The White Crow Flock ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Asagawa Training Facility, Tokyo, Japan Yoko strained the wet towel in her hands, over the bowl. It dripped slowly, while the material twisted in Yoko’s hands. For the most part, it couldn’t be too damp. She took it from the bowl to the forehead of Xiangau, who slept upon one of the spare bed chambers of the Asagawa Training Hall. His fever was higher than ever. But at least his sleep was not as restless as before. When Xiangau had been taken to the medical bay in Kakuri Isle, they could barely keep him from shivering. Even in that tropical climate, his limbs shook, as though he had been caught in the middle of some huge freezing snowstorm. That was two days ago. When the whole group of fighters had been sent back to Japan, Yoko immediately took Xiangau home with her. It was strange The two of them had been fighting so hard against each other in the finals of the God of Fighting Grand Championships. Yoko still had the bruises to prove it. There really needed to be no caring between the two of them. And although Xiangau’s current condition was not her making, Yoko felt responsible for him. In truth, she respected him. She valued who and what he was. And she felt that there was so much to be learned from him. And so much for Xiangau to learn from the Asagawa Training Facility. Maybe it was forward thinking of her to assume that Xiangau would even want to stay here for a while, but Yoko did plan on asking him when he awoke. The brunette took her hand to his mane of silver, soft hair, and smiled. She actually liked Xiangau. He was so different from the men Yoko had met in her life. He was dedicated to fighting, proving to be something that he himself could be satisfied with. Yoko could tell that Xiangau had forsaken a lot in his life to get to his current level It was probably why he was so isolated. A man like that must have felt no need for friends. Which was one of the reasons that Yoko was doubtful that he would stay here with her and the other students. “Wow. You’ve hardly left his side.” Yoko looked back at the doorway to see who that was. “Jun?” “…Don’t get attached to him, Yoko.” Jun said quietly. “A guy like that’ll ship out as soon as he’s up and running. He just seems too much of a… loner to want us as friends.” Yoko shook her head. “That doesn’t mean I can’t take care of him until he gets better. I can’t just let him suffer. Not when I can do something about it. Think, Jun. You and I haven’t known each other that long. That doesn’t change the fact that you’re my friend. And I wouldn’t let that stand in the way of helping you in this situation.” “I suppose,” Jun said, her arms crossing. “But he’s a different person than me, Yoko. He barely said three words to us on Kakuri Island. All I’m saying is, just don’t expect him to be supremely grateful for all that you’re doing for him.” Yoko nodded, smiling. Jun was just looking out for her. “Thanks, Jun. Where are Li Ming and grandfather? Are they in the main hall?” “Li Ming’s catching up with all the folks here.” Jun replied. “I think they all really missed her. I knew the two of you knew each other before. Inside this cute little package is a cute big brain, right?” Yoko giggled lightly. “I suppose so!” “Well, I’ll ignore that for now. But Nobuo is in the main hall, and he does want to you to come there. I think he wants to review what happened on Kakuri Island.” “To be honest, I’m not all that sure myself. I know there was more to that tournament than just a little bit of fighting. Just tell my grandfather that I’ll come see him in a minute, okay? I’ll be there after I take care of the last of Xiangau’s cuts.” Jun shrugged “Okay.” As Jun exited, Yoko turned back to Xiangau. She spread the bangs from his forehead, so they wouldn’t be dampened by the cloth. Which was when she noticed the plaster on his cheek. It was becoming red. The girl carefully pulled it from his face, then tossed it to the garbage bin by the other side of the bed. His wounds were taking their time in healing. ‘I have to buy some new dressings for him.’ Yoko thought. ‘That means I’ll have to go out to the market…’ It would delay meeting with Nobuo at the great hall, but he would understand, right? Xiangau’s welfare came first. Yoko readjusted the wet cloth at his forehead, then stood upright, grabbed her wallet from her bedside cabinet, then made a paced dash for the door. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Kashrus Underground Base, Sea of Japan Reinhalt sighed as the doctors continued their meaningless study and watch over the Stone Egg. The item remained inside the small glass cylinder in the centre of the laboratory For the most part, everything had gone to plan. The Stone Egg was revived, and beating like the heart of an animal. The tournament was successful, and this all made life much easier for Reinhalt. Once these tests had been completed, and the Stone Egg was primed for departure to China, his finances would get a bonus the likes of which this world had never seen. Soon, soon. “How much longer?” Reinhalt asked, “Until the tests are complete?” The scientist at Reinhalt’s side was before a computer. Every few seconds he tapped new codes or information into it, while his eyes looked through the glass cylinder towards the Stone Egg. He responded to his leader, saying, “It will take at least two weeks to fully understand what we have in our hands. This item is unlike anything I have ever seen. From the analysis we have conducted, the outer shell is made up of nothing more than 89% stone, 2.3% Sulphur and 3.7% limestone.” “What about the remaining 5%?” Reinhalt questioned “That, we do not know. It completely goes beyond anything we have ever known. All we know is that material is carbon based. Aside from that… we know nothing. But that is the least of the mystery. The Stone Egg exudes a mild radiation. It is harmless, but the long term effects… we cannot tell. The waves of this radiation come not from the shell, but the innards of the Egg. Something is inside of it… but what?” Reinhalt’s eyes narrowed. “It’s your duty to find out is inside of it.” “You are not suggesting that we… open it?” The scientist yelled. “Why not?” Reinhalt retorted. “Because the radiation inside it might have been worn down by the shell of the Egg. That means that the inside could be a great deal more dangerous than the outside. I suggest that we extract some of its innards via microscopic probes The less we withdraw, the more chance we have at completing this, which is the better option for all of us.” Reinhalt scowled. His plans weren’t going exactly as wanted, but precautions were necessary. If anything, the manpower used for analysing the Stone Egg could be reflected into his pay out. When he handed it over to ‘that man’ … ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Yoi shakai Marketplace, Tokyo, Japan Yoko strolled quickly through the market place. It was hard to believe that it was a weekday. The market was almost empty. The stalls had been shut down, the shops were mostly closed, and the marketplace itself was completely barren. As Yoko walked through the blank area, her head turned from side to side to see if there was any place that might be open. There was only one. Down at the end of the market square, on the edge of the district. Any further would lead into Shibuya. Yoko quickened her pace. For some reason, she really didn’t want to keep Xiangau waiting for a change in dressings. He was still asleep, but Yoko felt responsible for him. A feeling that probably wouldn’t go away until he was awake. Yoko walked through the market square and to the open shop. Yoko knew full well that is was the chemist. They were a well priced store, and the owner knew Yoko fairly well, so there would be no confusion here. The last thing she needed was for someone to ask her what the dressings were for. Yoko came to the door and stepped in, the bell above the door ringing to signal her entrance. The only thing was, that the owner of the store was not the only one in the shop. Two young men, both around 19 in age, bumped past Yoko on their way out. They were quick and gormless, ad is they were hiding a secret. She was troubled by their sly, rough behaviour, but ignored this and walked over to the counter. The dressings she needed for Xiangau were on a shelf, and she snagged them on the way there. “Good morning, Mr. Namuya.” Yoko greeted him. “I’d like these please.” Mr. Namuya had a chilled look in his eye. Yoko noticed it. She didn’t like it one bit. “Is something wrong, sir?” Mr. Namuya shook his head. “N-No… It’s fine, Yoko. What can I do for you?” “Just these few dressings please.” Mr. Namuya nodded, then grabbed the items that Yoko had placed on the counter. He knew the prices already, so simply fetched a blue plastic and put them inside it for her Yoko went into the back pocket of her blue jeans and withdrew some paper yen. Yoko handed Mr. Namuya the money. He went into the cash register, handed her the receipt, then scuttled into the backroom of the shop. Yoko was strangely curious about his behaviour. He hadn’t so much as said goodbye. ‘Does it have something to do with those thugs?’ Yoko wondered. It didn’t matter. Even though she liked Mr. Namuya, she wasn’t going to try and investigate this. At least not now. Not with Xiangau in her need. Yoko took the plastic bag, then walked outside into market square. But it wasn’t quite so barren as it was before. The moment she stepped through the door, and felt the cooling morning air, she realized that she was not alone. On the outside, surrounding the door into the chemist, were five thugs. Two of them were the ones that had bumped into Yoko. All their eyes were on her. Yoko lowered her own dark eyes and tried to ignore their looks. Less of contempt, and more of attraction. And Yoko had never been comfortable with the attention of men. All her life, despite her exotic feminine looks, she had been regarded as a tomboy. She didn’t regard herself as beautiful. But the lusty glares she was receiving from these men seemed to speak differently. Yoko observed the five of them in short bursts. They were all tall, scruffily-dressed, their hair tousled and their eyes thin with intent. The one in the centre, was slightly shorter, a little younger-looking than the rest, but he seemed to have some sort of influence over them. From his immature smile, she doubted that he was the head honcho, but he looked to be a big player in this group. “Could you let me through please?” Yoko asked politely One of the men walked up to Yoko and grinned. “What’s your rush, honey? We got all the time in the world. Lets get to know each other better. I have nice little place downtown. Wanna swing by it?” “It sounds like a wonderful offer,” Yoko intended to hide her sarcasm, but it wasn’t convincingly done. “But I think I should be going home now.” Yoko began walking forward, till one grabbed her arm, saying. “What’s your rush? Stay with us. The White Crow Gang could use a few more whores! Ha, ha, ha, ha!” Yoko’s eyes turned stone cold. “…What did you call me…?” “Heh, heh, heh! You heard what I- AAH!” The thug that had a grip around Yoko’s arm leg go promptly. Nobody even saw what happened. One second he had his dirty hands on the girl, the next, his head was jerking back, stumbling over his feet and falling to the stone ground. When the youngest of the group saw the fearless Yoko’s hand, which was retracting from a fist, he knew that she had punched him. So fast that none of them had even seen it. Yoko’s hard eyes rolled over to the rest of them. “I don’t wanna hurt anyone. So please just leave me alone.” The youngest of these scruffs walked forward. “So. You’re a fighter, huh? That was a fast punch for such a cute little girl. It was impressive But I can’t let you get away with that. Y’see, we of the White Crow Gang always get our way. Anybody who denies us what we want… we lets say it ain’t acceptable.” There was no way out of this. “You’d take your fist to me?” “Yup.” The boy cracked his knuckles, “Sorry. The last thing we wanna do is mess up that pretty little face of yours. But rules are rules, y’know?” Yoko sighed She absolutely hated dealing with Tokyo gangs. So arrogant and rude. And she wasn’t exactly dressed for a fight, She was wearing only a tee shirt of her favourite band, the Valkyries, a pair of blue jeans and some wood-finish sandals. And even more than that, Xiangau was waiting. But if she could just beat this guy, maybe the others would disperse and leave her be. She had to take that assumption. Yoko dropped the bag to the ground slowly, then focused on the young man who was watching her. “What’s your name?” Yoko asked “Liang Ho Yung…” He replied. “Second in command of the entire White Crow Gang.” So, this man was Chinese in origin. That wave of Chinese immigration had not been an underestimation It didn’t matter though. Yoko just had to get past this man to get back to Xiangau and the Asagawa Training Facility. Yoko pulled up her fists and watched Liang’s movements as he stepped around her. The others got into a circle surrounding the two of them. The man who Yoko had punched, however, was out cold. Yoko continued to watch the other man as