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 Four: Evening


	"I can't believe how great Kaze's doing!" Billy exclaimed, clapping loudly
as Kaze defeated her opponent. "With this win, she's in third place!"
	"So her next opponent is that Suzu woman, ne?" Jason asked.
	"Hai," Billy replied. "She's a really amazing fighter. I hope Kaze can take
her."
	Reiko laughed. "I think that she can. Kaze's a pretty great fighter
herself, and she has to prove herself to Ryu as well."
	"Say, what happened to Ryu anyway?" Jason asked. "He was doing
really well in the beginning fights, and then he just kinda disappeared."
	"Didn't you hear?" Billy asked. "Ryu dropped out of the tournament."
	"Nani!?" Reiko and Jason exclaimed.
	"Hai, it's true. I ran into Kaze about an hour ago and she told me. She
seemed really bummed."
	"Well it makes sense," Reiko said. "Her best friend from childhood
shows up suddenlly and leaves just as suddenlly. How else is she supposed to
feel?"
	Jason sighed. "I just hope that her feelings don't interfere with her
concentration. She really needs to do her best if she wants to beat Suzu."
	"Reiko!" a familiar voice called. The three friends turned to see Hikari,
Jana and an unfamiliar man rushing toward them. "Minna!"
	"Nani Hika-chan, what is it?" Reiko replied. Pulling Jana with her,
Hikari sat down next to her friends. The man took the seat next to Jana.
	"Reiko, has Kaze gone against those two strange fighters yet?" Hikari
asked.
	Reiko frowned. "You mean Suzu and Reshi? Yuh, but she's going
against Suzu in about fifteen minutes."
	"Shimatta!" Hikari muttered under her breath.
	"Pardon me," the strange man interrupted. "What did you say were the
names of those fighters?"
	"Suzu and Reshi," Billy replied. "Why? Is something wrong?"
	"There's no time to talk about it now," Hikari said hurriedly. "I need to
get to Kaze." She turned to the strange man. "Are you going to stay here?" she
asked. "That might actually be better. If they sense your prescence, it could cause
trouble."
	"Hai, you're right," he replied. "I'll stay here, but if you need me, I'll
come."
	Hikari nodded. "What about you guys?" she asked.
	Billy's face brightened. "How about Reiko and I go with you, and
Jana-san and Jason can stay here?" he asked.
	Jana frowned slightly. "Are you sure? I had hoped to go with
Hikari-san."
	Billy winked at Jason. "Hai, I'm sure. I think that that would be best."
	Jana shrugged. "Hai, if you insist."
	Hikari stood. "Now that that's settled, we should hurry and get to Kaze,"
she said. "We don't have much time."
	Reiko and Billy stood. "Let's go!"



	Kaze sighed as she stretched her legs. She had been doing well so far,
but she didn't think that she could defeat her next challenger, the strange girl called
Suzu. Ryu had told her about Suzu and her boyfriend before he'd left, and she
herself had seen them fight. They were extrememely good, in a class of their own.
	A loud crash brought Kaze out of her thoughts, and she turned to see a
pair of figures stand up.
	"Gomen," a voice said.
	"That's alright," a familiar voice replied. "I should have been watching
where I was going." Kaze's eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of a familiar
profile.
	"Ryu?" she called. "Ryu!" There was a flurry of movement, and the figure
disappeared. "Ryu!" Kaze yelled, running after him. "Matte Ryu!" Running at full tilt,
Kaze didn't even notice the other person until she ran into them.
	"Gomen!" she exclaimed, standing up to run again. The person she'd
knocked over grabbed her wrist and held her in place.
	"Kaze," a familiar voice said. "Matte Kaze." Looking down, Kaze saw
Hikari sprawled on the ground. "Where are you going?" the younger sister asked.
	"I saw Ryu, and I'm trying to..." Kaze looked around and saw no one
except Hikari, Reiko and Billy. She sighed. "Nevermind, it must have been my
imagination."
	Hikari frowned as she collected herself. "Hai, well your imagination
should be more careful about running people over when it's in a hurry."
	Kaze winced as she helped her sister up. "Gomen," she said. "I'll try to
be more careful."
	"Hai, hai," Hikari answered. She looked up at her sister. "Oi, that's
right! You're fighting Suzu in a few minutes, aren't you?"
	"Hai," Kaze replied. "Why?"
	Hikari's face became serious. "There's something really important
about Suzu that you have to know, but I don't think that I'll have enough time to
explain it. Is it possible for you to delay the match?"
	Kaze raised an eyebrow. "I don't think so, but I already know how good
she is. I really don't think that it's a big deal. If I lose, I lose."
	Reiko sighed. "It's not that simple Kaze-chan," she said. "If what
Hika-chan told me is true-"
	"Will Hino Kaze please report to the battle arena? Repeat, Hino Kaze
to the battle arena please," a voice said over the loudspeaker.
	Kaze grinned. "Well minna, that's my cue," she said, running ahead.
"See ya after the fight!"
	"Matte Kaze!" Hikari called. Kaze just waved as she approached the
arena. Hikari turned toward Reiko and Billy. "Now what do we do?"



