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Chronicles of B-Man: Wolf Saga: Part 2Side note: I will use Part 1 for maybe flash Backs..just saying since there is a 4 year gap in roleplaying the story. 

Part 1: Tense Reunion

The forests vast expanse of trees, shrubs, and various plant life were just a blur as a figure tore through the brush which such speed dust was being kicked up with various dried leaves, over a large ravin it came to a stop and began shadow fighting. Sweat came off in plumes of mist with each attack, before taking off again heading towards the city.

Coming to a stop it looked over a cliff side down towards one of the roads heading towards the city, various cars and trucks passed by. "seems on on the right route." -In one motion he leapt going into a swan dive, landing with ease by the side of the road then took off running again.-

Dixie's Diner was your classic throw back mid 50's eatery, complete with waiting staff on roller skates. That afternoon it was packed with various martial artists, press, and fans waiting for the the tournaments opening ceremony to begin in only a few hours.

Sky, a Neko-Jin sat at the one of the booths waiting for the royal couple from the Neko Kingdom to arrive, this was his first time in such a establishment. " What can I get ya?" -a young female Gecko with streaks of blue and green for her scales in full 50's waitress uniform rolled over, Sky blinked a few times- " Oh err, umm, ah yes a Milkshake please. umm.. Vanilla if you have any left" -he chuckled looking around at the packed Diner- 

"Yeah we are busy, fifth year in a row that tournaments come into town." -she scribbled the order down onto a note pad- "such a big booth for one guy eh" -Sky smiled- " Nah, just waiting on some friends of mine, Oh speaking of which there they are now" -he stood up waving as Winter and her husband Shadow as they stepped inside behind a group of people, Winter moved over- " hello Sky" -they soon made their introductions to one another, order their drinks before starting to look over the menu.

Shadow looked at Sky- "interesting place, I wonder what the food is like" -Sky shrugged some- " no idea, a lot of people said it is pretty good, so I wanted to see it for myself." -Sky looked around some more as if expecting to see someone, Winter sighed softly- "you expecting someone to show? -Sky's ears perked slightly then pressed back to his head some- " well.. kind of....okay yes I am" -Shadow patted Sky's shoulder- " he didn't show up to the last tournaments." 

Sky looked at Shadow then at Winter- " Can't blame me for hoping can you?" -Winter shook her head some- "No, we can't. Running away like that made us all worried" -just then the waitress returned with the their drinks, tea for Winter, and Shadow. While Sky's eyes widened at the massive frosted glass mug with his milkshake- " t.. thats a Milkshake?!" -the Waitress smiled- " Dixie's finest, One and a half litres we call it "Milkshake Mountain"

Sky rubbed his chin then took a sip, his ears perked up. " that....THATS AWESOME!" -Winter cocked one of her ears back from the yelling- "oh it can't be that good" -Sky grinned and slid the mug over to her- " try it, I dare you" -Winter sighed then took a quick sip, her ears perked instantly- "...I will have what he is having..." -the waitress laughed , the group looked at Shadow- ".. oh ok, one for me as well" -the waitress grinned and rolled off-

-when the waitress return they all placed their lunch orders, a large group left followed another room that came in, Shadow glanced over- "I think we will have trouble in a few minutes" -Sky looked in the direction Shadow was glancing at- "hmm?" -several large anthropomorphic creatures were looking around for a place to sit, the only place was at the counter. Sky shrugged- "none of our business" -he looked back at Winter- " So, how are things?" -Winter was about to answer when-

"Hey!, Hooo-Man" -it was the group at the counter, their voices were loud enough for the whole diner to hear them- " Move it! we're starving" -Sky lean't over slightly closer to Winter to get a better look, a human was sitting there right at the end of the counter by himself. Or at least he had been until the Furs had moved over- " We got another one coming so move your pink butt" 

-Sky couldn't make out what the human said, he could notice at least the humans hair, dirty blonde, and combed over slightly to the left. White T-shirt, Blue jeans, with a pair of white running shoes. "What was that?!" -the largest of the group spoke- "I'm a wolf you skin bag, you think you can take on all seven of us?!" 

" If you boys want to fight then take it outside, Or I'll belt the lot of you" -a female lizard stepped out from the back room, a couple of the furs stepped back- " s.. Sorry Dixie..." -Dixie moved out her scales were red with streaks of green here and there- "I'd have the nerve to let this young man beat the shit out of you boys here and now, but I'd rather see it in the ring." 

Skys ears perked up- "young man?" -Winter looked at Sky- "Don't get any ideas alright? not every "young man" is"- She was cut off as one of the larger fur grabbed the human by the back of the shirt- "this runt of a hoo-" -the white equine never finished, Sky couldn't see how the Equine was hit- "oooOWATAH!" -Sky, Winter, and Shadow all held their drinks up as the massive body hit the table, out cold. Sky's ears were still perked at the sound of the impact, but the yell was something he didn't expect. Winter blinked - "w.. what just?" -the furs backed away from the human, whose left arm was up hand clenched into a fist- 

Shadow raised an eyebrow- "looks like he just back fisted him, err I think" -the human turned his head to dixie- "i'm sorry Ma'am I will leave and let these gentlemen have their lunch in peace" -Sky blinked, he couldn't recognize the voice.-"Well, it's just fine, these "boys" were just about to leave, Weren't you?!"-her normally yellow eyes flashed red for a moment- " Y... Yes Ma'am!" -Sky pushed the limp form of the equine off the table- " You forgot this!" 

The leader of the group a bear turned back to the human- " What's your name boy? so I can more pleasure in smashing your face in at the tournament , if your going to enter it" -the human turned slowly atop of his stool- "To my Friends or Enemies...the names "B-Man" -he looked at the group of furs cracking his knuckles- "and you owe me a burger for keeping you out of trouble" 

" B!!!" B-man spun around- "OUF!" -Sky pounced B-man down hard onto the tiled floor- "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?! " -Sky trembled with excitement but stopped getting up quickly- " Uhh I umm S.. Sorry B" -Dixie blinked - "friend of yours? sort of ruined the "tough as hell" moment but oh well" -Sky shrugged some then grabbed B-mans arm and pulled him over to the booth- 

"Okay! Out with it! where have you been!" -Sky rattled off question after question while forcing B-man to sit down next to a rather surprised Shadow- " well come on! out with it B!" - Winter burst in laughing- " SKY! Enough! give him a chance!" -she went into a fit of giggling while Shadow face palmed- "Uh well, I err.. can we eat first?" -Sky blinked- "No! Come on!" -Winter looked up giving Sky "the look"- "uhh...err...Yeah sure sure sure" 

Dixie came over with the waitress from before, she helped serve everyone but paused for a few seconds as she looked at B-man- "you.. look familiar have we met before?" -B-man blinked looking up- " uh, I don't think so" -Dixie rubbed her chin- " odd, first time in Toronto?" -B-man shook his head and was about to respond but Sky spoke up- "he came for the juniors tournament with me five years ago" -Dixie tried to cover it up- " Oh! now I remember, wow you two have grown" -B-man shrugged some still only being around five foot seven inches, while Sky was around six foot one.

" Well, enjoy your meals. Good luck you two" -B-man nodded - " thanks" -Sky's tail twitched slightly- " so.. going to answer me or what?" -Winter flicked one of Skys ears- "Don't be so rude, let me explain on his own time" -B-man looked down at his food embarrassed- "So, you are looking very fit B." -Winter smiled, tail swishing back and forth happily- "well I did by best when I was training" -Sky hissed some- " doesn't explain where you went"

Shadow rolled his eyes- "Sky, will you knock it off?" -Sky looked at Shadow- " I want to know where my friend went, sorry for not being royal like you two are." -Winter blinked- " alright alright...so B, where did you go?" -B-man took an experimental bite of his hamburger, chewed it quickly then swallowed- "So this is a "hamburger" huh?" -Winter shook her head- "Brandon?" -he looked up- "I'd, rather not talk about it please. besides I haven't eaten in a while" -Sky almost spat up- "w.. wait what? you haven't eaten?" -he asked with a look of genuine worry- 

"No, I haven't. been too busy trying to master some of the new moves I picked up..." -Sky took another bite of his fish while listening intently- "I travelled around a bit, ran into a few fighters, asked them to help me out if they could. Most refused but a couple helped me out. Others I just sort of picked up on." -Sky swallowed- "so, you stole their moves." " I wouldn't put it that way Sky. I just sort of...adapted them to my own style" -Sky rolled his eyes- "You stuck with Kyo-Kugen?" -Sky crossed his arms waiting for the reply- "No...well to a point, I changed over to Jeet Kune Do, I picked up what I thought worked and dropped the rest" 

Sky couldn't help but smirk- "oh, Mister Bruce Lee huh? explains the yelling" -B-man looked down at his plate blushing a bit, Shadow shrugged some- "ok you two why not just save it for the Ring?" -Winter nodded- "Yes, I think you should." -B-man nodded, but Sky was still upset- " you ran away, Why?" -B-man stopped eating slowly then turned slightly in his seat to look at Sky straight on- "How am I supposed to beat my rival if he knows what I am doing...or are you just afraid of me?" -Sky slowly smirked- "I have a few new tricks as well B..."

After the meal the group left Dixie's heading right for the hotel where the fighters were staying, the air was cooler than usual for that time of summer. B-man walked on up ahead looking at the sights having not been in the city for that long. Sky was eyeing B-man now and again as they walked, he wondering what sort of training his friend underwent all those years. " I wonder how much he improved." -Winter blinked at Skys statement- "are you really that worried? you have trained very hard as well. Or is there something more?" -Sky looked at her- " Well, I haven't fought him in over four years" 

The last time they had fought, B-man had thrown the fight to let Sky win, Thus divert attention away from himself to Sky. "Is he going to throw it again, or give me a all out fight." -B-man turned back looking at the three- " You guys say something?" -Winter smiled- "just talking about how much you two must have trained for this thats all" -B-man shrugged some, he really didn't seem to care that much, more than anything they could see he was more exhausted than anything-

" Well I think a good nights sleep will be just what the doctor ordered for us" -Shadow nodded some as they entered the hotels lobby, it was packed just like the diner. "wow, this is a serious tournament this time, I've never seen so many people before" -Winter nodded slowly looking around- "welcome to the big leagues." -Sky grinned- "more Bark than Bite" 

Less than fifteen minutes later they had their rooms, the Royal suite for Winter and Shadow, while Sky and B-Man had to share one- " well at least we have two beds" -Sky shrugged slightly- " I'd call the floor..." -Sky blinked not expecting that answer- " Wow, that was rather cold" -B-man plopped his bag down next to one of the double beds. "I just remember how much you snore, and that tail of yours hitting me in the face time and time again didn't help your cause either".

Sky sat down on his own bed beginning to remove his things from his own bags as well- " you're traveling pretty light there B, Don't tell me you've been on the road all this time" -Sky put this bag down then stood as his friend didn't answer him, he spun B-man around by the shoulder- "Answer me, Where the hell have you been?" -B-man met Sky's gaze- "traveling, now let go of me. Or I will make you"

-Skys ears flatted to his head slightly-"alright B, I can't wait to see what you've learned" -he let B-man go then moved back smirking- "and I can't wait to show you what I've come up with" -the two looked at each other, having not been training with one another for over four years now. The time was coming to see who had improved the most-

Part 2: Warm Up

Sky was awoken by rustling in the hotels bathroom, his ears perked slightly only to flatten- "five more minutes mom.....hmm?" -he opened one eye in the darkened room, the sun was just rising over the line of skyscrapers. He glanced at the near by digital clock on the night stand, it read 5:30, then he glanced at the bed, it had been made. "B?" -he said still groggy, but the only answer he got with the sound of the door being shut to the room as gently as possible- 

B-man made his way down the hallway in the same set of clothing he had before hand, but instead of heading down to street level he made his way up to the roof top of the hotel, it was at least twenty stories tall. Upon reaching the roof top a soft cool breeze greeted him, it may have been nothing more than fifteen degrees at that point. He took in the sight of the city before him then got to his morning routine- Ok...lets get this started...

