was honor nonetheless. "I won't say I'm sorry about it. He deserved it." Her tone of voice was more subdued, but it still was far from apologetic.

Geese nodded, knowing he wouldn't get much more out of his student. He turned to Rugal, who was sipping from a cup of an insanely expensive wine. "Did you arrange the fights like you said you would?" This picked everyone's attention and they all turned to the host of the Tournament.

Rugal smiled. "Of course I did. Though we shouldn't talk about this here." He casually commented even if he knew no one was near enough to overhear. "I won't talk more about it, but I think some of you will like the matches taking place tomorrow. That's as far as I can arrange the fights without anyone getting suspicious."

Billy snorted at that. "As if you cared about that." This brought a laugh from everyone.

Their mirth brought nervous glances from everyone else in the bar but they either didn't notice or didn't care. One of them caught the eyes of someone outside the group on him and nodded. "If you'll excuse me." He got up and left. The others continued talking about inconsequential stuff. Sharing tales of assassinations and other illegal operations.

----------------------------------------

She stepped out of the bar, the cold breeze not bothering her in the slightest. She was used to harsher conditions and even if it did bother her she would simply ignore it like she did with almost everything.

Taking a few steps she stopped next to a man gazing up towards the moon. She stood there, silently looking up, waiting for him to break the silence.

Eventually, after a long time, he did. "Jealous?"

She kept her eyes away from him. "No. I know you're not involved with her."

"And why is that?" Genuine curiosity tinted his voice as he turned to face her, staring at the moonlight reflecting on her skin.

She closed her eyes and a small trace of a smile illuminated her features. "She's too cute. I don't think you'd like someone like that."

He chuckled. "You're right. I loathe cuteness." He reached up with his hand and turned her face to stare directly at his. "Beauty on the other hand..." And he trailed off as he kissed her gently. She returned the kiss with a passion she only felt with him. They broke the kiss and turned back up with their arms around each other in a loving embrace.

Someone hidden in the shadows narrowed his eye and turned around to walk away. He didn't need to see more, things were as clear as the sky in which the crescent moon shone that night.

---------------------------------------

She got bored as soon as the Master and his 'friends' started talking about 'business' and boasting about their empires. Iori had gone outside before that and she noticed Leona missing, so where he was wasn't a big mystery. So what did she do? She wordlessly got up and headed to a secluded part of the bar. The others didn't follow, didn't even question her, and that was fine with her current mood. Whenever she wasn't fighting she just didn't feel right. She didn't want to die anymore, but she didn't know what to do either.

She sat on a stool and didn't have to wait long for the bartender to attend her, a tall blonde man with the smile of someone who liked what he saw and intended to do something about it. "Tea." She quietly said, wondering why it was that every single guy she met hit on her. When he asked her to repeat herself she directed him such a glare that he nearly pissed his pants and stumbled over to comply. Her features weren't all that frightening, some even dared say her frowns made her look even more cute. She chuckled, remembering what she did to Iori the last and only time he dared tell her that. What was frightening about her was probably the intensity of the hatred in her eyes, the feel of her battle aura even if it wasn't visible, and the hidden promise of pain to whoever crossed her. It was her nature, her true calling, even if she didn't let the darkness control her actions. It was like wielding a blade. The power doesn't make it good or evil, the hand that wields it does.

Once upon a time she attracted people with her positive aura. Those days were long over as that person no longer existed. *And where does that leave me?* She didn't know the direction her life would take, and frankly she didn't care. Plans for the future did nothing but hurt her when they were destroyed. The bartender nervously put a cup of steaming tea in front of her and remained there, visibly shaking. She took the cup to her lips and relished in the taste of the burning liquid. "Arigato." She said in a calm tone of voice, putting the cup down and staring at the ripples formed by the movement. The bartender sighed in relief and walked away a little calmer, even if it was still obvious he was wary of her. She hardly noticed.

Almost an hour passed like that. She was already starting her fourth cup of tea when something interrupted her. "Ranko Howard." A male voice called from behind her. She could tell whoever it was wasn't happy just by the harsh tone of his voice. She slowly turned over her shoulder and saw who it was. He was Terry Bogard's younger brother, she couldn't remember his name right now. By his side stood the girl that managed to land those attacks on Krauser, looking upset, even if not as much as her male companion.

"Nani?" She asked calmly. She already knew why they were upset but wasn't in the mood to apologize. Not that she ever was in that mood.

"You got a little over-enthusiastic with your fights." Andy said with a scowl.

Ranko turned back to her tea. "Leave me alone."

