Black Widow ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The Diamond Star, Brookwood District Even though it was just a little drink between lovers, Maya had decked herself out in the finest yet most alluring clothing she could gather together from what little luggage she had brought with her after she left Japan. And thus she came to this. It was a smooth white dress, cut at the thighs downwards to provide better motility for the legs. On her feet were open-toes high heel shoes of the exact same colour. And around her neck was a little silver chain that Liza had bought for her back when they first met in Japan. She even wore her hair up tonight. Maya didn't do that much because it made her look more... 'uncompromising' than she would have wanted. But she wanted to look nice for Liza in the best way possible. And though Maya considered herself beautiful from her own opinion, she hoped that her Liza thought the exact same thing. But to get her mind off her nervousness she ordered some drinks. A glass of chilled white wine for the pair of them. She sat over a small table towards the corner of the bar. It wasn't that busy but Maya meshed into the background well without being noticed. She tended to get a lot of attention when she dressed up, so she expected it to happen again. But the people of this district were far nicer than those in the upper city thought of them. You couldn't blame them for the misconceptions, though. Brookwood was more or less the South-Central of Sunset City. Even after all the work that had been put into the revival of this city, the southern part of it still needed a deeper clearing over. Brookwood was still plagued by a gang called the Zazubaza. Until they were taken care of, the regeneration of Sunset City would never truly be complete. Maya was sure of this much. But it made her wonder why Liza would want to meet up with her in such a place. She knew that she was perfectly safe with Liza around, but, it still bothered Maya a little bit. The Japanese woman took a sip of her white wine while she waited. Then a few minutes later, the doors of the Diamond Star bar opened up to reveal Liza walking through them. And Maya felt her heart melting again to look at her. The White Rose was fully adorned in casual wear. In a thin pair of denims and a midnight black tank top covered over by a blue denim jeans jacket. It was probably more casual than someone of Liza's personality to wear but it suited her perfectly. At least in Maya's opinion. Liza looked around for Maya briefly, then caught sight of the journalist sitting at the table over in the right corner. Liza smiled quickly then strode over to the table, taking a seat. "I got you a white wine," Maya spoke, charmed, "I hope you don't mind it." Liza shook her head for a no. Then pulled up an eyebrow as she stared at Maya. Or rather, what she was wearing. Then Liza looked down at herself and realized the complete difference between them. "I'm sorry... did I under-dress...?" "Don't worry about it," Maya replied, shaking her head, "I'm just glad that you're here now. This isn't the safest area in Sunset City if you know what I mean." Liza blinked. "I'm not following you." "I guess not," But after all, Liza did kill people for a living. What did she ever have to be afraid of? "Three years ago this place was an absolute dump. It was full of gangs and violence, crime and depravity. Then the KAIGA Group got involved. They announced something called the Sunset City Rejuvenation Plan. It was a pledge by the KAIGA to break the corruption of the governing posts, expel all the gangs and their street wars, clear the streets of drifters & beggars, slice the flow of illegal immigration, provide proper heath care and most of all to rebuild all that had been destroyed or tarnished by the years of neglect that the city had seen. And in most cases the KAIGA Group have succeeded in all they wanted from the Plan. But though everywhere in town has seen improvements, Brookwood and most of the south districts have yet to feel the same strength of the rejuvenation as the northern districts. But that's for the future, I think." The young Liza traced her finger around the edge of her wine glass. "You seem to know much about the KAIGA Group, Maya. Anyone would think that they were the subject of your newest lead." "They are," Maya confirmed, "Most people I know don't trust the KAIGA Group. I know that those feelings stem mostly from jealousy. The KAIGA are one of the richest companies in the world. But I really do suspect that they're up to no good. Which is the reason I'm here in Sunset City. Aside from tracking you down." Liza smiled to herself. "...Always the avid reporter, eh?" "It is my job, after all," Maya responded, "It's not like I hate what I'm going, but I understand why you might not like it. I know how much your family relies on secrecy. But I told you my feelings for you go deeper than my