"You're up early" -B-man turned in surprise seeing Winter sitting atop a ventilation shaft cover sipping a cup of green tea- "So, Mind telling "me" where you have been all these years? Why did you really leave?" -B-man began to hop back and forth on his toes warming up his body for the days event- " Does it really matter? I just went to train alright?" -Winter got up slowly- "B, you have grown up but I can sense there is something deep down that you want to express...please?"

-She frowned watched him began his warming up, various punches and kicks, a back flip here and there. " B?" -he didn't respond he seemed too far in the moment, or was he just trying to divert the question. After a few more punches and kicks followed up, finally she lost her cool.-

-Winters ears folded back agains't her head- "Brandon!" -he turned slowly as she rushed over- "Why are you holding it back? stop avoiding the issue" -he moved away- "I told you I went to train, isn't that enough?" -she caught his arm- "you are running away, why? do you feel rejected?" -she saw his brow twitch slightly- "...you went looking for your family didn't you..."-he looked down slowly, his arms fell to his side as if defeated- 

"I didn't find anything, not even any tombstones." -he made his way over to one of the vent covers and sat down on it, head in his hands- " I went to the hospital and they had no records at all. Not on myself, my mother nor my father. It is like they didn't even exist" -Winter moved over tail swaying in motion with her steps- "so.. when did you find this out? shortly after you left? or not until recently?"-he looked up at her slowly-"only a few months after, so I got back to my training by myself. I met a few fighters, I got my ass handed to me a lot of times..." 

-Winter paused- " really? You? but you..wait.. you didn't fight at full strength" -he shook his head- " power, speed, and strength isn't anything if you don't have the skills necessary" -Winter sat down by his side, still holding her cup with both hands.- " you held back to gain experience, alright that is understandable, but you could have written us, or even visited" -B-man shook his head slightly- "No, I...I just didn't have the courage. These past few years, I've fought a lot...if only Sifu was still around I.. could have.." "then you could show him what you've learned" -she finished for him- " that was a while ago B, now you should look to the future. Speaking of which, I will let you finish then we will all have a nice breakfast together"

-she smiled rising to her feet-"I will let you tell Sky in your own time, but please talk with him. Bottling such things up like that will only cause more sadness"-B-man watched as she left the roof top, then got back to his warm up. Winter meanwhile was wondering deep down how much stronger B-man has become, and what sort of personal demons he had to deal with.

A few hours later Sky was up and chomping away at his breakfast, Shadow watched on- "do you have to eat like a Pig?" -Sky took no notice, while Winter just shook her head- "nervous are we? or are you that sure of a win?" -Sky swallowed then leaned back in his chair crossing his arms- "hmm,a win? sure, against B-man?...maybe." -Winter grinned slightly- " I don't know Sky, you may have a tough time with him. I saw some pretty flashy moves during his warm up this morning" -Skys ears perked- " wait? he is still up there?" 

Sky looked at the nearest clock- "He's been up there since 5:30? Your kidding me?" -Winter shook her head slightly, then looked over Sky's shoulder watching B-man come over with a tray from the breakfast bar- "Ah, there he is." -she smiled making room then blinked seeing very little on B-mans plate- "not hungry? it isn't good for you if you don't eat" -B-man shrugged some just having a small selection of fruit- "I wasn't sure what to get really, there is too much to choose from."

Shadow glanced at the clock- "we should hurry up and get going, the opening ceremony will be starting soon." -Sky glanced around some, picking out the most likely people who would be taking part- "a lot of tough looking folks here, this is going to be fun" -a predator like smile came across his face, B-man nibbled slowly as he looked around. He could make out the group from Dixie's Diner in one corner and a few other possible entries.

"So B, some Flashy moves now eh?" -B-man paused in mid chew, then glanced at Winter who gave a sly grin- "that depends on whom is watching...or receiving it." he glanced down at the tray and didn't feel like eating anymore- "Well come on, lets get this over and done with" -the group rose up and began to make their way towards the exit, B-man could feel the eyes on them- "Don't let the pressure get to you B, it's tough being next to a champion" -B-man blinked as they stepped outside- "a Champ? how many times have you won this thing?"

-they moved towards the tour bus for the competitors- "every year since you last entered, this is the first year I will be in the regular adult tournament" -B-man felt like a rock was sinking down into the pit of his stomach- "great...I hope you haven't gotten full of yourself" -Sky glanced at B-man- " if you didn't let me win the last time, it may have been different" 

Both didn't speak to each other for the whole trip to the SkyDome where the tournament was held last when they both had entered. everything was pretty much the same, but with a larger arena to let fighters stretch their legs. "boy, this place hasn't changed at all really."-B-man looked on still impressed by the sight, the dome was wide open this time letting in the natural light.

To the north and south sides of the arena were two sections erected for the fighters, various cleaning personnel were busy getting things ready and tidied up from the juniors devision having just been completed the day before. Refreshment stands were also being put up and stocked as well, Sky couldn't help but look. "I wonder if they will have milkshakes too?" -B-man glanced at Sky blinked- " what's a milkshake? that thing you were drinking at the diner?"

-with a hiss of air brakes the bus came to a stop, the participants filed out in a orderly fashion. "you boys are taking part in this?" -a rhino at least eight feet plus in height looked down at the two- "well, that is the plan." -B-man answered looking up, then glanced around once more at the sheer size of everything. "It's only natural," -Sky piped up sounding confident but border line arrogant- "being the junior champ for so long, I should have it easy with you bunch of slackers" 

-Some of the participants looked right on Sky. A couple knew that the Neko was more than just talk, While others merely got back to checking out the arena in preparation for their own matches. B-man looked at Sky- "that was kind of rude." -Sky shrugged some- "it's all part of the game B, you have to "Physic" people out." -B-man looked at Sky for a moment, then turned to the arena scratching the back of his head slightly- "I don't know Sky, better to just have it out in the match really. Then they and others will know what you can do" 

"it will be a pleasure to beat your face in, Hoooman" -B-man blinked then looked at the bear from the Diner- "let us hope it doesn't come to that" -B-man turned making his way to one of the nearest chairs away from the crowd, Sky followed- "you haven't changed much B, still hate crowds, and bullies." -B-man sat down frowning- "I hope I get to fight him first..."-Sky blinked in surprise- " you what?"

B-man had his eyes focused on the bear with his buddies at the table. "I'll show them not to treat others like insects" -Sky didn't respond as he noticed a slight glow from his friends pupils before fading, He was about to say something when the referee spoke- "Alright people listen up!" -a older man around his late fifties stepped out from behind the tour bus, he was dressed in outfit like something out of boxing match- 

As the rules and regulations of the tournament were being read out, the stands were starting to get filled up. Sky noticed Winter and Shadow having ring side seats, he waved to them for a moment before turning back to the presentation. Twenty minutes after finishing the ref looked around- "Any questions? Anything at all?-there was no response-" alright good" -he nodded then looked down at his note pad- "Fighters in group A. please report to the change rooms" 

Sky rose up- " Well, lets see what sort of weaklings I am up against" -B-man let off a sigh before turning back to look at the stands, he could not help but think back to when they fought the long dead demon named Wolf.

The opening ceremony was nothing more than a blur to B-man and Sky, the first couple of matches went by in the same fashion. Winter looked around- "rather dull compared to the last few we attended" -Shadow shrugged slightly- "just wait till Sky goes up, the boys a miracle worker." -Winters right ear flickered slightly-" I don't know dear, I don't think we can count out B in this." -Shadow raised an eyebrow slightly- "you really think so? woman's intuition?"

Winter looked at her husband eyes narrowed- "Kept you out of trouble didn't it?" -Shadow blinked- " okay okay okay...but with Sky being a Neko he still has an advantage" -finally Sky's name was called up, he turned to B-man grinning- "watch this, and learn something" -B-man rolled his eyes- "yeah yeah, get going before the arena gets cold" -Sky grinned-"just try not to let it go Cold on your end alright?"

B-man watched as Sky made his way up to steps into the arena, he couldn't help but notice his friends fighting uniform had the usual sort of features a Karate Gi would have but he had the sleeves stop just above the elbow, also the leg fabric was form fitting. As far as foot wear went he had on just a pair slip on shoes, also he didn't have on any of the usual wrist or ankle band either- 

Sky glanced over the arena, then turned to his opponent.-"lets see what we've got here..." -the Equine from before made his way up into the arena, massive cords of muscle flexing. the ref made his way over to the two stepped between them- "Alright, keep it clean. you two ready?" -Sky nodded, while the equine snorted, both moved back a good fifteen feet then took their stance. 

B-man noted Sky kept his body limber, arms relaxed at each side while having a slight bounce in his legs. The equine on the other hand had a more traditional boxing stance. spectators fell silent- " ready?..."-the ref looked at the two then brought his hand down between them- "Fight!" -the motion was two quick for most to see, Sky shot foreword then backflipped driving his heal into the equines jaw. 

B-man noted the impact, it was hard enough to cause the brain to rattle against the insides of the skull causing disorientation, and if that hadn't been enough the head snapping back from the force would cause serious imbalance. A dull thud echoed as the equine landed flat on his back out cold- "Down!" -the ref called, he moved over then looked. "one!...two!..."-he stopped then waved his arms, the gong sounded signalling the end of the match-

Sky held up his arm as he made his way out of the arena, the crowd still in silence. B-man looked over as Sky took his seat- "your turn, but you can pull out of the tournament now if you'd like" -B-man looked at him frowning as his name was called- "Alright B-Man your up!" -the ref called out, B-man managed a quick response. "Not on your life fur ball" 

Luck was not with him as he entered the ring, the bear from the diner glared at him then smiled baring his teeth- "oh this will be too sweet" -at seven foot even the bear moved over to the centre of the ring where the ref was waiting- "oh brother..."-B-man rolled his eyes as he joined the ref- "alright you two keep it clean" -B-man nodded while the bear spat on the humans shoe- "try and keep up if you can hoooomaaan" 

The ref. frowned, this wasn't going to be nice at all. "the kids gonna get his ass kicked" -on cue Winter suddenly was up standing on her chair yelling- "Kick his furry Butt B!" -Shadow looked at her in surprise then glanced around at the spectators who had turned their attention on her- "Dear! please sit down!" -Winter shoved her tail into her husbands mouth-"Make em wish he was at home with his honey pot!" 

Sky face palmed- "real subtle there Queen" -B-man took his stance, it was the usual Kyo-Kugen, the very same he used when he was training with Sky- "I'm going to rip you apart hoooman" -B-man frowned then changing his stance slightly changing his angle of his right arm leave it at waist height, while shifted his weight to his left leg that with further back- " Fighters ready?" -the bear bared his teeth once more- "Fight!" 

-taking one swift step foreword the bear planted his right foot foreword and put all his weight into the punch he threw, Sky blinked the bear wasn't just talk he really knew how to fight. There was speed as well to the punch, Then reality set in as the bears head jerked backward causing him to crumple to the arena floor, he looked up at B-man wide eyed. "he back fisted him at that range?" -he turned his attention to his friend who had retaken the same stance.

The Ref grunted- "er.. one!...two!...three!" -the bear looked up then growled - "lucky shot hooman!" -the ref glanced over at the two then motioned- "fight!" -twice more the bear went down, Sky looked on just able to see from his angle on how his friend was shifting his weight so quickly to deal such a blow. The bear growled now going into a fury of punches and kicks, but they were wild. While having a lot of power and speed didn't make up for the lack of accuracy.

