Fatal Fury Fan Fiction ❯ Fatal Fury - The Vengeful Spirits ❯ Chapter Nineteen - Ready to Live ( Chapter 20 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

 

 

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games or the anime. “Learning to Live” is written Kevin Moore, John Myung, James LeBrie, Mike Portnoy, and John Petrucci, and is copyright ATCO Records. I'm posting this fic for free, and make no money off of it.

Chapter Nineteen: Ready to Live

 

By the time the first patrol car arrived at Geese Tower, Terry Bogard and his friends were long gone, as were the Jin brothers. Chonrei and Chonshu had been offered a ride, but declined, saying that they would be in touch with Terry in the near future, and left the scene on foot.

Mary Ryan had chosen to stay behind and run damage control again, and the police found her sitting on the steps outside the front entrance to the tower, with the body of Geese Howard nearby. A small part of Mary had kept expecting Geese to rise up from the ground once police started to show up, but it never happened. Nor did it happen when the men from the coroner's office arrived, outlined the body, then placed it in a bag and lifted it onto a gurney. When the bag was zipped shut, it truly sank in. He was actually dead this time.

When the paramedics showed up, Mary allowed herself to be taken to their ambulance and looked over. She sat on the rear fender as the paramedics did their job, and watched as more police cars showed up to surround the building; watched as a large van pulled up, and a squad of men dressed in helmets and tactical vests armed with semi-automatic weapons spilled out of the back of it, and swarmed into the building. She was watching them begin to escort Geese Howard's men out and load them into another van when Inspector Bowers finally got to the scene.

“Ryan!” He snapped when he saw the detective. “What are you doing here?”

“Bleeding, sir,” Mary said, indicating the gash on her upper left arm which was currently being dressed by an EMT.

“I mean, why are you here at all?” Bowers snapped at her, with that annoyed look on his face.

“Why do you ask?” Mary fired back at him. “Were you expecting Geese Howard to kill me? I assume that's why you arranged that meeting between me and my informant as a way for Geese to kidnap me.”

Bowers shook his head. “Oh, don't start this shit again,” he growled.

“Long time, no see, Inspector!” Came a voice from behind Bowers. The inspector turned, saw a man dressed in a black suit, tie and black fedora walking towards him, hands in the pockets of his suit jacket. He had short brown hair and a brown goatee.

“Agent Kaminsky,” Bowers said with a nod, trying to keep his tone cordial, and failing to do so.

“Agent Winters, actually,” the man said, and pointed to another man walking up to the ambulance, dressed in an identical black suit and fedora, also with a brown goatee. “That's Kaminsky.”

“I'm a little offended you don't remember us, Steve,” Kaminsky said to the inspector. “We spent so much quality time together when we were investigating you.” He then pointed at the inspector's nose, which had a large bandage taped over it. “You're looking good, by the way.”

“What are you doing here?” Bowers asked him.

“We heard over the radio chatter that a man matching Geese Howard's description took a dive off the roof of Geese Howard's old headquarters,” Winters explained. “Which is pretty impressive, since Geese Howard was supposed to have died three years ago. So we wanted to come see for ourselves.” He then glanced over Bowers's shoulder, saw Mary sitting on the bumper of the ambulance. “Oh, hey, Detective Ryan. Good to see you again.”

“Winters,” Mary said with a polite nod. “Always a pleasure.”

“Her title of 'detective' is currently in question,” Bowers told the two agents. “She's supposed to be suspended.”

“Than what's she doing here?” Kaminsky asked Bowers.

“Long story,” Mary told the men. “I was following up on a lead the other night...”

“Doing police work?” Bowers cut her off.

“Were you there?” Winters snapped at the inspector. When Bowers did not answer, the agent went on: “Then let her finish.”

“Thanks, sir,” Mary said. “Technically, I wasn't doing police work, because I was working on a closed case. Geese Howard has been a hobby of mine since I moved here. I never bought the department's official record, since they never found a body. So I've been investigating the Howard case in my free time, whenever I was off-duty. That's what I was doing when one of my informants said that he wanted to meet me. Turns out it was a set-up. When I got to the meeting place, a man who looked a lot like Geese Howard had an accomplice armed with a rifle kill my informant, and then he beat me unconscious.