he came closer She had to end this thing quickly, so that she could be on her way. Giving a little yell, Liang charged her. Yoko stood her ground as her came within striking range. Liang tried to punch her. Yoko swiftly ducked under it and reversed her body in spin, drawing her leg out. In a vicious flash of movement, the flat heel of her sandaled foot slapped Liang’s cheek. He growled with frustration, being forced away from the girl. Liang clutched his cheek with both hands. He was bruised, already. Yoko stood up and gave him a blank look. This was a meaningless fight. And Liang Ho Yung would end up getting hurt if it continued “Just stand aside,” Yoko asked desperately, “Please?” The boy had a furious look in his eye. “Why you! How dare you? You’ll pay for that!” He ran forwards for Yoko. As soon as he reached her, he crouched down and swept his leg under her feet. Yoko was too concerned with his safety to have noticed that, so fell backwards, her back roughly touching to the ground. Liang sneered, then vaulted upwards, jumping above Yoko. In midair, he reversed his position and began descending, projecting both of his hands in a claw-like shape, yelling, “Raven Attacking Worm!” Yoko sighed She saw that coming a mile away. The girl rolled away, and Liang Ho Yung’s palms both touched the arena floor, getting grazed. He looked up, then over to Yoko. Who had already managed to stand and resume a fighting stance. ‘Impossible!’ Liang thought sharply. ‘How could she have dodged the R.A.W? That is my most powerful attack…!’ Liang continued thinking, then ran for Yoko again. His guard had not bee brought up during his stride. Yoko could see that Liang Ho Yung was inexperienced. He left so many openings and left everything unguarded. And he was the second in command of this group? Yoko sidestepped as Liang attempted a punch, then through one of her own. She nailed him, right in the side of his stomach, making Liang Ho Yung cough and wheeze. Yoko rose right up, whereas Liang fell to his knees, wrapping his hands around his stomach The rest of the group of five began to back up as Yoko turned her attentions on them. “Does anyone else want to try me? Or can I go home?” “Hold…” That was not spoken by one of the five. The Asagawa-girl looked over to her left. Three additional men stepped up to the plate. But unlike the careless thugs that Yoko had tangled with, these three were somehow dignified. Especially the one at the centre. His hair was of a strident blonde, obviously dyed, and looked to be about a couple years older than Yoko was. His was fully clad in a rich Chinese fighting uniform, of navy blue and polished silver. Though the other members of the White Crow Gang were rough and scraggy street punks, the attire that this boy was in seemed to say that he was a serious player. And in fact, Yoko could sense a strength inside him that far transcended that of the others. He was a real fighter, not like the fragile Liang Ho Yung. The three other members of the White Crow Gang came up and surveyed that damaged done to the group. Two were down, though Liang’s defeat seemed to attribute more concern to them. The man at the head of the three looked over at Yoko. “This is your doing?” “They started this.” Yoko defended. “All I wanted was to go home. But they grabbed me and…” The dyed blonde boy shook his head. “I understand. Forgive Liang. My brother is a bit impulsive when it comes to fighting.” “Brother?” Yoko questioned. “He’s your brother?” He nodded, the proceeded introduce himself. “Yes. My name is Jin Han Yung. I am the leader of the White Crow Gang and successor of Kuen Moo school of Kempo. I would like to apologize for my brother. He is very difficult. But I want to resolve this situation, also.” Yoko gave him a questioning look. “How?” “One last fight,” Jin offered, making a gesture with his hand. “With me. If I win, you pardon my brother and we say no more of this. If you win, we will follow our gang’s code and owe you a debt, to be repaid at any time you wish.” In truth, Yoko just wanted to go home. But, in a way, she was very curious about Jin’s strength. A little battle with him wouldn’t take too long, would it? Yoko decided to agree. Though it was strange, her fighting spirit was thrilled to great lengths at the possibility of getting a good challenge It was like it was in her blood. “Okay… let’s do it.”
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