-B-man shifted to dodging but wasn't bothering to block, Winter looked on confused.-"why doesn't he knock him out?" -Shadow rubbing his chin slightly- "isn't that the bear from the diner? you don't suppose..."-Winter grinned- "he is teaching him a.."-her comment was drowned out as the crowd roared, B-man stood there right leg extended having snap kicked the bear upside the head. 

Sky stiffened as he could feel a energy build up- "What the hell is..."-B-man right leg came out before the bear could even react, being hit more than a dozen times. the bear was being lifted off his feet-"Genei-Kayku!" -while in mid air he spun driving his left heel into the bears side sending him flying out of control to land at the edge of the arena, but as the bear tried to get up he fell out of the ring. 

"Out!" -the ref called, the bear looked up in unbridled rage-"You, Son of a Bitch!, I'm gonna fucking kill you!"-moving quickly the ref tried to stop the bear from entering the ring but it was too late, Sky was about to get up when B-man turned back. Sky looked on eyes widening as he felt his friends energy begin to rise sharply "what the hell?" -B-mans right fist started to glow a bright blue flame- "Burn-" -he thrust his arm out as the bear was less than ten feet away- "Knuckle!" -he shot across the floor hitting the bear in the solar plexus causing him to stop in it's tracks, then following it up with a short left handed rising uppercut.

-Sky got up having never seen a move like that before, the crowd went silent as B-man moved out of the ring, while a medical crew and some security guards went into the arena to see to the bear. "Burn Knuckle?" -he asked as when his friend was in ear shot-" yeah, it was burning wasn't it" -B-man looked over to Sky and was about to say something went Winter tackled them both-"That was incredible!" -a few other guards rushed over- 

"Uh, Ma'am! this is for fighters only. I'm sorry but You've have to leave" -Sky looked at Winter rather embarrassed- "uh, Queen, you need to..." -the guards blinked- "Queen?" -Winter turned to them- "sorry, I shall go quietly" -she giggled- "caught in the moment" -then walked off with the guards, tail swaying in excitement- "..she reminds me of you at times" -Skys ears perked then folded back- " that isn't funny..."

Part 3: Omen

A couple of hours had past then the last match of the day, Winter still had not calmed down after the two matches- " I can't believe I know two of the most strongest and most handsome men in this tournament" -B-man looked down blushing, while Shadow couldn't help by laugh. Sky on the other hand was very serious- "You all right Sky?" -the Neko looked up one ear cocked up slightly- " huh? oh yeah just fine"

B-Man looked over at his friend- "something up?" -Sky turned his attention to B-man- "so you made yourself into a all rounder huh?" -B-man blinked- "uh, whats an "all rounder" ?" -Sky rolled his eyes- "oh never mind, I'm going to get something to eat I'm starving" -before the group could say anything Sky walked off in another direction- "...did I do something wrong?" -B-man looked at Winter then Shadow- 

" I think your Rival just got a little more worried" -the group turned seeing the rhino from before, they watched him stroll over with a smile- "names Damien" -he held a hand out first to Winter, her husband then B-man. "if all goes well it looks like I will be your next opponent." -B-man nodded slowly, but the two didn't let go of each others hands. Damien smiled slightly then tensed his arm increasing the grip on B-mans hand whom did the same- "it will be an interesting match, if you make it through" -a slow smile spread across B-mans face- "yes it will... and nice grip..." 

Damien let go slowly- " you too, not bad for a young one. See you tomorrow in the ring" -B-man watched the hulking figure move off into a near by store, B-man looked down at his hand. it was red in spots where he had been gripped then he looked back to the store. "he's strong..." -Shadow looked at a near by clock- "WELL!, lets go some rest shall we? " -Winter looked at shadow- "ooohhh no ya don't we are going shopping, I need to get some things" -before Shadow could say or do anything, Winter had grabbed him by the arm and moved off leaving B-man alone.

He made his way down the street looking at some shops then stopped by one that was having items for sale for the tournament. he couldn't help but looked at a light blue karate Gi, then at the price- "you aren't here to win B, just test yourself" -letting off a sigh he moved off to the hotel wondering what tomorrow would bring-

Just as he rounded a corner, Winter stepped out of the same store with Shadow holding a package- " Ohhh this will be perfect" -she purred to herself- " he is going to love this, don't you think so dear?" -Shadow nodded stepping up from behind hefting a bag with a shoe box in it- "Bought time he wore one, I can't imagine him NOT wearing one after all those months at the kingdom".

Tail in tail they made their way towards a few other smaller shops eyeing little trinkets here and there.-"it will be nice to get back to the kingdom once this is over" -Shadow commented, Winter nodded slightly- " mhmm" -but Winter couldn't help it- "that Damien fellow looked tough, and he is in B's group in the tournament."

-Shadow shrugged slightly- "Give me a sword and a shield any day." -Winter giggled-"Old Fashioned as usual, but thats why I love you"-she gave a soft peck to her husbands cheek- " come on, lets go eat something. Then I want to see how B looks in his new uniform" -Shadow was about to say something only to get dragged along by his wife- "Take it easy!" 

Sky meanwhile was at Dixie's Diner, sulking over a fight he would rather not go through. "Havin trouble Kid?" -Sky blinked then looked up at the bemused face of Dixie- "pardon me?" -Dixie shook her head- "young puss, I said. "Havin trouble?" You've been looking at the shake for the last ten minutes without taking a sip." -Skys ears folded back agains't his head- " well.. a little but it isn't what you think" 

-Dixie removed her apron then tosses it over the counter top- "girl trouble? or something to do with your buddy?" -Sky chuckled- "I wish it was girl trouble over this, I may have a fight my friend in the tournament." -Dixie nodded slowly- "let me guess, Part of you wants too and the other doesn't because you are afraid you may hurt him, or he may hurt you." 

-Sky nodded slowly- "he threw the fight last time, and well. I saw what he could do when we...er...training" -his tail twitched slightly, remembering the blast his friend unleashed despite having such a injury. Dixie took it at face value- "ah, so it wasn't something he did consciously huh?" -Sky nodded- "more or less ma'am" -Dixie smiled- "Just call me Dixie, I hate formalities" 

-They began to chat some more, from the entrance Damien entered- " eh Dix, Whats shaken?" -Dixie looked then waved some- "hi Damien, usual?" -the hulking form moved over to the counter- " yeah, hmm? well it's the Neko Protege himself" -Sky looked over, it didn't show but he was impressed by Damien's build- "you anthros sure know how to pack on the muscle" 

Damien flexed a bicep over thirty inches- "thats the easy part, trying to keep it down for a tournament like this is a bitch and a half" -Dixie giggled- "you wanted to be a martial artist" -Damien took a seat next to Sky whose ears twitched slightly feeling the energy within. -"jeeze, this guy is the real deal." -he took a sip of his shake then looked at Damien- "so, what block are you in?" -Damien grinned- "block B. so, I get to fight your friend first"

-Sky blinked having been in such a mix of emotions he had not checked the listings. "Well, I wish you luck, Damien was it?" -Sky held his hand out- "may the best one win" -Damien took the proffered hand and shook, something was sent through Sky. it reassured him that this Rhino was not all talk-"B, you are going to have a fight on your hands...don't you dare loose before our rematch" 

Just then a new report came on the overhead Television, Dixie hissed- "not again, thats the seventh one in the past two weeks" -Sky blinked then looked up, it showed a image of a young human woman who looks like a living skeleton. The life looked like it had been sucked clean out of it, leaving nothing more than a shell- " I'd like to get my hands on the bastards doing it" -Damien cursed under his breath- 

Sky glanced at the two confused- "this been going on long? " -Dixie growled- "started when the tournament began, now it's getting worse" -Sky let off a sigh- "Great.. well at the rate this is going the tournament should be over soon, maybe who ever is doing this will stop."

Back at the hotel B-man was preparing himself for the night, for one he was wondering about how strong this Damien really was. "I'd better not let his size fool me" -his thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door, quickly he unlocked and opened it, then almost slammed it shut with Winter yelled- "SURPRISE!" -Shadow had one ear cocked back from her yell- "easy there love, don't wake up the whole neighbourhood" 

Winter couldn't help but giggle, then offered a wrapped box towards B-man who just stared at it- "uhh, what is it?" -Winter blinked- "it's for you, open it" -B-man raised an eyebrow-"why?" -Winter grumbled then stormed into the room dragging B-man by his right elbow- "you've been running off for too long, this is to make up for all those missed birthdays of yours." -Winter barked an order- " Sit down and open it!" -B-man blinked- "Yes Ma'am!" 

A few minutes later Sky entered the room then paused- "well well well, coming here to wish me luck?" -Winter looked over- "well... that too but what do you think?" -she stepped back as B-man got up from the bed after fixing his new uniform, Sky blinked- "jeeze, you look like Sifu in that get up" -B-man rubbed the back of his head some blushing slightly- well apart from the boots and the undershirt you almost look like him B" -Winter couldn't help but purr- "i'm glad you like it, well I'll let you two get some sleep. you two have a big day tomorrow, Good night!"

-Shadow blinked being dragged out-" Uh, night you two! Winter slow down would~" -the door closed behind them leaving the two young men alone and rather confused-"Remind me not to get married right away B, it seems tough enough" -B-man shrugged some then walked over to a mirror to look himself over-"boy I wish Sifu could see us...I wonder what he would think" -Sky shrugged some- "both of us took a different path"

B-man nodded slowly then glanced down at himself- "well, I guess I'll take a quick shower then go to bed" -he began to undo the Obi belt, some how it just didn't feel right. Sky questioned -"something wrong? " -B-man blinked then looked at his friend- "oh...well.. it just feels so strange...like. I just don't think I deserve to wear this" -before Sky could say anything B-man went into the bathroom, closed and locked the door. He felt disgusted in himself for the first time in a while for not trying harder to save Galin and Night.

The next morning Winter had made sure that B-man was dressed in the uniform- "Now don't argue with me, until this tournament is over you will wear that when you fight. Got it?!" -B-man jumped to attention- "Y.. Yes!" -Sky blinked then leaned in to whisper at Shadow- "is she normally like this?" -Shadows ears folded back in reply-"she means well, really she does" -Winter moved in and adjusted the uniform, tucking in the shirt then retied the obi belt- "There!, now thats much better" 

B-man blinked a few times- "w... well umm, we'd better get going. Don't want to be late, right?" -Sky burst out laughing, so hard in fact that he had to lean on Shadow to keep from falling- "Whats so funny?!" -B-man grunted as Sky looked up, tears in his eyes from laughing so hard- "She's treating you just like my grandmother!" -Sky couldn't stop laughing the entire walk to the tour bus- " okay okay okay, I'm fine really I am.. I'm okay " -Sky took several deep breaths to clam himself- 

Winter sighed then grinned-"I don't know B, maybe that is more of a nervous laugh" -Skys ears perked up alarmed- "nervous?! of what?!" -B-man blinked looking at her- "please don't say stuff like that!" -Winter grinned- "Skys worried of loosing to you" -B-man stepped foreword waving his hands out- "Queen, please don't say that." -it was too late already, Skys eyes were a blaze- "We'll see about that, just try not to loose to that Rhino B."

B-man felt more pressure on him that before, Sky boarded the bus ahead of B-man who stood at the curb.- "I think i'm going to drop out of this..." -he boarded the bus, they were a bit late due to traffic so the second block had already gotten underway, the tension was already there. 