“When I woke up, I was tied to a chair in one of the conference rooms in this building. I don't know how long I was there when I heard noises through the ceiling, like there was a war going on above me. Several minutes later, the noises stopped. Several minutes after that, three or four people, I didn't get clear looks at their faces, came into the room and untied me. They carried me down to the lobby and left me there. That's when I called 9-11. When I got outside, I saw Geese Howard's body. And that's my story. Same statement I gave to the first cops on the scene.”

The agents nodded, and then walked over to the ambulance next to the one Mary sat on, which had come from the coroner's office. The gurney had not been loaded yet, and Kaminsky pulled on a latex glove and unzipped the black bag. Both men whistled low as they examined the body inside.

“The scar is a dead giveaway,” said Winters. “But I'm sure the dental records will tell us for sure.” He zipped the bag back up, and then he and his partner rejoined the detective and inspector.

“So, once again, you didn't see their faces?” Bowers asked Mary.

Mary nodded, and then indicated the bruises on her arms, stomach, and her left cheek. “Geese and his men have been beating me since I regained consciousness, sir. I was disoriented when my rescuers came, so no, I didn't see their faces. Next time I'm kidnapped, I'll ask them not to beat me.”

“Hell of a story,” said Agent Kaminsky. “Any ideas as to who might have wanted to set you up?”

Mary shook her head. “The main thing I'd like to know is how they got my informant's personal info. There's only a few people who knew that I kept that info in encrypted files on my office computer. One of them, Commissioner Hurst, was blown up a few days ago. That just leaves the man I reported directly to...”

“Oh, this is ridiculous!” Bowers snapped at her. Then, he turned to the agents and said: “She has been accusing me of working with Geese Howard since I suspended her.”

“Because you have been!” Called a familiar voice. Bowers turned and saw both Hopper and Ripper standing outside one of the police vans with their hands cuffed behind their backs. Winters and Kaminsky were also looking at the two henchmen, their curiosity clearly piqued. “I hacked the detective's computer,” said Ripper. “I gave the inspector the identity of Ryan's informant. He set up that meeting as a trap so Mr. Howard could kidnap her.”

“Get them out of here!” Bowers snapped to the officers escorting the two men, but Agent Kaminsky raised his hand.

“Not so fast, Steve,” he said, and then walked over to Hopper and Ripper. “You willing to testify to that under oath?” He asked them.

“We won't say yes or no until after we've spoken to our attorney,” said Hopper.

“Yeah, we'll probably be willing to talk, but first we want to cut a deal,” Ripper added.

“That's up to the DA,” said Kaminsky. “But I'm sure he'll be in touch with you after I speak to him.” He then said to the police escort for Geese's lackeys: “Okay, now you can get them out of here.”

He turned and walked back to rejoin his partner, and Bowers. “I'm sure there's a rational explanation for this, Steve,” Kaminsky told the inspector. “Perps shout all sorts of things when they're being taken away, in order to try and sow dissent among our ranks.”

“Yeah, we see this all the time in police work,” Winters said. “Except... this isn't the first time these allegations have been brought against you.”

“So until we get to the bottom of it,” Kaminsky went on, “We're gonna call in Captain Robertson to take over clean up down here. You should probably go home.”

Bowers cast a quick glance over at Mary, who simply shrugged. He turned and started to walk away, when he heard Winters call after him: “Oh, and Steve: I'm sure the investigation won't turn up anything, just like last time. But just until we do get this sorted out...” He held his hand out. “You know the drill.”

The inspector did his best to ignore the look of satisfaction that Mary fixed him with as he gave Agent Winters his badge, then pulled his gun out, popped out the clip, and handed that over as well. After he had stormed off, the two agents turned back to Mary Ryan.

“How you feeling?” Winters asked her.

“Better, now that I saw that,” Mary answered. “You know, I think it's a good bet he'd be a flight risk.”

“We figured,” said Winters. “So we'll be sure to have a man watching him.”

“Look, detective,” said Kaminsky. “Once word gets to the press that Geese Howard wasn't really dead these last three years, there's gonna be a huge media shit storm. We'll need all hands on deck to deal with the fallout. How soon can you come back to work?”

Mary rubbed the back of her neck. “I'd start right now, if I didn't feel like I've just been run over by a whole convoy of Mack trucks.”

The two agents nodded. “Understandable,” said Winters. “Well, after the paramedics are done with you, go home and get some rest. Report back to the thirty-seventh as soon as you feel you're ready.”

“Thanks,” Mary said. The two agents nodded again, and then left. The EMTs finished their work shortly after that, and Mary managed to bum a ride from a patrolman back to the hotel that Terry and his friends were staying at. She did not go back to her room, instead went straight to Terry Bogard's room and knocked at the door.

