Author: Jedi Goddess Zara 
E-mail: jedigoddesszara@cutey.com 
URL: http://embark.to/goddessbaz 
Rated: PG 

Special thanks on this one go to Jedi Goddess Bixy-chan and
Hunter Goddess Ayila-chan for their support and encouragement.
Thanks also go to Ranma-Jadeite for the positive feedback.

Night to Night: The Flaming Wind Tournament
--------------------------------------------


Part Two: Morning

	Hikari smiled, a smile identical to her sister's, and hugged the three
people in front of her.
	"Ohaiyo minna!" she chirped brightly. "I'm so glad you could make it!"
	"Of course we made it," a smaller girl with shorter hair replied. "We
couldn't miss Kaze-chan fighting in the tournament."
	"Reiko, I think Hikari meant that she was glad we could come this
early," a young man with long lavender hair sighed.
	"Billy, you're mean!" Reiko retorted, sticking out her tongue. "You act
so rude toward your own sister!"
	"Oi, minna, lets keep the argueing down to a minimum today, ne?"
another young man with darker hair interrupted with a sigh. "For Kaze's sake."
	Hikari grinned at her friend. "Arigato Jason. C'mon minna, let's go find
some seats before the crowd gets too big."
	The small group walked quickly, chattering excitedly as they watched the
fighters milling around and talking to each other. "Oi, Hika-chan, where's Kaze?"
Reiko asked.	"Probably in a back room with Sensei Nishi getting some last minute
practice in," the taller girl replied.
	"Hai, and I bet Jana-san's back there with them," Billy said with a grin,
nudging Jason in the ribs.
	"Quiet will ya!?" Jason exclaimed, his face turning red.
	"Oooo, you're blushing Jason!" Reiko exclaimed teasingly. "Don't try to
hide it, we know you like her!"
	Jason was silent, and Billy patted him on the back. "No worries pal,
we're not gonna tell anyone."	"Uh...hai," Jason gulped. "Hai."
	Hikari giggled. "Really though Jason, you should-" She stopped abruptly.
	Everyone blinked in surprise, staring at Hikari, whose face had suddenlly
become serious.	"Hika-chan, nani?" Reiko asked, following her friend's gaze. Two
people, a man and a woman, stood near the entrance of a practice room. The
woman was petite, with pink hair worn in pigtails, and she wore a simple black
bodysuit with tights and Chinese style shoes. The man was slightly taller, with
bright blue hair worn in a short style. He wore a loose tank top and sweat pants,
and had a black headband tied around his forehead.
	"Hika-chan?" Reiko asked again. "Hika-chan, do you know them?"
	Hikari shook her head. "Yuh, I just think there's something...strange...
about them."
	Reiko stared at her friend blankly, and Billy and Jason's expressions
mirrored hers. Hikari blinked, then put her hand behind her head and laughed.
	"Gomen minna, nevermind. It's nothing," she said with a smile.
	Reiko frowned. "Are you sure?"
	Hikari's smile grew wider. "Hai, hai, I'm fine," she replied casually. "Let's
just go find some seats."
	Billy and Jason shrugged and began to walk with the girls. "Hai, if you say so."
	"Kaze-san?" a voice called softly, interrupting the young fighter's
thoughts. "Kaze-san, may I speak with you please?"
	Kaze turned slightly and looked over her shoulder. Jana Clef, Sensei
Nishi Clef's assistant and niece, stood behind her.
	"Hai Jana-san, just give me a second," Kaze replied.
	Jana bowed politely and walked to a nearby chair, sitting down to wait.
Kaze removed her gloves and grabbed a ribbon from her bag, tying her blue-green
hair up in a loose ponytail. Walking to where Jana sat, Kaze leaned casually
against the wall and smiled. "Something wrong Jana-san?"
	A slight smile crossed Jana's face,quick as a flash. "Sharp as ever
Kaze-san, but I suppose that's to be expected from Uncle's best pupil." She
paused. "Hai, there is something that's bothering me, but I'm not sure if...maybe
I'm overreacting? Or maybe I just don't know all that's going on. That's why I wanted
to talk to you." The young woman took a deep breath before continueing.
	"Last night, I saw a man I'd never seen here before. He was wearing one
of Uncle's outfits, and we was kind of...odd looking."
	"What do you mean?" Kaze asked quietly.
	Jana fidgeted in her seat. "I'm not really sure how to explain. He had an
air of...power. Power and self-discipline."
	Kaze frowned. "So what did this guy look like?"
	Jana closed her blue-green eyes briefly, as if trying to envision the man.
"He was...young looking, muscular. He had long dark hair, with a lock of white near
the front. He looked young, but...felt old, if you know what I mean."
	Kaze's frown grew deeper. "Well, I don't think that I've seen him before,
but something you said did ring a bell." She paused. "I believe that, in mythology,
there was a spirit of battle known as Oni. He's supposed to have looked pretty
much how you described this weird guy, right down to the lock of white hair.
Maybe he's just a contestant that arrived early for the tournament. I've seen it
before, fighters that try to look like battle spirits. I think it's usually used as a
method of psyching out your opponent, or of attuning to a highr power." Kaze
shrugged. "Most likely, that's what this guy is trying to do."
	Jana looked down. "I suppose you're right," she said reluctantly,
standing up. "But I think I'll keep an eye out for him anyway."
	"Hai, of course," Kaze replied seriously, making her way back to her
training area. "I'll keep an eye out too."	Jana smiled. "Hai. Arigato Kaze-san."
	Kaze smiled in return. "You're welcome Jana-san."
	The training room was cold and empty, just the way he liked it, just the
way he was used to. He supposed that few people even came to this section of
the building, so almost anybody he saw would be looking for him, and not just
passing by.