Sky looked around then heard a yell following up by the sound of wood splintering, the silence that followed was eerie- "D....Down!" -the refs voice echoed in the stadium, when B-man caught a look of what happened he could see Damien standing in the arena looking down at his opponent who was being put onto a stretcher. the remains of a small medical stand was being pushed to the side- "looks like he isn't here to fool around" -Sky said before taking his seat, B-man looked on then blinked as Damien looked right at him- 

Sky felt something strange coming from Damien, but he could not put his finger on it- "that guy seems hell bent on fighting B, but why?" -a few more fights went on in rapid succession, but to their surprise B-mans name was called up early. "that was way too fast, whats going on?" -the Ref. made his way over- "sorry to call you up so soon, after what the rhino did most of the contestants dropped out" 

B-man nodded then got up slowly to warm up a bit- "ok, just give me a few minutes to warm up" -the Ref nodded- "five minutes enough?" -B-man nodded starting to do a bit of shadow fighting, Sky couldn't help but keep his eyes on Damien. -B-man then announced - "well, I'm off!" -he was just about to take the last step into the arena when Sky spoke, he turned seeing his friend looking up at him- "B, be careful" 

B-mans smile faded as he focused on his friends face, he had not seen his friend this way since they took on Wolf together five years ago.- "Okay, Sky" -he turned slowly focusing Damien, the rhino was rolling his massive shoulders warming up for the fight at hand. he stepped into the arena slowly.

-the Ref. moved up between them- "okay, you two know the rules so keep it clean" -B-man nodded then looked at Damien, his eyes had a different look to them.- "I'll try" -snorted the rhino- "but I can't make any promises" -the ref glanced at the two, he couldn't help but worry about the young man- "don't get yourself killed kid" -the ref moved his right arm up between them- "Fighters ready?!" -B-man took a different stance than the traditional Kyo Kugen, while Damien had a standard karate stance- "Fight!"

Part 4: Fruits of Labour

As soon as the Gong sounded B-man tried to set the pace-"Hien-Shipuu Kayku!" -pushing off with his right foot he went into the usual flying side kick, Damien used a cross arm block, the first impact and the following round house was hard enough to send the huge rhino sliding backwards- "Sweet Jesus!" -Damien exclaimed eyes wide as steam was coming from the impact points, but the attack continued as B-mans right arm swung back then thrust out towards the rhino- Kou-Ken! -the blue energy ball shot towards Damien who barely had time to block again, the energy expelled agains't his rough skin-

Damien growled slightly- "that little" -the short rising uppercut came too quickly for Damien to react as B-mans left fist collided with his jaw sending the rhinos head backwards, but also causing him to rise into the air almost three feet before crashing onto his back-"D... Down!" -the Ref announced to a silent audience, Sky couldn't believe his eyes. Had his friend improved that much? or was it just a lucky break?- 

"one!...two!" -the Ref. began his count. Damien groaned rolling onto his hands and knees before getting up at the count of seven- "can you continue?" -asked the Ref. Damien nodded- "yeah I'm fine" -B-man was back in his stance once more, Damien rolled his jaw slightly- "Not bad there kid, Kyo-Kugen-Ryu isn't it?" -B-man blinked- " you know of it?" -Damien smirked preparing himself once more- "I know a few things, if you think you can beat with with that you are mistaken"

B-man got ready bringing his right arm back placing his fist at his side, while holding his left arm forewords palm open- "well, I figured as much." -Damien grinned-" well, show me the Flashy stuff first would you please? I'd hate to disappoint the spectators" -B-man pushed off bringing his right fist out- "Alright you asked for it! Burn Knuckle!"

Damien caught B-mans wrist as he jerked his head to side, he brought leg up snap kicking B-mans shoulder knocking him to the side. B-man rolled getting back onto his feet then took another run at the Damien, he was about to use the same rapid kicking technique with his left leg but his ankle was caught. Damien grinned before throwing B-man down onto his back- 

B-man rolled backwards onto his feet as Damien was about to step foreword but he pushed off, his right shoulder connected with the rhinos thick chest. Damien grunted stepping back just enough to catch the human off guard, thrusting his right knee upwards going for the humans chest. B-man managed to block it but was blown into a backwards tumble.- " Come on B!" -Winter cheered, but Shadow was worried- "It's like his attacks aren't doing anything to that guys thick hide"

Sky meanwhile was watching arena side, his eyes were focused on his friend whom rolled backwards onto his feet panting- "Don't try and attack him B!, Wear him out!" - Sky blinked caught of guard by the sudden bio electrical energy that started to swirl around B-mans body, thrusting his arms out as a tornado like cyclone engulfed his body- "Tatsumonki!" -B-man pushed off going into a spin- "Hadou! Sempukayku!" 

-Damien blinked then charged towards the cyclone, dust and dirt flew upwards as the two collided. Any object that didn't have enough weight were blown around, unused chairs, newspapers, and the lot flew around. Inside B-man was belted by Damiens attacks despite the tremendous wind-

In a few seconds the cyclone disbursed, B-man flew back slamming into the arena floor winded. Damien cracked his neck some- "I hope that wasn't~" -he felt a stinging sensation then glanced over at his right shoulder, the clothing was torn off, his shoulder was swollen and bleeding, he turned to look at the human who was just barely able to stand. Damien charged, punching B-man square in the stomach before he could react in time, a sweat cloud came off his body from the impact-

B-man slid backwards to the edge of the arena the crowd started to roar for another win-" B! Don't you dare loose on me!" -Sky hissed he couldn't believe how fast Damien was, massive cords of muscle in the rhinos left leg tensed, lashing out at B-man who just was able to block with his right forearm but was sent staggering in the opposite direction. It was looking hopeless as B-man caught Damiens right knee in his stomach winding him once more, then he was brought down from above by the rhinos massive fists to his upper back-

Arena tiles cracked under the brute force impact of B-mans body, Damien yelled bringing his left foot down where the humans head was. Sky watched on helpless, this wasn't a fight it was a slaughtering- "B! Get the hell out of there!" -B-man jerked back just in time, getting up as the floor shattered, then lashed out- "Zanretsu-Ken!" -B-man left punches missed including the uppercut, only to get a serious impact in the stomach twice, first by Damiens knee then his fist sending B-man sliding backwards- 

-Damiens left fist connected with B-mans jaw spending him into a spin, only to have the same speed and force used agains't him- "Shipuu-Kyaku!" -the reverse kick just missed the Rhinos jaw, but the following kick collided full force agains't the side of his face. B-man landed one his right knee panting hard as Damien roared out in pain, his horn had been shattered and blood was running down from his temple and the side of his mouth-

Sky yelled out-"B Finish him off fast! Before he~" -Sky never finished as Damien looked at B-man wiping the blood off his jaw- "This little match is ending now!" -a ball of yellow energy formed in the rhinos left hand then he threw it at B-man, he was able to dodge as the ball of energy slammed into one of the concession stands- "You're fast, But I won't miss this time. So what will you do?!" -two energy balls flew towards B-man, he looked on in shock- "No good I can't dodge it!" - B-man didn't think he just did, thrusting his right fist foreword- "Burn Knuckle!" 

Winter screamed- "Brandon!" -the two spheres of yellow energy slammed into the blue flames engulfing his fist then exploded throwing B-man backwards, the force caused him to tumbled but he managed to right himself for a few seconds before falling to both knees gasping for breath only inches away from the edge of the arena- "I'm impressed human, no ones ever been able cancel out my attack" -Damien stepped back his arms spread out, palms open as bright yellow energy gathered in them rapidly- 

Sky couldn't help himself- "Get the hell out of there!" -Damien unleashed the energy blast, it was like a tour bus that was rushing towards B-man head on. The only thing in Sky's mind was how much like the blast was similar to the Haou-Shou-Kouken, but there was no wind up time. Winter grabbed onto her husband and buried her face into his chest- " I can't watch!" 

-B-man's pupils flashed as he took a step foreword yelling- "Power!" -he brought his right fist up then slammed it down into the arena floor as hard as he could but angled towards Damien - "Geysaaah!" -the wall of energy was diverted upwards into the sky where it dispersed harmlessly, but the torrent of roaring energy continued along it's path towards Damien who stood there in shock-

-the resulting explosion was almost deafening as it collided, the upper portion of Damiens uniform blew off as he was flung out of the ring and into a support pylon. His eyes were wide as his body was embedded into the steel structure, he passed out well before falling to the floor- "B!" -Sky rushed into the arena before the Ref called the match to an end, he could see the steam coming off his friends body.

B-man was on his hands and knees panting hard, blood was running from the left corner of his mouth- "D... Did I get him?" -he looked up as some medics were rushing over to Damien, the Rhino was breathing but he wasn't moving- "Thats not the only thing you got, My God B  what the hell was that?!" -B-man tried to get up but his body felt too heavy to move- "S...Spur of the moment?" -he chuckled some as medics ran in to help him up. Winter, Shadow, and Sky all went with him to the medical hut.

The next few hours went by in a blur of Sky, the rest of the tournament was put on hold. Due to the amount of damage the arena and some of the support structure had taken, they were back in the hotel room now. "he looks so peaceful now" -said Winter as she soaked a clothing in cold water, rang it out then folded it neatly before placing it over B-mans forehead and eyes- 

Shadow looked at young neko who was clearly troubled, but he couldn't blame him after what they just witnessed. "that guy Damien was just that tough huh?" -Sky nodded with a frown, he had gone over each bit of the fight in his head. in his mind he would have just been able to dodge the final attack, but it still would have been far too close for comfort. "Just makes me wonder what sort of other tricks he had up his sleeve." 

Winter giggled some- "yup, that rhino was tough." -Sky looked at her- "no, I mean him " -he motioned with his head towards his friends sleeping figure, then there was a knock at the door. Shadow answered it then blinked in surprise to see Damien, duffer bag over his shoulder- "hey there" Sky blinked- "well, you're up quickly." -Damien shook his head- "it's that thick hide of mine, if i had normal skin I'd have been burned up pretty bad. How is he?" -Winter looked over- "asleep, how is that.. umm horn of yours?" 

-Damien frowned some looking down a bit embarrassed-"well, I didn't expect to be hit "That" hard." -he rubbed the back of his head some with his un bandaged left hand- "well, I'm heading off for home. tell him I stopped by would ya?"-the group nodded, Sky turned- "by the way, nice fight." Damien smiled- "thanks, good luck and good night"

Sky let off a huff then flopped onto his own bed- "you two go and get some rest, I'll watch over him" -Winter blinked- " are you sure? it isn't any trouble." -Sky waved her off with his tail- "Nah, it's alright. but I suspect he will be hungry went he wakes up. guess we will go to that diner again" -Winter giggled- "okay, I'll come back and check on you two in a couple of hours alright? " -she locked her arm with Shadows and they left-

Sky turned to his friend-"you scared the fur off me B..."-his tail twitched with excitement- " I can't wait to fight you" -B-man didn't stir, not at least until a few more hours had passed when Winter returned just to check on them. "how's the warrior?" -she couldn't help but giggle, B-man was awake but didn't really look the part- "Harr Harr, very funny." 

Winter giggled once more before sitting by the humans bedside- "you up for grabbing dinner with us?" -B-man shrugged some- "no, but I will go alway"-he groaned getting up- "my body feels like a re-fried rubber band" -Shadow shrugged some- "you're the one that over did it, so you have to suffer." -Sky shook his head some- " come on lets get going, I'm starving" After the largest meal Sky had ever had in his life they group was back at the hotel, Winter said her goodnights to the two then left them alone. Sky was checking his uniform for the following matches tomorrow, B-man was laying on the bed reading a newspaper he picked up from the hotel lobby- 

"hey B, can I ask you something?" -B-man glanced up from the pages- "yeah sure" -Sky turned slightly- " are you ever going to tell me what happened?" -B-man sat up slightly, then placed the newspaper down atop of the nightstand- " what happened where?" -the nekos ears folded back - "oh come on B, where the hell did you go for all those years?" -B-man frowned, he really didn't want to talk about it. 