	In the stands, Jana, Oni and Jason watched as Kaze entered the arena.
"There she is," Jason said grimly. "Do you think that Hikari and the others got to
her in time?"
	Oni closed his eyes briefly, then opened them. "Yuh, they didn't," he
said. "But it seems that Hino-san doesn't care whether she wins or loses."
	Jana frowned. "Why would she have that attitude? She always wants to
win. I mean, she's not obsessive or anything, but she's been a very confident
fighter for as long as I've known her."
	Jason shook his head. "It must be because of Ryu," he said. "He left
very suddenlly, and I think that it upset Kaze a bit."
	Oni and Jana looked at him. "Ryu?" Oni asked.
	"A friend of hers," Jason explained. "She hadn't seen him since they
were kids, but he was here for the tournament earlier. He dropped out though, and
no one really knows why."
	Oni frowned. "So this Ryu person, he's a fighter as well?"
	Jason nodded. "Hai. Why?"
	"Well, there's a way I can mindlink Ryu with Kaze, which might change
her mind about wanting to win. I can only do it if he's a fighter though."
	Jana frowned. "He has to be a fighter for you to do that?"
	Oni nodded. "Hai. After all, I'm a battle spirit. I specialize in the chi of
fighters."
	Jason squinted as he looked into the ring. "Well then, what can you tell
us about the chi of that fighter?"
	Jana and Oni followed Jason's gaze and saw a petite, pink haired
young woman enter the ring.
	"Suzu..." Jana murmured. She looked at Oni, whose eyes were closed.
He was frowning in concentration. "Oni-sama?" she questioned softly. His eyes
opened suddenlly.
	"She's a ghost," he said with certainty. "She's what my kind call a chi
senshi. She was most likely a warrior when she died, and her chi was so strong
that her spirit didn't move on. She continues to exist on Earth most likely to
continue what she did in life, which is fight."
	Jana frowned, her mind working rapidly as she attempted to take the
information in. "So, if she's a ghost, how can she have a body?"
	Oni sighed. "I've never actually seen this myself, but there are some chi
senshi that have such powerful energy that they can literally create a body for
themselves. My guess is that this woman is one of those kind, and most likely the
young man is too."
	Jason looked at Oni in shock. "So what does that mean?" he asked
quietly.
	Oni sighed again. "It means that Hino-san is in more trouble than she
knows."



	Kaze grinned as she stepped into the ring. This was one of her favorite
parts of a fight, when her adrenaline was at it's highest. Of course it didn't hurt that
her opponent was one of the most intimidating fighters she'd ever faced. Kaze's
grin grew wider. This should be interesting. Stepping forward, the young fighter
stood in a defensive stance. Her opponent did the same.
	"Matte!" a voice called over the loudspeaker. "Hold the fight!"
	Kaze looked up at the area where the commentator sat and noticed a
tall man standing there. Squinting, her eyes widened in surprise as she recognized
the master of the hall, Sensei Nishi. "Nani..."
	"This fight is to be delayed exactly one half hour," Nishi said. "Until then,
all fighters are free to do what they will. If any competing fighter has not returned to
the battle arena within the half hour, their place in the tournament shall be
considered forfeit."
	Kaze stepped back, confused. Suzu grinned at her. "Well, I suppose
that I'll be seeing you in a half hour," she said.
	Kaze grinned in return. "Count on it." Walking to the sidelines, Kaze
was halted by Hikari, Reiko and Billy. She blinked in surprise. "Please don't tell
me that you guys had anything to do with the fight being delayed."
	Hikari shood her head. "Yuh, but it's a good thing that it was."
	Reiko nodded. "Hai, it bought us some more time, but not that much."
She grabbed Kaze's wrist. "C'mon, we gotta get to Sensei Nishi's chambers. I
have a feeling that that's where everyone is meeting."
	Kaze frowned as Reiko pulled her along. "Everyone? What do you
mean?"
	"Everyone that knows about those fighters," Billy replied.
	"Suzu and Reshi?" Kaze asked. "Knows what about them?"
	Hikari shrugged. "We're not sure yet. I just hope that Oni's figured it out."
	Kaze was completely confused. "Oni? Minna, I have no idea what you're
talking about."
	Reiko sighed. "You'll understand once we get to Nishi's chambers. Until
then, just try to be patient."
	Kaze sighed. "Hai."