Mai was angered by the dismissal but remained silent. Her husband didn't have such qualms. "I'm talking to you." He angrily said placing a hand on Ranko's shoulder and forcibly turning her to face him.

"Andy!" Mai reprimanded. Even if Ranko had fought so viciously he shouldn't take things this far.

Ranko looked down at the offending hand on her shoulder and back at Andy's eyes. "Take your hand off before you lose it." She growled.

Andy's reaction was to tighten his hold on her shoulder. His anger at her was growing since he found out who her father was. What she did to Mary, and therefor Terry, only made that feeling intensify tenfold. "I suggest you let go of her, Bogard." They all turned to see Wolfgang Krauser, a serious expression on his face, tower over them. "There will be time for your infantile behavior later."

The youngest Bogard gave the Emperor of Darkness a dirty look. He still didn't forget the beating he gave his wife. "Please restrain yourself, Bogard-san." Chizuru Kagura said as she stood next to Mai. "This is not the time nor the place." Her voice carried a command with it that stopped whatever Andy was about to do. He released his hold of Ranko and turned all around, noticing he was the center of attention. He took Mai's hand in his and led his wife out of the bar, his features still frozen in anger. Chizuru sighed, glad that the fight was avoided.

Krauser smiled at the priestess and nodded to her. "I must thank you, Kagura-san. I don't think that boy would've stopped his tirade before I was forced to kill him." She nodded back, a serious expression on her face, and walked away. Krauser followed her with his eyes until she stopped next to King. He then sat on the stool next to Ranko's.

Ranko took another sip of tea. "I didn't need your help." And she meant it. She could feel the youngest Bogard was powerful in his own right, but not enough to seriously threaten her. His type of power resembled her own too much, but he lacked the control needed to effectively wield such energy. She herself had still a long way before she could match Geese in that department. The man controlled nature to his will, and there lied his power. Ranko knew she would reach that same control, it was just a matter of time.

"I know, girl." Krauser said casually, marveling at the feel he got from the young woman. To be so young and already wield such power, and such control over that very same power. He had considered Geese's style to be a waste. The crime lord didn't have complete control over his power and that was a serious weakness. But when he saw Geese a few weeks ago the man was changed, he had achieved the needed control and his power had increased frighteningly. He knew that if he hadn't been training to face Terry Bogard again, Geese would be the strongest of them both. Even now he wasn't sure who was the strongest.

And so they remained silently sharing their drinks for the rest of the evening. The recent confrontation already forgotten by both of them.

**********************************

"And that was the first day of the tournament." Ranma said as he watched Nabiki yawn for the umpteenth time. It had been hours since they begun, and many more were ahead if they wanted to finish this. "Do you want us to take a break?"

Tofu stretched his back and spoke for everyone, knowing they felt the same way. "A short break would be nice. I really need to check on the injured ones to see if they're alright." Truth be told, he wanted time to assimilate what had just been said. He couldn't believe what Ranma was telling them. The way he described his behavior he was a ruthless fighter and assassin. Those things just didn't match with his concept of Ranma as a person. They didn't even match with the man sitting next to him, he seemed so much like the Ranma he knew.

Cologne, who guessed the real reasons behind Tofu's desire to go outside, nodded. "I'll go with you. My old bones need a little walk and I could use the fresh air." In so saying so she hopped on her staff, nodded to everyone and started outside. Tofu was close behind.

Kasumi stood up after they left. "I'll prepare some more tea. Could you help me with it, Nabiki?"

The middle Tendo sister nodded as she got up and stretched. "Yeah. I need something to wake me up, too." They both left for the kitchen, Leona silently followed shortly after.

Iori leaned back and smirked. "I noticed you didn't tell them about how we met."

Ranma shrugged. "Can you blame me for it?"

"I guess not. I don't really like that memory much myself."

******************************

The dark alley was silent as he walked away from the beaten up thugs. They were a nice distraction after another fruitless search for his lifelong rival. The rumors about Kyo attending this night club were just that, nothing but rumors.

He took two more steps before stopping when he felt the presence of someone watching him from the shadows. Not in a good mood after wasting the entire evening on some worthless trash, he turned towards his assailant and frostily asked. "What do you want?"

As an answer, the person walked towards him. "I challenge you." A soprano voice was heard. His mouth formed a demeaning smirk as he regarded the short redhead trying to seem intimidating and failing miserably.

He chuckled and removed his bangs from his eyes. "Do you?"

She assumed a fighting stance a few feet from him. "Iori Yagami, I'll beat you to the ground."