"Come on B, or should I just ask Winter to work her magic on you" -B-man frowned then looked at the foot of the bed-"okay, I'll tell you..." -he began his tale, only leaving out some details that he found most private. by the time he had finished it was almost midnight, Sky sat at the foot of the bed tail twitching- "so, you left because of family?..." -he couldn't help but look at his human friend he had been so indifferent to the species boundary.

"yeah, well I wanted to come back but..." "But, you couldn't face us once more after doing all that" -B-man shook his head some more, Sky moved to his bed and lay down on it.-"so..did you at least get your parents names?" -B-man nodded slightly- "Abbigale, and Frank, the last names are the same. Well, at least I think that is who my parents are" -Sky nodded- "B, can we make a promise?" 

-B-man turned to look at his friend- "such as?" "after this tournament, If you win. You can go where ever you want." -sky replied then looked at Bman in the eyes- "if I win, you come back to the Neko Kingdom for a while" -B-man leaned back in thought, looking up at the ceiling-"I don't know Sky, I mean they are afraid of humans..." -Sky hissed- "that was then B, when we were training" -Sky leaned back looking at the ceiling-

"yeah, you are just saying that." -Sky hissed which surprised him- "No, I really mean it. Nekos kept asking me where you went, and when or IF you would be come back" -Skys turned his head looking at B-man, his pupils were now slits-"Am I angry you left? Yes, your damned right I am. but most of all the whole village was upset you left, Winter cried for almost a week"  -B-man seemed to stare off into space- "she....she wanted to adopt you dammit" -B-Mans brow twitched- "r...really?..." -Sky got up and grabbed B-man by the front of the shirt- "Go and ask her yourself...Stop running already..." -he shoved B-man back onto the bed then huffed- "God, now i'm all worked up. I'm going for a walk.." 

B-man watched his friend leave-"she wanted to adopt me? " -was he really afraid? had he really been that blind to not notice what was going on? He got up quickly then made his way towards Winters room, determined not to make any more mistakes, but as he arrived at room and was about to knock then hesitated-

-instead he turned back and made his way back to his room, as he entered the elevator Winters door open as Sky stepped out- "thank you for telling me Sky" -Sky nodded some- "I couldn't just leave it at that, not after all you went through" -Winter couldn't help but smile- "I know, but he is also a grown man now. but I think it would have been one of the few things that I think that would have made him...and myself happy"

Shadow let off a yawn- "thanks for telling us anyway, now go and get some sleep. You have a big match tomorrow if you win this next fight." -Sky nodded- "He and I will fight once more, I know it" -Sky nodded- "good night Princess" -with that he made his way to the elevator-

The next morning the following set of matches when on without a hitch, Sky winning by Knock out, while B-man went for ring outs. "Oooooo my tail is getting all tingly" -Sky would have one more match before facing off his friend. Winter shivered with excitement and was not watching the match at hand, suddenly the Ref shouted- "Double Knock out!" -Winter had not been paying attention then repeated what had been said in disbelief- "What? A Double?!" -Shadow chuckled- "yup, looks like the next match will be between the boys" 

Shadow in truth was feeling excited as well, but was trying his best not to show it. four and a half years of different training separated them, now it was down to this match. "Thank you Ladies and Gentlemen for coming to this tournament, we will begin preparations for the final match. Which will begin in one hour"

Cleaning staff entered the arena right after the announcement starting to clean and prep the surface, meanwhile B-man was sweating not because of his warm up routine, but the way everyone else was looking at him. "You alright B?" -Sky asked walking up to stand beside him in the dug outs- " huh? o.. oh yeah...well not really, just nervous thats all" 

-Sky stuck his right hand out, B-man blinked at Skys sudden movement- "Lets make this a fight even Heaven and Hell will envy of" -B-man reached out and took the proffered hand- "I'll try" -B-man said in response, but deep down he still felt very uneasy having to face his friend after all these years-

For Sky the hour passed by quickly, for B-man it was another story. He tried to eat something but his stomach was not cooperating, glancing at the clock every few minutes. "Alright you two five more minutes till we begin, make your preparations for the match please." -The Ref walked passed them heading for the arena, Skys tail swayed slightly." about time" -he huffed, B-man was ringing his hands slightly trying to calm himself down but it was no good. 

"I was less worried at the last tournament" -there was a chuckle- "it will only get easier from here" -the two turned to see Damien smiling, but still bandaged up in areas- "I thought you were going home?" -Damien chuckled once more as he stepped up to them- "I couldn't resist it, I just had to see how this match turned out." B-man couldn't help but smile slightly- " and I thought only felines were curious" 

Damien slapped both of them on the back- "Make it a good one you two" -Sky grinned- "for the record books." -B-Man scratched the back of his head slightly- "I wouldn't expect anything fancy from me, I'm still kinda worn out from fighting you" -he looked at Damien who grinned- "Hey, you young guys have got an advantage on me." -Damien sat down in a chair, that groaned from his weight-

"to be honest kid, you scared the shit out of me. what was it?" -B-man blinked- "the attack? oh that...well I picked it up really in my training." -Sky looked at him, he was also wondering the same thing. witnessing such an attack at such close range without actually receiving it- "well, umm ever heard of Terry Bogard?" - Damien nodded, Sky didn't have a clue- "oh yeah I heard of him, wait a second. You got to train with him?" -B-man shook his head slightly- "I got to fight him, along with a few others. Including Ryo Sakazaki"

 -Sky couldn't help but laugh- "Jeeze B!, You got to train with one of the Original Kyo-Kugen-Ryu practitioners?!" -B-man blushed slightly-"I wouldn't say trained more like got my butt handed to me.. "-Damien looked on surprised- "no wonder you are so damned tough." -the Ref moved over to them- "alright you two, ready to go?" -Sky looked at B-man, whom looked back at as well. They nodded to one another then followed the referee to the arena.

Damien had joined Winter and Shadow soon there after, Winters tail twitched with excitement-" Oh I can't wait to see this" -Shadow sipping on his glass of water, he had been oddly silent since the count down to the match had begun- "it makes me wonder if he will still throw the fight again, or really go all out"  

Winter nodded- "I hope so too" -Damien blinked a few times- "wait, which one held back? was it the B-Man?" -Winter nodded softly- "yes" -Damien glanced at Winter- "he is the type of person who prefers to let others have the glory, rather than accept it himself" -Damien smiled- "ah, I know the type. Used to be like that myself for a while, so are you Sky's parents?" -Shadow shook his head-"nope, and before you ask Brandon doesn't have any" 

Winter tried not to tear up thinking about what Sky had told her last night, she really wanted to adopt him as her own. "Well, right now I just want them both not to get hurt badly." The referee bound into the arena then waved for silence along the crowd as the announcer started. " Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for waiting." -B-mans heart pounced in his chest as he moved over to the edge of the arena, While Sky did the same at the opposite end.

"In the blue corner" -B-man didn't hear any of it, he was too focused on Sky who made his way into the arena. A brief history was given of Sky's past tournaments, he almost didn't react when his name was announced. The arena felt smaller than before than when he fought Damien, he could feel the energy Sky was beginning to build up.

The Ref moved to get in between them, he looked at the Neko, then at the Human- "ready you two?" -Sky nodded already going into his stance, the ref noted the beads of sweat appearing on B-mans temples. "fighting stances!" -the Ref announced putting his right hand between them, B-man slipped into his stance as well. The bead of sweat was starting to run down his temple.

"Fighters ready?" -just as the referee announced them to begin fighting, the drop of sweat ran down to his chin. The ref glanced between the two of them.- "Fight!" -his hand came down motioning for it to begin, but Sky and B-man stood still. Winter held her husbands arm that much closer- "Fight!..." -the ref announced again then looked at the two confused before moved his hand between them once more . 

The bead of sweat dripped off and landed on the floor, just as the refs hand was out of the way the two energies started to rise off their bodies. Damien blinked having not expected such a open display, B-mans was a light blue while Skys was a bright yellow- "Here they go..." -Shadow eyes widened as the two boys pushed off, their right forearms colliding as they blocked-

The crowd began to cheer as the two began to fight, Damien was a bit confused as it progressed- "they aren't even bothering to dodge" -Winter giggled- "they used to train together, I guess this is just a way to "test the waters" as they say" -Shadow nodded slowly, in a way he wondering if he could do such things if he trained enough-"really? wow" -Damien watched intently absorbing the fight as it continued.

The two spun in mid blocking patterns, before B-man managed to get in and give Sky a sharp right punch to his stomach. Sky grunted but held onto B-mans wrist before he could get away, he lashed out with a kick hitting B-mans left shoulder- "Ouf!" -B-man grunted sliding back several feet before coming to a stop- 

"Damn B, thats a hell of a punch. And I thought you were just getting lucky." -B-man rolled his shoulder slightly- "same for you, I guess our sandbagging is over huh?" -Sky grinned before pushing off.- "Here I come B!" -B-man was taken aback by the nekos speed, barely dodging the left fist that came for his face. 

Winter looked on obviously impressed by the amount of skill- "he's pulling out all the stops now and going for it" -Damien blinked- "y...you mean he can go even faster?" -Shadow shrugged some- "not like we could tell, I can't keep up with him even if I were on horse back." -the two exchanged a flurry of blows far too fast for the normal eye to see. 

B-man slide back several feet as Sky grinned- "Okay B, now I'll show you something I've worked on, just make sure you dodge it." -Skys arms moved in a different patterns, his nails started to glow and extend slightly- "Unless you want to get cut into shreds!" -Sky pushed off vanishing into thin air, B-man just noticed the glowing afterimage lines following- "what in the..." -there was a loud roar of some type of feline predator, so loud in fact people slapped hands over ears-

B-man looked sharply from the left then to the right trying to sense anything, then he felt it coming at him straight on. Sky appeared slowly from the haze of speed, his pupils were slits in full predator mode. B-man pushed off just missing the thin white lines of energy from Skys fingertips, Sky skidded to a stop then turned just as B-man landed- 

"wow, what the heck was that?" -the two started to circle the ring switching stances, Sky grinned getting ready again- "that was just a test, now I'm going in for real B..." -the nekos fingertips started to glow once more, B-man got ready he had one chance to try and hit him in mid attack but how close could he get? "He isn't going to try and attack Sky in mid motion is he?" -Shadow spoke up, Damien blinked a few times- "what does that attack do?" -Shadow explained how Sky developed a move that uses energy and pure speed to cut through anything-

-Winters ears folded back slightly- "he isn't using enough power to cut B into bits but enough to get his point across..." -Damien blinked- "you don't think Brandon will try and go head on will he?" -the look he was given from the two said it all- "is he normally this crazy?" -the answer was soon provided, Sky launched off vanishing once more. -the exchange was too fast for Winter or Shadow to see but Damien caught it. 

