Mistress of Martial Hearts Ch. One

Chun Li strikes the ground hard gasping as the wind is knocked straight from her chest. Rain falls over her from the dark sky as the flashing words “You Lose” appear just a few feet from her face like some sickening reminder. Through the rain she can hear the heels of her opponent as the masked fighter steps closer toward her. With what strength she has left, Chun Li shuts her eyes tight and turns herself over.

“No,” She begins as she starts to push herself up only to falter partway. “You're not taking me!”

She shouts before rushing away as the masked woman stops and simply watches before, just a few metres away, Chun Li collapses face first in a puddle.

“Shadaloo?” Mai Shiranui asks lowering down a picture of herself and Chun Li to the table she was seated at.

The room looked like a police interrogation room with just the simple table and a few chairs on either end with several reflective glass windows on either end. Mainly because that's what it was. But Mai wasn't called in on any suspicious activities, rather she was called in for her assistance.

“Not a possibility we can rule out.” A middle aged detective replies as Mai takes another look down at the photo in front of her. “But at the same time we don't exactly have enough to go on to say they're involved in Miss. Li's disappearance.”

“You were among her outside contacts, Miss. Shiranui.” Another detective says sitting down at the table across from Mai who looks up from the photo.

“Mai.” She replies as the detective takes note for future reference. “Also, I don't know where she could have gone.”

“It's quite alright, Mai. In fact, it's not the only reason we asked you to come in to talk with us today.” The first detective says hoping it was alright for him to call her Mai. Given she doesn't react in any negative way, he assumes he's in the clear. “Miss. Li stated that if anything ever happened to her on this case we were to notify you and, well, hope you could fill in.”

Mai looks at the two men a bit surprised.

“I'm...not a police officer. I wouldn't know the first thing on how to deal with...whatever Chun Li was after.”

“We understand, Mai.” The second detective replies. “But Miss. Li was insistent that above everyone she knew, everyone she could trust...this case would be best suited for you.”

Still in shock and with nothing to say, Mai again looks down at the photo. If Chun Li really had that much faith in her, then who was she to turn her friend down? Especially now when she wanted to find her just as badly, if not moreso, than her colleagues. So, after swallowing down her doubts, she looks back up at the detectives eyeing both before speaking.

“Alright. Where do I begin?”

As advised, Mai makes her way through the woods to a cabin Chun Li was keeping off the record whenever heat was getting too high on a case. It was one of the reasons, in fact, that Chun Li even requested Mai be the one to continue her work as she was one of the very few who even knew that the cabin even existed. So when she was told that “She would know where to begin” Mai instinctively believed this was the place. A cabin made entirely of logs painted in areas with a dark green to help it blend in with the pines surrounding it.

Upon exiting her car, Mai first checks to see how recent any other set of tire tracks had been. Mostly because it's what she saw from crime dramas. Unfortunately, given the amount and the fact that it had rained just the other night it was difficult for a novice like her to even figure out which two tracks were paired together to begin with. Therefore, she just uses the key Chun Li had given her months prior before stepping inside the two room structure. Three if the bathroom was counted.

The largest room definitely showed that Chun Li was onto something as the walls were littered with notes she had taken as well as a variety of photos with strings connecting them. The computer screens were still on and as Mai went to investigate she notices a hand drawn image of some insignia up on the wall in between the two screens. It seemed like a good place to begin as she takes it from it's pinned location and looks it over. It was nothing more than the shape of a heart with the lines interconnecting beneath the bumps to make something of a lopsided X. She's seen something like this several times, but not on anything that would be of interest in this sort of case. Candy, stuffed animals, even just in television programs. So she shrugs placing the image down and goes to work to find out what Chun Li was last doing at the computer unaware that her presence was being watched from the other room.

It isn't long until the figure in blue rushes out at Mai surprising the kunoichi with a straight palm strike knocking her from the chair. Mai rolls back to a crouched position just as the assailant strikes again with a high kick aiming for her chin. At the last minute though, Mai leans back and then pounces forward sending her shoulder into the attackers crotch before running them hard against the wall. Mai takes a few open palm thrusts to the head before she can grab the attackers arms and bring them up where they can't strike her as such. Unfortunately, this only allows the figure in blue to catch Mai across the side of her head with a knee rocking her back to the computer desk as the woman comes down to her feet throwing up her fists. Mai, with a hand to the side of her head, looks over to identify the person.