career. I won't speak a word of anything you've told me. I want you to trust me." Then Liza took a firm look at Maya, probing her. "...Alright. I did promise to tell you my reasons for coming to Sunset City, anyway. I'm not under contract. Like you might have thought before. I'm only here on personal reasons. My Uncle gave me my orders. I'm doing this for him now. And for my Family. For its honour." Maya blinked. "Family Honour?" "My Cousin," Liza said seriously, "the daughter of my Uncle. She was taught by him and trained into becoming the best of all the Argand Family. But she broke our codes when she left Switzerland and began her career of assassination in her own name. We of the Argand Family are forbidden to do that. And after I left Japan... my Uncle ordered me to set it right. To stop her." "...And by 'stop' her, you mean..." "Kill her," Liza put forth bluntly, "My only option is to kill her. I would brake Argand Family solidarity even further than it has been if I fail this. For a bloodline member of the Argand Family to kill outside of the name of the Argand Family is high treason. It has been this way since time unimaginable. To preserve the honour of my Family... I have to eliminate my own cousin." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Rainthorn Building, North-Central District A poetic sunset was falling upon Sunset City. One whole day had passed since Ryo received the invitation to the Rainthorn Building. And thus he stood before the revolving glass doors to meet with the one who had called him here. He went into his pocket and fished out his invitation. Yun-Yun had finished her shift for the day at the Diamond Star and was helping her grandfather train the students at the Dojo. And of course Kayde was getting ready for another night of bouncing for the Whiteout Club. They were all busy so Ryo couldn't ask them to join him. He doubted that the people here would have allowed that anyway. The young man hauled off and strode through the glass doors into the Rainthorn Building. He was amazed at how professional this place looked. Just like most of the structures in this district. But that probably was a good thing. Ryo didn't come to this part of the city often in his past but it certainly was nothing like this. The KAIGA Group had done much for Sunset City. Even if Kayde had a bit of a distaste for them. Ryo walked up to the main desk of the bottom floor and said, "Hey there," To the receptionist, "My name is Ryo Asagawa. I was invited to speak with a woman called Cyria about something?" The receptionist took one look at Ryo's letter and saw that he was speaking the truth about the invite. "Thank you for coming, Mr. Asagawa. Miss Cyria will speak with you at her office. To reach her simply click for the 25th Floor on the lift behind me." Ryo nodded to her and walked around the desk towards the lift. He pressed for the 25th floor of the building and waited for the lift doors to open. They eventually did and he walked into it. The doors closed behind him and the lift began the slow ascent to the 25th floor of the Rainthorn Building. It finally reached just where it needed to. The doors opened up again and Ryo walked through them out onto the top floor of this building. It was a long corridor over to the office of this Cyria woman but Ryo crossed it and came to her door. Ryo gripped the handle of the door and opened it, stepping inside to see her. The first thing he took notice of as he walked into that office was the wall-sized window that showed off the streets and sights of the district. But even more, was the gorgeous reddish-gold glow that was beamed from the sunset. They were hauntingly beautiful in this city. Hence the name. By the desk in front of it, however, sat the woman who had called him here. Cyria. He smiled broadened as she looked at the Japanese boy. The Son of Tsukasa. "Welcome to my office, Ryo Asagawa." Ryo walked up to the desk. Cyria stood up and projected her hand for a shake. The fighting youth shook back, saying, "Thanks for inviting me. But I've got no idea why I was invited here." Cyria sat back down. "...I just wanted to meet with you. I heard that you returned to Sunset City after three years of absence. I was even more surprised when I heard that you were the son of Tsukasa Asagawa." "You knew my Dad?" Ryo questioned. "He was a legendary fighter," The older woman commented, "Famous in this city for all that he accomplished. And was one of the few people to actually be outspoken about the suffering taking place in this city those years ago. He left behind a legacy. I just wanted to meet the boy would be filling his father's shoes..." Ryo crossed his arms and shook his head knowingly. "I'm not going to try to live up to my Dad. He was a good man and a brilliant martial artist. But I won't live my life in anyone's shadow. Not even my old man's shadow." Cyria grinned at that. "Strong words. It seems as