	Sitting at the head of the table, Oni gestured for silence. Everyone
around the table looked at him in expectation.
	"I have seen something dangerous that dwells on this Earth," he said
without preamble. "Therefore, it is necessary for me to have this meeting. I believe
that it was not a coincidence that brought me here to all of you. I believe that all of
you will be valuable in finding out more about these fighters.
	"For those of you that do not know, Suzu and Reshi are beings known
as chi senshi. Put bluntly, they're ghosts with chi so that is so strong that, when
they died, their spirits did not move on. They now exist to continue what they did in
life, which is fighting. They are extremely strong, so strong that they have created
bodies for themselves using nothing but their chi and their will."
	Kaze cleared her throat. "Um, excuse me, but...who are you?"
	Oni smiled. "To make a long story short, I am Oni. A spirit of battle. Any
other questions?"
	Kaze looked around the table at her friends, who nodded at her. "Um,
yuh, I guess."
	Oni nodded and looked at everyone around the table. "What we have to
do now is assist Kaze in any and every way possible to make sure that she wins
the fight."
	Jana, who sat with Jason on one side of her and Hikari on the other,
raised her hand. "Pardon me Oni-sama, but why does Kaze have to win? I mean,
what would happen if she didn't?"
	Oni shook his head sadly. "Kaze would become one of them."
	Everyone around the table sat straight up in shock. "N-nani?" Hikari
choked out.
	Oni nodded. "Hai, I'm afraid so."
	Jason leaned forward. "So she won't fight. I mean, it's not like she has
to. If she doesn't show up within the half hour, she forfeits her place. Then those two
would just have to fight each other."
	"They wouldn't," Reiko said before Oni could reply. "From what I saw of
them, I think that they really care about each other, despite what they are. I think
that if it came down to them fighting each other, they'd try to call it a draw."
	Billy looked at Nishi. "Could they do that?"
	"Hai," the Sensei answered with a nod.
	"Kaze can't drop out," Oni interjected. "If she does, she will definetly
become one of them."
	"What do you mean?" Kaze asked nervously.
	Oni sighed. "Chi senshi detest seeing weakness in their opponents.
They would turn you into one of them as punishment."
	Jana frowned. "They see becoming a chi senshi as punishment? Why?"
	"For someone that hasn't lived their life entirely, that's a very strong
punishment. As a chi senshi, you wouldn't be able to live your life as you normally
would, but you wouldn't be able to move on either. You would be, in essence,
between lives."
	Kaze paled. "That doesn't sound appealing..." Everyone laughed
nervously, and Hikari put an arm around her sister.
	"Don't worry," she said softly. "We won't let anything happen to you."
Everyone around the table nodded in agreement.
	"So I guess the next question is, how can Kaze beat them?" Billy asked.
	Oni turned toward Reiko. "You said that you saw them before. What did
you mean by that?"
	"I talked to Suzu while I was in line for the restroom," Reiko explained.
"Reshi was just about to fight, and he wanted her to be at the sidelines to watch
him."
	Oni frowned. "Did he say why?"
	Reiko shrugged. "He didn't really. I told Suzu that I thought it was sweet
that he wanted her there for support, and she said that it was for more than
support."
	Oni leaned back in his chair. "More than support..." he murmured to
himself. Everyone around the table looked at him curiously. A moment of silence
passed when Oni suddenlly jumped up. "That's it!" he exclaimed. He turned
toward the surprised group. "Listen carefully minna. I think I know what we can
do..."