	Turning to his bag, the young man began to rifle through it, searching for
his favorite headband. He paused, feeling a sudden warmth, then realized that it
was a prescence behind him. Turning, the young man dropped his headband in
shock. The girl in the doorway smiled.
	"Konnichiwa Ryu," she said with a warm smile.
	"Ko-konnichiwa Kaze," he stuttered softly. "What are you doing here?"
	Kaze's smile grew wider and she took a few steps toward him. "I'm a
student here," she replied softly. "I'm in the tournament today."
	"The tournament!?" Ryu asked, suddenlly worried. "Shimatta! I hope we
don't have to fight each other!"
	Kaze shook her head, sitting down on a bench and gesturing for him to
do the same. "I don't think we will. I'm nowhere near a good as you are."
	Ryu frowned as he sat down. "That can't be true," he said, confused.
"I remember you being an incredible fighter, even when we were kids. You must
have gotten even better since I saw you too, and that was only a year ago."
	Kaze shook her head again. "Yuh Ryu, I have gotten better, but that
doesn't  matter." She sighed. "When I was leaving last night, I saw you practicing
and..."
	"You think I'm better than you," he finished. There was a silence. "Kaze,I-"
	The girl put a finger to his lips. "It's okay Ryu," she said softly, her warm
smile melting his customary cold feeling. "I know that your reason for entering the
tournament must be a good one, and I don't want you to feel sorry for me. I mean,
you didn't even know that I would be here..."
	Ryu took her hand in his. "Kaze, I have to tell you something. It's about..."
He took a deep breath. "It's about that time that we saw each other a year ago."
	Kaze looked down. "Ryu, I don't think that this is a good idea."
	There was silence. "I just wanted to apologize."
	Kaze looked up quickly. "Nani?"
	Ryu smiled sadly. "I insulted you. I called you horrible things just because
you beat me. I should have realized that when you asked for a sparring partner you
meant that you wanted a living punching bag."
	Kaze laughed. "You shouldn't apologize. I was so full of myself back
then, and when you yelled at me I was so shocked...I didn't even tell Hikari..." She
squeezed his hand. "But you opened my eyes. You showed me how to be humble,
and I've wanted to thank you for that for a long time."
	Ryu grinned and pulled Kaze into a hug. After a moment, he released
her, but she remained close to him. "Ryu, there's something else..."
	His heart thumped in his chest. "Nani?"
	She looked up at him, a warm smile lingering on her face. "Good luck,"
she said pulling back.	Ryu felt confusion settle on him. "G-good luck?"
	Kaze grinned as she stood up. "Of course. Even if we do face each
other, I hope you do well."	"H-hai," Ryu replied. "Good luck to you too Kaze."
	The girl smiled as she breezed out the door. "Ganbatte Ryu."
	"Reshi," Suzu whispered into the man's ear. "Is that Ryu?"
	Reshi looked up at his girlfriend and grinned. "Hai, it is him, and taking
a break from practicing too." He laughed shortly. "He's not as tough as I thought."
	"Maybe," Suzu replied, biting her lip. "But I think something's wrong."
	Reshi frowned, looking closely at Ryu. "He's talking to Hikari, Kaze'ssister."
	Suzu frowned. "How'd you know who she is?"
	Reshi stepped away from the doorway, shaking his head in surprise.
"Her chi is incredibly strong. It reaches me even when I'm not trying to sense it."
	Suzu's frown deepened. "So she's a fighter?"
	"Noooo," Reshi replied slowly. "No, I think she's - Kaze's stability, her
moral support. She's probably helping her sister by lending her her own strength
of chi."	Suzu walked over to a bench and grabbed her water bottle. "I thought no
one in this era could tap into the powers of their chi," she said, taking a gulp.
"Those that could have faded from history. That's what makes us so different from
most of the fighters we run across."
	Reshi nodded. "You're right, as usual love. I believe that neither Kaze
nor Hikari know of the powers hidden within them. Certainly they wouldn't know
how to tap into them."	"And that is why we'll win," Suzu replied with a smirk.
	Reshi's expression mirrored his girlfriend's. "Of course."
	Hikari grinned. "I think I get what you're saying Ryu," she said smugly.
"You want me to tell Kaze to meet you in your training room after the first round of
fighting is over, and also to tell her to bring her bag of training equipment."
	"Hai," Ryu replied. "And also...why are you smiling like that?"
	Hikari giggled. "Because I know why you want to meet with Kaze."
	Ryu raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well, do tell."
	Hikari shook her head, her blue-green hair bouncing. "Yuh, yuh, I figure
that you already know how you feel."
	Ryu laughed. "Oh, really? Well then, I guess that-"	"Ryu!" Hikari interrupted.
	"Nani?"
	"Shhh! Keep it down!" Hikari hissed. "Don't stare, but look over there at
that guy."
	Ryu glanced quickly in the direction Hikari had indicated and noticed a
muscular man with long dark hair. The man turned in Ryu's direction, and before
the young fighter turned away, he noticed a lock of white hair fall across the man's
intense eyes.
	"Who is that?" Ryu asked quietly. Hikari noticed the seriousness in hisface.
	"I don't know," Hikari replied, feeling her heart thump wildly in her chest.
"But you can feel it, right? His aura of power?"
	Ryu nodded slowly. "I think so."
	Hikari bit her lip. "Do you think that maybe I should...follow him?"
	Ryu raised an eyebrow. "I don't think he'd like that very much."
	Hikari gave him a wry smile. "Well, I'm hoping that he won't notice me.
Will you tell Jason, Billy and Reiko that I'll be gone for awhile?"
	Ryu nodded and sighed. "Hai, but don't get into any trouble."
	Hikari smiled sweetly. "Of course I won't."