though you share more characteristics with your father than you realize. But as you say, you are your own person. So what are your plans for now? Do you intend on staying in Sunset City?" Though Ryo was a little suspicious about why Cyria was asking him this, he couldn't help but answer the question honestly. "Yeah. I was all over the world but I realized that I'd never be as happy as I was when I was living here. Sunset City was a nasty place back then. But it was home. And it's changed so much." "You can thank my company for that," The businesswoman claimed, "We put a lot of time and money into the regeneration of this city." Ryo nodded. "I've heard. I just can't figure out why." "Are you suspicious of us?" Cyria asked, "I assure you that the KAIGA Group have no ill intentions for this city. We are a respectable company that deals in issues that are so numerous we have multiple divisions and departments across the world. You could entrust yourself to no better hand." Ryo then stayed silent after that. He didn't know what it was about this woman but he wasn't getting good vibes from her. In a serious, literal sense. For some reason he just didn't trust her. Maybe it was that calm, superior attitude that was doing it. But whatever it was... Ryo figured that his mistrust was not misplaced. The youth shoved his right hand into his pocket and rubbed his nose with his thumb, thuggishly. "Is that right?" He said lazily, "Well I guess I should thank you. You've rejuvenated my hometown and that's more than I can ask for. So thanks. Thanks for doing what you did and thanks for the interest in my personal life. Not to be rude or anything, but if this is all you have to say, then I think I should be going now." Cyria nodded with another of those devious, composed smiles. "Yes. I have duties that I need to attend to as well. But thank you for taking the time out of your life to meet with me. It has been... a pleasure." Ryo again bobbed his head to her in acknowledgment. He then turned and walked for the door out of Cyria's office. The youth opened the door and stalked out, closing it behind him. Once he was gone, Cyria's smile darkened while she clasped her hands together. "The Son of Asagawa... heh. Just like his headstrong Father..." The young man himself walked down the corridor to the lift. He come all this way just for that quick little chat? You'd think that a financial powerhouse like the KAIGA Group would have better things to be doing with their lives. Ryo pressed one of the keys to bring the lift up here. The doors opened and he walked inside the lift. The doors then closed again and made the descent back to ground floor. But to his great surprise, once the lift reached the 20th floor, it stopped moving. Ryo blinked as the whole lift process came to a standstill. "What the hell?" He yelled out. At first it seemed like a problem with maintenance. In which case it would be fixed soon enough. But the doors of the lift began to open again. Much to Ryo's surprise. He looked out the open lift doors and stared at this new level. It seemed sort of odd. It was just one huge, fairly dark room. There were pillars every twenty metres that were connecting the floor to the ceiling. But that was pretty much it. Whatever was going on, Ryo didn't want to stay on that elevator for too long. He had seen enough movies where those things plummet to the ground and kill everyone inside whenever there was a technical problem. Ryo stalked off the lift and into the new floor. "Hello?" He called out, his voice echoing, "Is anyone here?" No reply. But he was not alone in that place. Ryo was alert when he heard the sound of something smashing. He turned around and looked back at the entrance to the lift. The doors were closed now. And there was a woman standing beside them. Her fist was lodged into the smashed-up button pad that controlled the lift from this floor. She had broken it. Obviously to keep Ryo on this level. The woman was about late twenties/early thirties looking. Wearing a pair of sunglasses and a feminine uniform beaming the commando colours of dirt green, night black and chocolate brown. Ryo narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?" "You can call me the Black Widow," She answered, "And as for you? You're dead." And Black Widow didn't leave time for the sentiment to linger. She acted straight away with the speed of lightning. The Argand-woman rushed ahead and shot her palm out at Ryo before he could properly take on board any of this. His body acted on reflex and ducked his head around the shooting palm strike. Widow thrust forwards her other palm whilst retracted the previous one. Ryo jerked his head to one side of that as well. The Black Widow growled fiercely and kicked from the hips into Ryo's stomach. It was a sudden strike that nailed him hard and fast. The Japanese boy gasped and stepped back to get a hold of things. Widow again was too zealous