Sky slid to a stop from the blur then spun back blinking, he could feel the warm wet sensation of blood on his right hand, not enough to cause too much alarm but something he had no expected- "so thats how you want to do it..." -he thought to himself as B-man turned around, four slashes were on the right side of his uniform between his waist and rib cage. Not deep enough to life threatening, but enough to cause some serious bleeding if the wounds were worked -

-Sky hissed ready to go once more, aiming for the left side of B-mans body in the same area then pushed off- "This fights mine B!" -B-man looked as Sky vanished once more, he had a few seconds to act. The deafening roar filled the stadium once more, Damien watched on trying to see what B-man would do. Sky appeared pupils narrowed like daggers-

B-mans pupils flashed for a brief second, the glowing energy reached out for the left side of his body. Sky was in mid step when he noticed B-man twist his upper body into the slash, "What the hell are you~" -the thought was interrupted as saw B-man angle his body that much more having pushed off with his left leg putting all his weight on his right foot- 

-the right handed body blow hit Skys ribcage the impact itself was manageable to absorb, But the angle though was a different story, it send him out of control to crash onto the arena floor and roll. While B-man landed on his back having twisted his body in mid air, quickly he jumped back up onto his feet. His wounds were starting sting, blood was splattered in a small portion of the arena where he had fallen-

Damien couldn't believe his eyes- "Dear god, he countered at that speed and angle?!" -the crowd cheered drowning out what ever the three had to say, the stadium rumbled from the stomping. "Dear God It's a Lallapalooza!" -Winter turned her attention back to the Arena, Sky was slipping closer. B-man was moving back then he lashed out- "Power Wave!" -his right fist hit the tiled floor as a wave of blue white energy rushed towards Sky.

Sky leapt going over the energy that shot under him, his heels connected with B-mans forearms. Shocks of fire shot throughout Skys legs, but the impact caused B-man to tumble backwards. B-man was up but was already dodging Skys attack which were more like a felines than ever, trickles of blood ran down some cuts he had received to his face and arms. 

Just as he was about to counter or at least try too Skys tail hit him full force in the face sending him flying to the far side of the ring, he just managed to right himself a land. He could taste blood in his mouth, Sky meanwhile was panting his legs trembled slightly- "Damn that body blow of his" -Sky hissed in anger preparing to attack again but stopped dead in his tracks watching B-man- 

 -Energy was starting to build up around B-mans body as he pushed off before Sky could react- "Chou!-Kyo Kugen Ougi!"-B-man rushed towards Sky he briefly thought- "Chou? What does that mean!?" -Sky tried to dodge but his legs betrayed him, the multi punch collided first followed up with an uppercut. The force send him up at least a foot before being hit again several times with multiple snap kicks. 

Damiens eyes widened as a fury of punches a kicks aimed for key areas on Skys body were impacted with savage force, the final blow came not from one rising uppercut but two. The final was in corkscrew like fashion sending Sky upwards into the air over thirty feet, Winter cried out - "Sky!" -Sky landed on his back and skidded to the edge of the area a gasp not of pain but of shock at the fury of the attack-

B-man landed un easy blood dripped off his clothing onto the arena floor, the area where he had been slashed up was starting to open up more because of his movements. "Oh god..." -Sky was trying to get up, he managed too but was staggering slightly. B-man meanwhile was fighting to stay awake, did he loose that much blood?-

They both had the same thing in their eyes, one final attack,B-man looked at his friend then nodded. Winter blinked- "this is just like last time, But those cuts of B's are getting bigger from all of his actions..." -Shadow nodded- "They will try to end it in one attack" -Damien blinked- "one attack? they are both exhausted" -they watched as the two moved to the opposite end of the arena, Shadow hissed- "a flying side kick? it must be" 

As if on cue the two boys started to take a run at each other, then leapt into the air at the same time. The crowd went silent as the two rose up with B-man yelling at the top of his lungs- "WAACHAAH!" -they collided in mid air, Since Skys had longer legs his right foot hit B-man in the right side of the face first but due to damage from before it wasn't as hard as he liked. B-mans right foot impacted Skys stomach in the exchange.

They both flew in the other direction and tried to land, Sky landed but his legs buckled first. B-man landed on his back and slid towards the edge before falling out of it first, Sky managed to stop only just, Desperately he clung to the arena floor with his claws before exhaustion over came him- "OUT!" -the Ref announced, Sky cursed under his breath. Was his body that numb he couldn't feel the ground?, then he paused looking over his shoulder. 

Skys right foot was still at least a foot above the ground, his ears perked up as he saw medics running around. Not towards him but his friend, he couldn't believe his eyes as the Ref came over and helped him up- "The New Champion!" -the rest of the Refs words were drowned out by the roar of the crowd.

Sky stood there dumbfounded he didn't even feel Winter or Shadow hands on his shoulders, not even the winners ceremony clicked. All he remembered seeing was his friend B-man, being carried off on a stretcher towards the medical hut. His lasts thoughts before coming back to reality were-"Did I really win?"

Part 5: Future

Sky stepped out of the bathroom in a fresh pair of clothes, the fight of a few hours ago scrubbed off his body. yet it didn't feel right to be standing there in the winners circle, he got carried away with the fight wanting to prove what he had learned and come up with. Now he just felt dirty, using that slashing move of his without thinking it would be a challenge to his friend to take on.

there was a knock at the door- "It's open!" -he called out while packing his things, he was expecting to be jumped on by Winter but it didn't happened. "ready to go Sky? -she asked moving over to B-mans things, Shadow helped her out with the duffle bag. " how is he doing?"-Winter looked at him- "he had to get a transfusion but he is alright" -Sky was totally surprised when Winter slapped him- 

Shadow didn't say anything while Sky just stood there stupefied- " Get out of that rut you are in boy, you think Brandon would want you to be like this? Eh Champ?" -Winter hissed- "come on, get moving and lets go and see him" -Sky blinked a few times- "I...I..." -Winter grabbed Skys arm and dragged him towards the door-"snap out of it already Sky, you are the new champ" Skys ears folded back slightly- "but did I really win?"

The group stopped outside the door after it closed- "What are you talking about?" -Sky looked at her then Shadow- "did I really improve? or am I just chasing a dream?" -Shadow shook his head then chuckled- "here we go, Mr Regrets is going to start his speech" -Winter looked at her husband frowning- "not you too, Sky listen" -she put her hands on his shoulders- " you did your best. that is all you wanted to do, and that is all he wanted from you"

At the Hospital they were surprised to find B-man not in the room, let alone in the hospital when they asked- "oh yeah he said he was hungry, I bought him some food but he was gone. No idea where sorry folks" -Sky blinked then glanced around the room the cleaning staff had just finished- "Well, um...thank you ma'am " -the nurse nodded then got back to her duties, while the three turned making their way out of the hospital- "I guess he went to Dixie's"

Sure enough they were right, B-man was in a booth by himself looking at the menu. Winter slapped him upside the head- "What do you think you are doing?!" -B-man blinked- "is this is what is known as "a mothers wrath" ? -he looked questionably at Sky- "Don't ask me B, I was always a good boy" -they all took a seat, just as they settled down  B-man spoke- "so, will there be any room for me at the kingdom?"

-Shadow and Winter both blinked in surprise-"well, I made a promise right?" -Sky had totally forgotten about the bet they had made- "oh well. umm " -he started to explain what happened just before the match, when he finished Winters mood perked up a bit.- "well then, we will have to go on ahead and make arrangements."

Shadow blinked a few times- "uh, yeah I guess we should head out then after this." -Sky nodded slowly, soon enough their orders arrived. Dixie grinned- "Nice fight there you two, if it wasn't for that wound of yours there B. I think you would have won it." -Sky glanced at B-man slightly still feeling bad for getting carried away during the match-

B-man seemed to feel the tension over the fight, so he changed the subject- "so, what is the Kingdom like now? " -Shadow grinned- "about the same since you left us, but the castle has changed somewhat. That being with the new nursery" -B-man almost spat up his pepsi- "N...Nursery?!" -Sky and B-man both shot up in their seats looking at Winter- "YOU'RE PREGNANT?!" 

She blinked leaning back- "y...yes I.. I am , close to three months now.." -Shadow nodded- "as you can tell by her mood swings" -Sky sat back in his chair dumbfounded- " I was so busy training I never realized" -Shadow put his arm around Winters shoulder smiling-"well, it will be almost like to used to be in a few more days won't it? All of us back together again."

They enjoyed their meal and made small talk about the kingdom, B-man mostly asked what had changed and what he should expect- "well before we go, is it alright if I stop over at a shop first?" -Shadow raised an eyebrow- "I don't see why not, what are you going to get?" -B-man glanced over at his duffle bag- "I'd...umm...I'd like to buy another uniform like the one you bought me..."

Sky spoke up- "it's on me, since I shredded up the other one." -B-man blinked- "It was part of the fight so you don't~" -Sky interrupted- "No, I owe you B for the best fight of my life." -B-man looked down at his plate feeling embarrassed -" I will admit I got carried away with that move of mine..." -Sky nodded to himself- "you...you are better than I am B" 

Winter blinked, Shadow almost choked on his food. B-man looked at him in surprise- "How could I be if I lost?" -Sky hissed- "I may have beaten you in speed, and physical height. But you destroyed me in skill" -Winter let off a content sigh- "you two will have another match, once B heals up" -she turned her attention to B-man- " how are your wounds?" 

B-man rubbed the back of his head slightly- "I will be alright" -Winter narrowed her eyes, the pupils turning to slits- "I said "How are your wounds?" don't avoid the question mister" -B-man and Sky both gulped- "they weren't too deep, as long as I don't move around too much I should be ok" -Shadow raised an eyebrow- "but big enough to leave scars right?" 

B-man shrugged some not having a real clue about it- "maybe, maybe not, it isn't as deep of a wound this time" -Winter nodded softly- "Well, this time it will be different. Come on dear lets get a head start on the boys." -Shadow nodded taking the last bite of his meal then got up, they said their goodbyes then left while B-man and Sky sat for a while longer.

B-man looked down at his drink- "I really don't think I am better than you Sky, I still have a lot to learn" -Sky chuckled- "we both do B, I wonder if that Minotaur is still alive by those caves" -B-man couldn't help but laugh- "yeah, too bad about my wounds. I really wanted to try that new blast I~"-Sky blinked interrupting - "new blast? god, you aren't trying to scare me again are you?" 

B-man chuckled some as they got up after paying- "well I went back to the dojo to see what else I could find. and a found a few notes on some other moves Sifu didn't tell us about yet." -Sky nodded, he could understand that portion- "like that, "Chou" er...umm.. what the hell does that mean anyway?" -B-man chuckled again- "Chou, is Japanese for well.. "Super" I guess would be it" 

Sky nodded rubbing his chin some, ears flickered a bit- " ah, I see now the super version of our standard melee attack" - they said their goodbyes to Dixie, but just then Skys ears perked as they left the diner- "I stopped yelling the attack names. I found it sort of silly" -B-man shrugged some- "old habit of mine I guess." -Sky smirked- " yeah I bet it is. wait..." -Sky stopped in mid step- "you..."-Sky took on a  serious tone as he looked at B-Man -- "made a "Chou" version of the Haou-Shou-Kou Ken?" -B-man nodded slowly-

-Sky shuddered at the thought then stabbed a finger at his friends chest-" when we get to the kingdom you are showing me got it?" -B-man laughed- "Okay, Okay, Okay." -they entered the martial arts store and almost hit a huge wall, that "wall" being Damien who was just leaving the store- "Well, Well, Well, the Cha~"-Damien blinked seeing B-man- "you are up already?" 