Terry answered wearing only his jeans. “Can I come in?” Mary asked him.

Terry gave her a warm smile. “I'd like that,” he said.

Mary entered and shut the door behind her. She looked around, saw her jacket hanging on the chair behind the desk. “Thanks for taking care of this,” she said as she gave it a small pat on the collar. “I told you I'd be back for it. How's everyone else holding up?”

“I just came from the bar,” said Terry. “Joe and I had a celebratory drink together. I think he's still down there, hitting on singles. Mai and Andy went back to their room not long after we got here. She's probably playing 'nurse' with him right now.”

“Probably,” Mary said with a nod. She then crossed over to the bed and sat down gratefully on it. “I know this sounds like a flimsy excuse,” she said as she pulled her boots off, and then stripped down to her bra and panties. “But I really do have a headache tonight. You'll understand if all I wanna do right now is sleep.” She smiled at him, and slipped under the covers.

Terry laughed and took off his jeans. “I'm okay with that. I have a headache, too.” He paused for a moment beside the bed. “Um, Mary... what I meant to say earlier...”

“I know, Terry,” she said to him. “I know how you feel. We have all the time in the world to talk later. But for now: just come to bed.”

“Gladly,” Terry said, and slipped under the covers, his head sinking onto the pillow. Mary quickly curled up next to him. Terry put an arm around her, and reached over and turned off his bedside lamp. Within seconds of Terry shutting off the light, they were asleep in each others' arms. For the first time in months, Terry slept soundly, without any nightmares.

Two weeks later...

 

South Town Cemetery

 

The way your heart sounds
Makes all the difference
It's what decides if you'll endure the pain that we all feel
The way your heart beats
Makes all the difference
In learning to live

Spread before you is your soul
So forever hold the dreams within our hearts
Through nature's inflexible grace
I'm learning to live...

 

The words stopped suddenly as Terry Bogard reached over and switched off the car radio. In the back seat, Mai Shiranui pouted slightly. “Aw, it was just getting to the good part.”

“Well, we're almost there, anyway,” Andy pointed out. Shortly after he said that, Terry parked their rental car down the street from the gates, close to the curb, and the five comrades got out and walked the rest of the way.

Terry Bogard and Mary Ryan were out in front, walking hand in hand. A few paces behind them were Andy Bogard and Mai Shiranui, also walking hand in hand, and behind them was Joe Higashi. Though the procession was a solemn one, inwardly they were relieved to be outside. Terry, Andy, Joe and Mai had spent most of the past two weeks holed up in Terry Bogard's apartment, having checked out of their hotel the morning after their fight with Geese. They had tended their wounds and waited for the media circus surrounding Geese Howard's return and subsequent “second death” to die down a little. Mary, back at work with the South Town Police Department, continued to pass on news that she thought they'd find interesting. It seemed her job had gotten more eventful lately.

Billy Kane was still at large, but the police had most of Geese Howard's other men in custody. Now that he was truly dead and no longer a threat, all of them had wanted to cut deals with the District Attorney. Hopper and Ripper, along with their lawyer, had a very long and meaningful chat with the DA's office. The two of them told of how Geese had coerced the mayor's office, how Inspector Bowers had aided and abetted Geese with kidnapping a police officer (as well as compromising security at the tournament to allow Ripper to set the bomb), and also provided several locations where Geese stored the items he had stolen down through the years.

As Bowers had played a part in her kidnapping, Mary Ryan was sadly unable to personally slap the cuffs on her boss. But she was at least present when the inspector was taken away, and even more important to the detective, the writings that Geese had stolen from her grandfather had been found at one of the storehouses searched by police, and would soon be back in her hands. Mary had been unable to stop herself from shedding a few tears of joy when she'd called her grandfather to tell him the news.

It had been a restless few weeks for those who hadn't been able to venture outside. Now, at last, several media outlets had started to focus on a new “flavor of the week,” and so Terry and his friends finally felt it was safe to get back into the world. Before arriving at the cemetery, they had stopped at the airport where they had dropped Jin Chonrei and Jin Chonshu off. Master Tung's old friend had helped book the two brothers a flight back to China, and after they landed, they were going to meet with an acolyte from the Ryu-Oh Temple, who would escort them the rest of the way to their new home.