to let him have the time to recover and charged at him. The unguarded Ryo was struck across the face with a third of those palm attacks. And he could feel the slashing that was administered to him. Ryo held his cheek and clutched his fist, whispering to himself, "This woman is fast." Something that Ryo was set to learn more of. Black Widow came at him again, turning her body mid-motion. She kicked out her leg and led in that way. Ryo was a little bit better adjusted at that point though. The Asagawa-youth sidestepped the kick and the following back knuckle swinging punch. His lithe body ducked under it and allowed a new opening. Ryo speedily crouched to the ground and extended his leg in a spinning motion. Black Widow was knocked off her own heels and kicked forwards. But she was trained and ready. Her body evened out and she dove into the ground, pressing her palms firmly into stone. She flipped backwards from that position, rotated her body around and around until she landed again. On those two poised and powerful feet. Ryo went on the attack this time around. Black Widow swung around and blocked against his quick punch. Then ducked around when he attempted a roundhouse. Widow grinned and then thrust her palm into Ryo's ribs with that new opening presented. Ryo jerked a little from the force of the attack, providing Widow with even more openings. She hopped up on one leg and brought the other one around her hips. Ryo was struck across the face, brutally, blood knocked from the corners of his lips. He skidded back again from the woman. Then wiped the blood from his lips, staring into the Black Widow's cold, icy eyes. "...What's this all about!?" Ryo demanded, "What the hell is your problem?" Black Widow slowly reassumed her fighting stance. "Basically I'm going to KILL you. How's that grab ya? Now get ready! Argand Family Special Technique No. 4! Rolling Leg Takedown!" Ryo was confused as to what that little comment meant. But he would know soon enough about it. Black Widow leaned back quickly then rushed forwards in a blur of movement. She flashed ahead until she was sliding along the ground with her legs aimed at Ryo's own. The Japanese man blinked hard when he felt the Argand-woman's legs lock against his feet and tug on them to one side, while Widow's upper body rolled in the opposite direction. The clash of direction completely threw Ryo off both his feet and his guard and he tumbled roughly into the ground. He groaned as he felt his face smack the cold stone of this dark room, while his legs remained locked between those of Widow's. She quickly released his ankles however and kicked up into a standing position. Ryo attempted to do the same, but the second he began ambling upwards, Black Widow rushed in and kicked him violently against the face. Ryo was thrown back again with sudden force. And he seriously began to realize that this Black Widow was serious. She truly intended to set about killing him. Ryo regained some of his senses and rolled away from the Black Widow. He soon flipped back up into a standing position and clutched his fists together. Time to turn this little fight around a bit. His voice spoke up again, saying, "You're pretty good," Ryo complimented, resuming a smile, "And I can see that you really want to kill me here. I have no idea why... and I won't ask you. Because I can tell that you're just a lackey for a higher power. And so you won't tell me shit-all, will you? But that's fine. I really don't like using my REAL power against women... but it looks like I have no choice in the matter." Widow scowled at him. "False boasting like that will get you nowhere with me." "Oh, it's a boast alright," That smouldering azure Chi of Ryo's began to materialize around his trained body, "...But it's not false..." There was a flash of momentum soon after that. One second Ryo was standing about ten metres from Black Widow. The next he was staring down straight into her face. The blonde woman blinked with surprise at that burst of speed. But Ryo ignored that entirely and drew back his right hand. He squarely punched the assassin dead centre in the stomach. Widow's breath was struck right out of her. Like she had been kicked by a mule. But Ryo did not allow any gaps in strength or technique this time around. The young man decked Widow across the face twice, once on either cheek. The finisher was the knee of Ryo's that was rammed straight into Widow's already hit stomach. She coughed with the strength of the attack. And Ryo stepped back from the woman as she began lowering herself to the ground. Black Widow kept coughing and she slammed one eye closed, then looked up to the standing Ryo. "Why... you..." She seethed. Ryo's smile returned to him in full force. But Black Widow's card wasn't up yet. She rolled forwards and forged her palms into the ground while doing so. Before Widow got up she kicked out her legs and latched them around the