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 Three: Afternoon

(Small note...all parts thus far have been first typed in Wordpad, thus all thoughts
including one's in previous parts, and the letter later on in this part should actually
be in italics to show the difference from regular speech/text ^^;;)

	"And the winner of the first fight is Hino Kaze!" the tournament
commentator exclaimed over the loudspeaker. "The challenger was taken out
quickly by Flaming Wind's own star pupil!" The man chuckled. "You might say that
she was like the wind!"
	In line for the restroom, Reiko rolled her eyes. "Poor Kaze-chan gets that
comment every year," she muttered under her breath. Glancing at her watch, the
girl sighed. Ten minutes in line and we've probably only moved about ten
centimeters, she thought to herself.
	"Suzu, we've got ten minutes until it's my turn," a male voice behind
Reiko said. "Why don't you get your stuff and meet me near the sidelines?"
	"Hai," a female voice replied. "Ja ne."
	Reiko turned slightly and noticed a petite girl with pink hair standing
behind her. "So you're friend there is in the tournament?" she asked.
	The girl looked up. "Excuse me?"
	Reiko smiled. "That guy you were just talking to. Is he going to fight in
the tournament?"	A small smile touched the girl's face. "Hai."
	Reiko's smile widened. "Sugoi!" She stuck out her hand. "I'm Reiko. My
friend Kaze's in the tournament today, and I'm here to watch her fight. Is that guy a
friend of yours?"
	The girl shook her hand. "He's my boyfriend, Reshi." She paused. "Did
you say your friend's name was Kaze?"
	"Hai," Reiko replied. "Hino Kaze. She just won the first fight."
	"That's right," the girl murmured. She smiled suddenlly. "I'm Suzu. I'm
going to fight in the tournament too."
	"Sugoi! I thought you looked like a fighter!"
	Suzu laughed. "Arigato." She paused. "I suppose that I should be going,
since Reshi's going to be fighting soon."
	Reiko grinned. "That's so sweet that he wants you there for moralsupport."
	Suzu's face grew serious. "Actually, it's for more than moral support."
She smiled again. "Anyway, I'll go on and stop wasting your time. Ja ne."
	Reiko smiled as the girl walked away. "Ja ne." Turning, she saw that
she'd lost her place in line. "Shimatta!" she exclaimed in frustration. "You'd think a
girl could get a break!"
	"Reiko," a deep voice behind her said. Turning, the girl saw Ryu
standing behind her in a simple training outfit.
	"Ryu!" she exclaimed, hugging him. "Sugoi! It's been awhile!"
	"Hai," he replied, returning her hug. "I have a message for you fromHikari."
	Reiko frowned, puzzled. "A message from Hika-chan? Why couldn't
she just come and tell me herself?"
	Ryu grinned. "She got a bit...sidetracked. She told me to tell you guys
that she would be gone for awhile."	Reiko's frown deepened. "Where'd she go?"
	Ryu sighed, shaking his head. "She saw this guy that she thought was
strange, and decided to follow him. I really don't know what got into her."
	Reiko laughed. "I know what you mean. Just this morning she saw these
two fighters and..." She trailed off. "Suzu!" she exclaimed. "And Reshi! Those are
the fighters!"	"Nani?" Ryu asked confused.
	Reiko grabbed his arm. "C'mon, we gotta get back to the stands for the
next fight!"	"Matte Reiko, nani-"	"I'll explain on the way! C'mon!"
	"Moshi moshi," Jana chirped into the phone. "Flaming Wind Training
Hall, how may I help you?" There was silence on the other end of the line. "Moshi
moshi?" she repeated. There was a click, followed by a dial tone.
	Shrugging, the young woman hung up the phone and picked up her
feather duster, brushing it over a lamp. Humming to herself, she didn't even notice
the figure that had slipped through the doorway.
	"Jana-san?" a female voice asked. Turning, the cinnamon haired
woman saw Hino Hikari standing in the doorway.
	"Hikari-san, what are you doing here?"
	The girl grinned. "I'm following someone."
	Jana raised an eyebrow. "And why would you do a thing like that?"
	Hikari gestured for the other girl to come to the doorway. "I saw him
earlier, and I think that he looks suspicious." She paused. "He should be coming
this way soon."
	Jana stared at the girl. "A suspicious looking man? Did he have long
dark hair with a lock of white near the front?"
	Hikari looked at the girl in surprise. "Hai, he did. How did you knowthat?"
	Jana sighed. "I saw him too, last night. I asked your sister about it, but