The group passed through the heavy iron gates of the cemetery, and proceeded along the dirt path cutting between the rows of gravestones, making their way to the plot where Jeffrey Bogard and Master Tung Fue Rue both lay at rest. Terry, Mary and Joe were dressed in their usual street clothes, but Mai had insisted that she and Andy dress up for the occasion, as it was the first time she was seeing her boyfriend's father. The last time they were here, in order to place Sulia's gravestone, they had been unable to pay Jeff a visit.

Andy definitely looked uncomfortable in the pressed slacks, off-white button down shirt and black tie that Mai had selected for him. Mai herself was in a black dress, which was cut more tastefully than her dresses usually were (the hem of the skirt was past her knees, and the neckline was high enough that it did not display any cleavage), and had pulled her hair up into a bun instead of the usual ponytail. She also had a bouquet of white carnations tucked under one arm. Terry, meanwhile, had three long-stemmed roses tucked into his belt, stripped of their thorns.

Finally, the group stepped off the path and onto the grass, making their way respectfully past the headstones in their way, careful not to step directly in front of any of them. After a few more minutes, they came to a headstone with the name JEFFREY BOGARD inscribed in it. Right next to it, connected to the same marble base as Jeff's, was another stone that had Master Tung's name written on it in Chinese characters.

The five friends stood in a semi-circle around the grave, their heads bowed respectfully. For a while, no one said anything or moved. Then Mai got down on one knee, reverently placed the bouquet she was holding at the base of the headstone.

It's nice to finally meet you, Mr. Bogard, she said silently to the stone. I'm sorry I wasn't able to the last time we were here. Andy didn't talk much about you when we were growing up, but when he did, it was usually a reference to something you taught him and Terry. You did a great job with them. Andy is a wonderful man, and I love him with all my heart. I'll take good care of him. I promise. Mai then got up from the ground and rested her head on Andy's shoulder.

After Mai had gotten up, Mary got down on one knee, her head still bowed. You must have been a really great man, sir, she thought silently. Terry was only in your care for a few years, and after you were killed, he and his brother spent ten whole years training to avenge you. For them to spend that long training to avenge a man not related to them by blood... when we first met, Terry told me that you were his father. So you must have been special. She crouched there for another few minutes, then reached into the pocket of her green jacket, pulled out her fingerless fighting gloves, and laid them next to Mai's bouquet.

She stood up then, and Terry put an arm around her. “Cute,” he said to her, indicating her offering.

Mary shrugged. “Your dad was a warrior. I think he'd appreciate that more than flowers.” Then, she turned and quickly said to Andy's girlfriend: “Um, no offense, Mai. The carnations are pretty.”

Mai giggled. “It's okay, Mary. I know you're not into girl stuff. We'll work on that.”

Joe, who had been standing in front of the graves with his head bowed and hands folded in front of him, suddenly looked up. “Um, ladies... I think maybe we should give Terry and Andy some alone time.” He then turned and started back towards the dirt path.

“Right,” Mai said with a nod. Then she kissed Andy on the cheek. “We'll be waiting by the gates. Take all the time you need.”

“Yeah,” Mary added, patting the back of Terry's hands. “We're in no hurry.” She and Mai then followed Joe.

When they were gone, the Bogard brothers each got down on one knee in front of the grave. “Dad... Master...” Andy said out loud. “It took longer than we originally planned, but we finally settled the score. I... I hope you don't think less of us that we didn't do it right the first time.”

“Don't listen to this idiot, pop,” Terry said. “We both know that you and Master Tung wouldn't care how long it took us. Like you always said, if at first you don't succeed....”

For a while, the two of them were silent. Then Andy said: “You know, the day Master Hanzo was buried, Mai said something that stuck with me. She told me that she didn't seem to think it was fair that she had me for emotional support during her loss, when I didn't have anyone to cry on when Dad was buried.”

“She's a good woman,” Terry said simply. “I'm glad you realized your true feelings for her.”

“Yeah,” said Andy. “But what I was getting at... I was startled she'd say something like that. She had every right to think of herself in that moment, having just buried the last member of her family she really felt close to, but she cared enough to think about my own loss, even though it happened before she ever knew I existed. I was so surprised by that, the only thing I could think to say in response was that I... didn't cry much at Dad's funeral. I really only felt anger. Anger at Geese for killing him, anger at the police for turning a blind eye to the crime, anger at myself for being unable to do anything to stop it, anger at a higher power for finally giving us a man we could proudly call our father, and then taking him away so soon after it felt like we'd finally found a real home. I just... felt angry. Too angry to cry. Do you think Dad would have been ashamed of me for that?”