His demeanor changed at hearing his name. His eyes quickly scanned her fighting stance, but found nothing spectacular about it. In fact there were several openings he could exploit from his current position. Remembering back one month to the other girl challenging him to stop him from killing Kyo he decided this must be a repeat of that day. *I won't kill her. I'll just teach her a lesson.* He wouldn't usually fight such a harmless looking girl, but he couldn't just drop a challenge, and even less so if it came from someone fighting for Kusanagi. He fell back into his usual fighting stance, though more relaxed. "Sugu raku ni shite yaru." This could prove to be amusing.

Not.

Before he could blink the girl was already into his defenses delivering a devastating palm strike to his unguarded ribs. He could actually hear the sound of cracking bone as she prepared another attack, this time her fist crackling with dark energy that made his skin crawl. He ignored the burning pain in his chest as he sidestepped the attack and tried to punch her in the face with his left hand. She trapped his left arm and without letting go kicked him on his already abused ribs. The strength behind the kick was enough to nearly rip his arm off.

Once again ignoring the pain he concentrated his energies in his left hand. Purple flames covered the form of the small redhead as the explosion of fire sent her flying back and onto her back. The exchange having cost Iori the use of his left arm, which hung uselessly by his side, and several broken ribs. The combined pain of his injuries and the summoning of his Magatama no Orochi left him winded. He could usually ignore the pain his cursed blood put him through every time he called forth his tainted flames. Even if he couldn't bare that pain he used the flames to prove himself his strength. But right now he wished that pain didn't come.

He watched as the girl flipped to her feet and assumed her fighting stance again. He cursed himself for a fool for not noticing it sooner. Her clothes and stance mimicked Geese Howard's perfectly. He wasn't facing one of Kyo's fans and, for once, wished that he was.

She charged him again. This time he was more prepared for her speed, and even then he had trouble following her movement. She made a mistake in assuming his weakened state would hinder his performance and attacked in the same way she did before. Iori kicked low with all his might and was rewarded with impacting her in her left leg. That gave him enough time to block her attack and, using only his right arm, reached down to her midsection. He dug his fingers deep into her skin and slashed upwards, spraying her blood from four deep cuts traveling up to her chest. Most of the blood managed to land on him as he saw her fall back once again, leaving a trail of red.

He stumbled back as the girl once again stood up, but this time slowly and favoring her left leg. It was obvious he managed to hurt her, but not enough to finish the fight. Blood flowed freely from the wounds in her chest as her cold eyes locked with Iori's. "That was good." Iori could feel a huge gathering of energy. "But not good enough."

He knew in his current state he wouldn't be able to dodge, and blocking something that powerful didn't sit well with him. He decided to rush forward and finish her off before she finished 'him' off. He prepared to deliver one of his stronger attacks, not sure if he could perform it with only one arm. He didn't get a chance to find out. He berated himself before falling into unconsciousness. *YOU IDIOT! You know she fights like Geese and you forget THAT MOVE!*

"RAGING STORM!"

*******************************

Iori nodded. "Indeed. It wasn't one of my best moments."

Ranma snorted. "You bitched for weeks about having lost to a 'little girl' until I showed my curse to you."

"Yeah, that too." Iori admitted. "But after that we became allies if not friends. Since then we've always been able to depend on each other."

Chuckling, the pigtailed martial artist nodded. "Who would've thought that the 'Evil Ones' would become like a big, happy family? Even Rugal got upset when someone bothered one of the group." They shared a laugh at that. Ranma sobered after a few seconds. "I wonder if they made it."

"Maybe they did."

"At least one of them did."

Iori raised an eyebrow at that. "Are you sure?"

Ranma nodded. "I didn't before because I hadn't accessed my power. But I felt him today."

"Did you tell Kasumi already?" Iori asked. Receiving a nod he smirked and lifted an eyebrow. "I thought you were busy with other things."

Ranma kept a straight face, even if his cheeks had a definitely red hue. "You know very well I tell her everything."

The red-haired man took out another cigarette. "And how do you think the others will react?"

"I don't know." He turned up to stare at the ceiling. "We'll find out tomorrow when he arrives. He wasn't that far away and I'm sure he felt me as well."

"Things are sure gonna become interesting." Iori said as he light his cigarette.


END PART 11


Author's Notes: Someone from the KoF world survived besides the ones staying in the Todo Dojo. How many more could have survived? Why? And most importantly, how will they react in this new world?

I'll be working on the LAB story lines next. I've already got some scenes written for them. Sorry if the chapters start coming a bit slower, my school schedule doesn't leave much time for writing. But don't worry, I won't be letting any of the stories die.

See you in PART 12!