B-man nodded- "for the most part, if I don't make any sudden movements" -Damien nodded then leaned over to Sky slightly- "uhh, has he always been like this?" -Sky cocked an ear at the Rhino- "usually no, but after being hit as hard as he was a few years ago." -Damien blinked a few times as Sky explained about B-mans scar out of ear shot but withheld some details- 

"Jeeze, no wonder he could take that much from me" -Damien chuckled some- "Ah well live and learn, hmm?" -Damien smiled- "Ah looking at the uniforms again eh?" -B-man blinked as he had taken out the blood stained uniform he had on during the match- "Well, I would like another one really." -he made his way over to one of the clerks-

Damien glanced back at Sky- "He is alright...no? I mean that was a hell of a wound he has" -Sky shrugged slightly as Damien continued- "he should be in bed resting, not out looking for fighting uniforms" -Sky shrugged some changing the subject-" so where are you headed?" -Damien shrugged some , then hefted his shopping bag- "my usual training ground, it's near a mountain range, but I may forgo it this time"

"oh? that dangerous?" -Damien chuckled- "well it used to be a live volcano" -Sky blinked- " oh I know of the place, I used to go there as well at times." -he rubbed his chin slightly wondering why he had never run into Damien during his training.- "Okay, I'm all ready to go" -B-man stepped up to them holding a bag- 

"They couldn't repair the other one, or wash it because of all the blood." -Sky face palmed- " no one would want to see you in a blood stained uniform B." - B-man stepped out of the shop, they could see him looking around at things. "he is a bit strange isn't he..." -Damien glanced at Sky whom shrugged- "he hasn't had your typical upbringing, and that is putting it mildly"

Damien nodded slowly then shrugged some- "well, I wish you two luck and I will see ya around" -they soon parted ways, Sky couldn't help but wonder what would be in store for them at the kingdom. Or how his friend would adjust to the change. " So I figure we will just take the bus then go by carriage" -B-man blinked- "what is a carriage?" -Sky blinked then bit his tongue, stopping himself to let off a smart ass remark- "umm, it's like a horse and buggy." 

"Oh, okay" -B-man nodded once more, still rather clueless about the whole thing- "well, I'd like to get going" -Sky blinked- " you don't want to see more of the city?" -B-man shook his head- "nah, I'd just like to get back to be honest and see what is new" -He paused- "I'd...like to go Home" -Sky smiled understanding, he put an arm around his friends shoulder- "You betcha B, me too" -the sun was just started to set- "me too"

-The bus ride allowed the two to get some more rest, but three quarters of the way the bus came to a stop- "hmm?" -Sky opened one eye to look outside, then glanced as the driver came up to them- " Sorry ladies and gentlemen, but we are having a mechanical fault but it will only take twenty to thirty minutes to repair" -B-man nudged Sky- "lets just walk the rest of the way, it's a nice evening." 

-Sky chuckled then got up, B-man followed exiting the bus- "You two sure about this? it's still a whiles off from where we are" -B-man chuckled- "a regular jog for us, come on Sky" -Sky grinned as the two took off at their version of a normal pace into the forest, taking short cuts towards their destination-

-Sky could not help but reminisce how they used to do this sort of thing when they were younger, as they saw the point where they were supposed to be picked up there was no carriage- "I guess we are early, lets surprise them!" -Sky smirked- "hey I know there is a field with some wild flowers, we should pick some for Winter" 

-B-man nodded - "lead on!" -they both laughed, B-man had never felt to light hearted in a while. After picking the flowers they took a direct route for the kingdom. "hey B! When you heal up I know of a lake near by. great for swimming! even has a waterfall as well!" -B-man laughed- "I could get a great work out!"

Both started to speed up wanting to surprise everyone B-man shouted as they both front flipped over some fallen trees- "Does your grandmother still make that..."-They came over the crest as the kingdom came into view. Both stopped dead in their tracks, Sky was in total shock- "SKY!" -both tore down the hill at breakneck speed, the kingdom in all it's glory was on fire- 

-the smell of burning building materials, and smouldering flesh filled their nostrils. Sky started yelling- " No, No! No! Oh God No!" -they reached the outskirts of the village before the castle, dead bodies were strewn everywhere, men, women, children even newborns. Both tried to sense anyone alive. "B...t...They are dead. all of them!" -B-man motioned- "Come on! lets check the castle!" 

-part of the large fountain in front of the dual stairway up to the castle reception area was damaged spewing water in various directions, but that didn't stop them as they leapt upwards over five stories and landed- "The Door!" -B-man shouted as the two skidded to a stop from their break neck speed- 

-More bodies lay about, some were dismembered horribly- "Sky go up and check on Winter! I'll look around here!" -Sky didn't say anything he was already on the third floor, while B-man looked around he found several other bodies one of them being Skys grandmother- "B..." -he turned as he could see Sky, blood marks and charred remains on his hands- "s...she's dead B..."

-B-man grunted- "What about Shadow?" -Sky was about to say something when they both heard a howling laughter outside, quickly they rushed out onto the large front step and looked over the railing- "B, it...it can't be" -B-mans eyes narrowed on the figure below, the translucent black aura engulfing the figures body was unmistakeable- "Wolf"

-water parted for Wolf as he stood atop of the fountain, his eyes were the same deep blood red. Along with the jet black fur and gleaming white teeth- "B, how. you nailed him head on with a..."-the portion of railing Sky was holding started to crack from his fury, Wolfs smile broadened- "Do you like what I've done with the place boys?" 

B-man and Sky split up taking the opposite stairways- "I think the glows of the fire and the charred flesh add more brilliance, rather than the bleak green and yellows" -Sky hissed- "How are are you still alive? Better yet why are you here?!" -B-man frowned as Wolf started to laugh once more- "oh, just one more place on the list to be conquered that is all. if I had known you two were here as well I'd have prepared a welcome party" -B-man stopped at the mid way point as Wolf looked directly at him, seething with anger Wolf growled- "And You... how did you get that much power from such pathetic training?"

Sky let off a growl- "you were just too damned weak when you were in Nights body, Now I am going to rip you to shreds and leave nothing left!" -Sky leapt off going right for Wolf, B-man did the same but at a different angle to catch the demon in another direction- "You are welcomed to try!" -Wolfs aura came to a life that much more as both were pushed back in a different direction.

Sky landed on a different part of the staircase, while B-man was flung backward into the ground. Wolf howled going for B-man first since he was the closest, but was caught off guard as the human pushed off with his hands going into a corkscrew spun upside down- "Rising Tackle!" -Wolfs head snapped back as B-mans left heel collided with the demons chin.

Sky compounded it by the Hien Shipuu-Kayku, the force sent Wolf crashing through the fountain remains but he landed with ease- "hmm, not bad" -B-man and Sky landed in their stances back to back, Wolfs jaw gave a sickening crack as it went into place once more- "B, can you fight without hurting yourself?" -B-man grunted- "lets get this guy"

they both came at Wolf head on who merely grinned- "yes, Yes come at me!" -Sky lashed out with the Hien-Shipuu-Kayku once more, while B-man charged in with the Burn Knuckle. Wolf blocked both but soon enough the point was everywhere, they began to attack in unison going for the critical areas of Wolfs body-

Sky hissed leaping over Wolf as he was about to punch him, instead B-man managed to grab onto the demons right arm and lock it in his. Wolf grunted getting B-mans left knee to his stomach before being flung towards Sky who was waiting, "Bastard!" -Sky lashed out with the move he had used before on B-man, only to miss as Wolf phased through him and hit him in the back.

B-man shot past Sky as he landed- "Crack Shot!" -he twisted his body having his back towards Wolf, then jumped slightly twisting his body in mid air. his right leg swung out as top of his right foot collided with the demons shoulder- "Haou!" -B-man jerked back leaping into the air as Sky fired off the blast- "Shou-Kou-Ken!" 

-Wolf howled deflecting the blast with a swing of his left arm diverting it towards B-man whom was in mid air- "Whoa Boy!" -B-man thrust his left arm out with his palm open using a sort of Wind force to push him out of the way, he crashed into the remains of a burnt out hut, there was an eruption of energy further down in the village- "Damn it! wait, Where is he?!" 

-Sky crashed into the ground sliding, kicking up small rocks and pebbles- "And here I thought you were supposed to be fas~ ouf!" - Wolf was cut off in mid sentence as B-man slammed into his side tackling him into the ground, only to get kicked off and land on his back. Wolf was already up, leg raised as he brought his foot down causing a fissure of energy to open up, heading straight for B-man-

B-man got up his left hand already in a fist- "Power Wave!" -the attack was too little too late, the energies combined but canceled out B-mans attack. Even as he was thrown back Wolf attacked, a snap kick to the face, a thrust kick to the stomach then a axe kick to his jaw. Wolfs heel caught B-man hard sending him crashing into a food cart-

A Cloud of splinters rose up from the impact, then Wolfs right side felt as if it was going to cave in. Skys fist was dug into the demons ribcage with a full force body blow, before Wolf would react he felt his body being lifted up by a blow to the jaw from below. B-man grunted landing from the uppercut- "You ok B?!" -Sky called out as B-man rolled his right shoulder slightly- 

"don't worry about me, lets just get him" -Sky cursed at himself for doing his new attack on his friend- "Just rest here I'll take care of him" -Wolf started to get up, blackened energy started to rise off his body- "Like hell you will!" -Wolf howled out- "You are only delaying the inevitable!" -B-man braced himself for a few seconds agains't Sky then took his stance- 

Both of them took a run at Wolf before he had a chance to gather more energy, once again it was a full out melee. B-man winced getting a full blown round house in the side but held onto Wolfs leg, Sky took a chance and went in full force rising uppercut followed up with a Kou-Ken. Wolf took the brunt of the attack but was clearly becoming out matched- 

Wolf howled out enraged as a wall of energy shot up between the two, the force threw the boys backwards. With that Wolf had vanished but his energy force still remained.- "the bastards running come on B! B?" -Sky got up quickly looking around for his friend then spotted him, B-man was slow to get up- "I'm all right..." -He panted holding his right side with his left hand- 

"No, you aren't okay B" -Sky pried the hand away, the white cloth of the t-shirt was slowly turning from a light pink with specks of deep red- "my god, your bandages are soaking through." -B-man grunted and began to walk- "lets get going, this is bigger than both of us. If Wolf keeps going more people are going to die" -Sky froze realizing what this meant-

"we are expendable" -Neither of them admitted as they started the chase, what happened five years ago was coming back to haunt them- "he is off to the east, what is over there?" -B-man shouted over the noise of the flames- "The volcanos!" -it had "Trap" written all over it but they went anyway-

-The kilometres flew pass as they ran, up ahead a mountain top slowly came into view. Long extinct this area was mostly deserted, apart from the various martial artists who would come to test themselves, either by climbing or entering the labyrinth of caves. Sky had made the trek many a time, he had never killed before but was starting to wonder about his friend-

"B! We are getting close! Lets lower our energy and try and sneak up on him!" -B-man waved in acknowledgement, both slowed down just on the outer ring before one of the entrances to the cave. "B, I umm." -B-man didn't take his eyes off the cavern-"yeah Sky?" -darkness loomed before them- "Have you ever taken a life before?"  -his friends silence was all he needed as a answer, with that they entered.

Part 6: Into Darkness

Damien couldn't believe his eyes, nor the feeling on his body. the temperature was starting to go up, and the further he went through the tunnels the warmer it became. At first he had not taken much notice of it, until he took a break from training- "What the hell is..." - he felt some strange energy coming from around a bend and went to investigate-

B-man wiped the sweat from his brow- "why is it getting so hot all of a sudden? I thought you said this thing was extinct" -Sky hissed- "I bet Wolf is doing something, what is easier to use to kill people" B-man frowned- "he wants to set this thing off, killing us and most of the people in those whole area."