Terry reached over and clapped his brother on the shoulder. “You felt angry because you loved him. We both did. We just had different ways of showing it. But even if we didn't always know how to express ourselves, he knew that we loved him. I don't think he ever doubted that.”

For several minutes, they sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts and memories. Then Terry got up and announced: “Um, Andy, is it okay if I take a walk?”

Andy knew exactly where Terry wanted to go, so he replied: “Yeah, I'll be fine. I know you want to see them. Go on.”

“Thanks,” Terry said. He pulled one of the roses out of his belt and laid it in front of the marble gravestone, then he walked off to another corner of the cemetery.

When Terry got to the graves of Lily and Sulia, he noticed, as usual, that the grounds keepers had been neglecting them again. He was glad that his friends had found a quiet corner of the cemetery for the two women, but it was apparently too quiet, as the staff didn't seem to think it was worth their time to come out so far. Terry took a few moments to brush the dried leaves off the tops of the stones and pull up some of the larger weeds. Then he took the other two roses out of his belt and placed one in front of each headstone.

“Hey, ladies,” he said softly to their graves with his head bowed. “I'm sorry I haven't been out here lately to do the grounds keeper's job for him, but I've been busy these last few weeks. You probably know a little about it. Lily, I finally got you justice. I'm sorry I didn't check to make sure he was dead the first time. But... there's something else I need to tell you both. In the last few weeks, I've met someone. I only wanted us to be friends, but... I've learned that what I feel might be stronger than that. I also... don't feel as afraid of that as I used to. I really hope you don't think that means that I've forgotten what you meant to me...”

“We don't, Terry.”

Terry's head came up suddenly, heart beating a little faster. Standing between the gravestones, he saw the faintly glowing apparition of Lily McGuire, a vision in her white dress. She smiled warmly at him, a smile that seemed to make her spirit glow even brighter.

“I... I never thought I'd see you again,” Terry said as he stepped closer to her. “I hadn't seen you for months... and then I had that dream recently... that nightmare... that you were in.”

Lily shook her head. “That wasn't us you saw in your dream, Terry. Those were just phantoms created by your tormented mind. We love you. We would never leave, not without seeing you one last time. You have no idea how much I wanted to speak to you... how we both did. But your heart was still in too much turmoil. Seeing us wouldn't have eased your pain. It would only have made it worse. But... you're in a better place now. We can sense it.”

“You keep saying 'we,'” said Terry. “You don't mean...?”

“Yes,” Lily answered. “She's waiting to speak to you. But I told her that I had seniority. I knew you first, after all.”

Terry laughed. “Still the same Lily. I've missed you.”

Lily smiled again, motioned to the grove of trees behind her. “Walk with me.”

The two of them walked side-by-side through the trees, the late afternoon sun slanting downward through cracks in the foliage over their heads. It felt almost pastoral to Terry, much more relaxing than it had been the last time he'd been back among these trees.

“Terry, I have something I've been meaning to tell you,” Lily finally said to him.

“What is it?” Terry asked her.

“You know what we meant to each other,” said Lily, “And I know how a part of you still wishes things could have been different. As much as I wanted us to be together, I knew there was a good chance it would end badly for me. Which is okay, because a part of me felt that I didn't deserve a happy ending.”

Terry turned to face her, then, his mouth agape. After a few moments, he managed to close it, and then ask her: “What are you taking about?”

Lily sighed heavily. “Terry, I did a lot of bad things before I met you.”

“That never mattered to me. I knew that wasn't who you really were. I saw your true face, remember?”

“You did,” said Lily. “But that doesn't change or excuse the fact that I did bad things. Even when I didn't actually do them, I saw a lot of bad stuff, working for Geese, and I was complacent. I never had the strength to stand up and say it was wrong. Until I met you. When I chose to help you, I knew there was a very good chance I wouldn't make it out of that stadium, and I was okay with that. One or two good deeds wasn't enough to erase what I'd done with my life up until then. Like I said before, however brief it was, you made me feel alive, and I'll always be grateful that you gave me that, even if I wasn't able to share that life with you.”

“It still hurt so much to lose you, though,” said Terry.