she just assumed that he was a fighter."
	Hikari frowned. "Well, I wouldn't want to second guess my own sister,
but I just have this feeling in my gut that there's something...different about that
guy."	Jana nodded. "I completely agree. The only question is, what? He's
been here ever since last night, and as far as I know, he hasn't done anything
wrong, or even anything weird."
	"I don't know, but then again, that's why I'm following him." She grinned.
"Wanna join me?"
	Jana frowned. "I really shouldn't. I have chores to finish, and it's quite
rude to..." There was a silence, and Hikari stared at Jana knowingly. "Hai, hai,
I will." The pair turned toward the doorway again.
	Hikari stared up the hallway. "Hai, on san we'll run up to the next room,
ne?" She paused. "Ichi...ni...san!" The pair ran quickly up the hall and into another
sitting room.
	A moment later, the man that Hikari had been following walked toward
the room the pair had run into, staring off into space. The girls shrank back from
the doorway nervously.
	The man suddenlly smiled. "Ah, so someone else has joined you
Hino-san?" He closed his eyes, then opened them. "Clef-san, why would Sensei
Nishi's niece be suspicious of me?"
	Hikari's jaw dropped and Jana gasped. "Don't move!" Hikari hissed.
	The man walked over to the room that the pair was hiding in and
opened the door. "Konnichiwa. I think it's time that we had a talk."
	"Ryu?" Kaze called softly. "Ryu? Are you here?"
	"Over here," Ryu replied, stepping out from behind a large punching
bag. He had a duffell bag slung over his shoulder and was no longer wearing his
fighter's garb. He smiled weakly. "Konnichiwa."
	Kaze frowned, walking over to him. "Konnichiwa," she replied
hesitantly. "What's going on?"
	Ryu moved toward a bench and sat down, gesturing for Kaze to do the
same. "There are some things that I have to tell you. I thought that it would be best
to do it now."	Kaze gave him a puzzled look. "Hai..."
	Ryu swallowed nervously. "Well, first I wanted to tell you about some
fighters that Reiko, Billy, Jason and I saw. Apparently they're boyfriend and
girlfriend, and they both fight in tournaments. I saw them both fight different
opponents, and...they're incredible. They were so fast, I barely saw them move.
Not only that, but I think that they're stronger than most of the fighters here."
	Kaze frowned. "Did you get their names?"
	"Only their first names," Ryu replied. "The girl's is Suzu and the guy's is
Reshi. They don't look particularly intimidating, but they can really fight."
	Kaze smiled weakly. "So I guess you're not the only one I should watchout for."
	Ryu took a deep breath. "That's what else I wanted to talk to you about."
He took Kaze's hand in his. "I've decided to drop out of the tournament."
	Kaze's jaw dropped in surprise. "But...why?"
	Ryu smiled softly and gently lifted the girl's chin with his hand. "I think
you know why."	Kaze blushed and looked away. "So you're...leaving?"
	"Hai," Ryu replied softly. "I wish that I didn't have to. I'd give anything to
stay here with you, but I can't."	Kaze's eyes filled with tears. "But why?"
	Ryu sighed and shoved an envelope into the girl's hands. "Read this
when I leave, and then you'll understand."
	Kaze nodded and swiped at her eyes. "Hai." She hesitated before
continueing. "Ryu...why did you want me to bring my bag of training equipment?"
	The young man smiled. "To see if you still have the present I gave you."
	Kaze looked up sharply. "You remember that?"
	Ryu smiled. "Of course. I thought for sure that you'd forgotten."
	Kaze smiled and reached into her bag, pulling out a dark blue ribbon. It
had been carefully restitched around the edges to prevent it from fraying, and
showed signs of age and use.
	Ryu's smile was tinged with astonishment. "You kept it..." he whispered.
"And you still use it."
	"It's my lucky ribbon now," Kaze explained, fighting the lump in her throat.
"Ever since you gave it to me when we were kids. I was wearing that ribbon in
every fight I've ever won."
	Ryu looked up at his old friend. "Kaze..." he whispered, hugging her."Arigato."
	Kaze hugged him tightly, as if to prevent him from leaving, but after a
moment he pulled away. "I have to go now," he said. "Remember to read that
letter when I leave."
	Kaze nodded, unable to speak. Ryu smiled at her, then leaned over and
kissed her gently on the forehead. "Sayonara Kaze."
	Through tears, the girl managed to choke out a farewell, watching her