“Kasumi?” She asks a little surprised as Kasumi blinks staring back at Mai some.

“M...Mai.” She says.

“What are you doing here?” They both ask in unison as Mai begins to smile and Kasumi lowers her fists blushing a bit.

Mai sits at the computer desk pressing an ice pack to the side of her head as Kasumi kneels down gracefully beside her but keeps her attention diverted away from her friend.

“S...sorry. I didn't realize it was you.” She says as Mai continues to smile.

“It's alright. Little glad you didn't hold back.” Kasumi looks up to find Mai smiling even brighter. This only has the redhead look away, her cheeks beginning to match her hair once more. “So what are you doing here?”

“I...don't know.” Kasumi says lowering her head down trying to figure out her reason. “This is just where I woke up a few days ago.”

“Hm?” Mai inquires.

“I don't remember much of the past while. First, I was fighting someone in a dark mask with red eyes and then I'm hearing Chun Li's voice waking me up. She looked a little worse for wear, like she had just been fighting. That's all I remember.”

Mai nods willing to accept that as she looks her proper friend over noticing down at her cleavage until Kasumi takes note and quickly covers up.

“Wait.” Mai requests dropping the ice pack as she comes down taking Kasumi's hands.

“What are you doing? Mai, stop!”

“I saw something.” Mai says still struggling with Kasumi's grip of her top.

“My breasts!”

“No.” Mai says managing Kasumi's hands away and pulls open her top. “That.”

Kasumi slaps a hand across the injured side of Mai's face. Kasumi doesn't say anything, she just glares at her friend furiously who tears up from the pain and only points down at the open cleavage. Looking down herself while Mai takes comfort from the ice pack, Kasumi notices the branded heart near the top of her left breast. Mai then takes the sheet she was looking at earlier and holds it out alongside to find that the two images were identical.

At that moment there comes a knock at the door and both women look to one another surprised that this place would have visitors. Kasumi closes up her top while Mai places down the ice pack and the two approach the door cautiously together to find Cammy White standing out there looking deadpan back at them.

“Cammy?” Kasumi asks surprised.

“Mai Shiranui,” Cammy begins, her tone void of emotion. “You have been selected as a contender in this years Mistress of Martial Hearts tournament.”

“Cammy,” Mai begins,” What are you-”

“You will first fight in three exhibition bouts to prove your capabilities to the judges who will determine your advancement into the tournament proper. Given your abilities of manipulating fire through your fans, a special heath gauge reader and opponent radar system has been made for you.”

Cammy holds out a white collar with a blue oval at the front of it. Mai looks it over before shaking her head.

“I'm not wearing that! Cammy, what are you doing?”

“Failure to participate will result in immediate disqualification and expulsion from the tournament field.” Cammy explains as Mai looks the collar over then back to her fellow fighter noticing a similar brand mark along the side of the blonds neck. Figuring things had to be connected, Mai sighs as she accepts the collar and snaps it on around her neck.

“There-whoa!” Almost immediately, a screen flashes out in front of Mai's face following her everywhere she looks as Kasumi watches. Vital stats and measurements are recorded before Mai's name appears with a colored bar underneath of it with another empty bar appearing on the bottom right corner. “Exactly what are these-”

“Kasumi,” Cammy continues as though Mai were no longer around. Kasumi looks toward Cammy who continues with the same prepared message. “You have been selected as a contender in this years Mistress of Martial Hearts tournament. You will first fight in three exhibition bouts to prove your capabilities to the judges who will determine your advancement into the tournament proper.”

She then holds out a pair of bracelets matching in color to Mai's collar. Kasumi looks them over and begins to reach out when something of a memory flashes in her mind and she drops to her knees covering her head.

“No.” She moans as Mai comes down beside her.

“Kasumi? What's wrong?”

“It...it was like this.” Kasumi says as she could see herself in a flash standing where Cammy was offering out similar devices, only it was Chun Li at the door of the cabin instead. Kasumi begins to explain as such as Cammy interrupts.

“Failure to participate-”

“Shut up!” Mai shouts at Cammy before going back to comfort her friend. “Kasumi, I know this is hard, but if this is how it began for Chun Li then we need to follow this trail. We need to find our friend.”

Kasumi nods as a lingering thought wonders when she signed up for this. But she knows that somehow Chun Li had helped her so it would be wrong of her to not try and return the favor. Therefore, coming back up to her feet, she accepts the bracelets putting them on over her wrists seeing a similar screen appear before her marking out the same information Mai's gathered on her.