Lily's ethereal hand reached down, hovered over Terry's, and Terry felt a sudden warmth settle over his arm. “I made a choice, Terry. I could have gone down that ladder anytime I wanted to. I chose to let you and your friends climb down ahead of me because at that moment, your lives were more important to me than my own. That was my choice. I don't regret helping you, and I don't regret having known you. So please don't regret what happened to me. Remember it, and honor that memory, but don't regret it. I was happy to do what I did for you.”

For a while, they were silent, gazing into each others' eyes. Then Lily asked him: “Does she make you happy?”

Terry knew who she was talking about. “I... think she does.”

“Good,” said Lily. “I like her, Terry. I was dead inside until I met you. You were the one who gave me my strength, and my passion. She didn't need you to do that for her. She found those things herself, long before she met you. You helped her realize that those things were still dormant inside of her, but you never needed to give her strength. You two are good for each other. And if she makes you happy, then I'm happy. And always will be.”

Lily reached up, then, laid both of her hands on Terry's shoulders, touching him but not really. Terry felt that warmth again, like the light of love was radiating from Lily's spirit into his body. “I don't know if or when I'll see you again,” she said as she slowly became more transparent, began to fade from view. “But just because you won't see me, it doesn't mean I'm not there. Think of me fondly whenever you see a rose. I'll probably be close by.”

“I will,” Terry said. “Goodbye, Lily.”

“Not goodbye,” Lily said, as she continued to fade. “Not ever.” Then she vanished.

Terry looked around eagerly, expecting to see another spirit come into view. Several minutes passed, and nothing happened. He felt only the breeze moving through the grove, heard only the buzz of insects. So Terry made his way out of the stand of trees and back to the graves. As he emerged from the trees, he saw the spirit of Sulia Gaudeamus standing in front of her headstone, smiling that same warm smile as Lily.

“Hi, Terry,” she said.

“Hi,” Terry managed to say to her. “You look good.”

“Spirits don't exactly age,” Sulia said with a shrug.

“Sulia, I...” Terry started to say, then he turned his gaze towards the ground, suddenly thinking that he was not worthy to even look at her. He had wanted to see her spirit for so long, had been hoping for it ever since the Dead Sea incident, and looking at her now... he was reminded only of his failure to help her, to help her brother. What could he possibly say to her?

Sulia's spirit seemed to sense this, and moved over to his side. Terry felt a sudden warmth on his shoulder, looked up and saw Sulia's hand hovering over it. Sulia's golden eyes seemed to shine from within as she said: “It wasn't your fault, Terry.”

Terry sank to his knees, tears running down his cheeks. Gradually, he became aware that Sulia was kneeling alongside him. He felt that same pleasant warmth as her arm now hovered around both his shoulders. “Oh, my sweet, brave wolf,” Sulia said to him. “Please stop blaming yourself, because I never have. Not for a second. I saw how the armor had poisoned Laocorn's mind. I saw you and you friends nearly getting yourselves killed trying to stop him. I knew that he eventually would have succeeded in destroying all four of you, and then once he got out of the temple... killing every man, woman and child on earth wouldn't have been enough to satisfy his desire for revenge. So I made a choice. I chose to help save my brother, my friends, the world, and the man that I loved... and I've never regretted it.”

Terry's blue eyes still shone brightly with tears. He wanted to say that it hadn't mattered, he had gotten her brother out of the armor after Sulia had stabbed herself, but Laocorn had still died not long after, so it had all been for nothing. Sulia seemed to sense this. She moved her other hand underneath Terry's chin, sending more of that pleasant warmth flowing through him. “Terry, we may not have saved Laocorn's life, but we saved his soul. Even if it was only for a few minutes, he was my brother again before the end. And don't forget that he made a choice, too. If he hadn't, your own brother wouldn't be here today.”

Terry started suddenly. He remembered Andy telling him about that not long after the battle had ended, how Laocorn had thrown himself between Andy, Mai, and the god of war. It was funny how Terry had never stopped to think about that. Why hadn't he?

Sulia's spirit laughed a little. “I'm not surprised it took you so long to make that connection. You have an annoying habit of being too hard on yourself when you think you've lost. I wish you wouldn't. It's one of the reasons I had to wait so long to see you.”

She laughed some more, then, her laughter sounding so musical, that Terry could not help but laugh along with her. After they had laughed together for several minutes, Terry rubbed his eyes with the backs of his hands until the tears stopped.

“It's good to hear you laugh again,” said Sulia.