curves of the Japanese lad's neck. The taller guy blinked as Widow's legs locked around his neck and began getting tighter and tighter. A surprising action. Black Widow forced more pressure into the choking grip and sneered at the boy, saying, "Argand Family Special Technique No. 1! Handstand Double Leg Choke!" It was then that Ryo began to lose air. His face paled a little. The leg strength of Black Widow was incredible. But that wasn't the main issue. She had perfectly executed this technique which allowed her to cut off the air fully from the windpipe downwards. This would make him pass out if he didn't do something soon. Ryo grabbed the ankles of the older woman and gripped them desperately to get free. He struggled to turn his head out of the lock but it couldn't move. He was trapped in place. That leg grip was unbreakable. But that only made him realize the other way out. It wasn't very artistic but the Asagawa-boy pulled back one of his legs and roughly kicked at the back of Widow's cranium. The older woman's head jerked back and forth as she was kicked repeatedly in the back of the head. When blood started to appear in her blonde tresses, the hold around Ryo's legs slipped in strength. Just what the doctor ordered. With that brief gap in the armour, Ryo pulled open Black Widow's legs and freed his neck from the attack. He leapt backwards from her and took a deep breath whilst spinning in midair. Ryo's feet pressed into one of the tall stone pillars that were lined across the room and kicked off it like a springboard. Ryo hurled himself at the rising Black Widow like a battering ram and extended one of his lengthy legs at her. That cerulean Chi of his burst to life around his foot, ankle and lower leg in the form of coursing bluish flames. Widow was too in awe of the speed to block, counter or dodge it. Ryo growled into the echoing room and screamed, "Lance Raid!" There was the furious sound of flesh begin smacked by strength. Widow was struck in the stomach again. And arguably the most unguarded point of Black Widow's body. Both the power of the kick and the flames of Ryo's Chi surrounding it administered tremendous damage to the assassin. She stumbled back as Ryo kicked out of her stomach and backflipped into a standing position. But that was not the last of it. The second that he was standing, he was charging again. Ryo thrust himself towards the Argand-woman and punched her as hard as he could across the face. Black Widow both gasped and coughed from the blow. Then reacted in the exact same way when she was hit two more times in her now weakened stomach. She was out of it. She coughed up a glob of blood and saliva which splattered against the cold stone of the floor. Then she collapsed to the ground. Completely unconscious. Ryo sucked in air and tried to gather his strength together. Now he began to understand why Cyria had called him here. To rub him out. He didn't know what this was about or why she would even want him dead, but the time had come to do something about it and find out. However he couldn't do that now. Black Widow was tougher than the average fighter. She had drained him thoroughly even if she hadn't delivered much physical damage. He had to get back to the Mao-Kung Dojo and rest up, then plan out how he was going to handle Cyria. The teen looked around for an alternative exit to the lift. He saw a set of stairs to the left of that large, dank room. Perfect. Ryo dashed for them and left Black Widow to sleep out her failure. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Mao-Kung Dojo, Brookwood District Ryo sauntered down the long streets of the Brookwood District. By now it was night. By the time that Ryo had gotten out of the Rainthorn Building the sun had fallen. He made a quick escape and came straight back to the Mao-Kung Dojo. He'd have to tell Kayde and Yun-Yun everything about what had happened. But that became less of an issue as soon as he reached the Dojo itself. He didn't even have to see the damage to realize that something was wrong. Ryo ran across the cobblestone path way to the Dojo doors and slid them open. He rushed inside to see the place in a wreck. All the scrolls, kendo sticks, chairs and tatami mats were in disarray. The windows were all smashed up and the doors into other rooms were broken. A fight had taken place. But nothing had shocked him more than to see Yun-Yun lying tiredly on the ground, blood dripping from her mouth and one hell of shiner across her right eye. "Yun-Yun!" Ryo ran straight over to her and crouched down, inspecting her wounds and bruises, "Are you okay?! Say something!" Yun-Yun weakly looked up into Ryo's eyes. "...I-It was... Rockeye... he... came in here and... wrecked the Dojo... while you and my grandfather... were gone... I couldn't... defeat him..." Ryo's scowl grew. Cyria had screwed him over again. "Dammit it all!"
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