“So what do we do now?” Mai asks Cammy.

“Contest rules will be explained before each fight commences. When you have an opponent selected, you will be notified.”

Cammy states before turning to begin walking away.

“Hey!” Mai calls out. “Wait!”

She doesn't though. Cammy simply keeps walking before disappearing in among the trees leaving the two to look over Kasumi's devices.

It felt like a smart move to Mai for them to move everything to her apartment. Apparently whatever organization was behind this tournament knew of the cabin enough to pay it two visits. It wasn't much larger than the cabin though, but as both Mai and Kasumi bring in Chun Li's paperwork it would have to do.

“Whew!” Mai says wiping off her brow after leaving a box on her couch. “That was...more than I expected.”

She says trying to bring on a cheery atmosphere as she notices Kasumi back to looking down at her bracelets. Mai approaches her friend resting a hand on her shoulder giving it a light squeeze to take her attention.

“It's gonna be okay, Kasumi, don't worry.”

Kasumi nods and opens her mouth to speak when Mai's collar lights up and her health bar appears with the empty bar beneath it. This was followed up by two flashing words “Knock Out” that appear to confuse the pair when the door is kicked in by a masked woman in black.

“Decapre!” Mai calls out recognizing the masked woman as Kasumi seems to as well, huddling herself down as she had before. “Kasumi?”

Decapre charges forward catching Mai with a spinning back kick along the side of her head sending her flying against the wall. As Mai can see, a part of her health gauge is removed but a part of the bottom one begins to fill up. Uncertain as to the meaning of the bottom one, Mai just focuses on her health and pushes herself back to her feet pulling out a couple of fans from between her breasts opening them just in time to block another assault from her opponent ticking off another bit of health.

Getting the sense that Decapre would just as easily destroy her apartment and the work Chun Li had put together, Mai rushes out through the door looking to get away but finds it blocked out by an invisible wall.

“What the hell?” Mai calls out touching along the open doorway feeling it like a wall when she notices Decapre come in with a straight body blow followed by a high kick to her shoulder. Feeling pinned, Mai can only try and defend herself as Decapre continues the assault raining down the punches and knee shots. Eventually, Mai gets frustrated enough that she grabs Decapre by the head, flips over her, and throws her across the room.

“Knock it out!” She shouts seeing her health gauge having taken a direct beating from the assault, but at the same time sees that the bottom one is close to filling up. She looks across as Decapre begins to stand noticing her own health gauge finally lose a something.

Mai wastes no time sliding in catching Decapre with the tip of her left foot then immediately swings her right one knocking the masked fighter back only for her to get back up again. Mai leaps at Decapre who catches hold of her throwing her to the ground as an energy blade appears from her wrist. She goes to stab it down into Mai but the kunoichi manages to turn away in time kicking Decapre back up beneath the chin.

“Kachousen!” Mai shouts flinging her fan at Decapre smacking her with it before she pulls out another from her chest leaping again this time flinging the fan out catching Decapre beneath the chin knocking her into the air. However, she doesn't go back as she's against an invisible wall. “My turn.”

Mai smiles and starts into a combo of high kicks, elbows, and fan hits all while Decapre bounces off the impact. Eventually, the masked fighter powers through blocking a strike and getting to her feet swinging out her energy blade cutting across Mai knocking her back a few steps. After that hit, Mai notices the bar at the bottom flashing and a power swelling up inside her begging to be used. Without a hesitant thought, Mai unleashes this energy.

“Cho Hissatsu Shinobi-Bachi!” Rolling forward, Mai kicks at Decapre and then throws herself igniting herself into a fireball in the process smacking herself hard against the masked fighter who falls hard onto her back.

The words “Knock out!” appear in front of the unlit Mai who swings out a fan in celebration of her victory. "How was it? The power of Shiranui ninjutsu!"

Mai only watches in slight horror as Chun Li's files begin to burn up from her super move. Even Kasumi can only look up and watch as the papers turn to ash before them.

“Too much.” Kasumi eventually gets out. “It really was too much.”

PREVIEW

“I really can't do this without you.”

“Mai!”

“Without my hands? How am I supposed to do that?”

A woman in red fragments stands before Mai running a dagger underneath her red veil where it comes out moist on the other side.

“Mm,” Mai begins as she pulls a fan from her cleavage. “Just a little creepy.”