“It's good to hear you, too,” said Terry, reaching over and placing his hand over Sulia's cheek, his fingertips just passing through it. “It's good to see you. I've missed you.”

“I've missed you, too, Terry,” her spirit replied. “Every day since I had to leave you. You have no idea how much it hurt me to see you torturing yourself these last several months, convincing yourself that you were cursed, that you had somehow failed me. But like Lily said, you're in a better place now.”

“I haven't had any nightmares since the night Geese died,” Terry said with a nod. “But a part of me still feels guilty, that I still have to go on, but you're not here to do the same.”

Her smile faded, then, and Sulia's expression grew more serious. “Terry, if you ever loved me, promise me that you'll do something.”

“Of course,” Terry told her. “Anything. Just name it.”

She reached out, then, her ethereal hands hovering over his. She smiled at him, and the light within her eyes seemed to burn like the sun as she spoke: “Promise me that you'll live. Not in the past, but in the present. Promise me you'll no longer dwell on what might have been, because you still have so much life left, so much to give the world. Don't squander that life by looking back. And if you see a chance to be happy, promise me you won't be afraid to take it. You'll grab it with both hands, and you'll hold onto it tightly, for as long as you can, and you make that person as happy as you made me.”

Terry smiled at her. “I will, Sulia. I promise.”

Sulia leaned in, then, her lips brushing gently over Terry's. Even though they did not actually touch in the physical sense, Terry still felt a blessed, soothing warmth overtake him, almost as if it were penetrating his soul. He shut his eyes and felt it flow through him. After a moment, he opened them again, saw the spirit of Sulia smiling even more brightly at him.

“I don't know if you'll see me again after this,” she said. “But it doesn't mean I'm gone. The people you love are never gone, as long as you remember them. So please: remember me in the right way, without any regret.”

“You have my word,” Terry said, his eyes once again glistening, this time with tears of happiness.

“And also: promise me you'll still come back to visit every now and then. You're a better grounds keeper than the man who actually gets paid to do it.”

Terry laughed again. “You know I will.”

She was starting to fade from view, now, and Terry reached out, placed his hands over hers. He looked her in her gentle golden eyes, determined to burn into his memory how she looked right at this moment.

“I'll always love you, my wolf,” Sulia told him. “Please... live, Terry Bogard.” Then, she was gone.

Terry bowed his head and began to cry. After a few minutes, the tears had stopped, and Terry felt a sense of peace overtake him, as if the last of his lingering guilt had flowed out with those tears. He stood up, took his cap off, and placed it gently between the two headstones.

“I'll never forget you two,” he said to the graves. “Or the promises I made today.”

After another moment, Terry turned and made his way back to Jeff Bogard's grave. He was surprised to see Andy still kneeling there, with his head in his hands. And... was it his imagination, or was his brother actually sobbing softly? Terry said nothing, simply kept his distance until it looked like Andy was finished. Then he stepped over to his brother's side, offered Andy a hand. “You okay, Andy?” He asked.

Andy blinked several times, as if he was surprised. Then, he wiped his eyes, and accepted the hand. “Yeah... I actually am,” he said as he got to his feet. “Are you okay?”

“Never been better,” Terry said with a laugh as the two of them started back towards the dirt path. Andy noticed that Terry did seem to be in much higher spirits than he was when they had gotten here. Whatever had happened at Lily and Sulia's graves, it had clearly given him closure. But Andy decided not to press it further. He simply nodded, and the two walked on in silence.

When they got close to the gates, Andy turned his head to face his older brother. “My arm should be good as new again in another day or two. As soon as it is, you know we'll need to have another match.”

Terry clapped him on the back. “I was waiting for you to say that.”

Their women were waiting for them at the gates to the cemetery, along with Joe. Mai and Mary were both looking annoyed, while Joe was rubbing his arm, as if he'd just been punched there. “Who did it?” Terry asked him.

“It was me,” Mary said.

Terry smirked at them. “Do I want to know why?”

“Probably not,” Joe answered.

Andy walked over to Mai, wrapped his arms around the kunoichi and hugged her tightly.

“You okay?” Mai asked him, her hands caressing his back.

Andy backed away a half-pace, his arms still around her waist. “Yeah,” he said. “You were right. I actually do feel better.”

“Of course I'm right, Andy,” Mai said with a smirk. “I'm a woman.”

Terry Bogard made his way over to Mary and hugged her more tightly than Andy had hugged Mai. Mai noticed this and suggested to Andy and Joe that the three of them wait down by the car.