friend leave. Sitting down on the bench, she opened the letter he'd given her.
	"Sensei Nishi, may I have a word with you?" a male voice said. Nishi
turned and saw the battle spirit, Oni, standing before him.
	"Hai, of course Oni-sama. What may I do for you?"
	Turning, Oni gestured with his hand. Two figures emerged from the
shadows, and Nishi raised an eyebrow as he recognized them. "Ah, Jana. And
young Hino-san as well. What a pleasant surprise."
	Oni grinned, showing a row of perfectly straight, white teeth. "I believe
that these young women were wondering who I am and what I'm doing here. I
thought that it woud be best to bring them here and let you explain it to them."
	Nishi smiled. "Ah, what a good idea. Why don't you ladies have a seat
and I'll explain everything?"
	Sitting down meekly, the girls glanced at Oni who smiled brightly at
them. Nishi chuckled. "Well, it seems that you two are indeed gifted if you can
sense what you did about Oni-sama here. After all, it's not as if you had any prior
experience in sensing his kind. I very much doubt that either of you have run a
cross a battle spirit before."
	"A battle..." Jana said, an amazed look on her face.
	"Are you telling me that this guy is a real spirit of battle? The Oni?"
Hikari asked incredulously.
	Oni laughed. "Yes, that is indeed what he's saying. I was sent to Earth
by my superior to investigate a strange flow in chi, and you could say that I -" He
grinned. "Encountered Sensei Nishi when I arrived. He has been kind enough to
allow me to stay here until my business on Earth is complete."
	Jana coughed slightly. "Excuse me, Oni-sama? What kind of strange
chi flow are you looking for?"
	Oni turned toward the young woman and raised an eyebrow. "According
to my superior, it's centered around two fighters, a young man and a young
woman. Supposedly they are contestants in today's tournament. My orders are to
moniter and identify these fighters and report my findings."
	Hikari frowned. "That's all? What if these fighters are dangerous?"
	Oni's expression turned grim. "I believe that I was sent because they
may be dangerous. Anything or anyone that could worry my superior as much as it
has is indeed a matter that is best handled by a battle spirit."
	Jana tilted her head slightly as she thought. "So you're looking for young
fighters, a male and a female, ne? Do you have any idea what they look like?"
	Oni nodded. "Hai, according to my research, the woman is petite with
pink hair. The man is -"
	"Slightly taller, with bright blue hair," Hikari finished.
	Jana, Nishi and Oni looked at the girl in surprise. "How did you know
that?" Oni asked.
	Hikari stood quickly. "I think I know where they are," she said, grabbing
Jana's hand as she ran toward the door. "C'mon, we gotta hurry!"

Kaze,

	If you're reading this right now, it means that I've already left you again.
I wish that things between us could have been different, but this is the way that I
live now. I'm just sorry that you had become involved with me in any way. I know
that it's too late for this, but I have to tell you that I'm sorry.
	The reason I became a fighter was something I could never bring
myself to tell anyone. However, I think that you, of all people, have a right to know.
About five years ago, my mother became seriously ill. Everyone in my family tried
their hardest to help pay for her medical bills, including me. It was difficult for us,
and we were struggling for quite awhile. It was during a particularly hard period
that I heard about a fighting tournament in my town. If I could win the tournament,
the prize money would go a long way toward paying off my family's debt. It was
then that I began to train, and it was then that I became a fighter.
	If someone had asked me five years ago what I saw myself doing in the
future, I know that I would have answered with something confident and thought out.
Now my entire life is focused on training and winning. It wasn't until I ran into you a
year ago that I began to have serious doubts about what I was doing with my life.
Seeing you again has made me remember that there is more to life than fighting,
more to life than money. I know that I will always be grateful to you for that, and I
know that my feelings for you will never change. Remember that, and remember
me, and maybe someday we can really be together again.	Aishiteru.
					      
 						Yours Always,		
			               				Ryu