Sky growled- "who would take notice if a volcano went off" -they both stopped feeling another life force- "here it...comes?" -B-man blinked then smiled- "Damien! Thank god!" -the Rhinos massive form came into view- "Hello boys, fancy meeting you here." -he blinked as his eyes focused- "Brandon, your wounds they have, wait you two have been fighting" -he looked passed them- "why are you two here?" -Sky hissed once more explaining-

Damien couldn't believe his ears- "a demon? really?" -he gave the two boys a rather skeptical look- "sure, and the tooth fairy is really as well"-Damiens answer came in the form of a sudden rumble in the ground-"what in the?" -B-man couldn't help but lean on the wall for support, then recoil holding his shoulder- "the walls they are getting hot"

_Damien blinked then reached out touching, it didn't effect him as much due to his thick hide - "you are right, and it is getting warmer" -Sky turned in one direction- "the energy is coming from there" -Damien blinked- "you felt it as well?" -Damien blinked as the ground shuddered once more- "maybe you two should fill me in on this Demon" 

-B-man winced then looked down at his side, then looked over at the wall, he quickly lifted up his shirt then pressed his side into the wall- "B! What the hell are you doing?!" -B-man stepped back wincing slightly, due to the heat some of the blood had stopped flowing- "this will have to due for now I guess, my bandages are all soaked through" 

-Damien put a hand on the humans shoulder- "Sky and I will take care of this, you should rest" -B-man shrugged off the hand- "like hell I will, it's my fault I didn't make sure he was dead to begin with" -Sky blinked, Damien took it at face value- "you let this thing get away?" -Sky moved between the two- "B, you weren't even conscious when you used that blast on Wolf" 

Damien blinked- "B, Is that why you ran away?" -B-man looked at the two, desperation in his eyes- "We don't have time for this, Wolf is going to blow this whole place to bits and people are going to die because of it" -Sky frowned-"you blamed yourself for their deaths?" -Damien grunted- "sounds like you didn't have a choice" -B-man turned back to them- "listen, lets talk about this after we finish him off once and for all" 

-Sky sighed then nodded- "right, we can talk about it over the funeral" -Damien shook his head some as he followed the two, the deeper they went into the tunnels the hotter it became. Sweat was dripping off their bodies at that point, when they arrived at a wall that had not been there before." Fresh lava? but how?" -Damien questioned- "is this demon that versatile?" 

Sky shrugged- "who knows what he has learned in these five years, think we can blast through it?" -Damien shrugged some- "what have we got to loose?" -B-man moved back getting into a fighting stance, ready to use the Haou-Shou-KouKen, Sky did the same. Damien huffed- "in for a penny in for a pound" 

-Sky mirrored his friends stance- "once we blast it open, we all charge in. Hopefully we can catch him off guard" -the others nodded- "three...two...one...Now!" -they fired causing a massive hole to open up at least two hundred feet long, this confused them as to why the damage would be so precise. "this doesn't feel right..." -Sky said as they slowly moved into the foot ball stadium sized cavern-

Heat waves rose up from the ground, but what took their notice were the large odd shaped crystals from various points inside- "jeeze, look at the size of those things" -Damien stepped back marvelling at the sight- "wow, it's beautiful"  -they group made their way deeper into the cavern, It was beautiful but it was not at all natural- 

 "B, this doesn't feel right..." -the boys stepped foreword slowly then felt something strange- "I can feel the energy all around me, but I can't pin point it. what about you Damien? Damien? -they both turned slowly to be struck from behind, they crashed to the floor then rolled back onto their feet - "oh god no...Sky, He's got Damien!" 

-Damien had a grin on his face, the voice was Wolfs- "he had me all along..." -Sky and B-man jumped into their stances, a traditional Kyo-Kugen type. Sky growled as he spoke- "This time Wolf, I'm...WE are going beat you down!" -B-man grabbed at Skys wrist- "we can't risk using energy attacks or this place might go up" 

-the ground shuddered once more, Wolf couldn't help but laugh- "tick tock tick tock boys, time is a wasting" -just as Wolf finished speaking Sky and B-man attacked, their movements mirrored each other as if they had not been apart for that amount of time- "This again?" -Wolf grinned as Damiens body took on a more reptilian look, he was about to lash out with an energy blast then both boys vanished- "what?!" 

Sky appeared coming from the right- "Hien-Shipuu-Kayku!" -Wolf was just about to dodge when he heard a yell from his left, too late to react the full force body blow from B-man came as a shock to his system. The following attack from Sky's double kick sent Wolf flying out of control into pillars of rock- 

B-man winced feeling his body protest- "we have to end this quickly, I don't know how much my body can take this" -Sky looked at his friend, he could feel the guilt creeping into his system- "B, I..." -B-man grunted- "Lets hit this guy with everything we've got, think you can keep up? -he grinned yet still sweating from a mixture of the heat and the pain he was under- "Lets finish this" 

-Wolf growled, snorting what looks like pure black mist from his nostrils - "B, I'll distract him and you try to nail him with that super move of yours" -B-man grunted trying to focus on Wolf, Sky started the attack going into a full bore fun at Wolf, who was preparing to fire off a similar energy blast like Damien had before when fighting B-man- 

Sky front flipped landed on his hands and pushed off, his nails were already glowing. Wolf grunted firing off the blast anyway, but B-man was already moving in a zig zag pattern towards the demon- "Die you Bastard!" -Sky came down on Wolf who raised his left arm to block, only to have to sliced off as if it were cheese.

Wolf howled starting to twist his body, but it was too late B-man was already on him lashing out as hard as he could- "Chou! Kyo-Kugen- Ougi!" -after the furious melee of punches and kicks, Sky joined in as well finishing off the combination. Wolf shot upwards into the air from the double rising uppercuts- 

Both boys landed already gathering energy- "Haou!" -Mirroring their movements they combined their energies then fired just before Wolf hit the ground- "Shou-Kou-Ken!" -the recoil threw both of them backwards, but the explosion caused them to tumble into the rubble of the opening they had created-

Wolf howled out enraged just before the energy collided with him, bits of rock, and hardened lava showered the area. Sky got up first brushing the pebbles out of his hair- "did we do it?" -B-man leaning on Sky for support- " I can't sense him, man I'm thrashed" -Sky nodded- "it will be over soon I know it will" -the ground sundered again but not as badly- 

-B-man was just about to say something then he felt it, he jerked quickly then shoved Sky out of the way as Wolf burst out with a roar- " I will not die!" -B-man tried to get out of the way but his right leg was grabbed, he was just about to fire off a energy blast into Wolfs face but was flung to the side. Out of control he smashed into a wall high above that gave way from the impact-

Sky grunted rushing towards his fallen friend, only to get stopped short as Wolf came up from the ground. Black veins of blood ran down his face and body- "Your turn feline" -Sky back flipped to gain some distance, he hissed- "Bastard get out of my way" -Wolf grinned, Sky felt as if those blood red eyes were boring into his very soul- 

"It must be maddening to have a rival that you know is much stronger than you" -Sky paused- "you...were Damien during that fight as well?" -Wolf never took his eyes off him- "oh yes, as usual that human wanted to make things a test of skill not strength" -Sky turned ruddy with anger, but the response he gave Wolf gave him satisfaction- 

"Because without me, he would have never had been able to reach that level." -Sky smiled like that of a predator- "come on!" -Sky leapt towards Wolf, meanwhile in a small cave B-man groaned. He felt as if his body weighed a ton, brilliant light flooded into his vision. He rose slowly looking up at the large elegant crystalline structures around him. 

-he heard fighting again- "oh no.. Sky..." -he groaned turning to see the hole had been closed up by fallen rocks and hardened lava, using all the will he had left he rose and tried to move what he could. " Sky! I'm coming! just hold on!" -he dug away then lashed out with the Burn Knuckle technique but was unable to get enough strength to make a hole big enough for him to get out-

As the dust cleared he looked down, Sky was holding his own and was doing some damage to Wolf with his special cutting technique- "Die you son of bitch!" -Sky leapt up ready to deal the final blow, Wolf looked up in horror then grinned, it was too late Skys face stopped just inches from Wolfs, the energy in Skys hands slowly faded, then his body was jerked back- 

-Sky felt all feeling start to leave he body as he looked down, protruding from his stomach more than a foot in diameter was a lizard like tail. Skys head lulled back slightly, tears ran down his cheeks as he laughed some then was flung to the side near the entrance created like a rag doll. B-man yelled out his friends name-

"One down, one to go" -a demonic grin spread across Wolfs face as he turned in B-mans direction- "come down and meet your fate!" -the rubble blew outwards as B-man burst out, in mid air he spun front flipping to land close by Wolf. He attacked as hard as he could only to get swiped away by the tip of Wolfs tail. 

B-man landed hard close to Sky, he could feel the sting on the right side of his face. Worst was that he could feel and taste the still warm blood of his friend- "Sky, It's okay. I'll get us out of this" -he got up and crawled over to his friends body, he reached out to touch his friends arm. Despite the heat of the cavern Skys body was already cold, B-man got to his knees nudging his friend- "Sky, come on get up... you...you have too..." 

Wolf howled out with laugher- "Alone once more eh human?" -Wolf stomped over to the middle of the cavern- "And soon everyone will cry out my name and beg for mercy" -B-man slowly got up shadows hiding his eyes- "good boy, now just stand there and die for me" -the damaged left shoulder portion of B-mans t-shirt tore away and vaporized- 

Wolf blinked as he felt energy beginning to rise- "that will not help you, no matter how strong you get I shall always be stronger!" -B-man whirled on Wolf eyes narrowed at the demon before him, Wolf blinked as he could see even from that distance the glow in the humans pupils. "Now pray that you die easy!" -Wolf howled, about to unleash his own attack- 

 B-man let off a groan as energy slowly began to build, the beginnings of a white/blue aura began to form. Wolf stopped in mid step about to launch his attack when he noticed the wrist bands on the humans body give way first, they almost seeming to shatter like glass. Wolf stepped back slightly not sure what to expect, what was this feeling he had?-

-B-man brought his arms up and close to his chest before swinging them out and up flexing his biceps doing do caused the upper portion of his t-shirt and undershirt to give way, blood soaked bandages followed next splitting as his muscles flexed before thrusting his arms out yelling that much louder causing the entire shirt to shred and blow off , the fabric vaporizing instantly from the pure force and energy flowing off B-mans body-

He brought his right arm up hand clenched tightly into a fist before thrusting it down to Wolfs shocked amazement, " AATAAAH!" -he continued to yell as the ground started to crack then give way as fissures of energy and lava combined. Wolf felt his body go weightless for a few seconds as the ground gave way.

The demon howled out just before being drowned out by a combined energy and lava geyser, the pure force threw B-man backwards along with the body of his friend, then everything went dark. In those last moments he could see whispers of dark energy rise up from the molten lava pit, then he mercifully lost consciousness. 

Clouds were already becoming darker, tendrils of black vapour rose up from the cracks of the volcano, Wolf grinned holding a deep green stone. "Thank you human, now I shall repay the gods ten fold for my exile " - Gem in hand Wolf flew upwards throughout the clouds, blood red eyes gleaming.-

End of Part 2:

Several hours had passed since the explosion, wild life had returned to the forest near a cave entrance. a small herd of deer were just starting to have their meal when something caused them to stop then scamper off. Laboured breathing echoed near the entrance, followed by the sounds of someone staggering on their feet.

B-man gripped the walls as best he could with his right hand, blood was running down from various cuts. Portions of his body were covered in black ash, he could barely lift his feet as he trudged along. In the other arm he held Skys body muttering to himself still in a daze- "I'm...going..." -he coughed up blood- "to get...you home...Sky...I...promise..." 

-he managed to reach outside but holding Sky became to much for his battered body, he staggered along bumping into trees and bushes. quenching his thirst was the only thing he wanted, coming over a hill side the sounds of rushing water urged him on. Below a small river was calling but his legs finally gave out and he fell, he landed on his back a few feet away.

Rolling onto his stomach he dragged himself along to the edge and dunked his head in, drinking welcome mouthfuls when something glittered at the edge of his vision. Turning to the right a box less than a foot in length, width, and height glowed slightly in the sunlight.

B-man crawled over and managed to place his left hand on the box before passing out, Under his hand the box slowly opened by itself. Inside two scrolls glowed. On them was a crest indicating they were from heaven. Darkening clouds slowly moved towards the Neko Kingdom, the fight was far from over.