After they were gone, Mary looked up at Terry. It was the first time in the last two weeks that they had gotten a chance to be alone together. The detective smiled as she ran a hand through Terry's blond hair, her fingers lightly playing with the end of his ponytail. “You lose another one?” She asked him, noticing his cap was gone.

“Not lost,” Terry said. “I left it with some special people. As a reminder.”

Mary knew what this meant. “You saw them, then?”

“I did. I actually talked with their spirits this time. And... I made my peace with them. And with the past. I think... I'm finally ready to live.”

Mary treated him to another rare smile. “I'm glad, Terry.” They hugged each other again, and then Mary asked: “So what will you do now? You still planning to leave the city?”

“Not anymore,” Terry said. “I feel like I have a reason to stay now.” He looked down at her, then, gazing into Mary's bright jade eyes. “Um, Mary... I'd... really like to keep seeing you. If... you'll let me.”

Mary smiled again. “I will, Terry. I want to keep seeing you, too.”

His heart suddenly felt lighter than it had been in a very long time. Terry pulled her close again and pressed his lips against Mary's, sweeping her into a deep, passionate kiss. They stood there for a long while before starting back down the hill towards the street, walking hand-in-hand.

“Three drops of Kahlua,” Mary said suddenly.

“I beg your pardon?” Terry asked her.

“A Blue Mary,” she explained. “One of the ingredients is three drops of Kahlua.”

“You're making that up!” Terry said with a laugh.

The blond detective shook her head. “Scout's honor,” she said. “Maybe someday, you'll learn another ingredient.” Terry continued to laugh, and so Mary laughed along with him. She could not remember the last time she had actually laughed out loud, and it felt liberating.

They arrived back at the car to find Joe sitting on the hood, arms crossed and staring at the pavement, looking disgusted. They looked past him and found out why: Andy and Mai were making out in the car's backseat. Mary scowled and rapped on the car window with her knuckles, startling them both. “Hey! Other people have to use that seat, you know!” She snapped.

Terry laughed and shook his head as he slipped into the driver's seat. Mary took her seat as well, in the front passenger side, ignoring Mai, who had her hands on her hips and was rapidly saying, “udder-people-ave-to-use-tha-sea-you-know,” in a mocking tone. Joe got into the back, sitting at the window opposite Andy and Mai while Mai moved onto Andy's lap.

“So, did you make the dinner reservation?” Andy asked Joe, eager to change the subject before things got violent.

“Yup,” said Joe.

“It better be an actual restaurant this time,” Mai admonished him. “Remember yesterday, Andy, when he had the nerve to take us to that strip club?”

Joe laughed at the memory of that, not even caring if it earned him a smack from Mai's fan. It would have been worth it.

“I had no idea he was doing that, Mai,” Andy said quickly. “When he said he was taking us to a place with the freshest tuna in South Town, I thought he meant seafood.”

Mai giggled and kissed Andy's cheek. “I know, Andy. And I don't know if I've ever mentioned this, but you look so cute when you blush.”

“Well, this is an actual restaurant,” said Joe “I'm bringing a date tonight.”

“Oh?” Mary asked. “Who is this one?”

“Just another spectator from the tournament that I got chatty with,” said Joe. “Her name is Stacy.”

Terry frowned. “I thought she was the other night's date.”

“No,” Joe explained. “That was Staci with an I. This one has a Y.”

Mai sighed and rested her head on Andy's shoulder. “It's so confusing... Andy, I'm glad you're not a bachelor.”

Andy smiled and put his arms around Mai. “Me too, Mai. Me too.”

After a few moments, Mai said: “Andy, before we go back to Japan, you need to take me to one of South Town's night clubs. I want to check one out.”

“You're not gonna dance on stage again, are you?” Andy asked apprehensively.

“I won't, on one condition: you actually have to dance with me this time.”

“But Mai, I... don't know how.”

Mai snorted. “Andy, that's ridiculous. If you can learn to do your katas while balancing on a raft in the middle of a river, you should have no problem learning how to move your feet on a dance floor. Besides, if we ever do get married, then you'll need to know how to dance. I won't have you embarrassing us at our reception.”

As Mai continued to run her mouth, Mary leaned over and whispered into Terry's ear: “If I ever get to be like her, you have my permission to shoot me.”

Terry tried to hold back his laughter, and found that to be impossible. This is gonna be a long ride, he thought to himself.

 

Next: the final chapter...